Gina P Crafts

If I don't stamp soon...

2010-06-01T09:26:00.000-05:00

I'm either going to go crazy or have to take down this blog because I'm not helping anyone with it since I haven't posted in almost a year. That's sad.

My first order of business....cleaning my space. It's a wreck and in no condition to help my creativity.

THEN, and ONLY then, will I stamp. But at that point, I can finally share with you all and get things going again.

Sorry for my long-extended absence.

Man oh MAN, it's been a LONG time!

2009-07-18T08:30:00.002-05:00

Sorry to anyone that reads this on a regular basis... I know I've been MIA for a while, but when I saw that it was MARCH the last time I posted, I gasped in horror. I haven't stamped since then, either! What's wrong with me??

Well, business has died down to the point that I will no longer be a SU! demo at the end of this month. It's been a sad thing for me to adjust to, since I've put in more than 6 years, but I've had to learn to let it go. I think that has sucked a bit of my mojo out of me.

However, I will try to get back on the horse and make something soon, or I may have to give this whole thing up altogether, and I don't want to do that!

Here's hoping (if anyone is reading this) that you're all doing well and are being creative. I'll try to muster up some inspiration soon!

Hugz~

finally!

2009-03-05T08:32:00.003-06:00

This picture is fuzzy! I took it with my phone in low light, but in the interest of getting a picture posted after such a long time, I had to get it going.... so here it is!

Set: Tree of Friendship
Colors: Chocolate Chip, Pixie Pink, Orchid Opulence, Glorious Green, YoYo Yellow, Pacific Point
Other: Pink rhinestone brad, dimensionals, scalloped edge punch, brown grosgrain ribbon

Where Have I Been?

2009-03-03T12:39:00.003-06:00

Well, if you have been asking yourself that same question, here I am!

I have had a lot of personal things going on and I had been left drained of all creative energy. Yep, it happens to everyone. Yep, it happened to me. Every time I thought about stamping, I just couldn't do it. Strange, isn't it?

SOOOO, today I finally forced myself down to my stamp table, and I felt REALLY rusty! I honestly didn't even know what to do with myself. So, I just dove in and started with a super simple card, and then followed with another one with a little more stuff on it. But the bottom line is, I FINALLY stamped.

I have not posted the cards yet, but rest assured, they are coming this week. Thanks to all of you who have stuck by me while I've been gone, and I will try and do better again, but it may be slow for now until i get back into the swing of things. We'll see how it goes.

HUGS~

Erin, this one's for YOU!

2008-12-19T10:48:00.005-06:00

A friend of mine asked me for an idea for an invite for a 2-year-old's birthday party, using Crab & Company as the stamp set. Here's one I came up with for using limited supplies, a short amount of time, and with extra cuteness for the little one! Here's the card, Erin - I hope it's what you are looking for!

This one is a square size, 4.25" x 4.25"

Sets: Crab & Company, Sincere Salutations

Colors: Bashful Blue, Tempting Turqoise

Other: turquoise ribbon, dimensional (on the present only)

Marker Coloring Details: Shrimp-Cameo Coral, Crab-Real Red, Sand-Sahara Sand and Creamy Caramel, Shell on cake clam-Sahara Sand, Flame on candle-YoYo Yellow, Hats-Tempting Turqoise and Bashful Blue puff, Present-Turquoise ribbon

Erin, email me if you have any questions about this one. Everyone else, I hope you like it!

Turkey Day card.... SUPER late!

2008-12-19T10:33:00.003-06:00

Well I promised I'd post this card, and unfortunately I have not been on in a while... but here's the card I did. I figure it's worth posting it anyway, even if the holiday is long gone:Quick explanation for the martini glass - when I was growing up, my grandmother on my mom's side hosted Thanksgiving at her house. There was lots of good food, family, and great memories. My grandparents were not big drinkers, but they did enjoy their martinis. So, I have fond memories of them making their gin/vermouth martinis with 2 or 3 olives... and that became as much a part of my memories as the veggie trays and lumpy mashed potatoes. Now my grandparents are long gone, but this year I had them just as much in my heart as always, so I had to include an homage to them in this years card which was only sent to those who remember them too - my family. I hope you enjoy it!

Sets: Voila to Go, Houndstooth (BG), Cheers!
Colors: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie
Other: mesh tape, dimensionals

I stamped yesterday!

2008-11-17T07:16:00.001-06:00

Thanks to my lovely 7 year old, I got down and stamped some Thanksgiving cards. I just didn't have time to post them yet. I'll try to get them up for you tonight, or maybe tomorrow. Mondays are crazy for me now... ahh!!! Just wanted you to know I'm still here and trying to get my stamping mojo back!

Everyone loves Cupcakes... especially for their Birthday

2008-11-04T06:00:00.001-06:00

My sister's birthday is Wednesday, and this is the card. Wanna know how old she is? 10? 15? Nope, she's hitting 40. Bet you'd never guess it with this cutsey card, but she's about as girlie as anyone I know, so oddly enough, this fits her. I can't wait to see if she likes it.
I had fun making this cupcake. First, I masked the words out of the big birthday cupcake so that the cupcake was blank. Then I cut out the bottom from Kraft cs and ran it through the crimper. FUN! The tag was done by coloring it in with a SU! marker and stamped, then using iridescent ice embossing powder to give it some sparkle.

2008-11-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

I got a handful of thank you notes done, and I did them using a coloring source that I have been neglecting for FAR too long - my watercolor crayons! I did the classic method - I colored directly on the stamp, spritzed it lightly with water, and then stamped on watercolor paper. What an easy and cool way to watercolor!

Sets: Inspired by Nature, Wonderful Words
CS colors: Orchid Opulence, Watercolor paper
Watercolor Crayon Colors: Orchid Opulence, Summer Sun, Garden Green
Other: Stazon Black, sliit punch, gold eyelets

Hey, I'm one of the Undead....

2008-10-31T13:33:00.004-05:00

Boo!! Happy Halloween!! And yes, I'm really not dead. lol I have not had the mojo the last few weeks, but I had one little tidbit to share with you today - and since today is Halloween, I'll share our pumpkin carvings instead of cards. I hope you enjoy them - it's the first time I ever did "fancy" carvings using those stencil books.... however I was pretty excited at the results. Here they are - both are lit up, but one is in the dark and one is in the light... just for the effect of both.

Have a Spooktacular Day!!

I'm on a roll....

2008-10-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's ANOTHER Christmas card. I promise to change things up again soon, but I just couldn't resist. Honestly, I'm one of those ladies who is first to complain when I see Christmas displays in stores in September. lol I hate thinking about winter before I absolutely HAVE to. However, when it comes to making those Christmas cards, I just have to get started early i fI can becaus ethe shopping season and the chaos involved in planning and get togethers and all that, I always seem to run out of time to get those cards going. So humor me if you can, and keep checking back to see if I make anything else! lol
And don't underestimate the usefulness of the personalized stamps SU! makes... I had this "blessings" stamp made a few years ago and I LOVE having it, so I just have to hand write our first names and I'm all set. And this sentiment works for all occassions, not just Christmas. Keep it in mind for your cards this year!

Sets: Circle of Friendship, Riveting (retired), Season of Friendship (snowflake on bottom)

Colors: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou

Other: Cuttlebug snowflake EF, sponge brayer, scalloped circle and 1 3/8" circle punch

Notes: After embossing the snowflakes on the white layer, I used my sponge brayer to add Soft Sky ink to highlight the snowflakes. They show better and it adds character, too.

Another Holiday card idea

2008-10-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Not my best photography, truly. But, another holiday card idea is just the ticket for this time of year (though I LOVE making Halloween cards, which I should probably do soon!), if you want to get started early. I had the coolest idea - to run a transparency (acetate) sheet through my Cuttlebug for some clear snowflakes! It looks cute in person, but I am not too sure about the photo (due to the glare). Anyway, with some color coordination and the right snowflake stamp, this background compliments these cute little snowmen, don't ya think? it's a simple design, but when you're making many multiples of one style, you gotta have something that's easy to reproduce... so this is one that whips up quickly. Here it is:
Sets: Circle of Friendship, Season of Friendship (snowflake), Season by Season ("christmas")
Colors: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss
Other: Red grosgrain, acetate, CB snowflake EF, glue dots, dimensionals, blender pen

Holiday Greetings

2008-10-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

So I finally decided to get things started with my holiday cards this year, and I made up this dozen or so cards using some of last year's InColor products I had. Soft Sky is featured, along with the Soft Sky DSP. It's a bit hard to tell, but there are snowflakes all over the panel with the tree, but they are also in Soft Sky so they got washed out in the photo. Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, I really like the softness of these cards. I may just make a few more of these. ; )
Some of them I mixed patterns and some I matched them. It just depended on what I felt like at the moment. I'm unpredictable that way. : )

Sets: Season of Friendship, Sincere Salutations
Colors: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou
Other: scalloped edge punch, white eyelets

Shellabrate!

2008-10-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

In my quest to be ahead of the game for holiday cards this year, I made a handful of them with my favorite theme - beach!! A few years ago I wanted to get my hands on a set of SU!s called Sunny Seasons Greetings, and I never got it. I have wanted it ever since. So this year when I saw a beachy theme for the holidays, I wasted NO time in purchasing that set! So this is the first one I came up with, but there will definitely be more to come! It's also using the SCS sketch SC196 (sortof). Here's the card:Sets: Shellabrate, Totally Tabs
Colors: Close to Cocoa, Blush Blossom, Barely Banana, Kraft
Other: tab punch, SU markers, paper piercing tools, clear EP, 2-way glue pen, dazzling diamonds, hemp twine, CB swirl and Swiss Dots embossing folders

To get the sentiment shiny, it's my Close to Cocoa craft pad and clear EP over the top. The shell "tree" is super glittery all over, but you only see highlights in the photo, as usual. I hope you like it anyway!

