Saturday, October 31, 2015

Happy Halloween!


All ready for Halloween? What are you going to be wearing this year?
I'm foregoing Halloween festivities this year. Sadly, we don't have any trick or treaters out this way.
I say sadly on one hand, but on the other it's not a bad thing, because I have NO excuse to buy Halloween chocolate and if I decide to, I don't have to share! Bwa hahahaha!!!!!

I'll fess up to buying a small (is a 24 pack small...lol a chocolate two-four!) For those of you that don't know what a two-four is, it's a case of beer.....24 to be exact! Anyway, I bought a 24 of a combination of Wunderbar, Caramilk, Crispy Crunch and What are they called...oh yeah, Mr. Big....I think my Mr. Boy Big got most of them, it was really just the Wunderbar I was after!  Anyway, that was the extent of Halloween around here, except for the card making and scrapbooking.

I figured I'd get one last creation in as the Halloween images in the fall release from Impression Obsession were simply scrumptious!!!! I absolutely LOVE Crazy eyes. I'm wondering if the stamp artist is a fan of the Orange is the New Black. I loved the first two seasons and Uzo Aduba is my favourite actress on the show. 


Was a little disappointed in Season Three and then got turned on to Wentworth, another Woman's Prison Drama, but much more intense. I know I KNOW..... work in a Prison all day and watch Prison and crime shows at night! lol

Okay So now for my card!!!!

Ad I said, the main image is Crazy Eyes from Impression Obsession

I added the corrugated cardboard later and then secured the main image, which I coloured in Touch Twin Marker and sponged over in so saffron and vintage photo.

Then comes the fun part.. I added a touch of black paint to some whipped spackle and added the checkerboard to each side of the image. I finished up with Orange, Black and White Paint Splashes ( I diluted Dylusions paint with a little water)...... and that's all folks!!!!

If you're heading out for the night, be safe!

Happy Halloween

--Vicki~~


Thursday, October 29, 2015

Splitcoaststampers Wednesday Sketch Challenge with Doodlebug Design



Oh My! What a blustery week it's been here. Although it's really windy, the sun is finally peeking through the clouds and it's warmed up a bit. Yesterday I had a little bit of time on my hands (erm, I should say I MADE a little time......but who needs to do housework when there's cardmaking to do!).

I love playing the sketch challenges over at Splitcoaststampers. For those of you that have never heard of it, it's a wonderful stamping community with loads of inspiration and tutorials!

Anyway, I decided to create this shaker card for the sketch challenge.

To make the shaker portion, I simply used two circle dies to cut out the image that can be found on the Christmas Magic Paper I mounted the inner circle (tree images) on a piece of paper the size of the outer circle so I would have a base to mount the outer circle on, once I added my foam dimensionals. I cut a piece of acetate the size of the green circle and adhered to the green ring to create my window. Then I added some Polar White Flower Soft for my snowy shaker!

I assembled the shaker and mounted it onto a larger red circle and then again onto a flower shaped circle. I cut the flower shape out of some cupid's arrow from the sweetheart collection. I wanted a bright pop of the rich pink!

That was all mounted on Doodlebug Christmas Trim Paper with a strip of  Sugarplums Paper

The sweetie little Reindeer is from the Sugarplum Die cuts Craft Kit and the little present and Ju Jube from Kris Kringle Doodle Pop 3-D stickers. I also cut the "Christmas" out of the Christmas Magic paper and finished the sentiment off with some stickers that I found at the dollar store!

Hope you like my Whimsical Creation!


Happy Crafting~

--Vicki~~

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Fifty-three Years



Fifty-three Years is a long time for anyone to be married. Fifty-three years, is a long time. But as you and I know, time flies. I am so proud of my parents for hanging on through the good, the bad and the downright ugly! It takes more than love for a relationship to endure. I'd say it has taken a lot of patience; on both their parts.

