Spring Blog Hop with Pink By Design Stamps and Lovebug Creations

What a terrific experience it has been to serve on the Lovebug Creations Creative Team!  Not only have we received free samples and discounts on Rumple Ribbons, but we've also had the chance to partner with other craft companies to showcase the Rumple Ribbons with their products.

Today, such a partnership is happening with the pairing of Rumple Ribbons and some of the newly released stamp sets from "Pink By Design."  Sarah at PBD sent Kimi at Lovebug Creations a collection of stamp sets from which we on the LBCT got to choose and use on today's blog hop. 

On this Hop, be sure to visit our hosts' sites:

Lovebug Creations

Pink By Design

...as well as to visit and comment upon every blog hop participants' blog, as our hosts will offer a $15 gift certificate to her respective store, to randomly-selected commenters who also follow every blog. (Sorry, USA mailing addresses only.)

Without further ado, here is the Pink By Designs set I chose:

I made two cards (so far) and a blog candy container, highlighting these sentiments and Lovebug Creations Rumple Ribbons:

* My PBD stamp set came with a typo in the word "Kindness".
Sarah said that it's been fixed; your order will be correct!
Sarah, I'd love to replace this set with a corrected set
... typos drive me C-R-A-Z-Y!!

Now, who wouldn't want to win this sweet box as blog candy? 

I've crammed this box full of mostly vintage buttons for your crafting use, and topped it with some brads.

To qualify to win this candy, leave a comment on this blog post, be a friend/follower of the CardMonkey blog, and be sure that your comment leaves me a way to contact you if you win.  

Head on to the next stop on the Hop for more Lovebug Creations and Pink By Design goodness. Your next stop is with PBD Team member REBEKAH at Crafty Teacher Mom.  

In case you get lost along the way, here is the complete line-up: 

Kimi & Pamela (Lovebug Creations)

Sarah (Pink By Design Stamps) 

Christine 

Sarah 

Dawn Mercedes 

Elizabeth 

Dawn Rene 

Paula 

Dorcas 

Lisa 

Ellen (you are here)

Rebekah

Martha 

Meriah 

Stephanie 

Bryan 

Tanya 

Sabrina 

Zeni 

Gloria 

Thank you again for joining us on this fun blog hop, and a special thank you to Pink by Design for sharing their fun stamps with us!
 

Rumple Ribbon Thursday - Easter Bunny Parade!

Happy almost-Easter, CardMonkey fans!

I'm here with a quick post to show you a quick and sweet card I made using a Hambo Stamps digi-stamp, Copic Markers, Rumple Ribbon and some seasonal paper:

I printed the sweet image onto EZ-Blend Copic Paper and went to town, coloring this fun image. I trimmed it up and rounded the corners. Next, I inked the edges using CTMH's "Cotton Candy"  Exclusive Inks applied to a CTMH ink dauber. 

Next, I punched semi-circle cuts at either side of the bunny, using a Sew Easy Ribbon punch.  I thread through the slits some sweet Rumple Ribbon (this one's from the Panther Pink On the Edge Collection), and tied a bow.

I mounted the image onto a piece of pretty scrap paper, and then onto a 4x6" card I'd made using CTMH's Daisy White cardstock, using foam tape for dimension. Finally, I embellished the parading eggs with CTMH Liquid Paper and dashed on some CTMH pearl gems. Ta-dah! All done.

Happy Heloise Household Tip

OK, it's not a paper project ...

...but it's a discovery I made tonight while cleaning up a major mess in my Paper Jungle.

Am I the only one not knowing about this amazing cleaning product?!

OK, I'm not ready to show you the project I made, but suffice to say, I had a huge mess of bitty pieces of paper all over the rug (yes, carpet ... Oriental rug!) under my crafting table. Most pieces were the size of loose-leaf hole punches and there were THOUSANDS ...

This dish (clear plastic disposable, by Chinet) was underneath the table too, and I accidentally stepped on it and broke it cleanly in half. 

BOINK!! BRAINSTORM!!!  

I used the halves to scrape the paper bits off the carpet into a neat pile ... and the static created by the action actually helped clean the carpet and build the pile super-fast. Then, I used the two halves to pinch the pile and dump it in the trash ... OMG, the clean-up was a SNAP!

