Four Valentines

I needed a group of cards, so I reached for my Cat's Pajamas Valentine's stamps that I bought last year.

The last one uses the layout from Leigh O'Brien's sketch from TCP Tuesday (TCPTUES43).

The gift was well received.  And I thought they made a fun set.

Thanks for stopping by--Stay warm!

 

A Regal Rose

What a shock I woke up to this morning....my e-mail inbox was full of comments on a card I did a year and a half ago.  I figured it was some glitch in the SplitCoast Stampers' system--perhaps I got one comment and got sent to me a bunch of times  (about two years ago--glitches like that were common).
Eventually I figured out that Roxie had chosen my card for the layout for the sketch challenge!!  What an honor!!
Here is the original card:

The Frog and Toad stamp was a gift from my mom from before I was "into" stamping.

Here is the new card:

The stamp is Brushed Rose from Rubbernecker. The image was stamped several times then cut out and shaped. Linda Duke has a great tutorial, HERE, in the resources area here at SplitCoast. I think the technique was just as easy (if not easier) with this rose as with the old Stampin' Up! set: roses in winter.
The papers are from Die Cuts With A View--their storybook line.  The crown is a Grungeboard Mini painted with an Adirondack Paint Dabber and Liquid Pearls (both gold).
Thanks for stopping by here!!
 

Cool Style Twinkx

While I am waiting for my NEW DoodleFactory stamps to arrive, I have pulled out some of my older ones to get some ink time!  Today, Twinkx came out to play!

I used the Our Creative Corner Sketch as a jumping off point.  They have a sketch challenge this week.

Here is my take:

Materials used:

• Stamps: Twinkx by the DoodleFactory for Starving Artistamps;
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black;
• Paper: Dp-Paper Studio and Arctic Frog; Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, and Certainly Celery (SU!);  White;
• Accessories: Foam tape, ribbon, charms, stickles, white gel pen, punch, alcohol markers, Nestabilities;

This is quite a bit more funky than my usual style--but sometimes you just have to break out!   YKWIM!?!?

 

In Honor of Roy G. Biv

Roy G. Biv was first introduced to me in seventh grade art class by Mr. Otis (one of my all time favorite teachers).  In case you have never met him, he is :

• Red
• Orange
• Yellow
• Green
• Blue
• Indigo
• Violet

Yes, the rainbow!

Irene, the GENIUS behind the DoodleFactory stamp line, has issued a challenge!  To make cards that use just one color of the rainbow.

So here is orange:

Honestly, Orange is not my favorite color, but Zot sure likes orange.  I replaced his cup of coffee with a heart. Which is probably why he looks so stressed.

The circle background and sentiment are from Starving Artistamps.

Zot and the ribbon are colored with alcohol markers.

So what color of the rainbow will you choose???

 

My First Tutorial!

Today, on the Rubbernecker Stamp Company Blog, I host the Friday Focus.  This week it is a Faux Postage tutorial.  It is a great technique, in my opinion, for Valentine cards. 

You will have to go to the Rubbernecker Stamp Company Blog to my Valentine.  But here, I will show you another Faux Postage card.  This one is SPRING.   I decided I need some help remembering what color grass is!!

Materials:

• Stamp: Tulip from Rubbernecker Stamp Company;
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Adirondack pigment ink-Shell Pink;
• Paper: Bazzill and SU! cardstock; DP from Daisy Bucket;
• Accessories: Ribbon, Prismacolor and Copic markers, Faux Postage Template;

So I hope you can get over to the Rubbernecker Stamp Company Blog, check out the tutorial, AND follow some links to see what some other design team members have done!
Thanks for coming by here!!
  

Rose, I love you.

Today I tried to do the color challenge at SplitCoast...I really did...but it just didn't work bout for me today. 

BUT on the UP side... 

I got to use this yummy Cosmo Cricket paper (that happened to JUMP into my hand last week at the LSS).

The rose was stamped with Aged Mahogany (Tim Holtz Distress Ink) and colored with Jody Morrow's Drunken Watercolor Technique.