Sometimes I listen to them bicker at each other and wonder why they're still together. Then there's the tender moments; rarely seen by my eyes, they do get caught occasionally. They grow together gracefully and although they drive each other crazy, they have each other's back. That's a part of their love that I truly admire. 




To wish them 53 more years together would probably just be cruel. What I do wish for them however is to continue to grow older together and to enjoy each other as long as they can. I love that they took their marriage vows seriously


To have and to hold
For better or worse
for richer or poorer
in sickness and in health 
'til death do us part.

Happy Anniversary

All my love, Vicki

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Something WIcked This Way Comes


Are you all ready for Halloween? I just realized how close we are getting and thought I'd better get this post up! I picked up this fabulous  Carta Bella 12x12 Trick or Treat Collection and had only made a card with it. I started working on the altered box a few weeks ago, when I was at Jactopia. 
I had to light a fire under my backside to get it finished, or it would probably end up in the Unfinished Projects Pile! Do you know that pile? lol

Soooooooo for the cover, I started off by covering the entire front in the Bat Paper and then I got distracted and ended up on Pinterest, where I found this AMAZING Tutorial

So I didn't want to alter the entire cover, after having put the cool bat paper on, so I just altered bits of it!  I picked up the bats and centipedes, along with the book box at one of our local Dollar stores.

To find out how to do the bats and bugs oh my, refer to the tutorial!!!!!





Of course I had to alter the interior of the book as well and had a lot of fun using the sticker sheets that came in the collection.

In addition, I used the following dies from Impression Obsession Stamps






Lastly I used a little Tim Holtz Halloween Medallion!

Hope you enjoyed my Spooky Project!

Happy Crafting!

--Vicki~~

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Upcoming Christmas Class Project



Hello! I'm excited to share a project for an upcoming Christmas Class.

We're going to create this rolled tree Mixed Media Canvas. 

How fun is That! I will have a blue toned sample coming soon!


Happy Stamping

--Vicki~~

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Quick Cards with Doodlebug Designs



Did you all have a good weekend? I know that mine passed WAY too fast! I enjoyed a lovely crop on Saturday with some fellow stampers and scrappers and had a yummy sleep in this morning!

It's almost time to hit the hay, but before I do, I wanted to share a couple of cards I made with the Doodlebug Sugarplum Collection papers and the Die Cuts Craft Kit

The papers I used on the cute Ginger Girl card were

and
I used  Doodlebug Bubblegum Twine to adhere the sweet heart 



What about this cute little gaffer?

The paper I used here is
and 

The stamps is Christmas Wishes from Impression Obsession

Hope you enjoyed my little share and that you have a fabulous week~


Happy Stamping

--Vicki~~

Friday, October 16, 2015

Getting Sketchy and procrastinating to the hilt!


I've been feeling UBER crafty lately. UBER .......what a word, does anyone really use that anymore? Must be the Chic Geek in me! Anyway, I was sitting around tonight, the dishes piling higher and higher in the kitchen; a little overwhelming in all actuality! So what better thing to do to avoid household chores? STAMP of Course!!!

I coloured up this super sweet image with my Touch Twin Markers and she's been laying patiently on my night table ( incidentally, does anyone else colour in bed?) to be made into a card. It's been a long while since I've joined the Sketch challenge at Splitcoast Stampers. Love this fun challenge!

So here's what I used to build my card

The image is BAT GIRL or should I say....na na na na, na na na...no wait, that's Batman!
Impression Obsession has a new artist Lindsay Ostrom and I am LOVING her images 
You can see them all HERE

On the inside of the card, so as not to stray from the sketch, I used the sentiment

GHOULS Just wanna... now what song does that evoke in your hear? Or is it just mean.... Now all I can think of is She Bop! lol.

I added a couple of die cuts to stir things up a bit I added the Spider and Web from the Spider Web Die set. Paper is from Recollections- a combination of this years and last years 6x6 pad. I added some sparkle fluff to her wings and the spider....The card feels so soft and fuzzy. No I can play pat the spider when I'm avoiding the dishes.

