EASTERN ELEGANCE RUB-ONS

ETA: The top of the tin appears brown due to the overhead light and camera flash; I didn't emboss or otherwise color it.

Mercy me! Look what I decorated today! I took one of the tins that the Build-A-Brad comes in and decorated it with some of SU's brand spankin' new Rub-Ons! There are actually four packs of these from which to choose in the new catalog, but the ones that I used are from the "Eastern Elegance" collection. Can you say "EASY PEASY?????" It's kind of hard to read "Life is Beautiful" on the tin, and I guess I should have used white instead of black there. Oh well . . . I'm still learning! The packs of Rub-Ons come with two sheets . . . one with all black images and one with all white images. Go ahead and put "Rub-Ons" on your wish list because you are going to NEED them! You might as well get a couple of Build-A-Brads, too, because it's an equally fun and useful product, plus you get the tin to decorate!

TIC TAC TOE & DOODLING

I've never considered myself much of a "doodler," but I find myself reaching more and more for that white gel pen! I suppose I could get a bit more creative with my doodle art, but I seem to use the same squiggles and dots again and again. This tic-tac-toe project was stamped with the new "A Beautiful Thing" stamp set, and I chose Purely Pomegranate and Basic Gray for the colors.

To make the board sturdy, I used a 6x6 portion of the thin card board that comes with packs of designer paper and just covered it with Purely Pomegranate card stock. The Basic Gray card stock served to add a coordinating color, but it also became a mock grid once I put the punched floral-stamped squares in place.

BOATLOADS OF LOVE

Here's a little "Valentine-ish" card for you to feast your eyes upon. This is my first creation with Boatloads of Love, and it appears that I might need to go back to the drawing board. When I tore the colored image, my intention was to go for a totally different layout but something happened along the way. This was definitely one of those designs that you can't wait to finish so YOU can see how it pans out. ;-) BTW, I used a craft knife to make a slit in the tugboat so the cut-out hearts could be tucked inside.

STAMPIN' GOOD TUNES

I suppose it won't take you long to notice that the holiday music has packed its bags and gone away. I added a couple of new songs to the playlist. Have you ever heard of Jonny Lang? I found a couple of his songs while I was searching for holiday music a month or so ago, and I really like his style! I also added a song by Wynonna Judd about "you can't go home again." I love that one! The first time I heard it (recently), it reminded me of my mamaw because she bakes the BEST sugar cookies! I guess the older I get, the more in touch I'll be with those nostalgic tunes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the music!

"EMBRACE LIFE" TUNNEL CARD

Now that Christmas is behind us, it's time to pick up the stamps again! In this post, I'm sharing pictures of a tunnel card that I made using the brand new "Embrace Life" stamp set. All the flowers were watercolored using ink and an aqua painter. To cut the oval for the "tunnel," I used a Coluzzle template.

If you're thinking that I should have cut the ovals a bit larger, you're correct. ;-) At the time, I wasn't sure what I would stamp inside the tunnel , and I should have waited to cut the oval window after deciding.

CHAD'S NEW RIDE

What a fun day this has been! Earlier this month, we bought this vehicle for Chadrick's Christmas. We felt very lucky to have found one of the few vehicles he liked AND a color that he liked. The hardest part of all was remembering to NOT say anything about it! The funniest part was that the Jeep was parked in our neighbor's driveway, and Chadrick NEVER noticed it! We kept thinking that he'd surely make a comment about "that nice Jeep," but he never did. There was one time when I came pretty close to just handing him the keys and telling him he had a vehicle sitting right outside--that's when he was fussing because he wanted to go to a friend's house, but Fadi was gone in his truck, and I was going shopping and needed the van. Of course, he didn't just want to "go" to the friend's house--he wanted to drive himself there! Anyway, he went on a scavenger hunt today that led to the Jeep, and he was quite shocked at what was waiting after the last clue. He took me for a ride to Walmart this evening--not a really smart thing to do on Christmas Eve--but it was a really fun trip! I'm so happy for Chadrick to have one of his "dream" vehicles, but it's also a gift symbolic of giving him more freedom--letting him go a little more, and that's kind of hard to do. For the past 16 years, he has been my best buddy--my favorite companion. Maybe if I don't try to drive so much from the passenger seat, he'll let me tag along with him from time to time. ;-) I hope everyone who reads this post is having (or has) a Christmas as blessed as mine has already been!

