Just Give Me Stamps...

Mmmmm...Blog Candy!

I have been so overwhelmed with all the encouragement and enthusiasm since I've started this blog!  I've received some of the nicest emails...not to mention the wonderful comments you've left...and I wanted to say THANK YOU!!!! 

I can't believe that there are over 11,000 hits already!  When I first started this, I had doubts that I would get 1,000 hit the first month...I mean who would want to read my blog?  You've exceeded my expectations....by 10,000!!!  So, to say "thanks", I'm offering up some goodies!  These are just a few of my favorite embellishments.

There is some *gorgeous* paisley paper (Blue Raspberry Paisley by Deja Views), some glittery floral and paisley paper (yes, the sparkle is already on it!!!), some Micro and Mini jewels, some exquisite velvet lavender ribbon, a spool of brown and caribbean striped ribbon, and some Black Diamond Stickles!!

   

To "enter" the drawing for these goodies, just leave a comment on this post.  If you'd like, tell me what your favorite color combo is right now (if you're like me, it probably changes weekly :-).  I will use a random number generator to choose the winner.  I will draw a winner on Tuesday morning!

Thanks again for visiting my site!

Laurie

Birthday Petals...

Well, I've finally had a chance to really pour over the new catalog.  My analysis...it's brilliant!!  Everything is so wonderful...the stamp sets (wow!)...new accessories (I'm wondering how I can narrow down all of the ribbon I want to order...sigh), new paper (be still my beating heart!)..and the samples, well they are superb!  I finally put the book down for a while and went and did some stamping.  I have several birthday cards I need to make in the next couple of days.  Here is the first one...

I used lots of new stuff to make this card...new stamps, new chipboard, new colors, and new Designer Paper!  I stamped the petals in Chocolate Chip craft ink on Soft Sky cardstock...and then embossed with Crystal Clear e.p.  I used some Soft Sky Designer Paper to cover the chipboard circle in the center of the flower (it's from the On Board Accents set).  I lightly sanded the edges to blend them in and added some Micro jewels for a little *sparkle*.  The heart chipboard (it's from the On Board Blossoms & Basics set) is embossed using Chocolate Chip craft ink and clear e.p.  I added a little circle that I punched out with a 1/8" hole punch to tie in all the "dots".  I just loooove polka dots!  Speaking of polka dots...there is a new Polka dot background stamp in the catalog...woohoo!  I could go on all day...

I do want to tell you about this ribbon, though.  I bought this ribbon some time ago from Lindsey (Jackson belle's Embellishments).  It is stunning!!  It matches our Soft Sky and Chocolate Chip perfectly!!  You can see it  Here.  It's double sided and is just amazing quality!  I really do like ordering from Jacksonbelle...her customer service is some of the best I've ever had!

I'm going to be posting a picture of the blog candy tonight!  I just need to finish uploading the pictures...so check back in later!  You won't want to miss it...I've compiled some of my "favorite" things and will be giving them away!  :-)

Recipe   Stamps: Pick a Petal, Hugs & Wishes   Paper: Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Prints Designer paper in Soft Sky   Ink: Chocolate Chip craft pad, Clear e.p.   Other: On Board chipboard, Corner rounder (for scallops), Crofter's Tool Kit, jewels, 1/8" circle punch, ribbon

Get Better Flowers...

I'm home!  I love "getting away"...but I always enjoy coming home again (aside from the mountain of laundry that I've yet to do).

I made this card for today's Limited Supplies Challenge over at Splitcoast.  It was a toughie, too!  We are supposed to make a get well card but we can't use any flower stamps!!!  Can you believe it...me not use a flower stamp??  There is also a "list" of items we can and can't use.  We can use flower punches...so I thought the Three For You punch box would be perfect for a get well card.

This card measures 3 1/8 x 6 1/2 (perfect for the small open end envelopes).  The stamping is fairly simple so I added some free-handed paper piercing.

Brad weren't listed as items we could use (gasp!!) so I added some Lime Green Stickles (we could use adhesive...and Stickles is a glitter glue :-).  You can't see the sparkle very well in this picture...it's much prettier in real life!  I wanted the flowers to look a bit softer, so I layered a vellum flower over the Groovy Guava.

