BUGGY BIRTHDAY CARD FOR MALENA

My great-niece, Malena, is having a birthday next Friday, and I wanted to make a special card for her. I don't get to see her very often--and miss her a LOT. While her mother was deployed, she lived with my sister and got to come visit from time to time, and she really enjoyed coming to my house! For one thing, Chadrick and my nephew, Bryson, were here for her to play with (or annoy), but she enjoyed stamping (she has her own stamps here) and playing with the die cut machines (with me, of course). So, I had to make a special card for her! Malena enjoys bugs, so I had to get in her Nana's (who is my sister, Renee) stash of stamps and pull out the "Bugs & Kisses" stamp set. I couldn't just make a plain buggy card for Malena. Oh no! She deserves something special, so I decided to make a Waterfall card. They're not hard to make, and they're very fun to receive! SU products used to create this card include Pretty in Pink, Purely Pomegranate, and Close to Cocoa card stock, Berry Bliss designer paper, Chocolate Chip Craft ink, Clear embossing powder, heat tool, Pretty in Pink eyelets, Crop-a-Dile, Slit punch (to create the inverted corners), and "Bugs & Kisses" stamp set.

MAGNETIC BOOKMARK

I'm supposed to be cleaning--and I have done some cleaning on my desk--but I had to CASE this cute little bookmark! It's a strip of Only Orange card stock (1-3/8" x 3-1/4" folded in half). Two small magnetic squares are adhered to the card stock on the inside. The floral image is from "Time Well Spent" (level 3 hostess set), and I stamped it with black StazOn ink onto Whisper White card stock. To color the image, I used SU's watercolor pencils, Gamsol, and a "stump." FYI . . . a stump is tightly compressed paper that's shaped like a pencil with a formed tip, on at least one end, and is used to color/blend, I suppose, with a variety of art mediums. I used the pencils to put some color on the stamped image and then blended with Gamsol and the stump. Doodles and dots were added, and then I used SU's small tag punch on the white card stock, which was adhered to the Only Orange card stock. I then used scissors to trim the top corners to shape, punched a 1/4" square hole for the ribbon, and called this project "complete." Why use Gamsol to color/blend? I don't really know. I honestly don't see the significance of it. Yes, the colors are vivid, but I personally think this same look can be achieved with an aqua painter and/or blender pen with, particularly, SU's watercolor pencils or Stampin' Pastels.

AN ACCIDENTAL SIMILARITY

This dragonfly card is one I made to send to one of my Demonstrator friends whom I swap with each week. You'll notice there isn't a lot of stamping on this card; instead, it's pretty much made up of doodles, punches, and bling. Whenever I reach for a punch, my mind just seems to relax because the "work" is being done for me. Love that! The second card is one that I made to send to my grandmother. She hasn't been feeling well since the first of the year, so I try to send a card to her from time to time. You know what a nice feeling it is when you send someone a card and then when you visit, you find the card on display in their home? Well, that's what it's like when I go to mamaw's! She doesn't just have the most recent card out where she can see it, she has a lot of my cards sitting around. Sometimes cards can take a lot of time and product, and you really don't mind that "investment" when you know that your creation will be appreciated--and kept. For mamaw's card, I used a non-SU stamp and a design that was 99.9% CASE'd. I know . . . shame on me . . . but I made someone's day a little brighter, so that makes it okay. Isn't it odd that these two cards--made for two special people at two different times--both have the same shades of color? Purely accidental!

WHAT'S A COOTIE CATCHER?

