Sunday Blessings Blog Candy #5

I have A LOT of stamps I don't use anymore. I have sold 45 or 50 on eBay. I've sold at least that many to past SU! customers. I have been trying to figure out if I want to fiddle with eBay again, and the answer is, "No!" I have decided to give a stamp set away every Sunday for as long as I have them. This is my fifth giveaway. Perhaps you would like Fresh Fillers from 2003 for yourself. Or perhaps you know a fledgling stamper who could use it. I used this set all the time back in 2003. It is well loved, but still in perfect stamping condition. All you have to do to enter is post here. I will announce the winner next Sunday when I post the next set. If I do not hear from the winner before I post the next set, it will join the following set, and that winner will get two. ONE entry per person, please.  Thanks for taking the time to visit me. You are a blessing in my life!

Here is last week's winner:

 CM2 said...

Not sure I could part with them ... they are cute! thanks for the opportunity to receive such a wonderful giftie! ^o^CM2

May 26, 2009 6:39 PM

Congrats, CM2, just email me your address and I'll get these right off to you!

Crafty Secrets and GinaK

I made this pocket for the weekly Crafty Secrets challenge over on SCS. Marcy challenged us to make a pocket of some sort. I have had these library pockets for years and years. I guess they are one of the many things I have been saving. For what, I don't know, but there it is.  I first stamped the lily of the valleys in VersaMark and embossed them in clear. Then I sprayed the pocket with Black Cherry Glimmer Mist. I added the trim with a line of Diamond Glaze, and added Crystal Stickles on top. The hanger is from a package of CS Sweet Chips. I love these things. They are white. I dyed this one with a pink pad, then painted with glue and followed that with a generous dusting of Miss Muffet Art Glitter. Miss Muffet also had her way with the roses. I stuck the frame into the pocket with one large glue dot. I feel that this is a strong enough bond. Anything too heavy for that would rip the pocket anyway. 

The sweet butterfly is a DoubleMates diecut from Creative Cuts and More. I got a bunch of them because I knew I'd love using them this summer. The cool thing about having them cut from DoubleMates, is that you have two color choices on every butterfly! I have been on a butterfly kick, which you will see in the next few days if you check back! I followed the same steps on the butterfly as I did on the pocket. I added a tinsel pipe cleaner for the antenae, a few adhesive gems, and outlined it in Pink Stickles.

I made this card for a color challenge over at GinaK's StampTV. Have you been over there? I love that place. BTW, I saw a card over there made with the new summer set and a circle die cut card that was WAY cooler than my version. As soon as I saw it, I thought, "Wow! Now why isn't mine that good?" I'll try to find the link and link it here so you can see it, too. Isn't it wonderful that we can share the way we do? I am so inspired by the stamping that I see every day. It's truly amazing! FOUND IT! Here it is buggin2stamp's fish card.

Cake Decorating 101 & Rock On!

More graduation thank you cards, and this time I used  Sketch 16 from Card Patterns. I'm too late to get it in for this week, but I thought I'd post anyway! I have been doing so many challenges lately, I have a hard time keeping up with which ones are due, and when! I used Rock On by H & M Stamps for these. I've had to take a break for a few days from my graduation thank you cards.  It's hard to work with one stamps set and set of papers for very long periods of time! Especially if there is no glitter involved!

Don't forget to scroll down for Stampin' Up! Blog Candy!!

This is a two challenge card. It's Kazan's sketch 27 over at 2S4Y, and Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge 17, sponging. Now I admit that the sponging here is nothing to write home about, but the edges are sponged, because I do this with most every card anyway.

Rock On Graduation Thank You Cards

Don't forget to scroll down for Stampin' Up! blog candy!!

So, what we have here are more thank you cards using H & M Stamps' Rock On set.  As my friend Lindsay from over at the Frugal Crafter said, I'm certainly getting my money's worth! It's a sad but true fact that most of my stamps are never used more than five or six times. I just have too many, and there's always something new.

I made this for Card Positioning Systems challenge 117. I love Tami's sketches, and CPS is one of the original challenge blogs.  I used Basic Black, Confetti Cream and Basic Gray's Aged and Confused. I have had this paper for years and have not used it because it's so dark and somber. The sheet I used for these isn't too dark, but a lot of the package is. I just bought it because I love Basic Gray, but really, what's it good for? Well, it's good for teenage rockers! I have loved using this line for these cards. DS likes them too.

