Sofia's Halloween Card

I shared last week that I featured two cards made last fall by my stampin' team 'sister', Sofia.  Sofia is uber-talented and we all oh and ah over what she shares for our swaps each time we get together.  I loved her Halloween card that she swapped last year, so I shared it with my stampers this month.  Hers was 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches, but it wouldn't fit into the envelopes I have so I cut it down to 5 1/4 by 5 1/4 inches.  I also updated the card stock colors as Really Rust that Sofia used is now retired.  In addition to the Basic Black, I used Daffodil Delight and Cajun Craze (my newest fave fall color!).  Today I finally had some time to make one of them myself:

The background image was sponged onto Whisper White.  I used the 2 1/2 inch circle punch to create the masks from a Post-It note (hint:  stick the Post-It to a scrap piece of copy paper first before punching or the Post-It will get stuck in your punch - trust me, I know this to be true!).  First I sponged on So Saffron and then More Mustard to create the rising full moon.  I then masked off the moon and sponged on Baja Breeze, then Not Quite Navy, and finally Night of Navy.  My fence didn't come out too well as I had a huge uninked spot in one of the posts, so I ended up going over it with a Basic Black marker.  The fence posts didn't quite match up the way I needed them to for the cat's feet, so I enlarged one post to make it work.  The cat and bats were stamped in Jet Black StazOn ink.  On Sofia's card, she stamped 'spooky nights' in Craft White, but I wanted to make it my own just a bit, so I changed it by stamping the sentiment onto a scrap of Whisper White in Basic Black, then stamping the bats in Basic Gray (stamped off once to lighten the shade of gray).  The word window punch is perfect to frame the sentiment.  To finish it off, the fence posts are highlighted with a white gel pen.  Don't you just love her card?  The gals at my stamp camp did!  I'll share the other Sofia card my stampers did last weekend once I've stamped one.

Fun with the Candy Wrapper Die

For my stamp camp this past Friday, one project was a Halloween treat using the Candy Wrapper Die.  I showed my stampers Barb Mullikin's great video on how to assemble the die, and then they got to work.  I decided I'd make some for my girls to give to their teachers, so I made 15 myself.  Here are a few of them.  Can you believe it?  I am actually ready for something ahead of time - they're all done, filled with candy, ready to be handed out, and it's only the beginning of October!  That almost never happens!  See you next time!

September Sparkles Team Swaps

Last Sunday, my upline held our team meeting.  I'm the swap coordinator, and for this meeting, I decided that our swaps should feature one of the individual stamps that SU! has available.  I chose to use the Ornate Blossom stamp.  I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with it, and as time started to run short, I settled for using a Mojo Monday sketch and the Color Coach.  I wanted to use Concord Crush, and the Color Coach recommended a combination with Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait, so that's what I went with.  I also used the new Level 1 hostess paper pack - love it!  I stamped the Ornate Blossom in Concord Crush, then stamped over it with VersaMark (thank you, Stamp-a-ma-jig!).  I embossed the image using Iridescent Ice EP and cut out the image with my Creative Memories Circle Cutting System.  I know, I should have used my Circle Scissors, but I love my CM cutters, so that's what I grabbed.  The sentiment is from Occasional Sentiments, a level 2 hostess set.  I used the small Ornate Blossom from Friends Never Fade on the tag, and added a rhinestone for some bling.

Sofia was our hostess for this month's project, and we all loved her project.  It features the cute pansies made with the butterfly punch.  I was unhappy with how mine were coming out, but once they dried, they actually looked better.  I still would have liked to have had more So Saffron showing on them.  Here's Sofia's great card project:

Here are the swaps everyone else made.  The first is also by Sofia, using Elegant Thank You:

Then there's the cute Dasher card made by Anne:

Marlise featured Tiny Teacups for her card:

Dianna used Engraved Greetings on hers:

Cindy used the elegant Elizabeth stamp (I so need that one):

Marianne's card uses the Homemade stamp:

Jeanne used the Single Snowflake stamp, embossed using Iridescent Ice EP:

Notice all the rhinestones?  We all giggled about that as we traded cards.  It's been a while since we all got together and it was great that so many of us were able to make it.  Our next swap theme is Fall.  I think I'll do a 3D item for that swap, as I'm already working on something that uses the Autumn Spice Specialty DSP (love the thicker weight of this paper).  I'm going to try and get in the habit of sharing our team swaps with you as I've seen other stampers do that.  Thanks for stopping by!

