Happy Father's Day from the Cats

Goliath new exactly what he wanted for a Father's Day card this year. He's been "gifting" Daddy almost daily, although we've closed the cat door at night to cut down on unpleasant "surprises" (see bottom of post HERE if you're interested). The rat banner is done with a MS punch some twine and the Cuttlebug Monogram Seals Emboss Plus folder. He's broadened his hunting skills to include birds (on the DP by Heidi Grace) and of course we can't forget the appetizer mice (also a MS border punch.) Goliath, himself, is from a Sticky note pad by Paper House productions that he swears he modeled for.


I glued him to card stock for strength, cut him out and popped him, along with the hanging rats and monogram seals. Before taking them out of the folder, I colored the letters with gel pens. After removal, I inked the edges.

And inside... the little lizard is a Cottage Cutz Die and I've added lidded goggle eyes. He's still smiling because he has no idea he's dessert. Both cats enjoy chasing and catching lizards but we always thought they must taste nasty since Goliath always let them go. Last time I heard Jezzie's muffled "I've got something for you" meow I was totally surprised when she chomped one right down. EEEWWWW!!! I'm assuming it's an acquired taste, but one she's dying to share with her Daddy. She says it tastes just like chicken, yeah, right!


Of course Jezzie's card is all about her. I made a shaped card with Design Studio using Car Decals. I cut the interior pieces by hiding the contours of the regular Cat2 and cutting them pieces individually in the other papers. Jezzie couldn't decide whether she wanted to be fuzzy or sparkly so I used Sparkly Fluff to cover both bases. Attached to her bow in is a silver charm that says "Special". She's a very skittish and wild thing, but she's Daddy's Little Princess and has just recently allowed him to actually comb her, resulting in far fewer hairballs and quite the fluffy coat. She thinks she's just "boofy" (beautiful) these days and when Daddy bends down and tells her she's his pretty girl she stretches and rolls over to show him her tummy.


So the inside reads "Daddy, I feel like a princess all boofy and new and it's all because of you!" The hearts are RainDots. Oh oh! Jezzie just noticed I forgot the hugs and kisses... better go fix that! I'm entering these cards in the Whimsical Wednesday Father's Day Challenge.

Cottage Cutz Thursday at The Cuttlebug Spot and a chance to win!

You all know I just LOVE the Cottage Cutz dies and this little froggy is no exception. Actually, on the package, he's hanging on a branch but I've turned him into a ballerina by repositioning the arms and adding a tutu! Too too cute, eh? I gave her a little added definition with my Copics and added some of those adoraable lidded google eyes I get in the kids crafting section of JoAnn's. You can find him (or her) at The Scrapping Cottage, along with loads of other adorable dies. Check out the new Summer release with barbeque and summer fun and the cutest bugs making off with the picnic food. Hilarious! Would you like to win some Cottage Cutz dies of your own? Well pop on over to The Cuttlebug Spot and leave a comment, then become a follower of The Scrapping Cottage Blog and you could win two of the fabulous Cottage Cutz dies. The blog features so many adorable ideas for using these wonderful dies along with tips and tricks you won't want to miss.

The Cottage Cutz dies work in your Cuttlebug (or Big Shot or the like) and I've used by Nesties Labels 11 to cut the frame for the front. It's popped along with the dancing frog for dimension. The photo corners are an EK Success punch.

The sentiments are computer generated and cut with my Nesties petite scalloped ovals. For once I actually finished the inside of my card. WooHoo! Now don't frogget to hop on over to The Cuttlebug Spot to see Nilda's fabulous assortment of Cottage Cutz cards (say that 3 times fast LOL) and follow the instructions for a chance to WIN!

