My Little Ink Spot

new blog address!

2012-01-06T12:35:00.000-06:00

Hello, friends! Well, my new blog is now ready! From now on, I will be posting at...

INKlinations
www.lisacarrollblog.blogspot.com

There are feed/follow/subscription buttons already set up, so don't forget to add me to your readers and change your bookmarks!

I hope you like it. :) Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you over at INKlinations on Monday with some very exciting news!

~Lisa

new card, new year, new blog!

2011-12-30T15:02:00.003-06:00

Hello, friends! Did you think I had completely abandoned my blog altogether? :) Since my last post back in April, a lot has happened in my personal life. I ended up encountering challenges that I never imagined I would ever have to face. As a result, I had no time or desire to create much at all, let alone blog about it. So, I had to take a much-needed break and leave the blog indefinitely, to avoid self imposing even more stress upon my life at that time.

However, we have finally settled into our new house here and things are gradually on the upswing. I'm certainly happy about getting to spend more time in my craft room these days! In fact, I'm so excited for the new year and all the possibilities it brings, that I've decided to totally revamp my entire blog - a fresh new look... a blog "face lift", if you will. But more on that later.....

Here's one of over a dozen cards I made on World Cardmaking Day. Did you participate, too? It was the first time I had been creatively productive in months. Like a breath of fresh air. The card's nothing special, since I was challenged by my hubby and oldest son to make 25 cards that day... they needed to be, easy. ;)

The flowers are from the Hero Arts/Sizzix stamp & die combo set called "Floral". For an avid fussy cutter like me, these sets are a dream come true! The dies are 'cookie cutter' style (like Nestabilities), with the cutting edge on the inside perimeter of the die (UNlike Nestabilities). So you can see your stamped image and position the die over it perfectly. No stamp positioners needed! Some sponging to create a focal point, one of my fave color combinations, and it's done. :)

As for my new blog: in addition to the face lift, I've decided to create a new URL (web address)... something that was easy to remember and not blog title-specific. So look for my post about that early next week, hopefully (it's still being tweaked as I type). I know it's a pain to have to change your book marks and feed readers, but I promise this will be a one-time thing. :) I can't wait to reveal it!

I look forward to the new year and the hope it brings. May 2012 find you healthy and blessed beyond measure. Happy new year! See you soon!

SUPPLIES
stamps: Hero Arts
inks: SU Cool Caribbean & Wild Wasabi, Ranger Distress Fired Brick, & Memories black
paper: SU Cool Caribbean & Basic Black, Georgia Pacific white
misc: Hero Arts/Sizzix dies, Eclipse masking paper, corner chomper, and pop dots

simple embossed friends

2011-04-26T09:03:00.006-05:00

Hello, there! Hope you and yours had a blessed Easter! We enjoyed the day relaxing and eating... I love to cook big holiday meals. :)

Here's an easy design I like to use for quick-but-not-plain cards... white on white heat embossing, one (or two) simple image(s), and a large sentiment. It all comes together for a nice, cohesive look (click to see larger):

Yes, I know the main panel is crooked. LOL I noticed it while I was photographing it. I tried to fix it, but at this point the foam tape I used to under it was well-adhered... it just wouldn't budge. :/ Oh well! Handmade cards are rarely ever perfect, right? And it was still made with the same amount of love. :) Anyway, this grand sentiment set from Hero is gorgeous... I use it quite often! And I'm very fond of the small/large solid/open flowers, too. So many possibilities for techniques and designs with them.

You can see that the white-on-white heat embossing gives an elegant touch without making the card look busy. I used the large open flower on the background to coordinate with the small solid flower in the sentiment/focal point. And we all know that I just can't make a card without some kind of matting... black being my favorite. ;)

So I have a moving update - we've postponed the move for another 30 days. Things have come up and we're now looking at other possibilities for relocation besides AZ. Maybe even staying here in TN after all. So I'm getting a chance to take a breather for a bit. Thinking I'll do some serious stamping! ;)

As always, thanks for reading... have a wonderful week!

SUPPLIES
paper: Georgia Pacific (white) and SU! (black)
stamps: Hero Arts CG249, CG251, and CG277
ink: SU! Soft Sky, VersaMark, and Colorbox black pigment
misc: black and white embossing powders and foam tape

kraft many thanks (new basicgrey stamps!)

2011-04-12T09:05:00.002-05:00

Hello, again! Today I have a card that features one of the new BasicGrey stamps made by Hero Arts (click to see larger):

This pretty label image comes from the Luscious Frames clear set. I love how well its dotted flourishes coordinate with the Magical Background cling. :) I stamped the frame with my Creamy Brown chalk ink pad again... the perfect color when using kraft card stock! To really make the image stand out, I did a bit of fussy cutting and added a few teal flowers that were stamped/punched out and adhered with pop dots. Some easy paper piercing around the frame once again helps to reinforce the circular/dotted theme.

As always, thanks for reading. I hope your week is off to a wonderful start! :)

SUPPLIES
paper: The Paper Studio (kraft) Georgia Pacific (white), and teal is either JoAnn's or Michael's
stamps: Hero Arts CG211, CL509, and CL490
ink: Memories (black and white), Colorbox (creamy Brown), and Ranger (Broken China)
misc: Corner Chomper, Hero Arts gems, paper piercer, and pop dots

kraft best wishes (moving/new home card)

2011-04-04T09:05:00.003-05:00

Hi there! :) So how has your spring been so far? A little confused over here... one day it's gorgeous and sunny with a high of 75, and the next it's dark and rainy and barely gets up to 45! Definitely keeps ya on your toes. Regardless of the temps, however, the trees and flowers are all starting to bloom, and everything's green again. I love it!

A friend of mine and her brood recently relocated out of state and away from family. I can certainly relate to that! I wanted to make her a card letting her know that I was thinking of her (click to see larger):

I knew these adorable house stamps from Hero Arts would be perfect. And Colorbox's Creamy Brown chalk ink is a great match to your kraft card stock!

And speaking of relocating out of state: yep, you guessed it.... we're moving AGAIN! This time, back to AZ. It's been a long time coming. We've been trying to get back there for a while now, and we're excited to be closer to our families once again, for good. :) So, I have a few posts set up and ready to go while I'm in the process of getting us all packed and moved. And with that, I'll see you in AZ! :D

Thank you once again for reading and for commenting. It always makes my day! xxoo

SUPPLIES
paper: The Paper Studio (kraft) and Stampin' Up! (Real Red and Pink Pirouette)
stamps: Hero Arts CG139, F5295, H5328, and CL488
ink: Colorbox (Creamy Brown), Memories (White), and Stampin' Up! (Pink Pirouette)
misc: Hero Arts pink and red pearls, Stampin' Up! scalloped edge punch, and pop dots

tangerine thanks and belated valentine

2011-02-21T10:01:00.000-06:00

Good morning! Is anyone else just itching for spring? ;) My card today has a very warm, bright palette that's sure to melt away any winter time blues:

I love these bold citrus-y colors! And I love the stamp I used to create the flowers... it's the Hero Arts Large Blossom stamp, and was one of my very first purchases from the 2011 catalog. However, once I got it home I was quite intimidated by it. It's so beautifully detailed, but I really wanted to do more than simple stamping or embossing with it. So, I embossed the image on watercolor paper (I prefer the hot press variety for the smoother texture), colored a few of the larger flowers in the image (one green, to cut into "leaves"), and then cut them out and popped them up on pop dots. This helps to retain the lovely detail, yet utilize the image in a different way other than just as a boxed silhouette image.

After watercoloring with inks and a brush, I also added a bit of Perfect Pearls for shimmer. While I LOVE the look of watercolor, it's not a good technique for the Type A in me. The splotchy look - even though intended - usually drives me nuts, so I end up over-fussing with it to smooth it all out. Ha! Here, the Pearls helped serve two purposes. I also really love the sentiment! The fonts are so elegant, so I really wanted the card to reflect that. TIP: If you're cutting out a detailed embossed image with thin lines such as this, the embossing can sometimes flake a little in spots. Using a gel pen to replace those lines proved to be a very good fix!

And now my belated valentine. Better late than never, right?! ;)

This was the first of four that I was going to make for my kids to include with their Valentine goodies. However, the design ended up being too time consuming for me to repeat three more times, ;) so I went with a different, more simple project idea. The valentine-y stamp I used is the Heart Flourishes Cling background from last year's Hero Arts catalog. Can you spot it? ;) The sentiment is an oldie but goodie, from the Thinking of You Messages set. All die cut shapes were made with my Cricut.

Can't believe it's the last week of February! Seems like the months are just flying by faster than ever, and spring really will be here before you know it! Be sure to take a minute to hug your loved ones and do something special for YOU. :) See you soon with another card... and thanks for reading!

SUPPLIES
"Tangerine Thanks"
paper: Hero Arts notecard, Arches white hot press watercolor paper, white Georgia Pacific, and Stampin' Up! Pumpkin Pie
stamps: Hero Arts CG271, CG277, and CL477 (background)
inks: VersaMark, Stampin' Up! Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Old Olive, and Always Artichoke
misc: embossing powder, Perfect Pearls (white), and pop dots
"Sending Hugs & Kisses Valentine"
paper: The Paper Studio and Georgia Pacific
stamps: Hero Arts CG169 and CL140
inks: Stampin' Up! Real Red and Memories black
misc: Base Camp Cricut cartridge, gingham ribbon, and pop dots

masculine friend - with a FLOWER stamp!

2011-01-26T08:11:00.001-06:00

Hello, again! Back today with that masculine card I promised. :) The original of this design was made for a man named Mike who worked with Hero Arts and recently passed away from brain cancer. Prior to his passing, many over at the Hero Arts Flickr group created cards to send to Mike to maybe thank and encourage him in his final days. I whipped up my card and mailed it out right away, without pausing to photograph it. So here's a duplicate I made later to share here (click to see larger):

This design is also based on a similar card I made a while back that you can see here. Sometimes coming up with a design on the fly can be difficult. So just like using sketches or CASEing, there's no shame in referring to something you've already done once before to help make the process go faster. The only thing different about this card from Mike's is that this one has a different sentiment (from the new Thank You For Being My Friend set). It was an honor to make a cardc for a person like Mike whose involvement with Hero Arts brought joy to so, so many... directly, and indirectly. :)

Can you tell that I actually used a flower image - the new Small Solid Flower Cling - for the leaves?! I don't know if anyone else has already used this stamp in this way, but I couldn't believe it just dawned on me one day, "Hey - that kinda looks like a tree..." I love it when an image is so versatile! :D To get the graduation of color, I used the rock and roll technique with chalk inks. I think the seamless blending you get with the chalks looks great when doing this technique. And see that trunk? That's what you get when you mask off all of the other trunks on this stamp - the Tree Trunks Design Block. Another new 2011 Hero stamp I knew I had to have. ;)

To me, this has a masculine feel due to the ruggedness of the kraft card stock, the ambiguity of the images, and the neutral color scheme. However, I know hearts and Stickles might not seem masculine, but what can I say? I'm a girl and I love hearts and glitter! LOL At least I went with a more neutral color for the Stickles, like copper. ;)

Thanks for reading! See you soon... be sure to hug the ones you love today.

SUPPLIES
paper: kraft note card, Georgia Pacific white, and SU! Close to Cocoa
stamps: Hero Arts S5208, S5477, CG251, and CL487
inks: VersaMagic Sage & Spanish Olive, and SU! Close to Cocoa dye & Whisper White pigment
misc: rectangle Nestabilities, white embossing powder, Stickles in Copper, and pop dots

blog hop winner and another new card

2011-01-17T15:02:00.001-06:00

Hi, everyone! How was your weekend? Wasn't the Hero Hostess Blog Hop FUN?! (Click the link to be taken back to Day 1, in case you missed it.) I'm still trying to put my jaw back together, after being agape all week long! My fellow hostesses are just sooo very talented... it's such an honor to be in their company. :) And thank you all very, very much for your wonderful comments! I read every single one and appreciated them all. xoxo

And now, on to the winner of my giveaway! I let random.org pick the number for me, of course, and the number it picked was.....

...and the 86th comment belongs to.....

Congratulations, Sheryl! I'm emailing you today. :)

Now on to a card... This was supposed to be my second card for the blog hop, but shortly after completing it, my hubby got very sick, and I wasn't able to get it photographed in time. However, hubby is now finally on the mend, and I was able to try snapping a few photos for you last week (click to see larger):

I'm sorry they're not the best photos. We've had very little sun for a while now, so the colors aren't exactly true. Plus, the shimmery card stock tends to make the photo look much more granular that it really is. Anyway, this card was inspired by the fab Kristina Werner and all that awesome gel pen faux stitching she does. :) The stamps used are the new Happy Definition and Birthday cling stamps from the 2011 catalog. The definition was stamped tone-on-tone for the background, and the sentiment was heat embossed for shine. I LOVE those definition backgrounds, so I predict this one will see a lot of ink! ;) And I also love the chunky, bold font for the sentiment, too. Great for embossing!

The diecuts were cut on my Cricut Expression and highlighted with some yellow Stickles for sparkle. Nothing like a little sparkle and shine for a birthday greeting, right?! ;)

Thanks so much for reading today! I'll be back soon with another card featuring more 2011 Hero Arts stamps... this time, a more masculine one. Hugs!

SUPPLIES:
stamps - Hero Arts CG269 and CG275
inks - Vivid! (Raspberry) and VersaMark
papers - shimmery pink note card from JoAnn's, Chocolate Chip card stock from SU!, and white card stock is Georgia Pacific
misc - rectangle Nestabilities, American Crafts Chestnut embossing powder, Cricut 'Simply Sweet' and 'Celebrations' cartridges, Stickles, Unibal Signo, and pop dots

2011 Hero Hostess Blog Hop!

2011-01-10T07:00:00.010-06:00

Hi, there! Welcome to the next stop on the 2011 Hero Hostess Blog Hop! Weren't Lin's creations amazing?! These hops are just so much fun because there's always a ton of great inspiration to be had, all at once. It's like, inspiration overload... I love it! :D

Here's my card for today... I got to play with the new 2011 Poly Clear set CL488 Congrats (click to see larger):

This is a great set... three really beautiful frames, and a handful of frequently-used sentiments to go inside them! I chose this text frame, and stamped it several times: once on the white card base, once on the shimmery green card stock, and then twice more on white card stock scraps. I cut two parts out from the stamped white pieces (text oval and "Thank You" strip), and colored them with Prismacolor pencils and set them aside. I also cut into the image on the green card stock, so the final image would be half on the white, and half on the green, for interest.

Then I stamped the Stripes Pattern on to the shimmery green card stock, and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. Once the green panel and image were matched up with/adhered to the white base and image, a swirl of black rhinestones accentuate the swirl pattern on the side of the label image. They also provide contrast to the straight lines in the text and background. Then the colored text oval and sentiment strip were layered with pop dots. Finally, a bright yellow flower tops it off. :)

I'm SO very grateful to Hero for including me in this hop... can't ever say enough about that company! And I'm so grateful to my fellow Hostesses as well... such sweet and inspiring ladies! ♥ And speaking of the other Hostesses, it's time that I direct you onward to fellow Hostess, Suzanne Czosek's blog. I'm excited to see what's she's put together... nothing short of brilliant, I'm sure! ;) Don't forget - if you find a broken link along the way, you can always go back to the Hero Arts Blog (or www.heroarts.com/blogs/club) for the master list of blog links. Also, please email Tami at tami@heroarts.com and provide the blog address that has the bad link so it can be fixed. Thanks!

AND... don't forget to leave a comment, because every comment left along the hop gives you a chance to win new Hero Arts 2011 stamps! But how about ANOTHER give-away... right here on my blog? ;) That's right! I'm feeling particularly blessed these days, and wanted to pay it forward by offering these two fabulous, brand new stamps sets - one of them a new 2011 set! - to a special ink-loving home:

Sweet Wonderful You and Musical Clef
Photo credit: ©Hero Arts

Just leave one comment per person, please, :) and a way for me to get a hold of you. Anyone is eligible. I'll draw a winner this weekend, once the hop has concluded. Good luck!

Thanks for "hopping" by today!

*** Commenting for this post now closed. Thanks!***

SUPPLIES:

"Thank You"
stamps: Hero Arts CL488 and CG118
inks: VersaMark and Memories black
paper: shimmery green from Jo Ann's and white is Georgia Pacific
misc: Ranger clear detail embossing powder, Prismacolor pencils & Gamsol, Prima black swirl rhinestones & yellow flower, Hero black Gemstones (flower center), fine-tipped scissors, and pop dots.

guess what?

2011-01-07T15:30:00.003-06:00

Hi, there! I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas, and that your 2011 is off to a fabulous start! I must say, mine's certainly starting off pretty well... :D

Have a great weekend, and I'll see you Monday! ;)

more old cards - a set

2010-11-19T09:32:00.003-06:00

Hello, again! Thank you so very much for your sweet comments on my last card... they truly mean so much to me. :) I'm back today with a few more cards that I forgot to post... this time, a colorful, springy group I made to send out to some long distance friends. :) Whether I need to make a lot of cards all at once or a gift set for just one person, I tend to make all the cards of the same design, and just change up the (ink/card stock) colors, based on the recipients' styles/preferences. Makes things go quickly and easily... and I'm all about the quick and easy! ;)

I LOVE this huge Hero Arts Engraved Daisy! It's gorgeous if you color it, gorgeous if you keep it monochromatic, it's just gorgeous! Here, I used it as a kind of sub-focal point, stamping in a light shade to compliment the card base color. The sentiment can then really pop, being placed on top of the flower and stamped in dramatic back ink. For these cards, each of the sentiments were a little bit different, depending on who was receiving each card, but they are all generally clean and graphic like the top one here... to keep with the clean and graphic look of the cards. A thin black mat ties it all together. :)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Can't believe it's less than a week now until Thanksgiving... that's just CRAZY! I am definitely thankful for many things, one of them being my stamping friends. :) You all warm my heart and make me smile, more than you could ever know. xoxo

SUPPLIES:
Hero Arts CG142 and CL342 stamps. Memories Black ink. SU! inks and card stock in Cool Caribbean, Regal Rose, and River Rock. Pop dots.

old card... masking and copics

2010-11-15T09:38:00.001-06:00

Hi, there! Life is still keeping me incredibly busy. I don't even have time for email! I update my Facebook status about once a week, just to keep close friends and family in the loop, but other than that, no time for much else. And now that we're heading into the holiday season, I don't see any of that changing! ;)

Here's a card I made quite a while ago. I was editing some family photos the other day and came across this picture of it and thought, "Hmm... did I ever get around to posting this one??" Searched my blog and lo and behold, I hadn't. So here it is, better late then never. Besides, with all the holiday cards out there these days, I thought it would be refreshing to see something kinda springy. :)

I used one of my all-time favorite stamps, the Hero Arts Friend Definition stamp. I also love the Hero Arts Antique Engravings set for coloring, which on here, I used some Copics. I popped up the butterfly's wings with some super thin (1/8th of an inch) pop dots to make it look like it had just landed on the card. :)

And as you probably already know, masking is also one of my all-time favorite techniques for creating interest without adding a lot of bulk. Here, I just cut a circle out of thin copy paper with my circle cutter, and used the negative piece as my mask. Here's a masking tip: When you want to mask with a negative piece, first use repositionable adhesive and position the positive cut-out exactly where you want the stamped area to be on your project. Then lay the negative over that so it fits perfectly over the positive, adhere the negative to the card front, remove the positive, and voila... your negative mask is now perfectly positioned on your card front, ready for stamping. :)

Hope this finds you and your family well! I'll be back with another post soon... more cards I forgot to put up on the blog. LOL Thanks so much for stopping by and reading. Hugs!

