I'm Feelin' Fruity!! **MFT Hop Around the Block**

Hello and welcome to the July mid-month MFT Hop Around the Block!! If you've just happened onto my blog - then hop back over to Kim's blog and start the hop from there - I'll see ya when you get back!! ;) We've got some of the cutest sets to show you along the way - I'm gonna start by sharing a card made with the UBER-CUTE "Feelin' Fruity" set - OMG - the fruits are just precious and the sentiments are so sweet - you are gonna LOVE this set!! I used the pear image from the set - I stamped one pear onto my MFT Perfect Paper panel - masked it with Eclipse masking tape - then stamped my second pear to create the "perfect pair" - LOL!! I colored them in with Copics (and BTW - if you want to see how to get that cool 2 tone effect on the fruit - check out my new HTDT? Tutorial this week here). The paper is from the MFT 6X6 Spring Collection - the buttons are from the Spring Button collection too and I don't know if you can see - I added a little stem and leaf to each one. The pink ribbon is from the yummy MFT Plaid ribbon pak.
This second card was done with the new Annie LaPoint "Harvest of Hope" set - what a beautiful image, huh?? I can see this one being VERY versatile!! The image was colored in with Copics and the new HTDT? tutorial also shows a great trick on getting shading in those small leaves and flower petals. The paper on this one is from the MFT Spring collection as well and the ribbon from the MFT plaid ribbon pak. I punched my flowers and put a small pink gemstone in the center of each of them as well.

MFT is releasing 3 sets - which will be available starting at midnight - Feelin' Fruity, Spread a Harvest of Hope (Annie LaPoint) and Bubble Bunny. Be sure to get your order in early to qualify for the "First 50" - the special "First 50" Memento Dew Drop collection continues this week with "Bamboo Leaves"!! And in honor of another Copic tutorial - this week's spotlight is on the My Favorite Copic Collection - the perfect way to either start or add-on to your Copic collection!!

Thanks SO much for stopping by - your next stop on the hop is Cindy- and I know she has some BEAUTIFUL eye candy to share with you!!!

Just Beachy! **MFT July Hop Around the Block**

Hello and welcome to this month's MFT Hop Around the Block!! If you've just happened upon my blog - then hop back over to Kim's blog and start the hop from there - I'll see you when you get back!! For today's hop - I chose to share a card I did using the new MFT "Catch Some Rays" set being released Wednesday night at 10 PM EST - I figured it was pretty appropriate considering I just got back from a week of doing just this - LOL!! OK - well - exchange the books for an Amazon Kindle and my margarita was on the rocks - but hey - it was pretty darn close to this image - hee hee...I even included a little memento from my trip on this card - but I'll show you that in a minute. ;) I started by coloring my image with Copics - I paper pieced the umbrella with paper from the MFT 6X6 Spring Paper pak (the background paper is from this pak as well). The big button is from the Spring Button Collection and that yummy yellow gingham ribbon is from the MFT Perfect Plaid Ribbons pak (this ribbon is BEAUTIFUL!!). Now for the fun part...check it out...the sand underneath my Who's That Girl is ACTUAL sand...here's a close-up...

We just got back from Myrtle Beach and like the total dork that I am - I brought back a small bag of sand for crafting purposes (scrapbook pages, keepsake bottles for the boys, etc.) - so I thought it would be fun to add a little bit of my vacation to this card. I started by putting down 2 strips of 1/4 in. redline tacky tape - I cut the ends to fit the image. Then I just sprinkled some sand onto the sticky strips - patted it down to make sure it was nice and stuck and then shook off the excess. And believe it or not - it's really stuck on there - I thought that maybe I'd have to seal it - but it seems to be OK without it.

We've got a FUN release for you this month - MFT will be releasing 4 brand new sets Wedneday night after the new release Cocktail Party over on SCS from 8-10 PM EST (remember TLC'ers get to order the releases starting at 9 PM EST). MFT is also releasing some new polka dot ribbon - a perfect choice for those summer projects!! Also - this month starts the First 50 Memento Dew Drop Collection - for the next 24 weeks, the first 50 prize will be a Memento Dew Drop and each week - we will feature a NEW color. If you place an order each Wednesday and are in the first 50 orders - you will earn the complete collection for FREE over the next 24 weeks. For this Wednesday - the first 50 will receive a FREE Memento Dew Drop in Angel Pink with their order - how cool is that!? And what a way to complete your Memento Dew Drop collection!! Hope to see everyone at the party - Paula and I will be announcing the One Click Collection winner as well - see you then!! Your next stop on the hop...the FABULOUSLY talented - Cindy - enjoy!!!

I'm ba-aack!!!

