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!

I sooooo want to stamp...

...but with my son's baptism later this week, I am having to put it on hold. We are trying to get some projects done around the house and it feels like although we are working on them nonstop, they will never be done!!! Aahhh! :)

I DID get to go to my stamp club night last weekend though and will post the projects we did later. We made the sour cream containers and some cards. One is a monochramatic card-I have never made one of those and I think I should do more. Easy and they look good. :)

Again, I'll post them later! Next week, I AM going to stamp though!!!!

Pink, Pink, Pink! And a challenge!!! Finally!

For some reason I am into pinks today...and yesterday. I did the bottom card for a baby shower I am going to tomorrow and the top one for today's challenge at Splitcoast. It was that you had to create your own designer paper...I've been wanting to do a pink and black card for awhile...yeah! (Also, I am always saying that I put things up on dimensionals, but you can never tell from the pics, so this time I took a pic of it from the side so that you can see.)




The stamp "Heaven's gift" is one I found on Clearance at Michael's. It's kinda neat-it is like a metal stamp with a handle that you can turn the handle and it changes the stamp-kinda like those stamps that stamp the date in offices...anyway-but they are made in themes-this one is all baby sayings. Kinda fun!

Stinkin' Sweet

WOW!!! Another card!!! I love pinks and oranges together for some reason and always have. I wanted to make a quick card last night, so I pulled out this preprinted cardstock I found for a great price at Sam's and wala! The cute ric-rac matched perfect too! Yeah!

TX Cards

I have had some vision of some version of this card in my head for weeks now and have not been able to find the time to create it until last night. I am not sure that it is exactly what I was thinking of, but fairly close. It definitely took more time than I typically spend on one card and still could possibly use a little tweaking, but overall I am happy with it.

I used two sets to make it: Flashy Florals and the other I think is called Happy Trails. I borrowed both from my mom. They are both retired and older, but with all the TX bluebonnets out lately, it made me think of putting these two sets together.

Some specs:
I painstakingly (haha) cut around the fence, cactus and used an exacto knife to cut out the inside of the wheel-that's where a lot of time went...The fence is up on dimensionals and then the cactus is up on double dimensionals in front of the fence. The wheel is leaning on the fence and then the other side glued down to the flat part of the card, so it looks like it is leaning for real (well, as real as I can get on paper). I had not intended to put the rope/lasso hanging from the fence and was unsure if it was too much or maybe it was more that I didn't like it there AND across the top, but I didn't have anything else that I could find that looked as good across the top and then when I took the rope back off the fence, it looked naked, so here it is. What do you think? Too much? I had wanted more of the bluebonnets to show too, but I think that there are still enough that you can see. They are, however, monster bluebonnets in proportion to that fence. LOL The clouds I made with sponging over a scalloped circle I punched out-I saw this on splitcoast last week and thought I would try it out. It was easy and turned out pretty good I think.

Anyway...fun! (Don't ask me why I made it square and this size??? Just came out that way for some reason.)

I have another card I have made before with a TX stamp I have-I'm going to make that one next I think, while I have this TX stuff on the brain. :)

Candles

I was invited to a bridal shower. It has been a LONG time since I was invited to a bridal shower. I decided to just get some great smelling candles for her from a local store. They put them in this plain white box, so I decided to spruce it up some to match the card I previously posted. I think it turned out pretty fun.

(A fun side note: The store where I bought the candles has some weird names for their candles though-my favorite scent and one of their most popular is "Butt Naked". I debated on getting that one for her b/c of the name, but I love the smell, so I did....I did however decide to NOT add to it "Jungle Love"-afraid too many people would think I was insinuating something there. LOL I got her "Leather and Lace"-a more masculine smell mixed with a feminine scent and then a lavender/vanilla. Hope it was a good mix of scents she/they will like.)

WOW!

Can you believe I am actually posting?!!! I have had a few friends laugh at the fact that I haven't posted much since my DH has returned home. I think I am getting a little closer to getting into a routine again...I can't even get to my stamp area right now though. Man! The miltary expects you to keep so much stuff!!! No room in our bedroom with all my stuff and then to add his army stuff...I need to give him more room though.

Anyway...thanks to a church activity and to Anne for her supplies-I got to stamp last night!!! I had a hard time getting started though-stamper's block-came from not stamping in so long. :) I actually started making this card using some of her printed paper as inspiration, but then it turned into something different. At least it got me started though. :) I think I might want to get this set now too. I liked it!

I'm hoping to get some of the challenges in this weekend. We'll see...