2013 Artisan Finalist Blog Hop - Day 6

Happy Day #6, everyone!! Here we are again to share some of the projects we made for the Artisan Design Team Contest. I am having fun kinda revisiting the things I made (and forgetting what-all I used to make them with!)!! It's amazing how even just a DAY or two can go by since ya make something and you FORGET what you USED! I choose to think it's "Creative Genius" causing me to scatter my thoughts other than my age ... which is STILL 27 ... but I digress ...

Here's another scrapbook layout I did. As I mentioned when I shared my last one, I used photos for my entries that were really special to me. I took this photo of my kids oh-so-long ago! I was almost tearing up looking through the lens as I took it ... knowing that I couldn't keep them this little ... and sweet. Oh how the time has flown by!! WHOOSH!! It seems like I just barely took this photo (and you will notice, by the date, that it has been QUITE some time!)!!

Here's a close up shot of the photo and sentiment ... sigh ... don't they look so cute???? (says their mama!) I miss those days ... and I had a LOT of fun making the little hanging tag with MDS. I LOVE me some hybrid projects, I tell ya!!

Stamps: NONE!
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade, Summer Smooches, Brights Designer Series Patterned Pack, Subtles Designer Series Patterned Pack, International Bazaar (Sorry if I missed some ... I THINK I got 'em all!)
Ink:  Various Colors in MDS
Accessories:  Ticket Builder Punch, 1 3/8" Square Punch, 1 1/4" Square Punch, 1" Square Punch, Word Window Punch, Postage Stamp Punch, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Small Butterfly Punch, Brights Buttons, Whisper White Baker's Twine
MDS: Timeless Type Junior Punches, Walk in the Park II ("happy"), Get It Done (punch 3)

Click on the "Next" arrow to hop on over to Awesome-Amy O'Neill ... or on the "Back" button for the Marvelous-Melissa Stout!!

Come back tomorrow!!!

         

2013 Artisan Finalist Blog Hop - Day 5

Today we are "officially" half way through sharing our Artisan entries!! It's been so much fun seeing all the wonderful creations done by my blog hop buddies ... and I have REALLY appreciated your comments and emails. Ya pretty much have been makin' my week a happy place!! (Which is a GOOD thing because starting on Monday and ending - thankfully - this afternoon I had 150 skin-test patches TAPED to my BACK!! I know, I know ... TMI ... we're just trying to figure out WHAT ingredient in SUNSCREEN I am allergic to!! ICK!!)

Card #4 ... this is one big ol' butterfly!! This card looked WAY better in my head!!! And it actually looks kinda fun and sparkly in PERSON ... just wasn't QUITE what I had envisioned ... but I enjoyed trying to do something a LITTLE big different with this image ... so there ya have it! I have been affectionately referring to this stamp as "Mothra" ... and it has officially made me feel OLD because too many of my friends have NO IDEA what that means!! (If you don't either, just "Google" it ... sigh ...)

Stamps:  Swallowtail, Friendly Phrases, Secret Garden
Paper:  Pacific Point, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Ink:  Basic Black, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Pacific Point, White Signo Pen
Accessories: Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Boho Blossoms Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Pearl Basics, Dazzling Details

Wanna see more?? (ya KNOW ya DO!!) Click on the "Next" button to see something by the ever-amazing Amy O'Neill! OR you can click on the "back" arrow to see some MORE fabulousness from Melissa Stout!!

         

2013 Artisan Finalist Blog Hop - Day 4

Here we are again!! Day 4!!! LOVE-LOVE-LOVE all of the wonderful things I have been seeing during the past few days of our Artisan Finalist blog hop!! Aren't these ladies FAN-DANG-TASTIC?? I think so!!!

Today I am sharing another card ... I struggle with the simple kinds of cards. Because I always feel like that if more is GOOD, even MORE is BETTER, right?? I do like me some layers, I tell ya!! BUT ... I do also like the monochrome-type of card as well. Layer-on-layer color has always been a look I have liked, so that's where I got the inspiration for this card. And polka dots ... I SWEAR that the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions embossing folder is my MOST-USED embossing folder EVER ... the end.

