Friday Sketch

Still working on the class projects, and still can't show them to you yet! Sorry!!! I tried a few more ideas. I really, really liked one, but think my ladies would string me up if I had them make it! Just too many pieces, too much cutting and putting through the Big Shot, just too much everything!!! I wish they were a bit more adventurous, but they usually want something quick and easy. Most of my ladies all have full-time jobs and very little extra time. So I'm glad they take the time to come and hang out with me, and I try to give them what they want!

Thought I'd take a break from class projects and work on a sketch challenge instead. Pals Paper Arts has some interesting sketches, so that's what I went with today. This week they're focusing on Breast Cancer Awareness, so the sketch challenge is PINK! I couldn't even think pink today after thinking Christmas so long. Instead I went to my trusty SU! Catalog and Idea Book and got inspired by a layout on page 107 and then tweaked it a bit.

Stamps: Great Friend

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, and Whisper White

Ink: Always Artichoke, Regal Rose

Accessories: Modern Label Punch, Paper Snips, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, Siver Wire (retired), Silver Bead Duo, Soft Subtles Mini Brads, and Dimensionals

This is just a simple, clean card I needed to make after everything else I'd been working earlier. Hope you enjoy this quick card! And don't forget to peruse the SU! Catalog on a regular basis for some inspiration. It's all in there for you to use, and it's awesome! If you don't have your own catalog yet, I'd be happy to send you your very own inspiration book! It's priceless!!

Happy stamping,

Sharon

Holiday Best Ornament Card

Great day today! I feel like I got lots accomplished. You know it's a constant job planning projects for each month's classes. Today the first of 4 cards for November's classes has been finished! Hooray! I always feel good when the projects start to come together. But I'm nowhere near being finished, so it's back to the 'stamp mines' for me. Sorry I can't show you that card just yet. I need to keep some surprises for my class ladies! Hope they like it!!

I did take time out to work on a sketch challenge today. That was my fun for today!! Gretchen Barron has a lovely sketch here that I thought I'd try. Here's my take on her idea:


This is a pretty straight-forward card to make. What really makes it a bit different is using the Ornament Punch to make a reverse mask and sponging in the ornament shape. This gives a very soft image behind the wording. It's a nice way to use a smallish size stamp as your main focal point and not have it look too small.








Stamps: Holiday Best (Hostess Level 1) and Delightful Decorations
Cardstock: Real Red, Always Artichoke, Old Olive, and Very Vanilla cardstock with Merry Moments Designer Series Paper
Ink: Old Olive and Real Red pads, Real Red and Always Artichoke markers
Accessories: Scallop Border Punch, Ornament Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Sponge quarter, White Gel Pen, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, Silver Mini Brads, Dimensionals, and Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon (retired)

Hope you like this card idea and play along with the challenge. It's always fun to see what others do with the same basic idea!

Happy Stamping!!
Sharon

BOO Hanger

Well, it seems to be that time of year when all the ghosts and ghoulies are out and about. I myself, much prefer a sweeter, gentler Halloween. I know - I'm such a wuss!! Anyway I made a Boo Hanger for my wall that is cute, and definitely NOT scary! lol It uses lots of fall colors and a few images to perk it up.

Stamps: Twick or Tweet
Cardstock: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Lovely Lilac with coordinating Prints Designer Series Papers
Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, and Lovely Lilac Classic Pads
Accessories: Chipboard Basics, Big Shot with Scallop Square Die and Serif Essentials Dies, AquaPainter, Circle Brads, Earth Elements Brads, Pumpkin Pie Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon, both Basic Black and Old Olive 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, purple ricrac from Ribbon Originals, Distressing Tool, Multi-Purpose Glue, and Paper Snips, and Glitter Pen (unknown)


This was so much fun to put together. My daughter and I spent time getting them together after I had gotten everything measured, cut, through the Big Shot, etc. We wanted to make several of these for family. This was a great way to spend an afternoon together. All totalled we made five of these. (Sorry I'm so late mailing yours Connie! You'll be already to use it next year!!)






It was fun to decide what accents to place on each letter. I loved how the ghosts look like they're floating up the side of the O. And the little witchy pumpkin fits perfectly inside the 2nd O.

