Just Give Me Stamps...

Hot Stuff...

You might need some sunglasses to look at these projects...I definitely used some bright colors!!  I'll admit, I rarely use Bold Brights...except when pairing them with another color family (like earth tones).  But, these new sentiments from Verve Visual (from the Great Expectations set), are just so fun and fresh that they just have to be partnered with bright colors! 

   

I'm telling ya...when I saw these sentiments, my mind started racing with fun ways to use them!  One of those ideas was to use this "Guess You're Pretty Hot Stuff Now..." stamp with some Red Hot candies!

Even though I'm not normally drawn to bright colors...this patterned paper from My Mind's Eye really caught my attention.  I like the unique color combinations...and of course the polka dots! 

I stamped the flowers from Thankful Blossoms onto Pearlized White c.s. and colored them in with my Copic markers.  (I always forget to take a picture of the colors I use...it's such a habit just to put them away as soon as I'm finished with them.  :-)  I will try to remember next time...)

The pattern for my box, actually came from this Dove Chocolate box!!  I removed the chocolates (no, I didn't eat them...well, all of them...hehehee!) to use with another gift and gently took the box apart.  I then traced it on Pumpkin Pie c.s., scored on the fold lines, and then cut the box out. 

I used my circle Nestabilities to create the "window"...so you can see the bag of Red Hots peekin' through.  :-)

I hope  you all enjoy your evening!

Recipe   Stamps: Great Expectations, Thankful Blossoms   Paper: Cool Caribbean, Pumpkin Pie, Pearlized White c.s., Patterned Paper (My Mind's Eye)   Ink: Adirondack Espresso, Real Red   Other: Pumpkin Pie striped ribbon, Real Red (5/8" & 1/4") ribbon, Circle Nestabilities, Paper piercer, American Crafts large copper brads, Antique copper brads (Making Memories)

Cupcake with a Sugared Cherry on Top...

Happy Tuesday!!  I don't know about all of you...but I am sitting here trying to figure out where in the world April went to?  Wasn't it just the end of March??  I think it's all of the snow we've been getting...yeah, that's it.  LOL!  We are supposed to get our first thunderstorm of the season today (HOORAY for rain...and not snow!!)!

I received some new Inque Boutique stamps in the mail the other day!  I really am enjoying these stamps!!  This fun cupcake (from the Party Cupcakes set) is part of a "mini" set.  I put quotations around the word mini...because they are actually quite large! 

I stamped the large cupcake onto Shimmery White c.s. using Adirondack Pitch Black ink.  I used my Copic markers to color the image in.

I stamped just the cherry onto a scrap piece of Shimmery White c.s....colored it in with my Copics, cut it out, & adhered it on top of my cupcake.  (I did this so that the stem would hang off of the edge of the circle).

I added Stardust Stickles to parts of the cupcake liner (If there was such a thing as edible cupcake glitter...I would buy it in a heartbeat...because ALL cupcakes need some sparkle!)  LOL!

To make the cherry look "sugared", I first covered it with a thin to medium coat of Diamond Glaze.  I then added Micro beads (while the Diamond Glaze was still wet).  For just a bit of sparkle, I sprinkled on a little bit of Dazzling Diamonds glitter over the Micro Beads.

Here is a close up picture of the cherry.  You can also see the Diamond Glaze that I added to the chocolate sprinkles!

My color choices were inspired by this piece of Memory Box patterned paper (from the Flirt Collection).

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day! 

Recipe   Stamps: Party Cupcakes (Inque Boutique)   Paper: Shimmery White c.s., Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa, Memory Box (from the Flirt Collection)   Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Adirondack Espresso, Cameo Coral   Other: Diamond Glaze, Micro Beads, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Stardust Stickles, Dew Drops, Nestabilities, Copic markers

I Scrapbooked!! (Well, Sort Of...)

Happy Sunday!  Today, I'm going to share with you a mini album I made to give to my DH on Father's Day.  I'm not sure why, but if I call it creating a mini album...and not scrapbooking...it is much less intimidating to me!  LOL!  When I go back into my stamp room, I have a limited amount of time in there...and I like to leave having accomplished/finished something (and it seems like my scrapbooking will never be done)!!  Heheee!  These little mini albums are usually the perfect project for me, as I'm able to finish one in just a short while.

When I saw the new Father Figure set from Verve Visual, I knew right away that I wanted to make a little photo album (using my DH's favorite photos of our kids) and give it to him for Father's Day!

