Make Mine Stamps

Stampin' 411 Sketch Challenge

This card started with a very easy sketch challenge.  I needed something to get my stampin' mojo moving and this was easy, once I sat down at my stamping desk and started playing with paper.  It wasn't where I thought I was going, but this card had a mind of its own.

The Designer Series Paper is from the Sweet Pea Designer Pack in the Occasions Mini.  I cannot tell you how much I adore Houndstooth in any color and this pink really spoke to me.  It was the back side of a "scrap" and when I saw it, I knew that whatever I did would have to use this Houndstooth.

I started with a base of Rose Red, which is a color I do not ordinarily use.  But I wasn't happy with the Pretty in Pink as the base and needed something darker.  In fact, I actually stamped the focal image from Thoughts and Prayers FIRST before determining how the card would be put together.  I used my Stampin' Write markers in Rose Red, Mellow Moss and Close to Cocoa to color the image prior to stamping.  I had a scrap of Glossy paper on my desk and I just grabbed it and stamped, hoping the image would fit.  It did and here it is!

The layers are Rose Red, Sweet Pea DSP, Rose Red, Sweet Pea DSP in Pretty In Pink Dots and Glossy White.  The ribbon, although the color is called Rose, is just a shade off and I decided to move with it anyway.  The sentiment "from the heart"  is from All Holidays and is one I use often.  I am fond of saying, "Hear my heart...." when I am trying to make a point and this sentiment moves me.  I do not think I will ever let it go.  And if I ever find one that says "hear my heart", I will own it as well.  Have you seen one like this?

Incidentally, my stamping desk is a large piece of countertop that was a remnant or cast off from someone's home as they remodelled their kitchen.  Thom's builder, Royce, found it and Thom added about 6 to 8" to the back of it so it would be deep enough for me and it is about 7 feet in length.  It sits on two saw horses (yep, it looks crazy!) but it works so well for me.  Behind me, I have short filing cabinets and I put a long piece of wood across the top to use as another desk.  The filing cabinets sit at each end and the wood (about 24 inches deep) is fabulous to hold my tabletop cutter, my Big Shot, my heat gun and still have plenty of room to lay things out and stamp, emboss, or whatever.  I love my make-shift desks -- testament that you don't have to have a specially built room to stamp.  I am lucky in that I have a California Closet set up that was in the room prior to my taking it over.  I've labelled my shelves and store my stamps in the closet, which Thom had changed to my specifications.  I have so much stuff!  I really need to take a weekend and just pitch and toss -- or reacquaint myself with all my treasures to see if my creativity kicks in again!  Can you tell that the idea of tossing any of those items I've taken the time to choose causes me great stress?  I can't toss them, but I would be willing to find them a loving new home where they could be appreciated and put to good use.

See you tomorrow!  God Bless and have a fabulous day!

DCBD Color and Sketch Challenge

I got to stamp this weekend while Thom was plowing out the neighborhood and the office.  That crazy man of mine plowed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and was exhausted when he got home.  The snow was gorgeous, but it was wet and heavy and didn't plow easily.  While he was out working, I combined a Diva Coffee Break Design Color and Sketch challenge to come up with this card.

The basecard is Taken with Teal.  I love the technique I used here but don't do it often enough as it is messy and takes time. 

I stamped En Francais in Taken with Teal ink on my label sheet.  Next, I used Chocolate Chip and Rose Red inks and the Itty Bitty Backgrounds to fill the sheet with some additional color.  I stamped the grass from Inspired By Nature in Old Olive after stamping off and then I used my markers to color the Cone Flowers from the same set and stamp it on the label sheet.  Instead of huffing on the stamp after color, I spritzed it with water to get a slightly different look.

Next, I covered the label sheet with Crystal Effects...a very thin layer.  I heated this with my embossing gun until it was dry.  This creates a webbing that holds the label sheet together so that I was able to gently and carefully rull the labels off the label sheet onto the cardstock.  I love the look!

I used Rose 1/4" grosgrain ribbon and sticky strip to pleat it along the bottom of the card for some additional color.  Final touch was to round the corners to match the label sheet.  Overall, I am really happy with this card.  Although I didn't finish it with a sentiment, I know I'll probably make some more of these and use them for the card ministry at church.  I just love this stamp set and think it makes a very pretty card.