Recipe Fun!

2008-10-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love love love swapping 6x6 recipe cards with my stamping friends! Not only do you get great page and stamping ideas, but you get great recipes for your kitchen! (If you're in my swap and don't want to spoil the surprise, don't read or look on!).

I almost always tend to make my pages using earth tones, just because earthy colors say "food" to me more than other color families (although bright colors say fru-fru drinks better than any others)... and this page is no exception. Here's what I did for my italian sausage recipe (my mom's italian sausage is incredible!):
Tee hee, I bet you just spent time trying to read the recpie now, didn't you?? BUSTED!! If you can read it, more power to you (and be sure to tell me how much you like it once you make it), if not, you had to be in the swap to get the goods! ; )

Sets: Sock Monkey, Voila to Go
Colors: Garden Green, More Mustard, Riding Hood Red
Other: Cuttlebug Mesh EF (embossing folder), Weathered DP (SU!), blender pen, Real Red eyelets (SU!), paper peircing tools, white gel pen (SU!), dimensionals

Yum Yum... enjoy!

In Color Birthday Wishes

2008-10-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

So I decided today to make a handful of birthday cards for some friends who are having birthdays this month, and I also wanted to use more of my InColors since they haven't gotten a whole lot of wear so far... and this card ended up being not only easy and fun to make, but it would work for both men and women - you can't get more versatile than that, right? So to create this one, I stamped the grass in the background with Versamark to not overpower when I stamped the sentiment over it in black. I then stamped the leaves in black Staz On on Confetti Vanilla cs. Then using stipple brushes, I pounced some color over the leaves to make them pop. Gold brads and coordinating brad washers with a bit of piercing complete the look.

Sets: Inspired by Nature, Upsy Daisy (sentiment), Organic Grace (hostess L1)
Colors: Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Confetti Vanilla
Other: Piercing tools, gold brads, 1/4" circle punch, dimensionals, stipple brushes

Have a beautiful day, everyone~

You're On My Mind

2008-10-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

Ahhh, new stamps. The beautiful clean rubber and wood... the excitement of creating something completely new using something you have never used before - the feeling is something magical to me. So I played with colors that are Earthy and warm since the weather is finally getting cooler and Fall is officially in the air now, and here's what I came up with: To create depth in the flowers, I used my SU! markers directly on the rubber, in both Summer Sun and More Mustard. Then I went over a few areas in Summer Sun directly to the cardstock to blend, and I am really happy with the results! I also dug out my old Hodgepodge hardware kit and used a couple of the pieces I've been hoarding for a couple of years. Ahh, to use what I have is a beautiful thing!

Sets: Inspired by Nature, Upsy Daisy

Colors: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Garden Green

Other: Hodgepodge in Aged Copper, Mustard and Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon

WSCC6 - Floral

2008-10-01T06:00:00.002-05:00

So I finally participated in my own color challenge (see a couple of posts below for details), and here's the card I came up with using the three colors in the challenge. This was another chance for me to use my new stamp sets, as well as my new embossing folder (swirls and birds) from Cuttlebug. Here it is: Set: Eastern Blooms
Colors: Elegant Eggplant, Pacific Point, Pink Pirouette
Other: CB Birds & blooms, pink rhinestone brad, 1/2" circle punch, dimensionals

You Rock!

2008-09-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

Well, I finally got to stamp for a bit today! I'm still feeling tired and dizzy, but at least I can sit without the room spinning. WHEW! Anyway, a quick story: A couple of weeks ago, my mom bought this shirt for me that has the little skull & crossbones on it (perfect for this season!), and I am wearing it today for the first time. AND, I just got my new Just Jawing set last week so I'm excited to play with it - so I took the color scheme from the shirt and put it into this card. Here's the card:
I heat embossed the skull and then cut out the cameo coral hearts and glued them into the heart eyes. I thought it was kinda fun! I hope you like it!

Set: Just Jawing
Colors: Black, Sahara Sand, Cameo Coral
Other: Silver brad, silver swirl slips, silver cord, white embossing powder, dimensionals

I'm sick!

2008-09-28T20:11:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in the last 5 days... I have been busy with life the last couple of days and then yesterday I had a massive headache, then today I woke up feeling weak and dizzy. It's been icky all day, so I have missed 3 good stamping days - boo hoo!!! I miss it! I'll try to get something posted in the next day or two, but thanks for your patience, friends. I miss you!
Okay, it's back to bed for me for now....

Hugz~

Blog Challenge

2008-09-24T06:45:00.002-05:00

Hi friends! I have a new color challenge posted on my MSN group, but before I make my own project later this week I wanted to pose the challenge to you bloggers, too! Here's the color scheme: Pacific Point, Pink Pirouette and Elegant Eggplant. SO, if you are up for a challenge, simply create your own project using that color scheme and then post a comment here with a link/URL to your blog post.

If you are checking the comments, be sure to check out others' projects as well. You will LOVE seeing what other people do, and they will love getting your comments, too!

Happy stamping!!

Paper Piecing...

2008-09-20T12:31:00.006-05:00

I finally tried to do paper piecing. I had always liked the way it looked, but I was always too lazy to try it. Well, the concept is simple, and the execution is not as difficult as I thought (click here to see the SCS tutorial). So, I plan to do more of this when I have good images to try it on. Meanwhile, I was so into the whole thing that I decided to do some out-of-the-box stuff and stippling and piercing too! I kinda liked how it looked, too. So without further ado, here's the card:
Isn't he just so fun?? His jacket uses the DP, as you can see, and I think it really adds to the appeal of this card. And though I did the paper piercing in the corner, it just didnt' have enough emphasis, so I went in with a Stampin' Write marker (FINE tip end) and touched each hole so that it was more black. It totally made the difference.

Set: Voila!
Colors: Tangerine Tango, Certainly Celery
Paper: SU! DP series "Sarah"
Other: Stipple brush, dimensionals

I hope you like it!

CC182 Monochromatic!

2008-09-19T11:16:00.004-05:00

I haven't done a monochromatic card in a long time, so this SCS color challenge was fun! Here's the card:

Set: Heartfelt Thanks

Colors: Black, White, Going Gray

Stuff: Paper piercing tools, dimensionals, black organdy ribbon, silver cord

Masculine Birthday

2008-09-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

I actually enjoy doing masculine cards. It's a nice change of pace from the normal frilly dilly stuff we usually do. This one is the one I made for my dad's birthday. You have already seen the one I did for my brother to use, this is MINE: This one I did using a tip I saw on someone else's blog (please forgive me, I've forgotten who it was already or I'd link to it here. If you are that person, please contact me and I'll edit this post!), by stamping the tree in one color, then using my Stamp-a-ma-jig to add another layer with a different color of splotches, and then a third and fourth layer of colors. This tree is seriously multi-layered! I finished it up by stamping in Versamark and then giving it a layer of clear EP over it for shine (which you can't see in this photo). The word stamp is stamped in Chocolate Chip craft ink and then clear embossed as well. It's much classier in person. Here's the deets:

Sets: Canvas, Lovely As a Tree, It's Your Birthday
Colors: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Really Rust, Old Olive
Other: clear embossing powder (EP), distressing tool, more mustard eyelet, wide twill tape, hemp twine, dimensionals

Jackpot Birthday!!

2008-09-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

THIS is an interesting story - my dad's birthday is coming up in a couple of days, and my dad is VERY difficult to shop for. He doesn't really "need" anything. My parents like to spend some time going to casinos, though (when he's not playing golf).... and my brother decided to give him money to gamble with. So he wanted to express the casino theme in a card for the money, and he asked ME to make the card for him to use! Well, SU! doesn't have any GAMBLING sets, and I don't have any off-brand sets either with that theme. I also don't have time or money to go out on the search for the images, so I decided to improvise and find images online and print them on cardstock to use instead. My mom gave me that tip once and I have never done it until today! Anyway, I took the printed images, added some stamping and embossing and markers and.... well, here's the result:What do you think?? Does this say "gambling" or what?? I can't wait to see what my brother and dad think of it!

Set: Stars jumbo wheel (jackpot and card/die images printed, not stamped)
Colors: Black, Green Galore
Other: Hologram Highlights embossing powder, markers, dimensionals, paper snips

Inspiration Challenge

2008-09-12T12:00:00.009-05:00

Hi! I had posted a new challenge on my MSN group, called an Inspiration Challenge. I chose an image I found online, and used it as an inspiration to create a new card. Here's the pic I used as inspiration:

Then I created this:

I had also gotten these new Halloween stamps from the $1 section at my local Target! I was shocked to find them, but happy as can be!! Then I drew in the spider web by hand since I don't have a web stamp. The total dimension of this card is 4.5"x4.5". Square was perfect for this card, and it will still fit in the regular invitation sized envies!

I hope you like it~ NOW, if you're not on my group and want to play in this challenge, just make something, post it on your blog and then come to this post and leave a comment with the URL of your creation so I can see what you did. This will be fun!! Now, get out there and stamp!!

Have a great day~

Sets: Linograph BG (SU! retired), Halloween set ($1 section at Target)

Colors: Black, Orchid Opulence, Only Orange

Other: Black SU! marker, 2way glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter, dimensionals, scalloped edge punch, scalloped circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch.

The Winner of the Candy is....

2008-09-09T18:37:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! I am posting late in the day because my internet connection has been down most of the day (grr!), but now that it's back up it's time to announce the winner of the blog candy!

