"Creating is Fun"

Hello my lovely friends! 

Hope all is well at your end. I'll have to make this quick today since 

my home is buzzing with excitement.  We are huge fans of the Olympics, 

and we can barely wait to see the opening ceremonies tonight!

So I'll get right to it... my friend Martha Pineda has a little shop called

"Creating is Fun!"

She invited me to be a Guest Designer and I was happy to accept.

Martha has the loveliest assortment of laces and embellies.

Here are a few tags I created with her goodies:

Here's a better pic of what I worked with:

As you can see I used her laces to make flowers, create faux pockets, and 

if you look closely the center tag is completely covered in lace.  I 

also used her pearl buttons as centers for both flowers and bows!

And here my friends is the best news... Martha is having a huge sale

this month.  Most of her inventory is 50% off!!!! 

That's my kind of SALE! LOL!

So pop on over and take a quick look,  I think you'll like what you see!

You can find Martha's store at

http://www.zibbet.com/CreatedbyMartha

Okay guys I gotta run, I have just enough time to pop some popcorn,

and settle in on the couch! Forgive me if you find any typos, 

I'll have to proof tomorrow! Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Yvonne

Sewing Themed Tag ;P

Hey Guys! Hope all is FABULOUS!

Today I want to show you a new tag I made featuring one of

Abby Scrapbookaholic's new stamps, and what I'm submitting for this

week's "Let's Use Lace" challenge at Latinas in America.

Here is the tag:

I used a #6 craft tag, and modge podged pattern paper on it. My sister

had received some old McCall's pattern paper in a goodies swap from

Donna, and Yvette was nice enough to share some with me!

I made the little pink rosette out of ribbon that looks like 

measuring tape. It's the same ribbon I used for the bow.

I added a little lace skirt to the dressform, and a pearl necklace...

'cause I'm thinking she's a pretty classy broad! LOL!

A few additional embellies and I was happy with the turn out.

Especially the little antique sewing machine and 

scissor buttons, aren't they the cutest?!

So the stamp translates to "Because You're Special" in spanish, and it's

part of the "Bella Amistad" set.

Well, my friends, I'm so happy that you spent a little time 

with me today! I hope you'll leave a comment and will come back again!

Hugs,

yvonne

"Grey Goes West" Blog Hop & Sketch Challenge #13

Hello my lovely fellow bloggers!

For today's Blog Hop you're going to need to bring along your sense of humor, 

and seriously setaside any straitlaced attitudes or prudish inhibitions!  

Graphical Designs is releasing two collections, 

both being a lil' bit spicy!

The 1st collection has a Western flair to it...  here's my first card:

For this card I followed Sketch #13 fairly strictly. The sexy cowgirl is

a pre-colored digi from Kenny K...  I only wish I could color that beautifully!

Here's the sketch:

The winner of  Sketch Challenge #13 will win

ALL of the New Digi Releases (Both Collections!!!)

The 2nd Graphicat Design Collection was inspired by the ever popular trilogy by 

EL James

You may have heard about it... it's a bit naughty, but ever so entertaining...

"Fifty Shades of Gray"

Our terribly talented and wickedly funny Cheri put together a series of stamps

in honor of the overwhelming popularity of this literary phenomenon.

Now I must warn you... some are very explicit, and of course that is NOT

for everyone.  So please proceed at your own risk... and by that I mean that

you risk being offeneded.  Some might think of it as vulgar, others might  

 just see the humor that was intended.  Either way I will quote Cheri's long standing disclaimer:

"My stamps are meant to bring a smile and even a chuckle. 

I love humour and I only mean to make you laugh, however, my humour is not for everyone. 

If I offend you, or you don't find the sentiments and images funny, 

I'm sorry, please just find your way out of my site and I wont be upset if you never return. 

PLEASE, do not contact me to complain, I will NOT respond."

 ...And that my friend, is how GraphiCats roll...

So here they are.... this is your last chance to bail... just click away... lol!

 

So, what do ya think?  Bad? or just Funny?

Personally, I think it's just funny... but that's just me.  I generally try

not to take anything too seriously... I try to stay on an even keel.

And I must admit, I have read all three books in the series, and enjoyed them all.

Once I got over the initial shock of the sexual content, and trust me... it is

indeed VERY shocking (and educational btw) I was able to enjoy the romance of it all.

So now, some details about the blog hop...

Be sure to leave a comment at every blog in the for a chance to win

a digi from each GraphiCat participating.

