Bundle Of Joy

My sister-in-law, Tiffani, is in labor this evening and I'll soon have a new nephew.  That news got me in the mood to make a baby card.  I used the "Teddy & Train" stamp set and the "Pawsitively Prints" DSP with coordinating colors.  The teddy bear image was stamped in Jet Black StazOn on SU Watercolor Paper and then watercolored using the SU markers.  Hope you like the card.  I'll be anxiously awaiting the news of his arrival!!

Toodles,

For the Antelope Hunter

I realize this image is, most likely, an elk.  It's the closest thing I had to an antelope image, though, and I wanted a card to say "congrats" to someone for their recent antelope kill.  I used the Nature Silhouettes stamp set and stamped the images in Chocolate Chip classic ink on Apricot Appeal CS.  I punched a circle with the 1 1/4" circle punch and used it as a mask while stippling Bermuda Bay and Apricot Appeal classic ink over the images.  I removed the mask and wah-lah... I had a moon.  The Apricot Appeal and Bermuda Bay background layers were textured using a Cuttlebug embossing folder.  After each piece was embossed, I rubbed the corresponding ink pad over the raised part to make it darker, which gave it more texture.  I added a piece of Apricot Appeal ribbon, but I'm not really sure the card needed it.  I may change my mind about that part and take it off later.  We'll see...  Let me know what you think!

Toodles,

Glitter Critter

I know, I know... I haven't posted in FOREVER and now I have two posts in the same day. 
I haven't used enough glitter, lately, so this card made me happy!  I loooooove glitter and hadn't used my Fine Supernova glitter yet, nor had I used this stamp set.  The stamp set is called "Animal Stories" and I used the coordinating "Tall Tales" Designer Series Paper and cardstock.  The sentiment is from the "Hugs & Wishes" stamp set. The images were stamped in Chocolate Chip classic ink. I applied a strip of Sticky Strip to the strip of Old Olive cardstock and then applied my glitter to that.  I used the ticket corner punch on my image and applied So Saffron brads in the corners.  Tied a piece of Old Olive grosgrain ribbon in a knot and added it to my critter with a mini glue dot.  Super-duper fast and easy.  And now I'm in the mood to use even more glitter and it's almost bedtime.  What to do?  What to do???

Toodles!

Re-Inker Organization & a Card

I found these handy-dandy cutlery organizers at K-Mart and they turned out to be perfect for re-inker bottles.  The little tic-tac containers also fit perfectly on these "shelves".  When I purchased the organizers, I also picked up some sawtooth picture hangers and attached them to the backs of each piece.  Once that was done, these were ready for hanging.  I think they were sold in pairs, but I've had these for a couple of years so I don't remember for sure.

I loved this stamp set (Autumn Days) when I saw it in the catty, but have struggled to come up with any ideas for it.  I paired it with the "Autumn Meadows" Designer Series Paper and coordinating cardstock today and this is what "happened".  I wasn't too sure I was going to like this once I finished with it, but it turned out alright.

I got an e-mail from a fellow stamper today telling me that someone was sending spam out to my "StampChic Fan Club" members.  I apologize for any spam you might have received as a result of being a member of my fan club.  I have changed the settings so that ALL comments and postings MUST be approved by me before they'll be posted or sent out to the group.  This should prevent any future spam, so let me know if you continue to receive e-mails that look "fishy".

Toodles,

Jen

Boo Banner

Don't say that very fast! I got this idea from another blog that I was visiting and thought it was neato-mosquito, so I whipped this out fairly quickly last night. I used the "Ghostly Greetings" Designer Series Paper from last year's SU! catalog and coordinating cardstock. My scalloped squares, straight-edged squares, and scalloped circles were cut using Spellbinders Nestabilities in my regular Sizzix machine. The letters were cut using the "Base Camp" cartridge in the Cricut. I used jumbo pewter eyelets at the top of the "B" square and knotted some striped Kiwi Kiss ribbon to make the hanger. I used sticky strip to adhere a strip of striped Pumpkin Pie ribbon to the backs of the squares, which is what made this whole thing a banner. I used a large circle brad to give the bottom some weight so it would hang straight. I just pulled the little brad legs apart (I know that sounds really bad! ;) ) and then wrapped them around the ribbon. I used needle-nose pliers to get them good and tight on the back so the ribbon would stay gathered and the brad wouldn't slide off. Drop by for a visit between now and Halloween and you'll see this spooky banner hanging on my front door!







