Just for FunBella

It has been a long time since I have just sat down and made a card--just because it is fun! I usually need a card for a certain purpose or I am doing a challenge. Neither of these things are wrong OR negative but sometimes it is important to do things--just for the joy of it!! Today was my day (or at least the latter part of the evening).

Pretty much the exact same layout in all three cards (hey, if it ain't broke, 'ya don't go'an try fixin' it). Also all three card used paper piecing. (Stamping on patterned {printed or stamped} paper and then cutting out the images and piecing them together). It was like playing with paper dolls! Stamping in different parts of the patterned paper to get different outfits!! Bella Fun!

Most of the patterned paper is from Chatterbox, but the main background paper for the two bottom cards is from American Crafts. All of the patterned paper is double sided *fun*!

So this is my fun for today! This was as refreshing as today's spring weather!!

Thanks for stopping in!!

Lilac Shower

My future sister-in-law's wedding shower is this Saturday. Here is the card that will accompany the gift. (click on image to enlarge it)


I used the Featured Stamper Challenge as a launching pad since I had NOT A CLUE of where to start for a shower card. It has been YEARS since I have been to a wedding shower. (and I have not been to many since I have never lived near friends that were getting married). This week's featured Stamper is Kendra Giles. It is funny because I just found her blog last week and have subscribed to it. There are many wonderful cards in her gallery to choose from, but here is the card I have decided to CASE (copy and share everything). Here is the card on her blog with a little more info.

My changes:
--I do not have any embossing folders for my "Big Shot" so I embossed white on white with the floral stamp.

--Instead of Happy Harmony for the sentiment and main image, I used Blossoms Abound and Fancy Flexible Phrases.

--I do not have any scalloped punches either, so after trying decorative scissors a few times-I decided on the ticket punched corners instead.

--I chose not to use white card since cardstock often warps when it is heat embossed and it looked quite unattractive mounted on white.

--I also added the lavender organdy ribbon (I also used this on the bride's invitations) I tried just the black grosgrain and just the organdy, to me, the combination looked the best and most appropriate for the occasion.



Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamp sets: Fancy Flexible Phrases, Blossoms Abound, Floral Background

Paper: Whisper White, Almost Amethyst

Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Almost Amethyst, Lavender Lace

Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Lavender Wide Organdy (ret.)

Thank you for stopping by!

I have been snowballed!

My online buddy, Shelly sent me a "snowball". It is a card with two sets of stamped images in it (enough to make two cards). I then make two cards with the stamped images in it and then include new stamped images and send the cards on to two other people. So the process "snowballs." Pretty neat idea!!

Here are the cards I made:



I will post the card Shelly sent to me as soon as I uncover it. I believe that my youngest dd took off with it. It was so much fun working with these images since I do not have this stamp set. (My older DD wants me to get it now--LOL!!--thanks Shelly!)

Actually thank you so much Shelly! This was so fun to receive, do , and send on!!

While I am busy elsewhere..........

Well, I am not stamping a whole lot this week in efforts to clean up my stamp area. (Man I wish I had the guts just to throw stuff out!) So I thought I would pull out a couple of projects that I did last spring.

The top one is to go with my Easter blouse. I wore slacks that Easter since I was in the church Nursery all morning. The second is a Stampin' Up! contest entry. (it lost) The purses are wooden ones from Hobby lobby. The paper is applied with "Mod Podge" decoupage medium.

No much stamping, but a whole lot of fun!

Thanks for stopping by! I think I will be picking up some blog candy when I go into "the city" in April--so check back often!!

A Confession and a Request

Confession time: I am a messy. And it has gotten to an all time low!! And to make matters WORSE the worst area of my home is "my studio."

The other evening while s'talking on Splitcoast I mentioned my organization challenges--I got a couple of offers for help. As wonderful as that would be, reality is that we all have pretty full lives, and it is up to me to clean up my own mess. Well, this is where the request comes into play.

A Request: We were not put on this earth to be alone, but to be in relationship with one another. One advantage of this is ACCOUNTABILITY. This is what I need along with a dose of encouragement. My plan is to have my stamp area cleaned by Friday at noon in order to participate in VSN (Virtual Stamp Night) on SplitCoastStampers this weekend.