Do you remember making "cootie catchers" when you were in school? I can't remember ever calling these things cootie catchers--seems to me they were fortune tellers or something like that. Anyway, each little pocket had something written on it that was the answer to your question or a prediction for the future. Truth be told, I don't think I was ever able to fold one of these things. Back then, notes from friends were even cleverly made! I had friends who would pass funky-folded notes to me, and I always enjoyed getting those little parcels, but dang if I could ever fold them! Just like those little yarn tricks! Remember how girls would take a piece of yarn and just go to town winding it around fingers, in and out, up and down, taking it from this finger and moving it to that finger, making all kinds of nifty creations? I could never do those either! BUT . . . these little centerpieces are being called Cootie Catchers, and I was finally able to make one! I wasn't sure if I should add a skewer decoration for height, and I kind of think I shouldn't have added one. The skewer wants to fall over, and that disappoints me. When it's upright, though, it looks pretty cool, huh? SU products used in the making of this project include Berry Bliss DSP, 5-Petal Flower punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Trio Flower punch, On Board Blossoms & Basics (chipboard flowers), various ribbons, Mini Glue Dots, and Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, and Purely Pomegranate card stock.

AN EASIER BASKET AND A SNEAK PEEK, TOO!

I was all ready to go to bed, and then it happened . . . I found another basket to try! This one was much easier, although a process in and of itself. I couldn't walk away, though. So, at least one hour later, here it is. You'll notice it doesn't have much decoration, but what you see is actually a sneak peek (I think). Die cut flower pieces (cut from textured card stock) are layered on both handle sides of the basket, and these little gems, if I'm not mistaken, will be available March 1 from the "Occasions" mini catalog. I've ordered so many new products lately that I can't keep them straight, so forgive me if I'm mistaken. They're quite awesome! I laid them all out this afternoon and took a picture, so I'll try to remember to post it on March 1st. Feel free to remind me, though. This basket was created with So Saffron Textured card stock, metallic brads, Chocolate Chip Classic ink (sponged on the strips of card stock), and Die Cut Blooms.

A TISKET, A TASKET, A PAIN OF A BASKET

My "mission" today was to try weaving a basket with strips of card stock. I saw one on a blog last week, and I loved it! It didn't look too complicated. [inner child ROFL] I saw those ladies at the Southern Christmas Show making baskets, and they looked as if they could make them while blindfolded. My grandmother learned to make them years ago--real ones--and she made some gorgeous baskets--all sizes--and I still have the ones she gave to me. And I shall surely treasure them more than ever! OMG! What a royal pain this basket was! Mamaw, thank you for every basket you ever GAVE to me. I will never understand how you forced yourself to make basket after basket OR how you could give them away. Mine, as loosely woven and crooked as it is, shall not leave this room! I'm pleased that it does, indeed, look like a basket, and it will surely hold some things (if they're not too small to fall through the loose weaving). I figure this basket is perfect for holding cotton balls. I apologize for the poor quality of the photo, but I guess I'm too adled to even take a decent picture.

THE LAUGH IS ON DAD . . . AGAIN

DRIVING WITH DAD
A father, who worked away from home all week, always made a special effort with his family on the weekends. Every Sunday morning, he would take his 7-year old daughter out for a drive for some bonding time. One particular Sunday, however, he had a bad cold and he really didn't feel like being up at all. Luckily, his wife came to the rescue and said that she would take their daughter out. When they returned, the little girl anxiously ran upstairs to see her father. Well," the father asked, "did you enjoy your ride with mommy?" "Oh yes, Daddy" the girl replied, "and do you know what? We didn't see a single dumb bastard or lousy shit head!"

LAUGHING OUT LOUD

This is just too funny not to share!

DAD AT THE MALL
I took my dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes. We decided to grab a bite at the food court. I noticed he was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors: green, red, orange and blue. My dad kept staring at him. The teenager would look and find him staring every time. When the teenager had enough, he sarcastically asked, 'What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?' Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response, knowing he would have a good one. And in classic style, he did not bat an eye in his response . . . "Got drunk once and had sex with a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son."

Arlene wins the award today for making me look like an idiot, laughing out loud--alone in this room--as I read this joke she sent to me.

