"B" Blessing

The stamps used on this card came from Hero Arts Clear Design. I bought the letter "B" set from the line to try out and see how I liked it. They stamp wonderfully (really the best of anything I have used thus far with clear stamps). I used my regular SU classic ink and had no smudging from the image. I am definitely going to buy more of these when I see a deal, they are really good quality clear stamps.
Have a great day!

Bloomin' Beautiful

I made this for the Color Challenge on SCS. The image was colored using a watercolor brush and reinkers (Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi and River Rock). It is a nice way to color without having the lines from the SU Markers. This is my version of coloring when not using my WWC. The edges were lightly sponged in River Rock and I used the Ticket Corner Punch on the corners of the WW and River Rock layers. Finally, the Groovy Guava layer was put through the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder and lightly sponged with Groovy Guava ink.

All in all it came together nicely and I am so glad I bought extra In Color cardstock to have on hand. I did not like the color Groovy Guava at all when it came out and now after a full year, I am sad to see it retire. I know people say we will like the new In Colors just as much, but I so love these! Even more so than the 2007 colors.

So obviously I haven't gotten much done today ;o) I did manage to get a Pot Roast put together (yes, in the crock pot, but it still counts!) And my baby has needed lots of attention today so it would have been hard to clean today anyways! Oh-well, as Scarlet O'Hara said, "Tomorrow is another day!" :o))))
Have a great rest of the day!

Garden Silhouettes

This card uses the retired Hostess stamp set Garden Silhouettes. I really haven't used it a lot myself, but have seen some gorgeous cards made with it on SCS. I stamped the entire floral image in Soft Sky and then with the Certainly Celery marker went over the stem part. At first I stamped it in Soft Sky and did the stem in Chocolate Chip and it looked horrible! It definitely needed to be softened up a good bit and the Certainly Celery does just that.
I have a lot of things I need to get done today.... Hopefully I won't get too side-tracked by my stamp table ;o)))
Have a great day!

Recipe:
Stamp set: Garden Silhouettes and Weathered
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Afternoon Tea DS and WW
Ink: Soft Sky and Certainly Celery
Accessories: Soft Sky Double Stitched ribbon

Touch of Nature

This is a card that I made for last weeks Sketch Challenge on SCS. It uses another retiring stamp set from SU called Touch of Nature. I added the sentiment, Happy Anniversary, from the Hugs & Wishes stamp set (though any sentiment would have worked on this card). Not much time today...and I haven't gotten any stampin' done... so maybe tomorrow.
Have a great day!

Recipe:
Stamps: Touch of Nature and Hugs & Wishes
Paper: Ruby Red, Basic Black, VV, Basic Grey Infuse
Ink: Staz On Black, Creamy Caramel and Ruby Red
Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware clip, Photo Corner Punch, Ruby Red Brads and Black Organdy ribbon

Noble Deer

I just had to order this stamp set before it retired. It is the perfect masculine stamp set. I have looked and looked in the SCS Gallery at this set over the years and never did break down and get it until just recently. Once it was on the retirement list, I knew I had to snag it before it went to Ebay (and possibly be out of my price range there!).

I made this for my father-in-law who turned 70 yesterday. I couldn't believe he was 70 already, and honestly his birthday crept up on me so he will get this a little bit late. The Lord has blessed him in many ways and especially given him the grace to continue each day since his wife passed away last October from a year long battle with cancer. On that note, Gina K. has a stamp set (by designer Asela Hopkins) that was released last night and $4.00 from each stamp set will be donated to the American Cancer Society until the end of August. I know I am going to order it myself.... Just yesterday I learned a mother from my son's All-Star team was diagnosed with breast cancer, she is only in her early 30's. So many people I know have been touched by this disease and I pray a cure is found soon.

Retro Boutique

This is a fun little card using the stamp set Retro Boutique by Gina K. Designs. I am still not sure about the purse hanging up there in the air, but I couldn't figure out anything else at the time.
It has been a busy day here so not much stamping getting done.
Have a great day!

Recipe:
Stamps: GKD Retro Boutique
Paper: Tempting Turqouise, Chocolate Chip, WW and DCWV Retro
Ink: Staz On Black, Tempting Turqouise and markers
Accessories: Circle punches, Scalloped Circle punch, Mega scalloped punch, Word Window punch, DCWV adhesive ribbon, Paper piercer

Artfully Asian: Color Challenge

Yesterday's color challenge on SCS was to use the colors Soft Sky, River Rock and Very Vanilla. River Rock is a wonderful neutral color and I have managed to stock up a bit on that color before it retires in August.
I was needing a few more thank you notes to have on hand and this was the perfect challenge to get that done.
Have a great day!

