O Sole Meow

This is a simple card using my new Cat Party stamp set from Crafty Secrets.  I have been in love with this set for a long time.  I just love the retro feel of these stamps!  I had the cat button for many years and thought it looked cute with the stamp.

Christmas Cards

These are the cards I made for Christmas this year.  I hope you enjoy them.  I had a lot of fun making them!

We had a very nice Christmas this year.  It was nice and relaxing with good food.  What could be better?!  I hope you all had a nice Christmas.  I wish you a Happy New Year!

Another Fall Card

I love working with fall colors. I recently attended a Stamp Expo and bought some great stamps from Unity (one of my favorite stamp companies). I also bought a big grab bag of stamps and discovered this fun leaf stamp. Don't you just love it?!

Card details:

Stamps - leaf from Unity, distressed circles from Cornish Farms, plaid from Stampin' Up!; Inks - Daffodil Delight, Only Olive, Pumpkin Pie; scalloped circle from Spellbinders, button Sizzix die, Stampin' Up! border punch, black twine.

Lovely as a Tree

I love the Fall season. The beautiful colors, cooler weather and the rustling of leaves. I was inspired to dust of this stamp set.

Card details:

Stamps - Lovely as a Tree, sentiment from Unity; Ink - ruby red, VersaMark, inks for watercoloring; Cardstock - watercolor paper, vanilla, copper and ruby red mulberry paper

Stamping 411 Sketch

I used Sketch 114 from Stamping 411. The link to Stamping 411 blog is http://www.stamping411.blogspot.com/. Check out this blog if you haven't seen it yet. The designers for the blog are all very talented. You will like what you see! I used pink Flower Soft on the tree. I just LOVE Flower Soft! It adds so much to your project and yet doesn't add much bulk so you can mail your card easily.

Recipe: Thoughts & Prayers (SU!) and birthday sentiment from Scrappy Cat. Whisper White, Pink Pirouette and Close to Cocoa card stock; Close to Cocoa, Wild Wasabi and Soft Sky ink; Pink Pirouette striped grosgrain, Cuttlebug embossing folder, pink Flower Soft and a little pink heart rhinestone.

Saturday Evening Post

I bought this awesome stamp at Smudges' garage sale. I made this ATC (Artist Trading Card) for a Yahoo group I am on. For those of you who are not familiar with ATC's, they are miniature works of art that measure 3 1/2 x 2 1/2. If you have not made one yet, give it a try. They are so fun!

Recipe: Stamp - Saturday Evening Post; Card Stock - Not Quite Navy, Bravo Burgandy, Basic Black and Glossy White (Stampin' Up!); Ink - Basic Black and reinkers for coloring in image, Vintage Photo Distress Ink; Accessories - Distresser

Graduation Card

I made this card for my Stamper' 10 group using the themes of embossing and graduation. This tree from Thoughts & Prayers is one of my favorite stamps. It is so versatile.

Recipe: Stamps - Thoughts & Prayers, Congrats; Card stock - Whisper White, Baha Breeze & Baha Breeze DSP; Ink - Baha Breeze, VersaMark; Accessories - Winter White embossing powder, white grosgrain (all from Stampin' Up)

I'm Back!

I hope to update my blog more often this summer. I have been neglecting it far too long. I hope you are all enjoying summer! Here are some things I have made lately.

I made this card for a birthday challenge on Kerry Donovan-Casey's blog, but unfortunately did not complete it in time (the story of my life). We were to use the color purple and glitter. I thought this hula outfit would look so cute in purple glitter. What do you think? I made my own beaded pin. My daughter, Brittany, loves to bead. So I just used some of her fun beads and head pins. These are so fun to make!

Recipe: Stamp - Hula girl from Imaginisce; card stock - Basic Black, Whisper White, Lavender Lace from Stampin' Up!; Ink - Basic Black, VersaMark - Stampin' Up!; Accessories - Heat & Stick, purple glitter from Stampin' Up!, beads, head pin, polka dot ribbon, Prima flower, purple button, embroidery floss, Martha Stewart border punch, Sizzix scallop circle, black glaze pen.

Glitter Challenge

This is an ATC (Artist Trading Card) I made for a glitter theme. The bird and branch is a stamp from Inkadinkado. I stamped the image twice. Once in green and one in blue. I cut the bird out, covered it with glue and sprinkled it with glitter. I also used cinnamon glitter glue for the prima flower centers. I also distressed everything.

