Prairie Paper & Ink

Quick and Simple

That's what I've been up to the past couple of days - making quick and simple cards!!

I had some stamped Bella Images sitting here that people have sent me (since there actually ARE some Bellas that I DON'T own *gasp*!!) and thought it was high time I used them!!

I also decided that it's time to start using up some of my Rob & Bob patterned paper. I got a huge slab of it at Michaels some time ago and need to use it up! The yellow pattern is so light and springy so of course I had to use it.

This bella image is Grumpablla and I just used SU! markers to color her in.

The sentiment is from Papertrey - the new Faux Ribbon set.

STAMPS: Grumpabella from Stamping Bella, sentiment from Papertrey's Faux Ribbon set. CS: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Lavender Lace, Certainly Celery, Rob & Bob Patterned Paper. INK: Black, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Blush Blossom, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White Craft. ACCESSORIES: White Gel Pen, Ribbon, Small and Large Oval Punches (SU!), Prima Flower, Brad, Marvy Giga Scalloped Square Punch.

Same brand of patterned paper for this one - I really like the polka-dots on it LOL! AND it's the same color combo as the floral so I just kept using the same supplies.

I used my Blender Pens and markers to color in this emmybella image. You prolly can't tell from the picture - but I added a little glitter to her hair and shopping bags with my Sakura Stardust Pen,

The sentiment is from a Michael's $1 stamp - it has a birthday present as well but I only inked up the words.

The ribbon is by May Arts - I thought I had used up all this green kind and then I found a *little* bit left in my ribbon jar! I'm *thisclose* to being out tho so I have to order more - I LOVE May Arts ribbon!!

STAMPS: Emmybella by Stamping Bella, sentiment from Michaels. CS: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Rob & Bob Patterned Paper. INK: Black, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa, Blush Blossom, Lavender Lace. ACCESSORIES: Prima Flower, Ribbon, Jumbo sei Brad, SU! Ticket Corner Punch.

Isn't this tinkerbella image the cutest?? The person who sent me the stamped images stamped a few on an angle like this - SO cute!

I used another sentiment and flourish from the Faux Ribbon set - ever since I got this set I find myself reaching for my punches more often. I LOVE that I finally have a bunch of sentiments that FIT in them without me having to fiddle with them! *grin*

For this one I again used a Blender Pen and ink to color in the bella. I then added a bit of glue with my new Quickie Glue Pen, and poured on some Dazzling Diamonds (SU!) glitter.

I attached the sentiment with a purple Bazzil Brad, and notched the corners w/ SU!'s Ticket Corner Punch. The ribbon I got from Michaels.

STAMPS: Tinkerbella from Stamping Bella, sentiment from Faux Ribbon set by Papertrey. CS: Whisper White, Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink, Almost Amethyst, Lavender Lace, Rob & Bob Patterned Paper. INK: Black, Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink, Lavender Lace, Blush Blossom. ACCESSORIES: SU! 1 1/4 and 1 3/8" Circle Punches, Ticket Corner Punch, DD Glitter, Bazzil Brad, Ribbon.

I hope y'all enjoyed these!! I'll try to get the other couple cards I made with these papers (and other non-Bella stamps!) up later tonight or tomorrow :o) 

A Little Quiet

I've been MIA for the past day or two - all-of-a-sudden I had several things to take care of all at once!! I will have a couple of exciting announcements to make next month - one of which y'all will find out about in the second week of May or so *huge grin* - the other one prolly a little later (sorry I'm such a tease!! - I really HATE keeping secrets - and one of them I've been sitting on for a couple of MONTHS - AURGH!!!! It's been worth it tho!!)

ANYWHO *sheepish grin now* - here's some more questions and answers (I DID get some stamping done over the past couple of days - I just haven't had a chance to take pics of all of it to get it all on here - that's this week's to-do list!)

What is your current favorite stamping tool?

This one's easy - my Paper Piercer and mat pack (they come in Stampin' Up!'s Tool Kit or you can get JUST the mat pack without the piercer - Making Memories makes a good paper piercer and you can pick that up at Michaels). I use them ALL the time - on practically every card. I love making a little hole with the piercer to push brads through (almost necessary when using SU! card stock as it's so thick!), or using it with the stitching template for faux-stitching, or to mark where I want to place a row of eyelets or brads. It's definitely a MUST have for me!!

What would be your favorite color combinations?

Anything with brown - light blue and brown, light pink and brown, celery green and brown. Right now I'm in a spring mood so I'm constantly using light pink, blue, purple and green together. My favorite combos always change with my mood, and the current season is always a factor too...

I would like to buy some prima flowers (from a Canadian site). There are so many flowers to choose from. Can you recommend something (a package type, maybe) that would go best with the SU papers. I want something that has a variety of flowers to start with. I have never used the flowers before.

