Coming Soon: National Craft Month Blog Hop

Learn a new technique or remind yourself of an old one you haven't done in awhile. It is

National Craft Month

so join in the fun!

Who: Sew Many Layouts DT

What: Natl Craft Month Blog Hop

When: Saturday March 6th & Sunday March 7th

Where: Start Hop At: www.sewmanylayouts.com

Why: The DT would like to highlight some fun Layout Techniques with you!

AND: You will have the chance to win a few goodies, courtesy of Sir Chester. Check in frequently for more information.

Prima's Big Secret!!!!

Something is brewing NEW

at Prima and I just cannot

wait to see what it could be!!!!!

So while we sit tight waiting,

i'm sure it's going to be fantastical,

Prima is doing a giveaway for us!

Here is what Prima had to say:

"we have an exciting opportunity for you to win BIG

and it’s open to everyone!

There are two fabulous prize baskets
worth$100 up for grabs.

Prima will choose one winner from the US
and one international winner

Here is what you need to do to be considered for the drawing:

-Post about our Big Secret on your blog and

include a link to our blog within the post.

-Add a comment HERE under this post with a link to your blog.

-You have until Sunday night to enter

If you have done all of the above-you will be eligible for the drawings.

The winners will be chosen and posted on Monday, March 1st!

Hurry on over quick, quick, QUICK!

Good luck!

So Many Challenges So Little Time

The first card is my entry to Annita's Challenge on Phindy's Place. Color challenge of blue, green and orange plus a Phindy digi. The paper I found was perfect for the colors. It is Paper Pizazz's (HOTP) Stripes & Dots package. Kitty Cargo is a new Phindy image. I carried the blue/green/orange into the image as I colored it with my Copics. Sentiments cut out of orange Oh My Vinyl with the Cricut Expressions plus the orange corner brads rounded out the card.

Stampin Sisters in Christ's challenge last week was to indicate the passage of time in some way. The background paper is from Paper Pizazz and has a design with clocks on it. The Dazzles are dark brown this time and from the Heritage collection. "Keys to the Past, Moments in Time..." would be appropriate for someone needing encouragement in a new venture or job. It would also be appropriate for someone interested in geneology. Several possibilities.

"Memories" is my entry for the Copic Colour Challenge this week. Yellow Green (umbrella, raincoat accents), Golden Yellow (raincoat, rain hat & boots) and Cool Grey ( fur) were used on this digi from Bugaboo. I used Paper Glaze on the umbrella, raindrops and puddle to add depth and accent. The two background papers are Paper Pizazz available from Paper Wishes.

Finally, the St. Patrick's Day card is my entry to the MMSC42: Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge #42. The green background cardstock is Best Occasion available at WalMart. The other papers are from Paper Pizazz (Paper Wishes). The shamrock brad and green roses were also purchased from Paper Wishes. I colored the Phindy's Place digi with Copic Markers and then added Paper Glaze to the pot of gold. The gold shamrock coin is from the St. Patrick's Collection at Michael's.

Sir Chester - Up Close & Personal

While Sir Chester approves of his formal portrait above, he wanted everyone to see his curious side. At the age of 3 1/2 Chester still enjoys chasing pipe cleaners, lying in the sun and playing Gottcha under the door.

If you hadn't guessed - I'm procrastinating. I should go to sleep, but I tried that - didn't work. I should work on the next project on the list, but I'm still mentally getting that one ready. Soooo here I am.

Check back on Monday for sure to get information about next weekend's Blog hop for Sew Many Layouts. You can learn a new technique at each stop! Sometimes even 2. I couldn't decide between slide mounts & paper glaze, so I'll be explaining both! Slide mounts are not just for mini frames. Paper Glaze is my new love. The effect is awesome.

I'll have other posts and projects during the week. Stop by often. If you aren't a follower, please sign up.

Anything Goes Layout

Last week we had a choice on tilting or the recipe for the layouts. So this week anything goes! These pictures were taken last summer (I said I was behind on scrapbooking). The image of Miki flying the helicopter was perfect for these pics. DS John and DGS Zerek got up close & personal with the copter.

