More Thank You's!

I'm always in need of thank you cards. I think I go through more of those than I do birthday cards or maybe even Christmas cards. That one I'd actually have to keep track of to know but it may be VERY close.

This was a fun card to do. A lot of paper piercing but I find that fun and relaxing. You don't have to do a lot of thinking to follow the holes in the template!!!

Now trust me on this one, the pink background isn't as dark in real life. The flash brings out colors more. It's really a lot more subtle.

I used the bird from the Stampin' Up! set "Fun & Fast Notes." In the center of the flower is a green rhinestone brad. It doesn't show up very well here either. I like adding the faux stitching, it gives it a bit more character. I stamped the image with Black Staz On using watercolor paper and I used a blender pen and markers to color the image in. I'm not overly thrilled with the colors. I wanted to use Bordering Blue because I had the Bordering Blue wide grosgrain ribbon and the colors that Scraptitude suggested. Maybe it's just not colors I would normally pick.

All products on this card are Stampin' Up! materials. Click here to find more cards and projects that are made entirely of Stampin' Up! materials.

I will be posting blog candy tomorrow night. I'm getting "stuff" ready for the FABULOUS Stamp Share tomorrow. It's an all day event!!! I'm SO excited to be going to it. It's such a fun time plus there are SO many card samples and business tips, demonstrations (I'm doing one of them and I'll show you my card tomorrow night too!) and we do a Make N Take too. I will also be attending the Shoe Box Swap. I'm SO looking forward to that. I will be taking Sue, my manager's place, she will be attending her son's wedding. Of all days to plan a wedding!! LOL I'm just thrilled to finally get to do the swap. The first time I qualified to be in it my husband was in the hospital so I had to be there with him. And last year I was sick and wasn't able to attend. And get this, this year I didn't qualify!! Murphy's Law. But things seem to have a way of working out don't they? Anyway, I'm SO happy to be able to actually participate in the swap. I can't wait to tell you all about it. Well, I had better get back to getting my "stuff" finished up for tomorrow!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

For Father

This is the apples stamp from the set "For Father." I thought it would be easier to color in than the one with the dog and the boots. The colors of the dog and boots would be just too close unless you make a red dog. I tried to color a few images in but it was just too drab. SO I moved on to the apples stamp and I liked the outcome much better.

I REALLY like using the Crosshatch background. It just seemed to fit well with this card. I did try something a little different. I worked with the Basic Gray card stock. I hadn't even opened up the ink pad until tonight and I bought it when it first came out. Just haven't played with it. I think it's because I wasn't sure what colors I wanted it to go with. But once I got this card done I was thinking about leaning toward the gray instead of tans and browns. I think it was a wise move!!! I like this card. A couple of weeks ago when my dear friend Gerry was here to stamp she brought this set with her. I made some images of it for later and guess what?? It's later!!! LOL

I LOVE to use the blender pen and markers. I feel I have the most control with those two. And not to mention that it's all done on watercolor paper.

As I look at my card (and I know I shouldn't because it was technically completed) I think that I should have distressed the edges on the stamped piece. Perhaps make the edges look like the edges on the paper on the apple crate. Maybe next time!!!

I also got to play here with the new wider grosgrain ribbon.

I used both oval punches here and for the Night of Navy oval I had to cut it out by hand. See why I LOVE punches??? They do the work so nice and straight!!! I'm not good with scissors and cutting freehand!

All products on this card are Stampin' Up! materials. Click here to find more cards and projects that are made entirely of Stampin' Up! materials.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge at SplitCoastStampers

It seems like these Wednesday's just come up way too fast. Time is just flying by so fast. I remember my grandma telling me that the older you get the faster time goes. I found that hard to believe, especially coming from someone who didn't do much all day. She hardly cooked, the family usually brought her food in and the family cleaned her place for her and did her laundry. She liked to watch her soap operas, especially (as she called it) "The Young and the Wrestlers!" LOL (I sure do miss her) And she would read the tabloids and take to heart all that they had to say in them. That was pretty much her days. And she said they went by so fast. My days are usually pretty busy and they go by very fast.

This is my card for the Wednesday SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenge. I really liked the layout of this sketch. After I set the butterfly on my card in place (with Crystal Effects) I wished I would have moved it up a bit more into the corner of the larger top square. Oh well. I still think it needs something more but then again I haven't been completely happy with my creations lately. My next card will be a "totally happy" one!!! LOL

My card was made using Berry Bliss decorative paper, Chocolate Chip and Pretty in Pink card stock. I used a little pink grosgrain ribbon and a few buttons. The butterflies were made using the "Priceless" set. I stamped the image with Versa Mark on vellum and embossed it in white. I cut them out and set one on top of the other. And as I mentioned above I set the butterfly in place with Crystal Effects. I sponged the pink edges in Chocolate Chip and assembled the card. I may try another one using this sketch.

This card was made entirely with Stampin' Up! products.

All products on this card are Stampin' Up! materials. Click here to find more cards and projects that are made entirely of Stampin' Up! materials.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

UGH!

As in UUUUGLY!!! This was not the card that was in my head. I struggled for a while with this card and then just gave in to the direction it was going. I was looking for a more bright and vivid card. It didn't happen here!!!

I was working with the "Afternoon Tea" decorative papers and the "Garden Whimsy" set by Stampin' Up!

If you could see the card I had imagined you'd understand why I'm not liking this but no one likes to go there, it's a pretty scary place!!! LOL I actually started out with the other side of the striped paper. It had a pretty butterfly on it and it was in the Groovy Guava color. The card somehow got turned over to the Soft Sky colors and the striped side of the decorative papers. I think I need to stay away from the decorative papers for a little while!!! LOL

I'm not sure what occasion I would use this card for. Birthday, Sympathy or Thank you. It's too drab for a Mother's Day or Get Well Card.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Get Well Wishes

A dear friend of mine had surgery on Wednesday. Everything went well and I believe she is back home now. I'm giving her some time to recuperate before I go visit her but I am sending her this get well card. This was a very fun and easy card to make. Most cards with decorative paper backgrounds are pretty quick cards to do. Most of the work is done for you!!! Can't ask for more than that. Ok, you can ask but are you going to get it????

The image here is from the Stampin' Up! "Fun & Fast Notes" set. This is a pretty fun set, it covers most of the events one would encounter. Plus you can improvise on some of these too. Tape or mask off the words on this cute flower pot and you can use this for a Birthday, Thinking of You, Sympathy or Mother's Day card. All those from just one stamp. Such a deal!!!

