Sweetie's Stamping

Still Cleaning out the Stash!

2008-03-30T13:16:00.005-06:00

Leave a comment if you are interested in any of these sets! I am willing to consider
any offers as well!

$4 dollars shipping per set will combine shipping for multiple sets

Send a Celebration (2)- used mounted - $8
So Very - mounted unused - $8
Lexicon of Love - used mounted $10
Simple Sketches - used mounted $15
Looks like Spring - used mounted $15
Shapes & Shadows - used mounted $12
Something to Celebrate - used mounted $12
Made from Scratch - used mounted $7
Noteworthy - used mounted $7
Vines & Berries - used mounted $10
Simple Celebrations - $15 mounted used
Fresh Fillers - mounted used $7
Seeds of Kindness - mounted used $12
Fantastic Foliage - mounted used $7
Sweet & Sassy - mounted used $10
Border Builders - mounted used $10
Tag Time - $12 - mounted used
Stars and Swirls - mouned used $7
Too Terrific Tags - mounted used $8
Around the Block - mounted used $8
By Desigh - mounted used $8
Reverse Prints - mounted used $10
Borders Mini - mounted used $7
Right at Home - mounted used $12
The Art of Life - mounted used $10

Happy New Year!

2008-01-06T11:25:00.000-06:00

Hello all in the blogging world! I hope you all had a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season and are ready to get into the swing of real life again. What am I saying? I am not ready! We had a great time with family over the holidays and even got to take a spa retreat to cap off the holiday season to reenergize and reconnect. It was the best way to end the holidays!

I have a few ideas for resolution type things this year and one of them has to do with how much I spend on stamping supplies! It is crazy! I bought so much this last year that I never came close to using it all. I have never minded too much if I buy alot of stamps, papers, ribbon etc. if I use them, but this year I didn't. It left me feeling wasteful. So, this year I have decided that instead of buying all the latest and greatest things I am going to focus on using what I have to make cards. I know, it is a completely scary and novel concept in the world of stamping insanity, but I am hoping it will work. I will try to post now and then to show what I come up with. However, I must add that I still have to meet my Stampin' Up demonstrator quota so you may see things here and there!

I have also been giving thought to jumping back into some other creative pursuits that have taken a back seat to stamping. One in particular is knitting! I LOVE KNITTING! I was making some scarves for Christmas presents this year and I started digging in my long lost yarn stash and realized how much I had. I know, big surprise, right? So, I am going to try to find ways to use what I have in my stash before running out to buy more. I love to buy yarn as much as I love to buy stamps so this won't be easy. I also ran into a lady that provides drop in knitting lessons which is perfect for me so I am going to start a new project and start dropping in for lessons. My first project will be a felted knitting/handbag. I have had the supplies for several years and haven't done a darn thing with them. I was too intimidated to attempt something like this on my own. Now I don't have any excuses!

So, stay tuned, my blogging friends to see what can be done with what we already have in our stamp rooms! What will I do with all time I have spent obsessing over what to buy next and all the money I will save from not buying craft supplies???????????? Maybe I will actually clean my house and do the laundry....................no, I am sure there is something else I can come up with!

One more card

2007-10-20T15:06:00.000-06:00

Well, today I made a card that I liked and I decided that I wanted to blog it! Go figure! This card was inspired by one of the great stampers of our time, Laurly from Splitcoast Stampers. Here is here gorgeous card. I saw this card and since I had the background paper already I knew I wanted to make some version of this card. I didn't have that stamp that she used or really anything like it so I decided to use the new set I got for my Christmas cards, Big on Christmas. It is really cute!!!

I had school last night and got home at about midnight. We stayed up until one catching up on missed episodes of the Office! Love that show! My stamp room was quite the mess so I didn't know if I would have to courage to go in this morning. But, after doing my morning blog surfing, I got inspired. I also broke into my new Simply Scrappin' kit, Winter Bright! I ADORE the colors in this kit! I know it will get alot of use. I was supposed to get to work on my card sets I give for Christmas gifts, but I didn't. Bad bad me!! :)

Supplies for this card:

Stamps: Big on Christmas

Ink: basic black, bordering blue, real red, only orange, mellow moss

Paper: Basic Grey Blitzen collection, real read, paper from Winter Bright SS kit

Accessories: red gingham ribbon, paper piercing kit, white gel pen, rhinestone brads fire

Blogging Break

2007-10-17T21:09:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking alot lately about whether I would like to continue blogging or not. At times I consider it one more thing to cross off the list for the day and stamping has always been just the opposite for me. Stamping has been something that I do when want to forget about the list. I have really enjoyed having an easy way to stay in touch with my family and to share my cards
with everyone.

I can't decide if I want to completely stop blogging or if I want to keep it going but just update less frequently. I have decided that I will take a blogging break for the next month or so and see if I actually miss blogging. So, I just wanted to let everyone know why they won't see any new creations for a while. I am going to focus my energy on making my holiday cards and see if I can get some cards done for Christmas sets I like to give as gifts to my friends and family. I will still be checking out everyone else's stamping blogs I am sure.

Take care everyone and I will talk to you soon!!!!

Melisa

I'm Back!

2007-10-09T10:28:00.000-06:00

Greetings all! I haven't blogged or stamped in a while, but it was fun to sit down and try the Who's Got Mojo Monday Challenge once again. I had quite a time finding something to work, but finally settled on this one. I am not sure my main image is quite as big as the sketch Julie gave us, but hopefully it will pass.
Here is the sketch we were to use. I used my stamped the background with close to cocoa and the Paisley stamp on whisper white cardstock. I stamped a groovy guava strip with the linen background stamp. I used my aquapainter and watercolor paper to color in the main image. This color combo came from the stampin' up catalog. For some reason it reminds me of neapolitan ice cream. It makes me hungry!
I have been very much preoccupied with our decorating project. It is really coming together nicely. The window treatments went up yesterday and they really look good. I can't believe how much difference some white curtains can make. We are feeling like it was worth the long wait. Now we are waiting our settee to come back as they had to take it back and cut down the legs. But, it will soon be done and things will look pretty put together. I am now working on getting the odds and ends like barstools and rugs, etc. taken care of.

I have also, as I mentioned in my earlier post, been going to Minneapolis for my physical therapy treatments for my bladder pain and I think (hate to even say it out loud) that they are starting to give me some relief. The therapist told me it can take a month to start to see if it is helping. I had about three really good days in a row and she said that is how it will start happening. So, it is making the hassle of going to the cities during rush hour worth it.

Well, so long for now!!!! Have a great week!!!

Recipe:
Stamps: Circus Train, Paisley, Hugs and Wishes (all Stampin' Up), Papertrey Ink
Ink: river rock, groovy guava, close to cocoa, sage shadow
Paper: groovy guava, sage shadow, close to cocoa, watercolor paper
Accessories: scalloped circle punch, 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 circle punches, chocolate ribbon
aquapainter

Bad blogger

2007-10-03T18:13:00.000-06:00

Just to let everyone know, I have been busy last week and this week with our home makeover and going to the city for my treatments that I have had very little time left for things like blogging. I am so so so behind on my challenges, but I will post again when things calm down for me. Hope you are all having a great week!!!

-Melissa

Who's Got Mojo Challenge

2007-09-25T13:24:00.000-06:00

Well, this is my card for the "Who's got mojo Monday" challenge. I was determined to put something together that I really liked because I haven't been liking my cards lately. I am happy with the final product. What do you think of this color combo? I got it from the Stampin up new in color idea sheet that Debbie Olson had on her blog a few days ago. I tweaked this one a bit and left out the Bravo Burgundy.

Things are cloudy here today. It seems to just keep raining and raining and raining. We aren't complaining about dry lawns here for that is for sure. Everything is green green green. I have alot of medical appointments this week so that is keeping me busy. Between that, school, work, and cards I seem to stay pleasantly occupied.

I have really liked this True Friend set from the Holiday Mini catalog. I have used it alot. You know how you some sets that you more than pay for with the use you get out of them and then there are some that you don't use as much as you should? This one has been worth it. Well, nothing much else to report today. I will get on with the recipe:

Stamps: True Friend, Paisley background stamp, Faux ribbon from Papertrey

Paper: whisper white, old olive, purely pomegranate, pale plum

Ink: old olive, purely pomegranate, pale plum

Accessories: paper piercing tool kit, scalloped scissors, old olive grosgrain ribbon,

earth elements brads, ticket corner punch

Cider Friend

2007-09-23T10:42:00.000-06:00

Well, after I my mourning period ended yesterday (see previous post), I started stamping again. This card is made with the sketch that Beate had for a challenge several weeks ago. I didn't have a tool to cut out the circle with so I couldn't participate. Yes, I know, isn't is sad what a deprived stamper I am? (wink!). So, since I have to have every tool known to man that pertains to papercrafting, I began a search for some tool that would cut circles.

First, I got something at Michael's that did not work at all. Then, I carefully researched what all you gals were using for your circles and, sure enough, the coluzzle seemed to be the prevailing trend. I ordered my coluzzle and hadn't had a chance to rip it open until last night. I was perplexed by it a bit because I thought the mat they sent with it was just packing foam. Come to find out, you acutally need to use the packing foam looking thing. Being the mechanically inclined person that I am (NOT!!!!!), I figured out and it worked really well!!!!However, in keeping with my gluttonous pursuit of papercrafting tools, I will need to order the coluzzle companion so I can have the ability to make the appropriate layers. :)

Supplies:

Stampers: True Friend, Papertrey Faux Ribbon

Paper: really rust, apple cider dp, whisper white

Ink: really rust, choc. chip, and mellow moss SU markers

Accessories: coluzzle, scalloped scissors, large oval punch, river rock dS ribbon

Mellow moss grosgrain ribbon, choc. chip grosgrain ribbon

Have a great Sunday!

-M

Sad Sweetie!

2007-09-22T12:33:00.000-06:00

Well, this morning it was so nice outside that I decided I would go to visit our friends at Starbuck's and pick up our coffee drinks and pastries for breakfast. I had just gotten home and was one the phone with my friend and was going to go out and enjoy the coffee on the deck under the canopy that my mom and I put up earlier this summer! I loved that thing! It was so nice and shady and was like adding on another room to your house. We got really comfy furniture to go under it and, as all my friends and family can attest to, I couldn't have been more tickled about it.

So, coffee and pumpkin loaf in hand, I open the blinds on the sliding glass window and was shocked to see that we no longer had a canopy! It appeared as though it had just vanished! I hung up with Katie and called Matt over to look at this shocking sight. We went outside and, sure enough, it was laying out in the yard in a mangled mess. Matt and I were going to bolt it down to the deck this weekend as we have been getting a lot of wind lately. I am so sad about it! It was my own little hid away! So, sorry Mom, for all the time and work you donated to help me assemble my canopy! I am sure you will be as sad as I am. Rest assured we WILL be getting another one next summer!

Beate's Weekend Challenge

2007-09-22T11:58:00.000-06:00

I got back from school last night and Matt was at a concert and wasn't due home til about 1:30am. I decided I would stay up and wait for him to get home. I got to work on Beate's weekend challenge and finished right as he got home. I got out my much neglected designer paper that hasn't seen the light of day since Winter, at least. Aren't we stamping addicts fickle?

We HAVE to have certain products for about 2-3 months until the next thing come along. Then the "old" things get pushed to the back of the shelves to make room for the newest fad. Well this designer paper is a good example of perfectly good and acutally beautiful paper that is not longer the "in" thing. That is another reason I like challenges. Sometimes you need just the right thing and sometimes these older supplies are just the right thing. My problem is that I am clutter phobic so I often get rid of things when they are still perfectly good. Never fails the minute I get rid of them I find myself wishing I still had it around.

Well, it is a totally beautiful day in Minnesota today! I wanted to spend some time stamping, but I don't know if I dare stay inside on a day like today as these days are certainly numbered at this point in our neck of the woods. The leaves are turning which, to me, is about the most beatiful thing in the world, but at the same time it feels so fleeting as Winter looms around the corner.

Fall Leaves

2007-09-20T10:44:00.000-06:00

Well, if these cards aren't perfect for today's weather I don't know what is. Although I am in a grumpy mood today the weather is gorgeous so I might have to think about snapping out of it. I just spilled an entire grande mocha all over my car! ug! Not a good way to start the day. I seem to have gotten cleaned it up pretty good but should probably get the floors shampooed.

