YNS Fun Friday {Snow Family}

Happy Friday! I'm so mixed up on my days this week with family coming and going for the holidays, but the calendar says it's Friday so I'm going with it! Speaking of Friday & families, I've crafted a sweet snowman family using the YNS Bookmark/Tag Layered Die Set for this week's Fun Friday project. This month's Fun Friday theme is about reflecting on the last three years of YNS, so I'm highlighting the YNS dies that were added to the line in 2011.

Each snowman was made using the following framework: 

• die cut two of each size bookmark in white
• die cut one of each size bookmark in patterned paper for the hat (only die cut the top portion of the bookmark)
• trim each patterned paper cut as you'd like the hat to look (slanted on my snow momma, shorter on snow papa, and just right medium for my snow boy...ok, so much for sticking with the traditional 'snowman', but I couldn't resist)
• hand cut a tiny orange nose for each and punch two black circles using your 1/8" circle punch or something similar (I used a retired SU! punch that has 2-1/8" circles on it...I know, clear as mud)
• score each snowman about 2.5" from the scalloped end (all of them) and then trim each end of the bookmark 1" from the scored line 
• overlap the flaps and adhere together to form the base
• tie the two scalloped tops together with linen thread, twine or ribbon and embellish as you like (I've used elements from the YNS Whatnots Season One dies)

 Here is a side view of my snow-fam that will hopefully give you the visual you need to get through my directions. Ü

I'm thinking these are pretty cute 'as is', but you could pop a Hershey Nugget inside and have yourself a sweet treat for someone you love! As for me, I'm leaving this family unit right where they're at on my rustic entry table as fun winter decoration.

No, stop over at the YNS Blog for more Fun Friday Reflection, and thanks for stopping here today!
~Amy

MFT WSC #104: Be Mine Forever

Welcome! I'm here with this week's MFT WSC sketch featuring a fun mix of old and new stamps from My Favorite Things. This time around I've used the adorable PI, Honey Bee, and paired her up with this month's Triple Scoop Set, Lovey Dovey Sentiments. Yep, I've gone and done the chalkboard art look (again), and I think it serves our sweet bee very well. Ü

Below is a detail shot of the chalkboard background where I've highlighted a free-hand drawn 'bee line' with piercing. I've also added white and yellow doodles here and there, and then emphasized just how much I love this girl with an additional sentiment stamped onto an arrow from the Die-namics Lead the Way die set.

 I hope you get a chance to play along with this week's sketch, and I look forward to sharing more MFT with you next week in the form of Teasers, as I play along with Team MFT during my spot as Guest Designer! As always, you can check out this week's sketch as well as links to all of the participating designers at the MFT Blog. 

Thanks for stopping over today!

~Amy

MFT WSC 103: Season's Greetings

I told you I'd be back with more MFT goodness, and here I am with this week's sketch for Wednesday Stamp Club, served up as a single panel gift card pocket for somebody on my list!

I've used a combination of MFT goodies (man, I love how everything works together so beautifully!) that includes the Die-namics Poinsettia, Oval Chain Border and Gift Card Pocket-Horizontal along with a sentiment and to/from from Seasonal Sentiments (you KNOW how I love that set).

Since the Oval Chain Border was giving my card a bit of a modern edge, I decided to go with it and added random centers from a second chain cut from ivory card stock. As I said yesterday, I love-love-love gift cards, but in a way I feel like it's a bit of a cop-out (unless I'm receiving them), so packaging up the gift card in something real nice is pretty much obligatory when you're the crafty type and wipes away any guilty feelings. A win-win in my book!

I'll leave you with a link to the MFT WSC #103 forum thread and a peek at the full sketch. Hope my gift card pocket inspires you to fancy up all those gift cards you're handing out for Christmas this year!
~Amy

MFT WSC 102 {Warm Wishes}

Hi there, and thanks for stopping by to see what I've been stamping this week! I've actually been stamping and crafting a few last minute tags, secret snowman gifts and such, but as luck would have it, there wasn't enough time or light to photograph everything. I do have a fun little card to share with you though, using this week's MFT WSC sketch #102!

I've combined a bunch of new goodies that I received in my MFT order last weekend, including Warm Wishes PI, LLD Journal It-Calendar Basics and the new Die-namics Horizontal Gift Card Pocket die (inside).

Here's a detail of the Warm Wishes girl with her paper pieced coat and Die-namics Let It Snowflake embellishment (now realizing I forgot to bling her buttons)...she melts.my.heart. ♥

This card is going to my niece who will be celebrating her birthday shortly after Christmas, so I've fancied up the inside of the card with a gift card pocket...love gift cards, love gift card pockets! I purposely didn't photograph the inside with the gift card intact, just in case she happens to read this post, wink!