Oh I'm the LAST person that should be asked a question like this!! I have over 2 DOZEN bottles of Prima Flowers along with some of the new Sprites and the Isabelle Secrets ones (they're the ones that come packaged in "bras" and matching "panties" - they're really cute!!), along with a couple jars of petites. And I still want more!! ACK!!

Also I don't get any online in Canada - in fact w/ the exception of Stamping Bella (link is on the right) I don't order anything from Canadian sites - all my resources are in the States. Their prices are cheaper even with shipping (tho most of the time I order enough to get free shipping!). Several of my favorite online stores carry a WIDE variety: StarLitStudio, Eclectic Paperie, AllThatScraps and Jacksonbelle. ALL of them will ship to Canada and are fabulous to deal with - just tell them AmyR sent you!

Basically any assortment will work. I started out with a few assorted jars (the "Got Flowers?" collection) and had no trouble matching them with my SU! CS - there are SO many different colors and assortments in the Prima collections I wouldn't even know WHERE to begin to start matching them!

My best recommendation is to get a jar (or two or three!) in colors that YOU love and use a lot. It's not too difficult to match them up with colors you are using (at least I've never found it to be!)

If you had to choose one TOOL to use (and only use) for a week, what would you pick?

Paper Piercer and Mat Pack - I COULD do that for a week - but only a week!

If you could choose only one adhesive for your products, what would it be?

ACK!! Well y'all KNOW I can't (won't!!) go with just ONE - but HYPOTHETICALLY I'd go with my Mono Multi. That stuff is FABULOUS - I love love LOVE that glue! And I DO use it for practically everything as it is - I just have to have my sticky strip, glue pen, Crystal Effects, clear liquid Glue, Heat and Stick Powder, SNAIL etc etc etc around for those (very few) times when my Mono Multi just doesn't cut it! LOL

Do you have any quick tips for matting a stamped image? Your matting always looks so straight and even.

To be totally honest - I just eyeball it. It does help tho to KNOW your paper cutter and pay attention to the measurements. If your main image is say 2.5 inches x 3 inches - you can either cut a mat 1/8th of an inch bigger all around to get a nice then mat (it would be 1/16th of an inch wide on all sides) or you could cut your mat 2.75x3.25 inches to get a 1/8th inch mat. Clear as mud??

SU!'s (QVC sells them as well) Perfect Layers Tool is great at cutting perfect mats - I have it but rarely use it as like I said - I don't have too much trouble eyeballing it. When I first go it tho I really liked how I could get PERFECT mats in the sizes the tool offered (there are 8 by the way - they come as a set of 2 "rulers" and each one has 2 different mat options on each side).

I am trying very hard to stamp on a very limited budget. What one item would you recommend I purchase to take my cards & projects to the next level. I often get frustrated and discouraged by my lack of "toys" when seeing all these great blogs, bursting with my own ideas only to get frustrated because I don't have what I need.

At a risk of sounding like a broken record - the mat pack from SU! and a paper piercer! LOL - those items alone are worth their weight in gold. You can do faux stitching with them - and add more punch with markers and/or a gel pen but that's not necessary. Like I said I use it to make holes for brads (which are really cheap in my opinion and you don't NEED any special tools to use them!) or to line up evenly spaced holes for brads/eyelets.

Also some of SU!'s smaller punches - like the Ticket Corner and the Small Corner Rounder Punch - are very cheap and I use them ALL the time. Just a quick and easy way to add a little wow to your cards!!

How do you do it all?! At what time of day do you create? Do you keep yourself on a schedule between family and creating? AND, do you clean up your craft space each day?

- I just do LOL! If it's something you're really passionate about (and I AM!!) then you find the time - it may not be as much as you'd like (family and a house and adulthood and obligations and all that really do take up a lot of time! *wink*) and I KNOW I don't get nearly enough time to create as I want - but I make the most of every second I get. And yes I am the QUEEN of multi tasking!! I've already asked Tim if I can get one of those headset thingys (I have no clue what they're really called LOL!) to hook up to the phone so I can get more stuff done!!

- any time I get the chance

- nope NO schedules - I've tried that (too many times to count!) and it never works for me - things always change around here and I've realized I can never SET certain times for anything!! Maybe when the girls are older and are in school I will have a schedule of sorts - but for now I just fly by the seat of my pants LOL!!!

- heck no!! I'm lucky if I clean my space up once a week!! Lately I've been really thinking I should keep things neater - it's all very well-organized and whatnot - just messy!! But the funny thing is is that EVERY time I start cleaning up the ideas start rolling and like I'm gonna pass up the chance to create! So I just clear a spot and get to work!! When it gets to the point where I can't find certain things b/c they're not in their spot - THEN I really go all out and clean everything up - it always looks so good and lasts maybe half a day till it's an absolute disaster again! It works for me tho...........

