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It took almost 6 hours but the cards are done. Laura and I had a great time together and came up with what I think are some great designs. Part of the reason it took so long is no two of the twenty cards we made are alike. They are all different! I've never really spent this much time at once stamping. There was a basic theme we were following so I had picked out a selection of stamps that went with it. This helped some, but what we found is that we began experimenting with different techniques. So not only did we create the cards needed, but we learned alot as well. Best of all however was the fun we had together. Even my DH got involved in that he fixed dinner for us.
Tonight it is to late to scan the cards, but tomorrow I will try to find time to hook up to the scanner and scan a few of the ones I made. Now it is time to rest and gear down for sleep.
Though it is a Saturday and a day at home there was no creativity today! Just a lot of housework and laundry. However I did get plenty of files that have been sitting around way to long in my stamping room put a way! Yea!!!
Last April I co-chaired a quilt show for our local quilt guild and I had show records scattered all over the place. I was so glad when the show was over that I just dumped everything and forgot about doiing anything to organize it for the next sucker, I mean quilt show chair. Now after an afternoon of sorting, everything is nicely organized into a notebook and ready to pass on. All we need now is a person to volunteer for the job.
Tomorrow I will be ready to have fun stamping with a friend after church. We will make "palanca" cards for youth from our church who are going on a spiritual retreat next weekend and also some young adults, including her and my sons, who will be helping lead the weekend. We each will have 10 cards to make so it will be a marathon session.
Here are two of my first attempts at truly mixing my Stamping and my Quilting. They are fabric postcards which are currently the rage in the quilting world. Actually they have been quite popular for some time, but I'm a little slow on getting on the bad wagon. But now that I have jumped on it I am hooked. They are so quick and easy to make and yes they can be mailed using first class postage (39 cents) rather than postcard rates. I should have also scanned the back of the card but didn't. Maybe tomorrow. On the back I stamped POSTCARD across the top and drew a vertical line down the center. But back to the front. The stamps I used are Stampin' Up (of course) and I used craft inks. The design is done in what is called Paper piecing in the quilting world and the are patterns designed by Carol Doak. My favorite paper piecer in the whole world!
I made these cards for a workshop I had at my house. They showed how using the exact same elements you can create two different cards. The card on the bottom is actually one I found on the SU Demo site for use in a beginners workshop. The card on the top is the one that has been modified.
Now for the truth. The reason the card on the right is modified is while making the card one of the participants accidentally tore the wrong side of the Whisper White card stock so she had to improvise. Everyone really seemed to like the idea that even when you think you've made a mistake you really haven't you just need to adjust and actually they liked the boo-boo card better. It's the one they all made! Now that made me feel really GOOD! I really like it when people don't get stressed over mistakes but make lemonade out of them.
I just love this stamp set! It's from the summer mini catalog and it's called Nature Prints.
The first card shows all 4 stamps in the set and uses the new "In Colors" that are only available from Stampin' Up in the 2006-07 Catalog. I just love the colors and they go very well with this stamp set. With this card I also used my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to get the images placed where I wanted them. Boy I don't know how I lived with out this tool! It's absolutely WONDERFUL! I also used my new "cutter kit " to distress the edges of the layers. Love it as well, it will certainly give my finger nails a rest when it comes to distressing!
For the second card I used Pearl Ex on the fish stamp image. I chose to use Duo Red/Blue for this as it gives a nice Iridescence like fish scales do. I used Canvas background stamp behind the fish, but some friends suggested Cheesecloth background stamp would be nice as it would look like a fishing net. I'll try that when I get that stamp.
Both of these cards where designed for possible Stampfest Projects. The card with the fish was chosen, but we will use the Cheesecloth stamp and a "Happy Birthday" stamp rather than "Celebrate" which some felt was an over used stamp. I used it because I had it. I wanted to try and do some cards that could be used for men. It seems like most everything we do with stamping is female oriented.
Well it has been a while. I have just returned from a delightful vacation and now feel that I can post this card. I had made it for my in-laws anniversary but didn't want to post it before I gave it to them. I didn't think they would check out my blog but just want to be sure that they received the card before they saw it.
I had fun making this card as I played with Pearl X . It added an iridescence in the dragon fly which really added interest. Unfortunately it doesn't show up in the scan of the card. I got the idea for the card layout from SplitCoast Stampers but I don't remember form whose gallery it came. I need to do a better idea of keeping track of those inspiration sites so I can give them proper credit. 
Okay, okay I know this is not a card. It's a quilt, but I haven't started a quilting blog yet and the title of this one is Stampin & KWILTIN' so here it is. Now as to why it is here. I just was informed that it will be hanging in a national quilt show at the end of August. All I can say is BOY AM I EXCITED OR WHAT!
