Playing around.

This is just a little warning. I'm playing around with this blog a little. If you see anything funky, do NOT panic... I'm just trying out something new. Have a great day!

Ah!

How come the moment I state my goal, I miss it? The downfall of having a military husband... on occasion he disappears and I lose all my stamping time. I'm getting up and running again so I'll be sharing again in no time. In the meantime, have a great day! ~:-)

Simply Flowers

Ah! I almost missed posting today! My goal is to post everyday except Sunday. So far so good. I'll be brief... my 4 year old is throwing a tantrum and I don't want him to wake the baby. Hurray for simple cards. This card uses 2 whole stamps, a length of ribbon, and dry embossing. It took me all of 5 minutes to make. That is a record for me... I have been known to take that long just to ink a stamp. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating. So, let me know... what is your favorite simple thing to do on a card or scrapbook page? Stamp Sets: Exotic Blooms, Kind Thoughts Paper: Whisper White Ink: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss Accessories: Kiwi Kiss 5/8" Striped Grosgrain ribbon

Another Catty Case

I've found that the SU! catalog really is a great idea book (duh... that's why it's called an idea book...). There is a project for every stamp set in the catty and there's the fabulous list of recipes found in the back. I mean, Wow! For this card I followed Angie's lead. I used the colors found in a pack of Designer Series Paper and a layout found on a random page of the book. I chose to use the colors in Urban Garden - Basic Grey, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze and Not Quite Navy. Then I flipped to a random page - 104. Funny, but this is the same page Angie used for one of her projects, so I of course picked a different layout. Anyway, here's my finished product. I love how this turned out. I need to start doing some sketch challenges again, because I find that is what I struggle with the most. If I also chose a stamp set to stick with, I push myself to find new uses (or positions) for the stamps in the set. It helps me grow! Oh yes! A little tip! I have been using my color spritzer a lot lately, but have not been able to use it with the In Colors since they don't have markers. I have a solution. You could, of course use a similar color (ie. Old Olive for Kiwi Kiss) or you could just use Creamy Caramel! I figured why not just use the universal distressing color for one more type of texture. Woohoo! Is it sad how simple things make me soooo happy? Stamp Set: Always Paper: Basic Gray, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White Ink: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Kiwi Kiss, Creamy Caramel, Basic Black

Flashback?

So this really isn't that much of a flashback... I made this card in January, meaning to send it off to Stampin' Up as a contest entry. It didn't quite make it there. I guess I should stop doing that. I just get so nervous! I do really love this card and wish I had sent it in... maybe I'll remember this for next time!

In Color Clock

Have you ever been planning to do a project for what seems like forever... but it just keeps getting put off? This is just that kind of project. A long while ago I bought a clock at my local office supply store with the intention of personalizing it for my work space. I set the clock on my shelf and there it sat... it's been about a year and a half. I was cleaning things out and getting organized for the new SU! year when I saw that it was still on the shelf. Now it's on my wall! I started with a very basic wall clock. I think it cost about $20. You can probably find one cheaper... I'm not a very good deal shopper, I just don't have to time to look at every store! Anyway, I took the clock apart by unscrewing the back. The hands removed with a gentle pull. Then I removed the face piece. This was a very light weight plastic that had basically been hot glued in place. I traced the face onto my cardstock. It was a circle with a "notch" for proper placement. Then I began to stamp. Use your imagination for this, but keep in mind that it's always nice to be able to read the numbers on your clock. In hindsight I might have stuck with a less bold design so the numbers would stick out, but then again I really wanted the bold colors. After I stamped, I trimmed out the new clock face. I then place the new face on top of the original, lining up the notch. Holding it up to my lamp, I very lightly marked the minute lines, making the 5 minute lines slightly more bold. I used my ruler and black marker to make pretty little lines over the marks. I glued the numbers in place (these were made with my Sizzix). Woohoo! The face was finished. Now I had the easy job of putting the clock back together. Just a few notes on this - the hands have little grooves that will line up so they move properly. They can be tricky to line up, so just be patient. Also, when you handle the glass face, be very careful. The edges are not necessarily finished and are very capable of cutting every single one of your fingers. Yup... you guessed it... ask me how I know. I hope you have fun with this project in your house. I'll be making at least one more... the boy wants a clock for his room. Stamp Sets: Pick a Petal, Itty Bitty Backgrounds Paper: Whisper White, Pacific Point Ink: Basic Black, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point

Shoebox Swap Fun!

