Monday, March 31, 2008

Today's the Day!!!!


For the first sneak peeks of Kristi's new Hanna sets, which will be released this Friday!!!!!

Passport Hanna and Tool time are just the sweetest sets............in fact each time I get a new Hanna set to play with, I fall head over heels!!!!

We are having Big Release Party over in the Hanna Forum on Thursday night...............Read about it HERE

So please join us, it will be a lot of fun!!! Speaking of fun, these little ATC's were a lot of fun to create. To make the cards, I stamped a full sheet of 8.5 x 11 cardstock with Caribbean and Chocolate Chip images. I then cut them to size and inked the edges with creamy caramel. Don't you LOVE Hanna's Sassy haircut? I punched Hannas head and shoulders out with a 7/8" circle punch and layered it onto a 1" choc chip circle punch. Lastly I stamped the sentiment over the background paper.

Please check out the other Hanna Stamp DT's Blogs to see more great samples!!!

Stop by tomorrow to see what I am cooking up for you!!!!!

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Bloggers Challenge Week 40 Spring Flowers


This card was created for my Friday Bloggers Challenge Group. I used the Spring Solitude Stamp Set, which is a SU hostess set. I stamped the images in basic grey. To fill in the white areas, I sponged some soft sky between the images. I then used an aquapainter and picking up ink from the lid of the ink pads, filled in the soft sky and gry areas of the flowers. The smaller flowers were filled with stickles glitter. To complete the card, I mounted the sentiment in the newest Hodgepodge Hardware, which can be found in the Occasions mini catalogue, I used a variety of punches to add interest and tied it with grey taffeta ribbon. Check out the link to my group members fabulous creations!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Insomnia


Ever have those nights where you just can't sleep? I have them a lot, so I am thankful for stamping and blogging. I find that if I go to bed too early, I am up early, like this morning...........wandering around at 4:30 a.m. wondering what to do!!!

I do have a few nocturnal stamping friends who I can engage in some emails, but it is also a good time to catch up on stamping projects and to blog, of course!!!!

This card is a Scratch and Sniff Card. The lime smells absolutely Fresh and Delicious!!!!

To do this technique you will need:

Clear Embossing Powder
Unsweetened Drink Mix
Embossing Ink.

Mix 1.5 Tablespoons of the Unsweetened Drink Mix of your Choice (Sweetened drinks WILL burn!) with 1 Tablespoon of Embossing Powder. Ink up your stamp with either pigment ink (Stamping UP! craft ink) or Versamark. Shake on your aromatic Embossing Powder and heat emboss. These cards are fun, especially for Childrens Cards.

This card was created using goodies from the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalogue. Tart and Tangy, Spring DP and Hardware can be found there................follow the link to my SU! website to find all of these delicious products!!!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Eggs on Ice!


Doesn't look like the typical sort of day for a Spring Egg Hunt does it?

I decided not to hide eggs this year because it was SO cold and also because my 11 going on 25 year old DS Jonathon would surely think that was WAY uncool.............or as he would say "NOT SWEET" (apparently Cool is not a Cool word anymore!!! lol)

Saturday evening a voice from behind says "Mommy, are you going to make an egg hunt for me this year?"

"An Egg Hunt?" I say............"you want an Egg Hunt?"

"Well yes mom, we do it EVERY year, so why not this year?"
It is SO hard to determine what my child wants and needs at this age. Sometimes, I will say or do something and he will remind me that he is not a little kid.........other times I think my expectations of his behaviour and attitude are higher because he can act so mature. It is a challenging time for me as a parent, but also a magical time. He is on the cusp of childhood and adolescence and this weekend was a good reminder of the need to cherish the "mommy" moments while I still can.




So this year, unlike the years before, I did not get out of bed to sneak around in the dark, hiding those eggs. Since he asked me to hide the eggs and because he actually sleeps beyond 8:00, I did not have to risk breaking an ankle on the ice, trying to find the perfect hiding spots for the 39 eggs that I filled.........













What a beautiful morning for an Egg Hunt though.............It was crisp and sunny, the findings just a little more challenging given the blinding nature of the sun reflecting off the snow.......






