Prairie Paper & Ink

Priceless

A lot of you know that I LOVE patterned paper (no really?? *wink*), and one of my favorite lines is Chatterbox. I have quite a few sheets of theirs (no clue as to the exact amount - but it's a lot!!) and the other day as I was flipping through it I came across this fun Summer Dots paper.

So here is one way I get inspired when making my cards. This entire card was inspired by this piece of Chatterbox paper. I chose the colors from the dots on the paper. I then pulled out my Stamping Bella stamp (and matching sentiment which always gives me a laugh LOL!), and OF COURSE my A Muse small oval (more about that here).

I used various Stampin' Up! markers to color in the Bella, and grounded her with the oval (you can learn more about masking here) using Certainly Celery ink.

I used Fiskars Scalloped Scissors on the Ruby Red CS. The sentiment was stamped twice (first without the "priceless" then JUST the "priceless" to get it to fit on this slider tag (from the CuttleBug Sliders die cut).

STAMPS: Stamping Bella and sentiment from Stamping Bella, small skinny oval from A Muse. CS: Bristol White, Bordering Blue, Ruby Red, More Mustard, and Certainly Celery (Stampin' Up!), patterned paper from Chatterbox. INK: Palette Hybrid Noir, SU! Stampin' Write Markers in: Ruby Red, Blush Blossom, Bordering Blue, Barely Banana, Not Quite Navy. Certainly Celery Classic Ink, Prismacolor Cool Grey 10% marker. ACCESSORIES: Fiskars Scalloped Scissors, Ribbon (Michaels), CuttleBug Sliders Die, SU! Brads, SU! Small Corner Rounder and 1/4" Circle Punches.

Gettin' To a Few More

I haven't had a chance yet to take pics of all the cards I made over the past few days - that's on this afternoon's to-do list LOL! So HOPEFULLY I'll have a new post later on today with some "eye candy" - while y'all are waiting I thought I'd better get to a few more questions....

Where do you get your inspiration for cards?

From everything - literally. Ideas DO just pop in my head out of the blue sometimes - but the rest of the time yes something inspires me - and it can be any number of things: a magazine ad/article, clothing, online site (check out this card I made inspired by a website's homepage here). See what I mean??

What is your favorite color? What is the color of paper that you constantly find yourself reaching for?

Oooohhhh see I'm rotten at these kinds of questions - I like it ALL!! However I do find that I go through a lot of Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue SU card stock, along with Chocolate Chip - so yes those are definitely more loved *wink*.

What do you do with all your extra samples?

As in everything that gets posted on here? Well, a lot of the 3D items (frames, boxes, etc etc etc) are made specifically for someone or for something. Some are for design team work that gets sent away to the owner. The rest just pile up here LOL!

I obviously use them to send to family/friends/etc and am trying to build up a stash of cards for every occasion as I am SO tired of being contacted (mostly by Tim!!) at the last minute to "whip up a card" for so-and-so. I have no problem making cards in small amounts of time - but for ME it just seems like I get contacted at the worst possible moment to whip up said cards so I need to have a stash on hand! *wink*

I often wonder how you juggle being a SU demonstrator and then using all the other wonderful stuff that you have. It must be hard to demonstrate just SU products at a club or workshop.

Actually I don't have any trouble with that. My demo-ship is a totally separate thing for me - you all can see that this blog was never started to promote my "business" but rather share my love of stamping with y'all!!

I am VERY fortunate to have a (very) small base of some wonderful customers that keep me active. I have one small bi-monthly club going and between that and my other (FABULOUS!) customers (they all read this so I have to say Hi!! *waves*) they keep me going.

I actually don't have any trouble sticking to JUST SU! during clubs/workshops etc - I literally own almost every single accessory in the catty (no joke) and after over 2 years of being a demo I own a LOT of sets too - so I have quite a lot to choose from! Of course all my customers KNOW that I have a ton of "contraband" ROFL ----------- but they also know about my requirements when I'm wearing my demo hat and it's never been an issue.

