On the Farm

If you read my family blog (link at top of sidebar), you'd know that we had our family reunion this past weekend. And for the first time in my life, it was hosted by my cousin and his family on our family farm that my great-great grandparents built when they came to the area in 1938. We have about 100-150 people who come to the reunion, so this was no small undertaking to play host for the day (in previous years it has always been at a city park). So, long story short, I wanted to make a card to send to them to thank them for hosting the event.

Like yesterday's Sock Monkey card, these are images that I received - I don't actually have this retired set (too bad too, because it's going for upwards of $50 on eBay!). I've had these images for ages and this is the first time I've pulled them out (reminds me of some stamp sets I know... LOL!).

I made the background for the card by "painting" on whisper white cardstock with the edge of my real red ink pad. I made some vertical lines with the edge of the pad, then dragged the whole pad down the front. I was going for a barn board look. I'm not sure if I was totally successful or not, but it's close enough.

As I was coloring and cutting these images, it occurred to me that my farmer was almost as tall as my barn, which is sooo not cool! I cut him out and stuck him on with dimensionals a little farther down on the card to make them seem a little more proportional. Looking at it now, it kind of looks like he's sitting on the edge of the paper just chillin' out. It totally wasn't my intention, but it's kind of cute that way! I just wanted a plain notecard, so I didn't add any sentiments to it, and just wrote my message inside. In hindsight I wish I'd added a "Many Thanks" above the ribbon, but it's already in the envie so it's too late for regrets!

So what do you think? I'd love to hear your opinion!

Do you want some images of this set (barn, farmer, farm animals)? I have tons left, and I know I'll never use them all. I'll send a nice little envie full out to the first person who asks for them (US addresses only, please)! All of the images have been spoken for! :)

Details:
Stamps: On the Farm (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Real Red, Basic Black
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red
Other: Copic Markers, Black Grosgrain Ribbon

Still The One

As you may or may not know (depending on how much of the sidebar you read), I am an SU! demonstrator. I really only do it as a hobby though, with a few random exceptions in the form of workshops. Anyhow, the preview brochure was made available and I waffled for days over this sock monkey set. I liked it, but did I love it? I wasn't sure. I happened to tell my summer sister Lorie about my dilemma, and she sent me the sweetest little package that included this card:

...along with some of these awesome cards she made with a simply sent kit and a ton of images from the set. Woot! Don't you just love getting images when you're on the fence about something? It's sooo much nicer to debate your wants and needs when you have a few images in your hands.

Here is my first Sock Monkey creation in the form of a pocket card using a monkey image she sent me...


What do you think? I used three different shades of (Copic) blue on the monkey. A base coat (B21), a shading color (B24), and a dot color (B99). To make the dots I just lightly touched the paper with the tip of the brush end of the marker until I got a pool of ink in the size I wanted. I got the idea while coloring the brown part in, and wishing I had the actual stamp to do some paper piecing with dotted paper... it dawned on me that I could make the dots myself, and voila!

The sentiment is from that Feeling Groovy set by Verve Stamps that I am still in love with. Doesn't this sentiment go perfectly with the sock monkey? You loved him as a kid, you love him now, he's still the one for you! *wink*

Details:
Stamps: Sock Monkey (Stampin' Up!), Feeling Groovy (Verve Stamps)
Ink: Chocolate Chip

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Dasher (Basic Grey), Whisper White

Other: Mellow Moss Poly-twill ribbon, buttons (SU!), Copic Markers, Paper Piercer, 1" Circle Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Tarnished Brad

Family Reunion

On Sunday we attended our Kromm family reunion (maternal grandmother's family). The reunion is usually held at a park in a nearby community, but this year they decided to have it on the Kromm family farm that has been in the family for generations. It was such a beautiful day, and we had a wonderful time. I don't know about anyone else, but Darrin and I thought it was much more enjoyable at the farm, so we're hoping they stick to the tradition (but I can totally understand if our hosts were overwhelmed with the lot of us - about 100 people or so, I'm guessing).

I didn't take too many pictures, but here is a quick smile box with the few I did get.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Henry loved being on the farm. He loved everything about it. The horses, the cows, the empty barn, playing in the yard with Papa, petting the dog, etc. I need to get a card made and sent out to (cousin) Peter and (wife) Diane to thank them for hosting. Watch for it on my craft blog this week!

I have some pictures to show you from our trip to the Greenville Zoo too, so I'll get those loaded in the next day or two. I need to space things out so I don't run out of stuff to talk about over here! ;)

God's Little Miracle

This is one card from the set of baptismal thank you's I made the other night. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out. I used the baby-themed Cuttlebug embossing folder, and layered it over SU's Natural White and Not Quite Navy. I wrapped SU's (retired) copper cord around the first two layers. After I had it wrapped, I noticed that the pattern bore a striking resemblance to the religious symbol that stands by the lake at the Imago Dei Waypost camp I attended as a teen and young adult. Check out this link, and click on the first or fourth pic on the left to see what I mean. Man, I loved that place *sigh*. I think once the kids are a little older, I might start volunteering up there in the summer. Ahhhh, those were the days!

ANYHOW! I did the cord in such a way that it (hopefully) framed the "God's Little Miracle" wording in the top left corner. I was just going to leave it at that, but then at the last minute decided to add the scalloped circle at the bottom with the baby shoes. The inside of the card has a version of Proverbs 22:6 stamped at the top, which reads, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

If you are reading this and know one of these will be coming your way, hang tight! We're waiting to get the boys 2 yr and 3 mo pics back before sending so we can include some for you!

Details:
Stamps: Steppin' Style (Stampin' Up!), Scripture (Stampabilities)
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Paper: Baja Breeze, Natural White, Not Quite Navy
Other: Copper Cord, Scalloped Punch (SU), 1 1/2" Circle Punch (SU!), 1 1/4" Circle Punch (SU!), Copic Markers (on shoes)

Summer Challenge Results

A few months ago, I found a summer challenge posted on Sue Daly's StampnDaly blog. I can't seem to find the original post at the moment, but the basic idea was that she would send out a bunch of random supplies and you had to make something with them. Here is a photo of what all came in my envelope late last week (including that cute RAK!)...

