HSS 115

Hi stampers!  Happy Tuesday!  It's time for a new challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  This week is a theme challenge and it's all about spring!

I sort of forgot about spring with the summer like temperatures we were having early on here but spring is here this week! Brrrr!!!  It's been up in the 70's and even 80's so it makes this week's 50's and 60's seem cooooold:-)

With the warmer temperatures we had though everything is getting really green which is my favorite part of spring!   I love it when the grass greens up and when the leaves on the trees come out!  It just transforms everything from the dim of winter and just makes me happy:-)  Kind of like this card!

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Season of friendship, apothecary art
Paper:  Whisper white, crumb cake, blushing bride, subtles DSP stack
Ink:  Crumb cake, blushing bride, wild wasabi
Accessories:  3 inch circle die, scallop circle duo die, blushing bride pleated satin ribbon, basic rhinestones, large pearls, twitterpatted buttons, crochet thread

I just had to pull out this set for my spring tree!  I haven't used it in a while but thought I'd give it a go since it's retiring!  I'm going to TRY to do more projects with my retiring stamps for the next month or so. 

Now head on over to the HSS site and see what other fabulous spring creations await and then play along with us!!!

Happy stamping!

Mailable Monday - Squared

Hi stampers!  I've been slacking over here haven't I?  I realized today I haven't done a mailable Monday post in a while!  Shame on me!  I gotta say I'm not enjoying the new blogger interface though...why do they have to change things when they work just fine????

Anyway I really like the color challenge over at Colour Q this week!  And it was perfect for a masculine card which we all know I don't make often given my girly tendencies and obsession with pink:-)

I also took some inspiration from the shapes in the photo and went for a geometrical kind of layout.  I punched out some squares of paper and used my corner rounder on two of the corners.

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Perfect words (hostess)
Paper:  Whisper white, more mustard and dusty durango (retired) textured, neutrals DSP stack
Ink:  Basic gray
Accessories:  Square punch, corner rounder punch

This was a very fun card to put together and I think I need to make more cards with geometrical shapes!  I think I'm going to use this as a Father's Day card this year!  It's perfect for dads with the color combo and the sentiment of course!  I need to pull out my perfect words set more often before it retires soon!  Hope you have a wonderful week!

Happy stamping!

ETA:  Looks like I missed the deadline AGAIN!  Ugh!  Why does it end on Sunday if a new challenge isn't until Tuesday????  Darn it!  I'm sure this card would have been a winner too, right???  LOL!!!!

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!

AA Reject

Hi stampers!  I have a reject card for you today!  Doesn't mean it's bad but it's just not good enough for the SU Artisan Award contest.  I've never entered the contest before but they have made some changes including the winners being on a special design team and getting free stuff!  I'll enter about anything if I can win free stuff, lol!  They also extended the deadline so I decided to just go for it!  It's pushing me to be more creative and I'm really loving that.  I got on a roll Saturday after I decided to enter but sadly due to work and everything I haent' had much time or inspiration this week!  Hoping to work hard again this weekend though!

You have to enter a total of 10 projects (2 3D's, 5 cards, and 3 scrap pages).  Strangely enough, I have my ideas for the 3D items and the cards, which I make most often are giving me the most trouble:-)  I keep coming up with things but then after I get them on paper I don't think they are winners!  Oh well, just means I'll have a lot to share, right?  So, here is what will probably be a long list of AA rejects:-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Artistic etchings
Paper:  Very vanilla, basic gray, poppy parade, attic boutique DSP, first edition DSP
Ink:  Basic gray, daffodil delight, poppy parade, black craft
Accessories:  crochet trim, antique and in color glimmer brads, oval punch, clear embossing powder

I don't dislike the card but it's just not what I pictured in my head...which happens all the time around here;-)  I'm trying to make a variety of sizes and styles and this one I was going for vintage but I don't think it's vintage enough. I think I should have left of the glimmer brad too but in the quest for a WOW card I was trying to throw everything on it I could, ha!

Anyway, I have two cards down and three to go plus all the other items so I better get busy...especially since there are also a number of fun challenges I want to enter this week.  Can you tell I'm a competitive person???  LOL! 

Happy stamping!

