Failure Doesn't Exist Without You

I have a t-shirt that says "Sarcasm, Just One More Service I Provide". Everyone has their way of coping with things. For me, it's often dark humor. So...when I saw this offbeat stamp...I HAD to buy it. Of course, if you like the person you are sending this card to...you'd need to make sure they'd appreciate the humor. If you don't like the person you are sending it to...then send away! LOL.



I am happy to report that yesterday I was able to do 50 minutes of cardio...20 of which was on the elliptical. When I started 5 minutes was about all I could do on the elliptical. I think I've lost around 20 pounds now. Every scale reads differently...so can't really tell. I am finally able to tell a difference in the way my clothes fit. Yay!

Rockin' Monster

This is the final card I made over the weekend. I'm not sure how I feel about it. The monster stamps have kind of 'fuzzy' lines (so the monsters have hair) but I'm not loving the way it looks. It makes my coloring look sloppy.



I tried something a little different on this card. The image is actually stamped many times in order to allow the tail to flow off the main panel and onto the the other panel. Then I stamped the tail itself again...colored it and adhered it with a pop dot.

I'll try to get more stamping done sometime soon. So keep checking back.

Smile Monster

This is a virgin monster! Did you know they still existed? The poor stamp had never lied down with an ink pad. I figured it was fine time for that to happen. LOL. So, now that he's not a virgin anymore...he's a smile monster.



I don't know if you can tell it or not, but the eye is stamped a second time and then I popped it up with dimensionals. I got the set of monsters at Joann's. I can't remember who makes them. I want to say it's Impression Obsessions or something like that? The greeting is from Hero Arts.

Quotable Card

I saw this quote and loved it so much that I had to rush out and create a card using the quote. I wanted to keep it simple to draw attention to the quote itself. I wanted to use a rose stamp but not have it be the main image. So I did a second generation image of the rose over the top of the quote. I like how it turned out.



Well, that's it from the past week's stamping adventures. Now I'll need to make something new. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing about this blog...it forces me to continue to make new things to post pictures of.

How was everyone's Halloween last night? I am so proud of my boys. I enjoy watching them with all the other kids and adults. They were always polite. Always said 'thank you'. And they always watched out for the smaller children. We started at houses out near ours that is a newer subdivision and sure enough there were a fair amount of houses lit and hardly any trick or treaters. So they were generous with the candy. Then I went further into town (we live in the boonies) and hit a couple other subdivisions. One subdivision had houses that were still being built. This one (once again) had no trick or treaters. Some places said we were the only trick or treaters they'd had. Lots more candy. The last subdivision (which was literally across the street from the previous one) was packed with trick or treaters and lots of people had run out of candy. So, not so much candy here but better ambiance. Lots of lighted jack-o-lanterns and decorated houses. One was doing a 'scare tactics' with a rabbit they were killing (fake). They asked 'Are You Scared?' and of course my kids just said 'No'. They asked if they knew why they shouldn't be scared and my kids responded 'Cause we're on scare tactics'. The guy thanked them for being good sports. Takes more than a little blood and fake rabbit to scare my kids! LOL. After trick or treating we went out for pizza. Then we came home and put on a movie (Wonderdog) and all laid on the floor with blankets and pillows and candy and watched the movie. Then curled up and slept there together. It was a really nice night. Hope yours was too!

Just Hanging Around

I love how this card turned out! Simple but the coloring really catches the eye. And the stamped image itself is adorable. I once again used a FTL from the Clean & Simple blog.



I don't remember who makes the frog stamp. The saying is from Hero Arts. I bought a clear set of sayings from them that I use ALL the time.

Enjoy!

One of Those Days?

This is very similar to the "Terrufic" card I posted a few days ago. I like the idea of sticking with same sketch, same colors but different stamps. Makes coming up with two cards very quickly...easy!



I haven't stamped at all this week and I apologize for not posting more. I do want to post a picture of my nieces' wedding thank you's (all boxed up). But beyond that I need to find my creative mojo - cause I'm not feeling it right now.

Jane

Neigh-borly Horse :-)

I received this image from my SBS4 sister for a spring swap (along with some other images). I'm not sure who makes the image...anyone care to tell me?



I colored the horse with light umber brown (prismacolor pencil) all over. Blended with mineral spirits. Then went back and added dark umber brown where it had shade marks on the image and blended again. The fact that it had shade marks made it very easy to color!

I used some cardstock given to me by my friend, Concetta. And then the patterned paper is from a mat pack given to me by a different secret sister. Pretty muchly I just used what I happened to have out on the table...and luckily it all came together pretty well.