I guess I should also mention that if I were more busy with demo stuff it might be a little different - but I only do maybe one thing a month and I haven't really tried to drastically expand my business as I am quite happy with how it is now (gives me more time for all my other stuff I have going on!)

What tool do you want next?

Hmmmmmmmm - well I guess it would have to be one of the bigger ones - I've had my eye on the RubiCoil and the Cricut for a looonnnngggg time now. I still can't justify spending that much $$ on either of them right now (not to mention can't afford them either!) as I'm not sure how much I would use them - I just want them LOL!

Are your classes generic or SU specific events? You do such creative things with many mfg products that I imagine it's hard to limit yourself to one vendor!

Well the only "classes" I do are my SU! clubs and the occasional workshop - so yes SU! specific. I've been thinking of possibly doing other classes someday but as I live in a small farming community I would either have to travel to the city (over an hour away) or people would have to travel to me.........so right now all that is still in the "thinking about it" stages - who knows if it will advance further than that. :o)

I might be a ditz but can you explain when using decorative scissors how can you cut straight lines to make the border even?

Nope not a ditz - I actually get asked this a lot. AND I just stumbled across this post by Leslie Miller on her blog that gives a great tip: Using Decorative Edge Scissors.

For me personally I just eyeball it (and more often than not I get it right the first time - not always tho!) as I am too lazy to grab my ruler and a pencil ROFL!!

Playin'

A lot of people have asked me if I ever get the chance to "play" and just stamp for fun. The answer is undoubtedly YES!!! If I never got the chance to do that I'd implode ROFL!!

In fact the past few days that's ALL I've been doing - just messin' around and making cards using whatever I want and doing whatever I want (don't worry I will be sharing them on here - I just need to get pics taken of them!).

I'l hopefullyl be doing more playing over the weekend and whatnot as I am waiting for my Bitzy Bugz stamps to arrive (you can see them all here - aren't they ADORABLE????? I can't wait till they get here!!) as well as May's Papertrey set (can't say anything about that one - it will be available May 15th!! *happy dance*). So until those stamps arrive I got nothin' but free time baby!! (well besides taking care of the girls, making meals, housework, etc etc etc but y'all know what I mean!! *grin*)

Here's something that should tide y'all over till I can get some stuff posted: check out Lauren's blog post and see all the cards she made with the Bitzy Bugz!!! I just about fell off my chair when I saw them all - they are SO cute!!!!!

Invasion of the Bitzy Bugz!!! <-------------------CLICK!!

Now I gotta go do something about my desk - I've been REALLY trying to put things away and be a "neat" stamper - but so far I've failed miserably - my studio looks like a tornado hit it!!!! LOL

Here's Some More

What is gamsol and how do I use it?

Gamsol is a brand name of artist grade odorless mineral spirits. I did a post that has several links to different resources on this technique:

Gamsol and Prismacolor Pencils Tutorial Links

I see that you are on several design teams. What does a senior design team member do that the others don't? Also is there ever a conflict of interest?

Basically being a "Senior" member either means being one of the first DT members, or being a "permanent" member - as some companies also have monthly/guest members and whatnot and want to differentiate between those members (at least this is MY opinion on it!! :o)). As for what they do that other's don't - it usually means that their workload is a bit more than say a guest DT member etc....

For me - I happen to be on some WONDERFUL Design Teams and work for some fabulous people and don't have to worry about any conflict of interest. All of them know who I "work" for and what I do and they're all fine with it.

I know that some companies have it written into their contracts that if you design for them you can't design for company "x, y and z" (which has more to do with not being on teams for companies that have similar stamps and whatnot - it wouldn't make sense to be on a team for "company a" AND on a DT for "company b" when they both sell similar (ie competing) products you know what I mean??).

I also have come across some DT applications that state they don't want you to work for ANYONE but them - but I'm not on those kinds of teams - and wouldn't want to be - I like having options and there are SO many different stamp companies out there that I LOVE!!

This will be addressed later as it also got asked a few times and whatnot.......

How do you chose which embellishments to use together?

Well honestly - I don't put too muck thought into it. I just grad whatever is handy!! Ribbon is one thing I use on almost EVERY card - so that's a no-brainer (for me). Same with brads - they are so quick and easy that I just tend to use them fairly often.