Nothing special about this layout, just the pics of two important people in my life. The supplies were in my stash. No special embellies. Sometimes simple is best.

Next week is the Sew Many Layouts Blog Hop. This time each DT member will be using a different technique and will explain how to do it. So if you are new to scrapbooking or a veteran you may find something new. Be sure to check back. You never know when there may be some surprises too.

Sunshine Award

I received this Sunshine Award from Sari . She is a faithful follower & leaves "feel good" comments when she visits. Sir Chester approves of her b/c she is a cat lover.

The rules in accepting this award are to pass it along to 6 others. These crafter/artists have all welcomed me into their "families" They have shared their talents and kind comments. Please click on their names and check out their amazing creations:

Elizabeth (& Michula)
Phindy
Joni
Jeri
Roberta


Thank you all for sharing your ideas, your creations and your friendship.

MEOW

Two in One

The Paper Cutz Challenge this week is a card for a lady. The colors: pink, green, white and then blue or lavendar. It also needed a digi butterfly. Well..... guess what the Friday Freebie is over at Sew Many Cards??? A butterfly! So this card fits two assignments. I usually don't like to "submit" the same card to more than one place. This is an exception because of the timing of the particular freebie and because I am way behind and trying to catch up.

The paper is from Paper Pizazz's Little Prints & Patterns. The Iridescent flower is from Paper Wishes. The Butterfly digi is colored with Copics and has a little bit of Paper Glaze on the body. I will have a post in the near future with more about Paper Glaze. The lettering is cut from Oh My Vinyl - dark green - Cricut Expressions: Beyond Birthdays cartridge. The ribbon is also dark green. I had bought a big box of ribbon of various colors on Ebay a few years ago. The spools have many yards of ribbon on them, but no manufacturer is listed - just made in China.

Inktegrity - Darling images

Inktegrity is the sponsor for the Sew Many Cards challenge this week.

SPONSOR PRIZE PACKAGE -- $10 Gift Certificate to Inktegrity Designs

"Hello fellow crafters! My name is Joni Wilson and I am the owner of Inktegrity. As a mother of 6, I wanted to create images that every age could enjoy working with. This past summer I debuted my line of digital images and have enjoyed every minute of it. I am inspired by personal experiences, suggestions from friends, and the everyday goodness in life. Please visit our blog at Inktegrity.blogspot.com for wonderful ideas and inspiration. I am so happy to sponsor this fun site, thank you to this wonderful team for letting me be a part of Sew Many Cards!"

The praying mouse, mounted on a piece of circular chipboard, is the image from Inktegrity that I used for this card. The sentiment (cut with the Cricut Expression out of Oh My Vinyl) is simple: God Bless. The papers are from a Paper Pizazz collection. The Dazzles are from Paper Wishes.

"F" is for Fireplace

Last week's ABC Christmas letter was "F". Here is my card - "F" is for fireplace. It is difficult to see on the photo, but I cut and colored the mice twice and mounted the second image on 1/8 in dots. The image is from Phindy's Place. The Dazzles are from Paper Wishes. Not sure about the papers.

As promised, those of you who check in here regularly, the new letter is posted on Monday (and not until Tuesday at Paper Wishes MB). The new letter is "W".

"W" is for

• Wreaths
• Wrappings
• Wise Men
• Winter

I hope you are having fun with this weekly "assignment" in creativity and Christmas.

All three of these images are from Soft Pencil. I just found this site recently and love the kitty images among others.

The Butterfairy card is a simple spring card with teal, green, yellow and white. This could be used for a girl's birthday, Easter, etc. The blue metallic brads accent the band of coordinating paper.

The middle card would be a great friendship (thinking of you) or birthday card. The newspaper boat floats on the water. I entered this card in the Copic Colour Challenge for this week.

Believe.... in Magic! The single matted image is raised on 1/8 inch dots. Colors are simple: blues, black and white mainly. This is a versatile card appropriate for a child's birthday, a friendship or an "interested in you" acknowledgement. (Remember the song: Do you believe in magic....?"

These images are quick to color and easily fit into a variety of card occasions. Soft Pencil will be the sponsor of a challenge at Sew Many Cards during March. Watch for more information.

