FS60

Ok, so it's after midnight which means I didn't get today's Featured Stamper challenge done on Sunday :-) I think I might retake this pic tomorrow when I can use sunlight or get enough of my desk cleaned up that I can use the Ott-Lite for it. We'll see.

Anyway, the featured stamper for this week was scrapnextras and Laura has an amazing gallery and blog!!!!! I chose this card to CASE and changed the colors slightly and used a different stamp set. Here's the details on mine. I used Textured Basic Gray and Whisper White for this card. I ran a piece of the Whisper White through my Cuttlebug with the Stylized Flowers embossing folder and attached that to the Basic Gray cardbase. I stamped the branch from PTI's Out on a Limb in Basic Gray and then stamped the leaves in Certainly Celery and flowers in Pretty in Pink and matted it on the gray. The sentiment is also stamped in Basic Gray on White and is attached to a Pewter HPH piece and then tied on with Gray Taffeta ribbon. Once I got everything attached and on the card, I liked it but felt it was missing something so I went over the pink flowers (or are they berries?) with Petal Pink Liquid Pearls. Much better and after it dried, I decided I liked it a whole lot better now!

Thanks for visiting and I'm beat so I'm going to bed. I hate when dh isn't here because I really don't sleep as well by myself. . .but I'm sure the by myself is temporary anyway since at least one little one will probably climb into bed with me in the middle of the night.

Turquoise and Orange ATC

So, I joined in on another ATC swap and the requirements are to use Turquoise and Orange. This is really an easy one for me because I love the way these colors look together. I mean, look at my blog banner :-) This also works for Denise's challenge the other day to use something new. I inked up a new stamp set that I got at my LSS the other day :-)

So here's the details. The base of the ATC is Only Orange and the lower half is Tempting Turquoise. I randomly stamped some images from Asian Influences by Inkadinkado (new) in the same color inks on the cardstock. Then I stamped the lady from the same set in Ranger Adirondack Pitch Black(new) on Shimmery White and colored her in with the following Copics: E000, B000 (new), B02 (new), B04 (new), YR02, and YR07 and then edged the image in Only Orange ink. She's layered on the ATC base on dimensionals. The ribbon is White Taffeta. I finished it up with a couple of black brads from the old Vintage Brad collection on some punched Tempting Turquoise circles.

I really like how this one turned out. It's shimmery and sparkly and I love how the black ink looks like it sparkles and you can see the shimmer through my coloring. I do like my new ink pad for coloring with Copics. I went over the black alot and there was no bleeding at all. I will have to try it with yellows since that is one color that I notice a lot of bleeding with. One thing that I didn't like is that the ink beaded up a lot on the stamp (it's a clear set) and at first I thought it might have been because the set was new and needed the eraser treatment but I didn't have any problem with the SU Classic ink. I got great images with both the orange and turquoise. I had several ladies that weren't inked that great and had blotchy hair. I'll be curious to see how other stamps ink up with this pad.

So, dh missed his flight home this evening and will be back in the morning. Fortunately, he's off this week with me and the boys. Our little princess is still going to go to preschool since it's harder for her to go back when she has too much home time; it makes the transition hard and she cries a lot when she has to go back after extended time off. Hopefully, the kids will cooperate later this evening so I can do a little more stamping.

Thanks for visiting!

Is this not the coolest thing?

Hi all, I know I haven't been posting much but I've been swamped lately. I'm off this week as is dh so hopefully, we can get some Spring cleaning and organizing done this week.

One of my projects I started last week was rearranging and organizing my stamping area aka "The Art Room". Previously, I used one of the bedrooms upstairs but when dd moved into her big girl bed, she got her room back. I moved my stuff downstairs and share the room with the kids--we let them watch movies and play Xbox in there and they can also do art projects and stuff. Now, here in California, the spare bedrooms are tiny!!!!! I have too much stuff and it pretty much overflows so I'm trying to find ways to neatly organize my things and make them accessible to me so I'll actually use them.

I've slowly been collecting Copics for almost a year now and they're all thrown into a tackle box type thingie. I'm waiting on my empty Copic storage box to arrive :-) I also tend to not know what colors I have since I've been buying them singly and have frequently purchased the same color over and over again. . .thankfully, Dick Blick is close to work :-) I've seen a lot of different Copic charts on various blogs I visit and figured I would make one. Well, guess what? I didn't have to make one because the wonderfully talented StamperSharon had one on her blog :-) I love how it's so neatly organized by color families and fits so nicely on one sheet of cardstock. I downloaded and printed it on Georgia Pacific White cardstock and then marked the boxes for the colors I have. It's so nice to have a visual to see what I've got (click on the pic and it will blow up huge so you can see more details about what the chart looks like) and exactly what the colors look like. Now, I also know where some of my gaps are and what I need to fill in. Like in my "Y" row, I only have Y17 so obviously I've got to get a few other colors to help blend that shade a little better :-) Gives me a great excuse to go buy more Copics!!!!! If you don't know who StamperSharon is, run, don't walk to her blog!!!!! She's a Dirty Dozen alum and is an amazing stamper. She's one of my stamping idols and even though I don't know her irl, she seems super nice and has always responded when I ask questions.

