Make Mine Stamps

Alternative Colors for Christmas

Hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving and if you were in the shopping madness, that you found your bargains.  I finally have purchased a new camera and am hopeful it will help with the pictures...when it arrives!  Should be much easier for me to get pictures from the camera to the computer...and true to form, it took LuAnn about 3 seconds to get my old camera back to the viewfinder.  And yes, I know I had pushed that button myself -- at least 40 times!  Oh well...I guess it wasn't meant to be and I needed a less frustrating camera anyway.

Today's card is in response to a hostess request for alternative Christmas colors.  You might think that would be easy -- just pull out other colors and create a card, right?  Wrong!  For me, it is hard not to use traditional green, red and gold.  Here is what I came up with and Thom likes it, but for me...not so much!

I started with a Whisper White base card because truly, I just couldn't figure out what else might work!  I cut a piece of the Holiday Lounge Designer Series Paper and decided upon this layout. I random stamped the Serene Snowflake pattern on Melon Mambo paper and cut the panels to fit.  I used the Delightful Decorations set to stamp my ornament in Taken with Teal and used the Ornament Punch to punch it out.  There are no fussy cuts being done if I can help it since my hands are still not cooperating at a great level...yet.  I punched another ornament from Melon Mambo cardstock and used Whisper White craft ink to stamp the snowlake or decoration on this ornament. 

I wrapped the silver cording around and tied the bows on the ornaments and adhered the cording to the back of the ornaments with pop dots to elevate them a bit on the card (it needed some depth interest!).  Finally, I stamped my greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes and used the cording to give that panel some interest.  I like the template and will have to rework this card a bit before the workshop.  I would never use three stamp sets on one card, but since I was on a roll and was able to picture this in my mind, I went ahead with it.  It's merry...and bright!

Still struggling with stamping, but I am hopeful to be stamping some each day.  I've been doing the exercises designed to stretch the nerves that are affected and I know I'm getting better.  However, this is the end of the month at work, which means much use of my hands as I prepare our statements for mailing.  It won't be pretty, I'm afraid, so I've tried to prepare a couple of postings in advance.  I love to create so much and feel as if I'm resting the creative juices too much at this point.  True fact -- the more you stamp, the better you get and the more the creativity flows.  When you are forced to rest, as I have been, it really stifles you and you have to start at square one all over again.  But I will keep working on this too.  I'm going to try to use My Digital Studio to do some designing while I'm resting to see if perhaps that is an alternative for me.  Hopefully, I'll be able to post the things I'm making on the computer and that will keep me going for a good long while!

Have a fabulous day!  And if you get a chance, see the movie Blindside with Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw.  Thom and I saw it last night -- FABULOUS FIVE STAR MOVIE!  Family friendly, feel-good, true story and we were both very moved by the movie!  God Bless!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Have you given thought to what you are thankful for today?  I hope so!  I woke early and layed in bed, praising God that I'm alive and that those I love are alive, and for so many different things in my life.  Give it some thought -- it's sure to cheer you when you realize how many blessings we all really enjoy on a day-to-day basis!

I needed 18 invitations to a workshop and in my impaired state(Carpal Tunnel is getting better slowly!), I have to make them easy cards, especially since I have to work a bit, rest a lot, work a bit, rest a lot...you get the picture.  Here is the card that resulted from my work smarter, not harder philosophy and action plan.

I started with a Real Red card base, 3 1/2 x 8 and folded it in half.  This will mail in a regular envelope, has enough room for me to include the insert about the workshop. but also enough room that this card will look great used as a card, used as a gift tag or inserted into a gift with a personal message. 

I layered on two different patterns from the Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper (sold out!).  I used a 3 1/2 x 2 3/4 of the stripe and a 3 1/2 x 1" piece of the holly paper, put them both together and ripped the pieces.  I adhered the smaller piece to the larger piece and rolled the edges of both with my fingernails.  I added a length of Soft Suede ribbon (polka dots down) and then used my Big Shot to add a Snowflake, which I sprayed with my shimmer mist.  I added a red rhinestone from the Fire Brads and placed it with a glue dot onto the card.

Using the Friends 24/7 stamp set, I pulled out the "for you" image and stamped it in Whisper White craft ink.  I think it is a card that can be reused by the recipient as I leave them blank on the inside when I send a workshop invitation card.  Easy, versatile, but still something I am proud to say I made.

As you prepare for the holiday season, take time to remember what the season is all about!  Let's not lose sight of the fact that this season is all about the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the true free gift of Salvation!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Almost too Easy to Call It Handcrafted!

You have to love a stamp set that lets you create a card as quickly as this one does.  Scenic Season, #115354 is one of those sets that you can play with, but when you are short on time, you can also whip out a WOW!  Most stampers, especially newbies, love to emboss and here, I've used this set to emboss a quick card that packs a pop, and is very pretty in about 5 minutes flat.

