Greetings from Canada

It is a friend's birthday while we are in Canada, so I thought why not a Canadian-themed card? I love the moose image from the retired Pines set; don't get to use it enough. I haven't tried these stamps with brayering yet, so I got all excited when the thought came to my head, and I ran off to the stamping room. Of course, my desk was full of tools from swaps in progress, so off to the dining room table...

I brayered the top and bottom with More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, and Tangerine Tango. I created reflections by stamping on my plastic sheet from the Stamp-a-ma-jig. And the waves were created with a Signo white gel pen. Fun card to make!

Stamps: Nature Silhouettes, Pines (retired); Paper: Tangerine Tango, Whisper White; Ink: More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, Black Stazon; Accessories: Post-it notes, Brayer, 1-3/8" Circle punch, Signo white gel pen, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Sponge.

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Back from Vacation

Hello again, everyone. Did you miss me? :)

Back from Canada. We had some evil border patrol people checking our car going into Canada, so we were glad the U.S. would let us back in! It was about midnight, and they made everyone get out of the car, including grandma, toddler without shoes, cat on a leash, and not-so-friendly-to-strangers dog. And you crafters will relate to this: When I got up to the cabin, on a rainy day, I was ready to prepare some swaps, and my glue gun was gone! Did those evil women steal it? I texted home; it was sitting on the desk. Doh! There is only so much progress one can make without adhesive.

Lots of fun swimming, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, campfires on the beach... three nights in a row of clear skies and a full moon shining over the water. Ahhhh! Last night of fishing and campfire (and s'mores!), and hubby caught one sucker and three bullheads AND a bat! The bat flew right into the fishing line, got stuck, and into the water it went, right about the time a bullhead also hit the line. He wins the prize for unique catch without a hook!

Little Missy with Mr. Bass -

Eating s'mores and monkeying around on the pier -

All this play can make anyone tired -

I'm a wee bit tired today, since we had a 15-hour drive back on Saturday, and we had to stop at Windham Mountain on the way, so I could do a preride lap for the Race the World mountain biking race on Sunday, where they had held the UCI World Cup earlier in the week. That means we had to leave the cabin at 2:30am(!) to get to Windham at the right time. Yes, we are crazy peeps! Home, unpacked, pack for race, fall into bed. My teammate was at my door, waking me up at 5am Sunday morning. Why didn't my alarm go off? These are mysteries... Anyway, off to Windham for the race. Big climbing race, but I was comfortable enough (read: not biking hard enough perhaps), and there was a lot of traffic in the singletrack. Too many riders was the only downside... the downhills dried up nicely, so no catastrophes... praise God! All came out fine, and I even beat out a lady that has been edging me out all series. Nice!!

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Out of Office Notice

I'm going to be on vacation for a week. In fact, out of the country. I'll be on the lovely lake that is the header of my blog, O Canada. Now, don't go thinking you can raid my house of all my stamping supplies; we will have house-sitters. But if you need anything stamp-related, just head over to my demo website and shop around. If you place an online order between August 21 - 28, I'll have a special gift for you from Convention. In the meantime, enjoy the last days of summer!

Birthday Card for Mom

Don't look, Mom! Hopefully she is too busy packing for vacation to check in.

My mother has always had cats, although my dad really isn't a fan. When we were little, we had many cats. I have cats now too; there is usually one walking over the desk while I am stamping. So, of course, a kitty card for Mom.

Mom is a big calico fan. I never really understood this, because calicos can be aggressive and mean. Wouldn't you know I have a calico and a tortoise-shell in my house now? I based the card layout on Mojo Monday #130, and I used Sarah Wills's idea to sponge on the stamp, using sponge daubers, for a calico effect. I could use a lot more white space though. Guess I will have to practice.

Stamps: C is for Cat, Sincere Salutations; Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Sweet Pea DSP; Ink: Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Basic Black, Basic Black marker; Accessories: Sponge daubers, Scallop Trim edge punch, Trio Flower punch, 1-3/4" Circle punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch, Corner Rounder punch, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Gold Brad, 2-Way glue pen, Fine Galaxy glitter, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon.