When I was rummaging through my collection of patterned papers...I found some scraps of this paper (from Stampin' Up!'s retired Treehouse DP)...and knew it would be perfect for my little  Coaster picture book!  (The front and back covers are chipboard coasters...and I adhered the DP to them and then sanded the edges for a clean edge.)

I started my focal piece by stamping a Sahara Sand rectangle with the small outline star stamp (from Seeing Stars) with Sahara Sand ink.  I then stamped it with the "Dad" stamp in True Thyme (last year's In Colors).  I wanted some extra dimension...so I stamped the Dad stamp in Buckaroo Blue onto some scrap Sahara Sand, cut out each of the letters, & glued them onto the True Thyme colors (offsetting them just a little).  I added some stars for accents (stamped with the outline stars from Seeing Stars and then punched out with Stampin' Up!'s small and large star punches.  I also stitched along the bottom with some Linen Thread (I first poked holes using my Mat Pack guide (from Stampin' up!).

On the first page, I used this wonderful sentiment (included in the Father Figure set)...to set the "tone" for the book.

I used one of my rectangle Nestabilities to cut out/emboss this rectangle after I had stamped it (I like to stamp...then cut out, but that's just my personal preference).

 

The first photo is of my DH and our son Bryan (Bryan loooooves the Four Wheeler) and the second photo is of our daughter Alison.  One thing that our kids love to do, is go with their dad on the Four Wheelers to check on various water tanks in the summer.

 

The picture on the left is of our oldest son, Jared.  He had just gotten back from helping his dad move some cows.

I inked up part of the "When I grow up..." sentiment and used the first part on the left picture (cut out with the Word Window Punch).  After cleaning my stamp, I then inked up the other half of the sentiment and stamped it under Ali & Jared's Four Wheeler picture.

 

On the left page (under the picture of Jared, Ali, & Bryan), I stamped the sentiment "I'm so glad you're my", and then on the last page I adhered (with stampin' dimensionals) Dad at the top of the page.  (Again, I stamped the word Dad onto Sahara Sand c.s. with True Thyme ink and cut them out).

I didn't have any pictures of our youngest son, David (you know...the one that climbs on top of our refridgerator...escapes out his window...and many other things that scare me half to death) on a Four Wheeler with my DH or helping on the ranch...so I chose this picture of the two of them posing for a picture at the Salt Lake City Zoo (it's one of my favorite pictures).

I also wanted to tell you about the Star Studded Sale that Verve is having right now!  Now, through May 15th you can save 15% off any of the Star sets...plus some fun paper, ribbon, & embellishments!!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!  Have a wonderful day!!!

Recipe   Stamps: Father Figure, Seeing Stars (Verve Visual)   Paper: Tree house DP (retired), True Thyme, Buckaroo Blue, Cranberry Crisp, Sahara Sand   Ink: Sahara Sand, Buckaroo Blue, True Thyme, Cranberry Crisp   Other: Chipboard coasters, Vintage brads, Linen Thread, Hemp, Jumbo eyelet, Large & Small star punches, Paper piercer, Mat Pack, 1" circle punch (to create the tabs on the front cover)

Birds Galore...

Happy Friday!!  It's so hard to believe that it's the weekend again!  We are still waiting on Spring here...at least the snow is gone (even if it's taken it's sweet time to melt...LOL!).  It was helpful to hear from those of you that are also experiencing a winter that doesn't want to leave...thank you for your emails/comments!

   Friday means that it's time for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge!  This week's sketch, I thought, really lent itself to showcasing some beautiful patterned papers.  I've had this Crate Paper (Twill Collection) for a while now (isn't it sooo pretty??), and thought this would be a perfect sketch to use it with! 

  I inked up one of the birds (from Inkadinkado's Birds Galore set) with two different colors of Versamagic Dew Drops...starting with the lighter color, then adding a bit of the dark around the edges)...and stamping it onto my Ivory rectangle.  After the ink was dry, I stamped the En Francais background (which was inked in Close to Cocoa ink and stamped off once).  I then stamped the same bird image again...this time in Close to Cocoa ink...on another piece of Ivory paper, cut just the bird out, and glued him onto my stamped rectangle.  To tie in some of the pink, I added some mini pink Primas with rhinestone centers to the leaves.

The Inkadinkado stamps and Hero Arts Pale Pink rhinestones are both available from Stamper's Dream store.

