Sunshine!

I'm loving these challenges over at Splitcoast!  Those Dirty Girls have some very creative ideas!

This card only incorporates two challenges (surprisingly) but was fun to make!  I have to challenge myself to keep a card very simple and clean once in a while, it really refreshes the mojo!  The clouds are from Mint Motif, and the sunshine is a stamp from The Greeting Farm.  The clouds turned out beautifully with just embossing ink and clear embossing powder.  The sun needed a little bit more oompf, so I inked my stamp in the embossing ink and then in Honey from CTMH.  It gave it just a little more color to stand out against the yellow cardstock!  I also used my ScorPal to score the detail lines behind the clouds instead of adding ribbon.  It's been so humid here the past few days that the embossing powder didn't work so well, but all in all I think it turned out pretty cute!

Thanks for looking!

Cheers!

Orange Birthday Card

Here is another card I did for the Dare To Get Dirty Challenges over at Splitcoast.  I have to give credit to my Veteran Stamping Diva friend Suz for the idea!  (Thanks Suz!)  She sent me a photo of a card using this stamp set and paper piecing the cake, and I loved it so much I had to imitate it!!

This card incorporates five of the 33 challenges, one of which was to incorporate the color Orange.  As you may know, I don't really have a lot of orange in my stash.  Well, at least I *thought* I didn't have much orange!  These three papers all came from a BoBunny 8x8 stack that I got for free (with purchase) from Archivers.  Since it's an odd sized paper it wasn't easy to incorporate into the rest of my stash.  I have a basket of odd-sized papers that often gets neglected back in a corner behind my laptop, so I decided to crack these babies open for some of the challenges!  I think this card is my favorite of the bunch!

Thanks for looking!

Cheers!

Santa Gift Tin

Here is another container I put together based on the DTGD Challenges:

I had a lot of fun with this one!  This one also combines four challenges, one of which was a sketch.  I wanted this to be a little more manly, but still incorporate some Christmas colors.  I gave Santa just a tiny bit of a color wash, the color is much deeper in person than in the photo.  The ribbon is one of the seasonal ones you can find at Michaels, and strangely, it perfectly matches the Merry Christmas stamp from Hero.  How cool is that?  Now I have an excuse to use up the rest of this ribbon, too!  :)

Thanks for looking!

Cheers!

Christmas Yummies!

I was inspired to get a jump on Christmas by altering a container for one of the gifts I'll be giving this year.

I was able to combine four of the Dare To Get Dirty challenges for this container, one of which called for us to use something we've been hoarding!!

See these fab little bits of bling?  I picked them up in six different colors and two different sizes when they first came out at Archivers, and I have NEVER USED THEM!!  I pull them out about once a month and drool over them, but I've been saving them for the "perfect project."  I'm glad someone finally *made* me use them!  Now it'll be so much easier to use the other colors!

Thansk for looking!

Cheers!

Fabulous Butterfly

Here is another card I did for the Dare To Get Dirty Challenges over at Splitcoast!

I actually managed to combine FOUR challenges into this one card!  I was pretty surprised that it fell into so many challenges, but then the brown embossed piece in the back is actually a piece of cardboard from a box of Nilla Wafers!  Gotta love recycling!

Thanks for looking!

Cheers!

Sweet Apples

Here is the first card I made for the Dare To Get Dirty challenges over at Splitcoast.

I actually combined two challenges for this card, and am forever thankful for the paper stash I have.  Who would have thought I'd have this exact shade of green in there?!?  The little girl is from The Greeting Farm, and the sentiment is from Mint Motif!

Thanks for looking!

Cheers!

Orange Butterflies Card

This is the second card design I came up with for this months Make & Take with the girls.  I'll be dragging a friend along with me this month, and since she isn't a stamper (yet) I offered to make a card for her.  I asked what she'd like on her card and she gave me the typical "I dunno..." so I told her to pick a color and an object.  She said Orange Butterflies.

Really??  ORANGE?!?  I think orange is the ONE color I don't have much of, but I managed to find some in my stash!  Granted, this meant I actually had to cut into *fresh* sheets of 12x12 paper.  GASP!  I've been trying to use up my scraps for so long that it's rare for me to cut into a new sheet, much less dip into a brand new paper pack!  The papers are from the DCWV Indian Summer stacks; I picked them up for 4 bucks each on clearance this spring.  The stamp set and die are new from Prickly Pear, and I've been very excited to use them!  I think this turned out pretty well!