Well I better head to bed before I nod off. I'd like to have fun, but this Ghoul needs her Beauty Sleep or she'll be a witch tomorrow!!! Hmmmm perhaps If I was a witch, I could wave my magic wand and have a tidy kitchen......ahhh, wishful thinking!


Happy Stamping

--Vicki~~

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Impression Obsession Designer Challenge-Feeling Blue


Hello! Hope you're having a great week! I can't believe it's almost Friday!

This week the challenge is to create a card that is mostly blue!

This is a card that I created for last nights Cornucopia of Cards Class. It was inspired by Kim. You can find her card HERE. It just happened to be perfect for this challenge. 

I coupled newer and older stamps in the creation of this card


Make sure you link your creation up to the IO Stamps Blog
for a chance to win a lovely Gift Certificate!

Here's a list of the players for today!



Happy Stamping!

--Vicki~~

Wednesday, October 14, 2015




It's always difficult to lose friends. My Parents lost a dear friend several weeks ago. She requested two "Special" Sympathy cards for the Children of her friend. I know when she requests "Special, or Extra Special" cards, she is asking for the multi layered dimensional cards that are Shabby chic, or Vintage in nature. Of course she always prefaces her request by indicating that all my cards are nice, but that she wants me to take some extra care with these ones!

I used various products from Prima Marketing to create the cards, most items being from the Cartographer collection. I do love the vintage look to this line and have lots stashed away for these types of projects!

The sentiments are from the Sympathy Sentiments and the Treasured Memories clear stamps from Impression Obsession




Thanks for stopping by and make sure to hug someone you love today!

--Vicki~~

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Merry & Bright




"His eyes how they twinkle, his dimples so merry"!
I've had this picture of Jonathon kicking around for a long time (about 15 years in fact!) waiting for the perfect time to create a layout. When I saw the Merry & Bright sentiment in this Sugarplum Christmas Collection, I just had to find the picture! Oh my gosh, that little face is the sweetest isn't it?

I had a lot of fun creating this layout with the addition of the cottage and gumdrops from the  Die Cuts Craft Kit and the Jolly Gingerbread Doodle-Pops 3D stickers

I wanted to bring the little cottage to life a bit, so I used an exacto knife to open the doorway and added some sponging with tim holtz distress ink to the edges. I added some fine glitter to the windows for a little frosty effect! I couldn't resist but to add the sweet little 3-D gingerboy inside the house. Doesn't he look scrumptious? Good enough to eat!

Lastly, I used some Diamond Glaze to the Gumdrops for a glossy effect as well as some stickles for some sugary sweetness~  





I'm so glad I found the perfect paper collection for the perfect picture!

--Vicki~~

Monday, October 12, 2015

Thankful for my Boy and his Dog



Good Morning and Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian Friends! 
I hope that you're out enjoying this glorious day! I'm headed out shortly for a walk! I don't want to miss the opportunity of enjoying this great weather while it still lasts.

For most of you that know me, you know I look to the positive and realize the many ways that I have been blessed each and every day. I'm thankful for my family, my work, my creativity and the friends and acquaintances that i've had the opportunity to make through paper crafting.

There is no love greater than that of the relationship between man and his best friend. My Boy and his dog. Pets offer unconditional love to their family, as do Mothers to their children. I love my Son and my little Fur Baby Sydney! They both bring joy to my life, along with frustration, worry, laughter and sometimes tears, but I wouldn't trade either of the two for the world!

I created this layout with papers from an older line of Doodlebug Design.  You can find them in the clearance bin at Scrappin' Great Deals The line is called Sweetheart and the papers  are 4050 Heartthrob and 4043 Secret admirer.  i'm sure if you called the store, they could add them to you order if you wished to recreate the layout.  If you lift the "you're so tweet" layer, you will find a spot for embellishing! I added some Sugarplum Enamel Glossy Sticker dots to give the layout just a little more texture! You can find those in the SGD online store HERE

Lastly, I'm Thankful for the opportunity to share my creations with you and the fact that you continue to visit my blog!  Have a wonderful day!

