My top 10 favorites of 2010

I have seen some of the blogs that I enjoy listing some of their favorite cards from 2010 and I thought it was a good idea so I decided to try it too. It is a good way to reflect back on the year and see if your style has changed and how you have improved in your papercrafting. It is also good for me as I am pretty sick and my head and throat hurt too much to try and be creative :) So without further adieu my favorite picks from 2010....

This was a birthday card for my youngest daughter- lots of sparkly goodness and she loved it!



I like the softness of this card and besides it was made with the first stamp set I illustrated.



The first time I used these gorgeous Wild Orchid roses.



Love the colors and how the ribbon/lace came out, and that smiley snowman face :)



Love this rose image and the coloring came out pretty well. It was also my first attempt at doing vintage- not bad.



This was my first Magnolia card- then I was hooked lol



Oh how I love this pup- plus it could be for either gender.



My first easel card- love doing them now.



Love the dp and of course Cocoa is one of my all time favorite images!



Again, the cute pup! Loved this BG Jovial paper and first time I did "freestyle" stitching- kinda cool.



Thanks for looking! I hope you have enjoyed my little year in review.

Watercolored Gladiola

ETA: A huge thanks to the Allsorts Challenge DT for selecting this card in their top 5!

I took a break from my copics and decided to watercolor my image with ink pads and an aquapainter. The beautiful gladiola is one of the birth month flowers from Sweet N Sassy stamps. The image was stamped with versafine onyx and watercolored with soft sky, blue bayou, and olive ink pads from SU. I accented the flowers with crystal stickles.

here is a close up of the flower



Supplies:
stamps- August Gladiola from Sweet N Sassy stamps
paper- blue bayou, blue bayou dp, SU watercolor paper, paper temptress cryogen white, soft sky
accessories- crystal stickles, pearls, ek success border punch, ivory satin ribbon, aquapainter, sewing machine, polka dots cuttlebug embossing folder

I am submitting my card for the following challenges:

All Sorts- Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp- Anything Goes

Well LOTS of stuff to do today so I'm off. Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a great day!

Snowflake Bear for Mom

Taking a slight break from Christmas cards to make a birthday card for my mom. This sweet little guy is a brand new digi released from Sweet N Sassy stamps called Snowflake Bear. He is colored with copics and stickles were added to the ground, scarf, and snowflakes.

Here is a closer look


Supplies:
stamps- Sweet N Sassy stamps Snowflake Bear digi
paper- Whimsy dp, celery, pretty in pink, neenah white
accessories- rhinestones, satin and taffeta ribbon, crystal stickles, stardust stickles, frosted lace stickles, sewing machine, oval nesties, white gel pen
copics- bear (E41, E42, E43), scarf (RV11, RV32, G20, G21, G24), ground (W1, W00), background BG0000

Challenges that I am submitting my card for:

copic creations- Sparkle
ABC Challenge- gems or jewels (rhinestones)
Fussy and Fancy- Snow
Sew Many Challenges- Winter

Have a wonderful day!

I Woof You a Merry Christmas

This sweet dog from Sweet N Sassy stamps Woof You set was colored with copics. I colored him to look like a golden retriever just like my dog Lexi :). I added liquid applique to the fur trim of the Santa hat which is a brand new digi that can be used with just about any of your favorite images to make them more festive. The scarf and hat were accented with a spica glitter pen and the nose has crystal effects on it to make it look wet and shiny. This little cutie is also available as a digi called Puppy Love.



I stamped this sentiment from DRS Designs on the inside of the card to finish it off.



Supplies:
stamps: Sweet N Sassy stamps Woof You, DRS Designs sentiment
paper- Neenah white, Basic Grey Jovial dp, kraft
copics- hat,scarf (R24, 27, 29, 59, 89) dog (E40, 41, 42, 43, YR21) nose(E74,77)
accessories- pearls, poinsettias from Michaels, spica glitter pen, liquid applique, ribbon from Hobby Lobby, oval nesties

Challenges I am submitting my card for:
Simon Says Stamp- sketch
A Spoonfull of Sugar- Christmas card
Simon Says Stamp and Show- Holiday Greeting
Stamp Something- Christmas
Copic Creations- light source (mine is top center)
Sundays with Crissy- Christmas is Coming

I hope you like my card today. As always, I appreciate your stopping by and hope that you have a wonderful day!

