Baby fun at The Friday Mashup!

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a week since I posted last! Excuse me for my absence... even though I've been back to work over a month now, I'm still getting back into the rhythm of working.

This week at The Friday Mashup Amy has a very sweet challenge for us! Who doesn't like making baby cards? ;)

*see list of materials at the bottom of this post*

And here's the challenge:

1. Make a project with "Pleating".
2. Or Make a "Baby Theme" project .
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project with "Pleating and a Baby Theme".

If you want to try the paper-pleating technique, be sure to cheque out Amy's awesome tutorial on the "Mashup Tutorials!" page of The Friday Mashup blog.

Look forward to seeing your creations this week :)

-Tara
xox


List of Materials:
Stamps: Friendly Phrases, Happy You
Paper: Pink Pirouette CS, Crumb Cake CS, Very Vanilla CS, Fan Fair DSP

Embellishments: Vintage Trinkets, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Pink Pirouette Tafetta
Tools: Jewelry Tag punch, 1-3/4" & 1-3/8" Circle punch

Sunday Stamps!

Hello!

Sunday Stamps is back!! We took a 2 week vacation and not we're back with a super fun sketch from Hayley :) I decided to go Halloween with this sketch. I've never done a lot of Halloween, and then at the Hamilton Regionals this past weekend, Heather Summers challenged us to send a Halloween card to the person sitting next to us! She's just too lovely to say 'no' to, so here it is!

(To the person who was sitting next to me: If you see this, pretend you didn't!)

And here's the sketch from Hayley.

We would just love to see you joining us this week. Remember, Sunday Stamps alternates between sketch and colour challenges, so you get the best of both worlds!

Happy Sunday!

-Tara
xox

MDS2 for the Friday Mashup!

I know... I've really been digging the MDS2 these days - but there's good reason for that! Did I mention it's amazing? :)

This week at The Friday Mashup Lili has a fabulous colour combination for us. At first I wasn't sure what I was going to do, so I started browsing around my MDS2 downloads and came across Everything Eleanor which I had not used yet. So, I finally put digital ink to the stamps!

Thankful Thoughts

One of the new features of MDS2 is being able to crop a stamp. See that top white layer, and the way the flowers stop there instead of going out onto the Soft Suede? You couldn't do this before. Love this feature. I've used it a lot in this project. The sentiment was 'stamped' twice and cropped so that I could put it on two lines. The label is cropped, the flowers are cropped... That's about it ;) Check out a list of elements at the end of this post.

Stampin' Up! has made available some awesome video tutorials for you to learn more about MDS2. Here's the video showing the cropping of stamped images: Click here to check it out.

I'm going to be featuring some of my favourite new features over the course of the next month and a half. Yes, that means you'll see more digital projects than before, but don't worry, I'll be getting back to my cardstock soon!

So, here's what Lili has for us today!

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge:

1. Make a project with the colors "Midnight Muse, So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise & Soft Suede".
2. Or Make a "Thank You" project .
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Thank You project w/ the colors Midnight Muse, So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise & Soft Suede".

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to link up to The Friday Mashup with your creation!

-Tara
xox

List of Elements:
Colours: Soft Suede, Midnight Muse, So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise
Embellishments: Grosgrain Ribbon, Grosgrain Ribbon - Knot, Soft Blooms
Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Designer Kits/Wonderfall
Punches: Wide Oval Punch

Digital Tuesday... with MDS2!!

Alright, how many of you have downloaded MDS2? If not, you need to hop on over to my website and get the 30 day free trial! There's nothing like the instant gratification of sitting down and creating a scrapbook page (with no mess to clean up!!). I know, I know... you like getting your hands messy. But if you're pressed for time, or your printer has run out of ink and you can't print off those pics you need... or even if you want to take a punch and make it huge - MDS fits the bill!

Today's featured download is Knots & Ties Trims. Let's check out what I created with this week's download!

