A Silver Anniversary

Happy New Year Everyone!!! 2009 - wow - time flies when you get older doesn't it???!!!

Here is my card for today's Ways to Use it Challenge over at Split Coast - to use silver on your card. Well - this woman is one happy girl on her anniversary because she has received a lovely sterling silver necklace from her loving DH!This card also covers the past 2 of weeks of the OCC challenges! To make a Lovey Dovey card and Clear Thinking - to use something clear on your card. My card is a loving couple celebrating their anniversary and it is a clear acetate card so I think I've got both challenges covered!

I stamped the image with Onyx Black Versafine ink then embossed it with clear embossing powder. That way when I colored with my Copics - the black didn't bleed into the color at all which I have found can sometimes happen.

I cut 4 Labels One Nestability shapes out of Stampin Up designer paper to layer onto the acetate since you need to cover the adhesive that you can see on each piece from the other side. I have one of the front - one on the inside of the front, one on the inside seen below - and one on the back of the card covering the inside one! Phew!

Here is how I did the inside of this card. For the sentiment piece - I left the metal die on the card stock after I cut and embossed it - and sponged in color from the edges. Then I removed the die. That left a nice clear border to the piece.

The anniversary stamps are from a set called Our Love from H&M Stamp company.

Hope you all have a relaxing New Years Day today! Thank you so much for stopping by!

Stamps: Our Love: H&M Stamps
Paper: acetate card, white: PTI, DP: SU
Ink: Riding Hood Red: SU, Onyx Black versafine
Accessories: rhinestone stickers, copics, Labels One Nestabilities, cuttlebug, heart brad, foam dimensionals, oval punch: SU, sponge, prima flowers, glue dots, grosgrain ribbon from H&M Stamps

GRRR-iffic Sketch Color Paper Tole

My card today covers 3 challenges! The sketch challenge over at Split Coast, KWernerDesign color challenge as shown above, and the #11 Holiday extravaganza challenge at Split Coast to use Papertole on your card.I layered the dragon 3 times - the initial stamping on white, then the whole thing on green - cut out and layered over the stamping with foam dimensionals - then stamped and cut out the arm/back/head and layered it - then stamped and cut just the head and layered it.

You can see the layers better on this side view here. It's a fun technique and really adds dimension to your stamped image!

This cute little dragon holding his own little card (there is a stamped card in his hand - but I added this real little card!) is from H&M Stamps My Favorite Velentine set .

We've just had a snowstorm here today - leaving about 8" of the fluffy white stuff! Happy New Year Everyone!

All of you bloggers have made this past year an exciting happy one for me and I look forward to continuing our friendships into 2009!!


Stamps: My Favorite Velentine: H&M Stamps
Paper: white PTI, bazzill green, rose red, pretty in pink: SU
Ink: Onyx Black versafine
Accessories: heart punch, ribbon from H&M Stamp Co, Martha stewart edge punch, foam dimensionals

Hoo Loves You More Than Me???

You may have noticed a little difference on my blog today?? I changed the background color. I suddenly felt like the dark blue was depressing!?!? Maybe it's because of the winter darkness - so I changed it to the lighter green - not sure this is what I want, but I'll stick with it for a while to see if it grows on me!?!?!

Here is my card for today's color challenge on Split Coast - to use So Saffron, Bravo Burgundy & Handsome Hunter. This is a 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 card that I cuttled with the Argyle folder.The hearts are nestabilities. I paper pieced the owl with some Stampin Up Argyle designer paper and added google eyes. This cute little owl sitting on his leafy branch is from the My Favorite Valentine set by H&M Stamps. The ferns on the sentiment and heart are a Martha Stewart punch. The heart and sentiment are popped up on foam dimensionals.

Well - I have to run - it took me a couple of hours to get this card together and DH is starting to look for supper!!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope to see you again tomorrow!

Stamps: My favorite Valentine: H&M Stamps
Paper: so saffron, bravo burgundy, handsome Hunter:, DP: SU, White: PTI
Ink: onyx black versafine, so saffron: SU
Accessories: argyle cuttlebug folder, foam dimensionals, glue dots, sponge, oval punch: SU, Prismacolor markers, heart nestabilities, fern punch: martha stewart, google eyes, grosgrain ribbon

A Butterfly Birthday

Barbara (stampedfilled dreams) was the Featured stamper over on Split Coast today. I chose this beautiful butterfly card of hers to case.

We are supposed to change at least 2 things - I used a different butterfly stamp (by Artful INKables), moved the sentiment (by papertrey Ink) and omitted the ribbon but I used her colors and basic design.I clear embossed the butterfly and watercolored it using reinkers and my aquapainter. I scored a frame around the edge with my Scorpal and then distressed the edges. I love how this butterfly also looks like a leaf.

I sell some of my cards to a couple of gift shops and I try to design them flat for mailing - so I don't use a lot of ribbon unless it's just wrapped around the card with no knots or bows. I did add 3 little half pearls in the bottom left corner to balance the sentiment in the top right.