A Merry Little Christmas

I am still scrambling to get Christmas cards made so I need to make some CAS in order to finish them. I think today's cutie fits the bill



The snowflakes were embossed with iridescent ice ep and baja breeze ink was sponged over the top. I added stickles to the center of the snowflakes and the edges of the torn paper snow.


Supplies:
stamps- Welcome Jesus stamp set OR digi Smiley Snowman, sentiment from Santa's Helper Cocoa- all from Sweet N Sassy stamps. Snowflake from an older SU set.
paper- blanc sparkle, red columns both from Paper Temptress
accessories- copics (R24, 27, 29, 59, 89, 00, 20, N0, 02), rhinestones, stickles, iridescent ice, gingham ribbon)

December Poinsettia

Hello everyone! I hope that you had a blessed Thanksgiving for those of you here in the US. Today is one of those days you just want to stay in the warm and cozy house. We had our first snow of the season here in Buffalo. We did not get too much at my house- perhaps 1.5" to 2" but it is VERY windy out and that makes it bitter cold. I have some blog candy coming for you all. I have to still finish putting it together and take a photo but hopefully by Monday it will be done. In the meantime, I have a card to show you using one of Sweet N Sassy stamps new birth month flowers- December poinsettia.



This flower is the last in the beautiful series illustrated by Leah Cornelius. It is available both in clear stamp form which includes the image and 6 sentiments and as a digi. I used the digi for my card today.



Supplies:
stamps- December poinsettia digi
paper- CTMH mistletoe dp, Neenah white
accessories- copics, white gel pen, pearls, taffeta type ribbon from Hobby Lobby, large scalloped oval nesties, white lace, Marvy corner scallop punch

This is a perfect time to pick up this beautiful image as well as the rest of the wonderful images at Sweet N Sassy stamps. There is a fantastic sale running till the end of the month. ALL clear stamps and digis are 20% off!!!

Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Autumn tree birthday

I needed to make a birthday card for a friend of mine and wanted to go with a fall theme since their birthday is in the fall. I really love the tree image from Sweet N Sassy stamps Forest Silhouettes set. I love making winter scenes with it but this time I thought I would try to make it into a fall tree. To my delight it worked! Take a look



I stamped the image with memento rich cocoa and then used my copics to make dots for the "leaves". I sponged olive ink for the grass and sky ink around the image while still in the nesties.

Here is a close up and you can see the sparkle in the cryogen white paper



Supplies:
stamps- Sweet N Sassy stamps Forest Silhouettes
paper- Paper Temptress cryogen white, basic grey mellow dp
accessories- Spellbinders fancy tags, oval and labels nesties, copics (YR23, YR14, R24, YG93), green twill, pearls, cuttlebug vintage dies, paper piercer, sewing machine

Thanks for visiting. I hope you will stop back soon as I will have some nice blog candy for you in celebration of my birthday!

And the winner is...

I just realized that I never posted my winner from the birthday blog hop here on my blog. I gave my winner's name to Korin but I actually never let you guys know- how rude of me :) So, without further adieu, the winner of my Snowflake Silhouettes stamp set picked by random.org is comment #40 which is

LAVONNE

Congratulations Lavonne, please email me at janette.olen@me.com with your shipping information so Korin can mail your stamp set out to you.

Sweet n Sassy stamps Birthday blog hop

Thanks for hopping along with the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Birthday Blog Hop today! I am the first blog on the hop today.

We have over 30 amazingly talented ladies participating in today's hop plus a prize at every stop so you really don't want to miss a single blog!



I started out by stamping my 2 snowflake images onto four 4" square pieces of white cardstock. I then adhered them to my 4 inch coasters and trimmed and sanded the edges. I inked the edges of all the sides as well and added stickles as an accent. One of the nice things about making your own pattered paper is that you can customize it with any colors you want. I made this box to coordinate with the card on my last post. There is a wonderful step by step tutorial of how to assemble the box on Splitcoast so I will just give you the box link if you would like to know how to make your own. This was the first time that I have made one! I made it for my friend who runs our bible study group and truthfully I will replace the bath goodies with some chocolate. I just did not get to the store in time to do it.