**** DT Call**** DT Call**** DT Call ****

Phindy (Phindy's Place) is organizing her first Design Team. The DT Call has gone out. I use Phindy's images often and you can see some of them in previous postings. Scan through and you will spot several in just the last couple of weeks.

Information on applying for the Design Team is available at
http://www.papercraftplanet.com/group/phindysplace
If interested - check it out! You have until mid March to apply.

Love is ..... Feeding Your Pet Dino

I had been planning this layout since Sarabeth told us that Bugaboo was sponsoring us this week. In browsing through the Bugaboo store I spotted the dinosaur and thought of my middle grandson Zerek. Papa & I have given each of the boys a different bank. These banks are special. They are animal shapes and the coin is fed through a slot at the mouth and zig zags its way to the belly. Zerek's is a dinosaur and he loves to feed his dinosaur. I found dino paper, orange card stock and vine ribbon (Paper Wishes) in my stash and took several pictures of Zerek feeding his dino. Thinking of a petting zoo, I used the Sew Many Cards digi of the heart candy machine as Dino food (altho we know most dinos like candy, Zerek's likes coins). I used an X-acto knife to cut along the edges of some of the dinos. This allowed me to slide the pictures behind the paper and let the dinos be seen. Some lettering cut on the Cricut shares the title. Part of the challenge this time is to use ribbon (the vine ribbon), 3 buttons and something glittery. Well, guess what was in my stash too? 3 glitter buttons. I hope some day Zerek will share this page, along with others, with his kids. Maybe dino will still be living with him but being fed by the next generation.

Check out Bugaboo. A lot has been added to their inventory of digis in the last month or so. I had to get a few more. When you have several hundred, why not? I love digis if you hadn't guessed.

Friday Cards

Tried or retried some techniques this week.

The Paper Cutz Challenge is to make a Get Well Card. Well, I needed a get well card this week. Came home from school early on Tuesday - before lunch - slept almost 20 of the next 23 hours and finally went back to work on Thursday. When I saw the digi of Halen (Sew Many Cards) sleeping in the tea cup, it seemed perfect! A little tea, a long nap. The digi as usual is colored with Copics. The paper is from Paper Pizazz (Paper Wishes) and the lettering was cut from Oh My Vinyl using my Cricut Expression.

The Sew Many Cards Challenge is a sketch. Click the link on the right to take you to all the information about this week's challenge. Duncan the Duckling (Sew Many Cards) seemed perfectly suited to the yellow/orange paper that I do not know the brand of, but which was purchased at Scrapbook Unique in Lenexa KS. The sentiment is Karen Foster and the Dazzles & brads are from Paper Wishes. The green/blue paper is Basic Grey.

Angela really is treating us with a special Friday Freebie this week. I love the watering can of heart flowers. I decided to make my watering can look like wood and I used double cardstock when mounting it to give just a little lift. 3 layers of Paper Pizazz papers and a cardstock border piece from Bo Bunny accented with gold pearls (5mm) from Mark Richards and I had one of my best cards. I was really happy with the way this one finished up. Maybe a little crooked, but I planned it that way. Yeah, I planned it that way.

Phindy's Blitz Challenge Winner!!

The challenge was to create a Spring Card with blue & green, a Phindy image and embellies in white & yellow. Mine was chosen by random.org and then verified to see that it met the requirements.

Phindy is continuing her celebration today with a download of a border. You are to type up your favorite soup recipe inside the border and then upload it. If I cooked I would love to do this, but I don't so I won't. Campbell's /Progresso is just not a recipe.

Bugaboo & Inktegrity will be sponsoring the next set of challenges for Sew Many Cards & Sew Many Layouts. Be sure to check back here, at the main SMC pages and the other DT pages to see the new creations. A lot of variety in the near future challenges.

Paper Wishes - ABC Christmas

Last week (Week 2) of ABC Christmas was the letter "P". I chose "P" is for Peppermint.The papers & tag are from a Paper Wishes Creative Card Pack. The candy cane digi is from Sew Many Cards and colored with copic markers. The round brads on the tag and the peppermint & snowflake brads were from various sources.