The Burtonesque Dolls Sweeny Todd Challenge

WooHOO! I got my Simply Betty Stamps in time to use them on this week's Burtonesque Dolls challenge! The inspiration this week is Sweeny Todd, who if you remember, did more than a shave and a haircut with his razor while his gal pal Mrs. Lovette baked some fab meat pies with the remains. (EEEK!) I remember going to see this movie on Christmas Day. Hmmm, not in keeping with the usual holiday festivities, eh? Anyway, I just HAD to use Betty for this and took my coloring inspiration from Betty herself (and the pic from the movie). The challenge is actually to use cutting and distressing tools and I jumped at the chance to use my Zutter Distress-it-All (thanks Glenda for the great price on this!) to grind the edges of just about EVERYTHING here. The DP is Basic Grey, the weird textured stuff is Sizzix Little Sizzles Textures I got at Custom Crops. I used my MS Spiderweb Punch Around the Page topped by the coolest EVER May Arts Ribbon I found at my LSS. The lamp post is Cottage Cutz die, available at The Scrapping Cottage, spritzed with my home brew shimmer mist. I was trying to create a Victorian London scene and the bloody cobblestone street is embossed with the Cuttlebug Tiny Mosaic folder and topped with MS Drippy Goo enhanced with Glossy Accents. (EEEEWWW!)

HeeHee! This was sooo much FUN! Here's a view of the dimension. Now I know some of you are hesitant to join in at The Burtonesque Dolls because you don't think you can follow the theme. I find that the BEST part of the challenge, but if you read closely, all you really HAVE to do is use your cutting and distressing tools so why not give it a try? New challenges come out every Tuesday.

The Burtonesque Dolls Challenge #4 and Tiddly Inks #6

I am so excited that the challenge at The Burtonesque Dolls this week is An Affair to Remember, inspired by the fab movie Corpse Bride. I was all set to use The Happy Couple from Tiddly Inks to do this challenge but then I saw Gossmere and fell in LOVE! Don't get me wrong, both images are just adorable but Gossmere just spoke to me and I thought it would be easy to Bring on the Bling (the Tiddly Inks challenge this week) so that's what I did.

I started with irridescent DCWV Luxury Stack paper and masked a moon and inked with Black Soot and Shabby Shutters. The trees are a Cottage Cutz die from The Scrapping Cottage and the Bridal Arch is a Labels 10 Nestie with the MS Spiderweb border punch attached. The edges are blinged up with Perfect Pearls and of course adhesive gems. The tombstone is a Cuttlebug cut and emboss set.

Just look at Gossmere's sweet face! I added a tattered veil and gems to her headpiece and sprayed her with adhesive and sprinkles her with very fine MS glitter but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get that to show up in the pic...bummer.

The flowers are Primas and that cool stuff she's standing on is a sprinkling of Metallic Mica Flakes by US Art Quest. I just love the shimmer and the color was just perfect for this card. I just used some clear tacky glue and sprinkled it on.

Here's the dimensional view. I'll tell you I had a ball building this creepy cute scene. Be sure to stop by The Burtonesque Dolls to check out the fabulous creations by the DT using fab images from Busy Beauties. By playing along you have a chance to win some of those fab images. I was last week's lucky winner. WooHoo! And if you love Tiddly Inks as much as I do, go have a play at the Tiddly Inkers challenge blog too.

Oh Alice! Challenge 10 Queen of Tarts

Wow this week is flying by! I sort of took some days off from crafting because of the gorgeous weekend and my birthday and I feel like I'm playing "catch up". This week at Oh Alice! they are celebrating the Queen's tarts and asked for food on our cards. I made the Mad Hatter's Cake using my Cottage Cutz die, available at The Scrapping Cottage. Doesn't it look YUMMY!? I've always wanted a REAL cake like this for some occasion but for now a paper one will have to do. I loved the colors on the packaging for this die so I just mostly copied those. I cut the whole thing out of white card stock and colored the pieces with my Copics (except for the little roses where I used a textured pink card stock wth gel pen for detail.) The layers and roses are popped for dimension. Because of the strong colors I decided to use black and white for the rest of the card. the background embossing is the Diamonds in the Rough Cuttlebug folder. (I thought it had an "Alicey" kind of feel to it). The sentiment is from the Cuttlebug Happy Birthday card making combo. Hope you like.

