Just a note.....

2009-09-25T11:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from Abby's Little house on the Prairie birthday party. She turned 9. They decorated a muslin tablecloth with fabric markers, made yoyo flowers and had Little house names on all of the cupcakes and had a quiz that was so much fun. :)

2009-08-31T05:11:00.000-07:00

I just love this set by PTI named Bird watchers. I used a premade card and it came together quite quickly. I guess I'm a kid at heart as I still enjoy a good coloring project. I used pearly watercolors and an aquapainter. Happy Monday.

Stamps: PTI bird watchers
Ink: brilliance sepia
Paper: My mind's eye notecards, very vanilla
Accessories: satin seam tape, Martha stewart border punch

2009-08-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

My friend Nancy has her own line of stamps called Shady tree studio. They are available at Cornish Heritage Farms. Her line offers a great variety of themes yet all are so easy to add a bit of color and you'll love the final result.

Stamps: Shady tree studio- gardner's hands

Paper: kraft, Making memories journal notes

Ink: sepia versafine, watercolor crayons

Accessories: Kaiser half pearls, ivory taffeta stitched

2009-07-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

I just love Shady tree studio stamps. These beautiful images are drawn by Phantom on SCS or Nancy to those who are lucky to call her our friend. They are so easy to color as she adds much of the shading already. The variety of her stamps is amazing. I love the nature, birthday and especially The Cafe~ super cool coffee/tea themed as well as great recipe/kitchen themes. Anyhooo~ I made this for the CHF challenge last week to use color. I brayered the sky and stamped the main images on watercolor paper.

Stamps- Shady tree studio- thatch birdhouse, Primitive beginnings, fine gingham

Ink- ballet blue, regal rose, Riding hood red

Paper- Kraft, glossy

Accessories- Riding hood red stripped gingham, scallop punch, circle punch, glitter heart-raw chipboard and SU chunky glitter

2009-06-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

I'm quickly falling in love with SU's new in-colors. They remind me of jewel tones which are so versatile in my opinion.

stamps: Pun Fun, Circle circus

paper: SU Razzleberry dp, mambo melon

accessories: razzleberry dotted grosgrain, silver brads, eyelet border punch

2009-06-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

I love this adorable set by SU called Cheep talk. It is easy to use and has the sweetest sayings. They also offer coordinating dp which makes card making a breeze. It's like putting a puzzle together.

Stamps- Cheep talk

Paper- Good morning sunshine dp, kiwi kiss, summer sun, choc chip

Ink- Pacific point, choc chip, kiwi kiss, summer sun

Accessories- button latte, white satin ribbon

2009-05-12T05:21:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to add a couple of links to friends of mine who also blog. I find inspiration from their blogs and hope you do too.

Darlene http://darscraftycreations.blogspot.com/
Marcy http://wolfcreekcrafting.blogspot.com/
Carla http://paperpastorale.blogspot.com/
Dru http://gardenofdreams-dru.blogspot.com/
Joanne http://angelnorth.blogspot.com/
Marlene http://heart-spring.blogspot.com/

My friend Nancy (aka Phantom) has a new line of stamps she has hand drawn. These beautiful stamps are available at Cornish Heritage Farms~ her line is called Shady tree studio. I love the varitey she offers and her true artist creativity just shines through her entire line. Her SCS gallery is another source of endless inspiration.

I hope you are as inspired by these creative girls as I am. Enjoy your spring day!

2009-05-12T04:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring! I'm loving having the windows open and smelling the lilacs around my house. I made a sympathy card~ they are nice to have on hand. I used the cuddlebug embossing folder then rubbed ink over the raised images~ it really gives added depth. I also sponged the gingham to give it a vintage look.

Crafty secrets creative cuts- main image

Paper: RHR cardstock, black, kraft, vanilla

Accessories: vintage lace, Martha stewart border punch, half pearls, black gingham ribbon

Thanks for stopping by.

2009-03-31T05:17:00.000-07:00

I made this for the challenge on the Crafty secrets forum this week. We were to use metal on our cards. I have lots of this but sometimes forget to use it~ it does go well with the vintage feel of CS products.

Stamps- PTI mailbox greetings

Paper- Crafty secrets birds and botanical image and journal notes, CS pastel paper pack, brocade blue cs, very vanilla

Accessories- SU hodgepodge, unknown photo corners, lt. blue gingham

2009-03-03T05:33:00.000-08:00

I just adore the complete line of Amy Butler. I just love this pkg of Vintage cuts~ the colors and textures are so pretty. I used my big shot and the textile embossing folder.