The first thing I thought of was a collage card, using that super cool scratched vellum on the right side of the screen. It's hard to see in the pic, but it looks like vellum was brayered with craft whte, then stamped with the script bg stamp, then scratched off in places. So cool! The only problem is, I don't do collages. They totally elude me. You want cute? You want whimsy? Then I'm your girl. You want a collage? You need to keep looking. *wink*

Sooooooo, here is what I came up with, using about half of the supplies (most of the paper got pretty badly bent en route, so some of it is unusable - or perhaps "pre-altered"? Hmmm. The only thing I added to this card of my own was the pink base, the image, and the sentiment.


That long sparkly white rope stuff reminded me of snow, so I used a strip of it as a base under my Whipper Snapper penguin (don't you just love her?!). I used my new SU! scallop punch on the blue paper, and punched a hole in the chipboard star so I could add a brad in the middle. I didn't have quite enough blue (Soft Sky?) ribbon to make a bow, so I just adhered it in a strip across the top.

What do you think? I just love Christmas cards in non-traditional colors, I just wish I had enough ribbon to do a proper bow or knot at the top. I think I would have tied it over to the right to fill the space over there a little better. Over all though, I think it's pretty darn cute!

I'm still working some ideas up with what's left. I'll let you know what I come up with once I figure it out myself!

Details:
Stamps: Penguin (Whipper Snapper), Sentiment (not sure - if you want to know, leave a comment and I'll check for you)
Ink: Basic Black, Going Grey
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, SU! DP
Other: Sparkly rope thingy *wink*, Soft Sky Double Stitched Ribbon, Scallop Punch, Prismacolors, Gamsol, Chipboard Star, Silver Brad

Oshkosh Zoo

A few things you might not know about Henry:

1.) Every day he has to wear something with a dog on it.
2.) Every day he has to go to the zoo.

We live about three blocks from the main park in town, and within that park is a small (free) zoo. We have been there just about every day this summer as long as it wasn't raining (heat and humidity don't stop us, much to my dismay) or super busy (think Sawdust Days for those familiar with the area). He LOVES the zoo. There are a few exotic animals there (lion, monkey, Coati, some little thing he thinks is a rabbit, but it's not - lol!) and then also typical petting zoo type animals - cows, pig, llamas, goats, and ducks, as well as two large exhibits of animals native to Wisconsin - elk and wolves.

Here's a typical conversation each morning:


H: Brrrrrooom? (remember we use more sounds than words still)
Me: You want to go for a ride?
H: Heh. (his version of "yeah")
Me: Where do you want to go?
H: Rawr!
Me: You want to go see the lion?
H: Heh.

So we go. I could say no, but why? It's free, and it's close, and it makes him happy... so we do it. Every day. Sometimes twice a day.

We went on Friday, and the lion was restless. She is a rescue animal, and is kept in a fairly small cage (though zoo personnel has informed me that she will be transferred after the zoo closes in September to a place with more space and more big cats to mingle with). She was prowling around the cage, batting her basketball around, and growling. It scared the bejeebers out of Henry! It really was pretty minor in the grand scheme of things, but now he won't even go near the fence that sits back about three feet from the cage. Then we took him to the Greenville Special Memories Zoo yesterday, and he didn't want anything to do with any of it - and especially not the lions! Yikes! I'm wondering if my zoo days are over. In a way, it would be nice, but on the other hand I think I'd actually miss it.

Here's a picture of the lion that will be leaving in September:



99% of the time, this is how we find her. Just chillin' out, without a care in the world. :o)

If anyone reading this is familiar with the zoo, I've also been told they are re-doing the whole thing so that they will no longer have any exotics (what will we do with the monkey cage? That has been there all of my life! *sniff*). They will be stocking the zoo with animals that are all native to Wisconsin, and the exhibits will all be more like the elk and wolf exhibits. This fall they are starting an Otter exhibit where the cows are now, and I'm assuming the cows will move over to the area vacated by the lion. She said the farm animals will eventually all be over on that side of the lake.

And yes, we are there so often that the entire staff knows us. lol. (sort of).

Days Like This

Here is the Snoopy card I started last night before the power went ouy in my mojo dept *wink*. I knew what image and sentiment I wanted to use... I even had the colors... but the layout eluded me. UNTIL.... I went to Taylor's blog to get the link for that post last night and I saw this week's Cupcake Challenge! I knew it was the perfect layout for this card as soon as I saw it. The off-kilter background looks so haphazard, I love it!

Speaking of things I love, the base of this card is Stampin' Up!'s new In-Color called Riding Hood Red. (LOVE. IT.) It's such a nice deep red. I bought the mixed paper pack of the five colors in the pre-sale, and all I know so far is that I DO need more of this red, and I DON'T need more of the blue (Bali Breeze, I think it's called). The jury is still out on the other three colors.

The sentiment I used on this card is by Verve Stamps, from their Feeling Groovy set. That's the set I picked to receive for free when I won that Mojo Monday contest a few weeks ago. AND, if you are thinking about buying any Verve Stamps, now is the time to do it - everything is on sale this weekend for 10% off! Check it out!

Speaking of sales, I have to tell you The Cat's Pajama's is also having a sale this weekend - 25% off all in-stock merchandise. I placed my order yesterday. I have never ordered from them before, but have had their stamps on my wishlist for awhile. I can't wait to ink 'em!

Details:
Stamps: Snoopy (Stampabilities), Sentiment (Verve Visual)
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, 12x12 Scrapbook Paper (The Paper Studio)
Other: Dazzling Diamonds (on lines of pink paper), Dew Drops, Ribbon (Hobby Lobby), Black Journaling Pen (doodled ground around Snoopy's feet)

Heartfelt Thanks

I usually do my stamping at night after the boys go to bed, but I could not find my mojo tonight for the life of me. UGH. I hate it when that happens. I started to make a super cute Snoopy card, but lost it half way through, so I'll have to finish it tomorrow. SO, I pulled this one out of the archives. I never posted it anywhere because it was a pretty heavy case from Her Royal Rubberness herself, Julie Ebersole. (Here is the link to her card, but you won't be able to open it unless you are a member of the SU demo forums on SCS - Sorry. Bwa ha ha ha ha! I just noticed in her description that she case'd it from Taylor VanBruggen! Here is the link to Taylor's original card - in the "regular" gallery, so all should be able to open it!).

