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

Mojo Sketch and New Paper!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Good Morning!

Ok, I know I said I was going to be a conservative stamper for a while, but I have a confession to make: I can not walk past a great paper stack and not have it come home with me. It's just not possible. So now I have some new K&Company paper to play with. And it's gorgeous!! Don't worry; I used a Michael's coupon on it :)

I couldn't wait and used some of it to create this card with this week's Mojo Sketch Challenge MOJO86. I loved this sketch! It was perfect for these Studio G $1 stamps. Yes, one dollar stamps! And the sentiment is from PaperTrey Ink's Board and Beams set. I thought they worked together so well!

I stamped the images onto Very Vanilla with Timber Brown StazOn and colored them with SU inks and an aquapainter. I added some of Taylor's Tiny Twinkles to the center of the flowers for some sparkle. Then I lightly sponged the edges with Antique Linen and matted them with the chocolate Bazzil paper. The horizontal panel was matted with a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock and it's edges were scalloped with decorative scissors. Then it was matted onto some Bazzil paper and the bottom edge was cut with some larger scalloped decorative scissors. I added a small piece of ribbon to the top of the panel just to balance out the panel. And that was it. I really liked how this one turned out.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Hope your Wednesday is a great one!


Supplies
Stamps: Studio G $1 stamps, sentiment from PaperTrey Ink 'Boards and Beams'
Inks: StazOn 'Timber Brown', Cool Caribbean, Certain Celery, Old Olive, Really Rust, Sahara Sand, Morning Marigold, Distress Inks 'Black Soot and Antique Linen'
Papers: Very Vanilla, Kraft, Georgia Pacific, Bazzil Basics, PP - K&Company 'Carolyn Gavin Greenhouse 8.5 x 8.5 stack'
Access: Ribbon (you have to look closely, but I snuck it in there!), Taylor's Tiny Twinkles, Decorative Scissors, Sponges, Dimensionals

Happy Cupcake Day!

Friday, April 17, 2009

What would you do if you got an email from Taylor VanBruggen asking if you'd like to be her Featured Cupcake Sampler for this week?

Squeal? Freak out? Sprout a grin from ear to ear? Yeah, that's pretty much what I did and I couldn't respond until my hands stopped shaking! Then I called my husband to tell him the news to which he responded with "That's great honey". I should have called my SCS friends - they would have squealed with me! Needless to say, I emailed Taylor back accepting the huge honor!!

That was Wednesday morning. In the afternoon I get a call from a dear friend who had just found out that her mum had passed away. So I spent all evening with her then came home to participate in the last hour of the Club Anya blog hop which finished at 11pm. It was only then that I finally sat down do create my card for Taylor! I had to get it done Wednesday night because Thursday morning was the only chance I would have to take a photo of it during daylight hours. And then it happened; around midnight, my mojo vanished! *insert wailing here* I finally finished this card, mojo-less, around 3am Thursday morning and went to work at 8am! Bad mojo!! And my evenings are normally so uneventful! LOL

In honor of being this week's Featured Cupcake Sampler for Taylor, I created a card using cupcakes! No brainer right? And because I couldn't resist making this a funny card, I paired them up with this little guy from Starving Artistamps/Doodle Factory. He has an addiction to cupcakes! Really though, who can blame him?!

The cupcake stamps are the same $1 Studio G stamps I used on my card on Monday, I stacked them up and colored the scene in with my trusty SU inks and aquapainter. The green strip is the other side of the designer paper I chose. I stamped a little confetti image on it from a Technique Tuesday set and paper pierced around the edge of it. Out came the decorative scissors again and I edged the green strip with two different sized scalloped borders. I then added the sentiment to the center of the circle layer, matted it and added two tails for fun!

If you'd like to play along on this week's Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge TECC64, just create your card and leave a link to it on on Mr. Linky in Taylor's blog post.

Thank you Taylor for an amazing opportunity!!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and I'll see you all next week! (I'll be in Minnesota for the first half of it!)

Supplies

Stamps: Starving Artistamps 'Creatures' and 'Quirky Sentiments', Technique Tuesday 'Icing On The Cake', Studio G $1 cupcake stamps

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Morning Marigold, Pretty In Pink, Regal Rose, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Sahara Sand

Papers: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil Bling cs, PP - Crate Paper 'Birdie Collection - Robin'

Access: Decorative scissors, circle punches, sponges

Hanna Stamps Friday Challenge

It's Friday!! At last!

Now that my work weeks are shorter (Wed-Fri), I look forward to the weekend even more (if that's even possible) because it means I can look forward to a four day weekend! I'm loving them so much!

This four day weekend is a little different though. I'm flying out to Minnesota for an all expenses paid trip...to check out a window factory!! Bhahahahhaha A local Marvin Window distributor is footing the bill to fly me and some local architects out to their factory to check out their production line. I can endure a factory visit for a plane flight and some peaceful nights to myself! ;) I like to think of it as a mini vacation. Not ideal, but I'll take what I can get! LOL

Ok, onto today's card! Today's Hanna Stamps Friday challenge HSC65 is hosted by yours truly and since it's April, my challenge is a take on the saying 'April showers bring May flowers'. Use polka dots and flowers on your card or project anyway, anyhow!

