Saturday, August 30, 2008

Another Baby Card!

Hi there, and happy Labor Day weekend! I don't know about you, but a three day weekend is very much needed around here!

I set aside Saturday morning to get some stamping done. I've been meaning to tackle the TCP sketch challenge for several weeks, but the timing just didn't work out until today. This week's TCP challenge was provided by Katie Stilwater, and it was to use Animal Train. Now, how funny is that? I just used that stamp! Remember these? Anyway, I thought a true challenge card required a few more elements than my super-simple stash supporters, so I came up with this card:




















I know you can't see it (darn those digital cameras!), but I used some ultra shimmery watercolors over the top of my Copic coloring. Ah well, you'll just have to take my word for it. The flower idea was actually my stamping friend Pat's (Hi Pat!). I like how it turned out.

Be back in a bit with a fun boys' birthday card!

Friday, August 29, 2008

My New Favorite Card

Have you ever had a card that utilized all of your favorite things? Well, this is that card for me.

For the LONGEST time, I have been looking for this Memory Box skull and bone stamp. I think I was in a store and saw a sample that just made me fall in love with it. Well, I had a similar experience this Saturday. I was taking a class at Scrapbook Territory, and I watched in slow-motion horror as a girl handed the stamp I'd been looking for to the cashier. Rather than screaming, "Noooooooo!," I sprinted to the stamp section of the store, and lo and behold, there was one left!

Anyway, this is my first card with my new favorite stamp:

















In classic form, there was a slight boo-boo on the way to making this card. I had originally stamped "Ghoulish Greetings" (by A Muse) directly onto the patterned paper "Them Bones" by Cosmo Cricket, but when it didn't show up, I had to get creative. Julie Ebersole has been doing cards for a while now with these cute banners creatively placed, so I thought I'd try that. You know what? I think I actually like it MORE with the banner than if the sentiment had showed up where I placed it. Whoda thunk it?!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Variations on a Theme

Hi there, and happy Monday! I'm wishing it was still the weekend, but I did manage to get a lot of things done, so I can't complain too much. For instance, I made NINE cards!

















Oh sure, they're all variations on a theme, but still, it felt REALLY good to get them all done. My mom's birthday was last week, and in lieu of gifts, they threw her a potluck party. She wanted to write thank you notes to all of them, so she asked me to make some. Well, out came the Party Time clear set by A Muse. Once I found some coordinating patterned paper, the ideas just rolled right out! I even managed to do two sketch challenges!

Here's the first one:


















This one is for the ATS sketch challenge, which I saw on Katie Stilwater's blog.


I also did this one for Tracy's sketch challenge:



















I really like the way the colors worked together on this card.

Well, I'm off to check out the new Halloween stamps on the A Muse website. Anyone care to join me? You can see them here.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Custom Card!

I have to say, one of the things I love best about making my own cards is the ability to customize. Oh sure, I could spend hours driving around town trying to find the perfect card for someone, but how awesome is it that we stampers are able to make our own ideas come to life?

Take this card for example:




















Our good friend (and best man at our wedding) is gone this week to management training in Dallas as part of FedEx. Being a manager has been a long-time goal of his, and he has not been on an airplane in about 12 years, so we're very excited for him.

Of course, Hallmark doesn't sell a "Congratulations on Going to Management Training" card, so I made my own! The truck is actually the A Muse ice cream truck with the ice cream and music notes taped off. The city is the newly released Cityscape colored monotone to make it fade into the background. The papers are by Bazzill, Jubilee and Papaya). I hesitated on adding ribbon since this card is for a guy, but I figured a knotted ribbon would be all right.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Tracy's Sketch Challenge

Well, I didn't get it done this weekend, but I was finally able to tackle Tracy's sketch challenge. Here is her sketch:



















I modified it a bit to make my card, but I kept to the same general principles.


















This was also my first time using Memento ink with the Neenah cardstock I purchased at Paper Garden a few weeks ago, and it was super-easy to color on. Love it! I had to do a bit of masking to separate the one line sentiment into two lines, but it was pretty painless. I love making birthday cards because I know I'll always use them. They're great to add to any stash!

Supplies: All images by A Muse, cardstock by Bazzill, patterned paper by DCWV, stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink on Neenah paper, and double-faced satin purchased at the SF Flower Market.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Two-fer!

Hey there, and happy weekend to you! I hope you're out doing fun, end-of-summer things. I'm gearing up for a busy weekend myself. Two birthday parties with presents to shop for, a trip to the airport, and work I had to bring home. Grrr.

