Good For Any Cause

Monday, October 19, 2009

Is it Monday morning already?!? Where did that weekend go??

This weekend did not flow as well as I would have liked it to. The Man had to work Saturday morning, but had to sought out a big mess at the end of the day that took up a bit of the afternoon. Syd and I went to her gymnastics class. When he finally got home, we caught the bus down to the Keene Pumpkin Festival while it was still daylight and somewhat warm. Had a great time there looking at all the fun costumes and carvings! This year we finally broke our own record that has stood for almost 6 years with 29, 068 lit pumpkins! Boston still holds the world record since holding their own Pumpkin Festival a few years back, but considering that Keene's population is less than the number of pumpkins we had this year, that's pretty impressive!

Ok, onto today's card! I did another quick card using Ribbon Riley from Hanna Stamps again since it's National Breast Cancer Awareness month and another card for the cause can never hurt! :)

A quick little card (5.5" x 5.5") with Riley colored with reinkers and an aquapainter brush. I am really liking these papers from Basic Grey's Lemonade Collection! I've been using them a lot lately and I can't seem to get enough! I matted the patterns with two different shades of pink Bazzil paper and sponged around Riley with Pretty In Pink to tie it all in. Finally got myself some pink ribbon and tied a big pretty bow off to the side. Last, I added some Stickles to the ribbon Riley's holding for some sparkle!

That's it. Really simple, but the papers make it really pop. Don't forget!! Tonight's the Hanna Stamps Fan Blog Hop!! It all starts at 10pm EST over at Frances Byrnes blog. Can't wait to check out everyone's Hanna and Riley creations!

Supplies

Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Ribbon Riley'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Pretty In Pink

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Jraft, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Lemonade Collection'

Access: Ribbon, Stickles, Dimensionals, Sponges

A Nurse, A Challenge and Blog Hop Info!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

A happy Thursday morning to you all!

I have to share a funny little story with you that happened yesterday. When I went to pick up Syd from daycare/preschool she was out in the yard playing with her classmates. Syd's teacher asked to see her school pictures because I had just picked up the proofs. Anyway, a friend of Syd's rushes over and askes to see the pictures too. So I showed him and the teacher says to the little boy "Who's that in the picture?" He says Sydney, to which my Sassy McSasspants replies "Hello?? I'm standing right in front of you!?!" Sarcasism is alive and well in my not yet 4 and a half year old. I smell trouble in her tweens, don't you??

Today's card is for all the nurses graduating this year. As I was putting this card together I remembered that I had already used the 'get well soon' sentiment on the other Nurse Sophie card I made, so I racked my brain and decided that this would be a graduation card instead! :D (How's that for thinking on the run?! haha)

The sketch is from this week's Inspirational Sketches challenge IC#37. It's a very special challenge this week because Miss Mary is now a part of the IC design team!! Way to go Mary! Woohoooo! I'm so proud of you! I colored up Nurse Sophie with reinkers and an aquapainter brush and used some scraps of that great Cosmo Cricket paper I still had lying around.

If you weren't at the Hanna Stamps release party on Monday, then you many not know about this news:

Calling all Hanna Stamps and Riley fans!! We're having a blog hop where you are the stars!! That's right! A Hanna Stamps blog hop that you can participate in!! It's happening on October 19th and we want as many people to participate as possible! You can sign up and check out all the info ----> HERE! I'm so excited about this! Finally! A blog hop for everyone who loves Hanna Stamps! :D

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies

Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Nurse Sophie/Riley', MFT 'Essential Sentiments'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Cool Caribbean, Sahara Sand

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Cosmo Cricket 'Girl Friday - ??'

Access: Ribbon, Spellbinders Small Scalloped Nestibilities, Martha Stewart Edge Punch, Decorative Scissors, Dimensionals

Riley With A Cause

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Good Morning!

I have a special card to share with you today! Put up in the Hanna Stamps store just yesterday, is Ribbon Riley!

He's perfect for any cause you want to show your support for; all you need to do is color the ribbon the appropriate color! October is the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month so in honor of that, Kristi is releasing Ribbon Riley early.

We all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer in one way or another and wouldn't they love a card that makes them smile but also lets them know you're thinking of them? I think if you love your Riley's, this really is a must have for your collection.

