Stamp Happy

Card Buffet

I set up another Card Buffet at the store this week, just like the ones I had back in January and February so I thought I'd quickly share the cards that my customers are making.  I had a full house of ladies on Tuesday night, and have another full house for this coming Saturday!  Since there are so many pictures, I'm not going to list any details.  However, feel free to ask any questions in a comment and  I'll answer you as soon as I can!

Two minor notes... the "Sending you a cup of cheer" card with the coffee cup was a design idea I saw on Jan Tink's blog.  And the "You are in our prayers" card with the cross was CASE'd from Silke Ledlow on the Our Daily Bread Designs design team!

Stamp Simply #73 - Let's Get Negative!

Sharon Johnson has come up with another great Stamp Simply Challenge for you this week!  Here's the challenge description in her words...

LET’S GET NEGATIVE -  with negative images that is!!!  You can do this challenge by using negative images of punches or die cuts OR by using a negative image, or reversed out, stamp. (When punching out a shape, the negative image is the sheet left over with the hole in it, rather than the object punched.  A negative image stamp is one where the main image or words are left unstamped, but all the surrounding area is stamped - just the opposite of a normal stamp)  To clarify, you MAY use the punched or die cut shape ALONG WITH your  negative image if you desire, as long as the negative image is used as well.  Same with stamps — you may use a regular stamp, as long as a negative image stamp is used.  As long as there is one negative image on your card it’s OK, you need not incorporate both stamps and punches, but you have the option to use either, or both.  So, today it’s totally OK to be Negative!!!  Let’s go for it — can’t wait to see what you all do!!!

For my card today, I chose to pull out this new Inkadinkado stamp set called Nostalgia which contains some reverse/negative image stamps.  I tried several variations on this design, and even had the single butterfly from the set stamped and matted on a scalloped circle, but finally decided the whole design stood well on it's own.

 

See how the flowers, and the butterfly within the circle are negative images?  They're formed by the leaves and other things surrounding them.

Be sure to check out Sharon's beautiful sample, and the rest of the Stamp Simply team members!

Julie Koerber
Dee Jackson
Jennifer Buck
Janine Orchard
AJ Otto
Heather Telford, *NEW* February Guest Designer!
(Becky has the week off, but she'll be back next week!)

Thanks for stopping by!  I continue on my quest for a healthier body and weight through exercise and eating right, and appreciate your thoughts and prayers towards my goal!  I hope you have a fabulous day!

 

Stamps:  Nostalgia clear set (Inkadinkado)
Cardstock:  Mocha Divine (Bazzill), designer paper (Daisy D's)
Ink:  Momento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)
Accessories:  ribbon, swirl clip (craft supply), sewing machine, thread.

Stamp Simply #70 - Senior Citizens Rule!

There's a birthday in da' house!  The Queen of Stamp Simply, Sharon Johnson is 55 years young today!  Happy Birthday, Sharon!  I hope you have a fabulous day, and a wonderful celebration all weekend long!  You deserve nothing but the best!

Today's Stamp Simply challenge, in Sharon's words is...

"Today we will make a card that is suitable to give to a Senior Citizen!!!   Yes, I know Senior Citizens like ALL types of cards, but today let’s try to make a card that when we look at it we think — gee, that sure looks like an *Old Lady* card — LOL!!!  (or Old Man, if you prefer).  This is totally open to your interpretation — you could go vintage, you could go humorous, or anything else you can dream up — WHATEVER strikes your fancy!!!  Most importantly, have fun!!!  Can’t wait to see what you do!!!"

I just got this sailboat stamp at the store today to use for an upcoming Stamp Camp, so I thought I'd bring it home, get it inky and experiment a little with some design ideas.  So my card is more suitable for an old man, than an old lady!

The designer paper I used is from Piggy Tales, I believe.  I found it in a stash of scraps.  The light green that the boat is stamped on is the opposite side from a coordinating piece, so it worked well together.  I stamped the boat with Versamagic chalk ink, then embossed it with clear powder.

