Rubber Arts - Stampin' Up with Maxene!

Razzle Window Card

2009-08-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

I'm baaack! Sorry for the long silence, I've been too busy taking care of *life* stuff, but I'm back now! So on to the fun stuff!

I love this new designer paper called Razzleberry Lemonade and the new Movers & Shapers dies!

This is a card I made for my friend and TAC demonstrator Betti! Hi Betti!!!

In the new catalog, Stampin Up has introduced 4 more magnetic shapes to use with the Movers & Shapers die in your Big Shot machine.

You simply run your cardstock through the Big Shot machine and choose which die window you want to use with your card. Since the dies are magnetic you can place the *window* anywhere you want!

In the photo above you can see how I used the NEW Modern Label punch to punch out and pop up this sentiment so that it can be seen on the front of card through the window.

The 4 different shapes each match with a corresponding hand punch so that the shape can *pop out* through the same shaped *window*.
The 4 shapes are:
1) oval scallop
2) NEW modern label
3) heart
4) star

You can see in this side view how it's done. Thanks for stopping by!

stamps: Thank You Kindly - $13.95
Cardstock: Whisper White base cardstock, Rich Razzleberry cardstock, Melon Mambo cardstock, Crushed Curry cardstock
Papers: Razzleberry Lemonade designer paper
Ink: Rich Razzleberry dye ink pad
Ribbon: Melon Mambo Polka-dotted Grosgrain ribbon
Accessories: Big Shot machine, Movers & Shapers Curly Label Bigz Xl Die, Punch Windows Movers & Shapers Die (modern label), Modern Label hand punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Mini Glue Dots

It's Heeeerrrrreeee! The New Catalog is Here!

2009-07-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

click on the catalog to download it

Isn't she a beaut? It's finally here! The new 2009 - 2010 Catalog! And it runs for an ENTIRE year. Yes - Stampin' Up switched back to having a yearly catalog, yippee!

This catalog is chock-full of the most beautiful rubber stamps, scrapbooking kits, cardmaking kits, cardstock, inks, markers, ribbons, embellishments, designer papers and tools you've ever seen. What else can I say? If you don't have a copy of it, you can click on it and it'll begin to download to your computer. If there's anything you'd like to purchase just click on my link to my Stampin' Up store and you can start shopping from my website!

Stay tuned for some cute cards and projects next week!

Inspiration for today:
*God loves you with an unearthly love.* - Max Lucado

P.S. the posting below was supposed to be dated June 30 (that was the day I posted it). I don't know why it says June 21.

Goodbye to Soft Summer Forever!

2009-06-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

Oooh, I'm SO sad to see *Soft Summer* gone forever. Today I checked the dormant list for the catalog that begins tomorrow and it's NOT on there, boo hoo! This is one stamp set I won't be getting rid of - it'll become part of my permanent rubber stamp collection. Here's a few last looks at this beautiful set!

I sort of copied the card that's in the Spring *Occasions* mini catalog but changed it up a little. I used the button Sizzix sizzlet die to cut out the button, and threaded it with linen thread. The thread also runs through the card for a natural look. I just noticed that each of these cards are paired up with a stamp set that's NOT retiring - in this card *Great Friend*, from the Occasions mini will be seen in the new catalog!

Lately I've been making these *Glitter/Lace* cards, they're SO much fun, it's like magic when you get the final design! I love using black with yellow, I think it looks very modern and classy. For this card I also used the *Matchbox Messages* set, which thankfully, has also made it into the new catalog, yay!!!

Finally, I wanted to make something bright and pretty, so I went with pink and green, hee hee!

*Oval All* is the set in this card that will be carried over into the new catalog.

Thanks for visiting today!!!!

Inspiration for today:
*We serve a God so rapt with wonders that their viewing requires an eternity.* - Max Lucado

Exclusive In Color Chart & upcoming set Animal Stories

2009-06-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

Here's another exclusive sneak peak at the new upcoming IN COLORS that will be available for purchase on July 1st.

click on image to enlarge it

This chart is from the July issue of *Stampin' Success* magazine, which is one of the perks of being a demonstrator - we get this free magazine every month and it's full of patterns, templates, samples, ideas, articles, news, lists of demonstrators winning different awards and milestones, and helpful guides and tips! It also showcases the monthly winning designs of the different contests going on: best scrapbook page, best 3-D item, best card, etc.. (the contests change from month to month).

*Animal Stories* & *Circle Circus* sneak peak!

click on image to enlarge it

I made this card at my upline Brenda Keenan's house last week, isn't it so pretty? It has an Asian feel to it. Brenda cased it from *stampinangie* (splitcoaststampers) with some changes to come up with the card you see here! These sets, inks and papers will be available for purchase on July 1st!

~SUPPLIES~
Stamps: Animal Stories, Circle Circus
Cardstock: Crushed Curry (textured), Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede (textured), Whisper White
Inks Pads: Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede
Accessories: scallop border punch, round scallop, round circles, white grosgrain ribbon

inspirational quote:
You need not win God's love. You already have it. -Max Lucado

Sneak Peak at the spicy new In Colors for 2009-2010

2009-06-17T23:28:00.000-07:00

click on the photo to enlarge it

Here's a sneak peak at some of the new In Colors that will be available for purchase on July 1st! Aren't they so beautiful and rich? I thought the colors would make a perfect match with the *True Friend* set, since both this set and the new In Colors remind me a little of India. (I was fortunate to be able to visit there when I was 17!) One of the colors is called *Crushed Curry*. Doesn't it make your mouth water for Indian food?

Tomorrow I'll have another post showing all the new In Colors!

Techniques used: heat embossing, stamping with markers

SUPPLY LIST:
Stamps
• True Friend
• Thank You Kindly
Paper
• Whisper White card stock
• Rich Razzleberry (NEW!) card stock
• Melon Mambo (NEW!) card stock
• Crushed Curry (NEW!) card stock
• Dusty Durango(NEW!) card stock
• Bermuda Bay (NEW!) card stock
Stampin’ Up! Inks
• Crushed Curry (NEW!) Classic Ink Pad
• Rich Razzleberry (NEW!) Stampin' Write Marker
• Dusty Durango(NEW!) Stampin' Write Marker
Stampin’ Up! Accessories
• Rich Razzleberry (NEW!) Stampin' Write Marker
• Dusty Durango(NEW!) Stampin' Write Marker
• white gel pen
• versamark pad
• white embossing powder
• heat gun
• Photo Corners punch
• Eyelet Border Punch

click on the image to enlarge it:

here is an inspirational quote:
*God is not just alive, but life itself.* -Max Lucado

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

2009-06-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

click on the photo to enlarge it

I'm so sad to see some of my most favorite stamp sets of all time retiring. *Heartfelt Thanks* is one of those sets. I'm having a hard time letting go of it and moving on to the new sets! There are so many things you can do with set, it's not even funny! This was one of those sets that you could use with the Watercolor Wonder Crayons, the Stampin' Markers, the Classic and Craft ink pads, the chalks... pretty much everything.

I'll be missing this set!!!!

I paired it up with the designer paper *Walk in the Park* and a silver basic *Jumbo Grommet*, both available in the *Occasions Mini Catalog*. The silver brads, white gel pen, grey taffeta ribbon and photo corners punch are all available in the main catalog.

For those of you who never had a chance to play with it, I highly encourage you to get it while you can. After June 30 it will be gone forever!

