Checking In...

I've been doing a lot of family stuff in the past week or so and haven't had any time to play. I'm still here, and hopefully will have some new stuff to share soon.

On a side note, a couple weeks ago there was on a posting on our local freecycle group for Somerset magazines and artist supplies. You know I was all over that one! I got a box full of wonderful goodies, and I've been browsing the magazines for ideas. One of the issues showcased Calvin Nicholls, and his work literally left me with my jaw hanging open. I am absolutely amazed by what he can create from paper - take some time to peruse his work here.

Anyway, hopefully I can actually use some of those art supplies, along with the new rubber that's lying on my table just begging for ink... Back soon!

New Winner

I still have not heard from "momsnack" so time to choose a new winner for the Favorite Things giveaway. The new winner is #30, Rosella. Please email me at tah_dah(at)lycos.com with your mailing address and I'll get your package out to you. Congratulations!

Christmas Jar

A friend of mine brought me this wonderful jar yesterday, and I just had to share. I love all the little details! The cool layered tag, the greeting stamped on twill, touches of crystal effects, and the embellished lid... plus chocolate!

This would be a wonderful gift for just about anyone on your list!

Gift Tag

Our family attended a birthday party this past weekend, and rather than making a card for the birthday boy I opted for a tag. Why? Well, his Mommy is a scrapper and I figured this would be a good page embellishment. Thankfully she loved it! And he loved his gift :)

I started with some scraps of blue paper, and laid out the basic design. Next, I die cut "Aaron" and 3 from thin sheet metal using the Sizzix boxed brush alpha die set. I stamped "Happy Birthday" (smARTworks, "Time To") onto caramel paper with navy versamagic ink. I made the hole reinforcer with a couple punches, and then tied on some great American Crafts ribbon. Nothing too fancy, but I thought simple was better in this case.

Paging momsnack, Paging momsnack

I haven't heard from the winner of the Favorite Things giveaway yet - if I don't hear from her by Monday, then I'll be drawing another name.

The Reason for the Season

I am so excited about this piece I'm sharing today! I'd been wanting to make something for our home; I had a whole lot of different ideas, but when I actually sat down to create nothing was coming together. Well, the previous Salt challenge was the theme "Light." The words to the song "Here I am to Worship" by Chris Tomlin immediately came to mind, and I started thinking about how I could use that to create something for Christmas. Never actually got beyond printing out the words, though. And then the latest challenge was "Jesus, the true meaning of Christmas." I just had to actually finish up my project. It all came together when I stumbled onto the amazing paper and gold stickers (seen here)
I started by masking off some areas around the star and spraying with gold glimmer mist. Next I roughly laid out where I wanted the words to go. I scanned Luke 2 from my Bible, and printed out verses 1-7 onto watercolor paper. I stamped the names of Jesus (Biblical Impressions) in the corner, and added several gold stickers. I love how the shepherds really do look like they're worshipping, and the small cross under the manger serves as a reminder of what that tiny baby came to do. Humbly you came to the earth you created, all for love's sake became poor.

This is definitely not my "normal" style, but I am thrilled with the final result. It's now hanging on the wall in our living room, and I'll definitely be making more in the future.

Just in case you've never heard this powerful song, check it out here.

Monochromatic Let it Snow

I have another simple card to share. Yesterday's challenge on splitcoast was to do a monochromatic design. I pulled out my Winter Days set, a Fabriano notecard, my sepia versafine ink, and went to town. Super simple layout, but I think it lets the beauty of the image really come through. I did accent the snow with some fabulous glass glitter (also available through smARTworks). The final touch was tying on some brown twistel. It's paper ribon made by Making Memories; I've had it in my stash forever, and I'm not even sure whether they make it anymore.

I'm also working on a very cool project for the Salt challenge. A little different from my normal style, but I'm really enjoying the process. Hopefully it will be ready to share by Monday!

We have a winner!!

"momsnack" - who is wild about her alcohol inks - please email me at tah_dah(at)lycos.com.

Thanks for playing, everyone!

Peaceful Trees

I made another card with the Playful Christmas set (Kitchen Sink) and even added a few of those great little Dew Drops. It's a super simple card - the trees were stamped with versamagic (aloe & perfect plumeria), then I added the sentiment and adhered the dew drops with glossy accents (Ranger). Sometimes simple really is best!

