love, ink

International Lost Inker........

2011-09-08T08:45:00.001-04:00

Welcome!
Apologies are in order...... I cannot find this month's kit hosted by Imke.
I looked under all my piles of papers and stacks of books. Looked through my scraps of card stocks and such. I could not find her kit anywhere.

It's here... hiding somewhere.
My excuse is that we have been extremely busy, and the house right now is in total dissarray.

BUT! I DO have something for you today... that's something, right?

I have the kit that I was unable to post a couple of rounds ago...... and here it is!!

I colored the image with Copics.. a skill I still haven't mastered, but I think i'm getting better.... I have considered giving up on them altogether, simply due to thier cost! But i still have them.... it's hard to let things go eh?

I made a 5x5 square card on a white base. Two things I have been obsessed with of late... larger than A2 sizes, and white bases. I get a great price on a pack of 100lb white stock that is great for card bases and so the penny pincher in me has gravitated to it everytime. It also saves me from putting a layer of white on the inside for writing too.....

A few of the lovely embellishments from the kit, buttons, ribbon, dew drops and felt flowers... VOILA!

I really enjoyed this kit.. it was easy to put together and quick to color... just don't mind her socks..... I realized they were probably socks after I had already colored them in as skin... oopsie?! LOL

Now hop on over to the rest of the girls' blogs and have a gander at this month's ACTUAL kit!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~karen

Michelle

Catherine

Imke

Tanja (having issues with Blogger so you may not be able to see her card)

Paola

Friday Blog Winner!

2011-08-05T18:11:00.004-04:00

At least I'm on time to pick a winner winner chicken dinner!
The randomly selected winner is......

Lauren's Glitzy Bits!

Thanks for stopping by the blog hop!
Send me an email with your address and I'll pop your prize in the mail!

Thanks again!

International Inkers......

2011-08-01T14:51:00.007-04:00

Hi all! Thank you all for being soooo patient, and stopping by for my post, this round of the International Inkers.

A long weekend here, and we packed up our car as soon as the quittin' bell rang, and we had ourselves a lovely weekend away.

Now that I'm back, I'm ready to post & so sorry for the latest of it. Hopefully you all had a wonderful weekend, and enjoy the card I've made with Paola's kit!

So.. what's in the kit?

Stamps:

Are we there yet? (SU!)

The Journey (Tim Holtz)

Clear stamp (from Sandylion)

Accessories:

Ribbons, assorted mix; twine, mini clip, extra large red button, wood tag (by chatterbox), and a leatherette tag (by Jolee's boutique).

Assortment of PP:

K& Company, My Mind's Eye, Basic Grey - and a map page.

Now.. TADA!

I opted for a simple layout, colored the image with my copics, and then on the inside layered the lovely sentiment that came in my kit....

Again, I am so terribly sorry for the late post. It's what happens when you're getting rushed out the door!

For your patience, I will offer up a little extra prize. I'll choose a random post on Friday & that winner will get a little surprise in the mail!

Thanks again for stopping by! And just in case you haven't stopped by the other Inker's yet... here's where to go!

To make up for my late post, I'm going to add a little extra prize!!

Only a TAD?! Late........

2011-04-25T18:42:00.009-04:00

My absolute humble apologies for SUCH a late post!
Would you belive that I have actually had this card done for weeks??????

I have no other excuse than it being rather busy week and it just slipped right through the cracks, even though I was totally ready, AND reminded aswell.

I am so sorry, and I sincerely hope that you think my little contribution to the 2nd in the international inkers series was worth a tiny wait.
So without further hesitation, here is this editions kit!

Hailing from the USA, Catherine has supplied us with an adorable kit. So adorable in fact, that I literally ripped the package open & whipped up my card the very next day.

What's in the kit?
- K & Company Urban Rhapsody pattern papers.
- May Arts Web ribbon in turquoise and cream
- Chipboard swirls
- blue buttons
- SU! Hodgepodge Hardware (in pewter) which she altered with Adirondack metalic Mixatives (in copper)
- The image is "Bashful from Sugar nellie, designed by Diane Duda

Here is the finished card. I decided get some good square footage from the papers and such, so I opted for a 5 1/2 x 5 1/2" square, and the easel card fold. The papers were so fun to work with, as everything went together so well. The embellishments were altered so perfectly!!

In order to match the embellishments, I decided to do a little altering myself. I used the chipboard swirl and broke out my very neglected Copper Metallic ink pad and went to town covering the entire piece. I immediately sprinkled clear embossing powder over top and set it with my heat tool It looks fantastic and very similar to metal.

Thank you so much for stopping by, and I'm sure you have already been.. but if you haven't... make sure you visit the other inkers!

Michelle (USA)
Catherine (USA)
Paola (CANADA)
Tanja (GERMANY)
Imke (GERMANY)

International Inkers Debut!!

2011-03-13T18:43:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm a tad late on my posting, (we've been busy painting all weekened), but here it is!!

Welcome to the first posting from a little group we're calling INTERNATIONAL INKERS! I was invited by a few of my very talented stamping friends from accross the border and overseas to join short little monthly kit share.

Each month we are sending identical kits to each inker. There are 6 of us. 2 each from Canada, the US, and Germany! How fun is that??! Once each of us recieves the kit, we will create a project and post it on our blogs! As an added bit of fun, you can leave a comment on each of our blogs and one lucky poster will recieve the identical kit! (drawn randomly).

So.. this month, the very talented Michelle, sent us adorable little robots with a smattering of pretty papers, embellies and some bling. .. I would have posted a pic of the kit itself, but I can't load it for some reason.. but you can have a peek at the kit on Michelle's Blog

Well, there it is! My meager contribution to this talented group! I loved the adorable animals in the kit, and what wonderful companions they make! I colored them with my copics in Cool Grey #3 and #5. I thought it appropriate to cut out the layers for the dog and cat a bit crooked, just for the fun aspect of the images. They screamed for something abstract! I also settled on using the paper with the foiled design on it because robots make me think of metallic things! I popped them up on dots just to have them pop off the card a bit. I cut out the BEST FRIENDS sentiment from a sheet of the papers that were included, and i think the purrrrr-fect sentiment for the inside would be ..... "cuz opposites attract"..... what do you think?

Thanks for stopping by! Now off you go to check out the other (much more) talented Inkers from around the globe! Imke (Germany) will be posting starting next kit, but head on over to........

Paola - CANADA

Catherine - USA

Tanja - GERMANY

Michelle - USA

First Post of the YEAR!

2011-01-16T12:02:00.003-05:00

WOW! It's been since October since I posted?! Geez where has the time gone?!

Well, we've been moving, guess that's the main reason why!

I havent' even touched a stamp since we moved in.

Living at the In-laws for a month, and then moving in to our new place on the 10th, and then hosting Christmas Dinner at our place too! It has been busy!! It's like every weekend we're doing something! This is the first weekend we've had a chance to just relax.. and well, we're not really relaxed either! Yesterday i was at RONA, and today, I might go back and pick up some paint to slather around.

Or.. the other option would be to organize the stamping space ~ but I'm having such a hard time deciding how to organize it all!

So.... I thought I'd start by posting a couple of pics. Please excuse the mess! and GET READY for.... OUR RETRO KITCHEN!

When you come up about 5 small steps from the front door, you will turn to your right, and this is the view into our VERY '70s kitchen. Right now, there are open boxes half empty, I have a fold out table that is doubling as a storage bench at the moment, and yes, recycling and bags everywhere. The kitchen, believe it or not, is so incredibly non-functional, it turns me off of cooking completely. It LOOKS like there's alot of space, and there IS.... but its not "Cooking" space. You could do yoga int here...... but entertain a party of 12? Well, doable... but difficult!! I'm still hoping for that winning lotto ticket so that I can demolish it and put in a new one!

The view from the other side. In this photo you can see the fold out table that is currently housing things that don't fit in my cabinets. Which of course, is alot since there is a major lack of cabinet space. See that dishwasher? yeah.. it doesn't work.

AND AHEM... in both photos, you probably have noticed those bulbous, tulip ceiling lamps... yes, they are JUST as hideous IRL, as they are in the photo. I sent my mother these photos and she told me she could not stop laughing at them. I mean, they really are hilarious!!

Well, there's a couple shots of the house.... I swear the rest of it is not as bad! But my mother did say I need to take some "BEFORE" and "AFTER" photos.... a mother does know her scrapbooker daughter eh? LOL

Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Doggies on Bloggies!

2010-10-31T10:26:00.006-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEEEEEEN!!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by! Are you getting ready to greet all the ghosts and goblins tonight?!
I remember as a kid, I had a cabbage patch doll. Actually, I had a "knock off" cabby & it was a short haired boy. I wanted a girl doll so bad, I used to pretend she was a girl with short hair. I dressed "her" up in dresses & girly clothes. Each halloween, I sat her on the window sill before I went out trick or treating & dressed her as The Paper Bag Princess. I guess, that's a good indication of my future paper crafting fetish!

Now, I have a living breathing little dog, which, funny enough, isn't much bigger than my knock off cabbage patch doll, to torture on Halloween.

I got Rockstar a little Halloween outfit, which is really difficult to take pictures of because its mainly black with glittery spider web designs all over. I got matching booties, which he just wants to chew! We had them on for a few short seconds and just after I clicked the above photo, I saw through my camera lens one orange bootie flying at my lens! I wish I caught that moment because it had Mike & I in stitches!

It wasn't long before he abandoned both booties.........

Oh, there was originally 4 booties, but he already ate one...

You can kind of make out the sparkles in this photo. He sat and posed for us!!

He may look a little sad here, but he doesn't actually mind wearing a little jacket. He's a pretty small pup, and its getting quite darn chilly out in Toronto so we'll keep this on him tonight =)

And finally, Rockstar's famous pose, with the one paw up ~ ready to shake your hand for a treat!

Thanks for stopping by today! And head on over to the other Doggies on Bloggies blogs for some more halloween fun!!

LORIE
KELLY
CATHERINE

HAPPY HALLOWEEN & KIDDIES, STAY SAFE!

XOXO
Karen & Rockstar wwwwroooooooofffffffff!

Cherry Cherry Yum Yum!!

2010-09-19T15:50:00.006-04:00

Happy Sunday ya'll!

A joined a swap hosted by one of the girls from my SCS Souther Ontario group. We try and get together once a month for dinner, and what's sometimes ended up to be some pretty obscene chatter. Well.. _ I _ am present, so that's really not much of a surprise... right girls? LOL

Krissie started a food themed swap and since I didn't have any food themed stamps, I decided not to join. But seeing as its Sunday and football season - I pretty much am confined to my stamping room, unless I want to watch a bunch of big men in shiny tights touch each other's bums. Okay, i don't hate football THAT much.... lol, but I would rather be stamping!

So... I was rifling through my stuff and came accross a shapabilites that I had purchased a while ago. So I immediately thought of Krissie's swap and since we're meeting up on the 27th for dinner, I had time to join!

I have been hoarding this DSP from SU! for quite some time, and if you follow my blog, you may realize that I have a hoarding problem with papers and images =) But when something comes together so easily, i'm happy to slice it all up!

The layout I CASED from a card I had seen. If I remember correctly, it is from the site I purchased the shapabilties from. Ask me now what site that was?! No IDEA!

I also barely stamped a THING on this card. The cherry shapabilities are a great focal point, and I was stuck for a sentiment anyways. So I used a stamp from a CTMH set I had. It says Happy at the top and there are checkboxes for "day" "anniversary" "birthday" "holiday" and "go lucky". I think this card would be great for Happy Day!