I stamped this image on watercolor paper and used the "Watercolor Wonder" watercolor crayons to color it in. I just LOVE those crayons and they are going to last a LONG time. Trust me on that one. The gals who come here to stamp use them and I use them a LOT and they hardly look used. A few of them you can spot as my favorite colors but for the most part they still have LOTS of miles on them. Now I bought my set when you had to purchase them in the one long tin instead of the color groups they have them in now. I REALLY want them in the smaller tins but since these have so many more miles on them I can't justify buying the smaller containers. Oh well. Maybe if I start to color everything with them I'd be able to use them up in about 10 years!!! LOL They are fun and easy to work with. The colors here blended well with the colors of the decorative papers. The papers have the newer "in" colors and there are no "in" colors in the crayons. But you can make certain colors work in with the new ones, as you can see here.

The layout is just a little different than last Wednesday's Sketch Challenge. The last layer is more centered and a bit larger. Centering made the upper part more exposed but I filled it in with ribbon and then I noticed that there was still a space just big enough to require something!! I wanted to keep this card an all Stampin' Up! product card so I decided to go with Chocolate Chip 1/4" round punches. I glued them in place. I was going to put brads there. And if you were to remove the final top layer you could see where I made the holes for brads. It's great when you can hide your mistakes or experiments. I like to call them experiments rather than mistakes!!!! Me makes mistakes???? LOL

The decorative paper here is from the new mini catalog to be released on March 1st. It's called "Afternoon Tea." The papers in it are SO sweet looking. They kind of remind me of Grandma's house!!!

All products on this card are Stampin' Up! materials. Click here to find more cards and projects that are made entirely of Stampin' Up! materials.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

What Does Boho Mean?

I would like to answer a question that was asked of me. I know many people are wondering this. "What does Boho mean?"

I Googled it to get it exactly right for you:

"A fashion look with fringing, patchwork, homespun and raw-edged fabrics, paisley and floral prints, embroidery, tassels, studding, tooled leather....." It also refers to it as a Bohemian style!

I like the fringing and homespun/paisley part of it myself. I'm not a big fan of tassels. Those should be limited only to graduation caps and kept from drapes, clothing and cards!!! Which really translates into: "You won't see tassels hanging in my home, on my person or on my cards!!!" LOL

Ok, now that we all know what it means lets get cracking on some cards with it!! Send me your sample in an email and I'd be more than happy to display it here for you!

Keep those questions coming!
Wanda

Birthday Wishes!

I wanted to play with the new Sale-A-Bration set So Many Scallops and I needed to make a birthday card at the same time. I also pulled in the new decorative papers "Afternoon Tea." They are SO pretty! Some of the papers in it remind me of Grandma's wallpaper! I thought this was a fun paper even though I have a lot of problems working with papers that have large items on it. For this one it was the flowers but I did manage to work with them and I think the card turned out ok. On the background of the green on the top I used the new "Twill" background stamp. I inked it up with Chocolate Chip and I stamped off once and then stamped on top of the card stock. I think it was River Rock. I need to write down what I use on a card as I'm making it!!!

I'm SO glad the spell checker is working on here again. It was SO difficult to try to make sure I spell everything correctly as I typed it. I usually just type and take care of anything I mess up along the way later. I can type much faster that way.

I'm off to finish up my swap cards for next week. I will share them with you here after the swap. They are "top secret" right now!!! LOL

All products on this card are Stampin' Up! materials. Click here to find more cards and projects that are made entirely of Stampin' Up! materials.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Blog Candy

WOW, can you believe it? My blog has gone over the 300,000 hits mark. The numbers keep climbing SO quickly!! I LOVE it and it is something to celebrate. Later in the week I will put up some fun Blog Candy. I want to do it later in the week to include those weekend viewers!!

Thank you all so much and keep on coming back!!!
Wanda

A Little Boho in Your Background!

This was a quick and fun card to make. And don't you just LOVE those rhinestone brads???? I can't seem to get enough of those. This background set has a lot of character. There's two more pieces to it too. Some smaller dots and one with words. I just LOVE the look of the little flowers on the bottom part of this card. They are just so delicate.

The larger circle on the black scalloped piece came from punching out the image I used in the upper background. I stamped it on white using Blue Bayou ink and I punched it out with the 1-1/4" round punch. Then I layered it on top of a piece of Blue Bayou and layerd that on top of the black scallop. I added some Blue Bayou ribbon to cover where the blue card stock met the white and it finished off the card. Such an easy card to do.

All products on this card are Stampin' Up! materials. Click here to find more cards and projects that are made entirely of Stampin' Up! materials.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Leapin' Leprechauns! Weekend Project

Here's a fun project you can start now and have plenty ready for St. Patrick's Day!!! These are fun for both kids and adults.

Isn't this just adorable?? Debbie at Debby's Stampin Heaven had this on her blog and I just had to copy it. I thought it was the cutest thing and it was something I just knew I wanted to make. So of course I copied it and I thought I'd better make it before I forget about it or lose it!!! And many times I forget where I got the item from and I feel that it's important to give credit where credit is due.

This was very fun to make because it was all done with punches. The smile was drawn in and the eyes are those wiggly ones you can get at Michael's or JoAnns.

The Stampin' Up! punches used here are as follows:
Scallop Punch
1-3/8 " Circle Punch
Small Tag Punch
Small Oval Punch
Label Punch
1/2" Circle Punch
1/4" Circle Punch

Take some Really Rust card stock and punch out the Scallop. Place on top of that a Blush Blossom 1-3/8" round piece. Set the face pieces aside. Using Green Galore and the small tag punch for the top of the hat. Cut about a half inch off the bottom. Punch out a small oval of the Green Galore. Using the Label Punch clip off about 1/8" on each side. You don't need to be exact on this. I taped the brim on the face first and then I added the top part on behind it. I then cut a 1/4" strip of black card stock for the hat band. I cut a piece of yellow and set it in the center of the brim and taking a marker I added a black square to the center of that. For the nose I used Blush Blossom and the 1/2" circle punch. I did sponge around the edges with Blush Blossom ink. I drew the smile in and at the corners of the mouth I added two 1/4" Pretty in Pink circles. I glued on some googly eyes and he was done. Debbie used some tiny hearts for shamrocks in the hat. I didn't have any tiny hearts or any shamrocks to add to the brim of the hat. It looks just fine without them. Though I'm just staying that because I don't have any hearts or shamrocks!!! LOL If you don't compare them no one will know.

Once you get going with these you just can't stop. Get a group of people together to do some fun punching and assembling. My husband's aunt has a birthday on St. Patrick's Day and I'm going to make her a card with one of these adorable guys on it!!!

Candy used here are green M & M's. You can find lots of green type candies at the bulk section of your grocery store and some larger Targets have the bulk bins too.

For more Weekend Projects click here.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Another Perspective Look at the SplitCoastChallenge Sketch

Here's a different take on the Sketch Challenge on SplitCoastStampers from yesterday. I think I wasn't happy with yesterday's card because of the ribbon. I think a Garden Green ribbon would look much better than the Pumpkin Pie one but I didn't have any green so I worked with what I had.