And just a reminder that I'll be drawing a winner tomorrow for some of my favorite things, so scroll down to Monday's post if you haven't entered yet!

Thumbprint Reindeer

I think our kids like to make cards nearly as much as I do - so they were pretty excited on Monday when I told them they were going to help me make cards. I got the idea for these from a card I saw last year; I believe it was in PaperCrafts (and I think it was the entire family's row of thumbprints!) I opted for a more simple approach and we made these for the moppets workers - the wonderful ladies who watch over the kiddos during our MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) meetings. I started with a stack of notecards (Fabriano, of course!) and had the kids add their thumbprint. Then I drew in the details, including some glitter on the nose. (See why I prefer to stamp instead of drawing?!?) The final touch was the greeting (retired SU - Holiday Wishes). A simple thank you from the "little dears" :)

A Few of My Favorite Things...

My birthday is coming up, and I thought I'd celebrate by giving away some of my favorite goodies! It was hard to narrow it down to just a few things, but here's what one lucky person will receive:

• BasicGrey Perhaps 6x6 pad
• smARTworks "One Smile" stamp set (UM rubber)
• Mono Multi liquid glue
• 5 yards white dotted Mary Arts ribbon
• mini gold brads

So how can you win this great stuff? Please leave a comment sharing one of your favorite things, and I'll draw a name on Friday morning (12/14). Everyone is free to enter (but be sure to check back to see if you've won!) Good luck!

Merry & BRIGHT!!

I won some great Blog Candy from Becky last week - a set of Kitchen Sink stamps (Playful Christmas), dew drop embellishments, and four acrylic blocks for coasters/tiles. They arrived yesterday, and I immediately was thinking of stamping a single tree on a tilted square. When I saw this week's Sketch Challenge I knew it was a sign :) I also decided I wanted to use some more of that thin metal, so I now envisioning a seriously garish Christmas card. Why not?! I ran the metal through my Big Shot with the cuttlebug embossing folder, then adhered it to the card base. For the tree, I first stamped it with chalk ink, then overstamped with brilliance silver. Lastly, I matted it with some turquoise just to break up the pink a teensy bit. How's that for non-traditional colors? I computer generated the inside sentiment to read, "May your days be Merry and BRIGHT!"

Tea & Cookies

Yep, it's time for another tea party with the smART Cookies! Today's sketch was provided by Susan and we're all doing the wave. It's currently snowing here, but I felt like creating some floral magic. I started with the focal panel, stamping the flowers (Grow) with versamagic inks. (BTW, my main panel also happens to be the size of a standard ATC - this is a great way to transform one of those babies into a full card!) I layered the different papers onto the base (papers are all BasicGrey Perhaps), then mounted the panel and added some green rickrack with a metal charm.

Would love to have you create something with this sketch, too!

See what everyone else has created: In the Works, Mama Dini's Stamperia, Dee's Studio, Sweet Somethings, and Susiestampalot.

All lovey dovey

Needed to make an anniversary card - I'm not feeling so hot (first cold of the season!) so I pulled out the BasicGrey Blush card kit. No stamping here - just adhering a few shapes, tying on some ribbon, and adding a small charm. (I'll be hand delivering this, so bulk wasn't an issue...)

...And a partridge in a pear tree!!

Each smART Cookie received the "Pear Tree" set in October. It's a lovely set, but for some reason I had a hard time with this one. The rather elegant style of the drawing seemed to call out for a semi-formal design, so I gold embossed it, colored with twinkling H2Os, matted, then added velvet ribbon and lace. I had another idea for a funky collage type card (with the music as a background) but I just couldn't make it work. Be sure to check out what the other cookies made here!

And how about winning a set of your very own? Susan is giving one away, so head to her blog before Thursday morning to join in the fun!

