Just Give Me Stamps...

A Western Christmas...

Happy Monday!!  I can officially say that we're {{50 %}} better now!  LOL!  I'll take it though!!  :-)  This flu has been rough, so it feels SO good to be heading back to normal!  Besides a lingering cough, both of my little ones are back to their fun loving, mischief seeking, VERY rambunctious and cute selves!!  My older two will get there soon as they are headed in the right direction!  :-) 

I have a Christmas card to share with you today!  Actually, it's one that I made several weeks ago but am just now getting a chance to share it!

As soon as I saw this Santa Horses stamp (by Impression Obsession) I fell in love!  These horses remind me SOOO much of some of our own, right down to the markings!!  In fact, I have a picture of our blue roan and red roan snuggling up together...except for the Santa hats *giggle*...it looks exactly the same as this stamp!  That picture (of our blue roan and red roan horses) was the inspiration for how I colored this image.  I stamped the image directly onto Kraft cardstock then used my Copics to add some color. 

After I tore and inked up the edges, I layered it on some distressed patterned paper strips.  I then machine stitched the top and bottom as well as hand stitched a little using some Burlap String.  I used that same Burlap String to create a rope tied up with a bow (doesn't every cowboy's rope need a bow??  LOL!) and a charm for embellishment!  The sentiment is from Penny Black's Cyrstalline set.  Lastly, I added some Frosted Lace Stickles to the Santa hats...I just love how it makes them pop!

Well, that's all from me today!  I'm off to bake some cookies!  It's pouring down rain here (I LOVE it), and I think some freshly baked Snickerdoodles would help everyone feel better!  :-)  Hugs, Laurie

 
Stamps:  Santa Horses cling stamp (Impression Obsession), Crystalline (Penny Black)
Paper:  Kraft cardstock, Patterned paper (The Merry Days of Christmas by My Mind's Eye)
Ink:  Rich Cocoa Memento Ink, Chamomile and Chai Tea Vintage Ink (PTI)
Accessories:  Copics, Sewing Machine, Burlap String (May Arts), Paper piercer, Snowflake charm, Frosted Lace Stickles
 

What's Brewing?

Hi!  It's going to be a super short post today as I have now gotten what my boys had...YUCK!!  I thought while I was waiting for my ibuprofen to kick in, I would come on here and share a card I made a couple days ago.  :-)

I have to tell you how excited I was to stamp this card!  I just LOVE gingham patterns, and when I saw the Gingham Cover-a-Card stamp I was over the moon happy!!  Finding gingham patterned papers (especially in the colors I like) is really hard...but now I can have gingham whenever my heart desires!!  Woohooo!!  So, yeah...expect to see a lot more gingham!  LOL!  These cover a card stamps are big ( 5 3/4" x 5 3/4"), so they will fit just about ANY size of card you'd like to make!  They are cling stamps (deeply etched red rubber with a cling backing) that are designed to be used with clear acrylic blocks.  I used the new Mega Mount 6" x 6" Rocker Acrylic Mount (expect to see more info on that from me...because it's AWESOME!!).

For my main image, I stamped one of the coffee cups from Impression Obsession's What's Brewing? set (also a cling mount stamp :-) using Rich Cocoa Memento ink.  Before coloring it in with my Copics, I lightly stamped the coffee beans for a subtle background (also included in the What's Brewing?set).  I tied it up using some luscious 2" Mauve Crushed Wired ribbon (by May Arts) and some Ivory Prima flowers.

Here's a close-up of the cup so you can see the Diamond Glaze I added to the coffee!  See those cute little polka dots on the cup?  I got the idea from Nichole Heady (you can click HERE to see the latest post she did this technique on)...I just LOVE the look!  

I didn't have any room on the outside for the sentiment, so I decorated the inside (very similar to the front of the card) and added the "What's Brewing" sentiment (also from the What's Brewing? set).  Oh, I almost forgot to mention the new Nesabilities I got (Nestabilities Labels Six)!  I loooooove this shape!  I used them on both the front and the inside....so fun!  :-)

Okay...so this post wasn't as short as I thought it would be {{grin}}.  I am headed for bed now, though.  Hope you all have a peaceful night!  ~Laurie

 
Stamps:  What's Brewing? (Impression Obsession)
Paper:  Kraft paper (PTI), Choice Buttercream c.s. (Taylored Expressions)
Ink:  Pink Grapefruit Versamagic Dew Drop, Vintage Cream (PTI), Creamy Caramel (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Clear detail e.p. (Judikins), Diamond Glaze (Judikins), Nestabilities Labels 6, Sewing Machine, Martha Stewart border punch, Buttons (PTI), May Arts ribbon, Flowers
  
 

Be Merry...

