Clear Dollar Stamps - Guest Designer Challenge

My mojo came rip roaring back yesterday, just in time for this Guest Designer Challenge from Clear Dollar Stamps! When I saw their sketch for the challenge, it didn't really speak to me in terms of a card or layout, but it just screamed mini-album. Well not literally of course, but I just couldn't get the idea out of my head. I actually cut into the Tickled Pink Kit that I've been hoarding from CTMH *gasp*. Can you believe it? I didn't do a lot of embellishing because I'll most likely be using this for a gift and I wanted the photos to be the focal point and not the embellishments. The pages opposite the striped paper inside the book were random stamped. Random stamping is one of my all time favorite techniques, and so very easy to do with clear stamps. So without further ado, here is my mini-album.















Thanks for stopping by. I hope you'll take a few minutes and check out the CDS blog and website. They have an amazing selection of stamps and even more amazing artwork.

Edited to add: The overall size of the album is 5"x8 1/2". Starting at the back and working forward, each page was decreased in width by 3/4". The front cover is 5"x 5 1/2". I created the album using chipboard that I then covered with my papers. The chipboard is actually from empty cereal and granola bar boxes that I cut up. Why pay for lightweight chipboard when I can get it for free? ;-) I had it spiral bound at the UPS Store - I so cannot wait till I get a Bind It All. LOL

Supplies Used: All supplies CTMH unless otherwise specified.

Paper: Tickled Pink
Cardstock: White Daisy Textured CS, Hollyhock CS, Blush CS, Sweet Leaf CS, Twilight CS, Crystal Blue CS.
Inks: Blush, Hollyhock, Crystal Blue, Twilight, Sweet Leaf
Stamps: Tickled Pink, Journaling Set Unknown - bought on clearance at my LSS.
Embellishments: Rhinestones from Michael's, Ribbon from The Ribbon Retreat, Hatpin from Making Memories, Prisma Glitter (CTMH).

Where has the week gone?

Or for that matter, where has the summer gone? My mojo seems to have come and gone at various points over the summer. I think right now I have a serious case of the blahs. I am so ready for the kids to be back in school and to have a set routine again. I've been sitting here staring at the Mojo Monday sketch for this week and trying to decide what to do for it. I'm sure I'll come up with something soon - it is after all a very cute sketch. :-) While I don't have any artwork to share with you at the moment, I wanted to share this really awesome blog I came across yesterday in my blog wanderings, called The Craftiblog I absolutely love it. So until next time, happy scrappin'!

Wedding Card

I made this card to send out for the Angel Tag group I belong to. I absolutely adore this bride stamp. It is just so much fun to use!


Supplies Used: Growing Love Stamp Set (TAC), Mimi Paper & Cardstock (TAC), Prisma Glitter, Prismacolor markers, Martha Stewart Border Punch, tiny rhinestone sparkles (CTMH), eyelet (TAC).

What's Up Dog?

When I saw this stamp in the TAC Idea Book last fall, I just knew I had to buy it! I immediately thought of my sister-in-law, Mandy, and the family vacation we took last year. She was getting the kids to say "what's up dog?" and made up nicknames for each of us - all in fun of course. :-D Anyways, she is coming for a quick visit this weekend, so I made this card for her. I used the Mia's Cottage Paper Pack and Cardstock from TAC as well as the What's Up Dog Stamp Set. The dog is colored in with Prismacolor markers. there is a liquid glass on the bone, bow, and collar. I also used liquid glass around the punched out area of the tag where I threaded the ribbon through. The "buttons" on the left side are actually pieces of paper that I used a 1/2" circle punch on, then pierced to make holes and threaded scrappers floss through. After gluing them down with a glue dot, I also put liquid glass on those to give them some shine and dimension to make them look even more like buttons. The sentiment is stamped on a tab that came with the paper pack, I just cut the tab part off to make it a rectangle rather than a tab. That too is covered with a thin layer of liquid glass. Can you tell I like to use liquid glass? LOL Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, happy scrappin'!

