June 29, 2007

Perk Up!!!







Okay, okay, so I got a little frisky with this card. It's been one of those weeks, ya know! Everything happens at once and then all of a sudden, you feel like you're gonna blow your stack!! This week, I have played Super Mom..just what I imagine June Cleaver to have been but even MORE. I've been taxi driver to Vacation Bible School and Library Program. Had 6 girls at my house for two days for Josey's birthday party. Cleaned, grocery shopped and planned July 4th party for tomorrow for over 50 people. It's been raining now for days so who knows if we'll have to postpone it or not. Called, recalled and called again parents of our ball team to reschedule games and practices....four nights a week of ball! Cleaning house today because DH is bringing a co-worker over for the grand tour. Washing boxes of jars in my dishwasher non stop for my mother..she's in green bean canning mode and she doesn't own a dishwasher, can you believe that!?

So anyway, after the guests were all gone from the birthday party, I told DH that I was just going to go sit in my craft room and stare at my goodies. I started stamping and this is what I created! LOL!! As much as I love to feel like June Cleaver and be Super Mom, we all know that it isn't very realistic sometimes. Sometimes ya just gotta let it go, right! I know you all have been there, whether you're a mom or not. Life gets to you and you gotta let it all out somehow! Well, all of my frustration came out in this card and I think it's pretty cute myself.

There's lots I want so share in this post, so please be ready for some more reading. For this card, I used the new Coffee and Tea set from the Crafty Secrets Clear Art Stamps line. They are acrylic stamps and you get tons of images in one set. I am very fond of the two vintage ladies, all dolled up with fancy hair and frilly dresses. You can check them out at the Crafty Secrets website here. Stayed tuned for LOTS more stamp sets. I haven't seen what's in store yet but they are bound to be STELLAR (my new word)!! I also used a piece of pink and black patterned paper from a Heartwarming Vintage 6 x 12 paper pad collection from Crafty Secrets. There's always a fun patterned to match your mood. I was thinking 50's pink and black retro for this card.

Now for the details on this card. I am detail girl...LOVE all the little bling and accessories that make a card *over the top* WOW:

Coloring the image: I used Copic markers to color the skin, hair and dress. They blend seamlessly and dry to a nice matte finish. I am in love, can't stress that enough. Give me good markers and I'm a happy camper. Ellen Hutson will be carrying a hand picked batch of markers that she studied relentlessly..I mean this girl went to work for us on these gems. They will be available in her store soon and will be sold in sets, along with the refills. Stay tuned for more information and lots more tips on what you can do with these. You will want them ALL, I know I do!!

Other details: Perk Up! image was matted and adhered to the card with SU! dimensionals for some added depth. *dammit* (hee hee, I said dammit) was stamped with Karen Foster's mini casual alphabet. Pink card base is Memory Box in Begonia from Ellen's store. Black is Memory Box in Licorice for image mat. Neenah Solar White card stock for the white image base, also available from Ellen's store. A little pink pastel was added to the cheek for the perfect blush. It's hard to see but I also added a black glaze pen to the hair for added shine(see photo #2 above for closeup). Seems like all those vintage ladies had perfect hair and it was super shiny. It looks fantastic on this card in real life.

Decorative Pearls: This is my favorite little detail element on this card. I used white Decorative Pearls from Ellen's store. They come on a little sheet with different sizes and retail for $3.99. Ellen has 14 colors available and again, I want them ALL! It's funny how sometimes a little inexpensive item can become a favorite design element. I am just hooked on these little beauties, because they are new and different and just add an elegant feel to your projects. And don't you think this vintage gal needed some pearls? I think they tie in perfectly with this card.

Tip of the day: Again, I'm talkin' bout those Decorative Pearls. You gotta get some and try them out! I have found that the best way to adhere them is to use a pair of craft tweezers. Get a grip on the pearl (which are flat and have adhesive on the back) and gently SLIDE the pearl off of the paper(see photo #3 above). If you try to pick it straight up, you'll rip off the adhesive. Trust me, I know!