After my very scientific method of choosing (I asked my daughter to pick a number between 1 and 18 [the number of entries] and she didn't know why I was asking but humored me anyway and picked the number 8)....and the #8 entry is - STAMPIN' MEG!!

Congrats, Meg, please get me your email address so I can contact you for your address to send this stuff to!

Thanks to everyone else for entering!!

I will have more cards to post later in the week - I have some cards to make for sure, so I'll be back to regular programming soon! ; )

Word Verification

2008-09-08T06:29:00.001-05:00

Hi friends - quick note this morning.... since I know so many people hate having to do that funky word verification thingy when making comments, I've decided to temporarily disable that on my blog. If I start getting spam, I'll probably put it back on, but for now, commenting on this blog should be one step easier! Thanks for visiting!

SCS192 and Card Challenge

2008-09-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

I made this card yesterday for SCS Sketch challenge SC192, but it's more than that! A friend of mine had sent a bunch of us loose pieces from a card she never finished to see what we could come up with. She sent the base, a full Saffron layer already embossed and distressed, and the white piece with the flowers and canvas details on it. I cut the saffron piece to use it for the SC192 challenge, added the brocade blue piece, added glitter to the flower centers (you can see it better in person, it really adds something to the look), made a tab, matted it on a cocoa piece and added the ribbon. Whadya think?

Sets: Watercolor Garden II, Totally Tabs, Fancy Flexible Phrases, Canvas
Colors: Close to Cocoa, So Saffron, Brocade Blue
Other: Tab punch, wide chocolate grosgrain ribbon, 2 way glue pen, dazzling diamonds, dimensionals, paper piercing tool

WSCC5 - Amazing

2008-09-05T10:55:00.004-05:00

Hi stampers! I have a color challenge posted on my MSN group to use at least 3 of 5 colors, and the 4 I chose were Chocolate Chip, Kraft, Bordering Blue, and Vanilla. This is a color combo I have been LOVING and have been wanting to work with, so today is the day!! lol Here's the card:

created by Gina Pacheco

images (c) Stampin' Up!

I think the flow of thiscard really works for me, and it uses lots of layers, which is also fun! I hope you like it, too~

Set: Amazing
Colors: Chocolate Chip, Bordering Blue, Kraft, Vanilla
Other: French blue and chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, antique copper brads, blender pen, dimensionals

Celebrating 20K!!

2008-09-04T08:26:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone! I logged on this morning to see that I've reached the 20k hit mark on my blog! WOO HOO!!!! I have to take a moment to thank you all for visiting me. I love to have visitors, and I read all the comments, and I do my best to visit all of you who do comment because I think it's a great thing to return the favor.... so for all of the visits, comments, and other support, I say THANK YOU to each and every one of you. NOW, I have decided to celebrate by offering a little blog candy for you!

Since we're all crafters, what better than to give you some items you can craft with?? Here's what you get:

1 - 8x10 frame (holds a 5x7 photo)

1 - full sheet of On Board Accents from SU!

2 - 6x9 board puzzles

1 - mini photo album (see my Christmas in July post for project idea!)

ALSO, I will include a card from this blog so you can see it in person. You never know what you're gonna get, either! Do you like surprises? I do!!

SO, here's how you can get in on the fun:

1. post a comment on this post. NO annonymous entries. One entry per person.

2. share this opportunity with those on your blog, your friends, whatever. Just spread the word! I'll check your blog out too (fun!). And if you're looking at the comment list, be sure to check out other people's blogs that post here. I'm sure everyone loves to have visitors!

3. Either include your email address on your entry or check back here to find out if you've won, and you can email me then. Then I send you the goodies!

So, does that sound like fun? COOL! I'll pick a winner on Tuesday, September 9, so keep coming back to find out if you've won!

Happy Birthday Smoosh

2008-09-02T07:08:00.002-05:00

Hi Stampers!! I finally broke out my Spectrum pads to do a technique I haven't tried before - Cuttlebug Smoosh! When I took the photo, the super light band is not as glaring as it is in the photo, but the flash really made it bright. Anyway, I also used some scraps for this card, too . The white layer was a scrap, the pink sunburst (actually it's the flower from Amazing [SU! set], can you believe it?)! Another unique feature to this card is that it uses two stamp sets you wouldn't think to put together, and it also uses them in ways you wouldn't expect.

I used this glue pad to stamp the flower and apply dazzling diamonds glitter to make the cupcake really pop. I had purchased this Martha Stewart glue pad a couple of weeks ago, and I was initially excited about the fact that it came with a glue refill, and then I noticed that the glue pad was dry to begin with, and the glue is super wet.... it was odd. I have the Palette glue pad and like it much better, but I don't know where to get refills. Hmm. So anyone that knows, please post a comment and let me know, kay? lol Okay, okay, so here's the card:
Sets: Sock Monkey, Amazing
Colors: Pink Passion, Black
Other: Happy Birthday CB folder, glue pad, dazzling diamonds, black grosgrain, pink gingham ribbon (non SU!), Spectrum pad in Parfait, dimensionals, sponge brayer

5 Minute Card

2008-09-01T10:02:00.004-05:00

First, I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend in the USA! If you're outside the USA, I hope you're having a wonderful weekend anyway!!

So yesterday I had a baptism party to go to, and my husband announced to me that he needed me to make a card and I had about 10 minutes to do it! Men!! lol Anyway, so I had limited time and limited options because I had to make the card in Spanish and I only have one set with Spanish sentiments, and it's Saludos (SU! retired forever ago). SO, here's the quickie card. It's super simple, but it's the best I could come up with on such short notice: The baptism was for a boy who's about 2 years old, so it was an interesting challenge. I hope you like it!!

Sets: Inspirational Images (SU! Retired), Saludos (inside)

Colors: Bashful Blue, Barely Banana

Other: Swiss Dots embossing folder (CB), white ric rac (unknown brand), dimensionals

Better With Two

2008-08-30T13:02:00.005-05:00

My sister's anniversary is coming up this week (notice the flower of the month is September - Aster), so I decided to use that as the subject for this card. I also wanted to do a SCS challenge since I haven't done one in a while, so I combined both and came up with this:

The challenge combines Black, Rose Red and Kraft. Interesting challenge! And, I did my absolute BEST at not coloring in these images, because I almost NEVER leave them undone. But if I'm honest, I tried coloring in the bike first, but it actually cheapened the look of this particular card. So, there you have it!

Sets: Floral BG, Life Cycles (retired), Flower of the Month (retired), Hand Stitched (Technique Tuesday stamps)

Colors: Black, Rose Red, Kraft

Other: Black organdy ribbon, dimensionals

psssst....

2008-08-27T07:18:00.004-05:00

A little heads up for those of you who listen to my music playlist... I had a LOT to fix on there (I guess the links change from time to time and cause errors) and added a few new ones in there today... if you can find them, post here and tell me which ones they are and I'll send you a card from this blog in the mail!

Have fun searching!

ps - there's about 6 or 7 new songs... you only have to name 3.

First day of school yesterday!!

2008-08-27T07:01:00.005-05:00

I had to post this morning and let you all know that usually I get to stamp on Tuesdays, but yesterday was the first day of school for my daughter, so I didn't get the chance to stamp. It was a non-uniform day because it was the first day, but today is back to uniforms! Oh my, she's in 2nd grade this year, but I'm just as excited and proud as I was her first day of kindergarten. *sniff*
I am also excited because yesterday I signed up to join the YMCA! Whoot whoot! I have always wanted to try an aqua exercise class and to do some lap swimming, so now I can give it a try when I have time. I also signed up my DD for swim lessons! She is like a little fish out of water, so I'm hoping that lessons will really help her get some skills. Who knows - maybe this is her "thing"?? (watch out Michael Phelps!) Hey, if nothing else it will help us get through the cold winter by having a nice warm indoor pool to go to whenever we want! YAY!

And, will this be the year I finally lose weight???? Wish me luck~~

My I have the envelope please....

2008-08-24T12:27:00.007-05:00

I got an award! Woohoo!!
I was surprised and happy to receive this award from JustJudy and I'm excited to be sharing it here for 7 people that I choose! It's going to be hard to pick just 7 blogs since there are SOOO many that I like, but I'll take a whack at it anyway!

Here are the rules for accepting this wonderful blog award:

1. The winner can put the logo on their blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from (see the link above)
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4. Put links of those blogs on yours
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.

So this is who I am awarding this "I (heart) Your Blog" to:

1. Lyn at The Queen's Scene
2. Velta and her blog
3. Debbie Olson at Thinking Inking
4. Lori T at Lori's Addiction-playing with Adhesive!
5. Mary at Beauty Lies Within
6. Emily at Stamping and Stuff
7. Jess at My Sanity Depends on Stamping

All you have to do is visit these ladies' blogs to see why I chose them. Their work is amazing, they are fresh and totally my style! Like I said, there are many more I love, but these are the ones I found today in my searching that didn't already have the award, and were people that I don't always nominate for tags or awards. Ladies, you all rock! Be sure to spread the love now!

Thanks again Judy for my award!

Amazing-ly Feminine

2008-08-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love the Pink Pirouette color in this year's InColors, but I had to kinda think about what color combo I wanted to use it with... and though I have many resources available to me to decide, I was far too lazy to come to the computer to make use of them, so I ventured into my cardstock files alone and on a quest.... and I came up with a combo that I kinda like. Perfect Plum, Sage Shadow and Pink Pirouette. Yum....

Then I wanted to make it pretty, too. I also wanted to make it interesting. My goodness, I love to challenge myself, eh? Anyway, I made this one a tri-fold kind of thing - it opens like french doors once you untie the ribbon. Here's how it turned out:
This card turns out to be 4.25" square at the base, so it easily fits into a standard card-sized envelope, just with space in the width.

