Yippee ... new rubber!!!

My stamps finally showed up from The Rubber Cafe and they are AWESOME. Poor Melissa has had so much trouble with the new rubber getting to everyone for some reason and even had to resend new to several of us.

It's been a long day but I JUST had to ink up these stamps and see what I could come up with. I'm sure when I have more time and not quite so tired I'll have great fun with these images.

I know it's early for Valentine's Day but I'd like to try and submit a few things for publication and that is what they are looking for right now. Hope you like it ... please feel free to comment and give me some suggestions. Thanks for stopping by ...

Cleveland Clinic Visit

I wanted to post a quick update for those of you who have been so sweet to send well wishes and prayer for us throughout this Cancer Journey we are currently on!!!

We MIGHT actually have some GOOD news for a change!!! The stem cell transplant surgeon at Cleveland Clinic isn't convinced that Mark still has lymphoma!! Seems that Pet Scans done too in proximity to chemo have a history of sending false positives!!! And, Mark's last two pet scans were done the weeks in between his chemo. All the other areas of cancer concern are CLEAR and he doesn't see how this one area has not been affected by the amount of chemo he has had! SO, with that being said, his recommendation is to wait 4-6 weeks AFTER his last chemo (which was Oct. 1) and then do a pet scan and see what it reads. He recommends doing this even before doing the biopsy which would probably be scheduled within the next week. He said "why put you through any more surgery if it's not needed". We are PRAYING he is correct in this and that we won't have to got through all of that other UGLY stuff and I mean by what they explained to us today ... it would be UGLY. The stem cell transplant would have Mark in the hospital (Cleveland) for at least 3-4 weeks not to speak of the in patient chemo treatments needed prior to the transplant. Doesn't sound like something we want to do over the holidays!!!! So ... if you would please remain praying for him, we would really appreciate it!

Thanks!!!

Crafty Secrets Challenge - Orange/Black

I finally got the time to make my card(s) for Tuesday's Crafty Secrets challenge hosted by Pammyjo. She has asked us to use the colors Orange and Black but not necessarily Halloween cards ... we were to try and "think out of the Halloween box". Well when I made my first card, I was having difficulty with my mojo and settled for Halloween.

The background was made using dark orange paper from the Basic Grey Amrosia paper pack ... stamped using a gauze bg stamp and the "little monsters" is from the Crafty Secrets Halloween Fun set. The main image is from the Crafty Secrets Seasonal booklet, the sentiment is from Crafty Secrets Halloween Cuts and the witches shoes are from the Halloween Fun set and I cut them out and popped them up on dimensionals to work as photo corners. Hope you like it ...

This is my second card and was influenced by my DH. While waiting at the eye surgeons office yesterday, I was telling him about the challenge and how were were to use these two colors but not necessarily on a Halloween card! His suggestion was to make a card with Northern Orioles on it ... so after some playing around, here is what I came up with!!

The birds are from two different CS sets ... Bird Lovers and Bird Notes. The sky was done using a stamp by Ala Art and soft sky ink. It was difficult to color the bird in flight because I didn't have a photo of an oriole with it's wings spread ... so I did my best. Haven't gotten approval from "the boss" yet ... but I think it looks okey, dokey!!! What do you think??

Thanks so much for stopping by ... sorry I've bee a little slow on updates ... DH is having health difficulty and my attention has been on him ... but I'll be here as I can!! Love hearing from all of you ... thanks for helping to keep my spirits up during this difficult time!!!

Sketch Challenge

I still had a little time before DH's doctor appt., so I decided to play one of my favorite challenges. It's a sketch challenge found over on the i{heart}2stamp blog.

I recently purchased these beautiful vintage cotton scraps by Crafty Secrets at an awesome toy/stamping store called Toyrifix. My friend Tammy Hershberger manages the stamping portion of the store and I'm always amazed at the variety of product she offers in her "little corner of the world". I spotted these cotton scraps and just HAD TO HAVE THEM!!!

Thanks for stopping by ... my play time is running out for today ... hope to have more to share with you tomorrow!! In the meantime ... have a safe, fun-filled day!!!

A "little" playtime ...

Things have been unexpectedly crazy around here these last few days and I haven't had much time to play. DH (Mark) got even more bad news yesterday ... this time from the optometrist ... seems his cataracts are getting so bad (mostly from the steroids used during his chemo) that they feel he needs to have cataract surgery prior to all this high dose chemo / stem cell transplant stuff he has coming up! SO, we are off the the Cataract Surgeon this afternoon to see how quickly we can get this done!

God bless him, he's still trying to go into the office when he feels up to it but today he asked me to drive him in because he didn't feel it was safe for him to be driving himself ... now that's what I call "dedication to your job". So, while I'm waiting for the time to go pick him back up and take him for his appointment, I decided I was going to take some ME time and make a few cards.