SUPPLY LIST:
Stamps
• Heartfelt Thanks (LAST CHANCE LIST)
Paper
• Whisper White card stock
• Basic Gray card stock
• Basic Black card stock
• Walk in the Park Designer Series double-sided cardstock (OCCASIONS MINI CATALOG)
Ink
• Baja Breeze Classic Stampin’ Pad
• Basic Black Classis Stampin' Pad
Stampin’ Up! Accessories
• White gel pen
• Basic Black Stampin' Write marker
• Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon
• Silver Brads
• Crafter's Tool Kit
• Stampin’ Dimensionals
• Basic Jumbo Grommets (Silver) (OCCASIONS MINI CATALOG)
• Photo Corners punch

click on the image to enlarge it

LAST CHANCE TO BUY RETIRING ACCESSORIES!

2009-06-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

There are still lots of accessories left for purchase at discount prices! Check out the updated list. As of June 16, 2009. CLICK ON THE LIST BELOW TO ENLARGE IT!

If you'd like to purchase any of these, CLICK HERE - once you're at my website click on the SHOP NOW button in the upper right-hand corner!

Country Living Summer Cookout Kit! Available June 15 - August 31

2009-06-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

Dates: June 15 - August 31, 2009

This summer, Stampin' Up! has partnered with Country Living magazine to create a unique craft kit, which they are featuring in their July 2009 issue. You will love how it can help create special memories with a fun and convenient, coordinated summer barbeque!

STAMP SET:

The exclusive Country Living Summer Cookout Kit includes the following products:

8 die-cut table tents (2 each of 4 colors)
Die-cut components, bamboo skewers, and envelopes to create 8 shish kabob invitations
12 die-cut coasters (3 each of 4 colors)
16 die-cut tags (4 each of 4 colors)
24 12" x 12" printed food wrapper sheets (12 each of 2 colors)
4 printed recipe cards
5 yards linen thread
Ruby Red Classic Stampin' Spot
Night of Navy Classic Stampin' Spot
Dig In stamp set (item number 116700)

See how Shelli Gardner, the founder of Stampin' Up! used the kit to throw a BBQ for her own family!

She even provided the directions to make this Origami Blitz Box that she used to hold the potato chips:

Using leftovers to create this cute little holiday decoration flag:

To purchase this kit, click here to go to my Stampin' Up website and then click on the SHOP NOW button!

Item #	Description	Price
118070	Country Living Summer Cookout Kit	$24.95

An inspirational verse for today:
Psalm 51:10-12
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from Your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Gratuitous Graffiti!

2009-05-06T23:23:00.001-07:00

I had been wanting this stamp, *Gratuitous Graffiti* for a long, long time - so imagine my joy when I found out that I had earned a free stamp set from Stampin' Up! During Sale-a-bration, you can earn free stamps according to how much your sales are. Woo-hoo! I was so excited!

I just love the grungy, shabby-chic-ness of this stamp design, I think it's just awesome and there's so much you can do with it artistically. I also love that it's all about thankfulness and gratitude, AND in different languages!

So, to make this card I decided to heat emboss the stamp image on plain Whisper White cardstock using Versamark and Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder with my Stampin' Up Heat Tool. After it cooled down I sponged on different colors, using each color of ink to highlight the different words. I used cut up pieces of sponges and picked up ink straight from the ink pads, swiping the sponge over the ink pad repeatedly until it had a good amount of ink on it. Then I dabbed the sponge onto the cardstock directly over the words. Each word would emerge as I dabbed the ink on, it was really fun to watch. Finally I made a shadow around each word with a permanent Sharpie marker, giving the words more definition. Ain't it coooool? I can't wait to make more!!!

To order any of these products, click on this link to go to my Stampin' Up storefront!

~SUPPLIES~

Stamps: Gratuitous Graffiti Background Stamp

Cardstock: Pink Passion, Basic Black, Whisper White

Inks Pads: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Always Artichoke, Real Red, Summer Sun, Pretty in Pink, Orchid Opulence, Pumkpin Pie, Pink Passion

Accessories: Heat Tool, Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Sponges

Inspired by Nature!

2009-04-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

This is one of my all-time favorite Stampin' Up! stamps, *Inspired by Nature*. Isn't it a beaut? (the stamp, I mean). It's so cool, it's a double-mounted stamp - on one side of the wood block is this stamp image, and on the other side of the stamp is a matching long grassy stamp! The two of them go perfectly together!

This stamp is also perfect for using with watercolor wonder crayons, or with the Stampin' Up! markers .

On this card I've used both sides of the rubber stamp. Do you see how the long grassy image compliments the flowers? I also used Stampin' Up!'s water-based markers and directly inked up the stamp using various shades of pink. After I colored the entire stamp, I stamped it on whisper white cardstock.

Here you can see the flower stamp used alone without the long grass.

I basically did the same with this one. I colored in the stamp with Stampin' Up!'s water-based markers *Tempting Turquoise* and *Summer Sun* and then stamped it on the specialty cardstock, *whisper white* which is an ultra smooth, silky and absorbent cardstock. Do you see all the little black and grey dots in the background? Those were done with the *Itty Bitty Backgrounds* set, which is a must-have for creating subtle shading and interest. I also added touches of highlights with a white Stampin' Up! gel pen and Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker.

So, where is this stamp set, you ask? Why don't you see it in the catalog?!

That's because Stampin' Up! has a *dormant* (sleeping) list! It's basically all the stamp sets that are not seen in any catalog but still available for you to buy! You can download, view and print it by clicking right here!

TO ORDER ANY OR ALL OF THESE PRODUCTS, CLICK HERE NOW!

~SUPPLIES~

1st card:

Stamps: Inspired by Nature, Best Yet (retired)

Cardstock: Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Inks/Markers: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery & Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers

Accessories: Scallop Square punch, Pretty in Pink 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

2nd card:

Stamps: Inspired by Nature, Itty Bitty Backgrounds, Thank You Kindly

Cardstock: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White

Inks/Markers: Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery & Green Galore Stampin' Write Markers

Accessories: Basic Black 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, white Stampin' Up gel pen

~CATS~ at Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Co!

2009-03-28T22:53:00.000-07:00

Meeeooooowwwwww! Halllloooo! It's fun and funky kitty time over at Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Co.!

Isn't this the fun-kiest cat face stamp you've ever seen?! It's one of the new releases that Sue has in the *New for 2009* catalog supplement!

This little kitty is bloomin' out of control! Look at her grow! lol!!!! Hee hee!

When I was thinking of different ways to use this cat face I kept thinking that it should go along with a body so here is my first attempt at a cat body! I brayered the body with Stampin' Up's! Basic Grey classic ink pad, and colored the tip of the tail with a white gel pen. The face was colored with Stampin' Up's! Watercolor wonder crayons and markers. There are two sizes of this stamp available in large and small: 1577-little whiskers and 1821-big whiskers.

There are also two brand new stamp sentiments that go along with this kitty face: *13119-bless your whiskers* as shown on the card and *11025-what's meww* which reads "What's Meww With You?" in the same font. Check out all the new stamps here!

Supplies

Inks: Stampin' Up! Basic Grey classic ink pad; Petal Pink, Bashful Blue, Real Red, Summer Sun, Gable Green Stampin' Up! markers.

Papers: Stampin' Up Basic Black and Baja Breeze, misc. designer paper

Accessories: Brayer, white gel pen, black brads, flower punch, Stampin' Up!'s pop-up dimensionals, ribbon, heat gun, white embossing powder, Stampin' Up!'s Aqua Painter, Stampin' Up!'s Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Stampin' Up Paper Snips.

New Releases at Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Co.

2009-03-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hey all, there are new releases over at Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Co.!!!

Spring is in the air and so are new releases at Heart & Soul!

