The Day After!

It's the morning after our new release and I'm exhausted. But a good exhausted.

If you've been with us during Sneaky Peek Week and yesterday's Blog Hop, you'll know that The Cat Pack really knocked it out of the park. And they were joined by past Swanky Stampers, Maggie Haas, and Wendy Bond.

And those gals were fab! I loved their cards so much I thought I'd show them here. Today, I'll show off Maggie's cards, and tomorrow, Wendy's. These gals really deserve a whole post to themselves. ;)


Like this super cute card using Step Right Up! How cute is this? I love all the bright colors and the mix of stars with the button. And the Circus Border CutUps Die tucked under there? Sweet!


I'm just bananas about this card that she stamps the monkeys from Go Bananas! Across three panels? Wow! And the bananas stamped across the back panel for extra texture? Double Wow! And that monkey paper is perfect. The teeth just crack me up.


I think this is my favorite card, though. She uses "Oh Chute" and it's a completely different looking card than the rest of her wonderful creations. So soft and pretty, I love how the parachute echos the shape of the circles behind it. Brilliant.

This was Maggie's card for the Blog Hop! All the paper piecing and patterns working together, it makes my heart so happy!

Thank you Maggie for joining us! It was a joy to see you play with our Fall Collection!

Oh Chute	Step Right Up	Go Bananas
Big Top	Circus Border	Cloud Border CutUps Die

InLinkz.com

TCP Tuesday 180, the Weekly Winner, the New Release Blog Hop

Wow. That's a great big long title. And this post is jam-packed full of all sorts of goodness. So let's start with Blog Hop and TCP Tuesday. Leigh is our Hostess with the Mostess this week and she has got one fun sketch this week.

We are also releasing our Fall Collection today! So The Cat Pack is planning one doozy of a Blog Hop. So if you got to my blog from Julie's blog, you are at the end of the Hop. If you want to start at the very beginning, (and why would you not?) Hop on over to Leigh's blog.

Now when I said this was a fun sketch, I meant it. It really has so many possiblities, and if you've been hopping along, you know I'm right.




So this is my take on Leigh's FAB sketch. I used one of clowns in the Clownin' Around set and paired it with the Circus Panels CutUps and the Cloud Border. Yup, that's the Cloud Border that I cut apart. That die has so many uses.

I have to say that the Clownin Around set is one of my favorites. It was so fun to draw. I had in my mind what I wanted the penguins to do and I just kept drawing and drawing. I love this set!

(Sorry about the lighting, but it's been raining here in San Francisco and the clouds parted just long enough to take this picture.)

________________

WEEKLY WINNER

Ready for the Weekly Winner? This week's Weekly Winner is Stephanie Herbert! Stephanie wins a voucher for $10 on The Cat's Pajamas website.

Stephanie, please email me for your voucher code.



Here are the Deets.

1. Each Tuesday we will give you a challenge.
2. You will have until the end of the month to complete the challenge.

3. Add your entry to the Inlinkz Gallery or upload to the SCS Gallery, using the keyword TCPTUES180 for this week's challenge.

4. TCP stamps are not required for this challenge, but highly recommended.
5. There will be one randomly chosen weekly winner, announced on Tuesdays who will win a Gift Voucher for use on The Cat's Pajamas website.
6. There will be one winner, The Swanky Stamper, announced the 1st of each month. They will win several sets from an upcoming release and get to play along with us at our Pajama Party and Blog Hop.

Fall Sneaky Peek #7

Day #7
Clownin' Around

It's Day #7 of Sneaky Peek Week! That means that tomorrow is the day our Fall Collection will be available on our website.

I hope you like what you've been seeing because, let me tell you, this collection has been as fun to play with as a barrel of monkeys. And speaking of monkeys, our last stamp set features our roly poly friends, the penguins, as what else, clowns. I don't know about you, but clowns always creeped me out, just a little, so I thought I'd exorcise the clown stigma with a little penguin fun.


Nancy Thomas gets the idea with this colorful card. Even the car gets into the act in this set. And look at how she used the Circus Panels to make a circusy border. Genius!


