Oh I feel special

WOW! - I've been nominated by Kerry Three Clover Designs to receive this special blog award.  How cool is that!  Thank You so much Kerry for thinking of me.  It's always nice to know that your art work is appreciated by others.

In order to receive this award I have to follow some rules: 

The rules for this award are as follows: 1) The winner can post the logo on her blog. 2) Link the person you received your award from. 3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs. 4) Put links of those blogs on yours. 5) Leave a message on the blogs you've nominated. So the 7 I am going to nominate are:



1.Elena The Red Haired Girl (I just recently started visiting her blog and we have been emailing each other as well.  She is a wonderful person and I am looking forward to getting to know her better and she has some great art work on her blog and interesting stories as well.  Check it out for yourself.

2. Laura Scrapnextras Another new blog that I've come to enjoy. She's so creative and her cards just inspire me.

3. Kendra The Dog Ate My Stamps - She has such a bubbly personality (even though I've never met her) but it just comes out when your read her blog entrys and she has a nice fresh and clean stamping style that I enjoy.

4. Karrie Burnin' Rubber...rubber stamps that is... - What a FUN style of stamping.  She's always very creative and I just love seeing what she comes up with.

5. Kathie Just an Inkling She's is one of the fellow (Blogger's Challenge) members that I belong to and her work is, "To Die For" wonderful. 

6. Tammy Stamp Happy - Talk about talented, this lady most certainly is!  Her cards always inspire me.

7. Andrea Sunny Stampin' - A blog I just discovered this week.  She focus on Stampin'Up! and has some really great cards/projects on her blog.



So there you have it...I could have list way more as there are so many talented stampers out there but I hope you'll visit these blogs and see why they were top picks of mine.

"Whiff of Joy" Sketch Entry

I heard about this Guest Designer contest over on Whiff of Joy through another blog, KraftinKimmiesKorner here: http://kraftinkimmieskorner.blogspot.com/2008/07/exciting-news-to-share.html and while I generally don't enter Design Team calls (I'm not always very confident that my work is good enough to do this) I decided to give this one a try.  These stamps are just SO CUTE who wouldn't want the chance to work with them!

I thought it was rather funny this morning when I realized that I had used a Skunk image for an entry to "Whiff of Joy" as we all know skunk smell is anything but a whiff of joy!

The sketch was fun and easy to work with.  So here are the details on my card:

Stamps:  Cute Critters (© Clear Dollar Stamps) Aida Cloth Background (Stampin'Up!).

Card Stock: Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango (these are new "in-colors" for SU upcoming catalog year),

Brushed Silver, Shimmery White

Designer Paper from (We R Memory Keepers) Precious Metal Collection

Inks: Palette Noir Black, Copic Markers

Other: Spellbinders Nestabilities Dies (Circles and Rectangles),  Lace Punch (Martha Stewart Line)Grosgrain Ribbon (SU - Retired color),

Old Olive Brads, Felt Flower (Queen and Company), Yellow Spica Glitter Pen (used on flower for some shimmer), Crafter's Tool Kit for distressing edges of card and Foam Mounting Tape.

BC Wk 57 - Christmas Trio

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - NOT!

Good Grief it's 90+ degrees here still so Christmas is so not on my mind right now. None the less our Blogger's Challenge this week was, Christmas in July!

I started trying to create a card last night but wasn't getting very far plus I wanted to watch the results show for (So You Think You Can Dance)...Anyone else watch that? I love watcing the dancing even though I personally have 2 left feet. But enough about dancing let's get back to the card.

This morning I got out all kinds of Christmas Stamps, Papers, Stickers etc...trying to find something that inspired me and nothing was jumping out at me. Instead my desk was beginning to look a lot like (a "Tornado" had hit it) rather then Christmas. I posted that I was going to give it a rest and see what happened. One of my fellow blog challenge members, (Barb Hardeman) e-mailed me some encouraging words, Hi Ida,
I know you can do it. You've got all you need, and your work is always so wonderful. Just pick one stamp and let it happen! I know that whatever you come up with will be delightful. I'm counting on you now, so don't let me down......Barb

So I took her advice (Thanks, Bard) and here are the card details: Stamps: Penguin, Bear, Snowman (Hampton Art Stamps), Sentiment by Lizzie Anne Designs.

Ink: Palette Noir Black , Copic Markers (various colors)

Snowflake Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Rectangle Spellbinder Nestabilities, Oval Punches, Photo Corner Punch, Dew Drops, Lavender Ribbon (JoAnn Essentials) White Craft Pad, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter and Foam Mounting Tape.

