Stamp Like A Moose

Moving blogs

2009-07-11T23:23:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone!

I have decided to move my stamping blog over to wordpress. The link is below so you can follow my stamping stuff if you are still interested.

See you soon!

http://catestamps.com

Birthday gift for Teacher

2009-07-08T22:07:00.003-04:00

I was trying to come up with something new (well, for me) to give Anwyn's teacher for her birthday so decided on a little post-it-note holder and matching pen. Of course, it will be completely eclipsed by the chocolate covered fruit Anwyn insisted she needed, but it's the thought that counts ;-)

I cut some chip board using the Big Shot Top Note die and then cut two pieces of Parisian Breeze DSP to cover the front and back. I then adhered a length of Chocolate Chip ribbon around the board and made a loop by sticking the tape back on itself with tacky tape. I stuck the mini post-it note pad on the front and stamped one of the floral images from Fifth Avenue Floral on each side of the pas in Chocolate Chip ink. The same image was stamped onto Parisian Breeze DSP, cut out and stuck onto the top of the board. The letters (notes - the "s" is hidden by the pen) were cut out of Parisian Breeze DSP using the Big Shot GoGo Boots alphabet dies.

Parisian Breeze paper was put into the pen barrel to match the post-it holder.

Before I forget - this is the card I made for Anwyn to give her big sister for her birthday. Bling-tastic!

Stamps - Fairy from WhipperSnapper, sentiment from the Happy Everything set (SU!)

Cardstock & DP - Pink Pirouette, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Regal Rose, Gold and Silver. Fairest of them All DP by Imaginisce.

Inks - Black Stazon. Image was colored using Prisma pencils blended with Gamsol. The sentiment was stamped in Versamark and embossed in white.

Accessories - where do I start??? Silver organza ribbon, glittery white yarn, clear adhesive gemstones, silver gift charm, dazzling diamonds (on wings), oval and scallop oval punches.

The little "flaps" down the right hand side which are decorated with the star gemstones open and "Happy" is revealed. Just thought it would add a cute touch but was a pain in the rear so may be a one off.

Nouveau Chic is sooooo pretty

2009-07-07T21:49:00.005-04:00

This really is the most stunning paper I have seen. I didn't want to draw the attention away from it by stamping an image so stuck with the sentiment. I was even dithering about whether to add the sage embossed piece as the paper would truly stand on it's own. I may have to make a set of these cards as a gift so I can have some with just the paper.

Stamp Set - Teeny Tiny Wishes

Cardstock & DP - Sage Shadow, Basic grey. Nouveau Chic DP

Inks - Basic grey

Accessories - Basic Grey taffeta ribbon, Styled silver HPH, Big Shot Elegant Bouquet embossing folder.

I spent around an hour and half last night making a card for Rhiannon's birthday from her sister. It has lots of glitter and bling, plus my first attempt at cutting lift flaps onto a card. I was too lazy to take a pic after I finished it so will post one tomorrow.

Goodies Galore!!

2009-07-05T20:42:00.004-04:00

I really wanted to get hold of one of the new stamp sets from the Stampin' up! 2009/2010 catalog in time to make some things for my daughter's birthday so decided to expedite my order. Of course, no point in just ordering one thing when there are level 2 hostess sets to acquire, so I added a few more "must haves". Included was the new Nouveau Chic DP which is just too pretty to cut!! I love the Art Nouveau/Art Deco style and this is so elegant, I just want to frame it.

Anyway, I managed to get a little playtime yesterday so that I could make a card for Steve's aunt Viv and got a few others made as well (no pic of that card until after her birthday which, by coincidence, is shared by her great niece Rhiannon).

First, the reason for the expedited order - Pony Party!! Is this not just the perfect set for little girls?? I know that Rhiannon will love it. I am also really loving the new Kaleidoscope paper (used below). I know it isn't everyone's taste but, if you have little girls, it is just fabulous!

Stamp Sets - Pony Party

Cardstock & DP - Pixie Pink, Pink Passion, Only Orange, Whisper White. Kaleidoscope DP

Inks - Black Stazon, Pixie Pink & Pink Passion markers

Accessories - Lots and lots of Dazzling Diamonds!! Modern Label punch, Slot punch, Scallop Edge punch, Dimensionals.

This is also a new 2-step stamping set from the new catalog called Greenhouse Garden. I think it is now a firm favorite and works beautifully for using the stamping off technique.

I loved the card idea from the new catalog that used this set so decided to CASE it

Stamp Sets - Greenhouse Garden, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Cardstock & DP - Bashful Blue, Mellow Moss, Whisper White. Bashful Blue DP (from a retired hostess pack)

Inks - Bashful Blue, Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Brocade Blue, Mellow Moss.

Accessories - Mellow Moss taffeta ribbon, Dimensionals, Word label punch

The same set but using a different color scheme. I can't stop using this new In Color, Rich Razzleberry.

Stamp Sets - Greenhouse Garden, Hugs & Wishes (retired)

Cardstock & DP - Rich Razzleberry textured, Whisper White, Old Olive. Razzleberry Lemonade DP.

Inks - Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Dusty Durango

Accessories - Old Olive satin ribbon (retired), Scallop Oval punch, Dimensionals

Finally, another favorite of mine, Bird on a Branch, with some new colors

Stamp Sets - Bird on a Branch, Short & Sweet.

Cardstock & DP - Bermuda Bay textured, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla. Thoroughly Modern DP

Inks - Chocolate Chip, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede.

Accessories - Soft Suede and Bermuda Bay polka dot ribbons, Filigree brad, Dimensionals

That's all for now. I'm off to see if I can come up with some more ideas for these fun goodies.

Mish Mash

2009-06-30T22:40:00.004-04:00

Sorry for the lack of updates but I've spent a lot of time over the past week trying to figure out what to make for a couple of swaps I have coming up plus a demo get together make & take. After many, many trials (and too many errors to admit to), I have come up with some ideas that I am happy with but I don't want to share the final versions ahead of the swaps. Instead, I wanted to share some of the "rejects" that I liked but decided against for one reason or another.

The first was using the Thoughts and Prayers set. I had no intention of buying this set until I made some cards with it at Nancy's stamp camp and fell in love. It is one of those sets that works for so many things and in so many color schemes. Here I used one of my all time favorite color combos of Mellow Moss and Perfect Plum.

Stamp Set - Thoughts & Prayers
Cardstock & DP - Mellow Moss, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum (textured), Very Vanilla. Perfect Plum DP
Inks - Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke
Accessories - Dimensionals, Flower brad

Nancy mentioned this color combo and I thought I would try it out. It also gave me a chance to use some more of the retired Green tea DP that I have been hoarding.

Stamp Sets - Embrace Life

Cardstock & DP - Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Whisper White. Green Tea DP

Inks - Baja Breeze

Accessories - Baja breeze satin ribbon, ribbon slider from a retired HPH set, Dimensionals, Scallop Square punch (Marvy), Big Shot Texturz plate (Flourishes)

Another attempt at playing with the Cheers to You set. This is a very masculine card and I love the fun effect given by using the liquid applique for the head on the beer.

