Hi stampers! So it's a pick your favorite sketch over at Retro Sketches and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. This is probably my favorite sketch there so far!
I was planning on using it this week anyway because I need a baby card for my friends shower this weekend and this reminds me of a baby mobile. I just had to wait to get my box of new stuff (yes, another one...I know...I have a issues, lol) because I wanted to use the little owls from itty bitties. If I'm being honest they may be the reason I got the entire set, lol! Thanks to facebook I knew that their nursery was owl themed and was all pink and gray and tan. So, there was my color combo!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Itty bitties, pennant parade
Paper: Whisper white, basic gray, sahara sand, pretty in pink
Ink: Whisper white craft, basic gray, sahara sand, melon mambo, pretty in pink, pink pirouette
Accessories: Paper peircing pack, large scallop edgelit, white baker's twine, twitterpatted buttons
It's hard to see the little owls because really the itty bitties stamps are ITTY BITTY! :-) But they are super cute. I hope that she "gets" that it's supposed to be a mobile, lol! I wanted to use the little bottle caps so you could see my owls better but they must be popular as they were back ordered! That will teach me to wait to order something, ha! I also cheated a bit and used a retired button from the twitterpated buttons last year...but at least I'm using them:-)
Hi stampers! I don't know what it's like in your neck of the woods but it's icky here! It rained and iced and snowed yesterday and seems to be snowing again today! Oh the joys of living in the midwest! I thought that the groundhog said that there wouldn't be 6 more weeks of winter??? He lied!!!! Anyway I'm so over all this snow and cold weather especially with all the bright spring clothes I've seen out the past few days!
So, along those same lines I'll share a bright and fun card today! This is my first project using the sent with love bundle which you can take a peek at if you click the link there. You can get any of the items by themselves or get the bundle at a little discount. I loved this when I saw it but didn't get it right away as I'd just gotten some stuff but you can bet it was on my last order and I finally sat down with it the other night and it's so cute!!!! Of course it would be great for Valentine's Day but you can send your love any day of the year right? And we SHOULD do that!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Sent with love, basic label single stamp
Paper: Whisper white, calypso coral, sent with love DSP
Ink: Real red, pool party, island indigo
Accessories: 2011-2013 in color polka dot brads, apothecary accents framelits, basic pearls
I also finally inked up one of the single stamps I got which goes with the little label from the apothecary accents framelits I love! It would also look great with a sentiment in it. It's kind of hard to see in the photo but the trail of the plane makes a cute little heart:-)
Hi stampers! It's time for a new challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments! It's a sketch this week! I love sketches! It's usually the hardest part for me when designing a card!
And I have to say that after a full birthday weekend of celebrating and also a lot of doing nothing at all I wasn't really excited to sit down and HAVE to stamp something for this challenge (sometimes I work ahead...sometimes I just wing it, lol) late Sunday night. I don't think I got started until after 8 which is rare for me. Most of the time when I stamp it's earlier in the day or evening and I'm winding down by 8 or 9. So, I was super surprised when this card came together really quick AND I kind of loved it:-) Must be the fact that it's a GREAT sketch!
I have to say I was going to use a circle for my elephant only to find that she wouldn't fit in the punch I wanted to use! Whoops! So onto plan B...which worked out and I like how I put the pearls in the corner! So yay for plan B! :-) And that is calypso coral. I had to take the picture at night so the colors are a bit off. In the picture I think it looks more tangerine...but it's not. Oh and I did totally screw up and use elegant eggplant for the flower and sentiment instead of razzleberry but just pretend it's razzleberry, ok? And please don't tell me I'm the only one who does that!!! I thought it looked funny for a few minutes and then it dawned on me what I did...but I didn't feel like doing it over...close enough, right? LOL!
Ok, make sure to check out all the other design team samples and don't forget to play along!
