Sunday, December 28, 2008

Girly - Hang In There

I got an email yesterday morning that had a sketch in it. I printed the sketch and thought I saved the email but apparently I did not. So...if this sketch is yours let me know and I'll give you credit for it.

This card kind of took on a life of it's own. It's very unlike most cards I do. I generally don't do many "girly" cards. But I absolutely love how this one turned out.



What do you think?

The greeting is actually from Clear Dollar Stamps (and went with a set of squirrel stamps...but it worked here with the image). The dress is from a grab bag of unmounteds that I got at The Hampton Company. I used two different embossing folders (paisley on the background and swiss dots on the strip).

Hopefully I'll have time/energy to create something else today...otherwise this may be it for the week. (But it's a beaut!)

Jane

Saturday, December 27, 2008

A Little Thanks

These are the quick thank you cards that I made to give out to the folks at work who gave me gifts.



They are just little 3x3 cards. Simply stamped and colored and tied with a ribbon. But I like how they turned out and I was able to make 6 of them in probably 30 minutes or less.

So...what are YOU working on now that the holidays are over? Did Santa bring you any stamping goodies?

Jane

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

More holiday gifts!

I think I'm starting to run down on the items I've made for Christmas...so after this I probably won't be posting as often for a while till I've caught my breath! LOL.

This is my coworkers gift. She loves coffee. SO I bought a 1/2 pound of coffee beans for her. My dh thought I was nuts when he saw me pouring the coffee OUT of the bag (his reaction was "I'm not even going to ASK what you are doing"). Well I HAD to stamp the bag didn't I???? :-) I also included two spoons that my secret sister (Tara) had sent me in my package. They just worked so well with the coffee and they were so cute! I also added a "Java Jazz" CD...and the gift was good to go.



Here's a close up of the coffee and spoons. When I was all done I wrapped it in cello paper that had coffee cups and coffee beans on it.



And lastly, here are the Santa Pants containers. I ended up buying little 9 oz clear cups at Walmart. I wrapped each cup in 1/4 sheet of white tissue paper and stuck it in one of the pants pockets and then filled the cups with candy.



Aren't they cute!

Jane

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Rudolph Reindeer Boxes

I saw these on Chera's blog. They were so adorable that I had to add them to my list of things to make for my coworkers.

I simplified mine quite a bit (using googly eyes) but the overall affect was still the same. Note to those transporting these deer...their ears do not transport well! Yesterday I got to work and I had four earless reindeer! LOL. Luckily I'd brought glue dots with me and I glued their ears back on before giving them to my coworkers. I have to admit they looked pretty funny without the ears though!

Here's the front view:


Here's the side view:


Aren't they adorable???

Have a great day!

Jane

Monday, December 22, 2008

Bah Humbug

If you are easily offended...then you may not want to view this post. Since I've lost a subscriber due to my "Naughty Snowman" card I almost decided not to post this card. But then I decided I just didn't care. You can view it or not. You can choose to subscribe or not to subscribe to my blog. If you're offended by a card...then I'm not going to tiptoe around you. My reality is different than yours. I've used dark humor to survive a life that was often painful.

Christmas is NOT my most favorite time of the year. I lost my first pregnancy on December 23rd. My Mom spent her last Christmas in the hospital where they were prepping her for surgery the following day. She had no food and was drinking the stuff that makes you miserable because it cleans you out. I stopped by the hospital so she could see our son (then 6 months old but only the second time she'd had a chance to see him since he spent the first 3 months of his life in an incubator). She had surgery the following day where the incompetent surgeon nicked her bowel. She died a month later (January 31st) from sepsis - secondary to the perforated bowel. Also, this time of year is the time of year where I see little girls all dressed up and see all the little girl toys advertised. And I miss my daughters that passed away. I mourn the opportunity to raise a daughter. So, forgive me if my holiday spirit isn't all it's cracked up to be. I do try. (As you can see with all the holiday gifts for my coworkers...) But, once in a while, I need to do something that reflects the way I am feeling (instead of the way I'm portraying on the outside). And that is what this card is.



