Chillin' with Speedystamper

Wow, I've been MIA from my blog longer than I realized! It's just like with exercise, you take a day off, which turns into two, which turns into three, and before you know it, a week has passed! Only one key difference: I like blogging. So you know I won't ever be gone for long. Did ya miss me {wink}?

I've actually been stamping a ton since my last post. This first card I'm showing tonight is one that I made for Tuesday's SCS Color Challenge. I posted it in my SCS gallery, but forgot to put it up here. What a scary combo for me! Pixie Pink (ick!!), Tangerine Tango, and Kiwi Kiss (I substituted Old Olive). I opted to minimize the Tangerine Tango, but I promise it's in there on some of the flowers in the tub. The image is from My Favorite Things - love that polka-dot bathtub! I colored it with a combination of Copic markers and SU markers, then added some Stickles to the flowers and colored over the ball feet and shower head with a silver Spica pen.

This card also fits with Sunday's Featured Stamper Challenge. This week, we're CASEing SpeedyStamper (Kay Kalthoff). What an awesome gallery!! You'll see that I've CASE'd the layout from this card of Kay's. Isn't it a cool one with the torn edges and the circle that looks like it's suspended from that ribbon?

This was actually my second attempt at CASEing this layout of Kay's. Here's the first:



The sentiment circle is created with a border from the Special Occasions DIY Monogram Stamper Kit and the Brayton Font Ensemble, both from JustRite Stampers.

Hope you've had a wonderful week so far! Happy Hump Day!



Chill Out:
Stamps: Chill Out (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Papertrey White, Basic Black, Pixie Pink, Green Tea dp (SU!)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Copic markers, Pixie Pink SU marker, Stardust Stickles, Silver Spica, oval Nestabilities, black satin ribbon, D'Vine Swirls Cuttlebug folder, paper piercer, dimensionals

Stamps: Brayton Font Ensemble and Special Occasions DIY Monogram Stamper Kit (JustRite Stampers)
Paper: Brocade Blue, Night of Navy, Whisper White, vellum card stock (SU!); Green Tea dp (SU!)
Ink: Night of Navy and Certainly Celery craft inks
Accessories: navy wide grosgrain (Offray), JustRite wooden stampers, classic and circle Nestabilities, paper piercer, sponge daubers, filigree and rhinestone brads (SU!); Textile Cuttlebug folder

Here I Come A-Wassailing

My new "Wassail" Basic Grey paper pack has arrived, and I love it even more than I thought I would! (Thank you, Michelle, at Stamper's Dream, for the super fast shipping, as always.)

This is my sample for Jen's Sketch For You To Try - another fun one (how DOES she do it?)! As always, you'll find the sketch, Jen's sample, and guest designer Nancy Riley's sample at i{heart}2stamp. More inspiration awaits over at Amy's, Carole's, Shannan's, and Susan's blogs. We hope you'll play along, too. If you upload to SCS, remember to use keyword: SFYTT.

The image, Wreathabella, is colored with Copic markers. I added a little liquid applique to the fuzzy parts. The "Joy" chipboard is by Scrapworks and came already red and glittery (in a box with a bunch of other glittery Christmas chipboard, too).

One thing I learned while coloring this image is that I need more red Copics! I have a bright pinkish red and then two really deep, dark reds, but a huge gap in the middle. It so happens that just the other day, while ordering some ribbon and brads from Heidi at Pink Hedgehog Paper Crafts, I saw that she's doing a Copic pre-order right now. I also saw five of my favorite words: "Prices too low to advertise." LOL! If you're in the market for some Copics, anything from a few singles to full sets, you may want to pay her a visit. And check out her ribbon, brads, and other embellishments, too.

While I had my Wassail paper pack out, I thought I'd whip up a little something for this week's challenge at Our Creative Corner. Lynda Benden, our October host, has challenged us to create a gift item. Check out the blog for wonderful samples by the rest of the OCC team,Cindy Haffner,
Dawn Easton, Denise Marzec, Jennifer Meyer, Julee Tilman, Laurie Schmidlin and Lynda Benden. You'll also see amazing projects from guest designer Lindsey Botkin of Jacksonbelle Embellishments, as well as a fabulous giveaway. We'd love for you to play along!