Cottage Cutz Birthday for Cards for Men

It's Cottage Cutz Thursday at The Cuttlebug Spot. Every other week The Cuttlebug Spot brings you examples of fun things to do with my favorite dies to use in my Cuttlebug. I just love the Cottage Cutz Camping release from The Scrapping Cottage. My DH is a backpacker and I thought these would be great for cards for him and males in general. (This is NOT something we share. My idea of camping is when room service is late.) This one will probably be from the two of us to his backpacking buddy but I think it would really be good for any male with a sense of humor.

I used the Bear Sitting and the Pine Tree Forest dies and inked and popped them. That Pine Tree Forest is great because although it's only a single 4 x 4 die, the layers work to make 4 different sized trees. I used more of that cool paper backed veneer to cut the trunks. LOVE IT! I used the same die in the previous post as well. I love how the Cottage Cutz dies work so quickly in my Cuttlebug. That perfect background paper is from an older DCWV Summer stack. The sentiment is computer generated. Now you know what's coming, don't you? LOL

The inside paper is also from that DCWV stack and I printed the upper sentiment in a strip to cover the words that were on that stripe. Hee, Hee! I'm lovin' the puns! I was happy to discover a new (at least to me) challenge site that focusses on Cards for Men. The current challenge is birthday cards. I hope to be able to continue to do these challenges because what could be MORE challenging, eh? And wouldn't it be nice to have a stash so you're not scrambling at the last minute? I'm pretty sure the challenge is every 2 weeks which makes it quite a bit easier for me, at least. So if you're game, be sure to check out Cards for Men, and also The Cuttlebug Spot for more exciting ideas for Cottage Cutz dies. Thursdays are volunteer at school days for Nilda so sometimes we beat her to the punch at posting but be sure to check back.)

Bah Humbug Challenge #9 Cool Combos and ABC Christmas Challenge

After last week's dismal entry for Bah! Humbug! I decided to try and redeem myself. The challenge this week was to combine at least 3 of the previous challenges but of course, 2 of the ladies on the fabulous DT used all 8 so I had to give it a go. I used the Joys of the Season Cricut Cartridge for the snow globe. The globe itself is packaging from Terrifically Tacky Tape (#1-recycling), the die cut Tree (# 7) is a new (#2 new stash) Cottage Cutz die (Hmmm, I don't see the specific die at the moment,( perhaps it's out of stock) from the from the Camping release, available at The Scrapping Cottage and is trimmed with red adhesive beads (#4 baubles). The Snowman (#6) is also a Cottage Cutz die from Holly Jolly Christmas (thanks Leah!) which I simplified a bit by leaving off his nose, arms, hat and broom (poor guy, but there's just so much room in there and I wanted to stick to the color scheme) and glittered (#3) by running it through my Xyron and sprinkling him with Doodlebug sugar coating. I also stickled the tree and the globe is filled with MS mica flakes. (You can never have too much #3! LOL)

I made a pedestal and trimmed the folded bits to match the contours of the snow globe.

The base of the pedestal is trimmed with holly (#5) paper and the berries were enhanced with more adhesive beads. Finally, the sentiment is ribbon that looks like it's been cross stitched (#8 stitching real or faux). WooHoo! I'd already had this card in my mind for ages and wasn't it convenient that I could incorporate all of the previous challenges? Thanks so much Ann, Max, and Irene for coming up with the perfect challenge to get me off my bum and finally make this card! I don't always have time to do something this elaborate (and I don't want to miss a challenge) but I'm happy it worked out this time. I'm also entering it into the ABC Christmas challenge which is F for Frosty. Thanks Sheryl! xxD