Make Merry

Here's my second run with the deer. I actually started this one first, based on "Sketch for You to Try" that was posted this weekend but just couldn't put all the elements together. I knew I wanted to use the Snowflakes & Holly paper but I kept fiddling with colors, etc and finally just left it alone for a day. I came back to it this morning and this is what emerged. I gave the deer a scarf with a bit of chenille fiber, and also accented the antlers with stickles (Diamond Ice). The deer was grounded with an oval from the spotlight solids set (which Louise gave as a suggestion to help out my other card!) The edges are all lightly distressed, and the red panel in particular was sanded down so that the words would be visible. The original phrase in the Reindeer set is "Make them fun... Make them merry... Make them last..." but I shortened it through selective inking and my handy dandy stamp-a-ma-jig. I'm kind of wishing I hadn't put the rhinestone brad there by the words, but I didn't have enough paper left to re-do it, and leaving it there seemed better than a hole :)

Pay It Forward

PAY IT FORWARD : handcrafted items


I will send a handmade item to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this "Pay it Forward" exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet (but it will probably be made of paper!) and you probably won't receive anything in '07 but it will definitely be within 365 days - I promise! In order to participate, though, you must pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. So basically, if you comment, I’ll send you something crafty that I’ve made! Once you sign up, copy and paste the above paragraph on your blog, and three other lucky people will be recipients of your handmade work. I found this at Aged to Perfection and thought it was a great idea. So spread a little handmade cheer!!

(and please leave your email in the post so I can get in contact with you!)\

Still one more slot available - please join in the fun!

"You Are A Dear"

I love all things cheesy, which is why this card seemed like a good idea! I started out by creating the background by repeatedly stamping thanks (combo sentiments). By the way, you really must invest in a stamp-a-ma-jig if you don't already own one; they make creating backgrounds like this downright simple. Anyway, after doing the background I overstamped the deer (reindeer). Next I diecut the letters from a super thin metal sheet (I got in a share over at Serving the King - and she still has more available if you'd like some). The final touch was layering using a slot corner punch.


I still love the idea of this card - but I'm not really digging the actual results here. I need to play more with colors (I used chocolate chip and tempting turquoise on this one, but the card base is showing much more blue on my monitor), and either use alphabet stamps or a different alpha die set. I think it needs additional embellishment, too, but I couldn't figure out where to add ribbon, brads, etc. Thoughts anyone? I'm *very* open to suggestions!

Other Crafty Pursuits

Yes, I'm still here! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was blissfully dull - the past six weeks or so have been a whirlwind so we specifically chose to celebrate the day alone. My hubby had the week off (needing to use up some vacation time before year-end) so we puttered around the house and vegged. No stamping to share, but one of our friends came over on Friday and we temporarily became candle central. She'd been given boxes of wax, molds, etc. but didn't know what to do with them. The answer: bring 'em over! My hubby loves to make candles, and we have quite a collection of equipment ourselves. Anyway, I think we ended up making 20 or so large candles. We made one batch of orange wax and used some lemon scent that was buried in one of the boxes she'd brought over; the candles seriously smelled like Pledge. "And now for the newest trend in home decor: candles that make visitors think you've been cleaning!" The kids had a ball helping us sort all the colors and just generally getting underfoot. Most of the finished product went home with Holly - including the frog and tree shaped candles - but I can share these few with you.

We also managed to finish up one of our kitchen chairs. We were given these beautiful chairs when we got married. They are at least 75 years old, and they served us well for a few years but were getting rickety. My hubby took them all apart, sanded and stained, drilled new holes, and then I did the seat. Not bad for my first upholstery job! One down, three more to go...

Well, that concludes the crafty tour. Hopefully I'll get some time to stamp this week and I'll be back with a few cards.

Tea & Cookies

It's time for another tea party with the smART cookies! Susan - the smARTworks queen - provided the sketch. When I saw it, the avalanche set came to mind as the phrase was the perfect size, plus I could use the snowflakes as embellishment. I played around with various colors and patterns, and finally settled on this simple design. I ran the white cardstock through my Big Shot with the snowflakes cuttlebug folder, then highlighted it with blue and silver ink. Next, I added the matted sentiment. The final touch was two layers of ribbon, then three lovely little snowflakes complete with a bit of bling. Voila!

We'd love to have you join us in the fun!

See what everyone else has created: In the Works, Mama Dini's Stamperia, Dee's Studio, Sweet Somethings, and Susiestampalot.

Happy Thanksgiving

I actually managed to make a few cards to send out to family. Nothing too complicated - just a couple stamps and some watercoloring.

As I was making them, our son announced that he wanted to make one for his cousins in AZ. He stamped and colored this all himself - like those purple grapes? :)

stamps by SU (Always on My Mind, Happy Harmony), sepia versafine ink, watercolor crayons, Fabriano notecard

For Sale

I've done some more purging, and am selling off a HUGE pile of shtuff. Click to see what stamps and supplies I am selling (the list is way too long to post here!)

