I'm back (temporarily!)

Hee Hee- well, we're back from vacation finally! I'm slowly chugging through the laundry and checking on flight and hotel arrangements for my trip to Utah for SU's Convention next week! I'm so excited! I finally got to meet my formerly on-line (now in real life) pal Lisa Henke while I was in Cincinnati for the day on Wednesday! Hi Lisa! We seem to be just as compatible in person as in blog-land... we even drive the same vehicle (although hers is much newer!). Lisa and I will be roommates and hanging out buddies in Utah- and we are so excited to meet our other GSG and SCS friends!!

Anyway, while I was hanging out in the hotel in Tennessee I had some time to make a few cards with the limited supplies I'd taken. Without further ado, here they are. Enjoy!

Another week of no stamping!

It almost hurts to go so long without stamping, but I finally squeezed some time in today! This is my first time using the new Fresh Cuts stamp set and Note Cards that will be coming out in the new catalog next month! I've had them for 2 weeks and just haven't been home long enough to use them.

For this card I wanted the kraft color to show through to compliment the Pretty in Pink on the outside so I added a piece on the inside of the card, but not taped to the front- I love the dimension of the laser cut flower out of the front! How awesome that this set so nicely works with these note cards... and the 5-petal flower punch perfectly aligns as well! In fact, the small flower that comes with this set actually lines up just right with the old Spring Bouquet punch if you have it!!

The punched out 5-petal flower was punched out of Pretty In Pink prints paper which is added fun because a different pattern shows up on the inside! I topped this off with a few of my favorite accessories, taffeta ribbon and Styled Silver Hodgepodge (which I'm hoping will make the new catalog). Also had to squeeze in the nearly extinct Purely Pomegranate one last time!

Thanks for stopping by again- sorry it's been so long! I promise, once school starts I'll be a stampin'-bloggin' maniac! Hope you're having a great summer!

So bummed...

about having no stamp time! Ach, I don't think my summer has ever been so hectic as this year. I guess that's what happens as the kids get older and more involved. I shouldn't blame it on them though, since baseball is over and July is still completely swamped. I believe I've already droned on and on about this so I won't.

I am excited about the new specials, new stamps Preview and the catalog to be revealed soon!! So many things to play with and drool over! By the time fall rolls around I'll have so much new stuff I won't know where to begin (as if that's something new!). One of these days I'll get around to posting links to the fun new stuff. In the mean time, if you are interested be sure to click on the link in the left sidebar to Stampin' Up Promotions- neat pictures and descriptions will fill you in for sure!

Only 22 days until Convention- I'm so excited to meet my new pal Lisa Henke and all my other GSG and SCS girls! Will be nice to actually stamp again! I promise to post something new one of these days- sorry I can't be more specific or more committed! In the mean time, be sure to check out some of the awesome blogs that I have linked to my GSG pals... or better yet, check out GSG! There is a GSG2 now and they are all listed on the main GSG blog.

Drop my a note and let me know how busy your summer is! Miss you all!

Has it been a WEEK already?!?

Well, you know my excuse- too busy! Our final baseball game is tonight (tournament finals) and then we'll be going camping nearly all next week so I can't say things will get much better around here (SORRY!). I did, however, complete a scrapbook page last night, just one, after our ball game got rained out. I am starting a brand new album for my son since his last one is totally full and I was at the end of a year. This is the first page in his next album. Unfortunately, the pictures weren't all that great (pretty crummy in fact) so I came up with a way to still save the memory for him but not focus on a bunch of dark blurry pictures: A Pocket!

The bottom half of the page is a pocket with a handful of the best crummy pictures I could find all matted and labeled with a tab. The paper is something old from my stash (and I mean OLD!) and there is absolutely NO STAMPING on this page- a rarity for me! All the solid cardstock is from SU as well as the black brads everywhere and the tab and star punches. By the way, the pocket idea is a hit with my kids. They've both been really interested in checking out this page today!! I guess interactive pages are where it's at!

The journaling is on a pennant that I made to replicate the look from the patterned paper, and it says "Just for fun in the winter we like to have our very own Family Fun Night! We play hot potato, follow-the-leader, basketball etc. No wonder you 2 think it's dad's gym!"

Retire in Style- Take 2

Next up, Unfrogettable! Who can resist this sweet frog?! This set also includes a mushroom, snail, firefly and several sayings! This set is on page 61 in the current catty. Enjoy!

Retire in Style!

So, for the next few days while I'm out of town I thought I'd feature some oldies but goodies... in other words cards I made a while back featuring some of my favorite stamp sets that are soon retiring.

This selection features the Whale Wishes stamp set, page 62 in the current catalog. I've always loved fish so knew I had to have this one. Don't worry, the other stamps and other accessories shown here are not necessarily retiring yet. The accessories list will be published later (July 1st I believe). If you are lovin' this set and think it is a must have be sure to contact your SU Demonstrator soon (if that's me, great!).

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!
~Kristin~

A Little Bit...

A little bit of time to stamp today... mostly because my DD insisted upon it. I am knee deep into a book that I'd almost rather be reading plus we're leaving town for a few days so laundry should be first priority.

