Monkey Love

I am trying to get myself back into stamping after taking a brief break (well...maybe not so brief...sorry about that!). Whenever I am looking for inspiration I start with a sketch. The first place I look for sketches? Splitcoast. They post a new sketch every Wednesday and you can use the current sketch or an old sketch. This sketch (#261) is from a couple weeks ago...



I flipped the sketch and then used my changito stamp to come up with this card:



I love my changitos...except I've noticed the newer changitos are chubbier. I wonder if they now have a different artist? Or if the artist just decided they liked them better chubbier? Hmm...I like them better the old way.

Tomorrow I am driving to Phoenix to meet my new boss. Yep, have a job and have yet to actually MEET anyone! Isn't the world of technology amazing? In some ways I find that scary. By the time my kids reach adulthood...are they going to just stay in their houses 24/7? You can order pizza, groceries, clothes, etc all via the internet. Now you can also work a lot of jobs remotely. As much as the flexibility is nice, I do miss the interaction with coworkers and can't image never having had that experience. I don't know...just seems like too much of today's world is 'virtual' and I wonder what the future holds.

Thanks for your Support!

This image is from The Angel Company. I think it's called "It's a Girl Thing" but I could be wrong on that. It has a hanger, a bra, and a teddy outline stamp, and then a 'two step' fill in stamp for each of those items. Lastly it has sayings like 'Thanks for your Support', etc.



I'm not sure I love the card. But then again I never love my girly cards. I'm just not a girly girl kind of person. Guess that's because I grew up as a tomboy...the only girl in the family.

I'm hoping to make the teacher gifts this weekend (the caramel corn). So I'll need to at least make some gift tags for those. It's going to be another busy week. I am always amazed how quickly a month can go by and how you feel like you are never finished.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Another card...I'm on a roll!

This next card was (once again) inspired by a weekend sketch challenge from Beate over at Fresh & Fun

Here is the sketch:



And here is my card:



This weekend I went on a cardmaking spree...so lots to share this week!

I also want to make a few treats for coworkers before the end of the week. But I don't have a lot of time so they will probably be something simple. I can't believe it is already almost Halloween! This year is FLYING by!

Weekend Sketch Challenge

When I need inspiration...I almost always head off to find a sketch. Beate, over at Fresh and Fun, posts a new weekend sketch challenge each weekend. I like hers because they generally don't have TOO many layers. I'm layered challenged. Don't ask me to mix and match too many papers! LOL.

Anyways, this card was inspired by this weekend's sketch challenge.



If you look close...you'll see my boo boo. On the right side of the card when I put the card front on, there was a bit of white still showing of the card front. So I tried to trim it, but then the card was uneven. So then I trimmed some more...till it was even...but then the edge isn't as wide as the others. Sigh. Also, not sure if I want to add a single brad to the top left or not. Seems a little bottom right heavy. Thoughts?

On a totally unrelated note - yesterday was my lucky day. On Friday my car had stalled so I had plans to take it to the mechanic on Saturday. We live in the boonies and in an effort to not come to a complete stop (and have the car potentially stall on the way to the mechanic) I did kind of a rolling stop at the stop sign. You can easily see beforehand and make sure noone is coming. Well, what I didn't see was the Sheriff coming from the other direction. Oh...and for a change I did NOT have my seatbelt on either. I see him start to flip a U-turn behind me so I immediately grab my seatbelt and fasten it on while he's turning around. He pulls me over and asks me if I know why he pulled me over. I fessed up. He said as long as everything checked out he'd let me off with a warning. He asked for insurance (which of course I couldn't find a current one but I have insurance). He went back and ran my information. He came back and told me that he could ticket me for the insurance but he wasn't going to, he told me that he was going to ticket me for not wearing a seatbelt...but my seatbelt was the same color as my shirt and he must have missed seeing it...and he let me off on the rolling stop. Whew. Drove away with NO tickets! :-) What I'd like to know...is when did they start accepting high school kids into the Sheriff's department? I used to shit my pants any time a cop pulled me over...but it's hard to get scared of a kid who looks like he should still be in high school! LOL. They don't instill that basic sense of fear that a veteran officer does.

Anyways, that's my exciting weekend. They didn't find anything wrong with the car. So I guess I just drive it and pray it doesn't stall any more. Not good when I drive 2 1/2 hours a day. Maybe it is time to get AAA. I have towing on my insurance but I have to pay for that up front and wait for them to reimburse me.

Hope all is doing well.

