Prairie Paper & Ink

Where'd It All Go??

I've received some e-mails - so you HAVE noticed LOL!! *wink*

People are noting that things are "missing" from my blog template - most notably my list of all the blogs and the stores and whatnot. No worries - they're still here!! I've been trying to consolidate all the stuff I have on my sidebars as there is a LOT there and I always seem to want to add more. Plus it should (hopefully) save me time as I also get a lot of e-mails from people because they're having a hard time finding things.

If you look to the right on the sidebar and scroll down a little you'll see a category called CHECK OUT: where I have listed:

Oldies But Goodies (my archived posts - they're arranged into months and go back to the beginning)

Killin' Time (sites I frequently visit)

Gotta Shop! (I think that's self-explanatory)

My Tutorials (links to all the one's I've done on here so far as well as the ones I did for SCS)

So Many Blogs...So Little Time! (There they are!!)

For the most part now everything has it's place and all I want to do is keep those pages updated and in order and whatnot - and by having them this way I hope to be spending LESS time formatting/adding/etc etc etc!!

There's also the "Category Cloud" under those lists - I try to categorize all my posts and whatnot to make it as easy to find them as possible - for you AND for me!! So I do have a LOT of different categories but I like it that way....

All my galleries on here are the same - I'm toying with the idea of having them in the list too but am worried about the amount of work that could be as some of them have a LOT of photos!

Anywho I hope that helps y'all with navigating and whatnot!! Happy Friday everyone!! YAY!!

It's True!!

I laughed out loud at the end of Julie's post here: Wanna Come?? <------click!

It's true tho - I WILL be there. I told her to sign me up for TWO spots at that price (I still can't believe it's only going to be $90 for the whole weekend)!! I so can't wait to go!! This is going to be FUN!!

Congrats

I better do this before I forget!!

I plugged the numbers into random.org and this is what came up:

Here are your random numbers:

22

Timestamp: 2007-08-31 03:37:32 IST

So that makes the winner.............................

Thanks for the tutorial, Amy. You always make it look so easy!

Posted by: Danielle Pass | August 28, 2007 at 11:30 AM

CONGRATS Danielle!! Please e-mail me <-------click! with your mailing address and I'll get this set sent out to you ASAP!!

Last Ones!!

Here are the last 2 cards I made using this Chatterbox Soft Flowering Vine Paper. You can see all the other cards I did with it here, here and here.

I've had a few people e-mail me asking where to get this particular paper - I honestly can't remember where I got it. I might have ordered it online or got it in a scrapbook store. I have a LOT of Chatterbox papers and don't really keep track of where I get them!

However here is a link to the paper <------click! on the Chatterbox website so you can see what collection it's from (LOFT) and I'm pretty sure you can now order right from them? I've never ordered directly from Chatterbox (and I think this is a fairly new feature) but I might have to eventually!

For this card I used a 4x4" square of the paper, and adhered it to a 4.25" square card base. The wishing well is from GinaK's new Make a Wish set, and I stamped it onto Papertrey White CS, colored it in with Copic Markers, then added Coffee Ice Ice Stickles for some sparkly shimmer. After matting it in the blue I adhered it to the moss mat with dimensionals before adhering the image to the card (making sure that it didn't make it more that 5.5" high so that it will fit in a standard A2 envelope).

That silver flower I've been hoarding for MONTHS - I got a pack of three of them from a scrapbook store (and I think they're made by Karen Foster?) and decided to finally use one. I backed it with a Prima Silk Road flower to make it stand out a little more on the card.

I finished off the card with a little ribbon, a couple of Making Memories silver brads, and the sentiment (from the Make a Wish set).

STAMPS: Make a Wish (stamps for a cause) set by GinaK Designs. CS: Papertrey White, Bashful Blue, Mellow Moss (SU!), Chatterbox Patterned Paper. INK: Brilliance Graphite Black, Bashful Blue, Mellow Moss, Copic Markers. ACCESSORIES: Lime Ice and Coffee Ice Ice Stickles, Prima Silk Road Flower, Karen Foster Metal Flower Brad, Ribbon, MM Brads, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Sponge Daubers, Dimensionals.

And here's the last card I made with this paper!! I used the cake stamp from the MAW set, and the "bonus" stamp for the sentiment.

