On My Mind

Hi Stampers! I finally got a few minutes to play with some of my new stamp sets from Stampin' Up! and let me tell you- THEY ARE AWESOME!!!! The cards featured today are made with the Upsy Daisy set, the Bella Rose DSP and I also used my new oval punch. (it's HUGE!!!)

Both of the cards are basically the same. I just changed out the rhinestone brads for the new buttons. Which card do you prefer?

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Upsy Daisy

Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red

Card stock: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, WW, Bella Rose DSP

Other: Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon, Buttons, Rhinestone Brads, Oval punches, Sponges, Dimensionals

Pacific Point Eastern Blooms

Hi Stampers! Today's card features one of the stamp sets that is currently on sale until the end of the month. (If you're interested you can still take advantage of this great special by contacting me directly or ordering online on my SU website.) I stamped the large flower on the main image panel and then again on a scrap piece of paper. I cut them out and attached them using a pop up dot and curled the petals in so the flowers have a more of a 3-D feel to them. I love the color combination on this card. It features Kraft, Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point and Riding Hood Red. The sentiment was accidentally stamped a little crooked, but I guess you can just tell that it is homemade then right?

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Eastern Blooms

Ink: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Versamark

Card stock: Kraft, Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, WW

Other: White Gel Pen, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon

Disney Anniversary Card

Hi Stampers! Today is my 15th wedding anniversary so I needed to make a card for my hubby. I really had a romantic card in mind using my Always set, but for the life of me I could not find the heart stamp from this set. I must have spent over an hour looking for it only to remember that I had already organized my stamps and when I did this one stamp was MIA!!! So after wasting all that precious time I needed a new idea and I needed one fast! Out of the corner of my eye I spotted some of my new acrylic Disney stamps that I picked up last week while at Target. Of course Donald stood out to me. (my DH is named Don and he loves Donald Duck) Okay- so now I had a vision forming in my mind. The rest of the card came together rather quickly. (gotta love when that happens!!!) The end result is what you see. When I gave him the card he laughed and said that it was perfect and was so happy I didn't get him one of "those MUSHY ones". I giggled quietly to myself and thanked the powers that be that seemed to hid the original stamp I had intended to use.

Happy Stamping~

Supporting The Team

Hi Stampers! Here is another project that has been occupying some of my time. I am helping coordinate the fundraising we are doing for the TakeKwonDo Team. One of the ideas we came up with is to make some sort of container for everyone's spare change. It needed to be something that could be portable so we could also take it to the car washes we do and let people who are cleaning out their cars donate all their loose coins as well.

This is what I finally came up with. We took an extra 5 gallon water bottle and covered it in martial arts paper I found at the local scrapbook store. Then I added a strip of black card stock over that to add my letters. I finished off the bottle by adding some of the cute Stampabilities karate images to both sides.

It's hard to see in the picture, but it's working already! On Saturday we put it out on the counter during the competition team practices and people started putting in their loose change. It was a real attention getter too. Since it is fairly empty, when you drop in your coins it makes a VERY loud noise - almost like a shot gun sound. Once one person started putting in their coins, everyone followed.

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Karate kids (Stampabilities)

Ink: Basic Black, Stampin' Write Marker

Card stock: Martial Arts Paper (LSS), Basic Black, Real Red, WW

Other: Marvy Scallop Punch, Die Cut Letters

Scared Ya Didn't I?

Hi Stampers! Aren't these letters just the cutest? I have been meaning to alter some of these for quite some time now, but finally got around to sitting myself down and just doing it. (kind of like a Nike ad!) I used some of the new Ghostly Greetings DSP to dress up these. I love how they came out. They were so easy to do too. I will definitely be picking up some more letters to make even more words for the upcoming seasons. Some words you could do might be :Fall, Thanks, Give, Peace, Noel, Joy, Santa, etc... The list could go on and on. These are an inexpensive way to add decoration to your home this holiday season. Give it a try!

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Batty For You
Ink: Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive
Card stock: Ghostly Greetings DSP, Basic Black, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango
Other: Paper Mache' Letters, Sticky Strip, Dimensionals, Ribbon, Scallop Punch, Circle Punches

One HUGE Cupcake!

