Patchwork Paper

Last Sat., several of us got together to stamp and color! We also did a "shoebox swap" where we each designed a card and cut all the pieces etc. so that everyone could make one.

This is an inspiration from Peggy (http://www.thewiredangel.blogspot.com/) She had us tear peices of designer paper and glue them onto cardstock. Then we used a dauber and ink (Sahara Sand here) to cover the white parts of the tears and make it look vintage. Then we ran it thru the Cuttlebug to give it texture! (Can you see it?) It's now ready for a saying or ribbon embellishment! Thanks, Peggy for a great new technique!

Fifth Avenue Floral

Again, sorry about the glare!! I promise not to take any more pics inside the clear envie!

The colors are So Saffron and black. The flower in front is watercolored and cut out and adhered with a dimensional. AND of course, glitter is added in the middle! I LOVE this stamp set because there are SO many things you can do with it! I may make these for one of my convention swaps in August....

Humor in High Heels

Hi! First, sorry about the glare-I didn't realize it had one til I posted it...(I have it in a clear envelope)!
I have many friends that are "shoe addicts"--my daughter is one of them (and thank goodness we can wear the same size!)--this set is perfect for those that love shoes! I have to tell you, one of my daughter's friends even has hers so organized that she has them stacked in clear shoeboxes with PICTURES of the shoes on the outside!!!!

The hardware in the middle is from the Hardware kit and I used pink taffeta and light rose ribbon through it.
The pillow is painted with aquapainter, shoe is glittered and it is cut out on adhered with a dimensional. I used designer paper behind it for layering (good for me using that paper!)

I semi-cased this card from the Idea Book/catalogue page 53.
Thanks for looking!

I have to agree with Ward Cleaver....

Remember watching "Leave it to Beaver" when you were a kid? To tell, you the truth, this doesn't really seem like something old Ward would say--he doesn't seem like the goofiest guy around! But I love the saying and feel like it applies to me sometimes!

This card that I made, using "Tart and Tangy", is a semi-case from the SU Idea book/catalogue.
I used SU markers to color the images before I stamped. And of course, HAD to add glitter! The brads are new to me--meaning I've had them and haven't used them! Saving them for something, I guess! Why I do that with lots of new items, I don't know!
This is a simple card-and I'm going to make some more because I know they will be fun to send!

Don't forget-if you are in a "creative block", look at the samples in the catalogue for inspiration! Just copy or tweak!

Visit tomorrow for another one that I semi-cased from the catalogue!

Mini Backpack

This is such a cute little backpack! Carol, one of my friends and "make & taker", brought this to share with us last Sunday. She made it at a class-and I don't know who to give credit to! It's about 4 " tall. Carol made several of these to give as gifts to her paras at school. Thanks for sharing it with us, Carol!

More Happy Stampers!

Jeannie and Trula hard at work at Sunday's Make and Take!

Carol finishing up her floor wax card...

Peggy and Holly - are they stressing over the flowers they are assembling? No way! I think they are sneaking candy mints and Pixie Sticks that we used to make them :-) !!

Winner of the Stamp Set for comments!

AND the winner is...Metwife (Theresa)!!! I will get you the stamp set via your sissy--congrats!!!

And thank you for leaving comments! I think it is working now!

Pearl Ex, Future Floor Wax and fun make & take!

This is one of the cards that we made this past weekend--it is using Pearl Ex powder mixed with Future floor wax and painted in the floral outline of silver embossed image. It has a neat shimmer to it and is fun to do!

Here's Peggy at the station making the card.

Marty, her mom-Mary-and Pam making the butterfly card. As you can see, there was a full house Friday night!

From the left, clockwise-Keeley, Sandy, MJ, Kim and Amanda are constructing flowers for the bouquet in a pail.

Reggie, DeAnn, Sherrie and Laura are completing their flowers at this station.

Thanks, girls, for a fun time! Next pics are from Sunday's make & take!

Creative Decorating!

