Father's Day Club Card

Hi everyone! As promised, here is a Father's Day card. We made this card at my last stamp club meeting, and it utilizes the faux layering technique featured a while back in the Stampin' Success magazine which is a magazine for Stampin' Up! demonstrators.

This card is a case of the card featured in that magazine, and I tweaked it a bit and made it my own. You might recognize the layout which is similar to my Crabby Grad card posted a few days ago. I used scraps from this club meeting for that crab card!

I'm tired today. Must be the heat. It's humid too. Makes me want to just sit around and drink lemonade or iced tea! (sweet tea, of course!) I need to rally and get some projects done around here! Wish me luck!

Supplies:
Stamps: Artifacts, Well Worn Alpha
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Choc Chip
Paper: Kraft, Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Brads, sponges

8 Hour Card!

Whew! I finally got this card finished and uploaded! I started this card around 6am this morning! I got the layout from SCS sketch challenge. That was the easy part! I had this paper from yesterday's color challenge, so I went with it. Then, I ran out of time and had to go to work. So, finally after dinner I picked a stamp set, stamped the elephant and took a photo!

Phew! Done!

I'm not sure what projects I'll be working on this week and weekend. I've got unfinished beading, piles of neglected photos and teacher gifts to complete! Argghhh!!!

I will upload a Father's Day card tomorrow, then we'll see what happens! : )

Supplies:
Stamps: Wild About You
Ink: Choc Chip, Garden Green and Taken with Teal markers for the flower
Paper: Mat Pack from Hobby Lobby (sorry, I can't remember the brand!), choc chip, kraft
Accessories: non SU twill, and Stampin' Up ticket corner punch

Color Challenge

Today's color over at SCS was not as painful as I thought it would be! I had some patterned DP left over from Hobby Lobby from a long time ago (sorry, I can't remember the brand!) that matched the colors very well. The colors for the challenge were Chocolate Chip, Cool Carribbean, and Garden Green. That shade of green goes unused in my stash until Christmas, so it was nice to use it!

I made a 5" card base and I didn't even have a full sheet to make a full card so this is a card front. (my order comes in on Friday!) Then, I cut a three inch panel of the DP, and punched out some large Marvy circles out of Garden Green and white. The Prima flower is from Target and the brad is from Making Memories. Finally, I cut out the sentiment with the Word Window punch from SU and hand cut a Cool Carribbean mat for the sentiment.

I've got to get to the preschool for work, and then I'm hoping to do some beading this week. I have lots of cute skirts that need accessorizing!

Thanks for looking everyone and go check out the challenges at www.splitcoaststampers.com!

A Big Thank You!

Hi everyone! Happy Memorial Day!

I just have to say a HUGE Thank You and give a big hug to Jen for featuring my stamping on her blog! Go check it out at http://www.stamping-therapy.blogspot.com/. I really like her blog because she updates it regularly and has a great variety of cards and projects posted AND she works a full time job in education! She has different themes for different days of the week and has great ideas! Thanks Jen!!!! I'm honored that you thought of me!

I just got back from a night at my parents. No computer and no stamping! Arggghhh! But, we did manage to hang some peg board in their garage to help my mom get organized. I love to organize things, so this was a fun project for me to do!

I have some new goodies from the Target scrapbooking aisle so I'm hoping to squeeze in some stamping tonight after dinner! We might go to the pool, though, and I've been known to stamp at the pool. All last summer, while the kids were swimming, I'd sit and mount stamps or put together cards that were pre stamped. I got some funny looks from the lifeguards. : )

Needs Improvement

This morning, I wanted to participate in the Limited Supply Challenge over at SCS, and I made this card in about 10 minutes. And it shows. I really want to rework it, but I'm posting it anyway. I've decided that instead of taking it apart and getting more and more frustrated, I'll just start a new card and try some different layouts but maintain the same theme.

So, tune in later and see what I come up with to improve upon this card.

Any suggestions on improving this one? As always, I really want to do some background stamping on it!

Thanks everyone, and Happy Friday!

Stamps: Crab and Co., Year Round Fun 2, All Year Cheer
Ink: Not Quite Navy and various inks for watercoloring
Paper: Kraft, Not Quite Navy, Naturals White
Accessories: brads, SU ribbon originals

More Yo Yo Yellow!

And here's yet another entry into the Ways to Use It Challenge at SCS. I wasn't sure where to start for this challenge, so I pulled out my Big Shot, an impression plate and some flower punches. Those accessories always make cute cards.