This card was inspired by a card that Debbie Olson did a few weeks ago. Here is her GORGEOUS card!I have been behind on my challenges all week so one of these cards is a few days behind, but I still wanted to post. The card with the leaves was for the sketch challenge on Splitcoast. It was a good opportunity to get out my new With Gratitude set from Stampin' up. I love this time of year, but I will admit that the colors are not the kinds of colors that I gravitate towards, but I do like them.

Stamps: With Gratitude, Canvas background stamp

Ink: Late November

Paper: night of navy, really rust, whisper white

Accessories: earth elements brads, old olive grosgrain ribbon

This second card is a card I did for Julie's "Who's got Mojo Monday" sketch challenge. I was not happy with this one, which is not too unusual for me. I just got this set from Stampin' up. It was one of the sets offered this month for 30% off with a $30 dollar purchase. I used Stampin' up markers to color it in. I am thinking using the watercolor paper and the aquapainter might have been better. Maybe I will do another one and try that. I did get to use my new river rock ribbon which I have been trying to find a way to use since I got it. Well, on with the recipe:

Stamps: Thoughtfully thankful
Ink: really rust, garden green, chocolate chip, more mustard
Paper: choc. chip, apple cider dp, really rust
Accessories: river rock double stitched ribbon, photo corners punch, horizontal slot punch, 1 3/8 circle punch

No MOJO

2007-09-18T20:59:00.000-06:00

Ever had one of those nights where you can't wait to get stamping and then you sit down and nothing turns out right? Well, that was tonight. I was a good girl and did everything I need to do today and so I decided I would catch up on some challenges I missed while being out of town this weekend. I attempted Julie's Who's got Mojo Challenge, but just couldn't get it to come out right so I decided I would post a card I made last week instead of my Monday Mojo card.

The card I am posting is another Halloween card! I still don't know what I will do for my mass production of Halloween cards yet. I guess I do still have time to think of something. The layout of this card was taken from a card I found in the oh so talented Atomic Butterfly's gallery on Splitcoast Stampers. Here is her card! It is just gorgeous! I decided to make it into a Halloween card so mine doesn't really resemble hers in the least.

It is a very busy week here. I am starting my new treatments on Thursday and am having to drive to Minneapolis several times a week, but we are hopeful it will help me and will be worth it. We are recovering from a fun by tiring weekend in Omaha where we helped throw Matt's parents a 40th Anniversary party. It was great to see all the friends and family come together for such a happy occasion.

Supplies:

Stamps: booglie eyes

Paper: basic black, Halloween Night, certainly celery, old olive, watercolor paper

Ink: lovely lilac, going gray, pumpkin pie, old olive, basic black, blush blossom

Accessories: stickles, bold brights brads, old olive grosgrain ribbon, aquapainter

Friends & Flowers

2007-09-13T19:33:00.001-06:00

I put this card together for sketch challege 141. This picture is the sketch we were to use from Splitcoast Stampers. I played with this Simply Scrappin kit alot during selebration time, but haven't gotten it out since so I decided to pull it out again for this sketch. The minute I saw the sketch I thought of the border stickers that came in Friends and Flowers Simply Scrappin' kit. I think it worked out okay. I am really enjoying getting into the card challenges again. I was doing them alot, but then lost my motivation this summer. Now that school has started I am back into it! Go figure!

Well, I have a major update about my chronic pelvic pain condition. I went to a conference sometime this year and met a doctor who treats people with this condition. He lived in Colorado and I live in Minnesota so he recommended a pain specialist in Minneapolis which is about a hour from where I live. I went to that appointment yesterday and it was a great experience!

He offered different drugs and also several different options for treatment that I haven't tried yet. Among the options were acupuncture, physical therapy, nerve block injections, and relaxation training. I am very excited to try some different meds and treatments! Alot of my friends and family have been there throughout this five year battle so I wanted to be sure to let you all know that I now have some more options to try!

Back to stamping!!

Supplies

Stamps: bodacious bouquet

Ink: cool caribbean

Paper: chocolate chip, paper from Friends & Flowers SS kit

Accessories: choc. chip ribbon, stickers from Friends & Flowers SS kit

Color Challenge 131

2007-09-11T16:29:00.000-06:00

Today is color challenge day! I didn't know what to think of these colors, but after the card came together I really liked the colors! They are so bright and cheery, just how I like it! The weather here is gorgeous today! This is my favorite time of year! I love the crisp weather and the leaves turning.

I just got a package from my favorite UPS driver! I after all the stamping I have done over the years I have never owned a coluzzle! There had been more layouts lately with large circles and I haven't been able to make cards without a tool to cut large circles. I got on thing from Michael's but then got it home and it didn't work right so I hope I like the coluzzle! I also ordered one of the 30% off sets so I am excited about them too.

Nothing too special about this card. The set I used is from the new Stampin' Up catalog. It is a set that I don't see used very often and this is the first time I have used it. I think it is a fun and versatile set!

Supplies:

Paper: Always artichoke, purely pomegranate, taken with teal, whisper white, Loves Me DP (from Winter 2005 Mini)

Ink: same

Stamps: So Happy

Accessories: rich regals brads, purely pomegranate double stitched ribbon

Who's Got Mojo Challenge

2007-09-10T21:33:00.001-06:00

I love to participate in challenges and Julie at Poetic Artistry has started a new one every Monday called "Who's Got Mojo Monday". I think it is a totally cute idea! I love Tuesday and Wednesday and Sunday challenges on Splitcoast, but now I have one on Mondays too. So, this week she gave us a sketch but she added a catch. You had to use scrap paper or discarded images too pretty to throw away! Funny thing is that I thought I was the only one who had a drawer of those! So, this card is made entirely of discarded stuff! I love it! Makes me feel thrifty! (Stop laughing, it does!).

So, nothing much else to report today. I just had a normal Monday at work and then came home and did some studying. I did order some stamps from MissyB Designs. I got the idea from MJ Albright's blog, Beauty Lies Within It is a set that was made for Lauren Meader's daughter, Alexa with some proceeds going to Pediatric Cancer Research. Lauren is a very accomplished stamper in the blogging world and her daughter, Alexa, has had quite a time cancer and you can read Lauren and Alexa's story here. Here are what the stamps look like! Aren't they cute? I decided I needed more kid stamps lately so I thought these would be perfect!

So, with that I will get on with the recipe for my card. Since this stuff has been at the bottom of a drawer for a while I don't have names of all the stuff, but I will do my best! Thanks Julie for motivating me to get into some scraps! It was fun!

Supplies:

Paper: Chatterbox, old olive, whisper white

Ink: bashful blue, pumpkin pie, old olive markers, basic black ink

Stamps: Loads of love

Accessories: earth elements brads, word window punch, giga scalloped circle punch, and mega circle punch

Another Halloween Card

2007-09-09T11:31:00.000-06:00

Well, I putzed and putzed with this card last night and just couldn't get it to come out how I wanted it to. I was thinking so hard I had a headache when I went to bed! Stamping just shouldn't be hard, should it? DH (darling husband for those non-stampers) was helping me, but I just couldn't get it. He has an intensely creative mind but it a very out of the box way which is the opposite of me. So, he thought of the idea of the black ribbon making bats this morning and I have to say I think it is just what the card needed! So, he must get full credit for that idea!

We stayed home last night and it was a good choice. We both had fun with our hobby of choice!

He played video games and I stamped. He is about as crazy about games as I am stamps. Luckily his games don't seem to cost as much! In stamping there is ALWAYS something you just HAVE to have! But, there is just nothing like it so I think it is worth it!

I know it is pretty early for Halloween cards but I have noticed that there seems to be quite a time lag between holiday cards for me. The last big batch of holiday cards I made were for Valentine's Day. I think that could be why we get so excited for Halloween cards. The fact that like 8 months separate them from our last good opportunity for a good mass productions of holiday cards puts us in holiday card starvation mode. I suppose some make 4th of July cards, but I have never gotten into them. So, with that I will stop blabbing and get to the recipe!

Supplies:

Stamps: booglie eyes

Paper: Halloween Night dp, pumpkin pie, watercolor paper, wild wasabi (my new favorite color)

Ink: going gray, wild wasabi, lavender lace, pumpkin pie, black, blush blossom

Accessories: aqua painter, stickles (first time using them), black grosgain ribbon

Happy Boo to You- WSC18

2007-09-08T17:15:00.000-06:00

Well, happy Saturday to you all! I am having a glorious day! I had my first day of school last night and it was great fun to see my friends again after the summer break. There are alot of things about being in school that I love: that first day of school feeling, new books and pencils, and notebooks, and the chance to start something over, fresh! There's not much else like it. Not that I won't be happy when I don't have to do it anymore, but might as well find the positives while I am there, right?

Today I am participating in Beate's weekend sketch challenge! I love sketch challenges as you all know! this one I found especially challenging and I am not sure why. Maybe it was because it was a holiday card and not one of my normal Easter basket looking flower cards. Not sure, but it was still fun to try and fun to get my Halloween stamps out.

Matt is watching college football all day today and he is in HEAVEN! He enjoyed watching his team (Nebraska Cornhuskers) beat Wake Forest and is now thoroughly enjoying watching Michigan get wiped out by Oregon. He at his obligatory college game day chili dogs as well. That is now you know it is fall in our house: college game day, Cornhuskers, and chili dogs!

Supplies:

Paper: Halloween Night dp, wild wasabi, pumpkin pie, whisper white

Ink: going gray, black, lovely lilac, wild wasabi, pumpkin pie

Stamps: Booglie Eyes, Circle borders and corners from Papertrey Ink

Accessories: wild wasabi double stitched ribbon, silver brads, circle mega punch, scalloped circle giant punch

Sketch Challenge #140 - Last day of summer break!

2007-09-05T14:22:00.000-06:00

Well, today I am busy soaking up my last day off before school starts back for me on Friday evening. Boy has it been a nice summer! So sad to see it go, but I do love Fall too! I love new school books, clothes, and pencils and the feel of Fall in the air!

Today's card is a card I made for sketch challenge 140 at Splitcoast Stampers. I had so much fun with it. I love crisp clean lines so this sketch was a good one for me. Gave me a reason to get out my Cutie Pie designer paper from Stampin' up! I love this stuff! The colors are yummy! I have put in a couple of orders to Stampin' up lately and I am anxiously awaiting them! Can't wait to

play with the new stamp sets. I am also starting to think about what to do for my Halloween cards! One of the best parts of fall is all of the fall and holiday cards! Stay tuned!

Supplies:

Stamps: All Holidays, short & sweet

Paper: bashful blue, purely pomegranate, cutie pie dp

Ink: almost apricot, purely pomegranate, wild wasabi, bashful blue

Accessories: pomegranate double stitched ribbon, pale pastel brads

CC130- Snail Fluffles

2007-09-04T16:52:00.000-06:00

This is a card I put together for color challenge 130. The challenge was to use only groovy guava and almost artichoke! The layout was inspired by a card of Debbie's at Thinking Inking that I am in love with. Check it out here: I almost pulled it off, but had to add in a bit of blue bayou as I felt like it was getting to be a bit too groovy!

I was wishing I had the Stampin' up dp that has these two colors, but I guess that is one more thing for the list! ug! I really like this Stampendous fluffles stamp. I have had it for a while, but just got it out the other day. I had a hard time figuring out what to use for this one and I am about 65% happy with it. I think I might try another one later.

Supplies:

Stamps: snail fluffles, printed pattern

Ink: groovy guava, always artichoke, blue bayou

Paper: always artichoke, whisper white, groovy guava, blue bayou

Accessories: groovy guava double stitched ribbon, aquapainter,

giga circle and scalloped punches

Poetic Artistry Challenge

2007-09-03T11:45:00.000-06:00

As I don't normally partake in any Splitcoast Stampers challenges on Mondays I decided to see if I could find another challenge going on in the blogging world. Sure enough, Julie at Poetic Artistry has a sketch challenge going on at her blog today. She will reward the winner with a card from her (which would be awesome because she is awesome) and possible a treat!

This is the card I came up with for her sketch challenge. It is sort of busy compared to what I normally do, but I do like how it turned out and so did my card critic, Matt (DH). I am really getting into this True Friend set from Stampin' up! It is from the holiday mini catalog and is pretty yummy! We are relaxing at home today. I must say that we are about in heaven not having to go to work today!

Supplies:

Stamps: True friend, Faux Ribbon by Papertrey Ink

Paper: really rust, American Crafts Play Scooter, Play Ping-Pong

Ink: stampin' up markers: night of navy, really rust, summer sun

Accessories: 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 stampin' up punches, earth elements brads ribbon from

Michael's

Featured Stamper Challenge!