This was also my first time making a tag and I am not completely happy with it. I need to improve a bit and I would not be surprised later to replace this one lol. I stamped my snowflakes all over the tag (which is hard to see in the pic) then stamped the sentiment (which is included in my set) over the top and finished it off with some punched snowflakes and ribbon.



Supplies:
stamps- Sweet N Sassy stamps Snowflake Silhouettes
paper- Stampin Up whisper white, blue bayou, soft sky
accessories- 4 inch coasters, sissix tag die, stickles, MS snowflake punch, grosgrain ribbon, stitched ribbon, crop a dile, rhinestones

So, what is my prize? It is my brand new Snowflakes Silhouettes set! To win this clear stamp set all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post by Thursday November 11th at 9PM EST, I will draw the winner by random.org and announce the winner on Friday.

Your next stop on the hop is Lorie and she has an adorable Cocoa card to show you! However, if you find yourself getting lost somewhere in the middle I am listing the blogs below for you or you can hop back to the Sweet N Sassy blog as well.


Janette
Lorie
Kim
Janice
Stephanie
Leah
Deb V.
Chupa
Nancy
Claudia
Amber
Kelly
Jeanette
Melissa
Lisa H.
Melanie
Joni
Julie
Ceal
Micki
Chrissy
Debbie S.
Monika
Tricia
Tami
Denise
Jacquie
Roxie
Lynne
Christi
Deb F.
Korin

Snowflake Silhouettes

I am super excited as my Snowflake Silhouettes stamp set is officially released and for sale at Sweet N Sassy stamps! I made a couple more cards with it using this week's Sweet Stop Sketch. Below are my samples and this week's sketch.







I chose to make one vertical and one horizontal for the sketch. This is a great sketch to use if you have some small images like my snowflakes or the images from our Christmas Itty Bitties set work very well also. I of course blinged up my snowflakes and used stickles and silver beads on the first card and rhinestones on the second card. I wanted to get these posted for you sooner but I wanted to make a matching ornament which just did not happen lol. I am sure that many of you can relate.

Supplies:
Stamps- Sweet N Sassy stamps Snowflake Silhouettes
paper- blue bayou, soft sky, pink pirouette, real red, and blanc sparkle from paper temptress on both.
accessories- nesties, ribbon, rhinestones, silver beads, fiskars apron lace punch and snowflake punch, snowflake and swiss dots cuttlebug folders

Before, I go I want to tell you about the awesome sale going on at Sweet N Sassy stamps. We are celebrating our 3rd birthday this month and you receive the newly released Santa's helper Cocoa stamp set FREE with your purchase of 3 stamp sets or if you want to purchase it separately you receive $3 off of it. There are a total of 8 new sets that were just released on Monday! I am off to get mine- what are you waiting for?

Next Tuesday November 9th, we are having a HUGE blog hop in celebration of our birthday. The DT, past DT members, and some friends of SNSS are participating for more than 30 blogs! Of course, there will be TONS of stamps and digis given away so it is something that you will not want to miss. I wonder what stamp set I will be giving away (wink)?

Thanks for stopping by today. I always appreciate your visits and sweet comments.

Sweet Stop Sketch with Christmas Bear

Well, it has been awhile since I have shared a card with you. So, I have my sweet stop sketch to show you today.





Isn't that bear super adorable?? It is a newly released digi stamp from Sweet N Sassy stamps called Christmas Bear. I colored the bear with copics, added stickles to the ribbon, and accented the the hat with a spica glitter pen. I tried my hand at making a dotted background with the copics which my friend Crissy does. I was fairly happy with the outcome for a first try but I look forward to trying it again with even better results. Here is a closer look for you:



Supplies:
digital stamp- Sweet N Sassy stamps Christmas Bear
paper- Neenah white, eskimo kisses from basic grey
accessories- pearls, sanding block, spica glitter pen, stardust stickles, poinsettias
copics- bear- E30, E31, E33, E35, E37; hat- R35, R37, R39, R89; present- RV32, RV11, RV000, ribbon- YG93, YG95; dotted bg- W1, W3, BG0000, BG000, BG01