Stamps: Artful INKables: Butterfly Blessings, Sentiment: Birthday Basics: PTI
Paper: watercolor paper, plum pudding: PTI, basic black: SU
Ink: onyx black versafine, plum pudding: PTI, reinkers - Lavender Lace, Lovely lilca: SU
Accessories: foma dimensionals, word window punch: SU, aquapainter, sticky pearls, clear embossing powder, hot gun, distresser

My niece, Christie, took this family picture on Christmas day at her lovely home using a tripod and timer so we could all be in the picture.

From the back left to right, Nate, Kent & Julia, Josh, Marcia & Bob and Greg. Front Row left to right: April (engaged to Josh), Christie (my niece, married Nate) and Katie (my other niece, engaged to Greg). Kent is my DH, Josh is my DS, and Marcia is my sister (Bob is her DH) - got all that??!!

And these are my canine grandchildren - Roscoe and Daisy Mae - the basset hound children of Josh and April!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend - thanks for dropping by today!

A Very Warm Thank You

The Mackenzie Childs Catalogue was our inspiration today over on Split Coast - boy would I like to buy a ton of stuff from there but it would definately break the bank!! (check out the prices of things!) I was ultimately inspired by this fun knitted hat:And here is the card I created. You'll notice it's another Thank You card!

I stamped the dots on the Ballet Blue card stock with Brilliance Pearlescent yellow ink using the dots stamp from Polka Dot Basics by PapertreyInk. I layered my flowers and connected them with a brad. The sentiment is a rub on by Deja Views. All of these items I have had in my stamping room for quite some time - especially the ribbon that I've had for over a year and I think this is the first time I've pulled it out.

My new years resolution (starting with this card!) is to try and use all the 'stuff' I already have in my stamping room before buying new 'stuff'! I don't know how long this resolution will last - as all the Stamp companies keep coming up with such CUTE stamps that I just NEED to have - and I don't know how strong I am - but I'm really going to try!! How many of you are with me???!!

I appreciate your coming by today!

Stamps: Polka Dot basics: PTI
Paper: Ballet Blue: SU, White: PTI
Ink: Archival Brilliance Pearlescent yellow
Accessories: many thanks rub on: Deja Views, corner rounder, ribbon: Michaels, flowers: flower fusion: SU, Petaloo, and unknown, glue dots

A Thankful Flower

Here's my card for the Limited Supplies challenge on Split Coast entitled "No more holidays". No holiday stamps (Christmas or winter), no snowflakes, no red or greens, no holiday sentiments!I had these flowers already stamped on my work table from a card I did a while ago - so I thought they would work on a Thank you card. I also wanted to use my long neglected 'thanks' cuttlebug folders. I embossed a Labels One behind the blossoms to frame them. The blossoms are cut out and layered on various thicknesses of foam dimensionals. I also curved the petals around my finger tip. I added gold ice stickles to the centers for a little shimmer. I like how simple in design this card is.

Stamps: Eatern Blooms: SU
Paper: white: PTI
Ink: Denim, Sunset Orange, cloudy blue: Adirondacks
Accessories: foam dimensionals, labels One Spellbinders, gold ice stickles, thanks folder - Cuttlebug

I'm still receiving wonderful Christmas cards in the mail from my SCS and blogging buddies.

This beautiful card just arrived from Charlene (LilLuvsStampin). I love the repeated dots on background, cuttled panel and framings of the images on this!

And isn't it funny how the colors on this next one from Anne (itsapassion)uses almost the same exact colors?! I love the beautiful embossed image and added jewels on this - and the velvet ribbon is just wonderful!

I received this last card a while ago from Anne as a thank you card - could you guess that she used a piece of wallpaper as the background on this?!? See her story here.

Thanks so much for coming by today!

Creative Letters Thank You

It's kind of a relief to stop making Christmas cards isn't it!?! And we will certainly need several of this kind of card after all of the gift giving and receiving!

I made this card for the Split Coast Ways to Use It Challenge that Alli hosted this week Her challenge was to create words with a mixture of letters and images

My card also covers the Double Dare Challenge I do with some SCS friends. Joan Ervin's challenge this week was to make a card full of flowers - to get that feeling of spring going (even though winter has really only just begun!) I stamped the THANK from the Papertray set by PTI then used epoxy letters for the y and u - and I stamped the flower from the same PTI set for the o. The sparkly flower designer paper is by Imaginisce.

You can see the other spring challenge cards here.

I'm off from work until Monday and my plan is to get some sleeping, stamping, cleaning and exercising done (at least a LITTLE of each !?!) notice eating is conspicuously absent from this list?!?!?

Stamps: Papertray: PTI
Paper: baja breeze, pretty in pink: SU, Ripe avocado, Vintage cream: PTI, DP Imaginesce Fairest of them all
Ink: baja breeze: SU, onyx black versafine
Accessories: 1/4 hole punch, 3/8 hole punch, epoxy letters: Target, foam dimensionals, ribbon: twill ripe avocado PTI