You made my day

There is just something I love about Penny Black stamps! Well, maybe everything?

I received a shipment of the new 2008 Collection of Penny Black stamps this week, and these were the first ones calling out to me.

The main image is called Painter's Vase . I colored on the rubber using Tombow (water based) markers, then spritzed the rubber with water using a JudiKins Fine Mist Spritzer .

The background panel was stamped four times with Penny Black's Corner Piece . Isn't that an elegant and gorgeous stamp?
I was going to stop there, but just felt that white space on the center left need a little something. You know how it is...sometimes we just can't leave well enough alone. So I added a small sentiment from Hero Arts Anytime Messages ClearDesign stamp set. I stamped with VersaMark ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Gold embossing powder.

My friend Cammie is giving away some awesome blog candy. Be sure to stop by and leave a post telling her your favorite color so that maybe Random Cara can pick you name!

I plan to do some stamping tomorrow, so I will be back soon with something new.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Thanks a million!

This is a quick and fun card I made tonight. I can't take credit for it. It was pretty much cased from one that my friend Shari Carroll made for Hero Arts.

The entire time I was working on this card I was thinking that my grands would LOVE doing this! Let me explain.

I stamped on glossy white cardstock with Hero Arts Thank You DesignBlock . You MUST use dye ink, as pigment ink will not dry on coated cardstock. I used Memories black.

After the ink is good and dry, I started to make marks and doodles using a white Crayola crayon. Then I used a direct to paper technique to add dye ink colors to the glossy panel.
You will notice that everywhere I colored with the white crayon, the card is white. The crayon resisted the ink in those places. This is an old technique, but a fun one. If you haven't tried it, you really must!

I think my grands would like it because they would think it's like magic! LOL! They are such good little students, and it would be fun for me to watch their surprise at the end result.

I apologize for not posting much lately, but I've been so, so busy with the new store. I'm still tweaking a few things here and there. And I have received a TON of new inventory recently....with even more on the way.

Thanks for stopping by tonight!

My best excuse for not stamping...

I had EVERY intention of posting a card tonight. But you see, it's like this....

When I got home from work last night I had boxes on my doorstep from Penny Black, Inkadinkado , and a HUMONGOUS box from May Arts Ribbon . Wait until you see all that gorgeous ribbon! Didn't you all say you wanted me to add ribbon to the store? :-)

Then..........when I got home tonight I had a very heavy box from Basic Grey . Gosh....their new 6 x 6 paper pads really ARE irresistable!

I know you will all forgive me for not stamping since I have such FABULOUS new goodies in the store for you.

With any luck I will get to stamp tomorrow night?

Thanks for stopping by!

Under the Weather?

I received a shipment of stamps from My Favorite Things this weekend! Even though I have both of the new sets in stock, I have never played with this one, so I decided to take a few minutes today to ink it up!

This set is called Rain or Shine , and it's one of my MANY favorite from MFT!

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

The raincoat is paper pieced from designer paper using the Memory Box Sugar Collection . The circle background paper is also from the same paper pack.


I colored the dog, boots and puddle using Tombow markers, then added Stickles Glitter Glue to the dog's sweater. The rain boots have a layer of JudiKins Diamond Glaze on them to make them look shiny.

To embellish, I added Hero Arts Gemstones and a little organdy ribbon from May Arts .

Did you notice the watermark on my cards? and how it matches my blog and store logo perfectly? It was a gift from my friend Kurtis . Wasn't that super sweet of him? He even gave me instructions on how to use it. I have needed to learn to watermark my card for ages! Thanks again, Kurtis! I appreciate it so very much!

That's it for me tonight. I'm off to put chicken on the grill and package some shipments for the mailbox tomorrow.

Thank you for stopping by!

Welcome Amy!

I am soooooooo excited! I've just been dying to tell you all this...and finally I can spill the beans! My NEW Guest Designer is Amy Sheffer of Pickled Paper Designs . You MUST go there to see what she's done with the Inka stamps I sent her....WOWZERS!

When I asked Amy to help me with her introduction, she was a little shy. After all, we all find it difficult to talk about ourselves. She told me that has always been crafty...even as a kid dabbling in everything from paint-by-number pictures to rock polishers to ceramics. By high school, she was skipping lunch and using the money to buy cool pens, stationery, and stickers. When she got to college, she couldn't believe she could actually get a degree for doing two of the things she loved the most -- reading (English major) and creating (Fine Arts minor).

She started stamping in the spring of 2002, when she was invited to a Stampin' Up party. Before then, when she passed stamps in the craft stores, she always thought, "Why in the world would anyone buy these things? I mean, it's the same ol' image over and over again, for crying out loud!" Every day, she eats those words and gives thanks for this wonderful hobby!

In October 2007, after several years of lurking, she finally got brave and ventured out into the big, scary online stamping world when she started her own blog, Pickled Paper Designs, and her SCS gallery PickleTree . To her delight, she found it not so big and scary after all. She also began submitting some pieces for publication, and has had a few things picked up by CARDS and Paper Trends.

Amy was a guest designer for i{heart}2stamp in January, and just in the last couple of weeks has jumped on board the permanent design teams for three stamp manufacturers. Of course, that comes as no surprise to me. After all, her work is just fabulous!

Please join me in welcoming Amy Sheffer to Stamper's Dream !

Happy Flowers

I made this card after I got home from work tonight. I felt the NEED to stamp, and I wanted to make something fairly quick and easy.

I received a shipment from Hero Arts yesterday, and I couldn't wait to use this image. Aren't these flowers adorable? The stamp is Hero Arts Pattern Flowers .

I stamped the image 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. I embellished the flowers with Hero Arts Large Flower Sparkle Blossoms and Blossom Gems . I also used some of the regular Gemstones on some of the flowers, then added a little Stickles Glitter Glue to a few of them for a bit of glitz!

Such a simple and easy card, and it was really fun to make. I just love those sometimes.

I will have a quick post tomorrow morning to make a big announcement, so be sure not to miss it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing you Blue Skies.....

I received a new shipment of stamps from Northwoods Rubber Stamps a couple of days ago, and just couldn't wait to ink one of them. For me, there is something very relaxing about watercoloring.

This stamp is Northwoods Sailboat Regatta . I think the prospect of coloring the sails in bright and cheerful colors is what attracted me to use this one first.

I stamped the image on watercolor paper using Versafine Onyx Black ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder. Be sure to use a detail powder due to all the fine lines in the image.


I colored the stamped image using Tombow markers and a blender pen. It doesn't show very well in the photos, but I used Crystal Stickles on some of the water to make it glisten.

On the inside (which I forgot to photograph), I stamped Inkadinkado's Blue Skies sentiment. It reads, "Wishing you Blue Skies and Sunny Days". I thought it was the perfect compliment for the image!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back as soon as I can!

Until then.....