I will be working on getting the blog "goodies" together later this evening...so you'll want to stop back by!!!

Have a great afternoon!

Laurie

Recipe   Stamps: Quick Thinking, Itty Bitty Backgrounds   Paper: Whisper White, vellum cardstock, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava   Ink: White craft pad, Versamark and Winter White e.p.   Other: Lime Green Stickles, Guava colored organdy polka dot ribbon, sm & lg oval punches, Flowers punch for the Three For You punch box, Crafter's Tool Kit

Artful River Rock...

Ever since I first laid eyes on the new IN color River Rock, I wanted to do something like this.  It's such a versatile color...it can be elegant, rustic, and what I have envisioned...crisp and clean!  Paired with white like this, it reminds me of crisp, clean khaki's paired with a white shirt.  I wanted a design with clean lines...and to keep it fairly simple.

Even  though this picture makes it look greenish (it does have some green undertones..but not as much as it looks like here), it really is more "khaki-ish" in real life.  I added just a touch of silver accents for some variety.

Well, I'll be home tonight and I'm going to get right to "work" getting some blog candy ready for you!  Thanks again, everyone, for all the encouragement!

Have a wonderful day!

Laurie

ETA:  Can you believe this card doesn't have any sparkle (Iridescent Ice e.p., glitter, or Stickles) or any jewels????  I didn't know I had it in me!  :-)

Recipe   Stamps: Artfully Asian, Fine Lace and Canvas Background stamps   Paper: Whisper White, River Rock   Ink: River Rock, Versamark and Silver e.p.   Other: Silver brads, silver cord, Stampin' Dimensionals, Crafter's Tool Kit, Zig painty marker (for silver dots in the flowers)

From the Heart...

I just love Chatterbox papers!  They are soooo gorgeous in real life...lots of beautiful texture!!  I've had some questions as to where I've purchased the Chatterbox papers.  I got mine from Eclectic Paperie.  They have a huge assortment of them (that's also where I've gotten a lot of my "jewels"). 

The stamping on this is very basic...but I was happy with the end result.  I used my Stampin Write markers to color on the stamp (I used a blender pen and my stamp pad for the Vintage Violet flowers).  I forget how beautiful this technique is...I can create "shading" very quickly.

I stamped the diamond pattern from Eclectic Backgrounds set using my Stamp-a-ma-Jig (I'm not so good at eyeballing these things).  I then took my Always Artichoke marker and added some "highlights" to the diamonds...I guess technically they would be lowlights???  LOL!  I wanted a softer look, so I layered a piece of vellum cardstock over the diamond pattern and stamped "from the heart" on top of the vellum in Vintage Violet.  Last but not least...I added some diamond Stickles to the white flowers on the patterned paper and a jewel in the center of the large flower.

I'm not sure why the picture makes the Vintage Violet stitched ribbon look like a different color...but in real life it matches perfectly!  :-)

Even though I'm still gone, I will have something new for you tomorrow!!  Thanks for coming by!

Laurie

Recipe   Stamps: Eclectic Backgrounds, Stippled Stencils, Holidays & Wishes (from the upcoming new catalog)   Paper: Patterned paper by Chatterbox, Vintage Violet, Whisper White, Vellum cardstock   Ink: Certainly Celery, Vintage Violet, Always Artichoke and Old Olive Stampin Write Markers   Other: Vintage Violet stitched ribbon, Marvy scalloped square punch, Diamond Stickles, Blender pen, jewel

Happy Joyful Birthday...

Just a quick post before we take off this morning!  This is for today's Color Challenge over at Splitcoast.  We are supposed to use Cool Caribbean (last week that it's available!!!), Marigold Morning (also retiring after this week), and Pretty in Pink.  I was really going through new stamp withdrawal...so I broke down and got the Pick a Petal set out.  :-)

The stamping is pretty straight forward...no special techniques today.  I did add some little black dots with my Stampin' Write marker to make the petals "pop" a little more.  The only Marigold Morning is on the center of the flower...but it still counts!  :-)

I just want to say, again, how thankful I am for all of your support and encouragement!  Thank you!!!  I have some cards to post while I'm gone (I'll be back on Thursday evening).  Also, I noticed that I've almost got 10,000 hits!!!  Wow!!! That's more than I ever expected!  So...when I get back, I have some goodies to give away (hint:  they are some of my favorite items...I use them A LOT!!!).  So, stay tuned!