2007-09-02T15:54:00.000-06:00

Well, it is Sunday and around here that means in is time for the Sunday Challenge (as Matt so affectionately calls it). I love this challenge! It means you get permission to case someone's work! I like it because it really sparks my creativity! This card was cased from a card that was done by Inglishrea on Splitcoast Stampers! Great gallery, Heather!

I used supplies for this card that I have had laying around for quite some time but haven't found a use for. Challenges are great excuses to get these neglected stamping supplies to the front of the closet.

Supplies:

Stamps: Snail fluffles, All Holidays

Paper: groovy guava, wild wasabi. SEI dp (Winnie's Walls), dp from Special Delivery

simply scrappin' kit

Ink: river rock, purely pomegranante, wild wasabi, groovy guava

Accessories: wild wasabi double stitched ribbon, aquapainter

Minimalist Birthday

2007-09-02T13:36:00.000-06:00

My husband says that this card is very minimalist, which I will have to admit that my style does tend to lean in that direction. I have never been a clutter person. Clutter is one of our flagship arguments we have at home. Matt wants to save everything and I want to get rid of things even if they are still usable to avoid things getting cluttered! Needless to say, this card is in no danger of being cluttered!

I sat down last night and did some stamping for just plain fun. I had nothing in mind when I started. I like to give away cards for Christmas gifts and if I am going to do that I must get going on them now. I give away alot and right now I have none! This card will be perfect!

I started with a whisper white base and then inked a background onto real red card stock. I then applied glue dots to some black grosgrain ribbon and then attached it on the back of the card. I attached the black and white brads from Square parts to the flower and attached them both with dimensionals. I then tied a small knot and attached that with a glue dot. I used my Papertrey sentiment set and stamped birthday wishes onto a file tab punch out and then using my 1/16 circle punch attached almost apricot brads to the tab and attached that with more glue dots. And wah-lah!!!! Thanks for looking and I hope you are having a great Labor Day weekend!

Another flower card

2007-08-31T15:35:00.000-06:00

This is a card I put together while coming up with swap ideas. This would have worked out fine accept for the fact that I couldn't resist using my Papertrey Ink stamps for the circle. So, since it was a Stampin' Up swap I would out of luck, but that is okay because now I have an extra one to post on my blog.

It is Friday night and I just found out that Matt is going to be working late tonight and I was dissappointed. I have been waiting for him to come home so we could do something Friday nightish, but I guess that plan has been averted! bummer. I guess I will have to stamp! I guess that is not such a bad thing after all!

The supplies for this card are as follows:

Stamps: True Friend, Papertrey

Paper: real read, wild wasabi, whisper white, bashful blue

Ink: real red, bashful blue, regal rose, wild wasabi

Accessories: bold bright brads, ticket corner punch, scalloped punch, 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 circle punches, wild wasabi double stitched ribbon

Dear Friend

2007-08-29T16:46:00.000-06:00

This is a little something that I put together trying to create something for the sketch challenge at Splitcoast today. I couldn't quite get it together so I decided not to mess with something I liked even if it doesn't fit the sketch. I am also trying to come up with something for my second swap card.

I really like these colors together! I stole the idea from page 45 of the Stampin' up catalog. They use these colors in the Winter Bright simply scrappin' kit that, no, I haven't purchased yet. I still have a wish list of stuff I have yet to order, but am wondering if I should just use what I have? Isn't that the age old stamping addict's dilemma? I am sure a few of you out there struggle with this question all the time!

Supplies:

Stamps: All Holidays, True Friend

Paper: wild wasabi, apple cider, real red, bashful blue, regal rose

Ink: bashful blue, real read, regal rose stampin' up markers

Accessories: bold brights brads, gingham ribbon, circle punches 1 1/4 and 1 3/8

A True Friend

2007-08-28T15:25:00.000-06:00

This is a card I designed today for a Holiday Mini swap and I am in. Does it seem like swaps are all I have been doing lately? It does to me, but I really like them. The weather is a bit dicey here today. It is very dark out and for the second time today is pouring rain. I have heard weather warnings throughout the day. We have just gotten rain, rain, and more rain in Southeastern Minnesota lately. I don't mind, but I feel for those who have had damage to their homes and whose homes have been destroyed throughout the severe weather!

Supplies:

Stamps: True Friend

Ink: really rust, perfect plum markers, wild wasabi classic ink

Paper: river rock, really rust, wild wasabi, Apple cider dp

Accessories: silver brads, wild wasabi double stitched ribbon, aqua painter

Some Vacations Pics

2007-08-26T21:46:00.000-06:00

Thought I would post of few of the pics that actually have people in them! This is me in front of my first dorm room in Greeley, Colorado. And the one outside is outside of the dorm. I lived in Belford Hall back in 1993. When we went in to visit a girl moving in asked me what room I was in. I thought that was funny since it has been 14 years since I was living in that dorm!

Back in action!!!!

2007-08-26T20:41:00.000-06:00

Well folks, we are back! Back from our week and a half journey across the Midwest! We had a great time together and are a little bummed out to be back in the swing of things getting ready to go back to work tomorrow. We stopped in Omaha on the way home and saw Matt's brother, sister-in-law, and niece, and parents. We ate dinner with Matt's parents are the Cheesecake Factory. That was good! I have always wanted to try their cheesecake and try it I did!

Matt downloaded pictures off the camera today from vacation and there were 258! Yes, 258 and there were about 10 with people in them. He was obsessed with taking pictures of the mountains. He just loved it so much there. I wasn't as interested as he was so I sat in the car and knitted while he got out and took pictures of the mountains. It was a good arrangement!

This is a card I did for the featured stamper challenge this week! It is nothing too special, just a quickie to get me back in my stamp room!

Supplies:

Stamps: fresh fruit, paper trey

Ink: almost apricot, certainly celery, close to cocoa

Paper: close to cocoa, whisper white

Accessories: marvy circle and scalloped circle punches, word window punch, slot punch,

apricot ribbon from stampin' up

On our way home

2007-08-23T20:13:00.000-06:00

Well, Matt and I are packing up right now and getting ready to start making our way back from
Colorado to Nebraska and then Minnesota. We have had a great time but we will be glad to get home too. We have had 6 great days of site-seeing, eating, and hanging out here in Estes Park, Boulder and Denver. We have seen our share of wildlife and mountains, that is for sure.

Just wanted to update to let everyone know we are alive and well and will be home soon!!

M

Me? The featured stamper? Are YOU sure?

2007-08-19T16:02:00.000-06:00

Matt and I are having a great time on our vacation in the mountains. We decided that today would be our day to do absolutely nothing. We got some groceries yesterday so we didn't even have to go get coffee.

So, I lazily turn on the computer and log on to the wireless account and go to my blog to do an update. I had an unusually high number of comments so I went to read them and I found out that I had been selected as the featured stamper on splitcoast stampers! I couldn't believe it! I wish I was home so I could have beefed up my humble gallery. Had I known that everyone would be looking at it! Sheesh!

Well, I am honored and oh so thrilled! Thanks for picking me, Beth!

We made it!

2007-08-17T21:46:00.000-06:00

Well, we just got into our suite at the Wildwood Inn in Estes Park, Colorado. This place is gorgeous. The view of the mountains off our balcony is beautiful! We were shocked at how much activity there is going on in this tourist town. I don't think we realized that it had half as much going on as it does. Although, we like our room so much we are wondering why exactly anyone would want to leave? Lol! I like having wireless access so I can stay connected to our world, but yet be in such a beautiful place.

I went to college at the University of Northern Colorado my Freshman year of college in Greeley, Colorado. I only went there for one year as I transferred to a school closer to home, but it was quite the experience while it lasted. Greeley happened to be on our way here so we stopped by and checked out my old dorm. We even got to go in. That was sooooooooooo fun! We even stopped by the old coffee shop I used to go to where I had my first Iced Mocha fourteen years ago! I had to have one. It is called Margie's Java Joint. It was exactly the same! No one was there but school starts in a week so I think we will go through on the way home and check out the University Center and pick up a sweatshirt or something.

Well, we will keep you all posted during the week and give a report of the different things we find to keep ourselves out of trouble! Have a great weekend!

Our Wedding Day

2007-08-12T10:51:00.001-06:00

Since our 6th wedding anniversary is coming around the corner and we will be on vacation at that time I thought I would post a picture from our wedding day and tell a little bit about it. We decided to quasi-elope for our wedding. We got married on the beach in Lake Tahoe and what a great decision that was! We had eleven guests and most of our guests stayed with us in a house there. We had a great time making meals together and getting the wedding preparations done together. The only snafu was that I broke my toe the morning of the ceremony but it didn't interrupt the fun too much. We had our reception on a dinner boat. That was as great time too!

There was very little stress involved in getting married on the beach with eleven guests. Another great decision I made was marrying Matt! He is really the best partner I could ask for! Here's to another six great years!

Garden Silhouettes

2007-08-10T14:59:00.000-06:00

Well, I am certainly glad it is Friday, that is for sure! I have been trying to get my mojo restarted this afternoon. I haven't had as much motivation to get in my stamp room lately. I have so many new toys from the new catalog to play with so I thought I had better get busy.

On the house front, the decorating is really coming along. The painting is officially done. The furniture should arrive in early September! I can't wait! Matt and I are also getting ready to go on our vacation next week. We are going to be gone for a week and a half and will be staying in Colorado in the mountains together for a week. We always try to spend a week alone together every year. We choose this week because it is Matt's birthday and our wedding anniversary. We will be celebrating our 6th year of marriage on August 25th! The time has flown!

Well, back to stamping! The supplies I used for these cards are as follows:

Card #1
Stamps: Garden Silhouettes
Paper: river rock, mellow moss, whisper white
Accessories: hodgepodge hardware kit, tab punch, mellow moss grosgrain ribbon
Ink: river rock, mellow moss

Card #2

Stamps: Garden Silhouettes

Paper: Uptown dp, so saffron, whisper white

Ink: wild wasabi, almost amethyst marker, basic black

Accessories: wild wasabi double stitched ribbon, aquapainter, hodgepodge hardware brads

The best book ever!

2007-08-08T21:47:00.000-06:00

I have had this book on my blog for a while, but I decided I needed to actually make a blog entry devoted specifically to it. This book has been now recommended to me three times and it was not until the third time that I decided to actually read it. This book is AMAZING! Anyone who is married or in a long-term relationship MUST READ THIS BOOK! REALLY! I am a relationship sort of person. I am studying to be a therapist so these books are right up my ally, but people in my life who are not like me and not necessarily into this sort of thing have found this book to be life-changing so you really must read it!

2nd swap card

2007-08-07T14:54:00.000-06:00

This is the second card I made for the demonstrator swap I participate in. The new papers from Stampin' up are right up my alley! They are just the kind of colors that I like! This set is a hostess set. I am having alot of fun collecting the new hostess sets this year.

It has been nice to have some time off this summer to be able to spend some time relaxing on my deck and/or in my new and improved stamp room! I still need to post pictures of my stamping space!

Materials:

Stamps: sidekick sayings

Ink: almost amethyst, wild wasabi, so saffron markers

Paper: almost amethyst, uptown dp

Assessories: wild wasabi ribbon, earth elements brads

Swap cards

2007-08-07T13:04:00.000-06:00

I must first start by apologising for the neglect my blog has been getting recently. I am not quite sure what has been keeping me so busy. I had a swap to prepare for and my mom came and we redid the deck so that distracted me a bit as well. But, all in all, the summer is flying by as it normally does here in good old Minnesota.

I am posting a picture of my recent swaps. It was a new catalog swap so I was to use stamps, ribbons, and papers that were new in July. That wasn't too hard to do as the new stuff is absolutely fabulous! I am loving the papers and ribbons the most.

This card is using the following supplies:

Stamps: boatloads of love and loads of love accessories

Paper: cutie pie dp, rose red, watercolor paper, whisper white, and wild wasabi

Accessories: wild wasabi double stitched ribbon, soft subtles brads, scallop circle punch and

aquapainter, circle punch

Ink: purely pomegranate, bashful blue, almost apricot, wild wasabi, basic black

My First Official Splitcoast RAK

2007-07-27T07:19:00.000-06:00

I officially joined the RAK (random act of kindness) club on Splitcoast Stampers recently. I never understood when everyone was posting RAK cards. It is a group you can join that gives you addresses of other stampers who frequent Splitcoast. Then you can send each other cards. It was such a great suprise to get this beautiful card in the mail from CMF1214! Isn't it cute?

