the creative closet by cindy lawrence

Sweet 'n Sassy Blog Hop

Happy weekend, friends!

Today I have a Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps sample for you.  I just got this stamp set right before I left for CHA, and was so excited to ink it up!  I love me some chocolate...and some good friends too! :)

Here's the recipe:

Stamps:  Chocoholic

Papers:  Pure Luxury White, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey Sugared Designer Paper Pack

Inks:  Memento Rich Cocoa, Pink Pirouette, Copic Markers (to color in chocolates)

Accessories:  Pink Striped Grosgrain, Essential Glue Pad, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Crystal Effects, Pink Heart Rain Dots, Key Tag Punch, Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers

The Sweet 'n Sassy design team has been blog hopping for the past couple of days!  I have been out of town; so I missed the first two days.  BUT I wanted you to get to see all of their awesome samples; so here are the links for all three days:

Thursday, January 29th

Start on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog and head to Suzy, Korin, Lorie, & Deb

Friday, January 30th

Head to Chris, Courtney, Faith, Jeanette & Sarah

Saturday, January 31st

Head to Christi, Cindy, Sandy, Janette, & back on the SNSS blog to wrap it up.

Now, obviously, you are already here... So do go and check out the rest of the team's work!

I leave you with one last photo of me from CHA:



How cool is that?!  Aside from the obvious acting career, Jane is also an artist.  She does beautiful paintings!  She is just as sweet and gracious in person as she appears to be online. :)

Have a FABULOUS weekend, everyone!

Hugs~
Cindy

Pink!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Well, it's almost 1am on Friday, and I'm up typing a quick blog post for all of my fabulous and faithful readers.  I got in from CA about 1/2 hour ago; so you should feel pretty special! hee hee

It's gonna be a super-quick post, though!  I need to get some shut-eye; so I can be a human for my family tomorrow morning. :)

The card above is another Leadership display sample.  I love the simple elegance of the Tulipe Big Shot die combined with these soft colors.  I achieved the streaked background by swiping my Pink Pirouette ink pad down the cardstock...doesn't get any easier!  The words come from the SAB set, Congrats, which will be available on February 1st.

I just got the Big Shot Pennant die, and this was my first project with it.  It's an easy pocket that you can hang on a door knob or use as party favors at a shower.  It's just two dies glued together and embelished.  I used the SAB Yummy set, which is also available in February.  Can you believe that's only 2 days from now???

I will share more about my trip, as well as a fun blog hop sample from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps tomorrow.

Have a very happy Friday, friends!

See y'all tomorrow!

Hugs~
C

Cupcakes and CHA

Happy Thursday, folks!

Here's another sample I made for SU's Leadership displays.  I love this stamp set, and the sweet Delicate Dots designer papers seemed to work just perfecty with it.  I used the SAB set, Yummy, for the words...just a fun, easy card. :)

Here are some more photos from CHA:

Check out these new punches from EK Success!  They are flat-ish (is that a word) and can stack on top of each other.  Don't they look like staplers?!  Pretty cool, huh?

Here is a close-up of one of the punches:

Here's the 7gypsies booth...yummmm:

Here's the Prima booth.  It was so neat to see how everyone decorated their booths.

Here I am with the girls from Hanna Stamps, Kristi Ferro (owner) and Vicki Garrett (dt coordinator).  They are so sweet, and so much fun!

Here I am with the Unity girls.  They are all so little and adorable, and just as sweet as can be!

Here I am with Joy Kennedy and Kimberly from Our Craft Lounge.  Yesterday, I showed you a picture of Cambria; so today I thought I'd show you the other two "big cheeses" from OCL.  I ADORE these girls AND their product!  Wait until you see the YUMMMMMMY new stuff they are coming out with!

Here is Jeanne Streiff demonstrating at the Copic booth.  It was really fun to watch her in action!

Okay, that's all from me for now.  Today, I'm flying home...to arrive in the driveway at about midnight.  Back to the cold and snow and reality; but it sure has been a fun week in sunny CA! :)

See y'all tomorrow!

Hugs~
C

Black & Kraft...and More CHA

Hey everyone~

I am sitting here in my hotel room drinking a nice, hot cup of tea as I wait to head out for dinner with friends.  It has been another fun and exhausting day at CHA.  I had lunch today with Lisa Bryson (owner of Whipper Snapper), Anna Wight (stamp illustrator extra0rdinaire), and Jeanne Strieff (designer extraordinaire).  What wonderful people they are!  Of course, I didn't think to get a picture of them to share...

BUT I do have some other pictures for ya:

The picture above is Diana doing a little coloring...her favorite thing! :)

This one's the gorgeous Jenn Balcer trying a tiara on for size.  It's a perfect fit! :)

This one's Daven doing the m&t at Our Craft Lounge.  Yes, people...he DOES really stamp!

