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

----------------------------------------------------------------

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).

----------------------------------------------------------------

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?

----------------------------------------------------------------

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

Monster Hugs

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Hugs are great aren't they?? And hugs from your favorite toy or imaginary monster (I think I shall name mine Edward) are the best kind!!

I wasn't sure if I liked this card, then my three year old spotted it sitting on my desk and says "Oooo! Mama I lub that card!" I wouldn't dare go against the opinion of a three year old with a simple list of likes and dislikes (ie. Likes.....Mama, Dislikes.....Medicine)! hahaha

The stamp is from a really, really talented artist, Victoria, who designs all her own stamps as well as artwork in her Etsy shop. I can't remember now how exactly I stumbled onto her but I blog hop ALOT so it was probably during one of those gauntlet runs through blog land.

I tried to create a collage/scrapbook type of card that is popular now. And I had to test out my January 1st big bargain too - my new pink Quickutz tool! :D (That's how I did the letters.) Now that I am looking at it again after a couple of days, I think I'd probably add a couple of circles in a different patterned paper and tuck them underneath the image to soften the edges a little. Amazing what a couple of days and some sleep will do for your brain! LOL

Thanks for all your very kind comments yesterday on my purple card. I've decided that you all really meant what you said or you're all good fakers! hahahhaa I've also decided that my camera doesn't like the color purple because that purple cardstock seemed to change color depending on what part of the card you were looking at! Might mean the beginning of the end for my camera I suspect.

Today is going to be a long day for me....it'll at least be midnight before I'm in bed. Hug your monsters for me. :D

Supplies:
Stamps: Victoria Case Stamps 'Monster Hugs'
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Certain Celery, Cool Caribbean, Morning Marigold, Creamy Caramel, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Paper: Canson Watercolor, Bazzil cs, PP - 'Fancy Pants Crush Collection - Head Over Heels'
Access: Ribbon, K & Company 'Brenda Walton's Bitter Sweet Acetate Die-cuts, Quickutz 'Zoe' alphabet, dimensionals

A Twinkling Day!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

How's everyone doing this Tuesday?

I'm just going to cut right to the good stuff today and show you my card for Madelynn's Twinkling Sketch Challenge.
Today's sketch (MTTSC7) is one that I've never done before and it definitely challenged me this week! My cards usually have a colored image on them which takes center stage but with this sketch, that wasn't really possible. I had to use a stamped image on it's own....ekk!!

You'd think I would have used a safer, more familiar color combo to offset the challenging sketch, but noooo! I went out even further on that limb and used purple hues! If you gathered up all the cards I've done in the past year, there would maybe be one other card that used purple on it (and I think it was a Halloween card too!) So why did I choose purple? Because it seemed like a good idea at the time?! Because my stamping mojo was shot from all those hours working?! I had a momentary lapse in my color theory training?! Feel free to pick any or all of the above; because I have NO idea! Haha


I stamp I used is from the Light Up set from The Greeting Farm. I stamped out the bottom layer of the flower using SU's Vintage Violet onto Georgia Pacific cardstock then inked up the flower again using Colorbox's Fluid Chalk Ink in Wisteria. Then I cut out the two images and layered them with dimensionals. The pearl accent on top is from Kaiser Scrapbooks.

If you like this sketch and woud love to see more cards made with it (you know you do!) head on over to the other Twinkies blogs to see some much more fabulous creations! The links to their blogs are in the bar on the left.

------------------------------------------

Attention Greeting Farm Anya Lovers!!

Speaking of The Greeting Farm, this Sunday is the grand opening of the much awaited and talked about Club Anya! Starting at 12pm CST there will be a blog hop that starts at Club Anya's Vice President's blog (AKA Jessica Diedrich's The Whimsical Butterfly) and every half hour there will be a new blog to visit until you hop back to Jess's blog where she will unlock the gate to Club Anya for everyone! With this blog hop is also a game with prizes!!

It's called 'Guess That Anya". All the girls participating in the blog hop (including me!) will be showing you little itty bitty peeks at their Anya cards. You have to guess which Anya they're teasing you with. Jess will be showing you a sneak peek of a BRAND NEW Anya and the first 5 people to guess right will win her! Then, as you blog hop, make note of who is showing you which Anya and by the time you get back to Jess's blog (around 4.30pm CST), Jess will reveal the new Anya. Jess also has prizes for those who play the guessing game and join Club Anya!