I'm not sure about the jeweled brad. I considered using a black specialty brad like dots or stripes. What do you think?

Supplies:
Stamps: It's Your Birthday
Cardstock: yo yo yellow, cool caribbean, basic black, white
Ink: Carribbean, black
Accessories: Big Shot, Multipurpose Platform and Big Shot Impression plate, ribbon, misc punches, jewel brad

Ways to Use Yo Yo Yellow

Again, at SCS I participated in a challenge. This time, we were challenged to use the wildy UNpopular Yo Yo Yellow. So, here's a card that I made months ago for a Stamp a Stack. I love this tree stamp. I used a pencil eraser to make the 'lemons'.

Supplies: Sheltering Tree, Linograph BG, Edgy Eloquence stamp sets, Yo Yo Yellow, choc Chip, handsome hunter and white cardstock, pencil eraser, gold brads and ticket corner punch.

I also used stickles on the lemons to make them look glistening in the sun, but it doesn't show well in the pic.

Thanks for looking!

Challenged and Struggling!

Hi everyone! I finally made a card for an SCS challenge, but I must say, I am a bit disappointed with my efforts. I had a lot of trouble with this one!

1. I tried to use my Well Worn Words BG stamp. I've had this stamp for months now, and never use it. I finally pulled it out to use it, and it does not stamp well at all!! I have tried to rub it on my jeans to get that sheen off of the rubber, but that doesn't help! So, that explains the muddy looking background on the old olive card base.

2. I just couldn't find a stamp set that I wanted to use so that led me to my endless piles of flowers. So that endeavor led to hours of plowing through my grab bags of primas and various flowers. I totally was derailed by that. I love those flowers! Finally, I settled on this green Bassill flower and a purple prima. The center is a button I found at Wal Mart!

3. Then, I had to choose some sort of sentiment. I knew that I wanted to use this cute little Family Treasures scallopped and oval punch, so that led me to Fancy Flexible Phrases. I love this set! So pretty and as the title states, so flexible!

All in all, it's not a bad card, but not my favorite. But, I'm out of my stampin' funk and sometimes you just have to stamp through it and get onto the next project!

I hope you all have a great day and go check out some Splitcoast challenges! If you're new to splitcoast, go to www.splitcoaststampers.com then on the right side of the screen (scroll down a bit) you'll see a list of the challenges day by day. Click on the challenge you're interested in trying and go for it! It will make you a better stamper and it's just fun!

Not feelin' it today...

Ugh. I'm falling into a bit of a rut. I woke up early to do the SCS color challenge this morning, but I just didn't feel like it today.

I probably should just pick up a stamp and just start stamping, but I have no direction at this point.

So, my question for you is, how do you get out of a slump? What do you do to get started stamping when you don't really have a particular project or layout in mind?

I'd love to hear your answers!

Meanwhile, I'll go pick out an lonely stamp, some cardstock and see what I can come up with.

It's Monday Already?

Good morning everyone! It's 5am here in NC and I'm up early to finish the preschool end-of-year scrapbooks for my preschool class. I put it off this weekend, so I got up early to work on them.

The Bad news is that I have no stamping to show you. The good news is that my stamp room is clean! And so is the house! Woo hoo!

So, I should be able to stamp something in the near future to share with you. Check back in soon!

I hope you all have a great day!

All Bagged Up!

Phew! I finished the scrapbook pages and the cards for the teacher. I basically did the same thing as the card to the gift bag. I'm in a total hurry to get to work, so I didn't CB the celery BG, but I don't think the teacher is as into the details as I would be. Seriously, all of you stampers out there know how much more into the packaging we are than the recipient of the gift, right? Unless, of course, the recipient is also a stamper, but I digress.

I've got ten minutes to shower and get to work. Guess it's gonna be a ponytail day! : )

Supplies are the same as the previous card posted. Happy Friday everyone!

Baby Thank You's

Good afternoon everyone! Today, I am catching up on my DVR'd Young and the Restless episodes and I made a stack of Baby Thank You's for my daughter's teacher. We're having a little baby shower for her tomorrow and I wanted to give her something she could really use!

We're also putting together an album for the teacher filled with advice for the mom to be from each 2nd grader in the class. They each gave advice for caring for an infant as well as name suggestions. Very cute! I'm just helping put together a few pages. Another parent came up with the cute idea!

I'm really looking forward to a quiet weekend. Hopefully I can get some stampin' done and share more cards with you all.

Have a great day!

