Papertrey Favorites Scavenger Hunt

Hello and welcome everyone! What a pleasure it is to have you all visit me today! I have got a huge secret to share with you!! If you have come here from Nichole Heady's blog, then you already know the secret, but if not..........I have been invited to join the Papertrey Ink Design Team!!! Check it out here! First off I would like to send a huge thank you to Nichole, Jane and Julie for this opportunity! I hope I can make you all proud! Still to this day, I can hardly believe it to be true. This has been a big dream of mine for quite some time, so I thank my Lord for blessing me with the desires of my heart! I look forward to being part of the team and what an honor it will be to work with the best in the business!

So, how about I move onto some PTI business... If you are a regular here to my blog, then you know that I have a favorite PTI stamp set and that I use it often. It's no surprise that I have chose to use it for today's card...

I love this set simply because it is so versatile! It's perfect to create hand stamped pattern papers, focal images and it's so much fun to trim and layer. It's a must have in my opinion!

Here are the rules of the game:

You might have noticed that I haven't mentioned the actual NAME of my favorite Papertrey stamp set, which is the only set I used in my project today. Today's anniversary contest involves you seeking out the name of each design team members favorite set as part of a scavenger hunt. You may recognize the set instantly or you may need to do a bit of research in the Papertrey store HERE.

Each of the design team members have been assigned a number in accordance with their scavenger hunt order. You'll notice according to the graphic at the top of this post I am stop number 2. Create your numbered list and head over to Nichole's blog to enter to win ALL ELEVEN of the team's favorite stamp sets! Be sure not to delay, because the contest ends on February 2nd at 7am EST. The winners will be announced by noon the same day on the February Release Winners page. Have fun and good luck!

Designer Favorites Scavenger Hunt

1. Erin Lincoln
2. Maile Belles (That's me!)
3. Betsy Veldman
4. Dawn McVey
5. Debbie Olson
6. Heather Nichols
7. Lisa Johnson
8. Melissa Phillips
9. Michelle Wooderson
10. Niki Estes
11. Kim Hughes

Thanks for stopping by today!

Maile

True Friend: (All PTI unless noted)

• Stamps: ?
• Ink: Raspberry Fizz & Summer Sunrise
• Cardstock: White & Summer Sunrise
• Accessories: Raspberry Fizz Twill Ribbon, Glitter & Fiskers Scalloped Edge Scissors

Embellish Color Challenge With Ribbon

Hey everyone and happy Friday! So, the latest Embellish Magazine Challenge is a fun one!I mean who doesn't love ribbon (especially if it's May Arts!) or this color combo, right?! Here is my take...

I used the ice cream cone image (from Hey Cupcake) to hand stamp, in pink, my own matching patterned paper. Instead of the usual bow or knot, I chose to make little sentiment tags to incorporate this super fun May Arts ribbon. Just simply cut a strip of cardstock, stamp the sentiment, punch a small hole, string the ribbon through, tie a knot and attach it to the card.

The cones came with an ice cream topping, but I thought it would be a fun touch to use buttons instead. What do you think?

This time the winner of the challenge will be given a stash of gorgeous and fun May Arts ribbon! So head on over to Embellish Magazine and submit your challenge creations by Thursday, February 11, 2010! I look forward to seeing what you create!

Maile

Ice Cream Happy Birthday:

• Stamps: Hey Cupcake (Schlosser Designs)
• Ink: Dark Chocolate & Sweet Blush (PTI) & Ocean Deep (SEI Chalk Ink Block)
• Cardstock: Sweet Blush & White (PTI)
• Accessories: May Arts (340-04) Ribbon, Sweetheart & Aqua Boutique Buttons (Denami Design), White Twine, Corner Rounder & 1/8 in Hole Punch

CHA Super Show Photos

I'd like to start off today with some big news! Yesterday I told you about Wplus9, a brand new stamp line created by Dawn. Today is the start of the Design Team announcements and wouldn't you know it... I am one of them!!! Check it out here. What a privilege it is to be a part of this brand new venture. I truly look forward to sharing my creations with you. A big thanks to Dawn for this opportunity.

