*GASP* A "For Fun" Card???

Morning everyone!  Are you as glad as I am that it's Friday?  I have really been enjoying this week - DS1 & DS2 have both been home for most of the week since it is Finals Week at school and we've been doing some house stuff and playing around in the kitchen.  It's so nice to have a kid that enjoys cooking. :)

So, yesterday morning I had the chance to sit down, in my craft room and create something that WASN'T for someone else...ONLY me.  It has been far too long since I've been able to do that.  (Actually, the truth is I've been in a crafting funk and haven't really wanted to be anywhere *near* my craft room...anyone else ever go through this?)  I was also able to browse through my blog challenge list and play along with a couple I haven't in a LONG time.

Over at the Ribbon Carousel Challenge, Suzanne is challenging us to use NON-Traditional colors for our creations. Making a valentine card? How about NOT using red or pink, or not too much of it anyways? Creating a gorgeous winter scene? Try it with creams instead of whites. Whatever you’re making….try a non-traditional palate as a challenge!  In addition, they have partnered up with the gals over at Paper and Such to give us *twice* as many chances to win.  How's that for fun?  Now...how many of you have seen a turquoise and brown Valentine's card?

Then for my sketch, I popped over to see Tracy's sketch over at Eat, Sleep, Stamp and here's what she has for us this week - miraculously, I worked perfectly for what I wanted to do!  I didn't have to go all over Blogland searching for a sketch - it was right here for me.  Serendipity, I tell ya.

Paper: "Journey" Paper Pad (Authentique), Tempting Turquoise, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla  Accessories: Sewing machine, button, twine, Square Lattice embossing folder, I Heart U die (Verve)

So, there you have it - my Friday "For Fun" card.  Have a great weekend, peeps!

There She Goes Sneak Peek {Day Three}

Cruising on a Sunday afternoon, scootin’ by to say hi! Melyssa Connolly has brought Leah back and she’s “born to be wild!” She already comes with lots of fun, but if this isn’t enough, she has a kit to accessorize to her hearts content! Whether she’s moving, heading off to school, or enjoying a ride she’ll surely make tracks into your heart.

Scootin’ By is a 4x8 set that includes a total of 15 stamps and will sell for $18.00.

Scootin’ By – Accessories is a 4x4 set that includes a total of 14 stamps and will sell for $10.00.

Isn't this just THE CUTEST set?  Another versatile set that can be used for almost any occasion!  When I first saw this set, it screamed "PAPER PIECE ME"... so I did.  :)  I  used this week's Just Us Girls color combo to make this fun-o-la card:

Would you like to win the new Scootin’ by and Scootin’ by Accessories stamp sets? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetters' blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday, January 28^th with the winner being announced during the release party chat.

Like what you see???  I'm sure the rest of the girls have some FABULOUS cards to show you so...skedaddle!!  Have fun hippity-hopping.  :)

Are Things Stick-y in Here?

Happy Thursday!!! Are you ready for another 4 Crafty Chicks' Challenge?  Lori is the hostess-with-the-mostest this week and she wants you to "Get Pinned."  What does this mean???  We want to see your stick pins, trinket pins, push pins, safety pins...whatever kind of pins you have.  We want to see 'em on your cards. :)

I LOVE last week's TCP Tuesday challenge - it was a color challenge and you ALL know I can't pass up on one of those.  Don't you LOVE these colors?

I didn't manage to get all twelve SFYTT sketches done last year  so I'm going to give it a go again this year.  January's Sketch For You To Try is a pretty simple one.  As you can see - I turned it on its side:

Okie dokie - That's it for me today.  Enjoy the rest of your week!  Over and out.  :)

Stamps: Got Love (TCP)

Paper: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Melon Mambo, Lost & Found Blush DSP (MME)

Ink: Early Espresso, Versafine Onyx Black

Accessories: Sponge dauber, heart trinket pin, Pretty in Pink satin ribbon, Ribbon Slide die (TCP), Nesties, Copics, clear embossing powder

There She Goes Sneak Peek {Day Two}

Friendship and coffee are a good blend to send greetings near and far. Torico has created a darling set to perk up the one “mug” you’ve been missing. An absolute must for those sweets and treats without all the calories!

Perk Up! is a 4x8 set that includes a total of 36 stamps and will sell for $18.00.

OH MY GOODNESS!!  I {heart} this set - so many different ways to make it your own and really personalize it for the recipient. :)  I wanted to make a CAS card (practice makes perfect, right?) and I haven't EVER played along with CAS-ual Fridays so thought I'd give it a whirl.  This week's challenge is an ode to the penguin - use ONLY black and white.  NOTHING else (not even a speck!)  NO color?  How is that POSSIBLE?  Not one to give up before starting, I got to work and came up with something I quite like.  It took all I had to NOT fill up that white space at the top of the card....embracing the "less is more " mantra...

Would you like to win the new Perk Up! stamp set? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetters' blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday, January 28^th with the winner being announced during the release party chat.

See you tomorrow for the final sneak peek - we've left the best for last, in my opinion...SUPER CUTE!  Have fun hopping along!

