Picking Friends

I didn’t think I was ever going to get around to using these fabulous Papertreyink acrylic stamps! For starters, I thought I could only use craft ink with them – so I ordered craft spots from SU. They sat unused as I tried to decide how best to get started.  Then a little birdie told me it was perfectly fine to use classic inks with them! I’ve also heard lots of people say they don’t get a good impression with acrylic stamps – too squishy. So I figured if the pros on SCS can’t do it, who am I to try??

Well, tonight I was determined to give it a try. So, with this week’s sketch challenge as a guideline, I got to work. I had already settled on the Green Thumb set. Then I started with a beautiful piece of Basic Grey’s new Blush dp. I am so in love with all of the new Basic Grey papers! From there I added SU’s Blush Blossom, Close to Cocoa, and Always Artichoke. I stamped the flower pot in Cranberry Crisp, and the stems in Always Artichoke. The flowers are Marigold Morning, Cool Caribbean, and Buckaroo Blue. I sponged Creamy Caramel all over the panel with the flowers, the Artichoke panel, and the Cocoa panel, as well as the base.  I distressed and sponged the sentiment panel, and mounted it on dimensionals. In the corner I added an antique copper nailhead, and on top an antique copper small spiral clip. The ribbon is from Starlit Studio (link at right).

All together it is a pretty simple card but that is what I am making an effort to do these days. Simple, and not terribly time consuming. My hobby is much more enjoyable that way!

One of My Favorite Color Combos!

I have several friends with birthdays this month and next month. And my Dad. Although, this card definitely won’t be for him! He’s more of the golf type. Not so much for doodle flowers. So I figure I should get to work on some cards for them! Anyway, to make a quickie card, I fell back on one of my favorite color combos — pink and brown.

I started out with SU Chocolate Chip for my card base, and Pretty In Pink for my only layer. I found a corner rounder punch on clearance at the always-detestable Wal Mart the other day for $1 — and hey, why not?!! So I used that little treat to round my corners on both the base and the layer. I stamped the large flower from SU’s Doodle This set onto Naturals White cardstock with black Stazon. I watercolored it using an aquapainter and Pretty in Pink ink, with Chocolate Chip as the edging accent. I drew around the outlines of each petal with my Sakura Gelly Roll pen, and colored on the little dots. I cut each one out, put them together with a large pink crystal brad, and attached it to the Cuttlebugged background. The stem was stamped with Basic Black ink and Prima leaves were added with mini glue dots. In the bottom corner is a small piece of green organdy ribbon and a buckle from Joann’s. In the top right corner I stamped “Happy Birthday” with my 1/8″ formal Karen Foster Snap Stamps in silver Encore ink.

I love the way it turned out!! That little corner rounder was a great pickup – I’m obsessed now!!!

DD’s Masterpiece

Before we left Saturday morning DD and I made this sweet card for Aunt Queenie (SIL – Amber).  I used a color combo that included Blush Blossom because that was the color of the piece of paper she chose to color on.  So we ended up with Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, and that Blush Blossom (which happens to be color combo challenge #93). Sweet little DD took her time picking out colors from that box of crayons — she really seemed to put some thought into it!!

I used the Very Punny set to stamp the frog in Sage Shadow ink on Sage Shadow paper, cut him out, and clear embossed him. I stamped the sentiment onto the Chocolate Chip with Versamark and embossed it with the Sage EP from the Soft Subtles stack. The eyelet on the tag is sage from the Soft Subtles collection. The Simplicity corner punch was used on the main panel and the two tag punches were used to make the tag. The ribbon is from Jacksonbelle’s store (link at right).

Inside the card we stamped her hand in Versamark, and embossed it with the Sage EP. Too stinkin’ cute! And the card was a big hit when opened — just because DD made it.

Amber’s Kitchen Shower Card

Well here is what I threw together for my sister-in-law’s bridal shower tomorrow afternoon. Not too much stamping, but hey – what are you gonna do? This dp from Basic grey (Blush) is so fabulous I think it needs to shine on its own!

