what a touch of sparkle can do

i should have taken a picture of the card BEFORE adding the glitter to show just how much a touch of a glitter pen can really add to your projects! i use the sakura 'gelly roll', it's like a fine ball-point pen that writes sparkles!

recipe:
ink- Oolive & Bblue markers, Bblue ink
paper- SU Bblue, Ccelery, Wwhite & DP from a SU scrap-pack
stamps- flower (unmounted, got it in a $1 bin at the stamp convention earlier this year), and SU 'small sayings'
accesories- SU Ccelery grosgrain & made a little photo corner & paper peirced it

well, i have a few more projects that i have made and have yet to post. keep checking back! i'm at 4700 hits, getting closer to that 5000 mark! and then, blog candy!

photo distressing

found some old pictures of my youngest after bath time, she used to just love to be naked!

i have seen lots of cool arrows lately and have been wanting to try one out, so i did! took a piece of chipboard (the kind that comes in the back of packs of papers to keep them from bending, they're like a bonus in the pack of paper!) and freehanded drew an arrow. over and over i drew the arrow until i got it to look half decent, then used craft knife to cut it out! covered it with DP, sanded the paper, attatched some ribbons, whala! is that how you spell it?!

saw the photo scratching in a magazine lately and wanted to try that for a photo-distressed look. i took a thumb tack and scratched the edges of the photos downward to the edges. i rubbed walnut ink on the scratches, then dabbed the ink off with a cotton ball. i gave you a close-up of the edge of a photo so you can see it a bit better. i really like the look it gave my photos!

ingredients:
paper- SU scrap pack, lined notebook paper, cardboard (tore it open and used the insides outward for the photo corners), brown packing paper (for title mat)
ink- jim holtz walnut distress ink, SU Cchip
stamps- SU 'baroque motifs' & 'headline alphabet'
accessories- chipboard, misc. ribbons, SU spriral (for the notebook paper) & tab (for the journaling block under the middle photo) punches, sizzix flower dies w/ my cuttlebug (sanded the edges, used dimensionals to pop up the diffrent layers), big green brad, sanding blocks (used on all DP). used misc. chalks on edges of photo mats for soft distressing.

well, today was the first day of the rest of my life. and it went well! thanks for all the well wishes! have a great day!

long watercolored flower card

so with as much watercoloring as i have done, i have never used watercolor paper, so i had to try it out. i am pretty dern pleased with the outcome! this card was for my moms birthday this last weekend.

recipe:
ink- Ppink, Llace, Oolive, Ccelery, Ssun, PIpink, Ssaffron, & stazon black
paper- watercolor paper, SU Ccelery & Wwhite CS, DP is from the scrap pile
stamps- SU "in full bloom" & "small sayings"
accessories- aquapainter, circle punch, chalks (for distressing the edges w/ cotton balls), used sakura glitter pen on interior of flowers to make them look oh-so-beautiful!

i start my new job tomorrow! i am filled with that "oh my goodness! what did i do?!?" feeling. i am scared, nervous, excited, anxious.... wonder if i'll get any sleep at all tonight! wish me luck!

oh! just fyi, i will be posting a challenge for blog candy when i get to lucky number 5,000 on my hitcounter, so keep checking back!

rest of mothers day cards

here's the rest of the cards for mothers day, needless to say for those of you who know me, only one card has gone out! i know... i'm horrible!this was done with SU ___ , Ppink, & Wwhite CS, and DCWV DP. bird stamp is from "hero arts" and i stamped him first in SU Ssaffron, then rolled in Ppink. added some sakura glitter pen to him and called it good! used circle punch for scalloped edges then used my paper peircer. used some pretty silk flowers with a rhinestone brad, ribbon is from my 'who knows?' stack.
this card is all SU Wwhite CS. used my SU "delight in life" (sale-a-bration set from '07) for the flowers. stamped the outline of flower in Eeggplant, stamped the filler w/ Llace. stamped some more flower outlines & colored w/ watercolor crayons and watercolored w/ aquapainters, then cut out, curled the edges w/ bone folder, and added to CS w/ dimensionals. used window punch for window & smaller punch for sentiment (SU "warm words"). smaller flowers are stamped in Ssaffron & watercolored using aquapainters & ink pad.
used SU Wwhite & Llace CS for this one. stamped heart (SU "always") in versamark onto Llace, embossed w/ glassy glaze enamel, cut out, and mounted on background panel (stamp is 'darcies', stamped in Llace on Wwhite). used circle punch on corners and mounted again on Wwhite (ink distressed w/ Ssaffron) then used pewter brads in corners. flowers are from SU "delight in life", watercolored using ink pads & aquapainters. used paper piercer & rhinestone gem for additioanl affects.
this one took me awhile! iris is from "psx", stamped in stazon black onto Wwhite CS. stamped it a few times so i could cut out pieces and add later on. colored w/ color pencils & blender pens. after i colored every piece that i had stamped, i cut out misc. petals and added to main panel using dimensionals. i used crystal effects in the center of all the flowers. mounted onto some generic purple & green CS, then onto card base. ribbon is from my no idea pile, used silk flowers and a leaf w/ a brad to finish it off.

