HSS 116

Hi stampers!  Happy Tuesday!  And oh boy am I excited that it's Tuesday!  Not only is it a new challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments but SU demos got a little sneak peek at the new catalog at 1am my time...and I had a little online party and stayed up to see what's coming!  We don't get to see the catalog just yet but I'll settle for a few tid bits!  Tune in tomorrow and the rest of the week as I have a big box of goodies coming next day air....and the day off work Wednesday to create!  Anyway....I may be still in bed or napping as you read this....I'm too old to stay up that late anymore, lol!

So, on to the FUN challenge this week!  It's time for one of my favorites....a color challenge!  I love color challenges and I {heart} this one!  Just lookie:

I really wanted to make a baby card with these colors but I've made quite a few of those lately...maybe because I want one...a baby that is:-)  Anyway, I forced myself to do something more "out of the box" for these colors than the first thing that came to mind.  I also used a couple of retiring things...my BFF stamp set Best Friends Forever (still sad it's going) and the jumbo brads which of COURSE are retiring since I just got into them recently:-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Button buddies, best friends forever, petite pairs
Paper:  Whisper white, basic gray, regal rose, subtles DSP stack
Ink:  Basic gray, regal rose, pink pirouette, pool party
Accessories:    Circle punches, perfect pennants die, pool party ruffled ribbon, jumbo brads

I did the rock and roll technique with the flower although it's hard to tell.  I inked it up in pink pirouette and then rolled the edges in regal rose.  Makes a pretty flower!  I also love layering the scalloped shapes on the perfect pennants die...I kind of forget about them but with the loss of scalloped circles 2 I think they will get more use!  The larger circle pairs perfect with the large circle punch!

Now head over to HSS and see what everyone else has come up with and then play along!  And check back this week for sneak peeks!!!!!

Happy stamping!

Fresh grief

Hi stampers!  This card has made me sad all over again about the retiring stamp list!  I never in a million years would have bought the set best friends forever but I got it free at convention...which I just signed up for this summer....don't get me started on that...I'm so excited....anyway.....back to the topic at hand:-)

I got it free and found out that ohmygosh I really liked it (the same goes for raining flowers too...I wonder what we'll get in our bags this year?  We know the names of the sets but NO idea what they look like yet)!  I love the scrolly stamp and the leaf stamp so much for backgrounds and accents.  Sometimes you just need a little something on a card....not a whole background but just something with a little kick.  Take the card I made for the Freshly Made Sketches challenge (which I loved by the way) for example.

 I should have taken a before and after picture of the card without and with the leaves.  It was so blah blank and looks just right with them.  It also didn't look good with a background over the whole card base...there may or may not be a background on the back of one of these cards, hehe;-)

I really am going to miss that one stamp in particular:(  And in an attempt to use some of the TONS of DSP I have laying around, I tried to use some of the twitterpatted which has been severely underused in my stamp room!  I have what, half a month to use up all the DSP I got from the mini and then not much time with the remaining couple of tons from the annual catalog:-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Raining flowers, best friends forever, it's your day
Paper:  Whisper white, pool party, blushing bride, twitterpatted DSP
Ink:  Pool party, island indigo
Accessories:  In color polka dot brads, riding hood red satin pleated ribbon, basic pearls, labels collection framelits

I did take a bit of creative liberty here with the sketch which I normally don't do.  I'm usually pretty black and white and stick to it like glue...maybe the artisan award winner in me is coming out?  Right?  A girl can dream, lol! 

Too bad the challenge wasn't to use as many convention sets as possible because I used THREE on this one card, lol!  I will really miss this little sentiment too....I mean who doesn't love to make and get cards "just because"???? :-)

Time to get back to work...and to work I mean working on my AA entries!  Or at least sitting at my desk thinking about them;-)

Happy stamping!

Edited to add:  So somehow I did the old sketch from last week at FMS....I think I need a vacation!  LOL!  Oh well!

Wisteria WONDERFUL

Hi stampers!  I'm in love with one of our new colors Wisteria Wonder!  Ok, well I love all of them BUT wisteria wonder is so pretty!  I'm not a big user of purple in my stamping but this color has upped my purple usage by about 100%, lol!  I'm also not a big eggplant user but this color looks fantastic with elegant eggplant.  Just look at this fancy-schmantzy card:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Best friends forever, you're a gem
Paper: first edition DSP, lucky limeade, elegant eggplant, wisteria wonder
Ink:  Elegant eggplant, wisteria wonder, lucky limeade
Accessories:  basic rhinestones, oval and modern label punch, wisteria wonder ribbon, antique brads, scallop circle punches, blossom triple layer punch

It's gor-jus isn't it?  Yes, I'm channeling Jan Tink and YILM!  I haven't been very excited about any of the cards I have made lately but I really love this one!  I really thought I'd have trouble with the BFF set I got at convention as it was one I had passed over in the catalog many time but I'm finding a lot of uses for it.  It's great for backgrounds and accents!

The color combo used here is actually from the color coach.  I hadn't been using it much lately and have been kid of stumped for combos, duh!  Open up the color coach Mindy!  I LOVE the bright pop of lucky limeade here! 

 The flower medallion as I like to call it was super easy to make. I should make more cards with big, fancy stuff on them.  Yes, they are a pain to mail but it's not like I actually MAIL many of the cards I make anyway, right?  LOL!  Gotta get better at that!  Anyway it was just punched out, balled up, and sponged.  Poke a hole in all of them and then put the brad through.  Then I just glued some ribbon on the back!  Stamping on the first edition paper is also one of my favorite things to do! 

I think that about does it for this card!  Time for me to go run 3 or 4 miles...or try at least.  I waited until later since it's so hot out and now I want to stamp instead, haha!  Hopefully I'll get some stamp time afterward...wish me luck on BOTH!  Happy stamping!

TGIF & BFF's

Hi stampers!  I'm just full of acronyms today aren't I?  Well I am happy it's Friday although I've been on vacation for a few days so I kept thinking the past two days were Saturday, lol!  I got to hang out with one of my BFF's Wednesday and Thursday, my momma!  We had fun and I really miss spending time at our family farm where she grew up.  It's so pretty there and relaxing too being away from the rat race that is my life, hehe.  I wished I'd had more time to spend there with her this week.  She's currently waiting for her new manufactured home to be set on the basement and she can't wait...and neither can I!!!!!  Of course, it was supposed to be all done by now but you know how it goes when getting a new home....I did get to go see inside one half of it yesterday though...and with the heat index being around 115 it was a tad hot, hehe. 

It's so nice and I can't wait to stamp some nice home decor items for her! And if I'm MIA around here for a while soon it's probably because I'm slaving away helping to paint the house and get her moved:-)

Today we went to Bloomington where my other BFF lives but who wasn't there:-(  My hubby wanted to go eat there last Satruday night as well so I've been to her town TWICE in a week when she wasn't there!  It's so sad!!!!  I don't get to see her as often as I'd like either...so I guess I could send this card I made to both of my BFF's:-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Best friends forever
Paper:  Whisper white, melon mambo, wisteria wonder, basic gray
Ink:  Melon mambo, basic gray, wisteria wonder
Accessories:  Wisteria wonder ruffled ribbon, basic pearls

I have to say I didn't much care for this set in the catalog or when I found out it was a set we were getting at convention BUT as per usual SU and all the other talented stampers out there have helped to change my mind.   It still might not be a top pick for me but I do like it and have seen some super stuff done with it!  This is my first attempt playing around with it and I hope to work with it some more.  I really like the combo of wisteria wonder and basic gray together too.  Well, I've been lazing around all day...I guess I really should take a shower and get some stuff done....like stamping:-)