Birthdays *really* Are Best!

Happy Sunday everyone! So glad to be back after a minor procedure a week ago. It seems to have sucked the mojo out of me! :-) It's hard to do anything when you feel exhausted after doing anything. On Thursday, I did go with friends on a Carolina Shop Hop; boy did that ever just knock me out! We went to 5 stores in South Carolina (we never made it to any NC stores). It was a fun day, but I think it was too soon after my procedure and really took me til yesterday to recuperate! Anyway, birthdays are on my mind, especially with mine coming up in a couple of weeks. I thought this image by 2 Cute Ink would make an adorable birthday card.

Supplies:
Stamps - balloon birdie (2 Cute Ink); birthdays are the best (AMuse)
Cardstock - green, peach, yellow (stash); Cafe Mediterranean (DCWV)
Copics - YR01, YR02, YR12, YR14, YR15, YR24, G40, G43, G46, Y21, YR31, Y35, B0000, 0
Ink - tuxedo black (Memento)
Other - Spellbinders dies, yellow gems, pop dots

That's it for now chickies... Have a great rest of the weekend and a wonderful week! I'll see ya again next Sunday. :-)

Hugs, Margaret

Gobble Gobble

Happy Sunday everyone! It's finally fall, so today's post is using the cute turkey digi from 2 Cute Ink. I love this image... if I were more computer savvy, I would have done a sentiment that reads "Eat more chicken!" lol Hope you like the card and get inspired to join the 2 Cute Ink Challenge going on now.

Supplies
Stamp - cute turkey (2 Cute Ink)
Cardstock - brown, mustard, squash (stash), pattern paper (plaid Frances Meyer & leaves imaginisce Autumn Splendor in Apple Cider)
Copics - turkey: E31, E33, E35, E37, YR24; feathers: YR14, YR16, YR18, E43, E44, E47, E07, E09, YR21, YR23, YR24; pumpkin: YR04, YR07, E59; ground: YG93, YG95, YG97, E31, E35, YR24, E59; shadowing: YR21, YR23, YR16, E09, E47
Ink - AMuse pumpkin & nutmeg
Other - Spellbinders pumpkin dies, EK Success border punch, pop dots

Please come on out and join us for the new challenge and digi releases at 2 Cute Ink going on every other Friday. Get inspired by the Design Team's cards! Enter your card for a chance to win 3 digis of your choice in the 2 Cute Ink Shop! And lastly, grab the FREEBIE while you're in the shop since it's only available for a limited time!!

That's it for now folks... Hope you have a wonderful week and see ya next Sunday! :-)

Hugs, Margaret 

Hippo Birthday

Good morning and happy Sunday everyone! Today's post is using the another cute digi from 2 Cute Ink... the birthday hippo. I love the thought of this image because as we all know, a hippo is way to heavy to be floating on top of a balloon. On one's birthday however... *anything* is possible!

Supplies
Stamp - birthday hippo (2 Cute Ink), birthday wishes (My Sentiments Exactly)
Cardstock - blue & yellow (stash), pattern papper (DCWV All About Boys Stack)
Copics - Y11, Y13, Y08, Y15, Y18, B21, B23, B24, B41, B0000, R20, R22, R24, R27, Coo, C0, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5
Ink - Memento tuxedo black, SU ballet blue
Other - Spellbinders reg & scalloped ovals, cloud template (Rosie's Roadshow?), pop dots



Here's a side view of the card. The image is popped, but the sentiment is popped higher to stand out from the busy background paper. :-)


Don't forget the new challenge and digi releases at 2 Cute Ink going on every other Friday. See the Design Team's cards and get yourself inspired! When you enter your card, you could possibly win 6 digis of your choice in the 2 Cute Ink shop! Don't forget to grab the FREEBIE while you're in the shop since it's only available for a limited time!!

PLUS... don't pass up the chance to claim the 2 Cute Ink 30% off your order coupon in the upper right hand corner of the shop. Hurry, it won't last long!

That's it for now lovlies... Hope your weekend is not as stormy as ours is. :-) Have a great day and see ya next Sunday!