I demonstrated this card at my first Stampin' Up! Workshop last fall. It's so, so, simple, but you get a lot of wow for your time! We did stamp sentiments in the bottom right corner of the main image, but I remember leaving this one blank so I could personalize it later... and then I got that red spot on it. *grumble*

Anyhow, the flower is made by coloring the stamp with my Stampin' Up! Markers, then spritzing over the ink with water before stamping the image. Doesn't it make the nicest effect?! I just love it! The flowers on the base were stamped in Craft White ink.

So, what do you think of my case'd case? lol!

Details:
Stamps: Heartfelt Thanks (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Craft White, Basic Black
Paper: Old Olive, Eggplant Envy, Whisper White, Basic Black
Other: Eggplant Envy, Old Olive, and Barely Banana Stampin' Write markers, water mister, black grosgrain ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds (in center of flower)

And here is a blog award that I received today from my blogger friend Ramsey, over at Stepp After Stepp. Thanks so much, Ramsey! I appreciate it greatly!

Since I didn't really play by the rules with my last award, I figured I'd better with this one! The rules are simple:

1. Only 5 people are to be nominated.
2. 4 out of the 5 have to be dedicated followers of your blog
3. 1 has to be someone new or recently new to your blog or live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whoever gave you the award.

With that in mind, I'd like to pass the award on to...

Lorie, at Live, Love, Laugh, Create
Dani, at Dani Gets Crafty
Holly, at Hog Wild About Stamping
Michelle, at So Much Time, So Little To Do...
Merry, at Random Thoughts of a Confessed Stamp-a-holic

Man, is it hard to just pick five, but these ladies (and so many more!) deserve it! Especially Lorie - she's my biggest supporter (and a Packer fan to boot! *wink*). I swear, I could post blank card stock and she'd find something good to say about it! *mwah* Lorie! I love you girl!

P.S. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win my Blog Candy!

Friendship

Ohhhhhh Huggybella's. I have two things to say about these girls.

ONE... I *really, really, really* wanted this to be a wedding card for Ellen and Portia, but no matter what I thought of I just couldn't make either of them look like Ellen. She would definitely have to be the one in pants, but she never wears capri's. And has short hair. Do you see my dilemma? Ugh. But you know what, I still pulled out a cute card so I'll move on to...

TWO... Ok, here's my PSA for the day... when you are coloring the Huggybella's, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, color one in bold brights and the other in earth elements. For if you do, your head may explode when you try to come up with a color combo for the base of the card. ;o)

I could not for the life of me figure out what to do with these girls after using the colors I did on their clothes (totally cute clothes though, no? lol!). So, this is what I came up with. I tried to pull everything together with the three flowers on the left. I think it worked. The big layer under the girls is vellum that took a trip through my Cuttlebug inside my trusty Swiss Dots folder. LOVE that folder! I attached it to the base with dotto at the top and under the image. It shows through, so I couldn't put it at the bottom. I covered the spots at the top with ribbon ($0.71 clearance spool at Hobby Lobby - can you believe it?) and the other with the main image. The word at the bottom is pulled off a bigger quote by Abraham Lincoln. It's the same one used on this card by Jami, if you're curious.

Cute, eh?!

Details
Stamps: Huggybellas
Ink: Basic Black, SU Basic Black Marker (on sentiment)
Paper: Regal Rose, Whisper White, Vellum (SU), Bali Breeze
Other: Fabric Flowers, White Brads, HL Ribbon, Copic Markers

***Don't forget about my BLOG CANDY!! Are you in? Are you being a good blogger friend and spreading the word??***

REAL Blog Candy!

What, you ask, is REAL blog candy? Why, it's candy for your BLOG of course!!

Here's the story...

A few months ago, I decided to re-do my blog. I was shopping around for a new banner at the time, and was introduced to The Shabby Princess and her Shabby Shoppe, where I found some of the cutest blogwear EVER. I couldn't decide between two banners - the one you see at the top of the screen (Studio Chic) and another one called Smarshmallows (you can see it below, or click the word for an option to view a larger image).

I opted to use the Studio Chic and stick with (my favorite) bright colors for blog look.... which made me wonder what I could do with my Smarshmallows purchase. Sooooo, I emailed The Princess herself and asked if I could offer it up as some blog candy on my blog and although she said she normally would not allow such a thing, she is letting me do it this one time! Woot!

SO, here's the low down:

I will edit the banner and buttons for you with your blog name and description, and button words of your chosing, and save each item and email them to you as jpeg files. That way, when you get them, you can just upload them to your blog as you would any other photo and you do not need any photo editing software to participate!

To win, simply mention my blog candy on your blog (yes, you need a blog to participate - kind of important. lol!) and leave me a post on this message with the link. Even if you don't need/want the banner, please spread the word! I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner on August 1 and then will be in touch with the winner for details and specifics.

Thanks so much, and GOOD LUCK!

Serene Spring

Here is a card made from the one stamp set I liked enough to buy from the SU pre-sale. The set is called Serene Spring, and I love the images (the other one is a cute bunny in a basket in this same sketchy style), but I'm not real crazy about the sentiments that go with them so I didn't add one here. I figure it's generic enough that I can personalize the inside when I decide what kind of card I need it to be.

I colored the image with my Copics. Did you know Copics are on sale at Hobby Lobby this week? I think they're 25% off. I picked two of them up when we were there on Monday - one of which I used on the butterfly. I think it's called Atoll. I love it. It's such a pretty, soft, color. Kind of a sherberty orange.

One of my favorite things about this card is the little bird. I colored it in blue, then used the colorless blender to get the tummy lighter and colored it with a pale lavendar. I like how it turned out.

Finally, be sure to check out the Magnolia blog candy over at Artfully Ila. I love those Magnolia stamps, but I really am trying to cool my heels with spending for awhile (honest!) so for now I'm just going to have to try to win them!

