Saturday, December 17, 2011

Jolly Old St. Nick

The Saturday Color Challenge is still going on over at the Stampendous Impressions Blog. The challenge is to make a card/project using brown, gold, cream and pink (you can use three of the colors if not all four).

My card uses another amazing stamp, St. Nick R128 by Stampendous. I colored the image using distress inks and an aquaflow brush and then decided to be adventuresome. Have you seen the great You Tube videos Fran Seiford has created about Fran’taging? I love how she adds a bit of this embossing powder and a bit of that mica fragments and comes up with something glorious. You know how much I love the Stampendous line of embossing powder so it was time to give fran’taging a try.

Guess what, fran’taging is easy! I swiped some VersaMark ink directly onto the edges of my card and then sprinkled different parts with either the Aged Gold Embossing Enamel or the Shabby Pink Embossing Enamel and then melted it with my heat tool. I was having so much fun playing with this technique I decided to take it a step further. When the Age Gold Embossing Enamel is melted it is a luscious, shiny gold but to give it texture I inked an embossing folder with VersaMark, reheated a gold area and then pressed it onto the folder. Pretty Cool, huh?

If you haven’t seen Fran’s videos, you can check them out here, and of course you can buy everything you need to fran’tage here at the Stampendous online store.

Please check out all of the inspiration at the following design team member’s blogs (a few have blog candy to give away today).

Taylor Usry
Pam Hornschu
Suzanne Czosek
Kristine Reynolds
Janelle Stollfus
Jennifer Ingle
Wendy Price

Thanks for visiting!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

A Very Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Laura!

Our Stampendous Graphic Manager and Design Team Coordinator is celebrating a special birthday today! Always supportive and patient, Laura Weed is truly the best.

Please join me by hopping along with fellow Stampendous Design Team members in wishing Laura a fantastic birthday. While you're hopping, please stop by the Stampendous facebook page and send Laura your personal wishes.

Birthday Wishes from:
Wendy Price
Janelle
Taylor
Trudee
Jennie
Pam
Lynn
Krissy
Stephanie
Kristine
Wendy J
Jingle
Jennifer Dove
Rachel
Cyndi


My card uses the following Stampendous products: Birthday Assortment SSC1115 (sentiment); Birch Buddies SSC1055 (image); Cling Full Fluffles CRV079 (balloon)

Thanks for visiting! Have a super day!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Stampendous Saturday Color Challenge

Have you had a chance to play along yet with the monthly Stampendous Saturday Challenge? A new theme is posted on the first Saturday and you have all month to play along and enter as many projects as you like. This month’s theme is a color challenge and runs through Thursday, January 5th @ 11:59 PM EST. Make a card or project with at least three of these four colors: pink, cream, gold and/or brown. This month’s prize is the Stampendous Amore Frame Perfectly Clear set.


For all of the challenge rules, please visit the Stampendous Impressions blog.
Please visit the following Design Team member blogs for more inspiration:

Taylor Usry
Pam Hornschu
WendyJordan
Jennifer Dove
Suzanne Czosek
Cyndi Bundy
Kristine Reynolds
Janelle Stollfus
Jennifer Ingle
Jennie Black
Wendy Price

For my card, I used both the Stampendous Pine Candle stamp (V212) and the flourish from the Stampendous Cling Jumbo Rose Set (CRS5006). After stamping and coloring the pine candle image, I distressed the edges of the image then covered the whole image with VersaMark watermark ink and Stampendous Kaleidoscope embossing powder (EP030). I absolutely love this sparkly, translucent embossing powder. It’s so perfect for holiday cards. I stamped the flourish on a cream background panel using VersaMark ink and again the Kaleidoscope embossing powder. Don't you just love how it picks up the colors of the card?

Thanks for visiting! I hope to see your Stampendous Color Challenge projects soon.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Wise Men Seek Him

It’s the first Saturday of the month so a new challenge has just been posted on the Stampendous Blog. This month’s challenge is a color challenge and the colors Stampendous has chosen are fabulous!

Here are the details:

Make a card or project with pink, cream, gold, and brown. Please use at least three of the four colors. The challenge will run through Thursday, January 5 @ 11:59 PM EST.



This month’s prize (US winners only) is the beautiful Stampendous Amore Frame Perfectly Clear set.

So please grab your Stampendous supplies and start creating. You can enter as many times as you like before January 5, 2012 and the complete list of rules for this challenge is on the Stampendous Blog.

The following links will take you to Stampendous Design Team member blogs for some absolutely amazing inspiration. Enjoy!

Stampendous Impressions
Taylor Usry
Pam Hornschu
WendyJordan
Jenn Dove
Suzanne Czosek
Krissy Fossmeyer
Lynn Mercurio
Stephanie Lee
Cyndi Bundy
Kristine Reynolds
Janelle Stollfus
Jennie Black
Jingle


I was listening to the TV while trying to come up with an idea for this challenge and as I was pulling out all of my supplies, I heard… “23 days ‘til Christmas.” REALLY? Only 23 days? I have made only a handful of Christmas cards so this news was a little unsettling. That’s when I decided to turn this Stampendous Challenge into an opportunity to do some serious mass producing.

The stamp I selected, the Stampendous Cling Wisemen is so ornate, so beautiful in itself, that it was the perfect choice for a CAS, easy to mass produce card. So I pulled out my Stampendous Chocolate Brown embossing powder and voila, Christmas card #1. Don’t ask me how many more I really should make. Seriously, this is a stunning image and the superb quality of the Stampendous cling stamps gives a great impression of the intricate detail in the wisemen’s robes. With a little more time, those robes would be beautiful paper pieced.