Maybe I'm just tired (it was a long evening of experimental crafting) or I was wondering how long it would take me to clean up my mess ... but ... this was SO EXCITING to me that I just had to share. 

This is exciting??! I must lead a very dull life!  :)

Celebrating a Life Well Lived

Recently, the mother of my next door neighbor passed away. While her passing was not unexpected and she needed constant care at a frail 92 years old, loss always hurts. But much as we mourn the death, I think it's equally important to celebrate a life well-lived.

That is why I chose to use my favorite bright and beautiful paper ("Chantilly" by Close To My Heart) as the base for this tri-fold shutter card. 

The finished size (flat) is 4 x 7". I will make a custom envelope for this card, using a 

We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch.

Isn't this center sentiment nice for any occasion?  It is also from Close To My Heart and it is called "Scrapbook Sentiments - Poets". I like that the type font is the same as the "Sorry for your loss" sentiments stamp ("4 My Friend", sold separately also by CTMH).  

I embellished the card using CTMH gems, and fussy-cut birds and flowers from the Chantilly cardstock.  

The beautiful ribbon that perfectly matches the Pear CTMH green cardstock is called "Green Goddess" and is Rumple Ribbon by Lovebug Creations. It is part of the "Heaven and Earth" Collection; click HERE to order your own!  

Easter Egg in Trendy Chevron

Hi, I'm back with another quick post and another Easter project, this one in trendy chevron!

I'm still readying for an Easter Egg hunt, and think these little baskets will look sweet hanging from some of the lower shrubs in my daughter's backyard.  I'll fill them with some eggs and sweets for my sweetie granddaughter. 

Project Details:  I cut this file -- it's just one piece! -- from a Silhouette Online Store purchase ($0.99).  The sides have a nice serrated edge that allows the paper to curl and adhere along the egg's oval. This went together in less than 5 minutes, perfect for making several for a large egg hunt or party.

Bunny treat basket from Silhouette

Wasn't this weekend's "Anything Spring" Blog Hop fun? It sure did trick me into thinking that Spring was around the corner -- and here I sit, with a winter storm approaching! 

First, the business at hand: Congratulations to Karen Ladd (Comment #9) who was selected randomly by Random.Org to receive my blog candy. Karen, please e-mail me at cardmonkey@comcast.net to provide your USPS address so I can send your packet of Springs and the $10 CTMH gift certificate and Idea Book!

And now, more Spring!  Are you getting ready for Easter? 

It's hard to believe -- it comes so early this year -- that Easter is just 12 days away! 

I have the excitement of planning an Easter Egg Hunt for granddaughter Charlotte. I don't know who's happier about that -- me or her ♥.

PROJECT RECIPE:  I made this cute 3D Bunny to hold an egg and some candy on the Bunny Trail. The cut file is from the Silhouette Online Store; I cut two -- one in pale pink and one from the striped liner paper. The pink ear inserts cut separately from a dotted hot pink.  At the base of the bunny, I added a border die cut from Cottage Kutz that I cut in white hand hand-colored using Copics, with little touches of Stickles on the bunny tails and CTMH Liquid Glass on the Easter Eggs.  I adhered the border with foam dots for dimension.  I finished it off using a Peachy Keen face stamp that I modified with a nose line and whiskers to look like a bunny, and I tied a delicious piece of Lovebug Creations' Rumple Ribbon from the Caddy Blue On the Edge Collection for the bow.  It went together pretty quickly, so I think I'll make some more for that Hunt. Isn't it sweet?!

And speaking of sweet, how about this cute picture of Charlotte, taken this weekend while she and her parents were out at the Outlet Mall, shopping.  Char's not much on shopping -- she goes for the rides!!
 

   

♥

This little girl makes 

every winter day feel like 

summer to me.

♥ 

  

Anything Spring Blog Hop, featuring just scraps

Welcome to the Scrap to Treasures March Blog Hop, 

featuring ANYTHING SPRING!

  

We are independent bloggers who love to craft like crazy and show it all off, crafters from the sister group the “Krazy Crafting Crew.  Even more crafters have joined this group to bring you many ideas on what to do with those crazy scraps that keep piling up.  

Our goal is to inspire you to go through your stash and create!  If you would like to join this team you are welcome to share what you have too with new themes, swaps, challenges and more every month.  Just contact Robin or Lissa if you are interested in hoppin’ and scrappin’ with scraps too!

