February Is the Month of Love

And so I'm starting it off with a Valentine that uses a totally cool embellishment Audrie sent me...the tiny key charm!

The heart with the key hole is from a Martha Stewart punch, and the text heart stamp is from StampinUp. I layered the punched heart using tiny dimensionals. The key is attached with a couple of small glue dots. I used a craft knife to tuck the edges of the glue dots under the key, so they barely show.

OLW77
Jennifer will be posting the OLW for this week. Thank goodness she's back and I don't have to do the odd numbers anymore! I will comment on all the cards for OLW75 and OLW76. Sorry it's taking so long.

Grab Bag Update
All but one of the large papercrafting grab bags are gone. All the scrapbooking bags are still available. Don't think that just because they have a small album or two that you have to use all the stuff for scrapbooking. There are plenty of stamps, card stock, ink, and embellishments in those boxes as well! For instructions on ordering, please go to the For Sale tab.

Use-My-Stamps Resolution and a New Inventory Plan
As I announced in January, my new crafting resolution is to use every image stamp I own. Again. Someone asked how I was going to keep track of which stamps I had used, and I realized that I didn't have a good answer for that. The first time around, I simply checked the stamps off in my stamp inventory, but as that inventory is hopelessly out of date and completely useless now, I didn't know how to track everything.

Soooo, now that I've purged a whole bunch of stamps, I decided it was time to do a new inventory, this one based on how I organize my stamps. I'll do a post soon with photographs of the new stamp storage categories and an explanation of the process for doing the inventory WITHOUT giving myself stamper's elbow. It'll be slow but methodical!



Supplies
stamps: SU (not sure of the set, though...I broke it up!)
ink: SU real red
paper: SU real red, PTI white
accessories: Corner Chomper, key charm (thanks, Audrie!), Martha Stewart punch

One-Layer Wednesday 74: Red and Pink

This week's One-Layer Wednesday challenge is to use red and pink...and ONLY red and pink...on a white card base.

Like this:

Any shades of red and pink will do, so feel free to use Bravo Burgundy or another dark red as a substitute for black or brown (as I did on yesterday's card).

Also, your card need NOT be a Valentine's Day card. Some people don't like Valentine's Day. I get that.

OLW74 Rules

1. A one-layer card is defined as a single piece of card stock folded in half. No other layers allowed.

2. Use any shades of red and pink ink. No other colors allowed.

3. Wow. I sound like a dictator.

4. Upload your creation somewhere online, and then link back to it using the InLinkz button on the sidebar of Simplicity.

5. Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!

Supplies
stamps: Inkadinkado (birds), Papertrey (Love Birds, hearts)
ink: SU real red, regal rose
paper: PTI white
accessories: half pearls, Corner Chomper

You Color My World

My apologies for this quick post, but today got away from me. Also, I tried adding this photo in Edit mode, and it wouldn't transfer for some odd reason. I've decided the internet gremlins are messing with my head. More apologies to all who get a red x in your email. Please click to the blog. It's a cool card, I promise!

This is a GREAT sentiment. Oh how I love it! Just think of all you can do with it! *squeal*

For my readers in the US of A, have a lovely long weekend! For everyone else, have a lovely weekend!

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Happy Trails, Grunge Me
ink: memento
paper: PTI
accessories: square punch, dimensionals

Inspiration Takes an Unusual Direction

A set of cards in Take Ten was made with peat pots...you know, those inexpensive pots for growing plants. Now, I kill pretty much any plant I touch, so no peat pots hang around my house. But I loved the pot texture as well as the white space of the layouts in the magazine, so I decided to see what sorts of exotic papers I had that might add some texture and fun to similar layouts.

Here's the first card I made, which shows off the lovely reedy texture and golden color of papyrus:

I punched the label shape (EK Success) out of papyrus and stamped the sentiment in VersaColor burgundy ink. Sometimes, dye inks will bleed on papyrus so I made sure to use the nice, thick VersaColor. The papyrus is attached to the card base with scor-tape. Then, I took a small wooden heart and tapped the Memento rhubarb dewdrop pad on it, stopping short of complete coverage to give a bit of a weathered look to it. That looked too plain, so I glued a small knot of Papertrey's dark twine to it...a love knot.