This week's Our Creative Corner challenge was a sketch and I used it for this card. I used the intravenous drip from April's new release Hospital set and 'happied' it up a bit with some fun paper from My Mind's Eye and some pretty red satin ribbon. :) I popped the image on dimensionals for some added pop to the card. And let me tell you - I cut that mounting tape ultra think for that drip stand!

If you'd like to play along with my challenge this week, just create a card and upload it to SCS using the keyword HSC65 and leave a link to it in this thread so I can leave you some love!

I'm posting another special card later this morning, so be on the look out for it!!


Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Hospital', sentiment by Studio G mini alphabet set
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Going Gray, Cool Caribbean, Ruby Red, Sahara Sand
Papers: Georgia Pacific cs, Bazzil cs, PP - My Mind's Eye '29th Street Market Collection - Peaceful "Treasure" Golden Rubies/Ruby Red Paper'
Access: Ribbon, Prima Flowers, heart button, dimensionals

One Dollar Cupcakes

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Good Morning! :)

Did you have a great weekend and Easter? We had a great day yesterday. Syd hunted for eggs in my MIL's basement since it was far too cold outside this year. She rounded up a huge shopping bag full of candy and small toys! (Time to purge her toy collection again!)

My card for you today was created using Taylor's Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge (TECC63) issued last Friday. I don't own many cupcake stamps, but a few weeks ago I bought these Studio G ones from Michaels. Yes, $1 Studio G stamps! Typically I will only buy them for their sentiments, but when I spotted these cute cupcakes I couldn't resist!


I stamped the cupcakes out on Georgia Pacific cardstock and colored them up with SU inks. Then I punched them out with a circle punch and matted them onto larger circles cut from Bazzil cardstock. I mounted them as a set of four images on the top layer. I then folded two different colored flowers from Heidi Swapp and added a fun brad to the center of it for a fun header to the card.

Remember how I mentioned a while back how more often than not the names of the patterned papers matched the theme of the card? Well this patterned paper by Imaginisce hit the nail on the head. It's from their 'All Kinds of Happy' collection and the name of it is...'Pink Frosting With Sprinkles'!! Crazy isn't it?! hahaha

Before I go, I just wanted to mention that I will soon be playing with some new stamps!! Last week Rubbernecker held their first ever blog stroll to showcase their new release of stamps and I won the Coffee and Tea Inchie set!! Thank you Red Hot Momma's and Rubbernecker! :)

Supplies

Stamps: Studio G stamps

Inks: StazOn 'Black Soot', Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Pretty In Pink, Pink Passion, So Saffron, Morning Marigold, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red

Papers: Georgia Pacific cs, Bazzil cs, PP - Imaginisce 'All Kinds of Happy - Pink Frosting With Sprinkles', Scenic Route 'Charlotte Collection - Scrap Strip 2'

Access: Decorative scissors, sponges, circle punches (1-1/8" and 1-1/4"), stickles, Heidi Swapp flowers, Making Memories brads

Oh Dear!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

I had different plans for this Whipper Snapper image.

I usually go to bed and dream up different layouts or sentiments to go with the images I've colored and up until the night before last, I had another layout planned for this image. Then this layout formed in my head and the other idea vanished! Does that ever happen to you?

I'm still pleased with how it turned out. It looks a little on the elegant side, but then you can't help kaugh at this little guy! This is a great image isn't it?! I think his whiskers or sprouts are hilarious! Perfect for get well cards!

One of the things I really like to do is choose paper colors that are complementary (or almost) to the main color on the image. That way the image really stands out. So when I was flipping through my stash I pulled this piece out by K&Company (that my friend Mary sent me) because it was mostly red, but still had a hint of that yellow/green color in it from the bug.

Again, he was colored with SU reinkers and an aquapainter.

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More blog candy anyone?!

My wonderfully talented friend Kadie Ensley, who also happens to be on The Greeting Farm's Design Team this Spring (plug plug) is giving away some of their lovely stamps (the Fairies) and all you have to do is leave a comment and follow her blog!?! How easy is that? So go now - follow her blog, see some delicious cards and you just might win some CANDY!

Hmmmm.....all this talk of other people's candy and I haven't even given any candy away of my own. Shame on me, no?! Don't worry, I will have some soon.....I've been hoarding a few of my favorite things for you all. ;)

See you all tomorrow!

Supplies

Stamps: Whipper Snapper Designs 'Caught A Bug', sentiment by Studio G Mini Alphabet set

Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Morning Marigold, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa

Papers: Canson Watercolor paper, Bazzil Bling cs, PP - K & Company 'Mira Designer Mat Pad'

Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, stickles

Need A Hug?

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Doesn't this guy look like he just needs a good hug?? Poor monster.

He's called Monster Bedtime and he's from Victoria Case's line of monster stamps. Remember when you were little and you swore that there were monsters under your bed, or in your closet? Or your imaginery monster friend? Victoria has captured these characters just perfectly!