I don't know if you can tell or not...but I used dimensionals on the dogs back leg and it's tail so they stick up away from the paper a bit. I also left the snowman's hands loose so they stick out as well. I printed the saying on the computer.

Well, off to work with me. I do have some cute Rudolf boxes to post tomorrow.

Jane

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Santa Candy Bars

I have been busy working on little gifts for my coworkers. Last week they got the hot cocoa and the tic tacs. This week I have something planned for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.



Tomorrow they will get these adorable candy bars. My favorite part of these is how easy they are. These are the BIG candy bars and they were on sale at Fry's for $1 a piece last week. I just tore off the outer wrapper. Cut my red paper to fit around the candy bar. Tore some white the same height and put that down vertically, then tore some more white and layered it down near the bottom. Then I used black cardstock for the belt and for the buckle I used foil since I didn't have any silver cardstock. These came together in just a few minutes. No muss...no fuss!

Remember the "Santa Pants" I posted a few posts ago? I made three more of those yesterday. I used the larger 12x12 size. The pants themselves aren't much bigger but the measurements are easier. And they did go much faster after the initial pair. So that's just an encouragment for those of you thinking about doing them. I did three pairs in probably less than 2 hours. The original pair took me over 2 hours just for the one!

Are you done with everything for Christmas? I am so NOT done. Yikes! And half the people at work are taking time off this week so I'll be doing a lot of covering there as well. Should get interesting to see how I accomplish everything.

Have a great day!

Jane

Monday, December 15, 2008

Snowman Kisses Tic Tac Holders

This is the next project I created for my coworkers. I "lifted" the idea from Rochelle. You can see her sample and the directions for making these HERE on her blog.



I used her measurements. I think next time I might modify them a bit - maybe I had a different size box of tic tacs or something...but it seemed like I had a lot of space left inside the container. I used a snowman stamp (instead of punches like she used). And I cut out the center portion of the snowman instead of the bottom. So I had to peel part of the label off the boxes of tic tacs so the label didn't show through. But there was just something about calling them "Snowman Kisses" and having them come from the bottom of the snowman that seemed wrong! LOL.

Here's a top view so you can see the tic tacs inside a little better.



I also made covered candy bars this weekend...and still have plans for some Rudolph triangle boxes and more Santa Pants if I have time. But I'm quickly running OUT of time!

Jane

Friday, December 12, 2008

Hot Cocoa Packets

I'm trying to create a bunch of little things for my coworkers to lead up to Christmas. Luckily we are a small group (5 including me...so I really only have to make 4 of each item).

I saw these boxes on Debbie's blog and had to try them myself. I printed off her tutorial...got out my new Changito stamp that my secret sister sent me...and I was off and running! I love how they turned out! I made two of each color (red and green). For the inside I used a Stampin' Up set (Like it a Latte) for the marshmellows and the saying.

Outside:



Inside:




And just because he's SO DARN CUTE...here's a close up of the new Changito stamp! :-) Thank you Secret Pal (or not so secret now!)

Jane

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Naughty Snowmen!

I love how this card turned out! After seeing a very similar one on Splitcoast I just had to copy it. I was originally planning on making 3 of them (one for each of my brothers) but after the first one I determined it was such a pain in the butt that I'm making one and only ONE of them. I will just post it here and send them all a link to come view their Christmas card! LOL.

Here's the one I was inspired by

Here's mine:



On the inside I used the computer and printed "May ALL your holiday wishes come true!"

Enjoy! ;-)

Jane

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Simple, yet elegant

I totally CASED this card from Madeline on Splitcoast. You can see her card HERE. Her's is a little more fancy than mine. She used another layer (or two) and used a corner punch on her layers. But I like mine a lot just how it is!



