Pickle Post #44 - Christmas in July!

Hi friends! Happy Tuesday to you!

Today I created a Christmas card in July for the current challenge over at the A Muse Studio Challenge Blog! This is to celebrate the new Christmas catalog full of holiday stuff that will be available on August 1 - I will have a link in my sidebar when you can sneak a peek at the new goodies!

There's still a week left to enter your crafty Christmas creations to win some A Muse Studio goodies! So I hope you will come on over and join us! Here is what I created for the challenge.

My 'Christmas in July' Card:
I love the traditional stuff for Christmas - red, green and kraft are perfect. The buttons and twine give that old fashioned Christmas feel. Just simple happy holiday wishes - a reminder of home and family! Even if it is 99 degrees and I am in a tank top and shorts, which is cool July weather for us LOL! Arizona is not the place you think of when you think of Christmas - even in December when it's dry and cold, it sure isn't the North Pole!

Stuff I Used (all A Muse Studio products):
Stamps - Say It With Style
Cardstock - Kraft, Candy Cane Stripe, Evergreen
Ink - Cherry, Evergreen
Other Stuff - Toffee Twine, Cherry Buttons

I hope this gives you a little pre-holiday spirit to get a jump start on your Christmas cards and crafty creations!

 

Pickle Post #43 - Yoo Hoo! We have a winner! :)

Hi there! How are you, my friends? Smiley

Sorry I have been SO absent. Again. A lot of stuff drops onto my plate sometimes and time gets away from me. Between allergy headaches (evil twins of MIGRAINES), work, the lovely Arizona heat (up to 113 degrees this week) and a very sick kitty, I have been pretty tapped out.

So I haven't posted ANY birthday cards. Great way to celebrate my own blog birthday, huh?
I also realized I forgot to choose the winner of my blog candy! UGH...SO SORRY.
Well, I always say better late then never! So let's play catch up!

This birthday card was created for my brother - created with a private joke between us in mind.
The sentiment (by Paper Smooches) actually reads 'Woo Hooo', but I changed it to 'Yoo Hooo' as this is how we say hello to each other LOL! Here's what I created.

My 'Happy Bird Day' Card:
Some of my favorite techniques are used here - paper piecing, Copic coloring...and my favorite kraft cardstock. I just LOVE this chubby owl. And the party bird on the inside just cracks me up! Paper Smooches are by far some of my all time favorite stamps. So fun and so darn cute!

Stuff I Used:
Stamps - Paper Smooches Chubby Chums & Birthday Buddies
Paper - Basic Grey Offbeat & Marjolaine, A Muse Studio Kraft CS
Ink - Memento Rich Cocoa
Dies - MFT Die-Namics Branch with Leaves, Nesties Circles
Copics - BG72, BG75, BG78, YR12, YR65, E47


**Without further delay - the winner of my Blog Birthday Candy is...ELINE JANSENS!**  
She is one of my new blog buddies! Please check out her new blog - she is VERY talented!
Eline - please contact me (there's a link on my sidebar) with your mailing address.  Congrats! Smiley

A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you for your kind comments, for sharing my blog candy, for following me and for being my crafty friends! You are proof that it's a small world after all! Smiley
I have more posts in the works, so stay tuned! Thank you for stopping by!

Pickle Post #42 - A Muse Studio Challenge - Hot Diggity DAD!

TO VIEW MY BLOG CANDY - CLICK HERE. Check it out - there's crafty fun stuff to be WON!

Hi there! How are you today, friends? :)

I am a little behind on my post for the current A Muse Studio Challenge, but I always say better late than never! The challenge theme is Father's Day. I have said before that masculine cards are NOT my forte', but I like the challenge. It makes it that much harder because my dad is not the easiest to create for. I aim for humor when I create for Dad and I thought my card turned out rather cute... *ahem* FUN. :) Here is what I created!

My Father's Day Card:

So my dad is a 'grill king' - this is what I call all men who master the art of the grill! He is not a hot dog eater, but 'Here's To The Burger King' isn't an A Muse sentiment YET. :) Still - isn't it fun? Gotta love the ketchup red and mustard yellow chevrons! I stamped this on kraft because it is eternally masculine AND I didn't have to color the hot dog buns. There is a method to my madness. :) The yellow pennant seemed to fit in perfectly. Since A Muse doesn't have 'Dad' as a sentiment, I took another stamp that said Happy BirthDAy and used the letters to create it as well as the exclamation point. Ah, the art of crafty improv!

