Lucky Numbers!

I've been playing along with some fun challenges on Caardvarks lately. I was checking out their post today and saw MY CARD!! Woo Hoo! I've never won anything like this before, so I'm pretty excited! They have a Circle Challenge going on now too... with a chance to win over $75 in ribbon. Oh how I WANT IT! I probably won't be that lucky though! LOL! The card I entered was from a post a few days ago, so it probably looks pretty familiar. :)

Double Shot

Don't you just love a challenge? For this card, I feel like I killed two birds with one stone. If you haven't heard yet, Taylor and Jen are giving away some awesome 'My Favorite Things' (MFT) goodies! One way to enter is to link a 'never before posted' card to their blogs using MFT stamps. The random number generator has never seemed to like my postings but, hey -- I might as well keep trying! Plus, this stamp set always makes me smile!

This sketch is part of Blogger Bingo that Julee is hosting right now. For every card that you submit using her sketch, another bingo number is called. She's got some great stamps that she gives away too. This is sketch #2, but her other sketch is great too. I printed them out and attached them to my bulletin board in my craft room for inspiration.

For this card, I started by stamping the main image onto Papertrey's White CS. I colored her in with Prismacolor Pencils and blended with Mineral Spirits. I stamped a second image onto Scenic Route's awesome patterned paper and cut out only the dress. Voila! I love how MFT makes stamps with simple lines. They're fun to 'dress'. I punched this out with a Mega Circle Punch and added freehand doodles. I stamped a second circle from the same patterned paper using the Giga Scalloped Punch. And then..... I added more circles around that by using a hole punch from Fiskars. This part of the card is raised with dimensionals.

The two 'photo corners' are made by stamping a scalloped square and trimming with paper snips. I added black brads to the center. The sentiment is peeking through a word window (punch by SU) and is from the same stamp set. The center of the card is trimmed in velvety black ribbon. Hope you like it a latte!

Paper: Scenic Route -Cape Town- Table Bay Floral
Black CS by Stampin' Up!
Stamp Set: My Favorite Things (Hot Stuff)

Oh So Simple!!!

I think this is the SIMPLEST card I've ever made! And... I think it turned out just as cute as those "stamping until 2 am" cards of mine. LOL! The first thing I did was adhere some Daisy D's paper to a chipboard number, sanding the edges when dried. I cut a two pieces of Crate Paper (from the same sheet), turned one piece over and adhered. (This is the green upper paper and the striped lower --- This patterned paper is two sided!) I added some ribbon and secured with light blue brads.

Then, I just adhered all of the chipboard. K&Company makes the CUTEST chipboard pieces!

I paper pieced the lower half of the card and thought.... this card needs something! Then I added some piercing coming out of the horn. Voila! It made me happy. :)

My youngest is about to turn 2 in July. I'm so excited that I already have his card finished! This never happens!

Paper: Crate Paper Brunch Collection - Canopy -; Daisy D's Butterfly Dot - Cherry Tomato -
Accessories: K&Co Kazoo Kids Chipboard, SU Simon Onboard Lower Chipboard (#2), green grosgrain ribbon, brads, paper piercing tool & mat

When it Rains, it Pours

This is yet another card for one of my coworkers! They say things come in three's.... My manager came to me the other day completely stressed out. She's been dealing with all of the challenges that can come with caring for aging parents. (Her dad is just about to return home from a rehab center and her mom just fell and fractured her neck.) Our unit at work has been pretty stressful by itself, so I knew she could use a little pick-me-up!

I used Papertrey Ink's Text Boxed set, along with the new In Color - Groovy Guava! The large rectangular image was stamped in Guava. To give it a little glitz, I highlighted every other petal with a Sakura Stardust pen and then added Stickles glitter.

The guava band is embossed with my Cuttlebug embossing folder. The scalloped chocolate layer was created with a slit punch.

The sentiment is from SU's Mini Mates set and cut with SU's large oval punch. For the border, I trimmed Chocolate Chip CS with Fiskar's small scalloped scissors. The small flower is another stamp from Text Boxed, stamped with chocolate onto Vanilla CS. I used an aquapainter to color in every other petal, and once again highlighted with the Sakura pen.

The rectangular image and the sentiment are both raised with dimensinals. The brown brads are from Joann's.