A Cute RAK and some Questions

I *just* got this adorable Bella card in the mail as a RAK (random act of kindness) from Leslie G - THANK YOU Leslie! I LOVE the card ('specially the fact that you turned her shopping bag into a Chanel shopping bag LOL!!) it's so cute and springy!! And the note inside was very sweet too - I loved it.

For anyone wondering the image is from Stamping Bella (one of my favorite stamp companies - I just love their retro style!!).

While I'm at it I thought I'd get to some more questions so here goes!!:

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What is your favorite method of coloring images?

Oh man another tough one!! Y'all have prolly figured out by now that I'm the type that doesn't like to choose!! I like OPTIONS!! However I just showed my club members the other day a bunch of different coloring methods and as I showed them samples I noted that I seem to do a LOT of watercoloring. And yes I do like that a lot. However when it comes to quick and convenient you can't beat coloring with markers!! I love the looks of Prismacolor Pencils with Gamsol, but lately I haven't been doing that as much..... (see what'd I tell ya!?? *wink*)

What do you do with all those stunning, gorgeous, beautiful cards you make and share with us on your blog?

First off - thank you for the compliment!! (and no I didn't edit it LOL). I think I answered one like this before but my memory escapes me at the moment.

SOME of the cards I make end up being sent away for Design Team requirements. SOME are for personal use. And yet others I send to a local shop here in town to sell (I think I've made a whopping $100 in the 6 months or so since I started selling them there - nothing much but it does get me a few goodies here and there LOL!). I also put a few in my display board (only ones made w/ SU! stuff for me to show at club and workshops etc). And some have no purpose at all but to be posted on here and then I put them in my stash to be hopefully sent out in the near future!!

I would like to know how you come up with your color combinations. I'm always looking for new color combos instead of the tried and true.

I just come up with them on the fly. A lot of the time I just start with one color and then grab random colors here and there to add to it - and more often than not I can make it work!! SU!'s Color Wheel was great for me at the beginning as I used to have a lot of trouble combining different colors - but I can say now that I haven't pulled it out in months!!

I also write down different color combos as I come across them (last time I was at the mall with a friend I came up with SO many combos after seeing all the new Spring clothing lines!) and refer to them later when I'm creating.

Given where you are, do you pretty much have to order everything online?

A big YES to this one!! I only have one (*cough* overpriced!) Michaels and one scrapbook store in my area (and they are both in the city over an hour away!) so I order almost EVERYTHING online and 90% of it from the States. I have a list of online retailers on the right of my blog that has all the places listed that I've ordered from on a continuous basis. All of them I HIGHLY recommend - I get fabulous service from them all!!

How do you take such lovely pictures of yours cards and retain the colors and the depth?

You can see my setup and tips in this post here:

How I Take My Pictures

It's nothing fancy but it works for me!! :o)

Do you sell your cards, if you do, how do you market them?

Yup I do. They are just in a box at a local hair salon that also doubles as a gift shop (and for anyone wondering NO I don't use any SU images on them - I have been asked that before!!). I don't make much money from it (like I said I've made maybe $100 or so in the past 6 months??) as I can't sell them for much - living in a small farming community it's nearly impossible to sell cards for what they are worth. People don't understand the time and effort that goes into making them (I think most of you can relate to that!!). The gals that work there tho really like them and promote them for me so I keep doing it!!

I'm also trying to build up a stash to have on hand here as every once in a while people have contacted me wanting to buy cards so I'd like to have several on hand! We'll see how that goes tho!

Pamper Yourself

OK here's the last one  got done yesterday!! I of course HAD to use this Tubby Time stamp - I think it's my favorite out of all the Bugz!

I stamped the image in Versafine Black, colored it in with SU! markers, masked it, then stamped the large solid shadow stamp. I used clear glue on the "bubbles" and poured Dazzling Diamonds glitter onto it.

The sentiment was made using Karen Foster Snap Stamps (the 1/8" casual size - they are TINY! I got them at my local scrapbook store months ago as well as the 1/4" casual) and then I doodled a border around it all with a black marker.

This bitty Prima flower (from this set) was attached with a dot of glue, then I used a K&Co Rhinestone for the flower center.

This ribbon looks a little washed out in the picture - but in real life it's gorgeous!! I got a bunch of different colors from AllThatScraps here in my last order and they are MUCH MUCH nicer in real life!!

The patterned paper is from Chatterbox and was the color inspiration for this card. The card base was stamped with the Bubbles stamp in VersaMark then embossed with Clear Embossing Powder.

STAMPS: Tubby Time, Large Solid Shadow Stamp, and Bubbles all by CC Designs, Karen Foster Snap Stamps. CS: Bristol White, Mellow Moss, Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Patterned Paper by Chatterbox. INK: Versafine Onyx, Mellow Moss, Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Black Zig Marker. ACCESSORIES: Prima Flower, K&Co Rhinestone, Clear Glue, DD Glitter, May Arts Ribbon, Clear Embossing Powder.