It's not exactly the fanciest card I've ever done but it's cute (IMHO) and meets the challenge. Maybe close to Christmas I'll actually be a little more inspired then I was this week. - Be sure to check out all the other great projects and be inspired to create your own Christmas in July card.

Cattitude Monday - Thinking of You

Good Morning! -Welcome to Monday and the start of another work week.  For your viewing pleasure today I actually have a card to share with you! - I love it when I'm able to stamp using some of my "cat" stamps.  I don't have a lot and need to build up my collection but I am trying to utilize the ones that I do own.

My card uses 2 of the upcoming "In-Colors" from Stampin'Up! - Kiwi Kiss and Tangerine Tango.

I stamped my cat image (Hero Arts) with Palette Noir Black ink on Watercolor Paper and then watercolored the image with an Aqua Painter and Reinkers.  I have to say that I am still "water-color" challenged.  For some unexplained reason I have the most difficult time using an Aqua Painter.  I always seem to get either to much water or not enough instead of just the right amount.  I so wish that I could get Anna Wight to come give me lesson on watercoloring.  She is my watercoloring idol!

I added hightlights on my "Mums" with an Orange Spica Glitter pen.  The image was cut out using Nestabilities and mounted on an Tangerine Tango Scallop Circle and pierced. I punched small holes with my Crop-a-dile and threaded through some ribbon (May Arts).

I used some Designer Paper ((We R Memory Keepers - Pewter Press - Noche).  The Orange side was mounted on the Tangerine card stock and then the floral pattern was mounted on Kiwi Kiss. I stamped the sentiment with Kiwi Kiss ink and mounted it on the Tangerine Tango card stock and added 3 More Mustard Brads.  The focal image and sentiment were then mounted using foam mounting tape to complete my card.



Also on today's Cattitude menu is this adorable picture of our newest kitten,  Harley. Let's hope at the end of the day you are able to "Crash" like he did! - Have a great week.

BC Wk. 56 - Color "Challenged!"

Happy Friday! - It's time for another Challenge from the Blogger's Challenge Group. - This week we were assigned a "Color" challenge and I must say it most certainly was a CHALLENGE!

The colors we were given were: Sahara Sand, Mellow Moss, Regal Rose, Blue Bayou and Really Rust. Mind you I rarely (if ever) use that many colors for a card. I started out trying to figure out first what stamp set to use and then some kind of a layout that I liked and how to fit all those colors in as well. This was not an easy task but I'm happy with the outcome of my card.

My card base is: Sahara Sand which I stamped the En Francais BG stamp in Really Rust ink (that was the color I was having a hard time with for this challenge.)

Then I added a piece of Mellow Moss that I ran through the Cuttlebug with the (Birds and Swirls) embossing Folder. I distressed the emboss piece by lightly running it over my Mellow Moss ink pad. Then I ran a small strip of Regal Rose card stock down the side to offset the 2 pieces of card stock.

My focal image is from the SU set (Always) which I just love. I stamped the bird with Blue Bayou ink on Sahara Sand and then stamped one of the small flowers with the Regal Rose on White card stock and punched out just the center with a 1/4" circle punch. I highlighted it with a Spica Clear Glitter Pen. I stamped the sentiment with Really Rust ink. This was cut out using Nestabilities Rectangle Dies. I mounted the piece on Blue Bayou and also embossed it with a Nestabilities Scalloped Rectangle Die.

I stamped the flower with Regal Rose ink on Whisper White card stock and punched it out with the 1 1/4" Circle Punch, colored it with the Spica Clear Glitter Pen and then mounted it on Mellow Moss punched with the 1 3/8" Circle Punch. Then I added a Mellow Moss Eyelet. The focal image and flower were mounted on the card using foam mounting tape.

So there you have it. - Now don't forget to check out all the other members projects by clicking on the Blogger's Challenge Icon on my side bar.

The Blessing of a Friend

Oh how I enjoy these Mystery Image swaps.  In case you aren't familiar with what I am talking about a group that I belong too: Stamp Girls Gone Wild (SGGW) host what is called a, Mystery Image swap.  The Hostess of the swap picks out an image and then stamps several copies of it to send to each participant.  We are each assigned a partner and mail our card to that person.  The object of this type of a swap is to show how unique and diverse it can be seeing the same image stamped by different people.

This time around our hostess was, Rose Kerry and she chose to send out this adorable little Elzybell image.

These can also be purchased in the US at various places. -  They are just the sweetest images and make me smile whenever I see them.

The inspiration for my color scheme came from a piece of Polished Stone background paper that I had laying around in my UFO (Un-finished Objects) piles.  -  I wasn't the first to claim the UFO phrase but for the life of me I don't recall where I heard it first but I liked it so I've adopted the phrase myself.  I'm sure most of us have UFO piles in our stamp rooms just waiting to be used on a project when the right inspiration hits.