Stamp Set - Cheers to You
Cardstock & DP - Going Grey, Basic Grey, Night of Navy, Handsome Hunter, Whisper White. Prestwick DP (?)
Inks - Black Stazon, Night of Navy, Creamy Caramel marker.
Accessories - Big Shot Texturz plate (Harlequin), Silver brads, Modern Label punch, Dimensionals, Scallop Square punch, Crystal effects, Liquid applique.

And finally, another card made with the fabulous new DP, Razzleberry Lemonade. I think I am officially in love with all the current in colors but this DP is going to be an all time favorite. Thankfully I have at least a whole year to play around with it. All of these wonderful goodies will be available when the new catalog starts tomorrow, July 1st.

Stamp Sets - Sentiment from Fresh Cuts, Matchbox Messages (frame)
Cardstock & DP - Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry. Razzleberry lemonade DP and Vellum.
Inks - Rich Razzleberry, Versamark and Copper embossing powder.
Accessories - Rich razzleberry ribbon, Filigree brad.

Autumn in summer

2009-06-23T22:55:00.005-04:00

I had a chance to try out my Autumn days set, one of the sneak peek sets from the new catalog. I love the way it works with the new in colors and it is great for making masculine cards. It is the first card my husband has complimented me on in quite a while so it must be a good "guy" set ;-)

Stamp Sets - Autumn Days, Kind & Caring thoughts (sentiment)

Cardstock & DP - Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Very Vanilla

Ink - Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Very Vanilla craft.

Accessories - Antique brass brads, glue dots.

The pheasant was stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock with Soft Suede ink and then cut out and mounted on glue dots over the same image stamped onto the Crushed Curry card layer.

Missed one!

2009-06-20T10:17:00.003-04:00

I thought I had posted this card in my blog but realized that I had only posted it on SCS so thought I would share it here too. I have tried this design before with other colors and DP but these new in colors work perfectly and I love the way it turned out.

The flowers were stamped onto whisper white paper and then cut out and mounted on dimensionals around the border of the top note. I used Rich Razzleberry ink to sponge around the edge. The sentiment is from the new Kind & Caring thoughts set.

Stamp sets - Eastern Blooms, Kind & Caring thoughts

Cardstock & DP - Pretty in Pink, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White. Razzleberry lemonade DP

Inks - Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry

Accessories - Rich Razzleberry ribbon, Dimensionals, Big Shot top note die

Snoopy - take 2

2009-06-18T23:05:00.004-04:00

I posted a birthday card a while back that I had made for my Snoopy-loving daughter. I wasn't at all happy with it so I tried again today. I was inspired by a card from our recent demo swap in which there was one of the Big Shot scallop envelopes on front of the card with a pull-out in it.

I like this new version a lot!

Stamps - Surfing Snoopy. Sun from Just Beachy

Cardstock & DP - Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery. Flowers for you DP (SU! retired)

Inks - Black Stazon, Certainly Celery, Night of Navy. SU! markers

Accessories - Big Shot Scallop envelope die, Tempting Turquoise ribbon, Cuttlebug folder, Scallop edge punch, bling flower sent by my sister.

And some more....

2009-06-17T22:25:00.004-04:00

I had one more evening of playing with my new toys before having to start working on teacher gifts etc.

Isn't this new set lovely? It's a level 2 hostess set from the new catalog called Wings of Friendship. I thought it would look nice with softer colors and so I chose some old favorites.

Stamp set - Wings of friendship (level 2 hostess from new catalog)

Cardstock & DP - Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla. Flowers were stamped and then cut from retired hostess pack DP - apricot appeal

Inks - Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa. Bashful Blue, Apricot Appeal and Close to Cocoa markers.

Accessories - Mellow Moss taffeta ribbon, ivory pearls from Pretties kit

These next three cards were all made with the new level 3 hostess set, Kind and caring thoughts. It is really versatile and is perfect for using the "stamping off" technique.

Stamp set - Kind & Caring thoughts

Cardstock & DP - Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White. Razzleberry lemonade DP.

Inks - Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo

Accessories - Oval and scallop oval nesties, Dimensionals, Rich Razzleberry ribbon, Filigree brad.

Isn't this color combo just wonderful? I think this may be one of my new favorites which surprised me.

Stamp Sets - Kind & Caring thoughts. Sentiment is from the new set Teeny Tiny Wishes which is truly fabulous!

Cardstock & DP - Kraft, Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White

Inks - Bermuda Bay, Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede sponging, Old olive marker

Accessories - Antique brass brads. The paper edges were distressed by tearing or by running a finger nail along to "bend" the edge.

This card shows the other two floral images from the set and I like how they look with this color combination.

Stamp Sets - Kind & Caring Thoughts, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Cardstock & DP - Mellow Moss, Perfect Plum, Very Vanilla

Inks - Pale Plum, Perfect Plum. Mellow Moss, Pale Plum and Perfect Plum SU! markers.

Accessories - Dimensionals, Mellow Moss taffeta ribbon. Edges were distressed by hand (see above).

Now I just need to go and come up with some ideas for teacher gifts........

More sneaky peeks

2009-06-16T23:24:00.003-04:00

I spent some more time this evening playing with my new goodies. The only color I have yet to test drive is the Bermuda Bay and that is on my list for tomorrow evening. I love all the colors I have used so far and Rich Razzleberry is fun to work with. My daughter is going to love this color!

I also got to play with the first of my new stamp sets. This is a level 3 hostess set from the new catalog called Kind and Caring Thoughts. It has beautiful floral images and some lovely sentiment stamps, including the Best Wishes used on this first card.

Stamp set - Kind & Caring Thoughts (level 3 hostess set in new catalog)

Cardstock & DP - Very vanilla, Rich Razzleberry. Razzleberry Lemonade DP.

Inks - Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo

Accessories - Rich Razzleberry ribbon, Scallop Oval punch, Dimensionals

No "new" stamp sets on this next card but I do love this little animals - cute, funny and easy to color.

Stamp set - Animal Crackers

Cardstock & DP - Barely Banana (plain and textured), Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Crushed Curry.

Inks - Black Stazon, SU! markers

Accessories - Flower brad, Crushed Curry ribbon, Scallop square punch, Dimensionals, Big Shot Texturz plate (large dots), Scallop edge punch.

New Goodies!

2009-06-15T22:46:00.005-04:00

I finally managed to get a little time this evening to try out some of my new goodies. I am totally in love with the new In colors, Dusty Durango and Crushed Curry!!

Stamp Set - Bird on a Branch (soooo glad this isn't retiring)

Cardstock & DP - Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Whisper White. Razzleberry Lemonade DP.

Ink - Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip

Accessories - Dusty Durango ribbon, Filligree brad, Dimensionals, Big Shot top note die.

Stamp Set - A flower for all seasons

Cardstock & DP - Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Very Vanilla, Watercolor paper. Razzleberry Lemonade DP.