Here's my project - a Christmas countdown calendar:



I made something similar last year, but wanted to do a "new and improved" version. The calendar is made from two 4" coasters held together with some spiral binding that I pilfered from an old Stampin' Up catalog that Staples once bound for me. I used a Crop-A-Dile to punch the holes. The numbers, as well as all the words, were created with the Brayton Font Ensemble from JustRite Stampers. Have I mentioned before how much I LOVE the JustRite products?!

Note: Now that I'm looking at this on screen, it seems so obvious to me that the "until Christmas" should have started on the bottom of the circle instead of the top. Visually, you'd read "days" first and then "until Christmas." This way is confusing, I think? Your eye wants to read "until" before "days." It'll probably bug me enough that I'll change it, but for now, you get the idea! [UPDATE: I tried it the other way, and surprise, it did not look good! So it's staying this way :)]

To make the calendar a little more stable (i.e., to make sure it doesn't fall down), I added a little crosspiece to the inside. It's a strip of card stock, approximately 2 1/2" x 1/2", scored 1/2" in on both sides to make two flaps. One flap is adhered to the back coaster. The other "flap" slips behind the ribbon that's tied around the front coaster. The end that tucks behind the ribbon is not secured with any adhesive, so you can fold this flat again for storage. Pictures might help you make sense of my babble:



Have you noticed how often I use Cranberry Crisp card stock? And ribbon, too, for that matter? Whatever am I going to do when I run out?!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!




Wreathabella:
Stamps: Wreathabella (Stamping Bella)
Paper: Always Artichoke, Cranberry Crisp (retired), Whisper White card stock (SU); Stamper's Select White (Papertrey); Wassail dp (Basic Grey)
Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black; Always Artichoke, Cranberry Crisp
Accessories: Copic markers, liquid applique, "Joy" chipboard (ShimmerShapes Holiday Cheer Assortment by Scrapworks), paper piercer, Martha Stewart lace punch, Cranberry Crisp stitched ribbon (SU)
Size: 5 1/4" square

Christmas Countdown Calendar:
Stamps: JustRite circle stamper, Brayton Font Ensemble (JustRite)
Paper: Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Cranberry Crisp, White Naturals card stock (SU!); Wassail dp (Basic Grey)
Ink: Always Artichoke craft, Always Artichoke marker
Accessories: Harmony Classic Circle Stamper I (JustRite Stampers), Crop-A-Dile, Staples binding, 4" coaster, vintage brads, 1/4" circle punch, classic and scalloped Nestabilities, paper piercer, scallop border punch, Cranberry Crisp stitched ribbon

Think Pink Sale at Verve

The sale runs through the end of this month!

That's What Friends Are For

You know I had to take a do-over with this Scarf for Three set by My Favorite Things, since I wasn't crazy about the card I made with it on Saturday. This one is much more "me" with the layers and embellishments. I found this fun dp from Kaiser Craft at my local stamp store. The two patterns are the front and back of the same sheet. The image is stamped on watercolor paper and colored with a combination of SU markers and an aqua painter with reinkers. I added some liquid applique to the earmuffs and the pompom on the middle hat, and applied Crystal Effects to the multicolored, tiled frame. Some snowflake brads, ribbon, and faux stitching finish it off.

Oh, and here's a peek at the inside:



Thanks for visiting!



Stamps: Scarf for Three (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Real Red, Certainly Celery, Whisper White card stock (SU!); watercolor paper (Canson); dp (Kaiser Craft)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko); Real Red, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke reinkers and/or markers
Accessories: snowflake brads (Oriental Trading Company); blue grosgrain (retired SU!); Real Red striped grosgrain, scalloped border punch, dimensionals, aqua painter, crystal effects, liquid applique, paper piercer (SU!)
Size: 5 1/4" square

The {Leaves} They Are A-Changin'

Gotta love a little Bob Dylan, right?

I set out to make thank-you cards last night (always behind on those!), but I gotta tell you my brain it's not a-workin'. See that beautiful sentiment? It's one of the quotes from Verve's Beautiful You set. (That was the one-year anniversary commemorative set where each of the Verve designers contributed a meaningful quote. SUCH a fabulous set, by the way, and totally worth checking out if you missed it back in August!) I digress, though. Back to the card. I wasn't thinking when I grabbed the sentiment that there aren't any blossoms on here, just leaves. Does that create a disconnect for you? (Can you see the sentiment? It looks a little fuzzy in the photo ... it reads "Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul" - Henry Ward Beecher.)

