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

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Hope you're all snug and cosy inside your homes or your friends, or family's home this morning. Along with millions of other US families, we're watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on tellie and as soon as I blog about it, I'll be preparing some meatball appetizers, a raspberry cheese dip, an apple dip, devilled eggs, some sweet potatoes (or 'kumara' as it's known in New Zealand), carrots and corn.

I've been in the US for almost 8 years, so this is a relatively new tradition for me, but one that I absolutely love! I love how everyone in our family brings a dish to share (even if the bachelors just bring bread!) and it's generally regarded as a day of feasting until you have to remove your belt, or pop a button or two! LOL Thanksgiving three years ago we broke the news to my hubby's family that 'we was thankful that it would be our last Thanksgiving as a family of two'. It was quite the Thanksgiving surprise! :D No such news this year I'm afraid....maybe next year.

Since this holiday is about sharing and enjoying family and friends, I want to give thanks to all my online friends I'm made through SCS and those that follow my blog . You truly brighten my day with your comments and encouragement and none of what I've accomplished this year would have been even remotely possible had it not been for all your love and support. Thanks so much for being my friend. *mwah*

Speaking of online friends; one very sweet and always effervescent friend gave me this Stamping Bella image months ago and I've only gotten around to coloring it up now. Paola (or rather 'SAMA' as she's known on SCS, is the most bubbliest and funnest friends I have made. She's always bright and that goes for her posts too! This woman is full of color!!

I cased the layout from this card by the awe-inspiring stamper Kim Teasdale, or 'Blondie090277' on SCS. Her cards are works of art! I have to tell you that I'm really smitten with how this card turned out!! Can I {heart} my own card? I don't see why not! The base and matting is Bazzil cs and the second layer is Kraft cs. The rest of the colors you see are from two sheets of double sided patterned paper by Crate Paper. Very yummy paper that I had no idea what to do with until this card came about. I watercolored Bella's pants in True Thyme and added some Real Red to her shirt for a bit of pop. I haloed Bella with Distress Inks 'Tea Dye'. It's a very strong color, so I only add a tiny bit to my aquapainter at a time. The sentiment was created with Karen Foster's snap stamps.

Ok, now I have to get off the computer and go make some food! Have a good one folks!

(Oh, but before I do, I just wanted to tell you all that you're prayers and thoughts worked yesterday - we successfully made it to Manhattan and back in one piece! Thank you everyone!)

Supplies:
Stamps: Stamping Bella 'Chefabella', Karen Fosters Snap Stamps
Inks: StazOn, Creamy Caramel, Real Red, Cranberry Crisp, True Thyme, Soft Sky, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Distress Inks 'Black Soot & Tea Dye'
Paper: Whisper White, Bazzil cs, PP - Crate Paper "Cowgirl Collection - Red Boots & Buckle"
Access: Brads, circle punches, decorative scissors, dimensionals, sponges

Inspired by good friends

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

By the time some of you read this, me and my family will be in New York City for the day. Hopefully. We left at 4am just so we could miss the morning traffic in Hartford, CT and New Haven, CT. Please pray that this is a successful trip for us.

My funny and dear friend Mary sent me this Magnolia image and a pack of paper as motivation on her Mmmm Skinny Bop swap. Hostess with the mostest I tell ya!! Her only request was that we make a card using the paper she sent us. Easy peesy Mary!! :D

The paper she sent me matched perfectly with some left over Basic Grey paper I had. I sponged each of the pieces of patterned paper with matching Distress Ink, then matted them with the Bazzil cs that is available at Michaels.

Monday's card with the same image was my second attempt at coloring up this image. This one was my first attempt, and I think I did well coloring her up until I got to the background. I'm not happy with how that turned out. If you enlarge the photo you'll see that the Vintage Violet didn't blend very well on the Whisper White. I kept trying to correct it and made a mess of it instead. Next time, I'd keep the background glow to a minimum when watercoloring on Whisper White.

Notice how I left off any sentiment?? Yeah, well I sat there for about an hour thinking about where to put it and couldn't come up with a solution so I just left it off.....if any of you smart ladies want to suggest a place - please do!! :D

Take care and hope your plans for Thanksgiving are going well. I did my Thanksgiving shopping on Monday so I didn't have to cram it in today. I sure am thankful of that this morning!! hahaha


Supplies:
Stamps: Magnolia '#300 with hood'
Inks: StazOn, Creamy Caramel, Pretty In Pink, Real Red, Certain Celery, True Thyme, Morning Marigold, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Vintage Violet, Distress Inks 'Weathered Wood & Vintage Photo'
Paper: Whisper White, Kraft, Bazzil cs, PP - Basic Grey "Aged & Confused Sublime Collection - Cinnamon Stipe" and My Mind's Eye '29th Street' and K&Company Brenda Walton 'Designer Mat Pad'
Access: Ribbon, paper piercer, dimensionals, sponges, zig pen

Merry Christmas Big Boy!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

How sexy is this stamp??? When I saw it on the Rubbernecker website, I thought 'That would make a great card for DH...or if my friends wanted to give a card to their hubbies! Wouldn't it?