Happy Monday!! And a big hello to all my blogger friends!! I'm back!! I've missed blogging and stamping and chatting - so I'm very excited to be posting this morning! Where have I been?? I'll show you in a second - first - I wanted to share an MFTeaser of one of the new MFT sets being released this Wednesday night - it's a new set by MFTPresents illustrator Amanda Baird called "Puttin on the Glitz". Isn't she fabulous!? I love Amanda's sets - they are so whimsical and very "Vogue"!! I created a little scene with the set - drew in the flooring and colored everything in with Copics. All the silver on the scene - around the mirror and on the make-up cases - were colored in using Silver Fox Smooch Ink - these are VERY cool for accents!! This card is for the July One Click Challenge - hosted by Paula and I this month - our challenge for you is to create a card using FLOWERS and POLKA DOTS!!! The sky's the limit and I can't wait to see what you all come up with - you have until 10 PM EST Tuesday night to enter - you could win all the stamps from the July release!!! I went with a black and pink theme - my polka dots were done with circle punches and my flowers were punched as well - I added little pink gemstones to accent them.
So where have I been?? Well - we just got back from a week in beautiful Myrtle Beach, South Carolina!! Here are my 2 beach boys having fun in the water - we just had an absolute blast and I am SO itching to scrap our trip already - so you may even start seeing some LO's soon!! ;) I think I mentioned we were leaving in my last post - but I normally don't like to splash all over my blog that we were leaving our house for a week, kwim?? But I'm back now - feeling great and ready to get back to blogging!! I hope to see you all at the MFT Release Party over on SCS Wednesday night from 8-10 PM EST - and don't forget about the blog hop - it starts tomorrow at 10 PM for lots of eye candy and maybe some blog candy at the end too!! ;) See you then!!

A Little Java...

...to get you hoppin'!! Hi everyone! Sorry for the week-long absence - I did not end up having my wisdom teeth out on Tuesday - I had a bit of a medical emergency happen on Sunday and while I'm not quite ready to talk about it yet - I will tell you that I'm OK and was even able to finish up this adorable little Flopsey jar this morning. I missed the MFT new release blog hop this week :( - this was one of the projects I had planned on sharing during the hop - so since I finally finished it I thought that I'd share it with you today. I started with one of the MFT Perfect Packaging squared jars and the newly released "I Need Coffee Flopsey" set. I stamped the new Flopsey on an MFT Perfect Paper panel - colored him with Copics and then cut him out. The sentiment is from this new set as well. I tied some ribbon around the jar lid and then decorated the top as well. I used a piece of the 6X6 MFT Chocolate Kiss paper as well as a button from the Spring Collection button mix to accent the top. The kicker though are the bunny ears I added to the lid - LOL!! I just die cut a couple of skinny ovals and then folded them right at the tips to adhere them to the top of the lid. The jar is filled with - well - java of course - but not just any coffee - it's filled with Dunkin' Donuts coffee - YUM!!! What java fanatic wouldn't love this adorable jar!?

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope that after my long absences - I still have some blog readers left - LOL!! I really hated not posting this past week as we are getting ready to head out on Saturday for some week-long R & R in Myrtle Beach, SC - ahh...I'm SO looking forward to vacation!! If you're looking for some MFT goodness though - be sure to check out the other MFT design team members' blogs as well as the MFT forum on SCS - there's ALWAYS some fun going on there!! Talk to you all soon!!

Just a Little Dirty

Happy Thursday!! Thanks for all the well wishes on my little dental fiasco ;) - I think that antibiotic is starting to help and the pain in my tooth and jaw has really improved - hmm...does that mean I can forgo my procedure next week??? LOL!! Wishful thinking, huh?? Anywho - today starts a new week of challenges and chatting over at the MFT forum on SCS - Christina and Cindy have this week's My Favorite Challenge and Sketch challenges up - you can view them here. The card I have for you today is for the My Favorite Challenge - this week's challenge is to make a tri-fold card!! Cool challenge, huh?? I had fun with this one - I tried a style of card I had never done before (which in my opinion - any challenge that gets you to try new things is truly the sign of a great challenge;) ) - I chose to try a Triangle Trifold card. It's amazing what a couple of extra score lines can do for a card - you can really make a "wow" card in no time!! I chose to use the MFT "Maid For You" set (this is one of my fave WTG sets). I paper pieced the wallpaper, drew on the flooring and her fishnets and then colored the rest of the image in with Copics. It really is a sexy little card and I think what really sets it off is that flirty white bow holding the card closed - it's some beautiful white ribbon from the MFT Chocolate Kiss Ribbon Nest. Here is the inside of the card - and you can see how it folds out as well...

The frame around the sentiment is actually a sticker frame - it came in the same stack as the paper I used for this card came in (it's from an old paper stack by a company called Stemma - the Damask Scrap Pad). I did one of the larger Triangle Trifold cards - so the finished size of my card closed is a 4 in. square. Such a quick little card to do - but can you imagine your hubby's face when he finds it in his briefcase one morning??? Hee hee...thanks SO much for stopping by - I'm feeling better and things are starting to calm down around here a bit - so I'm looking forward to more stamping time over the weekend!