Here are the details for my card:

Stampendous Supplies
Stamps: Cling Wisemen CRR095; Cling Christ of Christmas CRF129
Embossing Powder: Chocolate Brown EP117 (included in the Coastal Express Embossing Kit)

Other Supplies
Paper: Bazzill Suede Brown Dark; Echo Park Season’s Greeting Red/Cream; cream cardstock (unknown)
Ink: Tsukineko VersaMark Watermark Ink; pink color wash

Card Notes
• Create an A2 card base from the cream cardstock
• Cut a 5 ¼” x 4” brown mat and adhere to the card base
• Cut a 5 1/8” x 3 7/8” mat from the Echo Park Red/Cream paper (cream side)
• Paint a pink color wash over the cream panel; Be sure to leave areas of cream showing through; Set aside to dry completely
• Stamp the image using VersaMark ink on the cream/pink panel; Cover with embossing powder and heat set with heat tool
• Adhere the completed panel to the card base
• Stamp sentiment on the inside of card with VersaMark Ink; Emboss, using the embossing powder and heat tool

Thanks for visiting! Hope to see your creations over on the Stampendous blog.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Stylish Copic Storage

I have been MIA, so I don't have a card to share today. Hopefully I will be back at my craft desk very soon coloring.

I would like to share a link to my friend, Gretchen Weller's blog



Gretchen makes these fun, ultra-stylish storage cases for Copic Markers. Aren't they fabulous!?! They can also be used to hold other marker brands and pencils. I really think they should be on everyone's holiday wishlist. The great news is she sells them on Etsy



Please check out Gretchen's cool bags. They are the perfect holiday present for the colorer in your family (including you).


Thanks for visiting. Have a fantastic day!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Joy


There is still time to join in the fun with the CAS Holiday Card Challenge over at the Stampendous Blog. Upload your clean and simple holiday card before the end of the day November 3rd and you have a chance to win a really great prize. Click here for all of the details.

For more inspiration, please visit the blogs of the following Stampendous Design Team members. Their creations are incredible.

Wendy Price
Taylor Usry
Wendy Jordan
Pam Hornschu
Suzanne Czosek

Thanks for visiting!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Stampendous Saturday CAS Challenge


Do you like to create Clean and Simple (CAS) cards? If you do, please join in the fun with the Stampendous October challenge. The rules are simple, make a CAS holiday card and link it to the Stampendous challenge post. Stampendous is giving away a Cling Jumbo Sparkle Joy set to a random winner. You don't have to use Stampendous products but why wouldn't you? They are fabulous. You have until Thursday, November 3rd at 11:59 pm EST to add your link.

My card for this week's entry is as clean and simple as they come. I stamped the image, colored it with Copics and matted it. I also added a few mats to the card base, adhered the image, added a few colored pearls and...voila, a CAS holiday card. Isn't the image wonderful? It's called Holy Family and yes, it's made by Stampendous.

Looking for more inspiration? Please check out what the very artistic Stampendous design team members have created for today's entry.

Wendy Price
Taylor Usry
Wendy Jordan
Pam Hornschu
Kristine Reynolds
Stampendous Blog

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Too Soon for Snow


Good Morning!

Here is a card I made for the October Challenge over at Stampendous. This month's challenge is to create a CAS holiday card. Here is your chance to get some Christmas cards done, just make sure to link to the challenge before Thursday, November 3 at 11:59 PM EST.

I used the Stampendous stamp Cling Forest Cottage Scene CRR123 for my card this week, colored it with Copic markers and then covered the whole image with Stampendous Clear Embossing Powder. I continued to add layers of embossing powder by simply swiping the Versamark ink pad over my image and sprinkling on more powder, melting the powder with the heat tool and repeating. When my last layer was melted but still hot, I sprinkled some of the new Stampendous Shaved Ice over the image. This gave the appearance of snow falling. I just love this Shaved Ice. It's light and fluffy but when applied it glistens. It's perfect for adding shimmer and shine to your holiday cards.

It's a beautiful day in Ohio. I hope I didn't jinx it with a snow card. It definitely is too soon for snow! Please follow the links below and check out what the amazing ladies at Stampendous created this week. Hope to see your CAS holiday card soon.

Thanks for visiting!

Taylor Usry
Wendy Jordan
Pam Hornschu
Krissy Fossmeyer
Wendy Price
Stampendous Blog

Monday, October 3, 2011

So Thankful!


Today, I thought I would post four cards that I made over the weekend for a class I am teaching at my local scrapbook store. They are made using various Lawn Fawn stamp sets, stamped and then colored with Copic markers. I just love Lawn Fawn stamps because they give you a clean, crisp image every time.



You've heard me say it before but I'm in love with Lawn Fawn alphabets because no matter the word that you want to spell, no matter the set you use, the spacing between the letters is always perfect. Check out the sentiment on my round card...I created it by just lining the individual letters up on an acrylic block. OK, I admit it, I'm proud of myself for coming up with this one (my son is a huge Star Wars fan and while creating this weekend, I kept hearing a Star Wars commercial).


I will be entering these cards in a couple of great challenges that are going on right now. Click on the links if you are interested in learning more and want to play along.

The first is a World Card Making Day Challenge over at the Lawnscaping Challenge Blog. In honor of World Card Making Day, the challenge is to make a card, any theme using Lawn Fawn. How cool! But hurry, this challenge is over at midnight tonight.

The second challenge is over at the Crazy 4 Challenges Blog. The challenge, make any card you like and then donate it to a worthy cause. This really hits home with me (ever wonder about the name of my blog?) so I love this challenge. Because I'm using these cards in a class I'm going to teach, I will end up making several. I plan on donating all of them to my local Meals-On-Wheels program so they can be given to shut-ins along with their Thanksgiving dinners.