Oh how I love this card! Methinks I'll give it to my hubby for our 25th wedding anniversary next week.

I'll show you a few more of my cards inspired by the peat pots over the next few days. In the meantime, why not look through your own paper stash for unusually textured pieces in natural colors to play with?

Inspired Goodness...and a Way to Use Ribbon Scraps!

Today's post contains four cards of my own making and one card--the one that inspired my four--from Card Creations magazine. Like I've said before, this issue of Card Creations is stellar, superb, out of this world! *squeal*

I can't contain my glee. Especially when such super-cool ideas as the one Vera Yates shares in this card send me into spasms of creativity.

You see, just the day before I saw Vera's card, I looked at my very full jar of ribbon scraps and thought, "Huh. You need to do something with those."

Then Vera's card then led me to do this:

HELLO!!!!

I used my Fiskar's Shapecutter system to cut the heart and Scor-Tape to adhere the ribbon to the card base. The stamp is from October Afternoon. The only two tips I have are 1) make sure your ribbons don't extend beyond the popped-up mat and 2) put plenty of dimensional tape around the opening in the mat so it doesn't sag. Also, if you want to do the faux stitching or tie a ribbon around the mat, do these things BEFORE adhering the mat to your card with dimensionals.

Just sayin'.

Since I had the Fiskar's out, I tried a couple more shapes. This leaf has a lovely curve that allows the sentiment to nestle in so nicely, don't you think? The sentiment is from Papertrey's First Fruits.

And what comes after Thanksgiving? Christmas, of course! I did Vera's faux stitching on this card and really like the effect with this much larger image, which required a 5" x 7" card. It looks sort of country-ish and warm because of the stitching.

Finally, I decided to try a punched shape, but found the restrictions of punches (that you can't punch anywhere on the paper...just on the edges) a bit frustrating. This 4.25" square card uses a big flower punch from StampinUp and button from Papertrey.

If you're looking at a huge pile of ribbon scraps, give this a try! Obviously, if you have a die cut machine and some interesting dies, you'll have more options than I have. If you have a Fiskars, you can certainly have fun. Punches are a bit harder just because of the narrow margins, but they still work.

But please, if you have a pear die, don't go there. Just don't. *wink*

Just a Note Variations on a Set: The Love Series

My new resolution is to use every set I own in four different layouts, so I pulled out Just a Note from Hero Arts for some fun office-supply themed cards. And then I proceeded to make this series of Love Notes, all using one layout. Please also note the use of 2.5 sheets of pretty in pink cardstock. GO, ME!

Whimsical Love

Elegant Love

Sweet, Yet Vaguely Obessive-Compulsive,  Love

Swirly Love

Directional Love

All the cards are top-fold, except the last. The arrow sort of required the card to open in the direction the arrow pointed, now, didn't it?

Which one is your favorite? I think mine is Swirly Love.

I didn't keep track of all the random hearts and sentiments I used. If you HAVE to know what one of them is, I'll try and figure it out. The notebook paper, however, is from the Just a Note set. I used a 1/8" circle punch to punch the holes, and popped each note on dimensionals.

Anyway, I have three more cards with this set to show you on Thursday. Tomorrow is, of course, One-Layer Wednesday. Hope you had a chance to play with Jennifer's OLW challenge last week!

Happy Valentine's Day Followed by Lunatic Ravings

For those of you reading this in email (which is now over a thousand of you...I'm still not able to process that number), you'll get it on Monday. So Happy Valentine's Day! For those reading it on Sunday, Happy Day-Before-Valentine's Day!

I love you all no matter what day it is. You know that, don't you?

Anyway, here's a very traditional red Valentine, with velvet ribbon no less. Now that I see it on the screen, I'm wishing I'd put a red rhinestone on top of the cage, even though in real life when I contemplated that, it seemed egregious. Oh well. I still love the velvety, romantic feel of this.