I purchased his stamp over the weekend from my favorite stamping store in Zoar, Ohio (The Stamp Pad) and couldn't wait to play a little and see what I could come up with. Here I stamped it with Versafine black and used chalks and a cotton ball to color it. I have my "Nestability negatives" hanging on a peg in front of my workstation and just started looking to see what scrap I had available that would work and this one worked perfectly! I double matted it using gold metallic and real red cardstock then used dimensional tape to give it a little dimension. The background paper is by Fancy Pants and the gold sheer ribbon is by Joanne's. A simple card, but sweet I think. What are your thoughts?? (I noticed my mojo isn't quite right these days ... must have too much on my mind!)

I also purchased this bird cage image and the image I used to make the background from the same stamping store in Zoar, Ohio and wanted to see what I could do with them. (Have you noticed I can't stand to let a NEW stamp sit un-inked for very long ...) This card was just a quick toss together. I stamped the birdcage image (Inkadinkado) on ivory cs using blue bayou ink then colored in the birds using American Craft glitter pens. The background was made using a bird in the bush image ( Stampendous) and using soft sky ink. I had scraps on my worktable which I used for the sentiment panel and the chickadee was also a scrap left over from another project. Another simple little card ... but I think it's cute!

Do you have a birthday coming up?? Let me know and I'll send this card to YOU!

Thanks so much for stopping in ... sorry my work isn't up to standard ... I promise it will be better next time!!

Whoo Hoo ... I won!!

A new stamping friend Melissa Bove (we are both on The Rubber Cafe design team) sent me an email today asking if I had seen this post: http://websterspages.typepad.com/webstershome/.

Yep ... out of 482 comments, I was one of ten randomly selected a winner in this awesome blog candy. What great news ... and I could use some GOOD news today.

Thanks for stopping by ... I just had to share some GOOD news with all my blogger friends!!!

Stampin' D'Amour Design Team Submission - Nov. 2008

Here is my first project for the Stampin' D'Amour design team for November. These lovely images and much, much more can be found in the Stampin' D'Amour boutique.

I wanted to come up with a "matching set" and I'm happy with this combination. Here are individual photos of each (and you can click on each photo for a closer look):

My 3d project is an acrylic pillow. I stamped the images onto designer paper then cut and slid into the pillow ... the candy holds the image in place. Placed a little sparkly cello at each end and wrapped a gold bow around for a little dimensional appeal. I think these are a great gift idea!!

Here are the card and ATC using the same basic background paper ...

So ... what do you think?? I just love vintage and need to spend more time with these images. They are so cool, I'm almost a little intimidated by them ... what's up with that???? I guess I'm looking for perfection ... Anyways, thanks so much for taking time to look and comment ... I can't tell you how much it means to me to hear from all of you!!!!

Same Image - Four Different Cards

I enjoy using my Stampscapes images for "guy" cards but they will work for "girls" cards just as well. I think EVERYONE enjoys nature!!

I stamped this image onto glossy white cardstock using India Ink Black ... then using sponge pods, colored it with various SU inks. For the sky, I used the large sponge pods and swiped lightly with the summer sun .... then another pod for the pirouette pink ... then another pod for the soft sky. The sun was done by using the large sponge pod in Summer Sun ink and stamping over the image.

It's fun to see how many different variations you can get by using the same image design. Hope you like my "little collection". Thanks for stopping by!!

ssnotime57 Challenge

This week's challenge over on Sharon Johnson's (notimetostamp)blog is brought to us by Heather Telford who won the game to write the challenge during Sharon's Huge Celebration a few weeks back.

Heather's challenge to us is to design a card without using any IMAGE stamps (no flowers, coffee cups, snowflakes or cupcakes) ... only use sentiment or background stamps.

I have had this cube holiday sentiment stamp since the beginning of time ... sorry don't know who makes it ... and I decided to use it along with Kaleidocolor - fruitcake ink to make the background dp. The main image sentiment stamp is by Great Impressions and the Winter Bough which is stamped in Brillance Beige on the background is by Penny Black. The main image is matted with copper metallic and the edging around the main card is done using Brillance Galaxy Gold and a sponge.

Don't forget to checkout what the other girls have done!
Sharon

Julie

Tammy

Janine

Dee

Jennifer

Thanks for stopping by! It's always great to hear from you!!!

Awesome Blog Candy at Websters

Interested in some really cool blog candy???? Check this out: http://websterspages.typepad.com/webstershome/2008/10/ready-for-more.html?cid=135071127#comment-135071127

The Rubber Cafe DT Challenge

As you can see by my sidebar, I am a new member of The Rubber Cafe Design Team! Our Leader (Melissa) has posted a challenge to us and since I am still waiting for the arrival of my new stamps I will resort back to this beautiful butterfly image I already have in my stash.

