Catching up.....

What a week!!  Lots going on.  And looking forward to the coming week.

First I'd like to share the card I've created for the current Papertrey Playhouse challenge.  Thankfully Lou was able to jump in on short notice when I wasn't able to post.  I was out of town - more on that later.

PTI had a whole series of stamps they came out with last year - Year of Flowers - that culminated with the Dec images.  Poinsettia's have always been a favorite of mine and when I saw the images, and especially when I saw the DT projects, I HAD to have the set.  I'm finally getting a chance to play with it thanks to Lou's challenge.  I went back to the original projects that I'd loved to create this card.  Dawn's card was a favorite with the music background and Nikki's simple design and beautiful coloring wouldn't leave my mind.  Here's my version.

This coloring was especially fun.  I looked up images of poinsettia's to use and found a great shot of a beautiful mixed color plant here.  It was hard to pick just one!  But I used the first image for my inspiration.  Lots of colorless blender, a few reds, Music Impression Plate and some fussy cutting and it was practically done.

Mel really liked it.  Asked if it was our Christmas card for this year.  Only if I manage to color 2 or more a week for the next few months!  I just can't be ok with coloring one and copying it.  I just don't think they look the same.  *sigh*

The other stuff that's been going on:
- A fast trip to Vegas to hang with Sara Mayes - one of the coolest, most interesting people I've been lucky to know.  She was there for RollerCon.
- I'm looking into joining roller derby.  Just being around it so briefly was nearly electrifying!  I'm going to expect everyone to come out to my matches once I start!
- I'm so glad that I met Officer Perea on Thursday rather than Wednesday this past week.  As I mentioned before, when you don't think about something it doesn't happen but when you do, you're doomed to have it occur.
- Additional proof: Wed on my way to Vegas was done top down and generally at speeds over 90 with a top of 120.  (That was when I was passing only.  I swear!!)  I made it in record time - only 4 hours.  Thursday's return trip had the top up (I decided that more sun on my sunburn from the day prior was a bad idea) and the cruise set just under 85.  I was driving much more sedately than my stupidity of Wednesday.  Lost in thought and not paying attention, outside of Kingman he was hiding in some bushes.  Sure enough he pulled out and shortly thereafter hit the lights behind me.  *sigh*  Somehow, miraculously, he just gave me a warning.  If Mel hadn't been mentioning getting a ticket every single time I talked to him on Thurs I'm sure it would have happened.
- Besides the close call with Officer Perea, the colors in the sky as I was approaching Wickenberg were just AMAZING!!  I wish I'd had my camera so I could have tried to capture them.  And I saw two of them most interesting & unusual rainbows in my life.  One was almost like there was a hole torn in the clouds and the rainbow was just peeking thru.

PTI Stamp a faire Challenges #9

I just had to do the last challenge for the Stamp-A-Faire.  This one is so super simple but I really like it.  Even made Mel grin.  I looked at this card of Debbie Olson's for coloring tips. 

Challenge 9 asked us to turn our stamps in a new direction.  Again, this isn't ground breaking but it is different.  I used one of the frame images from Button Bits horizontally rather than the traditional vertical orientation.  I also combined Wonderful Words Additions, Friendship Jar: Spring Fillers & Enjoy the Ride with Fiskars Script Alphabet.  Some Bitty Box Basic paper to add a little more color and it was done.

PTI Stamp a faire Challenges #1, 4 & 7

3 in 1!!  Fitting since I'm watching an episode of Bones that dealt with basketball players.  :)

This isn't the mos innovative take on these challenges but nothing ever said they had to be right?!

Challenge 1 was to create patterned strips, challenge 4 was all about creating with Ripe Avocado, Simply Chartruese, Hawaiian Shores and Enchanted Evening and challenge 7 was to layer images from 2 or 3 sets.

PTI products used for this card: Rhythm & Soul, Background Basics: Sheet Music, wood grain impression plate

PTI Stamp a faire Challenges #5

Right now this means I have 3 more of the 9 challenges to do & I'll have played in all of them.  Even if I'm to late to enter Nichole's contest I may just do them.  I'm enjoying the creative stretching this is providing today.

This one is for challenge 5 that had us creating a border using a non-border style stamp.  I used the Fillable Frame 6 stamp to create the swirly border that houses the apples.  Fruit Fusion: Apple and it's matching die.  I also did a bunch of selective inking to get the various colors on the stamped apple.  The red dot paper is from Bitty Dot Basics.