SUPPLIES:
Hero Arts stamps CG125, CL383, and CL342. Memories Black ink. Copics V15, V01, and Colorless Blender. Hero Arts gems.

back again! - OWH B-Day Bash challenge and a virtual card-making party

2010-09-10T08:26:00.001-05:00

Hi there! I know it's been a while, hasn't it? Thank you for sticking with me. :) So much has happened since moving here to Tennessee, you wouldn't believe it. I found myself pretty overwhelmed, needing a long, guilt-free blog break. But I'm back, with a card for the Operation Write Home Birthday Bash!

And to help celebrate, this weekend, Hero Arts is throwing a virtual card-making party over at the Hero Arts Flickr pool, complete with challenges and prizes galore (prizes will also be offered by OWH). The goal is to make 500 cards to send in to OWH, and one of the challenges - offered by my fellow Hero Arts Hostess alumni and me - is The Punch Your Art Out Challenge, requiring you to use at least one punch or die on your card. So here's my submission:

Pretty simple and straight-forward. :) I used the Nestabilities Label 4 die... cut and embossed. A little trick about getting that thin black mat: after cutting and embossing your image, adhere it to black card stock, and then reposition your die back around it . Using a craft knife, carefully cut around the edge of the die and voila - a nice, slim mat without using a second, larger die. :)

Hope you enjoy! Be sure to participate in this fun event, all for a wonderful cause (links above). Here's to hoping that life has finally decided to settle down so I can start posting again... if so, I'll see you soon! xo

SUPPLIES:
Hero Arts stamps S5264, CL401, and CL380.. SU Bashful Blue, and Memories black and white dye inks.. Nestabilities Label 4 die and popdots.

long time no chat! (new stamps, masking examples, & a question...)

2010-02-24T09:35:00.001-06:00

Hello, again! Remember me? Ha. I know, it's been a while since my last post. Many of those New Year Resolutions I made have kept me quite busy! ;) I've definitely kept the one about stamping more often as well, just haven't had the time - or, quite frankly, the desire - to photograph much of what I've made. Just between you and me, photographing my cards is the thing I like the least... might even borderline despise. LOL If you've read my blog for a while now, you know this, as I've lamented about it many times. :P However, practice does make perfect, right? Although in my case, I'd be happy with 'decent'. :P

Anyway, while a handful of my cards made recently have already found their way into the hands of friends and family (in other words, weren't photographed before being sent - oops), I still have some left that I can share here. :) These are made with some newer Hero Arts stamps that I just got first of the year (click to enlarge):

As you can see, some masking done here. One of my favorite techniques for keeping things clean, simple, and less bulky, but yet still unique.

Create a window with a circle punch, and then stamp a little something on the inside that shows through... it's easy to do, but looks complex and is quite engaging for the recipient.

Maybe even add an embellishment with a pop dot for a little dimension. This is a great way to make both the front AND the inside of your card fun and interesting, all at the same time!

Thanks so much for looking... and for sticking around these last couple of months! :) I do hope your new year is shaping up to be the best so far. Before you go, I do have a quick question... I know there are sooo many bloggers out there who do videos, and there really isn't anything that has yet to be done. However, I've thought about giving it a go myself this year, and wondered if there was anything you all would like to see? Let me know in the comments, or drop me an email (over there in the sidebar -->)... maybe if we put our heads together we can come up with some fun ideas. ;)

Thanks again for reading. Hope to see you soon!

SUPPLIES: all stamps Hero Arts (friend text, butterfly, sentiments, flourishes), Memories and Stampin' Up! inks, Copics, Stampin' Up! card stock, EK Success punches, & pop dots.

first thanks of 2010!

2010-01-01T11:21:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! :D I sincerely hope you and your families had a beautiful Christmas, and that your 2010 is off to a fantastic start! I celebrated ringing in the new decade doing what any stamper would do... made a card! ;)

I made this card specifically to send to my MIL, but the sentiment is for every single one of you out there in blogland who left such sweet comments during the Hero Arts 2010 catalog blog hop. I read each and every comment, and each one warmed my heart and made me smile. :) And if you haven't seen the hop yet, then start HERE, and prepare to be amazed!

Along with a new year comes new resolutions, and I have many that I wish to implement this year. One of my crafty ones is to simply create more! All too often I just let life and all of its busy-ness and responsibilities wear me out, leaving me feeling totally exhausted and uncreative at the end of the day. Please tell me that I'm not the only one that feels this way sometimes? Well, this year, I'm going to change that... I will find a way to carve out just a little "me" time every day, no matter what. I always feel so much better when I create, so it makes sense that I would want to create a little each day, right? ;) I have other crafty resoultions that I plan to share later, but what about you? Any particular resolutions or plans you've made to help make your 2010 the best ever? :)

As always, thanks so much for reading. See you soon!

SUPPLIES: Stamps are Hero Arts (CG105 & CL301), Colorbox Warm Red Fluid Chalk and Memories black inks, Hero Gemstones, Offray ribbon, score marks via Scor-Pal, and pop dots.

Hero Arts 2010 catalog Blog Hop!

2009-12-18T09:00:00.006-06:00

Hello there, and welcome to another stop on the first ever Hero Arts Blog Hop! :D I'm beyond humbled and honored to have been invited to participate... what an exciting way to preview of some of Hero's new stamps from the 2010 catalog! I can't even begin to express how much fun it was playing with these new stamps... can you say "IN SERIOUS LOVE"?!

Anyway, no need to hold things up with my babbling, how about a card or two? ;)

This one features the new "Silhouette Bells" CLiNG stamp, along with a sentiment from the new "Truly Appreciated" Poly Clear set (click pic to see detail). Silhouette stamps are always fun because there are a lot of different techniques you can do with them! I just kept things basic here, however, and let the image speak for itself by simply embossing it on black card stock with white embossing powder. The sentiments from the new Poly Clear set are great, too! They're a bit larger in size, so they fill a card nicely. Matching Gemstones, a butterfly punch, and some ribbon finish it off.

This next card features an amazing new CLiNG background stamp called "Heart Flourishes" (click pic to see detail). I absolutely adore Hero Arts' CLiNG stamps... very eco- and storage-friendly! Even more so when it comes to these large background images. This one is BEAUTIFUL - such fun to color! I stamped it on a kraft notecard with VersaMark, and then embossed with some Chestnut embossing powder. A few shades of Prismacolor pencils and voilá... instant depth and vibrancy! Again with a bit of ribbon, but this time a button and some pearls also help complete the card. :)

And now, without further ado, I want to direct you to your next stop on the hop, the ever-AMAZING Robyn Werlich and her blog: be creative everyday. Have no doubt - she will knock your stampin'-lovin' socks off! :D If by some unfortunate chance you happen to lose your way along the hop, just go back to the Hero Arts Blog for a listing of all the participating bloggers to help you get back on track. Also, be sure to check here for a store near you that's participating in the festivities as well! Lots of local scrap/stamp stores are having make-n-takes featuring the new 2010 stamps... get those fingers inky trying out the new images just like the rest of us, and visit one near you - PRONTO! :D

Well, only one week left until Christmas! Are you ready? I have a bit more wrapping and baking to do, but only about an evening's worth... then I'm going to do nothing else but relax and enjoy the rest of the holiday season, no matter what. ;) We're scheduled for snow the next two days, can you believe it?! Our first Christmas here in southern Nashville could very well be a white Christmas... how fun would that be?! :D I must admit, I miss the gorgeous snow of our former hometown, Denver, Colorado.

Thank you so very much for stopping by today. I hope you're as excited about the new 2010 Hero Arts stamps as I am, and that I get to see you again soon!

Inky hugs,

"Just Saying Hello" Supplies: all stamps Hero Arts (2010 'Silhouette Bells' and 2010 'Truly Appreciated'), black, white, and turquoise card stocks are SU, SU white pigment ink and embossing powder, Memories black ink, Martha Stewart punch, Offray ribbon, Hero Arts Gemstones, and popdots.

"In My Heart" Supplies: all stamps Hero Arts (2010 'Heart Flourishes' and sentiment from CL272 'All Occasion Messages'), Hero Arts 'Blush' and 'kraft' notecards, VersaMark ink and American Crafts embossing powder, Prismacolor pencils, Making Memories button, May Arts ribbon, Hero Arts Pearls, and popdots.

guess what?!

2009-12-11T10:04:00.002-06:00

*wink*

One week and counting... TGIF everyone! :)

"Frosty" Merry Christmas

2009-12-07T08:03:00.005-06:00

Hello again! :) Back with a Christmas card. Speaking of, are you ready? Just over two weeks left! I admit, I am WAY behind. I think this move has just totally thrown me off my time table. :P

This card was one of those 'go wherever your muse takes you' kind of cards. :) No plan or brainstorm, just went with the flow:

And I think I like it. :) I goofed on my stitching a bit, and the sentiment is crooked, but I definitely love these colors together for holiday cards! And I like that some snowflakes are embossed, and some are not... gives the illusion of depth. Hubby loves it! So much so, that he wants me to make enough for his entire staff! (about 20 cards total) Not sure about that... with all the sponging and heat embossing, glittering and stitching, this is not a quick-n-easy card to mass-produce. But, I sure love hubby for his sweet compliment and show of support. :)

Close up shot of all the glitter. There's some on the embossed snowflakes, some on the diecuts, some on the "icicles"... I went nuts. LOL This is definitely a sparkly one in real life! :D

And by the way... have you been checking out the Hero Arts blog lately?!

Some seriously exciting things going on over there, with all the 2010 catalog sneak peeks they've been showing lately! Check out this post HERE for details on how you can get in on the fun! ;) Can't wait for the new catalog, either!

Well, so much to do, so little time left. Thanks for peeking in today... see you soon!

SUPPLIES: kraft, vellum, red, and white CS.. SU stamps and pigment ink.. Cricut machine cartridges - Graphically Speaking for snowflakes and Plantin Schoolbook for icicles (it's actually GRASS turned upside down and welded with my GYPSY!).. Art Institute glitter and machine stitching.

first layout post

2009-12-01T13:16:00.006-06:00

Hello there. :) To my fellow Americans, how was your Thanksgiving? Some of you may know that I have been without an oven since we moved into our house here in Tennessee (long story). Our new oven arrived just in time - Wednesday afternoon, to be exact! LOL We were able to enjoy a homemade Thanksgiving dinner after all. :)

Back with a layout, as promised. Like I said, I'm a simple scrapper... not a lot of fuss or anything complicated to my scrapbook pages, I just try to get 'em done. ;) Because of that, I'm always really insecure about sharing my LOs... big move for me, so please be gentle. :) Here's my most recent fave:

(Photo by Becky Keller. Click pic to see larger.) It's a pic of my cute niece (L) and my daughter (R). They were born just two weeks apart and are great friends. :) I plan on filling in that empty area on the bottom right with white gel pen journaling... still editing the rough draft, however. ;)

Here's a closeup of one of the flowers. I used Glimmer Mist (in Pearl) to give the daisies their shimmer:

You could also use a waterbrush and some Liquid Pearls to achieve the same affect, but I had four large (3 inch) flowers to do, and the Glimmer Mist got it done lickety split. ;) I used my Expression here... Graphically Speaking (daisies) and Lyrical Letters ("friends" - LOVE this font cartridge). This page was done prior to getting my Gypsy, so the letters aren't welded together here. "Cousins" was made with my QuicKutz Grand Blossom alpha dies. The paper is some old Tim Coffey K & Co. paper that I've been hoarding forever. It seemed to work perfectly with this photo. :)

Trying to keep the chit-chat to a minimum (too late, LOL)... see you next time with a Christmas card. :) Thanks for stopping by!

SUPPLIES: K & Co papers, SU Wild Wasabi and So Saffron card stock, Cricut cartridges are Graphically Speaking and Lyrical Letters, Pearl Glimmer Mist, Hero Arts and other miscellaneous rhinestones, popdots.

just because

2009-11-23T09:31:00.005-06:00

Hello, again! :) Back with another card... this one, for my lovely friend Sarah. She sent me the most adorable "new home" card, and I made this one to thank her: :)

Sorry again for the poor photo. The birds were inked with black chalk ink, then kissed with an uninked definition background stamp. Look closely and you'll see the letters on the birds are actually backwards! LOL That's because the technique causes a reverse the of the pattern with which you're kissing. But at casual glance, it's not that noticeable... I hope! To coordinate, I stamped the same stamp in white pigment ink, this time down the left side of the card base (click the pic to see this in greater detail). I think next time I might try kissing the bird stamp with the definition stamped INKED with white pigment ink, rather than uninked... the pattern might show up better on the birds doing it that way. Hmmm....

Anyway, I then cut out the birds with my (long rectangle) Nesties, and then leaving the image still in the Nestie, sponged blue ink around the edges. The result is a masked and embossed border that helps to "ground" the birds, yet ties in with the blue card base as well. The sentiment inside reads, "you're so special." And that she is! Thank you again, Sarah, my friend. :)

Thanks for stopping by and reading. Hope your week is off to a great start! I'll be back in a bit to share - of all things - *GASP* a layout! LOL Yep... a couple of friends have asked if I would ever consider sharing my layouts. I won't promise I'll share them all, but every once in a while, I suppose I can share a decent one. I'm usually a pretty simple scrapper, and most of my pages aren't really made to impress or inspire, KWIM? ;) Anyhoo, that and a holiday giveaway are on the horizon! So, hope to see you soon! :)

SUPPLIES: stamps are Inkadinkado (birds), SU (definition), and Hero (sentiment).. inks are Colorbox Chalk (black) and SU (Bashful Blue dye, white pigment).. card stock is also SU (Bashful Blue).. Nesties (long rectangle) and popdots.

river rock thank you

2009-11-19T11:32:00.007-06:00

Hey, everybody! Told you I'd be back. :) I made this card for my super sweet friend, Diana. She did a very nice thing for me right before our move, and I wanted to thank her (and be sure to check out her awesome photography website HERE... the woman is GIFTED!):

Sorry for the crummy photo. The khaki color used here is River Rock - one of SU's retired "In Colors" from last year, I think? A very versatile color... can be classy or casual. Since it retired, I've been seriously hoarding my stash of RR, but Diana is TOTALLY worth it. ;) That's a QuicKutz embossing folder I used there, and the matching flora stamp is also SU. And yes, I bought the folder to go with the stamp... or maybe vice versa. LOL. Not too sure which came first, but I knew I definitely had to have them both so I could use them together. ;) Anyone else matchy-matchy like that?

Well, it's almost the weekend... it's almost THANKSGIVING! Can you believe it?! Where did 2009 go? I love this time of year, but it just came up on me a little too soon. With the move and all, I'm just too tired to start decorating right now. How about you... started putting up your holiday decorations yet?

Thanks so much for peeking... see you soon! :)

SUPPLIES: stamps are SU (flora) and Hero Arts (sentiment), ink and card stocks are SU (River Rock), QuicKutz embossing folder, and May Arts ribbon.

greetings from tennessee

2009-11-11T10:15:00.001-06:00

Hey, there! Just a quick post to say that I'm still alive and well.. err, how about just 'alive'? LOL Not sure how "well" I am just yet - this was definitely a tough move... WOW. However, I'm glad to have it behind me and am looking forward to the exciting adventure that awaits in discovering my new surroundings. :)

And, I've even been stamping! Yay! LOL It took a little while for my mojo to find its way out here, but it finally arrived. ;) I'll have something to share soon, as the cards I've made recently are for friends who *may* just read my blog... wanna keep things a surprise. ;)

Thanks so much for stickin' with me all this time. Be back real soon!

checking in

2009-09-25T14:11:00.000-05:00

Hey there. :) I realized it's been a while since I last updated my blog, so I thought I'd check in with an update.

Lots goin' on of course, to get ready for our move, but I'm also working on a few major projects right now. I'm finishing up my sister's wedding favors (she gets married 10/10), as well as starting on TWO Christmas card orders that I got this year! Gotta say, THAT was exciting... to know that not just one, but TWO people love my work enough to want ME to make their holiday cards just blows me away! :D So anyway, for obvious reasons, those things need to be kept private. ;) And with everything else that's going on, I really haven't had a lot of time to sit and stamp just for me, therefore I have nothing to show you at the moment. :)

Next week begins the countdown until our move. We are just a few weeks away, so I probably won't be posting anything until after we're settled. By then, it's almost the holidays, and *whew*! The REAL craziness begins! LOL Anyway, just wanted to post a quick update. If anyone needs to get ahold of me right away, just click "Email me" over in my sidebar. Thanks for reading and for your patience... talk to y'all soon! ♥

happy thoughts (pub)

2009-09-09T09:17:00.000-05:00

Hi, there! Hope you had a nice Labor Day weekend (to all American and Canadian friends). A quick post today, as it's only our second day of school and we're still getting acclimated. :)

I masked off an area and stamped the woodgrain pattern (Hero Arts). The flower is actually a large capital 'O' alphabet stamp, stamped repeatedly in a circle. I cut it out and mounted it to the card base with popdots, and then threaded a button (Autumn Leaves)with some yellow gingham ribbon, and attached that to the flower's center with gluedots. A heat embossed sentiment (Hero Arts) finishes it off.

Funny thing I noticed today while updating my blog... today's date is 09/09/09! :D

Have a lovely day! Thanks for stopping by. :)

♥ U (pub'ed)

2009-09-03T10:47:00.005-05:00

Hey there! Well, summer's quickly coming to a close. School has started (for many) and the weather's cooling off. I'm still finding myself a little swamped, particularly as we just found out that my hubster's job will transfer us all to Nashville, Tennessee, effective immediately. SO... in addition to getting all four kids started with school, I can add a deep house cleaning, minor routine maintenance repairs, packing, house hunting, and multiple appointment scheduling (movers, showings, etc.) to my list. I really despise house hunting, especially from long distance. :P And we know NOTHING about Nashville... can any of you guys fill me in? Nice areas? Suburbs to avoid? Any advice in general? And if you could just keep me (and my sanity - ha) in your prayers over these next few weeks, I'd REALLY appreciate it that, too. :)

Anyway, on to a card. This was a pub a few months ago... which means that I made it several months ago. LOL So I'm not sure I can remember exactly what stamps (sets) I used, but I do know that they're all Hero Arts. ;) It was for a "Stamping Double" assignment, which means that I was required to use at least 2 stamps on my project. Easy peasy!