For my Polished Stone piece I believe that I used Orchid Opulence, Pretty in Pink and Bliss Blue (retired now) plus a Metallic Gold reinker (Tsukineko).

I colored my little ElzyBell girls with Copic Markers.  I am still getting the hang of using them but I like how they turned out on this card.  The colors I used are: YR24 (Pale Sepia)

E00 (Skin White), Y15 (Cadmium Yellow), YG00 (Mimosa Yellow), BG45 (Nile Blue), RV17 (Deep Magenta), BV000 (Iridescent Mauve), and V17 (Amethyst). I also used an SU Certainly Celery Marker on the flower stem as I didn't have the shade of green I wanted in my Copic set.  - I colored my image and then cut out the dress on the girl in turquoise and stamped the dots from (Itty Bitty Backgrounds) and added a few more with a Basic Black marker.  The purple dress was also cut out and then colored with a purple Spica Glitter pen.  I also colored both flowers with Spica Glitter Pens and the pink punched flower as well.

My card base is: Orchid Opulence layered with Tempting Turquoise and my Polished Stone piece.  Then I added a strip on TT and a piece of Pretty in Pink that I ran through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dot Embossing Folder.  I cut my image out using a circle Nestabilites Die and layered it onto a scalloped circle. The sentiment was punched with a circle punch (McGill) and layered onto the Nestabilites scalloped cirle.

I used the 3 For You flower punch and punched out a Pretty In Pink flower and 3 Tempting Turquoise flowers.  I added mini brads (Queen and Company) to the centers.  My image and sentiment were mounted using foam mounting tape.

PS - How do you lik my NEW WATERMARK! - Yep, I figured it out thanks to help from Beth and Kim Howard, who recommended the GIMP program to insert my watermark with.  Thanks both of you ladies for all your help.

Cattitude Monday - Cats in Art

Happy Monday - What's your "Cattitude" today? I thought I'd share a few pieces of Art work that I discovered today on this website http://www.art.com/asp/default-asp/_/posters.htm?%20&ui=F1BB96771E1B4C6FB140D61240A0FFD3

This first piece is so different (in my opinion). I love all the different colors and the various cats pictured. It has a real modern feel to it. This piece was done by, Stephen Teeter.

This next piece is titled: Kitties II and is by Jenny Newland. I just love this piece. It's so adorable, who can resist a cute and cuddly little kitten? I know I can't!

Lastly I am sharing this piece, Ocean Breeze by Lee Mothes. - I find this to be a very serene and calming picture. The ocean has always held a special place in my heart even though I don't get to go very often. I feel so much closer to God when I'm at the ocean. Seeing this piece reminded me of just how very spiritual nature can be and how God

gives each of us something special like the feelings I have being at the ocean and petting a cat to cause us to feel closer to Him.

I hope you've enjoyed this little journey of cats in the Art world. I may from time to time share more of these great pieces of art on Cattitude Mondays.

Have a great week.

New Blog Banner

Here it is!!! - So what do you think? - Beth, http://freckledandfun.blogspot.com/ did a fantastic job. I really love how she took my ideas and then created something that is just exactly what I was looking for. It's nice to have your own "personal" touch on your blog rather then something that is Generic.

I have a watermark coming soon too but am having issues trying to figure out how to add it to my photo's so that may be awhile yet.

Leave a comment here and let me know what you think. - Hugs, Ida

BC Wk. 55 - Going BUGGY!

This week the Blogger's Challenge group has, "Gone Buggy" with their challenge.  Our assignment was to use (Bugs or Insects) on our project.  This week I actually had time to make TWO cards for this challenge.

The inspiration for my first card came from two sources.  The layout (or sketch) is from Julee's Mojo Monday Sketch http://poeticartistry.blogspot.com/2008/07/mojo-monday-week-45-mojo-madness.html



The other part of my inspiration came from a scrap piece of Vellum that I've been saving for some time now.  I'm not even sure who makes/or made this particular printed piece of vellum.  It was printed in white and I brayered on the color using my Caribbean Sea Kaleidacolor Rainbow pad.

I layered the Vellum onto a piece of Gable Green card stock that I had embossed using my new Eyelet Lace Embossing Punch (Fiskars).  I added a strip of Green Galore to the top and pierced it using my Crafter's Tool kit.  Then I embossed the sentiment (Hero Arts) using my VersaMark pad and Bold Black EP. This was layered onto some textured Green Galore card stock and my card base of Basic Black.