Inks - Black Stazon, watercoloring with SU! markers (including the new IN COLORS - yay) and aqua painter

Accessories - Dusty Durango ribbon, Dimensionals, Corner rounder punch

Not the new stuff but a set I have only used a few times. I wanted to try something different and so made a gate fold. I want to add some ribbon through the eyelet but couldn't decide on the color so left it open for now.

Stamp sets - Nature Silhouettes

Cardstock - Sahara Sand, Always Artichoke (plain and textured), Chocolate Chip, Whisper White. To the nines DP.

Inks - Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Night of Navy (sponged)

Accessories - Sage Shadow ribbon, Dimensionals, Jumbo eyelet

When I grow up, I want to be just like them!

2009-06-12T15:12:00.007-04:00

Nancy had a demo meeting on Wednesday and so we had another swap and, I have to say, these ladies are all so very talented, hence the post title!! I wanted to share some pictures of the fabulous swaps and also the projects Nancy had for us to make (I actually got both done this time - yay me!). I am still trying to learn names so bear with me.

Isn't this just stunning? This was made by Wendy Berens and she added some sparkle to pocket silhouette stamp.

This was made by Jane Ries - another idea to try for the Cheers to You set.

I think this was made by Sarah Lutz but not certain.

I think this little notepad cover was made by Mary Ellen Bowlby- love this paper.

Elmo and Cookie monster wer made by Nancy - how cute are they?

This was made by Peg Haskell and I love the texture on the cupcake frosting.

This was made by Laurie Perkins - beautiful layout and embossing.

This was made by Terry Earhart. The tie cut-out was a wonderful idea.

This was made by Beverley Harris

I think this was by Carol Lyons but will check.

I forgot to take a picture of my swap so I'll add that in later.

ETA - my swap card. Sorry about the cruddy picture but I was in too much of a hurry to take it out of the box. I sort of CASED myself on a card I did a while ago and added the flower. I'm sad to see Urban Garden DP go.

These are the two projects we made:

I really love the little Matchbox die and the ribbon band adds a nice touch.

Isn't this so pretty? Excuse the squinty layers - I am terrible at lining things up if I don't have a grid.

Cheep talk

2009-06-08T16:46:00.003-04:00

While I'm waiting for my new goodies to arrive, I have been playing with some of those that were still waiting to see ink. This is one of those sets that I could not make my mind up about but, after seeing all the fabulous creations people have come up with, I am glad I ordered it.

Here is my first effort with the set. I am utterly in love with the corduroy buttons and this is the latest color I bought - Summer Sun.

Stamp Sets - Cheep Talk

Cardstock & DP - Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Good morning sunshine DP

Inks - Summer Sun, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Brocade Blue

Accessories - Corduroy buttons - Chocolate Chip and Summer Sun, brown hemp twine

Lollipop flower arrangement

2009-06-05T21:44:00.004-04:00

My daughter has her dance recital on Sunday and I wanted something fun for her little sister to give her after the performance. I remember seeing lollipops made into flowers before and thought it would be fun to make them into an arrangement. I found the really cute little tin bucket at Michaels, filled it with florists foam and then stuck the "flowers" into the foam. I covered the foam with thin strips of cardstock (Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red and Pretty in Pink). I love the way it turned out and I will have to make some more.

Stamp sets - Warm Words

Cardstock & DP - Raspberry Tart, Pretty in Pink, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red

Inks - Rose Red

Accessories - Big Shot Flower layers #3 die, Scallop oval punch, Wide pink ribbon (non- SU!), Rose Red ribbon, metal pail, florists foam, Dimensionals, Self adhesive gemstones (Michaels), circle punch (Marvy) oh, and the suckers.

Father's day cards

2009-06-03T20:56:00.006-04:00

I made these over the weekend but forgot all about the pictures as my camera batteries needed to be recharged. These are for my girls to give daddy. Soon I hope to get them interested in making their own!

The first has a "hinged" flap on the front to give it a little more interest. The sentiment under the flap was computer generated because my handwriting is awful.

Stamp Sets - Pun Fun

Cardstock & DP - Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun textured. Good morning Sunshine DP

Inks - Black Stazon, SU! markers

Accessories - brads.

This second father's day card was made with an adorable Riley Moose stamp. My husband really loves trains so this is sure to be a hit.

Stamp Sets - Train Riley (Hanna Stamps)

Cardstock & DP - Baja Breeze, Ruby Red, Whisper White. Sweet Slumber DSP

Inks - Black Stazon, Night of Navy (inside), SU! markers

Accessories - None (!!!!!)

Now, on to the card from today. I was at home nursing a really sore toe (unfortunate encounter between my big toe nail and the stone steps - ick), so I had more time to play than usual. I decided that, since I already have some new hostess sets on the way from the new catalog, I should at least try to make sure that I have used all the sets I already have!!

I like the idea of this card using the Goody Goody Gumdrops set, but it looked better in my head than in reality. May have to play around with the layout some more. The sundae glasses were paper pieced with the striped DP.

Stamp Sets - Goody Goody Gumdrops (hostess level 3, SS 2009)

Cardstock & DP - Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White. Sweet always DP

Inks - Black Stazon, Chocolate Chip, SU! markers

Accessories - ribbon (non-SU!), Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds.

Ribbon bookmark and tin

2009-06-02T23:03:00.005-04:00

I CASEd this idea from Terry Earhart (her blog, http://www.stampinandstylin.blogspot.com/ ) .
She brought it to Nancy's last demo meeting and I thought it was such a great idea.
She made hers with Tea Party DP and Sweet Stems. What I love about this is that you can leave some of the circles blank (as I have done on the back but didn't think to take a picture of) and add punched photos instead of stamps. I think I will make one for my mum for her birthday and have a picture of each of her 4 grandchildren.

Tins were bought from Target (favor tins) and most other supplies are Stampin' Up!

Stamp sets - Darling Dots (Hostess level 1 SS09)

Cardstock & DP - Sweet Slumber DSP, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Whisper White

Inks - Ruby Red, Baja Breeze

Accessories (SU!) - So Saffron ribbon (SAB 09), Big Shot Flowers #3 die, Ribbon slider from Hodgepodge Hardware (styled silver).

Accessories (non-SU!) - Scallop circle nestie (around 1.75 inches), Plain circle nestie (around 1.25 inches), circle punch (1 inch and 0.75 inch - marvy), light blue ribbon.

The bookmark then folds over (concertina-style) and fits in the little tin. Very quick to make and can be adapted to any style and color scheme.

Birthday part 2 - Moose anyone??

2009-05-31T21:32:00.005-04:00

I think I may have mentioned before that we are very fond of Moose in our family. Our daughters are affectionately know as Princess Moosarella and Missy Moose. We have Moose calendars, books about Moose, Moose bath towels...... you get the idea. So, is it really any wonder that I am just a tiny bit addicted to Riley and Sophie Moose stamps? I just love these stamps from Hanna Stamps and there has got to be a Riley or a Sophie for just about any occasion.