Fall To Layout

There is a blog I've mentioned before that I really like to visit. It is called Clean & Simple. She has layouts she calls "Fall To Layout (FTL)" which means they are the layouts she returns to time and time again. This is one of her FTL's and I can see why. I made a first one, and then a second...and then a third! All within a couple hours. Clean and simple!



The ladybug is from TAC (The Angel Company). Greeting is from Hero Arts. Enjoy!

Jane

Girly Hang in There

Well, I have now officially finished TWO cards since I've moved my workspace. It is still not completely finished/organized but it's good enough I can start using the space a bit.

This is the first card I made.



The image and saying are both from The Angel Company. This is one of the first sets I bought from them. It's a "two step" stamp and they aren't clear stamps...so they can be a little difficult to line up. But I trim mine pretty close so it's not too difficult. As you can see, it is off just a tad. I figure the recipient will just have to deal with it and be thankful they got a card! LOL. The paper is from Close To My Heart.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the card. I made another one today that I really like - but will wait to share it until after I give it to the recipient.

Have a great day!

Some Girly Fun

I don't generally do many pink cards (or pastels) but I got this image from Seleise and wanted to play with it. I love how the card came out! Thanks Seleise for sharing some TAC images (The Angel Company) with me.



Now, I'm off to work. Another day...another few dollars. :-)

Jane

More "New Toys"

Don't remember the name of this company but will come back and edit it later. I want to say it was "Endless Creations"? Anyhooo, they had the scalloped punches and these stamps that went with them. (The solid and then dotted lines). I also saw this floral stamp and thought it'd go perfectly in the oval.



I dry embossed 1/2 inch around the edges. Then mounted the oval in the upper center and stamped the greeting (TAC) in the bottom right. I added a little "bling" on the flowers and added stickles to the "water" in the vase. It's a simple card but I like it BECAUSE of it's simplicity.

Jane

Artwork as promised! Fall is here!

Well, Fall is ALMOST here. Are you thinking leaves and pumpkins yet? I am SO ready for some cooler weather. In the interim I decided to pretend it was Fall and make a couple seasonal cards.

This first card was from the tutorial that I mentioned previously. Almost all stamps are CTMH (the exception being the "cutest pumpkin in the patch saying which is from TAC).

Here's the front view of the pop-up card standing up:



The coolest thing about this card is that it collapses and folds down for mailing in a standard size card!

Here's the frontal view of the card folded for mailing...



And here is a side view of it folded (to give you an idea of the mechanics)...



And then I decided to make a "simple" card. Ever have a card where it just won't cooperate with you? That's this card. I'm still not sure I'm thrilled with it. But it's good enough for the swap I need it for. All stamps are from TAC.



Ok...am I forgiven for not posting as much artwork this week?

Jane

A quick picture to share

I got this sketch from Reach For the Stars blog? I LOVE how this card turned out. Will share this quickly for now (since I already have it resized and ready) and will share more artwork and pictures of my reorganized scrap/stamp area later.

This uses the walking crab stamp from Gina K Designs. I stamped it twice. Cut out the claws from one of the images. Colored them in and attached the second set of claws with dimensionals. Also used stickles so the claws glitter.

Enjoy for now...and come back later for more goodies to share! I'll even be posting some stamp sets for sale and some other odds and ends from reorganizing my area. Hmm maybe I'll do some blog candy with some of those. Need to think about that! If you're a blogger and have done blog candy...tell me how to do it! How do you keep the post at the top? Etc.



Now, I'm off to have my boobies squished. I remember a cartoon where they showed a woman laying on the garage floor and a car driving up on her boobs. The caption said something about practicing for a mammogram. They aren't far off! LOL! Actually it's not as bad as you might think. Hardest part (for me at least) is getting my body to contort to the position it needs to be for them to get the picture right. Other than that, it's pressure...not pain. So...go get your mammo if you're over 40 or at high risk due to family history!

Jane

Alcohol Inks Agate Background Tutorial

Here is just one more thing you can do with alcohol inks!

To start with you will need:

2-3 colors of alcohol inks
1 color mixative (I used copper)
1 blending solution
craft mat (or layers of scratch paper) to work on
glossy cardstock
applicator tool
felt for applicator




Place the glossy cardstock on the craft sheet. Adhere a rectangle of felt to the applicator. Apply ink colors to the applicator BY PLACING THE TIP TO THE FELT AND THEN SQUEEZING. I used two colors and did kind of an 'x' pattern where I put one color at the top left and then bottom right and did the opposite with the second color. Next, open the mixative color and apply it in the center of the colors. You don't need nearly as much mixative color...just a little will do.