I had no problem picking the patterned paper for this card. Basic Grey's Lemonade Collection with all it's pink was an obvious choice. I used this week's Get Sketchy #7 for my layout and girlied the card up a bit with some scalloped edging and some yummy ribbon. With all the ribbon I do have, I don't have any wide pink ribbon! I kept staring at my collection hoping that one would appear right before my eyes, but no such luck. :(

Be on the look out for another post from me this morning! I told you it was going to be a crazy week! :)


Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Ribbon Riley', My Favorite Things 'Essential Sentiments'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Sahara Sand, Cool Caribbean, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Lemonade Collection - Poppy Field and Pink Fizz'
Access: Ribbon, Cotton Candy Stickles, EK Success Corner Punch, Decorative Scissors, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals

Sit Back, Relax & Enjoy!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Good Morning!

Hope your weekend was a good one. Ours was quite uneventful really. We stayed close to home and went apple picking. As much as we love apples, I think we picked a few too many. May have to find some creative ways to use them up!

I really love coloring up Wheat Riley. I don't know whether it's because of the big hat or the banjo he's carrying or the sprig (is that the word) of wheat in his mouth. It might be the fact that he's wearing clothes and there's more to color than just his fur and antlers?!

A couple of weeks ago, the uber talented Kerry Donovan hosted a sketch challenge (HSC86) for the Hanna Stamps Friday challenge. I wasn't able to play along then, but I had some down time yesterday and the sketch was perfect for Wheat Riley. I had some left over Mr Campy paper Cosmo Cricket and since they're double sided, they came in handy for all these layers in this sketch! Nothing too out of the ordinary with this card. Each layer was sponged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and matted with Bazzil cardstock. I used (up) some eyelets for some detail and I am LOVING my oval nesties...can you tell? LOL

Have a painless Monday! :)

Supplies

Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Wheat Riley' and Stamping Bella 'Sit Back, Relax & Enjoy'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray,

Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Cosmo Cricket 'Mr Campie Collection'

Access: Eyelets, Small Oval Nestibilties & Scalloped Oval Nestibilities, Sponges, Dimensionals

More Hanna Sneak Peeks!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Hello!

Hope your Saturday off to a good start! We're gearing up for another session of gymnastic classes for my little girl. She's got all the skill and strength required to be a great a gymnast, but she has the attention span of a gnat! She's only 4 so I'm not expecting much more than that! LOL

Today's Hanna sneak peeks are another favorite of mine from this month's release...

Introducing Farmer Riley...and a surprise!

He's so stinking cute! This could very well be my most favorite Riley! I kept singing the kids song # "There's a hole in my bucket dear Liza, dear Liza..." LOL I didn't have an appropriate sentiment on hand, but now that I think about it, you could use 'Little Love Note' or 'You Rock!' or even 'Singing Your Praises'! :) Again I used Cosmo's Cricket's Mr Campy collection for this card - LOVING that paper!

There is another Riley/Sophie stamp being released this week (which you can check out on Jeanne's and Ilina's blog, but I did not receive him, so....I have a sneak peek at another Riley stamp that I *hear* is going to be released soon!

Can you stand this much cuteness?!?! I literally squealed when I saw this in my package from Hanna Stamps. So adorable! Perfect for the little ones in our families. Both Rileys were colored with reinkers and an aquapainter. By the way, I typically color my Riley's with Creamy Caramel and Going Gray for his hooves and antlers. The paper is another line by Cosmo Cricket - Lil' Man.

Just a reminder; 10pm EST tomorrow night is the Hanna Stamps blog hop and I won't be posting anything until then. Soooo you should stop by Kristi's blog at 1opm to see all the new sets and Riley's all in one place! :)

Have a great Saturday and thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Card 1
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Farmer Riley'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, So Saffron, Sahara Sand, Buckaroo Blue, Really Rust, Old Olive, Cool Caribbean
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Bazzil Basics, PP - Cosmo Cricket 'Mr Campy Collection', K&Company 'Actopus to Zelephant Collection'
Access: Buttons, Raffia, Decorative Scissors, Oval Nestibilities, Dimensionals, Sponges

Card 2
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Sock Monkey Riley', Greeting Farm 'Panda Friends - retired'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Sahara Sand, Going Gray, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean
Papers: Strathmore Bristol Vellum, Kraft Cardstock Bazzil Basics, PP - Cosmo Cricket 'Lil' Man Collection'
Access: Button, Twine, Decorative Scissors, Dimensionals

School Girl Sophie

Friday, August 21, 2009

It's Friday! Woohoo! It's Friday! *doing the happy dance*

I have been looking forward to the weekend since Tuesday! It was a tough and challenging week at work and now I need to rest my brain, enjoy a glass of wine or two and indulge in some color therapy! Ahhh...yes please. :)

Since it's Friday, you all know what that means - I have another Hanna Stamps Challenge for you! This week our lovely hostess with the mostest is the very talented Silke Kittmann! Her challenge for us is to use dew drops! Easy peesy lemon squeezy right? Absolutely! I was very eager to color up Miss School Girl Sophie again so I used her together with some of my favorite K&Company paper and this week's Sketch For You To Try. (Mojo felt good tonight - must have been because I was using all my favorite things!)