We did disagree on whether to distress the edges of cardstock and Designer Paper. So some are distressed (mine) and some aren't (Heather's). In many ways our tastes are very similar, but we do differ on some things. And distressing is one of those things. She really doesn't care for it at all!! And on a project like this, either way works just fine.


Hope you enjoyed this project. Why don't you try one for yourself? Ooops, one tip I should have mentioned. We found it's so much easier to adhere the cardstock to the chipboard before you run it through the Big Shot. No sense in making more work for yourself having to line up the scallops of the chipboard and cardstock when gluing. So much easier when done ahead of time!

I had gone on some of my favorite challenge sites this morning and found one at Pals Paper Arts here that was "Anything But A Card". Is this project perfect for that or what!? Go check out what wonderful ideas people had for this challenge. Maybe you'll take up the challenge too!

Have a happy and productive Wednesday!
Sharon

Christmas Shaker Card

Hi there! It's been one heck of a week (almost) since my last post. Everything I put off and rescheduled when I was sick has been happening NOW! Whew! I'm so tired I can hardly function when I'm not teaching a class, having Hostess Club, doing an all-day crop at church, grocery shopping, and running errands. Gosh, I'm getting tired just writing about it. And the bronchitis is still hanging on so that makes everything just a little harder to do. (mumble, grumble, whine and complain!)

I was looking for some way to use the Sweet Centers stamp set and Cups, but I was having a teensy problem. Nothing was turning out as it should. So I switched the idea around a bit. I still used the plastic cups, but changed the stamp set and turned it into a shaker card. Doing a shaker card this way is so much easier than the old way with lots of dimensional tape, window sheets, etc. It's pretty much just punch and stick with the Sweet Treat Cups. You should give it a try!

Stamps: Season of Simple Grace, Sweet Centers, and Snow Swirled

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Old Olive cardstock with Merry Moments Designer Series Paper

Ink: Chocolate Chip and Old Olive

Accessories: Sweet Treat Cups, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Sleigh Bells Ribbon (love this!), Sponge Daubers, Chunky Glitter, Dimensionals, and Coluzzle set

By the way, did you notice the ornament hanger from the set used to make this into a snow globe? It's just the perfect size and shape for this!

I love how easy it is to work with these Sweet Treat cups because they have adhesive already on them! It's just a matter of filling the cup, peel and stick onto the backing cardstock. It can't get any easier than that. When was the last time you made a shaker card? Maybe it's time to try making another!

Happy stamping and stay away from the germs!

Sharon

Girlie Scrap Page

This has been a hard week for me. Seems like I haven't gotten over all the bugs I've been hosting this past month. Halfway through each day I run out of steam and really struggle to keep going. Not all that much has been getting accomplished because of this huge lack of energy. It's very frustrating when there's so much going on and I just can't keep up with it all!

The last two days I've been designing some scrapbook pages. The one I'm sharing today uses the Pick A Petal stamp set. At first this set looks so straight-forward - just flower petals and centers. But it's been lots of fun using those petals for out-of-the-box ideas the last couple of years. This time I opted to go back to the basics by making flowers! Wow, what a concept!! lol


Here's the first page. Whaddya think? It's a little bit out there, but my daughter thought it would be perfect for a little girl playing dress-up. The flower petals were embossed with white over Pretty in Pink cardsock. The centers were white embossed over Apricot Appeal. The 'leaves' are lengths of ribbon (maybe Green Galore??) that has been retired for awhile. (See, can't throw anything out - you never know when it'll be just what you need!!)

Stamps: Pick A Petal and Flight of the Butterfly

Cardstock: Gable Green, Pretty in Pink, Apricot Appeal, Regal Rose, and Vellum Cardstock

Ink: Green Galore Classic, Whisper White Craft

Accessories: Winter White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Big Shot with Go Go Boots Alphabet Dies, Sponge quarter, White Gel Pen, Clear Rhinestone Brads, Scallop Edge Punch, Paper Snips, and Dimensionals

One of my friends saw the page and was all excited until she realized all the elements were cut out and not punched. Sorry, no petal shaped punches here! She just hates cutting things out! But I don't mind the cutting at all. It's really kind of calming and gives you time to think of other things. Like what else needs doing before an all-day crop on Saturday!!