Details:
Stamps: Serene Spring (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black
Paper: Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Eggplant Envy
Other: Elegant Eggplant Grosgrain Ribbon, tarnished brad, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Copic Markers

Music of the Soul

Ok friends, I've got a lot on my mind today, so sit back and relax because this could very well be my longest post EVER. Are you scared? lol!

Here is my card for today. This is the third and final card I submitted for my 3 Little Dreams design team application. I have been singing my entire life, so this bella HAD to be mine! We made a card with this layout YEARS ago at a stamp camp with my (now) up-upline in SU!. I just loved the layout, so I hung onto that card knowing some day I'd recreate it on my own, and I finally did. Here is a picture of the card looking down from above:

And this is what the card looks like when it's open. It sits almost like a tent (hence why I call it my "tent card"). Isn't that sooo cool? Just think of the possibilities you have with this one! You could do so many things using sentiments as the main image for people to set out on their desk, etc.


And here is the inside:

I've been wanting to post this FOR.EV.ER., but had a sneaky suspicion that someone out there might ask me for measurements on all of these layers, so I kept putting it off until I got it measured. Here's the info:

Base (green) is 5.5 x 4.25
Layer 1 (hot pink) is 4 x 9, scored at 5.25
Layer 2 (green) is 2.5 x 9, scored at 4.5
DP (yellow plaid) is 3.5 x 3.75
Layer 3 (hot pink, behind bella) is 4.25 x 2.25
Layer 4 (image) is 4 x 2
Layer 5 (sentiment) is 4 x 2

Got it? Ok, so here's what you do... Fold layer one at the score and center larger half on base, with the score at the bottom. Fold layer two at the score, and center inside of layer one, with the score at the top. Leaving layer two open, close layer one and add DP to the space that now faces up. Close Layer two, and add layers three and four on top and stick layer five (with the sentiment) inside. If you make one, be sure to leave me a comment with the link so I can check it out!

Did I mention that this was also one of the cards I made for the bella swap I hosted? Seeee, when I have these things you need to sign up for them! You get good stuff!

Oh... and one quick thing that came to mind with all this talk of scoring. Did you know that when you score a piece of paper you are supposed to fold it towards the bump? I always thought the bump was supposed to be on the outside!! DOH! MAN, does it work better when you do it the right way!

Details (specific to this card):
Stamps: Musicabella, Sentiment (can get info if anyone is interested)
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Old Olive, Positively Pink, Whisper White, Hobby Lobby 12x12 scrapbook paper for DP
Other: Poinsettia Dew Drops (The Robin's Nest), Copic Markers

And I also have to give a little WOOT! out to Dani at Dani Gets Crafty and Jacquie at Javablustamper. They both gave me the Brillante Weblog award seen below this week. You know, I have to be honest, I have seen blogs with oodles of awards and I will admit that I kind of (a) thought they were cheesy and (b) thought they stole them off another blog just to have them (lmao - hey, at least I'm honest!) but it kind of does feel good to be recognized for something! It's good to know I'm not just talking to cyberspace, you know? And yeah, I'll totally be adding an awards section to my sidebar for this baby (hypocrite? what? huh? ;o) )

I'm supposed to pick seven blogs that inspire me, but I have close to 100 blogs in my reader... and they aren't there collecting dust! Sooooo, that said, if I comment on your blog with some regularity, you have inspired me and you are welcome to claim this award as well!

There! I've said my piece!

Enjoy the day,

Blessings for Bee

We had Jack (a.k.a. "bee") baptized on Sunday. Here's a picture of the fam. On the left are Jack's godparents - my Mom's cousin (does that make her my second cousin?) Debbie and her husband Tod, and then Darrin and I are on the right and the babes are in arms. ;o)

It was a hot and sticky day, and our church is having some financial issues so the a/c was cut off. It was soooo sticky in church. They are also having blended services in the summer, so it was half traditional and half contemporary. The baptismal song was Creed's "With Arms Wide Open", and video clips from Mean Girls and RV were shown during the sermon. Yeah. Not sure I'm feelin' all of that, but oh well. Tod had to restrain himself from breaking into song while Creed was playing. It was pretty funny, but you probably had to be there. :o) After the baptism, we went to a local restaurant for brunch and chit chat. We didn't get too many pictures of the baptism because of the heat... and those we did get were taken by a kid who was standing around near us. Yeah - bad idea. Of the five he took, only two turned out. This is the "good" one (you can see how fuzzy it is). Hopefully we can get some copies from Debbie and Tod, or Henry's godparents who were also present. And then we had to stand off to the side for the photos because the beautiful backdrop of the alter was blocked by the big screen they had set up to show the movie clips. *grumble*

Ok, it's late, and I'm rambling aimlessly. I'm off to bed now. This coming weekend is our annual family reunion, so stay tuned for more pics from that. It's being held on the family farm this year for the first time, so it should be interesting!

Showers of Blessings

Here is the third and final bridal shower card that I made last week. This is the one I mentioned being inspired by my (blue and yellow) bathroom. By the time I got to this card, I was seriously drained on shower ideas but it's simple and cute, and that's all that matters (mostly). This is the first time I've used this Stampin' Up! set, and I have to say I'm not entirely sure I love it. It might be in the ebay pile when the time comes. We'll see.

I added some prima's to the center of the envelope in the image. They were white flowers and I colored the edges with a yellow copic. One of my biggest issues with this card is that I somehow ended up with three different yellows - one on the umbrella, one on paper, and one on the flowers. Oh well, the bride to be didn't even look at any of the three cards I made. She had someone in charge of opening the cards, and that girl handed them directly to the person in charge of writing the gift inside them. Nice, eh? Part of me wanted to yell at her when she ripped open (and fully ignored) my Mojo Madness card, but I restrained myself.

Oooo.... Speaking of Mojo Madness, my free stamps came today! Woot! I'll have to tear into them later this week when I have more time to stamp. The house is kind of falling apart around me, so I think that needs to be a priority for a few days... or not. ;o) We'll see how I feel about it tomorrow!