Toodles,

Here's a fun halloween card. I used the "Home Is Where the Haunt Is" stamp set, which is retired, but you could just as easily use the "House Of Haunts" set from the current catalog. I started with a piece of Summer Sun cardstock and, from top to bottom, sponged on More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, and Chocolate Chip classic ink. The moon was added by using temporary adhesive to affix a scrap punched out with the 1 1/4" circle punch before sponging. Once I was finished with my sponging, I removed the scrap to reveal the moon. The house was stamped with Basic Black craft ink and then heat embossed with SU!'s Detail Black Embossing Powder. The witch was stamped in Basic Black classic ink and the trees were stamped in Chocolate Chip classic ink. I layered my finished image on Basic Black and Pumpkin Pie cardstock and then affixed it to a card base of Elegant Eggplant. I really needed to get some birthday cards done and I DON'T need any halloween cards, but they're just so stinkin' fun to make!!!


Toodles,

Pet Sympathy

You thought I was NEVER coming back, didn't you? I have to say I was starting to wonder, myself! I made this card a couple of months ago (or more), but never got around to posting it. It's been about that long since I've done ANYTHING in my stamp/craft room. Over Labor Day weekend, though, I did a lot of cleaning and organizing and that included the stamp room. Needless to say, organizing the stamp room was just enough to get my crafty cravings started. I've made one lonely little card since then and will post it later.

Here are the deets on this card. Everything is from Stampin' Up! with the exception of the paw print stamp. I "painted" the chipboard heart with Real Red craft ink and let it dry before stamping the paw print in Chocolate Chip craft ink and heat embossing with Irridescent Ice. The card base is Kraft with layers of Real Red, Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla. The sentiment was stamped in Chocolate Chip classic ink. The ribbon is SU!'s Chocolate Chip taffeta.

Toodles,

Father's Day Cards

I'm a little late in getting these posted and, somehow, I managed to mail one of my Father's Day cards without getting a picture of it. It was completely different from any of these, so I'm extra disappointed about not being able to show it to you.

I used the retired East Coast Prep DSP and coordinating CS on these first four cards. These were for my brothers and I wanted each card to be different, although they all use the same paper and the same stamped image from "All Holidays".

This card uses the Brocade Background DSP and coordinating CS. I used the Big Shot Top Note die for the shaped panel and stamped the flourish from "Frames With A Flourish" in Chocolate Chip craft ink and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. Using the Crop-A-Dile, I set jumbo eyelets in each corner. "Dad" was stamped in Versamark Ink with "Lovely Letters Alphabet" and heat embossed with gold EP. That layer was added to the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Toodles!!

Card Organization

Over the years, I've made hundreds of cards. Unfortunately, they haven't all found homes yet and are just waiting to be sent to someone. Up until today they've been stored in a rubbermaid shoe box, in no particular order, and it always takes a while to find exactly what I'm looking for. Not anymore!! I made these mini magazine holders today that are the perfect size for a standard A2 card (5 1/2" X 4 1/4"). I used the "Bella Rose" DSP and coordinating cardstock. I've only got two of them completed, but plan to do several more so I'll have at least one for each card category. They're going to look just absolutely wondermous since they'll coordinate with the rest of my craft room decor!! Let me know what you think... I might have to schedule a class where we'll make these!

Toodles!

Thrifty Crafter

Look what I did with Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper, coordinating cardstock, and a photo frame! I painted my laundry room "So Saffron", recently, and wanted to use the "Haiku" palette in the accessories. I found this frame at Gordman's today for $16 and I just cut my DSP to 3" X 5" and matted it on coordinating cardstock cut to 4" X 6". It looks GREAT against my "So Saffron" wall. Hope you like it, too!!



This photo has absolutely nothing to do with stamping and everything to do with being thrifty, which was one of my New Year's resolutions. Click on the photo to view a larger image. The bird prints on the wall and the crystal lamp on the nightstand were freebies. A friend of mine just bought a new house and got rid of some things, so I latched onto them since they fit in with my shabby chic bedroom decor. The nightstand was a Craigslist purchase and it's actually an antique sewing cabinet. The top is a lid and I have my sewing notions stored there. It also has two drawers, which is where my thread is stored. It matches the antique furniture that another friend of mine loaned to me. The furniture is an antique Waterfall set and Linda had it in storage. She was afraid that the humidity would ruin it in storage and said I'd be doing her a favor by using it. I absolutely LOVE this furniture and I've told her how much I appreciate it, but I hope she realizes just how much!! SHE'S the one doing ME a favor!!

