Quick Sneak Peek

Whoo hoo! the Paper Pretties party is tomorrow (Tuesday) at 8PM (EST). Can't wait to chat, do some challenges and have a good ol' time! Will you be there? :)

One of the sets being released at the party is Off to School Sophia. She was the June SOTMC set and will now be available to the public. She is such a cutey and looks great as a red head! Don't you think so?

Quick notes: Sophia's dress was paper pieced from a scrap of Ginger Blossom designer paper and then the rest of the image was colored with Copic Markers. I used a couple of different markers to achieve the red hair color - I think it turned out natural looking. I used a sentiment from the MFT Stamp set Going Places. Finished card size is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4". And I added a lot of paper piercing - I just cannot resist!

Stamps: Off to School Sophia (Paper Pretties), Going Places (MFT - sentiment). Paper: Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Groovy Guava, Neenah Classic Natural White, Ginger Blossom designer. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers (YR00, YR14, YR31, R02, R43, E00, E33, E39, W2, 0), Gold Spica Copic pen. Other: mat pack, paper piercer, 1" circle punch, designer label punch, gold brads, Groovy Guava double-stitched ribbon, Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon, dimensionals.

SOTMC: Bunny Slippers

Have you heard about Paper Pretties Stamp of the Month Club? No? Well, here is the scoop: each month Paper Pretties will send you one pre-released stamp. This stamp will not be available for sale to the public until the following month. Yup... it means you can get the stamp before all of your stamping friends and can tout your smart shopping sense in a really classy way. For example you could say: "Neener, neener, neener... lookie what I have and you don't!". :)

July's stamp is the really cute Bunny Slippers Sophia. Take a look at those bunny slippers... makes me want to go out and buy a pair or two and that sentiment is perfect (at least for me and all of you other night owls!). If you are lovin' this set and want to receive it early you have until 11:59PM on the 30th to join the SOTMC. You can see the full details on the club at Paper Pretties. And if you sign up let Christie know which Paper Prettie Girl convinced you to join the club by entering their name (for example: Danielle Lounds) or their blog (such as: www.fatcatstamper.blogspot.com) in the "Where did you hear about us" field. Aren't I just so subtle? :)

Quickie card details: Sophia was colored with Copic markers. I used the Colorless Blender marker to fade the robe in a few places. The Clear Spica Copic pen was used to add a hint of glitter to the robe lapel and belt and to the bunny slippers.

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamp: Bunny Slippers Sophia (available July 1st to SOTMC subscribers). Paper: Cool Caribbean, Soft Sky, Certainly Celery, Blue Bayou, Georgia Pacific white, Chick-a-doo Hickups designer (SEI). Ink: Certainly Celery Classic, Copic markers (0, W2, E00, E33, E57, Y21, Boo, B99, BG10, BG15), Clear Spica Copic pen. Other: dotted ribbon (American Crafts), black brads, small oval punch, mat pack, paper piercer, 1/4" circle punch, dimensionals.

A Comfy Chair and Chocolate Ice Cream

Can it get any better than that?! Well, maybe a good book to read and a couple of uninterrupted hours. :) But if that is not possible how about a fun card to share?

Quick notes: Image was stamped on Georgia Pacific white cardstock and a couple of pieces of designer paper. The wall paper, flooring and flowers were cut from the various papers and adhered to the image stamped on the whit cardstock. The remaining blank spots were colored with Copic markers. To finish the image a bit of Crystal Effects was applied to the flower centers. I used the PWC9 sketch challenge for the cardbase and then just added my colored image on top of that! The finished size is a 5" square.

All images copyright MFT Stamps. Stamps: Here's the Scoop (MFT Stamps). Paper: River Rock, Ruby Red, Wild Wasabi, Georgia Pacific White, Sugared designer (Basic Grey), Fairytale Floral Chic designer (Fancy Pants). Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Wild Wasabi Classic, Ruby Red Classic, Copic markers (E00, E33, YR16, YG63, YG91, R46, R81, T3). Other: mat pack, paper piercer, Ruby Red brads, striped ribbon (American Crafts), Pettite Scalloped Circle and Classic Circle Nestabilities dies, sponge, dimensionals, Crystal Effects.

SC181: A sweetheart of a card

I have a quick and simple card for you tonight! This one uses last week's SCS sketch challenge, which you can see here. Hmmm... I guess I can so simple after all. :)

Quick notes: Stamp leaves on River Rock cardstock layer in Always Artichoke Classic ink, stamping two times before reinking the stamp. Stamp sentiment on a strip of Soft Sky cardstock and then adhere to River Rock piece. Next wrap taffeta ribbon around both layers and tie in place with a piece of linen thread (no knotting needed!). Next stamp heart in Blue Bayou Classic ink on Naturals Ivory cardstock and trim. Add one clear crystal brad and adhere to River Rock piece with dimensionals. To finish adhere finished piece to a Kraft card base. Finished card size is 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Always. Paper: Kraft, River Rock, Soft Sky, Naturals Ivory. Ink: Always Artichoke Classic, Blue Bayou Classic, Basic Black Classic. Other: crystal brad, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Linen Thread, dimensionals.

