Friday, July 27, 2007

Dare to be Dirty....

The Dirty Dozen team on Splitcoast is having a birthday celebration! And to celebrate they are treating the Fan Club Members to special challenges. I just wanted to share some of my submissions with you.

(you can click on the cards to enlarge the images).

To find more about the Dirty Dozen and Fan Club Membership try here.

I am going to be gone to camp with my family the next 8 days. It is a special place and a special time for my family. So no posts for a while.

Thanks for stopping in.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Congratulations Stephen and Betsy!!

My brother and his girlfriend are getting married. YEAH!!!

As a happily married girl, I want the whole world to have someone to walk through life with, for everything is better when you share it with someone.

Here is the card for them: (click on image to enlarge)

I made my own spectrum pad using a baby wipe and re inkers. I stamped the Queen Anne's Lace stamp with versamark onto the glossy white, then brayered the colors over top. The result is a ghost. Very pretty. Then I stamped the goldenrod over the top with the black. I think it is a very dramatic result. I stamped many different images playing with these colors (while I had this temporary spectrum pad made) HERE is another card that I did, though I do like this one better.

I used Cool Caribbean, which is retired, but I believe Soft Sky would look lovely as well.
Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
  • Stamp Sets: Garden Silhouettes, Everyday Flexible Phrases, Circle of Friendship
  • Paper: Really Rust, More Mustard, Basic Black, Cool Caribbean, Glossy White
  • Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Really Rust, Re-Inkers: Taken With Teal, Cool Caribbean, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard, Really Rust
  • Accessories: Ribbon, Circle Punches (1", 1-1/4", 1-3/8"), sponges, brayer, baby wipe

Thanks for looking!!

Non Stamping Post

The one non-stamping blog I read is Boo Mama. She is a WONDERFUL writer, that often makes me laugh, think, and want to be better this side of Heaven.

Well, on her blog I was introduced to Monk & Neagle! No, silly, not personally, but to their music. And I love it. I would have bought their stuff RIGHT away but, with stamping, and back-to-school that doesn't leave extra funds for music. THEN, she posted an opportunity to receive a CD FREE from them. I thought, NO WAY...filled out the survey...and WAY...I got a free CD.

We love it! The whole family. Click on the CD cover (on my sidebar) to hear them.

Here is a bit more of them.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Birds of a Feather

(Blogging note: I am trying a *Windows Live Writer* to compose this post. The reason I am trying it is that the awkwardness of the Blogger compose window keeps me from posting many days. Let's see if this program helps. So far so good!)


This week's Featured Stamper is Mothermark. Not only is she a wonderful stamper, but she is a FABULOUS storyteller, too!


Well, I fall short on both accounts, but I need to learn.


I chose this card of hers to CASE.



I figured with the mono-chromatic look, that I couldn't go wrong. I chose the lavender lace color because I knew I had embellishments to go with it. However, over half way through the card--I realized that the embellishments were still at my Mother-in-Law's house. So I fudged. Silver works, right??


I took a risk with the gel pen. And though I like the dots--I hate the little scallops that I put in the corners of the mat. Lesson learned, but frankly--I don't take enough risks in stamping--so I think it is successful.


Materials used (all SU! unless otherwise noted):



  • Stamps: Garden Collage, Floral BG, Vases in Vogue

  • Ink: Lavender Lace Classic, Whisper White Craft

  • Paper: Whisper White, Lavender Lace

  • Accessories: (the punched squares were gifts from friends), Post-It Correction tape (for masking -by 3M), label holder (non-SU!), silver ribbon (Joann's), Silver Brads, Ticket corner punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Pastels

Thanks for looking.


(Note: I love this program--so much better than trying to compose in Blogger!!)


Pages TWO

I got the page two of the layout of my dd, Joy, and ds, Will, for MIL completed. Unfortunately, I for got to photograph them til I was at her house. They are quick snapshots (didn't want to make a big deal out of it). So you may just assume they are better IRL (LOL!!). Neither page has any stamping on it....so very sad.

The only additional information for Joy's layout is the chipboard letters. They are SU!'s On Board Simon Lower. Very fun to use!!





On Will's layout, I brayered Sahara Sand ink on the copy paper that the *survey* was on. I like how it cam out a bit un even (one of those accidentally/on purpose kind of things-lol).


All in all MIL seemed pleased. I am sure she would have been more pleased if they were ALL done. But, then again, FIL & MIL's Golden Anniversary isn't until August 10th. So that is the goal I am shooting for. ;)

Once, again, thanks for stopping by.

Seven Random Things About Me....

I have been tagged by the sweet and fun Tammy!!

So here goes Seven random things about me....

1. I was a Theatre major (not "drama" that is the literature of the theatre and not "theater" that is the building where plays and movies are viewed) with one credit short (not credit hours--it would be 4 to 6 credit hours--I think) of a math minor.

