Smile...and pretend it's Spring!

To do that, just don't look outside! I've been in "Spring mode" as far as my card making goes though. Working with some of my favorite SU! springy color combos and spring subjects - like todays card. I've had this Level 1 Hostess set - Reason to Smile, for a while now, but this is the first chance I got to use it.

The large butterfly image is fun to color using the poppin' pastels technique. I stamped on Shimmery White card stock so it looks real sparkly in real life! The flower border with this set is really cute too. I just stamped the strips of card stock with it's coordinating ink and faux stitched with my paper piercing template and white gel pen. The word "smile" was taken from the quote stamp from this set and embossed in white and cut out with my favorite new toy...my oval punches.

My review on the Reason to Smile set...two thumbs up!

Lovin' my new punches!

I got the two oval punches in my last order from SU! and I've already used them quite a bit. I've made plates for words and faux hardware by layering the two sizes, but this is my first punched flower card. I've seen a lot of different versions of flowers done this way in the galleries on SCS, but I really liked the way this card was done using the diamond pattered stamp from Looks Like Spring for the center and the added detail of a butterfly, so it was my inspiration for this card. I left room at the bottom to add a sentiment when I know what occasion I will need it for.

To make this card, first I stamped Saffron card stock with the Weathered background and punched out my ovals. I added the darker edges by rubbing them with my chalk ink pads. The center was punched from Rose Red with the 1 3/8" circle and inked in Basic Brown.

The butterfly is from the Touch of Nature set - one of my favorite sets! I water colored this and after it was dry I added a coat of Crystal Effects. It looks so much prettier in real life than it does in this scan. I attached it using pop dots so it really has a nice shiny, 3D effect. The background is Mellow Moss card stock stamped with the Cheesecloth background.

Hope you have a great weekend! I probably won't be getting much stamping done today because it's Mike's day off, so not sure I'll have anything new to share tomorrow or not.

Hi There!

Today's card combines two stamp sets that I have had my eye on for quite a while...Petal Prints and the Cheesecloth background stamp. Both of these sets are really fun to work with and I know I'll be using them lots...sorry Mom, you may never end up seeing your Petal Prints set!

I used the poppin' pastels technique on the main image. Then I stamped over it with the Cheesecloth inked in Sage Shadow. The background also uses Sage ink stamped on Sage card stock. Then I lightly sponged the edges with Perfect Plum to give a more softened, distressed look.

The patterned paper is Enchante double-sided designer paper that matches the Carte Postale stamp set which is in the winter mini catalog. The enchante paper is just gorgeous! I made some faux hardware using the oval punches and stamped "Hi There" from Fancy Flexible Phrases inside. I attached that with pewter brads from my Hodge Podge Hardware kit, and I was done. Hope you like it!

Nice Rack!

My cousin's husband was in a bad snowmobile accident last week. He busted 5 ribs and 2 vertebrae. Thank God he is expected to make a full recovery, but it sounds like it is going to be a long, painful road. I made this card for him. He lives in northern Michigan and likes to hunt, so I'm sure he will like this card.

Like yesterdays card, I used the Wildlife Reserve set with the Weathered background stamp. I stamped the buck with Basic Brown on Very Vanilla card stock. I used my watercolor pencils to quickly color the elk and the grass. Then I added a bit of color to the background with my pastels. When I was done coloring, I added more texture to the image by lightly inking the Linen background stamp with Creamy Caramel and stamping right over the elk.

The image was then mounted on metallic copper card stock. I embossed the "get well" sentiment with copper embossing powder on the Chocolate Chip card stock. I added a bit of Chocolate grosgrain ribbon and some copper brads and I was done. I hope this brightens Scott's day a bit. Maybe I should write in the words, "Hey, nice rack!" under the elk to give him a laugh - but then again, with broken ribs I don't think laughing is the best medicine.

Have a great day - and be safe!

Livin' the Wild Life!

This is as wild as my life gets these days...playing with the Wildlife Reserve stamp set! That's OK...I'm lovin' every minute I get to play with new stamps! My Mother-in-law just got this set, and lucky for me she always insists that I use her stamps also. :-) When first looking at this set, I was stumped as to how to use the smaller images. So I looked in the Splitcoast gallery to see if anyone else had some ideas. I came across this card which I used for my inspiration. I loved the unique layout, and I doubt I would have thought of that myself.