Details:
Stamps: Send a Celebration (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Bliss Blue, Barely Banana, Whisper White, Brocade Blue
Other: SU Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pen, Yellow Copic (on Flower), Primas, Silver and White Brads, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Marvy Scalloped Circle Punch, Paper Piercing

The Fauxtograph

Ok, so Kittie Caracciolo I am not. I will admit that. LOL! But regardless, I still had fun creating this little scene of stacyfishabella by the stream (yes, I know it looks more like a sand trap - SHUSH!). I just did a bella image swap with two of the girls who participated in my recent bella card swap and this is one of the images I chose to receive. I have been debating whether or not to get Stacy for some time, and I think the jury is still out, but she does make a cute little fauxtograph! ;)

Here's a brief tutorial in case you can't figure it out from the picture...

1.) Stamp image on a square piece of paper (this is Whisper White).
2.) Stamp/draw a scene around the picture.
3.) Layer onto a larger square piece of white paper.
4.) Trim all edges with deckle blade scissors.
5.) Add photo corners.

And there you have it... the finished fauxtograph. And yes, I'm totally copywriting that word. ;o) ha ha.

What do you think? Lame? Fun? Cool? Tell me!

Details:
Stamps: Stacyfishabella, Karen Foster Snap Stamps (sentiment), Canvas (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Basic Black, Sky Blue (sponged sky), Brocade Blue (sponged sky)
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip (Photo Corners)
Other: Copic Markers, Zig fine line black marker, Clear Stickles (on sand), tarnished brads

You Take The Cake

Remember this card? Well, here's her sister! We've deduced that these girls are Penny Black images (they were gifted to me - the images, not the stamps!), and according to the PB site, this girl is called Cinnamon. Isn't she just so much fun? I love her! And I love this sentiment for her. You take the cake... literally! I'm not too crazy about the doodling I did on the sides, but it's there. Other than that, I'm in love!

Details:

Stamps: Cinnamon (Penny Black), Clear Acrylic Sentiment from Hobby Lobby
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Cameo Coral, Brocade Blue, Whisper White

Other: Copic Markers, Close to Cocoa SU! Marker, Scalloped Circle Punch (SU), 1 1/2" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Paper Piercer, Dotted Ribbon by The Paper Studio

Henry's New Ride

My Mom bought this Radio Flyer Sport Coupe for Henry for his birthday. I *finally* got it put together yesterday - almost a month later. Yes, I'm in charge of assembly here. He just loves the car. His favorite thing to do is get into the car... and then get out... and then get back in. He's done this for hours both yesterday and today. So far the car hasn't made it out of the house! He kind of gets cranky when I try to push him in it, so for now we're just letting him enjoy the whole enter/exit experience. :)

Congratulations!

Ok, so I know I said I was going to post this yesterday, but I just never got around to it. Sorry! I'm back today though, and I have lots of cards in the queue, so hopefully it will be quite a few days before I hit another dry spell! PLUS, my August 3 Little Dreams kit will be here soon, so I'll have all that fun stuff to show you before you know it as well! Do you own Globetrottabella? If not, you should totally check out the site and seriously consider buying the August Bella kit!

Ok, enough about the bella that's NOT in this card, let's focus on the one that IS! This is Sposabella. Am I the only one on the planet who doesn't get that name? Is it a play on "spouse"? That's the only thing I can think of. At any rate, my good friend Merry was kind enough to send me some images of her, and she was even kinder to stamp them on shimmer paper! SO, the image is on shimmer white, layered on shimmer grey, with a shimmer white base.

LOVE IT!

The ribbon is Stampin' Up!'s grey taffeta... the same grey taffeta that I pulled off that bee card I showed you last, to be exact. lol! Never throw anything away! You never know when you might be able to use it. I colored her with my Copics, and gave her a big ol' purple butt bow. I have no idea what the wedding colors are, I'm just having fun. I also drew in the bouquet ribbons to match.

This is the second card I've made for this bridal shower tomorrow. I'll show you the third (and final) one later. My bathroom was my inspiration for that one. Are you intrigued? lol!

Details:
Stamps: Sposabella, Hobby Lobby clear acrylic sentiments
Ink: Black, Going Grey
Paper: Shimmer White, Shimmer Grey
Other: SU Grey Taffeta Ribbon, Copic Markers, Sticky Pearls, SU White Gel Pen, Doodlebugs Glitter (on roses)

New 'do

I went to Jacinda's Spa and Salon last night and got a new 'do! Highlights, lowlights, and a cut. It's the first time I'd ever been there - in fact, I didn't even know it existed. Apparently it has been there over two years now! Seriously... no idea. It is VERY trendy, but still comfortable. There were some very trendy people there while I was there. I'm talkin' people that surely must have been implants from another city. I just sat there looking at them and wondering where in Oshkosh they could possibly be going/working/living looking like that. It just was not right. LOL! I LOVED my stylist though. Very friendly, easy going, and she had AMAZING attention to detail. If you decide to check the place out, be sure to ask for Sandra and tell her I sent you!

Anyhow, here's a pic of the new cut. I needed it in a big way. I think it's been about six months since I've been in for any kind of cut or color. I had some major rootage going on. Tomorrow we are going to a bridal shower for my cousin's fiance, and then Sunday is Jack's baptism, so it was good timing!

A Little Something

I made this card for my Summer Sister, Lorie, the other day. I got the image from my blogger friend Lorraine, and colored it with my copic markers. I wish you could see the shading on the wings. That's my favorite part. I originally positioned the image so that I could add ribbon at the top, but once the ribbon was there I didn't care for it (should have been narrower), so I pulled it off before mailing it.

The only downside to that is that then the picture was off center... but I didn't want to raise it because then the sentiment would have been floating aimlessly at the bottom of the card. Argh. Sometimes you just can't win! My pictures aren't so hot of this card, but I did some edge distressing to the purple layer with my Heidi Swapp Distresser.