So last week Victoria issued her customers a challenge. It was to create a card using the colors pink and brown and use one of her rubber stamps (vs. her digitals). I have a few of her stamps, so I picked a monster I hadn't colored yet, and I immediately thought of this polka dot paper in my stash. (Yes, there is ALOT of polka dot paper in my stash.)

My sewing machine pretty much permanently lives on the dining room table now, so I ran around the edges of the card with some brown thread. I didn't want to cover up that gorgeous paper, so I just popped Mr. Monster on some Bazzil cs and then popped that off the base with dimensionals. That thread on the button is some of that crafter's dental floss. Strange stuff to play with! And that pretty much it covers the whole card. I hope it's enough to win the challenge because the winner gets Victoria's yet to be released 'Sock Monkey' rubber stamp! And that would make me very happy. :D

Remember that Miss Anya card I showed you last week?? Well tomorrow I'll show you her friends!

Supplies
Stamps: Victoria Case Stamps 'Monster Bedtime', sentiment by Studio G mini alphabet set
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean, Old Olive, Vintage Violet
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Georgia Pacific cs, Bazzil cs, PP - Basic Grey '
Access: Button, dental floss, sewing, decorative scissors, dimensionals

Sneak Peek: Rockin!

Saturday, February 28, 2009

We built this city on ROCK n ROLL!

I LOVE everything about the 80's! I love the movies and music from that decade, but the clothes I think can do without. Ok, almost everything then! Although, I did follow a few trends back then; like the ra-ra and bubble skirts, big hair, smiley shirts and I even owned a pair of white robot glasses! Seriously I did! And I was the coolest thing at camp that year!! LMBO!

I had a great time finding those webpages - almost as much fun as I had making this card for today's sneak peek! Introducing Rockstar Hanna!

She's wild isn't she?! I {heart} the cartoon Hanna's with their bright eyes! This set has some of the coolest individual stamps. I wanted to try show you a range of them, so I have two cards today that showcase 6 out of the 13 stamps in the set.

This first card uses the main image in the set. Hanna and the amp are really one stamp; I snipped off the 'cord' that links the guitar to the amp because I figured I'd accidently cut it off anyway! I cut around the edges of my 5.5" x 5.5" card with some scalloped decorative scissors. The patterned paper is by KI Memories and I used both sides of it. Since there were stars on the pp, I punched stars out with my Fiskars star punch from glitter and black cardstock for some added sparkle. This would make a great card for a teenager, don't you think??

Here's a much simpler card using 5 stamps from the new set. Can you spot them all? (The sentiment is by Hampton Art and I found it at Michaels.) Even though this is a completely different look to the first card, I like it just the same. The old Basic Grey paper makes it more edgier and even a bit manly don't you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a great Saturday! I'll have another sneak peek for you tomorrow! Stay tuned.

Supplies
Card1
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Rockstar Hanna', sentiment by Studio G mini alphabet set
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pink Passion, Ruby Red, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Papers: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil cs, glitter paper, PP - KI Memories 'Love Elsie - Roxie Collection'
Access: Ribbon, decorative scissors, Fiskars star punch, dimensionals, sponges

Card2
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Rockstar Hanna', sentiment by Hampton Arts
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Distress Inks 'Black Soot, Weathered Wood, Vintage Photo & Walnut Stain'
Papers: Bazzil cs, PP - Basic Grey ' Aged & Confused and
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, sponges

Bear Hugs!

Monday, February 9, 2009

Good Morning! I hope you all had a great weekend. I puttered around the house for most of it. It was nice to just be home and not have any out of town obligations.

Last Friday The Man came home with something I haven't had in the house in over two years - TIM TAMS!! Tim Tams are an Australian chocolate cookie/sandwich that I have not found easily in the US. The last time I had them was Christmas 2006 when The Man bought me a whole supply of Australian food from an importer here in the US. He found these at a somewhat local (1hr away) unique gift shop in Vermont. I was so excited to have a little taste of home this weekend that I got a little carried away and.....well, lets just say that no one else in the house got a taste! LOL

From all the blog surfing I've been doing, I know I'm WAYYY behind in showing you some Valentines Day cards, but then again, I don't want to get all 'department storie' on you and show you things three months ahead of schedule! All week I have some fun and sweet cards to show you that celebrate this heart warming holiday.

Today's card uses a stamp from Doggone Stamps, called 'Bear With Pillow'. He's a cute little thing and looks a little sad hugging his pillow. If he's anything like my little girl, he's getting some comfort from hugging it. The layout is a sketch challenge that Jana Mays put to the rest of the Doggone Stamps design team and is open to anyone who wants to play along with us. I didn't tweak it much at all since the layout is right up my alley.

If you pop over to the thread on PCP that the girls started for this sketch challenge, you can find some other fabulous cards, like Lauri Ingram's!

Tomorrow I have another Twinkling sketch challenge for you all tomorrow (it's a doozer!). Thanks for stopping by today!