I made this card and I'm not overly thrilled with it either. I think the front small box needs something other than a cake on it. I am going to give this one more try tomorrow and then it's time to move on. I will also be posting a fun weekend project too. It's been a while since I've had one of those.

All products on this card are Stampin' Up! materials. Click here to find more cards and projects that are made entirely of Stampin' Up! materials.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge at SplitCoastStampers

Before I tell you about my card I want to share something with you. I'm sitting here at my worktable getting ready to type up my blog entry for tonight. I turned my space heater on because it's SO cold here in Minnesota. I woke up to subzero temps this morning. The sun was out to warm up the house and it does just that. The living room gets so warm from the sun that the thermostat feels the warmth and doesn't kick on for hours. SO my workroom gets even colder. Thus the space heater comes into play. I've got the space heater on just at the end of my worktable and it's facing me so the heat hovers under the table top and keeps my legs warm. I'm just starting to feel warm and all of a sudden my legs cool off. I thought maybe the space heater quit working so I look under the table and there's Boo (kitty #3) sitting in front of it. Boo likes to be WARM. One time she was sitting in front of the space heater SO close I thought I smelt hair burning. I worry about her sitting that close. Should she catch on fire she doesn't know the stop, drop and roll method. She'd just run off in one big flame. I moved her away from the front of the heater and boy did I get a look from her. Poor kitty will just have to suck it up and shiver like the rest of us!!! LOL And now that my legs are warm I can tell you about this card.

The layout is the new Sketch Challenge at SplitCoastStampers today. I love doing these on Wednesday's when I have the time to play. I really liked the layout but was not thrilled with my card. I wanted to use the Sale-A-Brations "Birthday Whimsy" set by Stampin' Up! I am not thrilled with this card and I did make another one I'll share with you tomorrow.

The large background area was done using the "Lots of Dots" wheel, going in every direction and using the Pumpkin Pie ink pad. I stamped the package images on Very Vanilla card stock using Garden Green and Pumpkin Pie ink. The larger center square is the "Apple Cider" decorative paper. It's pretty and goes well with the Garden Green. What is not doing it for me with this sketch is the large open area of the background. My eye gets lost in it. It's like it needs something more.

All products on this card are Stampin' Up! materials. Click here to find more cards and projects that are made entirely of Stampin' Up! materials.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Merci

I thought I would assemble my new stamp set and actually play with it!!! Imagine that??? LOL Did I assemble the whole set? That would be silly when I only wanted to play with two of the pieces!!! I will finish that up later!! Heard that one before! LOL

This card was easy and VERY fun to make. I used the Berry Bliss decorative paper, Chocolate Chip, and Ruby Red. On the Ruby Red piece I used the new "Lots of Dots" wheel. I just LOVE wheels. I went in all directions to get that effect in the background. I thought it added a nice touch. I stamped the flower image on watercolor paper and used markers. My original plan was to use the blender pen but with the softer colors I chose I ended up just coloring right from the marker. I used the scallop punch for the "Merci" and I added a button to give a little something to that upper corner. It was subtle enough to blend in without being the focal point. I sponged all the edges and then put the card together.

When I make card that have dark card stock for the main part of the card I will cut a piece of Whisper White or Very Vanilla for the inside to write on. And I have learned to write on them first and then tape them in. For me it's pretty much guaranteed that if I tape the inside piece on and write on it later I mess it up!!! I'm serious here. It's got to be psychological but I tell you, every time I write in a card I mess it up. So I leave them blank until I'm ready to use them.

This card was made entirely with Stampin' Up! products. Check here for more cards and projects using only Stampin' Up! products.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Pun Fun Rocket Birthday Card

I am feeling as lost as this little space ship in the sky is. This type of card is totally out of my element. I don't usually do children's cards but I bought the set "Pun Fun" and I thought I should play with it. Plus I'm going to be participating in a card swap and one of the themes is a children's card.

My friend and fellow demonstrator Cyndi will REALLY like this card. It's from her favorite color group, the Bold Brights!! Sorry Cyndi, I know how much you struggle with that color group! The good news here is this card is not in the running for the swap. Mostly due to the background. I used the Copic Air Brush on it. I have had not played with it much and I thought this would be a good one to give a background a try. The card stock on the top is Bashful Blue and I added two different colors of blue Copic Markers and a purple one to get the effect you see. You could achieve an effect simular to this using sponges. The air brush was very quick, that is why I went with it.

The "Happy Birthday" is from the "Family Phrases" set. It is meant to go with the "All in the Family" set but it works well with this one too!!

When doing cards for children I like to use the brighter more vivid colors from the Bold Brights color grouping. Sticking with the basic colors, the typical "Crayola" 8 pack. You can't go wrong with that one!!! SO for my coloring I used Real Red, Brilliant Blue and Yoyo Yellow. I added some Yoyo Yellow punched circles to the background to represent stars and I added Dazzling Diamonds to each one to give it that fun sparkle.

I did stamp the spaceship on the background card stock and I also stamped one on watercolor paper and that one I cut out. Now being it was watercolor paper I cut it out first and then colored it. I didn't want the moisture from my thumb to smear the ink. The coloring was quick and directly from the marker so it was easy to do after the piece was cut out.

I glued the rocket in place with Crystal Effects. I knew it would hold nicely and if any got on the edges the Dazzling Diamonds would hide it!

This was a fun card to make and not difficult at all. I have 7 more stamps in that set to play with and my goal/personal challenge is to make a card using every one of them!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Bloomin' Beautiful!

Oh and it is just that, "Bloomin' Beautiful!!" This card was made using a stamp from the new "Bloomin' Beautiful" set that will be released in the Occasions Mini Collection on March 1st. I didn't preorder this set. My dear friend Gerry came over yesterday to stamp and brought this set with her. I didn't realize how beautiful it was until we were playing with it. I have mixed emotions about it though. I wasn't going to purchase it but now after making this card (SO quick and easy) I decided I'm going to have to buy it!! So much for trying to stay within budget!!! LOL

I used Regal Rose card stock here. I also used the "En François" background stamp. I used Regal Rose ink instead of Versa Mark. I wanted the background words a bit darker than what the Versa Mark would give me. I sponged my edges with the Regal Rose as well.

I always measure the wood of the stamp and cut my card stock to that shape. For most stamps it's pretty accurate but there are some that seem to take up less wood on the sides or top and bottom and some trimming has to be done. For this one I didn't need to trim it at all.

As I finished coloring with the blender pen on the flower I layered it and set it in place. I was looking at the design and layout and realized that this card is VERY versatile. I can use this for many events. Thank you, Birthday, Anniversary, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Thinking of You, Get Well and Sympathy just to name a few!! And that's just with only one stamp from the set!!! I did stamp a few images using the other stamps in the set and I'll be sharing them with you too.

This card was made entirely with Stampin' Up! products. Click here to see more Stampin' Up! only cards!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Too Early for Spring Birds???