My apologies for the late post. We had an electrical storm yesterday, and dh thinks we took a lightning hit. Our modem was fried (literally - black and smokey, etc.) because it was the one thing in the house that wasn't on a surge suppressor. Go figure. Anywho, we were without internet AND telephone (we have cable phone) for about 24 hours. It's amazing what gets done around the house when your internet is out though! LOL! We're all back to normal now though. Look for a new bella tomorrow. It'll either be the last of my three design team application cards, or one of the three bridal shower cards I made this week!

Details:
Stamps: So Many Sayings (Stampin Up!), Bunny stamp by Stampabilities
Ink: Staz On Black, Going Grey (sentiment)
Paper: So Saffron, Eggplant Envy, Grey (off brand), Whisper White
Other: Copic Markers, Stickles (on wings), Heidi Swapp distresser, Grey taffeta ribbon (SU), 1 3/8" Square Punch (SU!)

A Day at the Zoo

Well, we made it to the zoo! We were intending to go to the NEW Zoo in Green Bay, but were still waffling on it until 11pm Saturday night. Then we heard they might have some showers up there, so Sunday morning we opted to go South instead and headed for the Milwaukee Zoo (one of my top five all time favorite places to be) instead. Jack started to cry about 20 minutes into the (1 hr 45 min) trip, so we almost gave up. Thankfully his Grandma is expert in baby calming though, so we were able to get all the way there without having to stop for anything.

Henry just loved it. The Dairy Farm area was his favorite - I think because you could get closer to the animals. You could even go right in with the goats (of course we have no pictures of that - *sigh*). And the cows were HUGE. Seriously, some of the biggest cows I've ever seen in my entire life. They were MASSIVE.

Here's a Smilebox from the day:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

You're Fabulous

This is another one of the three cards I submitted for my 3 Little Dreams design team application. I got this image from the image swap I did awhile back, and paired her with Stampin' Up!'s Baroque Motifs. I told you the other day that I've been loving that set, and I wasn't kidding! The sentiment is from Verve Stamps Uplifting Phrases set. The set is sooo versatile, and a STEAL for only $6! I originally bought it because so many of the sentiments in it would work with my Rockabella and Musicabella stamps, but obviously they work with so much more as well!

And speaking of Verve Stamps!! Do you remember the card I made last week for Julee's Monday Mojo contest? Well, check this out! I WON! I get to choose any Verve Stamps set and I get it for FREE! Woot! I deliberated for an entire day, and then decided to go with my first love... Feeling Groovy. I just love the 80's song lyrics as sentiments! It was so hard to choose though. In fact, I almost emailed her back claiming winners remorse to choose something else. LOL!

Do you want to know what's really exciting? I've entered a total of three contests with my cards so far, and I've won ALL OF THEM! I know! I'm just as amazed as you are! My Bee Free card won me a bella in Kimmie's bling contest, and my Happy Haunting card won me a level 1 SU hostess set last fall! This is huge for me because I've been working diligently on improving my cards and it's so nice to see that it is paying off... literally. I mean, if you only knew the likes of where I've come from you'd be amazed too (if you are one of the four people who commented on that horrific card back in the day - especially Jami - God bless you.). I should note that the last two comments are snarky because I posted it on a "worst of the worst" thread that was running awhile ago. But hey, we all have to start somewhere, right?!

Anyhow, enough of that! Enjoy your day, and don't forget to post a comment. I love to read them!

Details:

Stamps: Winobella, Baroque Motifs (Stampin' Up!), Uplifting Phrases (Verve Stamps)

Ink: Basic Black, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy, More Mustard, Basic Grey DP

Other: Sticky Pearls, copic markers, sponging

Sassy Olivia

Is this not the cutest owl EVER? I just love her. Her name is Olivia, and she is from Sweet n' Sassy Stamps. I think there are three sets over there that include her, and I want them ALL, but in the mean time I'm having fun playing with these two images. I made this card for one of my Stampin' girlfriends who is expecting her second child next February. She and I have been discussing a "twisted" swap for some time, but have yet to act on those discussions, so I knew she'd appreciate this! Here's the inside:

I used some cranberry colored dew drops on the tree to simulate apples. Of course anyone who has ever had an apple tree knows there are always a few on the ground too, so I added two down there as well. :) I hope you like it!!

Details:
Stamps: Olivia (Sweet n' Sassy), Tree (?? - I can check if you really want to know)
Ink: Basic Black, Garden Green (sponging inside)
Paper: Whisper white, Pretty in Pink, Garden Green
Other: Dew Drops, Crystal Effects (on the owl eyes), Sakura black gelly roll pen (handwritten sentiment), Copic markers, tarnished brads

I'm So Lucky

There's a little history behind this card that I need to share with you. First, I saw a super cute patriotic house mouse card on my blogger friend Lorraine's blog here. I love me some House Mouse stamps, but I don't have that particular one, so I asked if she would consider swapping some HM images so I could get my inky fingers on it... she said yes (how cool is that?)! The images came, and that very same day another blogger friend, Holly, posted a card on her blog here where she used Copics on her House Mouse image.

Wait... what? Copics on a House Mouse? I was ALL over that! I love those little critters, but they take for-bloody-ever to color properly with prismacolors, so they don't see much ink.

Here is my second attempt at the images that were sent to me (the first attempt - with a different stamp - is en route to its recipient, so I can't post it yet!). I just love the way this turned out! That Baroque Motifs set is coming in so handy these days. I just used it with Winobella too for a super cute card that I'll show you soon.

The sentiment is actually one stamp, but I inked it in two steps with my black Stampin' Write marker so I could have half outside and half inside (dots are hand drawn). I kind of wish the font was a little more scripty, but oh well. After seeing my uploaded picture I also have realized I need to add some purple flowers to the vine inside my card as well.

What do you think of that cute little mouse? Aren't the colors sooo vibrant? I love it! I colored the sky with Robin's Egg Blue, and then pulled some of the color off in spots with my Colorless Blender. All in all, I don't think it's too shabby for a first (well, technically second) attempt! Big thanks to Lorraine for the enabling and Holly for the images.

Oh - and speaking of Holly - while you're on her blog, click the "Chesney's Images" label on the left. Those cards are all made with pictures that her INCREDIBLY talented daughter DREW. I kid you not. It's amazing. The one at the bottom of this post is my favorite so far (lol!)!