I used a coluzzle to cut a circle in some cardstock and then used that as a reverse mask. I sponged in the ink and then stamped the snowflakes from my Stampin Up "Snow Flurries" set randomly. Then I punched out the top of the "ornament" from foil (didn't have any silver cardstock but hey it worked great!). I added the hook with a silver gel pen. The greeting is from Clear Dollar Stamps. Lastly I layered onto the card and added the bow.

Easy peasy and it looks really elegant. I could see doing this card next year for the holidays.

Thanks for looking!

Jane

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Santa's Pants

When I saw a link to these Santa Pants on Splitcoast I HAD to try my hand at making them. I will say that it went slowly and I was telling myself it wasn't worth it...all the way to the point of completion. But once I looked at the completed product? It was SO totally worth it! They are ADORABLE!



I think the sample in the tutorial by Kathie McGuire was actually stitched (and would have been much quicker to do). Instead I pierced all the holes and "faux stitched" with a silver gel pen. They used ribbon for the belt...I didn't have any black ribbon so I just used a small strip of black cardstock. And for the buckle I used a soda can tab.

I did see another sample HERE where they'd modified it and made it with 12x12 paper so the pants legs were a bit bigger. In their sample they did their stitching like I did - and they noted that they placed their two pieces of cardstock together so they could pierce two at a time and save some grief. Maybe I'll try that tip next time (assuming there IS a next time, LOL).

I was trying to brainstorm what you could fit in these for holiday gifts. Each leg is about 2x2inches wide by 4 inches tall.

Here were some of my thoughts...please share what YOU would put in the container if it were yours!

Generic: Candy Canes
Popcorn flavorings
Coffee flavorings or creamers
Coffee in one side and chocolate dipped stirrer spoons in the other
Hot cocoa mix in one and marshmellows in the other
Maybe some sleeves of homebaked cookies?

Female Gift: Bubble bath and lotion

Male Gift: ???? No ideas!

Child Gift: Colored pencils or markers

How is everyone doing on preparing for the holidays? I have my recipes printed for cookie baking day. I think I'll do that next weekend. Most of the kids' presents are bought. Still need stocking stuffers. And haven't even started on coworkers or friends. Can't afford much - so need to come up with some creative yet inexpensive ideas.

Have a great day. If you feel like a little bit "naughty" come back later this week and look for my x-rated snowman card. I'd originally planned on making one of these for each of my brothers...but once again...it was a LOT of work. Maybe I'll just send them a link to the card! LOL.

Jane

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Have you been Naughty this year???

I saw a card on Hambo Rubber Stamps blog and fell in love with it. I had to go right out and purchase the stamp and "stamplift" the card asap!

These aren't the best pictures (black card base against my black photo box) but I think you can still see where the card ends and the box begins. I know a few people who deserve one of these cards! :-)

Card one (pretty muchly a straight CASE of Monica's card):



Card two (same layout but different colors):



So...which version do YOU like better?

Jane

Monday, December 1, 2008

Monday...Monday...

Well, after a week off from work...it's time to go back (yuck!) It's dark and cold outside...and it's 6:30 a.m. inside. Double yuck! Although I should be thankful to have a job. Yesterday's classifieds was a total of 6 pages here...that included the legal stuff, the jobs, and the items for sale. Ouch! So, I guess I need to be happy and get up and go to work. Just wish I was a morning person (not a night one) and that my job was closer. Adding two hours a day of driving is for the birds. I did ask Santa for a Bluetooth compatible phone...maybe that'd help pass the time.

I guess you probably came here for artwork, eh? Not to listen to me babble. So...without further ado - here is my next creation...



The cute little giraffe and saying are from High Hopes Rubber Stamps. I absolutely adore their images!

Well, better go get showered and dressed. Need to stop and fill up the gas tank before I hit the road today. Have a great one!

Jane

Friday, November 28, 2008

Happy "Black" Friday

So...did YOU get out of bed at 4a.m. this morning?