Simple Thank You Notes

Two more cards that were mass produced - each set uses colored notecards (DCWV), a sheet of patterned paper, and a single stamp. Quick and easy!

Coral card - American Crafts paper, sentiment SU Everyday Expressions, giga & mega scalloped oval punches

Green card - Chatterbox paper, sentiment Impression Obsession

Mass Warm Wishes

I don't enjoy mass production. I prefer to make 1 or 2 of a any given design and move on - but sometimes multiples are called for. Anyway, I made these cards for the Moppets workers (those wonderful ladies who take care of all the kidlets while we moms get a break during our MOPS meetings every other week). I picked up this adorable stamp from the $1 bin at Joann's. Unfortunately when I went to use it I realized there was a rubber bubble by one of the words. A little surgery with an exacto knife took care of the issue, though, and I paired up the now wordless snowmen with a new sentiment (SU). Slap on some ink, accent with the prismacolor pencils, and we're all set! Ten done in less than an hour. Now this I can handle!

RAK

I know I've been unusually quiet these past few days - just too much happening to allow for stamping or even yammering on about it :) But I'm back, and I really want to share this lovely card I received last week.

I had ordered some extra stamping goodies from smARTworks, and Susan included this great card in my package. Simple, lovely, and a true day brightener. I am so blessed to be on the design team for this wonderful company!

With Sympathy

I just found out that a friend of mine lost her grandmother; I generally have a number of cards for birthdays, etc. made up and ready to go, but I've depleted my Sympathy stash over the past few months.

I kept the design relatively simple. I used the Brocade Background designer paper (SU), and stamped a single swirl (Autumn Leaves). I cut a strip from one of the other papers in the pack, and added just a bit of distress ink to help it stand out from the background. I stamped the sentiment (retired SU set - Hope for Comfort) on some River Rock cardstock, and then glued it all down and added a single prima. I matted the panel and then mounted it to the card base. I added another River Rock panel to the inside so that it's easier to read the sentiment. I used another stamp from the HfC set, and it reads "May you find comfort in God's word and in the knowledge that others care and sympathize with you."

I do like how it turned out, and I may have to make a couple more to keep on hand for these difficult times.

Sweet Sixteen

Our niece - the adorable little flower girl at our wedding - turned sixteen yesterday. Man, I'm feeling old! I put off making her card to the last minute, and grabbed the BasicGrey Blush card kit that has been sitting on the back of my workspace for months. As pretty as it was, I could't bring myself to actually use the pieces. Well, yesterday was the day! I started with a square Fabriano notecard, then layered on the paper pieces and hearts. After I came up with my basic layout, I accented it all with some distress inks. I die cut the numbers from some shimmery paper, so they actually stood out quite nicely. The final touch was the velvet ribbon and stick pin.

I must say, I liked using the kit, and will be using more strips like this on future layouts. Great way to use up scraps but they also make fabulous accents!

Tea & Cookies

Can't believe it's already time for another "Tea Party" with the other smART cookies! We're doing a sketch again, this time provided by Donna. She also challenged us to do something "different" with the background strips

I'd been dying to use my new set Kings and this sketch was perfect. I started out with the card base, and stamped it with the crowns (using gold & silver brilliance ink), and overstamped with the script (One Smile). I also added some distress ink around the edges to age it just a bit. And then we moved on to the fun part! I stamped the sentiment, and added some gold around the edges. Focal point done! Now what to layer behind it? The horizontal piece was put through my Big Shot with the Fiskars leather texture plate, and then I accented the raised areas with silver ink. For the background strips, I used a variety of materials. The center is paper with silver cord, then gold organdy ribbon, and finally some pieces of a paint sample (thanks, Ralph Lauren!) I love the final result - very rich looking but still fun. And did you notice that I didn't use any printed paper?

We'd love to have you join us for our little party - what can you create from this sketch?

See what everyone else has cooked up: In the Works, Mama Dini's Stamperia, Dee's Studio, Sweet Somethings, and Susiestampalot.

Caffeine!! Caffeine!!

