Sunflower Studio

MARRIAGE MEANS COMMITMENT {sfytt}

As you read this, I'm enjoying myself in super-fun Chicago at the Craft Supershow.  What could be better than a giant stamping supply shopping spree! Not too many things really could top that list in my world.  Well, the fact that I'll be hanging with the Cat Pack girls - Carole, Joanne and Amy - AND with my Chicago girlfriends, Mecah and Lisa.  Woohoo...girls weekend!  I'm hoping that my flight worked out and I got to spend at least a few hours at the CHA part of the show too since I'm leaving on Thursday, 7/29.

Thankfully, I found some time to squeeze in my card for this week's SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY.  Jen's sketch is sponsored by TOTALLY STAMPALICIOUS.  (Aren't these sponsorships fun?  And you can win stuff too!  Love it!!)  I set that I chose is called GUS AND STELLA.  Their faces just cracked me up!  I have to admit that I felt a little weird coloring her saggy boob though!  You should definitely check out the site...lots of cute images and they have digis too.

Be sure to visit the other SFYTT girls this weekend too.  We had the option to choose which images we wanted to work with so it's always fun to see what they've chosen. 

Susan Liles
Amy Rohl
Amy Sheffer
Megan Lock
Amber Hight
Sony Christoph
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Jenn Diercks
CAROLE BURRAGE

Plus Jen del Muro and this month's amazing guest designer, Sandra MacLean!

TCP TUESDAY #120 - Inspiration Challenge

TONI is this week's Hipster Hostess with the Mostess and she's come up with a fun photo for our inspiration challenge.  What inspires you about this one?  The reds and pinks?  The square shapes?  For me, I went with the "quilt" theme.

Ages ago I did do a tiny bit of quilting with my mom.  We took a class for the Log Cabin pattern.  It's always been one of my favorites.  So that's what I did here.  I love the FLY A KITE pad from October Afternoon.  Instead of being too "matchy matchy" or too coordinated, it includes all of these fun kind of vintage-y patterns...perfect for a quilt!  I cut my strips and adhered them to some Kraft cardstock and then sewed around the edges of each strip.  I love that there's brown mixed in with the more pastel colors and pulled that out with a big bow of SU! wide striped ribbon.  

The penguins from the SHIP HAPPENS set have set sea in their teacup.  A gingham teacup...what could be finer!  I added a felt button using TCP FELT, TCP DIVINE TWINE, and a real button to dress it up.  I added a little "pop" of red in the upper right corner with the heart to go with the sentiment...just cut that out by hand for a homemade look.

Get out your TCP stamps and stuff and show us how the photo inspired you.  Add the link to your card to the TCP Tuesday post on ALMA'S BLOG so that you can be included in our SWANKY STAMPER contest for the month.  Make sure that you use keyword TCPTUES120 when uploading to Splitcoast.

WELCOME BABY

Wouldn't it be great if you could wake up to a pink polka-dotted sky every day?  Ha!  Well, not in our world but in the world of these little turtles...yup, they've got it gooood.  Finishing up my new release samples for THE CAT'S PAJAMAS.  These images are from the AND BABY MAKES... set.  I love the turtles.  

I'm really diggin' these October Afternoon paper pads too.  Most of the paper here is from the DUCKS IN A ROW pad, with the exception of the green...that's from Cosmo Cricket's Earth Love pad.  I used the TCP CUT-UPS WAVE die and the BUTTON FLOWER die with some TCP wood veneer (peeking out from behind the button).  Of course, I'm all about this TCP DIVINE TWINE these days...lurrrvvvvs it!  And I added a teensy bit of sparkle to the big turtle shell with some TCP GLITZY GLITTER.  The cloud die is from PTI.

LIFE'S A CIRCUS {sfytt}

How about an over the top card for this week's SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY?  Can you believe this took me ALL day yesterday?  Me neither!

This weeks' SFYTT is being sponsored by a new company called AMBER INK and the winner of this week's challenge contest will receive a $25 gift certificate to the Amber Ink online store.  How fun!  In addition, Jen's got a 10% off code listed on her blog for AI...so, even if you don't win you can get a little sumthin' sumthin' at a discount! (Amber Ink is the new home to the images formerly knows as HANNAS...now they're being called Amber Girls.)