Nope...not me! In general I hate crowds - they make me crazy. So I try my best to avoid shopping on Black Friday. I went last year with my sisters-in-law and it was ok to be out with other people...but certainly not worth doing just to do it and save a few bucks!

So...hmmm...if I HAD gone out shopping, what might my purchases have been? Some sort of digital photo frame for my mother-in-law, nerf guns for my boys (the longshot version on sale at Kohls at 50% off), and if I had mucho dinero??? A kitchenaid mixer for me!

I don't know why I suddenly got THAT urge but I've got it. But they are pricey (even for the "cheaper" versions) and I don't know enough about them to know what I "need". We (both dh and I...but mostly dh) makes homemade bread and pizza dough, I make double batches of cookie dough, I make homemade noodles (by hand right now but it'd be nice if a mixer could handle it), etc. So I know I want a version that is powerful enough to handle that...but don't know really what "wattage" that translates to. KWIM? My Mom bought us a mixer and I've had it for over 10 years (can't remember when we got it exactly...seems like I've ALWAYS had it...but know that we haven't...). It's starting to smell hot at times so I wonder how much longer it will last. I was surprised (while looking at Reviews on the Artisan version of the KitchenAid mixers) with how many folks had had problems with them...I've always heard so many good things...maybe it's this "version" in particular?

Well, I guess you REALLY came here to see artwork...not to listen to me babble. So, without further ado...here's another card I made recently.



This card features a House Mouse image (not sure the name of it...received the image in a swap). The greeting is from my new set from Clear Dollar Stamps. It is colored in with chalks (my favorite medium for the HM images).

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jane

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Good morning all!

After a few days of vacation...I think my mojo is coming back! (Either that...or it's the kick in the pants I got from all the bitchin' and whinin' I've been hearing from everyone about not updating my blog.) LOL!

I made three cards yesterday. I at least somewhat like all of them. A step up from a couple weeks ago. It seems like my creativity ebbs and flows at times. Maybe there is a creative "that time of month". :-)

Anyways, without futher ado...here is one of my favorite cards...in time for tomorrow (thanksgiving). This looks a lot better in real life. The overlay is a transparency with alcohol inks on it. I can't remember who the flower stamp is from. The saying is from Clear Dollar Stamps.



So...what are YOU thankful for this year?

I'm thankful for my family, that we have a roof over our head, that I have a job and an income that at least meets the bills, that I have a few good friends, and that I have puppies/dogs who make me smile.

Have a great day!

Jane

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

What I create when my mojo is gone AWOL!

These are the latest two cards I've created. The first one is SUPER simple. I was just trying to get stamping again. I used a sketch from a blog called Clean and Simple. I like the cards they made with the sketch....not so much mine! LOL. Actually it isn't horrible...but it certainly doesn't fulfill my creative mojo expectations! :-)

Here is the first card I made:



Then I decided to use a different sketch from the same site. The idea is to stamp in threes. Recently I received a stamp set from Clear Dollar Stamps and the cards used on this set are from that set. I actually do like this card...a little on the simple side...but sometimes simple is good. This would be easy to replicate for a set of notecards. To get the images lined up I actually used my paper trimmer! I put my paper in the trimmer but mainly used the ruler on the trimmer (I just didn't have a ruler). I stamped the middle image first and then went the same distance either direction and stamped the other cupcake. They are colored with copics and then covered in stickles glitter.



Tomorrow my son gets his cast off! I can't believe he will heal in 4 weeks time but I guess the doctor should know. We are fighting the insurance company. We pay $1,000 a month in premiums and the insurance is CRAPPY. We went to the first ER and paid our $150 copay. They were unable to fix his arm and transferred him to another hospital that had a pediatric ER. We were transferred there and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon inserted two pins in his arm and cast him. It is my argument that this should all be part of the $150 copay. We didn't choose to take him elsewhere...the facility was unable to fix it. But the second hospital billed it as an outpatient surgery (not an ER visit) and therefore the insurance is saying we owe a $2,000 deductible before they will kick in. Argh. I'm so glad I've paid over $10,000 so far this year for health coverage...yet they can't cover a $1,600 arm fix.

