Texas Roadhouse meets The Big Apple

JUst another manic Monday...and I mean manic! My ADD self is on sensory overload in Manhattan! Its been 20 years since I have been to NY City, and I still love the place but it would wear me out to live here!

I'm here this week hanging out with my hubby Marcus, courtesy of Texas Roadhouse. Its the 20th annual Managing Partners Conference, and I think about the 11th or 12th that we have been to. This awesome company has taken us to Hawaii, Banff, Cabo San Lucas. San Francisco and more through the years.

Above is the opening ceremony last night held on the Skating Rink in the Rockefeller Plaza. There are at least 1000 people present, but I never caught the exact count this year.

This is Marcus & I at the observation deck on The Empire State Building a couple of nights ago. We have the pleasure of hanging with tons of our friends this week, many that we have known for almost 20 years, since before we were married :)

Lastly, for the first of the Awards Night we got to see the Rockettes preform at Radio City Music Hall. AND the MP finalists of the year were coerced onto the stage to do a bit of a kick line with the girls. What a hoot! Our NC girl Laura from Jacksonville is over to the left in this pic! Go Laura, we all hope you win!!

OK, So I am ditching a meeting while I am typing, hehe. But its almost time for lunch so I am heading out! Check back Wednesday for my OHDBCGA post for InStyle Stamps! Thanks for your visit. Have a great Monday!

-Cyndi

Double Challenge

Here's post 2 of 2 for the day! Thanks for sticking with me :) This card is for todays Color Challenge at InStyle Stamps. ISS is also sponsoring the Fussy and Fancy Challenge this week so we doubled up the challenge and used Mindy's sketch as well! Be sure to head to the InSTyle Stamps blog for the color challenge...Virginia has a prize for the winner! ALSO, there is a prize at the Fussy and Fancy Challenge blog too!

So, here is my card. I used the new image "Heart Dress" from InSTyle Stamps. I printed it out once on Neenah Solar Crest cs, the again onto this fun paper from Creative Imagination. It matched perfectly with this fun new Bazzill cs I had in my stash, and almost perfectly to the color challenge inspiration piece.

The border punch is by Martha Stewart and the ovals were cut with my Nestabilites. The yummy satin ribbon is almost the end of my SU! chocolate ribbon stash :)

OK, hope you have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

-Cyndi

Stampendous! Sketch Challenge!!

Good morning! Today I have for you a card I made for the very first challenge over at the Stampendous! Blog! We are going to be doing weekly challenges for you guys and there are

always fun and FREE prizes to be had…so don’t miss out on the fun! Its “Stampendous Super Saturday Sketch Challenge”.

The very first sketch is courtesy of moi, Cyndi. I would love for you to play along! Just head over to the Stampendous blog and give us a link to your creation. (You can link up here too in my comments if you’d like to!) You have until Thursday, April 15^th at midnight PDT to upload your card. Please use the keyword STMC1 for uploading to Splitcoast Stampers, Papercraft Planet or any other hangouts!

For my card I used “Changito Kick” and “Kick out of You”, both from Stampendous! Changito was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black onto Neenah Classic Crest White cardstock and then colored with my Copic markers. I cut him out with Labels 3 Nestabilties. The background circle elements were run through my Cuttlebug machine with the Spots & Dots embossing folder.

You definitely want to play along with us...there will be at least 2 prizes. One winner will be chosen randomly and another will be picked for "The best use of Stampendous products", so get out your Stampendous! glitter, flocking, embossing powders, and stamps!

Also be sure to head over to the blogs of the other Stampendous! Design Team who are participating today:

Jennifer Dove

Nancy Sanders

Pam Hornschu

Wendy Price

Rachel Sztonyk

Be sure to leave them all some love! Thanks for stopping by my corner of the cyber sphere today, and don’t forget to check back for next weeks’ challenge!

-Cyndi

Little Bunny Tilda

Little Bunny Tilda, hoppin' through the forest... hehe! This is one last leftover Easter card that I never got around to blogging while out of town. It was one for my Magnolia Easter class at Enchanted Cottage.

Isn't she just the cutest little thing?? She is colored to match this beautiful ribbon by May Arts that I was just dying to use The papers are from the 3 Bugs in a Rug "Little Chick" collection. Sorry its hard to see the card, I took the pic at work. Click on the image for a closeup and that will help!

