Crazy Cat on this Month's Stamp of the Month

Oh my word, how cute is this Stamp of the Month (SOTM) for August from Close To My Heart?                    OK, truth be told, I'm not a cat person (but do have two dogs who think they're cats), and I've outgrown Halloween but still I love this build-a-cat.

And you don't have to relegate it to your "Holidays I Never Celebrate" stash.  Let me show you how I've changed it up:

 

 

 

For this first birthday card, I stamped the crazy cat four times, each on different "Whimsy Fundamentals" cardstock from CTMH's new collection. Then I went to town dressing each up for a party, using my journaling pen and other random embellishments I had hanging around the Paper Jungle. 

 

The guy upper left got a suit of paper, a tie made from CTMH Shimmer Tape, a hand-drawn mustache and glasses, topped with Liquid Glass. The gal below him got a dress made of CTMH's new Sea Glass Glitter Paper, and some twine twisted for her hair. For the gal to the upper right, I used Sparkle gems for her necklace and turned the stamp set's pennants upside down to elongate her ears. Her mask is also stamped on Shimmer Tape. The guy below her has the bat in the stamp set converted to a bow tie, and he earned some freckles thanks to the Journaling Pen.

 

They're set within a picture collage that I designed and cut quickly on my Cricut Explore. I cut it from some of the new Whimsy paper -- isn't it darling?  The sentiment stamp came from CTMH's "Fireworks Fun" stamp set -- it's fun to mix and match! 

 

 

 

This crazy cat decided to party on some older (now retired) Kaleidoscope paper. She's layered onto a piece of acetate that holds back a party full of multi-colored sequins and glitter.  Behind the glitter is a layer of another paper from the Kaleidoscope collection, that has been stamped with the CTMH "Bitty Birthday" M-sized stamp. 

 

At the Crazy Cat's shoulder is a pretty flower that I cut using the brand new Cricut Flower Market cartridge!  The cartridge has beautiful flower designs and other images too -- 700 in all. The collection comes with three D-sized stamp sets from CTMH, and a pack of the new Adventure Fundamentals paper, which includes 7 bright, bold colors including the "Willow" green from which I cut the flower's leaves, and "Lemon" yellow of the flower's stamens.

 

Special for Blog Readers!

 

 

I do have a special for my Blog Readers if you'd like to buy the Flower Market Cartridge this month. Buy the Cartridge and its collection ($99 retail, plus tax and shipping), get the SOTM for just an additional $5, and then I'll reimburse your FedEx Ground shipping ($7.95)!  Just let me know in a comment here that you'll be buying, and I'll look for it, and reimburse your shipping via PayPal or by check, your choice. 

 

 

And now for some results!

 

Over the weekend, I participated in the Disney Pixar Blog Hop (scroll down if you missed my project!), and offered a prize of a free (and now discontinued) package of 12" assortment Flip Flaps to a random commenter.  Random.org chose the #2 comment by "LYN or GARY MEEKER."  Lyn or Gary, please leave a comment here or send me an e-mail with your contact information so I can get this pack out to you!  Congratulations!

 



Monday Random Cuteness

What's this?  A little diversion from papercrafting!!?  Well, there's so many neat supplies in my Paper Jungle, that I couldn't resist.

So here's a little Monday random cuteness:

First  up, let me show you some Twinkle Toe shoes I blinged up for my granddaughter Charlotte. (Isn't she a peach!?), using the fantastic rainbow ombre sheets of adhesive Dazzling Diamonds from The Buckle Boutique.

To make these, I first traced the shoe's upper outline on paper and then cut a pattern to use with my fancy gel-resin sheets.  Once I was satisfied with the pattern, I just taped it onto the paper backing behind The Buckle Boutique's great product. I used regular ol' scissors (nothing fancy!) to easily cut this pattern out. I peeled back the adhesive, and laid the gems adhered to the sheet, onto the new turquoise-colored sneakers. It really wasn't needed, but just for a little extra security, I put a bead of clear-drying, water- resistant glue along the edges where the Dazzling Diamond met the shoe, because you never know when a toddler's feet find puddles.

