Julie's Swap Card

This adorable card made by my blogger friend, Julie Purdum. I love the dimension and colors! The sentiment, "i just love you", is embossed in the bottom corner to nicely finish out the card. Make sure that you check out Julie's blog, Rubber Room Rambles, to see more of her creations!

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BTW, I was gone all weekend, so I'm a bit behind on the Card of the Week. I'll get it up as soon as I can! xox

Anna's Swap Card

Continuing on with my swap cards from Sarah's Blogger Spring Swap, here is Anna's card. I love this set, and, like so many others, I need to use it more. You can't see it, but she added some Crystal Effects to the hearts that adds more dimension. How cute is this??? Thanks Anna, and make sure to check out her blog here.

My First Kisses

Reposted: Published in Cards, Sept. '07 issue, pg 150.I didn't care for this set (Butterfly Kisses) at first, and thought that I could live without it...until I received 1 or 2 of the other Papertrey sets, fell in love with them, and decided that I MUST have it! I made this Wednesday when I had some MOMS Club friends over for some "scrapbooking". I started this Scrap Night so that would actually SCRAPBOOK! Then, I forgot all about figuring out what I wanted to work on that day, so I just finished this card that I had been working on!

I used Pretty in Pink, Thyme, Saffron CS. The PP is AC, as well as the ribbon. I stamped the butterflies on Velum CS with Rust, and colored them in (on the back) with my Pretty marker. The bling is from A Muse, and I found it at Ellen's store. The sentiment is stamped in Thyme.

Hope you like it, and have a wonderful weekend! We're going to see Mickey Mouse this weekend!!!

xox
k

Mimi's Swap Card

This adorable card is made by none other than my friend Mimi. She created a window with her square punches to let the cutey giraffe from Little Hellos show through. I really like the colors and layout. Check out her blog here. She's got some great stuff! (The pic is a little dark, so click on it for more detail!)

One More Bundle Card

Reposted: Published in Cards, Sept. '07 issue, pg. 77.Today's card is the last of my Bundle of Joy cards, because sadly, I DO need to give the set back! I actually stamped and colored this image a long time ago, and finally got around to giving it a home on a card!
I used my FAV SU! PP, Petals and Paisleys, and coordinating CS, Turq., Olive, WW, and BB. The ribbon is from the Flirty Ribbon Essentials, and the "stitching" is from some Doodlebug rub-ons. I pierced the edge of the one side, and added the Round Tab to the other with the sentiment. I stamped the heart on a scrap piece of PP, cut it out, and added it to the punched tab for some extra color.
I hope that you like it - I love these colors. When my hubby gets back with the camera, I'll upload another one of my swap cards!

xox,
k

If the Shoe Fits...

Meet Imeldabella. Unlike me, she has an obsession with shoes. I generally wear Old Navy flip-flops and occasionally a pair of tennies myself, but I can understand the compulsion. It's just that ever since I gave birth, I can only afford one or two compulsions, and my crafty "habits" have long since taken the wheel.
This paper is from SEI, and was shared with me by a friend (thanks Mim!). The ribbon (Michaels and SU!) and tag (QuicKutz die) was used to make the card look like a package. The sentiment and shoe stamps are from SU!'s First in Fashion. I colored Imelda with my Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, and stumps, and used my Tool Kit and Saffron Brads to finish off the main image. Card stock used was WW, Saffron, and Turquoise.
Now I'm off to, hopefully, get some stamping done before Naptime is OVER!

xox,
k

Donna's Swap Card

This is one of the FAB cards that I received from my Blogger's Spring Swap! It is a Hidden Message Slider, made by Donna Baker. I LOVE the butterfly and the colors. When you pull the tab at the bottom, it reveals the "Life has many Gifts - take time to Unwrap them All" sentiment from the new SU! That's Nice set. Donna also added Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to the butterfly wings! Love it!

You can check out her other wonderful creations here.

Blogger Swap Numero Dos

Reposted: Published in Cards, Sept. '07 issue, pg 141.{Is that how you spell dos??? (As in Spanish "two"???) How embarrassing if it's not!}

I love Big Blooms! I don't personally own it, but for the first time I'm contemplating buying it! For now, though, maybe I can sweet talk a certain someone to letting me borrow hers again??? (You know who you are :)) Even if it IS just borrowing it - at HER house. :) LOL

Anywho, this is the other card that I made for the Blogger Spring Swap. This one is an "Any Vendor" card, being that I used Basic Gray (Romani) paper and ribbon, my Cuttlebug (Bloom Dots folder), and an A Muse sentiment with my SU! stamps (Big Blooms and Little Pieces)! Also used, is a set from the last Mini (Big Pieces) that may or may not (I think "may".) be included in the new Catty. Paper colors are Red, Pretty in Pink, and WW, and ink colors used are Pumpkin, Olive, Red, and Teal (stamped off first to match the paper). I also used my Circle Punches.

