[Mami Doodles] Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Hello there - I just wanted to drop in here really quickly and announce the winner on the Mami Doodles Farewell Bloghop from my blog. Random.org picked

minerva said...

millie is just so cute. Love paper piecing and her dress is really funky.

Congrats, Minerva! Go ahead and email mamidoodles@gmail.com and claim your prize! 

If you didn't win over here, check over at the Mami Doodles blog - you never know, you might be a lucky winner!

[Mami Doodles] Farewell Blog Hop

Hello everyone! You may have already heard of the sad news that our fun with all things Mami Doodles is coming to an end. In honor of our fun time with Elisa and her amazing designs, many of the current and past DT members have accepted my request put together a surprise blog hop to celebrate the accomplishments Elisa has undergone and the joy that Mami Doodles have brought to us.

So without further ado, I hope you are hopping over from my DT mate Pam's blog. If not, I want to encourage you to start back at the Mami Doodles blog and not miss out on this event.


Stamps: (Millie) Mami Doodles; (Say It Loud) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - White) Papertrey Ink; (Basic Card Stock - White) Recollections; (Salt Air) Cosmo Cricket; (envelope liner) Recycled
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin - No. 2 Cough Syrup) Ranger
Embellishments: (Mister Huey - Lunchtray) Studio Calico; (Border Punch - Poststage Stamp) Fiskars

My letter along this blog hop is D in Mami Doodles blog hop. Millie is one of my favorite digis. She is so fun, sweet, and delightful. I thought since she's our little mascot at Mami Doodles, it would be a nice tribute to dear Elisa to use this sweet Millie digi. I even tried to stay true to the colors that Millie sports on the Mami Doodles blog page. After that, the card came pretty easily together, since I knew that I want this card to be a message of Celebration!



On a personal note, I would like to thank Elisa for this wonderful opportunity. Mami Doodles was my first "break" into being on a DT that showcases an actual product. I accepted for the experience, but also with the joy of working with such great designs. Elisa has a very keen eye for drawing and her illustrations are fabulous. What I treasured most about working with Elisa is her laid-back and caring nature. She is very sweet and whenever a DT member is out sick or out of commission, she follows up with nice and caring email or card. I really enjoyed how we have grown over time to become friends, and I hope to one day meet her in real life :)

Even if the chapter to the Mami Doodles store comes to an end, I would like to wish Elisa many other successful endeavors. I hope she will continue to share her talent and art with the rest of the world. Elisa, here is to many more and our friendship!

Before I send you off to the next stop, I just wanted to remind everyone that the store closes on March 16, 2012. There is currently a big retirement sale going on. Use THANKYOU as the promo code when checking out, and everything will discounted 50% off.

In addition, leave a comment and I will draw a lucky winner off this post to select a digi of your choice! Winners are posted on Wednesday on the Mami Doodles Blog and here. So please check back :)

Your next stop is a very talented gal Sarah... and in case you need the full list, here it is:
Deirdre
Frances
Jackie
Jenn
Lisa
Manuela
Pam
Ren-Yi <-- you are here
Sarah
Stephanie
Trinh

Thank you for join in us today in celebrating Elisa and Mami Doodles!

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #44 - Pattern Paper

Hello everyone! Most of you might know that bi-weekly a new Mami Doodles challenge goes up. This in one sense is like every other Friday and I'm here to kick off another fun challenge. But I have some bittersweet news to share...This will be Mami Doodles' last challenge. Please hop on over to Elisa's blog to read her words; she explains it best.

So I would love to encourage you to play along this week with our three pattern paper challenge. A great challenge to encourage de-stashing, spring-cleaning, clearing space for new products that are coming out soon...whatever the reason.


