Snowman Soup

I haven't disappeared entirely. We have been battling one illness after another in my house. No wonder I haven't been exactly in the Christmas spirit this year.

I was in a mad panic this weekend to get the Christmas cookies for my husbands work started. As well I planned on making little "Snowman Soup" packages for his employees. We just can't afford to buy for them all individually this year.

I found these great little gift bags from the Dollarstore, threw in a package of hotchocolate mix, some mini marshmallows and a candy cane. The poem I found on line. I mocked up the tag on the computer rotating one of snow man upside down so that the card stock could be folded over then stamped with one of my Hero Art stamps.

I hope his staff doesn't mind, but the pizza party or wine was out of the budget this year. I think the gifts would have looked a little chinsy if not for the cute bags. Gotta love the Dolalrstore.

The poem is:

Snowman Soup
Was told you've been real good this year.
Always glad to hear it!
With freezing weather drawing near,
You'll need to warm the spirit.
So here's a little Snowman Soup
Complete with stirring stick.
Add hot water, sip it slow.
It's sure to do the trick!

Blogger's Be Ware & Cute Photos

While perusing Cammie's wonderful site, I came across an article she linked to by Julie Ebersole about appropriate Blog etiquette or "netiquette". Very informative, many of us are guilty of unwittingly using another blogger's band width, which could result in a cost to them. To see the article go here there are a few follow up articles which give more clarification.

I have seen many site's where they have posted the sketch image from a sketch challenge on their own site and then their rendition. It never crossed my mind that what these folks were doing by posting the sketch image could cost another person band width and possible financial expense. Although I have only ever used a URL link to reference other's images, I had no idea that this could be bad netiquestte. I was just trying to consciously give credit where credit was due

Makes you really re-think how to post on your blog.
On a HAPPIER note, I have two cute photo's to share:

My kids this past Saturday evening at our local Santa Claus Parade - it was the first one for the both of them.
We couldn't resist snapping a photo of this adorable hairy driver that was parked in front of us at the grocery store yesterday. Too cute, my daughter thought the dog was really driving, she was so excited.

Stamp Simply

Oi! I need to re-think Christmas cards for next year. I love the template card I made, but it is just has too many layers and too much painting detail to mass produce. Next year I will think more simply.

This is what I have been up to:


I still have to cut and scallop all the burgundy mats and mount to the card fronts as well as mount the card front to the folded card, heat set the liquid applique on ALL the cards and apply ribbon. Did I say "Oi!" already? Wish me luck!

Hedgehogs in the Snow

I adore these little hedgehogs. They are the reason I bought the "Bubbly" clear stamps set by Penny Black. I had been admiring these little critters for so long, but couldn't decide which "one" stamp of them to buy. When I came across a set with a couple of hedgehogs I had to have them.

I even finally used one of my SU - Circle of Friendship stamps, which I bought last summer at the Stamp Retirement party and had yet to even open.

I told you have been making a REALLY good effort to use stamps I already have, even the DP is left over from last years Christmas stock.

Details:
Stamps: Penny Black - Bubbly, Su - Circle of Friendship, and Hero Arts - Merriest Wishes (ornament & star)
Paper: Rhonna Farrer - Flourishes & Fun, Certainly Celery, and Riding Hood Red
Ink: Certainly Celery, Tombows
Accecsories: Colluzle circles, Skittles, SU - Scallop Punch, Ribbon

Christmas Case

I saw these cute little Santa gift tags by Vicki (It's a Stamp Thing) on Splitcoast over the weekend. She linked the directions to Heathers site (Stamp with Heather) There is a video with clear and super easy directions. I couldn't believe how easy these were to make. Heather has a few really cute images made solely from stamps.


I didn't have the SU "3 for you flower" punch for the hat, so I improvised using another flower punch.

Heather uses these Santa's on Scrapbook pages using the pop up beard for hidden journaling, but they also can be used as gift tags. I plan on making a bunch to hang on my tree.

