Happy Wishes

Julia is challenging everyone to use staples today for the Ways To Use It challenge at SCS. This is what I came up with. My top corner piece was created by cutting off the bottom of the SU tag punch. It makes the perfect angles. I stamped the image with Adirondack Salmon dye ink, and colored the stems with a SU Always Artichoke marker. I then sponged around all the edges with SU Groovy Guava and gave some dimension to the card by raising each panel with Scotch dimensional tape.

The stamp images can be found at Stamper's Dream.
Be sure to check out all of her new Penny Black and Hero Arts stamps!! She also got in some more liquid pearls, and those are awesome for amping up a card a bit!!

Stamps - Penny Black Ascent, Hero Arts Clear Thinking of You messages
Paper - Always Artichoke, Groovy Guava, Bazzill
Ink - Adirondack Salmon, Always Artichoke marker, Groovy Guava
Accessories - Fastenater and staples, nestabilities, circle punches, sakura souffle pen, Carl CarlaCraft flower punch, mini brads, SU corner ticket punch, Scotch dimensional tape, sponge

Hearts and Treasures

Ahoy ye mateys!

It’s TREASURE HUNT TUESDAY @ RUBBERNECKER. The Treasure if you find it, will be a free image. However, to receive the Treasure a purchase of any size is required, and your treasure must be claimed between 4:00 am PST until 9:00 pm PST Tuesday (8:00 am EST - 12:00 am EST). Not only is today Treasure Hunt Day, but for every $50 in stamps purchased, you will receive one FREE stamp. You can check out more information on the Rubbernecker Home Page. Go to Shelly's blog, Stamp with Shelly, for your first clue.

While you are on the Rubbernecker Homepage make sure and read about the Rubbernecker Bucks Monthly Drawing AND the FREE stamp offer:

*** Each month you can qualify to win $100 coupon good for Rubbernecker or Stamp Oasis stamps! For every $20 you spend, your name is entered once into a drawing.

*** For every $50 you spend on Rubbernecker, Stamp Oasis or KK Originals stamps, you get to choose a FREE stamp!

We also have some Rubber Buck Gift Certificates to give away as Blog Candy!!! These are redeemable for any stamps in the Rubbernecker, Stamp Oasis or KK Original sections!

This week's Blog Candy links:

Jeanne Streiff

Sherry Cheever

Shelly Kuck

Now, if you're still with me. Here's a card I made with Rubbernecker images and products.
First let me tell you about my homemade striped dp. I cut a piece of Ranger Cut-n-dry Stamp pad felt by Inkssentials and loaded it with ink stripes. I started in the center with Adirondack cloudy blue. Do not use the ink sparingly. Soak that baby. I then left a bit of white and loaded a thinner stripe of Lemonade on each side of the blue. After that I added Peach Bellini covering some of the Lemonade to give it a blended look. After the felt piece is soaked with ink, I just swiped it evenly down a piece of Glossy CS. I let the ends lift to give it that wispy unfinished look. I then crinkled up saran wrap and tapped it randomly over the inked surface to give it the soft distressed look. Refer to the smaller close up picture so you can see what I mean.

The topiary was stamped on Papertrey White CS with Ranger Black Soot Distress Ink. I've found that the Papertrey White is the best paper for coloring with copics. For me anyway. And the Ranger Distress inks do not blend when coloring!! The sentiment is stamped with Ranger Worn Lipstick Distress ink and has a think line of glitter on it to make it pop a bit. The Quickie glue pen is the most awesome for those fine lines. The heart topiary image is colored with copics and the green has a bit of ultrafine crystal glitter on it that I applied with my Sakura Quickie Glue Pen. I added a bit of Ice Stickles just before the sentiment, and I edged all the panels with white craft ink to soften them. The scallops were made with a scallop scissors.


