TCP Sketch and Blogger's Challenge

Hello Friends! Sorry that I have been MIA lately. Basically, I have been sick since my last post...ugh! I started with laryngitis the Wednesday before Christmas and it has been downhill since then! I am feeling better now and it has been so nice to have this week off to get the chance to recuperate. It will be good to actually be able to talk to my kiddos when I get back to school on Tuesday! Because I have been sick, I have missed a few of my favorite challenges. Last week's Blogger's Challenges was called, "Ornamental". (Sorry folks, I have been trying to download this photograph for two and a half hours!!! I'm not sure what the problem is. When I can add it, I will.) My little one and I make this 3-D paper snowflake together. Our Christmas tree was filled with ornaments so this was the perfect addition to my dining room hutch. We used some October Afternoon papers with gingerbread men and coordinating polka dots. I love the way that it turned out!

This week's Blogger's Challenge theme is "Celebration". My parents' are celebrating their wedding anniversary today. That is a cause for celebration! So I used last week's sketch from The Cat's Pajamas to make them their anniversary card. My image is from the TCP Ewe Complete Me set. I used a few Copic Markers (C1, C3, RV17, and V05) to color up my sweet pair and then I fussy cut them out. All of the patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye. The main panel is from a note card that I picked up in the Christmas Clearance section at Michaels and the card stock is from Papertrey Ink. My other accents include a heart made with the TCP Heart Trio CutUps, some Baker's Twine from My Mind's Eye, and the flower button is from Stampin' Up.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope that you have a very healthy and Happy New Year...Toodles! :D

What Do You Think?

Hello Friends! Here is my card for the sketch from the My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Club. What do you think it? I've tried changing things up a couple of times, but I can't seem to get this card to look the way that I'd like it to. I was hoping to use this sketch design to make a set of thank you cards for my principal at school, but I'm not too sure. I love the sketch, but perhaps I'll give it another try with a different mix of papers. Anyway, here are the details for this card. The papers are from last year's Christmas collection from The Girls' Paperie. I added stitching and I embossed the red panel with the Seeing Spots embossing folder. The sentiment is from the My Favorite Things Die-namics Polka Dots Greetings Die and Stamp Set. The sentiment is layered onto the MFT Die-namics Layered Label Die. That's about it for this one. Thanks so much for visiting with me...Toodles! :D

Sweet Holiday Wishes!

Hello Friends! I hope that you had a wonderful weekend. I spent my afternoon with two stamping friends. It was a great way to finish up some last minute Christmas cards. This is the design that I came up with for hubby's co-workers. I made a few extra cards for my co-workers too.

The last Blogger's Challenge was called "Tie It Up" and if you would like to play along, here is the link to Lisa Somerville's Blog. I tied a little bell to my floppy eared friend's candy cane and I also tied two different colors of Divine Twine to the button.

The star of my card is from The Cat's Pajama's Raising Cane set. He is colored up with Copic Markers (E40, E42, R11, R20, R29, R39, YG13, and YG17) and then I fussy cut him out. The sentiment is from the TCP Merry Christmas, Honey set. All of the patterned papers are from The Girl's Paperie. I added some stitching to the main panel and the sentiment piece and then I added a button made with TCP Button CutUps.

I also made this card for the TCP Tuesday challenge. This week's challenge is to make a Holiday card with any of The Cat's Pajamas stamps. You can find all of the details to play along in that challenge on Alma's Blog. Thanks so much for visiting with me this evening. I'll be back tomorrow with something crafty to share. See you then...Toodles! :D

A LONG Post!!

Hello Friends! I have a lot to share with you this evening. I hope that you will bear with me. I have a card for this month's Sketch For You To Try, and because it is December, it is the last sketch of the year. If you played along in each of the monthly sketches, you need to list all of your previous cards in order to be eligible for Jen's BIG prize. So, I thought that I'd share the cards again and the original posts. (This month's sketch is the next to the last card in this post. I combined it with the color challenge from The Cat's Pajamas. The last card in this post is the sketch from the My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club.) Here goes. My January's card and the blog link.