I can't remember if I mentioned it before or not - but the set comes with a little "extra" stamp! When Gina sent the images away to get plated and whatnot they included the info on the set on the bottom (which I assume was only meant to be for the sticker sheet to label the case) so you can cut the little "Make a Wish" title out and use that as well!

I used Copic Markers to color in the image, and then added Fruit Punch stickles to the icing and stars, rounded the corners and sponged the edges.

The ribbon I got from either Michael's or WalMart, and I tied it through the 2 Bazzill Bitty Blossoms for a fun look.

STAMPS: Make a Wish (stamps for a cause) set by GinaK Designs. CS: Papertrey White, Regal Rose, River Rock (SU!), Patterned Paper by Chatterbox. INK: Brilliance Graphite Black, Regal Rose, River Rock, Copic Markers. ACCESSORIES: Bazzill Bitty Blossoms, Offray Ribbon, Fruit Punch Stickles, Dimensionals, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Sponge Daubers.

FYI there's still time to enter my little Blog Candy giveaway (in this post) as the draw isn't till tonight! I am still blown away by the # of comments on it - you guys really want that set!! I wish I had more to give away than just the one!

I also updated that post and answered some questions at the end of it so just scroll down to check those out.

Now I must run and get some samples made with the new My Favorite Things set that is going to be released in 2 days!! You can get a peek of the set along with the new "My Favorite 48" (you MUST check that out - it's so neat!!!) on Kim's blog here <-----click!!

I also got the new CC Designs school set as well as her new Halloween set (it will be available soon - and OMGosh is it ever CUTE!!!!) so I have a fair bit of things to do!!

Have a great day everyone!!

Bathroom Pics

I know I know!! I've been promising to post a picture of the bathroom in our new place for a while now - so here they are!!

LOL that's the door to the bathroom - is it ODD or what?? It's WAY smaller than a normal sized door - I can figure out why it's narrower b/c of the way the hallway is set up - but for the life of me I can't figure out why it was made so much shorter than the bedroom doors????

It doesn't bug me too much tho b/c I can go through it no problem (I'm 5'8") - Tim has to duck and turn sideways a bit to get through - and his friend has already creamed his head TWICE on the frame - both times really painfully!

And here's the bathroom (and it's the best pic I could get of it!). ALL the walls AND the ceiling are colored in dark brown tongue-in-groove WOOD!!! And the floor is a brownish/yellow combo of lino - REALLY nice for a bathroom eh? (can you tell my voice is dripping with sarcasm??).

Since we're only renting I've decided to make the best of it and leave it as is. It would just be too much work to paint or cost too much $$ to rip out all the wood and whatnot.

And yes there's a window RIGHT IN the shower - but thankfully it looks into the backyard and one of the first things I did was stand in there and send Tim out to the yard to tell me if he could see anything ROFLOL!!! All spots in the backyard offer NO view and the whole yard is surrounded by shrubs and trees so no one is peeking in!!

I still get a kick out of the door tho - isn't it the funniest thing ever?????

So Many Sayings How To ------- and BLOG CANDY!!

So I've noticed lately that a LOT of people are posting about Stampin' Up!'s Level One set So Many Sayings - I had mentioned here and there that I cut mine apart to use, and I'm not alone!! EVERYONE is doing it and for a good reason - cutting the stamps apart makes them easier to use!

I also had a few people contact me asking me exactly HOW I had cut them apart and how I was using them. Instead of replying to each individual e-mail (and phone call ---- Hi Julie!! *grin*) I'll post pics here - then stay tuned to the end of this post for some Blog Candy!! YAY!

So here's the set as it comes from SU! (being a Level 1 hostess set it isn't available to buy and won't be in a future catty to buy either - the ONLY way to get it is through hosting a SU workshop or placing a big enough order to earn it for free.) It's a set of 3 stamps and each stamp has a BUNCH of individual sentiments on it - the idea being that you ink up the sentiment you want with a marker and use a stamp-a-ma-jig or something to line up the stamp to get it where you want. Well that's just too much work for me!! So this is what I did:

I pulled the rubber right off the foam backing - you just peel up from one of the corners and pull. a bit of the foam will stay behind as it's adhered pretty good - but what's left on the rubber is thin enough that I don't worry about it and just leave it on there.

