Stampin' Royalty #109- These 3

photos: Manon Dufour

The challenge this week is to use the theme Valentine's/ Love. This page was inspired by a layout done by Amanda Probst from a book called Month by Month Scrapbooking published by Creating Keepsakes. It's a wonderful book and I highly recommend it! You know what else I highly recommend? Heading over to check out what the ladies at Stampin' Royalty have in store for you this week. Nice segue way, eh? Forgive me...I'm tired beyond belief. Feel free to play along with us this week! Ske-doosh.

CCEE1204- Scallop Beach

Welcome to this week's CCEE challenge! It’s a special day for all Aussies today as it is Australia Day! It is on this day in 1788 that the First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove. So our challenge is Aussie related … Frances is giving you a few options … use the colors green & gold on your card; create a beach scene (we love our beaches); use Australian Animals; Thongs (you wear on your feet btw) etc...

I chose to make a beach scene using Crab and Company which is a long time fave set of mine. It may not look like it but there was a lot that went into this card! I really love the looks on their faces.

Head over to the CCEE Challenge blog to see what the rest of the ladies have come up with. The talent runs amok in this group so it's well worth the peek. Who's a tired lady? ME! Bedtime for Big B. Ske-doosh.

Stampin' Royalty Challenge #108- Birdwax

This week's Stampin' Royalty challenge is an inspiration photo. You can see it over on the challenge blog and while you're there, check out the creativity of my fellow Royals. Amazing stuff, these friends of mine create. Sorry for the short post but this week is kicking my ass. I'm off to bed. Ske-doosh.

Creative Crew January Challenge- Dig Mon Fils

Stamps: I Dig You, Êtres Chers

Paper: whisper white CS, crumb cake CS, nq navy CS, chocolate chip CS

Ink: daffodil delight, chocolate chip, not quite navy

Accessories: daffodil button, lined thread, cupcake punch, dimensionals, white signo pen, pool party marker

 It was Logan's birthday last week but we're having his party tomorrow. 11 friends are coming. Eleven. Scary stuff, man. LOL! This was the card that I gave to him on his birthday. I'm starting to realize that Logan has much less enthusiasm about my handmade cards as he gets older. We're having it at the school in the gym, though, so it shouldn't be too painful. : ) I'm busy making his cake and finishing the gift bags today so I'll have those photos to post sometime during the week...if I survive tomorrow. ; )

You are cordially invited to participate in the Creative Crew Challenges:

Catalog Focus: My newest stamp set. Use only stamps from a new stamp set on a non-traditional card. Keywords: CCREW112CF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM

Color Focus: Use a color combination that you’ve never used before. Make your card with this color combo using the attached sketch. Keywords: CCREW112DF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM

Holiday Focus: Valentines Day. Make a card or a decor item using hearts in a new way to you—something you’ve never done with hearts. Keywords: CCREW112HF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM

SB inspiration focus: a past holiday (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas) SB page or decor item. Use your newest dies, texturz plates or embossing folders to create this beauty. Use one or use many big shot items. Keywords: CCREW112SB, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM

SUO just means Stampin' Up! Only and SUM means Stampin' Up! Mostly. Have a great day! Ske-doosh.

New Challenge Design Team!

A couple of weeks ago I was thrilled to receive an e-mail from Charlene Merrick asking me if I would like to join the Cheers & Challenges Eclectic Ensemble. The CCEE Stampers are an amazingly talented group of stampers and I'm sure you've heard of all of them. I'm really excited to become part of their group and from the few chats I've had with them behind the scenes, they are a funny bunch of chicks! The challenges they come up with are always unique and fun so I hope you'll join us to play!

This week's challenge:

Chinese New Year is celebrated on January 23rd this year and it is the Year of the Dragon…so this week either use a Dragon on your card or find out what animal relates to your birthday year in the Chinese Zodiac and create a card using that animal. 