First, I cut out an oval shape on some scrap paper using my Coluzzle. I then traced that shape lightly in the center of my kraft card stock. I stamped my images around my penciled guide line using basic black ink. Next, I centered my Coluzzle template over my stamped images and carefully cut my oval shape being careful to stop before I cut into part of the animal design. After I had most of the oval shape already cut, I carefully trimmed the remaining card stock next to each animal.

Now that the hard part was done, I got to go to the fun part...coloring! I used both my pastels and watercolor pencils to color the animals. It was quick and easy to add a hint of color on the Kraft card stock. Then I stamped a background using my Weathered stamp inked in Artichoke. The Shakespeare quote comes from the Touch of Nature set. I stamped that in Chocolate Chip to match the mat. To finish this, I used the Ticket Corner punch and some copper brads in each corner. I didn't glue down the edges of the animals, so they kind of pop off the page and look a little bit 3-D. I really like the way this card turned out!

That's what I call a mighty big blossom!

I finally had a chance to sit and play with my new Big Blossom stamp. Like it's name implies, it definitely is a big blossom! I can already tell that this one is going to be a lot of fun to try different techniques with. On both of my samples shown here I used the kissing technique. Before you jump to conclusions, no that doesn't mean I was kissing my new stamp because I was so lonely down in my rubber room!


Kissing is a technique where you ink one stamp and then press it against another stamp to pick up the ink and the design. The Big Blossom is perfect for this because it is so large and bold. I used craft ink because it is thicker and stays wet longer, which makes it perfect for transferring to another stamp. I hope I explained this well enough. If not, ask me next time we stamp and I can show you better in person than I can describe it here...plus I'm hurrying because Desperate Housewives is almost on! ;-)


On the first card I used the Canvas background inked in Orange craft ink and kissed it to my Big Blossom stamp which I then stamped on Apricot. I thought the Polka Dot Posies set would make a perfect center to this flower along with the "enjoy your day" stamp from the Riveting set.


The next card uses the Paisley background inked with white Craft ink, kissed onto the Big Blossom and then stamped on Pixie Pink card stock. I dry embossed the Bashful Blue background using the classy brass embossing template called Seeing Spots. For the center I used the thanks stamp which is also from the Riveting hostess set.

Hope you like these cards! Off to watch Desperate Housewives!

Can you stand another cow card?

I can't help it...I keep grabbing for the Very Punny set and when I do, it's usually the cute cow stamp I use! I also wanted to play with my new Polka Dots & Paisley set so I thought I'd create a background to look like the pattern you would see on a bandanna. I used Buckaroo Blue (sticking with my cow poke theme! ;-) and white craft ink to stamp the background. Then, with a Brocade Blue marker, I inked just the little flower from the middle of the paisley. I stamped those as a filler. I used the white gel pen to dot the center of these flowers and the Brocade Blue pen to dot the centers of the flowers inside the Paisley.

I water colored the cows and the background using my aqua painter and water color pencils. While the bottom was still wet, I took one swipe across with my Speckled roller inked in basic brown to create the dirt and rocks. I think my favorite part of this card is the tiny cow bell attached to the red gingham. I'm glad I remembered I had a few of those left in my stash from my wood crafting days.

I got some new stamps on Wednesday! I mounted most of them yesterday...so this morning I hope to find some time in between other stuff to do a little stamping. I LOVE new stamps! Do I really need to do laundry and clean the house???

Happy Harmony

The Happy Harmony card I prepared for my SAB open house a couple weeks ago used the poppin' pastels technique. I don't know why I don't use that technique more often? It is quick and easy and has really nice results. I decided to try it again using a different color scheme. While making this card I got to thinking - I haven't used my Pearl Ex in a while either! So I ended up getting those out and making another card.

The technique I used for this poppin' pastels card and the one using Pearl Ex powders are basically the same. Both start by stamping a bold image with VersaMark. However, when using the Pearl Ex I prefer to stamp my image on a dark background for the most vibrant results. After stamping my image, I allow it to dry for a few minutes, then I lightly rub or tap over it in a circular motion using an applicator dipped in my pastels. I have found that sponge eye shadow applicators work well. Be careful not to smear the VersaMark. (that is why it is helpful to let it dry a bit first) Sometimes I leave the background plain, or in this case I softly blended some of the colors I used in the flowers into the background. Colors I used for this card are: Pixie Pink, Gable Green & Cool Caribbean. I used the Paisley background stamp inked with white craft ink over the Pixie Pink. I really like the way that turned out.

I tried to capture the iridescent, sparkle of this card by photographing it rather than scanning it. This was the best shot I got. Not the clearest, but you get the idea. It is much prettier in person. I used Lavender Lace card stock stamped with the Canvas background, and Brocade Blue for the mat.

