from the heart

Penny Black's got some awesome sticker sets, don't you agree? No stamps were used in the making of the outside of THIS card. Capture-A-Memory holds monthly card workshops that I generally attempt to make w my buddy Pat, and this one was held January 21st. I thought I'd post this one tonight in honor of tomorrow's National Wear Red Day! Hey, it's layout is a "turned on it's side" Mojo18 sketch!

stamps: StudioG's Happy Valentine's Day (inside sentiment); paper: unknown white, gold, red cardstock; ink: ColorBox Chalk Lipstick Red; accessories: silver brads, Penny Black's From The Heart stickers

nat'l bubble wrap appreciation day

yes, that's what my brother e-mailed me this morning ... along with an oh so slightly facetious "do you have a card made for that yet?" question posed to me!

well, it was a challenge, don't you agree? here's a quick one based on Beate's current sketch challenge. I used bubble wrap to ink the background in a few different pink inks.

side note: I recently received my new ATG tape gun wrapped in about 20' of continuous bubble wrap, then shrink-wrapped - no box! I considered that an interesting way to "box" orders! my brother Mark was the recipient of all that bubble wrap ...

and note: are you addicted to popping bubble wrap? try this link for some virtual pops!

stamps: Heidi Swapp love; paper: CTMH pink, white on hand cardstock; ink: ColorBox Burnt Sienna, Rose Coral, Warm Red, StazOn Jet Black; accessories: Prima Got Flowers

sale-a-bration catty

I was checking a few blogs this evening and happened upon a link to the new SU Sale-A-Bration catty! Click here to view the PDF version. Enjoy!

I'm hosting a get-together w my stamp club gals in a week or so, and was SO curious about seeing the new stuff offered! I'm a sucker for the sentiments but am surprised to see them stamped all in one piece rather than separated to 4 separate sentiments ... to each their own, I guess!

sweets for the sweet

I picked up some Valentine's Day M&Ms for last Saturday's Soldier's Angels card-making event which I didn't end up using, so I grabbed these cute tins at Michael's last Saturday (see enabler post, below) and made some treat ornaments.

When the recipient eats all the candy, they're left with an ornament for hanging. I used some asst'd cute paper on hand, traced the tin, trimmed and applied that to the inside bottom and a 1" strip along the inside sides, and about a 1/2" stripe wrapped along the outside's sides. I adhered the paper with Art Accents' Terrifically Tacky Tape, punched a hole thru the top, threaded two ends of a ribbon thru leaving a small loop outside, tied the ends in a knot inside the tin, then filled the tin w candy. Voila!

stamps: Studio G's Happy Valentine's Day sentiment; paper: Imaginisce's Loves Me DP; ink: StazOn Jet Black; accessories: Michael's 3/8" satin ribbon; tools: crop-a-dile

got heart-shaped tins?

I found these cute heart-shaped tins at Michael's for $19.99 and thought I'd pass the info along - they measure 2-1/4" wide by 2-1/4" long by 1" tall and come 30 to a package, complete w labels. I didn't happen to have any 40% off coupons with me, but without they were .67 each and the cheapest I've found 'em online was for .75 each so I'm pleased!

it's all about the toys

Am I right or am I right or am I right?! Well, the kind folkes at Memory Keepers finally saw the light and made a purple Crop-A-Dile!

I'd not heard, but that's where friends come in, eh, Pat?! My buddy Pat rec'd the news in an e-mail from the kind folkes at ScrapbookPal.com and the price was right - $28.99 plus free shipping on orders over $25 ... so of COURSE had to share w me ... and I had to share the news w my DH that evening after work ... and OF COURSE, he, being another great enabler, said something to the tune of, "well, it's purple - you HAVE to have it, right?!" ... so stay tuned tomorrow to see my first project using my new toy! It's ready but I've gotta take a pic in daylight light while at work!

been there, done that!

If You Give a Girl a Stamp
by Tracy Harp (aka LodiChick)

If you give a girl a stamp she‘ll want to make a card … she’ll need an ink pad to go with it. She will spend hours pouring over colors trying to decide just the right one to buy. In the end she’ll decide she just can’t choose so she’ll buy them all.

Then she’ll remember she’ll need card stock to match the ink so she’ll quickly add four packs of assorted paper to her list, oh and white, vanilla, black and kraft!