Set: Amazing
Colors: Perfect Plum, Sage Shadow, Pink Pirouette
Other: Scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, White 7/8" wide organdy ribbon, dimensionals, 2-way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds glitter

I swear, looking at this card just makes me want to have tea with a good friend in an English garden, how about you?

Have a beautiful day, everyone~

Two Sassy Monkeys!

2008-08-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

My birthday monkeys decided that though the glittery frosting on the cupcakes looked tasty, the party hats made them feel silly...so to make the look a bit more "edgy", they decided to wear their hats cocked to one side. Now they're sassy monkeys. : )

Well, obviously I got a chance to stamp today, so I made two versions of the same card with just a couple of subtle color changes. Here they are! The first card uses Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze and Kiwi Kiss...

...and the second card uses Basic Black, Tempting Turqoise and Green Galore.Do you like my sassy monkeys??

Sets: Sock Monkey, Hot to Dot (retired SU! standard wheel)

Monkey Colors: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel and Riding Hood Red

Other: Spiral punch, 2-way glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter, blender pen

OOh, Bandana looking!!

2008-08-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

This is a cool technique I got from my wonderful Technique Junkies subscription issue this month, and it's something I can't believe I never thought of - making images look like bandana-style images! It's so easy and so much fun, if you give it a try you'll love it! Just use your favorite bold or solid image stamps and highlight with white lines and dots. Your only limits are your creativity! Here's my card doing this one for the first time:
Set: Do the Hula (retired SU!)
Colors: Regal Rose, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette
Other: sponge daubers, white gel pen (SU!), white grosgrain ribbon

Baby Boy Birthday

2008-08-18T06:00:00.002-05:00

So I have a birthday party to go to next week for my nephew's first birthday. Granted, he won't know what his card looks like (it would end up in his mouth anyway - lol), but his mommy will! SO, I came up with this fun one that could work for either a birthday or even a baby card.

Sets: Wild About You, Quick Thinking
Colors/Paper: Bashful Blue, So Saffron, DP "Sarah" (SU! retired)
Other: pastel brads from SU, scallop edge punch

You Make Me Smile!

2008-08-15T15:26:00.002-05:00

New colors and paper and stamps - how sweet it is!! I had fun playing with this stuff today. I'll have to also make a tutorial on how I did the little notch in the middle to keep the flap closed. It's super easy, but easier to show than explain. Here's the card:

Set: Window Dressing
Colors: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss (Baja Breeze, Royal Rose, Creamy Caramel on window/flowers)
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Bella Rose DP
Other: scallop edge, 1" circle, flower bouquet punches, fire red rhinestone brad, glue dots, blender pen

It's NEW CATTY TIME!!!!

2008-08-12T09:58:00.002-05:00

Woo hoo!! The new SU! catalog is available and online for your viewing pleasure! I finally got my demo copy yesterday and I have been devouring every page. From new sets to new accessories and some amazing designer papers, this is one to enjoy! I have included an easy link on the right for you to see it for yourself. Just click on the picture of our new catalog and you'll get there.

ENJOY!

Soft Butterfly

2008-08-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

Here's the other card I made using some stamps I haven't pulled out in years... during my seclusion on the couch with my sick kid.... I used limited supplies, so if it looks simple, that's why.

The stitches are sloppy, but my stamping conditions were not really the most comfortable. I just wanted to play with my new colors from SU!. I hope you like it anyway.

Stamps: old sets from TAC

Colors: Pink Pirouette, Pacific Point

Other: 2-way glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter

Finally stamped!

2008-08-08T13:31:00.003-05:00

Well I've been at home with a sick kid, and not only unable to work but to stamp! But after days of sitting on the couch and nursing my child, I grabbed some stuff from my basement and stamped a super simple card or two, just to keep my hands busy. Here's one of them, using my NEW stamps from Starving Artist Stamps!
It also uses some cute clear stamps my mom got for me from somewhere...they're the stitches that I have been wanting!! yippee!!!

Sets: Doodles - Tropical, Tropical Sentiments (both from Starving Artists)
Colors: Pacific Point and Kiwi Kiss from SU! (also Tangerine Tango and Riding Hood Red on tiki mask), Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa markers
Other: paper piercing tool, blending pen

I'm a slacker!

2008-08-04T07:54:00.003-05:00

I have been so busy the last few weeks that I know my posting has been sort of sporadic. I have actually been packing in the activities at home to utilize the last of the summer, so that my daughter won't go back to school and say she did "nothing." lol That of course has kept me away from my stamping table here and there, which I am sure you'll forgive.

Since I don't have anything to post today, I wanted to at least share with you a card that uses a COOL technique that is easy and fun to do.... it comes from Pat Huntoon herself, the Technique Junkie goddess. I am still waiting for my newsletter to come so I can be sure I do that technique right, but click HERE to see the sample she has posted that I think is pretty cute!

Have a wonderful Monday!!

Christmas Memories- in July

2008-07-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

It's Christmas in July - or at least we're pretending it is! Yep, some of those ambitious folks out there (and you know who you are) get ready for this holiday early!! No, I'm not one of them, but this year I have at least an idea or two to share with those who are. lol Here's a quick and fun goody you can make and give to your friends or family - Christmas photo albums! All you have to do is pick up a little 4x6 album and use a craft knife to gently create a slit towards the inside top of the covers so you can slide out the pre-printed inserts. Then make your own inserts, put them in place, and seal the flaps with glue dots. Done! Here's my sample:

Now you or your friends can share your Christmas memories and you'll know exactly what's in the album just from looking at the front cover! YAY!

Have a wonderful day!

Sets: Baroque Motifs, Everyday Flexible Phrases, Expressive Flexible Favorites, Snow Flurries
Colors: Purely Pomegranite, Wild Wasabi
Other: Scalloped edge, 1 3/8"circle, scalloped flower punches, white grosgrain, silver cord, iridescent ice EP, dimensionals, glue dots

Busy Weekend!

2008-07-28T08:58:00.003-05:00

I've been super busy since Thursday, and haven't even had time to stamp, but I didn't want you all to think I was blog-slackin'. SOOOO, since I don't have any projects to share today, I will put a challenge out to all of you - why not take a moment today to send a card out to someone for no reason other than to brighten their day? Random Acts of Kindness are a wonderful way to make the world a better place. If you're part of a RAK list, send a card to someone you don't know - because sometimes the kindness of strangers means that much more!

Now, put some good energy out in the universe today. It will come back to you!

Voila! - Bon Appetit!!

2008-07-24T06:40:00.003-05:00

Today we have a 6x6 recipe card! Yep, I have a whole album going thanks to my MSN group members, because we swap every once in a while to exchange not only recipes, but ADORABLE 6x6 pages too! In fact, my recipe album is my most favorite cookbook in my cabinet. If you haven't started one of these, I highly recommend them!

Okay, so first you have to print out your recipe onto cardstock, which I did here. Sometimes you can design the page around the recipe, and sometimes you have to fit the recipe to the page. The method is up to you.

This page is done using my blender pen with reinkers to highlight the chef, and then special papers and punches and ribbons and some heat embossing finish this off. Here's the deets:

Sets: Voila!, Baroque Motifs (see swirl on recipe section), Totally Tabs (on tab)
Colors: Soft Sky DP, Apricot Appeal, Black
Other: Clear embossing powder, embossing pen, blender pen, tab punch, rhinestone brad (SU! fire collection), scallop edge punch (SU! - NEW!), black grosgrain, sticky strip (to hold the sky paper down for easy sliding of recipe card)

Ready to tackle a project like this and add fun to your cooking time? Then get some friends together and swap - you'll be glad you did!

Sneaky Peek, Monkey Style!

2008-07-23T06:00:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I saw a challenge the other day (I think it was called a hannah challenge or something like that, saw it via someone's blog, can't remember who) which used a sketch and told you to make a Christmas in July card with it. Well, I liked the sketch, but didn't want to make a Christmas card for it because I got my new stamps from SU! and couldn't WAIT to use them!! SOOOO, I tweaked the sketch a bit, added my own touches and came up with this fun card:
I also LOVE watercoloring with my SU! markers!!! Just making a few lines with markers on watercolor paper and then blending with an aquapainter makes watercoloring so EASY and FUN! I may just have to play with this technique more soon.... Okay, here's the deets on the card:

Sets: Sock Monkey (coming soon!), Trimtastic (retiring soon)
Colors: Close to Cocoa, Cameo Coral, Creamy Caramel
Other: Aquapainter, Wide twill tape, dimensionals, flower punch (SU!), copper brads (non-SU!), 1/4"circle punch

Have a great day, my friends in stamping!

Faux...oops!

2008-07-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

This is a quick card that was supposed to look like faux cloissone, but unfortunately I didn't read the fact that I needed a shiny paper to make that happen. SO, what we have here instead is designer paper that has been stamped and embossed in GOLD (photo looks like brown, not shiny gold, figures), but I don't believe in wasting anything whenever possible, so here is the card that didn't turn out too bad anyway:

Set: Time Well Spent
Colors: Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery
Other: French Blue grosgrain, gold embossing powder, Versamark, dimensionals

WSCC3 - Window Smiles

2008-07-21T07:17:00.006-05:00

It's a sneaky peek! The new catty is coming VERY soon, and this set is one that you'll see in the hostess section this year.

