Mojo Monday Sketch # 22

Has anyone noticed my blog colors and banner have changed? I was feeling slightly dated, so I played around with some colors and a new banner...not sure yet if I like them, but would LOVE some feedback! I think my banner has issues....

I really got into Julee's Mojo sketch last night! I even used the colors she did in her original drawing!

Isn't this fun? I dug out my really old (5 yrs.) Bazzill scraps and made this (almost) monochromatic card using the sketch she posted yesterday. I sewed the four rectangles onto black CS, and then stamped and embossed some of the panels before adding the sentiment, which I embossed in silver and white. I added the popped up heart embellishment in the perfect spot to look like it belonged over the row of hearts I stamped underneath. Then I stamped and cut out a few small hearts to add visual texture. *sigh* I used to HATE the color pink. What was I thinking? All stamps by Verve Visual. I used the Wild Thing set, it's fast becoming a favorite in my studio!

You...light up my life

Can't you just hear Debbie Boone singing this song? *chuckle* I used to have a 45 (that's a small record for you young folks) of that song as a kid, and I played it over and over!
I'm posting a bit late today...work has been hectic and this is my first chance at my computer.
The trouble with being on a design team, is that you make all this great stuff but can't show it to anyone until a certain date, so I have nothing I can post that's new today.
This card was made for the last Verve Visual release. I LOVE these colors together (pale peach, red-ish and dark grey)! I embossed some of the stars with sparkling ep, and stamped some in grey. The velvet grey ribbon adds a lot, I think. All stamps by Verve Visual, the Polka Stars set.

Gotta run!

CPS #48

Can you believe that CPS has had 48 different sketches? Amazing! I used this week's sketch to make two quick cards for some friends.

The first uses a BG stamp (polks dots) by CHF, a small piece of PP by DCWV, and an old Sizzix die-cut that I just had to have and never used! I used prismacolor pencils to add some shading to the leaves and smoothed it with gamsol. The SUPER LARGE green twill came from a package of Martha Stewart pillows that I bought a few years ago, isn't it fun? I have about 30 yards of the stuff!
The second card is a bit more traditional.

I used SU's linen BG stamp, RubberStampede's Cherry blossom branch and Verve Visual's sentiment stamp! I used a blender pen to color the image, popped up three of the flowers (hard to see), and cut the entire image into three pieces before mounting it. Added some SU ribbon and called it done.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Who's there?

Hello! This card is based on Julee's Mojo Monday Sketch #21. I really enjoy using sketches as a starting point sometimes, and lately it seems like I use them all the time! The lighting was a little off in this photo and the left side is a bit washed out, but you get the gist anyway, right?Last week while playing around with some new stamps I stamped, embossed and mounted this funky owl (Inkadinkadoo) and then didn't know what to do with him. Lo and behold along comes Julee's Mojo Monday and whaddaya know?! A perfect square in her sketch!

So even though he was already mounted, I added a few layers of matting to match the card base. I started with a base of Groovy Guava, because it is my least favorite color this year and I need to do something with it! I stamped it with GG ink using the CHF (Cornish Heritage Farms) houndstooth BG stamp, and then stamped the lighter brown CS with another CHF BG stamp (polka dots). The small "foot print" stamps on the sides are actually the leaf stamp from PTI's Out on a Limb stamp set, as is the moon above Mr. Owl.

I used one of my favorite techniques when heat embossing on the owl; I put a tiny bit of gold EP just on his eyes, and then covered the rest of him with the chocolate EP. I like the multi-color look when embossing, because some of it always gets where you don't want it to but ends of looking more realistic anyway! This card ended up looking slightly retro due to the peach and brown, so I added a fun sentiment to match. "You're Fabulous" is from the Uplifting Phrases set from Verve Visual.

My little one was home sick again yesterday, so we had all day to spend time together, and when I was looking at blogs with him on my lap, he said "where's me, Mommy?" every time he saw a personal photo on someones blog, so I told him I would put one on today.

Here he is this morning holding his lunchbox and attempting to eat snow while Mommy isn't looking!

Birdies, birdies everywhere.

I worked on some great stuff this weekend when I wasn't feeling blah, but I can't share pictures just yet!

What I can show you is my poor attempt at one of Jen's Sketch challenges. She posts a SFYTT (Sketch for you to try) on Saturday's and I gave it a whorl this weekend. What fun!

Because time was of the essence I tried to keep it fairly simple and straightforward. I glimpsed a corner of this PP in a pile in my studio and tried to build the card from there. It seemed so classy. Unfortunately my hands couldn't conjure up what my brain was imagining! *chuckle* I love this card though, regardless of how it was supposed to look. Bird stamp by Inkadinkadoo, sentiment by Papertrey Ink, PP unknown.

Mojo Monday!

Well it's been a while since I've had a chance to participate in Julee's Mojo Monday Sketch challenge, so last night I grabbed a few minutes to play!

I didn't have a lot of time and I just went with the first stamp set that I laid eyes on, but in retrospect, I don't think it was the "right" one.
The new Basic Grey paper is just gorgeous though! This piece coordinated perfectly with the new in colors from SU. And I used these adorable little gems called "Icons" from MAMBI that I received in my February DT kit from Verve Visual. They added so much sparkle, I may have to buy some more.
I've never been a real bling type person, but I think that's beginning to change! (I'm not one for trends, but lately it seems I like things that happen to be "in".)