Sounds like LOADS of fun doesn't it?? I can't wait to see the new Anya! So remember to be at Jess's blog at 12pm CST this Sunday February 1st!!

-------------------------------------------

Ok, that's it from me today. I have a MONSTER hug for you all tomorrow, so come back now ya hear?! He's not scary, I promise you!

Supplies:

Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Light Up'

Inks: Vintage Violet, Color Box Chalk Inks 'Wisteria'

Paper: Georgia Pacific cs, Bazzil cs, PP - Basic Grey 'Eva Collection - Noble'

Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, sponges

Toadilly Delicious!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Good morning friends!! And Happy Australia Day to you all!

Anyone want to take a guess at how many hours I worked last week?? 50hrs? 60hrs? How about 75hrs? Yep, 75 hours! Three of those hours were completed yesterday, but the other 72, they were all from the Monday to Friday work week. This week is much of the same except we HAVE to be done by Thursday morning which means 15 hour days until then. Ugh. My bank account will look fat and plump but I'm going to be too exhausted to spend it! (Did I really just say that?)

Onto more fun things like playing with new stamps and some Happy News! A few weeks back I was reading my good friend Lauri's blog and how she had just become a member of a design team for the first time. I was so happy for her because she's such a creative person and has such a fun personality and I knew it was only a matter of time before she would be snapped up by a company. That night I followed the link she gave us to this stamp company that had just gotten off the ground a few months back. I loved what I saw and made a purchase that night because I couldn't resist one particular stamp.

Isn't he spectacular?! Toad King is his name and I knew I HAD TO HAVE HIM the moment I laid eyes on him! The next day I left Lauri a message thanking her for the enabling and confessed my purchase to my other SCS friends who I knew would get a kick out of him. And they did. We came up with all sorts of potential sentiments for him that afternoon; everything from "You CROAK me up!" to "I frogot your birthday" and someone even suggested they woke up next to this face that morning! Haha

So, do ya wanna guess my happy news? I will be joining Lauri on the Doggone Stamps design team for the next six months! I'm totally thrilled to be a part of a up and coming rubber stamp company! Doggone Stamps is run by Nancy and her son Brian, who's the creative talent behind all the images. I love the fact that Nancy gets to work with her son on a venture together! There are some great characters in the shop and their expressions are PRICELESS! Please go check them out; I guarantee you'll get a laugh out of them too! Nancy has a design team call posted on SCS and it's open until the end of this week, so if you're interested, shoot her an email quick!

Sorry I didn't go into a lot of detail on this card today - I had too much to tell you! The size is 5.5" x 5.5", which is typically what all of my square cards are. Toad is colored up with my SU inks and aquapainter again but instead of applying washes of color, I applied the color using the stippling technique (AKA appling color in a dabbing motion). His body is a mixture of four SU colors - Certain Celery, Morning Marigold, True Thyme and Vintage Violet.

I hope you all have a great Monday and I'll see you back here tomorrow with another Twinkling sketch!


Supplies:
Stamps: Doggone Stamps 'Toad King', Karen Foster's mini alphabet snap stamps
Inks: StazOn 'Jet Black', Certain Celery, Morning Marigold, True Thyme, Vintage Violet, Creamy Caramel, Cool Caribbean, Real Red
Paper: Canson Watercolor, Georgia Pacific cs, Bazzil cs, PP - Basic Grey 'Mellow Collection - Birch'
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, circle punches, sponges

Time for a Twinkie!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Good Morning Everyone!

(Warning: The following is a small rant at my bosses!)

Yesterday I got the head's up from my bosses that we're all required to work overtime this week for our project deadline next week. They gave me the heads up yesterday....not last week! I think they forget I have a little girl that needs to be picked up from daycare, to be fed and bathed and I have a husband that doesn't finish work at 5pm who can just take over that role when I'm not available!? I require ample notification to coordinate someone to look after her until hubby gets out of work and not inconvenience them in the process. *insert rolling of the eyes here* Luckily for them between hubby and his mum, we have it worked out. (The fact is that I can't refuse paid overtime!)

So with that said, I will most likely be absent from my blog later this week since I won't have any free time to write any blog posts. That royaly blows too because I have four images (including a fabulous toad and huggable monster) that I colored up over the weekend that need to be made into cards and I now have no time to create them! Bah humbug! Hopefully they don't expect me to work over the weekend because I need my family (sanity and Edward) time!!

Rant over: Thanks for listening!

