WS project...

I made this 3 x 6 card at my recent workshop/party. It was my second most successful event. Orders were just over $1000!
Thank you Eileen!

Faux Silk...

A new (to me) technique...Faux Silk. It's an easy one, although, I was intimitated by the suggested supplies. I simply stamped the branch image on regular ol' tissue paper. I colored the leaves on the branch with Old Olive ink and a blender pen. After it was dry, crumpled the tissue paper in a ball, then smoothed it out. I attached the decorated tissue paper to a piece of white CS using Mono Multi, my new favorite adhesive. In this photo the result looks a little more wrinkled than it does in person. It's the lighting I guess. I used the "Embrace Life" set and the sympathy greeting was from the Close as a Memory set. Flower was stamped with Groovy Guava ink and blender pen used with same GG ink to add more color.

Looks better IRL...

IRL= in real life. I saw this idea on line and tried it...it's very easy! The card base is Old Olive. Using the Embrace Life set, I stamped a Whisper White layer, 4.25" x 5.5", then cut it into random size rectangles. Next I sponged every edge of each rectangle. I attached each piece onto the Old Olive cardbase so the pieces fit back together nicely. The flower was stamped using Groovy Guava ink on watercolor paper, then I added a little more GG ink with the AquaPainter. Finally, I popped up with a dimensional dot. I like the simplicity of this card.

Sr Center Cards 2/14/08

There were 16 ladies for class today. I taught them a few new ways to "kick up" their cards. They made an mini origami envelope to attach to the front of a card that could hold a tag. I also showed them how to do a Tea Bag folding idea called Dahlia Folding, using a circle punch and a few folds. They used the Crop-a-dile to dry-emboss the dots on the Bronco card. Thanks to my DH, I'll never look at this card the same way again (Inside joke ;o) Finally, I showed them how to do Spirelli, using a Scallop Circle punch and some ordinary sewing thread. I saw the instructions here. It looks a lot more complicated than it is. Enjoy!

TriState Stampers...Card Candy

For all you TriState Stampers...here is my version of our project for Monday night. I used White CS and Black ink with a variety of stamps and punches. (click images to enlarge) Contact me with any questions.

Extreme Home Makeover...

My DD met her favorite reality star of all time....Ty Pennington! She was so excited!
Autograph and a picture...woohoo! As you can see from her forehead, it was Ash Wednesday...a day she won't soon forget.

I took this pic of the tent today...I personally was hoping to see Paulie! He is my favorite! What a sweet guy!

"Busdriver....move that bus!"

Too bad she was giving me directions from in front of the camera...heehee

Apparently, this is the first time EHM took on an inner city duplex home.
Unbelieveable...2-1/2 days and there is now a new beautiful house. Or should I say two?
No designers at the site today. bummer!

Which one?

I'm trying to prep for my Sr. Center class. I can't decide which one of these cards I like. We make simple cards...using only one ink pad at a time. For a seasoned stamper, this can be a challenge to come up with ideas using only one color ink. Designer Series Paper and punches do add some color and pizazz. As you can see in the 1st photo, I've got the squares of DSP cut and ready to go...

I'm a "blog-surfer"

I admit it...lately, I 'case' most of my cards. Why reinvent the wheel, right?! I found a card I liked on Sharon Johnson's blog. She is a very talented and creates beautiful cards. I chose this card to case, but made my version a little simplier. I have less ribbon (easier to mail). And one less embellishment. I didn't use the flat-backed pearls Sharon used, from the Pretties Kit. My kit will be arriving any day, thanks to a very generous friend *wink* It's hard to see in the photo, but I used Mono Multi glue to put glittery centers on the flowers. If you click the image you might be able to see it. It's subtle but adds just enough. The colors I used are Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White. The stamp set is "A Beautiful Thing"

So, is "blog-surfer" a term you've heard or should I be using another term? Let me know....thanks!

You Tube funny....

One of my stampin' buddies (Hi L) sent me a link to this You Tube video. You have to be from Delaware to appreciate it. I'm not originally from Delaware but do see the humor in the clip after living here for almost 20 years. Enjoy!

Mystery Class...last but not least...

I felt this card had a young, carefree feel. Using the Crop-a-dile again...but this time to create the dry embossed dots under the 3 rows of CS and punched flowers. Before I added the dots, the card was lacking any appeal. The "eye candy" was simply adding texture by adding the dots. Notice the even placement...that's a cool trick I discovered recently. Got your curiosity up?...Leave me a comment and I'll go into further detail. Thanks for stopping by!

Mystery Class....masculine

For a masculine themed card, we used Sahara Sand CS base. Layer Whisper White, Night of Navy, Real Red CS. The circles peeking out from under the layers are stamped in Sahara Sand ink. Punched the 3 circles out with the 1-1/4 circle punch. We used my favorite new "toy".... Crop-a-dile!!! Makes setting eyelets a breeze! (Note to self...buy more coordinating eyelets ;o) The little red flower was punched using the Boho Blossoms Punch from Stampin Up. Adds just a little "pop" of color.