Again, I hope that they like it. Keep an eye out for it in Stamper Blog Land, as it was a Blogger Swap, so it'll be on other blogs, too! Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday, and I'm looking forward to receiving MY swaps (hopefully today!)! :)

xox,
k

Card of the Week (4-23-07)

Happy Monday, and welcome back to the Card of the Week! (That was said in my best announcer voice.:)) This is a card that I made for a Blogger Spring Swap that I was in. I'm also going to give you ALL the deets for you to make yourselves, if you so choose! I used one of my favorite, though seldom used, Office Accoutrement sets from the Spring Mini to make this card.

I had a lot of fun with it, because it's kind of an inside joke. This card was for a Demo Only swap group, being a good one to show customers because it uses several different SU! products. But it's kind of a message to the other swappers, too, that I hope will make them smile. The date stamp in the corner was marked for the day that the swap was due. The Memo says "must stamp", and the Round Tab punch is stamped with "important message MUST RETURN". So, it was kind of like "note to self - make sure to stamp and send this card back by this date." Well, I thought it was kind of clever, anyways! LOL

Back to business! Here's what you'll need...
Stamps - Office Accoutrement, Rough Edges Alpha
Paper - Celery (card base, and scrap for punch), Teal (4 x 5 1/4), Saffron (2 x 4, and scrap for flower), WW (scrap), Notations PP (2 1/4 x 4 1/8)
Ink - Sahara Sand, Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Celery, Teal, White Craft, Chocolate Marker
Other Shtuff - Celery Grosgrain, Round Tab Punch, 1/8 and 1/16 Hand Punch, Saffron Brads, Dimensionals

First STAMP! Start with the White Craft on the Teal, so that you can set it aside to dry (or heat set it). Mark the date you want with your marker. Next, stamp the flower and memo, and cut out. HINT: Anytime you use alpha letters, don't try to get them PERFECT, unless you want to use a Stamp-a-ma-Jig. I try to make them more whimsical, therefore, making it much easier on myself.
Now for the tab. I punched it out first, then stamped - heck, if you make it crooked the first time, you can always turn it over! Layer the Saffron and PP together, and add the tab with Saffron brads. Now's a good time to add that ribbon! :) I just used the 1/8 (or you can use the Rectangle Hand Punch, too) Hand Punch, and made two holes, threaded the ribbon and tied twice!
The only thing left is to layer! I used Dotto for everything, except the flower and memo - for those I used Dimensionals. I don't think I could make a card that was truely FLAT! LOL

I hope that you try this one, and comment with a link back to yours! No one has done this yet! I hope that someone out there is making these cards!!! :)

Have a great week, and Happy Stamping!
xox,
k

My Utopia on Earth

Well...on my block, at least! :)

I saw on a few people's blogs (like Michelle and Lauren), where they have posted pix of their stamping space. I love seeing those, as it gives storage options, display ideas, etc... Well, I had cleaned up my room all nice and neat, and thought that I'd take a few pix to post on here, in case anyone is interested.

Above is a pic of most of the room (my former dining room :), never was one for dinner parties - LOL). I've got the small little table (our old kitchen table) in the center with all of my "necessaries" placed as conveniently as possible around me, in a variety of storage units.

Look up! It is my Bookcase Ala Rubber (as well as scrapbooks, old photo albums, cards, and planners.) This may be my favorite place in room. Before this, I stored my 100+ SU! stamp sets in the SU! cardboard shipping boxes! It was pitiful! My dear Hubby found this with me at the unfinished wood store, and "finished" it! I've placed the SU! provided label on the front of the box, and used my Label Maker to make larger labels that I can see from my chair, and placed it on the end of the box. In the stacked storage unit, there's my quilting supplies, and the vase on the right holds extra yarn from previous crochet/knitting projects.

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The picture on the right shows my little cupboard holding wheels, punches, and various other stuff. On top of the cupboard, I've got the SU! Ribbon Holders (two medium and two small) to store ribbon, brads, buttons, and eyelets. My Embossing Station is on top of the blue stacking unit. On the left side of the pic (wish I had a better view of it), you can kind of see a white box with ribbon hanging out of it. That was my birthday gift from Mimi last year. It holds all of the SU! grosgrain ribbon spools. I LOVE IT! You can also see the acrylic ruler "caddy" on the right, for my quilting.

Above is my little Candy Store. I just got these candy jars at Target the other day, and they are now the loving home of my new Primas (Jody's Prima Lovers Share that I split with my friend Sara) and some of my yummy ribbon. There are also some books and albums that I've recently made, jelly jars for each SU! Ribbon Essentials assortment, and more Primas in jars.

Next pic is a few cheapo bookcases creatively stacked so to store all of my SU! cardstock, On Board, Scrappin' Kits, Light Box, QuicKutz and Cuttlebug dies, and PP. On top is my CB/QK Station, and underneath is more 12x12 paper and CS, as well as my (seldom used) crochet/knitting box. On my cutting table you can find my iPod, current Mini catty display (used mainly for storage), a borrowed stamp set (anytime you want it back, I'm ready, Jamie:))and a basket with Heidi Swapp flowers and even more ribbon.

