Candy & Specials

Yeay! Heartiest congratulations to Angie, commenter #16 and winner of the 2 Verve Visual sets. Way to go! For more chances to win Verve candy, there are more blogs to check:

* Bethany (through 12/30)
* Charmaine (through 12/31)
* Jen (through 12/27)
* Laurie (through 12/29)

Don't forget to check out the sale that's still going on at the Verve Visual web site. There is a huge selection of papers, rub-ons, ribbons... you name it!

Prickley Pear is offering its unmounted stamps for 50% off through tomorrow (12/27) with shipping in the lower 48 states only a dollar!! Great deal!

Please check back here after the first of the year. If you can believe it, it'll be time for new sneak peeks and another terrific Verve Visual stamp release! Happy Stamping!

How About Some Christmas Candy?

Mmmm, Christmas candy. It evokes thoughts of candy canes, ribbon candy, and those amazing candy cane Hershey's kisses. YUM! I've got some Christmas blog candy for you: two fabulous new photopolymer (clear) stamp sets from Verve Visual, Flirty Phrases and Heartfelt Phrases.

This card includes one of the sentiments from Flirty Phrases, "two little lovebirds." It works great with these penguin cardstock stickers, and would also be terrific with any of the myriad of new bird rubber stamps that have been coming out lately.

Supply List:
Stamps: Flirty Phrases & Winter Wonder (Verve Visual)
Paper: Pool Yours Truly A2 Card and Watercolor & Red CS (Archiver's), Lily White Sugar (Doodlebug)
Ink: VersaMark (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Brackets Giant Punch (McGill), Penguin CS Stickers (MAMBI), Silver Embossing Powder (Ranger)

I'll be conducting a drawing via RANDOM.ORG from all the comments left on this post. {One entry per person, please.} Be sure to check back on the day after Christmas (my 2nd favorite shopping day of the year) when I'll announce the winner. Winner will receive both sets!

Happy Stamping!

New Rubbah & Sales

Lots of fun releases and sales are going on, so without further ado:

• Verve Visual is releasing six new sets on Monday, Dec. 10th. Sneak peeks already available on their blog.
• My Favorite Things released three new sets this week, and is offering a 20% discount on stamps, inks, acrylic handles and Memory Box papers through the 8th of December to celebrate their first anniversary. Coupon code is SCS1207.
• Paula Best is offering her funky WM stamps as UMs until 12/31 for 40% off. This is a rare event. Be sure to put "UNMOUNTED HOLIDAY SPECIAL" in the message area of the order form so the order isn't processed as WMs.
• MissyB Designs is having a Christmas sale, and most of her stamp sets are 20% off. No coupon code to remember -- the prices have been adjusted on the site already.
• Cornish Heritage Farms released sixteen new background stamps... they run the gamut from lined notebook paper to Spanish script. Fun selections!

Happy to Enable & Happy Stamping!

Dress Form for Non-Sewers

We were on a bit of a drive together this summer, and Dad overheard a telephone conversation I was having with Lila. We were discussing sewing machines and the cheezy "craft" ones that don't work too well for sewing on cards. Lo and behold, a few days later, Dad got me a fabulous sewing machine with lots of bells and whistles. Kelly inspired me to sit down, read the manual, and try it out... but I admit that I haven't spent any time on it since that evening. I have been looking into taking sewing classes.

This month, The Stampers' Sampler's Tempting Template is a dressmaker's form. I stamped the top heart first onto vanilla cardstock. Then, I took the template printout and placed it over the heart so the neck was centered over the point of the heart and traced the template... careful to leave enough for the heart. Next, I cut out the dress and stamped the 'skirt' using the reversed heart image twice. The final touch was Swarovski flat-backed pearls to make the necklace.

Supply List:
Stamps: Boho Blossoms (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Very Vanilla CS (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: VersaMagic in Aegean Blue (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Flat-backed pearls (Swarovski)

This was definitely out of my comfort zone, and I enjoyed it quite a bit!

Happy Stamping!

More Bargains!!