The hop begins at Cheri's personal blog

http://graphicatcreations.blogspot.ca/

Next you should visit the Sketch Challenge Blog!

You must submit a sketch to be eligible to win 

the aforementioned Grand Prize

http://graphicatsketchs.blogspot.com/

The next GraphiCat on the blog roll is Yours Truly,

and you're already here, YAY!

Please be sure to leave a comment, because on my blog, I'll be throwing in

an extra prize to accompanying the digi Cheri is providing.

My prize will be an assortment of I Am Roses flowers... hope you like them!

And here are the rest of the ladies participating:

Tanya

Carol

Shelley

Michelle

Sarah

Jess 

Please don't forget to leave some love at every stop!

So glad you stopped by and hope you enjoy the Hop!

Hope to see you back soon!

Hugs,

Yvonne

"Bella" Ballerina

Hello My Blogging Buddies!
Hope all is well today... I am pretty darn good, if I do say so myself!  I've been keeping my crafty space pretty busy as of late, and I finished a few things today... one of which is the card I want to share with you. I used one of Abby's sentiments for this card, and I'm thinking of submitting to this week's challenge over at "Latinas En America."  Last week, I entered an altered paper bag challenge, and won third place, not bad! But I'm going to make it my goal to try to get the first place spot! Just a little incentive for myself...lol! Their challenge #32 for this week is to make a project utilizing a pink & brown color combo.

Here is what I came up with:

I love this little ballerina Magnolia... isn't she precious?

The "Bella" sentiment came in Abby's "Bella" pack, which also

comes with "Beautiful," and a lovely Megan Suarez image.

The lovely flowers are from I Am Roses, and the leaves are from a

Martha Stewart punch.

Last, I used the "Pretty in Pink" paper pack from Glitz.  The whole

pack is filled with all sorts of pinks & brown, so it was perfect for this project!

Well my friends, I'm glad you stopped by.

Please leave a comment and come back soon.

Hugs,

Yvonne

Altered Bracelet & Box

Hello my beautiful blog buddies!
Today I have my two little thingies to share - hahaha - I know so articulate, right? Lol! Well, anyhoo... Here they are...

I used a plain wooden box from Michael's, and painted it white. After I painted the whole box, I modge podged paper from the Melissa Frances C'est La Vie Collection to everyside. The finishing touch and crowning glory is the arrangement of beauties from I Am Roses. The flowers are perched on top of a irridescent Martha Stewart mini doily, and accented with a Tim Holtz metal number plate. 

Here's a bird's eye view...

I Am Roses Used:

R77 -  2inch White Rose

R8 - 1/2 inch White Rose

R6 - 1inch White Paper Flower

R2 - Mini White Roses

The plain white bracelet I found at my local scrapbook store, Scrapdoodles in Fredericksburg, VA. You can find them on-line and on Facebook, and they are happy to ship to anywhere in the USA. 

I thought it would be a nice little project and would make a cute shabby chic bracelet for someone fabulous like our Juliana, our Shabby Chic Queen! LOL! So I picked up a few, two circle, and one square. I didn't think it'd be something I'd wear myself, my style is more minimalist and conservative, or as my family likes to call it "boring!" But hey, I like what I like...

I used some of the same I Am Roses, and thought I'd add some seambinding, but being the minimalist/bore that I am, I decided to forego excess frilliness and leave it as~is.  I also thought maybe I would send this off to Iluvvintagescrap Juliana, as a congratulatory gift.  As you may already made know, she recently earned a well deserved spot on the Prima Marketing Design Team. But then guess what, my daughter Megan came home from college and we had a little family gathering to welcome her back... and I'm showing it to my crafty sister, Yvette (DaileyScrapper) and my other not so crafty sister Gi, who just basically humors me, and they both say, "ooh so cute...are you going to wear that?" LOL! They know me so well! And while I'm laughing, both my mom and my daughter (who by the way are both a bit eclectic style-wise) reach for it and start trying it on and ooh'ing and aww'ing over it and ask if they can have it!!! My mom relinquishes and let's my daughter have it. Megan promptly puts it on, and heads out the door to hang out with her friends! Well, there goes Juliana's gift... so shhhhh, don't tell! Heehee! Okay, well now I'm just rambling, so I'll stop... One last picture, 'cause I forgot to mention the Melissa Frances resin piece I used on the front of the box... my last minute finishing touch...

Here's the youtube vid, just in case you'd like more detail...