And check this out, it's SOOOOOO cool! Karen Lockhart shared a little tip with me about the Decorative Pearls. You can color them with Copic markers to match ANY color you want. I tried it and she's right! I simply colored them with a red Copic marker while the pearls were still stuck to the packaging(see photo#4 above). I'm giddy with excitement over the possibilities. If fourteen colors aren't enough from Ellen's selection, well then puchase some Copic markers when they debut and packs of white Decorative Pearls. You'll be all set.

Well, I have to get back to my domestic goddess duties so I better toddle along now. I hope you all have a stress free day......but if you're feeling low, well PERK UP!! Ta ta, ladies!

June 26, 2007

Cupcakes, anyone?



Today is my daughter Josey's birthday party. Her actual birthday is July 4th, which is such a special day to have a birthday. There is always a celebration on her actual birthday but we decided to have her party early. I'm finishing up the last details before six little girls invade my house for two days!

For my post today, I thought these Lockhart cupcakes would be a good choice. The best thing about cupcakes is that you can decorate them for any occasion. They are the perfect little party food for any celebration. These little gems are decked out with a white glaze frosting (clear glaze pen, red AMuse sequins, a glittery outline. They are are so shiny and dimensional. The background is stamped with a SU! star mini background stamp. The light blue checked paper is Memory Box. Red gingham ribbon finsihes off the card.

Check out Ellen's store for the stamp, clear glaze pen, AMuse sequins and Memory Box paper.

Tip of the day: When you make a mistake, improvise! Can you tell where my mistake was? Nope, ya can't cuz I fixed it! The For You sentiment was originally on the first layer of the blue checked paper but I smudged the ink. So I simply stamped the sentiment on a scrap piece of the same paper, punched it out with a Martha Stewart mini scallop punch and adhered it to the card with dimensionals. Viola, my mistake is gone......and I like this little accent better than the original anyway.

June 23, 2007

Halloween Dress....



I know it's not Halloween time but I just had to show you this little Sweet Chips altered dress that I made. The Sweet Chips chipboard dress and accessories, like the bow and collar, will come in a kit from Crafty Secrets. They're coming very soon! They are fantastic to work with. The pieces just fall out of the packaging so there is no extra sanding or cutting required. The little dress apron flips up to make a giant card, photo showcase, home decor item, etc. The possibilities are endless, I tell ya! And there will be a little boy outfit and a house also.

For this little number, I used a black and white polka dot and black and orange checkered piece of 6 x 12 paper from the Earthy 6 x 12 paper pad collection and stickers from the Halloween sticker sheet. You simply trace your shape onto the back side of the paper, cut it out and adhere to the chipboard. For the collar and bow, I applied adhesive then dipped them both into Martha Stewart silver glitter from Michael's. I LOVE that look, reminds me of old vintage Halloween decorations. The finishing touches are a piece of orange velvet trim and a black button, both from my stash of goodies. I can't wait to hang this with all of my vintage inspired Halloween decorations this year.

By the way, we got a new kitty. She's ALL black and we named her Spooky, so I guess we're in Halloween mode at our house. She follows the girls everywhere and she cries just like a little baby. She's so cute and tiny!

But now we gotta get back to July 4th mode! Josey will turn 10 on July 4th and she's having a swimming/sleep over party next week. Then our gihugic July 4th party will actually be held next Saturday. We have 52 guests on the invite list,yikes!! That's why I only host outdoor parties!!

Tip of the day: I think these little dresses would be adorable to make for each holiday season for little girls (or boys using the boy outfits). Each year, add their photo on the inside for an updated little photo showcase. We love to look at our photos of Halloween costumes, etc from the year before.

June 22, 2007

Geraniums and Foxglove...



The last of my floral samples this week. These are geraniums and foxglove. Again, another type of flowers that have specific colors. I chose the pink varieties for these cards. Stamps are from the Lockhart collection, and paper is from these nifty little 6 x 6 Basic Grey pads that Ellen sells. I used those cute little pearls again from Ellen's store, they are such a fun change from sequins or brads. I just love 'em.

Tip of the day: Sometimes it's nice to have a stash of cards that have no specific verse stamped on the front of the card. This way, you can have cards for any occasion on hand and just stamp the sentiment on the inside when the occasion arises. Or just send out note cards to a special friend for no reason at all. Those are the BEST kinds of cards to get.