Happy Thursday!  All week, the Stamper's Dream girls are sharing projects they've created using Impression Obsession stamps, and today is my day to share mine!  :-)

I used this charming Ornament Chickadee stamp (from Impression Obsession)!  First, I stamped the image onto White c.s. using Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then I colored it in using my copics.  For the "sky", I used my copic air art gun and lightly sprayed some blue ink over my image (which I masked first).  The yummy patterned paper is from the My Mind's Eye Merry Days of Christmas collection and the Burgundy Velvet ribbon is from May Arts.  I used the "be merry" sentiment from Penny Black's Crystalline set.

 

Here's a close-up picture of the ornament.  I added a tiny bit of sparkle with my clear Spica Glitter pen then covered it in Diamond Glaze.  I just LOVE the shine combined with the sparkle!!

Another close-up picture...but this time I'm showing you the sparkle (Frosted Lace Stickles) I added to the clear snowflake embellishment!

There is PLENTY more Impression Obsession inspiration for you to see!!  Check out what Becca, Denise, Michelle, & Tosh have created!

Oh...and did you see the blog candy Michelle is offering??!!?!  I SO want that punch!!  Do you think she'd notice if I left a gazillion comments??  LOL!  Seriously though, it's some great looking candy!

Well, school is in full swing for us and my days have suddenly gotten shorter!!  LOL!  I love it though...it's so rewarding to be such an integral part of my children's lives and I count myself extremely blessed for it!  So...if you see some gaps in my posting here, you know why!  :-)

I hope you all have an amazing day!!  ~Laurie

Stamps: Ornament Chickadee (Impression Obsession)
Paper:  Choice White c.s., My Mind's Eye the Merry Days of Christmas Collection
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Old Paper Distress ink, Moulin Rouge Palette ink
Accessories:  Quick Kutz Nesting Label die, Burgundy Velvet ribbon, Heidi Swapp Snowflake ghost shape, Button, Tiny Twinkles, Corner Rounder punch

Color Blocked Flip Flops...

Wow...another week has gone by FAST!!  It's so hard to believe that we're already well into August!  We are going school shopping this week.  Where, oh where did our summer go?  We've been having unusually cooler weather (we've had our HEAT on for the past three days) with the lows at night in the upper 30's!  I used to always snicker when I was a kid and heard adults say that time goes by so fast!  I thought that was something that they just said...kind of like talking about the weather...because time always seemed to go by too slowly for me then!!  Now, I finally understand!  :-)

Today, I've got a fun and simple little card to share with you.  When I first got this Flip Out set (by Impressions Obsession), I had envisioned doing a color-blocked style of card.  Usually when I get ideas like that I jot them down in my idea notebook.  Well, yesterday (while feeling sorry for myself about summer coming to an end) I started flipping through my idea book and saw that note about this set.  Immediately I pulled out my Prism c.s. Swatchbook and set out to find the color combo I wanted to use.  I didn't have all of the colors in Prism c.s. (I only had the Blush Red Light), but substitued other c.s. for the Prism colors listed.  I chose Blush Red Light (it's similar to Cameo Coral but a tad more pinkish), Certainly Celery, and Bermuda Bay.  I have to say that I just LOVE these color together!

I have really fallen head over heels for my Versamagic Dew Drops!  They are a pigment "chalk" ink and they cover SOOOOO nicely, and when I'm stamping a bolder style of image it really makes a difference!  They are small with a pointy end...so it makes inking up only part of an image easier.  Also, being a pigment ink they are embossable!  I actually chose not to emboss the flip flops, so I just heat set them.  I did emboss the little white strap thingies though. 

To embellish my card, I added some rhinestones to the flip flops, some stitching, a dotted line across the bottom (using my Cutter-Bee and Scor-Pal), and a button tied with some string!