Hugs, Margaret

Spooky Halloween Owl?

Good morning and happy Sunday everyone! Today's post is using the cute little night owl, that is currently a FREEBIE in the shop, from 2 Cute Ink. I've decided to create the card following the sketch for the challenge at 2 Cute Ink. I love owls and wanted to do something with this owl for Halloween, so here he is in all his nighttime Halloween glory!

Supplies:
Stamps - night owl (2 Cute Ink)
Cardstock - orange & black (stash), Spooky Diamonds on Kraft & Kraft Spooky Words (Canvas Corp.)
Copics - owl: E41, E42, E43, E44, E47, W00, W0, W1, W3, E93, YR23; moon: YR20, YR21, Y13, Y15; tree: E23, E25, E57, E49, G82; background: C00
Ink - AMuse slate
Other - Spellbinders round scallop die, gem stars (stash)

Don't forget the new challenge and digi releases at 2 Cute Ink going on every Friday. You will be inspired by the Design Team's cards and... When you enter your card, you could possibly win 6 digis of your choice in the 2 Cute Ink shop! ALSO... go grab this night owl FREEBIE since it's only available for a limited time!!

Hope your weekend is lovely and see ya next Sunday!

Hugs, Margaret

Halloween... NOT!

Good morning and happy Sunday everyone! It's a little late, but I'm finally getting my post uploaded... Blogger would not let me upload my card. Never had this problem before, but with ALL the computer problems I've had over the last few weeks, I should be surprised! Guess I will be "forced" to get another computer, we'll see. <sigh> Onward and upward is how I'm feeling right now! I've used the adorable little cupcake kitty digi from 2 Cute Ink Digis. Just love this little image! Hope you do too. :-)

Supplies:

Stamps - cupcake kitty digi (2 Cute Ink), Seize Cupcake (Hero Arts)

Cardstock - red and blue (stash), pattern paper (Chloe's Closet)

Copics - B0000, B000, B21, B23, B41, YG0000, YG00, YG01, YG03, YG13, R20, R24, R30, R32, R35, R37, RV06, RV09, E70, E71, E74, E77, E93, 0

Ink - Staz On Jet Black

Other - Spellbinders oval & scalloped oval, cherry ribbon (stash)

Don't forget to join us at 2 Cute Ink for our bi-weekly challenges (on Fridays) and the FREEBIE, which will only be available for a limited time! You will be inspired by the Design Team's cards and when you enter your card, you will be entered to win 6 digis of your choice from the 2 Cute Ink Digi Shop. Check the blog for challenge details.

Hope the rest of your weekend is wonderful! See ya again next Sunday!

Hugs, Margaret

Halloween... so soon?

Good morning and happy Sunday everyone! Today I thought I would post a card that I did with the theme (orange, purple & black) for the weekly challenge at 2 Cute Ink. I'm not much of a Halloween person, but the images at 2 Cute Ink are perfect for those cute and fun cards. I loved making this because it was simple, fun, and turned out totally adorable (if I may say so myself!). I only wish that I could have captured how sparkly the orange gems looked. I had to use the camera in my phone due to technical issues with my laptop. :-)

Supplies:
Stamps - pumpkin love (2Cute Ink)
Cardstock - purple from stash, unknown pattern paper
Copics - YR21, YR12, YR16, YR18, E33, E35, E37, E55, E57
Ink - Memento tuxedo black
Other - Spellbinders dies, orange gems, pop dots, Sharpie white water-based paint marker

Don't forget the new challenges and digi releases at 2 Cute Ink going on every Friday! Not only will you be inspired by the Design Team's cards, but when you enter your card (you must use a 2 Cute Ink image), you are entered to win 3 digis of your choice in the 2 Cute Ink shop! ALSO... keep your eyes peeled for a limited time FREEBIE!!

Hope your weekend is lovely! See ya next Sunday!

Hugs, Margaret

Double Delight

Good morning and happy Sunday everyone! Today I'm posting 2 cards because I missed last Sunday. I had (and am still having) technical difficulties with my laptop and have no access to printing or anything. With this first card, I really had it in my mind to make a birthday card, but it was screaming to be something else. Hope you like it...