Guys Like You Are Rare

Happy Thursday!! Well - first of all - let me say a big CONGRATS to the 2 newest members of the MFT Sweet Sixteen - Barbara and Kathy!! YAY!! They were the 2 chosen from the Top 4 MFT Finalists to be on the team and I definitely don't envy Kim the decision - all 4 were MFT design-team worthy!! So really - congrats to all the MFT Idol finalists - they worked so hard week after week and really came up with some spectacular projects! There is still lots of fun stuff going on over in the MFT forum - check out this thread over on SCS for the new challenges and some fun chatter. The card I have to share with you today is for today's sketch challenge - Frances came up with another awesome sketch to work with!! I used the new MFT "Who's That Grillin' Guy?" set for my card - I just LOVE this image - I think it's because it makes me think of my hubby. :) This was my first chance to color him on paper (an MFT Perfect Paper Panel to be exact) and boy is he fun to embellish!! I saw Susan's "Texas" t-shirt on her grillin' guy card and I knew I had to make a guy wearing a Cubs shirt for my hubby - yes - we are Cubs fans here. The funny thing is my son is on the White Sox for his little league - trust me - the irony is not lost on us - LOL!! I added some charcoal and some flames to the grill as well - if you haven't seen Amy's charcoal trick in this week's HTDT? post - then you must go see it - especially if you've ordered this set!!;) I stamped and cut steaks out (image is included in the set) for my guy to be grillin' - I paper pieced his apron and then colored the rest in with Copics. The sentiment is from the new set as well. The patterned paper is from last year's DCWV Summer Stack (which reminds me - I have to go buy this year's - hee hee...). I added some Making Memories metal star brads to accent my card. Thanks so much for stopping by!!

A ROCKIN' MFT Blog Hop!!

Hello and welcome to another ROCKIN' MFT Blog Hop!! So have you spied those little MFT rockers "The Poppies" yet?? Aren't they just adorable!!?? If you've just happened onto my blog - then hop back over to Kim's blog and start the hop from there - I'll be waiting for you when you get back!! For my project that I am sharing with you today - I have chosen to use the new Who's That Grillin' Guy? set - this set is PERFECT for my family - my hubby grills year round - seriously - he'd stand out in freezing weather just to grill - hee hee...I wanted to use the set to make something for my youngest DS - he's 4 and wants to be just like his Daddy (of course) - so I made him a little "Grillmaster" set for him to play with!! I got the idea while perusing the kids $1 bins at Michael's recently - see - I used to teach parent/child art classes at Gymboree and this is the kind of stuff we used to have to come up with - crafts that not only kids can make - but that they can take home and play with too. I'll show you the individual pieces of the set and explain how I did each one...

Here's the apron I altered - I got the apron for a $1 - can't beat that!! And to make it match my little set I made - I stamped the Grillin' Guy onto a piece of craft fabric and then colored it in with Copics (for more about coloring on fabric - see today's HTDT? here). Once I had my grillin' guy colored - I trimmed it down and matted it onto some red fabric and then machine stitched it onto the apron. I even found a little plastic spatula to put in the pocket of the apron.

Here's the little tote bag that holds all the food in the set - it's another little $1 bin find - it's just a plain old white mini tote bag that I've stamped on. I stamped the image directly onto the tote bag using Memento ink - then once again colored the image in with Copics.

I made all the play food too - I started with sheets of the adhesive backed Fun Foam. I die cut the various shapes I needed of the foods using my nesties - the nesties cut the fun foam like a dream - I only had to run it thru once. Each food has a double layer of foam on it - so for like the hamburger - I die cut 2 circles of the same size - then peeled off the backing and stuck the 2 sitcky sides together. Also - I wanted to give the hamburgers some texture - so before I stuck the two circles together - I ran them thru my Cuttlebug in the "Mesh" embossing folder and again - the folders emboss the foam just perfectly. Also pictured here are the cheese slices (just cut the foam into squares) and the sesame seed bun - hee hee...the seeds are just some mini circles I punched from the white fun foam.

Here are our veggie fixin's for our cheeseburger - I used the scallop circle nesties to cut the lettuce - red circles with bigger seeds for tomatoes - little circles with small seeds for pickles. The yellow ovals are mini corn on the cob ears (as suggested by my kiddos - we LOVE to grill good ol' Indiana corn on the cob) - the corn was embossed with the "Bubbles" embossing folder to give it some texure. And finally - here is my little "Grillmaster" himself - enjoying the fruits (and veggies) of our labor...this is my youngest DS, Calvin...

So what all is being released this Wednesday night from MFT?? Well - we are releasing 3 brand spankin' new sets along with a couple of new goodies...the sets being released are "The Poppies" (MFT Presents), "Who's That Grillin' Guy?", and "Let's Picnic" (the new Who's That Girl?) set - the sets will be released at 10 PM EST Wednesday night (9 PM for TLC'ers) and be sure to watch out for a special one click collection price which will be good for 48 hours following the release!! Also being released is a Clear Crystal Collection and a Checkered Ribbon Bundle (perfect for our new summer images!). MFT is hosting a new release Cocktail Party on Wednesday from 8-10 PM EST over on the MFT forum at SCS - during which a couple of BIG annoucements will be made - our 2 new designers from the MFT Idol contest will be annouced as well as the winner of the June One Click Collection challege so be sure to get your entry uploaded!!