As you can see, I used many... the cloud background, the bird, and the grass, obviously. I also used a speech bubble stamp and some alpha stamps for the sentiment. The bird was colored with Prismas and Gamsol, cut out, and put up on pop dots, as was the speech bubble (sentiment). I remember that I had just gotten this Hero Arts bird stamp set at the time the assignment was due and thought he was so cool and funky looking! :D Anyway, not my usual style, but still fun. :)

Thanks again for reading. I know my posts have been sporadic at best lately, and with all I have to do this month, September's not going to be much better. :( But I really appreciate those who are patient and stick with me. Means A LOT. :) XO

On a more personal note, just had to say happy birthday to my sweet daughter 'A', who turns 8 years old today, and a great big kiss to my hubby today as well, for stickin' with me these last 16 CRAZY years (yep, it's our anniversary, too). I love you both, with all my heart. You are my reason and my purpose! Every day. :) XOXO

Thanks... I hope to have more cards to share, so see you soon!

so sorry - pub

2009-08-24T12:07:00.002-05:00

Hello there! Once again, I let the blog go for over a week. :P It'll be nice once we start school again... a daily routine, consistency... always a good thing. :)

Here's a quick card that was done for SNR quite a while back. It was for an "I'm sorry" assignment. I remember being quite pressed for time making this... I think it was right around the time of my day on the Hero Arts blog, or maybe when I was helping to co-ordinate the Winter Wonderland Card crop. Regardless, I wasn't overly pleased with it... I'm still not. But it uses a cool technique:

The flowers were colored with markers and then spritzed with water for that mottled, watercolor look. The flecks were made with my Color Spritzer from SU, but you can make your own with a re-inker and an old toothbrush. Just put a couple drops of re-inker onto a non-porous surface like a CD case or coffee can lid. Lightly dip the bristles of your brush into the ink, gently tap off the excess, and then use your finger to flick the bristles so they splatter ink onto your project (practice on scratch paper first, to get the right distance from your paper). Oh, you might want to cover your work surface with a few newspapers or magazine pages to catch the stray splatters, and gloves are also a good thing here, otherwise you'll have ink under your nails for DAYS. ;) Of course the Color Spritzer from SU takes all the work out of achieving this look, but in a pinch, a toothbrush will suffice.

I finally got pics of my more recent cards - yes, I said CARDS, plural LOL - but I've decided to try submitting them! So I won't be posting them here just yet. ;) I've never had the courage to submit to a print magazine before. We'll see what happens. :)

Hope your week is off to a great start! Thanks so much for reading... I appreciate it so very much. XO

SUPPLIES: all paper (yo-yo yellow & mellow moss), stamps (upsy daisy & inspired by nature, can't remember the name of the set for the sentiment... it's from an old SAB set), and inks (markers - yo-yo yellow, mellow moss, always artichoke, chocolate chip) are SU.

celebrate the 4th - pub

2009-08-14T13:33:00.001-05:00

Hey, there! Holy cow, it's been over a week since I last posted! I'm just so busy enjoying our summer break while I can that I keep running out of time to blog. The kids will start school on the 8th and this year, I'll be teaching ALL FOUR. Yes, my baby will start pre-K. *sob, sniff sniff* I guess I can't really call her may "baby" anymore, can I? :(

I digress. :) Here's a card that I made for a 4th of July pub assignment for SNR. I wanted to make a card with a sort of "flag" look to it, and this is what evolved:

Some stars are white embossed on blue card stock and then cut out and mounted on pop dots. The rest were stamped directly on the card with navy ink. The "Celebrate" panel was stitched on my machine and then the sentiment was stamped in between and heat embossed. It's different, but I think I like it. :)

I did manage to find some time to stamp this past week (used my new Hero Arts CLiNGS!), but my pics aren't coming out too well thanks to being so overcast these last few days. But one way or another, I'll post them soon.

Can't believe it's Friday already... hope you have a great weekend! And thanks for reading!

SUPPLIES: all stamps are Hero Arts (Galaxy of Stars with miscellaneous stars from other random sets, and All Occasion Messages for the sentiment), inks are SU! craft (white) and Versamagic (navy), white EP, machine stitching, Hero Arts star gems, and pop dots.

pub'ed card set

2009-08-04T13:17:00.001-05:00

Hey, there! How's your summer going? Mine's keeping me pretty busy. :) Trying to get outside and enjoy this weather as much as possible before it ends! Either it's going to start snowing in a couple of months, or we're going to be living back in AZ in a couple of months... either way, the weather's NOT going to be conducive to getting out much! LOL So hopefully that explains part of why I've been so absent. Still not feeling all that well either, so nothing brand new to show yet. I have been playing around with my new Hero Arts CLiNGS stamps a little bit, so I hope to have something new to see soon using those. :)

Until then, here's just a simple card set that was done for SNR back in Nov./Dec. When making card sets, I like coordination and unity. :) Using the same colors and patterns, and just a select few stamps makes the set more cohesive. Here's the stationery box that the cards all go in. I got the template from my local stamp store, and they got it from Stamp Your Art Out (seen here in the 'The Envelopes Please' section). I LOVE this template! SO easy to use:

The ribbon is used as a belly band, and just slides down to reveal the opening flap. I Xyroned (so not a word, I know, LOL) a piece of red card stock and a piece of polka dot paper together, BEFORE tracing and cutting with the template. Lining the stationery box with patterned paper just gives it a more interesting, finished look:

You can see that I also used the same patterned paper on the cards. Again, to tie everything in together. :) I just used a simple layout and alternated the orientation to get different looks. I used only one flower stamp (that same flower from my favorite Hero Arts flower set of all time!) and colored it with Copics to match. Each one was adhered to each card with pop dots for dimension:

When making card sets, I like to include a variety of sentiments. You can see here I included one for friendship, one for birthday, one for thanks, and one just to say "hello". I gave this set to my mom... she loved it. :)

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great Tuesday and see you soon!

SUPPLIES: stamps are Hero Arts (flower, "hello", "thanks", and "friend" sentiments) and Inkadinkado (happy birthday sentiment), paper is Making Memories (OLD!), Fiskars Threading Water border punch, Hero Arts black gemstones (on stationery box only), and Offray ribbon

Christmas in July

2009-07-29T14:15:00.002-05:00

Hey there! I've been noticing on a lot of other blogs and websites doing "Christmas in July" posts... cards for the holidays posted now, during the dog days of summer. Anything to help us forget about the heat for a moment, right? ;)

It just so happens that I have a couple of cards from last year's holiday that I've yet to share. The first one is from the December issue of SNR and features the emboss resist technique:

The large snowflake was stamped with white ink and embossed with white EP on the white card base, and then navy ink was sponged over it to bring it out. Smaller snowflakes were stamped with the same navy ink around the main image. I also used my Quickie glue pen and drew some swirls which were then sprinkled with iridescent glitter. Very simple, fun, winter-time card. :)

This next card was also featured over at SNR... I can't remember if it was for our World Cardmaking Day crop or the Winter Wonderland Card Crop, but I do know it was for a photo inspiration challenge that I was hostessing. LOL The photo was of a lovely bedding ensemble from JC Penny that had a gorgeous color-blocked comforter with patches of navy and silver fabric. I wish I still had the photo, but my computer has crashed since then and I lost all my photos, including that one. :( Anyway, here's what I went with:

Simple lines, to compliment the graphic feel of the color-blocked comforter, and simple color scheme. I think this wise man stamp is from Stampabilities... he was stamped and heat embossed in silver, with Hero gemstones put in his crown. I wasn't overly fond of the ribbon treatment, but it needed something. I eventually just took the bow out and left it a plain knot, which looked a little better. I just didn't have any silver ribbon that looked NICE (this one is white with silver). Why is it all the silver ribbons out there look so cheap and "plasitc-y"? Anyhoo, another pretty simple one. I was quite busy around that time last year and cards had to be quick and easy. LOL ;)

Speaking of SNR, I am no longer on staff over at the magazine. Just FYI. :)

Sorry I don't have anything new or exciting to share... I haven't been feeling very well and I think wherever my health may be, that my mojo is there with it, too. :P So no stamping for me lately. I'm also getting started on my sister's wedding favors... a SUPER fun project that comes with LOTS of stress! LOL They gotta be just right, ya know... it's my sis. ;) But I hope to have some new projects to share soon.

Thanks for stopping by today. See you later! :)

SUPPLIES:
Winter's Butterfly - Hero Arts and SU! stamps, white pigment ink and navy dye ink are SU!, Art Institute Crystal Ultrafine glitter.
Wise Men - Stamp is Stampabilities, card stock is SU!, Colorbox pigment ink, Ranger embossing powder, Hero gemstones, unknown ribbon

I ♥ Hero Arts! blog hop

2009-07-24T11:47:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday! And welcome to another stop on the the "I ♥ Hero Arts!" blog hop, hosted by the ever-so sweet Ashley! If you read my blog at all, you'll know that I'm probably one of Hero Arts' biggest fans. They make the most awesome stamps, employ the most incredible people, and provide the BEST stamping inspiration anywhere. What's not to love?! :)

Here's my card... unfortunately, it wasn't created exclusively for the hop. I was planning on having some time to stamp this week, but something extremely pressing came up and I just wasn't able to get into my stamp room. BUT, I really wanted to play along, and since one of the requirements for the card was that it be a thank you card, I was lucky that I had this one from an April pub sitting in my drafts folder, waiting to be posted! :) Not only that, but one of the other requirements was that we use one of our favorite Hero Arts stamps on the card, and whaddya know... this card uses images from my absolute FAVORITE Hero set of all time - the 4x12 Flower Blossom Border set:

That set is an absolute flower-lover's DREAM. It has a 12 inch border image for backgrounds and/or scrapbook pages, several different types and sizes of flowers... I honestly find myself reaching for it ALL. THE TIME. (In fact, scroll down to my previous card posted, and you'll see I used a flower from the set on it, too!) This card also employs one of my very favorite techniques - partially cutting around a stamped image to create interest. The flower image was stamped with Memories black ink, colored with Copics, and then I used a T-square to help cut the white panel up to the flower's edge. I then used my micro-tipped scissors to cut out around the flower itself. It's a great technique that doesn't require any fancy tools to create a lot of impact. :)

And finally, the last two requirements of the hop were:

A. Tell us your Hero Arts story. How did you get started using Hero Arts products?
and
B. Hero Arts is full of great people. Tell us why you are thankful for Hero Arts!

As for my story, I'm sure it's much like many others out there: I started out as a scrapbooker first and eventually started stamping. At the time, I didn't have any independently-owned stamp/scrapbook stores close by, and had to shop at my local major craft chain. ;) There, I always found myself drawn to (and of course buying!) Hero Arts stamps. I don't know, something about their style just spoke to me. And once I started using them, I was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the stamps. So I became a loyal follower. It always amazes me how they have managed to stay on top of trends, create a wide variety of images, and appeal to so many different types of stampers on so many levels... not an easy feat!

As for why I'm thankful for them, there's probably too many reasons to count! I'm grateful that they're such a customer-driven company and are always looking for ways to improve (as if they really need to). I'm grateful that they care so much about the environment. I'm grateful that they employ the most generous staff who continuously amaze and inspire us with their creations. I could go on, but they're just such a fabulous company, it's difficult to reign it in. LOL Seriously, stamping has become my therapy... and if it hadn't been for their images catching my eye, and their quality and commitment to customer service keeping me loyal, I'm not sure where I'd be with this hobby. Their stamps and ideas thoroughly INSPIRE me... make me want to drop everything and STAMP! That's the thing I'm most grateful for. I ♥ HERO ARTS! :)

Thanks for stopping by and for reading... enjoy the rest of the hop and have a fabulous weekend! :)

SUPPLIES: Hero Arts stamps (Cl223 and CL175), Memories black ink, Colorbox Primary chalk ink queue, Copics, and Hero Arts pearls

amazing - inspired by Jennifer McGuire

2009-07-17T11:23:00.004-05:00

Hello again! Thank you for all of your lovely comments on my alcohol ink butterfly card! :) To tell you the truth, I liked the one with the black butterflies better, too. But when hubby said he liked the simpler version more, I thought maybe he saw something in the card that I didn't... so that's why I thought I'd ask you guys for your opinion. Thanks for confirming my gut instinct! ;) And sorry, hubby. LOL

There's still tons of excitement over at the Hero Arts blog regarding all of the new changes to the site! Lots of inspiration, too. Here's my card that was featured today (click to see larger):

I was completely inspired by two of Jennifer's cards... this one because of the lovely Liquid Pearl background, and this one for the great color scheme. My card seems pretty simple and straight forward, but see that tiny little strip of striped paper? Under the sentiment? Yeah... the BANE OF MY EXISTENCE. LOL Seriously, that little strip of paper gave me such a headache! It's not striped patterned paper... it's actually hand done, with various strips of card stock glued down in a random order (clicking on the card above will make this more apparent). Just cut slivers of card stock various widths and colors, and glue them to a strip of white card stock in a random order. And if white is part of your color scheme, be sure to leave some gaps when applying, so the white card stock can show through from underneath. Then, just cut the entire glued piece into strips, perpendicular to the stripes and voila... a customized, striped "patterned paper" embellishment. :)

The problem came when I first tried to do it with just a dry adhesive (tape runner) to save time. Normally, a tape runner works great if you're adhering papers of at least some substance together. Gluing those teeny tiny strips of card stock, went fine, but when I went to cut the strip, the now little SQUARES of card stock no longer wanted to stay in place. LOL They started shifting and/or popping off, and I had to start over and go back and REGLUE alllll of those little strips of paper back on! :P So if you ever use this technique, be sure to use a STRONG liquid glue to apply your strips right off the bat. I really love Tombo Mono Multi... very permanent! ;)

Well, it's the weekend! Can you believe it? And summer's in full swing. :) Thanks for reading and have a good one!

SUPPLIES: all Hero Arts stamps (S5213, CL223, and C4901), VersaMark and Colorbox Chalk inks, clear embossing powder, DCWV card base and SU! card stocks, white opal Liquid Pearls, Hero button, May Arts ribbon, white floss, and pop dots

first shot at alcohol inks! - warning: long post

2009-07-16T12:15:00.001-05:00

Hey there! I know... it's been a while since my last card post. I've been so wrapped up in the festivities over at the the Hero Arts blog that I haven't even thought about blogging myself myself! :) Have you SEEN the awesome changes over at the website?! AMAZING. That's one thing about hero Arts... just when you think they can't get any better, they find a way to do it anyway. Love, LOVE that company. :)

So, here's a card I made last night for the Thinking Inking Class over at Two Peas, which is being taught by the faboo Jennifer McGuire. The class is 9 weeks with 3 videos each week demonstrating the infinite ways to use Tim Holtz's Distress products by Ranger... such as Distress Inks, Crackle Paints, Paint Dabbers, and Alcohol Inks. This particular card is for the Thinking Inking Class Week 5: Part 1 - Alcohol Inks (Backgrounds).

Okay, QUICK CONFESSION: I've been stamping for nearly seven years, and NOT ONCE have I ever delved into the world that is alcohol inks. *gasp* I know. I'm not sure exactly why... maybe it's because I associate them with distressing, which is not one of my stronger areas (it terrifies me actually, LOL). Maybe it's because I've always thought of them as too dark and grungy, which also just isn't my style. AT ALL. Maybe I was too afraid of making the investment in product, only to find that I didn't like or couldn't produce the the results I wanted. Or, maybe I've just been too afraid of the mess. LOL

But one thing Jennifer's classes have really taught me so far is that distress products and alcohol inks don't have to mean messy, dark, and grungy. I have been simply blown away by what she has demonstrated so far! And I've been SO inspired by her work that I had to finally try it for myself (click to see larger):

And I LOVE IT. Seriously! What took me so long?! Why was I so afraid and hesitant to try something that is so quick, and so easy... and SO gorgeous! This card was completely inspired by these cards here. I mean, come on... do these look "messy" or "dark and grungy" to you?! Gorgeous. Loving everything about her cards - the backgrounds, the dimension, the butterflies - I kept with the butterfly theme and broke out my new SU! butterfly die and gave it a shot. Above was my initial version, but I played around with it and added a few extra touches (click to see larger):

So what do you think? Better, or too much? My hubby likes the first card better... he says the simplicity really allows the amazing background to shine and take center stage, which in this photo, is a little easier to see (the marbling). I'm not sure which one I like more... leave me a comment and tell me what YOU think! :)

To get this look, I used the Wild Plum, Butterscotch, and Copper alcohol inks on a 4 x 4 inch piece of glossy card stock. I then diecut only HALF of the butterfly on one edge of the card stock, ink-side up. Then I flipped the card stock ink-side down, and diecut the other edge, then cut the 4x4 piece in half, between the negative wings. Finally, take one half from each side (one diecut and one negative) and put them together with pop dots for that dimensional "split negative" look. :)

Anyway, sorry to get so windy... but I gotta say, that I am in LOVE with alcohol inks now! The card above took 15 minutes. And the best part - I have the two other pieces left over to make another card just like it! Fifteen minutes, to make two cards, both with completely beautiful, unique backgrounds... definitely worth it. I'm HOOKED.

Thanks for peekin' and have a great day! :)

SUPPLIES: Archiver's glossy card stock, Wild Plum, Butterscotch, and Copper alcohol inks, Memories black ink, Hero Arts CL341 "Thank You Sayings", SU! butterfly die, Martha Stewart 3-in-1 butterfly punch, pop dots

it's here!

2009-07-13T13:46:00.004-05:00

This is the week that Hero Arts announces all the big and wonderful changes they've made to their website and shopping section! There's going to be TONS of inspiration... tons of cards and projects each day! And there's going to be TWICE the prizes and giveaways there this week, too! This celebration is going to be huge... HUGE, I tell ya! :)

And be sure to join Hero Arts' Facebook page and follow Hero Arts on Twitter for EVEN MORE chances to win some great prizes!

Love ya, Hero Arts! Congratulations! :D

UR the best (april pub - 1 stamp, 3 ways)

2009-07-09T11:17:00.001-05:00

Hello again! Here's the other card I did for the '1 Stamp, 3 Ways' SNR assignment that I mentioned in an earlier post (see post for details). This card features the fun crown image:

I first used the image to create a tone-on-tone background. I then used it as an accent by stamping it on white card stock with a golden-yellow ink and cutting it out. I used pink gems in the crown and then cut a tiny slit with my craft knife so the crown could "sit" on the letters of the sentiment. As for the color scheme... it's a little out of my comfort zone. ;) But the crown made me think think of trendy, which made me think of youthful, which brought me to my color combo. I'm thinking about sending this to my 16 year old niece... it seems like something she'd really like. :)

Anyhow, don't forget - Hero Arts has a HUGE sale going on right now! Just click the link and then the little yellow speech bubble on the right to get in on the deals. Can't wait to see all the new surprises they have in store for us next week! :D

Thanks for peekin'... see you soon!

SUPPLIES: all card stock and inks are SU!, crown stamp is Queen Kat Designs, letter diecuts are Sizzlits ("the" - Girls Are Weird) and Cricut ("UR, BEST!" - Plantin Schoolbook), Hero gemstones, Fiskar's border punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder, and pop dots.

thanks (april pub)

2009-07-07T11:58:00.006-05:00

Hey There! I hope my American friends had a great 4th of July weekend!. :) As for us, we weren't sure if we were going to be celebrating outside or inside... it rained all day that day, and well into the evening. But by 9pm, the clouds had begun to part and we were finally able to enjoy the fireworks the way they were meant to be enjoyed. ;) Even if it was pretty chilly at that point. LOL So how was your holiday?

Here's a card that was done for a very specific SNR assignment. The assignment was "1 Stamp, 3 Ways" and the sponsor was Queen Kat Designs. Three different SNR stampers on staff were given the Doodle & Crown stamp set, which looks like this...