Her name is Miss Holly and i inked her up for this week's Rubbernecker Challenge, RNBC10, on their blog. The challenge was to use some sparkle, shimmer or shine on your project. If you enlarge the photo, you'll see I've added some Diamond Stickles to Holly's dress, her hat, the holly on her shoes, and the stars behind her. The snowflakes which we punched using my Martha Stewart punch, were punched from white glitter paper.

Take care and watch for another Magnolia card I have for you tomorrow!

Supplies:
Stamps: Rubbernecker 'Miss Holly'
Inks: StazOn, 'Timber Brown', Creamy Caramel, Soft Sky, Certain Celery, Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Vintage Violet
Paper: Whisper White, Bazzil cs, PP - My Mind's Eye Wild Asparagus 'so pretty'
Access: Ribbon, charm, jump ring, MS snowflake punch, Diamond and Fruit Punch stickles, Signo pen, paper piercer, decorative scissors

Oh so sweet!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Yesterday's Featured Stamper Challenge (FS94) on SCS highlighted the wonderful creations of Elizabeth Neumann (aka Ebethneu). She has these amazing 'shabby chic' style cards that I've always admired but have been afraid to do because even though I'm still not sure what my style is, I know it's definitely NOT shabby chic! Yet, I can't stop oohing and aahing over cards with this feel to them.


So this is my CASE of Elizabeth's card 'Tea With Lily'. I borrowed the card's overall shabby chic look and the embellishments. I will freely admit that I'm embellie-impaired! After I get past the color selection and layout, my biggest hangup are the embellishments and sentiment. It will sometimes take me two hours to finish the card once the coloring is done. So sad!

Now, I don't own this Magnolia stamp (boo hoo). I was given two stamped images of her by my dear and funny friend Mary. I used one on a card I have to show you later in the week, and this is what I did with the other one. They are all the rage on SCS at the moment, and I can see why. They're so stinking cute and fun to color! I kept the colors on this card soft to match the yummy paper from Crate Paper. I used buttons instead of flowers to adorn my card and finished it off with some wide sheer ribbon with a heart charm. I really like how this card turned out! I think the paper and Magnolia stamp helped me out a bit though!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. We stuck close to home this weekend and it was a nice change.



Supplies:
Stamps: Magnolia Stamps '#300 with hood'
Inks: StazOn, Creamy Caramel, Soft Sky, Cool Caribbean, Certain Celery, Pretty in Pink, Morning Marigold, Close to Cocoa, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen'
Paper: Whisper White, Bazzil cs, PP - Crate Paper Blue Hill Collection - 'Rain'
Access: Buttons, ribbon, charm, jump ring, decorative scissors, Martha Stewart edge punch, Tim Holtz edge distresser, dimensionals, sponges

A dusting of SNOW!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

That is what greeted us this morning as we woke. It's our first 'snow' of the year....and it isn't even Thanksgiving yet! We might be in for a snowy winter this year.

This first snow makes my card very appropriate for today! It's Christmas morning Riley! Actually, it's really Sleepy Time Riley, but look what you can do with him! I have to admit, I was a little bit inspired by Kitti Caracciolo's Christmas Tree card. She did such a great job (she always does) that I decided to pull out my uninked wreath stamp from Rubbernecker and do something similar with Riley.

I first stamped the wreath with StazOn 'Timber Brown' ink on Whisper White cs, then watercolored over the branches in True Thyme first then added Certain Celery second to add a bit of depth to the image. I then added some Diamond Stickles to some of the branches. I added Fruit Punch Stickles as berries. Riley was watercolored with my SU inks. To play up the white fluffy slippers and teddy bear, I use Soft Sky in the shadows and added more Diamond Stickles - you can NEVER have enough! LOL The background piece was stamped with a 'Happy Holidays' sentiment on an angle. Here's a detail of the card so you can see the sparkle on the card.
Sorry for the late posting today. Hubby had to work today and DD was itching to get to Michael's to buy herself a flower. When we went yesterday, she didn't have her purse with her - today she did! LOL Hope everyone has set aside some stamping or creating time today. I'm hoping to get a couple of cards done tonight.

Take care,
Sandra

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Sleepytime Riley', Rubbernecker 'Wreath + Scroll Holiday'
Inks: StazOn 'Timber Brown', Certain Celery, True Thyme, Real Red, Cranberry Crisp, Soft Sky, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Whisper White, Bazzil cs, PP - Pebbles Inc. 'Great Outdoors Trees'
Access: Ribbon, Diamond and Fruit Punch Stickles, dimensionals

Create a scene!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

That's the name of this weeks Friday challenge at Hanna Stamps! This week's gracious host is the talented Diana Gibbs. You HAVE to check out Diana's creation on her blog!! It's so amazing! Check it out HERE. Diana's challenge, HSC44, is to create a scene on a card.

