More great cards

I wanted to post another great card I received awhile ago. My sis-in-law sent me this one! I love it! I love how she used crystal effects to make the puddle looks so realistic. My kids loved it too! If you want to see more deets on this card or to see more of her wonderful creations, you can look at her stamping blog "My Time" at:

http://scrappinforsanity.blogspot.com/

Thanks M!

And the winners are...

The winners of the blog candy are (I let me kids pick them randomly):

Liz & Jackie

Liz, since you are a regular visitor, let me know which lot of candy you prefer, and send me your address. Jackie, as soon as I hear from Liz and as soon as you send me your address as well, I will mail yours to you also. Thanks for all of your comments and votes. I appreciate it!

Mother's Day gift

My husband was trying to think of ideas for a gift for his mom for Mother's Day and I gave him a few suggestions and he liked this one, so...here is/was my first try at making a mini-album in a tin for his mom for mother's day.

He picked the pictures from when he was a kid, then we had them printed wallet size in sepia tone. He also picked a kinda water/beach theme for the whole thing and then picked the colors/paper. As I started figuring out layouts, he went through my stamps and picked the sentiments out too for each page. He also wrote a little note and typed it up for the inside cover for his mom. (The tin is from Hobby Lobby for 99 cents-it is a gift card holder tin up by the registers.) Then I just put it all together. (It did take longer-than that sounds-esp because this was my first time and had to figure out dimensions and all that.)

I really like the colors and the way it came out. He wanted it simple, and I think it is-he prob wanted it even simpler, but he really liked the way it came out too.

Here are a few shots/angles of it:(above: front view)(above: when you open the tin, it opens like a book, you have to pull it out to open and sit like an accordion...this tin was hinged, if it wasn't, you would glue the page to the back piece of the tin-on this one, I only glued (used tacky tape) to adhere the first page on the left to the front piece of tin)(above-side view-I didn't use dimensionals, so that if it was being carried in a purse or something, it wouldn't catch on anything. I also think I should have used do to glue it all down...next time...)(above and below-more close ups)

For more details-as to what stamps, etc used, go to my splitcoast gallery page:
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/918831?cat=500&ppuser=138176
(I also list more deets in this gallery on all my other cards as well.)

Soon...

I've been meaning to post this cute card my sis sent me for my anniversary earlier this year. I love the colors and the simple and cute layout! She does amazing cards-she just emailed me a really cute one she made for Mother's Day. Thanks K! (Sorry the pic isn't better-I took several and this was the best one. )
Sorry, I don't have more new stuff posted yet-this week and weekend have been/are CRAZY!!! Winner of blog candy to come soon...

Another bday card

Another friend gave met his card for my bday. I really like it. It is simple, soft and pretty. I am into the monochromatic's lately for some reason too and the black just adds a classic touch to the card I think. Thanks Janine!

SC175 and altered notebook gift

I made this card and altered purse-size notebook (along with a matching pen that I forgot to put in the pic) for a friend's bday this week. I think they turned out cute! I had not used this bella stamp yet and LOVE it. I added glitter to the middle present and it really turned out cute. :) She seemed to like it too, so yeah! Such a small thing, but so fun! I never seem to make the altered notebooks for me though and I love them. Oh well, someday... :)

Vote on a card and win some blog candy

Earlier this week, I mentioned that I had been making lots of thank you cards. My oldest son was baptized into our church a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to make thank you's for everyone that made it a special day for him. So, I started making them...I would get one done and think that it took too long to make 20 of that one, so I would make another and think, no, I don't like that one as much...and on and on. So, I have several now and am just curious, which one is your favorite? So, help me out and vote on the following cards for me. In return, I have some blog candy to give away. This is my first time for this, but I thought it would be fun. Scroll through the cards shown and there will be more details at the bottom of the post about the blog candy. Above: Tried to do some of the faux tearing look-but I don't have a brayer, so I sponged it.Below: a variation of the above one

Above: Not sure if the actual stamp matches the style of the rest of the card? What do you think?

Okay-now for the blog candy...like I said I have never done this and don't sell this stuff or anything-so it's nothing huge-but I thought it would be fun to get this kinda stuff myself randomly, so I thought I would give some away too. )

I have two small acrylic stamps (which are from Joann's and I cannot vouch for the quality-I bought them awhile ago and have never used them...) and some card/page candy for you as well. (small quick decor to add to the fronts of your cards or scrapbook pages). I will have my kids pick a random number out of those that post a comment and vote on these cards and that number will be the winner. If you have already replied previously on my blog, making you a fairly regular visitor of mine, you will be able to choose which picture of "candy" you want. If this is your first time commenting on my blog, you are still eligible for the drawing, but will not get the choice of which picture of candy you win. Thanks for playing along!!!

