Gift Wrapping Some Sneak Peeks

Can you believe that there are only a little over 50 days left until Christmas?  Ahhhh!  But then again, I probably wouldn't have it any other way than to cram everything into the last two months.  I actually probably cram most of it into the last 25 days...I just don't do well with working ahead.  


This little Gift Wrapper (part of the new Color Kids collection at Paper Makeup Stamps) is a Sneak Peek at the upcoming Release from Paper Makeup Stamps!  There are some great stamps in this release...I think I say that every release, but it is true!  


Anyway the Gift Wrapper would be perfect for Christmas, or totally not Christmas like I did here.  I used an old Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #134 for my layout and picked out my colors from the pattern paper I used.


Make sure to check out the other Sneak Peeks for the day and all of the Sneak Peeks leading up to the November 7th Blog Hop at the PMS Blog.  Then join us for a fun Release Party in the PMS Forum on the 7th at 9 pm EST!  I have one more sneak peek for you, so until then, thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

The Engineering Details
Stamps - Gift Wrapper Digi (Paper Makeup Stamps); Paper - Melon Mambo Textured, Pretty in Pink, Garden Green (SU!), Sultry Paper Pad (Basic Grey), watercolor paper; Ink - Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Kiwi Kiss, Blush Blossom (SU!); Accessories - Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Pink Rhinestones (Darice), Hot Pink Satin Ribbon (Offray), Corner Rounder Punch (SU!), dimensionals, aquabrush

Merry Christmas

It was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring...well except for the crazy Momma on the computer! Yup I should totally be going to bed now as I am sure it will be an early morning, but I meant to post this all day...just would feel weird to post Christmas cards after Christmas (knowing that there is no way I am getting any computer time tomorrow as my whole family is coming to my house for Christmas!). So since it is so late I am not going to get the typical details that I normally do.

I have two cards for you. The first is one of my favorites from the November Release from Paper Makeup Stamps. Using the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #134 for my layout, it uses the Dr. Seuss sentiment in Old Olive ink and then paper from the Kraft Christmas collection form Jillibean Soup. This quote brings up the fact that I think I have totally scared my kids off from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. This is a great movie (cartoon or Jim Carrey version), but I will admit I totally forgot how scary the Grinch can be in the Jim Carrey version...and of course I introduced my kids to it first. My son immediately had me turn it off after the first appearance of the Grinch and my daughter did after awhile on another occasion. Then I tried the cartoon version and since I had traumatized them from the other version, they refused to watch much of the cartoon either. Funniest part is my son knows the book and knows what happens, but apparently the Grinch is just too scary! Maybe next year...

My second card is the original version of my Christmas card this year. I think I still like this one the best, but my husband preferred the Santa to be in brown instead of white, so that is what I went for when making 70 of these bad boys! Can you tell I like the Jillibean Soup Christmas Kraft Collection? Yup used it again here. The Santa comes from the Holiday Filigree Stamp set from Inkadinkado. For this card, I used the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #160 turned 90 degrees. And yeah, I made 70 of these...amazingly it was in 4-5 days that I did it too! I forgot to take a picture of the brown santa version (I actually used them all up), so I can't show the difference. The white is cool, but it is hard to see in some lighting.

So now let me leave you with my kids wishing you a very Merry Christmas! I got a new camera so I have been totally torturing them with it! Anyway, God bless you this day and may you an a peaceful (among the chaos sometimes) and wondrous Christmas! Thanks as always for checking out my kind of engineering!

Blinged Out Sneak Peak

Whew...did you all have a great Halloween? Ours was a blast. We realized that this was my daughter's (2 yrs old) first time Trick-or-Treating. She was sick last year so she didn't go out with her brother and the year before she was a baby and obviously didn't do much but look cute. She was hilarious the whole time...so into it and determined to walk (or run) the whole way and to carry her bag herself! It wasn't until it got dark that she started getting scared of going up to the houses...guess once it got dark, everything looked a whole lot scarier because she wouldn't even go up to people that weren't dressed up. You can check out the costumes at the bottom of this post...the feathers may have been a pain in-the-you-know-where (de-feathered two boas and then glued each one on individually!), but they looked great.

Now onto the real reason for the post today...that is right, Paper Makeup Stamps is embarking on another release and today is "Fairy Day"! If you missed the first peek, make sure you check out this POST...by leaving a comment you could win all of the stamps peeked that day! I have the honor of showing you the Celest Fairy. She was previously released in a Makeup Kit, but now is available all by her beautiful self. I used the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #132 for my layout. I stamped the Celest Fairy in Brilliance Graphite Black ink on watercolor paper and colored her with ink pads and an aquabrush. She was cut-out completely...she is not quite a true circle so I was having a hard time using my circle nesties....but you can't tell too much when there is a large border around her (at least that is what I think!).

She was layered over top of a Lacey Circle by Spellbinders and the pattern paper was a Bashful Blue pattern paper from an old Hostess Pack. I blinged out the card with some rhinestone flourishes and some larger rhinetsones around the Lacey Circle. Definitely more bling than I normally use (it is hard to convince myself to use those flourishes...but honestly why I am just buying them and not using them!). The sentiment, which got nicely framed by the rhinestone flourish I might add, is from the Little Moments sentiment set by Paper Makeup Stamps.