Stamps: (Autumn Girl) Mami Doodles
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Lemon Tart) Papertrey Ink; (Summer Days Collection) Echo Park
Ink: -
Embellishments: (1/2" Satin Ribbon - Lemon Tart) Papertrey Ink; (Summer Days Collection - Stickers) Echo Park

This little Autumn Girl is so cute, especially with her lil 'brella. And just because she is named "Autumn", doesn't mean she can't make an appearance in the Spring, right? After all, it's always raining (hello, April showers!) and I know I long for the sun to come out.



I chose big and bold colors from an Echo Park Summer Days Collection Kit, because there is one feeling I want to leave with you: being cheerful and happy...Although the Mami Doodles store may close, for Elisa this is an opportunity to focus on other things she loves and cares as well as possibly exploring new venues. 

As for me, I hope Elisa continues to share her art with the world. I have loved every moment being on her Design Team, gathering new experiences and making new friend on the way. I know those are things that will last, even beyond our bi-weekly challenges...!

Anyways, hop on over to the talented DT to see how they are using their stash...And maybe you will feel inspired to play along this one last time? :)

[Mami Doodles] Challenge # 42 - For a Loved One

Hello everyone! I am so happy that today is Friday and in a few hours I get to see my brother. It will be a time where we get to catch up on Christmas, my Birthday, and his promotion. If things go well I get to even swing by my uncle and aunt's place, since they are just a "few" miles down the road from him.

If you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, we're putting you to work at Mami Doodles. This week we are setting you in the mood for Valentine's Day by asking you to create something For a Loved One. I could not resist this cutie that Elisa had drawn up, and immediately went to work...


Stamps: (She loves me, She loves me not...) Mami Doodles; (Frame-It, Say It Loud) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - White) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin No.11 Brown Sugar) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Impression Plate - Woodgrain; 5/8" Satin Ribbon - Dark Chocolate) Papertrey Ink; (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Fine Point) Sharpie

Isn't she a fun little beauty? I was so inspired by the entries in our last White on White that this cutie came quickly together. I love how the brown pops of the page so easily, but I wanted to share a few tips about stretching your Mami Doodles digis.

1. I gave Ginger here some stripes by coloring in some orange accents and blending the brown in. This is a great way to give any time you work with this kitty a unique new look. This orange-striped kitty is really similar to my Jojo (except that Jojo is grey-tigered). I might try black and white "spots" to see if I can pull a Simmi (my other cat).
2. Since my printer's black toner has been acting up, I like to outline the digis again with a black fine point Sharpie. I like this look a lot because it gives it that clean, "stamped" look. Another plus is, if the fuzzy cutting was not done so clean, the black liner helps cover up any hurried cuts.
3. Sometimes cutting out a digi poses a problem, especially the whiskers areas and the continued stem of the flower. No worries, just pen them right onto you background card stock for continuation. You might have noticed but the blue flower is also "sketched back in." Don't tell Elisa it's not her original ;)

I hope that some of the pointers help with stretching your digis...Hop on over to the talented DT to see how they are expressing their love & care for their loved ones...And maybe you will get inspired to play along? I hear one can win digis ;)

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #41 - White on White

Happy Happy Friday! I can't wait for this week to be over! Probably because tomorrow is my big Project 30 Kickoff, and I'm super excited to see what kind of recipe cards are coming back. Of course I will be serving up some good eats, and have my whole list of food dishes that I am prepping ready to go. I started even making the soup today. For those of you who are still expecting a recipe card, I just received the envelops and will be starting to send them out after this weekend.

Today we are welcoming you back to join in on the next Mami Doodle challenge: White on White. I hope you enjoyed the little break we had over Christmas and New Years, because I sure did ;) Yep - DTers get worn out creating too...! So I am super grateful that Elisa gave us a little mini break to recharge our creative mojos.


Stamps: (Bea the Butterfly) Mami Doodles; (Signature Series - Dress Form) Papertrey Ink
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - White) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Impression Plate - Polka Dot Basics II) Papertrey Ink; (Liquid Pearls - White Opal) Ranger; (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Gelly Roll - Metallic) Sakura; (Point 88) Stabilo

This card is suppose to be a fun take on patterns. I really wanted to play with the the white dots on red mushroom, and the red dots on white polka dotted background. It's hard to tell in the above picture, but the card stock base has an actual impression for texture. Maybe it's clearer in the next picture?