Hi stampers! So I took a little blogging break over the weekend...because it was my birthday on Saturday:-) It's rare that I have a day off for my birthday let alone a Saturday! Usually I've got a silly basketball game to cover. I thought I'd stamp but my parents were here and Jon and I went to the mall (and I didn't get ANYTHING....must be my old age, lol) and then I came home and didn't do much of anything until our Mexican dinner...which was A-ok with me!!!! And then I didn't get too much stamping done yesterday either as I went out of town for a bridal expo with my BFF. Fun stuff!!!!!
So, I've had this card sitting on my desktop for a while. It's a case of a case but with some different colors. I really need to use this SAB suite more since there's only about a month left with it! I really love it! And I'm going to be in need of some thank yous for my presents:-)
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Madison avenue (SAB), wishes your way
Paper: Whisper white, sahara sand, pool party, sycamore street DSP (SAB)
Ink: Sahara sand, rich razzleberry, summer starfruit
Accessories: Paper peircing pack, basic rhinestones & pearls, SAB ribbon & brad pack, whisper white baker's twine
Well, I'm off for a LONG day of work! I need a bumper sticker that says I'd rather be stamping like the I'd rather be fishing ones, ha!
Hi stampers! I've got another card with the single sunshine stamp. Why? Well because we got some snow! I'm so over snow....I want spring and sun!!!! I like snow at Christmas and it's about it, ha! I'm also ready to run outside and it's just been too cold to bring myself to do it and now that there's white stuff on the ground it's really not going to happen!
I also tried a new technique for this card....the chalkboard technique! Chalkboards are ALL the rage right now so I had to hop on the wagon and this stamp works great for it!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Sunshine (single stamp)
Paper: Basic black, pool party, polka dot parade DSP, brights and 2011-2013 in colors DSP stacks
Ink: Craft whisper white
Accessories: Pennant builder punch, pool party baker's twine, subtles glimmer brads (retired), white embossing powder
It's actually really easy and I think it looks so cool! You simply take some basic black cardstock and emboss your image with white embossing powder. After it cools for a few minutes then you sponge the edges with white craft ink and then use a sponge to gently swipe a bit of the ink all over the cardstock to give it a look of chalk dust. So easy! And I have to say I really find the results stunning! Just remember to have a light hand with the sponging. You can always keep adding more but you can't take it off if you go too heavy!
Hi stampers! Ok, I'm kinda sorta proud of myself about this one, hehe! I wouldn't say that I'm very clever sometimes (just ask my hubby....some of the stuff that comes out of my mouth is just plain dumb, lol) but this card is just genius!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Patterned occasions (SAB), wishes your way, lovely little labels
Paper: Whisper white, sahara sand, lucky limeade, sycamore street DSP (SAB)
Ink: Rich razzleberry, tangerine tango, island indigo
Accessories: Paper peircing tool, scallop circle punch, circle punch, whisper white baker's twine, sycamore street ribbon & button pack (SAB)
Get it? Blowing wishes your way and an elephant?? Hehe!!!!! Ok, maybe I'm not that smart but the play on words made me giggle a little:-) And I seriously love this elephant so I was excited to use him in another way than just the thanks a ton sentiment that's on the stamp. I also omitted the little flower he holds in favor of the little heart from lovely little labels. Lots of SAB love going on here! Don't you just love this paper?????
Speaking of elephants I recently watched the movie Water For Elephants. I had read the book long ago and loved it. The movie was ok. I'm not a fan of Rob Pat but I got over that since there was a cute little doggie, lol! Jon worked some deal with the cable company after we had some trouble so we have some movie channels now and I'm not sure it's a good thing! It's kind of eating into my stamp time, lol! I love watching movies and now with the new comfy couch it's much easier to sit on my rump and stare at the TV than getting up to stamp! Eep!!!!! I think I've watched about everything on there that I want to though so hopefully I can stamp away! And hopefully this silly winter storm doesn't delay the shipment I'm supposed to get today!!!! Oh, even though the thing I wanted MOST in the order (the bottle caps I forgot to order last time) are backordered! Grrrrrr! Everyone must love them!!!!!