Make sure you check out the PMS Blog for all of the peak posts and leave a comment to win the stamps for that day...nothin' better than free stamps! On November 7, we will be having a fun-filled Blog Hop and finish it off with a Release Party at 9 pm in the PMS Forum. So make sure to come on by for some fun! Until then, thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

Oh and here are my kids costumes and our costumes...theirs were definitely much better than ours, but it was fun being trees for our little birdies to perch in! My Mom came up with the design of the costumes and did any sewing needed...I feathered and leafed.

My two Birdies!

The Birdies perched in their "trees"

Showing off her feathers!

The Engineering Details

Stamps - Celest Fairy, Little Moments Sentiments (Paper Makeup Stamps); Paper - Night of Navy, So Saffron, Creamy Caramel, Bashful Blue Pattern Paper (SU!), Ink - Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Creamy Caramel (SU!), Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko); Accessories - Lacey Circles Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Rhinestone Flourishes (Best Occasion), Rhinestone Stickers (Darice), aquabrush, dimensionals

The Multi Challenge Duck

All I can say is seriously?! That was done in my best Grey's Anatomy manner (do they still say that on the show?)...I swear I always said "seriously" before the show came on, but I may have been influenced by it too! Anyway, remember how I got a cold right before my half marathon...well low and behold here I am with another one. Got it before I think I was truly done with the first one. Ugh! Seriously?! Here's hoping I can finally get healthy and stay that way for a little bit!

So since I was under the weather again, I was slacking quite a bit last week. I totally meant to do the Makeup 4 the Weekend Challenge #43 on time, but I missed it! So here I am trying to makeup for it. So attempting to use the M4TW Challenge #34 as my inspiration and the latest Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #129, I created this adorable card with Bubbles the Duck by Paper Makeup Stamps. Still love that little duck!

I am going to admit when I used the term inspiration, I mean it very loosely! Basically I took the colors (even that is a bit weak) from the inspiration picture. But the pic shows wind blowing and Bubbles is blowing bubbles...both wind...ok I know I am stretching a bit here. Oh well! Anyway, Bubbles was stamped in Brilliance Graphite Black on watercolor paper and watercolored with an aquabrush and ink pads. I colored the bubbles (notice the ones at the bottom of the card too) with the Clear Stars Gelly Roll pen. The paper is from the Green at Heart paper pad by Basic Grey.

So now that I am catching up, I will be getting my October Release stuff for Paper Makeup Stamps ready...that will be coming up soon, so stay tuned! Don't forget that if you participate in the Makeup 4 the Weekend #34 with Paper Makeup Stamps, you could win a free single stamp of your choice...so get crackin'! Until then, thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

The Engineering Details

Stamps - Bubbles the Duck, Cutie Critter Sayings (Paper Makeup Stamps); Paper - More Mustard, Really Rust, Green Galore (SU!), Green at Heart Paper Pad (Basic Grey), watercolor paper; Ink - More Mustard, Really Rust (SU!), Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko); Accessories - Circle and Scallop Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Scallop Border Punch (SU!), paper piercer, Mat Stack (SU!), Clear Stars Gelly Roll Pen (Sakura), dimensionals

Welcome Home

Just taking a quick break from the summer-like sunshine outside here! My daughter was so not happy with me when I told her it was nap time. I kept trying to explain to her that we can play outside after her nap too...not sure she agreed with me! Finally sung her to sleep with Baa, Baa, Black Sheep (about 50 times...ok I might be exaggerating a tad, but it was a lot!).

I am very excited for the weekend. My brother whom was stationed in Qatar for a year is home and he and his wife are coming up for a visit! Yeah! Plan is to have some no kid time and some kid time, the best of both worlds! Anyway, this card is for him (he is actually on Facebook now, so Gregg if you are seeing this, forgot you ever saw it...got it!). I have been wanting to participate in the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenges for awhile now, so I was glad that I finally did one. This is Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #108 (see it below). I of course had to welcome him home in Red, White, and Blue...well more Burgundy, Navy, and Vanilla but whatever! I stamped the flag from a Studio G dollar section in Graphite Black and then in Night of Navy. The Night of Navy one I colored in with some Burgundy Marker and cut it out.

I used some patterned paper from JoAnns (no idea who the manufacturer is though) to make up all of the different boxes. Then I paper pierced all around the outer edge. I also hit another challenge, There She Goes Challenge #50, to incorporate pleats into your card. Since it is for my brother, I didn't want to use ribbon, so pleated some ribbon, crumpled it, distressed the edges, and then re-pleated it to put on the card front. I really like how it turned out!

Well there you have it. Hope the weather by you is as nice as it is here...now I need to go outside and do some yardwork! Thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

The Engineering Details

Stamps - Studio G; Paper - Bravo Burgundy, Night of Navy, Very Vanilla, Patterned paper from JoAnns; Ink - Night of Navy, Bravo Burgundy Marker, Brilliance Graphite Black; Accessories - scissors, paper piercer, Mat Pack, dimensionals