Next, let me introduce you to my craft-du-jour: needle felting.  I took a GREAT class in needle felting at Kathy Davis Studios last week, taught by the wonderful Janet, an employee of KDS.  With needle felting, you'd use unspun wool and a very sharp needle (like those shown in this picture, next to the mouse) to make the wool dense against itself. It's hard to explain, and far easier to do.

It's fun and the pricking allows you to take out any aggressions you might have. The shaping of the wool is in your hands and in your imagination.  Here are two more projects I made last week:

Finally, congratulations to DONNA of "Indiana Inking" for winning the Blog Candy I offered late last week.  Donna has won the Close To My Heart Sparkle & Shine paper pack, like the papers I used to make the 20 cards in the challenge shown here last week.  Donna, please send me your address, via my e-mail: cardmonkey@comcast.net.

Blog Candy Winner!

We have a winner of the blog candy I offered during this weekend's Scrap To Treasures Altered Items Blog Hop. 

Congratulations to follower "SHartl", who commented: "This is such a beautiful project. The rhinestone heart is so elegant and blingy!!! I am a follower and always read your blog for all the great inspiration!"

Please send me your name and address, "SHartl," so I can mail your prize promptly!  You'll be getting a beautiful stamp set (MSRP $17.95) from Close To My Heart.  

Congratulations again!

 

 

Welcome Spring!

Wow, when it's been said that Spring goes out like a lion and in like a lamb, they really mean it. Early in Spring (was it just last week?), the winds were fierce and snow threatened. I was still wearing my winter leather coat.

Today, it's noon and already mid-80's!  The sun is shining, the flowers have blossomed and it ... is summer!  Welcome to Spring in Philadelphia: here one day and summer the next.

On Monday, daughter Emily and I took my grandbaby Charlotte to the Philadelphia Zoo for her first visit. It was beautiful, and we got to see a lot of "aminals" sunbathing in their habitats.

In celebration, I made this pretty card welcoming Spring. The base of the card is from Jillibean Soup's Card Kitchen collection for April. I like to change it up a bit, so I added some Lovebug Creations' Rumple Ribbon in Lemonade, darkened the center-feature flower a bit with Copic markers, and added a "Candi" button to its center.

I also have the pleasure of announcing the winner of my Blog Candy from my March 30 post -- the candy is a handmade cylindrical box chockfull of vintage buttons. The winner is: #24, Martha Pineda!!  Martha, please contact me with your mailing address, and I'll get the candy out to you quickly.  Thanks for playing along!

Treasures of Life ...

Good F-R-I-D-A-Y friends!!  

I hope you have a weekend planned that will bring you love and joy, and maybe some relaxation mixed in.  

I'll have lots of love and joy, though not sure about the relaxation ... I'm babysitting granddaughter Charlotte on Saturday while both her parents work that day. She's a handful and a heart-full, a real cutie patootie. We have a darling relationship and I love her to bits, I tell you!  

She came over to visit the night before last (I am truly blessed that she and her mommy and daddy live less than a mile away). I was upstairs in the Paper Jungle working on a project with Charlotte's Mom, when I heard this BIG little voice calling from downstairs, "Giiiiiiiiiii ... Hello! ... Giiiiiiii ... Hellllllooooooo."  (I started out as GramE, but Charley's Giiiiiiiii has stuck. LOVE IT!)

I can't begin to tell you how my heart swells with joy when this precious bundle runs into my arms. I remember those moments when she very-occasionally has her I'm-nearly-two-and-I'm-tired meltdowns after a long day of play. 

OK, on to other news!  

I'm pleased to tell you that my ferry boat -- the one in which I was driving followers to the imaginary Paper Craft Island -- was the fullest, and as a result, I won the PCI-sponsored treasure chest of prizes for the most referrals!  Thank you to all who follow at PCI. (See the button in my sidebar -- you can still come sit in the sand with us and watch the fun!)

Thank you, Paper Craft Island, and Mama LoveBug (sponsor)

Also, I allowed Random.org to pick the winner of my own incentive prize of a $25 Michael's gift card. Congratulations to CICILY of Pink Dalmations Blogspot.  Please send me your mailing address at your earliest convenience, and I'll get your card right out to you (before I spend it!!)...

