FWF: Owl ♥ You Always

Here's to another Fun Friday with Friends With Flair!  As if we ever need an excuse to stamp, right?  I'm a caregiver and find it difficult to carve out the time to be creative.  We just need to do it.  Self care needs to be a priority!  I find myself thankful for Unity and their weekly FWF encouragement because it reminds me to get into the creative space and go for it!  Consider this your reminder.
   

    
Paper piecing is one of my favorite techniques, and I just had to make a polka-dotted owl!  Isn't he cute?  The funky paper actually started out as a large tag shape from a very old K&Company tag-pad.  The writing, dots, film, and wavy lime green line on the bottom are all printed on the paper.  Then I found the "Check It Out" acetate banner from a package of BasicGrey embellishments and this card was on its way.

Speaking of reminders, here are two more:

1. Love cards don't have to be red or pink or girly.
2. Love cards don't need a holiday.  Send it whenever you feel it.

Happy Stamping!

---

This project has also been submitted for these challenges:

• Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge:  Anything Goes
• DL.ART July Crafty Challenge:  Anything Goes

FWF: A Birthday Card Featuring Wine

TGIF, everyone!   It's Friends with Flair Friday, and I have a fun card to share with you.

My sister is celebrating a big birthday in a few days.   She's a fan of wine and I wanted to make a wine-related card for her.  Unity Stamp Co. had the PERFECT stamps to convey what I wanted to say.  First, I started with the wine bottles from the Let's Get SIP FACED stamp set.   I liked the "aged to perfection" sentiment that comes with it, but I hoped to find something a little more specific to a big birthday.   I think the perfect sentiment came with the Marlow Fashionista {itty bitty}, with the Italian Proverb "Age and glasses of wine should never be counted."

I had a very hard time finding just the right colors to go with the way I colored the wine.   Luckily, I still have a few sheets of the retired Stampin' Up! color Bravo Burgundy.   I held up the piece of burgundy cardstock to tons of papers in my stash, and the closest match came with the Eva line from BasicGrey.  I chose the "Courtier" pattern from a mini-pack.   The pennant die is from Sizzix and I colored with Copic markers.


Happy Stamping... and Happy Fortieth to my sister!  :)

   
Submitted to Challenges:
A Creative Romance:  Anything Goes w/ Birthday Option
Baffies Kreativladen:  Many Circles
Crafty Cardmakers: Uses Circles
Loves Rubberstamps Challenges:  Clean & Simple
QKR Stampede:  Anything Goes
Sister Act Card Challenge:  Anything Goes
The Stamping Chef:  Anything Goes
Use Your Stuff Challenge:  Circles

Father's Day Challenge - Week 23

Today I have a Father's Day project to share.  My dad & I are travel buddies.  We've been from coast to coast and everywhere in between, and also to Europe, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.  It seems like we're always planning a trip.  There are a few new places on our list:  Maine during some type of lobster festival, The Smithsonian, etc.
 

This card features stamps from Unity Stamp Company.  The ribbon is beautiful hand-dyed silk from The Thread Gatherer.  All the other embellishments (ticket, brad, vellum tape, & plastic tab) are from BasicGrey.

Do you have your Father's Day project(s) completed?  There's not much time left, so go to the Challenge blog HERE and enter this week's contest!

Happy Stamping!

The Garden

It's time for a brand new challenge over at Cuttin' and Stampin'!   This week's challenge is:  GARDEN.

Spring is upon us and so is our newest challenge!  I'm posting from the Boise area and it's not quite time to plant yet here.  We've got about another month before it's safe to put plants outside.  However, the chill in the air doesn't prevent me from being excited about getting those first seeds sown.

So in anticipation of the first seedlings, I present my project:

This card features stamps from Unity Stamp Company, papers from Crate Paper, washi tapes from Freckled Fawn, and "noted" and ticket embellishments from BasicGrey. 

Now it's your turn!  Create something wonderfully reminiscent of the garden...  plants, flowers, veggies, etc.   Don't forget to show it off at Cuttin' and Stampin'!

Happy Stamping!