I've spent the last week just feeling very depressed over the situation. Not so much the $$ but the idea of never getting ahead. I worked hard all year at work, got a whopping 4% raise (the max we can get) and now that will all go towards a broken arm because my son played on the monkey bars! It just feels like whenever I take one step forward I get knocked two steps back.

Anyways, that is part of the reason I've been AWOL. Been dealing with some personal stuff.

Have a great day all!

Jane

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Finally...a card!

Well, this is cheating a bit - but I do have a card to share. This is the card I made with my new Sophie stamp a few weeks ago but then forgot to get a picture before I gave it away. The recipient was nice enough to let me borrow it back for a picture.

Without further ado...here it is!



I used the swiss dots cuttlebug folder and only inserted the paper about 2/3's of the way. Then I embossed two straight lines across the top of that area. It's a little bright but I like how it turned out. The cupcakes have "fluffy" frosting (liquid applique).

I did stamp a bit over the weekend...and maybe I'll even share that with you. I showed one of the cards to my husband and said "It's official...my mojo is GONE"...and he agreed with me! LOL. So, maybe I'll show you one of my less than mediocre cards. I guess not every card can be a winner...right? The good news is that I started two others and I think they are going to be better.

Have a great day all!

Jane

Monday, November 10, 2008

Random Pics

I really haven't had any creative juices for awhile. I feel like all my cards are looking alike. I know at some point my mojo will come back. Tomorrow I have the day off of work - so am going to clean up my stamping area. Sometimes that gets me going again (believe it or not!)

In the meantime, here are some photos from the past couple weeks.

First, here is my little man (with his new BLUE cast) and Chewey looking like a wet rat after his bath...



Second, here is a picture of me and one of my best buds in the whole world. His name is John. He taught advanced math and computers in high school. He's the one that got me started in the computer field (maybe I shouldn't like him so much any more! :-) ) Now we live 3 hours apart but over Halloween weekend we met in Phoenix (midway) and had lunch together.



Third, this is me and my friend, Clare. We met in college. She had a Halloween party at her house and we were able to make it. I took the easy way out and wore scrubs...she, obviously was Cleopatra.



And lastly, here is another party-goer. Didn't get his name...but had to take his picture...I knew the boys would enjoy it!



Well, hope you enjoyed the photos. I'll try and get some cards posted soon. For now I HAVE to get to work!

Jane

Monday, November 3, 2008

Puppy Love

I picked up this stamp at the local stamp store when it was going out of business. I saw it sitting there and it was feeling unloved...so I inked it up and used it! LOL. Isn't it cute?



Good grief I'm tired this morning. How is it that 6:30 on a Monday feels earlier than say 6:30 on a Thursday???

Jane

Friday, October 31, 2008

Riley Roasting a Marshmellow

Happy Halloween!

This is the other stamp that I bought of Riley/Sophie over at Hanna's. I think it will make some great masculine cards...don't you?



I doubt that I'm going to get any stamping done this weekend. We are going to go visit my brother for the weekend. Let the kids play with their cousins. DH and I are invited to a halloween party tomorrow night so my brother will watch the boys for us. There are a couple friends I'm looking forward to seeing. And then we'll be back and thrown into the workweek again. I do have a couple more cards from last week. So those will be appearing on a blog near you soon! :-)

Have a great and Happy Halloween! (Am I the only one who automatically hears the Great Pumpkin (Charlie Brown) music when I say this?)

Jane

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Meet Sophie...

I made two cards with my new Sophie stamp...but I gave one away without taking a picture...dang it! So I have this one to share for now. Maybe I'll sneak my camera in to work and take a picture of the other one (which I liked better).