Paper Pretties News

A lot is going on over at Paper Pretties that I just have to share. :)

Some big news: We have a new addition to Powder Room. Jodi Collins has joined the Paper Pretties Design team! Yay! And she is already wowing us were her beautiful work which you can check out at her blog: Stamping A Latte. Welcome Jodi! And on the 29th we will be announcing the new Guest Designers.

Much larger news: Gather your favorite pj's because on July 1st there will be a "Stampin In Your Jammies" party. There will be new stamp sets, challenges with prizes (oh yeah) and a whole lot of chatting. So pick out your jammies, bring your chocolate and stamps and join us in the Paper Pretties forum next Tuesday at 8PM (EST)! Hope to see you there!

Rather Humongous News (just hope it doesn't sit on you!): The Cutie Pie Contest is back! How would you like to be the Paper Pretties' Cutie Pie? I'm thinking you would! All you have to do is make a card using your Paper Pretties stamps and send it to Christie at christie@paperpretties.net and she will chose a winner from the entries. Not only will you be able to call yourself a Cutie Pie, you will also receive all the stamps from this release for free! You have until June 30th at 8pm (CST) to send your entries to Christie!

I think that is everything! Any questions just let me know. :)

P.S. There are also the Pretties Weekly Challenges to also participate in!

ETA: Oops... mispelled Jodi's name! It's fixed now! Sorry! :)

Pretties Thursday - Another late night post!

Oh, the frustration! Forced to wait to share a cute card with you because my internet service went down... for hours and hours. It seemed like an eternity! :( But it is back on and now that I am caught up with my emails I can share my card for the Pretties Weekly Challenge (PWC9 to be exact) over at the Paper Pretties Forum. This time it is a sketch challenge... which if you keep scrolling down you can see but I couldn't wait to share my card so you get to see that first. :)

Card details: Image was stamped on some Neenah Classic Natural White paper I picked up at a local company's yard sale. Can you believe I got a stack of this for $2.00? Actually it was scored for tri-fold invitations but since I cut the paper anyways I really didn't mind that there were score lines. Yippy - I do so love a good deal!

Back to the details: I then colored the image with Copic markers, die-cut and embossed with a Nestabilities Circle die. This was then mounted on a scalloped piece of Night of Navy Cardstock (Petite Scallop Circle die was used). For the next layer I cut four squares of designer paper, sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip Classic ink and mounted on a Certainly Celery layer. Three brads were added to the upper right corner, the edges sponged with more Chocolate Chip ink and then mounted on a 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" More Mustard card base. Finally a sentiment was stamped on Kraft cardstock, trimmed to 3/8" high and the right end rounded with the Word Window punch (Beate has a great tutorial on this technique.) To finish the sentiment (after more sponging) and main image were adhered to the card base with dimensionals.

Now that you have viewed the sample here is the sketch! Enjoy!

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: Sweets for the Sweet. Paper: More Mustard, Certainly Celery, Night of Navy, Kraft, Neenah Classic Natural White, True-blue and Truthful True Designer (Fancy Pants). Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Chocolate Chip Classic, Copic markers (T3, T5, W2, E00, E55, E77, BG09, YR21, YG13, YG91). Other: brown brads (Doodlebug), Nestabilities in Classic Circle and Petite Scalloped Circle, Word Window punch, dimensionals, sponge.

Pretties Wednesday Challenge: Doodle

Yikes! I'm a little late posting my weekly Paper Pretties challenge card today! But here it is! Two weeks ago Joni challenged the Prettie Girls to use our own handwriting or drawing on a card. Well... I went a bit overboard on this one. I only meant to draw a tree with some leaves and next thing I knew there was a road, dirt, a bit of grass and a fence. What do you think? Does it look like Cooper is on his way to school? And really really happy about it!? :)

Quick notes: Stamped Cooper on Georgia Pacific white and doodled some images around him. Then I did lots and lots of coloring with Copic markers! I kept the rest of the card masculine and refrained from any frilly accents including ribbon although I did use Twill Tape. Let me know if you have any questions - I'm off to check out what the rest of the Paper Prettie girls made!

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: Look Out World. Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Georgia Pacific white, Soft Sky designer, Close to Cocoa designer. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Close to Cocoa Classic, Copic markers (B00, B23, B29, B91, BG05, BG45, YG13, YG17, YG63, T3, T5, YR16, YR68, E00, E33, E55, E57, E77, Y21), black ZIG pen. Other: Word Window punch, silver brads, twill tape, dimensionals, sponge.