Here in Pennsylvania, the early harbinger of Spring can be seen on the buds on my lilac bush. Just yesterday, I saw that the pretty bush survived another winter and buds have formed!  I'm so excited to smell its pretty blossoms in just a few weeks' time. 

For my project today, I took the "Anything Spring" assignment quite literally with this fun SPRING card:

   

I printed out this cute ("hoppy") digi-stamp from my files (originally purchased from Hambo Stamps), and put it on a leftover scrap of EZ Blend paper by Copic Marker. I mounted it on several mats (pink, green) of scrap CTMH cardstock. I bet you don't see that the centers of those papers have been punched for another project!  The floral paper is cut from the center of a larger mat for a scrapbook page. And the little bow? It's a 4" scrap of Lovebug Creations' Rumple Ribbon!  

Now what makes this even more springy is the fact that I added an ADHESIVE SPRING behind a bunny that I duplicated, second from left.  The CTMH Adhesive Spring is a bit smaller than original Action Wobbles and it's on a true wire spring (not plastic like Action Wobbles), so it really moves and stands up about an inch off the card -- how fun!  These springs are available from Close To My Heart; you can find them HERE.   

 

BLOG CANDY ALERT!! 

 

Care to compare Action Wobbles to CTMH Adhesive Springs for yourself?  Here's your chance to win a packet of both types of springs, as well as a $10 gift certificate to my CTMH site.  Simply be a follower, and leave a comment; one who does will be randomly selected to win the springs and the GC!  

Our host, Pam, is also having a giveaway (shown at right) and a variety of blogs may be offering some blog candy as well, so be sure to check them out. 

Head on over to the next stop on the ANYTHING SPRING blog hop, and that's 
CAMILLE.  The full line up is posted below to help you navigate to all the stops:

Pam L. ~ http://mzlavr2.blogspot.com/
Robin S. - http://scrapandchat.blogspot.com/
Lissa Marie - www.somanycrafts.com 
Robin C -http://cutonedesignsbyrobin.blogspot.com/
Paula - http://preciouspagesbypaula.blogspot.com/
Cicily - www.pinkdalmationscrapper.blogspot.com
Ellen - http://cardmonkeyspaperjungle.com/
Camille - http://shortonideasaz.blogspot.com/
Jearise - http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com
Kathryn - http://www.creationswithkathryn.com

Erin Go Bragh - a Cute Treat Box!

Good morning, CardMonkey/Rumple Ribbon fans. It's time for me to post another Thursday blog post on the Lovebug Creations' blog site, as part of my Creative Team work fun.  How I enjoy playing with these delightful ribbons!

This week, I've made an adorable floral topped hexagonal paper container. In it, I've stashed some deee-licious Irish Potatoes in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

Using a super-easy/super-fast cut file available from the Silhouette America online store ($0.99), I cut the box in a single piece. Folding it was a bit tricky to figure out, but if I could get the hang of it, so can you.

While the box stays closed on its own, I wrapped its "neck" with GREEN LEAVES Rumple Ribbon, part of the new collections by Lovebug Creations. For the tag, I used a Hambo Stamps digi-stamp that I colored with Copics and embellished with Stickles. There's also a little "Kiss Me!" tag that is part of the Irish Monkey file. I tied the tag on with green and orange baker's twine. The whole package is topped with a Shamrock, cut using the Cameo with a different file. 

To give you an idea of scale, the box is 2" from the bottom to the shoulder where it curves up to the cut-petal closure. It holds about a cup of Irish Potatoes.

Erin Go Bragh!!   

Springtime party boxes

It is a dreary day here in Southeastern Pennsylvania, but thankfully the precipitation is liquid and in no way frozen/solid. Yup, pouring rain and very windy -- but you know, I'll take it over a snow blizzard any day.

Rainy days make for great crafting days, don't they?

I just love the beautiful Chantilly paper from Close To My Heart.  From it, I made these so cute Hexagonal treat boxes with a floral self-sealing top.
The cut file is from Silhouette Online's store, and it's cut with the Cameo. It cuts in one piece and just requires folding and a bit of adhesive. Wouldn't they make perfect party favors for a springtime tea?