Our challenge is to use the colors: teal greens, blue and whites ... use at least one (1) designer paper ... use pop dots for dimension ... and use something recycled. Well that last requirement had me stumped for awhile, but I decided to "recycle" the packing envelope my new Stampin' D'Amour stamps came in ... that works, right??

This design paper is by 7Gypsies and the sentiment stamp is by Hampton Art Stamps. Hope you like it ... This challenge goes on for a couple of weeks ... maybe my new stamps will show up and I can make another card ... cross your fingers ... I'll have to stalk the mailman over the next few days I guess!! Thanks for stopping by!!!

FALL is in the Air!!

This card is for Wednesday's sketch challenge over on SCS and also for the Color Throwdown challenge. I always enjoy doing Fall cards ... don't you just love the colors of fall!!! I don't think I could ever live where the trees didn't change color ... on a sunny day, the colors can be SPECTACULAR!!

The only stamped image on this card comes from a set called "old fashion hayride" by H&M Stamps and designed by MY FRIEND ... Beverly Cole.

The Color Throwdown challenge was to use the colors Really Rust, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip and Kiwi Kiss. Didn't have the Kiwi Kiss so I substituted Old Olive. The base card is the So Saffron and the designer papers were from Stemma and Flair Design. Hope you like this one ... thanks for stopping by to take a peek and leave a comment ... I greatly appreciate it!!!!!

Rusty Pickle Challenge

Here is a card I did for the Rusty Pickle challenge put up over on the Stampin' D'Amour message board. I had used up all the Rusty Pickle paper I had in stock ... so, I HAD to order some from Stampin' D'Amour (and a few other things of course) in order to play along with the challenge! They have some wonderful 2-sided holiday papers available and here I have used both sides of the same paper (cool, huh!).

The challenge is to use 80% Rusty Pickle product and the theme is "something you are grateful for". As you can tell by my sentiment, I am MOST grateful for FAMILY!! I can't even imagine how lonely people who don't have family around them must be ... I am blessed with a large, loving family and so thankful for it!!!

I bordered each layer by using a ZIG real red marker (saves on layer weight) and made a little awning with the sentiment panel. The reindeer is a clear stamp I found for $1 somewhere and I've added a few punched out snowflakes. EASY PEASY with this awesome paper ... don't need to add much more!!! What do you think??

NOT what we wanted to hear!!!

Sorry ... no cards to post today! This morning was spent at the Oncologist office to hear the results of the various tests Dear Husband went through last week. Unfortunately, we didn't hear what we had hoped to hear. Instead, the word is a bit grim ... he STILL has cancer. All locations have cleared except for one area that just doesn't seem to be responding to the chemo. And for that reason, they have cancelled the remaining scheduled chemo and we're switching gears. (Mind you, this is after already going through 14 chemo treatments).

We are in the process of setting up with our local surgeon (top notch surgeon) to have the affected lymph nodes removed and biopsied ... also we have a consultation scheduled with surgeons at Cleveland Clinic to discuss Stem Cell Transplant ... which might be required in the near future.

I appreciate all of those who have been sending out well wishes & prayers to my husband and myself ... I ask that you continue those prayers ... seems our "cancer journey" isn't quite over yet!!!

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have something a bit more Cheery & Bright to share with you!!!! Thanks everyone ... you will never know how much your friendships and kindness means to us!!!

Crafty Secrets Challenge ... Homemade Designer Paper

Hello all ... thanks so much for stopping by!!

It is my turn again to host the Crafty Secrets Challenge over on the SCS forum. I thought it might be fun to see what the ladies came up with if I ask them to make their own designer paper to be used on their card/project. These ladies are all so talented, I'm sure I've going to be very impressed with what they create!!

For my card, I chose to use the Crafty Secrets Vintage Christmas set to create my background. I stamped this sentiment stamp onto Whisper White cs using Old Olive ink ... then, stippled real red, summer sun, old olive & pacific point over the words to give it the glow of christmas tree lights. The image is from the Crafty Secrets - Christmas booklet which I matted with Pacific Point cs and used a little stickles on the snow & berries for sparkle. The bird above the bow is from the same stamp set ... I stamped it onto glossy white and colored it in with SU inks ... then popped him up atop the pretty Michael's red velvet ribbon.

Making your own background paper is so much fun and ties into your theme so perfectly when you are using the stamps/sentiments all from the same set! You can also get the color combination you desire when YOU are the creator!! Thanks for looking and PLEASE ... come play the challenge with us ... we have great fun! Every once in a while, even LUCY & ETHEL show up ... really!!!

