And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, and to love kindness and mercy, and to humble yourself and walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

Monday, December 19, 2011

Comforting Thoughts

Good morning, friends!  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. With only a week left until Christmas, I thought I'd deviate from the festivities for a while and bring you some comforting thoughts and a technique I have not used in a while.


Creative Nugget:  Some of the most comforting words come from Psalms 23, so I grabbed two wonderful Sweet 'n Sassy clear stamp sets, "Psalms 23" (I'm not seeing this one in the store right now) and "Wildflowers."  I began by stamping Psalm 23 with Tuxedo Black ink on a piece of Select White card stock and cut it out using a Spellbinders label die.  The wildflowers were then stamped with VersaMark ink and clear embossed. Peeled Paint, Tattered Rose, and Weathered Wood distress inks were then sponged over the wildflowers while the panel was still in the die.  The ink was then removed from the embossing by rubbing over the whole panel with a paper towel. This was layered onto a black panel embossed with the Square Lattice EF.  Other layers of white, black, and Basic Grey DP were added and mounted on a Select White card base.  Black gingham, a little get well tag, and black pearls embellish the card.  

As we franticly finish our Christmas preparations this week, let us ponder the wonderful words of this psalm, remember what the season is really all about, and take comfort!

Thanks so much for visiting today!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Card Recipe
Stamps: Psalm 23, Wildflowers (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps), Mixed Messages (PTI)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Peeled Paint, Tattered Rose, Weathered Wood Distress Inks (Ranger)
Paper: Select White, True Black (PTI), Sweet Threads DP (Basic Grey)
Accessories: Labels Seventeen Die (Spellbinders), Square Lattice EF (SU!), Black Gingham Ribbon (PTI), 1/2" Circle Punch, Kaiser Pearls

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Jesus is Born

Welcome back, friends!  Here it is Saturday again and time for another sketch at The Sweet Stop!  Since this is the third week of the month, the spin was to use chipboard on our cards.  


Creative Nugget:  Only eight more days until Christmas so I decided to focus my sample this week on the reason for the season.  I found an adorable Mo Manning image that was just perfect for honoring the birth of our Savior!




The "In the Manger" image was colored with copic markers.  A little shimmer was added to the wings of the angel with a jelly roll pen.  This was layered onto a second panel stamped with an Our Daily Bread Designs stamp called "He Shall Be Called." This was layered onto some Bo Bunny DP, Soft Stone card stock, and a Night Sky Shimmer card base.  A sentiment banner from the "O Christmas Tree" clear stamp set by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps was added.  The chipboard star was colored with a jelly roll pen and covered with Glossy Accents and clear micro beads.  A silver edged organdy bow and colored rhinestone finish the card.  With all the shine on this card it also qualifies for the Dulce Stamps and Cards Thursday challenge for this week.


Here is a closer look so you can see the shimmer of the Night Sky Shimmer card stock, the jelly roll pen on the angel's wings, and the micro beads on the chipboard star.




Check in with the other Sugar Babies for more fabulous inspiration for this week's sketch!  Then create your own card using chipboard and upload it using the linky tool at The Sweet Stop for a chance to win a free stamp set!


Sugar Babies


Thanks for stopping by!  This will be the last sketch challenge at The Sweet Stop for 2011.  The Sugar Babies are taking the next two weeks to enjoy Christmas and New Year's Eve with our families and friends. We'll be back in January with many more wonderful sketches to inspire you!  Have a great weekend:) 


Hugs,
Cathymac  


Card Recipe:
Stamps: In the Manger Digi (Mo Manning), He Shall Be Called (ODBD), O Christmas Tree (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)  
Ink: Faded Jeans Distress Ink (Ranger)
Paper: Night Sky Shimmer, Soft Stone (PTI),  Neenah Solar White (SNSS), Midnight Frost DP (Bo Bunny) 
Accessories: Rectangle and Scallop Rectangle Nesties  (Spellbinders), Chipboard Star (SU!), Ribbon  (PTI), Kaiser Rhinestone, Jelly Roll Pen (Sakura), Copic Markers B91, B93, B95, B97, B99, Y11, Y13, Y21, Y23, Y26, R20, E00, E21, E35, E37, E40, E41, E57, E59, E97, E99, W00, W2
          
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Thursday, December 15, 2011

Crazy 4 Cocoa Blog Hop




Welcome to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Crazy 4 Cocoa blog hop!  We all adore Cocoa and thought it would be fun to showcase him all month long. Today, as part of the fun, the Sweet 'n Sassy Design Divas have joined together with a few of the talented Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Challenge ladies to bring a great Cocoa Mouse Blog Hop to you! Make sure you've got your warm drink and some chocolate...let's get ready to hop! 