Check out Sharon's BEAUTIFUL card on her blog, and check out the fabulous designs from the rest of the team...

Julie Koerber
Dee Jackson
Jennifer Buck
Janine Orchard
Becky Oehlers
AJ Otto
Deb Saaranen, January Guest Designer

Remember, you don't have to have a blog to join in!  Upload your creation to any online gallery such as Papercraft Planet or Splitcoaststampers, remember to use the tag ssnotime70, and leave a link to your card in a comment on Sharon's blog!  I hope you'll find time to play along!

Many, many thanks to everyone for the loving hugs and prayers for Kelsey yesterday.  She got through the day with occassional tears, and was really comforted to know that so many of Mom's PSF's cared about her, too!  The fact that school is cancelled again tomorrow improves her mood (and that of many other thousands of kids!)  Question?  When does work get called off for snow and extreme temperatures?  This Mom wants to stay home, too! 

Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Stamps:  sailboat (Custer's Last Stamp), sentiment (Inkadinkado)
Cardstock:  navy (unknown), Bravo Burgundy, Always Artichoke, Kraft (Stampin' Up!), designer paper (Piggy Tales)
Inks:  Versamagic Night Sky, Momento Rhubarb Stalk (Tsukineko)
Accessories:  brads (Making Memories), twill ribbon (Creative Impressions).

Color Throwdown #21 and Stamp Simply Celebrates Day 3

It's week #22 for the Color Throwdown!  One week left, and then we'll be taking a break for the holidays, so I hope you'll join in today!

I have combined my card for the Throwdown today with my Featured Project for Stamp Simply Celebrates today!  In case you've been in a cave the last few days, we've been having a party!  The fabulously talented Sharon Johnson reached 1 million hits on her blog recently, and we're celebrating this wonderful milestone with a 12-day long celebration of projects to give your holiday papercrafting a jump start, and lots of chances for BLOG CANDY!  Today, Jennifer Buck and Joan Fricker both have some sweet treats for you to win!

Now, for my Featured Project today.... I actually have 2 separate cards to show you today, and this is gonna' be a LONG post, so I hope you'll stick with me!  Generally I try to keep things short and sweet, so you owe it to me today to stay until the end, OK!?  :)

 Here is card #1, based on the Throwdown colors for today of pink, green and black.  I made 8 of these cards, all exactly alike, in less than an hour!  Check out my process below....

(Click on any of the photos below to see full-size.)

 

Step #1 - all supplies gathered (8:19 p.m.)

 

Step #2 - all cardstock and paper cut

 

Step #3 - green panels stamped and glued (8:40 p.m.)

   

Step #4 - ribbons tied around green panel, and adhered to card front (8:51 p.m.)

 

 

Step #5 - circles stamped and punched (9:00 p.m.)

 

 

 

Step #6 - 8 cards, DONE! (9:07 p.m.)

See how easy that was?  In less than an hour, you can have 8 cards done!  And I made it even easier on myself by borrowing inspiration from a card I received months ago from Becky Carafa!

Now, I know what you're thinking.... 8 cards isn't much.  So how about this?  Twelve cards in 1 hour and 19 minutes?  Here's the card, and below are the steps.

 

 

 

 

Step #1 - supplies gathered (2:04 p.m.)

 

Step #2 - cardstock cut

 

 

Step #3 - everything stamped, and ready to head to the Cuttlebug!

 

Step #4 - everything Bug'd (2:40 p.m.)

 

 

Step #5 - ribbons tied, everything ready to assemble (2:47 p.m.)

 

 

Step #6 - 12 finished cards!

Some c'mon!  You can do it, too!  Borrow my designs, or come up with your own!  I challenge you today to do some mass-production!  Maybe you've got just a few more cards to get done for Christmas?  Maybe you need to replenish your stock of birthday cards?  Join the challenge, and let me see what you can do!  Leave a comment here on my blog so I can check out your upload.  You can upload to your blog, or to Papercraft Planet, or any online gallery of your choice!  Tag your online gallery photos with SSC08 so your creation can be seen with everyone else's!