And lastly, this is a closer view of my table, with the right-hand chair full of my newer stamp sets (that I've got to have close at hand), and the left-hand chair full of WW paper and WCP (also must have within arms reach). Down on the floor (right next to me:)) is my beloved Michael's craft tote that holds all the"absolutely necessaries", like Glue Dots of all sizes, Paper Snips, Tool Kit, small ruler, Dotto, Snail, Dimensionals, etc... On the table, you can see my new Prismacolor Pencils, Grid Paper, Scrub, paper cutter, and drink caddy (Creative Memories - so worth it!). In the background you can see my ink pad caddy, Many Marvelous Markers, magazine holder (and bookcase holding more mags!), and Tabletop Trimmer (love it!). Also on the bookshelf, you can see my sewing machine, AC Greenhouse flowers, bucket of even more ribbon, and boxes of reinkers. The thing hanging on the wall on the right is my thread spool rack and my altered clipboard from one of my first blog posts.

Hope you enjoyed your tour! Now it's your turn! What kinds of storage ideas have you all come up with? How do you organize your stamp sets, or DO you? What do you do with the plethora of magazines that you (I know I'm not the only one?!?) can accumulate? I'd love to see more "rubber rooms"!

See you tomorrow for the Card of the Week!

xox,

k

A Long Time Coming

I have spent the afternoon browsing blogs and adding links, and I had a good time doing it! There are so many wonderful blogs out there and life is so busy, you can't read them all. I would, however, like to link them to have at my fingertips when I have time to go abrowsin'! Well, I've been meaning to add several links to my Blogs Read Worthy list on my sidebar for quite a while, and today, I was able to sit down and do it.
I added all the Blogger RAK links from the cards that I have received, as well as the links of the wonderful people who consistently leave comments on my humble posts (provided I was able to access their sites). There are so many AWESOME stampers out there, I feel like I've been missing so much in not checking in on EVERYONE as much as I would like!!! LOL Having you linked here is my way of doing that!
If I've added you, and you would like me to remove you, PLEASE just ask, and I'll get you off of there right away! Also, if you've linked my site on YOUR blog and I've missed you, let me know, and I will do the same.

Simply a Pretty Blogger RAK

Look at this very pretty card that I got in the mail the other day! It is from Debbie Seyer. I love the colors, and it also reminds me to pull out an old favorite stamp set, Simply Said.

How nice it is to open up your mailbox, and know that someone somewhere was thinking about you! Thank you so much, Debbie!

Check out her blog here.

10 Weird Things

Well, it happened. I've been tagged by my friend, Mimi, to list 10 weird things about myself. I assume that this is an effort to try to get to know fellow bloggers a bit better, and not for them to have something to laugh at you for (LOL), but here goes (in a very random order)...

1. My toes can spread out almost as wide as my fingers, and I'm QUITE dexterous with them. :)
2. I have always been missing a molar, and never got my wisdom teeth (no, that doesn't mean anything!)
3. I have 5 (yes, 5) tattoos. (It was my year and a half of self expression???)
4. I was stupid enough to have two of them done on the same day - in a couple of the most painful spots (nothing controversial!)
5. I have the Columbus, Ohio Test of the Emergency Broadcast System schpeal memorized, and have since a very young age. (I grew up there...obviously.)
6. I have to have the volume on the TV on an even number or multiple of 5. (Yes, I know, very OCD like of me.)
7. I still can list all of the prepositions from Jr. High English class.
8. One of my lovely habits is to chew the inside of my mouth. But I got it honestly, my mom used to to that, too.
9. I CAN'T STAND the back of my arms touched. It's overly sensitive skin, and it annoys the heck out of me.
10. Sometimes I talk to myself...but I NEVER answer. :)

Well, that was less painful than I thought that it would be! Now to tag TEN people (!!!)...hmmm... Jeanine, Tracy, Ana, Kendra, Bethany, Jen, Kristina, Julie, Allison, and Leslie. Sorry, Ladies, but it really was pretty fun, and kind of like therapy! LOL

Now off to stamp!
xox,
k

Sitting Here Thinking of You

This will have to be a quick post, being that it is no longer naptime (lol), but I wanted to get this card up here! This is uses two new stamps that I got in the past 24 hours, the Faux Ribbon and Inky Antics turtle. I also used my A Muse Skinny Oval for the underneath shadow with a light gray marker.
The CS colors are very different from what I normally use, but they came straight from the PP (Imaginisce) - Ruby, Garden Green, Marigold, and Not Quite Navy. The ribbon is American Crafts, and I used Prismacolor Pencils (with Gamsol and stumps) to color in the cutey turtle. The bkgd was Cuttlebugged with my friend Mimi's new folder.