The rest of Bea is colored using a mixture of black color pencil, black Stabilo ink pen, and black charcoal and Gamsol for blending.

I hope you enjoyed this quick card and that you'll consider playing along. Say hi to the rest of the DT - i'm sure to they'll be happy to hear you're back too! Have a fabulous weekend. I know I will :)

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #40 - Altered Item or Home Decor

Happy Friday, Everyone! I am enjoying my first day off from work for the rest of the year ;) It is also a great way to get caught up on everything that's been dragging...like this blog post ;)

Last week we had a Mami Doodle challenge: Altered Item / Home Decor. My project is actually a Christmas present for two very special friends, who were wed this past summer. If you remember this blog post, then you can see why I chose to alter the frame the way I did. It's for the same couple :) And you know my slight obsession with matchy-matchy...


Stamps: (Love Tree) Mami Doodles; (Victorian Alphabet, Big Blooms - Chrysanthemums, Big Day Additions) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (tissue paper) Recycled stash
Ink: (Versamark, Brilliance - Pearlescent Sky Blue, Memento - London Fog) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Detail Embossing Powder - Black) Ranger

I started by measuring out the frame and centering the sentiment, stamped off the watermark and then embossed it in black for some extra shine.



Then I repeated the same for the date, and stamped off some Chrysanthemums in the same/similar shades of the same card. I actually chose London Fog, rather than embossing silver powered, and a shade of blue that is similar to the Papertrey Ink Spring Rain paper.



I added the Love Tree to this frame. The digi parallels the picture of the wedding couple in front of the tree, and thought this was a nice touch. What do you think?



A closer look at the beautiful digi. I kind of had some creative liberties with outlining the couple. I made their mouth angles be a little more smiley than the actually digi. I hope Elisa doesn't mind...



I hope the couple really enjoys this. Last I checked they didn't have a picture of their wedding in their home yet, and I thought this might help them jump-start on capturing the wedding day.



Hope you play along. We are leaving this challenge open for a while, so you have until January, 13, 2012. If you need some inspiration, check out the many DT's work and then make a fun project for your home. Perfect way to ring in the new year with something new...

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #39 - Make It Shine

Happy Friday, Everyone! I apologize for posting this challenge one week late. I was barely making it through last week with the jet lag, let alone I got sick. So I got home from work, slept, and slept some more right through the weekend! But good thing, I feel much better, just in time for me visitors!

In the meantime, you have one more week to complete our Mami Doodle challenge: Make It Shine. It's really perfect for the Christmas holidays fast approaching. After all, there are always shiny baubles, tinsel, lights and glistening snow for starters.

My card features one of the recent release, called Baby's First Christmas.


Stamps: (Baby's First Christmas) Mami Doodles; (Complements of the Season) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Pure Poppy) Papertrey Ink; (Eskimo Kisses) Basic Grey
Ink: (Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Fresh Snow) Papertrey Ink
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Stickles - Diamond) Ranger

My shine is very understated. I added some Stickles to the Christmas ornaments. I blended the color pencils with my trusty Gamsol OMS.



I hope you play along... check out the many DT's inspirations and come make a few more holiday cards with us. Do you have a favorite ornament?

[Paperplay Challenges] Week 48 - Snowman

Note: If you are looking for DYSU challenge - please keep scrolling :)

I would love to have a huge snow blanket come down for the holidays. Just for when we're celebrating Christmas, and then it magically disappears. Skip the slush, the cold, the gray yucky mass while the snow thaws. Wouldn't that be perfect? I guess I can keep dreaming...