Supplies:
Wild About You, Sincere Salutations (inside sentiment)
So Saffron ink and choc chip marker for anters, tail and eyelashes
Cuttlebug A2 folder and my Big Shot
Stampin' Up! DP and Celery, Saffron and Artichoke cardstock
SU ribbon

Wacky Wednesday!

Hi everyone! Today is officially Wacky Wednesday! I've got a to-do list a mile long, and if you have kids you totally understand how busy this time of year can be! I feel like I'm running around like a chicken with its head cut off!

Anyway, here's a Spring-inspired card that I made at the retreat last weekend. I used SU patterned paper pieces left over from unfinished projects, plus So Saffron for the card base and a piece of Celery stamped with the little flower from the Simply Said stamp set. I used the SU gel pen to highight the flowers, and the SU oval punches for the sentiment from Cute Converse. The big flower is from Office Accoutrements, and the green flower circle is from the Little Reminders tin! Finally, a bit of SU grosgrain finishes it off.

I'm off to more school and kid-related activities plus a fun trip to the grocery store. (Apparently, I must continue to feed my family despite my desires to hide in my stamp room all day!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Celery Quartet

Happy Monday everyone! I took the weekend off and rested a lot. I've just been so tired lately. Hopefully, a few good night's sleep will get me caught up.

Here is a group of cards I made last weekend that used up more scraps. (Yes, more scraps) I finally used my new Big Blooms stamp set and I love it! I'm hoping to be able to stamp some more later this week and I plan to use that stamp set a lot!

Currently, I'm cleaning out my stamp room and trying to make it easier to start and stop projects without making such a mess! My goal is to set up a space to keep my scrapbook out so I can sit down and work on my scrapbook whenever I get a chance. Right now, my scrapbooks are in a cabinet and the thought of lugging them out along with my boxes of photos is very intimidating. I avoid scrapbooking by making cards! I love making cards, but I really need to work on my scrapbooking. I actually have ideas and layouts in my head that need to get out!

Ugh, I just looked at the clock and it's time for me to jump in the shower and get to the preschool where I work. I'm sooooo ready for summer so I can play in my stamp room all day!

Mother's Day and Challenges

Today, I'm trying to kill as many birds as I can with one (or two) stones. I love doing the challenges on splitcoast and this card qualifies for the Ways to Use it challenge using chipboard coasters and the Limited Supply Challenge which was Wide Open Spaces in which you are supposed to leave open, unstamped and unembossed spaces on your card.

I used a medium weight chipboard coaster in my Big Shot to get the letters. I used the Go Slim letters from Ellison which are on clearance over at www.sizzix.com.

The rest of the card is Whisper White cardstock and the retired Sell A Bration Simply Scrappin' kit Just Delightful from Stampin' Up! Surprisingly, I did not use any ribbon or flowers on this one! Truth be told, I'm trying to finish up around here to get this card and another one just like it in the mail for my Mother and Mother in Law!

So, I've got to get the heck outta here and to the PO!

Happy Friday everyone!

SC123

I was able to make a card for today's sketch challenge this morning before work! This card is entirely from scraps that were lying on my table! The card base was already stamped with Simple Stripes BG from a baby card that never was finished, the polka dot squares are from a scrap of DP, the Orchid Opulence was a scrap leftover from my birthday card that I posted last week, and the rest is accessories that I had right at hand.

I rarely use purple, but it's really growing on me! Accessories include a big prima (love it!), ric rac, and SU oval punches.

Gotta go pick up the kids! Thanks for stopping by!

More Scraps

Here's another card that utilized some of my endless scrap collection! I am lovin' these simple white Making Memories flowers! I keep using them and buying more of them. I really wish I could find a source of bulk white flowers like these! Anyone out there know of a source?

I'm still unpacking from the stamp retreat. I don't know why, but every time I go on a retreat I feel the need to pack EVERYTHING I own that's stamp related. I don't use half of it, but I feel better knowing that it's there just in case. So now, I'm putting it all back away. Piece by piece. Ugh! Thank goodness for my DVR so I can watch my soaps, Dancing with the Stars, and right now, American Idol. No more commercials thanks to technology! Woo hoo!

Busy day tomorrow. I'm working and then I'm off to my mom's to help her at her dance studio. It's picture day tomorrow and I get to help the girls get their tap shoe ribbons tied and their hair pretty for the picture! : ) They are all just too cute in their costumes!

I'll be back on Thursday with more cards!

Supplies:

Stamps: Much Appreciated

Ink: Brocade Blue

Cardstock: Brocade Blue, White and SU patterned paper

Accessories: MM flower and brad

And the Winner is.....

