More is More

Happy 2010!!!  Here’s a sample for the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge – TESC96!  What better way to kick off the new year than with some stamping??  I hope you’ll join us and play along!  Get all the details on Taylor’s blog.

I had so much fun just playing with stuff to come up with this card.  I knew I wanted a New Year’s card and when I saw the sketch I immediately thought of the clock from Sense of Time (SU) and I knew I wanted to die cut the numbers from one of my Cuttlebug alpha sets.  I went looking through my designer papers and found this retired SU package (not sure what it’s called) and coordinated it with Blush Blossom cardstock for the elegant vintage look I wanted.

The clock was stamped in Bravo Burgundy ink and die cut with my new Blossom nesties (thanks Honey – great Christmas gift!).  I sponged on some more burgundy ink, distressed the edges and sponged on some white shimmer paint. The sentiment was cut out with a deckle rectangle nestie and the entire panel was embossed with Versamark and clear ep.  I love doing that when a sentiment is the main focus – it makes it stand out and look more special.  White shimmer paint was added to the numbers before they were adhered to the dp.  The ribbon started out white (satin from SU) and I dyed it with an RV93 Copic marker.  I added some pink Zva crystals (attached together in lines), some Blush KaiserCraft pearls and that oh-so-yummy Maya Road velvet blossom.

Let’s check out what the rest of the Sketch Crew has cooked up today:

Now it’s time to watch the Rose Parade and eat pancakes!  Later today we plan to see Sherlock Holmes.  What are your holiday plans?  Whatever you’re up to I hope you have a fantastic holiday weekend and a Happy New Year!

Well hello!  This is just a quick post to let y’all know I’m still alive!  I didn’t intend to take a break from blogging – in fact I have several photos to share – but the past couple of weeks have been so slammed busy I’ve barely been able to breathe!  Seriously!

I spent a good part of the last couple days dipping various stuff in chocolate – pretzels, oreos, peanutbutter smeared ritz…

The Ritz crackers stuffed with peanutbutter. covered in milk chocolate and covered in Heath pieces are DA BOMB!!!!  Those I will be making again!

Also Curt and I have been working on getting our Christmas cards out  – over 100 of them.  Here’s one of the designs – I made 30 of these using one of my all-time favorite Christmas dp’s – SU Dashing.

It’s waaaay past my bedtime, but I just had to stop in and touch base with you.  I hope you are having a wonderful week and I hope you are more ready for Christmas than I am.  LOL!

-Jami

We had so much FUN in my stamp class Friday night!  I’ve previously shared 2 of the cards we made, so here is the 3rd one.  It features Autumn Splendor from the Holiday Mini.  The main image is a leaf that was stamped in Ruby Red Classic ink, cut out and watercolored with ink from markers (Mustard, Rust, Pumpkin) and an aquapainter.  The leaf was then covered with Versamark and embossed with clear ep.  It curled slightly in the process and I just love the look of it.  The bakground piece was created with the same leaf set and I gave the girls this guide to help them create a half sheet of patterned paper (click on it to see it larger.)  They used a piece 3.25″ x 3.75 and then took the rest home to use later. Here’s the finished card.

Card base was either Pumpkin Pie or Ruby Red (half of the group got each).  We stamped the leaf pattern on Naturals Ivory.  The mat and the scallop circle are Chocolate Chip.  The dp is from the hostess pack and the ribbons are Pumpkin Pie grosgrain and retired Chocolate Chip satin.  Brads are Ruby red.

Here’s a shot of all 3 of the cards we made Friday night.

Did you see the announcemnet on Taylor’s blog?  She’s added four new members to our Friday Sketch Crew for the TESC and she’s also featured snippets of around 10 or so cards from TESC86.  There were so many entries for the Sketch Crew that it was overwhelming…just tons of fabulous creations…so fun to look at them at all ( and I DID look at them ALL!)  If you entered, but didn’t get chosen I hope you won’t feel bad because Taylor had a really tough choice on her hands with that one! A BIG Congrats to Melissa, Rachel, Alice and Lisa!

Remember – there’s still time to play in the most recent sketch TESC87….and you might get your card featured in the Top Crops.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Friday!  I’m pretty darned excited because Taylor is back in town and I get to spend the day with her.  *GRIN*  Before we head out on our SoCal adventure, of course, I want to share a sample  for her sketch challenge today – TESC86.  I love being on the Sketch Crew.  Would you like to join me?  Taylor is looking to add three new people to the Sketch Crew! If you’re interested in joining us, just create a card using today’s sketch and post a direct link to your creation on Taylor’s blog by Friday, October 16th at 8 am PST. You may enter as many cards as you’d like. We’ll be searching through your creations for the most clever and creative of the bunch! Taylor will notify the winners on Saturday, October 17th and they’ll join the Sketch Crew for the first time on October 23rd. Check out Taylor’s blog for more details!

My card today is not only a sketch sample, it’s also a preview of my upcoming Class next Friday night October 16th.  We’ll be creating this card along with 2 others.  I have a few open spots, so be sure to contact me ASAP is you’d like to attend.  Registration is just $12.