She just doesn't get any cuter than this! I {heart} those bows in her hair...I mean fur! Or is that antlers?? :) She is colored up with reinkers and the aquapainter brush again. This time on some smooth Georgia Pacific cardstock. Have to work quickly and deliberately when using this stuff. It has almost no sizing in it so it absorbs the ink and water much quicker than watercolor paper. Sometimes I just like a smooth look to an image. Loving that butterfly paper aren't you? So fun and colorful!

If you wanna play along this week, head on over to the Hanna Stamps SCS forum and check out the challenge thread....HSC83. Hope you can play along!

Have a fantastic weekend! See you Monday!

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'School Girl Sophie'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Chocolate Chip, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Old Olive, Buckaroo Blue, Cool Caribbean, Sahara Sand
Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - K&Company 'Carolyn Gavin Greenhouse
Access: Ribbon, Large Circle Nestibilities, Robin's Nest Dew Drops

Rugged Riley

Friday, August 14, 2009

Happy Friday Everyone!

I'm pretty tired from working all week and staying up wayyy past midnight every night this week, so please excuse this short post.

It's Hanna Stamps Friday challenge again and this week's host is the talented Nikki Fairbairn of Bunny Zoe fame. Her challenge to the DT and anyone who wishes to play along this week is to use the distressing technique on a card. Distress is anyhow, anyway! You can check out all the details....HERE.

I used the recently released Safari Riley for my card and those sunflowers are from the I Love My Garden set released last year. I paired them with some paper from Basic Grey's Archaic Collection and this week's Card Postitioning System's sketch 128. I used twine and some eyelets to create the three horizontal stripes on the sketch. Adds a lot to the distressed look, don't you think?

By the way, I've restocked my card shop with a bunch of cards from the past two weeks including the Rockstar Anya one from TGF blog hop and my Flutter By card from the other day. Hoping they find good homes soon. :) (If you see one you like, but it's not in my shop, just drop me a line and I can probably be convinced to part with it!)

Ok, I'm pooped! Seven more hours and I'm done. Weekend, here I come! :) Enjoy yours!

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Safari Riley' and 'Love My Garden', Karen Foster Snap Stamps
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Old Olive, So Saffron, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, True Thyme, Going Gray, Distress Ink 'Walnut Stain'
Papers: Canson Watcolor, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Archaic Collection - Passe'
Access: Twine, Tim Holtz Edge Distresser, Eyelets, Machine Stitching, Dimensionals, Sponges

Wild Thing!!

Monday, August 3, 2009

A happy Monday morning to you all!

Another late night last night, so please excuse this short post - I needed my beauty sleep! *grin* Let me show you what I was working on last night...

Introducing Safari Riley!!

He's so brave and handsome in his safari suit! LOL I couldn't resist using the Wild Thing sentiment on this card. Did you ever read the book 'Where The Wild Things Are' as a kid? It's still one of my all time FAVORITE books and can you believe I still have a copy of it!? I fell in love with the pictures. :) Anyway, getting back to the topic! LOL I used some Basic Grey and Creative Imaginations paper to turn Safari Riley into a bit of a wild thing and the layout is an old favorite of mine. :)

Don't forget: The Hanna Stamps release party is tonight, starting at 9pm EST, in the SCS forum....HERE! Kristi is releasing all the sets I've shown you over the weekend as well as the two background stamps (brick and floorboard) AND the new line of Hanna rubber singles!! How's that for a PARTY?! Hope to see you all there!

Be on the look out for another card kit challenge later on this morning! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Safari Riley', Karen Foster Snap Stamps
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Sahara Sand, So Saffron, Really Rust, Close To Cocoa
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Archaic Collection - Prehistoric', Creative Imaginations
Access: Ribbon, Sponges, Dimensionals, Circle Punches

Sneak Peek: Sophie Goes To School!

Friday, July 31, 2009

Happy Friday to you all!

It's day one of the Hanna Stamps sneak peeks and so, without further ado....

Introducing School Sophie!

Finally Riley has a classmate to hang out with! :) Yay! Don't ya love her plaid skirt and those bows in her ha....antlers?! LOL I can see many uses for School Sophie and School Riley for that matter. How about tags for school bags or book bags? Or bookmarks? I just wish my Sydney was starting kindergarten this year, because it would have been fun to make some school things for her. That'll be next year. :)

Some deets on the card: I'm a little late, but I used the Weekend Sketch Challenge 90 hosted by the awesome Laurie Schmidlin for this layout. The scalloped circle was done with a corner punch with the guard removed.