It got me thinking about how obssessive I can get over stamping supplies. Do you ever find that some days, you seem to be more addicted to BUYING stamps than actually putting ink to paper? I do! I have several stamps and sets that I have never even used.......! (doesn't help that I watched Confessions of a Shopaholic for the 3rd or 4th time last night)

I have been ooohing and ahhing over the Cricut, Silouhette, electric Big shot, the Spellbinders presto punch, the Xyron Creatopia.. all these wonderful things that can do so much! I wish, I drool, and then I check my pocketbook!

So, I thought about the tools I have, that I LOVE and wouldn't want to stamp without... and that I have been creating without the "mega tools" for years. So what do i have today, that I wouldn't want to stamp without??

- 12" table top Fiskars rotary trimmer (Thanks to my most treasured sisters!)

- My 3M ATG gun

- Martha Stewart scoring board (which i bought not too long ago and has pretty much completely taken over from my Scor Pal

Don't get me wrong, all this thinking will probably not deter me from putting in another order for supplies in the near future, and I am STILL drooling over those "mega tools".

So if you had to go "back to basics" ~ what could you not stamp without?

LAST SCRAPS........................

I had some leftover scraps from this project, so I whipped up a few matching tags. They're not all the same, but I'll be putting one in with each card randomly.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ karen

Stamps: CTMH & Recollections

DSP: Stampin' Up!

CS: Stampin' Up & Cougar

Tools: C-bug, Spellbinders Shapabilities

Embellishments: Satin ribbon

Coasters anyone?

2010-09-07T21:47:00.002-04:00

Hi ya'll!
Hope everyone had a fantastic long weekend!

Here is another project I made for the latest craft show. I have made coasters before. Many. For the first show, I bought an entire box of tiles and went to town, only to have nearly every one smudge and run when i sealed it. It was terribly discouraging, and I think I showed up at the show with a handful, IF that.

Before the last show, I decided to try a different tile, and a different sealant. It worked!!

My trouble then, was deciding what images were best for a coaster! I had done alot with swirlys and sayings, flowers and plant life - but I wanted something different and I don't know why it didn't dawn on me until a week before he show that I could use images of people and animals! I started with some CC Designs (Coffee Kiki, how more appropriate can you get?), and some Anyas and eventually got up the nerve to ink up a recently purchased Stampavie image. That's her you see there. The image is Gillian Roberts - "Being Together" from Stampavie. I think its one of the most adorable images I have ever seen.

One of the best things about these is that your tile DOES NOT have to be perfect! The differences in markings make each one unique and you can find similar ones if you want to make a set.

There's a few things I learned that might help a first timer, that I'll pass along so you can avoid some of the frustration I went through with the useless box I had!

First, choose a very smooth tile. I like a smooth tumbled marble.

Next, don't press too hard on your image, but use a juicy pad.

If you're going to seal your tile (which I recommend and is a must if you are coloring), use a good quality poly. I used Verathane. Spray a thin quick layer, allow it to dry and repeat a few times for a good seal. Don't saturate your tile or else you will run the chance of your artwork smudging and running!!

Color as much as you want to! I have used lots of mediums on my tiles. You must stamp your image with Staz On. Momento does not work. But color, the sky's the limit! I have used markers, copics (careful you do not touch the Staz On with your copic or it will blend your line). but my favorite is watercolor pencils. You get the watercoloring effect on the the tile and you can shade very well with it and add/take away color as needed.

Go! Go! I wanna see you make one now!

Thanks for stopping by!

When you're on a roll.......

2010-08-31T20:51:00.005-04:00

Well, When you're on a roll... you're on a roll! When you're not.. well.. you're not!

I thought I'd show you what I've been working on this summer! I had signed up for a couple of craft shows this summer, and had been furiously trying to churn out cards. All in all, I made over 200 cards. I wish I SOLD 200 cards, but I did rid the stash of a number of them!! Here's a bit of a spread of some of the cards I made. I stuck to simple layouts and use up some of the DSP I have been hoarding. Now if I could only be so productive when I swap... or remember to send birthday cards... I would be golden.

Here's one more spread, and shows some of the wedding cards I did up. I completely am in love with the 5x7 size white bases for wedding and anniversary cards. In fact, I am in love with 5x7 cards period! I bought a whole whack of envelopes in this size, so I see some bigger cards in my future. What do you think??

Well, that's what I have been busy doing this summer!!

A little something......

2010-08-11T22:06:00.004-04:00

A quick post today with a couple of things to share. I found this bird stamp in the dollar fifty bin at Michael's. There's another one that faces the other way with a different pattern on it and I picked that one up too so I'm working on a layout with the two birds. For now, here's something I whipped up. I'm just LOVING white card bases right now. I am in LOVE with PTI's white cardstock since its so heavy. I wish I could find some locally as the shipping is insane!

The sentiment is from a CTMH set and the ribbon is from the dollar store. I recently have discovered CTMH after years of being curious about it. Now, I am still a rubber lover. My first preference I think will always be a wood mounted red rubber stamp. I was going to give up on clear stamps until I discovered that not all clear poly is alike! CTMH stamps are very pliable and they come off the backing without a fight. Unlike the cheapie dollar fifty bin stamps that come from Michael's, the cheapie Imaginesce and not so cheap Inkadinkadoo stamps that I have that I feel I have to fight with to get off the backing. There are a few other clear stamp companies that have this same particular texture & I'm starting to wonder if the material is different altogether?! Now if only I could find the "perfect" storage solution......lol

Onto the next....!

Some time ago, I made a couple of quick kid's frames and gave them to bf's cousin for her kids. They were in place of a birthday card to accompany birthday presents. They loved them! She sent a message not long after asking if I would please also make a frame for her step-daughter and so I was quite happy to oblige. I picked up the frame at Michael's and a little tube of paint and anything I could find in my stash that was purple. I didn't want the frame to be too busy so i did up some flowers, used my new-to-me Sizzix lollipop dies for the letters and voila! I hope she likes it! (thought it will be some time before we see them next).

Well, that's me for today! Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO K

Card Kit Fun!

2010-08-09T20:21:00.004-04:00

Hello!
It has been so busy around here, which accounts for my lack of posting!

A while ago, I was really getting into the card kit swaps. I ended up with quite a collection of all sorts of kits. And when I'm in a funk, its a great way to get my mojo going again. So - the other day when I needed some inspiration, I reached into my stash and pulled out this kit. Here is what the contents had in it:

The kit consisted of a cute little fairy, and sentments - with some great papers and embellies... I pulled out some copics and here is what I ended up with.. whatcha think? I went a little outside of my comfort zone. I realized when looking through old cards that i'd made, that I rarely use more than one design of patterned paper on my cards. Well, this lovely kit helped me get over that one! Don't you just LOVE the matching ribbon?????!!!!!!

I needed to snazz up the wings, and I'm pretty sure the inclusion of "fairy dust" in the kit was meant JUST for this purpose, so I used some crystal effects and shook on the sparkle. I love this stuff! Its not as messy as glitter, but gives you a twinkle all the same! here is a bit of a close up on the wings....

Thank you to all the kit swap hostesses over the last oh.. year and half I guess....!

Thanks for stopping by!

WOW it has been a while!!

2010-07-05T21:41:00.005-04:00

It's been busy and then not busy around here.

Seems time has been passing so much faster these days.. well, except for when i'm sitting at my desk at work.. then time seems to go by kinda slow!!

Its been ages since I created anything worth showing, but here's a card I made a little while ago using an image I have been hoarding. I love TGF images, and just recently bought some when they were on sale at Scrappingreatdeals. Before then, though - my friend Kadie sent me a few images and I have been HOARDING them ever since. Afraid to color them up and cut them out for fear I wont have any more to play with if I mess it up! But alas, they were too cute just to leave black and white! (well, off white).

So here is a very thankful Ian for you today.

DSP and CS is Stampin' Up. Ian is colored with Copic markers and yuo can't really tell in this image, but the stripes on his hat are higlighted with a browny red Spica Glitter Pen.

Sorry about the quality of the image.. yep, I cheated and used the camera phone again.. bad bad me.... bad bad me....

On the upside ~ my crafting room has never been tidier! We are listing our condo again (please cross your fingers for a quick and profitable sale!!!!! ) so again, I had to tidy up and pack up. I do have some storage solutions now, though - so nothing had to get sealed away in boxes. I just have to be diligent, and put away everything when I'm done. Now, we can all do that can't we?..... can't we?????????

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T10:14:00.003-04:00

Hi all! WOW its been busy around here!

I am now back to work so no more free days for crafty things! I still have to find some time to clear off the dining room table so we can eat off of it again. I'm sure Mike will be happy when that happens! LOL!

Soooo.. we have a dinner tonight and I thought I'd whip up some quick easter treats for the kiddies. I WAS going to make pop cans, but realized that I hadn't bought enough candy to fill the ones I had! SO...... I searched and was inspired by the icicle boxes I was seeing online and made a carrot box. Now, Its not really looking like a carrot - so I'm just calling them "Carrot Inspired" hehe......

So, its just a really simple box template I found online; I cut it out of orange CS and stamped it with the large swirl from SU's Baroque Motifs set. I punched a couple of holes in the top and tied green ribbons on them. The tags are cut out with a cuttlebug die and I used the Happy Easter stamp from SU's Well Scripted set.

Hope you're all having a fabulous Easter Weekend!

XOXO
K

Green Madness!

2010-03-18T11:08:00.007-04:00

Well, the computer is finally up and running! Its been working fine since we got it back. So ~ today I thought I'd use it to post on this little neglected blog of mine!!

The March theme for my sisterhood's monthly swap is GREEN. Which just happens to be a color I have a love hate relationship with. I LOVE the color, I HATE everything I make with it! LOL!! The theme however, presented a lovely challenge for me. First of all, I didn't own anything that I could color green. Okay, that's obviously not true. I don't own anything i wanted to color green - I wanted to buy something new (HEY HEY NOW! I know you do it too!). It gave me the perfect excuse to purchase one of the new images from High Hopes stamps by thier new designer - ya, I'm talking about Dustin Pike! So I decided that I would happily add Troubled Travis to my collection of rubber goodness.

Now, this also presented a problem! I have never colored a dragon before! And most certainly not with my limited collection of Copic markers. So I pulled out every green I have (a total of 4) and a couple of warm earths hoping it would work out. One thing you gotta love about Copics is the ability to blend the colors and create the look you want. While I still think i NEEEEEEED more colors, the ones I have have served me pretty well for the short year that I have been coloring with them. So.. here is my card for the swap - hope you likee!! I whipped up a quick get well card. The sentiment inside is computer generated (OH YEAH I GOT MY PRINTER WORKING TOO!) and says "Hope you get your fire back soon!"

Cardstock: SU! and some bright green freebie from my friend Christyne

Ribbon: random green freebies from my friend Christyne

PP: My minds eye abby road

Colored with Copics

~ Special thanks to Christyne for the freebies!

I Spy.....with my little eye......

2010-03-10T13:52:00.002-05:00

KELLY"S BDAY BLOG CANDY!

Click the link on my sidebar for your chance to enter!

I have another announcement! We FINALLY have a working computer again.
We took our old dinosaur to the doctors, had her stripped naked & re-vamped with all sorts of goodies! The old laptop is officially "dead".