The card used a color combo from a color challenge I presented on my MSN group. Sahara Sand, Apricot Appeal, Cameo Coral and Certainly Celery. Here's the result of that challenge:
Set: Window Dressing
Colors: Sahara Sand, Apricot Appeal, Cameo Coral, Certainly Celery, DP Festive Finery (retired)
Other: Scallop Edge punch (new!), scalloped circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, corner rounder, SU Markers, 7/8" wide Celery organdy ribbon

Hey, if you out there in blogland care to participate, post a comment with a URL to your card that uses this challenge combo, and I'll be sure to visit yours to see what you did! So, you've now been "challenged..." what will you do??

It's Christmas in July

2008-07-14T07:49:00.004-05:00

Well Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was relatively uneventful, but thankfully I have a new card to share today. It's a Christmas-in-July theme, and before you look, I'll explain just one part - the white background (two-tone) is done on glossy white cardstock and was brayered with Soft Sky on top and Creamy Caramel on the bottom. The Sky color didn't photograph very strongly and the little starfish background on the pomegranite layer is hard to see, but the dimension and color is always richer in person, right??

Sets: Do the Hula (palm tree), Crab & Company (everything else)
Colors: Purely Pomegranite, Wild Wasabi, Black, Soft Sky, Creamy Caramel, Blush Blossom (shell and clam)
Other: brayer, dimensionals, blender pens

Late 4th Card

2008-07-12T12:43:00.003-05:00

So I had to make a late 4th of July card (I know, sounds strange), and there were stipulations - red,white, blue and glitter. This is what I came up with:
I highlighted the coat and hat using a blender pen and the Night of Navy inkpad, but the key here was to make the blender show a very light version of color. After adding color and glitter, I had to add some paper piercing and ribbon to complete the picture. Whadya think?

Sets: Voila, Voila to Go, Stars jumbo wheel

Colors: Purely Pomegranite, Night of Navy

Other: 2way glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter, paper piercing tools, navy grosgrain, dimensionals

10 Years Together!

2008-07-11T18:08:00.004-05:00

Today is my 10-year wedding anniversary! Yippee! So we've made it through good and bad times, and today we're not making a big "to-do" about the day, but I'm still happy. AND, it called for stamping. I had to make an anniversary card for him, and I wanted to make a card for the SC184 sketch challenge on SCS, so I decided to use the two ideas together. Here's the result:

Set: Baroque Motifs

Colors: Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore, Basic Black

The funny thing is, I saw the sketch and thought I'd be using a unique set choice by using Baroque Motifs, and then after I posted my card I saw that there were several cards using this set that used the same sketch! Great minds think alike, I guess! lol Well, my interpretation is also flipped a bit, which I also blame on the left-handedness and the fact that my brain is just a little bit "off" today. I hope you enjoy looking anyway. ; )

RGB Codes for NEW InColors

2008-07-09T11:28:00.002-05:00

Have you ever tried to match your computer colors with SU! colors? Well, there are lists of those computer color codes (RGBs) for the Classic colors, but here's the latest codes for the new InColors coming soon:

Riding Hood Red: R-189 G-73 B-89
Tangerine Tango: R-235 G-110 B-82
Baja Breeze: R-150 G-201 B-201
Kiwi Kiss: R-190 G-182 B-83
Pacific Point: R-0 G-129 B-181
Pink Pirouette: R-253 G-213 B-222

Have fun, stampers!!

Memory Lane #7

2008-07-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

Well, this should be the final Memory Lane card for a bit. I am REALLY hoping to get in some stamping time after this. I hope you have enjoyed taking this trip with me. Some of you may have seen these cards before (and you know who you are!) and some of you may be new to them, but either way, I hope you are inspired. Here's the last entry: This card is fun to do - it's just Crayon Resist.
HOW TO DO IT: Using glossy cardstock, I stamped the images in StazOn. Then I highlighted the flowers where I wanted with a white Crayola crayon. Then using sponge daubers, I dabbed color over the images. After the ink dried, I used a paper towel to buff the images clean of the waxy crayon. The crayon resists the ink and then you're left with white highlights! How fun!

Set: Both Way Blossoms

Colors: Orchid Opulence, Gable Green

Other: Sponge Daubers, white crayon, paper piercing tool, black journaling pen, paper towel

Memory Lane #6

2008-07-08T09:47:00.004-05:00

Today's Memory Lane card is using the Tapestry technique which I got from Technique Junkies
a few years ago. It's one of those techniques that really makes a statement when you see it. Even pictures don't do it justice. It involves pigment inks and a lot of embossing powder, and this is the first card I ever made using this technique. I hope you enjoy it.

Tomorrow will be the last of the Memory Lane cards for the week... then I'm hoping to get some stamping in so I can bring you new and exciting stuff from today's stamps and products.

Set: All the Best
Colors: Night of Navy, Brocade Blue, Green Galore
Other: UTEE, stampin' sponges, silver cord, silver brad, dimensionals, heat gun

Memory Lane #5

2008-07-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

This one was fun fun fun.... and there's lots of little pieces all popped up, but it's sorta hard to tell on this old scan. I hope this card makes you smile the way it did to me while I made it.

Set: Treat Yourself
Colors: Black, Real Red, YoYo Yellow
Other: Red Staples, dimensionals

Memory Lane #4

2008-07-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love Faux Silk! This technique is easy and turns out great if you do it right. This was one of the first cards I ever made with this technique, a few years ago. I can't even remember the set the background images is from. The front piece is Kanji, but the other one is an Asian theme set whose name still escapes me. Maybe I'll look through my archived sets and edit this post later with the name, if you are interested. This card even uses the Baroque Burgundy SU! retired a while back.... bummer. That was a good one.

HOW TO DO IT: Stamp and color images as desired on background. Then paint a very thin layer of white school glue on the entire piece, and while it's still wet, take a piece of wrapping tissue larger than the size of your cs, ball it up, then GENTLY open it (DO NOT SMOOTH OUT) and lay it on top of cardstock. Gently pat it down to make contact with glue, leaving wrinkles. Let dry. Then trim the edges and layer as desired. That's it! I learned this from a friend and loved it. Maybe I need to pull this stuff out again, eh?

Anyway, I hope you like this trip down my memory lane!

Memory Lane #3

2008-07-05T06:00:00.002-05:00

Ahh, Rubber Cement. This technique is one I enjoyed but haven't used enough. I really loved making this card. HOW TO DO IT: First I painted rubber cement on glossy white cardstock in wavy stripes, then brayered color over it. Then I painted rubber cement over the color where I wanted to keep it, and then brayered over it all with the second color. TIP: always use lightest color first.

Set: In Full Bloom
Colors: Blush Blossom, Sahara Sand
Other: Rubber Brayer, Rubber Cement, dimensionals

Memory Lane #2

2008-07-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

This card was so much fun - I first used my brayer and a Kalidecolor pad with blues to create a smooth background color. Then I stamped the coral in chalk hybrid inks and embossed it with clear embossing powder. The mermaid was FUN....coloring her in with blender pen/inkpads and then I just glittered her all over the place. Popped her up on some dimensionals and that was that!

Set: Fintastic
Colors: Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore
Other: 2way glue pen, dazzling diamonds glitter, dimensionals, heat gun

Memory Lane #1

2008-07-03T07:29:00.004-05:00

Since I'm going to be pretty busy for a few days (you know, the holiday and all) and I'm not planning on getting in any stamping time, I decided to keep you all entertained and keep my posts going by sharing with you some MORE stuff from my archives. I hope you enjoy taking a trip down memory lane with me! Here's the first entry:
I made this with Backyard Barbecue, a set from SU! that retired a few years ago... and I made this card when it was still current! lol I also think this was one of the few times I used my Perfect Layers tool. This is a fun 4th of July or any summer barbecue invite that I thought stood the test of time... what do you think? And yes, I colored in each and every hamburger myself. Blender pen and inkpads - easy!

Happy 4th of July tomorrow, my fellow Americans! Happy barbecuing everyone else!! Love you all!!

From my archives - bleach!

2008-07-01T08:25:00.003-05:00

I decided that since I haven't stamped in a couple of days, I'd pull out one of my favorites from my archives. This card was done with the bleach technique. I remember how amazed I was at how easy this technique really is. All you have to do to achieve this effect is to stamp and emboss on dark cardstock, then using a paintbrush or aquapainter filled with ordinary chlorine bleach, paint in areas where you want to remove color. The more bleach you use, the lighter the color. Notice how there are subtle differences in the lightened areas? I also painted the edge of the torn cardstock to add an extra layered look to this card. I hope you enjoy it as much as I always have.

Set: Artfully Asian (get it before it retires!!)
Colors: Eggplant Envy, confetti white
Other: Slit punch, aged copper brad, black embossing powder, Versamark

WSCC2 - Hang in There!

2008-06-28T15:54:00.002-05:00

This time the color challenge used three colors: Handsome Hunter, Taken with Teal and Green Galore...now as I type this, I realize I used Wild Wasabi. How's that for a silly hostess I am???? UGH!!

Anyway, I had someone in mind when I made this card, and since I just recently remembered I had this set, I was happy to dig it out and try out the watercoloring technique using my Stampin' Write markers and an aquapainter. How fun is that!! I never did that kind of watercoloring before, and it was just as fun as watercolor pencils.

Sets: Hang in There, Houndstooth BG

Colors: Handsome Hunter, Taken With Teal, Wild Wasabi

Other: Gold eyelets, aquapainter

Dazzle Birthday

2008-06-27T10:50:00.002-05:00

We're off to a girl's birthday party today with DD, and if the weather holds out it's going to be a POOL party! Woo hoo for her!! So, I had to come up with the card this morning (me? Procrastinate? Never! lol), and here's what it looks like:
The cake was done with Faux Diamonds technique, so it's super glittery all over that panel. The DP is done with Cuttlebug embossing folder for the Happy Birthday message all over... I got a little crazy with some things and started punching and piercing and glittering and stamping everything on this one, but isn't that what stamping is all about?? ; )

I'll come back and add details about stamp sets and stuff later on today because I'm running LATE for the party.... so come back later if you want more details, kay?