More projects coming soon ...

DeFiaNtLy DiFfeReNt & CreAtiVeLy Yours,

Triple Time Stamping ... and a Winner!

Greetings, CardMonkey Fans:

First for the WINNER news from July 10th's Enjoy the Moments Blog Hop. I have a new pack of Megan Elizabeth's Paper Layerz on order from Above Rubies Studio. It's winging it's way to me ... as soon as I receive it, I'll be sending it to .... (drumroll please) .... The commenter selected at random by Random.Org .... (more drumroll)....

CHERIE

DJ's Sundries

www.djussundries.blogspot.com

Cherie, please be in touch with me at your earliest convenience, to provide me with your mailing address. I can be reached privately through my e-mail at cardmonkey@comcast.net.

Now, I'm still rehabbing my foot here in Pennsylvania, which does give me time to find new techniques (gotta love that Pinterest!) and try them out to share with you.  Here are two cards I made using this new technique:

The technique I'm trying here has been called "Triple Time Stamping."  Basically, what you do is cut three layers on a card, temporarily adhere them together, stamp randomly. Then, disassemble your cuts, mount them on a background solid, embellish and affix to your card. 

Here is an excellent video that's been posted on Facebook (by "dostamping") that better explains the technique:

DeFiaNtLy DiFfeReNt & CreAtiVeLy Yours,

Strawberry Thank You Card ... And Blog Candy Winner!

On Sunday, I showed you card #1 of a set I am making to give to a friend as a hostess gift. (Scroll down if you missed the birthday card.)

This is a thank you card for the same set, with cute custom dimensions of 4" wide by 4.25" high, with custom envelopes too.

For this card, the featured image (strawberries) is cut using Cricut's "Preserves" cartridge -- one in the double strawberry, and also the single one. The "girl" strawberry is cut from slightly lighter toned red stock, and is lifted with foam tape for dimension. 

They're stamped with Peachy Keen faces that I made a little different by adding lashes and cupid-lips to the girl, and freckles to the boy. Their eyes have been whitened with a Gelly Pen. After stamping and coloring the eyes, I ran the strawberries through a Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder.

The sentiment is a Paper Smooches stamp. Accent papers from the Jillibean Soup kit I blogged about on Saturday (scroll down).  The envelope is printed with a "liner" in red/white gingham, using the technique I also described on Sunday.  The card itself is Coor'dinations Textured cream stock (smooth inside for writing, which I love.)
_____________________

And one more thing ...
_____________________

It's my pleasure to announce the winner of my blog candy from the "...and Felicity Makes 10!" Blog Hop yesterday.  The winner of the Paper Source "Do Something Creative Every Day" stamp is (drumroll!) ... SUZANNE, "Cricut Craftin Grammy".  Suzanne, please send an e-mail to me with your mailing address, and I'll get it out to you right away.  Feel free to pick up this winner's button for your blog, if you'd like!

Magical Disney Winner - Blog Hop

Join me in congratulating 
BLOG CANDY WINNER

Gloria Westerman

www.gloriawest.blogspot.com

Gloria wins a personally-assembled Disney scrap package for being the randomly-selected winner from my posting on the Disney Pixar Blog Hop!

Gloria, please send an e-mail to me at cardmonkey@comcast.net with your postal address. And thanks for playing along.

           *     *     *     *    *    *


And now a word from our sponsor, CardMonkey (the fine print):   

Please note that in order to be eligible for any of my blog candy, you must leave a comment and you must be a follower of my blog. If I cannot search your list of "Blogs I Follow" for verification, please state in your comment that you receive my posts via e-mail. If that's the case, I will only contact you with a message like this one posted to my blog to let you know you've won ... and then you have 7 days to contact me to claim your prize. (Gloria's a "follower" who's been verified, so this is not an issue here.)  Snooze, you lose.

*ALSO, please note*: I have taken a pledge to engage in NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST, to keep the awarding of my prizes ethically and morally "clean."  That means no members of my family (immediate or distant) or employees/employers can win blog candy from the CardMonkey.  