Congrats

With wedding/engagement season approaching I need to get more cards like this made up to have on hand!!

This one was made using a bunch of the new CC Designs stamps - Bling Bride, small solid shadow spot, congrats sentiment, and flowers.

All CS and Ink used is Stampin' Up! I used Versafine black ink for the bug, then colored her in w/ SU! Markers. You can't tell in the picture - but I rubbed Pebbles Shimmer chalks on her veil for some subtle shimmer. I then used my new Quickie Glue Pen on the flower centers and bottom of the veil and poured on Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.

I attached a pink K&Co Rhinestone for her ring (Eclectic Paperie is carrying packs of those now!), and adhered to Giga Scalloped Squares together to make the mat.

The flower is from Bazzil (this assorted pack) and the brad is from the Dollarama. The ribbon is from Michaels.

STAMPS: Bling Bride, small solid shadow spot, congrats sentiment, and flowers all by CC Designs. CS: Bristol White, Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink. INK: Versafine Black, Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery. ACCESSORIES: DD Glitter, K&Co Rhinestone, Bazzil Flower, Jumbo Brad, Ribbon, Marvy Giga Scalloped Square Punch.

Happy Bugday!!

I finally got a chance yesterday to make some samples with the CC Designs Bitzy Bugz. Aren't they the cutest little things?? I love them!

For this card I used all Stampin' Up! inks and card stocks, I stamped this Play Ball stamp in Versafine black ink and the large solid shadow spot in Creamy Caramel. I used SU markers to color him in.

I didn't have any sentiments that I thought would "fit" so I made my own using these Karen Foster snap stamps (I think this is the 1/4" casual alpha?? I got it at my local scrapbook store MONTHS ago!!).

I made this little baseball "charm" by punching out a circle of white CS (you can see Lauren's easy instructions on how to do this here - that's what made me think of doing this!), marking the lines, then sponging the edges. I then covered it in VersaMark and embossed it with clear embossing powder, punched a hole in it and attached it with a piece of string.

I punched holes in the main image to thread the ribbon through so that it wasn't going over the bug. The green CS was put through my CuttleBug using the new Spots and Dots A2 embossing folder.

STAMPS: Play Ball Bitzy Bug and large shadow spot stamps by CC Designs, Snap Stamps by Karen Foster. CS: Bristol White, Ruby Red, Gable Green and Tempting Turquoise (all SU!). INK: Versafine Onyx, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Gable Green, Tempting Turquoise, Ruby Red. ACCESSORIES: Grosgrain Ribbon, Corner Rounder Punch, CuttleBug Dots & Spots A2 embossing folder, Clear Embossing Powder.

Pluggin' Away

What kind of modge podge do you use-matte, shiny, sparkly? And do you always do a coat after you apply the paper.

All I have used so far is Matte. And no I don't always do a coat on top of the paper - I mostly use it just to adhere the paper - but it always depends on the projects. On this Travis Case I did I used the Mod Podge to adhere the paper and didn't put a coat on top. For this frame I did for my hubby I did 2 or 3 coats on top of the paper to seal it (mostly b/c it was going in his office and I didn't want it to get wrecked!!)

I've never used Glossy or sparkly - but eventually I want to try out both of them! I've also heard good things about Royal Coat (which I think is made by the same company??) which is supposed to be higher quality and won't leave lines (I always use a foam brush w/ my matte MP and yes there are lines with it - but they don't really bother me at all - it's the nature of the product in my opinion!)

Being on several design teams, do you ever have times when you just get stuck and can't come up with a design? And then what do you do to get your Mojo going again?

When it comes to my design team stuff - I don't get stuck for ideas too often actually. Since I get the privilege of using brand new stamps before the public I'm starting with a "clean slate" as it were - so I usually don't have too much difficulty coming up with ideas. In fact at times I have more trouble choosing WHICH ideas to use!!

However I DO lose my mojo at times - and can go through slumps where I just can't come up with anything. It happens to all of us - for me tho to get back in it I usually need to just get out of my studio and go do something else. I find if I take a break (even if it's only for half a day) and go do other things (read a book, surf the net, get a new magazine etc etc etc) it doesn't take long for the ideas to get rolling again.

Another thing that helps is CLEANING my studio. I usually end up finding all kinds of goodies that I forgot about and that usually sparks some creativity as I start thinking of ways to use said goodies *wink*

What do you do when you hit a creative block?

I think it's funny that this question came right after the one above! So yes - see the answer above for this one :o)

If you could only use paper from 1 company what company would it be?

ACK! Not another one!!!! I don't wanna hafta choose!! ONE of my favorites is Chatterbox - I LOVE their paper - and they have SO many different designs!! But I really like Basic Grey too, and 3 Bugs in a Rug, and K & Co, and Stampin' Up! patterned paper, and and and.........................