Ok, onto much more fun things, like the fact that it's Twinkling Tuesday today! Madelynn gave us another forgiving sketch to play with today! Phew! I think she might be taking pity on us for that second sketch she gave us a month ago! hahaha But seriously, it's been a month already since Jess asked me to be on Madelynn's DT?! Where on earth did that time go?

I pulled out my one and only Sarah Kay stamp for this challenge. I just adore this stamp! I like how it shows just the back of her head because now she resembles anyone's little girl.

I colored her with my SU inks and aquapainter again popped the matted layer of patterned paper on dimensionals for some depth. I had better find an online source for those Kaiser pearls because I'm running out...FAST! LOL

The rest of the Twinkies have made some beautiful cards today, so head over to their blogs to check them out! The list is on the left as usual. If you would like to play along, please upload your card to SCS or PCP using the keyword MTTSC6 so we can find it easily! :D

If you've like me and ever wondered how to do something with your blog, I found this helpful blog a few months ago that has helped me no-end! It's Blogs By Heather and there are tons of amazing hints and how-to's on it!

Ok, that's it from me for this week....I'm sooo sorry about that too. Think of me when you're home on your couches or at your stamping tables while I slave away here at work... :(


Supplies:
Stamps: Stampavi/Sarah Kay 'Roses Garden'
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Soft Sky, Certain Celery, True Thyme, Pumpkin Pie, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Paper: Bazzil cs, Canson Watercolor, PP - K & Company 'Classic K Margo Collection'
Access: Ribbon, KaiserScrapbook Pearls, dimensionals

Twice the fun!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Good Morning!

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. Hubby had the weekend off so we headed for the mall after DD's gymnastics class on Saturday. Since the closest mall to us is 1.5hrs away, I never like to take that drive by myself, so we only go when hubby has a day off on the weekend. Anyway, so it was a rather successful weekend for me and my wardrobe. I bought two tops to go under a suit, a woollen top, a long cardigan jacket, a pair of dress pants, a dress suit, two skirts and three pairs of earrings for $130. Not bad considering I actually saved $300!! I kid you not! Most of what I bought was on sale at 70% off then a woman in front of me gave me a spare coupon she had that gave me $50 off a purchase of $120 or more! I was one happy shopper! So for at least this year I won't be wearing clothes three times as old as my daughter! LOL

Ok, onto today's card. I managed to make a card that fits two challenges this week! The first one is the Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS (FS102). This week's featured stamper was Lori Craig, better known as Stamp_momma. I loved looking through her gallery and finally settled on this card called Basic Pears.

I loved the layout of Lori's card and that little bit of ribbon was a great touch. The rules behind the FS challenge is to CASE the card but change at least two things from the original to make it your own. I changed out the patterned paper and the stamp set used.

There She Goes is a relatively new clear stamp company started by another SCS member, Jessica Knutsen, AKA Knutsen24. I bought this mini set before Christmas for myself and a few of my good friends. The stamps are clear and stamp so smoothly. I was very impressed with their quality. I used these stamps to create the embossed resist technique again because it was Our Creative Corner's challenge for this week!

I stamped the images onto some Very Vanilla cs with versamark ink, then added clear embossing powder and heat set it. Then I pulled out my Distress Inks and layered the colors (1. Antique Linen, 2. Tea Dye, 3. Vintage Photo, 4. Walnut Stain) onto the piece of cardstock until I was happy with the look. Then it was just a matter of matting it with the Bazzil cs and popping it up with some dimensionals and adding just a touch of sparkle with the pearls. I told you I was crazy about them right?!

So, there you go - two challenges in one card. I'm pretty proud of myself because that very rarely happens! Also, I just want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment on last Friday's post. I was totally blown away by all your super sweet comments!! It totally made my weekend! :D A happy Monday to you all!


Supplies:
Stamps: There She Goes 'Thinking of You #08-0020'
Inks: Versamark Ink, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Paper and Walnut Stain'
Paper: Very Vanilla, Bazzil cs, Basic Grey 'Sugared Collection - 'Tender'
Access: Ribbon, KaiserScrapbook Pearls 'Blush', clear ep, dimensionals

It's Hockey Riley!!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Earlier this week Mrs Kristi surprised everyone, including the design team, by releasing this new Riley. I just got mine in the mail last night and couldn't ink him up fast enough!

Meet Hockey Riley!

Remember when I told you about that mad shopping frenzy I spent my New Years Day doing? Well, one of the designer papers I picked up was this Canadian leave paper. It's fun isn't it? I am not sure why I thought I needed it, but it did make me think of my fellow Hanna Stamps DT girls from across the border (and those that have defected! LOL) so I bought it. Who knew I was going to use it two weeks later, ehh? Not me!