Elaine! Are you out there? You won the Southern Style Hospitality blog candy!

Here's what she said:

congrats on YOUR winning, and reaching the mark where you give blog candy!!

Thanks Elaine! Email me or reply to this post with your email so I can send you your new punch!

I'll be back later to post some more pics. My stamp club meets tonight so I've got to get the kids fed and ready for bed! : )

So Sleepy

I'm about to fall asleep. I stamped more than I slept this weekend and it was wonderful. I was in a room with 11 other fabulous and talented stampers and we made lots of cute projects. Every time I go on a retreat with my upline and sidelines, it goes like this:

"Look at this cute card! I've got to make one for myself!"

"Look at what she did with chipboard! I want to make one of those!"

You get the drift. Fabulous ideas flying around the room. I came home and showed my husband all that I made and how I cleared out my heavy scrap box and he seemed suitably impressed. At least, as impressed as a husband can be, right?

I'm lucky to have such great friends who love to stamp as much as I do and who share their great ideas with me! Thanks girls!

After a good night's sleep, I'll post the results of the punch giveaway and I'll also post a few cards I made at the retreat.

Night night!

zzzzzz........

Another Simple Card

I am plowing through my huge box of scraps and making as many cards as I can using up the scraps. I did manage to let go of a lot of scraps that I just don't think I'll use and I donated them to a children's art project group that my friend helps coordinate.

Here's a card that uses even the smallest of scraps. I love this line of paper by Stampin' Up! I finished off the card with a Making Memories flower and brad and it was the fastest card I've made in a while!

No time to chat, because I've got to get back to stamping and using up these scraps!

Supplies:
SU DP, Apricot Appeal and white cardstock
Brocade blue ink
Much Appreciated stamp set
MM flower and brad

Coaster Box!

I've been at a stamping retreat for a day now, and here's a coaster box I made. It's not my best work, but it turned out pretty cute, I think. I'm not sure how the bottom looks. I mod podged the front and back of each side panel and the coasters warped a bit from the moisture. That made putting on the bottom panel a bit tricky. I'll make some more and fine tune the technique.

Of course you can see all of the chocolate that is inside the box. Think I'll eat it all this weekend? I just might!

Thanks for checking in and I'll post more of my retreat projects the next time I get access to a computer!

Supplies:
Stampin' Up! patterned DP and chip board letter, marvy punch and various ribbon, mod podge matte for paper (blue label), MM flower and rhinestone brad, Chocolate chip craft ink for chipboard letter, and crop a dile.

Awww Shucks!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's stopped by my blog. I read all of your comments and appreciate your kind wordsl!

I'll also enjoy browsing all of the new blogs I haven't seen yet!

Finally, some of you have sent me emails and I just found them in my bulk mail box in my yahoo account. Normally I just delete the whole bulk mail box, but lately, I've been checking it first and I found some emails that were not junk mail from some of you!

I'll try to respond to them all some time this weekend if I get a chance to get on a computer. I'll be out of town at a stamp retreat and I'm looking forward to stamping A LOT! I can't wait.

Now, I just have to pack. Gotta go, and I'll let you know who won the punch on Monday!

BIG DAY!!!

Well, this has been a big blog day for me! Let's see, where do I begin...

1. I won the most AWESOME blog candy over here!

2. The blog candy was a gift certificate over here!

3. I just noticed that my blog has had 1000 hits, so that means it's time for some Southern Style Hospitality!

I've got an extra punch that really needs a new home. Post your comment here by Sunday night, and I'll randomly pick a winner!

Thanks everyone for getting my little blog off to a great start!

Vera

Two challenges in a snap!

It's been a busy week, and I was determined to get some challenges completed over at SCS! I tend to labor over the simplest of cards, but I got this one done in about 10 minutes. In that 10 minutes, however, I managed to smear some of the Stickles on the rose, and I didn't have the time to really get a good picture. Also, the sentiment is a bit crooked, but maybe I should just shut up and hope that no one notices! : )

I've got to finish prepping for my stamp club tomorrow then I get to pack for my weekend stamping retreat with the girls! Woo hoo! I can't wait to stamp non stop for three days! Heaven!

I'll try to post once more before I head out of town. Have a happy Wednesday!

Supplies:
Stamps: Mixed Bouquet, Just So Sayings
Ink and Cardstock: Black, Pretty in Pink, white, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Cuttlebug die, ribbon, stickles, dauber