Just Give Me Stamps...

Branching Out Thank You and a Couple of Questions Answered...

I think that if I made Thank You cards everyday, then it will take me at least three months to catch up with as many as I am in need of!  I'm not complaining...in fact it's the opposite!  Kindness has been showered upon our whole family, and it is an absolute joy for me to make thank you cards!!  :-) 

I had not yet inked up the branch (from the Branching Out set from Taylored Expressions), and I was in the mood to make a soft Spring card...so that is exactly what I did!  I have to say that I really, really enjoyed making this card...from the coloring (with Copics), to the paper and embellishment choices, and even the stitching!  I even dusted off my Copic air brush gun to create a soft sky look.  :-) 

 

I combined White and Buttercream cardstock with this pretty patterned paper by Bo Bunny (Abbey Road Collection).  For the birdhouse, after coloring it with Copics I used my Sahara Sand marker to draw subtle stripes to create some texture on it.  To finish it off, I added just a touch of Stardust Stickles to the leaves and bird and a few Taylor's Tiny Twinkles to the tag and top right of the card. 

 

I've had a lot of questions about the Copic colors I use.  I haven't been listing them because honestly, I feel like such a novice with them that I didn't think anyone would be interested!  Because I've been receiving so many emails asking which colors I used I will now start to list them (if I can remember LOL!).

 

Another question that I've been asked many times is how I achieve dimension on my cards (see detail picture above).  I think that I probably add a bit of dimension on just about every card I make...I just adore the look!  I use two different products....Stampin' Dimensionals (by Stampin' Up!) for the small pieces (like the bird and birdhouse on this card) and 1/16" Foam Tape for all the larger pieces and various layers. 

I wanted to show you the Foam Tape that I use...it comes on a VERY large roll (which is great because I like buying the products I use frequently in bulk...it saves me money!)!  One reason I took a picture with a ruler, is because when I received my first roll I was SHOCKED at how large the roll really was! 

 

I have the ruler leaning just a little here...so it actually measures 10 1/2"...but the ruler was more for a point of reference.  All in all...this is the least expensive foam tape I have found, costing $ .70 a yard!!

Also, I want you to know that I am waaaay behind on emails!  I'm slowly catching up...so if you haven't heard back from me yet, please be patient...I will answer you!  Hugs, Laurie

Recipe   Stamps: Branching Out (Taylored Expressions)   Paper: Choice White and Buttercream c.s., Bo Bunny patterned paper (Abbey Road Collection)   Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa   Other: Copic markers, Oval Nestabilities, Ivory satin ribbon, Spellbinder's Tag Trio die, Taylor's Tiny Twinkles, Martha Stewart border punch, Sewing Machine, Stardust Stickles, Linen Thread, Copic Air Brush gun, Sahara Sand marker, Clear Spica glitter pen

Wazzzzup?

I'm back!  No, I didn't go anywhere...we are all just recovering from the flu.  Yuck!  Having a larger family usually means that when one person comes down with something, it passes from person to person...which also means lots of sleepless nights for me.  On the bright side, I got a LOT of cuddles and snuggles from my little boys!!  :-) 

I thought I would share a couple of cards (one now and one later tonight) that I made several days ago (before we all got sick).  I got the idea for this card when I first saw this set (Just Bugz) in the Our Craft Lounge booth at CHA.  The sentiment "Wazzzzup?" just cracked me up, and I thought it would be cute to pair it with a stack of these sweet little lady bugs! 

 

I started with some bright patterned paper (Sakura Park Collection by Kaiser Craft) and stitched around the edges.  To create the "stack o' bugs", I stamped the top one, masked it (click HERE for a tutorial on masking), stamped the one underneath, and then repeated until I had four bugs.  I kept the embellishments simple:  a popped up flower on the top lady bug, a couple of stitches using black hemp, and a large button.

Ok...I better go and get dinner on the table!  Thanks for stopping by!  Hugs, Laurie

Recipe   Stamps: Just Bugz (Our Craft Lounge)   Paper: Neenah Solar White, Basic Black, Kaiser Craft Sakura Park Collection   Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento   Other: Copic markers, Long Rectangle Nestabilities, Black hemp, Sewing Machine, Liquid Pearls

13 Today...

Part of me is having a hard time believing that my daughter is officially a *teenager* today!!  Wow!!  She is really growing up!  The other part of me is SO excited!!  I've mentioned here before what an AMAZING girl she is...and even within the past year we have grown so close.  Even if I could have her "little" again...I wouldn't trade our relationship now for anything! 