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Neutrals DSP
Ink:  Early Espresso
Accessories:  Little Leaves Sizzlets Die, Tasteful Trim Bigz Die, Word Window Punch, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Neutrals Buttons, Linen Thread

Click on the "Next" arrow to check out the fabulous talent of Amy O'Neill ... or on the "Back" arrow to see the stampy goodness of Melissa Stout!! And we'll be back again for the next SIX days ... so be sure to keep on a-comin' back!!

         

2013 Artisan Finalist Blog Hop - Day 3

Hooray for Day 3!!! I don't know about all y'all, but I am THOROUGHLY enjoying the creations made by my Finalist Friendies (I like callin' 'em that!). I have been getting a LOT of inspiration. And it is SO much fun to be able to see the things that were on display at Convention all up close and personal-like!! My creativity tank is most DEFINITELY gettin' a refill!!

Today I am sharing one of the three scrapbook layouts I did. I had MORE FUN make the scrapbook layouts this year than I EVER have!! I was so happy with all three of them ... I think it is because I used some of my most all-time FAVE pictures of my kids (said the proud mama!). This picture of my son is so special to me ... I took his senior photos for him a few years back and I KNEW the moment I was lookin' through the lens on this one that it was a keeper!! (He has ALWAYS had an affinity for hats ... from the time he was a baby, actually!).

I used my eCutter (I have a Cricut) to cut out these EXTRA LARGE photo corners. I SOOOO love that we have the svg files available to us through MDS. It opens a whole FLOOD gate full of happy things to cut out! These photo corners were so much fun to "decorate"!!

And a GIANT BRACKET can ALWAYS make ya happy, right??? Also done with the help of MDS and my Cricut (before anyone asks ... I have not done a firmware update on my Cricut ever since there was an "issue" with a third-party software - which I own - and which a lawsuit was filed over ... so that's how I made it work!)

My son has ALSO always had a happy-place thing goin' with watches, so I felt I HAD to include one ... I used one of the pop tops under the clock-face image to made it look a little more legit ... and yeah, I LOVE to fussy cut stuff ... really ... not kidding!!

I used multiple copies of the photo in two sizes; I edited the photos to have different levels of focus (although it's kinda hard to tell from THIS photo). I love the look of layered photos!!

As much as I hate to "re-do" something I have already done, I like this layout well enough that I just may hafta do that!!!

Stamps:  Clockworks
Paper:  Basic Gray, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP, Comfort Cafe DSP
Ink:  Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Accessories:  1" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Hearts Framelets, Photo Corner Punch (MDS), Bracket (MDS - Thoughtful Overlays), Typeset Alphabet Bigz Die (for the letter "U"), Soda Pop Tops, Naturals Designer Buttons, Linen thread, My Digital Studio, Sewing Machine, eCutter (Cricut)

Click on the "back" button to see some amazingness from Melissa Stout ... or on the "Next" button to be dazzled by Amy O'Neill!

         

2013 Artisan Finalist Blog Hop - Day 2

Here we are on Day 2 ... and I can ALREADY say that the projects posted by my Finalist Friendies have blown me AWAY!! I am feeling so very blessed and privileged to be included with such a spectacular group of talented artists!! And the more I have gotten to know them, the more it makes me happy ... these women are as kind and wonderful as they are crafty!!

To be honest, I really struggled making the cards for my Artisan entry ... which was SOOOOOO very frustrating for me because cards are usually EASY for me to make!! (And, being honest again, I liked pretty much EVERY card I made for the Convention Display Samples better than the ones I made for Artisan ... not sure what kinda funk I was in!) But all in all, I was happy with what I submitted. This card was probably my fave of the ones I made ... and it was the most out of the box for me (at the time). I seem to have connected with a little bit of the shabby/grunge thing lately (it took me long enough!!)!

I used some Comfort Cafe DSP for the background on the upper half of this card; stamped one of the images from Everything Eleanor in Versamark on top of it, then added clear embossing powder and heat embossed the image. I then rubbed some Soft Suede ink over the whole image with a sponge and then wiped off the image that had been heat embossed.

