Rose's Garden

I think I could stamp with these Sarah Kay images every single day! I absolutely LOVE every one of them, and they are so much fun to color!

This one is called Rose's Garden . I stamped it on watercolor paper using Onyx Black Versafine ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder.

The stamped image was colored with Tombow (water based) markers and a damp paint brush.

The designer paper is from the Basic Grey Eva paper collection.


The cardstock is Prismatics Pink light, and Intense Kiwi .

I used a Fiskars border punch on the bottom. I've had that one for a while, and it had kind of gotten lost among all my Martha Stewart border punches! LOL! I chose that one because it has such a similar shape to the ribbon I used.

The three strips of green ribbon are from WalMart. And the rhinestones in each of the four corners are Soft Pink Rhinestones by Kaiser Craft.

Thanks to each of you for stopping by my blog once again. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your kind words, and how much it means to me.

I hope you are all enjoying ringing in the New Year, and that it is a fabulous one!

Christmas at Mimi's

I'll bet you thought you were not going to have to see the family Christmas pictures! LOL! Sorry, but I just couldn't resist posting a few of them.

It was such a beautiful day that it was impossible to keep the grands inside. My son told them he would give them $5 if they would rake Mimi's leaves. You can see that there wasn't a lot of raking going on, but oh, what fun they had!!! :-)





I got a kick out of Ryker's expression in this picture. He's the one in the red and white stripe shirt. He's such a little pill (to put it mildly)!

The tall good looking boy on the far left holding Ryker on his shoulders is my grandson Jacob. He will be getting his drivers license next month! Yikes! Gosh, that sure makes me feel old!




Family photo...my younger son, his wife and their four children. Yes, they are stair steps. Ashlyn is 3, Ryker is 5, Christian (the blonde) is 7, and Dylan will be 9 next month.



This is sweet little Ashlyn. Actually, she's not all that sweet. She has 5 older brothers to keep up with! My neice photoshopped this picture, and I just love it!



This is a note that my sweet Dylan wrote to me, and it's definitely a keeper. I call him my little artist because he loves to draw, color and make things. He gets that from his Mimi. :-)

Thanks so much for indulging me. I have a card ready for you, and hope to find the time to post it tonight.

Be Grateful...and new stamps!

I made this card several days ago, then realized I was out of the stamp set I used. Fortunately, I received my order from Impression Obsession tonight! So that stamp set is back in stock, as well as some new ones. Be sure to go to the store to see them.

The stamp set I used is a cling mount set called Charming Gardeners . You may recall another card I made recently using this set. You can see it HERE .


I stamped the main image on watercolor paper using Onyx Black Versafine ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder. The stamped image was colored using Tombow (water based) markers and a damp paint brush.

My goal was to *stamp simply* and let the designer paper and stamp do the work for me. That gorgeous designer paper is from the Basic Grey Sultry paper pad. The butterflies are a Martha Stewart punch. I covered them with Crystal Ultrafine Transparent Glitter by Art Institute Glitter, then added Soft Pink Rhinestones to the body.

The sentiment on the inside is included in the stamp set. It's such a beautiful sentiment, perfect for so many occasions. I added two more glittered butterflies, but didn't use the rhinestones in attempt to keep it from being too bulky in mailing.

The cardstock is Intense Kiwi Prismatics and Intense Pink Prismatics .

So, that's it for me tonight. Thanks so very much for stopping by. I have another card ready for you, so I will be back soon.

Tea Cup with Flowers

As much as I enjoyed Christmas this year, I'm happy to be making something besides Christmas cards! Is it just me? Or is everyone ready to move on?

This is a Northwoods stamp called Tea Cup with Flowers . I stamped it on watercolor paper using Onyx Black Versafine ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder. The stamped image was colored using Tombow (water based) markers and a damp paint brush.



I used my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder to emboss the purple piece in the center to add a bit of texture. The cardstock I used is Majestic Purple Prismatics light and medium, and Pink Prismatics medium. The ribbon is May Arts .