I made this card today for Rhiannon to give Anwyn for her birthday next month. It was made with perfume Sophie, one of my favorite Moose stamps as it just fits my girls so perfectly.

Stamp sets - Perfume Sophie (Hanna Stamps), Short & Sweet (Stampin'Up!)

Cardstock & DP - Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Watercolor paper. Washington Apple and Riding Hood Red DP

Inks - Stazon Black, Riding Hood Red, Stampin'Up! markers (blended using aqua painter)

Accessories - Dimensionals, Circle and scallop circle punches (Marvy), Scalloped oval punch (SU!), Prima flowers, red self-adhesive gemstones (Michaels?).

I also got the first father's day card made but my camera batteries died and need to be recharged so I'll share that later.

Bits and Pieces

2009-05-30T22:09:00.007-04:00

June and July are very busy months for me as we have lots of events to celebrate. Steve and I celebrate our wedding anniversary (14 years this time) on the 10th of June, then we have Father's day, Rhiannon graduates Kindergarten on June 19th, Anwyn turns 4 on June 24th and then Rhiannon turns 6 on July 22nd. Mixed in with this I have a set of swaps due June 10th, another due in July, we have numerous other birthdays and also end of year stuff for teachers. So, over the next month most of my time will be spent making things I need. I plan to start offering classes, workshops etc. in August when things are a little quieter for me and I have goodies from the new catalog to play with.

After all that blabbering, here are a few things I have worked on over the last few days.

This is a little card for Rhiannon's graduation. As it is for kindergarten, I wanted something cute and I have been itching to use this set. I have to say, I wanted to use the owl from the set too but it kind of overwhelmed the little tree so I stuck with the deer.

Stamp Sets - Forest Friends, Warm words

Cardstock & DP - Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla. Delicate Dots DP (SAB 2009)

Inks - Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss

Accessories - Dimensionals, Chocolate Chip corduroy brads

Next is the first card for Anwyn's birthday and I'm really not all that thrilled with it so, if anyone has any thoughts on how to improve it, please feel free to share ( I oopsed up on coloring the letters so would have to re-make it anyway). I know that she will love the image as she is a HUGE Snoopy fan (she currently owns 7 of them) but the rest is just not making me happy.

Stamps - Happy Birthday Snoopy (Peanuts collection by Stampabilities)

Cardstock & DP - Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie, Watercolor paper. Bali Breeze DP (retired)

Inks - Black Stazon, SU Markers

Accessories - Deckled rectangle nestie, Dimensionals, Yellow ribbon (non-SU!)

Lastly, this is the card I have made for Steve for our anniversary. Earth Elements will always be my favorite color family and, when i decided that the squirrel needed to be a red squirrel, the logical choice was for those colors!

Stamp sets - Animal Crackers

Cardstock & DP - Sahara Sand, Old Olive (textured) Really Rust, Whisper White. Fall Flowers DP

Inks - Black Stazon, Really Rust, SU! markers

Accessories - Dimensionals, Rust ribbon (non SU!)

I'm hoping to get started on Father's day cards tomorrow so that I know they are done (I am getting very forgetful these days.....)

Back in my box with Font of You

2009-05-25T22:12:00.005-04:00

After the excitement of the Bold Brights, I decided to tone it down just a little today. I loved this set at first sight and included it my first order with the new catalog but , for some reason, it hadn't seen ink until today.

Stamp set - Font of You

Cardstock & DP - Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel textured

Inks - Close to Cocoa

Accessories - Word Window punch, Scallop square punch (Marvy), Ribbon (from a current SU! collection - can't remember the name), Antique brass brads.

Stamp Set - Font of You

Cardstock & DP - Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Haiku DP.

Inks - Tangerine Tango, Basic Black.

Accessories - Scallop Edge punch, Tangerine Tango ribbon, Dimensionals.

On a side note, I can't wait to see what the new Stampin' Up! In Colors will be! I really loved all of the current In Colors, particularly Baja Breeze and Riding Hood Red. Not too much longer to wait now for the big reveal......

Color overload!

2009-05-24T22:33:00.005-04:00

I think I may have mentioned before that I am not all that keen on the Bold Brights colors. In fact, until I became a demo and received a package of the Bold Brights cardstock in my starter kit, the only BB color I owned was Real Red. So, today I decided to be brave and break out some new colors. So, hold on to your seats, here comes lots of color!!!

I have to say that this is the first time I have made a card with the Cheers to You set that I actually like. Hmmmm...... maybe I will have to become a BB convert.....

Stamp Sets - Cheers to You, Tart & Tangy

Cardstock & DP - Whisper White, Basic Black, YoYo Yellow, Only orange.

Inks - Black Stazon, YoYo Yellow, Real Red, SU! markers to color the main image

Accessories - Dimensionals, Scallop Square punch (Marvy), Crystal Effects on glass (can't tell in the photo...)

Stamp Sets - Darling Dots and Sweet Little Sentiments ( Both Hostess level 1 sets)

Cardstock & DP - Whisper White, Pixie Pink, Pink Passion

Inks - Pixie Pink, Tangerine Tango

Accessories - Tangerine Tango ribbon, Flower Brad, Dazzling Diamonds glitter

Stamp Sets - Darling Dots (Hostess level 1)

Cardstock & DP - Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red

Inks - Real Red, SU! black marker

Accessories - Eyelet Border punch, Flower Brad, Dimensionals, Circle punch (Marvy), Big Shot Texturz backgrounds plate

I have to say that I like them all and I think the Darling Dots set works very well with the bright colors as the images are so simple. Who knows, maybe I'll have to actually order some more!!

Tea Party Purse Birthday Invitations

2009-05-21T15:31:00.004-04:00

I just need to say a huge Thank You to my fellow Stampin'Up demonstrator Buffy Cooper for sharing this idea. They are actually pretty simple and fun to make and I am sure they will be a huge hit with the little girls being invited to Rhiannon's party. I think they have a very girlie WOW factor.

The inside of the card (sorry about the vicious looking blurring of the personal details). The inserts were computer generated and printed onto Whisper White Cardstock.

I made 5 each of the 4 patterns shown. Of course, as always happens when I am in the middle of a project like this, I ran out of something. This time it was the filigree brads so I need to add those to an order soon.

For those that want them, here are some basic directions:

The Tea Party DP was folded and placed onto the Big Shot Top Note Die so that the bottom edge was inside the die. This means that the bottom edge is not cut and so can be opened up.

The top of the purse was made with the Big Shot Scallop Circle die which is the perfect size! Once cut, the circle was scored down the middle and folded.

The ribbon handle was made by cutting two small slits into the fold of the scallop circle using a craft knife and threading a 12 inch piece of ribbon through. The ribbon was knotted to hold it in place but you could stick it under the top note if you like that better.

Carstock & DP - Pretty in Pink, Almost Amethyst, Whisper White. Tea Party DP

Stamp sets - "Celebrate" from Matchbox Messages stamped onto matching matchbox die shape

Inks - Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink

Accessories - Big Shot Top Note, Scallop Circle and Matchbox dies, Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink ribbon, Filigree brads (large), dimensionals.