This is usually the scene that greets me when I come home from work and hubby has been home sick with a cold. He's usually a man that hates clutter, but when he's sick, he's the Slob from Mars. I'll find tissues on the floor beside the couch, on his bedside table and on the bathroom floor. It's impossible for the man to find the trash bin when he's sick!

I first stamped Hanna from the 'Domestic Goddess' set then I laid the side table from the 'Get Well Hanna on the paper to help me eyeball where the tissue box should go. I then inked up the tissue box, removed the side table stamp and stamped the tissue box in it's place. I quickly masked off the tissue box and stamped the side table around it. To create the background, I first colored the 'wall' with Soft Sky ink down to a point where I thought the floor should start. Then I colored the floor in strips of Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa. Once I was happy with how the floor looked, I drew in the lines of the floor board with my Sakura Micron pen. The rest of the image was watercolored the usual way. I added the tissue balls last by pulling pieces off a tissue, balling them up and adhering them with my Sakura Quickie glue pen.

So what are your plans for the weekend? Ours will be a quiet one. My 3 yr old and I will be making 'turkey-hand cookies' for the kids in her class. Hope you have a great weekend. I.ll have a very Moosey Christmas card tomorrow.

Have a fabulous Friday!!

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Get Well Hanna' and 'Domestic Goddess', MFT 'Rain or Shine'
Ink: StazOn 'Timber Brown', Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Soft Sky, Real Red, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Paper: Bazzil cs, Very Vanilla, PP - EK Success 'Overton House Designs - Mint Expresso
Access: Ribbon, decorative scissors, dimensionals, tissue, Sakura Micron pen 0.4

Let the countdown begin!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Only seven more sleeps until Thanksgiving in the US! Yay! We're very fortunate that we don't have to travel on this day. My in laws live 5 minutes down the road from us, so my 3 year old won't get cranky on the way there and the appetizers I bring will still be warm!

Here's a card I made in honor of Thanksgiving Day next week. Isn't this the cutest image you've seen?? I wish I could tell you what company it's from, but after a half hour of scouring the Internet and SCS, I couldn't find any info on it. If you know who makes it, can ya let me know?? I may just have to make a purchase. This is another image I had received in an image swap and lost track of who it was from. Sorry!!

Again, I colored the image with my SU inks and aquapainter. I don't have the SU Basic Black ink, so I use my Distress Inks 'Black Soot' instead. It's great because it can give you the blackest of black or just a very light grey coverage. For the background, I channeled my Hanna Stamps DT pal and Dirty Dozen Alumni, Jeanne Streiff. I really love how her cards are so detailed, yet so uncluttered. I let the image take center stage on this card and just matted it, popped it on dimensionals and onto the card. The ribbon was something I picked up at my LSS a year ago and I got the charm at a cute little scrapbook store in Manchester, NH called Talk, Paper, Scissors. The cutest little shop ever and they have this workshop area that is to DIE for!! I have to go back there again soon!

Ok, now I have to get dressed and head to work! LOL But before I do, there's just one person I have to give a shout out.....

HAVE A ROCKIN' HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARY!!!

Supplies:
Stamps: Unknown
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Certain Celery, Cool Caribbean, Cranberry Crisp, Morning Marigold, True Thyme, Sort Sky, Distress Inks 'Black Soot and Vintage Photo'
Paper: Bazzil cs, Whisper White, PP - Melissa Frances 'Ramona'
Access: Ribbon, jump ring, charm, dimensionals

Shake your Booties!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

No! Not that! Although, you haven't seen anything until you see my three year old wiggle her back end and sing "Shake your bootie!" It's priceless!

The booties I'm talking about today are the little ones you can find on the 'B is for Baby' set at Hanna Stamps. They're just darling and I have always thought they had a very vintage feel to them, so that's the look I went with on this card.


I sponged a piece of Whisper White with my Distress Inks in 'Tea Dye', then stamped the image over the top. Then I stamped the image again on another piece of WW and used my aquapainter to color them in. Then I cut the little boots out and popped them on a dimensional. The rest is just layers of Bazzil cs and PP. Don't you just love this particular paper?? It's a piece from Basic Grey I've had sitting in my stash for years now. It was just waiting for the perfect card to come along. *sigh*

Here's a close up of the coloring and layers.

Happy Hump Day Everyone!


Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'B is for Baby'
Ink: StazOn 'Timber Brown', Distress Inks 'Vintage Photo and Tea Dye'
Paper: Whisper White, Bazzil cs, PP - Basic Grey '
Access: Ribbon, Kaiser pearls, EK Success corner creator, dimensionals

Kristi's Dad

Monday, November 17, 2008

I have been humming and haaing over posting something on this but I feel I need to because my heart just goes out to the sweet Mrs Kristi and her family right now.