Thanks So Much

Here's a sneak peek!  One of my cards will be in the Apr/May/Jun issue of The Stampers' Sampler, scheduled to hit newsstands April 1st.  (No, it's not an April Fool's Day joke!)   You'll see this one on page 75.

Supplies:
Stamps:  Chit Chat (Paper Smooches)
Paper:  Lime Rickey (BasicGrey)
Paint/Ink: Memento Ink in Pear Tart, Bahama Blue, and Danube Blue (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Felt Arrow (Creative Imaginations)

This card is my first published since I returned from my all-too-long stamping hiatus.  I'm hoping to spend lots more time stamping as (a) my husband has had his kidney transplant and (b) my doctors prescribed stamping to help me with my Caregiver Stress Syndrome.  I'm lucky to have some wonderful friends to stamp with, and I hope you do too!

Speaking of sneak peeks...  Stampington & Co. often posts a few pages of upcoming magazines to advertise for that issue, and I noticed one of my cards shown on the page for the new 400 More Ideas for Handmade Cards (formerly called Catch Up Issue), hitting newsstands on May 1st.  If you've read my blog, you'll recognize the card.  It appeared here and is one of my favorites.

Happy Stamping!
 

Tiny Hearts

I haven't stamped in a long time.  I finally brought some of my toys out to play with!   Got together with several friends and had a blast stamping and catching up.

It's August, and the stamping magazines are planning Valentine's issues already.  One magazine's theme is "Tiny Hearts", and I created a few cards to fit that theme.   Here are two of them:

 

Stamps used on both cards are from the fabulous Kim Hughes @ Paper Smooches.   BasicGrey "Bittersweet" papers were used on the top card and patterns from a K&Co. 4x6 paper pad were used on the bottom card.


There have been fires not terribly far from here (no danger for us), and it has been very hot and smoky outside.  Lots of time for more indoor activities like paper crafting.

Happy Stamping!

Halloween Hopping

It's time for another Creative Cuts & More blog hop, and this time we're all showcasing projects created for Autumn and Halloween. (If you arrived here from anywhere other than Jennifer Johnson's blog, you don't want to miss out! Visit Diecut Diva for the starting point on the hop, 5 different ways to win a brand new album kit, and for a 15% off coupon code.)

Our family needs lots of cards to give to neighbors, friends, teachers, etc. This card features some inexpensive die cuts and an easy stick-on embellishment.


Supplies:
Die Cuts: Exclusive A2 Arch Window Card in Bazzill White and Witch on Broom in Bazzill Raven (Creative Cuts & More)
Paper: Boo Crew Goblins PP (BoBunny)
Accessories: pumpkin bling (BasicGrey)

The next stop in our hop is Pam Smerker, who has created some adorable Halloween boxes to show you (as well as the adorable Haunted House Album Kit that's available in the drawing).

A Rare Layout for NSD

Yep, I'm 99% cardmaker and proud of it! I've made a few occasional layouts and I especially like how this one turned out.

Supplies:
Paper: Mellow PP (BasicGrey); Olive Cardstock
Paint/Ink: Angel Wings Shimmerz (Shimmering Products); Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink (ClearSnap)
Accessories: Photo Anchors (Stemma); Olive Ribbon (Making Memories); Tag Die (QuicKutz); Black Glaze Pen (Sakura)

You can see here how easy it is to dress up a page using a little Shimmerz to highlight. I chose to highlight the ribbon used on the tag and the trees on the patterned paper. (I also highlighted my sister's wedding ring on the photograph, but I just couldn't get a good pic of it for this post.)

Happy Stamping!

Dynamic Dresses

Here we go! Today's the big product launch and first-ever Blog Hop for Creative Cuts & More! (If you didn't arrive here via Carla's blog, please pop over to DiecutDiva.com and start from the beginning -- each participating blog is offering blog candy!)

For my projects today, I chose to focus on the brand new Dress Box die. My wedding dress was very easy to make. It was cut from Bazzill Smoothies Coconut Swirl. The only embellishments used on the project are Prima Marketing's new Say it in Studs self-adhesive embellishments. The studs were arranged in an ornate frame pattern. I used my sharp Tonic snips to cut only certain parts of the frame to create the bodice, waist, and hem adornments.

Because these studs are self-adhesive, they were very easy to adhere. They're nice quality, too, and the segments held together very nicely.


My other sample was also very easy to put together. This next dress is cut from BasicGrey patterned cardstock from the Two Scoops collection and tied with a thin grosgrain ribbon. I made this to show that this die is not just for weddings!


Dresses cut from other patterns and other colors could be used for all sorts of occasions:

• Pretty floral dresses for Mother's Day, Tea Parties, Bridal Showers
• Matching dresses for Bridesmaids gifts
  
• Pastels for pretty Easter Dresses
  
• Dresses in school colors for graduations
• Dresses in sorority colors for Bid Day, Initiations and other special occasions
• Red or purple dresses for Red Hat events
• White dresses for Confirmations, Baptisms, First Communion, etc.
  
• Pink and/or sparkly dresses for "Princess" party favors
• Black, scary dresses for witches at Halloween
• A whole variety of dresses for favors at an Oscar party or a Mardi Gras/Costume party
• Pretty dresses for prom or homecoming
  
• Gold or silver dresses for 25th or 50th Anniversary parties
  

The possibilities with this dress are endless! Creative Cuts & More carries very few patterned papers. However, you can have CC&M cut papers that you send in -- and they cut it for a reasonable cutting fee. You can visit the Contact Us page to inquire via e-mail or by phone.

Now that you've seen some of the fun projects the CC&M DT came up with for wedding-themed projects, you'll have your turn to show us what you can do. A customer challenge will be posted within the next week at Diecutdiva.com.

To win a special pack of Basic Grey papers, just leave a comment on this post. You have until 11:59 PM on Thursday night, March 5th, and the drawing will take place on Friday.

Next, head over to Lila Holgate's blog to see what she has in store for you!

Thanks for participating!

Boxer Blue

There are so many bonuses and benefits to having friends that stamp. One benefit is that their stamp collection houses some different stamps than yours. Thank you for letting me play with your Kim Hughes stamps!

This Ocean Friends set of hers is at the very top of my wish list. These little sea creatures are melting my heart and the creative, sweet sentiments that accompany them are icing on the cupcake.

TIP: I prefer not to leave my buttons naked, but it's sometimes difficult to find threads/ribbons that match. This problem is solved by using thin strips of the paper & cardstock used elsewhere in the project.

Supplies:
Stamps: Ocean Friends (Kim Hughes Collection @ Cornish Heritage Farms)
Paper: Classic Crest Solar White 80# Cover Smooth (Neenah); Boxer PP (BasicGrey)
Paint/Ink: Paris Dusk Memento Dye Ink (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Large Circle & Scalloped Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Buttons (Autumn Leaves)

Happy Stamping!

Candy Colored Goodness -- and Candy!

I had the chance to borrow this bird stamp recently, and I love how it turned out! I warned my friend that if her stamp is ever missing, she should check my pocket. I know, I know... "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's stamps." But in this case, it's warranted, don't you think? This birdie rocks! I stamped several extras to play with later, too.

For this card, since the focal image is stamped on patterned paper, I decided to use the Neenah white for the scalloped edge. And for a little twist, I painted the scallops with shiny paint. {No need to cover the whole oval since only the little scallops are showing!}



Supplies:
Stamps: Bird Stamp (Unity)
Paper: Classic Crest Solar White 80# Cover Smooth (Neenah); Euphoria PP (BasicGrey)
Paint/Ink: Lilac Posies Memento Dye Ink (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Petite Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders); Mat Pack & Paper Piercer (Stampin' Up!)

Happy Stamping!

Kim Hughes Release & Blitz

So far, the first few hours of the Kim Hughes Blitz over at Cornish Heritage farms has been a total blast! Two winners were randomly selected from those who posted on the forum, and it turned out that Lila and I were selected. Pretty cool! Fall Silhouettes is on its way to my door!

Then there was a really tricky challenge. We had to use orange, lime green, brown, and cream... along with buttons and a bow. I was baffled by the color combination until I ran across the 6x6 pad of LilyKate paper. Perfect! Here's a picture of the owl gal (eyelashes added).
If you'd like to see a peek at the whole card, click here.

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!

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!

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!