Here is my February card and blog link.

Here is March's sketch card and blog link.

Here is April's card and blog link.

Here is the card for May's sketch and the blog link.

Up next, June's card and blog link.

Here is the card for July's sketch and the blog link.

Here is my card for the August sketch and my blog link.

Up next, my card for the September sketch and the blog link.

Are you still with me? I hope so! Here is my card for October's sketch and my blog link.

Here is my November card and the blog link.

Finally, here is my card for Jen's December Sketch For You To Try.

I combined Jen's sketch (which I printed out and never realized that I was looking at it upside down the whole time I was designing this card...lol!) with the color challenge from The Cat's Pajamas. The challenge is to use Pale Pink, Red, and Steel Gray. You can find all of the details on Alma's Blog. My sweet image is from the TCP Raising Cane set. He is colored up with Copic Markers (C0, C1, G21, G24, R29, R39, R81, and R83) and the sparkle is from Star Dust Stickles. The papers are from Echo Park and Memory Box. The gray buttons were made with The Cat's Pajama's Buttons CutUps. I also added some Oyster Divine Twine, some TCP Seam Binding, and a bit of machine stitching.

There you have it. A whole year's worth of Jen's FABULOUS sketches!! I do have one more card to share with you tonight. My aunt passed away yesterday. Aunt Rita was a wonderful and loving lady and I will miss her. She loved crafts and sewing and I find myself thinking of her all of the time when I am stamping. This is the sympathy card that will go out to my uncle and cousins. Aunt Rita always appreciated something handmade and I know that she would love this card.

I used the past sketch from the My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club. You can find the sketch and all of the details to play along here. The papers are from My Mind's Eye. The sentiment is from the My Favorite Things More Essential Sentiments set. It is stamped onto a die cut that I made with the MFT Die-namics Framed Greetings die. Some machine stitching and a trio of pearls complete my card.

Thank you so much for visiting with me tonight. I had a ball looking back at all of my SFYTT cards, and I hope that you enjoyed them too. Enjoy the rest of your evening...Toodles! :D

Right At Home Meets Blogger's Challenge!

Good Morning Friends! I have a few crafty things for you today. Right at Home Scrapbooking store is celebrating the twelve days of Christmas and today is my turn to share. My creations are made with Echo Park papers and Hero Arts stamps. First up is this fun tag.


The ornament images were stamped, fussy cut, and then popped up. Then I added some buttons and craft twine. The sentiment was stamped in Colorbox white ink. A little bit of polka dotted ribbon and some machine stitiching finish off my creation.


Here is a Happy Holidays card using some more of these fun Echo Park papers. I used Memento ink to stamp the house image. It is colored up with Copic Markers (C1, C3, R37, R39, G94, and G99) and I added some Star Dust Stickles to make the snow drifts a bit sparkly. A sweet little button and some craft twine complete my card.


My last card for today is for this week's Blogger's Challenge (Frosty and Friends). Just click here to go to Lisa's Blog to play along. I started off with Jen Del Muro's December Sketch for You To Try. My adorable image is from the latest release from The Cat's Pajamas. This set is called Freezin' Season. Mr. Bunny and his frosty friend are colored up with Copic Markers (B00, B95, B97, C1, C3, R20, and R22.) All of these patterned papers are from Echo Park. To keep with the sketch, I added three buttons, but I also sprinkled a few snowflakes made with the TCP Snowflake Paper Lace CutUps die around my card.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a happy day...Toodles! :D

My Favorite Things Sketch!

Hello Friends! I have a quick post for you this evening. I've been a little beneath the weather. In fact, I missed school today, and I'm trying to rest up tonight because I am going to the New England Kindergarten Teachers Conference tomorrow. Here is my card for the sketch from the My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club.


