Prairie Paper & Ink

Little Beauty

OK here's the one and only card I've done since I got all my new stuff. My OCD kicked in and I *had* to label and organize my new sets (posts to come in the near future about all that), put all the new ink pads and CS away and clear space for all the new punches. Then hubby wanted us to go for groceries. Then we had to have supper and I needed to water all the flowers. *Then* and only then did I actually get a chance to *play* w/ my new stuff!!

I love this set! It's so sweet!! I prolly could have got a couple more cards done in the time it took to make this but I stopped in the middle of production to dye some ribbon.

I *needed* Cool Caribbean ribbon so bad (and I could have cried when I saw the new ribbons in the Holiday Mini and CC wasn't one of them - here's hoping SU has some for the next mini!) - SO I took some white grosgrain (SU), the CC re-inker, some water, and a small plastic stamp storage case and dyed a rather large length (so I'd have extra!). I'll do a post w/ pics and tips on how to dye ribbon if anyone's interested. So now I have some CC ribbon and I couldn't be happier! :D Oh and I'm also uber-stoked that the Burgundy Grosgrain (SU) matches the Cranberry Crisp CS!! How cool is that?!

I used re-inkers and an AquaPainter to color her in. The 2 way glue pen and some DD Glitter added a nice finishing touch. I HAD to stamp the base w/ Paisley -it was just *begging* to be inked up! I used the large oval punch to stamp through the base and glued the CS w/ the sentiment behind it.

I *really* want to play some more but my shoulders are *killing* me from all the leaning forward I was doing when I cut and mounted all the sets. It didn't help that I had to constantly bend over to pick up every stray piece that fell on the floor so the baby wouldn't eat it! Hopefully I'll have more fun things to post tomorrow!

New Colors!!

I LOVE the new SU In Color line!!! They're so pretty!!

Right now my absolute FAVE is the Cool Caribbean - I've been wanting a color like this for a LONG time!! (I definitely will be stocking up on this one so I never run out!)

Once I get using them all tho I'm sure I'll love them all.

I did get all my new sets cut and mounted. I love cutting and mounting new rubbah - it takes time and makes a mess but it's all so worth it!

Now I just need to get my desk cleaned off and all my stuff organized so I can play!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

That song is running through my head.

I've told my hubby that this is what I want my Birthday/Christmas/Anniversary presents to look like. He just shook his head (will men *ever* understand?? lol)

Anywho I'm off to dive into all packing paper and play w/ all my new sets and accessories!

If and when I do resurface I'll post pics of the new colors (I *had* to get all of them of course!) and maybe stamp a thing (or two or three!).

3 Little Words

You know those 3 words that get you all knotted up inside and unbelievably excited??

"Out for delivery..."

YAY!!!!! In approx. 3 hours I'm gonna have a TON of new SU catty stuff to play with!!!! :D

Fun Stuff

Now that I've seen (and ordered) the new Inky Antics stamps (see previous post) I needed an IA stampin' fix! I pulled out the ones I have and did a couple quick cards.

I did this one for this week's SCS Color Challenge - using Bashful Blue and Cranberry Crisp. BUT I don't have Cran. Crisp (till hopefully Friday!) so I used Ruby Red instead.

I used my oval Coluzzle template to cut the curve in the blue CS - and then I freehand cut it b/c it didn't turn out right. Cutting a good wave in CS isn't as easy as it looks! I'm gonna have to find a good wave cutter (I saw a Fiskars shape cutter at Costco and I *think* it cut waves but I'm not sure). Any suggestions?

The sentiment is from a Leisure Arts stamp that I picked up at a LSS in Edmonton.

The sentiments on it go *perfectly* with the IA Girly Girl line. Things like "Fashion Queen" & "all about me..." - fun stuff.

The main image was colored w/ Prismacolors. The flower stamps are from SU's Little Pieces set - the little starburst is from SU's Shapes and Shadows (retired).

I used my MM edge distressor on the edges of the white CS.

This was the first time I used this stamp! Isn't it cute?? I love all the IA turtle stamps!

This little guy was colored w/ Prismas and Gamsol.

The patterned paper is from sei. The brad is MM and the ribbon is from Michaels.