Enjoy your weekend everyone! It's supposed to be hot here in Kansas so we'll be swimming at Grandma's pool! And getting Diet Cherry Limeades from Sonic. Do you guys have a Sonic where you live. If ya don't......big BUMMER! It's like an old fashioned drive up restaurant..like on Happy Days. The kids bring out your order and you eat in your car. I SOOOOOOO need a convertible for my Sonic trips!

June 21, 2007

Whaddya know!

Susie informed me that Lavender can also be found in pink and yellow varieties! I did not know this so thanks for sharing Susie! I learn so much from my fellow stampers. Stay tuned for a few more flowers this week. And be sure to check out Ellen's blog. She's got some exciting announcements about Memory Box cardstock and COPIC markers......you are gonna love what's to come!

June 20, 2007

Lovely Lavender...



With my last post, I talked about coloring images from nature. With images like the Lockhart Lavender stamp that I used for this card, the colors need to be pretty specific....lavender colored, of course. To my knowledge, lavender is ONLY purple in color, not yellow or red, etc. So if you made a card with red lavender plants, you might lose some artistic points for not knowing your colors of nature. If you're ever questioning what color a flower is, simply google it on the Internet. Lots of links will pop up that have color photos for you to reference.

For this elegant card, I used Memory Box Meadow green card stock, Solar White card stock for the image, and an Arturo Lavender card torn in half. Image is colored with SU! Watercolor Wonder Crayons and Aqua painter. I used a new tool for the paper piercing: the Ornare small scalloped edge template and a piercing tool and mat. The beautiful swirly shapes add just the right touch to an elegant card. The little lavender pearls are fun too. They come on a sticky sheet and are adhesive backed. After my image was dry, I used a Stardust Glitter Pen to add a shimmery glow to the colored lavender image. Ribbon from Michael's.

Check out Ellen's store for these supplies: Lockhart Lavender wood mounted stamp (excellent quality!), Memory Box cards(colored on one side,white on other which I LOVE), Solar White Card stock (wonderful for coloring), Arturo Lavender cards with envelopes(a real hand made texture), Ornare templates and piercing supplies(like acupuncture for your cards!) the pearls(I want every single color), and Stardust Glitter Pens(set of two).

Tip of the day: Sometimes when you use a wet medium like the Watercolor Crayons with Aqua painter, the paper ends up warping a bit. Be sure to let the image thoroughly dry before adhering it to another piece of card stock. You may even need to place it under a heavy flat object like a book or you can also iron your images with a scrap piece of paper between the image and the ironing surface. Usually for me, I just let my image dry really good and that's enough. When adhering the image, don't skimp on the adhesive. Use a solid line of good adhesive around all four sides of the image. This way there is no buckling of the paper and it stays professional looking. Happy coloring!

June 17, 2007

Inspiration from nature......




My house is nestled in the middle of a field, so the area that surrounds our yard is all pasture, full of wild flowers, daisies and this beautiful grass that my grandpa called turkey foot grass. I see butterflies, birds, deer (and rattle snakes,yikes!)and all sorts of animals flitting by constantly. So it's only natural that a lot of my creative inspiration comes from nature.

The fun thing is that when you are creating with certain images, you can choose a color palette from all spectrum's of the rainbow. Some images are *generic* enough in nature that you can use any color and the end result looks fabulous. For example, the two Lockhart images I used in the cards above will look good with any colors you choose. The bouquet can be turned into a beautiful bundle of red roses and the butterfly could be decked out in beautiful shades of blue. Anything will work with these types of stamps. I love when you have endless possibilities with stamp images. For my cards today, I used shades of oranges and greens which was inspired by this beautiful yellowish yarrow plant that I have in my flower bed. Stay tuned later this week and I'll show you some cards made with images that have more specific colors in nature.....like lavender and geraniums.

Card Supplies: Lockhart Stamp images, Memory Box cards, Stardust glitter pen, Basic Grey 6 x6 patterned paper from Ellen Hutson's online store. Images were colored with SU! Watercolor Wonder Crayons and Aquapainter with colored pencil accents. Velvet ribbon from Michael's. Copper brands unknown. Background floral stamp from SU!.