I hope this is going to be a great week for all of us!  Enjoy the snow and remember that no matter what, Spring is coming!  God Bless You!

It's A Winter Wonderland!

I had to share some of these gorgeous pictures I took from my laundry room (through the paned glass) and from an upstairs window out of my stamp room.  This snow, although it does create a myriad of problems, is so gorgeous!  If I were younger and didn't stamp, I'd probably be out playing in this stuff.  No...wait -- if I had small children, grandkids or a dog, I'd probably be out playing in this stuff.

 

 

 

It's really breathtaking outside now as the sun is shining through and it is just beautiful glinting off the snow!  Yep, it's cold, but with the view being what it is, I'm loving it anyway.  Thom has been out all day plowing our subdivision and the office.  I've got my own personal snowman and when he gets in, he is sure to be frozen solid.  He should nap well in his chair tonight!

I've had some really nice emails and comments about my stamping injury.  Here it is in living color after two days:

It hurts and it is starting to heal nicely.  Yesterday, I babied it and am still keeping it covered.  It still bleeds occasionally because I keep bumping it.  Pat asked me when my last tetanus shot was.  My response:  It doesn't matter and I am not going there.  I'm needle phobic and unless it is an absolute must, there is no tetanus shot in my future.  When would it be a must?  If they diagnosed me with tetanus.  And yes, it hurts.  I'm a big baby anyway!

I'm off to make some more cards.  I love stamping weekends and since Thom can watch the big game tomorrow, I intend to get some stuff done.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get my whole week of posting done.

Enjoy your day, wherever you may be!

  
 
 
 

Blogger's Challenge - Red, White and Black

What a classic combination!  I needed to stamp something quickly and I found a fabulous sketch to start with through SUDSOL.  I have two weddings that I'm aware of already this year and I've decided that I wanted to do simple, yet classy.  So, here's one of the designs I'll be using.

I realize that this is one of those SIMPLE cards and that it didn't take long to make.  However, I injured myself in the making of this card and I'm still bleeding!  I was cutting the legs off the Real Red Corduroy brads to put in the upper left corner and instead cut into myself in a deep V fashion in the upper palm of my left hand.  Man does it hurt!  I've bled through two band-aids and I have to tell you that you don't make cards while you are bleeding.  I don't want to send my DNA on a wedding card...and then I didn't even like how the brads looked, so I didn't use them.  I tried bling brads too -- decided I like the card plain as it is. 

I've got a Basic Black card base to start.  I added a 2" x 4 1/4" piece of the striped Bridal Designer Series Paper to the bottom of the front of the card and scalloped a piece of Real Red cardstock that measured 1" x 4 1/4".  I also pierced this piece top and bottom and added a strip of the Black and White Gingham ribbon for some interest.  I punched two of the hearts from the 3 Heart Punch from the patterned paper from the Bridal Designer Series Papers and then added a punched small Real Red Heart where the two join.  Ahhhhhh....I like it!

The Congratuations sentiment is stamped in Black Staz-On Ink and is from the Well Scripted set.  I've used the definition of "together" on the inside from the Define Your LIfe set and have included two smaller red hearts.  I didn't photo this -- my darned hand HURTS!  It is just throbbing and I feel like an idiot -- I was using my rubber scissons and since I don't ever have to trim my stamps anymore, I didn't think they were sharp enough to hurt me.  WRONG AGAIN!

I love the simplicity of the Bridal Designer Series papers and I love how I can take them really upscale and gorgeous when I add ink.  These papers are fabulous and I hope Stampin' Up! keeps them in the next catty go round.

We're to get a bunch of snow today so we'll see what happens.  I'm ready for a weekend.  I need to stamp like a mad-woman to have samples to post next week and we'll see how that goes.....

Enjoy your weekend!  God Bless You!

Omission Embossing

I love the embossing folders you can purchase for all the fabulous diecut machines out there.  I think embossing is a super way to add a fabulous background to a card and I love the omission embossing technique.  Here's a quick post of a card I did quite a while ago for a Techniques Class.  This particular card was done for the Ronald McDonald House in Columbus.