I hope your Wednesday is fantastic!

Tagged and a Valentine

I was tagged by Julee of Verve Visual and PoeticArtistry fame (I know, I use that phrase almost every time I refer to her, but she IS famous in my book!) so I'm playing along here. If you want, feel free to skip over this part to see the card!

1. Name your two favorite scrapbooking topics?

Considering that I've only ever made 3 scrapbook pages in my entire life, and TWO of them weren't for me, I don't know. But when I look at other folk's SBs, I like reading the heartfelt honest journaling.

2. What are the two best places you've been to? Wow. Best can mean a lot of different things...I guess touring around China was cool, and I LOVED the time I spent in Costa Rica, but my favorite place to go/be/visit is my home: The Fingerlakes in upstate NY.

3. Name two things you do every day? Brush my teeth and drink LOTS of water.

4. Tell us two things that everyone pretty much knows about you? I'm an animal rights activist, and I LOVE to cook!

5. Two places you wish to visit? Venice, and New Zealand.

6. Two things you may not know about me are: I am the ultimate Balderdash player (I usually win), and I can't stand to use blue ink pens.

7. Two nicknames you've had at some time in your life: Sunshine and sweetpea.

8. Name two of your favorite drinks? Room temp water, and homemade freshly squeezed orange juice.

9. What are two interesting (in a good or bad way) jobs you've had in your life? I taught 1-2nd grade in a private Jewish academy and although most of my students could speak English, their parents could not. I learned a lot more Hebrew than I knew previously! At 14 I started working in the vineyards tying grapevines...let me tell you how HARD this actually is to do! Standing in a row reaching above your head and being cut all over your hands for 8 hours is no small feat!

10. What are two things you would like to learn? Fluent Russian, and to play the violin.

11. What two things would make your scrapping/stamping work space work even better for you? A personal secretary/organizer! and to purge a ton of dated stickers, paper and embellishments.

12. What are two of your best organizational tips for stampers that do not have a lot of space? Don't fall prey to the "newest, coolest"; stick to what YOU like to work with, use-up things before buying more!

13. What are your two favorite stamping toys? Versamark ink: couldn't live without it! and my stamp-a-ma-jig.

14. Here's my added question...If you could have TWO super-powers, what would they be? I've always wanted the ability to talk/communicate with animals, and I'd LOVE to be able to time-travel.

Okay, now that I'm done with my answers, I'm supposed to tag two people to answer the above questions and then to also add a question of their own. The only requirement is that the question must be in twos. I'm going to tag Mary because she needs to update her blog desperately, and Alli (because I secretly want to be as creative as she is!).

Here's the card I wanted to share with you today. I was going for a free-hand, weathered sort-of feel for this. I didn't quite succeed, but who cares, right? I had fun!

My favorite part was stamping the sentiment on and acetate sheet and then brushing some white acrylic paint on the back to make it show up when I glued it to the middle heart. I was so pleased with that little step! Stamps are by Verve Visual, this set is called Heart to Heart.

Anything is possible

Happy Saturday!
We are doing a major purge at our house this weekend. Anything not useful is going OUT! I just feel the need to seriously declutter and start this year off on the correct foot. I'm not a knick-knacky type of girl anyway, but I've noticed that having children makes for MUCH more "stuff" around the house, garage, car, yard, etc. Not to mention that my oldest can't bare to throw anything away. "But mom, I can maybe take this apart and use this side for wings when I build an airplane in my workshop! Or, or how about...blahblahblah?" He says this about everything I try to throw away, including the envelopes from bills! This kid is impossible!

(which brings me to my post this morning: Anything is Possible)

I made this card after an impulse buy from the clearance table at Borders. These small, thick, felt shaped stars were just calling my name! *grin* I turned two of them over and stamped on them using my Seeing Stars clear stamp set from Verve Visual. Then I mounted them on tags that I punched and matted and stamped with the swirly stamp. I sewed a piece of Daisy Bucket Designs PP (from the Rock Star Collection) to some white CS and adhered it to my black card base. While searching for some pink colored ribbon I came across this polka-dot ribbon that I've had for ages and couldn't believe how PERFECT it was!
I hand cut the ovals after stamping the sentiment, and then thought to add some tiny ribbon to the three tags.
Wanna know another secret? I always thought that the Fastenater Decorative Stapler was ridiculous, but I secret coveted the fun colored staples that I kept seeing. That is, until I figured out a simple, cheap way to make my own! I just open my stapler, use a sharpie permanent maker and color a few in the exact color I'm looking for! Hence the bright green of the staples holding the black ribbon in place! Clever, no?

I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend! See you on Monday!

christmas reject

I'm not a Christmas card maker. I don't send them at all, and they don't seem to come naturally to me, so in trying to design a lot of Christmas cards for my stamping class in December, I "trashed" quite a few. This is one of the rejected ones.

I thought I'd share it with you in the spirit of "See what dorky cards I create sometimes!" My plan was to double stamped the branch to make it pop out and give it a shadow, however, as you can see from the larger photo, it just looks blurry.

I did like the color palette, (grey, red, black, white) and the red of the cardinal matched the twill ribbon perfectly although it doesn't seem to in the photo. The white pigment ink was a bit too juicy, so I tried to emboss it to make it less so, but that didn't work either! All in all, this IS a reject!