So, I'm working diligently to get going on all things blog and stamp and email and what - not so you should stand by!

A post!

2010-02-28T18:50:00.004-05:00

I recently got my order from All That Scraps. OH MY it took ages to get here! About 3 weeks!! I dont know what it is with the postal service, but packages from the US are so unpredictable, and so expensive! If its not duty & taxes, its the cost of shipping itself, or the length of time it takes for a package to get here!

Well, out of the stash, I pulled out Apple Emma from CC Designs. Quite a while back, my talented friend Kadie sent me a set of CC Designs stamps. I had never tried them before and they sat in my room for some time before I dared ink one up. Well, since that day I have literally fallen in LOVE with the images! So when I saw Apple Emma, and knew I had some cute apple papers from stampin' up in my stash - I just had to have her. Of course, all bf could say was "she doesn't have a nose or mouth... how is she going to eat that apple?" to which I replied... "well obviously she's meaning to share the apples, not eat them!"

Excuse the poor photography. A while back my computer went kaptuz and I can't download any new photos. So this one's from the Camera phone and we know how poor those pics turn out!! It really doesn't do the image or the papers any justice at all! But I had to post something since its been so long!!

All papers and cardstocks are from Stampin' Up and the image is colored with Copic markers.

Now.. on a very happy other note, I am a hockey fan, so ......

Congratulations to the Men's and Women's Canadian Hockey teams for winning GOLD!!!!!

OH CANADA!
Our home and native land!
WE STAND ON GUARD FOR THEE!!!!!!!!!!!

High Hopes Blog hop....& othre stuff

2010-01-20T17:40:00.003-05:00

Hi all!
Just wanted to send you a thank you for everyone who played along in the Inktegrity blog hop! If you haven't already, check the Inktegrity blog to see if you're a winner!

Sorry its taken me so long to post this, but my laptop went kaputz the day after the Inktegrity hop! GRRR!!! I've been without a computer until today!! I am waiting for the technician to tell me how much saving all my data will cost, if he can fix my laptop & how much THAT will cost, and if it can't be fixed, well, then I guess I'm SOL.. lol

For now I'm using another ancient hunk o junk ~ but I am thankful to at least be able to be online! This computer hence, does not have any of my programs, digis, photos, etc. programmed onto it. Its pretty much a shell. So it will be another week at least, until I am able to upload any pictures! Without the net, I have gottena few cards done though! LOL

Today is the 20th so don't forget to head on over to the High Hopes blog and hop along! The new Dustin Pike images, IMHO are TDF! Go Go Go!!!!

Happy 6 monthaversary to Inktegrity!

2010-01-14T06:00:00.004-05:00

WOW! How lucky am I?! First I win a top secret (well until today) image from Inktegrity, and then Joni asks me if I'll join the blog hop! Well, I'm just tickled pink!

If you've arrived from Joni's blog, you're on the right track. If you want to start at the beginning, head on over to Dani's blog where it all begins!

Thank you so much for coming to the celebration!
Inktegrity turned 6 months young this month, and they are celebrating with this month's new releases and some exciting news!

Here it is! The image for this hop is the image I won during Inktegrity's Mikey contest!

I decided on an easel fold using kraft cardstock. Mikey is colored with Copics. I was surprised at how easily I got the banana's colored. I was a tad nervous I wouldn't have the right shades on hand! I had a blast coloring this up and it was easy to come up with a layout with this adorable image!

Cardstocks and papers are SU & My mind's eye. Texture is from Cuttlebug's Distressed Stripes embossing folder. Accessories include some buttons and ribbon from my stash and 3 little Bella's baubles in a matching green hue. Lastly, I used SU's scalloped edge punch for the inside accent.

There's MORE!

Here's the exciting news: Comment on my blog and the blogs listed below, and you will be entered to win Wally the Whale from each of us! Yes, that means you have 13 chances to win: 11 DT blogs and 2 special friends who won the Mikey contest join us in the blog hop (one of those friends would be little ol' me!). Wally can be seen on some of these blogs so you'll have the opportunity to meet him along the way.

Now head on over to Kelly's blog to see her beautiful card, then end at the Inktegrity blog for one lucky winner to receive ALL 3 new images on this release, which will be available tomorrow in the store.
Happy hopping and thank you for joining us in this little birthday party!

GOOD LUCK!!

The Hopping Trail...............

Dani
Dawn
Diane
Jacquie
Jeanette
Joni
Karen < ------- you are here =)
Kelly
Laura Jean
Melissa
Sheri
Tenia
Tracy
Inktegrity

Winter Wonderland, High Hopes & Dustin Pike!

2010-01-13T14:54:00.011-05:00

Hello all!

Quick post today to show you the card I made for a Winter Wonderland swap hosted by my friend Christyne on SCS.

I got this cute digi from Angel's Landing a while ago & thought what a perfect image for this winter-but-not-christmas themed swap!

The image is printed on Whisper White with a laser printer, and colored with copics and SU! markers (the blue). i had a hard time deciding what colors to color the hat. Then I came accross this DSP in my stash from SU! and thought its perfect to go with the hat! So I colored all the little penguins up and cut out all the hats, they're stuck on with pop squares.

The sentiment is computer generated. I used the fancy tags spellbinders and brushed irridescent glitter glue on top (the brand is not stickles but they're like stickles). The sentiment reads "brr-ingin' you winter wishes".

Last but not least, a snowflake brad & scallop edge punched bottom finish off the card!

Hope the girls like him (or her I guess!).
EDITED:

I just heard the news! Dustin Pike is joining High Hopes stamps! I have been in awe of his cute cartoony dragons and other whimsical characters for some time and its so exciting that he'll be joining High Hopes!

Don't miss the blog hop on January 20th HERE!

thanks for stopping by!

Valentines Day Sneakie

2010-01-11T20:23:00.006-05:00

Hello! Just a little something for you today!

A little while ago, my friend Kelly posted about a contest on Inktegrity's blog. They needed sentiments for a new image that she has yet to release! Inktegrity posted a little snippit of the image and anyone who wanted to try, could post thier suggestions for what Mikey the monkey might say. I was pleased as punch when Kelly told me to go look on the blog because my little sentiment won!

It's an adorable image and I'm so lucky to have won it!
Well, the image is not releasing until the 14th ~ so that is all you get to see for now.... hehe!

Check out Integrity's blog for the release on January the 14th!

~ thanks for stopping by!

Leftover Christmas goodie........

2010-01-07T22:32:00.008-05:00

I almost forgot to post this; but here it is!
We had a pretty busy Christmas this year. 3 family dinners. Boxing Day (that's the 26th for my american friends) was fast approaching and I needed cards for bf's mom & dad; and for his sister's family of 5!
I was tired, and just totally out of creative ideas, but I needed to do something! So, I decided instead of creating traditional cards for each person, I'd give away chocolate! That way, the lack of a true card would be overlooked. I decided on one for each family. 2. A number I could handle.

These pockets are so easy to do up; so that's just what I did. I rummaged through my stash of papers and pulled out two sheets of SU! DSP in a Christmassy theme and did a simple diaper fold I Loaded them up with chocolate, candy canes and a couple of dollar scratch and wins.

They did the trick! They were recieved with bold big eyes and oohs and aahs... as much for the creativity as the chocolate -but more so for the chance to win millions!!!! (er, well.... hundreds...)

DSP, CS, ribbon, embellies - all SU! (except red rhinestones)
Tools; snowflake border punch from Martha Stewart

All supplies used are SU, except the MERRY stamp (thankd Mary!) and the giant red flower (thanks Judy!) - and a little gold stickles for dots around the word "Merry".

If you've never tried this fold before, you really should. All it takes is a sheet of 12x12 double sided DSP and you're off to the races!

New year, newly organized... kinda.

2010-01-06T22:51:00.007-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!
I don't know about you all, but I am happy to start a new year. I have bright eyes looking to the times ahead & I"m happy to put alot of last year's troubles behind. It just seemed one thing after another went wrong for us. From the contractor screwing up our floors, to our new couches that were defective, clothes that shrunk (or waistline that expanded), just to name a thing or two. It was nice see the clock strike twelve and put all of that behind us!

One of the things I wanted to do this year, is get more organized. I have been thinking about paper storage for some time. We had our condo up for sale, and it had not sold, so I said to myself, well - now I can take everything back out of the boxes they were in, and actually think about getting some storage solutions and organize the space.

Well, partly that has come true. After Christmas, Michael's had thier storage cubes on sale for 50% off and so I used a little Christmas moolah to pick some up. This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship with my crafting supplies.

This unit sits in the corner of our den. Its made up of 5 cubes of different configurations and the whole thing can be switched around and changed if wanted. I used an old little shelf that's been around for a while and painted a number of times. I will eventually one day strip it back down to bare wood but for now it serves its purpose as my stamp storage.

There is a now a place for my paper trimmer and my scor-pal, stampin' scrub and ATG within easy reach. I used the drawers to store some chipboard embellies, rub-ons, etc. and my cuttlebug stuff, and the stamp a ma jig that I bought that I haven't ever used yet. haha

Some more drawers housing glues, ink pads (for now), envies and some prima flowers.

Finally some organization for my embellies. I have since organized this drawer by color. I also have a place to store my markers! WOOHOO!

Now, I'm not showing you the rest of the room yet because well - its currently a catch all for everything that doesn't have a home, and things that DO have a home but haven't been put back yet. Its a disaster!!

What I WILL share with you is the Secret Santa gift i got from a very special lady. This is the secret santa exchange I had with my friends from SCS. The lovely and talented Judy got stuck with me! I should really have posted this some time ago, but with the holidays, you know how things can get!

She used PTI stamps and the template they have for this cute as can be 3-d house. It was stuffed full of goodies, embellies, candles, chocolate - all just for me! I was tickled pink when I opened this and it is still proudly displayed on top of my television. It gets me all glassy eyed to think of the time and effort it took for her to make something so detailed. I am sooooooo thankful to have met Judy, and all my other sisters on Splitcoast. Its been oh.... gee. I think we're closing in on 3 years now.

Here is the little house. Untie the ribbon and the roof lifts off!

Dontcha just LOVE the card?? Its sooo adorable! and yep, that's her sunshiny face smiling back! how creative!!!!!

And of course, all the yummy goodness that was inside! can't believe it all fit in there!

And so, you see, although my year could have been better, there were alot of great moments too. I hope your year has started off beautifully and I wish you the happiest and healthiest year to come!

A Very Merry Christmas.........

2009-12-23T23:51:00.002-05:00

Well, its almost Christmas Eve... i can't let the holiday go by without saying a Merry Christmas to you all! The next few days will be filled with some Christmas Cheer, some Turkey, some wine, and some sweets. I hope that for those of you who celebrate the holidays, that you have a fabulous and wonderful Christmas surrounded by love and joy. For those who don't, enjoy the few days to relax!

Happiness of the Season, from my family to yours.

XOXO

Doggies on Bloggies Blog Hop!

2009-12-17T08:39:00.010-05:00

Welcome to the very first Doggies on (ink) Bloggies Blog Hop! If you started with my blog, head on over to the very beginning with Kelly & her baby poochie!

Meet my vicious pooch................ ROCKSTAR!

Vicious looking thing huh? Yep, until you realize he's a miniature pinscher, about the size of a two bit brownie for a full sized doberman. What you can't see in this picture of course, is the photographer - me. I've got the camera in one hand, and a pink plastic garden flamingo in the other. As you can see from Rockstar's expression, he's NOT exactly too fond of the flamingos.....

