Just so you know...

I'm going to be on a blogging vacation until next Friday. Taking a break from the internet and email. Hope you take some time to unplug!

All Over the World...People Skate and Stamp!

I was doing my normal blog surfing the other day, and at Nicole Cooke's blog, Stampin' Library Girl, she announced that she is the latest member of a new stamp company based in NORWAY. Yes, you read it right. You may not be aware of this, but rubber stamping is an international hobby, and this new company is called Scrapmagasinet. If you follow the link, you can see the very cute images this gal has come up with and even convert the price into dollars, should you be struck with the urge to buy.

Well, I commented to Nicole that these would make great teen guy cards, and, lo and behold, what showed up in my mailbox a week later, but some stamped images! Thanks, girl! You're so generous!

As you can tell, there's lots of white space to color in, and yet I wanted to try something different with this. Paper piecing is a fun technique that usually involves stamping an image on different pieces of paper, cutting out the parts you want from each, and piecing them together! Well, I didn't have the original stamp, but I do have a light table. So I took the image and traced the parts I wanted to piece onto the DP (SU!'s Jersey Shore), and went from there.

I pulled all the colors from the DP into the card's design, and I'm not going to put a sentiment on it yet, since I don't know who I'll use it for, and what the occasion will be. If you have any suggestions for a sentiment, I'd love to hear it! Something to do with "hang time" was all I could come up with--I'm not too hip to skater lingo!

Thanks for your comments...I really do read them all and am encouraged by your feedback.

Thank You for your Business

My resident lawnmower is starting a business. Last year, he mowed our lawn and one neighbor's for pay. This year, he placed an ad in the subdivision newsletter, advertising his services. So far, 2 homeowners have hired him to mow for them while they are on vacation.

Bob thought it would be a good idea for the young entrepreneur to thank his clients for their business. Who did he turn to for a unique thank you? His resident cardmaker! I just handcut both strips of Old Olive and mounted them on Cool Caribbean card stock. The words "before" and "after" were stamped with Summer Sun ink with the tremendous help of the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig.

Hope your week's off to a good start. I open the next 4 days in a row, so I'm not sure how creatively inspired I'll be. I'd love to hear if your children are doing anything to earn money this summer.

This is just a little larger than a 3" x 3" card, because my son is NOT a man of many words.

Saturday Putzing

It's a fantastically gorgeous Saturday here! Perfect weather and what am I doing? INDOORS stamping! I did sit out on the back deck for awhile just reveling in the lack of humidity and heat, but I'm not a very good sitter. Gotta be doing something. It's a sickness, I tell ya! But stamping helps me unwind from 8 hours at Starbucks...I think we'll go for a family walk later.

Saturdays are the day when Jen del Muro posts a sketch for her readers to try. This one seemed to be pretty straightforward, and I had this piece of patterned paper sitting on my craft table. It's not SU! issue, but I like it anyway and wanted to incorporate it into my design.

I encountered a problem almost immediately because I don't have an ink or paper that matches it. I tried to make it work, but in the end I just couldn't. I don't know how stampers and crafters do it when they put a hodgepodge of papers, inks, and accessories together from a bunch of different companies. I just can't stand the slight degree of "off" that exists!

So, I started pulling out stamps that I have that seemed to mimic the design going on on the paper. Didn't realize I had so many! They're from the following sets:

Friendly Flowers
Always
Wanted
So Many Scallops
Baroque Motifs

I chose Taken with Teal ink, since it was the closest match to the background paper, and started randomly stamping the images on a 5.25" square base of Whisper White.

This is the final result! I think it captures the essence of the sketch, although I couldn't figure out where to put a sentiment. Perhaps it'll go in that upper left corner where the two pieces of Cool Caribbean meet. I like the dot detail. I did it with my 1/2" circle punch.

Well, now there's laundry waiting to be dried and what to have for dinner to figure out. I'm so not motivated to cook these days, but it's cheaper than going out by far!! We'll see what we can rustle up from the freezer and pantry. We're blessed to have both full. Have a great rest of the weekend...

A Happy Card from a Grouchy Gal

I'm not sure what my deal is today. The weather's beautiful (sunny, mid-80s, no humidity) and nothing bad has transpired to wreck the day, yet I'm restless and getting grouchier by the minute! So as not to rub off on you, I'll post quickly and be done with it.

