Heart's Desire

This card uses Fancy Ovals by Creative Play Stamps, and the flower medallion is from Bombshell Stamp's Butterfly Queen set. The star in the middle of the medallion made me think of combining these two stamps. Then I found the MM rub-on sentiment while I was rummaging through a drawer, and I had my elements. I embossed the medallion in SU!'s retired Antique Gold Glaze, and colored with markers. Then I smeared the color around with an aqua painter. Ta da! It looks a tiny bit like I know what I'm doing when I use this method. I'm usually pretty pleased with the results, which helps me resist the Copic craze. I've been stamping for eight years, and I find myself better able to resist crazes as time goes on. One temptation I have not been able to resist is designer paper, such as this Basic Gray pattern paper, which I love!

Back to the card. I did not have a matching heart embellishment, so I just heated up an Art Accentz heart brad and dipped it into the AGG ep, and so it matches perfectly now, since the gold is the exact gold of the embossed images. I put Candy Cane Stickles in the center of the stars, and on the crest of each ric or is it rac?

IN OTHER NEWS~~~~~~~

I still do not have Internet at my house. It has been 20 days. I'm actually a trifle annoyed about it, and will probably be moving into bitterness and anger shortly...;)

Artistic Outpost Hero

More of the wonderful new plate from Artistic Outpost! It's called Hero. Please check back tomorrow for a sneak peek at the newest AO set, Keeper. I think it's going to be very popular, I know I've enjoyed playing with it!!

Happy Independence Day!

A little early, I know, it's just a reminder! I'm usually behind on my holidays, so I thought I'd get one done on time for once! The sentiment and the stars are from A Chemistry With Paper's huge All Year Bag Toppers set. I always check this set when I need a sentiment. The flag is from a set of card stock punchies I once got from a secret sister. I added the dots with my FAVORITE Inkssentials white gel pen. It truly puts my American Crafts white gel pen to shame; it's superior in every way! It's better than the SU! ones as well, I think. I used only those when I was a demo, but now that I'm retired, I can use all the contraband I want!!;)

Hmmm...

I finished this card late at night and was very pleased with it. Now, in the harsh light of day, I'm not so sure. I used an antique label die cut from Creative Cuts and More and the skull from Man's Ruin by Bombshell Stamps. I know a lot of stampers, especially designers, who just throw out things they aren't sure about. I don't do that. Not to sound mystical or anything, but my cards are what they are. Each one is a unique creation. Some are a little hard to understand, some a little homely, some quite nice. I don't fret about it. I just go make another...

Stamps-Bombshell Stamps: Man's Ruin
Ink-THBlack Soot, VersaMark
Paper-SU!: Basic Black; Stardream: Mint; Tinkering Ink
Embellies-Basic Gray ribbon;Doodlebug sequins, Holographic ep; Stickles: Magenta & Crystal; Darice: Gems; ribbon roses; Glimmer Mist: Black Cherry; Art Institute: Miss Muffett Glitter

Time's a wastin'!

Well, English teachers have to do a lot of literary analysis. Numbers generally refer to time, which usually refers to death. Usually when you have time in literature, it's a reminder that it goes on, you can't stop it. Every second that ticks by gets you that much closer to death. Now this all sounds very morbid, I know, but it doesn't have to be. I put the 7 Gypsies numbers rub-ons and, "no refunds-no exchanges," because this river stamp is SO pretty! It's a reminder to get out there and enjoy life. You're not getting any younger, you know, so spend some time doing something worthwhile!!

This stamp is called Animas River, and it's one of Creative Play Stamps' super detailed photo stamps. I stamped it in Antique Linen on a vintage file folder. I still had some of the Basic Gray Archaic on my desk from the day before, so I went with it. I got the SU! Photo Corner punch from Carolina as a blog candy gift! The fiber is SU! Fancy Fiber in Earth Tones, and I also used Always Artichoke and Night of Navy card stock on this card.

My country...

First of all: IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK! I made two cards today! Even though you can barely walk through my house due to all the boxes, I went into my hardly unpacked stamp area and rummaged around until I found enough stuff to make cards! Yea!!