Although it doesn't really show that well in this picture, I've matted Handsome Hunter with Brushed Gold which is such a gorgeous option anyway.  I used my Versamark inkpad to stamp the image on Shimmery White cardstock, which is gorgeous in its own right.  Next, I covered my ink with gold embossing powder and heated it up until it popped and changed to shimmer.  I adhered this on top of the brushed gold and voila!

Very pretty, very easy and very quick!  I know this is a quick post, but typing is difficult today and I've got stamping to do.  I have to plan my work and work my plan until I get much better so look for quick cards this week.

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping!

Blogger's Challenge - Theme: Give Thanks

Can you believe it has been three weeks since I've done a Blogger's Challenge?  And the typing is a challenge, let me tell you!  Who knew that Carpal Tunnel was such a painful problem?  Certainly not me!

Admittedly, there isn't much stamping here, so let's get to it.  At least I created it!

I started with a Chocolate Chip base and cut two panels from the Autumn Meadows Designer Series Paper.  Going to be sad to see that go -- love the stripe!  The panels measure 4 x 5.  I layered one panel on top of the other, adhering them together at the left and bottom edges only.  Then I tore the top layer to expose the bottom layer, and tore the bottom layer to expose what would be the base and I added these layers to my card.

I cut two Very Vanilla layers to fit into these slots and I will write all the many things for which I give thanks on these panels.  After coloring the "Give" portion of the stamp from Holiday Best, Hostess Level 1, I stamped it on Tempting Turquoise and then punched it out with the large Oval Punch and cut off the top.  Next, I used the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig after coloring the "Thanks" portion of the stamp in Chocolate Chip ink and punched it, cutting it out with my cutter.  I adhered both to the back slip-in layer.  Before placing the front Very Vanilla panel, I distressed it with Chocolate Chip ink.

The front lower portion of the card is from the Elegant Notes sets.  I love these notes and kept the guts from the portion I used earlier this week and kept one card for positioning.  I placed a dab of Tombow glue on the pieces and placed the Elegant Note on my card, positioned the pieces and the glue held.  Isn't this a pretty image?  I added some Shimmer Mist I created using the Champagne Frost Shimmer paint and alcohol, spraying it through the Elegant Note card so it only went on this image.

Here's the inside as I have tons to be thankful for this year!

It just needed some stamping!  Okay, I've got to quit typing if I'm going to be able to do my work at the office.  Happy day to you!  Thanks for stopping and have a fabulous weekend!  Go Bucks!  Beat Michigan!

Celebrate!

While I am still in lots of pain, it is so gratifying to know what is going on and to be able to start getting a grip on fixing it.  Carpel Tunnel beware -- I'm on the warpath and am coming back!  I did screw up bigtime though yesterday -- I ironed Thom's clothes for 4 hours -- no joke!  Not a good move...can you say STUPID?

Here's a card we did for my Techniques Club this month.  I wanted something bright, cheerful and pretty and thought this could be used as a note to someone after Christmas, or for the New Year and love the how the colors came together.

This is called Polished Stone and is very simple to create.  Using Glossy Paper, we first stamped our snowflakes in Craft Whisper White and embossed them with White embossing powder. 

Next, we sprayed cotton balls with alcohol, and starting with Bashful Blue reinker, we dipped one and worked on the Bashful Blue ink over the snowflakes.  Next, we worked on Almost Amythest with a second cotton ball and finished with Bermuda Bay reinker.  You have to spread your cotton ball and spray it liberally with plain isopropyl rubbing alcohol, then dip it into a drop of reinker and work it over your card, always starting lightest to darkest.  When you have the background created on glossy as you want it, you take it back to your heat gun and re-heat your snowflakes you originally embossed so they will pop up!  Obviously, they are hard to see here so check out the next picture.

We ripped the panel we created, and adhered it to an Almost Amythest piece, stamping on the sentiment and adding the ribbon.  Next, we cut a snowflake from Shimmery White paper using the Big Shot and adhered a rhinestone brad to the center of the snowflake using a glue dot.  We cut the brad prongs off so it would lay flat.  Once the panel was done, we adhered it to the base card in Bermuda Bay.

Here's the other picture:

I'm totally frazzled with camera issues right now and have started the process of camera investigations.  We are definitely getting a new camera with more storage - I just need to find it.  I want something with a flash drive that makes getting the pictures into my computer much easier than the current process.  And hopefully, I can get one that will once again allow me to take pictures through the darned view finder!  OH to be not so camera challenged!

I am happy with the end result and my gals liked their cards as well!

Until tomorrow, enjoy your day and thanks for stopping!

I'm coming back!

