Das' right

TWO posts in ONE day - whatchoo got to say about THAT?!? This one is for the Clean and Simple challenge at SCS - the challenge was to use curves in a clean 'n simple card. After almost 10 years of stamping, I have discovered that clean and simple is my style. No fuss, no muss. I've played around with a lot of styles, especially since I discovered SCS, and this is where I usually am most comfortable :o)

Not sure who the recipient of this card will be. Likely one of my boys' friends (there's always birthday parties, isn't there?) The surfboard and the greeting were inked in Not Quite Navy craft ink, and heat embossed. The kraft paper is from the specialty collection from last year (still proudly sticking by my commitment to use up most of the DP I own before I buy any more!!). And no word of a lie, I had this post just about ready to go when I looked at my card and thought, "it needs something more". That's when I added the Not Quite Navy button :o)

Happy Stampin'!

It's almost Christmas!

And where the heck have *I* been? LOL Well if it makes up for anything at all, I have been stamping. Just been too busy to post any of my stuff, is all! Mostly Christmas cards since late September, but now that is D-O-N-E and I can stamp FUN stuff again! So to get my mojo back in working order, I decided to start with a SCS Colour Challenge, which this week was Melon Mambo (my current fave colour, I would have to say!), So Saffron and (sadly neglected) Mellow Moss. I have been thumbing through my latest copy of Stampin' Success today, and decided to CASE one of the cards in there (p.24).

Their version is a 3x3 note card, I made mine 4x4. And I used the Medallion stamp as my main image. I don't have the curly label punch, but I do have the movers & shapers die for the Big Shot, so decided to use that instead to punch out the So Saffron curly label piece. I realized when I took the photo that it's mounted a little crooked on there, but oh well - it's handmade! LOL

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season! I hope to be able to post more over the next couple of weeks, but won't make any promises... that way I will a) minimize the guilt when I fail to post as much as I had hoped, and b) surprise you all when I post! :o)

Happy Stampin'!

Sweet Scent

OK so there's a story to this one.

Last month I bought a car. It's a blue 2004 VW Golf and I LOVE it!! We still have the van (you have to, really, with three kids!) but this is MY car. I commute to work every day (almost an hour each way) and I do a lot of driving for my job, and the van is not very good on gas. So I got a sweet lil' VW to zoom around in. However, it's a used car. It's in fantastic shape and has very low mileage, but I have discovered that when it rains, it smells like wet dog... I am guessing that the previous owner was also a dog owner.

So I decided to put my creative fingers and mind to work and made an air freshener. I pulled out my Beautiful Butterflies Big Shot die, some cardboard and some Parisian Breeze designer paper (retired). I die-cut two layers of cardboard and stuck them together with two-way glue (to make it stiffer - it's a technique also known as faux chipboard) and then cut a third layer out of the DP to make it pretty. I intend to put some essential oil on the back (so as to not ruin the DP) and hang it in my car.

When I was finished, I thought the butterfly was so pretty, I needed to make another one and make a card out of it, and this is it:

Isn't that butterfly adorable? One of my kids at work is turning 18 on the 21st, so I think I will send it to her.

Oh, and BIG BIG day today!! I am auditioning again, this time for Sweeney Todd! I had such a fantastic time last year, I couldn't not do it again. I have no idea whether I stand a chance in heck, but I can tell you that I nailed my song as I practiced in my basement last night ;o) (I am doing Send in the Clowns, which is also a Sondheim song - Sweeney Todd is a Sondheim musical).

So wish me luck!

And Happy Stampin'!