Anyway, stamps are by Inkadinkado (SILHOUETTES Clear Stamp Set). Paper is by SU!, ribbon from Joanns, buttons from Joanns, ink by Ranger, SU! and Palette Hybrid.

Wild thing

So, today's the day! Verve Visual is releasing FIVE new stamps sets! All clear photopolymer too! Head on over there and check them out, they are shipping as we speak! There is a special going on too: You can get all FIVE sets for just $60!!!!!!! That's $18 off the price of them individually! The sale will end on January 24th, so don't delay. You won't be disappointed. Here's the link to the hearts and Star's bundle price: Launch Pack.I made this card using the Wild Thing set releasing today at Verve Visual. Be careful, if you are anything like me, the song will get stuck in your head while you are stamping! *chuckle* I used PP by Cosmo Cricket, the Dutch Girl collection, and it matches Stampin Up's river rock so well! Don't you just love the sentiment? *grin*

Be sure to check out the gallery over at Verve Visual for lots of inspiring ideas using these new sets. Almost 100 new projects have been added using the five new sets alone! WOWSERS.

thankful

Some of you know that I was teaching a stamping/cardmaking class in November and December. This is one of the projects I designed for the class along with a small blessing mix treat bag (for which I have no photo).
I wanted to share this card to day because I had a small scare this morning, and am very thankful that it was quickly righted!
My DH leaves for work before 6 am usually, and I get myself and the kids up and ready for work/school/daycare and make breakfast and lunches. My eight-year-old walks to school (we live within sight of the elementary school) at the same time that I and my three-year-old drive out of the driveway on our way to a town about 15 minutes away (Where I work and my little one attends daycare). We were running a bit late this morning, but I waited in the car at the end of the driveway until I saw my oldest get to the cross-walk, and then I drove away. About 15-20 minutes later I was walking into the daycare when one of the staff greeted my youngest and asked where his brother was. I looked at her quizzically, and she said, "Well, Little Valley School is closed today, they have no power, so I thought we might see Crumbgrabber here this morning."
I screamed and fled out the door! While driving I frantically called home using my work cell phone (illegally, I might add), hoping that he was wise enough to just turn around and go home. Our answering machine picked up and I quickly yelled into that if he was there to please pick up the phone. His small, scared sounding voice come on and says, "Hi, Mom!" Phewwwww. He said he was scared and I told him I'd be there soon and not to worry.
Turns out a police officer saw him in the cross-walk and told him there was no school and that she would give him a ride home. He said that he wouldn't get into her car at first (GOOD BOY!) because "you and dad told me not to get into any cars", but that she convinced him it was alright and then drove him home. He said she was nice.
I'm glad things are ok, but I was slightly perturbed at a few things.
First of all, why would she need to give him a ride, when we live basically across the street? And second of all, why would she make him get in, after he wisely said no, he would walk home?
Thirdly, she didn't bother to check if anyone was home when she dropped him off either. And our front door was locked, so he had to go around to the back. *shaking my head*
I'm thankful things turned out okay, but I did tell him that no matter what, he was not to get into a car with anyone without our permission. I explained that some people can dress up to look like police officers, and that of course they will seem nice, but if he can see our house, to just run home!
Did I do the right thing? I'm so new at the "mom" thing that I wonder sometimes.
Oh, and the adoption was official 2 days before Thanksgiving! Now both boys have our last name and new birth certificates too. Another thing to be "thankful" about!

Natalie Cole is running through my head...

This always happens to me. *goofy grin* I'll be happily stamping away and then all of a sudden the sentiment will make me start singing a song from the past! Without even realizing it, my brain will pick up on old song lyrics that I didn't even know I knew! For instance, "Miss you like Crazy" by Natalie Cole...this was a hit in like 1989 or something...I was 12. How on earth did I retain the words to a song I probably haven't even HEARD since I was 12???? The human mind amazes me.I whipped this up quickly last night for a friend who moved even further away than she was before. I stamped the poppy (SU!) in black archival and used a blender pen to color it in. The sentiment is from the Heartfelt Phrases set that Verve Visual released in December. The pink CS (SU!) matches the ribbon perfectly, although it doesn't seem to in this photo, and the base is made from Bazzill textured CS.

In personal news, my brother-in-law passed away on January 2nd, and I miss him too. My sister and my niece seem to holding up well, but John was only 58...too young. Cystic Fibrosis. He worked at Nazareth College in NY for 33 years, and so many of his co-workers were at his memorial service. It was the first time I've ever stood in a receiving line at something like that, and the line went on FOREVER. I actually had to leave before everyone had come through to speak their condolences. My sister is 30 years older than me, and folks just kept saying, "You're Janet's sister?"

So I don't end on a sad note though, I can't wait till I can show you the samples I worked up for the new Verve Visual release on Thursday! I'm so excited!

Shine On (you crazy diamond)

Well. How serendipitous it is that my last post was November 6th? Today is January 6th! A whole 2 months off from blogging. Seems strange. So much has happened. I'll play catch up later, I promise.

Isn't this card fun? It's a sneak peak! I used some new Verve Visual stamps that will be releasing on January 10th. FIVE new stamp sets will be releasing and they are all CLEAR!!!! They give really good impressions too, I'm talking high-quality photopolymer here! I cannot be happier.