It is a bit early here in Minnesota for spring birds to be around. I haven't seen any yet and I hope not to. There is at least a food of snow on the ground and spring birds would starve. But this little birdie is just stopping by to wish someone a Happy Birthday!!!

This is a very easy card to make. You are wondering about that interesting background, aren't you??? I used the "Dotted Lines" wheel. You go in all directions. From top to bottom then side to side. Turn and do corner to corner and repeat for the other corner. And you get this fun background!! I've used it on several cards and I REALLY like it. I hope it's a stamp that doesn't retire for a LONG time.

I colored the bird in using the Bashful Blue marker and a blender pen. For the shadow under the bird I used the piece of card stock the oval words were punched from and I sponged in some Yo Yo Yellow and I added a little Mellow Moss on top of that. Not much coloring to this card. VERY simple and quick to make.

This card was made entirely with Stampin' Up! products. Click here to see more Stampin' Up! only cards!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

A Little Birdy Told Me

I'm having some fun with the "A Little Birdy Told Me." What a cute little set this is. This card is ok, not great. I am a bit disappointed in the decorative paper behind the bird. I thought it would show a bit more. Seems like a waste now when I look at it. I could have just gotten by with white card stock!!! LOL

I used Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White and Basic Black card stock. I also used the Scallop punch. Oh my is that ever a fabulous tool to have! The words just didn't seem to fill the space well enough so I added one of the new rhinestone brads to it. I should have moved it down just a little bit more but it's done now and not much I can do about it unless I want to rip it all apart. Under it I have Dimensionals and those things on top of decorative paper and you know it will rip. I added some holes to the upper right corner using the Mat Pack. Another must have tool!!! I never realized how crooked I got things until I started using this and seeing what "straight" really looked like!!! Maybe a trip to the eye doctor is in order!!!!! LOL

I used the Taken with Teal marker and a blender pen. The paper the image is on is just Whisper White, not watercolor paper. SO you do need to be careful you don't work an area too long or it will wear down the paper and pill. NOT a good thing. Once this happens you need to stop and often you end up having to start over.

This card was made entirely with Stampin' Up! products. Click here to see more.

I thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

I received this beautiful Valentine's Day card from one of my readers. And I know you all know how I hate to mention names on here!!! LOL Thank you SO much Pat S. for the fabulous card. As I keep looking at the tiny hearts in the center of the larger ones I can't help but think of nail decor. It reminds me of the fingernail decals I got one time from Wal-Mart. I'm going to have to check that out next time I go shopping. I'm always looking for something different that not many people are using on their cards. I also love how you used the Cuddlebug folder on the background paper. It gave it a nice texture along with the design. It's such a pretty card. I have stampers here on Saturday and I'm going to put it on display for all of them to see!

Thank you SO much Pat!!
Wanda

Wanted!

Interesting title, isn't it? My list of "stuff" wanted could go on and on and on!!!!! LOL But that's not what this post is all about. Too bad though. Or maybe not. I'm not sure I want to actually see a list of all the things I want. I do know that I would need a 1000 foot room to keep most of it in!! The indoor stuff that is!!! LOL

Ok, onto the real "Wanted!" I used the Stampin' Up! "Wanted" set to make these cards. One I made at our DIVA event and the other I made using the newest decorative papers. Berry Bliss of course!!! One of the DIVA's in our group, I won't mention her name (ok Carrina?? LOL) just LOVES this Berry Bliss paper pack. It is fabulous. Many times I will find one side of the decorative papers that I find extremely challenging but the pages in this pack are all wonderful and SO easy to work with.

I do like the lighter colored one better. That was done before the "Linen" background was retired. I REALLY miss that background. I did get the new "Twill" background but I haven't had time to play with it yet.

The camera really made the pink come out on the Berry Bliss paper. In person it's not as bright and does go well with the Really Rust. Trust me on that one. I'm not one for mixing pink and orange together. I grew up being told they don't go together but there are times when it can be done!!! I think I did it this time!! These are great masculine cards. It's difficult to get some fun masculine cards that are quick and easy to make.

For the "running" horse look I stamped the horse upside down and moved it over, stamped again, moved it over and stamped again without reinking. I had to do it upside down because doing it facing me I couldn't see to get the horse right. I was stamping backwards and I just couldn't do it. It was awkward and uncomfortable. But turning the card stock around it felt SO natural. I LOVE the scallop punch. And with this set it just added a nice touch to the card that wasn't too frilly for the guys!!! SO quick and VERY fun!!!

Both of these cards are made entirely with Stampin' Up! products.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge at SplitCoastStampers

I was able to play with the sketch at SplitCoastStampers today. I found it extremely challenging for me because a square card is totally out of my element. I searched through my stamps to find one that would fit close enough in the box they have set for you to do. From what I’ve noticed they don’t expect you to have the exact size but they prefer you stick close to it. That’s why it’s called a challenge.

I thought I’d use one of my new sets, "Thoughts of Father." I bought it because I liked the truck in the set but for this card I was able to use the bird on the watering can. So now I know I will have used all 3 stamps once I make a card using the truck. And I will probably do a Father’s Day card with that stamp.

For the main image of this card I stamped the image on watercolor paper and used markers with the blender pen to color. I sponged all edges with Chocolate Chip ink, layered them and added a brad. I used Chocolate Chip, Really Rust and Mellow Moss card stock. I used a piece of decorative paper from the Berry Bliss collection.

I’m not all that thrilled with the card or I should say with the image. If I were to do it again I think I may use watercolor crayons. I’m just not happy with the greens are in the lower middle. I do LOVE to work with watercolor paper. I find I have much more control with it when I use a blender pen.

This card was made entirely with Stampin' Up! products. Click here to see more.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Excellent Award

I received the "Excellent" Award from Melissa at Melissa's Moments. She has some fabulous "stuff" on her blog too, be sure to take a moment to check hers out. Thanks SO much Melissa for the award! And JoAnna at JoAnna's Creative Expressions also nominated me!!! Be sure to check her blog out too!

I would also like to extend this award to Jennifer at Stampin' Crazy, Kimberly at Crafty Me and Michelle at Thoughts of a Cardmaking Scrapbooker

Be sure to check their blogs out too. There's SO many fun ideas out there!!

"D" is for DIVA!!

Here is some fun altered art.

My upline (Sue) challenged us to alter this wooden letter "d". I’m not good with challenges and let alone letters. My first thought was "d for duh!" I was at a loss at what to do with this. I thought I could turn it and make a "P" or better yet a "q" for queen. The "d" is for DIVA. All the gals in our DIVA group got one. I was at a loss at what I was going to do with it until my Berry Bliss decorative paper arrived. Oh my, is that ever a fabulous pack of paper!!! I LOVE every sheet (both sides) in this package. I even had to order another one!!!

