Scalloped Borders

I made this card for a Sketch This challenge. The scalloped edge is quick and easy to make if you have a slit punch. How you ask? Well, I just happened to photograph the process, so here it is... (smiling)





I started off with my slit punch and the piece of scrap paper I wanted to use for the scalloped border.






Make sure to push the punch all the way flush with the papers edge to ensure you punch a straight edge. Line the punch corner on the very edge of the paper and punch.





Make sure to line the left corner of the punch to the right corner of the already punched scalloped edge (I hope that makes sense!), and punch along your card stock until you are done.





I like to twirl the top loose piece of paper around my fingers while I am punching as it allows me to gauge the punch more accurately.






Ta-da! And here you have it...a scalloped edge.
Trim it to size and off you go.

A hilarious package arrived...

I broke out in fits of laughter when I opened a package that arrived yesterday from Lindsay Moser. And how timely, while I am not-so-patiently awaiting my new catalogs from Stampin' Up!.

Lindsay, thanks so much for the package and the laugh it gave me. I will definitely keep the survival kit close at hand when the UPS truck finally rolls up to my doorstep!

I hope you all get a laugh out of this also.

Punches of fun

I came across these punch templates and had to share them. This would constitute many hours being spent in the craft room :)

Note to self: Finish your swaps first!

Karen Stolper July 4th card

For last weeks Sketch This card challenge (above) and for Beate's sketch challenge below, I challenged myself to use up some of my scraps.

For this card I used My Minds Eye's paper scraps and Karen Stolper's July 4th stamp from American Art Stamps. I also used Stampin' Up! Soft Sky and Chocolate Chip cardstock as well as their markers.

Beate's Sketch Challenge #7

This is a big Woopsie! I made this card for Beate's sketch challenge this week but I completely "woopsed" the sentiment. That's what you get for not cutting your rubber down close enough to the image. I did take a pair of scirrors to the stamp as soon as I saw this though..lol...it wont happen again that's for sure :D

I used paper scraps with the Stampin' Up! Touch of Nature Stamp set. An aqua painter was used to color in the Chocolate Chip flower using Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate and Bayou Blue.

I really like this card, even with the woopsie on it :)

Inner Circle Card Swap Club - June

Here are the cards submitted by the stamping diva's who participate in my monthly Inner Circle Card Swap.

The Challenge in June was to make a Buckle card. Here are the challenge cards...super cool!

Delight in Life Scrap Kit

What a week it has been. I can't believe it has been nearly a week since I have posted. I have had one of those weeks that you just hope doesn't repeat themselves anytime soon. Everything just seemed to have backed up and travel required for my day job has been the main culprit for me being radio silent. As my father always says, "Work first, play second." Spoken like a true farmer :)

I found this card that I made for the February Card Swap which I had not posted.


I will be posting the June cards tomorrow at some point - as soon as I can charge my battery on my camera and find some time in the day to do so, so peek back again tomorrow afternoon for that!

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

For your laughing pleasure, I present to you my duds that I have made over the last couple of days. I keep looking at them and chuckling, sighing and rolling my eyes. You know what i mean, right?!?! We surely have all had these moments more than once while standing (or sitting) at our craft tables looking at the mess - oh, I mean creations - we have just made, thinking...errr...umm... not QUITE what I was picturing.

Well, I first present you with...

"What in the Chickadee's was I thinking"



A 4.25 x 6" card created for the Sketch challenge that just didn't quite work. It's nearly there but not quite. If you have any ideas on how to salvage these little fellows (or you just want to laugh with me and share your story), please leave a comment! :-)

This one I call..."Death by Polka Dots"



I think the title is self explanatory...sigh

OK you can stop laughing now :-)

Have a good evening everyone!

Paul Potts - Britain's Got Talent

If you think I have had a mad obsession with Britain's Got Talent contestant Paul Potts, you are right and you will be glad to hear that the program has ended AND Paul won the competition! Way to go Paul!

His final performance can be viewed at http://youtube.com/watch?v=K_5W4t_CBzg

The final results can be viewed at; http://youtube.com/watch?v=mUyKYB4zYCQ

It really is something to watch a wonderful thing unfold for someone that truly deserves it.

*Wiping tears* :-)

Thanks to my dear friend Mel in Canada for forwarding me the original posting. It really is her fault I got hooked on this! {hugs}

Sketch This Card challenge #16

I am a little behind in the Sketch This Card challenges. I made this card last night using the Sketch challenge #16 layout.

All products are Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Choc Chip, Soft Sky, Au Chocolat and Petals and Paisley designer paper
Stamp: Big blossoms
Ink: Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White Craft
Accessories: Ribbon (forgot the name) and Hodgepodge hardware

Beate's Sketch Challenge #6

Beate's challenge this week was a round card. I used my coluzzle to cut out the circles and scored the edge at 1/4 inch to adhere the two circles together.