Uptown

2007-07-27T06:59:00.000-06:00

I have been doing a little more stamping this week. Matt has been out of town so I have had some time on my hands. My mom is staying with me while he is gone to keep me company. I have been noticing that since school has been out I have been stamping less? How is that possible? I have, however, been having a TON of fun playing with the new catalog stamps, papers, and ribbons!

This is a card I made on my way to making some swap cards. It is a new catalog swap. I like swaps because it pushes me to come up with original designs and helps me get a variety of different styles of cards for my customers to look at. If it were up to me I would make flower cards pretty much all the time! This card is no exception!

Supplies:

Paper: SU Uptown dp, almost amethyst, whisper white

Stamps: Sidekick Sayings hostess set from SU

Ribbon: apricot appeal, wild wasabi double stitched ribbon

Ink: wild wasabi classic ink, so saffron marker, almost amethyst marker

More cards

2007-07-25T14:33:00.001-06:00

Special Delivery Boy

2007-07-25T13:45:00.000-06:00

So, I felt like I was making far too many girl baby cards so I ordered the Special Delivery: Boy simply scrappin' kit. They are colors I would have never put together, but I really like them.

I also got a new box thingy to take pictures of my cards with and this is the first card I am posting with this new tool. I don't know what to think of it. **Update* I decided I didn't like the photo box thing any better than the photos I have been taking myself at home.

The kit goes on

2007-07-20T21:53:00.000-06:00

So I am still playing with this Special Delivery kit. It is good to use when you don't feel very creative and want to play, but don't feel like really digging into alot of tools and stuff. It has been sitting on my desk in the craft room and I just play with it here and there. I ordered the baby boy kit and also the kit that has the western theme to it. I can't wait for the order to come on Tuesday!

I had my second class on Tuesday night. My friend, Cheri hostessed for me and we sure had a full house. It was alot of fun and we got alot of crafting done. I can't wait to do another one. It seems to be addictive to share this great love for stamping I have. My husband has reminded me that I am supposed to be resting for the summer and relaxing while school is out, so I will try to focus on that for the next couple of weeks.

Here is my latest Special Delivery creation and for anyone who doesn't have this kit yet you better add it to the list. You won't be disappointed, I swear!

I won blog treats: sort of................

2007-07-20T21:38:00.000-06:00

One day one of my blog readers emailed me and asked the name of a book that was on my blog, but had been taken off. I emailed her back and told her that I was done with the book and that I would send her the book. Since then I have exchanged emails with her and yesterday she sent me a package very much resembling blog candy! It was so sweet! Her name is Shannon and she lives in Texas with TRIPLETS and another child and her husband. She is very busy! I am posting her cards that she sent because they are sooooooooo cute! She doesn't have a blog and I told her that she should because her cards are really really cute! In my package she sent a book, some brads, a pen that she somehow stamped on, a candle, ribbon, chocolate, and the list goes on and on...........Thanks so much Shannon! These are the first cards I have ever received from a blog friend so this has been sooooooooooooooooo much fun for me!!!!!

More Special Delivery

2007-07-14T16:45:00.000-06:00

I should probably pace myself with this kit so I don't get burned out, but that is not the way I roll! That is for sure. I am just having so much fun! I think the best thing about the "in" colors is to see how they mix with the current colors. It really revitalizes what you already have at minimum expense!

I am really happy right now because my husband has completed hanging my new shelving and ribbon holder. He is now hanging up my stamp pad racks and such. I am going to be in 7th heaven in the stamp room. I have really tackled the organization of the room this summer and it has been worth the effort. Everything is much easier to grab and less trips back and forth to the closet. I will post pictures when it is more presentable!

We will be going to our city's block party tonight and seeing Sister Hazel. Remember them? I was a big fan in the nineties!

I will be fun to get out with our friends and enjoy a few cocktails. Tomorrow I will have to do some cleaning around the house. I have put it off for long enough!

Special Delivery

2007-07-14T11:19:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! Today is a beautiful sunny day in Minnesota. This is the first Saturday I haven't had something to do in a very long time. I actually got up and stamped for fun this morning. I haven't done that in a while either. I got a new package from Stampin' up last night and I couldn't wait to tear into it!

Today's cards are from the new Special Delivery Girl Simply Scrappin' Kit. I know I have raved on and on about these kits before but this is my ALL-TIME FAVORITE! I absolutely love these colors. The colors are almost apricot, groovy guava, certainly celery, and mellow moss. These colors are very very very yummy together and I can assure you all that you will be seeing more cards with this color combo. It is right up my alley. Matt is again working on my new shelving system for my stamp room this morning. What more could I girl ask for? The first card I made was the more simple card. I showed it to Matt and asked him if he liked it and he said, "yes, less is more." Sometimes I like to make "less is more cards". This is an example of one of them.

I got something else in my package last night that is really really really cool. It is the stampamajig. I had read someone's blog a few weeks ago and she said, "what did I do before the stampamajig?" Well, I didn't even really know what this thing was so I figured I had better try it out. Well, come to find out it is a stamp positioning system that helps insure you get the stamped image where you want it. This is an excellent product for all of us more anal stampers out there. That certainly applies to me. It costs 11.95, but I think this will end up paying for itself many times over because of all the paper you would save trying to get the stamp in the right place. I am just tickled with it. Well, I don't know too much more today. I hope you all have a fun and relaxing Saturday! Thanks for stopping by!

I got tagged!

2007-07-12T16:41:00.001-06:00

I got tagged twice by two different bloggers and I was just thrilled. I haven't had time to post my responses to 7 random things about myself. I was tagged by Lynda Benden at Stampact and also by Ida. I am having some technical difficulties with my blog lately and I am not sure of the name of Ida's blog right now. Drop me a note, Ida, if you can. I am having trouble viewing my comments and it is making me CRAZY! If anyone knows how to deal with this problem PLEASE HELP the technologically challenged.

Okay, back to being TAGGED! Seven random things about me, hmmmmmmmmm.................this could be scary!

1) I went back to school at the age of 29 to pursue my dream of becoming a therapist for individuals and families dealing with emotional and mental health challenges. I am half way
through and so excited to finish school and move on to working at this job I am so excited to do.

2) I grew up in South Dakota and moved away to go to college when I was eighteen. After college hopping for a few years I ended up at Arizona State University where I got my undergrad degree and also met my husband there shortly after I graduated from school. He grew up only about 2.5 hours from where I grew up and we found each other hundreds of miles from where we grew up! After dating for a year or so we moved back to the Midwest together to get back to our roots and have been in Minnesota ever since!

3). I love coffee!!!!!! Always have and probably always will!

4). As is evidenced by this lengthy post, I have the gift of gab! I have rarely met anyone who can go toe to toe with me on this gift. I can out talk just about anyone. This gift began showing itself when I was ten months old and it never stopped!

5). I also love to read as some of you may be able to tell by the books I post on my blog. I started a book club in my home town a couple of years ago.

6) I have never been tagged before now!

7) Before a couple of months ago and I had always cased cards I found on Splitcoast and NEVER designed my own. I was totally intimidated! On a whim I decided to start a blog and figured I had better get over my fear of designing real quick if the blog was going to work out. Now I have started leading classes to share my love of stamping!

Checkin' in

2007-07-12T16:33:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! Yes, I am alive and well. It certainly doesn't seem so accord to my blog, but I have been a busy busy girl. I had my first Stampin' up class on Tuesday evening. I offered my friends a chance to make 8 cards I designed. I had a very good turnout and really enjoyed it. I now am giving the same class next week because we couldn't fit everyone in on the same night!
So, my efforts have been going into my prep. for the classes rather than blogging! I have the next three days off so I am planning on doing some stamping for fun in addition to my class preparations. I hope you are all doing well and check back soon to see what I come up with!
Happy stamping!

My last class design

2007-07-04T13:59:00.000-06:00

This is the last design that I am using for my class coming up in the next couple of weeks.

I am not quite sure of it. I think it might need some different ribbon or something. I have endedup liking these animal stamps after all. They are fun for kid and baby cards, I think.

DH and I are home today because we are visiting family last weekend and this weekend this year. DH had alot going on at work this year so we couldn't actually travel today, but it is nice to just be home. He is building me an organizational system for the ever evolving craft room right now as we speak! I am pretty excited. I need places to put everything I have and will be ordering from the new catalog!

Supplies:

Stamps: Zoofari, It's Your Birthday

Paper: Petals and Paisleys, whisper white, tempting turquoise, water color paper

Ink: choc. chip, so saffron, old olive, tempting turquoise

Assessories: circle punches, temping turquoise grosgrain ribbon, aquapaper

3rd class design

2007-07-03T12:51:00.000-06:00

Well, I am home this week and I am supposed to be stamping away, but for some reason I don't seem to be able to get much done. I did pull this card together this morning for the class I am having next week. I am excited to be able to share the new catalog with my friends. There are so many cool new things! This is one of my all time favorite sets. I just love lilacs!

I started with an eggplant square card and stamped pale plum, and eggplant and celery lilacs from the Blossoms Abound set. Then I stamped the happiness with basic black with Warm Words. I used celery ribbon (retired) and eggplant again for the strip across the card. The verse stamp is from Its Your Birthday. I love square cards and I hope the class attendees will like this one too!

Sorry I have been so remiss about posting. There has been much chaos with some redecorating and some summer traveling plans so I haven't stamped as much as I would like. We are going to visit Matt's family this weekend in Omaha. We are excited to see the family and Matt's gorgeous baby niece, Syndey! She is going to be two so she really isn't a baby, but to us she is.

Happy Fourth all!!

Guess what I got?

2007-06-28T20:21:00.000-06:00

I got a nice little box on my front step today. Yes, it was my box of NEW STAMPIN' UP catalogs! Woo hoo! I am so excited! I cannot believe all the new YUMMY stuff in there. OH MY GOSH! I am thinking I will need to take out a second mortgage to get even half of my already growing wish list! The simply scrappin' kits and new papers are amazing! Wow! The new ribbon selection is fantastic as well! I really like the way the stamping world is trending this year. I was afraid it would be all doodle line stuff which I don't care for myself, but NO! So much cool stuff.

Sorry I haven't had much stamping this week. My stamp room has been under construction so
I have not felt like getting in there, but it is slowing making its way back to normal so I will be getting in there to prepare for my first stamping class! Well, I have the week off next week so I should get time to play play play!

What do you think of the new look?

2007-06-22T21:51:00.000-06:00

Well, Beth Silaika at Freckled fun designs designed me another banner! I want to know what you think of the new look? Leave me a comment if you feel like it! I love color as I am sure you all know by now! I also love flowers so I wanted some flowers incorporated in it as well. I know nothing about how to do all that stuff, so thankfully Beth does! Check out her blog if you want one of your own!

Fall & Winter Preview Swap #2

2007-06-22T15:52:00.000-06:00

Well, after literally toiling in my stamp room for like four or five hours, this is what I finally ended up with for this Pick a Petal set. I am not a fan of this set I have decided. It was a bit hard to work with. I do, however, really enjoy the new color palette. I will be whipping about 11 more of these cards into shape before Sunday night which is when I have my demo meeting. We will swap at that time.

Well (ever noticed that I start everthing with well?) this summer we are undergoing alot of changes in our home. The painting started this week in my craft room so it is totally torn up right now with stuff EVERYWHERE! I am sure all of the mad stampers out here can understand what it would be like if your whole stash had to stashed somewhere else in your house. What a mess! But, well worth it I hope. After the painting I will talk my husband into hanging some new shelves I got for in front of my desk. That will help with getting more of my supplies in arms reach. I have never seen a hobby that is more supply intensive.

Last day of school tomorrow! Can I hear a big WOO-HOO for that? I will be consuming a fair

amount of adult beverages tomorrow night, that is fo-shoo! But, don't worry, it will not get out of hand. I am too old for that. I am also looking forward to reconnecting with all of my dear friends and family that I have lost touch with over this last year that my nose has been buried in books.

Supplies:Stamps: pick a petal, bodacious bouquet

Paper: soft sky, rose red, palette o prints, wasabi

Ink: rose red, wasabi, basic black

Accessories: pale pastel brads, ticket corner punch

Fall & Winter Preview Swap

2007-06-18T19:39:00.000-06:00

Well, I am happy to report that my mojo somehow founds it way home today! I am doing a swap with my upline's downline (is that the right way to say it?) and I haven't been able to get myself moving to do it, but today was the day. I am someone who has to work very hard and creating. The ideas don't seem to just come to me. Maybe it is that way for everyone, I'm not sure. But, for me, that whole card staring me in the face is alot of pressure. It is getting easier, though.