My second card showcases the retro Riley being showcased this month - School Riley! He's so cute with his red frame glasses and little blue shorts! Don't you LOVE that patterned paper?? It's from Junkitz and I just about squealed when I saw it! I used this week's Unscripted Sketches #16 for this card. I have really loved the sketches they've been coming up with!

That's it from me today. If you wanna see more sneak peeks of the sets being released, check out what the other Hanna girls have been playing with! You can find links to their blogs listed in the column on the left. Tomorrow I'll be showing you another sneak peek, so pop back then ok?

Have a wonderful weekend! We're off to the local fair tonight! :)

Supplies

Card 1

Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'School Sophie', Studio G $1 Stamps
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, Certain Celery, Close To Cocoa, Sahara Sand

Papers: Prisma Smooth, Bazzil Basics, Bazzil Bling, PP - American Crafts 'Everyday Collection - Long Time No See'

Access: Ribbon, Taylor's Tiny Twinkles, Corner Punch, Circle Nestibilities

Card 2

Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'School Riley', Karen Foster Snap Stamps

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Buckaroo Blue, Real Red, So Saffron, Sahara Sand, Certain Celery

Papers: Prisma Smooth, Bazzil Basics, We R Memory Keepers 'Grandma's Kitchen - Pen Pals' and Junkitz 'School Days Paperz - Doodles'

Access: Corner Punch, Star Punch, Button, Brads

Everyday Heros and a Sneak Peek!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Good Morning All! I am so excited so show you some new stamps from Hanna Stamps!

Meet Fireman Riley!

Isn't he a sweetie?! He's everyone's hero. And he's just drawn to perfection don't you think? He is being released by Hanna Stamps as soon as Mrs Kristi gets back from CHA. Now, can you spot the other stamp Mrs Kristi has been keeping under wraps until now?!

Yep! It's the brick background!! And guess what? It's not the only background stamp being released. Nope, there's one other background that up until now, we've all been creating by hand. Can you guess what it is? I've give you a hint: You'll be floored when you see it. YES! It's a floorboards background!!! And the best part? They both come in RED RUBBAH! :D

I've been dying to tell you guys for ages now and last Friday they finally arrived on my doorstep. These background stamps measure a little bit shy of 3" x 4". Not sure what they will be priced at yet, but Mrs Kristi has promised that they'll be in the store once she gets back into town. :) How excited are you all now?! hehe

Ok, some deets for you all: Fireman Riley and the brick background was colored with reinkers and an aquapainter on Georgia Pacific cardstock. The sketch is from this week's Sketch For You To Try by Jen Del Muro of I {Heart} To Stamp fame. I sponged the edges of the Basic Grey patterned paper to bring out the rich and hot colors of it. The sentiment was created with a Studio G Mini Alphabet set I picked up earlier in the year.

Since my DT stamps did arrive this month, I will have sneak peeks of the August release sets to show you starting tomorrow and running over the weekend! So stop back here tomorrow if you want to see what Rileys will be released! :)

Ciao Bella's!

Supplies

Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Fireman Riley' and 'Brick Background'

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Morning Marigold, Going Gray, Real Rust, Cranberry Crisp, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Black Soot, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain'

Papers: Georgia Pacific cs, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Motifica Collection - Clay' and 'Ambrosia Collection - Fresh-Squeezed'

Access: Buttons, Circle Punches, Dimensionals, Sponges, Micron Pen

Tough Guy

Monday, July 13, 2009

Good Morning!

I hope you had a good weekend. We ended up going to a reception/bbq for one of hubby's cousin's. Luckily, it stayed dry until around 8pm when it absolutely bucketed down, but we were in the car and on our way home by that time. Phew!

A nice bit of news that came out of the weekend was that my husband was offered more stable job at his new place of work after only working there 3 weeks! He was on the sales floor working odd hours and Saturdays, now he's a service writer and works 'normal' hours so he'll be home for dinner for a change AND he has weekends off! This opportunity was a huge deal for us because he's never worked regular hours for as long as we've been married and it'll be soooo nice to expect him home for dinner! LOL And we can actually plan things to do on our weekends now! Wow. :)

So I attempted a redo on that masculine card I tried to make last Friday. It definitely turned out a whole lot better than the first card I created! (That one had a grey and dark blue color scheme and just never worked from the get-go.)