Anyway, today I will be posting a new Featured Stamper challenge over on our Great Swaps blog so I really wanted to CASE my FS first. Becky Carafa, the GSG fearless leader, is our FS this week. She is the brains behind our entire group and is just a treat to have as a cyber friend! Here is the card of hers that I chose to CASE and next is my version, and my DD's version (she wanted to make the VERY SAME card and insisted I photo it on the black stand and that it should be on my blog!). We kept the layout but changed up the colors and the stamps used. I also wanted to participate in this week's Great Swaps Challenge to use one of the sets that will be retiring at the end of July. Here I've used Polka Dots & Paisley and my DD added a sentiment from It's Your Birthday which is also retiring (*sob*).

Well, thanks for checking in. I'll probably be MIA until early next week since I'll be out of town. If it is cold or rainy I may sneak in a post while away if I can!

Stampin' Up Supplies

Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley, It's Your Birthday

Paper: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Lovely Lilac, Almost Amethyst

Ink: Lovely Lilac

Accessories: Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, White Gel Pen

CASE for today!

Sorry, no scrapbook page right now, but maybe later this evening or tomorrow?? Anyway, today I decided to whip out a card for this week's Featured Stamper Challenge. Vickie Waugh is the featured stamper- be sure to check out her gallery! Here is the card I decided to CASE- it is so lovely and peaceful and serene! I changed up the papers and ink, but kept with the layout and color scheme since those parts were my favorite!!

Anyone can participate in the GSG challenges so be sure to play along! The link to GSG is in my sidebar- don't miss it! I'm off to the pool- have a great Saturday!!

Stamps: Shore Thing, Reason to Smile
Paper: Blue Bayou, Spring Fling, River Rock prints, Whisper White
Ink: Blue Bayou, River Rock
Accessories: Scallop punch, DS blue bayou ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

Back on track?!??

After a significant break I am finally back to scrappin' ~I HOPE~!! I did 2 pages last month and 2 this month so far. I must give credit to Lisa Henke for motivating me with her gorgeous pages that she so often posts on her blog! She is an awesome scrapper- I only wish I lived closer so we could get together!

I apologize in advance for the ho-hum photo quality. This first layout (I almost always do 2 page spreads) was put off for a long time because none of the pics are great but I didn't want to skip my son's first Preschool Program. Anyway, I like how it turned out... just wish I had a better camera! I used some chipboard my friend Nicky gave me so I'm unsure of the brand, but everything else is from SU! The paper is the retired Wintergreen pack from last year, and I also used Build-a-Brads and current ribbon. On the left hand page I have a hidden journaling tag with names behind the photo, and on the right hand side the program they handed out is tucked behind the panel of decorative paper (you can see a bit of the edge sticking out on the inside edge). The jumbo Snowflake was in the last Holiday Mini as well and I'm crossing my fingers that it will make the new catty in August!

The journaling on this reads "Was it stage fright or just plain old ornery-ness?? DS & DS's BFF were front & center at their Christmas Program. CUTE! For DS, sittintg on Santa's lap definitely took nerve!" My journaling is short and fragmented but that's what happens when you're 4 years behind! :)

This layout was not a favorite, to say the least. Actually it's just the very dated embellishments that I used. I have hung on to this title boxes with coordinating decorative strips for so long I couldn't bare to NOT use it now that I'm finally getting to school stuff!! Anyone with me? I know most people would have thrown them away, but I just thought "This feels like a challenge, make a decent looking page with dated embellishments". I dont' know if I succeeded but it is done and staying in the album! I only used a few SU materials, the brads and the Summer Picnic paper. I don't have a clue where the rest came from (my memory isn't THAT GOOD!)

Journaling reads: "The annual Grandparent Potluck was DS's chance to show us his fun preschool classroom and introduce his teachers to his family! DD enjoyed playing in the classroom as well."

Thanks for stoppin' by and for baring with my pages seemingly from the early 90's!!

Use that Crimper!!

For this week's GSG Challenge (which I posted and am just now getting around to doing!) we were pull out and dust off our crimper! Well, I did it! I was also asked to design a Father's Day card for a friend so here it is (hers is similar but not exact). I'm also entering this in SU's July contest for demonstrators to use September colors. I'm not sure exactly what "September Colors" are but this is my take on it!

If you just happen to notice the lovely flowers placed subtley in the background my DD picked them for me from my flowerbeds this morning. Wasn't that sweet?!

This Sunday is not only Father's Day but also our 12th wedding aniversary so I made this card for my hubby. Shh, don't tell him, but I'm also sending it to SU for their monthly contest for demonstrators. The heart is from the Sticky Cuts collection and is covered in the green micro beads. I also cut a mat for it in kraft then another in Ruby Red. The card base itself is textured Certainly Celery!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll try harder to post more often!

SU! Supplies card 1

Stamps: Stems & Silhouettes jumbo wheel, All Holidays

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Creamy Caramel, Naturals Ivory

Ink: Chocolate Chip Craft & Classic

Accessories: Linen thread, Antique brass jumbo eyelet, vintage brads, Clear EP, Crimper

SU! Supplies card 2

Stamps: Unfrogettable

Cardstock: Textured Certainly Celery, Whipser White, Kraft, Ruby Red

Ink: Basic Brown

Accessories: Earth Elements brads, Sticky Cuts Letters (heart), Green Micro beads, Cutter Kit, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Chocolate Chip polytwill ribbon, Ruby Red marker

A quickie!

