Sunday, September 30, 2007

Simple Thoughts


I debated putting this card on tonight, because the picture just doesn't do it justice. It's simple and elegant and beautiful. Hopefully, you'll be able to look past my photography... I stamped the shadow in Mellow Moss on Shimmery White cardstock. The leaf is inked in Artichoke and then I used my chocolate chip ink spot to ink the stem and the leaf edges. The saying is stamped in black. I mounted it on a layer of Chocolate Chip cardstock and layered it on the Artichoke base. The ribbon charm and brads are from Making Memories, I think. All images are TAC. The only thing I added, once I'd looked at it for awhile, were a few speckles of Mellow Moss ink. Simple and elegant. I think it took me 10 minutes. Ahhhhh!!!!! :)
My goal this week is to write out and *mail* at least 5 of the cards that I made last week. I don't know why, but I always have a hard time actually remembering to put them in the mailbox. :) I also want to get some scrapbooking done this week, and place an order with TAC so I can get the double Gift with Purchase stamps!! I think I need to actually schedule some time for each of those things. I have a tendency to waste too much time checking up on my favorite bloggers..... :)
See you in a day or two!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Shop Hop

Today's adventure... A quilting shop hop!! :) Oh, how fun! My daughter and I and two friends went to 6 quilt shops in the area today. Each shop was giving a free project pattern and some 5" charm squares, and you could sign up for prize drawings and eat goodies as well. I picked up a new quilt pattern and a small kit... which happens to be packaged in a clear paint can that I can alter. (I must admit that helped me make my decision...) I also picked up an adorable punchneedle pattern and a punchneedle. I've wanted to try that for every so long. Now I just have to make time for it. hahahahahahahahahaha!!!! :)

This picture is of the last shop we stopped at. Happy Fall!!

Friday, September 28, 2007

In my thoughts...


I was looking at another sketch from i{heart}tostamp and ran across this dog set from Stampin Up. I'm not sure it came out exactly as I envisioned it, but my daughter loves it, so I'm going to give it to her to send to someone.
After this card, I promised myself that I'm going to order SU!'s mat pack so that I can make straight faux stitching, but I'm still deciding who to get my scallop punch from. My favorites are the Nestabilities dies, but then I have to get a die cut machine as well. Hmmm.... "think, think, think," as Pooh bear would say. We'll see!! :)
Happy to see you! Have a great day!
Images: Stampin Up! & Studio G

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Autumn Leaves


I found this sketch on another blog... but now I can't find which one. Uggh! Wait! Here it is!! Are you anxious for fall to come? I love the fall weather and the colored leaves and the wood smoke and fresh apples from the orchard and the pretty, earthy colored papers we get to use. :) This image is stamped in Basic Brown and watercolored with my new crayons. I sponged and speckled in rust and mustard, layered on a piece of Chocolate Chip and matted with some papers from a mat stack of autumn papers I got a year or so ago at JoAnn's. I'm really enjoying making square cards. Mine are 4.25" square so I can use a normal invitation size envelope.
OK - off to do bills and make out grocery lists, etc., etc. Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Isn't this just the happiest stamp?? I was so excited to get this set from my mailman today. It's the April Stamp of the Month from TAC, but I didn't have an angel I was working with then, so I didn't see it until just recently. I absolutely love this particular stamp! :)

Anyway... This card is inspired by Rose Ann here. I used my watercolor crayons on watercolor paper, then accented the petals and leaves with a clear gel pen and stardust glitter gel pen respectively. (Those were also in my mail today... ) Good mail day, huh??? :)

Thanks for all the comments recently. It's nice to know that I'm not talking to myself. Not that that doesn't ever happen... lol.

Stay tuned tomorrow - I did a couple other cards from some sketches I found. Fun, fun, fun!!!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Baby Bottle


My card today is in answer to Kimmie's challenge here to create a baby card. I pulled out a vintage piece of designer cardstock from leftover from a Simply Scrappin' kit that I'd demoed with ages ago & pulled my colors from there. The bottle wasn't seeming to color right until..... drum roll, please... my watercolor crayons came!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!! :) Then all was wonderful. I still don't have any scalloped punches, so I used my paper piercer and just accented the swirl behind the word baby.
We're laying low on schoolwork today. The public schoolkids don't have school today, so this homeschool family is taking the day off too, and reading The Phantom TollBooth aloud. Actually right now is naptime... even if my kids are all teenagers!! :)
Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Go Pack!!


In honor of the Packers victory today (putting them at 3-0, I might add), I had to whip up a Packers card. The image is from a set by The Angel Company. I colored it with markers, matted it, and laid it on a "playing field" with P A C K E R S written in the end zone. My son thinks its a "cool card". :)


GO PACK!!!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Silent Night


This sweet set from Stampin' Up! retired many years ago. It's name is.... you guessed it... Silent Night! I found an old calendar page that I had saved from a 2002 Stampin Up Collectors' Calendar that had projects using these colors. Aren't they restful?? The image is stamped on Shimmery White Cardstock and colored with my SU markers.
Oh, did I tell you that I found a great deal on the set of SU Watercolor Wonder crayons on EBay?? I'm so excited! I used my birthday money to buy them and I can't wait until they make their way to my mailbox!!
I'll be up north cleaning my cabin tomorrow, so I probably won't see you... How sad.
Thanks for stopping by!!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Colorful Snowman




I hope someone out there is reading, because I really want to share tonight's card... although the picture really doesn't do it justice. I love how it turned out!! :) It's colorful, and it uses a new technique for me. Have you ever stamped your image on patterned paper, then cut it out and adhered it to an image that you'd previously stamped rather than color that image in? It's kind of like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. I did the tree and the stars and my snowman that way. A lot of cutting - but worth it, I think!!