SU RUB-ONS

This past week, I received two Spellbinders' dies that I had ordered, one of which was "Flower Creations." OMG!!! This is a wonderful die! Just look at the layered flowers I created! I have all kinds of paper and card stock in my stamp room, so I grabbed a pad of DCWV paper and used five coordinating colors/patterns to make the cuts. Choosing which ones to use for the layers wasn't easy! In the center of the three flowers, I used a pink SU rhinestone brad, which is a perfect embellishment for them! While very little of this card is made with SU products, a very important detail is SU . . . the white "you make me smile" sentiment. It's one of the images on the "Eastern Elegance" sheet of rub-ons, which is one of the new products in the Spring/Summer Collection catalog. It's been a while since I used rub-ons, but this was easy-peasy! I just cut (from the sheet) the image that I wanted to use, peeled off the backing, placed the image where I wanted it to appear on my card, and used the craft stick to rub the top of the image. Voila! Instant image transfer! Sooooooo easy and such a nice look! In case you're wondering, each pack of SU rub-ons contains two sheets that are FULL of designs (images, sentiments, words, etc.) . . . one sheet of black rub-ons, and one sheet of white rub-ons. When January rolls around, these little gems will certainly be on my first order of the year.

ANOTHER "EMBRACE LIFE" SAMPLE

The floral image on this card was colored with watercolor pencils and a blender pen and then accented with an Orchid Opulence marker.

PRODUCT REVIEW: ATG

What is an ATG? It's an Adhesive Transfer Gun (dispenser) for which you can purchase rolls of excellent adhesive! Your projects will NOT fall apart with the adhesive that fits this dispenser. BTW, I always purchase the 924 rolls, but there's a Gold adhesive that you can purchase if you particularly want something acid-free and photo-safe. If you've been to a framing store or the framing department of a craft store, then you've probably seen a couple of these dispensers (either red or yellow)lying on the counter/table.

Even though it's much larger than most tape runners, such as Tombow Mono Adhesive or SU's SNAIL adhesive, it's quite easy to get used to. I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive about using the ATG when I first got it, but it didn't take long at all to get used to it--I even use mine on really small pieces of card stock! I thought for sure it would be top heavy, but it really isn't! I'm not exactly the most coordinated person, but all you have to learn about the ATG is to put the unit on your card stock, squeeze the trigger, pull the ATG across the card stock, release the trigger, and lift the ATG off your project. That's it!

When used with card stock, it's fairly easy to lift a layer that's been adhered so that it can be re-positioned, and you can always just rub off excess adhesive that gets on your project where you don't want it. This is a REAL plus!

I'm happy to report that I have never had a project fall apart when I use the ATG. When I used the Tombow Mono Adhesive or SNAIL, I noticed that my projects, over a short period of time, would begin to come undone, and who wants that to happen???? As a SU Demonstrator, I feel a twinge of guilt for not using the SNAIL product, but I just don't have faith in it. If I won't use it, I won't demonstrate it and, fortunately, I won't say that about most SU products! When you compare the hold strength and cost of the ATG adhesive, I know of no other product that comes close to beating the ATG.

The best price that I've found for the ATG dispenser and tape is www.framingsupplies.com. I'm not affiliated with that company, nor do I get anything for referring people to their web site . . . I'm just a satisfied customer. I believe that a good adhesive is a very important tool for every stamper and/or paper crafter, and it's my opinion that the ATG is the best bang for your buck!

A BEAUTIFUL THING

The only name I know of for this card design is "Bib." The circular cut-out was created with the Coluzzle. If you're beginning to think that I like that tool, then you are correct. This is actually the first design I've made with the brand new "A Beautiful Thing" stamp set and Bali Breeze Designer Series Paper. Other SU products used include Scallop Circle Punch, Rhinestone Brad, Designer Label Punch, Taken with Teal, Basic Black, and Pumpkin Pie markers, Pop-Up Glue Dot, Slit Punch, Blue Bayou Double Stitched Ribbon, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White, and Old Olive card stock, and the 1-3/8" Circle Punch.

