Running With Scissors…

I mentioned a while back that I’d like to choose one stamp set for the month and create a card a week with it throughout the month.  The last thing I want to do is impose schedules and rules on my free time, but it sounds like a great way to spread the ink around my stamp room a little bit.  Hmmmm… that sounds messy, doesn’t it?  Well, you know what I mean.

So, I’ve been thinking about this a lot.  Over the last two weeks I’ve been busy in my stamp room — cleaning out and restoring order, or creating order in certain areas where no order existed before.  More on that later.  One big undertaking was to clear out most of my Stampin’ Up! sets.  I kept all the backgrounds, and all but one sentiment set, as well as a relatively small collection of image sets.  I decided I simply had too many.  It was not humanly possible to use each of them frequently enough to justify all the space they were claiming in my stamp room.  I’d nearly quit buying new stamps because I had nowhere to put them.  A sad state of affairs.

Since I boxed up all those sets I’ve done a little stamping, and I find myself more inspired by my more limited collection, which is still quite vast when you consider all my non-SU! stamps in addition to the SU! sets remaining on the shelves.  I’ve had the occasional urge to pull a pretty set from the box and place it back on the shelf, or I’ve remembered a particular sentiment that’s part of a set, or I’ve thought of a stamp that might be a good filler or accent.  But I’ve resisted, and in all cases, I’ve found what I need among the stamps I’m keeping for the time being.  It’s just that those old SU! stamps are so familiar… it’s a habit to reach for them, or to search among them.

But I’d love to have new stamps.  I miss the thrill of the hunt, the anticipation of their arrival, the opening of the box, examining…turning them over in my hand and imagining…  So I’m starting out fresh — a new plan, a new determination to do it right this time.  We’ll see…

Today’s card was made with a brand new (to me) stamp set.  It’s by Impression Obsession, called Gardening.  It came to me as a Christmas gift and I love it.  Happily, I sat down and stamped out each image, colored every one of them and commenced making cards.  I did the coloring with Copics and machine stitched the panels.  The sentiment is from Flourishes Cherries and Peaches.  It’s a bright, feminine, happy card, and it makes me feel good!  So this is my Stamp Set of the Month — a card every Monday for the month of January.

I took a photo of the Copics I used for coloring (and it was a very pretty photo — all those colors), then realized I left out all the browns and grays.  No time for a redo after today’s blog issues (this post almost didn’t happen).  Suffice to say they were yellow-greens, cool grays, and browns.  Not sure how helpful that info is — sorry!

I must run off now.  I’ll be back tomorrow, but the rest of the week is still up in the air.  I’m off to work after a two week vacation, but I’ll do what I can when I can do it.  Enjoy your day!

Stamps:  IO Gardening, Flourishes Cherries and Peaches (links above)  Paper:  Textured white (something old from Wal-Mart), Memory Box Key Lime, Flourishes Classic White, BasicGrey Lemonade designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Chocolate Chip, Copics for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, brads, Prima flowers, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Happy 2010!  A new year means fresh beginnings, or maybe it just means more of the same, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially if 2009 was a good year for you.  I made this card to bring in the new year since the crocus is January’s stamp in Flourishes’ A Year in Flowers, Set 1.  Even though winter rages harshly on, and will for some time yet, when the first crocus pushes through the ground, it brings with it the promise of spring, a little earthly sunshine, and smiles.

I added Sparkly Fluff and Stickles glitter to the blooms and along the base of the foliage to simulate melting snow.  Sparkly Fluff, by the way, is similar to flocking, but with a bit of sparkle mixed in.  Mine came from our local scrapbook store.  The beautiful embossed paper has been in my stash for years and I don’t know of an online source for it.  I have an aversion to covering up that gorgeous paper, so I just made a simple frame for the image, and layered upon my card base.

I’ll leave you now with a wish for a wonderful day and good fortune in the new year.  Bless your hearts for sharing your time and your thoughts with me.  I enjoy every little minute of it!

Stamps:  A Year in Flowers Calendar Set 1, Strawberries (sentiment), Ornamental Elements (the white flourish behind the crocus)  Paper:  Lavender Lace, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery, Classic White, embossed white from my stash  Ink:  Memento Rich Cocoa, Old Olive, Copic in greens and blue-violets (I really need to start writing these down when I do my coloring)  Accessories:  Offray ribbon, Spellbinders Classic frame, brads

He’s a maniac…maniac…  No, he’s not a maniac.  He’s just our sweet Wally helping Rich hose off the deck — a favorite activity.  But then, Wally enjoys just about everything.