Week #3: Our new letter is "F". "F" is for

• Fireplace
• Friends & Family
• Forest Animals
• Feast
  

If you haven't done "A" or "P" yet, that's okay. Jump in at "F" and do the others later. The purpose is to get some Christmas cards done throughout the year and to share ideas on making them. Join in the fun.

Phindy's Place Celebration

Phindy's Place reached 500 followers last week and she decided to throw a party. The challenge for this week is to make a Valentine/Friendship Card. I used the Phindy digi of Mrs. Comfy Surfing. The sentiment is aimed at a good friend from St. Louis (now on the East Coast) who talked me into highlighting my hair 23 yrs ago. I have colored it ever since. While I would never get as wild as Mrs Comfy, Donna would. We haven't seen each other in many years, but email on a semi regular basis. She doesn't know what color my hair is now.

Phindy also had a Card-a-thon today. Participants were walked through the recipe for the card. We chose our own digi and papers/ribbon/brads. The instructions were posted so others could join in. It started about 10 1/2 hours ago and ends in 30 min. The cards with the digis of Emma in her Spring Dress and the Easter Egg are both from that recipe. I went digging through my stash to find papers, ribbon, brads, that would be appropriate for the digi. It was a lot of fun. I hope she does it again. We are almost halfway to 600.

Foxes and Robbers

Our son, John, is on a bike (as in bicycle) racing team from Lawrence, KS. The photos on this page show the team in a practice run and two of his biggest fans - son, Zerek and Zerek's "Pa" - John's Dad. The cyclist paper is from NRN Designs. The matting paper was in my stash. The snail "Not My Speed" is a Sew Many Cards Digi. The tricycle tag is from our sponsor this week - Foxes and Robbers. There is a link on the right hand column to F & R. Please check them out. The green letters are BoBunny and the turquoise ones are cut with my Cricut from Oh My Vinyl.

This was fun layout to do and one that I had wanted to do for some time. John has gone through a few bikes since he started long distance riding and racing. 50 miles is a short ride. Cycling is a sport that doesn't get much coverage, but is great exercise.

Pink Snow

I promised I'd get the Sew Many Cards Friday Freebie up today and here it is! The twin hearts are colored with Copic markers and are set on a purplish mottled paper from Paper Wishes. The tag is from the same set of paper. Lettering is from stash.

"Pink Snow" is my entry in this week's Prairie Fairy Challenge. The digi is from Prairie Fairy, the paper is Cosmo Cricket and the lettering is cut from Hot Pink Oh My Vinyl with the Cricut cartridge Plantin Schoolbook. With all the snow in the east and DH is stuck in Dallas tonight because of snow in Texas! I felt it must be a Valentine from Mother Nature. Nature's Valentine would have to be pink. Right? Started on a lark, I really like the way it came out.

A Card for a Man - Keep it simple

Cards for Men Sketch Challenge Entry. This card could be used for Graduation or a milestone birthday such as the 18th or 21st. The paper is Paper Pizazz and inexpensive blue cardstock. The photo was taken in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area during a family vacation. I did not go, but DH, DS, DD and DIL did. Simple card, perfect for a guy.

Teen Card for PCC & Tellens/SMC Valentine

One of these days I'll figure out which 'order to upload the images so they appear in the order i want them to. The Paper Cutz Challenge this week is to make a Teen Birthday card. Working in a high school, I know that no self respecting teen would be without their beloved cell phone. This young lady has answered a call, but who is on the other end?? Who is wishing her a Happy Birthday?? One of Sir Chester's relatives. The digis are from Phindy's Place and Squigglefly. They are colored with Copic markers, the lettering is Beyond Birthdays & Life is a Beach: Cricut cut from silver Oh My Vinyl. The paper is from Paper Pizazz.

Tellens Place (http//www.tellensplacedesigns.com) is the sponsor for this week's Sew Many Cards Challenge. The pink/red/white Valentine features the Tellen's Ally and the SMC wheelbarrow of hearts. Red felt adhesive flowers and the pink/lavender circle paper from Paper Pizazz add to the whirlwind feeling of the card. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is the sentiment from Cloud 9.