What a couple of weeks it has been!  I have bad news and good news!  The bad news?  I was mis-diagnosed!  I don't have Osteo-Arthritis or Fibromyalgia!  The good news?  I have Carpal Tunnel!  So, even though I don't have pictures ready to post this a.m., I will post a new card this afternoon and I'll actually be stamping, with braces, later today!  I say Praise the Lord!  No drugs and I just couldn't tolerate them anyway so this is fabulous news for me!  The braces make this so much more bearable but typing is slow and I have to be careful of how much activity still as I only got the braces yesterday.  However, what a difference a day makes!

Thank you all for your prayers -- I am so very blessed to know so many Christian women who put me on their list and again I say, "God is good!"  I will see you this afternoon and I'll be blogging regularly again for the remainder of the week as long as the creative juices are still flowing!

Have a fabulous day!

Finally....I stamped something!

It feels so good to have actually stamped something!  It's been so long since I've been in my stamp room and I just decided pain or no pain, I was stamping.  I'm not sure we have the right diagnosis but I do know that the medicine they gave me cannot be consumed by this body.  Truthfully, with one half oa a pill, and I am allowed to have two at a time, my nose goes completely numb, my face tingles and I cannot hear correctly.  I have decided that there has to be an alternative and I'm seeking it!  But in the meantime, I do feel a bit better and will just have to plan my work and work my plan!

Because I knew I didn't have much time to stamp and wouldn't be able to really stamp much, I pulled out one of the slim tins I bought at convention.  I recently purchased the Elegant Notes from the Idea Book and Catalog, page 168.  I love the look of these and knew that they would have to be a gift as the post office will not deliver them.  But, I also thought they would look gorgeous on a gift and that I could dress them up a bit and use them as a Hostess Gift prior to Christmas, allowing my hostess to use them for Christmas.  I love the design and I paired the notes with both Handsome Hunter and Bravo Burgundy for a really rich look.  Here's a look at the cards themselves.

The notes themselves come with the design punched, but not removed.  I removed the design using my bone folder and covered the diecut with either Bravo Burgundy or Handsome Hunter, adhereing a piece of cardstock that was 1 3/4" by 2 3/4".  Very easy.  Next, I used the sentiment from All Holidays, #114916, to stamp the front.  I wanted something that looked both elegant and that wasn't too cluttered and I really like this one.  I could have tied a piece of the 1/4" grosgrain around the bottom to add to the look, but I just liked the richness of the Very Vanilla card with these colors all by itself.  Sometimes, less is more and in this case, I thought this was just enough.

I recently purchased the Christmas Greetings set, #115448, because I love the font that "Merry Christmas" is written in.  Plus, at $10.95, this is one of those sets that I can easily see myself using throughout the Christmas season.  I personally am a "Merry Christmas" lady versus Seasons Greetings.  I know that Jesus is the reason for the season and I'm not going to use any other sentiment than Merry Christmas on my Christmas Cards.  I like the way this looks stamped inside the elegant notes.

 

The left hand picture is the tin itself.  All I did to dress it up was to use some of the Christmas Rub-Ons using the snowflakes from the Icicle Rub Ons from the Christmas Mini, #116804.  Took 2 minutes if that because I first cut them out and then placed them on the tin, using the popsickle stick to rub them on.  The right hand pictures is the inside of the tin itself.  This tin easily holds 8 of these cards and since you get 15, I'll use 8 in one, 6 in another tin and keep one to use the embellishment on the front as a stencil for other cards, envelopes and whatever else might come into my path.  I love the design on the front of these notes.  Tied with a ribbon in Handsome Hunter, I think the presentation is pretty and elegant but not over the top.  And, it easily fits into my purse so I can present it when I walk in the door at any Thanksgiving gathering.  I toyed with the idea of making a belly band and may still do that so that the presentation is a bit more grand.

Easy and simple.  Quick too!  Just what I needed today!  My hope is to be able to get back to stamping something everyday and posting Monday through Friday.  I love to stamp and I am unwilling to give this up because it is such great therapy for me.  As I work through finding out what is indeed the source of the pain in my fingers, hands, wrists and up my arms to my elbows, I may not get something posted everyday, but trust me, that is my intention.  I appreciate you sticking with me and if you see something you like and have questions, let me know!  Have an awesome day!

Ronald McDonald Cards for the Kids Update

Nothing new to show you today -- still struggling to type, let alone stamp.  However, I'm seeing the doctor today and am excited that I'll soon be stamping well again!

However, I've got three or four card packets to make up to finish our cards for the kids, but even before that, we've already got 300+ cards to donate and I'm so proud of everyone who helped!  Thank you to Pat Palmer for the cards she made and donated and to Cindy Kokensparger who donated additional Christmas cards!  We've got Thinking of You, Happy Anniversary, Happy Birthday, Thank you, Cards for Children, Get Well, Sympathy, Love you, and blank cards for notes, as well as Happy Thanksgiving.  I feel certain there is no occasion we haven't covered and this should make a huge dent in their need for cards through this season.  Remember that a card is just a hug with a fold!  We are delivering bunches of hugs here and I'll have them ready for UPS'ing by Wednesday so they will have them on Thursday!  WAY TO GO!  Thank you again for your support of this effort!  You ladies ROCK!