Since I already had my Fabriano notecards and watercolor crayons out yesterday, I made this second card later in the afternoon. This one uses Dawn Houser images (Inkadinkado) and are red rubber mounted with foam and a repositionable adhesive back. They work pretty well, but the index on this set is not accurately printed (I do, however, have another set that is spot on). My other beef is that there is quite a lot of extra rubber on the edges. I worked around it, though, and carefully inked up the mug and stamped onto a piece of a previously mucked up notecard. I added a bit of color with the watercolor crayons (prismacolor pencils obscure the fun words too much), carefully ripped the panel, then covered the edges with versamark and embossed with scented embossing powder (CHF). Mmmmmm... I added the sentiment to the bottom, and now it's ready to brighten someone's day!

Van Gogh inspired

So I have I mentioned that I am personally acquainted with superwoman? Seriously, she's a good friend of mine. She's our MOPS coordinator, worship team leader, teaches piano and voice, and is currently working on her master's. Oh, and did I mention that she has 5 kids? Anyway, this week is particularly busy for her, so I wanted to send her a little note. Since I don't have any superwoman images, I grabbed a Fabriano notecard, this great sunflower and my watercolor crayons. It went together very quickly, and the final touch was the sentiment (Wordsworth) and a bit of ribbon.

I love these type of stamps that look so great with minimal coloring!

Still More Flowers

I saw Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge and I decided to play along. I loved the asymmetrical layout, and immediately was picturing it with flowers and this great quote. I started with the main panel (watercolor paper), and the dried floral (Standing Tall). I used watercolor crayons and applied them DTR (direct-to-rubber), then stamped onto damp paper. The effect was very soft, and was a good start but it needed a bit more definition. I overstamped a couple more times, this time inking up with my pads (carefully applied with the corner; I used a mix of almost amethyst, lavender lace, and certainly celery). Although it doesn't really show in the picture, I also stippled over the entire panel with some iridescent blue twinkling H2Os just to give it some subtle shimmer - great effect! I then layered it (BasicGrey LilyKate papers), and went over the edges with antique linen distress ink. After I added the sentiment (Flowers Everywhere), it still needed a bit more so I added two rhinestone brads (Making Memories) and tied on some wide organdy ribbon at the spine. I know it's not exactly appropriate to the season, but flowers are never out of style, right? :)

Screen Flowers

Well, I just got a big ol' pile of new rubber from smARTworks, so you can bet it's been killing me not to play! I decided I'd earned some stamping time, though, so made this quick card this morning. I started with a square Fabriano notecard - I swear, the quality of the paper is just so wonderful that it makes almost anything look good! I stamped the screen down the side with old paper distress ink. Next, I overstamped the flower (from Vertical Love Comes) with black Versafine ink, and then the sentiment (Wonderful/Marvelous). I colored in the flowers with Prismacolor pencils, even adding a bit of green over the stems. The final touches were to add a copper dragonfly brad and tie on some red hemp twine. I managed to get my ink fix in under fifteen minutes! :)

In other smARTworks news, you've GOT to check out the fabulous specials this month - including 12% off all items. Wowzers! Plus there are some fabulous new images (love the vintage holiday stuff here and pretty much the entire supplement!) and they're even carrying these square Fabriano notecards now. Seriously, check it out!!

Bobble Hearts

Well, yesterday was a craft day at MOPS, and I thought I'd share the project we made. I'm always on the lookout for items that are affordable, useful, suitable for a variety of styles/personalities, and simple enough that self-professed "non-crafty" people won't be overwhelmed. When I ran across these bobble hearts I knew I'd struck gold. I kept these pretty simple (we had to be able to complete them in under 30 minutes) but you could do so much more! We traced the heart shape onto the back side of various printed papers, trimmed, and adhered with modge podge (thin layer brushed onto the paper). I then put out a variety of final embellishments: ribbon, buttons, flowers, gems, pearls, etc. and set everyone loose.

They're great for holding photos (my sample has our adorable kidlets from two years ago), recipes, lists, receipts, whatever! They're small enough that they won't take up too much space, but they can hold quite a bit. And wouldn't these make great gifts? I'm thinking about letting the kids decorate a couple for their grandparents. One little note: I used ink on my samples, but there is some sort of finish on the hearts, so it was a rather messy endeavor. Paint would definitely work better (but just wasn't feasible for us to do in the time allowed). Everyone had fun making these, and I was thrilled to hear little squeals of delight throughout the room as the ladies admired their handiwork.