 I stamped the Dragonfly (Close To My Heart) twice with the Kaleidacolor pad on Whisper White card stock and highlighted it with a Clear Spica Glitter Pen for some subtle shimmer.  I cut out all of the 2nd dragonfly except the antennae and glued it down over the first image.  The wings were raised slightly by using a small piece of foam mounting tape tucked under the wings. Green rickrack (JoAnn Essentials) was added to the corners and 3 green brads (Queen and Company)to complete the card.

Card #2 features absolutely NO stamping at all! - I found this adorable bug dimensional sticker (Debbie Mumm for JoAnn) and fell in love with them and just had to make a card using one of the stickers.  I chose the Grasshopper and paired it with some patterned paper (also Debbie Mumm) that already had shimmery highlights in the stripes. 

My card base is Only Orange layered with Green Galore and the Designer Paper.  I added a strip of Only Orange that I cut using some zigzag scissor (SU-retired).  Then I added some piercing and a strip of Brilliant Blue with a row of brads (Queen and Company).  The sentiment was computer generated using (SU Journaling Font 1 - PittyPat).  I also added a Prima flower with a center of Green Galore and a small orange brad.  This just makes me feel good and I hope it does you as well.



Don't forget to go a little "buggy" yourself and check out all the other projects by clicking on the Bloggers Challenge icon on my side bar.

Polka Dots and Stars Cake Inspiration

Isn't this a COOL looking cake! -  This was given out as an Inspiration Challenge on a group that I belong to. We were to create a card using this cake as our Inspiration Point.  I was immediately drawn to the Polka Dots and Stars on this particular cake along with the dramatic color scheme (Black, Turquoise and White) although some felt that the dark color also resembled Chocolate Chip so they went with that color instead of black.

I had a lot of fun coming up with my card and hope my partner likes it.

Here is my version of this cake in card form:

My card base is, Whisper White layered with Basic Black and then a layer of Tempting Turquoise that I stamped with the bubbles from, (Simply Circles -Retired SU) *I first stamped the sentiment with a VersaMark pad and Embossed with Bold Black EP before stamping the bubbles with the VersaMark pad.  Then I added 3 punched stars with Turquoise Brads.

I cut a strip of Basic Black card stock and then punched out 3/4" circles of Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise and Whisper white and glued them in a random pattern on the piece of black card stock cutting off the ones that overlapped the edge.  Then I added some white rickrack (source unknown) as it reminded me of the white piping on the cake.

I punched out circles of White, Turquoise and pierced the edge of the white circle. Then I punched out a small star on some black card stock lined up the larger star punch over my small punched star and punched that out.  Then I colored the star with a Black Spica Glitter Pen.

So what do you think? There were some really great cards in this challenge and it was fun to see how everyone was inspired from this cake and came up with some fabulous and different cards.  Give it a try yourself and if you do leave a post with a "link" here on my blog so we can all see your creativity in action.

Cattitude Monday - A Tale of 3 Cats

For this

weeks Cattitude Monday entry I am sharing another Hallmark Card with you.  I've had this one in my collection for some time.  I'm calling it, Homespun Kitty because it just has that homespun country feel about it.  The card is also embossed which gives it a nice, rich feel and look.

I'm also sharing a tale of 3 cats with you today.  It all started late Friday night about 7:00 pm when our newest little kitten, Harley suddendly decided to get sick. My hubby and I were sitting in our living room and I had just gotten up to take some paper plates into the kitchen when Harley started to gag and make that sound cats do when they are about to hurl. Yes, I know this is gross but I managed to hold the paper plate under his mouth while he proceed to up chuck his cat food thus avoiding a nasty stain on our brand new carpeting.  At first we thought he just ate to quickly but then he started getting sick again so we took him into our bedroom and put him in the bathroom with the door closed.  He was one sick little kitty for about an hour as he threw up about 5-6 times.  We finally discovered the problem was due to his ingesting of all things a large 1/2" size rubberband!  By the time we got home from the fireworks display he was feeling much better and romping through the house like he always does.  This is a picture of Harley and Callie-Jo sleeping together that I took last week.  Aren't they sweet looking?

The other saga took place today when I got back from the grocery store and found Greta and my mom outside searching for our cat, Snickers.  It seems that Coleen had accidentally left the door partially open and Dottie & Snickers got out.  Greta found Dottie in my flower beds and got her inside but Snickers was no where to be found.  We were all out combing the neighborhood trying to find her as we knew she would be scared to death.  She's an "indoor" cat and strange noises frighten her so we didn't think she would go very far and in the end she hadn't as my hubby found her in some weeds a house away when he heard a faint mewing sound.  She was scared to death and when he went to grab her she bolted from the weeds and high tailed it down our driveway and Greta let her inside.  It took her quite awhile to calm down and then she had to endure the indignity of getting a bath as well because she'd gotten into some greasy stuff where she was hiding.  Poor thing.  This is a picture of her when she's looking her very best.