I used a very simple design for this card since the patterned paper was so busy. I created the background around Riley with my SU inkpads and a Micron pen. I printed out the sentiment from my computer. So....do you want to see the inside of the card?? hehe

Mwhahahhahaha!! You REALLY didn't think I was going ALL Canadian on ya did ya!? hehehe I just couldn't resist! I love my Canadian friends and family (my sister in law and my husband's cousin new husband are from across the border) but I LOVE my Boston teams more!! I think I'll send this card to my husband's cousin who just recently moved to Ottawa with her Canadian husband. She'll get a kick out of it for sure!

Long live the Mighty Boston Bruins!! LOL Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Thank you for all the wonderful comments left this week too! I've really enjoyed reading them all. I'll have some fun stamps so show you next week, so come back now ya hear?

Supplies:
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Hockey Riley'
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Real Red, Cool Caribbean, Distress Inks 'Black Soot', Hanna Stamps! Riley Copic Set
Paper: Canson watercolor, Georgia Pacific cs, Bazzil cs, PP - Karen Foster Design '#64183 Canada Leaves'
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals

Watercoloring vs. Copics

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Remember last week when I said I was going to show you the comparison between watercoloring an image and coloring one with Copic markers? Well, I probably should have shut my mouth before offering that because I don't really have the set up to do tutorials (i.e. great lighting, quality camera, perfect fingernails, endless hours during the day, etc). But I did promise and I hate not coming through with my promises. So here goes nothing:

On the left we have Aerobics Riley stamped in Black Soot by Distress Inks on Georgia Pacific cardstock (found at Walmart). On the right we have Riley stamped in Staz On 'Jet Black' ink on Canson Watercolor paper. I'll be using my Hanna Stamps! Riley Copics set on the GP paper and my SU inks and aquapainter on the watercolor paper. I have found that these combinations of paper, ink and color medium work well together and do not bleed.

I applied my first layer of color for both images. When using the copics, I have to apply the darkest color first, so I used the E37 in all the areas that have the most shadow on Riley (my point of light/sun is coming from the top right hand corner - much like my desk lamp! LOL). With the watercolors, my first layer is an overall light wash of color (I used SU's Creamy Caramel).

For the second round of copic coloring, I applied E35 OVER the E37 and then over most of Riley lworking in a quick, circular motion to blend the two colors together seamlessly. It's important to not let the color applied previously dry up. This helps avoid the seams between the two shades of color. With the watercolors it's the opposite - you should wait until the first layer of color is dry before you apply the next wash of color. This helps build the intensity of color on your image. So I reapplied the Creamy Caramel for the second time starting on the left side of Riley and barely leaving any color on Riley's right hand side to create a highlight on that side.

I applied E33 for the third color to just the edges of Riley that were closest to the light source, which was in my upper right hand corner. Blending as I go in a circlular motion overlapping the previously applied E35 until you see it the two colors meld into one. With the watercolors, I waited until the image was 99% dry and made sure the tip of the aquapainter brush wasn't soaking wet before applying my final layer of Creamy Caramel. This time I applied it only to the areas of shadow on Riley which are the same areas that I started with the copics (see pic 1).

I applied the W3, W2 and W1 to Riley's antlers and hooves the same way. I used Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip on the watercolored image for the same areas. And that's pretty much it.

Ok, here's a basic summary for you:

Copics
1. Start with the darkest color first.
2. Don't let each color dry between applications.
3. Apply lighter shade over the darker shade to blend them together.

Watercolors
1. Start with a light wash first.
2. Wait for first layer to dry then apply second wash of same color.
3. Wait for second layer to dry then apply the third layer to areas of shadow only.

Again, I'm sorry that this isn't the best tutorial around but the text does explain the process I follow each time I color an image. I hope this helps out some of you if you're wondering about the techniques and differences between the two mediums.

And now to show off the image(s). I chose to use the watercolored Riley and used this week's MOJO sketch (MOJO69) for the card layout.

And the inside.....

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope your week is flying by (if you're working that is). See you all tomorrow with a RILEY SURPRISE!!


Supplies:
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Aerobics Riley', sentiment by Hampton Art 'PS0021'
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Pumpkin Pie
Paper: Bazzil cs, Canson Watercolor, PP - Basic Grey 'Archaic Collection - Primal'
Access: EK Success Circle Cutter, buttons, twine, ribbon, dimensionals, decorative scissors

Less IS More

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

A happy Wednesday to you all!