Be sure to stop by her blog often, she will be announcing the rest of the talented Design Team within the next few days. Starting on February 1st she will share some sneak peeks and on the 5th is the big reveal!

Now how about those CHA Super Show pictures I have been promising you... I truly had a blast that day! It was so exciting to meet up with ladies, I had had gotten to know through blogland, for the first time. It's always so nice to put a personality to a face/name.

These ladies were the first ones I ran into. I have the pleasure of working with Tina Fussell (Travelingmama) on the Embellish Magazine design team, she is amazing! So glad to have met her. Anthonette, I remember her fabulous cards from Kristina's color challenge, that was when I first started following her blog. On the left end is my dear friend Kim who traveled with me to the show. She is a very talented girl (gifted in many crafts) and after that day she was so inspired that she started her own blog, check it out here.
Here we are again.
Here are the Paper Crafts ladies (Teri, Kelly, Susan, Cath & Jennifer). They are truly the best, most sweetest and encouraging ladies ever! I truly enjoyed meeting them all. This was also the first time I got to look through the Stamp It! Cards issue, and find my first ever cards published by Paper Crafts. Exciting times!
Star struck! That was me after meeting with the super talented Teri Anderson, after all she is one of my card making idols! I think we really hit it off really well too.
Star struck once again after meet two more of my card making idols, Kim Hughes and Kim Kesti. Poor girls, I found them in the food line and I think I made them loose a couple spots in line trying to get a photo with them.

Here is the awesome Ashley Newell, I love this girl. I've had the great privilege of getting to know her over the past few months. So I was super excited when she had told me that she had booked a last minute flight to Anaheim to be at CHA. It was so nice to finally meet her in person, it was like I totally knew her already.

Isn't Amy Tsuruta just the cutest little thing you have ever seen! What a pleasure it was to meet her.

And here is Courtney Baker, what a great personality this girl has got. She really is a sweet heart. Just leave it to her to find inspiration in everything she sees (like my flower headband). So keep an eye on her blog, there may be another flower tutorial in the near future. :)

Got to meet Kelly Alvarez, what a fun girl to be around and she really has got to have the best smile ever.

This is miss Jeni Allen, what a fire ball this girl is! Full of spunk and lots of energy. I'd like to blame her for my over spending at the Scarlet Lime jewelry booth, just kidding! You know I love ya Jen!

I got to meet so many other fabulous ladies (I just didn't have a camera at the time of meeting them): Charlene Austin (another fellow Embellish Magazine design team member), Carly
Robertson, Stephanie Day, Jackie Pedro, Tiffany Johnson (iheartart), Ashley Nguyen and Jennifer Coker (Torendi).

I so could have used more time that day!

Well there yo have it! Hope you enjoyed and thanks for stopping by today!

Maile

Sending You A Huge

Hello all!!! It's been a busy day for me today. Just wanted to pop in and share some great news with you... A very talented friend of mine is starting a new venture and creating her very own line of stamps. So, stop by and check it out here.

Now onto the card for the day...

This color combo of Berry Sorbet, Lemon Tart, Kraft and White just seem so creamy and yummy to me. What do you think of it? The flourish, from Turning A New Leaf, is stamped twice in brown onto yellow cardstock, rounded the corners and layered over a white block with dimensional adhesive.

Isn't that sentiment just the cutest little phrase? The main part of the sentiment (from Big & Bold Wishes) was stamped onto berry sorbet cardstock, the rest of the sentiment was stamped onto a small white cardstock strip and attach with dimensional adhesive. Finished the card off with two berry sorbet ribbon tabs (one twill and the other grosgrain) and some super cute buttons.

I will try to have the CHA Super Show pictures for you tomorrow. I hope you all are having a great week!