That's my "tail" and I'm sticking to it!

BC Wk 54 America is my Home!

Happy Birthday America!!!



For our Blogger's Challenge this week we were assigned, Color Blocking.  I like this technique as it gives you a chance to use several colors and patterned papers to create a fun pop of color on your projects.



I chose a (Red, White and Blue) color scheme since today is the 4th of July and I wanted to show my appreciation for those who serve in the military to help protect my homeland and those abroad as well.



The stamp set I chose to use is an "oldie" but a goodie in my book.  It's called, (Americana).  I love this set, its very Nostalgic.

Card Base:  Brilliant Blue, layered with Whisper White.

Color Blocked Pieces:  Confetti - Kaleidoscope Collection - My Mind's Eye, Red and White Stars (source unknown) and Brilliant Blue

I stamped the Rooster Image with Basic Black ink and colored it with a combination of Copic Markers (R27 Cadmium Red, Y15 Cadmium Yellow), Ultramarine Blue Prismacolor Pencil, Spica Glitter Pens in Red and Clear (they don't show up all that well in the scan but are very shimmery in real life. I then cut it out using my rectangle Nestabilities Die and layered it on another rectangle die of Real Red.  I stamped the sentiment in Real Red on Whisper White and cut it out with a Circle Nestabilites Die and layered that onto Brilliant Blue.  Then I stamped the heart in Brilliant Blue and colored it with a Blue Spica Glitter Pen.  I mounted my images with foam mounting tape and added Real Red Photo corners pierced and also mounted with foam mounting tape to complete my card.



So help celebrate America's birthday by visiting the other Blogger's Challenge members blogs to see what they came up with for this challenge.

New Look Coming Soon

Oh I am so excited about this that I just had to share: I will have a NEW LOOK to my blog soon. I've decided to get a Blog Banner and it's being designed right now. I can't wait to show it off to everyone. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

BC Wk 53 - I couldn't "Resist"....

....Taking the challenge this week for the Blogger's Challenge Group!

This week we were to do ANY "Resist" technique on our project.
Generally speaking I am not one to venture out and try a lot of different techniques but I decided to give it a try anyway.

I did a Google search (don't you just love Google?) on Resist Techniques and came up with all kinds of stuff. Some were a little more complicated or required more supplies then what I had on hand so I nixed those ideas. I found this technique: Double Resist here: http://seitlerstamps.blogspot.com/2006/03/double-resist.html and thought it sounded interesting and fun so I gave it a try and I like how it turned out.

I based my color scheme on this piece of paper (Organic Honeysuckle) by BoBunny. Since I wasn't able to use the paper for my card I went with the colors and then a strip of (Coral Dot) also by BoBunny as an accent piece on my card.

To create the resist piece I started out with a piece of Glossy Card stock that I stamped the large and small lady bugs (Garden Whimsy) using a Versamark pad and clear embossing powder. Then I stamped the butterfly with just Versamark ink and let it dry. Next I sponged on Groovy Guava ink and followed that up by sponging on Ruby Red ink and buffed with a paper towel. The embossed ladybugs showed up white and the butterflies took on some of the color but not all of it to create a soft feel.

My card base is Groovy Guava (gotta use it up before it retires!) and layered on Ruby Red. I added the strip of Coral Dot DP that I stamped my sentiment (Hero Arts) with Ruby Red ink and one of the small lady bugs and layered it to a piece of Ruby Red card stock. I used my Nestabilities Dies to cut out a circle of the DP and then a Scallop of Ruby Red. I stamped my butterfly with Ruby Red ink on glossy card stock and sponged and buffed on some Groovy Guava ink as well. Then I created some custom dots by using a piece of Groovy Guava card stock, a glue stick and Melone Glitter (Art Institute) and glued them down on the butterfly. I raised up the wings slightly with foam mounting tape and raised up my scallop as well. To complete my card I added 3 Island Blossom Dew Drops. I'm happy with the results and hope you are as well.

Don't RESIST the urge to check out the other great projects for this challenge by clicking on the Bloggers Challenge Icon on my sidebar.

Wanna Win Some Stamps!

Well who wouldn't! - So check it out and spread the word. Which by the way I heard first from Leigh (http://sunflowerstudio.typepad.com/sunflower_studio/) - Thanks for the heads up.

What adorable sets these are. You must check them out here: http://starvingartistamps.blogspot.com/2008/06/new-blog-candy-and-winner-announced.html - Just a note to make sure you read the entire post for the instructions on how to win these sets.

