Hostess Gifts

This has got to be a record for me--three posts in one day!!

I went to Akron with hostess gifts for my two great roomies: Sherry and Shelly.  They were awesome to room with.  Not only are they fun to hang with--but they have GREAT taste in beverages!!! (both cold and hot)

Here is what I brought with me for Shelly (who also drove me over half the way):

 

It is a remote control holder from Hobby Lobby that I altered.  BIG fun!!

And for Sherry:

Perhaps Sherry doesn't have any personality without caffeine--seems really unlikely--but we will NEVER know!! (hee hee)

Thanks again, for stopping by!

 

Noel

Finally, some stamping!!!

This is a stamp that I purchased from Rubber Cottage at the "Adventures in Stamping" show in Akron.

She is colored with Prismacolor pencils, and highlighted with Twinkling H2O's.  I also sponged some of the edges with the Twinkling H2O's.  The detailing on the scalloped circle and the brads are done with pearl paint.

Stamps: Peace Angel and Noel from Rubber Cottage; Branch from Starving Artistamps; Linen from SU!;

Ink: Palette Noir; Hunter and Sage from SU!

Cardstock: Hunter (SU!), black, white, and blue-gray (DCWV);

Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, LOMS, Brads, Bookplate (Ellison) and Nestabilities dies; scalloped scissors, Twinkling H2O's, sponge;

Thanks for stopping by!!

 

Ink Pad Sale

Stampin’ Up Classic Ink pads for sale:

• are used and in GOOD condition
• most have the older labels but still are the flip format
• all will be juicy and re-inked prior to shipping except those with a *
• those with a # are labeled with retired colors, but are inked with current colors
• all are $3 except those with a * are $2

Neutrals:

Sahara Sand

Basic Brown*

Basic Black*

Bold Brights:

Orchid Opulence

Brilliant Blue

Real Red gone

Green Galore

Gable Green

Pixie Pink

Pink Passion

Tempting Turquoise

Earth Elements:

Chocolate Chip gone

Close to Cocoa gone

Creamy Caramel gone

Summer Sun

Really Rust gone

Pumpkin Pie

Garden Green

Old Olive

Rich Regals:

Ballet Blue gone

Handsome Hunter#

Bravo Burgundy#

Rose Red gone

Regal Rose#

So saffron

Taken with Teal gone

Soft Subtles:

Perfect Plum gone

Pale Plum

Pretty in Pink gone

Apricot Appeal gone

Barely Banana gone

Certainly Celery gone

Mellow Moss

Sage Shadow

Bashful Blue gone

Lavender Lace

U.S. addresses only please;

I prefer Pay Pal (but I can do money orders on request);

$5 shipping on purchases;

To purchase or inquire, click on the E-Mail me button =>

Blushing Twinkx

Sorry I have been MIA for almost a week. 
Tomorrow is my 16th wedding anniversary.  You want to know how we are celebrating????  DH is kicking me out!!
LOL!!!  No not literally!  This past year has been super stressful and this next month will have stresses of its own. (we are moving and DH needs to be out of town a good deal this coming month)  So to keep me from going over the edge DH is sending me on a fun trip with a friend.  During this trip I will be relying on the kindness of strangers, acquaintances, and friends.  I hope they all realize how grateful I am.  I think I will be taking my laptop with me--so perhaps there will be updates on the way.
Before I go, I am finally getting around to posting my color challenge card from LAST week (batteries died in the camera).

What a goofy little princess she is!!! (reminds me of my DD)
Materials Used:

• Stamps: Circle Background; Twinkx;
• Ink: Palette Noir, Blush Blossom, Cameo Coral, White
• Papers: Blush Blossom, Cameo Coral, Basic Gray, White
• Accessories: Chipboard star, jewels, foam tape, silk flower, Nestabilities, Stickles, deco edge scissors.

If Twinkx is a bit too goofy for your taste--you need to check out the new Fairy Tale Doodle Factory stamps at Starving Artistamps. The are soooo cute!!
Thanks for stopping  by!!

A little more salt...

On Friday morning I did two more cards with the salted papers I had made.  So bear with me as I beat this color scheme to death. (though I STILL love it)

On Saturday I attended the bridal shower of one of the flower girls for my wedding. (I will celebrate my 16th wedding anniversary on Friday)  This is the card I made to go with the gift.