Rockstar joined our family in the summer of 2008. June or July. Yes, i know, bad dog mommy, can't remember the adoption date! When Mike picked him up, and brought him to me, he was so very tiny. I could sit him in the palms of my hands! He was a goofy little baby pooch and his personality began to show very early on. He housebroke without TOO much difficulty, however, he still hasn't got the hang of pooping outside at the cottage.........

Being the holiday season, a few of us decided to dress up our mutts, and post a fun little holiday doggie blog hop. So here's the VICIOUS ROCKY in his Christmas Tee. When I saw this t-shirt hanging on the rack, I knew I had to put my pooch in it.

Here's a much more darling pic of him in it:

Now, you might be wondering why this is such a fitting tee for him. Sometimes, he has a little accident in the house. He always poops in the same spot when this happens. And he KNOWS it. So here's a little vid to brighten your day. We discovered the "gift" and asked him.... "did you poop in the house?" Just WATCH HIS EARS! LOL!

Rockstar has many nicknames. Poopster, poopie, Poopstar, dirty muttkin, rocky stinky puppy, stinky muttkin. The most common being Rocky stinky puppy....... Do you have a nickname for your pooch? Or kitty? Bird? Other pet? I'd love to know! Leave a comment and let me know what you call your fur (or feather?) baby!

Now HOP on over to visit with LORIE's canine friends!

And lastly.......... in case inquiring minds wanted to know......

He's a boy!

DOGGIES ON BLOGGIES BLOG HOP
KELLY
KADIE
KAREN - you're here!
LORIE
CATHERINE

Thanks for stopping by..............!

MOOOOOVE it!

2009-12-11T17:43:00.004-05:00

I made this card a while back. I was testing out a fold that I wanted to try for a swap I joined, hosted by the wonderful Paola (SAMA on SCS).

For this card, i used a ribbon slide so that the card slides in and out of its "holder". The original tutorial called for a different size, but I tweaked it just a tad so that its closer to A2 size, with a bit of the inside card sticking out, so the recipient has an idea they should pull it.

I used a PTI set - Boards & Beams, which i JUST HAD to have after I saw a card made by the VERY talented Sandra. Her blog, appropriately named Paper Funtastics!

I used copics to color up theimage, SU! cardstock and ribbon, K&Co PP & cut out the house image and glued onto the base.

I also have a little holiday cheer for you - see the sidebar for a little puppy love.... that's our little ROCKSTAR!

Swappin' Postage Thingys

2009-12-09T20:03:00.004-05:00

Yep, signed up for yet another swap. I need more of those like I need another hole in my head.
But it was for a cute idea so I had to get in on it too.

The swap is hosted by dhayes1 on Splitcoaststampers, and the idea is to make a little holder for your return postage. Its such a neat idea! The un-creative me, has always just stuck it in the envelope willy-nilly. Now what kind of a stamper am I?!

There's still plenty of time to join, so if you wanna.... HERE is the link.

I used some Pacific Point DSP from stampin' up & I didn't have any stamps that said "postage" or anything remotely related. So I opted not to stamp them up. I cut the PP into 6x6 inch squares and simply did a diaper fold. They were SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO easy and they whipped up SOOOOOOOOOOOOO quickly! I finished them off with a giant Prima flower, tied some white 1/4" grosgrain ribbon around it, and accented it with a sparkly star secured with Crystal Effects.

I love using Crystal effects to secure tiny things. You can squirt out a little bit, it dries quickly, and boy is it ever secure!!

yes, that is the same manicured thumb stuck inside the holder. And wouldn't ya believe it? yes, I broke that very nail! I tell ya, if something bad is gonna happen, I am the prime candidate for it to happen to! Oh well..... guess I just need to go pamper myself at the salon again, and get it fixed!

Always look on the bright siiiiide of life... do do.. do do do do do do.......

More Christmas Cards!

2009-12-07T19:42:00.004-05:00

Well, its beginning to look ALOT like Christmas. I even had the classic Christmas carols playing at my place today.

Something I like to do, is make several different cards with the same images, elements and accents. So, here is the cutie from Whiff of Joy again - but wearing her Christmas red. Now looking at this photo has confirmed how much I love coloring with Copic markers. I don't have a red Copic yet, and had to use my SU! real red. I hate the streaks you get with regular markers. So i will have to keep my eye open for a sale for some more Copics!

I made her first into an easel card. The holly berries are done with red stickles, and I used irridescent stickles for the trim on her coat.

I like this fold because you can display your card just like art! Here is the inside. The accent is from SU! Its from the felt flurries pack, and a pearl from the pretties kit.

another simpler variation using the same paper pack and embellishements.
I have always admired other stampers who decorate the insides of thier cards. So I thought I'd keep on going with that habit. The sentiment here is from Elzybells. All PP and CS is from SU!
I recently took the time to go and get a set of UV nails. They use a biogel and a UV light, and its supposed to be better than acrylic. I almost never treat myself like this, but I thought, its the holidays, and I deserve a little pampering. The typing part is taking a bit to get used to. So enjoy the inclusion my one pretty nail.. haha you may never see it again! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Melinda Blowing Wedding Kisses

2009-12-06T16:28:00.005-05:00

I absolutely ADORE this image from Whiff of Joy, and I love to do it up in pinks. I was invited to a wedding, which I cannot attend, and was deciding what I wanted to do for a card. My intention was to make a few different ones and pick the most appropriate, but I decided to stick with this first card because I was quite pleased with how it turned out.

Its not a typical wedding image, but since I wont be there to wish them congratulation in person, I thought it was appropriate that i send my wedding kisses in the wind - just like Melinda!

The image is colored with Copic markers.... a skill I am constantly trying to perfect. I used a swirly embossing folder through my cuttlebug for the first layer. Have I mentioned how much I love embossing folders?! I just need to buy more of them since I only have a few! Melinda's wings are finished with some iridecent stickles.

I layered Melinda on some patterened paper (I *think* its basic grey), another layer of white, and more cardstock. I love this layered look. The whole thing was mounted on pop dots - another thing I LOVE LOVE LOVE! Finished off with some pink satin ribbon, and layered two giant Prima flowers, accented with a rhinestone centre.

I have only just begun to start decorating the insides of my cards, but since my gift will be monetary, I added a little pocket on the inside with patterned paper. I computer printed the message on vellum paper, and attached it to a white base with some pink square rhinestone brads and adhered to the inside of the card.

Some say that a message typed is not as personal.... but if you've seen my writing, you'd know why I chose to type it out!

I hope they like this card. I was quite pleased with it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Getting in the holiday spirit.....

2009-12-04T12:04:00.005-05:00

................with cards!!!!!

yes, its been a while since I've posted anything card related! I have had the chance to put a dent in my Christmas cardmaking. I recently purchased the Whiff of Joy Winter Set. I love Whiff images!
And love just about anything by Elizabeth Bell.

This little girl is looking for what santa brought her!

I decided to use colors that were a little non-traditional & broke out my new snowflake die! Add a little sentiment to the inside and voila! christmas!

Image: Whiff of Joy; sentiment Elzybells
Die: SU! Snowflake Die
Colors: Baja Breeze & Pink Pirouette from SU
Colored with Copics and SU! markers

MORE blog candy!

2009-11-25T16:22:00.001-05:00

CATHERINE is having her 2year blogaversary!
Hop over to her blog to check out her fabfabfabulous BLOG CANDY!

MM hm, yep, more blog candy!

2009-11-19T12:29:00.003-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS to LORIE!
10,000 blog hits!

Hop on over if you haven't already for your chance to win a huge haul of stampin' goodies!

THE ThINKin' SPOT

BLOG CANDY ALERT!

2009-11-03T16:02:00.002-05:00

I remember these cute little characters from when I was young. Now i find out that someone is giving stamps away!! WOOHOO!
Run over HERE for your chance!!

Peachy Keen Blog Candy!

2009-09-29T12:18:00.004-04:00

WOAH! What a haul!
A very special lady, and beautiful friend, LORIE is a DT member for Peachy Keen Stamps. I have ALWAYS admired Lorie's work, and only WISH that I had an ounce of her talent. Well, Peachy Keen is giving away some blog candy, and you have to check it out, it looks sooo yummy!

What can you do with Peachy Keen stamps?
Check out Lorie's blog for ideas!!

Rockstar says hello!

2009-09-17T14:34:00.004-04:00

Still no cardmaking.. but Rockstar would LOVE to say hello =D

I took the opportunity to take some pictures of our little brat in the in-law's backyard.

Here he is - taking a little break and probably plotting his next move... should he attack the fallen tomatoes next? Maybe kill some leaves? Or dare he go near the flock of pink plastic flamingos?

Boxed up for at least a week!

2009-08-27T09:37:00.005-04:00

*sniff*

Well, renovations begin again! This time the parquet floors in our place are getting a sand, stain and 2 coats of poly. Starting.. sometime today. So the past couple of days have been spent packing up everything in the living room, dining room and den (aka MY STAMP SPACE). and moving into the kitchen and bedrooms. Once those floors are done, everything gets moved back into those rooms so they can re-finish the floors in the bedrooms and hallway. *phew*. We will be living out of suitcases for a week. And yes, cry with me girls... I had to pack all my stamping stuff!

I DID however, meet 3 lovely ladies last night. We met at Cafe Demetre in Mississauga for desert & coffee/tea. Yum-O! We all met on SCS and a few days ago we decided, heck, lets meet up! And what a great idea it was. I haven't laughed so hard with a bunch of girls in so long and couldn't have asked for a better group to spend 3 hours with!

Teresa is hosting a swap on SCS - Make new friends & Keep the Old. Very appropriate dontcha think?
Diana is hosting her very first swap too - Fancy Folds
And you can visit Chrystine's blog to see the beautiful card she made us, and dare I say it? A picture!

Now I had brought my laptop to work today and the camera to upload a picture, but I realized that I have no idea where my USB key is, and therefore, I can't upload the pic.... GRR..... So.. you'll just have to find Chrystine's pic on her blog1 At least till I can upload the pic!

Thanks to these three ladies, I had a fantastic time!

Carolyn's Blogaversary!

2009-07-21T11:40:00.005-04:00

You probably know her, you've probably hung your jaw down at her work. She's Carolyn Bounds, and she's a stampin' artist of the very best kind. I met "Aunt Carol" about two years ago on Splitcoast, and was, and still am, in total awe of the cards she creates.

If you don't know her, get to know her! Carolyn does some of the most amazing work & her blog is a true inspiration for anyone who needs a "boost". Can you believe her blog, clevery named P.M.S. etc. (Paper, Markers, Stamps, etc.) is only on its first blogaversary?! In celebration, Carolyn is offering up some blogaversary candy. So head on over for your chance to win. Its a haul!

Congratulations to a great & special friend, on your first blogaversary!

........................Now when the heck did I start THIS blog? LOL

WOAH! Another card!

2009-07-16T12:56:00.007-04:00

Well, for the last 3 days I have been sick as a dog. The worst thing? Its BORING when you're stuck in bed (or in my case, stuck on the couch). The best thing? having time to stamp, and watch a movie. In my case, it was the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2. Loved it. Too bad I didn't have a copy of Twilight, or I would have watched that!

I did get some stamping in. I complete two swaps. First is the monstahs & aliens swap hosted by my friend MiamiKel.