I just wanted to share this little itty bitty organizational tip since it works wonders keeping track of which Copic markers I use to color an image. After making a card and clearing out my stamping space I grab a sticky note and make a list of any special supplies that I used to make the card such as the Copic marker names or designer paper. After which I stick it to the back of my card until I'm ready to post the card to my blog. Works wonders - except when I am not at home and do not have access to my stack of sticky notes! :)

Gift Tag - Take II

Well, the response to my tag /gift card was positive so I went ahead and created a sketch with all of the dimensions which you can find at the bottom of this post. Yes, I'm going to make you scroll past the eye candy first. Speaking of candy this time the gift tag is not holding a gift card but instead chocolate... oh yummy Ghirardelli milk chocolate. Which I only ate one piece of during the making of this project. Shocking I know.






Mmm mmm... that little square of chocolate fits inside the holder perfectly. To hold it in place I just used a bit of SNAIL (aka Tombow) adhesive on the back of the chocolate package (same method I used for the gift card). For this gift tag holder I did change the placement of the Velcro dot closure. Instead of putting it in the middle of the flap I cut it in half and added a half to each side. This seemed to hold the flap in place a bit better.

I stamped a flower from the Bloomin' Beautiful set on Georgia Pacific white cardstock and colored with Copic markers. For anyone who loves this set but has procrastinated buying it... well the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog is only available until the end of this month and then this set goes bye-bye. It could (and I stress could) show up in a future catalog but no guarantees. I'll be sad to see this mini catalog end but I can't wait to see what they come up with next. :)

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Bloomin' Beautiful, Smart Cookie. Paper: Certainly Celery, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Georgia Pacific White. Ink: Blue Bayou Classic, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers (B00, B34, B39, B95, YG13, YG3 and W2), Clear Copic Spica pen. Other: mat pack, paper piercer, Antique Brass jumbo eyelet, large oval punch, Blue Bayou double stitched ribbon, dimensionals, Velcro dot, sponge, Ghirardelli chocolate square.

Well, you have waited long enough - here is the sketch! To see a larger version, just click on the image. If you have any questions let me know. Also if you make one of these gift tag holders leave a comment on this post. I would love to check out your creations. :)

* What do you know? I forgot a dimension. The tag is 2 1/2" wide.

GSG Featured Stamper Case

Yay! I'm actually pretty excited about this post for a variety of reasons.

One: I like the card I made. Most often this is a given since I actually posted it to my blog but on occasion I do post cards that make me go "blech". But I won't tell you which ones... 'cause my taste must be slightly off because these cards end up being well loved (aka lots of comment) by all of you. Or maybe you are just showing the card a bit of sympathy?! Hmmm... something to ponder.

Two: I've actually participated in one of the GSG (aka Great Swap Girls) challenges. Seriously I am so behind in these challenges it is ridiculous and I was super excited to actually complete one. I won't say that I've changed my ways because it might be a while before I play again.

Three: and the challenge is to case Becky Carafa, our fearless leader over at Great Swap Girls. Yay! And her cards are always fun so this was the perfect opportunity to borrow some of her stamping mojo. :) In fact I cased this card of hers: Stamp Something Friday. I loved the colors, the layout and the layered flowers. Although I did change the colors a tad because I am currently stuck on the Earth Elements color family. No idea how that happened since they were my least favorite colors when I first joined SU!.

But you probably want to know the details on the card so here goes. Image from Pun Fun was stamped on white cardstock and colored with Watercolor Wonder Crayons (hah... you thought I was going to say Copics, didn't you?!). A touch of Crystal Effects was added to the liquid contents of the cup, a Clear Copic (sorry couldn't resist) Spica pen was used to add just a touch of glitter to the cup decorations and to finish shadow was added around the cup with the W2 Copic marker (again, I just had to!). But I wasn't done with the Copics - a flower from the Pretties Kit was airbrushed with the Strong Red Copic marker which is my absolutely favorite way to color the flowers (quick, clean and dries almost instantly). A sentiment was stamped on Ruby Red cardstock and punched out with the Word Window punch before affixing to the main image. A brad was added to the left side and the right side was tucked under and adhered in place. A little hole was punched through the folded side and a bit of linen thread was knotted there. Hmmm... I think the rest can be figured out from the supply list. If not, let me know and I'll type up more notes. Oh, finished card is 5" x 5".

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Pun Fun, Pretty Petals background, Rough Texture jumbo wheel. Paper: Old Olive, River Rock, Ruby Red, Creamy Caramel, Georgia Pacific white. Ink: Black StazOn, Ruby Red Classic, River Rock Classic, Chocolate Chip Classic, Copic marker (W2), Clear Copic Spica pen. Other: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Blender pen, paper piercer, mat pack, sponge, Real Red striped ribbon, vintage brads, dimensionals, Pretties Kit (flower), Flower Fusion (green flower), linen thread.