It's about an hour into "Black Friday" here in Boise and have I got some bargains to share with you:

* Verve Visual is having a "So Thankful Sale" through Sunday the 25th. Stamps are 10% off, designer paper is 25% off, and lots of other great supplies and embellishments are on sale too! Plus, orders over $50 save an extra 10% off their purchase. You must use the coupon code THANKFUL to receive the discount.

* Purple Onion Designs has released a bunch of fabulous new rubber. Check out the adorable cupcake and the gorgeous damask flourish. YUM! Even better? The new stamps are included in the 25% off Holiday Sale. You must use the coupon code HOL2007 to receive the discount. POD also has a new blog.

* Mandarin Pixie's stamps are all 40-60% off through the end of the month. Through Saturday (11/24), they're sweetening the deal by offering free shipping for orders over $20.

Happy Shopping! And, of course, Happy Stamping!

More Enabling

There's a 25% off sale at The Cat's Pajamas going on from 11/16 through 11/18. Their stamps are very swanky and cute. I am in love with Sprinkle the cat as well as their sentiment stamps. There are some fun and unexpected themes, too, like pirates and knitting. TCP has single stamps wood mounted (although some are still available unmounted) and three holiday sets in clear photopolymer. Don't miss the penguins! The sale is easy: Alma set the site up so the 25% off is automatic!

MadRatRubber is offering 15% off everything while supplies last. This is being billed as a Holiday/End of Year sale, but an ending date isn't listed.

Happy Stamping!

Versatility & Savings

No matter the size of my stamp collection, I've always been drawn to stamp sets that are full of versatility. If you're like me, you'll love and appreciate both Verve Visual stamp sets that are available TODAY!

There are now just a few short weeks until Christmas, and I'm in holiday mode. This card was made using only one rubber stamp -- a sentiment from the brand new Wonderful Wishes set. What makes it so usable?

* It has FOURTEEN sentiments that can be used for any occasion (or no occasion at all)
* There are three great border stamps to frame your greeting or other small image I'll definitely be keeping this stamp set in a very handy place in my stamping area because I plan on reaching for it often.

Supply List:
Stamp: Wonderful Wishes (Verve Visual)
Paper: Be Good (Cosmo Cricket), Bling Cardstock (Bazzill), Chartreuse Card & Cream Scallop Panel from the Yours Truly collection (Archiver's)
Ink: Chestnut Roan ColorBox Chalk (ClearSnap)
Accessories: Small Star Squeeze Punch (Fiskars), Sponge, Stippling Brush

While shopping at Verve for these new sets, don't miss the Veteran's Day Sale! Lots of good deals!

Happy Stamping!

Sneak Peek: Nov. 10 Verve Release

The countdown has begun! Verve Visual is scheduled to debut two more brand new stamp sets in about 48 hours. Each set includes a whopping SEVENTEEN stamps!

This new sample card combines the oval frame from Wonderful Wishes with the fun stars and one of the sentiments from Starlight Starbright. The oval frame fits very nicely with the yellow Extra Jumbo Oval Scallop Punch from Marvy, which I purchased yesterday thanks to Shannan's hot tip. She said that the yellow circle scallop punch works with the set's circle frame, too.

Starlight Starbright includes a bunch of fun star and shooting star-type shapes, and these can be seen on the upper panel of this card. And with eleven coordinating sentiments, this set can be used all year 'round.

Stamps: Starlight Starbright & Wonderful Wishes (Verve Visual)
Paper: Cowboy Collection (Crate Paper)
Ink: Chestnut Roan ColorBox Chalk (ClearSnap), VersaFine Vintage Sepia (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Ghost Shape Star (Heidi Swapp), Calabaza Orange Pinata Ink (Jaquard Products), Chipboard Shape - from the Archiver's Exclusive Punctuation Set (Making Memories), Extra Jumbo Scalloped Oval Punch (Marvy Uchida)

I really enjoy these big stamp set releases! There'll be two new guest designers whose work will also debut on 11/10, so keep your eyes on the Verve blog!

Happy Stamping!