Recipe:
Stamps: Inkadinkado Birds Galore, Frames & Flourishes (SU)
Paper: Brocade Blue, Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive, Brocade Blue, Walnut Stain Distress Ink
Accessories: glitter, Prima flowers, cinnamon Stickles

Upsy Daisy

This is a card I made for a challenge (can't remember what the challenge was). Anyway, I used the Texturz plate from SU again. I know, hard to believe. This card is pretty self explanatory. However, one thing that doesn't show well is the glitter on the flowers. I first stamped the flower image with VersaMark, then Pink Pirouette. After stamping the CS, I embossed with Iridescent Ice. It looks so soft and sparkly IRL. The words are punched out with the new large oval punch from Stampin' Up!
Recipe: Upsy Daisy and Sincere Salutations from Stampin' Up!
Pink Pirouette, PP DP, Whisper White, Basic Gray CS
Basic Gray, VersaMark, Pink Pirouette ink
Pink Pirouette striped ribbon, lrg. oval punch, SU Texturz plate

Hey Foxy!

I signed up for a challenge to use a recently purchased stamp that has not yet been used. I couldn't resist this new stamp from Imaginisce. Who can resist a face like this?! The image is stamped on watercolor paper and colored with Stampin' Up! ink. I even colored the white of his fur with Whisper White craft ink. I didn't know if I could watercolor with craft ink, but this worked fine. I used a light wash for the background and the grass is a retired stamp from SU. The word is from Fiskars. I embellished with Prima flowers with little rhinestones in the center. And, of course, I had to use the large polka dot Texturz plate. Can you tell I love it?! I used fibers I bought a long time ago in the dollar section at Target.
Recipe: Foxy by Imaginisce, Fiskars and Roughing It from SU
Basic Brown, Certainly Celery, Really Rust, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Soft Sky inks
Whisper White, Soft Sky, Really Rust, DP and watercolor cardstock
Prima flowers, rhinestones, Martha Stewart border punch, Stampin' Up! Texturz plate, QuickKutz nameplate

CP Sketch #12 Trendy Trees

I just fell in love with this stamp set the minute I saw it. I love its simplicity and clean lines. Another thing I love is Stampin' Up!'s new Texturz plates. I used the large polka dot plate for this card. I dug out my SU pastels for this card which I used for the leaves on the trees. The chocolate grosgrain is threaded through a small slit I made with a craft knife. I hope you like it!

Recipe:

Trendy Trees stamp set

Basic Brown and VersaMark ink

Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip CS

ticket corner punch, SU Texturz plate, craft knife, circle punches, SU pastels, dimensionals, chocolate chip grosgrain, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Incredible Blog Candy

Hurry to Kim Teasdale's blog! She is offering monstrous blog candy to celebrate 100,000 hits! If you have never visited her blog before, you are in for a treat. Her art is fabulous! Here is a direct link to Kim's blog: http://paperintheworks.blogspot.com/2009/03/whoo-hoo-100000-hit-blog-candy.html. Good luck!

Just Jawing

I think this is such a cute skull and crossbones. It is one stamp set my 16 year old daughter asked for. I made this for a swap with my Stampers' 10 that uses patterned paper and/or odd shaped card. I incorporated both in this card. It is 5 1/2" square card and also used patterned paper. I stamped the skull twice...once on the white CS and again on the Pink Pirouette patterned paper, cut out the skull on the patterned paper and placed over the skull on white. This technique is called paper piecing. I added pink glitter for the eyes (love that glitz!). I finished the card off by punching a heart with a Sizzix paddle punch and running white ric rac through it.

Recipe: Stamp Set - Just Jawing; Cardstock - Basic Black, Pink Piroutte, Whisper White, Pink Piroutte patterned paper; Basic Black and Whisper White ink; Access - pink glitter, Sizzix paddle punch, white ric rac

Smiling Giraffe

Isn't this a sweet stamp? This is another mystery image challenge that I played in. This image came from Pat Huntoon. This giraffe makes me smile. I had some uninked Africa-themed stamps that I finally got to use. The background is the polished stone technique. The rust background directly behind the giraffe is textured with a Fiskar's texture plate (another neglected toy). It is framed with a Krylon copper leafing pen.