The sentiment is SU's Cute Converse (hostess - retired).

A super quick and fun card!

WooHoo!!!

Inky Antics Fall and Winter Supplement is online now!! http://inkyantics.com/pdfs/inky_win_06.pdf I am so excited over all the new stamps!! And there's so many new clear sets! *happy dance*

I couldn't stop myself from placing an order (ssshhhh don't tell my hubby!) - they were too cute to resist!

mmmmm Dessert....

What's better than cake and ice cream? Cake and ice cream stamps of course! They're calorie-free and can be made in any flavor imaginable. I know that this is the type of dessert I need to indulge in more often!!

I pulled out my Sweet Treats set (yet another retired Stampin' Up! set I was sad to see go) to make a wedding cake card and decided to use all 3 stamps and make 3 cards. I need to make a lot more quick cards as I need to make up a gift for someone and was told that they would love a batch of handmade cards. Not to mention my mom's birthday is coming up and she'll have a fit if I don't have a large gift of cards and whatnot for her to use through the year! :D lol

I did this one first. I stamped it in Basic Black then colored it w/ my Prisamcolors and Gamsol (my fave coloring method).

I then used the matching Whimsical Blossoms wheel (also retired) in Pretty in Pink on the card base.

The sentiment was stamped w/ my new tiny Karen Foster snap stamps set - they're so cute! I hand drew little hearts between each word.

As a finishing touch I added glitter and Crystal Effects to the blossoms and to the hearts. The ribbon I picked up at my LSS a few weeks ago - I can't remember if it's May Arts or Maya Road - I'll have to check on that next time I'm there.

The funky patterned paper I found at the Dollarama - 6 sheets for $1 - I love those kinds of deals - and it was cute paper!

Again this image was colored w/ Prismas - and then I added fine yellow glitter mixed w/ Crystal Effects to the candle flames.

The HB tag is hanging to the ribbon by a piece of wire and adhered w/ a glue dot.

Ric Rac is May Arts - the green ribbon is from Michaels.

This one was quick and simple. It's getting late and I wanted to get this all uploaded and get everything cleaned up (the mess I make when stamping is a story unto itself lol).

Colored w/ Prismas and Gamsol - I added CE to the cherry and the chocolate topping. The jumbo brad is MM - the patterned paper is from sei.

I'm off to raid the freezer and make me a sundae!! :D

Doodling...

When I first started stamping I never dreamed I would draw on my cards. That's *why* I got into stamping! You just ink it up and press it onto paper! Then along came SweetMissDaisy - her artwork in her SCS gallery blew me away. Not only could she create beautiful cards - she could actually add doodled lines to them and make them super special! It took me a while to muster up the courage to start doodling on my cards but once I started I couldn't stop! It's a lot of fun!!

Now that doodling is getting very popular in the card making world (see Papercrafts Aug/Sept Issue pg 38) I thought I'd take it up a  notch. I stamped these 2 cards and doodled outlines for all the images and made borders too. I *may* have gone a little overboard w/ them lol! I was having fun and couldn't stop!

The flower images are from Inky Antics Marvelous Match-Ups clear stamp set. The Happy Birthday is that Karen Foster Snap set I bought not too long ago (I *love* those - they're lots of fun!). The other sentiment is from Stampin' Up!

All the Ric Rac is May Arts - I didn't have purple so I used a SU Lovely Lilac re-inker and some water and dyed some Ivory MA Ric Rac purple (you should have seen my fingers after that one!!)

Square Cards.

I love square cards. There is just something about them that makes them a little bit different and so fun! I made 3 last night - and hopefully I'll get to do a bunch more! These are all 4.25" x 4.25" square.

My brother-in-law just bought his first home so I had to make him a card - this little stamp by Katie & Co. ($1.50 Can. at Michael's - can't beat that price!) was perfect!

I kept the colors rather subtle. The ribbon was roughed up a bit on purpose. I used the MM edge distressor on the Olive CS. Colors are Whisper White, Bashful Blue and Old Olive - all SU. The By Definition BG is also SU (retired). Image was colored w/ Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol.

While I had that stamp out I made another one for a friend that just got her first apartment. Just kept it simple and quick.