Used in this project:
- 1.25 Circle Punch
- Timeless Type Junior Uppercase
- Timeless Type Junior Lowercase
- Knots and Ties Trim

This week I'm featuring the Knots and Ties Trim download - 5 great colours to choose from and such fab designs!! Coordinates with Pacific Point, Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White and Daffodil Delight.  

Knots & Ties Trim

Here's a list of the other downloads available this week:
(click here to go see for yourself)

• From the Heart stamp brush set
• Lovely Little Labels kit 
• Noel noted greeting card template
• Seasonal Salutations Greeting card template
• Topsy-Turvy Celebration kit
• Tweet Leaves stamp brush set

Don't forget, Stampin' Up! comes out with new downloads every Tuesday for MDS. Yet another reason to get your hands on this awesome digital software - you constantly have new product to choose from!!

Thanks for stopping by  :)

-Tara
xox

Artisan Finalist Blog Hop #10

That's right... we're on day 10 - the last day of our Artisan Finalist Blog Hop! Did you have fun? I know I sure did.
Today's project is my last scrapbooking page. It's funny, it's the last project I'm showing you, but it's the first project I made!! Earlier I eluded to the fact that I'm not an exceptional scrapbooker - It's something I keep trying to learn more about and really get into the techniques/ designs. I love doing it though, so I just keep at it!

This page, however, I really love. This is my son, Hunter. He looks like such a little GQ man in this photo.

For our final hop, please go visit everyone!! Here's a list of the participants.

1. Connie Collins 
2. Holly VanDyne 
3. Melissa Stout 
4. Amy O'Neill 
5. Sandie Conner 
6. Amy Rogers 
7. Mercedes Weber 
8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin (you are here!) 
9. Mindy Bingamon

Before we sign off, I just want to say a BIG thank you to all of my fellow Artisan finalists... This has been such a fun experience, and I'm so honoured to be grouped among such amazingly talented women. I look forward to following your blogs and seeing what you create in the future.

And to everyone who has visited during the hop and left comments and emails - THANK YOU! Your encouragement and support is what keeps me creating every day!

Off to start planning my projects for next year... ;)

-Tara
xox

List of Supplies:
Apothecary Art set, Basic Gray 12" x 12" cardstock, Pool Party cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Vellum cardstock, Summer Smooches DSP, Twitterpated DSP, Labels framelits, Circle punches (1/2", 3/4", 1-3/8"), Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Island Indigo ruffled ribbon, Mini brad, White Gel Pen

Artisan Finalist Blog Hop #9

Here we are on our 2nd last day!!

If you don't know by now, we are a group of 9 ladies who were selected as finalists for the Stampin' Up! Artisan Awards. 10 other ladies moved on to be the new Artisan Design Team, and us 'non-Design Team' winners are doing a blog hop to show you the projects we created!!

Today's project is my last 3-D project. I really love this one, and I am SO sad that I didn't get better photos... (it does look better hanging on a wall though...) This is no surprise to people that know me, but I was really running late with my entries. In fact, I almost gave up 3 or 4 times thinking I just wasn't going to get them done in time. I'm really glad, in the end, that I persevered!

This project had many permutations. It was first going to be a baby mobile with hanging birds/clouds... then it kept morphing (out of necessity) and ended up a "love birds nest" hanging wall piece.

The 'nest' is made of Always Artichoke seam binding ribbon tied in knots around the embroidery hoop - For extra texture, I also tied around some Linen Thread and some Hemp Twine. I tucked in a few branches from the Bird Builder punch as well. The birds are made using the Beau Chateau designer fabric. I cut out the tail feathers multiple times to give them some more 'oompf".

Here's a closeup of the nest:

Up next Mindy is going to show us another beauty :)

Here's a list of the participants. Be sure to check out the projects by the other fabulous ladies on this tour!