New Card & News

Lots of fun new stuff on the stamping front today! First, a new card that was designed for the big stamping project mentioned in an earlier post. More than 150 items (cards, tags, envelopes, etc.) to be displayed in 5 different states were created and this is my favorite.

The stamp set used for this card is from Hero Arts. It's called Joyful Greetings and also includes a Christmas tree, star, two more snowflakes, a second big swirl, and sentiments. The blue cardstocks are two of the new Smoothies from Bazzill and WOW are they ever smooth! I love stamping with them!

Supply List:
Stamps: Joyful Greetings (Hero Arts)
Paper: Island Breeze & Tropical Breeze Smoothies (Bazzill Basics), Pearlized White Cardstock (Verve Visual)
Ink: VersaMagic Ocean Depth (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Light Blue Gemstones (Hero Arts), Ribbon (American Crafts), Bind-It-All (Zutter), Rotary Cutter & Scallop Blade (Fiskars), Pop Dots (EK Success)

On to some fun stamping news & sales:
-- Steve Vander Meer at Meer Image is celebrating FIFTEEN YEARS in the stamping business! All his tiny peg stamps are half price, and there are 27 brand new styles. Sale runs through 11/15/07.
-- Starving Artistamps has eight pages of new stamp images. There are two pages of equestrian stamps for you horse lovers out there.

-- Viva Las Vegastamps is having a huge sale called "Stampsgiving" on their unmounted sheets, giant grab bags, and Miracle Tape. They can be found in the Bargain Basement at http://www.stampostore.com/ or by scrolling down to “Latest Products” on the shopping cart home page and UM plates, just order your Plates in threes and put “Happy Stampsgiving” in the comments to get your FREE plate with purchase of two. Sale runs through 11/22/07.

I love the idea of Stampsgiving... Couldn't we all use a day to be thankful for the bounty of stamping? Think of all the people you've met and friendships that have developed because of this great hobby of ours, and the creativity and relaxation! Let me know if you think of any fun Stampsgiving traditions. :)

Happy Stamping!

Fun & Fancy Frame

This was such fun to create! It's a small framed piece, with the opening in the frame only 5" across by 3-1/2" high. It would make a great gift or a nice element up on a mantle for the holidays.

By 'fancy frame', I do not mean the pretty gold frame that houses this cute home decor piece. What I mean is the cool frames we can create using the circles from Verve Visual's Seasonal Circles stamp set and a circle paper punch. This technique is a great way to add a fancy accent to a frame around another circle.

I stamped the open poinsettia ring onto a distressed beige piece of the Be Good paper from Cosmo Cricket. Then, I punched a 1-3/8" circle into the center of the stamp. As you can see, the circle punch snipped about a third of each of the little flowers off. Not a big portion, but just enough to create a cool frame around a second (in this case, solid) circle of 1-1/4".

Supply List:

Stamps: Seasonal Circles (Verve Visual)

Paper: Be Good (Cosmo Cricket), Pine Cardstock (Archiver's)

Ink: Warm Green ColorBox Chalk (Clearsnap), VersaMark (Tsukineko)

Accessories: Paper Shaper Punches in 1-3/8" and 1-1/4" circles (EK Success), Gold Embossing Powder (Ranger), Gold Picture Frame (Quality Art Boise), Dimensional Foam Squares (3L)

Happy Stamping!

Stamping & Sales

Oh, have I ever been stamping! I'm in the midst of a 90-card project at work (and no, they're not all the same!) and I just got the two new November releases from Verve Visual to work with, so I've been stamping up a storm. Wish I had some photos to share, but all these projects are under wraps for now.

There are a few stamping sales I wanted to share with you:

Verses Rubber Stamps -- All Christmas images (any stamp that starts with CH) and Christmas Instant Expressions (EXP109 through EXP114) are now 20% off through November 15, 2007. Just enter HOLIDAY20 in the comments section upon check out and your total will be adjusted when it is processed.

Faerie Song Art Stamps -- The details are posted here. Single stamps are buy-one-get-one-free, UM stamp sheets are discounted, and there's a free shipping offer for purchases of over $100.