I started with a base layer of True Thyme cardstock. I put a piece of Cool Caribbean on top of that. Next I added my top layer, which is on dimensionals. It is Blush Blossom cardstock which has been run through the Cuttlebug, a wide strip of the Blush dp, and chipboard letter by Making Memories that I pressed into Versamark and embossed with Sage EP from the Soft Subtles stack. I added two Primas with a crystal brad in the bottom corner, to accent the “a”. I also added three crystal brads in the top corner, so it wouldn’t be so bare. But for the life of me, even with a guide – they never come out straight!! Oh well, she won’t notice!!

So, nothing fancy from me today – just a thrown together quickie. At least I did something!! I’d say I stamped but I feel like that isn’t the right description. I did gaze lovingly at all of my dp and Primas — they make me soooooo happy!

Tomorrow before we leave I am going to get DD to color on a piece of paper, and cut that to make another card. SIL will love that. And so will DD – crayons are a food group, you know!

Finally! A new card….

It’s kinda on the simple side, but that is what I wanted. Ususally I don’t got for all of this “white space” but I’ve seen a few in the SCS gallery lately that look really crisp. So I thought I’d give it a shot.

I broke out my old Best Blossoms set. I’m not sure if I’ve ever even used it!! I’m on a mission to use those sets — to make them “earn their keep”. Otherwise, what’s the point of having so many fabulous stamps? And how to justify the need for more?

The supplies for this card were simple. The colors came from this week’s color challenge from Emily, for which more details can be found here. So I used the SU Basic Black cardstock and ink, Cool Caribbean cardstock and ink, and a bit of Whisper White cardstock. Each of the flowers I cut out and put on a dimensional. Not too hard at all. I purposely mottled the ink a bit before stamping them, to let the cardstock show through. Miraculously, I managed to get the sentiment stamp, which I loooove (and always forget about – but no more!), stamped straight without the use of my stamp-a-ma-jig! Shocking!!

The more I look at this one, the more I like it. Outside of my usual “box” — so maybe that’s why I like it so much!

Well, off to ponder these thank you notes I need to make. I can’t procrastinate but so long. I have extra time tomorrow since my MRI is just after lunch. So hopefully I’ll be able to get more than a few completed!!

I Guess I Should Get Started…..

Well, I (in a moment of insanity) agreed to make 200 thank you notes for SIL’s wedding. Her invitations have gone out, so I probably ought to get off my rear end and get to work. She has a shower this Saturday, so I figured I’d deliver them then. Guess how many I’ve done?

 NONE.

I have the paper (Whisper White and Pretty in Pink), some EP (Soft Subtles), ink (silver and soft subtles) ribbon (pink and white organdy), my Cuttlebug, and some thoughts on stamps….but it’s all in perfect new condition!! Why can’t I be like Mary Poppins and sing a cute song and have it all come together magically???

Anyway, expect some samples this week. Hopefully at least one tonight! Sorry for the slow updates!

Beachy Cards for My Mom!

My mom bought the Beautiful Beach stamp set so I could make some fun cards for her. Well, I got a little stumped for interesting , beachy color combos. So I turned to my friend Laura’s Color Combo site (also linked at right under odds & ends) to help me — and WOW did it ever come through for me!! I had already stamped the shells from the set with Versamark and embossed them with Winter White EP from SU on Cameo Coral cardstock. So I put in Cameo Coral as my only color, and voila….tons of combos! The one immediately to the right is Tempting Turquoise, Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink, and Cameo Coral. So pretty, I think! Across the bottom I stamped one of the other images from the set in Tempting Turquoise. The conch shell is up on dimensionals (SU), and the two-tone ribbon is from Starlit Studios (link at right) — love that brown and turquoise combination! I used the Simplicity Punch from SU to accent two corners of the barely Banana, and that layer is edged with a spot of the same color, as is the Pretty in Pink layer. I made several cards like this, and alternated which side of the card I placed the ribbon – some on the right and some on the left. It really was an easy card to put together!