Image property of Queen Kat Designs

and asked to make a card - therefore, the one stamp, done three different ways, from three different viewpoints. So here's the card I made with the "Doodle" (flourish-y) image:

I used it as both a design element down the side of the card, and as the stem of the flower. I wanted to show how versatile the image was. :) Queen Kat has some really cool designs... you should check them out! And stay tuned for my next blog post where I show you what I did with the awesome crown image! ;)

Hope your week is off to a great start. As always, thank you for reading and for your lovely comments! Inky hugs! :)

SUPPLIES: Hero Arts kraft note card, SU! card stocks (blk, wht, olive), Queen Kat Designs "Doodle" image, Hero Arts "thanks" sentiment, SU! white craft (pigment) ink, Colorbox chalk ink (stem) Memories black ink (sentiment), The Paper Studio flower, Making Memories button, SU! linen thread, EK Success border punch, and pop dots.

love for Hero Arts

2009-07-03T11:07:00.003-05:00

Back again! :) Guess what? There's some pretty amazing stuff about to happen over at Hero Arts! The website's getting a whole new look, the shopping area is being expanded... just some REALLY awesome things in the works! And to help celebrate, now through July 15th, they're offering 20% off all kits, and FREE USPS Priority Shipping on all orders of $35 or more! AMAZING. And if all that weren't enough, Hero is now on Twitter! Be sure to sign up and follow for chances to win prizes! Also, be sure to stop by the Hero Arts Blog post HERE for all the details and to learn how to pick up the Hero Arts blinkie (seen above and in my sidebar to the right) and add it to YOUR blog for even MORE chances to win prizes! (Please DO NOT link your blinkie directly from my blog. Thanks! :) ) WHEW... there's just SO much excitement, I can't hardly stand it! :D

And speaking of Hero Arts and all things exciting, last month, my very first article over at Scrapbook News and Review published! And it just so happens that it was a review on Hero Arts stamps. ;) If you subscribe to SNR, be sure to check it out and let me know what you think! It's in the May issue under "Stamps On Review". Here's a card I made to include with the review:

Just some very simple layered stamping in order to let the wonderful images shine all on their own. All products are Hero, minus the black and white card stocks (which are SU!). The finished card had a bit of a masculine feel to me, so I gave it to my hubster, to thank him for all of his wonderful support when it comes to my little "hobby". ;)

Well, Mr. Brown should be ringin' my doorbell aaaaaany minute now with a big ol' box of brand new SU! goodies. Off to stalk. ;) Thanks for reading and have a great, SAFE 4th of July weekend!

SUPPLIES: all Hero Arts stamps (S5100, H5011, and CL156), inks are Memories (black) and Colorbox chalk (Chocolates & Blueberry Queue), kraft note card and pearls also Hero. :)

my first Raspberry Suite color challenge

2009-07-02T12:38:00.008-05:00

Hello! I'm back again with my first ever entry into one of Dawn McVey's Raspberry Suite color challenges. I've never participated in one before, but I've wanted to! Dawn always picks amazing color combinations... and this week's is no exception (click the badge below to be taken directly to Dawn's Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #11 blog post):

Gorgeous photo, gorgeous colors. I love how they kinda match my blog, hee! :) Anyway, I tried to stay as true to the challenge as possible with my card:

No white of any kind... that was tough for me! And no, that bottom panel is not SU!'s Rockabilly paper from the last catty! Instead, I replicated it myself by stamping a Stampendous acrylic border/line stamp repeatedly, and then heat embossing it with black EP:

Not bad, eh? I think it looks a lot like the real thing! :) The rest of the images are all SU!. I always get a little nostalgic when a new catty comes out, and like to pay tribute to the oldies-but-goodies before inking up new favorites. ;) Here, I used the ever immortal Bodacious Bouquet, stamped with Real Red ink on Pixie Pink card stock.

Quick Tip: For the flower leaves, I just used a 6-petal flower punch like this one here by EK Success. Simply snip off a few petals and you'll have perfectly shaped "leaves" to embellish your flowers. I really like versatile punches that can serve double duty like that. Punches can be expensive! So always think out of the box when purchasing/using them and you'll get your money's worth, too. :)

I can't believe it, but my SU! order will be here tomorrow! That was QUICK. I haven't ordered anything since Sale-A-Bration, so I'm super excited. :) I'll be back tomorrow with some Hero Arts to share... see you then! Thanks for peekin'!

SUPPLIES: line stamp is Stampendous, the rest are SU! (Bodacious Bouquet and Thank You Kindly)... inks and card stocks also SU!... black EP, Hero gemstones, EK Success daisy punch for the leaves, SU! scallop border punch, and pop dots

glad we're friends (pub)

2009-07-01T09:02:00.004-05:00

Howdy! I apologize for not posting like originally planned last week, but I just never got the chance to finish typing up those prescheduled blog posts. However, things have finally settled down around here and I'm getting back into my regular routine once again... which definitely includes a little stamp time. :)

First up though, is a card that was pub'ed last month over at Scrapbook News and Review. I thought I'd show this card today because it features Stampin' Up! stamps, and today is the day the new SU! catalog comes out! YAY! :D (click to see larger)

Very simple stamping and design, but I really like how this card came out! Maybe it's the spring-y, citrus-y color combo...? Anyway, this is a Sale-A-Bration set from earlier this year... LOVE it. And I LOVE that celery twill, too!

Well, I'm SO looking forward to stamping and blogging more regularly again. I really enjoyed spending time with my family while they were here, and I miss them like crazy already. But, I've missed my stamps, too. ;) Thanks for stopping by today! See you soon! :)

SUPPLIES: all stamps, inks, and card stocks are SU!, also SU! scallop circle punch and Celery twill, card base is DCWV, Martha butterfly punch, Hero Arts gemstones, and pop dots for dimension

thank you resist

2009-06-20T09:19:00.002-05:00

Hey there! :) Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have several out of town family members coming this Tuesday that I'm preparing for, not to mention Father's Day, as well as my hubby's birthday that also falls next week... lots to do. :)

Here's a card that was pub'ed in SNR a few months ago for a "Stamping Double" assignment - an assignment that required us to use more than one stamp on our project:

The script was stamped first with an olive ink, then the fern was stamped and heat embossed with clear EP on top of that. Then I brayered the same olive ink over the entire thing, producing a resist of the fern (the script shows up much more here in the photo than it does IRL... not sure why). I chose this sentiment because I thought it matched the script under the fern. Piercing and pewter brads finish it off. :)

I'm working on scheduling a few posts to publish while I'm entertaining next week. Have a wonderful Father's day, and I'll see ya on the other side of the chaos! ;)

SUPPLIES: Georgia Pacific and SU! card stocks, Hero Arts stammps (CL142 and S5154), SU! True Thyme and Memories ink, and Making Memories brads

for you dad

2009-06-15T10:31:00.003-05:00

Hello again! :) Here's the card that I had originally started for the masculine challenge over at the Hero Arts blog, but was unable to get done in time due to my back injury. Then, I thought I might enter it into the background challenge, since I had used a background stamp for my main image, but I was just too overwhelmed getting caught up that week to find the time to photograph it. But here it is today! LOL At least it's in time for Father's Day, since it is a Father's Day card, after all:

Not sure how excited I am about this card, but it works. The original point was to create something masculine and that's difficult for me... no flowers or gems or anything froofy. LOL ;) I asked my hubby what colors he would like to see on a card, and he told me red, black, and white. So there ya go. LOL The background is an older Hero Arts harlequin stamp. I stamped it in red, and then stitched over it with black thread to create the argyle pattern. Argyle has always seemed somewhat masculine to me. :) The color-blocked layout also gives it a structured, angular feel, which to me, also feels more masculine. The ribbon was never meant to be a part of the design, but I made a small stitching boo-boo and just couldn't leave it as-is, so the ribbon helped to cover that up. ;)

A tip about stitching on your projects: If your machine uses a bobbin, load it up with clear thread. This has a two-fold benefit: 1) It no longer becomes necessary to change your bobbin every time you need to change your spool color, and 2) If you stitch directly onto your card base, you don't have to worry about what the thread will look like on the inside of your card... it's clear! It'll hardly show no matter what color your card is inside. ;)

On a completely un-stamping related note, have you seen Disney's "UP" yet? Then get thyself to the nearest movie theater PRONTO. Oh my... what a WONDERFUL movie! So much better than I expected. Really touching. :) I'm not ashamed to admit I even got teary a couple times! LOL Seriously tho, it's animated, but in no way just a "kid" film... you'll definitely be glad you saw it. ;)

Anyway, hope your week is off to a great start! Thanks as always for stopping by. Hugs! :)

SUPPLIES: Hero Arts note card(s), SU! card stock, Lipstick Red chalk ink, Hero Arts Large Harlequin Background (S3413), diamond stamp is Studio G, "for you" stamp is SU!, "Dad" stamp is unknown, ribbon is May Arts, machine stitching.

challenge triple play

2009-06-13T16:37:00.006-05:00

Hey there! Long time no chat. :) A nasty back injury a couple weeks ago took me out of the crafting game for a while, as it was entirely too painful to sit at my craft desk for any length of time. Actually, it was too painful to do much of anything but lay flat on my back in bed! LOL And once I did start to heal, I had a TON of catching up to do on my day-to-day chores, like laundry and shopping and whatnot. Now that I'm all caught up, I thought I'd come back with a bang and enter THREE challenges this week:

Lisa's second Scribble This! challenge (involving working with levels in your photo editing program)...

Kristina's 54th Color Inspiration challenge...

and of course, the diecut challenge over at the Hero Arts blog. :)

Here's my card, the "before" shot:

And here it is, "after":

And here they are once again, side by side:

Quite a difference! I must admit that I never paid that much attention to the levels of my photos before... I usually just adjusted the shadows/brightness/contrast and thought that was enough. I definitely like how adjusting the levels does all of that for me, in one, simple step. So thanks, Lisa! I'm excited to have learned something new! :) I apologize for the harsh shadows... we're extremely overcast today and I had to use artificial light. :P

Also, I've yet to play in any of Kristina's color challenges, although I've LOVED every single one of them. I'm so glad to finally have had the chance to play along. This was a FABULOUS color combo to work with... thanks, Kristina! :)

And obviously, you can see where I used the die cuts here on my card for the Hero Arts challenge:

Just a Label 1 Nestie and the QuicKutz Blossom Grand alphabet for my sentiment. All stamps, button, and gems are Hero (colored with an orange Copic marker), and the flower is Prima. :)

Thanks for reading! I'll be back on Monday with another new card to share. Have a great weekend!

SUPPLIES: stamps are Hero Arts CL221 and C3085, inks are VersaMagic and Stampin' Up!, white EP, Nestabilities Label 1, QuicKutz Blossom Grand alpha, and pop dots

no one like you

2009-05-29T09:47:00.002-05:00

Hey there! :) Here's a card that I did several months ago that *I thought* was pub'ed sometime last winter in Scrapbook News and Review, but I can't find what issue it was in! LOL Anyway, just a basic card using the great Bird on a Branch stamp from Hero Arts. This stamp is so fun because it's like a reverse silhouette... lots of cool looks you can achieve depending on the inks you use and the papers you stamp on:

On this card, I just stamped with black on white card stock, colored the birds red, and added some Xmas Red Stickles to make them sparkle. I loved how the Cuttlebug embossing folder matched the stamp so well, too. I made another card using this stamp at about the same time as this one (but sent it off before remembering to get a picture of it - DOH!) and for that card, I blended 3 or 4 different colors of chalk inks on the stamp before stamping. Being a pretty much solid image, chalk inks work really well here, particularly if you want to use more than one color to create interest. On that card, though, I colored the birds black. Anyway, this is a really fun stamp... it seems pretty simple, but there's a lot you can do with it! :)

Well, it's the weekend already, can you believe it?! Hope you have a good one and thanks as always for checkin' in! :)

SUPPLIES: Hero Arts Bird on a Branch stamp and Thinking of You stamp set, Memories black ink, Cuttlebug Leafy Branch embossing folder, red marker, Xmas Red Stickles, black satin ribbon, Hero red gemstones, and pop dots

go green and have a great day

2009-05-28T09:31:00.004-05:00

Here's my card from last week's "go green" challenge over on the Hero Arts blog. I had a tough time coming up with something for this challenge! I was seeing what everyone else was doing over at the Hero Flickr group and really wanted to try to do something that no one had done yet. (I'm like that with just about every card I make anyway... always tryin' to reinvent the wheel, ya know? :P I need to work on that... it tends to kill the muse.)

So, I was putting the umpteenth empty milk jug of the week over on the counter for my son to take out to the trash when it hit me - the plastic the milk jug was comprised of looked surprisingly similar to the plastic used for the Maya Road Sheer White Blossoms. Ding! I had my idea. :)

Now, I gotta say... I'm not all that pleased with how the card (in its entirety) came out. I did the flower, and was totally excited about THAT result, but figuring out a way to use it on a card really threw me. So, the design ended up being, "forced"... and I'm just not all that fond of it. In fact, I don't even think I like it. :P But like I said, I'm MORE than pleased with the flower! LOL The plastic diecut, stamped, and embossed BEAUTIFULLY. I don't own any of the Maya Road Sheer Blossoms, but from what I've seen, I think the milk jug plastic is pretty comparable - thick but still flexible, translucent..... Anyway, after stamping and embossing the Hero Arts Designer Woodgrain on there, it kinda gave it a sort of zebra-ish look to it. Of course, first thing to mind was to use some hot pink! LOL The rest, as they say, is history.

Thanks again for reading today. Tomorrow, I have another pub'ed card to share. See ya soon! :)

SUPPLIES: OLD Sizzix's Original flower die, plastic from a one gallon milk jug, stamps are Hero Arts (Designer Woodgrain and Friends set) and SU! (small pink flower), card stocks are SU! (black, Pink Passion), inks are SU! (black craft and P.Passion classic) and Memories (black), black embossing powder, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder, Hero Arts button, SU ribbon, and pop dots... WHEW!

another card for CFH (featured on the Hero Arts blog)

2009-05-27T11:42:00.006-05:00

Hello! Hope you (U.S. friends) had a great holiday weekend! :) Here's a card that was featured on the Hero Arts blog yesterday that I'll also be sending off to Cards For Heroes. It's a Father's Day card with an obviously patriotic theme (click to see details):

I stamped the Thanks Definition stamp on white card stock, trimmed it, and glued it to the Crimson note card. Then I trimmed a kraft note card, punched one end with a square punch, ran it through my crimper, and positioned it over the definition with pop dots. The blue "frame" was done with two different-sized square punches: first a smaller punch was used on the blue card stock, then I turned the larger punch upside down so I could see the card stock inside it. I positioned the larger square over the smaller square punched area, and punched! Voila... perfect frame. :) You could also do this with some square Nesties, if you have them. The rest of the card is pretty self-explanatory, I think.

Well it's Wednesday, and that means I have another Thrifty Thursday deal to share with you! :) This really is such a rockin' deal... TWO sets of stamps (valued at about $20 EACH) for just $11 + shipping. You can find the stamp sets HERE.

Or, you can head on over to the Hero Arts blog for some more cards from my fellow Hero Hostess and a FABULOUS card and video from the great Jennifer McGuire. The theme/challenge this week is manly cards. A lot of people say they have trouble with them, but you're sure to be inspired by all of the wonderful ideas the Hero Arts blog has for masculine cards this week! Check it out! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a good one!

SUPPLIES: Hero Arts stamps (Galaxy of Stars, Thanks Background, and Happy Greetings), Hero's kraft and Crimson note cards, blue and white card stocks, Blue Iris chalk ink, SU! craft ink, white embossing powder, Fiskars crimper, Hero Summer button, thin jute, and pop dots

Cards For Heroes Memorial Day blog hop!

2009-05-23T02:00:00.015-05:00

Hey, there! Welcome to another stop on the Cards For Heroes Memorial Day blog hop! :) If you happen to be stopping by randomly, be sure to go HERE to start at the 'top of the hop'. There are SO many wonderful creations to see... you won't want to miss a single one! :)

Cards For Heroes is a wonderful, WONDERFUL organization that sends handmade cards to our troops overseas... either as a thank you to them for their amazing dedication and sacrifice, or as blanks for them to send to their own families and loved ones. Check out the Cards For Heroes homepage HERE to find out how YOU can get involved, either through card making or monetary donations to go toward shipping.

Not many people know this about me (probably because it was so long ago), but my Dad was in the military... the Air Force, to be exact. He was an expert avionics communication technician stationed in the Philippines. Basically, he built and/or fixed the radios and communication equipment on the fighter planes. So any efforts to support our nation's military definitely touches my heart personally. :)

And just to let you know how much of a difference CFH is making in the lives of our soldiers, just check out THIS PAGE... emails and notes of gratitude from soldiers for all that CFH has done and meant to them and their families. I dare you to read a few and not get teary-eyed. ;)

Anyhoo, here's my card (click to see larger):

The star was stitched using one of those shaped plastic canvases (thanks, Cindi!) found in the needlepoint section of your local craft store. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes... and they're super cheap! Like maybe a buck or less? After using the template to pierce my design, I just used plain ol' embroidery floss to stitch the stars. The rest is pretty simple... a nice sentiment and some heat embossed stars that were cut out and pop dotted randomly. I hope it brings a smile to a soldier's face! :)

WE LOVE YOU, TROOPS! Thank you for all that you do for us, every single day. HOOAH! :)

And now, on to the next stop in the blog hop:

Diary of a Crazy Redhead!

She's a fantastic writer! You'll be sure to enjoy reading her posts and seeing her creations. :)

Thanks to you all for stopping by! I hope you were inspired to do something to show your support for our troops. Make a card or make a donation... either one will mean more than you could ever know. :)

Have a beautiful, blessed Memorial Day!

SUPPLIES: Hero Arts kraft note card, SU! card stock, VersaMagic chalk ink, SU! white pigment ink, DMC floss, needlepoint star template, Hero Arts sentiment (CL286) and heat embossed stars (CL318), and pop dots

dotty hello

2009-05-21T11:03:00.003-05:00

Hello again! :) Here's my card for last week's "Dots" challenge over at the Hero Arts blog. Who doesn't LOVE dots?! :)

I used a classic Hero set - Box of Dots (of course!) - to make the flower petals by stamping repeatedly in a circle. The background was first stamped with the dots, then with the clouds. I L-O-V-E this cloud stamp, can you tell?! LOL ;) The white dots on the card base are actually embossed from a Cuttlebug embossing strip and then rubbed with a sanding block to reveal the card's white core underneath. I love this color combo, too, don't you?! This was such a fun challenge! :)

Thanks for the peek. It's almost the weekend, YAY!

SUPPLIES: all images (except Dotted background, which is SU!) are Hero Arts (LL890, CL223, CL291, S5215), card base is DCWV, inks are Colorbox chalk inks, Cuttlebug "Just My Type" embossing folder strip set, and LOTS of pop dots. :)

mid-week enabling, a blog hop, and some questions answered

2009-05-20T14:45:00.008-05:00

Howdy! How about a little enabling to help us get over the weekly hump? ;) My Sentiments Exactly always has "Thrifty Thrusdays"... an opportunity to buy some of their wonderful stamps at an AMAZING discount. (We're talking high quality, photopolymer stamps sets for about 75% off!) Since I get the emails for TT a day early, I thought I'd start sharing them with you guys as a mid-week pick-me-up! :) See this week's Thrifty Thursday deal HERE. You're welcome. ;)

Also, who's signing up for the CFH Blog Hop?

I'm going to participate... how about you? I love CFH - what a great way to do a little something for those who do A LOT for us. :)

One other little tid-bit... I had a couple questions about this card HERE and wanted to answer them. :)

Here's one from Shelly:

Yep! Just a simple black Zig Milleneum pen and my metal ruler, girl... voila. Doodled border. :)

And then one from Jill W:

Hey, Jill! :) Those clouds are actually a brand new Hero Arts stamp released just this spring! You can get it HERE, at one of my favorite online stamp stores. Julie's customer service is some of the very best out there, no doubt about it. ;) Enjoy!