Materials:

• Stamps: Brushed Rose and Valentine Love Heart Phrase set
• Paper: White (GP); regal rose, bravo burgundy, & taken with teal (SU!); pink (DCWV) DP (Cosmo Cricket);
• Ink: aged mahogany and antique linen and various inks for coloring;
• Accessories: Wizard and dies, ticket corner punch, sponge, ribbon

Just an old fashioned valentine.

Take a minute and check out the Rubbernecker Stamp Company Blog for the latest in Rubbernecker news.  AND be sure to see what the rest of the Rubbernecker Divas are up to:

• Bev  - Savor the Journey
• Broni - Splashes of Watercolor
• Candy - Candys Land
• Joan - Stamping with a Passion!
• Kittie -  Kittie Kraft
• Linda -  Linda’s Works of Heart
• Shelly -  Stamp with Shelly
• Tami - A Walk on the Mild Side
• Sherry - Walkin' on the BAD Side!

 

Bee Uniquely U

I am a sucker for a pun.  Even as a young reader I remember checking out pun books from the library over and over again.  And then, of course, repeating them to my mom to hear her groan.  LOL!

Soooooo... in keeping with the "Don't Worry...BEE Happy!" card, I decided to make one of the U-niquely U sentiments into a pun.

The layout for this card uses the Mojo Monday #70 sketch. 

The three flowers were punched from a scrap piece of cardstock and sponged with VersaColor pigment ink onto the very vanilla cardstock.

Materials:

• Stamps: small bee set and U-niquely U sentiment set from Starving Artistamps.
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Versa Color-Green Tea, Cardinal Red, Topaz;
• Paper: very vanilla, riding hood red and baja breeze (SU!), gold (Bazzill); dp from Daisy Bucket Designs and Anna Griffin;
• Accessories: flower punch, black pen, Nestabilities;

Can you tell I am in the mood for spring????  That is the beauty of stamping--it can be any season I want it to be in my studio!

 

Don't Worry!!

Well, here in Michigan, we have been having subzero temperatures for a few days, now.  So all I can think about is SPRING!! 

I was in search of spring inspiration when I came upon  the Inspiration Challenge #163 over at SplitCoast.
The source of our inspiration was to be Pottery Barn Teen. My dd LOVES Pottery Barn Teen!!! She loved browsing with me.  (her wish list is LOOONG, poor kid, because her parents are not re-doing her room)

I drew inspiration from all of the dots (they were EVERYWHERE), these sheets and all the beadboard!!!!

It is difficult to see in the photo, but the card base is an embossed striped notecard.  The DP is from Daisy Bucket.

The stamps are the Bee Happy Set, and the   Medium Bees set.
Sunny and warm colors and images--for another subzero day.

 

SSNOTIME70-Be My Valentine

Sharon over at No Time to Stamp is have her weekly Stamp Simply Challenge.  This week the theme is  "Senior Citizens Rule!"  Since I am not a senior citizen, this card was inspired by my all time favorite senior citizen, my grandma.

She is no longer living on this earth, but she was the best grandma, ever.  I believe my NEED to be creative and make things came from her.  Like many of her generation, she sewed, crocheted and knitted.  But her creativity really shone when she arranged flowers from her own garden.

I have to admit--I took her talent for granted.  I thought everyone had fancy flower/foliage arrangements at their family dinners.  I also don't think we have many pictures of the arrangements, except in the background of family shots.

In "Stamp Simply" style I have kept this card fairly simple.  I sponged the label die cut and the dp with pigment ink.  I love the creamy-ness of pigment inks and the way they sponge.  Just be careful--sometimes they fingerprint easy before they dry--and often need heat setting.  I think the effect is worth the extra care.

Materials:

• Rubber Stamps: Be My Valentine and Roses Large from Rubbernecker Stamp Company;
• Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento; Shell Pink Adirondack Pigment;
• Paper: Vanilla Pearlescent (?); Bravo Burgundy (SU!); DP-(DCWV);
• Accessories: Sponge; Nestabilities-Labels #2; brads; ribbon; Stickles-Diamond; Prismacolor Pencils;

Thanks for stopping by, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHARON!!

