Favorites of 2011

Happy 2012, blog friends! I'm a day late, but I still wanted to post my favorites of the year like I did last year. If you click on the photo, it will take you to the original post where you can find details and all the good stuff. I hope you enjoy...this was fun to do!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Thanks for stopping by...I'll see you tomorrow with some Skipping Stones Design fun and another fun announcement! Have a fabulous day!

I'm on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment of truth...I'm on the edge of glory, and I'm hanging on a moment with you...

Hey, y'all! Happy Sunday! How are ya? I promised more posts, and I have some for you this week! First I'd like to share a card I created using Sketch 220 from Card Positioning Systems.


I've had this BlockArt Owl Stampendous stamp for quite a while, and she was begging to be played with. I'd link you up, but it looks like she's retired now. Here's my card:


Isn't she cute? After I colored her, I realized she was a perfect match to this Echo Park paper. SCORE!

Instructions:
1. Stamp owl twice in black ink on white cardstock.
2. Color one flower and owl with markers, and background on the other.
3. Cut second image with shaped die cut and sponge with light brown ink.
4. Cut out flower and owl and adhere onto second image with foam dimensionals.
5. Add glitter to accent image.
6. Cut coordinating patterned paper and sponge around edges.
7. Adhere brown strip to bottom third of patterned paper.
8. Adhere green ribbon and bow across brown strip.
9. Mount patterned paper to A2 kraft card base.
10. Adhere main image to card using foam dimensionals.
11. Adhere flat-backed embellishments to top right side of image.

Here's a closer look:


Since the cardstock I used for the owl & flower was pretty thick, I colored the outside edges of each piece after I cut it out to make my card look more finished. I really like how it all turned out.

Thanks so much for stopping by to see me today...have a fabulous Sunday!

Stamps: Owl BlockArt Flower M242 (Stampendous)
Paper: Kraft, White, Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink), Mother Nature paper from Walk in the Park Collection (Echo Park)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Copic Markers, Diamond Stickles (Ranger), Nestabilities Labels Seventeen (Spellbinders), Green Seam Binding, Foam Dimensionals (Stampin' Up!), Aqua BonBons (Stamping Bella)

My gift is my song....and this one's for you....

Hey guys, I'm so sorry my post is so late today!! The day really got away from me, and things just didn't work out as I had planned. Please forgive me! *grin*

So as usual, I fudged the sketch a little. But not to worry, I'm going back to the stamp room later to give 'er another go. Here's version 1.0

My son says, "Mom...why are the muffins yellow?" Nice. Well I hope you people know that these are in fact CUPCAKES, from the MFT set What's Up Cupcake. Love it!! Since there wasn't a birthday sentiment in there, I added one from another cupcake set, Hey There Cupcake from Stampendous. Another favorite! The polka dot background was done quickly with my Behind the Scenes set, and then I added the hardware and ribbon for the finishing touch. Hope you like it!

We'd love for you to play with us this week...make sure you use the keyword SFYTT if you upload so we can see your creations. Also, take a sec to check out what Jen and Dawn, Amy, Carole, & Susan have done with the sketch.

Ok, back to the room...I've got MFTeasers to prepare for!! *wink*

Stamps: What's Up Cupcake, Behind the Scenes (MFT), Hey There Cupcake (Stampendous)

Paper: Cool Caribbean, GP White, Prism Suede Brown Dark

Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black, Versafine Vintage Sepia

Accessories: Copic Markers, Brown Liquid Applique, Nestabilities, D'Vine Swirls Embossing Folder, Pop Dots, We R Memory Keepers Hardware, Tacky Tape, Satin Ribbon (Target)

I'll show you what shoes to wear, how to fix your hair...everything that really counts...

Today's Saturday...you know what that means! It's time for Jen's Sketch for You to Try! This week is a special edition because we (Jen, Amy, Carole, Susan, and I) decided to use stamps from Stamping Bella for this sketch. This won't happen every week, but we might highlight a certain stamp or company every once in a while. Hope you like what we've done!

I did good sticking to the sketch AGAIN (YAY ME!!), except I did flip it. *grin* I have to be a TEENY bit different, right? So here's my card:

I haven't used my Ohsopretty Bella yet, so I decided to make her the main focus for my card. I colored her with Copic markers, and added some shine to her perfume bottle, mirror, and nail polish bottle. And of course, she needed shiny shoes too!

Well, this is gonna be short because I'm headed to meet my girlfriends at Imprints for a little retail therapy! If you upload to SCS with the sketch, make sure you use the keyword SFYTT so we can all see your wonderful creations! Hope you have a fantabulous day!

