TLC197 Midnight Bird

 
I really don't know how all these ladies stamp, work, and get things done with the house. I volunteer twice this week at my kids schools, and I'm finding it hard to do all the things I normally do when I stay home. I am a really busy SAHM too. I volunteer at the schools when needed. I named this card Midnight Bird because it took me up until midnight to complete. I must of did several colors until I got the color and look I was wanted. I chose to use Not Quite Navy as the ink color. It was so rich looking. It's amazing what things you can find around your house for stamping. The technique at www.splitcoaststampers.com was to use Simple Green with a spritzer bottle after you used your brayer on your inked c/s. Of course, it really works better if you have glossy cardstock. After I let it dry, I chose to add flourishes right on the card itself. No layering! I also stamped the bird and the sentiment. All stamped with black ink. You should of seen my fingers, all inky! The technique for this one was to use the cleaning product Simple Green. Who would of ever thought to use these kinds of things for uses on cards. Amazing!
Have a wonderful night!

Stamps: Inkakindado, Autumn Leaves, Studio G
(sentiment)
Cardstock: glossy
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, SU Not Quite Navy
Supplies: Simple Green (household cleaner), spritzer bottle, brayer, ribbon

CC195 Get Well Soon

 
WOW! I really don't know what I'd do if I had to go to work everyday and try to stamp. I've volunteered twice this week at my kids schools and I've been playing catch up on SCS with their challenges. It's been really hectic here around the house too. My husband's mother has been sick and he is down there with her right now in Texas. She is home from the hospital but not able to go out anywhere. Anyways, I made this card for her. She'll get a kick out of it, especially with it being a mouse. She knows about the mice problem awhile ago during the summer season, thank goodness for Pest Controls because I haven't seen one since. Shhh! Better not say that too loud. Here is the story. I'll make this quick, since I have to get boys into their beds. The color challenge today was to use Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, and Black c/s. Since I didn't have the sandy color, I chose Kraft c/s. I stamped the mouse image with black ink, colored it using my Copics, Prismacolor pencils, blending stump, and goo gone. I wanted the jar of ink to shine, so I added clear emboss powder to it. I used the CB script folder for the background image, as if the mouse was writing to my MIL. I stamped the sentiment from a Studio G dollar stamp. Sometimes, I get amazed how these dollar stamps really stamp. Nice and clean. The mouse image is on with diminsions and I added satin ribbon. I also used a lace corner punch for the corners and added mini rhinestones. I had fun doing this, but I wished I wasn't rushed. Enjoy your visit, see you next time.

Stamps: House Mouse-Amanda Writes by Stampabilities, Studio G
Cardstock: SU Very Vanilla, Bazzil Black, Kraft
Ink: Versafine Onyx black
Supplies: CB Script folder, satin ribbon, Prismacolor pencils, blending stump, goo gone, pop dots, glue dots, Friskars lace corner punch, rhinestones, clear emboss powder, versamark pen, heat gun

WT194 Thankful for Our Family

Did everyone have a nice Thanksgiving? It was just our family this time. We sometimes see my twin sister on this holiday because we go shopping on the Black Friday mornings. No big shopping, just the craft stores. Unfortuately, we didn't get to do that this year. She had to work! She's in Colorado and I am here in Oklahoma. Our parents are still in California, oh how I wish we could go back home, someday. Anyways, this is for the Ways to Use It challenge on www.splitcoaststampers.com for Thursday. I was just too busy to make it on Thanksgiving, so I made it, afternoon. We make it a family outing to go see the fall colors at the lake. We have been doing it since we lived in Minnesota. It's just so pretty in the Fall season there. We get a little bit of color, but it's always fun just hanging out with my family. In this picture, we just got home church and changed over, except for me. I really didn't feel like changing, so that is why I'm dressed like this. I used modge podge with decorative dp to cover the wood frame. I found these at Michaels. I have quite a stash in my room that I am hoarding. Unreal. I bought this package of thin felt squares in the size of 8x11 at Hobby Lobby when they were having their 95% off sale last week. I got 10 sheets for .25 cents. Gotta love the clearance isles. I used my Sizzix leaf die cut and secured them using glue dots. The felt flowers came like that, also found on the clearance rack at HL for $1.25, whoo who! I added ribbon to the inside and outside edges to hide the raw edges of the wood. I tied 3 ribbons on the right side and added buttons to the bottom. I used stickers from the House Mouse collection, attached to vanilla c/s, and secured them using glue dots. This is what I am Thankful for. My healthy loving, supportive family. Have a wonderful and blessed day!