Tip of the day: Remember flock? Well, it's back and is it ever fun! Ellen has some fun new colors in her store. I used a peachy color on my bouquet card. It's hard to see in the photo but in real life, it's so fuzzy and textural. I simply used a glue pen on the desired areas, then sprinkled on the flock. Press down a little so it sticks good, then tap off the excess. I love that stuff!!!

June 13, 2007

Father's Day fishing vest....



Have you made your Father's Day cards yet? My sister and brother-in-law were back last weekend and we hit lots of antique stores and auctions. My BIL collects antique fly fishing rods and I totally got into looking for items at the fun places we visited over the weekend. So that was the inspiration for this card with the fishing vest. It's for my husband who loves to fish too. He's hoping to learn how to fly fish this summer when we visit my sister and BIL in Colorado.

I used Watercolor Crayons from SU! to color the vest image. Patterned paper is from the Basic Grey Scarlet's Letter collection. Image is by Karen Lockhart available at Ellen's store. Sentiment from Papertrey. Cheesecloth background stamp from SU!.

Valuable Notes.......


How many times have you been to Target or your favorite shops, strolling down the card aisle...and you see some cute ideas, fun color combos or neat card folds......and you have no notebook in your purse!? I hate it when that happens! That's why I love to have a few notebooks like these made up to stick in my purse or to have in my car to jot down ideas and notes. For this notebook, I used my Bind It All machine. I love that thing! If you don't have one and you like to make notebooks, it's a seriously great investment. Pretty cheap and easy to use!! You can purchase one and all the supplies at Eclectic Paperie (link at right).

The fun little stickers and tabs are all from Heartwarming Vintage Sticker set called *Office Daisy Dots* from Crafty Secrets. The little *notes* cut out with the angel and bird are from a Heartwarming Vintage booklet. I stamped a blue border along the top and bottom of the notebook, from the French Mail Clear Art Stamps set. Ribbons were added to the binding. If you haven't been to the Crafty Secrets website, you really should visit it soon. New projects are added to the photo gallery weekly and you can also view all the fun new products coming out soon.

Tip of the day: To make easy pages for the notebooks, simply use recipe/index cards. Walmart has a variety of sizes, starting at the 3" x 5" size I used and you can even get gihugic sets now too, lined or unlined. If you use a full pack, make sure to use the 1" binding, otherwise just take some cards out of the pack.

June 11, 2007

Sweet Little One


I was totally inspired by Debbie Olson for this card. Check her card out here...she used a boy theme and the Snips and Snails Lockhart image for her card and a blue Arturo notecard. I used the Sweet Pea girl outfit from Karen Lockhart and white and lavender Arturo cards from Ellen's store. Debbie is right, these little outfits are so fun to color. Karen does a wonderful job when designing her stamps and enables us to color them very easily. I used Water Color Crayons from SU! and an aquapainter. Image was stamped on an oval and then backed on a scalloped oval punch. I then added two white brads and mounted the completed image to the card front with SU! dimensionals. The *sweet little one* is a new SU! sentiment that will be released July 1.

Supplies from Ellen's store: White and Lavender Arturo cards, Sweet Pea stamp by Karen Lockhart.

Tip of the day: I like to add a little faded outline around my colored image. It *grounds* the colored image and adds some added depth. Usually I use a light blue or a light grey color. This time, however I used a soft yellow. You can barely see it, but the yellow is a complimentary color to the purple and it is pleasing to the eye. I like to use Watercolor Crayons to do this so that I can fade out the color more easily than the solid outline of a marker.

June 7, 2007

Kiss the cook door hanger......





Although my family is always grateful for homemade goodies, a little reminder doesn't hurt, right? I altered a wood door hanger from Michael's to make a *Kiss the Cook* decoration for the kitchen. The back of the door hanger has a little hidden notebook to jot down notes or to write a grocery list.

This was one of those projects that just evolved. I just kept pulling out supplies that I liked...like the prima flowers, the little clothespins and clothes hanger, the green felt that was cut with pinking shears, etc. To finish off the project, I sewed a vintage piece of lace and binding to the patterned card stock before attaching to the wood door hanger. The shiny stuff is called shaved ice which was sprinkled over glue to hold in place. Patterned paper and kitten image are from Crafty Secrets.

Tip of the day: Wanna make some fun ribbon? Check out the big bow tied around the door hanger. I stitched a piece of narrow rick rack to the center of the ribbon. It's a fun way to use two types of ribbon at once.