This week, my dear friend Mary mentioned the phrase 'Less is more'. I have always been a big believer of this notion ever since learnt about it in art history at high school. Achieving it however, is another story entirely! For some, in card making, it comes easy. Talented artists like Anne Wight, Julie Ebersole, and my friend Laura have a very clean and simple (CAS) style that I just adore. I think my cards tend to flip flop all over the place. What do you think?? And how would you describe your style?

Today's card showcases a stamp from the recently released Hanna Stamps! set 'I Love My Garden'. I went with more of the 'clean and simple' style on this one and I love how it turned out!

I channelled some of Kim Teasdale's mad skills and clear embossed all three layers of this gerbera daisy. The first layer is of the whole image stamped straight onto the base which I sponged around the edges. The second layer is of the whole image again, but I cut it out this time and popped it on dimensionals. The third layer is just of the pot and the flowers themselves. When I'm taking pictures I have to remember to take angled shot of the layers (like how I did for the Anya card on Monday's post). Otherwise they look flat, like this card. Trust me, it looks 10 times better IRL!

Again, I got stuck on where to put a sentiment, so I left it off. Now I can use it for any kind of greeting I need at the time. Good thinking MacLean! LOL

Just a reminder that Victoria still has BLOG CANDY up for grabs on her blog and she has just upped the anty and added a second place prize so get over there and check it out!! I just received my MONSTERS in the mail last night and I can't wait to color them up on my day off this Friday!

Happy Hump Day Everyone!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'I Love My Garden'
Inks: Staz On 'Timber Brown', Versamark, Morning Marigold, Creamy Caramel, Real Red, Certain Celery, True Thyme,
Paper: Kraft cs, Creamy Caramel, Canson Watercolor, PP - Melissa Frances 'Wesley'
Access: Ribbon, Marvy scalloped square punch, dimensionals, precision scissors

Twinkling Tuesday!

Monday, January 12, 2009

Yay! Monday's over and I'm three days closer to my first Friday off for the new year! :D

I work an extra hour most days for two week so I can accumulate enough hours to have every other Friday off . Usually I use it to run errands and do things that are normally hard to do with a 3 year old hanging off me....like shop! Towards the end of last year I worked on a few of my 'Friday's off' so I could accumulate extra hours for some paid time off after Christmas, so this is my first day off in a while. And boy, am I going to enjoy it! :D

I wanted to thank you for all the WONDERFUL comments you all left for me yesterday. Every one of them made me smile. I feel like that card was one of my best ones yet, so it means a lot to me that you all appreciated it too and I just wanted to say thank you!

Ok, so today is Twinkling Tuesday again and Madelynn has another fun sketch for us to play with! For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, here's an update: Madelynn is the talented 8 year old daughter of Jessica Diedrich (AKA The Whimsical Butterfly) and she creates weekly sketches for her Twinkies (DT) and everyone is invited to play along!

When uploading your cards to SCS or PCP please use the keyword MTTSC5 so we can all find your creations and leave some love!


I decided to get out my Dandelion stamp by Hero Arts and play around with the embossing resist technique. I inked up the dandelion with Versamark ink then stamped it out on the cream cardstock. Then I applied Seafoam embossing powder, which is more of a cream color, and heat set the image. Then I got out my ever faithful Distress Inks and sponged over the image first with Antique Linen. I started in the middle of the image and applied the ink in circular motions (wax on, wax off kinda thing). Then I switched to the Tea Dye ink and again started in the center of the image and worked my way out until I was happy with the depth of color.

One of my favorite embellishments, besides ribbon, are the pearls from Kaiser Scrapbook. There are 50 pearls in the package and they range in size from 2.5mm to 6mm. They're self adhesive and they come in a ton of colors! If you haven't tried them yet, you NEED to go and get yourself some. I'm not enabling, merely suggesting a GREAT idea....hahahhaha!

You need to check out the rest of the Twinkies blogs to see their amazing cards this week! The list is, as always, in the left hand bar. Rebecca Ednie has some BLOG CANDY this week, so leave your comments and links to your cards on her BLOG this week, ok?


Toodles!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts 'Dandelion G4917', MFT 'Essential Sentiments'
Inks: Versamark, Distress Inks 'Antique Linen, Tea Dye and Vintage Paper'
Paper: Bazzil cs, PP - 'My Mind's Eye - Tres Jolie Collection - Baby (Girl) Floral'
Access: Ribbon, Kaiser Pearls 'Blush', Seafoam White ep, dimensionals

Shades of Blue...