I used last Friday's Hanna Stamps Challenge HSC77 hosted by the lovely Nikki Fairbairn. It's really a perfect sketch for a Riley or Sohie. I used Mason Riley with some old My Mind's Eye paper. The plaid was about as manly as I can go on a card! LOL

I worked on a few cards this weekend and none of them went together easy for me. They all feel like I tried too hard on them. It might be because of the challenging layouts and odd image sizes, but they've really put a kabosh on my mojo lately. I'm hoping it flows a little better today - I put those cards aside and just colored - for therapy. :) Hopefully I can transfer them to a decent card and have something to show you this week! It's a good thing I'm on vacation next week - I think my mojo needs it! LOL

Have a good one!

Supplies

Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Mason Riley', sentiment from Studio G
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Sahara Sand, Really Rust, Close To Cocoa, Buckaroo Blue, Cool Caribbean

Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - My Mind's Eye 29th Street Collection - Spirit "Sisters"

Access: Ribbon, Making Memories Square Copper Brads, Machine Stitching, Sponges, Dimensionals

Stars and Stripes

Friday, June 19, 2009

TGIF!! Wooohooo!

I am soooo ready for a weekend! We're going strawberry picking tomorrow which means fresh strawberry pie for dessert this weekend! :D I'm definitely a pie girl. And a fruit one too. A la mode.....YUM! *drool*

Ok, getting back to business. LOL Today's Hanna Stamps challenge HSC74 is being hosted by yours truely and my challenge to you all is to create a card with stars and stripes on it! Since July 4th is around the corner I thought it a very appropriate one. If you're not State-side, you can still create one - it doesn't have to have a red, white and blue theme.

I've been listening to Trace Atkins's greatest hits lately so when I was thinking of a sentiment for this card, I instantly thought of the title line from his song 'American Man'. It's a great song and it makes me proud of my American man. :)

So in honor of all the hardworking American men serving in our armed forces, I created this card using my stars and stripes and a bit of the red, white and blue thrown in for good measure.

I found this double sided paper at Michaels. I sponged it, distressed it with my edge distresser, then machine stitched it to the dark blue cardstock. Then I just layered it on some vanilla and deep red cardstock to make it pop. Riley was colored with the Riley set of Copics exclusive to Hanna Stamps. (They're the only Copics I own!) I used this week's Sketch For You To Try for the layout.

If you play along with this Hanna Stamps challenge this week, you go into a draw to win a stamp set of your choice! Just by playing along! So get your game on and get busy stamping! :)

(PS. I may have another card to show you later on today! Fingers crossed.)

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'GI Jon Riley', sentiment by Karen Foster Snap Stamps (discontinued)
Inks: Distress Inks 'Black Soot, Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain', Copic Markets - Riley Set, Old Olive
Papers: Very Vanilla, Bazzil Basics, PP - Creative Imaginations
Access: Tim Holtz Edge Distresser, Machine Stitching, Fiskars Star Punch, Button, Dimensionals

Grill Master!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Thank the Lord it's Friday already!

I could use a good weekend! Can't you? One filled with berry picking and pie making! If the weather around her permits, Syd and I will be picking raspberries and/or blueberries for some pies. Yum!

The other thing I like to do on weekends is BBQ! Well, more accurately, I like to watch The Man cook on the grill while I sip on a glass of wine. :) Perfect. In honor of The Man and his talent for mastering the grill, I made this card for him. :)

I used this week's sketch from Card Positioning Systems CPS119 for this layout. This week's sponsor is none other than Hanna Stamps! I am posting this card a little late since this challenge ends Saturday night, but if you want to be in with a chance to win something from Hanna Stamps, make your card and upload it to the CPS site quick!

I kept my card pretty clean and simple....it's a BBQ! No need for fanfare! BBQ Riley was colored up with my reinkers and aquapainter. The hotdog and hamburger images were from a stamp set by ProvoCraft I picked up on Ebay. It has some great images in it but my only issue with the set is that it's not made from red rubber. It's more like a soft, clear acrylic on a soft black acrylic base. Really weird looking but still stamps fine. Anywho, it did what I needed it to do. The 'grillin' sentiment is from those Studio G $1 stamps at Michaels. I love them for sentiments! Don't you love that picnic table paper?! I found it at Joanne's. It had ants running around the edge of the paper, which I just cut off and used the 'ant free' piece. If give the card a handmade feel, I machine stitched the edges with black thread.

A quick post from me today. Sorry about that, but I need this weekend to start early! I've got a lot of cards to make! :) Have a great one!


Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'BBQ Riley', ProvoCraft Simply Chic Stamps 'Summer Party', sentiment from Studio G $1 stamps
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Cool Caribbean, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Certain Celery, Close To Cocoa, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Real Red, Bazzil Basics, PP - Unknown
Access: Circle Punches, Marvy Scalloped Square Punch, Dimensionals, Machine Stitching

Testing the water

Friday, June 5, 2009

Goodbye weekdays; Hello weekend!!

I love my weekends. Sometimes we have hectic, overly planned weekends, but the ones I love the most are the ones with no set schedule. Like this weekend. Time to relax and unwind.....ah! I think the only thing we have tentitively planned is an outdoor concert at the State college in town. I love going to outdoor music festivals because we bring a blanket to lie on and I get to watch my almost 4 year old dance her wiggles out! :) Nothing brings me more happiness.

Today's card is all about that free living feeling. Riley sure knows how to unwind!

This Friday's Hanna Stamps challenge (HSC72) on SCS is a color combo of Burgundy, Pink and Black. Huh?! What do you mean my card doesn't have those colors in it?? Ok, I confess: I tried to make those colors work with Fins Riley, but it wasn't working out. And I'm just not that flexible to change my stamp choice to make it work. ;) Oh, but looky here; at this card I did last weekend! It has all those colors in it! LOL I already did this challenge before the fabulous Cindy posted it! LOL If you'd like to play along, please do. Just follow the link I posted above. (Remember, everyone that plays along on our weekly challenges goes into a draw to win a stamp set of their choice at the end of the month!)

This card is pretty straight forwards, so I won't go into too much detail. I only want to point out that the inverted scalloped circle isn't those new nestie dies everyone's been using. As much as I wish I had them, I've been using my decorative scalloped scissors to recreate that look. Don't discount those scissors just yet! They're cheap and effective! LOL

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend whatever it is you're doing! And don't forget to stamp!!

(PS. Just incase you were wondering why Riley appears to be standing on sand and yet the sentiment mentions 'hanging in the pool'.....I was thinking about these pools!) :)

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Fins Riley' and 'Pool Party'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Close To Cocoa, Really Rust, Cool Caribbean
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Scenic Route Paper Co. 'Beach House'
Access: Scenic Route Buttons. Dimensionals, Decorative Scissors

Hanna Stamps Release Day!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Hellooooo!

Hope you all had a great weekend! My birthday celebrations ran into the weekend with lots of happy mail from my SCS and blogging friends! I can't believe how sweet and generous you all are! Love you guys! :)

I've been busy over the weekend cranking out all those sneak peeks and last night I was so excited to see that my Mason Riley card from last Friday made it to the Fav Fives over at 2sketches4you blog challenge! How cool is that?! I was so excited! Here's one more look at Soccor Riley! He's so cute I couldn't resist coloring him in again!

I used the sketch from last Friday's Hanna Stamps Challenge HSC71. Every Friday Hanna Stamps brings you a challenge of some kind and you are all welcome to come play along. Those who play any of the weekly challenges go into a draw to win a stamp set of their choice at the release party! Worth playing for right?!

Need to see more cards created by the Hanna Girls?? Head on over to their blogs, or check out the cards they've posted in the SCS gallery - just use the keyword HSDT to find them all. Also, this month our two guest designers are the super talented Jodi Lee and Cindy Lawrence, so check out what they've created for you too!

Well, tonight is the Hanna Stamps release party! It all starts at 9pm EST on this THREAD in the Hanna Stamps SCS forum. There's always hilarious chatter and giveaways, so stop by and say hi tonight, ok?! :) Immediately following the release party, the new sets will be available for purchase in the Hanna Stamps shop.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!


Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Soccor Riley', sentiment by Karen Foster Snap Stamps
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pumkin Pie, Certain Celery, Old Olive, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Scenic Route 'Metropolis Collection - Market Street' and 'Salem Collection - Briggs Street'
Access: Dimensionals, Nestibilities

Sneak Peek: New Rileys!

Friday, May 29, 2009

It's Hanna Stamps Sneak Peek time again!! I tell ya - I have no idea where the time goes!

This month the lovely Mrs Kristi is releasing two new sets, one retro set (previously released and being showcased this month) and two new Rileys! So, without further ado....

Introducing Soccor and Mason Riley!!

This Riley is just the cutest little guy! For all the pee-wee soccor mums and dads, this Riley is going to be perfect for awards, certificates, way to go cards. The possibilities are endless! I used this week's Mojo Sketch Challenge MOJO88 for this card.