I was inspired by this card by Jen del Muro. I liked the three panels, the red, the crisp white, and the saffron.

All was going according to plan until I decided to add a ribbon accent. I punched the slot on the wrong side, so the panel that was to be vertical had to be placed horizontally. Still, it turned out well, I think.

The little accent on the saying is from Mark the Date set, and I think it plays off the pattern in the DP quite nicely.

Okay, I'm out of here! Here's to a better day tomorrow...

Loved...Velveteen Rabbit Style

My friend Pam is having a birthday next week. She and I have been friends since our boys were in kindergarten. We were neighbors all those years, so it was very difficult to say goodbye when we moved south two years ago. Even though we're separated by distance, miles never really separate true friends. So, her birthday cannot pass
unacknowledged.

Pam is a very talented woman, and among the myriad things she's good at, she's a published children's book author. So, when I rediscovered this Velveteen rabbit stamp I bought a long time ago (seems to be a theme this week), I knew it would make the right focal image for her card.

I've seen some gorgeous cards made using Sage Shadow and Basic Gray card stock, so I wanted to try my hand at it. In the end, it ended up being SS, BG, silver metallic card stock, and River Rock, since the rabbit needed some furry color. I had difficulty figuring out what stamp set to pair with this image. (See why it's better to buy stamps in SETS?) Since the rabbit in the story is cherished to the point of becoming REAL, and I cherish Pam, I pulled out Baroque Motifs. It contains the word "cherish" and it has some unique background type stamps.

I used my SS marker to ink up just this little portion of this larger stamp and the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to position it. The paper piercing mat pack gave it the finished touch.

Since Pam's moving this week, I want to get this in the mail right away to give it a week to find her at her new abode. There were many memories made at the house on S. Washington St. I'm looking forward to the time when we'll make more with her and her family in their new place.

In Sympathy

I told you last week that I made a sympathy card because I knew I was going to need one soon. Well, the death I've been expecting hasn't happened, but one I wasn't did. One of my stampers, Christy, is saying goodbye to her mother-in-law tomorrow. She died suddenly, and I just heard about tomorrow's funeral this morning.

I've had this image laying around on my craft table for about 10 days now, ever since Kristina Werner's color challenge for So Saffron, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, and Bashful Blue. I decided this was somber enough to serve my need.

The watercolor paper adds some nice texture, and it's hard to tell, but the flowers (from retired Art of Life set) were colored with markers, misted with water to blur them a bit, and then stamped. I also created a grid pattern on the paper to give further visual interest. The ribbon on the left creates balance, since the paper is significantly smaller than the standard 4.25" x 5.5" frame of the base.

The saying is a random stamp I've had for years and years, and it's my favorite to use for sympathy cards. For me, turning to God is natural during times of trouble, and it comforts me greatly to view God as a refuge, as this verse in Isaiah says. It's from a company called PrintWorks (don't even know if they're still around) and Annette Allen Watkins is listed as the designer. By the way, I had to peel the price tag off the side to obtain this information, and I paid $7.20 for this single stamp.

I don't like how life doesn't stop when someone dies. I want things not to be normal for awhile, but, of course they are. I don't want to follow my regular routine; it somehow seems disrespectful of the one who died. How do you feel when someone dies? Do you alter your day in any way in light of what you know someone else is experiencing?

Stationery Box Part 2

Well, Blogger has fixed its picture loading problem from yesterday, so I'm psyched to show you the cards that are inside this lovely stationery box! Yesterday I showed you the exterior and what the box looks like when it's opened. Here's ALL that's inside!

These are the four notecards that I designed for this project. These are perfect to tuck in a gift bag or under the ribbon on top of a package. I used the retired SAB set Lots of Thoughts for these little cuties.

Sometimes you just need to tie a little tag on a gift. The 4 tags were designed for just that purpose. They're blank on the outside and have just the right amount of room for jotting a short note inside. They make great use of the tab punch.

The four full size cards use the Afternoon Tea DP and sentiments from several sets.



I kept them simple so that they wouldn't take long to make. Constructing the box takes about 20-30 min., so I want the rest of the project to come together smoothly and easily. Stamping is not about creating stress!

