Checking in from CHA!

Yes, I know I've neglected my blog since I've been gone, but I've been sooooooo busy!

I woke up early this morning (again) and wanted to let you all know I am still here, working hard at buying lots of good stuff! And believe it, it's hard work spending all this money! LOL!

I'm sure you've been reading a lot about CHA and seeing lots of pictures of new products on other blogs. I happen to know that Cowboy Sock Monkey is doing his 5 top pics every day. You may even recognize some of the hands holding him...or not? In the off chance that you've missed it, be sure to check it out on Laurie's Blog .

Sunday night we went to the SCS Cupcake Reception, and I met a LOT of people who you would know. This is just one quick pic with some of my favorite people. Amy Sheffer of Pickled Paper Designs, Laurie Schmidlin , the short person with the dorky look in the middle is me. I have never been photogenic! Then there is Tosha Leyendekker and the infamous Carolyn King . I can't begin to tell you how fun it was to meet these ladies for the fist time! It's as if we've known each other forever!

I have so much to tell you, and some photos to share as well. But time is at a premium, so it will have to wait for now. I will be back when I can.

I WILL tell you now that I've been reading the blog candy comments in the post below, and I think you will be pleased with many of the purchases I've made so far! October Afternoon isn't here, so I haven't seen their new releases, but I've already made it to MANY of the other booths. More about that later. I need to hop in the shower so I can be ready when the convention center opens. Only a day and a half left, and there is much yet to buy!

Don't forget to register for the blog candy. Oh...what the heck. If you have already registered, why don't you get a second chance on this post? Any old comment will do?

I'll be back as soon as I can. Until then....

Announcement, CHA and Dreamy Treat!

I wanted everyone to know that for the next 5 days I will be shopping...not shipping! All orders placed Saturday, January 24 through Wednesday, January 28 will not be shipped until I return on Thursday, January 29. I apologize for any inconvenience, but it's just unavoidable. I assure you that every order placed while I'm at CHA will go out on Thursday when I get home! I sincerely appreciate your patience. I have never left the store before, and it's very hard for me to do!

But we DO want lots of new goodies for the store, now don't we? And it's my mission to find as many fabulous things as I can while I'm there. Since Laurie and Tosh will be there to help me shop for you, I'm sure we will be ordering some awesome stuff!

I am taking my laptop and camera with me, and will do my best to blog from there. Frankly, I am just going to have to play that by ear. I don't know how much free time I will have. But if it's at all possible I will pop in to let you know what's going on from CHA. With pictures, of course! :-)

In order to keep you busy while I'm away, I decided to leave you with a dreamy treat! Even though there are two pictures here, it's one prize. One lucky winner gets it all! All you have to do is answer this question: From what you have seen from the CHA sneak peeks so far, what 3 things would you like to see in the store at Stamper's Dream . You MUST list 3 things in your comment to qualify for the prize. Please, only one comment per person. I will use the random number thingy to choose the winner, and announce it on my blog post next Friday.

So, that's it for me. I'm going to finish packing, then try to get a good night's sleep before leaving for the airport early tomorrow morning. I will be back with another blog post as soon as I can!

Until then...

Blackeyed Susan and Butterflies

I have had this gorgeous Northwoods stamp for a while, and just now found time to color it. I DO LOVE to color my Northwoods stamps! This one is called Blackeyed Susan and Butterflies .

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 paintbrush.

I stamped the image once again and cut out some of the flowers and the butterflies, colored them, then popped them up using foam tape.

The sentiment I used is Penny Black's Eternal Bliss . (And it's on sale in the store!) I stamped it then cut it using my Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio die. Before taking it out of the die I sponged a little lavender ink.

The main panel was cut out using my Spellbinders Curved Rectangles Mega Nestabilities . The size I used was the second from the largest in the set. The notecard was cut using the largest size. This is the first card base I've made using the Nestabilities, and I actually like it!

The ribbon is purple sheer by May Arts.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I will be back before I leave Saturday morning for CHA!

Until then...

Rainbow's End...and CHA plans

What a glorious day it was today! I was off work for the holiday. I slept until 7 am (never happens), and did a few things in preparation for the trip to CHA later this week. I went to town and had lunch with my best friend! Oh yes, I DO love my days off! :-)

I made this card yesterday. Honestly, I didn't like it when I finished it, but it's beginning to grow on me a little bit. Ha! The main image is Stampendous Lucky Bee Friends . Aren't they cute???

I stamped on watercolor paper and used Tombow markers to color. After coloring the image I used my oval Nestabilities to cut and emboss all the layers.


I realized as I was making this card that obviously I'm really into glitter these days. It seems that I have used it on a lot of cards lately!

After coloring, I used my Quickie Glue Pen as adhesive for the rainbow and the bee's wings. Then I sprinkled Art Institute Crystal Ultrafine Glitter for some sparkle!

The shamrocks were made by punching 3 hearts with a Marvy heart punch, then adhering them with foam tape. The stem is just a sliver of cardstock. The center of the shamrocks is a self adhesive rhinestone . The ribbon is by May Arts .

