laurieU sketch challenge #128

did this card for laurieU's challenge over on a shade of blue, see her challenge here. i knew that i wanted to make a faux layer using the masking technique and sponges, turned out great and saved me some paper!

recipe:
ink- SU Llace
paper- SU Ppink, Bblue, Wwhite, and Wwasabi
stamps- SU "she's all that"
accessories- sponges, CB die (used Llace direct to paper on embossing), wasabi ribbon, sakura glitter pen (for top of cake)

fun sketch, thanks laurie!

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!

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!

cosmo bella birthday card

so this didn't turn out the way that i wanted it to. i am a bit disapointed. however, due to the lacking number of posts that i have, i feel obligated to post this, as un-appealing as it is to me.

recipe:
paper- CB is from some generic set of blank cards w/ envelopes (5x7). rest of CS is SU bold brights & Wwhite
ink- Ppink, versamark, & stazon black. colored image w/ sakura souffle pens in bright colors.
stamps- "cosmobella", & "cheers" by penguin pants (this is a great set! i got this at the stamp show a few weeks ago!)
accessories- bright blue eyelets (used crop-o-dile to set), corner rounder, silk flower, wide green satin ribbon, and narrow hot pink ribbon.

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!

DD has a bday party to go to today and i have some new CB kids dies that i've been wanting to try out.

recipe:
paper- CS is SU Wwhite, DP is DCWV
ink- SU Wwasabi & Ppink
stamps- SU "happy everything" & "a little birdie told me" (for the hat) and the little starburst one is by judith
accessories- DB dino die, SU scallop punch & marvy scallop punch, paper piercer, ribbon & thread, corner rounder punch (for scalloped edges on DP), sakura glitter pen (on starbursts), and clear stickles (on hat).

thanks for your patience with my lack of posting... this is the first time i've even used my home computer in over a week! i've been checking mail and stuff at work, which makes for a long day as i have so much mail to catch up on!
so i've been working out for over 4 months now, and guess how much weight i've lost!!! are you ready for the big number??!? one pound. one (1). yep! in the last four months, i've been working out at least 4 times per week, i even went on a liquid only diet for 2 weeks (when my tooth was acting up), and that's it! one lousy pound! and i really don't want to hear all that about "muscle weighs more than fat", or "you're probably just toning". rockashawna to that one little pound!

the answer to the last trivia question, "what was the last name of the family that adopted Emmanuel Lewis' character on webster"? well, their last name was Papadopolous! that was a tough one!

and now for the new trivia... i'll make this one easy, to make up for the last one =D
what was the name of Michael Knight's car on Knight Rider? good luck & have fun!

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!

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!

birthday party invitations

my daughter wanted a McDonald's birthday
party this year and wanted to use their invitations. i wanted to make them. we compromised. i used the McD polaroid pic. holders as the invitations!

all paper is just misc. from my scrap drawer that just happened to be the right size or close to it. the cake & present stamps are acrylic from the $1 bin at michaels. the "who, what, when..." stamp is a wooden one also from michaels ($1).

used SU markers to write info on invites, used sakura gel pens and glitter pens to color the images and embellish the scallops.

have a great saturday!

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!

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!

just riding along

got a new stamp! she's a cute chick on a bike! my kinda biker babe!

she's from 'great impressions', i stamped her in stazon black and colored her with my sakura gel pens. used scallop punches to punch her out and mount.

simple card, really. papers are from a small DCWV stack, used cuttlebug swirl embossing folder on top layer. added some pretty lavender organza for even more prettiness.

well, it took me almost 2 hours to get to work today (i live about 25 miles away and it usually takes about 25-30 minutes). i keep hearing these horror stories from customers, employees, and friends about how this flood has damaged not only their property, but their lives. to see some pictures of what we're going through, click here. that is a photo of the freeway (the medians were pushed out of place by the water), the heart of our small community. also, the main way to get from portland OR. to seattle, WA. with the freeway closed for 20 miles, almost everyone in the northwest is being affected by this disaster.