 

Birthday Challenge

The folks over at Stamp Something Challenge Blog are having a Birthday challenge. Starving Artistamps is the sponsor and there is BLOG CANDY to be won.
Here is my Birthday Card:

Is Yapples the best party animal, or WHAT!?!

I have to admit, I got a little carried away with this card...and I blame Yapples. He kept yelling MORE!!!!! So I kept up with more.

The jumping off place for this card was the kuler site and the color combo: curtis. Between the computer up stairs and the stamp dungeon downstairs--the brown got changed to black and the orange morphed into two oranges.

The Way to Use It Challenge was my jumping off point (and how I found the kuler site) and it was to get us to break out of our normal color pattern--and this CERTAINLY does it for me. I usually don't use THIS MANY colors on a card.

Well, anyway, Yapples is happy! AND it is a fun and festive card!
I hope you play along with the Stamp Something Challenge!

(BTW--Don't forget to check the button on my sidebar--Yapples can come home with you for 10% off with that discount code!!)

Butterfly Award

I received this beautiful award from Patty (SCS-Pepper RN). She has a great blog with super cute cards--check it out!

I don't usually pass these things along (mainly because usually EVERYONE I know has received them by the time I have a chance to pass them along) but I have found some "new to me" bloggers that I would like to direct you toward.

Kathy Daume--Pretty in Ink;

Connie-McStampin' Dusk 'til Dawn

Sandra McLean-Paper Funtastics

Sarah Shewell-Sarah's Inky Fingers

Lauri--Paperville

Lea L.--Life needs a few more Cupcakes & Sunshine

Okie dokie, here are the deets:
1. Please nominate 10 fellow bloggers
2. Post the award on your blog
3. Add the link to the person who nominated you
4. Let those people know you gave them this award

Yes, I didn't follow the rules--there are not 10. BUT have mercy, the computer is in the coldest area of the coldest room of our house and my fingers are FREEZING!!! But please check out these ladies.

Day Old Gingerbread

I did these before Christmas, and in all of the hubbub of Christmas, I didn't get these posted.  They are from the DoodleFactory Santa's Sweet Shoppe set.  (Click here for a discount code.)

I know you are probably all Christmas-ed out, but it is such a cute set!!! I just couldn't hold back!

On the card, I clear embossed the house (stamped with VersaMark ink on watercolor paper) and watercolored it.

 

The tag has the house embossed in white on brown cardstock.  To get the watercoloring to show up, I used pigment inks--including white on the icing portions.

I promise--no more Christmas for a while!! (notice: I didn't promise not to use Christmas STAMPS--just no Christmas themed projects for a while)

 

CPS99--Grasshopper Luck

Did you know that grasshoppers are considered good luck??  I just recently learned this.  In China (yes, I know crickets are considered lucky there, too) and some western traditions it is considered good luck for a grasshopper to land on you.  Now, I don't put much trust into legends or superstitions, but I see them more as symbols of encouragement.

I used this week's CPS sketch (#99) to create this encouraging card.

The stamps are the medium and large Grasshopper from the Grasshoppers Set;  and the sentiment is from the Lucky Sentiments.  All images are from from Starving Artistamps (click here to get a discount code on these and other Starving Artistamps and DoodleFactory images).

The main image is stamped with Faded Jeans Distress Ink, clear embossed and watercolored.  The Sentiment is stamped with Pine Needles Distress ink.  All colored Cardstock is Bazzill.

The small grasshoppers were stamped on white shrink plastic that was punched with a scallop punch.  They were stamped with chalk ink--I have good luck with this ink on shrink plastic.

Thanks for stopping by!!  Happy Monday!

 

Valentine Wishes

I combined the Limited Supply and Featured Stamper Challenges on SplitCoast.  I have ALWAYS admired JulieHRR (this week's featured stamper).  Not only is she a talented stamper--but I enjoy her sense of humor.  Her style is so different from my own, but it was fun to stretch myself a bit.