I had the center piece already made as I was playing this morning with the Baroque Motifs and Soft Sky Designer paper. It was square so I used my coluzzle to cut it into a circle and applied it as the focal piece.

This was a lot of fun to make as I had never made round card before - thanks Beate!

Inner Circle card and challenge swap

As you may know, I host a monthly Stampin' Up! card swap called Inner Circle Card Swap, with other stamping divas in Canada and the US.

My contribution for this month's regular swap is a 4.25x4.25 card:



I love the new Year to Year stamp set and this baby elephant in particular. I used the Stampin' Up! new In Color Purely Pomegranate cardstock, Soft Sky designer paper, Black and Whisper White cardstock. I filled the elephant in with an aqua painter using Going Grey, Bayou Blue, Purely Pomegranate ink pads. A white gel pen was used for the dot accents on black.

The members have the option to participate in a monthly challenge as well as the regular card swap. This month's challenge was the Buckle card.

My challenge card:

I again used the new In Color cardstock - Bayou Blue, Soft Sky and Wild Wasabi as well as the Soft Sky designer paper.

For the buckle and inside of the card, I used the Soft Sky cardstock and stamped the Baroque Motifs stamp set flourish stamp in versamark to tie in with the designer paper panel.

Jack the Tapper

If you are like me and can't get enough of the talent reality shows, here is another one that will bring a tear to your eyes. Jack the Tapper from Britain's Got Talent. Good on you Jack!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-UIHCZkc-s

Ok, back to my day job :D

Keep smiling :)

Sometimes something wonderful just happens...

If you love talent reality shows, then this contestant from Britain has Talent will bring you to tears...

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21904047-2,00.html

Thanks Mel for forwarding it! {hugs}

Quick Cards - Year to Year stamp set

I had time last night to play with more of my new Stampin' Up! stamp sets from the Fall/Winter Catalog preview catalog. Both these cards use images from the Year to Year stamp set as well as the Hugs and Wishes sentiment set.


I used the new In Color Soft Sky cardstock, Black, Whisper White and the 6x6 Palette O Prints paper. An aqua painter was used with SU's Grey, Purely Pomegranate and Blue Bayou for the image. Image was cut out using a Coluzzle. Scallop punch was used for the image backdrop layer. A white gel pen was used for the dot accents.


This card uses the new In Color Soft Sky cardstock together with the Au Chocolat designer paper.

I stamped the cake image from the Year to Year stamp set on Whisper White using SU Classic Black ink. The dotted stamp in the Sweet Shapes stamp set was stamped around the cake image using Soft Sky . An Aqua painter was then used to fill the cake image using the new In color inks - Blue Bayou, Wild Wasabi and Purely Pomegranate.

I used the oval template from the Coluzzle cutting kit to cut the image and the Chocolate Chip backdrop layer. Scallop decorative scissors were used to cut around the chocolate chip oval to create the scalloped edge.

The paper piercing set was used on the 1/2 inch strip of Soft Sky, using the Close to Cocoa maker to create a zigzag faux stitch pattern. The edges of the strip were distressed using Su's 4-in-1 tool (i cant think of it's official name right now).

Whew...long explanation - quick card...go figure :-)

I've been RAK'd

Tammy Jo, thank you for this stunning card which I received in the mail yesterday! It such a treat to receive RAK's. That is definitely one way to put a big whopping smile on my face :-) I love the colors, the layout and the use of the twine.

Thanks again Tammy Jo! I hope you have a wonderful week also! {hugs}

Zoofari

I love the Zoofari set because it makes me laugh. The Birds look constipated, the horse is wrapped in bandages and the cat looks like it has measles. The Monkey and the Rhino are smiling broadly because I think they somehow find great joy in the ailments of their animal friends. The set really is adorable. I used the Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip and Marigold cardstock, Cute Converse stamp set for the sentiment, the 6x6 Pallet O Prints paper and Fancy Pants flowers. White Gel pen for the scallop and border dots. Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa and Yoyo Yellow Stampin' Up! Markers.

Back to the craft room for this chickadee!

Baroque Motifs

I finally got some time in my craft room this evening (yay!)

I was playing with my new Baroque Motif's set as well as the new 2007 In Colors from Stampin' Up! and I can tell, I am going to be using this set and colors quite a lot!. Here are 2 quick cards I just made.

Ohhhh.....moped heaven

We have been half joking around these past few weeks that we need to purchase Vespa's and be the cool girls about town riding around on them. Is there a cuter way to get around town, go to the Farmer's Market, our favorite coffee shop and local restaurant's but on a Vespa??? No, we didn't think so either!