Hope you're enjoying your week! It's been rainy and dreary here and the forecast isn't looking much better for the next seven days. Toodles!!

A Little Something...

A rainy Easter Sunday afternoon was the perfect time to head to my stamp room. I hadn't envisioned using the "Yummy" stamp set on a card as much as I had on gifts, but I like the way this turned out. This card could really be used for almost any occasion. The card base and main panel are Whisper White, of course. The main panel is mounted on a matte of Basic Black and the sentiment was stamped in Basic Black Classic Ink. The flower blossoms come from the "Eastern Blooms" stamp set. Each one was stamped in Whisper White Craft Ink on Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, and Rose Red card stock. They were then embossed using the (now retired) white detail embossing powder. I trimmed each blossom out using my paper snips and then used Stampin' Dimensionals on the largest of the blossoms. It isn't evident in this photo, but I used my glue pen to add some Dazzling Diamonds to the center of each blossom. I COULDN'T just leave it plain!!! :)

Hope you're all having a wonderful and blessed Easter Sunday!

Toodles!

Birthday Fishes

Ever since I saw the new Spring Mini Catalog, I knew I wanted to combine these two stamp sets to make a card. The bear comes from the "Under The Stars" set in the current catty. The fish come from the new Spring Mini in the "Just Beachy" stamp set. There was a lot of cutting and paper piecing to this one, but I love the way it turned out!


I took another photo just a tad closer so you can see the dimension that's added by using the Stampin' Dimensionals. The only color of ink used on this card is Basic Black. Can you believe that? I used my Signo White Gel Pen to whiten the bear's teeth and to give the spotted fish a little more character. The Designer Series Paper is the retired "East Coast Prep". This card could be made to work with just about any color combination, though.

So... here's my question... Do you think I should add anything else to the front of the card? Maybe some brads or a sentiment in the lower right-hand corner? I'll put something inside like "Hope all your birthday fishes come true", but can't make up my mind about anything else on the front. Post a comment and let me know what you think!

Toodles!

Need Embossing Powder and Glitter Storage?

If you know me, you know I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE glitter. And you also know that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to be organized. I've organized some of my stamping supplies every which way I can think of... glitter and EP included. This is the system that's worked best for me, so far.


The "SpiceStack" shown in the photos was purchased from Brylane Home, but I'm sure you could probably find them in other places. I think I've seen them on Amazon.com, as well. Each "SpiceStack" has three trays that slide out.
The trays aren't intended to be taken completely out of the "stack". When pulled out, they sort of hinge and fold down. When a tray is folded down, it looks similar to this.

I've included several photos so you can see how the SU! glitter and EP fit, as well as PearlEx, Stickles, and other glitters and EP's.

What do you use for glitter and EP storage? Leave a comment and let me know. I'm always looking for new ideas and love to hear from you all!!

Toodles!!

Eggs-traordinary Card

Here's another cute Easter card. The stamp set used was "A Good Egg". I stamped the eggs on Certainly Celery, So Saffron, and Pretty In Pink CS and then cut them out with my paper snips. Each egg was embossed using a different Cuttlebug embossing folder after the designs were stamped on them.





Before I added the eggs to the card, I used my glue pad to add some Dazzling Diamonds to the eggs. They just didn't look like they were finished without the bling! The patterned paper in the background is retired, but this would look cute with just about any pastel patterned paper. Toodles!!

Itty Bitty Buds Card

My good friend, Amy, visited with me yesterday. We had a WONDERFUL visit and we actually got something done, besides yakking, this time. Don't get me wrong... we still did lots of yakking! :)

This is one of my creations. The stamp set used here is "Itty Bitty Buds", which is a current hostess stamp set. Colors used are Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, and Pink Passion. The frame is from the Stampin' Up! Hodgepodge Hardware. The ribbon is traitor ribbon (Not Stampin' Up!). The darkest, larger flowers were stamped using a glue pad and then I added Fine Cosmo glitter in Rose Pink. Each of those flowers also has a small rhinestone brad from the "Circle Fire" collection.

Toodles!

Need Ribbon Organization?

I've struggled with ribbon organization for the LONGEST time. I've finally got something in place that works VERY well for me and I wanted to share it with you. Over the years, I've tried everything from "photo storage boxes with eyelets in the sides to feed the ribbon through" to a dowel rod system. Sometimes it's just not convenient to take the ribbon out of the box, only to have to re-feed the ribbon back through the eyelet. Nor is it convenient to take the ribbon off the dowel rod. This unit is a media storage unit that I purchased at Wal-Mart. If I remember correctly, it was somewhere in the ballpark of $15 - $20. Definitely affordable storage. The key to keeping your ribbon stored on these shelves is in the third photo.