Supplies:
Stamp - sail away lion (2 Cute Ink), Happy Retirement (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock - blue lake (Paper Source), green (Bazzill), Big Dots Blue/Green (Deju Views)
Copics - tba
Other - buttons (Chatterbox), Spellbinders dies, Sharpie white water-based paint pen

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a cat person, but I think this image is totally adorable. I really wanted to stamp 'warm winter wishes' or something like that, but while looking through my birthday stamps, I found this one that I think fits perfectly. The kitty stamp is not currently in the shop, but will be soon.

Supplies:
Stamps - milk and cookies kitty (2 Cute Ink), wishing  you script (Saavy Stamps)
Cardstock - pink and grey from stash, unknown pattern paper
Copics - W00, W0, W1, W2, R20, R21, R81, R83, R85, E93, E25, E21, E23, BV01, BV04, 0
Other - Spellbinders dies, Prima flowers, tiny buttons from stash

****Don't forget that this coming Friday and every Friday thereafter, 2 Cute Ink will have a weekly challenge AND release new images. Cards by the Design Team will be posted using the new images and the theme for the weekly challenge to get you inspired! Enter your card (made with a 2 Cute Ink digi) and you will be entered to win 3 digis of you choice from 2 Cute Ink!

Everyone loves a FREEBIE, right? Well, keep your eyes peeled for a freebie that will be available for a limited time! While you're at it, check out 2 Cute Ink's shop!

Hope the rest of your weekend is beautiful and your week perfect! I've been good AND patient so I'm hoping that my computer will be fixed this week!! See ya next Sunday! ;-) 

Hugs, Margaret

School on Mars?

Good morning and happy Sunday everyone! Today's card wraps up the back to school theme with the up, up and away rocket ship by 2 Cute Ink Digital stamps. I just love the thought that maybe somewhere out there in the universe some mother is sending her child off to school. :-) This digi is not a traditional school stamp, but the minute I saw it, I knew I wanted to do a school card with it; especially since the rover recently landed on Mars.

I really wanted to do a sentiment that was related to Mars kids also having to go to school, but that just wasn't working out. So, I went through my buttons and found these fun school days buttons PLUS the little chalkboard. How fun! I knew exactly what I wanted to do with that chalkboard. Sometimes thinking outside the box *has* to go one step further. I used the Sharpie Paint pen in white for the writing. This is the oil based pen, not the water based.

Supplies

Image - up, up and away rocket ship by 2 Cute Ink

Paper - red and yellow cardstock from Paper Studio, pattern paper from DCWV

Copics - N0, N1, N2, N3, N4, N6, N10, Y28, E84, B23, B26, E000, E01, E02, E93, R22, R24, R27, Y13, Y19, R08, W0, W1, W2, W4, B0000

Other supplies - Spellbinders scalloped rectangle, Sharpie extra fine white paint pen, clear Gelly Roll pen, 3D glue dots, Dress Up buttons school pack

Hope the rest of your weekend is wonderful! Stop by the 2 Cute Ink Design Team blog and check out all the other Design Team members creations every day. Their talent will definitely inspire you!

Hugs, Margaret

Back to School

Happy Sunday everyone! It's that time again when we send out kiddies off to school. Here's a card that maybe won't make them feel so bad about it. I'm using the doggie backpack from 2 Cute Ink to celebrate their return to school and ours to sanity... Did I say that out loud? lol I also crumbled the "Back to School" paper because we all know this is what any paper that comes home from school looks like!

Supplies used:
Image - Doggie Backpack from 2 Cute Ink and typed words using DK Crayon Crumble font
Paper - Hobby Lobby cardstock, navy Stardream, School paper from DCWV
Other supplies - Spellbinders round & scalloped round dies, EK Success border punch, yellow and clear glitter glue (on backpack)

Hope you enjoyed this card. Don't forget to head on over to the 2 Cute Ink Digi Shop to take advantage of the 50% coupon code (2500FANS) before it expires today.

Have a wonderful day and happy stamping til the next time!

Hugs, Margaret

Design Team News

Hey all... I'm back and plan on posting much more frequently since I am now part of 2 Cute Ink's design team. Please check out her store; she has the absolute cutest images! I'm very excited to be part of this team. Life has been too crazy and it's time I took back the reins!

I will be posting on Sundays for the 2 Cute Ink Design Team blog and will copy that same post for this blog. In between, I will also be posting cards and projects I am or have been working on. Lots to come and I hope you will hang in there with me!

Please head over to 2 Cute Ink Digital Stamps. They have a 50% off coupon code (2500FANS) that expires tomorrow. 

Happy stamping til the next time!

Hugs, Margaret

Coloring Digi Images

Well... I have *finally* taken the leap into digital stamps. I have been collecting them here and there for about a year, but never really knew how to use them. This past week I needed birthday cards for twin 11-year olds that like to play video games and a 1-year old girl. I usually don't have cards for children stocked, so I had to hustle and get these made so they could go out in the mail! lol

These images were perfect for the kids. The same card, yet different. I'll have to post the details when I find the paper I wrote them on!

This card was just so cute!! I just nervous about the coloring, but it came out very nicely. I would love to add in flowers and lace and all kinds of stuff, but I'm a pretty simple stamper at heart. :-) Again, when I find the paper I used to write down the colors I used, I will post them.

Hope you enjoyed these Copic samples. I love my Copics and *cannot* imagine using anything else to color with. Next week I'll have a card made with a technique I've never done before. I've already colored the image with the new technique. New to me that is... this is NOT a new technique, I just finally got the works to be able to do the technique! hehe Be on the lookout...

Happy stamping til the next time!

Southern Women's Show/A Muse On the Road

Went to the Southern Women's Show on Friday with my neighbor/friend, Wendi. Neither one of us had been in years! There were a few stamping and scrapbooking booths. I went to the A Muse booth where I got to see first hand all the changes they've made to their products. Love the changes!! Love the stamps... *still*!! More news to come about that later. [wink wink]

After the show, I went uptown to the Crowne Plaza where A Muse had their On the Road class. It was awesome. I got to meet the owner, Linda Hartwich, who is just the sweetest person! She is totally committed to her demonstrators and (as always) customers. Here is Linda demoing the cards and explaining the products. She did a great job because we were done well before 9 p.m.

Here are the cards that were part of the evening's class. Super cute cards! We got to play with the new stamps that are a cling foam mount formulation. Pretty buttons & pearls that I know I am going to *have* to have. New satin ribbon that is so pretty and matches the ink and I'm not sure if it also matches the paper. Will let you know about that with my next post. The ink is pigment, but acts like chalk ink. Very nice and love the colors! The new dies are absolutely fabulous! Can't wait to get my hands on several of those. :-) My firsts will be the clouds and butterflies. Maybe even the stocking die because I can use that for Christmas cards. The mittens are also big enough for cards too. Very cool! A Muse has a scoring board with one channel for scoring that I can't wait to check out more closely. We used it to make a box, but I want to play with it some more. They have also added washi tape to their catalog. So nice! Anyway... here are their cards. My take on their cards will be posted tomorrow or Tuesday.

All cards: new ink, cardstock & stamps

L: new pretty buttons in many different colors

R: new pearls & ribbon in many different colors

**love it all**

L: learned how to make this cute box

R: new cloud dies, too much fun... the ideas I have for these!

**again, love it all**

L: new washi tape and glitter in many different colors

R: new paper flowers in several different styles and twine in different colors

Twine is very *hot* this year!

Here is our group. I can't remember their names off the top of my head, but it was a great group! We all worked together, chatted, and had a good time!

 

Keep an eye out for my take on their cards. ;-)

Happy stamping til the next time!

Rubber Stamp Tapestry

It's been awhile since I've used these stamps. I totally love them, but for some reason they just end up closed away in a drawer. Made these two cards over the past couple days. Recently I started making cards and changing the sentiment on it so the card would appeal to more people. I like having those "extra" choices when I want to send one out.