A Few EASY PEASY cards!

Here are just a few cards I made the other day for no reason other than I wanted to try a couple techniques I had seen around the blogs & SCS.

This teal colored card was so easy to do but I think has a great "WOW" affect. I saw it on someone's blog (who saw it on someone's blog) ... and I had to give it a try! I will have to edit this post later when I find the piece of paper I wrote down WHO the someone was so I can give proper credit!! Anyways, all you do is stamp your image using Versamark (a darker color of cardstock works best) ... clear emboss ... then with a sponge applicator, swirl white craft ink over/around your image to give it a "misty" appeal ... then wipe with a dry soft cloth to buff up the embossed area. EASY-PEASY!! Isn't this great!

Here is another EASY PEASY card using the new SU scallop punch. This was showcased on SCS last week for the Wednesday Technique. This technique also works with other border punches (i.e. Martha Stewart, Fiskars, EKSuccess) although you may have to increase your template size a little. For this card, my square was cut at 2-3/4" ... then just center your square and punch on each of the four sides! I chose to use an outdoor theme and stamped the center of the square using my pinebranch stamp by Just for Fun. The bird is from the Crafty Secrets Vintage Christmas set and was stamped on glossy white with India Ink Black then colored using SU inks. I cut him out with a swivel craft knife and popped him up with dimensional tape. The card base is SU old olive and the designer paper is DCWV. You could use any width ribbon with this technique ... I chose to use the small brown plaid so I wouldn't cover up too much of the dp. I think this turned out to be a great GUY card (and you know we're always looking for guy card ideas). What do you think of this one??? Be honest ... ALL critics are welcome!!

And in case 2 cards today wasn't enough ... here is a third! And again, this is an EASY-PEASY card to do. My image is actually the journal portion of an image from the Crafty Secrets Christmas Images & Journal Notes booklet which I matted on glossy black. I just added the Santa & sleigh for a little more affect! The right side of the card was Cuttlebugged using the snowflake embossing folder then I swiped Memories silver ink across the embossed images. I used a Stampscapes tree stamp on the left side to mimic the tree in the image. A little black sheer ribbon and silver cording and there you have it!!

Okay ... I'm sure you've seen enough from me today! Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. Enjoy this gorgeous FALL weather ... the snow will fly before we know it! Thanks ya'll!!

Featured Stamper - Anne Ryan

This is my card for today's Featured Stamper (Anne Ryan) Challenge over on Splitcoaststamper. Anne is such a sweetheart and always leaves such heart-warming, sweet comments. I was thrilled to see her name in lights today!! Her gallery is full of beautiful works-of-art. If you've never been there, please take a moment now to take a glance!!

Of course I chose THIS card to case so I could use some of my new Stampin' D'Amour stamps. Loving vintage style, this was a lot of fun to create. The three "lady" images are Stampin' D'Amour and the opposite corner stamps are by Hampton Art. I drew the lines on the main image by using a metal ruler and a Creative Memories fine point black marker pen. The little tag was in a group of tags I got in the "Hot Spots" at Archivers and the designer paper is by Anna Griffin.

I'm think it needs a "little more" but I didn't want to get too far away from the design Anne Ryan came up with. BUT, I'll probably "tweek" it a bit more (maybe a few pearls, gems) before sending it out to anyone.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by my blog and I'm always anxious/thrilled to hear your comments!! Have a WONDERFUL day!!

Can you say CONVENTION??

What a fun way to spend a Saturday! My friend, Sandy, will be picking me up at 8:00 a.m. ... headed over for breakfast ... then it's off to Strongsville, OH for an all day Adventures in Stamping. I don't really NEED anything but I have NO doubt I will find some cool things that I WANT!! We're hoping to run into some other stamping friends there too ... maybe all do lunch! Whatever ... it's Girls Day Out! and I'm excited!!!

Hope you all have a great day ... is there anything I can pick up for you?? TeeHee!


I'M BACK!!!

What a great time! I found a few new things at Convention and I'm so anxious to give them a try and share them with you! Tomorrow maybe?? I learned a few new techniques and was thrilled to run into a few local fellow stampers (Tammy [and daughter], Anita, Carol, Laurel, Crystal) and even one from Kentucky who was in town visiting friends/family. What a fun day ... I just wanted to "buy it all" ...

ssnotime56 Exquisitely Elegant with Sharon Johnson

In the past weeks, Sharon Johnson (notimetostamp) has been spotlighting each of her design team members and challenging all of us to make a card/project using their style of design. Well, today the spotlight is on Sharon! What fun is this!!! Becky Oehlers has hi-jacked Sharon's challenge so that the Leader of the Pack can be honored as she should be!!! Sharon has a GREAT style about her and I have admired her work from the first day I came onto Splitcoaststampers.