For those who haven't heard, Mrs Kristi's dad suffered a massive heartattack last Friday that left him without oxygen for more than 10 minutes before help arrived. Kristi has just updated everyone on her blog that the family has decided to remove him off life support. My heart is so heavy with saddness for Kristi, Hanna and her family right now. The pain they must be going through right now is heartbreaking.

So please keep our friend Kristi and her family in your thoughts and prayers this week. This week will be hard on her and I'm sure she could use all your love and support during this time.

Hang in there Kristi!

Happy Birthday Ish!

Who is Ish you ask? Had I not bumped into him and his dad at daycare, I wouldn't have known either. Ish happens to be a little boy in my daughter's class and all weekend, I kid you not, she talked non-stop about how it was his birthday soon and she had to make a card for him. So over the weekend, my 3 year old daughter and I made cards for Ish.

This is my sweet girl hard at work at my craft table.

And this is what she colored in.

It's definitely minimalist in it's style! LOL I think she got intimidated by the stamped image because this isn't how she colors if given a coloring book!


Here's my card for Ish. I wish I could say that I own this stamp, but I unfortunately don't. I received it in an image swap on SCS a while back. It's by Stampendous and it's from their Changito the Monkey line. I usually search through my scrap paper pile before breaking into my stash of new paper and I found this piece from Scenic Route which went perfectly with the cute monkeys! Another simple card but I'm really liking these simple ones. Besides that, it's for a three year old....no need to go overboard!

Toodles!

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampendous 'Changito B-Day' & Starving Artistamps/Doodle Factory 'Creatures'
Inks: Staz On, Close To Cocoa, Certain Celery, Morning Marigold
Paper: Whisper White, Bazzil cs, PP - Scenic Route 'Beach House'
Access: Ribbon (unknown), button, dimensionals

B is for Baby

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Well, we didn't make it to gym class on Saturday because we ended going to see the Madagasgar II moive at an IMAX theatre. It was a lot of fun! It's the second movie I've seen at an IMAX and I'm thinking I now can't see a movie any other way!

For today's card I attempted the technique of using prismacolor pencils and gamsol (or if you're like me and don't have any gamsol or odorless mineral spirits, goo gone!) I've long admired the work of the talented Paula Tracy and yet the longer I stare at her wonderful card creations, the more nothing rubs off on me!! hahaha I'd LOVE to color like Paula does but I think I need a lot more practice.

Anyways, I used Hanna Stamps! 'B is for Baby' set that was just released last week. It's a really nice baby set to have because it has a little bit of everything. It's not really orientated to one particular sex, which I like. The layout I used is from the sketch challenge from Paper Craft Planet. It's a new website dedicated to all types of paper crafts. If you haven't checked it out already I suggest you do so. I was hesitant, because I didn't think I needed another place to hang out online, since SCS dominates most of my online life! But so far, it's been a really cool place to view some amazing work. If you do end up over there, add me as a friend - I could use some! LOL

Hope everyone has a great week coming up!
Toodles!

Supplies
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'B is for Baby'
Ink: Archival Brilliance 'graphite black', Buckaroo Blue
Paper: Kraft, Bazzil cs, PP - Making Memories 'Chatterbox - unknown'
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, prismacolor pencils, Goo Gone, paper piercer

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

TGIF!!

I'm so done with this week, aren't you?! I want to be home, with my family hanging out watching a movie while it's dark and rainy outside. Yeah!

As is with every Friday, today is Hanna Stamps Challenge Day over at SCS! This week's challenge, HSC43, is brought to you by the talented Jeanette Olen. It's a sketch challenge, so get out your Hanna Stamps or Riley's and start stamping!! (If you don't have any Hanna Stamps, don't let that stop you.)


When I started this card, I knew I wanted to create a warm, cosy kind of card but the vintage look that it has just kind of morphed on it's own!

Today I'm using the 'Get Well Hanna' set from Hanna Stamps which was released last week. I sponged the edges of the patterned paper with my Ranger Distress Inks 'Vintage Photo'. The piece of deep red cs is the other side of the orange harlequin paper! Then I stamped out the box of tissues first, masked it off with a post it note, then stamped the side table over it. I sponged the edges of this piece heavily in DI 'Antique Linen and Vintage Photo'. The side table was watercolored with the Vintage Photo ink and the box of tissues with SU Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Crisp and Soft Sky. I added the ribbon and charm last. The charm is from Hanna Stamps too! If you haven't already, I suggest you check out their range of charms - there is a charm to match every stamp set and Riley that Hanna Stamps sells!! Don't believe me? Check it out here!

Happy Friday everyone!!