Maile

Sending You A Hug: (All PTI unless noted)

• Stamps: Turning A New Leaf & Big & Bold Wishes
• Ink: Dark Chocolate
• Cardstock: Kraft, White, Berry Sorbet & Lemon Tart
• Accessories: Dark Chocolate Vintage Buttons, DMC Floss & Corner Rounder

New Goodies from the Super Show

Hello my dear friends. The CHA Super Show was a blast! I met so many wonderful people and bought a few new goodies. I hope to have some pictures of everyone I met posted soon, but for now here is a card created with some new supplies... I stamped the circle image, from Outside The Box, in SEI Ocean Deep ink. Tina (Travelingmama) was the one who told me about these SEI Chalk Ink Blocks at the Super Show, they are great! So I picked up a few of those at $1.50 each.

The circles were stamped onto 1 inch squares, arranged and attached with dimensional adhesive. The sentiment is from the same set, just left off a square and stamped it directly to the card base. Since this is such a simple card, stamping the sentiment this way helps draw your eye across the card and really catches your attention.

I hope you all had a great weekend. Thanks for visiting me today, have a great week!

Maile

Breath: Card Measures 4 1/2" Square

• Stamps: Outside The Box (Schlosser Design)
• Ink: Ocean Deep (SEI Chalk Ink Block)
• Cardstock: White (PTI)

Friends to the End

Hello there! So I've finally done it, it been on my mind for a while to play along with Jessica Witty's 10 Minute Scrap Pile Challenge and Nichole's Scrap-tastic Challenge. Two of my favorite designers in the whole wide world, I mean who doesn't look up to these super talented ladies!

Here is what came up out of my scrap pile... It actually came about out of a necessity to clean my work space, the mess had gotten out of hand and there was no room to create. There were too many good things, so I couldn't just toss everything into the scarp pile and forget about them. I really need to set up a scrap organization system like Ashley's, see her tidy idea here.

I started with the pink strip up top, it was already conveniently attached to a white card base. The kraft polka dot piece was a test piece for this card (to see if I would like the look of stamped polka dots before I actually stamped them onto the card base). The scallops came from an envelope full of unused punched borders.

The buttons on the twine were on my work area as is. The button color just wasn't quite right for the original card, so off it went. The raspberry ribbon is a scrap that I think came off of a gift, but I've had it forever.

Last is the sentiment label, it is actually a new piece made specifically for this card. Since it wasn't an actual scrap, I though it would be neat to cut a portion off and make it look like it originally was a scrap. Fooled ya didn't I! :)

Didn't think to take a before picture. When I started, I didn't know I was going to make a scrappy card. Oh well, it isn't necessary.

Wow, I've been very chatty today! Must be from the excitement of the CHA Super Show coming up! Can't wait to meet you guys! As always, thanks for spending some time with me today and sorry to talk your ear off. :)

Maile

Friends to the End: (All PTI unless noted)

• Stamps: Polka Dot Basics II, Background Basics: Diamonds, Vintage Labels & Mixed Messages
• Ink: Summer Sunrise, Versamark & SU Craft White
• Cardstock: Kraft, Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise & White
• Accessories: Raspberry Fizz Vintage Buttons, DMC Floss, Raspberry GG Ribbon, Scalloped Border Punch, Corner Rounder

Big Button Blossom

Hello my friends! The rain is still pouring down here, it's been coming down all week and there are still three more storms on their way. I'm not complaining though. :) In my opinion we don't get enough of this weather here!

Now onto the card... I call this the Big Button Blossom. The flower was cut using Blossom Nestabilities, cut a circle from the center and filled it with white and green buttons.
Hand cut the leave, embossed them with swiss dots and distressed the edges. Stamped some white polka dots onto the base and attach a sentiment after distressing the bottom edge of the strip.

That's it from me today. Hope you are having a great week and talk to you later!