Boy am I having trouble finding time and even motivation to stamp lately! It might have to do with the book I'm reading at every spare moment... Nineteen Minutes by Jody Picoult (I think I spelled that right, but it's not in front of me... or else I'd be reading instead of posting). This can't be long- my DH needs my help picking strawberries before they rot! Our tiny little patch is producing like crazy this year- probably enough to make my jam from this year (I usually buy from the Amish)!!

Anyway, I pulled out a few SAB sets that didn't get much love while they were current and the papers here were already cut and ready on my table so I made them work, or tried anyway. The flower is punched out of glossy white cardstock so there's a little sheen to it. I still am in love with this hodgepodge! Did you notice All in a Row down there?? I vow to use it more as well!

Take care, and have a great day. PS- here's our strawberry "yield" from one day and our patch is about 5x10!

Gotta run, have a great day!

SU! Supplies

Stamps: Friendship in Bloom, So Many Scallops, All in a Row
Paper: Kraft, Spring Fling, glossy white
Ink: purely pomegranate, chocolate chip
Accessories: Styled Silver Hodgepodge, Ribbon Originals

Bite Me!

Hee hee, that's supposed to be funny, not crude and offensive! :) As I mentioned in my gallery, my 6 yo DD was feeling left out last night since her brother had a friend over so I attempted to cheer her up by letting her help me make this card. We've been wanting to CASE this card by Becky for a long time so we finally did it!

The bite out of the corner is just such a fun idea that we had to do it! I let her pick out all the colors and papers and even do the stamping. I just helped put it together and tie the knot (I also stamped the bird). Thanks for stopping by, I plan to do some more stampin' this week hopefully! So my blog won't be so boring!

Have a great Sunday!

SU! Supplies

Stamps: Wild About You
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Spring Fling
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Rose Red
Accessories: Wide Regal Rose Grosgrain, large oval punch, scallop punch, sponge

Best Wishes! Another GSG Swap Peek!

This time of year has me thinking of accomplishments and the young folks moving on after graduations- whether it be from high school, college or even kindergarten. SO, for my Great Swaps Girls swap that is due Saturday I decided to use that theme as my focus. For this swap we had to do anything other than a standard card size which happens to be called an A2. So it's our "Non-A2" swap. This card is a 6x6 folded in half. It is very simple and straight forward and I'm really happy with it.

You may not be able to see it in the picture, but I have pierced holes as a border all the way around the black piece except under the ribbon. The Real Red side has 3 stars punched out with the small star punch and just glued onto the red background. I've always admired this almost embossed look and really wanted to use a star on here somehow so this is what I ended up with. I love all the striped grosgrains but hadn't used them as much as I'd like so I'm very glad that I was able to incorporate it this time!

I'm finally slowing down a bit. School is out for my kids (DH has another week) and they both had overnights last night so I enjoyed a luxurious sleep-in this morning (8:30 was the latest I could do but that will change as the summer goes on). Now I'm lapping up the peace and quiet while it lasts. Kiddos will be home soon since they have a ball game tonight. Yesterday I didn't get my touch up painting done on my new crown molding since I had to design and finish this swap card and I had some more flower pots to fill (I love doing that!) so I might be painting today but that's OK- I'm not in a RUSH anymore... although, my house is a complete wreck since all our furniture is pushed towards the center of the rooms! Also, for Mother's Day I got this wonderful lounge chair for my deck which has yet to be fully enjoyed so that is on my list for today!!

Thanks for stopping by!

SU! Supplies

Stamps: Short & Sweet

Cardstock: Kraft, Real Red, Basic Black

Ink: Silver

Accessories: Real Red Striped Grosgrain, Silver EP, Star Punch, Crafter's Tool Kit, Stampin' Dimensionals, Silver Brads (on the inside)

What day is it??

So sorry it's been so long since I've posted! I won't bore you with all the details of my hectic schedule this last week (again). Let's just say I'm ready for a LONG nap... BUT, I haven't started my swap that is due on Saturday (shhh, don't tell!) so I WILL be doing some stamping today= FINALLY!! Check back soon, I'll surely have something new to share. :)

PS- we DID get my crown molding done on Sunday and it looks fabulous- so much better than before! Don't worry, I won't bore you with those pictures either!

A Great Swaps Challenge... or two (and a tiny bit of "mom" boasting!)

So this week it was my turn to choose the Featured Swapper on Great Swaps and I was excited to choose Lisa Henke!! She and I have quickly become good pals via on-line chatting and encouragement. We will also be roommates for this year's Stampin' Up! Convention in Utah in July! For the weekly Featured Swapper post we ask that everyone checks out the awesome swapper's gallery and/or blog and choose a card to CASE. This card is what I came up with after seeing this card of Lisa's. Here is Lisa's gallery and here is her blog, My Little Creative Escape!

The colors I chose are also inspired by the Great Swaps Group- this week's color challenge was to use Kraft, Certainly Celery and Cameo Coral. I love all three of these colors (I know I am in the minority on Cameo Coral, but I've always like it.) and had no trouble finding a way to use them together.

Well, I'm crazy busy around here lately with ball games, field trips, school field day, big weekend plans with family, parades, more ball games, retirement party, and somehow squeezing my crown molding project in there... then Kindergarten Graduation on Tuesday and the last day of school Wednesday. Phew! I'm exhausted just thinking of it all. Thank goodness we finally got our yard into shape this week and last- all weeding and mulching are DONE! That's a big weight off our shoulders since we hadn't really done much yard work at all the last 2 years with my DH in the middle of his master's degree. Anyway, we can once again feel some pride over our hard work!