This year at Convention (are you tired of Convention stories yet?) I did something new for me. A large group shoebox swap. A what? Well, to prepare for this special swap I designed a card using all current Stampin' Up! product. Then I made 16 of the card and prepared 16 bags with the needed paper. I also brought along all the tools/stamps/ink pads needed to make the card in a shoebox - thus the name, shoebox swap. If the swap had been full, I would have left with 32 different cards that all used only SU! product and that could be used for demonstrations. I would have actually made 16 of them myself and carried out 15 (and my sample). Sounds like fun, right? The swap was not even close to full (and there were several that flaked out) but it was still so much fun. In fact it was probably more fun for me (a slow stamper) because there was no pressure to get out of the way of another person. I left very relaxed. It was fun to stamp just for fun (I wasn't designing for a class or club) and to chat with other demos from different areas. So what did I make for the swap? Here it is! (of course I realized after editing the photo I grabbed the most crookedly stamped card in the bunch...) At first I was worried about how simple this card was, but then I realized that was what made it great! The flowers are cool looking and simple to do. To make these cool flowers you need a paper crimper and the 5 petal punch. I took a rectangle of paper and crimped it about 5 different directions... you really want to break up the paper fibers so that the card stock begins to separate into layers. Then I punched out 2 flowers. Each flower I gently peeled apart into 2 pieces, which I layered with a circle punch to create the completed bloom. This technique will work with anything you can punch out of high quality card stock. Just make sure your original piece can fit through your crimper in multiple directions (ask me how I know). As always, I'd love to see what you do with this technique. It's such a fun way to add texture to your projects! Stamp Sets: Celebrate Everything, Itty Bitty Backgrounds Paper: Barely Banana, Old Olive, Pacific Point , Kraft Ink: Old Olive, Pacific Point, So Saffron

Flight of Change

This card features the new set Flight of the Butterfly (pg 97) that we received at Convention. I was excited when I saw this, because Clara (my baby) sees flowers and butterflies in everything. I showed her this card and she said it was "bu-tee-ful". :-D She's such a girly-girl... totally opposite of me! She loves her dresses and "pit-tee" things! Stamp Set: Flight of the Butterfly Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Old Olive,Pumpkin Pie, Summer Picnic DSP Ink: Old Olive, Real Red, Bashful Blue

Convention Make & Take CASE

One of the make & takes that I really liked at convention was a little book made from our love notes. These are 3x3 little notes with envelopes. Very cute as gift cards and such on their own, but great as a gift book. See? Isn't that cute? I love the inside for little pictures and notes. My mom and mom-in-law might be seeing one of these in the coming year... :-) I don't have the actual love notes, but I have plenty of the envelopes to fit them and 12x12 paper. I started by cutting 2 3"x6" pieces of paper and scoring them at 3". I stamped alternating corners of the pages for a little interest inside. Next I prepared 2 envelopes. The first I sealed closed. This became the front cover. The second I tucked the flap inside. This becomes the back cover, with a nice little pocket to tuck something into. I scored all of the pieces 3/4" from the edge, to create the area to bind the book. I gently folded each piece at the score line so the book would be easy to look through. Next came the fun part - decorating the covers. With the covers all beautified, it's time to assemble the book. Covers on the outside, pages on the inside. :-) I used a mini binder clip to hold the book together while I punched and bound it. I used my Crop-A-Dile (I'm still amazed by the ease of punching with this) to put 2 holes in the narrow section between the score line and the edge. With the binder clip still in place I threaded the ribbon through the holes. I removed the clip and tied the ribbon. All done! If you make your own version of this little book, please come back here and share a link to your sample. I'd love to see it! Stamp Sets: Eastern Blooms, Always Paper: Old Olive Ink: Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive (marker), Creamy Caramel (marker) Accessories: Mini Square Envelopes, Whisper White Taffeta ribbon (dyed with the ink pad), Button Bouquet