I used some papers from Simple Stories. I just love the plaid and the polka dots together! The sentiment and the die cut are from the My Favorite Things Die-namics Framed Greetings Die and Stamp Set. The buttons were made with The Cat's Pajamas Buttons CutUps. Some burgandy craft thread and a bit of machine stitching finish off my card. Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit. Enjoy the rest of your evening...Toodles! :D

Right At Home Scrapbooking Store Creations!

Good Morning Friends! I have a card and a tag to share with you today. The Right at Home Scrapbooking Store Design Team is celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas. To see all of their fun projects for the Holidays, just stop by the store's blog. This month, Lisa asked me to work with some Hero Arts stamps and these fun papers from Echo Park. Here is a peek at my tag.

I started off with a die cut made with the My Favorite Things Die-namics Tag, You're It die. I added some machine stitching, a sweet little button, and some pretty ribbon. The festive tree is colored up with Copic Markers (E23, E25, G82, G94, G99, YR24, YR30, and YR31) and then I fussy cut it out and popped it up on the tag.

My card design is simple, but I love the way it turned out. The image is colored with Copic Markers (G82, G94, G99, R46, R59) and then I added some Star Dust Stickles. A button, some craft thread, and a bit of machine stitching complete my card.

Thanks so much for visiting with me this morning. Enjoy the beautiful day...Toodles! :D

Making Blogger's Challenge Shiny!

Happy Friday Friends! I am trying something new today. I have always wanted to make a calendar with some rubber stamps and other crafty things. This week's Blogger's Challenge is to make anything but a card, so I thought that this would be a great time to try one. Just head over to Lisa's blog to play along with this week's Blogger's Challenge.

I started off by inking up this sweet image from The Cat's Pajamas. He is from the Deep Breath set. I used Copic Markers (B41, B45, C1, C3, E01, E11, E13, E15, R20, R22) to color up my skating friend and then I fussy cut him out. This week's TCP Tuesday Challenge is to create shiny embellishments, so I added a skating pond and some snowflakes made with some mirror paper. To make the snowflakes, I simply used the new Snowflakes Lace Paper CutUps die. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this new CutUps die!! I also added the sentiment from the TCP Skating Bunny set. The patterned paper is from Memory Box. Here is a close up of the crafty part.

So there you have it...my first calendar page. I'll be ready for 2012! Hopefully, I'll be able to make a new page each month. Thanks so much for stopping by to visit with me. I really appreciate it! Have a wonderful weekend...Toodles! :D

TCP Tuesday and Blog Hop!!

Good Morning Friends! Welcome to the blog hop for The Cat's Pajamas new release. We are combining the new release with today's TCP Tuesday 187 (Create Shiny Embellishments)! If you traveled here from Lori's Blog, then you are in the right place. If you didn't, then you'll want to start at Julie's Blog so that you don't miss any crafty goodness!

I picked up this wonderful mirror paper at my LSS on my last shopping trip. It is perfect for today's challenge...creating shiny embellishments! I used the new Snowflake Lace Paper CutUps die to create all of these shiny snowflakes and the beautiful snowflake doily. My floppy eared friend and the sentiment are from the new Raising Cane set. I colored up this image with Copic Markers (E11, E13, R20, R22, R29, R39, YG93, and YG95) and I added a shiny bell to the candy cane's bow. All of the papers are from the Season's Greeting collection from Echo Park. Some machine stitching finishes off my card.

The next stop on the TCP Blog Hop is Jenny's Blog. I can guarantee that she will have something spectacular to share with you. She always does! Have a delightful day Friends! Thanks so much for stopping by...Toodles! :D

Sneaky Peek #6 from The Cat's Pajamas!

Hello Friends and Happy Sunday! I hope that you are having a wonderful weekend! We are enjoying some beautiful weather here in New England. It's going to be another fun filled day at the Gajewski house.