These are made by a friend and sideline-Dana-in her bathroom. Is she creative or what? The piece on the right looks like tile, but is using the "faux tile" technique and 5th Ave. Floral stamp set. The flowers are cut from a die. Who says you can only stamp cards and scrapbook with stamps and cardstock?

Big Shot Butterflies

This beautiful framed artwork is in a friend and sideline, Dana's, bathroom and the whole bathroom matches the decor. She used the Big Shot butterfly die cut and stamped with 5th Avenue Floral. Notice how she embossed the images of the flowers on the black cardstock and on the butterflies. It looks so much better in person! Also look at the wall to the left of the frame--do you see the Manhatten Flower Wall decor?

Decor Elements

Did you know that using Decor Elements are very easy? This is on my bathroom door off of my Craft Studio. Just follow the directions that come with the package- and voila! AND if I ever want to change it, I can just peel it off! I can honestly say that it took me just minutes to adhere these to my door!
Check out my website by clicking on the left and you can see the many choices and colors. And if you place an order before the end of April on my website, you'll receive a FREE catalogue/idea book with your order!

Comments and Prizes!

Ok--I know that some people have said there's a problem leaving comments! Well, I've tried to remedy that--BUT since I don't know a bunch about this blog stuff, I need to see if it's working now!

SO! Here's the deal! All of you that leave a comment in the next 5 days (ends Tues. the 21st) will go into a pool and the winner will get....drumroll......a FREE STAMP SET from me! I will take a picture of it and post it on Sat. so you can see which one it is.

And of course, only NICE comments-don't you think? :-) (kidding) (or not)

I will notify you and need your address-so please let me know how to contact you if you win--
Thanks!

I LOVE Glitter!!!!

OOOO! I love this! And it sparkles like this in real life, too! This is a technique that my downline learned at Regionals in Lincoln, NE (check out her blog--it's Peggy www.mycraftroom.blogspot.com ) And here's how you do it!
1. First, you need the sticky letters or flowers from Stampin Up (page 180)
2. Adhere the back to your cardstock
3. Remove a piece of the letter with an exacto blade (it will just be the top red part of the letter)
4. Pour on desired color of glitter
5. Continue to remove parts of the letter and use other colors of glitter
6. The possibilities are endless with this technique!!

Cool or what?

Upsy Daisy

I used to HOARD my Designer paper! Why? It was so pretty that I didn't want to use it up! Well, that's changed! Here, I stamped "Upsy Daisy" with black craft ink. Maybe I'd emboss clear EP on it next time, what do you think?

I wanted to try embossing on Designer paper here...I used white craft ink and white EP. Such an easy technique and it works especially well with the stamp set "Upsy Daisy"! I also used the Top Note Die.

Thanks for looking!

Fore!

I'm back from a great time with my parents and daughter in Naperville, Illinois--the drive is SO LONG tho! But, back to the real world!

Here's a card I made using "And Many Mower" from the mini. I know I'll get alot of use from this set, since many in my family are golfers! He is embossed in black on watercolor paper and watercolored. The Top Note Die was used and layered by cutting around the perforations on the designer paper.

Hope you had a great Easter and thanks for looking!

"Smoosh" technique

I'm heading out tomorrow morning to Naperville, Ill. on a 10 hour drive to visit my parents and daughter over Easter! My daughter lives in Chicago and is joining us for the weekend-so we will all have a fun time together! Sadly, my husband is staying home because he doesn't want to miss work--and get this--Easter is his birthday! Since I won't be there I made some cute little 3x3 cards with the owls on them for a scavanger hunt for him to do on Sunday. I hid them around the house today with some gifts and will call him Sunday with the first clue.....

SO, it will be a few days til I add a new post...please be sure to check back on Tuesday!

I'll leave you with a card I made for the downline swap using the "smoosh" technique!

The background is made using a page protector that I opened and put a couple drops of Pacific Blue, Certainly Celery and So Saffron reinkers. Then, you spray a mist of water and close the plastic. SMOOSH. Open and put 2 pieces of glossy (you can use regular cs) back to back on the ink--close and SMOOSH! Take them out to dry or heat set. Each background is unique!

Then I inked tree with Versamark, sprinkled Heat and Stick powder, heated (quickly) and dumped chocolate glitter on it. Reheat to set. The Pacific blue cs is embossed with a SU Texture plate.

Have a Happy Easter and will be back soon!

Almost looks like a real butterfly!

This beautiful card was made by a friend and sideline, Paula, and uses the level one stamp set "Gods' Beauty". The butterfly is embossed with irridescent ice on black craft and colored. I love how she used Versamark for a subtle background! I FINALLY ordered some of the Kiwi Kiss satin ribbon--don't know what took me so long!

Challenge yourself!

Do you ever get "stuck" when trying to come up with a color combo or design for your cards? A great idea is to pick up a magazine and find a picture that has a pleasing color combo or design-rip it out and go to your craft area and design! The pic in the background is from a Popcorn catalogue. I tried to mimic the idea of the "punched looking" squares and the colors to make this card! Certainly one I never would have thought of before!
We did this challenge at our last downline meeting and the girls came up with some awesome cards using the colors from ads in magazines! So, why didn't I take pics of them? I forgot! Am still getting used to the idea of having a blog!! I promise to be better about that!
Go be creative and see what you can come up with!

Playing with a new set from the Mini!

I came up with this cards a couple of weeks ago when some of us got together to play! It's
called "Scene in the Garden" from the Occasions Mini (SU). I used my Prisma pencils and
gamsol to color it--and Tea Party Designer paper. I think my favorite part is the stamping of the boots on the designer paper and cutting them out! They remind me of the galoshes that have print on them (I love those, but would probably never wear them--so instead of buying some-I made them!) (Now how's THAT for saving money? I should tell my husband that!)

AND during the month of April, if you order $40 from the mini, you get to choose a FREE stamp set off of page 208 in the SU Catalog & Idea book! You can order off of my website 24/7-and don't forget to put down the item number of the free set that you choose!

Another great one!

DeAnn (downline) designed this great card from the SU mini--Love it! Thanks DeAnn!

Check out Deann's blog @ www.desadie6.blogspot.com

I could almost eat this!

How clever is this? Tina (downline) made this cute donut card using the level 1 SU set--

Doesn't it actually look like a donut? Yum! So creative, Tina!!

I REALLY wish I would've taken some pics of the peeps at our downline meeting where we had a swap and did a color challenge, got a gift from the "envelope tree" after an Easter egg hunt and had some demos on Decor Elements and glitter with sticky letters! Of course there was great chat and sharing of ideas, too. Unfortunately, we had to have the meeting over 2 days because the Sat. it was planned for happened to ice and snow--so the ones that couldn't make it came on the next Monday night. Next time it will be all of us! AND I already have th presies for it! (thank you Pam)
What a GREAT group of talented girls are in this group! I am so lucky! I am posting some of the swaps at a time to share with you--

I hear there are problems leaving me comments on my blog! If you have a problem, please email me at rjrholm@aol.com and let me know so that I can ask someone to figure it out for me!
Thanks for visiting and come back and see the rest of the creations from this past weekend!

More downline swaps! And more to come!

Peggy http://www.mycraftroomblog.blogspot.com/ made this fun Easter card using "A Good Egg"! I wish that I'd made some of these to send out for Easter! Well done, Peggy!

Sherrie http://www.girlsjustwanttostamp.blogspot.com/ designed this card. She used "Great Friend: from the SU mini that is available NOW to order from. It's so soft and sweet! Great job, Sherrie! Lots of cutting and the colors are to die for!

AND if you order $40 from the mini during April, you get a FREE stamp set from the very last

page of the SU catalogue!

Pam created this beautiful card using the Raspberry Tart DS and "Sweet Stems"-using all SU products. Love it, Pam! I like to save my cards, but have someone in mind to send this to!