Sue has some fun new stamps - check out three jam-packed pages of fun, new and inspirational stamps, just in time to get your springtime creative juices flowing again!

Let me introduce you to *12064-affectionately*, isn't it the cutest little stamp? I paired it with a neat little origami popsicle - can you believe it's just one piece of paper? How did I do it? It wasn't extremely difficult but it wasn't all that easy either! I must have re-folded it over 15 times until I got it to look right. The pattern is courtesy of Gilad Aharoni. I was searching the internet for neat and easy origami patterns and came across his website *Gilad Aharoni's Origami Page* and that's where I found the popsicle pattern. He has folded some pretty awesome figures, you must check it out!

For the stick part I drew in those woodgrain marks with a Stampin' Up *Sahara Sand* marker.

Supplies

Inks: Stampin' Up! Glorious Green, Real Red, and Sahara Sand markers

Paper: Stampin' Up! Glorious Green and Yoyo Yellow cardstock, designer paper, origami shimmering paper

Accesories: Stampin' Up! pop-up dimensionals

Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Co - Hands #2, Masculine

2009-02-12T12:23:00.000-08:00

Here is another card made with Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Co's beautiful stamp --*hands* 1806-hands. Both this card and my other one were created with Copic Sketch markers and Copic's mini airbrush nozzle/pen holder and air can. (ABS-2). At first it takes some getting used to, but after a few tries you begin to get a feel for where the ink will be spraying, and how dense/light the ink is coming out. The results are pretty cool, huh? The same effects can be created with a craft sponge and ink pad, or Tim Holtz's Blending Tool.

Sue Wiebold, the owner of Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Co has a blog, PurpleStamper's Musings! Be sure to pay a visit!

(This card is going to the American soldier I *adopted* who's fighting in Iraq. It will go with a little care package of treats! I wanted to give him a little reminder that no matter what happens to him or where he is, God is in control - always. And God loves Him. That's why He gave up His only begotten Son! Can you believe such love?)

Anyhoo, back to the card! I usually never use pre-printed sentiments but I've had this sheet of EK Success True Faith stickers for a while and thought it might look good on this card.

Since it's a vellum sticker, I decided to put 2 more layers of white vellum behind it to give it some support. Here is a close-up of the details on

the sticker. I used a few medium sized flat glue dots to keep it in place. I really liked how it turned out -- I think I may use more stickers from now on!

Now it's time for a little diversion!

I interrupt this program to bring you this exciting news... jk! I want to point you over to a few more cards that have been created with this *hands* stamp! Mami Dini pointed out a

couple cards to me that Jacki Jones created that are so precious and beautiful. In fact, I may have to CASE them! Jacki made them for Christmas using the reverse mask technique and you just have to see what she did with them! Click on the links to see them:

In the Birth of a Child...

Merry Christmas in His Hands

Amazing Love

Aren't they just the coolest cards?

Card hardware:

Here are close-ups of the brass bible charm and the blue metal tag. The brass bible charm came in a package with other inspirational trinkets by Darice and the blue metal tag is by Making Memories. I think I got both of them in clearance bins at either Michael's or JoAnn's. I try to get a lot of stuff on clearance -- because I can get more stuff that way, lol!!!

To add more dimension I colored the raised parts with a dark brown permanent Sharpie marker.

Thank you for visiting today!

God bless you!

Paper: K-ology *Addison*, Stampin' Up whisper white, taken with teal, Bazzil teal cardstock

Inks: Copic Sketch Markers & ABS-2 Air Brush System, Timber Brown StazOn, Sharpie marker

Accesories: MM metal tags, Darice charms, EK Success True Faith stickers, Offray ribbon 5/8" Sidesaddle

*the copic markers and blending tool can be found at Creative Play Stamps

Heart & Soul Rubber Stamps Co - Hands

2009-02-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

I made this card back in December but it seems kind of fitting for Valentine's Day because of the red & pink colors and the heart shaped by the 2 hands.

I bought this stamp a long time ago and am finally getting to upload this first card! I have another one almost finished with masculine colors.

This stamp company, Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Co., is really awesome and I don't think enough people know about it! It is owned and operated by Sue, and she has stamps for all kinds of occasions --there are tons of sentiments, bible verses, sayings, quotes, and holidays/celebrations. The stamps come in 3 versions: wood-mounted, unmounted but with red cushion attached, and then just the rubber image untrimmed.

Here I've used stamps: 1806-hands and 12039-he lives. The *He Lives* part in this card is referring to Jesus Christ and those are His hands. I believe they're shaped in a heart because He loves us perfectly. The essence of Christ is love and this is shown by his willingness to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus does indeed live today!

When I bought this stamp I was really inspired by the beautiful cards made by Dini Kowal (Mama Dini's blog) --she has 2 hands cards on her blog found here and here.

Thanks for taking a look!

Paper: Basic Grey, Stampin' Up confetti white, burgundy

Inks: Copic Sketch Markers & ABS-2 Air Brush System, Black StazOn, SU burgundy

Accesories: Prima flowers, brads, pop-ups

**The copic markers and Air Brush system can be found at Creative Play Stamps.

New Spring ~ Summer Catalog stamp sets & accessories Good Friend

2009-01-23T19:45:00.000-08:00

Isn't this the cutest ensemble of cards and stationary? It was made by fellow SU demo Kim Wilson, PhD. (Please check out her blog CraftDoc!)

This sweet stamp set is called *Good Friend* and comes with 8 pieces of flower and bird elements! There are also 2 matching wheels and another matching stamp set available that compliment this set. The other set has small trees in it. All of them are on pp. 90-91 of the new catalog.

--And if you like rub-ons, SU has also added a new package of colored rub-ons called *Bright Delights* on p.172 which has some of the same designs as found in these stamp sets!

--Don't forget the matching designer paper as well! You can see a bit of it in the photo. It's called *Good Morning Sunshine* and has little birdies, pears, tress and flowers on it!

Enjoy!!!

Kreativ Blogger Award - Time to Name Them Blogs!

2009-01-23T01:22:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all! Does anyone remember that I received this award from Juli Smith in November? Well, I said I would soon choose whom to give it to and it's a little later than sooner -- but better late than never, right?

So here are the rules as I've received them from Juli!

1. The nominee may put the logo on their blog.

2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.

3. Nominate 5 blogs. (Juli wrote: *Heck with it - I'm changing this a bit - nominate a couple more if you like!*)

4. Put links to their blogs

5. Leave a message for your nominees.

Drumroll please ........ I nominate:

1) Brenda Keenan : Keenan Kreations

2) Tracy Bollinger : Tracy's Art & News

3) Charibel Wszelaki : Me, My Stamps, and I

4) Mel McCarthy : Mel Stampz

5) Trish Bee : Trish Bee's Art-Venture

6) Dina Kowal : Mama Dini's Stamperia

7) Cindy Haffner : Cindy Haffner's Corner

8) Suze Weinberg : SuzeBlogz

9) Claudine Hellmuth : Hip Art for Playful Hearts

10) Pat Huntoon : The Technique Trail

--I hope this wasn't too many! But Juli did say to throw in a couple more!

So, check out their blogs everyone! These are some of the best paperarts bloggers in the US!

OSA (Oriental Stamp Art) Yahoo Group RAK

2009-01-22T22:29:00.000-08:00

Isn't this card beautiful? I received this lovely RAK (random act of kindness) from Yvonne Jenks who is also in the Oriental Stamp Art Yahoo Group. Thank you Yvonne for this gorgeous card! I love the colors, the washi paper, and the stamp art. Isn't the Japanese lady with the fish tail cute? I think it's really clever and artistic! And I love the ancient coin accent too. I think I might just have to copy some of the elements in this card! (I'm really glad I keep all my Asian papercrafting stuff in one case).

