Just Give Me Stamps...

Flora Doodles...

Today, I finished up a project that I've been working on.  I've actually been meaning to make one of these for quite some time (I've had the supplies for...well, longer than I care to admit LOL!).  I'm not sure, exactly, why I've been putting it off...it was so fun and quick to make!

 I've had this Flora Doodles set by Inque Boutique sitting on my desk for a few days.  My daughter, Alison, came in to my stamp room...saw the Flora Doodles set...and was instantly smitten!  She then goes on to remind me of the "cork board that I was supposed to make her for her room...but haven't yet...one that will match the colors in her room...and OH won't this set be perfect for it...and don't you have all the stuff already?"!!  LOL!!  Isn't it amazing how good their memory is when it comes to stuff like that...but how easy it is to forget to say...do the dishes?  LOL!!!  That was all the convincing I needed...

I found these cork board squares (5 3/4") at the Dollar store, believe it or not!  I originally was planning on making a trio..or even a quartet of these, but only one will fit by Ali's desk.  Although, now that I'm not "putting it off" anymore...I just might make one for myself (except I would probably make four as they are a bit small).  I started by painting the cork board white.  I then stamped the swirls from the Petals set (also an Inque Boutique set) using some bright green acrylic paint.  I masked around the edges, and painted them a bright pink to somewhat resemble a frame.  I don't think I masked well enough, becase a little bit of pink paint leaked under the tape.  That is why this now has some black grosgrain trim!  :-)

I wanted to make some cute covers for the Quilter's tacks that I had, but I didn't think cardstock would hold up very well.  So, I brought out my white shrink plastic.  :-)  Using the same flower I did on the paper one (in the top corner), I stamped it onto the shrink plastic (which I lightly sanded first) using Pallet Noir ink.  I actually tried several different inks...and none of them worked better than the Palette (I needed it to not smear on the plastic and be permanent enough that I could use my Copics on it after it was shrunk).  The first one I tried, I did not sand the shrink plastic...and my Copic markers just smeared...making quite a mess...so, if you want to try this and use Copics to color...make sure you sand first!  :-)

After I shrunk my flowers (it is SO much fun to watch..I don't think I will ever get tired of it :-), I used E6000 glue to adhere the flowers to the top of the tacks.  I then added some pink Dew Drops to the centers of each of the flowers.

I stamped the flower twice onto Shimmery White c.s. and colored them in with Copic markers.  I cut them both out (one I only cut out the inner part) and used mounting foam to adhere them together.  After it was all together, I "outlined" the flower with Stardust Stickles.  (I always add my Stickles last...that way I don't smear it :-).

**I also want to remind you of the "Everything Inque Day" sale!  Everything (and I do mean everything...stamps, patterned paper, chipboard, stickers, acrylic blocks, the 13" stamping mat (a.k.a. Stephanie's Secret Weapon), ink pads, felt embellishments, brads, etc.) is 20% off of their already great prices!  And...if you order through The Purple Turtle Stamp Shoppe, the sale is extended through Monday!  Just make sure you use the coupon code AWESOME at check out! 

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Recipe   Stamps: Flora Doodles, Petals   Paper: Shimmery White c.s.   Ink:Palette Noir, Adirondack Pitch Black   Other: Copic markers, Shrink Plastic, Corkboard square, Dew Drops, Rhinestones, Ribbon, Acrylic paint, Stickles, Decorative brad, Quilter's tacks

Groovy New Stamps!

Today is the release date of four brand new Verve stamp sets!  Julee has also launched a whole new line of stamps that she is calling "Plain Janes"!  There is just so much going on over on the Verve site (including a fresh new look)!

Here are some of the samples I've made:

You're Still the One

Stamps: Feeling Groovy
Paper: Pearlized Cream, Spring Moss, Aqua Mist (Papertrey)
Ink: Cool Caribbean, Soft Sky, Spring Moss
Accessories: Swiss Dots embossing folder, Aqua Mist grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey), Dew Drop, Corner rounder

Groovy Notebook

Stamps: Feeling Groovy (Verve), Polka Dots background (CC Designs)
Paper: Whisper White, Pink Passion, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Versamark
Accessories: Copic markers, Paper piercer, White gel pen, Black detail e.p., Ribbon, Corner Rounder, Notebook

Smile  (I'm not sure what's up with me and bright colors lately...but I'm lovin' em!)