Recipe:
Stamps: Artfully Asian
Cardstock: Soft Sky, River Rock, Very Vanilla and Ginger Blossoms Designer Paper
Ink: Staz On Black, Soft Sky, Soft Sky and River Rock reinkers
Accessories: Photo Corner Punch, Silver Brads, Soft Sky Double Stitched ribbon, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Folder and Stardust pen

Always: Technique Challenge

This card I made for the Technique Challenge on SCS. It is the first technique challenge I have done in quite some time! Sometimes these challenges scare me away and I don't even attempt to try ;o) I jumped into this one with both feet because this one was a combination of various challenges (sketch and color challenges from the past) AND included a technique I have never tried before...the Baby Wipe Technique. Too stinkin' cool and I cannot believe I never tried it before!

Recipe:
Stamp set: Always
Cardstock: Bravo Burgundy, Creamy Caramel and Glossy CS
Ink: Staz On Black and reinkers
Accessories: Burgundy Grosgrain, Circle Punches, and eyelets

Have a great day!

Pun Fun

Last week I was out in the mountains of Brevard, NC and was able to stop briefly at a nice Scrapbooking store. I say "briefly" because it seems that my four month old did not appreciate this paper crafting store :o(((
I was able to get out of there just under $15 (which is truly attributed to Jeb) and only bought some discounted Basic Grey scrapbook paper and a Cuttlebug folder: Tiny Bubbles.

I knew I wanted to use the Pun Fun stamp set with my new Tiny Bubbles Cuttlebug Folder. I also used the new scalloped border punch (from SU) that will be in the new catalog in August. It is a pretty cool punch...very different from other punches SU has offered.
The Bashful Blue layer was first stamped with Canvas BG prior to putting it through the Cuttlebug, it just adds an extra textured look.

Recipe:
Stamps: Pun Fun and Canvas
Cardstock: Real Red, Bashful Blue, Basic Black and WW
Ink: Staz On Black
Accessories: Tiny Bubbles Cuttlebug folder, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Ticket Corner Punch, Bashful Blue Brads, Scalloped Border Punch, Red Polka Dot Organdy ribbon, Word Window Punch and Paper Piercer

Hi Cupcake!

This is another card I made for my daughter while she is off at camp. She loves receiving mail (what kid doesn't, right?). The cupcake is from the Inkadinkado clear stamp set that is so easy to use! I stamped it using Staz On ink and paper pieced the bottom. I find sometimes the sentiment smudges and will have to look into other inks, any suggestions?
Have a great day!

One More Retro Boutique

Have I told you lately that I love paper piecing??? It is truly addictive! For this card, I paper pieced using Basic Grey scrapbooking paper (Sultry). The layout is inspired from a sketch challenge on SCS a couple of weeks ago. The colors Chocolate Chip and Passion Pink go wonderfully together and I used the background Paisley for the pink layer. I love this sentiment!
Have a great day!

Owl Always Love You

This is for a sketch challenge Gina K. posted on her blog (Friday). It is a great sketch that I will file away to use again.... The tree branch was colored using reinkers and WWC on the owl. I used my Coluzzle to cut an oval and trimmed around the branch. I am pleased with how he turned out and thankfully have some more images to use for more cards...I received these images in a swap so I am glad I have more to use before I decide if I *need* this stamp set too! :o)))
Have a great day!

Year After Year

This is a simple card I made using my basket of scraps. The only thing I had to stamp was the floral image and color it. I am trying to use up more of the scrap pieces before I cut into a new piece of cardstock since I have an overabundance of scrap pieces still! Have a great day!

Recipe:
Stamps: Year After Year, All About You and Sincere Salutations
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Regal Rose, WW and Flowers for You Designer paper
Ink: Certainly Celery and Staz On Black and Regal Rose marker
Accessories: Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, White Gel Pen and Cuttlebug folder Divine Swirl

Baroque Motifs

The Color Challenge on SCS this week was to use the colors: Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava and Barely Banana. I like Groovy Guava and Chocolate Chip together and had to figure out a way to get in the Barely Banana. Baroque Motifs is an easy stamp set to use that requires very little effort to make a nice looking card. I love the flourish in this stamp set and it makes a beautiful background stamp just by itself!
Have a great day!