For other embellies it just depends on my mood and the type of card I'm making .

How do you find inspiration (especially when working on a deadline) and nothing comes to mind?

Ahhhhhhhhh -------- inspiration. THAT question seems to be the MOST often asked question ------ WHERE do I get my inspiration???

I get it all over the place - from magazines, clothing ('specially my girls clothing - some of it has SUCH cute patterns and colors!!), nature, catalogs, online (other blogs, just random sites).........

I will address this in depth more often as time goes on as it's a topic that gets discussed quite frequently and I get asked quite often. I don't want to leave it as it's something I have certainly struggled with (and still do at times)...........

When it comes to meeting a deadline - I just DO it!! I don't often have to really hurry to meet a deadline but when I do I just sit and stamp!! I find that when my adrenaline gets pumping and I get creating I do some of my best work - and I fully enjoy it actually!!

If given only 1 choice of medium to color stamps with - what is your favorite?

Man see these kind of questions are the WORST for me LOL!! I MUST have options!! However if it was just for ONE card (or maybe a few) I'd prolly go with markers as it's quick and easy - but after that I'd want to do something else (watercoloring, colored pencils with Gamsol, pastels, etc etc etc)!!! I in no way could stick with one medium for all time - I'd go crazy :o)

I was approached yesterday by a relative that just recently purchased a candle business to supply cards that can be purchased with the gift baskets. He wants to start with Mother's Day cards because of a grand re-opening thing. I have many questions, but one simple one is "should I put a verse/saying/poem etc inside or just make the cards all blank and let everyone write their own?"

Hmmmm well it all depends on your area and what people would prefer. I would ask around and see what the general consensus is - blank insides or a verse?? I personally have the hardest time with this as people will LOVE the card but then will open it and not like the verse inside! Or they LOVE the card then open it and say "But it's blank?" ------------------- Maybe do a mix of BOTH - some with verses and some without - so then people can CHOOSE what they want.

My question is how do you come up with your color combo's? Do you start with paper, ribbon?

This ALWAYS varies - sometimes it a piece of patterned paper I want to use, or some ribbon, or an embellishment. OR sometimes I have an idea in my head and try to work with that.

Better Get a Move On!!!

Man you guys like your freebies don't you?? (I know I do too - say the word FREE and I'm there ROFL!!!)

Anywho I thought I better start at answering the questions that are being asked AND I set up a new category for them under the category list on the left of this page (yup you know me gotta keep it all organized!! *wink*) and yes I noticed that certain questions get repeated quite a bit which is totally fine as I get asked them all the time anyway!! :o)

OK here's the first few:

What is your favorite SU stamp set???

Oh man - first one out and it's a hard one (well for me it is!!!) - how can I choose??? Well......I guess Wonderful Wings (now retired) is a definite all-time favorite - I LOVE that set and I can't see myself ever parting with it. On the other hand I really love Wild About You - it's so cute!! Petal Prints is another gorgeous set that I *heart*.......

Have you ever had any formal training in art? You have such a great eye.

Nope. I took one high school art class back in like grade 9 and that was it. I would LOVE to take classes on graphic design, as well as interior design (when I was in school I wanted to either be an architect or an interior designer - some days I STILL want to do those things!) - but living in a small town in the Canadian Prairies really limits the options in this field (no pun intended!) as far as courses etc- someday tho......

I have no *formal* training but I've always been "crafty" - my mom always tells me that I started coloring before I was 2 years old - I guess I used to sit at the table for hours and just color away (now that I have my own kids I find that harder to believe - HOW can a 2 year old sit still for anything????? LOL!!) - so I guess I DID get started at an early age!!

I am wondering how you find time to respond to people who contact you directly, keep up with your design teams, your family, SU! demonstrating and stamp for fun.

MULTITASKING!!!! :o) - I almost always have 2 or 3 things (if not more) on the go and that includes the dishwasher, the laundry, housecleaning  and meals LOL!!

That and the fact that I rarely watch TV (LOST is an exception - and even during that I sometimes am cutting card stock or am coloring in images) and not many movies anymore either....