This "d" was too tall for one 12" piece of paper so I had to add a bit more from another sheet. I hid the seam with a piece of white grosgrain ribbon. I added some white feather boa to the side. I just went overboard on the foo foo here!! This is SO girly!!! My favorite part of this was the butterflies. I stamped the butterfly on vellum and embossed it in white. I cut them out and glued them in place with Crystal Effects. For the top butterfly I folded the wings inward just at the body part on each side. I added a thin line of Crystal Effects on the body part and set it in place on top of the butterfly I previously glued in place. I added a layered flower from the Pretties Kit and a hat pin with some pearls on it. Hey, I did say I went all out on the foo foo.

The pink ribbons on the side holding the boa in place were threaded through holes I made in the wood using the Crop-A-Dial. Man is that tool a "MUST HAVE!!!" It goes through metal, wood, chipboard and paper. Amazing tool!!!

I did punch a hole in the back of my "d" but I did not open the hole in the front of it. I am going to put a tiny hole in the wall to hang the "d" and hopefully will be able to keep the front solid. The "d" is light enough that I should be able to get by using a common pin in the wall. If it doesn’t work I’ll be sure to let you know!!!

There are so many things out there you can alter and decorate to hang on your walls, give as gifts or sell at craft fairs!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

For Stampin' Up! Demonstrators Too!

I'm going to be making a small change to my blog. On the right as you scroll down you can see labels of my posts. If you're looking for something specific you can find it there. I have decided to add a Stampin' Up! label. Here you will find items made entirely of Stampin' Up! materials. Some of the readers are Stampin' Up! demonstrators and would like to find items they can copy for swaps, samples, etc. and would like them to be made entirely of Stampin' Up! materials. Actually there are LOTS of items on my blog that are made entirely of Stampin' Up! materials but I never labeled them as such. So in the future you will be able to click on the Stampin' Up! label and find samples that can be copied for your events. I will slowly be adding this label to prior posts.

Thank you,
Wanda

Valentine's Day Bath Time Fun!

These little boxes are such fun to make, fill and give away when you need a little gift for someone. I bought some heart shaped bath fizzies at Michael's and put one in each box. I did copy the ingredients and instructions and printed them out on a full label sheet and cut them out to affix on the bottom of the box. I was thinking about making some of these for the fall craft fair. I found other shapes too so they all won't be pink hearts. I have other colors, scents and shapes. It will be a fun project for fall.

For the box I used the Stampin' Up! "Spot On" jumbo wheel. I wished I would have had a Pretty in Pink ink cartridge for the handle. It would have made the project go much faster. But I managed to get the job done and they turned out cute. Click on the photo for a closer view.

I made some of these boxes a while back. They are from Split Coast Stampers. Click here to see them and for the link to get your own printable pattern. Yes, printable!!! Download it to your computer and print it out on any color card stock you want!!! SO much fun.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Blog Candy WInner!!!

My evening got away from me. I was at the always fun DIVA event today/evening. It was such a fun time and we got to make 5 fabulous cards and a 3D project. I'll be sharing some of them with you in the upcoming week. But first I need to take care of the Blog Candy winner.

And that lucky winner is:

SmilynStef and here is her comment:
I think a lot of my 70's attire would classify as ugly, but one I remember most was my 5th grade school picture ... an adobe printed southwestern top with a floral pinafore ... what was I thinking.

Please email me with your mailing address and I will get the stamp set in the mail to you. Do we get to see the adobe printed southwestern top and floral pinafore????? If you do not hear from me within 24 hours please post a comment on my blog under any of the posts and let me know your mailing address there, I will not publish this post so your address will be safe with me. I ask that you check back in 24 hours because I do check my email but sometimes they go to spam and I do not check my spam folder. There has to be over 500 emails in there a day. It's amazing how much spam is out there. And do these people REALLY think we're going to purchase from them when they can't even use their own names in the emails??? That's a topic for another day!!! LOL Anyway, congratulations SmilynStef, please email me. If I don't hear from you by Wednesday evening (February 13th) I will have a second chance drawing.

Thank you all for playing, you know there will be more coming up in a week or so and I'll see what other sad memories I can dredge up for you!!! LOL

Wanda

Friends Forever

Here is another set I have hardly touched. To be honest I've only made one card with this "All in the Family" set. It's such a cute set too and there's SO much you can do with it. I thought it would be fun to do some family frames but I haven't had time to work on them. You get to pick different heads for different hair styles and ages, there's different clothing and shoes. There's pants and dresses and even a cat and dog!!! There is also a set that goes along with it called "Family Accessories." Such cute sets by Stampin' Up!. It's got sports equipment, a tutu, party hat, balloon and more, a total of 12 items. SO cute!!! For this card I just used the "All in the Family" set and the "Define Your Life" set.

I used decorative paper from the "Berry Bliss" pack. The back of the lightly flowered pink sheet has the strips. SO cute, huh??? The base of the card is Chocolate Chip and so are they layers. I also sponged with Chocolate Chip. I used markers to color in the dresses, hair and shoes. This was a very fun card to make. I just wish I had paid better attention to the placement of the wording. It would have looked better if it were centered more under the girls. Oh well . . . . It's not a Hallmark card. It's handmade by me which is SO much better!!! LOL

Check here at Pam's Creative Inking blog for a similar card I may have gotten inspired by. I look at so many other blogs and websites that I don't always know if I cased a card or it was original. My cards are usually it's original and I do give credit when I case cards.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

To Dust is a Must!!!

Now I could lie to you and tell you that as I was "dusting off my stamps" I ran across the Stampin' Up! "Garden Whimsy" set and just had to play with it. Dusting?? I'm still laughing. Ok there is a half truth to it. I did have to dust that one off to use it. I think I have to dust each one off to use them!!! I've decided that it's more fun to stamp than to dust!!! I dust when I have stampers over!!! Are you suppose to dust more often than that??? LOL Maybe I should just set a cloth by my stamps and the ones that the stampers want to use they can dust off. Then I would know the most popular stamps, right???? LOL There's got to be a better way to get around this dusting. UGH!!!

Actually I was looking though my stamps to see which ones I have to part with to make room for some new ones and this set caught my eye. I have hardly played with it at all. I bought it because I liked the flower, ladybug and the butterfly. So I've done a couple of things with that set. I will show you the card tonight and early next week I'll show you my altered letter. I can't show it to you until after the DIVA event. I don't want my fellow DIVA's to see it before Sunday!

So here's the card. Brocade blue is another color I don't use very often and it matched the circles in the decorative paper very well. Not exact but close enough. And you're probably wondering why I chose Really Rust for the flower. Well, under the flower on the decorative paper is a rust colored circle that went SO well with the flower. After assembling the card the rust was no longer visible. Oh well!!! It's not like it doesn't go with the other colors it's just that there is no other rust to tie it all together. So your eye is immediately drawn to the flower and it kind of just hangs there. This card doesn't allow your eye to move around much. I like the card layout and I think I'll do another like this but try to get the rust circle to be visible!!! It's a very easy card to make. I used Chocolate Chip card stock for the main part of the card. Using background papers really save you a lot of time stamping, especially if you are doing a lot of cards at one time.