Thanks very much to both blogs for all of their inspiration. And thank you for visiting. I am very grateful for each and every one of you. Good Night!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Deck the Halls...It's Time for a Challenge


It’s time for a new challenge over at the Stampendous blog. This one is sure to excite you. To celebrate World Card Making Day, we are looking towards the holidays and keeping it Clean and Simple.
Between now and November 3rd (11:59 pm EST), make a CAS holiday card or set of cards or another fun gift project. Then just link back to the Stampendous Blog post. You have a chance to win the Cling Jumbo Sparkle Joy set. You don’t have to use Stampendous products but it sure is great if you do. You can enter as many times as you like.


The Design Team has been busy. Follow the links to be inspired.
Kristine Reynolds
Pam Hornschu
Taylor Usry
Cyndi Bundy
Krissy Fossmeyer
Jenn Dove
Wendy Jordan
Wendy Price
Lynn Mercurio
Melinda Gleissner
Piali Biswas
Suzanne Czosek

Card Notes:
I used the favorite Fluffles Garland on my card and colored the image with Copics. The little bit of shine was made by coloring over the ornaments with a Versamark pen and then heat embossing with Stampendous clear embossing powder. The background was made stamping Cling Snowfall in Versamark and embossing with Stampendous clear embossing powder. Pretty clean and simple.

Thanks for visiting.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Happy Halloween


While shopping at Michaels the other day, I came across these cute unfinished wood coffins (if a coffin can be cute) and decided to grab some to use as candy holders for my son's school Halloween party. They are the perfect size to hold a few pieces of candy and a free Frosty coupon. After painting them in both Espresso and Eggplant Adirondack acrylic paint, I stamped the Stampendous Frightful Phrases stamp in Versamark ink and embossed using my favorite Stampendous Midnight Black embossing powder. I have never stamped and embossed on wood before so I'm pretty pleased how the candy boxes turned out.

To go along with the boxes I made a clean and simple mini card using two Stampendous sets: Costume Kids and Cling Spider Web.


Did you know you can buy a book of 10 JR. Frosty Coupons from Wendy's for $1.00 and 90% of the money goes to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Dave Thomas was an amazing man. On a personal level, I will always be grateful to him as one of the founders of my son's school. He believed in children and gave so much to our community. If you are unfamiliar with his foundation, one of it's main goals is to find loving, permanent homes for kids in foster care.

Keep in mind, you have until September 29th to join in the fun with this month's sketch challenge on the Stampendous blog. It's a great sketch with an even greater prize.

Thanks for visiting!

Stampendous Supplies:
Costume Kids SSC263
Cling Spider Web Set CRS3010
Frightful Phrases R120
Midnight Black Embossing Powder

Other Supplies:
Markers: Copic E00/E01/E02/E33/E35/E37/E29/E50/BV000/BV01/BV02/BV04/BV08/C1/C3/C5/C7
Ink & Paint: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black and Grape Jelly ink; Versamark Watermark ink; Adirondack Espresso and Eggplant Acrylic Paint Dabber
Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 3

I've entered this in this week's Crazy 4 Challenges C4C106 challenge and this week's Just Us Girls Fall 3-D Challenge.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

I'm Goin' Batty!!!



I’m Goin’ Batty
OK, for any of you who know me, that ship sailed ages ago. I’m Goin’ Batty is the sentiment included in this Stampendous stamp set called Cling Batty Owls.


Isn’t the font cool? I paired the owls with another great Stampendous set, Cling Spider Web to create this window card. Everyone loves window cards and I’m no exception. But I must admit they intimidate me so I created this pseudo/faux window card by placing all of the layers onto the front of my card base. As for the two bats with glowing eyes, they are another Stampendous product. You can’t tell from my photograph but they are velvet stickers with a tiny piece of Copic-colored scrap paper behind them. If you haven’t tried Stampendous Class A Peel stickers, you really must. They come in all sorts of designs and textures and are so versatile. You can even use them as masks.

Thanks for visiting!

Stampendous Products:
Cling Batty Owls Set CRS2063
Cling Spider Web Set CRS3010
Jumbo Bats Velvet Black Class A Peel AC1004VK

Other Products:
Paper: My Mind’s Eye Mischievous (patterned paper); Copic X-Press It Blending Card; card stock (unknown)
Copic Markers: YR12/YR14/YR18/BV000/BV00/BV20/C0/C1/C3/C5
Spellbinders Wonky Rectangles Nestabilities Dies
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Archival Jet Black; Ranger Pumice Stone Distress Ink
Foam Adhesive

Card Notes:
Create an A2 card base with corresponding black mat.
Using two different sizes of Wonky Rectangles dies and patterned paper create the mat with window, the window frame and insert.
Distress the edges of the insert and the mat with the window by rubbing Pumice Stone ink around the edges.
Stamp the cobweb on two of the corners of the mat and also on the insert using Jet Black ink.
Stamp the owls on the insert and then again on Copic X-Press It Blending Card; Color the image that is stamped on the Blending Card and cut it out.
Adhere the insert to the center of the black mat; Using foam adhesive, adhere the cut-out owls to the insert (line up the images).
Glue the black window frame to the mat with the window; Using foam adhesive, adhere this mat to the black mat; Adhere all to the card base.
Stamp the sentiment on the inside of the card.
Select two stickers; using baby powder, powder the back of the stickers to cover the adhesive.
Color a scrap of X-Press It Blending Card; Cut into two pieces and adhere a piece to the back of each sticker.
Adhere the bats to the card.

I will be entering this in this week’s Our Creative Corner Challenge.

Here's another version:

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Birthday Wishes


I'd like to share a card that I made for the Stampendous Saturday Sketch Challenge. On the first Saturday of each month, Stampendous will post a new challenge on their blog. The best part is you have the whole month to play along. Just use the linky tool at the bottom of the post to upload your project...and yes, there will be a random drawing at the end of the month.