A-M

And thus I CASE again

Can't get enough of this lady. This card isn't so much a CASE of this card by Cindy Beach, as it is just inspired from it. I loved the simple Eiffel tower (I embossed mine with black embossing powder), and the red and black together. This is also a card for the Diva Coffee Break Designs' weekly challenge, which this week is a sketch challenge. I used some of last year's Halloween-theme DP (it was called Ghostly Greetings), and a Riding Hood Red button (also retired). Oh and because I know some of you will wonder (LOL) I did not use the "merci" stamp that comes with this set because I did not find it bold enough to hold its own with the rest of the card (it also did not stand out well at all on the textured c/s, especially when trying to read it sideways like that). So I went with a greeting from Trendy Trees instead :o)

And here is my tale of woe for today: as fate would have it, I came home today to my SU! order, including six (yes SIX!!) new stamp sets, the fun treat cups (CHECK THEM OUT!!!), two punches (including the new ornament punch!) and some platinum shimmer paint - all from the new Holiday Mini-catalog. Let it be said that I have NEVER received an order so quickly!!! (I placed the order on Saturday!) However this weekend we are going camping at a local folk festival, so tonight I need to finish packing and making snacks and stuff - NO TIME TO STAMP!! Nor will I be able to do so until Sunday night at the earliest!! WAAAH!! All those great new goodies waiting for me at home... *sigh* Ah well, I can design in my head all weekend (am I the only one who does that?...)

Happy Stampin'! And don't forget to contact me if you want to order any of the fabulous goodies from the new Holiday Mini Catalog!

A-M

I'm in love!

I discovered the blog of a fellow stamper tonight and I L-O-V-E her style!! Her splitcoast nickname is Cindybstamping and her RL name is Cindy Beach. Her cards are fresh and bold and clean and TOTALLY up my alley! I had already decided I would CASE this little number and then lo and behold, today's SCS Colour Challenge is EXACTLY the colours that she used in her card, so I'm sure that was a sign! LOL!

My card is pretty much identical to hers, except for a couple of minor adjustments... I did not have the lovely DP that she used for her patterned Curry layer, so I broke out the cuttlebug and the textiles folder, inked the folder with Crushed Curry ink, and embossed some WW paper. I also do not own the "Lots of Tags" sizzlet die, so I used my wide oval punch for the butterfly. I love how bold yet simple this card is! And I love these colours together. Dangit, now I think I will have to buy the Crushed Curry inkpad and some c/s...

Here is a close-up of the butterfly panel:

Happy Stampin'!

A-M

Unbelievable but true...

...two posts in one day. Wow.

LOL!



I decided to also play this week's colour challenge as I L-O-V-E these colours together!! Real Red, Chocolate Chip and Kraft. Wow, wow. Chic Boutique was already on my table from my last project (I used the cursive "hello" stamp from that set) so that's what I used. I love how it turned out! My watercolouring is a little sloppy, but oh well. I actually used the "No Copics No Problem" technique, using SU! markers on watercolour paper and then blending with an aquapainter. Pretty, huh?


Happy Stampin'!


A-M

Sunshine Hello

I just placed my Holiday mini-catalogue pre-order earlier this week and I'm getting antsy for my NEW RUBBER and goodies!! So I am warming up with some challenge stampin'. This is for Beate's Weekly Sketch Challenge.

I pulled some DP and some In Colors out of retirement for this one cuz, well, I was really sad to see those colours go (especially my Kiwi Kiss!!) I also used my circle cutter - I gotta say, I'm still getting used to using this contraption, and while I LOVE the idea of it, I am afraid my execution leaves a lot to be desired (don't ask me how many circles I had to cut before I got my two perfect ones for that larger circle element!) The trick is that the c/s ABSOLUTELY CANNOT MOVE as you spin the blade. I'm afraid therefore scotch tape is the only thing that seems to work for me. I also need to review a blog entry that I was forwarded oh-so-many-moons-ago when this tool was first released: it showed how to properly set it up so that the no-slip pads are truly no-slip (I seem to recall that she used leftover rubber from a stamp set instead of the black pads that come with). BUT I WILL CONQUER!

Happy Stampin'!

A-M

Happy Birthday, Mom!

It's my mom's 65th birthday next week and we will be celebrating this weekend. I think my sister and I will be taking her to see Stratford's production of West Side Story in the fall as a gift - my good friend Heather tells me it's probably the best musical production she has ever seen! (And she would know as she is a talented actor herself! LOL)

So I needed a birthday card, right? I decided to use this week's colour challenge on SCS, which was to use Pixie Pink, Apricot Appeal and Certainly Celery. While CCelery is a colour that I use often, I have not used Apricot Appeal regularly in quite a while, and to be honest, I can't recall ever using my Pixie Pink pad *blush*. So this was DEFINITELY a challenge for me! LOL! I like the freshness of it, though, and it went quite well with the stamps I chose, Flight of the Butterfly, which is a new set to me.

