Late Blogger's Challenge...

The greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist. -Maria Montessori
I was Supposed to post a Blogger's Challenge card on Friday but my camera batteries died and then all weekend I have been getting stuff ready for school, so I am so sorry this is late! I hope I don't get whipped with a wet noodle by the BC Mom! :D This week's Challenge was a Sketch (my very favorite kind of challenge!)

Today is my son's first day of First Grade...I am So proud of him, he is smart, kind and wonderfully generous. I know he will excel in his schoolwork and be a truly wonderful student, but I am saddened that his Baby days are so far gone...he is a Big Boy these days!

OK, enough sniveling, on to the card!

I pulled out a sweet little image my friend sent me (Thanks Tammi!) and some Earth Love paper. I colored with Copics being careful tto stay away from anything too bright...the Earth Love paper is So cool, but the colors are so different from my Norm!

The inside is pretty simple again...I added a little strip of paper to the left side to cover the ribbon end and help keep it stuck down...

Supplies:
Stamps: Bumble Bee (Gorjuss Girls by Sugar Nellie,) Swirly Greetings (Elzybells)
Paper: Earth Love (Cosmo Cricket,) Willow CS (Memory Box)
Ink: Copic Markers, Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Misc: Crystal Stickles, Taffeta Ribbon, White Gel Pen, Adhesive Foam

Thanks for stopping by!

Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #22...

Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity. -Kahlil Gibran

Happy Sunday! Today marks the last day of Summer Vacation here in Boise...my son starts 1st Grade tomorrow! WOW...bittersweet, every Mothers biggest wish...and Biggest Fear!

Today I have a Very Sweet Cupcake for you...it is happy and Cheery...and Cherry, too! :) I love the way Le Cupcake embossed the fondant and the cherry is just so Perfect!

For my card I HAD to break out the Early Bird paper...the cherries are just so Perfect for this challenge! I used the Fall to Layout for this week and just cut a bunch of squares, adhered them and added a sentiment from So Sweet by Elzybells. I made the Crystal Cherries...just colored some Clear Crystals with copic markers, then drew the stems and added leaves (I made the leaves from the petals of some small Prima flowers!)

The inside is blank in case I have a lot to write inside, for someone so sweet! ;)

Supplies:
Stamps: So Sweet (Elzybells)
Paper: Black & Vanilla CS (PTI,) Early Bird (Cosmo Cricket, In Stock Now!!)
Ink: Copic Markers, Brown Stampin Write Marker for stems
Misc: Clear Crystals, Prima Flower

I would like to introduce this week's Guest Sweetie, Anna F!!! Anna has been playing along with the CIC for weeks and has held a spot on the Top 5 Numerous times! Click HERE to see her Wonderfully Shimmery creation! Here is a little sneak peek at her card as well as a few tastes from the Sweeties:

Don't forget to check out what the other Sweeties have created this week as well...

Bonnie ~ Carolina ~ Colleen ~ Jessica ~ Kelli ~ Michelle ~ Natalie ~ Tammy

If you play along this week make sure to add a direct link to your creation on Mr Linky below by Saturday, Sept 5th at 9 pm MT. If you upload to a public gallery like SCS or PCP make sure to use keyword CIC22 so we can easily find you. Remember, no cupcake stamps are required! I will post the Top 5 next Sunday!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cupcake Collage #21...

Thanks to everyone that participated this week, I loved seeing all the different ways you interpreted this week's Cupcake!

Here is a peek of what was created from the gorgeous cupcakes by Meg&Fred...

(Click on each thumbnail to be taken to the original post)

Digital Tuesday Design Team Search...

I saw yesterday that Digital Tuesday is having a Design Team search and I have decided to throw my hat in the ring! How about you? You can find all the info HERE

Third Time's the Charm???

Hmmmm, Random Follower #1 and #2 have failed to contact me...so lets try this again!

Random Follower #20 is the new Random # Generated to win THIS little pack of Goodies AND a $20 Store credit to Hope Stamps Eternal!

Follower #20 is Carol Ann from Purple Moments!!! Carol Ann, contact me at hopestampseternal@hotmail.com so I can set you up with a Promo Code for you $20 and get your address to mail you the goodies!

New Items in Stock!!!

New Cuttlebug Folders are in the House!!

Choose from Stars, Diamond Plate, Herringbone, Fleurde Lisa, or Morrocan Screen

Also new to the store...Brand New Halloween Clear Stamps by Inkadinkado!

Spooky Sets from only $1.99!

In Sympathy...

Every human being must find his own way to cope with severe loss, and the only job of a true friend is to facilitate whatever method he chooses. -Caleb Carr

Sympathy cards are Hard! You just never know how bright it should be or how pretty or how feminine you can get...this time around it was a Tad easier because this card is for a co-worker from the whole office, so I went feminine and didn't worry about her husband. I needed the card to be pretty big so the office can all sign it, so I went digital for my image (Love that you can resize then for what you need!) I used this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch (with a few small deviations.) The ribbon treatment was something I saw on Lisa Johnson's blog I ruffled the whole piece, but then it was too big for the image to fit over it, so I just flattened the part under the image and left the ruffle to the side.

The Gorgeous crocheted flower is from Imaginisce and I added a K & Co Pearl brad to it. The paper is from the Wisteria pad by Basic Grey and I colored the image with Copics before adding some Stardust Stickles...enough with the details, right? Here is the card (another late night photo from a bad camera sorry...it is really pretty IRL)...