The card itself is deceptive in its simplicity. Believe it or not, this took me forever! I can't really say why, except that all my projects are taking forever these days. Must be an "advanced age" thing ... it's steadily been getting worse and worse ever since I turned 40 last month {giggle}. True story!

Check out this alternate version (which I like much better):



Here I've just mounted the branch and leaf panel onto a 4 1/4" x 3" Old Olive card base. Wouldn't this be a great little note to tuck in with a small gift? I could have used a slew of these a few years ago when I was returning dishes to families who had provided my family with meals after my daughter was born. I could also see this version working well as Thanksgiving place settings, with the person's name in place of the sentiment.

My oldest two are in school at the moment and the littlest is napping, so my hope is these hands they'll be a-stampin' very soon! But before I go, let me direct your attention to a mid-week challenge that posted today on the Our Creative Corner blog. Julee Tilman is hosting this one, and it's a technique challenge using "Vintage Values." All the how-to's are on the blog. It looks really fun and the samples so far are to die for. Best part for you is the free Verve set you could win if you participate. Head on over if you're interested! I know I'm still planning to try out this fun technique. Hope you will too!

One last thing ... a funny story that maybe you can all relate to? I picked up my daughter from a birthday party Friday night. One of the other mothers, a friend I hadn't seen in a while, actually suggested that I come out of my craft room and "get a life" (her words, really!!)! Well it didn't take much consideration to conclude I like my life - why do I want a different one? To each her own, huh? I supposed I could be spending my time on more valuable pursuits, like updating my Facebook status or giving away pieces of flair or even completing online jigsaw puzzles! (Oooooo, snarky, but she's gonna love it! Off to send her an email telling her I just posted about her on my blog. Better yet? I'll write it on her Facebook wall. Snort!!)

Thanks for stopping by, and do come back. I'm a nice person most of the time - really! LOL!



Stamps: Out on a Limb (Papertrey); Beautiful You (Verve)
Paper: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Very Vanilla
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Chocolate Chip craft
Accessories: brown twill (Offray); acorn charm (Karen Foster); distressing tool, paper piercer, clear embossing powder, and scallop border punch (Stampin' Up); Copic markers

Eyes Without A Face

Every month on the 20th, the current Dirty Dozen and the Dirty Dozen Alumni have a little fun participating in a group challenge. This month's challenge is hosted by Emily Gunnell (aka WaterPixie on SCS). It goes like this:

Challenge Focus: Create a Halloween card or treat holder.

Required Element: Googlie Eyes! We want to see those eyes jiggle!

Restricted Element: No pumpkins! You'll have to use a different image associated with Halloween!

Hope you like it, and thanks for stopping by!



Stamps: All Holidays (SU!)
Paper: Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Lavender Lace (SU!)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Tangerine Tango double-striped ribbon, scalloped border punch, paper piercer, curvy label punch (SU!); brads (Close to My Heart); D'Vine Swirls and Forest Branches Cuttlebug folders (Provo Craft); googlie eyes

Two-Sketch Saturday

I have two cards to share today. This first is for this week's challenge at Our Creative Corner. Lynda has put together a great sketch for us this week, along with an awesome giveaway from Lindsey at Jacksonbelle Embellishments. Be sure to check it out! You'll also see gorgeous samples from some of the Jacksonbelle Embellishments design team, along with samples from each of the OCC designers:

Cindy Haffner
Dawn Easton
Denise Marzec
Jennifer Meyer
Julee Tilman
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynda Benden

I've been itching to ink up Poppy Patch by Flourishes since before I even had it - I just LOVE these images! I stamped one of the poppy images onto watercolor paper first, then masked it and stamped one of the leaf images twice. I colored with an aqua painter and Stampin' Up reinkers, then trimmed out parts of the image to extend beyond the frame. The framed image panel is popped up on dimensionals. Except for the Riding Hood Red scalloped border along the bottom, all the papers are from Close to My Heart's Simple Pleasures pack. I adore this paper!!

