Penny Black/Flower Soft Blog Hop

Today we are kicking off 2012 with a  Blog Hop featuring artwork

using Penny Black stamps with Flower Soft. 

December 30th 12:01AM through January 1st Midnight, PST

Three people will be chosen @ random to receive a brand new 2012 Penny Black Valentine stamp. Just leave a comment on the Penny Black blog post

 as well as the Designers Blogs to be in the running. 

Also, Flower Soft will be choosing three people @ random to win a Flower Soft Glue, a jar of Peony Pink, a jar of Poppy Red & a jar of Polar White.

 

And for the Grand Prize, use one of the Penny Black Designer’s Blog Hop projects as inspiration and create a new Penny Black stamped project. Upload it into the Penny Black Gallery by the end of the Hop
with the tag “pennyblackbloghop”.   Be sure to let us know
which project inspired you too!  This winner will be chosen to
GUEST DESIGN at the Penny Black Blog.

Winners will be announced on Wednesday, January 4^th on both the

Penny Black Blog & the Flower Soft Blog.

Here is one of my creations.  

I really liked this stamp set by Penny Black called Enjoy Life.  I just couldn't decide whether to make a card with the tree (which trees are always a favorite image of mine) or the adorable little birdies. 

So, I just did both.  I used Summer Flower Soft for the tree &

Sweet Pea Flower Soft on the floral branch beneath the birds
 (see that card on the Flower Soft Blog at the end of the hop).

Hope you enjoy.  Now click here to hop on over to
Kathy Racoosin's blog to continue the Hop.

Holiday Thank You

A great big holiday thank you!

Today I am writing all my holiday thank you notes.

This is the "other" version I created. 

It is very different than the snowman I did yesterday.

I actually sort of "cased" myself from the Flower Soft 

All That Sparkles Challenge back in October. 

Apparently I liked all those sparkles & glitz & decided to do it again only in my favorite color - RED!  I used Flower Soft Diamond Range Ruby for the letter "U" & a copic marker to turn my gemstones red to match.

Snowy Day in Indiana

 

Today was a chilly snowy day here in Indiana.  It was very pretty as those giant snow flakes fell but I must say I'm really not a huge fan of snow unless I can just stay inside my cozy house.  The snow did inspire me to make these snowman cards.  I needed to start my christmas thank you cards anyway so it was the perfect day for that.  This is one of the few I created.  I absolutely loved this snowman by Inkadinkado the moment I spotted him @ the store.  I just knew he'd come in handy soon.

FSC42 Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays!

I just love this little guy, Merry Mutt by Outlines Rubber Stamp Company.  He reminds me of our sweet dog, Maguire.  And northing says the holidays to me more than speding quality time with our furry family.  We have 4 dogs & 2 cats.  And yes, they do get Christmas gifts every year.

For this card I simply used my Copic markers & then added some Ultra Fine White Flower Soft to the hat & scarf for a little extra pizzaz.  Now be sure to check out the rest of the design teams creations here.

Hope everyone has the Merriest Christmas!

FSC41 Think Snow

What says "think snow' more than this classy little image by Flower Soft?  I absolutely love this scene. I think because it reminds me of my Department 56 village that I put up every year for the holidays.  This is one of the 4 images included in the Christmas Snow Globes Card Kit by Flower Soft.  For this card I also used my Spellbinders dies, a Cuttlebug embossing folder, Ultra Fine White & Polar White Flower Soft & there you have it . . . easy peasy.  Now "Think Snow" & play along with this fun little challenge for a chance to win a jar of Ultra Fine White & a jar of Polar White Flower Soft. 

For all the deets hop on over to the Flower Soft Blog & also be sure to check out the rest of the design teams creations while your there.

Floral Downloads from Flower Soft

Here is one of many new floral downloads availbable @ Flower Soft.  I printed one of the lavender circles and used my spellbinders dies to cut the image & to add the layered scallop mat.  I then added some lavender flower soft to give it that extra pop.  There is also conveniently an open space for stamping a sentiment. A pretty simple card yet elegant, I think.  Be sure to check out the Flower Soft website to see all the beautful floral downloads available.

FSC40 Winter Blues

This week our Flower Soft challenge is titled Winter Blues.  Which is a touch fitting for me this year.  I am getting ready to have foot surgery next Monday & am already thinking about all the inconviences this is going to cause through out the winter holidays.  On a happy note, I will hopefully get this behind me & be good as new for spring activities!  Wish me luck! 

Here is my Winter Blues Card.  I used Polar White Flower Soft for his scarf & then lots of Ultra Fine White Flower Soft for the appearance of snow.  I must admit I had to add the  Ultra Fine twice in order to get the "thick" look.  I applied it one time, waited for the glue to dry then re-applied again.  It truly looks like snow now. 

