Prairie Paper & Ink

Flurries

I am so loving all the new In Colors - but especially these three (Cranberry Crisp, Vintage Violet, and Cool Caribbean).

I stamped images from the new Snow Flurries set (it's so cute!) along w/ images from Seeing Spots on Whisper White CS. I then covered the CS w /VersaMark and embossed it w/ Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder and notched the corners w/ the Ticket Corner Punch.

I dry embossed for the first time on this card!! I don't have the light table (yet - it's on it's way here w/ some other goodies Tim bought me for my birthday!! Needless to say I prolly won't have anything to open on the actual day but I'm happy - like I'm gonna let a box of SU goodies sit till the 19th!! LOL) so it took a while for me to actually emboss the CS as I couldn't see the template (the Seeing Spots one) but it worked! I can't wait till I have the light table tho as it will be MUCH easier to do.

I was quite pleased w/ this when I was done - sadly you can't see how sparkly the main image is but IRL it's quite pretty!!

SETS: Snow Flurries, Seeing Spots, Warmest Regards. CS: Whisper White, Cranberry Crisp, Cool Caribbean, Vintage Violet, Basic Black. INK: Cranberry Crisp, Cool Caribbean, Vintage Violet, Basic Black. ACCESSORIES: Seeing Spots Classy Brass Template, Black Grosgrain, Cranberry Crisp and Vintage Violet Stitched Grosgrain, Iridescent Ice EP, Ticket Corner Punch, Dimensionals.

Dance Frankie, Dance

I bought the Hey, Ghoul Friend set from last year's Holiday Mini and this is the first time I've actually used it! I HAD to get it after seeing so many cute samples w/ it but when it arrived Halloween was over with and it never made it into the big catty (sad cuz it really is a cute set!!).

I used last week's Sketch Challenge for this one. After stamping him w/ Basic Black on Whisper White I colored him w/ Prismacolors and Gamsol. I hand drew the border to mimic the lines he was drawn with. I then sponged the edges w/ Garden Green Ink.

I used some of my new Halloween Night paper and tied some retired Delphinium ribbon around that.

I stamped the card base w/ the Dotted BG and then sponged the edges w/ More Mustard Craft Ink - really like how that turned out!!

Just a fun little Halloween card :o)

SETS: Hey, Ghoul Friend (retired), Dotted BG. CS: Whisper White, More Mustard, Lovely Lilac, Garden Green, Halloween Night Paper. INK: Basic Black, Garden Green, Lovely Lilac, More Mustard Craft. ACCESSORIES: Prismacolors, Gamsol, Delphinium Grosgrain (retired).

Snowflakes in Brown

Sounds pretty icky doesn't it?? I mean who'd want a card w/ *brown* snowflakes??? Well I for one wouldn't mind one! I never would have at first but after seeing some GORGEOUS samples on SCS and coming across this week's Limited Supplies Challenge I thought "Eh, why not??"

Don't get me wrong - I've used brown for a snowflake before (on this card) but I used Whisper White and Bashful Blue too so the brown was a small accent. To use only shades of brown for a snowflake card tho? I wasn't sure if I could pull it off. But I did - and here's the end result:

I used my large Monogram S stamp and the Kissing Technique (scroll down to the Kissing w/ Small Stamps - that's what I did) using Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip w/ the Snowflakes set. After stamping it on Whisper White I cut it out and mounted it on Choc Chip CS and then cut it out again. I mounted it to the card using dimensionals.

I used the same inks and the snowflakes on the rectangle of Whisper White CS - sometimes double and triple stamping w/out re-inking. I sponged the edges w/ Creamy Caramel.

I used the Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel on the Close to Cocoa CS and the Rough Around the Edges Jumbo Wheel on the Creamy Caramel (I love the look of these - I need to pull them out and use them more often - I always forget that I have them!).

The little tag I created w/ my Word Window Punch (punched it out of Whisper White then punched it again to make it smaller) and I hand wrote the "Snow". I sponged it w/ Creamy Caramel and tied it to the S w/ Linen Thread.

I added a few stitches to the 2 corners and a couple of buttons then mounted it all on a piece of Choc Chip and then onto a Whisper White (sponged w/ Creamy Caramel) card base.