 Stamps - RST African daisy lg/sm, johnny jump-up lg/sm, delicate vine lg, botanical swirl sm, loop w/swirl lg, redbud leaf lg, loop sm, ladybug sm; Studio G birthday; Peddlers Pack girlfriend; Stampabilities a friend

C/S - white, stash pp, stash purple

I/P - VersaMagic purple hydrangea, spring pansy, pretty petunia, perfect plumeria; Memento black, grape jelly, bamboo leaves, pear tart; Brilliance gold

Supplies - red Glaze pen, 3/8" purple satin ribbon, gemstones

Stamps - RST 3 roses lg, 6 flower cluster sm, striped ripply foliage lg, triple leaf lg, dragonfly sm, delicate vine lg, botanical swirl sm; Studio G laugh; Peddlers Pack girlfriend; Stampabilities a friend

C/S - white, stash pp, SU! rose red

I/P - SU! rose red, only orange, garden green, true thyme; Memento black, bamboo leaves, pear tart; VersaColor bamboo

Supplies - 5/8" orange satin ribbon w/pink edge, orange gemstones

It takes me forever to stamp with the RST stamps because I feel like I have to place them in the perfect stop on the card. It would be so much easier if I didn't try to be a perfectionist. Trust me though... I've gotten so much better over the years!

While I was visiting family in TN, I stopped into the Super Scrapbook Store in Sevierville. I bought a little square RST stamp that reads: Happy Autumn. Can't wait to use it with my pumpkin stamps. I also finally got the Inky Antics gamsol kit. I only wanted the darn little bottle that the gamsol comes in, but had to buy the whole thing to get it. At least I didn't have to pay shipping. :-)

Happy stamping til the next time!

Playing with Dots

My previous post talked about the Sharpie Poster Paint and regular Paint Pens. Here are a couple samples I made this past week using the paint pens.

Stamps: Hero Arts full blossoms 1, single blossom 2, profile blossom 3, bud blossom 4; SU! Whimsical Words

C/S: various from stash

Ink: Memento black, SU! taken with teal & wisteria wonder

Copics: B60, B63, YG23, G07, BG10, BG13, BG15, V12, V15, V17, B21, YR61,YR65, YR68, R81, R83, R85, R89

Markers: Sharpie Paint Pens - pink, purple, lime green, white; black BIC Mark-It; black Micron pen 05

Supplies: 3/8" satin orange ribbon; SU! wide & scalloped oval punches; orange, green & peach adhesive gems

Stamps: SU! Pun Fun

C/S: SU! night of navy, real red & whisper white

Ink: SU! night of navy, real red, basic grey, & glorious green

Copics: 0, N0, N1, N2, N3, E50, E93, R81, R83, R85, B0000, B000, G19

Markers: white Sharpie Paint Pen

Supplies: Spellbinders classic & scalloped  ovals; SU! scalloped & oval punches; 1/2" white ribbon w/red polka dots; pop dots

Hope you enjoyed the cards. Got a few more I'm working on. Hopefully my next post will have cards using digi stamps in them. I've been in the "collection" phase of these stamps; I think it's about time I start actually using them! :-) Have a great weekend!

Happy stamping til the next time!

Sharpie Poster Paint Pens & Paint Pens Review

I decided to take the plunge into the Sharpie Poster Paint & regular Paint Pens. I have to say... I like 'em!! Here's the difference between them... 

 

The Paint Pens are opaque, permanent, oil-based, and can write on many different surfaces. The body of this marker is metal, similar to the standard paint markers that contain xylene. Available in 4 different nib sizes: extra fine, fine, medium, and bold.

The Poster Paint Pens are archival quality pens that are opaque, water-based, water-resistant, acid-free, and fade-resistant. The ads claim that it won't bleed through paper, but I haven't tested that yet. The barrel plastic and feels a bit "chunky" in the hand. I love the extra fine nib!! This pen comes in 5 different nib sizes: extra fine, fine, medium, bold, and extra bold. 