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Good Morning! Hope you all had a great weekend. Ours offically returned to the normal status quo of pre Christmas days. DD was back at her gymnastics class, it snowed a good 6 inches, I had 5 loads of laundry to do and made a card or two. Exctiting hey?? hahaha

Now, I can not lie to you. The card I'm showing you today took me about 5 hours to complete start to finish on Saturday night. Most of it was humming and ahhing over paper and getting the proportions right on Anya's new attire. I love how it turned out, but still, it took WAY too long!

It was created it for The Greeting Farm's 'Anya Fashion Show' competition. I chose to tweak Rockstar Anya because I think her hair is sassy and has lots of attitude! To create this look, I first inked up just Anya's head, carefully avoiding the area where the guitar and hew head meet. Stamped her out three times, hen I used my Micron pen and drew in those missing areas to complete her face.

On the first layer, I quickly washed some color over her hair and face. This is the base layer on the kraft cardstock. Then I really went to town on the second image. I added lots of shading to her hair and face. On the third image, I just colored up the whisp of hair that frames her face. Then I cut all the images out, ran the Sharpie around the edges and layered them on the kraft cardstock with dimensionals.

The dress was easier than it looks. Have you seen those folded dresses that are on cards in the SCS gallery? Well, I looked at them for a while and used my circle punch to create a similar look. I punched out a 2" circle from the designer paper and with my pencil I divided the circle up into thirds (3 equal pie pieces) and cut one pie piece out. I then folded the remaining two-thirds of the circle into little little pleats. When I was happy with the look, I chopped off the pointy part of the pleats to create the waistline of the dress. Then it was just a matter of using something very sticky (like tacky tape) to hold the pleats in place. I drew and re-drew the matching top and arms a few times to get the proportions right, then cut it out and ran the Sharpie around the edges of it, and tucked the top part (her decollage) under Anya's face to create a seamless look. Her legs were created the same way. Then it was just a matter of assembling all the pieces with glue to the kraft cardstock.

I was planning on having Anya hold a piece of string attached to the birdie from the Pretty Hat Anya set, which is why her arm was raised, but I decided that would have made the card too busy. That ribbon was my inspiration for the whole card too! I found it at Michaels in their Christmas ribbon sale rack.....I ADORE IT! How cute are those little ruffles on it!?

You all need to see the other cards created for this challenge! The talent and creativity out there is AMAZING!! I was so blown away by all the entries!

That's it from me today. Hope your Monday sails by and I'll see you all tomorrow. :D Toodles,

Supplies:
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Rockstar Anya'
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Cool Caribbean, Buckaroo Blue, Distress Inks 'Vintage Photo'
Paper: Kraft cs, Bazzil cs, PP - K & Company ' Classic K Margo Collection
Access: Ribbon, Robin's Nest Dew Drops, charm, jump rings, decorative scissors, Zig Pen, stickles, dimensionals

Anyone have a RPH??

Thursday, January 8, 2009

A Release Party Hangover that is! I wish I had one because then I'd be home today instead of at work. Blah! Last night was another hilarious event and thank all my SCS girls who popped in to say hi and hang out with me! I love having friends like you! :D I hope you all used your coupon code on any stamps you bought last night! And remember, you can use this code until the end of the month. Isn't that sweet? I have lots of things to tell you about today so bear with me ok?

First up is my card for today. The only set that was released last night that I didn't show you during the week was the half set of creepy crawlies called 'Backyard Dwellers'. It works really well with the 'I Love My Garden' set because the critters are at the perfect scale for the flowers in that set.

The layout is one of Taylor Van Bruggen's Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenges (TECC46). All the deets are at the bottom of the post as per normal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Challenge ALERT!

Marie, the owner of The Greeting Farm (AKA Pink Poison) has put out a challenge to all her customers. It's an Anya Fashion Show! All the deets are on her blog, so if you have any Anya's I highly suggest you play along because you should see the PRIZES!! Holy cow! I want that Miss Anya set soooo badly! :D I plan on creating at least one card!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blog Candy ALERT!

Yesterday I adopted two monsters. No, not kids, monstahs!! Victoria Case draws and creates these super ADORABLE monster rubber stamps that I've been eyeing for a while now and today on her blog she is giving away three stamps and a bunch of valentine embellishments!! So head over there, check out her cute stamps, leave some love and tell everyone else about them!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last but not least, I've been given a blog award this week from my sweet and darling friend Carolyn (AKA Aunt Carol on SCS) of PMS, etc fame! (I'm so glad you're back in blogland again!)

