UIT: Birthday Blog Hop!

We have a little excitement this week at Use It Tuesday…you know why? It is our 1 year Blogiversary and we are celebrating with a blog hop and presents! (And cake with ice cream, too…please excuse the frosting on our keyboards…)

I am the very last stop on the hop! You should have arrived here from Sami’s blog. Be sure to stop by the entire design team’s blogs as well as the Use It Tuesday blog because we have hidden prizes all along the way!

Now, being we are the blog that encourages you to use your stash, we don’t usually do ‘prizes’ per say, but hey, this is a PARTY after all! And what is a party without presents?! (…and the aforementioned cake and ice cream!)

So, how can you win?

1. Hidden along our hop are prizes on each of our design team member’s blogs! Leave each of us a comment and you will have an opportunity to win. Easy as that!
2. Play with us! Link your creation to our challenge post using Inlinkz; one lucky participant will win a GRAND PRIZE package donated by our fabulous sponsors!
3. You MUST be a follower of the Use It Tuesday blog to win!

As always, our winner will chosen by the Inlinkz Froggy. In order to win, you MUST mention that you are playing with us at Use It Tuesday, make a project that meets our guidelines, AND tell us what hoarded supplies you used! And…of course, the grand prize winner will be asked to guest design for us in an upcoming challenge!

Now, on to the challenge! This week is all about our 1 year blogiversary; we want to see a project that has to do with BIRTHDAYS! Simply link your creation to our challenge post using Inlinkz by Friday, Februrary 24th.

For my project, I was lucky enough to be sponsored by Sami at SP and Company!

I used her Mini Card Creations I and II sets! I just love the look of smaller card for attaching to a gift...and yet they are big enough to also fit a gift card perfectly! For my card, I still used a ton of hoarded supplies. I hate to admit, that ribbon was bought off eBay in 2005. Oh yes, I got like 3 yards of all the Stampin' UP colors! LOL And the Pool Party paper had NEVER been used.

And I could not stop there...this set is just so fun! I made a few extra little 4x4 cards for my kids to use on gifts. Plus it is had been forever since I had the opportunity to craft, so I had to take advantage of it!

You have the chance to win the Mini Card Creations set from SP and Company by leaving me a comment with your contact information by February 24th. A winner will be randomly chosen, so good luck!

We want to thank our other FABULOUS sponsors, too! A full list, as well as a peek as what is in the Grand Prize package is linked on the Use It Tuesday blog. :) And since I am the last stop on the hop, don't forget to make your birthday creation and link it up in time to win it!

Thanks for stopping by!

UIT: All About Winter

This week at Use It Tuesday our theme is All About Winter...and boy do I know all about that! I know all about it to the tune of -42F (the coldest I have personally experienced). I can honestly say that seeing temps that low was certainly NOT on my bucket list of 'must dos' but hey, the Northern Lights were and I guess you have to pay in some way to experience such beauty. (Kind of like the pain of eyebrow waxing??!)

Anyway, we would LOVE to have you join us this week! Use your hoarded supplies, link up your creation, and play away! You have until Jan 20th!

This card was particularly fun because DH bought me the PTI Stamps and matching dies last Christmas and they had yet to see ink! I love working with the matchy-matchy stamps/dies they have! Plus, I used up another SU ribbon slide and ribbon from a dusty multi-pack!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Batty Treat Boxes

The challenge over at Use It Tuesday is to make a project using orange, purple and/or black. You should see what the other girls created! So many GORGEOUS creations that are not at all Haloweenie! (Do you like that word?) ;)

Anyway, I pulled out my neglected Sizzix pillow box die, old cardstock and patterned paper, never used stamp set and my much loved but hardly ever used SU scallop circle die to make little treat boxes. They were super easy and fun!

We would love to have you play along! You have 10 days to play and can enter as many times as you like. :) Use that stash!

Thanks for flying in!

Chocolate

This week at Use It Tuesday is all about CHOCOLATE! What fun!

I chose to dust off my Cricut Imagine and made this super easy card based on a sketch from Clean & Simple Stamping. The paper was printed from my Imagine as well, because I don't have enough paper already in my stash. **snort** ;) Of course I do...but this just matched so perfectly, I could not resist...

Used some SU ribbon from my stash, as well as the rhinestones that I got from the 100yen store while living in Japan. Stickles dressed up the cake and we finished it off with one of my favorite sentiments from Papertrey Ink!

Thanks for looking and have a fabulous week!

Use It Challenge #15

2 posts in one week! Don't fall over! My hours at work have finally been cut back to 16 so I have a little more time for my neglected friends Paper and Ink. (Between folding socks and keeping the little monkeys fed, of course!)