Thanks for stopping by! I'm so glad to have you and to see my "hits" increase so quickly every day- what a treat for me! If you haven't already noticed I posted a picture of my 2 little "angels" in the sidebar. They get to be on the same ball team this year so I had to get a picture with their matching uniforms. I'm biased but I think they're pretty cute. :) We're really enjoying watching their season progress this year- it doesn't hurt that they are doing well at 5-0 and they BOTH got homeruns in their last game! Thanks for patiently allowing me to boast a little. I'm done now.

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Stitched, Happy Heart Day, Polka Dot
Paper: Whisper White, Kraft, Certainly Celery prints, Cameo Coral
Ink: Cameo Coral, Basic Brown
Accessories: scallop punch, circle punch, 3/16" punch, brads, kraft taffeta ribbon, ticket corner punch

Take Care!

The color challenge on SCS this week was to use Soft Sky, Blue Bayou and Certainly Celery... I'm not sure this color comb can be messed up- these colors are the bomb! I decided to do a window card for this challenge, so using 2 sizes of square punches I punched through the layers (outside layer with larger square, inside layer with smaller square).

On the inside I lightly traced the window squares to help guide me where to stamp (this worked, although I still had to stamp on 4 sides of white paper before I got it just right- I was stampin' challenged this morning!!)

I wanted the flowers to just peek through the window for a hint of what might be inside. Let me give you a hint if you plan to do something like this: respoitionable adhesive!

The sentiment on the front is stamped on a folded tab punch. On one of the flowers inside I used a tiny bit of glue with our Fine Cosmo glitter for a little added surprise! The watercoloring was all done with the aquapainter and ink in the lid of inkpads. Also did a little sponging inside. The oval sentiment inside is raised on a stampin' dimensional. Hope you like it as much as I do!

Everything used is SU except the decorative Fiskars Scissor to do the scallop

Stamps: Vases in Vogue, Polka Dot background
Paper: Soft Sky Textured, Blue Bayou, Celery prints
Ink: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Certainly, Basic Gray
Accessories: Blue Bayou double stitched ribbon, square punches, scallop scissor (oops, guess that isn't SU), small oval punch, Fine Cosmo Glitter, glue pen, aquapainter, sponge

Do you dream about your hobby??

I know my DH dreams about getting a trophy buck or a long-bearded turkey, so it's not so weird that I dream about cards! Right?! The other morning I woke up with a vivid image of a card in my mind. I was able to sketch it out so I could work on it later in the day. This is it- probably not exactly what I dreamt of, but it was really just the layout that came to me. This has happened to me before and I either can't remember my dream well enough, or it just doesn't come together as I had envisioned (sort of like being a fit hottie in our dreams right?!) Anyway, this color combo is not one I've used before: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou & Not Quite Navy. The Soft Sky piece is textured, which I love! If you notice the white accents, they were done with the white gel pen.

SU! Supplies

Stamps: Short & Sweet, Solitude wheel
Paper: Blue Bayou, Night Quite Navy, Soft Sky
Ink: Blue Bayou, Whisper White, Soft Sky
Accessories: Blue Bayou Double Stitched Ribbon, distressing tool, white gel pen, oval cuting system, sponge

Congratulations Dawn McVey!

Dawn McVey (AKA Dawnsing) was Sunday's Featured Stamper on Splitcoast- yeah Dawn! Her gallery is full of beautiful creations and she is very deserving! Here is Dawn's card that I was inspired by- this time I copied her general layout but I changed up the colors, stamps and even changed the card size to a 3x3. These tiny cards are fun and quick, help get creativity flowing and are perfect for a gift card on a package or gift bag. If you haven't tried one I highly recommend it!

In case you are interested, I used the Color Coach for this card. I knew I wanted to use the tiny felt flowers from SU's Flower Fusion collection and they come in Old Olive, Purely Pomegranate and Pumpkin Pie (such a scrumptious combo!). First I selected Kraft as the card base because... well, it was laying here handy, and it looks great with these colors.

Next I decided on the Old Olive Polytwill since it's still new to me and it matches. This led to using the Color Coach to find Old Olive's "Dyanamic Duo" which happens to be Certainly Celery. (The truth is I initially had a piece of mellow moss there and when it looked barfy with the twill I thought I'd better double check my memory and sure enough I had the wrong greens together!)

As a side note, if you have the Color Coach but get discouraged because it does not include the current In Colors, don't fear, SU puts a color guide together for them as well. I just print it out and keep it with my In Color scraps so it is always handy. If you would like a copy of this color guide just let me know (via comment, PM or email) and I will get it to you!

Well, thanks for stopping by, and be sure to play along with the Great Swaps Girls challenges. We generally post at least 2 a week- one being the Featured Swapper challenge.

Stampin' Up! Supplies

Stamps: Vases in Vogue (retired)
Paper: Kraft, Certainly Celery, Rose Red Prints
Ink: Purely Pomegranate
Accessories: Felt Fusion Flowers, Vintage Brads, Old Olive Polytwill

CASE-ing Great Swap Girls.