I'm offering two dates for ya'll to make this lovely project: Tuesday, July 8 from 6:30-9pm, and Sat., July 12 from 2:30-5pm. The cost will be $30. Please RSVP by Monday, June 23 to be counted in on this great opportunity. I will need advance payment for this event, since there is so much preparation and specific use of materials.

A Place for Everything and Everything In Its Place

Do you ever struggle finding everything you need to send a card or include a gift tag with a present? Well, this project I'm going to show you and offer you the opportunity to make will take care of that problem once and for all!

This stationery box was created by SU! demo Jackie Topa and I found it online through reading another stamper's blog. This box is a wonderful place to keep the cards you make in one central location, ready for mailing. Included in the confines of this container are:

4 4.25" x 5.5" cards and envelopes
4 3.25" x 7" mini notes
4 2" x 6" gift tags
1 mini notebook for addresses
1 pocket for holding stamps

Here is another picture.
This box behaves much like the old fashioned secretary desk. It folds open when you need it, and packs away neatly when you don't. No more hunting around, trying to remember "that safe place" you put cards or notes or gift tags when you need them!

I'm having trouble posting pictures of the rest of the items in the box, so I'll give blogger the night to figure out what's going on and make things good again, and I'll continue this post tomorrow.

Get out your calendars. We're going to make these soon!

Father' Day 2008

Here's a quickie post because I have to shower and get on the road to work. I don't have to be there today until 9:30, which is so wonderful! This is the card I put together for my dear husband Saturday afternoon. I should've taken a picture of the inside for you to view too, because I had our son Michael list the things he appreciates about his Dad. They were great, and very much from the mouth of a 13 year old. I'll share the first so that you can get an idea of what the list contained: I appreciate you, Dad, because you argue on my side more often than on Mom's. Yes, we know who the "good time" parent is in this household, and it ain't ME!

We had a quiet celebration. Actually, we had a great meal Saturday night, and it's a good thing. Bob came down with some sort of viral thing that knocked him down after church, so he was not his normal self most of the day. We all went to bed before 9!

One other bit of stamping news: SU! has released its list of stamps that will be retired when the current Spring-Summer Collection Main Catalog sales period ends August 10. Let me tell you, there are some goodies going away, and you don't want to miss out on your chance to have them in your stamping collection! Follow this link to the Stampin' Up! homepage and click on "A Fond Farewell" and you'll access the entire list. I can also send you an email with it as an attachment if you desire, so leave me a comment if you want to know more!

Happy day, all! Oh, and thanks for the information about the mimosa tree. Saw a stunning specimen last night when Bob and I went walking.

We have a winner!

Hey ya'll! Thanks so much for letting me know you're out there! It was so fun to hear from you, most of you for the very first time. I also was surprised to know that I have some international readers--specifically Belgium (hi, Annelies!) and Panama (hola, Michele!).

Alright, so enough telling you that I enjoyed hearing from you. Getting down to what you really want to know...the winner of the blog candy is:

entry #14--Stephanie from CO! Click here to visit her blog! Lots of cute stuff here! Stephanie was our winner because she got 2 entries for linking my blog to hers.

Stephanie, click on my profile and send me a private email with your address, and the stamp set will be on its way to CO ASAP!

Again, thanks so much to all of you for participating by commenting. It really does make a difference! Please, feel free to be honest and keep talkin' back to me!

Interesting Nature Photos

I drive back and forth between Starbucks and my home a variety of ways. The most direct route is on a road called 400, exiting at off ramp 16 or 17. There are days like today, however, when I need to go through downtown Cumming so that I can drop off books at the library, pick up chicken at the Tyson company store, or mail cards at the post office. When I choose this route, I pass by this lovely creation. I'm not sure what to call it. Pot Person? Terracotta Lady? In any case, she makes me smile. I have thought of Mary Sytsma, my dear neighbor friend of 17 years and great gardener, every time I've seen it and have meant to capture it in a photo to show her. Finally I was able to do this today!

I just love all the little details--the shoes on her "feet", the fern she sports as "hair", and the plastic banana that is her smile. Although it's quite warm, she also is attired with a scarf, knotted stylishly and fashioned out of what I cannot quite tell. She looks quite welcoming and relaxed as she greets passersby from her bench with her friends the jovial frog and turtle.