The bottom half of this card was my attempt at the "ombre" thing ... I was in SUCH a hurry to get these entries out the door that I didn't write down all of my supplies ('cause I was SO SURE I was gonna remember everything ... yeeeaaaahhhh ...). I THINK I used Midnight Muse, Island Indigo and Pool Party. Using my crafty sponges, I started at the bottom of the card with the darkest color (Midnight Muse), then added the Island Indigo and Pool Party with their own separate sponges. Does that make sense? Sometimes I feel like I'm trying to write in English what was ORIGINALLY written in Chinese and translated from Italian!!

Stamps:  Everything Eleanor, Petite Pairs
Paper: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Comfort Cafe DSP, Vellum
Ink:  Soft Suede, Midnight Muse, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Whisper White, Versamark
Accessories:  Whisper White Embossing Powder, Clear Embossing Powder, Victoria Crochet Trim, Ticket Builder Punch, Stampin' Distress Tool, Sponges, Sewing Machine

Click "Back" to see Melissa Stout and/or "Next" to see Amy O'Neill. AWESOME projects from BOTH of them!

         

2013 Artisan Finalist Blog Hop - Day 1

Welcome, welcome, my friends!! Today is DAY ONE of the Artisan Design Team Finalist Blog Hop!! We will be sharing the creations that we made for Stampin' Up's 2013 Artisan Design Contest.  There are MANY MANY talented women on this blog hop ... with a LOT of amazing projects to share, so you are going to want to be absolutely SURE that you don't miss a single one!! (You will be able to navigate back and forth through the blog hop every day for the next TEN days using the "back" and "next" buttons located at the bottom of each blogger's blog post.) Easy peasy, right??? Let's get started!!

The first card I would like to share is kind of a re-do of one I may quite a while back ... paper-punch duckie!!!! This one has a bit of a twist, though ...

See what it looks like when you open it up???? FUN-FUN-FUN!! I really SHOULD have measured this thing out when I made it ... I was in SUCH a hurry to get my projects done that I was lucky to have taken photographs!! YIKES!!! I will try to see if I can figure out the dimensions and make another similar card for ya after the blog hop is competed ... with dimensions and everything!!

Stamps: Fabulous Florets, Itty Bitty Banners
Paper:  Gumball Green, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade DSP
Ink: Gumball Green, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, White Signo Gel Pen, Basic Black Stampin' Marker
Accessories: Scallop Square Bigz Die, Wide Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Heart Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Small Oval Punch, Houndstooth Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Gumball Green Satin Stitched Ribbon, Typeset Alphabet Bigz Die, Bitty Banners Framelits Die

Keep on clicking to see ALL of the beautiful projects created by the finalists!!

         

   

Fab Friday #24

Welcome to Fab Friday!! This is another one of those do-the-card-and-type-up-the-post-in-30-minutes-or-less things!! Sheesh!!! SUCH a crazy day!! But at LEAST I got to play with some of my new stampin' goodies!!

I'm kinda REALLY getting into the whole vintage-y collage thing ... it's kinda fun. I don't know WHY it makes me think of grade school, but I'm having art class flashbacks!!

Didn't I mention this was gonna be short??? Well it is!!

Stamps:  Notable Notions, Shop Around Wheel
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Pistachio Pudding, So Saffron, Crisp Cantaloupe, Very Vanilla
Ink:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Crumb Cake
Accessories:  Chalk Talk Framelits, Hardware Clips Essentials, Vintage Trinkets, Linen Thread, Naturals Trim Ribbon, Baked Brown Sugar Ruffled Stretch Ribbon, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch

Here's the color combo:







And ... Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along:

Fab Friday Challenge Blog

Check out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends:

Mindy Backes
Cindy Beach
Justin Krieger
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers
Amy O'Neill
Marla Reed
Pam Steckman
Jan Tinklenberg

Have a lovely weekend!!

Make Your OWN!!

I have always had a "thing" for gingham ... ever since I was a little girl. It just seems to always be in style in some form or another (not dresses so much right now, as when I was young ... but in paper crafting it is HOT STUFF!)!!