Speaking of Our Craft Lounge, here's Cambria and me.  I just love her!  She really couldn't be any sweeter!  

I have loads more pictures; but I'll save those for another day.  Right now, it's off to dinner for me!

BUT...first...here are a couple more samples I made for the SU Leadership displays.

 

The acetate box was made with new SU designer papers and the Good Friend stamp set.  I love the elegance of Kraft & Black together, don't you?!

 

I used the same paper on the card as I did on the box.  The words are from the Congrats Sale-a-Bration stamp set.  It was an easy card to make; but I really like the way it came out.

I'm gonna skip recipes today, cuz I'm short on time; but if you have a question, feel free to ask!

Have an awesome Wednesday everyone!

See y'all tomorrow!

Hugs~
C

Life Is Good

Hey everyone~

Today I have a couple of Stampin' Up samples for you.  I have more CHA pictures; but I'm just tooooo tired to load 'em up today.  I will have some for you tomorrow though!

This first sample is made with SU's new Good Friend stamp set.  It's a little funkier than I usually do; but I had a goal to use all of the stamps in the set, and these images seem to lend themselves well to some funkiness. :)

Here's the recipe:

Stamps:  Good Friend

Papers:  Whisper White, Basic Gray, Sahara Sand, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Designer Paper

Inks:  Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Sahara Sand

Accessories:  1-3/8" Circle Punch, Kiwi & Baja Striped Grosgrain, Dimensionals

This next sample is a 6x6 scrapbook page of my daughter, Abbi, when we were in Panama.  It's a super-simple page that anyone can do.

Here's the recipe:

Stamps:  Good Friend

Papers:  Basic Gray, Whisper White, Designer Paper

Inks:  Kiwi Kiss, Basic Gray

Accessories:  Word Window Punch, Kiwi Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Kiwi Designer Buttons, Rub-Ons

Okay, that's all folks!  I am completely worn out, but having a truly fabulous time at CHA!  I had my picture taken with Jane Seymour today...can't wait to share that one with you!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

See y'all back here tomorrow morning

Hugs~
C

New SU Colored Rub-Ons and CHA!

Hey everyone~

First, let me tell ya about that card up there.  It was made with Stampin' Up's brand-new Bright Delights rub-ons.  I love that they have colored rub-ons now...so cute!  I colored the flower brads in with Crystal Effects and some Old Olive re-inker.

Here's the full supply list:

Stamps:  Congrats (SAB)

Papers:  Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series Papers

Inks:  Chocolate Chip, Old Olive Re-Inker, Brown Sharpie (center of flower brads)

Accessories:  Flower Designer Brads, Large Oval Punch, Sponge Dauber, Bright Delights Rub-Ons, Dimensionals

Now...about my adventures at CHA...

I am having such a FABULOUS time!  I have met so many wonderful SCS friends, and drooled over some seriously yummmmmy new products!

I did not get many pictures today that are worth sharing; but I do have a few for you.

This one's Jenn Balcer drooling over some seriously gorgeous designer paper at the Graphic 45 booth.  You just had to touch this paper to be sure it wasn't actually fabric...absolutely fantastic stuff!

Here's the Doodlebug booth.  How flippin' cute is this?!  It was set up like an old-fashioned ice cream shop.

Here's one of the window boxes at the front of the Doodlebug booth.  It had faux cupcakes and ice cream cones in it...just darling!

Here's a great shot of the whole group from the Dirty Dozen and Alumni dinner:

 

So, I am having a great time, and scoping out lots of great new products.  There is so much more to see.  You just can't even imagine how big this thing is!!!

Have a lovely Monday, everyone!

I'll be back tomorrow with another update!

Hugs~
C

Leavin' On A Jet Plane...

Happy weekend, friends!

Today I'm off to CHA in California...plane takes off at 6am!  I am soooo unbelievably excited to not only attend such a fabulous event, but most especially to meet so many of my friends from Splitcoaststampers!  It is going to be a giant hug-fest for sure!

I will be posting updates & pictures all week long for you; so you can get a little taste of what's happening as well.  I do have pre-scheduled posts ready to go for the whole week...lots of wonderful new Stampin' Up samples; but I will also be adding new info to the posts as often as I am able.

Todays sample is made with my very favorite (so far) H&M stamp set, My Favorite Valentine.  This is the set my kiddos are using to make Valentines for their classmates too.  I inked up the dinosaur today.  Isn't he sweet?

Here's the full card recipe:

Stamps:  My Favorite Valentine

Inks:  Palette Hybrid Noir Black, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Sahara Sand

Papers:  Pure Luxury (Gina K), Kiwi Kiss, Bella Rose Designer Series Papers (SU), Watercolor Paper

Accessories:  Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain, Key Tag Punch, Circle Nestabilities, White Gel Pen, Kiwi Designer Buttons, H2O Brush, Heart Rain Dots, Dimensionals

Have a lovely weekend, everyone. :)  If I have time, I may actually post something tomorrow.  Otherwise, I'll see ya back here on Monday!