I based this card on one I made last February for St. Valentine's Day. I just love the LO.
For stamps, I used at least one stamp from each of three different sets that will be released on January 10th. (ONLY FOUR MORE DAYS TO GO!) I'll even let you in on what these three sets are called, *wink*; Swirly Stars, Polka Stars, and Seeing Stars. Don't the names just make you want them?! *Sigh* I love stars. If you couldn't tell from the quote I have at the top of my blog under my banner!

I also used a pair of decorative edge scissors that I've had for longer than I've been stamping! I guess there's a first time for everything. Oh, wanna know a secret? I didn't have silver star brads, so I used white eyelets and painted them silver with a Krylon leafing pen! Worked like a charm too! And although you can't tell from this photo, the sentiment is embossed in silver also.

I'm glad to be back to posting and stamping...I've missed you all!
Happy New Year.

Verve Visual Sneak Peak!

How fun is this? I used the Starlight Starbright stamp set that Verve Visual will be releasing on Saturday November 10th! I turned the oval sentiment background on end and used it for balloons!

The sentiment reads, "Superstar, Yes that's what you are!" (I don't want to date myself here, but I could NOT get Madonna's Vogue song out of my head while making this!) I used 2 stamps from the set to make the PP, and then the sentiment background to make the balloons, and then another small star to make the streamers! This set actually has 17 stamps in it and 11 of them are sentiments that are different enough that you won't already have them, yet NECESSARY enough to be used on a regular basis! I cannot get enough unique sentiments, and both of the new releases are filled with awesome ones.

This card is so easy to reproduce and can be changed to suit the occasion with different colors, and a different sentiment, but still using the balloons! It also can be used for a boy/man! Now THAT'S versatility! I love stamps that can be masculine too.
Go check out the Verve Visual blog to see some more sneak peaks! You won't be disappointed!

Tagged yet again.

Isn't this box pretty? I whipped it up origami style a few days ago and put in some treats for a gift, but then changed my mind and used a tin instead. Two sheets of 12x12 paper and a ribbon is all it takes! I re-learned how to do it on K Werner's blog. I say re-learned because I used to REALLY be into origami and making little boxes all the time as a teen. It just never occurred to me to make them larger using 12-12 paper!

I was tagged a few days ago by both Julee and Ema so here are yet another 7 randoms things about me. It's getting harder and harder to think of interesting things about myself, so let's hope this is the last round of this tagging game! I'm NOT passing it on!

7 RANDOM THINGS

1. I am basically blind in my right eye. I got my first pair of glasses when I was 4 and had to wear a patch over my good eye for a few years to make my "bad eye"stronger. Didn't work. And I looked awful too! Now I only occasionally wear glasses or contacts, and have been trying to strengthen my eye with natural exercises.

2. I am an awesome cook. I've been cooking meals since I was 7. I even started a small (one person!) catering business when I was in college. I would cater professor's parties and make $300 in a weekend. When I went vegan, I started cooking even more and have amassed a HUGE book full of original recipes with no meat/no dairy/no eggs included. I have stumped many people into thinking they were eating meat and/or dairy when they actually weren't!

3. I took ballet for a long time as a kid/teen, and at one point wanted to be a professional dancer. That went out the window when I realized my propensity to be overweight! I also took tap lessons a few years ago and LOVED it!

4. I fell off a 50 foot waterfall when I was a senior in HS, gouged out a piece of my shin on a shale cliff on the way down, landed in 6 inch deep water full of boulders and lived to tell the tale! Not only that, I had to climb back UP the waterfall, (while a piece of bloody "meat" was dangling from my leg), and then walk home more than a mile! I broke my toe, and still have the scar on my shin.

5. My husband is almost 3 years younger than me. We started dating in college when he was 17, and I was 20.

6. My dad once got drunk with John Wayne on "some green liquid" out west. (In know this one isn't about me, but I'm running out of ideas here!)

7. I HATE peanut butter.

The break is over! LONG post.

Well, I had a not-so-nice break from blogging for a few days! I'll spare you all the details. But I warn you that this will be a long post because I'm attempting to play catch-up!

I was asked to teach a stamping/cardmaking class lasting 5 weeks for the Adult Education Program in the area, and last night was my first class! I had 5 women show up, and 2 more plan to come. (we live in a VERY rural area!) I wanted to start simple, so people wouldn't be intimidated, and these are the two cards we made last night.

True Thyme, River Rock, and Cranberry Crisp. BG stamp by Cornish Heritage Farms, image by SU, sentiment by Hero Arts.
For the nest card, I let them choose the ink/cardstock/ribbon color they wanted. Some chose a willow green, some choose Blue Bayou! I explained that this card could be used for a new home OR a new baby. Nest and polka dot BG stamps by Cornish Heritage Farms, sentiment by Hero Arts.
I hope everyone had a great holiday, we LOVE the Autumn Equinox/Samhain/Halloween at our house! We visited Pumpkinville (Supposedly the OLDEST pumpkin farm in the country) where there are lots of fun things like hay rides, feeding the goats, riding the horses, pressing apples for cider, etc.

