Welcome to the neighborhood!

This card is for new neighbors who recently moved in across the street. I plan to bake some cookies to go along with it this weekend.

The sidewalk was added in by hand and the clouds were done with liquid applique. The eyelets are added in just because I wanted to practice with my Crop-a-dile. :)

Whimsical Pick-a-Petals

Sorry for the gap in my posting, but I have been implementing a new computer at home (and the various software that intails), taking a mini vacation at the family cabin in the mountains, and attending the annual Stampin' Up convention here in Denver. I have one more dinner to go to in conjunction with Splitcoast Stampers and the second session of convention before things settle down. I have to finish assembling 50 swaps tonight, and then, finally I can rest!

Before I started running around like crazy, I made these cards which use Garden Whimsy and Pick a Petal sets. I hadn't gotten my Stem Sayings stamp set yet, but I had the word "stem" from Garden Whimsy that I could use instead. I doodled in the trail behind the ladybugs with my Garden Green and in such a small amount, it's a good match for the Wild Wasabi ink. I love how the petals look overlapping the patterned and solid stamps. Because I already had everything out, I went ahead and made two cards at once.

The ribbon on the card just above is from Jacksonbelle's ebay store.

Define Your Life - a strategy for reading backwards

When I first recieved my new Define Your Life set, I was very excited! Until I figured out that I would never remember which one said what, and/or what each stamp said in full because they're double-mounted, meaning back-to-back rubber, so they don't have a coordinating label on the back of the stamp. This is the vision that stared me in the face when I finished mounting all 28 stamps....

I knew they were all listed in the catalog...but no way was I going to look them up each time I even pondered using the set! I also needed to figure out a way to get me to use them because this is an expensive set. Gulp. Granted, I used my free merchandise credit to get them, but I could have used that credit elsewhere if I wasn't going to use the set!!

Well, I decided to make an index card. I measured my stamp storage box inner dimensions and cut a piece of white card stock into two pieces that would fit. I was pleased at this point that I was able to fit the stamps into a smaller size box than the one they came in because I got my two index cards from one piece of 8.5 x 11 paper. Starting in the lower right corner of the box, and the lower right corner of the paper, I stamped the first stamp, flipped it over, inked it up and stamped it on the 2nd piece of paper. The stamps don't need to stay in the same position in the box, but this way, if I find the "kindness" stamp, I know that on the other side, I'll find the "lucky" stamp.

I mounted one index card face out in the lid of the stamp box, and then mounted the other index card with its back to the first so that I can flip back and forth to find the saying I want, and I can actually READ them because they're full size and they're not backwards!

(the view from inside the case)


(the view from outside the case)

I hope this tip helps you with this set, or maybe gives you ideas for similar sets! Have a great day. :)

Let them eat cake!

My Voila! chef arrived recently and I thought he really needed to be put to work! I've borrowed this set from other stampers, and finally decided that if he wasn't being retired I could get him. The big circle in the background is from the set Dots Are Hot (hate that name, by the way - unfortunately makes me think of Paris Hilton and her, "that's hot" catchphrase. Ugh.). I like that it subtly highlights the birthday cake on the platter.

The chef was colored in with markers and then cut out. The platter was colored in using my silver Zig Painty Pen so in the lighting in this photo, it looks like it's white, but it isn't. I made button holes on his buttons with my white gel pen (you can see an enlarged image if you click on the photo). The sentiment uses the new SU scallop punch which was punched around the edges with my 1/16" hole punch and then I dotted around the scalloped edges with my Coral marker.

Christmas tree helpers

For this card I wanted to try out my new stamp from Big Celebrations and thought it went well with this saying stamp from Glad Tidings. I wanted to use more contemperary colors and since Old Olive is my favorite green, I had to find something to go with it. All the coloring was done with markers and the gold highlights visible in the picture are done with a Sakura stardust glitter pen. I also used eyelets over the ornaments, mostly just because I'd gotten my new Crop-a-dile and wanted to try it out. I love it! It was a tool that's totally worth the money. I had a whole box full of eyelets in assorted finishes that I hadn't touched in a long time because the hammering method isn't a good one for me because my stamp desk has a glass table top! I also love that the Crop-a-dile is SILENT, for when I get on a stamping roll and am up in the middle of the night.