Anyway, I thought I'd at least start the weekend with some stamping. I've been seeing a ton of great challenges, and I want to play them all! The only problem is, I have limited time. So, I did what any girl would do and multi-tasked!



















This card is for two challenges. First off, the sketch is from Taylor's Cupcake Friday challenge.



















I love her challenges because they're always so different. Anyway, when I saw her sketch, pumpkins popped into my head! That was probably because I had also seen Heather's Share Your Spark Friday challenge, which was to make a Halloween card. I'm loving Heather's Halloween cards, so I probably would have made another one anyway, but dare me to do something, and it's on!

Well, I'm off to face the non-stamping part of my weekend. I'm hoping to find time for Tracy's Sketch Challenge and The Cat's Pajamas inspiration challenge. Wish me luck!

Supplies: All stamps by A Muse, faces drawn with a black Micron 01, patterned paper by DCWV, Bazzill Basics Paper in Patch, ribbon by Michael's.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

More Baby Cards!

While I was working on the baby card for my mom's boss, I came across one of my other favorite baby images and its matching sentiment. This one is by the Cat's Pajamas, and I just love it for it's cuteness and simplicity.

So, I thought I'd whip up a couple more baby cards for my stash. These are super-simple, but they'll be great for an emergency.

Both notecards are by Memory Box, and the blue dot paper is by Doodlebug.







Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Baby Card

Remember last week I said I needed to do a baby card for my mom's boss? Well, here it is.















The card has a funny story behind it. When I got married last year, I invited my mom's boss and a guest. Surprisingly, instead of her husband, she brought her son, Matt. More surprisingly, I found out halfway through the wedding that he had invited his girlfriend--a wedding crasher! It turns out he was dating someone I went to high school with, and it's the birth of her baby that we're now celebrating. How crazy is that! Should I crash her baby shower to get back at her? ;) I think I'll behave myself and pass.

This card was very similar to several I've seen for graduation and birthday cards. The letter stamps are by A Muse, and the baby is by De Nami Design.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Sketch Challenge

I'm a sucker for a good sketch challenge, and Tracy Clemente at Eat Sleep Stamp issued a great one last week. I finally got around to working on it today and it came together pretty quick.


















I modified the sketch a tiny bit to leave some patterned paper at the bottom.

So, I read over at www.amuseaddicts.com that A Muse is coming out with Halloween and fall images near the middle of August. I have had my eye on some already-available Halloween images for forever, but I'm holding off until I see the new ones. Oh, the anticipation is KILLING me! Are you as excited as I am to see them?

Card Supplies:
All images by A Muse
Stamped with Brilliance Graphite Black
Colored with Prismacolors
Patterned Paper by DCWV
Kraft, black and orange paper by The Paper Company

Monday, August 11, 2008

Camping-Themed Thank You Note












On my recent camping trip, I had the privilege of using some pretty cool camping gear. Two of my friends set up an entire kitchen, complete with a Coleman-run coffee maker, utensils of every kind, pots, pans, a dishwashing station, etc. etc. etc. I was so blown away (and a little underprepared) that I thought a thank you note with an REI gift card would be appropriate. Here is the result.

I've been thinking about this card layout for a while now. The red Madeira paper reminds me of the paisley on red bandannas, so it was the perfect choice, and I thought the kraft cardstock would add an earthy feel.

Despite having a strong vision, I had no idea how hard the plate would be! I went through half a dozen circle punches before I found the right size, and then ran around my house trying to find a smaller circle to trace and give the plate depth. (In this case, the circle I traced was the top of a tube of Clearasil in my medicine cabinet. Who knew it would be so necessary for crafts!)

The utensils are from the A Muse clear set, "Party Time," just cut out and glued on with my Xyron. I also stamped the envelope with the trees, just for fun.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

I've Been A Bad, Bad Girl. . .

Not in a Fiona Apple kind of way, but in a rubber stamping kind of way! I made it back up to Paper Garden in Sacramento and picked up all sorts of fabulous goodies.

Check it out:












In the back is some of that Neenah cardstock that Julie Ebersole raves about. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but I'm very excited about combining it with my Memento ink pad and using my Copics on it. Then of course, there is my staple, Memory Box cards. I never fancied myself a pastels girl, but in cardmaking, I've found that these are the cards I go to time and time again.

The A Muse notecards and stamps are ones I've been coveting a long time. I needed a slightly classier thank you stamp for a while now and this one fit the bill. I figure the trees will be good for holiday scenes, and I just plain needed Christmas girl. (She's so cute!) But, the one I'm most excited about is the ice cream truck. I'm realizing that with a little masking, it has so much potential! I'm seeing FedEx trucks, musical notes for my Rock Star, musical borders, and the ice cream can be used by itself! It was practically NECESSARY!

