Maybe I'm back?

Hi all 2 of you (you too mom!) who are still actually out there. When I took a break from blogging almost a year ago I never imagined I'd be gone this long. But...real life catches up and takes over sometimes, but I'm happy to be back here in blogland - at least a little. The good news, I have been creating! The bad news, still not sure I'm ready to commit to regular blogging again, but I'll try.

Here's a fun card I made recently using the MFT weekly sketch and the new A La Mode The Rainbow Will Come (which looks like it's out of stock already!) I used some beautiful new Echo Park papers to piece her umbella, raincoat and boots, and then I added a die cut umbrella on the inside as well!

If you love in the San Jose, CA area and want to make this card, it is one of 4 cards we'll be making at my next class at Memories Live On in Cupertino on April 1st at 2pm. Hope to see you there!! (and you can see ALL the cards we'll be making if you click the Classes link at the top of my blog!)

Happy Birthday Marci & Luka!

I can't believe Marci and Luka turned 1 this month - it seems like just yesterday that we were planning for their launch to the world. And they've done so many new things in that time. Luka has taken up several sports, Marci, not to be outdone, is sporting too. They've been to far-off places and fairytale worlds. And I can't wait to see what they come up with next!

To celebrate this wonderful milestone, we're hopping (if you didn't get here from Cindy's blog head on back to the La-La Land Crafts blog so you don't miss a stop!) and giving out some GREAT blog candy containing the following items:

~ Set of 12 Copic Markers in NEW 2011 colors
~ Set of Spica Pens
~ Pack of X-Press Blending Cardstock
~ New Scor-pal and a pack of Scor-Tape
~ 3 sets of 12x12 Basic Grey Collections paper packs
~ $20 gift certificate to the La-La Land Crafts Store

To be eligible for this FABULOUS blog prize, you must follow these 3 easy rules:
1. Become a follower and/or subscribe to our Blog.
2. Display a picture of our Blog Candy on your blog with a link back to THIS POST.
**if you don’t have a blog, please spread the word
3. Leave one comment BELOW after completing the blog hop answering this question:
“Which stamp used on the projects in this hop is your favorite?”

You have until August 31st to leave your answer on the La-La Land Crafts blog (one comment only please).
We will draw the winner’s name on September 3rd. Now let’s get on with our AWESOME hop!!

I made a fun little Birthday Card to celebrate Marci's birthday. And the fun part? If you live in the Bay Area, you can make it too! This is one of 3 cards my students at Memories Live On in Cupertino will be making on September 25th (click on the class link at the top of my blog for more info.) Genie Marci is one of my favorite new stamps...she's so much fun to color. Especially with those sheer pants and sleeves!

Speaking of coloring, here are the copics I used to color this cutie:
face/skin: E50, 51, 53; R00; RV000, 21, 25
hair: YR30, 21, 23
clothes: RV000, 21, 25
lamp: C1, N3, BG0000, 01

Thanks for stopping by today. Be sure to keep on hopping to see what amazing creation Jeannette has come up with - I know you won't be disappointed! And remember after finishing the hop to go back and leave your comment about which stamp was your favorite of the hop!!

I'm still alive...

...and kicking! Sorry for the long, unscheduled hiatus everyone. Life decided I needed a summer vacation from blogging...and I think it was good for me. I can't promise to be very consistent over the next 2 months while trying to get Jackson ready to start preschool, start a new business, and train a new puppy (what were we thinking?!?) but I'll try to get here at least once or twice a week!

Here's Jack with our newest addition, Coconut!

Some quick news, and then a few cards from before my summer stamping break.

Julia (my lovely dd) is now on a Design Team!! I'm so proud of her, and all her work. She is creating projects for the new La-La Land for Kids blog! She just posted the team's first contest yesterday, so be sure to check it out. And if you have crafty kids, we'd love it if they played along!!

