Inspired By ...

I've been following along with the weekly Inspiration Challenges on Splitcoast, and was finally inspired to jump in and participate. Each week you get an image of a little something that you're to use as inspiration. Yesterday's piece was a beautiful jacket from Coldwater Creek.

I used my new stamp set Time Well Spent, which all active demonstrators just received FREE from Stampin' Up! Gotta love that. Watch for it in the upcoming Spring/Summer Collection, the new catalog that will be available January 1. It's a Level 3 hostess set. Wow! Thank you Stampin' Up!

Supplies:
Stamps: Time Well Spent
Paper: Certainly Celery, Basic Black, Whisper White
Inks: Jet Black Staz-On
Accessories: Taken with Teal, Certainly Celery, Pink Passion and Lovely Lilac markers; ticket corner punch, 1/8" circle punch, dimensionals, glitter gel pen (Sakura)

On Second Thought ...

I really couldn't sign off tonight with a post about braces. I put this together for today's Ways To Use It Challenge on SCS. The challenge was to use a "unique" brad. Something other than the ubiquitous little mini-brads.

I found the decorative metal brad in my "Metallics" drawer. (My embellishments are organized by color, a la Stacy Julian and Big Picture Scrapbooking. It is a FANTASTIC system!)

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Doodle This, Happy Everything
Inks: Jet Black Staz-On, Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal
Paper: Whisper White, Watercolor paper, Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal
Accessories: brad (Making Memories?), aqua painter, paper piercer

Brace Yourself

This morning, I had the joy of getting braces on my teeth. I'm too old for this. I'm in my upper 30s, for crying out loud. "Upper 30s," who am I kidding? Any higher up and I'll be out of the 30s altogether :D

Just wanted to post to say I likely won't have a project to show today, as it's already 9 pm and I'm still brushing and flossing my lunch out of my brackets. The crazy thing is ... my teeth are straight already. But tipped. I think it's called "lingual version with a deep bite."

I think it's called "mid-life crisis," Amy Sheffer variety. Cheaper than a fancy sports car; less painful than liposuction ;)

Wild + Soft = Delicious

A few weeks ago, I saw a beautiful gift card holder on Inkin' It Up, the website of the fabulously talented Kendra Giles. Her color combo, Wild Wasabi and Soft Sky, was so delicious and unexpected.

Here's my take:



Supplies (Stampin' Up!, unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Doodle This, Sincere Salutations, Linen
Inks: Jet Black Staz-On, Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky
Paper: Watercolor paper, Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky
Accessories: aqua painter, sponge dauber, crystal effects, black polka dot ribbon (manufacturer unknown, got it at Michael's), dimensionals

Almost Forgot ...

... to make a Happy Anniversary card for my husband. (I didn't forget the anniversary part, just the card part!)

So here's to my awesome spud, er, I mean, stud -- congratulations on fourteen years of marriage today!

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Stew Pot Pals (retired), Canvas, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Ink: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Creamy Caramel, River Rock, Mellow Moss, Regal Rose
Paper: Basic Black, Basic Gray, River Rock, Mellow Moss, Watercolor (140 lb cold press)
Accessories: aqua painter, paper piercer, pewter jumbo eyelets, crop-a-dile, dimensionals

Credits: A few weeks ago, there was a color combo challenge on Splitcoast -- river rock, basic gray, and basic black. Until then, I saw no reason to have yet another neutral, especially not gray. But when I saw all the wonderful creations with this combo, I was itching to play, too, and I knew Basic Gray was going to find its way into my craft room. I absolutely love it!

Letters to My Daughter

It's been more than a week since my daughter's fourth birthday, so I figured I ought to go ahead and write her annual birthday letter before I forget. I try to do this for each child each year around their birthday. That way even if I get no scrapbooking done at all (unlikely), I'll at least have the annual letter covering the year's high points.

I got most of the idea for this project way back a long time ago in Splitcoast's Fan Club gallery. In September 2004, "Dirty Girl" Melanie Muenchinger (melmel on SCS), posted something very similar. (Sorry, I can't include a link to it, because the Fan Club is for SCS members who support the site with a small annual donation. If you're a Fan Club member, check it out. If you're not, subscribe! :D)

Melanie got the idea from another home party company that focuses on preserving heritage. The concept is that you write the child a letter each year on his or her birthday, then shortly before the 21st birthday, you begin giving him or her the letters, one at a time, ending with the final letter at 21.

Now the birthday letter idea wasn't new to me, but the whole "packaging" part was. I know myself well enough to realize I'll have a much better chance of being a faithful letter writer if I have a pretty little box and matching cards. Melanie's execution of the concept was absolutely phenomenal, and it stuck in my head and rattled around for a year before I did anything with it. Then, a couple of years ago, when the altered lunch tin was so hot, I knew it was the perfect container for this project, and I was finally inspired to make one.



I heeded Melanie's advice not to make it too babyish, since my daughter will be an adult when she gets the letters. I figured I couldn't go wrong with florals, but I still didn't want the traditional pinks and purples. Blue and black might seem like an odd choice for a girl and for flowers, but I really like how it came together.

The biggest change I'll probably make is to keep writing letters into their adult years, or at the very least, wait until well past 21 before I hand them over. Sorry, I just don't think most 21-year-olds have the maturity to know the value of something like this! Maybe I'll give them their letters after they have children of their own.

The biggest fear I have is that this will be "ugly" in another 15-20 years! You know, like the avocado appliances of the 70s? Most of my stamping projects from as little ago as two or three years, even those that were my absolute favorite, now seem dated. I have considered just making something "current" each year. That way the cards can grow and change with the child. And I may still do that. It's just that for now, I don't want the whole "first I've gotta make a card" to be yet another reason to procrastinate at letter-writing time :) Know thyself ... ;)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy today's project, even if I am posting something from two years ago!

Supplies (all Stampin' Up, unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Looks Like Spring
Inks: Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Barely Banana
Paper: Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Barely Banana, Whisper White
Accessories: black gingham ribbon, Spring Bouquet punch, lunch tin (from Provo Craft)

Long-Time Friend Sketch X2

I finally broke out Long-Time Friend, one of those stamp sets I just had to have when it was available. I'm still in love with it, especially now that I've used it.

This first card uses Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #27:



The second card uses Jen del Muro's Sketch For You To Try:



And the third is just me doing my own thing. Yea, I do that, too, from time to time ;) Betcha were wondering with all these sketch challenges.


Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Long-Time Friend, Weathered (background), Canvas (background)
Paper: Mellow Moss, Elegant Eggplant, Basic Gray, Watercolor (140 lb cold-press)
Inks: Mellow Moss, Elegant Eggplant, Basic Gray, Black Staz-On, Lavender Lace, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, Regal Rose, Always Artichoke
Accessories: gray taffeta ribbon, pewter brads, pewter hodgepodge hardware, paper piercer, photo corner punch, stamping sponges, sponge daubers, dimensionals