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.