This set is packed full of stamps. 3 main stamps plus sayings, AND accessories galore. Jenny Peterson doesn't hold back in this card. You can tell she had a lot of fun playing while she put this beauty together. Check out the double Circus Border at the bottom of the card.


Have you ever tried to make one of those fancy foldout cards, but didn't know what to put on them? I suspect, with all the images in this set, mixed and matched with the Big Top, Big Ticket and Circus Panels CutUps dies, Amy Rohl had no problem. What a really fun card.

Want to see more of "Clownin' Around"? I know Susan has more fun to show you. She was so inspired that she decided to take her family to....the circus. Now I feel complete.

Then head on over to our In It To Win It thread in our forum at SplitcoastStampers. You could win the "Clownin Around" stamp set or any of the other stamp set we are previewing this week. Winners are announced each day on each of the Sneaky Peek threads.

And while you are there, you are invited to our Pajama Party to celebrate this fun collection. From 5:00-7:00 PST or 8-10 EST you are invited to join us on this thread for more Sneaky Peeks, Games and Giveaways.

Fall Sneaky Peeks #6

Day #6
Presto!

It's Day #6 of Sneaky Peek Week! That means there is only one more peeks before the entire collection will be available on our website on October 11.

Monkeys just make me smile. They are forever silly and never afraid to express themselves. This set is like that. Silly and just waiting for you to express yourself.


Amy Rohl knows it's a jungle out there, and still creates a card that doesn't monkey around. She mixes coloring and simple paper piecing. And check out that texture under the sentiment. Yup, that's burlap. Our CutUps cut through even that. Love that look.


How about this card by Susan Liles? She's a gal after my own heart. (Meaning I wish I could create cards like her). The image just needs a little color and it's good to go. You can really go simple with this set or go to town.


Nancy Thomas really expresses herself with this colorful card. She puts the two monkeys in the collection hanging from their tails. This set is a perfect anytime set for anyone. Or any monkey. Do you know any? I definitely know quite a few. And they know who they are.

Want to see more of "Go Bananas"? Check out Jen, and Maggie. I know you'll be bananas if you didn't.

Then head on over to our In It To Win It thread in our forum at SplitcoastStampers. You could win the "Go Bananas" stamp set or any of the other stamp set we are previewing this week. Winners are announced each day on each of the Sneaky Peek threads.

Fall Sneaky Peeks #5

Day #5
Presto!

It's Day #5 of Sneaky Peek Week! That means there are only 2 more peeks before the entire collection will be available on our website on October 11.

Today that cheeky bunny makes another appearance. This time he's magical. So magical, he's pulling himself out of a hat. Now that's talent.


Speaking of talent, take a look at this wonderful card by Jen del Muro. This card is simple, but powerful. And the bling on the Circus Panel makes it look like a marquee. So clever and cute.


Amy Rohl created this awesome card, only this time she paper pieced the bunny and colored him. He doesn't need much to make him extra special. And here, Amy layers two of the Circus Panels CutUps for a whole new look. Presto! A really great look, easy peasy.


If you really want to color the bunny, like Jenny Peterson has, you most certainly can. Here she's colored him grey. Isn't his dark grey nose so cute? And she's using the other side of the Circus Border CutUps as a scalloped border. The great thing about our border CutUps dies is that we really pay attention to what's being cut away. It's like getting two dies for the price of one.

Want to see more of "Presto"? Check out Jackie, and Julie. Believe me when I tell you that they make a little magic of their own.

Then head on over to our In It To Win It thread in our forum at SplitcoastStampers. You could win the "Presto" stamp set or any of the other stamp set we are previewing this week. Winners are announced each day on each of the Sneaky Peek threads.

__________________

Get Our Fall Collection Before Anyone Else!

Scrapper's Boutique at 6714 Smithfield Road, Suite 2, in North Richmond Hills in Texas is having a Pajama Party of their own today! You can get our complete Fall Collection there. I hear there will be prizes. Wonder if there will be cake.

Today, I will be at Mainely Stampin' at 1318 W. Texas in Fairfield, California. And not only will the complete collection be there, but, I'll be doing a Make and Take starting at 3:00. Hope to see you there!

Fall Sneaky Peeks #4

Day #4
Oh Chute!