Hush Puppy Christmas

I bought the cute little "Bubbly" critter clear stamp set by Penny Black back in August. It has a few darling little hedgehogs which I have been desperate to get my hands on. I couldn't wait for them to arrive in the mail, yet I never got around to using them. Guess I lost my mojo.


The stripe DP is from last year's stash, it is so awesome, but I didn't have a good co-ordinating DP to go with it. The Designer Series DP from SU in Old Olive is a dead match, I love the two together. I just picked my SU DP yesterday. You may end up seeing more of this combo.

I am a little miffed that the sentiment isn't centered. It was originally, but then I decided to add a pink mat. In order for it all to fit into the Nestability, the sentiment became slightly off centered. C'est la Vie!

Details:
Stamps: Hero Arts - Merriest Wishes, Penny Black - Bubbly
Paper: KI Memories - Joyful Skinny Stripe, SU Old Olive Designer Series, Riding Hood Red, Pink
Ink: Old Olive, Tombows
Embelishments: Large rectangle Nestabilities, Bella Baubles, Stickles and Ribbon

Puffy Duck

I wanted to whip up a quick congratulations card for a friend who just announced she is pregnant with her second child. As well, I have a girlfriend coming over this weekend to make thank you cards for her sister in-laws baby shower and I thought this could also be a possible template.

I am having tremendous fun with the liquid applique, except it flattens very easily. I had to cut the yellow square and emboss it before applying the applique or the duck would get crushed. I am curious how well it will hold up in the mail too?

Details:
Stamps: Studio G Clear Stamps (duck), SU - Very Punny sentiment
Ink: SU - Summer Sun
DP: Provo Craft - Bitty Scrap Pad Backgrounds, yellow and white cardstock
Embelishments: Embossing folder - Frames, Marvy Liquid Applique, white ribbon

Stampendous Christmas

It's been a while, I was in a bit of a funk and didn't do any cards. I'm back and I have a dozen ideas, here's hoping I actually get them down on paper.

I tried to be good this year and not buy any new Christmas stamps and just use what I already have. I fell in love with the Santa Trio stamp by Stampendous last year, when I saw it featured on Stampers Dream, with full intentions of using it on my Christmas cards. Of course I didn't, but I have this year.

I sort of had some of my layout already planned, but was struggling with some of the details. I knew before purchasing my DP that I wanted the colour combination to be a bit different from the traditional green and red. The DP changed a few times going from brown, blue & green to red, blue and green. Blue and green were the key ingredients.

Thanks to Kerry J. for the use of her cuddle bug folder and for brain storming with me over the layout. As well, if Kerry J. is ever so gracious as to share her LOW FAT lemon square recipe with all of us, YOU MUST try them, they are FAB!

I am so happy with the results, I love the the colour combination, although IRL the red is more burgandy and the white cardstock is shimmery white by SU, which you can't see in the photo.

Details:
DP: Karen Foster - Christams Stripes, SU cardstock - Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue & Shimmery White, Michaels cardstock - burgandy
Stamps: Stampendous - Santa Trio, EK Success - Sentiment roll
Embellishments: Tombow - markers, Cuddle Bug Folder - Christmas Ornaments, SU - Scallop punch, ribbon from my mother-in-law, Stickles

I have am going to try Marvy Liquid Applique on the Santa Hat and Boots, but it takes 24 hours to dry then needs to be heat set, not so sure that I am going to want to do that on 30 odd cards so Stickles on all of them may be the out come. It's a lot of colouring in for this card, I thinks thats why I didn't end up using it last year. I still love it though.

Simply Silhouettes

I love these little Pocket Silhouettes by SU. They make such simply but elegant looking cards. I wet the watercolour paper slightly then brushed across the colour blending as I moved up.


I made two of the image inlays, the second with the image stamping outside the cropped white area, but it actually looks better with a bit of space between the stamped image and the border of the paper.

The progression of the colour in the background did not show well on camera, much nicer in RL.