Here at PaperPlay Challenge we are getting you guys to think about Snowman. So feel free to bring your inner child out to play :)

I am using a fun digi from Mami Doodles that has been just released. It's quite adorable with the little birdies perched onto of the hat and the branch...



Stamps: (Snowman) Mami Doodles; (Twas the Night Before Christmas, Very Vintage Christmas) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Aqua Mist) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Memento - London Fog) Tsukineko
Embellishments:  (Artists' Color Acrylic Series 1 - Titanium White) Utrecht; (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Glaze) Sakura; (Green Sheer Ribbon) stash; (Tilda - Mini PomPom Ribbon) Panduro Hobby

I started off by painting the base card stock with some white acrylic paint. After it dried, I stamped off some lil grey snowflakes to set a background.



While the acrylic paint was drying I painted the lil snowman with lots of love and Prismacolor pencils. The sentiment and the berries on the branches have a little Sakura Glaze. The ribbon and pom poms are added as a little base to anchor my little snowman. I know it doesn't looks very straight in the first picture, but I promise it is in real life :)

Please check out what the other PPC girls have prepared for this Snowman challenge and come play along. After all, maybe we'll get our magical snow just in time to celebrate Christmas.

Our sponsors this week:

• Little Darlings

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #38 - Fairy Tales are Realmam

Happy Friday, Everyone! I've been busy packing and preparing for my vacation. So I kinda forgot to post about our Mami Doodle challenge: Fairy Tales are Real. Speaking of which, I better start pre-posting all my entries up here :)

For this challenge I am showing an oldie but goodie digi Mr. Mouse's Christmas. Aren't they super adorable?


Stamps: (Mr. Mouse's Christmas) Mami Doodles; (Season's Of Love, Frame-It) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - White) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko; (Jenni Bowlin - No. 2 Cough Syrup) Ranger
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Stickles - Red, Gold) Ranger

Christmas to me is a magical time! Growing up we had many white Christmases, and it was a time when I had imagined a bunch of magical, extra mice picking up the slack to clean, dust, prep and make it all perfect for the Christkindl to come. All the extra baking and cooking must have been done by many, little secret helpers! I think somewhere along my childhood I watched the Disney version of Cinderella one too many times ;) 



I wanted to off-set the sentiments differently in each card. With this Mr. Mouse I didn't realize where I stamped the frame until it was too late. Since he was already colored so nicely, I didn't want to re-do it! This next little Mr. Mouse is a cutey...



My favorite is this little guy. Isn't this little Christmas tree just adorable? The star is made out of puffy gold glitter. It's quite a perfect reminder to "Keep Christmas in your heart..."



Anyways, go check out the rest of the DT's inspiration and give it your best twist in incorporating something magical! Prizes are to be had, and the Christmas season is just around the corner. So, come play along :) 

[Mami Doodles] Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner...

Hello everyone & happy belated Halloween! We had a snow storm along the East Coast. I witness a bunch of wrecks with totaled cars on my very slow, slow drive home on Saturday; and am just overly grateful that my friend Kat and I arrived home so safely. Along my road I saw two separate cars end up in ditches and had to be hauled out by tow trucks and snow plows. 

The weather channel didn't predict this much snow (or chaos) for our area, but I think the fact that we're having a snow storm in October and being "caught by surprise," didn't allow for enough preparation. Let's pray for the many families that still don't have power... I hear they might have to wait was long as Thursday!

Anyways, I am finally back online! We still have an internet outage at home and Comcast is trying to figure things out, but in the meantime I am currently on another business trip and the hotel has a fabulous connection. So here I am to give you a quick wave and check in to let you know who won the Mami Doodles prize from my previous post. My Random.org draw is #2 Carol.

Carol said...
Great card, love the button treatment. Traditionally at Christmas we have home made stuffing and bread sauce (use packets rest of year!). Carol x

@Carol - shoot me an email (<-- see left bar below my profile pic for my email addy) and I will fwd you instructions on how to claim your prize :)

Thank you all for participating in our fun blog hop. You still have until this Thursday, Nov 3 to enter a card in our Black & Orange challenge for a chance to win a pack of 4 fun Christmas/Winter digi.