I started by stamping my image on black card stock and using a small, soft brush to pick up a bit of Pearl Ex powder - a little of this stuff goes a long way. I usually pick up a bit on my brush and then tap the excess off into the lid. Then using a soft swirling motion I apply the powder to the VersaMark image. When you have finished your project, there always seems to be excess powder left on the background. If you do not like that effect and want a clean looking background, simply take a small piece of a Swiffer sheet and rub it across your card stock. Like magic it takes away the powder where you don't want it, but the powder will remain on your design! Thanks to whoever came up with that! You will also need to seal your design when finished. You can use an acrylic fixative spray - I usually use Krylon Low Odor fixative, but in this case I just used hairspray. I didn't feel like going outside...too cold! So hairspray was definitely the better choice. Always use the proper precautions when using products like Krylon fixative. Even though the label claims to be low odor, you need proper ventilation, so it is best used outside. Also, when using the Pearl Ex powders, be very careful not to breathe in any of the powder or get in in your eyes, while you are getting carried away with your artwork!

Punny Little Valentine

I was so excited when I thought of this idea the other night...I couldn't wait to try it. My idea was to use the little cow from the Very Punny set to create a Valentine for my hubby, who just so happens to love puns. I didn't want to just use the cow like it was shown, but hoped that I could turn his spots into hearts. It worked!

Here's how I did it: I masked the spots right on the stamp by cutting out a bit of post-it note and sticking it to the stamp. I inked up the stamp, picked off the post-it masks and stamped my image. So I ended up with a cow that had no spots! I did it this way rather than try to color with a marker avoiding the spots because I wanted to watercolor my image and didn't want the ink to bleed. I do have a black journaler pen I got so I could do this, but it dries so quickly that I never seem to get a good stamped image. After I stamped my cow images I drew in the heart shapes where the original spots had been. I didn't have a real fine tipped permanent marker so I used my trusty old quill pen nib with black India ink. It ended up matching really well, so I also drew in a few more hearts as a border under each cow image.

I wanted my card to read "I love you...like no udder". At first I thought I was going to have to hand write the I love you part, but then I remembered the Double Line Doodles set I had received at the Lansing Regionals I attended back in October. That set has a stamp that said "I just love you". So I inked that up with my red marker to eliminate the word "just" and used my stamp-a-ma-jig to make sure the "I" was in the proper place...after spending all that time giving the cow heart spots I didn't want to do it all over again, so I'm sure glad I have my stamp-a-ma-jig!

The two middle panels of the waterfall card have tiny little flowers with hearts, that stamp is from A Little Love. I really liked the way this card turned out, and was excited to give it to Mike. He really liked it too and was impressed with the mechanics of it, and kept pulling the ribbon to see the images flip. I has been a long time since I made a water fall card, so it took me a while to remember how to make it. I'm really glad I did, because now I have others in mind to create.

I also made a couple little bag toppers and filled the cello bags with Red Hots for the boys. I was planning to sneak them in their lunches today but lucky for them they had a snow day, so my plan was foiled (Teenage boys love to get valentine treats from their Moms hidden in their lunches to be found while surrounded by their buddies;-) Or is it just Mom who loves to think of fun little things like that? Hope you had an enjoyable Valentines Day!

Quick & Easy Valentine

This was a super quick and easy card to make. I wanted it to look more masculine so I kept it pretty simple and made sure to use bold colors. Stamp sets used here are: So Very (SAB set), All Through the Year (large hearts), Little Pieces (small hearts on bottom) and the Canvas background stamp.

The words are embossed with black embossing powder for some extra shine & dimension. Accessories used are: Window Word punch & black Vintage Brads. Enjoy your day...and stay warm!

Mon Ami

This is a valentine that I created using the same colors and background stamp as the last sample I posted. This time I used the Mon Ami stamp set. I stamped the five hearts in Rose Red and edged the white card stock with some gold cord to set it off. I used the love stamp from Wonderful Words and embossed it in in gold.

This was an easy card to make, but I love the way it turned out. Even though I used the same colors and the Floral background stamp as in my last sample, these card don't look much alike.

Enjoy your weekend! Hope you find some time to stamp!

Lexicon of Love

Here is a Valentine I created using my favorite color...eggplant. Any shade of purple is usually the first color I gravitate to when creating, so sometimes I must restrain myself so that I give other colors an equal opportunity.