Because Ali's taste in colors and patters are *quite* a bit different than mine, I just knew that I would need some help creating her card!  Well, Charmaine to the rescue!!  :-)  She has created the sketch for this week's Weekend Sketch Challenge!  With the fun sketch already to go...I then just picked out some of the brightest and funkiest papers I could find!

   

I know...bright, huh?  :-)  Well, I couldn't make a distressed and muted vintage card for her (as much as I wanted to)!  LOL  Actually, I have to admit that I really liked how it turned out!  :-)  I stamped the cupcakes (from the Maya Road Cupcakes set) onto Neenah White c.s., colored them with my Copics, and then cut them out.  I layered them onto a white piece of c.s. that I cut/embossed with my Curvy Rectangles Nestabilities, added a little bit of sparkle with my Sakura Stardust pen, and then coated the tops with Crystal Effects (see close-up picture below).  The chipboard "13" is made from some numbers I found in my stash (I just covered them with some coordinating patterned paper).  That way cool brad thing at the bottom is from Chatterbox's new Easy Brad Maker!  I actually was able to see this at CHA and knew right away I had to get my hands on it!  They had such beautiful samples there displayed...and some even had small photographs in them...LOVE it!!! 

 

As usual, you won't want to miss the creative eye-candy that Beate, Cambria, Charmaine,Jenn, Lori, Mary Jo, & Sharon have created!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!  ~Laurie

Recipe   Stamps: Maya Road Cupcake set, Mega Mixed Messages (PTI)   Paper: Neenah White, Dark Chocolate, Patterned paper by Pebbles Inc.   Ink: Chocolate Chip craft ink   Other: Clear detail e.p., Nestabilities, Chatterbox Easy Brad Maker, Crystal Effects, Sakura glitter pen, Paper piercer, Twine, Scallop border punch, Heart rhinestones, Ric-Rac

Chocolate Bunnies...

Happy Thursday!  Can you believe the week is almost over?  GASP!  I guess time flies when you're doing taxes....sigh...  :-)  Actually, I finished all that I could do, but we've been all under the weather here (in more ways than one! :-).  We've gotten quite a bit of snow lately (18 inches over the last several days) as well as fighting off some virus that has been making the rounds in our community...  But I'm sure we'll all be back to normal soon!

It's my day to share what I've created for the March Project Parade over at the Verve Stamps Blog!  I used the new Chocolate Bunnies set to create a simple (and very chocolatey :-) gift set! 

 

To see pictures of each individual item (and to see the inside of the card, please check out the post on the Verve blog HERE.  As with all the project parades...there are prizes to be had!  :-)  But this project parade they are giving away extra prizes...five random commenters (on the Verve blog) will win a free Verve set of their choice!

I will definitely try to get back into my stamp room soon!  Hope you have a wonderful day!  ~Laurie

Knock, Knock...

...Who's there?  :-)

 

 You can find out at the Stamp a Sweet Impression Blog!  I just posted a project there...and here's a hint:  there's more to this picture than it appears....  :-)

 Hope you're having a great week so far!  Hugs, Laurie

Simply Fabulous...

So, you know how I was talking on Friday (ok...maybe a little bit whining) about how we won't see Spring here for quite a while yet?  Well, I was pleasantly mistaken!!  Yesterday the temp hit 60 degrees...and I'm sure I saw some green grass trying to poke through!!  I could hardly believe my eyes!!  And then today we got the most wonderful thunder storm...with RAIN!!  We usually only get to see the white stuff when it storms this time of year...so this was a treat!!  It is supposed to snow more next week, but now that I have a "taste" of what could be...well, let's just say that I'm going to have to really try not to be impatient!  :-)

When I saw the sketch Amber came up with for this week's Viva la Verve challenge, I knew that I had to play!  What a FUN sketch!!  If you are not familiar with the Viva la Verve challenges, head on over to the Verve Forum at Splitcoast and you can read about all the details (*hint...there's a prize involved :-).  Every week there is a "twist" to the sketch...usually meaning some side challenge to be combined with the sketch.  This week's twist is to go "clean and simple".  So, if you know me even a little bit...then you know that clean and simple (CAS) isn't really my cup of tea.  Don't get me wrong...I adore the style...and there are some stampers out there that can take my breath away with their CAS style...but it always looks wrong when I do it.  Well, is my card clean and simple?  Probably not by most standards....but in contrast to what I normally do, I think this should qualify.  :-)

I went with a monochromatic card, using Soft Sky and Ocean Tides paired with Kraft.  I softened the Ocean Tides and Kraft c.s. by sponging the edges with some White craft ink.  The beautiful butterfly and simply fabulous sentiment is from Verve's new Beautiful Kindness set.