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #36 - Black & Orange Blog Hop

Hello everyone & happy Friday. It is a very exciting day here at Mami Doodles. We want to welcome the three *newbie* additions to our theme. They are ::drum roll:: Frances, Jenn & Pam. I have been spying up on their work and you will be in for a treat!

In honor of their joining we're doing a blog hop today, to make sure you will say hi to the NEWBIE Kids on the Block. If you hopped from newbie Pam's blog, then you're right on track. And to give you a little more incentive, Elisa is in a very generous mood. We have freebies & prizes to give away. Are you ready?

Freebie 1 

• "Scary Mummy", but you need a password. Hint: it's scattered amongst all the DT blog. If you twist my arm, I might tell you *coughnewbiecough*

Freebie 2

• "Boo!", which I have showcased in my current card, is available on the Mami Doodles Facebook page

Prizes

• Want to win 4 Christmas digis of your choice? We are drawing winners on *each* DT blog. That gives you TEN chances to win! All you have to do is tell me what kind of Christmas or other holiday must-have traditions you have.

Shall we get on with the challenge? The theme this week is Black & Orange, in honor of our upcoming Halloween. As mentioned above, I am showcasing Boo! Can you believe I didn't pull the Party Animals again? Don't worry, I was already thinking of ways to make the Black & Orange ;)


Stamps: (Boo!) Mami Doodles
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Kraft, True Black; Pattern Paper - Damask Designs, Distress Dots) Papertrey Ink; (To Love & Cherish - Juliet) Imaginesce; (Black Orchid Dorota Vista) SEI
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin No. 5 - Chicken Feed) Ranger
Embellishments: (House of Three Soiree Twine) Pink Paislee; (Vintage Buttons - Spring Collection) Papertrey Ink; (Multicolored Tiny Twinkles) Taylored Expressions; (Black Tulle) The Craft's Meow Kit; (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (newspaper print from Mixed Media workshop class) Recycled; (Point 88) Stabilo; (Corner Chomper - 1/2") W R Keeper Memories

I paper-pieced the pumpkins by picking orange and black pattern papers to fulfill the theme. The digi lines were a little weak, so I took my Black Stabilo and re-traced the lines. Messy, messy, and I must admit I was in a hurry...



The newspaper print actually was a little paper cone that Nathalie Kalbach had put our cute little supplies in for the Mixed Media class that I had attended. I thought I would rip it apart, blot some Chicken Feed color on it and give it some orange. The tulle, buttons and twine are from my stash just itching to be used...



Anyways, thanks for stopping by and making it all the way through my long post. Your next stop is the very talented and sweet Stephanie. Tell her she rocks for me :)

And in case you got lost, here's the entire blog hop list...
Elisa
Frances
Jackie
Jenn
Lisa
Manuela
Pam
Ren-Yi (<-- you are here)
Stephanie
Wendy

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #35 - Mother Nature

Hello everyone & happy Friday. I actually got off work at a decent hour and am looking forward to the weekend. I get to meet up with a friend who I haven't seen in ages and I'm making pizza with my mom and grandmother this weekend. Do you have big plans? Well, in case you need a creative inspiration we have our next Mami Doodle challenge: Mother Nature.

Many of the girls interpreted this challenge differently. I am still very much in love with these cute, little Party Animals. And since I haven't had a chance to showcase Edgar the Elephant (or so I named her), here she is :)


Stamps: (Party Animals) Mami Doodles; (Botanical Silhouette) Papertrey Ink
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - True Black) Papertrey Ink; (Basic Card Stock - White) Recollections
Ink: (Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Fresh Snow) Papertrey Ink
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Gel Pen - White) Sakura; (Point 88) Stabilo; (Corner Chomper - 1/2") W R Keeper Memories

This is a fast little CSA card with white gel ink and stamped sentiment. I love how white on black can also be as clean as black on white.