Maile


Thinking Of You: (All PTI unless noted)

• Stamps: Beyond Basic Borders
• Ink: Berry Sorbet & White
• Cardstock: Kraft, Berry Sorbet, Spring Moss & White
• Accessories: White, Spring Moss & Ripe Avocado Vintage Buttons, Edge Disstressor & CB Swiss Dot Embossing Folder

Hey There Friends

Hello there! I got a chance to play with my new Hero Arts Starburst Lace stamp and it's wonderful...Stamped the lace image in summer sunrise and combined it with a sentiment, from Big & Bold Wishes, stamped in raspberry fizz. Looped twill ribbon to make a bow, tied it to a button with floss and attached to the center of the starburst.

Punched a scalloped border from raspberry cardstock and coated it with glitter. A little tip: The card base was trimed down to 4" X 5 1/2" so that, when the scalloped border was added to the edge, the card would still fit into a normal A2 envelope.

Thanks for dropping by! Have a great day!

Maile

Hey There: (All PTI unless noted)

• Stamps: Big & Bold Wishes, Polka Dot Basics II & Starburst Lace (Hero Arts)
• Ink: Raspberry Fizz & Summer Sunrise
• Cardstock: Kraft, Vintage Cream & Raspberry Fizz
• Accessories: Raspberry Fizz Twill Ribbon, Cream Vintage Button, DMC Floss, Martha Stewart Fine Crystal Glitter, SU Scalloped Edge Punch & Corner Rounder

Who is going to the CHA Super Show?

In less than a week I will be in Anaheim, CA for the CHA Super Show! Are any of you going?! I would love to meet! Just leave me a comment and let me know.


It's pouring cats and dogs today [not that I mind :)], so I thought a cheery flower card would make the perfect creation to share today... Started this card by stitching stems and placing button flowers. Stamped the sentiment, from Mixed Messages, onto a cream tag and stitch stems. Cut an off centered circle from cream cardstock, stitched around the edges, then attached to the base with some dimension adhesive.

Embellished the stems with tiny hand cut leaves.

Hope you all had a great weekend. We enjoyed good times and food with friends! Well, thanks for taking the time to visit today, hope you have a wonderful start to your week!

Maile

Enjoy The Moment: (All PTI unless noted)

• Stamps: Mixed Messages
• Ink: Melon Berry
• Cardstock: Spring Moss & Vintage Cream
• Accessories: Green, Melon & Cream Embroidery Floss, Raspberry Fizz Vintage Buttons & Coluzzle Circle Cutter.

Embellish Color Challenge With Stripes

Hello and happy Friday to you all! Hard to believe, but it's time for another Embellish Color Challenge. YEAH!!! Here is the challenge... Are you up for it?! This time the challenge is sponsored by Clear & Simple Stamps (CSS). They've got quite the assortment of stamps, your sure to find what you are looking for. I chose to work with Believe in Word II, it's really such a beautiful set. For the focal point I stamped the bird into a punched cream circle, and tucked it under a button that I used to tie the ends of the ribbon together. Embellished with more buttons and hand cut flowers.
I do hope you will give this fun challenge a try, I would love to see what you come up with. In case you didn't know already, there is a huge Clear & Simple prize package up for grabs too!

By the way, I am amazed by how many cards were submitted in the last Embellish Magazine Challenge. I am still working my way through all of them, but you guys have blown me away with your creativity! Makes me even more excited to see what you create this time around!

Thanks for popping in today! Hope you have a great weekend!

Maile


Kindness:

• Stamps: Believe in Words II (CSS) & Background Basics: Retro (PTI Stripes)
• Ink: Vintage Cream, Dark Chocolate, SU Perfect Plum & Versamark
• Cardstock: Kraft, Vintage Cream & SU Perfect Plum
• Accessories: Dark Chocolate Vintage Buttons, Twine, Plum Pudding Twill Ribbon, Marvy Uchida Circle Punch, Fiskers Upper Crest Border Punch & Corner Rounder

Card Measures: 5 1/2" X 3 1/2"

Mr & Mrs

Hello all! So I am really struggling today, I feel like my creative juices have left me! I've been creating all week (stuff I am unable to share), but when it came to creating today's card nothing seemed to be right. This happens to me often, I go through phases of creativity and phases of no creativity. Do you guys have this problem too? Or am I the only one?! The original plan was to incorporate yellow (for Dawn's color challenge), but I just couldn't get it to work. Not that it really mattered, I've already missed the dead line anyways (bummer!).


