Ippity H{ippity} Hopping...

Hello! Hope your Thanksgiving weekend was wonderful.... What better way to start the week off but with a blog hop? Start at the Ippity Blog for the grand tour through the latest Ippity goodness. (And remember to leave a comment everywhere you go because you could wind up the winner of the Ippity prize package!)

I can't help it. I see humor in everything....so my card captures the moment that Little Cow may have said "I love ewe" to Little Lamb. Can't be sure....

All the deets can be found in my SCS Gallery, but just so you know, I've used the new "Farm Fresh" set and the older "Simply Home" set, along with the new Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 - 6x6 Mini Deck of papers. All available from your favorite Ippity gal.

Frugal tip #40: Keep scraps handy in a small container on your desk. Cull when it gets too full. (I used some leftover white c/s for the images I stamped today.)

Thanks for looking and have a great week!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

FWF Blog Hop

This was almost a week that I thought I'd have to skip the FWF blog hop.... crazy week leading up to Thanksgiving but I stole some time under the guise of cleaning up my scrap area and put together this card that's been haunting my dreams. (I see cards and they don't let go until I make them... lol). Also, I did it for Emily. She said she was looking forward to Sparky's next escapade so ... what more of a push did I need? This week, Sparky has been left behind while the family is off vacationing and, left with only a cold cat dish, what do you expect a poor kitty to do? Midnight margaritas, of course! Lol.

I used the Unity sets Kitchen Logic, Margarita Moments and Hugs & Kitties. More deets in my SCS Gallery.

Head over to the Unity blog if you'd like to join in the tour of Unity goodness. Leave a comment wherever you go but especially where you find the "You've Got Flair" blinkie because you'll be entered into a random drawing for a prize package!

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving and be safe out there in Black Friday land!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

WOYWW, Martha & Me

Another What's on Your Workspace Wednesday (click on the icon in the sidebar if you're a curious cat... *smile*)...

My dad is asleep in the room where my computer is and it is an ungodly hour here in the states, so my choices were (1)wait to upload a photo of my new and improved "satellite" studio (cleaned up for Thanksgiving) and take a chance at being in the 100's somewhere on the Mr Linky list, OR (2) jump on Mr Linky now (sorry if I hurt you, Mr Linky) and get the #81 spot before my pic is uploaded. You may be reaching me so late that, lo and behold, there is a photo or two showing here! That's why I went with Door #2. If by chance, you only see words, I'd love it if you'd take a quick tour of my cards from the past week...I think you cat lovers will get a kick out of one in particular...*smile*

Anyway, today will be a heavy cooking day for me. Well, for me, my saint of a mother (love you, Mom) and Martha, that is. I've been doing a Martha Stewart Thanksgiving ever since I took the reins from my m.i.l. I use my Martha cookbook and make her turkey with sage mosaic under the skin, her orzo stuffing (which requires me chop up loads of veggies and to take a fresh loaf of French bread and turn it into fresh breadcrumbs---how did I allow this to happen?), her endive & apple salad and her sweet potato & apple soup. She has about six delicious side dishes that I naively took on the first time I hosted Thanksgiving, but not since...way too much work..sorry, Martha. Besides, I still have to prepare MY banana bread, MY ambrosia and MY pecan pie. My dear m.i.l. still makes her sweet potato casserole and apple pudding...and she's gonna whip up her famous chocolate mousse cake when she gets here (it doesn't travel well.) The American feast in honor of that sketchy day in history when my Native American ancestors (I do really have one tribe's blood watered down inside me)...that they introduced the settlers to popcorn. Lol.

So, what I hope to show you on the table that has to be folded up and put away is the makings of a card I'd like to post on Friday for a blog hop. But I have to hurry because ds#2 once told me that the best thing ever is waking up to the smell of banana bread baking. Then again, I've got loads of time to accomplish that because he won't be rousing for quite awhile...Lol. My craft muse is tapping her foot as I speak...she wants to get this card done before the chef muse blows a gasket at the thought of the amount of cooking ahead of us today.

