I am back!

Ya, so I have been feeling a little funky for a couple of days. The stampin' suffered because of it. I am feeling more myself today and just in time. Amy did a sketch challenge for us today and I had to play! ;) You can find the challenge here: http://atsblog.typepad.com/ats/2008/02/amys-friday-ske.html (the devil made me do it!) I haven't had a chance to use this C.C.Designs bug set called Summer until today. The sun is trying to shine, it is melting snow so much we have a lake in our driveway and well, I am sick of it. (It as in snow!) Since I have a lake I might as well do beach cards right? I started with a sahara sand base. This card measures 5 1/4" x 5 1/4". I used my sweet polka dot embossing folder. After running it through my cuttlebug I sponged it with chocolate chip ink to help the dots stand out. I am a texture and detail girl! The next layer is buckaroo blue with a chocolate chip mat. I stamped my paisley bg stamp in buckaroo blue on it and sponged chocolate chip around the edges, finishing it with paper piercing. The next layer is Stampin'Up! designer paper from last year with a chocolate chip mat behind it. I sewed around the edges, distressed the chocolate with scissors and scalloped the bottom with my create-a-cut. Now to the fun stuff! I used a piece of sahara sand cs and stamped my cute lil bug and her sand and bucket with basic black. I colored her with my prismacolor pencils and gamsol. I don't do this enough and need to practice some more. I still think it turned out kinda cute. After the coloring, I used my signo white gel pen to do dots on her little swim cap. I put bling in the middle of her flower (so cute), and used stickles in the sand. The chipboard is from my Stampin'Up! chipboard stash. I inked it with brocade blue craft ink and then stamped my cheesecloth bg stamp in white craft. I used a rhinestone brad to hook it on my piece. The adorable bow is a 4 hound ribbon blossom and it's stinking cute! I used various ribbons from my stash and trimmed the edges when it was done. I hope you like my creation. It was good to play!

Duck tape

First I have to give you some background on this stamp. I saw it on Kathie McGuire's blog and knew I needed to get my hands on it. You can find her post here: http://kathiemcguire.blogspot.com/2008/01/duck-tape.html She explains in her blog that it is old and she inherited it. Well I did a search for the the stamp company and came up with nothing. I decided to email her and ask her if she would send me some images. This sweet, sweet lady was happy to share! This is the first of many images she gave me. My kids (all 3 of my boys) adore duct tape. They have been known to make wallets, tape holes in shoes, holes in pockets. You get my drift. They adore this stuff. My middle son is serving an LDS mission in Porto Alegre Brazil and he recently emailed me with his usual request of what he wants in his next package. Hee hee. Out of the blue he asked for duct tape! His next package will have a roll of duct tape and this card. Thank you Kathie. I can't wait to make more cards with this. Too stinking funny! I started with a sahara sand base and used my swirl embossing folder on the top 1/3. I sponged it with my trusty Stampin'Up! sponge and chocolate chip ink. The bottom is pumpkin cs and designer paper. I did paper piercing on the pumpkin piece as well as the saffron piece. The saffron layer was cut using my nestabilites scallop rectangle dies. I water colored the duck with Stampin'Up! ink and spritzed the piece with a gray marker and my spritz tool. The duct tape was highlighted with a silver sharpie marker. The ducks beak and feet have crystal effects on them for shine. I added some duct tape to look like that is what is holding the card together. On the right side I did duct tape tabs. Pewter hodgepodge hardware was added for interest. The ribbon is pumpkin pie gross grain from Stampin'Up! I hope he gets a kick out of this and I had a blast making it for him. Enjoy your evening and the possibilites!