On another note, I think my Classy Copper embossing powder has gone over the edge. I just can't get it to cover completely or melt right. I have reinked my Copper Encore pad, to no avail. I'm letting it slide on these cards because the grungy look works here. However, this is yet another lesson on excess. My hoarding/saving for good tendencies have NEVER worked in my stamping life. Things either go out of style or go bad. Paper gets brittle. I have dozens of packages of SU! cs that are eight or nine years old-it does age! Stickers slip off their sheets. Rub ons refuse to rub on. I am much more conservative with my purchases now. One thing I will say, IMHO, Basic Gray still looks good five years later! (But BG rub ons DO NOT age well!)

Just Because Sugar Bowl Challenge

This is a sketch challenge from over at the Sugar Bowl challenge blog. Sugar Nellie lovers gather there. This is Challenge 11. If you love Sugar Nellies, then you really should come play-they give away awesome prizes, and their DT is top notch!!

This little Gorjuss Girl is from the first set. I liked the first set so much, the second set of six girls is on its way here right now! The third set comes out soon, and this time I will not miss out on the preorder, like I did with set two. The Girl and her pigeon are sitting on an Anna Griffin border stamp image.  I got this large and beautiful set at Anita's Arts. Anita has a large selection of gorgeous Anna Griffin products. I can't get enough of them!!

The papers are SU! Basic Black, Confetti Cream, Rose Red and Orchid Opulence, plus Basic Gray Perhaps. Again. I know. I really should stop. Perhaps I will. Get it, "Perhaps" I will? Never let an English teacher loose with puns.  We know it's not funny to anyone else, we just can't help ourselves.

I used five different punches or dies on this card. I really use both of those tools A LOT. I'm glad to have them. I'll bet I use a punch or die on nine out of ten cards.

Graduation Thank You Cards

Walking towards the stage.
This is the Hummer that picked up all 19 grads and took them to commencement.
Before graduation, acting like a big dork. This is his serious look. It's totally fake.


This is the second set of cards for my oldest son's high school graduation. He got lots of loot. This community is so generous! All the businesses get together and throw a party on graduation night. It starts at midnight and goes until 6am. Each kid gets about $200 of loot at just that event. Mine got a Kodak Easy Share camera as his big gift. Some kids got small TVs or microwaves, whatever they asked for that was on the list they passed out, actually. That's not to mention all the gifts and money from friends and family. People really are generous. There were 19 in DS's class. They all came, and they all stayed the whole night, that's how fun the adults who run the party make it! Also, one of the fathers rented a stretch Hummer and a driver and came and picked up every single graduate at their house and took them to graduation!

I used H & M Stamps' Rock On set, Basic Gray's Aged & Confused, SU! Classy Copper ep, and making memories screw eyelets. I knew I'd have a use for them some day when I bought them over five years ago! I also used a sketch from 365 Cards Day 85. My blog pal Amy is a 365 designer, so I like to play along now and then. There's no way on earth I could do it 365 days, though! I think there's only three things I've ever done 365 days in a row: 

1. Love Jesus.

2. Love my family.

3. Brush my teeth.

Crafty Secrets SCS Challenge

Don't forget to scroll down for Stampin' Up! Blog Candy!

This is actually last week's challenge, I'm just now getting around to posting it! Pammyjo challenged us to use as many circles as we could in CSSC69. I used Crafty Secrets Girltime Cotton Scraps for the primary image, isn't it fun? I added some circle scalloped nesties, vintage seam binding, paper flowers, and Pink Stickles, of course! I made all the dots with my American Crafts white gel pen. The paper is SU! Positively Pink, Kraft & Whisper White, and Basic Gray Perhaps. I used pattern tissue and old book paper for my paper flower, and a few shots of Black Cherry Glimmer Mist.

So far I have finished 20 of DS's graduation thank you cards. I'll have another one to show you tomorrow. I just can't bear to post two man cards in a row, so I plan to space them out!