And finally, after a long search, we enjoyed breaking open the eggs and having a little taste of frozen Chocolate. mmmmmmmmm








Whether your Family is Large or Small, the time that you spend with them is so important. I created this Family Name frame for a class that I will be teaching in May at the Local Scrapbook Store. I just LOVE the way it turned out.

I used the Neighbourhood wheel from the Stampin' Up! Catalogue and wheeled the row of houses, colouring them with COPIC markers.

I then stamped the members of the family using the SU! All in the Family Stamp set and the All in the Family Accessories. I cut the little people out and mounted them on dimensionals along the front of the row of houses. The Fun Paper is from the Occasions Mini Catalogue and the "together" definition, from SU! define your life Stamp.

I purchase the Frame at the Dollar Store. It had quite a hideous picture in it, so I just tore the backing off and recycled it to make my Name Frame. I Love Cheap Finds (well for crafting, anyway!!! lol)

If you are local to Kingston and would like to Participate in the Class, Call Lasting Memories at 384-6354 for details.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Bloggers Challenge Week 39-Colour Challenge



This weeks Bloggers Group Challenge was a Colour Challenge. We had to incorporate Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Blue Bayou and Real Red.

These are perfect colours for little Riley. Hanna's newest arrivals over at www.hannastamps.com

To see a bevy of wonderful cards completed in these colours, pleas follow the links to my Bloggers Challenge group.

If you are traveling this holiday weekend, please be safe!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

New additions to the Hanna Team!





I have a REALLY REALLY exciting announcement. Two Fabulous stampers are joining the Hanna Stamps Design Team. Niki Estes and Amanda Sewell



Both of these ladies are creative and talented. Their Blogs are well worth a visit. Amanda has family that live only about 10 minutes from me, so I am anticipating that we will meet soon and STAMP!!!!! She is so talented.

What can I say about Niki.........well we made a card last week that was uncannily similar (Great minds think alike!!). Anyway we got to chatting and I asked if I could put her on my Blog role because I love her artwork. Little did I know, that Kristi had asked her to be on the design team (see.........great minds think alike!!!)


So welcome to the team ladies!!!! Please pay their Blogs a visit.....you won't be disappointed!!!!!

Here is Hanna having a little workout.........building some muscle!!! This fitful image is from the Lets Get Physical set from Hanna Stamps. I do believe that Kristi still has a sale going on over there!!! How do you like that groovy colour combination. Honestly, when I first saw groovy guava, I was sure that I would need a little pill of the same colour (gravol) to soothe my stomach. Now I must say that Guava has truly grown on me!!!! I love it with certain colours, such as celery!!! The funky DP, Ribbon Charm Hardware can both be found in the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalogue.



Saturday, March 15, 2008

Bloggers Challenge Week 38-Birthday Cards


This was a perfect challenge for me because I just happened to need a Birthday card for a special friend! Inspired by Bev Gerard's Botanical Beauty the idea for this soft and feminine card was born!

The Main image can be found in the SMALL BREEDS stamp set from Hanna Stamps. The set is SO sweet and versatile that you can use it for cards without a dog theme.

Small Breeds are available to purchase, along with four other new release sets, over at www.hannastamps.com

I used imaginisce paper as the foundation for the card. The base is Blush Blossom. SU! Markers add just the right colours to the rose bush and I used the circle, photo corner and small oval punch to create embellishments. A hint of stickles (he he!) completes this cheery Birthday card.

Follow the bloggers group link to see more adorable birthday cards!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Want to win a set of Copics????





Yes, you can win a set of Copic Markers by participating in the Notecard Box Challenge in the Hanna Stamps Member Forum on Splitcoaststampers!! Click HERE
for the deets!!!!!!

This is the First project I made with the My Best Friend Stamps. This set, as well as five others are available today over at Hanna Stamps!!!!









You can find the template for the Notebox (I just cut a couple of Triangle pieces to create the Roof) and to make the 3x3 cards, cut the base cardstock at 6" x 3". This was definitely a fun fun project.

You have until Sunday to upload your samples to be eligible for the contest. Can't wait to see your delicious designs!!!!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Pretty Puppy Princess


Just a quick note about this card!!! Isn't this little pampered princess the sweetest in her little pink dog house?