Oh, and one more thing! I've had some questions about how I edit my photos so I've done a video of how I do that. It's not such a big deal with what camera you use to take photos but the editing is KEY! I just use my iPhone to take my pictures honestly but the editing can make them look way more real and professional too. I also recommend a watermark so people can't just steal your photos AND it directs them back to you and your blog or gallery when they find them on Pinterest or other sites! Plus, edited photos are just prettier to look at, lol! Now, I'm NOT an expert or anything so I'm sure there are better videos out there but this is a quick and dirty way to get it done! I use GIMP and it's free and easy! Any questions just let me know and if YOU have any tips for ME please let me know:-) Especially how to make a permanent watermark in GIMP on a Mac!!!
Thanks for sticking with me and the chattieness today! Ha!
Hi stampers! So I just found out that there isn't a new episode of Nashville tonight! What the heck??? What is the point of Wednesday if I don't get to watch my favorite show????? Well I guess that means I don't have any excuse for not working out for at least an hour, stamping, and getting some laundry done, right? :-)
Anyway to cheer myself up I think I'll post a cute card! I cased this from a card I saw on Pinterest made by Penny Smiley. I love how she used the elements in this set. I added a few things here and there but the design is the same idea!
It's true I don't case much anymore but sometimes if I'm feeling less than creative it's a good way to get the creativity flowing! That way you know you're going to create something cute and aren't mad when it turns out badly...which sometimes happens if I'm struggling, lol!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Madison avenue (SAB), petite pairs
Paper: Whisper white, sahara sand, Sycamore street DSP
Ink: Sahara sand, tangerine tango, island indigo
Accessories: Large rhinestones, basic pearls, baker's twine (whisper white), bitty butterfly punch, apothecary accents framelits, sycamore street ribbon & button pack (SAB)
This is one of those stamp sets I'm kind of sad that it's an SAB set because I love it! The paper too! I better get to using it more since there's about a month left of SAB! So, if you want it or any of the SAB items you better get your order in!!! :-)
Hi stampers! In case you have forgotten, SU is releasing some single stamps every now and then and out of this last batch THIS one is my fave!
My maternal grandparents (and mom still does) used to sing this to me and each other all the time so it has great sentimental meaning to me! So, when I saw it, I had to have it!!! I've got another idea half in my head and half already on paper for this one but for now you'll have to settle for my first attempt with this stamp!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Sunshine (single stamp)
Paper: Whisper white, crumb cake, daffodil delight, pool party, island indigo, brights DSP stack
Ink: Daffodil delight, island indigo
Accessories: SAB ribbon & button pack, scallop squares duo die
I love the sunburst technique (is that what it's called...that's what I call it anyway, ha) and thought it would be perfect with this stamp of course! I sponged the edges of the rays. I like to do that and think it makes all the difference when making a card with this technique! It really sets it off!
If you want this stamp you only have until March 31st to get it though (and the other singles) so don't delay or you might miss it!!!
I think I'll send this one to my mom! She'll love the image itself of course but she'll love the blues too!
Love the font of the sentiment! Hope you enjoyed the card! I got quite a bit of stamping in this weekend in addition to the house listing prep cleaning:-) Now if I have time to blog!
Hi stampers! This might be a short one...V-day dinner didn't go so well (the place has changed and the food was kind of icky) and now I'm not feeling well. Guess that should teach me to pre-post my blog posts, ha! But it's Friday at least and time for a new challenge at Fab Friday!
Not sure about you but I'm ready for some spring and this challenge is perfect!
I actually made my card in MDS as I wanted to play around with the doily download the other day. I simply recolored it to be baja breeze. I'm on a CAS kick in case you hadn't noticed, ha! I really like the pop of the wasabi with the softer purple and blue....Oh, and I also cropped the doily off so it looks like it's peeking out behind the ribbon. Love all the features on MDS2!!!!
Now make sure to check out all the other great samples from the DT! And make sure to play along!
Hopefully I'll get some time to stamp and blog with the house cleanup and listing prep this weekend! We are kind of getting cold feet about putting an offer in on the house we like (that's normal, right? lol) but it's time we get ours ready to put on the market!