Pounce onto your cardstock, covering the whole piece. Let dry, repeat (refilling ink if necessary). Then to the same applicator add the blending solution and pounce over the cardstock. It'll cause all the colors to blend into each other.

Here's my cardstock before adding the blending solution:



And here is a piece of it after (it's the piece on the right...the other piece is a transparency from yesterday's tutorial):



And, for the finished card I ended up embossing a boot onto the cardstock. You can stamp with black archival ink but with these colors my image wasn't as clear as I wanted because the colors are dark. So I opted to emboss instead.



You can also use this same technique on metal surfaces...I like how that looks with the copper mixative on metal. I saw a cute container at the thrift store that was .49 and had a red ticket so was 50% off. So I spent a whopping quarter and used my alcohol inks...and now it's beautiful! I'll post a picture of that in the days to come.

I also have made several cards in the last couple days. So lots to share. Keep coming back!

Jane

Good morning?

Hopefully today is better than yesterday. Yesterday I spent the day in bed puking my guts up. So today HAS to be better than that, eh? ;-) I'm still feeling weak but I'm on the mend. Luckily I don't get sick very often. The last time I remember vomiting was at the c-section delivery 7 years ago! Unfortunately, anethesia and I don't get along.

So...are you ready for new artwork? Are you REALLLLY ready? This is a card that I made using my new Memory Box penguins. Sometimes I'm such a dork and don't think about only using part of a stamp. But if you can think outside the box you can get so much more use out of your stamps. For this card I used the kissing penguins...but for the side pieces I only inked up one and stamped it. That way they look like they are heading towards the center where they meet up with a kiss. Now I'm thinking I need an ice cube stamps! LOL! It never ends.

This card also uses little hearts from CTMH, Flourishes on the background (Rhonda Farrar?) and the saying from TAC.



I wrote a letter to the editor re: mental health and my friend's suicide. They wrote yesterday saying they planned on printing it but that that can change based on space. So we'll see if it shows up. I've had a couple letters actually make it in the past.

Ok, gotta go get ready for work. Have a great day all!

Jane

Cheating

I'm cheating and sneaking in my Monday post tonight so I don't have to remember in the morning. Since it's 10:00 here I'm sure most of my readers are asleep. So I can post now, right?

Today I played...with alcohol inks! They are a lot of fun. I only have 3 colors of ink so far. I'll have to stock up on some more with my 40% off coupons whenever Michael's has one. For now, you'll have to deal with the repetitiveness.

This first one uses a transparency which is then layered over a piece of white cardstock that has your image stamped on it. If you'd like to see tutorials on either of these cards...you HAVE to leave a comment! All images on this card are from TAC. Cardstock is from CTMH. I distressed it by sanding it (all CTMH cardstock has a white core which works great for distressing). The circles are made with 2 different size circle punches. I like how this card turned out...but I like the next one better!



Ok...ready for my favorite? It's a beauty. I wonder if the scan will do it justice. It's coppery/shimmery in person. For this card I used the 2 colors of ink and a bit of copper mixative. Then stamped with archival ink directly on the same sheet of cardstock. The image is from Viva Las Vegas Stamps. The background has a crackle stamp from SU and then I sponged the edges with brown to age it a bit. The three little squares are pieces of the same cardstock. This is VERY Southwestern.



I think I've found a new obsession! I need a new house JUST for stamping and scrapbooking! LOL! I've outgrown my small room already. Wow, I remember when everything I owned fit in one small plastic box! Then again I remember moving into our 3 bedroom 2 bath house from a 1 bedroom apartment and thinking we'd never fill it up...and now it's bursting at the seams! LOL.

Remember, if you want a tutorial...you have to leave me a comment!

Jane

Good morning!

It's a good morning when I have so much to share that I don't know WHAT to share! I think I'll start with a couple VERY different cards. The first one is a sympathy card. I'm not good at sympathy cards. But I asked my brother, John, to send me some digital pictures (he takes absolutely BEAUTIFUL pictures...I keep trying to convince him to do a business with them) and I printed one of them off and then just stamped on the photo itself with staz-on ink. You have to be a little careful because the photo is glossy so it has a habit of being slippery to stamp on. Then I matted on white and then onto a dark blue cardstock that has texture. It's a 2 sided cardstock where the other side is a light blue...so it was perfect for writing on on the inside. This was for the family of my OB. I ended up going to his memorial service yesterday - seven years to the day that he delivered my youngest son. I guess it's all about the circle of life.



And this is a card I made for my little man. The monkey stamp is from TAC and the background and words (that you can't see) are from SU. The inside has a pocket and it had $100 in it. That's what he chose for his birthday - a shopping spree at Toys R Us. So we'll be doing that today, along with him choosing where to have dinner and then we'll do cake at home.