Thanks for stopping in!

Hugs~
C

Taylor's Anniversary Challenge & Fabulous Prizes!!!

Hey everyone~

I'm so excited to have been asked to help Taylor celebrate her one-year Cupcake Challenge Anniversary! 

Each of the cupcake sketch samplers has designed their own sketch to celebrate. Today, I'm featuring Stephanie Hargis' sketch challenge. You can check out the sketch on her blog and find out about the prize you can win by participating!

Don't forget to check out Taylor's blog, the anniversary celebration headquarters, for all of the sketch challenges as well as an awesome grand prize for one random winner who participates in ALL 9 sketch challenges! We hope you'll help us celebrate this yummy occasion!

Here's the card I made for the challenge:

I just love Taylor's Love Is Sweet stamp set...just perfect for Valentine's Day or any occasion when you want to tell someone how much you love them.  The sentiment I used on my card just makes me smile..."love Muffin"...hubba hubba! :)

Here's the recipe:

Stamps:  Love Is Sweet

Inks:  Black Staz-On, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip

Papers:  Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Candy Lane Designer Series Paper, Watercolor Paper

Accessories:  Wide Pink Pirouette Grosgrain Ribbon, Riding Hood Red Taffeta, H2O Brush, Swirls CuttleBug Folder, Red Heart Rain Dots, Scallop Edge Punch, Curly Label Punch, Sponge Dauber, Dimensionals

Check out what awesome samples the other girls made with this sketch:

Sarah Anderson: http://scrampinmama.blogspot.com/

Michelle Bartnett: http://justpaintingaround.blogspot.com/

Steph Hargis: http://www.stephsstampinstuff.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Good luck in all the drawings...hope you WIN! :)

See y'all tomorrow!

Hugs~
C

Gorgeous Gifts!

Hey everyone~

Today's "real" post will be a little bit later today.  You will definitely want to stop back for it, as it's a CELEBRATION of somebody very sweeeeeeeet! :)

To tide you over for a few hours, I thought I'd share some of the fabulous gifts that were shared at my downline Christmas party.

No deets...just a smorgasbord of lovelines...  Enjoy! :)

Aren't those awesome projects?!  I am in awed at the talent of these ladies!

My celebration post will go live at 8am PST, also known as 11am EST. :)

Have a lovely morning!  See ya in a few hours!

Hugs~
C

Gina K Release Day!!!

Hello friends!

Boy, we're in for a real heat wave today...gonna get up to 34°F.  Time to get out the sunscreen and flip-flops! {grin}

Today's sneak peek is a sweeeeet set from Gina K Designs, called Sweetest Blessings.  It is just full of yummy confections...cakes, pies, cupcakes...and fabulous sayings to go with them.  Gosh, now I'm hungry!  Pie anyone???

I used the Top Note Big Shot die and Label & Tag Nestability dies to add some fun, curvy lines to my card.  That fun orange and white designer paper is actually DIGITAL paper, and it's brand-new from Gina K as well!  Oh yes, it's being released TONIGHT along with all of the other fun sets the dt has been showing you all this week!

The Chocolate heart "brads" are actually punched hearts that I covered in Crystal Effects and attached to my card with Mini Glue Dots.  The dish and cherry are also covered with Crystal Effects, and the sweet little heart on the sentiment is a Heart Rain Dot, which you can also find in the Gina K store.

The other "designer paper" with the pies all over it was made by repeatedly stamping and coloring the same image on a scrap of Pure Luxury cardstock.  I love making my own designer papers!  It's a great way to add a little pizzazz to your card without breaking the bank. :)

Here's the full card recipe:

Stamps:  Sweetest Blessings

Papers:  Pure Luxury White, Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Gina K Digital Designer Paper, Watercolor

Inks:  Timber Brown Staz-On, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Regal Rose, Pumpkin Pie

Accessories:  Top Note Die, Label Nestabilities, Tag Nestabilities, Chocolate Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon, Rose Frilly Ribbon, Heart to Heart Punch, Crystal Effects, Sponge, H2O Brush, Heart Rain Dot, Dimensionals

Remember, the release party is TONIGHT at 8pm est over in the SCS Gina K forum!  There will be contests, challenges, more sneak peeks, and finally the new products themselves!  As for that awesome Digital Paper, it will be FREE with any purchase between tonight and Sunday night!!!  ...and the deals, they keep on comin'! :)

Check out what the rest of the team did today:

Carolyn King
Donna Baker

Emily Giovanni

Erika Martin

Jessica Fick
Joanne Basile
Kurtis Amundson
Melanie Muenchinger
Theresa Momber
Mary Anderson *In the Spotlight Designer
and the fabulous Gina Krupsky

Have a very happy Thursday, my friends!  Hope to see lots of you at the parTAY tonight!

Hugs~
C