Tea Party fun!

2009-05-18T15:49:00.004-04:00

I think I may have mentioned before that the Tea Party DP may be one of my all time favorites. During the Stampin Up! May Scrapbooking "Buy 3 get 1 free" promotion I stocked up in anticipation of making lots of things for my oldest daughter's birthday. However, as I am a little birthdayed-out right now, I decided to play with some of the paper to see what else I could come up with.

As you would imagine, it looks great with the co-ordinating Sweet Stems stamp set but I think it works well with the Crazy for Cupcakes set and wheel too!

Stamp Set - Sweet Stems, Best Yet
Cardstock & DP - Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, Whisper White. Tea Party DP
Inks - Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst. So Saffron and Pretty in Pink Markers
Accessories - Designer Label punch, Scallop edge punch, Flower brad, Dimensionals.

This was CASED from Nancy's demo meeting. It was a make and take that I didn't get round to making while I was there. I think she used Pretty in Pink instead of Certainly Celery.

Stamp Set - Sweet Stems, Best Yet
Cardstock & DP - Certainly Celery, Whisper White. Tea Party DP
Inks - Black Stazon, Certainly Celery. Pretty in Pink, Almost Amethyst, So Saffron, Certainly Celery markers.
Accessories - Circle punch, Scallop circle punch, Scallop edge punch, So Saffron ribbon

Stamp Set - Crazy for cupcakes and matching cupcake wheel
Cardstock & DP - Barely Banana, So Saffron, Very Vanilla. Tea party DP (the cupcake case was paper pieced with DP also)
Inks - Chocolate Chip (wheel cartridge), Brown Stazon, Pretty in pink. SU markers for coloring
Accessories - Ticket corner punch, Scallop oval punch, Eyelet border punch, Dazzling Diamonds, Dimensionals

While enjoying some play time, I also broke out another couple of sets.

Stamp Set - Soft Summer (2009 mini)

Cardstock & DP - Very Vanilla, Bravo Burgundy. Parisian summer DP (retired)

Inks - Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Bravo Burgundy, So Saffron

Accessories - Bravo Burgundy ribbon, Antique brass brads, paper piercing (done with mat pack)

I love how this turned out and I think it would look good in many different colors.

Stamp Set - Warm Words, Bella's Border wheel

Cardstock & DP - Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White. Bella Rose DP

Accessories - Scallop Edge punch, Big Shot Flower layers #3 die, Big Shot Little Leaves sizzlit die, Chocolate Chip ribbon, Pretty in Pink ribbon, Chocolate Chip corduroy button brad

Tip - The stampin'around wheel guide is absolutely worth the money when using stamping wheels. Without it, I find it almost impossible to stay straight.

Crab invitations

2009-05-17T20:43:00.004-04:00

I know I shared the rough copy a while ago but I finished up Anwyn's invitations last night. I ended up making 20 of them - that's a lot of crab legs. From the way she has been behaving today, I wish I had written "Crabby Anwyn's Birthday Bash" instead ;-)

Details:

The sand pail was based on the flower pot template but without the folded over rim at the top. The front was covered in Sweet Slumber DP and a strip of So Saffron ribbon (from SAB) was added around the top.

I ended up simplifying the insert so it is just a tapered rectangle as I thought it looked better than the previous attempt. I also decided to go with a computer generated message instead of the stamp I had planned to use as my handwriting is less than brilliant.

The crab was made using Ruby Red cardstock:

Body - 2.5 inch oval punch, two made (for front and back).

Eyes - stalks were made with the word window punch and then a 0.5 inch white circle was punched and stuck on top.

Legs - 6 of the smaller photo corners were punched out for the legs.

Claws - the bottoms are word window punch outs and the claws were made by punching a 1 inch circle, cutting in half, cutting a zig-zag pattern on one side and then sticking back together.

After everything was glued in place onto one oval, the second oval was glued on the back to hide all the bits.

The "You're invited" stamp is from Hugs and Wishes. The Oval scallop punch was used to make the oval on front and it was mounted on dimensionals.

On to the next project.......

Crazy week!

2009-05-14T16:17:00.002-04:00

I have had one of those weeks where I just don't seem to be able to catch up with everything I need to do, hence no new things from me. I did finish up my beach swap cards and got those mailed out so I am on to Anwyn's crabby invitations. I got all my punching done last night (90 crab legs - uck) and will try and get them assembled over the next few days. My goal is to have them done and out to her friends early next week - wish me luck!!

Hopefully I will be back over the weekend with some new things to share. So many toys, so little time......

The straggler

2009-05-07T21:44:00.003-04:00

I thought I was all done with the teacher gifts until yesterday evening when Rhiannon asked "Aren't we going to give one to Ms. McDougald?" Crud! Rhiannon goes to kindergarten at the local elementary school in the morning and then goes to kindergarten at the daycare we use for Anwyn for the rest of the day while I am work. I had remembered all the daycare teachers but not the elementary teacher.

So, off to my craft room to whip up another bag. I found a scrap of the Parisian Breeze DP and decided to go with that.

Stamps - Oval All

Cardstock & Paper - Baja Breeze, Parisian Breeze specialty DP.

Ink - Chocolate Chip

Accessories - Big Shot scallop top bag die, Big Shot flower layers #3 die, dimensionals, Oval scallop punch, Baja Breeze satin ribbon, Kraft corduroy button brad (love, love, love these!)

I need to work on my beach swap cards tomorrow and then get going on mass production of my crabby bucket invitations.

Teacher appreciation gifts

2009-05-06T17:00:00.004-04:00

Can I just say before I start rambling that I LOVE my Big Shot?? How on earth did I survive all of the daycare events without it?

I needed to make little gifts for 4 teachers and so decided to go with the scallop top bag filled with chocolate pretzels from the local handmade candy store (who make the most delicious chocolate dipped fruit - but I digress).

As all the teachers are female I wanted something a little girlie and then I remembered that I hadn't broken in to my Raspberry Tart DP yet even though it was one of the first things I ordered when the new catty came out. The flowers on the scallop top were made by cutting out flowers from Raspberry Tart DP using the Big Shot and the Flower Layers #3 die. They were just so easy to make and I think they are really cute - I see many more coming in the future!

Stamps - Oval all (mini)

Cardstock & Paper - Rose Red, Kiwi Kiss and Raspberry Tart DP

Ink - Old Olive

Accessories - Big shot scallop top bag die, Big Shot flower layers 3 die, Oval Punch (mini), Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla satin ribbon, Dimensionals.

So excited!

2009-05-04T21:58:00.004-04:00

OK - this is a work in progress but I was so excited that the idea worked that I had to share the rough prototype!! This is the invitation I want to make for my daughter's 4th birthday. It is based on the flower pot template that I made at Nancy's stamp camp but, the flower pot becomes a bucket and the flowers are replaced by a punch crab resting on the spade handle!!