This stamp set is Branch Out and it is now retired.  I hated to see it retire, but I've decided that no matter what, I'm keeping it.  It is just too easy to use and has a tire swing, bird house, boots and other accessories in the set that make it darling.  Plus, you get leaves and snowflakes to use with the tree -- quick cards for every occasion!

For this card, I used the Finial Press embossing folder through the Big Shot and an oval frame that I created from chipboard to resist or omit the embossing.  This card never fails to get a WOW! when people see it.

The basecard is Garden Green.  For the leaves, I used Garden Green, More Mustard and Ruby Red.  The tree itself is Chocolate Chip.  If I hadn't been pumping out so many cards for the Ronald McDonald House, I would have colored the grass green with my markers as well, but it was so much quicker just to ink the stamp with the ink pad. (Yes, you can color me lazy for this one!)

Tonight, I get to spend some time with Pat, Desi and Angel at my Hostess Appreciation Dinner. Becky and Theresa will be missed as they cannot attend.  However, the four of us are going to dinner at Olive Garden.  With these fun ladies, we're sure to have a great time!

I'll be back tomorrow with Blogger's Challenge!  I don't even know what the challenge is yet so I'm off to check what I have to create in the next hour!  God Bless! 

Purple & Yellow -- The New "IT" Colors

Okay, I'll admit it...I miss my child!  He had his first physician follow-up appointment today and it went well.  He's right on schedule as far as recuperation and movement, but now that he is back at his father's so he can get back to school, I'm bereft and I miss him like crazy!  I was actually weepy when we left to take him to the doctor!  Thom has been great about it though and is trying to give me some space so I can get over the weepies, which I will, but it always takes time -- lots of it!

I finally had a few minutes to stamp and forced myself to get into the stamp room and make a quick card.  When I say quick, I mean 10 minutes or less!  SUDSOL, one of the demo groups I belong to, issued a challenge to use the new "IT" colors of Purple and Yellow.  You'll see these colors coming on strong in everything this year and I say they look gorgeous together.  One of my favorite color combos has always been Elegant Eggplant, Mellow Moss and So Saffron.  However, when I saw the challenge today, here is exactly what came to me...and I will play with this challenge again!

This is Perfect Plum and Crushed Curry -- and I love how it turned out.  I didn't even need to use a neutral, but it is a very simple and quick card.

I used the large image from Baroque Motifs to stamp the corner of the card in Perfect Plum.  I love this image but I have to admit I don't use this set enough.  I bought it and thought I would use the whale out of it, but I just don't think of it often enough.  I wrapped the Polka Dotted Crushed Curry ribbon around the card and tied it (as per usual, the polka dots are on the down side!).  I used the large Heart Punch to punch out my sentiment from Well Scripted which was stamped onto one of the Crushed Curry Pattern Papers in Perfect Plum.  I used other pieces of the DSP in the Crushed Curry Pattern Papers to punch out the smaller hearts and adhered them with dimensionals and glue dots.  Quick...and very easy!

Here's the inside:   

I used the same image in Perfect Plum to stamp the card liner and attached the last of the three hearts I punched from the Crushed Curry Pattern Papers.  I love the combination of colors!

I am posting late, but hopefully I'm back on target.  It feels good to be stamping again and to be entering challenges.  Now, let's see if I can just get over the weepies and missing my child!  I just love that boy and having had the opportunity to baby him for a bit brought back so many memories...all of them good!

Enjoy what remains in this day and count your blessings.  Then share them with someone who needs to be reminded that God loves them and that God is good...all the time!  I so appreciate all your prayers for Andy and all your well wishes -- THANK YOU!

Happy Birthday!

I'm working on putting together a Birthday Card Class because we all need birthday cards at some point.  And, I'm trying to do a much better job getting my birthday cards sent.  Here's a card I created as a "CASE" Challenge through one of the demo boards I belong to.  We were instructed to go to the blog of another demo and case one of her cards.  And, I'm feeling very stupid here because I can't remember who I cased!  I'll have to keep better track in the future and I will -- that way, I can share the original design and you will be able to see how I was inspired to create what I created.

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Some of you may recognize this paper from the Sending Love Specialty Designer Series papers. When I saw it, it screamed "birthday" to me.  I think it reminds me of cupcakes...who knows, but this is what I saw when I looked at this paper!

