Stamp TV GKD

challenges

Over at StampTV they are having two challenges per week on Monday and Friday.  They are so much fun. Kind of stretches us outside of our comfort zone.  Here’s my two cards I am entering into the random drawing over there. The boat image is from MFP

For this one it was a recipe.

5 layers, 2 embellishments, 3 images, and 4 colors. It makes a nice looking card doesn’t it?

For this one we were to use a lot of white.  I used white ribbon, white embossing powder and white die cut.  My niece is going to have the 2nd girl out of 8 grand boys for my brother.  This card is for her. She’s got about 15 weeks left to go. This was one of the stamps I picked up at the rummage.  Love those good rummage sales.

Technorati Tags: MFP,MFPDT.SAND SURF RELAX,RECIPE

Speedys Challenge #59

Geri challenged us to make a  Fathers Day card

We spent many days at the lake with friends when we were kids.  Very good memories.  We would go after

Dad was finished putting in a long hot day at the Ford Foundry.  The lake must have been very appealing to him after those conditions all day long.  Seems there was always the long tall grass growing off the edge of the lake.  When I saw this scene from MFP I knew I wanted to recapture that relaxed, carefree time.  Look at me, Dad, Look at me, I can swim now, all five of us vying for his attention at the same time. Happy Father’s Day, Dad, I miss you a lot.
Card Stock: Black Blue and White and White Glossy
Ink:  StazOn Black, Rainbow Pastel Spectrum Pad
Tools:  Cuttlebug , Embossing Folder, Circle Dies
Accessories:  String, knotted
Stamps: MFP Beach Greetings, MFP Big Boy Toys sentiment, Small Back Ground Stamp
I stamped the boat, masked it and then brayered around it with only a couple of the colors from the Spectrum pad.  Mat it on black.  I used the debossed side of the cuttlebugged image and brayered very lightly over that.
The Happy Father’s Day stamp comes horizontal, I layered it word by word which is so easy to do when you have clear stamps from MFP.   Thanks for looking. 
 MFP gives away one of their stamp sets to a randomly drawn winner every week.  Join in for the fun.

Technorati Tags: Speedy Challenge,MFPDT,MFP,Big Boy Toys,Beach Greetings

Trying Something New

Easel card

This has been on my mind since I received my first easel card for my birthday from Patricia C. Now, I have never met Patricia but we are stamping buddies.  That’s what’s so great about the social network.  Patricia and I met on SplitCoastStampers known in the stamping world, simply as SCS.  These cards are simple and fun to make and a bit interactive for the recipient.  So here it is…drum roll please…..

Here’s the inside view up above.  See how the outside of the card stands up against the pearls?  It was really quite simple to make.

Here’s a picture of the example from SCS that I used and you can see why it’s called an easel card.  That’s it, thanks for stopping by.

Technorati Tags: MFP,MFPDT.SAND SURF RELAX,EASEL CARD

Speedys Challenge -- 58

 Speedy’s challenge is to use a flower, either paper or silk.   When I received this BEAUTIFUL  All Aboard set from MFP, I knew I had to use it.  My Challenge:  how to fit a flower in with a masculine like card?  The train and old station stop ,reminded me immediately , of olden days and I thought of WW I veterans returning home after long years at war.  Imagine their delight to see the familiar train stop of their home town.  The flower has the symbolism of the red poppies we see offered today for the Veterans and prompted my little computer generated “gratitude” tag to attach to it.  All papers, embellishments, ribbons come from Mark’s Finest Papers. Click on the blinkie for shopping fun.
Join us in the challenge and you could win a free stamp set, a surprise set that will be released next month.  What’s better than free?

Technorati Tags: MFPDT,Speedy Challenge,MFP,All Aboard

Rebekah has a Give-A-Way

Smash-journaling

My friend Rebekah is such a great blogger and her blog is always refreshing and inspiring to read.  She is offering a give-a-way (blog candy) for anyone interested in journaling type things or hands on scrapbooking.  Look at this.

What a great beginners give-away.  Visit her blog and she’ll tell you how you can get your name in a drawing for this great line-up of tools.  That’s it for now. Happy JUNE-that means summer’s coming…(I sure hope so)

Another Sketch

ODBD #62

Here’s another of the sketches this week.  I sure am having fun with these.  Really gets your brain to thinking.  This one is from ODBD

 

 

Come on over and join the fun.  Isn’t this a fun sketch to play with? It’s a great challenge to the creative side of us and you could win a stamp set. :  That’s the really fun part.

Technorati Tags: ODBD,Sketch,Get Well

SKETCHES, SKETCHES

cards TO MAKE FROM A SKETCH Pattern

Whew! It seems everyone has a sketch challenge going on this week.  Here’s a couple of posts with those sketches and what I did with them. 

This one was from SSIC and they were very specific that the sketch had to be followed with NO CHANGES.  You could change the circle to a square or change the shapes of anything but every element had to be included.  Now this was hard for me as I am basically a contemporary simplistic stamper.  So I think the card looks way to busy but I know someone will think it’s beautiful when they receive it in the mail. It’s kind of vintage contemporary~~Now there’s a new class of design for ya! 