I also got to break in my new butterfly punch - LOVE IT!!! - as well as my new "Sherbet" designer buttons. I like that the new designer buttons do not have any of the In Colors. I find that I tend to hoard my buttons (I prefer to think of it as, saving them for very special occasions LOL) and now I am stuck with a bunch of gorgeous ones from last year's collection, which I am going to have difficulty using now that the colours are not current anymore... Oh well.

Happy Stampin'!

A-M

OK so I know I've said this before...

...but this time I mean it. I NEED TO get back in the game!! Why? Because I am in L-O-V-E with everything in the new Stampin' Up! cattie, and ESPECIALLY with everything in the (upcoming) Holiday Mini catalogue and will therefore need to get my butt into high gear if I am to ever inspire enough people to support my habit ;o)

So I am stamping. And stamping, and stamping, and stamping. And sharing what I am stamping with people again so they can see how FUN and EASY it is to stamp and awe your friends and family with your paper creations LOL

Getting the mojo going again is the biggest hurdle, but I think I am getting there. Of course, getting my first load of new goodies was a HUGE inspiration this week, and I completed 16 swap cards tonight that look like this:

Isn't it pretty? I finally caved and bought the Beautiful Butterflies die for the Big Shot, and knew before I even received my order and had a chance to play with it that this is what I would be using for my swap card. I also knew I would be using this new embossing folder - isn't it sweet? I love how it only embosses part of the card front! As for the colour scheme, that came later. I have to admit, I was not immediately inspired by the new In Colors this year. The only one I could see myself using a lot was Bermuda Bay. So I resisted buying the whole lot, and only got the assorted cardstock and the markers (yay - MARKERS!!) to give myself a chance to try them out for size... and I realized that I like them a lot more than I first gave them credit for! This is Melon Mambo - I thought it would be really bright and Positively Pink-ish (or perhaps even - gasp! - the old Magenta we used to carry LOL), but it's actually got quite nice depth to it. Like a brighter Purely Pomegranate. And I decided to just keep things simple and clean, and use just the one colour with the white. Quite effective, I think? And then I got the idea of softening the card by layering one of the butterflies with vellum, and stamped that layer with white StazOn, using one of the images from the new Extreme Elements set. Totally NOT what the set was intended to complement (it goes with silhouettes of skateboarders and surfers and rockers), which is why I really like how it's used here LOL. Here is a close-up of the butterfly:

And the ribbon, well, I'm in love with the ribbon. Polka dots are da bomb. Oh and the sentiment was stamped with VersaMark and embossed with black embossing powder to give it glossy texture.

SO 16 of these babies will be going out in the mail tomorrow, and hopefully will soon find an appreciative audience. And I can't wait to see what I receive in exchange!

As for me, I will commit to posting at least once per week AND to reviving my short-lived weekly colour challenge... In fact, I will make this my colour challenge post and challenge you to create a card using only ONE of the new In Color colours (your choice!) with white. Remember to use the keyword AMCC4 if you post to Splitcoaststampers so that I can find your creation.

Happy Stampin!

A-M

Missing my Stampin' Buddies...

My friend Vicki is having her annual stampin' retreat this weekend and I was not able to be there this time... *sigh* I know the girls will be having a FABULOUS time by now (I hear martinis are on the menu this evening LOL) and I'm feeling a little sorry for myself for not being able to partake in the fun.

SO I am stamping LOL! I noticed that there is a mini-VSN tonight at SCS so that's what I am doing! This card was difficult for me... we had to use a minimum of three different embellishments - the more the better!! I'm usually pretty conservative with my use of embellishments so this was somewhat challenging. Really, though, I still managed to use four different ones (ribbon, button, clip and brads), with a total of 6 pieces!! And really, I don't think it looks cluttered, do you?


I decided to also go with a fairly neutral colour scheme (Kraft, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip and So Saffron) so as to not overwhelm the senses LOL. The stamp set is Trendy Trees, which is one of my favourite new sets!