Stamps: Crafty secrets card sentiments

Paper: SU very vanilla, Amy butler vintage cuts

Ink: basic gray

Accessories: textile folder, vintage buttons/snap, hemp

Thanks for stopping by! :)

2009-02-19T09:42:00.000-08:00

This card took 5 minutes. I cut the oval/scallop with my bigshot and the scallop die from SU. I sponged baja breeze ink on the shimmery paper then stamped the flowers in choc chip craft and embossed in clear ep. A little sponging around the edges and it was done. I think it would be a great sympathy card too with a different sentiment. Thanks for looking.

Stamps: Upsy daisy, Level 1 hostess

Paper: baja breeze, Parisian breeze specialty, shimmery white

Ink: choc chip craft, baja breeze Accessories: baja breeze grosgrain, horizontal slot punch

2009-02-19T09:40:00.000-08:00

This set is so fun to play with. The options are endless!

Stamps: Branch out- Stampin up

Paper: Parisian breeze specialty dp, very vanilla, baja breeze cs

Ink: choc chip, baja breeze, creamy carmel

Accessories: kraft taffeta, designer buttons- SU

2009-02-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

I love this set from Stampin up~ Just B. It is so versatile~ fits any occasion.

Stamps: Just B

Paper: baja breeze cs, very vanille, My Mind's eye dp

Accessories: SU celery twill (SAB), silver brad, pretties kit

2009-01-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

This year I have challenged myself to alter one item each month. This month I used this nugget tin and made it into a mini card holder. I used this fabulous pom pom trim and a friendship poem from Crafty secrets. The cards are all 3x4 and were made using the Crafty secrets set Card sentiments. It was so fun to make these smaller scale items. They go so quickly.

Stamp sets: Crafty secrets Card sentiments, Mini memories and Altered art

Paper: Crafty secrets radiant pad, so saffron- SU

Accessories: cream organdy, coral organdy, vintage filagree hardware, burgandy grosgrain, Crafty secrets sweet chips chipboard, velvet butterfly- unknown

2008-12-19T00:26:00.000-08:00

I made this for the Crafty Secret challenge this week. We were to use 3 things that start with B~ mine were buttons, border punch and a tea bag. I'm not really a tea drinker but love sitting and chatting with a friend~ even if we are having cokes.

Stamp set: Crafty secrets- Coffee and Tea, Inkadinkadoo

Ink: Brilliance sepia and RHR

Paper: SU kraft, RHR, Cosmo cricket Little boys, SU very vanilla

Accessories: vintage buttons, hemp, Martha stewart border punch

2008-12-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

My girls and I made these from the chipboard houses found at Hobby Lobby. We painted and modgepodged paper as well as using punches, glitter and anything else we could find around the house. I think you can tell by their faces that we had a great time making these. Thanks for checking in! :)

2008-12-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

Today I'm celebrating a belated National Button Day (Nov. 16). I love the vintage feel buttons add to a project. I stamped the image on watercolor paper and added glitter to the snow~ hard to tell in the picture. Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps- Crafty secrets Sweet kids, October afternoon Good cheer

Paper- Riding hood red cs, kraft, Cosmo cricket dp

Ink- brown stazon, watercolor crayons

Accessories- vintage buttons, Martha stewart border punch, hemp

2008-11-17T16:29:00.000-08:00

This card was made from scraps. I love having leftover day at my desk. The stamp is from Inkadinkadoo's Cool Christmas and the paper is Daisy D. I found old ledger paper in my garage and it just fits the vintage cards so well. Thanks for looking.

Stamps: Inkadinkadoo- Cool Christmas, SU flannel bkg, By definition

Paper- Daisy D, SU bravo burgandy, vanilla, vintage ledger

Ink- Brilliance coffee bean, bravo burgandy

Accessories- prima flower, vintage buttons, SU button bouquet, Martha stewart floss, spiral punch SU

2008-11-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

I made this card using a wonderful image I found at Emma's paperie. You'll notice a sketch that I really enjoyed this week~ amazing how different they look just using different supplies.

Recipe: Stamps- SU Giving thanks,

Paper:Basic grey- Urban prarie, SU kraft, SU black, vintage ledger paper, Main image- Emma's paperie

Ink: Brilliance black

Accessories: black gingham, vintage buttons, hemp, Marcella paper flower

2008-11-17T16:17:00.000-08:00

My all time favorite set from Crafty secrets is Bug's life. I used it along with one of my favorite dp's- Cosmo Cricket Little girls. I also found some old ledger paper while cleaning the garage and made this little notebook paper. I love this saying and hope your day is filled with blessings. Mine always are but some days I forget to stop and appreciate what those blessings are. :)

Recipe: Crafty Secrets- Bugs Life, Paper- Cosmo cricket- Little Girls, SU kraft, vintage ledger, watercolor paper, Ink: brown stazon, rocket red brilliance, creamy carmel, Accessories: vintage buttons, hemp, carmel gingham ribbon, SU flower punch, SU spiral punch

2008-11-17T16:11:00.000-08:00

OK be nice about this~ it's a little~ ok alot "out of my box". I love seeing all the galleries of those truly talented vintage stampers. One thing I was noticing is all the cards/projects using the Gothic arch from old architecture. For our Crafty Secret challenge one week~ I made this. Not quite the "collage" style so many use but it was fun stretching myself a bit. I stamped the tiny snowflakes on glossy using versamark then brayered on the Baja breeze ink for the sky.