I'm so flattered, flabbergasted and now I'm even fabulous! hahaha! Well, maybe just my blog....but I'm taking ownership of it! Thank you Carolyn!! If you haven't popped over to Carolyn's blog I suggest you high-tail it over there now because she makes the most detailed and embellished cards you have ever laid your eyes on!

The rules are simple: Paid hommage to whom you receive the award from, pay it forward to five other fabulous bloggers, link back to who gave you the award and to the people you are passing it onto and tell them about it. The twist is to name 5 things that you're addicted to.......just 5?! Well, alright then....

1. Patterned paper

2. Quakes Rice Snacks - cheddar flavor

3. Edward Cullen.....*sigh*

4. Trace Atkin's voice

5. My IPOD Touch (Best thing since sliced bread!)

I'm paying this award forward to these FABULOUS blogs...

Stamps, Paper and Glitter...Oh My!

Glitter in My Hair

Danni's Dreams

Story About A Girl

For the Art Of It

Please visit these girl's blogs because they create some amazing cards!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, that's it from me. Thank you for stopping by this week and I hope you all enjoyed the sneak peeks. I don't know about you all, but I'm pooped! I'm looking forward to the weekend. See you all next week!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Backyard Dwellers' and 'I Love My Garden' , sentiment from DMD 'In Bloom STP10515'
Ink: Staz On 'Jet Black', Cool Caribbean, Certain Celery, True Thyme,
Paper: Bazzil cs, Canson Watercolor, PP - Prima Marketing Inc. 'The First Blush Collection'
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals,

Happy Release Day!

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

Hanna Stamps! Sneak Peek: Day One

Monday, January 5, 2009

Good Morning Everyone!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! I'm back at work today after 11 glorious days off so I'm feeling a little unmotivated to be here! Ha ha

However, I AM excited that it's party time at Hanna Stamps! this week and the team has lots of sneak peeks to show you! Today I am showing you two cards I've created from the new 'I Love My Garden' set.

There are 8 individual stamps in this set and I've used 4 of them on this card. I had so much fun with this set! I love how Hanna is laying down instead of standing and the three little itty bitty flower pots that you can use as props or in a row along a wall.....hey! there's another idea....I HAVE to create that one now! Anyways, I first stamped the two front flower pots then masked them off with post it notes. Then I stamped Hanna over them. Then I masked out Hanna's leg and stamped the third flower pot behind her. I opted out of masking off Hanna and the flower pots and sponging in the ground, so I just watercolored the ground in with lots of ink and water on my aquapainter. Once that was dry, I went back over it with my aquapainter and dabbed on the specks of 'dirt'. The upper background was watercolored then sponged around the edges for a more intense look.

The second card I have to show you uses just one stamp from the set. This just might be my favorite stamp from the set! I stamped the middle sunflower out in it's entirety and the 'cropped' the two outer ones at the base with the help from a post it note (a MUST HAVE tool!) Then I used a Micron pen to duplicate the ground line at the base of those flowers. Micron pens are waterproof so they're perfect for adding in other detail. I then watercolored the flowers and added a bit of Soft Sky in the background to give the flowers a bit more pop. The sentiment is by A Muse Artstamps. There is a sentiment in the new set, but I chose not to use it on these cards.

So that's it for my sneak peeks today! There are 3 full sets, 1 half set and 2 Rileys being released this month so blog hop over to the other girls on the design team (you can find the list is on the left) and check out all their fabulous sneak peeks! Or, if you like, you can pop on over to this SCS thread where the the release party will be (on Thursday Jan 8th at 9pm EST) and where the DT girls will be letting you in on the sneak peeks they've uploaded.


Thanks so much for stopping by today! I'll see you all tomorrow with some new Rileys!


Supplies:
Card 1
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'I Love My Garden', sentiment by A Muse Artstamps 8-8324B
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, True Thyme, Certain Celery, Distress Inks 'Vintage Photo'
Paper: Canson watercolor, Bazzil cs, PP - Basic Grey 'Sultry Collection - Stylish & Peony'
Access: Ribbon, buttons, dimensionals, MS edge punch, paper piercer, Zig pen, Fiskars circle cutter, Post It notes, sponges

Card 2
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'I Love My Garden', sentiment by A Muse Artstamps 9-8261B
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, True Thyme, Certain Celery, Morning Marigold, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Sky
Paper: Canson watercolor, Bazzil cs
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals

Day One and a lesson learned.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Well, I started the new year with an unintended bang!