we're ok, meaning our family is safe and our home is un-touched. we do, however, have no wal*mart (AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!) for at least 6-9 months and have had to find alternate means of commute, resulting in HUGE time consumption.

it's very unfortunate that this happened so close to the holidays. it's difficult to want to help the ones who need it now, because it's more than just the kids, homeless, and less fortunate families, it's a whole community. please pray for my little area of the world, desperation already seems to be setting in for some.

have a great week, i hope you are all safe and dry!

flower friend card

so i finally got out my new stamps (thanks SU!) and played for awhile. then i just kept playing, and playing, and, well, you get the idea.

i love this flower! i stamped it in stazon black (imagine that) and cut it out three times, and used the different layers.

recipe:
stamps- SU "time well spent", weathered, french script, and print pattern
paper- SU Mmoss & Wwhite
ink- stazon black, Mmoss, Ccelery, Oolive
accessories- color pencils, OMS, sakura gel & glitter pens, black diamond stickles

enjoy and have a great rest of the week!

challenge from gabriela

okay. so every once in a while, you are hobby-ing along when the end result just amazes you. this is one of those times.

i was checking out some blogs and came across kathleen's, and she had made the cutest card for a challenge on another awesome ladies blog (Gabriela Arriaza). so i checked out the challenge, found out it's for candy (blog candy, which is almost as good, if not better, than regular candy!), and HAD to participate!

so the reason there's two pic's of the same card is the pic's just didn't do it justice! in the top photo, you can see how the glaze pen is sparkling, the dimension of the layers, and the metalics of the embossing.

in the second photo, you can see the cute beard (liquid applique) and the paper piercing on the scallop.

so the CB is SU Cchip, also used Wwhite and Bblue. patterned papers are DCWV. used silver brads, lots of punches, silver embossing powder, sakura gel pens, blender pens & SU ink, and my handy-dandy white gel pen. stamps are from SU "jolly holiday" set (winter mini '06-'07).

YEAHH!!! didn't it turn out SOOO cute?!? DH wasn't too excited, he just came back with, "so are you ready for bed yet?" and walked off. didn't hinder my excitement though, YEAH FOR CUTE SANTAS!

have a great night and happy monday!

glitter and scallops and stripes, oh my!

wanted to do some fun cards, love those scallop punches, and had some new glitter to try out. so here we are!

fish is a stamp that i bought at a stamp show from the "10 for $1" un-
mounted bucket, have never used. stamped him in SU ink, Bblue. went
over his fins w/ sakura glue pen, then added blue glitter.

paper is DCWV (stack 5), ribbon is $1 michaels ribbon. added black
sparkled "stickles" to the outter edge of the inner scallop.




paper for the penguin card is from DCWV "winter mat stack".
penguin is from "great impressions" and is stamped in stazon black. used liquid applique under him for the 'snow'. colored him w/ pastels & blender pens. used blue sakura gel pen around outter edges of inner scallop, and clear glitter stickles around outter edge of outter scallop. ribbon is another $1 michaels find.

simple & sweet! i've spent too much time playing... i have a stamp a stack next week that i have yet to prepare for! AHHH!

thanksgiving greetings

so i started this card with that "amuse" card in mind. you know the one w/ the light pink background, and they faux framed bunnies in the circles then brayered over in dark pink? but like most things that i use for inspiration, it came out almost completely different.

used coluzzle to make circles (both faux frame & stamping template for leaf placement). stamped leaf ("sarah beise" stamps) in SU inks (used Ccrisp, Ppie, Cchip, Ssun, and Oolive), colored w/ blender pens. used stipple brush w/ both Ssaffron & Oolive inks for background color. used sakura glitter pen on the leaf veins.

stamped "happy thanksgiving" (hero arts) in Cchip on Wwhite and ink distressed edges w/ Ssaffron then used stipple brush in it. got the leaf from the thrift store (nothing like getting a nice big bag of something you know you'll use some day, for only $0.69!). 'tied' it all together with hemp twine.

started out hoping it would be super cool, mid way through was disappointed, am mildly happy with the final piece. once again, though, it has filled a need.

happy thanksgiving!