Sweet Lavender

It's the weekend! Yay - time to relax and have fun. Although I do have some 'fun' chores to do like painting the front porch and weeding to do. However I'm hoping to have a bit of free time to spend in my craft room and work on a couple of ideas I've had percolating in the back of my mind for the last week or two. :) And to also write up some dimensions on my last post since so many of you would like to know them. But in the meantime here is a pretty card that I made last weekend while scrapping with a couple of fun ladies from the Ann Arbor Jaycees (hi!).

All images copyright MFT Stamps. Stamps: Annie LaPointe - Lavender, Here's the Scoop. Paper: River Rock, Always Artichoke, Lavender Lace, Georgia Pacific White, Boxer designer (Basic Grey). Ink: Close to Cocoa Classic, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers. Other: Rectangle and Classic Scallop Rectangle Nestabilities, velvet ribbon from Sherbet Ribbon Originals, organdy ribbon (American Crafts), dimensionals, sponge.

Pretties Thursday: Anything but a card

I decided to make something a little different for today. A tag that also doubles as a gift card holder! Of course the only gift card I had on hand was one from Menard's (which is a bit UGLY)... so I decided to deviate from the gift card color scheme and do my own thing which ended up being a very pink card. :) You can bet that when I actually use this holder it will contain a different gift card... besides I'll have spent this one by then. Heh heh.

Quick notes: the holder is 2 1/2" wide by about 4 3/4" tall. I used a velco dot for the closure on the back (magnets would be nice too) and a bit of pink twill ribbon that can be used to tie the tag to a gift. If you want specific dimensions for the holder leave a comment letting me know so - if there is enough interest I'll draw up a diagram/sketch. :)

Stamps: Rainy Day Friends (Paper Pretties), Cute Converse (retired). Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Georgia Pacific White. Ink: Close to Cocoa Classic, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers, Copic clear and gold Spica pens. Other: Pink twill ribbon (Taylored Expressions), hemp twine, white organdy ribbon (SU! retired), vintage brads, Antique Brass jumbo eyelet, Velcro dot, small oval punch, 1/16" circle punch, dimensionals sponge.

Prettie Wednesday Challenge: Orange!

Two weeks ago Jessica challenged the Prettie Girls to make a card using bright colors (this is so hard for me) and especially orange (yikes!). But despite the difficulty of this challenge I persevered and actually made a bright card. Well, as bright as I can go! And with lots and lots of orange.

Now it is my turn to issue the challenge and I'm going to do an easy one this time: somewhere on your project include a circle. Is that easy enough? :) I'm thinking this will be the perfect opportunity for me to try my hand at a circular card again. Too fun!

Stamps: Off to School Sophia (Paper Pretties June SOTMC), Can You Dig It (MFT). Paper: Barely Banana, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, Silver Lining Luster and Radiant designer paper (We R Memory Keepers Precious Metals line), Georgia Pacific white. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Pumpkin Pie Classic, Copic markers (Y21, Y38, YR16, YR31, E00, E33, R83, W2), Copic Spica silver. Other: large oval punch, Prima flowers, Amanda Blu dotted brad, Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon, silver brads, dimensionals, sponge.

P.S. If you have been having difficulty subscribing to my blog using the FeedBlitz link over there on the right could you let me know? I've gotten a report from a reader that it didn't work for her and wanted to see if anyone else was having the same issue. Thanks! :)

BIC18: Eat Cake!

Oh yummy! Isn't this Martha Stewart cake just delicious? I don't think I could cut into it though, but maybe if it were chocolate flavored. :) But regardless I can definitely use it as inspiration for my latest paper creation. This is Beate's latest Be Inspired Challenge, number 18 to be exact.

Inspiration: As soon as I saw the cake I knew I would want to make a card with a lot of vines, leaves and swirls as well as use the following color combo: Bashful Blue, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red and Vanilla. Can't wait to see what the rest of the team comes up with: Jennifer, Susan, Silke, Dawn and Charmaine.

Implementation: I inked the heart from Always first with a Bashful Blue Classic spot and then a second time with a Mellow Moss Classic spot to add random bits of green to the image. I then stamped the image on watercolor paper and cut out. To finish the heart I added a bit of Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the swirls and flower centers.

Next step was to stamp a piece of Naturals Ivory cardstock with the leaf in Mellow Moss Classic ink and the Ruby Red panel with the Pretty Petals background stamp in Ruby Red Classic ink. Both layers were paper pierced and the edges sponged with a coordinating color (Mellow Moss and Ruby Red). A piece of Bashful Blue Taffeta ribbon was knotted around the Naturals Ivory layer before adhering the two panels together. Then the "Everything" sentiment was stamped on a strip of Bashful Blue cardstock. After which the words "thanks" and "for" from the Everyday Flexible Phrases were above. The Bashful Blue strip was then adhered around both layers and a brad added in the upper right corner.