hope you all had an absolutely fantastic mothers day!

i'm going to the stamp show on saturday!!!!! SUPER excited!

birdie birthday

so here's the birthday card i made for my grandma. since i got these sets, they have been begging to be used in some simply elegant design.... i just love this card!

recipe:
ink- jim holtz 'walnut stain' distress ink, SU Cchip, & Ccelery
paper- SU Vvanilla, Ccelery, Cchip, and SU DP enchante'
stamps- SU "always" & "baroque motifs"
accessories- CChip & Ccelery grosgrain ribbon, paper crimper, sponges, Ccelery micro beads, small circle punch, SU markers Ccelery, Bbanana, & Oopuklence, and Ccelery chunky glitter.

thanks for your patience with me, i know i haven't posted in quite awhile. thanks for not 'yelling' at me! =)
have a super week!

picnic at the park

finally got a couple of minutes to spend with some old photos and here's the outcome.

we went to a local park to have a picnic a year or so ago. we got some sandwiches from arby's for our lunch, took some bread to feed the ducks, played on the toys, went fishing, and d'Ete even found a "boy" friend!

all paper is DCWV, used CB for diecut circles. ribbon pulls on top right photo for journaling panel.

sorry i've been pretty much non-exsistant lately. well, for over a month now. i can't believe i'm busier now than during this last holiday season! hawaii in less than a month!

easter chick

here's my first easter card of the season. i wanted a simple cute card that didn't get overpowered by accesasories, embellishments, or technique. i think it works!

recipe:
stamps- SU "a good egg", "petals" jumbo wheel
ink- stazon black, SU Oolive, Pink, Ssaffron
paper- Wwhite, Bblue, Ccelery
accessories- Ssaffron & Ppink markers, spiral punch, blender pen & pastels, stapler
*stamped chick on 2 panels. on one panel, i stamped over egg shell w/ flower stamp (in the "good egg" set) in Ppink & colored in w/ marker, then stamped again w/ dots in Ssaffron ink. Cut out shell only and adhered to main image.

i'm not going to give you a new trivia as no one has guessed it yet!

have a super day!

valentine music card

have to get a start on my valentines.... and i just love using music notes! i don't often, but i love the way they look and what they add!

recipe:
paper- SU Bblack, Wwhite, and Rred
ink- stazon black and SU Rred
stamps- SU "too terrific tags" and "love matters", hearts are from stampabilities, long sentiment is from rubber soul, music notes are from great impressions.
accessories- red glitter, ribbon, white gel pen, silver cord, crop-o-dile

so today was a day off, kinda. had a meeting early early, HOWEVER, it snowed so much the girls didn't have school and i couldn't get up the hill in the car! soooo, i had to call someone to pick me up at the top of the hill (that was fun to walk, early, cold, with laptop, briefcase & purse!). i hate asking for favors! after the meeting though, the girls and i had a 'mario kart' tournament, played outside, and finished the day by being lazy! my kind of day! without the meeting, of course!

ok, for the last trivia question:
what did the initials Alf stand for?
becky, betsy, & kat got it right with "alien life form"! way to go, ladies!

todays trivia question:
on the early episodes of "the facts of life", what was the character of tootie seldom seen without?
have fun with this, and have a great rest of the week!

layered flower card

i've broken out of my casing phase! (for now... *evil laugh*)

i just can't seem to get enough of this set. i actually got it this summer at a garage sale and this last week is the first time i've used it! it's just perfect for watercoloring, and i just got new crayons!

went to michaels today to try to pick up the january issue of "take ten", and wouldn't you know it, they were out. you see, i only buy that magazine if i have a coupon. i just can't seem to let myself spend $15 on a magazine! so i got my joanne coupon in email today, printed it off, and headed to michaels (you all do know that they take competitors coupons, right?). so i didn't get the one that i wanted, i felt like crying and stomping my feet like my DH! ROAR!!! so i got a little 8x8 magazine called "cards", even more expensive! it's a good thing i had my 50% off coupon! anywho, this little magazine had some great cards inside, just in time for valentines day, too!

recipe:
paper- SU Cchip, Wwhite, Ccelery, DP "autumn leaves, MOD, winter garden"
ink- Ccelery, Rred, jim holtz walnut stain distress ink
stamps- SU "in full bloom", and several "studio G" (michaels $1 acrylic) sets.
accessories- watercolor crayons & aqua painters, clear stickles, red & brown ribbon (?), corner rounder punch, and you can't really see it, but the whole top half of the card is accented with my sakura glitter pen.

well, that's it for me today, just this one. hope you all have a great day, i'll be back wednesday!