This was the SMALLEST of the gigantic pumpkins! He couldn't get up on the others! I made our youngest scrape out the inside of his pumpkin, and you would have thought I'd given him the moon! He had a blast (as you can see from the "guts" on the ground!).I love carving pumpkins, and usually do at least 3 of my own, but I only got to one this year. Here it is lit up: My husband, on the other hand, loves to create a showstopper. Last year, he carved a pumpkin and placed it in the middle of the yard on a slab of stone, filled it with kerosene and lit it. It shot flames and nasty black smoke for hours! This year he made a scarecrow and carved a pumpkin for it's head. He wanted it to be flaming again, but used small slices of a fire log and I was much happier! Here it is during the early evening. Here are our two trick-or-treaters! Stickyfingers was a robot, and Crumbgrabber was a dragon.

And here are myself and my DH. I LOVE to dress up, and this year decided to go dark. I normally have long, straight, wheat colored hair, but LOVED donning this short, black, curly wig!

In other news, have you guys been checking out the Verve Visual blog for sneak peaks on the newest releases? SO AWESOME! I can't wait until I can share some my DT projects with you. The newest stamps will be released on November 10th and you won't want to miss these two sets!

Random conversation

1. I haven't heard back from the winner of my blog candy, Kristina, yet. If I don't hear from her by Tuesday night, I will draw a new name.
2. In other news, I have Strep throat and Tonsillitis. YUCK. I finally went to the ER this morning, after being in severe pain since Friday afternoon. I have a stiff neck, a raging fever, and cannot swallow anything. This is SO not fun. I don't often get sick, and I've never had strep throat before. I wish I could curl up and crawl into bed like when I was a kid. *sniff sniff*
3. Wanna see a stamp room that will make you GREEN with envy? Check this out! I showed it to my husband and he said,"Well, if we move you into the other room (meaning the kids' room currently) I can build it for you." Isn't he the sweetest? I declined, because we plan on having an addition built onto the house anyway soon so the kids can have separate bedrooms. I like my small studio anyway. Everything is within reach!
I will most likely be staying home tomorrow from work, and depending on how I feel, I will get some card made.
4. I was tagged by Julee and Ema and promise to play soon!

We have a winner!

Random.org generated a winner for the blog candy this morning (ok, so it wasn't quite at 9AM EST, but it was close).

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:30
Timestamp: 2007-10-27 13:38:45 UTC

So Kristina, you are the winner! I will email you this morning!

Her comment: Kristina said...
I agree with many other posters about masculine sets that don't include hunting, sports, cars etc. Something more modern! I am always in need of sympathy sets that says something besides with deepest sympathy and not a flower! Maybe something a bit more modern looking. Thanks for a chance at the blog candy!ruok72@gmail.com

WOW, so many of you want some fresh, modern masculine stamps. Really, these stamp companies need to get on the ball!
Thanks for playing everyone, I think this was the most comments I've ever gotten in 9 months of blogging!

BLOG CANDY TIME!

OK, I've been meaning to giveaway some fun stuff for awhile now, so today is the day!
Here's the loot:
A brand new 6x6 pack of Basic Grey's Figgy Pudding holiday paper, and ONE of the two yet un-released stamp sets from Verve Visual! The newest stamps from Verve will be debuting November 10 and you will want them both! Win one of them here!
Here's what you need to do to win:
1. Leave a comment on THIS post, telling me what stamps you'd like to see in the future. Something that isn't already out there, that you've been looking for. Crazy, weird, normal, anything goes, just let me know what you'd like to see!
2. Make sure your email will be available to me on your comment. Either through clicking your name link, or by actually typing it in. I can't track you down if you leave an anonymous comment!
3. I will randomly generate a winner from all the comments on Saturday morning, October 27th at 9 AM EST.

*As an additional bonus, you could win the OTHER new stamp set from Verve by commenting on my pal Shannan's blog candy giveaway, HERE! How cool is that?!

And now onto today's card. It is the anniversary card for my brother and his wife!
I started with a strip of PP from the new Figgy Pudding Basic Grey pack (NOT the one I'm giving away up above, I promise!) and chose my CS and ink colors from that.
All stamps are from Papertrey Ink. I love this cake set, it's so versatile!
Sky blue and white CS, sky blue ink, and ribbon are from SU, Brown CS is Bazzill. Ink is Colorbox brown, versamagic blue, and Memories darker brown.
I used a white gel pen to color in the centers of the flowers and then used a glitter gel pen when it was dry. They really sparkle nicely, but not in this photo.

Today is my friend Julie's Birthday. Stop by her blog and let her know that turning 30 is AWESOME! (She makes incredible cards and altered projects too, so check them out while you are there!)

OS Winter W

I posted an article on the Verve Visual blog this morning about my first time ever making a One Sheet Wonder. It was so much fun!
I randomly stamped an 8 1/2 x11 sheet of white CS using the Winter Wonder stamp set (which is sold out currently, BTW), and then cut it up into pieces and made 10 (TEN!) cards from it!

Here is a sample of some of the cards I made. I used the Seasonal Circles stamp set to add a sentiment and a few highlights to the cards, but I purposely kept them simple and un-embellished. They could be easily adorned with some metal eyelets, extra layers and dimensional adhesive to personalize them. To see all ten cards, go check out my Verve Visual post!
I plan on doing these OSW several more times until I have all the holiday card I need!

Happy Birthday and Anniversary to my brother!