Hope you like it!

Jane

Paper pieced piggy

My sister in law saw the piggy card I posted a few days ago and told me that my niece was majorly into piggies. So...I had to make a card just for her. A pink girly card. So this is what I came up with.



I stamped the pig image on pink decorative paper and again on brown paper. I cut out the brown spots and added them to the pink stamped pig. Then I cut out the pink pig and I sent him through the cuttlebug using the 'swiss dot' embossing folder. I also used my nestabilities to cut and emboss the rectangles on this card. I'm really happy with how it came out.

So...what do you think? Maybe a little overboard for a little girl of my nieces age (preschool age)? I seem to find it impossible to do a simple card!

Jane

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

Bella...sarcasm style...

I received this Bella image in a swap. I colored it in with prismacolor pencils. Then I went about trying to find a saying to go with it. I found this one (not sure who makes it). If you can't read it, it says "Anything good in life is either illegal, immoral or fattening." (Amen sistah!) This is actually just part of the saying...the rest of it says something to the effect of "If it's none of these then it causes cancer."



Hope you enjoy it!

Jane

Happy Memorial Day!

I would like to take the chance to say...THANKS to anyone who has served our country...present or past. Also, thanks to their families for sacrificing family time and allowing their spouse/dad/mom to serve. I don't always agree with the President (well, maybe more like RARELY agree with the President) and I don't think our troops should be over in Iraq. But as long as they are there, I still choose to support them - because they are doing what they are asked to do. And it's something I wouldn't want to do. So my hat goes off to them. In honor of Memorial Day I made this simple card.



The "ornament" is one I picked up in a grab bag at a convention. I honestly don't remember from which company. The "Proud to be an American" stamp is from a new $1 set at Michael's. It's the whole reason I bought the set. I used CTMH outdoor denim cardstock (which has a white core). I sanded the cardstock to distress it. Then I stamped the saying over and over on the background.

Hope you like it. I've been busy this weekend. I have one more non-Design Team project to share. And then I've made 8 projects so far for the Design Team (and will be able to start sharing those at the end of the month). So lots of good stuff coming! Be sure to check back.

Jane

I've been busy! New artwork to share!

Guess what next week is? It's the last week of school! Wow...how did that happen so fast? Well, I totally blew off "Teacher Appreciation Week" this year...so couldn't blow off an end of year gift for my kids' teachers. But I also needed to keep it simple and cheap.

So I decided on notecards. My kids go to Roadrunner Elementary...and I have a roadrunner stamp. The colors are red and blue. Perfect...I have red and blue cardstock and ink. I decided I'd make some simple quick notecards. Well, then I remembered my youngest son's teacher won't be at the school next year. So I probably shouldn't make her roadrunner notecards. So now I'm having to design two sets. Then I made my older son's set and I spelled the teacher's name wrong! So I had to make that set TWICE. There was nothing simple and quick about these notecards yesterday! LOL.

This is the first set...the Roadrunner ones. I blurred the teacher's name for privacy but that is what is on the bottom right. I made two with the red card base and blue roadrunner and two with the blue card base and the red roadrunner.

Then for the second set of cards I toadally cheated. One of my friends had sent me a sample card and precut set to make 8 more of the same card. Her card was floral in nature and I was planning on doing that theme (good generic theme) until I was told that she liked frogs. So I set off to use the same design and incorporate the frogs.

Here is Bonnie's sample card:



And here is my spin on the card:



I ended up doing two versions...the "dressed up version" seen above and a more simple version (minus the ribbon and the dimensional adhesive).



I finally decided on the simpler version for the teacher gift (in case she's mailing them I don't want them to cost her more in postage) and I stamped some envelopes to match.



Now to figure out how to package them so they seem bigger! :-) I have some clear card boxes. I think I'll box them in there. Maybe make a matching gift bag for them to go in. I also need to make some cards for a sick/twisted swap. I'm behind on my Mouse-a-Round swap. And I need to get started on my Design Team work. Anyone want to come be my stamping helper??? :-)

Jane

Rinse and Repeat

When I made that Gruffie card yesterday...I liked the layout so much that I decided to do it again! This is a quick way to create a few cards. Usually you might want to stick to the design but use different papers. In my case, I was too lazy (and really liked the colors I had). SO all I changed was the image. I'm not sure who makes this stamp. I had the image in my stash that I've received from other generous stampers.



Isn't it cute? Lots of coloring...but sweet and worth the effort.

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

I know how SHE feels!