Hi stampers! Happy Valentine's day to all my friends, family, and followers! I hope that you are loved today...and every day! And thanks to all of you that visit my blog and those who comment! I truly appreciate you!
I'm looking forward to our pasta dinner tonight at the place of our "second first date" hehe! I don't eat much pasta normally and try to eat lower carb at least at dinner most nights so it will be a treat! I tried to look up the menu online so I could day dream about what I was going to eat...and not make Jon wait forever tonight because I can't decide what to get, ha! But, the menu wasn't online any more, bummer! I am going to TRY not to eat any breadsticks...I'd rather skip those and have dessert I think! I really do love food about as much as stamping, lol! Too bad stamping isn't much of a workout!!!
Anyway, I had to play at Retro Sketches this week since the sketch had a heart in it.
Again, I'm way behind on Valentine's this year so you may see a few after the fact in the next few weeks. Haven't gotten any in the mail yet either...but that just means I can spread the love a little longer, right? :-)
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Hearts a flutter, teeny tiny wishes
Paper: Very vanilla, basic gray, pool party, primrose petals, more amore DSP
Ink: Pool party, primrose petals
Accessories: Circle punch, hearts a flutter framelits, designer builder brads
I haven't used the new builder brads much but they are cute! You just punch out a little circle and glue it to the brad (I use the green tombow multi...just let it dry for a few minutes) and then stick the little bubble top on!
Hi stampers! Quick post tonight as I just got home and had dinner after working out and meeting our realtor at the house we like which is clear across town! I think we are going to put an offer in after we see some comps this weekend! Freaking out! LOL! AND my show Nashville is on tonight so I'm going to TRY to cram some stamping in here since I probably won't get anything done tomorrow night with our yearly Valentine's dinner date!
For some reason I just wasn't into valentine's this year and made very few:( And I've sent NONE! Ooops! Maybe I'll get a few out tomorrow and people can feel the love a little longer:-)
The Oh, Whale set is super cute and makes great little valentine's!
Hard to see in the photo but there is some sparkle on the little hearts. And that whale is super easy to cut out with the clearlit die! Ok, I'm off to stamp now...I hope:-)
Hi stampers! How is it Tuesday already? It was just the weekend wasn't it???? I even had it off and it went too fast! And we might have found a house we are interested in! Eek! So, in trying to get everything in line for that and possibly getting our house ready to put on the market I'm not sure how much stamp (or blog) time I'll have over the next little bit....double eek! So, if you don't hear from me you'll know I'm knee deep in cleaning/remodeling:-) We weren't planning on selling for at least a few more months so the projects had kind of piled up!
Anyway, it's time for a fun challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments! This week is a great color challenge which of course would be perfect for V-day on Thursday!
And I have just been waiting to use this foxy lady! This is one of the new single stamps and she's just so adorable!!!!!! The ribbon is retired...please forgive me...I need to use more of my retired hoard...I mean stuff....:-)
Now...which of my foxy friends will this go to????? Hehe;-)
We will probably be going to dinner at the spot of our "first second date" hehe! We wanted to go to the spot of our very first date circa 1998 but sadly it's not there any more. We agreed no presents since it will save money for the new house, ha! Now, I gotta make a special card if I have time! What are you doing for Valentine's day?
Hi stampers! This mailable Monday post is brought to you by the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig! Now, me and the SAMJ don't really get along too well. And it's not because it's hard to use because it's not...I guess I should do a video on it, huh? But really...if I'm being honest...I'm just too lazy to bother with it , lol!!! Honestly, I only dig it out if I want something to be spot on perfect. But I have to say it's going to be needed with the Oh, Hello set! It's not easy to line up these little chevron (or whatever shape it's called) pieces, without the SAMJ that is!