Happy 4th!

Please, take a moment and remember our troops who are not able to be with their families today. I don't believe we should be in Iraq...but I do believe, regardless, that we should support our troops. I have sent several care packages over using Any Soldier . I like that you can kind of pick and choose who you send to. So, for example, I wanted to send a package in memory of my Dad so I searched by last name and found someone with the same last name.

On to stamping things...this morning I saw a sale on Stamping Cottage that was 10% off for the 4th of July. I looked and they carried both Memory Box AND Gina K Designs. I was SOOOO in trouble! LOL! I kept it reasonable...ordering two Gina K crabs and two Memory Box penguins. (oh how I'd love to have all of them...they are so adorable!) I also have every intention of purchasing a Bind-It All tomorrow. A local scrapbook store will take Michael's and Joann's coupons on certain days of the month and they carry this contraption. It allows you to bind your own mini books and such. Normally it's around $50 and I won't pay that much. But if I can get it at 40% off...I'm SOOO there. LOL!

Instead of posting a card here today...I'm going to post a few links to cards I have on SCS that are appropriate for the 4th of July. Enjoy!

Congrats Shirt Card (made for my nephew for graduating basic training)

Soldier Sympathy (made for one of my Dad's Ranger buddies wives)

Many Tanks (just a thank you)

Happy 4th Everyone!

Helllooooo (do I hear an echo???)

Boy, it's been quiet. No comments lately. I'm glad I added the counter...at least I know SOMEONE besides me is visiting! LOL!

I promised artwork this morning - so I dug out a couple of things I'd previously created and will post those for your viewing pleasure. For some people, you may have seen them before. I will play with my new stamps this weekend hopefully and get some new artwork ready for next week.

This first picture is a trio of items I made as gifts for the kids' teacher's aides. It included a covered notepad with a stamped matching pen, a set of cards in a holder, and a "fruit can" filled with chocolates. The bear stamp is from TAC. These tablets are easy and inexpensive to make. You can buy the tablets at the $1 store or Big Lots (they are about 5 x 7 in size) and then you take them to an office supply place (I use kinkos) and they'll cut them in half for you. I helped a PTO make these for all their teachers one year. Another tip if you make a lot of white based cards is to buy your ream of cardstock and then take it and have it cut in half for you at Kinkos. Saves a lot of cutting with your blade!

The other item is a card I made with a "Happy Hopper" stamp. These little bunny stamps are made by the same designers as the House Mouse stamps. I added stickles and to the bubbles in the tub to make it shine. The bubble background is a cuttlebug embossing folder. I used the stampin up corner ticket punch on the white and green and then pierced the green. The bath "rug" is actually a solid oval stamp from Amuse. So I had to mask the tub and then stamp the oval. Then I colored in the image with chalks and finished with the stickles. The "relax" is created using Karen Foster Snap Stamps and the ribbon is from the $1 store.

I Like You Buggy Card

Just a little something to share today. This is another image from Viva Las Vegas Stamps. The saying is from TAC and has dimensional adhesive behind it so it pops up. I was trying to imitate the spots on the bugs...I think it needs more circles (maybe some smaller ones) but by the time I adhered it...it was too late to change.

I've got the Monday blues.

Before you read any further, I just want to say blogger (the site I use to create my blog) is acting up and not allowing me to place any hard returns (blank spaces between paragraphs). So I apologize for that. I went to bed at a reasonable time last night, I swear I did. But I couldn't fall asleep. I read till midnight. Turned off the light...and the last time I looked at the clock it was 2:00a.m. and then I woke up on my own before 6:00a.m. What's up with that? Guess I was just SO excited to share something new on my blog that I couldn't sleep (ha!). Let's see what I can find to share from this weekend. This was actually a pretty simple card and came out just as I imagined. I used glossy cardstock. Then I inked up my brayer with brown and blue inks and ran it across the cardstock multiple times till it was the darkness I wanted. Then I stamped the ants (After Midnight Rubber Stamps). Then I thought the blue looked blah and needed clouds. I'd never made clouds before but I had an idea. I used my scalloped oval punch and punched an oval. Then I used that and a darker blue ink and sponged around the edge to get clouds. I think it turned out well! Then I add the hamburger brad. And to give the ground more texture I used a speckled texture stamp and a darker brown ink and stamped on some texture. Then I stamped the greeting (from TAC). Attached it to a white card base and drug the edges of the card in brown. And wha-la....an adorable ant card!