I saw this stamp for sale and HAD to buy it. I SO know how she feels! LOL. Very simple card...using a sketch from a yahoo group I belong to called Scrapandshare. I do Weight Watchers with the neighbor lady...I think this card will go to her on Thursday when we go to our meeting.



I used my prismacolor pencils to color her in. I wish that I would have dry embossed the background paper but was feeling too lazy. I used pop up adhesive on the panel itself so it's a little higher than the card base. SU corner punch and mini brads...and that's about it. A very simple card. (About as simple as mine come...I struggle with anything simpler.)

Jane

Man Basher Card

Remember a couple posts ago I showed the new stamps I'd bought? Well, when I was stamping Saturday night I looked through my grab bag of unmounted rubber from Viva Las Vegas Stamps and came across a saying that just HAD to be used with one of the stamps.

So, this card is for all you disgruntled ladies out there (or at least for those with a twisted sense of humor!)



In case you can't read it, the saying says: "If there were no men in the world, there'd be no crime and lots of fat, happy women!"

Happy Monday everyone.

Jane

Cheerful doggie card!

I found this stamp at a local stamp store that was going out of business. I just love his simplicity and his happiness that shines through. AND I'm VERY proud of my bow on the right hand side (considering I can't tie a bow to save my life!)



The paw prints on the brown are a wheel from SU. The oval under the dog is from Amuse (just used it so my doggie wasn't floating in space)...so I "grounded" him. LOL! The greeting is another single stamp and I'm too lazy to get up and find out who makes it.

Today I was finally able to pick up my last day's pay from my previous job. I start my new job on Monday.

I have more stuff to share over the next couple days...so stay tuned!

Jane

Chalk blender experiences

I tried out the new chalk blender last night that I bought at the expo and I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with it. Maybe with practice? Probably my main complaint is that it won't work with the chalks I bought last year. The reason I bought the chalks last year was because they claimed they were smearproof/etc and didn't need to be sealed. They are MUCH better than my original chalks (from Michael's) but still do smear a bit.

That's why I thought I'd try this new blender material...plus it looked like putting chalks on wet would be easier. Well, I guess whatever they used in the "special" chalks from last year must make it so this new blender stuff can't even pick up color from them. Grrr.

My other set of chalks (from Michael's) is so limited in colors that it's kind of hard to do shading. Probably today or tomorrow I'll be posting a card I made with the blender and my old chalks. I think I'm going to try the same image/card with the chalks I bought last year dry (with no blender) and see which I like better.

For now...here is the card I made with the blender from a couple different angles.





Enjoy.

Jane

Sunday Surprise!

Yesterday I managed to not only get my resume finished...but I got a JOB INTERVIEW! I love the world of technology where you can email your resume to folks! I'm submitting another application today but they require it by fax or mail. So I'll fax it today to be waiting tomorrow. Anyways, the one I have an interview for is a Reports Writer position using SQL Report Generator.


My dh got a new car yesterday. His car has no air conditioning. It's 109 degrees here these days and since he's taking care of the kids I really wanted to find a way for him to have a/c. Before he just drove the non-a/c car to work in the morning and back at night so it wasn't so hot during the times he drove it. Anyways, he got a Hyundai Tiberon. Very nice looking car. So Monday he'll be busy getting license plates, insurance, etc set up.


Yesterday I decided to play a bit. I wanted to do something new. So I broke out my H2O's (which I'd used once so far) and my transparencies (which I've never used). I stamped a rose in black on white cardstock and then colored it in with the H2O's. And layered it onto a few layers. The brownish/goldish piece of cardstock was purchased on-line at a place that was going out of business. It's really kinda shimmery in real life. Anyways, then I stamped the rose a second time on the transparency and laid it over the top of the original rose. Trimmed around the edge. Stamped on the word and then used the brads to attach. I really like how it turned out. I'm going to post two pictures so you can see it dead on and then a little to the side (which shows the transparency more). Sorry it's a little blurry...really hard to get a good picture of it.

It's HOT, HOT, HOT!

Haven't stamped in the last couple days. Still trying to work out a "battle plan" for the job. So that's been taking up my time.

So...instead I would dig into my creative "files" and find you an "oldie but a goodie". It's a 109 degrees here today so I thought I'd pull out an appropriate card because it's Hot, Hot, HOT outside! This is a card I made for my hubby. The "U" and "R" and "HOT" are from CTMH. The chili pepper is from an unmounted border strip I bought (I just cut one off to use by itself) It's a solid stamp so required coloring the pepper each time with markers so it was a bit of a pain. But I like h0w it turned out. I used SU's background stamp and sponged the edges and then did direct to paper with the brown and also the red ink pads.

Enjoy.