Supplies
Stamps: Doggone Stamps 'Bear with pillow', sentiment by Studio G
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Pretty In Pink, Real Red, Vintage Violet
Paper: Georgia Pacific cs, Cranberry Crisp, Bazzil cs, PP - K & Company 'Sweet Talk Die Cut Mat'
Access: Ribbon, K&Company 'Sweet Talk Acetate Die Cuts', heart button, dimensionals

Sneak Peek: Day One

Monday, February 2, 2009

Can you believe it's release week for Hanna Stamps again?! It feels like I just got done showing you last month's set. But if you thought those sets were great - Whoa Nelly!! You ain't seen NOTHING yet! This month's sets are nothing short of AWESOME!!

Meet G.I. Jon Riley!

I LOVE a man in a uniform! And doesn't Riley fill in his just nicely?! I think he'll be a popular choice amongst all the Riley fans with loved ones in the military. They do so much for this country and I'm thankful for their service.

Great patterned paper isn't it?? Wanna guess where I got it? Yep. At that New Years Day sale. I'm seriously starting to think that it wasn't a bad thing to wait in line for those 4 hours. So many cards benefited from it. :) This one wasn't a flukie purchase though - I thought of GI Jon Riley as soon as I saw it. It's double sided too, so you'll probably see the other side in my next card.

I found that sentiment in the Studio G $1 bin at Michaels last week. Good find hey?

Please stop by the other design team members blogs for their sneak peeks this week. There are three clear sets and two Rileys being released this Friday and if you're lucky, you might see all the sets today!

Have a fabulous Monday!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'GI Jon Riley', sentiment by Studio G
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, True Thyme, Morning Marigold, Distress Inks 'Black Soot & Vintage Photo'
Paper: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil cs, PP - Reminisce 'Go Army'
Access: Fiscars star punch, sponges, dimensionals

What Stinks??

Friday, January 30, 2009

When I worked in Vermont, I used to drive past a dairy farm everyday and certain days were more hazardous to your olfactory senses than others. Warm days mostly. *shudder* So glad I don't have that drive anymore!

So that's what inspired today's card! Some days just REALLY stink don't they?! Hubby suggested I put a big pile of dung at the cow's feet, but I told him I was taking the subtle approach instead. I don't think I could bring myself to send a card that had a steaming pile of poop on it to anyone I know!

When I bought this paper (yep, at that New Years Day sale) I had no idea what I was going to use it for because it's not paper that I typically buy. But doesn't it look like rolling hills on a farm?! Another one of those flukie purchases! Love that! Not much watercoloring on this card at all. I created some shadows on Miss Daisy and colored the bodies of the flies (they might bees but they're flies today!), and the rest of the card was sponged.

This card is today's Hanna Stamps Friday Challenge (HSC54) over at the SCS forum. Ilina Crouse is our hostess with the mostess this week and she has given us a sketch challenge to play with!I flipped the sketch on it's side for my card. It worked better with the cow. It'd would also allow you to use a Hanna for this sketch too. If you want to participate in this challenge, just upload your card to SCS, use the keyword HSC54, and leave a link in the thread so we can find your card and leave some love!

The following is some news. Proudly brought to you by moi! ;D

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HANNA STAMPS RELEASE WEEK

Yep, it's that time of the month again! And boy do we have some FABULOUS stamps this month!!! Barbie has nothing on our Hanna with her various looks and occupations! So starting Monday the design team will be previewing their sneak peeks on their blogs as well as SCS and PCP. Clear your social calendars this Thursday Feb 5th starting at 9pm EST because you're going to be busy ooohing and aaahing and typing in a mad frenzy to win some new stamps!! (I'll post the link to the forum for the release party when it's up and running).

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CLUB ANYA

Just reiterating what I mentioned earlier in the week with a bit more detail, Club Anya (a place for all things Anya and Ian related) is offically opening this Sunday February 1st.

To kick off the launch Jess, Club Anya's Vice President, has some really fun things planned for you! It all starts at NOON CST on the Club Anya blog with a special "Guess that Anya" blog hop (which I'm participating in!) that will ultimately end with the new release of Rock the Farm and an ALL NEW MYSTERY ANYA!!!! Ahhhhhhh! I'm hyperventilating just thinking about it!

Prizes?? Did someone say prizes? You got it!! Jess and Marie will be giving away some ADORABLE Anya Pocket Mirrors to the first 20 people who complete ALL the "Guess that Anyas" on the Blog Hop correctly, as well as completing an Anya "Scavenger Hunt". In addition, we will be giving away a few of the BRAND NEW ANYAs as well! How cool is that?

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See you all on Monday or on the blog hop!! Have a fabulous (snow free) weekend!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Hay Hanna' and 'Backyard Dwellers', sentiment by Studio G Mini Alphabet set
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Black Soot & Peeled Paint'
Paper: Georgia Pacific cs, Bazzil cs, PP -
Access: Ribbon, decorative scissors, circle punch, circle cutter

Love You Tons

Thursday, January 29, 2009

It's Thursday...finally!! I'll be at work for the morning, then I'm going home to take a well deserved nap! Have to take advantage of that since my daugther will be at daycare, hubby will still be at work and I don't want to spend the rest of the weekend recuperating!