Have a great evening!
Kirsten

A Very Worthy Cause

Recently, Joanne Basile contacted me to donate a pink card to her, for her to include in the totally awesome blog candy she is giving away. Her friend, Sarah, is doing the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer on May 19th, and she is trying to help her raise money by this blog candy contest. For every $1 that you spend, you get a chance to win! Check out Joanne's blog candy post (link above) for info on how to donate.
The candy is amazing! It includes such things as a $25 SU! stamp set, the upcoming May Papertrey Ink set (donated by Nichole Heady, with a card made by her!), s Causabella stamp (donated by Emily, at Stamping Bella), a Mel's Bracelet, and TONS of other yummy things. GO CHECK IT OUT!

Tag, I'm It

I've just been tagged for the first time - by two super awesome stampers, Leslie Miller (leslierich) and Yvette Ashe (yvette). (Both of their blogs are a must see, BTW!) Now, have to list 5 of my favorite stamping blogs, in no particular order. I'm going to TRY and list people who haven't been listed before. Here goes...

ETA: I noticed when I posted my, A Very Worthy Cause post, that I was also "tagged" by Joanne B. yesterday! Thank you to all three ladies!!! {{{hugs}}}

Asela Hopkins - she shares a wealth of info on her blog, and she's super talented to boot!
Ana Wohlfahrt - she got my attention with her wonderful Whipper Snapper cards a few months back, and I quickly found out she can do anything wonderfully!
Kendra Giles - she is not only a super stamper, she is super sweetheart and blogger friend!
Julie Purdam - she is also a real sweetheart, and someone I would call a friend, even though we've met only in cyberspace!
Mimi Hornberger - she is a super stamper, and someone that I could count on (and do! :)) for anything in the entire world!

Stay tuned, because at Naptime, I'm going to try to stamp! I got my new Inky Antics stamps yesterday, and I should get my new Faux Ribbon today! Woohoo! :)
xox,
k

You May Be Old...

Reposted: Published in Cards, Sept. '07 issue, pg 145.This was a fun card to make. I finally got to make something with my new Prismacolor Pencils (with Gamsol and Stumps) that I got for my birthday! (There are very useful tutorials on both the Pencils and Markers on that website - worth checking out if you're at all interested in them.) How adorable is this dino stamp??? And just when you thought that dinosaurs couldn't be cute! The little bird is cut out and raised slightly on Mini Glue Dots. The "bling" is A Muse Twinkle Stickers that I got from Ellen Hutson's store - so fun to use! The PP is from My Mind's Eye, and I added the Pumpkin dots across the striped piece to give it a bit more color, and to also coordinate with the plaid paper underneath. I used All in a Row (SO one of my FAV sets!) to do that.
The stamps are from Whipper Snapper. One of the things that I LOVE about their stamps, is that the sticker on top of the wood block is precolored, therefore, you automatically have a great starting block for how each stamp should be colored and shaded! (A bit of a cheat, I know.) (Shhh...the reason that the bird is cut out is because I got carried away and colored him purple like the sticker, and realized that it didn't match the PP!!! ROTFL!!!)
The photo corner was made with 2 1in squares folded in half diagonally, and punched with a 1/8 circle punch. Those, as well as the card base, is Not Quite Navy. I also used Pumpkin Pie and WCP. The ribbon is May Arts.
Hope you have an awesome evening!

xox,
k

ETA: To answer a question, I used Strathmore (I sometimes use SU!, too - they're about the same) Watercolor Paper, with the Gamsol and stumps. I am still learning to use the Prismacolor Pencils, but I think that repeatedly adding light lines with the side of the pencil to build up to the right color was working for me. Then I didn't have the "pointy" lines that I found more difficult to blend. I really HTH! :)

Déjà Vu

(See 4-16-07 post. I reposted this card there.)
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I know, I know, you've seen this one before! Well, almost this one. I made a card almost identical to this three posts ago for the Card of the Week. I remade it for this reason...I saw a post on Tracy's blog (must see) for a PaperCrafts Gallery Idol contest (thanks Tracy!), and I had some extra paper cut out for the swap, SO I made a version of the other card with a couple of exceptions. I liked the black AC rickrack with the May Arts striped celery-like colored ribbon, AND it has to have a "hello" theme, so I used my new Paper Tray set for the sentiment. Keep your fingers crossed that it wins!

Yet Another Birthday Blogger RAK

This aDORable card was made by Judith Novak, from Gone 2 the Dogs. I love the colors, paper, and the masking of the flowers in the wheel barrow. Thanks so much for thinking of me, Judith!

She has some great stuff over there, so make sure you check it out!

Yippee!

Yesterday, I received an email from Nichole Heady of Papertrey Ink. She was writing me to let me know that, although I didn't win their Guest Star Stamper contest, I was given an Honorable Mention on her blog! Go check out the AWESOME cards that she named, out of a total of 550 submissions, and you should see one (or more than one) that looks familiar! What an honor! Here is the link.