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day!

Happy Easter!

Hi Everyone!

I haven't gotten much stamping done lately because I'm in the midst of reorganizing the stamping/art/kid play room. Hopefully, I can get done later today :-)

My SIL sent this to me yesterday and it cracked me up. I could not believe this was for real!!!!!

Have a great day and thanks for visiting :-)

For Sale

I'm selling my retired 2007 In Colors and my Marvy punches on Ebay. If you're interested, check them out here: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZmasonsmamatoo

Thanks for visiting!

Look Ma, no stamping!

I don't think I've ever made a card that has no stamping on it since I've started cardmaking and stamping. That said, I do like the way this one turned out.

My 5 yo likes the bossy girls. . .he'll make a good husband someday :-) One of his classmates that fits this description broke her arm afterschool yesterday so we made this card for her. I used today's sketch challenge at SCS for inspiration and then just went from there.

The card base is Wild Wasabi. I'm going to miss this year's In Colors when they're gone but I can't wait to see what SU has in store for us for next year. I layered some Bashful Blue on the Wild Wasabi and then layered some of the Hostess 6X6 DSP on it. The rubon is from the SAB set--I need to use these up so I can justify getting some more--I love how I was able to use it over the crease of the two papers and it went on so smoothly. The letter S is the first letter of ds's classmate and is one of the Sticky Cuts letters. I sprinkled red Chunky Glitter over it after I'd adhered it to Whisper White. Then I matted it on Real Red and attached to the card front. Finally, I tied some striped Real Red grosgrain around the top of the card and tah-dah! All done!!!! The sparkles met the approval of my 5 yo and hopefully this will bring a little smile to his friend's face.

Thanks for visiting!

Mojolicious Friend

This sketch came from Julee Tillman's Mojo Monday sketch challenge. I love the sketch Julee posted and think I might play with it some more.

I love pink and brown and decided to make a pink and brown sparkly card. The card base is Close to Cocoa. The pink layer is from the Berry Bliss DSP which I absolutely adore!!!!!! The colors in this paper are so pretty and feminine without being over the top girly. I stamped the swirls from Pollen Dust by Fancy Pants Designs in Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate on the pink paper. The heart is from the same set and is stamped with Brilliance Pearlescent Crimson on Close to Cocoa cardstock and cut out. I colored in some areas with my pink Copic Spica Glitter pen and then added some Amuse Micro Twinkle stickers to the flowers and dots. Wonderful from Wonderful Favorites is stamped on Very Vanilla with Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate and friend from the same set is stamped with Versamagic Pixie Dust. This strip is layered on Purely Pomegranate but then I didn't like the way all the colors went together so I liberally sponged the pomegranate and vanilla strips with Brilliance Pearlescent Crimson. Then I lightly sponged the pink piece with the same ink. I attached this to the card base and then attached the heart with dimensionals. Here's a little close up of the heart so you can see the sparkle!

This card also fits perfectly with my SBS3 sister Denise's Weekly Challenge which is Friendship.

Ok, I've decided to unload my old retired In-Colors and my Marvy punches so off to take some pics and get them posted on the SCS BST boards and Ebay :-)

Thanks for visiting!

Signatures

I had someone ask how I got my signature and it's actually super easy. I actually found it through Jen who found it through one of her blogging friends who found it from a friend. You wanna make one, too? If so, click here.

I'll be back later with a card and some eye candy.

Tagged

Ok, I was tagged by Colleen , Erin, and Jen.


The rules of the game:
• Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, we all want to know them.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
• Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.



1. I have 3 dogs but didn't like dogs growing up--they were too high maintenance and I preferred cats

2. I love Italian but dh is not a big pasta fan so I rarely eat it anymore. Good thing I'm watching my carbs most of the time

3. When I originally got into education/teaching, I was only going to teach for about 3 years and then go back and get my Ph.D in History and become a college professor. That didn't happen and I don't regret my decision at all

4. I'm addicted to makeup--I can go to makeup counters and play around for hours!!!!! I easily spend way too much money on makeup (almost as much as stamping stuff)

5. I love to read but don't do it as much as I'd like now that I'm so busy. Being sick gives me an excuse to lay around and read and I'm about halfway through The Other Boleyn Girl right now.

6. I didn't learn how to swim till I was 13

7. I'm horrible with money and budgets! Ugh, I really need to grow up and get better at this one.

So, now I've got to tag 7 others. How about Shannan, AJ, Maren, Donna, Patty, Heather, & Simone.

Pink Birthday Wishes

This card originally started out as a birthday card that dd was going to take to a friend's birthday party but after finishing it, it really wasn't the kind of card that I thought would be a good one for a 3 year old girl :-) This one took off in a different direction after I got started but I like the way it turned out.