I have another Doggone Stamps card to show you all today. And it's my first (well, second if you count yesterday's monster card) Valentines Day card of the year! I colored this guy up two weeks ago now and because of work, I've only just now had the time to make him into a card (I actually created this two nights ago after I got home from work at 11pm - can you say crazy?!)

Don't you just LOVE this little guy's cheeks and his little belly?? I was going for more of a masculine card or rather a card a man wouldn't mind giving, but then I remembered the comedy sketch by the HILARIOUS Kevin James about how men don't like buying cards for women.

Speaking of Kevin James, I have a story to share with you: When we were at the mall weekend before last, hubby and I were in the elevator with another couple and a security guard and all of a sudden the other couple started giggling. I look over and the woman was obviously laughing at the poor security guard and says 'Mall Cop". I wanted to bust out laughing, but then I refrained because the poor guy looked like he'd been called that 1000 times already!

Back to the card: as usual I colored this image using my SU inks and aquapainter. You may have noticed that my shadow isn't black. I tend to use Vintage Violet for my shadows on the ground. It makes for a more softer looking shadow than if I had used black ink. I sponged the patterned paper with my Distress Ink 'Walnut Stain', added a decorative edge with some scissors and popped on the sentiment (look Ma, a real sentiment!) which I found at Joannes, and a heart button from Michaels. Voila - a card that the hubby can give me! LOL

By the way, you might have noticed that my blog list for the Doggone Stamps design team got a little longer. Take a peek at their blogs to see some more very cool cards and projects.

Hope you're all having a great week. I have a funny Hanna Stamps card for you tomorrow, so come back, ok?? :D


Supplies:
Stamps: Doggone Stamps 'Boy With Flowers', sentiment by Studio G
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Cool Caribbean, Buckaroo Blue, Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Distress Inks 'Walnut Stain'
Paper: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil cs, PP - PP - EK Success 'Overton House Designs - Mint Expresso'
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, heart button, decorative scissors

Happy Release Day!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Ahoy There Me Mateys!!

I've been hanging out all WEEK just to say that! Haha Today I'm showcasing the third set Hanna Stamps is releasing later on tonight - 'Ahoy Hanna'. If you look really hard (I'm sorry the background is a little faint!) you may be able to spot the 4 stamps I've used from this set. There are 8 stamps total in the set.

Where is the patterned paper Sandra?? I know that's what some of you are thinking and I don't blame you. But I decided to change my MO for this card so I could use some of the accessories in this set and make my own (be it subtle) patterned paper. Baby steps, right? LOL

I kept the colors very traditional and nautical and went with Very Vanilla cardstock instead of Whisper White. It creates a very vintage feel to the card don't you think? Wanna guess what influenced that decision? That polka dot ribbon! It's sooooo delicious! It was from that 99 cents rack of ribbon at Michaels. And it was on sale for 49 cents! BARGAIN! I faux stitched around the edges of the card to imitate stitching you find on the leather seating on a power boat like Hannas.

My second card today uses the lighthouse and flying seagull images from the set. This scene popped into my head when I saw the lighthouse image and my initial reaction was "I can't paint that!" My art background lent more towards the 'technical' side of art, like graphic design, technical drawing and product design....fine art and painting scared the bee-geezes out of me! So I temporarily pushed this idea out of my head and sketched out other ideas. But as I started running out of time to create my cards, I threw caution to the wind and painted the scene. And you know what? I think it turned out ok! I found this patterned paper in my stash that looked weathered and paired it with some shiny, sparkly ribbon and voila - a card!

Definitely feel like I challenged myself on both these cards today. So I'm challenging you, my lovely readers, to do something that challenges you this week. Create something that is outside the box or use a product that you normally wouldn't reach for. I double dare you! hahaha

Hope to see some of you at the release party tonight! Pop in HERE starting at 9PM EST and say hi. I'll be in my PJ's and sipping on a glass of wine. :D

Supplies:

Card 1

Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Ahoy Hanna', sentiment by Studio G Mini Alphabet set

Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Cool Caribbean, Buckaroo Blue, Real Red, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen'

Paper: Bazzil cs and Very Vanilla

Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, paper piercer, Zig pen

Card 2
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Ahoy Hanna', sentiment by PaperTrey Ink

Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Cool Caribbean, Buckaroo Blue, Morning Marigold, Real Red
Paper: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil cs, PP - DaisyD's 'Robin's Egg Kids Stripe'

Access: Ribbon, circle punches, dimensionals

Sneak Peek: Day Three

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

I am such a space cadet sometimes!

I went to bed early last night to catch up on some sleep. I was content knowing that today's blog post was all set to go. This morning I awoke to find out that all that had posted were my cards and nothing else! I hadn't written anything! Apparently I can convince myself of anything when I'm half asleep! LOL

Today's sneak peeks are showcasing a new set called 'Hay Hanna'! When I first laid eyes on this set, I wasn't sure what I could come up with as far as greeting cards were concerned, but the more I doodled, the more ideas came to me.