Whether you celebrate this feast of feasts, or not, among many other things, I'm thankful for your friendship!

Okay, Martha...I'm coming....

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Ippity Hopping....

Welcome to the weekly Ippity blog hop... at 11am EST, start here to catch all the action... and don't forget to leave a little love wherever you go because it increases your chances at a random drawing for an Ippity prize!

Just got the new Ippity releases and I combined two sets here. It's little bird's birthday and he's got his party hat on and he's ready to party with his friends. Isn't it cute that they strung up a banner for him? hee hee.

The bird is from Sing a New Song and the hat, banner and sentiment are from Party Hat Wishes.... so cute....  Other deets can be found in my SCS Gallery.

Here's wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for dropping by.... *smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

My Favorite Things Weds Stamp Club Challenge

The challenge over at the My Favorite Things blog was to create a project considering the song "My Favorite Things" (made popular by The Sound of Music, I believe). The first thing that came to mind was "brown paper packages tied up with string." I figured that I could replace the coffee cups in the MFT stamp set called "Miss You a Latte" with brown paper packages. I like how it turned out. *smile*

All deets are in my SCS Gallery.

Frugal tip #39: I stamped my girl on the background paper where I knew the hole that resulted when I cut her out would be hidden. I wanted her outfit to match the DP on the card. No waste as a result.

I also (frugally) used some very old Rebecca Sower paper called Kraft Bag to complement the theme.

Hope you like it.

I'll be back on Monday with an Ippity card for the blog hop.

Til then, have a wonderful Sunday!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Friends with Flair Blog Hopping...

T.G.I.F! Welcome to this week's Unity Friends with Flair blog hop. When you're done here, if you didn't start at the beginning, click here. You don't want to miss all that lovely inspiration, do you? Remember, leave love wherever you visit but especially watch out for the "You found it!" blinkie because a comment there could win you this week's prize package!

This week, Sparky the kitty is wearing his guilt. He found the cupcakes and just couldn't resist! No matter how cute and innocent he looks, that pink frosting tells another story.... *smile* ...

Four different Unity sets used here:
1. Kitty is from Hugs & Kitties
2. Stove is from Kitchen Logic
3. Cupcakes are from May '10 KOTM
4. Sentiment is from Nov '10 KOTM (and I turned a label from the same kit into a tablecloth!).

More deets:
Wallpaper and floor DP (Brenda Walton Olivia Rose for K&Co)
Floor molding DP (Danny O for K&Co)
Kitty DP (Daydreams - K&Co)
Wood DP (The Green Stack by DCWV)
Confetti Cream c/s (SU), Black c/s (Recollections), White c/s (My Favorite Things)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Vintage Photo & Antique Linen distress inks (Ranger), Pink Souffle Puff marker (Sakura), Copic markers
Crystal stickers (Mark Richards), Sparkles (PSX Design), Labels Ten Nestabilities (Spellbinders), foam squares (Generations), Gluedots

More cards can be found here in my SCS Gallery.

Thanks for looking and have a wonderful weekend!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

A little "Wheee!" and WOYWW76

I read a quote once by an artist that went "If I can't create something every day, I feel as if I'm going to burst!" I can understand that. I need that fix everyday. Moving meditation. *smile* Here's my card today. She was a precocious one. Required lots of fine motor work but the bakers twine cooperated with the glue pen and the dress fit and the wooden seat fit and the squirrel didn't throw nuts down on the little girl, so it all worked out. Deets can be found in my SCS Gallery. Now, for those of you here for this week's WOYWW, continue on.