I started with a Real Red card base.  On a layer of Very Vanilla, I used the DSP on the top, scalloping the corner treatment with the Scalloped Border punch and cutting off the edges.  I ruined...I mean USED...a great deal of paper getting this corner treatment right as it was part of the original design.  Once I started, I wasn't stopping until I got it right!  I did the same thing with a coordinating piece of DSP on the bottom.

Next, I layered Real Red over the seam and used a piece of Very Vanilla over the top.  I pierced this piece top and bottom (because I love the look!).  Using the Well Scripted clear mount stamps, I stamped my Happy Birthday sentiment (I love the playful look of this font!) and decided the card could use a piece of ribbon.  I tried Chocolate Chip, I tried Real Red, but I ended up using Pretty In Pink 1/4" grosgrain ribbon.  I adhered all my layers to the card and then stamped the cupcake from Sock Monkey Accessories in Chocolate Chip, coloring it with my Stampin' Write markers in Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, and Real Red.  I used a bit of Apricot Appeal for the candle flame, but it doesn't show really well in the photo.  I used my round punch to punch this out, punched a Pretty In Pink circle and matted both pieces on a Chocolate Chip Scalloped Circle Punch.  Certainly this isn't my favorite card, but it will work.  It seems a bit unbalanced to me, but Thom really liked it.  Go figure....

Andy is upstairs working on homework.  I think he is suffering a bit from post-anesthesia depression, which I would guess is a bit normal.  He's also suffering from the "Why did this have to happen to me" bit.  I told him to get over that and quickly.  There is a blessing in everything that happens to us in life but sometimes we have to look for it.  The blessing here is that if he was going to require surgery from a sports injury, I am so thankful it was not due to the concussion he had in September or October!  And, he's had this injury early enough in the year that he can get it fixed and be whole in time for college.  Plus, even though he is injured, he is seeing and experiencing physical therapy first hand -- which is what he says he wants to do as a career.  There are more blessings I can see, but I am also not the one in pain and not the one having to rely on everyone else for help.  I remember well those days!  I also remember the blessing I thanked God for each day when I was undergoing treatment for breast cancer:  Thank you God that this is me and not my son.  I can stand whatever you throw at me but I couldn't take it if he had to go through this.   And yes, I still thank God that it was me and not my son. 

I am hopeful that I'll get to stamp tomorrow.  I need some stamp therapy!  Have a fabulous day and remember to count your blessings!  We are all rich beyond compare and the disaster in Haiti has me double thinking about all my blessings!

Guest Designer - Finally!

In my last post, from I don't know when, I said we would have a guest designer tomorrow.  Well, tomorrow is finally here!  My schedule got crazy with Andy's recuperation and physician appointments and I haven't stamped anything all week! 

In my January newsletter, I announced that I would be posting a sketch challenge, but I didn't get to it.  Cindy read my blog, read that I had done a sketch challenge and thought it was the sketch challenge I was posting.  Not so, but she made a great card anyway and I've asked her permission to post it.  She brought it to card club last Monday Night, the night before Andy's surgery and I had a devil of a time finding it from the safe place I placed it.

Compliments of Cindy Kokensparger...I think the image is darling and the colors really pop!  I loved it!

I can't give you the details because I'm not sure what stamp company own the image or who created the paper, but I like it anyway!

We created four cards at Card Club and it was a free month as my gift to all my stampers for Christmas.  We had a ball -- the group that was there is somewhat outrageous and they are all related in some manner, some way or all know each other, etc.  It's a fun group.

On Wednesday, I received this card from Cindy as a Thank You and it is absolutely adorable.

 

I love the colors, love the images and really appreciated the personal note she included.  Thanks bunches, Cindy!

Hopefully I will get to do some stamping this week -- and hopefully, I'll get to do some new posting. 

Keep Andy in your thoughts and prayers, please.  Our follow up physician appointment is Wednesday and then he will be going home with his dad to finish his recuperation.  I'm going to miss him, but I think I'll get some sleep!

Enjoy your day and thank you for all your thoughts and prayers!

A Breath of Fresh Air!

Andy had his surgery yesterday and all went well.  His meniscus was too badly torn to be repaired so the shredded portion had to be removed.  His physician says no trouble in the short term, but he will more than likely be prone to Arthritis in his knee in 20 to 30 years, dependent upon how he treats it in the upcoming years.  He's a boy...'nuff said!