Card of the Week (4-16-07)

Reposted - Published in the September '07 issue of Cards, pg 140.This card is a double-duty card, acting both as a swap for my Swappers Club, and Card of the Week! I didn't have much time this weekend, and of course, was procrastinating with my looming swap deadline, so this card will work for both. I had to use some of my patterned paper, since it seems that the only time any good amount of it get used is for swaps, but I DO love this Playhouse paper. This swap is a "product push" swap for card fronts, and I'm "pushing" the Tool Kit, colored brads, and dry embossing. I hope all the ladies like it! The idea of piercing the paper "backwards" came from Jen del Muro's ATC in the last swap that I did.

Stuff you need...
Stamps: Bodacious Bouquet, Polka Dots & Paisley
CS: Celery (3 x 3 5/8), Olive (4 1/4 x 5 1/2), Pixie (3 3/4 x 5), WW 2 7/8 x 3 1/2, plus scraps for cut out flowers)
PP: Playhouse (3 5/8 x 4 7/8)
Ribbon: Celery Grosgrain, Black Gingham
Punches: 1/16 Circle
Ink: Celery, Olive, Pixie, PIP, Jet Black
Brads: PIP
Other: Tool Kit, Bodacious Brass Template, Light Box, Dimensionals, Stylus

Start out by adhering the Playhouse paper to the Pixie Pink. Now you can wrap the ribbon around that whole piece (and tie smaller pieces on - celery 3 in. and gingham 2 in.) and set aside.
Pierce the Olive (8 dots each side) and White (6 dots each side) from the back of the paper for even more dimension. Layer the Pixie and Playhouse onto the Olive and set aside.

Next stamp the flowers and cut out. Punch a hole in the center of the smaller flower and place Celery brad. Use the larger flower as a guide for placement for the leaves and "stems", and stamp. Emboss with your light box, Bodacious Bouquet Brass Template and stylus. Adhere flowers with Dimensionals, and stamp "happy" or any other sentiment you like!

It was a lot of steps, but I'm happy with the finished product, and I hope that you'll give it a try! Remember to leave a comment with a link to your card so we can see the different interpretations!

Happy Stamping!

ETA: To answer a question, the embossed leaves and stems were stamped first, then embossed with a light box. It actually is a lot of fun, and I love the look of it! HTH:)

Sweet Pea

Reposted - Published on page 74 in the September issue of Cards '07.This is another PTI (Papertrey Ink) card that I recently made using my new (finally arrived after a FOREVER of backorder) Marvy Scallop Giga Punch. Like I said below, I'm really lovin' the Green Thumb, and all of it's versatility. I've already placed an order for the other two sets, and am on the edge of my seat for Sunday's reveal! I have a couple of friends who are expecting girls really soon, so I will send this to one of them.

Paper - Celery, Olive, Pretty in Pink, WW, and Perfect Plum
Ink - Palette Noir (still not sure if I'm in love with that yet???), Olive, and Celery
Acc. - Cuttlebug Baby Folder, AC Ribbon, Giga Circle Scallop punch, Dimensionals

Happy Stamping!

xox,
k

Two Green Thumbs Up

I'm loving this set! I SO need to be working on impending swap deadline, but here I am, playing away with my Prismacolor Pencils (not on this card) and new Green Thumb set! I love that it has so many sentiments to go with it - that makes it so much more versatile. I think it's a bit bizzy, but I still ended up liking the finished product.

This was a fun card to make. I used my (rarely used) scallop scissors to cut around the black layer. Two of the flowers are on Mini Glue Dots with the centers punched out to reveal the color below, and all of the layers are dimensional. The paper is Bashful Blue, BB, WW, and new American Crafts PP. The ribbon is Michael's (dotted), SU! (blue stitched), and May Arts (black stitched).

Hope you like it, and have a wonderful weekend --- although there will probably be another card or two posted over the next couple of days, so check back! :)

xox,
k

Even More Birthday Blogger RAKs

I have been blessed this year with a wonderful birthday! I've gotten so many beautiful cards, gotten some nice presents, but most importantly, spent it with the people that I love the most - my friends and family. I had my first ever surprise birthday party with a cake and everything, (my hubby NEVER does that!) with only 2 candles (a 3 and a 0...shhh, don't tell anyone...) since we wouldn't want to have that many candles on a cake - it'd be a fire hazard! lol Also, I was lucky enough to get the big box of Prismacolor Premier Pencils (still learning about them - you'll hear more about 'em later)! I am so excited!!! I'm SO going to be coloring away tonight! But before I do, here are some of my wonderful RAKS...

The first card is from Debbi Rippentrop, and the picture doesn't do it justice! It is beautiful, and it looks like she used a resist technique using the new Doodle This set. She used one of my fav color combos and sets, and completed it with the faux stitching - I love it! You can find her blog here.