This month's challenge is a sketch which was created by Wendy Price, Stampendous Design Team Member Extraordinaire (OK, I made up that title for her but she really is very cool and her creations are extraordinary).


I modified the sketch design a little because I really wanted to play with this stamp set. It's called Four Flower Squares and it's so much fun to color. The sentiment is my new go-to birthday stamp from the Birthday Brackets set. I love the big, chunky font. There are brackets on this particular stamp but I trimmed them off one day and fell in love with the clean look of "Birthday Wishes." When I want to use the brackets with the sentiment, I just butt them together on an acrylic block and the complete stamp is ready to be inked. No one would ever know.

Well, please check out what the wonderful design team members have created for this challenge (you can find links to their blogs on the left-side of the Stampendous blog page) and then give the sketch a try. Who knows, you could be this month's winner. For all the rules and challenge information please click here.

Thanks for visiting!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Welcome




I found myself needing a Welcome card for a new neighbor this week so I went upstairs and did my favorite thing…rummage through my stamps. To my surprise, I don’t really have a stamp set made specifically for this purpose. With a little creativity and my bin of Stampendous stamps, I was able to create this card. The images are from an adorable Holiday stamp set called Holiday Home. If you like to create scenes when you stamp, this is the perfect Holiday set for you. It has pine trees, a horse-drawn sleigh, wreaths and the cutest snowman ever. As for the sentiment, it’s from a Stampendous set called Baby Invite. You guessed it, very cute animals and any word needed to create perfect baby shower invitations, thank you cards or baby announcements. I used a sentiment that said, “Welcome Baby” and yes, once again I cut the stamp. Stampendous stamps are made from the highest quality of polymer so with a sharp pair of detail scissors, you get a clean cut every time. As long as you make one cut, you can always go ahead and place the two parts back together on an acrylic block. The next time you make a baby card, no one will ever know the sentiment was cut apart. Thanks for visiting!

Stampendous Supplies:
Holiday Home SSC1067
Baby Invite SSC072 (sentiment)

Other Supplies:
Paper: X-Press It Blending Card, card stock (unknown)
Copics: Y00/Y02/Y08/BG0000/G40/G21/G24/G28/E40/E42/E44/E47/E50/E53/E55/E57
Glossy Accents
Memento Tuxedo Black ink

Card Notes:
Create an A2 card base from cardstock and a mat that is slightly smaller.
Cut a 3.25” x 4.25” panel from X-Press It; cut a slightly larger mat.
Stamp the center house 2xs: once on the X-Press It and once on a piece of scrap paper; fussy-cut the stamped scrap and use as a mask.
Stamp the second house 2xs: once on the X-Press it and once on a piece of scrap paper; fussy-cut the stamped scrap and use as a mask.
Stamp the rest of the scene; color.
Assemble card; add Glossy Accents to windows.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Have you heard the news?

I’ve got great news. Starting today, Stampendous is kicking off their new Stampendous Saturday Challenge and they would love it if you would join in the fun. On the first Saturday of each month, Stampendous will share a brand new challenge - it might be a sketch, or colors, or a fun new technique to try. You'll have an entire month to play along! And what would a challenge be without a prize? They’ll draw a random winner from all qualifying entries at the end of each month.

The incredibly talented Wendy Price created this sketch to kick off the challenge.


To play along and be eligible to win the Cling Jumbo Romantic Border, make a card or project using the sketch, upload it to your blog or other online gallery (keyword: STM01), and add the direct link to the linky tool on the Stampendous blog. You have until Thursday, September 29th at 11:00 PM PST to play! You don't have to use a Stampendous image or products to play along, but they sure love it when you do!

Here is my take on Wendy’s sketch:


Stampendous Supplies:
Block Art Single Daisy (flowers)
Loopy Blooms(stamped edge)
Narcissus (sentiment)

Go on and head over to the Stampendous blog to check out all of the details, see more inspiration from our designers, and to add your link to the linky tool!

Also, please stop by the following blogs to see what my Stampendous teammates have created with the sketch.

Wendy Price
Suzanne Czosek
Pam Hornschu
Kristine Reynolds
Lynn Mercurio
Taylor Ursy
Piali Biswas
Wendy Jordan
Laura Davis
Cyndi Bundy
Krissy Fossmeyer
Melinda Gleissner (that’s me)
Geny Cassady


Thanks for visiting and have fun with this month's sketch!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Cool Yule


When talking with a friend last night, she mentioned she is going to be making Christmas cards all weekend. It dawned on me…its September 1st and I haven’t made one Christmas card. Yikes! To be honest, I’m really not ready to start the mad push. Heck, I haven’t gotten my spring wreath on my front door (LOL). So today is holiday card #1 and I must admit it was easy, thanks to Stampendous and these cute penguins. They are from a set called Yule Penguins. You gotta love a penguin in a fluffy sweater. The blustery, blue swirl in the background is from the new Cling Jumbo Pine Drift also by Stampendous and the sentiment is from the Yule Penguins set as well. Please note that I completely modified it. Originally each word is stacked on top of the other. I simply cut the sentiment apart and lined it up on my acrylic block. It just seemed to work better for my clean-lined card.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend and thanks for visiting!

Stampendous Supplies:
Yule Penguins SSC1102
Cling Jumbo Pine Drift CRS5016

Other Supplies:
Ink: Color Box Prussian Blue Chalk ink; VersaMark watermark ink; Memento Tuxedo Black ink.
Paper: Copic X-Press It Blending Card; cardstock (unknown).
Copic Markers: Y02/Y08/BG10/BG32/BG34/BG45/BG49

Card Notes:
Create an A2 card base from white card stock; Also cut a white panel (4 ¾ x 3 ½) and a corresponding black mat.
Stamp swirl using the Prussian Blue ink on a piece of scrap paper; Without cleaning the stamp, ink again with Versamark and stamp the white panel; Repeat the process and stamp the swirl a second time.
Stamp the sentiment using the Tuxedo Black ink.
On X-Press It Blending Card, stamp all three penguins, color and fussy-cut.
Assemble the card.