Well, I am going to be busy getting my tax info all ready (yeah, I know...we're cutting it kind of close...), but hopefully I will be finished in a day or two!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  ~Laurie

Recipe   Stamps: Beautiful Kindness (Verve)   Paper: Kraft, Choice White (TE), Soft Sky, Ocean Tides (PTI), Friend til the End patterned paper (PTI)   Ink: White craft, Ocean Tides, Soft Sky   Other:  Clear detail e.p., Circle Nestabilities, Fiskars corner punch, Soft Sky dbl stitched ribbon, Rhinestones, Paper piercer

A Whimsical Thank You...

Happy First Day of Spring!!  If you are beginning to see spring like weather...well, I'm jealous!!  :-)  Spring is still a ways off for us...but that won't stop me from stamping spring like projects!  LOL!  A girl can dream, right?  :-)

Today is Friday...and Friday = Weekend Sketch Challenge!!  Woohoo!!  This week, the hostess with the mostest is Cambria!  She has created wonderful sketch for us! 

   

This may come as quite a shock...but you know what?  I stayed pretty true to the sketch!!  Gasp!!  :-)  When I saw those three little squares, I immediately thought of the darling birdhouse from Taylor's new Branching Out set!

      

While thinking of colors...specifically "spring" colors...I remembered this paper from October Afternoon.  It's fun, whimsical...yet still soft and springy...so I had to use it!  I stamped the birdhouses and bird onto Choice Buttercream c.s. using Rich Cocoa Memento ink, colored them with Copics, and then cut them out.  I mounted the birdhouses onto three squares (made with my square Nestabilities), and the bird is adhered to the top of the sentiment tag.  I matted most of the layers with Suede Brown Medium Prism c.s.  The sparkly twill is from Taylor's Easter Key Ingredients pack, and the little rhinestones (aren't they cuuuuute?? :-) are from the Taylor's Tiny Twinkles container.  I love how many different colors come in one container (you get over 400!) for $3.99!  Now I don't have to feel guilty adding rhinestones to everything!  Teehehee!

You will definitely want to check out what Beate, Cambria, Charmaine, Jenn, Lori, Mary Jo, & Sharon have created with this sketch!!  I just love how each one can be so different...but all come from the same sketch! 

If  you want to play along, make sure to link your card to Cambria's blog this week!  I hope you all enjoy your weekend!  Hugs, Laurie

Recipe   Stamps: Branching Out (Taylored Expressions)   Paper: Choice Buttercream, Suede Brown Medium c.s., October Afternoon patterned paper   Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento ink, Sahara Sand   Other: Nestabilities, Twill from Easter key Ingredients pack, Sewing Machine, Sm. Oval Punch (Stampin' Up!), Taylor's Tiny Twinkles, Copics

Casing Charmaine!

Happy Thursday!  Today is the Stamper's Dream monthly challenge...and this month's challenge is to CASE one of the Design Team members!  I get the honor of casing Charmaine!!  I'm sure you're familiar with her work...she does bright and cheery like no one else!!!  :-)

Choosing just one card wasn't easy...there were so many that I loved!  I finally chose THIS card of hers...the layout is really eye catching!

 

I changed her square center panel to an oval for my card...mainly because I really, really, really wanted to use this new flower (from Basic Grey's new Porcelain Gracious Bitsy Set) and the oval fit it better.  :-)  Also, instead of a ribbon in the top left corner, I used  one of the pretty swirly stamps (embossed it with Clear e.p.) from Basic Grey's Eloquent Bitsy Set (the pretty lace trim at the bottom is a a stamp from the same set as well :-)  The patterned paper is some K & Company that I've had in my stash for a while.  I used Tawny Light and Medium (from the Prism Tawny Collection) for layering.

Here's a quick tip... I stock up on White Pearls, and use my Copics to color them the exact shade that I need!  Here, I colored the two white pearls with my "Sand" Copic...to keep with the vintage colors of the card.