To color this flower in I used the "Direct to Rubber" technique. You color right on the rubber with your markers. When you are done and have your card stock in front of you to stamp on, you "huff" on the rubber. The steam from your breath remoistens the ink and it's all fresh and ready to stamp. I usually hold my stamp on the card stock to the count of three. Do not rock your stamp. Lift straight up and your image should be nice and clear. I cut my card stock the same size as the wood on my rubber stamp. If the image is smaller then I can always trim it down. Cutting it the same size as the wood insures you that your paper is at least big enough. I sponged the edges after stamping the image.

The layers range from adding 1/8" larger card stock to 1/4" card stock. It's all in what the look you trying to achieve.

The "Thank You" is from a self-inking stamp I got from Vista Print.

I added some grosgrain ribbon and assembled the card. This was a pretty quick card to make. It looks like it takes a bit more time than it did but I was surprised at how fast I was able to make this card. Coming up with the idea and layout took a lot longer!!!!

Don't forget to leave your comment for the blog candy. One comment per person please, duplicates will be deleted. Drawing is Sunday night when I get back from my FABULOUS time at the DIVA event my manager has for us!!! SO much fun and I LOVE to be spoiled and she's SO good at spoiling us!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,

Wanda

A Fortune Awaits You!! Tutorial

Did you know you can make your own fortune cookies???? Yes, I know that you can buy Valentine's Day ones. I saw them in the grocery store and was surprises. They come in a take out box shaped box (very cute) and the cookies are red. Just take a fortune cookie still in the plastic wrapper.

Place it in the microwave for 35 seconds. Quickly and carefully remove the hot cookie from the wrapper and open it up so the paper inside can be removed. If you hear it making a cracking noise stop. You didn't get it warm enough. Place it back in the microwave and reheat. Once the paper is out, set the cookie aside and work on the fabulous wording you’d like inside. Make sure you leave an opening wide enough to insert a new piece of paper. About 1/4" is enough. You will be bending and rolling the paper a bit to fit it in there so you don't need to open the cookie all the way.

I really don't think you can open the cookie all the way without breaking it.

Once you’re done playing with the wording, print them out. I use a size 12 font so the wording fits within the 2-1/8" x 5/8" piece of paper that will go back inside the cookie.

Now here comes the tricky part. Slip the paper back inside the cookie. Once you have done that place the cookie in a sandwich baggie and place it back in the microwave.

Again you will microwave it on high for 35 seconds. Remove the cookie and close it back up. Your cookie is now ready to give to that special someone!!

You can put it in a sandwich baggie, wrap it up in Saran Wrap. You can use red Staz On and stamp some images on the bag. I have some baggies already decorated, my friend Katie gave them to me!!! She’s SO sweet. I cut the zip top off the baggie and I cut one side off. I put the cookie in the corner of the baggie and used a twist tie to close it. Simple as that!!!

You can decorate Saran Wrap too. You can always make an oversize sour cream container from transparencies and decorate it before assembling it. The instructions for the sour cream containers are found on Split Coast.

This is fun because you can make it VERY personal, VERY funny or just plain sweet. Personally I lean towards the VERY funny side!! Sometimes a bit warped!!! LOL Here is the fortune I like to put inside my altered cookies!!!

For the tag I used the Stampin' Up! set "Happy Heart Day" and stamped the images and punched them out. They were very quick and simple to do and added just the right touch for gift giving. There is even a space at the top to add a name!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Wishing a Friend a Happy Anniversary!

A friend of mine is celebrating her wedding anniversary today and guess what? Her card was just made tonight. It's going to be late. I don't think I've gotten too many cards out in the mail on time this year. I was SO horrible about that last year and I was hoping that bad habit would have gotten left behind but it spewed into the new year. *sighs* But there is still hope!! This was a quick and easy card to make. I took a piece of white card stock and cut it 5-1/2" x 8-1/2". I folded it in half. On top I affixed a piece of Rose Red card stock cut 5-1/2" x 4". On top of that is a piece of brushed silver card stock that was embossed with a Cuddlebug embossing folder. I used the retired Stampin' Up! set "All Year Cheer III." I couldn't find a current set with a larger "Happy Anniversary." I was going to use my computer to do the words but I really wanted the words embossed. I layered that on top of a piece of Rose Red cut 1/8" larger. Before I affixed the brushed silver piece I tied an organza ribbon around it and tied a bow on.

This is a very simple and quick card to make. I should make up a few of them to have on hand. I have a HUGE "should" list!!

Don't forget to enter the Blog Candy drawing.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,

Wanda

It's Blog Candy Time!!!

I thought it was about time to put up some blog candy. My blog has surpassed the 270,000 mark thanks to all of you readers!!!

This Scrappy Cat set is called "Sunny Days." It's got lots of fun flowers plus words for your summer cards and scrapbooking.

In the past I've asked you to bid on it with those wonderful useless Christmas gifts you've received. I have plenty of them now!!! LOL How about a new question? What is the ugliest thing you've ever worn? Aware of at the time or not until later in life!!! Mine I would have to say would be something I discovered later in life. In looking at photos I found one of me wearing this horribly bright yellow shirt, the color of Stampin' Up!'s Summer Sun yellow. It was a long sleeve shirt with a nice collar and a few buttons but yet it was a pullover. The fabric was a bit fuzzy, not a velvet fuzzy but more of a flocked fuzzy (gagging yet?? LOL). And here's the best part. It had a HUGE smile face in the front!!!! "Have a nice day!" should have been written on it somewhere too!!! SO ugly. And it just screamed "here comes Wanda." LOL I have LOTS of clothing photos like that and hair do's (now considered don'ts!!! LOL). SO tell me yours! Your name will be entered in a random drawing and I will draw a name on Sunday night February 10th. Please do NOT include your email address with your post. Spammers LOVE it when you do that. And you will need to check back on Sunday night/Monday morning to see if you are the winner. On that post I will provide an email address for you to contact me with your mailing information

Have fun!!!!
Wanda

Every Light in the House Left On!!!!

This card really looks much better in person. Maybe if you click on the photo you can see more detail. Along the horizon it's kind of a purple pink sunset color. I'm not disappointed at the way the card turned out. I made it for my brother-in-law and I think it looks fine. I'm disappointed in the way it photographed. I need to start doing my cards during the day so I can photograph them in natural light.

