Sunday, October 26, 2008

Happy Mail!

Bellas and a Riley stamp, PTI satin ribbon, OMG gorgeous paper!!
I would like to thank the members of the academy, my highschool teachers, my devoted husband and darling daughter, my mother and father who raised me to have discriminating taste, the local Hobby Lobby, Dr. House, my staff and administration, the neighborhood watch association, and all the other little people who have helped me to win the coveted Blog Candy wooo hooooo!!! Yesireeh!! I'm so excited, I never win anything!!! I won Blog Candy. Yes me...meee meee!! Oh so much fun to get freebies in the mail! How did I do it?? I left a comment on Julia's blog (aka Artystamper) "Create With Me", which you must check out!! If you want to see cooli-ooh-leo projects and fabulous talent, run on over there ladies and gents!! You know, I never knew there was so much blog candy to be had out there!! This is just way too much fun!!
Challenge Cards this Week
This one covers me for my weekly Double Dog Dare Challenge that Joan Ervin hosted and for this week's Inspiration Challenge on SCS! :)
The Doubledog Dare Challenge was to include "something good to eat...as along as it has plenty of sugar and about 1000 calories!!!"

(See the tiny cupcakes on the acrylic tag? Cute, huh?!)

And the inspiration for this week's Inspiration Challenge was chosen to coninue the October Pink Week theme for Breast Cancer Awareness month. The inspiration pieces are selections from the JCPenny Pink Bedding collection for children. This is the bedding I chose. I layered some miscellaneous DP from my scrap DP drawer, rounded the corners, and inked the edges in Versamark Rasberry Pigment Ink. Ran a panel of SU More Mustard through the Big Shot with the CB hearts embossing folder, then adhered it all to layers of SU Rose Red and Whisper White. I added on the acrylic cupcake tag, and some SU Pretties flowers to complete the card. Taped the whole thing to a card base of SU Appricot Appeal.
Supplies Used: Paper - DSWV Paper Pack, SU Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, and Patterned Prints. Ink - Chocolate Chip, Rose Red. Stamps: SU Live Your Dreams. Accesories: MS Butterfuly punch, Nestabilities, Metalic Embossed Ribbon, gold cross charm, Cropadile, paper piercer. This card is for the Featured Stamper Challenge this week: SpeedyStamper! What a talented stamper this gal is!! I love her work. Here is the card I chose to case: Butterfly Thanks. I loved the whole look of this card so I tried not to change the personality of it, but I did make it a little different. Hopefully you can see how her card inspired mine!
For this card, I used Nestabilities for the scalloped circles, stamped the large flower from Live Your Dreams in Chocolate Chip onto SU DP, stamped the same flower again using Rose Red ink onto Whisper White and cut the buds out. Rotated them slightly and attached them over the brown flower using dimensional tape. Punched and folded 3 Martha Steward butterflies. Assembled all the pieces, tied ribbon around the bottom and added a gold cross charm to finish it all off.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

I Made a Box!

Only a crafter would get excited about making a box. I showed it to DH but I could tell his "it's gorgeous dear" was driven out of loyal obedience!! The second time I showed it to him (what?? He deserved a 2nd chance, right?) he said "You showed me this already." GAWWW!! Well, anyways, maybe my blogging friends will appreciate it. . .

I used the template from the Resources section of SCS for the Origami Box. I cut a 9"x9" square for the bottom. For the box top, I cut a 9-1/2" x 9-1/2" square. I then proceeded to fold the pieces accoring to the instructions -- which are super simple. Before making the final fold, I stamped "Sister" and framed it with Silver Hodgepodge and brads and attached it to the box.
When it was done, I decided it just wasn't special enough...so I decided I wanted a flower on top. Might as well, I had all the paper out.
First thing I did was pull out 5 nested sizes of the Scalloped Circles Nestabilities, some matching scraps and cut 5 graduated scalloped disks. Then I snipped every other scallop on each of the circles down to the center (but not all the way across!) to make "petals".