Recipe: Stamps- Crafty secrets- Sweet kids

Paper: SU choc chip, glossy white, vanilla cs; Ink- baja breeze, choc chip, creamy carmel

Accessories- Making memories sage trim, vintage button, sponging, choc chip satin ribbon, SU oval punches

2008-10-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite ways to stamp is to sit down with a stamp set, 1 pack of SU designer paper and the coordinating inks/ribbons etc....... :) Here I used Pocket silhouettes and the dp- Urban garden. It's like putting a puzzle together~ I love the double sided paper as it gives so many coordiniating options. You really can't go wrong. Thanks for stopping in! :)

Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes, Curvy label punches

Paper: Urban garden dp, Old olive, night of navy, Ink: night of navy; Accessories- night of navy grosgrain, flower fusion, silver brads, large oval punch, pop dots

2008-10-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

I just love this new SU set~ Seasons of Friendship. It is so easy to use and the color options are endless. Initially I made several fall cards then branched into adding "non-fall" colors and just love them. I've got a few winter tree cards calling my name on these cold mornings.

Recipe:

Stamp sets: Seasons of friendship, Everyday blossoms wheel, Paper: Pink pirouette, very vanilla; Ink- chocolate chip, kiwi kiss, pink pirouette; Accessories- kiwi kiss satin, pop dots

2008-10-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

I was the host this week for the Crafty Secret challenge on SCS. We used chipboard with our CS images/dp etc. I used this cute little frame from Sweet chips and smooshed it in ink then used Heat and stick powder to adhere black glitter. I just love this Crafty Secret set called Halloween fun~ it gives such a fun take on Halloween.

Recipe:

Stamps-CS Halloween fun, Paper- SU pumpkin pie, shimmery white, CS earthy pad, Ink- Black versafine, Accessories- SU pumpkin pie grosgrain, CS sweet chips chipboard, glitter unknown

2008-09-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

I made this victorian cone for the challenge on Splitcoast to make vicorian cones/party hats. It was easy and very fun~ just a few bumps in the learning curve. I did use double sided dp so it's pretty inside too. Mine is filled with old buttons and this image is attached to a wooden kabob stick and stuck in the middle. Thanks for another great challenge Marcy.

Recipe:

Crafty secrets pastel pad, Little girl vintage journal notes, Stampabilities musical score, SU 5 petal punch, vintage button, Making memories sage trim.

2008-09-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Our challenge today on the Crafty Secret forum on SCS was to make a card/project relating to "Going somewhere". Since I don't travel much these days ~too much fighting in the car on the way to the grocery store :)~ I thought I'd make a card to send a friend. I really like how this came together. I used the wonderful image booklets at Crafty secrets. Cards come together so quickly when the image is there and colored and you just really embellish a beautiful vintage image! :) The sentiment is from the Bug's Life set and the stamped cornices are from the Halloween Fun set~ all found here. I had an orphan piece of this great Wild asparagus dp that matched the image perfectly. Isn't it funny how some cards just come together effortlessly and others cause one to beat one's head on the desk and still end up with an ugly card. Oh the joys of crafting. Thanks for stopping in Darlene! It might be easier to just send you these messages by email since you are my sole blog recipient! :) Love you friend!

2008-09-18T05:04:00.001-07:00

Here is the ATC made into a regular size card. :)

2008-09-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

This week for the Crafty Secret challenge we made ATC (artist trading cards). I've never made one before and must say it was fun. They are 2 1/2 x 3 1/2. I made it into a card to send my sister whom I lovingly call "queen" even though I'm the oldest. :)

Recipe:

Stamps: Crafty Secrets Party Girl, Paper: Crafty secrets Radiant pad, Ink: black brilliance, SU pixie pink, Accessories: Martha stewart border punch, half pearls, black ribbon- Hobby Lobby

2008-09-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

I just love kraft and red. I used the an image from the Crafty Secret Summertime journal notes book. The little note with the peas on it pulls out the side of the card and a message could be added. The wheel is SU's jumbo wheel called Daisy Dash. The punch was Martha stewarts butterfly punch. Thanks for looking. :)

2008-09-07T10:54:00.001-07:00

This is another card I made using Primitive beginnings from Cornish Heritage Farms. The DP is Basic Gray Mellow. I used Ranger distress inks. These sets are large and have a great variety of sentiments.