This difficult to follow sketch took me a full sixty-two minutes to make.  That’s a long time for me.  I set the timer from the time I picked up the sketch and walked to the drawer to see which paper I would use. I like to be able to put a card together from thought to end in about thirty minutes so you can see I WAS challenged.  Here’s the result.

Yes, I got in all the elements.

Technorati Tags: SSIC

Spring Chickadees Coming

They started hatching on May 25th in the afternoon.

Memorial Day Weekend & SSIC #90

A remembrance of our heroes

Red, White and Blue, with a touch of silver brads and we have a modern day Thank You to our former service men of by-gone days.  So many Veterans, so many lives given in WWI and WWII, then we have the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.  The days of the draft and when loyalty to country cost many many lives.  We thank you for caring and we SALUTE you.

SSIC #90 challenge is to use a touch of silver

Technorati Tags: SSIC,House Mouse,Thank You

Speedy Cat Challenge #56

Tone on Tone

How do you get images to pop when it’s tone on tone.  Just thought I would stamp the flower and then mask it and then inked up the brick wall with Color Box frost white and embossed it in white.  I kind of like the shabby chic kind of look it took on.  Using my wonderful special punch again.  All images are Mark’s Finest Paper.  I’m loving the new Pearl Pens that I got

from the Stamp Shoppe. They go on white and then pick up the color of the ink beneath them. If you just put them right on the paper they stay white. A great investment and easier to mail than the round pearls.

 

Technorati Tags: MFPDT,Speedy Challenge,MFP,BrickWall

Another CASED Card

Remember when I told you CASING is legal, which means you “steal” someone elses idea and make it your own.  In the stamping world the proper CASING etiquette is to change at least two things about the card and give credit to the original designer.

One of the challenges for Virtual Stamp Night over at SCS was to actually “steal” a card and CASE it.  I chose Fionna’s beauty and here’s how I changed up her original idea. Fun, eh?? Thanks for looking.

Technorati Tags: SCS,CASE

Wisconite’s and Ice Cream

Are WE nuts???

Only in Wisconsin do people wear winter coats and then buy ice cream.  Have you ever seen so many custard and ice cream places strategically placed in any other state you have been too?  We haven’t and we have almost covered all fifty of them.  What IS it about this state and why are WE so nuts as to buy ice cream cones when it is freezing out?  On April 17th, it was only low fifties and the wind was really blowing, I had on my semi-winter coat and was all wrapped up but we still had to stop at Hawkeye Dairy on our way home from Stetsonville Specials.  It’s a tradition. 

Did you notice the size?  That’s the SINGLE dip of Toasted Almond Fudge.  (now I remember why we stop there)

Technorati Tags: ice cream,Hawkeye,Stetsonville

Dandelions

What’s it like to be a grandma?

Fonnie is an Ecuadorian sweetie that has been adopted by a loving family who have four other children.  She came to them when she was almost two and she is now seven.  She was a little love bug right from the start and hugs on everyone, which we all love.

Since I’m not technically a “real” grandma, as we only have a grand-dogger, it’s wonderful to be adopted as a grandma by other children.

When I went to Eric’s Greenhouse I waited for the kids to get home from school and Fonnie came barreling off the bus and didn’t go into the house like the other kids, nope, she came charging over to us, school bag in hand and just threw herself at me with a big hug, as is Fonnie’s style.  She then grabbed my hand and said, “Janeen, come here, come and look at this field.”  And off we went to see behind the barn.  We were on a bit of a hill that overlooks their hay field and the field is just covered in dandelions. “ Look!”  She said, “isn’t that pretty?”  I had to agree, it was beautiful, with the yellow against the green and the blue sky surrounding it.  It was pretty. “ I hope they don’t plow that under,” she wistfully, said.

After I purchased my flowers and was leaving she came running to me with this bouquet of flowers and said, “some people call these weeds”  they’re not, they’re yellow!  It had to be recorded.  Just too cute for words. I wish I had had my camera with me while I was there but the best I could do was have Gilbert take this picture after I got home.   Thank you, Fonnie.

Technorati Tags: Fonnie,Dandelions

Ahhh Friday!

Why is it that Fridays carry such freedom even in the word Friday?  Today, finally I’m going to go and get some more flowers to put into the pots that I like to have around the deck and the front walk.  Yesterday I got a beautiful hibiscus and as soon as some of the blooms open I will post some for you.  Here’s the pot that I first plant. 
Jinny gave this to me for my birthday a couple of years ago and marigolds just look so “right” in here. I picked these up at Wal-mart last week.  I just had to get something going.  Now Eric has his green house open and I will go there and get some this afternoon.  Yay.