I'm off to start taking down the Christmas tree and get it back in the attic for another year. But I'm thinking I may need a bit of a nap first! :-)

Thanks so much for stopping by. I have something new ready for you tomorrow.

Until then...

Lily - Springtime

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas! Yesterday I enjoyed the day with all six of the grands, their parents, my sister and her husband and my neice and her fiance. Needless to say, it was pretty wild around here! And sooooo much fun!

I took a day off work today to recover! LOL! I enjoyed the afternoon with my best friend. We exchanged gifts, then went to lunch. Really, just enjoying each other's company. I also had a little stamping time, so I decided to try out one of the new stamps that arrived in the store a few days ago.

This stamp is from Stampavie and is designed by Rachelle Ann Miller. It's called Lily - Springtime .

I stamped on watercolor paper using Versafine Onyx Black ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder. The stamped image was colored using Tombow (water based) markers and a damp paint brush. I used my Stardust Gelly Roll Pen to add a little sparkle to the butterfly and flowers.

The designer paper is Pop Fashion from Pink Paislee. The cardstock is Twilight Prismatics medium and Intense Pink Prismatics . I punched flowers from the designer paper and cardstock, then layered them to embellish.

The layout is Jen DelMuro's sketch. You can see it HERE .

Thanks once again for stopping by. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Monogram Gift Set

I've been busy with the last minute Christmas preparations today. And my best guess is that's what most of you have been doing as well!

My neice will be here tomorrow for Christmas to introduce her new fiance. I'm excited about meeting him. We agreed not to buy gifts for the adults, but I couldn't resist making her a little something. After all, I didn't buy it, so I kept my word! LOL!

Since my neice is in her twenties, I wanted something fun and maybe a little funky for her monogram cards, so all the designer paper is from the Basic Grey Urban Prairie paper pad.



I used my JustRite Trompe Script Font with a Harmony Classic Circle Stamper I . It's the 1 5/8" size.

Just to mix it up a little I used various Spellbinders dies. The first card uses the Labels Two Nestabilities. For the second card I used Labels One. I think it will be back in stock on Friday...I hope?

I stamped using Ranger Broken China Distress Ink. On the last two cards I used a border from my JustRite 10 Design Centers and Borders set.

All the self adhesive rhinestones are from Hero Arts .



I absolutely love it that you can mix and match all the JustRite products to get the result you're looking for.

I'm going to package these in a clear box with envelopes, and then put it in a cute Christmas bag with a handmade tag. I think she will like it.

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all the Merriest Christmas ever! I hope you enjoy some special time with family and friends. And I hope we are all mindful of the reason we are celebrating tomorrow. One of our little traditions is that the grands sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. We even had a special birthday cake for him last year. :-)



I will be back after Christmas with something new, and probably a few pictures of the grands as well!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

New Stamps just arrived!

I just received an order tonight from Stampavie !

New stamps from Rachelle Ann Miller , as well as Sarah Kay !



I'm working on a gift card set for my neice. As soon as it's finished I will be back to post it. In the meantime....I hope you're all enjoying your preparations for the holiday.

Melinda Hugging Hearts

I made this card for both today's Featured Stamper Challenge on SCS, and for the OCC Lovey Dovey challenge! WOW! I've NEVER gotten two challenges in one card before! LOL!

Today's featured stamper is paulatracy. Please be sure to check out her awesome gallery is HERE . I cased her Make A Wish card. I used the same stamp and general layout, but changed the vertical ribbon to horizontal, and changed the papers and colors to make it uniquely my own.

The stsamp I used on the front of the card is Melinda Hugging Heart by Whiff of Joy.

I stamped it on watercolor paper using Onyx Black Versafine ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder.

The stamped image was colored using Tombow (water based) markers and a damp paint brush. After shading the wings, I added Frosted Lace Stickles for a little sparkle.

The pearls in each corner are from Kaiser Craft . The cardstock is Pink Prismatics and Blush Red Prismatics dark.


For the inside of the card I used the Elisabeth Bell Accessories & Sentiments set, also from Whiff of Joy. I accented the little hearts on the pillow with a Stardust Clear Gelly Roll pen.