My husband, who sees every card I make, thinks this card is my best one ever. I don't know about that, but I like it. It is also hard to only use stampin' up stuff. Sometimes I have the perfect brad that would match a card for a swap or class, but it isn't stampin' up so I don't feel I can use it. But, this card is made with almost exclusively new catalog preview stuff. I don't know how good the photo is. I was havnig trouble with it indoors today so I thought I would try it outside.

Supplies:
Stamps: barouque motif
Paper: solt sky, purely pomegranate, whisper white
Ink: groovy guava, purely pomegranate, soft sky, basic black
Accessories: stampin' up brads

This is a very simple design that I think would work great for a class. I am having one soon and I think I will use this design for that as well as the swap. Have a great day and I will be posting more soon! I am sure I will do the Tuesday challenge on Splitcoast tomorrow so I will post that when I get it done! Should be fun!

Where'd my mojo go?

2007-06-17T22:02:00.000-06:00

It is the strangest thing: All I have been waiting for is for the schoolwork to pass so could could
stamp until my heart is content, but now that the work is done I seem to have a mental block. I don't get it! I have all these new toys from the preview order and then others I have been rchasing to play with, but there they sit, all by themselves, wishing someone would take them out to play.

I have a swap I need to make two designs for and I think I get intimidated when I have to do that. It is silly, really. I also have a class coming up that I need to prepare for and I am nervous for that too. It could be those things blocking me or it could be simply no knowing to do without this enormous weight temporarily off my shoulders.

I am also planning on overhauling the stamp room this summer. I am getting some special cabinets for stamp storage and painting and hanging shelves. That will be a project I will work on all summer. Another possible reason for the block is that my stamp room is a total mess and I am starting to run out of places to put things. Makes me feel scattered. Anyway, any suggestions for ways to get back my mojo would be greatly appreciated!

School's out for summer!

2007-06-16T22:37:00.000-06:00

Well, for all the hassle that school is, there are a few bright spots in it all! One very bright spot is summer break! While mine does not officially start for another week, I have, for the most part, finished my school work early and I am offically getting back into stamping mode!

I have been totally neglecting my blog and the Splitcoast challenges because I had so many papers and presentations to prepare for. Now that that is over, I am gearing up to be a stamping maniac this summer! Yes, daily challenges, my first 10/10/10 class, and a swap here and there will keep me occupied!

I am going to post this card I made a while back but for some reason it didn't make it to my blog. I haven't made much progress in playing with the new toys yet. I have been a little obsessed with figuring out the ins and outs of the gamsol and prismacolored pencils in any spare time I have had. That will soon change as tomorrow I will tidy up the stamp room and get at it!

A Day at the Beach

2007-06-10T19:50:00.000-06:00

Well, this card has been a complete joy to make! I got this little penguin from Inky Antics because I wanted some stamps that I could go crazy with gamsol and the colored pencils. I think this little guy is just about the most precious thing I can hardly stand it! This card was inspired by a card done by Kristen Dubosque that she posted on her blog, Confessions of a Naptime Stamper. She has some really great cards on her blog, but I fell in love this one in particular and, of course, had to have the stamp! Sound familiar? We are all a bunch of enablers, aren't we! Its terrible!

I would have loved to have spent today at the beach, but no such luck. I was inside for the weekend working on yet another paper. I did get it, for the most part, finished so I am in pretty good spirits! The tri-mester is coming to an end soon. I have decided not to take the summer class I was planning on taking as I could use a break from it all. I will really be looking forward to some much need stamping time.

There is a pretty important box coming to my house tomorrow afternoon. I can hardly stand the wait any longer. I have seen everyone using their new colors and I want to too. I am also looking forward to the Baroque Motif set. I actually ended up submitting an order without that set and then ordered that set all by itself the next day. I could have kicked myself for the money in shipping I wasted, but what is a girl to do? When you need your baroque motif you need your baroque motif!

Well, enough of my endless chatter! Hope you like the card!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Penguin is from inky antics, riveted by Stampin' up
Paper: taken with teal, real red, only orange, whisper white
Ink: real red, chocolate chip
Accessories: cuttlebug embossing folder, prismacolored pencils, gamsol and blending stump
bold brights brads

Quick bunny post

2007-06-08T07:33:00.000-06:00

I only have a second this am because I have to get to work, but I made this card last night and I really wanted to post it. I got this bunny stamp at Hobby Lobby for their half price sale. I just love the stamp. Something about a bunny in a bubble bath just kills me! I used paper from paper salon, gamsol, prismacolored pencils, blending stump, and the rest of pretty self-explanatory. Have a great day everyone!

Trimming the fat blog candy give-away!!!!!

2007-06-06T14:22:00.000-06:00

Okay girls, one little known fact about me is that I HATE WASTE! It makes me crazy! I can't stand to have stuff in my craft room that I am not using. I have been buying alot of designer paper lately and have been having a ball with it, but I never use all of what I buy. So, I have been cutting my designer paper 12x12 papers into little 6x6 pieces because then I have less scraps, I think. Anyway, all of these papers are trendy and hot right now and I don't want them to rot here in my stamp room when one of you could be getting some good use out it.

I have everything here, basic grey, magnolia, American crafts, memory box, you name it and I have it right now. So, I am going to keep half of them and give half of them to one of you who leaves a comment on my blog. You can comment on anything you want: what you are going to do this summer or what your favorite stamping toy is. Doesn't matter to me. I will use my handy dandy random number selector program again and pick one of you out. Patti H. who won my last blog candy give away was just thrilled with her little package that I sent her. I was happy about that. All papers are current and in stores right now.

I have also been buying stamps from Inky Antics, stampendous, stampabilities lately and I will throw in some stamped paper with some of these images. I think that is a great way to try something out with no investment on your part. Good luck to you all. Check back at the end of the week and I will post the winner's name!

Up to no good!

2007-06-06T13:24:00.000-06:00

Well, girls, I have been up to no good today, I must admit. Okay, can you say, "Sale at Hobby Lobby?" Oh.....my.....gosh! They had 50% off all the stamps and paper and alot of embellishments this week. I was looking through the Splitcoast gallery last night and saw some of the really cute cards with those House Mouse stamps that seem to be catching on right now. I commented on a card and the artist of the card private messaged me and told me where she got it. So, I got to Hobby Lobby to see what they had and I found the CUTEST bunny stamps and some paper that I have had my eye on lately. The problem is, I don't seem to have time to use all this stuff I keep accumulating lately!

I normally take digital pictures of my cards, but today I took a scan of this card to see if you could see it better than you could the digital photo. This stamp is so cute I really wanted you to be able to see it up close. I am not too happy with this card, but the stamp is to die for! They are little bunny bees! Can you stand it? Bunnies and bees at the same time. Could it get any cuter? I am thinking my card did not do the stamp any justice so maybe I should keep playing, but I really need to get some work done today so the day isn't a total loss as far as productivity goes.

Tuesday color challenge

2007-06-05T15:28:00.001-06:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! What a gorgeous day it is here today! It is about 70 degrees and sunny! I am definitely out of my funk! I worked today until one and then came home to work on the color challenge of the day. I also met with our decorators and we are very very very very close to ordering everything. Then we will have to wait for three months for it to come. I will post before and after pictures. We have been working on this since January! It will be nice to get it done and I am sure this will not be the last you will hear about it since I am not a good waiter!

I am off work on Wednesday as I am every week and will be spending a part of my day interviewing a friend of mine for a paper I need to do for school. I will be very glad when this class is over because it is out of my area of interest. Although I complain about school alot I do enjoy learning and taking on a new career. Sometimes the load gets heavy with multiple projects due at the same time, but no heavier than my load would be if I had kids. I know that job is very hard as well. I have the weekend off so that will give me a good chance to get some work done and hopefully doing some stamping!

This card actually turned out okay even though I didn't know what to think about the color combination. I feel that way every week and then when I am done I usually like it! It is good to get me out of my color box, that is for sure! The way I did my sentiment was an idea from Nichole Heady's Blog.

Supplies:
Paper: ruby red, elegant eggplant, whisper white
Ink: elegant eggplant, certainly celery, ruby red
Stamps: blossoms abound, best blossoms, Papertrey Ink Green Thumb
Accessories: earth elements brads, eggplant grosgrain ribbon, key tag punch, ruby red and celery markers, ticket corner punch

Sunday Challenge

2007-06-03T17:32:00.000-06:00

Hello there everyone! I am pretty lazy today and seem to have lost my stampin' mojo! I don't know quite where it went. I was totally on fire earlier this week with my last card. But this one just didn't come together and I didn't have it in me to keep working on it until I liked it. So, I just decided that I was going to post it anyway.

This card is for the featured stamper challenge. I basically cased everything accept for the papers, colors, and main image. You can check out the beautiful card I cased from Tosha in Splitcoast Stampers here.

I had school yesterday and Matt came with me and stayed over night with me which made me very happy. It is always nice not to have to drive there and stay over by myself. I think I am in a funk because of all I have yet to do before the semester ends in three weeks. I was really looking forward to the end of the semester because that meant a ten week break for me. But, last week I got the bad news that I have to take a summer class for three weeks right in the middle of the summer. I will have to start studying for it right away because of the ridiculous amount of material covered in three weeks. So, looks like summer will officially start at the beginning on August. ug!

The supplies I used for this card are as follows:
Stamps: bodacious bouquet from stampin' up
Paper: basic black, whisper white, designer paper from American Crafts
Ink: old olive, ruby red, summer sun
Accessories: black brads from Michael's, square punches, round corner punch

Wednesday Sketch Challenge!

2007-05-30T15:38:00.000-06:00

Oh how I love Wednesdays! I just love doing the sketch challenge in Splitcoast Stampers! The routine of it is all so fun! Everyone makes the same card, posts it, and then comments on everyone else's cards. I just love the comments I get and the fact that I can comment on others' cards. It is just such a great community! Well, if that didn't convince you all to become stampers I don't know what will!

We are counting down only days until demonstrators can pre-order from the new Stampin' up catalog. I am most excited about the new colors and the new stamp sets! Friday is the day to order. I already have my list ready! CAN'T WAIT for that box to come in the mail. The fedex man has become a very important person in my life! Don't worry, Matt isn't concerned! :) He's pretty sure that if someone stole me away from him they would bring me back because I am too expensive!

I have to get myself back in the mindset to go back to work tomorrow. All good things must come to an end, right? Actually, I am looking forward to the routine of my life. I like my job and my co-workers so it is not too tough to convince myself to go.

Well, back to stamping! The supplies I used with this card are:

Stamps: My Favorite Things, Papertrey, Ink, Printed Pattern from Stampin' up

Ink: black pallete ink

Accessories: copic markers, white grosgrain ribbon from SU, brads from local store, cuttlebug and an A-2 embossing folder

Paper: orchid opulence, lovely lilac, whisper white

I tagged me!

2007-05-29T21:07:00.000-06:00

I tagged myself because I never have played any of the tag games. The object of this game is to answer the questions with one word answers.
You can only type one word. No explanations…
Yourself: Reflective
Your Partner: sweet
Your Hair: curly
Your Mother: cheerful
Your Father: industrious
Your Favorite Item: laptop
Your Dream Last Night: None
Your Favorite Drink: latte
Your Dream Car: mini
Dream Home: city
The Room You Are In: Living
Your Fear: conflict
Where You Want to be in Ten Years: therapy
Who You Hung Out With Last Night: sweetie
You’re Not: quiet
One of Your Wish List Items: Paris
The Last Thing You Did: sneeze
You Are Wearing: Sweats
Your Favorite Weather: fall
Your Favorite Book: Evanovich
Last Thing You Ate: danish
Your Life: blessed
Your Mood: content
Your Best Friend: Matt
What Are You Thinking About Right Now: homework
Your Car: mini
What Are You Doing At The Moment: talking
Relationship Status: Married
What Is On Your TV: Oblivion
What Is The Weather Like: dark

Tuesday color challenge

2007-05-29T18:57:00.000-06:00

Well, I am just about the biggest dork ever. I was out all day today so didn't get the chance to do my card for the color challenge until this evening. I had checked out the challenge this morning and then went out for the day. So after I uploaded my card and I sat down to see everyone else's cards. I thought to myself, "hmmmmmmmmmmmm.......why is everyone else's cards a different color green than mine?" Then I thought, "duh........everyone else's color IS different than yours!" I feel badly because it was a particularly difficult color combo to work with so I feel like I cheated. I really don't have time to do another one tonight or I would. I am normally anal about following all the rules in the challenges!