I have another Sneaky Peek from The Cat's Pajamas to share with you today. Our floppy eared bunny friend is back and this time around he has some candy to share. I colored him up with Copic Markers (E30, E31, E50, E51, R11, R20, R29, R39, YG17, and YG67) and then I added some Star Dust Stickles to his hat and tail. All of the patterned papers are from the Season's Greetings collection from Echo Park. The buttons and kraft card stock are from Papertrey Ink. My accents include another snowflake from the Snowflake Lace Paper CutUps die, and some Cherry Divine Twine and Dove Seam Binding from The Cat's Pajamas. I also added some machine stitching around the large layer.

Here is a peek at the entire Raising Cane set and the Snowflake Lace Paper CutUps die. Both of these goodies will be available on November 29th from The Cat's Pajamas.



Alma will have some wonderful creations using this set over on her blog. Just click here to see all of the crafty goodness. I'm so glad that you took the time to stop by and visit with me. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday! Until next time...Toodles! :D

Sneaky Peek #5 from The Cat's Pajamas!

Hello Friends! I hope that you like today's Sneaky Peek as much as I do. I think that this set is my favorite. I have loved all of the sets that I've been working with, but there is just something about bears that warms by heart! This soon to be released set from The Cat's Pajamas is called No Peeking. It is perfect for the holidays, but I think that it would great for birthdays too.

PJ Bear is colored up with Copic Markers (E23, E25, E40, and E53) and that big ole present that he is ready to open is paper pieced with papers from My Mind's Eye. All of the patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye and then I used a kraft card stock base with white card stock accents. In case you haven't noticed, I am loving the snowflakes that you can pop out of the SnowFlake Lace Paper CutUps. Here, they are accented with some celery colored gems. I also used the Icing CutUps for my open scallops. A little bit of machine stitching and some sponging around the circle cut with my Classic Circle Nesties finishes my card. Here is a look at the complete stamp set and the CutUps die...



Alma's Blog has all of the details to win this set and to see a few more creations made with it. You can find her blog here. Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and visit with me. I'll have one more sneaky peek for you tomorrow. I hope that you'll be able to join me! Until then...Toodles! :D

Sneaky Peek #4 from The Cat's Pajamas!

Good Morning Friends and Happy Friday! I have another TCP Sneaky Peek for you today! What a FABULOUS release this is going to be! I hope that you are enjoying all of the sneak peeks. Our floppy eared friend is back this time around, and he has a little friend with him. Here they are...

So sweet! I love all of the sentiments with this set. I especially love this particular one because I'm a huge Dean Martin fan and this was his song...minus the bunny part of course...lol! My little bunny friends are colored up with Copic Markers (BG000, BG10, C7, E40, E42, R29, and R39) and then mounted onto a panel of Papertrey Ink Pure Poppy. The patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye. I simply love this aqua blue color! In fact, it is my favorite color! It goes so well with just about any other color from the rainbow. This week's Blogger's Challenge is to use our favorite color. So when I was designing this card for today's peek, I made sure that it included this aqua blue color so that I could play along in that challenge too. If you'd like to join us in this week's Blogger's Challenge, head on over to Lisa's Blog. She has all of the details. My other accents for this card include the soon to be released Snowflake Lace Paper CutUps. I used the whole circle this time and I saved a few of the snowflakes to make a little trio in the corner of my card. All of the buttons have a touch of Divine Twine from The Cat's Pajamas. A few scattered pearls and some machine stitching finish off my card. Here is a peek at the entire Happy Freezin' Season set and the CutUps that I used.



Would you like to see some more creations with this delightful set? Just pay Alma's blog a visit and she'll be happy to help you find them. Alma also has a Black Friday Special to share with you today...20% off over at The Cat's Pajamas site!! Happy Shopping! Thanks so much for visiting with me today! I'll be back tomorrow. Hope to see you then...Toodles! :D

Sneaky Peek #3 from The Cat's Pajamas!