Supplies:
Stamps - Rubbernecker
Paper - SU Cameo Coral, Glossy White, WorldWin Papers: Antique White, Papertrey White, Handmade dp
Inks - Adirondack reinkers - Peach Bellini, Cloudy Blue, Lemonade, Ranger Black Soot Distress Ink, SU Craft White
Accessories - Copics, JoyCrafts decorative pearls, SU ivory grossgrain ribbon, scallop scissors, nestabilities, SU horizontal slot punch, ice stickles, scotch dimensional tape, Sakura Quickie Glue Pen, Ultrafine Crystal glitter, Ranger Inkssentials Cut-N-Dry Stamp Pad Felt

2008 Splicoaststampers Survey!!

I've been a member of the Splitcoast Fan Club for over a year and have learned and grown so very much!! I'm a huge fan of that community and all they have to offer. Right now, they're conducting an informative survey and would like members to take the time to fill it out so they can continue to serve the stamping community the best way possible. It takes very little time. I just completed it myself. Just go HERE. Thank you.

Framed challenge

I promised a card this evening, and here it is. This is the card I made with the supplies a few of us from SCS send to each other each month. We were to use the clear frame from Making Memories. I combined two challenges this week. SCS's Featured stamper Stamping Pam, and our CCEE Challenge (Cheers and Challenges Eager Eight) We challenge each other every Monday with a variety of different things. I will always have a card uploaded either Sun. evening or Monday morning for this. Here's Pam's card that I cased: Fall Flowers
Changes: Colors, images, dp, moved the sentiment up to a buckle, circle to square, added scallops to the bottom, and moved my bottom panel up a bit.

Thanks Pam for the inspiration!! I really enjoyed looking through your awesome gallery!!

Now for the deets!!

Main image: Stamped image with Ranger Black Soot Distress Ink onto Papertrey White CS, colored with copics. Glued the frame to peach Bazzill CS with Diamond stickles and framed with Nestabilites square diecut.

The red panel was created by painting Ranger Fired Brick Distress Crackle paint. I painted it on fairly thick so the cracks would show more. It's awesome stuff, and easy to use. The brush is included with the jar. It's connected to the inside lid, so you don't need to clean a separate brush. I then rubbed Ranger Walnut distress ink over it to make the crack stand out a bit more. I think it looks a bit like aged leather!!

The oval sentiment was cut out with oval nestabilities, and all the panels were ink distressed with Ranger Tea Dye Distress ink....sorry, forgot to include that one in the picture. The scallops were created with Stampin' Up's slit punch, and the velvet ribbon is threaded through the horizontal slot punched CS. All panels are raised with Scotch dimensional tape. The scallops were pierced using Tim Holtz Retractable Craft Pick.
Oh, and the inside says....are the perfect blend. Thanks for stopping and taking a look!!



Supplies:
Stamps - MFT
Paper - SU Chocolate Chip, Bazzill, peach, Fancy Pants dp, Papertrey White
Ink - Ranger Black Soot, Walnut, Tea Dye Distress Inks, SU chocolate chip marker to color sentiment
Accessories - Making Memories Frame, Diamond Stickles, Ranger Fired Brick Crackle paint, American Crafts Elements mini brads, SU slit and horizontal punches, Nestabilities, Tim Holtz Retractable Craft Pick, sponge, dimensional tape, velvet ribbon, copics

Inspiration!!

Hey y'all!!! Just wanted to let you know I won't be posting until Sunday evening. That's when I post a challenge I do with some goofy SCS friends. I'm heading to a Stamp Festival in Riverside, CA for today and Sat. I can't wait. I don't have any stamping stores anywhere near where I live, so this is a real treat for me. Plus I get to meet Dave and his wife Pat...the owners of RN, who I design for. How cool is that?!?!?! Hopefully I'll have a lot of inspiration from the vendors and their products!!

I hope you're all having an awesome weekend and are feeling the inspiration flowing through your fingers, to the stamps, and onto the cardstock!! Happy Stamping everyone!!

Thinking Daisies

Ever have those days when it takes you FOREVAH to make a card work? Adding some things, taking others off, adding something else...etc., etc. Grrrr. Well this card gave me fits today. It just didn't want to *come to be*!!! I didn't give up though. I would triumph!! Okay...here's the deets. I made this for SCS's sketch challenge today that you can find HERE.