Father-in-Law's Birthday Card

We're getting the family together tonight to celebrate my FIL's birthday which was earlier this week.  Here's the card I made for him:

He's an artist and lately has been putting lace onto some of his paintings, so I thought he might like the lace and elegant lines of this card.  I used an Antique Brad to hold the new lace ribbon together.  The sentiment is from a current Level 2 hostess set that right now I can't for the life of me remember the name of, and the swirl below it is from the Elegant Thank You single stamp.  I hope he likes it!

I'm Still Here...

Hi there everyone!  Life has been busy as of late.  My youngest and I are taking piano lessons, then there's high school youth night for our oldest, confirmation class for the youngest, and this week, throw in a Girl Scout meeting for the youngest and a stamp camp for me...  oh, and progress reports were due earlier this week, which always takes a lot of time to input...  I'm so happy to just be sitting here at my computer at our local coffee shop with some candy wrapper boxes to finish up once I'm done surfing some of my favorite stamping blogs!

We had a fun time at my stamp camp yesterday.  I featured two cards that were designed last year by sideline stamping team member Sofia.  I'll share them with you soon.  I made a size modification to hers, cutting them down 1/4 inch all around so they'd fit in our square envies, and the gals loved them.  I'll be bringing one of them back next month as it's a good fall/Thanksgiving card and a few of my stampers couldn't stay long last night to make it.  I also created a Post-It note holder after finding the cutest Halloween note pads at the dollar store at Target this past week.  Our last project was the candy wrapper die, which my stampers (several are teachers) made for their TA's or friends.  I'm making a dozen of them for my girls to give to their teachers as a little Halloween gift.

I'll share some pictures soon...  I shot a few, but it was late and the lighting just wasn't good, so I need to reshoot.  Also need to get a card together for my FIL as we're celebrating his birthday tonight.  I SO struggle with masculine cards... so I guess I'm off to search for some good ideas!  Hope to see you again soon!

Almost Forgot This One...

At my last stamp camp, one of the projects my campers could make was a card organizer.  One of my campers, Maddie, is a former student and daughter of our art teacher, Laura (who is also one of my regular stamp camp attendees).  Maddie couldn't stay long, but wanted to make a card organizer, so she got the inside assembled and I offered to do the covers for her.  I had brought a bunch of stamps, punches, and dies for this project, and Maddie said she liked daisies - so this is what I came up with for her.  I hope she likes it!

I bought a ton of the Petals & Paisleys DSP back in 2007, so I thought I'd use some of it up by using it on this project.  I used the coordinating retired sets Polka Dots & Paisley/Polka Dots & Petals and one of my favorite retired alpha sets, Tidy Alphabet.  I thought it turned out pretty nicely.  I used 1 1/4 inch owires and my Bind-it-all to finish it off.

More Greenhouse Garden

Well hello there! I hope you are having a terrific day. Any day I get to do some stamping is a terrific day in my book! In early August the family spent a night up at the FIL's 'cabin'. Would have loved to do two nights, but no internet here and besides, I had an early morning doctor's appointment that would make staying a second night rather difficult. Maybe next time. Anyway, while my DH and youngest DD were out on the deck using her telescope, I made four cards which I've been sharing with you over the past few weeks. Today's card is the fifth one I made after we had a nice breakfast at Belgian Waffle Works, which overlooks Lake Arrowhead. It started out as a CASE of one of Wendy Weixler's cards (one from 2008, but now I can't find the post, wouldn't ya know it), but I just didn't like the focal point being oriented like a diamond as I started to put mine together, so it ended up as a square. I'm kinda like that anyway in my card making and scrapbooking, and I like the way it turned out. The 'So' in So Glad We're Friends didn't quite fit when I stamped onto the aluminum tag, but the ribbon was already on the card and it covered the 'So' and still is a nice sentiment.

