New Tiddly Inks Gothic Pin-Ups Release

WooHoo! Christy has released her new Gothic Pin-Ups and the Tiddly Inkers got to play! I chose Made For You. Isn't she a DOLL!? And she's just one of 6 new gals, 3 new paper sets and a sentiments to match, available now at the Tiddly Inks STORE. WOOHOO! I chose to go a little Goth with my skully DP from DCWV Madly in Love Stack, the exposed zipper, with my EK Success punch, and the safety pin holding the "Made for You" sentiment. I added the "I was" using my Printmaster Pro software because the inside says "and you were made for me." Don'tcha feel that way about someone? The Tiddly Inkers rocked the new images and just go to show you that they don't have to go Goth. They're very versatile and loads of fun to color. Go take a look at them all HERE. Happy Saturday! (It's a great day for shopping!)

Happy Birthday Susan, Deviant Digital Demon-ess!

The Minions at Haunted Design House are celebrating the birthday of one of our own by putting together a little celebratory romp! (Creepy Glo thought that up, sounds kinds twisted, no? ) Please join us in wishing Susan (our Deviant Digital Demon-ess) a totally wicked and spellbinding birthday! May all of your birthday nightmares (and I mean that in the best possible way) come true! Digital stamps by The Octopode Factory. The Pocketwatch is from Alice Elements and the Birthday Girl is from the Steampunk Ladies set. Birthday hat is a rubber stamp from from Scrolls Work. Design Paper by Graphic 45. The springs are hand made, and the nifty eyeball spinners are from Tim Holtz. Of course since I suck so badly at sending things out Susan, you may expect this card sometime before your NEXT birthday. (But I wouldn't be holding your breath.) LOL I'm also entering this in the Simon Says Stamp Challenge which this week is Anything Goes AND the Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge which is Show Some Metal (the clock springs and game spinner eyes) 'cause I'm feeling lucky! Have a great day! xx

Tiddly Inks is Sponsoring Paper Sundaes!

Hey guys! Besides this week's fabulous regular Kraft With Me Challenge at the Tiddly Inks Challenge blog, Christy is also sponsoring Paper Sundaes and the challenge there this week is STRIPES! That gives you 2 different opportunities to win some of the adorable TI images. This sweet baby card features Good Luck (could it be any cuter?). The layout is pretty simple with DP from my stash, the Fiskars Threading Water punch and some adorable ladybug peelies from Stampendous I got at my local LSS. The rub-on sentiment is Melissa Frances.

I had a ball making the panda 3D by printing her out 5 times, fussy cutting and popping the layers for a decoupage effect. Her nose and ladybug friend have a bit of shine from Glossy Accents. The base image is cut with Nesties and backed with stretchy trim from WalMart. I tied the triple bow with my Bow Easy and of course added pearls. Be sure to check out all of the inspiration from the Tiddly Inkers and the Paper Sundaes gals, and stop back by the Tiddly Inks Challenge Blog tomorrow for Fabulous Inky Friday. And guess what! Saturday Christy will be releasing the new "Gothic Pinups" at the Tiddly Inks Store and on her BLOG. WooHoo!

Bah! Humbug! Embossing Challenge

Well, since I still was in an embossing mode, this week's Bah! Humbug! challenge was a snap. Finished it before breakfast and I didn't even get up all that early. It was sort of a bite to photograph, however, because of the foil card stock but I can honestly say this one looks much better IRL. The Cuttlebug Hanging Ornaments folder was from a 2009 limited edition release from HSN. The sentiment was cut from the Season's Greetings folder (also from 2009).

The popped ornaments are from my new Nesties 2010 Heirloom Ornaments. (Yes, I'm still buying Christmas stuff. LOL) The card is done in a combination of gold and silver but it doesn't really show in either pic. All I added was a ribbon and some adhesive beads on the ornaments and across the top to balance the design. The gals at Bah! Humbug! have plenty of eye candy for inspiration over there and this week there's a prize! Let's see if Margie plays along. LOL I'm also entering this is the Craftyhazelnut's Christmas (CHNC) challenge which is also embossing this week. This is a new challenge blog for me and it' looks like loads of fun too!

Oh So Charming at The Cuttlebug Spot

Continuing our month of embellies, The Cuttlebug Spot is featuring charms this week. I was really pretty excited about this one because I knew immediately what charm I wanted to use. I got these cherries in the clearance at M's awhile back for a buck and they had originally been $19.00. Apparently to go on a bracelet with a clip on clip so it's removable on my card. I figured I'd FINALLY get to use my Spellbinders Cherry Pickin Frame so I had that cut, embossed and colored with gel pens very early on. I'd just gotten new Cricut blades, too so I decided to cut the sentiment from Just Because Cards on my Cricut at 1 1/4", a size I wouldn't normally attempt for a delicate cut like this but it cut like butter and I was on a roll (or so I thought). I pretty much thought I was WAY ahead so I put my card aside to work on some of my other DT things and picked this back up yesterday figuring it would be a snap. Not so much!