Monday, August 29, 2011

Bless You


Here’s a quick card I wanted to share. It’s made with two terrific Stampendous stamps, the Shine on You sentiment and the Tiled Quad Cube. Again I used my Stampendous Midnight Black embossing powder. I wish it came in a large, say peanut butter sized jar. I just can’t get enough of it. It’s by far, my favorite black embossing powder. Thanks for visiting today!


Stampendous Products:
Cling Tiled Quad Cube CRTC54
Shine on You
Midnight Black embossing powder

Other Products:
Ink: Versamark Watermark ink, Ranger Archival Jet Black ink, Ranger Shabby Shutters & Peeled Paint Distress ink
Pebbles Pearlescent Chalk Shimmers
Cardstock (unknown)

Card Notes:
Create an A2 card base out of white cardstock.
Using Versamark ink, stamp one of the tiles several times on card base; Dust with a gold chalk.
Stamp sentiment using the Jet Black ink.

Create the green tile background by inking a piece of white paper with both Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint Distress Ink; Flick with water.
When dry, stamp the tile image with Versamark and sprinkle with embossing powder; melt with heat tool.
Trim tile image and mat on both white and black cardstock.
Adhere to card base.


Friday, August 26, 2011

"Edgar Allan Crow"


Now that school is back in session, my son and I have resumed our evenings of reading together. His first assigned book of the year is Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow by James Howe. It is part of the very popular and oh so funny Bunnicula series and is full of wonderful puns and word play. Coincidentally, around the same time as we started reading this book, I saw this deliciously eerie Stampendous stamp at my local JoAnn’s. It reminded me so much of an early chapter in the book, I had to buy it and I am so glad I did. The detail on this stamp is amazing! I LOVE it! Creating this card was so easy because of this fabulous image, just stamp, emboss and ink and it’s done. By the way, if you are looking for an excellent black embossing powder, I highly recommend Midnight Black by Stampendous. It melts nicely and creates a terrific shine.

Thanks for visiting!
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

Stampendous Supplies:
Crowscape CRR131
Midnight Black Embossing Powder

Other Supplies:
Ranger Distress Ink in Stormy Sky, Pumice Stone, Scattered Straw
Versamark Watermark Ink
Cardstock (unknown)

Card Notes:
Create an A2 card base from gray card stock; cut an image panel slightly smaller on white card stock.

Stamp the image on the white panel using Versamark ink; sprinkle with Midnight Black embossing powder, melt with heat tool.

To create the moon, attach a small die cut circle to be used as a mask; make sure to use repositionable adhesive.

Using an ink blending tool, ink around the circle with Scattered Straw Distress Ink.

When pleased with the results remove the circle mask and ink the rest of the image with Pumice Stone and Stormy Sky Distress Inks.

Distress edges of panel and adhere to the card base.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Go Bucks!


Football season is fast approaching. Considering everything that has recently happened with the Buckeyes, this is going to be a tough one but as always, the fans are rallying. When I saw this very cute Fluffles stamp made by Stampendous I knew it was perfect for a little tailgating table topper. And yes, if you really had to, you could change the colors. Fluffles would look cute even in blue & maze. The footballs are from a Stampendous set called For Him. It’s a great set for masculine birthdays or Father’s Day cards. Combined, these stamps are perfect for all of your football season needs: party invitations, cards, table toppers…

Go Bucks & thanks for visiting!

Stampendous Supplies:

Cling Fluffles Football CRV233
For Him SSC135

Other Supplies:

Dies: Spellbinders Labels Three; QuicKutz Buckeye
Stickers: Sportssolution Ohio State border stickers
Paper: Copic X-Press It Blending Card; Cardstock (unknown)
Ink: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Forest Moss & Peeled Paint Distress Ink
Copic Markers

Card Notes:

Create a side-step card using black cardstock (see directions below).

Cut & emboss a panel using Copic X-Press It Blending Card & Spellbinders die.

Stamp Fluffles image on panel & color; Trim ‘O’ sticker & adhere to helmet.

Stamp 3 footballs on scrap of X-Press It Blending Card & color; Fussy-cut footballs.

Cut buckeyes and leaves several times on various cardstock (green for leaves, 2 shades of brown for nuts); assemble & ink edges of leaves with Distress Ink.

Create sentiment by trimming a border sticker & placing it on 2 mats.

Assemble card.



Side Step Card Instructions:

Start with a piece of cardstock 5.5” x 8.5”.

Place cardstock vertically in the paper trimmer at the 3” mark; Make a cut starting 1” from the bottom edge of the paper and stopping at the 6.5” mark. This cut divides the card into two sections (2.5” & 3” sections) & makes the tall vertical panel on the left side of the card.

Score the 2.5” section at 4.25”. This makes the top fold of this card.

Score the 3” section at the 1”, 2”, 3.25”, 4.5” & 6.5” marks. Please note, these score marks will be perpendicular to the cut. Start measuring all of the score marks from the side where the cut was started (1” from the edge).

Make a series of folds, starting with the 4.25” score line on the tall, vertical side of the card. On the right hand side of card, starting with the first score mark, make a mountain fold. Continue folding the score marks by alternating folds. The second should be valley folded, the third mountain… Crease all folds with a bone folder. The side step card is ready to decorate.