The Limited Supply Challenge was to use hearts.  I think I did that okay.

The stamps are from the Stamp Oasis section from Rubbernecker Stamp Company.  I used the Music Background, Swirl Heart, and Valentine Love Heart Phrase set .

There is a lot of masking on this.  The main heart is a mask cut from copy paper with scallop scissors.  The bottom detail is masked with some cardstock  punched with a Martha Stewart border punch.  The heart on the sentiment strip is mask made from a heart punch.

Have you seen what the other Rubbernecker Design Team Members are doing. lately?  Check them out!!

• Bev  - Savor the Journey
• Broni - Splashes of Watercolor
• Candy - Candys Land
• Joan - Stamping with a Passion!
• Kittie -  Kittie Kraft
• Linda -  Linda’s Works of Heart
• Shelly -  Stamp with Shelly
• Tami - A Walk on the Mild Side
• Sherry - Walkin' on the BAD Side!

And don't miss the LATEST Rubbernecker News on the Rubbernecker Stamp Company Blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sometimes you're the...

Swatter and sometimes you're the FLY!

I am a day behind my challenges and this is for the Sketch Challenge over at SplitCoast (#210). 

Materials:

• Stamps: Fly and Weave Background from Starving Artistamps;
• Ink: Frayed Burlap and Walnut Stain Tim Holtz Distress Ink;
• Paper: DP from Cosmo Cricket; so saffron and chocolate chip (SU!); other from Bazzill;
• Accessories: wire, tag punch, sm corner rounder punch, 1-1/4" circle punch, brads, foam tape;

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope today does not find you as the fly!!!

 

Just Bee-Cause

I am really liking these bee stamps!!  I do love to color--but sometimes I want something quick.  With just a little bit of coloring these bees are DONE!

I colored this one with Prismacolor markers--an EASY image for beginners.  I soaked the area with the yellow--added some yellow-orange and orange low lights.  Then I shaded the wings a bit with two VERY light grays--DONE!

The sketch for this card is from the Mojo Monday Blog--Mojo Monday #68.  I am a major fan of the Mojo Monday sketches--but I haven't gotten to them in QUITE a while.  But I made it today!!!

The colors come from the SCS Color Challenge--CC200.  Brilliant Blue is NOT a "Go To" color for me--but the brightness of it works.

Materials Used:

• Stamps: Large Going Bee and sentiment; Weave Background; All from Starving Artistamps;
• Paper: white, Brilliant blue, garden green, pumpkin pie (SU!); lighter blue--Bazzill; DP-Paper Studio
• Ink: Palette Noir, Peeling Paint & Spiced Marmalade (Tim Holtz); Ballet Blue-Craft (SU!) for sponging;
• Accessories: buttons, markers, dies, ribbons, sponge, hole punch

Okay my goal for this week is all 7 weekly Challenges--(I still have to go back and do the Featured Stamper).  I want to start this year off stamping!!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Happy New Year!!!

Though I enjoyed having my kids home for two whole weeks--I really enjoyed sending them back to school, today.  Frankly, I think they were looking forward to it, too!

So it is back to my stamping routine!  Today is the Technique Lover's Challenge.  Lynn has challenged us with "Tacky Glitter"--that just sounds fun, doesn't it!?!?! 

Here is what I came up with:

The tacky strip is on the dp, in stripes.  The mat around the circle is also glittered.  While the die was still on the white circle, I sprayed it with a Shabby Shutters ink/Perfect Pearls solution.

Remember, 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!!

Materials:

Stamps: Clover and Sentiment from Starving Artistamps:

Paper: blue cardstocks (Bazzill); celery cardstock (SU!);  DP (ki Memories); white (GP);

Ink: Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint Tim Holtz Distress Ink;

Accessories: Martha Stewart Glitter;  Perfect Pearls;  Tacky Strip (Taylored Expressions); dew droppy things;

Thanks for stopping by!