Good Morning Friends and to us in the United States...Happy Thanksgiving! I have another TCP sneaky peek for you today. This time around it's my friend with the flippers! He has a present for someone very special! I colored him up with Copic Markers (BG11, BG13, R29, R39, YG17, YG67, YR16) and then I fussy cut him out. He is popped up on a piece of patterned paper and a die cut from the Lacey Circle Nesties. All of the patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye. I threaded some Aqua Seam Binding from The Cat's Pajamas through the soon to be released Anywhere Ribbon Slide CutUps. It makes the ribbon (or in this case, the seam binding) lay nice and flat to help tie a wonderful bow. I added a gem to a snowflake that I made with the soon to be released Snow Flake Paper Lace CutUps. Some faux stitching and machine stitching finish off my card.

Here is a peek at the whole Best Fishes set along with the two new CutUps that will be available soon.



To see more creations with this delightful set, just head over to Alma's Blog. Thank you so much for visiting with me! I'll be back tomorrow with another sneaky peek! See you then...Toodles! :D

Sneaky Peek #2 from The Cat's Pajamas!

Hello Friends! I told you that I would be back again with another sneak peek for The Cat's Pajamas upcoming release. This time around, I am showcasing this adorable bear set called Merry Christmas, Honey. He seems quite happy with the goodies that Santa left for him! I colored him up with Copic Markers (E23, E30, E31, E33, E40, G21, R29, R39, Y35, Y38, YG93, YG95) and I paper pieced the little gift box between the two lovely pots of honey. All of the papers are from the Season's Greetings collection from Echo Park. My embellishments include a big ole red button with some Divine Twine, lots of machine stitching, and I'm not sure if you can it or not, but there is a little red gem for the dot on "i" in the sentiment. I also used Jen Del Muro's November Sketch For You To Try. Would you like to see a bit more of this set? Here it is...

I particularly like the sentiment on the left side of the set picture, "Christmas is the season when you buy this year's gifts with next year's money." It cracks me up each time I read it! If you want to see some more creations with this set, then head on over to Alma's blog. She'll have all of the links to the Cat Packers that are using this set today.

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit. I'll see you tomorrow with another Sneaky Peek for The Cat's Pajamas! Until then...Toodles! :D

Sneaky Peek #1 from The Cat's Pajamas!

Good Morning Friends and Happy Tuesday! Today is the first day of sneak peeks for the November 29th release from The Cat's Pajamas, and because I am fortunate enough to be this month's Swanky Stamper...I get to share and play too!! I'm so excited!! Are you ready to sneak a peek at the latest adventure for our favorite little bunny? Here goes...

I colored up this delightful image with just a few Copic Markers (C0, C1, R20) and then I added lots and lots of Star Dust Stickles. All of the papers are from the Season's Greetings collection from Echo Park. I used the Icing CutUps for the bottom accent and the Seeing Spots embossing folder on the kraft colored panel. The random snowflakes are from the Snowflake Lace Paper CutUps that will be released next Monday night. Here is a peek at the full Snow Days set and the new CutUps die.


All that you need to do to see some more creations with this fun bunny is head on over to Alma's blog. She'll have all of the links to the Cat Packers that are using this set today.

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit with me. I'll be back tomorrow with another Sneak Peek to share. I hope that you'll be able to join me. Until then...Toodles! :D

Right At Home Scrapbooking Store Creations!

Good Morning Friends! I hope that you had a wonderful week. I have two more cards to share with you that use the wonderful Unity Stamp set and Crate Papers that Lisa from Right at Home Scrapbooking gave me to work with. The name of the stamp set is called Simple Blessings and all of the papers are from the Farmhouse collection from Crate Paper.

I started off by embossing the pumpkins and leaves on the main panel with clear embossing powder. Then I sprayed the panel with Harvest Orange Glimmer Mist. Before the glimmer mist dried, I wiped it off the embossed areas. I was very happy with the results.

My other card for today was a lot of fun to put together. Each individual leaf is stamped in an autumn color and then cut out. They are popped up on squares that I stamped the swirling image from the set on. I added a button with some Baker's Twine to finish off the last square.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit with me. Enjoy your Friday...Toodles! :D