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Text Boxed, SU Mini Mates
Paper: Very Vanilla, Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip CS; Patterned paper from SU's Spring Flowers/Showers Designer Series Paper
Ink: Guava

Accessories: Chocolate Grosgrain, Slit punch, Oval punch, Cuttlebug, brads, dimensionals

With Sympathy

Two of my coworkers lost a family member this week, so it's been a rough couple of days. It's 2:00 am and I finally finished making their sympathy cards. I had no idea it was this late! Eek! So, hopefully this post will make sense!


I wanted to try out some of my new toys, so I used my new Baroque Motifs set and the new In Colors! The first one I did was the blue toned one. I really like these new colors! I haven't used my gold EP for ever, so I felt a little hesitant pulling it out. All in all, I think it turned out pretty good. I made a 'shadow' for the swirled area by stamping in white craft and then embossing with Iridescent Ice EP.


I wanted to use this same sketch for the second card (it is todays... well, yesterday's SCS sketch challenge - since it's almost morning) - but still change it up a little. I decided to paper pierce the swirls this time. It really didn't take as long as I thought it would and I really liked the results!

Paper: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Purely Pomegranite, River Rock, White & Vanilla
Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Floral BG (SU), Papertrey Ink's Paper Tray set

Ok.... gotta get SOME sleep tonight! I'll post more tomorrow.... I mean, later today!

Christmas in July!

Look what arrived at my house today! I had to take a quick picture before I started tearing through it! The day that my new catalog arrives is one of my favorite days of the year. Hee Hee! I think Stampin' Up! has done a WONDERFUL job with it too! I really love the new In Color CS and ink. I was pretty bummed to see Cool Caribbean retire, but I think the new Soft Sky will slowly ease the pain. There isn't one of the 6 that I don't like.

So... I've looked through the catalog about 4 times now (and this is just in the first half hour, LOL!) -- and this is the list of things that I love the most... right now.
-- all of the hostess sets are really nice this year! (so... naturally, I want them all)
-- Textured Cardstock!!!
-- the ribbon is Gorgeous!
-- Colored Index Labels (to label the ends of the stamp pads and my Cardstock folders in my filing cabinet!) - $3.95!
-- the scallop circle punch
-- the designer series paper is really nice this year!
-- Great new wheels! (I love the Dilly Dally ones and the new Doodle wheel!)
-- All in the Family Stamp set (create your own 'family' images with tons of different faces, tops, pants, pets.... it looks really fun!)
-- Garden Whimsy set (butterflies, flowers, ... all in a really fun design)
-- Totally Tabs (stamps to use with my tab punch!)
-- Sanded BG and Polka Dot BG (FUN!)
-- New ABC upper and lower alpha
-- All of the really cute stamps/paper with a school theme (Great for scrapbooking, teacher gifts, etc.!)
-- Secret Garden Simply Scrapin' Kit (really pretty, matches my new Baroque Set!)
-- Define Your Life set (lots of 'dictionary' type definitions)
-- Baby Jesus is Born (I like this artist! Very simple and cute design!)
-- Refuge and Strength (really nice quotes, such as 'In those times I can't seem to find God, I rest in the assurance He knows how to find me) -- can stamp these over the cross stamp that's included

-- Can I just say that I am really impressed that SU sells inspirational stamps? How many big companies would offer 'Jesus' stamps or include bible verses? I think it's great! :)

So.... I'll be listing several stamp sets for sale very soon. I have to make way (and funds) for some new goodies!

Bitzy Bride Gets Some Bling!

This card was really fun to make! I found a lot of inspiration from the blogs that I visit... so I'll try to give credit to the right people! The main inspiration came from Julee's post today. I loved how she layered her scalloped circles, all of the paper piercing, and of course -- the bling! This layout came from her newest sketch for Blogger Bingo (see postings below for more info).

Ok... now for all the details! (and there are a LOT of them!) I started of by stamping C.C.Design's Bitzy Bugs Bling Bride (what a mouthful!) and colored her in with Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an Aquapainter (SU). I cut out the center of her veil and added white organdy behind it to make it a little more realistic (I found this tip from Lauren Meader, if I remember correctly) and added Heidi Swapp pink small flower jewels (I found these on allthatscraps.com also). I added a diamond gemstone from Hero Arts to the bride's ring.

The scalloped circles are cut with Marvy Mega and Giga punches. All of the non-scalloped circles were cut with a Coluzzle. I added tiny pink dots to the scalloped edge with a Pretty in Pink SU marker.