THINKING AHEAD TO EASTER

It seems that by the time holidays arrive, I'm surprised they haven't already passed because I start working on them so far in advance. Easter, I'm sure, will be no exception, plus it's really early this year! This morning, I decided to make a little Easter treat! You can probably tell from the picture that I used textured card stock . . . I think it makes stamped images appear as though they're stamped on canvas. Of course, I had to use some glitter on my project, but this time I used Heat & Stick powder to hold it. Heat & Stick is a tricky product but, when used correctly, it works like a charm! The glitter, in real life, isn't as dark as it appears in the photo, and it is SO SPARKLY!!!! I had a bear of a time getting a decent picture today. Where is the sun when you need it???? How to make this cute project? I used a 4" x 11.5" strip of Pretty in Pink textured card stock, scored at 4-1/2" and 6-1/2". On the 4-1/2" panel, I used the Coluzzle to cut the oval window. A small cello bag (which SU sells) was used to hold the Hershey's Kisses, and the bag was stapled to the back panel of the project. The topper is a piece of 3" x 4" Old Olive card stock, folded in half, and I used the Corner Rounder punch to create the scalloped edge. The butterfly and "Easter Blessings" images were stamped with VersaMark ink, Heat & Stick powder was sprinkled on top, and then I heated the powder just until it melted. A Q-tip was used to apply the glitter, and I then re-heated to set the glitter. The tulips and stems ("Never-Ending Joy" stamp set) were stamped with Pink Passion and Old Olive Classic ink. I used the Crop-a-Dile to punch two holes in the topper, which was glued onto the top of the treat holder, and then put the Pretty in Pink 1/4" grosgrain ribbon into place. This project was finished off with a cross charm!

MORE "BOHO BACKGROUNDS"

This is a rather large card . . . 5.5" x 5.5" and, as you can see, I used the medallion image from "Boho Backgrounds" and, again, layered it by using a couple of punches. Aren't you LOVING this set????? Two other images from Boho Backgrounds were used on this card . . . the dotted background (they're actually tiny flowers, not dots) on the bottom of the Bashful Blue card stock and the floral background on the Wild Wasabi "carousel." Speaking of carousel, the semi-circle on the left side of this card is from a product that will be available in the "Occasions" mini catalog next month . . . "Carousel Notes." SU products used to create this card include Scallop Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, "Smarty Pants" stamp set, Bashful Blue Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/8" Circle Punch, Celery Glitter, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Bashful Blue card stock, and Carousel Notes (Wild Wasabi).

"BOHO BACKGROUNDS" NAME TAG

Go ahead and put "Boho Backgrounds" on your wish list. Better yet, move it to the TOP of the list. This is an awesome stamp set, and NO ONE should be without it! I'm going to a Demonstrator meeting and needed a name tag, and this is what I came up with. SU products used to make this tag include several punches . . . Scallop, 1-1/4" circle, Boho Blossoms, 1/2" circle, Corner Rounder, and 1/4" circle. Other products used include Rough Edges Alphabet, Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip, and Very Vanilla card stock, Chocolate Chip and VersaMark ink, Vanilla embossing powder, and Kraft Taffeta ribbon.

WANNA SEE THE "COWBOY LOVE" BOOK?

I put some finishing touches on my book during the wee hours this morning, but I hope to add more embellishing . . . as I think of what to do. I'm not thrilled with the binding, but it will suffice for now. I really like how this project turned out, and it has been quite an obsession! There's not a lot of stamping in this project, but SU's retired "Bareback" stamp set really came in handy! I said to no one but me, "I do believe this one just paid for itself!"

SO MANY SCALLOPS (Peppermint Patty Box)

This little box holds two Peppermint Patties--yes, it's pretty small. I didn't really do much to decorate it . . . I used a Gold Leafing Pen to add gold highlights along the edges and scored sections of the card stock, put the scalloped circles in place, and tied the box closed with Gold Cord. I really liked how the stamped image turned out, and it was all by accident. This was the first time I used this stamp set ("So Many Scallops" - free SAB set), so I stamped it twice on Whisper White card stock. It was stamped with Gold Metallic ink the first time and Rose Red Classic ink the second time. I used the Scallop Circle punch on the Rose Red image, and then I used the 1-3/8" Circle punch on the center of the gold stamped image. I didn't really like the way these two pieces looked, so I decided to use the Scallop Circle punch on the remainder of the gold stamped image. Remember . . . I had already punched the center out? Basically, it was like a golden scalloped wreath! When I positioned it on top of the Rose Red image, I turned it so the scallops weren't lined up, and this allowed some of the Rose Red ink to show itself around the scalloped edge. Neat, huh?