Anyone who likes Asian style cards and papercrafts is welcome to join the group. The main site is called *Oriental Stamp Art* and can be found at: http://www.orientalstampart.com/ and the Yahoo Group is at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OrientalStampArt/ -there's a fairly large gallery too, it's filled with tons of great Asian stamp art, check it out! (Click on the link on the left-hand side of the main page).

Cupcakes are in

2008-11-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

Cupcake cards

With all the cupcake themed cards I've seen lately, I decided to make some of my own. I made this card for my friend Valoria for passing her Hewlett-Packard Project Management test. She studied so hard for it, and there were many weeks on end when we couldn't really hang because of her studying/cramming. It took about a year or more of studying to prep for it. I really admire her!
Stamps: Maya Road, Dee Gruenig
Paper: K & Co

This card was for my mom's birthday in October. There were a lot of October birthdays - I still have a few more bday cards from October I haven't shared yet! I made this one to fit into a business sized envelope. All the cupcakes are popped up on dimensionals.
Stamps: Michael's $1 stamp, Scrappy Cat
Paper: Basic Grey & unknown

Soldier's Angels

2008-11-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

I Adopted a Soldier!

I recently joined Soldier's Angels (http://www.soldiersangels.org) a couple months ago.

Soldier's Angels is a support organization for United States service personnel.

From the website: Soldier's Angels is a volunteer-led nonprofit that has over 20 different teams and programs supporting all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. Through special projects, dedicated teams and individuals supporting the troops, they make a visible difference in the lives of service members and their families.

--I wanted to do this to show my appreciation for our troops. I was especially moved to do it when I heard that there was suicide going on and troop morale was low. I cried so much when I heard that. So now I have been assigned a soldier and I write him encouraging notes/letters once a week, and one small package per month. (that's the requirement, but I'm more than glad to do it).

I just checked the site right now and in the upper right hand corner you can see that there are 6 Heroes waiting to be adopted. I've never seen the number so low, that's good! When I signed up there were 123 Heroes waiting.

So these cards have gone out to my adopted soldier over the past couple months and I just sent him a Thanksgiving package today. I hope he'll get it in time. I believe he's in Iraq, the address is an APO address so I don't exactly know where he is, but it doesn't matter. I just pray that he is safe and warm.

top card
stamps: unknown
paper: SU real red, night of navy, whisper white
inks: SU real red, pacific point
accessories: star punch

bottom card
stamps: SU The Free & The Brave, SU Stars & Swirls (retired), The Angel Company (retired military set)
paper: SU real red, night of navy, confetti white, pacific point
inks: SU real red, pacific point, copic markers

Kreativ Blogger Award - Thank you Juli!

2008-11-14T15:48:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Doo - do- doo!!!!!! (blowing pretend horn) Julie Smith (http://www.stampinjewels.blogspot.com) has chosen me as a Kreativ Blog Award winner/recipient!!!!!!

I am so honored, I've never received one of these blogs awards before! I've seen a lot of them going around but was never nominated to get one until yesterday. Yippee!!!!

I love making cards and sharing them on my blog. I try to make 1-2 cards every day (but some days I can't). Also, even though I make a lot of cards I don't always have time to photograph them, upload them to my computer and then post them to my blog. The process takes a while!

So I'm very happy to have received this award! THANK YOU JULI!!!!!!!

Now I must choose 5 bloggers to give this award to as well. Stay tuned, I will narrow them down soon. There are just TOO many to choose from!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alcohol Inks on Metal & a Sample without Blending Solution

2008-11-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

I've done a test here to show what the alcohol inks look like without using the Blending Solution:

Here you can see what it looks like on the left. I used the applicator tool with felt and two alcohol ink colors, Denim and Red Pepper, without any Blending Solution. And for the piece on the right I used a few good squirts of Blending Solution on the felt pad before I pounced it onto the paper. If I wanted the colors even more subdued I would have put even more of the Blending Solution on the felt pad. Neat, huh?

ALCOHOL INKS ON METAL:

I found these metal letters at Michael's in the $1 bin a while back and decided to try the alcohol inks on them too:

I put a few drops of Cranberry and Butterscotch alcohol inks on the felt pad with just a teeny bit of Blending Solution. If you're applying the inks to metal you don't need much of the Blending Solution because the metal kind of spreads the ink out on its own. Look how nice it turned out! Below is a clearer photo.

Isn't it purty?

Here's two more. I didn't use any applicator on these because I wanted to experiment a little. I put the inks on directly -- one drop at a time and I did them in 2 layers. I let the first layer dry and then put more drops of ink on again later.

colors used: Stonewashed, Denim & Meadow

colors used: Wild Plum & Eggplant

Alcohol Ink Doggie Card

2008-11-06T20:41:00.000-08:00

Here is the finished card I made using the sample piece from the Alcohol Inking Basics on Glossy Paper tutorial I did a couple weeks ago. The bone was hand drawn and cut out and then distressed with sponges.

Stamps: Inkadinkado Dogs, Stampin up Best Yet
Paper: White Glossy by Ranger, Stampin Up Old Olive, Choc Chip, plain white cardstock.
Inks: Ranger Alcohol Inks meadow & ginger, Stampin Up Choc Chip, Close to Cocoa, Real Red, Creamy Caramel
Accessories: gold cord, large brads, cuttlebug houndstooth embossing folder, punches, awl, brayer, sponges.

SMARTWORKS Rubber stamps, 3 cards

2008-10-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

There are still a couple days left to get stamps at 35% off at SmartWorks Rubber Stamp Co y'alls. The sale ends on Oct 31, 2008. They have such a wide variety of images -- vintage, modern, country, all the holidays, florals, 3-step stamping and a lot more.

SALUTATIONS STAMP SET
I got this Smartworks Salutions stamp set a while ago and have been meaning to make a bright and pretty card with it. I found this Basic Grey paper in my stash and thought that pink tulips would look nice together!

I used my brush art markers by Marvy (Dee Gruenig) to color directly on the stamps. I used a few colors of pinks and greens together to get some dimension and shading on the tulips. After marking up the rubber stamp, I huffed on it with my breath to give it a bit more moisture then stamped it. You can use this technique if you want a lot of shading to show up on your stamped image. I then went in and colored the tulips with more light pink. To make it shine I added pink stickles (cotton candy) over some parts. The pink frilly photo corner was made by cutting a paper triangle then cutting the long edge with scalloped scizzors. For the final touch I punched 3 tear drop shapes. I thought I'd make my own fancy corner instead of buying one more die cut. The 3 lines on the botttom pink piece were made with the scoring blade on my paper trimmer since I don't have a Scor-it or Scor-Pal yet.

stamps: SmartWorks BFL-05 Salutions set (pg 73)
paper: SU kiwi kiss & pink pirouette, white, basic grey
inks: Dee Gruenig brush art markers, SU pretty in pink marker
accessories: ribbon, Martha Steward border punch, SU key tag punch, bling, decorative scizzors, fiskars tear drop punch, paper trimmer with scoring blade, cotton candy stickles

MUG TRIO STAMP SET

I made this card for my dear friend and one-time secret sister Valoria. She was assigned to be my secret sister for one entire year and then we met at the end of the year! Pink is her favorite color and I wanted to thank her for taking me out for my bday last week.