Secondly, Please forgive the terrible photography! I usually rely on my photo editing software pretty heavily, otherwise my pictures look like this!! Our home computer is not hooked up yet, so I am in DH's classroom using a school computer. We won't have Internet at home for THREE weeks! They are putting in a new system, and refuse to hook anyone new up at this time. I guess next time, I'll do all my editing at home, then put my pix on a flash drive and come over here. I did a watermark on my trial photo, but couldn't get it to work on this photo. Odd...

Anyhow, this is one of Artistic Outpost's newest sets! It's called Hero, and there are several patriotic stamps, this 3x5 flag image is the largest. I enjoy working with this set. It reminds me of how fortunate I am to be an American. We have so much to be thankful for.

This is a big card, 5x7. Did you know that you can mail a 5x7 with ONE first class stamp? The envy fits into the little chart at the PO, I know, I checked!

I stamped the main image in Tim Holtz Fired Brick, and inked the edges. I have a bunch of vintage file dividers, and this is one of them. They are twice as thick as the ones we use now, and they have a large metal eyelet at the bottom. I love them, it's recycling at it's best! The flower is my new SU! punch from Carolina!! I won her blog candy-doesn't she rawk? If you haven't seen her work, check it out, you're in for a real treat!

The rest of the card stock is SU! Brocade Blue and Night of Navy. The plaid DP is Basic Gray Archaic. I sprayed the whole thing with Antique Brass GM, which looks really wonderful on NofN-I will try to remember that when I make Christmas cards. I probably haven't used NofN in over a year, I'm just not drawn to it anymore;it's not brown, you know! The gems are Darice, and the stars are Colorbok. I used Karen Foster Snap Stamps to stamp FREE on the flower. Everything is up on foam tape.

Pinwheel

This isn't actually as dark as it looks. I was looking for a quick card, so I grabbed the pinwheel from Artistic Outpost's Playtime set, and made it my main image. I stamped it in TH Dusty Concord, which is a purple I love! While it was still damp, I sprinkled it with Holographic ep, so it has some shimmer. I also used my nesties for the circles, and the bug for the embossed background. When I use my nesties & bug, I usually do a bunch at a time. Then I keep all the die cuts and embossed quarter sheets in a pencil box. They can sometimes sit in there for a year, but they eventually get used. Then when I want a quick card, like this one, it's really just a matter of picking some things out and gluing it all together!

Congrats, Sharon!

When I found out that Sharon Johnson was joining the girls over at Flourishes, I just thought it was such a nice fit. I made this for Sharon as kind of a congratulations card. I wonder if she sometimes thinks, "Is this all real, or am I dreaming?" Sharon is a super talent, and a wonderful girl, as are the Flourishes girls. I wish them all much success in our exciting stamping world!

Of course this is a Flourishes set. It's called Cake Decorating 101. I won some prizes from Flourishes using this set, they are pretty generous with the prizes, let me tell you!! This is Sassafrass Lass stuff with paper piecing, lots of foam mounts, and plenty of glitter. The incomparable velvet ribbon is from Flourishes, it's my favorite place to order ribbon. This ribbon was actually a gift from them, but when I run out I will buy it again! I'm not sure I can live happily without it!!

Summertime

I think Sassafrass Lass has to be one of the most fun papers to work with in June! I am not really in my element with brights, but this line just seems so 40's to me, I find it a real pleasure to work with! Of course it looks wonderful with this gorgeous stamp from Artistic Outpost's Home plate. There's lots of sparkle here, including Crystal Stickles and Stardust pen, both added in strategic locations. I think that's Fired Brick distress ink, but I'm just going on my monitor because I already sent the card out to Robyn and of course didn't write anything down!

Priceless

You just can't go wrong with Artistic Outpost stamps-even the sentiments are gorgeous! I embossed this in Tim Holtz Antique Linen EP, then sponged lots of Aged Mahogany around it. There's a little gb key, which I smashed into the AM pad and sprayed with lots of Candy Apple Red Glimmer Mist. All the other words are 7Gypsies.