Make sure you check out what Beate, Cambria, Charmaine, Jenn, Lori, Mary Jo, & Sharon have made!  I know I can't wait to see their creations!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Have a wonderful Friday!   

Recipe   Stamps: Birds Galore (Inkadinkado), En Francais  Paper:  Crate Paper patterned paper (Twirl Collection), Close to Cocoa   Ink: Aloe Vera & Key Lime Versamagic Dew Drops, Close to Cocoa, Sahara Sand   Accessories: Rectangle Nestabilities, Sewing machine, Mini Pink Primas, Pink rhinestones, Close to Cocoa velvet ribbon, Dew Drops

Big Bucks, No Whammies! (Sneak Peek)

Good morning!  This will be a quick post this morning, as I am headed out the door in just a few minutes.  I just had to share this card/money holder with you....and tell you about the NEW stamps from Verve Visual!

Great Expectations is just one of the two sets that will be released this Friday...and let me tell you...you're going to love them!!  This is a set of 13 sentiments....but they aren't just ordinary sentiments...they are unique and fun!

I had a hard time choosing which one to use on my Sneak Peek...but it was this "Big Bucks, no whammies" stamp that just kept me giggling!  I thought it would be fun to make a money holder with it.

I know, this is SO different from my normal "style" of cards...but I really wanted to try something a little more hip and fun!

I  used some brightly colored polka dot paper from S.E.I. ad my inspiration for my colors (which also happened to be gender neutral).

The stars are from Verve's Seeing Stars set...and I thought they accented all the circles perfectly.

I made the circle with my Nestabilities...and the chipboard bracket is from Stampin' Up!'s On Board collection.

Here's a close-up of the inside.  I used Happy Thoughts on the inside...and carried some of the same elements over from the front.

Make sure you check out the Verve blog!  Half of the designers are showing a sneak peek of Great Expectations today...and the other half will how you how cool the new Father Figure set is!

Have a wonderful day!  ~Laurie

(P.S.  I'll be back later to post the recipe info....)

Beaded Monochromatic Blossoms...

Happy Monday!  Verve Visual is hosting an Inspiration Challenge over at their blog!  There's $15 in Verve Bucks up for grabs...so if you want to play along, check out THIS post! 

Aren't these pillows GORGEOUS??  This is the Inspiration piece that Julee gave us!  Normally, I'm so drawn to colors...but this time it was the patterns and textures that inspired me.. 

I love the tone-on-tone patterns, the swirly stems and leaves, the beautiful trims, & all the beads!

I chose to use a very neutral color and create a monochromatic card...but trying to create some of the patterns and textures I saw in the pillows.

I started with a square piece of Pearlized White cardstock and hand drew a swirly pattern (very lightly) all over using a pencil. I then pierced along the markings I made. Once I was satisfied with the pattern I created, I erased all of my pencil markings.

After stamping the flowers (from the Thankful Blossoms set) in Sahara Sand (onto Pearlized White c.s.), I cut them out and added some clear Microbeads to the centers.

I love monochromatic cards...but I wanted a pop of color, so I added this red jewel embellishment to the center of the large flower.

To create the swirl "trim", I used the swirl from the Easter Elegance set and stamped it all around the edges.

I took a close-up photo so you could see the beaded centers better (and you can see just a hint of shimmer from the cardstock).

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Recipe

Stamps: Thankful Blossoms, Easter Elegance

Paper: Pearlized White c.s., Sahara Sand

Ink: Sahara Sand

Accessories: Paper piercer, Ivory Organdy ribbon, Clear Microbeads, Red jewel charm, Crystal Effects

Mini Bind It All Tutorial...

I was going to just tell you how I made my journal (see THIS post), but if you're anything like me then pictures will explain much more than just words alone.  :-)

I purchased a Bind it All machine several months ago, excited about all of the creative projects that I could create with it!  Well, after it arrived, I was a little intimidated by it all.  I set it aside, thinking that when I had time I would read all the directions, watch the DVD, and practice making stuff.  Well, I never seemed to have time...hehehee...because there it sat until just a few days ago!  (blush)  So, just in case there are others out there that either have a BIA (Bind it All) machine and have yet to use it or would like to have one but think they look to "hard"...this mini tutorial is for you!  :-)

I started with 2 8 x 8 Zutter Chipboard covers and hand drew a wavy line at about 5 1/2" wide.  Since this part will be covered up with cardstock, I didn't worry about erasing and re-drawing my line until I was happy with it.