Back to work for me. Hope you're having a great week. Drink plenty of juice and take those anti-oxidants so you don't get sick. It's the pits getting back on your feet!! ;-)

Sharon

Punchy Class

Yes, I finally did host a Punchy Class after getting several requests for it. Funny, many of the ladies requesting the class didn't sign up for it. Hmmmm..... That always confuses me. Maybe it was just a bad night for them. Who knows. Anyway, we did have fun last night and made four projects too. But I'm only going to show you two of them. And the candy bar cover was made by Brenda and Dawn - two ladies that came to class! They made one for everyone who came to class. Thanks guys - you're the very best!!! We had made pumpkins like these last year on one of the cards during the fall season. I'm glad to see they remember the different things we've done and actually re-use the ideas! Yay!

The very last card we made was this cute little crow sitting on a hay bale. He was the most involved so I saved him for last. We had to work our way up to this level! lol Here's the list of punches used:

Scallop Circle, 1 3/4" Circle, Large Oval, 1 1/4" Circle, Wide Oval, 1" Circle, Boho Blossom, Small Oval, 1/4" Circle, Word Window, and 1/8" Circle

Whee-dawgies! That's a lot of punches there.

Stamps: Sanded, Woodgrain, and Teeny Tiny Wishes

Cardstock: More Mustard, Old Olive, Basic Black, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa, and Summer Sun

Ink: Close to Cocoa pad, Basic Black and Close to Cocoa Markers

Accessories: Big Shot with Texturz Plates Kit #4, Black Hemp Twine (retired), Neutrals Buttons, Paper Snips,Dimensionals, and Mini Glue Dots

This was the first project because it was the easiest. This acorn is just so darn cute!!!

Punches: Ornament, Wide Oval, Large Oval

Stamps: Grateful Greetings, Sanded

Cardstock: Creamy Caramel, Soft Suede with Autumn Traditions Designer Series Papers

Ink: Soft Suede

Accessories: Sponge quarter, Piercing Tool and Mat Pack, Gold Mini Brads, and Dimensionals

Just loved making the acorns. I've made a few extras and I'm just looking around for a place to use them. Maybe I should try planting one to see if I get an oak tree out of it? lol

This is what Brenda and Dawn made. Very cute, right?? Shhh, don't tell anyone that they used some contraband DSP. I thought it was really cute though and quite looked nice even if it wasn't SU!

They used: Big Shot with Top Note Die, SU! Little Leaves Sizzlits Die, Designer Label Punch, and Small Oval Punch, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, and Chocolate Chip cardstocks.

Don't you agree that they did an awesome job on these? Thanks so much ladies - you're the very bestest friends!!

Well, that's it for today's post. Hope these ideas inspire you and make you get your punches out! On your mark, get set, start punching!!!

Think I'm getting a bit punchy here! (groan)

Sharon

Love Those Ornaments!

Yes, I really, really do! This is one of those awesome SU! stamp and punch combos that just makes me happy!! (doing the happy dance here!) Both items are great by themselves, but when you put them together, it's magic! So I just have to keep going back to the combo and creating something new with it. This time I used the Petals a Plenty embossing folder to add some texture to the background. Then for a touch of bling, I sponged on just a bit of the Champagne Shimmer Paint. It really makes the embossing look so pretty and elegant. Adding the layer of Brushed Gold cardstock and the ornament punched from the gold cardstock too are the finishing touches.


Stamps: Delightful Decorations
Cardstock: Real Red, Very Vanilla, and Brushed Gold
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Ornament Punch, Big Shot with Petals a Plenty Texturz Impressions, Champagne Shimmer Paint, Sponge quarter, Gold cording, and Dimensionals

Did you happen to notice the tiny strip of gold cardstock on the card? It's just one of those skinny strips that get discarded when trimming layers. You just never know when those little strips of cardstock will be just what's needed on a card. Honestly, I don't save all of the little scraps, just the specialty paper ones like this Brushed Gold. It's just too pretty to throw in the garbage. What a horrid thought! But if I saved everything, there wouldn't be room in the basement for me anymore! LOL
Hope you enjoy the idea. It really doesn't take much time to put together once you have the idea! I just might be doing a few more of these for sending out myself.