I've never had anything selected for a juried show before let alone a big show. I'm a local guild and county fair type gal.
This was submitted by our local guild as part of a group of 8 that were chosen from 19 entries in our guild challenge on TIME. We were to make a wall hanging size quilt which interpreted Time and there had to be at least one clock face on the quilt.
My interpretation was called It's About Time and I interpreted different phrases and images of time such as: Time is Money, Tea Time, Tee Time, Time in a Bottle etc. I also put images of Father Time, Big Ben and the Croc from Peter Pan complete with a clock charm in his belly. It was fun. Oh, I did do some stamping on iot. The ribbons at the top and bottom are stamped with the words "It's About Time!", "Thyme?" and "No Time!".
Yea! I've got my first card up on Split Coast Stampers! For me that is very exciting. I have my own gallery of one card! There will be more in the future, but one step at a time. Click on the title and you will be taken there. How cool is that! Now I just have to put it on my Links list. Guess I will go try that now.
Here is the finished product of my Heartfelt Thanks Series. I put the card fronts onto a display board along with the prices of the items needed to make the cards. Though the price list looks expensive I also mention that with these supplies alone you can make over 75 cards! It works out to less than a $1.00 per card. Hopefully this display board will come in handy when I have my next workshop, which as usual will be at my home after our vacation this month. I am also hopeful that maybe out of that workshop I can finally get someone else to host a workshop. That would be very nice!
Finally my 2006-07 Idea Books have arrived. They are absolutely wonderful! I especially like the new background stamps. It will be a while before I have the money to place an order, but I will use that time well making my list. I have a vacation coming up after the Fourth then I will have a home workshop. Maybe I will do a Stamp a Stack. Of course if I do that I had better put in an order for some of the new stamp sets. Yeah right, I wish. Why doesn't Money grow on trees? At least only a few of my sets were retired.
Here is another in the Heartfelt series. I think it needs one of the small script words above the flowers, but since I challenged myself not to use any stamp set other than Heartfelt Thanks I didn't use one. I cut the vase out freehand and the stripes on it were made using only the stem from the flower. I have one more piece of Always Artichoke cut for a card and I think what ever I come up with using it will be the last card for my display. I know I said I was going to move on to other things several days ago, but I think the rain we've been getting here over the last few days has made my brain soggy either that or I am just plain stuck in the mud!
It actually stopped raining and was sunny during the day today, but now it is raining quite hard again. 13 inches is enough already! It's keeping the UPS man from my door. (What other excuse can there be for him not bringing me my new SU Idea Books!!!) He better bring them tomorrow or someone is going to have to pay. I know others in the area have received their's cause the UPS Tracking site told me so! Have I been a bad girl?
Okay, since the rain won't let up in the Mid Atlantic they have wisely cancelled this years CreationFest! Am I sad? In some ways yes in most ways no. This year's trip planning has been a real challenge to say the least so it is a relief to finally have things set to rest. Of course the kids are all disappointed and that's what I really find sad, but there is always next year when our tickets will still be honored.
So since I don't have to go camping for a week and sisnce it is REALLY wet and nasty out, over 7 inches of rain in 36 hours and more to come, I guess I will have to stamp!!! Maybe I can come up with some sympathy cards for those that are sad we aren't camping and those who are just sick of the rain! Too bad I don't have any ark stamp sets!
Two day's with out stamping or any other creative pursuit. For me that's tough but that's also normal life I guess. Last week was the anomaly. Sad but true. I probably won't get to do much for several weeks now. The rest of this weekend and all of next week will be spent in preparation for taking 29 youth and adults from our church to CreationFest East. A Christian music fest. Camping for 6 days...no hot water and few if any flushing toilets! (To check out what Creationfest is click on the title to this post.) This will be our 9th year and I am definately feeling that 9 years ago I was much younger and better suited to this type of an event. But I know that once I get there I will be greatly blessed in many ways. I'm going to try and figure out a "project" to take and work on in mny "down" time. Nont sure what but will figure that out tomorrrow. For right now I'm exhausted from prepareing foor for 29! Good night!
Well, I accomplished what I set out to do today. I came up with two original designs using the stamp sets and colors from last night. AND I figured out how I could put the copyright information on the face of the cards. There may be an easier or better way, but I came up with my way and it worked! I am so proud of myself. Didn't even need DH's help in figuring out how to do it.
Of these two cards my favorite is the Heartfelt one. I don't like the look of blank card stock especially white or off white so I sponged it with Always Artichoke. It's really been fun coming up with ides using a limited set of materials. I have a few more ideas for this set that I am working on. After those I think I will be more than ready to move on to something else.