I will add in all the details tomorrow for anyone interested, but here is mark 1!!

I need to shorten the spade handle as it is too high up and, obviously, move the time/place stamp down so that the crab legs don't cover it. I still can't believe that the crab looks like a crab (I know it's missing two legs but it was getting a little crowded up there) !!

I really hope she likes it!

********************************************************

Details:

The card inside is a rectangle (2.5 x3.5 inches) with a triangle on top (this needs to be shortened so I won't give dimensions).

The crab was made using Ruby Red cardstock:

Body - 2.5 inch oval punch, two made (for front and back).

Eyes - stalks were made with the word window punch and then a 0.5 inch white circle was punched and stuck on top.

Legs - 6 of the smaller photo corners were punched out for the legs.

Claws - the bottoms are word window punch outs and the claws were made by punching a 1 inch circle, cutting in half, cutting a zig-zag pattern on one side and then sticking back together.

After everything was glued in place onto one oval, the second oval was glued on the back to hide all the bits.

The "You're invited" and time/date stamps are from Hugs and Wishes. The Oval scallop punch was used to make the oval on front and it was mounted on dimensionals.

At long last - the Matchbox Die (and friends)

2009-05-01T22:17:00.005-04:00

I finally managed to get some stamping time today and got to play with the new Matchbox Die. I love it but need a lot more practice with folding it so it doesn't look smooshed. So, my idea from the other day was finally translated into reality and I am quite pleased with how it turned out (if you ignore the smooshing). The Playful Petals flower was stamped onto the vellum with Versamark and then heat embossed using black embossing powder. It was then flipped over and the "underside" was colored with markers. When I folded the top together, the embossed image is on the outside and the colors are very subtle as they are mellowed by the vellum.

Big Shot Matchbox Die

Stamp set - Playful Petals

Cardstock - Almost Amethyst (textured and plain), Vellum for the lid

Ink - Versamark, black embossing powder (heat embossed) and assorted SU! markers

Here it is with the coordinating scallop bag

Close up of the scallop bag

Cardstock & DP - Almost Amethyst, Tea party DP, Pretty in Pink

Stamp sets - Oval All (Occasions Mini)

Ink - Regal Rose

Accessories - Pretty in Pink ribbon, Oval punch (Occasions Mini), gold eyelets (set with crop-a-dile), Butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), Circle punch

These last two cards are just experiments using the Just Beachy set (Occasions mini). I have signed up for a Beach theme swap and am playing around with some layouts. The second of the two is closest to what I want to achieve but I'm still not thrilled with it so I may need to play some more.

Not "new" but fun!

2009-04-30T21:19:00.009-04:00

Still no stamping time for me but I do have a couple of cards to share. My sister's 40th birthday was this week and so I can now share the cards I made for her.

When I saw this Penny Black stamp (Chicks night out), I knew it was just perfect for the card!!

Stamps - Penny Black Chicks night out, SU! Congrats (SAB set)

Cardstock & Paper - Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, So SAffron, Old Olive textured, Chocolate Chip. Haiku DP (love this pattern!)

Inks - Stazon Black, SU! markers in LOTS of colors

Accessories - Scallop edge punch, Tangerine Tango ribbon, Dimensionals, Crystal effects (on wine glasses) and gold pen.

The floor was done by coloring with a marker (Creamy Caramel I think) and then using a Chocolate Chip marker to draw in floorboards.

I am a Sophie/Riley (Hanna stamps) addict and adore Spa Sophie. Since my sister loves a little Spa pampering, I made this card for my girls to send to their favorite Auntie!

Stamps - Spa Sophie (Hanna stamps), SU! Absolutely Fabulous

Cardstock & DP- Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue. Delicate Dots DP

Inks - Brown Stazon, Chocolate Chip, SU! markers

Accessories - Blue fun flock (for bathrobe and towel), Prima Flowers, Pastel brads, SU! Scallop edge punch, Scallop circle punch, circle punch, crystal effects (on foot spa)

While it is fun to make things that appeal only to me, one of the things I love most about making cards is that I can usually find stamps etc. that "fit" with a person. For example, this Super Moose Riley card I made for a friend of Anwyn's who turns 4 this weekend. He is having a Superhero party and I know this will make him smile.

Then we have the super-girlie cards made using Stamping Bella Chichiboulie fairies for some friends of Rhiannon. They are twins who turned 6 a few weeks ago and they are real girlie-girls (notice the use of my favorite Tea Party DP in the first card. I will be stocking up on this whether it is retiring or not!).

Frustration!

2009-04-29T22:06:00.002-04:00

If I don't get some stamping time very soon, I am going to combust!! Each time this week that I have tried to spend a little time feeding my addiction, something else has come up. I have all these thoughts and plans and want to actually get something done. Since I can't, I am going to share what I plan to do to make myself feel better!

First is the idea I had for the matchbox die. My daughter will turn 6 in July and just loves arts & crafts. My neighbor makes fused glass items and so we have booked her to come and do Rhiannon's party (BTW, her stuff is just gorgeous so check out her website if you have a chance, www.artisanglasscreations.com). Each guest will make two items and then my neighbor will take them home, fire them, and return them to me a week later to hand out. I have decided that it would be cool to put the pendants they make into the matchboxes. I had already planned to make "purse" invitations using the top note die (thanks Buffy!!) and will use the Tea Party DP. I want to make scallop bags accented with the same DP for each guest as a favor bag and these little matchboxes will be made to match. What I want to do is use textured cardstock for the base in Almost Amethyst, So Saffron etc. and then make the lids using Vellum. I want to stamp and emboss one of the flowers from the Playful Petals set onto the Vellum where the top will be and then color using markers to give a stained glass effect. I am really hoping that the reality looks as good as the idea does in my head - not always a given!!

I have also decided, after seeing all the wonderful projects by my fellow demos and folks on SCS, to try my hand at scrapbooking. I am going to start small by doing a book of baby photos for each of my girls and see how I like them. This will be an ideal chance to use more of my huge stash of patterned paper.

Hope to be back tomorrow with some prototypes!!

My first demo meeting!

2009-04-24T20:33:00.004-04:00

I went to Nancy's house yesterday evening for her demo meeting and it was so much fun. All the ladies there are just so very talented and I hope I can grow up to be just like them!!

We did a make and take, swapped cards and then chatted. Nancy had everyone introduce themselves for my benefit and then we talked about the mini-convention they plan in August evey year. That sounds like a lot of fun and I am thrilled to be able to take part.

I just wanted to share some of the wonderful cards from the evening. The first was the make & take and the others were swaps. I still haven't learned everyone's name and so I can't remember which card was made by each person to give them full credit. Hope you love them as much as I do!

I'm hoping to get some time to play this weekend again so maybe I can try out the matchbow die!

A choice at last

2009-04-20T23:14:00.003-04:00

After much back and forth, I decided to combine the elements from my two favorite card samples (posted last time) into one.