Finally the Nestabilities (circles and petite scalloped circles) were used to cut out a couple of circles. The edges of edge were sponged with their matching Classic inks before adhering together. The heart was then added on top with dimensionals and then the whole piece was added to the card with more dimensionals.

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Always, Pretty Petals backgroun. Paper: Bashful Blue, Ruby Red, Naturals Ivory, Mellow Moss, watercolor. Ink: Mellow Moss Classic, Bashful Blue Classic, Ruby Red Classic, Basic Black Classic. Other: Bashful Blue Taffeta ribbon, vintage brads, mat pack, paper piercer, sponge, dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Sakura Quickie Glue Pen, Nestabilities (Small circle, Small Petite Scalloped circle).

Thanks again and again and again!

Hi everyone! Just a quick post to share yet another of the Thank You cards that I have been making! This one uses this sketch from Taylor VanBruggen.

In other news did you see that Stampin' Up! posted their list of sets that will be retiring as of August 10th? No? Well, here is a link to the list for your perusing pleasure! :)

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Bloomin' Beautiful, So Many Sayings (retired). Paper: So Saffron, River Rock, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, Georgia Pacific white. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, River Rock Classic, Pretty in Pink Classic, Copic markers (Y38, YR31, G21, R81, R83, W2, Colorless blender) Copic spica marker (lemon). Other: pink ribbon (retired), white thread, sewing machine, dimensionals, large oval punch, word window punch, sponge.

Here is another picture so you can see the shimmer of the flower centers and how I popped up the whole image with dimensionals. Enjoy!

Thank ewes gone crazy!

It's another thank you card! Yes, I am making lots of TY cards on purpose. A friend of mine dropped a not-so-subtle hint that she could use some handmade cards, specifically TYs... and well, I figured I could hook her up with some cute ones. :) I just need to make one more (have a couple more to share though) and then I can put them in a big envelope and off into the mail they will go. Hope she likes all of them!

Quick notes: Lamb from Pun Fun was stamped and colored twice. Then the fluffy part was trimmed from the second image and adhered over the first with dimensionals. The edges were than paper pierced before matting on Chocolate Chip cardstock.

Next the matching sentiment was stamped three times on Pretty in Pink cardstock and punched out with the small oval punch. A piece of Regal Rose cardstock was stamped with the Pretty Petals background in the same ink, the edges sponged with more Regal Rose and then matted on Chocolate Chip. A piece of Whisper White taffeta ribbon was knotted around these layers before adhering the the sentiment ovals to the piece with dimensionals. To finish this piece holes were punched and brads added to each sentiment.

For the final layer a piece of Pretty in Pink cardstock was stamped with the Sanded background in the same ink, the edges sponged with Regal Rose Classic ink and both ends of the piece paper pierced. To finish this layer was matted on Chocolate Chip and adhered to a Naturals white card base on top of which the other two panels were added (the main image with dimensionals).

Have a great weekend everyone!

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Pun Fun, Pretty Petals background, Sanded background. Paper: Naturals White, Georgia Pacific white, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose. Ink: Regal Rose Classic, Pretty in Pink Classic, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers ( RV10, RV11, RV34). Other: mat pack, paper piercer, silver brads, Whisper White Taffeta ribbon, small oval punch, sponge, dimensionals.

Paper Pretties Challenge

Are you ready for it? This week's Prettie Challenge over at the Paper Pretties forum is a sketch challenge and it is all about triangles!

Yeah, I had fun with this one. If you make a card with this sketch pop into the gallery over at Paper Pretties and upload it there so that you can be entered into the weekly contest. :)

*(Edited to add): Oops! I put the wrong challenge number on the sketch layout. It should say PWC7. I must have been having one of those days!

For my card I used the Rainy Day Friends set and more of the fun Archaic Designer paper from Basic Grey and of course my Copic markers. I'm debating purchasing a compressor for airbrushing since I've already used up one can of compressed air (the last of it on this card) and that stuff is expensive! But I really should be good and wait a month or too... maybe. :)

Quick notes: images were stamped on Georgia Pacific white paper and colored with Copic markers. A little ground was doodled with a black pen after which the stamped images were masked and the ground and sky airbrushed. For the background two pieces of 2" x 2 1/2" designer paper were cut in half diagonally to create four triangles which were adhered to a piece of Summer Sun cardstock. Next stitching was added around the outside edges with a sewing machine and ribbon was added. To finish the layers were adhered together. I'm really liking this layout... it would even be great for a scrapbook page. :)

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: Rainy Day Friend. Paper: Old Olive, Summer Sun (retired), Georgia Pacific White, Archaic Designer (Basic Grey). Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers (E11, E33, Y17, YR21, YG63, BOO, R59), Copic Spica lemon pen, black pen. Other: Copic airbrush system, Turquoise dotted ribbon (May Arts), Chocolate Chip poly-twill ribbon, white thread, sewing machine, dimensionals.