Recipe   Stamps: Pick a Petal, Small Sayings   Paper: Patterned paper from the Slumber Party Collection (Stampin' Up!), Cool Caribbean, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black   Ink: Cool Caribbean, Pretty in Pink, Marigold Morning, Basic Black, Basic Black Stampin' Write marker, White Signo gel pen   Other: Black gingham ribbon, Pretty in Pink grosgrain, Cool Caribbean ric-rac (from Winter Mini), 1 1/4" circle punch, Ticket corner punch, Turquoise rhinestone brad (available in new catalog), Crafter's Tool Kit

Out With the Old...

Have you ever had "one of those days"??  That's exactly how my day is going!  Everything seems to not go as planned..  My younger boys, however, think it's hilarious!!  They think mommy is playing with them every time I say "Grrrrr" (Like when I dropped the jello fruit salad all over our off-white carpet!!).  This card was no different!  I had a great "plan" in my head...but I messed up so many times!  It's actually kind of funny, now...LOL!  The size of the card is 4 x 9 (to fit a business size envelope) and is for today's Technique Challenge over at Splitcoast .

 

For the challenge, we were to use any or all of the following items:  retiring stamps, retiring colors (IN colors), or retiring accessories.  I used the soon to be retired set Friends are Like Flowers and 2 of the retiring IN colors (Marigold Morning and Cool Caribbean).

You can't really see the sparkle in this picture....it's much prettier in real life!  I used Lemon Ice Stickles on the Marigold flowers and Fruit Punch on the Rose Red flowers.  I then added a little Diamond Stickles to the bee's wings.

I have another card to share, but first I need to finish packing.  We are leaving for Utah for a few days.  I also have some cards all ready to post so I can do it from my laptop while I'm gone!

Have a great afternoon!

Laurie

Recipe   Stamps:  Friend are Like Flowers   Paper: Whisper White, Cool Caribbean, Marigold Morning, Rose Red   Ink: Cool Caribbean, Marigold Morning, Rose Red, Certainly Celery, Basic Black   Other: Aquapainter, Stickles, Marvy Clever-Lever oval punches, White Signo gel pen, Jewels, fibers, Crafter's Tool Kit, Metal spiral clip

A Few Altered Items...

I was going to post these yesterday, but time went faster than I thought it should have...LOL!  It's amazing how fast time goes when you're chasing after little ones non-stop!  :-)

I made these items for my Secret Sister at church.  It's a thank you gift...she truly was wonderful to me!!  I got this paint can from Eclectic Paperie (they are actually on sale right now :-).  I also got some of the Maya Road Journals and Tins to alter...so be looking for those in the future!! 

When Stampin' Up! was retiring this paper, I bought 3 packs of it!  I don't know what I was thinking!  I mean, it's cute and all, but 3 packs???  Because I haven't used any of it since my (oh-so-well-thought-out purchase), I thought I'd break it open and use it on my paint can.  **Maybe this is my subconscious way of using some of my supplies up so I don't feel guilty when I order even more from the new catalog!!??!  LOL!  Seriously though, I wanted something fun and cheerful, so I thought this paper would be perfect!  It was very hard to get a decent picture because of the glare on the plastic part, so this is the best I could do.  You can't see it here, but I embossed the flower with...you guessed it...Iridescent Ice e.p.  The "friend" stamp is from the new hostess set, In the Spotlight.  I thought it was perfect for inside this flower from Big Blooms!  I used some punches to make the flowers on top.  The red flower is from a punch by Martha Stewart, the green flower is from the Spring Flowers Bouquet punch, and the white ones are from the new Three For You punch box.

This was also a good project to use up some of my ribbon scraps!

The orange flower trim is called "Paper Frills" by Doodlebug.

Next, is the little notebook I made (also to go inside).  I just used one of the mini composition notebooks that I picked up at Wal-Mart.