Here's where things got tricky. You might want to pause here and get a cup of coffee or glass of wine, depending on what time of day it is in your neck of the woods because I'm gonna ramble again, or you can just skip it all, look at the pix (there are more than usual) and of course leave me a comment (hopefully) and go about your merry way. This card took FOREVER (all day and into the early evening, actually), even though I had all of the major stuff done. It's because I put so darn many self imposed rules and restrictions on my DT cards. I take my DT positions VERY seriously. I try to do each in a style that suits the particular challenge blog be it Cricut, or stamping, or vintage, or macabre or CUTTLEBUG, so you're not gonna see a Cricut card or stamped card with a teeny bit of embossing thrown in as an afterthought because I really want to showcase the Cuttlebug and perhaps show you a different technique, new goody or whatever. Now that's just me. Basically, the challenges are good as long as you use your Cuttlebug somewhere, but I challenge MYSELF with this (and hopefully encourage you to explore your Cuttlebug capabilities a bit more in the process). So I didn't just want to slap this stuff on a card and call it done. I wanted to incorporate more folders, a new card fold, you know, something different but was stumped.

I wanted to use, in particular, a folder from the Cuttlebug Preserves Cricut Companion set because it had cherries on it and also something that looked like a basket (finally decided on the Sizzix Plaid folder from one of their Basic Grey Christmas sets, both on SALE at Custom Crops) but that cherry frame was pretty BIG. I got it in my mind to do one of those sort of petal cards (a square in the middle with half circles at each side that fold up sequentially). Not really sure if I explained that right, but I did designed and cut one on my Cricut and embossed every other one with the 2 folders I mentioned but them couldn't decide what to do with the frame. Put it inside? Obviously this was a no go, because I ended up cutting off 2 of the flaps that WERE embossed with the Preserves folder to stick on version 2 and this is what was left. Hopefully I can use it for something else in the near future.

So on to a regular gate fold card but the thing wouldn't stay closed so I made a band and stuck the frame on that and took this pic but I didn't like this either. the band hid too much of the embossing and was a pain to slide off so I tried again...

ripped the ribbon off, taped it to card stock the same width and attached the frame again. Better, but with the band off the card was so darn plain... so I abandoned the band idea completely. (I do love that cherry ribbon though)

Ripping that frame was pretty difficult but I managed so here's how the final version opens. The colored part of the frame is popped on one side of the gate fold (reinforced with a second frame glued to the back for strength) the the sentiment side is attached directly to the other. Conveniently, when the 2 sides intertwine, the card stays closed. WooHoo! So you see, many times my designs turn out nothing like I originally planned, often take 5 times longer than anticipated, and drive me to drink at the end of the day. I wonder if any of you STILL want to get inside my head while I'm crafting. Bet not. LOL Now go have a peek at my my fabulous teamies have done with this challenge and why not try a hand at it yourself?

BBTB2 Boys Will Be Boys Ladybug Cut

It's time for another BBTB2 challenge and this week it's chosen by our dear leader, Heather. Her choice is the ladybug from the Boys Will Be Boys Cartridge or any ladybug from any cartridge. Good thing, since I don't have BWBB, but it was a tough decision to choose which other ladybug to use. One of my fave project of all time is the card I did from Doodlecharms which you can view HERE on the Custom Crops site and has a free .cut file available. And speaking of .cut files, I so appreciate you all liking my designs enough to ask, but when I design in DS my files are such a mess and changed so frequently that it would take me hours to clean them up for public consumption. They often also require an explanation and unfortunately I haven't the time to do that and therefor don't send them out. I'm really sorry, but thanks for asking.

So anyway, after checking out CricutSearch.com to check out all of the possibilities, I finally decided on the ladybug on the leaf from Live Simply and realized I didn't have that cartridge either. A short trip to WalMart remedied that and I set about designing. It is a combo of the ladybug and leaf plus the leaves from the flower that is last row, 3rd cut from the left on the keypad welded together and that shaped front welded to the last flower on the cart for the back. (BTW, I had to make a shadow for that flower in DS, no shadows on this cart...grrr) I sized those extra leaves separately so I had to hide contours of the second leaf in each case to get the final design. Make sense? Okay, maybe TMI. Does anybody really read this, or care? I do tend to ramble... In some cases I had to do a bit of hand trimming for the layers which was kind of a PITA but I didn't want to sacrifice dimension if I could help it.