Mojo Monday Sketch 96

I am back from my girl's weekend in Utah. I had such a blast! I think no matter what your age, slumber parties are fun. I got to eat out at fabulous restaurants, go shopping without anyone asking when we were going to be done, and I got my nails done. I am totally exhausted, but boy oh boy was it worth it!

Now for this week's Mojo Monday Sketch. I'm a little behind on sending out some Angel Tags, so I thought I'd work on something I could send out. All paper, cardstock, and stamps are from The Angel Company. The image is colored in with Prismacolor markers. Thanks for stopping by. I have some more ideas floating around in my head for projects this week. Be sure and stay tuned. :) I hope everyone has a fabulous week!

Thank you card for my mailman....

Yep, you read that correctly, I made this card just for my mailman. Why? you might ask? Well, I am in a group called Angel Tag. We send cards to each other randomly, and when you are "tagged", you then "tag" someone else by sending them a card. Anyways, I had received a tag in the mail from a member of this group but there wasn't enough postage attached. I received a neon green envelope with a note that said my mailman had paid the postage for me (20 cents) and could I please reimburse him by putting the money in the envelope and dropping it in the box. It's the first time I've ever had that happen. I know that the mailman doesn't have to do that for me, so I made him a thank you card to say that I appreciated the gesture. I hear way too many stories about the post office and lost packages and such, and thought that my mailman would like to know how much he is appreciated.

I tried to keep the colors as neutral as possible. I don't actually know who our mailman is and if it is a he or a she. When we first moved in, we had a female mailman ( I suppose mail person would be technically correct), but I've seen male mailmen in the neighborhood here lately. We have community mailboxes and so I miss getting to know our mailman like we did in our old house where the mailbox was attached to the porch and he had a walking route. Ahh the good old days. Hehehehe


Supplies Used: Lazy Days of Summer Paper Pack (CTMH), A Flower for All Seasons Stamp Set (SU), "Thank You" Stamp Set was a gift with purchase stamp from The Angel Company in the Spring/Summer 2009 Catalog. Image colored with Prismacolor markers and American Crafts Metallic Silver Marker, Staz-On Jet Black and Garden Green (CTMH) Inks used.

Cupcake Card

As promised, here is another card using the Stamps & Smiles Sketch from last week. This is a birthday card for a beautiful young lady that is turning 9 today! My how time flies! As I said before, I just love this sketch. Not only is it simple, but it's very versatile.


Supplies Used: Mia's Cottage Paper Pack (The Angel Company), Cupcake Stamp Set (TAC), and Ribbon from The Ribbon Retreat. I used Blueberry Ice Stickles on the sprinkles and coated the "frosting" part of the cupcake with Liquid Glass to add some dimension and shine.

Mojo Monday Sketch 95 & Girl's Camp Secret Sister Gift

I had a LOT of fun working on this week's Mojo Monday Sketch. Rather than doing a card, I decided to use it for an altered composition book since my daughter needed a secret sister gift for Girl's Camp. Hopefully whoever gets it will like it. :)

It's a little hard to tell in the pics, but I used liquid glass to add some shine and dimension to the center of all of the flowers on the DSP. The shirt and pants are paper pieced and I made her belt stand out by using a white jelly roll pen on it.




Supplies Used: Ms. On The Go Stamp Set (CTMH), SEI Penelope's Potpourri double sided paper, Twilight & Tulip Cardstock & Inks (CTMH), Prismacolor Markers, Making Memories Brad, Small rhinestone sparkles (CTMH), Liquid Glass, Ribbon from The Ribbon Retreat.

