to "mist" or...

Click photo to enlarge

not to "mist"...I love my new Texture Plates from Stampin' Up...I was reading how some ladies are misting their CS before putting it through the Big Shot, to dry emboss. I didn't think it would be much different...but it is! My spray bottle was filled, half with vinegar and half water. Some ladies are using straight water and others use alcohol for a quicker drying time. Click on the photo to see the difference. It's clear, the misted CS is the one on the right....love it! Great tip for those times you need a more detailed dry embossed image.

55th Anniversary...

A family friend recently celebrated their 55th Anniversary. With limited supplies, I created this card. I also took photos at their party and created a 6 x 6 album for them. I'm not a big scrapbooker...yet...so 6x6 was a nice manageable size for me to complete. More photos of the album will be posted here soon.

Version #2...

Same idea as the last card, except I layered on green cs base. Added the organdy ribbon....it's actually a prettier red in person...this looks a little bright.

Kraft and White...

Stamp Camp has come to and end. It's surprising how fast those 5 days go. It was so nice to see everyone. Several of the ladies used this angel image for their cards. From what I saw, most embossed in gold EP on a rich color cs and put on an oval mat. I like my cards to be original and I love Kraft and White together. Here is one of the 2 versions I made. It's hard to see in the photo, but I added glitter to the snowflakes after embossing. My angel cards are going in my Mom's stash....she loved the card. My own Holiday cards will probably be made with 2 new products I can order tomorrow...yippee!

Cuttlebug Wax Paper Resist...

I recently found this technique online. I discovered the technique works best with an all over embossing folder like the snowflake used here. I brayered Always Artichoke ink over the resist image and layered on Real Red then Chocolate Chip card base.

Friends in low places...

A simple card I created for the ladies at the "Center". Again, I used the pre-made cards and added the stamped images. This card reminds me of a fishing T-shirt my DH has with the saying"I have friends in low places" on it. We colored the images with colored pencils and used the wonderful Stampin' Up! white gel pen for the eyes.

For the guys...

Another scanned card for the Sr Center group. Note to self....find camera! ;o)

Sr. Center simple...

This is one of the more masculine cards I created for the ladies to make at the Sr. Center class. Kraft, Black and Ivory CS are a nice color combo for masculine cards...IMO. Love, love, love the new Scallop Oval punch from Stampin' Up!

Kraft, Black and Ivory again....

Love these colors!!! I almost didn't buy this set because I thought it might be difficult to cut the butterflies out. It wasn't!!! I'm so glad I took a chance...I love this set called Great Friend.

Another SWAP.....

Janis T created this card for the SWAP I've mentioned in the past few posts. I hate how the scanner washed out all the color of this really "sweet" card. So much prettier IRL. I love the cupcake set! Great job Janis!

Toro, Lawnboy, Craftsman...

Sr. Center card from last month...scanned and much nice IRL. I always visual lawnmowers as red...but they come in many colors, depending on the brand. I like this simple design. I make "faux" grass by cutting green CS with Paper Snips...click on image for a closer look.

A "Pennie" Creation...

My upline is soooo talented. She created this card for a meeting at her home. (scanned here and so much prettier in real life) I love pink and green together...isn't this pretty?!!

Big Shot SWAP card...

I've had to resort to using my scanner , since I left my camera at the beach. I created this card for a recent SWAP I participated in. Only one stamp was used...but I used the heck out of my Big Shot for this simple card. Baja Breeze card base made a nice contrast to the white daisy. I cut the Swirly die cut in half to create the stem. Maybe I'll add a little Dazzling Diamonds glitter for some "bling".

Cool Find...

I found these cute A2 cards in Wal-Mart. I've used them for several different themes....one recently, for the Sr. Center class, we stamped with fish images. The circles printed on the card reminded me of bubbles or balloons. I used Brilliant Blue ink with Real Red CS as an accent. I made this for a special 5 yr old ;o)

Playful Petals...

I just love this set I earned for my sales during Sale-a-bration! I stamped multiples of each flower and a few of the leaves in Basic Black ink. I colored with reg. colored pencils. I will trim these from the main sheet to use for individual cards. Click the image to enlarge....you'll notice I colored outside of the line. My tip is to do this so cutting the images doesn't have to be so critical. Watch for cards created with these fun images.

Momento...

Boring...no color and little interesting details.

Covered the "E" with Cranberry Crisp CS...still didn't "wow" me. So I matted each photo with black CS and added more embellishments. I used the Big Shot to die cut some of them and punches for the rest. Click each photo to enlarge.

I was recently asked to create a memento for my DD's prom, as a surprise for her. Every family made one for their child. The school gave us a letter "E", cut from white poster board. I treated DD's like a huge scrapbook page and loaded it with pics of her friends. All pics were to be school related. I added some of her favorite things...flip-flops, hearts, flowers and used her school colors...not my favorite which made it difficult for me. All the mementos will be on display at school. I hope she likes hers.

pre-prom...

This is a pic of my DD and her BF. We took some pre-prom pics...I will be prepared this time ;) I'll be posting prom pics in the next few days. I'm keepin' my fingers crossed for clear weather.

Sunshine Garden part 2...

Here are the last 3 cards from my recent Sunshine Garden class. I later added chunky blue glitter to flower center of the 2nd card..Liked it much better. I love these colors together!

Chalks/Pastels...

My Mom loves these sketched images. She made this card for her brother and sister-in-law. They bought a home near the beach and she thought this would be appropriate for them...I agree! Simply stamped in Basic Black ink and colored with chalks (pastels).

Tree + Wind =...

If we don't soon get out from under the dark cloud that seems to be following us...I'll scream! Monday, my DH bought a truck. Tuesday he went to his cardiologist for a routine exam and had to have unexpected cardiac surgery, that afternoon. Saturday, we had high winds and a tree fell on his new truck. Photo #2 shows the fallen tree laying on our power lines. Interesting weekend for sure.