Since this is a 3-step rubber stamp I first did the base of the coffee mug using Stampin' Up's pretty in pink. Then I stamped the 2nd layer with Regal Rose, and then the final 3rd layer was stamped with chocolate chip. The final layer is basically where the shading goes (the shadow of the cup that isn't exposed to light) so it should be the darkest color. I had to use a stamp positioner to line everything up which is why it turned out so perfectly matched up. Mine is from Stampin' Up.

I used scalloped decorative edged-scizzors to make all the scallops.

stamps: SmartWorks DK-07 Mug Trio set, coffee beans - unknown stamp
paper: SU pretty in pink, chocolate chip, creamy caramel, whisper white, Kelly Panacci sandylion dp
inks: SU pretty in pink, regal rose, chocolate chip , creamy caramel, hot cocoa pastel sailor pen.
accessories: scallop scizzors, paper trimmer with scoring blade, paper & fabric flowers, half pearl.

BLOOM WITH JOY STAMP SET
The sentiment *May your day bloom with joy* (pg. 25) is also a SmartWorks stamp and comes with 3 little flowers. SmartWorks has tons of sentiments and a very large catalog you can view page by page and download, it's all pdf. I paired this sentiment up with this cute StampingBella *FlowahBella*. (I added more curls to her hair with a permanent black pen.) I used an orange spica glitter pen on her dress and sakura glossy glaze pens on the flowers and pot. The large flowers in the background are from TAC.

stamps: SmartWorks WD-41 Bloom With Joy, StampingBella, TAC
paper: SU regal rose & wild wasabi
inks: SU regal rose & wild wasabi, handsome hunter, chocolate chip, close to cocoa
accessories: ribbon, spica glitter pens, sakura glaze pens available at CPS

Another birthday card... this time for Henry!

2008-10-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

This time it was my turn to make a birthday card for my nephew Henry who turned 10 last week. His parents have gotten him into rock'n'roll very early and now he loves it. Whether that's good or bad I'm not sure. (Being exposed to some of the lyrics in the songs and the lifestyle of the rockstars, that is). Anyway, he has now started taking electric guitar lessons for some time and his dad takes him to jam sessions with his 2 uncles and they all play together with their drums and basses and electric guitars. So he LOVES his guitar and his rock'n'roll music! I just pray that it's good clean wholesome rock for his 10 year old ears! He has been practicing with some of the other kids at his school and in December they are going to perform a song for the yearly talent show. Kids are growing so fast these days!

stamps: Studio G $1 stamp from Michael's
ink: basic black ink
paper: white, red
accessories: sticker set by Jolee's, wavy paper cutter by Creative Memories.

Handmade birthday cards!

2008-10-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago it was my birthday and among all the cool gifts I received, I really loved receiving the handmade cards!

This one is from my friend Marian Garcia, a fellow Stampin' Up-er fan and demo. I love the fun and cuteness of this card. It's made with all Stampin' Up stamps and paper that you can get in the current catalog. That birthday cupcake stamp is on sale btw, the entire month of October 2008.

This card is from Barbara Nick. We are both in the *Oriental Stamp Art* Yahoo group. As you may have guessed, it's all Oriental (Asian) stamp art. Anyone can join, if you are interested!

Here is a description of the group: OrientalStampArt was started in 1999. It is a rubber stamping and related applied arts community with special emphasis on Oriental Style Art themes. Our community exists to meet the needs of its world-wide members and provide a forum for learning new techniques which include rubber stamping, polymer clay, collage, mizuhiki, Origami, book making and other paper arts.

Details of this beautiful card: this card is a gorgeous collage card. There is a hand-torn piece of rice paper as a backdrop and near the bottom is another layered piece of chinese paper brushed over with a shimmery wash. Up to the right is an asian postage stamp that was heat embossed. There is a beautiful shaded bamboo toggle on top of the shimmery chinese text paper and a vintage photo of a young Asian girl in what looks like could be a very old Korean outfit! (I'm Korean-American)! On the red cardstock base there is chinese text that has been heat embossed with clear embossing powder so it's very faint but still noticeable. The rice paper has also been embossed with larger clear Japanese text which lets the red cardstock show through!

This bday card is from LaVerne Wilson! We are both in the Yahoo group: Technique Junkies. This group is for people who like to learn new stamping/art techniques from card artist Pat Huntoon who has an entire site dedicated to exploring all the different things you can do on cards with stamps and art mediums. Here is the link. Her site is called PatStamps / Technique Junkies and has step-by-step instructions for every single technique.

LaVerne made the background of this card using the *Twisted Tapestry* technique. The photo doesn't show how rich it is in real life. It looks like swirled pearls! She also used bright yellow glitter on the flower center and what looks like pearl-ex or perfect pearls on the petals and leaves. I love how the corners have been punched with the tiny circles too.

Thanks to all three ladies for the beautiful cards! It was a wonderful surprise!

***I highly recommend joining a card group if you want to expand your abilities and knowledge of cardmaking, or just to have more cardmaking fun. You don't have to make tons of cards to join these groups. I mostly just learn lots of neat stuff and occasionally post a card every once in a while! It's fun just to share and learn!

Mr. Scarecrow - Markie's Mom Tech!

2008-10-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

I finally managed to sit down and attempt to do a card a la markie's mom (link is to her splitcoast gallery).

For those of you who don't know, Faith Hofrichter (http://stampinwithmarkiesmom.blogspot.com/) also known as *markie's mom* on splitcoaststampers has a special way of putting dots on the borders of all her cards and elements. After months and months of looking at her lovely cards and chatting about them with my stamping friends, I finally decided to make a card using her *dots* style - and I have to tell you, it's really fun! The only thing I would change about this card is that I should have put dots where I put fake stitch marks around the scarecrow.

The stamp set is from Smartworks, they are currently having a 35% off sale on all stamps for the entire month of October.

stamps: Smartworks Scarecrow set
paper: SU burgundy, whisper white, Frances Meyer *Autumn Wheat* designer paper
ink: black stazon, copic markers, SU markers, hot cocoa Sailor paint pen
accessories: paper flowers, half pearls, coluzzle oval, SU key tag punch, dimensional pop-ups

Frankie Improved!

2008-10-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

So here he is, the new improved Frankie!

This time I left out the googlie eyes and added two neck screws. I also used the Stampin Up tab punch for the nose and cut his hair by hand. I also used Stampin' Up's Garden Green paper instead of Kiwi Kiss. I hope you like it!

Frankie Halloween Box

2008-10-23T18:32:00.000-07:00

OK, I think my Frankenstein box/treat bag turned out kind of wierd. He does not look at all like the ones I cased on splitcoast! Funny! I think he looks wierd because I used googlie eyes instead of punches and I shaded the eyelids and nose too much. His hair looks wierd too. Anyhows, it was my first one, so I should be excused!

Here are links to some really great ones: Click here. And here for different ones.

And here is a video tutorial by Angie Kennedy Juda, on her blog: CLICK HERE

(All the items I used are the same as found on Angie's video.)

paper: Kiwi kiss, black, white
Access: wire, hole punch, black marker, sticky strip, googlie eyes, pop-ups.

Alcohol Inking Basics on Glossy Paper

2008-10-22T14:58:00.001-07:00

Alcohol Inking Basics on Glossy Paper

In order to get really good results with the alcohol inks, I recommend you use the tools that Tim Holtz designed to use with them. Pictured here is the Inking Tool and a pack of Applicator Felt pieces (mini pads).

You will also need glossy paper for artists/crafters. Creative Play Stamps carries the paper by Ranger and the tools/inks as well. --You can't use glossy photo paper, btw - it doesn't work. And finally I highly recommend that you also use Blending Solution, although you don't have to. It just helps spread the ink out instead of leaving pure color blobs. It spreads the color out and blends them -- allowing them to meld together in a natural way.