Oh Alice and Sunday Stampers Challenges

WooHoo! I'm lovin' the Alice challenges! This week at Oh Alice! Chapter 3 is "Painting the Roses Red": a color challenge of red, purple and blue, inspired by the new O.P.I. Alice nail polish collection. Also, through my blog hopping I came across Sunday Stampers where the theme is either Rabbits, or Alice, or BOTH! I gotcha covered! the sweet image is a digi from Sassy Studios Designs, colored with my Copics. the cool frame is done with my new Labels 13 Nesties. The blue mat is embossed with the Cuttlebug Fleur de Lys folder and the vine border punch is EK Success. The white and red roses are from Cottage Cutz Topiary die from The Scrapping Cottage. (I had originally planned on using the entire rose tree but opted for just the roses instead.) My story here is that the White Rabbit is looking at his watch because the roses aren't all painted yet and he's worried the Queen will be furious.

"Wooden" it be nice?

I'm sorry for the pun, but I just couldn't help myself. I got some of the coolest wood veneer from Creative Imaginations at my LSS and I couldn't wait to use my adorable Cottage Cutz beaver die from the Camping release at the Scrapping Cottage. Tell me he's not the cutest. He's cut in my Cuttlebug using the A, C and B plates and I shaded him a bit with my Copics. I used 3 different woods on my card; one for the mat, the light punched border (how cool is that?!) and I little thicker one for the stick in his hand. The circles are done with my Nesties. The trees are from the DCWV Green Stack. "Hello Friend" is from the Cuttlebug Everyday Greetings card making combo.

Inside, the computer generated sentiment is truly hokey but I couldn't resist. The little punched corners (EK Success) are also wood. Gotta get more of that stuff! Be sure to stop by The Cuttlebug Spot to see more adorable cards made with Cottage Cutz dies. We have fun examples every other Thursday. Also visit The Cottage Blog where ideas and inspiration abounds.

Yummy is for Cottage Cutz and The Cutting Cafe!

Here's a quick little card that I did with my favorite dies to use with my Cuttlebug...Cottage Cutz, available at The Scrapping Cottage. Ever since Christmas I just can't get enough of CHOCOLATE so I just had to use my Stacked Candies 4 x 4 die and make this yummy little card. The pretty glittery paper is from the DCWV Sweet stack (8 x 8 size) and I just punched along the side and threaded some narrow ribbon before adhering it to a premade A2 card. the sweet little sentiment is from the A-Z is For Set of downloadable printable stamps from The Cutting Cafe, recolored in chocolate brown using my Printmaster Pro program and cut with my circle and petitie scalloped circle Nesties. There are 26 little sentiments included with this fun set; one for every letter of the alphabet! Now if you'd like to see more cute cards done with the Cottage Cutz dies pop over to The Cuttlebug Spot and check out what my DT sisters did with these wonderful dies.

Jezzie's Valentine to Daddy

I can't believe it's been 3 1/2 years since we picked up Jezebel as a companion for Goliath. She ADORES her big brother but Goliath treats her like the pesky little sister she is, and made it clear from the start that Mommy and Daddy are HIS, not to be approached unless HE says it's okay. To this day she's on the lookout when she wants to come near, worrying that any minute Goliath will appear and voice his disapproval. She wants so badly to be affectionate, purring and rubbing around your legs UNTIL you try to pick her up and her wild instincts take over and off she scoots. Miraculously in the last few months she's becoming a lap cat (but only on Daddy's lap, and only on her terms when Goliath is outside). Mommy is only approached when I'm eating tuna and she figures there might be a taste. Obviously Jezzie is a Daddy's Girl so she wanted a special Valentine of her own to give the second (Goliath is still #1) most important man in her life.

As soon as I saw the Cottage Cutz Kitty w/ Heart die from The Scrapping Cottage I KNEW it would make the perfect Valentine. I cut her in both grey and white and colored and detailed her with my Copics. Dimensionals made her pop. "Daddy's Girl" was cut on my Cricut Expression using the Hannah Montana cartridge and the heart background paper was printed on my computer using the Small Hearts Solid background stamp from The Cutting Cafe which I recolored in light pink using my Printmaster program.