Challenges that I am submitting my card for:

ABC Challenge- Flowers
Create4Fun- use a digital stamp
Crafty Ann's Challenge- use a digi stamp and your favorite coloring medium (copics)

Now one of the reasons it has been awhile since I posted is because I was down in York, PA helping out at the Sweet N Sassy booth at the Heirloom Stamp Show. It was a blast and I loved every minute of it. One of the cool things is that I was able to see some wonderful people who I knew online but never met in person. Some of the ladies I got to meet were Janice Melton (SCS catcrazy), Denise Marzec (SCS Peanutbee), Wanda Cullen (SCS cullenwr), Jacquie Peifer (SCS javablustamper), Julie Smith (SCS hobbywoman), Teresa Kline (SCS va sunshine), Mary Mahey and of course one of my very best friends in the world Korin Sutherland (SCS sweetnsassystamps). These are just some of the awesome gals I got to meet! They all are just gems let me tell ya!

I am going to leave you with a picture of some of us:



from left to right: Julie Smith, Korin Sutherland, Me, Denise Marzec

I may have some more to share with you but I am hoping some of the girls will get them to me as I did not have my camera with me (gasp lol!)

Have an awesome day all!

Pumpkin Cocoa

Have you seen the new digis that were just released the other day from Sweet N Sassy stamps yet? I think that this digi release is especially fabulous! I love Cocoa and the Cocoa's pumpkin image is one of my new favorites. So the card I have to show you today uses it and the layout is the sweet stop sketch for the week. If you like sketches, you are sure to LOVE this blog. I am a guest sugar baby for the month of October. Below you will find the sketch and my sample.





This is image is so fun to color! I used my copics to do so and I also used vintage photo distress ink to sponge around my colored image so the white did not look so stark with my papers.

Here is a closer look for you:



Supplies:
stamps- digi image Cocoa's Pumpkin from Sweet N Sassy stamps
paper- CTMH abundance dp, new england ivy, autumn terracotta, neenah white from paper temptress
accessories- taffeta type ribbon, artichoke button, linen thread, orange brads, corner rounder punch, circle nesties, distress ink
copics- Pumpkin- YR21, YR12, YR14, YR18, E33 (body of pumpkin)/ E42, E44 (stem)/ YG93, G99 (leaf)
Cocoa- E30, E31, E33, E35, E37/ R0000, R00, R02 (nose and ears)
Shadow under pumpkin- W00, W01, W03

Challenges that I am submitting this card for:
Simon Says Challenge- Autumn
Paper Sundaes- something from your stash (I have had the ctmh dp forever)
Cupcake Inspirations
Stampin for the Weekend- Autumn Inspiration
Copic Creations- Orange


Thanks for stopping in today and have a blessed day!

Some Simple Sweet N Sassy

I am trying to get a jump on my Christmas cards this year. I have a pretty simple card to show you today. The card uses Christmas Itty Bitties.



I stamped the gingerbread image 6 times onto Neenah white. I colored them with copics and then cut 3 of the gingerbread men out and popped them up over the other 3 images. I added 3 rhinestones to each for the buttons. He is such a cutie!

Supplies:
stamps- Sweet N Sassy stamps Christmas Itty Bitties
Paper- ctmh dp, kraft, red, black, neenah white
accessories- MS border punch, rhinestones, copics

I am submitting this card for the following challenges:

A Spoon Full of Sugar- Anything Goes
Creative Inspirations- 2 or more stamped images
Charisma Cardz- Anything Goes

Guess what?? Sweet N Sassy stamps is holding a DT call. Here are the details:

We're looking for some talented stampers to join our design teams: SNSS Design Team and The Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge Design Team.

No previous DT experience required and ANYONE can apply, however you must have a blog, participate regularly at Split Coast Stampers and be willing to use both digital and clear stamps.

To apply please send the following information to korin@sweetnsassystamps.com: your full name, address, phone number, blog address, SCS gallery link, 4 samples of your favorite paper craft creations, any current or previous DT experience and the team(s) for which you are applying.