Stamps & Smiles Challenge #23

Here is my card for this last week's Stamps & Smiles Challenge. It is a simple card but I think it turned out rather nice and elegant. I've actually made a couple more cards using this same sketch that you'll see over the next few days/week. Do you ever have a sketch or inspiration piece just "speak" to you? Well that is what happened this week with this sketch. I'm not sure if it's the symmetry, the shapes or the clean and simple design but I just love it. I'm going to be leaving for the weekend, but I am going to schedule posts for the next couple of days and for Monday, so you'll still have some art to look at. So be sure to check back in!

Happy Scrappin'!

Pizza Boxes

Well I suppose this is proof that a scrapbooker REALLY will alter ANYTHING! I bought a package of individual serving size pizzas at Sam's Club, and when the box was empty thought that it might come in useful for wrapping presents or something since it was such a good sturdy box. I guess that part of me comes from being raised in part by my grandmother who was a child of the depression. We reduced, reused, and recycled long before it was chic or cool. LOL I've included a "before" pic of the pizza box because as my son said "Mom, if I hadn't seen you working on that yesterday, I'd never have known it was a pizza box to begin with!".









This project is part of a birthday gift for a friend's daughter. It was only after I had the paper adhered that I realized it also was shaping up nicely to fit the parameters of Amy's Scrap or Dare Challenge #10 (I used light pink & red & the flower is homemade). The papers are Bella Rose DSP (SU), Cardstock is Tulip from CTMH & Bazzill. I printed the Strawberry Shortcake image off of the web. Her name is done with Typewriter Keys Alpha (CTMH) with Tulip Ink and embossed (to keep it from turning orange when I added the mod-podge). I used a fiskars scalloped edge border punch and a bit of Crystal Ice Stickles in the holes of the border.

This cute little pizza box is based on a tutorial from SCS. I altered the tutorial slightly. I wanted a sturdier box than what just a good heavyweight cardstock could provide. You know that whole reduce, reuse, recycle thing talked about above? Well that came into play again. You see, I save cereal and granola bar boxes when they are empty (as well as other packaging), so that I can have a nice stash of varying weights of chipboard on hand without having to go and pay an arm and a leg for unpainted cardboard! LOL

I wanted to have a pattern on the inside as well as the outside, so I adhered patterned paper (Mimi paper pack from The Angel Company) with my ATG gun and Zig two way glue. Once that was all dry, I commenced with the tutorial as written. I will next time however use a lighter weight chipboard. I used some that was from a package of fruit cocktail in ind. serving pop top cans, and it was too heavy for this. I think cereal box weight would be okay though - I just didn't have any pieces big enough from a cereal box. The stamp is from The Angel Company. The cupcake wrapper and cherry are paper pieced and I used Sugar Coating Glitter for the "icing". The tag came with the Mimi paper pack (sentiment is from the cupcake stamp set also).





Thanks for stopping by. I should have another project or two to share before the week is out. I hope everyone has a great week!

Another House Mouse Card

Here is the final card I made with the House Mouse images I stamped and colored earlier this week. Out of the three I think the Bouquet of Good Cheer card is my favorite. By the time I colored in the piano and the kitty and those adorable little mice, I realized that my image was colored in with all neutrals. I wasn't feeling particularly inspired, so I kept with the neutral theme and tried for an elegant or chic look but feel like I failed miserably. It's not quite a card crash.... I guess this stamp will just take some extra effort. :)


Supplies Used: House Mouse Stamp - Do Re Meow, SU Walk In The Park DSP, Bazzill Black CS, Paper Studio Flowers from Hobby Lobby, unsure of brand on the brad - bought individually at my LSS. Image colored with Prismacolor markers.

A Day Spent Pampering....

Oh how I wish I could spend a day being pampered. Oh well. Meanwhile here is another House Mouse card I created. I'm not 100% happy with my coloring job (prismacolor pencil & gamsol technique). I think I like how the image I used on yesterday's card turned out better with being colored in with markers. Perhaps all I really need is to take an art class. LOL



It is a standard size card. The sparkles are from the dollar bin at Michael's and the cardstock is Crystal Blue & textured Petal from CTMH.