Keyword- CCEE1203

Turns out that I don't own a dragon stamp so I went with my Chinese Zodiac; the tiger....except I don't have a tiger stamp either. *snarf* Cat, tiger...same difference, right? Ahem...

stamps: longfellows

ink: basic black, pumpkin pie

paper: crumb cake, basic black and pumpkin pie CS

accessories: mini clips, 1 1/4" black striped grosgrain ribbon, my awesome sewing machine, dimensionals, corner chomper

So, feel free to join me and the other rubber nerds in the CCEE every Thursday with a new challenge! Head on over to the CCEE Challenge Blog to check out what delights the ladies have come up with. Ske-doosh.

Stampin' Royalty Challenge #107- Crumb-y Owl

stamps: gift givers

ink: turq, pumpkin, limeade, crumb, black

paper: white, crumb, limeade, pumpkin, turq

accessories: fashionable hearts embosslit, large heart punch, limeade organdy, dimensionals

Betcha thought I got hit by a truck, eh? Nope. Just really busy. I started an online class for work this week that will go for a year. Every Monday and Wednesday evening as well as one Saturday a month I will be plugged into my computer. Huzzah for personal and professional improvement! I've also been asked to join a new challenge design team. I'll have more details about that on Thursday. These thing together added to my family life, work, and other design team commitments make for a very busy Brandi. Not to mention my obsession with Pinterest. ; )

Don't you just love this colour combo? I'll be using it again, I'm sure. It's flashy and packs a punch. Head over to the Stampin' Royalty Challenge blog to check out what the ladies have come up with for this week. I've been quite remiss in my commenting on entries and blogs lately and for that, I apologize. I keep hoping that someone with come up with a 29 hour clock and then I could get all I intend to do done. (sheepish grin) Ske-doosh.

Stampin' Royalty Challenge #106- Fabric!

Picture this cute coffee mug sleeve on a cute coffee mug instead of the ugly plastic cup I've used here. This week's challenge is to use fabric on your project. Given my somewhat obessive nature about Pinterest, lately...ahem...I decided to use a tutorial I found there to make a coffee cozy. I used the new Twitterpated fabric and some grey corduroy I had leftover from a purse I posted a while back. Sweet, huh?


Head over to the Stampin' Royalty blog to check out what the ladies have come up with this week. Ske-doosh.

January Creative Crew Challenges- Scallop Gnomies

Stamps: gnome sweet gnome, gnomenclature

Paper: everyday enchantment DSP, crumb cake CS, whisper white CS

Ink: basic black,riding hood red, basic grey, daffodil delight, soft suede, pear pizzazz

Accessories: ridinghood red pleated satin ribbon, jumbo eyelet (retired), linen thread, large scallop circle die, clear circle die, crop-a-dile, blender pen snips, my awesome sewing machine

I think the Gnomies from Gnome Sweet Gnome are a polarizing stamp set in the demo world, much like the Sock Monkey. You either love them, or hate them. I, myself, am a lover of the gnomes. And by "lover", I mean "fan", not "chicka-chick-bow-WOW". 

For this challenge, we were asked to use our newest stamp set on a non traditional card. After I finished my card and photographing it, I realized that I didn't put a shadow under his and the frog's feet to make them look grounded. Now they're kinda floating there...looking gravitation-ally challenged. Ah well...I ain't shooting it again, yo.

You are cordially invited to participate in the Creative Crew Challenges:

Catalog Focus: My newest stamp set. Use only stamps from a new stamp set on a non-traditional card. Keywords: CCREW112CF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM

Color Focus: Use a color combination that you’ve never used before. Make your card with this color combo using the attached sketch. Keywords: CCREW112DF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM

Holiday Focus: Valentines Day. Make a card or a decor item using hearts in a new way to you—something you’ve never done with hearts. Keywords: CCREW112HF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM

SB inspiration focus: a past holiday (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas) SB page or decor item. Use your newest dies, texturz plates or embossing folders to create this beauty. Use one or use many big shot items. Keywords: CCREW112SB, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM

SUO just means Stampin' Up! Only and SUM means Stampin' Up! Mostly. Have a great day! Ske-doosh.