I will have more postings over the weekend. The SMC Friday Freebie, some other challenges and Valentines. Stop by, look, comment, share ideas. Most of all have fun!

I heard that Prairie Fairy is having a Blog Hop Friday/Saturday. There is a link to PF on the right hand column. Check it out.

Sponsor: Cutting Cafe

Cutting Cafe is one of Sew Many Cards' sponsors this month. A link to their site is on the right hand column.

I combined the Heart Tree from Cutting Cafe with Jaden and his wagon load of hearts from Sew Many Cards. I just love this paper from Paper Pizazz (Paper Wishes). It is from a pack called Metallic Silver. The solid silver, the black/silver and the red/silver all came from that pack. Three silver hearts accent the corner. The acrylic quote on the red ribbon is difficult to read in this photo. It says: "Ultimately, Love is Everything". What would we do without our family & friends???

Don't forget your family & friends this weekend for Valentine's Day.

ABC Christmas at Paper Wishes MB

I am going to be ahead of the game this year! We have started an ABC Christmas on the Paper Wishes Message Board

http://forum.paperwishes.com

Starting last Tuesday and each Tuesday for 26 weeks, I'll be posting a letter of the alphabet there and here. Make a Christmas/Hannakah/winter card with a focal that begins with that letter. Become a member of PWMB and create an album called ABC Christmas. Each week the Swap team will choose 4 cards to highlight in the ABC Christmas Highlight album. As we progress you will have access to many ideas for cards and at the end you will be 26 cards closer to your goal for the holiday!

Last Tuesday was "A" is for: Angels, Archways, Aprons (while baking) or any "A" you can think of. I chose "A" is for Antlers.

I'll give my Purrfect Sentiments followers a sneak peek. Tomorrow's letter is "P". Who said we had to do the alphabet in order?? "P" is for: poinsettias, presents, playing in the snow or any other appropriate "P" that you can think of.

Consider joining us. It is a lot easier making one Christmas card a week than 30 in December.

Mostly White Card

Squigglefly Challenge was to create a card that was mostly white and was glittery. I made my grandson's Valentine. He loves kitties (so do the other 2 grandsons, Sir Chester approves) so I chose this digi from Squigglefly. It is mounted on blue/green glitter cardstock from Paper Wishes with some Valentine Dazzle Hearts for accent. While not the traditional red/pink/white, I like this card. I think Max will too.

Cute Card Thursday Challenge

This is the first time I'm entering the Cute Card Thursday Challenge. The challenge is "Dots"

Duncan the Duck is ready for St. Patrick's Day. He is a Sew Many Cards Digi. The background paper is from Paper Wishes (HOTP/Paper Pizazz). The ribbon and brads were in my infamous stash.

Then there is the cutest little boy. "Big Boots to Fill" is a Phindy's Place digi. The "Mr Fixit" digi is from Doodle Dragons. The paper is Paper Wishes' Dots & Stripes. The additional lettering and big brads are from my stash. This card could be for a birthday, Father's Day, many possibilities.

I am having a lot of fun mixing digis from various sources. Play and be creative. It is great for the BP.

Friday Freebie - late again

I had it finished. I loved the way it came out. I forgot to upload it with the other Valentines on Friday. Soooooo here is my Sew Many Cards Friday Freebie - a day late. The freebie is actually a single flower & I printed 2. Colored them in reverse with Copics and adhered them to Silver Metallic Paper from Paper Pizazz (Paper Wishes). "It is the things in common that makes relationships enjoyable, but it is the little differences that make them interesting." How true, how true. This acrylic quote was in my stash.

Love is in the Air - Layout Blog Hop

The First Sew Many Cards Layout Blog Hop is beginning!!!

You should have come from Gwen

You are now at Mary S (Purrfect Sentiments) and the guest of our CEO Sir Chester Katt.

Then on to Nicole http://stampergirladventures.blogspot.com
You may have to copy & paste this link or use Nicole's link on the right hand column under Design Team members.

• Hoppers, please leave a comment on all the hop spots and at the last hop spot letting us know they have done so.