I had to laugh when I looked at the card all finished. These words came to mind, "you've got every light in the house on. Do you think we're made of money?" LOL Something I often heard growing up!!!! And it was true, they weren't made of money but the every light on was not true. We did occasionally miss a few!!! LOL

So onto this card. This is the card sketch today on SplitCoastStampers. I can not emphasize enough how fun it is to play with these new layouts. And I highly recommend you give at least one of them a chance. The most difficult part of making a card is coming up with a layout you like. Well as of today there are 162 of them to pick from!!! You don't have to participate in the uploading of the sketch. You can just make it and keep it without displaying it on Split Coast. Just have some fun with a new layout!!!

My brother-in-law's birthday was last week so the card is late!!! Better late than never, right??? LOL Sometime last fall I purchased a pack of decorative paper (with my coupon at JoAnn's) called "The Old World" stack. There were some beautiful and fun sheets in it. The background paper here is one of them. It's got such a rich look to it.

Most of the coloring was done using the Copic Markers and the Copic Air Brush. I have a Badger but this is a bit more convenient than getting the Badger out, plugging in the compressor and filling the jars with paints or inks. I had gotten the markers and air brush for Christmas and have not played with either of them much. I am not very fond of the markers for coloring and blending with their blender pen. I find that the Stampin' Up! markers and blender pen are far superior in coloring and control. But I do like the air brush part of this set I got. Which is a good thing because these markers are not cheap and I'd hate for them to just sit around not getting used. If it weren't for the air brush part they would be doing just that. SO today I had a little time to play with some background colors using the air brush. It does do your backgrounds very quickly. It takes a little practice to learn how to control the amount of color you want and where. And you do need to know that what you see right away on the paper is a little brighter than what it will look like once the alcohol from the marker dries. The only thing I didn't care for on the air brush part was the coldness of the can. If you do one color after another (like I did) the can gets very cold and you have to set it down. It's just too cold to handle. But other than that I had fun using it on this design. I was able to blend over and over in a single area without the paper showing any wear like you'd get with a blender pen and regular card stock. That was a feature I did like. I did stamp the image using black Staz On so I was a bit concerned about the black bleeding and fortunately it did not. I was careful when adding the yellow to the windows because I knew if I did work that area too long the black would bleed. I did use the Stampin' Up! markers and blender pen on the house, roof, and rocks. I also added a little Chocolate Chip to the reflection of the trees using the blender pen.

For the finishing touches, I layered everything in black.I sponged the edges in Chocolate Chip and I used some olive velvet ribbon to give the card a bit more texture because the three black brads were just not enough. I'm sure my brother-in-law will like this card.

I will post the blog candy tomorrow so those who only get to visit on the weekends will have a chance at it too!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Acts of Kindness

I would have to say that Thank You cards are the ones I need and make the most. There's always someone doing something nice for me and I LOVE to make them a card to tell them how much I appreciate what they've done. I was looking for a simple card. Not so much simple to make though that is always nice!!! I wanted a simple yet elegant looking card. I don't really have issues with brads, buttons or bows and postage when it comes to Thank You cards. I mean, adding the extra 17 cents is absolutely NOT an issue.

I love the elegance of the "Artfully Asian" flower spring stamp. And I wanted something different for the wording. The set does come with a "thank you" stamp but I've used it so much it just didn't appeal to me this time. SO I took out the Stampin' Up! "Define Your Life" set and found the word "kindness" and liked it. I thought it fit well in the corner. I used a piece of decorative paper from the "Bali Breeze" package. I thought it worked well with the black and the Apricot Appeal. But once I got it all put together I though it leaned a bit too much towards Halloween. Maybe I should have used the Basic Gray on the top part. I'll have to give that one some more thought. I like everything else about this card. Plus it was simple to make too!!! That's a nice deal!!!

For the coloring of this card I just used markers. No blender pen. Can you believe that??? LOL I colored the flowers in with Apricot Appeal and then came back with the writing part of the Pumpkin Pie marker and colored in the centers of the flowers and the buds. The leaves were colored in using Sage Shadow and that was it. I sponged the edges with Pumpkin Pie. SO simple and did I mention SO quick!!!

I will be posting some blog candy this week. My blog surpassed the 275,000 mark and it's time to celebrate so stay tuned!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Pixie Pouch

This is such a fun project I found on SplitCoastStampers. It was one of the techniques that were shown a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes it takes me a while to get to the technique, I've got so many other projects going. This fun technique is the "Pixie Pouch." Isn't it adorable??? Just click on the Pixie Pouch words above and you'll be directed to page with the simple instructions. Towards the bottom of that page you'll also see a link to a lot of Pixie Pouch samples. I kept mine simple because I need to make a bunch of them but there are some pretty elaborate ones on there.

I think it got it's name "Pixie Pouch" because it holds pixie sticks so well. I didn't have any pixie sticks and I didn't want to buy any because I don't like them. I bought Twizzlers because I like them and I thought they would be a fun Valentine's Day candy for the pouch. They are a bit long but that's ok. I can pretty much guarantee you that it doesn't take away from the flavor of the candy!!!! LOL

I've seen some really cute things done using the pixie pouches. One of them, and I may have to try it sometime, is the tea holder. The pixie pouch was shortened to hold the tea packages. It was shortened enough so the tea is a little visible. It was SO cute. Have a look at all the pouch samples there, you are sure to get inspired.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Sara's Sketch

I was on Sara's blog last night. Sara's Studio. She had a fun sketch she designed and posted so I thought I'd give it a try. It was a very fun sketch. She made a card from her own sketch and I thought it was SO pretty. I still want to CASE it.

This was a pretty simple sketch. Or at least I kept it simple. I LOVE background papers. They are not only pretty but the sure do save you a LOT of time stamping. As you can see there isn't much to this card. I used the rose from Stampin' Up!'s "Embrace Life" set. The image is on watercolor paper and I used a blender pen to color it in. SO quick and simple. I sponged the edges and added the layers. Before taping the layers together I added a tiny rhinestone brad. Her sketch showed something belongs there and I didn't want to cut or punch anything out so I thought a tiny brad would be a nice elegant touch. The words were done on the computer and then the decorative paper (from Michael's) was cut down to fit the card. I added some ribbon and a bow and that was it!!! Pretty simple and just pretty in pink!!! Regal Rose actually!! LOL

Check out Sara's blog!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Such a Sucker!!! Tutorial

Here is a fun and quick project for you to play with. I recommend you read through the directions before beginning. If you are unsure of what you are doing use copier paper or scratch paper to experiment with.

Cut card stock 2-1/2" x 7"

Take the 1/4" square punch and insert the short end of the piece you just cut. Starting at the left side, punch out 3-1/2" squares. Line them up right next to each other. What you are doing here is chipping away at the card stock one square at a time. It’s ok if you don’t get it exact. You’ll be able to fix anything once you get them all punches out. Once you’ve finished that side repeat for the other side.

Set the piece in your paper cutter or you can use a scissors and cut straight across on the bottom. Cutting away the piece below the square punched area. See the photo. You are cutting away the bottom piece that reads "cut away."