This weekend I moved my craft area to another spot in our house~ this organizing really gets me in the mood to stamp. :)

2008-09-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with this new set from Cornish Heritage Farms. It is called Primitive Beginnings. I used Ranger distress ink and poped the house to give some depth. The set is from The Rummage Bin Co.

2008-08-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

Our SCS challenge this week was to make a card with pieces that went over the edge. Great challenge! I used this adorable little girl from the Crafty Secrets Little Dolls Image and journal notes. The sentiment was cut from the bottom of the journal part of the page. Now to find an envie just a bit bigger so I can mail this! :)

Recipe: Stamps- none, Main image- CS Little dolls image and journal notes, Paper- Crafty Secrets pastel pad, Accessories- half back pearls- Martha Stewart, prima flowers

2008-08-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

Today is leftover day. I am trying to use up the "stuff" on my stamping desk. I made several different pieces of chipboard to show customers different techniques. On this card, I colored the chipboard with ink then embossed with clear embossing powder~ it is nice and shiny.

Recipe:

Stamps- Pun Fun, Tiny Talk Paper- Jersey shores, bashful blue cs, Accessories- dazzling diamonds glitter, wild wasabi grosgrain ribbon, SU chipboard

2008-08-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

I made this for the CS challenge this week on SCS. I just love the journal books~ they have adorable pics on top with coordinating journal areas at the bottom. Check them out here. The challenge was to use orange~ perfect for bringing in the fall a bit early.

Recipe:

Stamps- Crafty Secret Halloween fun, Main image- CS Halloween image & journal notes, Paper- CS Earthy pad, more mustard SU, pumpkin pie SU, Inks- versafine black, Accessories- K & Co rhinestones, SU circle punches, black ribbon- Hobby Lobby

2008-08-13T16:35:00.000-07:00

I am in love....with this new set by Crafty Secrets called Halloween Fun. It just has such an amazing variety of sweet halloween stamps~nothing too scarey. :) I made the circle card using my CM circle templates and "bound" the card with the gingham ribbon. I stamped the girl on shimmery CS with Brilliance ink. I bent the swirl from the halloween set to make the border. Thanks for looking. :)

Recipe: Stamps- Crafty Secret Halloween Fun, Paper- CS Earthy pad, SU pumpkin pie CS, Ink: brilliance black, Accessories: SU spiral clip and gingham ribbon, EK success tags and epoxy stickers, Hobby lobby black ribbon.

2008-08-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

I just fell in love with this set by My Sentiments Exactly called Little Birdie. It has lots of different sayings to put in the swirl. I did some faux stitching and added a little sparkly chipboard I made using ep and dazzlings diamonds glitter. The alphabet was $1 from Michaels for the word friend~ can't beat that. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Recipe:

Stamps: MSE Little Birdie, Michaels $1 alphabet Ink: brilliance black, regal rose Paper: dp unknown, Accessories: black ribbon- Hobby Lobby, clear flower- Jacksonbelle's, chipboard- SU

2008-08-10T19:19:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love beads? I love these sticky letters by SU~ they are like sticky strip but letters. You fill in with larger beads then dump on micro beads to fill in the cracks. I made this for the Dirty Girls challenge from SCS by Jenn Balcer. She showed an inspiration picture and here is what I ended up with.

Ingredients:

Stamps- SU print bkg, SU All about U
Ink- stazon black

Accessories- organdy flower- unknown (received as RAK), SU sticky strip letters, caledon satin ribbon, rhinestone brad

2008-08-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

I just love this set called Bug's Life from Crafty Secrets. I love that each set contains main images, sentiments and fillers. I paper pieced the bug house and used my sewing machine for an "intentional" whimisical sewing pattern. I added bling to the mushroom and glittery chipboard. I think this fun side of vintage is my favorite~ now off to learn the correct color of bugs~ as for now I color them to match the dp~ how scientific is that?
Ingredients:
Stamps- Crafty Secrets Bug's Life
Ink: black palette noir; unknown dp, regal rose and very vanilla cs, Making memories chipboard, button and black ribbon- Hobby Lobby

2008-08-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

My new stamping love is the vintage/ shabby chic style. I fell in love with this set from Crafty Secrets called Bug's Life. They have an amazing selection of vintage stamps, designer paper and so much more. Check out their goodies here~ Thanks for stopping by.

Ingredients:

Stamps- Crafty Secrets- Bug's Life
Paper- K & Co. Wild saffron
Ink- Palette noir
Accessories- Loopy brad and wire flower- Hobby Lobby, K & Co. paper lace & vintage brad, CB folder, brown twill- SU