Halloween Boo!

We are in the throes of "Fiddler on the Roof" --- my daughter is in it, my husband plays trumpet in the pit orchestra, and I do whatever needs to be done for the kids (about 85 of them!) at rehearsals and performances -- plus also play keyboard in the pit. We opened last Thursday night, have two performances today, one tomorrow and the closing performance on Monday night. It's been a lot of fun and a lot of work, but I love to see the high school kids thrive on performance and acting!

So -- I got to stamp today for the first time since last week. I love the SCS Inspiration Challenge. Here was today's art work to inspire us:

Here is what I came up with. I brayered and sponged the background in different colors, double stamped the hat and then cut one out, attaching it with dimesionals, added the mesh for a little fence, and embossed the sentiment with three different powders that I combined. It's going in the mail today!


Stamps: Cat and Hat by Inkadinkadoo, sentiment by House Mouse/Stampabilities
Paper: broom handle, spider web and orange DP by The Paper Studio
Ink: Real Red, Really Rust, Creamy Caramel, So Saffron, Black Stazon
Accessories: Magic Mesh, twine, brayer, sponge dauber, circle punch, and Iridescent Ice, Black Sparkle, and Sunsplash EP
Techniques: brayering, sponging, masking

A List of Limited Elegance

Taking a break from posting the "five cards" - 2 more to go later this week!

This is a card I made for a Limited Supplies challenge. The list included one flower stamp (inked once, stamped as many times as you wanted), one sentiment, one swirl stamp, and punches, paper, and ribbon. All of that was to equal a quick and elegant card.

Here is what I came up with -- navy is one of my favorite "elegant" colors. The swirl is hard to see, but it is down the sides of the Night of Navy base. I used the swirl from Delight in Life.

Stamps: Happy Harmony, Delight in Life (Stampin' Up!)
Paper: Night of Navy, Bordering Blue, WWhite, DCWV Old World Mat Stack
Ink: Night of Navy
Accessories: large oval punch, cuttlebug (Thanks, Shelly!), heat gun (to curl ribbon), square punched gems, silver organdy ribbon

# 3 - but a different sentiment!

Here is the third card I made in the "15 minutes or less" birthday category -- I had made one like this that said "Celebrate" and then mailed it, and had forgotten to take a picture. So here is its twin -- but this one says "thank you" of course! I made this one today for a SCS friend to thank her for sending me some of those cute clear topped tins. The DP matches So Saffron and Rose Red - not a combo I would have normally put together!

Yes, the ribbon is too low, but what can you do once the glue dots have stuck? (They tear my paper when I take them up -- tried that! haha)

Happy Brithday to You #2

The background looks loopy -- like I was on a roller coaster or something when I took this! But here is the second "15 minutes or less" card for birthdays!
Stamps: The Fine Print, sentiment by Penny Black
Paper: Yoyo Yellow, Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Brilliant Blue
Accessories: Hobby Lobby ribbon, Paper Frills by Doodlebug (scallop edge)

Happy Birthday to You~

I never seem to have enough birthday cards on hand. And, as you know, if you have read my blog this past week, I take too long to make one card! So I decided to come up with 5 different birthday cards that I could make it 15 minutes! That is less time than it would take me to go to the nearest store that has cards (which would be Walgreen's -- not a lot of choice there...). So here is the first one. It is even already in the mail! Watch later this week for the other four!

I discovered that River Rock goes great with Spring Flowers DP -- only because my desk is a mess and those two were in a pile I was sorting though! I couldn't find the middle for this flower in my stamps (like I said - messy desk!), so I used my friend Holly's (Toy) idea of a pencil eraser (in Chocolate Chip ink). The flowers are stamped off once with Cameo Coral, then I added Stickles for some shine -- They look kind of funky here, but I like how they turned out IRL!

Stamps: All by Stampin' Up! Heartfelt Thanks, Watercolor Joy Wheel, Short & Sweet
Paper: River Rock, Very Vanilla, Spring Flowers DP, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: ribbon, oval punches, Stickles, dimensionals, slit punch

A Flower for You

Today's SCS Featured Stamper is my friend Tammy, known as stampertammy. She just sent me a darling giraffe Halloween card, which you can see HERE. She knows I collect giraffes and sent me this for my collection. He is so cute in his little witch's hat!

I cased THIS CARD of Tammy's for today's challenge. Here is mine:
I changed colors and the sentiment, but kept the layout and images the same. I don't have a spiral punch, so I used my Rolodex punch, and also substituted cardstock photo corners (Thanks, Stacy!) for the chipboard.