I stamped the flowers on a piece of the salted background with VersaMark and embossed them in white.  The pearls are a single sticker.  I love the way it turned out.  I thought for a moment that the polka-dots were too whimsical --but for this occasion I think it works.  I got the idea to try a cross-style card from Colleen for her Thursday Throwdown.  I didn't use the stamp in a style that was not instinctive for that stamp--but I did use the stamped image in an counter-instinctive fashion.

Materials Used:

• Stamp: Silhouette Queen Anne's Lace (Starving Artistamps);
• Ink: VersaMark; Caribbean, teal, olive re-inkers;
• Paper: embossed card (DCWV); white; Cool Caribbean
• Accessories: salt, sponge, white EP, pearl sticker, ribbon

My next card was inspired by Sharon's Stamp Simply Challenge #31.  The challenge was to use black accents.   I stamped the flowers in black--and they looked a little dark with the black words.  So I stamped and embossed a couple more.  I used Judikins Rustique Patina--Jade powder--FUN STUFF!!

Materials Used:

• Stamp: Plaque set, Silhouette Queen Anne's Lace, small sprigs; Mini Positive words, (Starving Artistamps);
• Ink: Versamark; Caribbean, teal, olive re-inkers; Palette Noir;
• Paper: white; Teal and Black;
• Accessories: salt, sponge, Rustique EP, ribbon

(note: If you ever need enabling: click here)

Thanks for stopping by!

I made a day

My sweet friend (and fabulous stamper), Judy has awarded me with this award! Isn't that just so sweet??

Well, it REALLY made my day!



THANKS Judy!!!

A little salt...

The silhouette flowers from Starving Artistamps really lend themselves well to multicolored backgrounds.  Last night I tried the Salted Background.  I have never done it--don't know why because it is sooooooooo easy, and really doesn't take special equipment.  Just some ink, a spritz of water and some salt (yes just plain ole salt).

I have found that darker or intense colors are WONDERFUL for this because they make more colors when they spread.  I used Stampin' Up! Classic Inks: Old Olive, Taken with Teal and Cool Caribbean.  I love the yellow that came out when the salt spread the ink!

I did let it dry overnight, and I brushed the salt off  to stamp.  (I think a heat tool would be just fine to use, too)

Materials Used:

• Stamps: Plaque set, Silhouette Queen Anne's Lace, small sprigs, Grace Girls;
• Paper: Light turquoise textured and embossed card (DCWV); Old Olive and Taken with Teal (SU!); White (GP)
• Ink: Taken with Teal, Old Olive & Cool Caribbean dye ink (SU!); Taken with Teal pigment ink; Versa;
• Accessories: Black EP, Corsage pin and beads, ribbon, foam tape;

Thanks for stopping by--I hope you try this easy technique, too!

New Stamps Preview and Blog Candy Opportunity

Tracey the owner of Starving Artistamps has some blog candy and a sneak peek of the new Doodle Factory FairyTale stamps on the Starving Artistmps blog!!!

Good luck!! Because these are SUPER cute stamps!

Verve Mojo

Julee Tilman, has presented some WONDERFUL challenges this week!

First of all on her blog is the Mojo Madness #32 CONTEST.  I have to tell you--I STINK at contests.  The just suck the inspiration and creativity right out of my brain.  But on the other hand--If I just tell myself, "Jules, it is JUST a SKETCH!!"  Perhaps I can actually finish it (an NOT have it look like my 4 yr old did it).

THEN, on the Verve Visual Blog is an "Vervalicious" (her word not mine--but I like it) inspiration challenge (also a contest). Well, are these pillows not absolutely gorgeous??

I just love the colors, and the patterns.  So I figure, lets combine them, and if I do a card that looks like I used crayons and stickers, then I will have only wasted the time and materials for one card than two.  RIGHT??



I pulled out my Verve Visual Wild Thing set (I got it after Valentine's Day--so most of the stamps have never been inked).  Please understand--I was a Rubber Snob--I went kicking and screaming to the Photopolymer side of stamping.  And now--I am a convert!!!

I loved being able to line up these images by seeing through the block and the stamp!  HOW FUN IS THAT!!

I am fairly happy with how the card turned out.  I am REALLY happy with this color combo!!  Don't they look great together??

Anyway--thanks Julee for the sketch and the inspiration--I WOULDN'T have done it without you!!

Materials:

• Stamps: Wild Thing (Verve Visual); Fern Leaf Tooled Leather (Starving Artistamps);


• Inks: Night of Navy, So Saffron, Apricot Appeal (SU! Craft), Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard (SU! Classic), Yellow Ochre (Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink)


• Paper: White, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, So Saffron, Night of Navy;


• Accessories: Punch, pearlescent paint

Thanks for stopping by!

