Sneak Peek

Here's a sneak peak of the calendar pages I've been working on for the past 2 weeks (not continuously!) If you click on the pictures, you can see them bigger in more detail.

January - Chromy calendar

All of the Chromy calendar pages in order from Jan - Dec.

January - Mitchell Calendar (very similar to the Chromy page, but not exactly the same)

Mitchell calendar pages from Jan-Dec. Again, very similar to the Chromy pages, but not exactly. I did a little more switching around.

Now all I have to do is find stamps to match, get the pictures I need from family members, print off the pictures, print off the actual calendar pages, assemble the calendars, get copies made... :-) Hopefully I can get them done before March this year! :-)

Nativity Christmas Blessings

Last, but NOT least... This pic doesn't do this card justice, either. I am having a little difficulty with my picture taking today, it seems.

Stamps: Holy Triptych
Ink: Versamark
Cardstock: Blue Bayou, Sahara Sand, Designer paper from our local stamping store
Other: Gold Embossing Powder, Gold brads, Ticket Corner punch, Dimensionals

We stamped all of the images in Versamark, then embossed them with Gold EP. We then cut out the frame, and mounted the nativity image inside it. We mounted that on Blue Bayou CS, then placed gold brads in the corners of the frame. We popped that part up on dimensionals. We then punched all of the corners of the remaining CS with the ticket corner punch and adhered them together.

I independently added the verse Luke 2:12 inside to the lower left flap in Purely Pomegranate. I then stamped the nativity image in versamark on the top right hand side, along with the sentiment "Wishing you all the blessings of Christmas" in Blue Bayou.

Snowman Merry Christmas

I love snowmen... and this little guy is no exception! BTW - he looks much more shimmery IRL!



Stamps: Tags On Board, Snow Burst, Jolliest Time of the Year

Ink: Real Red craft ink, White craft ink, Black Staz-On, Versamark

Cardstock: Basic Black, Real Red, Shimmery White

Other: Markers~Brilliant Blue, Ballet Blue, Basic Black, Real Red, Glorious Green, Close to Cocoa

Blender pen, Red gingham ribbon, snowflake brads (non-SU!), Large Oval punch, Tag Corner punch, Crystal Clear embossing powder, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, Dimensionals

First, we stamped the background red cardstock with White craft ink (Snow Burst). Then we stamped the snowman on Shimmery White cs with Black Staz-On. We colored him in using a blender pen touched to the color of marker we wanted. We then used Q-tips dipped in Versamark ink and dabbed it over the snowman. We applied Iridescent Ice EP over the Versamark, then heated it. We punched out the corners of the CS with the Tag Corner punch. We then punched a hole in the corner of the CS, as well as the ribbon, and inserted the silver snowflake brad. We stamped the sentiment in Real Red craft ink, and embossed it with Crystal Clear EP. We cut around the sentiment with a pair of scissors. We punched out the black mat for the sentiment with the Large Oval punch. We punched holes through the CS & ribbon again, and placed the silver snowflake brad on the sentiment as well. We then popped the whole sentiment up on dimensionals.

Winter Wishes

Thursday I went to my friend Brenda's house for a Christmas card workshop. Brenda is our SU! demonstrator, and she also goes to our church. The next couple posts are all cards we did at the workshop.
This is a very simple looking card, but not so simple to do. The most difficult part was lining up the outline of the snowflake with the solid fill-in.

All of the products used here are SU!
Stamps: Supersize Snowflake
Cardstock: Winter White, Bashful Blue
Ink: Versamark, Brocade Blue (stamped off)
Other: Iridescent Ice embossing powder, silver elastic cord
I first inked the outline of the snowflake in Brocade Blue, then stamped it on a scratch piece of paper ("stamping off") and then on my cardstock. Then, I inked the solid snowflake in Versamark, and tried to line it up inside the outline (very difficult to do!) I applied Iridescent Ice embossing powder over the Versamark (I had to fill in some of the outline with a Versamark marker - the ink just didn't cover very well) and then heated it. I then inked the sentiment in Brocade Blue, stamped it off, and then stamped it on my cardstock. I then tied the silver cord in place, affixed it to the Bashful Blue cardstock, and wa-la! Here it is. (In the second picture you can see the shimmer of the Iridescent Ice a little better. Sorry, the picture quality isn't all that great!)

I'm so GLAD we're friends!

This card uses one of my favorite stamps of all time, I think! The Gerbera Daisy is my favorite flower.
Inks: Pixie Pink, Pretty in Pink, Sage Shadow, Close to Cocoa, Versamark
Cardstock: Walmart White, Close to Cocoa, Pixie Pink, Sage Shadow
Stamps: Gerbera Daisy, I'm so GLAD we're friends! both from TAC
I colored the stamp with markers to make the stem a different color than the flower. On the Close to Cocoa cardstock, I stamped the daisy with both Versamark ink and Close to Cocoa. It leaves a slightly different coloring. Istamped the sentiment in Cocoa, then cut out the sentiment with a wavy scissors. I then outlined the word "glad" with a Pretty in Pink marker. The colors kind of remind me of Neopolitan ice cream, with mint instead of vanilla. This card could have used a little embellishment, I think, but I couldn't find anything in my stash that I really liked with it.
Oh, yes... I WON BLOG CANDY!!! I read other stampers blogs all the time, and often they give out blog candy. They have the computer randomly choose one person from the comments that you leave. Well, I never win anything, but I always try to leave comments, just in case one day they actually PICK me! Well, this week, I finally WON! I am so excited to get some new goodies... esp. when they are free! :-)