I am curious as to what your process is for a card design. Do you pick your layout first? Do you pick your stamps first? Do you pick your colors first?

Unless I'm participating in a Sketch Challenge on Splitcoast of some other site - layout is usually the last thing I do. The process for me never stays the same. Some times I'll start with the stamps, then choose the colors and layout. Other times I'll start with a piece of patterned paper, choose the colors, then decide which stamps I want to use. And sometimes I'll start with an embellishment, then choose matching colors, come up with a layout, then find a stamp that fits!! It always changes.......

What is your favorite SU! stamp set and why?

I answered this one here. As to the WHY - prolly b/c it's such a gorgeous set and I don't have anything else like it!!

I have recently bought a cuttlebug and one cutting folder. My question is, does the top layer of plastic seem to warp after using, and is there a way to avoid all the cut marks on the plastic?!?

No you can't - the B plate will warp and end up covered in cut marks after using it for a while. Mine is getting so marked up it's hard to see through! I've flipped it over so that the other side can get all cut up, and then I'm gonna switch them (put the cut up B plate on the bottom and the still clear one on the top) till they're both all warped and cut up - then I'll just buy a new set (you can get replacements B plates in sets of 2 - Michaels carries them as well as most other online stores that carry the CuttleBug).

Do you make multiples of cards/projects or are you a once and done kind of gal?

Definitely once and done. I make SO many cards and whatnot that I don't have time to make doubles/triples etc etc! The closest I'll come is doing similar cards (like the ones I did here) but changing the colors and whatnot.

How do you like to use these fun little slider tags?

As in the little ones that come with the Tiny Tags die?? I usually try to find a sentiment small enough to fit on them (now that Nichole has been designing all these fab sets like Paper Tray and Faux Ribbon I'm finding it a LOT easier to find words/sentiments that will fit!) and then attach them to the card with ribbon.

(Almost) No Stamping Required

I got this new Baby Announcement CuttleBug folder in my most recent order from AllThatScraps. It doesn't look like much just looking at it but man it makes for SUPER-quick cards!!!

I ran through several different colors of Bazzil Fourz card stock through my 'Bug with this folder - then mounted them all on SU! Confetti White card stock.

Each one literally took minutes to do - I added a bit of ribbon, notched the corners with various punches, and on a couple of them I inked the edges.

Tim really liked them - he's all for plainer cards - the less layers and colors the better is HIS opinion (LOL - MEN!).

I really did like how they turned out tho - the embossing is so crisp and deep and in real life it's impossible not to touch them!!

I think I'll get more use out of this folder too by just cutting out the sentiment like I did for this card.

Again I used Bazzil Fourz CS (the blue), the green is Certainly Celery SU! CS, and the white was in my scrap file.

This little baby stamp is from the TAC Special Delivery set (with me being in Canada and TAC only being available in the US I get all my TAC stuff through Margaret). I stamped him using my new Versafine black ink - heat set it to dry, then used a Prismacolor marker for the skin (Light Peach) and a Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery marker for the rest.

NOTE - So far this is the only attempt I have made using the Prismacolor markers with Versafine ink - it didn't smear but when I color in images I color INSIDE the lines and try not to go over them with the markers - so I can't say for sure yet that the ink DOESN'T smear - I need to fiddle some more!

I used SU! Whisper White Craft ink to edge all the blue CS, and my Fiskars Postage scissors to cut the celery mat on the main image. I finished off the card with some grosgrain ribbons and that's it!

mmmmmmmmmm.....goodies

My order from Ellen Hutson's store arrived the other day and I couldn't resist taking a picture of the goodies!!

I got some A Muse twinkle stickers (I've been wanting some of those for the LONGEST time - so I ordered 3 packs of the micro dot and one of the mini dot!) some of these self-adhesive pearls, and a Sakura Glue pen (I should have ordered at least 2 of those - I can see myself using this a lot!)

The thank you note came with the order - Ellen stamps and watercolors them herself - it's GORGEOUS!! :o)

I also got this RAK (random act of kindness) in the mail yesterday from Erin!!!

She sent me a Black Versafine ink pad, a little TAC set (and no I didn't have it and it's so cute!), and this adorable card. Thank you SO much Erin!!

I already started playing with the ink pad - so far so good - it is SO SO black - I really like that aspect of it. It does say it dries instantly - but the couple of times I stamped it it DIDN'T dry very quickly - so I used my heat tool and that did the trick.

I'll definitely be using it some more tho - thanks Erin!! :o)

Tagged Again!!

Another game of Tag is going around (Tara, Chelsey and Leslie tagged me - and maybe a couple of others but I can't remember! I know Kathy tagged me too but the link to her blog didn't work for me so Kathy if you see this sorry I couldn't get it to come up!!) - tho this one a little different than the one from a few days ago - this time I am supposed to list 7 things about me and tag 7 other bloggers.