The second card is made by Melissa, from Stamping Through the Tulips, and it's super pretty! She used my fav color - blue, and added microbeads to the flower centers for a sparkly dimensional look. Thanks so much, Melissa!


The third card is a very different layout, and very cool! The Hodgepodge holds the white flap closed, and then the Hodgepodge piece opens up! Very cute, and I really love that Paisley bkgd! I received this from Simone, a fellow Blogger RAKer. Thanks so much for thinking of me! Her blog can be found here.
The fourth card is from Miss Michelle Laycock, and it is lovely! She used one of the new Spring Mini sets, and some of my favorite punches. I love it, Michelle! Here is her blog.

The next adorable card (5th one down) is made by Lori Tecler. She used last year's Polka Dot Posies set, and I'm kind of sorry that I didn't get that one! I love the tag and ribbon technique, as well as the colors. Thank you so much, Lori! Check out her blog here.

And last, but not least, here is a card from my friend, Mimi Hornberger, that she made me for my birthday. She is not a Blogger RAKer (yet), but I wanted to post this anyway. I absolutely love the primas and bling in the flower centers! The paper is awesome, and very "me", and the sentiment is super sweet. Lots of love and hugs to you, Mimi! Here is her gallery.

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful cards! You all really helped make my birthday so special!

xox,
k

Berry Much

I did it... I caved to the pressure and bought the newest PaperTreyInk set, Green Thumb! After I was able to resist the temptation of the Butterfly Kisses, I thought, "okay, I can DO this, I CAN". BUT then this set came out, and I couldn't stand up to the pressure! (I'm weak, I say - WEAK!) And now I have to also have the Butterfly Kisses (shhh, and maybe even the word one - AHHH!) These sets are so much fun because every little element of the images is a different stamp, so there's a myriad of pictures to create!
I also used my new A Muse sentiment - works pretty well with this, huh!?! The paper is Ruby Red, WW, Chocolate Chip, and AC PP. I stamped with Black Stazon and Ruby and Old Olive inks. Other things used were my Giga Scallop Square punch, Tool Kit (for the piercing), and ribbon (???).
I hope that you like it - I thought that it turned out pretty well. I have lots more to share with you (other PaperTreyInk cards, as well as some gorgeous Blogger Birthday RAKS), but now my Little Monkey is awake, so I don't know how much I can do! Stay tuned...

xox,
k

ETA: Oops, I changed it above to make it RUBY Red, not Real Red. Sorry!

Hey Good Lookin'!

I know what you're thinking - wow, that's a lot of posts for one day! Well, I'm just so happy to be back to doing what I love to do that I just can't stop!!! lol Well, this is just a quick and easy card to get my creative juices flowing again. I have so much new stuff that I feel a bit overwhelmed - too much of a good thing??? NAH :)

Anywho (I think I use that word in every post!), this is Chefabella and an A Muse sentiment. I needed something for her to say, and A Muse's (best place for sentiments sold individually) "what's cookin'?" one is, I think, perfect. The ribbon I used is from one of the ribbon packages in the SU! catalog (can't remember which one???). Oh yeah, I also used the A Muse Small Oval, and masked the Bella's feet.

I used my new Palette Noir black ink (had to try it - I found it at Ellen Hutson, LLC), as well as Ruby Red, Going Gray, Old Olive, Creamy Caramel, Blush Blossom, and Close to Cocoa to color her in. The paper is SU! WW that I distressed the edges with my Cutter Kit.

I hope that you like her, and now if you'll excuse me... I'm very hungry. :)

xox,
k

Awesome ATCs

Check out these all of this eye candy! If you had been paying attention to my posts regarding the ATC swap that I was in, thanks to the super sweet Jen del Muro, then you will remember me talking about these little lovelies! I was in two groups, so there's a pic for each group (couldn't fit them all in one).

Thanks Ladies - they went straight (after pix) into my ATC book!


Now I'm going to go stamp with some of my new goodies! So stay tuned for some new cards soon!

xox,
k

Card of the Week (4-9-07)

I'm finally back to 2 of my favorite creative loves - cards and blogging! (Now if only I had another "me" or two to work on my scrapping and quilting, I'd be all set! lol) This is a card that I'm not head over heels about, but it'll work for a layout. I actually CASEd this one (not a lot of time this weekend) from an one of SU!s Inspiration Sheets (Best of Cluck), except I used Crab & Company (Spring Mini), and the ribbon treatment is different. This is also the first time in forEVer that I used my Pastels! I almost ALWAYS watercolor. Let me know what you think, and remember that you can leave a comment with a link back to your Card of the Week card!