Supplies:
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Get Well Hanna'
Inks: Staz On 'Timber Brown', Sky Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Crisp, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain'
Paper: Very Vanilla, Bazzil cs, PP - My Mind's Eye 'Bohemia -Bungalow "You Are My Sunshine" #BH2135'
Access: Ribbon, charm, jump ring, sponges, dimensionals

Read My T!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I can't believe it's Thursday already! Where on earth did the week go?? Hubby has the weekend off so we're scheming up something fun to do - what are your plans for the weekend? Maybe you can give me some ideas!

Yesterday's SCS sketch challenge (SCS202) lent itself perfectly to the Hanna Stamps! 'Read My T' set released last week because the set has lots of individual stamps that you could use on the individual squares.

The hearts are one of the stamps that comes with the set and I used it to stamp the rainbow of hearts on the small squares. I think it turned out pretty great, don't you? (Nod your head!) Hanna has another t-shirt saying on her shirt which ended up being my sentiment for the card.

Some friends of mine think this set's name should be changed to Gigantor Hanna! She's not your average little petite thing thats for sure! And at 5'-9", I too have never been called petite, so this Hanna and I have something in common! LOL!


Toodles!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Read My T'
Inks: Archival Brilliance 'graphite black', Creamy Caramel, Pretty in Pink,
Paper: Bazzil cs, Georgia Pacific cs, PP - Making Memories 'Noteworthy - Delaney Ledger Dots'
Access: dimensionals, ribbon, decorative scissors

I found my buttons!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Happy Hump Day! It's a cold one around here!

My buttons weren't lost; I just 'rediscovered them, that's all! I bought a bag of Christmas colored buttons from my LSS a few years ago and they've been sitting in my amoire for a year now. About time I used them don't you think?


I found this stamp at Rubbernecker hidden in the 'Fantasy' section of Stamp Oasis. It's really cute, but the little boy and girl elf are very small and with that much detail on them, it makes them really hard to color. Still, I had fun. :D


I'm not happy with how the glitter around the edges turned out. Initially, I painted some glue on with my finger around the edges and then added the glitter, but then I decided that I wanted the raised look, so before I let the first application dry, I added a blob of glue around the edge of the image and without tampering with it, then added even more glitter. Next time, I'll just leave well enough alone! LOL


Hope Wednesday treats you well!



Supplies:
Stamps: Rubbernecker 'Raindeer's Flight', MFT 'Essential Sentiments'
Inks: Staz On 'Timber Brown', Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Certain Celery, True Thyme, Soft Sky, Buckaroo Blue
Paper: Georgia Pacific cs, Bazzil cs, PP - Basic Grey 'Figgy Pudding +

Access: Ribbon, buttons, glitter, dimensionals

Blog Candy giveaway!

My sweet and dear friend Sparkler, who also goes by the name Kadie, is giving away some stamp candy this week over on her BLOG. What kind of candy you ask?!? A Hanna Stamps set!! Holy Toledo Batman!!

Head over to her blog and help her come up with some sentiments for her cards!

Oh, and don't forget to scroll down - I actually posted a card today! ;)

Toodles!

Chocolate Moose anyone?

Haha! That grabbed your attention didn't it?! :) Today's card incorporates everything I love about card making - chocolate and polka dots! I will admit that I have a bit of a polka dot fetish! I was looking through my stash of paper and I realized that I have quite a lot of it. I especially love them on cards, don't you? My Mind's Eye 'Wild Asparagus' paper is just to die for, and I usually snap lots of it up when I visit my local scrapbook store.

Couch Riley really needs a name change don't you think? Couch Riley makes me think of a sloth lying on the couch with his belly hanging out. Chocolate Riley sounds more appropriate. I wondering now if Mrs Kristi is saving the name (Choco Riley) for another stamp she has in that stash she has of over 500 Riley images to pull from! Kristi mentioned that at the release party or in a thread, I can't remember where now, but can you imagine that - 500 Rileys to choose from! I feel faint now! LOL

Ok, on with the dets! I watercolored Riley with my SU inks and aquapainter on Very Vanilla cardstock. I have to say that I preferred watercoloring on the Whisper White than the VV. It didn't hold the water quite as well, so I had to work fast to cover the image. I then sponged the edges with my trusty Distress Inks. Can you tell that I'm a little bit addicted to the 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square cards lately?! Depending on the image, I think I might actually prefer this size. What size do you all prefer to work with?

Here's a little detail of my watercoloring and shading.

Hope everyone's week is starting off well. I had to stay back and work a little longer yesterday and tonight might not be any different. Deadlines and procrastinating bosses - gotta love it!

Toodles!