Have a great week,
Sharon

Patterned Trees card

Can't believe it's Thursday already. This week is just flying by and I've been trying to play catch-up all week. There's just so much to do and definitely not enough hours in the day to get it all done! But somehow I always find time to get some stamping in, don't you? It's really my business, my passion, and my therapy all rolled into one! LOL

Well, one of the things my hubby would love for me to do is get organized and throw out stuff I don't use. Now for me, that is almost an impossible task. You just never know when you might need that 4" strip of ribbon. Or I just might figure out what to do with that half-finished card(s) that's sitting there. Anyway, I've been teaching classes for awhile (like maybe forever!). When someone cancels at the last minute, there's a packet with nicely cut cardstock layers with envelopes, ribbons or other doo-dads, instructions, etc all leftover. I always think I'll get around to making up the extras, and sometimes I actually do!! But that still leaves a huge pile of packets that seems to be growing when I'm not paying too close attention to it! So I've been trying to reduce the mountainous pile of packets. Hence today's card:

Do you remember Cranberry Crisp? I just loved the color and somehow have a bit extra sitting around. But these pieces were for a card that I don't even own the stamp set that was originally planned for it. Oh well, that just means improvising - a little old, a little new.

Stamps: Patterned Trees (Hostess Level1) and sentiment from A Cardinal Christmas

Cardstock: Handsome Hunter, Cranberry Crisp, and Very Vanilla

Ink: Handsome Hunter and Cranberry Crisp

Accessories: Cranberry Crisp Stitched Ribbon, Sponge quarter, and Dimensionals

I still have more Cranberry Crisp cardstock and ribbon left, so you never know when they just might pop up again. But I feel really good that I remade 6 new cards with leftover cut cardstock and ribbon. Now that's an accomplishment! Of course, that is also such a tiny pebble from the mountain of card class packets that's staring me in the face. LOL But it's a start!! And I'm going to continue to feel good about getting started!

Time to get working on whatever mountains you've got staring you in the face. It feels good!

On to climbing my Mt. Everest of cardstock!

Sharon

Anniversary Blog Candy #1

Hi there! It's me again. I didn't think I'd make it through classes yesterday, but I did! Hooray!! It sure took it's toll though. I was about numb by the time everything was finished. Now, where is that energy fix? I'm still hacking and wheezing away and get tired so darn quickly. But that's not why you're here. Last month I kept mentioning that October is my big anniversary with Stampin' Up! I've enjoyed being part of this terrific company for 12 full years, minus a couple of weeks. Hmmmm... That came out just a tad skewed there. I've really enjoyed being part of the company and in a bunch of days I'll be celebrating the actual date. There that's better.

Anyway, I mentioned numerous times about a drawing for blog candy to help me celebrate. It was easy to enter the drawing - just leave comments for me. And so many of you did and I appreciated every single comment left!! Here's a picture of a tag-holder packet that I'd like to send out the the lucky lady! It's made with Garden Green cardstock and the Merry Moments Designer Series Paper. The tags fit inside two Word Window punched slots and are an assortment of anything and everything that I thought would make into a cute tag. This should help you get ready for Christmas!

So who's the lucky lady? drumroll please..... On Sept 10th

jaydee said...
Sharon.... the colors are gorgeous and I love the way you added texture to the card with the corduroy button in the middle of the medallion and tied it to the ribbon. great job. btw... thank you for visiting my blog and congrats on your upcoming anniversary.Peace and hugsJaydee

So Jaydee, please contact me at:

scstamper@comcast.net so I can send out your gift! I loved hearing from you and really appreciated your comment!! I'll need an address to send it on to you.

Thanks so much to all of you that have been watching my blog lately and all the wonderful comments you leave. You really lift me up when I'm sitting in the bottom of the barrel. Watch for another drawing next week to continue the celebration!! (horns blowing and confetti raining down!)

Back to stamping and musing for another day,

Sharon

Not Quite Back to Normal

Of course, I'm never too sure just what constitutes 'normal'. lol But whatever normal is, I'm not quite there yet. The doctor assured me I wouldn't be contagious anymore which is always a good thing. She didn't tell me that I'd still be feeling lower than zero percent energy levels though. Where is my energy? I went looking for it today, but got tired before I found it. lol This is supposed to be class week. And already the calls have been coming in to cancel because ladies have the flu bug themselves, or bronchitis, or one or more of their children are home sick. Yuck. This is soooo depressing! This looks like it's turning out to be one of the sickest autumns ever around my group of family and friends. How about you out there? Are you still feeling ok? Not sick yet? No fever and chills?? I sure hope you're all doing perfectly well and stay that way!