Happy Stampin'!


A-M

Weekly Colour Challenge #3

Okay, okay, so I skipped a week... *blush* BUT in my defense, we were in Montreal for Easter for the whole weekend. And I was back there this weekend to meet my brand new little niece, Julia Leia, who was born last Thursday, April 16!! Isn't she gorgeous? *sigh* New babies are so scrumptious :o)

OK, onto business. This week I took inspiration from the Parisian Breeze DP and chose Kraft, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy and Chocolate Chip.

This DP is so nice - it is actually cardstock weight and is textured. Quite lovely. I blew the dust off my Baroque Motifs stamp set - I thought it went well with the tapestry print on the DP. Please use the keyword AMCC3 if you are uploading to SCS and/or post a comment below with a link to your creation!

Happy Stampin'!

A-M

Second Weekly Colour Challenge!

This week's colour challenge was inspired by the new "Walk in the Park" Designer Paper in the Occasions Mini Catalogue. I picked Baja Breeze, Cameo Coral and Basic Gray. And I also used the sketch featured in this week's Diva Coffee Break Designs challenge, so it's a two-for-one!

The image is from the Pocket Silhouettes set, and was inked with markers. The ribbon tabs are Basic Gray taffeta and the brads are the small rhinestone circles. Remember to use the keyword "AMCC2" if you upload your cards to SCS. Or post a comment below with a link to your card.

Happy Stampin'!

A-M

Springy Frogs!

Spring has sprung, and with the amount of rain we have gotten in the last 48 hours, I'm sure the frogs are stirring from their winter slumber! I love this little guy from the Very Punny set! I decided to make him my main image for this card which will go to my 6yo's friend for his birthday tomorrow. This card also fulfils this week's Limited Supplies Challenge, which was a 1-2-3 challenge - one colour of cardstock, two patterned papers and three embellishments. I used a blender pen to colour in my frog with Kiwi Kiss reinker (the frog was stamped in Basic Gray ink). The image is mounted to the back of the strip of Kiwi Kiss textured c/s, which was punched with a 1 3/8" square. The designer paper is from the Good Morning Sunshine collection (which I had to get for obvious, Hair-related reasons LOL) - I love the fresh colours in this paper!

Happy Stampin'!

A-M

Spring is in the air!

And today's Colour Challenge on SCS was the perfect occasion to use this lovely cherry blossom image, from the Eastern Blooms set. The challenge was to use Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip and Riding Hood Red. I tried making the blossoms pink at first, but they were too faint (especially when contrasted with the brown stems) so I went with red instead. The image at the centre of my build-a-brad is the centre of the large flower in the same stamp set, which I punched out with the 1/2" circle punch.

Happy Stampin'! And if you're a fan of colour challenges, don't forget to check out my new weekly Colour Challenge, below!

A-M

Who likes to play with colours?

Introducing, A-M's Weekly Colour Challenge! Colour challenges are always my favourite kind of design challenge, so I decided to start my own to share with all of you! You can play as many times as you'd like - just comment with a link to your creation, or if you post to Splitcoaststampers, use the keyword noted below and I will check it out there!

The first colour combination for you to play with, is Rose Red, Tangerine Tango (or Pumpkin Pie if you don't have it) and Old Olive. As with colour challenges on SCS, neutrals can be added (such as Whisper White, Basic Black, Basic Gray, Sahara Sand and Going Gray), but the colour in your cardstock, images, embellishments, designer papers should ONLY include the featured colours.

My card features a sweet little image from A Flower for All Seasons which I watercoloured using the "No Copics No Problem" technique (which uses SU! markers and aquapainters). This was an experiment, as I obviously don't own a Tangerine Tango marker, so I used a blender pen and reinker for this colour. As you can see, the technique does not seem to work that well with this combination LOL but it still turned out okay. The Going Gray marker I used for the watering can was not ideal either. But the Old Olive and Rose Red markers worked great! My image is actually mounted inside the card, inside a 1 3/8" square opening that I made with my punch. I used the same punch to cut the opening on my little frame. Here is a close-up of the coloured image:

And the flourish at the top of the card (from Priceless) was stamped in VersaMark and clear embossed. OK so now it's YOUR turn to play! I look forward to seeing all of your creations! If you upload to SCS, please use this keyword: AMCC1 so I can find your project easily.