Supplies:

Stamps: Hanna Stamps! Couch Riley, MFT 'Essential Sentiments'

Ink: Staz On 'Timber Brown', Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink, Cranberry Crisp, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen and Tea Dye'

Paper: Very Vanilla, Bazzil cs, PP - My Mind's Eye 'Wild Asparagus - "darling" polka dot

Access: Ribbon, decorative scissors, dimensionals, sponges

I should be scrapbooking!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

My inlaws have my 3yr old because I wanted some time to scrapbook today...but I got a little side tracked! LOL

I quickly made this card using today's Inspiration Challenge IC153 over at SCS. The inspiration was a clothing line that had some really cute and bright clothing for kids. I picked this top as my inspiration piece:

See the similarity? I went with polka dots along the side panels instead of stripes. The image is from Rubbernecker which I again colored up with my SU inks and added a bit of stickles for some sparkle.


Sorry for the short post today but I need to get cracking on my scrapbooking today! It's hubby's birthday tomorrow, but he has to work, so we're planning a dinner get together at his parent's house tomorow night. Hope you're having a great weekend!

Toodles!

Supplies:

Stamps: Rubbernecker 'Elf Train' , Rubber Stampede sentiment
Inks: Staz On 'Timber Brown', Creamy Caramel, Real Red, Cranberry Crisp, Certain Celery, True Thyme, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Paper: Bazzil cs, Whisper White, PP - My Mind's Eye 'Wild Asparagus - birthday polka dot'
Access: Ribbon and stickles

Happy Friday!

Friday, November 7, 2008

TGIF!!!! It's been a busy week for me and I am so happy the weekend is right around the corner. Last night's Hanna Stamps! release party was so much fun! Lots of chatter and ooohing and ahhing. There was even talk of moose in thongs! It was hilarious.

I made today's card for my inlaws. It's either their 37th or 38th wedding anniversary, so I had to whip up something pretty special for them. I got all my inspiration from today's Limited Supplies challenge (LSC193) over at SCS. Jeanne challenged us to use only a rectangle, circle and ribbon on our card.
SU's 'Best Blossoms' set is the only flower set I own but I adore it because of the branch of leaves in it - they can be used in so many ways! I started out by stamping the leaves onto a scrap piece of the green cs I used behind the back panels. I inked up the flowers with the Pumpkin Pie first then lightly dabbed the red chalk ink around the edges, then I stamped them out. Without cleaning off the stamp, I added more red ink to the edges of the stamp and stamped it out again. This gave me a few flowers in a range of colors to work with. I then cut all the pieces out and either mounted them to the circle panel with glue or dimensionals. The circle panel has some sponging around the edge of it to give it some more dimension to it. The three back panels were matted with green cs and then the edges were distressed.

This card wasn't hard to do, just a little time consuming cutting out all the pieces. Hope my Inlaws like it!

Oh, before I forget, if you feel the need to drop some dough today (if last night wasn't enough!) head over to Pink Poison's blog for a preorder sale of the up coming sets. Marie is selling them below her usual retail price for today only so you'd better snag 'em quick!

My three year old is sleeping over at my Inlaws tonight (our anniversary present to them! LOL) so hubby and I have the house to ourselves! Waaahoooooooooooo! *insert Barry White music here*

Toodles all!

Supplies
Stamps: SU 'Best Blossoms', sentiment by Studio G $1 from Michaels
Inks: True Thyme, Pumpkin Pie, Colorbox chalk ink 'warm red'
Paper: Bazzil cs, Georgia Pacific cs, PP - Fancy Pants 'Floral Chic - Fairytale'
Access: Ribbon, stickles, dimensionals

Last of the sneak peeks!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Last month’s release party was the first one I have experienced and even though my head was still spinning after I closed the laptop, it was so much fun! Lots of chatter, giveaways, games and such that it felt like Christmas! This month’s release party should be no different! I HIGHLY suggest you come and hang out with the Mrs Kristi, Ms Vicki and the DT girls on Thursday evening 9-11pm EST over at the Hanna Stamps forum!

This card uses the ‘Get Well Hanna’ set being released this Friday. I CASED this layout from the amazing Claudia AKA ClaudiafromGermany on SCS. Her work is truly amazing – if you get a chance check out her gallery! I started out by stamping Get Well Hanna with versamark ink onto watercolor paper, added black ep, heat set and colored her up with my SU inks. Then I cut her out using my Fiskars circle cutter (almost archaic now!) and layered her on some of the patterned paper and Bazzil cs.

Now I just got my corner punch so I’m still playing around with it, but I used it on the brown cs and slipped my patterned paper (which I sponged the edges of) under the slits. The strip of pp across the middle is from the other side of the pp and I just matted it and added eyelets for the ribbon. Popped the matted image on dimensionals and voila!