While out and about today with some dear friends of ours, we saw this totally adorable moped that we all feel in love with. It's the Honda Metropolitan.....oh...talk about love at first sight! I can definitely see these in our VERY near future! Apparently because it is a 49 cc(no idea what cc stands for) we don't need a motorcycle license because the threshold is 50cc (yay!). Dealership here we come! :-)

I haven't crafted at all this weekend as we have just been having way too much fun in the sun. We did go to see Ocean 13 tonight after dinner at our local Italian restaurant. I loved it. Those crazy boys get up to all sorts of mischief. We also saw Waitress last Wednesday. Now that is a CUTE movie! Definitely worth going see it. If you have seen the movie, a cute interactive game on the movie website allows you to name your own pies http://www.foxsearchlight.com/waitress/. Try it, its a lot of fun plus you can vote for your favorite :-D

The start to a new week is upon us. My day job beckons, I need complete swaps and post new cards, work out, find new running shoes, shop for a wedding present, buy an outfit (for the wedding), get time in with our friends, plan our summer vacations, finish a house project, house chores etc ...yep, just a normal week ahead :-)

I hope you all had a fab weekend!

What?? No cards?!?!

I know, I know, I haven't posted anything for today and will not be posting anything tomorrow also. Why you may ask?! I am stamping in the evenings but I am stamping card swaps and projects, which I promise I will share soon. I will get cranking on cards as soon as the swaps are taking care of...can't wait to show them to you also!

I can't wait for my Preview catalog order to come in from Stampin' Up! I need some new rubber to get excited about as well as see their new carstock and ink colors. Hopefully its only days away from being shipped from their warehouse.

Happy Stamping!
Marie

Karen Stolper

For this card I used Karen Stolper's "Gift/Ribbons" image from American Art Stamps, Lauren Collection paper from EK Success and Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip paper, Markers and White gel pen as well as small Prima flowers with a Stampin' Up! Orange brad in each flower. Her dress has a light layer of Stickles Stardust Glitter glue.




This card is a fun one. I used Karen Stolper's "Hatbox Gift" stamp from American Art Stamps as well as the Stampin' Up! Cheesecloth background and Happy Everything stamp set. Paper from Stampin' Up! - Cool Caribbean and Chocolate Chip and My Minds Eye Designer paper. Stampin' Up! markers and White Gel pen and Fancy Pants flowers. I used Stampin' Up! Close to Cocoa in to distress the edges and stamp the sentiment.

Sassy

For this sassy card, I used DCWV double sided designer paper and Stampendous Sassy stamp. Stampin' Up! Ruby Red classic ink was used for the image.

Free style faux stitching was done using the Stampin' Up! paper piercing tool set and Close to Cocoa Marker.

Rainy Day

This is a card I made using Karen Stolper's "Rainy Day" image from American Art Stamps, Patterned Paper from DCWV, Stampin' Up!'s Shimmer White and Chocolate Chip. Stampin' Up! Markers for fill in of image, Paper Piercing tool set and White Gel Pen for Faux Stitching.

I know I have said it before, but i just ADORE these images from American Art Stamps (www.americanartstamp.com)!

I am not sure I will get much more crafting time in today as we are heading to a Greek Festival this afternoon for yummy food and a dance exhibition and I have to squeeze in some chores also....ho hum :-)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Beate's Sketch Challenge

This is the card I made for Beate's sketch challenge this week.

I used Karen Stolper's "Small Pastry Cake" stamp from American Art Stamps, My Minds Eye Designer double sided paper, Stampin' Up! Shimmery White cardstock, Brads and Markers (Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa and tempting Turquoise) as well as Prima Flowers.

Altered Coasters - Picture wall hanging

I love these altered coasters as picture hangings. To go with the Karen Stolper Irish birthday card I made the other day, this is part of the gift for our friend who is pictured with her sister and niece...of course, the background paper is green :-)

Black and white photos are printed wallet size on a HP laserjet printer and sealed with Micro Glaze. I used DCWV designer paper and Fancy Pants Rub-ons again - they work so well with these projects. Stampin' Up! Organza ribbon and sticky strip was used to string the two coasters together so they can be hung on the wall.

Fun cards

Beate on her blog shared a site that has card sketches. They have 14 sketches posted to date and of course, I can't wait to try them all :-) The site Sketch This, is definitely worth bookmarking!

I am working backwards on the sketches. This one is #14.

Here are the two cards I made last night using this sketch.

This card uses up the scraps from the Irish Birthday card I made.

Stamp sets: Stampin' Up! Be Happy and Seeing Circles

Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Always Artichoke and DCWV designer paper

Ink: Stampin' Up! Always Artichoke

Misc: Stampin' Up! - Paper Piercing tool set, White gel pen, 1 1/4 inch square punch, 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 circle punches.

This card uses:

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Trimtastic set and Stampendous Bee Bop Bouquet

Carstock: My Minds Eye designer paper and Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip

Ink: Stampin' Up! Markers: Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red, Really Rust, YoYo Yellow and Mellow Moss.

Misc: Scallop Punch, Stampin' Up! Paper Piercing tool set