Last, can I just chuck modesty aside for a minute and tell you I love this card??!!

While I'm being honest, I'll also tell you I'm not so wild about my sample for Jen's Sketch for You to Try. I can't really put my finger on it - maybe it's just not "me." Maybe it's missing about 7 or 8 layers (there are only THREE!)? LOL! Here it is:



Again, I stamped on watercolor paper and colored with a water brush and Stampin' Up reinkers. I embellished with some Riding Hood Red ribbon, paper piercing, and two white snowflake brads. Pretty straightforward.

Be sure to visit Jen at i{heart}2stamp, where you'll find the sketch, her sample, and guest designer Nancy Riley's sample. Then, as usual, more eye candy awaits! Check out what Amy, Carole, Shannan, and Susan have done with the sketch. When you're ready to play, link your creation in a comment on Jen's blog, and if you upload to SCS, remember to use keyword: SFYTT. We hope you play!!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend!



Poppy:
Stamps: Poppy Patch (Flourishes)
Paper: Riding Hood Red (SU!); watercolor paper (Canson); Simple Pleasures designer paper pack (Close to My Heart)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko); Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango, Bravo Burgundy, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Always Artichoke, Old Olive, Garden Green, Bashful Blue (SU)
Accessories: classic square Nestabilities (Spellbinders); aqua painter, scallop border punch, sponge daubers, linen thread, paper piercer (SU!); "Vintage" die and "Floral Screen embossing folder for Cuttlebug (Provo Craft); ribbon (Michael's); brad (K&Co); sewing machine

Snowmen:
Stamps: Scarf for Three (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Night of Navy card stock (SU), watercolor paper (Canson), designer paper (Carolee's Creations)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko); Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango, Going Gray, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue reinkers (SU)
Accessories: aqua painter, Riding Hood Red double-striped ribbon, dimensionals, paper piercer (SU!); snowflake brads (Oriental Trading Co, I think)
Size: 5" square

Singin' In the Rain

Do you know what today is? It's the 15th, which means the fabulous, new Dirty Dozen gallery AND the two newest dirty girls have been revealed. For more info, go HERE.

This month's theme was "For A Song," so all of our projects are music-related or inspired by music. It was such a fun theme that I'm not ready to move on! There wasn't time enough or room enough in the gallery for all of my ideas, so I'll plan to share some others here throughout the month.

Today's card was made for this week's SCS sketch challenge. I was up late last night, so I got to play along early for a change. It's a very cool layout! The colors I chose to work with are waaaaay out of my comfort zone, but I thought it would be fun to do something different. The card is pretty straightforward, so I'll leave out the details today. As always, if you need info on anything, though, just ask!

Thanks for dropping in! And DO check out the Dirty Dozen gallery if you're a Fan Club member. It's one of my faves! If you're not yet, I'd encourage you to consider joining. The monthly Dirty Dozen gallery is just one of the membership perks! Learn more about the Fan Club here.



Stamps: A Little Birdie Told Me (SU!)
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Basic Black, Whisper White card stock (SU); dp (KI Memories)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: classic and scalloped circle Nestabilities, dimensionals, vintage brads, black gingham ribbon, scalloped border punch, "Vintage" Cuttlebug die

SCS Featured Stamper: Anne Ryan

I haven't played in the Featured Stamper challenge on SCS in a loooooong time. It's definitely not for lack of interest -- I love this challenge!! I took a peek yesterday and was delighted to see Anne Ryan in the spotlight. Not only is she a super talented stamper, but she is one of the most generous SCS members when it comes to commenting on the gallery uploads. She has a way of making you feel like your card is the only one in the whole gallery. SUCH a sweetheart!

Anyway, I chose this card of hers to CASE. I kept the basic layout, but changed pretty much everything else. I really wanted to create something in her eclectic, artsy style, but the matchy-matchy call of my unopened pack of Green Tea designer paper from Stampin' Up was just too much to resist! The white deco border was created with Stampin' Up's curvy label punch. I just laid the punched pieces side by side and left a little of the edge peeking out. I'm lovin' this punch!! The whole large square is raised up on dimensionals, as is the scalloped circle. On the inside, I stamped the Eastern Blooms branch in VersaMark on Baja Breeze, matted in white, and attached to the Old Olive card base.