He deserves a little fun, seeing as how he spent Monday night in the hospital.  Not to worry – he was merely there to be neutered at six months on the dot.  He came home with pain medicine and instructions to avoid vigorous play and getting wet for the next ten days.  The vet agreed that was a tall order for a happy guy like Wally.  Okay… so moderate play and moderate wetness…

…as long as he was toweled off afterward, gently on the tender spots, of course.

Wally is always toweled off before he comes back in the house.  He loves it.  Can you tell?

He weighed in at 62 lbs. on Monday.  A big boy.  A big, hug-able, lovable boy.

My husband, son, and I have all been home together for a holiday vacation.  There’s lots of activity at my house, but not much stamping.  I’m trying, I tell you!  I’ll keep right on trying, too.  Meanwhile, there’s always Wally, and enjoying life, in general.  Thanks for your patience during my stamping lull.  Have a great day!

Hi, everyone!   I hope you had a most wonderful Christmas!  I’m a little late getting back into the swing of things because I’ve been doing everything but stamping.  You’d think, being in the middle of a two week vacation, I’d have plenty to share…  I had all kinds of delusions about kicking back in my recliner and coloring my heart out, but it was not to be  — yet.  I still have a few days left before going back to work.

I do have two cards today, which involved very little coloring and, therefore, very little time.  I just about fell over when my husband asked me to make him a thank you card for a coworker.  First time ever!  He’s very appreciative and respectful of what I do, but he’s just not a card-giving kind of guy.  However, last week when he was away from home at work, someone was kind enough to bring him a delicious home-cooked turkey dinner with all the trimmings, and it must have really hit the spot to warrant a thank you card.  It’s funny, but he asked me somewhat apologetically, as though he was putting me to great trouble (tee hee!).  Sweet, yes?

So, here it is… nothing fancy… guy to guy, you know.

It’s simple and appropriate, using Stampin’ Up’s retired Tidy Alphabet and Crafty Secret’s Kitchen Classics.  The designer paper is Cosmo Cricket Wanted, and colors are Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy, Pumpkin Pie, and Old Olive.

Well, that was very quick and easy, but I didn’t think I’d feel fulfilled until I stamped something pretty, so I made another one — essentially a feminine version of the same card.

I used another retired SU! alphabet set — Doodle Alpha.  Just a few changes and it’s prettied up for a girl.  I finished it off with Stickles glitter, a holdover tendency, I think, from Christmas.  So easy to apply and it sure does perk up a card.  The designer paper is SU!’s Rich Razzleberry, and colors are Rich Razzleberry, Mambo Melon (or is it Melon Mambo?), and Crushed Curry.

Thank you so much for visiting today.  Enjoy your day, and maybe we can do this again soon.  Take care!

I have one doting grandma friend who, for every conceivable occasion, asks me to make cards for her grandchildren.  This will be the third Christmas for her oldest grandchild, and the first for the two youngest.  They’ll all be visiting her for Christmas, at which time the cards will be handed out with presents.  So, even though these seem rather last minute, they’re actually right on time.

The images are older, but still cute.  They’re colored with Copics and glittered up with Stickles. 

These two are 4″ square — little cards for little people.

These last few days before Christmas have been rather full for me — not stressful, but full, as I’m sure you can imagine, so I have no time to linger, but I’ve listed supplies in the recipe, below.  I’d like to wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS!  Enjoy the last of your holiday preparations, and we’ll get together again as soon as possible.  Take care!

Stamps:  Santa and Snowman by Rubber Stampede, Angel from retired SU! Very Merry, Joy sentiment SU! Warm Words  Paper:  Flourishes Classic White, Real Red, Soft Sky, BasicGrey Figgy Pudding and Eskimo Kiss designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Rich Razzleberry  Accessories:  Ribbon, eyelets, rhinestone brad, chipboard snowflake, Prima flower, button, Cuttlebug Snowflurries and Swiss Dot embossing folders, Spellbinders Classic Circle and Scalloped Circle Nesties, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

It’s been a while since I shared a photo of Wally, so I thought I’d do that today.  With it so near Christmas I’m feeling like slowing down a little and spending time with my family.  At the moment they’re all snoozing (Wally and hubby).  We’ve just settled down from a 45 minute walk in the woods in the pouring rain.  It may not sound like a lot of fun, but it’s just the sort of thing I love to do.  I’ve now changed into my jammies and I’m enjoying a cup of coffee before I resume the stamp room organization project I began this morning.

Wally is now seven days short of six months old.  Sometimes he looks so grown up, and other times he looks such a puppy.  Those eyes!  Oh, he’s so sweet!  He’s everything I would hope for in a dog, and so much more.  He’s my very best friend and I love him.  I think I’ll sign off now and go bury my face in his fur.  I hope you’ve had a good day, too!