The inking tool has a wood base and medium sized handle -just the right size to fit it your palm. On the bottom of the base is a strip of velcro that's permanently attached, so you can easily put on and/or take off your felt pad.

Simply place the piece of felt onto the the velcro.

It stays put with just the right amount of clinging. It won't fall off while you're using it, but it's easy to take off as well.

Next, choose your color of ink and gently squeeze. It's very easy to control the amount of ink that comes out - the bottle is designed with the artist in mind, and the needle-nose tip makes it even easier to control the flow of ink. I used the color *Meadow* in this example.

Lift up and repeat it again. Place around 4-7 drops on the pad, depending on how large of an area you need to cover.

Now add a few drops of Blending Solution on top of the color drops. (Using the Blending solution is optional, however if you don't use it all you'll get when you apply it to your project is exactly what you see on the felt pad - little drops of color - there will not be any spreading/blending going on.)

You can see how the color drops and Blending Solution have melded together on the pad.

Now pounce it onto the glossy paper.

Keep repeating until you have good coverage.

You can add another color if you want -- simply add a few drop to the felt. You don't need to use a new piece. I used *Ginger* for the 2nd color.

Just pounce away again.

And Voila! Now you have a wonderful new piece of paper! If you want to add another color, just repeat the step above. Add metallic mixatives to spice it up and give it a little tinge of metal!

Here is a LINK to a massive library of sample cards made using this technique. (From splitcoaststampers).

A SIDE NOTE *** I did the color in 2 steps, however you can do it in one step -- just put different color drops on the felt at the same time (however many you like, really) and then add the Blending solution and pounce away. The result will be similar.

There have been other methods for laying down the color, some people only pounce the blending solution onto the paper after the inks have been applied, and there are still yet other ways to do it.

Remember, the inks can be used on plastic, metal, glass, and other slick surfaces. The inks were not meant to be used on absorbant papers!

I will have a couple more examples in October. Stay tuned!!!

Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Inks

2008-09-30T18:32:00.000-07:00

Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Inks

available at Creative Play Stamps

Adirondack Color Chart:
I've been playing around with and experimenting with Tim Holtz's Alcohol Inks and finding that the possibilities of what you can do with them is just endless! There are a total of 24 colors available, and an extra 4 bottles of metallic colors, called *Metallic Mixatives*. There is also a Blending Solution and various applicator tools available. These inks are made for applying to non-porous materials like glass, plastic and metal.

YOU CAN SEE A VIDEO TUTORIAL HERE, at Creative Play Stamps.

Description: Ranger Adirondack Alcohol ink is acid-free, fast drying, and transparent. These Earthtone dye inks are specially formulated to create a colorful, polished stone effect. Use on glossy paper, dominoes, metal, shrink plastic, glass, and other slick surfaces.

Acid free
Fade Resistant Dye Inks
Multi-Surface
Half Ounce Bottles
Precision Tips
Color coordinates with other Adirondack products

So, when I started to work with them I couldn't see the ink's true colors just by looking at the bottle so I decided to make a color chart for myself. I used clear plastic buttons from 7 Gypsies and dabbled a little of each color onto each button. (I don't have all 24 colors). You can click on the chart and it will enlarge. On the bottom row, the last 2 buttons on the right are coated with rangers Inksensstials Accents, *Matte* and *Sepia* which when applied will create either a non-shiny matte look (matte), or an antique brownish-pinkish hue (sepia).

All the supplies can be bought at Creative Play Stamps (www.creativeplaystamps.com)

I will post more tests, findings and experiments over the next couple weeks so be sure to check back!

Tiptoe through the Tulips!

2008-07-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

Tulip time!!!
Don't you just love tulips?

I love this stamp image by Creative Play Stamps, it is simple and pretty and just the right size for making a big impression on your card. *Three Tulips* can be found here. I love that you can color the stamp with markers prior to stamping (as opposed to using a stamp pad). For these cards I decided to color directly on the stamps themselves with water-based markers, give them a good *huff* with my breath and them stamp them on smooth white paper. (**note: alcohol-based/permanent markers will not work with this method because they dry too fast).

I used Marvy Art Brush Markers because they are specifically designed to be used with rubber stamps in this way. They are juicy, sturdy, do not fray (even after multiple uses) and give a very clean image.

For this card I colored the tulips with Red #2 and then went over the shaded parts with English Red #28. It's easy to see the shaded parts on the stamp because they have a cross-hatch pattern, whereas the highlighted parts are solid. I then colored in the stems with Green #4 and then huffed and puffed on the stamp to moisten it. The stamped image turned out really crisp and clear. :) Afterwards I added *Eucalyptus* Stickles to the stems and *Christmas Red Stickles* to the shaded parts of the tulip. The round stickers are by *7 Gypsies* and the punches are by Fiskars. Papers by K & Co and Stampin' Up cardstock. All of these accessories can be found at Creative Play Stamps.

Here is a little darker version below, I did the same with the coloring except I used English Red #28 for the base with *Star Dust* Stickles on top of it, and then Black Cherry # 108 for shading and *Magenta* Stickles on top of that. I pulled out my new Martha Stewart flower punch and popped those up on dimensionals. The yellow and orange centers were made by punching out a little piece of cardstock and gluing them to the back.

You can't really see it, but since my little journaling frame by K & Co is not white but sort of cream colored, I sprayed the tulip piece with a little bit of ink to match. It was stark white so I wanted to tone it down a bit.
Here's how I did it --I made my own mini spray bottle using the Ranger *Mini Mister*. I simply filled it with tap water, then added about 5 drops of *Brushed Corduroy* reinker by Ranger and about a quarter teaspoon of *Perfect Gold* glimmer powder by Ranger's *Perfect Pearls*. You shake it up and spray away! The perfect pearls powder makes it sparkle just a bit, it's just great! I learned this technique by Jeanne Streiff at a local rubber stamping show in California in February.

-I was very happy that the sentiment *Hello* fit perfectly on the frame -- it's from the stamp set *Thinking of You* also by Creative Play Stamps, it comes in a sheet with 20 different sentiments and greetings such as: hi, best wishes, miss you, thinking of you, hello, just a note, etc... it's a great deal, you get so many on one sheet!

Lastly, I drew the stitching around the sentiment with a brown pen, and wrote the word *tulips* by hand. Papers by K & Co and Stampin' Up cardstock. I hope you enjoy looking at it!

For my third try I decided to go yellow/saffron colors. It was also a good opportunity to use my *Butterscotch* Adirondack color wash spray by Ranger!

So I chose Marvy Brush Art Markers Citrus Yellow #69 and Orange #7 for the tulips, with *Orange Peel* Stickles. I then took it outside and sprayed the entire piece very lightly with *Butterscotch* Adirondack color wash spray. Afterwards, I sprayed some more onto a piece of saran wrap so there was a tiny puddle and then edged it in the ink. I wanted all of these lovely shades of yellows and oranges to stand out and look artistic so I chose to do it in the popular *distressed* style. I like it when I can get a little messy and artistic!

Since I had my K & Co frames already out I decided to use this very pretty yellow one which turned out to fit perfectly across the card. The *Just a Note* sentiment seemed like an excellent match so I used that and hand drew the musical notes. It was stamped using *Aged Mahogony* Distess Ink pad. This sentiment can also be found in the stamp set *Thinking of You*. All those little dots on the edges are hand-doodled. I also decided to edge this piece with the Butterscotch spray as well. You can see it on the edges a bit. Papers by K & Co and Stampin' Up cardstock.