Thanks so much for stopping by - your next stop on the hop is the UBER-talented Susan - I know she's got some fabulous eye candy for you - enjoy!!!!

Not Too Cute to ROCK!!

Happy Monday!! I hope you're all having a great start to your week! Summer's in full swing here as both my kiddos are now officially done with school for the year - although I honestly think they're already a little stir crazy - YIKES!! I guess we will be spending LOTS of time at the pool this summer! I've got a fun little card to share with you today - it's a little peek at the new set being released from MFT this Wednesday from the MFT Presents line called "The Poppies" and OMG - this is one of the cutest sets EVAH!!!! These are some rockin' chickies!! I chose the drummer Poppy for my card - I stamped her on an MFT Perfect Paper Panel and colored her with Copics and put her inside one of those little plastic maze toys (I had a blast in the kids $1 bins at Michael's yesterday - you'll see more fun stuff I found during this release). I used the previously released MFT "Bling 'Bet" set for the word "rock" - I stamped it in Memento Rose Bud ink and embellished it with some little gemstones from Hobby Lobby. Not sure where the dp is from - but the stars were die cut with my Cricut.

I hope to see you at the MFT new release Cocktail Party this Wednesday night from 8-10 PM EST over in the MFT forum at SCS - and there is still time to play in the June One Click Collection challenge - one lucky winner will receive ALL the June releases!!!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Picnics are a Moveable Feast

Happy Sunday!! Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!! Ours was pretty good - although I'm nursing a fat lip this morning - yes - a big ol' fat lip - LOL!! Most of my friends and family know that I am one of the most accident prone individuals - so why my brothers would dare me to do a STOOPID trampoline trick is beyond me - LMBO!! I was at my oldest brother's house for his step-daughter's graduation party yesterday afternoon and well - when all of us get together - we seem to regress back to being adolescents - so when my big brother dared me to be the piece of "popcorn" in a trampoline game they were playing - well - I did what any other little sister would do and hopped on the trampoline and made myself into a ball. (BTW - Popcorn is a game played on a trampoline where one person makes themselves into a ball and so when the other people on the trampoline jump - the "popcorn" person pops up and down like a piece of popcorn - a safe game?? Probably not - LOL!!) I think they thought it would be funny because I was the lightest person there and boy did they have me bouncing - I lost control of my grip on my knees - my left knee came up and hit me right in the mouth - HARD - OMG - I saw stars!!! It's a wonder I still have my front teeth still intact - geesh - so I guess I was lucky I came out of the trampoline incident with only a fat lip - but boy did I look ridiculous when I woke up this morning! Geesh - one of these days I will learn not to act on a dare from my big brothers - I just thought at 32 years old - I would have already learned that lesson - LOL!!

So anywho - I do have a card to share with you today - it's for today's Featured Stamper challenge over on SCS - today's challenge features the SCS sketch queen herself - Rox - YAY!! I chose this card to case - I fell in love with it on the spot and knew exactly how I wanted to CASE it. I wanted to keep the insect theme of the card - so I pulled out the ant image and the food images from the new Who's That Girl? "Let's Picnic" set (being released this Wednesday, June 3rd) - I stamped the food images on top of the ants like they were carrying the food off and the sentiment from this new set provides a good warning for all of our summer picnics - LOL!! I kept the overall layout of Rox's card - although I did add an extra black layer to make my main panel a bit wider. I also kept the punched flowers on the card - I just changed the placement of them on my card.

Thanks so much for stopping by - don't forget to pop over and check out the June One Click challenge contest - Joanne and Christina posted it yesterday - pull out some chipboard from your stash and play along to win all of the June releases!!!

Celebrate Summer with an MFT VIP!!

Happy Wednesday!! It's my turn to do another Copic installment of HTDT? over on the MFT forums at SCS. In the past Copic HTDT?'s - we've gone over basic coloring and blending and coloring skin tones - for this week's tutorial - we are talking about light source and WHERE exactly to add your shading to your images - you can view my tutorial here. I thought I'd go ahead an post my sample I did for the tutorial here on my blog as well as it also serves as a bit of a teaser for the nwe Who's That Girl? set being released next Wednesday, June 3rd. The set is called "Let's Picnic" and it's just a FABULOUS summer image!! The set comes with lots of little accessories you can put on her picnic blanket - even the little ants come in the set. So do you want a chance to own this set early??? Well - it's VIP time - for TODAY ONLY - you can purchase the VIP kit from MFT - the kit includes this set as well as lots of other goodies - you can purchase this set here - but act fast - quantities are limited - last month's set sold out fast!!