I'm not sure this is my favorite creation from today but there are things I like about it.  And I'm starting to find some things I like about the photo light box.  It seems that if I have the kitchen & dining room lights on the photos are less shadowed.  And this time I used the macro setting on my camera.  Slowly but surely I'll get it figured out.

I'd also like to share the first card I created today.  Friends of ours unexpectedly and abruptly had to put their dog to sleep.  Even though it's been a number of years since we dealt with this, I know how much this hurts.  It sounds trite, but it really is true that she's still with you and always will be.

This one used the Sending You stamp set & die as well as paper from My Mind's Eye and K & Co with dark brown twine.

PTI Stamp a faire Challenges #6 & 8

I was able to do 2 challenges in one on this card.  And I'd better hurry up production because the challenges close at 10 pm my time!

Challenge 8 had us trimming an inch off of the side of our card.  I wanted to do this with a twist.  Most cards with this design feature usually open on the side across from the short edge.  I choose to have mine open from the top instead.  I've also included challenge 6 that had us use notches to hold twine, ribbon or what not.  This is something I really like and need to make sure to use again.

This card features PTI Distressed Dots paper, Spiral notebook die, Mat Stack 1 stamp and one of the butterfly dies. 

I've left all of the cards I've created today blank, with out sentiment.  So many times I find I need a card quickly but don't have anything ready made or enough time to create something.  Having a stash of blank cards that just need a sentiment stamped on them should help me solve that little problem.  Why didn't I think of this earlier??!

PTI Stamp a faire Challenge 2

Challenge #2 was to create with bright pink & grey.  This is my version.  PTI Bitty Box Basics, Larger than Life stamps & die.  Something else to note - I liked the Half & Half dies from the July release but choose to forgo them for a variety of reasons.  But I did get to wondering if I could use my Spellbinders dies to create a similar effect.  Happily, I can.  This will show up in a future class I'm sure.

Second time taking photos in the light box.  This time it was plenty dark in  kitchen/dining room and I definitely got a different result than the first time.  I took 4 photos all together.  This was the first where the flash popped.  I don't really like the washed out look but the other 3 I liked even less.  One more thing to spend some time playing with.  :)

PTI Stamp a faire Challenge 3

After making home made pancake puppies for breakfast (super yummy!) I've decided to while away the day creating.  And to challenge myself (no pun intended) I've decided to play along with the challenges that Nichole is putting on her blog each hour.  Sometimes I need to be creative that's not related to classes.  These challenges are perfect for getting creativity flowing.

I saw this card on Heather Nichols blog a little while ago and liked the design so much I used it for the most recent DIEnomite! class.  It's just so versatile & classic.  She created another card utilizing the same design and it's the basis of Nichole's third challenge for today.  Here's my take on it.

Plenty of PTI goodies here.  Happy Trails stamp set and die, Picket Fence die & wood grain impression plate, Botanical Silhouettes & Mat Stack 5 die.  One thing I did to keep the continuity between the outside and the inside is that I stamped the butterfly inside the card as well as having it die cut & dimensional on the front.  This made the "trail" make sense whether the card is open or closed.


This is also the first time I've been able to use my new photo light box kit.  Took just a minute to set up.  I'll need to iron the backings so I can get rid of the creases.  Hopefully you'll over look them until I get the chance.  :)  Look for more challenge entries as the day goes on.

August DIEnomite!!

Ok.  I admit it.  I REALLY, REALLY like the technique that I'm featuring in August.  It was hard to choose only 3 variations of it to use to create the projects with. 

Embossing has always been one of my favorite techniques.  But so often I don't have or can't find just exactly the design I want for a project.  Not any more!!  We'll be learning how to create our own embossing "plates" using a wide variety of tools - most of which you've already got!!

Join me in class and we'll talk about tons of options using this technique.  You can see the other 2 projects on the Class Projects tab.  And my complete class schedule can always be found on the left side of the blog.

Hope to see you in class!

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Thank You set challenge

The last Papertrey Playhouse challenge was to create Thank You cards or even a set of them.  While poking around it dawned on me I'd done exactly that.  Only it was a month or so ago.  But since they fit the challenge & I never posted about them I'm submitting them for the challenge!