1. Connie Collins 
2. Holly VanDyne 
3. Melissa Stout 
4. Amy O'Neill 
5. Sandie Conner 
6. Amy Rogers 
7. Mercedes Weber 
8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin (you are here!) 
9. Mindy Bingamon

-Tara
xox

List of Supplies:
Elegant Bird Bigz Die, Beau Chateau designer fabric, Chantilly Crochet Trim, Antique Brad, Hemp Twine, Linen Thread, Always Artichoke Seam Binding Ribbon, Soft Suede cardstock, Bird Builder punch (Non-SU: Embroidery Hoop) 

Friday Mashup!

Oh happy day!! It's finally Friday, and I'm heading off to Hamilton tonight to attend a Stampin' Up! Regionals event with my gal-pal, Kristin! Super excited.

I could write a big list of all the awesomeness that is Friday, and if I did, the top of the list would have "The Friday Mashup!" on it!

Here's my card:

I'm not going to lie to you... I completely forgot to mash it up :( I've had a lot on my mind, and I got so focused on what stamp set I wanted to use that it didn't even register. For shame, I know!

Maybe you can mash it up for me then and enter your card? please? :)

Here's this week's fun challenge from the ever-so-talented Amanda!!

1. Make a project with "the Sketch."
2. Or Make a project w/ a "flower or multiple flowers"
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project w/ "the Sketch and a flower or multiple flowers"

Thanks for stopping by today - I'll see you later on this evening for the second last day of the Artisan Blog hop!

-Tara
xox

Artisan Finalist Blog Hop #8

Hello!

Project #8... wow! When we first decided to do this hop, I thought yo myself "10 days in a row!!", and to be honest, it's just been flying by! I've been enjoying it so much - seeing the other projects, being able to share my projects with you, and reading all the incredibly supportive and encouraging comments (thank you!)

Here's today's project... My last card to show :)

I really enjoyed this one. The card base is actually a sheet of vellum cut at standard size. Then I cut a piece of Riding Hood Red and trimmed the sides with the scalloped edgelit die. I layered that over the vellum and secured it with a piece of Linen Thread at the top. The Elements of style flowers were embossed in gold.

If you've come from Mercedes Weber blog,you're right on track! If you didn't, no worries - you'll just follow along in a loop until you wind back here again :) Up next is Mindy!! Leave her some love and let her know how fab her project is!

Here's a list of the participants.

1. Connie Collins 
2. Holly VanDyne 
3. Melissa Stout 
4. Amy O'Neill 
5. Sandie Conner 
6. Amy Rogers 
7. Mercedes Weber 
8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin (you are here!) 
9. Mindy Bingamon

-Tara
xox
List of Supplies:
Elements of Style set, Petite Pairs set, Vellum cardstock, Riding Hood Red cardstock, Versamark, Gold embossing powder, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Scallop Edgelit, Linen Thread

Artisan Finalist Blog Hop #7

Good evening!

Have you been loving this Artisan Finalist blog hop as much as I have? I love looking at all the fantastic projects by these ladies! We're on day 7 today, which means after you see this card I'm about to show you, there will only be 3 more projects to go!

This card was designed around the Patio Party DSP and the Make a Cake stamp set. I stamped each section of the cake individually and cut them out. Then I layered them on top of each other and tilted them a bit to make a topsy-turvey cake. The bottom piece of the cake is popped up on two dimensionals, the centre piece is on one, and the top piece is flat.

The frame around the cake is actually cut out, as opposed to built up. I started with the largest frame and worked my way inwards. I wanted it to look more like a shadow box than just a matted image.

Well, if you're following this blog hop in order, you've just come from Mercedes Weber blog. She had another fab project to share with us today, didn't she? Up next is the oh-so-awesome Mindy!! Let's go see...

Here's a list of the participants. If you follow along in order, we'll make a continuous loop back to where you started:

1. Connie Collins 
2. Holly VanDyne 
3. Melissa Stout 
4. Amy O'Neill 
5. Sandie Conner 
6. Amy Rogers 
7. Mercedes Weber 
8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin (you are here!) 
9. Mindy Bingamon

-Tara
xox

Artisan Finalist Blog Hop #6

Hello friends!