Hi Stampers! Today's card was super easy to make using some of the new designer series paper found in the catalog. I had a hard time deciding just which ones I wanted to purchase first. They all looked super cute and I really wanted them all......but my checkbook wouldn't allow that so I had to settle for a few of my very favorites. So.....which ones did I get you are probably asking yourself? I decided on Hawaii Papaya, Maine Blueberry, Ghostly Greetings and Summer Picnic. For this card I stamped the huge cupcake from the set Simple Birthday Thanks onto some of the Hawaii Papaya DSP. I then cut it out and glued the pieces to a piece of Old Olive card stock. I then stamped the cherry portion of the stamp onto WW card stock and colored in using my Stampin' write Markers. I cut it out and attached it to the cupcake image using a dimensional to make it stand out more. Then I covered it in crystal effects. I also outlined the entire cupcake image with crystal effects and sprinkled dazzling diamonds on. I love how this turned out. Side Note: Instead of inking the entire image up I chose to "color" the image parts I wanted with a black marker before stamping on the DSP. This let me omit the wording in the center of the image. It's a great way to customize your stamps and make them more versatile.

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Simple Birthday Thanks

Ink: Stampin' Write Marker

Card stock: Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Hawaii Papaya DSP

Other: White Gel Pen, Dazzling Diamonds, Crystal Effects

Blog Candy Winner & Thank You Cards

Hi Stampers! I know it has been awhile, since I last posted, but I have been busy making thank you cards for everyone who sponsored DJ and helped us to raise money for him to get to the AAU National Team Trials. The card here is what I finally came up with. The little boy is supposed to represent DJ. I guess he kind of looks like him. :0) I used the retired stamp set Kanji for the background. It is stamped in whisper white craft ink on basic black card stock. The boy image is from Stampabilities. I love this stamp so much. I find myself reaching for it all the time when I need any type of card pertaining to taekwondo. (maybe it's because taekwondo stamps are extremely hard to find!!!) I finished the card off by stamping a phrase from the new set Heard From The Heart in basic black ink onto whisper white card stock and them mounted it on a piece of real red before attaching it to the card base. To make it easier for DJ to write his thank you notes inside (yes I made him write each and everyone one of them out by hand and personalized them with his own thoughts ) I added a white card stock liner.



Now on to the good stuff - Blog Candy Winner!!! Hmmmm...well since there were only 5 posts on the blog candy (and 1 person didn't want to be entered but wanted to let me know she's a faithful reader - Thanks Lisa!!!) you all have a pretty good chance at winning. So....drum roll please......

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers: 4
Timestamp: 2008-09-22 02:33:41 UTC

Kimberly Johnson (Hmmmmmm..that is so weird! I feel like I am writing to myself! hahahahaha) please email me your address and I will get these cute stamps out in the mail for you.!!

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Heart From The Heart, Kanji, Karate Boy (Stampabilities)
Ink: Basic Black, Whisper White Craft, Stampin; Write Markers
Card stock: Basic Black, WW, Real Red
Other: Marvy Scallop Punch, Coluzzel

Retired Sets For Sale

Hi Stampers! Sorry I have not had time to upload any of the projects I have been working on. I hope to have some photos taken and uploaded for next week. In the meantime I have been trying to play around a bit with updating my blog. I hope everyone likes the new banner and color scheme. Please let me know if you have any problems with any of the links.

I finally had some time to clean out my stamping area and go through all my sets. I need to make room for new sets that will be coming in the next few weeks so I have a bunch of retired sets that I need to find new homes for. Here is a complete list of all the sets I currently have for sale. Please email me for pricing and shipping costs. Most of the sets are mounted and unused or slightly used. Some sets are unmounted and new.