Stamps: Ohsopretty Bella, Tres Chic BG, Hey Cupcake (Stampendous)

Paper: Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, White (PTI), Going Gray, Certainly Celery, Basic Black

Ink: Versamark, Brilliance Graphite Black

Accessories: Copic Markers, Diamond Glaze, Photo Corner Punch, Corner Rounder, Pop Dots, Berry Sorbet Ribbon, Baubles

Good Times and Bum Times, I've seen 'em all my dear...And I'm still here

Seriously? Has it been a week since I last posted? I am a bad, bad blogger! I'm so sorry!

So I'm back now with this week's Sketch for You to Try. It's a fun one...and even though I had to fight myself (I really wanted to pull that ribbon DOWN), I stuck with it! And I'm pretty happy with the result. A quick, clean, and easy card. *wink*

Last night I dug through my box of pre-stamped images for something that would fit the sketch, and found these bees from AJ...perfect! She stamped them on Shimmer paper, so I colored them with classic inks and a blender pen and added some Diamond Stickles for a little extra bling. The colors came from a scrap of this striped paper from last year's Friends and Flowers Simply Scrappin Kit...yes, a scrap!

I spent lotsa time last weekend organizing my scraps. I had patterned paper and cardstock all mixed together...what a MESS! I've separated them all, put scraps of cardstock together in a ziploc baggie, then put them in a bin in order of how often I use the colors. You guys would not BELIEVE the amount of Chocolate Chip scraps I have. I could probably make 2 full packs of cardstock with all of them. UGH. Right now, the patterned paper is just in a big stack on top of my desk, and this one happened to be on top! *grin*

The next three weeks will be pretty hairy, but I am sooo gonna need some stamping therapy, so hopefully I'll have stuff to post often! I'm getting ready to go out of town for work in Feb, and then be home for 1 day, then away to CHA!!!! WOO HOO!!! I cannot wait!!! And yes, I will be carrying my camera and computer and will be blogging from CHA to give you all the scoop!

Have a happy Saturday and I'll see ya back tomorrow with some more goodies! Don't forget to visit Susan and Carole to see what they did with this week's sketch.


Stamps: Bee Trio (Stampendous), Many Happy Returns (SU)
Paper: Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, Shimmer Paper, DP from Friends & Flowers SSK
Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Blender Pen & Classic Inks (Rose Red, So Saffron, Close to Cocoa, Cool Caribbean, Certainly Celery), Diamond Stickles, Pop Dots, White Taffeta Ribbon, Corner Rounder, Paper Piercer, Cropadile, Twine, unknown charm

Limited Supplies...You'd better put on your Sunglasses...

Boy, this card is BRIGHT! It's a little out of my comfort zone, but isn't that what a challenge is about?

I decided to do some challenges...I've been sooo busy that I haven't really had time lately. So I started with the Limited Supply Challenge from SCS. The limits were as follows:
1. Choose one or more stamps that haven't seen ink in a long time.
2. Choose an old sketch challenge.
3. Choose an old color challenge.
4. Choose 1 or 2 embellishments. Try and choose something you've been hoarding.
5. Use any tools.

So I chose this Stampendous stamp I bought in February called Witch Shoes, and I have NEVER used it. So today's the day! The color combo I chose (Yikes!) is Tempting Turquose, Apricot Appeal, & Cameo Coral, and I chose an old sketch challenge (kinda flipped it and made my own sketch...oops!) to try for this.

I stamped the Witch Shoes stamp in Palette Hybrid Noir on Pearlized White cardstock, and then colored with markers and Ink Pads w/ a Blender Pen. I mounted the image on Basic Black CS and stitched around the edges.

I ran the Turquoise panel through my Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls Embossing folder for some texture, and then rubbed the edges on my Palette Hybrid Noir inkpad. I thought it looked better mounted on black so I did that with a tiny border. I also colored the middle set of shoes with the Sakura Quickie Glue Pen, and sprinkled w/ Dazzling Diamonds.

I layered the Coral piece on Papertrey White Cardstock, and added Making Memories Brads (which I have been hoarding!!) to the corners.

The Apricot card base looked a little sad so I inked up my Print Pattern background with Tangerine Colorbox Chalk Ink, and stamped that, then accented the corners with my Black Sakura Glaze Pen.

I tried to pick the sketch and color combo that was the least "me"...so I could really make a challenge of it. I hope you don't hate it...Got something more "me" for tomorrow.

Love ya....stay tuned for the challenge...I'll post it on Monday to celebrate Back to School!!