Chigiri-e Birdies RAK

2008-05-07T14:44:00.001-07:00

I received this beautiful Chigiri-e card from Marg O, a member of *Oriental Stamp Art* a couple days ago! Marg was in a chigiri-e swap and I was so fortunate to receive this extra card. There are a few other amazing stamping techniques used on this card, it's so COOL. The branches have been heat embossed and colored in with metallic ink and the birds' claws, beaks and eyes have been drawn with 3-D paint. The trees in the bg are metallic gold and the moon shimmers and is pearly. The entire card has been edged with gold too, it's just so pretty! And then there's the birds themselves - I've never done chigiri-e before, but it's little pieces of paper that are torn and glued together into shapes to form a picture, it's very delicate and pretty, you have to see it in real life. Thank you Marg!

We have a winner, it's comment #10, Paper Makeup!!!

2008-05-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

HI ladies!!!

We have a winner this morning, it's comment #10, Paper Makeup aka Katie Shawger!! Congratulations Katie!!!! I'll email you in just a sec -- since I know you from the bellaholics yahoo group I have your email address already!

Thanks everyone for playing, this was so much fun, I think I'll have another blog giveaway later this month so stay tuned!!!

--I also had tons of fun with playing with the random number picker. I went to a few different sites but most of them were too complicated and scientific -- I finally came across one called *The Random Number Picker* - it's fun and simple, give it a try! You just enter the total number of players in the box and hit the *enter* key on your keyboard!

http://users.csc.calpoly.edu/~jdalbey/Public/SpinWheel.html

Humongous Bella Rak!!!

2008-05-04T10:00:00.001-07:00

Look at the rak I got from my friend Bere Rabago, Mexico's next most famous designer pastry chef of all time! I got a stamped image of almost every single Bella, plus some Fellas and other Stamping Bella images. All I could do was just stare at first and then I stacked them up and flipped thru them over and over again, and then I finally put them in huge photo album in alphabetical order, lol!!! How's that for rubber stamping dorkiness? Bere also sent me a Bubu Lubu candy bar, oh yummy!

Stamped images of almost ALL the Stamping Bella images, some Fella images and a few other Bella images! I'm afraid to use them!

Bubu Lubu candy bar - marshmellow, chocolate and fruit filling! Yummmmmmmmmmmm!

My friend Bere is a designer pastry chef in Mexico City, Mexico and makes beautiful cakes. Here is photo I snagged from her website *Cup a Cake*. Isn't this beautiful?

Bere is also an avid rubber stamper and is so generous with sharing her talent and supplies. We share a passion for *Stamping Bella* images and met on the *Bellaholicsanonymous* Yahoo Group, lol!!!!

Blog Candy PIF (Pay it Forward!)

2008-05-03T16:13:00.001-07:00

Ok everyone, I'm doing my first ever blog candy giveaway!!! It's actually a PIF (Pay it Forward) giveaway, promised after entering Shawn Price's blog candy giveaway to keep the PIF chain going. So, whoever wins this must keep the PIF going by having a little blog giveaway on their blog! This chain hasn't been broken yet - I don't know where it started but it's been going for a while, so please don't break it.

The winner will receive a handmade card using *Dogwalkabella* from Stamping Bella, 4 rolls of JoAnn's ribbon, a sheet of sparkle gel stickers by Cloud 9 and a box of Mini Charleston Chews! I will also throw in a few stamped images of *chefabella* and *javabellas*.

Please leave a comment by Monday, May 5th midnite PST and I'll use the random # generator site to pick the winner on Tuesday morning! Important: Since I'm new to this and am not sure how to contact the winner, could everyone please leave their email along with their comment in a form like this (so you won't get junk mail): kelly746 at yahoo dot com. I will also announce the winner here if you want to check back. Good luck everyone!

My Very First Bella Card

2008-04-23T01:17:00.001-07:00

Here is my first ever Bella card! This stamp is called *DogWalkaBella*. I have a mini dachshund named Jakey that looks just like the little guy on the far end. I have been eyeing the Stamping Bellas for such a long time and finally took the plunge and bought a few! I also bought Javabellas, Chefabella and Veggiebella. They are so versatile because you can color them in for any season, shade or emotion. I used Stampin' Up markers, Tombow and Copic markers and Stampin' Up oval punches. Paper by Canson and Basic Grey.

Chef Cards

2008-04-23T01:14:00.000-07:00

I got these images in an image swap about 2 years ago but forgot about them. I was cleaning up my stamp room about a month ago and found these. I made these cards for my sister who cooks non-stop and is always giving food away. She doesn't use recipes ever, everything is already stored away in her brain from years of cooking. I'm the total opposite. I need the recipe in front of me with all the ingredients laid out in the correct measurements or I can't make the dish!

I used a silver glitter pen to color in the serving tray - you can't really see how much it shines in this photo. On the top card the cheese and wine is popped up on dimensionals. The Miss Piggy quote is from a 7 gypsies cooking sticker sheet.

Quickie Card

2008-04-23T00:58:00.000-07:00

I made this using the double-stitched ribbon and stickers from last year's tin.. I put glitter on those really large glue dots and used them as the centers for the flowers.

Party Hearty Set - Sneak Preview from Oakland Regional

2008-03-19T00:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak preview of one of the Fall 2008 sets called *Party Hearty*:

So Much Stamp Set - Oakland Regionals

2008-03-18T23:51:00.001-07:00

Live Your Dream Stamp Set - Oakland Regionals

2008-03-18T23:40:00.000-07:00

Favorite Cards on Display - Oakland Regional

2008-03-18T23:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite cards from the displays:

Home Decor by Jaron - Oakland Regional

2008-03-18T23:25:00.001-07:00

Jaron Winder made these cool CD hanging signs and showed us how to do it, step-by-step -- he used old CD's which he covered with designer paper and chipboard. The Crop-a-dile is perfect for punching through so many layers:

Workshop WOW - Explosion Box + Various Gift Items from Scrappin' kit - Oakland Regional

2008-03-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

All of these items were made using the Simply Scrappin' *Crew Kids - Girl* Scrapbooking kit. You really get a lot of bang for your buck with these kits! :

The blank clipboard, covered with designer paper:

Gift items:

Workshop WOWs Stamping with Glitter - Oakland Regional

2008-03-18T23:02:00.001-07:00

Then we learned how to glitter-ize everything with the versamark pad and heat-n-stick powder. You can use glitter with just about any rubber stamp. Look at how pretty and shimmering!:

Workshop WOWs Spinner Cards - Oakland Regional

2008-03-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

The workshop WOWs were different for Friday and Saturday. On Friday we learned how to make these spinner cards made with pennies and the word window punch.

Isn't this one so cute? The little sheep spins round and round!

Sidelines & Sideshow, um....

2008-03-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

OK, so here I am with my sideline (actually, to be more accurate, my stampin' up *aunt*) Stefanie! She's my upline's upline's downline (my upline Brenda's sideline). It was my first time meeting her in person although we had previously emailed and even swapped stuff in the past. Friday didn't have nearly as many attendees as Saturday so everyone was spread out. The two of us had a table all to ourselves! We did a lot of good swapping too!

And of course, the highlight of our day was Jaron Winder!!!! It wouldn't be a real Stampin' Up event without Jaron. No, he's not a sideshow freak but he certainly loves to attract attention, laughs, and heckles as if he were! He kept the jokes coming and had us laughing and laughing! At him, or with him (I couldn't tell at times!), but he certainly kept us entertained!