Not sure what a CASE is? Well, the definition can vary but to me it means Copy And Share Everything. This is why I often use the word "inspired" instead- because if I copy everything on a card I don't post it anywhere- no point taking credit for someone else's design! Although I do LOVE being inspired by someone else's color scheme, technique, layout or theme.

Anyway, the Featured Swapper on the Great Swaps Girls blog was Lori Tecler this week. I finally got around to browsing her gallery and choosing something of hers to inspire me yesterday. Here is her card and this is what I came up with.

Althought this was a bit time consuming, it was really fun. I think this faux tile technique could look good with so many different stamps- especially the detailed scenery and flower stamps. Lori used flowers and a butterfly as well, although her butterfly is right in the image. Mine is so large I would've had to do some masking and didn't feel like it so I embossed it on a separate piece of paper then watercolored and cut it out.

To get the shades closest to a real monarch I ended up layering lots of color from Real Rust, Summer Sun, More Mustard & Pumpkin Pie. It is popped up on dimensionals in the center so it looks like it just landed there. When I showed it to my DH he actually seemed amazed that I made that butterfly- he asked if it was a sticker or something.

In the end I added a stamped off layer of the Weathered background stamp in Creamy Caramel, but had to do it twice for full coverage. If you look close you can see where I overlapped- ugh! I guess that's a good thing to do first so if you don't like it you aren't ruining the entire card and all that hard work! If you aren't familiar with it this butterfly is from an old retired set called Wonderful Wings from 2001! One of my first sets that I will never get rid of! Stay tuned, next post will be featuring SCS's Featured Stamper from yesterday! Thanks for stopping by!

Stampin' Up! Supplies

Stamps: Wonderful Wings, Blossoms Abound, Weathered
Paper: Lovely Lilac, Creamy Caramel, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Always Artichoke, Lovely Lilac, Almost Amethyst, Basic Black craft
Accessories: black EP, Watercolor crayons, aqua painter, vintage brads, sponge

Lovely Lilac: Love it or leave it??

It has been debated recently the lovliness of Lovely Lilac. I've always liked this color and have often wished for more purples in the SU color palette. Due to lighting conditions this card appears to be more like Brilliant Blue, but it is actually Lovely Lilac and I like it even better in person.

The colors Lovely Lilac, Summer Sun and Going Gray are a suggested color challenge posted on SCS on Tuesday so I had to go back and try it to show my support. The only thing I wish I would've done differently is scalloped the edge instead of used the spiral punch. I think the softness of a scallop would've worked better with the lemon images...

I also used Beate's Weekend sketch challenge for this, which I never do because most of my stampin' is done through the week when my house is quiet!

Finally, a new challenge website called Stamp Something posted their second challenge yesterday which was to make any type of Thank You project and link to their blog for a chance to win Blog Candy... who can pass that up? Anyway, for such a simple card I sure accomplished a lot.

The only item used that is not a Stampin' Up! product are the yellow brads. I didn't have any SU brand that color. These are by Making Memories. TFL!

Stampin' Supplies

Stamps: Tart & Tangy, Full of Life
Paper: Lovely Lilac, Whisper White, Basic Gray
Ink: Summer Sun
Accessories: Black and Lilac markers, corner rounder, spiral punch, brads

Wish Big Petals

Here's my story on this card... yesterday I had some time to stamp and had dozens of ideas in mind. In fact, there were so many challenges and inspiration from various blogs and websites that I honestly felt overwhelmed and couldn't decide what to do... So I finally shut off my computer and tried to clear my mind. I sat down and just got started.

This 6x6 piece of Kraft cardstock was already on my desk from a previous project so I started with that. Not sure how the rest evolved but I'm pretty sure I like it! I hadn't pulled out my set Pick a Petal in quite a while. I had just finished mounting my new set Short & Sweet so I had to use that too (for the sentiment & tiny flowers around the frame). The ink I used is Ballet Blue (my go-to blue!), Whisper White and for the tiny flowers around the sentiment I used Sahara Sand since we don't technically have a "Kraft" ink color (which I'd LOVE to have!). The white gel pen and silver Hodgepodge with ribbons just finish it off.

I'm not sure I'll send this anytime soon- I think I'll just leave it sit here so I can look at it for a while. I highly recommend if you ever feel overwhelmed to shut everything off, clear your mind and just let your own creativity inspire you! It just might work. Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget, the Styled Silver Hodgepodge is in the current Occasions Mini and will only be available until the end of June!

Stampin' Up! Supplies

Stamps: Pick a Petal, Short & Sweet

Cardstock: Kraft, Whisper White

Ink: Whisper White, Ballet Blue Craft, Sahara Sand

Accessories: Ribbon: Bashful Blue, Bluebird, Bashful gingham, Kraft Taffeta; Styled Silver Hodgepodge, White Gel Pen, Linen Thread

Another Color Challenge!

For this week's color challenge on Splitcoast, I made this card. The challenge was to use Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red and Soft Sky. Any neutrals are allowed (thank goodness!). The polka dot patterned paper is in the Summer Picnic pack and technically is Purely Pomegranate- but the dots are so small who could tell it's not ruby red?? (Put your hands down!) This stamp set, Wonderful You, is new to me which is why it's what I've used the last two days.