I made this card for the Use It Tuesday challenge...to use an uninked stamp. The only difficult part was choosing which uninked stamp to use! And if my husband is reading this, I only had 2 to choose from. If you are a crafter, you know I may have underestimated that number just slightly. ;)

At any rate, I picked up this sweet fairy from Paper Makeup a while back. I got her to use on birthday cards. She lends herself to coloring, which I love to do. :) And the sketch came from my friend Susanne at Scrap, Stamp and Doodle Saturdays.

We would love to have you play along with us at Use It Tuesday! Link a card using an uninked stamp to the blog by 23 Sept! You know you have an uninked stamp...or 2! We would love to see what you make!

Dies, Oh My!

Happy Tuesday! Since it is the 2nd Tuesday of the month I have a fun creation to share with you based on the challenge at Use It Tuesday: Punches, Dies and Cut-outs, oh my! You need to use one of the aforementioned items that you have not used previously.

I chose to use my lattice die by SU. It is a die I knew I "had" to have after seeing some amazing creations made with it. (Darn all you horrible enablers!) It was so fun to use and I can't wait to break it out again!

We would love to have you play along with us! As always, you have 10 days to play, so no excuses! You know you have the stash!

Stamps: Oh my gosh, NONE! Is that allowed??
Paper: Basic Black, Peach Parfait, Pear Pizazz DSP
Ink: None
Accessories: MS Butterfly sticker, SU Gold Cord

Use It Tuesday DT Call

Sami and I are humbled to have had such success with our little challenge blog!

Due to the response of our fellow 'collectors', we are currently looking for applicants to make our first Design Team. This is an open call; we are looking for people with all experience levels.

Requirements:

- have an online gallery and/or a blog

- if you have a blog, you need to be a follower of Use It Tuesday to apply

- be able to work with deadlines

- make and post 2 inspiration projects per month

- comment on players’ projects

- be a team player

- have a positive attitude

Term: June 1-Dec 31

Interested? Please email the following completed application to UseItTuesday@gmail.com by May 28^th.

1. Name

2. Links to your online galleries and/or blog

3. Your previous DT experience, if any.

4. Please tell us a little about yourself.

5. Please tell us why you would like to be on our team.

6. Please share one fun fact about yourself.

Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you!!

Use Your Bling

The challenge this week at Use It Tuesday is to use your bling! I thought it was totally appropriate for the challenge after Mothers Day. :)

I made this gift set for Teacher Appreciation Week. :) The first day we were supposed to give our teachers a package of our favorite seeds. Of course, I can't just throw the seeds in my son's backpack, I have to decorate them up! {curse of the crafter, right?!}

And I hope you noticed they are California poppy seeds. :) You can take the girl out of California...

And my next project is a post-it note holder. I wanted everything to coordinate, so I went with the same color palette and general design. This was super easy and fun to make! You can find the template on SCS.


Sami and I would love to have you join us this week! Just link up to our challenge blog by the 20th! Thanks for looking!

Stamps: NONE...which is wrong on so many levels...
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Tangerine Tango, White, DCWV Mariposa
Ink: NONE
Accessories: MS Butterfly, Stickles, Robin's Nest Dew Drops, Nestabilities, SU Ribbon, Mike's Ribbon, Jumbo Eyelet

UIT Fasteners

As many of you know, I am a co-owner of Use It Tuesday...the challenge blog for hoarders. :) When I developed the list of challenges, I had to take a little peek at my own supplies, of course. I have a feeling many of you (not naming names) have similar issues, so this should be easy for you!

We want you to use your fasteners! We are talking buttons, brads, eyelets, grommets...and whatever else you think applies!

I used 10 buttons on this card. Yes, it did cause heart palpitations, I won't lie! But then I looked at what was 'left over' in my stash. It was a quick recovery. :)

This card started out to be quite linear, with the buttons all nicely lined up in little squares. When I slid the buttons off to tape my squares, I loved the randomness of the look, so I kept it. What do you think?

We would love to have you play with us this week! See you over at Use It Tuesday!

Stamps: PTI for sentiment
Paper: PTI Stampers Select, Tempting Turquoise
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Buttons, Karen Foster Scrappers Floss, SU Felt Flowers

Ribbon Hoarder

Hi. I have a problem with ribbon. I have a lot of it. And I like to hoard it. Not on purpose, of course, but I hate to cut into that pretty ribbon for fear if I use it up, I won't be able to find it again.

**sigh**

But I am letting go!! I got this ribbon 4 years ago...it was at a Michaels in Milpitas, CA when I went home to visit from Japan. Rescued it from the $1 bin! It was love at first sight. But my sweet little ribbon does not want to spend its life on a spool. (Would you?!) It wants to fulfill its destiny...so I did it...I used it. A little 'favor' to my friend, the ribbon.

Hope you like my card that was totally, 110% inspired by that ribbon!

