My Studio - Part 3

These are the last of the pictures of my studio. Sorry I didn't get them posted last night, but there was just too much to do!

The first picture is when I am sitting at my stamping desk looking to the left. You can see my clear sets that I like to keep handy, and to the right of that is a container with my Cuttlebug folders. Then, my BELOVED Tombow markers. I couldn't live without those!

The second picture is sitting at my stamping desk looking straight ahead. I always keep a stack of 11 x 17 white paper on the desk that I use as my "stamping pad". You can buy a ream of it at your office supply really cheap. When one page gets dirtied, just throw it away and there is another underneath. And of course, my OTT light is a must have!

The next picture is just at my right hand sitting at my stamping desk. All the necessary tools are within reach. You can see my Prisma pencils in the blue bucket. The larger white carousel is from Making Memories. I bought it at Michael's with a 50% off coupon. (It was cheaper to buy it that way than for me to buy it wholesale and pay the shipping!) The smaller carousel is from Pampered Chef. My friend Nancy gave it to me a long time ago, and I love it!

The last picture is what I call my embossing area. The little wicker basket is filled with my VersaColor cubes. You can also see the postal scales which I use daily for weighing all the packages I mail. My Milwaukee heat tool is in a holder, and I love that. I've tried to find those holders for other people, but haven't yet been able to find another source.

Under the embossing area you can see a glimpse of a 12 x 12 rolling cart that holds my scraps. I have each color in a gallon zip lock bag. They are really handy, and I always look in there first before cutting a new sheet of cardstock.

So...I know you're tired of these, and this is the last of them...until I reorganize something. Don't worry, that probably won't happen anytime soon!

Thanks so much for all your super sweet comments, and for stopping by.

NEW - Paper from Memory Box!

I've been SUPER busy since I got home from work tonight! The Memory Box order was on my doorstep, and I couldn't wait to see the new paper and stamps!

I have never carried designer paper in my inventory before, but I couldn't resist these beautiful designs. (I also have all the new Basic Grey 6 x 6 pads on order.) The first picture is the Aerial Paper Collection . There are 3 sheets each of 10 patterns, for a total of 30 sheets. The colors are tangerines, sky blues and a rustle of feathers.

The Inspire Collection also has 30 sheets. Again, there are 3 sheets each of 10 different patterns. They boast a deep aqua, chocolate brown and layers of swirl.

The Sprout Collection is also beautiful! There are 3 sheets each of 10 patterns in leafy greens and petal pinks.

The Flirt Paper Collection has 50 double sided sheets in this paper pad. There are 10 patterns, with 5 sheets each. All are just gorgeous! The design is the perfect scale for card makers
The last one is called the Homespun Collection . These are double sided as well, and there are also 50 pieces in the package...5 each of 10 different patterns. As you can see, the colors are spring like...and beautiful!

I am in love with these....and I think you will love them too!

Sorry I didn't have any other eye candy for you tonight. I still don't have all the new Memory Box stamps listed in the store...but I'm going back to work on it as soon as I finish this post.

I will have something new for you tomorrow night.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

My Studio - Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of the photos of my studio.

The first picture is just to the right of my Making Memories shelf, looking above the arched window. I bought these wooden letters somewhere a while ago, then altered them with dp in colors to coordinate with my room. Sorry I couldn't get a better picture, but you get the idea.

Just to the right of the window I have two shelves holding some of my Primas, and some of my treasured cards, as well as others that I have made recently.

The next picture is my computer desk. I promise you, this is as clean as it ever gets! My desk is also by Elfa, purchased at The Container Store. It has a row of drawers on the right, which has a lot of storage.
I don't think you can see it well, but just to the left of those drawers is a 12 x 12 Iris Cart. It's really handy for a lot of embellishments, chipboard, rub ons, etc. Each of the drawers is organized, and very handy here.

The silver bulletin board over my computer desk is magnetic. I found it at IKEA on one of my trips to Dallas, and I love having it there. The things on it are constantly changing, except for pictures of the grands.