The image is a stamp I got from Victoria Case - which I have inked up before. I got the little crown accents from the dollar store (what a find!) and the ribbon, I recieved as a giftie in a swap. i colored up the image with my watercolor markers and used a blender pen over it. its not my favorite card, but I do really like the image. Perhaps next time I will try another coloring technique.

Next up is a card i made for my monthly sisterhood swap. The theme is "birds of a feather". Its so appropriate for the sisterhood since we all have been friends for so long now, and we share this common love of ink and rubber. Top that off with a really unique and special friendship and blend of extraordinary women, who genuinely care for one another. I realized I had only two bird stamps and neither of them would be right for this theme. One was a sneaky looking vulture and the other was a Christmas dove.

I decided to try googling and came up with this digital stamp. Its actually from a seller on etsy - Softpencil. She has some really cute images!! And for cheap too! I think this image of a flower giving shelter to a little birdie was perfect for the theme. I computer generated the sentiment "I'll be your shelter" because I thought it was so fitting. The girls in the sisterhood are always there to lend a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear. I also haven't been able to get the song "I'll be there" out of my head since I hit the print button....

I layered up Certainly Celery and Garden Green from SU! and used the cuttlebug embossing folders to add some texture. Added a little pink grograin ribbon & popped up the image and sentiment with foam squares. I hope the girls like it!

WOAH! A card!!

2009-07-13T21:39:00.008-04:00

Okay, so I promised you a card!
Bf is 6 hours away in a tiny town - on business. So what does that mean for me? Well, it means I got the whole evening to myself & the whole dining room too! I ignored the laundry, I ignored the dishes, I ignored everything except an episode of the Bachelorette! AND I STAMPED!

Its been a while since I've had a chance to really ignore everything & sit down with ink and paper. A few days ago, i showed you a great digistamp, my first, that I got from Pink Cat Studios - and for a great cause!

Don't you just love the image? The little boy & his balloon are adorable! Looking at it, I would have liked to shrink the image just a tad (if I could figure that out), and mount the image on one more layer before mounting it on the card. There are many tutorials out there, and I know its just a matter of doing some playing around. Of course, as you can see from my blog, I'm not terribly computer savvy.

I can't tell you how much I love coloring with Copic markers. They are so smooth & roll over your paper with such ease. I just need alot more practice with my "art eye" and well, alot more Copics... =P I don't have a nice bright red copic yet - so i had to use my SU! markers. And I definately need a variety of skin tones. Well, they'll be on my wishlist.

I finished it off by printing off another image and cutting out his hat & balloon, then mounted it with foam squares. I love this technique for brining just a little something extra to my cards. Its time consuming, but it makes such a difference to the image.

Stamp: DIGISTAMP, Pink Cat studios
Ink: Colored with Copics & SU! markers
Embellies: Large Brads (dollar store)
Paper: SU! and My Minds Eye

Have you tried digital?

Thanks for stopping by!

Blog Candy & No, No card yet......

2009-07-13T13:50:00.004-04:00

I know.. I promised a card, and its coming! I have the evening free and ALL TO MYSELF tonight to stamp away & that's exactly what I"m going to do! No laundry, No dishes, nothing..... Just some stamping the night away! So I promise, a card is coming soon!

I know a few of my very talented friends have tried High Hopes stamps and I have been drooling over thier images for a long time. Want a chance to win some? Crissy's Art & Heart blog is giving away a pile of High Hopes goodies. Just head over to her blog and follow the directions =). Closes on the 15th so get over there NOW.

Okay, I guess I have to finish some work so that I can get home and stamp my art out!

Have a great Monday my friends!

My first Digitals

2009-07-08T13:26:00.004-04:00

Well, I have seen some fabulous work with digital stamps.

I don't think that I'll ever become a full-time digital stamper, but heck - I'm willing to try it out. I still like the feel of a stamp in my hands.

I happened to check up on a site I haven't been to in a while, Pink Cat Studios. They are raising funds for the Make a Wish Foundation in honor of a little boy who left this world due to his battle with neauroblastoma. So I thought, what a better way to try out digital, than to buy some Wranglers. Just $6 for two images and two sentiments. The proceeds go to the Make A Wish Foundation.

I have downloaded my new digistamps & can't wait to get to doing something with them! Will have to muddle through my stash at home and see what cowboy/girl-ish papers and embellies I might have lying around!

Stay tuned! I promise to have a card created with these images! Really! I know, its been so long since I've posted any cards, but I promise this time!

Blog Candy Again!

2009-06-18T10:21:00.005-04:00

Okay, so it seems I only post when there's a giveaway lately! LOL

Catherine the PaperAddict has a great blog candy give away. Like Catherine, I have been thinking about the future and what changes I can make to improve life. Improve MY life, and become a better global citizen too. So check out Catherine's post and blog candy, and take a minute to think about changes that you'd like to make.

This article from the Good Human just landed in my email & I thought it went along well with what I was saying above.

STOP Living throw-away lives

Stay Happy, Stay Healthy & Stay Crafty!

XOX

BLOG CANDY ALERT!!

2009-05-08T10:11:00.001-04:00

Well, its been a while eh?
I know I know... I haven't been posting.. bad Karen.

Well, you'll forgive me when you check out this BLOG and enter to win some fabulous blog candy! The prize pack is delicious! And you should check out her work. Its awesome!

Happy Stamping!!

TGF and Starving Artists' Goodies!

2009-04-08T13:51:00.004-04:00

Hop on over to my wonderfully talented friend Kadie's blog. Check out her adorable frog card! Of course, Kadie's also of the Twilight Anya's fame!

Subscribe for your chance to win some Greeting Farm goodies!

Thanks Kadie!

More Blog Candy and news! New stamps releasing from Starving Artists' stamps! Check it out here: STARVING ARTIST.
Cute sets! love love love 'em!

What have I been up to?

2009-04-06T22:48:00.005-04:00

Well its been ages since I've posted.... just one little post about not being obligated to post and there I go..... dropping off Stamping Planet.... oops!

Well, its been busy 'round here... and I thought I'd post a little teaser of what I've been working on!
These are a bowl full of bath fizzies (bath bombs) that I've been whipping up. I'm up to my eyeballs in soaps and bath goodies. So for those of my friends who have missed my post on SCS, here they are!

The bowl is full of wonderful scents including Orange Creamsicle, Lime Margarita and Sex on the Beach! (smells just like the drink). I may re-name that one, hehe. It smells like sweet tarts candy to me.. a sugary sweet scent. I love it! My favorite so far is Midnight Pommegranate and well, there are none of those in the bowl because what I haven't given away, I've used.. haha.

These bath fizzies are made with natural, unrefined shea butter so your skin feels so smooth after getting out of the tub. Yummy enough to eat?!

Well all this soaping has left me little time to stamp... yikes!!
I am keeping up with swaps (I think) and I think I have another 5 due pretty soon!
I guess I got to get to stampin' soon & show some pics..... that is if I don't get buried in savon....

I did recently get my Hanna Stamps order! some new dew drops and papers for the pirate swap I'm in hosted by wydstar. The perfect swap so that I can use my Pirate Riley rubber, and yes...... my brand spankin new COPIC RILEY set!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!!

Now to find the time to stamp!!!!!!!

XOXO

Swapping Without Obligation

2009-03-17T10:19:00.005-04:00

In case you don't read the comments posted on my blog, I had to bring this to your attention. Dear Sweet UUUUUBER talented Carolyn posted this comment:

"Maybe my mojo is hangin' out with your mojo sipping maragaritas on some secluded island surrounded by ripped and tanned surfer guys:o) At least that would explain why mine doesn't want to stay home;o)"

and it has me in stiches.... so I had to share it "aloud" ~ lol!!

My mojo is definately not coming back to my house after sippin' margaritas with ripped and tan surfer guys.. I mean lets face it.. the man candy I have at home is not really the ripped tanned surfer guy - type. LOL

I think I have signed up for something like 6 or 7 swaps of late. And having a mojo that's MIA is NOT helpful. Its tough sometimes, when you have friends creating swaps and you really want to join them. Mostly its beacause everyone else is and you want to see what they've created! But alas, we are SAVED! SUSAN has given us permission to swap without obligation! That's right, swap when you want to, when you have mojo & when you have time. That doesn't mean flake on your swaps of course, it only pertains to JOINING a swap!

Thanks Susan, for this lovely logo.

Oh, and head on over to her blog, she recently posted a GREAT spreadsheet she found for matching up cardstock and marker colors!

Mondays.....

2009-03-16T11:30:00.004-04:00

Good Morning ~
Yes, its monday again. And why hasn't my body gotten used to this time change yet? Oh Lawdy... its tough gettin' up in the a.m.

Well, let me start by saying I have NONE of my own creations to share. My laptop is on the fritz and therefore I haven't been able to take any photos. Not that anything i've done lately has been particularily amazing.. lol!

I do have a challege however. Now, my mojo is missing - so this weekend, I decided to case a card. i reached into my box of cards (a mix of my own creations and cards recived from the many swaps I've participated in) and pulled out a card with a very simple layout. Then I decided to NOT look at ANY of my stamps. Just copy the layout and see how that goes. Well, I got 8 card bases completed and they're ready for an image. That's all. An image or a sentiment like Thank you or Thinking of you, etc. Very simple.

So, for those of you who are missing some mojo - give it a try. At the very least, you'll be ahead on layouts and next time you need a quick thank you card or a birthday card, you'll have a base ready to go!

Blog Candy Alert!

2009-03-12T10:22:00.002-04:00

A little birdie told me about some blog candy, so here you go - head on over for your chance to link up and win!

Paper in the Works 100,000 post blog candy!

Hectic Weekend & Trip to the Hospital

2009-03-09T12:54:00.003-04:00

Got a link to this site off of Michelle's blog and checked it out.. very cool stuff and got my Blogging without Obligation logo off of it =) Hopefully I am forgiven for not posting much lately.

Thanks to KELLY for letting us all know about the chance to win a Cricut Expressions! Yay Kelly! Click here for your chance!

Well, it was a pretty hectic weekend, where it really wasn't supposed to be.

Had a teensy little accident in the kitchen on Saturday night. Really everyone, please remember the GOLDEN RULE... when using a sharp object, cut AWAY from your own body!! Four little stitches and a tetanus shot later, I arrived home in time to head out to the bar to dull the pain. Luckily, the pork ribs were spared. Bf made sure each rib was in a ziplock bag & in the freezer, the groceries all put away, and we got to enjoy a lovely steak dinner before he drove me to the hospital for our two hour ordeal.

My favoraite moment was the VERY ill-tempered triage nurse asked me "did you intentially try to hurt yourself?" and I started to chuckle because my bf and I were just talking about that on the way TO the hospital. Well, she was insulted and said, while squinting at me from above her glasses (just like the stereotypical librarian) "well I have to ask".... well - then I told her my bf and I were JUST saying how I'll probably be asked that question and then the little men in white coats were going to come take me away....

I guess the 2nd funny part would be when the doc was talking about injecting the freezing and bf pointed to his mouth and said, why don't you freeze it around THIS area? LOL!! Hmm.. maybe he wasn't joking.....?

Well, I have had a serious drought of mojo lately. I think I need some serious stamping juju.... anyone spare any? i will have to get down to some stamping this week. All this bath & body business is great, but hard work, and since I wont be putting my hands into anything bath & body till this wrist heals, I should try and get some papercuts eh? LOL Well, I could still create bath products since the injury is on my wrist, but I'd have to be extra careful and I certainly can't do that! Plus, I am weak... so... very... weak...

hehe.