Details:
Cardstock: SU - Chocolate Chip, Blush Blossom, watercolour paper
Stamps: SU - Pocket Silhouettes, Rubber Stamped sentiment
Ink: Cameo Coral, More Mustard, Summer Sunset

Ornamental Card & Scrap-pages

I first thought of making Christmas ornaments with my large circle punch last Christmas season, but never saw it to fruition. I found some lovely striped Christmas paper last month that just begged to be made into ornaments, so the idea was born again. Originally it was just suppose to be for a card, but when I was shading in all of the circles to give them depth, I loved them so much that I decided they would make a great scrapbook layout and although I try to make my kids pages look different from one another, these darling ornaments made it into both of their scrapbooks over the weekend.



Last night I worked on a card using an ornament that I embellished with Versamark and copper Ep. I am not sure that I LOVE the Ep, it didn't turn out as I had envisioned, but it an interesting look, but I think it takes away from the 3D effect.



Details:
various Sandylion Dp, punch with a large Megapunch, edges antiqued with bronze pigment, and adorned with copper paper cut onrnament tops. I also used the antique feature in iPhoto before printing my photos.

Take Two - ssnotime51

I just wasn't happy with the card that I made for the Stamp Simply challenge (ssnotime51) on No Time To Stamp - Dancin' With Dee! Check out Dee Jackson's awesome cards here.

I already had this card layout made, but was just waiting on the right stamp for it. Actually this layout is a mock up I did for a scrapbook page for my daughter.

My hubby being the wonderful man that he is came home with the Garden Delight set from Inkadinkadoo for me. I had mentioned I wanted it, so he picked it up for me. Great Guy!

I am much happier with the results this time. I think if you are not using the stamp positioner then clear stamps are the way to go.

Details:
Stamps: Inkadinkadoo - Garden Delight, SU - Warm Words
DP: Amy Butler Sola - Cherry Blossoms, Chatterbox - Holly Stripe, Certainly Celery, Sage Shadow
Ink: Sage Shadow, Tombow marker
Ribbon

Dee's Two Steppin' Blossoms ssnotime51

"Today’s challenge is Dancin’ with Dee!!! So get out your dancin’ shoes because we are going dancin’ — and that would be doing the 2-step, or 3-step, stampin’ that is!!!" - Sharon (No Time To Stamp?) re: Dee Jackson

I really struggled with the challenge on No Time To Stamp (ssnotime51gallery) not because it was difficult per say, but I just didn't have the equipment. I don't have any two or three step stamps and I had a hard time envisioning any of my stamps in the alternate shadow technique or the kissing technique. I did try both alternate techniques using various stamps from SU - Mixed Bouquet & SU Looks Like Spring.

I quickly gave up on the kissing technique, then I stamped and I stamped and I just was not satisfied because I couldn't quite line up the stamps with the shadow technique not having a stamp positioner.

After much frustration I reminded myself, that this is a Stamp SIMPLY challenge. I don't need to make it harder then it needs to be and I need to have fun and keep things simple. So letting go of my frustrations I picked the stamped image that came closest to being lined up properly.

Here is the final outcome in shadow technique.

Details:
Stem: SU - Mixed Bouquet
Blossom: SU - Looks Like Spring
DP: double sided Scenic Route
Piercing Mat

Haunting Good Time

It's that time of year again. I am trying to be good about not buying any large stamp sets, but had to get in on all of the Halloween fun so I snapped up a few of the Michael's Dollar-fifty stamps last week.


Details:
Indigo Versamark pigment
White Color Box pigment
Versa Magic Chalk - Purple Hydrangea
Sandylion Dp - Halloween Circles
various cardstock
various ribbon

Scrapbook Alert

I have no cards to post this evening, but that does not mean I haven't been up to my elbows in ink and paper. I did 5 scrapbook pages as well another from late last week and that's not counting one more page that is on my desk waiting for some journaling. I've been busy!

The layouts of the snow pages in pink and in blue were cased from SplitCoastStampers, however I made my own pink paper.