Card Candy #1 (not shown in the pic: I will also add to this group a sm page of dimensionals just like the ones shown in the second picture.) Also, for perspective, those paper clips are 3 1/2 inches long.

Card Candy #2:

My 1st Technique Lovers Challenge!!!

Okay...I am soooooo excited to show you the new card I made today. I did the Technique Lover's Challenge today on splitcoast (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com)-which was to make a diorama card. (TLC 167) They have a tutorial there (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ee/index.php/resources/tutorials/diorama_card/) that thankfully takes you step by step through it too.

Honestly, I don't do the challenges that are more work or unknown to me half the time, because frankly, I just don't have the time or energy the majority of the time. (Obviously, since I haven't done a challenge in how long?) Anyway, this typically rules out the new technique challenges. I have never done one before until...TODAY!!! I decided to try this one. And I LOVE the way it turned out!

As soon as I saw what they were challenging us to do, and I decided I was going to do it, I knew exactly what stamp I wanted to use. It's one I have had for at least a couple of years I am guessing, but I have never used it. (I don't have many of these and I have even less since I started doing the challenges. :) Yeah! Awhile ago, I decided-why do I have this stuff if I am not going to use it more??!! So, I have tried. ) Anyway-I had a bit harder time coming up with the background stamps, b/c I recently loaned all my patriotic stamps to my sister. (The pledge of allegiance would go great too I think on the front.) BUT THEN...I remembered a wheel I had with stars and figured an old set I had of holidays HAD to have something else I could use, and YES!!!! It did! :)

Okay-back to the card!!! Here it is...TA DA!!! (Can you tell I am proud of myself and that I really really like the outcome?!) :)

I am thinking of adding another "page" to the back of it too, so that it really can open at the back like a card-that or else I guess you just write on the back. I did see one other stamper add another insert to write on. WOW! I'm not there yet. :) What is great about it too, though, is that you can still lay it flat to mail it to someone!!! And what a neat card to get in the mail???!!!

It was fun though and again, I love it! love it! Love it! (I'm already thinking I might make another tonight!!! :)

Hoo! Hoo!

This was a different card for me, but I really like the way it came out. I made my first mono-chromatic card the other day (I haven't posted it yet-it's one of the thank you cards that I am going to post soon.) Anyway-for some reason, I am really into them now. And for some reason, I am really liking black and white this week too.

The owl stamp is from www.sideshowstamps.com . I found it when I went to their site looking for The Christmas Story's leg lamp stamp that I showed you in a card I made in a previous post. (I had seen it on another stamper's blog.) They have some really neat stamps there-very unique and different from the ordinary stuff you see in the craft stores. They also have a great sale and a great deal on shipping going on right now. You should check them out! :)

I don't know if you can see them, but the small rhinestones really add to this card too. There are three small ones on the owl's stomach, and then the three medium ones on the side. The black and white argyle paper also has some stripes of silver in it that look great with the rhinestones when you see the card in person.

Again, different look for me, but fun, don't you think? (The dots were inspired by "Markie's mom" on splitcoast)

Graduation

I have been stamping a bunch the last few days. I have had thank you cards to make, a graduation coming up, and more...

This is the card I made for my brother. He graduates this next weekend. I wanted to keep it simple and masculine. Is there too much white on the outside?

I am going to post several of the thank you's I made in the next day or so. I will be taking a vote on them as to your favorite and I may have some blog candy to give away to anyone who posts a comment about them. (Just for fun, I thought I would share a little...never done this before...) :) Anyway, so check back!!!

"Like no udder"

I decided to make a bunch (35 to be exact) of these cute and easy sour cream containers to tell all of our teachers at church thank you for all they do. As I was looking for a "small" thank you to put on the front of them, I saw this cute cow stamp and decided that it was perfect for the sour cream container! A whole dairy theme! :) I do wish I had the 1 3/8 punch. I needed the color of the two outer circles, but the circles are a little large for the container. Good enough though. Hope they like them! :)

Bday wishes

I got this cute card for my birthday from a friend of mine. She told me about a card swap she is in with some friends...I thought it would be fun to join in too-maybe it will get me back into stamping more each week. I miss it. Thanks Karen!

Stamp Club

Here are the long promised projects we did at our last mtg, as well as some from a previous month that I never got around to posting:

Here are two cards we recently made, along with the cute cute sour cream container filled with chocolate. I haven't ever made a monochromatic card before too. I think I'll try one soon on my own. I like it. )We also made another card, but I gave it away and forgot to take a pic of it. Oops.)



Previous projects:I forget what this technique is called-you stamp, then emboss with clear and then use a brayer over the top with color.
And here is a flap? card-first time with this one too. Thanks Sarah!