Also - don't forget to vote for your fave MFT Idol - it's the big finale this week and we'll be crowning the first ever MFT Idol after this vote - you can view the voting details here. Our finalists - Kathy and Shannon - have absolutely outdone themselves - so make sure you leave these amazing ladies some love!! I wanted to say a BIG CONGRATS to all the Idol contestants over the past couple of months - the top 10, the judges - each and every week the galleries were packed full of AMAZING AMAZING entries and SO SO SO much inspiration - everyone should be extremely proud of themselves - you guys ROCK!!!

Eight ladies bathing...

Hee hee...sounds like a line from a naughty version of "Twelve Days of Christmas" - LMBO!! I made this card for today's Ways to Use It challenge - you can view the challenge here. Today's challenge were ways to stamp an image over and over again and this is what I came up with. I used part of the main label image from the new MFT "Time for the Bubbly" label set for my images in the circles. When I first saw the label - I kept thinking about how cute the little miniature Who's That Girl? image was in the corner - so I decided to just stamp that part of the label onto small circles (of MFT Perfect Paper panels) for this card. (And BTW - how cute would some Who's That Girl? mini images or maybe even inchies be??? **hint, hint Kim** LOL!!!) Anywho - I colored my images in with Copics and even drew a mini hardwood floor on all of them - hee hee...the DP is 1 1/4 in. squares of the 6X6 Chocolate Kiss paper by MFT and the sentiment is from the new label set as well. I finished off the card by accenting the circle with the sentimet with some pink gemstones. This was such a fun card to make and I hope I've given you yet another idea on what you can do with the new label sets by MFT - thanks so much for stopping by!!

What's in Your Jar? **MFT Hop Around the Block"

Hello and welcome to a special edition of the MFT Hop Around the Block - this month we are gonna change the way you gift!! If you haven't come here from Cindy's blog - then hop back over to Kim's blog and start the blog hop from there - I'll see you when you get back!! ;) So how are we changing the way you gift?? Well - MFT is releasing 2 new label stamp sets that are awesome for creating one of a kind handmade gifts!! One is a Teacher set (which I have used in my project) and there is also a Time for the Bubbly label set being released as well. MFT is also releasing some REALLY cool jars that can be used the new label sets - the labels were made to fit perfectly onto these jars!! So what did I fill my jar with?? I made a candy jar for my DS's teachers - but with a twist - the candy inside has been incorporated into a special message for my son's teacher - here is what the inside of the card says...

Dear Mrs. Henderson,
I can’t believe it’s the end of another school year already! I remember how nervous Andrew was about starting first grade – he thought he was going to have (MOUNDS) of homework and was nervous that his new teacher might think he was an (AIRHEAD). When he found out he had you for a teacher – he thought his eyes were playing (TWIX) on him – he was very excited to be getting a fabulous teacher like you!! And it turns out you were a (LIFESAVER) as Andrew has turned into quite the Honor (ROLO) student! I had (STARBURST) in my eyes while reading his progress reports!

So, as our thanks to you, we are going to go to Mr. Land and ask him to give you a big bonus of (100 GRAND) for being such a great teacher! Have an (EXTRA) fun summer and here are a few (HUGS & KISSES) for you to enjoy (NOW AND LATER)!

Love,
Andrew and Candice Lighty

So all of the candy that is in bold in the message I put in the card is included in the jar - how fun, huh?? We had such a fun time picking out all the candy we could include in the note! Here's a close-up of the jar - notice how I put a strip of DP inside the jar - it's a 2 inch wide strip of the new Stephanie Fizer School digi papers that are being released with the label sets as well - I just LOVE how everything works together!! The new digi papers are AWESOME!!! The chalk board is from the new school label set - I stamped my chalkboard on black paper and then embossed it with silver EP - my sentiment on the chalkboard was stamped and embossed with white EP. The books and the ruler images are from the set as well - I colored them with Copics and then cut them out and adhered them to the chalkboard label.
This was such a fun gift to put together and very thrift-y gift-y as well!! We went thru a lot of the candy we had at home to find candy that would work in our message - and with a pak of the jars, paper and label sets being released by MFT - think of all the teacher gifts you could put together quickly as we are fast approaching the end of the year!! I hope you've enjoyed this stop on the hop - you're next stop is the very talented Natalie - I know she has something amazing to share with you!! Enjoy!!

Don't forget to vote for your favorite MFT Idol HERE!!!!

Treat Yourself!! **MFT May Hop Around the Block**

Welcome to a relaxing MFT "Hop Around the Block"!! If you've just happened onto my blog - you may want to go back and start the hop at Kim's blog - I'll be waiting for you when you get back!! ;) Oh la la - wouldn't you LOVE to be hangin' at the day spa with our Who's That Girl?? For this first card - I've used the new "Girls Day In" set along with some of the new GORGEOUS 6X6 Chocolate Kiss paper that is being released as well (I paper pieced the robes with it). I really wanted to showcase the set with this card - there are so many adorable images in this set - each of my panels on the card show one of the images. The pink panels are 2 1/2 in. squares and the MFT Perfect Paper panel squares for my images are 2 1/4 in. squares. For the WTG? images - I had to just stamp part of the full image on my squares and for the other squares - I had to do a bit of masking with the bottles. All images were colored in with Copics - and the white puffy parts on the robe were accented with white Liquid Applique. The sentiment is from the new "Girls Day In" set as well.