Here we go...
Paper - Confetti White (2 3/4 x 2 1/2), Real Red (4 1/4 sq), More Mustard (5 x 10 folded in half), Kraft (1/2 x 3 1/2 one end distressed and curled), Old Olive (3 1/8 x 1/2 with 6 holes punched for Hemp)
Ink - Basic Black
Access. - Tool Kit, Earth Elements Brads, Ribbon (cut in 2in lengths), Stampin' Pastels, Hobby Blade, Stylus, Googly Eyes, 1/8 Punch

Start by dry embossing the Red CS, using the piercing template and stylus (sounds difficult, but it's not really - I placed the CS on top of the template with the foam pad underneath, and moved it around as necessary). Attach this to Mustard card base. Next attach Kraft piece at an angle (like shown).

Now stamp the crab and sentiment images, and use your pastels to color it in. I use some long tweezers and tiny firm cotton balls (that can be found in your craft store in several sizes) to apply the chalk. They last longer than Qtips, and you can have one for every color. {This was kind of fun, since I hardly ever do it, but I'm still partial to the watercoloring for the vibrancy.} Mask the right claw with a piece of sticky note and place on top of previously stamped claw, stamp the cupcake over top, then remove mask, and use your Hobby Blade to cut out a portion of the claw. Now stamp and color another cupcake on a scrap piece of Confetti White, and cut out with no candle - only shell and cake. Tuck the cut out piece inside the claw, and adhere with a Mini Glue Dot for slight elevation. (Make sure that you also colored in the underneath candle.) Adhere whole piece to card, and apply the Googly Eyes with Mini Glue Dots.

Now simply thread the Hemp through the dots (3 1/2 in), and use Mini Glue Dots to "adhese". And fold ribbon pieces (I used a bit of adhesive to keep them folded), pierce holes for brads, and insert. (I lifted up the Red layer to insert brads.)

I hope that all of this makes sense, as I'm in a hurry because it's not yet Naptime (lol), so email or leave a comment with any questions. Missed you all!

xox,
k

More Birthday Blogger RAKs!

Look at these wonderful RAKs I got for my birthday! It's amazing to me the super sweet people that we meet by doing this whole blogging thing!

The first card is from Nancy over at Nancy's Creative Mess. She used Glossy Paper underneath a Transparency layer, attached with Gold Brads. The Glossy is one of SU!'s papers that I DON'T have, now I have to have it! LOL

The second card is from Julie Purdam at Rubber Room Ramblings. I love the colors that she used, and of course the polka dot ribbon. Julie such a super sweet lady that she also sent me 2 rolls of my FAV AC ribbon! Can you believe it!?! How awesome is that???

Make sure that you check out both of these ladies blogs - they have great things to share!

Hugs to you both!

k

And the Winner Is...

After very careful consideration, I have decided that the winner of my very first Blog *candy* is... KOstvig, who said this...

"How about
1.Naptime Nuggets
2.GeeZZZZ
3.GEMZZZ
Just thinking I might think of some more I'll be back "
March 29, 2007 12:27 AM

After poring over all 97 comments (holy moly!), I've decided that Naptime Nuggets was the best fit for my Confessions. So, CONGRATULATIONS to KOstvig for her winning comment! K, please email me with your addy, so that I can get your "Nuggets" to you! :)

Reading all of your creative comments over the past week has been very entertaining and SO MUCH FUN! You ladies are WONDERFUL, and I thank you for taking the time to play along with me!

***

Thank you, also, to everyone who left sweet comments on my Can You Believe It!?! post. I REALLY appreciate all of you - I'm very blessed.

***

And, lastly, I need to get back to some stampin'!!! I finished my swaps, finally, and they are now shipped out! Woohoo! Only one more to go this month! lol I'm really looking forward to getting the swaps back (all 3 of them, so far), so that I can share them with you! I have a feeling I'm agonna be gettin' some good stuff! But anywho, I will try to stamp up something tonight to share with you probably in the morning, so stay tuned...

***

Okay, this time it's really lastly, I will be out of town in Orlando this weekend, starting tomorrow afternoon, so there's for sure not going to be any posting (unless I can hijack a computer???) until Sunday. But don't let that keep you away - you could always start studying up for the next Naptime Nuggets contest (20,000 hits)! {grin} "Somewhere on my blog, there is an image..." (Hopefully I've got you intrigued.)

Hugs, Kisses, and Happy Easter,

k

PS. I DO realize that there were others who also wrote Naptime Nuggets, but I had to choose the first person to write the comment - I hope that you all understand.

Can You Believe It!?!