"Mystery Class" card #2...

This card base is Rose Red and the strip of Designer Series Paper is also Rose Red. I LOVE monochromatic! Stampin' Up! makes that so easy, since so many of the products coordinate. We punched a scallop of Rose Red CS, embossed the floral image with Versamark and clear EP. Whisper White Craft Ink was used for the Happy Birthday greeting. I love this 3 x 6 inch size card. Curious about the technique used to make the floral image "pop?" (Click photo to enlarge) Leave me a comment and I will reply. Thanks for stopping by!

Mystery Stamp set class...

I held a Mystery Stamp Set class yesterday. For $29.95 the ladies got to make 4 cards, using the Big Flowers stamp set. I must admit, this wasn't my favorite set, until I owned it. I advertised the class mentioning we would create feminine, masculine and kids cards. It was a challenge for me, but I wanted them to see the versatility of this set. Included in the class price, was the stamp set. Everyone left with 4 cards and the set, so they can create more cards on their own. For this card, we used River Rock, Groovy Guava and Purely Pomegranate CS and Inks. We punched 3 circles from CS using 1", 1-1/4, 1-3/8 punches. We cut those circles in half and had them peeking out from behind the layered OSW (One Sheet Wonder) Layer. I'll post the rest of the cards soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Sr. Center Projects

Our group today was 15 ladies...a few have not been feeling very well.
If they are reading this....we missed you and hope you are feeling better soon!

I offset the greeting in the punched oval shapes...I kinda like it that way.
We used markers to omit the rest of the greeting from this Sale-a-bration set...FREE next month!

We used the new Stampin' Up Boho set and matching punch today...it just arrived on my doorstep, yesterday...whew!

Colored pencils and a "Splender" help create the "blended" colors of the flowers and leaves.
We used 3 shades of blue colored pencils.

I love the new So Many Scallops set from Stampin' Up! It's FREE with a $50 purchase beginning on Feb. 1st.

I love watercoloring!

I stamped the flower from Embrace Life stamp set, using Black Staz-on ink. I used the Aquapainter to apply the color. I used a "puddle" of marker ink on a plastic surface as my palette. This is such a fast, easy way to color! If you click on the pic, you'll notice I didn't bother to color the the entire image or stay within the lines. I think the result is beautiful. This is how I colored the flower on the 4 x 4 calendar in a previous post. See post from Jan. 5th.

The image on the right was colored with a Blender Pen. I don't like the result on watercolor paper...maybe regular CS would have looked better. I used the flower on the left for the pic below.

Masculine?

I admit it....I have trouble with masculine cards...I have so many flowery feminine sets I LOVE...it's hard for me to create a masculine card. I wanted to use my new Sale-a-bration sets and came up with this simple monochromatic card...and finally used my Crop-a-dile to do the embossed dots! That was fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sale-a-bration sets are DIE CUT!!!!!

Just had to show 2 of the new Sale-a-bration sets I got on Monday...notice, they are DIE CUT! No cutting needed! This is so great for me....sometimes I only get to mount the stamp I need at the moment. Now I can have the entire set ready to stamp with in a matter of minutes. Seriously, it took me longer to get my camera out and take this photos than it did to mount the stamps! Oh, and aren't these sets great! I love how the So Many Scallops set coordinates with the scallop punch. Makes my life a lot easier! Now to create some cards!

Our Little Slice of Heaven!

Click photo to enlarge...

My DH took this pic on Monday! His friend is a pilot (obviously) and took DH to "winterize" our home in OBX, NC. I didn't want to edit the pic, so this is just the way DH took it from the plane. If you click on the pic you will see a larger view. Our house is in the second row from the ocean, 3rd from the left. Our neighbor on the right is in the process of renovations and the "crew" is using our driveway. Hope they aren't using our electricity, too. :o( To me, this is the most peaceful, serene place on the earth. The stars at night are the brightest I've ever seen. It's breathtaking. We love to watch the dolphin swim by...not just once in a while, they visit several times a day! My hubby reminds me it's because we are about 20 miles off the eastern coast of the continental US. It's Heavenly!

Today's Sr. Center Projects...

We used the Big on Christmas stamp set to create this winter card. Some of the ladies used glitter glue on the letters to give the SNOW a little glitz. They all know me too well....I don't use loose glitter with a large group...I had 18 ladies for class today. whew! (in a good way)

My sample looks a little different than the one the ladies completed. They used some stamps from the retired set called A Light Heart.

For the filmstrip card we used the Spiral Punch along the edges of the black CS. The animals are from the Zoofari stamp set...Much Love stamp is not Stampin' Up!

I found these cute silvertone frames in a package of 6 for only $2.00. The "love" from A Light Heart is embossed in silver and the silver organdy ribbon was tied to the frame before being assembled.