Oh, forgot to mention but I used one of the Copic Spica pens to add a bit of glitter to the sun. Now if only the sun shining outside my house would cool just a bit... it was way too hot yesterday! Ick!

Pretties Wednesday

Two weeks ago Jillian challenged the Prettie Girls to "make it new". Take one of your old unused stamps or stamp sets and ink 'em up. So I was thinking about digging out some old SU! sets that I haven't used in a while when I remembered a plastic container of stamps I bought years ago one by one when I first started stamping. And yikes do I ever have quite a few cuties that have been very very neglected including this adorable moose from Whipper Snapper Designs (I didn't even know I owned a stamp by them!). I also found a never used mini Disney alphabet set from EK Success... although it's all inky now!

Card notes: The moose was stamped in Black StazOn on watercolor paper and painted with Classic reinkers and an Aqua Painter. I then doodled a bit of ground with a black pen and outlined the image with a Copic marker. Next I stamped the sentiment "moose you" with the Disney alphabet set in Basic Gray Classic ink on a scrap of Certainly Celery. The sentiment was punched out with the small oval punch, a couple small holes punched on the left side and a piece of linen thread tied through them before adhering to the main image. A couple 1/4" circle holes were adhered to the upper right and then brads stuck through them. To finish the main image was layered on a 4" square of Chocolate Chip before adhering to the River Rock card base with dimensionals. The finished card size is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4". Now I really need to send this off in the mail along with the last couple of challenge projects! I am so behind in my mailings!

Stamps: Marvelous Moose (Whipper Snapper Designs), Winnie the Pooh ABC Alphabet (EK Success). Paper: River Rock, Chocolate Chip Certainly Celery, watercolor. Ink: Black StazOn, Basic Gray Classic, Chocolate Chip Classic, Close to Cocoa reinker, Chocolate Chip reinker, W2 Copic marker, black pen. Other: small oval punch, 1/16" handheld circle punch, 1/4" handheld circle punch, vintage brads, linen thread, dimensionals, sponge, Aqua Painter.

BIC17: Oh wowsa!

That is what I thought when I saw the latest Be Inspired Challenge from Beate. Wowsa - what a striking pillow. I could use a couple of those for my couch although they might not go with the rest of my decor. :) Obviously I needed to use black and white for my card and maybe a flower or two.

So here it is... my take on the challenge. You'll notice that I also included a bit of stitching (yup... cluttered up my house even more by pulling out the big stitch maker) and some blue. Really... you can almost never go wrong with a little blue!

Don't forget to blurf around a bit and check out what the rest of the team created... I'm sure they will all be dazzling! :) Links here if you need them: Jennifer, Susan, Silke, Dawn and Charmaine.

Some quickie notes: leaf from the Embrace Life set was stamped on black cardstock with VersaMark multiple times, coated with Winter White embossing powder and heat set. Next a bit of stitching was added around the edges with my handy dandy inherited sewing machine (thanks mom!) and layered on a piece of Bashful Blue cardstock. After which a piece of Bashful Blue striped ribbon was knotted around it and it was stuck to a Naturals White card base... I'm almost all out of this ribbon... the horrors... I'll just have to place another order (heh heh). Then I stamped a flower from the same set on Georgia Pacific white cardstock and colored with Copic markers, stamped a sentiment and added a bit of paper piercing before layering on Bashful Blue cardstock and sticking to the card base with dimensionals. Oh yeah, and I added a bit of white gel ink to the inner flower bits (drawing a total blank on what those parts are called).

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Embrace Life. Paper: Naturals White, Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Georgia Pacific White. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Brocade Blue Classic, VersaMark, Copic Markers (B34, B41, W2), white gel pen. Other: mat pack, paper piercer, Bashful Blue striped ribbon, white thread, sewing machine, dimensionals, Winter White embossing powder, heat tool.

Thank Ya Birdie

Guess what?! I used another one of my much neglected never seen ink SU! stamp sets! Woo hoo! This one is for Beate's weekend sketch challenge #51 - not only does she come up with some awesome inspiration pieces she also does sketch challenges, which sadly I do not get around to playing with as much as I would like... not enough hours in the day to stamp! :) However I did have time for her latest sketch and the inspiration challenge which you can see my sample for tomorrow morning. Yes... you have to wait!