Oakland Regionals Class on the Big Screen

2008-03-18T22:20:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos of how we learned new techniques in class at the Oakland Regional - everything was filmed and shot up onto a huge screen as it was being taught on stage.

Trying Times

2008-02-25T10:25:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, my mom whom I live with had an aortic anneurysm in November, 2007. Thankfully after a few months of having gone thru hospitalization, surgery, recovery and rest we are back to a normal schedule. It has been a very trying few months and I'm so glad to be stamping again. I will upload current stuff and photos from the Oakland, CA regional over the next month. Thanks for your patience!

Something crafty this way comes + summer break

2007-10-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

OK! I'm back!

No one probably noticed but I'm back and busy making all kinds of things Halloween-y.

After attending my first ever Stampin' Up convention this past summer I took a stamping break and just worked on scrapbooks. --Let me tell you, that was one awesome convention! Everyday was packed with ideas, classes, product info, samples and make-n-takes. I will post some of the samples from the convention in the next few days.

Here are some little paper baskets I made that hold candies and other goodies. My upline Brenda showed us how to make it.

This was the make-n-take project we did at her house. This set is available in the current Holiday Mini for $17.95 and is called "Autumn Harvest". We used a watercolor wonder pen and classic ink pads to achieve this pretty shading!

"Creepy Crawly" designer paper is available until Dec. 31 - convenient for those who scrapbook too.

All-time favorite "Carved & Candlelit" stamp set.

A large basket using "Creepy Crawly" designer paper and Clear Round Bu ttons (page 191) $4.95 for 24 buttons in 3 sizes. Instead of using brads to secure the sides of the box together, I used Black Hemp Twine (only $2.50), a clear round button and a punched-out circle of designer paper to show through underneath the clear button. There are 2 hole punches in the box and also going though the handle. These holes line up with the holes in the buttons and the black hemp twine is holding everything together! Neat, huh? I also used 2 circle punches and the new scallop punch to make the *happy halloween* sentiment stand out, popping them up with dimensionals.

Stamps: "Arachnaphobi a" wheel ($6.50, page 28) and "Bitty Boos Too"($17.95). I love this set! I love how the stamps are small and cute and how you can punch them out with various punches. I used the same technique here with using the 3 different punches and then popping it up with dimensionals.

Paper: new InColor "Wild Wasabi", Lavender Lace, Basic Black
Ink: Basic Black wheel cartridge, classic ink pad and marker
Punches: Scallop punch, 1 3/8" & 1 1/4" circle punches

You can't really see it, but the web is glistening and glittery and more transparent than it shows in this photo. It looks white here for some reason. I used Crystal Effects glue to draw the web and then poured Dazzling Diamonds glitter over it while it was still wet. The *happy halloween* sentiment is from the 56-piece set "Everyday Flexible Phrases". There is a word in that set for just about every occasion.

More "Bitty Boos Too", scallop punching and "Creepy Crawly" designer paper.

Sneak Peak of new stamps!!!

2007-06-08T10:54:00.001-07:00

"All About Occasions" Bundle from the upcoming 2007 Fall Collection
I used "Purely Pomegranite" a new color from the upcoming In Color line, basic black, mellow moss, vanilla and a piece of so saffron designer paper also available from the upcoming Fall Collection catalog due out July 1.

***I will have a couple boxes of catalogs, arrange to get one today!

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SEE MY ENTIRE ONLINE GALLERY HERE!

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Goodbye, forever!

2007-05-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

Every year Stampin' Up retires (discontinues) stamp sets to make way for new ones. This year over 230 are saying good-bye! The last day to buy these stamps is June 30. If you don't have the catalog you can see it online. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting cards made with some of the retiring sets.

Nice & Easy Notes stamp set, retiring forever on June 30, 2007. This card was inspired by my upline Brenda's card found here.

"Seaside Sketches" stamp set, page 128.

Inspiration for the Dad and Son card came from a beautiful card by Barbara Guinan

"Roses in Winter" stamp set, page 122

Inspiration for the Roses card came from this card by Sencie.

"Flower Filled" stamp set. page 130

Inspired by my upline, Brenda.

See all my cards and projects here.

Polka Dots, Paisleys & Petals!

2007-05-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

These cards were made using Polka Dots & Paisleys and Polka Dots & Petals sets from the Spring Mini, 2007. I used detail white embossing powder and a heat gun for the sentiment on the bottom card. The Polka Dots & Paisleys stamp set was a free gift from Shelli Gardner, the founder of Stampin' Up - every demonstrator received a free one for Christmas! It's also available for anyone to purchase until June 30, 2007. Inspiration for these cards came from Splitcoaststampers. Enjoy!

All supplies by Stampin' Up!:-- Papers: Cool Carribean, apricot, teal, celery.

Office Accoutrement

2007-05-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the Stampin' Up Spring Mini? It's just wonderful! There are 2 great paper punches in there -- a tab punch and a spiral punch. On this card I made my own school paper by stamping blue writing lines and a red margin line on thick white cardstock. Then I punched out the holes using the spiral punch, wrote a *to do list* in pencil and mounted it onto the card with foam pop-up dimensionals. I also used the tab punch to punch out the blue tab on the side and fastened it with a stapler. This set is in the Spring Mini and available until June 30, 2007.

Decorated Envelopes

2007-05-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

With the postal rates having gone up again, it's time to fight back by spicing up our envelopes! At least if they're going to be 41 cents they may as well look fun and interesting. Here is a regular letter envelope that I stamped with a single image repeatedly on the bottom and up the right-hand side. (the recipient's name has been covered over). Isn't that so easy? You just need one stamp and one ink pad or marker to spruce up an envelope. Luckily, I was able to send this right before the new rates took effect.

In today's digital age most people have online banking and send e-cards. But if you're like me and still enjoy sending greeting cards in the mail, don't forget to buy the new *forever* stamps - you can still use them even if the prices go up again. Click here to see the new postal rate chart

Wild Rose of Summer

2007-05-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

Wild Rose of Summer

This beautiful stamp set, Wild Rose can be found in the *All Natural* section of the catalog on page 98. Thankfully this set will not be retiring but the sentiment *refresh* will be. It's part of a set called "Handbill Headlines" which is written in a vintage shabby-chic style.

All materials Stampin' Up except where noted
Stamps: Wild Rose, Handbill Headlines
Paper: Mellow Moss, Really Rust
Inks: Mellow Moss, Artichoke, Really Rust, Pumpkin, Marigold
Accessories: Brads, ribbon, prima flowers

Watercolor Summer

2007-05-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

Watercolor Effects

Watercoloring is a great match with summer scenes. This stamp set "Summer by the Sea" is staying but it's mate "Seaside Sketches" is retiring this year on June 30, 2007 . This is can be found on the 'Dormant List" and is still available until Dec 31, 2007.

All supplies by Stampin' Up
Stamps: Summer by the Sea, Season by Season
Paper: Bashful Blue, "Sarah" designer paper
Inks: StazOn Black, Bashful Blue
Markers: Celery, Brocade Blue, Sahara Sand
Accessories: slit punch, sponges, brads, twill tape

Modern Grid Technique

2007-05-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

Here is my try at the Modern Grid Technique!

This was a challenge posted on the TJ Yahoo Group - I learned this cool technique from Pat Huntoon of Technique Junkies.

All materials used: Stampin' Up!
Stamps: Reason to Smile, Office Accoutrement.
Papers: Pixie Pink, Basic Black.
Inks: Real Red, Pumpkin, Pixie Pink, Certainly Celery, Summer Sun.
Accessories: square aluminum tags & black marker, bling accents.