Hmmmmmm OK here's 7 things about me:

1. Both of my daughters have strawberry red hair - I'm a brunette and Tim has like dirty blonde hair - and we get asked ALL the time where the girl's get their red hair (LOL the reason why I listed this first was b/c I took Veronica to get her hair cut today and I must have had half a dozen people ask this!!) I don't mind it but when you hear it over and over and over in the space of one morning it can get annoying LOL! (and FYI when Tim grows a goatee it's the same color as the girls hair ROFL!! So that's what I tell people!).

2. I am a rotten gardener - I consider it a success if I can keep the plants alive till the end of the growing season. I'd LIKE to be better at it - I LOVE flowers - I just have a black thumb!! :o( If there's a "Gardening For Dummies" book out there (and I'm sure there is *wink*) I definitely need it!

3. I don't like pizza - if I have to eat it I only like it with cheese and pizza sauce - no meat.

4. When I was in grade 5 I got the lead in the school play - I aced the audition with my fabulous singing skills (it was a musical) - Tim now turns the music up when I try to sing along to the radio - I guess I lost my touch ROFL (I don't blame him - I think I have an awful singing voice!!)

5. I'm a movie geek - I HAVE watched the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (ALL extended versions) in one sitting and enjoyed it (each one being 3-4 hours long - you do the math!) ---- now I just marvel at the fact that I had the TIME to do that!!

6. My grandmother was born in Scotland and still has family there - someday Tim and I would like to travel there and meet them.

7. I'm in the process of crocheting a throw for the living room (just a simple double crochet in rows - nothing fancy!!) - I started it a few moths ago and promptly forgot about it LOL! ----- WHEN *wink* I get it done tho I have a pattern for another blanket I want to crochet - it looks fairly simple and has flowers that are done separately and then sewed on - I want to make 2 in fun colors for each of my girls!!

OY - OK now I have to pick 7 people to tag!! Well I'm just gonna pick some at random off my blog list (and none of you have to participate if you don't want to!! :o)

Lauren, Julie, Sharon, Christine, Leigh, Emily, Michelle!! 

Last One

OK here's the last card I made using this Chatterbox Patterned Paper (for those that asked where they could find it - eclecticPaperie carries it here).

I used GinaK's Sweet Pea stamp (isn't it so cute? I just love the little grinning pea LOL!!), on white CS and colored it in with SU! markers. This stamp *just* fits inside the 1 3/8" circle punch, so I punched it out, and used a punch out from the Key Tag punch behind for interest.

I stamped the sentiment, added the ribbon, then adhered the main image with a couple of dimensionals and that's it!! SUPER quick and easy :o)

This card measures 4.25x4.25".

STAMPS: Sweet Pea and sentiment by GinaK Designs. CS: White, Ruby Red, Ballet Blue, Chatterbox Patterned Paper. INK: Palette Hybrid Noir, Certainly Celery, Old Olive. ACCESSORIES: SU! 1 3/8" Circle and Key Tag Punches, Ribbon (Michaels), Dimensionals.

Oh and just an FYI - I am a little behind on my e-mails - don't worry tho I will get to them tomorrow. I have a SU club tonight and need to get everything ready for that!!

Didya Notice??

Just a *small* change to the look here - I wanted more color!! Do y'all like it? (if you can't see it hit refresh in your browser - that should do the trick!).

And Sam if you see this do you know the color codes for the stems and grass in my banner? For the life of me I couldn't match either of them (I am SO not smart when it comes to technical stuff!!) and this was as close as I could get (I still like it tho - it's such a nice Springy green don't you think?? *grin*).

Edited to Add: WaHoo!! Thanks Michelle - I used the code you gave me and it worked - you ROCK! It's only a slight difference in color but I like it much better now that it matches the stems (I know I KNOW I can be SO picky!! LOL).

Now I'm off to bed - it's getting close to midnight here and I can barely keep my eyes open - it's been a long day!!

*snicker* - when that smilie turns over..........ROFL!! (like I said it's late!! *wink*)

Little Critters

Yup I had a lot of fun with this sheet of Chatterbox paper!! Last week's Limited Supply Challenge over at Splitcoast was to make birthday cards with "critter" or bug stamps - the challenge being that you had to create the card in under 45 minutes.

Needless to say I was able to do all of them in that time frame (as in each card took me less than 45 minutes - I didn't do all 3 IN 45 minutes - I wish!! lol) - it's amazing how quickly cards can come together when the colors and papers and whatnot are already sitting out LOL!!

For this one I used the Bugs & Kisses set from Stampin' Up! - the dragon fly was stamped separate and cut out - it's adhered with bits of dimensionals under the body. The snail's shell is also cut out and on a dimensional.