Welcome to day 6 of the Artisan Finalist Blog Hop. If you're following along the hop, you will have arrived here from Mercedes' blog - great project, wasn't it?

Today, I've got another card to show you. It's an interesting one... one that I wasn't sure I really wanted to enter. But when it came down to it, *I* liked it, and I liked that it was so simple. It proved that you can create beautiful cards with only a few things on hand!

The splattering of ink was done with Melon Mambo reinker, water and a paint brush (yup, I had pretty bright fingers for a day or so afterwards!). Everything else about this one is pretty self-explanatory.

Next up on the hop is Mindy! I love her style, so lets go check out what she's showing us :)

If you get lost along the way, here's a handy-dandy little reference of who is participating in the hop.

1. Connie Collins 
2. Holly VanDyne 
3. Melissa Stout 
4. Amy O'Neill 
5. Sandie Conner 
6. Amy Rogers 
7. Mercedes Weber 
8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin (you are here!) 
9. Mindy Bingamon

See you tomorrow!

-Tara
xox

List of supplies:
Happiest Birthday Wishes set, Melon Mambo cardstock, Melon Mambo reinker, Basic Black ink, Blossom punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Rhinestones

Artisan Finalist Blog Hop Day #5

Hello!

So, we're here at project #5 - which marks the halfway point. I'm so excited that you've found your way to this blog so that us finalists can show you what we created. You've probably just come here from Mercedes' blog, how beautiful was her project?

I've got another scrapbook page for you today. This one means a great deal to me, and I actually get a bit emotional when I look at it. This page was made about my grandpa who passed away almost 3 years ago (at the age of 98!). He was an incredible man.

The picture in this page is of my grandpa doing what he loved most - working in his workshop. It really needs no explanation... This was Herbert Murphy.

This project uses primarily product that is now retired, but I love how it came together. See the list of supplies at the bottom of this post.

Well, that's it for me today! Let's hop on over to Mindy's blog to see what awesome project she's got for us today! :)

If at any point along the way you get lost, here's a list of the finalists who are participating in this hop!

1. Connie Collins 
2. Holly VanDyne 
3. Melissa Stout 
4. Amy O'Neill 
5. Sandie Conner 
6. Amy Rogers 
7. Mercedes Weber 
8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin (you are here!) 
9. Mindy Bingamon

-Tara
xox

List of supplies:
Have a Seat set, Tiny Tags set, Well Worn DSP, Sahara Sand cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, Not Quite Navy paper stack DSP, Cajun Craze, paper stack DSP, Soft Suede ink, Not Quite Navy Ink, Not Quite Navy Stampin' Write Marker, Top Note die, Big Shot, Jewelry Tag punch, 3/4" Circle punch, 1/2" Circle punch

Artisan Finalist Blog Hop #4

Well, 3 projects down, 7 more to go :) Welcome to day #4 of the Artisan Finalist Blog Hop! I hope you're all having a great time. Since I wasn't able to go to convention, I'm having a blast peeking at everyone projects!!

It's time for another card - this is #2 of 5... and probably my favourite card of the ones I entered

This card is a 4-1/4" square of Soft Suede. I used the On Board set Merry Medley for the houses and covered them with Comfort Cafe DSP. I used a sanding block to smooth the edges of the paper and blend it better with the chipboard. I wanted to give the houses a 'worn' look, so I sanded the top of the DSP in spots as well. The Pool Party/Very Vanilla piece of DSP really reminded me of Wainscotting, which is where the whole idea was born. The Chantilly Crochet Trim acted as a sort of chair rail.


Those two little pieces of Pool Party ruffled ribbon are the very, very last pieces of that I had! I save every minuscule little scrap of everything... and it usually comes in handy and some point ;)

Did you just come here form Mercedes' blog? Fabulous project, wasn't it?! If you didn't, you'll get around to it by hopping along through the rest of the finalists' blogs! Next up is Mindy - you'll love what she's got to show you!