Last, but not least, check out Maria's blog candy!

Details:
Stamps: Oh Lucky Day (Stampabilities), Sentiment (Stampa Rosa), Baroque Motifs (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: StazOn Black, Garden Green, Orchid Opulence (both were stamped off on a separate piece of paper first)
Paper: Whisper White, Garden Green, Orchid Opulence
Other: Black Stampin' Write marker, Copic Markers, Paper Piercing

Love That Smile!

Here is one of the three cards I made for my design team application. It's also one of the two cards I made for my recent Bella swap on SCS (kinda makes ya wish you'd signed up, doesn't it? lol!). I just love this card! It was inspired a creation Lauren Meader made for her Mom with about a dozen bella's punched out like this. Unfortunately, I can't find the link to that card on her blog at the moment so, you'll have to take my word for it!

I thought those big toothy grins went perfectly with this sentiment! What do you think?

Details:
Stamps: Bookwormabella, weightwatcherabella, rockabella, sentiment by Stampendous (#M109 - "Bright Smile" dated 2001)

Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black
Paper: Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Other: Hobby Lobby dotted ribbon, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Copic Markers

Rock On - SHAZAM!

Ok, check this out. I have Photoshop Elements. Why, you ask? Because all of my friends do. Duh. ;o) That would be my online toddler mom friends, in case you're living in Wisconsin and thinking, "nuh-uh." tee hee. Anyhow, back to the point. Despite having and loving my PSE, I really haven't the foggiest idea how to use it to its fullest potential. Well, thank the good Lord for the internet! Tonight I learned this little "shaZAM" technique (lol - that name cracks me up!).
This is the before picture - straight out of camera, with PSE's "Auto Smart Fix" color enhancement...


And here's the shaZAM!


Cool, no?! What a difference!

Ok, I suppose now you want to know how to do it too! Well, head over to this blog post for all the deets. And I highly recommend browsing her blog - it looks like there is a TON of info on there for us beginners! I also have to give a shout out to Susanna Boyd over at Card of the Week, which is where I initially saw the blog link.

And finally, a word to "Uncle" Chris... this pic's totally for you. Do you not love the shirt? I totally thought of you when I bought it for him. If I can get a better pic of the words (Rock On), I'll send a copy for the fridge. ;)

She's All That

Here is my entry for Julee Tilman's Mojo Madness Contest. Julee is the owner of Verve Stamps (one of my favorite new companies), and the prize for this contest is the winner's choice of ANY Verve stamp set. HELLO! You can bet your booty I'm in on that gig! ;o)

I stayed pretty true to form with my interpretation of the sketch (you can see the original sketch by clicking Julee's name above). The only changes I made were to shift the sentiment to the right, rather than center it, and the three embellishment dots were moved up to the top of the image in the form of pearls on her flowers.

Funny (sort of) story about this card. I recently had to place a HUGE Stampin' Up! order to remain active as a demo. I haven't been doing any workshops lately, so it's totally my own fault. I decided to buy the things I wanted, and then round out the order with sets I thought would sell well on ebay after they retired. This was supposed to be one of those sets. Unfortunately though, I opened my box and FELL IN LOVE! I had to keep these all for myself. :)

We have a bridal shower to go to next weekend, and I've been "commissioned" to make cards for my Mom and Grandma to give, as well as the one I want to give myself, so this will be one of the three. Can I just say I love this card? LOVE IT. Like, to the point where I don't want to give it away EVER. LOL!

I love getting blog comments, so tell me what you think!

Details:
Stamps: She's All That (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Versamark, Basic Black
Paper: Pretty In Pink, Whisper White, Basic Black
Other: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, SU Narrow Black Organdy Ribbon, Corner Rounder Punch (for scalloped edge), Sticky Pearls, Black Embossing Powder

Can I get a WOOT?!

Remember how I said I was working on stuff a month or so ago, but that I couldn't share it at the time? WELL. Let me tell you! What I was working on was a group of cards and an altered item for a Design Team application.

Did you notice that little button on the right side of your screen? That one that says I am a Design Team Member?? {insert WOOT here!}

The company is called 3 Little Dreams. Take a moment to browse the website, and feel free to linger on the DT page near my photo. LOL. ;o)

I have clearance now to show you the fun cards I made (ALL bella's!) for the application, but you're going to have to wait because first I want to show you another contest entry using my new She's All That set from Stampin' Up! I have it scheduled to post just after midnight, so stay tuned!

How Sweet It Is

When My Favorite Things first came onto the stamping scene, I have to admit I was a little creeped out by the headless images. I got two images of this stamp from the How Sweet It Is set in that image swap I participated, and I really enjoyed making this card. I've also come to love MFT and their headless beauties. I think their new Bunny Slippers set is AWESOME. I just love it. Someday it will be mine, and knowing me it won't come home alone!

So what do you think of this card? I loved it all the way up to the point where I tried to figure out what to do with that big green background. I should have stopped before trying the quilting effect (though I think that would be super cute on a baby card!). I dunno - maybe it works. What do you think? My original intent was to send this to my not-so-secret-stampin'-sister, but I think I can do better for her.

Details:
Stamps: How Sweet It Is (My Favorite Things), Stipple Plaid (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Garden Green, Positively Pink, Hobby Lobby DP
Ink: Black, Garden Green
Other: Black Brads, Brown stitched ribbon, copic markers, stampin' dimensionals

Before I let you go for the day, be sure to head over to Sweet n' Sassy Stamps. Korin (the owner) is doing a fundraiser through her site to help the family of her neice, Janessa. It's an easy way to do something nice for someone while still getting fun stuff in return. Order yourself Olivia the Owl (among other things, of course), and I'll show you a fun (yet slightly twisted ;o) ) way to use her in a few days. hee hee. Stay tuned! She also has a super cute Knight in Shining Armor set for any of you with little boys (at heart or in age ;o) )!

We're Having a Heatwave

...a tropical heatwave.... Sorry, I was stuck on a Bing Crosby kick for a minute there. ;o)

Yeah. It has been hot. Or "hot like Africa" as my friend Pam and I like to say. lol. I'm sure to all the CA and TX girls reading this, we probably sound like wimps but whatever! If I'm sweating, it's too hot for me. That's my litmus.