And that's how "Hay There Chickie" was born! LOL There are a total of 16 stamps in this set and I've used 6 of them on this card! I can't wait for you to see all the animals in this set!!

I stamped out the feed bucket first onto watercolor paper. Then I masked it off with a post it note, then stamped out the hay bale, then Hanna and then the chicks last. The sky/background and ground were sponged on with Soft Sky and Distress Inks. The button was from a package I found at Walmart. The paper is from Crate paper - LOVE their stuff!

I have had this sentiment just sitting in my collection waiting for the right card to use it on....and then when I saw the cow in this new set, I had a bit of a 'Hallelujah' moment!! This very rarely happens, but I love it when it does! The layout is from SCS's Sketch Challenge (SC209) last week.

I stamped out Daisy the cow on watercolor paper first, then stamped her out again on Georgia Pacific cardstock for the top later. Then I sponged the background. Then I cut Daisy out from the GP paper and popped her on dimensionals. The sentiment is clear embossed to add a little bit extra punch to the card. Last but not least, I added some googlie eyes! Daisy was BEGGING for them! LOL This could be a great 'get well' card don't you think? It'd make me laugh if I got it!

Please check out the wonderful creations made by the other Hanna Girls on their blogs! They are churning out some stunning cards this week! :D (The list is on the left).

I have two more cards for you tomorrow and then it's release party time!! :D Waahooooo!

Have a fabulous Wednesday!

Supplies:
Card 1
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Hay Hanna', sentiment by Studio G Mini Alphabet Set
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Morning Marigold, Soft Sky, Buckaroo Blue, Chocolate Chip, Distress Inks 'Vintage Photo
Paper: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil cs, PP - Crate Paper 'New Garden Collection - Fresh Cut'
Access: Twine, button, brads, dimensionals, decorative scissors


Card 2
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Hay Hanna', sentiment by Inkadinkado 97939-LL'

Inks: Staz On 'Timber Brown', Versamark, Creamy Caramel, Cool Caribbean, Certain Celery, Distress Inks 'Peeled Paint'
Paper: Bazzil cs, Georgia Pacific cs, PP - We R Memory Keepers 'Urban Window Collection - Boho Chick/Funky Mix'
Access: Ribbon, googlie eyes, dimensionals, clear ep

Sneak Peek: Day Two

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

It's day two of the Hanna Stamps sneak peeks and I have the two new Riley's for you today!

First up is 'Aerobics Riley'....or is it Aerobics Sophie? Hmmmm, I think this moose is a little confused! LOL I typically wear shorts to the gym so I figured this Riley was a Sophie!

This HAS to be the cutest Riley yet!! I know my girls on the Skinny Bop Swap are gonna want this stamp! hahaha I used Madelynn's Twinkling Tuesday sketch (MTTSC4) for this card. (I'd post the sketch too, but this blog entry is getting a bit lengthy already!) The sketch lent itself perfectly to the Riley image. If you would like to see more wonderful creations using 8 year old Madelynn's sketch, please blog hop on over to the other girls on Madelynn's Twinkling Design Team (the list is on the left).

Can you tell that I used (my new) copics to color in Riley's body, hooves and antlers?? I'm so excited!! I used them back in college and remembered how yummy they were to use, but I hadn't given in to the copic trend in card making before now because I there are just so many colors to choose from and I didn't know where to start. If that sounds like you, then I have the solution! Mrs Kristi has put together a set of 12 copic markers JUST for Riley's!! It's such a great idea because it takes all the confusion out of which color to buy! If you like, I'll go into more detail about the set and a comparison on coloring with copics verses watercoloring next week for you. The rest of Riley was colored in with my SU inks and aquapainter.

Meet Motorcycle Riley. Isn't he sexy on his bike?! Now this is my kind of bike. I've always loved motorbikes and the men who ride them! I actually have a motorbike licence (both in the US and Australia) so maybe this is Sophie on a bike?

The sentiment is from Inkadinkado's 'Road Trip' set. And the paper is from Crate Paper's 'Static Collection'. It fits perfectly with this Riley! And even last month's Van Riley!

Remember, Hanna Stamps is offering a 10% discount this month until Jan 31st on all purchases, which will include this month's sets. Wouldn't want that to go to waste now would you?? All you need to do is add the keyword SUPPORT in the box at checkout. Now I can hear my friends Kadie, Mary, Karen and Di all yelling at me for enabling them....but I say it's not enabling; it's merely presenting options. ;)


Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the cards today. I'll have two more sneak peeks for you tomorrow!