If at any point you lose your way, here's a list of partcipants:

1. Connie Collins 
2. Holly VanDyne 
3. Melissa Stout 
4. Amy O'Neill 
5. Sandie Conner 
6. Amy Rogers 
7. Mercedes Weber 
8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin (you are here!) 
9. Mindy Bingamon

Thanks for stopping by today! We'll see you tomorrow for another 9 projects :)

-Tara
xox

List of supplies:
Soft Suede cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, Comfort Cafe DSP, On Board Merry Medley, Naturally Serif Decorative Strip Die, Chantilly Crochet Trim, Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon, Antique Brads,, Crumb Cake ink, Stampin' Sponges

A very retro Christmas...

Well, I gotta admit... I've got some mixed emotions when it comes to this card. I love the retro colours in it - and I'm definitely going to use this combination again. I'm just not sure how it works as a Christmas card, lol.

Stamps: Scentsational Christmas, More Merry Messages

Colours: Summer Starfruit, More Mustard, Cajun Craze, Chocolate Chip

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Versamark

Tools: 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Circle Scissors Plus, 

Holiday Collection framelits, Big Shot, Heat Tool, Scented Embossing Powder

The steam on the warm beverage is vellum embossing with the Sugar & Spice Scented Embossing powder - YUM! The smallest circle was made using the 2-1/2" Circle punch, the rest with the Circle Scissor plus.

This was the sketch over from RetroSketches this week - I loved it!

 

When I showed this card to my husband, he ran downstairs and came up holding a NOFX CD... The similarities were actually uncanny... In fact, if I had have used Soft Suede instead of Chocolate Chip then it would have been identical!

Thanks for stopping by today for my very retro and nontraditional Christmas card! Come back in a few minutes to see day #4 of the Artisan Finalists Blog Hop!!

-Tara
xox

Artisan Finalists Blog Hop Day #3

Welcome back!

We're on day 3 of the Artisan Finalists Blog Hop! So far, I've showed a scrapbook page, a card... and now comes one of the two 3D projects. This might have been one of my favourite projects from the entry!

I knew I wanted to do a picnic basket for my 3D project - but I had a lot of learning to do to make it look 'authentic'. I ended up watching a few YouTube videos on actual basket weaving and then applied that to paper. Each strip is 1/2" wide and sponged on both sides with Soft Suede ink. The inside is lined with Summer Smooches designer fabric (how perfect was that fabric for a picnic basket?). The lid was made in one whole piece - The centre panel is adhered to the basket and mini brads are inserted on both sides to make the handles moveable. The basket opens using two antique brads.

What did you think of Mercedes' great project? Her stuff is always so awesome! Next up on your travels is Mindy... Go have a look-see ;)

If you get lost, here's a handy-dandy reference!

1. Connie Collins 
2. Holly VanDyne 
3. Melissa Stout 
4. Amy O'Neill 
5. Sandie Conner 
6. Amy Rogers 
7. Mercedes Weber 
8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin (you are here!) 
9. Mindy Bingamon

Thank you for the sweet comments and for hopping along with us! It's been really great showing everyone my projects!

See you again tomorrow!

-Tara
xox

List of Supplies: 

Soft Suede cardstock,  Hemp Twine, Summer Smooches designer fabric, Mini Brads, Antique Brads, Soft Suede Ink, Stampin' Sponges

Artisan Awards Finalists Blog Hop - Day #2

Hi friends : )

Welcome to day #2 of the Artisan Awards Finalists Blog Hop! I hope you had fun hopping around on day one! How amazing were those projects?!

Yesterday I showed one of my 3 scrapbook pages. Today, I'm going to show you one of the 5 cards!

