Ornament Challenge

I signed up for the weekly challenge on my yahoo group again this week. The challenge was to make ornaments. I was planning to make these again because I love to color and they are so much fun! But, when we got our assignments I was given my friend Lisa Somerville and I already gave her one of those ornaments at convention. So, this was going to be a real challenge!

I went to Michaels looking for some glass ornaments and didn't find anything I liked. But I did see some cute porcelain ornaments. They are glazed, so I couldn't color on them. So, I decided to try embossing and see what it looked like. The verdict? I think they look very elegant! Perfect!!

Stamps: Holy Triptych
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: Gold Embossing Powder, Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Gold Cord
Tools: Heat Tool, Powder Pal

Ahead of the Game

I'm finally getting ahead of the game with baby thank yous. I only have a few outstanding -- it's down to the single digits and it feels good to be almost caught up.

I'm planning to make 30 of these simple cards for upcoming baby showers. I don't know when they'll be, but I want to be ready this time so all I have to do is write the notes out instead of having the extra step of making the cards as well.

I started with some blue Arturo note cards that I ordered from Ellen's store. They are just like the Fabriano cards, but in color!

These baby images are really old! I bought them at Michaels when I first started stamping because I thought they were cute. That was at least 5 years ago and this is the first time they've seen ink. Shocking, I know! Anyway, they are made by Rubber Stampede but are probably retired at this point. The sentiment is from A Muse Art Stamps. I love their clean fonts.

I stamped all the images with Palette Noir black ink and then watercolored with an aquapainter and my watercolor wonder crayons. Then when everything was dry, I added a little glitz with my new clear Copic Spica Glitter pen, also from Ellen's store.

Stamps: Sentiment from A Muse, Images from Rubber Stampede
Ink: Palette Noir Black
Paper: Pale Blue Arturo note card & envelope
Tools: Aquapainter, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, clear Copic Spica Glitter Pen

Blogger's Challenge Friday #17

It's inspiration week on the blogger's challenge group!

In addition to being a stamper, I am a knitter and I'm almost done knitting a log cabin blanket for the baby. The pattern is from Mason Dixon Knitting and that leads me to this week's inspiration. I absolutely love the Buncha Squares blanket that Kay finished up this summer which was inspired by Denyse Schmidt's fabric quilt design called What A Bunch of Squares. Click this link to check out Kay's beautiful afghan. Since knitting this blanket would probably take me 1-2 years, I decided to be inspired in the stamp room instead. ;)

I love the large spans of natural colored yarn in the blanket that is sprinkled with the squares of fresh colors. I chose the colors groovy guava, certainly celery, soft sky and always artichoke from one of the squares as my inspiration. I also decided to run my layers through the cuttlebug to bring some more squares into the design. The Traffic Jam embossing folder especially reminded me of the Buncha Squares blanket.

The layout is this month's dirty dozen fan club on splitcoast stampers. (The link won't work if you aren't a member of the fan club. Sorry!) After I picked this layout, I wasn't sure what to put in the focal circle. Then when I was sitting at my stamp table, I just grabbed this leftover scalloped circle from the mass-produced thank you notes of a couple weeks ago. It was perfect -- even the right color. That means this card took a total of 5 minutes to put together and that included digging out my cuttlebug! Not too shabby!!

I hope you enjoyed my entry this week. Don't forget to check out the other Blogger's challenge entries! You can find links to all of their sites in my sidebar.

Stamps: Seeing Spots, Short & Sweet
Ink: Palette Noir Black, Soft Sky
Paper: Ivory Naturals, Whisper White, Soft Sky, Groovy Guava, Certainly Celery, Basic Black
Accessories: Always Artichoke grosgrain ribbon, Pop-up glue dots
Tools: 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, scallop circle punch, Blender Pens, Traffic Jam Embossing Folder, Tiny Mosaic Texture Embossing Folder

Friendship File

This week, I signed up for the weekly challenge on one of my yahoo groups. We were supposed to make a file folder card using Beate's tutorial.

To my delight, I was assigned my friend Rose Kerry! She is such a kind and loving person, so I knew my card would have to focus on friendship.

I also wanted to try last week's color challenge on splitcoast (CC135) and this is what I came up with.

I chose to use Simply Said since I haven't used it in so long and it has the perfect friendship saying. For the saying, I swiped a scrap of white card stock with a sponge dauber inked up with river rock ink. Then I stamped the sentiment on top and punched with the large oval punch. To make it stand out more, I ran the edges of the oval across a black marker.

Stamps: Simply Said, Wonderful Words
Ink: Basic Black, Basic Gray, River Rock, Whisper White Craft Ink
Card stock: Whisper White, Basic Gray, River Rock, Basic Black
Accessories: Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon
Tools: Large Oval Punch, Round Tab Punch, Pop-up Glue Dots, Neutral Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Signo White Gel Pen, Black Marker

Updated Family Portrait

Now that we know the baby is a boy, I thought it was time for an updated family portrait card. I actually made this for a contest the my 5th upline, Christina Crawford, had at her last group meeting. The contest category was "Welcome Baby" and I decided to participate in the contest when I woke up at 5am the morning of the meeting.