Paper: MME dp, SU Vanilla
Supplies: Modge Podge, foam brush, ribbon, felt, felt flowers, Sizzix leaf die cut, buttons, stickers, tacky tape, glue dots

LSC196 Dan's Pig Farm

 
This was a tough challenge for me. We had to make a card from Limited Supplies Challenge on www.splitcoaststampers.com using pink, embellishments, and an animal. But after awhile and lots of planning, I decided to make a card for my friends pig farm in Minnesota. I had a really fun time making this for him. Ok, here is the story. This whole card except for the road is done with water color paper. I punched out a circle for the sun with the CM circle punch and used it as the template for the stencil. Sponged inside with yellow. Used the circle part as the sun, sponged with yellow, more mustard for the second sun. Set aside. I sponged lightly with blue ink all around the sky and added the sun using mini pop dots. I stamped the trees with green ink randomly using the stamp off stamp on method...meaning stamp your image onto your card, then stamp the image on another piece of paper, then back on your card. I stamped 3 more trees and cut out. I used clear emboss powder with the heat gun for all 3. I ripped a piece of black paper and added white lines using my white galaxy pen. I ripped the green grass, sponged it with old olive, stamped little flowers onto it with brown stazon. I used my Prismacolor pencils on all the flowers with OMS, and blending stumps. I stamped the truck twice with black ink, colored, and cut. The top truck is done using the watercolor pencils technique. I hand wrote "Dan's Pig Farm" with a black pen. I cut out the tires so the other truck wheels would show through the top. I added the back side of velcro fasteners as my wheels (already were round) and used a brad for the center hub cap. I stamped the pig twice using black ink, colored with pencils, and cut out. The truck and the pig have pop dots in between them. I added the trees using mini pop dots as well. I added snow flurries on the card with liquid applique. I stamped Happy Anniversary and wrote the number "10" on shrinky dinks, punched a hole, and baked for 3 minutes. I also added the ribbon and snowflake. This was a real challenge for me to use pink. So, hopefully he looks past the pink as the base of my card. I think I covered all the requirements for this challenge. Do you think so? I'm sorry that you had to read the same story as my gallery on SCS. But, that's ok for this one. Have a nice night!

Stamps: SU Loads of Love, SU On the Farm, Studio G
Cardstock: SU Pretty in Pink, black, watercolor paper by Cold Press (140lb)
Ink: SU Bliss Blue, SU Garden Green, SU Old Olive, SU More Mustard, SU Yoyo Yellow, Versafine Onyx Black, Saddle Brown Stazon
Supplies: Shrinky Dinks, CM Circle punch, Prismacolor Pencils, Odorless Mineral Spirits, blending stumps, brads, pop dots, glue dots, liquid applique, velcro, snowflake button, black pen, ribbon, silver cording, kraft knife

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving spending it with the people you love. I am thankful for my family, health, and friends. I hope to post a card in a day or too. Just been very busy/ I'm so tired! Here is a poem I that you might like.

Thanksgiving Friends

Thanksgiving is a time
For reviewing what we treasure,
The people we hold dear,
Who give us so much pleasure.

Without you as my friend,
Life would be a bore;
Having you in my life
Is what I’m thankful for.