It's Day #4 of Sneaky Peek Week and we couldn't let another day go by without showing off one of these darling bunnies. The entire collection, will be available on our website on October 11. Can't wait until then? The complete collection could be at your LSS this weekend.

We call this Clear Stamp Set, "Oh Chute". And for very good reason. What I love about this bunny is that, if you are a little lazy, like moi, you can keep him white. And then just add a color here and there for the shading.


If you are more industrious, like Carole Burrage, you can color the sweet bunny any color you want. And do whatever you wish to the parachute. Sky's the limit, dontcha know? Pun intended.



Like this arty card by Nancy Thomas. She colored the bunny and even gave him a blue nose and a fluffy tail. The stamp set not only comes with the bunny, but also that sweet little ribbon banner and several sayings that you can use as is, or bend them to stamp inside the banner. The flexibility of our clear stamps makes it possible to bend the sayings to fit almost any curve.


And if you want whimsical, this set can do whimsical. Lori Tecler made my jaw drop with this card. Not only is her bunny colored well, but the dimension in this card makes it extra special. See that little bit of the Circus Border peeking out from behind the sentiment? Sweet!

And I love the design of the card. The design is this week's sketch at Card Positioning Systems, one of the premiere sketch sites on the web. This week, The Cat's Pajamas is the sponsor, so if you post a card to their site using the sketch on Card Positioning Systems, you are eligible for a $25 Shopping Spree!

Want to see more of "Oh Chute"? Check out Leigh, Jackie and Jenny, and Swanky Stampers, Maggie Haas and Wendy Bond and see how they used "Oh Chute".

Then head on over to our In It To Win It thread in our forum at SplitcoastStampers. You could win the "Oh Chute" stamp set or any of the other stamp set we are previewing this week. Winners of the sets are announced each day on each of the Sneaky Peek threads.

__________________

Get Our Fall Collection Before Anyone Else!

Scrapper's Boutique at 6714 Smithfield Road, Suite 2, in North Richmond Hills in Texas is having a Pajama Party of their own this Friday and Saturday! You can get our complete Fall Collection there. Word on the street is that their Friday crop is full, but there are some open seats for their Saturday crop.

This Saturday, I will be at Mainely Stampin' at 1318 W. Texas in Fairfield, California. And not only will the complete collection be there, but, I'll be doing a Make and Take starting at 3:00. Hope to see you there!

Fall Sneaky Peeks #3

Day #3
Step Right Up

It's Day #3 of Sneaky Peek Week and we are so excited to be showing this next set featuring PJ the Bear. We give PJ a couple of options in this set to decide what he wants to be. A Magician, a Ringmaster, or an Animal Trainer. Whatever you decide he should be, he is impeccably dressed, right down to his cheeky mustache.


Love the colors and textures of this card by Nancy Thomas. She mixes a couple of our New CutUps Dies with some of our old favorites. Can you spot the fourth CutUps in this happy card?


Well, how about this sweet altered Bingo card by Amy Rohl? The gal can really paper piece. Did you guess the fourth CutUps? It's the Big Top, and I just love it. The cut lines of the tent, make it easy to paper piece to your heart's content. And you can see all three of the Circus Panels CutUps together. LOVE!
And how about one more sweet treat? This little treat bag holds the perfect treat. And what better topper than this one by Leigh O'Brien? So very cute and wonderfully colored. YUM!

Want to see more? Then check out Julie, Susan, Jenny, and Swanky Stampers, Maggie Haas and Wendy Bond and see how they used "Step Right Up".

Then head on over to our In It To Win It thread in our forum on SplitcoastStampers. You could win the "Step Right Up" stamp set or any of the other stamp set we are previewing this week. Winners are announced each day on the Sneaky Peek threads.


SplitcoastStampers is having a month long campaign to bring help awareness to the illness of Breast Cancer. Participate in their challenges and you could win any number of prizes, including a Shopping Spree at The Cat's Pajamas!

Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Is it wrong to feel sadness for the passing of a man I never met? I never knew Steve Jobs, but his vision and striving to change the status quo helped to shape me as a person and as an artist. He challenged us to look at things differently and to ask ourselves "What if?"

Rest in Peace.