There She Goes Sneak Peek {Day One}

No “bots” set would be complete without Nursebot! Torico has done it again. She warmed your heart last month with Lovebots and this month she’s going to make you feel all better with Nursebot. What a great way to send well wishes then a visit from the Nursebot.

Nursebot is a 4x4 set that includes a total of 11 stamps and will sell for $10.00.

What a fun set Torico has designed for us this month!  Some fun images and sentiments sure to make a smile come to your face.  I didn't have a lot of time to get this card done - I left it until the last minute and then struggled to make it *just right.*  In the end, I combined the CR84FN Color Challenge with the Week 3 Viva la Verve sketch to come up with this:

Would you like to win the new Nursebot stamp set? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetters' blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment, the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday, January 28^th with the winner being announced during the release party chat.

Have fun hopping -see you tomorrow with another fun set!

Is it Summer Yet???

BRRRRRRRRR!  Oh. My. Gosh.  It is a deep-freeze here in Alberta.  I know I live in Canada and it *is* winter but we have been blessed with a very mild winter...until now.  The last few days have been horrendously cold -  -35*C or colder with the wind.  UGH.  The kind of weather where all you want to do is stay home and curl up with a good book or book the next plane to somewhere warm!  Which brings me to this week's 4 Crafty Chicks' Challenge...

Tamie is our hostess with the mostest and she is challenging us to make SUMMER themed cards.  This couldn't have come at a better time - just thinking about summer warmed me up (a little bit).  I decided to go with bright, summery colors for my card and I also chose a fun stamp from The Cat's Pajamas that had never seen ink... isn't he the cutest?  Imagine laying in a field of grass, the sun beating down...all while you lazily blow a pinwheel.  Oh, OK...that's a bit far-fetched but you get the idea.  It sure sounds a heck of a lot better than describing how many layers of clothes I have to put on so I don't freeze to death.  :)

Here ya go - I used Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch but flipped it 180*:

Stamps: What a Blast (TCP) Ink: Versafine Onyx Black  Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Pool Party, Happy Days DSP (Echo Park)  Accessories: Copics, Red stitched grosgrain ribbon, Nesties, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, clear embossing powder, Cloud die (TCP) 

OH! This card is also for TCP Tuesday #192 - embossing!  Both dry and heat embossing were used on this one.  :)

Thanks for stopping by today - if you need some more summer inspiration, don't forget to stop in at the other Chicks' blogs.  I'm sure they have some fantastic cards for you.  Stay warm!!

Ready for a Recipe Challenge?

Hey everyone!  Thanks for stopping by for another 4 Crafty Chicks Challenge.  The weather here in Central Alberta has been unseasonably warm the last few weeks but next week's forecast is not looking very nice so I am enjoying the warmth while I can.  :)

I'm the hostess for this week's 4CCC and I've got a recipe challenge for you: 1 ribbon, 2 buttons and 3 layers.  Shouldn't be too difficult - we all love ribbon, buttons and layers, right?

This week's challenge over at There She Goes is paper piecing and, lucky for me, I was able to combine these two challenges.  I also used the CR84FN Color Challenge and a Clean & Simple Stamping sketch:

Stamps: World's Best, Warmest Wishes (TSG)  Paper: Picadilly (BG), Marina Mist, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie  Ink: So Saffron, Marina Mist  Accessorie-s: Sewing machine, buttons, Daffodil Delight satin ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Nesties, twine

Thanks for stopping by today - have fun with this challenge!  See you soon!

Blog Hoppin' With the 4 Crafty Chicks!

Happy New Year, everyone!  Thanks for an amazing 2011 - it's so much fun being able to share what I love with you all!  I am really looking forward to what 2012 has in store for us. :)

For our first 4 Crafty Chicks Challenge of 2012, we've got a Blog Hop AND a SKETCH created by Leanne for you all to use.  Not only is it a fabulous sketch, but if you play along with us, you *could* win a month-long stint as one of our Guest Designers!  How 'bout that???  Here's the sketch - and remember, a sketch is a guideline.  Feel free to rotate it, change the shapes...make it your own (within reason, of course!)

I will admit, I had a heck of a time with this sketch and, in the end, rotated it and didn't use some of the elements because they just didn't *fit* - sorry, Leanne!  But, once I did get it going, I like how it turned out.  I was able to use Jen's fantastic inspiration challenge over at the TCP blog, Dancing in Pajamas - hearts, red, black and kraft???  I got this!!!

Stamps: Admit One (TCP)  Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Poppy Parade  Paper: Little Black Dress (BG), Poppy Parade, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake  Accessories: Big Ticket die (TCP), Big Scallop die (TCP), twine, button, Heart Tag die (Sizzix), adhesive bling, Herringbone embossing folder

So, there you have it - my take on Leanne's sketch.  You should play along with us - you could be one of our next Guest Designers!  If you need some more inspiration, please hop on over to Tamie's blog to see how she made this sketch shine.  Don't forget to leave comments along the way to be entered to win this little prize pack from yours truly:

See you soon!! Have a great week!