Marci is celebrating her first birthday over at La-La Land Crafts this month, which means a ton of specials and a great contest with a great prize!!Be sure to go check them all out! And...we've got a birthday blog hop coming up too! :-)

Here are a few things I made for end of year thank you's at school and my dh's bday card. All stamps used for these are from My Favorite Things. Enjoy!

New Summer Marci & Luka Collection Blog hop

La-La Land is gearing up for summer with new Design Team Members and some fun new stamps! We're hopping around today so you can see some amazing creations by the new team featuring these fabulous new stamps, and we hope you'll join along. If you didn't just arrive from the illustrious Cindy Haffner's blog, then be sure to head on back to the La-La Land CraftsBlog for the full details. You'll want to leave a comment on every blog you visit along the way to be eligible to win one each of the 6 new stamps in the Summertime collection. That's three new Marci stamps and three new Luka stamps!!

For my card today I got to use the adorable new Beach Marci! I love her little floaty, and the old fashioned striped bathing suit is just too cute!! And that bucket hat?? LOVE it! To color her, I used my copics (of course) and included E50, 51 and 53; R00 and 30, Y11, 13, 15 and YR 15, 23 and 31; BG000, 01, 02 and 05. Phew! The paper is some old SU! designer paper that had a perfect summer sun feel to it!

Now keep on hopping to see what my good friend (and amazing stamper) Jane/Izzy has for you today, and don't forget to comment along the way so you can win!

Simple and sweet...

Somtimes, simple is the best way to go! I am definitely a fan of clean and simple when it comes to layouts, but also for my images and even embellishments sometimes. This card is certainly an example of that.

I colored Marci's sweet little Panda bear with my W1, 3, 5 and 7 markers (with a little R000, R21 &22 for the collar) I paired him up with some MME Stella Rose papers and fun ric rak, added a sentiment from My Favorite Things, and that was it. A super fast, easy card. Every card doesn't have to be a masterpiece, some can just be! :-)

Speaking of masterpieces, did you see that we have a Design Team Call up for La-La Land Crafts right now?? Why don't you check it out, and you could start creating masterpieces for us here in La-La Land!!

Jessalyn gets Mojo'd

Hi everyone, I'm back from our vacation to Key West! We had a fabulous time enjoying the perfect weather and relaxed attitude.

I decided to pair Jesalyn (available in digi right here and in rubber here!) with this week's Mojo188 sketch, and am quite pleased with the results! I also colored her with my W's to create the black and white look - such a fun technique!! I used W00, 1, 3, 5 and 7 - along with R00 to give her a nice soft pink glow.

I hope you all have been linking up your La-La Crafts creations on our blog...just a few more days to get in for this month's Customer Appreciation drawing!! Good luck!

Passing the torch...

I've had such a fabulous time on the Amber Ink, and I can't WAIT to see what my great pal Jane does with these fabulously fun images!! So, without further ado...here are the NEW torchbearers!!

Our Blue Torch is being passed by the lovely Amy Everson to our Cathy Weber http://emptynestcrafter.blogspot.com/! 

Our Orange Torch is being passed by our magical Anita Madden to Michele Greenwood  http://whimsicalcreations.blogspot.com/!

Our Pink Torch is being passed by the fantastic Mandi Moore to Anne Cullen http://craftyannyskoolkardz.blogspot.com/ !

Our Brown Torch is being passed by the incredible Tammy Hellstern to Katie Kahl http://katiesscrappyplace.blogspot.com/

Our Purple Torch is being passed by the wonderful Jana Weaver (hey that's me!) to Jane Matsumoto http://whoopsiedaisy-jane.blogspot.com/

And don't worry...I'll still be playing with these wonderful images!! 

I was Double Dog Dared...

Ok Carole, you started it! I was double dog dared by my cyber friend (and fellow CP mom) Carole to make a card using one of the adorable Amber Ink Nudie Cuties. How could I resist?? I thought I'd make a love note that Carole could send to her good friend Cammie! I mean...doesn't this look JUST LIKE Carole??