Our DT term is 3 months with the option to renew for a maximum of 6 consecutive months.
If we feel you are a good fit for our team, you will be notified by phone or email. Due to the number of applications received we cannot reply to each person.

This is an ongoing call so there is no deadline to apply.

Good luck to all of you who decide to apply!

Cocoa's Gift

There are some new Cocoa images in the Sweet N Sassy stamps store. They are so cute! One of my favorites is Cocoa's Gift. It is available as either a digi image or as a clear stamp set. It is great to use for any occasion- birthday, gift for you, Christmas etc. Today I used it as a Christmas image.



I stamped the image twice- once onto Neenah white and once onto patterned paper. I paper pieced the present and colored the image with copics. I distressed the edges with ink.

Supplies:
clear stamps-
Paper- Neenah white from Paper Temptress, Basic Grey Wassail dp
accessories- pearls, copics, oval nesties, felt poinsettias

I am submitting this card for the following challenges:

A Spoon Full of Sugar- Animal Crackers
Simon Says Stamp and Show- Holiday Fun
Fussy and Fancy- Christmas colors

Hope you have a great day!

Sketch Challenge winner

Hi there, just finishing up getting things ready for the first day of school tomorrow. I wanted to pop in and announce the winner of my sketch challenge though. I would like to thank everyone who participated in my challenge. I put all the participants names in a hat and my husband was kind enough to pick our winner. The winner of the Christmas Itty Bitties set is:

Anita

Congratulations!! Please contact Korin at korinstamps@comcast.net to claim your prize

Joyful Christmas

I hope those of my American friends are enjoying the long Labor day holiday weekend. For me, this is the last weekend before the start of school for my daughters so there are lots of last minute preparations to finish in anticipation of school commencing. This is the first year that all of my girls are in school- my youngest is starting kindergarten and my oldest is going to be starting high school. Yikes- I have a freshman in high school???!!! How on earth did that happen lol? I hope that with school starting that it will allow me extra craft time but it already seems that the calendar is filling quickly.

I am very excited as I received an email on Thursday accepting one of my cards for publication in Papercrafts magazine Stamp It cards Spring issue. I have not had time to submit anything in the last 8 months so I am very happy about this news. Anyway, I do have a card to share with you today. I made this about a week or so ago when I visiting my friend Korin (owner of Sweet N Sassy stamps) down in PA. I hope you like it.



I stamped this super cute snowman onto Neenah white and colored with copics. I also stamped just the scarf onto patterned paper and pieced it onto my colored image. It is available both in clear stamps (Welcome Jesus) and as a digital image (Smiley Snowman). I sponged pink ink around the colored image, added rhinestones for buttons, white stickles for snow, and pearls in the corners.

Supplies:
clear stamps- Sweet N Sassy stamps Welcome Jesus set
paper- Neenah white, CTMH Jingle dp
accessories- pearls, pink rhinestones, white cotton lace, circle nesties, frosted lace stickles, copic markers, grosgrain ribbon

I am submitting this card for the following wonderful challenges:

Simon Says stamps- Pearls and Lace
Charisma Cardz- song inspired (Frosty the Snowman)
Paper Sundaes- Christmas in August

Thank you so much for stopping by and don't forget to visit on Monday if participated in my sketch challenge on the previous post to see if you are the winner of the stamp set. Have a blessed day!

Sweet N Sassy stamps blog hop

Hi there! Can you believe it is the first of September??? The summer has really flown by and school starts next week already. Wow, how time flies!

Anyway, Sweet N Sassy stamps is releasing 10 new stamp sets today. They are all fabulous and to celebrate we are having a blog hop featuring them. The set I am featuring today is called Christmas itty bitties. This set is going to be awesome for making CAS cards and is a must-have in my opinion. The set features 6 images and they each measure about 1 1/8 inches or so.