OK, I'm outta here. Back from Florida for 2 days then off to New York! I have to catch up on piles of laundry, DT stuff, bills, groceries, etc. Check back in Saturday for the first Stampendous! sketch challenge!

Happy Friday! Its time for this months Sketch challenge at InStyle Stamps! Be sure to head over to the ISS blog to see all the fabulous eye candy from the Design Team!

I am using an awesome new image from InSTyle Stamps called Lorelei. She is such a beauty. I enlarged her quite a bit so I could focus on her face more. (You are seeing about 2/3 of the actual image) I love the beauty of digi stamps that I can manipulate them however I want!

I printed her on Neenah Classic Crest White and then colored her with my copic markers. She is colored to match this fun "Kioshi" paper from Basic Grey. The background cs is Bo Bunny Double Dots, button is Basic Grey and ribbon is Piggy Tales. The sentiment is from "Boutique Sentiments" from Amy R Stamps. I ended up flipping the sketch to the side for my image to work.

I am in Florida as I type, so this will be a bit short! Here's the copics I used:

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a wonderful weekend and a Happy Easter!

-Cyndi

Presley Lollipop

Good morning! Its another gorgeous day here in NC and I am excited that we are heading to our favorite vacation spot tomorrow...Disney world! My whole family just loves Disney...we are all big kids at heart :)

I have a few things up my sleeve for you while I am gone, but in the meantime I have a cute Lollipop card for you today! This is Presley Lollipop from Stamping Bella. The lollipops are drawn by the fabulously talented Lori Boyd of By Lori Designs, and I am so happy that we are now carrying a large selection of these cuties at Enchanted Cottage!

I created this card for this weeks color challenge at The Pink Elephant (so of course I had to use a stamp Lori designed :) )...to use pastel colors. Well, pastels normally aren't really my thing but I just love this new Kioshi paper from Basic Grey!

The colors are pastel and springy yet still a bit of punch for those like me who need some substance to the color palette! I actually used last weeks sketch for my layout from The Pink Elephant that I never got around to using for last weeks challenge.

My buttons and brads are also from Basic Grey, but from a variety of collections. I have a huge mixed jar of each from Basic Grey. The ribbon is Bo Bunny I believe, I grabbed it from my stash. The sentiment is also by Stamping Bella.

OK, I am off to get ready to do my last minute "stuff" before we head out tomorrow. Have a great day and I will check in later this week with a couple of more posts! Thanks for dropping by!

-Cyndi

• Supplies:
• Stamps: Presley Lollipop, Hippity, Hoppity (Stamping Bella)
• Paper: Kioshi pp (Basic Grey); white cs (Neenah); purple cs (Core'dinations)
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Heliotrope & Sky Blue Versacolor (Tsukineko)
• Accessories: Large Standard and Large Jumbo Scalloped circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders); ribbon (Bo Bunny); brads & buttons (Basic Grey); flower (Bazzill); Copic markers; circle punches (EK Success)

Who are You?

Another quick post for you tonight! I am too late to make the challenge I think (CST??) but I wanted to post the card anyway cause I think it turned out so darned cute!

The challenge for this week over at the Alice in Wonderland blog was to use butterflies or caterpillars in celebration of spring. Since Jen, of Wild Flower Kids sponsored the challenge I thought I would use her FREE download available over at PCP.

This is Alice with mushrooms. I have been dying to color her for the last couple of weeks and was feeling really inspired today looking at new Bo Bunny "Sophie" papers! The colors are just so fun and fab and bright!

I also made it into a 3-D card for the Cute Card Thursday challenge...I created a tent card. The supplies for everything are listed below. Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a great weekend :)

-Cyndi

• Supplies:
• Stamps: Alice with Mushrooms (Wild Flower Kids); butterfly stamp (Verve)
• Paper: Sophie pp & Double dots (Bo Bunny); white cs (Neenah); Java cs (Bazzill)
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
• Accessories: Oval punch (SU!); ribbon (Piggy Tales); brads (Basic Grey); journaling marker; copic markers

InStyle Stamps Blog Hop

Happy Friday! I have to do a quickie post seeing as how I had to run to work and my computer was giving me fits this morning!