Inside I recolored the Small Hearts in a hot pink. I so love to be able to have the prints available any time I need them and they come in 3 different sizes in both outline and solid! "Smitten Kitten" is also cut with my Cricut from the Sweethearts cart and the rest of the sentiments are computer generated and cut with my Nesties scalloped and regular hearts and Labels 4. I really enjoyed combining a number of techniques on this card and Jezzie was very pleased. (Hope Daddy will be.)

The Cuttlebug Spot 3M Paper Challenge

This week was free rein at The Cuttlebug Spot, meaning any theme as long as we used some of the 3M Post-it Craft Paper from this week's sponsor. In celebration of the gorgeous vintage things I saw at CHA, I chose to do a vintage Valentine. The border punch by EK Success, the gorgeous Cottage Cutz doily die from The Scrapping Cottage and the gold Ornamental Iron Cuttlebug border behind the cherub medallion were all done in the adhesive paper. The background mat is from the DCWV Luxury stack, embossed with the Cuttlebug Textile Texture folder and the ivory heart was both cut and embossed with the Cuttlebug Textile Hearts combo set. The gold key is from the Spellbinder's Timeless Heritage dies. In addition I used a Melissa Francis keyhole brushed with Perfect Pearls, velvet rick rack from May Arts, and some cocoa colored adhesive pearls to balance the design. Alot going on I know, but I was going for a Victorian look which was all about loads of adornment. (My kinda style, hee hee)

The cherub medallion is a vintage image I downloaded from Dover Publications which I printd 4 times and cut with my Nesties Petite Scalloped Oval for the base, and Petite Ovals for the 3 remaining layers and popped them on top of each other to get the dimensional look. I first saw this technique on Sherry Cheever's Blog during a Spellbinder's blog hop. My image was quite small so I wasn't able to do as many layers as she did, but I still love the look.

Here's the dimensional shot. Be sure to stop by The Cuttlebug Spot to view all of the fabulous projects by the other designers and be aware that the rules have changed. Although we would LOVE to see you participate in the challenges, it is not necessary to be eligible for a prize. Just leave a comment and you could be a winner. P.S. in case you didn't see yesterday's post, be sure to check it out. The BBTB2 Blog Hop will be going on until at least Friday and there's candy to be had. I'll be drawing a name Sat. morning for a $30 gift Certificate to Custom Crops. WooHoo!

I Stink I Love You!

First off, I'm sorry you'll be singing the old Partridge Family song the whole rest of the day but it couldn't be helped. LOL I just got a bunch of the new Cottage Cutz Camping Release dies from The Scrapping Cottage and the cute little skunks just cracked me up! There are actually 2 included on this die (the other guy is on all fours) but his little outstretched paw is so cute I picked him. I wish I could say the sentiment was original, but I'm pretty sure I saw it last year on the Cricut mb. Was it you, Shelly or maybe Kris, possibly Carole? All 3 of these ladies have quite the sense of humor. Anyway, I cut this little guy out using my Cuttlebug, colored him with my Copics, and added a little metal adhesive heart to his hand. I made a tent topper card by mounting him on the largest of the regular and scalloped heart shaped Nesties. The sentiment is computer generated and the white heart is embossed with the tiny heart folder from the Cuttlebug With Love card-making combo. It's mounted on an A2 card with a Fiskers Threading Water border along the front. The DP is from a little $1 mat pack I got at Target. There are quite a few adorable animal dies in the Camping Release as well as some great things for the man in your life (and we all know what a PITA male cards can be). There's also a preorder for the new Valentine's Release which is YUMMY so be sure and check it out.

There's just enough dimension to keep this card interesting. I popped the scalloped heart, the skunk body and his head. I stuck the ribbon down with 1/18th inch Terrifically Tacky Tape and made the bow with my new Bow Easy (which I'm finally getting the hang of. LOL) The inside is lined with the second half of the DP over the strip of red that shows through from the front. Besides the corny pun (my DH groaned and said "Well, I guess that's part of your card culture") I think it's pretty darn cute. Sorry about the lighting. Should have asked Santa for a photo studio. Well I'm off to a hair appt. this am. See you after I'm beautified!