After pulling off all the rubber (and discarding the foam and paper backing - FYI I NEVER keep rubber scraps - I used to - and had a HUGE container full of them. And they just sat there - like what am I going to do with a pile of foam and rubber scraps??? If it's the idea that you use the foam for dimensionals no thanks - it's too much work peeling everything apart and then having to adhere it and then it doesn't stick that well anyway ------ I am MUCH happier just buying a pack of dimensionals and using them thanks!! LOL) - ANYWAY sorry for the sidetrack!! - I use EZ Mount at this step. EZ Mount is foam backing for stamps with one side being sticky for the rubber to adhere to - and the other side being "clingy" as it clings to acrylic blocks.

I peeled off the paper backing to the EZ Mount, stick on the stamps then cut them out (you can see the tutorial I did on using unmounted rubber stamps HERE <----click!!).

Now THIS I was proud of LOL! I know a lot of people haven't ever used unmounted stamps before, and don't have acrylic blocks on hand (whereas I have a BUNCH of them!!). THIS block I got in the dollar bin at Michaels - (or $1.50 section in Canada) - and it's PERFECT for these stamps! So you CAN get a block JUST for these stamps since it's so cheap.

The stamp just clings right to it - so you can ink it up, stamp it, clean it, then peel it off and put it away - and that was another issue. After cutting the set apart I didn't want to put it back in the case as they were so small and the case was so big they would get all jumbled up and make it harder to find the one I wanted (and the whole point of this was to make them EASIER to use!!). So I went and grabbed a clear plastic CD case and put them in THAT:

The entire set AND the block (it's in the bottom right of the case) fit perfectly in the case - and I put the stickers on the top and the coordinating stamps directly under to make it a snap to find the one I need!

So now instead of having a set of 3 stamps mounted on wood that I'd never use - I now have a set of *34* unmounted stamps WITH a block in a CD case that I use all the time!! *grin*

So I hope this helps out everyone that was wondering how I chopped up my stamps!

Now where does the blog candy come in you ask? (admit it you were thinking about it!! *wink*) Well here's where:

Leave a comment on THIS post and I'll choose a random winner (gotta love random.org) and send them a set exactly like this - I got an extra one recently and it's all on EZ Mount, cut apart and in it's case with the acrylic block (just like this last picture) waiting to be sent out!

I'll choose a winner Thursday night (August 30)! Good Luck!!   

CONGRATS TO DANIELLE PASS!!! She'll be getting this set as soon as I get her mailing address!!

EDITED TO ADD: (need to answer a few questions!!)

CD Cases - the ones I get have the black formed insert in them that holds the CD - I just take the lid off, pop out the insert, then put the lid back on and they're good to go!! When buying the cases make sure you get the regular ones as the slim ones will NOT work - they're too thin! I actually ordered a TON of them (like 100 I think??) from a supplier months and months ago (sorry I don't remember who it was as I got a new computer and no longer have the info!) so I'm set for life!

EZ Mount - you can get it at several different places. I've gotten it from All That Scraps (they now carry it in 3 sheet sizes - here, here, and here - it's black instead of grey but it's the same thing), and Stamping Bella - both ship to Canada (Stamping Bella is IN Canada and ships internationally, ATS is in the US but ships things up here as well as internationally). There are tons more places that carry it but these are the 2 I shop from most often and highly recommend them - just tell them AmyR sent you!!

Someone asked why I didn't just use cling vinyl instead of the EZmount (the idea being you just pull off the paper backing on the sticky side of the foam and slap on the vinyl and then trim). I didn't do that b/c #1 - I don't have any vinyl on hand whereas I always try to have at least a full sheet of EZmount, and #2 - I've only used stamps that have that type of backing once before and I don't really like it. I prefer the EZmount b/c it seems to cling better to the blocks. However if I were contemplating going completely unmounted with all my stamps and had a bunch of ones sitting with the sticky foam then I'd prolly consider using cling vinyl to save time!!

Do I unmount all my stamps like this?? ---- no I don't. I LOVE my wood and rubber stamps and prolly always will - but at times (like this!) having them unmounted is better OR that's the way they come. I'm a hybrid stamper really - I like them all - unmounted, wood & rubber, clear - whatever! If it's a stamp I'm gonna love and use it!! *grin*

What do I do with the blocks? Right now they're sitting in a drawer as I'm saving them. They are the perfect size for some of my Bella stamps as I've been toying with the idea of mounting them - but as I have quite a few of them I'm going to need a LOT more blocks! So that idea is still on the back burner and the blocks are in a drawer...........