I then used a craft knife to cut on the line that I just drew.  I first cut the top cover, then traced around the wavy edge onto the bottom cover (so they would both be the same).

The thing that most impressed me about using my BIA...is that I didn't actually watch the DVD that was included in the box with it.  (I know...should I really be admitting that...hehehe).  My point is...that it is not as time consuming to learn to use and it looks!    There is a small little booklet with step by step instructions (with pictures..woohoo!)

Punching the holes was very easy!  There is a little black slidey thingy (very technical terms) on the side that ensures that the holes are perfectly spaced ( you can see it in this picture right next to the already punched holes).

After the holes were punched, I glued the cardstock pieces that I pre cut and stamped onto the chipboard covers.  Even though I was careful in my measuring and cutting of both the chipboard and cardstock, there were still some rough edges on the chipboard and places where the cardstock overlapped.    To fix that, I took one of the files in the Basic Grey Precision set and sanded/filed the edges until they were all smooth.

There was one thing in the little instruction book that didn't work for me.  Maybe I just couldn't figure it out...hehehehe.  Anyway, the way that it said to assemble the layers made it so my covers didn't match up.  So... I assembled my layers in the following order:  Inside pages, back cover, & then the front cover.

For this journal, I used a silver 3/4" BIA coil (This was the perfect size for both covers and 40 something white cardstock pages).

This was the easiest part of the whole thing!  I placed my notebook into the slot on the BIA with the open side of the coil down and pressed down on the handle!  That's it!

I truly am so excited about this!  I really can't believe that I waited this long to use this wonderful machine!!!  :-)

I have 2 more Bind it All projects started...and I will be sharing those with you over the next couple of weeks.

Have a wonderful day!   

An Inspired Journal...

Happy Sunday!!  Remember the Winter Storm Warning that I talked about in my last post?  Well, the weather people sure knew what they were talking about!!  So far, we've gotten a FOOT of snow!!  We've been out playing in the snow most of the day.  Even though it is almost May, the temperatures dropped down to the teens (brrrrr), so we had to come in for some Hot Cocoa breaks pretty often...but that's part of the fun, right? 

The Dirty Dozen/Alumni challenge for April is called "Be Inspired".  We were given the photo (see below) of a room as our source of inspiration.  The required element is that we are to make a journal and the restricted element is that we couldn't use any kind of markers.

The elements in this photo that really "spoke" to me are:  The horizontal blue boards, the soft color palette, the tone-on-tone textures of the curtains, the white cupboard with four glass doors, and the little bit of tangerine color.

I changed the colors just a bit...instead of Bashful Blue I used Soft Sky.  I tell you, I'm already feeling sad about this color retiring...sniff, sniff.  It is my FAVORITE Stampin' Up! color to date.  You can bet that I will be stocking up... LOL!

I duplicated the "wall" on my Soft Sky background piece by gluing 1" strips together (which were lightly sponged with Soft Sky ink to help give definition).  I then stamped it using the French Quarter set by Inque Boutique in Soft Sky ink.

I decided to use the four glass doors on the cupboard as inspiration for my "window".  I created my window by punching out 4 squares using my 1 1/4" square punch.  For the flowers, I first inked up one of the flower stamps (also from the French Quarter set) in Soft Sky ink and lightly sponged on some Pumpkin Pie ink.

for the tone on tone textures, I embossed the swirls from Inque Boutique's Majestic Flight stamp set with Clear embossing powder onto Sahara Sand c.s.

For embellishments, I added some Burlap Loop Cord (it's out of stock right now, but keep checking back), White organdy ribbon, Primas, brads, Dew Drops, & a key charm (that I've had forever).

I used my Bind It All to create my own journal.  I started with some Zutter Journal Cover Chipboard (8 x 8), trimmed my wavy edge and then put it together.  I have taken pictures of the process and will post that mini-tutorial soon.  :-)

To see what the other Dirty Girls came up with, click on this LINK.

Thanks for stopping by!

Recipe   Stamps: French Quarter, Sentiments, Majestic Flight (all by Inque Boutique)   Paper: Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Soft Sky   Ink: Soft Sky, Sahara Sand, Versamark, Pumpkin Pie   Other: Clear e.p., 1 1/4" square punch, Dew Drops, Paper piercer, Primas, Brads, White organdy ribbon, Burlap Loop Cord, Key charm, Zutter Book Cover chipboard, 3/4" silver coils, Bind it All

Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #44...

