Cupcake's B-day and a Sweet Stop Fall - SSS17, CCC53

Hello from steamy, muggy, hot Buffalo, NY! I suppose it is much worse in other parts of the US, but personally I can't take the heat anymore. So...I convinced my hubby to let me turn on the AC yesterday and today...THANK GOD! So now my house is comfy. I also like to escape to my nice little cool stamp room on the basement when it is too hot out. So today I emerged from the basement with 3 completed projects, and a few more in process. I am going to share 2 of them with you tonight.

My first project tonight I created for the Cupcake Craft Challenge. They are celebrating their 1st blogging birthday this week. So...HAPPY BIRTHDAY! The challenge this week is "Something Sweet". Here is what I came up with.

I have two really cute TAC sets that include cupcakes, and decided that would be perfect for this challenge. I found this adorable cupcake ribbon @ my LCS. I also purchased it in blue. I can't pass by a bin full of ribbon that is labeled $1 a spool! Anyway, The small cupcakes are from a PWP stamp set called All Smiles. The set is only $2.95 with any $30 purchase. It includes a little ice cream cone, and two different smiley faces too. The larger cupcake is from one of the SOTM sets from 4/09 (Sweet thing). I colored the cupcakes using souffle gel pens, and added some different color stickles on the sprinkles. I used a large circle punch to cut out the PP circle from the TAC DC Gentle Beginnings pad. All the cupcakes are attached with dimensionals.

My next card tonight I created for The Sweet Stop Challenge Blog this week. Check out the link to see the sketch for this week. I just loved this sketch. Korin always comes up with some great sketches. There was a twist this week though, the card had to be a fall or back to school theme. I have an adorable apple stamp I wanted to use, but it was too big for what I wanted to do with this sketch, so here is what I came up with instead.

I used the TAC set Artsy Owls. I stamped the owls and tree branch on DSP from the TAC Winchester paper collection. I do love these collections in the catalog they are all put together with matching ribbons, brads, buttons, papers, ink suggestions, etc. After stamping the owls and branches, I punched them out with a scalloped circle punch, and layered them onto solid color CS from the TAC Penelope CS set. I added some little googly eyes to the owl, gold stickles to the leaves and owl, and used a white gel pen to bring out the stitched look on the owl. I used Kraft CS as the base, and layered a piece of brown CS that I stamped a few of the branches from the stamp set onto for background paper. I layered again with another sheet of Kraft CS, and added the owls and branches. The sentiment is from the TAC set Trendy Greetings, and I punched it out with an oval punch. I also added the gold eyelets to that.

Well that is it for today. We began a new venture in our house today. My 2 year old has decided that she wants to use the potty. Day 1 went pretty well. Only a couple accidents, and many more successes! I just hope we can get through this, and help her get over her fear of toilets that aren't at home. She wouldn't go at Target today (which was one of the accidents), and she wouldn't go on the potty at the fitness place we go to (which is VERY clean). All in good time...I just have to keep telling myself that. Thanks for stopping by.

Jessica