Girlfriends Rock

Hi guys! I haven't had the stamping time I would have hoped for lately so I have pulled out an older creation that never made it here when I finished it. I am happy to say that I have been working on a custom order for a girl that found me on Etsy. I was thrilled to get her message stating that she had ordered from me before and now wanted me to make her some thank you tags for her own Etsy shop. Yay! I love my repeat customers! So, as soon as I finish her large order, I will be back in force. After all, there are way too many Valentine's Day and spring cards to be made right now!

Anyway, back to today's card. It is one of those old standbys that some of us make from time to time. It doesn't involve anything new, fancy, or intricate. I pulled out a paper combo that I loved and went from there. I used a really cute stamp by Penny Black and some of those dreamy Penny Lane papers by MME. Now that I mention that paper, if you have a Hobby Lobby near you, they have introduced an economy line of MME papers that are printed on regular weight paper (versus card stock weight) and only on one side. It makes them oh so much cheaper and with the great sales at HL, you can get them for a steal.

So, how about a photo? Here ya go!

As I often do, I printed (Font: CAC One Seventy 20pt) the sentiment in Word because I wanted a sentiment that I don't have a stamp for in my vast jumble of little wood blocks. The image and the sentiment are stamped/printed on Neenah Classic Crest Natural White. The sketch came from the Verve Challenges for their October Release week (VSOCT09B). It seems that I type that tidbit of info quite a bit lately. I made so many cards that week and the sketches were just fabulous. The ribbon is a May Arts grosgrain and I colored the image with my Copics.

I want you to have a great weekend and I hope to see you back next week after I finish that Etsy order. I will have lots of new things to show here so please drop by. And while you're at it, I would love to see a comment about what you think of my posts now and then. I recently changed the settings regarding comments so I hope to have made the process easier. Buh-bye!

A Big, Bold Birthday Card

Howdy gals! Happy Wednesday! I am back with a birthday card that is just full of colors. I haven't been making many "non-seasonal" cards lately and my stash of birthday and thank you cards is getting a little slim. I decided one was a must make for today. So without further ado...

And then an inside shot...

First, I have to apologize for the photo quality. As I have mentioned, I struggle to get good close up shots inside my home due to lighting issues. Everything turns out grainy or yellow. Well, today, I didn't get outside early enough and the sun was a little low to properly light my project here. The 2nd photo is especially poor. Sorry!

On to the card! I used some really old scraps from some papers (by sei) that I still love. I have a new pile of print scraps on my floor as we speak. I recently pulled them out because I had planned to make some tags with the limited quantities of each print. These are leftovers from various projects and rarely do I leave enough to make another card when I put them away. These above were used to decorate recipe tins for a long ago Etsy order so there were bigger pieces left over than I typically have. I had just enough to make 4 new birthday cards. Whoever gets these better like a rainbow of colors though! LOL!

My stamp is a Tara Reed image that I found in my local Hobby Lobby. It has a companion stamp of a strip of lit birthday candles. It is the same size as the gift image above. The pewter embellishments are also "older" and made by Making Memories. They have been in my stash a while so today, I decided the time had come to say goodbye. I colored the image with a combo of Copics and a few Prisma markers. Their creme marker is just to die for. I have yet to figure out which Copic compares.

I hope your day is a great one. Stop back by later in the week because I have a few new projects that are almost finished and ready to show you here. I will hurry one or 2 through to post them for you. Sound good? Well, alrighty then! Bye for now!

Love You Tons

Hi guys! I hope your weekend was a good one. Since ours started off with a snow day, ours kept to a leisurely pace which I loved. Today, it is back to the grind and my normal hustle & bustle. I want to show you my card and then I am off to errands and cleaning.

Today's card is a valentine. I didn't add a message with the actual words, "Happy Valentine's Day" but I will offer it as an option when I list it in my shop. I have found that most of the cards I carry for Valentine's Day will sell later in the year if they don't have any mention of the holiday. Offering the sentiment during February seems to suffice. So, you want to see it? I am quite happy with my results. ;)

And here is a shot from an angle to better showcase the layers...

Here are the deets: My sketch is straight from a lovely card by Kim Teasdale, which you can see here. The adorable little mouse image is from Heather Ellis. Several of her images are available at MFT but this particular one is available in Heather's shop on Etsy, right here. I am just loving her work lately. I have used several in the last few weeks. The papers are Bo Bunny and are from the new collection called Love Bandit. I just love them all! You will be seeing them again. The sentiment is a Studio G image from the dollar bin at my Michael's. And one last thing I want to mention before I run...notice the dots around my image...on the brown scalloped circle panel? Well, those were made with my new white Sakura Gel Glaze pen. Oh my gosh! If you want a really good, opaque, white pen, go buy this one. I got mine at Archiver's but they have them in JoAnn's too. I don't know if it really shows well enough in my photo but the dots are slightly raised and very shiny IRL. This is the best white ink I have ever used. Seriously! I have struggled with numerous white pens that either quit writing or just don't show up very well on dark paper. Well, the search is over! I have a new stand-by white ink.