The scalloped squares were made using a Marvy Giga Scallop punch (I love those things but you have to put a LOT of pressure on them to punch! I had it on the desk and had to put my whole weight into it!)

Now this one is my favorite! I just love how it turned out!!

I used the little dress stamp from Stampin' Up!'s Fashion Statements (retired) along w/ the sentiment and hanger. The circles are from the SU Simple Shapes set.

I edged the oval w/ Pretty in Pink Craft Ink and embossed w/ Iridescent Ice embossing powder. The dress was colored in w/ a blender pen and classic ink. Faux stitching done w/ White Uniball Signo Gel Pen. Black Ric Rac is May Arts.

Waiting...

My order of new Stampin' Up sets and accessories prolly won't arrive until Friday at the earliest. Almost a whole week to wait!! So I've been stamping to pass the time.

The other night I was up late waiting for my hubby as he was working 6 hours of overtime (yay for the $$ but it sure gets quiet and lonely at night when the kids are asleep!). I didn't know what I wanted to do - I saw my (immense) collection of Prima flowers sitting here - and decided I wanted to make a card incorporating them. But as I looked through my sets I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. So... I drew what I wanted! I was quite pleased w/ the results!

I sketched the vase and the stems/leaves w/ Stampin' Up!'s Basic Black marker then colored it all in w/ Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol. The sentiment is from SU's Much Appreciated stamp set. Brads are MM. Ribbon is from Michael's.

I'll have a lot more cards to share in the next few days - although this is the only one I actually drew myself (maybe I'll do more like this - it was kinda fun!). I have to go do some housecleaning right now tho (yay for me).

Inspired...

I had Trudee's card in the back of my mind while I made this. I have a printout of all the Sketch Challenges on Splitcoast and I thought it would be fun to go and do some of the first sketches as I didn't start participating till well in the game! This was Sketch Challenge #1.

I've been pulling out my Watercolor Wonder Crayons more often lately as I need the practice!!

For this card I used the tag punch and punched out 3 from SU's watercolor paper. I then stamped the images in Stazon (and yup this is only like the second time I've used Painted Posies - just another set I earned free and then it sits on the shelf) and started water coloring. I gotta say I *love* SU's watercolor paper - makes it *so* much easier to appear professional!!

I just grabbed colors here and there - I didn't really put a whole lot of thought into it. Doing that made it harder when I went to make the actual card - I fiddled for quite a while w/ different CS's before I got the look I wanted.

I used the MM Edge Distressor on the Taken w/ Teal CS - I love that thing - it makes it SO easy to distress edges!!

A purple rhinestone was added to each flower and I added a row of three of them to the bottom of the card for a little extra "bling".

Since this weeks Ways To Use It Challenge was to use office supplies on a card I used staples to adhere the ribbon.

Now I'm off to clean up the horrendous mess I made while making this card!!

Many Thank You's

I really love the sketch challenge for this week on Splitcoast. This was the third card I made using it. I'm guessing 3's the charm b/c this is my favorite!

I wanted to make something more on the elegant side and The Art of Life set caught my eye - I've honestly only used this set once! I loved it when I first saw it and wanted it SO bad and then I got it and it's sat on the shelf for *months*!

The flowers and leaves were stamped using SU's markers - the leaves were first inked up w/ Celery then lightly brushed the Always Artichoke marker on the stamp here and there before stamping it on the CS.

Sahara Sand is another thing I rarely use - but on the times I do I'm pleased w/ the results! I sponged it on the edges of the CS - and the sponge had previously been used w/ Artichoke ink so it had a nice green tinge to it.

Since I was in a "use stuff I never use" mood - lol - I pulled out my Pockets & Pieces pack and used a black tab thingie too - and yes that was the *first* time I ever used one! I don't know why I even bought them - I wish SU would just make more punches so we could make our own - I don't like being limited to the colors available in the die-cut sets - but that's just me!

I used the Rough Texture wheel on the Certainly Celery CS - I really like the look that wheel gives.

I added a *teeny* bit of DD Glitter and Crystal Effects (I keep a mix of it stored in a film container as I use that stuff a lot - and I apply it w/ an old paintbrush) - to the edges of the blossoms.