Although I do have to ask...why is it that two birds in a cage symbolize love? Love is a prison? Is this just a prettier version of ball-and-chain?


I'm not going to think about that too much.

Warning: If you want to read the following lunatic ravings that definitely result from thinking WAYYYYY too much and four days of non-stop cold medicine, please read on. If not, have a lovely Monday. I understand. Really. I do.

I've been contemplating the fact that there are so many wonderful options for stamping style for a long time. Despite the fact I am all about extreme CAS, I adore that there are so many fabulous options for stampers when it comes to style, and I enjoy perusing the different styles in magazines, at Splitcoast, and on blogs.

But there are times when it all becomes overwhelming. That's why, about five years ago, I decided to limit myself to two stamp companies: Hero Arts and StampinUp, mainly because they both had large catalogs and warned you when they were discontinuing product. I was still trying to define my style, and it felt easier to limit my choices. It was easier, and I have no regrets about that choice.

Since then, I've gradually added stamp companies, such as Papertrey, Mark's Finest, Shady Tree Studio, and Clear and Simple Stamps. I feel like I now know who I am as a stamper, and branching out feels right. I like experimenting, trying new things (even if sometimes some of you don't think those new things look like LateBlossom, LOL!). Trying new stuff and playing are integral to artistic growth...how stale and boring it would be to get in a rut and do the exact same thing over and over again!

Papertrey's anniversary festivities have left me feeling overwhelmed, though. I find myself scanning Nicole's blog posts rather than reading every word as I used to. At first, I thought it was the huge and diverse product line that PTI has developed, especially in the last year. There are so many designers that I can't keep track of who is who anymore. Many of the products they've introduced are products I simply can't use: the dies, for instance, and all the products that go with them such as felt. I participated in a PTI button share run by the fabulous Krystie Lee a few years back, and found that buttons are not exactly my thing. I love the look, but they're just too bulky to be practical.

And I'm nothing if not practical.

As I thought more about this, however, I realized that I also skim the Hero Arts blog now, though I still carry the catalog around like a blankey, seeking comfort and inspiration in its pages. And then it hit me...my brain needs repetition to feel comfortable. When a million things come at it all at once, there's no time to process everything. It's totally visual sensory overload on the internet. I can peruse a catalog at my leisure, over and over again. That's hard to do when the internet is overloading you images and new product scrolling down the screen as fast as you can finger the roller on your mouse, and each new click brings an avalanche of new stuff for you to look at.

A few days ago, I had over 300 unread blog posts in my Google Reader. I'm not keeping up with the contests at PTI because there are just too many of them, too many details, too much information. I would LOVE to win free PTI stuff. I could keep what I wanted and give the rest away on Simplicity to you wonderful readers who could use it. How fun would that be?!?!?!

I cleaned out my Reader, which now shows just two unread posts...one by Nancy at Shady Tree that I want to respond to and kept unread while I process what she has to say. My apologies to any bloggers whose stuff I missed in the rush to unload and clean out. I'm so happy when I can keep on top of things and comment when I can. Heck, I still haven't commented on all the OLW39 cards, and they were AMAZING!

I guess what I'm trying to say, in a convoluted and cold-medicated way, is that we are beyond blessed to have so many wonderful choices in our hobby. We just each have to find our own way of coping with the choices.

And it's all good. It really is all good.  

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Ink Love Birds
ink: Memento black, SU real red
paper: PTI white
accessories: velvet ribbon, rhinestones

If You're Sick of Red, Pink, and Black Valentines...

...why not try a tarty lime green and gray?

Pear Tart, by Memento, is my favorite green EVER, and now that I have the markers to go with the dew drop pads, I can edge a stamped panel, pop it up, and feel ever so clean and simple! 'Cause I've yet to find a cardstock to match this yummy shade of green....

Thanks for all the well wishes on yesterday's post. I'm chugging the cold medicine and eating lots of oranges and using my Vicks-infused Puffs. This too shall pass. Sooner rather than later would definitely be better.