This card is 5x7. The panels are each 2 1/8" x 3 1/2" with the matting 3/16" larger. The main image is 2 3/4" x 4". I started off by stamping the daisy image onto watercolor paper with Versafine Black onyx. I like using that ink the best for watercoloring because it doesn't bleed. The image is colored with Adirondack re-inkers and a waterbrush. I'll list the inks in the supplies list at the bottom of this post. The center of the flowers are coated with cinnamon stickles. And the sentiment is stamped with Versacolor black pigment ink and embossed with Black embossing powder. The panels are Memory Box dp, and the ribbon is Rusty pickle and SU stitched. The photo corner is just 1 1/4" squared with the green piece 3/16" smaller. all the panels are ink distressed with Ranger Frayed Burlap Distress Ink.


Now, here's the fun part. Tim Holtz makes this cool, cool hammer that you can distress items with. You can find this hammer at Rubbernecker Stamp Company. I distressed brads using the lined and dotted end of the hammer. I love the look, and loved the pounding too!! *grin* As you can see by the photo, there are 4 possible hammer ends. The end not showing has circular bumps on it. You can distress grungeboard too, paint it then sand the edges. I could have sanded the brads too, but I had a bit of sparkle on the flowers, so I didn't want to go completely distressed. I did, however distress the chocolate chip cs by running my fingernail over the edges. I felt like something was missing when I set my brads, so I pierced a bit between each one with Tim Holtz's Retractable Craft Pick.

Supplies:
Stamps - Penny Black: A touch, Hero Arts: Clear Thinking of you Messages found at Stamper's Dream
Paper - SU Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin, True Thyme, Very Vanilla, Memory Box DP, and Watercolor
Ink - Versafine Black Onyx, Versacolor Black Ultimate Pigment Ink
Adirondack reinkers - Butterscotch, Terra Cotta, Red Pepper, lettuce, meadow, stonewashed
Ranger Frayed Burlap Distress Ink
Accessories - brads, Cinnamon Stickles, Rusty Pickle Ribbon, SU True Thyme stitched ribbon, SU Mat Pack, Tim Holtz Retractable Craft Pick, sponge, scotch dimensional tape

We have a WINNER!!!

Drum roll please...................my first ever blog candy winner is....................#17 WendyP. I used my daughter this morning to pick the number. Being new to this whole blog world, I'm clueless with how to use the random number picker thingy.

Thank you everyone for your kind words and helpful suggestions. I know I've been changing the template a bit. I think I've finally found one that is easy on the eyes and easy to read. Some of you have asked to see altered items. I do hope to do some of those in the near future even though cards are my stamping project of choice. Tutorials? That too is doable.

Wendy, if you could email me at stamps4fun@hotmail.com, I'll give you the code to use at Rubbernecker for your free $10 Rubbernecker Bucks! Congratulations!!

Thank you to everyone who commented. I really appreciate the time you took to leave one!! Happy stamping!! And I should have a card posted later today for the SCS sketch challenge!!

Whimsical Blooms

I made this card for today's color challenge on SCS. The colors to use were: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky and Real Red. My red's i the flowers. *grin*

This card is pretty straight forward. All I did was stamp the image on Papertrey White CS with Ranger Black Soot Distress Ink. colored them with copics and gave them a little sparkle with my Sakura Quickie Glue Pen and Ultrafine crystal glitter. The scallop border was done with scallop scissors, and to get a straight scallop, I just lay another piece of cardstock over it with about a half inch of the cs I want to cut exposed, and cut along the cs guide. Woila...straight scallop! The scalloped border and sentiment are popped up with dimensionals. Thanks for stopping by. The stamped images, and other supplies can be found at Stamper's Dream Stamps store. Michelle has quite the variety of stamps and supplies!! If you haven't checked out her site, you are soooooo missing out. From stickles, to liquid pearls, to rhinestone stickers, to many stamp compaines....Gina K, MFT, Penny Black, Hero Arts, Paper Inspirations, Outlines, etc.