When last you saw our heroine, she was hanging off a cliff wondering how her work space was going to be evacuated in the time dh alloted. Normally a procrastinator, she hoisted herself up and started carrying armfuls of craftiness to the basement. It was actually an eye opening experience because she found lots of goodies that have been buried under the "go-to" tools. In particular are the paper families that have taken up residence ever so stealthily in the narrowest of spaces and are now seeing the light of day. (She has to explain that they have come to live here by way of many 40% off coupons and discounts and mark-downs over the years, so don't think this crafter doesn't live up to the frugalista name... hee hee.) If she showed you what her workspace looks like now after a couple of days of clean up, you'd see a clean floor and neater closet. The desk is next and she will have it done by Monday when her parents arrive for the coming holiday. (If she can sneak a photo in pre-holiday next week, you'll see what the room looks like when there's no crafty evidence in it---except maybe the stray paper confetti that tends to bury itself in the carpet fibers....Oh, and to answer one lovely commenter's reflection on where the guests will put their clothes because everyone knows what that closet looks like....it isn't a guest room for sleeping in.... it's just a sitting room....lucky girl, the closet doesn't have to be cleared out but the door does have to close without complaining.....)

Anyway, the paper families are making a pit stop in the dining room (why does crafty girl think she hears snickering out there?) Pit stop because, again, they're not welcome to stay for long. Crafty girl has decided to sort them out and, get this, punch a circle out of every paper pack cover and then every paper in the stack, hole punch each, then put them on a large binder ring for easy reference. Then instead of going to the basement to be re-buried, they'll go on shelves for easy access. She loves this idea.

Tune in next week, same time, same channel and see if our heroine completed her task or completely lost her mind in the process.... *smile*

Happy WOYWW! (And if you don't know what I'm talking about, click on the WOYWW gadget on my sidebar and enter Wednesday's World of Wonderful Workspaces.....)

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

CASE Tiffany's style

Tiffany is traveling and has guest bloggers (link there with the gadget to the left about the give-away). On Nov 13th, guest blogger De Swanick challenged us to CASE a card of Tiffany's. I found a cute birthday card in her SCS Gallery and this is what I came up with. Basically, I used a sweet Melody Ross for Unity sentiment and CASEd her sketch and the use of acetate and a mini clothespin on her card. Hope you like it!  More deets in my SCS Gallery.
TFL...
*smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

H{ip}, H{ip} Hooray!

It's time for another H{ippity} Hop with Ippity!

I love Mondays. It can be 100 degrees or 0 degrees. It can even be raining, sleeting or snowing! Because it's the day that I can wander through the blogs of Ippity inspiration and I don't need sun tan lotion or a parka. Ahhhh.... just a cup of tea and a working computer! It's the little things.....

The inspiration challenge this week was to use clocks or numbers on our cards in honor of Daylight Savings Time. I came across this great glittery clock paper in a DCWV stack and the lightbulb went off. I used a simple design to include a glorious sunset and an Ippity sentiment (from the Love in Return set) to remind us to watch for the moments that take our breath away. More deets in my SCS Gallery.

Thanks for dropping by and have a wonderful week.....

If you didn't start at the beginning of the hop, go here. Remember to leave lots of love as you hop around because one random commenter on one random blog is going to get an Ippity prize!

Now that's something to *smile* about!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Key to Joy

Maybe the key to my joy is creating a mini canvas in the form of a card....

This card was created for a Limelight Paper Crafts sketch challenge (#60). The placement of the label in the sketch made me think of a brooch on a strap on a dress with lace on a woman wearing a pearl necklace with a tiny key hanging from it..... The sentiment comes from the Unity store kit called, what else? Key to Joy.

More deets in my SCS Gallery.

Thanks for looking....and in 12 hours, I'll be posting my Ippity blog hop card. Stop by tomorrow....

*smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Unity Hip Hop Sketch Challenge #33

Hi!
Quick post. The sketch challenge this week brought to mind a card idea I saw a few years ago at a SU workshop. I made my own rendition, complete with a herringbone red suit and a word from the May '10 KOTM.
All deets can be found in my SCS Gallery.
Thanks for looking and be sure to come back and visit on Monday for the Ippity Blog Hop!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Let's go to the Hop!

(Groan...) Cheesy title, I know.... but I've gotta come up with a new one each week!

Welcome to the latest Unity Friends With Flair blog hop.