The S is from the "On Board Simon Lower" kit.  I used a Versamagic Dew Drop in Spring Pansy to cover the S and then embossed it with Iridescent Ice e.p. (I should have bought stock in that stuff :-).  The paper is some fantastic paper by K & Co.  It actually already has the sparkle on the flowers!!!  Is that paper made for me, or what?   Something new that I tried on this was to take my Versamagic Dew Drop and cover the spine (originally black) with it.  It worked beautifully!  It did take 2 coats (I heat set it after each coat to dry it).  Here's a close up of the spine

Even though there is no stamping on this little notebook, I am so pleased with the results!!  I  hope my Secret Sister will like it!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope to be able to take part in today's Technique Challenge over at Splitcoast later, so make sure to stop back by!

Laurie

A Faux Metal Thank You...

Well, it's Sunday again.  That means it's time for the Featured Stamper Challenge over at Splitcoast!  This week Cambria was chose to be the Featured Stamper.  She has an amazing gallery...and I've been a fan of her blog for quite some time now!  The card I chose to C.A.S.E. was THIS one.  I kept the layout (it's a brilliant one), but changed the stamps set and paper to give it a bit of a "vintage elegant" look.  Ever since I saw a picture that Brent Steele had done using Baroque Motifs (he made a faux metal "charm") I wanted to try that with this stamp set!  My "double" background on the vertical strip of River Rock was inspired by Leslie (her blog Running with Scissors is wonderful!).

I inked up a piece of Whisper White cardstock with versamark (yes...I inked up the whole thing..the paper was like 3 x 3 1/2) then poured copper e.p. over it and heat it.  While it was still warm, I quickly sprinkled more copper e.p. on (no need to re-ink as long as it's still warm).  I repeated this a couple more times then after the final heating, I stamped my big circle pattern stamp (no ink) directly into the warm copper and pressed down firmly.  I carefully lifted my stamp up..and voila!  I then trimmed the circle and added some paper piercing for added interest.

  I'll have one of my projects to share later today! Thanks for coming by!

Recipe   Stamps: In the Spotlight, Baroque Motifs, Fancy Flexible Phrases, Eclectic Backgrounds, French Script   Paper: Brocade Backgrounds, River Rock, Whisper White, Old Olive, Brushed Copper   Ink: Old Olive, Encore Copper, Versamark, Copper e.p., Chocolate Chip (for a little sponging)   Other: Lg. decorative brad from Making Memories, Aged copper brads, Copper cord, Word Window punch, Crafter's  Tool Kit, 3/4" circle punch, Olive ribbon

Jared's Card...

Well, all of my kids are home...safe and sound!  Yay!!  As mentioned earlier, here is the card I did for Jared.

In keeping with today's Limited Supplies Challenge over at Splitcoast, I dug out a stamp that I haven't used in ages!  You'd think, with me having 3 boys, that I'd use this a lot more.  But...with having 3 boys, I haven't had a lot of time to scrapbook.  :-)  In fact, this summer is the first time in several years that I've had time to stamp regularly!

I stamped the plane and star with Brown Stazon, colored them in with Prismacolor Pencils, then blended it with baby oil.  This is only the 2nd time I've used my Prismacolor Pencils, and my first time blending...so my skills still have a ways to go.  :-)  Those awesome jumbo eyelets came in my Crop-a-dile kit that my mom got me...THANKS mom!!!  I punched the plane out with my 1 3/8" circle punch.  I then used my Coluzzle to cut out a larger circle in More Mustard.  I used my Cutter Kit (paper distresser part) and roughed up the edges, then cut little "notches" out with my scissors for added interest.  Finally, I sponged all of the edges of my layers with Close to Cocoa.  Oh, the card size is a 5 1/4" square (I know...I can't seem to stop making square cards!!).

Thanks so much for coming by...and be sure to stop by this weekend as I have more fun stuff to share!

~Laurie

Recipe   Stamps: Toy Box, Everyday Flexible Phrases   Paper: Patterned paper from the Treehouse Collection, Naturals Ivory, Cranberry Crisp, Buckaroo Blue, True Thyme, More Mustard   Ink: Brown Stazon, True Thyme, Always Artichoke Stampin' Write marker, Prismacolor Pencils   Other: Jumbo brads, Twill Tape, Jute, Word Window Punch, 3/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, Coluzzle, Cutter Kit, Drywall Tape (this is an inexpensive alternative to Magic Mesh), Crafter's Tool Kit, Baby oil, blending stump