I'm on a mailing list of a scrapbook store that is 1.5hrs from where we live. Well, last week I received a letter in the mail from them stating that they were going out of business and were having a closing down sale starting today and running for the rest of the week. I got really excited because they have tons of patterned paper and cardstock. So my little family obliged me and we all took off for the day.

I arrived at the store around 11.30am to a completely JAM PACKED store full of women looking for a bargain! (So jam packed that the city Fire Marshall came down to the store!) What I should have done was turn around and walk back out the door. Instead I accumulate a pile of paper goodies and tools and waited in line. This line wrapped around the outer walls of the store and then some. I should have walked out after the first half hour, but I didn't. FOUR HOURS later I finally made it to the cash register!!! I am not exaggerating either! What an idiot!! The was long, but not nearly as long as one you've probably seen at a Disney ride. It just went really, really, really slow! Painfully slow! There were women ahead of me with 8 inch stacks of paper and they had to count and scan each piece! Arghh!! When I finally got in the car with hubby and daughter, I burst into tears! I had no intention of this outing taking up the entire day like that and I felt so guilty for screwing up their day too. Hubby was extremely good about it and all he asked was if I got a good deal. I ended up spending $140 and saved $88, so it was a good deal. Worth all the waiting....no. So a lesson learned I guess.


Is your jaw on the floor yet? hahaha This card is for today's Hanna Stamps challenge, HSC50. We have to create a funny card using the sketch that this week's host, Candice Lightly, provides. The sketch calls for an oval center piece and since I don't have any Nestibilities, I used a circle instead.

The sentiment is a 'you had to be there' joke. At the last release party (or maybe the one before) somehow everyone got onto the subject on Riley in a thong! One thing lead to another and dingle berries were mentioned! haha It was an hilarious night and my cheeks hurt at the end of it! The girls who were at that release party will probably get a kick out of it.

I inked up the 'Read My T' image and colored her in the usual way. The sentiment on the front was just written using a Micron pen.

I've really enjoyed this week off work. A girl could really get used to this! hahaha I've been stamping up a storm this week using the new Hanna Stamps sets that are being released next week! I can't wait for you all to see them! I hope you can make it to the release party on Thursday (Jan 8th) at 9pm EST. There will be lots of chatting, a few challenges and prizes!!

Oh, and one more thing - Kristi and Hanna Stamps want to thank everyone for their support this past year by offering a coupon for 10% off your orders now through Jan 31st 2009. Just enter the code SUPPORT in the box at checkout!


Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Supplies:
Stamps: Hanna Stamps! 'Read My T'
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Soft Sky, Buckaroo Blue, Close to Cocoa
Paper: Bazzil cs, Canson watercolor paper, PP - My Mind's Eye 'Wild Asparagus Collection - My Grandpa'
Access: Ribbon, dimensionals, Fiskars circle cutter,Micron pen

An entire new year ahead of us!

Happy New Year to you!!

I just love new years day don't you?! I love the fresh beginnings; the anticipation of what lies ahead. It's a clean slate to make new goals and set out to achieve them.

Do you have any resolutions or goals you want to achieve this year? I want to follow through better on things I've put my hand up for. I also want to be better about calling my friends. I have an aversion to using the phone...I can't explain it, but I have never been one to chat on the phone a lot. But I want to be better about that. Other than that, I wouldn't mind another little MacLean around the house! ;) That would be nice.

Since I'm married, and Edward is taken *sigh*, I created an imaginary boy toy today. Meet Ian. Isn't he dreamy?? I adored him from the moment I laid eyes on him. He's the male version of Anya over at The Greeting Farm (formally known as Pink Poison). I kept him simple (since that seems to be working for me this week!) and added the twine and button I recycled from a Pier One candle I received at Christmas. Love finds like that!

Enjoy your New Years Day whatever it is that you're doing. Hubby and I are going on a date tonight! :D

Supplies:
Stamps: The Greeting Farm 'Hello Ian', MFT 'Essential Sentiments'
Inks: Staz On 'Jet Black', Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, True Thyme, Morning Marigold, Vintage Violet, Distress Inks 'Black Soot'
Paper: Canson watercolor, Bazzil cs, PP - Basic Grey 'Boxer Collection - Cargo'
Access: Recycled twine and button, dimensionals