OH!! and something that i have been wanting to start and haven't and have decided to do so NOW: random daily trivia, just for fun. heads up though, come 5,000 hits, i'll have some incredible blog candy to give out, so keep checking back in! so for todays (the very first of many to come) trivia question:
what did the initials Alf stand for?
i'll post next time the correct answer, have fun!

-

happy flower card

once again, my inspiration comes from faith. are you tired of hearing that? i was browsing he blog tonight, and got "the bug" to create!

i decided to use only scraps from my scrap pile for this card, and wanted to do a technique that i hadn't done in awhile. i decided to do cracked glass on the main panel. turned out fabulous!

recipe:
stamps- SU "small sayings", "in full bloom", "warm words", "weathered", and "carte postale".
ink- SU Gguava, Oolive, Ccelery, Bbayou
paper- SU Ccameo, Ggalore, Oolive, Vvanilla, Bblossom, blue is unknown...
accessories- glassy glaze embossing powder,
small circle punch, large window punch,
sakura glue pen w/ chunky silver glitter, aqua
painters & water color crayons.


if you don't know how to do this technique, follow these simple steps:
1. stamp image on CS
2. color image as needed
3. apply versamark on entire panel
4. pour thick embossing powder over panel & versamark
5. heat panel with heat gun
6. while still hot, add more embossing powder. if not hot enough, cover with versamark then add powder
7. heat again
8. powder again
9. heat again
10. place panel in freezer for faster cooling (about 3-5 minutes)
11. take panel out of freezer and bend. it will crack all over, just like cracked glass!
to see the technique demonstrated on SCS, click here.

my sister sent me a card full of quotes and one really hit home with me. i have put it on several post it notes and placed them at the gym, in the car, at work, in the bathroom, and here by the computer. "your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how you view yourself." those are some good words to live by, or at least try to live by!

and with that, i'll let you off the hook and on to monday! have a great one!

wonderful flower card

once again, faith has been my inspiration. you can see her card here. once again, hers is SOO much better, however, i'm happy with the way mine turned out.

recipe:
paper- SU Oolive, Ccameo, & Vvanilla
ink- SU Oolive, Gguava, & stazon black
stamps- SU "in full bloom" and "weathered" and "warm words"
accessories- both window punches, sponge & stipple brush, silk flower & leaves, brad, glassy glaze embossing powder, sakura gel pens, $1 michaels ribbon, coluzzle cutting system.

my DD Bday party was today, she had an absolute blast! she had a couple of girls stay the night last night, so needless to say, none of us got much sleep! tonight is a much earlier night, and i feel so accomplished today! i worked; set up, had, and tore down a birthday party; played with d (that's her nickname, just 'd') and some of her new toys (i thought that maybe if i played with the hannah montana barbies or DVD games or listened to her CD or play the new HM board game, i'd "get" her. didn't happen); watched part of a movie (then it got suspenseful, not my style); then checked out faith's gallery on SCS; then this beauty came out! i'd call that a pretty productive day!

hope you all have a great rest of the weekend! and faith, just in case you actually read this, you amaze me! thanks so much for your inspiration!

friend card

i just love this set! i think it should have been put into the current caddy... but that's just me.

recipe:
paper- SU Cchip, Ccelery, Ppink, & Wwhite
ink- stazon black, Ccelery, Ppink, Cchip
stamps- SU "love matters" set (winter mini '06-'07)
accessories- Rhinestones w/ crystal effects; aqua painters w/ ink pads; Ssaffron, Oolive, & Cchip SU markers; pink thread; paper piercing kit; paper crimper; corner rounder.

i actually got the inspiration for this layout from the new SU 'occasions winter mini 08' catalog that i just got in the mail today. OMG there's at least 4 sets in there that i must have! and that glitter! and those awesome rub ons! wondering if i can pre-order them in feb. and get benefits for 'sale-a-bration'??? that would be... i can't think of an analogy for how great that would be right now. spectacular?