The sentiment actually goes across but I decided to stamp each word once and aligning it right. I think it gives it a little interesting alignment. Here Edgar in his full whimsical glory and his cartoon-liked shaded baloon.



Anyways, please go check out the rest of the DT's inspiration and feel free to leave a little love. Next time we'll get to introduce the new girls that made the DT cut! Super excited...Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Friday!

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #34 - Sketch

Hello everyone - it's Friday! ::doing happy dance:: What are your plans? Any crafting planned? How about applying to the Mami Doodle DT? Yep, you heard right. We're looking for two to three new gals to join the team. Go read about it here.

Aside from looking forward to who might be joining this team, I'm also planning on baking a chocolate mousse cake for my mum's belated big birthday celebration. This should be a fun experiment ;)

On a less risky note, there is also a Mami Doodle challenge set by Jackie. She created a fab sketch to get us creative. Isn't it fun?

I decided to continue on my "Party Animal" addiction, and pulled out the cute little cat to play.


Stamps: (Party Animals) Mami Doodles
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Smokey Shadow, Raspberry Fizz) Papertrey Ink; (Soiree) Pink Paislee; (Scrap Pack) Recollections
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin No. 4 - Lemon Drop) Ranger
Embellishments:(Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Soiree - Dimensional Stickers) Pink Paislee; (Trim Band) Prima; (Stickles - Red) Ranger; (Gel Pen) Sakura; (Border Punch - Apron Lace, Scalloped Sentiment) Fiskars; (Gossgrain Ribbon - Pink) Stash

Aside from the missing tiger stripes on my digi cat, it almost looks like Jojo. She has that cute, little up to no good sheepish look that says "It wasn't me." Here an unclose look on the kitty.



There is always some glitter needed for birthdays and present, right? I sponged the oval with some yellow ink to match the Soiree pattern paper better. And nothing says like lots of fun & birthday party bash like a nice glittery sentiment backed by a huge & fantastic fabric flower ...



Anyways, please go check out the rest of the DT's inspiration and their interpretation of the sketch and feel free to leave a little love. Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Friday!

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #33 - All Creatures Great & Small

Hello everyone! I missed posting on time with the rest of the crew for our latest Mami Doodle challenge. Internet issues, but I already gave you my sob stories a few posts back, so I will spare you ;) We're working on cards with the theme All Creatures Great & Small. Thank you, Trinh, for setting our challenge.

I picked this little cutie pie...


Stamps: (Party Animals) Mami Doodles; (Free Spirit Sentiments) Waltzingmouse Stamps; (Say Cheese) Lawn Fawn
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Blueberry Sky) Papertrey Ink; (Basic Card Stock - Cream) Recollection
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor

Who can resist when something is named "Party Animals," right? Alas - this cute little piggie is for a friend's birthday and I decided to create a CAS card with it.



I picked up this cute Lawn Fawn stamp set at my Archiver's trip earlier this summer (while on a business trip... you know, a little retail therapy ;) I'm so happy I finally found the perfect way to put it to good use. My first ever Lawn Fawn stamping experience...!

The back of the card has the same polaroid frame with "say cheese" as the sentiment and a hand written note from me telling Swen "-> insert picture from birthday party here."

I always get super excited when I get to mix stamp companies and they look like they were meant to go together. Why not, right? Anyways, go check out the rest of the DT's inspiration - they put together their version of their favorite creatures and come play along. After all, Mami Doodle Digis are at stake here!

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Friday!

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #32 - Shaped Card

You girls were absolutely amazing. In our latest Mami Doodle challenge there were 158 entries! Did you gals have fun? If so, we have another exciting challenge for you today: Shaped Cards.