Today is my brother Lindsay's anniversary. Last week was his birthday. I'm a little behind, so I'm posting his BD card today! This was CASEd from the Papertrey Ink gallery where I saw this bright, fun card and turned it masculine.
My brother is the best. He's 14 years older than me, and has always been the "coolest" person I know. He married a fantastic girl (Laura), whom we all love. They have 4 kids. The oldest is my favorite niece of all time (She turned 16 on the same day as her dad!), the next is almost 4, and then there are the twins, who aren't yet 2. This is a photo of his three youngest with my two boys this summer.
Happy Anniversary Lindsay and Laura!

Blender pen!

I used a blender pen for the first time! What a fantastic tool! Why has no one ever told me I needed one of those before NOW? You just dab it on the inkpad and color...it's like having markers in every shade of ink you own!I stamped the image 3 times with Ranger Black Archival ink and then used a blender pen to color the images. So simple, but quite pretty (if I do say so myself)! Looking at the photo here it looks like the coloring doesn't match, but it is perfect IRL. I used a glitter gel pen (from the Stardust Galaxy set I bought at Verve Visual) to add highlights to the berries, but you can't see it too well here. It really adds a nice sparkle.
Just a simple card for the head of the daycare where our youngest goes. She's an amazing girl and has been helping me a lot recently.
All stamps and CS and ribbon by SU, Ink is SU, Impress, and Ranger.

a Cool holiday

I was looking for inspiration for an UBER-quick holiday card and I found it in an ATC I received in a swap last week. I just enlarged the design, changed the stamps and Whahlah!
This card took me under 3 minutes to make (I timed it!). Score and fold your white base, cut a piece of PP, punch out an oval, stamp it, add some glue, sprinkle with glitter, punch a hole in the top, tie on a piece of ribbon, stamp the sentiment!
The glitter is hard to see in this photos but it is the nicest, most sparkly glitter I've ever used. I bought it at Verve Visual and really like the brand.
Penguin stamp from SU, sentiment from Papertrey, PP from DCWV, ribbon from my stash, Ranger archival black ink.
To "up" the design, I might add a black mat under the PP next time, and maybe stamp the sentiment on a piece of raised red CS. But for quick and simple, this was perfect.

Green Smoothies and pumpkins

Let me preface this card by saying that I am not the best color-er! I know how I want it to look in my head, but can't achieve it on paper.I stamped the pumpkin from Papertrey's Spooky Sweets set on white with Versamagic chalk ink three times and cut them out. Then I glued them onto a larger piece of white CS, overlapping to look like they were in a pile. I then attempted to use prismacolor pencils to color on top of them to give depth and shading (no laughing allowed!). I added the stems, the face, some sponging around the edges, the sentiment, and some "dirt" to ground them and then matted the whole shebang with black.
Because I only have one small oval punch, I had to hand cut the other two to mat the BOO sentiment. Add some ribbon, a few eyelets and it's done!
I'm not sure of the color of the card base, but I know it's SU. I love this pale apricot color so much! It's the color of the walls in our living room (actually, it the color of the paint that I bought a few years ago to paint the living room with, it's still in the cans at this point *rolling my eyes*)!

I have the day off today, because it's Superintendents day for our 8 year old and there is no school. Our littlest (2) has been asking for a week now to go "pumpkin shopping", so I want to take the kids to pick out pumpkins. I also need to buy some groceries. I hate when we run out of soymilk, bananas and spinach! We drink a raw green smoothie every morning for breakfast at our house. The first words out of the 2 year old when I wake him up in the morning are"Mommy gonna make smoothie?" as he wipes sleep from his eyes.
I promise it's not as gross as it sounds...want my recipe?
Dana's Green Smoothie
In a high powered blender (we have a Blendtec but a Vitamix would work as well), put:
2 cups washed baby spinach leaves
1 cup torn kale leaves
2 peeled bananas
1-2 cups of any other fruit (we use what's in season, so right now it's apples and pears)
2 cups fresh water
1-2 cups ice cubes (we only use these if the bananas aren't frozen)

You might like it! We love them, and even my husband likes them. In the summer we use different seasonal greens (dandelion greens, mizuna, mustard greens, choi, red-leaf lettuces, etc.) and different fruits (but ALWAYS 2 bananas) like blueberries, kiwis, pineapple, grapes, etc.
Grapes and apples are a good combo with the greens, as are pineapple and kiwi. And I toss in whole washed organic strawberries in the spring too, don't bother hulling them, the green part is good for you! (our oldest is allergic to strawberries so I don't use them for him.)
Have a great Friday!

Retro holidays

When I was growing up my mom decorated the entire house for Christmas in orange and pink. She hated the color red (must be where I get it from!), but loved orange and a nice deep hot pink. She still uses the same decorations in those two colors today. I remember my stocking (which she made) was from this gorgeous paisley orange/pink/green fabric. I still have it. Of course, she likes those colors year round also, as she has an antique settee in the living room that is covered in orange corduroy, and a small loveseat sofa that is covered in pink velvet in the library. I always thought that was normal until I visited friends' homes and saw that everything was brown and beige. How boring!

Anyway, I made this holiday card with her in mind! The PP is from Cosmo Cricket's Hey Sugar collection and you can get it from Verve Visual, as is the snowflake that I used on the background (it's from the Winter Wonder stamp set). The main image is from SideShow stamps, and is embossed with white EP and the reindeer is colored in using a brown Zig marker. The sentiment is from Papertrey ink, the CS is SU and Bazzill, the snaps are from MM.