So to cheer us all up, I thought I share a lovely Christmas card with you. I made this one several weeks ago, but just had too many other things more important to share instead.

Stamps: Winter Post

Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White

Ink: Basic Brown, Tempting Turquoise, Blush Blossom, Taken with Teal Classic and White Craft

Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, AquaPainter, Gold Mini Brad, Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, and Dimensionals

I really like the looks of these colors together. I guess I've been moving away from the more traditional Christmas colors lately. Now that doesn't mean I'm tired of the 'tried and true' red and green. It just means I've become a little more adventuresome. Try putting some new colors together to make some card samples and see what you come up with. I'd love it if you'd share your ideas with me too. We all grow and expand our horizons when we share with others. Right?

And right now it's time to get finished for classes. Hope you all have a wonderful evening.

Stay happy. Stay healthy.

Until next time..

Sharon

Is Soft Suede the New Black?

A couple of days ago, I swung by Gretchen Barron's website to check out her latest challenge sketch. She always has nice sketches and I needed something to get me going again. I liked the looks of it, but was just too tired to manage it at the time. After thinking about it a couple days, I came up with an idea I wanted to try. Not too sure what you'll think of this one 'cuz the colors aren't what you'd expect. Give me a holler and tell me if it works or not.

This is it! Tell me, tell me! Does it work or was it a crazy idea?

Stamps: Punch Pals

Cardstock: Kraft, Whisper White, and Soft Suede with Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper

Ink: Stazon Jet Black and Soft Suede pads, and Real Red, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Soft Suede Markers

Accessories: Big Shot with SU! Backgrounds Texturz Plates, Soft Suede Polka Dotted Ribbon, AquaPainter, and Dimensionals

I really love the color you get when you watercolor with Soft Suede ink. It's so yummy and warm - just like cocoa! So then, what could be better for a wintery Christmas card? I asked my hubby about the color for a Christmas card, and he thought it looked 'all right'. I guess it's ok then if he says so! Normally he doesn't say too much about my cards one way or the other. So I have to be happy when I get any kind of a compliment like 'all right'. lol

Still snifflin' and coughin',

Sharon

Many Serene Snowflakes

Well, I just got back from seeing my favorite doctor again. Good news! I don't have pneumonia! Hooray! Since I was feeling so tired and short of breath lately, this was a worry for me. Now for the bad news, I've now got a sinus infection and bronchitis. Yuck. These germs just keep changing around into something else. She says I don't have the flu bug anymore, but she's giving me an antibiotic for the sinus infection, etc. I'll be so thrilled when this is all over and I have some energy again!!!! I am just soooooo tired!

Yesterday I was making some cards for the From Our Hearts group. I had pulled out some old retired DSP (maybe called Sassy or something like that?) and thought I'd make some all occasion cards for them. I did get 10 cards made. Not as many as I'd like, but better than none. It was so odd making cards with papers I'm not used to. Very weird! Anyway, after I gave up on that I made two very quick and simple cards using Serene Snowflakes. These were so quick to make, and not too many accessories were used. Trying to keep the cards simple enough for anyone to copy. Here they are:


Stamps: Serene Snowflakes and Four for Christmas
Cardstock: Handsome Hunter and Whisper White
Ink: Handsome Hunter
Accessories: Big Shot and Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions Folder, Silver Jumbo Brads, and Dimensionals
Sure can't get too much simpler than this one.






Unless you make this one! This might be even simpler than the last one. But I think it's still very nice looking.

Stamps: Serene Snowflakes and four for Christmas
Cardstock: Whisper White, Ballet Blue, and Night of Navy
Ink: Ballet Blue and Night of Navy
Accessories: Square Ice Rhinestone Brads, Night of Navy Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon, and Dimensionals



That's it for today I think. I still need to get back to the drugstore for my antibiotics and then it might be time for a nap. I'm not kidding, I never take naps, But I am really, really, really tired!

Take care and stay well. Maybe I'll feel more like myself tomorrow. Hope so...

Sharon

You just never know...