On the other end measure in ½" and lightly draw a straight line. Taking the Stampin’ Up! Slit punch, line up the flat bottom half circle metal piece on the punch with your pencil line. You are not dropping your paper to the bottom of the punch you are about an 1/8" away from it. Once punched erase the pencil mark.

Now you are going to score the piece. Measuring from the flat short end going in 3-5/8" and score. Measure in 3-7/8" and score again.

In the center of those scores you will be punching a hole that the sucker stick will be inserted. You don’t have to be perfectly centered, just eye it. You will need either a long punch or you can use your Mat Pack and poke a hole in the card stock. A punch is a lot nicer and cleaner but there are times you just have to work with what you have. I tried to use my Crop-A-Dial but it was just a little bit short. The wrapper of the sucker fits this size card stock perfectly so I couldn’t shorten the sides to compensate for the hole. I have a long reach punch so I used that. You can also use the hole maker that is used for punching holes to insert brads.

Your sucker holder is now ready to decorate. Because the back is blank it gives you a nice area to add any wording or business card labels. These are great for a Student Project, Craft Fairs, Make N Takes, Customer Gifts and any other area you think they’d be suitable for!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

No Fire!

Good news on the candle lamp with the rub ons!!! The candle burned for around 2 hours and no fire!!! The glass got warm but the rub-ons did not catch fire or melt or even change color from the heat. This candle with the lamp and metal frame lamp holder seem to be user friendly with the rub ons!! And this candle was wonderful. It smelled SO nice before I lit it and the smell was just as wonderful when lit. The whole room smelled SO good!!!

And thank you Alexandra for your comment and concern!!! Nope, no fire!!! I have a fire extinguisher in my workroom. You just never know. I work with some interesting "stuff" down here. I do polymer clay and I bake most of it in a toaster oven. You NEVER want that stuff to catch fire. Well, you never want any of your "stuff" to catch fire!!! LOL I am just prepared in my workroom. Plus it gets cold down here and I will sometimes run a space heater. It's nice and I usually don't worry about it until Boo comes down here. She likes to stand right in front of it and I swear I smell hair burning. I have to pick her up and move her and her hair is SO hot. I'm really surprised she doesn't catch fire!!! I keep an eye on her more than I do on the other stuff down here!!! Crazy cat!! LOL

I have a fun Valentine's Day project coming up here in a couple of hours. I have go to make dinner. UGH!!!

Hold the Grease!!

Ok, this time I knew I was going to play with rub-ons so I didn't put any greasy lotion before I started. Actually I didn't put any on at all. Maybe if I didn't use so much lotion the letters would still be visible on my keyboard!!!

My older sister (the much older one!!! - hope she reads this! She's only 3 years older than I am but I LOVE to tease her about it!!!). Anyway, this candle was in a box with some other stuff for my birthday. It is from JoAnn's and let me tell you, I have not lit it yet but the smell in the air from it as it sits is WONDERFUL!!! I can't wait to light it. And I am going to light it under supervision. No, I don't need to be supervised around flames!!! LOL I mean I need to keep an eye on it to see if it is safe to use rub-ons on a project like this. I suppose you could always remove the glass lamp before you light it and put it back on when you are done. I'm hoping that it will be fine. The lamp sits on this wire frame which I would think should absorb some of the heat and the shape of the lamp should deflect heat and direct it to the top. And of course at the top is where I put some rub-ons too. I'll let you know if there is a problem with it on another post.

As I stated the lamp is made of glass, a frosted glass. I did wipe it off with rubbing alcohol. And yes, I do have a little left!!! LOL I did let it dry a little longer because frosted glass is not smooth and it could hold a bit more alcohol than you can see. Besides I needed to decide which items from the package I was going to put on the lamp. After I got them cut out I began rubbing them in place. It is pretty easy to do. I do with I would have cut the top small flowers out individually or at least in twos so they would have going around the top more evenly. I chose to use the white ones instead of the black because I wanted it to have a more delicate look. Black was just too harsh for the frosted glass.

This is a great way to dress up and give a personal touch on a gift for someone special!!! Plus it doesn't take all that long to do either.

I have some fun projects coming up for you so stay tuned!!!


Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

It's Groundhog Day!!

Tomorrow at 7:00 am EST in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania Punxsutawney Phil will pop out of his den from his winter slumber as the country waits to see if he does or does not see his shadow.

Did you know that you can actually become a member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club? I didn't sign up! Shocker huh? Maybe next year!!! LOL And tomorrow I think I'll be sleeping at 7:00 am EST. That would be 6:00 am here. Yup, I'll be sleeping!!! I'll have to rely on the media for the news of how much more winter we're going to have!!! Now is he "speaking" for the entire nation or just Pennsylvania??? I know here in Minnesota winter ends on March 20th, with or without Phil!!! LOL

Ok, onto the card. The stamp I used here is by Inky Antics. I've had it for quite a few years. I'd have to say at least 7!!! It's still in perfect shape too. I think it has a lot to do with the Stampin' Up!'s Stampin' Mist. I don't use it to clean my stamps. It doesn't work well on black ink or Staz On but the emollients in it sure do keep the stamps rubber supple. And to have a stamp that long in storage and it's still as nice as the day you buy it speaks volumes for a product. And the added bonus is it has a wonderful fragrance to it too!!

For the words I used my computer. I didn't have a "Happy Groundhog Day" stamp. Not many people do!!! LOL

The real challenge of this card was the colors. You have a tree trunk which in nature is brown and you have the groundhog which in nature are grey. At the time I was thinking gopher. I don't think I've ever seen a groundhog in person!! Anyway, I didn't color this one grey because I thought it would look too blah. As though a brown tree trunk and a tan animal don't look blah. I did give his nose and ears a bit of pink to brighten it up. I used my Copic markers and the Copic blender to color the image. I had gotten them for Christmas but have not had much time to play with them. I also used the Copic Air Brush for the green grassy area and the blue background. It was fun but takes a bit of working with it to get the feel of it. I would have to stay I still prefer the Stampin' Up! markers and a blender pen. With the Copic I had to be SO careful not to touch the black lines on the stamped image. Copic markers are alcohol base and alcohol will smear other alcohol marks. With the Stampin' Up! blender pen I could have just rolled right across the images without having to be careful. I could have gone out of the lines and still cleaned it up with a clean tip on the blender pen. This only works if you use watercolor paper and that is what I stamped this image on.

I sponged the edges, including the edges of the paper I picked up at Michael's last week. Why? I don't know, I only own five billion sheets of their paper!!! LOL But I did not have any of this dotted paper and I'm glad I picked one up because it went well with this "occasion!" I tied some ribbon on and taped the card layers together.

It was a fun card. I really enjoyed the airbrushing part. My fingernails are still green but they are getting lighter as the evening goes by!!!!

Happy Groundhog day to you all and thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda