Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Email Subscription!

Lisa C. suggested that I add an email subscription to my blog so I did! Just look to the left and enter your email address. Then whenever I post something new, you'll get an email to let you know. Pretty cool, huh?

I hadn't really thought about adding an email subscription before because I use Google Reader to keep track of all of the blogs that I read. If you don't currently have a blog management system, I would recommend the Google Reader. It's free and super easy to use. Just create an account and then click on Add Subscription to add a new blog. You can even create folders to organize your blogs. For example, I have a Stamping folder, a Knitting folder and a Family folder. So now, if I want to see if anyone posted something new, I can just log into the Google Reader and see all the new posts. I don't have to stalk all of my favorite blogs anymore. Quite a time saver!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Snappy Birthday



Phew! I finished my spring mini Control Freaks swaps just under the wire this quarter. But they are now safely on their way to Nebraska where they will meet the other 42 wonderful swapper's cards before making their trip back to me in Connecticut.

The layout of this card is from sketch challenge 54. It's an oldie but a goodie. To create the sand dune, I used the rotary blade in the cutter kit. I've used the distressor tool a lot before, but this was my first experience with the rotary blade. Let me tell you, it was super easy and I had to make 42 of these. :)

To give it a little more sandy look, I used a sahara sand marker in the color spritzer tool. Once again, so easy, but I love the look.

Finally I stamped Mr. Crab on whisper white card stock with basic black classic ink. I also created a mask for him so that I could stamp the party hat and make it look like it was sitting on his head with his beady little eyes sticking out front. When it came time to color Mr. Crab in, I watercolored with Really Rust. It was just the right mix of red and orange!

Stamps: Crab & Company
Ink: Basic Black, Really Rust, Cool Caribbean, Old Olive, Sahara Sand
Card stock: Whisper White, Old Olive, Cool Caribbean, Sahara Sand, Basic Black
Accessories: Black Grosgrain Ribbon
Tools: Color Spritzer Tool, Cutter Kit, Aquapainter