HUGS~

Here's the RAK I cased~

2008-06-26T18:07:00.004-05:00

Okay, I decided to post the original RAK I received from my friend Sherri. You'll probably like hers better because it's GORGEOUS, but here it is!
I also know that some of you have been requesting instructions on how to make this card, and I did not forget you nor am I ignoring the requests. I am going to get in touch with Sherri and ask permission to share them before I do. I'm respectful like that. ; ) So anyway, she's got some stuff going on so I'm not sure how soon it will be, but when I can, I'll add a post and share them with you!

Have a great day~

Blog Candy Alert!!

2008-06-25T06:26:00.005-05:00

OMG, this is not an SU! thing, and it's not my own blog candy (though I will be offering some soon!), but it's AWESOME ENOUGH to share with all of you! Click HERE to find out how to get your own chance to win this candy (but I'm secretly hoping it's me! lol). It's a new release from Starving Artist Stamps, and if you're anything like me, I'm DYING to get my hands on these!!!

Good luck!!

I actually CASED something!

2008-06-24T05:30:00.002-05:00

My super-talented friend, Sherri, sent me a RAK with a beautiful card in it, complete with instructions on how to make my own! Well, I took it as a personal challenge and did it with my own colors/stamp sets. I just love it, and I hope that she posts hers on her blog so I can show you where it came from. I may end up editing this post to add hers in if she gives me permission. So here's my version:This is the front of the card. It works on it's own, but the fun charm of this card is in the opening! Here's how it opens, first the clip comes off, then the triangle opens, then the inside opens up. Here's how it looks open: Oh my, it was fun to make and I like the result. Thanks Sherri for the inspiration! I may just have to CASE something again sometime!!

Set: Unfrogettable
Colors: Real Red, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery

Paper: Summer Picnic dp

Other: red gingham ribbon, swirl clip - brushed silver

Have a Hoppy Day! tee hee

Big Flower!

2008-06-23T04:34:00.003-05:00

Have you ever gotten a big stamp and wondered, "now what the heck am I gonna do with this thing?" Well, I did too. I liked the idea, but I wasn't sure if I could come up with something. And, being the terrible CASEr that I am (if you know me, you know I have a hard time copying anyone, I just think of them on my own), this was a personal challenge for me. However, I took it on and here it is:

The pic doesn't show well, but there are CE highlights all over this baby, including the center of the flower. It's also WAY more dimensional in person, but again the photo doesn't show too well (other than the front petals of the flower). Maybe I need to get a lesson in photography! Trust me, it's more "interesting" to look at in person, but for blogdom this will have to do!

Set: From the Garden
Colors: Basic Gray, Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, Confetti White
Other: Artichoke brad, 1/4" circle punch, slit punch

Wondering how I colored the flower? I used my watercolor crayons from SU! and an AquaPainter. First I picked up the color with the brush directly from the crayon and then applied it to the image. Lighter colors first, then I went in with darker colors for shading and highlights. If you want to know which colors I used, please contact me (click the "contact me" link under my picture to the right). The list is longer than you'd think!

Berry Yummy!

2008-06-22T00:01:00.002-05:00

Summer brings to mind fun, sun and food. I took the ideas of fresh fruit and a monochromatic theme (sans one highlight of color) to come up with this fresh little number.

Set: Tart & Tangy
Colors: Real Red, White, and a hint of Glorious Green
Other: Swiss dots folder (Cuttlebug), red gingham ribbon, 1 1/4" circle punch and 1 3/8" circle punch, dimensionals

I hope you like it!

Super plain...birthday

2008-06-20T11:48:00.002-05:00

This card didn't photograph well at all. The large Soft Sky paper has white paisley pattern all over it, and the birthday square is dry embossed and the outer rim is highlighted in Soft Sky using a blender pen and the inkpad. The black dots were done with a Stampin' Write journal marker and the eyelet template from SU! for alignment. It's super plain, I know, but I was going for a sort of monochromatic, clean line look. I hope you don't hate it!

Sets: NO STAMP SETS! lol
Colors: Black, Soft Sky, white
Other: Black & white grosgrain, birthday cuttlebug folder, soft sky designer paper

WSCC1 - Suzie Hospitality

2008-06-19T20:04:00.005-05:00

Time for some fun! Since I had such a great weekend at my brother's house last weekend, I decided that a card was in order! AND, this Sassy Suzie sentiment was one I was DYING to use, because it's so funny - the inside of the card says "...I've decided to move in with you." tee hee! This card also serves as my entry for my own online group's first color challenge - blue and orange. I chose some softer versions of these two colors and was pretty happy with the combo over all. Here's the card:

Sets: Sassy Suzie, Priceless, Trimtastic
CS Colors: Soft Sky, Groovy Guava
Other: slit punch, 1/4" circle punch, silver brads, blender pens

How I did a few things:
1) Coloring - blender pen and puddle technique (squeeze the inkpad and using blender pen I pick up ink from the puddle in the lid of the inkpad).
2) brad washers - poke a hole in a scrap of cs and then using a 1/4" circle punch, line the hole up in the center and punch it out. Then put brad in.
3) edging - I stamped the trimtastic edge and then used paper snips to carefully cut the scalloped edge around the image.
4) notched corners - using slit punch (same punch I used to make the tab on the side of the sentiment), line the cardstock corner into the center of the punch and punch it out.

I think that covers it. Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a great day~

Wanna See the New InColors??

2008-06-18T06:42:00.003-05:00

well, here's the names:

Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze and Pacific Point. Sound interesting?

Well, if you want to see a sneak-peek pic of these colors, click HERE to see them. Remember to scroll down toward the bottom of the post for them! After you check them out, come back and tell me what YOU think of the new colors!

See ya later~

Masculine Card

2008-06-17T18:18:00.006-05:00

I know we just got done with Father's Day, but I had another masculine card to make today. I actually enjoyed it, too, because I pulled out my watercolor crayons too, which I haven't used in quite a while. I also used a stamp set that I haven't used in a while as well as the twill tape that hasn't seen the light of day in a long time either. So, it's like resurrecting the sleeping supplies today! lol Please forgive the messy faux stitching... I'll claim I was in a hurry and that's why it's a little "off"... (tee hee) Anyway, here's the result:

Sets: Weathered BG ( soon to retire!!), Coast to Coast (already retired)

Colors: Going Gray, Soft Sky, Not Quite Navy, River Rock

Other: Watercolor crayons, Aquapainter, wide twill tape, non-SU! hardware in Aged Copper, paper piercing tool/templates, white gel pen

SU!s Retired List is HERE!

2008-06-16T21:37:00.003-05:00

I know I'm a day behind posting this, but due to my traveling this weekend and having to work today, I did not have the chance to post until now, but the Stampin' Up! retired list is now available!! SO, without further "ado," and if you're interested, click the following to view the list in:

Numerical Order (the order they show up in the book)
Alphabetical Order (by set name)

Oh, and if you then want to compare the lists against the catalog and you don't have a book handy, click the picture of the catalog to the right of my blog and you can view the book online!

I have a bunch of sets that are retiring, and I have a list of things I'd like to get before they're gone...how about you?

Well, enjoy - and get your pennies together to get those last sets before they're gone!

Bling-tastic Car!

2008-06-12T09:43:00.004-05:00

Well, since we gave my husband his Fathers Day gift and card early, I thought it would be okay to post, even though I doubt he snoops my blog to find out what his card looks like! LOL
This one was actually a lot of fun to make, even if it was messy. Want to know how I did this sparkly car?? Well, I used a 2-sided sticky sheet and put some new glitter I bought at Michael's (it was in the mosaic section, so it looks like little pieces of mirror - extra blingy!) on it. You have to really rub the glitter onto the sheet or it ends up falling off. Then I stamped the image of the car on a transparency sheet, and with a craft knife, I cut out the car and sparkle sheet together so that my lines would match. It's tricky because you have to press hard or it doesn't cut all the way through, so if you try it, be careful! Then, to make the car stick to the sparkles, I put some crystal effects in spots on the glitter piece, and then stuck the car down on top of it and let it dry. Honestly, i wasn't sure if it was going to work, but it DID!! Woo hoo!

Then I ran the tire track over the whole thing with Basic Gray ink, and since the Staz On black was already dry, I was able to wipe the gray right off the car so that it didn't muddy the image. You could easily roll the tire track before applying the car, but I had already done it so it was too late. I didn't want the glitter to come off or the car to separate.

Okay, so here's the stuff I used:

Sets: Classic Convertibles (retired), making tracks wheel, Mixed Greetings (retired)
Paper: Basic Gray, blue off-brand paper (don't know what kind)
Other: Silver brads, Crystal Effects, 2-sided sticky sheet, transparency, craft knife

PS - he liked the card!!

1 Car, 2 Cards - Which is better?

2008-06-10T19:46:00.010-05:00

Here's another card for Fathers' Day, and this one I'm showing you two versions of it because I am not sure which one I like better. It's only one detail that's different, but I will let you tell me which one YOU like better!
The detail that's different? The white faux "threading" is not on the first one but is on the second. Not sure which one is better. And believe it or not, there is silver detailing on both cars, it's just the lighting in the photo that's a bit different, so you can't really see the silver in the first car. Weird!