Merry Christmouse

This adorable little (or should I say BIG) Santa mouse is a Cottage Cutz die from one the fabulous Christmas releases at The Scrapping Cottage. I really love the detail of these dies and the fact that they work right in my Cuttlebug. They are definitely big enough to use on layouts as well so they are very versatile. He comes as two 4 x 4 dies for all of his parts. I cut him in white card stock, colored the parts with my Copics and used Flower Soft on the fur of his outfit and also for the snow beneath his boots. I embossed the background with a new Snowflakes Cuttlebug folder which is in limited supply at Custom Crops. The front sentiment is a Circle Christmas Printable Stamp from The Cutting Cafe. Regina has loads of options for quick Christmas gifts, cards, and tags and you don't have to wait for shipping with these digi's. There's also some fabulous new stuff for Valentine's day if you want to get a head start.

There's a view of the dimension. These dies really come to life if you pop some of the layers, don't you think? And don't forget, this is the LAST DAY to comment on my BLOGAVERSARY CANDY so if you haven't already click HERE.

Boo Hoo Missing You

Seems like the easel card is quite rage right now so of course I had to try my hand at one. I managed to use a bunch of Halloween stuff I hadn't gotten around to playing with like my MS graveyard, scary fence and rat border punches, my CB Spooky house folder and the adorable owl Cottage Cutz die available exclusively at The Scrapping Cottage.

Tell me he isn't the CUTEST! I couldn't resist adding lidded google eyes. The tree he's flying from is actually the branch also included on the die which I cut twice. The moon is a Marvy punch.

Now check out that ghost. I bought some mica tiles at my LSS and had no idea what to do with them so I tried cutting them with my Sizzix Bigz ghost die and it worked. Isn't he cool? I was not succesful trying other dies or punches with this stuff but I was thrilled with the ghost. The tombstone is a Cuttlebug combo and the bats and little ghost are raindots.

I ran a line of large adhesive beads to catch the easel. The sentiment is mounted on Labels Four Nesties. "Missing You" is from the CB Forever Friends cardmaking combo. Wow, not a Cricut cut in sight. Now I'm off to an overnight SWARM. No internet for the rest of the weekend but we sure will have FUN! Wonder if I'll get any crafting done. LOL

I'm Nutty for You Tiny Box and a Cutting Cafe Giveway.

Well I'm off to a music festival today at the B.R.Cohn winery outside of Sonoma featuring Journey. WooHoo! It should be a beautiful fall day and I'm really excited. Music, food, WINE, what could be better than that? Before I go I have another little giveaway. Regina has been soooo busy at The Cutting Cafe and I wanted to share one of her latest creations. I've always loved tiny things. From the time I was a little girl I was fascinated with all things miniature (maybe because I was always the smallest in my class and my parents used to say "good things come in small packages"). When I saw Regina's tiny boxes and sentiments I had to make one immediately. There were so many adorable sentiments that I had a hard time choosing but I wanted to use this cute little squirrel Cottage Cutz die from The Scrapping Cottage, and there was a perfect one to match. I printed the sentiment out on kraft paper and cut it with my Nesties. I used my Cuttlebug to cut the 4 x 4 die and inked him and flocked his tail. The cute leaves are also included on the die.

You can see how adorable this tiny box is. It's available as a template you can cut by hand (so EASY), or also as a WPC file that can be cut with a Pazzles machine or with your Cricut if you have SCAL. By attaching any die cut to the side with foam dimensionals it's still possible to open the lid. Wouldn't it be a fun surprise to tuck in a lunch box or leave on someone's desk? Now you can win this Tiny Box with Sentiments by leaving a comment to this post. The winner will be announced Friday. Lots of my DT sisters are also giving away new sets for free. Regina will have the whole list on The Cutting Cafe site tomorrow so you can check them all out. Tons of new stuff for EVERY occasion.