Papers from DCWV; ribbon from SU; buttons, gems, and rub-on were just from my stash so I'm not sure of the source

Lace and Distress Ink

I haven't taken much time lately to play with my stamps and inks, but I did throw together this quick card. I started with some printed papers (7gypsies), crinkled them and layered on some distress inks. The lovely lady (Art by Moonlight) was stamped awhile ago, and I finally added a bit of color and trimmed the panel. I do wish I'd been more careful when I swiped it with more distress ink - I love the effect but don't care for her dirty face :) I finished it off with some stitched ribbon, lace, and a prima flower.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Tea & Cookies

Well, today we're kicking off a fun new tradition - a Tea Party with the smART Cookies Design Team! Dina provided our first sketch, and this is what I came up with. Do not adjust your screen - the colors are very bright and there are a lot of them :) I did tweak it just a bit, as my main panel isn't quite square, but it's awfully close! I used the sets Standing Tall and To Life! along with BasicGrey Stella Ruby Paper. I'm definitely getting more comfortable mixing patterns, and this sketch gave me an excuse to use six on a single card. I know that several of them aren't exactly vivid prints, but hey, I'm growing! So here's the sketch if you'd like to play along, too. I'd love to see what you come up with!

Check out the other creations at In the Works, Mama Dini's Stamperia, Dee's Studio, Sweet Somethings, and Susiestampalot.

How addicted are you?

The "tea party" I mentioned in my last post was rescheduled, so I'll be posting a new card tomorrow. But in the meantime, I am shamlessly copying this funny quiz (that I found at Ruby Slippers Stamping) Give yourself a point for every yes and then total your score (analysis at the end)

1-I own 5 different brands of punches.
2-All my ribbon tied together would reach from my stamp room to my mail box or beyond.
3-I have at least 10 shades of green ink.
4-I know at least 3 ways to make my images look grounded.
5-I have at least one stamp in my collection that is a vehicle without wheels.
6-I have at least one stamp that has an image of some sort of antique.
7-In my stamp room is a needle, a bottle cap, and a piece of fabric (remember Let's Make a Deal when Bob wanted to see what was in your purse?).
8-I use some form of make-up in my stamping now and then.
9-I know at least 3 ways to make paper glittery.
10-I have shaving cream, rubbing alcohol, and bleach in my stamping supplies.
11- I have at least 5 kinds of adhesive.
12-In my stamp collection I have all three: an eagle, an owl, a hummingbird.
13-I have at least 15 kinds of flower stamps (tulips, roses, etc.)
14-I have more designer/decorate paper than I could use to make 200 cards.
15-I have at least 8 colors of silk/fabric flowers.
16-I have embossing powder that is at least 5 years old.
17-I have used an iron in my stamping more than once.
18-I have 10 or more background stamps.
19-My stamp collection includes a jar, a telephone and a typewriter/computer stamp (all 3 for the point!).
20-I have 3 or more pair of straight edged scissors or cutting tools.
21-I have at least 6 shades of blue cardstock.
22-I know 3 ways to attach a ribbon to a card.
23-I use transparencies in my stamping.
24-I know how to paint with reinkers.
25-I have at least one card in my stamp room that has 8 layers on it.
26-I have done paper piecing or paper applique before.
27-I have made a card with at least one element that uses origami.
28-I know how to resist emboss.
29-I store my markers horizontally.
30-I have at least one stamp or stamp set that is about chocolate.

SCORING:
28-30: We will have to bury you with your stamps when you die. You need inpatient treatment.
23-27: Yep, you are addicted, Without an intervention soon, you will quickly reach the level above this one.
18-22: Come on, you can do better. Take a few weeks off work and stamp!!!
17 and UNDER: There is still hope for you. Spend a bit more time reading blogs and shopping in stamp stores and you will make progress.

Anyone wanna guess my score? ;)

The Gift of Prayer

I haven't had much time to stamp these past few days, but I thought I'd share this card I made a couple months ago. You may have noticed that I like BasicGrey papers - I generally go for the 6x6 pads (I like the smaller prints for most cards) but sometimes a design calls for a large scale print. This card is very simple - it's all about the words (Auntie Amy's). I stamped them onto a corner of the paper where the colors were softest, then trimmed it. I layered on some organdy ribbon and fancy slide (Maya Road), then matted that onto some black. The black was also dry embossed with the CB tiny mosaic folder, so there's some additional texture. Finally, I covered the card front with more of the paper (Scarlet's Letter line, by the way) and then mounted the panel. The final touch was just a couple flourishes on the envelope (Autumn Leaves).