Well folks, I am off. I mentioned all the major points for my supplies above so I am going to skip a formal list for today. If you have further questions, you know the drill...just ask. Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!

BRRRRR...In More Ways Than One

Hello! I'm a little later than usual but I promise I have a good reason. For one, I didn't have a card made because with my busy week (which included a sick child), I didn't get one made in time to have it photographed and ready to go in time to post here for yesterday. And the other reason is that we have had such bad weather that once my card was finished, it was too dark and cloudy to get a good photo. So tonight, out in the 16 degree evening, my hubby held a flashlight on my card, right outside our front door, so I could get a photo and not miss another day of blogging. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me? LOL! If you can, you can see my card and find out what I mean by my title up there. The "BRRRR" sums up my card and also describes the weather we are having in my supposedly Sunny South. We wimpy GA folks just aren't used to this cold snowy stuff! Maybe today's card will warm things up though. Take a look...

And then the inside is below. Please pardon the bowed look in the stand. With the wind blowing, the card just wouldn't stand straight when folded open.

This was one of those cards that involved a few detours before I arrived at the finished product. I changed the papers, the sketch, and the stamped image. Oy. Some days, it is a wonder I ever finish a project. That cute little monkey is another Changito image. Yep, one of the very same that I used to scorn. And that snowflake? I used my new Spellbinder Create-A-Flake die set. I just love those things! I will be sad when the time to use snowflakes is over. Maybe I will catch up on snow themed scrap pages!

My sketch for this card came from the SFYTT courtesy of Jen Del Muro. It was posted on the 19th of December...just a few weeks ago. At that point in the month, I was hurrying with Christmas preparations but it was such a cute sketch, I didn't want to miss it. I'll be filing this one away in my sketch book. It was a lot of fun to work on.

Well folks, this will do it for me. It was a very long day of snow, kids & hub home from school and work, washing wet clothes, and making endless cups of cocoa. I am pooped! Maybe I will get a little more scrap time in tomorrow. I sure hope so. Good night!

Papers-DCWV Holiday Collection Winter Matstack 2009. Stamps- Stampendous Changito Cocoa. Tools- Spellbinders Create-A-Flake One dies; Marvy Clever lever 3in circle punch; WRMK Corner Chomper. Embellishments- Favorite Findings buttons; DMC #6170 pearl cotton. Pens- Copics B04, R81, G21, E44, E42, B91, B97. Sketch- SFYTT 12-19-09. Font- Cool Dots 20pt (front) & Carnation 24pt (inside.)

Love Owls

Good Morning! How about a Valentine's day card? I assume you aren't here for the recipes and discussion of current world events, right? I hope not! Today's card uses another one of those motifs that I wasn't particularly fond of but they grew on me. I am talking about OWLS!

Everywhere you look in the scramping world, there are owls. Owls in trees, owls at birthday parties, owls doing just about everything. Well, they have not been my favorite images but this little twosome was really cute to me so I used them. Now, this card gave me fits. I must have come back to this project 4 different times. I could not make this card work just right. I tried several different arrangements and must have changed my card stock accents 10 times. I finally made it work so that it pleased me enough to finish it and sell it/give it/hoard it. I hope it is well received on the Big Day next month.

On one of those many stamping days I had over Winter Break, I was lucky enough to team up with my #1 buddy and spend a day playing crafty games...the adult version of a playdate. LOL! She was kind enough to let me borrow a new punch that she will be selling for SU in the coming months. It isn't even available for purchase yet (as far as I know.) It is called the Scallop Trim Border Edge Punch and will be available in the Occasions Mini catalog. I hope I have that right! Check with your own demo if you need details. I am not an SU demo myself...I only play one on TV. HaHa!

I will list the rest of my supplies below. This card will be listed in my Etsy shop by the end of the week if you are interested in owning it for yourself. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Papers- Fancy Pants Vintage Valentine "Will You?" DP. Stamps- Hero Arts Heart Owls. Inks- Memento Tuxedo Black. Tools- SU Scallop Trim Border Punch; piercer & mat. Embellishments- Favorite Findings mini nature buttons; MM stitches (tan & deep plum); Pebbles "I Love You" rub-ons; paper studio metal heart clipss; Inkssentials Glossy Accents. Pens- Copics R39, RV95, R02, YG95, G99, YG91.

After Christmas Thank You Notes

Howdy! I have a question for you. Have you written your thank you notes yet? Do you even write thank you notes? Do your kids (if you have them)? Do you get thank you notes for gifts you send? Just for the record...I DO send thank you notes and I make my children do so too. I worry that it is becoming a lost art though. I just don't get very many thank you notes these days. I am not talking about the informal gift exchanges that take place among friends and you thank them in person. I am talking about the situatiuons that require an actual acknowledgement of a gift...those times when the giver is not present for a gift to be opened.Oh well, all these questions bring me to my card for the day. Since I do send thank you notes, especially after the holidays, I usually make a few styles and sell what I don't use personally. You wanna see one? Take a look...