Recipe:
Stamps: Baroque Motifs
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava and Barely Banana
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Groovy Guava and Barely Banana
Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware pieces, Groovy Guava Double Stitched ribbon

One of a Kind

Today I decided to use a SU stamp set that I really haven't used that much at all. It really appealed to me out of the catalog, but for some reason I have a hard time figuring out how to use it. I see a lot of gorgeous cards other people have made and could/will certainly CASE, but want to be original too! This is one of my favorite color combinations: Perfect Plum and Pale Plum.
I often like to toss in Mellow Moss as well, but this one didn't need it so I kept it monochromatic.
Have a great day!

Recipe:
Stamps: One of a Kind, French Script and Linen
Cardstock: Perfect Plum, Pale Plum and VV
Ink: Perfect Plum and Pale Plum
Accessories: Boho Blossoms Punch, Silver Brads, Primas, Tag Corner Punch, and Grosgrain

Another Retro Boutique

Here is one more Retro Boutique card I made this past weekend. I love the look of the Photo Corner Punch on this card, it really frames the dress nicely. Well, I am off for a busy day today so tomorrow I will have something exlusively SU to share.
Have a great day!

Recipe:
Stamps: Retro Boutique
Cardstock: Real Red, VV and Basic Grey Gypsy
Ink: Staz On Black and Real Red
Accessories: Photo Corner Punch and Black Brads

Retro Boutique

I made this card using a stamp set from Gina K. Designs that was released back in May. It is a new favorite and has a lot of possibilities. One of my favorite techniques with this stamp set is paper piecing which I knew would work wonderfully. The dress alone just screams..."paper piece me!"...Okay, that is weird. :o)

On Friday and Saturday I made several different cards with this stamp set and yesterday I checked out Gina's blog (A Day in the Life) and she had one she made on her blog using the new Basic Grey designer paper. Check out her card, it is awesome and now I will have to get some of the new Basic Grey paper on my next order, that Euphoria is so pretty!
Have a great day!

Stamps: Retro Boutique
Cardstock: Real Red, Soft Sky, Whisper White and Gypsy Basic Grey Designer paper
Ink: Staz On Black
Accesssories: Boho Blossoms punch, Soft Sky Double Stitched Ribbon, Oval Punches, Tag Punch, Black Pen, Mat Pack and Paper Piercer

Happy 4th of July!!!

Have a wonderful 4th of July....

Recipe:
Stamps: Statue of Liberty (Inkadinkado) and Background Basics
Cardstock: Ruby Red, Blue Bayou and VV
Ink: Bayou Blue
Accessories: Star punch, Making Memories blue eyelets

The Free and the Brave II

Here is another card I made using the stamp set: The Free and the Brave. With this card, I added a background stamp that ended up going really well with these images....The background is Weathered and sadly it is retiring August 11th (so I would highly recommend getting this one if you do not already own it). I stamped the background stamp twice on this piece of cardstock, I turned it in the opposite direction the second time to give more coverage.

Recipe:
Stamp set: The Free and the Brave and Weathered BG
Cardstock: Ruby Red, Blue Bayou and Very Vanilla (VV)
Ink: Blue Bayou and Ruby Red
Accessories: Star punches

Have a great day!

The Free and the Brave

It is hard to believe it is July already, it seems as though the summer is flying by and I sure wish it would slow down just a bit!
With the 4th of July being this week, I thought I would try making some patriotic cards. I like the colors Bayou Blue, Ruby Red and Very Vanilla together. It is a bit more muted than the standard red, white and blue. I used the stamp set The Free and the Brave (which I finally got around to mounting). I used the two star punches and punched the small star first and then from that punched the larger one.
Have a great day!

Recipe:
Stamps: The Free and the Brave
Cardstock: Blue Bayou, Ruby Red and Very Vanilla
Ink: Blue Bayou and Ruby Red
Accessories: Small and Large Star punch

Noble Deer Wallet

My oldest son had a birthday last week and a dear friend of mine made this paper wallet from a tutorial on SCS. If this isn't enough to push me over the edge to purchase the Noble Deer stamp set, I don't know what will! :o))) (**Side note: Yes, I am finally going to order it. I think it is the perfect masculine stamp set!)

Isn't this wallet card just the coolest thing? I am amazed at my friends creativity and her vision for a card! The cardstock she used really gave it a nice masculine touch. Through the eyelets she had a nice cording that I am afraid did not survive my son's opening of the wallet and can never be threaded through them again...(I tried!)



When the wallet is open, it has places where a monetary gift can be placed (as if it were a real wallet). I told my son that I would *need" this card after his birthday was over so I could CASE it before he got it back for good!
Have a great day!