The other photos I'm posting this afternoon are of a large, flowering plant/tree/bush of unknown origin (if anyone can help me out here, I'd really appreciate it!).
These are blooming along the main street in the subdivision and have the most unique flowers I've ever seen! Whispy, pink, fragile, and airy, with needle-like petals. They are so puffy and they burst on the scene while we were all busy doing something else. They're along 400 and other roads around here, and they're just a delight. The blooms will be gone before long, but I had to capture this so that someone might help me identify this plant! I realize this isn't a card, but it's beautiful, nonetheless, and needed to be shared.

Thump Thump Thump...A Doggie Love Birthday Card

One of my dearest friends, Jodie, is a dog lover. She has two--a chihuahua (I had to look up how to spell that, which would make her smile)named Dutchess and a poodle named Candy. Another thing about Jodie...she's no girly girl! I have never in my life seen her wear anything remotely resembling lacy or flowery, so when I was thinking about her birthday card, I wanted it to reflect her style as well.

I have been hoarding a large piece of cool patterned paper by Shabby Princess, and I was inspired by Stephanie's color scheme and design at Steph's Stampin' Stuff. SO, after seeing her work, I determined to stop the madness and use it all up to make Jodie's card.

The design that Stephanie used is from Jen del Muro's weekly feature, Saturday Sketch For You To Try. When I saw it last week, I wasn't all that moved by it, but, as may happen to you when you visit this or any other blog, seeing somenone else's take on a layout or how she uses a stamp set can change everything!

I just pulled some colors from the paper and followed the sketch. The strip with the brads on it is supposed to make you think of a dog collar. Was I successful? Since this dog stamp was a stand-alone purchase, i.e. not part of a SU! set so it didn't come with a saying, I had to come up with my own. I think it'll make her smile.

Today's the last day to enter the blog candy contest (see this post)! I've enjoyed hearing from you, many of whom I've never met! I love this! The winner will be posted tomorrow after I get home from my early morning shift at Starbucks, so don't get up at 4am to see if I post the winner before going to work!

Beate's Inspiration Challenge

There are myriad, numerous, plentiful inspiration challenges in stamping blogland, and there are only a few that I have the time and/or the inclination to participate in. Beate Johns' Fresh & Fun blog is one of the most visited of all. She has over a million hits to her site and counting. Yesterday she posted this cute picture of a black and white Pottery Barn pillow and said, "do something with this."

I find white on black to be stunning, but also quite challenging. But the allure of the challenge was too much to withstand (with laundry being the other thing calling my name), so I accepted. I wanted to work with Garden Silhouettes again, a retired Hostess set from the Fall-Winter 2007 main catalog. I'll be needing a sympathy card soon (not something fun to know), so black and white was going to fit the bill for that as well.

I pulled out my favorite image, the goldenrod, and set to work with my Craft Whisper White pad. (There's another image from the set that would've been almost an exact match, but I didn't want to just replicate the design of the pillow as a card.) As dense as pigment ink is, white still has a hard time standing up to the blackness of Basic Black card stock, so it had to be enhanced with White Embossing Powder. Here's where the word "challenging" applies to this card design. While there are tools--an embossing buddy--and tricks of the trade--flicking excess with stiff rapping of the card stock--we stampers are taught to use when applying EP, dealing with stubborn, lingering particles always seem to impact my designs. This experience was no different than the other times, but I persisted.

Once I had the background completed, I moved on to the sentiment focal point. I stamped the same image with Black Staz-on (read permanent and intense black) ink on Whisper White card stock. Then I chose the sentiment from God's Blessings (sometimes death is) and determined that introducing silver into the design would add just the right dimension of shimmer to this somber card. So I inked the message in Versamark and embossed it with Sterling Silver EP, matted it with silver card stock, BB, and WW card stocks and the card was finished.

If you haven't already left a post to enter yourself in the blog candy contest that ends tomorrow, please go to yesterday's posting and do so! Let me be clear that this is NOT open ONLY to those who haven't yet subscribed to the blog. ANYONE can leave a comment and be entered! If you feel so inclined, tell me how you found my blog and where you're reading from (what state or country you reside in). The winner will be announced Friday.