I embossed the leaf image in black and it turned out so sharp with the contrast- I really like it. The photo corners are popped up a bit for some dimension, as is the embossed sentiment which is on the Word Window punch trimmed to fit the small oval punch. I wanted to do something a tiny bit different with the Pumpkin mat so it is in three sections (you may not have noticed). A bit more work to do this, but not much. Mine is very subtle, but you can achieve a neat look doing this.

One more note, this card is a 6x6 folded in half. Anyway, thanks for stopping by!

Stampin' Up! Supplies

Stamps: Wonderful You
Paper: Summer Picnic, Kraft, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Sky, Ruby Red
Ink: Basic black craft
Accessories: Black EP; photo corner, small oval & Word Window punches, Stampin' Dimensionals

Wonderful Friend

It's rainy and overcast today so sorry for the overly adjusted picture. I'll try to get a better one if the sun shows up today! I don't know what posessed me, but I felt the urge to whip out an old and underused Spectrum Pad today (called Taffy as a matter of fact). These spectrum pads are neat because they include several different ink colors in one, which can be pushed together or separated depending on the look you want. They are mostly intended to be used with a brayer I think, to roll on color, and are fun to play with! This card was quite simple, brayer on some color, stamp on it, distress the edges and voila! Of course I added a Close to Cocoa mat and some touches of Chocolate Polytwill ribbon with a Hodgepodge piece (BTW: The current Hodgepodge Hardware in the regular catalog IS RETIRING and will no longer be available in the new catalog... just so you know!) The card base on this is 4x4 and is Almost Amethyst (I know that isn't very clear by looking).

Sorry for my absence since Friday. We were out of town for the weekend for Mother's day and I'm just getting a chance to upload today. Thanks for stopping by. I've got something else for tomorrow- promise!

Stampin' Up Supplies

Stamps: Wonderful You, All Holidays
Paper: Whisper White, Close to Cocoa, Almost amethyst
Ink: Taffy Spectrum, Always Artichoke, basic black
Accessories: Chocolate polytwill, Antique Brass hodgepodge hardware, distressing tool, brayer

Featured Swapper: Denise Hinton!

Since I was sitting down to browse Denise's gallery yesterday to find something of hers to CASE due to her being the GSG Featured Swapper this week, I decided to combine a card of hers I LOVE with yesterday's Ways to Use it Challenge (WT165). The only stipulation of the challenge was to use chipboard somewhere- No Problem! My good friend Nicky gave me a big supply of chipboard that she had extras of a few months ago and I've been thinking about this bird ever since. The set also included lots of neat frame thingys too!

Here is Denise's (aka Geekgirl415) card I chose and I decided right away I wanted to use my chipboard bird with it to mimic hers. My layout ended up almost upside down from hers which I didn't plan, but it just worked better that way once I did the stamping. I used her colors, general theme and her layout to an extent! Thanks Denise for the excellent inspiration!

Also, be sure to check out Denise's Blog, Geekgirl's Random Ramblings, she is so fun and very talented! Thanks for stopping by!

ETA: Fixed the link to Denise's card (I hope!).

Stampin' Supplies (All SU unless otherwise indicated)
Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Carte Postale
Paper: Soft Sky, Soft Sky textured, Always Artichoke, Wintergreen
Ink: Whisper White, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Non-SU: Dew drops, chipboard, white satin ribbon

Have you tried a Window Card??

Well, I can certainly think of all kinds of possibilities with window cards. I'm not saying this was easy, I measured and cut, measured and cut... probably using a few well-placed square punches would be easier! These are fun because it's like having an extra work surface to play with. Not only can you design the front of your card but you can add a hint of what's to come on the inside as well- FUN! Want to see other window cards?? Check out this link!

Now, I can't say this is my all time favorite card- I was initially pleased with it, but now it seems maybe too busy to me. I do love the window idea though! (Since I took this picture I've ripped off the small red center flower and it does look better.)

Here's a peek at the inside. I used a piece of the Ginger Blossoms collection of papers that I didn't think I'd end up using but something came over me and I thought it would look really pretty showing through a window!

Anyway, I am sending this to my friend Krystie Lee who's birthday is tomorrow! I hope she likes it.

SU Supplies

Stamps: Embrace Life, It's Your Birthday
Paper: Ginger Blossoms, River Rock
Ink: Basic Brown
Accessories: River Rock Double Stitched ribbon, copper brads, decorative scissors

Thank you Color Coach!

I needed a masculine card for a relative and a thank you card for my DH to give to someone so I first pulled out my Wildlife Reserve stamps that I always do for anything related to my DH (he's a nature guy to say the least!).

Next, I went straight to the Stampin' Up! Color Coach for Ballet Blue (my favorite!). I chose Creamy Caramel and Always Artichoke with Ballet Blue accents (not exactly how you're supposed to use the color wheel, but it worked). There is a layer of Mellow Moss in there as well- it is listed on the wheel as a Dynamic Duo and I must agree. I refer to the Dynamic Duo section of the Color Coach often when I need a subtle layer or am working on a monochromatic or tone on tone card. It provides excellent pairings of colors!

Then I decided to pair the bird up with Lovely As a Tree which I haven't used in a LONG time (could be a year or more!). This is a great set to have for masculine cards (and Christmas cards, and sympathy cards and thank you... the list goes on and on)- tough to do those with flowers and bows!

Anyway, the front of this card ended up being a bookmark (not what I originally planned) attached with an Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware clip. I hadn't watercolored these trees in a long time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope you like it!