With the card open you can see the shaped front and the Alpha Bead sentiment that was glued to be visible when the card is closed as well. Just a little embossing with Swiss Dots on the ladybug and Polka Dots (in sections, even though it's a 5x7 folder) for the inside flower. Dots and plaids are DCWV Nana's Nursery. Hope you like. My DT sisters knocked it out of the park this week (well, as always) so be sure to stop by BBTB2, and remember, although are challenges are weekly, YOU have 2 weeks to complete them and be eligible for our much sought after blinkie.

Macabre Monday Toe Tags and Body Bags

It's time for another Macabre Monday at Haunted Design House and the challenge this week is Toe Tags and Body Bags. Alter or create a bag or tag in a suitably macabre fashion. My tag was created with my Cricut using the Happy Hauntings cartridge. I created a shadow cut using Design Studio and tweaked the proportions of the tag so I could use a stamp from the As Death rubber stamp set from Smeared Ink. The "stone" layer was cut in white and inked with Pumice Stone, Black Soot, Frayed Burlap, and Forest Moss Distress Inks and run through the Cuttlebug using the Goochie Script folder (which is 5x7"). I used a Nesties classic oval to cut a window in this layer as well as in the As Death stamp. The wings and crown are from the Cuttlebug Emboss Plus Vintage Collage Folder and inked with the same Distress Inks.

Since the challenge said "toe tags" I made a skeletal toe using a chocolate pretzel mold and paper clay but removed one of the bone segments, since the mold was for a finger and I wanted a toe. I intended to suspend the tag from the toe but it ended up being sort of tied there with fibers from my stash. (Besides, it sort of filled a nasty void.)

The inner oval of the stamp is attached to the shadow portion of the tag with the wings behind. The next layer is popped with the arch of the wings and crown adding additional dimension. I'm kinda lovin' this one. AND I'm lovin' the fab work of the rest of the Minions so be sure to pop by and check them out HERE and why not play along?

Missing - You Sassy Cheryl's Pearls and Satin and Simon Says Stamp Recipe challenges

A few public announcements:

If you're looking for the winner of my BBTB2 Blog Hop candy, please scroll down.

Also, My dear friend Margie's daughter Melissa has just started her very own blog called No Bees, Please and has made her very first card. Let's all welcome her to blogland and keep her creating. She's fab!

Now then, on to my card. I was visiting my sweet friend Barb and saw a gorgeous card she'd done for the Sassy Cheryl's Blog Hop. I just assumed she was on the DT because it was so darling (as they all are, but this one was especially) and I actually had the time to hop along. OH, what inspiration and the images were so stinkin' cute AND Cheryl just happened to be having a sale (which ended at midnight last night, but hey, digi's are a bargain ) so I had to buy some. At the end of the hop I realized Barb wasn't on the DT but was entering the weekly challenge which is Pearls and Satin and that the winner of the challenge wins a $25 gift certificate to buy MORE of the fab images sooo... I just had to sneak in a card to be elegible and besides, this image was really calling to me. This is May. She's cut out with Nesties Labels 10 and colored with Copics with a bit of inking with Antique Linen Distress Inks. Doesn't her wistful expression looks like she's missing someone terribly? I know all about that.

I've also been meaning to to play along with Simon Says Stamp again and the current No Cook Recipe Challenge is 2 patterned Papers + and solid card base and 3 different embellies. WooHoo! My pearls swirls are Zva Creative with a Prima pearl butterfly, the roses are also Prima and the satin ribbon is Offray. The DP is K&Co Blue Awning and I used both the front and back of a double sided sheet for my 2 patterns. Sorry I rambled. I'm kinda lonesome today and I'm procrastinating big time. Must get back to DT work!

Blog Hop Winner and Trip Pix

Not necessarily in that order. LOL Indulge me a bit. Our girly trip was so much fun last week but I'm telling you the drive there was HORENDOUS! Torrential rain which was terrible since the roads are extremely windy (read BARFY, ugh!) for at least 2/3rd of the way up the coast. It took nearly 5 hours instead of 4 and poor Lisa was white knuckled by the time we pulled in but it was nothing a bottle of wine couldn't fix. LOL This was the gorgeous view from the deck the next morning.

It was sunny, but it was COLD! We went to Mendocino for a little shopping and later in the afternoon a huge cloud rolled in and it started to HAIL! This is Lisa, Abbey (Hayley's BFF) and Hayley (Lisa's daughter)

Quite unexpected! Fortunatly the sun reappeared and melted this mess before we had to head back to Irish Beach BUT...

When the sun went down and the girls hit the hot tub it started to snow! Enough that Lisa was able to make a little snowball. No big deal for Lisa since she's originally from Wisconsin, but Hayley (age 14) had never been snowed on before.