This question has been asked several times (and I get asked it all the time by people I know, get *several* e-mails a month asking etc etc etc) so I will prolly be addressing it quite often throughout this "section" :o)

As for getting back to e-mails: I try to tell people to give me a week to respond to e-mails and whatnot - tho I try to get my answers out sooner than that. If you don't hear from me within a week send me another e-mail as there is a really good chance that the first one got lost in the vortex that is my e-mail inbox!!

Do you make a profit at stamping???!!! I hope so!

I would hope so too - in fact I WISH I made money at this!! Heck my hubby can tell you (in no uncertain terms *wink*) that I LOSE $$ at this................. sad but true!!

I don't have a cuttlebug machine but I have been buying some cuttlebug embossing folders and using them with a rolling pin. It works! I was wondering if you are able to use the cuttlebug die cuts with the Quickutz handheld machine?

This one I don't have an answer for as I am not familiar at all with the Quickutz.Sorry!

When it comes to die-cutting and all the machines and whatnot I find that the quickest and best way to get an answer is to post a thread on Splitcoast (in the Tool and Product Talk forum) OR do a search on there as your answer may already be there!!

EDITED to ADD:

Laura posted this comment:

"Just FYI, and to answer the question that was asked about the quickutz- No, the cuttlebug dies do not fit in the quickutz hand-held machine. We just tried this out at my LSS the other day.

The cuttle bug dies are the same thickness as sizzlets, if that helps any."

Thanks Laura for the info!! :o)

I'm still new to the whole die-cutting thing - the CuttleBug was (and still is) the one and ONLY machine I have tried out (and own!) - all the other little tips and tricks I've picked up along the way and try to share them on here as I learn about them.

I'd like to know... how do you find the time to stamp with having kids?? Do you have a set schedule or just sneak in your craft area when you can. Also, how many years have you been an "addict"?

LOL I MAKE time :o) Actually I have my studio set up in our basement, where we also have the computer, TV, all the girls toys, a bathroom - pretty much everything we need ROFL!! It's all pretty open and whatnot yet my area is kept separate with a baby gate *just in case* - so I can stamp while the girls play.

With warmer weather (FINALLY) upon us I won't be spending as much time down here as we'll be in the back yard and at the park and whatnot - but I know as soon as the summer heat sets in we'll be down here a LOT more (our house doesn't have air conditioning so we practically LIVE in the basement during the hottest parts of summer!)

I've been a stamp-addict for almost 3 years now *grin*

CB Tiny Tags Giveaway

A winner has been chosen - but you can still post questions if you'd like!! Please read the rest of this post for more info!!

I have this extra CuttleBug TIny Tags Die to give away - I thought it would be fun if those who wanted to be entered to win can ask me a stamping/paper crafting/ card making/etc question in their comment and I can do posts later on with my answers (I've been watching  Emily do that on her blog lately and I like that it's all in one place for everyone to participate and read - so I thought I'd give it a shot and see what happens!!)

However if you don't have a question you want to ask you can still enter - just say whatever you want (long as it's nice!! *wink*)

I'll draw a number at random from the total comments on Saturday (Apr 21).

I'm off to bed - it's been a loooonnnngggg day!!!

EDITED TO ADD:

WOW I never expected so many responses!! So I'll be doing the draw TONIGHT (Friday Apr 20) which is still several hours away.

Don't worry tho I may have more "candy" up my sleeve *wink* - y'all will just have to stay tuned!

ALSO - don't forget I've already started posting some answers - you can see them here and here.

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!

#201

Amy,

I think your website is great. How do you keep up the motivation to update so frequently. I love that you update frequently with quality posts.

-amber (doytonflyer*********)

(I used random.org to pick a random # from the # of comments (plus I added a couple for the e-mails I got).

CONGRATS Amber!! Please e-mail me with your mailing addy and I will get this sent out to you!

And THANK YOU all for participating - I'm gonna be spending a LOT of time over the next while answering questions - a lot of them have really got me thinking!! *grin*

In a Bella Mood

(FYI all these pictures can be clicked on for a pop-up window with a larger view - I will also upload them into my "Bella Gallery" on the left).