Sharon loves using birds/nature in her cards ... along with cuttlebug backgrounds and scrumptious ribbons. My card uses all of those features that Sharon has perfected so beautifully in the past!! Oh yea, Sharon also likes making square cards (5.5 x 5.5) ... so I have followed suite on this feature too!

Congrats Sharon on being honored for the wonderfully, talented stamper (who inspires us all each week) that you are!! It's an honor to be guest designer on your blog this month!! Keep up the good work!!

Don't forget to checkout what the other girls have done!

Sharon
Julie
Tammy
Janine
Dee
Jennifer

Time for bed ... it's been a very long day!!! Catch you in the a.m.

Guy Card for the Chemo Angels

Splitcoaststampers Cards for a Cause challenge this month is to benefit an organization called Chemo Angels ... please go to the forum and check it out. There was some concern expressed that they don't get enough GUY cards so here is at least one that will be going in my bundle of cards. If you are interested in participating in this challenge and have difficult finding it on SCS, let me know and I will gladly guide you in the right direction.

I just love making scenery cards using my Stampscapes stamps. It is a really easy process and always produces a great looking product!! This is done using ONE main stamp and just adding the geese and crane. I used a small sponge pod and SU inks to do the coloring ... matted it using a negative portion of the new SU diecut and mounted it onto hunter green cs. Easy-peasy!! Oh yea, I added a little rafia to carry out the "woodsy" theme. Thanks for taking time to look and please comment ... I love hearing what you have to say! Happy Stamping All!!

Ooops ... I almost forgot to mention ... please come back tomorrow for the card I made for Sharon Johnson's Stamp Simple challenge on her blog. Tommorrow's challenge is going to be SO COOL ... you won't want to miss it!!

A Mother's Pride ...

If you get a quick moment, here are a couple blogs for you to check out ... first is my daughter Carolyn and now, my granddaughter Morgan. Mo just started her blog last night ... she emailed me and said she was feeling left out of the loop ... so since her mother & grandmother had blogs she needed one too! We are a 3-generation blogging family ... humm, wonder if I can talk my 78 year old mother into starting a blog ... probably not!! LOL!!

S-P-O-O-K-Y ...

Last week while friends & I were visiting stamping friend Tammy at Toyrifix, my friend Linda Davis purchased this Cuttlebug spiderweb embossing folder and was kind enough to let me borrow it. (THANKS LINDA) I don't want to keep it long (Halloween is right around the corner) so I made a couple quick prints and here is a card I made.

I inked up the inside of the folder before running it through the cuttlebug ... actually I did the wrong side and this is kind of "inside out" from what I was expecting but it still has a really cool affect!! The house and witch are from SU "Home is Where the Haunt is" set and the spiders are stickers I had in my scrapbooking stash. Such an "easy-peasy" card yet so cute!! Thanks for stopping by my blog today ... please come back again!!

What a Day!!!

From 8:30 until 2:30 today I sat in different hospital waiting rooms while my DH was having testing done to see where his cancer stands at this point in time ... please pray it's GONE!!! He had testing yesterday and also tomorrow ... then results will be back next Wednesday ... I'll be sitting on pins & needles until we get the results!!



Anyways, this really exhausted him so upon arriving home he went directly to bed and I went directly to my craftroom! Here are a few challenge cards I was able to get completed. Please let me know what you think of these! Both cards will also be donated to the Cards for a Cause challenge over on Splitcoaststampers - Chemo Angels. (how appropriate, huh!)


Card #1 was done for today's Sketch Challenge over on SCS. To keep the weight of this card to a minimum, I chose to border panels 2 & 3 using a Creative Memories round black marker vs cardstock matting. Panel #3 was handmade using a stipple brush first, then stamping the fern image then sponging over with Ranger vintage photo ink. This cute bird image is by Magenta and I stamped it on glossy white paper and colored it using SU inks and inking nibs.


Card #2 was done for the challenge over on the Color Throwdown Blog. I had to improvise a little since I don't have all the new SU IN-colors yet but I came close!! I just received my Stampin' D'Amour stamps and couldn't wait to ink one up! Aren't these three little girls adorable?? You'll be seeing more of these Stampin' D'Amour images coming soon!


Thanks for stopping by and please, leave a comment ... I love hearing what you have to say!!!

Also thanks to all of you who have expressed your thoughts & prayers for me and DH during this cancer journey we are on!!! Bless You!!

1 card ... 2 challenges

Hope your day is going well!!! I finally got the opportunity to do today's Crafty Secrets Challenge over on the SCS Member Companies forum. Today's host is Lori Lynn Washburn and she has asked us to use chipboard on our project. I decided I could combine today's card to fit in with Saturday's challenge over on the Our Creative Corner blog - bling.