Both pens come in 15 colors: red, pink, magenta, orange, yellow, green, lime green, blue, aqua blue, purple, white, black, brown, metallic silver, and metallic gold. They are both the pump-style action nibs, which is the same as the xylene pens. So far it seems as though the Sharpies are not as messy as the other pens. If my memory serves me correctly, Michaels had all these colors; AC Moore & Hobby Lobby DO NOT carry these at all. I think these pens are on the expensive side. This coming from a Copic fanatic!! I got my first 3 on sale at Michaels for $2.50 each. When I went back for another 3, they were not on sale and were $3.50 each. I think some of them are $3.99; don't know if any were more than that. I have to go to Michaels today so I'll take a peek at their selection. This may be something I end up buying online to save some additional money, I don't know yet. OK, I'm saving the very best news for last... these pens are non-toxic because they do not contain xylene. Woo hoo!! No more stinky paint markers! Loving that!

CORRECTION: Hobby Lobby does carry these pens, however, they are sold in sets and none of the sets have the extra fine nib. I didn't get the chance to see if AC Moore had the sets as well.

I've started with 6 colors: pink, purple, yellow, orange, & lime in the Paint Pens in a fine nib. The other pen is a Poster Paint in white with an extra fine nib. I'd like to pick up a red and magenta maybe... that will depend on what Michaels has. :-) I'm looking forward to playing with them; seeing what all I can do with them. I've made a couple cards using them that I will post later.

Happy stamping til the next time!

The Altering Project(s)

Did you ever see a fabulous deal for some type of decorative item, but didn't quite like the colors or maybe it was a bit beat up? Even though it may look rough, you just knew you could fix it so it would look totally beautimous in your favorite room. Well, something similar to this happened to me recently except that I wasn't the one finding the great deal, a friend of mine did. Her daughter is turning 30 and she wanted to do a black and white theme. She found a really nice hanging plaque in Hobby Lobby for a fabulous price. The only problem was that it needed a color change. This is where I come in since I do crafts. :-) We also picked out her daughter's initials and 3 metal words (Live, Love, Laugh) for me to work on. Do you know how many styles of initials are out there and how many DO NOT go together at all? We decided to go to the craft stores together to find the perfect letters plus we needed to find something to "fix" the plaque with. Definitely paint and maybe some nice rub-on wording would fit the bill. 

So far it's sounding pretty simple, huh? The first problem was spraying the metal words. I mean it's just a bit of some black glossy spray. How hard could that be? I ended up having to wet sand, spray, and respray the words several times. Bubbles kept popping up while I was spraying. The icing on the cake was when I was spraying and the spray can got stuck ON. It was everywhere including all over me!! Besides me, it got all over a deck chair and the deck. I should have been spraying in the grass... aaaackkk!!! That can is so going back to Wal-Mart if I can find my receipt!!

The plaque was another comedy of errors. I knew I would have to sand the center to get some of the wording and paint off. That done, now I was on my way to getting this baby finished. NOT!! I couldn't get the wording to cover nicely or get the paint on smoothly. So here I was *again* wet sanding and painting over and over. Good grief! I finally decided to give gesso a try. Why did I not do this in the first place?? Gesso totally did the trick! Now I was on my way. I wish I would have taken a before and after picture. It turned out so nice! I love it! Here are a few pics. It was difficult getting a nice up-close of it; the gems and pearls aren't showing up the way your eye would see it, but you get the idea.

These initials were so much fun to do that I've bought myself several different kinds that I plan on altering to hang on my craft room wall. I love the fact that the paper on the "J" matches the plaque. The patterns are both damask, but they are opposite; the plaque is white on black and the "J" is black on white. That wasn't even planned! I love it when things come together like this. :-)

This is one of the many things I've been doing over the past few weeks. I couldn't post til today because her birthday party was last night and that's when this was being given to her.

The next week or two will be busy because my 12-year old niece is coming to visit. I'm so looking forward to having her! All kinds of fun stuff planned! We're going to be cooking, baking, going to the pool, reading (she's an avid reader just like me), stamping, shopping, and whatever else I can do to keep us busy. I'm expecting her to want to stay more than a week because I don't think a week is long enough to do everything in. We'll see. It's her first time away from home and she may want to stay but be homesick. 