OnyxXpressions has seven new stamp sheets coming out and pre-orders are 15% off until October 31st.

Happy Stamping!

Today's The Day

Two brand new stamp sets are available for the first time today at Verve Visual: Seasonal Circles (set of 7) and Winter Wonder (set of 16). The cool part? They're a bargain at only TEN BUCKS each (and EZ-Mount foam can be had for only a dollar per set)! If you need any more convincing to check them out, the Verve Visual Gallery has about three dozen shining examples of what can be created with these sets.

If I had to choose a favorite of the two, it'd probably be Winter Wonder. I appreciate the flowers and wreaths from Seasonal Circles, but Winter Wonder has seven great sentiments that I can see myself using in conjunction with lots of other stamps. In fact, I used it today!

Supply List:
Stamps: Sentiment from Winter Wonder (Verve Visual); Snowman With Checkered Hat (Lockhart Stamp Company)
Paper: Peapod Notecard (Memory Box); Textured Cardstock in 2 shades of green (Bazzill); Gingham patterned paper (Making Memories Kids Collection); White
Ink: VersaFine Ink in Onyx Black (Tsukineko); ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink in Deep Green (ClearSnap)
Accessories: Sketch Markers and Glitter Pens (Copic); Dimensional Foam Squares (3M)

Happy Stamping!

Eleven Weeks & Counting

Do you know that as of today we're a mere eleven weeks from Christmas morning? Amazing how time flies, isn't it? And with Thanksgiving approaching, travel to plan, parties to attend and gifts to purchase & wrap, it really doesn't seem like enough time to get ready for it all.

I know many of us set out to create gorgeous and elaborate cards for everyone on our Christmas card list. But, by the tenth or twelfth card, assembling all the layers and tying all those ribbons is no longer fun. For this reason, I present to you a simple alternative card that's a special combination of elegant style and easy replication. Not everyone on your list has to receive the same card, you know. Perhaps the elaborate cards are reserved for family members and close friends that really appreciate all the hard work that goes into creating them. This could be the card for the second or third tier of recipients on your list.

This card has some definite pluses:
* Only one color of ink. No extra stamp cleaning or ink mixup.
* No time-consuming, bulky or expensive embellishments.
* A minimum of cutting. One easy layer.
* No extra postage.
* No messy glitter or embossing powder.
* No noisy steps, so you can enjoy creating these in front of the TV with the family. Better yet, get them involved! It's an easy project.
* Flexibility. Experiment with using a color other than dark blue. Try using purple ink & cardstock for the friend who's a purple nut!

Supply List:
Stamps: Winter Wonder (Verve Visual)
Paper: Pearlized White Cardstock (Paper Accents), Not Quite Navy (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Not Quite Navy (Stampin! Up)
Accessories: Not Quite Navy Stampin' Write Marker and Large Stipple Brush (Stampin' Up!)

I'm a big fan of this new Winter Wonder set from Verve Visual. It includes 9 snowflakes (three designs each in three different sizes) and nine sentiments. It's scheduled to be unveiled tomorrow along with its sister set, Seasonal Circles. That one has some very pretty wreaths and poinsettia-like flowers.

Happy Stamping!

Bright Fall Colors

One thing I got to see a lot of while traveling over the last 2 weeks is the gorgeous display of fall colors. Absolutely yummy yellows, brilliant reds, and simmering hot oranges. When I look at this wreath colored in yellows and greens, the fall leaves come to mind once again.

I'm sharing this wreath because I love how it turned out. I'm surprised by the 3-d effect of the coloring (for example with the blush on the yellow fruits) and how it was achieved without using any blending solution. It was all just layering colors -- and I completed the coloring of this image and a few others during class. It's not hard to imagine this image as a Christmas wreath with just a few changes in color. Oh, the possibilities!

My plan for now is to put my Gamsol and paper stumps away for a few weeks while I continue to play and practice Karen's coloring methods. Oh, yes, and find great complementary papers to make a card that will showcase but not overpower this pretty wreath.

Happy Stamping!

