In the West...

Did you ever take a mini-vacation in your mind?



I did today. I went "Out West" with my stamps as a diversion from some of the stamping "chores" I had on my plate today. I've had the Stampin' Up! Wanted stamps on the left for a couple of weeks and was just waiting for the right inspiration to use them. I came across the striped scrap of designer paper while cleaning my desk, and I knew what I wanted to do.

I whipped this card out up the Stippled Frames Technique from the current newsletter. It took me longer to find the oval template in my studio than to actually make the card! I put a little twist on the card, though, by using the template to dry emboss the stippled frame. I like how it turned out. Do you?



The second thing I "found" on my desk was this piece of veined marble (again, from the 8-07 newsletter). This card uses a the Kokopelli and Dance with your Spirit sets from The Angel Company. I added a thin line of gold glitter glue around the lizard and the veined marble, but you can't see it on the card. This is a "short" card -- the green and white panel are shorter than the white panel with the little lizards.

I hope you enjoyed sharing my mini-vacation to the wild west!

Swallowed by Swaps

Every two months I am swallowed by swaps! I host a swap based on the techniques from the current TJ newsletter. Each time, 30 - 40 people sign up. It truly is a joy to open the envelopes, oogle the artwork, and match cards to cards...

So why do I avoid doing it every time? I should have mailed these out last week -- but it was newsletter mailing week, and the special pricing I am running was in full swing. I truly did not have two seconds to add something to my "to-do" list, much less to actually DO the task.

But why do I put it off until the last minute? Is it the two hours I need to spend opening the packages, photographing everything, swapping the cards out and repackaging everything back up? I'm not sure, but I task avoid it every time. More than likely it is because when I get to the last few piles of cards I realize that I have one or two more to swap out than I have left available. It happens every time (and today was no exception!). I know how to fix the problem of course, but I always feel like a big dope -- I think maybe that is what I am avoiding! Repetitive stupidity.

The irony of this is that I love the cards I get from the swaps, and I actually enjoy swapping out the cards (up until the time I realize I am an idiot -- that part I don't like LOL). I even enjoy making the cards -- I try to participate in every swap and make a card for every swapper. This time I made four kinds, 40 in all -- but those were done weeks ago. Maybe i just don't like when it is over! In any case, you can see the swap cards from this issue here.

Here are two I really like! The one on the right was made by Korin Sutherland and uses Close To My Heart Stamps. Korin used the Reverse Prints Technique to make her card.

The card below was made by Cathy Johnstone using Stampin' Up! stamps for the Flap Fold Technique.

So another issue's swap ends -- I have 34 new cards and a floor full of swap debris to show for it!

Cards for a Contest...

Sorry these scans are crooked! Since all three of these cards are dimensional, they tend to scan a little crooked. Bear with me : )

I entered a contest recently that called for using one Stampin' Up! set to create three card samples. These were the cards that I submitted. I am pretty proud of these cards! I especially like the one above -- I think I am going to change the colors and make a bunch to have wedding cards on hand. I never seem to have those wedding cards when I need them! I also love the little pearls from the "pretties" kit -- I wish I had hundreds more - I would put them on EVERYTHING! The word "Adore" was stamped off the Tres Chic Background (Love that background - I say that alot, don't I?) --

The sample on the right is more dimensional than it appears in the scan -- the white medallions are popped, and the word "cherish" is punched through to the bottom of the card stock. I also added light green stickles (glitter glue) on the medallions -- it is really pretty in person!

One of the cards needed to be an easy card -- the sample on the right is my submission for easy. I love the look of the Tres Chic background as tone-on-tone on the chocolate chip paper. The word KIND is popped, too. I hope you enjoy looking at these!

And yes, I was a contest winner.

Blogger's Challenge, Week 4

This week's Blogger's Challenge was to create a gift bag or topper item -- anything that you might create to give a gift in.

I am not a make-a-bag type of person. Or at least I didn't think I was before I started this challenge.

I had fun making this, much to my own surprise! You gotta love stampin' - where else can you alter a plain white bag with so much dang satisfaction! Double-click on the picture if you would like to see more details.

The highlight for me was creating the Popcorn Scallop that I used to edge the bottom of the bag topper. I created a mini-tutorial below so that you can see how I did it. It may not be new to you, but it was to me!

Make sure to check out the other Blogger's Challenge Player's creations listed on the left side of the blog.
Happy Friday!

All stamps & paper, Stampin' Up!.

Creating a Popcorn Scallop

I love making scallop borders with the Stampin' Up! slit punch, but for the blogger's challenge I wanted something a bit less uniform, and more whimsical. So I came up with this easy way to make a border I like to call a "Popcorn Scallop." The card on the left uses the scallop I made for this tutorial : ) The blogger's challenge bag uses it, too. Here's how I did it...

Materials:

The Slit Punch

Card stock, 3/4" wide

Ruler

Pencil

Draw a line approximately 1/2" from one edge using the pencil and ruler. Then, line up the slot punch with the paper top and the line and punch the first scallop.

Now for the second punch. Move the slit punch down so that the bottom of the opening (the straight edge) is aligned with the bottom of the paper. Now, slide the punch to the right until the bottom of the first scallop is aligned with the left side of the half-moon, and punch the second scallop.

To make additional scallops, alternate moving the punch up and down, aligning the left side of the punch with the right cut from the previous scallop.

I like to flip my piece over frequently to do a reality check on the scallop placement.

When finished, attach to the project as desired.

The rest of the card...

I Just remembered that I was going to post this card from the sneak preview a few days ago -- and here it is! This is the Burnished Watercolor Technique from the Technique Junkie Newsletter. Hope you like it~

Stamps: (c)Stampin' Up!, With Gratitude Set

The card below was made for my BIL & SIL -- they just bought their first house... same technique : )

Stamps: Club Scrap, Interior Design Kit

August, a little early...

The August issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter was mailed today and the link for the subscriber-only online tutorials went live at 5-ish Wednesday. Technique Junkies can now view the tutorials for the newest techniques at their convenience.

There are some techniques I love in this issue...one being the Z-Fold card technique illustrated here. It is so easy, that even I -- one of the founding members of the "Folding-and-Motion Impaired Club" -- has mastered it! I can whip these cards out in no time - and I love that I am using bits and pieces of left-over designer paper pieces from my scrapbooking supplies.

The card above uses all Close To My Heart Stamps; the one below uses all Stampin' Up! stamps. Did you notice that both use the same format? Both use designer paper, texture from the Cuttlebug, and an oval center backed with ribbon.They look totally different, though, and I bet you didn't notice that until I told you, did you? I guess that is another reason I like the technqiue so much...

Give it a go, you will love it!