Another sneak peek from the My Best Friend stamp set that will be released at Midnight tonight!!! Head on over to Hanna Stamps Member forum for the release party at 9:00 p.m. EST. We will be engaging in lots of chatter and have a BIG PRIZE challenge!

See you there!!!!


Card Recipe:

Stamps: Hanna Stamps My Best Friend
Colours: Basic Grey Two Scoops DP, Bordering Blue, basic Grey
Acc: SU! Rub ons, dimensionals. Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Ribbon, SU! Chunky Glitter. Chipboard by Maya Road.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

A good Man


A good Masculine stamp is hard to find.............somehow that saying seems remotely familiar................but stamps aren't hard to find.......................

You will be able to find this stamp on Friday, when Kristi releases five new stamp sets. This Stamp set, called Mikey is very special as it is dedicated to Kristi's brother Mikey, who left this world far to young.

The little Pug Stamp is part of the Small Breeds set, which will also be released this Friday.

We will be having a release party on Thursday Night building up to the Midnight Release over on the Hanna Stamps Member Forum on Splitcoaststampers. Don't miss the fun. We have a fun fun challenge for you!!!! The Party starts at 9:00 p.m. EST.

I created this card for the Tuesday Colour Challenge, which was Basic Grey, Black and Pomegranite. I wanted to keep the card very clean looking, so rather than adding additional embellished, I stamped the had of cards underneath the upper right hand corner of the main image. Stamping a sentiment in Black is in keeping with my goal of creating a masculine no fuss type of card. Aside from the Button Brads and a touch of Cuttlebugged paper, the pug is the only dimension added to this card. Hope you enjoy looking at it as much I enjoyed creating it.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Time to get back into the Groove!


It's funny how one little stamp can be a source of inspiration. When this little cutie pie arrived at my house, my first thought was that she would make a great image on a fitness or dieting journal...................sweet and practical...well for me anyway. If you have been following my Blog for awhile, you will know that I had surgery last fall and was home for a substantial amount of time. I anticipated that I would feel bad for a couple of weeks and had my to do list made up weeks in advance.

Sorry to say that in that 8 weeks, I mainly succeeded in growing a set of Kick Ass Fingernails and Fluffling up!

I bet you are thinking to yourself.....Fluffling UP??? What in the world is she going off on a tangent about now!!! Well, Fluffling Up is a much kinder way of saying gaining weight.......accumulating extra cushioning here and there and (sigh!) I have to admit I have gained about 35 pounds since October!!! After losing a substantial amount of weight (96 lbs to be exact!) the year before, it is frustrating to be in the place that I am now!

So I am REALLY going to make use of this little Journal. I have a section to track my food intake, another section to record my workouts and a third to track my weight loss goal of losing 60 lbs by the end of September. I figure if I make this commitment in my Cyber world, I may be more motivated to follow through!!! So I may have to post my progress occasionally to keep me honest!!!

Let's get Physical is one of 5 stamp sets to be released this Friday at www.hannastamps.com

I used the latest Stampin' Up! Designer Paper, Summer Picnic, found in the Occasions Mini Collection 2008. Styled Silver embellishments are also available in this mini catalogue as well. The large and small Star Punches made sweet embellishments on this fun project and the Notebook Punch allows you to cover spiral bound notebooks with a level of ease. Stay tuned for more sneak peeks leading up to Friday's new releases.

Midnight Equals Monday


and Monday equals Hanna Sneak Peek Week!!!!

Yes, Kristin is releasing FIVE fabulous stamp sets this Friday Night. I can't wait for you to see what she has in store for you this time!!!!!

Here is my first peek of two of the five sets. Hanna herself along with the flowers and grass are in the MY BEST FRIEND set.......the cute little wiener dog (forgive me, I couldn't spell daschund for the life of me!) is from the small breed set.

Head on over to the Member Forum on SCS this week to see all the precious cards the design team will be sharing . The images are coloured with COPIC markers. Did you know that Kristi teamed with COPIC to customize seasonal Hanna Marker Sets...........Check it out on the Hanna Stamps Website
I used the DCWV Glitter stack to enhance the Turquoise and lilac theme that I have going on with the card.......would post more deets, but it is almost 1 a.m. and I best be getting to bed.