The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Paper Tray set. I have gotten so much use from these stamps! There is a sentiment included for EVERYTHING! The scalloped edge of the sentiment is cut with Fiskars small scalloped scissors. The 'bride' and sentiment are both raised with Dimensionals.

The corners are made by cutting 1 Marvy Mega Scalloped Square, dividing it into fourths, and trimming. I added a little more bling to each corner. (Great idea, Julee!) I used a small needle and mat to paper pierce the edges of the card.

Paper: K&Co. Amelia Antique White Glitter paper (SO pretty!); Amy Butler Sola Brown Gracious Lotus Frothed paper; Rose Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip CS from SU; White Cardstock by Papertrey Ink.

I'd Pick You!

Cambria is one of my favorite stampers (I know, I know -- she's probably one of MOST people's fav's)! This week she is the Featured Stamper on Splitcoaststampers. So... I had to step up to the challenge and CASE one of her cards.

I used Gina K's Flower Trio stamp in place of Cambria's Vases in Vogue. I stamped the image once onto Papertrey's white CS and watercolored. I stamped a second image onto the blue and white dotted background. (This paper is from a paper pack called Nana's Kids. The polka dots are embossed!) I just cut out the vase and flowers, adhered, and colored in the stems with a marker. To make the vase appear to have water in it, I applied Crystal Effects. I added small clear rhinestones to the flowers' centers.

I 'had' to use some Papertrey stamps in this card too. I can't seem to make a card these days without them! The floral bg is stamped with images from the new set - Text Boxed. The sentiment is from the Green Thumb set (stamped with White Craft ink).

Stamps: see above

Paper: Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue, Papertrey Ink White CS, DCWV Nana's Kids Patterned Paper

Ink: Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Black Noir, White Craft, Celery Stamp N Write Marker

Accessories: WCW crayons, Aquapainter, pink organdy (Michaels), hole punch, Crystal Effects, Hero Arts Clear Gemstones

Techniques: sewing

Hey Baby!

I'm not sure why I made a baby card tonight. I don't even know of anyone who's having a baby right now.... but I just love this little sheep stamp and wanted to try it out on paper! Plus... I wanted to use this soft patterned paper for a contest I'm entering.

This is a card I made for an entry into Caardvarks "Crop Circles" Challenge. The challenge going on now is to 'make some cards using *circles* as the focus of your card front'.

The sheep image and scalloped circle doodles sets are all from Gina K Designs. I used a Versamark pen to color in the wool and then applied Heat & Stick Powder (SU). Once sticky, I added White Fun Flock. This stuff is so fun! (Hence the name) It adds a really cool fluffy texture to whatever you apply it to.

The sentiment is from Papertrey (Text Boxed and Paper Tray sets) - cut out with a Coluzzle. I used Fiskar's small scalloped scissors to trim the chocolate cardstock.

The top of the card is embossed with my Cuttlebug. I used a couple of different circle punches to add a little more 'circle' detail to the card. The patterned paper is by K&Co.

The wide white organdy ribbon and celery grosgrain are both from SU.

Papertrey Ladies

Today was a great relaxing day for me! I love it when my house is clean, my kids are asleep.... and I can create - guilt free - in my craft room. Believe me, this doesn't happen very often!

I saw a card by Geny that really inspired me. I 'had' to get a pack of DCWV Nana's Kids paper. It is SO CUTE! All of the paper is cardstock weight - and most of it is embossed or glittered. I found mine at Archivers, but I know that Joann's has it online too. The ladybug paper in the set goes perfectly with Papertrey's Little Lady set!

I used all Papertrey Ink sets to make these cards. I mimicked the patterned paper by glittering the ladybugs and stars with Stickles. I added small 'diamond' embellishments to the flower's centers too. I wish you could see the cards IRL. They're so sparkley!

The card sketches are from Poetic Artestry. She is hosting Blogger Bingo is giving away some awesome prizes! For every card stampers upload (using her sketch), she gives out one more Bingo number.

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Little Lady, Text Boxed, Paper Tray, Butterfly Kisses)
Paper: Nana's Kids, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Certainly Celery (SU)
Ink: (same as CS)
Accessories: Marvy punches, SU large oval punch, Fiskars small scalloped scissors, Stickles, Prima Flowers, SU markers, SU grosgrain ribbon, silver brads, clear rhinestones

I SHORE am Glad!