Fun Things

I had SUCH a good mail week last week! And I finally finished taking pics and editing so that I can share here too!

First off - I got sucked into the vortex and ordered a Janome Sew Mini LOL!! It was on sale at Hancock Fabrics PLUS free shipping so I ordered it and sent it to Lauren who then mailed it on to me (the site won't ship to Canada so I had to do a little fudging with my billing addy and all that and sent it to a US address first).

I have been looking at getting one for a while and as of yet I can't find anywhere in Canada to get one of these machines (someone told me that they aren't available at all in Canada? I'm not sure if that is true or not - I wouldn't know tho as I'm not totally up on sewing machines!). I've heard ppl getting them from e-bay but unless I'm buying stuff from my fave e-bay stores I avoid that place like the plague *wink*. Getting it on sale with free shipping, then paying to have it mailed to me (that wasn't cheap - it cost about $23 or so to mail it to Canada??) ended up costing me about the same price this machine retails for - which is $60 US. So I think I did pretty good!

Anywho - it's here and I got it all set up and practiced with it and today I sewed on my first card! I can't share the card yet but will soon - I did pretty good if I do say so myself - this machine is pretty easy to use. If **I** can figure it out then anyone can that's for sure!! I'm glad I got it - every once in a while I need to sew something and I normally borrow my mom's sewing machine - and then never use it b/c it scares the heck out of me! It's a big expensive machine and I'm always terrified I'm going to break something - so a machine like this is much more my style - plus it's small enough I can just keep it out in my studio and use whenever I want!

I also received my pre-order from Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Mini (available on the 1st of September). Of course my pre-order turned out to be the 2 new rolls of ribbon (5th and 6th from the top) and one stamp set - the rest was all this yummy ribbon and some other accessories.......what can I say I LOVE ribbon!!! And even tho I have TONS of ribbon (yes TONS) I still can often find myself during a project going through ALL my ribbon and finding I don't have quite the right one!! Oh the HORROR!!

Everyone has been chattering about the fact that all the sets in the Holiday mini are die cut (AND from now on ALL the mini catty sets will be this way - nothing has been said about sets in the big catalog tho so we'll have to wait and see on that.....) - and I must admit I was pretty skeptical about the whole thing.

I actually enjoy cutting and mounting my stamps - and I cut pretty close to the image b/c it really bugs me when I catch the edge of the rubber with ink and mess up my card!! So I wondered if the die-cut stamps would REALLY be worth it or if I'd still have to trim them - making the whole process useless (in my opinion!)

This is the Merry & Bright set - it was so cute I HAD to get it. And I am pleased to say that the die-cutting is fabulous!! I didn't need to trim them at ALL!

It took me all of 2 or 3 minutes to mount the set - just had to pop them out, pull off the backing and stick them to the block and then slapped on the stickers. I LOVED it!!

I have my fingers crossed that SU! will eventually have all the sets this way - I still like cutting and mounting the stamps myself - but the TIME it saves when they're die cut?? Just imagine how well a double-mounted alpha would go..................a gal can hope right??

ATS Design Team Call!

This call has ended - thank you to everyone who applied!!

I get asked a LOT how I got on the Design Teams I'm on, where to look for Design Team calls, what do you get if you're on one, etc etc etc. Well here is an opportunity for you to be on one! Now that I'm the Design Team Coordinator for All That Scraps - I need a Design Team to Coordinate!

Here is the info ---- PLEASE read everything through carefully and if you do apply please follow the guidelines I've set out (being able to follow instructions is one thing I will be using when considering applicants!):

EDITED TO ADD: This call is only open to residents in the US and Canada. International applicants need not apply - however in a few months our needs may change and we'll open up a call for International designers!!

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For the information on what you need to do to apply - go HERE <---------click!!

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SALE at ATS

ATS is having a big weekend sale starting tonight and going through Sunday - lots and lots of things are discounted (some as much as 75% off!!!) - you can check it out here <----click!!

Have a great night everyone (don't forget to check out the post I made earlier (below this one)) and stay tuned for a big announcement tomorrow morning!!

And we return to your regularly scheduled programming....