White space with blue… there’s not much color here, but I tried to make up for it by adding lots of sparkle to the snowflake.  The Flourishes team is focusing on white space today.  Seems appropriate with snow covering the ground in so many places.  Our Queen of White Space, Stacy, has written an article on the subject for the Newsletter today.  She has a way with white… well, Stacy has a way, period… but her white… let’s just say I’m hoping to pick up some pointers.

I stamped Santa in blue on Classic White and added ribbon and a Prima snowflake for a very quick card.  The snowflake is actually two snowflakes, layered.  I sponged bright blue ink on the first snowflake and layered the pale blue on top.  They’re covered completely with Stickles glitter, and the sentiment added to the center.  Another Christmas card done!  And just in time, as the last of them will be in the mail by this weekend  — later than I’d hoped, but the yearly refrain is, “I’ll try to do better next year”.

Now, to see what the rest of the team has done with their white space:  Christine, Cindy, Julie, Latisha, Laura, and Stacy 

Thanks so much for your time today.  These are busy, busy days, but with the weekend coming up I hope I’ll have a chance to get my wits about me before Christmas.  I wouldn’t want to be witless on Christmas day!  Enjoy!

Stamps:  Santa, I Believe; Christmas Tea  Paper:  Classic White  Ink:  Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue  Accessories:  SU! taffeta ribbon, Prima snowflakes, Stickles glitter, Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder

One day, many, many years ago, my friend and I were out Christmas shopping when we came upon a most charming collection of wooden tree ornaments, beautifully painted and lacquered, and utterly delightful.  We both bought one of each and, to this day, they’re our favorite ornaments on our trees, the ones that evoke memories of those most enjoyable Christmases when our children were little.  The images in Flourishes’ Drummer Boy set may as well be illustrations of those very ornaments – the coronet, the drum, the nutcracker and the French horn.  This year my friend will receive a card with a dose of nostalgia included.

All the coloring was done with Copics.  For the French horn, I started with Y00 (a very light yellow), then added colors from the Falling Leaves collection (E97, YR14, E08) for a polished brass patina, and finished it off with some Stickles glitter.

To make the background design, I sponged vanilla ink on Classic Ivory cardstock, then stamped Christmas Music, overlapped and angled, with holly sprigs from Dove and Holly stamped and colored over top of that.  The circle directly under the French Horn is the same background, minus the holly sprigs.  The sentiment is also from the Christmas Music set.

Wishing you a fabulous day and all the joys of the season!  I hope we can visit again soon.

Stamps:  Drumer Boy, Christmas Music, Dove and Holly  Paper:  Always Artichoke and Ruby Red textured, Flourishes Classic Ivory  Ink:  Memento Rich Cocoa, Always Artichoke, vanilla, parchment, Chocolate Chip, Copics for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, rhinestones, Stickles Stardust glitter, Spellbinders Labels One and circle dies, Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder, SU! sentiment punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

I thought I might try out this design for mass production, and it would have been a good idea…until I decided to color and cut out three holly sprigs for an embellishment.  It’s very simple and quick for one card, but when it comes to making even ten cards, well, that’s thirty holly sprigs to color and cut out.  Back to the drawing board.

As simple as it is, I do like this card a lot.  The ribbon is very decorative, the brads add some shine, and the holly gives it color and warmth that was otherwise lacking.  I always like embossed white space.  I’ve lost the name of this particular Cuttlebug folder.  It was in a steal of a deal package I picked up at the HSN website recently and is no longer available there.  The stamps are from Flourishes — Dove and Holly (holly sprigs), and Christmas Wreath (sentiment).

I’m afraid I may run short of Christmas cards this year if I don’t get busy.  I had one day set aside this weekend for stamping and I managed to get one card done.  Such is life, with all its interruptions and surprises.  I hope you’re all more prepared than I am!  Have a great week!

Stamps:  Dove and Holly, Christmas Wreath  Paper:  Flourishes Classic White  Ink:  Real Red, Copics for coloring  Accessories:  Ribbon, brads, gold cord, Cuttlebug embossing folder (forgotten name)

Just sharing a look at the full sets now that they’re available in the store — Flourishes’ A Year of Flowers Calendar Sets 1, 2, and 3:

It’s almost too much beauty in one place!  The sets can be purchased individually, or click here for the limited time New Release Bundle, which includes the 2010 calendar download.  I can’t wait to do some serious cardmaking with these flowers.  Thank you for your time and interest during release week.  Have a fabulous weekend!