Just to the right of my computer desk is another Elfa storage drawer system. The top it holds my ribbon storage containers. There is also ribbon in the top 3 drawers of the Elfa. Can one EVER have enough ribbon? :-) The drawers beneath hold paints, embellishments, and lots of ink pads and reinkers. I am actually pretty good about buying the reinker when I buy the ink pad, and it has served me well.



To the right of the Elfa unit is my 8.5" x 11" cardstock storage. What can I say about that? I love cardstock....in every color! And I love it that I can see what I have at a glance.

Primarily, I use Bazzill cardstock. But to be painfully honest, any paper that's pretty will manage to find it's way here eventually.



The last picture for tonight is the double closet. For those of you who think I'm super organized....just look at the mess in there!

You can see my 12 x 12 cardstock stored on the floor in Karen Foster paper holders. It is sorted by color, and it's really pretty handy. When I'm looking for a particular color I can pick up the whole container and bring it to my work table to match it under my OTT light.

There is a little of everything in this closet, from beads and glitter to alterables. I also store my notecards and envelopes in here. Really, I think it's ALL "good stuff" so I haven't been willing to part with it. Maybe someday?

I will post the last part of the pictures of my studio tomorrow night if I have time to write the post. I am expecting a shipment from Memory Box in the next day or so. Yep...new stuff! So if it doesn't get here tomorrow I will have time to finish up on the studio pictures.

Thanks so much for stopping by....more of something tomorrow.

Four Leaves

I know this isn't my usual style, but I was in the mood to make something "different". And you must admit this IS different from the cute little images I typically use.

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

Someone left a comment earlier today asking what kind of watercolor paper I use. Actually, I buy mine at Michael's with a coupon. It's Canson 90 lb cold press Aquarelle. I've been using it for a long, long time and have always been very happy with it. And I don't have any problem with the Versafine ink smuding when I watercolor on it. I would have responded directly to the person that asked, but I didn't have her email address...so I hope she reads this post.

I colored the stamped image using Tombow markers and a blender pen. I just LOVE those colors!

For the background, I simply stamped the Four Leaves on the cardstock using VersaMark Ink . I really like the watermark effect on dark colored cardstock.

And since I was in a mood to do something different, I hammered my brads with my new Tim Holtz Texture Hammer . If I was making a project that had a lot of distressing, I would have hammered them more. Basically, I was playing here...okay? LOL!

If I have enough time tomorrow evening, I will post more pics of my studio. At any rate, I will have something new for you tomorrow.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Life's A Beach!

I took a little time this morning to play along with the SCS Featured Stamper's Challenge. I haven't been able to play the last couple of weeks, and it's my favorite challenge on SCS. Today's featured stamper is the fabulous and talented Mary Jo Albright! She makes some awesome cards!

The card I chose to CASE can be seen HERE . I loved her card, as well as her layout...so I used it for today's creation.

The main image is Inkadinkado's Fun On The Beach . I stamped it on watercolor paper using Versafine Onyx Black ink, then colored using Tombow markers and a blender pen.

The sentiment is from My Favorite Things Twisted Sentiments stamp set. I guess this just goes to prove that ALL the sentiments aren't twisted! LOL! The layers behind the sentiment were cut and embossed with my Nestabilities circles.

For the row of paper piercing along the top I used my new Tim Holtz Design Ruler . There are several very cool things about this ruler, but my favorite is the 12" row of holes that are spaced exactly 1/8" apart. And since the ruler is see through, you can see where you're going, and don't have to move it to pierce a long line. Love it!

The ribbon is from Textured Trios, which I found at Michaels. The brads are actually blue, even though I think they look a little black in the photo.

Thanks so much for all your sweet comments and emails about my studio. I LOVE this room, and it's my favorite place in the house! I will post more pictures later in the week.

Gotta run....chicken is on the grill and I'm starved!