These past couple of days I've just had a blast just playin' around with my Bella stamps - it's nice to take a "break" sometimes and just stamp for fun.

The first one (using teddybella) I of course masked her and used my A Muse small oval (you can learn more about masking here). I used Stampin' Write markers (SU!) to color her in.

The patterned paper for that card is from Chatterbox, the sentiment is a Michael's $1 stamp, and the polka dot ribbon is by May Arts.

I used my SU! small corner rounder punch to make the scalloped edge on the moss CS (you just take off the guide and line it up along the edge of the paper -super easy!)

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For card #2 I used the Sistahoodabellas and some more Chatterbox paper. I did paper piecing on all their outfits (stamped the images onto the patterned paper then cut out only the parts I wanted to glue over the main image). The Splitcoast Sketch Challenge this week is perfect in my opinion for using up patterned paper scraps - so I may try and see if I can do a couple more cards like this and use up some more of my random pieces of patterned paper!

The main image was stamped onto watercolor paper with Black StazOn and I watercolored them all in with various Stampin' Up! re-inkers and a watercolor brush. I also added a bit of "bling" with my Sakura Stardust pen.

The ribbon is again May Arts, and I used another one of my Tiny Tags from the CuttleBug Tiny Tags die along with the sentiment from the newest Papertrey set - Faux Ribbon. I just slipped the ribbon through the slot on the tag and then held the other side in place with a mini glue dot.

When you see the larger image you can see that I stamped the card base with the Weave BG by Cornish Heritage farms (man it's been a while since I've used any of my BG stamps!!).

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For the last one I used the scissorbella stamp and stamped her using Stazon onto a Fabriano Note card (got those from StarLitStudio - they are SO plush - I just love the texture to them and they are wonderful for watercoloring on - and YES I've been hoarding them - I can't help it!!!!).

I used more Stampin' Up! re-inkers to watercolor her in with and a tiny bit of Clearsnap Fluid Chalk ink was watercolored with as "ground" (you CAN watercolor with the chalk inks you just need a non-absorbing surface (like a SU plastic stamp case) to press some ink onto - and then pick up the color with a wet watercolor brush. The results are different then what you get using dye ink but still fairly easy to do).

I had to take a close up shot of the card so y'all can see the "special effects" I added.

I used my Sakura Stardust pen on her hair, brush and parts of her dress for some subtle shimmer. On her scissors and for the buttons I used my fine-tipped Prismacolor Silver metallic marker :o)

The ribbon is by Maya Road (which was the color inspiration for the card) and I cheaped out as I was making the card and attached a smaller piece with brads instead of wrapping it all the way around and tying it in a knot ROFL!!

However it IS a good thing to keep in mind if you have smaller lengths of ribbon on hand that are too short to wrap around anything - you can either do a small "flag" like I did on the first card (I used SU! moss grosgrain ribbon and a SU! Pretty in Pink brad) or attach longer pieces with a couple of brads like I did here.

Tagged!!!

Melissa over at Just Dandy tagged me, as well as Jason at I Made This, and Susanna over at The Barefoot Stamper, and ErinK at ErinK Creations -------- so now I guess I need to list my 5 favorite blogs.......

Well that ain't gonna happen b/c my list is WAY longer than 5 - it's got to be well over 30!!!

So I'm picking just 5 of my faves at random and listing them in no particular order - here ya go!!:

Lauren Meader

Gina Krupsky

Trudee Sauer

Beate Johns

Emily Giovanni

Christine Wooden (OK this makes 6 but since I got tagged more than once I can do more than 5 ROFL!!!)

Oh and when you have the time - you MUST check out the "Sites That Link Here" and the "Blogs I Browse" lists down on the right (don't ask me why I still have them in two separate lists - there are a TON of fabulous blogs listed in there and definitely worth the time to persue!!) - my list of blogs I read (I use my Internet Explorer Favorite Feeds to read all mine - it lets me know when they are updated - all I know is that it works for me LOL!!) is pretty huge and I try to check in daily (or at least when they're updated!).