Mojo Monday and an award

This is for Julee's Mojo Monday sketch of the week. I switched the shapes around, but otherwise stuck to the sketch. I realized I don't often put things "front and center" and I've now done so 2 times this week already!The PP is from Cosmo Cricket Hey Sugar and you can get it here. I LOVE Cosmo Cricket, and have been collecting (hoarding really) their paper collections for at least 3 years now. They used to be called Comstock Collection (and I LOVED their stuff then, too).

The main image was stamped with palette hybrid ink in Bordeaux on vanilla CS. The sentiment was embossed with chocolate EP on vanilla and both stamps are from Oxford Impressions. I used a clear Studio G dollar stamp to make the finials on either side of the oval using versamagic chalk ink. In real life, the ribbon matches the bordeaux color of the stamp perfectly.

And In other news, I've been awarded the "You make me Smile" award by Abi at Musings from Tenerife! I love reading her blog, she always has something fun to share and her cards are adorable. Thanks Abi!

I'm going to nominate a couple folks too.

1. Tammy at Tammy's Recipes ALWAYS makes me smile. She shares her delicious recipes, gorgeous food photos, frugal tips, and amusing daily life with two small children on her blog. I LOVE checking out her frequent posts!

2. Lisa from The Bunny Log is not only an amazing artist, photographer, and seamstress, but she's also a new mom! And the photos and journaling on her blog could bring a smile to even the hardest of criminals. You must check out her adorable daughter, Sienna.

Snow falls on the Bayou

So, have you had a chance to check out the newest Verve Visual stamps yet? Aren't they gorgeous?! I love snowflakes, and the sentiments that come in the Winter Wonder set are my favorite of all time for the winter/holiday season. I just know I will be using them time and time again. I like that the circles in the Seasonal Circles set can be used year 'round too. Makes the stamps multi-functional! And how awesome is it that you get them in a jewel case WITH an index sheet all for $10! (That's my favorite part! Hee hee)

I made this card in anticipation of the VV releases last week, but then decided not to use it for my DT commitment. The snowflakes were embossed with clear glitter EP and then cut out and raised with pop dots. ( I inked them with Versamark first, THEN lightly tapped them onto my Blue Bayou SU inkpad to pick up some color before stamping and embossing them. Worked like a charm!) The PP is from Webster's Pages winter wonderland collection. CS and ribbon from SU. The sentiment is embossed with gold EP to match the gold cord hanging the snowflakes. This card was based on THIS one (the second card) I saw by Kwarner.

BOO! No metal?

I bought my first wood mounted dollar stamps from ACMoore last week! I've been avoiding those bins for ages, knowing I would loose all self-restraint once I looked.
Can you believe I only bought 3??! This fun spooky house with the moon drew me in. Isn't it fun? *grin*
The sketch is one from Jen Del Muro's SFYTT collection. I had jotted it down last week, but never got around to using it. When I grabbed this stamp I knew it would be perfect for that LO because it showcased the image front and center.
I wanted to use something other than black so I grabbed some SU Navy and used my Impress inks to match. And of course orange and bright yellow/gold coordinated well with the blue.
I colored the moon in using prismacolor pencils and gamsol, and added Starry Night Stickles to the word "BOO."
The small sentiment is Papertrey as is the dotted border around the circle. Both are embossed with white EP. The ribbon is from MM. And no metal was used in the making of this card!

customer request

Recently a customer requested a baby card with a Noah's Ark type of theme. She had made a quilt with animals and the Ark all over it as a gift and wanted a card to match. Well I immediately thought of my "wild about you"(SU) animal set. I only wish I had some sort of boat looking stamp to make an Ark!
The colors are actually more subtle than they show in the picture, the orange BG (Chatterbox PP) is a softer rust color and the greens aren't so vibrant. I added stickles to the giraffe's spots and the bird's wing. The sentiment is from Hero Arts. The rest of the CS is SU very vanilla, celery, banana, and sahara sand.

Happy Saturday to everyone!

Long time no post...

Life has handed me some twists and turns this past week, so thanks for sticking by while patiently awaiting my regular posting schedule. Soon, I promise.

I made this quick card for a baby shower that some friend's of ours are having this weekend.

Not much else to say about it...stamps by Papertrey (PTI), ink is palette hybrid, CTMH, and Ranger archival black, ribbon by MM, CS by SU. It's simple, quick and who doesn't like peas? *grin*

Sneaky sneaky...

Happy World Card Making Day! I hope to be glued to my studio today making all sortd of cards! Want a sneak-sneak-peak? Go check out my post on the Verve Visual blog today! I made my own PP for the first time! Go on, go see it. I'm kinda proud. *big cheesy grin*
<--------- OK, fine. Be lazy. In that case I'll share a full card I whipped up in less than 6 minutes using the new Winter Wonder stamp set that will be released on October 10th by Verve Visual!

This was not the card I set out to do. But it's what happened when I made a glaring error and couldn't salvage it! So, because it's not DT material, I'm sharing it with you. Does that make you feel all warm and fuzzy, (knowing you are my fall-back) or what?! *chuckle*

I started with soft sky CS (looks darker here, doesn't it?) and then stamped the sentiment in black first. I used versamark to add different size snowflake images around the sentiment and then used stickles to add glitter to them.