Next, I curled the petals under just a tad. I used my Big Bite Cropadile to reach the center of the flowers to punch a hole in them (I just stacked them altogether and punched through all at one time). And finally, I cupped them up (I just made that term up right this minute!) a little so they would appear more dimensional.


Here it's what the flower looks like stacked and secured with a brad. I just poked a hole on the top of the box and attached the flower using the brad. (I cut another piece of DP 3x3" and placed it under the lid of the box so the brad legs would not be visible.)





Supplies Used: (All supplies SU except Nestabilities)
Paper: Le Jardin two-sided DP, Very Vanilla textured.
Stamps: Wonderful Favorites
Accessories: Nestabilites Classic Scallop Circles, Silver Hodgepodge, "Ice" Rhinestone Brads, Small Oval Punch

Saturday, October 18, 2008

It's the Weekend!

Supplies Used:
Paper: SU Basic Gray textured, Black, white, and Basic Grey Scarlet Letter. Bling from HL, bleach.
Yahoo...more time for stamping! It's Friday night, I'm up late waiting on the Challenge and here 'tis . . .We were to select a pillow from the Etsy gallery of Joom! Check it out here, fun stuff!!
I went with the "Iron Grey Hummingbird with Eucalyptus Pillow" for my card. First I stamped the flowers with bleach thinking I would get a bleached white image of my flowers and then I'd color them in with red...but nooooh! The bleach soaked in unevenly and actually even tinted some of it a light pink hue. Weird, huh? But, I actually liked the effect so I kept going. I stamped the "Blessings" sentiment from SU's Graceful Words set in bleach too, and then added some red bling in the corner to sort of look like another flower. Next I fired up my trusty Cricut machine to cut out a hummingbird from the Storybook cartridge since I don't have a hummingbird stamp (gasp!!!). Sponged it a little, popped it up on dimensionals and then matted the panel with black and Basic Grey Scarlet Letter <-- L.o.v.e. this DP!!
Another one for the "this didn't turn out anything like I thought it would" file! Sweet dreams everyone!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Seize the Cake!

Supplies used are listed below. Pretty simple card tonight! This is going to go with the Bringing Flowers To Life BD gift for DS Tina. Won't she be suprised when she finds out I have a blog and talked about her for two days now?! About the card...I had already glittered up the scalloped chipboard frame with no-name brand fusia glitter, so I didn't have to mess with that for this card. Stamped the cute litte pig from Inky Antics in Pallet Noir Black ink onto SU white CS and colored it in with copics. I added a teeny bit of matching glitter to the cupcake frosting on his floaty, attached it to some Euphoria Basic Grey DP, added the gorgeous satin SU Purely Pomegranite ribbon and stamped the sentiment! All done!! Hope you like it! Stuff I Used: Paper: SU White CS, Basic Grey Euphoria, Bazzil Black textured; Stamps: Inky Antics, sentiment by Hero Arts Clear Design "Birthday Messages" ; Maya Road Scalloped Frames chipboard, Nestabilities ovals, SU Purely Pomegranite 5/8" ribbon, no-name fusia glitter. Hugs, Anne