Okay, I actually have work to do. Hopefully I will have some things to post soon.

And thank you for all those who played the little game I was passing along! Mary, Lauri, Michelle & Susan, your goodies will be on thier way to you shortly!

Karen Needs

2009-02-26T14:29:00.003-05:00

haha. Okay, I saw this game on Lauri's blog and had to try it. You google your name and then "needs" and see what comes up.... well, Karen is a popular name, so I got alot of posts that described how to play this game. So I'll just tell you what #2 was....

"Karen needs a Labotomy Fund"

*sigh* how true, how true! LOL!! Had me in stitches!!

Well, its been a while since I've posted anything and by chance, while I was trying to do some blog "spot checking", I happened upon Carolyn's blog and decided to play her little game too!

The first 5 people to post will get an original something from me! And ladies, you know.. i make a line of soaps and bath goodies eh? That counts doesn't it?! Well, for my blog audience, aka friends, I will let you pick. So in your post, you can tell me if you want paper goodies or bath goodies (smelly and colorful OR all natural with no additives - your choice)

Here's the original rules:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you
3- It'll be done sometime this year (most likely it will be in the next month or so)
4- You have no clue what it's going to be
5-The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog!

And i'm changing them for me:
1 - you still have no guarantee you'll like what I make
2 - what I create will be just for you, but you may share it, and it might be the same as someone else's...lol
3 - It will be done during the month of March.. I think
4 - You have no clue EXACTLY what its going to be
5 - share the love!

So.. hopefully someone will want my stuff..... LOL

BLOG CANDY!

2009-02-18T09:46:00.002-05:00

WOOSH! Its been a while since my last post!
Well, I have diligently been working on my line of bath products so please excuse the "dead" blog!

I'm here to announce some wonderful blog candy for you all!
Head on over to my great freind KELLY's blog for your chance to gander at some fatfree jelly beans, take a guess & maybe win a great prize pack of stampin' goodies!! GOOD LUCK!

A Pirate & a Monster

2009-02-04T22:21:00.004-05:00

Well, I guess this card-making hiatus didn't last very long did it?! LOL
I recieved this image from my friend Sandra a long time ago. I loved these images, but didn't feel confident enough to color them. So last sunday during the Superbowl, I brought out my copics, and started to experiment. I got lots done and this was one of the images i experimented with... lucky I have two of each little monster she sent me! LOL

The CS is SU! certainly celery, inks are copics - a really nice shade of green. I used some DSP from a stack, added some blue organza ribbon, which matches the stripe on the paper. Then handwrote the sentiment, used my SU! scallop circle punch, and a giant brad from eyeletoutlet. Its mounted with foam squares - which i've run out of! yikes!! I actually got to use my nesties too! Which i'm trying to fall in love with - really I am... but for some reason, i'm just not! I love the idea of them, i just don't seem to be able to really utilize them.. i know.... i know.. practice makes perfect. Bleh. I DO LOVE my cuttlebug though - and am really enjoying the embossing folders.. hehe

I've had this Riley inked up for some time now, and colored him with my SU! watercolor pencils a while ago. he's beensitting on my desk waiting to be mounted.. (ahem.. shush catherine & michelle.... and mary too!). The base is black, kraft and Cap'n Jack DSP from Rusty Pickle (I think.. don't quote me).

The CS is SU! black and kraft, image stamped in staz on - large black brads from eyeletoutlet and the twill tape is also from SU! - (med size). I sponged the blown ink with momento cocoa ink & a cotton ball.

It was hard to get a good pic of the inside with the flash, so forgive me if the image is a bit small. Since the base was black, I had to put something on the inside so that I could write on it. I used whisper white CS from SU! and again sponged the inside with that cotton ball. the stamp I used on the inside is Inkadinkadoo.

So - there it is... and my card count thus far this year goes up to 34!

More Friends with Stamps!

2009-02-04T10:36:00.008-05:00

The wonderfully Talented KADIE is featured on club Anya's blog today!

I've known of course, for a LONG time now, how talented Kadie is, and am waiting for a company to scoop her up as a DT member so she can inspire us daily! Kadie created Twi-Cards.. using Ian's and Anya's from THE GREETING FARM, and inspired by the Twilight series of books..... Twi-hards beware, these are TDF!

Now, I guess I haven't posted a creation in a while, and that is partly because I was on a bit of a cardmaking hiatus! A tiny break from a run of swaps, and also taking some time to twiddle away in the "test kitchen" ~ Some great friends of mine, and my bf have been encouraging me to start selling my handmade bath products. I'm working on sourcing mass quantities of ingredients, and settling on colors, fragrances, and a product line focused on natural and organic body care. There are so many chemicals in most of the products that we buy off store shelves - I personally wanted to go "back to basics". There are so many benefits the human body, mind and soul can benefit from nature!

So, stay tuned!

As for cards, I did work on a swap last night, for Paola's "What's your song/music" swap. This is swap where we were to find a type of music or a particular song that could describe you. Now everyone has many facets and there are so many songs out there. I thought long and hard on this one ~ and came up with Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend". I knew I wanted a "WOMAN" song - I thought maybe Christina Aguilera's new release song because "Sometimes I'm a super b****" LOL But it came down to picking a song that I could come up with a card idea for. So, this is it.

I got to ink up my new set from bombshell stamps - a little risque perhaps, and trust me, I DO NOT have this body - so it doesn't really "represent" me.. lol.. just the diva inside... lol!

Now what you can't see and appreciate (LOL) on this photo is the detail on the card ~ man, I really should re-take this photo with my "good" camera. The image is cut out on Whisper White cardstock and colored with SU! markers in Real Red & Blush Blossom. I tried using a Pinkish Vanilla Copic, but even with the STAZ ON ink, it bled! So, I resorted to SU! Markers which seem to work better with the STAZ ON. (No, i don't have embossing powders and a heat gun.... yet). THen I stamped the image again on SU!'s Real Red Cardstock, and then again on more whisper white. I then proceeded to cut out each red shoe, and her little hand (after I colored it in with blush blossom), then layered the pieces on top of the image.

The letters are stamped in silver ENCORE, and I added a feather, and used my Allegro CB folder for embossing the background black layer. each letter in the word DIAMOND has a dot of red stickles, there is stickles on her "garters" and icicle stickles on the bottom of her heels.

Stamps: Girl's Ruin - Bombshell Stamps

Ink & Paper: SU! Real Red, Blush Blossom, Copic Black (for the heel)

Bling: Craft feathers, stickles

Friends with Stamps.....

2009-02-03T10:50:00.005-05:00

Check out the SHOWCASE on ELZYBELLS website!

My wonderful talented friend from Florida has a card featured on her site! Congratulations Kelly!!

Next is the VERY creative Lauri Ingram! Not only is she on the DT for Doggone stamps, she was featured on the front page of TWO SCOOPS RICE designs blog! GO LAURI!!

Well, I HAVE done some cardmaking, however; not a whole lot of it. I did take the opportunity for SuperBowl Sunday to color in a bunch of images and so I have some "ready to go". Plus the swaps I still have to work on!! So yeah, i guess I should get crackin' eh?

Its really coming down this morning out here in Toronto - hmm.. maybe they'll let us go home early from work! Wouldn't that be awesome??! Then I could REALLY go home and do some stampin'!!

Tag, you're it!

2009-01-27T10:41:00.008-05:00

Lauri has tagged me!

Okay, so what do I have to do? Go to the 6th picture in my computer, post it and write about it..
Hm.. better make sure I'm in my "clean files" LOL j/k.

Well, i'm at work.. lol so, this should be interesting....
*HOLD PLEASE*

Okay, well, first I want to re-iterate that this is my WORK computer.. so there isn't much on here.. LOL

Okay, so now the story behind the picture. I was looking online for images of puffer fish - and saving them - well, I ended up finding a puffer fish image from Rubbernecker, so didn't have to try and draw one myself. But the fish are still on my computer.

hmm... not as interesting, but there it is! He's cute eh? I can't remember what site this came from, but just google images of puffer fish & I'm sure you'd find him!

So, now its my turn to tag........you're it!!

MICHELLE
KADIE
SUSAN
JEANETTE
CATHERINE
GAEL

Blog Candy Winner

2009-01-26T11:07:00.005-05:00

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
It is the Year of the Ox.

Yes today marks the beginning of the lunar new year ~ Hopefully you have some cash in your wallet and you're wearing something new! I'm not wearing red today - but close.. pink!

Time to announce the blog candy winner from a few posts ago.... *drumroll please*................. CATHERINE!

On its way to you is the birthday whimsy set, retired last year from SU!
If you already have the set, let me know and I'll send you something else =)
I'm also including 25 clear card sleeves for you!

Monsters Ink.......

2009-01-21T10:42:00.000-05:00

they ink, they bathe.. did you know?!

I got this image in the mail yesterday - thanks to SANDRA letting us know about VICTORIA CASE ART STAMPS in her blog. So of course, I checked out her site and bought me a monstah!!

I couldn't wait to ink up this little guy yesterday and so I did. I attempted some coloring too and it seemed to turn out okay. I played around with the layout a billion times and still am not 100% happy with what I came up with. I would like to attempt this card again, but maybe a larger square card... now to come up with a sentiment for it.. I'll have to get my creative juices flowing!

Again you'll have to excuse the photo - bf had his laptop plugged in yesterday and I could get the image off my regular camera and uploaded. So I resorted to the ol' blackberry camera... I know I know... its dark and horrible....

For this card I used Chocolate Chip for the base, and layere Pink Passion with some dotty patterned paper from my cheap.. sorry, economical Walmart pad of paper. I colored the image with Stampin' Up!'s watercolor pencils and blended with the blender pens. Used a little thin pink satin ribbon and 3 dew drops (the medium pink from the Hyacinth bottle).

So.. how's this little poem for the card?

A big fuzzy monster
I found under my bed
He should be scary
but he’s cute instead

MISTER! you’re DIRTY!
I shrieked like a bell
You need a bath, mister!
You make my room smell!

So off the the bathtub
With my monster in tow
I scrubbed his fur clean
With the bubbles a - flow

You’ll see mister monster
You’ll be as clean as can be
Then you’ll be welcome
To come dream with me!

Blog Publishing!

2009-01-20T15:24:00.000-05:00

My very great freind Michelle was mentioned on Hanna Stamps blog!
Michelle will be a grandma soon & recently had a baby shower for her son & his girlfriend! New twins are on the way to join the family very shortly! A VERY BEAUTIFUL cake was made to represent Hanna Stamps' B is for Baby set - which has become a favorite of mine. Please go check out hanna's blog and MISC. MICHELLE for pics and the full story!!

TIME FOR BLOG CANDY!!!!!

2009-01-17T21:05:00.000-05:00

Hope you all are having a fabulous weekend!!

Well, I did a humungous clean up today - bf's dd has a friend over for a sleepover and my stipulation was that the place had to be clean! So everyone chipped in, and now, the place actually looks liveable!!

So, I'm taking a break from our little "american idol" contest to post a little blog candy in celebration of my clean condo!

I'm taking a litle break from my AMERICAN IDOL contest we're having here.. the kids are singing right now.. its almost my turn! LOL

So this is the deal, post a comment to my blog! A random name will be drawn of all entries & the winner will recieved:

SU! 2008 SAB set - Birthday Whimsy!
Jan 18th - edit - I'm adding 25 clear sleeves to the pot today!