Stamps: Vases in Vogue
Paper: Bashful Blue, Rose Red, Whisper White, Rose Romance (retired), POP Rose Red DP
Ink: Basic Black, Rose Red, Bashful Blue, Sage Shadow
Accessories: photo corner punch (from twinshappy!), oval punches, brad, dimensionals, paper piercer, aqua brush, Rolodex punch
Techniques: watercolor, piercing

A challenge completed.....

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Please read Lauren's blog HERE for details on this challenge!

Cards to Cheer and Nothing to Lose

Today's Limited Supplies Challenge, "Nothing to Lose," called for no hardware, designer paper, or ribbon -- basically so that the card can easily be mailed for 41 cents. Why? Because we are making cards today for those who have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer (or any kind, really). Read about the challenge here.It even involves maybe getting a free stamp set from My Favorite Things, so check it out!

I just got this set, "Refuge & Strength," and thought it would be perfect for today's challenge! I made it very simple, but really like how it turned out. I finally got my 15 minute card!!
Stamps: Refuge & Strength by Stampin' Up!
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Rose Red, Basic Black

I am Glue!

My friend, Dawn, had this on her blog, and you know how it is -- you have to see what you are!

What scrapbooking item are you?

You are GLUE! You are the adhesive that keeps things together. You go through life helping others. You stick to people and try to keep people together. You like it best when you are surrounded by people and able to help them. But Glue Beware - in your efforts to keep everyone together and with you, you sometimes overlook yourself and find it hard to keep yourself together. Don't neglect personal time in your overwhelming need to socialize and help others.
Take this quiz!

Today's Color Challenge....

...was River Rock, Basic Gray and Basic Black. I ended up really liking this combination. Here is what I came up with:
Stamps: The Art of Life, Rough Texture Jumbo Wheel (background on River Rock and Gray pieces), Vases in Vogue (sentiment)
Paper: Textured Black and Gray by DCWV, River Rock
Ink: Basic Black, Sahara Sand
Accessories: organdy ribbon, pearls, oval template, sponge
Techniques: sponging (edges)

An Elephant Never Forgets!

This little elephant is here to say: Don't Forget to Get Checked!

I made him for today's Featured Stamper Challenge. Sweet Miss Daisy (AKA Anna Wight) was the FS, and I chose this card to case.

This little elephant is from a set by My Favorite Things. It's a cute set and has lots of possibilities!! And a giraffe!! More with him this week!

Stamps: MFT
Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Rose Romance (retired), unknown striped DP
Ink: same as above plus Basic Black
Accessories: grosgrain ribbon, stickles, aqua brush, brad, photo corner punch Techniques: watercolor

I have changed the background color of my blog for this month to help remind all my women friends to get checked during October!!

It's just not meant to be.....

..... a 15 minute card is not in my vocabulary today. Someday maybe. But it wasn't today! I did trim off 15 minutes though, from yesterday's time! Does that count? :)

Here is my card for today's Inspiration Challenge:
And the piece that inspired it:
It looks so soft and cuddly!

Designer Paper - I love it!

What a busy week -- It seems I am saying that a lot lately! I need to remember how to say "no" !! Every feel like that? I like doing too many different things and then I get asked to do something else and I say "yes!"

So, I was so glad that today's challenge was supposed to be quick! "Quick and Easy Cards with Designer Paper." Well, I have a ton of that! In fact, that is my big weakness. I love patterned paper and I have enough to last a lifetime! It's the solid cardstock I keep running out of. Although part of the challenge was easy -- and I agreed with that, "quick" is not in my card-making vocabulary. I just think about the layout and position and embellishments way too long. But here is what I came up with:
I had used this paper in another card and it took 5 minutes to make (that one, not this one). This one is a much easier layout and it took almost an hour. And it shouldn't have -- I only stamped one little circle!

I think tomorrow I will give myself a 15 minute time limit. Come back and see if I made it!

A Mother's Love

A mother's love is strong enough to reach clear across thousands of miles -- this card is going to my son, who is in college. We all miss him around here. He is so full of life and has such a great sense of humor. He keeps everything in perspective and makes everything fun~ even when it's really not!

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, horses by Inkadinkadoo
Paper: River Rock, DCWV Old World Mat Stack, Very Vanilla, Blue Bayou
Ink: Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Bordering Blue (clouds), various inks for watercolor
Accessories: Blue Bayou stitched ribbon, hand cut cloud stencil, slit punch, dimensionals, ticket punch, aqua brush
Techniques: watercolor

I made this for today's SCS Color Challenge: River Rock, Blue Bayou and Chocolate Chip. Love these three colors together -- I didn't like River Rock when I first saw it, but you just have to find good colors to go with it!