Now be sure to check out the rest of the design teams creations on the Flower Soft Blog & then head over to Flower Soft & stock up on lots of Polar White & Ultra Fine White Flower Soft for all those winter projects.  If you would like to play along with this challenge you  have until November 30 to make your card and link it to the Flower Soft Blog. You could win a pot of Polar White & Delphinium Blue Flower Soft plus a Flower Soft glue.  Good luck & happy card making to all!

MOJO214 Mojo Monday Challenge

Here is my Mojo Monday Challenge card.  I just love these little challenges.  Makes me think outside my norm.  Like many, I tend to have my own little style that I tend to stick with.  Let's face it, it's easy & I always  I like it. But it is fun to try something new occasionally.  I might have to start doing these every week. :)

The Murphy Family

I looked outside to the back yard a couple weeks ago & just new I had to get a picture with all the beautiful leaves.  It was the perfect opportunity to get a photo with my "family".  Yes, our family consists of  4 dogs & 2 cats, which are not in this picture.  One of our cats would have gladly sat for the family portrait, the other, well she's a different story.  So here it is . . .

Riley, Ronan, Nola, Myself, Gerry & Maguire

Fall is here!

Yesterday was a little reminder of what chilly fall days really are like here in Indiana.  It was rainy & chilly all day.  It seemed as if I just couldn't get warm no matter how many layers I put on.  One of my dogs was sitting on my lap last night shivering.  Poor guy!  And that was after being outside for only a couple minutes.  If he thinks yesterday was cold just wait a couple months.  Though I do love fall, I do not like what is just around the corner. . . Winter!  Yuk, yuk.  I enjoy decorating for all holidays so, of course, Christmas is no exception.  I love all the festive decorations but when it's over I'm ready for spring immediately.  Today it appears to already be sunny & a much prettier fall day.  I just snapped this photo of my wreath hanging on this beautiful sunny morning.  So pretty.  It just makes me want to run inside & bake something fall 'ish  but instead I'm off to run errands today.  Oh well, atleast it's not in the rain. :)

FSC39 Talk Turkey (or any animal)

For this weeks Flower Soft Challenge, Talk Turkey (or any animal) you can see I opted for the "any animal".  I used the Flower Soft Hedgerow Friends Kicking Up Leaves topper & Nut Brown Flower Soft.  Isn't he the cutest?  I just love how the Flower Soft makes him look so real.  I recently taught a few classes in Centerville Ohio & attended a show in Cincinnati & could not believe I met not one, but two people in one week that actually owned Hedgehogs!  What a hoot it was to hear about these little creatures as pets.  Such fun stories! 

Please check out the Flower Soft Blog for details on how you can play along with this challenge & have a chance to win the Wine Buffs Paper Craft Kit from Flower Soft.  Happy Fall, happy crafting & good luck!

FSC39 Talk Turkey (or any animal)

For this weeks Flower Soft Challenge, Talk Turkey (or any animal) you can see I opted for the "any animal".  I used the Flower Soft Hedgerow Friends Kicking Up Leaves topper & Nut Brown Flower Soft.  Isn't he the cutest?  I just love how the Flower Soft makes him look so real.  I recently taught a few classes in Centerville Ohio & attended a show in Cincinnati & could not believe I met not one, but two people in one week that actually owned Hedgehogs!  What a hoot it was to hear about these little creatures as pets.  Such fun stories! 

Please check out the Flower Soft Blog for details on how you can play along with this challenge & have a chance to win the Wine Buffs Paper Craft Kit from Flower Soft.  Happy Fall, happy crafting & good luck!

Happy Halloween

This is definitely one of my absolute favorites.  I saw this stamp at my local scrapbook store & just had to have it!  The store even had a card displayed using flower soft for the mummies legs.  I knew at that moment I had to make one with my own spin.  It is such a simple card but I just love it!  I used my copics to color the image, some spica pens to add a touch of glitz to the witch & then added the new ultra fine white flower soft to the mummies legs.  My favorite uses of flower soft are always the not so obvious.  I ended up giving this to one of our great friends for her birthday this weekend.  She loves halloween as much as I do so I almost always tie her birthday in with the holiday.

Hope you all have a Happy & Safe Halloween!

Flower Soft Blog Hop - All That Glitters

For today's Flower Soft Blog Hop we were to create something glittery with one of the new Diamond Range Colors.  For my card I used the Diamond Range Silver.  I decided to go all mono chromatic when I found this great paper by My Mind's Eye & Ribbon by Ribbon Trends.  Not typically my style but I think it turned out pretty good.  Besides, who doesn't love sparkles & bling?!? 

We will be giving away a jar of this fabulous Diamond Range Silver along with one of Diamond Range Ruby & one of the Diamond Range Emerald. So please follow the Blog Hop all the way to the end and  leave a comment on any or all of  the blogs to be entered into the drawing to win these 3 fabulous new colors.

Thanks for looking & now to continue the hop click here to see Vicki's creation.