I had to have this Riley! In Australia, mason's are called bricklayers, or brickies for short, so that's where my sentiment comes from. And since most houses in Australia are made of bricks and mortar, there are a lot of brickies there that need to be shown a little love! LOL Now, just so you know, that white singlet or 'wife beater' as it's called in the US, was drawn on my me. It's not actually part of the stamp. I just used a Micron pen to add a few extra lines on Riley's naked body to create it. The sketch for this card comes from this week's 2sketches4you. I tried to make this card as masculine as possible. I don't do masculine very well! LOL

Also, please welcome our guest designer for the month - the super talented Jodi Lee!! Do yourself a favor and go check out her inspiring blog! Welcome Jodi! We're so excited to have you join us!

I hope you love these new Rileys as much as I do! I'll have sneak peeks for you all weekend long, so stop by tomorrow for another one! Thanks for hanging out with me today. :)

Supplies

Card One

Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Soccor Riley', sentiment by Karen Foster Snap Stamps
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Copic Markers for Rileys, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Vintage Photo'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Very Vanilla, Bazzil Basics, PP - Dream Street Inc 'Jack Collection - Blue Sky & Howdy Partner'
Access: Ribbon, Adhesive Rhinestones, Decorative Scissors, Circle Nestibilities, Circle Punch, Paper Piercer, Dimensionals

Card Two

Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Mason Riley', sentiment by Karen Foster Snap Stamps
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Really Rust, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Black Soot, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - Basic Grey 'Motifica Collection - Jade & Clay', Cosmo Cricket 'Wanted Collection - Slim Jim'
Access: Circle Nestibilities, Sponges, Brads, Button, Twine, Dimensionals

Graduation Hanna and Riley

Friday, May 15, 2009

It's Friday again! Wahhooo!

And that means another Hanna Stamps Friday Challenge! This week our hostess with the mostess is the uber talented Candice Lightly. That girl has more creativity in her pinky finger than I have in my whole body! Her challenge HSC69 for us this week is to create a *gasp* one layer card!! She's a cruel, cruel lady sometimes. ;)

I held my breath and created this very simple one layer graduation card using the brand spankin' new Grad Hanna stamp set. Kristi is being sneaky again by releasing a set between releases. I ain't complaining though! I stamped blue stars all over the card, so it isn't THAT plain! LOL The Caribbean Blue edge you see is infact a sponged edge to create the illusion of a second layer. I was being sneaky. :) My cutting board was not happy with me or this card. I think we both were experiencing withdrawl symptoms from the lack of layers because I turned around and immediately created this Riley grad card just so I could breathe again! haha

Even Army cadets need a graduation right? I used up some left over Army patterned paper and this week's SCS sketch challenge, SC228. You can check out the Hanna Stamps Design Team gallery on SCS for more sneak peeks of this set and grad Riley.

Be on the look out for some blog candy from me later this morning! I'm really, really excited for you all! Oh, and on Monday, you might want to stop by here....I have some REALLY EXCITING news for you!!

Supplies

Card 1

Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Grad Hanna', stars from Studio G $1 stamps

Inks: StazOn, Creamy Caramel, Buckaroo Blue, Cool Caribbean, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Close To Cocoa, Real Red, Sahara Sand

Papers: Georgia Pacific

Access: Ribbon, Sponges

Card 2

Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Grad Riley', sentiment from Studio G

Inks: StazOn, Creamy Caramel, Real Red, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'

Papers: Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - 'Creative Imaginations 'Army Emblem' and Reminisce 'Go Army'

Access: Ribbon, Eyelets, Dimensionals

Hot Dogs or Chicken??

Monday, May 4, 2009

A happy Monday morning to you all!

Today is release day for Hanna Stamps and the whole design team has been sharing sneak peeks with you over this past weekend. I hope you've had a chance to check out all the amazing creations they've been whipping up for you. The talent these ladies have is just crazy and if you want to see it all in one place, just use the keyword HSDT on SCS.

Introducing BBQ Riley!!

I used this week's Card Positioning System's sketch CPS114 for this layout. Instead of going with all the bright colors I have been using, I decided to use some rich, burnt 'BBQ' type colors.

Riley was stamped on Canson watercolor paper, colored with SU inks and then cut out with my precision scissors. The layers of patterned paper were sponged with Distress Inks. For the repeating circles along the bottom, I just punched a few out of some scrap Bazzil cardstock and added a square brad to the center of them. They add a bit if a rugged feel to the card don't they?

That's all from me for sneak peeks. The release party starts at 9pm EST in the Hanna Stamps member forum -----> HERE. I'll be there handing out margaritas and apple martinis!