Doodle That
Loving Hearts
Reason To Smile
For a Friend
Lots of Thoughts
Christmas Carolers
Border Builders
Petal Prints
A Light Heart
Heavenly Peace
Holiday Blocks
Shore Thing
All About Occasions
Time Well Spent
Olive You
Polka Dot Posies
She's All That - SOLD
Very Punny
Lexicon of Love
Riveting
Say It Simply
So Many Sayings
Play on Words
Happy Harmony
The World Over
Spring Time Stems
Both Way Blossoms
Looks Like Spring
So Much
Hearts and Clovers
Blooming Wonderful
Figures of Speech
Made From Scratch
Love It
A is For Adorable
Love Ya Bunches
Double Line Doodles
Polka Dots & Paisley
Sweet Shapes
Drawing on Nature
Be Happy
Greetings Galore
All I Have Seen
Alphabet Soup
Around the Block
A Little Bit of Happiness
Updated 9/21/08

Don't forget about the Blog Candy which can be seen HERE. Deadline is Sunday 9/21/08 at 6pm EST!!!!!!

Happy Stamping~

It's Time for Blog Candy!!!!

Hi Stampers! I had a chance to run out to the store today and found these adorable little Halloween stamps just begging to be added to my cart. I of course thought of all of you and decided to pick up a few extras to give away to my faithful readers (if there are any out there!!!*LOL*) Leave a comment on this post by 6pm EST Sunday (9/21/08) and I will randomly pick the winner to receive these cute stamps. Be sure to check back to see if you've won!!!

Halloween Treats

Hi Stampers! Today's project is a quick, easy and fun project you can do with the kids. These can be made for just about any holiday or event. Just modify what you put in them and what stamps you use. Since I seem to have Halloween on the brain I opted to make mine Halloween Treat Tubes. One tube was filled with Carmel apple flavored candy corn (I LOVE this stuff!) and the other one I filled with Pixie Sticks. The Batty For You stamp set paired with the scallop and circle punches make this super quick and easy!

I also think these would be cute filled with homemade bath salts for small personal gifts. Hmmmmm...what cute Hostess gifts!

Happy Stamping~

Stamp sets: Batty For You

Ink: Basic Black, Stampin' Write Markers

Card stock: Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, WW, Ghostly Greetings DSP

Other: White Gel Pen, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punches, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Orange Grosgrain Ribbon, Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, Test Tubes, Candy

Halloween Treat Pouches

Hi Stampers! I know I have been MIA for the past few days but I have had good reason. I have had family here visiting from Wisconsin. I haven't had much time to play with some of my new goodies yet, but I will real soon! These are a few of the Halloween Treat Pouches I made today. Aren't they soooooooo cute? I got the idea for these from a post on Dawn Griffin's blog. She made some adorable Get Well Soup Pouches which can be seen here. She also has a great video tutorial on how she did them. I made some adjustments to the sizes and came up with my own version of them.

Sorry for the bad picture. This is what the inside of one of my pouches looks like. I decided to put the small peanut M&M packs inside mine. These will make great little Halloween gifts for Nathan's class this year.

On a side note, DJ did very well at team trials last weekend. He did not make the team but we were very happy with how well he did. The other athletes that were there were all World Class Athletes. They have been traveling around the world to compete so just being with them was a great opportunity for DJ. One of the other coaches came up to him after he heard it was DJ's first year at try-outs, and told him how great he did and that he should be proud of himself. He also said that only 1% of the athletes that try out for the team actually make the team the first year they try out. This made DJ feel so much better. I'm sure he'll feel much better about how he fought once he gets a chance to watch the videos of his matches too. I was such a proud mom! (still am!!!!!)

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: House of Haunts, Haunting Wheel

Ink: Basic Black, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant

Card stock: Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, Ghostly Greetings DSP, WW

Other: Sponges, Crop-a-Dile, Black Gingham Ribbon, Dimensionals, Candy

Beacuse I Care

Hi Stampers! Isn't this card beautiful? It features one of the other stamps in the Inspired by Nature set. I love the look of the tall grass against the summer sun. It is a very simple card, but I was in the mood for simple today. The sentiment is from the Level 1 Hostess set Best Yet. (The only way to get this set is to be a hostess) I sponged the edges of the main panel with the old olive ink and added some of the 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon to complete my card.

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Inspired by Nature
Ink: Old Olive, More Mustard
Card stock: More Mustard, Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Other: Circle Punch, Sponges, 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon

Inspired by Nature

Hi Stampers! I shocked you didn't I? No skull cards today!!! *wink* I thought I would put that set aside for a bit and play with another new stamp set I got. Today's cards feature the new set called Inspired by Nature. It is a beautiful set and one that I knew I wanted to have early on. There are so many possibilities for this set. I colored the stamp using my Stampin' Write markers and then stamped onto a piece of very vanilla card stock. I then used my old olive and elegant eggplant markers with the Color Spritzer Tool to add to the background. The sentiment was punched out using the New Wide Oval Punch. The edges were sponged with elegant eggplant ink before it was adhered with dimensionals.