Reading about certainly celery, purely pomegranate, pale plum and pumpkin pie will make her hungry so she’ll go to the kitchen for a snack. While munching on cookies she’ll realize she needs ideas of what to do with the stamp. She’ll go to her computer and google rubber stamping.

She’ll find a site called Splitcoaststampers. Wow!! So many techniques and ideas and a gallery that never ends. She’ll spend hours gazing at beautiful cards and projects. Her eyes will become dry from staring at the computer screen. She’ll go to the bathroom for some drops.

On the way, she’ll pass her family sitting at the kitchen table waiting for dinner. She’ll quickly heat up some leftovers and try to pretend she hadn’t forgotten. While talking about the days events, her son will bring out the school pictures he had gotten that day.

That will remind her she wanted a digital camera to take pictures of her cards so she can start her own SCS gallery. She’ll convince hubby of all the reasons the “family” needs a new camera. He will finally agree and she’ll head to the store to buy one.

On her way home she’ll pass by Joanns and remember she needs an Ott-Lite to go with the camera she just bought. While shopping for a light she’ll see aisles of paper, punches, embellishments and ribbon. She’ll pick out a cart full of items but realize they don’t carry THE punch she saw used on a card she saved to her favorites. She’ll return home and go back to Splitcoaststampers to find out where to get THE punch.

Her search will lead her to someone’s blog where she’ll see a Starbucks bottle made into a cute candy container. That will remind her she has some bottles in the recycling bin so she’ll go to the garage to rescue them from the trash.

While in the garage she’ll see her son’s bike which will remind her she needs to buy a new helmet for his birthday. Thinking about birthdays will remind her she wanted to bake some cupcakes for him to take to school.

As she walks to the kitchen she’ll pass by the table and see the stamp. The stamp will remind her that she wanted to make a card and she’ll probably want some …

MWAH!

I made this card at today's make-'n-take at Capture-a-Memory after stamping and Cuttlebugging a bunch of cards for Soldier's Angels. My buddy Pat and I attended, then hit Michael's and went to a new (to me) barbeque place in Fenton for a late lunch. Yummy day, all around!

recipe: After thinking I'd memorized the DP, it went right outta my head by the time I hit the next store! It's really pretty, tho'! The lips were a die cut that Micki had prepared in advance, and we used UTEE to double emboss. Made for a cute card, eh?! I picked up lip cookie cutters at Michael's, so stay tuned for CASEd cards!

A Soldier's Angel

Calling all Soldier's Angels! One of my local stamping stores is hosting a make-a-card crop this Saturday for Soldier's Angels and I'm trying to make a few cards beforehand. If you're local to the Flint MI area, stop by Capture-a-Memory some time between 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on the 12th! The store's providing all the materials for cards and mailing them off to soldiers in Iraq, letting them know we're thinking of them.

I picked up some patterned papers there last weekend and made this long card for the long and low challenge here. Tho' I don't think you can tell from the photo, I sprayed Glimmer Mist on the base and the bird DP.

stamps: SU's Short and Sweet; paper: CTMH's aqua, My Minds' Eye Bohemia collection, SU's Ruby Red cardstocks; ink: VersaMagic Cloud White, ColorBox Burnt Sienna, and StazOn Jet Black; accessories: My Mind's Eye Bliss twill ribbon, Snowflake Glimmer Mist

thinkin' valentine's day?

My first valentine's day card of the year; this one's for my DH and fav enabler, PB! Another of Karen Stolper's little ladies, this one's called Paper Hearts. I LOVE her stuff, and was blessed w a bunch of her stamps for Christmas (tho' I have another 60 on my wish list)! I also love Stella Ruby DP and matched the stripe in her capris with the striped background paper. This card design is based on the SC157 sketch challenge on SplitcoastStampers.

stamps: Karen Stolper's Paper Hearts; paper: Basic Grey's Stella Ruby DP, SU's Pomegrante cardstock, Bazzill's cardstock to match Stella Ruby (dunno color name tho'); ink: StazOn's Jet Black, asst'd watercolor markers; tools: QuicKutz love die cut; Cuttlebug w Hearts embossing folder

CAM make-'n-take

Here's a make-'n-take I made yesterday at Capture-a-Memory, a local shop I frequent (much to the dismay of my checking account!).