Well guys, as always, I'm grateful that you've taken the time to stop by, hope you can leave a comment letting me know what you think... take care and have a wonderful day!

Smooches,

yvonne

…scrapbliss…

Latinas en America Challenge... Woohoo!

Hey guys! I've decided to join a challenge being sponsered by "Latinas in America!" Their challenge this week is to a decorate a bag.  Since I may have done this once or twice before,  I decided to give it a shot! I used a small black paper bag and a lovely sheet of designer paper from my current obsession... A Ladies' Diary from Graphic 45. Here it is...

 It's been a while since I participated in a challenge, so I was pretty pumped to pull this baby together.  As a matter of fact I was so pumped, I made a few other things today today... Here's a peek...

This shabby chic piece is going to my Facebook friend, Carrie.

Hope she loves it!

This ALD tag is for my friend and IAR team~mate, Elsa.

So it turned out to be a pretty productive day... geesh, I'm loving summer break!

Thank you for stopping by, hope you'll come again!

Smooches,

yvonne

Hello!

Glad you've stopped by! I have a quickie for you today! I tried a new technique with this La-La Land Craft image (Marci.)  I colored her up using TH Distress Ink marker, along with a mini spritzer and a paint brush.  

I was very apprehensive at first, but I was able to get a little shading worked in on the hair and her dress...but not so much on her face.  I'm going to have to keep working on that!  So yeah, it's a thank you card (Gracias,) which I've already sent out to it's intended recipient.  

I think for my next distress ink attempt, I'll be better off using one of Abby's new stamps by Megan Saurez.  The collection contains just face images which might be easier for me until I get the hang of coloring with a different media. 

I am, however super excited over the impression I got from the "Gracias" stamp you see here (which you can of course find at Abby's store.)  I tried Abby's recommendation for preping the stamps before use, and I most say, it's working like a charm!  And for those who missed Abby's tip, here it is... Lightly sand down the surface of the stamp before it's first use.  And please note the key and critical word here is LIGHTLY!  I used a nail buffer to "sand" mine down, and now they work perfectly!

Well, thank you for visiting and I hope you'll return!

Smooches,

Yvonne

Sweet Nothings Stamp Company!

Hello my friends! I want to share a card and some info with you all! 

First my card... I made it for this month's Sweet Nothings Stamp Company's Creative Challenge.

Next....

I hope you'll be joining Sweet Nothings Stamp Co. and it’s very talented 
Design Team for the July Creative Challenge.

From now on, the 2nd Tuesday of every other month, SNSC is going to run a 
Creative Challenge. Some months the challenge may be a color palette to 
work with, other months it may be a theme or a layout. Every other month 
will be something new and creative for you to challenge yourself with. There 
will be a sweet little prize to be won as well.

For the month of July, the challenge will be to create a project with a card sketch.  
This super cute sketch is great for any type of card and you can use any sentiment.

Here is the inspiration for this month:

Challenge Rules:

• Contest runs from Tuesday July 10th-Tuesday July 24th (12 pm EST)
• Challenge: To use the sketch above. You may tweak it as you wish and add
  any other elements you'd like. Be as creative as you wish :D
• Project must include any Sweet Nothings Stamp Co. digi image.
• Only one project submission per creative mind please :)
• One winner will be chosen by voting by the SNSC DT and announced on
  SNSC Blog as well as on the Facebook Fan Page
• Must be a subscriber to the SNSC Blog/Facebook Fan Page
• Must submit project by Linky Tool by clicking the “Click Here to Enter”
  below

Prize to be won this month:

Prize this month is a $20 gift certificate to Bluemoon Scrapbooking.com. 
With all the supplies available over there, you'll be able to treat yourself to 
a little something on us!

I do hope you'll join us this month. Be sure to check out the amazing 
Sweet Nothings Stamp Co. Design Team member's blogs for their 
inspirational pieces.

Lina: www.sweetnothingspaperco.blogspot.com

Sharon www.smscrapperdesigns.blogspot.com

Katie www.memories2keepsakes.blogspot.com

Damaris www.AtStudioD.blogspot.com

Maria www.lollyrot-scrapbooking.blogspot.com

Patricia www.youtube.com/user/tubeyoumaster1

Sandie www.littlemissstamper.blogspot.com

Leslie www.scrapsofmine.blogspot.com

Well, thank you for visiting and I hope you'll return!

