RAK's & Regrets

First, the RAK's. I received this lovely card from my toddler mom friend Val (SCS: kittygalval) the other day. Isn't it beautiful? I love how she made the frame with the negative image of the scallop punch, and then added the ribbon to one corner. I'm storing that idea away for future use. ;)

And this one came last week from my friend Lesley (SCS: Hoosierstamper). She was just swingin' by to say that she LOVES the Copic markers I helped talk her into buying. Hee heeeeeee. Look at the shading on the tree! I'd say she's doing great with her new toys!


Speaking of Copic's, I'm going to post another post after this one about them. I've gotten a few questions from people about the ones I like best, and I thought I'd just post my reply here rather than via email in case it might help anyone else who is looking for information. Then I'll also have my Wednesday Weigh-in post tomorrow morning, so it's a busy day on the Scrampin' Mama blog! I am not a big fan of multiple posts per day on a blog, but I'm trying to get the info out, and am giving everything it's own post to try to keep some order and organization under my labels. I know, that probably means nothing to 99.9% of you, but I'm weird that way.

Now for the regrets.... Here's the thing. I have a bazillion blogs in my reader, and I love to leave comments for people when a card, or a technique, or a story strikes my fancy. I also visit the blog of everyone who leaves a comment on my own, and usually end up commenting on one or two things while I'm there (and, most likely, adding it to my reader as well - lol!). I have gotten so far behind on all of this though, that I don't see how I'll ever catch up. I'm over 200 posts behind (all of which I would like to comment on), and I don't see any time in the forseeable future where I can make that up. SO, my regret is that I'm going to have to zip through all of these without leaving comments and start from scratch tomorrow and hope I can stay on top of everything. I love to give comments as much as I enjoy receiving them, so don't give up on me! If I normally visit/comment on your blog, know that I'm still reading and following you, and will get back to my commenting asap! Thanks so much for understanding.

Stay tuned for that copic post...

Simply Heartfelt

I found out a few months ago that the husband of a girl I went to (grade/middle/high) school with was in a terrible accident at work (he worked construction). I don't even know all of the details, but it was something awful where he had fallen into a hole and was buried alive(!!!). Believe it or not, he lived (thank God!), but he suffered quite a bit of damage to his body, and I believe also some neurological damage as a result. Although we talked occasionally, I was never really close to this girl... but this situation has weighed on my mind this whole time, and I finally decided I was going to make a card and send it off to her to let her know I'm praying for them, and see if there is anything else I can do to help. It just amazes me how your life can change in the blink of an eye, and it certainly makes me grateful for all that I have with my dh and my boys.

The card is just a simple little card, made with Stampin' Up!'s Heartfelt Thanks set. This is one of my favorite sets of all time. I'll never part with it! I made a card similar to this at a stamp camp years ago (probably what made me buy it in the first place, come to think of it). The little bit of green cardstock you see on the front is stamped with SU's Canvas background stamp. The ribbon is a wide purple organdy and SU's copper cord (retired).

I also want to share two more Christmas cards I received since the day I put that collage together. This lovely card is from my friend Deb Felts. She and I serve together on the design team for both Sweet n' Sassy Stamps and i {heart} papers.

And this is an awesome z-fold card I got from one of the toddler moms I chat with (SCS: Tiny Bubbles). Isn't that just the sweetest sentiment/image? I love it.

Enjoy the day!

Beautiful Butterfly

We had our friends Adam and Oksana (SCS: Osaki) over Sunday night for supper (ordered in, mind you!), and they brought this super cute card with them. Isn't it awesome? I grilled her for the details when I opened it, and she said she inked the bg stamp with (I believe) Certainly Celery, then wiped the ink off of the flowers and butterflies with a paper towel and re-colored them with her markers. The butterfly is a sticker.

Once more, you'll have to excuse the photo. I took this at the same time as yesterday's picture - in direct (read: too much) sunlight. The good news though is that my OTT-lite arrived yesterday (!!) so as soon as I get it set up, I'll be good to go for picture lighting! And, my Copics are on their way too. I think they should be here today, or tomorrow at the latest. Woot!