Some of the Stamp Simply Celebrates team members have joined me in mass-producing some inspirational designs for you today, too!  Be sure to check them out!

Darlene Pavlick
Julie Koerber
AJ Otto
Leslie Miller
Barb Schram
Sharon Johnson

Also, please be sure to check out the inspirational ideas using the colors for today from the Throwdown team by going to the blog!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you're enjoying the celebration!

 

 

 

Card #1
Stamps:  Playful Christmas, Never a Loss 4 Words(Kitchen Sink Stamps)
Cardstock:  Purely Pomegranate (Stampin' Up!), Raven (Bazzill), white (Gary Burlin), designer paper (Bo Bunny)
Inks:  Versamagic Tea Leaves, Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), Purely Pomegranate (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  stitched ribbon, scalloped circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch (Stampin' Up!).

Card #2
Stamps:  bird (Inkadinkado), sentiment (Art Impressions)
Cardstock:  navy/white duplex (Hollo's), white (Gary Burlin)
Inks:  Whisper White kraft ink, Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Snowflakes embossing folder (ProvoCraft), Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Iridescent Ice embossing powder, gold brads (Stampin' Up!), ribbon (craft supply).

Stamp Simply #56 - Exquisitely Elegant with Sharon Johnson

Today's Stamp Simply challenge is in honor of our fearless leader, Sharon Johnson!  Becky Oehler's decided to highjack Sharon's challenge this week so that we could honor her exquisite style just like she did for all the team members over the last six weeks!  So head on over to Becky's blog to see all the challenge details on CASE'ing Sharon's style (and be ready to pick your jaw up off the floor when you see Becky's card!)

I often see Sharon using Cuttlebug folders in her work, and more specifically she's been using this gorgeous snowflake folder a lot lately so I chose to use it for my card to CASE her style today along with this beautiful winter bird stamp that I got recently from Inkadinkado.  For my wide ribbon to mimic her style, I chose this faux suede ribbon in this gorgeous shade of blue that matches Baja Breeze very nicely.  And finally, another Sharon-esque detail.... black accents!  I hope you (and Sharon!) like my card!

I hope you'll take some time to check out the blogs of the other team members, and also another (as always!) stunning sample from our fabulous Stamp Simply Queen!

Sharon
Julie
Dee
Jennifer
Janine
Becky
Darlene (our October Guest Designer)

Set some time aside today for YOU and join us in this challenge!  I'm not sure what the plan is, but please just link your creation back on Sharon's blog so she can be sure to everyone's work!  And if you upload to SCS, remember to use keywords ssnotime56!

Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

 

Stamps:  winter bird (Inkadinkado), sentiment (Impression Obsession)
Cardstock:  Baja Breeze (Stampin' Up!), black (craft supply), white (Gary Burlin)
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories:  clear embossing powder (Ranger), Cuttlebug Snowflakes embossing folder (ProvoCraft), Nestabilities (Spellbinders), black brads (Stampin' Up!), ribbon (May Arts)

Sketches! {by tamara} #59 - A Farewell

Here is your card sketch for week #59 of Sketches! {by tamara}.  This one was certainly fun for me, and I hope you'll find time to play along!  You can check out the Sketches! blog to see the cards by the other design team members, too!

Here's my card...

This card marks my final one as a design team member for Tamara.  It's been a lot of fun, and I am especially fond of sketch challenges, but I decided not to continue with the team for the next round in order to open myself up for some new possibilities.  If there are any of my favorite companies out there that want a new design team member, give me a shout!  :)

I made this card for another one of our employees at the store who is leaving for her first year at college later this week.  She's got really great style so I thought this design would be very well-suited for her! 