Do you hoard ribbon? Join us at Use It Tuesday and let your ribbon fulfill its destiny too! :)

Stamps: Baroque Motifs (SU)
Paper: Early Espresso, Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango
Ink: Early Espresso, Versamark
Accessories: Yummy Mikes Ribbon, Clear Embossing Powder, Dew Drops, Felt Flower

Red

As many of you know, I lived over in Japan for 4 years, only returning back to the US this past July. When the earthquake and tsunami hit, I knew I wanted to do something to help. Since Sami and I "own" Use It Tuesday, we figured why not use it as a forum to help raise awareness and make it a fun way to donate to the cause!

The challenge over at Use It Tuesday is to make a project using the color RED in honor of Japan. Remember to use something from your stash you have been hoarding and please tell us in your post or project description what that item (or items) is!

As an added twist...we are going to make a donation to the Red Cross based on the number of participants we have! If we get 1-25 players, we will donate $50; 26-50 players we will donate $75 and so on up to $400! So feel free to get the word out! We would love to make a great donation on behalf of our fellow crafters. :)

Even if you are not a regular player over there, I hope you will consider playing along this time. :) You have until April 1 to upload your creation!

Ruff Sketch

I love sketch challenges so I was thrilled when my very talented partner in crime at Use It Tuesday made one for this week!

Since it was a Use It challenge, I decided to grab some stamps that had never seen ink (as if that would be difficult)! In addition, I allowed myself to use my coveted ribbon that a friend bought for me while she was vacationing in Korea. Isn't it yummy?

We would love to have you join us at Use It Tuesday this week! You have 10 days to play, in fact! Just head on over and make a commitment to use your stash! :)

Stamps: Inkadinkado
Paper: Basic Black, Real Read, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Real Red DSP
Ink: Versamark, Real Red
Accessories: Nestabilities, Dimensionals, Black Embossing Powder, Ribbon, SU Top Note Die

Pretty, Pretty Paper

I have a problem with paper. Pretty, pretty paper that I don't want to slaughter...I mean cut into...because it is so pretty. :) It only makes sense that this week's Use It Tuesday would be to cut into that paper, right? I mean, how can I make a fun challenge that would not be applicable to me and yet painful at the same time? ;)

I dusted off the DCWV Rockstar Mat Stack I have owned for longer than I care to admit and got to work. I chose this pretty, pretty piece with gorgeous flocking and layered it on a coordinating pattern out of the same pack! So I used 2 pieces of uncut paper! Yup, I am just a little proud of myself!

I would love for you to head over to Use It Tuesday and play along! Our challenges are open for 10 days so you have no excuse not to play! I know you have the pretty, pretty paper stash! ;)

Stamps: Sentiment from StampingBella
Paper: DCWV Rockstar, SU Early Espresso and Very Vanilla
Ink: Versamark and Early Espresso
Accessories: Seam Binding Ribbon (SU), Rhinestones

Ribbons and Lace

Ribbons...got 'em! Lace...humm...thankfully I had some left in my stash from the 100 yen store in Japan! I am not so much a lace user and I am not sure why. It is pretty and adds a fun touch. Maybe I don't want to fall in love with it because if I do, undoubtedly I will try to hoard it. ;)

The challenge this week at Hand Stamped Sentiments was to use Ribbons and Lace. I chose to pair it with a new stamp set I got from Sale A Bration, Bliss. So, since this was a new, never been inked set, it also met my challenge requirements at Use It Tuesday! Yay for twofers! (Which I stole from my friend, Lisa!)

Stamps: Bliss (SU)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink
Ink: Versamark, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: SU Ribbon, Lace, Adhesive Pearls, Liquid Pearls, Buttons, Linen Thread, CM corner rounder

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day is full of chocolate, love, and chocolate. :)

It all started with...

It all started with a confession on SCS about my little addiction to stamps. You see, I love stamps...those images just call out to me...ideas flutter in my brain...and then I find myself pulling the same sets to create with! I have so many stamps that have yet to see ink.

And you know what I found out? I am not alone!

So I got thinking, we all need a little kick in the booty to use what we have. My friend Sami used to run a segment on her blog called Use It Tuesday...I loved that name...and from there we developed our new challenge blog Use It Tuesday!


Our challenges will run twice a month and are not product or project specific, rather they will have a little twist to get you to use something you are hoarding! Our first challenge is up now and runs through the 18th of February. We are asking that to participate you use an image (digi or otherwise) that you have not used previously!

Here is the card I made for the challenge:

And we won't talk about how long I have had the March Word Puzzle sitting my shelf...I think it might even be retired now...eekkk!)

Stamps: March Word Puzzle (CTMH), Mini Card Creations II (SP & Company)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Whisper White (SU)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Garden Green (SU), Versamark
Accessories: American Crafts ribbon, SU Buttons & Linen Thread, Stickles, Clear Embossing Powder

Thanks for dropping by today! I hope you join us at Use It Tuesday!