The sentiment *just* fit on that CuttleBug Slider die - and I attached it to the strip of Bashful Blue CS with my last piece of that fabulous May Arts ribbon!! ACK! I need to order more!!!!

STAMPS: Bugs & Kisses. CS: Whisper White, Ruby Red, Gable Green, Bashful Blue, Patterned Paper by Chatterbox. INK: Ruby Red, Gable Green, Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy, Palette Hybrid Noir. ACCESSORIES: CuttleBug Sliders Die, May Arts Ribbon, Dimensionals.

See - told y'all I'd be doing more cards like this!! This type of layout is so fun!!! The card base is 4.25x4.25" but with the panel it makes it 4.25x5.5 - so it will still fit in a regular envelope (an ingenious Michelle original idea!!)

I used SU!'s Wild About You set (this has got to be one of my favorite animal sets - I just love the style of it!), and my A Muse small oval as well of course!

I used my CuttleBug Tiny Bubbles A2 embossing folder on the Brocade Blue CS - I thought it went well w/ the giraffe's spots and the patterned paper :o)

The scalloped mat was made with my Fiskars Scalloped Scissors, and I finished off the card with the grosgrain ribbon.

STAMPS: Wild About You, Small oval by A Muse. CS: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Ruby Red, Brocade Blue, Patterned Paper by Chatterbox. INK: Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, Ruby Red, Brocade Blue, Basic Black. ACCESSORIES: Fiskars Scalloped Scissors, Various SU! Grosgrain Ribbons, CuttleBug Tiny Bubbles A2 Embossing Folder.

*giggle* this card just makes me grin every time I look at it! I am SO pleased with how it turned out!!!

I wasn't planning on it ending up this way - my original idea was to have the little guy standing *on* the "grass" holding the balloons - but as I was cutting the balloon images out it occurred to me to make him floating away - so I did!!! I still stamped the oval "grass" to emphasize him leaving the ground - LOVE it!!!!

I used markers to get the different colors on the sentiment - as well as to color in the raccoon. The balloons are glued to his hands and the tops are attached with dimensionals so they're popped up (and no this card won't fit in a standard envelope as it's still 4.25x5.5 - but the balloons stick up too far and I wouldn't want to fold them. But I made this for my little brother who's 3rd birthday is next month - so I can just give it to him as is!).

The layout is from last week's Sketch Challenge on Splitcoast - I LOVE that sketch - it's an awesome one for using up scraps of patterned paper!

STAMPS: Hip Hip Hooray, small oval by A Muse. CS: Bristol White, Old Olive, Ruby Red, Ballet Blue, Patterned Paper by Chatterbox. INK: Palette Hybrid Noir, Old Olive, Ruby Red, Ballet Blue, Creamy Caramel, ACCESSORIES: Dimensionals, Brads.

Some More Questions and Answers

I hope y'all are enjoying these posts so far!! I've been having fun answering all these questions (and have a TON more to do!!).

My question is when do you find time to stamp?

Pretty much anytime!! Sometimes when Josie is napping (that's usually my most frequent stamping time as Veronica sits at my desk with me and "advises" me on what I should be doing - she picks out the colors and embellishments and whatnot and runs the show ROFL!!), or other times during the day when the girls are playing together, at night after the kids are in bed - whenever I can work it in *wink*.

My question is very similar to ones asked by others - how do you integrate and/or separate your SU! business from all the other companies that you work with?

I keep them separate. And it really is easy for me - all my customers know me and know my blog - so it's no secret about what I do and whatnot. Plus it's no secret that I LOVE SU! stuff and it's hard NOT to convey the excitement when I have my "demo hat" on (they all prolly thought I was nuts at my last open house as I was dancing around with glee when I told them there was gonna be **2** catalogs a year from now on ROFL!!!!)

As an FYI I actually contacted Stampin' Up! a little while ago about me being on Design Teams and whatnot just to make sure I wasn't violating my contract and all that and I was told that it's fine (as long as I'm sticking to SU! stuff during workshops etc and basically keeping it all separate etc etc etc) which I was quite pleased to hear.

In what ways, if any, has blogging helped you grow as a stamper/designer?

Even tho I do this for ME I know I have a lot of readers on here - and at times I've really pushed myself to make things that have been out of my normal "range" as a stamper. Plus describing the thought process behind my creations as well as teaching new things has really made me stop and think more about why I do what I do and HOW I do what I do - so yes I think it translates into improving myself.

It's a personal goal to always be getting better at all of this - and if I am (I like to think so!) then this blog is serving the purpose for which I originally started it for :o)

How do create so many cards for all the DTs you are on? Do you usually create one original card or will you do a bunch of one version?

As in how do I create so many different cards?? I just do!! I don't find it too difficult as all the stamps are different and it's so easy to get ideas rolling (most of the time!) when I have brand new un-inked rubber (or clear photo-polymer LOL!) stamps in my hands!!