I used liquid applique on the cupcakes for frosting. When you heat it up it raises and looks kind of fluffy.



Thanks for looking!

Jane

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Another Riley card

(sing to the tune of the Band Aid Song)

"I am
hooked on Riley...
...and Riley's
hooked on me!"

I just love these stamped images I got in the image swap. Matter of fact...I've enjoyed playing with them so much that I went on over to Hanna Stamps and ordered two of my own Riley/Sophie moose stamps. After you check out you can send her an email and request first class shipping instead of priority and she'll refund the difference (that was nice). And I had them in my grubby little hands in a week's time. So I'm a happy camper! Yesterday I created 3 new cards with them. But before I share those...let me share a card I made with the stamp I got in the image swap.



The background papers are from a little 6x6 pad that my Secret Sister sent me. I don't generally use a lot of patterned papers because I think sometimes too much activity overwhelms the main image. But I think this works.

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

Jane

Thursday, October 23, 2008

New Changito and Weekend Sketch Challenge

Here is a card I put together for the weekend sketch challenge over at Beate's blog. It uses a new Changito stamp that I got from my Secret Sister. I'm not sure I'm loving the card. I may tear it apart and use brown instead of black behind the image. Any other suggestions?



Other than that we've just been busy with life. The little one is still recovering. He's bored at home without his brother here. The surgeon won't release him for at least a week. So we stopped by the school yesterday and picked up his homework.



Yesterday we also took our dogs to the vet. The puppy needed his last round of shots and the chow/shepherd mix has some sort of a skin thing going (looked like bite marks and she was losing patches of hair) so I wanted to take her and make sure it wasn't something contagious. $165 later we are out of there (geez...cost more than the ER!) The skin is nothing major...something common in chows because all sorts of stuff get trapped under their thick fur. We have to make her an appointment with a groomer and get her shaved down and bathed with a medicated shampoo. Bet that runs us another $75. Argh. So much for that extra PTO I sold back so we'd have money for Christmas and fixing my car. In the meantime the vet shaved three patches off her back so he could look closer at it. So she's looking pretty funny right now. Poor girl. They also checked her thyroid. I guess it's also common for chows to have thyroid issues but hers was fine.

Gotta go. Little one is calling out.

Jane

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Artwork finally!

These are the halloween treat holders that I'm making for my coworkers. The more of them you make the faster they come together. The stamp is a Penny Black stamp that I received from my Secret Sister last year.



Yesterday we spent 11 hours in two different hospitals because my son fell off the monkey bars. He's home now with two pins in the arm. Oh the joys!

Jane

Monday, October 20, 2008

Monday...Monday

Ugh. Can we repeat yesterday please??? How can I always start Mondays just as exhausted as I left Fridays? Seems like I should have rejuvenated a bit over the weekend? I even slept till noon yesterday.

Regardless, this weekend I did get a couple cards created and some treat holders (for halloween) for my coworkers. I haven't taken pictures yet but wanted to let you know they are on the way. And they are all made with new (at least to me), never seen before stamps! So come back tomorrow. I'll get pictures tonight!

Have a great Monday (if that's possible!)

Jane

Friday, October 17, 2008

Coffee Anyone?

Well, I hope my Secret Sister isn't one of my blog followers...because if she is then I'm going to totally give myself away. I suspect she may already know who I am...so I'm going to risk it anyways.

This is an altered paint can that I made for her last month. It's a quart size (bought at Ace Hardware). I used two different Stampin' Up sets for all the stamping. I stamped on the white (it's not a wheel stamp...wish it was!) and then sponged it with brown ink. The coffee cup on top has liquid applique on it which is then heated and gives it the look of whipped cream.



Inside, I placed two bags of coffee, two coffee themed stamps, and some candy. Hopefully she liked it!

Jane

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

New Artwork - WSC61

I'm running late this morning (not helped by my computer just deciding to turn itself off a few minutes ago...grrr gotta love those computers eh?)