Here's a detail shot so you can get a better look at the embellishments:

And finally, the inside of my card...

I had a lot of fun with this card. I tried layering my snowflakes kinda like the Spellbinder Create-A-Flake dies and I like how it looks. I have since ordered the snowflake dies and they are fabulous. I think they would even make nice tree ornaments.

My image is a digi image from All That Scraps called Winter Bear. I ordered it last year and couldn't wait to use it again this year. The teddy bear reminds me of a monkey. He has the cutest face! My sketch is from Sketch Saturday #65 posted originally on 8-26-09. My outer sentiment is stamped. I know I have been printing my sentiments a lot lately but this one is done the old fashioned way. However, I did finish the inside of the card with a printed message. I feel like printing my own in a font/color of my choice often makes the card though.

If you have any questions about this card or others, I will always answer emails about my work. The supply list is below and should fill in the gaps for you though. Have a great day!

Papers- Kaiser Fun in the Sun Frisbee; misc CS by DCWV. Stamps- ATS winter bear digistamp; Hero Arts Small Greetings. Inks- SU real red classic. Tools- MS lattice edge punch; EK 6 petal flower punches; QK Rev snowflakes & flourishes dies; EK circle punches; MS snowflake punch; CB snowflake die (2x2); Marvy mini snowflake punch. Embellishments- MM stitches (ocean); Fav Findings buttons. Pens- Copics R85, RV29, YR68, Y17, B16, B000, E44. Sketch- Sketch Saturday #65. Font- Abadi MT Condensed 16pt.

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone! I hope your new year is off to a fabulous start! I also hope that your holidays, whatever you may choose to celebrate at your house, were filled with love and fun. Here at our house, we very much enjoyed having Daddy home from work for 17 days in a row. My kids will be back in school tomorrow but my hubby had to be back at the grindstone today. I felt so bad last night as he scurried around getting his lunch made and his work bag packed. I wanted him home today too! I got to play at my scrap desk A LOT while he watched the endless football games on TV over the last couple weeks. I will certainly miss our lazy winter vacation days. ;)

So, how about a card? I have a few to show you this week since I got so much stamping time in while on vacation. Today's card is a slightly new direction for me. Despite the image's wild popularity lately, I don't typically care for them. What are "they" you ask? Robots! Take a look...

And the inside of my card...


I decided that since Valentine cards were about to be in demand in my Etsy shop, I better get started on a stash to sell. This card works well as a Valentine or just a lovey-dovey greeting for the rest of the year. The image is a digi stamp from My Favorite Things. I mentioned that I don't usually care for robots. I just don't if we are being totally honest. However, these little sweethearts caught my eye as did their "buddy" over at MFT. I have one more robot image that I bought so I will use him soon too. I just think they are so cute! I couldn't wait to put them in a card so I started this one as soon as the Christmas stuff all over my desk was put away. I am pretty happy with my results.

You may recognize my sketch from Splitcoast Stampers. It is #SC260 from a week or so ago. I actually got to play along while it was posted for the week! I still haven't added this one to my gallery yet though. I am way behind on that front. One goal at a time, right? LOL! I printed my sentiment in a font called LCD20pt. I decided it was a perfect look for the little robots. The background paper was just right too. I have seen it many times at my LSS but when it showed up in the clearance bin, I grabbed it to use here. I tried my hand at making a gear shape with freehand cutting and the attempt was just horrible so the light blue shape behind the image was made by punching a 2 inch circle and then using a standard hole punch to remove little half circles all the way around. I would have loved to own an inverted scallop Spellbinder die but no such luck! For a little texture, I added some Glossy Accents to the buttons and "lights" on my couple. IRL, it gives those spots a little contrast but the photo doesn't show it very well.

Well then...I think I better get back to my stay at home vacationers. Why is it that kids home from school must eat 12 times in 8 hours but they can make it all day at school with only lunch and a snack? If you figure that one out, please tell me the answer. Until then, I am off to feed the younguns. My supply list is below. Have a wonderful day and stay warm. Happy, Happy New Year to you and yours!


Papers- TPC STudio Blips & Beeps Gear Grid; Colorbok Pearlescent CS. Stamps- MFT Robot2 digistamp. Tools- 1/4in hole punch; BB Swiss Dots & Frills Border templates; SU word window & photo corner punches; EK and Marvy circle punches. Embellishments- Favorite Findings buttons; DMC rayon floss (S5200); Hero Arts smooth clear gemstones; Inkssentials Glossy Accents. Pens- Copics C1, C3, C5, C7, R27, R39, R22, G21, B14, 0. Font- LCD 20pt. Sketch- SC260.

Please note: I decided a new look was in order for the new year and my upcoming blog-iversary. Please let me know what you think of the change. I would love to get a little feedback on the colors and their readability. Please be honest. Your opinion matters to me! :) -KRS