Supplies:
Stamps: Garden Anemone (Sketching Stamper)
Paper: Wisteria (Basic Grey,) Spring Moss, Vanilla CS (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Computer Printer, Copic Markers
Misc: Stardust Stickles, Crocheted Flower, Pearl Brad, Saddle Stitch Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

Cupcake Inspiration Challenge #21...

Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit. -Peter Ustinov

Happy Sunday all! I'm here again with a little Sweetness. Today's cupcakes are brought to us by Meg&Fred via Flickr.

I chose these cupcakes for Very selfish reasons...I wanted to use my Fly Away set again! :) I love this set and this Hot Air Balloon...I also LOVE Cosmo Cricket Early Bird paper, so in theory this card should ROCK...but it doesn't. :( I think I just left it too late...I should have tipped the oval More or Less, I should have used Cream paper, I should have made the sky less BLUE...but all in all it is still Cute, right?

The layout is from this week's Eat Sleep Stamp Sketch and, even though I decided Not to add the sentiment where the basket goes on the balloon, I think this card will still work for Mitzi's Greeting Card Challenge. I also added clouds inside and out for the There She Goes challenge, it's a birthday card, so that works for the Stamp Something Birthday challenge...I Think Kerry will count this for the Three Clovers challenge this week (Planes, trains and automobiles) and lets see...anymore challenges I squeezed in here, I thought I was looking at one other one when I was doing this...Oh Yeah! The Spoon Full of Sugar challenge is Travel and I don't know about you, but Hot Air Balloon sounds like The way to travel to me!

I added a sentiment from the Butterfly Wishes set to the inside, along with a Happy Birthday from a Papertrey Ink set...

Supplies:

Stamps: Fly Away, Butterfly Wishes (The Greeting Farm,) Sentiment (PTI)
Paper: Early Bird (Cosmo Cricket,) White, Black & Ocean Tides CS (PTI)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento,) Copic Markers
Misc: Stardust Stickles, Dew Drops, Stardust Gel Pen, Cream Sheer Dot Ribbon

Here is a little peek at what a few of the Sweeties created, check them out and then play along!

Make sure and check out what the other Sweeties created for this week's Challenge!

Bonnie ~ Carolina ~ Colleen ~ Jessica ~ Kelli ~ Michelle ~ Natalie ~ Tammy

If you play along this week make sure to add a direct link to your creation on Mr Linky below by Saturday, August 29th at 9 pm MT. If you upload to a public gallery like SCS or PCP make sure to use keyword CIC21 so we can easily find you. Remember, no cupcake stamps are required! I will post the Top 5 next Sunday!

Cupcake Inspiration #20 Top 5...

Thanks to everyone who participated this week, you guys really amazed me over and over, Wonderful Purple creations ladies!!! I want to give another quick shout out to our Wonderful Guest Sweetie this week, Maureen. Her blog is chalk full of amazing work and it was wonderful to have us with us this week! Are you interested in a Guest Sweetie spot? Curious how I find them? I'll give you a little hint...or maybe a big one, play along and show us your Cupcakeness! :)

Here are this week's Top 5, thanks again ladies!!!

~ Riley ~ Jane ~ Debbie ~ Anna ~ Ida ~

Congrats ladies! You may now add the Top 5 Badge to your blog!

Punches and Dies, Oh My!!!

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul. -Judy Garland
Here I am again, late for a Blogger's Challenge Friday!! I haven't had much time to stamp this week, but I need to do it allllll weekend, because I have a Lot to do!

This week's Blogger's Challenge was to use Dies or Punches...well, That is Easy! I'm not sure I Ever make a card without some sort of Die or Punch! :) I used a Nestibilities Scallop Circle Die and a Martha Stewart corner punch on this card, I combined the challenge with the Colour Create color combo (Blue, Sand, Silver and Black.)

My Grandma requested a wedding card so I pulled out Fairy Tales by Verve and just started playing. The blue paper is a sheet from the Wisteria pad by Basic Grey and the corner punch is the Loop Corner by Martha Stewart (Currently on Pre-Order, expected to ship Sept 15th)

I stamped the swirls and the sentimnet in Silver Colorbox Chalk ink, then went over the sentimnet with a Micron .005 pen, added a touch of blue to the inside of the sircle for interest then covered the inside of the circle with Stardust Stickles. The ribbon is some Gorgeous 1" Martha Stewart Satin I picked up the other day at Big Lots!

Sorry for the crappy picture...I am SO buying a new camera next pay day!!!

More Silver swirls on the inside...

A little store news....

COSMO CRICKET is back in stock! Check out the new Earth Love, Jolly By Golly
and The Boyfriend...plus more Early Bird, too!

Also in stock are newest Inkadinkado Halloween Stamps...Full size sets plus
lots of fun $1.99 Mini Sets!!!

AND New Memory Box Paper and Stamps for Halloween and Christmas!!

August Random Follower Redraw...

I did not hear from the lucky winner of the first draw this month, so I redrew another lucky winner and Random.org chose #1!!!! :)

So...Teri is the very first person on my Follower list, congrats Teri, email me your address and I will get this little pack of goodies out to you, as well as a Promo code for $20 off at the Hope Stamps Eternal store!!