Supplies for this card:

Paper: glorious green, stampin' up dp spring flowers

Ink: black palette ink

Stamps: bees from stampendous, Papertrey, Ink

Accessories: brads from scrapbook store, mega giga scalloped square punch, chocolat ribbon

from Stampin' up, scalloped scissors

Blog Candy Winner: Patty H.

2007-05-28T18:59:00.000-06:00

Well, girls, you are serious about your blog candy, aren't you? I had so many fun responses and had so much reading them! I will have to do blog candy again soon. What a fun experience! My husband (the math genius) put together a random number selector on my computer so I used that program to select a commenter randomly for the blog candy winner.

The winner is Patty H! I tried to track you back from your comment, Patty, but was unable to so shoot me a comment or an email at Melissawohlers@charter.net to claim your prize. I will also throw in one of my handmade cards! I hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend and for you Canadians, I hope you had a nice weekend. I learned that in Canada they have a holiday similar to Memorial Day in the US, but it is a week earlier. It is called Victoria Day. How interesting! Thanks all for playing and hopefully you will check back again for my next blog candy give away!

Featured Stamper Challenge!

2007-05-26T22:33:00.000-06:00

Well, normally I wake up on Sunday morning and do the Sunday Challenge, as we so affectionately call it in the Wohler's household, but tonight, I couldn't wait. I know, get a life, right? I took a much needed break from a difficult paper I am working on and used some of the new toys I got this week! I bought the die cut and the matching paper this week having a feeling a day would come when it would come in handy. Well, girls, that day came soon than later. This was the perfect combo for the card I chose to case from KED's gallery on Splitcoast.

I used bashful blue from Stampin' up, bow and brads from Michael's, and the rest is from the Magnolia collection. I did not stamp the main flower. It came like that. Nice, huh? This one was easy easy easy. I am thinking I will do another card tomorrow on another break from writing.

This is my most favovite challenge of the whole week.

BLOG CANDY!!!!

2007-05-24T14:20:00.000-06:00

Well, I reached 4,000 hits yesterday so I think it is time to give away a little blog candy. I was at the local scrapbooking store this morning and they were running a little special. I you bought a few things from American Crafts, you got a gift with purchase. I thought this would make an excellent blog candy give away. I will send you the things I bought as well as the free gift if you leave a comment on this blog entry!

I will be pick a winner on Monday so make sure to leave a comment by then! In your comment tell me what your favorite thing to do on Memorial Day weekend is! There are a few ribbon spools, brads, buttons, some chipboard die cuts, some rub-ons, a special pen (not quite sure what it does but look pretty!) Also, not in the picture is a set of chipboard letters that would be fun for scrapbooking or cardmaking!

Good luck to you all!

Patchwork planet

2007-05-23T19:58:00.000-06:00

This is a card I made for the sketch challenge on Splitcoast Stampers. I made a card similar to this one last week, but it fit the sketch challenge so well that I thought it deserved another go. I had this patchwork idea going around in my head these last couple of days ever since I sewed on my card last week. I think what would be really fun would be to make a quilt block on a card. I never got too much into quilting, but I know someone who could probably help me with that. (You know who you are!)

This card is very straight forward: I used a square punch to punch out the squares, then taped them to the cardstock, sewed it on zig zag stitch with the sewing machine, and the stamped and colored my image. I used regular stampin' up markers for the coloring. The brads and paper are all from Stampin' up as well. Most of the paper comes from the Stampin' up 6 x 6 sampler pad, which I thought was perfect for a project like this one.

Well, everyone, have a great Thursday. I have the day off tomorrow so don't be surprised to see more cards posted!

My Favorite Day

2007-05-20T20:27:00.000-06:00

Hello all! I came home last night from school and Matt had cleaned out the whole garage and put up a new shelving system. He also cleaned the house and did laundry. After a long weekend at school that was the best thing ever! I can't tell you how much it helps take the load off! So, today, I woke up, made us french toast and stamped on and off throughout the day. I did have phone calls from just about everyone I know for, for some reason, all on the same day. So, I chatted and stamped the day away.

I participated in the Sunday challenge today and I also did some stamping just for me. I got my new bella stamps in the mail so I have been dying to rip into them. I had some fun after I figured out how to mount them. That threw me for a loop. I had never heard of using double sided tape to mount stamps. I think I will get some of the ez mount to attack to them. I think I will like that better than the double sided tape.

My first card is a case from Kyla Maestas's gallery on Splitcoast. She is amazing. She has been one of my favorites for quite a while so I was excited to hear that she was the next featured stamper.

Supplies:

stamps: bella from stampingbella

paper: basic grey perhaps, old olive, bravo burgundy

ink: pallete hybrid black

accessories: joann's green ric rac, su cranberry crisp ribbon, earth elements brads, paper piercing tool

Bella #2
So, this was my second bella attempt. I didn't make it for a challenge but just for my own fun. I'm a little lukewarm on this one, but that is normal for me. I was thinking I should make the brads holding the primas purple. I have never tried that but have heard it does work, but is time-consuming.

For this card I used:
Paper: whisper white, orchid opulence, SU print sampler, green galore
Ink: hybrid palette black ink
Accessories: pale pastel brads, prima flowers, round corner punch
prismacolor pencils, gamsol, stump, SU markers same as paper
Stamps: stamping bella, dotted background stamp from SU

Saturday

2007-05-19T10:46:00.000-06:00

Hello there out there everyone! I am in Minneapolis again this weekend for school killing a bit of time before I have to go to class. My computer comes in so handy sometimes. I can even blog at school! I have one class from 1pm-5pm today and then I will go home to spend the rest of the weekend with my sweetheart. We both so look forward to our Sundays at home together vegging out and doing nothing. Then it will be time for the Sunday challenge. Can't wait for that!

I did this card last Sunday for the Sunday Challenge but didn't post it to my blog. I thought it might come in handy some day when I didn't get a chance to blog. I used some new DP that I got from Ellen Hutson's online store. It is from memory box, I believe. I am not home so I can't look at the packaging. I also used SU ribbon and the Easter Blessings set also from Stampin' up. I also used my Marvy giga circle and scalloped circle punches. I believe the base paper is pretty in pink. Nothing too fancy. This is actually a case of one of Candy Williams' beautiful creations.

Wednesday Challenge

2007-05-17T17:59:00.000-06:00

Well, I am going to try this again. Do any of you bloggers out there ever get tired of not having alot of control over editing on the blogger program? Or, is there some trick I haven't figured out yet. I will edit it in blogger, but then when I publish it it looks nothing like how I formatted my post in edit mode. Drives me crazy!

Well, this is my Wednesday sketch challenge card. The sketch we were to use for the challenge was on the funky side so I didn't know quite what to think or even how to make it, but will a little faith I persevered and I like the results. This is my new paper from Basic Grey. I really like this particular piece. It is me! I had fun playing with it! I pulled these retired selabration stamps out too. If there ever is a case for saving old stamps after they retired this is it. Sometimes you need just the right stamp to go with a paper. So, I am going to have to rethink getting rid of retired sets, I think. That means, I will need a bigger stamp room, I think. Oh oh, my husband is not going to like this one.

Color Challenge 114 - The World Over

2007-05-15T21:12:00.000-06:00

Well, it is Tuesday evening and I decided to give myself the evening off from reading to do the Tuesday color challenge. For non-stampers, the Tuesday challenge is when they give you the colors to use and then you make a card with the chosen colors and post it on Splitcoast Stampers. I love this challenge and look forward to it all day.

I actually used the sewing machine on this card. I find that sewing with the zig zag is much easier than sewing straight on cards. So, zig zag it is! I am off tomorrow but have a busy day planned. I have a doctor's appointment, an appointment with the decorator's and a date with my close friend's 6-year-old. She is very crafty and wants to MAKE CARDS! I have to take her to church too, but I am thinking we can get some stamping in before that. I am so excited that she is very interested in crafts. I don't have kids of my own, so I live vicariously through my friends' kids.

Prismacolor marker update: I already got my new markers today in the fedex. I couldn't believe it since I ordered them like on Sunday I think. The big selling point was that they were supposed to not leave any brush strokes and when I tried mine they did leave brush strokes. I was also disappointed that the tip of the marker was huge. So, since they were so expensive, I decided I am going to return mine and stick to my Stampin' Up markers.

The supplies for this card are as follows:

Stamps: The World Over from Stampin' up

Paper: all the designer papers are from stampin' up as well as the

green galore, whisper white, and tempting turquoise CS

Ink : basic black and markers

Accessories: SU markers: tempting turquoise, green galore, rose red, almost apricot

apricot ribbon, earth elements brads, ticket corner punch

Amy's Sunday Sketch Challenge

2007-05-13T17:45:00.000-06:00

Since I hadn't had quite enough stamping after finishing the Featured Stamper Challenge today, I decided I do Amy Westerman's sketch challenge that she does every Sunday. She comes up with some really great sketches, then I make one and post it on my blog. (Just in case some of you non-stampers don't know what a sketch challenge is). So, I used my new paper I got from Ellen Hutson's online store. She has the fastest shipping ever. It is awesome!

Supplies:

Paper: very vanilla, rose romance (a blast from the past), memory boxco dp

Ink: rose romance

Stamps: riveting, and I'm here

Accessories: SU celery ribbon, SU circle punches, pale pastel brads,

slit punch, celery marker

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2007-05-13T13:51:00.000-06:00

Well, I am not a mom, but I have a mom! Hi mom! Hope you are having a good day! I couldn't post this card until today because I didn't want my mom to see it before today. It was for a color challenge on Splitcoast Stampers. The challenge was that you could only use pink. Of course, you could use white, black, or craft along with it. It was a challenge, but of course with my obsession with flowers I used it as an opportunity to pull out some flower sets that don't see the light of day too often.

I am sitting in my craft room today craftin' away. Matt went to visit his family in Omaha for the weekend and I stayed home. I had class on Friday night and Saturday afternoon so I couldn't go with him. He got to actually spend mother's day with his mom today so I am sure she enjoyed that. As you may have noticed I haven't done any stamping since last weekend. I had a big paper that took all of my attention this week. By the end of the week I was pretty crabby and ready to get in the stamp room.

I have been hemming and hawing over getting these new Prismacolor markers. They look SO nice when stampers use them on their cards. The give such a complete and seamless rich look. I am a very bad girl and ordered them online today! Naughty! I went to Michael's to compare with the online art store prices and they seemed much cheaper online, even with a Micheal's coupon which was not in the paper today :(

So, I caved in and ordered them online. I hope I like them and feel they are worth the splurge. I should be saving my pennies for the the new SU catalog comes out. I am getting excited to be able to pre-order some of the new toys! I have seen the colors and they are totally beautiful, trendy, and fun! I am also excited about the new bling they are coming out with! I haven't been able to find any good bling here in my hometown!

Supplies:

Paper: pretty in pink, regal rose, whisper white

Ink: pretty in pink, regal rose

Accessories: SU pale pastel buttons, round tab punch, glue dots

Stamps: heartfelt thanks, all year cheer

Amy's Sunday Sketch Challenge

2007-05-06T21:10:00.000-06:00

Well, I was visiting Amy Westerman's blog today and I saw that she does a Sunday sketch challenge where she posts her own sketch and then you can make your own card using her sketch and post it to your blog. Since I wasn't getting anywhere with studying (are you sensing a theme here) I thought I would try one.

Matt thought I shouldn't have made all the flowers the same colors. He said that photographers are taking pictures they try to find ways to break the pattern and that I had too much of a pattern. What do you think? I may make another one taking Matt's recommendations into considerations and post that and we can see if he knows what he is talking about! He is always so patient and looks at every single card I make and ooohs and ahhhhhs appropriately.

For this card I used:

Paper: Designer paper from Chatterbox, morning marigold, old olive

ink: morning marigold, bashful blue, cranberry crisp, pumpkin pie

Stamps: bodacious bouquet from Stampin' up

Ribbon: all from SU, pale pastels from SU, ticket corner punches

Sunday Featured Stamper's Challenge

2007-05-06T09:41:00.000-06:00

Happy Sunday! I love Sundays! Sunday is the only day of the week that Matt and I can spend together. We sometimes don't even get dressed. It is the best! We have both had a busy weekend. We both have big projects due this week that we are working furiously on. Why and I blogging if I am working so furiously on a project you might ask? Very good question, a question to which I do not have a good answer!