The designer is by The Paper Studio from Hobby Lobby, and the ribbon is from my stash.

I'm off to work on preparations for Christmas...like wrapping gifts? Nope...still haven't done it yet! And my procrastination about it is totally stressing me out! :-)

Have you seen the blog candy giveaway on my friend Joan Ervin's blog at Stamping With A Passion ? She is new to blogging, and is celebrating 10,000 hits! Be sure to get on over there fast...the drawing is today after she gets home from church! And she has some really awesome goodies! While you're there, be sure to check out her fabulous work!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Christmas Cards...

It is such a special joy to receive handmade cards in the mail...especially when they are as beautiful as these!

The first card is from my dear friend and Dream Team member, Denise Marzec . Isn't it absolutely gorgeous? She used the Northwoods Holly, Pinecones & Ribbon stamp. Her coloring is just beautiful, and I love how she used the Spellbinders Double Ended Tags die cut for the sentiment.

Thanks, my friend...your card and special note totally made my day! :-)


This fabulous card was made by my good friend Carolyn aka Cammie, also on the Dream Team. She used the Impression Obsession Partridge In A Pear Tree stamp. The sentiment is from the JustRite Christmas Stamp Ensemble .

Don't you just love her ribbon treatment and gorgeous coloring?

Thanks Cam! Your card totally rocks...and so do you, girlfriend! :-)

Oh yes....the drawing for the Stamper's Dream Dreamy Challenge! I wrote each name on a piece of paper, folded them and then drew a name. The first name I drew is Cheryl!

Cheryl Koskakura said...

Your card is beautiful. Thanks for having such a fun challenge!
-Cher

Here is my card:
http://stampingwithcher.blogspot.com/2008/12/black-and-gray-challenge.html

Congratulations, Cheryl! Send me your snail mail address and I will get your dreamy treat out to you right away!

My sincere thanks to everyone who played along. Be sure to see all the entries for the challenge on SCS HERE .

Don't forget about the sale that's going on at Stamper's Dream ! The stamps used on the Christmas cards in this post are on sale as well!

Thanks so much to each of you for stopping by!

BIG SALE!

We're having a big SALE at Stamper's Dream !

ALL Holiday stamps are marked down! No coupon code is needed. The price you see in the store is the sale price. I also marked down the Fancy Pants paper pads, as well as the Cuttlebug seasonal embossing folders!

All Doodlebug Designs products are marked down as well. Glitter, Brads, Paper Frills, and Fancy That Adhesive are all included!

If you still need a gift for a special friend, be sure to consider a Stamper's Dream Gift Certificate . It's a wonderful way to let them choose their own gift! New product is coming in weekly, and there are a lot of new things on order.

That's it for me....I'm off to finish addressing my Christmas cards! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Christmas Knit

I considered calling this post "Tanker Tuesday". This is one of the cards I made a while back that I didn't like, so I tanked it! LOL! Come on...tell the truth. We ALL have those, don't we?

The stamp I used is Penny Black's Christmas Knit! . I stamped it on watercolor paper using Onyx Black Versafine ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder.


The stamped image was colored with Tombow (water based) markers. I added Frosted Lace Stickles to the hat.

The red and blue snowflakes were cut and embossed with a Snowflake Wonder Spellbinders die. The clear snowflake is a Heidi Swapp ghost snowflake embellished with Stickles.

The designer paper is from my stash, and the cardstock is Pink Prismatics dark, and Classic Red Prismatics .

My lunch hour is almost over, so I'd better get back to the office now. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Monogram Gift Card Set

I have a good friend who always makes such a fuss over every card I send her, so I decided to make a monogram gift set for her for Christmas. I mean, it's fun to give handmade gifts to the people who seem to appreciate them the most, isn't it?

I used the JustRite Special Occasions Monogram Stamper kit for all of them. But since I don't enjoy mass production I changed something on each to make it a little more fun for me.

The thing they all have in common is that I used the same Anna Griffin paper, and Ranger Fired Brick distress ink. I used Peeled Pain for a border on the second one.