I created these Thank You's to send to the companies and special people I worked with when I was repping to thank them for the opportunity to work with them.  I had a basic design in mind but allowed myself to play a little bit with it.

I started with a kraft cardstock base - I cut them so I had both a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 and a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 orientation.  That allowed me to use both frames in the PTI Framed set and vary the orientation of the sentiments.  I used the "thanks so much" sentiment from the Mega Mixed Messages set in the opening of the frame.

A variety of my patterned paper scraps where cut to fit inside the frame and then butterflies were cut out of contrasting solid cardstock using PTI & Spellbinders dies.  A stick pin was inserted thru the bodies for some interest.

Somehow I made to many of them so I created two different sets and have made them available thru my Etsy shop.  If you'd like to see each card individually please click on Link for my Etsy shop. 

What I've been up to.....

It's been a busy last week or so.  I had my best friend from high school's oldest daughter in town for a week.  We did all kinds of stuff - Sea Life, art museum, Botanical Garden and more.

Here's Emily overcoming a major fear and touching a snake at the Botanical Garden  :)

Besides all of that I've been trying to categorize all the different sentiments and word stamps I have.  Talk about a nearly overwhelming task.  But I'm trying to do it a little bit at a time.

I'm using a 6x6 SEI album.  Because I needed it to be more expandable than it comes, I punched holes thru the covers and put book binder rings thru it and the page protectors and stamped pages.  I set up a template on the computer that would fit inside the page protector and did 2 columns of numbers.  Then I listed the name and manufacturer of each stamp set I have.  Oy Vey!  I have A LOT of stamps.  Way more than I figured.

And now it's just a matter of stamping each sentiment, word or phrase in each set onto the pages in the proper section.  I've only stamped 40 sets so far *sigh* and have about a million more to go it feels like.  So that I can easily identify which set a particular sentiment comes from I've written the number next to it that corresponds with the number next to the stamp set on the list.  Each section is for a different category so I can quickly flip to the type of sentiment I need.  And because it's actually stamped I can easily see if the size and style will work for my project.

This should be a great resource once it's done.  Wish I'd thought of it sooner so it would be easier to put together.  But I suppose better late than never right.

I also made a fun smashbook style album for Emily of her trip.  All she's got to do is print out the pictures she wants to use and put them in it.  I had ssssooooooo much fun making it.  No rules.  No overthinking.  No need to keep class possibilities in mind.  And using lots of ephemera from our adventures.  There are to many pages to put it on the blog so I've created an album for it.  Here's the link if you'd like to check it out.  I put notes about some of the unusual items I used on each of the photos.

More class pictures coming soon!

Stamp Exchange

Playing with an idea.  Wondering what others might think of it.

With so many Copic classes regularly I'm running out of stamped images to feature in class.  And I can't always buy more stamps.  And after being challenged to use 2 images that I wouldn't normally have gravitated to with good results, I got to thinking about ways to capitalize on that.  I know lots of people with stamps.  Why not exchange stamps with some one or several someone's for a few weeks??  It'd be a good way for both of us to try something new with out buying it.

Doing an exchange after a Copic class or during one of the Girls Nights would be super easy and also give an easy time frame for the exchange & return.  If anyone's interested please let me know and I'll work on arranging it.  Also any thoughts or suggestions or ideas on this please send them on.

Off to Frenzy Stamper......

I've got just a few minutes before I head out to go over to The Frenzy Stamper for classes today and thought I'd take them to post the projects for next months classes over there.

Debbie challenged me to use a stamp I'd seen but hadn't really given much thought to.  And I was happily surprised to find that I had an idea and was able to make it come to life pretty much as soon as I got home last month.  Totally unusual for me!  But with thoughts of my good friend, Sara Mayes, and scenes from the movie Whip It! in my head it's really no wonder it was easier than I expected.

This one just makes me smile.  Though the image may be small there are still some techniques utilized on it.  We'll talk a little bit about coloring skin, we'll be doing some shading, adding color to make white pop, popping an image with an outline color and tip to tip coloring/blending.  Not bad for a sassy little skater girl!

Check out the other two images on the Class Projects tab.

I've also posted the next projects for the DIEnomite!! class at Frenzy over there.  And on a happy note - I'll now be able to bring dies with me to class for you to purchase.  Preorders are best as I'll only bring a very limited selection of dies.  You can contact me or the store for preorders.