My Lilies...

I will be the first to admit that I am no gardener. I *love* flowers but I can rarely grow them!! I get all excited and ambitious in the spring - I gear up to plant and weed and prune. Once the summer heat hits I'm hiding in the basement praying for fall!

I don't have a *lot* of flowers - but one thing I do have is a lot of Lilly plants. I've bought at least 6 different colors of Lilies over the past couple of years - and I'm proud to say they're all still alive! lol

I went out a few minutes ago and took pics of the 3 that are blooming right now - the rest won't open for another couple of weeks (now if I were a real gardener I would have known how smart it was to get varieties that bloomed at different times to make the enjoyment of them last longer - but I just picked them out b/c I liked the colors and b/c of dumb luck I got varieties w/ that bloom at different times! lol)

Aren't they gorgeous?!

Collage...

So here's my first attempt at doing a collage- style card. I like seeing what other stampers do w/ this style - but I never thought I could do it - it looks so complicated! I always find myself thinking, "How did they know to put that there?" or, "How did they know what colors to use?" etc. etc.

With this I just started w/ a piece of Stampin' Up!'s Petal Patch paper. I wanted to use my Wonderful Wings set (another set I so wish SU hadn't retired - it's a beautiful set!!) so I pulled out this stamp from the set and embossed it on vellum. I then decided to color it in using Blush Blossom (the color of the paper), Bashful Blue, and Close to Cocoa - the other 2 were an easy pick - I *love* those colors together!

I used a small paintbrush and craft (pigment) ink to color in the butterfly. I sealed it w/ a matte finish spray sealant to prevent the ink from smudging or coming off. Then I cut out the butterfly and set it aside.

The rest of the card came together quite easily after that! I used one of my new Heidi Swapp self-adhesive chipboard letters (I love 'em already! Definitely worth the whole $5 I paid for them!!) for the F in friend. The rest of the letters are a clear stamp set from Inky Antics. The main sentiment is from Stampin' Up!'s It's Your Birthday set - I *love* that sentiment!

Once I had everything stamped I just fiddled around w/ ribbon and placement. I got it all together then decided to add the vellum - so I pulled the ribbon off and the butterfly and added the vellum. Then I decided it needed some Prima flowers ("What doesn't need Primas?" I ask) so I added those. The butterfly is only glued down in the center - so it looks like it just landed on the card and is about to fly away again - so fun!!

And that's it! It took longer to type up than it did to actually make the card! lol I'm guessing it's rather simple on the scale of collage-style cards but I like how it turned out!!

New Stamps!!

These are the new goodies I bought yesterday at my LSS. I *would* have bought more stuff but hubby came in w/ me and was breathing down my neck the whole time (he knows me too well LOL).

I should be *way* more excited but I'm really lukewarm about it all right now (see previous post and you'll understand).

I've finally jumped on the snap stamps bandwagon - I had them ordered in as the LSS didn't have the ones I wanted. They're really cute! And the mini ones are *mini*! They are a lot smaller than I thought they would be!  Now I just have to figure out how I want to store them. I don't overly care for keeping them in the cases they come in. Any suggestions?

I also got a set of foam stamps by Maya Road. They were *cheap* - like $10 for 17 stamps! I missed getting Flower Factory from Stampin' Up!'s Winter 04/05 mini and still kick myslef as it's nearly impossible to find. So I thought I'd give these a try - there's no rubber on them at all - it's all foam - and they come in this nifty little tin (I'm a sucker for cute packaging). I'll give them a try later and post my results.

And last but not least - I *had* to buy some chipboard - hubby present or not! This adorable chipboard alpha by Heidi Swapp was calling my name. And it's self-adhesive!! Now *that* is fun!!

You know I'm starting to feel a little better. Maybe if I get a chance to play w/ my new toys and do a little stamping my horrible lost items experience will seem a distant memory (at least for a while - it's gonna be a while before the sick gut feeling goes away - I dread getting my cc statement w/ the Staples purchase - I'm gonna *hate* having to pay for items I don't have!!)

Anyway - back to the post at hand - new things (especially new *stamping* things *wink*) always can cheer me up so here's hoping I'm in a better and more happy mood at my next post!!