Hope that answers your questions! And thank you for all of your lovely comments, ladies. Inky hugs! :)

Tomorrow, I'll post my card from last week's Hero Arts "Dots" Challenge... see ya then! :)

rose anniversary

2009-05-18T10:46:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday to ya! A REALLY simple one here that was in SNR waaaay back when... September, maybe? Anyway, it's pretty basic, straight forward:

This was my first experiment with Copics and of course, I fell in love! LOL ;) Some (Xmas Red and Eucalyptus) Stickles were added for sparkle.

Hope your week is off to a good start! I'm excited - this our last week of homeschool... SUMMER TIME! :D Thanks for reading. See ya soon!

SUPPLIES: images are SU!, sentiment is Rubber Stampede, Copics, Stickles, and Hero Arts gemstones

hero arts 'inspired by' challenge

2009-05-14T11:57:00.004-05:00

Hey there! Whew, it's REALLY windy today... hope we don't blow away! :O

One of my "duties" as a Hero Arts Hostess is to create cards for the weekly blog challenges. Last week's challenge was to create a card inspired by one of the MANY entries into the "Win a Day on the Hero Arts Blog" contest. There were almost 2,500 entries! To say I had a tough time narrowing it down would be an understatement. But I finally settled on this FAB card by Jill as my inspiration, resulting in this card:

I loved how Jill used color and texture to take her one-layer card to the next level. I changed up a few details, but basically kept the design the same. I LOVED your card, Jill! Thank you for all of your wonderful contributions to the the Hero Arts Flickr group! :)

Thanks for stopping by today... it's almost Friday! :)

SUPPLIES: all stamps (cloud, dotted flower, butterfly, and sentiment) are Hero Arts... diamond Stickles on the butterfly wings and black pen used to outline.

cricut cards

2009-05-12T12:18:00.007-05:00

Hey! Happy Tuesday. :) Today my new Cricut Expression is being delivered - YAY! In honor of that, I thought I'd post something I made waaaay back during my hiatus. Super quick and simple here, as most of the work was done with my Cricut machine. (Still have that guy for sale - including a BRAND NEW Plantin Schoolbook cart with it - ready to DEAL!) The only stamping was the sentiment(s):

The leaf silhouette image was cut out of black card stock and the mat behind that was cut out of turquoise card stock - both shapes are from the Storybook cartridge... LOVE that cartridge! Amazingly beautiful images and shapes on that cart. :) The image looks a little blurry because of the dimension... the leaves aren't glued down in all areas, resulting in shadows when I took the pic, sorry. It came together so quickly, and I loved how it turned out so much, that I decided to make a bunch more to either have on hand, or give away as a coordinated set:

I used a bunch of different colored card stocks for the mats - colors that I don't usually use on my paper projects because they're just... not quite my style. LOL This is a great way to use up those colors that come in multi-packs that you're not particularly fond of, or it's a great way to help use up your scraps. The sentiments were stamped very quickly and easily with black ink. If you're interested in a certain sentiment, just ask! :)

Anyway, back to impatiently waiting for the delivery man. ;) Thanks for reading and have a lovely day!

SUPPLIES: cards stocks - various, stamps - Hero Arts and SU!, Cricut Storybook cart, pop dots

halloween in the spring

2009-05-07T14:38:00.007-05:00

Hey, there! :) I know I'm posting later than usual... the weather is seriously luring me outside today! It's gorgeous. I'm really trying to appreciate it all that I can now, considering we may be moving back to AZ in a month or so. :/

Anyway, here's those two Halloween cards that I made and had pub'ed last year. I don't usually make Halloween cards, but they were for an assignment. This first one uses some Hero Arts owls that are actually line art images, but coloring them in with a black pen turns them into silhouette images! Perfect for that spooky night time scene:

I know the photography isn't the best here, but I was literally shooting dozens of pics the other night... didn't strive too much to make each one come out perfect, sorry. ;) You can click the images to make them larger to see more detail. Anyway, I punched out a piece of copy paper and used the negative from that to mask the entire sky so I could brayer the moon in with yellow ink. Then I used the punched piece to mask the moon and brayered the sky. Like I said, I stamped the owls, but then colored them in with a black pen and added googlie eyes to really make them spooky!

This card is pretty straight forward, but it was a fun one to put together:

The card base was stamped ("Sanded" from SU) and sponged, the pumpkins were paper pieced with their expressions heat embossed, and the bats were heat embossed. The alpha is from SU's "Typeset" alpha - pretty sure that's the name - also heat embossed.

Anyhoo, better get back outside! We're scheduled for rain this weekend, so it's now or never! OH - and my brand NEW Cricut Expression is on it's way! YAY! Can't wait until that gets here. :) I still have my original up for sale, and I'm now including an exclusive cartridge (Plantin Schoolbook) with it, so let me know ASAP if you're interested! And stay tuned for some really great clean and simple cards done on the Cricut machine with the Storybook cartridge, too! ;)

Thanks for reading today... see you soon!

SUPPLIES:
"Happy Halloween" - stamps are Hero Arts (Sparkle Clear Yoo Hoo Owls), Stampabilities (web), and Inkadinkado (sentiment), Vivid and Memories inks, glossy card stock and googlie eyes
"BOO!" - stamps are all SU!, inks are SU! card stock is SU!, ribbon is May Arts

hello friend (may flowers challenge)

2009-05-04T10:20:00.001-05:00

The challenge over at the Hero Arts blog last week was right up my alley - flowers. Just about every card I do has a flower somewhere on it. LOL For this card, I wanted to really highlight the flower, so I used a really cool technique on it and popped it up, front and center:

The flower was stamped on shimmery card stock and then "painted" with a waterbursh and reinkers while the paper was still dripping wet. This makes the ink run and bleed, darker in some areas and lighter in others. Tough to catch with the camera at 11:30 at night, but pretty cool in person. I wish I would've had more time to really get that sentiment nice and straight and perfectly spaced... it bugs me. LOL But, I had to get this done in time to post to the Flickr pool. And I think I can say that I'm pretty much all caught up now! LOL *deep breath* Feels good. :)

Thanks for peekin' in today. Hope your week is off to a good start! :)

SUPPLIES: Hero Arts stamps (CL223 and CL272), black and white pigment inks and embossing powders, MM square button, DCWV notecard, and pop dots

always a day late (distress challenge)

2009-04-30T12:29:00.002-05:00

Hello! :) Last week's challenge over at the Hero Arts Blog was a distress challenge. And anyone who knows me or is familiar with my style knows that in this case, "challenge" is quite the understatement for me here! LOL Well, the last couple of weeks have been a challenge of their own, personally speaking... wrapping up school, my husband changing jobs, realizing the distinct probability of being transferred back to AZ, yadda yadda yadda... that's why there hasn't been anything new to see, and that's why I didn't get my challenge entry as a Hero Hostess done and submitted on time last week.

But I got it done yesterday! LOL Better late than never, I guess. :)

Like I said, I don't distress often, so I just sponged and shredded until it looked about right. ;) The background is one of the brand new Hero Arts stamps from their spring supplement catalog! You can't really see it here, because of the technique I used with it (see below), but you can click HERE to see it. I LOVE this stamp! Isn't it fabulous?! I definitely see this one becoming an all-time fave! :D

**TIP** One way to get a distressed look from your stamps right off the bat (particularly with a large background stamp) is to not ink it up all the way. Just tap your inkpad to some areas of the stamp and not to others, and then stamp... it gives an almost faded wallpaper look. It's difficult to see in this photo, but if you click on it to make it larger, hopefully you'll be able to see the detail. :)

As usual, thanks so much for stopping by today. See you soon!

SUPPLIES: All supplies (except for linen thread and chocolate card stock - SU!, and cut-up flower as leaves - Prima) are Hero. Notecard, inks, stamps, collage flowers, pearls... all Hero.

old pub - thanksgiving table scape

2009-04-28T09:37:00.009-05:00

Hey there! :) Since you all were so nice to say that you didn't mind me posting some of my old SNR pubs even though they're quite out of season, I thought I'd start out with this big one. It's a Thanksgiving table scape that ended up being its own feature in the mag! :D Click any pic to see it larger:

And here's each item up close. First, the candle belly band and place card...

...then the napkin ring...

...the dinner favor...

...the wine bottle tag (with room for a note to the hostess and a signature)...

...and a close up of the wine glass charm.

I'll put a general supply list down at the bottom of this post, but if there's anything more specific you'd like to know, please... just ask! :)

More soon. Thanks for stopping by today and for all of your wonderful comments! Each and every one is much appreciated. XO

**These items can be seen in the October issue of Scrapbook News & Review.**

SUPPLIES: Kraft and SU! card stocks, kraft favor box from Michael's, Coluzzle, acetate, raffia, Hero Arts Leaf Flourish stamp, SU! alpha and "Many Thanks" stamps, QuicKutz leaf die (larger leaf), EK Success & McGill leaf punches (smaller leaves), SU! inks and sponges, jewelry findings and beads (wine glass charm), and pop dots

more from the Spring Fling crop and a Cricut for sale

2009-04-17T12:29:00.006-05:00

Hello, there! :) Remember the Spring Fling crop held over at SNR last month? And remember I mentioned hostessing two of the challenges that day? One was a photo inspiration challenge (see this post HERE), and the other was a color challenge. I offered up my own springy color palette, and participants made projects using it:

Sort of reminds me of sherbet! LOL (There was another color challenge going on with SNR's sister site, The Card Universe, which included more sugary pastels like light pink, blue, and lavender. So I was going for something that was still springy, but yet different.) And here's the sample I made:

Just a quick and easy little gift bag. :) I used my Cricut machine for the bag and the grass (Plantin Schoolbook cart)... some premade flowers, punches, and gems, and it's done. It's difficult to tell, but the bag was stamped with SU!'s Dotted background and then embossed with Irridescent Ice EP. The fun paper shreds were just skinny slivers I cut using my Tonic guillotine trimmer, and then run through my crimper.

Speaking of my Cricut machine... would anyone be interested in buying it from me? It's only about a year old, and while I have used it a bit, I haven't used it enough to even warrant replacing the blade yet (however, I would certainly include a brand new blade with the machine, along with an extra.) I take a lot of pride in my tools and treat them with nothing but TLC. :) The reason why I'm selling it is because I really want the Cricut Create! It's just like the baby bug except for a few different features on it that I could definitely put to use. But hubby says that I need to find a home for this one before considering it. It's a great starter machine, or perfect for someone who enjoys occasional diecutting. If anyone's interested or has any questions about it, I'm certainly willing to deal! ;) Just shoot me an email over in the sidebar!

Okey doke, time to go play with my awesome new Hero Hostess goodies that Brown brought me yesterday... some of the goodies aren't even in stores yet! WOO HOO! It's going to be a GREAT weekend. ;) Hope you have a great weekend, too! Thanks for stopping by! :)

SUPPLIES: Bazzill and SU! card stocks, KI Memories paper, Plantin Schoolbook Cricut cartridge, SU! Dotted stamp, VersaMark and SU! Irridescent Ice EP, Making Memories, Prima, and Hero Arts flowers, Hero Arts Gemstones, Martha Stewart punch, Michael's ribbon, and pop dots

winner winner, chicken dinner! and a hero challenge card

2009-04-09T12:19:00.009-05:00

Howdy! WOW - thank you for all of the great comments on your springy/Easter plans. So many of you love gardening... that's cool! It's still snowing out here about once a week, so outdoor activities are sporadic at best. And we have no extended family out here either, so we'll just be celebrating Easter with our own little family - eggs, goodies, church, maybe some afternoon kite flying... :)

Anyhoo - the winner! I had random.org pick a number for me:

And the 21st comment belongs to:

Congratulations, Jessica! I will email you for your mailing address. And thanks to everyone for playing along! :)

Now, for something to see... the Hero Arts blog challenge this week is to stamp on anything BUT paper. Here's my card, inspired by Tami Hartley's adorable tote (see link above):

I stamped on acetate and buttons. The acetate is "floating" due to putting the stamped panel up on pop dots, which are strategically hidden under the flowers. Also hidden is some stamping I did with VersaMark on the card base - they're the same dots and circles used on the flower centers, embossed with some clear EP. This color combo was a bit of a stretch for me. Overall, I'm not too sure if I like how it came out. But it's good to try new things every once in a while, right? That's what challenges are for. ;)

Thanks for peekin' in today. It's almost the weekend! :)

SUPPLIES: All stamps Hero Arts, StazOn and VersaMark inks, DCWV card base, clear EP, acetate sheet, flowers are Prima and Hero, buttons and gemstones are also Hero, and pop dots

celebratory give-away

2009-04-06T14:33:00.007-05:00

Hey there! :) So very SORRY that I didn't get this posted last night as originally planned. I am pretty swamped right now (SNR deadlines looming, personal deadlines looming,) and it completely slipped my mind - DOH! But as they say, better late than never, right?

Besides... it's now Monday, and who couldn't use a little pick-me-up on a Monday? ;)

I know the offerings are slim, but I really am grateful for the blessings that have been bestowed upon me lately, and just want to say "Thanks", in whatever way possible. :)

I have a bunch of these Stampin' Up! Simply Scrappin' kits from Sale-A-Bration '07, I believe...? (Angela, feel free to correct me! LOL) It truly is a FABULOUS kit - thus why I have extras! LOL

- Two 12x12 sheets of Bashful Blue card stock
- Two 12x12 sheets of Certainly Celery card stock (my FAVORITE green of all time)
- One 12x12 sheet of So Saffron card stock
- Four sheets of gorgeous patterned paper (2 sheets each of two different patterns)
and
- Six 6x12 sheets of self-adhesive diecuts... embellies, borders, tags, the works!

Really, a beautiful kit... perfect for those springy, Easter cards and layouts! ;) Also included is this awesome DesignBlock stamp from Hero Arts (it wouldn't be a "celebratory give-away" without something from Hero)! You can see cards I've made with this stamp HERE and HERE. It is absolutely one of my favorite Hero stamps ever. Sooo many possibilities with it! (Don't worry - I'm not giving away MY stamp... this is an un-used extra that was sent to me.) I'm also going to include one more little surprise with the package - probably something fun like embellies or flowers or ribbon... but you'll have to wait for it to arrive to find out what it will be! Muahahaha... ;)

Anyway, just leave me a comment to this post telling me about your springy, Easter plans. Do you garden? Travel? What does spring time mean for you and your family? Only one comment per person, please. And only comments posted by 10:00pm MST Wednesday, April 8, 2009, will be considered. Random.org will select the winner on the folllowing Thursday. Thanks for playing and I'm excited to hear what you have to say! :)

Thanks for stopping by today. More cards to see soon!

have you heard?

2009-04-04T12:03:00.003-05:00

So... I've been keeping this little secret.....

...and it's been killing me! LOL I'm totally excited. :) (See this Hero Arts Blog post for the details.) And check out my fellow hostesses! Seriously, I am shocked and SO humbly honored to be a part of this amazingly giving and talented group:

Jennifer Biederman (Jenn's blog)
Kelly Booth
Judy Jung
Donna Mikasa
Deborah Nolan (Deb's blog)
and
Karen Piskor!

Big congrats and inky hugs to you all! I can't wait. And big, BIG thanks to Hero for this great opportunity. :)

I promised a give-away a few days ago, and now, it has extra special meaning. :) Stay tuned for the celebratory give-away later this weekend! ;)

Thanks for reading. Hope your weekend is off to a great start! XO

another challenge card

2009-04-01T10:48:00.007-05:00

Here's another card I did for the Hero Arts one layer challenge. And of course, there's more masking. It really is a great way to give your one-layer cards dimension and interest without adding bulk.

With this card, I tried to mimic a strip of my favorite patterned paper - the Bo Bunny tone-on-tone dotted papers:

Again, sorry about the photo. The red strip was masked and brayered with Lipstick Red chalk ink, the dots were stamped with a darker burgundy red ink (Maroon chalk ink, I think?), and then the flourish stamped over that. All stamps (dots, flourish, and sentiment) are Hero Arts. Do me a favor, will you? Just pretend that you don't see the red fingerprint smudges all along the crease... I did my best to edit them out, but I can still see them and it's driving me batty. Grr, the pitfall of working with glossy card stock. ;)

We're in for even more snow today! It's so weird... been such a mild winter and now, all of a sudden, while everyone else is celebrating the beginning of spring and warmer weather, we're getting dumped on. LOL But, it is still desperately needed moisture, so I can't complain too loudly.

Thanks so much for peekin'. Have a great day! :)

SUPPLIES
All stamps are Hero Arts (Thank You Flourishes, Card Messages, and Tiny Jubilee Dots), inks are Colorbox and Memories, flowers are Paper Studio, Hero Arts, and Chatterbox (rhinestone flower), and black gemstones are Hero Arts.

hero arts blog birthday challenge

2009-03-31T12:34:00.003-05:00

Hello. :) Here's a card I did way back in December during my blogging hiatus... one of, I think, maybe two total. LOL I didn't stamp much because it was still too painful. But, it was right after Christmas and I needed a couple of really special thank you cards.

I love this little Hero Arts thank you tree. Lots of possibilities with it, such as masking/reverse masking and punches, etc. Here, I did some reverse masking:

Please excuse the poor photo quality. I don't have the time, strength, or patience anymore to stress about it too much. :/ The heart is a punch that was covered with red glitter and popped up on dimensionals, everything else is pretty self explanatory.

This week, the Hero Arts Blog is celebrating its first birthday with a one layer card challenge. I decided to just replicate the above card, but modify it to fit the challenge:

This time, for the heart, I used the negative of the punched out heart as a template to draw a red heart directly on to the tree, which was then traced with a glue pen and covered with red glitter. On the first card, the tree was semi-grounded by the red ribbon. Here, I just used a row of irregular polka dots from the Sparkle Clear "Just Wanted" set as the ground. This card has such a simple, clean feel to it that I really love. :) It's been a long time since I've participated in a Hero Arts challenge, but this week's seemed right up my alley. I'm looking forward to participating in them again.

In an effort to save time and strain, I have to start making my supply lists as short and sweet as possible. I'm just going on the assumption that everyone can pretty much tell what products I've used, but if there's ever anything that you'd like to know more about, by all means, please feel free to email me. :)

Oh, and thank you for your input regarding my pub'ed cards. I'll be posting those as soon as I can get them re-photographed.

Thanks for stopping by today. Stay tuned for a give-away soon! ;)

SUPPLIES:
Card 1 - stamp is Hero Arts, inks and card stock are SU!, Cuttlebug embossing folder, EK Success heart punch, May Arts ribbon, Art Institute glitter, and pop dots.
Card 2 - stamps are Hero Arts, inks are SU!, glitter is Art Insitute.

photo inspiration from the Spring Fling crop

2009-03-26T12:20:00.006-05:00

We've got a blizzard warning in effect until 6AM tomorrow morning. It's really coming down (sideways) out there! Up to 16 inches expected in the next 12-24 hours... yikes. Perfect day to stay in, sip hot tea, and play with my new SU! toys that Brown brought me yesterday. :D

Here's a sample from just one of the Spring Fling Crop challenges I hosted over at SNR. It was a photo inspiration challenge, with an Easter/spring theme.