And before you go - I've got a card to share with you using the new "Birthday Flopsey" set - he's pretty much just irresistable, isn't he?? LOL!! I stamped my Flopsey on an MFT Perfect Paper panel and let his ear hang off the edge so I didn't cover up too much of my birthday cake background. I colored in Flopsey with Copics. My b-day cake background was just pieced together with various rectangles - I did emboss the "candles" with the Cuttlebug Swirls embossing folder. I used buttons for the candle "flames" (since Kim is releasing some YUMMY Spring and Summer Cup o'Button collections - I thought it would be neat to show some fun uses for buttons ;) ) The striped paper on the bottom of my cake background is from the 6X6 Chocolate Kiss paper line (have I mentioned how GORGEOUS this paper is??) The sentiment is from the new Flopsey set as well.

These 2 new sets - along with "Owls and Bluebelles" and "Snuggle Bunnies" will be released after the MFT Cocktail Party (8-11 PM EST Wednesday night over on SCS). During this release - MFT is also introducing the Chocolate Kiss 6X6 paper, ribbon and crystal adornments - new Spring and Summer Cup O' Buttons and Smooch Paint (I've tried this stuff and it rocks!!). So there is LOTS of new stuff for you to check out!! K - hope you've enjoyed this stop on the hop - it's time to hop on over to Michele's blog - I know she's got some YUMMY eye candy to share with you!!

Night Owls **MFTeaser**

Whooo are these adorable little owls??? They are from the new MFT set being released tomorrow night called "Owls and Bluebells" - what a beautiful image!! I had so much fun creating this night scene with these little guys - I cut my circle first (out of an MFT Perfect Paper panel) - then stamped my owl image over the edge. I added my moon next - I just created a circle stencil using a 1 in. circle punch - then drew it in with a Copic multiliner pen. I masked off my moon and my owl image - then using my Copic airbrush grip and my air compressor - I airbrushed the night sky. The sentiment is from the set as well - it was heat embossed with white embossing powder. I used paper from the 6X6 MFT summer collection and the buttons are from the new MFT Cup o' buttons being released as well. Kim is releasing buttons to match the spring and summer paper lines!! I distresssed the edge of my paper with a Heidi Swapp edge distressor and then did some machine stiching around the edge as well.

MFT is releasing 4 new sets this Wednesday night after the Cocktail Party over on the MFT forum at SCS from 8-10 PM EST - hope to see you there!! Also - if you want a chance to win the new releases - check out this thread - we've changed our Guest Designer challenge to the One Click Collection contest - you still have time to enter a project - check it out!!

Eenie...Meenie...Mani...Pedi...**MFTeasers**

So are you ready for another amazing MFT release?? There are some ADORABLE sets being released this Wednesday night (May 6th) - including this one that I've used on my cards today - it's the new Who's That Girl? set and the set is called "Girls Day In" - this set is AWESOME - not only do you get TWO Who's That Girl? images - but you get some adorable little bottles you can customize as well as those trademark perfect sentiments!! If you got the VIP newsletter last week - then you've seen my cards - but I thought it would be nice to post them here so I can list supplies and such. ;) The first card I made with the manicure image from the set - if you look closely - you'll notice that I've flocked her robe with white flock - 'cause we all know how soft and fuzzy those robes are at the day spas - hee hee... The nail polish bottles are from the set as well - I colored them to match the GORGEOUS new Chocolate Kiss 6X6 paper being released this Wednesday as well - and let me tell ya - this paper is perfect for this set!! I finished off with some of the matching Chocolate Kiss ribbon from MFT.

Here is another card made with the new set - this time I used those little customizable bottles that come in the set - I also used the awning from "Meet Me at the Cafe" set and the table from the "Window Shopping" to create my window scene - I did a bit of masking and after I stamped my titles on the bottle - I drew a box around them to make them look like labels on the bottles. On the bath salts bottle - I also added some dots with my Copic mulitliner pen to make it look like there are salts in it. The DP is the new Chocolate Kiss paper and the ribbon is from the Chocolate Kiss collection as well. I didn't have any brown brads to match my paper - so I cheated a bit - I just colored them with a Copics ;) - they dry fairly quickly and it's a great way to customize those plain old silver brads to match your paper.

MFT is releasing 4 new sets this Wednesday night after the Cocktail Party over on the MFT forum at SCS from 9-10 PM EST - hope to see you there!! Also - if you want a chance to win the new releases - check out this thread - we've changed our Guest Designer challenge to the One Click Collection contest - you still have time to enter a project - check it out!!