"LETTER TO ME"

My current favorite song is "Letter to Me" by Brad Paisley. The video for this song is at the bottom of my blog . . . just above my "Stampin' Good Tunes" music player. If you'd like to watch the video (and you MUST watch it!), be sure to turn the Stampin' Good Tunes player off. If you're looking at the player list with the blue background, there's a tiny button that has two little bars on it--this button is on the far left just above the blue section of the player. Press that button until it changes to a right-pointing arrow.

"DON'T BLINK" VIDEO

I love this song, and the video just puts the lyrics into perspective. Since my blog music automatically plays, just scroll down and turn off the blog player so you can enjoy this video.

More Videos

ROCK-A-BYE BABY

For someone whose friends have pretty much "aged out" of the baby years, I am really enjoying this "Nursery Necessities" stamp set--mainly, the sailboat image. Chadrick had a sailboat nursery (many years ago), but we used primary colors "back then." On this card, I added some fun doodles, and I think they add just the right amount of "umph" to the card. I had a hard time deciding which color of ribbon to use so, believe me, the Certainly Celery looked best. BTW, the size of this card is 3" x 6" and it fits SU's Small Open-End Envelopes. Other SU products used to create this card include Scalllop Circle punch, Pop-Up Glue Dots, Metallic Brads, and Mini Glue Dots.

"LOVE" WORD BOOK/ALBUM

How cool is this???? I love the way this book came together, and it isn't even finished . . . or together . . . just yet! There are four pages, of course, and the pages get progressively larger. The first page, the "L", is the only one that has holes punched (and jumbo brads) for now, but I'll eventually add pictures, journaling, and embellishments to the whole thing. I just haven't figured out what I want to do with it. I had an idea, but Chadrick--politely, yet adamantly--asked me not to go with that idea. ;-) I used the Cricut and DesignStudio software to cut each of the pages from thin chipboard and then cut each letter/page two more times from designer paper so I could cover the front and back of each page. For this, I used a decoupage glue. One the front and back of each page, I used a sanding block on the edges to distress them a bit. This word book is 6" tall, and the largest page ("E") is 11" wide. SU products used to create this book include "Outlaw" designer paper (retired), jumbo antique eyelets, and the Crop-a-Dile. BTW, the "Eastern Sky" designer paper in the current SU catalog has the same patterns/designs as the retired "Outlaw" designer paper--it just has different colors.

MY FIRST "ONESIE"

What could be sweeter to make than a baby card? I made this one for a baby shower, but I'm thinking about keeping it. Is that wrong? Okay, so I'm a selfish person . . . but I'm a selfish person with a cute Onesie card! Hee! Hee! I don't really like the sleeves--they make my onesie look like a kimono onesie, and I'm pretty sure this baby isn't of Japanese descent. Feel free to make suggestions as to what I can do differently! I took this picture by the bedroom window--took several shots--but why on earth did I not notice the little "sun glare blemish" on my onesie???? Isn't it funny how the most obvious things only become obvious AFTER you look at the picture???? SU products used to create this project include white eyelets, Crop-a-Dile, Three for You Punch Box, Whisper White 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, score blade, and Pretty in Pink and Whisper White card stock.

I LIKES ME SOME GLITTER!!!