Since a lovely new dress for Easter is tradition, I decided to use this one from Janie & Jack (LOVE that store!)as the inspiration for the challenge:

And here's my sample piece:

The crop was a HUGE success. My most heartfelt appreciation to those of you who stopped by in support - it absolutely means the world to me. XO

I have a lot of old cards that were pub'ed back in Oct. and Nov., but they are mostly holiday cards (Halloween, Thanksgiving, my Thanksgiving table scape, etc.). Is anyone interested in seeing those at this point? I'd like to put them on my blog, simply to chronicle them, but I'm not sure if I should do it now or wait until it's more seasonally appropriate...? Just wondering what you thought.

Off to play with my new goodies. Thanks for reading! Have a lovely day. :)

SUPPLIES:
All stamps, ink, corner punch, and card stock: Stampin' Up!, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Coluzzle cutting system, Hero Arts pearls (colored red with Copics), and pop dots.

Spring Fling Crop details

2009-03-21T13:49:00.005-05:00

It's never that easy. I planned to get my desktop PC back, upload all of the files I had the repair guy burn to disc for me, and just start posting away. But, as it turns out, there was more to my computer's issue than just the power source. My hard drive went out as well. So all of my photos... gone. :( At least I still have all of my personal photos saved elsewhere, but I will have to shoot new pics of my cards all over again, the ones I haven't already given away, that is. :( So bear with me... I appreciate your understanding.

And BACK UP your hard drive! As often as possible. I let it go just a couple of months and now this is the price I must pay. :P

Anyway, today is the Spring Fling Crop over at SNR!

I have my two challenges posted: A color inspiration challenge and a photo inspiration challenge! Click the links to see pics of my sample projects and the prizes that you can win - some awesome Hero Arts goodies! (I will post the photos of my projects and their corresponding supply lists to my blog at a later date.)

I must say - there are some truly AMAZING things going on over at SNR these days. I'm not at liberty to disclose the details, but I can say that I am SO PROUD to have become a part of that incredible team... Caitlin, the editor, is absolutely my hero. And to see her dream and all of her hard work finally begin to unfold and pay off... the right people taking notice... the opportunities in store for us as staff... I can hardly contain my excitement! Truly, it's HUGE. And I am one blessed stamper to get to be a part of it!

Off topic, any Twilight fans out there? I got my exclusive edition DVD last night at the Borders midnight release party (yes, I am a nerd, LOL). I'm draggin' a little today as a result, and my ears still haven't stopped ringing from all the teen girls' screaming, LOL but it was worth it. ;) The packaging is STUNNING and all of the special features are really cool!

Gotta head back over to the forums... hope to see you there! I appreciate the support. :)

More soon!

you know what they say about the best laid plans...

2009-03-10T19:00:00.006-05:00

Two days after my last post, my desktop's power supply went out (which is the 2nd power supply we've had to replace on that thing in the last 2 years, but I digress). All of my card photos were on that desktop, and admittedly, I hadn't backed up the hard drive in a few months. :P In addition, my laptop doesn't have a CF bay and I don't have a USB card reader, so I can't upload any of my pictures onto this computer either. Thus, the reason why I still don't have anything to post. LOL I suppose I could have gone out and bought the card reader, but I didn't really want to spend money on something that I'd essentially only need to use a few times. Long story short, the desktop should be ready in a couple of days, so I'll start uploading again shortly after that. ;)

In the mean time, check out SNR's Spring Fling Fun! This event is very similar to the Winter Wonderland Card Crop that we held back in November, but this time, it's geared towards everyone: card makers, scrapbookers, those who love to alter and make ATCs... everybody! :) The last event was so successful, we couldn't wait to do it again. The crop will be on the 21st, and I will personally be hosting two of the challenges (just like I did for the Winter Wonderland Card Crop), complete with prizes! And I gotta say, we have some amazing things planned... not just with the challenges, but some cool games as well (I am particularly excited about the Bingo)! In general, a really fun time. :)

Anyway, is it spring in your area yet? We were getting pretty warm there for a while back in February, but it decided that it wasn't quite ready for spring yet and has snowed a few times since. Over all, it's been a pretty mild winter. I can't wait until everything is green again!

Thanks again for all of your lovely comments! :)

back 2 blogging

2009-02-26T15:17:00.004-06:00

Hi, there! :) I'm back on the web, looking forward to sharing once again. Unfortunately, I was unable to stamp much during my hiatus, and what little I have done has been for publications. But I promise to have something to see very soon. ;)

I sincerely appreciate those who have stuck with me all this time, checking in and sending me emails... and I plan on showing my gratitude for that very, very soon. ;)

Another winner!

2008-11-16T16:34:00.004-06:00

And another WOW for all the great comments! I am actually very excited about making our Thanksgiving dinner this year, now that I have all of these great ideas, so thank you! The dishes you all mentioned sound absolutely fabulous! :D

On to the winner... random.org picked a number for me, and that number is...

...comment #19, which belongs to...

DAWN!!! Congratulations! I can't seem to find an email for you, so if you could email me (link in sidebar), I will get your stamps out to you right away! :) And thanks again everyone for playing. More give-aways to come soon. :)

Here's a real quick card I did for a "sheer/transparency" publication assignment over at SNR. The floral panel underneath was stamped with various SU! images and inks, and the sentiment was stamped on the vellum and heat embossed (click to see larger):

Just a real simple one here. The inks I used are actually very vibrant, but with the vellum overlay, they look much softer. A tip when heat embossing on vellum: try to use vellum card stock and detail embossing powder if at all possible. Vellum card stock is thicker and more resistant to warping, and the finer granules in detail EP will usually melt faster, and therefore lessen the chances of warping your vellum as well. Also, keep your heat gun at a considerable distance and in motion during the entire process. It takes time to emboss on vellum, so patience is key... but the results will definitely be worth it. ;)

Thanks again for peekin' in today. Hope your weekend was a good one! :)

PAPER - Stampin' Up! card stocks and vellum card stock
STAMPS - Stampin' Up! "Petal Prints" and "Close As A Memory" stamp sets
INKS - Stampin' Up!
MISC - black detail embossing powder and heat tool, organdy ribbon

More from WCMD and another give-away

2008-11-14T13:30:00.002-06:00

Hi, there. :) It's been a busy week over here, with my SNR assignments due, my mom's birthday, my son's birthday, some scary issues with my flash card reader, and a pitifully intermittent internet connection (reasons unknown, as we have high speed cable). :P Anyway, I'm hopeful things will resume back to normal around here soon.

Here's another card I made for one of the WCMD challenges held over at SNR. This one was for the "We Three Kings" challenge where you had to use at least three patterned papers on your card. It came together really quickly and would be another great layout for holiday card mass production (click to see larger):

Real easy - just four coordinated papers, a square punch, a chipboard star (could be a simple card stock star), and a stamp. The sentiment was stamped in Cranberry Crisp ink, which was only available in a dye formula, but is actually heat embossed! Just ink your stamp with VersaMark first, then lightly ink it with the dye ink and stamp. Some clear EP and a blast from the heat gun - presto! And embossed image with dye ink. The star was covered with Old Olive card stock and the edges were inked to give a finished look. And for the tool lovers out there like me, you can't go wrong with the Basic Grey chipboard file set. Absolutely worth every penny if you like to work with a lot of chipboard!

So... how about another weekend give-away? The last one was so much fun, I wanted to do another. :)

I have more Hero Arts goodness to share... this fabulous Flower Blossom Border set and the Artistic Leaves set (click photo to see larger)! This time, I'd love to know what your family's favorite holiday dish is. I admit, I'm in a bit of a rut when it comes to our holiday dinners. Since moving away from family over a year ago, and no longer being able to rely on the variety of our potluck style holiday family get-togethers, the entire menu and its preparation is left up to me. And to make it all easier on myself, I tend to just stick to the classics. But I really need to change it up a bit! So just leave me a comment telling me what your most-loved holiday dish is. Only one comment per person, please, and only comments left prior to November 15th, 11:59 PM EST will be considered.

I'll draw a winner (via random.org) sometime Sunday. Can't wait to read the replies! Thanks for stopping by and reading today. Have a great weekend! :)

PAPER - SU!'s Vanilla and Olive card stock, SU!'s "Holiday Thyme" DSP
STAMPS - Hero Arts' "Jolly Christmas" (CL232)
INK - SU! Cranberry Crisp, Versamark, and Olive Fluid Chalk
MISC - square punch, Heidi Swapp chipboard star, Basic Grey chipboard file set, clear EP and heat tool, pop dots

We Have a Winner!

2008-11-08T11:36:00.003-06:00

WOW! Thank you all very much for your lovely comments. :) I read every single one, and am so grateful for your suggestions! However, it appears I'm not the only one who tends to stick to the classics! I am in good company. :) I can't believe I completely forgot about Josh Groban... DOH! Of course I need his CD! LOL But thanks to you all, I now have many others that I want to check out as well. ;)

And now on to the winner! :) I used Random.org to pick my number, and it chose...

...comment #84. Which was from...

RONA!!! Congratulations! I can't seem to find an email for you, so just send one to me by clicking the link under "Contact Me" in the sidebar, and I'll get these great stamps right out to you! :)

And for something to see, here's a real simple Christmas card I did for a World Card Making Day challenge over at SNR. All of the challenges that day were based on holiday tunes, and this one was for "The Holly & The Ivy" (click to see larger):

The challenge was to use some sort of holiday greenery on our card... holly, ivy, poinsettias, etc. I think my card is pretty self-explanatory. LOL ;) Those Hero Arts Felt Poinsettias are awesome! They add great texture. Anyway, a real simple one that would be super easy to duplicate in large numbers. Don't forget to stamp your envelope for that extra special holiday touch!

Thanks again for stopping by today and for reading. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

PAPER - Hero Arts Crimson Notecard, red strip and green card stock are unknown
STAMPS - Hero Arts Holly Flourish and Winter Messages
INK - VersaMark, Colorbox gold pigment, and Colorbox Fluid Chalk in Lipstick Red (envie)
MISC - Ranger clear EP and gold EP, heat tool, Hero Arts Felt Poinsettia & Leaves, and MM gold brad

Today's the day!

2008-11-06T16:12:00.004-06:00

It's finally here! The day I co-host with the super sweet and talented Nancy on the Hero Arts Club Blog. :) See our cards and the rest of the post here, and leave a comment to be entered into a drawing for some goodies!

And to celebrate here on my blog, I'm giving away some fun stuff, too (click to see larger):

First up are some of the same stamps that I used on my cards for today's post at the Hero Arts blog. One randomly drawn winner will receive a brand new Clear Design Branch and Leaf Long Border set AND a brand new Poinsettia & Birds DesignBlock!

Just leave me a comment to this post telling me about your favorite holiday music. I tend to be nostalgic when picking out Christmas tunes, and always lean toward the classics that my parents played when I was a kid - Sinatra, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, etc. However, I recently heard Sarah McLachlan's "Wintersong" and was blown away! I realized that I need to expand my holiday music collection with some more modern artists and would love your input! :) Only one comment per person please, and only comments left prior to 11:59 PM EST Friday night (Nov. 7) will be included in the drawing. I will post the winner on Saturday morning. What a way to start the weekend! :D

Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing in my excitement today! :) This has just been such an amazing and surreal experience. Nancy is an absolute sweetheart! Such a pleasure to work with, and so kind and patient. I have been so blessed! Have a great day and check back soon... I'm not done with the give-aways just yet. ;)

EDIT TO ADD 8/10/09: Here are my cards that were featured. Be sure to click the links at the beginning of this post to be taken to the Hero Arts blog for full product lists and details. :)

Monochromatic Merry Christmas:

Season's Greetings:

You Are Amazing:

Thanks again for looking!

Colorful Hello

2008-11-03T17:42:00.003-06:00

Here's another card pub'ed in SNR's September issue. It was for a "Simple Sentiment" assignment (click to see larger):

The alpha is from Scrappy Cat and I just love it - it's so fun! Who doesn't love dots? ;) Each letter was stamped with Memories black ink on to different colored card stocks and then cut out and arranged on the card with pop dots. The flowers are Heidi Swapp and Hero Arts. The button isn't really that day-glo in real life! LOL Not too sure what happened there... anyway, pretty "simple". :)

Have you been to the Hero Arts Club Blog yet today? It's Day 1 of the first ever "Win A Day On The Hero Arts Blog" week. (Remember This post here?) Today was Ashley and Lisa's day, and boy, did they spoil everyone with some amazing creations! Thursday is my day with Nancy... can't wait! So very excited. :) And I may just celebrate the occasion with a little give-away right here on the ol' blog. ;) Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great week!

PAPER - Georgia Pacific (white) and SU! (black)
STAMPS - Scrappy Cat "Pajama Party" alpha
INK - Memories black
MISC - Cuttlebug "Swiss Dots" embossing folder, Heidi Swapp and Hero Arts flowers, Hero Arts button, machine stitching, simple string, and pop dots

Remember WCMD?

2008-10-28T12:50:00.002-05:00

I was really super busy that day, monitoring my challenges over at the SNR message boards, leaving praise, and having a good ol' time. :) However, I did manage to squeeze in some time to make a card... even if it didn't come out all that great. LOL

Here's a card made with SU's "Snow Swirled" set. As soon as I saw this set, I knew I had to order it... it's just SO pretty! The color combo was inspired by some gorgeous holiday ribbon I had seen at Michael's, and I knew it would be perfect with these images (click to see larger):

The tree was stamped in Sage, and then I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to stamp the snowflake ornaments once more with gold pigment ink so I could heat emboss them. I then used my Chocolate marker to go over the flourish dots. After my image was complete, I cut it out and embossed the edges with one of my rectangle Nestabilities. I love my Nestabilities for centering around a previously stamped image... you're guaranteed a perfectly squared, centered image.

However... (and this may be old news to some, but I had never heard this tip before, so learn from my mistake!)

**BIG TIP** If you're planning on doing any heat embossing to any part of your image, it's best to use your Nesties to cut/emboss your card stock FIRST, and THEN use a Stamp-A-ma-Jig to center your focal image and stamp/emboss. I did it the other way and wasn't really thinking (hey... I was sorta distracted that day, LOL) and after running the heat embossed image and the Nestie die through my high pressure Cuttlebug, a lot of the gold EP cracked and flaked off. :P What a mess. I had to go back over the bare areas with my VersaMarker and reheat some more gold EP... you can tell in the photo which snowflakes were "repaired". LOL It looks pretty sloppy. Anyway, when heat embossing your image, Nestie FIRST, then heat emboss!

By the way... I apologize for locking everyone out all day yesterday! LOL I closed down my blog so I could work on publishing some complicated entries to see how they would look without having to worry about anyone else seeing them just yet, and forgot to change my settings back once I was done. DOH! So sorry about that... thanks for letting me know! And for your patience. :)

Have a great day.

PAPER - Stampin' Up! (Sage, Chocolate, Vanilla... gold is unknown
STAMPS - Stampin' Up! "Snow Swirled"
INK - Stampin' Up! (Sage, Chocolate [marker],) and Colorbox gold pigment
MISC - Nestabilities (LG rectangles), Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, Perfect Layers, Ranger gold EP, heat tool, SU! Chocolate satin ribbon (last year's catty), and pop dots

One of my pub'ed items

2008-10-21T09:51:00.002-05:00

Here's a card that was pub'ed in the September issue of SNR. (Speaking of SNR, check out a sneaky peeky of my Thanksgiving table scape at the top of the main page! :D Subscribers get to see the whole enchilada... napkin ring, dinner favor, wine glass charm, and more!)

The assignment was to use clear/sheer elements and this is one of two cards (click to see detail) I did for that assignment. Similar to this card here, I stamped the image on acetate and then painted on the back. Popped it up on dimensionals, added some bling, some piercing, and it's good to go. :)

Not feeling too chatty today, so I'll just leave it at that. Thanks for stopping by. :)

PAPER - Stampin' Up! (R. Rose, C. Celery, B. Black)
STAMPS - Stampin' Up! dotted argyle background, Hero Arts "Flourish Flower", Technique Tuesday "Simple Sentiments"
INK - Staz On
MISC - acetate, Making Memories acrylic paint, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, Perfect layers, Stampin' Up! Ticket Corner punch, dimensionals (black ones are from EK Success), rose adhesive rhinestones (unknown), paper piercer and template (Stampin' Up!)

I'm back

2008-10-10T18:58:00.006-05:00

Hey there! Long time no see. :) I've been so wrapped up in so many other things all at once that I just had to put the blog on the back burner. There was World Card Making Day, and then the beginning prep stages for my day on the Hero Arts blog, plus my assignment deadlines over at SNR. Speaking of which... to those who are subscribers over there, I have a complete Thanksgiving table scape presentation that will be it's very own article in November's issue! Lots of ideas for your table decorations, such as the place card, napkin ring, dinner favor box, wine glass charm and MORE! It was originally going to be just a regular issue assignment for the Card Connection section of the magazine, but my coordinator liked it so much, she's giving it its very own article in the magazine! Wheee! So be sure to watch for it! :D

Anyway, with all of that going on, plus school, I've been too busy to post. Not only that, but I haven't even taken pictures of some of my cards! LOL I've made 4 cards in the last two weeks that were never even photographed... I was just in too much of a hurry to send them off! Oopsie. Oh well... things are finally starting settle down now so I'll be able to leisurely stamp more. Besides... I still have my cards from WCMD that I can post. ;)

Here's my One Sheet Wonder that I stamped for my "Twelve Days of Christmas" challenge over at SNR (which was a huge success, BTW!)...

...and here are the finished cards (click either pic to see it larger).

Lots of sponging, emboss resist, silver pigment ink, and even though you can't really see it in the photos, I used my Sakura Quickie glue pen and my Art Institute glitter and hand drew lots of swirls and curly Qs. :) The pictures don't quite do it justice, as it's actually quite sparkly and pretty IRL! By the way - my custom template for the OSW makes TWELVE card elements from just ONE PIECE of 8.5x11 inch card stock! I still have it available for download if anyone would like to use it. Just click the "Email me" link over in the sidebar and put "OSW Template" in the subject line, and I will gladly email it to you!

Alrighty, hope you have a fabulous weekend! As always, thanks for stopping by. :)

SUPPLIES
paper - Georgia Pacific card stock
stamps - all Hero Arts snowflakes, Autumn Leaves swirls, and sentiments are Hero Arts and Stampin' Up!
ink - Colorbox Fluid Chalk and Colorbox silver pigment
misc - clear embossing powder and heat tool, sponges, Sakura Quickie glue pen, and Art Institute glitter

Because one day just isn't enough...

2008-10-05T12:32:00.007-05:00

We're still celebrating World Card-making Day over at SNR! We've had such a great response to the festivities that we're carrying it over another day.

Hope you're having a great weekend! :)

Today's the day!

2008-10-04T09:40:00.007-05:00

It's World Cardmaking Day! Woohooo! Are you ready? :)

I'm going to be over at SNR all day, heading up a couple of the challenges, and participating in a few myself! ;) I'm the same screen name over there, just like I am everywhere else - bnlnkids. LOL

You can find the general WCD forum RIGHT HERE. And there are three sub-forums for the challenges, games, and chatter.

Thanks for your support, guys. :) Hope to see you there!

so, what are YOU doing one week from today?

2008-09-27T19:26:00.020-05:00

Hopefully, you'll be hangin' out with me over at Scrapbook News and Review, partyin' down, and celebrating World Card Making Day in style! (Like my little counter I put up there?) Here's the official press release from the SNR website:

"Scrapbook News and Review Presents...