After I made this card (with 3 Unity sets---can you name them?), I decided that this kitty's name is Sparky. (I know.... more often a dog's name, but it kinda has a little dalmation action going on....so....firehouse.... sparks.....Sparky. Even though, to tell you the truth, it came more from the sentiment, which mentions the word "spark". The rest just justified it.)

Anyway, Sparky's in trouble, but what do you expect a kitty to do if he happens upon a ball of yarn, I ask you?

Funny how things fall into place. I was almost done with the card and I needed something in the top right corner. I found the clock on some glittery patterned paper and it was the perfect size for my spot. That was definitely divine intervention...

All deets can be found in my SCS Gallery. Thanks for stopping by!

Have a wonderful weekend and if you haven't started this hop at the beginning, go here and let's get this party started...

*smile*

Chaos and procrastination... WOYWW75

Hmmm....what were the names of those two cute little monsters in the animated Hercules movie? Well, they may as well have been chaos and procrastination as far as I'm concerned, though my chaotic studio days are numbered. Dh lovingly asked if I could clear out of this "satellite" room by Thanksgiving. We're having guests, you see. That's a reasonable request. Lol. The chaos on the desk (and the floor and sofa) this week stems from a variety of procrastinations.

But the way I look at it, my muse comes through very nicely when I procrastinate so it works for me......well, except for the racing pulse and the helter skelter skittishness to make it to the deadline. Hee hee. Anyway, Sunday at 1pm was the deadline for the Hope You Can Cling To challenges (a cause to make cards for breast cancer patients and their families in Texas) and I was able to complete 21 cards by then. (If you look quickly at my posts below, you'll see a number of them on display and, Elizabeth, I used the Anna Griffin self-inking stamp on the pink card with more than 3 butterflies on it.... you wanted to see the stamp in action.) P.S. There was a random drawing of names for prizes and I got one! When I told dh that I'd won two stamps sets, he asked cooly, "Where are you going to put them?" ROTFLOL. Luckily the conversation moved on before I had to answer that one....

The second procrastination came in the form of a card I'd been meaning to do for a Stampers' Sampler challenge to use tape in an unusual way..... (see the open magazine and typed up instructions on the desk?)

I ran to the post office with it yesterday because by my calculations, including the government holiday on Thursday for Veterans Day, my card just might get to California by the Monday deadline. Whew! I'll keep you posted on whether I get the good word from them. (That too, dh loves to kid me by asking what I'm paid if it's published. "A million dollars?" he asks. I laugh and tell him "No, just a free magazine..." Hee hee.)

This photo shows how I reached for a Copic marker from the soft case that was sitting on my lap yesterday and the whole lot of them fell onto the floor where they had to stay because of .... right... the deadline. Lol.

Lastly, if you're still with me. I was sitting having breakfast two days ago and I heard a noise that sounded like something falling off my roof. I came to find it was actually a deer that had, due to some kind of haste and miscalculation, wound up running onto the deck behind my house instead of sticking to the deer run. I watched helplessly while it tried to find a way off. It kept trying to stick its head and body through the wooden railings without any luck. I was mortified that it would try to crash through the window on the house side. Can you picture the scene as I opened the back door and yelled "Here, here, here!" hoping it would hear my voice and realize that the opening was at my end of the deck. LOL, I probably scared it more. It finally found a weak railing post and I watched as it forced its head through and then, amazingly the rest of its little buck body (I saw the two cute little horns forming on top of its head.) And here's the proof that I'm not making this up.

I could completely identify with the little guy. Maybe he was trying to make a deadline....

*smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Time for the Ippity Blog Hop!

I spent much of the weekend trying to get as many Hope challenges done before the deadline. You can check out my cards here. I saved one to post for today's hop since it has an image I've wanted to use for awhile. I always imagined that the jar should be stamped on acetate and that it should sit on a cute shelf (with a doily under it) and the background should be a nice wallpaper pattern. Since it was a Hope challenge, I used my own wording to go along with the image. Hope you like it!

Be sure to check out all the lovely inspiration on display today. Start the hop at the beginning here. If you've reached the end of the line with me, guess what? There are two lovely ladies who didn't make the list but prepared Ippity blog hop posts. You can visit Carole here and Mary here, if you still want more Ippity goodness! And... I think there may be a prize for a commenter on a random blog so leave little bits of love wherever you go!