Shady Tree Studio Thatched Birdhouse

This is a sketch challenge from the Stamp Something blog. It doesn't look exactly like the sketch at first glance, but I promise, the sketch is in there!! I've been on a Basic Gray Perhaps kick lately. If I'm not using Aged and Confused for DS's thank you notes, then you'll find me using Perhaps. This stamp is from Cornish Heritage Farm's Shady Tree Studio line. It's a fairly new line, and just lovely! I like that these stamps look watercolory while still being so easy to color! I used my Prismas and Gamsol on this. I messed up the background so badly I had to cut the birdhouse out.  I have a hard time with backgrounds, so if you see cut out images, it probably isn't because I'm especially industrious, but because I've messed up the background! I added a bit of Aqua Stickles to the leaves. We wouldn't want a glitter free card, now would we? I use Aqua on most of my leaves.

I hope you are having a wonderful Memorial Day. We drove out to Wheeless, OK and stopped at the church where we think DH's grandparents were married.  His great grandad's name is on one of the stained glass windows. There's no bathroom in the church, but there's a double seater outhouse out back.

Then we drove over to the Smith homestead in New Mexico where DH's grandma grew up, and looked in the windows of the old house. DH wouldn't let me go in, and caught me on my way in a window with only one leg dangling out. Later on, my oldest son asked me what I got in trouble for. "You tried to get into that house, didn't you?" All my boys know me so well. He and youngest son had been off in the ancient and beautiful trees that surround the place, so they didn't see the actual attempted crime, they just heard DH yelling at me from over at the corals. You can call me Wreckless and DH Cautious! Anyway, that old rock house must have been a real beauty. All the baseboards are eight inches high and molded. Every door and window was surrounded by five inch molding and the circle within a square business at the corners.  I love exploring old houses, but DH was nervous about the floors, so I didn't get to go in. 

From Amy!!

There are a few requirements to accepting the Honest Scrap Award and they are as follows:

1) I must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link.

This is from my blog pal Amy over at Tsuruta Designs. Amy is not only immensely talented, and my very favorite CAS stamper, she's also ALL OVER the blog world! I think I have discovered more new places from Amy than any other source. She has also taught me how to use Google Reader, and take the weird password thingies off my blog. I can't remember what those are called. Oh, word verification! Don't mind me, I'm just slow. 

2) I must list 10 honest things about myself here goes....

1. I love getting into a hot car. LOVE it!

2. I have 14 cats/kittens. (Three cats, 11 kittens.) Not in the house, though!

3. I'm going house hunting tomorrow.

4. My oldest graduated high school on Friday.

5. I love cosmetics. All of them, from lotion to lipgloss.

6. I'm a terrible housekeeper.

7. I'm horribly unorganized, except in regards to other people, as in my job or deadlines.

8. I hate the wind.

9. Glitter is my favorite thing to add to cards.

10. I'm ALWAYS trying to lose weight, and wonder if I ever will.

I am giving these awards to these five friends, some are new, some old. 

Robin of A Robin's Nest

Patty of Pure Inkspiration

Etha of EthaSchutte

Jessy of Techer Jessy's Blog

Jo of Here I Go Again

Rock N' Roll!!!

Don't forget to scroll down for blog candy!

I got this H & M Stamps set specifically to do graduation thank you notes. I hope you like it, because you will be seeing it a lot here! I think I'll be making more than 50 in groups of five or six. This is my first set. I made five different ones today, which I will post some other time. I plan to go with Basic Gray's Aged & Confused and Classy Copper embossing powder for all of them. I am keeping them rather simple compared to what I would do if I were only making one. For this one, I added Always Artichoke, Confetti Cream, basic Black, and Bazzill Black Tie, a few skittles, and some Black Diamond Stickles. Also, I gave them all a spritz of Chestnut Glimmer Mist, which is a lovely coppery brown.

Stampin' Up! Cute Critters Sunday Blessings #4 Blog Candy

I have A LOT of stamps I don't use anymore. I have sold 45 or 50 on eBay. I've sold at least that many to past SU! customers. I have been trying to figure out if I want to fiddle with eBay again, and the answer is, "No!" I have decided to give a stamp set away every Sunday for as long as I have them. This is my fourth giveaway. Perhaps you would like Cute Critters from 2002 for yourself. Or perhaps you know a fledgling stamper who could use it. I used this set all the time back in 2002. It is well loved, but still in perfect stamping condition. All you have to do to enter is post here. I will announce the winner next Sunday when I post the next set. If I do not hear from the winner before I post the next set, it will join the following set, and that winner will get two. ONE entry per person, please. If you enter twice, unless it is by mistake, I will not put your name in the drawing. Thanks for taking the time to visit me. You are a blessing in my life!