If you haven't checked out the Nudie Cuties yet, I strongly encourage you to. They are adorable, and SO MUCH fun to color!! Think of all the great shading opportunities! I used a pretty basic layout, and added this LUSCIOUS silk ribbon to finish it off.

I've had such a great month with Amber Ink, I'm sad to see it come to an end. But...stay tuned to find out who the NEXT Purple Torchbearer will be...I know you won't be disappointed!! I'll be back later this week of a recap of my month as a torchbearer, and to pass the baton along.

MFTWSC15 - Playing Soccer

When I saw the new ball sport Pure Innocence stamp set for this last release I was ecstatic!! With a soccer player myself (who wants to try out Basketball too!) this set is perfect for me!!

Such a wonderful sketch this week too! I love all that open space to play in! Not too many layers - a sketch custom made for me. Kim must have remembered it was my birthday this week! :-) I used a few Die-namics here...grass, clouds and sun to be exact, and some great 3Bugs in a Rug paper I picked up at Memories Live On.

Happy tax day everyone, I'm off to Florida for a week, but I'll have a few posts here while I'm gone, so be sure to come check them out!

Dress up Marci is Retro!

You know I had to do it! I hadn't colored this little cutie black and white yet, and I just needed to see how she'd look! As usual, I've paired her up with this fabulous Circa 1934 paper and this week's Mojo Monday sketch. And of course you all know already that this little cutie is available in both rubber and Digi format.

I added lots of embellishments, lace, ribbon, bakers twine!  The sentiment is an old Stampin Up! set that matches the punch, with a scalloped circle behind it. For markers I used W00, 01, 03. 05 and 07.

Have you been linking up YOUR La-La Land creations on the Customer Gallery page? You know you can win FREE STAMPS that way, right?? So, what are you waiting for!

Amber Ink is sponsoring this week's challenge over at the Sisterhood Challenge blog! (warning: music plays so turn down your speakers if blurfing at night!) And we've been challenged to create something with an Easter theme! So super easy with Amber's adorable new Love Bunny images!!

I just used a few Warm Grey markers to color in the bunnies. I cut them with circle nestie and mounted them on a new flower 3 nestie die. Add some pink satin ribbon and Easter-y designer paper and this card is good to go! Isn't this the cutest little bunny family?? Head right on over to the Amber Ink store to get yours today!!

MFTWSC14...Let's Chat!

 

 I really love this new set and die, and was happy to finally get to play with it a little more. I wanted to play with this fun parisian paper that I picked up at my LSS (Memories Live On) a while back. And I thought it would be fun to use this set with this week's sketch!

I finished off the inside with another sentiment from this fabulous set. A fun card to send to a friend you haven't talked with in a long time!

Amber Ink fun bumbles in

I LOVE this gorgeous daisy paper. And I couldn't bear to cover much of it up. The colors are so nice and bright, and I love the adorable smiling faces on the daisies. I used a sentiment from the Wee Bees set along with the little bumble bee and some ribbon to finish off this card.

Be sure to go check out the new releases from Amber Ink...along with these fun papers and bees, some ADORABLE new bunnies!! Don't worry...I'll have something with them very soon! Oh...and the amazing Carole has double dog dared me to make a card wtih a Nudie Cutie...so keep a watch for that one too. :-)

This just in...

12 Copic markers are up for grabs on the La-La Land Crafts blog once we reach 1000 followers on Facebook. Pretty cool huh? Wouldn't you like to add to (or start building) your collection?? Well head on over there RIGHT NOW to enter for your chance to win!

Good luck!!

Darling Marci has MOJO!!

I had to play along with this fabulous mojo sketch this week, and thought Darling Marci would fit it perfectly! I have some brand new lattice edge rectangles that I picked up at my LSS Memories Live On (they may have a FEW left if you want to swing by!)

I colored this little sweetie with my copics, and had lots of fun putting it all together! Be sure to go check out the La-La Land crafts blog to see our latest stamps now available in RUBBER!! Go check it out!!

MFT is lookin' Shabby!