The card base is Pixie Pink which is a color that I don't use that often. I prefer Pink Passion and Pretty in Pink over Pixie Pink. I attached a piece of Pretty in Pink Double-Sided Designer Prints paper from the new SU Hostess set to a piece of Wild Wasabi. The tag is Pixie Pink and I layered a Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink, and Shimmery White flower to it. I attached a flower from the Pretties kit that is died with Pretty in Pink ink. The build a brad in the center of the flower is from the Always set and is WildWasabi ink stamped on Shimmery White. I punched a hole in the top of the tag and attached a Jumbo Pewter eyelet. I tied some Wild Wasabi striped grosgrain through this and attached to the designer paper. I stamped the "happy birthday" and "many more" from Birthday Whimsy with Wild Wasabi and pierced soem holes down along the side. Finally, I added 3 light pink dew drops to the front of the card and tah-dah!!!! All done and easy peasy. This is probably the least amount of stamping that I've done on a card since I started stamping.

Thanks for visiting

CC156

This week's color challenge at SCS is called Wild Pomegranates. The colors are Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, and So Saffron. I looooooooooooooove Wild Wasabi and Purely Pomegranate but find it hard to work with So Saffron; however, I think it looks really good with the other colors in the challenge.

Dh and I are going to an open house at a winery this Saturday with some friends. One of them just celebrated his birthday last Friday and this means I have an excuse to make a card since we'll see him this weekend. I decided to go ahead and use the color challenge to get me started.

I also wanted to ink up my Verve Visual winnings. I started out by taking a sheet of Whisper White and stamping all over it randomly with the stars from Swirly Stars in Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, and Purely Pomegranate. I added the little swirly things in between the stars in the same colors. Then I randomly cut the sheet up so I'd have a bunch of different pieces ready to use at some point. I layered my cut out piece on a So Saffron and attached it to a textured Wild Wasabi card. I got them through the current SU promo and I'm a little disappointed in them--Love the textured CS and love Wild Wasabi but I don't like where the score lines are so I cut off the edge and attached some striped Wasabi paper to it instead.

I stamped the oval image from Starlight Starbright Remixed in So Saffron on Whisper White, overstamped the sentiment from the same set in Purely Pomegranate, and punched it out with my large oval punch. I attached this to a piece of Aged Copper Hodgepodge Hardware that I've had since it first came out almost 2 years ago. I tied some striped Wild Wasabi Grosgrain ribbon through one end and attached it to the cardfront with a brad and a dimensional.

I love this card! It's simple but striking and is definitely not girly so it's perfect for a guy!

Thanks for visiting!

Melanie's Tote Tutorial

You've got to see this!!! Melanie has the greatest tutorial for the cutest Tote!!!! I just got my Scor-Pal on Friday and besides just scoring some straight lines with it, haven't done much else. I think I'm gonna try my hand at some boxes or other 3-D thingies soon and this tote may be one of them!

Thanks for visiting and I promise to have some stamped samples up soon. I have a card to finish later and a card that's done but no pic is taken yet :-)

Melanie's Giveaway

You've got to check out Melanie's Blog--it's great and she's super, super talented! She just made it into the Top 100 Stamping sites and is giving away an unreleased GinaK set that she's designed. All you've got to do is stop by daily between now and March 9th and leave a comment to be entered.

Check it out, you won't be disappointed!

CC155

This was for last week's color challenge: Black Rock Elegance. I do think that the color combo is really elegant and will definitely reach for it again. I made this card for a colleague of mine--she served as interim Early Childhood Education Principal for awhile and also works at Cal in the Graduate School of Education. She's an amazing person and budget cuts are starting to hit so they're getting rid of some of the consultants.

So here's the details on the card. Cardstock used is River Rock, Basic Black, and Shimmery White. Ink is Palette Hybrid Noir and Brilliance Moonlight White along with the River Rock reinker. I scallped the edge of the River Rock card with my small corner rounder and edged the card with Brilliance Moonlight White ink. I added some SAB Love and Happiness rubons to the bottom of the card. I will freely admit that I just didn't get the appeal of rubons until I got my hand on them and still have not purchased any--I didn't get it and didn't want to buy them so I knew that the best way to try them would be to earn them for free during SAB. Now, I'm wondering why I waited cuz they totally ROCK!!!!!! I'm not liking the little popsicle stick so much and am patiently waiting for my LSS to get the BasicGrey rubon tool in stock :-). I stamped the flower and leaves from Friendship Blooms in Palette Hybrid Noir on Shimmery White and then colored it in with my Aquapainter and a River Rock reinker. This is mounted on dimensionals on Shimmery White and Basic Black ovals that are cut and embossed with my Petite Oval Nestabilities. If you want the Nesties, you've gotta check out http://www.ucutathome.com/shop/ , if you sign up for the VIP program, you'll get a once a month 40% off code to use on any one item they have. I'm collecting my Nesties this way. They've also got amazing customer service. I couldn't find my email with the code from last month and called and Marcie called me back within a few hours and took my order over the phone. She called back to check up on me and then I spoke with her again since I got an extra Nestie in my order which I was going to return but you know how it is once you've got some product in your hand, right? You just pay for it and keep it :-) The ribbon is Taffeta White and the hatpin and beads are from my Pretties kit which I've also been hoarding for awhile.

Overall, I like this card but I think it probably could do without the rubons on the bottom, even though they're fun. I seriously will be using this color combo alot. . .or at least till River Rock retires!

Thanks for visiting!