Most of today was spent getting projects planned, cut, and packaged for classes next week. Usually this is an ongoing thing, but because of the battle of the bug, I'm really running behind in the planning phase. And if you don't have the projects planned, it's really hard to cut cardstock, write instructions, and package it up! lol

There's been this idea for a Christmas card percolating in my brain for the last several days. Today was going to be the day it would finally come to life. NOT. It just didn't seem to work out the way it was planned in my brain. Hmmm... it must be all the sinus pressure that's messing up my planning. It certainly couldn't be that it was a lousy idea now, could it??! Naw, I didn't think so either. Anyway, the card was salvaged. It's not at all like the planned idea, and I have absolutely no idea when or where I'll use the card. But it is done....
That's about all I have to say for it. lol

This is it. Not too bad, but not fabulous either.

Stamps: Medallion and Tres Chic
Cardstock: Ruby Red, Basic Gray, and Whisper White
Ink: Ruby Red, Basic Gray, and Basic Black
Accessories: Sponge quarter, Pretties Kit (half pearl), Basic Black Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon, and Mini Glue Dots

Like I mentioned earlier, I'm not sure what this card will be used for so there are no words inside yet. Maybe I'll keep it for an anniversary card. The words seem like they would fit that nicely. Do you have any suggestions for an occasion to use the card? Well, what do you think of it?!? Be gentle with me now. Remember my brain's all clogged up and I'm not thinking too clearly. (I think that's a darn good excuse and I'm sticking to it!) Hopefully this bug will clear up some day soon and I won't have it for an excuse anymore! Now that would really be something to celebrate!

Happy stamping, stay well and happy,
Sharon

CASEing an idea

Hi ladies! First I need to thank all the wonderful ladies who are leaving the kind words and get well wishes for me. I can't tell you how wonderful you are andd how much your words mean to me!! And I'm still working on the getting better part. It's killing my bottom line having to cancel workshops and classes. Bummer!! But this too shall pass, and life will be rosy again. At least, that's the plan. lol

But on to the CASEing part. For those of you that don't know, CASE means Copy And Share Everything. Earlier today I was down in the dumps so thought I'd peek at other blogs to get ideas. That always makes me happy and itching to stamp. And today was no different. Before today, I had never heard of Joyce Spears and her little blog, but luckily stumbled upon it. There was this cute color combo on some cards that just called out to me. Plus the cards used one of the Autumn Traditions papers that I hadn't figured out what to do with yet. So that took care of that little problem, now didn't it?!

Here it is! I just love how the colors work together on this card, don't you? The colors I chose to use are all part of this sheet of DSP. Can't get any easier than that!

Stamps: Trendy Trees

Cardstock: More Mustard, Elegant Eggplant, and Very Vanilla

Ink: Soft Suede, Ruby Red, Always Artichoke, and Soft Suede

Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-jig, and Eggplant Grosgrain Ribbon

This design is different than the ones Joyce showed on her blog (she had several different ones), but the idea works pretty much the same. I can't believe how quick this card is to make - just a few minutes! Maybe I need to make a few more of these for different occasions since they go together so quickly. Not a bad idea.

Happy stamping and stay healthy!

Sharon

Good Evening Ladies!

It's me and all my germs coming for a visit! It's been a long day, but I actually got a few things done today - like visit the doctor! Again!! And I'm still contagious, but I'm getting better. Honest, I am!! After that visit and a load of laundry, I had had enough for today. But then I got a 2nd wind or something late this afternoon. And trundled downstairs to see if I had any mojo left, or if it had all been coughed and sneezed out of me! I really needed help, so I checked out the Stamping 411 blog for some inspiration. After many tries, I actually finished something. And it's not too bad. Not wonderful, but it's gonna do for today.

Here it is. The layout was great to work with, but my problem was I wanted to do Christmas and to use the Christmas Moments Designer Series Paper. That seriously narrowed down all my options. Guess this will do for today.

Stamps: Season of Joy and Christmas Punch sets

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Garden Green, and Real Red cardstock with Christmas Moments DSP

Ink: Garden Green pad and Real Red and Garden Green markers

Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Round Fire Rhinestone Brad, and Dimensionals

Once I decided to put the red rhinestone brad on the tree, I needed to change the layout just a tad. I think the card still pretty much follows the layout as shown on the blog.

Hope you enjoyed today's card. I love this paper and this card really shows it off nicely. It's a great layout to use for so many different cards. Maybe I'll try another style tomorrow.