We went out to our new favorite restaurant, Prescott's last night with some friends and we had a great time. Matt was on a roll and had us all doubled over laughing the whole night! After three hours I think we all had stomachaches! It was really fun! Then when we got home I decided I couldn't very well study at that hour so why not get started on the Sunday Featured Stamper's challenge a little bit early?

This is the card I came up with, and I should mention that this card is cased from Sunday's featured stamper challenge on Splitcoast Stampers website. The card was originally done by Alli Miles and here is the card of hers that I cased: Alli's card

Supplies:

Stamps: SU Big Blooms, Dotted background, papertrey sentiment
Paper: SU choc. chip, sage shadow, almost amethyst
Ink: SU choc chip markers: same as paper
Assessories: marvy giga scalloped square punch, mega square punch
SU oval punch, SU ribbon

A New Trick

2007-05-04T23:26:00.000-06:00

I was over at my friend, Cheri's house the other night as I promised I would show her how the whole gamsol and a stump trick worked. She loves to color images so the technique was right up her alley. She we got to coloring and realized that we didn't really know how to purge the stump of one color before going on to another color. We also noticed that the smaller images were sort of hard to get at with the stump.

So, Cheri got the bright idea (I am probably the last one to figure this out) to use sandpaper to clean off the stump and to sharpen the stump to make the end more pointy so it can reach the smaller places on a stamped image.

This tricked worked really well and made coloring with gamsol alot easier. What other tricks are you all using to get at this problem? Leave a comment if you have any tricks to share with gamsol. I will hopefully be posting a card later in the weekend. I made two cards this week for Mother's Day, but can't post them because I don't want my mom or mother-in-law to see them!

Have a great weekend!

Sunday Slackin'

2007-04-29T20:32:00.000-06:00

I have spent the day doing, guess what????? Stamping! I have some reading I need to do for my book club meeting this coming Friday not to mention a 10 page paper I need to get going, and I vowed to get the house clean today. So, what do you think I did all day? I sat in my stamp room!

I did get catch up with my mom (Hi mom!) and my sister-in-law (Hi Kim!) on the phone, so that was good, but other than that I played the Featured Stamper challenge all day. I am very naughty. I had a really good time and the stamper they picked for the featured stamper was so amazing I just drooled over her gallery all day trying to decide on a card. I was in a bit of a slump today all around. I am not sure why. I think I was just tired out from the weekend of school and such.

For this card I used Big Blooms, and Edgy Eloquence for the stamps. Cameo coral, old olive, and
morning marigold for the paper and the same for ink. I used the ticket corner punch and dimensionals to pop out the flowers, of course, and I used earth elements brads and the word window punch. That was it. I was a fun one to make. I need to work on doing something besides flower cards one of these days. But, since I like flowers I guess I can make all flowers if I want.
I am just going to be pretty short-handed when father's day roles around one of these days!

Hope you all have a great week this week!

I could just scream!

2007-04-28T08:56:00.000-06:00

Well, I just had this whole blog done and ready to post, but I somehow clicked on the picture in the post and blogger asked me if I was sure I wanted to go there as I might lose my post, but do you think I listened? No, not so much! I lost my whole post! Has that ever happened to any of you? It is hard to type it all over again so I won't do the whole thing, but I will just give you the highlights.

I am in Minneapolis this morning as I have class here every other weekend. This semester I have to stay over night in hotel as I have class on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. So, here I am drinking my coffee and blogging! I can't think of much more that I would rather being doing! (except for being home with my husband, hi sweetie!).

So, this card I did for the SCS sketch challenge. I used my new paper I got in the mail this week from Stampin' up. I love it! Can't wait for new colors to come out. I was thinking I was going to be sad about the current colors leaving, which I am, but I forgot about how fun and energizing it will be to have the new ones. My upline, Kristin, saw them on her Stampin' up cruise and said they are awesome! I know, I am jealous too! I also used gamsol, prismacolored pencils, crystal effects, Papertrey sentiment, SU oval punches, SU ribbon, and the image is a selabration set from 2006 that never made it out of the package! What a shame, right?

Wednesday

2007-04-25T08:50:00.000-06:00

I am going to quick post a card I made last night. I went to SCS website to see what the weekly color challenge was going to be. One of the stampers on Splitcoast had the idea to make cards for some of the families who lost loved ones at Virginia Tech. Then we all mail them to a lady who knows some of the survivors and she will deliver them to the families. They picked VT colors for the color combo and everyone posted sympathy cards. I just thought this was a great idea especially for those of us who live far from there and may not know anyone affected. It is a great way to offer our thoughts and prayers to the families who are obviously hurting alot right now. Here is the card I made.

Supplies:

Paper

Designer paper from SU (bottom) and chatterbox on top

always artichoke paper, whisper white paper

Ink:

Markers: pumpkin pie, baroque burgundy, always artichoke

Classic ink: always artichoke

Accessories:

mustard ribbon, circle punches

More Flowers

2007-04-23T18:48:00.000-06:00

Today I am posting another card I made while playing around with the Just Delightful Simply Scrappin' Kit (I wish they would have made the name of the kits shorter so it wouldn't be so much to type), anyway I am having a great time with this kit. I also wish it would have had more flowers, but I guess I shouldn't complain so much.

I really didn't use anything else with this card other than pale pastel brads. I am getting anxious for the new catalog to come out and the new colors to be unveiled. I can't wait!

FS11

2007-04-22T19:33:00.000-06:00

We are back from Houston and I am back in my stamp room. I couldn't miss the Sunday night Featured Stamper challenge which is my favorite challenge of the week on SCS. I decided I would post a card and I would report on how the weekend went.

We stayed at the Hotel Derrek in Houston which was a very hip happenin' place that is on the busiest intersection in Houston. The location was great. It was close to some of the best shopping in the country. Which you know I loved, but Matt could have taken or leaven (if leaven is a word). We went to a couple of great restaurants. One restaurant was a very authentic Mexican restaurant and the other was a restaurant that featured very fresh Gulf Coast seafood. They were both great choices.

The conference, while run pretty poorly, ended up being very informative for us. There was an expert on Interstitial Cystitis from Colorado. He had an absolute wealth of information and knowledge on chronic pelvic pain disorders like I struggle with. The biggest thing I took from the conference was that I should find a different Urologist. I had assumed that since mine couldn't help me that no one could. I got the idea that if I went to see this guy or someone that he would recommend there may be more they could do for me. I am thankful that we went and think it was helpful in getting me unstuck from the place I have been stuck in for the last couple of years.

Here is the card I did for the challenge. I used the Bodacious Bouquet, Warmest Regards, and Riveting SU stamp sets. I used Cool Caribbean, Orchid Opulence, Certainly Celery, and Almost Apricot ink. I used the same colors of papers as I used inks. I used SU brads, light orchid ribbon,

SU circle punches, SU oval punch, ticket corner punch, dimensionals......and I think thats it.

Leaving Today

2007-04-20T14:10:00.000-06:00

Matt and I are leaving today to go to a pelvic pain conference in Houston.
It is quite a step for us in our attempt to understand this chronic bladder
condition that I have. We have decided we need to be more proactive in
our attempt to beat it. I am excited for what we may learn from the different
doctors who will be speaking.

Neither of us have been to Houston before, so it will also be fun to get out of
Minnesota and take in some Southern weather. It is supposed to be in the
70's and 80's there as far as temperature goes. That will be nice, although
it has been beautiful in Minnesota this week as well. We hope to take in
a concert or nice restaurant or two to add to the experience. I will be sure
to give a full report upon our return on Sunday evening! Have a great
weekend everyone!

Sketch challenge 120

2007-04-19T18:30:00.000-06:00

Wow! My first card in over a week! I have had a variety of things blocking my creativity. For those of you who read previous posts ' where I was obviously stamping instead of studying, you will be sad to know that all that caught up to me! I went to class last weekend and found out what happens when you are too distracted by stamping to REALLY read the syllabus.

I have spent the last week trying to catch up with all the reading I wasn't doing. Then, I got a cold and so was trying to catch up while not feeling the best. So, tonight, I decided, that I missed my stamp room and my blog and decided to use my simply scrappin' kit I have been dying to tear into. Can anyone else relate to how hard it is to use some of these pieces in the kits. This one in particular is retired and I know that I will never have one again. That is alot of pressure to put the things in the right place. Given that they are sticky you can only move them so many times before they start to look bent. Please someone tell me I am not the only crazy person who goes through this!

I was feeling especially sorry for myself when I saw how fun the sketch challenge looked this week! I really really really liked it and wanted to try it out. I am not too thrilled with my effort, but that is nothing new for me. I decided I would post it anyway. You are probably starting to sense a theme with my cards. Flowers, color, color, and flowers! That is about it for me. There isn't much I like more than some pastely colors and some flowers and if they can be pastely flowers I am REALLY happy. My husband will certainly attest to that. Our house is affectionately (I think) referred to as the Easter basket. We are in the process of redecorating and I will reluctantly let go of the pastels and flowers I have had for the last five years. It is time for some equity in our house and I have agreed to adopt a less Eastery color pallet. (Has anyone else who blogs ever wished blogger came with spell check?) I don't even know how to spell pallet.....well, according to Merriam-Webster (which I don't know how to spell either) it is really spelled palette.

Well, after all that babble I will finally post the card.

Neglecting my blog

2007-04-18T10:14:00.000-06:00

For those of you who may be checking my blog from time to time and see that I have not
updated in a while I am sorry that I have been neglecting my blog. My new semester in school has started and this semester I have two REAL classes. Before I had one real class and one sort of half class. It can really tell the difference in how much studying I have to do. So, I am actually being diciplined and doing what I need to do. I also got sick this week and have been trying to recover from a cold. We are going to Houston on Friday so I will be away all weekend. Hopefully I will have a chance to post something before I go!

Sketch challenge #119

2007-04-11T21:56:00.000-06:00

I decided tonight I would participate in the sketch challenge hosted on SCS on Wednesday nights. I had so much fun with this one. I have decided that this flower set is my favorite flower set ever and will go in the flower set hall of fame!

I also used the Friends and Flowers simply scrappin' kit AGAIN. I don't like to let too much go to waste so I have been trying to use some of it up AND I really like the colors anyway so it is a win win! I was about to post this one and my digital cameral ran out of batteries and I was pretty ticked. I had to charge it for a few minutes so I could get a enough juice to take one picture. It worked so all is well in the stamping world once again.

Supplies:

Ink: cool caribean, summers sun, cranberry crisp, certainly celery

Brads: SU pastels

Paper: choc. chip, friends and flowers simply scrappin' kit

Stamps: bodacious Bouquet, Karen Foster snap stamps

Tuesday color challenge

2007-04-11T14:02:00.000-06:00

I came home last night at about 9:30pm and decided to check out what was going on on SCS. Tuesdays are the days they have a color challenge. They give you a color combination and tell you to make a card with those colors and then post it. I wasn't going to participate because I got in late, but I decided I would check out what all of the talented stampers who frequent the site had come up with. The color combo of the day was black, sage green, and red. When I heard he combo, I thought to myself, "yuk!", but sure enough when I checked out the cards they looked so fun I had to make one.

So, at 10pm I started on my treck to make my first color challenge card. I got a new toy this week that I am totally enamored with. With my birthday money I bought myself a really nice set of prismacolored pencils and then ordered some gamsol from Inky Antics. The gamsol is applied to these things called blending stumps. Then you used the blending stump kind of like the blender pens from Stampin' up.l It turns out really nice, I think. Makes me feel a bit like an artist. I used my stamps that I got from My Favorite Things and my dotted back ground stamp from Stampin' up. I colored the dots on the background stamp with my stampin' up markers, a must-have item for every stamper!

Well, here it is. My masterpiece. My shopper girls!

Hitting the books

2007-04-08T21:15:00.000-06:00

Well, after spending the day stamping when I knew I needed to do some studying I finally did hit the books for most of the evening. I spent the day playing with the Big Blooms set. I had a ball with it. I entered the featured stamper's challenge on SCS tonight again for the second week in a row. I love this challenge. This is the card I used for that challenge.

Supplies:

Friends and Flowers simply scrappin' kit

Ink: choc chip, cranberry crisp

Stamps: Big Blooms, Small Script both from SU

Accessories: oval punches, earth elements brads

Master of Arts in Stamping Management and Design

2007-04-08T11:44:00.000-06:00

Well, Happy Easter! We are at home this morning doing nothing that remotely resembles an Easter celebration. I think we were too tired to think about cooking a meal. I had my favorite breakfast which is a grande mocha and a slice of pumpkin loaf from Starbucks. Matt was sweet enough to go and get it for me this am. I had planned on setting the day aside to study.