Thanks for stopping by. I will be back tomorrow with something new.

Until then....

My Studio - Part 1

Since I didn't have a chance to do any stamping today, I decided to take photographs of my studio. I've had a number of requests for them. And to be honest, it's never quite clean enough to have a permanent record of the mess! So....this is as good as it gets!

As you walk through the door, the first picture you see is just to the left of the doorway. It's what I call my cutting area. The white basket on top of the stack of Rubbermaid drawers is for paper scraps that need to be filed away. It's always full! Just to the right of that on top of my counter is my Scor-It and Genesis paper trimmer. I especially love the light on the paper cutter. But frankly, the whole thing was pretty pricey. AND I was on a waiting list for almost a year in order to get it!

The next picture is the same area. You can see my Big Shot there. All my Nestabilities are in CD cases stored in the blue cubes underneath the clock. My Gina K stamps are also stored there.

The third picture is the rest of my counter top. My Sizzix machine and Sizzix dies are handy here. Frankly, I don't use them much, but when the Grands come to play with me they use some of them. Of course, the TV and DVD player are a must! When I'm sitting at my stamping desk, the view of the cutting area and TV is directly in front of me.

Going to the right of the stamping storage and paper cutting area, you will see my Making Memories shelf. I like it a lot, and am happy to have found it at Michael's (with a 50% off coupon)! That makes it much sweeter!

The last picture for tonight is a shot of the stamp storage system I use. I have 7 of these in a row, which forms the counter top for my cutting area. The entire row of them is 10 1/2 feet long. And the counter top is about 42" high. Each unit has 10 drawers, so it holds a whole lotta stamps and stuff! They are from The Container Store, and are made by Elfa.

They put them on sale usually in January of every year, and that's when I bought mine. I even bought the labels for the outside of the drawers but just haven't gotten around to that quite yet.


I forgot to mention that the shelves on the wall just above my stamp storage are also from The Container Store, and made by Elfa. I love it that they are adjustable. I'm constantly changing things around, so that's a necessity for me. They put those on sale sometime in the summer. Since we don't have a Container Store here, I've hauled it all back from Dallas, and made several special trips when it's on sale.

I will have more pictures of the studio later this week in another post. I didn't want to overload one post with a lot of graphics so it would take too long to upload.

I plan on doing some stamping this weekend, so in addition to more studio pictures, I should have some cards as well.

By the way...I haven't forgotten about the questions several of you asked. I will also address those real soon.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you're having a great weekend!

Changito Thanks U

This is a quick little card I made last night. It's pretty straight forward, so I won't elaborate much.

The stamp is Stampendous Changito Thank-U . I stamped it on white cardstock using VersaMark ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Black embossing powder.

The stamped image was colored with Tombow markers and a blender pen. Honestly, I could have controlled the color much better if I had stamped on watercolor paper. I usually do, and have NO IDEA why I didn't this time. Go figure!

I used my corner rounder on the stamped layer, and on the blue and green layers behind it.

The scallops on the blue panel were made with my corner rounder as well. I used a white gel pen to doodle on the scalloped panel.

The ribbon is from Michael's, and the designer paper is from Gin X. I love that paper!

I'm off to work on some orders for new stamps for the store...then have a little dinner.

Thanks for stopping by tonight. I hope you have a fabulous Friday!

CardArt Thinking of You...

This card was really hard to photograph. The reflection off of the acetate made it difficult to get a good picture, and that is such a shame. Because in real life, this card has much more color and depth. And it's really pretty, if I do say so myself! LOL!

The stamp I used is Hero Arts CardArt Thinking of You .

I stamped it on the designer paper using VersaFine Onyx Black ink . Then I stamped it again on a piece of acetate using StazOn Black ink, and layered it over the stamped image on the designer paper.

To embellish, I put some Stickles Glitter Glue on a scrap of light blue cardstock. After it dried, I used a punch to get the three small circles for the centers of the flowers. I adhered the acetate to the card by putting a glue dot where the flower centers are, then covering them up with the punched Stickles circles.