Quick Trip Recap

My friend Lila and I are back from our roadtrip. Was it ever fun!!

We had been anticipating a stop to Daisy Bucket in Hermiston, Oregon, for a while. What a fabulous place! We were treated so nicely by co-owner/co-founder Cassandra. In addition to their wonderful textured papers, they just came out with a line of clear stamps this summer. They also carried quite a few other product lines. We shopped & shopped. Such fun!! There are 2 more new products on the way: a really cool ribbon and a stamp handle.

Friday night, we arrived at Apropos Paper Arts for the meet & greet with Karen Lockhart from Lockhart Stamp Company (and some shopping). Then we took 2 classes on Saturday (along with more shopping). If you ever have the opportunity to take a class or two from Karen, I would definitely recommend it. She's knowledgable, inspiring, and was kind enough to sign the rubber stamps I purchased! One highlight of the class is the wealth of coloring samples she brings with her. WOW! So much to look at and to learn from. Again, don't miss it.

Speaking of Apropos, proprietress Kathy was very nice. We enjoyed the store and our purchases included stamps, papers, and accessories.

While in Spokane, we stopped at Spokane Art Supply -- the location on Monroe. They had such a wonderful assortment of art products, including Copic markers and some rubber stamps. One staff member was especially helpful with Lila's airbrush system. It was a very nice visit!

North of SAS on Monroe is a stamp store called A Stamp 4 All which we quite enjoyed. I picked up some Great Impressions stamps, a JudiKins background stamp and a neat Chablis embossing powder. It's true -- samples DO sell product!

We had a terrific time! What could be better than a stamping roadtrip with a talented, close friend? Thanks so much, Lila, for your friendship, for driving, and for inviting me on this adventure!

Happy Stamping!

New Releases (and some are on sale!)

I have lots of fun information today on new stamp releases! There's an industry tradeshow called MemoryTrends that's going on right now. Many companies have released new stamps to coincide with the show, others with their traditional 15th of the month, and others just 'because'.

- Daisy Bucket Designs started its own line of papers and paper embellishments early in 2006. These items were textured and lovely. Now there are stamps that coordinate! (I'll be visiting them in Hermiston, OR with Lila in 44 hours or so... can't wait! Hope her trunk is big enough!)

- BasicGrey has been producing fabulous papers, embellishments, tools and the like for a while now... and guess what? They've got a brand new stamp offering too!

- Autumn Leaves introduced 10 new stamp sets, but they're not on their Web site yet. No worries, I found photos for you here. My favorite is the messy stitches.

- Technique Tuesday never disappoints... their new
sets include a new alphabet, a fun swirl mini-set, and a set that focuses on leaves & trees. New chipboard frames are on their way, as well.

- Papertrey Ink had a big release on the 15th with four new sets geared for the holidays.

- Queen Kat Designs released 22 new sets, and they're all on sale this week for 25% off!

More great new stamps are on the horizon! Verve Visual is planning two PAIRS of awesome stamp sets to be released over the next few weeks. Meer Image announced on Steve's blog that they'll be relasing 27 new tiny stamps in September, and they'll be on sale for half price during the first 15 days of November to celebrate Meer Image's 15th anniversary.

I'll be back shortly after I return from my trip. Until then...

Happy Stamping!

Big Bunch of Stamp Sales

It's a party not to be missed if you enjoy stamping! Rubberstampchat.net is celebrating its 1000th member with a virtual rubber stamp show. Each 'booth' is a thread on the message board and the top post explains what that vendor has on sale. These vendors include favorites like Purple Onion Designs and Starving Artistamps offering 25% off all stamps -- a total of fifteen vendors in all. (UPDATE: They're up to TWENTY-THREE vendors!)

This sale runs today (9/7) through Monday (9/10).

Happy Stamping (and Shopping)!

More Enabling

Another fun sale to tell you about... this time it's Prickley Pear Designs. September 2nd through 12th, all of their unmounted stamps are 50% off and they're also offering free shipping in the continental US. They bill themselves as "where classic meets whimsy", and that's a good assessment. Their stamp designs include flowers, fruit, Asian, African, seasonal, sentiments, and animals. My favorite is the scribble kitty -- I've had my eye on him for a while. I've already placed one order, and I'm going to have to place another now that I spent more time looking around to write this article. I'm enabling myself!