Instead of making each shelf level, I placed the back pegs (the ones that support the back of the shelf) one hole lower than those supporting the front of the shelf. This makes the shelf angle down toward the back. It prevents my ribbon from rolling off AND makes it convenient to grab the entire roll I want to work with. (Click on photos to view larger images)

I hope you find this organization tip useful. Leave a comment and let me know what kind of storage system you use for your ribbon. You may have an even better solution!!

Toodles!!

Ain't He Tweet?

Check this little guy out. Ain't he tweet? I wanted to play around with "A Good Egg" since that's the set our class will focus on this month. I used the card sketch from Jen Del Muro's "Sketch For You To Try" this week. VERY cute sketch... I can't wait to try it out with some other stamp sets. I used the retired DSP "Spring Fling" on this card. I used So Saffron, Pretty In Pink, Whisper White, and Basic Black cardstock. The chick was stamped in Jet Black StazOn on Whisper White cardstock. I colored him with So Saffron and Only Orange Stampin' Write Markers. His shell was stamped on Pretty In Pink cardstock with Basic Black Classic Ink. The dots were stamped in Certainly Celery Classic Ink. I cut both shells out and adhered the bottom shell using SNAIL. The top shell was added with a Stampin' Dimensional. Ribbon is Certainly Celery grosgrain. The sentiment was stamped with Basic Black Classic Ink on Whisper White cardstock. I punched it out using the Word Window Punch. It was layered over a piece of Basic Black cardstock. The ends of that piece were rounded using the 3/4" circle punch.

Have you noticed? My blog got a makeover this week, thanks to Michelle Laycock at Laycock Designs. I love, love it and I think Michelle did an awesome job. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Toodles!

It's A Party!!

Join me on Saturday, March 28th from 2-5 PM and we'll make some Spring (and Easter) Treats & Sweets... Cards AND Goodies! We'll make three different treat holders (treats included) and two cards. We'll be using the stamp set "A Good Egg". Cost of the class is $15 and covers all materials needed to make the projects. If you have basic supplies (scissors, adhesive, etc.) and don't mind to bring them it will speed things up if everyone isn't trying to use one pair of scissors all at once. Please RSVP by March 13th so I can order enough supplies for everyone. Payment is expected in advance to reserve your spot in the class. If you'd like to pay via PayPal, please contact me for details. As always, I'll have drawings for door prizes and you WON'T want to miss those! Who doesn't like free stuff, right???

Remember... Sale-A-Bration ends on March 31st! What a great way to get FREE stamps! I look forward to seeing you on the 28th!!

If you're interested in hosting a party so you can earn even MORE FREE STAMPS during Sale-A-Bration, feel free to call me anytime and we'll get your party scheduled right away! Remember... an in-home party isn't your only option. I'd be happy to let you host it in my home or we can arrange a "book party". It's all about what works best for you!!

Toodles!

Unfaithful Blogger

I haven't been very faithful in my blogging yet this year. I had good intentions! Once the holidays were over I started working on home improvement projects and tried to start spending more time with friends. So far I've made progress on the house and have IMMENSELY enjoyed my time with friends.

Around Christmas, I promised to post photos of the projects I had been working on. I'm finally getting around to that. Sometime in November, I started making quilts. Originally, I was going to make three of them measuring 48" X 60" as gifts for two of my nieces and a nephew. Somewhere in the middle of the first three, I decided that I wanted to make three more. I was stressing for a little while, but managed to have all six of them completed the week before Christmas. So... here they are...

All of the quilts turned out to be beautiful and they were well received at our family Christmas celebration. Hopefully, they're keeping their new owners warm this winter!!

...And this is one of my latest card creations. The Designer Series Paper is a retired Stampin' Up! paper called "Outlaw". The bear, from "Under The Stars" was stamped in Basic Black classic ink on Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel cardstock several times. The muzzle and belly were cut from the Creamy Caramel and the head and body from Close to Cocoa. The bear's arms and head were added to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals for extra depth. I had to use a white Signo Gel Pen to get his teeth white and then used my Basic Black Stampin' Write marker to sketch the teeth back in. The sentiment was printed from my computer on Very Vanilla cardstock. I needed several masculine birthday cards and this one fit the bill!

Toodles!