Many, many thanks to Tamara for having confidence in my designs and choosing me for her design team back in May!  It's been a lot of fun, and I really appreciate the new stamping/blogging friends I've acquired as a result of being a part of this team!  Good luck to the new team!  I can't wait to see your creations!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

SUPPLIES
Stamps:  Vintage Words (Kitchen Sink Stamps), swirls (Inkadinkado)
Cardstock:  Kiwi Kiss (Stampin' Up!), Mocha Divine (Bazzill), designer paper (Fancy Pants)
Inks:  Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  felt flowers, brad (Creative Impressions), Cuttlebug embossing folder (ProvoCraft), ribbon (craft supply).

Cuttlebug Crayon Resist

My class at the store this month is featuring different resist techniques, and here is another card that my customers are making in the class.  When I planned this class, Crayon Resist was going to be one of the techniques I was going to use.  You know... stamp the image, highlight certain areas with a white crayon, apply ink and you're done.  Well, I just wasn't feeling inspired by that technique... couldn't find a stamp I liked to use for the card, etc.  So I went to the online Bible of stamping (Splitcoast!) and searched the gallery under "crayon resist."  Well, thanks be to the stamping Gods that I stumbled upon this card by Stephanie Severin!  (Check out Stephanie's awesome blog, too!)  Not only was this technique the coolest, but Stephanie also used my favorite blossoms from Creative Impressions, too!  So with her permission, I pretty much just CASE'd her card to prep for my class (and yes, my customers know that!  I'll take a little help wherever I can get it when things are crazy-busy!)  What was really fun during the class was that I put out all the Cuttlebug folders and let customers choose which one they wanted to use.  I think only one person used the Paisley like I did!  Be sure to check out Mel Stampz blog who is the original "inventor" of this cool technique!  In fact, you should grab a cuppa whatever your favorite drink is and plan to sit for awhile to check out her blog... this chick has got some awesome ideas up her stamping sleeves!  Stephanie did something a little different on her card and used Memories Mists inks instead of sponging on ink, so I did the same and found it to be a great alternative to sponging color all over the piece.  I love those Mists, too!  I plan to get more colors soon!

So, go steal some crayons from the kids and give this a try!  You will LOVE it!

Here are direct links to the techniques on Mel's blog, but I highly recommend you check out all her work!

Cuttlebug Crayon Resist

Cuttlebug Crayon Rub

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

 

Stamps:  sentiment (Inkadinkado)
Cardstock:  Parakeet, Lemonade (Bazzill Basics), white (The Paper Cut)
Inks:  Colorbox Scarlet pigment ink (Clearsnap), Orange Juice, Mango Lemonade Memories Mists (Stewart Superior)
Accessories:  Perfectly Paisley Cuttlebug embossing folder (ProvoCraft), flowers and brad (Creative Impressions), corner rounder (EK Success), crayon

Sketches by Tamara #56

Another week, and another great sketch challenge from Tamara!

I've loved these Inkadinkado birds ever since I saw them in the catalog, and then started seeing them on some other blogs and had to give in and order them!  What fun they are to color, too!

For the doodling around the edges on the sketch, I chose to do a zig-zag stitch on my sewing machine.  And I've had these chipboard accents from Maya Road forever, so I was determined to make them work for this sketch instead of doing photo corners.  I painted the chipboard with Ranger Distress Crackle Paint in Fired Brick, and then lightly sanded the edges after they were dry to distress.

My "thanksful" sentiment is another stamp from the new Vintage Words set from Kitchen Sink Stamps.  If you're looking for a great sentiment stamp set with words appropriate for cards or scrapbooking, then you really need this set.  It's perfect, and has such a fun and different font!

I hope you have time to give this sketch a try today!  Be sure to leave a link in the comments on Tamara's blog, and leave me one here too or send an email so I can see what you did, too!

Have a good one!