Here is the inside of the card:


See the beer foam? That's Le Pouf, a dimensional 'paint' that puffs when you heat it! LOVE that stuff - great for Santa hats and snow on Christmas cards, too! :)

Stuff I Used (All A Muse Studio Products):
Stamps - Hey, Man!, Say It With Style, Birthday Greetings (letters used for DAD)
Cardstock - Kraft,Buttercup, Cherry
Ink - Papaya, Cherry, Memento Tuxedo Black
Copics - hot dogs Y17, R24 beer E33, E37
Other Stuff - Cupcake Toppers Dies, Le Pouf Dimensional Paint

I hope you will enter your Father's Day creations into the challenge - you don't have to use A Muse products, but if you do, you get two entries per link! So come on over and join in the fun for your chance to win some A Muse goodies of your very own!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I really appreciate you being here! :)

Pickle Post #41 - Picklelicious Candy for My Blog Birthday!

Hi there! Happy Sunday to everyone! :) It's my Blog Birthday TODAY!

Hard to believe it's been a year since I embarked on my blogging journey. To thank all of you for your sweet comments and kind support, I am giving away some 'Share Crafty Love & Pickles' blog candy! :)

My goal has always been to increase my base of crafty friends (I do consider my followers as my friends!) and just have fun with my blog. I don't want a center stage spot in the crafting world - I just love being a part of the crafting world! Making new friends and sharing creative ideas with other artists is most important to me - cuz THAT is what we are - ARTISTS.  :) And who doesn't love some kudos along the way?

I would be over the moon if you would help me spread the word and meet new friends by posting my candy to your blog or wherever your crafty friends are. I am opening this to my international friends because I have many of them too! :) Hooray!

If I can double my follower base in the next 30 days, everyone will get double the chances to win! If you can't follow me through Google, you can sign up for my posts via e-mail - let me know if you follow or subscribe to my posts in your comments. If you post the candy to your blog or somewhere else like Facebook to give your crafty friends the chance to win, please leave me a comment and that will give you extra chances as well.  

Sharing the candy will help you win! I will choose the winner on Sunday, July 8.
I will post birthday cards throughout the next few weeks to celebrate, so watch for those posts as well.

I just really appreciate each and every one of you - there are so many things I have learned because of YOUR shared creativity. This blog would not exist if it wasn't for all of YOU inspiring ME each and every day!

Thank you for your love and support this past year! Here's to many more! Happy Blog Birthday to ME. :)

Pickle Post #40 - In Sunshine & In Shade

Hi again! Today I am staying indoors to avoid the lovely summer heat here

YIKES - the forecast for Phoenix is 102 degrees. So there's no better time to get some crafty things done, right? All while enjoying the nice air conditioning in my craft room! :)

So if you are somewhere there's rain or chilly weather (like Alaska LOL), here's a little card to brighten your day! It's another simple card with the focus on the sentiment using A Muse products. I have a special friend in mind for this one.

My Friends in Sunshine & Shade Card:


I used my circle Nesties and nice bright cardstock to create this happy little card. I think I will make another one where I emboss the little orange sun on the front and use some different colors, but this one still makes me smile. :)

Stuff I Used (all A Muse Studio Products):
Stamps - Sunshine & Shade (sentiment), Calendar Fun (smiling sun)
Cardstock - Buttercup, Orange
Ink - Bellini, Memento Tuxedo Black
Other Stuff - Spellbinders Circles & Scalloped Circles, White Pearls (colored with Copic marker YR09)

So please enjoy a little sunshine cuz we have more than enough! :) Thanks for stopping by!

Pickle Post #39 - Just a Simple Hello

Hello again! Another post in the same week?? :) I even surprised myself!
I am in a creative mood and trying hard to keep it going

Nothing fancy today...just another simple card I created with the sentiment as the main focus using my A Muse Studio stuff. Both of my daughters have moved to far away places recently and I have been in the mood to create cards to send to them. Kind of a delayed empty nest syndrome of Mama missing the kids. :)

My 'Hello' Card:



I am loving blue and yellow together - maybe it's a sun and ocean summer thing? :) Simple layers, embossed polka dots, a scalloped border and a tiny bouquet of yellow flowers. Such a colorful way to say hello, don't you think

Stuff I Used (All A Muse Studio products):
Stamps - Say It With Style, Calendar Fun
Cardstock - Sugar, Buttercup, Sky, Cobalt, Navy
Ink - Navy, Buttercup, Lime
Other Stuff - Scallop Border Dies, Medium Dots Embossing Plate

Thank you for stopping by to say hello! :)

Pickle Post #38 - My Sentiments Exactly

Hi there! Time flies when you are busy... and always behind. :)
It's been a while since I posted and I am taking advantage of the long weekend to catch up!