so i had a great day off, thanks for asking! got to watch some 'sex & the city' that i've been missing (we have it on DVD), took a nap, and stayed in comfy clothes all day! my oldest has friends over to stay the night and we're making crafts for them to take home. better go before they get out any more of my "hidden" stuff (the expensive stuff that i don't even use!).
have a great weekend!

wicked pair!

i actually got the sentiment at least a year ago, i was going to use if for halloween and didn't get around to it. you can't see it very well, but i used my small circles embossing folder on the background DS paper, then sanded. guess i didn't think that one through very well! whadayado?

recipe:
paper- SU Ppie, Cchip, & Ccaramel. DCWV DS paper
ink- SU Ppie & Cchip
stamps- jeans are $1 michaels find; sentiment is from great impressions.
accessories- thick brown ribbon is from michaels, orange spotted organza a friend game me (??), and cute little orange thread is from a 'making memories' pack; used silver brads (SU) in the corner after i used the little circle punch to invert the corners. used scallop punches, paper peircer, SU Cchip marker, and stapler.
alright, i think i got it all.

well, at least if i decide to hit snooze tomorrow, i won't feel guilty about not creating. i've done 4 cards tonight! you can't see two of them, they're for my SBS2 secret sis!
have a great night and weekend!

birthday card

i feel like i've been busier the last 2 weeks than all of december together! it's crazy! sorry to my SBS2 sisters, i haven't been very faithful to you....i promise i do think about you before i run to my bed for my "nap" before i have to get up and do it all over again. and just for clarification, this is not my excuse, i am a woman. this is my reason.
i used one of my '$0.25 a pack of 20' spanish christmas cards for the CB, it's 5x7. my goal was to use something that i haven't used EVER! and i did!

recipe:
stamps- SU "doodle this" and "time well spent"
paper- SU Wwhite
ink- all SU stazon black, Eeggplant, PixPink, Ssaffron, Llace, Ssky, Sshadow, Wwasabi, Ccelery, Gguava, and PIpink.
accessories- used chipboard '9' cutout over CS, covered w/ embossing paste, then added pink micro beads (item
that i have never used); SU aquapainters w/ ink pads for coloring images; used sakura gell roll glitter pen to add some sparkle to pretty much everything.

so here's my first creation in almost a week. i think i'm having withdrawals! and i have tomorrow off. just trying to decide if i should sleep in and stock up on some of those invaluable ZZZZZ's, then create all afternoon, or go work out like i know i should. that hawaiian body isn't just gonna appear! especially with me eating mcd's daily!

so i'm off! hope you are all having a SUPER week!

horse wanted

so have you ever gotten stamps that have sat there BEGGING to be used, yet you refuse them the right to be in your projects? that's me with this set. i have this paper tray on my desk that has been collecting items that i knew would fit with this set great. until today, i just didn't know what i wanted to do with it all. and get this, i'm scared of horses! they are beautiful and majestic, but huge beasts at the same time!
we went to wal*mart the other day and all their holiday stuff was super cheap. i picked up some (like 6) packs of cards w/ envelopes for $0.25 each pack. i realized when i got them home that there were sentiments inside and they were all in spanish! oh well, i still got loads of envelopes! i did this card on one of the 5x7's holiday cards.
before we get to the details of this, i must admit, this card WAS NOT CASED! most of the great stuff i get inspiration from others for, this is all me, baby!

recipe:
paper- CB is holiday card, used some kind of generic cream CS on bottom half (ink distressed w/ jim holtz 'vintage photo", stamped small images in Bblue, TWteal, and Ssky inks); generic gray on top (stampled SU 'crackle" stamp and large circle image in Cchip); used notebook paper (ink distressed w/ jim holtz 'walnut stain' ink); part of a paper sack; peeled apart some cardboard and used the inside up for the corner pieces; thick chipboard for title (ink distressed w/ jim holtz 'old photo' liquid stain); SU Vvanilla for scallop pieces.
ink- SU Bblue, Ssky, TWteal, Cchip
stamps- SU 'wanted' set, and 'crackle' background
accessories- scallop punch, green gingham linen, hemp twine, pewter brad, Cchip grosgrain ribbon.

well, think i got it all. it's almost time for bed. i haven't worked out as much as i'd like so i HAVE to in the morning. i figure, chance of a lifetime to go to hawaii.... there's no way i'm going to those beautiful islands and not wearing a bathing suit! countdown is on, bring on the sweat!

have a super rest of the week!