Monday, October 13, 2008

Bringing Stamped Images to Life

See list of supplies used for this project below.
I love dimension and texture on my cards. I love "girly" cards with flowers. I don't understand when someone says "I can't get that stamp set, I already have too many flowers." What?
This little project here is a 3x3 framed bouquet of flowers brought to paper-life.(It's DS's BD present. Good thing I haven't told her about my blog yet.)
To make the frame stand (the back), I started with a coaster and chopped it up to get a piece measured 2-1/2 by 2-1/2". I cut one of the left over pieces of the cut-up coaster to 1-1/2 by 1-1/2. Scored the little 1-1/2" piece about 1/2 inch down. Then attached it to the 2-1/2" piece with some big brads to create the frame stand. Covered the front side of the frame stand with Basic Grey Perhaps paper. (Note, the frame stand at this point does not have the scalloped frame attached yet -- this photo is showing what the back looks like after it's all done.)
For the flowers (the centerpiece), I first stamped the flower can from SU Itty Bitty Bouquet (yard sale find thanks to my DS Tina -- the BD girl) onto white cardstock using Black Brilliance Ink. I embossed it with clear EP, then colored it in with copics. After cutting it out carefully (just the can, not the flowers), I added a dimensional to the back of the can and adhered it to the covered side of the frame stand. From there, I punched 2 fern things (I don't know what they're called, they're all the rage these days) out of scrap green printed paper and glued them down so it looked like the were coming out of the can. Then I began fringing paper again. I LOVE my paper fringer. It got lost in the black to-do hole that is my stamping room and I happened to pull it out recently and now I want to add fringed and quilled flowers to everything!! (Hmmm...maybe I'll do a tutorial?? What do you think??) Anyways, this was the easy part, it didn't take very long to come up with a bunch of little flowers and I just picked out a few of them and arranged them on top of the fern things. I quilled a few dark pink buds (I don't know the technical quilling term for those little guys) and used them to balance out the arrangement.
Finally the Scalloped Frame. I first painted it with some Burgandy Rose acrylic paint and let that dry (maybe 10 minutes). Then I covered it pretty thickly with Ranger Distress Crackle paint in "Scattered Straw". This stuff is really cool!! Once that dried (about 20 minutes), I lightly brushed some of the drying Burgandy Rose paint, that was still on my sponge brush, over the crackle to highlight the effect. I love that vintage look!! Yeah Tim Holtz. Someone give that man a cigar. Once I was sure the whole thing was ready, I glued on the frame, over the flowers, to the frame stand.
I even have a bunch of cute litte fringed flowers left over for another project.
Here's the supplies used:

Stamps: SU Itty Bitty Bouquet; Ink: Versamark Brilliance Black, Copics, Burgandy Rose acrylic paint, Ranger Distress Crackle Paint in Scattered Straw; Clear EP, Basic Grey Perhaps DP, Fern Punch, paper fringer Flowers anyone?!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Weeky Featured Stamper: Anne Ryan

Supplies: Paper - SU white, vanilla. Embellishments - pearl brads and ribbon from HL.
SCS hosts a "Featured Stamper" challenge on Sundays. The best thing about this challenge is it gives you a chance to focus on someone's gallery and hopefully "honor" them with a case of a card from their gallery of your choosing. In order to not copy it out and out, the rules suggest that you change at least two things to make the card your own.
This week's Featured Stamper is Anne Ryan. I don't recall my first incounter with Anne, but at one point, she commented on the challenges that were going back and forth between Bev (Beestamper) and me (the birth of the Doubledog Dare Girls). I asked her to join in, begged, pleaded and mentioned to her that we "Annes" had to stick together. That's when she decided her name was not Anne, but Lauren. ??? From that point forward, if I ever addressed her as Anne, she corrected me. So to me, she's Lauren. And I've been enjoying the pleasure of her comments and PMs ever since. Any how, eventually she gave in to doing one card -- an all white card. That was the Dare and she tried it out (to rave reviews I might add!!), yet she declared herself officially out of any further Dares!! LOL!
Now on to business... This is for the phenomenon that is Anne Ryan (aka Lauren). She is totally deserving of adoration and praise. Her original style and fabulous embellishments have me gasping with every post. From the vast array of art in her gallery, I chose her submission for the All White Card Dare. How could I not choose a card with my namesake??!! ;) I of course did not have the fabulous flower or beads that she used, so I substituted the best I could. Otherwise, the sketch and color scheme are the same...sort of. Afterall, one cannot expect to ever reach the artistic heights of the Honorary Princess of the High Maintenance rganization.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