GOOD LUCK!

A bit of Hanna, and some ATG!

2009-01-12T23:34:00.000-05:00

I made this card using Hanna Stamps B is for Baby set.

Its also my first successful attempt at paper piecing. I always admire cards with all the detailed snips and love the way they pop out. I thought i'd give this one a try since the images are pretty easy to cut around. I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out, given it being my first try! I took this picture before I added some pink stickles along the edge of the centre.

This is made for my friend who's expecting her 2nd baby girl this week!

I was so excited my paper piecing worked out, i decided to copy it for a swap I joined. This is such a cute set, and I think I'm getting addicted to Hanna Stamps now! They're so easy to use & if any of you were at thier most recent release party - you may have seen me mentin that they smell nice too... haha.

Stamps: Hanna Stamps "B is for Baby"
Paypah: SU! - Pixie pink, Pink Passion
Embellies: green walmart ribbon; Stickles: cotton candy pink

Here is the baby card for the swap:

I hope they like it!

Stamps: Hanna Stamps "B is for Baby"
Paypah: SU! Bashful blue, certainly celery, so saffron; walmart patterned paper
Embellies: Clear dew drops; Stickles: baby blue

AND NOW FOR MY PERSONAL ATG review =)
I ordered my ATG online yesterday from NHS media. This is the 3M ATG714. It arrived via purolator this morning at the office. So, I'd been taking it out of its box, petting it a little, putting it back.. waiting to get home to give it a go! Well, the time is now. Here is the ATG loaded and ready to go. Its quite simple to load.

Here is a snapshot of it next to your typical 472 inches of SNAIL adhesive. Now, you can see the size difference of the gun itself, and how much MORE adhesive you get per roll.

I can definately see the benefits of using a gun like this for big projects, swaps & things where you need to use alot of glue. The cost of the gun will pay itself off in refill savings for those of us who stamp alot! Now, i'm right handed, and the most comfortable position for me, is to glue/write/doodle with things at an angle. The following picture is my attempt at showing you what I see when trying to line the edge of this piece of CS. As you can see, the downfall for me, is that I can't really see clearly where the tape is. The roller is about 1/2" wide, and the tape is 1/4" wide, and sits at the edge of the roller to one side (from the angle, it is the side closest to me). So, its a bit fidgety to see where EXACTLY to place the glue.

So, the easier way to glue for me, is to glue along the edge closest to me. Again, in this photo, i attempt to show you the angle as I see it. (That is, i stuck the camera in front of my face to take the photo). You can see here that its easier to guage where the glue goes, becuase the tape runs along the edge of the roller here. Put the roller along the edge, and that's where your glue goes! (Please excuse the pink plaid pj pants....)

Now, due to the size of this gun, its really hard to glue pieces that are small and odd shaped.. it works, but its taking practice.....

So, VOILA... here's the card I ended up making for this little "review".

Stamps: ELZYBELLS "coffee friends"
Paypah: SU! purely pommegranate, sage shadow, My minds eye patterned paper
Embellies: Dollar store find

Pros: Lightweight, easy to load, sure to save money on adhesive, dont have to change the roll after every swap - the tape is about 3 times the the amount you get in a SNAIL or MONO.

Cons: Bulky, so you need to be careful where you place your roller tip; the adhesive doesn't "finish off" as "cleanly" as a SNAIL.... and well lets face it.. its ugly as sin.

Still, it gets a thumbs up from me! I'm sure my ATG and I will become very, very good friends..

A GIANT THANK YOU!!!

2009-01-12T23:27:00.000-05:00

For Christmas, my very special SCS friends banded together to spoil me. I recieved a very generous gift certificate to Rubbernecker!! This was a GREAT gift and one I can't thank everyone enough for. So of course, what did I do? I went shopping!!!!

I thought I'd share with you my load of goodies, now that I've uploaded the photos to my 'puter.
I have never torn into an order as quickly as I did this one. I got so many toys, I can't wait to create more with everything! Thank you again girls! You da best!!!!!

(BIG SISTER HUGS)

Blog Candy & Very Cute Stamps!

2009-01-09T10:47:00.000-05:00

Good Morning all~
Whew! I'm still recovering from the Release Party last night with Hanna Stamps, of which my very talented friend Sandra is on thier design team!

Sandra's let us in on some blog candy from Victoria Case stamps... I'd never heard of her before, but just clicking onto her blog revealed that I will get to know these images real soon! They are adorable! So click on over for a chance to win some blog candy!! BLOG CANDY

Valentine's Kisses

2009-01-07T10:20:00.000-05:00

Good Morning all~

Its been a while ya? Hope everyone had a fabulous Holiday.

So, I did fineally get to doing some stamping this year! The card i'll share withy you all today is a prototype of a v-day card for a swap I'm in on SCS hosted by Lauriloo.

This is the first time I inked up the background stamp which has a beautiful message about love on it. I got that in the pile of unmounted rubber off of an ebay auction. I inked up Melinda (Whiff of Joy) again, I love this image, it so adorable!

I didn't color her in. Partly because I think I suck at coloring, and partly because I thought she looked better "naked" for this card.

So now onto New Year's business!

What are your resolutions this year? I have a couple. First, I want to get my stamping space organized. Well, my stamps anyways. Thanks to some very VERY special sisters, I got a HUGE gift certificate for Rubbernecker, and my order came in the mail last night. I used the Tim Holtz paper distresser on the card about to soften the edges on the kraft stock and the momento coco ink for the images. I also got some EZmount and mounted pretty much all my unmounted rubber last night. yes, there I was sitting at the dining room table with sticky fingers mounting and snipping away. Put a little dent in my list of organizing to do's! I can't thank you ladies enough for your very generous gift!

My next resolution is cooking related. I am going to try a new recipe every 2 weeks (or two times per month anyway). Bf bought me a Nintendo DS and with it, the Cooking Personal Trainer software. There are over 200 recipes on it, and I want to try a bunch of them. This weekend will be my first experiment, though I have yet to decide on the recipe. It will be from the software, or perhaps a recipe i have gotten in a swap, or any of the recipes I find around - only rule for me is that it has to be new! I'm sure there will hits and misses, but I'm excited to get cookin'!

I'd like to make a final stamping resolution, but have yet to decide what that will be - so ladies? My question to you is.. what are YOUR resolutions this year?

Lastly, the Hanna Stamps release party is coming upon us quickly! Check out my favorite DT memeber's blog for sneak peeks! SANDRA is such a talented lady! Well, that is all for now. Back to WORK... its a blizzard out there and its nice to be inside while the white falls down......

Update on Rockstar

2008-12-12T15:07:00.000-05:00

So, in case you're wondering if our puppy is still alive, yes, Rockstar's still kickin'. After chewing through ALOT of paper, erasers, pens, you name it. This dog finds things I haven't seen in months!

And here I thought i'd share with you a little picture. My little boy is growing up and learning to drive! And no.. the truck was NOT moving at the time I took this shot.. me n rocky were waiting outside the grocery store while bf ran in to grab some vegetables. He does attract alot of attention....!!

Did I do this right?

2008-12-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

I got a lovely butterflee from my friend Sandra.
Now, I can't seem to figure out how to put it here, so I'll just post that its a lovely "gift" from a great friend!

See her blog PAPER FUNTASTICS and join her on SCS tomorrow for the Hanna Release party! She is Hanna's most talented Design Team member.. and no.. I am not biased.. really.. no, I'm not! =D

2008-11-24T10:26:00.000-05:00

GOOD Morning!

Its Monday! What's good about Monday?!!!!! bleh!
I found out this weekend that I missed a great sale at Michael's on the Cuttlebug. Pooh on me!! Oh well, Maybe Santa will still bring me one!

The rubber stash challenge I put up not too long ago was met by a few and so, Card Kits will be in the mail shortly for those who participated! Mary, Kadie, Judy & Kelly! Yay! If you did the challenge, and haven't let me know yet, please post a message today and let me know so I can get a kit in the mail to you also! Don't forget to post a link to your creation, blog or SCS gallery, etc.

Yay! Thank you all for playing!!

Blog Candy Alert!

2008-11-21T11:15:00.000-05:00

http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/

Challenge Christmas Card

2008-11-20T10:15:00.000-05:00

Let me start by apologizing for the poor photograph. Darn camera on the cell phone just doesn't take the greatest photos and my lighting at home is just terrible!

I received a package with a fabulous Riley bookmark, some very cute images and a fantastic Christmassy paperpack from my friend Mary over at SCS! Mary's posted a challenge and that is to create a card with the paperpack that she sent over and here's mine!

I couldn't wait, i got so excited to use this paper because its absolutely GORGEOUS! Forget the fact that I'm in love with all things Christmas, this rich colorful pack wont last in my craftroom! I'm dedicated to making cards with the whole thing!

The solid cardstock is all SU! I stamped the green with the flourish from Baroque Motifs (which by the way i'm LOVING). I had this set for a long time and never knew what to do with it. I recently broke it out to do some backgrounds on my calendar, and have been inking it up ever since! Its stamped with Versamark. I added a little gold ribbon, and layers of these rich beautiful colors!

The image and sentiment are both from Elzybells. I have embellished with yellow stickles for the hat & scarf, and Crystal effects for the ice and snow.

Romance is in the air....

2008-11-18T11:31:00.000-05:00

I joined a wedded bliss mix up swap hosted by Rhondaleigh30 over on SCS.

It was my opportunity to use this adorable stamp from Elzybells, thanks to a free shipping sale my friend Michelle not too long ago!

I decided to use a simple layout and tones of pink. I also opted not to color the image, since, well, I suck at it, and also, i liked the simplistic look of this card.

Now hopefully you've all been rummaging through your un-inked piles? Hmm? Hmm? have you? hee hee.

I did stamper up a storm last night. I seem to have an addiction to swapping and have joined way too many!! A few more to get off my list and then I should really get started on working on my Christmas stamping. Can you believe its only just over a month away?! I also need to get my tree up! I love Christmastime... Now if only my renovations were done.... =P

challenge update

2008-11-16T23:27:00.000-05:00

Rules are loose ladies - yes, non-SU! stamps and stamp sets are part of the challenge too!
I really just want to get some of that un-inked rubber on the move!

TGIF! ~

2008-11-14T13:45:00.000-05:00

GOOOOOOOOD FRIDAY AFTERNOON!

I REALLY don't want to work today... bleh.
Its cloudy and cold today which would be a perfect day to sit at home at my dining room table and craft away..... I have swaps to get done! Darn WORK getting in the way! yucko!

So I took inventory last night of the stamps I have accumulated since I re-started papercrafting and holy sh*t! If it weren't for the wonderful gals I've made friends with on SCS, the sensible side of me would be telling me to STOP! Its costing too much!! At least dbf doesn't REALLY know the cost total!

So I suppose since I'm not posting a new card for you all to take a look see at, I should post something interesting. So, I'm posting a challenge for you all.

During my inventory last night, I realized that I had a good number of stamps and stamp sets that I have NOT even trimmed & mounted - let alone inked up! So here's my challenge to all of you.

Step 1: Gather all stamps and/or stamp sets that you have either NEVER used, or have not used for a very long time. A very long time being months or years, depending on how long you've been stamping for. If you use all your stamps on a regular basis, I bow to you!