This makes sample #4 that I am sharing from my Convention Display batch. The gingham in the background was made using the Stripes textured impressions embossing folder. I inked it up with a brayer (our stamp pads are so nice and juicy now, that you don't really need sticky "craft" ink); ran the piece of cardstock through my Big Shot inside the inked-up embossing folder; re-inked the embossing folder and rotated my already-striped piece of cardstock 90 degrees and ran it through the Big Shot again ... VOILA!!! Beautiful embossing gingham, people!! LOVELOVELOVE it!!

Getting ready to head up into the mountains for a few lovely days of hiking and laughing with a fabulous bunch of girls from church (ages 12-17). All the prep we have done (the shopping, packing and running around) always pays off in the end, but I will be glad to be up in the mountains instead of at home RUNNING around like a chicken without a head!!!

I'll be back for "Fab Friday" in a couple of days (even though I will still be campin' with the bears and such, I will still post somethin' to share!)!! Be sure to come back and tune in!!

AND ... BIG NEWS ... the Artisan Design Team Finalists will be starting a blog hop on SATURDAY, AUGUST 10 at 7:00 PM MST!! We are sharing ALL of the wonderful creations we made as entries for this year's contest!! DON'T MISS IT!!

Stamps: Hello, Lovely
Paper:  Smoky Slate, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Basic Black
Accessories:  Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Chevron Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Basic Black Chevron Ribbon, Essentials Hardware Clips, Paper Piercing Essentials Mat, Paper Piercing Tool, Brights Candy Dot

Share a hug with someone today ... you'll BOTH be happier for it!!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow ...

That's what this card makes me think of. Was kinda singing that in my head the whole time I was making it!!

And, I'll be honest ... I DID have to use the Stamp-a-ma-jig to line the colors up ... and I will also be honest and admit that I had gotten on the second-to-the-last color the FIRST time I stamped this ... and put the stamp upside-down ... which, of course, really screwed it up!! I kept thinking, "Maybe I'lll just leave that one off-kilter! Makes it looks kinda EDGY!! Nah .... just looks like I had my Stamp-a-ma-jig upside-down!!"

I am SERIOUSLY becoming addicted to the Gorgeous Grunge set, though! Sometimes all ya needs is a little bit of a splash of color somewhere and VOILA!!! It just makes me smile every single time I use it.

I also discovered last night that it is "Shark Week" on the Discovery Channel. This makes me unusually happy. True Confession Time ... I LOVE the Discovery Channel ... and the History Channel ... and any GEEKY channel that shows documentary-type stuff. I don't watch much TV, but stuff like this ALWAYS sucks me in!! (Megaladon??? GIANT prehistoric SHARK??? How would I even have KNOWN that this thing EXISTED - and may STILL EXIST - if I didn't have the Freakin' Discovery Channel???)

I'm gearing up for church girls camp again. Making Secret Sister gifts for all the girls. EVERY year I always kick myself for not starting earlier!! Sigh ... seems to be the way I roll!!

Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Sweet Essentials
Paper:  Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
Ink:  Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake
Accessories:  Brights and Subtles Buttons, Rich Razzleberry Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Whisper White Baker's Twine, Word Window Punch, Postage Stamp Punch

Get Well Sampler

Sample #2 ... I made this card as a samples for the Display Boards at Convention, too!! (Y'all are gonna get BLASTED with these samples for the next little while!)

I seem to struggle with doing the same color combos over and over and OVER ... so I was trying to reach outSIDE of my comfort zone. I think I am in LOVE with Coastal Cabana ... gonna be used a LOT at my house, that's for sure!!

Stamps:  Tag It
Paper: Midnight Muse, Brights and In Color DSP, Whisper White
Ink:  Real Red, Coastal Cabana, Midnight Muse
Accessories:  Hexagon Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Real Red Ribbon, Coastal Cabana Ruffled Ribbon, Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Rhinestone Basics

I have to work on making three different sets of cute and fun little gifties for my girls camp girls tonight ... which means about 45 little thing are gonna hafta get cranked out!! Who wants to come over and HELP me???? I sure could use it!!

Have a wonderful day ... smile at someone JUST BECAUSE ... it'll make BOTH of you happy!