Have fun stamping and get out the Lysol spray to disinfect everything! Do you think I need to wipe all my stamp boxes and ink pads off before class next week??? lol Maybe I should...

Sharon

Still Hanging Out...

Just laying on the couch, that is. I think I've made a permanent dent in it! lol When is this bug going to leave??! I'm so tired of feeling tired! It's a shame, when you really want to stamp, that you just don't have the energy. Oh woe is me!

My big accomplishment for the day was making a big old pot of chili. I just needed some comfort food, something that would warm me up from the inside out. Yummy. It really worked - in fact it's gotten my sinuses running too now! Oh, sorry!! I suppose that was really more than you wanted to know. But now I'm exhausted again. whine, whine, whine. Enough of that! Because I didn't stamp again today, it's back to the archives! Let's see what we can find this time around..... hmmm... Oh, how about this one?

Yesterday afternoon my daughter ran by to pick up a couple of sympathy cards from my stash. Seems like I've been needing a lot more of these than normal as my friends all get older. (Of course, I'm not getting any older at all! lol) Anyway, everytime I make a sympathy card, I try to make two or three at the same time to add to the stash. So luckily there were some for her to choose from. But that reminded me of one I had taken a picture of and never got around to posting here. So you're in luck today!




Stamps: Embrace Life and Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Pale Plum, Old Olive, and Whisper White
Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Rich Razzleberry, and Old Olive
Accessories: AquaPainter, Big Shot with Texturz Plates, Scallop Edge Punch, Trio Flower Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Silver Mini Brads, Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Mini Glue Dots, and Dimensionals

This card is clean and simple, but gets some pizzazz from the punched flowers and added brads. The petals of the flowers were curled up a bit to give more dimension. Interest also comes from the two different texturz added to the different layers. That is a great way to add interest to a large expanse of paper without any more stamping.

This is a great card to make in multiples, and can also be made in different color combos if purples and greens aren't your favorites. For some reason, I love using these colors for sympathy cards. They're pretty and soothing, but not too overly sweet. Just right in my book.

Well, the archives are geting a bit empty. Looks like I'll have to stamp someday soon. Oh, there's always tomorrow.

Another Autumn Card

Maybe I'll get back to my stamps tomorrow. Still didn't feel up to it today and had absolutely no creative urges. So instead here's another card from last Saturday before the bout of flu really kicked in big time. I've been trying to use some of the techniques that I haven't used in months. Sometimes even years! Have you heard of the 'cracked glass' technique? That's how the main image on this card was created.
Here it is. Isn't it just about perfect? As I was looking at it just now, I had this image of kids out playing football in the street and having it sail into a livingroom window with a huge crash! Does that sound like fall to you? Or is that more spring-time and baseball? hmmm.... Anyway, back to stamping and this fun technique.







Stamps: Autumn Splendor, Define Your Life, Itty Bitty Backgrounds, Grateful Greetings, and Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Taken with Teal, More Mustard, Really Rust, and Very Vanilla cardstock with Autumn Meadows Designer Series Paper
Ink: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Taken with Teal Classic Pads, and Chocolate Chip Craft, and Versamark Pad
Accessories: Heat Tool and Glassy Glaze Embossing Powder, Twill Tape, Scallop Edge Punch, Buttons Latte', Sponge quarter, Mini Glue Dot, and Dimensionals

The colors used on the card are taken directly from the colors in the Autumn Meadows DSP pack. I had never used teal with fall colors before I saw this paper, and now it's one of my fave color combos! Did you notice the little speckles of color on the main image? Again it's a mix of the colors from the paper. Got to love it!

To make the 'cracked glass', stamp your image, color if you want. Then ink the entire piece of cardstock with a VersaMark pad, load it up with the Glassy Glaze E.P. and heat. Repeat this til you get a lovely, smooth, shiny surface. Then I put it into the freezer for 10 - 15 minutes. Take it out and 'crack'. I sponged on a bit of ink so the cracks show up nicer.

Also added a strip of DSP to the inside of the card, along with the acorns and speckles to make it special.

There, that's about it for today. Hope I have a bit more energy tomorrow so I can think about stamping again. This whole week has really been the pits. Things can only go up from here, I hope!!

Have a lovely weekend,
Sharon

On the mend...