Under the Sea with Cottage Cutz and the WINNER!

Here's a fun little shaker card with an undersea theme using my Cottage Cutz Sadie Seahorse and Coral Garden dies exclusive to the Scrapping Cottage. I made a shaker using the packaging from Terrifically Tacky Tape and the largest circle Nestie was the perfect size to cut a mat for it. WooHoo!

It was fun using the dies with various patterned DCWV patterned papers which made them look especially whimsical. I thought I had some sand, but I ended up using Kitty litter (new, of course) mixed with some beads for additional color in the shaker. I curled the ribbon by winding it around a wooden skewer, spritzing it lightly with spray starch and baking it on 200 degrees for 20 minutes. Be sure to lay the skewers across the rim of a baking pan or something so the ribbon doesn't discolor. I added a couple of small shells and some Raindot "bubbles".

The sentiment is a Cuttlebug die from the Everyday Greetings cardmaking combo (I think). the mat is attached with sticky strips. Now don't forget The Scrapping Cottage is offering a $250 gift certificate to their store when they reach 500 followers on their blog so click HERE to enter.

OOps, I almost forgot to announce the WINNER of The Cutting Cafe Anniversary downloadable stamp set. Chosen by Random DH the winner is #31 Stephann! Congrats Stephann and thank you all for participating. Be sure to check out The Cutting Cafe for all of Regina's brand NEW designs. Tons of goodies! Hugs, D

A Cottage Cutz Card and a Chance to Win $250

Okay, I apologize for the bad pun but I just couldn't resist! These adorable geckos are a Cottage Cutz 3x3 die sold exclusively at The Scrapping Cottage. It's called the gecko variety and there are additional ways to deck out your gecko included on the die. I made sort of a modified tent topper using my heart Nesties. The sentiment is computer generated using my Card Factory Deluxe program. All it needed then were some flower embellies. There are so many adorable dies available at The Scrapping Cottage you'll definitely want to check it out. The new Halloween ones are TO DIE FOR and will be available soon. Click HERE to see all of the cards I've made with these adorable dies.

Now wouldn't you want to win $250 to shop at The Scrapping Cottage? Besides a HUGE variety of dies these have TONS of other stuff too. Well their Cottage Blog is aiming for 500 followers. They have loads of fun ideas as well as contests and such. Click HERE to find out how to win.

Missing You and some FABULOUS Blog Candy!

I've really been missing my BFF from college lately even though she visited in June (WAY too short Becky!) and I talked to her on Monday morning. Wish we were up at her cottage at the lake drinking tea (or wine), gabbing and maybe doing something crafty as well. Those are some of my best memories. This card was inspired by those times. You see she has an old bicycle parked outside the guest house and in the basket she plants flowers. It's just the sweetest garden ornament EVER and when I saw this adorable Cottage Cutz die available ONLY at The Scrapping Cottage that's immediately what I thought of. The papers here are from DCWV Green Stack and I fussy cut the birdies and branches. I used my Nesties to cut the sun and cuttled the center with D'Vine Swirls and the background with the ever popular Swiss dots.



The little flower pot and flower is another Cottage Cutz die that also includes an adorable curtained window. The sentiment is from the Cuttlebug Friends Forever cardmaking combo.
Some of these pieces were a little hard to pop but I did my best. For once though I think it'll actually fit in a regular envie with no additional postage required. WooHoo!



Now I've got to tell you about the FABULOUS Blog Candy my incredibly talented Cuttlebug Spot Design Team sister Steph is giving away. In honor of 100 + followers and 25,00 hits on her blog one lucky friend will win a $150 GIFT CARD to the store of their choice! OMG!!!!! Wow Steph, how unbelievably generous of you! You have until Aug 28th to enter so go spread the word. I have to chuckle a bit because Steph's blog is called "Where'd All My Money Go?" You're giving it away girlfriend, and we LOVE you for it!