Back in Business!

Got my Mac back today (hooray!!). I had a problem with the battery . . . there was a bad cell in it or something. Anyway, all is well now, so I can post again. Not quite sure how I got stuck in the "Asian Language" loop, either. I kept changing it back to English, but it wouldn't stick for some reason. It's all good now, though.

First off, I made this fun little box as part of TLC139 on SCS - the template for it can be found here:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=289773

The colors and stamps for this were inspired by a great little card and nugget box created by my friend, Cheryl. Blue Bayou, River Rock, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip make a great combination. And who WOULD'NT love to receive a little gift with candy inside (especially when it is chocolate???)????

Stamps: Autumn Fest, So Swirly (Jumbo Wheel)
Cardstock: Blue Bayou, Whisper White
Ink: Blue Bayou, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, River Rock

Okay, so I am getting a little weird with my "Follow the Butterflies" challenge. For details on THAT, see my post here:

http://wickedlywonderfulcreations.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

(Scroll down to the post dated September 1, 2007.) I kept wracking my brain all month to try and figure out HOW I was going to incorporate a butterfly into a Halloween card. My new, fun friend, Anna (annablue on SCS) sent me some butterfly images right after Devan left on his mission. The one I used in this card is a great Penny Black image that she sent me. I got a little silly and put poor Drac's head on the butterfly! Devan will appreciate it, though (I know it will at least put a smile on his face!) I also realized that I don't own one single number stamp set (a horror that I have since rectified), so I had to create the 8 using two "o's" from the Whimsical Alpha.

Stamps: "Wings" (Penny Black), Best Fiends, Sanded bg, Whimsical Alphabet, Simple Serif Alphabet
Cardstock: Basic Gray, Soft Sky, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Black Stazon, Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky, Going Gray, Almost Amethyst, Pretty in Pink

I had a day last week where I just played hooky from everything all morning and did three challenges. It was really fun. This pumpkin card was made for WT137 - a challenge to use masking in your creation. I masked the pumpkins and did a little bit of the "rock 'n roll" technique to give the pumpkins a "two-tone" appearance . . . I used So Saffron with Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Pie with Real Rust to create the pumpkins. I also pulled out my spritzer tool, which I just got a couple of months ago. I really like playing with it, and I'm amazed when it does what it does every single time! I also used the jumbo "So Swirly" wheel to create the image on the background (Old Olive) piece. My dd, Amelia, had the sewing machine out to work on a project for her Home Ec class (although it is called something much more high tech now - FACS - Family and Consumer Sciences). I decided to play with that as well, since I haven't done any real sewing on my cards for quite some time.

Stamps: Carved and Candlelit, Fundamental Phrases, So Swirly (Jumbo Wheel)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Really Rust

Next, I completed a card I started almost a year ago. Right after the Cuttlebug came out, 11Valerie11 posted a card she had done on SCS using some copper metal sheeting. Having just completed my craft room (which included a magnet board I placed under the cabinetry on one of the walls), I had a little bit of metal "flashing" left over. I wanted to see if it would work in the CB, and it DID! I have had that piece of Cuttle-bugged flashing ever since (covered in snowflakes!!). I finally made a card with it, and this is what I came up with. The layout was one that was posted for SC147.

I used a punch I had just purchased from Creative Memories. It is actually a two-in-one punch, but I used both ends of it to make the snowflake and the swirly thing next to it. What can I say, I LOVE punches!!

Stamps: Snowburst, Fundamental Phrases
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Whisper White (plus some metal flashing I purchased at Roberts)
Ink: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky
Punches: Snowflake (Emaginations, I think); Snowflake and Swirl - Creative Memories

The third card I did on my morning "off" was this one . . . not sure WHAT I think of it. A few of us challenge stalkers (or Challenge Chasers, as we are commonly known on SCS), got kinda bored waiting for one of the challenges to be posted last week, so Barb (aka Babsnelson) posted a sketch challenge just for us (we called it SCSC01 for Stalkers/Chasers Sketch Challenge or something like that!!). I am not loving this card, but I really wanted to use the Fiskars circle border punch I got a while back. The sewing machine was still out, so I stitched a little on my card (again).

Stamps: Serene Sunflower, Fundamental Phrases
Cardstock: More Mustard, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Ink: So Saffron, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip

On to the next! I made this card for the Featured Stamper challenge last Sunday (FS38). The featured stamper was nitestamper (aka Chat). I LOVE her gallery! I seem to be drawn to her cards quite often. They are amazing. I decided to try and "case" this darling "Cinderella" coach card:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga...p;ppuser=10116

I didn't have any pumpkin images that were large enough, so I created my pumpkin using some 2" circles I cut out using my CM circle cutter (LOVE this thing as well!!). The center section of the pumpkin was a circle I "tweaked" into an oval. I used iridescent ice ep on the coaches' wheels, as well as on the sentiment. The rhinestone stickers are made by Me & My Big Ideas.

Stamps: Wanted, Baroque Motifs, Gorgeous Grapevine (just for the twirly piece of vine at the top of the pumpkin), Stem Sayings, In the Spotlight (wheels)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla
Ink: Chocolate Chip (classic and craft), Old Oiive, Always Artichoke, Pumpkin Pie (sponged on the pumpkin)

One more . . . I made this card yesterday (10/29/07) for TLC140. I don't really love it, but it was one of those cards that you visualize one way, and it comes out totally a different way! The technique was to use "cracked glass" - created when you do three layers of Versamark covered with heat-set Glassy Glaze (or UTEE - Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel). Once all three layers are done, you put the image in the freezer for a couple of minutes. As soon as you remove it from the freezer, you "crack" the paper by bending it. I originally did the brayered background piece, and then sponged it with some black to try and make the cracks show up . . . no good. It looked all dark and muddy. So I did it a second time and cheated a bit . . . I stamped my brayered piece with the Sanded bg stamp BEFORE I started making my embossed layers for the cracked glass technique (which I did do, only you can't see it in the picture). I brayered several colors, one on top of the other, to get the bg - Barely Banana, So Saffron, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Lovely Lilac and Brilliant Blue.

The spiders are made using a Martha Stewart punch covered with ultrafine black glitter (even though I SWORE I would never buy any of her stuff at Michael's - I caved when they finally let us use coupons on it!) The ghost is an Emaginations punch, Versamarked and covered with Irisdescent Ice ep

Stamps: Bitty Boos, Too, Sanded bg, All Holidays
Cardstock: Basic Black, Glossy White, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron
Ink: Basic Black, Barely Banana, So Saffron, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Lovely Lilac, Brilliant Blue, Whisper White craft

Glad to be up and running again. I am hoping that I can get this battery to last (if not, I guess Apple will have to replace it for me again - but I doubt we will have to go there!). Have a wonderful day!