Thursday, August 4, 2011

Gift of Joy


This beautiful Stampendous Blossom Spray stamp reminds me of my next door neighbor’s garden. Jann’s garden is one of the nicest I have ever seen with walkways and benches, constant color and beauty. I know it gives her great joy working in her flower beds. I also know it gives everyone who passes by joy just by soaking in its beauty. And then they get to my house. A flat of dead geraniums still sits dry and crunchy on my stoop, all of my good intentions of planting gone. My garden is sad. My roses have black spot, my hydrangeas never bloomed. Whether it was the heat or the rain or the blues, I just haven’t felt like gardening this year. The amazing thing about it is I am not only blessed with my neighbor’s beautiful garden, I am blessed with a beautiful neighbor. Jann always comments on how pretty my lone blooming flower is and she is sincere. She always knows when I’m blue and invites me out for coffee (I think she can gage how I’m feeling based on my flower beds). She is the most warm-hearted person I know, always putting others first. She exudes beauty. I made this card for Jann as a way of saying thanks for caring and being my neighbor.

Thanks for visiting!

Stampendous Supplies:
Cling Blossom Spray CRP136
Garden Beauty SSC1113 (sentiment)

Other Supplies:
Ribbon: May Arts EA14
Ink: Ranger Archival Jet Black; Ranger Distress Ink in Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint, Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick, Mustard Seed
Paper: Canson Watercolor; cardstock (unknown)
Miscellaneous: Perfect Pearls Mist in Perfect Pearls; Copic Marker BV000; Inkssentials Craft Sheet; Tsukineko Fantastix Coloring Tool

Card Notes:
Create a card base by scoring a 9” x 8” piece of white cardstock. Card dimensions should be 9” x 4”.
Cut both a mat and image panel to fit the card base.
Stamp the Blossom Spray stamp several times on the panel using Archival Jet Black ink.
Create a paint palette by stamping the distress ink pads directly onto a craft sheet, leaving space between each color.
Spritz Perfect Pearls Mist directly over each of your stamped colors.
Using a coloring tool, pick up color from the craft sheet and color the blossom image. Set aside to dry.
Stamp the sentiment in Archival Jet Black ink.
“Color” the ribbon with the Copic marker, let try, and then create a bow.
Assemble the card.


I entered this card in the current CAS-ual Fridays Challenge.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Freaky



Stampendous recently added new holiday stamps to their online store. Have you seen them yet? It’s ok. I won’t be offended. Stop reading this and go check them out. They are amazing. As soon as I saw these adorable yet mischievous pumpkins, I knew I had to have them. Even their names are cute: Pumpkinstein, Count Jack and my favorite…Mumpkin. The mailman hadn’t left my cul-de-sac and I was ripping open my Stampendous package. Shortly thereafter I came up with this card and I must say I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Credit needs to be given to my son. While I was coloring, he walked by and in a voice only a 9 year old boy could have, he said “FREAKY.” This triggered an idea. I jumped up and started rummaging soon to find a set of Stampendous Class a Peel stickers. Did you know Class a Peels make fabulous masks? The adhesive on them is magical, they really do stay put but are easy to peel up and reposition. Because they are a sticker, you can rub an ink blending tool over them to create custom backgrounds. Please check out the inside of my card and you’ll see the masked impressions of the words freaky, scary & spooky.



I think I’ll send this card to Operation Write Home. Their deadline for Halloween Cards is September 16th. If you are interested in learning more about this great charity please click the badge on the right of my post. But remember, when sending cards to our troops, absolutely no glitter. If you are in the Columbus area, newly re-opened Scrapbook Art will be holding an Operation Write Home card making gathering on Sunday August 21st from 1:30-4:00. For more information, please contact Scrapbook Art at: scrapbookart@insight.rr.com

Stampendous Products:
Cling Count Jack CRH279 (image)
Cling Mumpkin CRH280 (image)
Cling Pumpkinstein CRV223 (image)
Costume Kids SSC263 (sentiment on inside of card)
Class a Peel Scary Spiders Black AC1038K (as a mask & sentiment on front of card)

Other Products:
Copics: E53/E55/E57/E59/YR000/YR12/YR14/YR16/YR18/YG11/YG91/YG97/BV000/
BV01/BV04/BV08/N0/N2
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Archival Jet Black, Ranger Pumice Stone Distress
Paper: Echo Park the Apothecary Emporium patterned paper, Copic X-Press It Blending Card, cardstock unknown
Miscellaneous: Glossy Accents; Tonic Distress Tool; Ranger Ink Blending Tool

Card Notes:

1. Create a card base using an 11” x 4.25” piece of white cardstock. Cut two mats to be mounted on the card base, one from green cardstock and the other from patterned paper.
2. Cut X-Press It Blending Card to a 4” x 3” panel. Stamp two of the images on the panel using Memento ink. Color images.
3. Using the blending tool, ink the edges of the mats and the front panel with Pumice Stone ink. Distress the image panel further by using a distressing tool along all sides.
4. Assemble the front of the card by adhering everything to the card base.
5. To create the inside of the card, cut another mat from the patterned paper and another panel from X-Press It Blending Card.
6. Stamp remaining image on the panel and color using Copics.
7. Select desired images from the Class a Peel sticker sheet (I used the three sentiments) and place them on the inside image panel.
8. Gently ink over the stickers using the blending tool and Pumice Stone ink. Also, ink the edges of this panel and the mat.
9. Carefully peel off the stickers and set aside. Do Not discard.
10. Stamp the sentiment using Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink. Distress the panel further by using a distressing tool.
11. Assemble the inside of the card.
12. Place one of the used Class a Peel stickers on the card front.


Thanks for visiting!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Stay Cool





Has it been hot where you are? It's been really hot in Columbus, so much so that I saw someone tonight on TV wishing for snow. I'm not going that far but I am trying to stay cool. That's why on Saturday, I dragged my two boys to the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Kentucky. If you haven't been there, it is absolutely worth your while to go (and this is coming from someone who lives less than a mile from Jack Hannah's World Famous Columbus Zoo - we have nothing like it). The Newport is fabulous. They have everything from standard aquarium-type fish to sea otters to a very cool octopus exhibit. My son's favorite animal is the penguin so I thought what a perfect way to stay cool...we'll go visit the penguins. The Newport has an absolutely marvelous penguin exhibit that houses 5 different types of penguins including the newly added Macaroni penguin. Alas, 6000 (5873 to be exact) of our closest friends had the same idea. We spent a few minutes with the penguins and then left.