Happy Friday!!  I hope you all are enjoying your week!  It is supposed to snow here this weekend...in fact...there is a Winter Storm Warning for Saturday and Sunday!  Can you believe it??!!!  I must be in some alternate universe where it really is only February or something...and NOT almost May!!  Please tell me there are others out there experiencing Christmas like weather?  I guess I shouldn't complain though...if the weather is yucky...all the more reason to stay in and stamp, right?  Heheheee!

When I saw the sketch for this week's Weekend Sketch Challenge, I knew right away that I wanted to use these Mini Envelope Templates and create a little envelope for my rectangle element.  Do you ever get ideas and then never get around to actually making/completing them?  This card is actually something that I've had in my mind to do for a couple of months!

I used some of the new Crate Paper's Blue Hill collection..and just chose my colors from the pieces I wanted to use.  I embossed the butterflies (from the Designer Butterflies clear set by Hero Arts) in white and cut them out.  I wanted them to look like they were flying out of the envelope.

I also embossed the little swirly thing on the envelope in white (it's from the Designer Butterfly set as well) and the thinking of you sentiment on the bottom of the card (it's from the Thinking of You set by Hero Arts).  Both of these stamp sets and the Mini Envelope Templates can be found at Stamper's Dream store.

Oh..thanks for all your suggestions on how I might fix my Janome Mini sewing machine!  I fiddled and fiddled with it...heard a "click"...and now it's sewing again!  When I heard the click the bobbin holder thingy looked like it kind of snapped back into place, so I am thinking that I somehow dislodged it during my sewing fiasco yesterday.  Anyhoo..it's working again!  YAY!!!  I'm so relieved, because I really, really wanted to sew around the background pieces on this card.  I am going to try and be more careful...(I can almost hear my mom's words now...) LOL!

To see some more samples, make sure you check out what Beate, Cambria, Charmaine, Jenn, Lori, Mary Jo, & Sharon made!  These ladies never cease to amaze me!!

Have a wonderful day! 

Recipe:   Stamps: Designer Butterflies (Hero Arts), Thinking of You (Hero Arts)   Paper: Crate Paper (Blue Hill Collection), Kraft   Ink: Versamark, Sahara Sand, Soft Sky   Other: White e.p., Soft Sky dbl stitched ribbon, Heart button, Sewing machine, Clear rhinestones, Mini Envelope Templates, Paper piercer

Big Flower Birthday...

Happy Thursday!!  I've been busy stamping...and I can't wait to show you what I've made!   

But...that will have to wait just a little bit longer...heheheee!  I did get to play in today's Ways to Use It challenge today, though!  When I read that the challenge was to use acrylic products...I knew I had to play!  You see, I've had these really cute Black & White acrylic frames (by Making Memories) for four months and keep forgetting to use them! 

Ok...a little disclaimer about this card before I tell you about it.  I think I broke my Janome Mini sewing machine...  :-(  I mean...who breaks a sewing machine??  Sigh...  Anyway, my thread bunched all up right in the middle of sewing.  Did I stop and "un-bunch" it?  Nope...this was my last sheet of large polka dot Pretty in Pink DP and I really, really wanted to use it!  So, I lifted up the foot, and using the skinny end of my stylus (hey..it was handy!!), I tried to untangle it.  I was able to get it untangled, but it was still kind of bunched up.  I decided to just "go for it".  Well, it did work...sort of.  My sewing machine is now slow as molassis...and you can definitely see where this sewing mishap happened!  I would have been better off finding a different piece of DP I liked...LOL!

Ok...this is the how-to kind of stuff.  I embossed the flower with Black detail embossing powder onto Pretty in Pink c.s two different times.  I used one under the frame and cut out the center of the second one (which I then popped up a little).  The happy birthday sentiment is embossed as well (I just really like the solid look of embossing).  For embellishments, I added some Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon, Black velvet ric-rac, a black button, & a pink rhinestone in the center of the flower.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!! 

Recipe   Stamps: Big Flowers, All Holidays   Paper: Pretty in Pink, Basic Black, Prints Pack DP   Ink: Versamark   Other: Black detail e.p., Polka dot acrylic frame (Making Memories, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon, Black velvet ric-rac, black button, Pink rhinestone, Sewing Machine (if I can still call it that...sniff, sniff)