My last card I have to show you before tonight’s release party is another Riley! And this one I think is my favorite out of the two. Some of the DT girls took went with the notion that Riley was in fact Sophie (she-moose) but in my house, the only person who irons is my hubby! So to me, Laundry Riley is a man-moose! This one is for you sweetheart! :D

I discovered something while creating this card. Now before you read this, keep in mind that there is a reason my user name on SCS is ‘B-gin-R’! I usually watercolor on Canson watercolor paper, but really wanted a flat, clean look to this Riley image, so I used a little piece of SU Whisper White that I had left. I’ve been using Walmart’s Georgia Pacific cs since my WW ran out and I know when I do watercolor on it I have to work fast in order not to get those nasty bleed lines. Well, watercoloring on WW works better than on the GP paper!! You can work the space a bit more and the colors don’t get washed out! See, told you there was a reason I still feel like a beginner at this!! Ha! So needless to say, I’m going to be ordering some WW from my SU demo soon!

Toodles!

Supplies:

Card 1

Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Get Well Hanna'

Inks: Versamark, Soft Sky, Creamy Caramel, Vintatge Violet, Certain Celery, Chocolate Chip, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye

Paper: Bazzil cs, Canson Watercolor, PP - Chatterbox 'Decorative Cardstock - Chateau Plaid' (double sided)

Access: Ribbon, eyelets, heart brads, corner punch, Fiskars circle cutter, signo pen

Card 2

Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Laundry Riley', sentiment by Starving Artistamps

Inks: Staz On 'Timber Brown', Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, True Thyme, Certain Celery, Vintage Violet, Soft Sky, Distress Inks 'Black Soot',

Paper: Bazzil cs, Whisper White, PP - My Mind's Eye - 'Wild Asparagus - Handsome'

Access: Grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals, piercing tool

Whatever?!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

This is the line that has always made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end whenever I hear it! I had never heard it before living in the US and it has to be the most annoying term in the world! However, in my house, if I want to get my point across I will say this from time to time in my best American accent "Whateverrrrrr"! Trust me, it sounds better in an American accent than an Australian one! We don't round out our 'R's in Oz, so it'd sound something like this "Whatevahhhhhh!" Not quite as effective!

Which brings me to another set Hanna Stamps is releasing on Friday Nov. 7th. It's called 'Read My T' and this Hanna is a little different to those that you are used to. First off, this teen Hanna is 'taller' than most. This card measures 5x7 and if you look closely, Hanna is close to 6" tall! The reason for this is because there are 15 images that come with the set that can be stamped onto her t-shirt so Hanna has to be bold enough to hold those images.

Which makes her an excellent candidate for the paper piecing technique. As a dear friend recently pointed out, there is a difference between 'paper piecing' and 'paper piercing'....I didn't pick up that until a couple of months back - sometimes I'm so naive!! I stamped out Hanna's pants onto a scrap piece of SU Buckaroo Blue and watercolored the shadows in using the matching ink. Hanna's t-shirt was done the same way, then I ran my thick Sharpie pen around the edges of the pieces to cover up the white paper. (Click on the image to enlarge it - I think it works now.)

I then used one of the shirt sayings and stamped it onto Hanna's shirt, and the other I stamped out each word separately (masking off each word with post it notes) for the sentiment. It's a simple layout, but then why make it complicated - isn't a teenagers life too complicated already?!

So yesterday I got to vote in the US election for the first time and I have to say how great the experience was! Shamefully, I have to admit that I'm 33 years old and it was my first time voting - EVER!! And not because I have never wanted to, but just because of circumstance. When I reached legal voting age in Australia I was just a permanent resident and not a citizen, so I couldn't vote in any elections. I was 21 when I decided to become an Australian citizen and the first election I could have voted in was held after I moved to the USA so I was excused from voting because I lived overseas. So that's why I've never voted until now - and can I just say how invigorating it was?! Just wanted to do my bit, that's all!

Peace out!


Supplies:
Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Read my T'
Ink: Archival Brilliance 'graphite black', Buckaroo Blue, Creamy Caramel,Pretty In Pink, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Paper: Bazzil cs, Georgia Pacific cs, Buckaroo Blue, Purely Pomegranate, PP-
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, bling

Twinkle Twinkle Little Riley!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Today's sneak peek is a sweet one in soooo many ways!!

'B is for Baby' is just one of the new sets being released this Friday (or late Thursday night if you HAVE to HAVE your hands on it!) at Hanna Stamps!

When Kristi sent me this stamp set I was so excited because the images in it are so sweet and darling! Originally, when I was brainstorming ideas for this card, I was envisioning lots of pink and yellow colors, but when I found this patterned paper in my stash, all that went out the window! Isn't it perfect?! I think I squealed when I found it!

I stamped the image on my watercolor paper twice - one for the main image and one for cutting out the little shapes. The image was watercolored with my SU inks and my aquapainter and then the individual pieces were cut out and added to the main image with dimensionals. The background was sponged and I added some stickles to the edges of the main image as well as the cute mobile characters. The KI 'icicle' letters are something I've had in my stash of goodies for a while now. Even though they're big letters, their translucency helps them blend in with the image. I'm going to have to see if my LSS still carries them - because I now want more!