Happy Days and Friends Forever

Did y'all know that Stamping Bella has stamps OTHER than bellas??? Shocking I know - but true - there's actually quite a variety of really cute stamps on that site that AREN'T bellas (LOL and don't ask me HOW long it took for me to actually discover them *wink*)

I recently got this matching set stamp (it's in this category) and LOVE it - what's not to love?? Shoes and purses always make me happy (and with Spring FINALLY arriving here on the Canadian Prairies I am trying SO hard not to go totally crazy and buy a ton of new shoes!! But there are soooo many cute new styles out there...........*sigh*)

The sentiment (also from Stamping Bella) sums up this card quite well I think LOL! I used the Word Window punch and added the ribbon (a la Sharon Harnist! She does that a LOT on her cards and it always looks so cute!).

The patterned paper on this card is from Basic Grey - the Romani/Gypsy line in the 6x6 pack - all the ribbon is SU!

STAMPS: Matching Set and Oh Happy Day sentiment by Stamping Bella. CS: Bristol White, Blush Blossom and Taken with Teal (SU!), Basic Grey Romani patterned Paper. INK: Palette Hybrid Noir, Clearsnap Fluid Chalk Ink in Aquamarine, Prismacolor Markers in: Light Peach, Aquamarine and Blue Slate. ACCESSORIES: Marvy Uchida Mega Oval and Giga Scalloped Oval Punches, CuttleBug D'vine Swirl A2 Embossing Folder, SU! Word Window Punch, SU! Grosgrain Ribbons, Dimensionals.

Of course where would a Bella card be without me using one of my A Muse ovals??? *wink*

I used the large skinny oval to ground this javabellas image (this is one of my favorites out of all the bellas (notice I said ONE OF my favorites - b/c I have a lot ROFL!).

I used Stampin' Up ink and SU! markers for this (except the black which was stamped with Palette Hybrid Noir ink) - with the colors being inspired by the patterned paper (from Chatterbox).

The sentiment is from Papertrey - the newest Faux Ribbon set - a lot of the sentiments fit PERFECTLY on the CuttleBug Tiny Tags die (thank you Taylor for pointing that out!!) - which ROCKS - I will be using these sentiments even MORE now b/c of this!.

To finish off the card I added a Prima Daisy with a big Making Memories rhinestone brad - I need to stop hoarding those things and USE them more!

STAMPS: Javabellas by Stamping Bella, sentiment by Papertrey - Faux Ribbon set, Large Skinny Oval by A Muse. CS: Bristol White, Regal Rose, Mellow Moss, Pretty in Pink, Patterned Paper by Chatterbox. INK: Palette Hybrid Noir, Various SU! markers, Blush Blossom, Clearsnap Pigment ink in Cream White. ACCESSORIES: May Arts Ribbon, CuttleBug Tiny Tags die, lightweight chipboard coaster, Prima Daisy, MM Rhinestone brad.

Craft Critique Marker Carnival

A couple of my blog posts are featured in the latest Carnival over at Craft Critique - this time it's all about markers - and not JUST Prismacolor ones - basically all markers - go check it out!!:

Craft Critique: All About Markers and Pens

Mon Ami

I actually made this card a few weeks ago when my Prismacolor markers first arrived. I used Stampin' Up!'s Very Vanilla CS for the main image (a barn stamp by GinaK Designs from here) and colored it in with the markers.

I gotta say - I really DON'T like the Whisper White or Very Vanilla card stocks for these markers. It is REALLY hard (for me anyway) to get them not having any lines and whatnot (tho in real life on this card it's NOT quite this obvious - the camera really picked up on all the "light spots"!).

I just got some Bazzil Smoothies CS recently and plan on trying those out with my markers - I'm thinking my issue with the SU! ones is the Ultra-smooth finish - it's great for stamping and getting a crisp image - AND great for the Prismacolor PENCILS (with Gamsol) but NOT great for the markers. This is just my opinion tho!

Anywho - back to this card. The patterned paper is more of my Cosmo Cricket Jitterbug paper and I don't know if you can tell but I pierced the paper all around the main image.