HSS 114

Hi stampers!   It's Tuesday and time for another challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  This week is a technique challenge that I'd never tried!  I was pleased to find out it was really quite easy!  I'm a lazy stamper...I don't like to do a bunch of work (which is probably why there is a pile of laundry to do and my stamp room is a disaster, lol). :-)

Now, be nice to me...I didn't have any colored pencils and I didn't want to buy any just for this card so I tried to use what I had and work with my water color wonder crayons.  It sort of worked....I think:-)  Now, coloring with those suckers was not real easy and they aren't very precise...so don't look TOO hard at my coloring.  I had fun with my white gel pen though:-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Fresh vintage (SAB - now retired), loving thoughts
Ink:  Basic black, white craft
Paper:  Basic black, melon mambo, old olive
Accessories:  Watercolor wonder crayons, white gel pen, basic rhinestones, daffodil delight seam binding, labels collection framelits, vintage wall paper embossing folder

I went with BRIGHT colors to contrast with the black and white.  And I used old olive instead of my new fave lucky limeade!  My friend old olive was very happy:-)

Now head on over the to challenge site and see what the awesome design team has come up with!  And don't forget to play along!

Happy stamping!

Going...going....

GONE!  Hey stampers!  Important news today!  The retired stamp set list came out at 1am central last night.....and yes, I stayed up, lol!  And I think I've been running behind all day long!  Ha!  Anyway you can use the button to the right to check out what's going.  They are doing it a bit different this year and the accessories list will be out on the 25th.  Yes, I'll probably stay up for that one too.

And a word of warning...there is a LOT retiring this year with the new set up of the catalogs.  Yes it's scary but it's also awesome!  That means lots of FRESH, FUN, new designs!  As far as stamp sets, they will be available until May 31.  SU manufactures their own stamps so they will fill all orders.  Accessories will be while supplies last.  Remember, the older in-colors (2010-2012) in colors will all be retiring and they sell out fast so it's best to get them soon if you need to stock up!

And alas, I don't have a new project to share.  I DID stamp yesterday but I decided to enter the SU Artisan Award contest.  It's kind of a big deal and it takes a lot of work.  I have to submit FIVE cards, THREE scrap pages, and TWO 3D items.  So, my efforts were focused there yesterday.  I probably will have some reject projects to share soon though, lol! Not that they will be bad...but just not good enough to make the cut;-)

In closing I'll leave you with a few cards that feature retiring stamps!

 Medallion

 Clearly for you

 Falling leaves & grateful greetings

 Best friends forever

 Grunge rock

Ornate blossom

Hope you enjoyed the look back.  I bid some of my favorite stamps farewell!

Happy stamping!

Retro

Hi stampers!  I played along with the color challenge this week over at the Colour Q and whoa, was that one bright combo!!!!  It's really funky and retro!  And can I just take a moment to say how much I'm going to miss poppy parade!  I got on the poppy train a little late...I didn't love the color the first year it was out...but now I'm addicted!  I'm going to have a bit of a pitty party May 31 when we have to say goodbye:(  Speaking of saying goodbye...the retired stamp list will be out EARLY this year on April 15th!  Accessories will show up later on the 25th!  I'm VERY nervous to lose some of my favorites and SU has said to be ready...with the new catalog strategy the lists will be quite long!  GLUP!!!!!  So, be ready!!!!  Anyway, on to something fun!

The bright colors immediately had me thinking of the summer smooches suite since it's funky and bright!  And I have NOT used the stamp set enough since I bought it!  So I came up with this fun card:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Bright blossoms, sweetly said, distressed dots
Paper:  Whisper white, basic black, pumpkin pie, lucky limeade, poppy parade (smooth & textured)
Ink:  Lucky limeade, poppy parade
Accessories:  Circle and scalloped circle punches, labels collection framelits, basic black polka dot scalloped ribbon, basic rhinestones

So, I guess even if I am a little sad about losing some things the NEW fun stuff will make up for it!  I have this set to look forward to sticking around and after seeing a few more sneak peeks this morning in our demo-only magazine I'm WAY excited!  I should have some sneak peeks for you on May 2 since I'll be next day airing my pre-order and took the 2nd off work, lol!  So be sure to check back!!!

Happy stamping!