SETS: Monogram S, Snowflakes, Rough Texture J Wheel, Rough Around the Edges J Wheel. CS: Whisper White, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip. Ink: Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip. ACCESSORIES: Linen Thread, Neutrals Buttons, Word Window Punch, Dimensionals.

Thank You Very Much

I made this for someone whose kindness completely blew me away - I hope she likes it!!

Honestly I haven't stamped for like a week and didn't know where to begin!! So I checked out some of this week's SCS challenges and ended up using 3 of them LOL! I used the Color Challenge, Sketch Challenge, and Ways To Use It Challenge (use Stazon).

I really love these colors together - they are so elegant!! I stamped the flower from Sassy Stems w/ Black Stazon on watercolor paper and watercolored it w/ re-inkers and an AquaPainter. Then I pulled out my trusty Color Spritzer and added a spritz of Bravo Burgundy here and there.

I stamped the Moss CS w/ Fine Lace and the Saffron w/ Weathered. The card base was stamped w/ Paisley (this is definitely my #1 favorite BG stamp - I just LOVE the look of it!). All of those I also sponged the edges w/ a sponge dauber. I stamped the sentiment on the Moss using Black Stazon.

The main image was notched w/ the Ticket Corner Punch (love that thing!!) and mounted on Basic Black and Bravo Burgundy then mounted to the card w/ dimensionals. I added a bit of Black Narrow Organdy ribbon and some black brads to complete the look (I LOVE black brads - I'm starting to run low on them!!).

While I'm posting this I feel now is as good of time as any to say THANK YOU to all of you too!! I feel I can never say it enough!! All of your encouragement and support is so deeply appreciated! {{{HUGS}}} to all of you!

SETS: Sassy Stems, Much Appreciated, Paisley, Fine Lace, Weathered. CS: Bravo Burgundy, Mellow Moss, So Saffron, Basic Black, Watercolor Paper. INK: Black Stazon, Bravo Burgundy, Mellow Moss, So Saffron. ACCESSORIES: Black Brads, Black Narrow Organdy, Dimensionals, Ticket Corner Punch.

Why Donate???

Some of you may have noticed the little tip jar at the top right here.

It is *completely optional*. If you would like to leave a little something to help keep this blog up and running I DEEPLY appreciate it!! It does take a lot of time and effort (and a little $$) to keep it going(and interesting of course) but I enjoy every minute of it. I'm doing what I love and sharing it w/ all of you is something I *truly* enjoy.

I never would have imagined that my "little" blog would have come as far as it has in so short of time. I have received a TON of encouragement and kind words from people all over the world who actually come here every day to see what's new!! I still find that mind-boggling!!

I LOVE sharing my creations, tutorials, musings and ramblings with all of you and I LOVE reading all the feedback my posts generate. If anything at all is of help to you then feel free to leave a tip!! But regardless of that I will continue blogging (and stamping, and scrapping, and rambling LOL!!).

As always if you have any questions, ideas, suggestions etc. you can send me an e-mail or leave a comment here. I read each and every comment I get - they're the highlight of my day!!

Dual-colored Pastel Ribbon Tutorial

Yay!! My 2nd SCS tutorial is up!! Here's a link so you can check it out - Dual-colored Pastel Ribbon Tutorial.

Yippee!!!

We had to go in to the city yesterday to get a bunch of groceries and while there my hubby got me an early birthday present!! He got me a label maker AND it was on sale!!

When I saw it in the cart I practically did a little happy dance right there in the store (OK OK I'll admit I *did* do a happy dance right there!! I'm sure a lot of ppl were wondering why but I didn't care!!).

I've been wanting a label maker for *so* long but it's hard to find stuff around here and the one's I *did* find were waaayyy too expensive!! This one was super-cheap (it's a Brother PT-65) so I'm happy!!

Tim didn't want me to open it till my birthday (not till Oct 19) but there was NO way I could let it sit till then! I told him he can wrap it up again the night before and I promise to act just as excited as I am now (wouldn't be too hard LOL!).

I've already been playing w/ it:   LOL I labeled my label maker w/ my name ROFL!!! I had to fiddle w/ it and didn't know what else to label at the moment!