When I came home, all I wanted to do was color. While looking for inspiration I came across the current Lawnscaping Challenge & knew it was the perfect way to depict our day at the Aquarium. The current challenge is called stamp a scene. Just click on the link if you want to play along but hurry, I think it ends tomorrow.



As for my scene, you guessed it, it's the penguin exhibit at the Newport. Five different types of penguins rollicking in the cool water, having fun. The center penguin on the inner tube had orange raffia head feathers inspired by the Macaroni penguin. My husband convinced me I should take them off.



Many Lawn Fawn stamp sets were used to create this scene:
Critters in the Snow (the penguins)
Cruising Through Life (the pinwheels & the pinwheel poles, stamped end-to-end to hold the banner)
Bannerific (the banner)
Swimsuit Season (the splash & the inner tube - sorry I cut off the horse's head:-))
Critters in the Sea (the wave)
Jessie's ABCs (the sentiment)

Add a little fussy-cutting, some Copic coloring & a bit of Rock Candy Distress Stickles and you have the perfect scene.

Stay Cool & Good Night!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Thank You!



Today's card was made using stamps from a few different manufacturers. I usually don't mix & match (kinda for the same reason you should never invite both sets of in-laws to a function) but everyone played nice and it all turned out great in the end.

The notebook paper stamp is from a My Favorite Things set & the sentiment is a Stampendous stamp. All the rest (the teacher, her chalkboard, pail of goodies & apple) is a By LORI Designs digistamp. By LORI Designs is a relatively new find for me but I must say the moment I found this company, I fell in love! The images are adorable & perfect for coloring. By LORI Designs makes it so easy to download & open that you can print & color images within minutes of purchasing them. There is a wide variety of characters & themes so there is sure to be something for everyone. Another plus is the most fabulous card examples. The website is packed with inspiration...Did I mention I love this company?

The particular image I used for this card belongs to the Sugar Sticks line & is called "Teacher & Accessories." My son has some truly incredible teachers that I wanted to make special cards for, to let them know we really appreciate all that they do for us. Hopefully, they will like their cards.

If you are looking for something to color today, check out By LORI Designs. You'll fall in love too.



Thanks for visiting!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Poppy Bottles



I made this card for Jennifer McGuire & Kristina Werner's Online Summer Card Camp but never got it posted. Are any of you participating? It's been great fun. I just wish I had had more time to camp & play. Maybe if we all band together, we can talk them into 'a kids are back in school, now we can camp' camp:-)

For this card, I used two of my favorite Stampendous go-to stamps: Dream Text (R105) & Poppy Bottles Perfectly Clear Stamp Set (SSC1092). This poppy set is so versatile. I adore the long poppy stems in their bottles & the cute, 'handwritten' sayings. These sentiments are the perfect size to stamp on a tiny tag & then tie around one of the stems. The set even includes a solid poppy bloom if you prefer to stamp in the color instead of using markers or pencils. Speaking of pencils, that's what I used to color my poppies. I then accented them with a little Glossy Accents. It is hard to see in the picture but I stamped the entire front panel with the Dream Text. The colored pencils acted as a resist. With a button, some twine & a little scoring on the card base the card is done.

Thanks for visiting!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

A Perfect Pairing!



A friend of mine is going through some tough times right now so I thought I’d make a card to brighten her day. This is what I came up with; hopefully it will put a smile on her face.

I recently received this exquisite stamp in the mail and knew it was perfect for the job. Isn’t it stunning? It’s the new Cling Jumbo Baroque Bouquet from Stampendous. I love how the Cling Music Score (also a Stampendous stamp & one of my all-time favorites) compliments the Baroque Bouquet image. Combining these two stamps makes me want to listen to another perfect Baroque pairing, the Goldberg Variations played by hmmm Glenn Gould or Simone Dinnerstein, maybe both… ooh sorry, I digress. My point is Stampendous has done it again. No matter what you create with this image, the result will be magical! Please visit the Stampendous blog for more inspiration.

Stampendous Supplies:

Cling Jumbo Baroque Bouquet CRS5019 (image)
Orchid Greetings SSC1053 (sentiment)
Cling Music Score CRR103 (background)

Other Supplies:

Copic Markers
X-Press It Blending Card
The Paper Company Bronze Metallic card stock
Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink
Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Ranger Archival Jet Black ink
Ranger Glossy Accents
Tsukineko Versamark watermark ink

Card Notes:

Create a card base using the Bronze Metallic card stock (mine is a 5.25" square card).
Trim a piece of X-Press It Blending Card slightly smaller than card base; stamp image & color using Copics.
Stamp image again on a scrap of paper and fussy-cut; use this as a mask; Place over main image.
Stamp the Music Score using Versamark; Stamp more than once to cover the entire card front.
Use an ink blending tool to distress the edges of card front with Antique Linen ink.
Stamp a small section of the image & the sentiment on a scrap of X-Press It; color desired flower & leaves then fussy-cut; trim sentiment & mat on scrap of Bronze Metallic card stock.
Distress the edges of the sentiment panel; adhere to card front using dimensional foam adhesive; adhere flower & leaves; accent all flower centers with Glossy Accents.
Adhere the card front to the card base.
Use a corner rounder to create fancy corners on the card & sentiment panel (I used the Corner Chomper stub).

For your listening pleasure, click here to listen to Simone Dinnerstein playing the Aria from the Bach Goldberg Variations.

Good Night & Thanks for visiting!

