Virtual Stamp Night

Hey there, last night I did something new ... I participated in Splitcoast's Virtual Stamping Night. Actually, it was a "mini" VSN. Not totally sure what that means, but the "big" one is coming in January I think.

Anyhoo, for this one, there were four different challenges. I'm assuming a regular VSN has a lot more, and I hear there's a 45-minute time limit on each challenge, too. Sounds fun!

Since I didn't set foot on the steps down to my craft room until 11:30 pm, I really only had time to participate in one. I'm a sketch freak, so that's the one I chose. And this is the card I made.

Some American Crafts designer papers were on my work table already, so I went with them. I like how everything came together!

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Garden Silhouettes, Linen background
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Soft Sky
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, American Crafts "Metropolitan" dp
Accessories: Slit punch, ticket corner punch, "ice" rhinestone circle brads, polka dot ribbon (source unknown), dimensionals

Birthday for a Princess

Ack! My little girl turns 4 two weeks from Saturday! I had to crank out her invitations so I could get them in the mail!

I was drooling over some new Heidi Swapp pink bling in the shape of princess crowns (saw them in a magazine ad), BUT ... no time to drive around town looking and definitely no time to order and wait for shipment.

I had to go with the "use what you have" method. Not that I have any actual experience with that. Don't we make so that we can buy?

Gosh, let me see, what did I use here? (All Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted.)

Stamps: A Little Love, Sincere Salutations
Paper: Shimmery White, Pretty In Pink, Basic Black
Ink: Black Staz-On
Other: Pretty In Pink marker, slit punch, Cuttlebug "Textile" embossing folder, and Heidi Swapp pink jewels

It's a hard card to photograph. In real life, the card just shimmers from that Shimmery White paper. I'll udpate if I can get a better photo. In the meantime, click on the image for a close-up.

Sparkly, yet sweet, just like my little girl :)

October Teacher Appreciation

I love it when volunteering and playing are the same thing! I serve on the teacher appreciation committee for the PTO at my son's school. Every month, we put together a little something for the staff as a token of the PTO's thanks.

This month, we're doing a simple sour cream box with a bite-size candy bar inside. I used Stampin' Up!'s Spooky Spiders Wheel with black ink to cover a whole 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of white. Then I used the small circle shadow stamp from Little Pieces to highlight the actual spiders in orange ink. I was able to create four favors out of each full sheet.

We make around 60 treats each month. Of course we're on a budget, so this was a great project -- fast AND economical. If you have cute project suggestions, please leave me a comment. I'm always looking for new ideas. My oldest is in first grade, and my youngest isn't even 6 months old. I have TEN more years of elementary school!

A Big Thanks!

I have to admit I had no real intention of starting a blog last week. This was supposed to be just practice for a "someday" when I was ready. What happened was that once it was created, it seemed silly not to put it out there. What was I going to do? Talk to myself?

I told just a few friends first. One of them was June, who told her friend Tracy (who I also know). Those two fantastic and talented women have been SO supportive that I want to give them both a quick public thanks. I don't think a post has gone by that one or both haven't left a comment on. Both have given me mentions on their blogs. And June was even so sweet as to nominate me for an award. How crazy is that? Me bein' a newbie and all ...

So to June and Tracy -- thanks for the very warm welcome to blogging, and for those friends of yours who have now crossed my path. I am richer for it.

I also want to say hi to Jimmi Mayo of Stampin' and Shoppin'. She stumbled on my (also brand-new) gallery at Splitcoast Stampers and sent me the sweetest message asking if she could reference my gallery and blog on her blog. And she didn't just include a link in her blogroll; she gave me the sweetest mention in one of her posts, just full of wonderful sounding superlatives. I'll try to live up! Be sure to check out both her blog and her SCS gallery. Talk about some gorgeous work!

Jinkies! Is That a Card?

I was attempting to purge some craft supply overflow last night. (I've now taken over all four closets in my basement, and two of them are 6 feet wide. I'm so bad!) Anyway, I stumbled upon this card I designed a couple of years ago as the invitation to my son's Scooby Doo birthday party. What a hoot!

The van itself is on a Taken with Teal background. I layered Green Galore on top and cut the swirl edges freehand. I used one of the Stampin' Up! fonts for the sentiment. The orange flowers are from an older Daisy punch SU once carried. The wheels are black circles layered with an orange daisy and rims made with one of the stamps from Little Pieces.

My favorite part is the photo of my son "driving." I trimmed around his silhouette, then stuck him on vellum to make the window. When I took the picture, I didn't tell him what it was for, so it was a surprise when I showed him the completed invitation the next day. So fun.

Baby Congrats

Congratulations to my friend Cori and her new baby girl, born Sunday. I used Jen del Muro's sketch to make this welcome card for their family.

Supplies used:
Stamps: I'm Here, Warm Words
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black, VersaMark
Paper: Certainly Celery, Basic Black, Pretty In Pink, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White
Accessories: paper piercing tool, silver brads, ticket punch, Purely Pomegranate double-stitched ribbon, dimensionals

We Call 'Em Idea Books for a Reason :)

Check it out ... this card design was CASE'd from Stampin' Up!'s current Winter Mini-Catalog. It caught my eye because it was clean and simple, but also because it has an unusual off-center placement that I found interesting.

Supplies:
Stamps: True Friend
Inks/Markers: Old Olive, Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip.
Card Stock: Close to Cocoa, Cameo Coral, Old Olive, Apricot Appeal
Tools/Accessories: paper piercing tool, white gel pen, Scallop punch, Apricot grosgrain.

Here's the original card I copied ... I like how they look nearly nothing like each other :)