Splitcoast challenge

Yesterday at SCS they had these colors for their color challenge. Certainly celery, pumpkin pie, and orchid opulence. I decided to play along. I used my white papertrey cardstock as a base. At the bottom I stamped my inky antics ric rac stamp in pumpkin and then added celery polka dot ribbon. The next layer is celery run through my paisley cuttlebug folder.I used my white signo gel pen to highlight areas and then stamped a white craft ink polka dot here and there between the paisley's. I used stardust stickles to add glitz to the paisley's. I stitched around the edges with my sewing machine. On the right side of this layer is scallops cut with my create-a-cut and then dots added with the signo gel pen. The next layer is pumpkin pie textured cs layered with black that has been distressed. I used my paper piercer to pierce around the edges and then used a stamp from my papertrey borders and corners in white craft ink. Stickles added glitz to the little star. I used my nestabilites dies to cut the black scallop and the layer with the cute little monkey. The monkey is from Monkey Love and is a C.C.Designs stamp. I water colored with my Stampin'Up! ink pads. I added crystal effects to the limb and the leaves were done with a little dollar punch I got at Michael's forever ago. The "orange"atang (hee hee) has some stickles on him for some sparkle. I added pumpkin pie gross grain ribbon and some prima flowers with a amythyst brad covered in stickles in the center. I added a corner punched with my Stampin'Up! corner punch. I added some faux stitching and another little star medalion with the white craft ink.

Monkey Love gift box

I had so much fun making this one. I found these little undecorated boxes in the clearance stuff at Walmart after Christmas. I used designer paper and covered the box and then decorated with a cute lil monkey. I used my create-a-cut to do the scallop. I added ribbon around the edges to finish this and make it look more professional. The bow was made with 3 1/2" ribbon strips tied together. It is called a 4 hounds ribbon blossom by Pam Bassett and you can find instructions here:Indigo Studio I used a brad and a cuttlebug flower for the center. The monkey is stamped in basic gray and water colored with my aqua painter. The love you this much tag is done with nestabilites and cuttlebug tag dies. I stapled the ribbons in the ribbon slots. Monkey love and the polka dot background stamps can be found at All that Scraps (link on the side bar). Monkey love is a C.C.Designs stamps set. Adorable!

Dumb camera batteries

I went to take pics of my newest project to get up here a while ago and the batteries in my camera are dead. I thought it might be the camera, but all the batteries are doing the same thing and one set let it come on for a sec then went off cause they are dead to. I am charging batteries now and as soon as they are charged I will have a cute lil project on here. Check back it's a cute one! ;)

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain.

I did this one a while back and didn't get it up here. I started with an always artichoke base and layered chocolate chip on top. I used my slit punch on the bottom and added copper brads. The next layer is sahara sand stamped with chocolate chip and my linen bg stamp. I used always artichoke and my priceless stamp set. The flowers were stamped with chocolate chip. I added stickles here and there around background. The next layer is au chocolate. (retired Stampin'Up!) I used my nestabilites rectangle dies for the main image. I used basic brown to stamp the images and then water colored with Stampin'Up! ink. The large flower was cut out and then I added stickles to the center and then a rhinestone brad. The ribbon is Stampin'Up!'s chocolate chip taffeta ribbon.

Pink Valentine

I have been playing with the monkey love set from C.C. Designs again. I love these critters. I started with a rose romance base on this one and used my polka dot cuttlebug folder. The card measures 3 1/2 x 4 1/4". I used my nestabilities square scallop die to cut the designer paper and the fabriano piece. I stamped the monkey in basic black and water colored with Stampin'Up! ink and my aqua painter. The heart was punched with a discontinued Stampin'Up! heart punch and a prima flower and rhinestone brad added to the side of it. After everything dried I added crystal effects to the Love and the tiny hearts. The ribbon is from a ribbon share I did with Jody Morrow like forever ago. Happy Valentines Day!