--Vicki~~

Sunday, October 11, 2015

Challenge Chicks October Challenge!


Our Hostess for this month is Kelli! She's given us at 3-2-1 Challenge!

3 Layers
2 embellishments
1 sentiment

No stamped images!

Oh! and the Bonus was to make the card pink! I think i'm pretty in pink don't you?

The Doodlebug Sugarplums Collection was perfect for just that!!!!


I mounted that on a circle of Sugarplum Christmas Trim Paper

of course I had to add a little Flower Soft Polar Ice Snow

The base layer of the card is Jolly Gingerbread
and the pretty little ornament layer is called Tiny Trimmings- Tiny and so stinkin' pretty!

For my second embellishment ( I counted the Cottage as number one!) I added three sweet little  enamel Christmas dots- Is that a cheat 'cause there are three? I'm going to say NOT...because it's a little grouping and one little enamel dot would have been lonely without the other two!!!
The sentiment is from Impression Obsession- you can find it HERE

Check out the Chicks Cheeky Creations!!!

Kelly Schirmer
Kittie Caracciolo
Jeanne Streiff (you are here)
Diane Zechman
Vicki Garrett- That's me!! THATS ME!!! lol


Happy Stamping! 

--Vicki~~

Friday, October 9, 2015

Impression Obsession Blog Hop Day 2






Welcome to the Impression Obsession Fall Designer Die Hop day 2!
We have some beautiful new dies to share AND Gift Certificates to give away!
 The hop will start each day with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog at 6am EST. Each day pay us a visit here and then head over and see our fabulous IO Design Team’s projects with our new dies on their blogs (only one comment per blog per day please).

For some reason unbeknownst to me, I decided to go monochromatic. I'm usually a fan of colour and rarely ever do white cards.

The items I used for the snowy scene above include

The Stars and Oval are Stampin Up! Punches




and in keeping with the theme!

The tiny little silver dots are the bits that were punched out of the Christmas Ornament

The more blogs you visit each day… the better chance you will have to win a $25 Impression Obsession Gift Certificate!!!
We will have two days of blog hopping (October 8th & 9th) and THREE prizes!
There will be a prize for each of the two hop days (comment entries open until 10pm CT each day) and a bonus prize will be awarded on the final day of our hop from all the comments left for both days. Comment entries will stay open until Friday at 10PM CT. Winners will be announced the following day. Good luck!
So….if you miss a day or time deadline your comments will still count for a chance to win a $25 Impression Obsession Gift Certificate!
If you have any questions please email Jeanne.
All of the new dies you'll be seeing on the hop are available NOW!
Today's hop list:
Have a great day!

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Impression Obsession Fall Designer Blog Hop





Welcome to the Impression Obsession Fall Designer Die Hop!
We have some beautiful new dies to share AND Gift Certificates to give away!
The hop will start each day with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog at 6am EST. Each day pay us a visit here and then head over and see our fabulous IO Design Team’s projects with our new dies on their blogs (only one comment per blog per day please).
The more blogs you visit each day… the better chance you will have to win a $25 Impression Obsession Gift Certificate!!!



For my first project, I conjured up some Spooky Cupcakes! I have to admit, I didn't make them myself. I had EVERY intention to, but you know how that goes sometimes! When I saw the Halloween Cutout Circle Dies I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them. Besides, it was a great excuse to eat cupcakes!!!!!

To make these, I ran the die cuts through the Vagabond and then cut them with a 13/8" circle punch. I cut glitter paper to go in behind the black cutouts and black paper to go behind the glitter cutouts. Then I punched another circle and sandwiched or is that cupcaked a toothpick in between. I had to do this very very quickly and grab photos before the ghouls and goblins gobbled up the sweet treats!





Last week, I got some amazing Carta Bella  Trick or Treat Halloween Paper from Scrappin' Great Deals. The Paper I used in the next card is the Trick or Treat Paper from the Trick or Treat Collection! This collection is totally RETRO and I may HAVE to purchase a second package as it's Delish!