Supplies:
Stamps - Penney Black Winsome, Gina K Rectangle Greetings
Paper - SU Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Papertrey White
Ink - Ranger Black Soot Distress Ink
Accessories - yellow Marvy rectangle scallop punch, scallop scissors, Sakura Quickie Glue Pen, Hero Arts Ultrafine crystal glitter

Satisfy your Sweet Tooth!!

Rubbernecker Bucks!!!

Okay!!! Here's the deal!! Rubbernecker has soooooo many awesome deals going on right now, you can not afford to miss visiting their site. Dave has offered us some $10 Rubber Buck (good for Stamp Oasis and Rubbernecker stamps only) gift certificates to use as Blog Candy.
Now, it's been just over a month since I started my blog, so I'd appreciate some constructive criticism. What would you like to see added, deleted, or stay the same? Be honest. I can take it. I would like my blog to be as informative and inspirational as possible. Please leave a comment and the number of your comment. I will randomly draw a number and post the winner on Wednesday.

Check out these other blogs for blog candy too!
Kittie - Kittie Kraft (she also has the Treasure Hunt clue)
Broni - Splashes of Watercolor
Frances - StampOwl's Studio

How Sweet!!

I have two cards to share with you this evening. I used the same colors and the new Basicgrey "Two Scoops" dp.

They're both fairly simple, just a few layers. The first is a standard A2 card and the second is 5 1/4" x 5 1/4".
For the first, I just used SU Chocolate Chip, Bazzill, Papertrey White and the Basicgrey. The MFT image is stamped with Ranger Black Soot Distress ink. I love this ink for many reasons. One is because it does not smear when I color with my copics, and two you can emboss with it also. It also stamps clean and rich. LOVE it!! Anyway, the image is colored with copics and has a coating of Sakura Hobby Craft 3D Crystal Lacquer on it. You can find this image at Stamper's Dream. Michelle also has quite the variety of liquid pearls, stickles, and many different stamp companies are represented. Basically, a one stop shop!! yee-ha! Love that. I have to take a minute to tell you why I love the liquid pearls. I love decorating with embellishments, and I do like using pearls at times, but to put one pearl on each scallop.....OH MY, that would take the whole package and then some. So I get the look without sacrificing my pearls. How cool is that? The lace is by Rusty Pickle!! They have the most awesome ribbons. The squares were cut with nestabilities, as were the tabs where the ribbon is tied. I'm not sure who the ribbon is by since it was a gift. And the scallops have white opal liquid pearls on them.


Supplies:
Stamps - MFT Be Mine, from Stamper's Dream
Paper - SU Chocolate Chip, Bazzill, Papertrey, Basicgrey Two Scoops
Ink - Ranger Black Soot Distress Ink, Adirondack Ginger, SU Chocolate Chip
Accessories - copics, Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer, Ranger Liquid Pearls, nestabilities, Rusty Pickle Lace, sponge

Okay, before I share the next card with you, I'd like to share with you the most awesome stamp cleaner by Judikins. I don't know about you, but I don't always clean my stamps right away. And some of these inks are atrocious to clean off. Well, last year when I went to an Heirloom Productions event in Riverside, CA...which I get to go to this weekend...WOOT...Judikins had a booth there with her cleaning product. Oh, my goodness...that stuff works like magic. And I don't know how, but it moisturizes the rubber too. So I bought a huge refill bottle then and there. I was going to wait to buy it there again this year....but guess what?!?!?! Michelle sells it at Stamper's Dream!!! Ye-ha!! LOVE this stuff. It's Rubber Stamp Permanent and Fabric Ink Cleaner!! Check it out!!

Okay, for this second card I mixed it up a bit...Elzybells (love this little girl) You can find her at Amuse. And MFT that you can find at Stamper's Dream.
The circles and oval were cut with nestabilities, and the tag is the two Stampin' Up tag punches. I put liquid pearls around the circle scallops, and pierced the oval one. Pearls by Joy Crafts are around the square. The sentiment and heart are part of the MFT Be Mine set. The edges are all ink distressed with Adirondack Ginger, and the sentiment is stamped with Adirondack Espresso.