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Wildlife Reserve, Sanded, Warmest Regards
Paper: Creamy Caramel, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Basic Brown, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: Watercolor Crayons, aquapainter, label punch, Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware

I'm going to Convention I'm going to Convention!

Yes, you can picture me skipping and singing like a little kid! Today at 7am was the opening day for registration for SU's big annual convention and I get to go!! Thanks to my DH for supporting me, parents for babysitting, my cousin for giving me a FREE hotel room and my SU business (and customers) for paying my way!!! This will be SU's 20th anniversary so I'm excited to see what is in store for us. My cyber friend Lisa Henke and I will be rooming together and we'll be hanging out with all our Great Swaps and Splitcoast friends! Now I have to go buy some comfortable yet stylish walking shoes- I gotta look good for my fellow stampers!

Since I'm up early I just might go stamp something and post here in a bit... we'll see! Have a great day!

New Challenge on GSG!

Be sure to check out the GSG blog today for a fun Inspiration Challenge! The inspiration piece is from Pottery Barn Kids if that gets you curious... Anyway, here is the card I made for the challenge. I was inspired by the colors and patterns, as well as the fresh fun look and the designs on the walls.

This card also meets the requirements of SCS's Friday Limit Supplies Challenge LSC166: Spotlight on Circles in which the only tools that can be used are circle punches!

I'm not entirely pleased with my design- specifically the stamping on the background... but overall I like the idea. If I were to do it again (which I won't) I would probably stamp the bursts (from Snow Burst) in just one color. This card is 4" by 8.5"- not sure why I decided to do an odd shape, but it fits in a business sized envelope so is sendable. TFL- hope you like it!

Stampin' Up! Supplies

Stamps: Snow Burst, It's Your Birthday
Paper: Ballet Blue, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Celery & Rose Red Prints
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Certainly celery, Ballet Blue, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Accessories: Circle punches in all sizes, striped Wasabi ribbon, White Gel Pen

Happy Birthday Dad!

My dad's birthday is coming up this week so I put this card together for him. I first scoured challenge after challenge then decided, for once, I was going to "wing it" and make a card entirely on my own. Kind of scary- LOL! Just kidding, it was fun and stress free- no rules to follow. I wanted something fun and festive so here it is.

The patterned paper is all from SU's Jersey Shore collection. The bird from Pun Fun is watercolored with the Watercolor Crayons and an aqua painter, along with some markers for the hat. Thanks for stopping by!

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Pun Fun

Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Garden Green, Whisper White, Jersey Shore DP

Accessories: Watercolor crayons, aquapainter , 1/2" circle punch, bold bright brads, Striped Wild Wasabi ribbon, Word Window Punch, Sponge, distressing tool

Awesome May Specials from Stampin' Up!!

Wanted to take care of a few quick business items...

First, please notice the great new Special Offers from Stampin' Up! on the left hand sidebar. We're talking discounted chipboard (with a special perk for May Hostesses!), FREE Hodgepodge Hardware and in honor of National Scrapbooking Month, a FREE Hobby Blade with the purchase of a Cutting Mat! For more details on any of these specials feel free to click on one of the links, contact me or look for the link a little further down called "Stampin' Up! Specials"!

Also in celebration of National Scrapbooking Month, on Saturday May 17th I will be scrapbooking. Why do you care? Well, because I invite you to come over and scrap with me! (I live in Northwest Ohio- email me for more info). This is from 1-8pm, is FREE and I have room for 7-10 so RSVP to reserve your space. I will have my tools and all my stamps available for you to borrow if you'd like. All I ask is that you bring your drinks and a snack to share since I won't be providing a MEAL. I'll have paper plates and those types of things.

I will be working on my albums so will not have make-n-takes or any high-pressure sales tactics (or low-pressure for that matter) but I WILL be available for "consultation" which means I'm always willing to pipe in with my opinion. :-) For all my scrapbooking friends, whether you can stop over on May 17th or not, I am personally offering you the following special on some of my favorite scrapbook "must-haves".

A Simply Scrappin' Pack! for $37.25 which includes:
A Simply Scrappin' Kit (of your choice on p. 172-175)
An Assorted Pack of 12x12 cardstock (p. 163-165)
A package of SU's exclusive Rub-ons (p. 182)
Tombow Multi purpose Adhesive (p. 186)

This package deal is a $43.80 value (or 15% off) and even better, with it you are also eligible for the 25% off all Stampin' Up! Chipboard products I mentioned above (another scrapbooking must-have!). This offer is good for the entire month of May exclusively through me. If you order this package by May 5 it will be here in plenty of time for my FREE scrapbook day on May 17th. (tax and shipping do apply)

Finally, sending a shout out to my Private Stamp Camp hostess, Cara Miller!

Challenge Double Take, BRAKs and an award!

I've been busy this week, can you tell?? No stampin', no postin', very little bloggin'! Well, I'm trying to make up for it today. This card serves as 2 of the awesome challenges I've missed lately (I'll never catch up!). First is Splitcoast's weekly Color Challenge: Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate and Soft Sky. .. and yes, I know I technically used Rose Red, but I challenge you to hold this prints paper and/or the Stick flower up to Purely Pomegranate and see the difference... that's what I though, none! :)

I also wanted to combine these with Jessie's awesome sketch challenge over on GSG. I really like this sketch and would definitely use it again! This card went through many changes, but I like the final result I think. I have used the Eastern Elegance Rub-ons in 4 different spots, can you find them?? Also used on this card (since they've been laying around due to my recent SAS) are the cardstock stickers from the Build-a-Flower Accents & Elements tin. Thanks for looking! Up next are two more Birthday-RAKs!