So I was sitting in our "media room" (nothing glamorous, believe me!) playing on the computer, while my hubby was watching TV. I was surfing some blogs, and decided to check on my girl, Asela, who has a post including several different publication links. I was clicking through them to see if anything I had done recently fit into their categories, and came to the Cards Magazine link to find that they had a call with a deadline the same day I was looking! I thought "what the heck!", and submitted a few cards to them, AND THEY EMAILED ME LAST NIGHT TO TELL ME THAT THEY ACCEPTED ONE OF MY CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Talk about HAPPY DANCE!!! I was shrieking, SO excited (my first one), and I ran to tell Dave (said hubby who was now cleaning up a doggie no-no in the laundry room), who said in typical man voice, as if I was detailing to him the pros and cons of Barely Banana verses So Saffron in a card color combo, "great, honey". (crickets chirping) Can you believe that??? Tell me that I'm not alone, having a husband who can't get even the slightest bit excited for his loving stamper wife getting published??? I mean, yes, he WAS cleaning up urine --- but what excuse is that??? I mean, COME ON!!! Later, he DID come around to the point where he could at least fake utter enthusiasm - and after all, let's be real...that's really all I needed in the first place. {grin}

Now back to my story...
Thanks to Asela, Tracy Durcan, and like folk, inspiring me to put myself out there and submit something to be published, one of my creations will now be appearing in the August issue of Cards Magazine. (If you have been paying attention to the Card of the Weeks, you might remember which one is missing - I had to remove the pic until Sept. 1st.) SO, now I'm attempting to inspire all of you talented ladies out there, who haven't had the nerve to submit your work, to go out on a limb and try, because you never know what'll happen!

And that (just caught Forrest Gump again on TV the other day) is all I have to say about that.

xox,
k

Birthday Blogger RAK!

Isn't this adorable??? I just received this cutie birthday card from Leslie Brown, a fellow Blogger RAKer! I love it! I opens from the top, like a little purse. The flower looks like it has some purple Stickles on it, and the ribbon is too cute!

Check out her blog, Continuing to Create!

Card of the Week (4-2-07)

So this card is not exactly a super original layout, but I thought that, with the shape of the card, it still might be new to some of you. This is a card that fits into the Small Open End envies in the catalog. This is NOT a long note, as they open from the short side, but a "homemade" 6 1/2 x 3 1/4 card. It is pretty fun to try out different sizes and shapes. I still want to try out the "tri-fold" cards that I keep seeing on Splitcoast! Maybe in next week's Card??? {wink}

Here are the specs...
Stamps: Big Blooms (yes, I'm getting some mileage out of this set, Mimi! :)) and That's Nice - both from the Spring Mini
Paper: Cool Caribbean (6 1/2 square, and scored at 3 1/4), Basic Black (2 3/8 x 2), Taken with Teal (2 1/2 x 2 1/8), and Confetti White (2 3/4 x 6 & 1 3/4 x 2 1/8)
Ink: Caribbean, Black, and Markers [Teal, Caribbean (made from a blender pen and reinker), and Black]
Accessories: Black Gingham ribbon, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Brads, Black Embossing Powder

Start out by stamping the flowers - I used a pencil to draw a light straight line across the White to keep them straight and then erased it. Ink them up with your Caribbean ink pad, and add detail with the Teal Marker - since it's a darker color, it won't effect the marker. Next, add the Black stems. Punch holes in the center of the three flowers shown, and add your black brad. "How do I make a black brad?" you ask??? Well, just check out this tutorial!

Now, ink up the sentiment stamp, from That's Nice, with your markers and stamp. I like the variety of the different colors on these stamps. After that, just pop up the Black layer with Dimensionals, add the ribbon, and "adhese" the Teal to the White. I also popped up the large White layer with some Glue Dots for some extra lift. Now you're done!

I just thought of something new for the Cards of the Week to do for this and future challenges...
What I'm hoping is that EVERYONE is making these cards, adding their own touches, using different colors/stamps (when desired), etc.., and I would LOVE to see what you're making! So, if you'd like to leave a comment with a link back your card, then PLEASE feel free to do that! Occasionally, I will pick a couple of those people, who linked their cards, to send a little somethin' somethin' to the Happy Stampers for extra motivation. If you do not have a blog or Splitcoast gallery, you can just email the pic to me.

Have fun with it and Happy Stamping!

xox,
k

Hi There

I joined the RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) club on Splitcoast not too long ago, which led to the Blogger RAK club, and then the Wish RAK Club!!! I am finding it to be a lot of fun, and very rewarding to be able to "grant" people's Wishes. Well, all I have are clear envies, so I thought I'd make a little set of 8 cards to send out some Wishes (so that they have to open it to see what's inside:)) until I get to ordering some Stampin' Up! WW ones. So this is a quick set of cards that I made to send to some fellow Wish RAKers for their Wishes. (In other words, if you're in that club, keep an eye out for one of these cards!!!)

I used Really Rust for the card base (not one of my fav colors, but it matches the designer paper really well), Blush Blossom, and Crate paper. The "hi" is Cuttlebugged from Old Olive (on one) and Certainly Celery (on the other) from a die in the Olivia alphabet. The little flowers are from the AC Greenhouse line, and are attached with an SU! brad. I'm not sure of the vender for the ribbon. I bought it already cut in pieces at a crop. And lastly, the Rust is stamped (with the same color) with the Doodle That (Spring Mini) flower.

I DID get one of my swaps done, but I'll upload that later in the week. Also, I'm loving all of the great ideas that you all are leaving for the Blog *candy*! It's going to be a hard decision - keep 'em coming!!!

xox,
k