The brown and red CS are Bazzil Fourz, and the ribbon I got at Michaels eons ago.

The sentiment (also by GinaK) was stamped using Clearsnap Fluid Chalk Ink in Bisque.

This card measures 4x7.75" so it will fit in a standard-sized business envelope.

STAMPS: Barn and sentiment by GinaK Designs. CS: Very Vanilla, Bazzil Fourz, Cosmo Cricket Jitterbug patterned paper. INK: Palette Hybrid Noir, Clearsnap Fluid Chalk Ink in Bisque, Creamy Caramel (SU!), Prismacolor Markers in: Cream, Light Umber, Tuscan Red, Dark Green. ACCESSORIES: SU! Ticket Corner Punch, Sponge Dauber, Ribbon, Paper Piercer.

Faux Ribbon

You guys sure love your Papertrey don't you?? The new  Faux Ribbon set unveiled yesterday and it's already SOLD OUT!!!!! (for those that missed their chance to get it you'll have to keep checking back to this page for when it will say WHEN they get more stock in!!!)

I made 4 cards for this reveal - and prolly coulda done more if I had had the time - once I started playing with the set I didn't want to stop!!! You can see the rest of the ones I did here (and all of the cards in the Ink Pad gallery can be clicked on to get a pop-up window with a larger view and all the supplies info and whatnot for each card). Also make sure to check out all the other gorgeous creations - Debbie, Lisa, Heather, Nichole, Ellen and Taylor really outdid themselves - their creations are fabulous!!! *claps hands*!!

Now I must run and attempt to clean up the house (it's amazing how big of a mess 2 little girls can make in the course of a day - our house looks like a war zone!!!!!!!) and figure out what to make for lunch! Any ideas??? :o)

My Travis Case

Altering this box was so much fun!! It's called a Travis Case (made by Bare Elements) and I got it from Eclectic Paperie (they DO ship to Canada you just need to contact them with what you want and they can find out how much shipping will be - they charge exactly what it costs to ship - tell them AmyR sent you - the owners (Joy and Daisy - Hi gals!!!) are FABULOUS to deal with!!).

My goodies arrived in no time (you can see all I got here) and I HAD to get this one done b/c I want to use it to store my (very small amount of) jewelery in (Tim thought it was a hint that I want MORE now but I don't - I'm not a big jewelery fan (I prefer stamps!! ROFLOL!!!!!) - most of the pieces I own I made myself and a few are old and not too pretty anymore but have sentimental value so I can't bear to get rid of them!!)

Anywho - I painted all the exposed areas of the box with different colors of Making Memories Scrapbook paint (the three colors I used were Buttercup, Strawberry Cream, and Sky), and used up a bunch of my Cosmo Cricket Jitterbug paper on it too. I used Mod Podge to adhere all the paper (and yes by the time I was done I was covered in paint and Mod Podge - but I had FUN!!!). FYI -- I got my Cosmo Cricket paper at my local scrapbook store but both Eclectic Paperie and Jacksonbelle carry it.

These fabulous Prima flowers I got from StarLitStudio, and I used buttons from my stash for the centers (the lower right one is flower-shaped - I LOVE that button and have been hoarding it for something special and thought this project was the perfect time to use it!!!). I sewed on all the buttons with string and then attached them to the box with glue dots.

The case is actually quite large - I took this picture of it with the 2 Stampin' Up! ink pads just to give y'all an idea of the actual size. (all these pics can be clicked on to get a pop-up window with a larger view).

I painted all the inner trays different colors, and lined the bottoms with different patterns of matching paper.

The *only* thing I had difficulty with was removing the handle - I had to use pliers and it took me a long time b/c I kept slipping and I didn't want to wreck the box since it's made out of paperboard!! I managed to get it off tho which made it SO much easier to cover the lid (both inside and out!), and then I disguised all the marks I made on the handle with the pliers by tying a bunch of ribbons on it.

Now I kinda want to get more Bare Elements items to alter b/c I had a total blast doing this one!!!