Pink page: stamped in white color box pigment using various Hero Art Stamps, Cuttlebug snowflakes, dollar store sticker letters. I like the affect of making my own patterned paper, I've never done that with a scrapbook page before. Original here.

Blue page: Figgy Pudding Dp - Silent Night, Sandylion Dp - Let It Snow, Hero Art Stamps, Cuttlebug snowflakes, white ep, corner punch, traced dollar store letters. Original here.

Christmas page: My Mind's Eye Dp, Sandylion DP - O Christmas Tree / Florentine Ribbons, Sentiment Sandylion - Season's Greetings, Quick Kutz - flourish, Distress Ink

I love this Harvest layout , it is simple, but very effective, I borrowed the layout from Scrap Maps.

Harvest page: My Mind's Eye Dp, Scenic Route Dp, Title by Bo Bunny Press - Pickin' Pumpkins, Michaels Dollar stamp, Distress Ink, bronze brads.

These last two pages are photos from the same day. I was planning on doing a double page layout, but when I put the pony photos onto the brown gingham paper from My Mind's Eye, it didn't work because of the orange ribbons I used. I kept going back to the polka dot paper also by My Mind's Eye which is almost identical to the hat my daughter was wearing, hence no more double page.

Harvest page: Bo Bunny Press embelishments - Pickin' Pumpkins, My Mind's Eye Dp, coorinating ribbons from the kid's nana.

Pony page: originally the journaled tag was going to go on the upper left hand corner and the Title where the tag is now. I glued all the photo's into place then started moving things around and liked the journal on the bottom better, but now had a big blank space in the upper left hand corner so I borrowed the layered bubble idea from my son's swimming page. I like the effect of writing around some of the bubbles, although in this case I guess they would be polka dots, not bubbles.

Hey, I think that's all of them "phew". Have a great day!

Masculine Case - QUESTION

Here is a question for any of you who read my blog, if there are any of you?

What is your most versatile stamp set? Read details below:

I had to make a quick masculine card for a family friend who is going through a medical ordeal. I admit that I have a hard time with masculine cards. I don't think I am very forward thinking when purchasing my stamps sets making sure that my sets are versatile for all occasions. For example I have a lot of masculine stamps that work for Father's Day and birthdays, but aren't appropriate for the occasion I mentioned above.

I think I am going to have to work on that, making sure my future stamp purchases are more versatile. I like SU's - Lovely as a Tree. It can work for masculine, feminine and pretty much any special occasion as well as for Sympathy or Get Well. That's the kind of stamp sets I have to be better at picking up.


Here is the card, I basically cased.

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1028676?si=masculine

Details:
Stamp: Rubber Stamped - Monkey Paw Fern, Studio G Clear stamp sentiment
Paper: scraps
Ink: Color Box - Copper

Cupcake Delight

I have been seeing cupcake cards all over the place lately and thought I would try my hand at it. I already had a cupcake from my SU - Treat Yourself stamp set and by chance found a smaller cupcake in a Studio G clear set that I have.


I admittedly have never made the cupcake in the Treat Yourself set. I won the set last year at my local SU stamp retirement party. To be honest, the stamp I use the most from this set is the sentiment "Treat yourself to a wonderful day". I have used that all over the place. I have also envisioned using this sentiment with a spa type image or something like My Favorite Things - Time for the Bubbly.

Can I tell you how much I LOVE SU cardstock. I have mostly been using cardstock from Michaels or my local craft store, but finally broke down last month and bought some cardstock in Soft Subtles. Versamark works a hundred times better on their cardstock. I used versamark cupcakes on the bashful blue cards stock as well as a quick pass of Versamark on the embossed certainly celery cardstock.