So when I saw the MFT Guest DT contest for this month was Shabby Chic. Now, I'm not really one for shabby chic, but I though I would try and play along. I definately got the shabby part, just not so sure about the chic!!

I had started coloring this Fred the Bear image on Friday night, and so I thought I'd stick with him. Then, I pulled out an old pair of jeans I had been saving to use for cards and ran them through my Cuttlebug with my rolled rose and mini rolled rose die-namics. I used this week's sketch for my layout, and distressed all the edges with my scissors (I can't find my distressing tool...it's somewhere on my desk but I have no idea where with the giant piles I currently have!)

I added a little of the new MFT Baker's twine, and took a happy birthday sentiment from another Pure Innocence set I had on my desk and voila...a shabby (chic?) card!

Amber Ink is Gettin' Sketchy!

Amber Ink is sponsoring this week's Get Sketchy challenge #80. And we all know I love a good sketch!! This one was so fabulous, I actually made 2 cards with it, and I know I'll just it again, and again, and again!

For my Amber Ink project, I used the adorable Mini Mermaid set Can I Keep Him? which is available in both digital format and clear stamps, for those more patient souls. I loved this little mermaid, and all the different sea creatures that come with the set are perfect since my daughter is big into animals in or out of the water.

I also used some more of the digi papers from Amber Ink for this project: Dolphin Paisly light blue tiny and Seaweed Paisly Goldfish blue tiny. These digi papers are so fun to use, and I can have as many as I need - just print more!!

I hope you'll play along with this week's sketch challenge too!

It's Party Time!

I love the new Girlfriends collection from La-La Land Crafts! The ladies are sophisticated, and elegant, and VERY flirty! For some reason Jesalyn (currently available as a digi stamp!) brings Marilyn Monroe to mind for me...perhaps it's that dress! So for today's card,  gave her platinum blond hair and a white dress that could be blowing up over an air vent - just like Marilyn!

I used my lovely Circa 1934 paper from Cosmo Cricket (LOVE that stuff still) and some NEW nestabilites that I just picked up at Memories Live On today (they arrived - WOOHOO!!) Of course I had to add some ribbon, and a touch of bling.

I used 2 stamps from MFT's Who's That Birthday Girl for sentiments...one on the front and one on the inside. I thought they fit perfectly!!

Have a wonderful Thursday everyone...Friday is right around the corner!

MFT Catch up...

I haven't posted several of my recent MFT weekly sketch cards, so I'll try to get them all up here eventually!! For today i thought I'd show the most recent one I made for MFTWSC12 using the a la mode Go Team set.

Last soccer season the team mom we had was fabulous (this season hasn't really gotten going yet, but I'm sure this season's will be wonderful too!) but Kristen was such an amazing cheerleader for the girls...I loved having her at the games! So this card is for her!

Notice my attempt at making a shadow on the grass for her?? Have a great day everyone!!

Amber Ink Bunnylove and Etsy!

Amber Ink is sponsoring this week's Etsy Inspiration Challenge, and we got to check out some gorgeous pieces for our inspiration! The inspiration comes from Fresh Metal, a shop with some amazingly beautiful necklaces featuring these fabulous rolled roses. I pulled some colors from the shop, along with the roses (I used the SU! satin roses from the current Occasions Mini that I colored with my Copic Airbrush system) and then I used the March Sketch For You to Try (also sponsored by Amber Ink this month!) for my layout.

Aren't these bunnies the cutest ever??? I colored them with some Warm Grays (W1, 3, and 5) since I learned to use the warm grays for living things...and I think they are much better than with the cools! after coloring them, I masked them then created the background with my copic Airbrush system. I used the Dizzy Edge DieNamic from MFT for my 2 horizontal strips for the sketch.

I finished off the inside with a sentiment from MFT's Warm Fuzzies. Be sure to play along with this month's SFYTT, you could win some Amber Ink stamps for your very own...and I'd love to see what you create for this week's Etsy Inspired challenge too!

Here's Jen Del Muro's sketch...on the off chance you haven't seen it yet!!