As a bonus today, I have a challenge for you. And what is a challenge without a prize?? The winner of my challenge will receive the Christmas Itty Bitties stamp set- how cool is that?! My challenge for you is a sketch challenge and you will have until Saturday Sept. 4th to play along. Please post a link to your entry by commenting under this post. You do not need to use Sweet N Sassy stamps to be entered into the drawing but I would love to see them if you have them. The winner will be chosen by random.org and will be posted here on my blog on Monday Sept 6. Below is the sketch and my sample.





The large image square can be used for one big image or for several smaller ones which is what I have done. Have fun with it!

Supplies:
stamps- Sweet N Sassy stamps Christmas itty bitties, Christmas Wonder (sentiment)
accessories- gingham ribbon, apron lace border punch, stickles, copics, square nesties

Now, if this was your first stop on the hop then you will want to go back and start at the Sweet N Sassy stamps blog so you don't miss any of the awesome projects that the DT has for you. There may just be a couple of other challenges/prizes offered for you as well. Now if you have already been hopping then your next stop is the incredibly talented and owner extraordinaire Korin. I also have a list of the blog hop participants below in case you missed someone along the way.

SNSS Blog
Ceal Pritchett
Darsie Bruno
Korin Sutherland
Kim Schofield
Leah Cornelius
Lisa Jurecek
Lorie Souther
Nancy Brown
Tricia Traxler
Chris Dickinson

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today. I hope that you will be able to play along with my challenge, I look forward to being inspired by all of YOU! Have a blessed day and happy hopping.

Mojo Monday 150- Contest week

Hi everyone! Can you believe that August has already arrived? Wow, my summer is certainly flying by! We have out of town guests staying with us for the next week and we sure are enjoying our time with them. I was able to sneak in a small pocket of time to make my mojo sample for you all. Below is the sketch and my sample.





I used the Wedding day stamp set from Sweet N Sassy stamps and colored it with copics. I used frosted lace stickles on the bow and pearls in the middle of the flowers.



Supplies:
stamps- Wedding day from Sweet N Sassy stamps
paper- blanc sparkle cardstock from Paper temptress, blush blossom from SU, basic grey capella dp
accessories- pearls, circle nesties, sewing machine, copics, stickles

Challenges that I am entering this card in:
Paper Sundaes-stitching
Dutch Dare- anything goes
Creative Inspirations- anything goes

Well, I am off to take the girls to the pool for their swimming lessons. It is such a beautiful sunny day here so it is perfect for a day at the pool. I hope you have a wonderful day in whatever do today.

Don't forget to stop by the mojo Monday blog for the contest details as 6 Verve sets are up for grabs and that is something you certainly would not want to miss!

mojo Monday 149

Hi there! It has been a couple weeks since I have been able to finish my mojo samples. Both times I had the cards started but something unexpectedly came up and I could not finish it in time. After a very late night, I was able to complete this week's sketch. Below is the sketch and my sample.





This cute party hat Cocoa image from Sweet N Sassy stamps is currently available as a digital image but will be released in August as a clear stamp set. Cocoa was colored with copics and the top of the hat was accented with a clear spica glitter pen. I sponged around ink the image while it was still in the die.



Supplies:
stamps- Sweet N Sassy stamps Birthday Cocoa
Paper- SU dp, doodlebug dp, green galore, Neenah white
accessories- copics, rhinestones, spica glitter pen, square nesties, sewing machine

We would love to have you play along with this week's sketch with us. For some more inspiration and info on this week's sketch please visit the mojo Monday blog.

Hope you have a wonderful day and thank you for visiting my blog today!

Clean and Simple Poppies

Hi everyone! How is your summer going? My girls and I have been busy but enjoying spending time at the pool and at soccer. I won't have as much time for crafting most likely until school starts so I have a fairly simple card to show you today.



I stamped my flowers from the Poppies and Greetings set onto Paper Temptress blanc sparkle. I colored them with copics, added stickles to the centers, and sponged blue ink around the image. I matted my poppies with white and attached to my card base. To accent my pretty poppies I scored a double frame on the base. I finished off by tying a knot at the with satin edged organdy ribbon.



Supplies:
stamps- Sweet N Sassy stamps Poppies and Greetings
paper- Paper Temptress sparkle blanc
accessories- copics, stickles, scor-pal, ribbon

Thank you for stopping by today- many blessings to you!!