Smooches,

Yvonne

P.S. Don't forget to come back and link up your project for the challenge
down below where is says "Click here to enter"

Graphicat Sketch Challenge #12

Hello My Lovelies!!
Today we Graphicats will continue with Sketch Challenge #12 over at Cheri's Challenge Blog! Yayyyy!  And this one my friends, for me, was a doozie!  But totally in a good way... just wish I had some square punches... that would have made it easier... but no I was just cutting squares the old fashion way... just me and my trusty ole Fiskars Paper Trimmer! LOL! Well here it is... my card... with a whole lot of squares... hahaha...

The paper collection I used is from My Mind's Eye - Miss Caroline

"Howdy Doody" 6x6 Designer Paper Pad

The image is from Stamp Oasis and she is called Jasmine.

The fabulous sentiment is from Cheri's STORE.

The flower and frame are both from Melissa Frances.

Here's the Sketch:

Well, I'm glad you stopped by and I hope you'll head on over to Cheri's Challenge Blog and join us for this go around!  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Smooches,

❤Yvonne❤

IAR Sketch Challenge #1

Hi Guys!
Hope you're all doing well today.  I'm so excited to announce to all of you "I Am Roses" fans news about our latest endeavor!  This month's challenge over at the I Am Roses Challenge Blog is a SKETCH challenge.  And if you're like me... you won't be able to resist!!! What's more exciting, is that our very own, super talented, YouTube queen, Arlene Butterflykisses designed this beautiful first sketch!  Personally... I could not wait to get started, it should come as no surprise that I am a HUGE fan of Arlene's, and of all of her work.  It's hard not to be, her style is detailed, creative, polished, and refined... everything I aspire to be!  If you haven't already, you should really check her out!

Okay so let's talk about the challenge... here are a few rules:

• Use at least two IAR products
• Follow the sketch
• Leave link to project at the IAR challenge blog

But really you should head on over to the challenge BLOG and get ALL of the details.
Here is the card I made:

For this card I used G45 A Ladies' Diary paper, some lovely IAR roses, and my favorite little part... the TH apothecary jar filled with pearls!

Here's the sketch:

Isn't it great!? Hope you give it a try! The challenge begins today, July 9, 2012 and will end July 28, 2012.  The DT will select a winner, and it will be announced on the Challenge Blog shortly there after.

Thanks for stopping by! Can't wait to see what you make!

Smooches,

Yvonne

Abby's "Dilo En Español" Challenge #3

Hi Guys!
This week's theme over at Abby's Challenge Blog is "Summer!"  As you may already know, Abby recently launched a new set of stamps designed by the ultra-talented Megan Saurez!  Well, the prize for this next challenge is one of the those new stamps.  I used one of them for the card I
 created, and here it is:

I am totally in love with these stamps... this little chicky is super cute and a whole lot of fun to color!   Her name is Hermosa!  I hope you guys will join us in Abby's challenge! So go on and get started, can't wait to see what you make.  By the way, if you post on Facebook, be sure to let me know so I can pop on over to your page and leave a little "hey there!" And don't forget to go on over to Abby's Challenge Blog for mor deets!
Smooches,

Yvonne 

http://scrappingisbliss.blogspot.com/ 

Happy Independence Day America!

Hello My Boggerific Friends!

Guess WHAT?  I was asked to joined Lina's lovely Design Team for her Sweet Nothings Stamp Co.  And I accepted!  It is a pleasure, and an honor, to join some very talented ladies in promoting the sweet pair of characters Lina has created.  You may have already met Sophie & Lucky...  aren't they just adorable! They have been great fun to color up, and I'm excited to share some of my Sweet Nothings creations with you.  In honor of America's Birthday today,  I thought I'd start with this RED, WHITE, and BLUE card, featuring Sassy Sophie...

To create this card I used some basic blue and white cardstock as a base. Then I used a sheet of designer paper from the Jillibean Soup "Wathermelon Gazpacho Soup" 6x6 Mini Pad, and embellished it with some K&Co. "Americana" Die-Cuts.

Like I mentioned earlier, I used Lina's Sassy Sophie digital image, and I colored her up with my Copics.  Here are the combos I used:

Well my friends, thank you for stopping by and checking out my SNSC creation!  I hope you will stop by the SNSC BLOG often as the ladies on the team will continue creating and sharing in hopes of inspiring you! Don't forget to check out the whole collection of Sweet Nothings.  While you're here please leave a comment letting me know what ya think... love hearing from ya'll!  Have a safe and Happy Holiday!

Smooches...

★Yvonne★