Enjoy the day, and while you're at it, check out the blog candy over at Going Buggy and Pink Piggy!

More Birthday Cards

Sunday was my 32nd birthday. Seriously, how is that possible? Is it just me, or does it seem like we just graduated high school yesterday to everyone? It's amazing how fast the years fly by.

Yesterday the mailman brought me more happy mail, so I wanted to share. First we have this super cute "Happy Bird-day" card from my friend Merry (SCS: Merrymoo2). I am on a major bold brights kick lately, so the colors are perfect, and I *LOVE* that DP. The base of the card and of the main image is SU shimmer paper. Very nice!




And here we have a card from my slightly more twisted (in a totally good way!) friend Noelle (SCS: Jocelyn1224). Isn't that sentiment hilarious? I was literally ROFL when I opened it. (Edited to add: I later found out the sentiment is from the Twisted Sentiments set by My Favorite Things. I love it!) The leafy paper has a velvet-y texture too it, and the gifts/pants on the bella are all paper pieced with DP. It's gorgeous! She really outdid herself with this one!

Thanks for thinking of me girls! I appreciate it!

Tinkerbella Birthday Wishes

Isn't this a super cute card? My friend Lorie stuck it in with the swaps she sent me - such a nice surprise! She also sent me a stamp of a little boy that I can't wait to put to good use! I love all of the sparkly glitter on this card. In case you haven't noticed, I am severely addicted to glitter and/or ribbon, so it is perfect for me. I also love the rhinestone on the magic wand (another great idea that probably would have never come to me. Go figure). And the kicker of it all, is that I actually have this stamp. I've had it for over a year now, and have never used it once. Thanks for the inspiration, Lorie!

Cheers to You

Looky what the mailman surprised me with yesterday! This beautiful BRAK (Birthday Random Act of Kindness) is from SCS'r SilentRN (for those who are curious, the big day is May 18th). I just love the look of the partial Cuttlebug technique (find more samples of the technique in Heart Prints Cuttlebug Gallery), and totally need to get me some of those fire and ice brads on my next order! I wonder if Terri has any idea how much she is enabling me?

The picture doesn't really do the card justice at all. There are six layers total, including the base. Five of the layers are held together with the brad. Every piece of paper is embossed with either the Cuttlebug or what I assume must be the Scor-Pal. The cranberry colored square is also lifted off the paper with dimensionals.

This is just what I needed at the end of that crazy day!

Bella's on Parade!

Who doesn't love these sweet Bella images?! I just had a few pass over my stamping desk and had to share them with you! For those who haven't been blessed by the Bella bug yet, she is available online through http://www.stampingbella.com/ (which reminds me, that really should be linked in my Websites Worth Visiting!).... and there are dozens of images to choose from. My personal favorite is Rockabella, but I just noticed the new Witchybella and may just have to place another order soon!

Oh - and just in case any of you reading are like me and sometimes neglect to read the fine print, the stamps come unmounted. Be sure to purchase some acrylic blocks on the site to go with them if you don't have any at home already!

Here are some samples...

This Craveabella card I received from my friend Lesley in Indiana (SCS: Hoosierstamper), as a pregnancy congrats card. I LOVE the ribbon (which she tells me is from last years SU winter mini), and the image itself couldn't be more perfect. I'm all about the ice cream these days! :)

This Cosmobella card is from Lorie in Washington (SCS: Momtokjs) as a thank you/congrats for participating in and winning the contest for her Halloween swap. What a fun surprise to get along with all the other goodies!

I made this Rockabella card myself for the secret sister I had in the Spring round on SCS. I coated her pants with glue and navy blue glitter for a fun effect and used SU's "Jazz" wheel for the background. The little charm reads "Glamour Girl".

And finally, this Pregabella card! I also made this one, for a mom-to-be at a baby shower this past weekend. I was going to make a bunch of them to send out to family and friends announcing the pregnancy, but didn't (1) because I lazed out and (2) because I was afraid people would get it and think I was expecting a gift or card or something in return (which sooo wasn't the case).