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'BBQ Riley', Technique Tuesday 'Urban Invites'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Cool Caribbean, Sahara Sand, Distress Inks 'Jet Black & Vintage Photo'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil cs, PP - Georgia Pacific cs, Kraft cs, Bazzil cs, PP - Creative Imaginations 'Art Warehouse' and Daisy D's 'Fall Cords - Rust'
Access: Ribbon, Making Memories Brads, Circle Punch, EK Success Circle Cutter, Dimensionals

Pump It Up With Riley!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Let the summer games begin!!

We had two 90 deg days here in New Hampshire this week, so I'm ready for all the things that summer brings! Give me flip flops, feminine skirts, sunglasses...and a tan would be nice again! Long live summer!! Hanna Stamps is all about the beach this month, so without further ado...

Introducing Fins Riley!!

Look at that inner tube!! And those flippers! Too cute. A definite must-have for your Riley collection.

I colored up Riley with a beach scene in the background (SU inks and aquapainter) on Canson watercolor paper then layered that piece on another layer of watercolor paper for a crisp white edge. Then I layered those two pieces on a piece of that orange base cardstock which is not Bazzil, but Core'dinations Colorcore cardstock. The super nice people at Core'dinations recently gave the Hanna girls a giant stack of their cardstock to use and let me tell you - this stuff is cool! Do you see how scuffed up it looks? Well, the cardstock actually comes like that! I couldn't have re-created that effect on Bazzil cardstock. You can sand this stuff or do what I did and distress it with an edge distresser for an even more rugged look. You're going to see more of this stuff in my sneak peeks this month. :D

I wanted to add some twine to this card, so I added some eyelets and created a laced up detail off to the side. Because the eyelets and twine added some bulk to the underside of the patterned paper layer, I popped it on dimensionals to get it up off the base layer. I lightly sponged the edges of the patterned paper (from Michaels) with Tea Dye and Vintage Photo from Distress Inks. Then I added the sentiment and a button and I was done.

Please welcome this month's uber talented guest designers Pam Varnell and Nikki Fairburn. I've admired the skills these gals possess for a long time now and I'm so excited to be stamping along side them both this month. Do yourself a favor and check them both out - you won't be disappointed!

I'll have sneak peeks to show you all weekend long, so stop by when you get a chance. Have yourself a fabulous weekend!

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Fins Riley', sentiment by Studio G Mini Alphabet set
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Going Gray, Morning Marigold, Pumpkin Pie, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Tea Dye & Vintage Photo'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Georgia Pacific cs, Core'dinations ColorCore Cardstock 'Vintage Collection - Retro Mod Squad', PP - We R Memory Keepers 'White Out Collection -Explore-Journey'
Access: Twine, Eyelets, Button, Micron Pen, Tim Holtz Edge Distresser, Dimensionals

Happy April Release Day!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Good Morning!!

Did ya'll have a good weekend?? We went bowling Saturday night and made DH some carrot cupcakes on Sunday. A pretty relaxing weekend really.

If you weren't on the computer over the weekend, you may have missed all the sneak peeks myself and the Hanna Girls have been showing you. You can scroll down to check out all of my sneak peeks and check in HERE and HERE for the rest of the Hanna girls' awesome work. Tonight at 9PM is the release party where there will be hilarious chatter, awesome giveaways and after which all the sets we've been teasing you about will be available in the Hanna Stamps store.

Here's one last sneak peek for you using the adorable Perfume Sophie. The layout is from this week's Taylor Vanbruggen's Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge (TECC62). It was perfect for showcasing this Sophie!

I used my Riley Copic Marker set on her body and antlers and carefully watercolored her shoes and perfume bottle with SU inks (since I don't own copics in any other colors). The image layer is sponged with Antique Linen from Distress Inks then layered on Georgia Pacific cs and a scalloped layer of Bazzil cardstock. The two squares are Basic Grey patterned paper sponged with Distress Inks and layered on Bazzil cs. Even though the two patterned papers are from different Basic Grey collections, I think they work well together because of the typical 'distressed' look to them. I then added some sheer ribbon and dew drops to pull the whole card together.

I hope you've enjoyed all the sneak peeks this weekend and I really hope you can stop by the release party tonight and say hi!


Take care,
Sandra

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Perfume Sophie', The Greeting Farm 'Never Ever'
Inks: Distress Inks 'Black Soot, Antique Linen, Tea Dye', Riley Copic Marker Set, Sahara Sand, Morning Marigold, Cool Caribbean
Papers: Georgia Pacific cs, Bazzil cs, PP - Basic Grey 'Urban Prairie Collection - Bountiful & Sugared Collection - Delicious'
Access: Ribbon, Robin's Nest Dew Drops 'Sunflower', dimensionals