Now I know the piercing is more lined up than the second one, but that's becuase I purchased a new plastic canvas circle today to use as a piercing guide (it only cost me $.49 for a 6" circle), and it takes a bit of refining to get it just right, but I figured it out - you just need to pick a corner of the hole to line your piercing tool against and be sure to do it on that same spot on each hole all around.

Here's the second card:

What do you think? Which is better? Well, here's the details:

Sets: Classic Convertibles, Making Tracks, Mixed Greetings

Colors: Not Quite Navy, Ruby Red, So Saffron (basic gray ink)

Other: Metallic silver paint pen (details on hubcaps and grate), white gel pen, paper piercing, Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder, dimensionals

I highlighted the outer edge of the car circle and word cutouts with the inkpad direct-to-paper technique.

Did I forget anything? I hope not... but hey, I hope you like these cards.

Hugz~

PS - recognize the So Saffron triangle corners? They are the scraps from the Wild About You cards I made. See, scraps come in handy sometimes, especially when I hadn't put them away so they were still sitting on my stamping table! lol

Daddy's Day!

2008-06-10T18:59:00.004-05:00

Hi there! Today was a stamping day! Since Father's Day is RIGHT around the corner, I had to make a bunch of cards, for my husband, my dad, and my friend's husband and father-in-law. I was excited that my friend asked me to make them because it's a huge compliment to me to be asked for my work. I loved it and of course I said YES!!

So this one was simple, but it was really fun, because I love to color. I would eventually like to get some Copics, but I do truly love my blender pen and inkpads, too. My friend has a daughter, a son, a dog, and a bird, but the bird made it on the envelope (tee hee). It's an old set, but again, it's one I'll never let go of. Here's the card:

Set: From the Heart (retired SU!)
Colors: So Saffron, Brocade Blue (the paper is not SU!, it's some random craft store brand pack of 6x8 paper that I got as a gift. The color is very close to Brocade Blue though)
Other: French Blue grosgrain (retired SU!), rectangle punch

More cards to come~

Busy weekend!

2008-06-09T06:38:00.005-05:00

Sorry no cards to post today. I had a busy weekend~ the highlight of it was yesterday. We were invited to see an air show at Rockford airport. A new friend of mine's father-in-law has a metal fabricating shop right across the street from the runway, and so we did the whole barbecue thing while sitting in the parking lot. It was kinda like tailgating at a concert. FUN!

It was almost the day that wasn't, though. We got there and it was POURING rain. I mean, you know all those storms that hit the Midwest in the last few days? Well, we have certainly been hit with them, and yesterday was no exception. It was dark and pelting rain, but thankfully no tornadoes like Thursday. Anyway, we moved the whole operation to my friend's house, and then after about an hour longer the rain stopped and the show went on as scheduled. It was significantly shorter than it was supposed to be, but totally worth it nonetheless. The jets flew literally right over our heads. It was awesome.

The kids ran through a sprinkler they had set up in the front "yard" of the shop, and it was a great time. Of course, no time for stamping, but that can come later. Fun with my family and friends came first.

I hope you all had a great weekend and if you were caught in the storms, I hope you all survived okay without too much damage. I'll see you all later! I think I'm going to stamp tomorrow. Yippee!!

Citrus Fun - WSCC1

2008-06-05T08:35:00.004-05:00

I love these little slices of heaven from Tart & Tangy! It gave me motivation to play with a color I don't use very often - ORANGE! I picked some colors that I thought would mix things up a bit, and this is the result:

There ARE sparkles in the centers of the oranges, of course. They're kinda hard to see (I swear, that's my new tagline!!). Here's the deets:

Sets: Tart & Tangy, On The Spot, Smarty Pants
Colors: Only Orange, Bashful Blue, Gable Green
Other: Bashful Blue grosgrain, 2-way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds, 1 3/8 circle punch, dimensionals

Have a fresh and Fun day!

New Look!

2008-06-04T23:14:00.003-05:00

What do you think of the new look?? I made the header myself.... and I kinda dig it. Post here and let me know what you like better, the old or the new?

Cherry Case

2008-06-02T08:22:00.006-05:00

Today I thought it would be fun to case myself! Actually, I liked the layout of my Wild About You card from two posts ago, so when I was going to play with my new Tart & Tangy set, I thought this layout could work for that too. Hence, this card came to be:

To add an extra touch, I put Crystal Effects on the Cherries (on the punched circles) and then on the word "cherry." It doesn't show well in the photo, but it's there.

Sets: Tart & Tangy, Fruity Phrases (long retired)
Paper: Summer Picnic designer paper, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue

Other: Crystal Effects, scalloped circle punch, 1 3/8 punch, spiral punch

Well, that's the details for today, have a CHERRY DAY!

Saturday Suzi

2008-05-31T13:58:00.003-05:00

Ahhh, Saturdays.

We're getting close to the end of the school year (my dd's last day is Monday!), and the weather is finally getting better, so when I woke up today to sunshine and warmish temperatures, I was feeling ready for a great day! What does that include?? Stamping, of course!!

I made a few things, and you'll get to see them over the next few days... but this is the first one. I did this for the CC167 challenge on Splitcoaststampers. I actually really like this color combo, and while it didn't scream Sassy Suzi to me, I took it as a personal challenge because I wanted so badly to use my new set that just arrived yesterday! Can I get a "whoot whoot"??

So here's the card:

Whadya think??

Here's what I used:

Sets: Sassy Suzi, Smarty Pants, Priceless (flowers)
Colors: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Certainly Celery
Other: Paper piercing tool/template, blender pen

If you are interested in knowing any of the inkpad colors I used to color Suzi with, just let me know and I'll elaborate for you on this post.

Well, I hope you're all going to enjoy the weather you're having, wherever you live! Have a great Saturday~

Wild!

2008-05-29T06:45:00.005-05:00

Hello friends! today's card was so much fun to make! For this project, I needed to use some of my punches. I love using punches, and since I have so many of them I wanted to incorporate more than one in my card. Next I had to decide what set I was in the mood to use. Yep, my mood frequently affects what style of stamps I use at any given time. It's true, sometimes the reason you're making a card affects it (masculine, anniversary, etc) but even within that type there are sometimes choices between fun and cute or fancy and formal. I usually go cute, cuz I'm more inspired by things like that most of the time, but I definitely have sets that I get a craving to use, and I'll do just about anything to make use of it no matter what project I'm "required" to make.

Does anyone know what I am talking about, or am I just a creative freak?? lol

Anyway, here's the card: The elephant and the bird were stamped in Versamark to make them more subtle on the card, and not to overwhelm the fun images in the middle.

NOW, here's your challenge, can you tell me which image from this stamp is NOT featured on this card??

Set: Wild About You

Colors: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, More Mustard, Old Olive

Punches: Spiral, 1 3/8" circle, Scalloped circle, ALL SU!

Have a great day everyone~

Fairy Thank You

2008-05-27T16:01:00.002-05:00

So today I had to make some quick thank you cards to go to the girls who attended my daughter's birthday party. This is what I came up with for them, and though it uses long-retired sets and paper, I couldn't resist sharing it anyway, because there's just something about this fairy set that I will never be tired of. How about you?

Set: Fairy Nice (retired)
Paper: Tickles (SU!, retired)
Colors: Lavender Lace, Pretty In Pink
Other: 2Way Glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, blending pen, white gel pen (for dots under sentiment)

Pink Birthday Fun

2008-05-15T09:17:00.003-05:00

This is the last of the birthday stuff for the moment.... this is the card I made for my daughter who is turning 7 on Sunday! It had to be pink and bright and fun because of course, she's my princess, so here's the card:

Used some old designer paper (again!) for this one, and the bright pink organdy ribbon we don't sell anymore at SU! (boo! hiss!), but the rest of the stuff is current. Pixie Pink and Pretty in Pink are the feature colors, and of course there's glitter and dimensionals everywhere! I hope you like it, and that you have a great rest of the week, because I am not sure if I'll be able to put anything else up for a few days. I have school snacks to deal with tomorrow, her birthday party tomorrow night, some traveling on Saturday and then her actual birthday is on Sunday, so we're gonna be pretty busy. We'll see though, you never know when I might surprise ya!

Hugz~

Easy Birthday

2008-05-13T07:03:00.004-05:00

Yep, another birthday card! Like I said, there are 4 birthdays in May so I had lots of cards to make. Today is a simple one - SUPER simple. I'm usually a lots-of-layers kind of girl, but this particular stamp is bold on its own. That, and I didn't have time to cut out and pop up everything I wanted to. Oh well! Here's the card:
Set: Bon Appetit
Colors: Soft Sky, Black White
Other: 2-way glue pen, dazzling diamonds, SU! Markers

To get the curve on the side, I used regular paper snips and freehand cut the curve on the white layer. Then I attached the white layer to the black layer and then freehand cut the black layer to the correct width. Super simple.

Isn't that chef just the cutest thing??

More Birthdays

2008-05-10T09:28:00.002-05:00

I have another birthday card to share with you from my stamping session on Thursday. This card is the one I designed for the two boys in our family that turn 5 this month. What I like is that it can work for both little boys and for adults, too. Making it for a girl? Mix up the colors and you can work this one for anyone. Here's the card:
Colors: Cool Caribbean (I MISS that one!!), Gable Green.
There's glitter on the candles, which of course I love, and the big "B" has some piercing on it and is popped up. The size of this card is a regular half-sheet of cardstock that is simply folded the "other" way. I put these cards in a regular business sized envelope, but it just leaves space on the width. Until they make envelopes for this size card, a regular size 10 will have to do. lol

Enjoy your Saturday~

DH's Birthday

2008-05-09T10:42:00.003-05:00

Oh my goodness, I had to laugh at myself after I posted yesterday... I realized after I had made all those cards (you'll see the rest of them over the next few days), that I had not yet made the more important and more necessary card - my husband's birthday! His birthday is today and so before I run around with all his celebrations and the work I have to do around the house, I thought I'd post his card for you to see, and as a way for me to celebrate his birthday in my own way, too - by sharing it with you! So here's the card:

I had to make is masculine for him, but I couldn't resist just a little glitter for those candles. I mean, what's a candle without sparkle?! Not Quite Navy, Soft Sky, and River Rock are the colors on this card, and I think they blended well to pull this card off. I just hope he likes it.