WCD Winter Wonderland Card Crop OCT 4th

Scrapbook News and Review is ringing in the holiday card making season in a grand way! World Card Making Day is Oct 4th, and we at Scrapbook News and Review are inviting you to join us for a full day of card making fun! There will be tons of games, challenges, and fun banter in the forums. Our galleries will be open for inspiration, including a new gallery filled with tons of holiday cheer. We will be showing a complete look at all the major holiday releases this year. There will also be fun guest sponsors and hosts, and fun prizes, too...definitely not to be missed!

Ready to get your holiday card making started? Want to see the fun Winter Lines the major manufacturers are debuting this season? Want to make some new friends, and maybe win a few prizes? Make plans to join Scrapbook News and Review (www.scrapbooknewsandreview.com) on Oct 4th for an all day Card Crop."

And here's the official details:

• This year's festivities are all based on holiday music. The challenges all have Christmas carol themes, and there will even be an audio player, streaming holiday music to enjoy while you're creating your holiday cards and/or chatting in the forums!

• Speaking of challenges, we've got a whole slew of them goin' on! Lots of festive, creative ideas to kick start the ol' mojo. A sample for each challenge will be posted in the exclusive holiday card gallery, and some of the challenges even have prizes!

• And speaking of the forums, there will be plenty of fun chatter to give you a break from all of that feverish card-making. ;) Bring your favorite holiday recipe to share, or pick up some new ones! Play games, or even chat with SNR staff members and designers. (*ahem*... heehee!)

• Oh, and don't forget the holiday card gallery! Created exclusively for the event, it's a place that's sure to get you in the spirit, with tons of ideas and inspiration. Come and upload your cards, leave comments, and save your favorites.

Best of all, you'll be getting a big jump on all of your holiday card making, AND having fun at the same time... what could be better than that?!

Personally, I will be hosting TWO of the challenges:
• "Blue Christmas" - a blue-themed inspiration challenge (visual inspiration pieces will be provided)
• "The Twelve Days of Christmas" - a One Sheet Wonder challenge (I have created my very own exclusive template that will be available for download which will enable you to get TWELVE holiday card elements from just ONE piece of 8.5 x 11 inch stamped card stock! Simply print, stamp, cut, and assemble, NO measuring required! How cool is that?! Although there is no limit to the number of challenges anyone can participate in, this challenge alone will definitely help you to knock out a huge chunk of your holiday cards... that's A DOZEN cards from JUST ONE challenge!)

I will also offer my own prizes for both challenges as well. Brand new product from Chatterbox, American Crafts, and Hero Arts are included! :D

All in all, this proves to be one awesome event. Honestly, I am SO excited about all the things that will be going on! The only thing left is YOU! So make sure to stop by, say hello, and hang out for a little bit... or a lotta bit. ;) The more the merrier! No pun intended. LOL

Thanks for reading. And a super huge THANK YOU for all of your really sweet comments on my last post. I still don't think it's officially sunk in yet! LOL Anyway, I'm hoping to have something for you to see in a few days, so until then, have a great weekend!

i know i've been gone a while, but...

2008-09-25T09:57:00.003-05:00

...have you checked out the Hero Arts Club blog today?

:D

I'll be back real soon. ;)

THANK YOU! :)

i didn't fall off the planet...

2008-09-11T10:27:00.011-05:00

... just taking a bit of a break. My hubby is taking some vacation time right now, we're starting a new year of (home) school, I have lots of projects I'm worknig on for SNR that I obviously can't show... everything's just crazy busy at the moment.

Hope things are going well with you! More soon. :)

9/11/01 - We will never forget.....

organic thank you

2008-09-02T09:36:00.005-05:00

Hi, there! For the American visitors, how was your Labor Day? :) Well, I've been having a blast breaking in my new SU! stamps! There's nothing quite as fun and exciting as new toys. ;) Here's a set that I just couldn't wait to ink up first (click to see larger):

I know there's not a lot of love out there for this new "Organic Outlines" set (some even describe it as "pond growth-ish" LOL!), but as soon as I saw it in the catty, I knew I had to make it mine (it figures I would go for the odd guy ;)). To me, it's different, it's fresh, it's funky... I just LOVE it.

First of all, somebody... help me step AWAY from the green card stock! LOL I don't know what it is with me lately... green, green, green. Anyway, I stamped the line image in the background with the darker Artichoke ink and matted it onto the Artichoke card stock. I quickly realized that I had wanted to mat it on black first. But since I was too lazy to stamp it over again I just very carefully ran the broad tip of a black marker along the edge... to make it look like there was a 1/16th of an inch black mat. I then stamped the solid image with Moss, cut it out, added some details with the fine tip of my black marker, and mounted it on shallow pop dots. I chose a bold, kinda funky/retro type for the sentiment to tie in the funky feel of the image. Black silk ribbon, paper piercing, and a few gemstones finish it off.

I really do love this set! I hope I can inspire others to love it as much as I do, because I really think it has a LOT of potential. I can't wait to come up with more ideas for it!

Thanks for stopping by today. Enjoy your week! :)

SUPPLIES
paper - SU! white, black, Moss, and Artichoke
stamps - SU! 'Organic Outlines' and Inkadinkado 'Chelsea Sentiments'
ink - SU! Moss and Artichoke Classic, and Memories black
misc - paper snips, SU! black marker, paper piercer and piercing mat, May Arts ribbon, Hero Arts gemstones, and pop dots

simple thank you

2008-08-28T10:25:00.009-05:00

Hey, there! How's your week going? Here's a real quick thank you card for a lovely lady named Pam from over at SplitCoast Stampers (click to see larger):

Pam is such a sweet lady... not only was she extremely helpful, but she even sent me a beautiful hand made card on top of it! So this card is my thank you to her. :)

Real easy one, here. With the exception of my new Cuttlebug folder (dotted strip) and Fiskars circle cutter (black mat), I used all Stampin' Up! products on this card . I love the way everything just coordinates so well together. Makes for great cards without too much time or effort. This card took less than five minutes! Gotta love that. ;) A set of these - all in different colors - would make a fabulous gift for someone, and take no time at all!

Speaking of SU!, my new sets were just delivered late last week! Woohooo! It's been a while since my last order. I've missed that distinct aroma of fresh, brand new rubbah... ahh. (I'm weird, I know... it's OK. ;) Hee!) I love the fact that SU! has now started die cutting their images, so you can just pop out, peel, and stick on the block. Super quick. The neatly pre-trimmed images really appeal to the Type A in me, LOL - they look so clean and professional once mounted on the block! And I bet this will help the overall resale value of SU! stamps, too.

And although it wasn't unanimous, it still looks like the Dandelion #1 card is quite clearly the winner. Thanks to everyone who voted! :) See you soon.

PS - Yes, the comment section has been re-enabled. I was getting a few emails and comments (on other sites) about the fact that they were disabled, so I decided to put them back up. I hope everyone knows that I really appreciate that and will do my best to reciprocate! :)

I also put up a FeedBlitz subscription button. I know a lot of people use either Google Reader or Bloglines these days, but I wanted to provide other options as well. ;) Please know that I am opting NOT to receive any tracking info from your subscription... so all of your info (except for your email address, of course) will remain completely private. ;) Thanks! :)

SUPPLIES
paper - SU! Certainly Celery, Whisper White, and Basic Black
stamps - SU! 'So Many Scallops' ('o8 Sale-A-Bration)
inks - SU! Certainly Celery Classic pad and Basic Black marker
misc - SU! scallop punch, Fiskars circle cutter, Cuttlebug 'Just My Type' dotted embossing strip, Scor-Pal, black brad, and pop dots

pick a dandelion

2008-08-21T09:48:00.029-05:00

Hey there! Today, I have two versions of the same dandelion card, and using the poll feature I added over in the sidebar (below my profile), I'd like YOU to pick your favorite! Clever post title then, yes? ;) **ETA: Voting is now closed. Thank you!**

This card is a design I've had rolling around in my noggin for a while now. Here is "Dandelion #1" (click to see larger):

I'm really happy with how this card turned out (I'm glad I was successful in getting idea to paper). I love the delicacy of this dandelion image, so I paired it with a delicate sentiment. And I think the stitching almost resembles "wind". I thought about adding just a few seeds throughout the stitching, but by the time that idea came to me, the card was already assembled (figures!). I think it would've been too risky to try adding them, so out of fear of ruining the card, I left them off... this time. ;) Anyway, while I really liked the card, I still couldn't help but feel like maybe it was missing something. So I tweaked it just a bit... here's "Dandelion #2" (click to see larger):

Better? Worse? No difference at all? LOL I thought maybe the black, wavy edges might give the card a bit more pop while also mirroring the stitching. And this was an easy fix, too... compared to my first idea of adding some floating seeds. I think I like it better, but what do YOU think? Let me know, and go vote! I really do appreciate your opinion. :) **ETA: Voting is now closed. Thank you!**

Lots to do over here... I'm busy finishing up my September assignments for Scrapbook News and Review, and getting ready to start on October's. By the way... have you signed up over there yet? If not, what are you waiting for?! Can't wait to see you there! ;)

**Comments have been disabled for this post.**

SUPPLIES
paper - SU! Whisper White, Basic Black, and Certainly Celery,
stamps - Hero Arts G4917 'Dandelion' and D3405 'Dainty Thinking'
ink - Memories (black) and SU! Celery marker
misc - Stamp-A-Ma-Jig (to rearrange the sentiment), paper snips, machine stitching, and pop dots... deco edge scissors (Provocraft) used on second card

sunset thank you

2008-08-15T10:11:00.005-05:00

Thank you so much for all of your well wishes regarding my last post. I sincerely appreciate the congratulatory e-mails I've received with all my heart! :)

Yes, this card is indeed as vibrant in person as it looks on your monitor. LOL In fact, I was quite pleased with how the photo came out... no color distortion at all, so no need for editing! ;) To be honest, I think this card came out really pretty. It totally reminds me of a sunset (click to see larger):

I do not own a single spectrum pad, so the blending was done by hand with sponges. I used Vivid brand inks. I love them because the colors truly are what their name suggests - VIVID! The ink itself is great, too, because it stays wet just a tad longer than traditional dyes, giving you plenty of work time. Here, I sponged the different colors on from darkest to lightest, working in circles, blending each color into the next. It's true that you'll get a much more gradual, blended look with a spectrum pad and a brayer, but if you don't own one or the other (or either), this method will work just as well. ;)

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

**Comments have been disabled for this post.**

SUPPLIES
paper - Archiver's glossy card stock, orange and black card stocks are unknown
stamps - Hero Arts 'Silhouette Corner' (H5011) and 'Mixed Thank You' (D4903)
ink - Memories (black), Vivid's Fuschia, Raspberry, and Yellow, and SU!'s Only Orange and Marigold Morning
misc - sponges, Hero Arts Gemstones, and pop dots

cool news, pt. 2

2008-08-12T11:23:00.007-05:00

Hey, there! :) Well, I'm finally able to share the second part of my cool news:

I'm proud to say that I am an official staff member of Scrapbook News & Review! As a "Stamper On Staff", my duties will include writing stamping technique articles, putting together photo tutorials, and submitting artwork.

Can you believe it?! How cool is that?! :D I was really impressed by SNR's format and content. It's all-encompassing (scrapbooking, stamping, altered art, home decor and paper crafted gifts, etc.) and caters to ALL styles and skill levels. I firmly believe that ezines are a huge part of our future, and am so grateful for the opportunity that Caitlin (and everyone at SNR) has given me. It's exciting to get in on this young adventure so early on and I will do my best to prove being a valuable asset to their staff. :) YAY!

In other stamp-related news, I am so totally IN LOVE with the new Stampin' Up! catalog! HOLY SMOKES... I'm definitely gonna be broke this year! I'm not all that fond of the In Colors this go-around... good thing, as I'll need the funds to spend on all that gorgeous new rubbah! LOL ;) My must-haves:

Snow Swirled - one of the most beautiful Christmas sets I've seen in a long time!
Inspired By Nature - beautiful... so many possibilities
Upsy Daisy - totally cool... love the sentiments
Organic Outlines - how funky is THAT set?! :D
Thank You Kindly - cool fonts!
Pocket Silhouettes - like I need another floral silhouette stamp, LOL but this one is small and sooo pretty
Contempo Alpha -love the font - and it's the perfect size!
And of course all of the new Designer Series Patterned Paper. And definitely all of the new ribbons. Oh, and all the new brads, too... and some Library Clips... yikes. Told you I was in trouble. LOL

By the way, are you enjoying the Olympics? Some events are proving to be more than exciting... the men's 4x100 meter night before last, and then the men's gymnastics last night... whoa! I've woken my kids up twice now, cheering and screaming. LOL

Well, thanks for stopping by today and sharing in my excitement! I will have some cards to post soon... I have actually been on vacation for the last week or so (the posts that went up last week were pre-scheduled) and am still playing catch-up with so many other things at the moment. ;) I was also given an award while I was away (thanks, Deborah)! So I'll need to pass that on as well. Hope your week is off to a great start... see you soon!

**Comments have been diabled for this post.**

my first wedding card

2008-08-08T10:18:00.028-05:00

This card is for my very special brother-in-law and his childhood sweetheart, who are getting married today. :D Congratulations, you two!

I've never needed to make a wedding card before... I really hope they like it (click to see larger):

Neither my BIL nor his fiancée are very froofy, frilly types, so I wanted to keep the card clean and void of flowers or ribbon or anything of that nature. It was even difficult to control myself when it came to adding the pearls! LOL I wanted to put them on all of the flourish points, as well as the frame and corners, but managed to restrain myself to just the latter. ;)

The card is just a Whisper White card stock base, 12 x 5.5, scored and folded. The bottom mat is a gorgeous, shimmery white card stock which actually has a slight ecru cast, making it stand out from the card base and still look monochromatic. The swirls were made cutting Whisper White with my QuicKutz Flourish die, and provide a nice, matte contrast to the shimmery paper. The center image is a stamp from Hero Arts' "Frames and Messages" set, embossed with a pearlescent white EP that matches the shimmery paper. The sentiment is from SU!'s "Happy Harmony" set from the '07 Sale-A-Bration mini (I think). I cut out the frame image and mounted it on vellum paper to help give it some definition from the background (I apologize for the vellum giving off a strange cast in the photo - IRL it looks much more translucent and blends perfectly). Hero Arts' pearls add the perfect touch.

A FEW TIPS:
• When working with diecuts, don't be afraid to let them "trail off" the edge of your card or scrapbook page. It's a tough look to describe, but doing that gives your project a more random, natural feel... like the diecuts were actually already part of the paper and not an added element, KWIM?
• When adhering multiple diecuts in a pattern, use a respositionable adhesive (here, I ran my pieces through my little Xyron with the repositionable cartridge put in) until you get them exactly the way you want them. Then go back with a little liquid adhesive and a toothpick to make them permanently stay in place, lifting a small section at a time to apply the glue.
• Whenever using a Xyron, always go over the edges of your adhered diecuts with an adhesive remover, to get rid of those stray boogies that are so typical when using a Xyron. :P Fortunately, since my card was white, I was able to follow up with a light dusting of baby powder to make sure any unreachable bits of adhesive would no longer be tacky and therefore resist lint or dirt later on down the line.
• When making a wedding card, keep in mind that this is a card that will likely become a keepsake and kept for many, many years. Always use acid-free, lignin-free, buffered paper and supplies to prevent as much deterioration as possible.

I think that's it! 'A' and 'T' are two of the most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and I can't even begin to describe my happiness for them. Love you guys! XO

Thanks for peekin' in today. Have a fabulous weekend!

**Comments have been disabled for this post.**

SUPPLIES
paper - SU! Whisper White, vellum paper, white shimmer is unknown (Archiver's?)
stamps - Hero Arts CL130 set and SU! 'Happy Harmony' set
ink - VersaMark, VersaFine (black)
misc - pearlescent white EP and heat tool, paper snips, SU! Ticket Corner punch, QuicKutz Flourish die, Hero Arts pearls, and pop dots

simple friend

2008-08-06T10:07:00.014-05:00

Here's a friendship card that I made over two weeks ago. I've been struggling to get a good photo of it (click to see larger):

Real simple, but still effective. The kraft card stock was masked and the 'By Definition' image stamped over the mask. Then I stamped the flora image over that, and embossed with some white EP. I also added some bling to the flower centers, and a little scoring with my Scor-Pal adds a nice, elegant touch, without being too distracting.

Hope you're having a great week so far! Thanks for stopping by today. :)

**This card can be seen in the Feb. '09 issue of Scrapbook News & Review .**
**Comments have been disabled for this post.**

SUPPLIES
paper - black and kraft card stocks
stamps - SU! 'By Definition' and Archiver's exclusive Hero Arts 'Friend' set
ink - Memories (black) and SU! Whisper White
misc - white EP and heat tool, Hero Arts (black) Gemstones, Scor-Pal, and pop dots

convention update

2008-08-02T18:56:00.008-05:00

Well, it's officially over! The big surprise was that UPS donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities by giving out a new SU! RMHC stamp set to every demo at the convention - over 6,000 of them! WOW - way to go UPS! :)

And here's another blog I came across today - more great pictures: Kim's blog EDIT: Look at that little Pharmacy font alpha (Calendar Alpha & Numbers)! *squeal* Another one to go on my must-have list... it'll match my QuicKutz Blossom diecuts PERFECTLY!

I am lovin' these peeks. Can't wait for the new catty! However, my wallet is groaning, as usual. ;) Have a great weekend!

**Comments have been disabled for this post.**

LOL

2008-08-02T13:58:00.007-05:00

Tonic Sol-Fa singing at the SU! convention. Click here to watch in high quality.

**Comments have been disabled for this post.**

SU! convention links

2008-08-02T11:54:00.015-05:00

I admit... I've been shamelessly stalking the SU! Convention chatter threads over at SCS. LOL Convention is always such an exciting time... tons of fun, and of course all the new products (catty) and ideas!

This year is exceptionally exciting, as SU! announced their partnership with Sizzix, and are manufacturing a custom Big Shot (die cut machine) and custom dies! WOW. This is HUGE! :D

Anyway, thought I'd share a few links to some blogs where I have found some great spoilers:

Big Shot News - First, here's the link to the .pdf announcing the new Big Shot and the dies.

Bevithia - This blog has a lot of pictures of convention, projects, and product. There's even a pic of the carrying case for the Big SHot that will also be available. Scroll down, and you'll find pictures of just one of the many cool items offered at Memento Mall... I believe I read somewhere that it is a small camera bag...? And how convenient that the new catty happened to be near by! LOL Look at that gorgeous ribbon and the DSP... Kristina, you did GOOD, girl! *swoon*

Linda's blog - Here's a blog that has a LOT of pictures! I am linking you to the first entry made a few days ago... keep clicking forward for the more recent entries to see more peeks at sets.

Patty's blog - Here's another blog with some great pics as well... notice the new Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware! *more swooning*

Dina's blog - And one more blog with some REALLY great shots of an apple. LOL ;) I think "Inspired By Nature" will be my very first purchase (Blackeyed Susans and grass blade images) - I LOVE that set!

Stampin' Andrea's SCS gallery - Here's one demo's SCS gallery where she's posted picutres of convention, products, card samples, and a whole lot more. Scroll down a bit and you'll see the complete Vanilla HP Hardware set (I have been hoarding my Making Memories vanilla hardware pieces for years now, because you can't find them anywhere... not anymore! ;)) and the new silver deco brads and clips.

SCS Convention Chatter - And finally, here's the chatter thread goin' on over at SCS. (EDIT: Oops, forgot the link. LOL) I'm actually supposed to be really busy today, but I can't help coming over and refreshing the page every once in a while to see if there's anything new posted. Kristina mentioned that there are even more surprises to look forward to being announced during the last General Session of the convention, which should start around 2pm MT. Can't wait to hear what ELSE is in store!