FSC38 Black & Orange Challenge

First, I would like to say how happy I am to join the Flower Soft Design Team.  This is going to be so much fun!  Some of you may already know that I actually work in the office @ Flower Soft.  I may have even met you this past summer @ CHA.  I have also been a card maker for around 15 years, which is how I initially found Flower Soft.  I purchased my first jar @ a local show & have been a loyal fan ever since.  So now on to my first official challenge.   For today's Flower Soft challenge we were to use Black & Orange in our project.  Oh my gosh, I can't tell you how excited that made me.  I love, love, love  Halloween & all the decorations that go along with this time of year.  Fall is my absolute favorite season.  For my card I decided to use Flower Soft Ultra Fine Black to accent my cat.  I just love the effect this has & how it really makes him look "fuzzy".  It also helps showcase how Flower Soft can be used in so many more ways than just for flowers.  Don't get me wrong, I love flowers.  But sometimes it's fun to try something out of the "norm".  Please be sure to check out the other design team members @ The Flower Soft Blog.  Hope you enjoy & happy fall to all!

Wildflowers for Papertrix

Yesterday I spent my day driving to Nashville Indiana to a fabulous little store called Papertrix to do make & takes.  If you are ever in Nashville it is a must see.  You just wont believe how many fabulous things they have in this little space.  Not only did I get to meet the ever so kind store owners, Cindy & Wayne but also many enthusiastic customers.  It was the perfect fall day.  A bit chilly in the morning, warmer in the afternoon, sunny all day & gorgeous changing leaves all around.  The store door was open all day & the flow of people was constant.  For our make & take we used the Die Cut Dimensions Wild Flowers & Wild Flowers Series 2 by Flower Soft.  Here is the sample I made for inspiration.  Oh how I wish I had photos of all the beautiful variations that were created yesterday.  So many talented people!

Bridal Shower Card

Here is a card I just made for a friend's bridal shower.  I just love the dress made from a spellbinders scallop circle die. 

 I also embossed the circle with an embossing folder for extra texture. 

A very simple card yet elegant I think.  Hope she likes it!

Get Well Wishes

Okay, so maybe it's a little "corny" but everytime I see this Flower Soft image I think of "get well" & "wishing you well", etc.  So I created this card using the Wishing Well Topper & of course, lots of pretty Flower Soft.  I never imagined myself using the "pre" colored toppers that Flower Soft offers since I really love using my copic markers or chalks to color in images.  But I must say how awesome it was to be able to create this card in so much less time.  And the coloring is always perfect! So now,  I'm totally sold on their toppers.

Flower Soft Trees

As I have already established, I love trees!  So when I saw the March cover of
Card Maker magazine & they featured Flower Soft on a tree I had to try it myself. 

My two cards are so simple yet so beautiful in person. 

I love the effect Flower Soft gave these cards. 

I will definitely be using this idea again!

 

Valentine's Day Card

I sure don't want anyone to think that I don't like "Traditional Valentine's Day" cards.  Actually, red is my favorite color so here is one I just made in a more traditional style.  I used this cute stamp from Stampabilities, my Copic Markers, a Marvy scallop punch & a texture plate by Fiskars in my Cuttlebug to create this simple design.

Non-Tradional Valentine's Day Card

Here is another non-traditional valentine card.  I think this was actually an

Anniversary card I made last year but it could be used for Valentine's Day too.   

Again, I love trees so this little stamp by Hero Arts is one of my favorites in my collection.

Not Your Traditional Valentine

Here is a Valentine's Day card I just finished for my husband.  I know it's not your traditional valentine.  But it does have hearts just with a masculine twist.  I used Pink Petticoat's digital tree download for the base along with Marvy paper punches.  Pink Petticoat happens to be one of my absolute favorite internet shopping sites.  I love the options available when doing digital images & theirs are just so cute!

McGill Flower Punches

After a recent visit to my local scrapbook store I was totally inspired to start making my own paper flowers.  As soon as I walked in the door I heard the words "Flower Soft".  I had to run over  immediately to see the demonstration.   I already had the Flower Soft so all I needed was the McGill punches & the mat.  I have plenty of other mats but I must say this mat is a very important part of the process.  Many dollars later I had all of the products needed & was on my way home to create my own little posies.  So much fun & so many possibilities.  I can't wait to make many more designs!

Trees, trees & more trees

For some reason I totally love trees.  Not sure why, maybe it's just the versatility.  Here are some cards I have made with the Stampin' Up Season of Friendship stamp set.  The first one I "cased" from my friend, Jennifer, that does not have a blog.  I didn't even own this stamp set until I received a card from her that was very similar.  At that moment I knew I had to own this stamp set.  It may not be a new one but it will always be in my collection & you'll probably see it used again.  :)

Here goes . . .

So, here goes . . . I am starting my new blog as of today.  This is something I've been wanting to get started & I have finally accomplished.  I have enjoyed making cards & scrapbooking for many years along with other numerous "projects".   A friend introduced me to the "blogging word" some time ago & truly got me addicted to visiting hers and many of the other crafter's blogs for inspiration.  I hope anyone who visits my blog is just as inspired as I have been by so many others.  Happy creating!

Lisa Murphy