Today we're going to a birthday party for my cousin who is turning 5! I love doing 'Sketch Challenges' when I'm coming up with a new card - and need an idea quickly. I found this one on Lauren Meader's blog and had to try it out! I used more patterned paper than I usually do -- but I think it turned out alright. I used Flair Designs - Hit the Beach - collection again. It just looks like summer to me! I also used a LOT of SU cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Summer Sun, Certainly Celery & Pumpkin Pie.

I colored the lobster (by Gina K) in with a Sakura Red Gellyroll pen. It is the best thing I've found so far for a smooth, bright red -- and I like the fine tip that it has. I colored in the bucket with several colors of Prismacolor Pencils and blended with Mineral Spirits & added a little shadowing. I detailed it a little with a Sakura Stardust glitter pen. The balloon is from Stampin' Up! (Birthday Best). I used a Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the placement exactly where I wanted it. I stamped a second balloon onto Really Red CS, cut out and adhered with a mini glue dot. It also has some glitter detailing. I used the Sakura Red pen to 'stitch' around the orange layer (trying to mimic the ribbon).

I made the sentiment on my computer. The edges are cut with Fiskar's postage stamp style scissors. I outlined the word "SHORE" with the glitter pen and added glitter to the 'postage' cut edges.

So... now I've got to figure out a present to go with the card! Hmm............

I Am Blessed

Today I was working out in the yard and I met one of my neighbors for the first time. We've lived in our home now for a few years, but still haven't met everyone yet. We live in a very rural area, so some of the people we consider 'neighbors' live quite a distance away. I had heard from someone else that the man that lived there had Alzheimer's disease and had to be placed in a nursing home recently. My "new" neighbor -Mary Alice - introduced herself and told me a little about her family. She got choked up when she talked about her husband and told me that her only son had committed suicide a few years back. I know her life is really hard right now and she must be pretty lonely. When I meet people like Mary Alice, or hear stories of other people's struggles -- instantly my stress, worries, 'problems' seem pretty minuscule. I am reminded - once again - that I am blessed!

One thing that I love about this craft is the simple joy it can bring to someone's life. Sometimes when it's hard to put feelings into words, a handmade card can speak volumes. So... this card is for my new friend, Mary Alice. I hope I can make the time to visit her and show her that someone cares. If anyone would like to send a RAK (random act of kindess) card to my neighbor, I'm sure she would be THRILLED! Just send me a message and I'll give you an address.

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Text Boxed, Little Lady, Faux Ribbon)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean, Ruby Red, Summer Sun - Stampin' Up!;
Patterned Paper: American Craft
Ink: Summer Sun, Choc. Chip, Ruby Red
Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Word Window Punch, Crafter's Tool Kit, Choc. Grosgrain Ribbon (SU); sewing machine, brown brads (Joann's), Fiskars small scalloped scissors
NOTE: This card measures 5" x 5"

Simple is Sometimes Sweeter

I made this card in about 5 minutes! It's midnight and I had something in mind that I wanted to do... so I decided to stay up and put it down on paper. I've been trying to make a 'simple' card lately. It sounds easy, but I think creating with less is sometimes more challenging! I am always drawn to cards that look uncluttered and basic... when adding something more would take away from it's charm. But... most of the time, I find myself adding more and more.... One person I've found who is great at making simple and sweet cards is Julie Ebersole. Her blog, Paper Truffles, is full of great ideas!

This card is pretty self-explanatory. I used only 2 colors - Not Quite Navy & Cool Caribbean. The patterned paper is by Flair Designs (Hit the Beach collection). I'm glad I found a way to use it without making a 'beach' or 'water' scene. The stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Butterfly Kisses & Little Lady). I've been working on some new cards using the new Papertrey set... but I'm holding off posting them now. Maybe they'll get their debut as the Guest Star Stamper winner next month (crossing fingers!!!). :) I added a little sparkle to the butterfly with a Sakura Stardust glitter pen.

I'd love to hear what you think of my new blog! I've been working hard and staying up late -- trying to get it to where it needs to be. I love reading your comments!

Just Beclaws

I LOVE Gina K's New Summer line! This little lobster is cute enough by himself... even before he's even stamped! Today's color challenge on Splitcoast was to use Real Red, Creamy Caramel, and Barely Banana.