I would have preferred the top note shape to have been one DP pattern but I didn't have enough for 16 cards so improvised. So, having decided on this, I spent the evening cutting, stamping, sponging etc. I got everything prepped so all I have to do is put the remaining 15 cards together tomorrow evening.

I did finally get to make some boxes and bags with the Big Shot. No photos as I was just playing around to figure out the closures etc. and so used plain white cardstock. I love the pillow box and bag with scalloped top and the dies are certain to get plenty of use. Once I have my swap cards done, I'll attempt the matchbox.

Decisions, decisions...

2009-04-18T23:07:00.004-04:00

I have my first demo meeting on Thursday with my Upline and her group. I have met most of them before at Nancy's stamp camps etc. but this will be my first time "playing" as a demo. I need to make 16 swap cards and spent today making some samples. I am still dithering but I am leaning towards the first card. I made two of each sample to get a feel for how much time it would take and they were all pretty similar. I have to make my mind up and get moving on them tomorrow as I am not exactly speedy!

Stamp Set - Ocean Commotion, Fresh cut (Thank You)

Cardstock - Sahara Sand, Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, Whisper White

Ink - Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze. River Rock for sponging sea bed and Baja Breeze sponged background

Accessories - Pewter brads, word window punch, top note die, Texturz plate, Dazzling Diamonds

This second card was my first made with Great Friend from the mini. I embossed the butterfly in silver onto basic grey card and it looks pretty cool but I don't think you can really see it in the photo.

Stamp Set - Great Friend

Cardstock & DP - Going Grey, Basic Grey, Baja Breeze. DP - Urban garden

Ink - Baja Breeze, Basic Grey, Versamark

Accessories - Basic Grey taffeta ribbon, Silver embossing powder, Dimensionals

This third card was another first time play with a set from the mini, Soft Summer. I am so glad I finally got the hang of my stamp-a-ma-jig!

Stamp Set - Soft Summer

Cardstock & DP - Kraft, Close to Cocoa, Baja Breeze, Watercolor paper. DP - Parisian Breeze

Ink - Close to Cocoa, Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip.

Accessories - Eyelet border punch, Word window punch, paper piercing (mat pack), Dimensionals

The last card was made with another new set from the mini, Just Beachy. I love the combo of this set with the Sweet Slumber DP.

Stamp Set - Just Beachy

Cardstock & DP - So Saffron, Sahara Sand, Ruby Red, Whisper White. DP - Sweet slumber

Ink - Stazon Black, Ruby Red, Bashful Blue (sponging on background) and SU! markers (to color the fish)

Accessories - So Saffron Ribbon, Dimensionals, Texturz plate

I really want to use this set in making invitations for my daughter's 4th birthday party in June. I would love to make a bucket with a pull-out spade card (kind of like the flower pot card idea I learned at Nancy's stamp camp). Need to give that some more thought.

OK - I'm off to dither some more about the swap.

Lots and lots of goodies

2009-04-14T21:38:00.004-04:00

I got my first monster order today and I feel like a kid!! I have so many goodies, I don't know what to play with first. I am itching to crank up the Big Shot and make some boxes.

Tonight though, I got a couple of cards finished up using the Pun Fun set. The first is for my daughter, Rhiannon, who is having her tonsils and adenoids removed tomorrow. She has moved out of the pink phase and into purple, hence the lilac whale!! Hopefully it will cheer her up a little.

Stamp Set - Pun Fun

Cardstock and DP - Whisper White, Lovely Lilac, Tempting Turquoise. Flowers for You DP (retired)

Ink - Stazon Black. Image colored with SU! markers.

Accessories - Non-SU ribbon, punches (Marvy), Silver eyelets (done with Crop-a-dile)

This second one is for my nephew, Finlay. He will turn one in May and I wanted a cute little card for my girls to send to him. Not sure about the colors but I wanted it to be bright.

Stamp Set - Pun Fun, Cute and Curly, On your birthday, Serif numbers

Cardstock and DP - Whisper White, Pacific Point, Summer Sun. Good Morning Sunshine DP

Ink - Stazon Black, Tangerine Tango, Brilliant Blue, Summer Sun. Image colored with SU! markers.

Accesories - Non-SU! ribbon, punches (Marvy), Curly label punch, dimensionals, Dazzling diamonds on the number 1.

A flower for all seasons

2009-04-12T22:27:00.005-04:00

I really loved the Tree For All Seasons set and made many cards with it so I had to have the Flower For All Seasons set. I have to confess that I haven't used it as much (maybe because I had fewer stamp sets back then........) but I really do like it. This is a set of notelets made for a friend. Do you think maybe I like green??

All cards used A Flower For All Seasons, images were stamped with Stazon black ink and all coloring was done with Stampin' Up! markers. A scallop square punch (marvy) and ticket corner punch (SU!) were used on all cards.

Cardstock, DP & Ribbon - Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Flowers for you DP. Ribbon - Certainly Celery

Cardstock, DP & Ribbon - Whisper White, Mellow Moss, Bashful Blue DP (from hostess pack). Ribbon non-SU!

Cardstock, DP & Ribbon - Whisper White, Old Olive, Haiku DP. Ribbon non-SU!

Cardstock, DP & Ribbon - Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red DP. Ribbon from Theater collection (retired SU!)

Top secret cards

2009-04-11T22:51:00.004-04:00

I made some very fun cards today but they are top secret for a few weeks. They are for my sister's birthday at the end of the month and I don't want to spoil the surprise as she sometimes visits this blog.

I did manage to squeeze in another card using Bird on a Branch. Ginger Blossom is one of my favorite DPs and, even though it is retired, I love using it wherever I can.

I do have a question for my fellow stampers. Do you have a set that you bought thinking it would be wonderful only to find that you get some kind of mental block when you try to use it? My "problem" set is Cheers to you. Whenever I try to use it, the cards are just truly boring. I browse the SCS gallery but still can't seem to translate the ideas I get into anything great.

Yay - Starter kit arrived

2009-04-09T21:37:00.004-04:00

There is nothing more fabulous than arriving home to find that UPS have delivered a box of goodies. In this case, my demo starter kit. I am now in possession of:

Eastern Blooms
Nursery Necessities
Pun Fun
Heard from the Heart
Thoughts and Prayers
Bella's border wheel

I kept one pack of the Bold Bright card but I'm not a huge fan of most of those colors so swapped out the other pack and most of the ink pads for those I was still missing from the other color families. I can't wait to get playing. Best of all, my first demo order arrives next week with my Big Shot (and about a billion other things....). I took full advantage of the 30% off!

No cards this evening but, just for Diane, a special segment about the pup!

Introducing The Nutty Pup - Dougal

Dougal (aka Northwinds Magic Roundabout) is an almost 6 month old tri-color belton English Setter. He is completely crazy and thinks that everything is for eating (typical male). I am very biased but I think he is truly gorgeous and am more than happy to share a few pics of him and blame Diane!

This is one of the cutest pics ever - Dougal at 8 weeks old. He nows weighs around 40lbs and will hit around 70 when fully grown!!