Stamps & Smiles Challenge #22

I wanted to spend some time playing with my House Mouse stamps yesterday and this is one of the cards I came up with. The sketch is from Stamps & Smiles. I think that I don't play with the House Mouse stamps very often because they do take a while to color in (some more than others), but one of the things that I do really like about them is that because the images are larger, my cards are more of a clean and simple design. This one isn't as clean and simple as the one I'll post tomorrow though.

The scallops are actually circles that are slightly overlapping (I used the cricut to cut them out). I used a Gelly Roll white pen to create the white dots. I like the extra dimension it gives to it. The patterned cardstock is from the DCWV Pocket Full of Posies Stack, the plain cardstock is from CTMH (Petal & Sweet Leaf). I used Prismacolor markers for the coloring. The inside of the card reads "Sending a Bouquet of Good Cheer". Card size is 5"x7". Thanks for looking.

Lovely Blog Award

Thank you Nancy for sending me this blog award. I am glad that I could inspire you! I look at many different blogs, but here are the ones I seem to go to repeatedly for inspiration (in no particular order).

Katy I just love the details that Katy puts into her work!


Yvette Okay Yvette, I know you've already received this award, but I just wanted you to know that you inspire me. I love your artwork and creativity.

Kelly Jo Kelly Jo has already received this award as well, but I love her use of stamps and colors in ways that I never seem to be able to think of.

Sue I just adore Sue with her "random thoughts and brain itches". She is so creative AND funny!

Sarah Sarah has been doing some cute cards lately with Kraft Cardstock. Also, if you are a flower fanatic, scroll down a bit to see some beautiful flower pics she took when she got a new camera lens. They are so awesome!

Rebecca She does a nice mix of altered projects, cards, and layouts. Always beautifully done and very creative. Her recipe cards she's been posting lately are way cute!

Really I am inspired by many different blogs. If you are looking for a good laugh, check out Cake Wrecks. I also find a lot of inspiration over at SCS with a blog thread that is going on. Enjoy checking out these blogs and have a fabulous day!

Two Challenges In One....

The sketch for Mojo Monday this week was very intriguing to me as was the simplicity of the Color Chef Challenge. So I figured I'd try combining the two. :) Well I say that the Color Chef Challenge is simple, but it is very bold. I love the contrast of black and white with a pop of color. Especially if it such a bright, cheerful color. I've had the Spot On Backgrounds Stamp Set from CTMH for some time, but I tend to forget that I have it and it does not see nearly as much ink as it should! The butterfly and flower are from SU's level 1 hostess set God's Beauty. I just love that butterfly! The yellow I used is Sunny Yellow from CTMH. The butterfly was glittered with Sugar Coating Glitter and then covered in liquid glass and pop dotted (the flower got the same treatment). I want to cry when I pop dotted the butterfly....I misplaced it ever so slightly, and in my quest for perfection tore the paper when I tried to undo it and place it precisely where I wanted it!!!! There are times I really dislike my perfectionist tendencies! Other than that minor mishap though I am VERY happy with how it turned out. My DH was watching me make it last night and just seemed enthralled as he watched me. It was really cute and quite funny. Then our 10 year old DD said "Daddy, I didn't know you liked scrapbooking?". LOL He too really likes how it turned out. :D

Birthday Gift...

Finally I am getting around to sharing pics of the birthday gift I made for my best friend Denise. Really, she is the closest thing I have to a sister, since we have known each other since we were 11 years old and in the sixth grade. So I try to make her something special for her birthday every year. Having 5 small children, I tend to get her something she can use to pamper herself with when I can. This year was no exception - although I had to take the pictures before the lotions and soaps were added. You'll have to use your imagination on that part. ;)






Supplies Used: Creative Imaginations hatbox style container, Making Memories Paint (Ruby), Bella Rose papers (SU), Prima Flowers, Ribbon from The Ribbon Retreat, black brads, mod-podge

Remember those Martha Stewart notecards I mentioned recently that I got at Big Lots? Well, Here is what they look like and one of the things I created with them.




