Toy's Haven

Hello Friends

I am so very excited to share this project I’ve been working on this week.   A little back story first…  I am surrounded by musically inclined people.   My husband sings like an angel and plays the accordion (yes, the instrument illegal in most states..LOL).  My oldest son fancies the drums.   My second son is self-taught on the guitar and sings wonderfully.  My third son plays piano, guitar and sings, and my youngest plays the guitar.  Me?  Well, if I had to sing to save my life then I’d be in severe trouble.  Ms. Tin Ear.

I love it, though.   Being surrounded by their talent just brings me great joy.   So, when I came upon a blog post by KimberlyRae (Kreations by KimberlyRae) that you can see HERE, I was smitten.   I knew I had to make one, but I don’t have the SVGcuts availability (no machines here!)…. so I set out to recreate the project and make it my own the old fashioned way… measure twice, cut once.

Here is what I came up with…

I cannot even tell you how much fun (and frustration) went into making this!

Here’s a different view:

I had all the pieces cut a couple days ago and just fiddled with them between other projects to make sure when I finally started gluing together it would be what I wanted.

Here’s a close up:

I chose these BoBunny Snowfall papers because… well, they’re just gorgeous.  They have a glittered snowflake  motif… thus the name Winter Concert.

Here’s a picture of the bench detail:

I was super happy when I got the thumbs up from each and every man in the house!

Here are the details:

Stamps:  JustRite Stampers’ Cast All Your Cares clear set

Papers: GP White, Night of Navy, BoBunny Snowfall (although I used the 12×12, it can easily be reproduced with 6 x 6)

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: 1/2″ Wrinkled ribbon (brown) , 1/8″ silk ribbon (sapphire), Heart nestabilities, Kaisercraft wood embellishments, Kaisercraft brown 1/2 pearls, Prima Avon Rose Pixie Glen and Romantique flowers, Aleene’s Fast Tack glue, sticky tape, dimensionals, Darice hearts embossing folder, ruler, sharpie and sponge.

**** Items highlighted have been provided by Stamp Simply Ribbon Store ****

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Thank you so much for indulging me as I geeked over my family.   I really do love them.  They bring music to my life .

Hugs!

Howdy, friends!

Woot!  Day #3 of the There She Goes sneak peeks!!   Remember, you should start back on the There She Goes’ blog to find out how YOU can win a copy of these sets.   At the bottom of this post there is an inLinz that will give you the entire list of links of Trendsetters sharing their own creations today.

Today’s set is a two-fer.  Scootin’ By and Scootin’ By Accessories.  You’re going to want both! LOL

Illustrated by our uber talented Melyssa Connelly, these sets are a must for any collection.  They cover many different occasions!

And not a googlie eye on the entire card! LOL

Here are my details:

Stamps:  There She Goes’ Scootin’ By and Scootin’ By Accessories:

Paper: GP White, Orchid Opulence, really old dp

Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, copics, white gel pen, Perfect Plum

Accessories: 1/2″ lavender polka dot ribbon, label nesties, twine, birthday embossing folder, crystal effects, dimensionals, circle punch, sticky tape.

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Thanks for stopping by!    Now you can click on the inLinkz below to find the next blog in our hop!

Hugs!

Welcome, welcome!

This is it!  Day #2 of the There She Goes sneak peeks!!   Remember, you should start back on the There She Goes’ blog to find out how YOU can win a copy of these sets.   At the bottom of this post there is an inLinz that will give you the entire list of links of Trendsetters sharing their own creations today.

Today we’re sharing the new Perk Up set!

Perk Up! is a 4×8 set that includes a total of 36 stamps and will sell for $18.00.

Ok, say it all together now… “Holly, you need to step AWAY from the googlie eyes!”  LOL  I couldn’t help myself, it just worked out this way!  I also used the sketch for this week’s Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge.

Here are my details:

Stamps:  There She Goes’ Perk Up

Papers: GP White, Real Red, October Afternoon’s Modern Homemaker dp

Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Copics, Real Red

Accessories: 3/8″ vanilla grosgrain, red and antique 1/2 pearls, label nesties, corner rounder, stickles, dimensionals

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Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure you stop back tomorrow to see another sneak peek!  Now you can click on the inLinkz below to find the next blog in our hop!

Hugs!

Hi Friends!

Here we go!  Day #1 of the There She Goes sneak peeks!!   Remember, you should start back on the There She Goes’ blog to find out how YOU can win a copy of these sets.   At the bottom of this post there is an inLinz that will give you the entire list of links of Trendsetters sharing their own creations today.