Creative Nugget: Here's what I created for the hop today!  "Cocoa's Gift" clear stamp set was used for both the card and the gable box.  



The layout for the card was taken from yesterday's sketch challenge over at SCS.  Cocoa was colored with copic markers and his gift box was paper pieced with "12 Days of Christmas" DP by My Mind's Eye.  All the panels were mounted on Ivory card stock embossed with the square lattice folder and a Garden Green card front.  The little tag was made with a circle punch. Twine and pearls were colored with copic markers to match.  







I wanted a matching gift box for my niece's Christmas gift so I reached for an old SU! gable box from my stash.  The whole gable box was sponged with Antique Linen Distress Ink to tone down the white of the box.  Cocoa was colored and paper pieced the same way, but the layout and colors were changed slightly from the card. I left room on the tag to put my niece's name.







The wonderful thing about this stamp set is that it is perfect for almost any occasion!  Hope you've enjoyed these projects as much as I enjoyed making them...It's always fun to use Cocoa to send some sweetness to someone special!


Now head on over to Makiko Jones for another fun project featuring Cocoa!

If you get lost or if you need to start at the beginning of the hop, here is the whole list of design team members hopping along today:

Cathy McCauley  ~ You Are Here


But wait...there's MORE!!!  We want YOU to hop along with us!  All you have to do is make a card or project featuring Cocoa Mouse and add your direct link to our linky tool below.  One participant (drawn at random) will win their choice of ONE free Cocoa Mouse clear stamp set or FOUR free Cocoa Mouse digis!  You have until Saturday, December 17 at 11:30 PM EST to add your direct link...go get stamping!

Don't forget, during the month of December we really are Crazy 4 Cocoa. The entire line of Cocoa Mouse clear stamp sets and digi images are 10% off!

Thanks for stopping by!


Hugs,
Cathymac



Card Recipe
Stamps: Cocoa's Gift (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger)
Paper:  Ivory Neenah, Garden Green (SU!), 12 Days of Christmas (My Mind's Eye)
Accessories:  Rectangle Nesties (Spellbinders), Square Lattice EF (SU!), Circle Punch, Kaiser Pearls, Twine, Sharpie Poster-Paint Pen, Copic Markers C0, C1, C3, C5, R00, R20, R22, R24, R27, R81, E50, E51

Gable Box Recipe
Stamps: Cocoa's Gift (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Antique Linen Distress Ink (Ranger)
Paper:  Ivory Neenah, Garden Green (SU!), 12 Days of Christmas (My Mind's Eye)
Accessories:  Rectangle Nesties (Spellbinders), Gable Box, Square Lattice EF, Oval Punches, Tag Punches (SU!), Baker's Twine (SNSS), Button (PTI), Kaiser Pearls, Twine, Sharpie Poster-Paint Pen, Copic Markers C0, C1, C3, C5, R00, R20, R22, R24, R27, R81, E50, E51

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Saturday, December 10, 2011

Celebrating Cocoa

Happy Saturday, everyone!  How are you doing with all your Christmas preparations?  Only 15 more days!  In all the hustle and bustle of the season, don't forget the real reason for Christmas.  "Seasons Greetings" and "Happy Holidays" are nice greetings, but they take Christ out of Christmas.  That's one of the reasons I love Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps...they are a Christ honoring company that's not afraid to use the word "Christmas!"


This month Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is celebrating that adorable little mouse, Cocoa, as well as the birth of our Savior.  Next Thursday, December 15th, we'd like to invite you to join a
"Crazy 4 Cocoa Blog Hop."  
The design teams will have some fabulous eye candy for you, PLUS...you will have an opportunity to link up your Cocoa creations and be eligible for some wonderful prizes!  So grab your Cocoa images and plan to join us next Thursday!