A Quick Housekeeping Detail

If you've wanted to send me an inquiry via email, before today you couldn't do that. Sorry! I didn't realize that wasn't an option. Well, now it is! Just click on "view my complete profile" and you will find a link to my email address.

My Feedburner account shows that there are 96 of you who subscribe to this blog. Give me a shout out to let me know you're there! I only hear from a few of you regularly, and I'd LOVE to receive comments from MORE of you!

So, here's what I'm going to do to incent you to come out of hiding. I'm going to offer blog candy! What's blog candy, you ask? It's a gift from me to you, simply because I'm feeling generous.

What do you have to do to get said candy? Well, you have to leave a comment, preferably with a link to your blog, if you have one. You don't have to have a blog to enter the contest though. Want to double your chances? Two other actions on your part can net you a double entry: 1)provide a link at your blog to this contest, you'll receive a double entry; and 2)subscribe to receive this blog in your email if you haven't already. There are 3 easy ways to do this on the right column of this blog. Let me know in your comment that you've done this, as I have no way to know otherwise.

Here's what I'm giving away: That's Nice, from the Spring 2007 Mini Catalog. If you need some inspiration as to what you might do with this set if you win it, check out the three I made with it.



The blog candy giveaway leave a comment time period will end Thursday, so don't delay, comment today!

Afternoon Tea Flower Pot Card

When I was blurfing (blog surfing, for those who aren't familiar with that term) yesterday, I came upon this card by Laura Fredrickson. So much fun going on here--color, pattern, detail, beauty. It made me think about what I could do with some coordinating designer paper to create something that would be just as enjoyable to gaze at. Besides, I need a birthday card!

The other catalyst for this card was a diaper fold pocket that I'd received in a swap. When I looked at it, thought, I saw a pot instead! I took a 6"x6" piece of the Afternoon Tea DP that has a distressed brown pattern on it and began folding until I had my pot. Then I had to come up with some flowers.

So I pulled out three patterns that I thought would make good flowers and stamped them using my Level 3 Hostess set, Time Well Spent. As I cut them I thought, how many patterns of DP can I incorporate into one card? I already had 2 with the pot, and 3 in use as flowers. Going back to the pack, I realized there is one side that's solid Wild Wasabi. Bingo, flower stems--that's 6! A patterned WW became the leaves and the seventh to be incorporated into the design. Amy Westerman would be proud!

The idea to place the pot on a windowsill came when I chose Soft Sky as the card base. The pot just looked blah sitting there out of context. So I set about to create one! The "screen" for the window is vellum that is stamped with the Linen background stamp using Close to Cocoa ink. The rest of the window is just created using 1/2" strips of Whisper White. Doesn't the open window conjure up a breeze in your imagination? It has been hot enough here that the only breeze I'm feeling is the cooled air blowing from the air conditioning vent, but I love cool breeze from an open window most!

I almost forgot! The eighth pattern I added to finish off the card is the curtain valence. I cut a 4"x2" strip and used my slit punch to create the scalloped edge.

The Afternoon Tea from the Occasions Mini is one of my all-time favorites, but there's one thing I don't like about it--it's only available until the end of the month! Get it before it's gone, gals. I'm not a good sharer!

Challenged by the Color Challenge

I almost didn't post this card. I'm not sure if I like it or not. How 'bout I let you decide?

The last color challenge that Kristina Werner had was to use So Saffron, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue and Whisper White. I like this color combination, so I pulled out all the card stock and ink pads and thought this was going to be an easy one. I had a design in my head, but when it came to executing it with the stamp set I chose--Wonderful You--something just didn't gel.

I think the biggest problem came when the panels on which I'd stamped the main floral images were too big for the layout I had pictured. I began cutting them down, and ended up with what you see. I also had a background panel in mind, thus the OO pieces with the outline leaf stamp. This too had its issues.

I stamped the middle outline flower in SS and then used my pads and aquapainter to try to create a soft natural look. I curled the image around a pencil, just slightly, to give it some dimension.

Oh well...at least I tried, right? SAS is tonight and tomorrow morning, so I'm off to get dinner for the fam before my stampers arrive. I'm gonna sleep like a baby tonight...been up since 3:45am!