So what we need is some before pictures:

(WARNING: this is not for the squeemish or the faint of heart. DO NOT look if you are under doctors orders to avoid disasters!)

Now that you have lost all respect for me, I want you not know that I have already spent 2.5 hours going through stuff in this space, and the bookshelf area is about 75% done. However, the Stamping desk (with the black chair) looks WORSE--yes, it is possible.

So stop in at various times this week and I will post updates and (hopefully) Friday will be the big unveiling of a newly organized stamping studio!!

BTW-if anyone has ANY interests in back issues of Paper Crafts, 2003-2004 catalogs, or old mini-catalogs THEY ARE YOURS!! LOL!!

Cards with a Purpose

Well, it is time to "use my powers for good" and specifically for God.

There are some women going on a Christian spiritual retreat that is associated with my denomination. I designed this card, and some others will help me stamp and assemble them--for these women on this retreat. "Grace" is a major theme, and I hope this card will help the participants reflect on this. We will be making about 30 of these. It is hard sometimes to see that me playing with ink and paper can do much for the Glory of God, but sometimes it really does.

Just a couple of cards....

Here are just a couple of cards that have nothing to do with any challenges or need for a card. I will most likely use them as RAK's (Random Acts of Kindness).


This first one is using a stamp I have had for YEARS. I used to collect frogs (before I had to move so often--most have not been unpacked in the last two houses). He is a cute little guy from Rubber Stampede by Suzy Spafford (Suzy's Zoo).

Since he is not terribly big, I did not use my beloved AquaPainters on him. Instead, I used a watercolor brush--it kept the colors more vibrant and I had a little more control over where the color went. I started with the highlights (So Saffron) then colored in the rest of him with Old Olive, and finally the shadows with Garden green. The background is Really Rust and So Saffron.

I bought the patterned paper in thoughts that I would use it with the Polka-Dots and Paisley stamp set. As you perhaps can see I did use it on the backgrounds (the yellow is the backside of the flowered patterned paper).

I had a lot of fun making this card!

This second card is some of the same paper and a coordinating print. It is just so much fun. I am trying to use it all up right away (the patterned paper). Not because I want to get rid of it, but because hoarding it causes so many problems. I find when I hoard patterned paper (afraid to use it all up) it, first of all, becomes a storage problem. I am not good at keeping my patterned paper neat and organized. Secondly, patterned paper goes in and out of vogue--and my love for it often goes out when the trends go out (not always--but often).
So I hope you are not sick of these papers as I do my best to use them up/enjoy them.

Thanks for stopping by.

I Caved

Well, long time--no post. Though, I am not really sure that anyone really noticed. My dear husband was out of town and the kids had multiple snow days, so I had to devote a little more time to my first job. LOL!

Well, I caved into peer pressure, flocked to the masses, whatever you want to call it... I have Bellas and Primas (just like all of the cool kids at Splitcoast). And you know what.....I like it. (he-he). I am not normally a "follow the trend" kind of girl, but today I am. I held out quite a while about the Primas (frankly, I do not like the little ones). I went to the not so local-lss today and there were these daisy--like flowers by the check out--and they matched all of the paper I picked out... And I had a coupon.


Then there are the Bellas. (Available at Stamping Bella) I do not have any stamps even similar to these, so it seemed like it was worth a try. The one used below is "Walking Bella". I got it mainly for my older dd. She LOVES little dogs. However, this card was made for a church friend that brought me dinner last week while my dh was out of town (Pork Marsala, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Peas, and Bread). This stamp is quite "her", too.

The only SU! products I used was the ink and the cardstock (Whisper White, Close to Cocoa, Bashful blue) and the sentiment (from Fancy Flexible Phrases). The patterned paper is Chatterbox Garden Walls, the brad is SEI, the flower is from Prima Marketing, and I purchased the ribbon at Walmart.

Well, anyway I had fun. And HOPEFULLY these new stamps and papers will bring some sunshine into someone else's life, too.