Well, unless I am study for my Master of Arts in Stamping Management and Design I am not doing what I set out to do. I could rationalize by saying since it is Sunday, and Easter Sundy no less, that it really isn't a day meant for work, but since I used a similar rationalization yesterday, I am afraid I can't get by with it again today.l

This is a card that started out as being part of of the featured stamper challenge, but as I got going it looked less and less like the sample of HB's that I started out to emulate. Oh well, I guess I will have to try another one of her samples. This is the card that I was trying to case:

As I got into it is just wasn't cooperating to be like her's so I just decided I would post this one and try another card for the challenge. I really love this challenge. It has my name written all over it. Since I was strictly a caser for several years, it is right up my alley.

Did you see Debbie Olsen's blog posts this week using this set? She took the Big Blooms set to a whole new level. You can see some of the techniques she used reflected in the way I layered these flowers. Check out her post here.

Supplies:

SU paper: very vanilla

SU Ink colors: cool caribbean, chocolate chip

Images: SU big blooms, Papertray Ink green thumb (sentiment)

Accessories: SU oval punch (anyone else feel like we need a bigger oval punch?)

ribbon from American Crafts (hobby lobby)

More Green Thumb!

2007-04-07T23:19:00.000-06:00

I am having so much fun with this set! I am really blown away by the awesome samples that are on the Papertrey Ink website. There are some really talented stampers on that design team. This card is inspired by a card in their gallery by Lisa Johnson. Check it out here.

I think the stamps are so fun because right now I am sure we are all craving a little bit of the Springtime experience that seemed very distant as it was a blistery 28 degrees here today. I can't wait to see flowers and green grass and more rain slickers! My mom makes a point EVERY year to call my sister and I and ask us the same question: If April showers bring May flowers what do Mayflowers bring? And the answer is always the same: Pilgrams. It just wouldn't be April if she didn't call and ask us that. This set reminds me of that so I just had to share.

The supplies I used in this card are pretty straight forward:

SU summer sun, real red, choc. chip, old olive paper

SU ink: choc chip, real red, old olive

SU eyelets: earth elements

Images: Papertrey Ink

Green thumb

2007-04-07T22:11:00.000-06:00

Well, tonight I am in my favorite place doing my favortite things: listening to my music, playing with my stamps, and posting on my blog. We went out to our favorite place for dinner and had a really nice time then came home to hang out. I am back in my stamp room playing with my new Papertrey ink Green Thumg set! As you all know it is ALL THE RAGE right now! I am not sure if I have done it justice tonight but I thought I would post anyway.

I used the following for these cards:

Ink: SU old olive, rel red, summer sun, pumpkin pie

Paper: SU old olive, chatterbox

ribbon: michael's polka dot, su mustard

Brads: SU earth elements

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Green Thumb, SU Riveting

Layout: I got the layout of the chatterbox card from My Inky Fingers blog

Rock Stars

2007-04-07T12:44:00.000-06:00

So, I just have to post about what a great night I had last night. My dear friend, Katie, bought three tickets to see Snow Patrol last year sometime. I didn't know if I was going to get to go becuase I didn't know if we would be going home for Easter or not. We decided not to travel over Easter as we both have a very busy month and needed the rest. So, this meant that I got to use Katie's third Snow Patrol ticket for the sold out show in Minneapolis last night. She gave it to me for a birthday gift. Katie, Abby (Katie's 12 year old daughter) and I embarked on an evening of fun, food, drinks (for Katie and I that is), and some great music. I don't think any of us knew what to expect from Snow Patrol. We didn't really know much about the opening bands or Snow Patrol for that matter. They were all class acts.

Silversun Pickups was the first band that went on. They really rocked the house. We were impressed that the first band was that good. Then, Okgo went on and they were fabulous. Obviously, as Katie put it, they are on the cusp of a great music career. Then it was time for the big guns: Snow Patrol!! We were all three smitten, I must admit. Wow, are these guys sensitive, charming, and professional.

There was one point in the show during a song that requires female vocals, when the band invited a girl from the audience to come up and sing with them IF(and that was a big if) she knew the words. These glammed up 20-year-old twins get on the stage and and he asks them like three times if they know the words. They say yes and once the song starts it must have become clear to the lead singer that the girls were not going to do much more than provide some eye candy for the audience. He stops the song and says they will go on with the song, but not with these girls and he asks them to leave the stage. I had to say I liked them even more at that moment because they obviously have great respect for their own music and were not going to let anyone bring the quality down. So, eventually a girl from one of the other bands came out and sang. She saved the day.

This band (orginally from Ireland) made me really want to go to Ireland some day. Katie (who has mostly Irish heritage) was just there last May with her mom, dad, and sister. Lucky! It made me think that she and I will have to go someday. I would recommend this show to anyone out there who appreciates good singer songwriter bands from the UK or anywhere for that matter. I'm hooked!

Sketch challenge for one!

2007-04-02T22:07:00.000-06:00

I am very naughty. I need to start studying again since the new trimester started, but I am having a hard time adjusting back to the study mode. It so much more fun to post cards on my blog! I found another card sketch from Maria and decided to play.

Supplies:

Chatterbox Villa Flowers and Light Villa Stripe

SU paper: old olive, whisper white

Ink: pumpkin pie, pretty in pink, bashful blue

Accessories: old olive brads, dimensionals

Now I really am going to bed, really, I am!

Next Month's Book Club

2007-04-01T20:55:00.000-06:00

Hi Bookclubbers! Is that a word and if it is, is it spelled like that? I decided I would post the information about our next book club and send you all the link to my blog so that in case you ever miss a meeting you can just come to my blog and get the info. We decided to meet at Katie's house on Saturday night May 5th. The theme of the night will be Fondu Night and we will be emailing with a list of different things everyone can bring for fondue. I will always post the next book club book on the right hand side of the blog. The book is called Post Birthday World by Lionel Shriver.

We also decided that since it was a close call between two different books for the vote we decided on Maeve Binchy's new book for May's book. It is called Whitethorn Woods. I offered to order them for everyone as I can get a good price from my on-line book club. Please let me know if you would like me to order you one.

My First Challenge

2007-04-01T20:41:00.000-06:00

Well, I am pretty excited tonight. I participated in my very first Splitcoast Stampers challenge! This is called the featured stamper challenge. For this challenge a certain stamper is picked from Splitcoast and then you are supposed to pick one card out from the gallery and you make that card, but you have to change 2 or more things about the card. I had alot of fun, but I picked a card that had obviously had alot of work put into it because it took me most of the evening.

I am hoping to continue to get involved in these challenges. I really love Splitcoast and think it is great to get inspiration from these challenges. Here is the link to the card I cased of Emilymomto3boys. I just figured out how to do the thing I had been trying to do with the linking! Thanks AGAIN to my niece who helped me figure that out. It was so simple!

The supplies I used for this card are as follows

Paper: night of navy, summer sun, cranberry crisp, whisper white

Ink/Markers: old olive, night of navy, pumpkin pie, cranberry crisp

Stamps: small script, Oh, my word, big pieces

Accessories: navy grosgrain ribbon, oval punches, mat pack, piercing tool

Sunday Stampin'

2007-04-01T13:50:00.000-06:00

So, here I sit in my favorite place in the world, my stamp room. I am again posting a card from the Friends and Flowers simply scrappin' kit. I am using it so much and posting so many cards with it you will be sick to death of it. I am having fun so I guess that is what it is all about. I added a flower from the Bodacious Bouquet stamp set as well and also some cranberry crisp paper that wasn't in the kit.

Is anyone else wondering what the heck we will do without the 2007 colors from Stampin' up? How they will top these colors in the new catalog is beyond me! But knowing them, they will find a way! Other than that all supplies were from the kit.

I started out with the card sketch shown above. I really like starting with a sketch as it takes care of at least one element of the designing. I got this sketch from the blog of Maria. Check it out here: http://stampinupinspirations.blogspot.com/. She has a ton of great sketches and I am not sure if they are her own or if they are from SCS. But, I love using the regardless. So, this is what I came up with. Not my favorite card in the world, but it works.

Oh, and I have also decided that what I need is blog lessons! There are so many things I need help with and I don't seem to know anyone, other than my faithful niece who knows how to do all this stuff. I know that Beth at Feckled Fun Designs decided to offer blog banners which I gladly purchased from her, but now I need blogger lessons! I wonder who will be the first one to start that service?

Retro night!

2007-04-01T13:35:00.000-06:00

We had book club this am and we discussed the Friday Night Knitting Club. Most of the group really liked it and a few didn't. We had a brunch and it was fun. I had a couple of mimosas, yummmmmmmmmm! I will post the next book that we are reading. This month's book is Cyndi's suggestion. So, we decided that we will blame her if it goes awry! Heidi, we went to Barnes and Noble after the meeting and the book you suggested was on the best sellers section of the store so we had a laugh. It will probably win book of the year and then you will be the one laughing! The girls are all so fun and it is always a good time.

I thought maybe I would post a picture of the dorm we stayed in on Friday just to give you all the full effect. I think everyone should have retro night and go back to the past and relive those college days!

Up late again!

2007-04-01T00:23:00.000-06:00

I should totally be in bed, but both Matt and I are trying to steal the time back that we lost by spending the weekend on school. I am still playing with this kit that seems to have endless possibilities. I am not sure if you can see the word friend or if it blends into the background.

This card was inspired by a card that Taylor VanBreuggen had on her blog a few days ago. I was so excited when she started posting cards with this kit because I had been looking for some ideas as to how I was going to use mine.

The only supplies are the kit itself. No stamping at all. Taylor's card can be viewed here:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1268/5143144/12032278/241359974.jpg

Miranda, if you could please tell me how to make that link into a nice, neat little package rather than that big long line of characters I would be really really happy! Notice what a hard job it is to keep me happy these days? Matt has a tough job! :)

Long day!

2007-03-31T23:41:00.000-06:00

We spent the weekend in Minneapolis as I had school on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Matt went with me to keep me company and to make sure I got to and from safely. For some reason I decided that I wanted to have a retro weekend and decided to get a dorm room at a local college campus for the evening. I thought since I am in college again we might as well get the full experience. Matt didn't really see it the same way!

All in all it wasn't a bad experience, but he has decided that we should probably stay in a hotel next time. We then went to dinner when we got home at our new favorite restaurant with our good friends, Jack and Cyndi. A good time was had by all. I really should remember to take pictures once in a while and then I could post them! When we got home I needed some much deserved stamping time.

This is just a little something I threw together still on the kick of the simply scrappin' kits! I LOVE them! That is really all I used accept for the Papertrey sentiment in the corner.

One last chicken card!

2007-03-28T13:17:00.000-06:00

Here I sit waiting for the decorators, painters, electrician, and tile guy to come and survey our house. We are getting to the final stages of planning our redecorating project. I cannot wait to see how it will turn out! I will be sure to post before and after pics!

I did a little more playing around last night with the little chicken stickers and so I thought I would post the last one I did. I tweaked one of the other designs and I think I like it better.

Here it is!

Supplies:

Paper: SU old olive, summer sun, real red, and chatterbox

Accessories: SU tag punch, flowers and friends simply scrappin' kit for the little yellow border

Micheal's dollar spot chicken stickers, SU red gingham ribbon

Catch the simply scrappin' fever!

2007-03-27T18:39:00.000-06:00

I was sitting here playing with my new simply scrappin' kit and I happened over to one of my favorite stamper's blog. She was apparently playing with the same kit that I was and she did some awesome things with it! I always do this...I will start talking about where I got an idea and then I will forget to tell you the artist! It is Taylor VanBruggen.

After seeing her card I decided to start seeing what I could do. I think these kits and the BOMB! They have so many little things to play with they are any cardmaker's dream. Kristin (my stamping hero) was right in that they are much cheaper than anything at the local scrapbooking store. Okay, that is my last Stampin' up plug!

Anyway, if anyone out there could tell me how I could link the card that inspired me with just having a couple of words in the body of the blog I would be forever in your debt. The only way I know to do it is like this

http://tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com/

And I am pretty sure there is a much more aestetically (sp?) pleasing way to do it.

Chicken Coop #2

2007-03-27T16:07:00.000-06:00

Here is the second card I came up with when playing with the little chicken stickers.

I just love them!