Want to play along...and be entered to win some blog candy?  All you need to do is CASE (use another card as inspiration...but change at least two things) one of the Stamper's Dream Design Team members cards (links to their blogs are below) and link it in the comment section on Michelle's blog! 

You'll want to check out what eye candy the rest of the design team came up with:  Cindy, Charmaine, Denise, Kim, Michelle, & Tosha!

Thanks for coming by...I hope you have a fantastic day!  ~Laurie

The Language of Kindness...

Happy Wednesday!  Now, before I show you my card...you might want to brace yourself!  Because...get THIS - I used orange!!  I know, I know..."what was I thinking", right?  **smile**  Well, I unashamedly admit that not only did I use orange...but I liked it, too!  :-)                   

Because I needed another thank you card, I chose this kindness quote from the Wordsworth Twain Collection.  After embossing it onto vellum c.s., I highlighted just a few of the words using my B52 Copic marker.  The fun (and yes, mostly orange :-) papers are from the We R Memory Keepers "Grandma's Kitchen" collection...as are the flower and swirls! 

**Enabler Alert**  All of the Wordsworth quote stamps are on SALE...as is every clear stamp set!  Not only that...but if you order 2 sets (which are already on sale) then you get another set for FREE!!  There's more details on the Rubber Soul site. 

I'll be back tomorrow with more to share!  :-)  Thanks for stopping by!  Hugs, Laurie

Recipe   Stamps: Twain Collection (Wordsworth)   Paper:Vellum c.s., Dark Chocolate (PTI), Grandma's Kitchen Collection (We R Memory Keepers)   Ink: Jumbo Java Versamagic ink   Other: Clear detail e.p., Nestabilities Label 1, Sewing Machine, Buttons, Brown hemp

Isaiah 41:10 Frame and Box Set...

It’s a Celebration!!  Yes, you may be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, but I am also celebrating the One-year Anniversary at Our Daily Bread designs!

Thanks for stopping in on your way through Our Daily Bread Design's first ever Blog Hop!  If you didn’t know about our Blog Hop and landed here by chance, there are goodies for you along the way and it’s important to hit the blogs in the order of the Hop. You’ll want to start out with Dina at Mama Dina’s Stamperia.  If you followed me here from Jane's blog, Anything But Plain Jane then you are in the right place!  There is blog candy along the way and even I don’t know where it is, so be sure to start at the beginning of the Hop so you don’t miss it!

For a special grand prize, we are playing “Scripture Scramble!” Each blog has one or two words that you can collect at each stop and put together to make a scripture verse (NIV edition).  Once you have collected all the words, send the verse in the correct order, along with the scripture reference by EMAIL to our DT Coordinator, Judy Rozema, at lidaroseroz@gmail.com.  Correct entries will be put into a hat and the Grand Prize winner will receive a set of their choosing from Our Daily Bread designs AND
a selection of cards made especially for this celebration by some of the Design Team members. How cool is that?!  Entries must be received by MIDNIGHT CST on March 19th.
Here is my Scripture Scramble word:  KEEP

Speaking of scriptures, today is the release of two new scripture sets - Scripture Collection 1 & 2.  Each of the Design Team members chose a verse that is special to them and Kelley made them into special anniversary sets that are available for purchase today!

 

  I chose Isaiah 41:10 (Scripture Collection 1) to contribute to this special anniversary set...for many reasons.  This is my daughter Alison's favorite verse, and it has comforted her so many times during her illness.  In fact, she has even reminded me of this verse...and it's message...when I was worried and afraid!  This verse reminds me not only of God's hand on our lives, but of my daughter's ever increasing faith!

When I first received my set, I knew right away that I wanted to make something special with it!  I decided to create a frame and a box...which will both be displayed in my stamping room.

     

I chose this striking Scenic Route (Sonoma Collection) patterned paper as the base of both projects.  I ADORE these colors together!  I tell ya, I would decorate my WHOLE house like this if my husband would let me!!  LOL!  (He says that there is just so many red flowers that a cowboy can take... :-)

I have to say...that I in real life the reds are much deeper and richer.  I tried and tried to get better photos, but my camera must not like these shades of red!  So...imagine this with a deep shade of red...

Now, you're next Blog Hop stop is Sita's blog, Kay's Creative Corner!  She has some gorgeous eye candy awaiting you...

Thanks for stopping by!  ~Laurie