When Elisa created this cute little Girl with Balloon, I know I wanted to make something special with her. However, a few cards ended up starring a different Mami Doodle Digi. So this time, I picked the image first and decide to make it fit the challenge :)


Stamps: (Girl with Balloon) Mami Doodles
Ink: (Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Sugar Spun) Ranger
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Lemon Zest) Papertrey Ink; (Scrap Pack Card Stock - Blue) Recollection
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Summer Days: Alpha Stickers; Rub-on Accents, Epoxy Brads, Element Stickers) Echo Park; (wire) Recycled

This girl reminds me of a Lily. Little Lily with a red balloon! I chose a scalloped circle because it reminded me of the sun. The card fell pretty easily together when the sentiment was picked. From the sentiment I got the a color scheme that helped with coloring Lily's dress. I decided to cut out the balloon as a separate element and adhere with glue dots to a white wire that I had bent into a shape.



The clouds from the Summer Days collection were really cute, and I had to somehow incorporate them. A couple of clouds were trimmed out from the stickers and then placed across the top border. The sentiment is matted onto a blue piece of scrap card stock and adhered with a matching brad.



The flower bed is also from the Summer Days collection and make a great color burst addition to the card, don't you think?



Go check out the rest of the DT's inspiration to find amazing inspirations on creating shaped cards. You're really in for a sweet, sweet treat!

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Friday!

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #31 - Flowers

How is your summer going? Have you checked out the flower tutorial on the Mami Doodles blog? It is the perfect inspiration to get going for our next challenge: Flowers.

I have a cute card to share with you today. When I see the words "flowers" I think girl-inspired. So this card has a lot of pink and a special sneak peek...


Stamps: (The Swing) Mami Doodles; (Up, Up & Away Sentiments) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Sugar Spun) Ranger
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Hibiscus Burst, Dark Chocolate) Papertrey Ink; (Scrap Pack Card Stock - Pink; Basic Card Stock - White) Recollection; (Porcelain) Basic Grey
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Scalloped Sentiment Border) Fiskars; (Satin Swiss Dot Ribbon - Dark Chocolate) Papertrey Ink; (Gelly Roll Metallic Pens) Sakura; 

So what do you think of this darling little digi? It's a sneak peek to next month's promotional item at Mami Doodles. The Swing has a bunch of cute flowers which matches the Porcelain paper so well. And a fun little swiss-dotted ribbon to add to the whimsy.



The Swing digi made me think of my childhood. My favorite playground ride was aways the swing. I'd get on and try to swing as high as possible. On the way up, I'd kick up my legs and try to touch the sky - those bright, blue, serene skies dotted with some white. Do you have any favorite playground memories

Go check out the rest of the DT's inspiration to feel flower power :)  There are some gorgeous cards out there to get your going.

Thanks for stopping by, and Happy Friday!

[DYSU] Challenge #28 - Sew: Faux or Real

Did you play along last week with us at Do You Stack Up (DYSU)? We have another fun-filled challenge, one that almost everyone has tried or done before and is one of my personal favorites ...

So pull out your gel pens, black pens, needle & thread, or sewing machine...any kind of Sewing goes this week.

I am featuring one of the sponsors today, which happen to be a personal favorite of mine...Mami Doodles digis! Elisa makes the cutest, darndest digis and we got to play with Ligia. I feel so honored to be able to show you something special today.


Stamps: (Ligia Playing Dress Up) Mami Doodles
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink; (Basic Card Stock - Cream) Recollection; (Earth Love) Cosmo Cricket; (Porcelain, Urban Prairie) Basic Grey
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin - No. 11 Brown Sugar) Ranger
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Vintage Button - Dark Chocolate; Baker's Twine - Chocolate) Papertrey Ink; (Mini Clothespins - Natural) Canvas Corp; (White Sewing Thread) Güttermann

Do you remember these paper dolls? Did you ever have one? One of my childhood memories of a family trip was getting one of these from a trip to London. I carefully cut out each dress and accessory piece and made sure to fold the tabs exactly along the line. After I was done playing with my paper doll, I'd put all the clothes and parts carefully back into its folder and made sure each tab was flat and unfolded. Call it OCD or anal retentive...I was that kid.