By Joanna Fuchs

SC204 HM Star Bright

You know it might help me better with my cards if I get some SLEEP! I have been working around the clock with card making, gifts, school projects, and so on. All of a sudden I have really been in the mood to just stamp and experience new techniques. These colors are really outside the box for me. I wanted to do the sketch challenge on SCS and incorporate the image for the www.housemousechallenge.com using the polka dots. I bought this MME glitter Christmas Stack up at Michaels not knowing what I was going to use it for. Like everyone else, I love paper. I need more though, not according to my husband. I stamped the mouse using brown stazon ink onto white c/s. I colored the image using Prismacolor pencils, odorless mineral spirits, and blending stumps. I used 2 different types of green pencils for the grass to give it a different look. I used clear the versamark pen, embossing powder, and used the heat gun to set it on the mouse and grass. I made a strip of pink c/s for the strip in the middle, but I had made 2 different ones. I had a tough time with the ribbon too. I accidently cut the ribbon shorter on one side but wasn't able to tie it just right. In other words, I had to make up something to cover my mistake. I just made the bow and added it separetly. One thing that really amazes me is that, you have to think outside the box sometimes to make your stuff work for you. I didn't have any gold pearls, so I decided to use the brads. Except that I didn't want the bumpy look from the brad to appear on the front. I took the scissors and cut them off. Now, no bumps and they fit perfectly on the card. I hope this fits the challenge for House Mouse. I was going through the gallery on SCS and noticed another person used somewhat the same type of glitter paper because I really didn't want to start all over. But I continued with it anyhow, but at least we used different images. The sentiment came from those new Walmart clear stamps. Well, I better get something done around this house,like make some pies. I love pumpkin pie, do you? Happy Thanksgiving!

Stamps: House Mouse-Mice Star (Stapabilities), sentiment (Walmart clear)
Cardstock: SU Camel Coral, SU Ruby Red, SU Summer Fun, SU Whisper White, SU Old Olive, MME Christmas Glitter Mat Stack (Michaels)
Ink: Brown Stable Stazon, gold metallic
Supplies: CB Swiss Dots folder, corner punch, ticket corner punch, clear emboss powder, versamark pen, heat gun, Friskars scallop border punch, gold metallic ribbon, brads (cut off prongs), sponge

Santa's Pearls

This was really a huge challenge for me to do today. I had a sick son home from school. In between incidents with him, I managed to get this card done. I combined 2 challenges for this card. The colors for this challenge CC194 was to use Really Rust, Gray, and Vanilla. The other challenge was WT193...meaning ways to use it. I used the pearls. Needless to say, I struggled with this challenge. I didn't have any gray as requested, but I thought the silver metallic would work as good. Believe me, I didn't start off with this image. I had about 3 going there for awhile. I couldn't get my other choices to work. I didn't really want to spend alot of time coloring on my card. I have been up night and day stamping trying to get these challenges done. Plus, all the other things I have going on throughout the day. So this worked out for me. I started out by using the CB Swirls folder on the vanilla c/s. I then colored the swirls using the silver metallic marker. I used versamark, clear embossing powder, and the heat gun twice. To get it the glossy look. I also stamped the Santa Claus with silver ink onto vanilla c/s. I trimmed off the excess from the c/s of the santa because I wanted the look to be close to the paper. I didn't want any gap from the sides of the stamp. The same technique with the embossing was done with the image and the sentiment as with the swirl folder. I added different size pearls to this mustache that had a snowflake. I used wired silver ribbon, tied it together with the sheer cream ribbon, added a snowflake brad (I cut off the backing), and attached a pearl to the center. It is held on with a glue dot. I really had fun making this card, but I wish it wouldn't of taken me most of the day. I hope you like what you see. Have a great night! TFL!

Stamps: Santa Collage by Delta (Michaels), sentiment from Hero Arts
Cardstock: Bazzill Black, SU Really Rust, SU Very Vanilla, DCWV Silver Metallic
Ink: Silver Metallic (Colorbox)
Supplies: CB Swirl folder, wired silver ribbon, sheer cream ribbon, pearls, clear embossing powder by Deep Impressions, silver metallic marker, snowflake brad, scissors, glue dots, tacky tape