Stamps: All About You (Verve)
Paper: Whisper White, Certainly Celery (Stampin' Up!), Berry Sweet Patterned paper (K & Co.)
Ink: Pink Passion (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Lg. Prima flower, Oval punches, Corner Rounder punch (Stampin' Up!), Ribbons, White gel pen, Rhinestones

Delight  (This uses the new "Plain Jane" stamp)

Stamps: Delight {Psalm 37:4} (Verve)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up!, Patterned paper (K & Co.)
Ink: Creamy Caramel craft ink, Creamy Caramel Classic (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Clear e.p., Coaster, Sewing Machine, Ivory taffeta ribbon, Dew Drops, Nestabilities

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a wonderful day!

 

 

Good Times & Sweet Expressions...

Happy Monday!  Today is the release date of two new fun Whipper Snapper sets (by Anna Wight)...and they are SOOO fun!! 

For my card, I used the cherry on the background (from the Good Times set) and as the focal image (isn't it the cutest cherry??)  For the tag, I chose the "you're my favorite" sentiment from the new Sweet Expressions set.  I stamped the cherry randomly all over the white background piece, colored with Copics, & then added some little black dots to fill in some of the white space.

Here is a close-up picture, so you can see the Crystal Effects that I added to the cherry.

For my second project, I covered a package of Orbit Citrusmint gum and made a matching gift card.  The orange/lemon slice is from the Good Times set as is that sweet flourish.  :-)

 

I added Stardtust Stickles to parts of the orange/lemon slices, and also highlighted some of the flourishes with dots made with a white gel pen.

I just love sentiments that fit into tags (I looove tags)...and all of these sentiments (from Sweet Expressions) will fit onto a variety of different tags!  For this project, I used the Word Window Punch to create my tags.

Thanks so much for stopping by...I hope you have a wonderful day! 

Recipe for Cherry Card:   Stamps: Good Times, Sweet Expressions (Whipper Snapper)   Paper: Papertrey White, Real Red, Basic Black   Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black   Other: Copic markers, Nestabilities, Crystal Effects, Spellbinder's Tag Trio, 5/8" Real Red grosgrain ribbon, Black & White gingham ribbon, Paper piercer, Black Copic Multi-liner pen

Recipe for Citrus Gift Set:   Stamps: Good Times, Sweet Expressions (Whipper Snapper)   Paper: Shimmery White c.s., Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie   Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun   Other: Copic markers, Stardust Stickles, Paper piercer, Dew Drops, White grosgrain ribbon, Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder

Have a Prrrr-fect Day...

Happy Friday!  It's been pretty busy around here lately!  I had no idea how much *work* it would be to keep my DH from going to work!  LOL!  He is definitely not one to just sit around...but, between the kids and I...we have made sure that he doesn't go too far. He is recovering nicely...and for that I am very grateful!  :-)

I'm pretty late in posting my card for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge # 51....but better late than never, right?

I needed a little gift to go along with my card...so I made up this little goodie bag also.  This smiling goldfish is my absolute favorite image from Whipper Snapper's new Cat's Life set...I just love it!!

I kept the color combo pretty simple, as I wanted the patterned paper to stand out.  I stamped both the cat and fish with Adirondack Pitch Black ink and colored them in with my Copic markers.

I filled the cellophane bag with some Swedish Fish (YUM)!  I also added some Crystal Effects to the fish...for that "just out of the water" look!  LOL!

To see more samples of this sketch, check out what Cambria,Charmaine, Jenn, Lori, Mary Jo, & Sharon have made! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Recipe  Stamps: Cat's Life (Whipper Snapper)   Paper:Papertrey White, Real Red, Patterned paper (Rob & Bob Studio)   Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black   Other: Copic markers, Tiny Bubbles embossing folder, Paper piercer, Mini brads (Queen & Co.), Ticket corner punch, Heart punch, Tag punch (Lg. & Sm.), Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Crystal effects, White gel pen, Spica glitter pen (gold)

Brand New Whipper Snapper Sets!

Yep...you read right!  There are BRAND NEW Whipper Snapper sets being released today!!  I received an email from Anna Wight asking me if I would be a Featured Designer for May and June...and immediately said YES!  As if I wasn't excited already...when I received the two new sets for May (Cat's Life and Good Dog), I squealed with delight!  I really have had SO much fun creating with these fun, whimsical, and UBER cute stamps! 

We have a puppy (Rodeo) that we are "attempting" to train. LOL!  The bad news is that he thinks we are always playing with him...hehehee!  The good news is that he has an unsatisfiable craving for "goodies"...which will come in handy during our training attempts!!  I found these all natural, heart shaped dog treats and thought I would create a special jar for him. 

Here is a close-up of the CUUUUUTE dog (from Good Dog)!  I love that it looks like he's wagging his tail!  LOL!  It really does remind me of Rodeo when he thinks he's going to get a goodie!!  Heheee!