All cardstock is from Prism Papers. The red cardstock is Blush Red Prismatics dark, and the green is Herbal Green Prismatics medium.

The self adhesive pearls are by Kaiser Craft , and the lace is from JoAnn's Fabrics.



Of course I used Spellbinders dies on each of them. I don't know how I ever managed to make cards without them!

On the second card, the punch used on the green cardstock behind the lace is a Fiskars border punch. The rest of the border punches I used are from Martha Stewart.



Since this is a Christmas gift, I wanted to finish the inside of each of the cards, so I photographed those as well. I think you can figure out which goes with which card. Actually, I think they are in the order that I posted the card fronts.



Since most of this is self explanatory I'm not going to bore you with a lot of details. But if you have questions, please don't hesitate to email me.




I'm off to start wrapping gifts. Yes...I said start! It's my least favorite job, and I tend to procrastinate about it.

I DO, however, think I've finished my shopping except for one gift! Woo hoo!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Edited to add: Don't forget to stop by Tosh's Blog and leave a comment for her Blog-o-versary Candy! She's got some totally AWESOME stuff for one lucky winner!

Nativity - SDDC3

It's time for this month's Stamper's Dream Dreamy Challenge!

These are the rules for the challenge as they were sent to me: Having a Gray Day? Add a splash of color or a touch of bling. December's weather can be gray and gloomy, so amp it up with a bit of color and bling. Most of the card needs to be gray/black with a hint of any color and some sparkle. You can also include white.

Okay...not I'm not really sure if I followed the rules...but this is what I came up with!


The main image is Inkadinkado's Nativity rubber stamp. I stamped on Neenah Solar White cardstock using Tuxedo Black Memento ink. I colored the image with Chalks for soft color.

The background is Stormy Prismatics medium embossed with the Joy & Cheer Cuttlebug embossing folder.

The black and white strip in the center was made with a Martha Stewart punch. The ribbon is May Arts Silver Woven Wired metallic ribbon. The three pearls on the bottom right are Pewter Pearls from Kaiser Crafts.

For the inside I stamped the Northwoods sentiment Wisemen . The border along the bottom was cut with the same Martha Stewart punch used on the outside. I cut once in black, and again in white and layered the two.

To see what the rest of The Dream Team did with the challenge be sure to visit their blogs:

Carolyn King
Charmaine Ikach
Cindy Motherway
Denise Marzec
Kimberly Crawford
Laurie Schmidlin
Tosha Leyendekker


We encourage you to play along with this month's challenge. You can post on your blog, and/or to the Splitcoast gallery. But please be sure to use the keyword SDDC3 so we can find them all in the gallery, and be sure to link to this post as well.

The winner for these Dreamy Treats will be drawn at random. But you only have until midnight on Wednesday, December 17. I will announce the winner of the Dreamy Treats in my regular blog post on Thursday, December 18!

Thanks so much for stopping by...I'm looking forward to see what fabulous challenge cards you make!

Merry Christmas Cluster

It's such a shame that I am just now getting around to using this gorgeous stamp, because I LOVE IT! It's Inkadinkado's Merry Christmas Cluster .
All of the stamp was inked with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, except the bird. I colored him/her with a marker, then stamped on Neenah Natural White cardstock. I colored in the flowers and holly with Tombow (water based) markers.

The stamped image was cut and embossed with a Spellbinders Curved Rectangles Mega Nestabilities die. To make the green frame, I cut and embossed two of the same size using Herbal Green Prismatics dark. You can see from the photo that I cut a piece out of the center of one lengthwise, and another piece out of the other one horizontally.
This is what the back looks like after I adhered it to the main image. You will notice that each of the four corners is exposed, which frankly, I like. It's a little different look, but still attractive, and a good fit.

The sentiment on the inside of the card is Northwoods Wishing You Peace . I stamped it with VersaMark ink, then embossed with JudiKins Malachite embossing powder. I used a scrap of the Wassill designer paper on the inside just to make it a little more special.