The final embellishment to the cards was the New Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon. This ribbon is so delicate and beautiful that it made the perfect accent.

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Inspired by Nature

Ink: Stampin' Write Markers, Elegant Eggplant

Card stock: Old Olive, More Mustard, Elegant Eggplant, Very Vanilla

Other: Wide Oval Punch, Color Spritzer Tool, Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon, Ticket Corner Punch

Girly Girl Skulls

Hi Stampers! Are you tired of looking at projects made with this set yet? *grin* I decided that I needed to make some feminine looking card versions. Skulls seem to be the in thing for both males and females this year-especially teens. Once I looked at the previous cards I thought I needed to brighten them up a bit. I combined Basic Gray with the new Pink Pirouette. I really like these 2 colors together.

I tied the pink color of the card stock into the card by adding crystal effects to the eyes and adding pink chunky glitter. The ribbon on this card is once again from Michaels. The skull image is popped up on dimensionals.

I used the new 1-1/4" Pink Pirouette Grosgrain Ribbon for this card. While I love the color and feel of the ribbon I am having a very difficult with it's width. It is too wide for my tastes and so I don't see myself using it for many cards. I think it would be better suited for alterable items or 3-D items. Since I added the pink ribbon to this card I also wanted to make this skull card even more girlish (no not ghoulish!!!) so I stamped the bow in basic black on pink pirouette scraps and cut them out leaving a slight pink border. I then attached them to the skull using crystal effects to make it look like pigtails. *grin* It's also hard to tell in the photo but the crossbones and the teeth are covered in crystal effects to give them a glossy look. There you have it - a girly girl skull card!

On a side note- please keep my son in your thoughts and prayers today. We are in Ft. Lauderdale for the AAU Taekwond Do National Team Trials. My son will try out to see if he will make the National team and represent our country for the 2008-2009 Year. *fingers crossed* I will keep you posted on how well he does.

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Just Jawing, Gratuitous Graffiti

Ink: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Black Stampin' Write Marker

Card stock: Pink Pirouette, Basic Gray, WW

Other: Crystal Effects, Pink Chunky Glitter, Ribbon (Non-SU), 1-1/4" Pink Pirouette Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, sponges

More Skulls on the Brain

Hi Stampers! I knew that once I started playing with the set Just Jawing from Stampin' Up's new catalog I wouldn't be able to put it down. I showed you the cute pull out card I made in yesterday's post, but here are the other cards I made to go along with it. Each of them is different in some way. Some of them have bow-ties, some have hair bows, one has chunky blue glitter eyes and one is just plain. My boys both thought these cards were really "Cool". I think that means they like them. It's hard to tell no days with some of their slang.

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Just Jawing, Gratuitous Graffiti
Ink: Basic Gray, Basic Black, Black Stampin' Write Marker
Card stock: Basic Gray, Basic Black, WW
Other: Ribbon (non-SU!), Silver brads, Chunky Glitter, Crystal Effects, Sponges

You Rock Pull Out Card

Hi Stampers! Every catalog release there is always one set inside that catches my attention more than any others. This release the Just Jawing set and matching wheel are what caught my eye. I see so many possibilities with this set, being that I have 2 boys. My youngest loves anything with skulls and crossbones on it. He loves all the pirate movies.

This was the very first pull out card I have tried to make. I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly and easily this came together. I will definitely be making more of them in the future. (Club members be prepared to make one of these soon!!) I don't have a template for the pull out card and just kind of winged it to what I thought looked right. (After all beauty is in the eye of the beholder correct?)