Have a nice day... *smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Sunday (Part 2)

Part one is in the blog post below.  Well, my procrastination finally got the best of me. Ran of out time and I still had ideas! Maybe I'll learn from this... hee hee.
Just wanted to show you the last eight cards I was able to make before hitting the deadline for the Hope You Can Cling To challenges...

Pink Holiday (loved using that old pine tree paper...finally)

No sentiment  ( I say if you listen to bird song, you don't need anything else...)

4x4 - 4 layers and 4 embellishments ( I used 5 layers and 6 embellishments on my mannequin card, can you find them all?)

Use twine in a different way (I looped around and around the back of the circle to get the flower effect...)

Something old, something new (I've had this paper in a Photo Stack pad forever and the same goes for the magnifying glass---it was in some ephemera I've had for a while)

Something borrowed, something blue (I borrowed a card sketch from JulieHRR at SCS and I used blue)

Pink Square - The card had to be pink (check) and there had to be four additional squares on the card (check)

Something you'd see on a walk  (I see lovely falling leaves all around me these days...)

Hope you had a nice look. The stamp sets used can be found in my SCS Gallery.

Tomorrow is the Ippity Blog Hop, so come back for a peek at my card for that!

*smile*

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

I can see the finish line....

Here are a few more challenge cards....

The first was to be vintage style. Love this butterfly stamp in Unity's Key to Joy store kit. It already has music notes within the body but I went ahead and stamped it over a pink DP with hearts on it, then added sparkles to each heart to get some sheen. I can't stop using this Label 10 Nestabilities die from Spellbinders...so cute. 

The second was for a Flower Power challenge (using at least one flower). I used the Stampin' Up lattice die from Sizzix to give my flowers something to grow up on. Love the effect of the rhinestone swirls.

Thanks for looking! More deets can be found in my SCS Gallery.

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Down to the wire....

The Hope challenges end tomorrow so I'm speeding to the finish line....hee hee.
Here's one of many cards I hope to complete today. Hope it makes you smile. All deets can be found in my SCS Gallery. Thanks for stopping by!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Hop, hop, hop...

That title kinda brings to mind a bunny, doesn't it? Sorry, no bunny. I'm just excited that it's time for another Friends With Flair blog hop over at Unity. When you're done here, if you haven't started at the beginning, go here. If you're already hopping, next stop is Schnauz Scraps. Leave some love on every blog you visit, but especially on the blog that has the "You found it!" blinkie because that will give you a chance at a cool prize package!

I got my bundle from Unity this week and I just want to lock myself in my craft room and work on cards all day... the sets are that cute! The one featured here is called Matching Socks and it immediately brought to mind an old clothesline and clothespins. *smile*. I took some wood paneled photo paper and rolled it to make the posts, paper pieced the two socks and made a sampler towel for the sentiment with those cute X's from the Ippity set called Quotes a 'la Happy. Those adorable birds are back and they come from that same Ippity set. (I get my Ippity from my friend, Jen Marie.) More deets can be found in my SCS Gallery.

Thanks for looking and have fun blog hopping today!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Still cranking out the Hope challenges...

A couple of new additions to my Hope challenges (see the sidebar). One called for a pink and brown color scheme and I decided to try out my new Anna Griffin self-inking stamper. I'm telling you, the road to a card is sometimes pretty accidental. I stamped the butterfly once on some kraft cardstock, just to see how it looked and I was blown away! It was so juicy and crisp that I just had to keep doing it over and over, expecting to see differences but I didn't. Well, that piece of kraft became the panel for the card I made. Serendipity, huh?

When I saw a challenge that said it was to be an invite to a girls get together, I remembered two stamps gathering dust in my closet. These cute little girls going shopping and the sentiment "We need girl time." Then I thought, okay, let's make it a trip to Paris to do a little shopping, so I hunted down the paper I'd seen in one of my stacks and that was the start of the second card.