Our first set this month is called Nursebots.

Designed by our uber talented Torico, this adorable set is sure to make your sickie friends feel better!

Can I just squeal at the cuteness of this bot?!  I gave her some googlie eyes with lashes to enhance her already fabulous bedside manner!

Here are my details:

Stamps:  There She Goes’ Nursebots

Paper: Pretty in Pink, Real Red, GP White and Making Memories dp

Ink: Versafine black onyx, real red

Accessories: 1/2″ red velvet ribbon, pre-made white bow, red 1/2 pearls, Nellie Snellin die, star dust stickles, googlie eyes, hearts embossing folder

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Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure you stop back tomorrow to see another sneak peek!  Now you can click on the inLinkz below to find the next blog in our hop!

Hugs!

Hi Friends!

Welcome to this week’s Ribbon Inspiration challenge for Stamp Simply Ribbon Store.   If you’ve arrived here from Barb Schram‘s Blog, then you’re in the right spot.  If not, I suggest that you start back on Sharon Johnson’s blog to find out how YOU could be eligible to win a luscious ribbon sampler and the stamp set  from the picture above.

As part of our fun today, we’re celebrating our own Deb Saaranen’s birthday!   Happy Happy Birthday to you, Deb!  It was just a twist of fate, perhaps luck that my card today is a birthday card .   Be sure to wish Deb a happy birthday when you get to her blog!!

This week we are focusing on sheer ribbon.  There are so many different sheer ribbons in the Stamp Simply Store.   There is tinsel edged, floral wired (my fav), check edged, dotted… and so much more!

Here is my sample for today…

I made this for my aunt Marci.   She will be 65 on Monday.   I will be cooking dinner for her, my other aunt, my grandmother and our family on Sunday.   Many of you know of Marci as I’ve talked about her fight with cancer over the last few years.   Well, she just had her PET scan done and things are looking great!  She is such an amazing inspiration.

Here are my details:

Stamps:  JustRite Stampers Just Because Mini Sentiments

Papers: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, My Mind’s Eye Paris & Co. dp

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Bordering blue, Handsome Hunter reinkers

Accessories: 1″ brown sheer ribbon, Kaisercraft 1/2 pearls in brown and bliss, Prima Avon Rose – Romantique and Pixie Glenn, Kaisercraft  wood embellishments ~ painted with reinkers, Nested Oval Medallion Label dies, sticky tape and Aleene’s fast tack glue.

**** Items highlighted above are provided by Stamp Simply Ribbon Store ****

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Now it’s time to send you off to Deb’s blog.   Remember to wish her a Happy Birthday!

Here are a list of all the blogs in today’s Inspiration Challenge:

Sharon Johnson - The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store

Barb Schram

Holly McMillen

Deb Saaranen

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Thanks so much for stopping by!   I hope you enjoyed your visit!!

Hugs!

Hi Friends!

This month, the There She Goes Trendsetters are celebrating three older sets…

Puppy Love, Buckets of Love, and LOVE

All three are great Valentine sets!

I pulled out the LOVE mini set to make this:

Here are a couple close ups..

and…

Here are my details:

Stamps: There She Goes’ Love Mini set

Papers: GP White, Real Red, Regal Rose

Ink: Regal Rose, Real Red

Accessories: 1/4″ pink satin, red/white and pink/white twine, liquid pearls, Making Memories felted love brads, dimensionals, sticky tape, Aleene’s fast grab glue, heart shaped nestabilities

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Thanks so much for stopping by!

It’s so fun to reminisce!  I think I’ll go stamp something now

Hugs!

Holly

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DING DING DING!!  We have a winner!

Here are your random numbers: 64

Timestamp: 2012-01-18 00:49:53 UTC

Betty Neville !!

Betty, you are the winner of this week’s gorgeous ribbon sampler.   Please contact Sharon Johnson @ Stamp Simply Ribbon Store to claim your prize.

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I have a little project I did a bit ago I want to share with you.   Based on some adorable little matchbox drawers made by Lana Lepinski, I made this:

Each little drawer is 2 x 3″ and is lined with the same Kaisercraft Bonjour dp that covers the outside.

Here are my details:

Stamps: JustRite Stampers’ Botanical Butterflies

Papers: GP White, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Vellum, Kaisercraft Bonjour dp

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, copics

Accessories: 1″ satin edged grosgrain, Prima Avon Rose Pixie Glen collection, Fairytale Roses, pink/white and green/white twine, glossy glaze, Aleene’s Fast Tack glue, dimensionals, slit punch, sticky tape, Melissa Frances 1/2 pearls (pastels), Nellie Snellin dies

**** Items highlighted above are provided by Stamp Simply Ribbon Store****

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Thanks so much for stopping by!  I’ll be back tomorrow with some sweet stuff to share

Hugs!