Thanks for looking!

Cheers!

Up Up and Away!!

Here is the card I'm doing for this month's Make & Take.  We get together every month and each of us make up a card design, then cut enough pieces for everyone else in the group to make a card.  Multiply that by 5 stampers, and you come home with 5 different card designs!  It's a fun way to experiment with new techniques and different folds, and a great excuse to sit around and chat with the girls!

The papers are all from Tres Jolie by My Minds Eye, and the stamp set is from Verve.  The girls probably will groan at me that there's so much fussy cutting, but at least I didn't distress anything!  :)

Thanks for looking!

Cheers!

Dare to Get Dirty!

There is a new series of challenges coming up over at Splitcoast this weekend.  The challenges are for Fan Club members to show their stamping muscle and are hosted by the Dirty Dozen alumni!  I'm sure the challenges are going to be a blast and will definately get my creative mojo going!

I'm off to clean off my stamping desk!  Wish me luck!

Upcoming VSN at Splitcoast!

Wahoo!!  I found out when I'm hostessing for the next VSN Challenge over at Splitcoast!  My challenge will be on August 28th at 9 pm Eastern.  This means I need to come up with a really slick card design, and make sure it can be done in 45 minutes or less!  The theme is Summertime In The Land That I Love, and the Mini VSN is coming up here on July 30th.  Come join us!

Cheers!

Paper Paper Everywhere!!

I figured I'd shed a little light on my "Rediculous Paper Stash" that I'm trying to use up.  Then perhaps people won't think I'm quite so crazy for making deals with my husband and trying so hard to use up scraps!

This section is my solid 12x12 paper, as well as my SU! paper and a few paper kits or coordinating stacks that I have disassembled.  Also here is my trusty ScorPal!

To the left is my 8 1/2 x 11 papers, to the right is all paper stacks.  From the one the black binding to the far right are all Christmas papers!  I know I know, I really gotta use some of this stuff up!  On top of the 8 1/2 x 11 is a few more paper stacks that I couldn't fit into the other cubby-hole, and on top of the 12x12 is a chipboard stack that I haven't even opened yet!!

This section is where I keep all my loose 12x12 paper, organized by company.  It's actually pretty hard to get these organizers in and out of here, since they're all stuffed so full!

Should we even talk about pre-cut card bases?

Yep, here's more!  These are the neutrals that I have a large chunk of that are all the same.  Sheesh!

And here is the famous (or infamous) Tower-o-Scraps!  These drawers are 12x12 and they are all stuffed to the brim!  THIS is why I'm trying to use my scraps before cutting into fresh sheets of paper!

Now do you see why people tell me I need a 12-step program? ;)

Cheers!

A 3 Month Challenge

Uh oh, now I've done it.  I made a bargain with the hubs that I may come to regret... Beginning July 1st, I will not make any scrappy related purchases other than adhesive and solid colored cardstock to go with the DSP I already have on hand.  I did manage to spend almost two hours in a JoAnn this weekend with my mom, and all I bought was glue dots!  (They were even on sale!)  I'm actually pretty proud of myself!  Believe it or not, I actually managed to talk my mom out of a few purchases as well.

The goal is to use up some of my stash, and not use this as an excuse to stop stamping for the summer.  Heaven knows I have more than enough of EVERYTHING to last me three months, including the adhesive!  I could probably go for a full year, but why do that to myself? (heehee)  The upswing of this is, the Hubs agreed to buy whatever is on my Greeting Farm wishlist if I make it.  He actually offered a full shopping trip including Archivers, JoAnn, Dick Blik, and even Ikea!  I think he's just offering a shopping trip so he can have Chipotle for lunch!

Cheers!

Leaving on a jet plane...

Well, I guess sitting on a plane for three hours can be time well spent after all!  I managed to get a few Christmas Cards inked and assembled, but with the turbulence I didn't want to chance stamping the images for these!

I bought a ton of these two papers last year with the intent of making Christmas Cards, but I didn't plan very well and ended up using cards from my stash instead.  I was surprised I had as many Christmas Cards already made as I did!  I send out about 80 each year, and thought I'd make a few each month to stay on top of things.  Well, I have enough pieces cut to make 48 of this design, I just gotta ink 12 pieces for every single card!!!  Things like this always seem like a good idea when I'm putting together the sample, but mass production is a whole other ball game!  And even with 48 cards, I still have a full sheet left of each of these two papers!

Thanks for looking!

Cheers!