I didn't get to stamp today and barely slept last night.  He has an ice machine to keep the knee iced and compressed to keep the swelling to a minimum and he has a CPM -- some type of movement machine to keep that knee moving.  He has done so well!  He doesn't complain and is not taking much of the pain medicine, and they've prescribed a narcotic, so I'm glad to see that he is tolerating his pain and isn't taking too much of that drug.  Today, he is eating and it feels so good to have him here and be taking care of my baby once again.  How I remember when he was a baby and not a grown "man" who is much taller than me.  Thankfully, Thom is able to allow me to stay home all week too, although my father, (bless his heart!), is coming to spend a few hours with Andy tomorrow so I can go to work and get a few days worth of business posted.  Monday is statement day and I need to get a few more things done in order to get February statements out timely. 

As a result, here's a card I did last week for a sketch challenge.  I was happy with it because I created it on a very gray and rainy day -- it just says "cheerful" to me and it feels good to see some bright and happy colors.

I love these colors together:  Certainly Celery, Lavendar Lace and Cameo Coral.  The stamp set is Simply Said and I used the corresponding wheel, Kindness. 

I created the Certainly Celery layer using the Kindness Wheel using Certainly Celery ink.  I used my Stampin' Write markers to color the image from Simply Said and stamped this on Whisper White.  This was matted onto Lavendar Lace and I used Cameo Coral and the Photo Corner punch to create the corner treatment.  I love how this appears when you pierce it, so I decided to do a double layer of piercing before I added this to my image.

I layered the image onto my Certainly Celery cardstock layer and then wrapped the White Taffeta ribbon around this piece.  Next, I scalloped the bottom of the Lavendar Lace basecard.  I did this before adhering the Certainly Celery layer so that if I screwed it up, I could start that layer over!  I was actually thinking!  I didn't entirely like the look so I added a strip of Cameo Coral to the bottom of the card and pierced a line above.  I thought this looked much better.

If you have read any of my blog posts recently, you know I've committed to mailing cards this year.  I may be committed, but I have to say that the US Postal service isn't as dedicated to my cards arriving as I am to sending them!  I mailed KD's birthday card three days prior to her January 13 birthday.  She got it this week!  I mailed a card to my sister three days before her January 14 birthday and she got it late last week, prior to KD getting hers.  KD is in Tennessee and Carrie is in Florida.  Go figure...but I realize the mail is still a huge value at 44 cents to get it all the way to both places and I absolutely love our mailman at the office.  He's such a hoot and a really nice guy to boot!  So, I'm not dissing the mail service, I'm realizing I have to send things at least a week and one half prior to the date.  Good to figure out in January!

Tomorrow, I have a "guest designer".  Hope you enjoy!  Thanks so much for your prayers and well wishes for Andy!  We all appreciate them!

Thom's Valentine

Because I make cards, I have to be careful to remember to occasionally make a card for Thom...so true!  He doesn't get many because I have this problem -- I don't normally send them!  That is one of my goals for the year 2010 -- SEND CARDS!  So, when it came time to make a Valentine for Thom, I needed something different.  Last year, it was red, white and black.  This year, I entered a challenge for a "different card color combo" and came up with this card for his Valentine.  To date, he has not seen it and I don't think he "regularly" reads my blog. 

I'll admit -- I used this card for my January Techniques Classes as well.  We created the background using Watercolor Wonder Crayons in Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise and Brilliant Blue and the aquapainters.  Instead of the green bling brads, though, we used the Tempting Turquoise rhinestone brads and I liked them much better.

The card base is Brilliant Blue and the scalloped layer is Green Galore.  Once we created the background on Whisper White, we overstamped with the En Francais background stamp in Brilliant Blue.  Love how it looks and I think it is very pretty.  We punched the hearts in Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise and Brilliant Blue and placed them using glue dots.  I think he will be happy with it, but he may say something about the ribbon and the bling.  He'll probably wonder why I didn't "dimple" some of the cardstock!

Andy's surgery is today so I'm posting quickly.  We are prayerful that everything will be 100% positive and that he will have a complete recovery.  I'm looking forward to babying my son for a while -- 18 or not, he is still, and will always be, my baby!

God Bless!  Have an awesome day!