Hi Friends!

Welcome to this week’s Ribbon Inspiration challenge for Stamp Simply Ribbon Store.   If you’ve arrived here from Deb Saaranen’s blog, then you’re in the right spot.  If not, I suggest that you start back on Sharon Johnson’s blog to find out how YOU could be eligible to win a luscious ribbon sampler from the picture above.

This week our challenge is to do a More vs. Less set of thank you cards.

Here are my cards:

Back when I was part of Splitcoaststampers’ Dirty Dozen, we did a More is More category for the gallery each month and it was one of my favorite challenges.   It helped me to transition from gaudily embellished cards to much more simple.

Here is the less card by itself:

There was a time when I could never have achieved such a simple card and liked it, but I’m actually loving this.

Here it is with MORE:

All I did was add a few 1/2 pearls and the flowers and voila.. a bit more POP.

Here are my details:

Stamps:  JustRite Stampers’ Scrolled Vine Background and JustRite Stampers’ Fleur De Lis Label Twenty

Papers: Close to Cocoa, The Paper Company metallic bronze, Prima Romantique designer papers

Ink: Versamark, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: 1″ sheer brown ribbon, 1/4″ silk ribbon (light blue), Kaisercraft 1/2 pearls in chocolate and bliss, word window punch, white embossing powder, sticky tape, dimensionals,

****  Items highlighted above are provided by Stamp Simply Ribbon Store ****

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Now it’s time to send you on over to Michelle Woerner’s blog.   I can’t wait to see what she has to share!

Here is a list of all the blogs involved it today’s hop/challenge:

Sharon Johnson - The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store

Deb Saaranen

Holly McMillen

Michelle Woerner

Barb Schram

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Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you’ve been inspired .   Join us next week for a new challenge/hop!

Hugs,

Holly

Hi Friends,

Well, after nearly two weeks of feeling like death warmed over, I’m finally on the mend again.   I was really hoping that 2012 would start out better than 2011 ended.   Just before the new year started, I began feeling icky.  By early last week I had a raging staph (MRSA) infection.   After being on mega doses of antibiotics, I’m feeling better but taking it slow.

Today, one of my tutorials is being featured on the Splitcoaststamper.com homepage.   I really love this technique for the fact that it gives your image such a soft, yet bold look.

Here is the sample I made:

You can find the tutorial with picture and video (by Beate Johns) at Splitcoaststampers.com.

Here are my details:

Stamps:  JustRite Topsy Turvy Cakes clear set

Papers: GP White, Summer Sun, Regal Rose, Vellum

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, copics

Accessories: 1″ pink/light pink reversible satin ribbon, circle punches, oval nesties, Melissa Frances 1/2 pearls, fairytale roses, lattice punch, dimensionals, sticky tape

*** Items highlighted are provided by The Stamp Simply Ribbon Store***

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Thanks for dropping by!  Now I’m going to go rest some more

Hugs!

Holly

Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps has an amazing release planned for this month, and the Design Divas are so excited about it!  Eight new clear stamp sets and three new sets of dies will be available in the store tonight.  Make sure you’ve got a warm, tasty beverage and some donuts ready….you won’t want to miss a bit of the inspiration we have for you today!

If you’ve arrived here from Kim Singdahlsen‘s blog, then you’re in the right spot.  If not, you’ll want to start back on the Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps Blog.

I will be sharing three samples over the next two days.   Here is my first:

This set, Together Silhouettes illustrated by Dina Kowal, is a personal favorite.  The images and sentiments are perfectly sized for all types of techniques.

Here are my details:

Stamps:  Sweet N Sassy Stamps Together Silhouettes

Colors: GP White, Lost and Found Union Square dp

Ink: Versamark, Versafine Black Onyx

Accessories: 7/8″ cream grosgrain, white and cream 1/2 pearls, Nellie Snellin dies, white embossing powder, circle nesties, circle punch, dimensionals, sticky tape

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Now it’s time to send you on over to Mary Faus‘s blog.   I’m sure she’ll have some sweet eye candy for you!

Here are a list of all the blogs involved in this hop:

We hope you can make plans to join us tonight in our Member Company forums over on Splitcoaststampers.  We’re having a Release Party, and it is full of great activities, stamp set reveals, and fun with friends!  All of the partying will take place in our Release Party forum, so be sure to bookmark it!  Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Holly