Dougal with his biggest fans, my girls Rhiannon and Anwyn.

Just look at this face!!

Hope you don't mind the non-stamping theme but, like I said, Diane made me do it ;-)

Loving trendy trees!

2009-04-08T22:04:00.005-04:00

Is there any color combo that will not work with this set? I had a vacation day today and managed to have some play time before taking Rhiannon to her Dr appointment. So, here is what I came up with. My DH loves the third card and I like the first but really want to make it with Haiku DP and matching colors.

Stamp set - Trendy Trees
Cardstock - Whisper White, Night of Navy
DP - Prestwick
Inks - Garden Green, Chocolate Chip
Accessories - Night of Navy ribbon, square punches

Stamp Set - Trendy Trees
Cardstock - Not quite Navy, Barely Banana (plain and textured), Whisper White
Inks - Ruby Red, Not quite Navy, Chocolate Chip
Accessories - Dimensionals, Ribbon (not SU!), paper piercing done using mat pack

Stamp Set - Trendy Trees
Cardstock - Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Summer Sun
DP - Good Morning Sunshine
Inks - Kiwi Kiss, Summer Sun, Chocolate Chip
Accessories - Curly label punch (love this!), corner rounder punch

Before my use of Trendy Trees bordered on addiction, I made a couple of other cards with something different!

Stamp Set - Embrace Life

Cardstock - Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, close to Cocoa

Inks - Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla (craft)

Accessories - self adhesive pearls - I added these and wished I hadn't as they don't add anything at all.

This last one was made for my Nephew's first birthday which is coming up in May.

Stamp Set - Animal Crakers and Serif numbers

Cardstock - Whisper White, Rose Red, Bashful Blue (textured), Certainly Celery

DP - Cutie Pie (retired)

Inks - Rose Red, Basic Black. Image colored with SU! markers

Accessories - Certainly Celery ribbon, Star punch, Dimensionals

Crazy for Cupcakes and a cute bunny!

2009-04-07T21:37:00.008-04:00

OK - I love this set but get stuck in a "rut" color-wise and always hit the pinks. This was an attempt to try and move away, well, at least a little.

Stamp set - Crazy for cupcakes

Cardstock - Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red

Patterned Paper - Bella Rose

Accessories - Riding Hood Red ribbon, word window punch, ticket corner punch, nestie

Here are some of my previous pink versions.

Finally, an Easter card made with Serene Spring. Isn't this bunny so cute?

Stamp Set - Serene Spring (image was colored with watercolor pencils)

Cardstock - Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, watercolor paper

Patterned Paper - Cutie pie

Accessories - Certainly celery and So Saffron ribbons, cuttlebug embossing folder, ticket corner punch

Some favorites

2009-04-05T17:09:00.007-04:00

A friend asked me if I could post more cards that I have made so here are a few of my favorites. Sorry for only giving the stamp set names but it would take forever to remember the info. for all the inks etc. That, plus the fact that I am a lazy moo!

This was made for my first swap using the Upsy Daisy set (SU)

This used the butterfly from the Just celebrate set (SU)

Stampendous Bee Happy collection

Whippersnapper Poodle stamp

Embrace Life set (SU)

Gardening Riley Moose (Hanna stamps)

Pirate Riley (Hanna Stamps)

Unfrogettable with some added extras for Christmas (SU)

House Mouse "Dear Santa I ate your cookies"

Moose You, again with some added extras (SU)

I dream of Hanna set (Hanna stamps)

Another Riley Moose (Hanna Stamps)

This was made at my Upline demo's stamp camp. The flowers are attached to a little card that pulls out of the flower pot.

Pocket Silhouettes

Another Riley (can you tell I love these!!)

Bloomin Beautiful set (SU)

Serene Spring (SU)

Upsy Daisy (SU)

Bloomin Beautiful (SU)

More playtime

2009-04-04T20:15:00.004-04:00

I managed to sneak an hour of playtime today. It wasn't exactly peaceful as the girls were in the basement too and couldn't resist sneaking in to "watch" but I'll take what I can get.

All of the cards made today used Stampin' Up! sets and supplies.

The first card was made with Organic Grace. I really love this set and it works beautifully with the Earth Elements colors.

The images were stamped in Close to Cocoa on Very Vanilla cardstock. The sentiment is from the Artfully Asian set and was stamped in Chocolate Chip.

Cardstock - Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa textured.
Chocolate Chip ribbon and Chocolate Chip corduroy brad were added.

The next card was made with Trendy Trees which is very versatile but I keep stamping the tree trunks squint, even when I use the stamp-a-ma-jig.

Inks - Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

Cardstock - Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss

Patterned paper - Good Morning Sunshine Ribbon - Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla double sided.

Another beautiful new set is Bird on Branch. I love the Green Tea paper and so stuck with that color scheme for the card.

Inks - Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze

Cardstock - Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Certainly Celery textured, Baja Breeze

Patterned paper - Gree Tea Filligree brad Baja Breeze ribbon

Not another one!

2009-04-03T21:22:00.001-04:00

So rather than making my personal ramblings on my current blog public for all to see, I decided instead to keep a second blog with far more interesting content. In this blog, I want to share my love of stamping and the things I make when I get a few moments peace. If I can figure out what on earth I'm doing, I'll link it via my other blog. I think I got my Stampin' Up! website link working but I still need to figure out a way to make it stand out. For anyone searching, it's the itty bitty link on the top left ;-)

On to the reason for setting this up - my latest creations. As I do this I will try to give some info on the materials used but feel free to ask about anything that I post.

These cards were made yesterday and I am finally getting into the habit of making multiples instead of one at a time.

This card used the SU! Pocket Silhouettes set.

Cardstock - Whisper White, Basic Grey, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy and Kiwi Kiss (all SU!)

Patterned paper - Urban garden (kiwi kiss is the main color - SU!)

Image was stamped in Not Quite Navy (stamping off used for the lighter silhouettes).

Ribbon is Basic Grey Taffeta (SU!)

Sentiment was also stamped in Not Quite Navy and is from the Pocket Silhouettes set also.

This was my first "play" with the Ocean Commotion set (SU!).

Carstock - Sahara Sand, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Whisper White

The curved Baja Breeze frame was made using a mega-nestie die and I made spots around the edge with a white gel pen.

The seaweed was stamped in Kiwi Kiss and highlighted with some dazzling diamonds glitter. The sentiment (from On your birthday) was also stamped in kiwi kiss. The fish was stamped in Tangerine Tango and the shells in Baja Breeze. The first seahorse was stamped onto white cardstock in Taken with Teal, cut out and mounted with a SU! dimesional. The second was stamped onto Taken with Teal cardstock using white craft ink and then cut/mounted in the same way. The ribbon isn't SU! and is the closest match I could get to the teal.

I really love this set and can think of so many possibilities, perhaps not involving cutting the seahorse out this time (what was I thinking doing it twice ??).

That's it for now. I'm hoping to get some more play time at the weekend.