Anyways, I just wanted to share a card with you. I made this card for Beate's weekend sketch challenge. The image is Riley the moose...but someone will have to remind me which company makes his line of stamps? I received the image in an image swap.

Here is the sketch:



And here is my card:



I colored in the image with my new Copics. I'm still learning but I think I'm getting better. Here's a closer up view of just the image:



Thanks for looking!

Jane

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Sharing

Remember yesterday I shared the blog with you where they will write your deceased child's name in the sand? I sent them an email asking them to write our daughters' names in the sand...and it was posted today already! Wow, that was fast. You can see our daughters' pictures of the beach HERE.

I promise I will try to stamp today. Just have been feeling a little tired and overwhelmed at work during the week and on the weekends I just want to climb into bed with a book. So I haven't been creating much. I do want to make some halloween treats for coworkers (can't decide what yet though) and I printed off Beate's weekend sketch challenge. So at least I have some inspiration. I'll post something new this week...promise!

Jane

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Amazing Blog to Share

If you have spent any large amount of time on my blog...you will know that I am the mom to two little girls who passed away shortly after their birth. They were part of a set of triplets - born too early.

Today a friend shared this blog with me. I read it with tears streaming down my face. What an AMAZING thought to do this for other people. Go check it out!

It's called Names In The Sand. Now I wish I lived near a beach.

We do have a park called Children's Memorial Park and my children's names are there on a plaque. But these beach pictures are amazing! So peaceful and perfect. Anyways, click on the title in the paragraph above and it'll take you to their site.

Jane

Friday, October 10, 2008

Simple Halloween Card

I threw this together over the weekend. Nothing fancy...just a simple halloween card. I cut out the middle section of the orange printed paper. Put black cardstock behind the window. Then stamped the trick-or-treater on a scrap and cut him out and layered onto the black to make him "pop" a bit.



So...how glad are YOU that it's Friday? Any exciting plans?

Jane

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Featured Stamper Challenge

This is another card challenge from World Card Making Day. The challenge is to search a specified gallery, find a card you like, change at least two things, and make a similar design.

I decided to "CASE" this card that Sherry made. I liked the monochromatic look of it.

Here's my sample:



A few of the things I changed?
1... Different main image (didn't own that particular frog so I substituted a different Stampin Up frog image)
2... Different background paper (spots intead of lines)
3... Added brads and text to the main panel
4... Changed the orientation of the oval and used a different ribbon

Hope you enjoy it!

Jane

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Favorite card of the weekend!

Ok...I have to share this here NOW. I can't post it to Splitcoast until tomorrow (no upload Sundays) but I wanted to share it somewhere...so here it is! :-)

Yesterday was World Card Making Day (yes, there IS such a day!) As part of that event, they hosted several challenges on Splitcoaststampers. My card actually combines a few of the challenges. It is the sketch challenge, the inspiration challenge, and the ways to use it challenge.

Here is the sketch I followed:



The inspiration was this Coldwater Creek catalog cover...I followed the leaves and the yellowish color through into my sample...



And lastly the Ways to Use it Challenge was this:
"Doesn’t fall always make you think of trees, of warm rich colors and cool fresh breezes? Trees are such wonderful images, inspiring us with strength, hope, renewal and constancy. Think of the imagery we get from trees – sheltering us, growing roots, reaching to the sky. Well, if you can’t tell, I’ve been on a major tree kick this year (going green and all, I guess!). So, my challenge to you is simple. Show me your trees!

Whether it’s a spring tree ready to bloom, a naked tree in winter, a happy Christmas tree or fall foliage; whether you want to show the tiniest bit of a leaf or a huge forest; make them crazy, make them fun, make them elegant. If you can’t find a tree you want to use, don’t despair. We’re all flexible here so you can also use anything that is related to trees – leaves, acorns, even small woodland creatures! Get creative and let’s pay tribute to our arboreal friends."