Monkey Love

I am so excited my monkey's finally came! They are so stinking cute. Every since I first saw them I had this card in my head! I hope you like it! I started with a 5 1/4" x 5 1/4" chocolate chip base. The hearts in the bottom right side are stamped in chocolate chip craft and embossed with clear embossing powder. The mellow moss piece is distressed with my scissors and stamped with the new polka dot background from C.C. Designs. The vellum piece was put through my polka dot embossing folder from the new cuttlebug folders. After I embossed it I cut it out with my nestabilities square dies. How stinking cute is that? I sponged around the edges of the water colored piece with creamy caramel, sewed it and then doodled with my chocolate chip marker. Your branch or mine was stamped with my Karen Foster snap stamps. Lil miss monkey was stamped in basic black and water colored with Stampin'Up! ink. I glued the bow attached on top of her head with a glue dot. I used jute twine to finish the card. K now I can rant. I love this polka dot background stamp. When I first saw it I thought it was too close to the Stampin'Up! one. It is not. The dots are smaller and closer together . I love this stamp! I love this monkey set as well! It is adorable. You can find this set at All that Scraps along with the new background stamps.

Sunday

Here it is Sunday and do I have anything to show you? Nope. I have a sinus issue going on and I am still checking the mailbox for the new C.C.Designs stamps. I hope they show up tomorrow. I have some cute ideas swimming in my head. I will go look through my pics and see if I have something stamped that I didn't post. Have a nice weekend and enjoy your families!

No stamping today

Today was a snow day so to speak. No school because of the blowing and drifting snow. From what I hear our street is the worst and the county is no where near close to plowing it. Sigh.... I hear Robert's might have the new cuttlebug folders. I will have to check it out if I ever get out of here. I babysat my Granddaughter today and haven't had time to stamp.

All that scraps is coming out with some new stamps at 10 pm Saturday night. We were supposed to start giving you some sneak peeks starting today, but my mail lady didn't bring me any stamps yet! (bad mail lady) Like it's her fault. Hee hee maybe she took them home to play at her house. We are getting the cutest new monkey set and some backgrounds. Head on over to All that Scraps and go to the gallery to get some cute sneak peeks. Also they have a cool new blog. Click on blog and check that out while you are there. You can win a free giga or mega punch just for entering. Hopefully I will have some peeks on here for you all tomorrow! Have a great night and enjoy the possibilities!

Still doing birthday cards

I am still working at the huge list of birthday cards for my hubby. One by one I am getting them done. It is sad that I can't just do a stack of the same thing. I get bored when I have to mass produce them. This one turned out really pretty. I started with a sahara sand base (5 1/4" x 5 1/4"). At the top I stamped my lined bg stamp with sahara sand and then the swirl from priceless in white craft ink. I layered cool caribbean with designer paper and used my sewing machine to do the stitching. I used my create-a-cut for the scallops on the pink piece of designer paper. I sanded the edges and then distressed the edges of all of these with my scissors. The oval piece was cut with my nestabilites scallop oval die and my cuttlebug. I water colored the flowers with pretty in pink and regal rose. After it all dried I sponged with soft sky. I added highlights to the flowers with my white signo gel pen and then added stardust stickles to just parts of the flowers. The small circle was cut out with a circle punch and is stamped in cool caribbean and the set is sweet celebrations. The words birthday wishes is from Papertrey ink's mixed message set. The ribbon is Stampin'Up!'s Kraft taffeta ribbon. This one turned out so soft and pretty. I am not usually one to do the pastel colors and I loved working on this one.

cupcake birthday

I am still working on birthday cards for my husband. He has lots of employee's. I started with a white base on this one and then used making memories designer paper. I cut it and then sewed it with my sewing machine. The bottom scallops are done with my create-a-cut. The circle was cut out using my nestabilities circle die and embossed. I did the dotted circle with borders and corners circle from Papertrey ink. The birthday wishes is mixed messages also from Papertrey ink. The cupcake was from a Simply sent kit from Stampin'Up! called Happy Day. I stamped the cupcake in basic brown and water colored with my aquapainter. The frosting part is stamped again and then cut out and lifted slightly off the image with a glue dot. I used star dust stickles to give it sparkle and then glued pearls on the sprinkles with crystal effects. The brads are making memories and the ribbon is craft from Stampin'Up! I hope you like it. This one was a fun one for me and I love these colors. Yummy!