Quick notes for my simple card: ink branch stamp with markers and stamp on white cardstock. I inked the bird with the Ruby Red Classic pad (using a marker was blotching the image too much) and then colored the legs with the Chocolate Chip marker before stamping above the branch. Randomly stamp the flower stamp on a piece of Ruby Red cardstock in the same color. I'd stamp a couple of times before re-inking the stamp. Paper pierce the bottom edge and knot a piece of River Rock Double-stitched ribbon across the top. Next create a scalloped border from River Rock cardstock with the small corner rounder and adhere to the Ruby Red piece before adding the whole panel to the Old Olive card base. Add the main image with dimensionals. Finally stamp "thank you" on a scrap of Ruby Red cardstock, trim, add a brad to the upper left corner and glue to the card with more dimensionals. Me likey dimensionals... a lot! :)

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Spring Solitude hostess. Paper: Old Olive, Ruby Red, River Rock, white. Ink: Old Olive marker, Chocolate Chip marker, Ruby Red Classic. Other: River Rock double-stitched ribbon, silver brad, mat pack, paper piercer, small corner rounder, dimensionals, sponge.

Oh neglected SU! stamps

He he... I've been spending a lot of my crafting time lovin' on the Paper Pretties stamps and subsequently neglecting my Stampin' Up! rubbah. Some of which has never seen an ink pad much less been touched by one including many of the stamps in my much drooled over Bloomin' Beautiful set. I decided to rectify that horrible situation and sat down with the set and my Copic markers and this is what I came up with. :)

In other news my dad is now visiting and the installation of the hardwood flooring is progressing which means my house is incredibly messy and cluttered. It's a sad day when my craft room appears clean and organized in comparison with the rest of the house! However what has been installed of the flooring looks beautiful so it is so worth it!

Quick notes: The main image was stamped and colored twice. From the second image the bloom was cut and then adhered to the first with dimensionals. The first image was then cut into a rectangle and embossed with on the Small Rectangle Nestabilities. A scalloped square was cut from Blue Bayou cardstock and the layers adhered together. Two of the scallops were cut off so that a piece of Soft Sky double-stitched ribbon could be knotted around the layers. A sentiment was stamped on a scrap of River Rock cardstock, punched out with the Small Oval punch and tied to the ribbon with some Linen Thread. I used a dimensional to stick it in place so it doesn't move around.

Next a piece of Soft Sky cardstock was wheeled with the Forever Flowers small whell in the same color and the edges sponged. Then it was embossed with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing flower. This piece was then layered of Blue Bayou and adhered to a River Rock cardbase. To finish the main image panel was added with more dimensionals.

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Bloomin' Beautiful, Forever Flowers wheel. Paper: River Rock, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Georgia Pacific white. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Soft Sky Classic, Copic markers ( T1, BG10, BG13, BG93, YR21). Other: Small oval punch, 1/16" handheld punch, Soft Sky double stitched ribbon, Small Rectangle and Small Scalloped Rectangle Nestabilities, dimensionals, CuttleBug Swiss Dots embossing folder, linen thread, vintage brads, sponge.

Anything But an A2 Card Swap

Here is another swap that I made for the Great Swap Girls... this time I needed to use only SU! products and the card needed to be any size but a regular A2 sized card (4 1/4" x 5 1/2"). My poor neglected SU! stamps finally saw ink and... gasp... this was the first time I used this set! Now I just need to break in the other three stamps that came with this one! :)

Quick notes: This is really just a 4" x 4" Basic Grey card mounted on a 5" x 5" piece of Basic Black cardstock. I kept the card very simple and stark to showcase the image. I mean really that poodle is very cute... although she could use a bit of glitter... hmmm.... methinks I have an idea! :)

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: She’s All That, Smarty Pants. Paper: Basic Black, Basic Gray and Kraft. Ink: Basic Gray Classic. Other: mat pack, paper piercer, Whisper White taffeta ribbon.

P.S. I received the swaps that the rest of the Great Swap Girls made and they are all gorgeous! Love every single one of them!

NVR Swap

One of the latest swaps for the the Great Swap Girls was to make a card using any stamp sets and accessories. Yay! Since I'd just received the new Look out World set from Paper Pretties I had to use it (Cooper is just too cute!).

Quick notes: Cooper was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Georgia Pacific cardstock and colored with Copic Markers. The finished card size is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4"... told you it would be quick notes! :)

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: Look Out World. Paper: Soft Sky, Old Olive, Georgia Pacific white, Bali Breeze designer. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Dew Drop, Copic Markers (E00, E33, E57, BG05, BG10, BG45, YG63, T3, T5, W2). Other: Bashful Blue brads, Soft Sky stitched ribbon, dimensionals.

P.S. For those of you who received one of these cards I made a boo boo on the recipe and listed the Soft Sky cardstock and ribbon as Cool Caribbean... what was I thinking?!