Supplies:
Card 1
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Aerobics Riley', Studio G Mini Alphabet set
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Versamark, Certain Celery, Pretty In Pink, Vintage Violet, Riley Copic set by Hanna Stamps!
Paper: Bazzil cs, Georgia Pacific cs, PP - We R Memory Keepers 'Write Out Collection - Hoopla/Hysteria'
Access: American Craft ribbon, dimensionals, circle punches and scalloped square punch

Card 2
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Motorbike Riley', sentiment by Inkadinkado 'Road Trip 97638'
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Hanna Stamps! 'Riley Copic Set', Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Black Soot and Vintage Photo'
Paper: Bazzil cs, Georgia Pacific cs, PP - Crate Paper 'Static Collection - Gravity & Torn'
Access: Brads, dimensionals

Wish I May, Wish I Might!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Ok, so this isn't quite a Christmas card but it has a star on it! LOL Gotta count for something right??


Isn't she the sweetest thing you've EVER seen?? Sadly, I don't own this stamp and up until yesterday I didn't know who made it or how I came to own the image. But I did some detective work and figured out that my colorful Canadian friend Paola owns it and it's made by Penny Black. I have to have this stamp! It was such a treat to color up! I just used my SU inks and my aquapainter again and the star was begging for some stickles so I obliged. Wouldn't it be cute if the backgroun was painted up like the night sky with little twinkle lights all around her??

Strange though, I was also listening to Twilight on my IPOD while coloring her up and she didn't turn all dark and thirsty on me! :D Those bunnies are devious I tell ya!!

I have some fun news for you all too; yesterday Jessica Diedrich, of 'The Whimsical Butterfly' fame asked me to be on her daughter Madelynn's Twinkling Tuesday Design Team! YAY! Of course I said yes! It's a weekly (Tuesday) sketch challenge drawn by Madelynn herself. Since today is Tuesday, head over to Jessica's blog for her daughter's second only sketch. I'll have my sample to show you tomorrow.

Just an FYI, tomorrow will be my last post this week. I'm taking the rest of the week off for family time. Well, it IS Christmas! LOL Only two more sleeps to go!

Supplies:
Stamps: Penny Black 'On A Star #2307K', Studio G mini alphabet set
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Morning Marigold, Creamy Caramel
Paper: Whisper White, Bazzil cs, PP - Basic Grey 'Sugared Collection - Attractive'
Access: Ribbon, stickles, dimensionals

Christmas traditions

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Do you have any Christmas traditions in your family?

When I was growing up we did the usual Christmas traditions like leaving a plate of biscuits (cookies) and a glass of milk out for Santa and those infamous Christmas crackers would come out at dinner. When I moved to the US, I introduced the crackers to my husband's family who had never heard of them! Now they're on the table every year. Christmas Eve is usually spent at either our place or at a BIL's house. A couple of years ago we discovered that the kids could 'track Santa' on Christmas Eve too! Here's the LINK.

Another tradition we started last year with our daughter was the 'Elf on a Shelf'. Have you heard of this? I heard about it last year and snapped up a copy of the book and the elf! You introduce the book to the kids after Thanksgiving time and the story goes that Santa sends an elf to every boy and girl to watch over them. Then at night, while they sleep, the Elf flies home to the North Pole to report to Santa on whether the child has been naughty or nice. And when he returns the next morning, he sits in a different location around the house and the kids have to find him. My three year old adores him and really gets a kick out telling the elf what she wants for Christmas!


Here's a card I made for a dear friend of mine. She generously sent me some more wonderful Magnolia images which I could not wait to color up!! I wanted to make her a Christmas card with one of the images but not have it appear too 'Christmassy', know what I mean?

I used some double sided SEI paper that had the polka dots on one side and the tulips on the other. I just layered it on some Bazzil cardstock and popped the image on some pop dots for a 3D effect. Then I went looking for a Christmas sentiment and couldn't find anything that fit the space beside the Magnolia image. So I made up one with the Studio G mini alphabet stamps I have from Michaels. It works doesn't it? hahahhaa I used SU's Real Red and Cranberry Crisp on her dress to give it some depth. I faux stitched the edges because my sewing machine is packed away.

Hope my friend likes it! Only 9 days until Christmas now - holy cow! Where the heck did this year go?? See you all tomorrow!


Supplies:
Stamps: Magnolia, Studio G Mini Alphabet set
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Cranberry Crisp, Certain Celery
Paper: Bazzil cs, PP - SEI 'Winnies Walls' - "Playful Pansies"
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, Martha Stewart edge punch, paper piercer, Zig pen, White Signo pen

Sneak Peek Day Three!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Who doesn't love Riley?? I know I sure do! And what's better than one Riley on a card?? Two of course! The two Rileys being released this week work perfectly together on a card. Van Riley and Trailer Riley are their names and they make a dynamic duo!


I stamped the two images on watercolor paper, colored them up with SU inks then cut them out with my trusty precision scissors. I then stamped out two extra Rileys, colored, cut and mounted them on the original images for some depth. The patterned paper is a great die cut piece that I found at Michaels. It's in the shape of a road sign, but I cut it down to fit the card. The size of this card is 4" x 8.25", which should fit in a standard sized business envelope.