Stamps:  Duet (Inkadinkado), sentiment from Vintage Words (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Cardstock:  Blue Bayou, Soft Sky (Stampin' Up!), red (Archiver's), designer paper (Basic Grey), white (Gary Burlin); Inks:  Adirondack Pitch Black (Ranger), Soft Sky, Blue Bayou (Stampin' Up!), Versamagic Red Brick (Tsukineko), markers (Copic); Accessories:  Distress Crackle Paint (Ranger), chipboard (Maya Road), sewing machine, thread.

Sketches! {by Tamara} #45

Here is my card sketch #45 from Sketches! by Tamara.  You can check out samples by the other design team members on Tamara's blog, too. (or click on their blog links in my sidebar.)  I am always amazed at everyone's different interpretation of sketches, and this week is no exception!  Be sure to take a peek, and make a card too!

For my card, I chose to use this frame of flowers to surround my sentiment instead of the brackets.  I've also had this bright paper from Doodlebug for awhile now, along with the Paper Frills edging the striped strip so I thought I'd work it into the design.  My corners are adorned with the Doodlebug Sugar-Coated brads, also.  Those things really do look like they're coated in sugar!  Thank goodness it's not sticky like sugar, too!

The Doodlebug paper, Paper Frills, and Sugar-Coated brads are something I've had at the store for awhile now, and I have been wanting to make a sample to display using these products, so while I had them out, I grabbed some Inka stamps and created this card, too!  Y'all know how much I'm liking bird stamps these days, so this card just had to be made. 

It's CASE'd slightly from a sample in the Inka catalog.  These ladies don't look like they're too excited to be going out, though.  The only clue is the silver sparkle eyeshadow they're wearing!

Thanks a bunch for stopping by today!  Details for both of my cards are below!  Have a good one!

Sketches #45 card - Stamps:  Playful Ovals, 3-Step Daisy for sentiment (Kitchen Sink Stamps); Cardstock:  Close to Cocoa, Pink Passion, Lavender Lace (Stampin' Up!), white (Gary Burlin), designer paper (Doodlebug); Inks:  Pink Passion (Stampin' Up!), Versamagic Jumbo Java (Tsukineko); Accessories:  Bubblegum Paper Frills, Sugar Coated brads (Doodlebug), standard oval and scalloped oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders).

Ladies Going Out card - Stamps:  Bird Assortment, sentiment (Inkadinkado); Cardstock:  lavender (Prism), pink, turquoise, orange (Bazzill), white (Gary Burlin), designer paper (Doodlebug); Inks:  Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), markers (Tombow); Accessories:  Bubblegum Paper Frills, Sugar Coated brads (Doodlebug).

 

The Bird of Friendship

Some of my BSF's over on Splitcoast (Best Stampin' Friends!) are the Buckeye Babes, and each week a few of us do a challenge together.  I'm a week behind so this is my card for Anita's challenge last week.  The challenge was to NOT COLOR your main image. We could use DP to stamp on. Just could not color the main image... no crayons, markers, blender pens or color medium for your image(s).  Since I got the whistle blown on me for the first card I tried to submit, I had to go try again, and this is what I came up with.  So this better shut Anita up!  ;)

I'm spending some time this week working on some sneak peeks for Pink Cat Studio that I will be able to show you in a few weeks!  "Owl" bet you're going to love them!  And the Design Team worlds will most likely be colliding as I'll have some Kitchen Sink sneak peeks about the same time to show you!  Maria has totally outdone herself with this next release!  There will be 8 new sets for you to drool over!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Hope your day is wonderful!

Stamps:  Bird Assortment (Inkdadinkado); Cardstock:  Kraft, Ruby Red, So Saffron (Stampin' Up!), Lagoon (Bazzill), designer paper (My Mind's Eye); Inks:  Versafine Onyx Black, Versamagic Brick Red (Tsukineko); Accessories:  corner rounder punch, twill tape (Stampin' Up!), antique brads (Gary Burlin Co.), paper piercing tool (Darice).