Pretties Wednesday

Would you believe that this is my take on a baby card using Paper Pretties stamps? He he... a couple weeks ago Jana issued a challenge for the Prettie Girls to make a baby card and this is what I made! Can't wait to see what the rest of the Prettie Girls crafted... I'm betting they are gorgeous though! :)

Quick notes: the shell was paper pieced for a scrap of Archaic designer paper and the rest of the image was colored with Copic markers. I did draw the black horizontal line. I then matted the image on black, added some paper piercing to three of the corners and on the forth punched a hole and knotted a scrap of ribbon.

Next I cut another piece of Archaic designer paper (dinosaurs this time!), ticked the corners with the Ticket Corner punch and matted on Basic Black cardstock. I glued a piece of twill tape that I had airbrushed with a Copic marker to the background and added three brads on each side. On top of this I adhered the main image with dimensionals. Next I stamped a sentiment on Sage Shadow cardstock, matted on Handsome Hunter and adhered to the background with more dimensionals. I then punched a hole through all of the layers and added a brad from SU!'s Styled Silver hodgepodge hardware set. To finish I used more dimensionals to glue the whole thing to a 5" x 5" card base of Sage Shadow. Ohh... and I did poke a hole in each corner of the very bottom black mat. :)

All images copyright Paper Pretties. Stamps: Look out world (sentiment), One of Those Days. Paper: Sage Shadow, Basic Black, Handsome Hunter, Georgia Pacific white, Archaic designer (Basic Grey). Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers (E33, W2, Y38, B91, B95, 0-Colorless Blender). Other: Copic airbrush system, mat pack, paper piercer, black striped ribbon (May Arts), Twill tape, styled silver hodgepodge hardware, silver brads, rectangle handheld punch, 1/16" circle handheld punch, ticket corner punch, dimensionals.

P.S. Did you know that Paper Pretties now has gift certificates? Well they do!!! Perfect gift for that someone special or something easy to add to your own wish list. :)

BIC16: Cool Blues and a Rooster or Two

Another week another Be Inspired Challenge brought to you by the super duper Beate. And this time I am posting the right card! The one that a few of you may have seen by accident last week! :)

I'm loving the beautiful cool tones in this sample as well as the small bursts of bright color on the shelves. I decided to duplicate this look on my card by using shades of blue and turquoise for the background layers and then some bright yellows and oranges for the main image... yeah those are a couple of alcoholic roosters. :)

The stamp set is Cocktails Anyone? by Inkadinkado. The rest of the stamps in this line are hilarious... I definitely need to get my hands on the lizard one as it is just too funny! I also used a bit of May Arts blue striped ribbon that I have been hoarding for a while. Must buy more now that I am down to just a scrap piece left. Or maybe I should just delve deeper in my collection of ribbon... maybe...

All images copyright Inkadinkado. Stamps: Cocktails Anyone? (Inkadinkado). Paper: Bashful Blue, Blue Bayou, Georgia Pacific white, Soft Sky designer, Tempting Turquoise designer. Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers (W1, R29, B34, B41, Y19, Y38, YR16, YR68, YG11), white gel pen. Other: Blue striped ribbon (May Arts), 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1/4" punch, white brads (Doodlebug), dimensionals.

Don't forget to check out the rest of samples by the uber-talented Inspiration Team: Jennifer, Susan, Silke, and Charmaine. Have a great day everyone!

A Scrappin' Get Together

The Ann Arbor Jaycees Summer Scrap Event!

The Ann Arbor Jaycees are hosting a day long crop at Eastern Michigan University in two weeks! There will be prizes (some of which I have made), die cutting machines available for use and lots of socializing! It will be a blast!

When: Saturday, June 14th from 10AM - 6PM (lots of time to get those pages done!)
Where: EMU, 312 EMU Student Center, Room 352
Cost: $15 (only $10 if you are an Ann Arbor Jaycee)

If you are interested in attending this event please click on the Contact Me link under my picture over there on the right and send me an email with your contact information (name, email address and phone number). See you there!

With Joy

How do I greet the weekends? With lots of joy! :) How about you? :)

Quick notes: Ink chipboard letter cutout with Craft ink and heat set. Dip edges into same ink again, then coat with Iridescent Ice embossing powder and heat set. Knot ribbon around chipboard letter and adhere "with joy" sentiment with foam adhesive. Wheel Bashful Blue cardstock with flower wheel and adhere to back of chipboard with design facing through the opening then layer on a larger piece of Old Olive cardstock. Attach Prima flower with large gold office supply brad. Layer designer paper on more Old Olive cardstock and attach main image with more foam tape. Add three brads above main image and attach to Bashful Blue card base.

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. Stamps: Solitude Wheel, Fundamental Phrases. Paper: Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Naturals White, Boxer designer (Basic Grey). Ink: Bashful Blue Classic, So Saffron Craft. Other: Chipboard (Rusty Pickle), Old Olive Poly-twill ribbon, prima flower, large gold brad (office supply), Iridescent Ice embossing powder, dimensionals, heat tool, small gold brads.