My second sneak peek for you today features our favorite Moose, Riley! I wonder if Sophie gave him those chocolates? Or were they meant for Sophie?! Oh dear!

This is a quick layout but why do anything else when you have chocolate and a Riley together on the same card?! As usual, I colored with SU inks on watercolor paper and then added some stickles for some SPARKLE! :D

Hanna Stamps Release Party: November 6th, 9-11pm - be HERE or be square!

Supplies:

Card 1
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'B is for Baby'
Ink: Archival Brilliance 'graphite black', Cool Caribbean, Morning Marigold, Buckaroo Blue
Paper: Canson Watercolor Paper, Bazzil cs, PP - Provo Craft 'Blue Princess Stars
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, decorative scissors, KI 'Icicles', stickles

Card 2
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Chocolate Riley'
Ink: Archival Brilliance 'graphite black', Creamy Caramel, Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Pretty In Pink, Real Red, Vintage Violet, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen and Tea Dye'
Paper: Canson Watercolor Paper, Bazzil cs, PP - Imagination PROJECT 'Chole's Closet'
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, stickles

Peace, Love and all that Jazz!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

I am soooo excited about this week's Hanna Stamps release party!! For one, it's my first official one since becoming a permanent part of the Design Team, and two, because this month's stamps are FUN!!! I can't to share them with you all!

The release party will be held in the Hanna Stamps forum on Thursday Night, November 6th, from 9-11pm. Drop in and say hi ok? Really hope to see you all there! :D I went a little wild on this card but hey - it's the free-lovin 70's right? It's all ok! lol This set is just so much fun to play with! There is a total of 10 stamps in this set and they all play so well together! I stamped hippy Hanna on some watercolor paper in Versamark Ink, applied black embossing powder, heat set it and colored her up with my SU inks. I stamped her hair twice and popped it up on dimensionals for a 'big hair' effect! I cut 'waves' from the patterned paper to create a 'free flowing' effect. Since I don't own any nesties or a cuttlebug (shhh, don't tell anyone!) I cut the circle out using my Fiskars circle cutter and the scallops were cut using my small scalloped decorative scissors (gotta use what you have right?) Then everything was added to the 5-1/2" x 5-1/2" card with glue or more dimensionals. Want to see more eye candy this week??? Pop over to the blogs of the Design Team gals for their sneak peeks:

Adela Rossol

Amanda Sewell

Beth Silaika

Bev Gerard

Cambria Turnbow

Candice Lightly

Cindy Haffner

Diana Gibbs

Frances Byrne

Janette Olen

Jennifer Muraoka

Jeanne Streiff

Judy Workman

Kendra Wiestock

Kitty Caracciolo

Niki Estes

Patty Stigsell

Tomorrow I'll have another wee, little sneak peek for you! ;) Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps: Hanna Stamps 'Hippie Chick' - to be released Nov. 7th, 2008
Ink: Versamark Ink, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Certain Celery, Vintage Violet, Buckaroo Blue, Cool Caribbean, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red
Paper: Bazzil cs, Georgia Pacific, Canson Watercolor, PP - DCWV 'Posie Paisley'
Access: Black EP, ribbon, sponges,decorative scissors, dimensionals, stickles

All in 6 days!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Happy Saturday morning to you all!

I have been stamping and cutting like a possessed woman all week!! Why? Because Marie, the owner of Pink Poison, mentioned the word 'Olympics' on her blog and I LOVE the Olympics!! I watched it every evening while it was on (GO Phelpsy!!) Anyway, Marie had 'medals' up for grabs: The gold medal winner receives 5 (count em - 5!) sets of thier choice, all 4 'Ians' and a spotlight interview on her blog; silver gets 4 sets of thier choice and a spotlight interview and the bronze medal winner gets 3 sets of thier choice. Are those not ridiculously FABULOUS prizes???
And what did we have to do to enter these Olympics?? Make as many cards with your Pink Poison stamps as humanly possible! I had just received my first two stamps in the mail the day before, so I went to work immediately! I can tell you that I stayed up past midnight every single night this week (because my stamping time is in the evenings after my little girl goes to bed) and you should see the bags hanging under my eyes!! I am not a pretty looking woman at the moment.

And I'm proud to say I did it all for the Anya's! Without further ado, I present to you - my Anya creations!

You'll notice that I did post some of the cards earlier in the week, but I decided against posting all of them in detail. Forgive me, I'm just a little worn out now. However, if you have any questions about the supplies I used on any of them, just leave a comment and I'll get back to you with an answer. :D

Hope you're having a great weekend! I'm currently working on my sneak peeks for the November Hanna Stamps release party this coming Thursday 6th at 9pm over at our SCS member forum. Hope to see you all there!

Toodles,
Sandra