I'm trying to crank these out with the little time I have left, so I'm trying to keep these cards simple. I could probably save a lot of time if I was able to organize my stuff better. I think I spend more time hunting than creating, but, you know what, I think that's actually part of the fun.

Deets can be found in my SCS Gallery.

Have a great day. Come back tomorrow for the Friday Unity Blog Hop!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Welcome to What's On Your Workspace Wednesday #74

When it rains, it pours. But not always in a bad way. In this case, my recent craft supply orders have all converged on me at once. Not a bad problem, right?

I ordered a self-inking Anna Griffin stamp set from the Home Shopping Network (HSN) last week and it came today. (Can't wait to play with it because---frugally speaking, ahem--- I'm hoping it will accommodate any small cling stamps I have, I'll keep you posted). You'll find that item in the lower right corner of the shot in bubble wrap under the paper insert.

Then, I had ordered a few things from my good friend and Stampin Up demonstrator and when I met her for lunch today, she brought my order, yay! It was some 1/2" lace trim, a lattice die, some pastel buttons and a cute little date keeper to decorate. You"ll find them in the bottom left corner. The stamp set in the bottom center is Laundry Notes by Stampin Up.

THEN, a bundle pack of Unity Stamps that I ordered a couple of weeks ago appeared in my mailbox yesterday. So, although it's more fun to get these things spaced a little apart, I'm fine with it....hee hee.

In the top center of the desk you'll see some plastic dividers that I picked up in the hopes that, like the Holy Grail, I've finally found a treasure I've been seeking, that is, the perfect surface to stick my cling stamps on. I can't find the stencil sheets that I thought might work, I've tried glossy sheets and even cardstock with a sheen on it, to no avail. After I place the set on these surfaces and slip them into a large clear plastic baggie and try to store them standing up in a magazine holder, they invariably unstick and fall in a heap to the bottom of the bag. Someone is going to tell me that empty CD holders are good but I want the sets to be together so they're not big enough. By next week, I'll be able to report if these dividers worked.

I've been working on cards for challenges (see the top blinkie in the sidebar) so there are lots to check out if you scroll down the week's worth of posts below. You cat lovers may like the one I did a few days ago with a stamp designed by my friend, Lydia. I inserted a link in that post if you decide you must have that cat stamp. It is adorable!

Finally, thanks to everyone who expressed concern last week for my safety where my sagging shelves are concerned. Just to let you know, they are a very sturdy form of particle board that were somewhat bowed when I inherited them. They're not going anywhere, but I haven't helped them in the least!

Enjoy your WOYWW!

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Hope challenges onward...

Two more Hope You Can Cling To challenge cards to present....
One was to be inspired by lingerie and the other was to have the sentiment be the only thing that was stamped. The lingerie came from a Stampin' Up set called Laundry Notes and I used a new favorite die called Lacey Squares by Spellbinders. The sentiment only card used the Unity Nov '09 KOTM. It was fun to step out of the box and have some instructions to follow.... amazing that we wind up creating something that never would have happened otherwise! Love that...
Deets can be found in my SCS Gallery.

Enjoy your day....back to working on challenges.....

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)

Happy H{ippity} Hopping Day

What makes Monday a wonderful day? Another H{ippity} Hop, of course!

I love, love, love these sweet little birds from the Ippity "Quotes a 'la Happy" set. In fact, the sun and sentiment also hail from that set. Perfect together. The background DP by MAMBI gave them just the right stage. I hand drew the cloud around the sentiment with a Copic marker and used a die cut from My Favorite Things to cut and emboss the tree and then popped up the images. This card was created for the Hope You Can Cling To Challenge #26 (which asked for a bird to be used on the card). It's not too late to contribute to this worthy cause and be entered to win prizes. Check it out using the blinkie in the sidebar, if you're interested. Deets can be found in my SCS Gallery.

Now, join in the blog hop (a prize will be given to one random comment on a random blog) and have your very own day full of wonder! It all starts here ....

Cindy (aka Scrapcollectr)