Speaking of branching out and trying other colors, I've recently come across an awesome website that helps you coordinate many different Stampin' Up! color combos. All you do is type in what color(s) you want to use and it recommends all sorts of companion colors. I've added a permanent link here on my blog under favorite websites, but I'll add it here in this post also so that you can check it out. It's worth book marking I think.

OK...on to my card! I used the Floral background stamp inked in Elegant Eggplant to create a tone on tone background. The detail of this stamp is exquisite, it's one of my favorites. I also used Trimtastic embossed in white to create the lace edge, and then stamped "Love You" over and over across the bottom. The "Love You" stamp is from Fancy Flexible Phrases. For the main image, I used the cherish stamp from Lexicon of Love and stamped the heart in Rose Red behind it. To finish this off and add more detail (I'm sure you know I like to add detail!) I did some faux stitiching around the edges of the Rose Red mat and added some white organdy ribbon.

I know just the person who will love receiving this Valentine...but I can't say who that is in case this person actually looks at my blog. Which is doubtful, since I don't think anyone actually looks at this...I mean I've only gotten one comment so far and that was from my dear Aunt. Shout out to my Auntie Carol! Thanks for making a comment on my blog! Is this a blatant attempt on my part to solicit comments??? Heck yeah! I'd like to know if anyone is actually reading this stuff or if I'm wasting my time. Speaking of time...I need to get busy on finishing some of my organizational projects I have going on here in my house. (even tho I'd much rather be stamping!) Enjoy your day!

Best Kisses

Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, over the next few days I think I'll share a few of the Valentine cards I've made.

Today's sample uses the "Best Fishes" fish stamp from Very Punny. I stamped the fish on vellum so that the end result would be a mirror image that looks like two fish about to kiss. To do this, stamp your first fish image and then flip the vellum over and stamp another fish image on the reverse side. I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig so that they would line up nicely.

I colored the fish using my aqua painter and adhered it to my background, created with the Spot On wheel, with some brads. Keeping with the circle theme, I used the "Be Mine" heart stamp from the Tag Time set to stamp the red background. I then stamped Be Mine across the bottom using the stamp from Fancy flexible Phrases...I love that set! Of course I also had to make a tag using the Tags So Much Valentine stamp to finish off the card.

I think this turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself!

Sell-A-Brate Good Times!

Yesterday was my SAB Open House. It was also Super Bowl Sunday and one of the coldest days of the year so far. I think both of those factors cut into the attendance, however, I had a fun day because some of my favorite stampin' family and friends did make it and we had a good time visiting and stamping. I think everyone liked the make & take projects and the door prizes I had for them. First, we did a 6x6 scrapbook page using the Delight in Life stamp set. The next project was a Valentine card using the So Very stamp set. Keeping with the Valentine theme, our next project was a Red Hots candy pouch using the 2 tag punches and the Tags So Much stamp set. Finally, we finished our afternoon of stamping by creating an all occasion card using the Happy Harmony set.

Everyone who attended received a door prize. The first prizes chosen were the "sweet" little tin mail boxes that I had decorated with stamped paper and filled with Dove chocolate, Lindt truffles and Hershey kisses. Who doesn't like chocolate, right? That's why I also made a "So Very Sweet" wrapped Hershey bar for my little cousin Julia who I knew was coming.

Everyone loved the homemade vegetable soup I made for lunch. It sure was the perfect weather for soup, and I think it warmed everyone up. I used my Aunt Roberta's Famous Minestrone Soup recipe and many asked for the recipe, so here it is:

Aunt Roberta's Famous Minestrone Soup

Spoon 3T “Better Than Bouillon” vegetable base to a 4-quart Crock-Pot
Add 1c hot water and stir until blended.
Add the following ingredients:

2 - 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
2 – 15 ½-ounce cans kidney beans
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (or 30 turns with a pepper mill)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 medium zucchini, scrubbed, quartered into ½-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced

Cover; cook on high 4 to 5 hours.

I made a few changes to this recipe. First, I couldn't find the Better Than Bouillon vegetable base so I used vegetable broth and eliminated the water. I used Del Monte Italian style diced tomatoes which have garlic and herbs in them so I eliminated the marjoram and the minced garlic. I also substituted frozen cut green beans for the zucchini.

As they left, everyone got to take a cute little Nugget Purse as a thank you for attending my open house. I made these using the large tag punch, the Spot On wheel, Little Pieces and Fancy Flexible Phrases stamp sets. I found the excellent instructions to make these adorable little purses posted at another stamping blog.

I hope everyone had a good time!