I got the hostess set Four Seasons with my preorder, and I'm so happy I did because it meant that I could use it for this entry. I wanted to make a Christmas card with non-traditional colours, so I chose Midnight Muse, Pool Party and Real Red (ok... the last one IS a traditional Christmas colour. haha)

**I regret not getting better pictures of my projects - please excuse the 'off' colour!**

I used the new Bitty Banners framelits as well and cut a banner out of Midnight Muse - to make it pop a bit, I put a Dotted Scalloped Ribbon border behind it. The frame for the sentiment was made using the Decorative Label punch, and then reinserted to crop it!

The frame around the bird i the Stitched Grosgrain ribbon - I simply pulled the stitching from the middle and it scrunched it all up for me! I used Multipurpose Liquid glue to hold it in place - if you don't have a lot of patience though, I suggest perhaps a gluegun :)

You've probably just come from Mercede's blog! If so, you're following right along :) Next up is Mindy's fantastic project!

Don't worry, if you get off-track, you can refer to this list. It's a continuous loop, so you'll always end up back where you started eventually - hard to miss anything that way!

1. Connie Collins 
2. Holly VanDyne 
3. Melissa Stout 
4. Amy O'Neill 
5. Sandie Conner 
6. Amy Rogers 
7. Mercedes Weber 
8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin (you are here!) 
9. Mindy Bingamon

Thanks for stopping by - don't forget to come on back tomorrow for day #3!

-Tara

xox

List of Supplies:

Four Seasons set, Petite Pairs set, Midnight Muse cardstock, Pool Party cardstock, Real Red cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, 2-1/2" Circle punch, Bitty Banners framelit, Decorative Label punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Mighnight Music Stampin' Write Marker, Real Red Stampin' Write Marker, Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Whisper White Stitched Grosgrain ribbon

Artisan Award Finalists Blog Hop!

**If you are looking for the latest Friday Mashup challenge 

please scroll down to previous post!**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello!

Welcome to the first day of the Artisan Award Finalists Blog Hop! If you haven't heard of the Artisan Award contest from Stampin' Up! - let me fill you in a bit. For the last couple of years, Stampin' Up! has been holding Artisan Awards, where demonstrators submit work and they are judged on a number of different categories . This year, SU! selected 20 finalists from all entries, and from those 20 finalists, they selected 10 members for the Design Team.

Although we weren't selected as the 10 members of the Design Team, we wanted to share with you our projects that made us in the top 20!

Each day for 10 days you will see a project from 9 of us (sadly, Mary Haugen cannot participate due to technical difficulties - we will miss you, May!). The competition required you to make 5 cards, 3 scrapbook pages and 2 3D items, so you'll see a wide variety of projects over the next week and a half :)

So, here's the first project I'm sharing with you!

This scrapbook page was made of my sweet baby Jack. He loves getting his hands into anything Stampin' Up!... Even the packing paper! In the projects, I used the SU packing material as an element on my page. I wanted the colours to be bright and fun, but still 'boyish'. The wide rounded corners were made using the 1-3/8" Circle punch. I will admit, the Scrapbooking submissions were the most challenging for me! At the end of this post will be a list of all materials used in this page.

Now, if you've arrived here from Mercedes Weber's blog, you're right on track. Next up is Mindy Bingamon!! Just wait until you see what she has in store...!

If at any point you get lost along your way, hop through the list:

1. Connie Collins 
2. Holly VanDyne 
3. Melissa Stout 
4. Amy O'Neill 
5. Sandie Conner 
6. Amy Rogers 
7. Mercedes Weber 
8. Tara (Murphy) Bourgoin (you are here!) 
9. Mindy Bingamon

Thanks for hopping along with us today! Join us again tomorrow for a tour through 9 new projects! 

-Tara
xox 

List of Supplies
Whisper White cardstock, Lucky Limeade cardstock, Tempting Turquoise cardstock, Summer Smooches DSP, Stampin' Up! packing paper, Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine, Brights Buttons, Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Tempting Turquoise Stampin' Write Marker, Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write Marker