Just a little enabling....

You can receive 10% off of Starving Artistamps AND DoodleFactory stamps at Starving Artistamps by using the discount code savetenJS.

Then click the *Recalculate* button to make sure you receive the discount!!

Don't forget to check out the *What's New* page !!

(please note that the discount only applies to Starving Artistamps and DoodleFactory stamps)

Tie a Yellow Ribbon

Do you know the song?? (If you don't you can hear it and see the lyrics HERE).
I was cruising through the Wal-Mart craft department--just to see if there was anything new. I do not have a paper crafting store within an hour's drive of my home, and with gas what it is, I make do with our Wal-Mart and our tiny Ben Franklin. There is not usually anything new, but sometimes I can see things with new eyes. And today it was a wooden and wire picket fence.

I had just received some Country Doodle Factory stamps and I was ITCHING to use them!!! I saw the fence (I had probably seen it 100 times) and it all clicked!!! Grabbed some narrow yellow ribbon and VIOLA!
The fence is natural wood color with gray wire (you may see it that way soon on a farm themed card ) but I spray painted it white. This is a BULKY card--but what a welcome home!!! (the tree and bushes are built up, too.

Materials Used:

• Stamps: Doodle Factory Country House and Tufts of Grass;


• Ink: Palette Noir; SU! Certainly Celery;


• Paper: White, Teal, Burgundy, Celery;


• Accessories: Fence and White Spray Paint, Ribbon, Foam tape, Colored Pencils and LOMS, sponge and homemade cloud template.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunflower Spotlight

One of the most basic techniques in stamping is SPOTLIGHTING.   Only a portion (or "spotlight") is colored.  I have never done this, till today!!

I just love this sunflower stamp!! 

I first stamped the flower with black onto white, and colored it with gray pencils. Then I stamped it with brown onto white and colored it with colored pencils.  I punched out a square of the color sunflower and matted it.  I lined it up on the B & W image and adhered it.

I added the ribbons to go along with today's Technique Lover's Challenge at SplitCoastStampers.

Materials used:

• Stamps: Autumn Sunflower and Fern Leaf Tooled Leather;
• Paper: White, Black, Basic Gray, More Mustard; DP from Paper Studio;
• Ink: Palette-Noir; Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink-Chestnut Roan;
• Accessories: Martha Stewart punch; ribbon; charm; corner slot punch;

This was so much fun--I hope to try it again, soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

Just playing....

I was just playing with some things I had on my desk.  This layout and stamps is very similar to my inchie tag from last week--but I thought I would try it with some new colors.

I am trying to use up my Perhaps paper from Basic Grey--Not because I don't like it, but rather so I do use it all and it doesn't become lost in my HUGE bin of scraps.

All stamps are from Starving Artistamps and you can get them for 10% off by using the code julidis. (then hit recalculate to make sure the discount is taken)

 

Thanks for stopping by!!

 

Digi Scrapping--almost

I just had to share my babysteps into Digi Scrapping.

I really like Digiscrapping--but the program I use is rinky dink and old.  So I don't do much.  But the Shabby Shoppe Blog has monthly desk top calendars that VERY fun!

Here is last months:

and here is this months:

You just download the templates and put in the pictures (layered behind the template).  Fun and easy. 

I use Picture It 7.0 to edit and Picassa to install onto my computer (I tried doing it manually--but having Picassa do it is so much easier.)

Thanks for looking!

Adventures in Paper Tole

  The technique lover's challenge for this week was paper tole.  I have done this before with flowers but the stipulation for the challenge was to NOT use flowers.

I chose this little doggie and sentiment from Eat Cake Graphics.  I just love this guy (I really need to get some cake to go with him!!) 

 

 

This is the detail of the layers.  I colored each layer.

 

He looked a little lonely so I added some confetti and streamers.

 

The papers are from a Colorbök set of papers from the $ section at Joann's.

It is spring break this week and my dd (Gracie the 9 yr old)was looking for something to do.  So I suggested she try this with the Crab and Co. stamp set (SU!) for my nephew's birthday.  Gracie often needs help with layout so I also had her try Julee Tilman's Mojo Monday (Mojo31) sketch. 

This is what she came up with:

I would not have picked out these colors--but they work.  

I did help her with the paper cutter--she gets confused by the measurements.

 

Thanks for your patience for me to post again.  It has been a little crazy around here.