[Aimee asked how I colored the stems and flowers. What I've done in the past is to use brush-tip Fantastix as substitutes for In-Color markers. They work great! For this card, though, I tried something a little different. I inked the whole image in Baja Breeze, then used a Fantastix to remove the Baja Breeze from the stems. I then used an Old Olive marker on those parts. I thought it worked equally well, perhaps even better.]

Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!

Thanks for stopping by!



Stamps: Eastern Blooms (SU!)
Paper: Green Tea designer series paper; Whisper White, Old Olive, Baja Breeze card stock (SU!)
Ink: Old Olive, Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery (SU!)
Accessories: butterfly punch (Martha Stewart); classic and scalloped circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders); dimensionals, vintage brads, paper piercer, sponge daubers, Baja Breeze double-striped ribbon, curvy label punch (SU!)
Size: 5 1/4" square

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty

Oh my gosh, I am SO in love with these Stephanie Fizer cats from My Favorite Things! Aren't they soooooo adorable? Today's layout comes from Jen del Muro's Sketch for You To Try. You can find the sketch, Jen's sample, and guest designer Nancy Riley's sample at i{heart}2stamp. Then be sure to peek at what Amy, Carole, Shannan, and Susan have put together! We hope you'll be inspired to play along!! If you upload to SCS, be sure to use keyword: SFYTT.

I stamped the image in Memento Tuxedo Black on Georgia Pacific Bright White, colored with Copic markers, then cut the circle out with a Nestability (the image comes with a rectangle frame around it). I stamped the image a second time and trimmed out the tails only, so I could make them look like they're hanging out of the frame. The silver rings are metal-edge tags with the paper removed. The stars are dotted with Stardust Stickles.

Don't miss my sample for this week's Our Creative Corner challenge HERE!

Have a great weekend!



Stamps: Peppermint Cats by Stephanie Fizer (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Almost Amethyst, Basic Black, Barely Banana (SU!); Bright White (Georgia Pacific)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Bashful Blue (SU!)
Accessories: Stardust Stickles (Ranger); metal-ring tags (office supply store); Copic markers; Snowflakes Cuttlebug folder (Provo Craft); classic and scalloped circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders); black gingham, vintage brads, small star punch, scallop border punch, dimensionals (SU!)

There's A New Sheriff In Town

This week at Our Creative Corner, Lynda is challenging everyone to create a card that is not square OR rectangle. Let me first say that I have never, not even once, created a circle card, but I've always wanted to. So how did I end up with overalls? I have no idea! Except that inspiration struck, and I ran with it. What I was going for was a cute "Welcome baby" card for a cousin who just had a little boy. I think this would have worked a little better with a farmer theme instead of the sheriff theme (I tried it with a bandanna and some raffia "straw" sticking out of the pocket and it was soooooo cute [and you all know I don't normally do "cute" very well]), but I couldn't come up with a clever saying for the inside. "Look what's growing on the farm," "Look what's hatched on the farm," and some other things along those lines were all I could come up with. Ideas, anyone? I'm all ears!

Be sure to visit Our Creative Corner for full details on the challenge (and one of the coolest giveaways ever!!), plus samples from the other OCC designers! [Edited to add: I totally forgot to mention we were lucky enough to score none other than Laura Fredrickson, aka scrapnextras, as our guest designer this week. Thank you, Laura, for joining us this week and doing such a beautiful project!!]

Cindy Haffner
Dawn Easton
Denise Marzec
Jennifer Meyer
Julee Tilman
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynda Benden

A few notes about the card: I started with a top fold standard A2-size card, then penciled in the shape of the overalls and cut them out. I sliced off the top (the fold) right along the top of the "bib" of the overalls, then used the scraps to make separate straps. The pocket is a stamp from an old, retired SU! set called Pocket Fun (though it would be easy enough to create your own pocket). The overalls are stamped with the Just Jeans background stamp (also retired), and the letters for "Liam" are stamped with Alphabits (also retired ... think it's time to purge my stamps?) and punched out with the 1/4" circle punch. To create the sheriff's badge, I punched a large star from Marigold Morning, then added More Mustard 1/4" circles and Antique Brass brads to the five points.