Things will be fairly quiet around here for another week or so - my folks are visiting, plus we have some other events we're involved with. I will be back on Saturday, though, as I'm taking part in a Sketch "Tea Party." Check back then!!

Big News from Stampin' Up!

So didja hear yet?!? SU is changing its angel policy! I'm sooooo excited about this announcement! Effective November 15, hand-stamped items made with SU images can be sold in fixed retail locations. And yes, that means online as well. Wooooo Hooooo!! This was one of my beefs with SU, and I'm so thrilled that they're making this change. FYI: You still need to stamp each and every item with one of their copyright images to be in compliance. But happy selling, people!! :)

Colorized Girls

Well, this is going to be my last "One Smile" card for awhile. I have just recently started to really use my Prismacolor pencils, and I decided to have fun with them on this card. I was going for the vintage, hand-tinted photo look. (And why is that every one of those photos seems to have robin's egg blue in it somewhere?!) Anyway, I had fun coloring it in, and then roughed up the edges, attached a fancy paper clip, and mounted it onto some BasicGrey paper. BTW, the cool script on the background is another image from the set. I'm telling you, it is a great set full of potential!!

OK, off to the more mundane tasks that require my attention. Have a great weekend!

One Smile...

I think by now everyone is aware that I really like the One Smile set from smARTworks - and I just realized that I have two more cards that I never shared! This one uses the sentiment that comes with the image (thus the name of the set). This time I paired it with some BasicGrey papers I found at the bottom of my paper stash (Black Tie line). I also did a little something special with the girls themselves; I've had microscope slides and metal tape for over a year now, but I had yet to actually use any of it. But these darling girls were deemed worthy of the fancy treatment :) I need to practice a bit more with the metal tape (it's really hard to get everything smooth), but it's not bad for a first try. The final touch was a bit of ribbon and a tiny buckle - which makes me think of a belt over a plaid skirt.

Gotta run - I'll post the second one sometime this weekend.

Retirement Benefits

I love the Emerson line from American Art Stamps! I stamped this fun lady over the weekend, but couldn't decide what exactly to do with her. Well, today's sketch on SCS provided the answer! I decided to pair her up with BasicGrey papers (Scarlet's Letter), and just pulled my colors from that. I colored her in with prismacolor pencils, and then a silver metallic pencil on the necklace. I originally just layered the papers onto my card base (River Rock cardstock), but decided to trim the edge off the front just to add some interest. I really like the result, and need to remember to use that little trick more often! It needed just a bit of embellishment, so I used some black organdy and a silver button.

Now to get her mailed off!!

Make Each Day Count

Another fun card with the Leaves #1 Set from smARTworks. I started by stamping the leaf on plain white cardstock with Ancient Page ink, and then I coated it with Ranger Crackle Effects. I used a piece of scratch paper to spread it pretty thin, so I'd get fine "crackling." I let it dry overnight, and then went to work on it this morning. I rubbed in three different Distress inks, then layered it onto a piece of burgundy cardstock (darkened with ink). I also distressed the edges on that, and then accented the panel with a round clip and ribbon (SU). But now what to do for the rest of the card? I settled on the pretty patterned paper from Rusty Pickle; it reminds me of a calico print. I used just a small piece (with the edge distressed, of course), and then adhered it to the card base (SU River Rock). The final touch was the sentiment (from To Life!) which I split using my SAMJ. I'm very pleased with the final result - I think it showcases the gorgeous leaf quite nicely.

Birth Announcements

I did stamp a bit this weekend, but only to finish up these 100 birth announcements. And no, they're not for me!!

I don't enjoy mass production, but I just kept plugging away at these. Although they're quite simple there were a lot of steps. I computer generated the inside info, and stamped a baby hand over the birth info. I then sponged the outside, then layered on the blue gingham paper, photo, and sentiment (that was stamped, punched, and then accented with the ribbon). It felt so good to finally finish them!

Welcome, Josiah!

sentiment from SU