So glad you stopped by today, but before I let you go, I have to share a little excitement in my world: I'm MFT's next Guest Designer!! I can't begin to tell you how jazzed I am about being chosen for this huge honor, but I will tell you that you'll be seeing lots more of the MFT love around here, so stay tuned.  Ü

~Amy

YNS Fun Friday: Celebrate the Season

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm popping in to share a sweet little card I made for this week's YNS Fun Friday using Celebrate the Season in combination with two must-have YNS die sets: Whimsy Star and Tree Trio.

I die cut the largest Whimsy Star into my card base and then layered a piece of patterned paper behind the opening before adding my 'Charlie Brown' inspired Christmas tree all wrapped in a blanket of love and sentiment banner. The die cut tree is holding a sweet gold star cut from the smallest of the Whimsy Star dies. The fishtail banners were all cut free-hand with red buttons layered on top for a little 'extra'.

Head on over to the YNS Blog for more Fun Friday projects from the team and then have yourself a great weekend!
~Amy

YNS Mini Release: Whatnots Onesies

Welcome to the YNS Mini Release for December! I have lots of photos to share with you, so grab a cuppa and settle in! My project for the hop uses the new YNS die set called Whatnots Seasons Set One.

I came up with an original sentiment for each onesie, typed it into my Silhouette onesie file, printed them out and then ran it through the Silhouette to cut each out individually. I was able to get 4 per 8.5x11 sheet.  Each onesie features a single cut die from the Whatnots Seasons One Set, popped up on a dimensional for a little extra oomph, with the exception of the snowflake.

love you

never 'leaf' me

LUCKY

oh, man!

what's shakin'?

brr!

UR my 'sunshine'

Whew, that's a lot of laundry, eh?! Wait, there's more! Karen (as always) has some great deals going on over at the YNS Store, so be sure to stop there and check.it.out. You'll find complete details at the YNS Blog, but for now, hop along to Jen's blog for something wonderful to fill your senses!

Happy Wednesday!
Amy

MFT Guest DT Challenge

*Please scroll down for my YNS Sneak Peek*

I'm throwing my hat in the ring once again for MFT's Guest Design Team challenge. I submitted a card last month and then realized I'd missed the deadline, so this time around I made sure to get my card submitted in paw-lenty of time. Who am I kidding, I'm still a last minute lucy, sliding in just a few hours shy of the deadline. Baby steps, people, baby steps!

My card uses that new chalkboard art technique I've been dabbling in the last couple of weeks. Can't seem to make a card using MFT supplies without it. This time around I've used You Move Me Die-namics & Stamp Set along with some yummy new (to me) colors from SU!, Summer Starfruit and Midnight Muse. The stars were die cut using Die-namics Stacking Stars, and the arrow is from Lead the Way.

Glad you stopped by today. Wish me luck!
~Amy

YNS Sneak Peek Day 2

I'm sneaking you a peek at an adorable new set called Smiley Happy Critters Set One. It will be available for you to snatch up this Wednesday, yep, two sleeps from today! YNS is hosting a mini-release this month and this cute little critter set will be released along with the sweetest darn group of dies, so please stop back on Wednesday for a fun little project I've made for the hop!

I couldn't help but think of We Three Kings every time I looked at this cute frog prince, so I stamped him three times over, colored him in different regal, kingly colors and dotted them across a sandy landscape. What's a Three Wisemen landscape without the proverbial star, right? YNS's Whimsy Star Layered Die Set took care of that in short order, check!

Don't forget that Karen has more eye candy for you today from the rest of the YNS Team, so head on over to the YNS Blog for more fun and frivolity!
~Amy

MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge

Stopping in with a quick post to show you a card I made up for this week's MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge #101 using Gift Card Greetings and Document It-December in my new favorite technique, Chalkboard + Subway Art! You can see my first attempt at this fun technique here. I've also incorporated a couple of MFT's Die-namics, At the Movies and Fishtail Flags Stax. Finally, this fun little card with be going to one of two nieces who have December birthdays. They both rock, so I just might have to whip another one of these by the end of the month!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping in for a bit.
~Amy

MFT's November Favorite Find...

...is ME! Giving my stamping a nice little nod and putting MFT cha-ching in my pocket has made me a happy girl, so a big {Thanks!}, MFT! And, just because I'm feeling like tootin' my own horn, I'll leave you with links to my original post and the MFT post featuring my card. Thanks again to Betsy Veldman for her fun chalkboard art tutorial.

My Favorite Thing - Our November Favorite Find

MFT Wednesday Sketch Challenge 11/23/12

Have a great day, and be sure to check out the MFT Blog tomorrow for this week's MFT Wednesday Sketch!

~Amy