... of me showing more of the cards I made using this Chatterbox Soft Flowering Vine paper! (you can see the other cards I made using it here and here).

I used GinaK's Make a Wish set for this card - the main image was stamped onto watercolor paper (Brilliance Black ink heat set) then watercolored with Stampin' Up! classic ink refills.

It's hard to tell on the bigger picture but I added Lime Ice Ice stickles to the image - I took another picture on an angle (you can click on it to get a pop-up with a bigger image) so you can see the shimmer - SO pretty in real life!

I recently ordered a MM Tag Maker and several tag rims from Papertrey and of course had to try them out. The tags come with a little plastic template that you use to cut your card stock/patterned paper/etc to the right size, then you pop it into the tag rim, and use the Tag Maker to flatten it. It is SO easy to use!! I think I'll actually start using tags now that I have this thing!

I used the actual tag shaped rim in the largest size for this card. The silver finish was too bright in my opinion next to the pewter-style finish of the MM brad so I used a Copic marker on the tag rim to darken it a bit - cool eh?? I adhered the tag to the card with mini glue dots then tied on the Pomegranate stitched ribbon (from the SU! catty) to make it look like the tag was hanging from it.

STAMPS: Make a Wish stamp set by GinaK Designs. CS: Watercolor Paper, Bashful Blue, River Rock, Chatterbox Patterned Paper. INK: Brilliance Graphite Black, River Rock, Mellow Moss, Bashful Blue, Bravo Burgundy, Copic marker (Warm Gray No.7). ACCESSORIES: MM Tag Rim, Silk Road Prima, MM Brad, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Pomegranate Stitched Ribbon, Sponge Daubers, Paper Piercer, Watercolor Brush, Lime Ice Ice Stickles.

I pulled out my Love You to Pieces set for this card - I thought the hearts would go great with this patterned paper!

I also pulled out some of my Cranberry Crisp (retired from SU!) CS - I LOVE this color and so wish it hadn't been retired (good thing I stocked up!).

I stamped the hearts onto the CS with VersaMark ink then embossed them with Iridescent Ice embossing powder and cut them out - the picture captured the "sparkliness" somewhat but it's even nicer in real life!

I used more Silk Road Primas - and FYI the green one matches much better in real life - it's not the exact same shade as the moss ribbon and CS but it's not the wonky green that it looks like in the picture! It was originally a cream colored flower but I used a Copic marker (YG63 Pea Green) and colored over it to make it match (which it DOES in real life!) - I LOVE using Copics (Prismacolor markers will work great too) on things like this b/c they dry REALLY fast and you really can't tell that a marker was used to color them!

I used more Karen Foster thumbtack brads for the flower centers, and the brads in the corners are by Making Memories.

The sentiment (which I'm pretty sure is in GinaK's own handwriting - I WISH I had handwriting that nice!) was stamped in Brilliance black ink, then I rounded the edges and sponged them before adhering the patterned paper to the card base.

STAMPS: Love You to Pieces stamp set, and sentiment by GinaK Designs. CS: Cranberry Crisp, Mellow Moss, Chatterbox Patterned Paper. INK: Cranberry Crisp, Mellow Moss, VersaMark, Brilliance Graphite Black. ACCESSORIES: 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Marvy Mega Circle and Giga Scalloped Circle Punches, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Silk Road Primas, Copic Marker, Karen Foster Thumbtack Brads, MM Brads, Ribbon, Sponge Daubers, Dimensionals.

For those wondering I DID have a great time last night - it was so nice to get out and spend time with Tim and be just the two of us!! We got to do some shopping and went and saw a movie (we saw Superbad - it was REALLY funny but had absolutely awful language! I don't mind that kind of stuff (and Tim and I have a warped sense of humor) but I could see it being insanely offensive to a lot of people! Think of it as along the same lines of American Pie but with even worse language! So definitely NOT a family-friendly movie) and even travelled out to see the new Dakota Dunes Casino that opened recently outside Saskatoon. The Casino was really nice but I'm not really into that sort of thing and there were SO many people out there and the road out there was a mess! In a lot of places it was just a dirt track and yet the traffic was insane! Tim said it wasn't really worth the drive out there and I agree but at least we can say we've been there and it was OK. It was fun to watch some of the slot machines (they have a HUGE Wheel of Fortune one that was pretty cool) but I was happy to leave and come home!