For this project, I took a mini composition book (the dimensions are 3 1/4" x 4 1/2") and covered the spine (it was black) with Versamagic chalk ink to match the browns in my patterned paper.  I'm not an overly patient person (Hehehee!), so I used my heat gun to dry the ink.  I watercolored the images (from Good Dog) using my Classic ink pads and a watercolor brush. 

For the "finishing touches", I added some hand stitching, a "Love" charm, and some WAAAAY cool trim (it's furry!).  :-)

I wanted a "princess" look for this card...I thought it would compliment the "queen for a day" sentiment (I LOVE that sentiment!!).  I started with a Blush Blossom 5 1/4" card base, and layered some patterned paper (by K & Co) and then some vellum c.s. (I sewed around the edges to adhere it to my layers).

I stamped the cat (from Cat's Life) onto Shimmery White c.s. and colored it in with my Copic markers.  After cutting my cat out, I adhered her (I was going to say him...but that just seems wrong when I'm talking about "Blush Blossom"...LOL!!!) onto some Blush Blossom rectangles (cut and embossed with Nestabilities).

 

To add some more bling (because a queen NEEDS bling...even if it is for only one day..LOL!!), I painted some chipboard swirls with white acrylic paint mixed with Blush Blossom refill, then added some Micro beads and Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

Make sure you check out the other Whipper Snapper Featured Designers:  Anna Wight, Karrie Baker, Kittie Caricciolo, Michelle Wooderson, Vivian Peters

Thanks so much for stopping by...and I hope you all enjoy your day!

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)

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)

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

New Our Daily Bread Stamp Sets Released Today...

Happy Tuesday!  We've been busy here...as the weather was starting to warm up a little.  I say "was" because it's actually snowing again today!  LOL!  We also just got our taxes filed today!!  Talk about "in the nick of time"!  Our accountant is our favorite person today...as he just told us we will be getting a refund!  Woohoo!  You know...I think I just heard my DH saying that he'd like me to buy some of those Mega Nestabilities sets....heheheee...a girl can dream, right?  :-)

  Our Daily Bread Designs released two new stamp sets today!   This first sample I've made (click on it to see it larger) uses a verse from the new On Eagles Wings set.  Although I absolutely love the wonderful eagle image...it was this verse that really jumped out at me when I first received this set!  As well as being one of our family's most favorite verses, the font is soo beautiful!  I felt like it should be framed or something...so that's what I did!  LOL! 

I embossed the verse onto Vellum c.s. with Chocolate Chip craft ink and clear embossing powder.  I used my Oval Nestabilities to create the various layers.  I added some sponging (with Antique Linen Distress ink and Basic Brown Classic ink) and some ribbon.  Just so you can picture the true size, the frame holds a 4 x 6 photo...not too large...but not too small, either!

Here's a close up picture of just the verse.  Yes, that is patterned paper under the vellum...actually the same patterned paper as the background.  What I did is...took my oval die and placed it on my piece of patterned paper where I was going to position my finished oval layer.  I then ran it though my Cuttlebug machine.  I used the oval that I cut out underneath my vellum...that is why the pattern on the oval matches perfectly to the background pattern.  To cover the hole, I just added a larger scalloped oval.

This card uses the new First Holy Communion set.  I stamped the image onto Shimmery White c.s. using Espresso Adirondack ink and then colored it in using my Copic markers (see below for the colors I used). 

The patterned paper is part of the new Basic Grey Boxer collection.  I added some brown velvet ribbon and a square decorative brad.

In this picture, you can see the Crystal Effects that I added to the cup.

I've had a few requests that I list the Copic colors I use on my projects.  Honestly, I haven't included that information because I didn't think anyone really was interested! LOL!  So...I will try and remember to take a picture of the colors that I use (I know...a total copy of what Debbie Olson does...but she's so awesome..can you blame me?  :-)

I hope you all have a wonderful day! 

Stamps: On Eagles Wings   Paper: My Mind's Eye (Bohemia Collection), Vellum c.s., Chocolate Chip   Ink: Chocolate Chip craft ink, Basic Brown, Antique Linen Distress Ink   Other: Frame, Clear e.p., Ribbon, Oval Nestabilities

Recipe For Card   Stamps: First Holy Communion   Paper: Shimmery White c.s., Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey (Boxer Collection)   Ink: Adirondack Espresso, Antique Linen Distress ink, Chocolate Chip   Other: Copic markers, Crystal Effects, Brown velvet ribbon, Square decorative brad, Rectangle Nestabilities