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Autumn in Paris

It is so lovely in Paris this time of year... Wish you were here...

[Rubbing my hands together devilishly] I think I've got it! My preorder arrived days ago. After sitting on my new stamp set, French Foliage, I think I have finally come up with a layout I really like for my Holiday mini card swap. I wanted something a bit out of the box. This set is from the new Holiday mini catalog, which starts on September 1, so a sneak peek! This inspiration for this card comes from Lisa Hensley, aka ponygirl40 on SCS, who has a really fun vintage style.

And there is a trick to this card. I don't own Winter Post. It's on my wish list, and boy I wish I had bought it already. But I didn't. What to do? Well, My Digital Studio to the rescue. This set is part of the basic software, and I was able to bring the stamp images into my file, true to size, and print out in any SU color I liked. Awesome! Once I printed on cardstock, I carefully centered the cardstock on the Top Note die and cut it out. Ready for some further stamping and embellishing.

These are close-ups of the vintage brad and the rain drops stamp image. Don't you love it? What a great way to "dirty up" a card!

Stamps: French Foliage, Artistic Etchings, Winter Post (MDS); Paper: More Mustard, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla; Ink: Soft Suede, Kraft, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Soft Suede marker; Accessories: Eyelet, Hemp twine, Antique Brad, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Top Note die; Big Shot.

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Sweet Scoops and Dinosaurs

Sweet Scoops... don't miss out on this sweet set. Time is running out! The summer mini only runs through August 31. Did you hear me say this was my favorite set from the mini?

I have seen this ice cream shoppe window awning card in several places and just had to make one. How cute! I followed Dawn Olchefske's tutorial.

Stamps: Sweet Scoops; Paper: Pretty in Pink, Blush Blossom, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White; Ink: Early Espresso, Versamark; Accessories: Word Window punch, Scallop Edge punch, White Organza ribbon, 2-Way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

And here is a thank you card my daughter whipped up for a friend. She is learning all about sponging, although I still help her with the masking.

Stamps: Prehistoric Pals (retired); Paper: Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla; Ink: Wild Wasabi, Regal Rose, River Rock, Basic Gray, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake; Accessories: Sponges, Wild Wasabi ribbon.

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And In Case You Were Wondering...

... this is what I do on the weekends. This weekend was Hereford Multi-use Area in Pleasant Valley, aka 909. My home turf. I heard there was some drops in the course, which was a little crazier than usual, so I practiced over the week. Here's a few pics of some of them.

I don't usually ride drops when I train by myself, for safety's sake, and I almost always train by myself. But I had no choice this week. Thank goodness I was well-versed on them!

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Birthday Dolphin

This is a card for my niece, who is a fan of dolphins.

I tried to keep the front simple, and I put the sentiment inside. The sky is created by sponging around a scallop circle mask, and the water is texturized by running it through the Big Shot, sponging to highlight the texture, and punching 3/4" circles out for the waves. I found the directions for the punch art dolphin on Lucia Dawe's blog.

Stamps: None; Paper: Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Whisper White, Basic Gray, Going Gray; Ink: Basic Gray, Going Gray, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Basic Black marker; Accessories: Scallop Circle punch, 3/4" Circle punch, Wide oval punch, Large Oval punch, Small Oval punch, Heart-to-Heart punch, Crop-o-dile, Sponges, Kit #4 texturz plate, Big Shot.

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Ribbon Roses, Try #2

After I let the ribbon roses idea sit over the weekend, I got an idea how to get them attached. So, up in the morning and off to try it out.

What do you think? I used the card kit from pg. 183 of the catalog as inspiration for this card. After folding the ribbon roses, I prevented them from unraveling by stitching the ends. Pretty easy if you follow this hint: tie the knot in your thread end before you start folding your ribbon rose. Then I used the anywhere hole tool to create holes to stick the ribbon rose ends into the holes and secure the on back with tape (eek, yes I used tape!). Pop up the top layer with dimensionals and off you go!