The winner of Sunday Blessings # 3 is:

 Suz said...

That's such a nice thing to do!

May 17, 2009 1:22 PM

Sassy & Sweet Squirrel

This is the last of my three new Sweet & Sassy digi stamps, isn't he cute? Also, I just discovered that S&S has a challenge blog. It must be fairly new, because this sketch is SS04. It was a fun sketch to work with, and really quite different from most sketch challenges I've done. I didn't use a lot of layers here for two reasons. First, I didn't want to overwhelm this adorable image, and secondly, MME's Tres Jolie is so pretty, it stands well alone. The other papers are SU!'s Mellow Moss and Whisper White, and Bazzill for the base. I colored him with Prisma Colors and Gamsol. I can't be sure, but I think the gorgeous velvet ribbon was a Flourishes gift with purchase. I made sure that it went through to the inside of the card because it pains me to cover this ribbon! To do this, I just take a little snip off the card's fold with my SU! slit punch. I love that punch and use it all the time.

Sweet & Sassy Cupcake!

I am slow to jump on bandwagons. Most of the time I refuse to get on at all, but darn it, cupcakes are fun. They are also easy to color, and can be colored to match whatever paper you're in the mood for. I think this is Autumn Leaves paper, but I'm feeble and stressed out, so I can't be certain. I added a little Christmas Red Stickles here and there for just a little more fun! I also added Diamond Glaze to the cherry. It's hard to see in the photo, but it looks pretty cool IRL!

This cupcake is a digi-stamp from Sweet & Sassy stamps, and the sentiment comes with it. As you can see, the sentiment fits perfectly in the SU! tab punch. If it didn't, I think you can resize digi images, which would be pretty convenient. I colored this with Prismacolors and Gamsol. This is a pretty straighforward card.

Don't forget to click on the link in my sidebar for your chance at my weekly blog candy! Last week's blog candy went to The Republic of Moldova. How many of you know where that is? I thought so. I had to look at a map, too!

Shine on!

I went a little crazy with the glitter on this Sweet and Sassy Stamps butterfly! I used SU! Glowing Green glitter and Flax Art Glitter.  To add depth, I colored underneath the glitter. This technique works well with transparent glitter like Flax, which is a beautiful irridescent pale yellow. The Glowing Green is not irridescent and doen't have near the sparkle, but it's not too bad. The image is a digi stamp from Sweet & Sassy. Isn't he cute? I printed him out and colored him with Prismas and Gamsol.

The paper is DCWV, Bazzill and GP. The ribbon is American Crafts, and I used three different SU! punches. I get my money's worth out of my SU! punches, that's for sure!

Love Mail

I literally have about three minutes for this post, because I'm home inbetween elementary music program and hs athletic banquet. This time of year is insane for everyone with children, and school teachers even more so because you have to go to things for other people's children! I'm not complaining, I'm just saying it's a crazy busy time!

Add to that my oldest graduates on Friday and I will have all manner of family here. LOTS of relatives. Add to that the boxes piled all about the house and you have a twitch. Well I do, anyway. When, oh, when will my twitch go away? I was telling my blog buddy Amy that I look just like the Kung Fu Master on Kung Fu Panda. Well, I'm taller and my ears are smaller. But the twitch-yes, I have that.

I seriously think I should take up drinking. I'm not opposed to drinking, despite the fact that I am a Baptist, I just don't do it. But do you think it would help the twitch?

My Girl

Big Fun happens every Tuesday over at the Crafty Secrets forum on SCS! This is for CSSC68. Darlene challenged us to use flour or flowers on our card. I decided to do both! This sweet image is from the Homemade Notes booklet. These booklets are so much fun to work with! They provide instant gratification, and the images are beautiful!

Sunday Blessings #3 Blog Candy

Scroll down for Unity Blog Hop!