And it was STILL THERE the next morning. Okay, nothing major, but this is the Northern CA coast, not Tahoe. I know all you guys back East are ROTFLYAO but it was a BIG DEAL in these parts! Listening to the local radio the night before you'd think they were preparing for the storm of the century!

Well, we didn't get enough shopping so when the sun came out and it all melted away we headed back to Mendocino. So weird that recently I'd been talking about the movie Same Time Next Year and on the way there we past the resort where the film had been made. Unfortunately it has been closed for awhile now and we couldn't get past the gate, but around the bend we pulled off the road and I managed to snap a pic. The large white building is the restaurant and if you look to the left you can just see one of the rooms. They are actually on a bluff but I couldn't get past a fence to get a better view. Bummer!

Sunday was glorious but we sadly had to leave. Even the drive was gorgeous. (and less nauseating) with views like this. We plan on making it an annual event.

So if you've hung in there it's finally time to announce the winner of my BBTB2 Blog Hop Candy (the $30 gift Certificate to Custom Crops) is...

DRUMROLL please...

#40 Audrey Frelx who said...

WooHoo! Congratulations Audrey!

Please email me at dlmundinger (at) yahoo (dot) com to arrange for your prize. Thank you all who participated (and especially those who actually read my little travelogue) and I hope to see you again soon. xxD

A Cutie Couple From Peggy Loves Vintage

I've been dying to use this sweet little Dutch boy and girl from Peggy Loves Vintage Cutie Couples 3 cut outs but just couldn't decide on DP. I was drawn to the dark background and thought my new tulip border folder from Stampin' UP (thanks, Lillie!) was just perfect, but where would I go from there? I kept thinking tulips and Spring, but none of my pastels looked quite right so I leafed through my DCWV La Crema 8x8 stack and found this flocked DP that looked to me just like tulips. I lightened it up with a bit of lace and added some flowers from Making Memories Vintage Findings et Voila! it all came together perfectly. That's what I love about the Peggy Loves Vintage images, you can make a unique, professional looking card in no time at all. WooHoo! I left the sentiment off because I think it's pretty versatile and I love it so much I'm considering framing it.

Peggy has CD's and cut outs for every occasion so be sure to check out her Etsy, Ebay, or Web Store, and if you pop over to her BLOG, you just might find a freebie. She's such a sweetie that way!

Bah!Humbug! Things That Fly Challenge

This week's Bah!Humbug! Challenge was an easy one allowing anything that flies. OOOh so many choices! I'm a big fan of the cute, quirky Octopode Factory images so I decided upon the Whimsical Christmas Angel. (Isn't she a crack up?) She's colored with Copics and mounted upon a shaped card I made in Design Studio using Mickey Font (and squishing it a good deal). The DP is Cosmo Cricket.

I decided to keep this pretty simple, popping only the "O" in JOY and the image itself. AND I managed to keep it down to an A2 size. WooHoo!

I also decided to follow the ladies' Top Tip Tuesday suggestion and actually finished the INSIDE of my card. However don't expect this every week and who exactly will be getting it is yet a mystery. LOL You really didn't think I'd ever be THAT organized, did you? Now, I can think of at least 3 of my buddies who vowed to join me in the Bah!Humbug! challenges this year (ahem, Margie, Lillie, and Nilda) so what the heck are you waiting for? BTW, the challenges come out on Fridays and are due by noon the following Thursday (UK time) so I'm thinkin' you won't be making it this week, LOL, but you oughta go check it out for the fab inspiration as always.

The Cuttlebug Spot Hat Pins Challenge

This month The Cuttlebug Spot is all about embellishments and our first week features hat or corsage pins. Some of us (like me) used manufactured pins (my little hearts are from Maya Road) while others made gorgeous ones using beads and pearls. Our own Theresa has a wonderful video on making your own right on The Cuttlebug Spot this week. My card is a sort of "Welcome Spring" card using the pyramage technique. I originally saw this technique on Sherry Cheever's Blog and she has a video HERE. The image was a freebie from ? and I used my Nesties Lables Nine for the layers. The embossed frame is from the Heritage Cuttlebug Companion set . The pretty velvet leaves are from 7 Gypsies.

I inked the frame to bring out the embossing a bit and popped it. Usually when I cut a frame in a mat I use a larger Nestie so the underlying mat shows around the image, but I'd used all 5 of the Nesties in the set for my image so I had nothing larger. I still like the fact that it is slighty recessed, though. The rest of the team has done a fabulous job with the challenge so stop by the Cuttlebug Spot and we invite you to play along for a chance to win a $ 20.00 gift certificate from Custom Crops. But remember, although the challenge is about embellishments, we still expect you to use your Cuttlebug or similar machine somewhere on your card.