Stamps: Kind & Caring Thoughts, Baroque Motifs; Paper: Baja Breeze, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White; Ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip; Accessories: Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, Needle, Thread, Anywhere hole tool, Hammer, Dimensionals.

And here is another version. Here I used the new Color Coach to come up with the color combination, which I would have never thought up on my own. This one is for So Shelli's monthly creative challenge.

Stamps: Kind & Caring Thoughts, Baroque Motifs; Paper: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP; Ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip; Accessories: Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Oval punch, Wide Oval punch, Needle, Thread, Anywhere hole tool, Hammer, Beautiful Butterflies die, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Big Shot, Dimensionals.

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Stamp Club Projects Continued

I must have been insane, but I decided to do another take of the beachy card for club. All that cutting? What was I thinking?? But, you know, it makes the card!

Using the Lattice embossing folder from the Summer Mini looks great with this set. It reminds me of weaved grass or bamboo place mats.

Stamps: Tropical Party, Itty Bitty Backgrounds; Paper: Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Marina Mist, Whisper White; Ink: Bashful Blue, Garden Green, Soft Suede, So Saffron, Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Soft Suede marker, Poppy Parade marker, Peach Parfait marker, Basic Gray marker; Accessories: 1-3/8" Circle punch, Sponges, Sponge dauber, Lattice embossing folder, Kit #4 texturz plate, Big Shot, 2-Way Glue Pen.

We also made luminaries, similar to what I made for the recent blog hop, using a variety of Halloween DSP and satin ribbon. We only made one window so that club members wouldn't be spending the night trying to complete their projects. :) The paper trimmer from Stampin' Up really comes in handy for cutting out these windows.

Luminaries: Stamps: Wicked Cool; Paper: Vellum cardstock, Cast-a-Spell DSP, Wicked Fun Specialty DSP; Ink: Black Stazon; Accessories: Various satin ribbon, Paper trimmer.

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Stamp Club Projects

Sometimes we forget how much easier paper piecing can make our lives, eliminating the need for detailed coloring and shading. I got the idea for this card from one of my stampin' blog sisters. The original idea came from Connie Tumm.

Stamp the hydragea and the leaves on pieces of patterned paper from the Greenhouse Gala DSP and cut out. Popping it up adds a little bit of interest. This is a quick and easy way to make this card in club. And they needed a quick card after you see what else was in store for them.

I will have more stamp club projects tomorrow.

Stamps: Because I Care; Paper: Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla, Garden Greenhouse DSP; Ink: Whisper White, Black Stazon; Accessories: Pear Pizzazz ribbon, Button, Linen thread, Topnote die, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Big Shot, Dimensionals.

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Paper Roses

So, I shared with you earlier my attempt at ribbon roses. I thought I would also give paper roses a try, perhaps best for a card you would hand to someone rather than mail. Some folks have been using the Extra Large Fancy Flower punch from the Occasions mini to make these, but I don't own it. So I used the large flower die from the Birds & Blooms sizzlit set. I followed the tutorial, colors and all, from Simi Stamper.

I have to tell you, I'm a bad mother. I told my daughter I would take her swimming, as soon as I let the flower dry. But then I kept going, making my layout, messing up my ribbon, ripping it back up and ripping my paper in the process, fixing it again... Well, you can imagine, she fell asleep. :( Bad mother! I have a bunch of birthdays coming this month. Wonder who is going to get this lumpy, yet gorgeous, beauty...

To attach the rose, I just used lots of Tombo glue (it's drying now, success TBD). Does anyone have a better plan?

Stamps: Whimsical Words; Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Old Olive, Orchid Opulence; Razzleberry Lemonade DSP; Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Orchid Opulence; Accessories: Sponge, Stipple brush, White Satin ribbon, Little Leaves die, Birds & Blooms die; Big Shot, Tombo multipurpose adhesive.

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Place Setting ATC

I saw a table setting card on Michelle Zindorf's website, and I wanted to reproduce it on an ATC. This one has been trying to get out for a while, and taking Michelle's brayering class has helped. It is not so easy to get a nice gradient of color on an ATC, since it is so small, but I like how it turned out. Well, the table and the place setting, at least. Still not happy with the water pitcher.