The red gems in each corner and on the tail of the butterfly are Hero Arts Red Gemstones . The designer paper is from Fancy Pants.

Thanks for stopping by....more tomorrow.

I'm so sorry...

This is a card I made for my older sister who is going through a pretty rough time right now. Her husband has diabetes, and stepped on a nail that went through his boot. After some problems with infection, they recently had to amputate his foot above the ankle. Tough times, indeed.

So this card is going in the mail to her the first thing tomorrow morning with a heartfelt note inside to let her know I'm sorry they are having a difficult time, and how much I care.

This adorable little stamp is from Penny Black. It's called Get Together . I don't know who decides on the names for their stamps! The reason I chose this stamp for my sister is because it seems that the little fellow is trying to do something to make the bigger hedgie happy...trying to bring him joy. That just felt right under the circumstances.

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 markers and a blender pen.

The sentiment is Wordsworth's I'm So Sorry . I stamped, then cut and embossed it using my circle Nestabilities. I wanted it to look somewhat like a happy sun, so I used yellow for the scalloped oval.

The green baubles on each corner are the clear Decorative Accents I found at Michael's, colored with a lime green Sharpie. In case you missed the post about those, you can find it HERE .

Thanks again for stopping by. I appreciate each of you and your sweet and thoughtful comments.

Trumpet Vase

My Mojo must be aligned with the stars! LOL! This is another card I made that just came together. Honestly, sometimes I really struggle with a layout and embellishments. But I love it on those rare occasions when it just clicks!

The main image on this card is Penny Black's Trumpet Vase . I stamped it using VersaMark Ink , then embossed with JudiKins Detail Gold embossing powder.

I added a little color to the flowers and leaves using my Tombow markers and a blender pen, then mounted to a dark brown layer.

The background layer is pale blue cardstock, stamped with Penny Black's Paisley Border using VersaMagic Jumbo Java ink. I embossed the stamped image using JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts Heartfelt Messages clear stamp set. It was embossed with detail gold embossing powder, and mounted on pale yellow cardstock. The tabs on each end are from my Cuttlebug labels set.

I added Pearlized Mini Brads to each of the four corners of the main image for dimension.

I know this is not my usual color palette or style, but I actually like this card. It's good to depart from the norm from time to time.

I soooooo enjoyed my day off today. However, I have no idea where the time went! I slept in until 7am (late for me) then got busy, and haven't stopped since. But it was a good and productive day, and I'm happy to have gotten some things done around here.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I have something new for tomorrow, so please be sure to drop in.

Until then....

Happy Thoughts...

I have been dying to stamp with this Hero Arts bird cage, and surprisingly, this is one of those cards that just came together in no time. Believe me, that doesn't happen often! LOL!

The main image is Hero Arts Bird in Cage . I stamped it on brown textured cardstock using VersaMark Ink , then embossed with detail white embossing powder. The scalloped frame is a rectangle Nestabilities.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts Heartfelt Messages stamp set. I stamped on cardstock, then cut and embossed it with my new Petite Ovals Nestabilities. The scalloped layer is also from the Petite Ovals. I just got these, and I can definitely see that I'm going to be using them A LOT! The size is just perfect for so many sentiments.

Funny...but a couple of my designer friends also ordered those. Spellbinders erroneously sent only one set, so I felt too guilty about having them to use mine until they finally got theirs. Weird, I know! LOL!

The ribbon is from May Arts, and the designer paper is from the My Mind's Eye Bohemian collection. I found it at Hobby Lobby.

Our office is closed tomorrow for President's Day, so I have the day off! Woo hoo! I have so many things planned...including a little stamping, and sleeping in. We will see how all that works out! :-)

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope your weekend was good, and the coming week is even better!

RAKs Received!

Just a quick post tonight to share a couple of cards I've received from friends.