I have A LOT of stamps I don't use anymore. I have sold 45 or 50 on eBay. I've sold at least that many to past SU! customers. I have been trying to figure out if I want to fiddle with eBay again, and the answer is, "No!" I have decided to give a stamp set away every Sunday for as long as I have them. This is my third giveaway. Perhaps you would like Alpha Shadows from 2002 for yourself. Or perhaps you know a fledgling stamper who could use it. I used this set all the time back in 2002. It is well loved, but still in perfect stamping condition. All you have to do to enter is post here. I will announce the winner next Sunday when I post the next set. If I do not hear from the winner before I post the next set, it will join the following set, and that winner will get two. ONE entry per person, please. If you enter twice, unless it is by mistake, I will not put your name in the drawing. Thanks for taking the time to visit me. You are a blessing in my life!

The winner of Sunday Blessings # 2 is:

 Ksenia said...

Fantastic stamps! 
Thanks!

May 11, 2009 4:57 AM

Ksenia, email me your address, and I will get Mini Medleys right out to you!

Unity Blog Hop!!! Or Hog Blop as DH says!

This card is for this week's Stamp Something Challenge Blog. We were to case one of Lauren's cards, as her DT time is winding down. Lauren and I have been blog buddies since before she was on the SS team, and although I rarely found time to play, I always checked out Lauren's cards and commented every week. I chose this card, and although my effort is not as perfectly CAS as Lauren's, it's CAS for me! Lauren, you did a great job for Stamp Something!



This weekend is the Unity Blog Hop! There are 100 blogs playing! I have joined the Unity KOTM and have two kits so far. They are beautiful die cut cling mounted red rubber, and the images are gorgeous. Unity has a modern but not too trendy style. In other words, they are current, but you don't feel like they will be completely out of style next year. I can't wait until May's kit arrives!! 

The next blog on the hop is It's All Rosie. I hope you have fun hopping!!

Card for Emily

Emily Dickinson, that is. This card gave me fits! I thought it would never come together. When that happens, I usually leave the area for at least an hour. I can almost always come up with something after a break. The gorgeous copper embossed bottom was stamped with Anna Griffin's Border Set. This is a huge set, with 21 stamps!! I got mine from Anita's Arts, she has a large selection of Anna Griffin products. The set I have comes as a kit with a gorgeous Chocolate Brown pigment pad, and a clear mount for the stamps. 

I paired my Anna Griffin stamps with a Crafty Secrets Birds and Botanicals Journal page. This little booklet is my go to item when I'm at a loss. Sometimes I think I rely on them too much, but they are so pretty and fun I just can't help it!!

The gorgeous satin ribbon is from Flourishes, and I added one of my pattern tissue flowers on top. I'm having a thing with these flowers. I love them, and stick them on everything. I do have the attention span of a gnat, though, so I'll probably tire of them soon enough. 

Shady Tree Studio Sketched Bluebird

Isn't this the prettiest stamp? I just love it, and it was such a joy to color!! Phantom, a friend of mine over at SCS, drew this!! She has her own line of stamps over at Cornish Heritage Farms called Shady Tree Studio! How cool is that? It must be amazing to be able to draw. It's a skill I've always admired, and sadly, never possessed! Anyhow, she asked me if I'd like to work with a couple of her stamps, and I jumped at the chance. I'm so glad I did!!

If you'd like some free stamps, don't forget to scroll down for this week's blog candy, Sunday Blessings #2. It's a Stampin' Up set called Mini Medleys.

Pink Birthday Somethings!

This is for the Stamp Something Challenge Blog. Design Team member Melissa's term is up, and she loves pink, so everyone is doing a pink sendoff for her! I used Bazzil and Crate paper, an Inkadinkado stamp, K&Co sentiment, and lots of Stickles! I punched pattern tissue and Crate paper to make the flowers. The centers are mm brads, and there's a large Prima under one.

I thought I'd show you a couple more pictures of my Creative Cuts and More mini album. I used pictures from my wedding shower, which was in December of 1988! The entire mini album, plus the rings come cut and ready to go from CC&M. I just added pics, designer paper and embellies. I used a making memories alphabet rubon book to form the word loot. They work really well, and are surprisingly easy to get straight. The punches are all  from SU! I used Cotton Candy Stickles on every page, and added dots with my American Crafts pen. All the vintage images are from Crafty Secrets. I embossed them all with clear. On some pages I used my Basic Hearts Spellbinders die, which is on sale now! I love this die, and use it all the time!!