Happy Stamping!

I Met Inka!

At the post office yesterday, I checked my mailbox before waiting in line to mail stuff (which is unusual for me... I usually check the box afterward). In line, I read an ad that I usually throw away. The ad didn't start until Wednesday, but I decided to stop by that store in advance to check out the bookshelves if they had arrived yet. Yadda, yadda, yadda... a couple of us customers get to talking and I find out that one of them is Inka from Inka Stamps!

We got to talking a bit, and she's feeling better since her back surgery! This means she'll be heading back to the stamp show circuit. I really enjoy stamp shows, and am disappointed that the Boise show has been cancelled this year. Hopefully it'll be back!

So I leave you today with a project I made with one of Inka's stamps. It's a fairly simple project.

Supply List:

- Stamp: Heather 4043 from Inka Stamps

- Ink: Basic Brown from Stampin' Up!; Chestnut Roan ColorBox Chalk Ink from Clearsnap

- Paper: Creamy Caramel CS and Brown Mulberry from Stampin' Up!; Patterned paper unknown

- Accessories: Ribbon from May Arts; Brads & Charm from Making Memories; Vintage authentic postage stamp

TIP: Getting a nice tear with mulberry paper is easy! Just get out a wet paintbrush or waterbrush and draw a line. Tear while still wet. The water dries very quickly, so draw & tear in small line segments.

Happy Stamping!

Fancy Floral Candle

It took some time to get things back to normal Saturday after I scrambled around the house Friday night for the moustache layout. In the mayhem Friday night, several sheets of patterned paper were run over by my chair wheels and a bag of cherry tomatoes ended up all over the floor. I'm messy even on a good day, but this was off the charts! (Sorry, honey!)


After I got the whole thing cleaned up and finished dinner, I decided to get some of my toys out into the dining room again (because my craft room is... you guessed it... too messy!) for some crafting therapy. I got this pretty light blue candle earlier in the week and I thought a pretty floral wrapper would fit the bill nicely.

The band around the candle is two layers of Homespun Collection paper from Memory Box and a nice thick blue grosgrain ribbon from May Arts. The flower was crafted from the same patterned papers and the Fancy Florals set from Verve Visual. The first two flower layers were stamped on the BACK and cut out. The back layer is stamped on the front with Bisque chalk ink from Clearsnap. A ribbon-tied button finished it off. I tried a number of different angles for the flower, and this one seemed to flatter it best. Hope you all like it, too!

Supply List:
- Stamps: Fancy Florals (Verve Visual)
- Ink: Bisque chalk ink (Clearsnap)
- Paper: Homespun Collection (Memory Box)
- Accessories: Ribbon (May Arts); Button (unknown)

Happy Stamping!

Pixie Projects

I sent off my projects tonight for the final round of the Mandarin Pixie DT contest. The rules were simple: create a card and a scrapbook layout that each use alphabet stamps and image stamps.

Inspired by acetate, I created the card first. I stamped flower pieces from the Verve Visual stamp set called Fresh Florals as snowflakes (a la Bethany Paull) on the back of the acetate sheet in opaque white and blue StazOn. Then the word "snow" was constructed from letters in the Skinny Dip alphabet from Purple Onion Designs. Card assembly continued with holes punched by the Crop-a-dile and ribbon and cording tied through. Two Heidi Swapp clear snowflake shapes were dyed with Midnight Blue StazOn (to match "snow" exactly) and some bling was added to the centers.