So, I stamped the card quickly, cut all the pieces, grabbed some markers and my adhesive and headed out the door. I had to be at a friend's house at 6am in order to get to the meeting on time. (It is about 1.5 hours away in New York.)

I colored the card once we got to the meeting place. As you can see, I missed the dad's pants! I guess it's no wonder that I didn't win that day. ;) Don't feel too bad for me though because I won the grand door prize -- a full set of Stampin' Up! markers!! I couldn't even believe it.

The card measures 4 1/4 x 4 1/4" square. The layout is from Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #17.

Stamps: All in the Family, Short & Sweet
Ink: Stazon Timber Brown
Card stock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue
Accessories: Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon
Tools: Coluzzle, Pop-up Glue Dots, Markers

Fall Wedding

We're going to a wedding tonight for one of my coworkers. Actually the groom used to work with me as well, so it should be a fun time!

For their wedding card, I wanted something simple and understated. The bride is also a stamper and tends towards more simple & elegant designs than ones with lots of layers and embellishments.

So, I pulled out a Fabriano Medioevalis note card and set to work. The cake is from the retired Stampin' Up! set, Fairy-tale Wedding. I got the sentiment on sale from A Muse this summer because it is also retired. Both were stamped in Palette Noir black ink and I watercolored the cake with my watercolor wonder crayons and an aquapainter. Then just to add a little sparkle, I used my brand new copic spice clear glitter pen that I ordered from Ellen's store. I like it better than the Sakura Stardust Gelly Roll pen because it really is clear.

Stamps: Fairy-tale wedding from Stampin' Up!, Best Wishes from A Muse
Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir Black
Card stock: Fabriano Medioevalis folded card
Tools: Copic Spica Clear Glitter Pen, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter

Pink for October

I just stumbled across Bobbie Lawrence's blog. Her Moms group is selling the cutest key chain wristbands to raise money for mammograms in her community in Indiana. Read more about it here!

Blogger's Challenge Friday #16

This week's challenge was to make an ornament. I loved making these ornaments for convention so much, that I figured I'd have another go with the Ranger Memory Frames. So the only decision left was what to stamp?

When we got married, one of my favorite wedding gifts was a set of twelve ornaments that Eric's aunt & uncle had collected for us. Tucked away with the ornaments was a sheet of paper explaining their significance. Here's what it said:

According to the old German tradition, the tree of a newlywed couple should include these twelve ornaments to ensure blessing and happiness for their life together.

An Angel - God's Guidance in the Home
A Rose - Beauty and Affection
A Rabbit - Hope and Faith
A Teapot - Hospitality
A Pine Cone - Motherhood and Fruitfulness
A Santa - Unselfishness and Goodwill
A House - Shelter and Protection
A Fruit Basket - Generosity
A Bird - Happiness and Joy
A Flower Basket - Good Wishes
A Heart - True Love
A Fish - Christ's Blessing

When my best friend from college got married this June, we gave her a set of ornaments that we had been collecting for a couple of years. I wanted the ornaments to be all different styles. But, a few of the twelve were very difficult to find and we had to settle on whatever we came across. Two of these hard finds were the fruit basket and the flower basket.

So, wouldn't it be great to be able to stamp these ornaments instead? Then they would be perfect -- just what I envisioned. That was the inspiration for my blogger's challenge entry this week.

I hope you enjoyed my entry this week. Don't forget to check out the other blogger's challenge entries! You can find links to all of their sites in my sidebar.

Stamps: Basket Full of Fun
Ink: Palette Noir Black Ink
Paper: Watercolor Paper
Accessories: Red Gingham Ribbon, Ranger Inkssentials Memory Frames, Ranger Inkssentials Memory Glass
Tools: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter

World Card Making Day

Sorry I've been missing for the past week or so. My Christmas card fundraiser class was Saturday, which was also World Card Making Day, and I am just now recovering. :) We did eight cards, two of which I posted about before here and here. I also directly cased rohla's Country Christmas card and Kristina Werner's Pink Christmas card.

So here's a round up of the other ones. You can click each picture for a larger view.

This card was totally inspired by Connie Babbert's wise men card. I obviously changed a few things, but I really loved the background Connie created by swiping the white oval with a sponge dauber inked in river rock. I love the washed out look of it. It seems so elegant.

The fine lace background is stamped in river rock ink on whisper white card stock. The holy family and sentiment are embossed gold.

Stamps: Holy Triptych, Fine Lace Background, Star Studded Season
Ink: River Rock, VersaMark
Paper:Whisper White, Natural Ivory, Brushed Gold
Accessories: Gold Embossing Powder, Stampin' Dimensionals
Tools: Coluzzle, Heat Tool, Powder Pal

The next card is a total CASE of MaryJo Monoski's ornament card from last year. I loved everything about her card. The simplicity, the colors, the layout... However, that designer paper retired with last year's holiday mini catalog, so I had to update the card with out new Wintergreen Designer paper. It has the same patterns, just different colors.