Hope the rest of your weekend is fabulous!  ~Laurie

Recipe  
Stamps: Flip out (Impression Obsession)
Paper:  Kraft, Prism White, Blush Red Light Prism c.s., Certainly Celery, Bermuda Bay (Stampin' Up!)  
Ink:  Pink Grapefruit, Key Lime, Turquoise Gem Versamagic Dew Drops, White craft ink
Accessories:  Sewing machine, Circle Nestabilities, Rhinestones, Button, Burlap string, Cutter Bee and Scor-Pal, White Embossing powder, Scallop border punch

Flip Out...

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Fourth!  We stayed home and just spent time together as a family.  With our busy schedules lately, this was a welcome treat!

I have a bright and fun card to share with you today.      

I used Impression Obsession's Flip Out set combined with the new Lemondade paper from Basic Grey.  I just love the flowers on the flip flops!!  Sooo fun!  This is as close to a "one layer" card as I get (I don't necessarily count the Nestabilities layers...teeheehee)!  For embellishments, I added some tiny rhinestones, Melon Mambo ribbon, and some stitching.

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend!  ~Laurie

Recipe   Stamps: Flip Out (Impressions Obsession)   Paper: Frosted Pink & Intense Pink Prism c.s., Lemonade patterned paper (Basic Grey)   Ink: Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up!), Versamark   Other: Clear Detail e.p., Melon Mambo grosgrain ribbon, Circle Nestabilities, Labels Four Nestabilities, Tiny rhinestones, Sewing Machine

 

Same Stamp, Two Very Different Cards...

Hello!  Man, is this week flying by, or what?  I just can't believe that it's Wednesday already...where did Monday and Tuesday go?  Anyone else "losing" days, or is that just me?  :-)

Today I've got a couple of cards to share with you - both made with the brand new Hydrangea stamp from Impression Obsession.  This first card is a little bit on the modern side...something that is different for me, but I really had fun making it!  I wanted to keep the embellishments minimal and let the bold green panels take center stage.  I chose some ribbon/button embellishments (I used some Olive silk ribbon) accented with some Natural Burlap string.  

 This next card has a completely different feel to it.  I wanted the Hydrangea panels to look softer, so I stamped it on Kraft c.s. using Versamark ink and then sponged some Pebbles Pearlescent chalks over it.  I then added a few white dots in the flower centers.

 

For the sentiment, I chose this "Have Faith" stamp from the Tiny Words & Centers set from JustRite Stampers.  For embellishments, I added some Light Green/Ivory Checked ribbon, a heart charm, and a tiny rhinestone on the butterfly.

To see more Impression Obsession samples, check out what Michelle and Tosh have created!

I hope enjoy your day!  ~Laurie

Shuttered Window Box...

 Ok...you'll never guess what we woke up to yesterday morning!  SNOW!!  Yep, it's true!  This has been the craziest weather year...even for Montana!     I have a picture of it later on in this post!

But first, I want to show you what I've been up to in my stampin room!   

  

This week, the Stamper's Dream Girls are all sharing projects with the new Impression Obsession stamps!  For my first project (I will share another one on Wednesday) I chose to use this beeea-utiful Shuttered Window Box stamp.  I just love it!  In fact, if I could garden...or grow anything at all (if it didn't all freeze in the snow LOL!), I would want window boxes like this!  Alas, my thumbs are as opposite from "green" as you can get (my mom is probably snickering right now, because she knows this is true :-), so I will settle for gorgeous stamps instead!  Maybe someday I'll share my "Radish Story" with you...you'd be in for a good laugh, that's for sure!

Ok...no more babbling and on to the card details.  I chose some Scenic Route patterned paper for my background.  The image is stamped onto Watercolor paper and colored in with my Prismacolor pencils and blended with Baby Oil.  I added some rhinestones to the sides as well as above the punched border, and finished it off with a red satin bow.

For more samples using the new Impression Obsession stamps, check out what Charmiane, Kim, & Michelle have created!

I will leave you with this picture that I took yesterday morning just after I woke up.  The photo is dark because there wasn't' a lot of light out yet.  I just realized that I'm always sharing pictures when it snows!  I will have to take some pictures this summer to prove we do get some sun!  LOL!!

 

 

I hope you have a wonderful Monday!  ~Laurie