I chose to work with this digi LOVE BUNNY - JUMP as my central image.  I also chose THE LITTLE TOP digi stamps called Circus Ball Line, Flag Border, and Saying - Life's A Circus.  Cool that these are digi images because you can choose to make them bigger or just use part of the stamp too.  I created the blue background layer by copying the sentiment over and over on a diagonal and then printing onto cardstock.  I printed the ball image onto three different pieces of CS and cut them out and layered them together.  I printed the Love Bunny and the Flag Border onto Kraft CS so that I could color them with Copics and, in the case of the bunny, some Moonlight Smooch. 

And after all of the printing, cutting, and coloring, I still thought I should add an embossed layer.  I had a new Cuttlebug embossing folder just dying to be used!  And I added a little strip of die cut tickets (PTI), since that's what the sketch called for, and dee-lish Divine Twine from TCP and a button.  Do you think I could have possibly fit MORE into this one card?

Anyway, off to check in with the rest of the SFYTT gang to see which Amber Ink images that they decided to work with!

Susan Liles
Amy Rohl
Amy Sheffer {Taking this week off.}
Megan Lock {Just welcomed baby Emma Grace on the 20th. Please go give her some new mama love!}
Amber Hight
Sony Christoph
Jodi Collins
Kelly Lunceford
Jenn Diercks
and…the one and only CAROLE BURRAGE is back in the sisterhood!

Plus Jen del Muro and this month's amazing guest designer, Sandra MacLean!

PASS THE POPCORN

I can't stop with the new release samples for THE CAT'S PAJAMAS!  I truly love all of the new sets so much that I want all of you who stop by to be excited about them too.  So, here's another quick one...and I think it's my favorite one so far...

Gotta love the penguins and here they are enjoying a little movie.  Aren't they sweet?  This image is in the GOOD FRIENDS set.  I just loved the colors that came together....kind of peach, lime, and rose.  Definitely not my usual colors but I was using a DCWV paper pad that Alma gave us and I wanted it to work.  I matched the plaid, polka dot, and stripe from DCWV with the big polka dot from October Afternoon.  I airbrushed a Nestabilities classic circle die cut for the background behind the sofa and backed that with a reverse scallop Nestabilities die cut.  Haven't used that one in a bit and I really like it.

I tied it all up with TCP Divine Twine in three colors - Cotton Candy, Orange, and Green Apple - and a fun felt flower using TCP felt cut with TCP CUT-UPS Button and Flower Button dies.  Then I added a little TCP flower button to the center. 

Hope ya like it!

GET WELL SOON

Here's PJ serving up some "Get Well Soon".  I love her gingham apron!  I showed you her before on my tea towel and card set when our sneaky peeks started last week.  This is a great set...and PJ is nice and big - perfect for coloring and even better for paper piecing.  Her new set is called A CUPPA and, just in case this is your first time here, she's from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS.

I had a bright idea last week to try and make one of those paper flowers using pages from the phone book.  It worked great since it's such thin paper.  I used a scalloped circle punch from SU! since it was handy and easy but you could use any size scalloped die or punch.  I cut eight shapes, stacked them and secured them together with a tiny brad at the center.  Then I "scrunched" up each layer - one at a time.  I added a little button to the center with Aqua Divine Twine.  {Has anyone considered that all of this fanciness would never fit into an envelope?  I don't think most of my cards would fit in an envelope any more!}

Patterned papers here are from the Fly A Kite pad by October Afternoon.  Organdy ribbon from SU! and a tiny rhinestone from K&Co. finish it off.

EAT STRAWBERRY CAKE

I didn't get to show off this new bunny from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS yet over here on my blog.  He's similar to the BIRTHDAY BUNNY that was on that balloon card last week but, obviously, this one's hidin' behind a big ole cake!  This guy's in the set called FORGET ABOUT THE CAKE.

Recently I bought some of that SMOOCH stuff.  Didn't know what all of the hubbub was about but I do really like it.  I got the Moonlight color since I wanted a "white" that I could use on darker or Kraft paper.  Neat, huh?  Shiny and sparkly!  I also scrounged around and used my Sakura Glaze pens (on the icing) and Souffle pens (on the candles)...all good tools for darker paper.