Okay now I'm off to finish signing up for my chance to win!

BC Wk 52 - What's More Manly Then....

A COWBOY!!! - When I saw what this weeks challenge was I sort of "groaned" as I'm sure some of the other members did. It seems creating a,

"Manly" card is a difficult task for many stampers.

I wanted my card to be something that was both manly but could also be used for anyone not just a man. - Since I am a HUGE fan of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) and had recently purchased this bull riding stamp (Sutter Enterprises) I just knew that I had to ink it up for my card.

I stamped the bull and rider with SU Basic Brown and then water colored the image with reinkers and my aqua painter. I've said it before and I'll say it again, "Water coloring" is NOT my strong suit in stamping but I keep at it hoping that someday I'll master the technique. I think this turned out fairly decent. I will say that I tried to watercolor a cowboy hat image from another set to use on this card but after stamping about 10 and trying to keep from getting to much water or to much ink on the image I gave up and settled for something much easier for the corner focal point on this card.

The sentiment was computer generated using the "Rope" font and I matched the ink color to Chocolate Chip.

The details are: Card Stock: Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, Sage Shadow, Naturals White and Outlaw Designer Series paper.

Ink: Basic Brown, Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow, Brushed Corduroy (Distress Ink by Ranger)

Stamps: Bull Rider (Sutter Enterprises) Sheriff Star from Starstruck (SU)

Other: Scallop Nestabilities dies - I used 2 rectangles and pieced them together into the square since I don't own the square Nestabilities "yet"!

Circle Punches 1/2", 1" and 1 1/4"

Paper Piercing Tool, Distressing Tool, Brown Brads (Jo Ann Essentials) and foam mounting tape.

So if you are still reading and are interested the "Cowboy" pictured is Professional Bull Rider, Mike Lee http://mikeleebullrider.com/welcome.html who just happens to be my favorite PBR Cowboy.

Be sure now to go check out the other great "manly" creations and be inspired to create one of your own.

Sweet Taste of Summer

I just love summer here where I live because you can get so much great Fresh produce and one of the things I "live for" here are the delicious strawberries grown in this area. I picked these berries (Klicker's) for 8 summers when I was a kid and never ever got tired of eating them. You can see from this picture that Coleen is sure enjoying hers. Yum Yum Yum!

Whale of a Good Time

Inspiration comes in many forms and for this challenge on SSUS (Sensational SU Swappers) we were given this very "colorful" cake as our inspiration point.

Wow! There is a lot going on here with this yummy cake. We were told we could be inspired by the colors, the stars, the flowers, etc...just as long as we were inspired by the cake in our creation.

I just loved the bright cheerful colors of this cake and decided to use them as the inspiration for my card. I had thought about using some punched out flowers and stars but when I decided on my focal image I just knew that flowers and stars were not going to work. Instead I went with the circles that are on the sparkler sticks (that's what they remind me of) on the cake.

Recently I bought some really fun designer paper (just one sheet - can you believe that!) and since it had the colors of the inspiration cake I went with that. At first glance if you look at the paper a certain way you think it's balloons but once you look more closely you discover that it is indeed covered with these adorable and very colorful little "whales." With that in mind I went with this whale from Silly Sealife (now retired). I colored my whale with chalks (Stampin Pastels) and cut it out using my Nestabilities Dies.

My sentiment is from Hero Arts and it is one that I just love because it teaches us to let loose once in awhile and just have some good old fashioned FUN!

Details: Card Stock: Green Galore, Gable Green, Only Orange, Pink Passion, Whisper White & Desiger Paper (K and Co. - Whales Flat Paper).

Ink: Basic Black, Markers: Basic Black, Pink Passion

Other: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Bubbles), 1/2 " and 3/4" circle punches, Green Brads (Queen and Co.), Corner Rounder punch, Orange Peel Stickles, Dew Drops and foam mounting tape.

Happy Birthday With Sprinkles on Top

The (Stamp Girls Gone Wild) or more commonly known as SGGW have been at it again with another "Mystery Image" swap. This time we were sent this Cupcake image by (Just Johanna) stamps.

I chose my color scheme from this piece of Basic Grey designer paper: Cupcake/cake & ice cream that I recently purchased and the ribbon (American Crafts).

My Card base is: Green Gable then I layered it with Bashful Blue and the piece of designer paper and Pretty in Pink (I ran through my Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dot Embossing Folder) and added the striped ribbon and pierced the edges using the Cutter Kit.