June 5, 2007

Strawberries and Creme Pie...Oh My!!



Don't fret girls, it's low fat....but refreshingly yummy! You guys have to go to Karen Lockhart's website and check out the photo of this fabulous prize you could win! It's $100 worth of top quality Seattle products. I think Karen should send me a sampling for the sake of *quality control*. LOL! That's what I do to my kids when they get milkshakes..taste test it for quality control. My kids don't buy that line anymore!!

What's the contest, you say? The details are on Karen's website but it's a recipe card contest. Create a 4" x 6" recipe card using Lockhart stamps and you could be the proud and lucky owner of all those goodies. The contest runs through June so don't delay. You can purchase Lockhart stamps from Ellen Hutson's store, listed in my sidebar. And be sure to check out Ellen's Stamp of the Month for June...it just so happens to be the strawberry stamp I'm featuring on my recipe card.

Recipe card supplies: Red and white card stock, Memory Box Homespun Collection 6 x 6 card stock (from Ellen), olive eyelets, Strawberries Stamp and *fresh from the garden* sentiment are Karen Lockhart(from Ellen), recipe printed on card stock. Coloring done with watercolor crayons, aqua painter and colored pencils.

Tip of the day: Take your favorite summer recipes that you use most and put them in 6 x 6 page protectors. Attach them all together with a ring clip, add a cute ribbon and hang them from a kitchen cabinet knob. You will have easy access to your most used recipes, they will stay clean and protected, and you'll know right where they are. Perfect for kids that cook too so they can have the recipes on hand. When you're done with that recipe for the season, put all the 6 x 6 pages into a recipe scrapbook album.

June 2, 2007

Strawberries........yum!





Don't you just love fresh, ripe strawberries? I love them so much that I themed my summertime dishware around them. I found these fun strawberry plates, bowls and cups at Target and then also matched up some place mats, napkins and wicker baskets. I re-decorated my porch this summer too! I got some wicker chairs at Target, and scored some fun vintage pieces at garage sales which include a wicker ottoman, a red ice chest and a red metal serving cart on wheels. And then I added lots of pretty flower baskets. We're planning on having fun *porch picnics* all summer long.

And that brings me to this cute card and other photos. I made this card as a little centerpiece for a little porch picnic we had last night. I made that yummy fruit dip I posted a few days ago and we munched on fresh strawberries all evening. Those are photos of my front porch with my new wicker chairs, etc. I thought the strawberry card would make the perfect little centerpiece to go along with my other strawberry goodies.

Here's the details, prepare yourself! I just received a bunch of goodies from Ellen Hutson's store and boy am I in heaven. I knew the first thing I wanted to get my hands on was the strawberry stamp! The first photo shows a bunch of the other supplies I used to create this card. Can I first say that Karen Lockhart's stamps are TOP quality. They are constructed of red rubber on wood and they are splendid. The images stamp nicely and the wood mount is nice and smooth. And to me, the images seem much bigger in real life that what appears on Ellen's website. Seeing(or touching) is believing, girls! You can purchase them from Ellen Hutson's online store.

Okay, on with the details. I stamped the strawberry image with Palette Black Noir ink(from Ellen's store) on a piece of Arturo notecard. I then colored the image with watercolor crayons and an aquapainter, adding darker detail with colored pencils and a grey outline around the finished image. The color scheme I used matched the strawberry bowl I purchased from Target. For the polka dots on the bowl, I brightened them up with a white gel pen (SU!). Image is backed with red card stock then mounted onto the Arturo card front with SU! dimensionals. The patterned paper is a snippet from the Homespun 6 x 6 Collection from Ellen's store. Cute, cute little papers just perfect for cards. Ribbon and eyelets were also added to the card front.

Here's the best part, ladies: The basic supplies used to create this card are available in a kit this month at Ellen's store!! Check out the kit here. You will receive the strawberry stamp, Arturo notecards, the ribbon, eyelets plus a piercing template all in one fun little package! The patterned paper I added to my card is not included in the kit though.

I've got lots of other fun stuff to come using Lockhart stamps......so stay tuned!! Think I'll go have me some more strawberries now. It's such a beautiful day!
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