The card base is rustic cream stamped with a flourish, from Turning A New Leaf, in aqua. The brown strip was stamped with an image from Background Basics: Diamonds.

The sentiment is from Big & Bold Wishes, stamped in brown and aqua. Then embellished the card with touches of glitter.

So what do you think of the card? Is it too simple? Anyways, so glad you all took the time to visit today, hope you have a wonderful day!

Maile

Mr & Mrs: (All PTI unless noted)

• Stamps: Turning A New Leaf, Background Basics: Diamonds & Big & Bold Wishes
• Ink: Dark Chocolate & Aqua
• Cardstock: Rustic Cream
• Accessories: Martha Stewart Fine Crystal Glitter

Celebrate Today Cupcake

Hello all! Happy Friday! Today I bring you a little birthday card... This cute little cupcake is from Cupcake Collection. I stamped it in raspberry fizz, ocean tides and vintage cream (for the frosting). Topped it with an aqua handmade flower, which was created from the smallest Blossom Nestabilites, and a button.

Attached the cupcake to the center of an embossed frame. To create the frame I punched a circle from white cardstock, rounded the corners, embossed it with swiss dots, stamped the sentiment (I should have done this before embossing), wrapped with embroidery floss and attach to the card base with dimensional adhesive.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. My weekend has pretty much started today since my hubby has been home. Tomorrow I get to go shopping with a friend of mine, with out any kids! :)

Thanks for taking the time to visit today!

Maile

Celebrate Today: (All PTI unless noted)

• Stamps: Cupcake Collection
• Ink: Ocean Tides, Raspberry Fizz & Vintage Cream
• Cardstock: Aqua Mist, White & Aqua Mist
• Accessories: Cream Vintage Button, Embroidery Floss, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Blossom Nestabilities, Marvy Uchida Circle Punch & Corner Rounder.

Card Measures: 3 1/2" X 5 1/2"

CARDS 2009 December Publications

Hello there!


Now that December has come and gone, I can share my publications for that month in CARDS magazine. First off are some simple Christmas tags...The one on the right was the one that made an appearance in the magazine. The tags were embossed and then embellished with a punched circle, sentiment strip (sentiment from Mixed Messages), a die cut snowflake and a brad. Topped it off with a button tided to a ribbon loop.

Next up, an embossed wedding card... Embossed the raspberry fizz panel, wrapped it with ribbon and a rhinestone button, attach a label (Nestabilities Labels Three), stamped with a heart and sentiment from Heart Prints and embellished the heart with rhinestones.

Lastly...

This was a fun one to make! Think this was one of the first cards I stitched on. Created apples using french knots, straight stitched the tree top and chain stitched along the polka dot edge. The red ruffled edge was created by crinkling cardstock and folding.

That's it from me today. Hope you have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!

Maile

Be Mine

Happy Wednesday to you! I am on my way out the door to visit with a friend, but I wanted to pop in a share another Valentine's Day Card with you.

By the way, in case you are unaware, the super sweet Winter Sims has put together a Card Drive for the children at St. Jude's Children Hospital. She is planning on hand delivering the cards (on her own vacation time!) in time for Valentine's Day. So stop by her blog and check it out (there is a prize available too!) and hopefully you too can create some cards to cheer up some children in need.Now on to the card... The tree top and scalloped border were both punched from spring moss cardstock, stamped with text (from Background Basics: Text Style) in ripe avocado and then distressed. I think I may have gone a little crazy with my Edge Distressing Tool! Lol! Wrapped the scalloped border with pink embroidery floss.