Now the problem is I don't know where to actually *start* labeling!! There are soooooo many things in my stamp room that I want to label - I have a bunch of 12x12 paper containers, all my embellishment containers, my business stuff, and the list goes on and on. SO if nobody hears from me for a while they know where I'll be!

Pretty sad to dedicate a whole post to my new label maker eh??? But hopefully *someone* out there will understand.....and I WILL have some more interesting (IE stamp-related) stuff to post later.

2,4,6,8 Boxes

I promised my customers I'd show them how to make these. I LOVE making 2,4,6,8 Boxes - they are SO cute and super-simple!!

Supplies needed:

• Half sheet of CS (5.5" x 8.5")
• Paper Cutter
• Sticky Strip
• Double Sided Tape (optional - you can use Sticky Strip instead of this if you want)
• Scissors
• Optional - Stamp of your choice, ink pad, ribbon, brads, patterned paper

STEP 1: Place CS lengthwise on your paper cutter and score at 2".

STEP 2: Turn CS horizontally and score at 2", at 4", at 6" and at 8".

The little arrows are pointing at all the score lines (in case you can't see them).

STEP 3: Use you scissors and cut off the *smallest* rectangle created by the score lines (it's about 2" x 1/2").

STEP 4: Cut these 3 scored lines w/ your scissors (you cut the shortest ones up to the score line - I used my gel pen so you can see which ones are to be cut).

OPTIONAL: Stamp the CS (you can do this at the very beginning if you want or not at all - I did it now b/c I wanted to sponge all the edges and scored lines as well).

This is how the box should look before you've glued it together.

STEP 5: Put sticky strip on the end that is about 3.5" x 1/2".

STEP 6: After adhering the sides together set the box upright w/ the bottom flaps out and put double sided tape on only 3 of the flaps.

STEP 7: Fold in the bottom flaps and press down - make sure to fold down the flap that *doesn't* have tape on it LAST (otherwise the box is going to stick to whatever you place it on!! And yes I'm speaking from experience LOL!!).

Now you've got a little 2,4,6,8 Box!! Decorate it as desired. You can pinch the top together (shown on my second sample) and tie it shut w/ ribbon (or use a brad) or you can use ribbon as a handle:

I cut the desired length of ribbon and folded over the ends before placing on the sides of the box. I pierced a hole through the ribbon and the CS w/ my paper piercer and pushed a brad through to hold it in place.

Finished box.

Second Sample.

So Very True...

Well I finally made something w/ this stamp!! I was stuck on what I wanted the card to "say" b/c I couldn't really think of any sentiment stamps I have on hand that would fit - and then I thought "Why not print something off the computer??" - so I did!!

I formatted the "I'd rather be stamping" on Word and ran a sheet of CS through it then cut the CS for the card as usual!! (and yes I am proud of myself LOL!!) I wish I *had* a stamp that said this tho b/c it would be a LOT less work than using the printer (it took like 15-20 minutes to get it the way I wanted it and once I started I *had* to go through w/ it - I WANTED that sentiment on there! LOL) - *plus* I'd use a stamp like this ALL the time - wouldn't you?

It's true tho isn't it?? Wouldn't we ALL rather be stamping?? I'm just tickled on how it all turned out!!

I stamped her w/ Black Stazon onto watercolor paper and watercolored her w/ re-inkers and my Aquapainter. I then stamped the speckle stamp from Itty Bitty BG's (w/ Pretty in Pink ink) around the edges and notched them w/ the ticket corner punch.

The card base is stamped w/ Linen and I edged the card w/ Whisper White craft ink.

The patterned paper is from Chatterbox, the brads are Making Memories, the pink polka-dot sheer ribbon is May Arts and the Celery Grosgrain (my FAVORITE ribbon!!) is SU.

Abuse of Exclamation Marks...

You've been warned - this post will contain a LOT of 'em - I'm just too excited about it not to!!! ROFLOL!

My hubby came home the other day at lunch w/ a little parcel for me. I wasn't expecting anything and did a little happy dance when I saw who it was from and what was in it!!

Lauren sent me the COOLEST card made w/ the new Inky Antics Shopping Girl and the Cinderella stamp!! She remembered that I had said that I loved this new stamp but hadn't bought it yet so she got it for me!! I'm just itching to ink it up!!