Don't miss my sample for this week's Sketch for You to Try right HERE!

Thanks for stopping by!



Stamps: Just Jeans, Alphabits, Pocket Fun (SU!); All In A Row and Nursery Neccessities (inside) (SU!)
Paper: Brocade Blue, Riding Hood Red, Marigold Morning, More Mustard (SU!)
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Brocade Blue, Basic Black (SU!)
Accessories: vintage brads, Antique Brass jumbo eyelets, Riding Hood Red double-striped ribbon, distressing tool, large star punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1/4" circle punch, word window punch, dimensionals (SU!)
Size: 5 1/2 x 4 1/4" (same as standard A2)

Still Living My Dream

It's been way too long since I've participated in one of Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenges, but this past weekend's sketch was just tooooo good to pass up. I followed Mary Jo's lead on colors and keepin' it simple and really like how this one turned out!

I'm sure I'm not the first to do this, but the idea to have the little Curly Label Punch pieces peeking out behind the striped panel was something new to me. I love how they look kind of like brackets. An easy, trendy little accent :)

Note: I feel like I use this tall flower image from Live Your Dream ALL the time! It really is my go-to image :) Hope you're not sick of it!

Thanks for stopping by,



P.S. Not only is this one Stampin' Up ONLY, but everything is current, too (I think)!I haven't done that in a while either. [Edited to Add: Well, there you have it on how "with it" I am when it comes to Stampin' Up - Live Your Dream is NOT current after all! LOL. (That's really disappointing, too!)]

Stamps: Live Your Dream
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, textured Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White card stock, Urban Garden dp
Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Not Quite Navy
Accessories: vintage brads, curly label punch, paper piercer, gray taffeta ribbon, dimensionals, sponge daubers

And the Picture Is ....

Would you believe not a single person correctly identified this photo as Vaseline smeared by my 17-month-old all over the top of my baby grand? Has no one else experienced the joys of toddler boys?! LOL!

No worries, though, we still have a winner, of course. Eight people guessed painting of some sort, one even guessed "finger painting." Close enough! I drew a random winner from those eight for the card and some goodies. Congratulations go to Jami Bova (sgtstamper) - woohoo, girlfriend! Email me with your address so I can get your prize sent out. Laura Fredrickson (scrapnextras) gets an honorable mention for creativity. She said:

I definitely know what the photo is. It's an alien nest. How I know I can't tell. Top secret. I would suggest you quickly destroy that picture if you know what's good for you.

This was fun - we should do it again sometime!

The fact that there was a jar of Vaseline on my piano is totally random. I photograph my cards on the piano, and the Vaseline jar just happens to be a good-size object to prop my projects against without it being seen in the photo. I'm just glad Gabriel didn't try to eat the Vaseline! The fact that I found him on top of the piano was a surprise - he's never done that before. However, while I was cleaning the piano, I looked over to find him sitting in the middle of the dining room table! He's acquired a new skillset, I see. Fortunately, he has a distinct babble that I've come to recognize as "I'm into mischief, Mom. Better come quick!"

Here's the shot I cropped the mystery photo from:


Isn't this handprint adorable?


I had phtoographed a bunch of RAKs earlier in the day, so there was a lot of stuff still lying on the piano. Thankfully, none of the cards was ruined. That big blob is on a piece of foamcore that I use when I need a white background for my photo.


The source of it all:


And "the villain" (shot taken on a different day, playing with big brother and the water hose):



And last, this is exactly why everything seems so much harder to juggle than it was this time last year. I'd forgotten how much work toddlers are!

Thanks to everyone who played!

RAKS Galore, Part 3

I'll have the mystery photo winner announcement a little later this morning. In the meantime, check out more RAKs I've received recently!

From Heather Rolin, (hlr976 on SCS):




From Carole Burrage, (TruCarMa on SCS):




From Julee Tilman, (Vervegirl on SCS):




From Kate Warren (and hand-delivered, too!):




From Silke Ledlow (sparklegirl on SCS):

Gardenia Greenthumb Gets Ready For Fall

Jen del Muro has a super fun "Sketch for You to Try" this week! Head to i{heart}2stamp to see it, plus her sample and a sample by the NEW guest designer (wonder who it is?!). More inspiration awaits from Amy, Carole, Shannan, and Susan. We'd love to have you play along! If you upload to SCS, use keyword: SFYTT.