Stamps used here are all from the Crafty Secrets - Vintage Christmas set. The chipboard is also Crafty Secrets - Sweet Chips which I have covered in Diamond Stickles. I just LOVE this vintage Santa and I chose to stamp him using Versafine black ink on whisper white cs punched using the Marvy scallop circle punch. After stamping the image, I masked him and stamped/embossed the Memories silver snowflakes and added the acrylic jewels by The Beadery for the BLING! Oh yea, I simply colored him lightly using SU watercolor pencils and a blender pen. The background paper on this card is also from Crafty Secrets, their Radiant paper pack.

I'm not a very big "bling/sparkle" type of cardmaker, but I really like how this card looks. A friend of mine is a HUGE glitter, sparkle fan ... maybe she'll be the recipient of this holiday card!! Thanks for stopping by ... please come back again! Till then ... have a great day!!!

Featured Stamper Challenge #87

Hello All!

After a "whirl-wind" stamping day yesterday, I am finally getting around to doing today's Featured Stamper challenge over on SCS.

Today's stamper is LOVE STAMPIN. What a great gallery of art ... take a peek when you get a chance, you won't be disappointed. HERE is her card I chose to case. I kept pretty true to her card ... using the same SU stamp set (Noble Deer) and layout ... only changing the background designer papers and theme. The deer was colored with SU watercolor pencils & a blending pen. I scored around the image using my Scor-Pal (don't have the square Nesties YET) and since I don't have any SQUARE Nesties, I cut around the image using Fiskar's scallop scissors. I thought this would be a great GUY card but I also know a lot of "outdoorsey" ladies that would enjoy this card too! Thanks for stopping by and PLEASE come back. All comments are greatly appreciated!!

Happy World Cardmaking Day!!!

WOW ... it has been an extremely busy "stamping" day today. First I spent a few hours with a friend of mine (Sandy) at one of my favorite stamping stores in Zoar called The 1870's Shoppe. Of course, this got me off to a late start on all the challenges going on over on SCS in honor of WDM Day!! I didn't want to overwhelm you with individual posts for each card I made so, I'll just put them all here and if you have any questions, feel free to drop me an email or SCS/PM and I'd be glad to answer them for you.

There were seven (7) challenges total ... starting at 11:00 a.m. then a new challenge posted every two hours after until the last one being posted at 11:00 P.M. (It's not quite 11 pm here so I don't have that one yet ... I'll save it to post tomorrow!!). Without further ado ... here are my World Cardmaking Day Cards.

Thanks so much for stopping by ... I hope you were able to join in on some of the fun today. Oops ... I see it's 11:00 ... gotta go get the last challenge instructions and "get 'r done". See you in the morning!!

Morning All! I'm back with my last challenge card to share with you. The final challenge was a color combination of Lime, Lemon, Orange, Black, Gray & a neutral. Well I didn't have any dp with those colors (no little kids around the house to have those bright cheery colors on hand) so I had to improvise and make my own. I used large sponge pods and swiped Lime, Lemon & Orange across a piece of glossy white for the bg paper. Then again using my large pods, I made circles of each color on another piece of glossy paper to make my "balloons" ... I used a ZIG photo signature pen to make the strings and write the sentiment on one balloon. The little birthday sentiments on the card are from a Studio G set. Not bad for doing this card at 11:30 at night (my bedtime is 10 pm). What fun! Hope you enjoyed my little stamping experience as much as I did!!!

Inspired by Others!

I just had to share this card with you all!!!

I spotted this card on Joan Fricker's blog and commented to her how beautiful it was and I was thinking of casing it! Well a short time later I received this lovely email from Joan saying she'd be pleased to have me case her card and in her words "Isn’t that what this is all about?? hee hee" . I did change it up a bit to "Make It My Own" but the basis is from Joan.

You can click on either card for a closer view!

Keeping in mind that I made my card from MEMORY of her card, the changes I made are as follows. The main image is from Inkadinkado and the set is called "Winter Birds". I decided to use black instead of the Navy. I made my main image panel smaller and I popped up the owl image that is on top of the Nestabilities where Joan popped up both panels. I also used a thin matting of glossy black between the owl image and the Nesties cut panel. I really like how Joan did a little piercing in the corners (an element I totally forgot about when trying to remember her design) but I did do the little dots in each of the scallops. As you can see, we used different locations/shapes for our sentiments.

How much fun is it to be inspired by someone's work and try to mimic it! For me, it never turns out the same .... Close, but not the Same! Has someone inspired you today??? If so, why not share that experience. I just did and it felt really good!!! Thanks Joan!! I think I'll do this more often ... I'm inspired by SO many ... but when one really catching my attention I think I'll post here and share it with you all!! Thanks for stopping by ... please come back!!