I hope you do, too!

Okay, until tomorrow, then~

Mothers Day

2008-05-08T16:58:00.004-05:00

Long time no see, friends! Sorry for the long time between... I've had major family drama going on and quite honestly haven't had the energy to post or even stamp (can you believe it?!). But thankfully we have a family gathering coming up on Saturday, and I had a need to get some cards made, so I thought I'd share them with you. Today's post will be the mothers day card I made, cuz I thought it was not only cute, but perfect to give you a last-minute idea if you're still struggling to come up with something for your mom or the moms you know (cuz by the way, it's THIS Sunday!!).

OH, and GET THIS - I had another family project that came up which required me to purchase some media software to transform audio tapes to cds, and so I did some research (aka- asked the engineer/techies at work for their expert opinions) and purchased Easy Media Creator 10. Let me just tell you - I am soooo excited to have this software!!! It's great for not only converting audio and video so you can made cds/dvds out of your tapes/videotapes, but you can make movies from your photos, edit and enhance your photos, and TONS of other things that I have yet to explore! So this first card I'm sharing is actually my first time using this software for photo editing, so I hope it looks okay. I was able to make a watermark, too - which was SUPER exciting for me, too...

Okay, enough rambling, on to the pic:

The words under the cow say "like no udder." So essentially it reads "mother like no udder." I almost put "mudder" instead of "mother" but I don't have a stamp for that. lol

The stamp set is Very Punny from SU!, and the paper is Pretty in Pink cardstock and some old designer paper from SU! as well. Highlighted with black and some flat-sided gems from the local craft store, this card kinda turned out cute if I do say so myself!

I hope you like it, and I'm sorry it took so long for me to post. Thanks for those of you who are continuing to visit me. I will do my best to try and keep things going!

Hugz~

New Music

2008-04-25T08:38:00.003-05:00

Just thought I'd let you know that if you listen to my music playlist, I added a few tracks today, so it changes things up a bit. I hope you enjoy it!

Hugs~

Blog Booty! lol

2008-04-16T08:06:00.004-05:00

Misty has a great blog and is offering "blog booty" (arrrgh, me mateys!) on her blog until April 21. Go and enter for your chance to win!

http://mistylynnwhat.blogspot.com/2008/04/sweet-pea-and-finally-blog-booty.htm l

Have a great day!

Better Get Better

2008-04-15T11:35:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's the often forgotten and usually most needed card we have in our collections, isn't it? The "get well" card is one that I have decided I need to spend some time working on. That along with a whole mess of other "to dos" that I have made promises to myself to keep working on makes for one busy girl! But thankfully I was able to steal away a few moments for a stamping project. Here's just one of the cards I made:

Isn't that a cute and unusual paper? It's not SU!, but honestly I don't know where it's from either. I got a piece of it from a fellow blogger last summer, and I have not had the opportunity to use it until today. I love it, though! And, I decided to play with some different color combos while I was at it.

River Rock, Soft Sky, and Chocolate Chip complement this mystery paper. More Mustard eyelets (remember those?!?), and sentiment stamped on twill tape as accents as well as central theme. A handful of paper piercing (there is piercing all around the Chocolate chip layer, you just can't see it, of course), and of course the Cuttlebug using the Mesh A2 embossing folder finish off this piece.

I hope you like it!

Hey, A quick share for Monday

2008-04-07T08:21:00.003-05:00

Hi friends! I haven't had time to stamp, but I was going through some blogs I read and wanted to share with you my favorite card/idea for today, so pretend I stamped and showed you a picture and visit this link for the payoff:
http://www.granitestatestamper.com/2008/03/bleach-isnt-jus.html

I promise I'm going to stamp soon, but I don't want you miss the posts here, so I'm staying active as much as I can. Don't worry, though, my stamps are CALLING MY NAME, and my house is clean, so I feel a stamping day coming soon!!

Hugs~

You Make My Day Award!!

2008-04-03T09:30:00.003-05:00

My friends Sher and Lori gave me this award, and I'm late picking it up, but THANK YOU ladies for this award - I am honored, and it makes MY day!! For anyone who wants to see the amazing stuff these gals offer on their blogs, check them out here:

Sherri - http://sherristampingspot.blogspot.com/

Lori - http://tisdalestamps.blogspot.com/

I am passing this award forward to some more great bloggers now. Check them out!
The winners are:

1.) Lesa - http://paperpossibilities.blogspot.com/ - she's a blogging sister stamper who is always supportive and has a great blog, too.

2.) Deb - http://stampinonthemountain.blogspot.com/ Deb has some cute stuff on her blog and is really sweet.

3.)Kerri J - http://cardsbykerry.blogspot.com/ her work is ADORABLE, and the blog is great. Kerry's a sweetheart!

4.) Jana - http://stampwithjana.blogspot.com/ A fellow Diva who is a super creative gal and her blog is always fascinating to read.

5.)Velta - http://impressionsbyv.blogspot.com/ Velta has some neat ideas, be sure to check her out too.

Then these recipients do the the following. If you already have this award don’t worry about passing it on, just display it proudly:)
1) Write a post with links to 5 blogs you find of interest and that inspire you.
2) Acknowledge the post of the award giver.
3) Display the logo “You Make My Day”
4) Tell the award winners that they have won by commenting on their blogs with the news.

Great tip for mailing bulky cards!

2008-04-02T12:54:00.002-05:00

I don't have any cards to share with you today, but in an effort to keep things moving, and because this tip is so SIMPLE but SOOOO great, I had to share it! Check out this link and see it for yourself if you ever mail cards with embellishments or is otherwise susceptible to damage by our USPS:
http://angelosity.blogspot.com/2008/04/mailing-tip.html

I hope this is an AHA moment for some of you like it was for me!

Hugz~

Simple Easter Card

2008-03-22T15:45:00.002-05:00

Easter gatherings are almost here, and I'm running late on making my cards - again! lol Anyway, I made 6 of these today, and I gotta say, it was fun. The truck is colored with a blender pen and Soft Sky ink so that it has some color but isn't overwhelming in the pic. I wanted the eggs to stand out the most. They were colored with Stampin' Write markers, and then I went over them with UTEE so that they're glossy and raised. I'm SO glad I remembered that this set had eggs in the Accessories set - because I can only use stuff like this once a year unless I start working at a farm! (tee hee)

Okay, so here's the card:

Sets: Loads of Love, Loads of Love Accessories
Colors: Lavender Lace, Pretty in Pink
Other: Pink gingham ribbon, dimensionals, Slumber Party series paper (retired), Cuttlebug folder (can't remember the name of this one), blender pens, embossing pen, UTEE, markers

I hope that everyone who celebrates easter (and let's face it, even those whose religion doesn't celebrate it, the Easter Bunny got them involved too) has a WONDERFUL and BLESSED Holiday!

Hummingbird

2008-03-20T11:25:00.004-05:00

I'm SOOOO ready for Spring! Oh, that's right, today is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING!! WOO HOO!!! Just in time for a winter storm warning for my local area. We may be getting 4-7 inches of snow. Yippee.

Please, can someone send us some heat and sunshine to the Midwest?! I'd be most appreciative. ; )

Okay, here's the card I did today to give me that Springtime feeling:

images (c) Stampin' Up!, 1990-2008

I played around with a new technique on this one, but the pic doesn't show it really well... it's called "magic pattern" becuase of the background pattern under the images. Can you see it on there? In person you can, anyway. I had to dig up my watercolor crayons for this one and I was thrilled because I hadn't used them in a long time and let's face it, they cost me big bucks. I also was able to use the distressing tool I purchased which I also don't use often, AND I used that Sweet Shop extremely-wide ribbon that I had sitting around for what seems like forever, so this card became a win-win-win situation for me!! After distressing the edges, I went direct-to-paper with my Apricot Appeal inkpad to highlight the distressed edges for a cleaner, more dimensional look. And by using some fresh springy colors and a bright theme of hummingbirds and flowers, I conjured up enough perkiness to move onto making some Easter cards fo rmy family after posting this. Now, back to my workstation!

Sets: Pretty Amazing, Time Well Spent

Colors: Lavender Lace, Apricot Appeal, Celery

Other: Watercolor crayons, aquapainter, clear embossing powder, heat tool, Versamark, Sweet Shop series ribbon (SU!), distressing tool.

In Memorium

2008-03-20T11:16:00.004-05:00

While I was on my trip in Mexico, my grandmother passed away. She was a truly UNFORGETTABLE lady who was a free spirit who always looked at the world with rose-colored glasses, and who always made everyone around her laugh and smile. I was very close to her, and just because I want there to be something wonderful to remember her by and to share with you, here is a picture of her with my dad when he was young. This picture was probably taken around 1962:

Wrenolen Whitmore

March 16, 1923 - March 06, 2008

She was an amazing grandmother, a wonderful person, and her smile and laughter will forever be in my heart.

I just had to share this pic becuase she was a beautiful woman even into her elderly years, and I plan on making an album once I get some more pics from my sister. This will truly be a project of love.

Goodbye, Grandma, I'll miss you terribly, but I look forward to seeing you on the other side. God Bless~