I kept this card pretty simple, because this SU designer paper (Christmas Cocoa Specialty from the Holiday Mini) is flocked and oh so yummy and just needs to be shown off.  The snowflake image from Serene Snowflakes was inked first with Classic Real Red ink and then I sponged on Frost White Shimmer Paint.  I couldn’t get a photo to show the beautiful shimmery effect, but I thought it coordinated well with the richness of the dp.  There is a clear rhinestone brad in the center of the snowflake.

Now it’s time to see what the rest of the Cupcake Crew has cooked up:

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you have a great weekend.  I have a busy busy fun day ahead!

When I got home from work today, I checked out the Color Challenge on SCS (CC239).  Mellow Moss, White, and Kraft or Sand…it just sounded yummy and I had to try it.  I started thinking about it while I watched some of DWTS from last night on DVR.  By the time I got into my stamp room, I had the card almost completely designed in my head and it went together pretty quickly.

I started with a standard sized Kraft cardstock base, but then cut it down by .25″ on the bottom and  right side so it could be mounted onto a Mellow Moss panel 4.25″ x 5.5″.  I used the Fiskars Threading Water punch down the side of the kraft and then inked it with white craft ink direct to paper.  I loved how that punch has the same design element as the cake plate from On a Pedestal.  It’s a little hard to see in the photo, but I used a scallop rectangle nestie to just emboss a pattern into the front of the kraft card base and then outlined it with a white gel pen.  I stamped the images in craft ink (white, mellow moss and real red).  The sentiment is from a retired SU set and it’s also stamped in white craft ink.  Some mellow moss taffeta ribbon and 3 Taylor’s Tiny Twinkles finish off this super simple design.  I’m lovin’ it!  🙂  I hope you like it too.

Thanks for stopping by.

I was in the stampin’ zone yesterday for the first time in a long time.  Of course it was driving me crazy that I couldn’t yet share what I had created, so last night I got back in my stamp room and made 2 more quick cards, this time featuring Delightful Decorations from the SU Holiday Mini along with the coordinating punch. Both of these cards turned out to be SUO.

This first card was inspired by one I saw in blogland using Baroque Motifs – I’m so sorry that I now have no idea where I saw it.  That’s why I love the gallery at SCS – I can put a card in my faves and go back and reference it and always give credit for inspiration.  When I’m blog surfing I always forget where I’ve been!

I wanted to use some non-traditional colors on this one.  The motif is stamped in Bermuda Bay ink and then stamped again slightly off in Basic Gray ink to give a shadow effect.  The little flower/snowfalkes are Crushed Curry and the ornament is Melon Mambo edged with a little Basic Gray sponging.  The ornament was punched out and popped up on dimensionals and finished off with a pink rhinestone brad.  The sentiment from Many Merry Messages is stamped in Basic Gray.

I love this next card and I wish you could really see the awesome shimmer here. I just couldn’t get a good photo, but you MUST try this new shimmer paint on a stamp – a real WOW!

The medallion stamp was inked up with Handsome Hunter ink and the Frost White shimmer paint (from the Holiday Mini) was dabbed onto the stamp with a sponge.  It was then stamped onto Very Vanilla cs.  The ornament was given the same treatment with real red ink and the shimmer paint and then it was punched and popped up on a dimensional.  It was finished off with a square red rhinestone brad and silver cording.  Cardstock colors are Handsome Hunter and Real Red.  This has a rich vintage look in person.

I’m running late for work so I need to dash.  Thanks for stopping by.

Our church does a thing called Summer Sunday Nights on the Patio after the evening service for 9 consecutive weeks.  It’s a supper time for some sweet fellowship.  In the past it’s been just a few people doing all the work all Summer long.  I had an idea to to form teams to get more people involved in the ministry and spread the work among more people, so I volunteered to head up the program this year.  I recruited 8 team leaders (some of them worked in pairs) and together we recruited people to form teams of about 6 people for each week to do the shopping, cooking and serving.  A good time was had by all – including the workers – and that made my heart glad.  My team leaders were awesome and I wanted to send each of them a personal thank you note.  Well, you just know what stamp set I had to use!  Yep- Compliments to the Chef.  I’ve already posted a couple of the cards I made, but here are the rest of them.

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This first one uses Ruby Red and Not Quite Navy cardstock along with a retired SU dp (can’t remember the name of it).  A very simple card with some NQN brads and some River Rock ribbon.  (River Rock is the one retired In Color that I miss the most I think.)  Image is stamped on Very Vanilla with NQN ink.  I had used this dp a lot when it was currrent, but i don’t think I had ever paired it with any red and I really like the look of this.

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Next is a group of cards all featuring the current Cottage Walls dp from SU.  My original intention was to make at least 4 cards all the same, but since I really hate doing production stamping like that I ended up making them all different which was so much more fun.  I kept them really simple since I needed several  and had limited time.

I used a combination of Rich Razzleberry, Orchid Opulence, Pale Plum and Old Olive cardstock along with Very Vanilla.  All of the images are stamped in Rich Razzleberry.  I had fun playing with a variety of embellishments like KaiserCraft pearls, Taylor’s Tiny Twinkles, Prima flowers and of course ribbon and punches.

So have I convinced you yet that you really do need this set?  LOL!  I know I’ve justified my own purchase for sure!

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you are having a good week.  Curt just called to say he’s on his way home a day early from a business trip so I’m a happy happy girl!