So here you have Charlie sitting in his Easter basket...a fun present for any child or adult! Who wouldn't want a cute doggie? hehe

So, if you arrived here from Robin's blog you are right on track! If not, head back to the InStyle Stamps blog to start at the beginning of the hop :)

Your next stop today s the lovely and talented Raquel! have fun on the rest of the hop :)

-Cyndi

Hip, Hop, Happy Easter

Yo! Whas'up?!! I have been absent again, I know. I really have intentions of blogging every day, but if I don't have a deadline for something to get posted I tend to get busy and forget I haven't posted anything in days. Its not like I don't have things to show you between DT stuff and samples for work and classes I teach, but I just get forgetful I guess. Hehe.

OK, so for the eye candy today I have a Changito card for you that was one of the cards for my whimsical Easter card class at Enchanted Cottage. (This will be happening again this Saturday if any of you local gals want to come!)

He comes from the most stinkin' adorable Stampendous! Perfectly Clear set called "Changito Hop". AND he's only one of 3 Changito images in the set (and there are actually 5 mischievous monkeys in the set!) It also has cute little stamps to coordinate and fun sentiment combos too!

Here's the side view of the card. I made it into a "tent card". The base of the card is Bo Bunny double Dot cardstock, and all the pattern papers are from 3 Bugs in a Rug Little Chick collection. The "hip" and "hop" are both individual stamps by Northwoods.

And lastly, here is the inside of the card. I used another Stampendous! sentiment stamp for the inside. All the other supplies I used are listed below. Thanks to you all for hip hopping over to see me today! Please take a sec to say hi, especially my local friends who tend to lurk...I never know when you visit!

-Cyndi

• Supplies:
• Stamps: Changito Hop, Hoppin Hello (Stampendous); Hip, Hop (Northwoods)
• Paper: yellow cs (Bo Bunny); white cs (Neenah); Little Chick pp (3 Bugs in a Rug)
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black& Versacolor Bisque (Tsukineko); Lime pastel & Rose Coral cats eyes (Clearsnap)
• Accessories: Labels 3 Nestabilties (Spellbinders); ribbon (Bo Bunny)

Stampendous! Painting with Powder Technique

Good Morning! Its a beautiful Friday here in NC. I have to work all day and then have classes tomorrow, but I hope its still pretty on Sunday! As you can see, I never finished this post on Wednesday! So today you get to see stuff for my classes tomorrow at Enchanted Cottage.

All of these cards are made with Stampendous! stamps, embossing powders, and glitters and use the newest techniques that Fran demonstrated at CHA in January. Check out the Stampendous! blog for videos, tutorials, and links to the Papercraft Planet feature!

The top card is made with Ranuculus Fields, an absolutely gorgeous image! I used the new Merlot Embossing Powders kit to do the "Painting with Powder" technique.

Next up is a card using the Glitter and Flock technique and the "Moroccan Sun" Fringe Benefits Kit. The cute flowers are from another new set called "Loopy Blooms". It also uses funky holographic Class-A-Peel stickers from Stampendous! This card is a take-off on a cute pail we made as a Make-n-Take at the Stampendous! booth at CHA.

Here is a card using the first technique again with the "Coastal Express" Embossing Powder Kit. The gorgeous peacock is from the "Proud Peacock" set.

Last up of my "original" cards is this Impressionistic number made with "Lavender Fields" scenery stamp and again the "Merlot" kit. (This is inspired from a Fran Seiford card)

This card was another Make-n-Take from CHA using the new "Rich & Rugged" Embossing Powders kit and "Dreamy Leaves" cling and "Wildflower Sprigs" clear stamp set.

Finally, another Make-n-Take sample from CHA using "Coastal Express" kit and "Birdcage Trio" cling stamp. I was fortunate enough to not only get to be invited to CHA to work at the Stampendous! booth but also to be able to see their headquarters in ANaheim and we got to make all the Make-n-Take projects ahead of time. Thanks again girls! It was a blast!

So, if you are local, this class will not only be tomorrow but will repeat again in late April. Participants will make 3 of the above cards and also go home with a new Embossing Powder kit! Check out the Enchanted Cottage home page for our calendar, directions, and more samples!

I will also be repeating the Glitter and Acetate class from last year next saturday using stamps from Stampendous! and The Artful Stamper. Don't miss out on this glittery fun!

Thanks for stopping in today! Have a great weekend :)

-Cyndi