I started by stamping my lobster onto white cardstock. I colored him in with a Sakura red Gellyroll pen. I used Prismacolor pencils for the bucket and used mineral spirits to shade. I trimmed the image and adhered it to a banana background (cut with a Giga scalloped Rectangle punch). I thought it needed a 'little somethin somethin', so I cut a piece of sand paper and placed it under the bucket. I sponged the edges with Caramel ink. For the black scalloped rectangle, I punched 2 Mega Scalloped Squares and adhered them together, hiding the seam with stitched ribbon.

The 'sand' is made from 3 layers of sand paper that I cut in waves. I used dimensionals to make the layers stand out from one another. For the sky, I started with banana CS and painted with a Real Red WCW crayon and my aquapainter.

For the sentiment, I inked only the 'Just Bec" area and free-handed the rest with a black Stampin' Write Marker. I highlighted the words with a Sakura Glitter pen, along with parts of the bucket.

Stamps: Gina K's Lobster in a Bucket, Mini Mates

Paper: WW, Real Red, Basic Black, Barely Banana

Ink: Black

Accessories: punches, brads, ribbon from Michael's, sandpaper, dimensionals, Glitter Pen, Red Gelly Roll Pen

Thanks a Latte!

This is another card that I made using My Favorite Things - Hot Stuff - stamp set. One of the girls that I work with enabled my addiction with coffee. She surprised me one day with a Moka Maker (this makes the BEST coffee ever - as close as I can get to espresso), a book on coffee, and samples of some gourmet blends that she liked. So... I've been trying forever to get her a little 'thank you' gift.

These trifold cards are so fun to make! I found an awesome tutorial on Cambria's blog. You really need to check it out! I just modified it to fit my style. To make the rectangular cut-out, I punched 2 scalloped squares on top of one another.


I found The coffee themed hand towel and mug at our local Dollar Store! I was so excited when I spotted them. The colors were my inspiration for the card.

Stamps: MFT Hot Stuff
Paper: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Au Chocolat (Stampin' Up!), Flair Designs Coffee Talk, Vanilla
Accessories: Scalloped Mega Square, Slit Punch, EE Buttons, Linen Thread, Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon

What Cancer Cannot Do

Today on SCS, the challenge was TLC121 "to encourage stampers use their talents to make cards for the people in need of some good cheer". My best friend's sister is fighting breast cancer right now and I thought she could definitely use some 'good cheer'! You can find out more about Sarah on her blog. She's really a remarkable person!

I stamped 3 times (once with Sahara Sand, once with celery, and once with coral). I cut out some of the brightly colored words and adhered to the main - sahara sand - sentiment. I used a Sakura glitter pen to add a little sparkle to some of the words too.

Stamps: What Cancer Cannot Do

Paper: Very Vanilla, Crate Paper Birdie Collection, Sahara Sand

Ink: Sahara Sand, Certainly Celery, Cameo Coral

Accessories: Primas, Silver Brads, Dimensionals, paper piercing tool

Autumnbella

I am addicted to these Bella Stamps! This particular stamp looks just like one of my friends - Autumn. Everytime I look at it I think 'I've GOT to send her a card!'. So, finally I put it down on paper and made one for her. I tried to make her look as true to life as possible and used Really Rust ink for her hair. I used my Sakura Stardust pen to highlight her curls.

I stamped a second Bella onto patterned paper and paper pieced her dress. I added a little color with my AquaPainter and ink pads (Apricot Appeal and Sahara Sand). I colored in parts of the dress with the same Sakura glitter pen.

The rest of Bella is colored in with Prismacolor pencils. I always make a matching envelope, and I think this one turned out really cool. I just traced the flap and added matching paper and ribbon. The rust edge is cut with scalloped scissors to match the card.

I've made similar 'tent topper' cards before, but never made one going horizontally. To make a card like this, I usually make a standard sized card back and adhere a scalloped image. Then, I place my card over an envelope to decide how much I need to cut off of the bottom. Basically, make sure your card will still fit in the matching envelope. I found the idea for this style of card on Michelle Wooderson's Blog (Mish Mash).

Stamps: Flowahbella, Papertrey Ink Faux Ribbon (Sentiment)
Paper: Au Chocolat (Designer Paper, Stampin' Up!), Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Vanilla
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Apricot Appeal, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Coluzzle, scalloped scissors, Hodgepodge Hardware (SU), Grosgrain Ribbon (SU), Dimensionals, Aquapainter, Prismacolor Pencils, Dimensionals, Sakura Stardust Pen

A Shower of Projects

Today we had a bridal shower for my 'soon-to-be' sister-in-law, Nicki --- so I thought I would post a few pictures. Her wedding colors are really vivid (fuchsia and orange) so it was really a fun party to decorate for.