My focal image was colored with Prismacolored Pencils blended with Gamsol. I cut out the strawberry and highlighted it with a Red Spica Glitter pen and raised it up with foam mounting tape. Then I added some "sprinkles" by cutting very tiny pieces of Chocolate Chip card stock and added sparkle to them with a Clear Spica Glitter pen before gluing them down. I cut my image out using a Marvy Circle punch and layered it to a larger circle of So Saffron that I cut out with a Nestabilities Die. The sentiment Kristen sent us I cut apart and used part on the front and the rest on the inside of the card. I mounted it on Gable Green and added 2 pink brads then raised everything up with the foam mounting tape.

For the inside I used the rest of the sentiment and then punched out a cupcake from the designer paper and added the same sprinkles that I did on my main image.

This was a really fun card to receive and to make. Hope you enjoy it.

BC Wk 51 - Tropical Flowers Smiling

What a week it's been. I was busy all week long trying to prepare for my Stampers 10 Club meeting which was last night. I had not planned at all to participate in today's challenge simply because I just didn't feel I would have the time nor the energy to create anything worth showing. I was up past midnight last night as it always takes me awhile to unwind after my meetings. I cleaned up after the meeting and then watched the results show from (So You Think You Can Dance) yes, I'm hooked on these shows. By the time it was over I was exhausted and this morning I did not want to get out of bed at all but I managed to drag myself out and prepared to meet my day.

This included having Coleen here all day since her Daycare took today off and won't start summer session until Monday. Needless to say with a very busy and active 3 year old around it's hard to find time to stamp but thankfully today she has been a good little girl and pretty much watched movies all day except for the time we ran some errands, a little play time outside and then lunch. But enough about my day as I'm sure you're more interested in my card and what our challenge was this week.

This week we had a color challenge: Turquoise, Pink and Green Galore (white or vanilla could be added). These colors just seem so bright and to me they have a "Tropical" feel to them so that is what I decided on for the theme for my card. I recently purchased this wonderful stamp from Inkadinkado and just had to use it for my card. I inked it up using a Kaleidacolor ink pad (Caribbean Sea) as it had the colors I wanted for my card. Then I cut it out using my Nestabilities dies and layered it on a scalloped piece of Pixix Pink. I added various flowers and brads in the color scheme and highlighted the flowers with a clear Spica glitter pen which is hard to see in the scan but really adds a nice sparkle in real life.

My card base is Tempting Turquoise with a layer of Pixie Pink distressed with ink and the Cutter Kit. I then ran a piece of Green Galore through my Cuttlebug with the Floral Fantasy Embossing Folder and cut it in a triangle. Then I added a piece of designer paper that I've had for years. It's from www.cut-it-up.com and was called Celebration Salt. It just reminded me of the colors of a sunset on the sand. I added the pink rickrack (JoAnn Essentials) and some Island Blossom Dew Drops. The sentiment is from Hero Arts Clear Design (Anytime Messages) which I stamped in Basic Black to complete my card.

I hope you like it as much as I do. Don't forget to check out all the other cards by my fellow Blogger's Challenge members. They are such a talented group of stampers and there is always a great bunch of projects to view.

A Snappy Turtle and a Wise Owl

So what do you get when you combine a Sketch Challenge with a Turtle and an Owl? - Well here's your answer. Last week on SSUS (Sensational SU Swappers) we were given a sketch to follow and create a card for our partner.

I started off using this adorable turtle image from Clear Dollar Designs (Cute Critters) stamp set to create my card. The base is Old Olive stamped with SU Sanded BG in Old Olive ink. Then I layered a piece of Lovely Lilac and some DP SU (Halloween Night from 2006 Holiday Mini ) now retired and distressed the edges of the lilac cs with the Cutter Kit.
I colored my turtle image with Prisma Colored Pencils and blended them with Gamsol. Then I cut it out using my Nestabilites Circle Dies and Scalloped Circles I added the ground by masking my turtle and sponging on some Creamy Caramel Ink. I added a Prima Flower and a purple brad to the side of the focal piece. My sentiment was stamped with Palette Noir Black ink on some lavender twill ribbon (JoAnn Fabrics) that I layered on Only Orange Card Stock and added another small flower and mini orange brad (Queen and Co.) Image and Sentiment were raised with foam mounting tape.

I completed this card before remembering that SSUS is an SU only group and so I did the 2nd card per request from my partner in SU products only.

Card #2 - Stamp Set: Owl Together Now - A new stamp set coming in the upcoming catalog
Card Stock: Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and Bali Breeze DP
Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise

I used an Aqua Painter and smooshed the lids of my pads so that I could pick the ink color up and water colored this image.
I added flowers from the Flower Fusion felt flowers set and added Rhinestone Brads (Circles Fire Collection and cut my circles with the Coluzzle and again distressed with the Cutter Kit.
The sentiment was computer generated using SU's Journaling Font Vol. 1 - now retired.