Kind Thoughts ATC

I'm really having trouble coming up with witty, cute titles. They're a little dry and utilitarian. Any thoughts? Hehe... on to the stamping, right? ATCs... Oh how I love thee. :-D This one is nice and straight forward, with a simple technique for fun. My hubby helped me get these ready to swap by crumpling all the Kiwi Kiss pieces for me. Isn't he sweet? The technique used on the butterfly is called Rock and Roll. It's a simple, fun way to perk up a mostly solid stamp with a "circular" shape. This technique works especially well with flowers and actual circles. To begin you chose 2 colors that "go". Just think of Stacy and Clinton - they don't have to match... just go. For this example I used So Saffron and Kiwi Kiss. Ink your stamp as usual with the lighter color. Then, take your stamp and gently "roll" the edges of the image in the darker color. Huff on your stamp (if you're slow like me) and stamp. Yahoo! You have a pretty little stamped image. Stamp Set: Kind Thoughts Paper: So Saffron, Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla Ink: So Saffron, Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla (craft) Accessories: Vanilla 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

A Bit of Patriotism

This is the ATC swap I made for my upline group. Can you tell when I worked on this one? Why Independence Day weekend, of course! This set is so much fun and has great elements. It could easily be used for children's cards... just change the colors a little. There is this and another wonderful star, a cool swirl, and a heart. They are all nice bold images. You can look for this set, Independence Day, in the new catty, but you won't find it! It is a part of the dormant list and can be found, along with others, on the Stampin' Up! website. These sets are available for purchase, they are just on the list to allow more room for seasonal sets in the physical catty. So there's your little SU! catty lesson for the day. I just love this company! Stamp Sets: Independence Day, Sanded Paper: Real Red, Night of Navy, Whisper White Ink: Yoyo Yellow, Real Red, Night of Navy

Happy New Catty Day!

WaahHooooo! Party! Party! Yes, I am excited again! This is it - the first day to order from the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book and Catalog! Are you tired of exclamation points yet?! I think I'll use a few more!!!!! It's so much fun getting a new catty... so much inspiration at your fingertips. And of course, NEW RUBBAH! Woohoo! In honor of this occasion, let me share something I created with the new set, Inspired by Nature. Isn't this set just fabulous? It is so simple and understated. Love! This is one of the stamp sets I received for attending convention. That's right... it was free. Yay! I already have a ton of ideas floating around in my head for this baby. ~:-D Stamp Sets: Inspired by Nature, Warm Words (dormant) Paper: Kraft, Pacific Point Ink: Whisper White, Pacific Point, Versamark Accessories: 5/8" Old Olive grosgrain, linen thread, Whisper White embossing powder

Always an ATC

So if you've seen my blog for any amount of time, you may have noticed that I love Artist Trading Cards (ATCs). They are so very cute and most of the time they are fast and easy to create. This year for Convention I signed up for two slots in an organized swap, swapped with my upline group (the Inky Angels), and made a few extras for general swapping. This year I hardly had any trouble finding people to swap with. Last year was a little more difficult - I still had a few when I got home. This is the first of my organized swaps. I had just gotten the In Colors the day before and knew they had to be used! This is Tangerine Tango, Sahara Sand, and Chocolate Chip. This year is such a total return to the 70s... not even joking! But I so love it. Just wait until you see some of the wonderful color combinations made with this year's colors. The DSP is fab! Stamp Set: Always Paper: Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand textured Ink: Chocolate Chip craft, Tangerine Tango Accessories: Clear embossing powder, 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain

So excited!

Okay... so maybe a little too excited! Hehe! This was the stamp set UPS gave to all the demos at Convention. Isn't it great? It was on the top of my list... it coordinates with the new square scallop punch (WOOHOO!) and is the Ronald McDonald House set for this year. Already RMH has $12,000 coming their way from the sale of these stamps. How cool is that?! So anyway, ask me (or your demo) about Say It With Scallops. Starting August 11th you can order it and send $2 to Ronald McDonald House Charities. Did I mention it's die cut?