On the inside of the card I used Stampendous Rainbow Friend sentiment. I just love what it says!

So, that's it for me tonight. Unfortunately, it's back to the salt mines tomorrow. But not to complain...I have a lot to look forward to with CHA coming up.

I am leaving Saturday morning, flying into Anaheim. I haven't been on an airplane since 1981. Obviously, all the rules have changed a bit. I spent some time on the Internet last night trying to figure out all the rules. Geez!

Tosha and Laurie are picking me up at the airport in California. Even though we email regularly and talk on the phone often, we have never met...so I am super excited! Several of my favorite people are also going to be there...so we're trying to make plans to meet up somewhere. Those include Carolyn King , Kimberly Crawford and Amy Sheffer . If anyone else is going, please be sure to let me know so we can make plans to meet! Am I gonna have fun, or what???

Let's hope it's a short week so it gets here soon. Only 5 more sleeps till then! :-)

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Spring Blossoms

It's been a while since I colored a Sarah Kay image, so I was happy to choose this one for today. The name of the stamp is Spring Blossoms . I tell ya, I don't know which Sarah Kay image I like best, because I love them ALL!

I watercolored the stamped image using Tombow (water based) markers and a damp paintbrush. The hat was stamped a second time on scrap paper, colored, cut out and popped up with foam tape. The butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch. After adhering three purple gemstones to the body I used my Quickie Glue Pen for adhesive to cover the butterfly, then sprinkled Art Institute Crystal Ultrafine Glitter to make it sparkly. I adhered it to the main panel using a glue dot.

The yellow cardstock is Intense Yellow Prismatics . I embossed it using my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. The green cardstock is Intense Kiwi Prismatics , and the designer paper is from an old Basic Gray collection that I've been hoarding!

On the bottom left side of the card I added three Hyacinth Dew Drops for balance.

Do you see this award? It was given to me by my good friend Amy Sheffer of Pickled Paper Designs . Thanks Amy...I am truly honored and humbled!

"This award is given to a blog that invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!"

The rule of the award is to now pass it on to another 8 people who demonstrate this spirit. So, here is my list of some incredibly talented stampers and cardmakers. Yes, most of them are on my Dream Team...but they ARE incredibly talented! Please be sure to visit their blogs and appreciate their wonderful work.

1. Carolyn King
2. Charmaine Ikach
3. Cindy Motherway
4. Denise Marzec
5. Kimberly Crawford
6. Laurie Schmidlin
7. Tosha Leyendekker
8. Joan Ervin

Thanks so much for stopping by. I'm off work tomorrow for a holiday, so I get a little extra stamping time, as well as time to make some preparations for my trip to CHA next week! I will be back soon!

Simple Pleasures

There is just something about this stamp set that really appeals to me. It's Impression Obsession's Simple Pleasures cling mount set.

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. I was going for the look of delicate bone china, but I'm not quite sure I got there.

I stamped it once again on a scrap of paper to get the cookies and butterfly. Those were colored then popped up with foam tape for added dimension. The pink edge on the cookies and the butterfly were covered with adhesive using my Quickie Glue Pen then added Ultrafine Transparent Glitter .

I know the glitter is hard to see in the photo, but it is sooooo sparkly!

The stamps used on the inside are also included in the Simple Pleasures cling mount set. I stamped the little flowers and colored them with Tombow markers. The borders on the bottom were made with a Martha Stewart punch. The designer paper is a piece of Anna Griffin paper I had left from another project, and the cardstock is Prism Papers .

I have to say that I am excited we had so many participants in the Stamper's Dream Dreamy Challenge this month! Such beautiful cards, and great artistry...I'm so honored that you shared with us. I enjoyed each and every card!

I numbered the entries then used the Random Number Generator to select the winner of the Dreamy Treat, and this is the result:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

13

Timestamp: 2009-01-16 00:59:05 UTC

The winner is Christi

Christi said...
I am so glad I got to play along this month!! Here is my card: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1194061?cat=13651

January 14, 2009 11:25 PM

Be sure to see her card in the SCS gallery. In fact, you can view ALL the challenge cards in the SCS gallery HERE .

Christi, please send me your snail mail address and I will get your Dreamy Treat right out to you!

BTW...have I told you that I'm leaving next week to go to CHA? Woo hoo! More about that later. Until then...

Rainy Days and Mondays....

Or is it Tuesday? From my work day at the office today, I could swear it was really a Monday! LOL!

This adorable stamp is called Rainy Days . It was designed by Rachelle Ann Miller for Stampavie.

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 stamped just the top portion once again, cut it out, and popped it up with foam tape for added dimension.
I added a bit of Stardust Stickles to the water puddle and some of the little asterisks for sparkle.

The edge of the Yellow Prismatics panel was cut using my Fancy Scalloped Pierceabilities . The rhinestones are Hero Arts Assorted 2 mm gemstones and Assorted 3 mm gemstones .

The designer paper is some I've had in my stash for quite a while...no writing on the back. The cardstock is Orange Prismatics and Yellow Prismatics .

Thanks for indulging me once again. I do so appreciate you stopping by!