The card immediately to the left uses a color for the base that I NEVER use. I don’t think I even really like it. But when I layered it all together, I thought it looked fantastic!! So more kudos for Laura’s site!! I love tools that help me go outside of my comfort zone. This combo is Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Cameo Coral, and Pretty in Pink. The Tempting Turquoise layer was run through the Cuttlebug with the Tiny Bubbles folder. I added some turquoise velvet ribbon from Jacksonbelle’s eBay store (link @ right) and an opaque shell I bought at Hobby Lobby. It is adhered with Crystal Effects (SU). I used the ticket corner punch (SU) to accent the corners of the Pretty in Pink layer, which I also ran a Cameo Coral stampin’ spot (SU) over. I made several of these cards also, each with a different shell and accent from Hobby Lobby (but same color and layout scheme).

Thanks for looking, and thanks for stopping by!

Tah Dah!!!! My First Coaster Book!

Well, here it is! My very first coaster book, put together with my brand new Bind-It-All. It couldn’t have been any easier. I started with two 4″ coasters. And 12 slighty smaller than 4″ pieces of SU Kraft cardstock, with the SU ticket-punched corners. I Modge-Podged one side of each coaster with this print paper, which is from a slab I got at Hobby Lobby. The other side of the coaster I put the coordinating purplish piece of paper. Once those were finished and dry, I sanded the edges with SU sanding blocks to help blend the paper and the coaster. Then I put them in the Bind-It-All (one at a time) and punched the holes, followed by all of the cardstock in together and punched the holes in them.  In the lower corner I used SU White Craft ink on an acrylic stamp from Papertreyink’s new set, Green Thumb, to stamp a sentiment. In the middle I layered 2 large Primas, and 2 different smaller sizes, added a brushed nickel large round brad. Underneath the Primas are two pieces of SU cream grosgrain that I ran over with SU Pale Plum ink (a classic spot). I tied some ribbon on the sides, and was all done! I’m thinking of adding some SU round-tab punches to a few of the pages, but I’m not sure yet. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with this little cutie yet.

And just to show them off, here’s another picture of my  sweet little boys. Darcy is on top, and Knightley is underneath. They are happily camped out on the blanket I desperately wanted to cuddle up with – but I sacrificed because they were just too darn cute. They’ve even started to come around to DD – although they are a bit terrified of her when she gets excited. Darcy is way more tolerant than Knightley. The two of them kiss often. I wish I could manage to get a picture of the two of them kissing. She calls them “Dardar and Nighnigh” — so adorable! We are all really glad we decided to get the kittens. Although, I forgot how intensely interested cats are in what you are doing – aquapainters, laptops, magazines, pacifiers – whatever. They just want to be involved!!!

Another Doodle Card!

Here is another Doodle card I’ve created recently. This one is a tent card, and the inks I used to watercolor were all six colors in the In Colors family. We are having an iffy day for sunshine, so the picture looks a bit washed out – sorry! Just like in the other Doodle card I posted, this one has Stickles (Icicle) on all of the dots and in the middle of the flower, and I used a Sakura Gelly Roll pen (which doesn’t show up well in the picture) to outline the petals on the flower, the little marigold accents, and the doodles. The dots above the doodles are also accented with Cranberry Crisp, so irl they have a pinkish hue with the Stickles on top. I think i may do a whole set of these! They are fun and easy — just stamp the doodles randomly with black Stazon and watercolor away. I’ve never used my aquapainters before these cards — I love them! I thought it couldn’t get any better than the blender pens. but that’s what I get for thinking!

Supplies: Cardstock — SU Naturals Ivory; Ink — SU In Colors (Cranberry Crisp, Buckaroo Blue, Cool Caribbean, Vintage Violet, Marigold Morning, True Thyme), Black Stazon; Accessories — Stickles (Icicle), Sakura Gelly Roll Pen, SU Aquapainters

I am working on finishing up the cutest little coaster book I made so that I can post it. It would be done by now, except that I got sidetracked watching Casino Royale (best Bond movie ever!!) with DH. And then Saturday night was the UFC fight. And then last night the Sopranos and Entourage started again. So I’m a little behind….but I’m going to catch up today! The Bind-It-All is one of the easiest tools I have ever used. And it really is small, which is nice. I love being able to bind my own books – everyone is getting one for a present!!! Even DH was impressed with the coolness of it – which I think is terribly exciting.