Tonight is my last night as a "single woman". Husband returns from Miami trip tomorrow night. It will be nice having him home. Even with son in house it still is pretty quiet, but I probably won't get as much free time to stamp though, so it's been fun. Also some time soon I need to get back to my sewing room and do some quilting, then also there is that good book I haven't touched for a while.....gee wouldn't life be grand if only I didn't have to work during the day. Of course then I would have no money to spend on my craft addictions. I had hoped to support my stamping up habit with being a demonstrator, but that hasn't happened yet.
Well the list is long, but other than a few punches I had planned on getting and the memo cubes which I stamp and give as gifts there is nothing on it that I can't live without! I am kind of surprised to see alot of their designer papers and scrapboooking kits being discontinued. I wonder what will bei in their place as scrapbooking items are one thing a lot of demos wanted more of not less! Guess I will have to wait on that one. My new catalogs have been shipped. Yeah....but they will probably come while I at Creation with our church group so I won't get to see it till July 2 when I get home...boo hoo.
WOW, The LIST is out and it is long. I haven't had time to look at it yet but have printed it out and its 6 pages! Honestly I wasn't expecting it so early today. Obviously lots of DEMOs want to see it as the SU web site was moving pretty slow.
Well at least it is EDT. Why is June 21 so exciting? No, it's not because summer will officially begin today. It's already been way summer hot here so that's not important. It's the day that the list of retiring SU accessory list will be published. I suppose though that I will still need to be a bit more patient. As much as I would like it to magically appear now I will have to wait till sometime after 8AM Mountain time.....Maybe I should just go to bed....if it wasn't for this insomnia thing I would....well maybe I'll just have to read a boring book. Hmmm....still I wonder what won't be available after June 30. Of course once I know that then I will wonder what wonderful new things will be available on July 1!
Today was the first workshop I held to make items that will be sold at our church's December Secret Shop. We have held this shop each year for the past 23 years. It is a place where children can come and shop for gifts for their family and friends "in secret". All items in the shop (our fellowship hall transformed in to a shopping mall) at $5.00 or less and the child is assigned a shopping elf to help them with there purchases. Everything is wrapped and taged before they leave for home so on Christmas morning they can give people special gifts they choose themselves. Then money raised from this event goes to support children's programs and children in need through out the year.
This is one of the projects we made this morning. I found clip boards at Sam's Club for less than $1.00 each. So the project is in our price range. We painted the clip boards with Delta Ceramcoat paint. Then after it dried I stamped it with Stampinup Craft Inks. For this design I used Island Blossoms which is a Level 3 Hostess set in the 2005-06 Idea Book. The words NOTES was stamped using the Whimsical Letters stamp set. Overall I am very peased how this turned out. It can be hung on the wall. I will sray a fixative over the entire surfase at a later date.
Wow! This is to to cool! Okay, I admit that I am impressed by what others may see as small accomplishments. I now see that since this post is at the top you see the open image before the closed. Oh well can't be perfect in everything. Here as promised in previos post you can see the eyelet and hemp pull. This card was way to fun to make and so easy, Maybe tomorrow I will figure how to hook up a link to the SCS Tutorial where I learned how to do this. But one thing at a time. Now my brain wants a rest and to think creatively rather than technologically.
Okay let's see if this works. This is a card I made following a SCS Tutorial on making double slider cards. This is just the front of the card. Once I know it it works I will upload the opened card image where you can see the slider and message. I made this using the Canvass, Easy Elegance, and Graceful Words stamp sets. The message on the slider is from the God's Way stamp set. The card stock is Stampin Up's mellow moss, very vanilla, and basic black. The words are all stamped in elegant eggplant and I used a watercoloring technique for the flowers. The bacground stamp is done in mellow moss ink. I also used a black eyelet and hemp for the slider pull which didn't scan in this picture but will show up in the next. Okay here goes...let's see if this works! Fingers crossed and breath held.
Okay, tonight I am going to try and scan a card I have stamped and post it's picture here. More technology....Life used to be so uncomplicated...but not near as fun or challenging. Back later (I hope!)
Okay, the mind is on overload. I am a crafter and quilter NOT a computer person so that I have gotten this fair is a minor miracle! No more tonight. It's time to go either fondle fabric or puruse my latest stamping magazaine for inspiration then on to bed and dream of tomorrows creative pursuits.
Here I go entering into a new world. As they say when the cat is away the mouse will play! Well, the cat (my DH) left for Miami this morning and left this mouse home with the family. So this is a week that when I am not at work I get to PLAY!!!! The family is all over 20 and capable of takeing care of selves for one week. So I will stamp, quilt, and start this new adventure in blogging. Who says you can't teach old dogs new tricks. Oh, Oh, can I mix dog and cat metaphors? On to learn more........
Here are four of my favarite cards that I made yesterday. I'm still amazed at the number of cards I got done. Of course nothing was done today. I had to reenter the real world of normal work.