MAN i wish i could take credit for this card! there is one site that i am absolutely addicted to, and visit as often as i can. this lady is talented, i mean INSANELY talented! her work blows me away! this card was cased (well, i changed some stuff) from faith hofrichter, you should really visit her blog if you haven't yet!

started with a Cchip CB (all CS is SU). layers are Ggalore (ink distressed w/ Wwasabi), PIpink (distressed w/ Rred), Rred (distressed w/ Cchip), and Blossom (distressed w/ Rred).
stamped flourishes (TAC) in Cchip and added touches of sakura glitter pen. small hearts (stamps by judith) are in Rred. green heart (from SU retired set love matters") is Wwasabi ink stamped on Ggalore paper embellished w/ Cchip marker (dots). did larger heart free-hand w/ Cchip marker and used Q-tip w/ Rred ink to fill it in. bird (SU set "a little birdie told me") is stamped on PIpink paper then i stamped flourishes over image in Rred ink. sentiment (SU set "warm words") is stamped in Cchip on Bblossom. used crop-o-dile to set eyelets (do you have one yet? they're marvelous!!)

this was a very involved card.... i love that ribbon, too! i bought a grab bag of red, white, & black ribbons at a local craft store and haven't used much of it. the two layered together look great!

well, i think this might become one of my favorites. now do you see why i love faith? it's such a breath of fresh air to visit her blog. if i were creative, this is the stuff i'd make daily! i love the layers, the dimension, the colors, the distressing!

DH went to bed long ago... better get there myself. have a great week!

i finally have some time, i just want to keep creating! i know that if i stop, i won't get another chance to until the end of january (i have a work meeting this coming weekend and my oldest daughters birthday is the weekend after that).

card recipe:
paper- i got one of those little $1 scrap pack from joann's, all paper is from that pack, (except the Wwhite that the image is stamped on) it's not quite big enough for the standard sized card, so i made pink sides.
ink- black stazon, Ssky
stamps- image is 'rubber stampede' and sentiment is from 'rubber soul'.
accessories- pink organza ribbon, colored w/ pastels & blender pens, sponged on Ssky ink to Wwhite panel, cuttlebug bubbles embossing folder (then sanded the embossed panel), and paper piercer.

have a super monday!

SC155 (split coast challenge)

so here's my take on the split coast stampers challenge #155 (click here to see challenge).

CB is Wwhite, all other papers are DCWV. punched large window SU punch in the black denim paper that i also ran through the cuttlebut with the heart embossing folder then sanded.

i recently visited mels blog and she reminded me that you can doodle with your glue pen then add glitter and what not. so i scribbled on my black squares with my sakura gel pen then used black embossing powder over it for some shine. used gel pen on hearts, too, then added some SU dazzling diamonds glitter (this looks so much better IRL).

card recipe:
paper- DCWV
ink- SU Bblack, jim holtz 'fire brick' distress ink
stamps- heart is from $1 bin @ michaels, 'valentines' is from rubber soul
accessories- red ribbon ($1 michaels), heart cuttlebug embossing folder & sand paper, heart eyelets, SU dazzling diamonds glitter, black embossing powder, sakura gel pen

well, it's been longer than i would have liked.... for my last day off (do you have any idea what it's like to not get two days off in a row? makes life REALLY hard! especially when you have kids!)
DH & i went snowboarding while the girls were in school. when we got home, OUCH! we haven't been since last season, and due to holidays and the flooding here, i haven't been working out as much as i should have been. how old do i sound, "my back is KILLING me!" it's a good thing that i got a new and ultra comfy craft chair for christmas! hope you all have a great week!

i'll have to remember to change the settings back to "normal" sized photos, not these HUGE ones! i changed it to make sure you could see the super cute clipboards and forgot....

well, other than being sick, trying to enjoy the holidays, and trying to sleep, this is all i've done since last you've read & i've typed. =)





first card recipe:
paper- DCWV DP, SU Wwhite CS
ink- stazon black
stamps- SU "vases in vougue"
accessories- cuttlebug swirly flower embossing folder, wire, heart punch, craft knife

second card recipe:
paper- TAC DP, SU Wwhite CS
ink- SU TWteal, jim holtz distress ink
stamps- SU "small sayings"
accessories- sizzix flower die, button, wired ribbon, sand paper, cuttlebug circle embossing folder, decorative scissors.

have a great rest of the week! i know i will, our annual company christmas party is tomorrow! i even FINALLY got myself a 'little black dress' to wear. i've always wanted one of those for my closet!

stamping on candles

for the "goody baskets" for the family christmas, here's what we got to
add to the super yummy edible stuff.

i did the 'ol stamp on tissue paper then heat it on to the candle thing.

i think most of these are stamps that you've seen before.... so there's not
much use explaining them to you.

if you have questions about the stamps, supplies used, or this ultra cool
technique, just comment on it and i'll get back to ya!

once again,

merry, merry to you!