Altoids Tin

One of the swap groups I joined was for altoids tins. These tins are great for making cute little kits and gifts that are simple and fun. I decided to make an Emergency Celebration Kit. I started by spray painting my tins. You can chose to do this or not... some tins are in wonderful coordinating colors and you can even find them plain online or in craft stores. I traced the top and bottom twice and trimmed on the inside of my drawn line. Then I proceeded to decorate it! Go crazy! Use your imagination. I used sticky strip to adhere the base piece to the tin and SNAIL for the rest. How cute is that final product? ~:-)

A Convention Swap

Woohoo! I got back from convention very early on Monday morning. My brain is still running about a million miles an hour with all the stamping and business ideas they threw our way. It is just so much fun! I enjoyed this year even more than last year. Last year I think I was just plain overwhelmed... I didn't know what to keep in my brain and what to just wait to processes later. This year was much better, as I know what kind of business have and where I will be taking it in the future. :-) So, shockingly enough, I was a little behind on making general swaps. I made a few for the groups I had signed up for, but never got around to making any others. I just decided to come up with a basic idea and take along the supplies to make a few (I ended up with 20). The technique I went with is called ghosting. You begin by using a brayer to lay color over a piece of velum. Then you take your clean stamp and lift the color from the vellum, cleaning off the ink each time you "stamp". You can use several different stamps to "lift" different amounts of ink each time. This is a very simple technique that is easy to do! Stamp Sets: Heard from the Heart, Canvas, A Beautiful Thing Paper: Riding Hood Red, Sahara Sand, Cardstock Vellum Ink: Night of Navy, Riding Hood Red Accessories: Whisper White Taffeta ribbon

Morning Soft

What a beautiful stamp set. I always love the sketchy stamps that are great for watercoloring. So Morning Soft is no different. I made this for my club members as a little thank you. They are such a great group of ladies! I would say the key for doing really great watercoloring is your paper. For this card I used SU!'s watercolor paper. It can take a whole lot of water and won't warp or pill. I also used my new favorite tool... the color spritzer. I had so much fun. There is a very small learning curve, but just a few minutes with a piece of scrap paper and you will have it down. I have since gone a little spritzer crazy and am using it on everything! Stamp Set: Morning Soft Paper: Watercolor, Sage Shadow, Basic Gray textured Ink: Black StazOn, Sage Shadow marker Accessories: Very Vanilla 5/8" grosgrain, Hodgepodge Hardware (antique brass), Watercolor Wonder Crayons

Fruity Thanks

I just love this set (Tart and Tangy) and I really hope it makes the new catty. Here is a simple pocket card with this great set. It also uses Much Appreciated, which is retiring. I hope they have a good simple "thank you" set... I use this one all the time. ~:-) Stamp Sets: Tart & Tangy, Much Appreciated, Itty Bitty Backgrounds Paper: Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White Ink: Bashful Blue, Old Olive , Real Red, Pumpkin Pie

Hello stranger!

Hi you guys! Sorry I've been gone a while... I totally lost my mojo. I didn't even want to look at my desk. So I didn't. Sometimes you just have to let it come. Now I am excited about stamping again! So this little cutie I made with my mom in mind. Inside the sentiment is "that I love you?" How cute is that? You know what's sad though? Unfrogettable is retiring! Ack! It's so cute. Of course this means that something cuter is replacing it... hmm. Maybe I'm not so sad. :-D Flannel Plaid is also retiring... maybe I should call this "The Retirement Card". Stamp Sets: Unfrogettable, Flannel Plaid Paper: Garden Green, So Saffron, Whisper White Ink: Garden Green, So Saffron, Black StazOn Accessories: Stampin' Pastels, Blue Bayou Double Stitched Ribbon, Daisy Field Wheel

Dear Tracey, Where have you been? I've missed the feel of cardstock against my laminate. I want my drawers to be opened and closed again. If you come back, I won't even complain about the headache your daylight lamp gives me. Where have you been? Are you afraid that I am angry? I have nearly forgotten about the Staz-On that's smeared across my face. I understand that you had to go to the bathroom and couldn't keep distructo-girl... uhm... Clara from inking me up. Where have you been? I have missed you so! Please come and clear off all the "stuff" that is on me. Please wipe the dust out of my corners and make me nice and shiny. If you clean me off maybe your mind will calm and you can use me. Please come back Tracey! Lovingly, Your Craft Table *Don't worry table, I'll be back soon. Thanks for missing me.*