This gorgeous Valentine card is from my dear friend Carol. I love the black and red, and the way she used the silver cord around the scalloped circle. The word love in the center is actually a die cut. Wasn't it clever of her to use a white doily for the background?

Thanks so much, Carol. This is the only hand made Valentine I received this year! You are so super sweet and thoughtful. And it means a lot that you thought of me!


This card is from my good friend Jackie. She is always so sweet about sending me cards.

I love the way she used the Cuttlebug snowflakes embossing folder on the background paper. The doodling around the snowman is such a nice touch, as is the snowflakes brad. What a great card!

Thanks so much to both of you. I've had a particularly difficult week with a lot going on here. Your cards made things seem much brighter, and definitely put a big smile on my face!

Tonight I'm working on something new for you...so please be sure to check back tomorrow.

Until then...

Oops...I forgot to post the inside

Just as I hit the "publish post" button I realized that I forgot to post the inside of my card. Grrrrrrr!

The inside is the rest of the Flower Friends stamp.

I inked only a portion of it and stamped on cardstock, then framed it with my rectangle Nestabilities.

Maybe I will get my act together soon. But there are certainly no guarantees!

Changito the Flower

Since I got home from the office tonight I've been SUPER busy. Shipments arrived from both Hero Arts and JudiKins. What that means is that the Cupcakes stamps are back in stock, as well as the JudiKins Jeans Pants . The Adirondack Denim ink pads are in stock as well.

I decided to take a little break from my Hedgies and make a card with one of the the newly released Changito stamps!

This one is Stampendous Changito the Flower . Is that one happy little monkey, or what? LOL!
I stamped on watercolor paper, then colored the image with Tombow markers and a blender pen. I did a little doodling around the edges for added interest. The four corners are studded with my new find, Decorative Accents, colored with Sharpies. If you missed that post, you can see it HERE .

The sentiment is also from Stampendous, and is called Flower Friends . I think it goes so well with the Changito the Flower image. I stamped it on white cardstock, then stamped just the "IF" again on pink cardstock and punched with a circle punch.

The ribbon is May Arts, and the designer paper is by The Paper Studio, found at Hobby Lobby.

I hope you all had a SUPER Valentine's Day, and that someone told you that they love you. I got a really sweet V-Day card in the mail from my best friend, and also received a card from my dear friend Carolyn a few days ago. I will post it for you soon. My older son called tonight...just to tell his mom that he thinks she's special. It really made me happy. I'm still smiling! My younger son hasn't surfaced...yet. LOL!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hero Arts Monogram Stamps

This is a card I made a while back using the Hero Arts Monogram stamp set.

After finishing the card I decided I really didn't like it, but here I am posting it anyway! What bothers me about it is the large design of the paper on the bottom of the card. If it was a smaller design, I know I would be much happier!

At any rate, I stamped the "M" on green cardstock using Versafine Vintage Sepia ink, then embossed with detail clear embossing powder. The circle around the initial was stamped with VersaColor Green Tea ink, and also embossed.



I used my circle Nestabilities to cut and emboss all the circles, and layered them using Scotch Mounting Tape for dimension.

I used the Versafine Vintage Sepia and an Ink Sweeper to distress the edges of the paper.

The ribbon is actually two different ribbons put together to get the colors I wanted. The designer paper is Light Green Vine from MME.

I'm off to make a salad for dinner and try to relax a bit before bedtime!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Chit Chat

I couldn't resist making another card with the new Penny Black Hedgies.

This stamp is called Chit Chat .
I stamped it using Versafine Onyx Black ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder. The image was colored using Tombow markers and a blender pen.

The sentiment is from Hero Arts Anytime Messages . I DO love that stamp set!

I stamped on white cardstock, then used my circle Nestabilities to cut and emboss each of the layers. The "i's" are dotted with Hero Arts Citron Gemstones .

The designer paper is from a DCWV Pocket full of Posies Matstack. The ribbon I used to make the little tabs on the left is from Michael's.

