Camera

I have been asked about my camera work. I am using a Fujifilm S5000 camera. I have had it for 4 or 5 years and love it! I usually try to photograph in natural light. If it is night time then I just use my natural light I bought at Sam's Club. It was way cheaper than the Ott light and works just fine. I keep it on my stamp table and use it all the time. I usually just set up my kitchen table for the shots and take my pictures there because I have glass sliding doors and there is lots of light. I set my camera on the close up mode. That gets rid of blurriness. Nothing fancy. I love digital photography cause you can practice all you want and don't waste film. There are lots of photography ideas on other peoples blogs. I just experiment. Have a great day and I hope to have something stamped for you tonight!

Oh before I forget, I have decided to remove the top 50 from my blog. I don't need the pressure. I have backed off on the stamping just a bit. I want to keep it fun. I want to do it because it makes me happy! I love what I do and I really truly need to keep this outlet fun. I don't need the stress of trying to impress others.

Woo hoo I stamped!

I have been so wanting to play with my nestabilities! I finally got a chance to and can I just tell you I love them. I need to get some more older stamp sets sold on ebay so I can get the rest of them. I have a cuttlebug and they work wonderfully in my bug. I started with a buckaroo blue base and the textile embossing folder. I embossed about 3/4 of the front of the card. The next layer is bravo burgundy scalloped with my create-a-cut. I used sahara sand cs for the next layer and stamped it with bravo burgundy craft ink using my paisley bg stamp from Stampin'Up!. I sewed two lines of stitching across the top and bottom with my sewing machine. The next layer is bravo burgundy with a piece of sahara sand on top. I stamped my polka dot bg stamp in buckaroo blue. I used the little star stamp from priceless and then the little oval stamp from Papertrey's borders and corners ovals. The ribbon is craft tafetta. The large oval was cut using my nestabilities classic scallop oval die and then pierced in each scallop. The next layer was done with the classic oval die and was put through my cuttlebug twice to emboss the edge. I sponged the edge with bravo burgundy and then stamped the oval dots from borders and corners ovals. The swirl was stamped with my glue pad and then glittered. I stamped the flowers and cut them out and attached them with dimensionals. The pearls are from Ellen Hutsons online store. These are so fun and I have to order more! The for you was stamped with papertrey's paper tray set and I used the classic oval die on it as well putting it through twice to emboss the edge. The dots were stamped with the corners and borders oval dots. This was so much fun although a bit of work. I hope you like it.

Here is my favorite picture of our Nauvoo trip! Isn't this picture just stunning? This is the Nauvoo LDS temple. I took the picture from the cultural hall on the 3rd floor. My husband's cousin took a similar picture earlier this summer and I had to get the shot while I was there.

I am home finally

What a week! We had a trade show for my husband's business back in Iowa this past week. We went a few days ahead of the show and spent 2 days in Nauvoo Illinois. What and incredible beautiful time we spent there. I don't have a lot of time right now to tell about it, but watch as I have the most beautiful picture ever to add. It probably won't happen until tomorrow. We were supposed to be home Thursday night, but there was a tornado in Minneapolis that set us back 24 hours. We finally were allowed to go to Minneapolis Thursday night 5 hours after we were supposed to have left. We didn't hit a pillow until 2:00 in the morning. Then we had an entire day to kill waiting to get the next flight home. Last night I hit the pillow at 1:00 in the morning. I am getting to old to do that 2 nights in a row. When I got home I had this wonderful box from Ellen Hutson! Woo hoo, my nestabilities are in the house. I have a Mary Kay open house today at my home and wasn't home to clean. So it is with a big frown that I go clean and get ready for that instead of playing. My daughter did come over and help me with some of it. I am so grateful. I still have loads to be done before 2. Check back in the next few days as I have tons of ideas for these babies. I love them already! I did hurry and try them in my cuttlebug and they are so worth every penny! Have a great day and enjoy the possibilities!