I found these Blume Boxes on the site Fresh Floral Art . I am totally clueless when it comes to floral design, so I designed the box and my little sister did the arrangement. It's hard to tell, but I used Gina K's circle doodle set to add design to the scalloped edge. I punched the monogram from a die at my local scrapbooking store and secured some tiny Primas with a brad.



I just loved the way this 'wedding cake' turned out! We used bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths for our cake layers, held together with pink and orange gingham ribbon.















These candles were inspired by an article in Papercrafts Magazine by Nichole Heady. I printed the text for the matchbox on a computer and used a Cuttlebug die to create a tag. The Primas were a perfect size for this project! I found these on the site Eclectic Paperie. (LOVE this site!!!)
























These were the shower invites that I sent out to everyone. They needed to be simple so that I could mass produce and not go psychotic. Normally I can make one or two cards of the same design and then have to move on to something different. The images are from Stamping Bella and are stamped onto shimmery white CS. I colored them in with Prismacolor Pencils. The bride's dress is lined with Stickles glitter. The bouquets are also glittered with colored Stickles. I used a Martha Stewart punch to make the floral/eyelet topper.

Ok... I know this posting is getting long, but I HAD to add this picture of our 'brides'! They had 7 minutes to design the perfect wedding attire out of toilet paper. (My brother and his fiance are getting married on 7-7-7). I think they're looking pretty hot!

Some more of my Guest Star Entries

Here are a couple more cards that I sent in as entries to Papertrey Ink's Guest Star Stamper Contest.

The first card was made with Papertrey's Green Thumb and Little Lady sets. By stamping the watering can and cutting off the spout (is that the right word for that???), I think it makes a perfect coffee mug! The steam is from Little Lady's dotted trail. I used the small two dotted image to continue the steam trail, creating a heart. The heart on the tag is from the solid small lady bug stamp. *To make the 'foam' on the top of the mug, I used Liquid Appliqué and my heat tool. I think I found this at Joann Fabrics a couple of years ago.*

I noticed that another Honorable Mention stamper thought that the lady bugs looked like cherries too! This card was made using the same sets as above. The stems and leaves are from the Green Thumb set. I used my white gel pen to give the cherries a little dimension and highlighted areas with my Sakura Stardust pen. I used the Faux Ribbon set to border the sentiment.

I Can't Believe It!!!!

I couldn't believe it when I woke up this morning and found my card on Papertrey Ink's blog!!! I received honorable mention for an entry for the Guest Star Stamper Contest. My hands are still shaking a little! I'm so excited!!! LOL!

This is my version of a card using the new Little Lady set. I'm attaching several photos to show how the image comes together. When I first saw this set, the shapes looked like they could be really versatile. I turned the ladybug into a fish.


Step 1: Stamp 2 solid ladybug images, 2 small solid ladybug images, and 1 small strawberry image (from Green Thumb set)


Step 2: Inking only half of the large antennae stamp, I created a mouth for my fish. I used the double dot stamp to create eyes.


Step 3: I used a black fine tip marker to bring the corner of the mouth upward and then outlined all of the pieces. I colored in the rest of the "fish lips" with my yellow marker.


Step 4: I used part of the large swirled dot image to detail the fish's face and connected the dots using a fine tip orange marker. The small double dot stamp would work well here also. I used my Sakura pen to give the fish some sparkly scales and details.

Step 5: Adhere all pieces together.

Step 6: The large swirled dot image was used to make the illusion of moving water. I used the small circles (various sizes) to make air bubbles coming from the fish's mouth.

I love how the stamps are bendable! This was really helpful in creating the sentiment that follows the wave of the water.

If you haven't been to Papertrey Ink or Nichole Heady's blog (Capture the Moment), you really should check it out! Their stamps and products are awesome, and Nichole's blog is always full of great ideas!

Celebrating My Handyman!

I noticed that the majority of my stamps and accessories are pretty feminine, so I started collecting a few supplies to make some cards for my guys. This is the card I made following today's SCS Sketch Challenge.