Flopsey's so sorry!!

Happy Celebrate MFT Day!! It is the 20th of the month and you know what that means - ink up your favorite MFT stamps and Celebrate MFT with us!! Joanne has posted a Flopsey challenge here - I chose to ink up "Flopsey's Flowers" for my card today - isn't he sweet?? And he does look awfully sorry - doesn't he?? Hee hee...not sure what Flopsey did - but how could you resist that sweet face?? I actually cut out some extra flowers and popped them up with pop dots - I wanted to add some extra flowers to Flopsey's bouquet and make it look like he's peeking over his flowers. There's even a little blush on his cheeks. ;) The flowers were punched and I used eyelets for the centers. The patterned paper is from the DCWV Pocketful of Posies stack. I hope you'll join us for Celebrate MFT day - and don't forget about this week's MFT Idol challenge going on - there is still time to play in the judges' challenge and starting Tuesday at 10 PM EST - voting will open up to vote for your fave from the Top 6!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!

OMG, TTYL, LOL and all that text talk!! **MFT MID-MONTH HOP AROUND THE BLOCK**

Hello and welcome to the mid-April installment of the MFT Hop Around the Block!! If you haven't hopped over here from Jody's blog - then start back over on Kim's blog and hop from there - I'll "c u" when you get back!! LOL!! MFT is releasing 2 FABULOUS new sets today - I teased you with the new MFT Presents "What a Girl Wants" (by new illustrator Amanda Baird) on Monday and today I've got a card using the second set being released today - a new BC Dzyns set called "Text Ya Later" and how appropriate, huh?? I think I am the last person on Earth to finally learn to text from my phone (I sent my first text a few weeks ago - hee hee...) - my teenage niece finally got me into it and now she texts me all the time - LOL!! The main image on my card is the new BC Dzyns girl - I stamped her on the WONDERFUL recently released MFT Perfect Paper panels (Copics blend AMAZING on this stuff!!!!) and colored her in with Copics (and if you are interested - today's HTDT? tutorial in on coloring skin tones with Copics - you can view my new tutorial here). I pieced the big cell phone together - started with a red rectangle cardstock base - then added a gray panel for the "screen' and some small rectangles for the buttons on the phone - I used Doodlebug mini-rub ons for the numbers on the phone. The sentiment on the phone as well as the one on the corner of the card are both from this new set - I'm telling ya - it's PERFECT for those teenagers in your life!!! The patterned paper is from the DCWV Grade School stack.

If you haven't voted yet for your favorite (or favorites) in the MFT Idol Judges contest this week - be sure you do that today as well - you can view all their AMAZING projects and vote here. Also - there is the What's Up Wednesday challenge to play in as well over on the MFT forum at SCS - SO much MFT fun going on today!!

So are you ready to hop along??? Your next stop on the hop is the AMAZINGLY talented Jessie - I know she has some supah sweet eye candy to share with you!!! Thanks for stopping by!!

Breakfast at Tiffany's **MFTeaser!!**

I'm back!!!! First of all - I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Easter!! Sorry for the long absence - boy - I really thought I was gonna get SO much stamping time over Spring Break and I got NADA!! LOL!! We just ended up doing a lot over Spring Break - we had a blast - spent some time at museums, got their dentist appts. in - that sort of thing - oh - and my little man turned 4 on Friday!!!! WOW - how time flies, huh?? So anywho - I'm back and stamping again and I have some REALLY fun MFT stuff to share with you this week - Kim is releasing 2 new sets this coming Wednesday - April 15th - and they are soooooooooo awesome!! The first set I am gonna tease you with today is a new set from the MFT Presents line by a new illustrator Amanda Baird (who happens to be the niece of our very own fearless DT leader Carole) - the set is called "What a Girl Wants" - isn't this image just FABULOUS!!!??? I'm not kidding - I literally squealed when I saw it! I knew this image reminded me of something - but I couldn't quite put my finger on it - and then Kim hit the nail on the head - doesn't she totally remind you of Holly Golightly staring longingly in the window at Tiffany's?? I was obsessed with Audrey Hepburn movies when I was a teenager - my mom had bought me a set of them for Christmas - and I would watch "Breakfast at Tiffany's" over and over again (I was a sucker for "Roman Holiday" too). Anywho - so this is my tribute to one of my all-time fave actresses and movies - I even added a little Tiffany blue and that signature white ribbon to the background. I did embellish the image a bit - I drew in the sidewalk and the bricks with my Copic Multiliner pen and a ruler and added a hint of Stickles to her tiara and some liquid pearls to well - to her pearls - LOL! This set will be released on Wednesday and as always - stop by Kim's blog a midnight for the start of another amazing MFT blog hop for more teasers of these new sets!!