Heartfelt Thanks

Very little stamping on this one. I used the huge All Year Bag Toppers set from A Chemistry With Paper. It has a bunch of sentiments. I was really wanting to let the Petaloo flower and the pretty Autumn Leaves paper shine. The little file folder sticker is also AL. I don't know who makes the ribbon. It took great strength for me to resist the urge to ink the edges or otherwise daze and confuse this card, since that's what I usually do. The way it is here, it kind of reminds me of a Hanna Andersen catalog. If you have kids, you know about the Swedish Goddess of Quality Cotton. She doesn't actually call herself that, I just threw that in myself.

French Fry Box

This is a fun box to work with! The first thing I want to say about it is that it is STABLE. It will stand up, even with a solid massage bar in a metal box in it! I had it cut from Bazzill's Bubblegum line. I stamped stars all over it and then went over the outline with a glue pen and sprinkled on the Doodlebug Sugar Coating Glitter in Beetle Black. There's also a Beetle Black jewel on the glass. The main image is from Bombshell Stamps. The set is called Man's Ruin, and this gal comes with a wineglass in her hand, and lots of musical notes. Wine, women and song, you know. I added Stickles in Black Diamond, Cotton Candy and Crystal. This was a fairly quick project, and would be great for any super star in your life!

The bath products in the pic are from Lush. I love their solid massage bars, especially Iridescent Bug, it has glitter!! I have a few others and love them, too!

The Haircut

Well, Sky decided to get a haircut. I made sure to be there with the camera, because when Ross had hair even longer than Sky's and decided to cut it I wasn't there. I'm still a little bitter about that, truth be told.;) I love my boys with long hair, but it's hard for them. Where we have lived, in a conservative ranch community in Colorado and in the Oklahoma Panhandle now, people don't appreciate those who don't look and act like they do. The hair has been a good lesson for the boys. They know that people do judge you based on your appearance. They know that there are consequences for the things we do, the choices we make. I'm glad they had the experience, I think they're better for it.

Meet Lily & Kate

Oh, I'm just so clever, aren't I? Here are my favorite bunnies, hanging out on the LilyKate paper. I thought they looked very good together. The rub-on is Basic Gray, and so is the baby blue trim. I stamped the bunnies in my usual combo of Brilliance Chocolate and Ranger Holographic EP. There is Chestnut Roan sponging on all the edges. I would like to mention that EVERYTHING I have linked here is on sale right now at Creative Play Stamps. These are some of my must have supplies. If you don't have them, now is the time to try them.

Quick SU! Card

Did you notice that the BG stamp is upside down? Who knows what I was thinking. Probably nothing.

Beautiful Artistic Outpost Butterfly

Just a reminder before I get started, that AO's newest sheet, Hero, is in and ready for you to play with! I just got mine today, and I can't wait to get started. I also got next month's sheet, which I can't tell you about, or I'd have to kill you. This stamping stuff is very serious!:)

This is from Happiness, one of the sets I turn to regularly, and this is a very simple card. I stamped the butterfly in Chestnut Roan Chalk ink on Confetti, and used SU!'s Ticket Corner punch on the corners. I put that up on foam tape and ran some trim from Hot Off The Press, layered on Flourishes' fabulous brown satin ribbon underneath. All the patterned paper is HOTP, and I added some Martha Stewart glitter in Brownstone around one panel. Then there's some edge inking and a Big Lots! metal emblem and that's it! Simple!

James 1:17

I made this way back in December, and just have never posted it. Every time I go to post a card, there it is, the first photo I see. I've kind of gotten tired of looking at it, so I thought I'd post it today so I could put it in my finished folder. The praying hands are from an OLD SU! set. I bought it in 1999, and although I have sold dozens and dozens of SU! sets to friends, customers, and on ebay, this is one I will never part with. The verse is from a newer but still long retired set. It's weird, but since I retired from SU! a year ago, I can't remember any of these sets' names anymore! It's kind of like my mind dumped that info as extraneous. For seven years I had the entire catalog memorized, now I can't recall the most basic things!