2. My one rubbing elbows with celebrity is while I did a theatre internship Off-Broadway in NYC, I worked with Calista Flockhart. (She is nice, talented, and focused actress--she treated everyone with respect.)

3. I love the way my kids smell when they first wake up. Weird, I know. It is one of my favorite parts of my morning hugs. (It always brings to mind the scripture 2 Cor 2: 14-16).

4. I have been to Greece, Turkey, and Israel, during the summer of 2000. The trip of a lifetime!

5. I hate panty hose, thigh highs, knee highs, and stockings in general. I wear them when I have to wear them, but it is under silent protest.

6. My heart still skips a beat when my husband comes into the room. What can I say?

7. I want to learn to play the drums. I don't think this will happen within the next 18 years (as I will embarrass my children way too much, but the day after little dd goes off to college, I will be scouting the garage sales for drums.) I have played the piano, the oboe, the alto saxophone, handbells, and sang; it is time to make a joyful noise in a new way.

Now it is time to tag three others.....hmmmmm.....

  • Debi---check out her cards--cool eh?, Oh, and she has 5 kids!
  • Amanda--Her energy just makes you want to go stamp something!!
  • Andria--Not only does she make neat cards and sb pages--she has a good heart!

Thanks Tammy for the tag! This is interesting!

There will be actual stamping coming SOON!

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Scrapping Will

This is pg 1 of my ds's layout.

Materials:(all SU! unless otherwise noted)
  • Stamps: Well Worn Alpha and #'s (I love this for scrapbooking boy stuff!!), date stamp (Office Max)
  • Paper: Kraft Cardstock, Basic Grey *Mortifica* dp
  • Ink: StazOn Jet black, Basic black, Sahara Sand, and Going Grey for dtp
  • Accessories: On Board Chipboard Accents, Photo Corners (Canson), Hodgepodge Hardware

The next page will have a bit of journaling by him. and a few more pics.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

YIKES---SCRAPBOOKING!!

Okay, it has been a while. MIL requested a 2pg layout for each of my children (and one for dh and I). She requested that they be 12 x 12. Even when I scrapbooked I RARELY scrapped in 12 x12. Can we just say I am WAY out of my element!?!!!!

I think this layout took me about 6-8 hours to complete. Mostly because it needs a coordinating second page and I don't have much 12 x 12 stuff for 2 pages!

*sigh*
Sadly there are not many SU! products used in this layout (For the fact I just don't have much scrapbook stuff anymore.)
Below is an enlargement of the impossible to photograph title. (Which is why the above pic is at such an odd angle (no I have NOT been drinking....yet). It is stamped with Regal Rose Craft Ink, Embossed with a glitter embossing powder, and then I wiped "Micro Pearl" Pearl Ex over it and reheated it. Very BLINGY!! The flowers (from Shelly---THANK YOU TO THE QUEEN!) are died with the craft re-inker in water, and also Pearl Ex'd.
I have not counted the plastic jewels on this. It is very *Joy* (the name of my little dd). Joy loves it.
Now on to page 2.....

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Today is my BIRTHDAY!

Today I am celebrating the big 38 (LOL!) I don't feel like I am in my late 30's, but hey, that is the way it goes.

Sorry about the lack of posts, but I have been hanging out with family lately--no time to stamp or blog. I will try to do better the next few days.

I think I am even going to try to do some blog candy--not to beef up my posts # but just because giving gifts is FUN! Stay tuned.......

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Just playing...

Sometimes I just like to play. With no particular goal (no challenge, no event, no recipient) in mind.



That is what I did here--just played.

I used a baby wipe to make my own rainbow pad. I used Taken with Teal, Cool Caribbean, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard, Really Rust reinkers on a baby wipe , and used my brayer to do the background. I should have used glossy white, rather than whisper white paper, and the colors would have blended together better. But as I said, I was just fooling around.



I was inspired by a sunset that we saw driving to my mother-in-law's after picking my daughter from camp.



Though the results are far from perfect--I certainly had fun doing this. I have BIG plans for the next card.



Materials (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise indicated):


  • Stamps: Garden Silhouettes, Baroque Motifs

  • Ink: Taken with Teal, Cool Caribbean (retired), Creamy Caramel, More Mustard, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, StazOn Jet Black

  • Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Really Rust, Taken with Teal, Cool Caribbean (ret.)

  • Accessories: Turquoise Stickles (Ranger), Gold Ribbon (Michaels), Dotted Orange Organdy (WalMart), Gingham Grosgrain, Hodgepodge Hardware Clip, Jewel (unknown), 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1/16" hand held punch, Sm. Corner Rounder

Thanks for stopping by. (note: this month, post are likely to be few and far between--I should be back in full force in August)