Hey, I'm back again! Not really great today, but certainly on the mend. After I finish posting today, I'm actually going to tackle the backlog of emails I haven't looked at since last Friday. I'm almost afraid to see how many are there, and what all I need to take care of. Yikes!! It's mind-boggling just thinking about that task. Ok, so then I won't! Think about it, that is. I'll just enjoy my time here with you today, and be thrilled that I'm on the road to recovery. Slowly, but it really is happening, thank God!

Last Saturday morning before being tackled by the flu bug, I had some ideas I was playing with, and this is one of them. I wanted a simple card for Christmas, that still looked nice and not too plain. This is what I came up with on that morning as the 'bug' was flexing it's muscles for a take-over.

Stamps: Dasher, Many Merry Messages, and Winter Post (inside of card)
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Real Red, and Old Olive
Ink: Soft Suede and Old Olive
Accessories: Horizontal Slot Punch, Sleigh Bells Ribbon (Holiday Mini Catalog), and Dimensionals


As you can see, there are very few accessories used, and really aren't very many layers either. So I would classify this as a clean and simple card. And it really doesn't look too plain to me at all. Let's get some feedback here, and let me know what you think about this card. Does it need anything else? Buttons, punches, brads, more layers???? Or can clean and simple rule the day here?


I also kept the inside simple, but added just a bit of pizzazz with the skinny strip of cardstock. You know all those little bits that get trimmed off to make layers? Why not add to the inside of the card for some added interest? Most times I do some added stamping inside my card to carry a theme throughout the card. With this one, I grabbed the reindeer from the Winter Post set to coordinate with Dasher. It's smaller and not as elaborate so I thought it would be a good accent.
Of course, it's a totally different style from Dasher, but I still think it works together to form a pleasing look.

Well, that's it for today. Now on to all those emails awaiting my attention. I figure that'll wear me out too much to get any stamping in today. Can you believe it's been a week since I've held a stamp in my hand? A whole week since my fingers had the blush of ink on them? Oh, you've really got to be SICK to stay away from your stamps for a whole week. Maybe I should stamp instead of checking emails. Ah, no. That would NOT be a good idea. Remember, I'm supposed to be running a business here. Just in case you've contacted me to place an order or you're dying to be a hostess for me, I'm going right now to check my mail. Be patient, I'll be right there.....

Sharon

Still Battling the Bug

Yes, I am still battling the bug, and I think I'm winning. Sometimes I'm not too sure - like in the middle of the night every time I drift off to la-la land the coughing starts up again. Oh fiddle! This is NOT fun! But you didn't come here to hear me complain, did you? So, looks like I'll be hitting the archives to find something I made that didn't make it here before now. (creak, rummaging around, crash, stumble) Hey look, I think I found one! Whatcha think?

This little gem was created when I first got my Jumbo Snowflake punch and the co-ordinating Simple Snowflake stamp. I thought this one was ok, but I've gone on to make cards I like better than this. But I do have to show you something, don't I?!

Stamps: Simple Snowflake and Many Merry Messages
Cardstock: Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, and Shimmery White
Ink: Brocade Blue
Accessories: Brocade Blue Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, 1" Circle Punch, Jumbo Snowflake Punch, Ice Circle Rhinestone Brads, and silver glitter glue (non-SU!)

I had this cool idea of layers of snowflakes, all the same, but still all different too. Just like a for-real snow storm! Oh well, (shrug) it really did make sense at the time. To keep the snowflakes 'the same', I used Brocade Blue to stamp the punched snowflake, and off-stamped Brocade Blue for all the background snowflakes. Because it really needed just a touch of another shade of blue, I used a Bashful Blue punched circle behind the snowflake to hold it together and make it stand out a bit more. I had thought of using Dazzling Diamonds glitter for the card, but liked the thought of a dimensional glitter glue instead. Not sure it really worked out as planned. Maybe one of these days I'll get ambitious and try this idea over again. Or maybe you could do that and link here so I could see your take on the layers of snowflakes idea!! Yeah, I like that even better! Give it a try and let me see what you come up with.

Well, the coughing has been causing problems with the typing. I think it's time to give it a break and get back to the "bug battles". Hopefully tomorrow I'll be a little better and posting again.
Keep those prayers coming, I can use them and I know they're helping!

God bless,
Sharon