Are you ready to see what I came up with? I really love this card. It looks SO much better in real life. It was hard to get a picture with the transparency and the black card base (and my photobox is black) but hopefully this photo does it a LITTLE bit of justice!



Supplies:
Stamps -
Close To My Heart (Skeleton Leaves)
Stampin' Up (Weathered Background and Small Sayings)
Cardstock -
Close To My Heart
Other -
Mini brads (Joann's brand)
Transparency
Alcohol Inks
Techniques -
Distressing (sanding and dragging edges with scissors)
Alcohol Transparency over the main stamped image

Enjoy!

Jane

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Ever have a dream that was SO real?

Warning: Not stamping or scrapping related post. This is a purely personal one.

I woke up sobbing this morning. Not the best way to wake up. In the dream I had been with my Dad (my Dad died 3 years ago). We had visited this place that was absolutely gorgeous. A pretty beach on one side and then we went up to the top of the hill and you could see green woods and several big gorgeous houses (log cabin types with stone). It was just so real. And we're at the top of the buiding and I asked him where we were because it was so gorgeous and I'd love to live somewhere like that. He asked me what was holding me back and I told him I didn't want to leave him and my mom. And it was at that point...I was holding him in a hug with my head against his head and I could feel his pulse...that basically I realized that he was dead. Not in the dream (in the dream he was still alive) but it was like I realized I was dreaming and knew in real life that he was dead and didn't want to wake up but I was waking up. So I woke up sobbing because I didn't want to let him go. Not the best way to wake up on a Saturday morning...and now the tears don't want to stop. Both of my parents are gone - my Mom died when I was 27 and my Dad died when I was 35. There are days I miss them SOOOOOO much.

Jane

Friday, October 3, 2008

New Stampin' Up creations!

My friend, Concetta, is a Stampin' Up consultant. She has a class once a month where we get together and create something. This month we made a "bag" and a matching joy fold card. I'm thinking this bag would be really cute with halloween paper and filled with candy for my coworkers. They were really pretty easy to make too (and cheap at basically the cost of paper).

Here is both the bag and the matching card...



And here is the card opened up (so you can see how it all folds out)...



Isn't it cool? I had fun in the class. I haven't been feeling overly creative lately (obviously from the lack of postings on here) so it was nice to go and have someone tell me how to do it! The funny thing is that I was the one who got my friend hooked on stamping (she was my oldest son's 2nd grade teacher and I sent her cards and gifts all year). Now she's "teaching" me. :-)

Jane

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Check this card out!

I won some blog candy from Crissy over at Crissy's Art 'n Heart a couple weeks ago. I knew I'd won some stamps. What I didn't know? Was that she was sending me the sample card as well! Wow...I would have been happy with just that! It is gorgeous! But you will have to see for yourself.



And just so you can see it better...here is a picture of just the card...



Isn't it stunning? Aren't I lucky?

Sorry I didn't post for a few days. We were having technical issues with our camera and computer communicating. But they seem to be getting along better these days. LOL.

Have a great Tuesday!

Jane

Thursday, September 25, 2008

You're Despicable!

My husband found some Looney Tunes stamps for me. I kept the two Daffy stamps and am going to sell the others on ebay to recoup the cost. So...if you like Looney Tunes go check out THIS auction. There is a Porky Pig, a Bugs Bunny and a Sylvester stamp. Wood mounted. Auction starts at .99 with no reserve. So if you're interested check it out.

In the meantime, here is a card I made with one of the new Daffy stamps. I really like how it turned out!



I went to a stamping class yesterday and have goodies from that to show, I have blog candy I won to show, and I have an RAK to share. So more good stuff to come! For now, I guess I gotta go get in the car and drive my hour to work. I thought by now we'd be living like the Jetsons with space cars or like Star Trek with teleportation. Ugh...I'm SO tired of driving!

Jane