This was a great sketch and one I'm sure I'll use again.

Cattitude Monday - Egyptian Cats

Good Morning...Stretch, Yawn....Go get another cup of coffee...Yep it's Monday morning and time for this weeks installment of Cattitude Monday - No stamped card this week as I didn't have time to stamp this weekend.

Instead I am sharing a (Gasp) ©Hallmark card that I bought way back in 1989 just because I liked it. The artist for the card is listed as, Sally Madden. I like this card for a number of reasons. First I like the raised embossing of the cat and the gold embossed trees on the bottom. I have no clue what the hieroglyphics mean but they lend an obvious Egyptian feel to this card. Which in turn reminds me of a saying on a T-shirt that I like:

"In Ancient Egypt cats were worshipped as Gods...Cat's have Never Forgotten This." - So true.

The piece next to the card is a stencil of a cat that I did years ago (probably in 1989) as it was inspired by this card. For some reason I just have never gotten around to putting this on a card. Can't seem to figure out what to do with it. Any suggestions? - I used stencil paste on the cat after it was embossed and then painted it with some Pearlescent Acrylic paints that have now dried up in their jars (bummer) after years of none use.

So that's my entry today. Remember if you have a Cattitude Monday card to share please post a link to your card in the comments section on this entry. I'd like to see people start posting their cat creations and hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Flapper Girl

Today I had the chance to travel over to a Scrapbook store about 45 minutes away and spend some $$ on some new stamping stuff. My mom and Coleen were with me and I wasn't sure we'd be able to enjoy ourselves since there were so many things that Coleen wanted to get into. The owner of the store offered to let her sit and color pictures and that worked like a charm. She was so good on the drive over, at the store and on the drive home that as a reward Grandma let her pick out something she wanted. She settled on this "Flapper" costume and has been having a blast dancing around in it since we got home. I wanted to share her Flapper Dance with everyone so sit back and enjoy. It's not very long since our camera doesn't allow very long video posts but I think it's pretty cute.

I'll share the stamping goodies later in another post.

BCG - Wk 50 - It is all, "Black and White!"

What a great challenge! - I have always been drawn to cards done in the colors, Black and White as they just have a "crispness" about them that really draws the eye to them. Naturally when Lisa (our coordinator) posted this weeks challenge I was pretty excited about it and went our right away and bought some stuff that was related to the theme. Then I looked for card layouts that I liked and found one done by Julie Campbell http://stampedinhisimage.blogspot.com/ in the June/July issue of Paper Crafts magazine (Pg. 22). I just checked Julie's blog and couldn't locate the card there but if you have a copy of the magazine you can check out her really fun card and the great sketch she used. Thanks Julie for the inspiration.

I am also sharing a 2nd card today that I had published in (The Stamper's Sampler) magazine 10 years ago!!! - It was for a Black and White challenge as well and was my very first card to have ever been published. - What's funny now is how I've seen the change in the progression of my stamping abilities over the years but I still think it's a pretty cool card.

I've included a close up on my second card so you can see hopefully some of the sparkle that this card has. It's so hard to capture in a photo but in real life it's very pretty.

Card One: Stamps: Teapot by NumNums. Star and Swirl by Judi-Kins

I used White EP on this card and then filled in the stars with White Glitter.

Card Two: Stamps: Live Your Dream (SU) Sentiment from Hero Arts Clear Design Anytime Messages

Card Stock and paper: Basic Black, Whisper White (SU) Designer Paper, Doodlebug (White Bouquet)

Other: Acrylic Frame by Making Memories, Black Diamond EP from Judi-Kins, White Satin and Diamonds EP by Embossing Arts Co. Tiny White Brads by Queen and Co., 3 For You Flower Punch (SU), Black Spica Glitter Pen, White rickrack, Cutter kit for distressing, Foam Mounting tape.

I hope you've enjoyed this challenge as much as I did and be sure to check out all the other great cards/projects by clicking on the Bloggers Challenge icon on the right side of my sidebar.

Cattitude Monday - Another Player

Yesterday I received an email from Technique Junkies (see the icon on my sidebar) that had cards made by Nancy http://www.inkblocks.blogspot.com/ and she had some great cat cards that I thought would be perfect for Cattitude Monday. I emailed her about them and she suggested perhaps having others join in on the fun. If you have a (Cat) card to share please share them by posting a link in the comments section on my blog on Monday's under the Cattitude Monday entry. I'd love to see what you all can do with your furry feline images. - Let the sharing begin!!