We of course got the girls a few things - namely a couple of ginormous coloring books and a table that I'll be setting up for them in my studio area so they can sit and "craft" with me. They pretty much will sit right at my desk and watch everything I do so I thought I better give them their own little spot where they can create and make a mess (Veronica is pretty good but since Josie is not yet 2 she has more fun making messes then actually sitting still and crafting - which is to be expected!).

All you moms out there......

I got this link from Beth's blog (I *heart* Beth - even with 6 - yes I said 6!!!! - kids she still has her sense of humor!! Heck I think it's tough with 2!! I don't know what I'd do with 6 (pull my hair out???? I shudder at the thought.......)) ANYWAY - if you have kids you MUST check out this link and read it - so worth the laughs!!

Here it is: E-BAY AUCTION

Now I must run b/c MY kids are fighting and screaming and I still need to get ready for my date (oh how much I am looking forward to it I can't say!!).

EDITED TO ADD: Here is the link to the lady's blog who did that auction - I've browsed through it and it is SO funny - Because I Said So <-------click!!

You also MUST read her resignation letter here <------click! - she even included photos at the bottom.....

Ohhhhhh BELLA!!

I'm so excited right now - not just about my whole new gig that I posted about last night - but also about the fact that Tim's taking me on a date this afternoon! An afternoon and evening away from the kids, some shopping, and hopefully dinner and a movie - oh YEAH baby!! I've been desperate to get away for a bit and this afternoon can't come fast enough!!

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So here's a couple more Bella cards I made using this this Chatterbox patterned paper and Prima hydrangeas (you can see the first one I made here)

Some wonderful peeps had sent me some stamped images of Tinkerbella - and after playing with them a few times I HAD to buy her for myself! I also bought the Bella sentiment that says "Have a magical day" but for this card (and all the other ones I did and have yet to share!) I used one of my new A Muse sentiments.

This is another "tent topper" card. The card itself measures 4.25" square, then the "topper" is adhered just shy of making it 5.5x4.25 so it will still fit in a standard A2 envelope.

I used Copic markers to color in the Bella, then pulled out some White Opal Liquid pearls and used it to dot the centers of the flowers and fill in the centers of the hydrangeas. This was the first time I've ever used this stuff and I really like it! I have some in purple too and I think I'm going to have to get more colors.......

I used Icicle stickles for her wings and wand - she wouldn't be complete without some bling!

The circle and scalloped circle are Marvy Mega and Giga punches.

I did some faux stitching on the edge of the pink card stock strip, then added some organdy ribbon (retired from SU!) and that was it!

STAMPS: Tinkerbella by Stamping Bella, sentiment by A Muse. CS: Papertrey White, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Chatterbox Patterned Paper. INK: Brilliance Graphite Black, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Copic Markers. ACCESSORIES: Marvy Mega Circle and Giga Scalloped Circle punches, Liquid Pearls, Stickles, White Gel Pen, Paper Piercer, Prima flowers, Ribbon, Sponge Daubers, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch.

For this one I used the Bridalpartybellas stamp (and A Muse sentiment of course!) on Papertrey white CS.

I stamped each Bella on the end onto scraps of the patterned paper, cut out just their dresses then adhered them over the stamped images (paper-piecing). Everything else was colored in with Copic markers.

 

I used Coffee Ice Ice Stickles on their hair an dresses for some bling.

The Prima flowers are attached with Bazzill brads, and the ribbon is the new SU! wide grosgrain (I LOVE that stuff!! It's so silky and ties wonderfully).

STAMPS: Bridalpartybellas by Stamping Bella, sentiment by A Muse. CS: Papertrey White, Certainly Celery, Chatterbox patterned paper. INK: Brilliance Graphite Black, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Copic Markers. ACCESSORIES: Coffee Ice Ice Stickles, Sponge Daubers, Dimensionals, Prima Flowers, Brads, Ribbon.

I Feel So Grown Up!!

And I have a cool title to boot!! Check this <----click! out.

I have some big things in store - stay tuned for an announcement in a few days..........*wink*!

Detour

I'm gonna post a card I made with a different sheet of Chatterbox patterned paper - don't worry I'll be posting the rest of the cards I made with that Soft Flowering Vine paper soon!! I just felt like sharing some of the other ones I did as I had a blast making them!!