So for my Sweet Stop sample this week, I've used none other than COCOA!


Creative Nugget:  I can't tell you how many times I was interrupted while making this card, but it's finally finished and the festive look will be perfect for one of my nephews!  This Cocoa image is from a set called "Cocoa's Christmas."  The image was colored with my trusty copic markers and glammed up with some gems, Glossy Accents, and a Jelly Roll pen.  The festive designer paper is from Holly Jolly Christmas by Echo Park.  The Martha Stewart border punch mimics the loops in the DP.  Some Baker's Twine and a button complete the card.


Take a look at the other wonderful samples by the Sugar Babies!  Then grab some stamps and get inky...maybe even a Cocoa image, and join us this week at The Sweet Stop!  


The Sugar Babies


Thanks for stopping by...have a fabulous weekend! 


Hugs,
Cathymac


Card Recipe  
Stamps: Cocoa's Christmas (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps)  
Ink: Rich Cocoa (Memento)
Paper: Select White, Dark Chocolate (PTI), Holly Jolly Christmas (Echo Park)
Accessories: Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Glossy Accents (Ranger), Jelly Roll Pen (Sakura), Gold Spica Glitter Pen, Rhinestones, Button (PTI), Baker's Twine (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps), Copic Markers E42, E43, E44, E47, E49,R00, R11, R20, R27, RV25, YR04, YR07, BG0000, BG000, BG45, BG49, YG17, YG41, YG67, W00, W2
                                                   

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Christmas Blessings

Hello friends!  Happy Saturday!  Now that December is here, the crunch to get ready for Christmas is on, and I have so many more Christmas cards yet to make...yikes!  Being short on time, I looked for an easy sample to make for this week's Sweet Stop Sketch.  I found this already colored Tilda on my desk and went from there.


Creative Nugget:  Since Tilda was already colored with copics, all I had to do was add a little twine to the candy cane and build my card base using the sketch.  The base of the card is Pure Linen Card stock.  Layered onto that is True Black and some lovely papers by My Mind's Eye.  I loved the text in the background and the sparkly red stripes that matched the sparkle on Tilda.  It's hard to see in the photo, but this card really shimmers!  The sentiment is from a wonderful sentiment set by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps called "Christmas Tags." Black hemp found in my stash and jute button twine were tied in a bow around the front of the card.  Some how ribbon just didn't seem to fit the style of the card.  That said, this card went together rather easily...hope you like it!

Now don't forget to check out the other samples by the talented Sugar Babies Team!  I don't know about you, but I think the talent on this design team is amazing!  The samples just keep getting better and better!

The Sugar Babies

Thanks for stopping by...Have a fabulous weekend!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Card Recipe
Stamps: Candy Cane Tilda (Magnolia), Christmas Tags (SNSS)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Vintage Photo Distress Ink (Ranger)
Paper:  Pure Linen, True Black (PTI), Lost & Found Christmas (My Mind's Eye)
Accessories: Scallop Border Punch (Fiskars), Labels Twenty-Three, Nested Pennants, and Rectangle Nestie (Spellbinders), Diamond Stickles, Glossy Accents (Ranger), Hemp, Jute button Twine (PTI), Copic Markers
                                                                                                                                   
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Friday, December 2, 2011

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Joins the Technique Junkie Newsletter

Happy Friday to you all!  Welcome to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and Technique Junkie Newsletter joint Blog Hop!  The Technique Junkie Newsletter is excited to showcase their new 3D and Fun Folds CD!  Can I just say that SNSS are a perfect match for these wonderful 3D projects and fun folds as you will see as you hop along with us today!

The Technique Junkie Newsletter has been publishing rubber stamping technique tutorials since 2002.  The 3D and Fun Folds CD contains 70 step-by-step technique tutorials in pdf format...perfect dimensions, perfect directions, and great pictures for every step.  Visit www.techniquejunkies.com for more details about the CD and the Technique Junkie Newsletter.

A fantastic group of design team members from both Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and the Technique Junkie Newsletter, have helped put together this fabulous Blog Hop to kick off the 3D and Fun folds CD.