The cross bones on the skull are covered in crystal effects (another new embellishment I am totally addicted to now) and covered in the chunky glitter. The eyes are colored in using a black Stampin' Write Marker and then covered in crystal effects. I LOVE the effect this has. They look almost like candy. The ribbon is not Stampin' Up!. I found this at my last venture to Michael's. I knew I had ordered the Just Jawing set and knew it would coordinate perfectly with it. I think I need to pick up a few more while supplies last. (It was in with all the Halloween ribbon)

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Just Jawing, Gratutious Graffiti
Ink: Basic Gray, Basic Black, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker
Card stock: Basic Gray, Basic Black, WW
Other: Ribbon (non-SU), Silver brads, sponges, Crystal Effects, Chunky Glitter

Awesome Target Find!!

Hi Stampers! After you see today's project you are going to want to run (don't walk) to the nearest Target Dollar Spot to find these awesome plastic clothespins. I picked up a few of them over the weekend and wanted to be sure they turned out as cute as I envisioned them before I head back to pick up more. They are available in a variety of bright colors. I am thinking I may go and grab a ton of the orange ones and use them as Halloween gifts for the teachers this year.

This is a picture of the side of the jumbo clothespins. It shows you how bright the colors are. This project took me about 10 minutes to complete BOTH of these. I love how they turned out. They can be used for a wide variety of things from recipe holders to photo holders. The possibilities are endless.

Thought I would leave you with a closer picture of the cherry one. It is my favorite one for the moment. I love the new 5/8" Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain ribbon with the Summer Picnic DSP.

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Tart & Tangy

Ink: Stampin' Write Markers

Card stock: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, WW, Riding Hood Red, Glorious Green, Summer Picnic DSP

Other: Scallop Punch, Circle Punches, Dimensionals, 5/8" Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Striped Wild Wasabi Ribbon (retired), White Gel Pen, Plastic Jumbo Clothes Pins (Target Dollar Spot)

Bella Rose Box in a Bag

Hi Stampers! See I told you that today's project wouldn't have anything to do with Halloween! *wink* Of course if you really wanted to you could make this project into a Halloween project very easily - just change the designer paper and the embellishments used. I love these little packages. They are fairly easy and quick to make. I have been using them filled with all kinds of little goodies as my hostess appreciation gifts. My hostesses have loved them! I found the link to the pattern over at SCS.

The new Bella Rose designer paper make these so beautiful. I wasn't sure what kind of embellishment I wanted to add to the front of them, and finally decided that I would use the five-petal punch along with some of the flower embellishments I had picked up at Michael's a few months ago in the wedding section. They came in this really cute plastic pail. I just picked up some of the new colors they have for fall now- pumpkin color and old olive. These will be GREAT add on's for my fall projects.

The scallop border at the bottom is made using the slit punch. You could also use the new scallop edge punch if you wanted smaller scallops.

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: n/a

Ink: n/a

Card stock: Old Olive, Bella Rose DSP

Other: Slit Punch, Round Tab Punch, Wild Wasabi Ribbon, Crop-a-dile, Sticky Strip, 5-petal Punch, Rhinestone Brads, flower embellishments (Michaels)

Halloween Back Pack

Hi Stampers! I hope you all have had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Ours has been filled with various activities and finally a day to relax a bit (and catch up on laundry and dishes, etc...). Are you sick of seeing Halloween projects yet? I don't know why but for some reason this year I am really getting into making Halloween items. Maybe it's because I have more time on my hands to create and plan.

Anyway, I saw this adorable back pack being made again and again over at SCS. I decided to try my hand at making one and surprised at just how quickly it came together. Being that I am "stuck" in Halloween mode I decided to make mine a Halloween goodie back pack. I found some old Halloween designer paper from years back and it was my inspiration for this. I paired the DSP up with Tangerine Tango card stock and the Batty for You stamp set. The end result came out fabulous!

This is a picture of how cute the back pack looks from the side, showing off the ribbon straps which are attached on the back. I opted not to add the DSP on the back, but you certainly could if you wanted to. Both of the flaps on the front are held close with a small Velcro dot so you can hide lots of goodies inside! Tomorrow's project will not have anything to do with Halloween- I promise!!

Happy Stamping~

Stamp set: Batty For You

Ink: Basic Black

Card stock: Tangerine Tango, WW, Basic Black, Retired Halloween DSP

Other: Sticky strip, Ribbon, Crop-a-dile, Velcro Dots, Circle Punches, Scallop Punch, Dimensionals, Coluzzle