Darn Smudges

One of my sons is a leftie, the only one of us in our family. That has created some issues that the rest of us can't relate to. One of them being constant smudges on all his work, clothes and hands. It really annoys him, especially when he is TRYING to be neat. So was the case last night when he was trying to finish up his book report. He was supposed to read a poem and either add on to it or rewrite it in his own way. So he chose to rewrite the Boa Constrictor poem by Shel Silverstein. I suggested he draw a picture to go with it and that's when the trouble began! Red Smudges! You would have thought the world was going to end. And apparently, since I had suggested the idea, it was all my fault. So mom to the rescue, of course. Luckily I had given him a sheet of watercolor paper to write and draw on. I got out my reinkers and blended all those smudges away with a nice background wash of bliss blue, a little kiwi kiss, and the red smudges.

I think he was happy with the way it turned out. At least I got mentiooned in the poem :0)

Ladybug Revisited . . .

O.K. so this is not a new card idea (see first iteration here), but I wanted to use it for a SU! workshop so I changed things around to make it work - SU! style. I used the Yummy SAB set (love it!), the Bella Rose DSP, the new In color - Kiwi Kiss cardstock at the bottom, a variety of SU! punches and voila! Easy Peasy, demonstratable WOW! card.This tag was a result of scraps of paper leftover from paper challenge #3 and my recent acquisition of a Cuttlebug and assorted dies and embossing folders!!! I purchased the Spellbinders scalloped circles so HAD to try them out along with a To:/From: embossing folder. The only component of the paper from the challenge is the smallest patterned circle that I punched out from my remaining scraps.

Once in a lifetime . . .

I was blurfing the other day looking for some inspiration for an upcoming paper challenge when I came across this SFYTT (sketch for you to try) at Jen del Muro's site i{heart}2stamp.com. The paper I was given seemed masculine to me so I went with it. The true test was when I gave it to my hubby for his opinion. He turns to mush with anything having to do with father/son relationships so this one got his seal of approval. He even suggested I make it bigger and frame it!

Recipe:
Stamps: Tin Can Mail - Inkadinkado, Sentiment-Stampabilities
Paper: SU Cardstock, DSP
Accessories: Eyelets - came w/Cropodile, Brad - Spare Parts-PaperStudio

Gift Tin

Here's a gift tin I made awhile back for a friends birthday. Obviously only a stamper/crafter would appreciate this kind of gift. The tin was a small 4X 3 little lunch box style container that I found in the dollar bins at Target. I picked them up around Easter time. They used to contain candy inside (tootsie rolls, double bubble, etc) but my boys took care of that right away. I, however, think the $1 Michael's stamp sets are a much better "stash"! You could easily and perfectly fit about 3 sets into one of these little cuties. BTW the "Friends" stamp was also a $1 Michaels stamp. Gotta love bargains :0)

K Werner Color Challenge #42

I am a color virgin. This is my first attempt at KWerner's color inspiration weekly challenge. Mission: create a card using the colors listed above. Some of my friends participate regularly and suggested I give it a try. I must admit these colors wouldn't have been my first choice. I immediately thought "fall", but using them in smaller doses worked well and almost has a spring feel to it.

This card was inspired by a friend who recently spilled the beans that she was expecting! Yay! I love babies, and I'm so happy for her. I thought this saying by Inkadinkado Kathy Davis Expressions fit nicely with Mrs. Prego's belly :0)

Thanks for looking.

Recipe:

Stamps: Michaels $1 Bin, Inkadinkado Expressions

Paper: Bazzil Cardstock, DCWV embossed square note cards

Accessories: Paper flower - Oriental Trading, Ribbon-Michaels, Buttons- Paper Studio

Stampin' Up Party

When I'm pressed for time and inspiration it's very reassuring to know that there is a plethora of resources to turn to . . .Here are a couple of cards that I demo'd for a SU! party on Friday night with a bunch of friends - all were inspired or CASE'd (Copy And Steal Everything).

1st card: A small 3X3 card that fits into SU! mini square envies. The card uses the new "Owl Together Now" stamp set. This card was cased off of Split Coast Stampers. It was a make and take card from the SU! Bermuda Cruise.

Recipe:
Stamps: Owl Together Now
Paper: Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Accessories: Mini Square Envies, 5/8" Grosgrain ribbon, Stampin Dimensionals
Techniques: Prisma Colors and Mineral Spirits

2nd Card: A valentine card inspired by the card on page 133 of the SU! catalog. This card uses the in color Baja Breeze and the new mulitple heart punch. I didn't have any matching DSP paper so I just used a retired background stamp and Versamark ink to create the stripes. The stamp is a non- SU one I had. Oooh bad girl - retired AND non SU! stamps on one card!