Prizes can be shipped only within the United States; at the discretion of CardMonkey, winners outside of the United States may be awarded an Amazon.com gift certificate in the amount of $10 USD, in lieu of the prize announced. I apologize, but shipping, customs and fees often exceed the value of the prize I am awarding.  While I typically send prizes with "Delivery Confirmation", please note that I cannot be responsible for prizes that get lost or damaged in the mail.   

Winner - One for the Little Guy!

Two of Sadie and Morgan's puppies, sharing love with me.

 Sadie and Morgan helped pick the winner for my blog candy for the DOG GONE FUN BLOG HOP. Don't ask how they helped ... just know they did.


Ok, I'll tell you. They're personal friends with Randy of www.random.org.  They sat at my computer and counted the entries, double checked to make sure each was a follower ... and turned to Randy. 

The winner is:  ALISHA of www.scrappin-happens.blogspot.com.

I contacted Alisha, and gave her the opportunity to pick any gift card she'd like. I love that she told me that instead of PetSmart, she frequents a small, local shop for her pet supplies.  I like her logic to support the little guy!  She chose a craft supplier for her gift card.  Alisha, it will go right out to you! 

Congratulations!!

BLOG CANDY WINNER

What better BLOG CANDY is there but ... CANDY!  As mentioned in my most recent blog hop post, in which I was playing with my food via my Cricut Cake, I announced that the prize this time would be some of the chocolate candy I am making, as well as some sweet paper cuts I've made. 

The WINNER by random pick was commenter #22 -- STAR!   Star if you can please send me your Snail-Mail address ASAP, I will get your gift package out to you promptly. And congratulations, from my ♥ to your ♥.

Blog Candy Winners Announced!

Winners, winners! We've got winners!!



First, thank you to all who participated in the Valentine's Day Cards Blog Hop. It was the first hop I hosted, and it was such great fun, I'm sure it won't be my last. (If you'd like to be in my next hop in February, please leave a comment here, or e-mail me at cardmonkey@comcast.net.)



Now, first I'll let you know the results of the poll to determine which of my 16 cards respondents liked the best:

1. Love Tree ... run away winner. And (gasp!) it was the easiest one to make. To make it, I used the "Fairy Cut" Cricut-cutting software that was recently introduced. I will be writing up a review of the software next week and posting to this blog; a commenter to that post will WIN a free copy of the Fairy Cut software license (a $99 value) that was given to me by the manufacturer to award to one of my loyal followers. So stay tuned, you'll not want to miss this one!

Next, allow me to divulge the BIGGEST WINNER here, and that's ME! I earned 34 new followers as a result of this blog, and I've gone to each of those follower's blogs and am now following them as a result, too. Through YOU, I gain so much information and inspiration. THANK YOU for this wonderful community.

NOW for my Blog Candy Winners:
I have a Valentine's Day basket for each of three winners. Each basket contains a new-in-box Cricut cartridge, a DCWV Calendar kit, a package of three large bottles of Stickles, a package of Valentine's-ready glitter paper, and an extra little treat from my stash. What a goodie basket!

The winners, chosen at random, are:
Cindulu2u - scrappingroom.blogspot.com
Angela R - scraptillyadrop.blogspot.com
Anna - mamawann.blogspot.com
I will send each of you lucky winners an e-mail. You have a week to reply by e-mail to me (click the e-mail heart next to your name, above or write to cardmonkey@comcast.net) to send me your USPS address and I'll get your gift pack out promptly. Thank you for playing along!
One more winner: I gave those bloggers who served as Hop Stops an extra opportunity to win a special prize: one of CardMonkey's custom-made Cricut Cozy Covers. By random pick, the winner is Shawn Mosch of http://www.craftychicsblog.blogspot.com/, and her site http://www.cricutsearch.com/. Congrats, Shawn! Please send me your USPS address ASAP, and let me know what text you'd like embroidered on your cover.
Again, I sincerely appreciate your participation in the blog hop, either as a "stop" or a hopper. Your comments on my creative work here inspire me to do better things ... your company keeps me warm in the winter chill. Being linked to your blog stimulates new ideas. :-)
....Til next time, stay calm and carry on!