This week, I am the hostess for the current challenge at the AMuse Studio Challenge Blog. My theme is Let's Get Sentimental and use a sentiment as the focal point for your card or creation. I hope you will join us over at the Challenge Blog - you now have two weeks to enter your creations and if you use AMuse Studio products, each entry gives you two chances to win! Please come on over and join us!

So we all know I am very challenged when it comes to creating simple stuff - my creative brain wants to add more rather than less. :) I am actively practicing the 'less is more' mantra and I hope you enjoy what I created.

My 'Miss You' Card:

Sweet and super simple! I used my favorite polka dotted paper and kept it neutral so my sentiment would stand out. I love my new AMuse Studio dies so I had to use them. Since I can't just leave simple alone, I added a glittered heart with a sparkly rhinestone heart. My creative brain told me to do it LOL! I really love the way it turned out!

Stuff I Used (All AMuse Studio Products): 
Stamps - Say It With Style, Calendar Fun
Cardstock - Sugar, Cranberry, Black & White Petite Polka Dot
Ink - Onyx, Versamark
Other Stuff - Vintage Dies 2, Cranberry Glitter, Clear Heart Twinkle Sticker, Clear Embossing Powder, Simple Stick Powder 

I have a couple other cards I created with this theme in mind - I will share those over the next week.
I still have that surprise I promised coming up soon - my Blog Birthday is just around the corner! :)

If you are in the U.S., I hope you are enjoying your long Memorial Day weekend
As always, I appreciate your sweet comments and thank you for stopping by today!

Pickle Post #37 - An AMuse challenge to 'die' for & a Retro Sketch too!

Hi friends! Another crazy week and time got away from me!

It's time for another challenge at the AMuse Studio Challenge Blog!  You have two weeks to enter your creations and you don't have to use AMuse products to enter, but if you do use AMuse, you get two chances to win per entry! We would LOVE to see your stuff and give you some goodies, so come on over and join us!

This week, our challenge theme is to use die cuts in your creations. I LOVE my AMuse dies! They cut so cleanly and there are so many fun choices! Here's what I created for this challenge:

Well, can you tell I love purple? :) So does my mom and I think she will love her Mother's Day card! My die cuts - the felt butterflies and the label. I stamped and embossed the strip across the card with one of our new background stamps - such a fun circle pattern! I can never quite capture the beauty and sparkle of stuff on my card with my little Kodak...I am looking for a new digital camera with better zoom capabilities!  I am thinking about a hybrid. Any suggestions? :)

Here's the inside - simple and pretty. I like room to write inside my cards. I LOVE these new butterfly stamps from AMuse - you will see more of these on future creations!

Stuff I Used (All AMuse Studio Products):
Stamps - Say It With Style, Mod Backgrounds 2, Vintage Labels, Papillon
Cardstock - Amethyst, Grape
Ink - Amethyst, Grape, Versamark
Dies - Vintage Labels, Butterflies Trio
Other Stuff - Heather Felt, Clear Twinkle Stickers (rhinestones and teardrops), White Embossing Powder

Sketchy Inspiration - Retro Sketches # 9 (I just LOVE what those talented girls come up with!)
More to come SOON...I have been promising a fun surprise and I think I will save it for my Blog Birthday ... 38 days and counting! Where does the time go??? :)

Thank you for stopping by!

Pickle Post #36 - Thanks Again!

Hi there! Sorry to be absent again. Just when I think I am back on track - so many things happen!

My internet was giving me fits for almost 3 weeks! Every afternoon from around 1-5 p.m., I had no service at all. That's the time I have available to do anything online, so I was not too happy! We finally got a tech out to fix it and I hope it stays fixed.

I am now battling a sinus infection (OH SO FUN) and I am just so tired. BLECK. :(
But I am working through it and playing catch up. 

And it's time for a new round of challenges over at the AMuse Studio Challenge Blog!
I am now design team coordinator and co-administrator of the blog - what a learning experience! :) We have 5 new team members, new crafty stuff to inspire you - and prizes just waiting for you! We also have a new format - we are now doing challenges bi-weekly to give more time to enter your crafty goodness. Come on over and join in! I would love to see YOU win some AMuse goodies to play with!

The theme of the April 16 challenge is Thank You Thank You Thank You! :)

Here is what I created for the challenge:

 
Isn't this AMuse stamp set fabulous? It makes me smile! I got my layout inspiration from the latest Retro Sketches challenge - I love the sketchy inspiration there! I was feeling summer coming on - it's supposed to be 100 degrees here in Arizona by Sunday, so I used sunny yellows and greens. And you know how I love polka dots. :) So I added the green polka dotted paper. Big surprise there LOL!