Sympathy Cards

These are often the most precious cards we make as there is usually some emotion attached to them.  I often find these are the cards that I really am most satisfied with when I am finished making them.  I think it’s because it’s a warm little piece of ourselves that we can give to the recipient like a nice warm hug that seems to just help with the healing.  Here is one I made for two co-workers of Gilbert’s.  They are sisters whose father lived in another state.  I lived away from my parents too and it kind of makes me miss my dad even more to know that so much of my adult life I missed some very important years with him.  I wish my kids would have had him around when they were little. So you see, that feeling goes right into the card.
The image was stamped with Brilliance Champagne ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.  I then used a couple of Q-tips and chalked in the soft colors.  After chalking I used my own home made smooch as a fixative spray.  The smooch just set it off.  I don’t know if it shows on the picture but it has a nice soft glittery glow to the entire image.  How do you make your own smooch?  I’ll leave that for another post real soon, okay?

What I love for Stamping Cards

Some posts about my favorite tools for creating has been rolling around in my head for a while and since I made a card that generated a few questions about a particular punch, I thought that would be a good place to start.  So I bought this punch about three years ago and I’ve never seen another like it.  It’s EK Success and it punches all four corners on a folded card.  What’s the big deal about that?  Well you don’t have to layer and it’s a beautiful application.  So, let’s get started.  Here’s the punch.
Notice the little arm on it?  That’s the guide arm.  Fold a standard card.   You cardstock is 8.50 x 5.5 folded at 4.50. Now open it up.  You fold it because you need the crease as a guideline for the little guide arm.
See how you position the arm along the crease? Make sure it is right on the crease and the long part of the cardstock is pushed all the way up against the horizontal guide. 
Now punch!  See how it makes the corner punched out.  On the outside edge you use it like a regular punch.  Now the tricky part is to get the other folded side punched, I always have to think about it to get it lined up right, you need to turn the paper or the punch over from the side you are currently punching; and line that guide arm up against the fold again:  Like this-
Here’s the finished look.
Your white or layering piece is cut at 5 inches by 4.75 inches.  To give the card a finished look on the inside I cut a piece of heavy duty printer paper to size and adhere it over the holes that are punched.
Surely hope this is helpful for those of you who asked and anyone who was challenged as I was in school by those boxes and shapes on those strange tests they used to give us. They would show you a diagram and you were supposed to tell which shaped the diagram would make when it was folded….what was that all about anyway???????? Thanks for looking.

Cinco de Mayo

mmmm-mmm-mm

We had a wonderful supper for Cinco de Mayo.  Shrimp on the grill and all the fixin’s.  I grilled the peppers and onions in a grill pan that looks like a frying pan with 1/2 inch holes all over the bottom.  It works really well.  Good thing we still had leftover beans and rice from when the girls were here on Tuesday.  We played Mexican musica and enjoyed our wonderful supper at home.  We are currently accepting reservations for next year.    I wish this guy had a little sombrero on his head.

Father’s Day is coming

What is more masculine than a truck?  The mailman brought me this beautiful stamp set that I won over at Speedy the Cat for last weeks challenge. It is SO FUN! 
The image is stamped in a cocoa brown color. I trimmed down a tag from Spellbinders Fancy Tags.  It was too girly for this card.  I wanted this to look like an old photo and used my corner punch.  I cut them in half and mounted them to give just a bit of dimension.  I also stamped over them with the tire track that comes in this set. so in real life there is a hint of texture on the corner mounts. Found this green raffia in my drawer…yes I still have some.  It’s going down though.  A couple of more projects and it will be all gone.  (sigh of relief) Thanks for looking.  
Note:  all cards don’t have to be a major project and I like that!

Round and Round

Over at Simplicity we were challenged to use a circle on our card.  It could be anything, brads, round flowers, round images…I chose a round die cut and this cute little image from High Hopes of a girl in a round tire swing.  Now the challenging part is it has to be ONE LAYER ONLY.  Yep, OLW rolled around again.

I cut the circle with the die and then traced lightly inside the circle with a pencil so I would know where to position my little girl on the inside. I used a Brilliance Pad in Coffee Bean and then embossed with clear embossing powder.  The ribbon is brown and white and the cardstock is really a beautiful soft pink like the ribbon off to the left but I couldn’t get it to photograph in pink.  It washed out even without flash.  Suffice it to say the pink is really perfect.  Here’s the inside. Now I’m cheating a little because I am going to go ahead and link this to Simplicity but in real life I am going to make a tag and put it over the smudged greeting on the outside.  Did that ever happen to you??

Yay, I got the pink to show up better; and the ribbon too.  So here’s how I fixed it and now I have a CAS (clean and simple) card instead of a OLW.  Sorry Susan, I just didn’t want to start over.

Hints and Tips

I promised to show you an easy way to get those border dots on the card I made yesterday.  I saw this done by Gina over at stamp TV when she makes holes for her brads.
I have never done cross stitch but I looked at the thrift store and they had several of these in a bag for twenty five cents.
It worked wonderfully well for this application.  Just lay it on your card and dot with a marker through the little holes.  Voila’ you have the perfect template for paper piercing, or marking for brads or making dotted frames. Easy Peasy right?

See how that just lines right up.  Hope this helps you out sometime.