When I saw Elisa releasing the Ligia digi, I had this concept floating in my head. I am showcasing Ligia in Braids & Uniform and thought why not convert her into a paper doll? The rest of the outfits hanging on the clothe line are the other Ligia outfits that were paper pieced with some Basic Grey scraps.



To make the clothes more prominent, I outlined the pieces with a black ink pen and then added tabs and outlined those as well. 



Ligia is actually made of two pieces of card stock, and I created a slit into the green grass where I slit the back silhouette of Ligia into the card for her to stand. It's her "home" when she's not being played with. If she wants to come out and play, then a little tug should do the trick, and she's free to "wander off."



A little bit of (unintentional messy) sewing around the hills, and this little play date invitation with built-in fun is done. So see this inspiration as a personal invitation to come play along with us at DYSU. Make sure to check out what the DT has designed and leave them a little bit of love.

Our sponsors this week:

• Robyn's Fetish- either 5 digital stamps or 4 digital stamps + 1 paper pack
• Mami Doodles- 4 images for the prize winner (3 + one of their choice)

[Mami Doodles] Challenge #30 - At the Beach

This week at Mami Doodles we are creating cards for the beach. I just returned from a marvelous trip that included two days at the beach doing nothing...well, by nothing, I mean not working ;) For this challenge, I decided to showcase an older Mami digi that is perfect for this week's theme.


Stamps: (Lil Alex with Bucket) Mami Doodles
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink; (Heat Wave) American Crafts
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Point 88 Pens) Stabilo

An easy peasy card - just some coloring a little bit of pattern paper and a bit of self-made sand. I cut the star fishes out from the Heat Wave paper collection. Doesn't it just fit? Here an up-close look on Alex, who was easy to color!



Go check out the rest of the DT's inspiration to feel the summery heat and I hope you'll come play along. After all the summer days are limited, and before you know it you'll be crafting christmas...! If you need a free digi, hop on to Wendy's blog. She has some cute flip flops that would fit this theme. Don't forget to link back to her blog and give her kudos!

Celebrating with a Windmill

This week at Mami Doodles we are creating cards with the theme Heavy Metal. If you are like me, then there is this slight panic that stirs up. I don't create many things with charms, metal frames or brass buttons. I have always wanted to, but never got around. So, what does a girl do when she doesn't have many metal things at hand? Pull out the aluminum foil out of the kitchen drawer...


Stamps: (Millie) Mami Doodles; (Vintage Banners) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink; (School Spirit Collection) Crate Paper
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versamark) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (1/8" Circle Eyelets Multi Pack Primary Colors - Orange) Making Memories; (Glitter Essential - Fire Opal; Embossing Powder - Ebony) Martha Stewart; (Thread - Cream) Coats & Clark; (Aluminum Foil, Copier Paper)

I started by coloring Millie in a fun orange color. It was one of those cold rainy days and I was wishing for nice, scorching hot sun. So the warm colors really appealed to me :) While coloring, I was thinking of what to do for metal, and that's when I decided to pull out the foil.

The windmill is made with aluminum foil. My first attempt ended in epic fail. The foil is too thin, so it tears when trying to insert and get an eyelet to set. My second attempted I glued the aluminum foil to a piece of copier paper to give it more durability. The finish attempt is on the card. To give it more zing and orange flair, I dipped the edges into orange glitter - have to use the opportunity to get rid of some of my glitter stack!



Since I felt so adventurous, I decided to dust of Lilo and do a little bit stitching. A quick little sentiment later and voila!



So I hope you feel inspired to get some metal cards going. Check out the rest of the Mami Doodle DT work. Come play along for a chance to win a set of Mami Doodle digis. And if you use an image, you get an extra entry - did you know that?