My second Riley card for you isn't what it appears to be. It's Van Riley disguised as an ambulance! Can you tell? I masked off the back panel window with a post it note (or rather a bit of one), inked him up and stamped him out. Then I colored a scrap piece of watercolor paper in Real Red and Cranberry Crisp, drew a cross over it with a Micron pen and cut it out. Adhere it to Van Riley in place of the window and voila! You now have Ambulance Riley! :D The charm is from Hanna Stamps. If you haven't checked out the charms at the store, you really should because there are so many of them and you're bound to find one that fits your card theme!

Some of my lovely friends left comments saying they wanted to see our Christmas tree, so here it is! The photo doesn't do it justice though. I wish computers had 'smell-a-vision'! I don't need to light any Yankee Candles at the moment because the smell from this tree consumes you as soon as you walk in the door!
Well, only one more day until the release party! I hope to 'see' you all there.....err, I mean HERE! I have my last two sneak peeks for you tomorrow, so y'all come back now yer hear?!

Supplies
Card 1
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Van Riley + Trailer Riley', Studio G 'Mini Alphabets'
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, True Thyme, Morning Marigold, Soft Sky, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Paper: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil cs, PP - Making Memories 'Passport Die Cut Road Sign'
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, paper piercer

Card 2
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Van Riley'
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Paper: Bazzil cs, Georgia Pacific cs, PP - My Mind's Eye 'Wild Asparagus - "Merry Christmas" Dots/Blue Paper'
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, jump ring, crutches charm, scalloped square punch, Zig pen

Girl's Nite Out!

Friday, November 28, 2008

Way back before marriage and before kids, I had some amazing and down right funny Friday nights out with my girlfriend, Melanie. During our college years, we lived out in the burbs and she worked in the city (I played the 'starving artist' role) and we would meet up after she got out of work to hit the clubs and bar scene until around midnight when we'd do our 'Cinderella dash' and catch the last train home! Some of those train rides home were hilarious!! (Imagine two tipsie girls in fits of laughter or one offering the other her handbag to puke in! TMI maybe??) Even though we're in our thirties now, I think when I get home, we're going to have to do a 'one night only' performance just for old times sake!

Nowadays, my 'girls night out' entails staying home in my jammies watching a good movie or stamping. A lack of girlfriends around me as well as living in a small country town has impacted my lack of entertainment opportunities, but in the dead of winter, it's not such a bad thing!

This great image was given to me again by my funny friend Paola. I sent me a stack of Stamping Bella images and this is quite appropriate since it's her birthday this week! Happy Birthday Paola honey! This is also my second attempt at coloring with pencils and goo gone. It's definitely a skill that I need to work on. I should invest in the better (Taiwan made) blending stumps and some Gamsol, but with Christmas coming up, I'm pausing on shopping for myself.

It took me forever to pick out some patterned paper to go with this image! Everything I picked out kept clashing with the colors I used. Then I pulled this black and cream patterned paper out of my scraps and had a brainwave - if there's lots of color going on in an image, keep the background neutral! I think it all came together very nicely, don't you? This card is heading Paola's way!

I'll be stamping up a storm this weekend getting ready for the Hanna Stamps release party next Thursday. Mark it down on your calendars - you DON'T want to miss this one! :D

Supplies:
Stamps: Stamping Bella 'PMSabella', Studio G 'Mini Alphabet' set
Inks: StazOn, Prismacolor pencils + Goo Gone
Paper: Whisper White, Bazzil cs, PP - Crate Paper 'Avenue Collection - Style'
Access: Ribbon, brads, dimensionals, Micron pen

Hip Hip Hurray - it's Saturday!

Friday, November 14, 2008

I love Saturdays because it's the weekend and I don't have to be at work and I have time to run errands at my own pace. My three year old has a gymnastics class around 1pm today and then hopefully, we're headed to the Mall to stock up on some winter clothes for her. I can't stand the fact that the closest mall to me is 1.5 hours away! Blah!


Anyway, isn't this a fun card?! I received this image as part of an image swap I was in a few months back, and I had no idea who made it until now. I did a little bit of web surfing (I googled 'pigs + cupcakes rubber stamp') and found out that it's made by Close To My Heart.

I let the pigs do all the talking on this card and matted them front and center on the kraft cs. I used Karen Foster's snap stamp mini alphabet set to stamp the background. Excuse the pun, but I snapped up two of these sets when they were at my LSS a few years back and I'm so glad I did because they were discontinued and it's unbelieveably hard to find any for sale anywhere now! I stamped the sentiment using the new Studio G $1 stamps from Michaels. They're so much fun to play with too! Expecially since I'm severly lacking in sentiment stamps, so these are perfect for me! If I owned this stamp, I probably would have stamped another image and cut out the heads and popped them on dimensionals for a layered look.

Ok, time for me to get going today....hope your day is a fun one!


Supplies:
Stamps: Close To My Heart 'Nursery Bash', Studio G $1 alphabet stamps, Karen Foster Design Snap Stamps
Inks: Pretty In Pink, Close To Cocoa, Vintage Violet
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Bazzil cs
Access: American Craft ribbon, piercing tool, dimensionals