Her card is AWESOME BTW - she dry embossed the base and the girls coat is cut from patterned paper and she put liquid applique on the trim - I love it!! And of course she added the little tab that says "on sale" *snicker* - she knows me and my rubber shopping habits WAAAAYYY too well!! I get a little crazy when it comes to stamps (don't we all??) and when they ARE on sale I go NUTS!!

OK I'm done gushing - I have a little free time right now so lets see if I can come up w/ something fun w/ my new stamp!! Big {{{HUGS}}} to you Lauren w/ a great big Thank You!!!

Fall Frame

I wanted to get this done so I could hang it in the kitchen over the sink before I have to make the winter one!! (It didn't turn out how I wanted it to but I didn't want to keep fiddling w/ it b/c it's not going to be up for long w/ the weather we've been having!!)

I made a Summer name frame (picture will be at the bottom) a few months ago to hang over the kitchen sink b/c I *hate* how the sink faces a wall and there's NOTHING to look at!! So now I have a little art that changes w/ the seasons! :o)

BTW you can click on the pictures and they will pop up in a separate window as a larger image so you can get a closer look.

I stamped the letters (Headline alpha) using craft inks on Whisper White CS. I got the multi-colored look by first inking them up in one color then rocking the edges here and there in 2 different colors. After they were dry I cut them out w/ my paper snips and mounted them on the CS.

The BG is a piece from SU's Weathered Collection of Designer Series Papers. I thought the wood grain would be fitting for a Fall frame!

The flowers and leaves are from Prima - I LOVE the leaves - they are really nice and were just perfect for something like this.

I used my retired Fantastic Foliage set and classic inks on the BG - inking them up w/ one color and rocking the stamp in another color or two to make them look a little more realistic. I then stamped one of the leaves on Old Olive CS and embossed w/ Olive EP (from the EE embossing stack) and cut it out.

Added some buttons (all SU) and ribbon (some SU some from Michaels) and that was it!! I did it all in one sitting the other night b/c I wanted to get it done NOW before it snows LOL!!

Here is the one I had made for summer:

The BG paper is from Chatterbox. The large flowers are from a Prima Daisy Rack. The buttons are from sei. Ribbon is SU.

I got these frames at WalMart at least 6 months ago. The opening is 6" x 12" and they were like $4.50 Canadian. I don't know if they even carry these ones anymore - I'll have to check next time I'm there and pick up a few if they do as they're great for gifts!

Newly Added

I just added some new cards to my MissyB album -----------> So be sure to check them out and let me know what you think!! (You can leave comments on this post if you'd like since you can't leave them in the albums - the *only* thing I don't like about blogging - I like to see what ppl think about each card!! LOL).

I'll have more to post later. Have a great day everyone!!

Alexa's Birthday

Alexa is turning 7 on the 29th of this month!!

If you have NO clue who I'm talking about look here. Also Lauren's thread on SCS here.

This is Alexa:

  Isn't she a cutie???

If you don't have her address and would like to send her a Birthday Card e-mail me and I'll give it to you (I'd rather that than posting the addy on here). Last time I checked her favorite colors are pink and purple (and you can tell by her outfit that she loves *bright* colors!).

If you didn't know - MissyB Designs (Melissa Bastow) designed a set specifically for Alexa and is donating the proceeds to a group called "Turtle Girl Designs" - an organization that raises funds for children's cancer research. When Lauren sent me the picture of Alexa a little while ago she heard that this set has raised almost $1000!!! How awesome is that?

So of course I had to use Alexa's Set for her birthday card. I stamped the girl in Basic Black on Whisper White, colored her in w/ Prismas and Gamsol, then used a VersaMarker and Iridescent Ice EP on the dress and in her hair. I cut her out and mounted her on another piece of Whisper White.

I used Fiskars Scalloped Scissors on the Lovely Lilac CS and mounted the whole piece onto the card base w/ dimensionals.

In my last SU order I got the Celebration Spectrum pad so I *had* to use that on here! I stamped the butterflies w/ it and the speckle stamp from Itty Bitty BG's as well.

The dotted ribbon is from May Arts and the Delphinium Grosgrain is SU (retired).