Now what I wanted to do next didn't turn out. I wanted a SUBTLE pattern of snowflakes on the rest of the card. I didn't want to detract from the glittered snowflakes surrounding the sentiment, so I thought if I used some clear EP it would actually be clear! Not so. The silly snowflakes turned out darker than the "main" ones that I highlighted with Stickles! URGH. So I added the ribbon and tossed it onto the "reject" pile. Not the "crap" pile that I've mentioned before, but one step away!

If I re-do this card, I will leave off the larger snowflakes and just keep the majority of the front plain. I really like how the sentiment area turned out...wish the rest of it didn't overpower that part!

The name game!

Abi at Musings from Tenerife tagged me to play in this fun blog name game. Abi has a fantastic blog that I frequently peruse for her upbeat, bright creations, and fun photos about her family. She's really quite a talented muralist (is that a word?).

The NAME GAME. The name of the game is to list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life, for each letter of your middle name. If you don't have a middle name, use the name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing you middle name and game facts. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged and to read your blog.

My middle name is Wadsworth.

W-Water. I'm a Pisces, I grew up surrounded by water and have been swimming since I was still in diapers. I get antsy if I can't be around SOME type of water all the time. Gotta love those negative ions!
A-Art. of any shape , medium, or form. MUST have it in my life.
D-Dance. I am not a good dancer although I took ballet for many, many years. But I love to do it! I also LOVE watching dancing, especially men! I just think it sooooo cool to be able to move your body in such an artistic way. I get goose bumps watching people dance.
S-Sleep. I love to sleep. I get ill without 8 hours each night. As a child I would BEG my mom to go to bed, even if my friends were still visiting. As a result, I never had a bedtime because I LIKED going to bed so much and would always go when I was tired. I still do.
W- Weight. As in "need to lose"! It's something I've struggled with for a long time.
O-Organic. Feeding organic foods to my family is very important to me. We also grow organically, support out local organic farms, and encourage other's to reduce their use of herbicides, pesticides, etc. We need to care about our planet and it needs to start small.
R-Raw. I have a goal to become a raw foodist. I eat 50% raw now and feel on top of the world when I have an all raw day. It's those cooked food addictions that drag me down!
T-Travel. I am a mover. I love to be in a car on a road trip, or flying somewhere new. I want to travel to so many different places. I love new people, new foods, new everything about traveling!
H-Home. I am a home-body. I would rather stay home than go out ANYWHERE. (I know this contradicts the above statement, but it's true!). I LOVE coming home at the end of the week and knowing I have no place to go for the weekend.

Ok, now for tagging others. I hate this part. Ummm, if your name, or your blog name starts with a letter in my middle name (Wadsworth), please consider yourself tagged! Ok? (I really don't like to "force" bloggers to play along, but if you want to feel free!)

Where have I been?

I've been so busy for a few days that I haven't even posted to my own blog, much less read anyone else's! This is the first chance I've had to sit down and upload some photos from the past few days. My job ( and life) is kicking into high gear currently, and I have NO computer time! I've been in that "fall" mood lately, with all of our sugar maples and ash trees changing their leaf color. We have many large, mature trees on our property and it's beginning to look SO pretty with the various displays of color. I can't wait to start harvesting pumpkins!

I made this card earlier this week all because I was playing around with my brayer and some old Kaleidacolor pads. I love to do the "plaid" technique on glossy paper with a multicolor ink pad and a brayer. It's simple, quick, and produces stunning results! Then I just chose CS to match! I gold embossed the leaf stamp (SU) onto a piece of the "plaid" glossy paper I made, and then cut it out and adhered it to a piece of chocolate chip CS.

It looks really cool up close, doesn't it?

I love the sentiment stamp too. I try to use it every Autumn when making a card. I think it's from Hero Arts, but I'm not positive because I unmounted it a long time ago! The gold embossed frame stamp is by Rubber Stampede.

The CB embossing folder was a last minute addition as I thought it looked like the swirly path of falling leaves. I always think of the opening scene in Forest Gump with that feather floating lazily all around and catching updrafts before finally landing! Remember that part? I love the music right there too.

Have you been checking in on the Verve Visual blog this week? Those sneak peaks will keep coming until the new sets are released on October 10th! I can't wait until I can post some things I've made here on my blog!

No sneak peaks here!

I've been hard at work in my studio this weekend and can't WAIT until I can share some of my projects with you! The new releases from Verve Visual will knock your socks off! *giggle*
Alas, I can't give you a sneak peak just yet, so I'm sharing a card I made weeks ago that was relegated to the "crap" pile.
I have trouble using pastels unless they are on a baby card, so I challenged myself to use them for an everyday theme. I hardly ever use purple, don't know why, I love purple, I just don't seem to use it on cards very often. While this card seemed to be coming together easily, once it was done I was not happy with it. For starters, you can see the glue through the tiny purple grosgrain ribbon, the piercing around the edge of the center piece is crooked, and the same center piece needs another color of CS (maybe black?) behind it to mat it from the base. And then the fun rippled green ribbon started to unravel at the ends AFTER I adhered it!

Anyway, the point is to enjoy what you do, right? This card was lots of fun and outside of my comfort zone, so it meets the requirements even if I NEVER send it out! I had fun using my Verve Visual stamps to create the spikey flowers and stems, and the sentiments both seemed to fit right in. Aren't the eyelets in the center fun? You know...I think this one might be salvageable if I tweek it a bit! *wink*