Rockin' Guitar Hero Card

**DISCLAIMER: VERY VERY LONG POST AHEAD! GET COMFORTABLE!** One of our friends is turning 30 this Saturday, and I asked Bob if he wanted me to make him a card. He said that I could, if I wanted to, but that it didn't have to be anything out of the ordinary. What? When you turn 30, it's a BIG DEAL, and it deserves a one-of-a-kind, extraordinarily special card.

This guy's the technical director at our church, so Bob suggested I might do something with a sound speaker. I really couldn't get excited about that. But I began doing a little research for a font I might use toward that end. While I was doing that, the music muse struck, and the result is this: a Guitar Hero card!

Once I found a font that would mimic the Guitar Hero graphic, I went to wikipedia.com and found a photo of the various "guitar" controllers that have been created for this phenoma-game.

I decided to go with the original. I began sketching it out on the SU! grid paper, which turned out to be very fortuitous. When I had finished my sketch, it was 9" wide and just over 8" tall. I decided that I wanted the card base to be as symmetrical as possible, so I scored the sketch at 4.5" and cut it out. Then I cut a piece of Basic Black 12" x 12" paper down to the aforementioned dimensions and scored it similarly. I simply laid the template down on half, drew around it, and then cut through both layers.

I did the same thing with the "bib" (I don't know what to call it, but it's the white part in the middle), only I made 2 because I wanted the card to look as realistic from the outside as it does inside. (The guitar is folded in half so that the recipient has to open it to see the message and the details.) Once those were applied, I went to work on the neck.

I started with a strip 4" x 12", but I knew that the point where it would attach to the card was 1.75" in width. I also had to accommodate the top of the neck, which flares out a bit. So, I referred back to my photo from wikipedia and sketched the top freehand. I scored the entire length before cutting it, and was able to get the mirror image on each side that I wanted. Then I had to trim out the actual neck, which meant taking a 5/8" x 9" strip off each side. I noticed that there was a shadow on the top that is probably concave in real life, but I wanted to imitate that too. I used my Versamarker to create this subtle detail. The simulated string holders were made with my 1/2" circle punch.

As you can tell from the above picture, I also added the "frets" detail that the controller is famous for. The width of the neck being 1.75" meant that the frets had to be smaller than that. They also have a rounded end. I cut a 3/4" x 1.75" strip of the 5 colors (Green Galore, Real Red, Summer Sun, Brilliant Blue, and Only Orange) and then used my circle Coluzzle cutting system to make the rounded tip for each. The picture shows how I lined up the second circle in the system with the top of each strip, but CUT the smallest circle arch. I then scored them so that they would fit into the neck and adhered them about 1/8" apart.

Every guitar has knobs (I don't know what they're for in real life, or in the game), so I included these. Of course, this would not be a complete, authentic replica without a tremolo arm (whammy bar in the vernacular). For that I used a 1" x 2" strip of white for the base it comes out from, and a 1/4" x 3" strip of silver metallic paper with a little bit of black for the "rubberized tip" to finish it off.

Lastly, I went back to the font I'd found (Gargoyles from 1001fonts.com) to make the message. I printed the words out on vellum and cut them to fit the white space. I suppose they could've been printed directly on the white "bib", but by the time I'd gotten to this point in the card, it was already glued down!

I am THRILLED with how this project came together! I've made templates of the pieces so that I can recreate this. This took at least 2 hours, but for a special friend with a milestone birthday, it was definitely worth it.

Poppin' a Wheel-ie!

I never was one to really "pop a wheelie" with my bike when I was a kid (too scared!), but that's the phrase that came to mind when trying to describe this card. Often times, wheeled images are used as backgrounds, but this Doodles Wheel is too pretty to relegate to that!

I inked up the jumbo wheel in Sage Shadow and tacked down a 2" x 4" piece of Whisper White on one of my SU! grid sheets. I also used my wheel guide to further insure straightness. After that was completed, I colored the flowers in Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, SS, and Pretty in Pink, all from the Soft Subtles color family. I used my 2-way glue pen to create a sticky surface for Dazzling Diamonds, and tied a little white ribbon around the whole thing. Then I layered SS and Perfect Plum behind it. It needed something else, so I made another layer using my Dots Wheel and Pretty in Pink ink.

I'm leaving this one blank for now. Who knows what I'm going to need this month, and having something I can customize on hand is always good!