SETS: Alexa's Set (MissyB Designs), It's Your Birthday, Itty Bitty BG's. CS: Whisper White, Green Galore, Lovely Lilac. INK: Basic Black, Celebration Spectrum Pad, VersaMarker. ACCESSORIES: May Arts Ribbon, Grosgrain Ribbon, Iridescent Ice EP, Scallop Scissors, Dimensionals.

Aaaaahhhhhh.....

It's so nice to wake up and come to the computer and read all your wonderful comments!! Definitely a great way to start the day!! Thanks you guys!!

Now some FYI's:

You don't need anything special to comment on my posts (like a TypePad account etc). You just need a "username" (which can be just your name or your SCS name or both (I like when you guys add your SCS name (if you're a member) - then I "know* who it is!) and your e-mail addy. When you post it a little picture will pop up w/ letters and #'s and you need to type what you see (this helps prevent automatic spammers from posting) and that's it!! I look forward to reading what y'all have to say!

Tip Jar - I *have* thought of this. However I would have to upgrade my account again to be able to get one and right now it's a little out of my price range! I know Julie has one (and I actually talked w/ her about it [yes me - I got to talk to Her Royal Rubberness herself (via PM)! *giggle*] and said she should go for it b/c at the time she was a little hesitant). She's *Julie Ebersole* tho and I am NOWHERE near her sphere of creative talent - she's got way way WAY more experience than me (and she's a cutie to boot!).

Anywho sorry for the sidetrack (I just had to drop her name in there ya know!) but yes I have considered adding one but not that seriously. THANK YOU to those that have suggested it tho!! I will keep it in mind! It is an awful lot of work to keep this up and I do enjoy every minute of it, maybe if I did add a tip jar my hubby wouldn't mind the amount of time I spend on here! LOL Anywho tho we'll see how things go in the next little while before I take that step!

And for those of you that are saying your stuff is "awful" compared to mine - STOP IT!! Every once in a while I hit upon something really great - something WOW - but it sure doesn't (at least this is how I feel) happen every day! I still make a lot of well, garbage! Plus it really is a whole learning process. My cards have come a loooonnnnggg way since I started over 2 years ago! I have always been a creative person but I've never had any formal training and a lot of the things I do now I've learned through trial and error.

And totally non-related to everything else: The weather is still terrible!! It's raining again! I think we've had ONE nice afternoon in like 2 weeks! BLAH! It's cold and rainy and yucky and I'm not happy - especially as I have a ton of weeds to pull and tidying up in the yard to do before it snows (which will prolly be SOON). I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that we get some sort of fall here - I'd be happy w/ just a week even! Oh well at least I HAVE to stay inside so I may as well make the best of it and STAMP (like I needed an excuse! *wink*). More to come later...

VERY Pleased

HaHa this is getting to be too funny. For some of you none of this will make sense but for those that noticed yes this card is back and no I won't be submitting it.

I needed to make a few prego cards as a couple of my hubby's co-worker's wives just announced they're expecting and I just HAD to make some fun cards to congratulate them with!!

I was inspired by a card Taylor did and since she has submitted hers to a publication I am not going to w/ mine - they are too similar of an idea (and side's I prefer the instant gratification [and yes lower "status" lol] of uploading my work onto here!)

So here's the card (again!):

It turned out even better than I thought it would!! I used my Michael's $ stamp in place of the i and was SO pleased at how it fit just perfectly between the letters - as if it were made for this set!! The curve of her belly and the tip of her dress just fit *perfectly* between the letters - I was just giddy at how well it all fit! I colored her in w/ Prismas and Gamsol, and then added some doodled lines around the b and g (this week's Technique Challenge).

Karen Foster Snap Stamps completed the sentiment (and I messed up on the congratulations so I re-stamped it on Brocade Blue CS and glued it on top - fixed it perfectly!).

This week's Sketch Challenge came in handy for the layout and of course I couldn't NOT use my Paisley BG!!

The patterned paper is from Chatterbox (love love love Chatterbox paper - I can't wait to see the new lines my LSS is supposed to get in!).

SETS: Think Big, Paisley, Karen Foster Snap Stamps, katie & co. CS: Whisper White, Basic Black, Mellow Moss, Brocade Blue, Chatterbox. INK: Basic Black, Brocade Blue. ACCESSORIES: Vintage Brads, Moss Grosgrain, Prismacolors and Gamsol.