I KNOW "CLUMSY" ISN'T A HOLIDAY TUNE, BUT . . .

I just had to add it to the Playlist! That is my current favorite song and, since I never hear it on the radio, I needed a place to hear it whenever. Chadrick set it up as the ringtone on my cell phone, but I don't get many calls, and now I just want to let the music play when a call comes in. ;-) The first time I heard this song, by Fergie, I hated it! The DJ said something about this song being popular and a chart-buster or award-winning tune, but I just didn't see how. The other day I was shopping at Old Navy, and this song came on. I totally forgot what I was shopping for and fell in love with it. Chadrick really doesn't like Fergie, so I knew he'd be disappointed with my new fave, but he took it pretty well. Search for it in the Playlist and listen to it if you've never heard it. If it doesn't put you in a peppy mood, then I guess chocolate would be your only cure.

EDITED: Chadrick, being the dear, sweet son that he is, embedded the video for this song, so all you need to do is scroll down to the green box and turn off the music that automatically started playing, and then watch this video.

WE GOT ELFED!!!

What a fun thing to do for the holidays! Check it out at http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1423058294. I could have taken the time to choose better pictures, but . . . I didn't have time. ;-)

I also created one that included my parents, niece (Haley), and great-niece (Malena). http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1427682982

EMBRACE LIFE & GINGER BLOSSOM PAPER

If you've studied your Spring/Summer Collection Preview Brochure, then you have caught a glimpse of the Ginger Blossom Designer Series Paper and the "Embrace Life" stamp set. The flower image used on this card is from that stamp set and, of course, that delicious paper is from the Ginger Blossom collection! I used Crystal Effects to outline my flower, which was colored with the Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an Aqua Painter, and accented with a Blush Blossom marker. The doodles on the River Rock layer were created with a Basic Black marker. I used the Coluzzle to cut the three layered circles. That's another new product--in my stamp room--that I'm really enjoying!

BAREBACK & BUILD-A-BRAD

If you haven't tried Build-a-Brad yet, you're cheating yourself out of a quick and fun embellishment! On this card, I stamped one of the star images from "Starstruck" onto Kraft card stock, punched it with the 1/2" circle punch, and made a brad that coordinated with my card design. BTW, this card features the "Bareback" stamp set which, sadly, is retiring. I'm not much of a horse enthusiast, but this little stamp set is great for masculine cards. I used the "Weathered" background stamp on this card and, of course, the sentiment is from "Define Your Life."

CHRISTMAS "CRACKER"

Goodness! It's been a while since I posted to the blog, huh? Sorry about that! It's been a busy time, and I'm sure you've been feeling the squeeze and rush, too. This "cracker" is one of my newest projects--just completed it a few minutes ago--and I wanted to post it here. This is no small package! From end to end, it's approximately 10.5" long, 2.5" deep, and 2.5" wide, and it is filled with my favorite Truffles . . . milk chocolate with a "smooth melting white filling." This is my grandmother's favorite Truffle, too, and this Cracker is for her . . . unless I decide to make another Cracker with a snowman theme. I really should since the Truffles are wrapped in white and blue paper with a snowman image. I'll try to do that tomorrow and decorate the project with a little more umph. This is actually an easy project to make! I used my Scor-Pal, which I L-O-V-E. Begin with a piece of 12x12 card stock, score it at 2.5" intervals which will leave a 2" strip on the end. Turn the card stock 1/4 turn and score vertically at 2.5" from each end. Trim the two ends that you just scored with decorative scissors. Fold on all scored lines to crease them well, and then place Sticky Strip on the 2.5" end of the card stock. Fold the project into a square with the 2" scored panel on the inside. Remove the protective covering off the Sticky Strip and secure the shaped box. After you have decorated the four panels, pinch one end of the card stock and tie closed with ribbon. Fill the Cracker and then pinch the other end of the card stock closed and tie with ribbon. That's it!