Recipe:
Stamps: SU! retired background and unknown sentiment
Paper: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Riding Hood Red, Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Ink: Versamark, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Scallop edge punch, Heart to heart punch, Stampin Dimensionals

3rd Card: For this last card I tried to incorporate the new "Cheep Talk" stamp set with the new In Colors and the new Button Latte designer buttons. This little bird is just too cute and looks so much better when he is popped up on the card. I love all of the coordinating items SU! is offering including the Good Friend stamp set, Good Morning Sunshine DSP, and the So Tweet chipboard accents. I actually came up with these all by myself :0)

Recipe:
Stamps: Cheep Talk
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point cardstock
Inks/Markers: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango

Accessories: Button Latte, Pumpkin Pie 1/2" Grosgrain ribbon, Stampin Dimensionals, Hemp Twine

Cub Scout Leader Gifts

Saturday was Blue and Gold, Cub Scouting's annual birthday party to celebrate the scouts achievements he's earned and to earn their next rank. It's also the time when the highest ranked boys crossover into Boy Scouts. I always like to get something for the leaders who have given so much of their time (sometimes 5 years) into helping little 1st graders grow up and become respectful, responsible and honest young boys. This year I found these beautiful picture frames at Hobby Lobby. They were perfect with the Scouting emblem (Fleur de lis) right on top! I also found a real nice poem online to put into the picture frame. But as always I was doing things at the last minute (6:30 a.m. Saturday morning) and discovered that I printed the poem too large to fit into the frame! So instead I made a coordinating card and slapped the poem on it instead. I stamped off the Fleur de lis in Creamy Caramel and then stamped right over the top of the poem. I thought it turned out pretty nice for a last minute attempt. The leaders liked them so that's all that matters :0)

Paper Challenge Card #2

Remember that paper challenge from a few posts back? Well here's what I came up with for card #2. I just used a small strip along the bottom edge. I'm not sure if I'm done with it yet. But I've got a pretty good "base".

February Swap: Color Challenge

It's time again for another monthly card swap. This month's theme was to use colors chosen by a random color selector.

Here's what was generated.

Other than using all the colors somehow, we were free to create at will. And this is what I came up with.

The lady bug head was a punched circle cut in half. The body of the ladybug was created by punching three scallop circles out of the patterned paper, folding them in half and then adhering 1/2 of each to each other to give the 3D effect. I thought about using brads for the antennae, but I decide to just draw them on instead. I managed to squeeze in the green color by just adhering a small strip of cardstock to the bottom of the inside of the card so that it would show underneath the scalloped punched edge. I think it turned out pretty cute. It was quick and easy peasy. FYI: The stamp set by Kathy Davis (very cute images and words) is on sale at Hobby Lobby. In fact ALL stamps are on sale this week at Hobby Lobby for 50% off! So is the patterned paper :0)

A friend of mine and her daughter invited me over last night to help them make some Valentines cards. They are new to stamping and card making and were looking for me to help them with the basics; everything from cutting paper, using the adhesive and basic design layout. I quickly threw a bunch of stuff into my rubbermaid container and headed over. So here are some pics of what they ended up with. I think they did a great job!!

Paper Challenge Card #1

Here's my 1st card for the paper challenge. I knew that the chipboard heart would be the easiest for me to design a card around. The sentiment is from a small set of stamps I picked up at Archivers. Perfect for V-day! The heart is rather large for the 4 x 4 card, but it is supposed to be the focal point. I don't think you can miss it!

Sneak Peek - In Progress

Well, I started playing last night and this is as far as I got. Not sure where I'll go from here, but at least I've started! I really like the chipboard heart covered with the DS paper, but not sure how I'm going to use it just yet. The other two cards were created by folding an 8 1/2 inch piece of white card stock in half lengthwise. Then I cut it at the 6 inch mark to create two cards. More brainstorming and playing tonight. This is really difficult for me because I don't normally create "elegant cards" and the stamps I have aren't necessarily fancy either. Any suggestions?

Paper Challenge #2

Here is a picture of what I received for a 2nd paper challenge with my crafting colleagues. Mission: Come up with at least 1 card design but this time we need to create 5 of the same card! I've been carrying this sheet of paper by Anna Griffin around with me for the last 3 weeks hoping I would get some inspiration from somewhere. All I keep "seeing" is bathroom wallpaper! Stay tuned. The deadline is coming up fast and I'll need to come up with something VERY soon. Two of the challengers are already done. Check their blogs out . . . they both did a great job.

Sole-Mate

Another retired SU! goody. Some sets are just too good to get rid of!! A perfect anniversary card. I loved the copper cording SU! used to sell and I was sad when it went away. Luckily I stalked up when I could! I think I have a pretty good supply of this copper DS paper too. Well the jet-lag is over. Now I just have to uncover all my stamp "stuff" from underneath the pile of drywall and floor sanding dust that was generated while I was gone!!