Speaking of SU!, I have really been negelcting my SU! stamps a lot lately. I have stamps that I got during Sale-A-Bration that STILL haven't seen ink! Need to work on that..... ;)

More later!

**Comments have been disabled for this post.**

cool news, pt. 1

2008-08-01T10:10:00.010-05:00

I can't believe I'm typing this, but.....

I'm going to be published! My first time ever. Can you believe it?!

It may not be that big of a big deal to some, but to me, it's totally exciting. I answered a friendship card call by submitting five of my most recent friendship cards, and they picked up THREE of them! Not bad for my first time outta the gate. ;)

The publication is a fairly new, paid subscription ezine called Scrapbook News & Review. The issue goes live August 9th. And I can't wait! :D

But there's more (as the "pt. 1" indicates LOL), and it's even bigger news. However, part 2 has to wait just a wee bit longer while a few final details get worked out. The second I get the green light, though, you can bet I'll be spillin'! LOL ;)

Thanks for stopping by today and sharing in my excitement. I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

PS - Like the updated header? :) While the original version was certainly a nice change from the previous one, I started to feel it was a little too stark and rather undefined. Hopefully this one will look better... more "grounded."

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chandelier inspiration

2008-07-30T12:21:00.007-05:00

After seeing all the fabulous B Line chandelier stamp cards that my sweet friend
Amy has been making lately (she even has one up on her blog today), I knew once I came across this Heidi Swapp stamp at Archiver's that I needed to try one for myself (click to see larger):

My husband says this card has a bit of a goth feel to it. LOL Regardless, I really like it. :) I'm sorry the photo isn't the best... I'm way too busy these days to do much striving for perfection in the photograph department. ;) The chandelier was off-stamped for a bit of visual interest. The patterned paper was stamped with the 'Sanded' SU! background stamp, and then distressed with a bit of sponging. Some velvet ribbon gave the chandelier its "suspension", and also added some texture. Some Hero Arts pearls accent the sentiment.

I promise to share part 1 of my cool news sometime before the weekend. ;) Have a great day and thanks for peekin'!

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SUPPLIES
paper - black card stock, Carolee's Creations patterned paper
stamps - chandelier by Heidi Swapp, SU! 'Sanded' background, sentiment by Inkadinkado ('Chelsea Sentiments')
ink - Memories black
misc - black velvet ribbon, Hero Arts pearls, pop dots

butterfly wrap-around card

2008-07-26T14:50:00.009-05:00

Here's my entry into the Wrap-Around Challenge over at the Hero Arts Blog (click to see larger):

I was also inspired by Kristina's Color Challenge, which consisted of using SU!'s Rose Red, Regal Rose, Sage Shadow, and Whisper White. I obviously didn't get the card done in time to enter her challenge, but I love the color combo, nonetheless. I can't remember the last time I used Sage Shadow! I need to remember to bring it out more. However, I have NO problem using Rose Red and/or Regal Rose... I run out of those two colors more than any other color! LOL Anyway, the Hero Arts butterflies are two-tone, with some Crystal Stickles added to the wings for sparkle, and the sentiment is Stampin' Up!.

Here, you can see the lower butterfly trail continue into the inside of the card. This little image is about 4.25 inches wide, and absoutely perfect for a wrap wround card! The inside sentiment is also Hero Arts.

And finally, it continues around the back of the card and meets up with the front again. I only used the tiny blings on the outside of the card... mostly because I ran out! LOL But it's also because it's just more practical to only put them on the outside. ;) Thank you, Tami, for those awesome little gems! They were the perfect size. :)

Hope you're having a great weekend so far! Thanks for stopping by.

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SUPPLIES
paper - SU! Sage Shadow, Whisper White, Basic Black
stamps - Hero Arts CL115,CL182, and SU!'s 'All Holidays' set
ink - SU! Rose Red, VersaMagic Oasis Green, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Rouge, and Colorbox pigment in black
misc - black EP and heat tool, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, Ranger Stickles in 'Crystal', bling (unknown source), and pop dots

look, ma! no stamps!

2008-07-25T11:41:00.004-05:00

Here's one of the cards I made last weekend that I haven't had the chance to photograph until today. Man... busy, busy!

Real simple one here... maybe took 10 minutes, total (click to see larger):

I've had this 'Spots & Dots' Cuttlebug folder forever, but I think this is the first time I've ever used it. I really need to get better at using stuff before buying more! LOL ;) Anyway, pretty easy... two shades of pink card stock, embossing, some wonderful silk ribbon, and a cute, little thank you charm, given to me by my sweet friend, Tami. :) And not one stamp was used on this card. That's weird for me.....

As for my "news", I promise... as soon as I'm allowed to spill, I will. ;) Thanks for peekin'! Have a great weekend!

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SUPPLIES
paper - SU! Rose Red & Pretty In Pink, Basic Black
misc. - Cuttlebug 'Spots & Dots' embossing folder, May Arts black silk ribbon, 'Thank You' charm (source unknown), and pop dots

SQUEAL

2008-07-22T17:10:00.008-05:00

I apologize that there's nothing to see again today. Even though I do have a couple cards ready to be photographed, I'm just super busy with some other stuff at the moment. Life, ya know? ;)

BUT... I do have some really cool news that I can hopefully share soon! So stay tuned! :D

Thanks for visiting! :)

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GASP

2008-07-18T10:39:00.007-05:00

Oh my goodness...

New QuicKutz Alphas

I am totally in love......... *swoon*

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masculine birthday

2008-07-17T16:54:00.016-05:00

It seems I never have enough masculine cards on hand when I need them... florals and feminine designs are just easier for me. ;) I've had this idea in my head for a while now, and finally decided to try it out (click to see larger):

I love how it came out. I like the rustic, natural colors and textures. Nothing too froofy or frilly, it's simple enough for any guy. The best part - it took me all of about 10 minutes to make.

Maybe it's just me, but the green Cuttlebugged panel reminds me of the side of a saguaro cactus. LOL (Can you tell I've lived in the desert pretty much all of my life?)

As a side note, this picture was taken with my camera completely on MANUAL. No tweaking in Photoshop, scout's honor. Wheeee! I am so proud... :D

Thanks for peekin'. Have a great weekend!

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SUPPLIES:
paper - Paperbilities kraft notecard, Bazzill card stock
stamps - Inkadinkado ('Chelsea sentiments')
ink - StazOn Timber Brown
accessories - 'Distressed Stripes' embossing folder, Stampin' Up! Linen Thread, Autumn Leaves buttons (Thanks, Jennifer!), pop dots

my desktop organization

2008-07-14T14:01:00.015-05:00

Hey, there! Enjoying your summer? It's been a while since my last post. I finally got my mojo back, but have been working solely on scrapbook layouts. I don't usually care to post my pages here because I don't really challenge myself too much when it comes to scrapbooking. I didn't discover scrapbooking until after my third child was born, so I literally have THOUSANDS of pictures to catch up on. I basically just scrapbook to get it done... not to challenge myself creatively, KWIM? So I'm sorry, but my pages just aren't much to look at. LOL ;)

Anyway, a while ago, I promised some girls over at SplitCoast that I would take pictures of my awesome desk-top storage. It's a SpinWorx from Staples and it's the only thing I've found that will hold every single item I might need, right at my fingertips.

Be sure to click the photos to see them larger... then you'll be able to see all of the details. Look closely, you'll be amazed at how much stuff this thing will hold! (Each photo is a 90 degree rotation of the spinning organizer.)

Photo #1: (Some smaller items might be difficult to see, but trust me - they're there!) Pink (12 x 12) self-healing mat, Coluzzle cutting mat, 2 color wheels, extra Stamp-A-Ma-Jig sheets, alpha diecut ring, SU! card stock ring, Perfect Layers tool, X-Acto knife, paper piercer, Coluzzle knife, tweezers, Empressor, misc. dry embossing tools, Kai scissors, paper snips, SU! Mat Pack, blending stumps, stump sanding paddle, bone folder, Basic Grey chipboard tools, Diamond Glaze, roll of glue lines, Making Memories anywhere hole punch, eyelet setter, and ribbon/slot punches, super tacky tape and roll of glue dots. And that's just one side of the organizer!

Photo #2: Here you can see a better view of the items on the side... Basic Grey tools, etc. There's my paper distressors which is also where I keep my replacement blades for my trimmer and X-Acto knife (underneath). You can see the organizer's large slots in the middle, meant for holding folders or papers. I keep my mats (self-healing, piercing, Coluzzle and glass) as well as my TWO Stampin' Scrubs in there.

Photo #3: Two Stampin' Scrubs (sides), miscellaneous brushes & chalk applicator, small brayer, small Fiskars trimmer, Dymo labeler, crimping tool, 15" drafting ruler, adhesive pens, stamp cleaner, photo corners, chalking puffs, miscellaneous pop dots, Post-Its, Hermie temp adhesive, Tombo permanent, and Mono Multi. The only thing missing from this photo is my Crop-A-Dile... my kids were using it the other day, and I forgot to get it back for the photo! LOL

Photo #4: Final side view. Here you can see the compartment that holds my Mono Multi also holds an adhesive eraser and a couple chalk/pencil erasers. And there's my Ultra Clean bottle poking out, as well as my trusty Stamp-A-Ma-Jig! :)

Photo #5: Here's a downward shot of the organizer, so you can see where my Crop-A-Dile would fit, handle down (between Dymo and crimper). Underneath the Dymo and crimper are a few different colored Dymo tapes. I used to keep my 1/16th and 1/8th inch hand-held hole punches in there, but I don't use them since getting my Crop-A-Dile, so I took them out. There's also a rotary cutter under there. Oh, and two pairs of pliers. Again, I hardly use those things, so that's why they're underneath. Obviously, It's a very deep compartment!

Honestly, what you see here is what you get. Nothing is posed or proped. I never have to dig to get anything out... it all just sits in its own spot somehow, and whenever I need something, I just spin and grab. Like I mentioned in my post over at SplitCoast, my desk area is NOT that big. It's a 32 x 32 inch card table that I got at Target and the Spinworx hardly takes up any room on it (most of the room is taken up vertically with the large mats and long rulers). I promise to take more pictures of my craft space soon, so you can get a better perspective of the size of the Spinworx in relation to the rest of my work area.

Over all, it is definitely the most efficient, compact, and useful organizational tool I have ever purchased. I know some people don't care for its utilitarian look - many prefer things like the pretty Making Memories organizer and such. But for me, the fact that it holds EVERYTHING I might need, and at such a fetching price, "pretty" suddenly becomes trivial. ;) Besides... my craft area is all black anyway. I'm a clumsy stamper sometimes, and black hides all of my little boo-boos and oopsies! LOL Black inkpad, dropped butter-side down, anyone? ;)

I hope this post has been helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me (sidebar). Go out and get your SpinWorx today! And thanks for stopping by. Have a great week!

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the first of a few challenge cards

2008-07-05T16:21:00.027-05:00

Hope you and yours had a safe and happy fourth! :)

Here's a card I made for the Inspiration Challenge that was part of the Two Peas WSW. Here's the inspiration piece (paper plates by Design Design Inc.):

And here's my card (click to see larger):

Like I mentioned before, the acetate made this a tough card to photograph... I had to shoot at a really sharp angle to prevent glare. Anyway, the floral image (a Hero Arts Archiver's exclusive) was stamped and heat embossed. The sentiment was also stamped and heat embossed on acetate, and added to the card with 1/16th inch pop dots (under the gemstones). The sentiment almost appears to "float" on top of the card front. This card went together pretty quickly and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

As always, thanks for dropping by. Have a great weekend! :)

ETA: This card can be seen in the Sept. '08 issue of Scrapbook News & Review

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SUPPLIES
paper - SU! Soft Sky
stamps - all Hero Arts (flora: Archiver's exclusive "Friend" set, sentiment: Clear Design "Anytime Messages" CL129)
ink - SU! Whisper White (craft) and Colorbox pigment in black
misc - acetate, black and white EPs, heat tool, Perfect Layers, Hero Arts Gemstones, and pop dots

WSW Anything Goes and Color Wheel Challenges

2008-06-20T11:50:00.020-05:00

This card is for the WSW Color Wheel and Anything Goes Challenges going on over at Two Peas. The color wheel challenge was to use an analogous color scheme - colors next to each other on the color wheel - keeping in mind the gallon/pint/ounce principle. Obviously, I went with the yellow through green color scheme and used lime as my main color, yellow as my secondary, and darker green as my accent (click to see larger):

The Anything Goes Challenge was to use at least three stamps on your project. The three stamps I used here were the tree (which I really LOVE and thought it would be perfect with these colors), the flower, and the sentiment. I knew I needed to add touches of some sort of neutral color, and as usual, I chose black... I just love the way it always helps to make the other colors pop. Here is a close up of the black Gemstones that I used for the flowers' centers:

Thanks again for stopping by today. Have a great weekend! :)

ETA: This card can be seen in the Aug. '08 issue of Scrapbook News & Review.

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SUPPLIES
paper - SU!'s Whisper White and Green Galore (card base)... darker green and yellow are unknown
stamps - all Hero Arts (CL182 and CL184)
ink - Memories black, SU! Glorious Green
misc - Prismas and Gamsol, paper snips, Fiskars punch, Offray ribbon, Hero Arts black Gemstones, machine stitching and pop dots

WSW Door and Cuttlebug Challenge

2008-06-18T13:54:00.010-05:00

I printed off a few of my favorite Two Peas WSW challenges last week. Not sure if I'll actually participate, since I am trying to stay off the internet. But the DOOR challenge really appealed to me since I already had this stamp set and knew it would be perfect for it. ETA: Turns out, this card also qualifies for the Cuttlebug challenge as well (click to see larger):

And here's a picture with the door OPEN (click to see larger):

I cut out the door's window with my X-Acto knife and added a piece of stamped acetate to the back to make it look like a real window. I cut the door and folded it back in order to expose the heart inside. I used mini scalloped scissors to make the roof, which was inspired by Shari Carroll's adorable card seen here. I also sponged the roof for a little dimension. The sky is DCWV white core card stock, Cuttlebug embossed and sanded, and the grass was made with my paper snips.

~~Like I said, not sure if this would actually qualify for the DOOR challenge, since most of the focus is on the scene and the house, but maybe the fact that I actually cut the door to open will help.~~ I decided to go ahead and enter both challenges. Thanks for peeking in today. :)

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SUPPLIES
paper - SU! Whisper White, Kraft, Choclate Chip, and So Saffron... DVWV Blue #3... green is unknown
stamps - all Hero Arts (CL186 and CL176)
ink - Memories black and SU! markers in Real Red, Gable Green, and Sahara Sand
misc - acetate, X-Acto knife, paper snips, mini scallop scissors, Cuttlebug 'Divine Swirls' embossing folder, sanding block, circle punch, yellow Prismacolor pencil, machine stitching, and pop dots

another unsubmitted flower card

2008-06-12T10:39:00.003-05:00

Here's another card that I had originally intended to submit to the Hero Arts flower challenge, but never photographed in time (click to see larger):

Nothing special about this card... it was one of those ideas that I just couldn't translate to paper. :P I have been experimenting with adding glitter to Cuttlebugged papers, and I'm really pleased with the results I got with it here (you may have to click the picture to see the glitter better), but that would be the only redeeming quality of this card. Ha! The sentiment was stamped with VersaMark and then masked off, with only part of it showing for a little embossing with some white EP.

Have a wonderful day! Thanks for peeking. :)

SUPPLIES
paper - SU! Whisper White, Regal Rose, Barely Banana, and Old Olive
stamps - Hero Arts 'Swirl Flower' and Clear Design 'Thank You Messages' set
ink - VersaMark and SU! Regal Rose, Barely Banana, and Old Olive markers
misc - Cuttlebug and 'Divine Swirls' embossing folder, Sakura Quickie glue pen, Art Institute glitter in 'Flax', wavy deco scissors, circle punch, white EP, heat tool, paper piercer, Unibal Signo gel pen, and pop dots

using leftovers and more circle cutter info

2008-06-09T10:10:00.005-05:00

Thank you for all of your well-wishes. :) I think we're finally turning the corner with this nasty bug. Yay! Who wants to be sick during summer vacation, right? ;)

Here's a card that was made with some leftover flowers from this card. When I first started the original birthday card, I wasn't exactly sure how many of each flower I was going to need, so I just stamped/embossed/glittered/cut out a whole bunch and went from there. I ended up with several left over, so this is what I did with some of them (click to see larger):

This card went to my mother-in-law to thank her for her lovely Mother's Day gift. :) I wanted to enter this into the Hero Arts flower challenge, but with all that I had going on that week, I just never found the time to photograph it for submission. Hopefully you can see the purple Art Institute glitter a little better in this photo. However, please excuse the crooked sentiment... if anyone can stamp an acrylic stamp catawampus, obviously it's me. :P

And for Andi - as she had a question regarding the circle cutter update I posted. Basically, what you see is what you get - there are no other pieces of equipment necessary to use this tool, other than your paper and a cutting mat of some sort. The way it works:

Think of the Fiskars Circle Cutter like a drafting compass - one part stays stationary while another part moves around in a circle. There's a small dial in the center of the cutter which you turn counterclockwise to loosen the cutting arm, housing the cutting blade (click the picture to see larger, as I have labeled the parts of the cutter making it easier to understand... :) photo credit). The cutting arm can then slide back and forth, according to the diameter measurement of your desired circle. In the very center of the tool (too difficult for me to pinpoint on the diagram), there's a small arrow that points to the measurements you see on the cutting arm. Just slide the cutting arm until the arrow points to your desired measurement, and then turn the center dial clockwise to tighten. Your cutting arm is now tightly in place, ready to cut your circle of desired size. Then, place the tool on your paper, press down on the pressure handle to keep the cutter in place, firmly grasp the larger cutting dial (NOT the cutting arm), and turn to cut. This is where it was awkward for me at first... your hands are pretty much on top of one another for this process and it can get a little tricky holding the tool in place, yet turning it simultaneously. But after a little practice, it got easier and easier and now it's a snap. There is a little compartment for you to house the blade when not in use, which is great - keeps it sharp AND from causing massive blood loss during incidental handling. Ha! ;) There's a spare blade included as well. It works just fine on either self-healing OR glass cutting mats, but I prefer to use mine on glass (helps prolong blade life). They retail for about $19.99, so it was a great deal with a coupon! I do still use my circle punches all the time, but sometimes I want to mat those and don't have the right size punch to go about doing that. This has helped solve that problem. Plus, it makes circles all the way up to 8 inches in diameter... great for scrapbook pages, if you do those. ;) Anyway, I hope this was all clear as mud and somewhat helpful. :)

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a nice week!

**Note: I labeled this card as a "Quick and Easy" card, only because the flowers used on it were pre-made leftovers from a previously made card. Keep in mind that if you're making this card from scratch, a little more time is involved due to the heat embossing and cutting of each, individual flower.**

CARD SUPPLIES
paper - patterned paper is Basic Grey (purple) and unknown (turquoise)
stamps - Hero Arts Clear Design 'Thoughtful Messages' (flowers) and Clear Design 'Thank You Messages'
ink - Colorbox (black pigment - flowers) and Memories black (sentiment)
misc - black EP and heat tool, Sakura Quickie glue pen, Art Institute Glitter (Pee Wee 'Wonderland' kit), scissors, Hero Arts black Gemstones, and pop dots