Limited Supply Challenge

I decided to do the "Limited Supply Challenge" today over on SCS. I was intrigued by the fact that we were NOT allowed to use embellishments. I've kind of become a ribbon, brads, stuff kind of girl and was curious what I'd come up with when I wasn't allowed to use these yummies!

Well, I think NOT TOO SHABBY!!

I used all four stamps out of the new Holiday set "A Cardinal Christmas". I made the designer paper using the holly image with Always Artichoke ink and doing the stamping off technique ... then sponged out around for shadowing. The cardinal was stamped with Versafine black ink then colored in with Prisma pencils ... again I sponged out around with Always Artichoke ink. Matted onto Real Red cs ... did a little paper piercing and added the sentiment stamp. I made tabs using the SU word window punch and added faux brads using a Creative Memories round tip black marker.

Seems like making cards without embellishments isn't that difficult after all ... but I'm still not giving up my "goodies" ... they are so much fun!! Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek!! Your comments are very helpful and give me great encouragement ... thanks!!!

Stamp Simply #55 - Let's Sing N Stamp with Becky

This is my first post as Sharon Johnson's October Guest Designer!! How cool is that!! I'm both thrilled and honored!!

This week Sharon is featuring another member of her wonderful design team - Becky Oehlers, a/k/a Sing n' Stamp on SCS. Becky's blog is entitled Hemidemisemiquaver, please make time to pay Becky's blog a visit ... you won't regret it!

Our challenge is to CASE Becky's Clean, Crisp, Classy style of design. Becky's creativity overflows in her beautiful artwork ... both cards and 3d projects. Becky is also a singer (classical I believe) ... how about that ... talent exudes from her every pore. That musical talent was my basis for today's card. Images are from Crafty Secrets (Bird Lovers) and although you can't see it in the photo, the base card was stamped with musical notes using Versamark.

For all the challenge details, please visit Sharon's blog (while you're there, don't forget to check out her always fabulous sample!) Remember to check out the other team members blogs for more fabulous samples! What great fun, I hope you'll have time to join us! Remember to link your card back to Sharon's blog post, and if you upload to SCS, use the keywords ssnotime55.

Thanks so much for taking time to stop and take a peek!! Happy Stamping All!!

Stamp Something MFT Challenge

The Stamp Something Challenge for this past week was to do exactly that ... Stamp Something!!

The crew over at Stamp Something was excited to have Kim, from My Favorite Things as the host for their challenge. So of course, I had to use my favorite, MFT stamp set for my card submission.

Then, I just started using up scraps to create what I think turned out to be a pretty great card! I bg paper was in my scrap bin and is by Kelly Panacci. The sky panel is a piece left over from playing around with alcohol inks. The sand was a piece of scrap laying on my worktable which I tore to give it a rougher edge. This MFT image from the (by the seashore) set is so much fun to paper piece. There was a scrap of Crafty Secrets - Radiant dp laying in the same scrap pile that I thought would work quite nicely ... and was I right??? Huh?? Nice outfit, don't you think!! LOL!!

I had a lot of fun making this card and I got it done just in the nick of time!!! All entries had to be in by 7 pm tonight to be eligible to win free stamps!!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Please come back tomorrow when I get to upload my first card on Sharon Johnson's (notimetostamp)blog challenge as October's Guest Designer! How great is that!!! See you then!!

Fall into Fall

Don't you just love the FALL?? I enjoy making fall cards ... I think it's the colors involved!! Now I just need to get some of them addressed and sent out! No sense in hoarding them, right ?

I made this card for a sketch challenge over on the i{heart}2stamp site. I used the H&M stamp set (old fashion hayride) which was designed by an online friend of mine, Beverly Cole. It's a really fun set and has 22 pieces! The inside of the card is also stamped with the row of gourds positioned in the corner.

Papers used were: Burgundy cs, chocolate cs, so saffron, pumpkin pie & Flair Designs designer paper

Inks used were: Versafine sepia, more mustard, pumpkin pie, old olive & Kaleidocolor (autumn leaves)

I used a fall polka dotted ribbon I found at Joanne's, edged the papers using a gold Pilot marker, stamped & cut out the pumpkins using a swivel craft knife then popped the one pumpkin up for dimension. I also did some paper piercing to tie in with the dotted ribbon. What do you think??

All That Scraps Challenge

What a perfect day to play in the craftroom! With everything going on around here lately, I haven't had time to keep up with my challenges (I know, I'm pathetic) but today is quite cool outside and not very sunny ... so, to the craftroom I go!!!

This card was made for a sketch challenge over on the message board of All That Scraps. I used my stamps from The Rubber Cafe to make both the background dp and the main image. This beautiful butterfly image lends itself so well to the crayon resist technique that I instantly knew what I wanted to use for the main image on this sketch challenge.