SCS Inspiration Challenge - IC149

Supplies Used: Paper: SU Rose Red, Black, Orchid Opulence; Stamps: Music Score image (gift), SU Petal Prints and Fine Lace, See D's Flourishes, sentiment Studio G $1 stamp; Embellishments: faux rhinestones, Painterly Petals Urban Prima, Paper Studio Antique Brads, tulle ribbon, sakura white gel pen I love staying up late on Friday night waiting for the Saturday Inspiration Challenge on SCS to be posted!!
This week's challenge is artwork by Mizue Hirano. I chose this piece from her website as my inspiration -- I loved it, couldn't stop staring at it!!
My card started with a music score background image that Joanne (aka SleepyinSeattle ) sent me. I'd been waiting all year to use it on a card for my very musically inclined DS!! (Thanks Joanne!!) I used a brayer to lay down a layer of pinks, purples, and oranges over the image. Then I attached a distressed Orchid Opulence quarter circle in the corner that was stamped in white Craft with the SU Lace background stamp. Next, I pulled out a variety of whimsical, flowery stamps and and came up with the design you see. Added a random Prima flower smack in the middle (uh, can you say oopsie), and used my white gel pen to color in one of the stamped flowers. Added some glitter and bling and a big ole tule ribbon scrap and fell on the floor exhausted. No, not really. I matted it with black and SU Rose Red and it was finally done. Whew. I just realized it almost takes just as long to blog the card as it does to make it!!
Sweet dreams everyone!
Anne

Friday, October 10, 2008

Envelopes

Supplies used: Pearlescent Swirl Envelopes by Paper Studio, Sizzix 10-Point Star die, Marco's Paper Red, Stickles, Ribbon from HL, plastic bells, SU All Holidays, Hollyberry Red Gold Empossing Powder by Moon Glow, Versamark Ink
This week my Doubledog Dare pal Anne (aka jdmommy) dared our group to come up with a card that had to do with an envelope. Hmmm, envelope. Envelope. All week I thought about how does one incorporate an envelope into a card. It finally dawned on me last night while falling asleep -- duh!! BAGalope!! One of my first-ever projects I learned when I first started stamping. I was so excited about that project, I still have prototypes that I saved from way back then. If you're interested in a pattern, here's the original one I used: Bagalope Instructions . I have since graduated to eyeballing the whole thing and so any imperfections are a result of my lazyness to pull out the pattern again!! I embellished it to make it a holiday gift bag by adding a poinsettia flower, some fab holiday ribbon and some plastic bells (Oh comeon!! Gawdy is totally "in" during the holidays!!).
See all the Doubledog Dare gang's projects here!

Sunday, October 5, 2008

World Card Making Day (WCMD)

Supplies used: Paper: Bazzil Places We Love, PTI Summer Sunrise, SU Only Orange and Soft Sky textured, Marcos Paper Cardinal Red. Stamps: SU Celebrate Everything, See D's Flourishes Ink: SU Real Red Craft Accessories: Clear EP, paper fringer, quilling paper, Basic Grey ribbon, Cuttlebug Swissdots folder Yes, indeed. There is such a thing as World Card Making Day!! Yesterday, Oct. 4 was the big day. And it just so happened that we had nothing planned for Saturday which meant I could stamp all day!! For a stamper, the options are endless. Stamp companies have contests, on-line stores have sales, websites and bloggers have challenges! It's like a virtual Disneyland! SCS had WCMD Virtual Stamping and posted a challenge every two hours. I dug in and stamped as fast as I could. I even did the Inspiration Challenge and the Featured Stamper Challenge this weekend. A personal best! Anyhow, the mojo was flowing so I went with it. On Sunday I sort of peetered out (that's so cool, I can say peetered because it's my blog) but I had nothing. Apparently I had stamped my quota. Good thing because there was church to go to, laundry waiting, a blog to create, and even dinner to make. Yes, it is a charmed life. All the cards I did for the WCMD challenges can be found here. But just because I want to try posting a card for the first time on my new blog, I posted my fav of all of them above. Hugs, Anne

Maiden Voyage

Having to start a blog is like someone telling you that you have to go back to school and take that Spanish class you somehow avoided. Ughhhh!! But, it's become more and more obvious that as my passion for stamping grows, I need more community in my life. So here you have it. My new blog. I don't expect to be able to keep up with some of my favorite bloggers (there's SOOO much talent out there!!), but I do want a place to house my stamping thoughts, some of my art, and allow me to teach and share how much I enjoy this hobby. You can see my entire gallery on Splitcoaststampers.com here: Itsapassion . Thanks for sharing my journey!