Recipe:

Cardstock: Really Rust, white glossy, Whisper White

Ink: Basic Brown

Accessories: copper square brads, alcohol ink, Krylon copper leafing pen

Baby Giraffe

I don't get many opportunities to make baby cards, so I really enjoyed making this one. I colored the giraffe with Prisma colored pencils blended with Goo Gone. The background behind the giraffe is vellum CS run through the polka dot Cuttlebug embossing folder. The scalloped frame is a Sizzix die. I love the softness of this card. I hope you like it, too.

Recipe:

Stamp: Inkadinkado

Card stock: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Vellum CS

Ink: Basic Brown

Accessories: Pink Pirouette striped grosgrain, Prisma colored pencils, Goo Gone, Cuttlebug polka dot embossing folder, Sizzix scallop frame, button, embroidery floss

Three Clovers Designs Blog Candy

Hop on over to http://threecloversdesigns.blogspot.com/ . Kerry Donovan-Casey is celebrating her one-year blogoversary by giving away some out-of-sight blog candy!!! If you have never visited her blog before, be ready to be inspired.

Mystery Image Challenge

This is a card I made for a Mystery Image Challenge that I participated in last month. The challenge hostess sends each participant the same stamped images and we each make a card with it and send to the person we get assigned. It is so fun to see what everyone comes up with using the same image. It is amazing how different each card can be.

I colored the balerina with Prisma colored pencils blended with Goo Gone. I colored and cut out the balerina costume and popped it up and added glitter (love my glitter). I framed her using a Sizzix oval frame and used my white gel pen to make dots on the scallops. Here is the recipe:

Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Pink Pirouette printed paper, Certainly Celery and Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Sizzix scallop oval frame, 2 oval punches (SU), Cuttlebug polka dot embossing folder, lt. pink dotted organdy ribbon, paper piercer, white gel pen and a rhinestone

Christmas Cards

I'm afraid that I am late at sending out my Christmas cards again this year. I had most of them done, but we decided to do a Christmas letter also. We just finished the letter on Christmas Eve. So, I will be sending them out next week. I made a few cards this year. I can't do just one design as I get bored quickly making the same card. Here is a glimpse this year's versions.

I used Christmas Montage, one of my favorite Stampin' Up! Christmas stamp sets, for this card. The design on the base of the card is made with a stamp from BoBunny. I used Very Vanilla, Perfect Plum cardstock, Very Vanilla and Perfect Plum ink, vanilla satin ribbon and Martha Stewart's lace border punch.

I finally used my Fluffles stamp from Stampendous! for this card. The tree is from Studio G. I watercolored the image. I also embossed the base of the card with the snowflake embossing folder from Cuttlebug.















This is my first clear card. I really had fun making it! The snowflake image on the clear base is a stamp from Stampendous! The snowman is from TAC. I colored the snowman with ink and blender pen. I popped the buttons up and added lots of glitter.














This cute reindeer is from TAC. I paper pieced him from patterned paper. This was another fun card to make.

















I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and wish you a relaxing New Year!

Poinsettia

For some reason I am loving poinsettias this year. I found another poinsettia that I don't think I ever used in a retired Stampin' Up! set called Holiday Minis. I made this card for my Stampers' 10 swap. In my mind this card was a simple and quick card, but as usual, I kept adding elements that made it a more time-consuming card. But, I enjoyed making it! I was inspired by Anna Wight's card on her fantastic blog: http://sweetmissdaisy.typepad.com/sassy_sweet_notes/2008/11/be-warm.html

I love the red and kraft paper together and the layout. For my card I stamped the snowflakes on kraft paper with Whisper White. The poinsettia is embossed with gold on the kraft card stock and painted with inks. When everything was put together, I added white opal liquid pearls to the poinsettia and the middle of the snowflakes. The word Peace is also from the Holiday Minis set. I hope this card puts you in the holiday spirit!

Recipe:

Stamps: Holiday Minis and Lace Snowflakes from Stampin' Up!

Paper: Riding Hood Red, Kraft, Always Artichoke (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Whisper White craft, VersaMark, Riding Hood Red and Always Artichoke

Accessories: Gold Embossing Powder, gold mini brads, curved clip, Riding Hood Red Tafetta Ribbon, white opal Liquid Pearls

Adair