Supply List
- Stamps: Fancy Florals (Verve Visual); Skinny Dip Alphabet (Purple Onion Designs)
- Ink: Midnight Blue, Opaque White, Opaque Blue (StazOn by Tsukineko)
- Paper: Acetate Sheets (Archiver's); Patterned Papers (Chatterbox)
- Accessories: Ribbon (Chatterbox); Silver Cord (Stampin' Up!); Acrylic Shapes & Bling Gems (Heidi Swapp)

I've been contemplating the page for several days. My husband is growing a handlebar moustache, and I'm still trying to learn to like it. I've never been into facial hair. Yuck. I had planned to get the papers and colors finalized tomorrow, but fate had other plans for me. Luckily, I already had photos printed and I had already made a photocopy of his "The Stache" t-shirt.

Supply List
- Stamps: Paisley Set (Purple Onion Designs); Misunderstood Foam Alphabet (Making Memories)
- Ink: Blue Iris Chalk (Clearsnap); Paint (Making Memories)
- Paper: Solid Cardstock (Bazzill); Patterned Papers (Chatterbox)
- Accessories: Wood Frame, Photo Corners, Big Brads (Chatterbox); Green Bling Gems (Heidi Swapp)

So they're on their way to the judging process right now. And I'm off to bed. I'm grounded tomorrow so I can clean off the dining room table. Before I go, though, a big shout out to Lila, Lori, and CeCe who each crossed my path today -- and Julee who I got to see yesterday.

Happy Stamping!

ISO Pixie Dust

Quick, someone sprinkle some pixie dust on me! I need it for good luck!

Ever heard of Mandarin Pixie? They've got a very fun selection of alphabet stamps, sentiment stamps, and an increasing collection of images. Tonight I was hopping around in blog land like I do on many evenings, and I read that I'm a finalist in their Design Team Contest! I'm nine parts excited and one part scared to death. Okay, maybe 99 parts excited and one part scared. Not sure if I know for sure the exact recipe of emotions... but there is definitely a smile on my face. Now to see if I can ever get to sleep tonight...

Happy Stamping!

A Very Verve Release

What a fun experience I had today opening my mail box to find my very FIRST brand new rubber stamps from Verve Visual since joining the design team. I couldn't wait to trim & mount them and be on my merry way!

I found this cream and orange flower patterned paper in a 6x6 pad from BasicGrey's new Mellow line. The tiny flower in the pattern looks almost exactly like Julee's flower! It made a terrific background for the constructed focal flower.

Supply List:
- Flower stamps and sentiment from the Verve Visual Fancy Florals set
- Patterned papers from the BasicGrey Mellow 6x6 Pad
- Stampin' Up! cardstock and dye ink in Pumpkin Pie; Tag Corner Punch
- ColorBox fluid chalk inkpad in Chestnut Roan
- Stitched grosgrain ribbon from Lasting Impressions
- Solid suede ribbon from May Arts
- Thumbtack brad from the Karen Foster Earth Tones pack

I was saddened to hear this week that the Boise Rubber Stamp Show has been cancelled due to "lack of vendor participation" per the show promoters. The Treasure Valley really has thriving, vibrant stamping and paper crafting communities. Hopefully next year they'll return!

In other stamping news, my Stamping Idol and pal Lila is in the headlines again this week! Does she ever sleep? She won the Technique Tuesday contest at A Peek Into Yesterday and her project adorns their home page! To top it off, she got word from Stampington that at least one of her fabulous cards will be featured in the Autumn Take Ten. Seriously, people, she's a stamping powerhouse.

Lila and I are planning a big trip to Spokane in September to take classes from the amazing colorist Karen Lockhart at Apropos Paper Arts. Information about any other local stamp stores would be much appreciated!

Happy Stamping!

POD Faux Tear & Wax Resist Card

Purple Onion Designs (or POD for short) has been one of my favorites for almost all of the 4 years it has been open. Michele, the owner, started out with great alphabets, words, and definitions... then branched out to many more fun images.
  
If you're serious about stamping to the point that you're submitting cards to magazines, POD is very generous! Each time one of your cards gets published and her company's name is listed in the credits, you receive $25.00 worth of stamps -- your choice! How's that for an incentive?
 
So onto one of my favorite cards that fits this bill. It was published in the Stampers' Sampler Catch Up Issue Volume 11 on page 90. It features a faux tear technique and a wax resist technique. 
    