Stamps: Hung up on the Holidays, Happy Everything
Ink: Always Artichoke, Sage Shadow, Basic Black
Paper:Whisper White, Sage Shadow, Wintergreen Designer Paper
Accessories:Always Artichoke Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

The last one I'm going to share tonight was adapted from an awesome swap card I received from Adele Heffern. Since I had Soft Sky ribbon and prints paper, I swapped the colors. I also replaced the intricately cut-out snowflake with an easy punch. I used the Priceless classy brass template since I didn't have the Seeing Spots one. It's not quite as dramatic of an effect, but I'm still really happy with the results.


Stamps: Snow Burst, Many Merry Messages
Ink: Buckaroo Blue, Soft Sky
Paper:Whisper Soft Sky, Buckaroo Blue, Sokft Sky Prints Designer Paper
Accessories: Soft Sky Double Stitched Ribbon, Silver Brad, Stampin' Dimensionals
Tools: Snow Blossom Punch, Cutter Kit, Paper Piercer from the Crafter's Toolkit, Priceless Classy Brass Template

Blogger's Challenge Friday #15

Pregnancy brain strikes again! I accidentally posted my blogger's challenge project on Saturday. Don't even ask how I made that mistake, but it's par for the course in my life right now.

This week's challenge was to make a project using orange and black. My 2-5-7-10 box fit the bill perfectly. Since my fundraiser Christmas card class is tomorrow, I won't have time until Sunday to make a different project.

In the meantime, don't forget to check out the other blogger's challenge entries! You can find links to all of their sites in my sidebar.

Another Round

Of baby thank you cards, that is! I love the simplicity of this batch.

This is a great layout to use up scraps. Besides the actual card base, every piece of paper and card stock on the 18 cards I made came from the scrap pile. You've got to love that!

The cards themselves are the small note cards. They measure 3.5" by 7" and are the perfect size for a thank you note. Just enough room to write your message without leaving a bunch of white space inside. ;)

Since there is no Soft Sky marker, I just dipped a blender pen into the ink pad. That made coloring in the diaper pins a breeze.

Stamps: Seeing Spots, Short & Sweet
Ink: Palette Noir Black, Soft Sky
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Soft Sky, Soft Sky Prints designer paper
Accessories: Black gingham ribbon, Pop-up glue dots
Tools: 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, scallop circle punch, Blender Pens


To show a little versatility (and in case you are sick of the baby thank yous), I modified this card to be a girly birthday thank you card. The patterned paper here is from the Petals & Paisleys designer series paper. I like the way the regal rose scalloped circle contrasts with the pretty in pink patterned paper. To finish it up, I used the small corner rounder punch to create a scalloped edge at the bottom of the card. A little glitter was the final touch.

Stamps: Seeing Spots, Short & Sweet
Ink: Palette Burnt Umber
Markers: Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Regal Rose, Petals & Paisley designer paper
Accessories: Chocolate Taffeta ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds, Pop-up glue dots
Tools: 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, scallop circle punch, Small Corner Rounder, Two-way glue pen

Pink for October

You might have noticed that I changed my blog colors today to be shades of pink.

October is breast cancer awareness month and I am delighted to join the Pink for October initiative. This is a message that is very close to my heart. As I have mentioned before, my mother died when I was 16 years old. What I didn't say was that she had breast cancer -- twice. The first time, she was 29 years-old (my current age) and pregnant with me. She had a mastectomy and luckily didn't require any further treatment. Growing up I always knew that my mom had had cancer, but it didn't seem like a big deal. I wasn't around for it and she obviously survived it, so it wasn't that scary.

Every year she would go in for a mammogram to make sure it didn't come back. Then right before Christmas in 1993, the annual mammogram found a lump in her remaining breast. She had another mastectomy and this time required chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She ultimately lost her battle with cancer one year later on October 7, 1994.

My mother always insisted that I not live my life in fear of cancer. The best we can do is be tested as recommended and then deal with it if it happens.

Anyway, that's my story. Let's look at things you can do to help.

1. First of all, if you are over 40 or have a family history please get a mammogram. I've had one done annually since the age of 25 and they aren't that bad.
2. Look into this new test that can detect abnormal cells 7 years before a mammogram can. I just found out about this and have to wait 6 months after I stop breast feeding before I can have it done, but I will definitely be there on 6 month plus one day.
3. Check out the new Think Pink stamp set from My Favorite Things. They are donating 50% of the retail price to breast cancer research.
4. Support my friend, Kim Howard, in her 3-day walk fund-raising effort. My MIL and SIL did the 3-day this August in Boston and it was amazing.
   
5. If you have a blog, go pink and spread the word!