My buddy Pat and I stopped by for a QuicKutz club meeting after our SU demo's open house, then stayed for the make-'n-take, and both of us liked yesterday's project. Pat probably switched the paper die-cut flower for a silk one once she got home, but I liked how this one turned out ... so it's staying put!

recipe? dunno any of the specifics - we used a combination of many Color Box stamps the shop supplied for DTP on white cardstock, mounted the sentiment which was already pre-stamped on cardstock for us ... I'm sending this to my brother Mark along with some money I owe him - think he'll like it - the card (not the fact that I'm paying him back!) ... grins ...

Crystal's Open House

Here's a quick post as I'm off to watch the golf match (lucky folkes are playing in Kapalua, Hawaii, while we're "enjoying" winter here!) but I wanted to share the projects we made today at Crystal's Open House. It was pickup day for the new catty as well, and I plan to browse it while I'm watching the third round of the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

I had a t'riffic day all 'round today; #1 - we've all had the creepy crawling crud at our house and everybody seems to be on the mend. I got to get the new catty and make a couple cards at Crystal's, then went to my monthly QuicKutz meeting (tho' late ... sorry 'bout that, Pat!) where Pat 'n I stuck around for a make-'n-take the shop was holding (more on that when I can take pics in daylight hopefully tomorrow), then eats w Pat and as I'd completely forgotten that I'd intended to pick up some cardstock and envelopes at JoAnn's, then I came home again. I liked the projects we did at each event, tho'!

I don't have the stamp sets for either of these two projects - know one card used SU's Pomegranite and Choco Chip ... but thot I'd share the end results, anywho!
later, alligators! - SueB

new Hero Arts catty's here

when it rains, it pours, folkes! the latest and greatest from Hero Arts is now available online here!

I'm in trouble ... too much to do; too little time! I'll try to stop back later to post my first Valentine's day card.

happy b'day, Mom!

My Mom's birthday is today and my sibs and I'd planned to get together to treat her to dinner but I'm still home w the flu ... so I made her a card instead, based on this CPS#45 challenge! I know ... I'd made her a card already - the b&w from a few postings back ... but that was for all of us to sign for a group gift we gave her on Sunday at a family celebration at my sister's house.

Anywho, I love Karen Stolper's little ladies. You can find at least a hundred others at American Art Stamp (see link at right) but be forewarned - bring tissues with you as you WILL be drooling!

stamps: Stolper's angel; paper: BoBunny Shabby Princess collection and unknown coordinating cardstock; ink: StazOn's Jet Black, Sakura #700 glitter gelly roll marker, asst'd watercolor markers; accessories: Bazzill bitty blossoms, Cosmo Cricket's trim-trimmeree ribbon, Making Memories' velvet brad

new SU catty's online

YAHOO! I get to check out the spring/summer catty in person this coming Saturday at Crystal's open house but just browsed it online here! pretty stuff! I'm gettin' my wish list updated!

hope you're feeling better than yesterday and worse than tomorrow, Crystal?! we've had the creepy crawling crud visit at our house this past week so I can sympathize - read you'd been feeling low!

happy new year!

I've been lazing about today and while we SHOULD be thinking about hitting the hay, am currently watching my eldest play Mario Party 8 on his brother's Wii game unit. He's having so much fun, I'm just wondering how much longer the game could possibly go on ...

I started on a couple cards but didn't get either finished so I thot I'd share some pics of some cute items for my fav New Year's resolution - organizing some scrapping space in my master bedroom - with you!

I'm currently pulling most of my scrapping materials out of 2 large Tupperware storage tubs that are located in my bedroom any time I make cards - one holds all my stamps and the other holds other bags containing the remainder of my gear. One toolbag holds my main scrapping tools should I head out to a crop; another holds my ink pads, cleaner pad/solution, sponges, acrylic blocks, and cards/envelopes in white and ecru; and another holds most of my ribbons in CD spindles. Then there's markers, ribbon, paper, cardstock, and tools in various packaging leaning against my storage tubs.

I'd planned on spending a little time each day over Christmas break organizing my stuff; however, I ended up getting sick about 4 a.m. on the 26th and haven't been real motivated to get started ... so much for New Year's resolutions, eh?! Well, it's a brand new year!

I LOVE the vivid purples and greens in the rug and baskets above, and have lots of other misc purple storage containers, as it's my fav color ... and hopefully soon will be able to share pics of my little dedicated scrapping corner of my world!