Supplies:
Stamps - MFT - Stamper's Dream Elzybells (Amuse)
Paper - Bazzill, Basicgrey Two scoops
Ink - Ranger Black Soot distress ink, Adirondack Ginger, espresso
Accessories - nestabilities, liquid pearls, pearls, SU tag punches, ribbon, dimensional tape by scotch, copics

Treasure Hunt Tuesday at Rubbernecker!!

Now, head on over to Kittie's blog: Kittie Kraft for the first clue to go on your treasure hunt.

After getting the clue, head on over to Rubbernecker and follow where the clues lead. You could win a free stamp. Not only that...check out their site for more ways to get stamps for free!!

Blog Candy First!!!!

Hey y'all!!! Most every stamper loves to get free supplies and stamps. And I'm soooo one of them. So, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be offering some blog candy tomorrow. So please stop by. You're not going to want to miss this!!!

And don't forget to check out the Rubbernecker website tomorrow either!! Every Tuesday is Treasure Hunt Tuesday. You follow the clues, find the treasure and get a free stamp. There are a limited amount of stamps, so it's a first come basis.

Also, at Rubbernecker you have an opportunity to win $100 worth of Rubbernecker or Stamp Oasis images. For every $20 you spend, you get entered in a drawing. So if you spend $40, you get two entries, $60, 3 entries and so on. There will be a drawing each month, so the more entries you have, the greater chance you have of winning. The first drawing will be Feb. 5.

Not only that.....but for every $50 you spend, you get to pick a stamp for free. Check out the Rubbernecker site for all the rules!!

Photo Finish

Since it's Monday, it's time for me to post the card from the challenge that I do with 8 goofy friends from SCS. This week we had to make a card with a photo on it. It could be your own photo or from a magazine. I chose to use one of my own photos. However, my printer started to act up, so I had a hard time getting a clear picture without all of the computer's little marks. So, I printed my (not too clear picture...it is a gorgeous picture, but the printer.....argh)picture on regular paper and gave it two coats of clear embossing powder. I matted it with SU Orchid Opulence and black that were cut out with spellbinder's Nestabilities, as was the medallion on the right and the *love sentiment* at the top.

Supplies:
Stamps - MFT Essential Sentiments
Paper - SU Orchid Opulence, Basic Gray, Black, Papertrey White
Ink - Ranger Black Soot Distress Ink, versamark
Accessories - Irridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Clear EP, Nestabilities, K&Company Rhinestone stickers, Doodlebug Design Jewels, American Craft Ribbon,

Asian Hope

Okay....I messed up on the SCS sketch challenge again...nothing new for me. I'm always missing details. That's why I can't read directions, I have to have hands on training for everything!!! Sooooooo, I'm trying to redeem myself here.

This was a very fun card to make, because I love doing Polished stone backgrounds. In fact, so does my daughter...about the only thing she'll do in *THE STAMP ROOM*. I used my Inkssetials Ink Blending Tool that I got at Rubbernecker to ink up my glossy CS. I only used three inks....Adirondack alcohol inks Red Pepper and Mushroom, and a touch of Ssukineko Ultimate Metallic gold ink (I've had this guy forever, don't know where or when I got him, so your best bet is to use a Adirondack gold mixative...I didn't have that) After loading the blending tool with ink, I randomly stamped all over the CS until I got the color and design I liked best. Now, here's the cool part.....Then I just let drops of Adirondack Alcohol Blending solution fall where they may on the inked up glossy. SO COOL!!!!! It softens the colors and gives it an awesome marbled look!! No two papers turn out the same...so try different pieces. It's so fun to see what new design you can come up with.

Next, I used my SU stamping buddy to make sure there was no static on my bg, and I stamped the Asian Stamp Oasis Image from Rubbernedker image with Ranger Black Soot Distress ink and embossed with black embossing powder. I then colored the bird, leaves, moon and mountain top with my Sakura Souffle pens...They are my ultimate favorite paint pens. They disperse ink evenly and don't clog!! Love 'em. That's it for the main image.

The bg was cuttlebugged with the stylized flowers embossing folder

All the edges are ink distressed with Ranger Tea Dye Distress Ink.