The handyman stamp is from Stamping Bella (Fixafella). I love all of the Bella and Fella images, and this one was perfect for my hubby's father's day card! Soup (that's what everyone calls him) can fix or build pretty much anything. I stamped this fella on watercolor paper and colored him in with Prismacolor Pencils and mineral spirits. I paperpieced his outfit, tool belt, and... if you look really closely -- even the tiny tools that he's wearing. I added a little bit of color here and there with my SU markers. This part took me a little while! :) The sentiment was made using my Karen Foster Snap Stamps.

The printed paper is also by Karen Foster (Father Collage). I used Buckaroo Blue, Certainly Celery, and Basic Black CS. I found these brads awhile ago on Ebay and haven't been able to use them yet. I think they're PERFECT! :)

Thanks for checking out my new blog! Please leave me a comment so I know you're out there!

A Pinch to Grow On!

I have some new summer stamps from Gina K and wanted to try them out. Today's color challenge on SCS was to use Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery and Tempting Turquoise.

I always start these challenges by spreading out my colored cardstock... and usually an idea pops into my mind. If you've never participated in Splitcoast's weekly challenges, you've got to check them out! It is a perfect way to get inspired and try something new.

I started by stamping the Crab with basic black ink and coloring with Prismacolor Pencils and gamisol. I used some turquoise Stickles glitter to give it a little sparkle. I think I've seen crabs with blue spots before??? I punched out the image with my mega circle punch. The turquoise scalloped circle was stamped with Gina K's new doodle stamps and punched with the giga punch. The stamps are made to work perfectly with the Marvy punches. Love Love Love them!

The sentiment stamped on celery was made with Karen Foster snap stamps. You just snap the letters together to spell out whatever comes to mind! The lower sentiment was made with Papertrey Ink's Faux Ribbon set. It was punched out with SU's large oval punch - and then raised with dimensionals.

The patterned paper is by Flair Designs (Hit the Beach collection). The whole line is really nice for summer.

Happy Birthday Slugger!

My son Eli just finished his first season of T-ball and celebrates his 6th birthday this Thursday, so I thought this little critter would be perfect for his card!



I found this stamp from allthatscraps.com. There are several of these little critters and they are SO cute! The company is called C.C. Designs (Bitzy Bug line) - and this stamp is called 'Play Ball'.

I stamped the main image on watercolor paper (SU) and colored with watercolor wonder crayons using my aquapainter. I masked his little feet and stamped the Large Solid Shadow Spot (also by C.C. Designs) to ground him. I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but I also added some green glitter to his body using Stickles.

Paper: Real Red, Summer Sun, Garden Green, DaisyD's DP
Stamps: C.C. Designs, Papertrey Ink. Little Lady (used this for the dotted swirl under the ball), Have a Ball (retired SU - baseball stamp), Karen Foster Snap Stamps (sentiment)
Accessories: Ticket Corner punch, silver brads, Cuddlebug embossing folder, dimensionals, various circle punches for the lower half of the card

My first blog posting! Whoo Hoo!

Wow! So here it goes! This is my first attempt at posting to my blog. I am really excited about this! I finally talked my hubby into helping me design my web layout. It needs a little tweaking... but I think it's going to be cool! This has been one of my goals for this year. So, here it goes! I would LOVE to be able to get published one day and to work for a Design Team. So... we'll see how that goes! LOL! Hey - at least I have one thing accomplished! Woo Hoo!!!

So... back to the point of this posting! This is my first set of stamps from the company MFT (my favorite things). You can get these stamps several places, but I love shopping at eclecticpaperie.com. Their service can't be beat - and they have SO many fun, current products in their shop. You can always get 10% off on their site by using the coupon code: SCS. You'll see in my future posts that I get a lot of my supplies from this site.

This stamp set is called Hot Stuff. I am addicted to coffee, so I 'had' to get this set! Wink Wink! For the main image, I stamped once on whisper white, and again on my patterned paper. I just cut out the dress image and adhered it onto the white piece (paper piecing). Then, I colored the image in with Prismacolor pencils, blending with gamisol.

Thanks for checking out my first blog posting! Please leave me a comment if you've stumbled across my blog!

Paper: Cool Caribbean, Choc. Chip, Close to Cocoa, SEI Granny's Kitchen DP
Ink: Choc. chip, Basic Black
Accessories: Word Window Punch, Ticket Punch, Brads, Dimensionals, Mega Square Scallop Punch, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamisol, Blending Stumps, Martha Stewart Ribbon