Here's #1. I started off with this patterned paper (I don't remember the exact name of it but it IS Chatterbox paper) and these really pretty Prima Hydrangeas I got from my not-so-local Scrapbook store.

SIDETRACK - I had a friend call me yesterday demanding to know why I was holding out on her. She's seen me refer to my "LSS" (local scrapbook store) on here numerous times and wanted to know why I didn't tell her about it before?? I then told her it's not REALLY local - it's in the city over an hour away from here LOL! But being in small-town Saskatchewan that's about as "local" one can get when it comes to buying stamping/scrapbooking supplies! Here she thought I was getting goodies here in town when I was really going to the one in the city when I'm in there every once in a while! So ya - my "LSS" is REALLY A "NSLSS" - there are you happy now Dawn?????? *grin*

ANYWHO - back to the card!! So ya I got these Prima Hydrangeas - and they ARE really pretty - this is the first time I've ever used them as they've always looked a little "fancy" to me - you know what I mean? But I wanted to buy SOMETHING and the store's Prima selection was pretty sad (and I owned most of what they carried anyway LOL!) so I got these.

SO....I picked out the patterned paper and flowers, pulled out some co-ordinating card stock and accessories, got out my Bella stamps that were DYING to be inked up, along with my new A Muse stamps and whatnot - and started stamping!

I used Billybootabella for this card - stamped her onto Papertrey white CS and colored her in with Copic markers. I masked her boots and stamped the A Muse Small skinny oval in celery ink to "ground" her.

The umbrella was stamped onto a scrap of patterned paper then cut out and adhered over the image (called "Paper-piecing"), and then I added some Coffee Ice Ice stickles to it, her hair and her "belt" (I used a white gel pen and drew the belt and added the dots to her boots - she HAD to have polka dotted boots!)

I finished off the card with the Primas, the brads are Making Memories and sei, some May Arts ribbon (I LOVE that ribbon - I'm gonna have to get more as I only have a little bit left!), and the sentiment which is from A Muse (I specifically got the sentiment to go with this Bella! In fact a bunch of the A Muse sentiments I got were specifically chosen to go with a bunch of my Bellas! LOL) - I then added the three white brads (Bazzill) and voila!

STAMPS: Billybootabella by Stamping Bella, sentiment by A Muse. CS: Papertrey White, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up!), Chatterbox patterned paper. INK: Brilliance Graphite Black, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Copic Markers. ACESSORIES: May Arts Ribbon, Prima Flowers, Brads, Sponge Daubers, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Dimensionals.

Here are 2 More

cards I made using this Chatterbox patterned paper and My Favorite Things stamps.

For this one I used the new It's Elemental set - I inked up the image with Stampin' Up! markers and stamped it onto Papertrey White CS then punched it out with my Marvy Super Jumbo Circle Punch.

For both these cards the patterned paper was cut into 4x4" squares.

I made this into a 4.25 square card, added a strip of moss CS that I stamped the sentiment from the MFT Sassy Sayings set.

The flower is another Silk Road Prima - and I came across these FABULOUS brads by Making Memories in my stash - doesn't it just complement the flower PERFECTLY?? I love when that happens!!

Another thing I LOVE is Stampin' Up!'s new 3/16" Corner Rounder punch - I've been pulling that thing out and using it on almost every card lately! It makes really cute scalloped edges too - definitely a must-have-item in my opinion.

I finished off the card with some May Arts ribbon, and adhered the main image to the card with dimensionals.

I went on a different track with this card and decided to do something Christmassy with this paper - so I pulled out my MFT Home for the Holidays set and got to work.

Again I made this card 4.25" square - but added the topper to it while still keeping it under 5.5" so that it can still fit into a standard A2 envelope.

I punched out a circle from Papertrey White CS, stamped the little evergreen sprig on it with Mellow Moss ink then inked the edges with Mellow Moss. I adhered that to a Giga Scalloped Circle of Bravo Burgundy which was then adhered to the card base.

The tree was stamped onto Papertrey White CS (Brilliance Black ink heat set), then colored in with Copic markers and cut out. I used my Quickie Glue Pen and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to add some "bling" to the tree, then adhered it with dimensionals.

More Silk Primas (attached with Karen Foster Thumb Tack Brads) and some polka dotted organdy that I got from Jacksonbelle finished the card.