The flower by the bow was inspired by Jeanne S's card found here: Cheap
The card needed something, and I thought flowers. I had three down in the corner, but it was too much...it took away from the image. Then I put one in the corner, and it looked like it was just floating. So I ended up putting it under the ribbon. Woila...I loved the look. Then I had to remember where I'd seen it before. Thanks Jeanne for the inspiration. You saved my unbalanced card!!! *grin*




Supplies:
Stamps - Stamp Oasis by Rubbernecker
Paper - Bazzill and SU Glossy White, Black
Ink - Adirondack Alcohol inks: Red Pepper, Mushroom, Ranger Distress inks: Black Soot and Tea Dye, Tsukineko Gold metallic
Accessories - Alcohol Blending solution, Jo-Ann's Organdy Ribbon, Prima flower, Adornit gem, cuttlebug, sponge, scotch dimensional tape

Simply Said

It's just about Wed., and that means it's time for me to do one of Rox's sketch challenges on SCS. I loved the simplicity of this one, so I kept mine very simple. All the images are Hero Arts and can be found at Michelle's store Stampers Dreams.
The top panel bg is a gorgeous flourish!! And I mean gorgeous!!! It is so finely detailed it's amazing!!! I embossed it in white with SU white craft ink and white ep. I love the soft look of it! The sentiment and flower stamps are from Hero Arts Clear Design Thinking of you messages. What a fun variety!! Different fonts, shapes, frames, and flowers. I'll be using these a ton!!! I thought the sentiment fit that lone bird in the cage. You know, the one special bird that sings to you every morning....
Anyway, all the panels are lightly sponged with SU blush blossom, and the flowers are colored with a sakura souffle pen. These are my absolute favorite colored pens to use. They never clog up, and they disperse ink so evenly!! Love 'em!!

That's it....sweet and simple. Thanks for stopping by and have a great rest of the week!!





Supplies
Stamps: Hero Arts ( Stamper's Dream )
Paper: Bazzill, SU Blush Blossom, K and Company Wedding
Ink: Ranger Black Soot Distress ink, SU Blush Blossom
Accessories: K and Company Rhinestone stickers, sakura Souffle pens, nestabilities, offray ribbon, sponge

Bugs and Kisses!!

Before I get into the explanation of this card....I wanted to point you to Sherry's blog Walkin on the Bad Side. She's claimin' to have some Tawdry Treats and all you have to do is leave a comment to be entered in the blog candy drawing!!
Also, Dave at Rubbernecker is hosting another Treasure Hunt Tuesday. Sherry will have the clue on her blog Tues. morning which will tell you where to go on Rubbernecker's site!! You don't want to miss it. You get a free stamp with a purchase. And if you purchase $50 worth of stamps, you get a free image of your choice. So now you have two chances to get free stamps. What a deal!!!

Okay, now to the card. Aren't these bugs just the cutest? I can see that little caterpillar dreaming of turning into a butterfly so he can court that beauty. His eyes look so dreamy!! Now, the butterfly and can images were facing the right when stamped, so I just stamped them on acetate and rubbed the image on Papertrey white card stock to reverse the image. I filled in the areas that didn't transfer well with a black permanent marker. I also masked the can and stamped the caterpillar to look like he's crawling out. I then colored all the images and bg with copics and ink distressed with Ranger Antique Linen and Frayed burlap distress inks. The spots on the butterfly and caterpillar are coated with glitter. I used my one of my favorite tools, the Sakura Quickie Glue Pen to adhere the glitter. The can and butterfly are also coated with perfect pearls to give it a bit of shimmer. The butterfly is raised with scotch dimensional tape as is the sentiment and main panel.

All these images can be found at Rubbernecker!! Go take a look. He's got a huge variety of images, styles, and products!!

Supplies
Stamps - Rubbernecker
Paper - SU Barely banana, Wasabi Green Blue Bayou, Papertrey White
Ink - Ranger Black Soot, antique linen, and frayed burlap distress ink
Accessories: Making memories Brads, Sakura Quickie Glue Pen, Hero Arts Ultrafine Crystal glitter, sponge, SU oval punch, corner rounder, copics, perfect pearls