I also got my Papertreyink stamps in Saturday. I’ve never even seen an acrylic stamp before — so different from SU!! I’m not sure I love the feel of them, but the images are too stinkin’ cute! I got both image sets from them — I’m so impulsive. Once again DH surprised me and commented on how cool they were. What a great supporter of my habit!

Well, I better get to stamping! The baby boys are playing happily – still a little timid, and not sure how they feel about DD, but they are getting there. And she seems ready for a nap, but will hold out as long as possible, I’m sure. DH can handle her! Thanks for stopping by!

Introducing……Darcy and Knightley!!

Well, we settled on Darcy and Knightley – the fabulous men of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice and Emma, respectively. I knew we’d change our minds again on the way down, even after we swore we wouldn’t. Currently they are sleeping together under our couch. We got home around 3:00, and they have been playing ever since. They just passed out a few minutes ago. DD thinks they are fantastic – the boys don’t appear to think so highly of her!

We are positively over the moon about them. So excited to have kittens again!!

See, We’ve Changed the Names Again….

Well, we’ve changed our minds AGAIN. Picking names for these two munchkins has been soooo difficult. Harder than baby names! Now, the for sure names are Tudor and Stuart (as in the Houses of…). And we swear we aren’t changing them again!!! Can you tell we have a little love for English history in our house?

Bind-It-All Update!!!

Because I am sure you are dying to know — I finally tried my Bind-It-All. It is THE deal!!!! I love it!! I am going to make the cutest little coaster books — I can’t wait. And let me tell you about super-simple to use!! It took all of 10 seconds to figure out!!! I highly recommend everyone rush to get one of these puppies.

Tomorrow we are headed to Greensboro to pick up our new baby boys. Two darling little siamese kittens. We, for now, have settled on the names Cyrus and Clancy. And since DD can say those two, that’s probably what we’ll stick with. I can’t wait!!!

Well, off to make some coaster books. I’ll post pics as soon as I’m done with one!!!

Doodles For a Friend

I made this card as part of a set I am sending a friend. I really like the simplicity of the one-layer look! I combined these two stamps from Doodle This with Karen Foster Snap Stamps. I think the two look cute together! It is really hard to tell in the picture, but the flower and the doodle are outlined with a Sakura Gelly pen, so irl it is sooo sparkly! There are also stickles on all of the “dots” and in the center of the flower.

Supplies:  Cardstock – SU Naturals Ivory

                  Stamps – Doodle This, KF Snap Stamps 1/8″ Formal

                  Ink – Black Stazon, Basic Black, Cool Caribbean, True Thyme, Summer Sun, Pretty In Pink, Ruby Red

                  Accessories – Sakura Gelly Roll Pen, Stickles (Icicle)

Anyone have a tissue?

Ever have those days where something that you usually deal with very well hits you like a ton of bricks, and you just want to go curl up on the couch? Welcome to my day. All I want to do is go home, put on comfy pj’s, and snuggle on the couch with my DD. Alas, I am stuck at work until 4:00. DH and DD are meeting me here so we can go run errands this evening. Normally I’d leave at 3:00, and get a little over an hour of stamp time for myself. Oh well. At least I get to be with my family!

My Bind-It-All should arrive tomorrow, so that’s exciting. I ordered Papertreyink stamps yesterday. And I am placing an SU order tonight, or maybe this afternoon. I love new goodies.

Well, I’ll upload a new card later tonight – I have to make one first! Thanks for stopping by!

Another Color Challenge Card!

I made this card using the same color combo that I used to make Rusty Butterfly. I love this combo paired with this Prima patterned paper!! Details for Emily’s color challenge can be found here. New challenges from her are posted on Tuesdays, and the combos are always great. It is a really fabulous way to get out of the same old same old color choices!! Also on this card is some awesome two-tone ribbon I got from Starlit Studio. And beautiful Primas I purchased from Jacksonbelle – the flowers on this card are from two different collections.

Other supplies are: SU cardstock in Marigold Morning, Brocade Blue, and Really Rust; Prima dp; SU Basic Black ink, SU small oval punch; and an orange making memories brad. Oh, and the ovals are mounted on SU dimensionals and the ribbon is just plain ole’ stapled on!

Thanks for stopping by to look at my blog!!