Creative Cuts and More Blog Hop!!!

Graphic 45 Brides to Baby paper, Crafty Secrets Love & Romance Vintage Cuts, Primas, book paper flowers, brads, Cotton Candy Stickles 



Are you having fun hopping through blogland? I hope so!! If you did not start at Diecut Diva's blog, that is where you need to be to hop along with us! Terry is over there waiting for you to stop by!

 This little gem is CC&M's 4x4 Mini Album Kit! I had it cut out of Autumn Red Double Mates, which is so cool because each page has a dark side and a light side! Check out these deets:

This is a ten piece die cut set. 
You will receive two covers,
four dividers and four pages.
The cover has scored folds.

Plus you will also receive three 1/2" rings.

How cool is that? This is such a fun size to work with. It's a good value because you have 20 pages to decorate, which is quite a substantial mini album. It's also very economical because I didn't even use up one whole sheet of the Graphic 45 paper I used! 

I have lots more pics, and will post more in a few days. I didn't want my blog to take too long to look at since you need to go see what kinds of wonderful things Kim has been up to over at her blog!! 

Sunday Blessings #2 Blog Candy

Here is this week's blog candy! It's called Mini Medleys. Just post a comment here and you will be entered to win it. I will announce the winner next Sunday. I will keep posting Sunday Blessings for as long as I have them!

Have a blessed week!

Sunday Blessings #1 Winner!

thefrugalcrafter said...
How sweet of you Carla!
May 3, 2009 7:38 PM

Lindsay, send me your address, and I will get this right out to you!

Hugs!

Carla

Adorable Little Man!!

I made this for the Crafty Secrets challenge over at SCS. This is CSSC66, Feeling Snetimental. Marcy asked us to make the sentiment the main image of our card. I've had these sweet Cotton Scraps for more than a year and had never used them before, but I thought this might make a cute card! All the paper is SU!, including Bashful Blue, Barely Banana and a scrap kit. The little stork is from a Crafty Secrets sticker sheet. As a finishing touch, I added some fiber, brads, and Crystal Stickles. I get my Crafty Secrets at Creative Play Stamps.

Creative Cuts and More Blog Hop on Monday!!!

This is just a sneak peek of what you will see on Monday during Creative Cuts and More's second blog hop! Please join us for all the fun!! You will start at Diecut Diva's blog. 

The heart shaped brad started life in a different color, so I embossed it in Gold Glory. I can't remember where the postage stamp came from, but I embossed it in clear to give it some presence. You can see one of my favorite SU! flower punches peeking out from underneath. I hope you come back on Monday to see more of this project!!

Also, please don't forget to scroll down for blog candy! Look for the post titled Sunday Blessings #1! On Sunday, I will draw this week's winner and reveal Sunday Blessings #2, another Stampin' Up! set from 2000. It's a very versatile set which can be used for so many holidays!!! I hope you like it!!

Simple Pleasures

There's a lot going on here! Usually I don't have QUITE this many manufacturers on one card, but my cards have a mind of their own. I sometimes think I'm just a facilitator. The first thing I want to mention here is the background stamp. I was asked by Anita over at Anita's Arts to show off this gorgeous Anna Griffin Elegant Borders Clear Stamp Kit, which she carries in her store. Of course I said, "Yes!" The kit comes with 21 GORGEOUS AG border stamps, a brown pigment pad and a mount. It's all in a pretty little box, too!! Anita has a large selection of Anna Griffin products, including some of her beautiful punches, and card kits! I can't wait to show you some of the other stamps, I love them all!

I made this card for CSSC65 over on SCS. The primary image is from the Garden Creative Scraps, which I am really enjoying. I adore all CS images-their graphic designer is a genius. The  vine stamp is from Unity.

Crafty Secrets Creative Scraps

Crafty Secrets has a new product out called Creative Scraps. They are much like the images from the Notes booklets, but they are on cardstock, so they are sturdier. There are several themes, such as Easter & Garden, which this one is. I actually won this one from Vicki Chrisman, who is the DT coordinator for CS. I stalk a lot of the CSDT blogs because they are an incredinly tallented bunch, and Vicki is no exception! She had blog candy a month or so ago, and I won! THANKS, VICKI!!!