Then embellished the tree top with pink heart brads, placed it over a white cardstock block stamped with the tree base and sentiment (from Heart Prints), rounded the top corners and distressed the bottom edge.

Hope you are having a great week, talk at you later!

Maile

Be Mine: (All PTI unless noted)

• Stamps: Beyond Basic Borders (Tree), Heart Prints & Background Basics: Text Style
• Ink: Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate & Pink
• Cardstock: Kraft, Spring Moss & White
• Accessories: JoAnn's Heart Brads, Embroidery Floss, CTMH Edge Distressing Tool, Circle Punch, Embossed Curves Border Punch & Corner Rounder.

Heartfelt Thanks

Hello my friends, hope you had a great weekend. Thank you all for your super sweet comments regarding my very first Embellish Design Team Challenge creation. Today's card was inspired by that very creation. I incorporated the same heart die cut idea, but used it in a completely different layout and color combo. I know I say this a lot, but I really love this color combo and don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. I love the combination of these rich colors (Raspberry Fizz and Enchanted Evening), popping off of the neutral white and kraft.

So what do you think of the ribbon detail? This idea came about from a necessity. The open space above the heart need some Enchanted Evening ribbon, but I only have the 3/8 inch twill. I tied the bow and it seamed as if it was too thin, not quiet enough to do the job. But inspiration struck and I came up with this double wrapped idea. It uses up a bit more ribbon than the usual bow, but I'm happy with the way it came out.

For a different look to the die cut heart this time, I backed it with glitter. Just spread a thin layer of glue onto the cardstock, sprinkle with glitter, let dry then attach the heart with dimensional adhesive. Embellish with a sentiment and button.

Thanks for coming by today and hope you have a great start to your week!

Maile

Heartfelt Thanks: (All PTI unless noted)

• Stamps: Everyday Classics
• Ink: Enchanted Evening
• Cardstock: Kraft, White, Raspberry Fizz & Enchanted Evening
• Accessories: Enchanted Evening Twill Ribbon and Button, Twine, Martha Stewart Fine Crystal Glitter & Corner Rounder

The New Embellish Magazine Design Team

Hello and Happy New Year my friends!!! Boy, have I got some exciting news to kick this new year off with. It's been very hard to keep under wraps, but now I can share! Along with starting a new year, I am starting a new venture in my life. I am taking part in my first ever Design Team with Embellish Magazine, and am working with some of the most talented ladies in the business:

• Ashley Newell
• Sarah Martina
• Charlene Austin
• Mariana Grigsby
• Tina Fussell

What a blessing and honor it has been to be given this opportunity (thank you Ashley!), and to get to know these wonderful ladies better.

So please join us, in participating in the new and first Embellish Color Challenge of this brand spanking New Year. Which is sponsored by The Cutting Cafe, a wonderful resource for Printable Stamps and Cutting Files.

So here is my first creation as a Design Team Member (Woo-Hoo!)... The first step, print the I Love You Background, on red cardstock and attach it to a red card base. Using dimensional adhesive, attach a heart die cut. Creating my own heart die cut was a breeze! All I did was cut a square from white cardstock, round the corners, then carefully placed my Cuttlebug Concentric Heart Die precisely where I wanted it and ran it through my CB machine.
Adhered a pink "Love", from All About Valentine's Day, and embellished with black buttons.

I can not wait to see what you all create!

I am so excited about sharing more of my Embellish Challenge creations with you over this next year! Thanks for stopping by and for sharing in my excitement! Hope you have a blessed year!

Maile

Love You:

• Printable Stamps: The Cutting Cafe
• Cardstock: Pure Poppy, White & Sweet Blush
• Accessories: PTI Black Vintage Buttons, Cuttlebug Concenteric Hearts Die, Corner Rounder

Card Measures: 4 1/4" Square