Charlie Brown Birthday

I finally figured out how to download pics off my camera without using Kodak Easyshare software (since it won't install correctly on my computer right now!) So, here are the cards I PROMISED I was making! I don't have many stamps for little boy cards, but I thought this was cute.
I stamped the Charlie Brown stamp ("The Peanut Gang" by Stampabilities), then colored it in with my SU! markers. I stamped the background with misc. birthday stamps I have, most of them non-SU! (The small party hat and confetti are from SU!'s Button Bear~retired~, the cake is from The Dollar Tree, the balloons are Hero Arts, and the big birthday hat is also a dollar stamp.) The "Enjoy Your Day" sentiment is from SU!'s Riveting set, and I popped it up from the card with a dimensional. I used Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Summer Sun, Glorious Green, Tempting Turquoise and Only Orange for the colors. I think I also used Basic Black and Going Gray for the coloring. I tore the edges of the Charlie Brown image, then ran a marker over the edges. Thanks for being patient with me! :-)

I want you to know...

That I HAVE been stamping some. The problem is that my Kodak Easyshare software told me to upgrade it about a week ago now, and being the obedient woman that I am, I did. Unfortunately, there is some kind of problem in the software that won't let me open it! GRRRRR! I tried removing it and downloading it, repairing it, modifying it, and IT JUST WON'T WORK! So I have pictures of my cards on my camera, just waiting until I can figure out what to do about Easyshare. I really liked the program and how it worked... now, if only I could get it to work in the new upgraded state! Keep checking back... I'll get them up here eventually!

I got new stamps!!!!

I'm so excited... I got some new stamps yesterday. I haven't been able to use them yet due to some other things going on in my life, but I can't wait to try them out! This is my first set of acrylic stamps, so it should be interesting. You can check them out here: Papertrey Ink I love the font on these stamps! Stay tuned for this year's Christmas cards soon!

Creative Home Arts Club

I am so excited!!! First of all, I get some new stamping stuff soon (which I posted on here.) I also received an invitation in the mail to join the Creative Home Arts Club. They are a club that gets products from manufacturers and sends them out to their members, and the members get to try the products for FREE and keep them! It only costs $1 per month for the membership. I won 3 free gifts just for accepting the offer... how cool is that?!?! I'm excited to see what kind of toys I will be able to play with in the future! I mean, how much better can it get? Free toys to play with?!?!? YEAH!

Thanks... you BRIGHTENED my day!

This is a thank you/friend card I made for my dear friend Josie. She loves daisies. The focal image is daisies from a TAC set I got from a friend, as well as the sentiment. The "Thanks" is from SU! Year Round Cheer. The background flowers are from Hero Arts. They all came together on one stamp, but I didn't like them that way. I cut all the pieces apart and mounted them on cling foam so that I could use them separately. I used So Saffron (a first for me), Brocade Blue, and Mellow Moss. The image and sentiment are matted in Brocade Blue, and the ribbon is white ribbon that I got at Walmart. I just colored it with my Mellow Moss marker, and it worked very nicely (much to my surprise!)

The center of the flowers is cork circles that are self adhesive. My grandma sent them to me. At the senior center where she works, they were doing some kind of project that had them punching out these circles from cork board. She thought I could use them for a stamping project, so she saved a bunch for me. They work GREAT for flower centers.

The inside of the card used the stamp my friend sent me for my birthday... it says "What if the HOKEY POKEY really IS what it's all about?" I'm not sure I'll use that stamp often, but it makes me smile every time I look at it!

Thanks for looking!

Red Sox Baseball Birthday

This card I made for my bro-in-law who is turning 22 on Friday. I've made several cards with this image (SU! Take Me Out to the Ballgame), so I was trying to do something a little different with it. Chris suggested that I make him a Red Sox player.
I stamped the image in Going Gray. I used my Ruby Red and Night of Navy markers to write in the "Red Sox" on the jersey (the jersey on the image says "CHAMPS" so I just didn't ink that part of the image to get it so that I could write in Red Sox), as well as the "B" on the hat. I touched my Blender pen to the Ruby Red to color in the socks and the shirt sleeves, and the Navy for the hat so they wouldn't be too dark. I used watercolor pencils on the shoes and bat, and again used the blender pen. The sentiment is from TAC (the card needed a little extra "something.") I matted both the image and the sentiment with Ruby Red and Night of Navy, tearing the paper on the bottom of the image for some variety. It's been a while since I used that technique.
Thanks for looking! :-)

Lighthouse birthday

I made this card for my grandpa's 89th birthday! I first tried the lighthouse in the middle (which actually is an oval image) in Cool Carribean cut out with an oval punch, but it just didn't work for me. Then I came up with this idea.
The lighthouses on the left and right are from The Angel Company (TAC), and the one in the middle is from Stampendous. I stamped them in Bordering Blue, Sage Shadow, and Night of Navy respectively, then matted them in the matching cardstock. I cut out the images using a deckle scissors. The hemp twine I tied some sort of sailor's knot, then glued the wooden buttons on with glue dots. The buttons I actually cut off the front of a sweater that was given to me! I didn't care for the way the sweater fit me, but I loved the buttons, so I just carefully cut them off... and took the rest of the sweater (no one else would ever know!) to Goodwill. :-)

My grandpa loved this card! :-)

I HAVE been stamping!

Well, I successfully was able to get 2 cards finished in the past few days, but haven't yet had a chance to put the pics on the computer. Hopefully in the next couple of days... :-)