January Creative Crew Challenges- Black Magic Love

Stamps: p.s. i love you, p.s. je t'aime

Paper: cherry cobbler CS, whisper white CS, basic black CS, vellum CS

Ink: basic black, whisper white craft

Accessories: rhinestones, cherry cobbler baker's thread, crop-a-dile, modern label punch, cherry cobbler button, water colour pencil crayons, black journal marker, cobbler marker, dimensionals, Adorning accents edgelits die

Keywords: CCREW112HF, SUO or SUM, CreativeCrew

Big Mama is back from vacation! Didja miss me? We got back last night after having spent close to two weeks in Québec City with my in-laws. For the last 3 days, we stayed at Auberge Lac à L'eau Claire in St-Alexis-des-Monts. Gorgeous just doesn't quite cut it as a descriptor. We had an amazing time and the boys were ecstatic to spend time around all the love. We had a 5 room condo and there were 23 of us so they were loved on a lot! One of the running gags of the weekend was that we were only supposed to have 18 people in the condo so whenever a truck from the site stopped by to drop off firewood, we all joke that 5 people had to hide. We've already reserved for next year. 

I had the best intentions of pre-posting before I left but I quickly ran out of time to create as the holidays approached. At least I got the January Monthly Squareheaded Pinterest Challenge posted. I'd love to see some of your creations! There hasn't been much participation so far so I'd be grateful if you'd spread the word to your pinhead friends! 

I mentioned a few weeks back that I had been selected to be part of the Splitcoast Stampers Creative Crew SU Design Team. The Crew was created to entice demos on SCS to partake in challenges thereby keeping the gallery chock-full of SU samples. To see the actually challenge posts, you have to be a demo but to see the gallery, you need only to type Creative Crew in the gallery search box. This will bring you to the gorgeous gallery and then you can participate in the challenges by adding the keywords provided here on my blog (or possibly on the blogs of other Creative Crew DT members).

I made this card using the Holiday Focus challenge: Valentines Day. Make a card or a decor item using hearts in a new way to you—something you’ve never done with hearts.

I used the Black Magic technique using craft white ink. I've done something similar using acrylic white paint and classic in on sponges seen here. The one shown here with the hearts was quite time consuming as I had to individually colour each heart. The results were worth it, I think. You can't really see the strip of cardstock vellum on the card but in real life it adds a neat bit of textured layering to the card. 

You are cordially invited to participate in the Creative Crew Challenges:

Catalog Focus: My newest stamp set. Use only stamps from a new stamp set on a non-traditional card. Keywords: CCREW112CF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM

Color Focus: Use a color combination that you’ve never used before. Make your card with this color combo using the attached sketch. Keywords: CCREW112DF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM

Holiday Focus: Valentines Day. Make a card or a decor item using hearts in a new way to you—something you’ve never done with hearts. Keywords: CCREW112HF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM

SB inspiration focus: a past holiday (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas) SB page or decor item. Use your newest dies, texturz plates or embossing folders to create this beauty. Use one or use many big shot items. Keywords: CCREW112SB, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM

SUO just means Stampin' Up! Only and SUM means Stampin' Up! Mostly.

I hope you can find the time to participate! I'll be back in a couple of days to share my other projects. Ske-doosh.

January Squareheaded Monthly Pinterest Challenge

I'm not a big fan of jewelry in general but when I saw this bracelet on Pinterest, I knew it was going to be my next challenge project. It comes from Hope Studios blog and she has some great tips for making button bracelets. I encourage you to head over there and check out the tutorial.

I don't know how much I'll actually wear it but, dang, it's cute! Thanks to those of you that participated in last month's challenge. I'd love to have more participants this month. Get pinning and then creating, people! Ske-doosh.