OK, enough for now. I'll try to schedule some posts so I don't stay away for too long.

Happy stamping til the next time!

Not Enough Time

I feel like there's just not enough hours in the day lately. Too many things going on and nothing is getting finished! Still working on my craft room. I was hoping to have it finished within the next week or two, but some other things have come up and it's just not gonna happen. Oh well... Maybe I should just make it my goal to have it all done by the end of summer. :-)

Here are a few cards I've worked on. I don't have recipes because I was lucky enough to get to work on them to begin with. Just didn't have the chance to stamp AND write down the recipe. I know you'll enjoy them regardless.

This card was originally posted in January, but I never liked the coloring and felt like it needed something more. It looks so much better this way! All stamps are AMuse and the paper is AMuse & Memory Box. Ink was VersaMagic turquoise gem.

This card was done using Twinkling H2Os. I love working with these and don't use them often enough. Stamps & card stock are Stampin' Up!. The pattern paper and ribbon is out of my stash. I think this stamp has been discontinued... Has anyone seen the new catalog? I have way too many pages marked for sets I want. Like I need more stamp sets! I still have a bunch I cleaned out that I need to get rid of!

I was looking through my stamps, trying to find something "different" to do and came across this one. I've had this stamp for many years, but have never used it. At first I was going to watercolor or use Copics, but then I decided to go for a simpler look. I seem to be attracted to textures when working with animal stamps. Love the different items you can use to get that texture. I used a Magenta stamp for the background, some mulberry paper, and lastly some mesh. The deer stamp is from Stampabilities. Card stock is Stampin' Up. I used Close to Cocoa for stamping.

Happy stamping til the next time!

Happy Sunday!

Good morning everyone! It's been a super busy week for me! I've been helping my sister by writing an employee manual for her restaurant, which will be opening within the month, and I'm down to the deadline. Hopefully it will be finished within the next couple days. In between working on the manual, I have taught a Copic class, finished a project I was working on for a certain someone (I will post pics when I mail it out and she receives it so I don't spoil her surprise), started a project for another certain someone, and have been helping my DIL's mother with a few projects that need to be complete before the end of the month. Phew! Somewhere in there, I managed to begin, but not finish a few cards. That's one of the things on my list to work on in between completing the manual. :-)

Last Monday, I completed another quilted ornament to go along with my 4th of July themed insert for my perpetual calendar. At some point, I'd love to be a month ahead in doing these quilted ornaments, but we all know how that goes! I should just take my calendar inserts with me when I go to the fabric store. lol It would make it soooo much easier! Anyhoo... I started and finished the 4th of July ornament last Monday, took pics to post here, and then got tied up in something else (probably dinner) and totally forgot to post! So, here we go. Hope you like them.

This plate insert was done a few years ago in a Stampin' Up! class I took with Kim Cagle. We made a years worth of inserts. They are 6" square and fit perfectly in the center of this glass plate. The plate has 2 BasicGrey magnets on it that link up with 2 magnets on the back of the insert. Little by little I would like to make some new calendar inserts just to switch things up a bit! Variety is the spice of life, you know! :-)

Here is the quilted ornament. I am so pleased with how it turned out. It's exactly how I envisioned it! The only thing that took me *for-evah* was the ribbon top. I can't even tell you how many times I pulled it apart and redid it. Yes, I am a bit, but just a bit (lol), of a perfectionist. Although, I do have to admit that stamping has taught me to be a lot more relaxed when it comes to my art. I don't even really worry about it anymore. Just go with the flow... Makes life soooo much easier! Less stressful. I once read that the Amish women purposely make a mistake in their quilts because no one is perfect but God. After reading that, the pressure to be perfect in my art was off! Now I only try to be perfect in everything else; like that really happens! lmbo I digress... the ornament, back to that. I got the fabric in Wal-Mart last summer. Don't know if they still have it or not. The ribbon around the center is from Wal-mart too. The ribbons at the top are from either Michaels, ACMoore, or Hobby Lobby. They're just your standard thinner width ribbon that I matched up to the fabric. When I do my organizational post on ribbon/embellishments, you will see that I have *tons* of ribbon. What is totally annoying about that, is when I go to do a project and don't like the way any, yes ANY, of the ribbons match up with the project. When you have that many spools of ribbon, you expect to find something in your stash that matches!