Stamps: Dinner Party, Timeworn Trim, Sincere Salutations, Vintage Vogue; Paper: Garden Green, Whisper White; Ink: Old Olive, Black Stazon, Sahara Sand, Brocade Blue; Accessories: Sponge, Brayer, Craft Knife, Coluzzle, 1-1/2" Circle punch.

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Ribbon Roses

I have just been in love with all the ribbon and paper roses I have seen lately, haven't you? They make the most beautiful 3-D projects. I wanted to give some a try, and needed a birthday card to mail, so I thought ribbon roses might mail easier.

I've been having trouble sleeping this week... is it catch-up from Convention? I don't know. It is kinda making me grumpy. Anywho, most of this card is a 1am wonder. :)

The sky and the grass are brayered. I wanted an undefined line between the two. I then stitched the butterfly's flight and the border of the card. The ribbon roses are actually sewed onto the card, but I am not a real fan of that method. Adhering the roses to the card seems to be my only stumbling block (for paper roses too, which I will share later). If someone has a better way, please share! This is a birthday card for sis.

Stamps: Sincere Salutations; Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Old Olive, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP; Ink: Bashful Blue, Old Olive; Accessories: Brayer, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Rich Razzleberry satin ribbon, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Beautiful Butterflies die, Little Leaves die, Big Shot, Sewing Machine, Thread, Dimensionals.

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Vintage Swap

I love the vintage images in the Timeless Treasures set... love the vintage paper... love the lace ribbon. We finally have lots of images and do-dads that are my style. So this card is my first shot at this set.

I got to use the new Holiday mini DSP Deck the Halls, which we got free at Convention. Yeah! Actually I was sketching this card on the plane ride home (what else you gonna do for 4 hours?), and that paper seemed perfect! I dirtied up the edges with Crumb Cake ink and a sponge, and then sewed some layers together. Nothing goes better with vintage than sewing. The lace ruffled was created by running a line of sticky strip on the back edge of the cardstock and then tucking or puckering the lace.

Stamps: Timeless Treasures; Paper: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Deck the Halls DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake; Accessories: Sponge, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Victoria Crochet Trim, Sewing machine, Thread, Sticky Strip, Dimensionals.

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Faux Wood

This is a CASE of a swap card I got at Convention last year. One of my friends wanted a rustic card for her Amish-type farmer friends, so this is the one she chose.

This card uses the faux wood technique. Starting with Very Vanilla, I just applied the ink pads directly to the paper, first Soft Suede, then Dusty Durango, then Whisper White Craft. Using Whisper White craft ink really makes it looked aged. Once that is dry, just draw in the wood plank lines. Believe it or not, those butterfly antennae are actually very thin strips of Basic Black cardstock. This card was originally created by Carolyn Mahoney.

Stamps: Warmest Regards; Paper: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Crushed Curry DSP; Ink: Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Whisper White Craft, Basic Black marker; Accessories: Sponge, Crushed Curry ribbon, Horizontal Slot punch, Wire, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Big Shot.

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An Evening To Remember Make & Takes

These were the make & takes we made at Linda Hansen's event, An Evening to Remember. These were designed by Diana Gibbs.

Stamp set Artistic Etchings:

A little bit of bling in the crown with the help of SU's self-adhesive rhinestones.

Stamp set Just Believe:

And this cute little punch frog holds a Hersey's Nugget. Love this little guy!

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Detailed Photos of Blog Hop Cards

I didn't realize how tired I was from Convention, but I am still recovering. It is just information overload, non-stop talking (and if you know me, I need my "me" time), and I am just killing myself trying to get all this craftiness I learned out of me and on paper. Today, not much blah, blah, blah; just some pretty photos. You don't mind, do you? Refer to Friday's Blog Hop post for more details.

Candelabra card -

Batty Moon card -

It's really not so easy to see the spider webs on the left margin, but I swear, they are there!

Witchy Invite card -

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