Stuff I Used (All AMuse Studio products):
Stamps - 'Tini Time
Cardstock - Sugar, Grass, Buttercup, Grass Polka Dot
Ink - Grass, Buttercup, Memento Tuxedo Black
Other Stuff - Scallop Border Dies

Retro Sketches Challenge #7












More fun stuff to follow...sooner than later this time!  :) Thanks for stopping by!

Pickle Post #35 - Thankful for You!

Hi there and happy Tuesday...well it may be Wednesday before you get this. :)

I was so darn busy last week that I got a little behind. I wasn't feeling great over the weekend, but I am getting back on track and feeling better so I have to get my posts up!

Thank you all for your support in light of my lengthy absence and my re-entry into the blogging world of crafty goodness! :) There are so many of you out there I truly consider my friends even though we haven't met in real life. I am so grateful for your creative inspiration and your sweet comments that give me a much needed boost!

In support of the AMuse Studio Challenge Blog, I created a card for this week's challenge. If you haven't joined us in a challenge, please do so! We would love to see what you create and give away some fun AMuse goodies - hopefully to YOU.

Here is the inspiration for this week's challenge:

Lovely colors, layers, florals, scallops...so much inspiration to choose from. :)

Here is what I created for the challenge:
I wanted my card to be simple to bring focus to the AMuse shimmer cardstock I used - I LOVE IT.  It is one of my favorite 'go to's' at the moment! I tried so many angles to photograph the sheen of it but it is so much prettier in person! I love blues and browns together so I worked with those colors. I am drawn to the stitching, scallops and florals in the picture. That inspired the rest of the card. The polka dotted flowers are another favorite of mine. They just make me happy. :)

Stuff I Used (All AMuse Studio Products):
Stamps - 'Life is a Song'
Cardstock - Sugar & French Roast Shimmer, Bermuda Polka Dot
Ink - French Roast
Dies - Flowers 2, Scallop Borders, Spellbinders Scalloped Rectangles
Other Stuff - Bermuda Buttons, French Roast Stitched Ribbon, Clear Embossing Powder

AND I still have a fun surprise in store...I have to get that post put together to share with you.
I am eternally behind LOL! :) Stay tuned...

Thanks for stopping by today!

Pickle Post #34 - Where in the world is Mrs. Pickle?...and an AMuse Challenge!

Hi there! I have missed you, my crafty friends! HOW ARE YOU?!

I guess the bigger question is how am I? It's been a LONG time since I last posted. Life has been crazy hectic! Work, lack of sleep, family stuff and schedule changes all took their toll on me...I truly lost my mojo. :(

No matter what I did to rekindle my creative energy, projects just sat on my craft desk - half done, sad, forlorn, gathering dust. Seriously I was just in no mood to make or finish anything.

Then I sustained a workout injury to my leg and hip right in December that wouldn't allow me to sit or stand or even lay down for lengthy periods of time without major pain. Try crafting while in pain and lacking mojo...no fun!

I am just about back to 100% and I am finally getting back on track! To all of you who handle chronic illness, full time (or even very busy part time) jobs and family obligations and still post your creativity to your blog on a regular basis - I salute you! :)

My goal is to keep posting at least twice a week. I am working on some new projects to post, but today I am going to share what I created for the weekly AMuse Studio Challenge! I am this week's hostess and my theme is 'Bloom Where You Are Planted' - to create something with flowers. Use flower stamps, paper, felt - whatever puts you in the mood for Spring! Come and join us over at the challenge blog for a chance to win some free AMuse goodies! :)

Here is what I created - it is in honor of YOU, all of my crafty friends who still love me! :)
My flowers are created using blue satin ribbon that I twisted and glued onto big glue dots. I accented them with ivory pearls and stamped leaves. That fabulous blue chevron ribbon is new from AMuse - LOVE IT. The white face of the card is embossed with a diamond pattern and placed onto blue shimmer cardstock, which is GORGEOUS in person but so hard to capture with my little Kodak camera. You can kind of see the shimmer at the top of the card. The sentiment is stamped with black pigment ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.

Stuff I Used (all AMuse Studio products):
Stamps-True Blue Friend, Leaves Trio
Cardstock-Sugar, Bermuda Shimmer
Ink-Onyx and Grass pigment ink
Other Stuff-Harlequin/Woodgrain Embossing Plate, Bermuda Satin Ribbon and Chevron Ribbon, Ivory Pretty Pearls 
  
Thank you for stopping by to visit after such a LONG LONG time. :) 
I am so happy to be back and blogging! I will have more stuff to post and a fun surprise to share by week's end - so stay tuned!


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