For Shane

OK here is the birthday card I made to send to Shane (if you don't know who I'm talking about check out this post).

I had a serious mental block making this - and only just got it done a couple of hours ago after staring at all my supplies for the past couple of nights!! I AM pretty pleased with how it turned out - I just hope he likes it!!

I used the Ahoy, Matey Stampin' Up! set (I know it's been forever since I've used any of my SU! sets!! Poor things are prolly feeling pretty neglected....) on Kraft CS and colored the images in with Prismacolor markers.

This week's Sketch Challenge on SCS was a good jumping off point for me altho I altered the sketch a bit to suit how I wanted this card to look.

I used a fine-tipped metallic silver Prismacolor marker to color the sword hilt and the hook - so in real life it's all metallic and cool-looking *wink*

I added some touches of white to the background image (the matching jumbo wheel on Cool Caribbean CS) and of course made his little bandana polka dotted ---- and then to make this card just a little more fun - I did a pop-up on the inside:

here's a side view:

(you can click on these pictures to get a pop-up window with a larger view)

All I did was make 2 evenly spaced cuts in the middle of the card (AFTER scoring it) and then adhered the treasure chest to it. The card closes up like normal and when you open it the chest and birdie take front and center :o)

I also decorated the envelope the back of which resembles the inside of the card where I just rolled the same jumbo wheel using Creamy Caramel Classic ink and then sponged the edges with the same color.

I had SO much fun making this card for Shane - I can't wait to get it in the mail to him!!

STAMPS: Ahoy, Matey, and Matey's Map Jumbo Wheel (both Stampin' Up!). CS: Kraft, Real, Red, Cool Caribbean, Basic Black. INK: StazOn, Creamy Caramel, Cool Caribbean, Real Red, Prismacolor Markers. ACCESSORIES: Brads, Small and Large Oval Punches, Sponges, White Gel Pen.

Oh and I should mention that I really liked using the Prismacolor markers on the Kraft card stock AND I used StazOn to stamp those images and it didn't smear one bit! So I'm thinking that for those of you who are having trouble with StazOn smearing when you use these markers - it's the **CS** not the StazOn.

On another note - don't forget to stay tuned to Papertrey tonight as the newest Faux Ribbon set is revealed!! *happy dance*

March of the Inchworm

Get it???? *bouncin* ------ LOL as I was making this card the title just popped in my head so I HAD to make a separate post for this card (instead of including it with the other two I made here).

This little inchworm stamp by GinaK just makes me grin (you can get it here) - and it was only after I stamped him on the patterned paper that it totally hit me that the "March" took on a whole different meaning ROFL!!

Anywho - like the previous two GinaK cards and the CC Designs cards I did - this one uses the same sheet of Sweetwater patterned paper. I had fun coming up with all these different cards with this one sheet!

I stamped the inchworm onto the white CS (all the white CS on this card is Bazzil Washboard Snow CS - I just stamped on the smooth side so that the ridges wouldn't show), then colored him in w/ my Prismacolor markers and punched it out with a Mega Scalloped Oval.

The patterned paper was stamped using Clearsnap Fluid Chalk Ink in Olive Pastel.

I mounted the main image onto the card over a Giga Scalloped Oval using dimensionals and added a couple of buttons from my stash with string.

The sentiment was stamped onto a strip of CS, then I cut slits in it with a craft knife and slipped this May Arts Olive ric rac through it (I got that from StarLitStudio).

I created the scalloped mat with Bazzil Fourz CS and my Fiskars Scalloped Scissors, adhered it all to a white CS base and that's it!!

STAMPS: Inchworm and sentiment by GinaK Designs. CS: Bazzil Snow Washboard, Bazzil Fourz (Olive), Patterned Paper by Sweetwater. INK: Palette Hybrid Noir, Clearsnap Fluid Chalk Ink in Olive Pastel, Prismacolor Markers in: Chartreuse, Cool Grey 10%. ACCESSORIES: Buttons, String, Marvy Uchida Mega and Giga Scalloped Oval Punches, Dimensionals, May Arts Ric Rac, Fiskars Scalloped Scissors, Paper Piercer.