Stay tuned for more sizzling samples of the Hottest Hanna Sets yet!!!!

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Riley won't be flying today!



It's an absolutely miserable day! Well, especially for Flying in a little plane!!! It snowed ALL night and it is going to snow ALL day!!! Yuck!!! I just want to have some pleasant weather........the upside to a snow day...........I have a great excuse to stay inside and STAMP!!!


This little Riley is enjoying much better weather! Initially I thought he might be down in Texas, but I heard that a certain friend of mine was battling the snowy elements in the south to chauffeur some awesome ladies around town.........Can you imagine?? Two inches of Snow in Texas..........perhaps girls, I was just sending you a little gift from the North!!!

I created this card for the Hanna Stamps Design Team Challenge that is posted each Friday in the Hanna Stamps Member Forum We would LOVE for you to come out and play with us! Each Friday, one of the talented members of the team post a new challenge. Won't you come out and play??

This weeks challenge was to combine More Mustard, Ballet Blue and Garden Green. I would say that this was a challenge for me, as I never would have thought of combining these colours and I must say that I like it!!! In addition, we were challenged to add a little bling, thus the brads and the glitter to the clouds.................everything I make these days seems to have some glitter. Perhaps it's the influence of the Sun reflecting off of all this SNOW!!!!!

I am hoping that Riley will fly back soon with a little bit of Sunshine for me!!!!!

Have a great weekend ladies and stay tuned!!! FIVE new Hanna sets will be released next Friday and Kristi has a Great Special for you. Check HERE for the details!!

Friday, March 7, 2008

Bloggers Challenge Week 37-Anything but a Rectangle


This was a Fun Fun Challenge. I was trying to think of what shape I would come up with for my card design and then it dawned on me that using my much neglected Cricut might just come in handy for this challenge.

So, there is very little stamping here, just a sentiment from SU's! circle of Friends Stamp Set. The Giant Lady Bug is Made with the In My Garden Cartridge, set at 5 inches. To add a little texture, I used a cuttlebug template to emboss his red shell. I paper pierced around his head for interest and added little white embellishments to contrast with the red and black. Some Brads, Stickles and Dew Drops complete the whimsical look of this card.....................check out the link to see what creations my creative blogger friends have come up with!!!!!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Some days can just Drag you down!


Good Morning!!!

Just a quick little post before I head off to work.............ever had one of those days that just turned into one of those weeks? Well that has been the way that my week has been folding out. On Monday, I hit black ice on the way to work and came close to rolling my truck. Luckily after spinning like a whirling dervish, I managed to take out a snow bank and just slightly bend a speed limit sign....................................I only got a very small dent in my truck, but it scared the daylights out of me and I have been kind of sort of out of sorts since.

So, after today, there is officially one working day to bring this week to an end!! I am going to think positively that the week will end much better than it began!

This little card was created with one of the bunnies from the Hanna Springtime set. The DP is from Imaginisce, which has quickly become one of my favourites!!!! Images are coloured with Copic markers and the entire card is embellished with SU! Brads and Ribbons. I also used SU! Scallop and oval punches to add dimension and create embellishments!!!!!

Have a great day !!!!!

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Bloggers Challenge Week 36


It seems forever since I completed a Bloggers Challenge. With being away and all sorts of other things that cropped up, I had little time for stamping!!!

The challenge this week was to design a card following the layout on page 44 of the Spring and Summer Collection of the Stampin' Up! Catalogue.

This card also covered a second challenge. Each Friday, Hanna Stamps Design Team Members post a challenge in the Member Forum on Splitcoaststampers.

Challenges are a great way to revive a sluggish stamping mojo, to expand your creativity or to practice and learn new stamping techniques.

This card was created with the Hanna Stamps Springtime set. I used Basic Grey DP, along with Ruby Red, Blush and Chocolate Chip Cardstock. The Flowers and Bunny were coloured with Copic Markers, the dirt chalked in with Stampin' Up! Stamping Pastels. All sorts of little embellishments complete this card!!!

Hop on over to the Bloggers Challenge Group sidebar to check out my fellow Bloggers creations!!!