Supplies:
Paper: scrap plaid, certainly celery, bashful blue
Stamps: SU - Treat Yourself (lrg. cupcake), Studio G Clear stamps (sml. cupcakes)
Ink: Versamark, Tombows
Embelishments: Skittles, Cuttlebug folder - Swiss Dots

Red Hot Bella Meets Grease Lightening

Yes I have other stamps sets, but I've had the plan for this card etched in my brain for weeks. When I read Sharon's blog LATE last night I knew I had to get my idea down on paper ;) immediately. Who needs sleep?

Here is my submission for the Stamp Simply Challenge #50 (Julie's Red Hot), on No Time To Stamp.

I will admitt, since it was VERY late when I read the challenge I only noticed that the card was suppose to be red inspired, I missed the part about emulating Julie's style (Out to Impress). However now going back and looking at Julies samples, this card still works! Julie has a lovely Inspire card using red organza ribbon and a beautiful bleeding heart's card where the image and the mat aren't centred on one another.

If I were to redo this card to truly emulate Julie's style I would swap out the white card stock to manila and use a scrolling image stamp not a bella.

My older sister's Fortieth birthday is coming up in December. I have been picking up the supplies for my card idea as I find them, but have been holding out for the Martha Stewart Doily Lace punch which until yesterday was sold out every where I looked.

The inspiration for the whole card is from the movie Grease. The paper pieced dress is a cross between Cha Cha DiGregori's and Rizo's dresses from the dance scene in the gymnasium. The sentiment I typed up on the computer - it sounded less harsh then "Lordy, Lordy, look who's forty!"

The edges of the red scallop as well as the red mat are brushed with purple chalk (thanks Kerry J.)

Supplies:
Paper: Red card stock, Making Memories - Black Small Dots
Ink: Versa Magic Chalk - Purple Hydrangea, Tombows
Stamp: Stamping Bella - Bellarina
Sentiment: done on the computer
Punch: Martha Stewart - Doily Lace
Embellishment: Red Organza ribbon

Share The Candy

Do you love Blog Candy and do you love Magnolia stamps?

If you said yes to either one of these then you must head over to Kreativ Kristin 's blog. She is giving away two (2) lots of Magnolia stamps. Two winners will be drawn. Contest ends September 15th.

Thanks Kristin for being so generous!!


Blog Candy Post

Cheers Baby!

After the week that we have had, my hubby is going to need to down a few cold ones on his Birthday just to de-stress, and we aren't drinkers.

Our littlest had 2 seizures, which were due to a viral infection. Pretty scary stuff, but thankfully he is fine.

I tried to make the beer bottles look like Corona, but I couldn't remember what colour the labels were and I accidentally got some smutz on the card while staining the edges:


Supplies:
DP - crap from various projects.
Stamp - Beerafella by Stamping Bella, American Art Stamps "Cheer!", Anita's "Birthday"
Ink - Tombow markers

Asian Inspsiration

This card was inspired by Peaceful Blossoms found here:

I absolutely love the Peaceful Blossom card and the original. I now desperately want to host a party just so I can buy the Garden Silhouettes stamp set.

The technique is called Burned Batik using clear emboss powder.

I posted 2 photos because of the glare of the flash on the clear embossing.

I originally started out with a large white section to batik, but my sponging left a lot to be desired. So I ended up cropping it. I like the effect, but I am going to work on perfecting it, even the cropped image is still a bit messy looking. I think I will try a different sponge and on watercolour paper to see if I have more success.

Oh I used my new Cuddlebug folder "Forest Branches". The stamp is by Stampin Up, I think it may have been from a hostess set, but I am not sure. I won it as a gift at the last stamp Retirement Party. The stamp actually has a boxed frame around it, I carefully embossed around the image so as to only printt the pattern and not the frame.

Adolescent Birthday

I sat down to do a birthday card for my nephew who is turning 11 this year. I stamped out his name using Zoophabet letters by Penny Black, whoever decided it looked a little too juvenile for an eleven year old.

I sorted through my stamps and realized although I have masculine stamps, they are more for Father's Day and such, I really don't have anything for a young man. All I could find was the star stamps from Studio G clear stamps that Kerry J gave me last year in my RAK. The end result is nothing like I usually do:

The Happy sentiment is from the SU All Year Cheer II, and the Birthday is by Kolette Hall (Michael's dollar stamp), and the star punch is from the dollar store.