Life is pretty tame these days. We went to the fourth of July parade last Friday. It runs right down the street at the end of our block, so it's nice and handy to just walk down. It was hot though, and we were late, so we ended up right in the sun. We ended up leaving early, but still managed to see quite a bit.

Here's a picture of Mom and Henry at the parade. We stood near a photographer from our local newspaper, and she snapped a picture of Henry as well.... and it ended up being on the front page of the paper the next day! Papa was so proud! We bought three copies. :o)




And, "how hot is it?" you say? Well, here's a clue:



LOL! It's nekkid baby hot! ;o) Isn't that the cutest picture? He really is wearing a diaper under there, but it sure looks like he's nekkid. And look at those rolls! Makes you want to pinch him, doesn't it?

Not too much else to report on the family front these days. I think we might try to go visit the zoo this weekend (the big zoo in GB, not the little zoo at the park that we go to EVERY day), and then Monday Darrin's Aunt and cousin are stopping for a visit on their way from IL to MN. I'll have more pictures soon!
Hugs,
Sarah

Ginger Rogers

Ok, can anyone tell me what company this image is from? I have no idea. (Edited to add: Thanks to Ramsey, I now know this is a Penny Black image! Woot! Thanks Ramsey!) I hosted a bella swap recently on SCS, and one of the swappers included a few images as a hostess gift for me. I posted on that thread, asking what company they were by, but never did get a response. I think she is super cute though, don't you!? And she goes perfectly with my Ginger Rogers stamp. I think that sentiment is one of the first stamps I ever bought back in 2001 when I started stamping... and this is the first card I've ever used it on! I *love* me some Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire though - I had to have it. I even have some of their old movie posters framed and hanging in my upstairs hallway!

I had no idea what kind of ink this image was stamped in, and being that there was only one image, I didn't want to run the risk of ruining it with my copics if the color bled, so I used my Prismacolors and Gamsol on her for the most part. Her dress, hair, and seat cushion are prismacolors, her skin is copic (Skin White), and so are the shadows, but I was very careful to not go over any black lines with my marker. Not as easy as it sounds! The legs of the stool and her earrings are Sakura gelly roll pens (silver and gold respectively). I also used SU's white gel pen to make the dots on the black paper, and a little pink SU chalk on her cheeks (the devil is in the details, right?!).

Recipe:
Stamps: Inkadinkado sentiment, Evening Glow by Penny Black
Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red (sponged edges)
Other: Sakura gelly roll pen (silver and gold), SU White gel pen, RibbonFX dotted ribbon, black brads, Prismacolors, Gamsol, Copic Markers

In other news, have y'all heard of High Hopes Rubber Stamps? They have some of the cutest images (and you know me, I'm all about the cute!). I just fell in love with them when Lorie used their giraffe stamp for this card that she submitted for my kid-cards swap a few months ago. Anyhow, they recently released some new stamps and you can win a set of them via blog candy here!

There's also AWESOME Hanglar & Stanglar blog candy available on Maya's blog, here!

I Like Your Style

Here is my second swapped image of Riley. I love how easy it is to make a card geared toward either a male (like this one) or a female (like yesterday's post) with him. Wouldn't you know I just went back to get the link to the Riley stamps and ended up placing an order while I was there? Argh. What's that you say? Willpower? Yeah... none. Soooo, Baking Riley, Carrying Tree Riley, Football Riley, and Pumpkin Patch Riley are all on their way! There are more that I want, but I thought I'd better pace myself.

Now, back to the card at hand! Riley is colored with my Copics, and I added some stickles to his drink this time for a little sparkle. The dots are just punched circles from my 1/4" hole punch. The sentiment is from a clear vinyl set I picked up at Hobby Lobby when they were half off a few weeks ago.

Recipe:
Stamps: Hammock Riley (Hanna Stamps), Hobby Lobby sentiment

Ink: Night of Navy (sentiment), Black
Paper: White, Pumpkin Pie, Night of Navy, Ruby Red, Summer Sun, Hobby Lobby DP

Other: 1/4" circle punch, copic markers, stickles

The Life of Riley

Have you met Riley? Isn't he just the cutest moose ever?! He is by Hanna Stamps, and there are FIVE PAGES of images of Riley doing this, that, and the other thing! I had no idea there were so many moosetacular options. I'll definitely be adding some of them to my ever-growing wishlist. I received two Riley images in an image swap a month or so ago, and I made cards with both of them today. I'll show you the other one tomorrow. ;o)

For the background on this card, I took a watery looking paper and cut along one of the waves, then layered a fun tropical print over the top in the other direction. The tropical print edge is cut with a pair of decorative scissors in a semi-scallop pattern. I also scribbled some Stickles back and forth across the sand to give it a grainy look. You can see a little bit of it in the picture. I think I did pretty well on the coloring this time too. I'm still learning how to best use my Copics, but it's coming - slow, but sure!

Wouldn't you love to be swinging on that hammock? *sigh* :o)

Recipe:
Stamps: Hammock Riley (Hanna Stamps)
Ink: Black (unknown brand since it came in the swap)
Paper: Whisper White, Positively Pink, Hobby Lobby bg paper, Soft Sky base
Other: Hobby Lobby wide stitched organdy ribbon, Copic markers, Stickles

Sawdust Days

We took Henry to Sawdust Days yesterday. For those who aren't familiar, Sawdust Days is a huge carnival held in town over the fourth of July holiday every year. It's at the park about two blocks from home (which is also where they shoot the fireworks off on the 4th). We walked around and stopped so Henry could play the ducky game. Who doesn't love to pick a duck!? I remember doing it myself as a kid!

We'll be back there today to walk through the flea market. We never find anything, but for some reason always feel compelled to go. I guess it's tradition (insert Deb giving her best Tevye impersonation here ;o) LOL!).

What do you think of my new blog? I made that banner up there myself (not bad for a first try, eh?) but the more I look at it, the more I want to change it, so don't be surprised if you come back and see something different!

Enjoy the fourth!
Sarah