Friday, July 1, 2011

4th of July Invite




Today, I thought I'd share an invitation I made for some upcoming weekend plans. 4th of July is one of my favorite times of the year. I don't know if it's the fireworks or parades or maybe the music. It's just a lot of fun.

Card Notes:

Stamp the image onto the X-Press It Blending Card & color; Trim image.

Trace the fireworks with the Quickie Glue pen and sprinkle with glitter; Tap off excess.

Cut two stars out of complimentary patterned paper using the Cricut electronic cutting machine; One star should measure 4 3/4" while the other is 5"; Mat the smaller star with the bigger one.

Cut a 3 3/4" x 5 1/4" piece of patterned paper; stamp the sentiment onto this piece of patterned paper & mat onto black cardstock.

Finish by simply assembling the card.


Stamps: Stampendous Cling Firework Day Set CRS2033; Mini Happy 4th SSC478
Patterned Paper: various pieces from October Afternoon Rocket Age Collection
Cardstock & Specialty Paper: Copic X-Press It Blending Card;
Recolllections Black Cardstock; Cardbase (unknown)
Diecut: Star from Plantin Schoolbook cartridge cut with my Cricut
Markers: Copics R20/R21/R24/R27/R29/B0000/B91/B93/B97/B99/BG10/E00/E01/E40/E41/E50/
E53/E55/E57/W0
Glitter: from the Stampendous Glitzy Glitter 80's Flashback set GK02
Adhesives: American Crafts Permanent Dot Runner; Sakura Quickie Glue pen
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black dye ink; Ranger Jet Black archival ink



Thanks so much for visiting. Happy 4th of July Everyone!

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Hello Muddah...A Summer Card Camp Hello



Summer camp has been so much fun this week. Thank you Online Card Classes Summer Card Camp 2011 & thank you Debbie Olson for giving me this great opportunity. I've found myself singing & humming all week "Hello Muddah, Hello Fuddah." OK, the piano teacher in me wants to say to all of my students: yes, here is another example of pop music borrowing from a classical composer. Make sure to scroll down & you'll find yourself humming along too.

Here's a quick & easy card I made for Summer Card Camp. I find myself migrating to mini cards a lot these days. It seems like you can never have enough of them sitting around to give as gift cards. This 3.5" square card is the perfect size to enclose a small note and then tuck onto a package. It's also a great size when using Martha Stewart's Punch Around the Page punches. To make the punched pink mat I started with a 3.25" square. With this size, all you have to do is punch the 4 corners, then punch each side once. There's no lining up, which is great when you are in a hurry.

The flowers were made using Hero Arts 4 Fun Flowers CG278, stamped in Hero Hues Iris Chalk Ink. After a spritz of Ranger Perfect Pearls Mist, I fussy-cut each flower & rolled the edges using a wooden cuticle stick (One of my favorite go-to tools. I used Glue Dots to stack them and to adhere them to the page. The sentiment is from the Hero Arts Trees, Birds & Messages clear set CL182, stamped in Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink. I love how the letters are a little distressed.

Here's something for your listening pleasure. Here's one for all of you purists. Thanks for visiting!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Amazing Flower Fields & Camp



Today was the start of Summer Card Camp 2011. I was lucky enough to win a spot by commenting on Debbie Olson's blog. If you are not familiar with Debbie's art, please go visit. Her coloring and designs are absolutely stunning. Thanks Debbie for this great opportunity.

The 1st day of camp is always exciting and believe me, this 1st day did not disappoint. Jennifer McGuire & Kristina Werner challenged us with a color combination of warm shades of purple, pink & orange complimented with sky blue & white. Both of their cards were amazing!



When I saw the color combination, I instantly thought about a recent trip I took to the Flower Fields in Carlsbad, California. Like most Carlsbad tourists, I was there to see Legoland. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time because I stumbled on to this incredible ranunculus farm. You can't imagine the joy it gives you to see acre upon acre of these beautiful flowers in every color of the rainbow. My favorites...the purple, pink & orange.

For my take on the challenge I used the Stampendous Ranunculus Field stamp R112 (Go figure). I colored the stamp this time with Memento Dual Tip Markers in Rose Bud, Lilac Posies, Tangelo, Bamboo Leaves & New Sprout. After a spritz of Ranger Perfect Pearls Mist, I stamped the image on Aquarelle Arches Hot Pressed Watercolor paper. I trimmed the image and mounted it to a purple card stock and then a blue card base. The ribbon is a white Creative Impressions silk ribbon that I easily colored with my V17 Copic marker. Thanks to a little strategically placed adhesive, I twisted & looped the ribbon and finished the card with a pearlized brad from TPC Studio. It's a pretty simple design but I really think this gorgeous Stampendous image needs very little embellishment.

Thanks so much for visiting. Good Night!



Sunday, June 26, 2011

Thank You Stampendous!



Stampendous just announced their new BlogStar team and I am honored to say that they picked me to be a part of it. Stampendous has been very instrumental in my card making. I started this wonderful journey by entering one of their sketch challenges a little over a year ago and I've been hooked with card making and stamping ever since. If you have never entered a challenge, I highly recommend getting your feet wet with Stampendous. Why?... First and foremost, the product is fabulous! I love their stamps. They have wonderful holiday and exquisite floral images. My new favorite is this Jumbo Cling Dahlia



And then there is Fluffles. You can never have too many Fluffles stamps! You can always find some cute, whimsical images along with some very lovely scenes. Did I mention the quality is excellent. You will get a clean, crisp image every time.

In addition to the quality products, another reason to join in the fun at Stampendous is the wonderful, amazing group of women that you meet there. They are sweet, sincere and always encouraging.

Please check out Stampendous on their blog or their facebook page. They even have a great Flickr Group.

Thanks for visiting and thank you Stampendous!