Also - there is a very special MFT Idol competetion going on this week for the MFT Idol JUDGES (i.e. all those who are not the Top 10 contestants - we're giving the Top 6 contestants a much needed week off) - check out this thread for details - you could be in the running to win an MFT VIP package which always includes an unreleased set!!! All you have to do is show off your skills with those MFT stamps! ;) I hope you'll pop on over and play - you have until tomorrow at 10 PM to post your project - so there's still plenty of time to come up with something fabulous!!

Cuddle Up with Carter

Happy Thursday!! So did you just LOVE all the new releases from MFT?? I know I have had a blast with them - I just love that Kim is giving us a couple of really awesome boy sets this month - I definitely think there has been a lack of boyish stuff in the papercrafting industry - so I'm loving this new trend of boy themed products!! I'm almost thru my first stack of the DCWV All About Boys stack - LOL - I'm gonna need to go pick me up another one of those - hee hee...anywho - I wanted to share my card I made with the new MFT Presents "Cuddle Up Carter" set released yesterday. This was a card I did for yesterday's sketch challenge - you can view the sketch here. I was so tempted to flip the sketch to make Carter fit on the image panel a bit better - but I loved that angled panel on the horizontal card I decided to challenge myself to make it work and this is what I came up with. I made a little scene with this new set - I stamped Carter first - masked his blanket and stamped the train from the set behind him - then I stamped his little frog beside him. Once I had my images stamped - I drew in my wood floor with a Copic multiliner pen and a ruler - I actually did a HTDT? tutorial last December on how to do these - you can check it out here if you are interested. I colored in my image with Copics and paper pieced his blanket with paper from the DCWV All About Boys stack. Once I had everything colored - I used my Scor-Pal to score the lines on the wall for the "paneling" - that was a fun little extra I added that really brings this scene to life I think. The sentiment is from the new Cuddle Up Carter set as well. Do you want to know the very best thing about this set though??? Well - for the first 6 months after it's release - $2 from every Cuddle Up Carter set purchased will be donated to a non-profit organization called Europeds (www.europeds.org) - an organization dedicated to helping children with cerebal palsy. The set was made with our very own Carole's super adorable and special DS Carter in mind - he has mild to moderate cerebal palsy and Carole has shared their amazing story with us all and how this organization has helped her precious little Carter. I love knowing the backstories to these sets - it really makes the just extra extra special - so I hope you'll pop on over to the MFT site and pick up you Cuddle Up Carter set - not only do you get an uber-adorable set - but you'll be helping some pretty special kiddos as well!! Thanks so much for stopping by - I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and if you're looking for a little extra MFT fun this coming week - pop in and check out the new MFT Idol Challenge here!!

The BOYS are back in town!! **MFT BLOG HOP**

Oh yeah - this month at MFT - the BOYS are back in town!! LOL!! If you've just happened upon my blog and want to start at the beginning of this month's MFT Hop Around the Block - then hop back over to Kim's blog and start from there - I'll see you when you get back!! ;) What an exciting month of releases!! Most of you know that I have 2 little boys - so I just LOVE seeing all these new boys sets and papers and everything coming out - I was SUPER excited when I pulled out the new "Ben Paper Dolls" set by Stephanie Fizer for the MFT Presents line - what a FUN FUN FUN set and a perfect companion for the previously released Isabelle Paper Dolls set. For this first card - I dressed Ben in his Super Hero costume (I stamped the outfit first - then masked it and stamped Ben on the outfit). I also did some masking to put the city scene from the previously released MFT "Going Places" set behind him. The little super dog is from the Ben Paper Dolls set too - isn't he adorable!? I colored my scene with Copics. The "pow" are die cut letters - I dusted off my very favorite Sizzlits "Big Top" alphabet for the letters. The sentiment is from the MFT Sassy Sayings set and the paper is from the DCWV All About Boys stack. I've got one more card I made with Ben for you before you go hopping along your way...
For this card - I dressed Ben up in his spaceman oufit - I masked him - stamped the alien twice behind him (this image is also included in the new set) and I drew the planet underneath them. The entire image was colored in with Copics and I did the stars with a white gel pen. The paper on this one is also from the DCWV All About Boys stack and the sentiment from the MFT Sassy Sayings set. The stars are die cuts and the brads are from JoAnn's. Thanks so much for stopping by - and don't forget...

My Favorite Things (http://www.mftstamps.com/) is having a New Release Cocktail Party on Wednesday, April 1st from 9-10 PM EASTERN. This month there are 4 new sets being released - one of which is a special charity set - $2.00 from every "Cuddle Up Carter" set sold over the next 6 months going to benefit kids with Cerebral Palsy via the non-profit Euro-Peds clinic (http://www.europeds.org/) in Pontiac, Michigan!! Head over to the MFT forum HERE to find out all the details and to find out how YOU can be the next MFT Guest Designer. We hope to see you there on Wednesday night!!

OK - your next stop on the hop is the fabulous-ly talented ANA'S BLOG - I know she has some beautiful eye candy to share with you!!

AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE FOR YOU FAVORITE MFT IDOL!!!!!!!!!!!!