Here is the display on my little cabinet that I painted next to my front door. The ornament holder has a lid that creates a box display, but it's harder to take a nice picture with the lid on so I leave it off for the pictures only. My plan is still to do at least 12 of these. I'd like to have a few different ones for like birthdays, anniversary, or whatever special occasion falls between the holidays. And somewhere along the line, I'd like to make a couple baby ones. Not only is my DIL pregnant, but my neighbor's daughter is pregnant too. It would be nice to start a tradition of giving the grandchildren a handmade ornament either at Christmas or on their birthday. Probably birthday though. I can always do something else for Christmas, like, I don't know... how about Christmas ones?? lol

The cabinet the display sits on is something I'm very proud of. I made it well over 10 years ago in a Tole painting class. It took me 3 months to paint of which 10 weeks was in class. There was a lot of painting in between classes to get it finished though. Anyone who sees the cabinet loves it and thinks I should make them to sell! Little do they realize that #1 most people will spend an arm and a leg for something out of the Spiegel catalog, but they won't pay the same price for something handmade and #2 it takes way too much time to paint just one of these, much less several. I will take pictues of it for a post so you all can see it.

OK, gotta run for now. Still working on that darn room! If I don't stop taking on these projects, I'm never going to get it finished! My goal is to have it finished by the end of summer. There. It's written down. On the internet for all to see. I'm committed. Now I guess I'll further commit myself by writing it in *pen* on the calendar. :-)

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend and happy stamping til the next time!

Some Cards

It's been a long time since I shared any cards I've made. Well, it's about time! The "big move" has been very long and I never realized how much stuff I have. As I put stuff away, I'm trying to throw/give away anything I may not need. Of course anything that could potentially be needed in the future, goes up in the attic. If I ever do end up with a nice studio space, I'm gonna need all those storage items!

I need to figure out another way to do the coating on the squares. Maybe it's the paper I used... I don't know, but I feel like the iridescent embossing powder got absorbed by the paper which made it look like the powder didn't completely cover. All in all, it turned out cute.

Stamps: SU! In Full Bloom & A Word For You ; C/S: SU! barely banana, mellow moss, pretty in pink; Ink: SU! pretty in pink, regal rose, barely banana, bordering blue, mellow moss; Supplies: SU! iridescent embossing powder, watercolor brush.

This Father's Day card was inspired by a card I saw for a class at ACMoore.

Stamps: Club Scrap car & Studio G sentiment; C/S: SU! going gray, baroque burgundy, basic grey, whisper white; Ink: StazOn black, SU! basic grey & craft white; Supplies: Cuttlebug diamond embossing folder, EK Success border punch (unknown).

More card samples coming your way soon.

Happy stamping til the next time!

AMAZING NEWS!!

Gosh I almost forgot to share the best news ever! We're going to be grandparents. Our son (Eddie) and his wife (Holly) are expecting!!!! I am totally over the top about this! Been waiting for years to be an Oma. 

I went with the kids to their ultrasound appointment on June 17th. Wow! That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life. Back when I was pregnant with Eddie, I don't even think I ever had an ultrasound. If I remember right, you had to be high-risk to get one. Anyway, here is a pic of the newest member-to-be of the McCullough clan. Isn't he/she cute?? You could see *everything* when the tech was taking pics. So much is different now compared to 30 years ago. I'm telling you... amazing.

In August, they will have another ultrasound; this is when the sex of the baby will be determined. The kids want to know what the sex is, but with a twist. They want to find out with everyone and be just as surprised so... when the ultrasound is done, the "result" will be put in an envelope. The envelope will be given to a lady they know who makes cakes. She will add the appropriate color to the cake mix for the inside and the outside will be white. They will have a small gathering at their house and when they cut into the cake, we'll all find out together! How cool is that? On Thursday or Friday morning they had a segment on Good Morning American about this being the new thing for parents to do. We've never heard of it before. Just can't wait...