Happy Stampin'!

A-M

Diva Coffee Break Designs Challenge!

Blog challenge alert! The Diva Coffee Break Designs team offers weekly design challenges. This week's challenge was a colour challenge, to use Rose Red, Bashful Blue, Going Gray and Whisper White. I keep forgetting about Going Gray, so I welcomed the opportunity to use it - and I really like the combination they came up with!

The stamp set I used is called Simple Friendship and it's featured in the Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalogue. I am making an effort to use up some of my retired goodies also, so I incorporated some retired Bali Breeze DP.

And stay tuned for an announcement this weekend about a new feature on MY blog! Sometime later today or tomorrow at the latest...

Happy Stampin'!

A-M

Black and white...

...like a lamb? The theme for this week's Limited Supplies Challenge was "Out like a lamb", and the challenge was to make an entirely black & white card (lamb image not required LOL).

I got this new Walk in the Park DP this week, so decided to use it as a starting point for this card. Which right away led me to Wonderful You, a lovely silhouette stamp set that has been on my fave list for quite some time now. And I had this wonderful retired SU! black-and-white striped ribbon in my stash, which doesn't get much use, so I used it as well. Black and white cards are so classy, aren't they?

Happy Stampin'!

A-M

MISSED YOU!!

And I've been thinking of all of my stamping friends a lot lately... so this card is for all of you! :o)

The main panel is composed from stamps in a new stamp set featured in the upcoming Occasions Mini Catalogue, called Scene in a Garden. There's the bench, and then various images from which you can create a scene (the boots, the vase, a birdhouse, clay pots, etc.) It's very sweet. The Kiwi Kiss DP is also from the Occasions mini, it's called Walk in the Park. I used Watercolour Wonder Crayons and aquapainters to colour my image, which was stamped onto watercolour paper. The sentiment is from Trendy Trees.

The post-show blues are slowly fading away... as much as the play consumed and exhausted me - my time, my emotions, my voice! LOL - I still miss it terribly! I never realized how difficult it would be to let it go so suddenly after so many months of rehearsals and then seven crazy, beautiful, emancipating shows! But the good news is, I have a brand new family of friends - my 'tribe' - that I keep in contact with regularly, and that I fully intend to audition with again for NEXT year's production! (which rumour has it will be Les Mis!) Yes, this whole experience was surreal and exhausting and exhilirating, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! Here are a couple of my favourite photos from the dress rehearsal:

My beloved 'tribe'

A photo of me from my favourite number, 'Walking in Space'

(the tall fella behind me is named Dwight)

I suppose I will slowly begin easing back into stamping... it has been a long time, but I'm slowly getting re-acquainted with all my 'stuff' :o)

Happy Stampin'!

A-M

Betcha didn't know I was WICKED!

Heh heh heh... I was thrilled and honoured to be chosen as February's hostess for SCS' demo-only WICKED challenges! These monthly challenges are meant to expand demos' creative potential and get their gears going, with a set of three challenges that are entirely up to the hostess to decide.

The three challenges I chose were,

1) A Colour challenge - Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze and Chocolate Chip;

2) A Techniques challenge - polished stone; and

3) A not-sure-what-to-call-it challenge - LOL to make a set of four cards that, while different, all are obviously part of the same 'collection'. For instance, using the same stamp set, same colour scheme, same DP (as with my samples), but each with an individual design.

I am also awarding bonus (virtual) points for making all submitted projects Valentines! :)

Unfortunately, the challenge and gallery are only accessible to demos - but hey, this is your lucky month!! As part of Sale-a-Bration, you can purchase the starter kit at a 15% discount PLUS receive an extra stamp set of your choice (worth up to $56.95), FREE!! (Yeah, okay, couldn't resist inserting that lil' promotional plug... ;o) )

So without further ado, here are the samples I made for the WICKED challenge:

Happy Stampin'!

A-M