I have been doing lots of thinking. I need to stamp, it is an important part of my life. I have always been crafty, but stamping is something I have done longer than anything else. I love to stamp. It is my release from stress and cares of the world. I love to create! I may not be the best, but I love what I do. I am going to continue. I actually did stamp this past week, but I am not going to show anyone what I did. It is ok. I have a day off today. I get very few of those. I am going to take a long hot bubble bath! Awwwwww luxury! After I feel renewed I am going to stamp. I will continue to share. I hope that someone somewhere gets a little inspiration by what I do. If not, it's ok because I am only doing this for me. I am waiting for my weekly letter from Elder Rapp and then it's off for some me time. Take time to enjoy the possibilities!
Lesa

Taking a step back

I am going to take some time to step back and see why I started this blog. For a long while I was climbing the top 50 list and now I am sliding back. I have had a rough summer and I haven't been here much. I realize you lose readers when you don't blog every day. I love blogging as it has given me a place to keep track of my stamping. I will continue it, but am wondering if I just like the comments. I have heard others mention this as well so I know I am not the only one. I am really doubting my stamping. I keep wondering if anyone really likes it or if I am just another stamper. I love stamping and will always do it, but am I just kidding myself? Hmmmmmmm......

Stamping heaven

It feels so good to be stamping again! I am in heaven. I actually finished this one last night. I started with a bashful blue base. The first layer is barely banana and then a layer of yummy Cutie Pie dp from Stampin'Up! The colors in this are so pretty together. My next layer is a piece of bashful layered with another piece of cutie pie that was scalloped with my create-a-cut. I used my sewing machine to stitch the top and the bottom with messy stitching. This is the first time I have used my new wide gross grain celery ribbon. I was afraid I would have a hard time tying it as it is usually a little stiff. It tied perfectly the first try! I love this stuff. Note to self get more wide gross grain, I think chocolate chip is calling my name! I used my photo corner punch with bashful cs and then stamped it with my dot stamp from In the Spotlight. I stamped little star flowers from my corners and borders square set from papertrey! I put stickles in the centers for sparkle. The focal point is done using bashful and whisper white cs in my mega and giga oval punches. I used the little star flower around the bashful piece in each scallop with stickles in the centers as well. The white layer is stamped with the corners and borders oval dots and then sponged with bashful ink. I stamped my flowers and then cut them out and after adding brads to the centers popped them with dimensionals. The one on the lower right side also has some stickles on the end dots. This card was so fun to make. I want to stamp again! Woo hoo! Have a great labor day and enjoy the possibilities!

I am back!

I got the company out and I am back in my stamp room tonight. What a long summer! I am so grateful that school has started and that it is cooling off a bit. The nights are a little cooler and the leaves are just barely starting to turn. It makes me want to do fall cards. I started with a chocolate chip square base for this creation. I stamped the swirl from baroque motifs on the top with very vanilla craft ink. I paper pierced around the bottom and the sides. The next layer is pumpkin pie textured paper. This stuff is yummy! I got the earth elements colors since fall was upon us! I scalloped the bottom with my create-a-cut and then did a sloppy on purpose sewing job around the edges. I stamped my gorgeous pumpkins (I love this set!) on watercolor paper in the new basic gray ink. I used my very neglected WW crayons from Stampin'Up! to color using my aqua painter. After it dried I roughed up the edges with my scissors and then used my color spritzer tool and a chocolate chip marker to spray the splatter. The bottom right is gross grain ribbon from Stampin'Up! and then I used a little tatting pin and my pliers from the tool kit from Stampin'Up! to cut off the bottom of the pin. I used swarovski crystal beads at the top and a chocolate prima flower with a tiny swarovski crystal in the center. It is so sparkly! At the top left I used various cuttlebug dies and chocolate chip cs, pumpkin pie textured cs, and a chipboard coaster to cut the shapes on my tag. I sponged the edges of the pumpkin pie piece with chocolate chip. The ever grateful piece is sponged with chocolate chip as well. I stamped ever grateful from the so many sayings set. The little pumpkin stars are from my papertrey borders and corners squares set and stamped in pumpkin pie. The centers are done with stickles. I hope you like it. It was wonderful to play again.