Supply List:
- Sentiment stamp from Purple Onion Designs
- Leaves stamp from Maryse Carrier
- Stampin' Up! cardstock in Glossy White, Barely Banana and Forest Foliage; dye ink in Basic Black, Barely Banana, Old Olive, and Forest Foliage; Black Magic Mesh; Black Hemp Twine, Black eyelet, Sponge
- White Crayon from Crayola

TIP: Until recently, I thought it was important to always use a white crayon when doing the wax resist technique. You don't have to! In fact, using a colored crayon is helpful because you can SEE where the wax is. Any color wax will wipe off.

For those wondering about whether the card in the previous post won: Nope. But guess whose project won the title of Most Innovative Design? Lila, my best friend and Stamping Idol did! Check out her fabulous card by clicking here. She always does terrific work, but this particular card is exceptional.
    
Happy Stamping!

Infused with Verve!

One of my favorite blogs is PubCalls. They work hard to seek out publication & contest opportunities for papercrafters. Occasionally, they host a manufacturer's challenge. This month, we were challenged to submit cards featuring BasicGrey products. We couldn't use just any BasicGrey... it was limited to two of last year's holiday lines and the brand-spankin'-new Infuse. Several awards are being offered, and one of the prizes will be awarded for use of fibers. I hope my fibers-on-a-copy-machine custom paper will catch their eye!

Supply List:
- Thoughtful Phrases sentiment from Verve Visual
- BasicGrey Infuse Fibers; Infuse Season paper; Infuse Die-Cut Shapes
- Stampin' Up! cardstock in Certainly Celery and Chocolate Chip; ink in Chocolate Chip; Just Jeans background stamp; Word Window Punch
- Making Memories brads
- Heidi Swapp gem
- Canon archival-safe color copy machine

I am a big fan of this sentiment stamp and the other stamps in the Thoughtful Phrases set. I love that they fit perfectly in the Word Window punchies... so many design possibilities there!

TIP: Since these stamps are fairly narrow, I highly recommend using the EZ Thin Mount from Sunday International. This new foam mounting option makes for a much better stamping experience! Although it is recommended by the manufacturer for small stamps, I have begun to mount all my red rubber on it, and I LOVE the results. Definitely try some.

And speaking of these cool Verve stamps, you'll want to check their Web site and sign up to be notified when it launches. In addition to the stamps, there'll be papers and accessories and all sorts of papercrafting candy! And don't forget the gallery of samples. I'm giddy about the gallery because Julee contacted me and invited me to join their design team as a Gallery Designer! I can't wait to see all the terrific stamps that Julee is working on!

Happy Stamping!

Happy Birthday, Kristine!

My sister, Kristine, had a birthday recently. I spent time stamping with my good friends Lila and Julee not long ago, and actually completed a card while I was there! (I'm most comfortable stamping at home. While I enjoy stamping anywhere at anytime, I somehow don't remember to bring with me just the right embellishment/tool/etc. and so I very rarely complete a project on the road.)

As I was photographing this card and practicing with various settings on my new camera, I got a visit from Dusty. This is not the first photo session he has interrupted, and I'm sure this isn't the last.

Supply List:
- Emmybella from Stamping Bella
- Swirly stamp from the Fresh Decor set by Danelle Johnson for Art Warehouse by Limited Edition
- Black StazOn Ink
- White, Pixie Pink, Green Galore and Pink Passion cardstock from Stampin' Up!
- Happy Birthday stamp (retired) from Stampin' Up!
- Salsa Celebration Paperz (Birthday Party) from Junkitz
- Prismacolor Pencils, blended with Gamsol and paper stumps
- Flowers from Prima Marketing
- Bling from Heidi Swapp

I received the adorable Bella image from a member of the Wish-RAK group on Splitcoaststampers (SCS). What a wonderful and generous group of ladies! I'll admit to joining the group initially to save money. Certainly it would be cheaper to let others 'loan' me their stamps by stamping images for me, right? Of course, once I see most of these images, I fall head-over-heels and have to purchase them ASAP. *sigh*

Happy stamping!