Stamps: Witch Shoes (Stampendous), Print Pattern
Paper: Apricot Appeal, Cameo Coral, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black, Papertrey White, Pearlized White
Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir, Colorbox Fluid Chalk - Tangerine
Accessories: Making Memories Brads, Sakura Black Glaze Pen, Cuttlebug D'vine Swirls Embossing Folder, Sewing Machine & thread, Ink Pads & Blender Pen

Stella Ruby Bloom

Happy Birthday to Granny! I made this card for my mom to give to my grandmother for her birthday celebration (80 years!) this weekend...we aren't going to be able to make the trip to Joplin. boo...
I didn't have a ton of time but knew I wanted to use the Stella Ruby paper. I thought the Fresh Bloom by Stampendous was a great image to go with it, so I stamped it in Palette Hybrid Noir on Pearlized Cream cardstock, and then watercolored it with my Aquapainter & Pretty In Pink/Rose Red ink.

I decided to do the cracked glass technique on this one, which is a technique I just recently mastered during the Dare to Get Dirty Challenge. After I cracked the embossing powder, I rubbed my Tim Holtz Distress Ink pad over it and wiped the excess. The ink goes down into the cracks, making the image look a little older.

The rest is pretty straightforward. I rounded the corners for a more feminine look...I hope she likes it!

Going to crash now...this week has been soooooooooooo busy. I'm looking forward to Saturday!!

Stamps: Stampendous Fresh Bloom
Paper: Paper Accents Pearlized Cream, Basic Black, Rose Red, Basic Grey Stella Ruby
Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir, Distress Ink (Tim Holtz), Versamark, Pretty In Pink, Rose Red, Marigold Morning
Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Aquapainter, Heat Tool, Corner Rounder, Ribbon
Techniques: Cracked Glass, Watercolor

I'll try one!

What I love about stamping and the stamping community is that I am always challenged to try new things. Kirsten posted this Kick Stand Card the other day on her blog and I thought it might be cool to try! So here's my version!

The main image is one of the Stampendous Bees that Julee sent me a while back. I colored it with my Prismacolors and Odorless Mineral spirits, and highlighted some parts with my Sakura Stardust Pen & Black Glaze Pen. Then I mounted it on Chocolate Chip cardstock and made the scalloped edges with my small corner rounder.

The rest of the card is pretty simple. I stamped the Paisley BG stamp in Cool Caribbean on Papertrey White Cardstock, and cut 1 1/2" off the bottom. Added some doodles and ribbon, and then layered some orange cardstock inside the card with 2 rows of piercing on the bottom.

Anyway, hope you like it....thanks, Kirsten for the great inspiration to try something out of the box! You rock!!

Happy Fathers Day!

We are having quite a lazy Sunday since it is STILL raining... and it's supposed to rain even more. I'm not really complaining because it is the middle of June and my yard is as green as can be! Usually we are at drought stage by now and up into the 100 degree weather, so I'm enjoying it while I can. But at the same time, 2 boys under the age of 8 cooped up all weekend is no fun, especially when there's a pool calling our names 5 miles away!

As promised, this is a stamp I found at Stamp Salado during my travels last week. It's from Stampendous, and I think you can also get it at Eclectic Paperie. I stamped the main image on Paper Accents Pearlized White Cardstock in Palette Hybrid Noir Ink, and then colored with my prismacolor pencils and Odorless mineral spirits. The center is accented with Liquid Pearls, and I stamped the Hello with my Karen Foster 1/8" Casual Snap Stamps. Using buttons is a huge challenge for me, even though I love them, so when I saw Jen's sketch for this week (http://www.iheart2stamp.com/) I thought it was a perfect opportunity to use one of my buttons!

This card started out to be another one for Jen's sketch, but it really wouldn't fit on a 4 1/4 square card. I had my heart set on using that A Muse sentiment stamp (which I have wanted forever and finally found at Stamp Salado) and my new mega scalloped circle punch, so I just changed to a regular card. I love masking these strawberries into the bucket...so cute!

I'm off to dinner with my father in law...have a great night!

Card #1:

Stamps: Stampendous flower, 1/8" Casual Snap Stamps
Paper: Shimmer White, Cool Caribbean, Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise, MME DP
Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Prismacolors & OMS, Liquid Pearls, Pop Dots, Button & Hemp twine

Card #2:

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Green Thumb, Berry Much & Skinny Oval by A Muse, Paisley BG

Paper: Basic Black, Old Olive, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Pretty In Pink, Papertrey White

Ink: Regal Rose, Old Olive, Palette Hybrid Noir, Certainly Celery

Accessories: Mega Scallop Punch, Super Jumbo Circle Punch, Black gel pen, Paper piercer, Pop dots, Ribbon from Mike's