And I only make one card of each design - I don't like having to repeat myself *wink* (BUT I do like to mass produce - for swaps and other things - go figure).

When are you going to post some of your SU designs?

LOL I've already started. I took a break from using my SU stuff for the last little while - but I started to miss it and have been pulling out the sets more and more lately!!

How do you know when a card is "done"? I seem to stop too soon or do too much and sometimes miss the sweet spot of "just right!"

You know I don't have a "real" answer for that one - I almost always just "know". I can usually tell if it's missing *something* (which is usually an embellishment of some sort) and can fix that right away - but it's not too often that I go overboard. I can usually tell beforehand if that's going to happen - as the card just doesn't work and I keep fiddling with it to make it "right". More often then not I end up ruining it and have to toss it (then there are those few sweet times when it all works!! I love those times.......)

What is your favorite technique for when you are just stamping for fun?

Hmmmmmmm you know I really don't know. Lately I haven't been doing any techniques - I've just stuck to straight stamping. It's funny you asked this tho b/c I've been thinking that I should start doing some more - one of my favorites is Dazzling Diamond Dust - I LOVE the look of it (you can see a tutorial on that here).

Where do you find the time to design, blog and look after 2 little children?

Yup like I said before - multitasking!! Don't know what I would do if I couldn't do that LOL!

One thing I love about my blog tho is I can start posts and save them to work on later - I do that a LOT. In fact I've prolly left this one half a dozen times already as I have other things to do (gotta grab Josie a sippie cup, or rescue her "meow" (her stuffed animal cat that she drags around everywhere - it's her security blanket!) that she keeps putting into perilous situations for kicks. Or answer all Veronica's questions - you know - mom stuff!! So yes - pretty much all my posts on here are several-part processes - I can't remember the last time I actually sat down and did an entire blog post from start to finish all at once (the short little blurb ones don't count!).

Bunch of Flowers

Like I said I made *several* cards over the past couple of days! After making that Stamping Bella card I decided to keep the theme going and kept using this Chatterbox paper.

This card is actually 4.25x4.25" but this top panel makes it measure 4.25x5.5 (so it will still fit in the A2 envelopes). Michelle Wooderson came up with this fun layout and I LOVE it - I will be making a lot more of these!!

Here's a side view of it:

I used Papertrey's Green Thumb set and Stampin' Up! Classic inks (they really DO work well with clear stamps - I can almost always get nice, solid, crisp images), and added some bling with a few K&Co self-adhesive rhinestones (I picked up a pack at Michael's last time I was there - and now I wish I had bought more!!).

The sentiment is from the Butterfly Kisses set, and the ribbon is from Michaels.

This was a quick card - taking maybe 15 minutes?? I had the layout idea in my head, the colors were a snap as I was using the same patterned paper and color scheme, so it was just a matter of stamping it and putting it all together!

STAMPS: Green Thumb and Butterfly Kisses by Papertrey Ink. CS: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Patterned Paper by Chatterbox. INK: Pumpkin Pie, Apricot Appeal, Ruby Red, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Palette Hybrid Noir. ACCESSORIES: K&Co Rhinestones, Ribbon.

This is another 4.25x4.25" card.

I stamped the large flower from the Doodle This set (in Stampin' Up!'s Spring Mini) onto the patterned paper twice then cut them out. I attached them to the card with this jumbo sei celery brad. I don't think you can tell from the picture - but I added dots of Fruit Punch stickles (from StarLitStudio) to the top flower's dots for a little glimmer.

The sentiment is from Papertrey's Faux Ribbon set (have I told y'all how much I LOVE the fact that all the sentiments fit inside most of the SU! punches??? Well I do!!), and I added a couple of rhinestones to the little flourishes.

STAMPS: Doodle This (Stampin' Up!), Faux Ribbon (Papertrey). CS: Whisper White, Brocade Blue, Certainly Celery, Patterned Paper by Chatterbox. INK: Palette Hybrid Noir, Brocade Blue. ACCESSORIES: Fruit Punch Stickles, sei Jumbo Brad, Celery Grosgrain, K&Co Rhinestones, SU! 1 1/4" and a 3/8" Circle Punches.

I followed roughly the same layout for this card as I did for the one above - just putting the sentiment in a different spot.

I used a button from my stash for the center of the Prima Flower - I sewed it to the flower with a bit of string and attached it to the card with a couple of mini glue dots.

The ribbon I got from Jacksonbelle, and the sentiment is from the Papertrey Paper Tray set.

I think I did this card in under 10 minutes - SO quick and easy!! It measures 4.25x4.25".

STAMPS: Paper Tray by Papertrey Ink. CS: White, Patterned Paper by Chatterbox. INK: Palette Hybrid Noir. ACCESSORIES: Prima Flower, Button, String, Ribbon.