Who wouldn't love a fun, bright, and cheery card just to say "Oh, hello"???? Seriously! I really love this set too because it makes super cute busy and shabby chic cards and it makes super cute clean and simple cards like this!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Oh, hello
Paper: Whisper white
Ink: So saffron, pretty in pink, calypso coral, lucky limeade, island indigo
Accessories: Needlepoint borders embossing folders
I was really itching to get ahold of those borders embossing folders too, aren't they cute? The colors were pulled from the tea for two DSP. If you need a color combo, that's an easy way to go:-) This card was super simple and quick even with the SAMJ! I'm going to have to pull it out more often! I'll try to shoot a video using it soon...I tried today but my camera shut off in the middle....grrrrr!
Hi stampers! So, anyone who really knows me knows that I love clothes and shoes about as much as I love stamps! I've loved clothes and shoes as long as I can remember really....although looking back at pictures it might not seem like it, lol! That's the trouble with growing up in the 80's and 90's I guess, lol! Growing up I couldn't always indulge in all the shopping that I wanted to because my parents had some sense! BUT, when I got my first real job it was on like Donkey Kong!!!!! I could FINALLY shop! :-) Add Pinterest to the mix in the past year or so and look out bank account, hehe! What's funny is that a lot of my clothes are in the same colors as our inks! Especially the in colors! Just the other day I totally bought a couple of boyfriend cardigans in calypso coral and pool party!!!! Maybe I love fashion and stamping so much because they have so much in common. I really do love stamping because you get to take a bunch of separate pieces and put them together to make this awesome project and it's the same with putting together an outfit! It's fun to look in my closet and see what I can mix with what. I'm especially into scarves and statement necklaces since Pinterest! I even thought about doing a fashion blog but my hubby said he thought it was stupid so I haven't done it yet...but what does HE know about fashion....or stamping? LOL!
Anyway, Stampin' Up has now combined my two loves with the All Dressed Up bundle!!! This stamp set and matching framelits are SOOOOO cute!!! I've been struggling to think of anything unique to do with this set though so I kept it super simple here! Seriously, HOW CUTE IS THIS SUITE??????
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: All dressed up
Paper: Whisper white, pool party, calypso coral, tea for two DSP
Ink: Basic gray, pool party, calypso coral
Accessories: SAB ribbon & brad pack, basic pearls, dress up framelits
Oh and by the way, you can get the stamp set and framelits in a bundle which means a discount...which is how I buy most of my clothes!!!! :-) And stamps I guess since I'm a demo and get a 20% discount off EVERYTHING! It's really a great deal especially right now because the starter kit is only $99 and during SAB you actually get $125 worth of goodies for only $99!!!!! Contact me if you have any questions! I'd love for you to get the discount with me:-)
Anyone else out there love fashion as much as stamping?
Hi stampers! I LOVED the Retro Sketches sketch this week!
Eeep! It's so cute and you could go so many different directions with it! I chose to keep it really simple with the hectic week I'd had last week and I have to say that it worked out well:-) I'll probably use it time and again!
I just got the bigger butterfly punch with my SAB order to go with the smaller one I had gotten from the Occasions catalog and they go together so well! I also used the stamp from the pop-up posies kit...I LOVE that our products work so seamlessly together! While the stamp might come with the flower kit it looks terrific on this card all by itself! Don't be afraid to mix up stamp sets and kits and elements that you may not think of putting together immediately!
I pulled the colors from the DSP which I love. And a couple of little tips.....
1) The rhinestones are actually the strips of jewels. I took my paper snips and carefully sniped them apart in groups of three which was way easier than trying to line up the rhinestones individually.
2) I used glue dots to adhere the butterflies so that their wings stand up. I gently fold them in half a little then put a glue dot on the back and stick it down. You can then "fluff" up the wings to make them look like they are flying away:-)
Hi stampers! I wanted to stamp and post over the weekend but with my grandmas passing it just didn't happen. Add in the fact that Saturday night we found out that my in-laws had to put down one of their Boston's unexpectedly I just didn't have much time to stamp or blog by the time we spent some time with them and then with my family. I had planned to stamp Sunday night after my grandmas visitation but my family has a tradition of eating at a local pizza place called Monical's. If you are ever in Illinois you should totally try it, it's sooo good and we ALWAYS have to go when my Indiana cousins are here. And let me tell you...I thought we ate a lot of pizza when we were growing up! Yikes!!!! Now there are grand kids in the mix...we went through an insane amount of food, lol! Well I ate way too much pizza of course and was too full to stamp, lol! Anyone else ever too stuffed to stamp? LOL! It happens often to me when we go out to eat:-) Anyway hopefully things are a little less hectic this week although I do have a meeting this afternoon and a game tonight, boo!