Supplies Used: Martha Stewart eyelet notecards, Bazzill CS, CTMH Adorable Stamp Set, Staz-On Jet Black Ink, rhinestone sparkles.

The strip of cardstock at the top is merely filler since the cards are standard size. These particular notecards are designed for use with wedding invitations I believe. They are only half of a standard size card, i.e. cardfront only, not the entire card. I didn't realize that when I bought them, but just knew I could find a way to make them work anyways. :D I put a strip of black paper on the backside of the eyelet card at the bottom so that it would show some contrast beneath the eyelet. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the square with the flower is pop-dotted, and there is a small rhinestone sparkle in the middle of the flower. I left the notecards completely blank on the inside and didn't put any sentiments on the outside, so that she could use them for whatever she needed them for. The box they are in is one that stuff came in from PTI. I traded someone on SCS for several of these and they work well for the whole reduce, reuse, recycle theme I've been trying to do more of. And of course Murphy's Law, I already had the cards and envelopes (which are stamped to match) inside the box and taped up before I remembered I needed to take a picture.

Sorry for the super long post. Thanks for staying with me. :) I hope everyone has a fabulous week! Happy Scrappin'!

Color Chef Challenge #12

I finally got around to participating in one of Kelly Jo's Color Chef Challenges over at KJ's Stamp Pad. I've enjoyed looking at her color challenges but just haven't had the time to participate. We've been hanging out at home today and just relaxing. Here in a bit we'll head off to the park for a picnic and fireworks.

This was a rather easy color challenge for me. I guess it doesn't get much easier than a red, white, & blue color combo, but to tell you the truth, the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays (Christmas is the other). :)

The stars are embossed with silver embossing tinsel. The blue squares behind the stars were created using the wax paper resist technique. Thanks Meranda for showing me this! It's so easy and quick it's not even funny. You crinkle up a piece of wax paper and flatten it back out and place it over a piece of glossy cardstock. Then you iron the wax paper and it transfers the wax to your cardstock. Then you ink up your brayer and go over the cardstock until you have the desired amount of ink and evenness of color. I used Star Spangled Blue ink from CTMH. Meranda said you can use glossy photo paper, but I wasn't as happy with the results as I was when I used glossy cardstock. I guess it's personal preference and what you have on hand. ;)

Other colors used are Holiday Red & White Daisy (both CTMH). The stamp is also from CTMH - July Word Puzzle. I love the word puzzle stamp sets (there is one for each month). They are so versatile. I used a bit of Martha Stewart glitter on the stars at the bottom. The ribbon is from The Ribbon Retreat.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and that you are having a great 4th of July!

Mojo Monday Sketch 93

For this week's Mojo Monday Sketch, I made a birthday card for my friend Denise. I also made a gift to go with it that coordinates, but will wait for another day to share that. I am just too tired after my quick trip to Utah this week. I hope everyone has a fabulous and safe 4th of July!!!




Supplies Used: Bella Rose papers from SU, A Kind Word stamp set from SU, Baby Pink textured CS from CTMH, Tim Holtz Clear Acrylic Tag (Don't you just love how the ink that was dark pink - well really Tulip, turned orange when I glued the cs to the tag?), Prisma Color Markers, ribbon from The Ribbon Retreat, sparkles from the dollar area at Michael's, corner rounder punch, Cricut (for scalloped square).

Shhhh.....it's a surprise.....

I have more artwork to post, but can't post it until I get back from out of town on Friday. It's a birthday present and card for my best friend, Denise. Since she reads this blog, I can't very well post it till after she opens it, now can I? So stay tuned for artwork on Friday which includes this weeks Mojo Monday sketch. Until next time, happy scrappin'!