Missing In Action!

Well, if you check my blog often, you'll realize I've been missing in action!  I've been busy, but I've also been fighting some severe malady that has left me with a serious weekness and pain in my arms and hands.  It was hard to even re-ink my pads and I was trying to create card kits for the Cards for the Kids event we did yesterday.  Fortunately for me, God is good and He put some people in my path who are helping me to find a physician (this would be a fabulous town to start a practice -- NO ONE IS ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS!) and also to give me an idea about what might be happening.  Enough complaining!

We had several ladies turn out yesterday and although I don't have the final count on cards, which I will be sure to give you this week, these fabulous gals all came and helped:  Theresa McGee, Violet McGee, Beth Bronkar, Sue Grissett and Laura Natalie.  We had a ball just making cards and chit chatting as we crafted.  We decided we would try to do this quarterly and I'll be working on getting something set up for the first quarter of 2010.  Sounds unbelieveable that we are almost there, doesn't it?  Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I'm so thankful for so much this year!

So many of you have asked and I'm happy to report that Andy is doing very well.  He wasn't able to play any additional football games (his mother Praises God for that!), but it does look like he will be making a full and complete recovery and will eventually be playing basketball.  Thank you God!  Thank YOU for asking and for caring enough to pray for my son -- I appreciate your prayer and concern more than I could ever tell you in words!

Here are some additional cards we made yesterday.  Each of these cards is made with retired Stampin' Up! supplies and you may even recognize the DSP and retired In Colors.

I know it doesn't appear that there was much stamping going on, but our goal was to pump out volume and I know we accomplished our goal!  My thought was that the cards are free and available --  I don't think anyone will turn their noses up at them.  And yes, you probably noticed there are many using the same template, but they are all different enough that they are still pretty and will appeal to those who are using them.

Hopefully I'll have some more to show you tomorrow if I can dig out of the room.  So much of a mess -- and I've got to match sets back up, get the cards counted, get envelopes ready for them, etc., etc.   A labor of love to be sure and we enjoyed the doing!

Have a blessed day and once again, thank you ladies for supporting this event!

 

More Cards for the Kids!

Ever have one of those weeks when no matter what you do, it seems to take twice as long as it should?  Well, let me just tell you, I'm there!  The computer is slow, the camera is slow, the exercise video is fast and I'm a step behind and WHEW!  I need to catch up!  I think I'm attempting to get many things done and I'm afraid I'm forgetting a bunch too.  I need to just stop and pray about all of this and ask God to show me what to focus on and make that happen.  He will take care of the rest or it must just not be part of the plan.

Here are some of the cards we will be doing at the Cards for the Kids Event on Sunday.  Now, before you protest about how easy they are, keep in mind again, the idea is volume!  I want to be able to give them a volume of cards so we can plan to do this event once a quarter if there is enough interest out there to meet their need.  And although these are simple, they are cute.  Now, the other part is yes, I know that isn't Stampin' UP! paper, but I'm donating ALL the supplies, so I need to make certain I get into that paper I've collected throughout my stamping days -- remember my motto?  You can have as many supplies as you can hide?  Well, ladies, it's time to go looking as the holidays are coming, I've got Stampin' Up! classes to hold and I need to make certain I have some supplies left for classes!  This is a very small fraction of the paper I've been hanging onto for a good cause and I think this qualifies.  Besides, it's just pretty paper!

These images are from Pun Fun, one of those sets I earned free, but haven't used a great deal.  I'm beginning to love this little set.  It makes some fabulous cards and they are sure to bring a smile to the face of their recipient.  That is the goal so I think even though they are simple, they should make the grade and I think since they are free, no one will object!

We've got soft, happy colors on the hippo and ewe, but the rocket seems to scream space trash to me.  What do you think?

More to come and you'll realize that I've got stashes of stuff all over this house.  Hmmmm, where have I not looked for supplies?  Well, I haven' even ventured out of my stamping studio (read small bedroom) and I know there are things in the closet in Andy's room, in the closet in the exercise room, in the game closet, perhaps under the beds and in the dressers that aren't being used.  I don't even need to go looking -- there is enough retired paper and accessories in my studio closet (did I mention I hang my paper in bags so it doesn't get crapped up?) that I could be in there for a good long time and never go looking for anything!  My brother refers to my paper as "precious paper" and rolls his eyes.  He just doesn't get it, but then again, does it even matter if he gets it...as long as he realizes the priority!  Enjoy your day and if you would please, pray that our event will be successful with many stampers helping us, many cards made and lots of fellowship.  Thanks bunches!