The poinsettia Primas were found at my local Michael's, and the red cardstock is Blush Red Dark Prismatics .

Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate each of you and your thoughtful comments. I will be back soon. Until then....

Christmas Birds Galore!

I took a little time this morning to play along with this week's featured stamper challenge on SCS. The featured stamper this week is annascreations, and you can see her awesome gallery HERE . I had not been to her gallery before, and she truly does have some fabulous creations there!

You can see her card that I chose to case HERE . I used the same stamp and layout, but changed everything else.

The main image is from Inkadinkado's Birds Galore clear stamp set. This is the very first time I've used these stamps. When they were all the craze I couldn't get a set because they sold out so quickly!

I inked the bird with Ranger Fired Brick Distress Ink, and the leaves were inked with Peeled Paint Distress ink. I stamped on Neenah Solar White cardstock, then used my rectangle Nestabilities to cut and emboss. I sponged a little Tea Dye ink around the edges.

The designer paper is two different patterns from Fancy Pants Happy Holidays . The Burgundy Woven Velvet ribbon is May Arts, and the cardstock is Blush Red Prismatics and Herbal Green Prismatics dark.

The Merry Christmas sentiment on the front is from the Hero Arts Holiday Messages clear stamp set. They are the perfect size stamps for small spaces! The red berries are pearls from Kaiser Craft .

The sentiment on the inside is Northwoods All Nature Whispers . I thought it was very appropriate for the bird on the front. Sorry for the crooked picture. I was in a hurry to finish so I can TRY to make myself get in the attic to start getting out the Christmas decorations! And I really need to get my tree up today too! Geez...where IS my Christmas spirit? LOL!

Thanks for stopping by. And I hope you all have a fantastic Sunday!

Woo Hoo...Christmas Cards!

I was sooooo excited last night when I received my very first handmade Christmas cards in the mail! Isn't it wonderful to get happy mail?

The first one is from my friend Shirley. She has been a customer for many years, and she's always so sweet and thoughtful. She even remembers my birthday, and ALWAYS sends me a handmade birthday card. Now how sweet is that?

Thanks Shirley...I LOVE my card! :-)



The second card is from Barbara, who one of my customers. She bought this stamp from Stamper's Dream . The May Arts White Sheer Ribbon was a gift I included in her order, so she surprised me by using it on my card.

Thanks so much, Barbara! I love my card and your sweet note inside. I am truly touched by your thoughtfulness.

Don't I have the bestest customers? :-)

I know I haven't posted much this week, but it's been kinda crazy around here. I'm working on a card for tomorrow, so please be sure to stop back by.

Until then...

Floral Sympathy

As much as we all hate making sympathy cards, they are so necessary and meaningful to the recipient. Sadly, I found myself in need of a sympathy card this weekend. One of the men who works in my office lost his son in a tragic accident. It's a very sad story. I went to the visitation, but not the funeral. The 12 year-old daughter of the deceased was going to sing at her dad's funeral. I am such a wimp when it comes to those kinds of things, and I KNEW I wouldn't be able to handle it!

The background stamp I used is Baroque Leaves by JudiKins. I stamped it on Baby Pink Prismatics cardstock using Vintage Sepia VersaFine ink.



The flower on the main panel is Paper Inspirations Watercolor Pressed Flowers . I colored on the rubber using Tombow (water based) markers, then stamped on Neenah Natural White cardstock.

I did a little light distressing around the edges with Vintage Photo Distress ink, then added some piercing to each of the top corners.

The sentiment on the front of the card is from Impression Obsession's Sympathy Sentiments clear stamp set.



The sentiment on the inside of the card is from the Sympathy Sentiments stamp set as well. Both were stamped with Vintage Sepia Versafine ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder.

Do you see my little boo-boo on the bottom of the inside? I don't know WHAT I was thinking, but I cut the length about 1/8" too short. Of course, I was determined to make it work since I was out of time, so I added a pierced strip. Bad, huh? I've mailed the card already, so it's too late now!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I will try to get back to my Christmas cards soon!