Step 2: CLOSE YOUR EYES and reach into that pile & pick out a random set. DON"T LOOK!!!!!!!!

Now of course I could just say "make a card" but that would be too easy! There has to be rules!!

Step 3: Create a card using
a) a minimum of 3 layers
b) a minimum of 2 colors EXCLUDING black & white (if you choose to use black or white, you must incorporate at least 2 other colors)
c) use at least 1 embellishment (ribbon, button, brad, eyelet, card candy, etc.)

Step 4: Post a comment here with a link to your blog (with photo and info on your card).

********** If you don't have a blog, post a photo with details in your gallery on SCS and again, post a comment and link here.

Well, I guess as some encouragement to get your on you way, I should give something away... so... post by Next Friday, November 28th, '08 and everyone who completes the challenge will receive a card kit from me.

HAPPY STAMPING! and TGIF!

Kadie's Contest

2008-11-11T11:24:00.000-05:00

head on over to Kadie's page and check out her contest to win a free Hanna set!
MY MINDS EYE CREATIONS

SuperCalendar

2008-11-10T19:27:00.000-05:00

Here it is!! I've been slaving over a hot paper trimmer since last week putting together a calendar for bf's gma. The family had a scare not too long ago and almost lost her. So for her 91st birthday, all sorts of family came to celebrate. The calendar was quite a hit! His cousins and mom and sister were very impressed with the work I'd put into it.... points for me!

Yes, I was taking photos in the car on the way to dinner.... and no, I wasn't driving =P
I'll have to apologize for the nasty glare from the plastic. Hmm.. i seem to do my best work under pressure. I'm sure there are several calendars that are much more impressive than mine, i'm pretty happy with how this one turned out!

January incorporates an image I recieved in the mail from my good friend MiamiKel from SCS.
Thanks Kelly! The image is from the Ski Bunny set from Hanna Stamps.

Ahh February! Image here is from Rubbernecker

The clover for March was done by tracing a Creative Memories heart shaped cutter from the Custom cutting system. I cut three out, and then freehanded the "stem" - I sure hope it looks like a clover to all of you! LOL

April, birthdays of bf and his dd.... and yes, that's a beach shot of bf and our little Rockstar... *tear*

The flowers here are from an image swap. Colored in with SU! markers. Stamps are from SU!'s Priceless set.

June, a hot hot month! Rubbernecker stamp in the bottom corner.

That's a penny black image, love this little piggy!

LilyKate paper I purchased from Scrappingreatdeals.com.

The swirls here are also from SU!'s priceless set. The leaves are from the Seasonal Icons set.

Pretty Typical halloween theme. Some House mouse stamps on here. The Lil' Pumpkin stamp was one of the many that I surprisingly got in the mail from three very special friends from SCS, Judy, Mary & Kadie.

I originally bought this background paper from Clipper Street Scrapbooking in Coquitlam, BC on a visit home, I thought it was perfect for November. The flowers are from Petaloo and purchased from My Favorite Things.

And finally December. I love the holidays and so I left this page to last. The background is stamped in Metallic Gold Ink using SU's Baroque Motifs set. I never knew what to do with this gorgeous stamp set until I started with this calendar. I think that particular large swirl will make great backgrounds for elegant Christmas cards this year. But, its debut got to be on this page.

I didn't list ALL the materials I used, but tried to get most of it in there. If you want to know what any of the sets are, or any of the colors used, let me know and i'll try to remember!

The calendar pages, Month Titles and Weekdays Titles are all from Creative Memories. Papers and Cardstocks vary between store finds and Stampin' Up. The 12x12 sleeves are a bulk pack of 25 I bought at Micheal's with my 40% off cupon. perhaps granny should be happiest of all, I didn't use my 40% off cupon to buy a Cuttlebug for myself, I used it for her calendar! The pages ended up costing just over $11. For 25! What a deal! now i have enough leftover to make calendar #2......... dare I? LOL Maybe after a LONG rest!!

I hope you enjoyed my little calendar! Now I"m off to wash my dainties!!

Stampin' up a Storm!

2008-11-01T16:54:00.000-04:00

I've been a busy little bee!
Recently I recived the orders that I'd been waiting for! Yay! The Whiff of Joy stamps I ordered came lightening fast! Faster than anything I've ordered from the US! I bought Melinda blowing kisses and some grassy knoll for her to stand on. So just for the sake of putting rubber to ink, I whipped up a little card with Melinda on it. Now, its not fancy, I'll warn you, I just wanted to break her in....

I also finally got to finishing up my cards for OhioMary's swap on SCS. I JUST finished putting them all in thier little plastic envelopes & they'll be postal next week! The cards are winter themed & must include a warm recipe for a soup or stew. I found a recipe online for a Portabello Mushrom Stew. I'm sure I'm going to try it out this winter, it just sounds so yummy!

I used chocolate chip and tempting turquoise cardstock from SU! and the Snow Burst set. I stamped with Versamark; chocolate chip and yes, even some Baja blue. The ribbon is some chocolate satin ribbon, and tempting turquoise ribbon from SU! on the recipe.

I'm on a bit of a coloring and Christmas Card kick for the last couple of days. And yep, I've been whipping up some holiday cards already! I love this new cocktail elf stamp I got from Whipper Snapper.... and thought I'd make something humorous. So here it is.

Hopefully the recipients of this card will have a good laugh!
I made two, opposite colors, as you can see. Green Galore, and Riding Hood red from SU! and I used a selection of square, circle and scallop punches, all from Stamin' Up.

One last thing! here's what my stamp space looks like.... yes, all i have is this little corner. Which is fine by me since a few months ago, all I had was the coffee table. What a disaster!
This room gets super hot when the sun shines. I have to get blinds up or I'm afraid all my inks and pens and markers will dry up! I share this space with an ungy stinky little lizard (its called a Bearded Dragon), named Frankie. Whom lives in a fish tank by the window. He watches me stamp, I ignore him. Its a great relationship. As long as he stays behind his glass, I'm happy!

Copic Crap

2008-10-25T16:27:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I am posting twice in one day for one simple reason. i'm getting ready to go for my all u can eat prime rib dinner at the casino, and decided to share my copic crap with you before I load up on meat.

I thought I'd give these markers a try and lo and behold, I suck at this..... so here's proof. this pic was taken with my camera phone so its not that great, but trust me, it looks even worse in real life.. hahahaha.

One thing I do have to say, is that I DO love these markers. They are so easy to color with, the ink just comes out with a very light touch, and I love the vibrancy of the brighter colors. They move accross the paper with ease. I just have to learn the technique. You know what they say, don't blame the car, blame the driver? Well, don't blame the marker, blame the .... color-er? lol!!

Off I go to stuff my face!!

Christmas is coming and so are my stamps!

2008-10-25T13:15:00.000-04:00

I'm patiently waiting for my stamps to come.
I put in an order with Whipper Snapper after coming up with some great poems and card ideas with my favorite girls on SCS.

i have to admit, I'm a stamping slut. I see a card or stamp that someone else has or if somebody posts a link or advises of a sale, I'm there! So.... I ALSO hopped on over to Whiff of Joy (Thanks for pimping that one out Kadie) and made a little purchase over there too.

Now I'm patiently waiting for those stamps to arrive so I can create with them. Or maybe they'll just end up in my collection. Since I think I've now become more of a rubber and paper collector than an actual stamper.

PaperAddict Catherine is also going to send me some alligator paper. A little challenge to see what the two of us can do with the same item. Now I THINK i should send her something back to create with. Its a doubledare after all.... eh Catherine?? hee hee... troublemakers we are!

For now, all i have to post is my halloween treats> Its pretty simple & plain, but I love the Trick or Cheese stamp from House Mouse.

Presenting Rockstar.....

2008-10-21T10:15:00.001-04:00

Need I say more?

Tagging, blogging, confusion

2008-10-01T16:56:00.000-04:00

Man oh man.. there has to be an easier way to blog!
I can't seem to find how to do anything, let alone remember my password!! LOL

Okay, so what was with tinkerbelle? Apparently she's supposed to be here but I can't see her........................=P

I will have pics of the dog soon, promise!!

Day 1 is done!

2008-07-21T10:58:00.000-04:00

WOOHOO! Day one is done of the virtual cruise and the projects that were uploaded were fantastic! I just knew that a little inspiration would go a long way where these girls are concerned!!

I unfortunately couldn't stamper along because i was at the trailer...

NEWS! Bf's aunt is moving into a new house; she therefore has no space for an heirloom dining room table and has offered it to him. (Yes, him. Not us.. but that's a story for another day). So... the glass IKEA table is my new craft table! WOOHOO! And thanks to the kitchen cabinet I dropped while trying to install it (hee hee); I now can use that as a cabinet for the crafting space. Bf is playing hockey tonight (I think) and so I'm going to start moving things around in the den so I can have a little craft space. I haven't told him this yet, but well, the kitchen renos are gonig on 4 months now and he didn't tell me THAT - so there.

Its almost time to cruise!

2008-07-17T16:22:00.001-04:00

So I've been getting ready for this virtual cruise I'm hosting. Wow, its been alot of work! I am so happy to do it; and hope that all the girls aboard will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.

I'm nervous though - hopefully the projects are interesting enough!!

I was daydreaming about opening up my own store with the bf last night; oh how I wish I had the start up money and time to do that! Then I could make my hobby my job! LOL!!

So our renters backed out of this weekend at the trailer... the bad thing is that we don't get the money; the good news is that we can go up this weekend. Looks like I'll be cruisin' from my trailer, haha!!

Sneak Peeks for the projects:

We're HHEEERE!!!!

2008-07-06T17:15:00.000-04:00

yep, its been just over a week and I'm still chillin' at the trailer resort....another week to go before I have to get my butt back to work; AND get going on the virtual cruise!

my feetsies are burnt though.... apparently, that's the forgotten spot with the sunscreen!!

The best deal ever!

2008-06-30T09:59:00.000-04:00

Just got a smokin' hot deal on some stuff for the trailer.
We drove to Canadian Tire (automotive, home improvement chain), to buy a BBQ. So they had a one day sale where when you purchase $40 worth of merchandise, you get a bonus $10 in Canadian Tire Money. (For my american friends, instead of reward points you get store money). So we bought the BBQ, got $10 bonus CT money. Then we bought a hose, nozzle, and two cintronella candles; $10 more. After that we bought the BBQ cover, and bug spray, and another citronella candle.... yep another $10. Mike had about $10 saved up so now we have about $40 in Canadian Tire money. Bought a brand new propane tank, filled with propane... $53.99 - paid with $40 canadian tire money and the rest cash!! The propane tank ended up costing us $16.!! What a deal. ON TOP of that, the transaction was over $40 and we walked away with another $10 in canadian tire money!!

I think I'm still walking on air on this deal.. I love saving money.. tee hee!!

NEW TRAILER RESORT HOME!!!!!!!

2008-06-24T22:13:00.000-04:00

So, this is my blog eh? Never blogged before and can't believe I have a blog now! LOL

Anyhoo.. so you ladies wanted to know what the oxymoron of a trailer resort was?! well, here it is ..... my new vacation home on Lake Erie in Ontario.......

so i know.. when'e the girls night stampin'??? let me work on dbf for that one!!

wish you were all here to share it with me!!

I tried to do the fainting from all the hard work look, but I couldn't without a straight face.. hehe

so now you ladies know what i look like without any make up! LOL

sorry, no bikini shots will be coming =P