I wanted to try Gardenia Greenthumb (Stamping Bella) in fall colors - I kind of like her! Those could be mums she's planting. Some B-I-G mums, LOL! I have to say I'm totally trying to imitate Paula Williamson's amazing coloring style using Prismacolors and Gamsol. I first saw her work back in the Spring, shortly after she'd won a Verve guest designer contest. I've been dropping in on her ever since - she blows me away!! Paula, if you see this - thanks for the inspiration! I WISH I could color like you can! I used the paper tole technique and raised up some portions of the image. The dp is from the Dill Blossom collection by SEI.

FYI, my sample for this week's challenge at Our Creative Corner is HERE. Also, I have a fun blog candy game ending tomorrow morning (Sunday). Details on THIS POST.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!



Stamps: Gardenia Greenthumb (Stamping Bella)
Paper: Papertrey white; Chocolate Chip, Really Rust (SU!); "Dill Blossom" collection (SEI)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Prismacolors and Gamsol; dimensionals, 1/4" circle punch, Vintage Brads, paper piercer, scalloped border punch, Kiwi Kiss double-striped ribbon (SU!)

Bring on the Bling!

Happy World Cardmaking Day!!

Today's challenge over at Our Creative Corner is to add bling to your card - anything shiny counts! As always, we'd love to have you play along! All the details are on the Our Creative Corner blog, where you'll also find samples from guest designer Michele Boyer, as well as the regular OCC team:

Cindy Haffner
Dawn Easton
Denise Marzec
Jennifer Meyer
Julee Tilman
Laurie Schmidlin
Lynda Benden

I still had "The Story of Us" paper pad on my craft table from a few days ago - it just begs for bling! The silhouette stamp is from Summer Botanicals by Flourishes. I stamped directly onto the blue designer paper in Versafine Onyx Black and added Martha Stewart Onyx glitter to it using heat-and-stick powder. There are also clear gemstones on the four corners of the main panel.

I've been getting quite a chuckle out of the guesses that have come in for this mystery photo. You still have a chance to win the card plus a little goody bag of fun papercrafting stuff. Deadline is Sunday, 9 am EST :)

My "Sketch For You To Try" sample is HERE!



Stamps: Summer Botanicals (Flourishes)
Paper: Basic Black, Ivory Naturals, Buckaroo Blue, Sahara Sand (SU!); "The Story of Us" dp (ATD/Momenta)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: heat and stick powder, paper piercer, ticket corner punch, scalloped border punch (SU!); Onyx glitter (Martha Stewart); black satin ribbon (Offray); clear adhesive gemstone (Heidi Swapp)

The Highest of Arts

I combined this week's SCS color challenge (Really Rust, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip) and this week's Ways to Use it challenge (use a quote) to make today's project. Love this color combo!

I inked the flower from Upsy Daisy in Baja Breeze, sponged on some Blue Bayou and some Chocolate Chip ink, then stamped. Last I painted on some Angel Wings Shimmerz for some sparkle. The quote comes from the retird Art of Life set. The ribbon? Can you even believe I found it in my stash? It came from Michael's, probably their dollar bin.

Here's a little challenge ... can you identify this mystery photo? It was taken yesterday with my camera:

Whoever comes closest gets today's card and some random goodies from my craft room. Just leave me a comment by Sunday, 9 am, to be considered!

Thanks for stopping by!



Stamps: Upsy Daisy, Art of Life (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Really Rust (SU!)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip (SU)
Accessories: ribbon (Michael's); Angel Wings Shimmerz; Just My Type and Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folders (Provo Craft); Vintage brads, 1/4" circle punch, scallop border punch, paper piercer, dimensionals (SU!)

RAKS Galore, Part 2

Just wanted to share some more recent happy mail!

From Charmaine Ikach (CharmWarm on SCS):




From Laura Fredrickson (scrapnextras on SCS):




From Cindy Lawrence (One Happy Stamper on SCS):




From Diane Gilbert, (DJLuvs2stamp on SCS):




From Emily Giovanni, (emilymomto3boys on SCS):