Thanks so much for stopping by tonight. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Note to self

This is a little note pad holder that I made for my magnetic bulletin board. The stamp set is Stampendous Life Lists .

I cut a piece of chipboard (the back of a writing tablet), to a 5" x 7" size. I covered the chipboard with designer paper using Tombow Mono Multi Glue . Then I used a corner rounder to trim the bottom edges.

The "note to self" stamp from Life Lists was stamped twice. I stamped it once on white paper with black ink, and embossed with Detail Clear embossing powder. The second time I stamped with VersaMark ink , then embossed with detail white embossing powder.

I think the rest is self explanatory. The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby, and the magnetic clip was from Wal Mart.

I did want to tell you about the little pink embellishments on my note. I read on someone's blog (can't remember whose blog it was) several weeks ago about Decorative Accents they found at Michael's. I've been on the lookout for them since. I finally just happened up on these. They are not in the floral section, and not in the section with candles. At our local Michael's they were on an end cap near the back of the store.

Since I don't have Copics, I used my Sharpie markers to color these. They are adhered to my pink note with mini Glue Dots. The entire bag was only 3.99, and let me tell you, there are a LOT in there. You could share with several friends.

That's it for me. I had oral surgery late this afternoon, so I'm going to take one of those magic pills they gave me and crash before all the numbness wears off.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lazy Days

I hope you've all had a great weekend. I know I have, and I really am not ready for it to end. Unfortunately, it's back to the salt mines tomorrow!

I made most of this card a few weeks ago, then sold out of the stamp, so I finished it last night. I wanted to be sure to post it before I sell out of the stamp again! The main image is Penny Black's Lazy Days . Isn't that just the most adorable stamp ever?

I stamped on watercolor paper, then colored with Tombow markers. The head of the flower was stamped again, colored, then layered with pop dots for dimension.

I used my square Nestabilities to cut and emboss both the main image and the scalloped pink layer.

The sentiment is A Kind Word , also by Penny Black. I colored on the rubber with markers, then stamped on white paper. The pink tabs on each side are a Cuttlebug slider, and the ribbon is from Michael's.

I wish I could tell you who makes the designer paper, but it's from my stash with no writing on the back.

That's it for me tonight. I have chicken and fresh veggies on the grill, so I'm off to have dinner. And I'm looking forward to the new episode of Brothers & Sisters later tonight. Okay, I will admit that sometimes it doesn't take a lot to make me happy! LOL!

I already have something made for tomorrow, so be sure to stop by then. Thanks so much!

More New Stamps, and....

The new My Favorite Things stamps arrived today. They are listed in the store for you. I have the new Twisted Sentiments set as well!

I also received a shipment of Stickles , and Liquid Pearls , as well as some other accessories.

The Tim Holtz Texture Hammer is new!

Watch his video to see all the cool things it can do!


Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Thanks so much!

A HUGE thanks to my friend Tosh! First, she sent me this super gorgeous card! And secondly, she sent me the Excellent Blogger Award! How cool is that?

For the card, she used Penny Black's Windsome stamp. I know that she added some Stickles to the flowers, because they are so pretty and sparkly in real life!

The sentiment is from Gina K's Rectangle Greetings set, and was punched out with the Marvy Extra Jumbo scalloped rectangle punch.
I particularly love the colors she used on this card. Of course, the scallops and faux stitching are gorgeous!

Is this a great RAK, ir what? Thanks Tosh.....I LOVE this card!



According to rules of award, I'm supposed to name some others who deserve the Excellent Blogger Award. And I'm trying not to nominate someone who already has the award. So please check out these fabulous blogs! They are ALL excellent!

Stampin' Kub
Thimbles, Bobboms, Paper & Ink
Oodabug Alley
Pickled Paper Designs
Kard Krazy
Cards by Kerry
Papermonkey

Thanks for stopping by tonight. I'll be back tomorrow, so please be sure to check back then.