Okay . . . so maybe this isn't the prettiest card I ever made, but doesn't it have nice glitter appeal? I really like the glitter!!! On the two small stars, I used Orchid and Celery from the "Fine Cosmo" glitter set, and I used Dazzling Diamonds on the larger star. What I'm learning about the new glitter is that the colors are very lenient. For example, my card stock colors are Sahara Sand, Perfect Plum, and Always Artichoke and, even though they don't perfectly match the glitter, they coordinate very nicely! This is very good news because there's most likely going to be a color of glitter that's perfect for your project and, if you're in doubt, just reach for the container of that trusty Dazzling Diamonds. To adhere the glitter, I used 2-Way Glue, which seems to work very well! After the glue dried, I used a brush to sweep away a little bit of excess. It's been my experience that using a Q-tip to pick up glitter from the container works well, and then I lightly thump the Q-tip to drop the glitter onto the glue. Once the glitter is on the gluey project, you can use the Q-tip to evenly distribute the remaining glitter and then tap off any excess which, hopefully, will be very little. Wouldn't want to waste this sparkly stuff! It's kind of hard to tell from the picture, but there's a Stampin' Dimensional under the two stars dangling from Natural Hemp Twine. There are also slivers of Dimensionals under the large star with the star-punched window. Other SU products used include Perfect Plum, Sahara Sand, and Always Artichoke Classic ink and card stock, large star punch, small star punch, Word Window punch, Classic Stars jumbo wheel, Cutter Kit (distressing tool), and Always Artichoke 1/4" grosgrain ribbon.

I LEARNED A NEW TECHNIQUE!!!!!

I LOVE this technique!!! It's called Magic Pattern. I need to make another card using this technique so I can be sure that I can teach it. This card got "built" as I went along, so I didn't really know where I was going with this one! I used Watercolor Crayons and an Aqua Painter to color the fisherman, and I used Watercolor Pencils and a Blender Pen to give the fish some subtle, coordinating color. I purchased the stamp set, "On the Fly," a couple of months ago, but this was the first time I've used it. I really like it! It's a small set, but it seems to have everything that you need to create a project. You know how some stamp sets are just like that? Other SU products used include Photo Corners punch, Coluzzle, Stampin' Dimensionals (under the fish), Always Artichoke, Creamy Caramel (sponged w/Chocolate Chip ink), and Chocolate Chip card stock, and the "Sanded" background stamp.

ANOTHER HEART POCKET

This time, the heart pocket is behind the main focal point, but the pocket is still accessible. To color the stamped image, I used an Aqua Painter and Classic ink (River Rock, Blue Bayou, Ruby Red, and Soft Sky). It's hard to tell from the picture

of the tag, but the "boat" is attached with Stampin' Dimensionals. The designer paper used on this card is from the "Western Sky" collection.

Z-FOLD HEART POCKET

I've been seeing heart pockets all over the place and decided to try one today. For this project, I chose the "Spring Silhouettes" designer paper, which is very pretty! SU products used to create this card include Soft Sky and Wild Wasabi card stock, Metallic eyelets, Ice Rhinestone brads, Crop-a-Dile, "Stem Sayings" and "One of a Kind" stamp sets, Photo Corners punch, and Stampin' Dimensionals. The scalloped ovals were cut with Spellbinder's Nestabilities dies and the Wizard.

GINGER BLOSSOM PAINT CAN

Well, check this out!!!! I walked in the stamp room this morning with every intention of cleaning up. And I did clean up a bit . . . just before I decided to make something. I was putting away some designer paper and came across my least favorite design from the "Ginger Blossom" collection. I thought, "Surely, there's a project that can make this paper look good!" What do you think? Did I find just the right project to make this paper worthy of the time it took to print it? I apologize for my profound dislike of this paper, but I can't imagine WHAT the designer had in mind! If it didn't have that horrid Pepto color, it could be quite awesome. I'm thinking this particular design should have been monochromatic, but I will admit that I'm quite pleased with how this can turned out. The pictures actually don't show the Pepto paper, but it's the one with the River Rock colored background and has the pink floral silhouettes--it's wrapped around the top half of the paint can. You'll notice I used some jumbo eyelets on the pink bordering paper. They're a retired SU product, and I used the Crop-a-Dile to set them. The cut-out flowers are from the "Embrace Life" stamp set, and I used a Spellbinders' die and the Wizard to cut and emboss the 3D butterflies. Other SU products used were River Rock double-stitched grosgrain ribbon, mini glue dots and pop-up glue dots. Having completed this project--and liking it--I now feel as though I've turned a wild, raging tiger into a docile, loving kitten.