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Love Birds
ink: Memento
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: marker, dimensionals

OLW38 Let's Get Sketchy!--Edited!

Edited to add: Go check out the other cards for this challenge and you'll see that Karen C. and I think exactly alike!

This week's One-Layer Wednesday Challenge is a a fun one...a sketch that is AWESOME! I had my brand-new Love Birds set from Papertrey out on my desk and thought, WHOA!!! That's perfect!

And it was!

I can't wait to see what everyone else does with it. There are just so many possibilities, so put on your thinking caps and get to stampin'!

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Ink Love Birds
ink: Memento black, SU real red
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: gridded acrylic block to line stuff up

Giddy, I Tell Ya!

About three years ago, I bought a set of photopolymer stamps at my LSS by October Afternoon called Love Notes. I intended the set for scrapbook pages and stored it with my small collection of stamps that I really only thought I'd use on pages, not cards. Fact is, I can't remember ever using this set before.

Well, yesterday, I pulled out that sadly neglected set and made this:


I'm GIDDY! And just look at that colored card base. Go, me!!!!!!

Design Discussion: White space doesn't have to be white. All that empty blue space is really white space. Really.

Supplies
stamps: October Afternoon
ink: Memories soft stone, SU real red
paper: SU bashful blue, PTI white
accessories: dimensionals, small hole punch

Where Am I?

Do you ever have that feeling that you're headed in twenty different directions all at one time, wondering what your name is and how in the world you'll ever find out because there's JUST TOO MUCH OTHER STUFF TO THINK ABOUT? Add to that the fact your dog died, and you'll understand how I feel right now.

Weird, huh? I need to push the STOP button, rewind and regroup. Fortunately, for this blog, at least, I have a bazillion cards already photographed and ready to post. But as for getting organized enough to do the two tutorials I want to post, well...let's just say my directions at the moment would read something like instructions translated from Chinese to English by a ten-year-old whose native language is Swahili.

This, too, shall pass. I thank you for your patience in the meantime.

One cause for my distraction and confusion is all the new product doing a Chippendale strip-tease before my eyes. Papertrey's newest release (OH MY GOSH!), the new StampinUp catalog (which I am still drooling over daily and have yet to order from because I can't make up my mind about anything right now), all the Mark's Finest Papers goodness that is already in my possession just waiting to be played with. Memory Box, A Muse, and Clear and Simple Stamps joined those first three on stage as well. Life is too short to do them all.

Do them all. Egads, I'm such a stampin' slut!

Anyway, to calm myself during the sneak peeks from Papertrey, I pulled out stamps of the office supply/school/book themes that I already have and played. Today's cards are two of the results. Please note the use of paper clips. I want extra credit for using supplies that have languished in my collection for far too long.


I didn't like the sentiment on the first card when I made it...it seemed a bit too busy for me at the time. So I went simpler with the second, and changed the color scheme to something happy and upbeat and friendly. Plus, I used a big brad: extra-extra credit, don't you think?


In retrospect, I like them both and wonder why I ever felt that first sentiment was too busy. Whatever.

I hope y'all enjoyed the MFP blog hop as much as I did! I've had a few people say they really don't like sneak peeks and find it frustrating to see stamps used long before there's a chance to buy them. I'd love to hear more opinions on this issue. My plan for now is to wait until about ten days before the August release to post peeks of the August stamps. That way, it won't be too long a wait until you can purchase them. But what are your feelings on this?

Supplies
stamps: SU Office Accoutrement, Hero Arts sentiments
ink: Memento (except the SU real red)
paper: PTI
accessories: flower and heart punches, brad, paper clips, dimensionals

A Totally Different Love

Yesterday's love was retro 70s; today's is, well, I don't know what to call it. Colorful? Dotty? Weird? I'm just not sure about this one (which is, I swear, the last 2x2 grid I'll throw at you for at least a month, cross my heart).