This card is also for CSSC64 over on SCS. We were to use two types of ribbon or trim. I thought it was a fun challenge! Come play with us sometime, we love to welcome new players!

Everything on this card except for the main image and the Stickles came from HOTP.

Unity Butterfly

Do you ever completely forget about embellishments for months at a time? It seems I haven't used a brad in eons. I have scads of them, I just rarely use them except for flower centers any more! These are SU! brads, which I have always loved. This pretty butterfly is from a Unity Stamps Kit Of The Month. One of my dearest blogging friends asked me about these kits. They are a tremendous value! Here is the Unity homepage, so you can decide for yourself. The May KOTM is right there up front, and is it ever SWEET!! I love the lamp post!! And the mushrooms! And the flowers!

NEWS

On Monday, please join the Creative Cuts and More Design Team for another fun blog hop! We will be showing off all kinds of sweet photo albums and baby projects!!

ALSO

Don't forget to scroll down for Blog Candy!!

CPS114 & Unity Color Challenge

I know stampers who combine three or four challenges practically every day. For me, combining two is pretty good! I used CPS114 for the sketch, and Unity for the colors, which were kraft, Baja Breze, Ruby Rad & So Saffron. Aren't the Sassafrass Lass rub ons cute? I thought they went well with the Unity mushroom. I love this mushroom, and I think I will be using it a lot. It's so much fun to color!! I stamped this on wc paper in VersaFine Onyx and embossed it in Crystal Clear. Then I used markers and re-inkers to color it. I thought about adding glitter or dots, but for once decided to show retraint and added only one gem to the flower. Don't get used to it. Restraint, I mean.

Don't forget to scroll down for Sunday Blessings, my weekly blog candy!!

Unity April KOTM & Check below for free stamps!

I have finally succumbed to the lure of Unity! I joined the KOTM, and this is from my first kit. Let me say that the sets are huge, red rubber, and die cut! They are unmounted, on cling foam, and a tremendous value. Seriously. If you have to stretch your rubber dollars, (punny, huh?), consider Unity. I paired this gorgeous old fashioned yet modern (how'd they do that?) stamp with 7Gypsies Savannah, which I ADORE!!!! LOVE!!!! TREASURE!!! 

Don't forget to check out my Sunday Blessings, you could win free rubber!

Sunday Blessings # 1

I have A LOT of stamps I don't use anymore. I have sold 45 or 50 on eBay. I've sold at least that many to past SU! customers. I have been trying to figure out if I want to fiddle with eBay again, and the answer is, "No!" I have decided to give a stamp set away every Sunday for as long as I have them. This is my very first giveaway. Perhaps you would like Background Basics from 2000 for yourself. Or perhaps you know a fledgling stamper who could use it. I used this set all the time back in 2000. It is well loved, but still in perfect stamping condition. All you have to do to enter is post here. I will announce the winner next Sunday when I post the next set. If I do not hear from the winner before I post the next set, it will join the following set, and that winner will get two. ONE entry per person, please. If you enter twice, unless it is by mistake, I will not put your name in the drawing. Thanks for taking the time to visit me. You are a blessing in my life!

Free Inkadinkado Stamp!! And MY BOY!!

So, as usual, I did not schedule a shoot with a pro in a timely manner and was in a near panic when time was essentially out. (I have this EXACT same problem when my roots are looking hideous and I can't get an appointment because there's a waiting list!) So anyway,  oldest DS said, "Mom, why don't you take them?" I said, "Grab Veronica, let's go!" (Veronica is his bass.) So we took them, then drove an hour to the nearest WalMart and had them printed. I paid less than $63 for his senior pictures. The gal at WalMart was a little suspicious.  It was hard for her to argue with me, though,  when I had the actual child standing right next to me wearing the exact same clothes. I told her I just took the pictures a couple of hours ago. She said she could hire me out. So now I have a big head, which is a big joke, because I'm really not a very good photographer!

I got in on the free stamp promotion over at Inkadinkado! I sent my three cards in, and they sent me two beautiful wood mounted stamps, and one dollar sized acrylic set. I was very pleased. I actually don't have another shell stamp that comes to mind immediately, so it was nice to have one this beautiful to play with. The other wood mounted stamp I got is a large vertical tiered wedding cake.