sweet dreams {my CSS faves!}

The entire CSS design team is showing off projects made with our favorite CSS products.  Sweet dreams is the set that made me fall in love with CSS stamps.  I couldn't help but mix it up with my favorite dies for a little baby ensemble.

It was so hard to narrow down my fave CSS products!  But here's what I came up with:

The favor flags were stamped with the nursery rhyme text border, and I gave the card-base a stripey look.  

For the main image, I die-cut the label die (also tracing around the die and hand-cutting a brown mat for it) and stamped the sleepy moon image onto the label.  I love a book-wormy-moon.  I paper-pieced the images (I love the soft texture that you can get with monochromatic papers), and added some fun glitter touches to the moon.  I don't think you can tell in the pictures, but I added a foam square to the middle of the label, and then firmly glued the outline of the label to the card base.  It gives a bit of texture and dimension without having it stand out too much!

Ever since CSS came out with their envelopes and matching liner die, I don't think a card is complete with a matching envie.  I stamped the liner with the nursery rhymes, and then stamped the moon in a very soft brown ink directly over-top.  Look, ma - no masking.  ha.  I very carefully dabbed some copic color into the moon image, being careful not to smudge the (non-memento) brown ink in the process.

What's a baby card without a baby gift?  I whipped up a little gift box using my favorite CSS favor die - and that's saying a lot, since CSS carries so many different options!  I stamped the box in the same stripes as the card, and included a matching favor flag.

I paper-pieced the cow-jumping-over-the-moon.  Isn't he the cutest?  (designer tip: adding a tiny bit of copic coloring is a fun way to dress up your patterned paper...)

I hope you like my baby-themed CSS faves!

The rest of the DT is showing off as well:  

Audrey ♥ Lori ♥ Jennifer ♥ Laura ♥ Steph ♥ Tracy ♥ Kim ♥ Amber ♥ CSS blog

Aqua & Cherries {Clear and Simple Stamps Party Hop}

Welcome to another CSS party hop!  It's no secret that I love throwing parties, even mini ones *grin*  I'm going to do less talking and more showing with this set.



I styled a bright and cheerful cherry-themed party.  It all started with that aqua and red polka dotted length of fabric.  I found it in my stash and decided that stripes in those same colors would compliment the polkas perfectly.



Every party needs a matching drink, right?  Ha.  I love the tiny tags, with their little aqua leaf each.  I tied them around the bottles of cherry punch and added more aqua and red with my striped straws.



There are so many party hat templates available online.  I downloaded one and cut it out of white cardstock, and then used the long stripe images to fill the entire hat.  I love party hats.  As soon as you see one, you know there's gonna be a part-ay.  I dressed up the front with the same cherry image as my drink tag, and used a part of the cupcake stand die to mat my white circle.  I'm-a-gonna curtsy for that one.  hee.



I know favors usually go at the end of a party post, but the topper is designed the same way as the party hat.  I'd like to point out that absolutely no gummy cherries were eaten in the making of this party.  It was all for show, and then thrown out.  You don't know how proud I am to say that I resisted the sour gummy goodness (badness, I know, but they are my kryptonite...)

The pie, on the other hand...

You can't let a homemade cherry pie go to waste!  It was delicious.  I created a simple banner for the top of the pie and a little label to identify it.  Everything is cuter when it's labeled...

Oh, and these?  These nice, big, aqua and red-shadowed letters?  Yeah, my lips are sealed... but you'll find out more about these dies in just a few more days...

On either side of the banner, I hung up a fun flower.  Do you remember *this post* where I shared that I created the flower using heart dies?  Same flower.  I'm just teasing you now.  The tutorial will come very soon.  

I hope you liked my party!  Now, party-hop your way over to these fun blogs:

Audrey ♥ Lori ♥ Jennifer ♥ Laura ♥ Kim ♥ Tracy ♥ CSS blog

plaid for the holidays {CSS release in review}

 I am telling you: plaid is it for cozy holiday projects.  I promise to lay off of it for awhile (like, maybe a week) but I'm having too much fun...

Today's post is to help review a few sets released by Clear and Simple stamps last month.  Like the apothecary holidays set, a great follow-up to apothecary sweets.

But, let's face it:  I'm not that fancy of a gal.  I only own 1 apothecary jar.... on the other hand, I have mason jars in all kinds of sizes... and it seems so much more natural for me to grab the holiday apothecary fillers (along with some of the original apothecary sweets images) and pop them into the smallest mason jars (from the well preserved line.)

I mixed ornaments and sweets, colored them in traditional red, green, and white (mostly because I'm such a Christmas purist, and this is what you'll find in my home come the holidays...)

I placed the jars onto a kraft flag, stamped with a water-marked "merry christmas" (found in sweet sentiments: holidays) and placed that over my plaid creation (from create a plaid.)

The plaid and kraft flag elements were repeated in the making of this little treat box:

I tucked some chocolates inside a party favors 4 box, and finished it off with a holiday-appropriate red satin bow.

Hope you like that I created!

More inspiration is a-waiting:  Lori ♥ Jen ♥ CSS blog