The large dot stamp is from Hero Arts, one part of a quatro set that I don't think I've ever used before. The same set has a wonderful small dot square that is fab and very, very useful, but the larger dots make me purse my lips. Not sure why. The letters are stickers to get max coverage over the teal ink especially. I wish I had a cleaner, crisper font to use here, as these letters don't quite fit the crispness of the dots.

I am NOT going sticker shopping. Just say, "NO," Susan. Just say, "No." Be strong.

Tomorrow's cards will go in a different direction...still squares, oddly enough, but totally different feel from these more mod designs. Intrigued? Hope so!

All You Need Is Love...

Taking Donelda's inspiration another step here. This simple one-layer card uses some 70's colors (burnt orange and an avocado-y green) and a mod stamp set from Hero Arts. The sentiment is from PTI's Mixed Messages set.

This Hero Arts set has me baffled. I've tried to use it several times and this is honestly my favorite card with them yet. They seemed like such a great idea when I bought them....

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

A Fun Challenge

Sue Berker offered up a challenge to me in the comments on this post to use the heart or the apple from A+ Darling, a set by Clear and Simple Stamps. She knew I had it because I won the giveaway on her lovely blog. Here are the results.

I had a total BLAST making cards to showcase these adorably simple, tiny little stamps. Thanks, Sue, for the wonderful blog candy!

(Note: The first two cards are standard 4.25x5.5. The last is 3.5x4.5.)

Supplies for Love You
stamps: Clear and Simple (heart), Hero Arts (sentiment), Papertrey (stem and leaves)
ink: Palette Noir, Colorbox chalk
paper: PTI white
accessories: scallop and circle punches, dimensionals, rhinestone

Supplies for Heart Happy
stamps: Clear and Simple (heart), Hero Arts (sentiment)
ink: Palette Noir, Colorbox chalk
paper: PTI white, SU real red
accessories: rhinestone, dimensionals, scallop scissors (to round corners slightly)

Supplies for Teacher
stamps: Clear and Simple
ink: Palette noir, Colorbox chalk
paper: PTI
accessories: rhinestones

CAS19 Redux and Chatter about Photographs

Here's a little card I made for CAS19 Sketch: Natasha's Pink Blooms and forgot to photograph. It's 4.25 x 4.25, which is a great size here in the US of A because it fits in a standard A2 envelope and doesn't require additional postage, like square envelopes do.

Well, my question about photo backgrounds was pretty conclusive: most of you prefer the colored background for white cards. The few who preferred the white background confirmed for me that I wasn't crazy, though. In the case of the card in my previous post, I like the white better, too, but only by a little bit.

For the record, I take most of my photos by the west-facing window in my craftroom, almost always in the afternoon. The window has a white sheer over it, which softens the light a bit. The light hits from the side (I position the card perpendicular to the window). My camera, a Nikon CoolPix, is set on macro (the little tulip icon) and I turn off the flash. If I have to shoot at night or on a really cloudy day, I use my Ott light and still supress the flash...which tends to make everything look yellow. The photo above was taken on a cloudy day without the Ott light, which accounts for its bluish tone.

I set up the background with two sheets of cardstock, one propped against a CD case holding clear stamps. With the white card bases, the background color sometimes distorts the white, especially blue backgrounds. I try to fix this as best I can in Picasa, but it's tough sometimes to get the card looking really white.

Have a great weekend! DH is planning a century ride tomorrow (100 miles on his bike), which means I'll get a little time in my craft room...assuming small children play nicely. Check out my blog Questioning my Intelligence for THIS POST about living with an Ironman triathlete. It's pretty funny, if I say so myself. ;-)

Supplies
stamps: Simply Said, Hero Arts (sentiment)
cardstock: real red, chocolate chip, white
ink: chocolate chip, real red
accessories: rhinestone, dimensionals

Happy Anniversary Card

My husband and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary in June. This is the card I made for him. It's very simple and self-explanatory!

Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts border, PTI heart
ink: SU real red
paper: PTI white
accessories: red gemstones, dimensionals, heart punch.