Take Two Challenge - Stamp Simply #48

The challenge was to take one of your own cards and basically case it, making as many or as little changes as you felt necessary. I chose this card to case from January 2008:

I had already planned to try to re-make this card using paper piecing on the dress since this was a technique I have often admired but never tried myself. I made half a dozen of the dresses however because I just couldn't decide which pattern I liked best. Here is the end result.

I didn't change much to the layout, it was more so to attempt the paper piecing, which I am TRES happy with. It's a great effect, I will have to try it more often.

Birthday Blitz

Hurray all my birthday pages are caught up until this October. The DP is all from Michael's and I think the flames on the Hot Wheels page was Harley Davidson. The Wiggles and Hotwheel's embellishments were cut out from either the party invitations or other party supplies.

Snail of Good Time

This is almost a direct knock off of the sample on p.69 of the new SU Caddie. I couldn't help my self, I was really wowed by the colour combination they used. It made me fall in love with this stamp set all over again. Can you believe I had never used the snail stamp before. I love it, I have a whole list of projects I want to use it with now. I love when old things are new again. I


The Happy sentiment is from SU's Polkadots & Paisley's and is clear heat embossed.

It's Halloween Winnie the Pooh

As I posted earlier, I am desperately trying to catch up on my kids scrapbooks, so I may not be posting many cards for a while.

I actually accomplished 2 pages in one night which is a miracle for me. It usually takes me all night for just one page. I know I have read that others knock off a page in an hour, not so for me. Maybe I over think it, don't know.

I was 3 Halloween pages behind. One page for 2006 and 2 for 2007. My daughters 2006 page I had all planned out in my head before starting, it was inspired by a page I saw on Penny Black found here.


However, it was an interesting challenge to use the same paper for my son's 2007 page, trying to make the two pages look completely different. I like both pages, but I think my son's turned out better. Funny how no pre-planning yielded a better result.


DP - Sanylion (Kelly Panacci): Halloween Stripes, Halloween Circles, Orange Mini Dots
Reminisce: Pumpkins for Sale and Spiders Web
SU: Dots & Dashes, purple cardstock

Stickers: Sandylion

Water Baby

Alright so I haven't been so good about making cards lately, but with good reason. I am unbelievably behind in doing my kids scrapbooks. I made a run to the local scrapbook store and purchased a bunch of paper to make myself get caught up. This page was inspired by a card challenge for July 18th on TayloredExpression.

When I saw the card sample I thought it look liked water bubbles and thought I would attempt to make a card some time in the future. However, when I sat down to do my son's swimming page I remembered Taylor's card challenge.

All the paper is Studio Basics 101 - Creative Imaginations which oddly enough doesn't say the names of each print.

Cosmopolitan Anyone?

I made the background of this card last weekend when a girlfriend came over to make cards. We shared stamps and such, and the patterned circle paper was from her collection. I wish I had made note of the name, it's too cute.

I actually never finished the card because I couldn't decide on a stamp & sentiment to go with it. When I was cleaning up my work space this morning (after a long night of scrapbooking for my kids), I came across a pre-stamped Cosmobella just waiting to be coloured in. The sentiment is from Studio G Clear stamps from Michaels.

Some exciting news, well for me any way... my local scrapbooking store now sells Cuddlebug accessories. I have been purchasing my die cuts and embossing folders online so have to not only pay shipping, but WAIT forever for them to arrive. Now I get the immediate satisfaction of bringing them home and NOT paying shipping. Could make it more tough on my wallet though.

I purchased Swiss Dots and one that is all tree branches but kind of looks a bit like the Distressed Stripes.

They have some really cool new ones that I haven't even seen online any where yet. There is four folders in one that do just a line of imaging like Zig Zag stitch or a row of flowers. Can't wait to see how everyone uses those.