This is actually the fifth Blog Hop this week showcasing these wonderful techniques!  The Blog Hop happenings began on Monday with opportunities to win many prizes from some of the wonderful advertising companies!  If you're just discovering the Blog Hops today, I hope you'll take the time to go back and visit each blog for every day to see some amazing projects!  You have until 11:59pm EST December 2nd to leave comments on as many blogs as you can to win the grand prize!

Monday ~ Joint Blog Hop with Classy Cards 'n Such


Tuesday ~ Joint Blog Hop with Rogue Redhead Designs


Wednesday ~ Joint Blog Hop with The Paper Temptress


Thursday ~ Joint Blog Hop with Mark's Finest Papers 
a Heinrich Company


Friday ~ Joint Blog Hop with Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

On Saturday, December 3, Pat, from Technique Junkie Newsletter, will announce the winner from each company.  Be sure to hop along on each day!  There will be FIVE WINNERS!  On Monday, December 5th, Pat will announce ONE LUCKY WINNER with a GRAND PRIZE with a bundle of prizes from all the participating businesses.

If you have been following along already you should have come from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog.  If you are only starting here, please head back to the Technique Junkie Blog and go from there.  You won't want to miss any stops along the way.  In order to win, you will need to comment on everyone's blog AND Pat Huntoon's Blog.  There will be an additional chance to win by playing along in her Blog Hop!

Here are my two projects I created for the HOP!  The first one is a "Pleated Front Card."




Creative Nugget:  I began with a craft card base and stamped the snowflakes and swirls from the "Snowflake Flourish" clear stamp set with Fresh Snow ink.  The card front was then scored and pleated.  Each edge was sponged with Fresh Snow ink and pierced.  The "Winter Friends" digi was sized to fit the front of the card and colored with copic markers.  Polar White Flower Soft, Diamond Stickles, a snowflake die, and several small gems add sparkle and texture to finish the card.




Here is what the inside of the card looks like.  This was a unique and fun fold to work with and is one of the techniques included in the new 3D and Fun Folds CD!








For my next project I used the "Goodie Box Tutorial."




Creative Nugget:  This is what the front of the box looks like.  A border punch was used for the edges.  The die cut candle image is from the beautiful "Christmas Light" clear stamp set and was colored with copic markers.  Graphic 45 DP was used to decorate the front panel.  Some Glossy Accents was used on the berries and the candle drips.






Here is another view of the "Goodie Box" so you can see the dimensions of the box better.  






I decided to fill my "Goodie Box" with little tea light candles since it fit the theme of my card.  When you open the box...




you will see a little pocket with a message tag on the left and a package of tea light candles on the right.  The wonderful thing about this fun fold is that it can be adapted to fit any occasion and makes such a lovely gift!




Your next stop on the hop is Jackie Kalchert, but just in case there are any hiccups, here is the whole list of celebrants on this Blog Hop!


Thanks for stopping by today...enjoy hopping!!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Pleated Front Card Recipe
Stamps: Snowflake Flourish, Winter Friends Digi (SNSS)
Ink: Fresh Snow (PTI)
Paper: Craft, Select White, Enchanted Evening (PTI), Cryogen White
Accessories: Labels Twenty, Oval Nestie (Spellbinders), Piercing Tool, Personal Trimmer and Scoring Tool (Fiskars), Canvas Impression Plate (PTI), Copic Markers E41, E43, E44, Y17, YR12, YR16, B93, B97, B99, BG0000, BG000R32, R46, R59, R89, 0 Colorless Blender


Goodie Box Recipe
Stamps: Christmas Light (SNSS)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento), Vintage Photo Distress Ink (Ranger)
Paper:  Cherry Cobbler (SU!), True Black, Pure Linen (PTI), Graphic 45 DP
Accessories: Candle Die (SNSS), Border Punch (EK Success), Oval and Scallop Oval Nesties (Spellbinders), True Black Satin Ribbon, Canvas Impression Plate (PTI), Glossy Accents (Ranger), Copic Markers W3, W5, W7, W9, E31, E81, E97, YR30, Y13, Y17, YG21, YG63, YG67, R22, R29, R89


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