Stamp Sets: Greenhouse Garden, Itty Bitty Backgrounds (retired), Best Yet (retired Hostess)

Inks: Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry

Card stock: Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

Accessories: Razzleberry Lemonade DSP, Aluminum Tag (small, retired), 5/8 inch Rich Razzleberry Grosgrain Ribbon

Tools: Creative Memories Circle Cutting System, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Thanksgiving

Woo hoo!  I'm doing the happy dance right now - they're done!  I finished the rest of my 8 x 8 scrapbook swaps tonight!  YAY!  And six days early, to boot!  My order arrived today with the paper I needed to finish my Halloween pages that I shared with you over the weekend, and along with it was the paper for my final swap, which I'm sharing with you tonight.  This weekend I designed the layout for my Thanksgiving swap pages and made my six swaps.  It was kinda fun - my DH and I went over to his dad's house and as we sat by the pool on Monday afternoon, I stamped and assembled my pages.  All I needed was the Autumn Spice specialty paper I had ordered from the Holiday Mini to finish the left panel, so after finishing up the two Halloween swaps tonight, I finished up the Thanksgiving swaps.  I really like how this one turned out.  Now I can package up my swaps and get them mailed out in the next day or two, ahead of the September 15 postmark deadline.  Lookie:

Ingredients
Stamp Sets:  Autumn Splendor, Woodgrain, Thankful For
Card Stock:  More Mustard, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Cajun Craze
Inks:  Early Espresso, VersaMark
Accessories:  Spritzer Tool, Gold Embossing Powder, Scallop Border Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today.  I'll have something new to share with a post that I have scheduled to publish on Monday morning as I've got a busy weekend coming up.  Last spring I won an observing session for two with the Mount Wilson Observatory Association, and I chose this weekend to redeem my prize.  My DH and I are heading up the mountain this weekend for some observing time on their 60-inch telescope.  I'm looking forward to it - several years ago we were invited to do the same with the 60-inch at Mount Palomar, and it was a great evening.  Until next time...

KISS... Keep It Simple Stamper

Hello! Thanks for popping on by today. Today's card demonstrates the KISS method – keep it simple, stamper! The card design is by Debra Currier. I've been drawn to Debra's 'less is more' style before, using several of her cards last summer as inspiration when we were in Hawaii and I had some stamping supplies along with me.  I loved the simple, clean look to her card (last one from the link above), so I decided to try it myself. I had one more Greenhouse Garden flower sitting around, just waiting to be used, so here it is.  Thanks again, Debra, for the inspiration!

Stamp Sets: Greenhouse Garden, Best Yet (retired Hostess), Itty Bitty Backgrounds (retired)

Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive

Card Stock: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry

Accessories: Razzleberry Lemonade DSP (retired), 5/8 inch Rich Razzleberry Grosgrain Ribbon

Tools: Stampin' Dimensionals

Have a Wicked Halloween...

Happy Labor Day Weekend!  I'm going to spend as much time this nice, long weekend getting caught up on my scrapbooking swaps.  Earlier this summer I signed up for three 8x8 double page layouts over on Stampin' Addicts.  You may have seen my Christmas layout, which was featured as one of the projects I shared in last week's Holiday Mini Blog Hop.  I finished making the other 5 of those that I needed for the swap.  I've been working on the design of the Halloween swap for a few weekends, and this weekend I finally finished it.  I need another pack of Wicked Specialty DSP, which will be here on Wednesday, but I can get 4 of them done this weekend and have everything else ready to go once that flocked Razzleberry bat paper gets here.  You can't see it in the images, but I took the Daffodil Delight moons and sprayed them with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz to give them a little sparkle.  I wanted to add an element between the two picture squares on the right panel, so I borrowed the idea I used on the center of the accordion medallion and made another, but this time using Basic Gray ink full strength on the spider web, and then I added a new black glitter brad in the center.  It's kinda fun - is it a web, or is it a bloodshot (less the blood) eyeball?  I love the new bat punch, so there's plenty of them on my layout. 

I wanted a fun Halloween layout, and I'm pretty happy with it.  Hope you like it, too!  If you have Monday off, enjoy your day.  I know I plan to head over to Panera Bread this weekend before their fabulous Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad goes away until next summer (I'm still upset that last year they didn't bring back their Orchard Harvest Salad as a replacement for the strawberry one).  Thanks for stopping by!