What a fun sketch to work with. I did take one liberty and added sheer ribbon to the bottom of the main panel. Also, since the main image is double matted, to save on layers, I used my round black Creative Memories marker to edge panels 2 & 3. Gives the illusion of matting without the weight. What's your thoughts?? Thanks for stopping by!!

Sketches! {by tamara} Challenges

Here is a pretty easy-peasy card I did for two different challenges over on the Sketches! {by tamara} blog. Tuesday is her "recipe" challenge ... this week the recipe is Use something CLEAR, Ribbon, and Dimensionals. Thursday is the sketch challenge. I decided to combine the two for today's card.

You can click on the card for a closer view. The card base is made using SU garden green cardstock. The overlay is from a 12x12 sheet of dp I purchased at Deals ... real bargain ... 6 for $1. I had a couple acrylic flowers left that I had purchase a LONG time ago and popped them up using popdots. The ribbon is from Michael's and the garden green flowers were punched using the retired SU triple floral punch that I borrowed from a friend (thanks Anita)! The sentiment is from a Crafty Secrets clear set called "mini memories" ... this little set has come in handy so many times!! Hope you like it and thanks for stopping in!!

Teapot Tuesday Card

Here is a card I made today for Cindy's (mothermark) Teapot Tuesday challenge. This teapot is pretty basic so I didn't have a lot of trouble coming up with the "goods" needed to mimic it!! This was actually fun and I'm so glad I had the time to play! The circle was cut using my Creative Memories cutting sytem and the lines were scored using the Scor-Pal.

Here is a peek at the teapot!

The coloring on my card is not as white as the teapot but I'm still happy with the outcome!! Please check out this challenge ... it is so unique and Cindy has such talent!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

SCS Sketch Challenge & Color Throwdown

Do you like sketch challenges??? They have become my FAVORITE!! I guess because it gives me a "starting point" then I can create from there! Today's card is for the weekly sketch challenge over on Splitcoaststampers and also for the color challenge over on the Color Throwdown Blog.

This sketch is so simple yet looks great. I'm sure I'll be using it again. I thought it would work perfectly for a "thank you" card which I was in need of!

Since both of these challenges fall on the same day, I have found myself combining the two more often than not! Today's colors are: So Saffron, Baja Blue and More Mustard. I don't own any Baja Blue yet so had to substitute Soft Sky. They are similar so I think it worked out okay!! I'm not a big fan of "plain panels" so I used the Cuttlebug textile embossing folder on the More Mustard panel just to give it a little texture and of course, I used dew drops on the So Saffron panel to give it a little more dimension. The stamped panel is done with a set from Inkadinkado ... I've been getting more creative with my sentiment panels lately. I like how this one came out!! Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek!

Crafty Secrets Challenge - Vintage Cones/Party Hats

What a fun challenge we had for this week over on the Crafty Secrets forum of SCS! Marcy (kiddielitter) was our guest hostess this week and she came up with a "doozie". We were to make a pretty cone or party hat. There was a link to the template over on Heartwarming Vintage (sister site of Crafty Secrets) and that was a huge help.

I decided it would be easiest if I set up the sewing machine and attached my lace & image using real stitching. I wasn't too sure how well the adhesive would hold and didn't want it falling apart as soon as I finally got it all together.

There really isn't a lot of pieces to this pretty cone. The main design paper is double sided and is from Crafty Secrets Radiant paper pack. The image is from their Dolls booklet and the lace is from Joanne's sewing department. The only embellishments are a few crystal jewels around the lace, prima flowers and a few crystals hanging out the bottom. I used elastic cording from Michaels for the handle and the bottom string. Check out some of the other girls projects on this challenge ... they are really awesome and quite inspirational! Here is a link if you'd like to take a peek!!

What a Sweet Hubby!!

What a wonderful surprise yesterday when my husband brought me home this lovely bouquet of flowers. I asked him why and his remark was "just because". He's always been good about surprising me with loving jestures but since he was diagnosed with lymphoma, things have been a little stressed and "different" in our lives and I guess I just didn't give it much thought when the surprises stopped. We are fortunate to have the ease of mind in knowing that this cancer is typically well treated and you can live way beyond the last treatment and that is what we are hanging on to. The day will come when our lives will be normal again and we can enjoy the simple, fun things in life once again. In the meantime, little surprises like this certainly help to keep my spirits lifted which in turn gives me more strength to help him through this journey!!

Aren't they beautiful (I arranged them myself) ... since he sent me through floral school he doesn't buy me arranged flowers anymore! That's okay ... keeps my arranging skills sharp!! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today ... I love hearing what you all have to say!!