• 1 winner from each blog will be chosen to receive a free Valentine's digi image

• 1 grand prize winner will receive a set of digis from SMC

• Here is the special customer challenge if you would like 3 additional entries to win:
• Create any papercraft that is Valentine's themed and follow this recipe: 3 hearts, 1 bow, 2 patterned papers

• Winners will be posted on Monday

Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead
Walk beside me, be my friend and my partner

I took some liberties with the ending line of the verse but it is one that my mother likedl. She had it hanging on her bedroom wall. She and Dad were partners and very much in love.

Morty Moose (Sew Many Cards digi) was my choice for this layout. When Mike and I met in college (Eastern Illinois University) it wasn't long before we were a couple. We didn't have much money but would go for walks in the nearby state park, play cards with friends and sang and played guitar together for Saturday night Mass at the Newman Center. When Mike graduated with his degree in Environmental Biology he applied for park ranger positions. We fully expected to live at a state park in Illinois. It didn't work out, but he has spent the last 32 years in pollution control, waste cleanup (as in Hazardous Waste Consulting) We have been married 31 1/2 years.

February Sponsor is Wags & Whiskers

"Me Share" Ryan is having some problems with chocolate, but who could get mad at such a sweet face?? A sweet Valentine using the Wags & Whiskers (rubber) stamp. Wags & Whiskers does NOT have digis, but they have some delightful rubber stamps like Ryan.

• I used the rubber stamp "Ryan's Chocolate Troubles" from Wags & Whiskers colored with Copic Markers. http://wagsnwhiskersrubberstamps.blogspot.com/2009/10/where-to-buy-wags-n-whiskers-rubber.html

• Paper from Paper Pizazz,5mm Gold brads and large brown brad, "stamp" lettering all from Paper Wishes
• Dark Green Ribbon from stash

Check out Wags & Whiskers (Rubber Stamps not digis) for some new stamps for your collection. It is always fun to have new stamps to choose from when in a creating mood.

Black/White/Silver Valentines & Blog Hop winner

The Blog Hop winner from Purrfect Sentiments is Maria Levine! Yay!!! Maria!!!! Jeri will be contacting you about your digi.

"You make me realize how beautiful my life is" is the sentiment on this non-tradition Valentine. No reds/pinks and no hearts except for the blue one on the tag. No sadness in the blue, just blue. This is my design for the new Paper Cutz Challenge. I used a FredSheSaid digi and colored it with multiple shades of blue and green Copic markers. The acrylic sentiment is mounted on plain white cardstock. The blue flowered ribbon is from Michael's. The black & white flowered paper was in my stash. The blue heart brad was there too.

Eris with her heart balloons is the focus of the Sew Many Cards Challenge this week: A Valentine color challenge in black/silver/red. The sentiment on this card is: The essence of Love is Kindness. I used the Metallic Silver paper from Paper Wishes, Eris is colored with Copic Markers and the red brads were in my stash. (I have a really BIG stash).

We always take a chance with our hearts when we fall in love. I've been in love with my husband for over 30 years. Take a chance in making your love a Valentine. Step out of the box. Make something beautiful from the heart.

More Stampin Sisters

I just couldn't resist making a second entry for this week's challenge at Stamping Sisters in Christ. This little boy is just so charming - and willing to share. Can't you hear the little boy in your life, with a mouthful of cooky, saying "I luv you"? The paper is from Kaiser Craft and the pearls from Paper Wishes. The digi is from Phindy's Place and is colored with Copic Markers.

Check back tonight for Paper Cutz and Sew Many Cards challenges. Also the first ever SewMany Layouts Blog Hop is this weekend. The theme is "Love is in the Air". Check it out!

God Bless...

This is my entry for the Stamping Sisters in Christ challenge. "God Bless Mommy Daddy Puppy.......and Grandma 'cause it's her BIRTHDAY!" The paper is from Paper Pizazz (Paper Wishes) Little Prints & Patterns. The lettering is cut from hot pink Oh My Vinyl with the Cricut. Silver border Dazzles are also from PW. The digi is from Sew Many Cards. Recognize Hershey??

The innocence of a child saying her prayers. An inspiration to all of us to trust in God.