Thursday, February 19, 2009

Casing a card...

Casing a card means you find a card you really like and you attempt to "copy" it using what supplies and stamps you have on hand. Although the finished card won't be an exact replica, you're using the original as a starting point of inspiration.

I was given a magazine called Card Maker and it's the January 2009 issue. On page 40, there is a pretty pink card titled "Birthday Hugs". I can't show you a scan due to their copywrite but if you can find it, it's really nice...

My card is almost the same..

Same color combo (pink, light and dark green and white)

Pretty close to the same stamped image (flowers on a branch & background writing)

Almost the same paper piercing -- but I didn't attempt to do the piercing on the scalloped strip...

And instead of the word "hug" on the little square, I stamped "loved"...

This is not a card I would have dreamed up on my own. I'm not a bunch of different sized layers and such. And I never seem to remember to do the paper piercing.


Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Stampfest by the Bay 2009

I had the pleasure to work Lost Coast Designs booth for Linda on Saturday, Feb. 14th. Check out her awesome images HERE.

I not only get the pleasure of meeting so many new people, but get to say hi again to repeat customers. This is my second year working as a "vendor" and I just love it.

Me working the booth...

Me with some ladies from another group I belong to...

Another group picture :)

Here is me and Lorraine, a lady on a stamping group I belong to and our first time meeting in person. It's like we have known each other a long time.






Got to stamp!

1. Stamp Camp images - love them!

2. Thank you card for two boys who gave my daughter their plastic picnic table since they outgrew it... (She loves it!)

3. More Stamp Camp images... she's got great butterflies and sayings!

4. Thank you card I made for a manager at a place a friend and I went to eat dinner the other night. He gave us both complimentary desserts. Brownie, ice cream, fudge, nuts, whip cream... that deserves a thank you card! The theme of the place is fish and such, so thought this great Fred Mullet image was perfect.

5. The inside -- stamped the same fish on accetate and then flipped it onto my card and rubbed. So it's a lighter version and a reversed image. I then wrote my thank you note over the lightly stamped fish.





Friday, February 6, 2009

Poem & Quick Story

This was a poem I wrote in April 1999, as I just found an online stamp group... still with them and getting ready to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Some great friendships along them way... And below, a quick funny story...


LIFE IN A STAMPING GROUP

My eyes are fuzzy,
My back is sore.
I'm off to bed,
To dream of stamping some more!

As I lay there I will try,
To not think too much.
Of all the creations,
Designs and such.

I will rush home from work,
In the afternoon.
No, wait -- there's a stop,
Again to the craft store so soon.

Coupon in hand,
And money in my purse.
I hope that my items will all be there,
If out of stock, I won't curse.

I will seek and find,
Up and down the isles.
I may be there a minute,
Or it just may take a while.

I then will rush home,
And bust out my stuff.
Lock myself in the office,
Mounds of cards not enough.

Too many ideas and not enough time,
To stamp, emboss, cut and glue.
Into the wee hours I will go,
And then will get on line to talk to you.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day,
And make some pretty things to show.
I love to see everyone's work,
And I have so much still left to know.

So thank you Floridastampers for opening your door,
To allow me into your family's to see.
I really enjoy this and hope that it shows,
And in return, you all have a friend in me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aunt Edna story

As a new bride, Aunt Edna moved into the small home on her husband's ranch
near Snowflake. She put a shoe box on a shelf in her closet and asked her husband
never to touch it. For fifty years Uncle Jack left the box alone, until Aunt Edna
was old and dying.

One day when he was putting their affairs in order, he found
the box again and thought it might hold something important. Opening it, he found
two handmade cards and $82,500 in cash. He took the box to her and asked about
the contents.

"My mother gave me that box the day we married," she explained. "She
told me to make a handmade card to help ease my frustrations every time I got mad
at you." Uncle Jack was very touched that in 50 years she'd only been mad at him twice.

"What's the $82,500 for?" he asked.
"Oh, that's the money I made selling the cards."

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Creative night

1. Celebrate U is for my husband's cousin. He has lost 100 pounds as of yesterday!

2a. This bee card is going to a friend. She had mailed me some honey filled candies and some honey sticks. This a thank you card for her. Isn't that bee's facial expression just the cutest?

2b. The hive is covered with Crystal Laquer...

2c. The cutie bee is on with pop dots.

3. Black and white "just chicken to see" card turned out sweeter then I had thought. She is on with pop dots...





Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Valentine's Day card...

I saw a card on Tim's blog today (does he really need a last name??) ;) Anyway, you can see his HERE.

And here is my take on it for my husband this Valentine's Day... The heart is chipboard that I just drew by hand and cut out. Added red Stickles. I adhered it with E6000 Glue. Love that stuff. Then with the "n" - uh, I mean "u", I had to raise it up a bit since I overlapped it on the heart, so I used really thick pop dots. Then added my orange Stickles.

(I think it's safe for me to tell you a secret, as I don't think hubby o'mine reads my blog.) I didn't have a "u", so I used an "n" instead... I really doubt he will even notice. Shhhhh.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Want more?

1. Bamboo card -- the "bamboo" is actually thinnly cut paint chips! :)

2. I cracked up when I saw these images on line, and I crack up every time I use them.

3. I love using shadow stamps... I just wished I would remember to use them more often.

4. Girls just want to have fun... a scrap of wallpaper as the background, colored her with pencils, and printed out the saying.

5. Alien guy came from VLV -- one of the several trips to Vegas, baby!






Busy, busy...

1. Get well card for a little boy who is in the hospital...

2. Close up of "b" chipboard piece that I daubered on blue ink and then covered with "Waterfall" Stickles.

3. Background is using an embossing folder talking all wonderful things about someone. The flowers are paper flowers I've had for a while and matched up the brads pretty well.

4. Thinking of you is on with some thick pop dots and new ribbon I just bought.

5. I haven't put a saying on the front bottom right area yet... not sure how I want to use this: "thinking of you", "miss you", even "sympathy"... I like having "open ended" cards just in case.





Sunday, February 1, 2009

Nurse Teddy Bear, Get Well

I love when my daughter has really long naps... :)


I made this Get Well card for a lady on my stamping group. She had oral surgery and from her two emails, she is not in la-la land. I hope this card will cheer her up.

Although the SU! set is old (1998), it's new to me!

With the small teddy bear, I cut a slit into the large bear and slid the small one thru the slit -- so it looks like she is holding on to it. I also only adhered the small one to the card front using a tiny pop dot. So it's lifted off of the card a bit.

And the bottle of medicine, once I attached it to the card front with a couple of tiny pop dots, I added Crystal Laquer to make the bottle really look like glass.



Butterlies galore...

I just love butterflies. Everything about them.

And I love to stamp them in just black ink on white cardstock... that's it... no color.

How classy are these black and white cards!

When adhering the butterfly, just add a small piece of double stick tape to the center, so when it's adhered to the card front, gently bend up the edge of the wings. So nice.

1. card - Butterfly and saying from Stamp Camp

2. & 3. side views of the raised wings

4. card - same butterfly from Stamp Camp and Thank You is from SU!