The card I'm sharing today is a card that I made after making another card the other day that I decided to save for the Artisan contest. Now, don't think you're getting too much of a sneak peek because while I was inspired by the colors and some of the elements the other card is totally different. And honestly I don't like this one much, lol!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Madison Avenue (SAB), everything Eleanor, pursuit of happiness, alahambra wheel
Paper: Whisper white, crumb cake, Sycamore street DSP
Ink: Versamark, crumb cake, pool party, island indigo
Accessories: Large scallop edgelit, paper peircing pack, pool party embossing powder, summer starfruit stitched satin ribbon, flower trim, in color polka dot brads, vintage faceted buttons, linen thread
But I do love these colors together!!!! And there is a LOT going on and a lot of accessories! If you don't have the pool party embossing powder you need to get it like NOW! I looooove it!
Hi stampers! With the title of my blog post I wish I had a card made with the new umbrella set but I don't. Haven't had a chance to play with that one yet! I was hoping to tonight but we got some bad news while out at dinner. My in laws had to put their boy dog down tonight as he was showing symptoms of a brain tumor. We are a very animal loving family and quite frankly I think most of us love our dogs and cats more than people:-) They are always happy to see you and are never rude or yell at you and they keep all your secrets!:-) I also lost my grandma on Friday so it's been a sad week around here. She was 91 and had a good life and I have so many great memories of her though so I'm not sad. I'm happy she's not suffering after getting pneumonia last week and can be reunited with my grandpa. But, hopefully things look up soon and I can get some stamp time in!
Good thing I have a few pretty things stored up to share! This is one I came up with the other night using the little pop-up posies kit which is super cute and my new favorite thing...pool party embossing powder. It also uses my maybe ALL TIME fave color combo....crumb cake, pool party and summer starfruit!
Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Pop-up posies kit
Paper: Crumb cake, pool party, sycamore street DSP (SAB), pop-up posies kit
Ink: Crumb cake, versa mark
Accessories: Pop-up posies kit, in color polka dot brads, pool party embossing powder, dotted scalloped punch, sycamore street ribbon & button kit (SAB)
I just LOVE the colors together and I love that ribbon, so pretty! And I love that DSP and the embossing powder! Seriously it's all wonderful! The kit comes with those cute embossed labels, three different flowers and brads to use in the center (which I swapped out in this case). It's really for little tags but I love that you can take our kits and make other things with them! There are so many possibilities here!
Just looking at the pretty picture cheers me up a bit! I hope it brightens your day as well...or evening by the time I'm getting to this:-) Best laid plans...you know....
Hi stampers and happy Friday! Who doesn't love Fridays...especially when it's time for a new Fab Friday challenge! Um, and just HOW can it be February already???? Geesh! We have a super fun sketch for you today which can be interpreted many ways! I actually used some different shapes in my card so don't be afraid to mix it up! You can always substitute any shape you want in our sketches! Seriously! We won't yell at you:-) We encourage it!!!!
So, I'm playing more with my new goodies and thought it was about time I used the Tea for Two suite which I LURVE!!!!! It's so sweet and pretty and frilly and I sort of LOVE it! And it worked great for this sketch!
Sorry the picture is blurry. It was dark by the time I went to edit it so I'll try to come back this weekend and take another! Instead of some scallops at the top of my oval I used a quarter of a doily! I thought I was a genius for a second, lol! Don't you love when you come up with a fun idea and feel clever:-) I also used my distressing tool on the oval and DSP but it doesn't show up in the picture well.
Now, make sure you check out all the other fab design team projects and then play along!!!