All right, I'm done confessing. Off to play with my new toys!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Hero Arts Cupcake Card

Last night I was hit with a slew of card needs. We got a wedding invitation, someone's birthday is this Saturday, we have three birthday parties coming up the following weekend, my mom's boss has a new grandbaby and I have a couple of thank you notes I need to send for camping. Phew!

I wasn't in the mood for stamping, so I took the time to go back through my pile of already-stamped images. Man, there's some good stuff in there! How is it that I always manage to forget about it?

Here's one I found and made into a card:












This card is going to be for the Saturday birthday girl. The card base is Chantilly Bazzill (still stuck on white card bases--so neutral and ready for color!). The patterned paper is by Creative Imaginations and the cupcake is part of the Clear Cupcake Set by Hero Arts. (I'm still trying to remember who the birthday sentiment is by. . . JFF maybe? I'll update later.)

I think I made the main image back when I first got the set. That set has got to be one of my favorites of all time, 'cause who doesn't like a cupcake? It's like saying, "I don't like parfaits. Everybody likes parfaits!" (Remember that from Shrek?!) Anyway, I digress. I thought the main image looked a little dull, so I colored the flower with my clear Spica, which makes it look love-lee!

The ribbon is by American Crafts. I tried to make a bow, but the bows were flipping the hearts upside down, so I used a technique I saw on Nichole Heady's blog and attached the bow over the top. It worked out pretty well.

One card down, several to go!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

A Muse Christmas ATC Swap!

Update: These swaps were all dropped in the mail September 21. Thanks for playing!

I'm loving the new A Muse Christmas images, and I'm dying to see how you're using them! Come join me in my first ATC swap!

The theme is A Muse Christmas, specifically the images released during Amuseapalooza in July.

To participate, please make 10 ATCs—you will get back ten including one of your own. Splitcoaststampers has a great tutorial on making ATCs. See here.

Here are the rules:
-You must use at least one A Muse Christmas stamp from the 2008 release.
-Each ATC must have at least 2 layers.
-One embellishment is required (embellishments include ribbon, rhinestones, prima, etc.)

Please sign and number each of your swaps and put them in a Ziploc bag to ensure they survive their postal adventures. Your bag should be marked with your name and your group number. You must also include a SASE and 1 extra stamp (it’ll be returned to you if it’s not needed). No metered strips! The deadline has been extended! Your swaps must be postmarked by September 10! I'll mail them back as soon as I get them all!

To join this swap, please e-mail me at imteresa at hotmail dot com. When I get your e-mail, I’ll add you to the list below and I’ll e-mail you back with my mailing address.
If you have questions, feel free to e-mail me and I’ll do my best to answer quick! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Group #1: DONE!
1. Teresa E.
2. Nobuko C.
3. Tinla W.
4. Tracy C.
5. Michele H.
6. Tami W.
7. Aileen B.
8. Dawn S.
9. Connie
10. Erin

Group #2: DONE!
1. Teresa E.
2. Tinla W.
3. Lee Anne
4. Riza
5. Nancy
6. Susan N.
7. Pamela
8. Tracy O.
9. Tami W.
10. Ruth Ann

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

When Life Gets In The Way. . .

Sometimes you just have to let it.

So, after my back debacle two weeks ago, I fell off the stamping horse. I did a few cards, but nothing too exciting. (Maybe I'll post those later.)

Instead, I went camping. But, I did manage to drive an hour to get home JUST to play in the 3rd VMAA, which was super-fun. In addition to my rushed previous post, you can see my other card entries here, here, and here. I didn't win, but Tracy Clemente did--yay Tracy!

After VMAA, I jumped back in my car and drove back up to camping. We went to the Robert Ferguson Observatory and checked out the stars on huge telescopes--it was amazing!

I got back from camping on Sunday afternoon and cleaned up, just in time to go to the last day of the Sonoma County Fair on Monday. I go every year on the last day of the Fair to see the horse races. Anyway, this year I won this random contest to be an owner for a day! We got to stand in the paddock and check out the horses up close before a race, then watch the race from the owners' box, and afterward, we got our picture taken with the winner! It was a very interesting experience.

Anyway, I think that about does it for my non-stamping activities. Hopefully I'll get back in the swing of stamping soon. Thanks for sticking with me!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

VMAA #1

Here's my first one. More info later!