Here is a close-up of the brad with the rub-on on it (yes, I told you where one of the rub-ons is)- it was very easy, and I love the subtle look! Go Try it!

Stampin' Supplies (All SU!)

Stamps: Seeing Spots

Cardstock: Basic Black, Textured Soft Sky, Whisper White, Rose Red prints, Fall Flowers DSP(for the little circle)

Ink: basic black

Accessories: Eastern Elegance Rub-ons, Soft Sky DS ribbon, circle punches, Build-a-Flower Accents & Elements Tin, Silver brad, black marker

These two BRAKs are from Vicki (Luvs2stamp2) and Jessie (Knightrone) respectively. Aren't they sweet? Vicki somehow knew my favorite flowers in my flower beds! And Jessie managed to send, quite possibly, the thickest heaviest card I've ever received... I mean, check out those layers. She might have used an entire pack of Stampin' Dimensionals just on me! Thanks ladies, you're so sweet for making my b-day awesome last week!

And I almost forgot... I've been nominated by Lisa Henke and Nicole for an award!! The Arte y Pico award. (Thanks Lisa and Nicole) This award was originally designed by Eseya at arte y pico . You pick five blogs that you think earned this award based on their creativity, design, interesting material, and contribution to the blogging community. List the names on your blog and link to their blogs. Leave a comment on one of their posts to let them know of the award! Each winner has to show the award and put the name of the person who gave them the award with a link to their blog. Also show the link to arte y pico. Here are the girls I'm passing on the award to:

Michelle

Jill

Wanda

Kim

Kendra

TWO Great Swaps Girls challenges coming right up!

So I'm a bit behind since last week was crazy, but I've finally managed to participate in the first two GSG challenges... (look here to find them and join in yourself- anyone can and you are welcome to!)


The first card was for Color Challenge (GSGC01): Regal Rose, Certainly Celery & So Saffron. I also combined this color challenge with the SCS Limited Supply Challenge from Friday (LSC165) which gave us a list of requirements for the card... namely:

1. Make a square card. (Any size)

2. Use only scrap pieces of paper. (The base card doesn't have to be a scrap.)


3. Use ribbon or fiber scraps.

4. Use only ONE other embellishment.

5. Use any colors, stamps, and tools.

For this card I also used my brand spankin' new Stitched background. I thought I could live without it, but alas, I could not!

Supplies (All Stampin' UP!)

Stamps: For a Friend, Stitched background
Paper: Certainly Celery, So Saffron
Ink: Old Olive
Accessories: Style Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, ribbon scraps in rose, saffron, celery, metallic art pencils, clear EP, sponge, Crafter's Tool Kit

This card was for Wednesday's Featured Swapper Challenge on GSG. Jackie Pedro (strappystamper) was chosen as the first honored member. She is a fabulous stamper and her gallery is amazing! Here is the card of hers that strongly inspired this one!

I used the same colors, and layout just changed the stamp set and greeting. I also eliminated the ribbon (mostly because I didn't see hers until it was too late) and I used dew drops instead of brads.

(enabler alert!!) The Style Silver Hodgepodge is beautiful in any setting- if you don't already have it I highly advise it! TFL!!

Supply List (almost entirely SU)

Stamps: Friendship Blooms, All Holidays, Stitched background
Paper: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Soft Sky
Ink: Basic Gray, Soft sky, Whisper White
Accessories: white EP, Swiss Dots Embossing folder (Cuttlebug), dimensionals, Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, dew drops (unsure of brand), label punch, small & large oval punches, distressing tool

PS- I know my spacing is going to be all boogered up in this post and I am just not sure how to avoid it, and running late so no time to fix now... sorry!

A Sweet Set!

So I've been playing around with Tart & Tangy for an upcoming stamp camp I'm having for a hostess. Here are the things I've come up with, some of which we'll be making. I'm pretty excited about it- the cards are all 3x3 and fit neatly in the tiny tote with a pumpkin ribbon handle! There are three marble magnets, 1 jumbo paperclip bookmark and a little paper strawberry. Hmmm, I'm starting to think about teacher gifts now that I've got this designed! Anyway, everything here is Stampin' Up! with the exception of the paperclip and marbles. The designer paper that coordinates with Tart & Tangy is called Summer Picnic and is in the current mini catalog available until the end of May.

This next card is from my on-line buddy, Jackie Pedro! It is just stunning- I hope the picture I've taken does it justice. Not only did Jackie spend valuable time making this card for me, she also sent me a Swiss Dots embossing folder that I've been eyeing! Such a sweetie and we've never even met IRL! Thanks Jackie!! Can't wait to use it!

More Birthday- RAKs

I just have to share these as well! These came yesterday- my BFF took me to lunch for my birthday and gave me the turquoise and brown sparklin' flower- it is beautiful! The Happy Bird Day card came from a sweet Great Swap pal, Jimmi Mayo! I love her colors and the wheeled background- she even coordinated the envelope with the wheel! Thanks Nicky and Jimmi!