Here's a closeup picture of the center section to help you see what I mean...


Images are TAC, everything else is Stampin Up!.
Is anyone out there?? I'd love a comment to let me know!! :)


Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Whimsical Lion


Today's card was a fun one. I wanted to use brads in the corners, designer paper that I wouldn't usually pick as my first choice, and I wanted to color a different way than watercolors. So... here's what I came up with. I used the celery designer paper by SU!, added a friendly lion by TAC, and colored with my SU markers. I sponged the little tag with Amethyst because it needed some color, but a tag made with the Amethyst cardstock was just "too much".
Hmmm... who on my long list of People I Need to Write will this go to??

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Faux Nestabilities...

I love Debbie Olson's blog and the Nestabilities dies that she's been using. Since I didn't have them, I used the edge of a brass stencil that I had to emboss a frame around my little Halloween Hedgehogs - another retired SU set that I just love. The verse stamp is one that I picked up years ago when I first started stamping. When I was shopping last week, I picked up a pack of watercolor postcards to try. I can get two card fronts from each postcard, if I just watercolor a small image. I was amazed at how nice they turned out. I'm sold!! :) The olive cardstock was Bazzill textured cardstock from TAC. Very fun!!

I need to stamp some today. Would you believe I actually *mailed* out all the cards I've posted over the past week??? I'm so proud of myself!!! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Tricia

Monday, September 17, 2007

Friendship Bear



Here's my little Costume Bear in a repeat performance. This time in turquoise and celery. I went punch happy and used both the tab punch and the slit punch... very fun. The words are from TAC. I used the watercolor brush with non-SU! watercolor crayons on Naturals Ivory cardstock. I don't mind my non-SU crayons - they were cheap enough - but I *really* would like to get the SU! ones. I so enjoy watercoloring!!


I'm running out of the mini glue dots. I love to use them when I use brads. They stick so much better than mono-adhesive when there is extra bulk on the back of the layer.


Have you been stamping any lately? I'm finding that I really enjoy using SU's new Prints Designer Series paper. It makes such pretty easy cards. But, I really don't need quite so much of one color. Any of you in the same boat?? If I have 6 people interested, I'll be happy to offer a Prints Designer Series Paper Stack... 96 - 6x6" sheets (6 -6" x 6" sheets in each of the 16 available colors - one sheet of each double sided design) for only $30!! Think how many adorable cards or scrapbook pages you could do with that assortment!! If you're interested, be sure to let me know!


OK, here's today's challenge - Find something in your stamping drawer that you've been neglecting... a punch, some paper, a pair of scalloped scissors, some embossing powder... and start stamping!!

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Bear-y Elegant


A bear card that's elegant?? Sure! Start with a watercolored image, mat it on pretty paper, add a ribbon and a Swirly statement, and there you are!! :) Have a great day!

Friday, September 14, 2007

Jumping for Joy!!



In honor of the Fall-ish weather today, this is a 3 x 3 card that uses a retired set called Bear Necessities. (I think...). The words are from a TAC set that I love called Abundance. I used my non-SU! watercolor pencils - mostly Staedtler, I think - and a watercolor brush to color it in. Then I did some paper piercing, freehand - cuz I don't have the template. I would have done some faux stitching, but I couldn't decide which color to use, so I chickened out. The neatest discovery that I made was that if you go around the outside of your image with a white watercolor crayon and then pick up color (yellow, in this card) it doesn't get so dark.


Happy Stamping!


PS - I am still a Stampin Up! demo - so if there's anything that I can help you with, let me know. I offer fabulous web discounts!! :)

I'm B - a - a - ck!!


I'm moved!!! Yippee!! I won't go into the joys of moving... like the mold peeling off of the windowsills, or the dirty carpet, or the paycheck that got lost in the mail, or the flea infestation... You get the picture. But now we're in the duplex, most of the stuff is put away (Boy, do we have a lot of stuff!!), we started school, and I have had time to *stamp*!!! :)
Speaking of stamping, I decided to get back to "who I am" - rather than try to keep up with the latest and greatest bloggers on the planet. So, I pulled out some of my absolute favorite fall stamps & started to play. This quick and easy card uses a retired Stampin' Up! set called Costume Bears, some SU! designer paper, a watercolor brush and watercolor crayons, & some gingham ribbon. I didn't even put a greeting on it. I need a *bunch* of cards to write "thank you's" for all the help during the move, so I just made these "generic".
OK - that's it for now. I made 5 or 6 cards over the last couple of days and I love them all... so hopefully I'll have enough posts to keep me going for a few days. :)