Notice my strawberries?  Well, I agree, they don't really look too much like strawberries but since they're on strawberry paper...let's just assume that they are!  These are made from the new CUT-UPS dies from TCP....buttons (which includes various sized buttons on one die) and flower buttons (with different flower shapped buttons and a leaf).  I did a little trimming on the flower petals, added a tiny button, and tied it up with Cotton Candy Divine Twine.  I also stitched on some wide white grosgrain ribbon and added a "twig" of leaf ribbon from the Great Outdoors ribbon pack.  I used the MFT Jumbo Scallop die to cut a craft strip that's peeking out from under the ribbon.  Patterned papers from DCWV.

TEA WARMS THE SOUL

Not done sharing new TCP goodness yet!  I have a few more things to share so I'll spread them out over a few days.  I don't think so but you just might need a few more reasons to jump on the bandwagon for THE CAT'S PAJAMAS!

 Here's another using TONI'S TEA SET.  I love how well the teacup image works with this shabby chic paper in the FLY A KITE paper pad from October Afternoon.  I used a Nestabilities circle die to cut the windows...just measured a bit and ran the paper and die sandwich through my machine three times.  I colored the cups with Copics and carefully trimmed them out and popped 'em up in each window.  I just love the little teabag.  I added a tiny Prima flower with a dot of Liquid Pearls in the center of each.  I added a layer of TCP FELT to show off the sentiment and clipped it on with a tiny SU! binder clip.  A bit of TCP DIVINE TWINE in a bow finished it off.

And, in case you missed it, this new CAT'S PAJAMAS release has TWO separate combo packs that save you money...don't miss the new KITTY KAT PACK or the brand new POOCHIE PACK.  Savin' is good!

TCP TUESDAY #119 - NEW RELEASE DAY! BLOG HOP & DTGD SKETCH CHALLENGE at SCS

Finally, right?!  Today's the day that all eight new stamp sets from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS are available.  In addition to oodles of new stamp images, Alma's added a flurry of felt, the wonder of wood veneer sheets, Glitzy Glitter, oh-so-Divine Twine and...are you giddy yet with anticipation???....delectably delightful new dies called CUTUPS.  I am in love!

Since I'm the TCPTUES hostess this week it must be sketch time!  My card features the always adorable penguins - out to sea in a teacup.  This new set is called SHIP HAPPENS.  Wanna see more cards made with the set?  Well, you can visit the Sneaky Peek thread in our forum at Splitcoast and you can hop along with us on our blog hop to see all of the new sets.  Click on over to ANA next!

And, on top of it being release day AND TCP Tuesday AND the blog hop, we're celebrating our new forum on Splitcoaststampers by mixing it up with Dirty Dozen members - past and present - for Dare To Get Dirty Week.  As I'm the Hipster Hostess with the Mostess this week, I'm hosting this same sketch challenge over there!  (The keyword is DTGD10leighobrien.) If you're a Fan Club Member this is your chance to play along with Dirty Girls in a ton of fun challenges.  If you're not a Fan Club Member, this is the perfect time to become one! You can get all the info here.  We'd love to have you play with us this week!  There are 33 Dare To Get Dirty challenges to choose from - play one or play them all.

As with all of the TCP Tuesday challenges, make sure that you link your card over at ALMA'S BLOG so that you can be considered for this month's SWANKY STAMPER contest.  Our keyword is TCPTUES119.  Use that and we can all see what you've made at Splitcoast.

SWEET BABY {tcp sneaky peek}

Ooooofta!  What a day...what a weekend.  You know it's bad when you need a vacation from your weekend!  Sorry for being so late to post my sneak peek for the new AND BABY MAKES... stamp set from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS.  Need a baby set?  THIS is the one for you.  Adorable baby animals and oh-so-sweet little sentiments to go with.  You'll love it!  This set will be available for ordering on July 20th.  BUT, we're also having our first big PAJAMA PARTY tomorrow night in our forum at SPLITCOAST STAMPERS.  It's from 8:00pm to 11:00 pm Eastern time and there will be surprises and prizes galore...DON'T MISS OUT!

As for this card, I colored the cute little giraffe family with Copics and popped them up on a Nestabilities Labels 1 die cut.  I stamped the background with the Sweet Baby sentiment in Sahara Sand ink and sponged the edges with So Saffron for a subtle base.  I also game them a glittery ground to stand on.  The D-lightful felt (hmmm....TCP?) and twine flower (oh, button flower dies...wouldn't that be so great if TCP carried those too?) was completely and totally a rip-off of some Amy Rohl genius.  (That girl is amazing!)  Fun baby-ish patterned papers are in the Ducks In A Row pad from October Afternoon.