I also used a smidge of paper from October 31 to create the Chevron Border I added accents with the following dies: The ghost from Boo and the Boo from


Lastly I created this fun Shaker Card using a larger smidge of the October 31st paper as a back drop.


The dies that I used to create the card include"



We will have two days of blog hopping (October 8th & 9th) and THREE prizes!
There will be a prize for each of the two hop days (comment entries open until 10pm CT each day) and a bonus prize will be awarded on the final day of our hop from all the comments left for both days. Comment entries will stay open until Friday at 10PM CT. Winners will be announced the following day. Good luck!
So….if you miss a day or time deadline your comments will still count for a chance to win a $25 Impression Obsession Gift Certificate!
If you have any questions please email Jeanne.
All of the new dies you'll be seeing on the hop are available NOW!

If you've been hopping already, this is probably the last stop on the hop pop! or ladies (grin)

Because I have a hard time copying link lists, I'm going to direct you over to the IO Blog to get all the links for the hop!

Good luck in the Draw!

--Vicki~~

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Merry Wishes


Good Morning! No snow here yet (thank the good lord!) but Christmas is fast approaching and i'm trying to get some Christmas cards built........well, maybe not built but rather made so that i'm not in a crunch to have what I need. Perhaps the word built came to mind because the main image is a log cabin!  To create my card, I started with a fun background embossing Folder from Darice Designs

I then sponged white Craft ink onto the birch trees.

Next, I created a snowy landscape with this fun Tree Landscape Layers Die Set

The Log cabin is also from Impression Obsession and is called Small Cabin

The Cardinals are from the Birch Tree Die set

I sponged the edges of the cabin with Tim Holtz Distress in and painted the snowy parts with Vica Crystal Gel.

You can find the Merry Wishes Sentiment here

Have you got any Christmas Cards made yet?




Monday, October 5, 2015

Pop up gift card holder with Doodlebug Designs






Today, I have a fun share for you that I created with my Sugarplum paper from Doodlebug Designs

If you scroll to the bottom of the post, you'll find my Periscope Video attached

but for now.......

I cut the original paper at 93/4" x 5.25

I scored the paper at 13/4" and 6"

Then I scored lengthwise along both sides at 1/2"

Please see the Video for further instructions






I trimmed my two patterned papers

Christmas Trim to 1 1/2" x 4"
and 
Merry Magic to 3.5" x 4"



I saved one of the 1/2" pieces that I trimmed from the sides and wrapped that 4" piece with  Doodlebug Bubblegum and Swimming Pool Twine

To add more dimension to the Sugar Plum Die cuts Craft Kit Gingerbread peeps, I added sponging with Tim Holtz Distress Ink and then added some liquid applique accents.

Lastly, I stamped and attached a Tiny Tag sentiment from SU"s Tiny Tag Stamp set and punch~

I added the dimensional dots, which will be used to close up the card when the gift card has been inserted. The inside panel, which holds the gift card is 3.5 x 4" 

I also added these fun enamel dot stickers to the top panel


Here's the Video to help you recreate the project





Happy Stamping!

--Vicki~~

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Impression Obsession Designer Challenge-Fall Floral


Hey there! How are you all doing today?

Our challenge this week is Fall Floral. I have to admit, that I don't have a LOT of floral stamps, but am more a fan of Foliage, so that's what I worked on!

Here's what I did to make the card

First, I stamped the background on white with  the Oak cover a card stamp and Memento Ink

Then

I embossed the Gentle Branch Solid  with Gold Embossing Powder

I cut a Stencil using the Maple Leaf in the Leafs Die Set and Stencilled in Cajun Craze Ink over the embossed image. 

I took Night of Navy Ink and sponged around the branch and other areas of the card, adding some shadow onto the leaves for added dimension, followed by Daffodil Delight ink.

Lastly, I created a sweet little banner using the  Oh Sweet Autumn Stamp

and then I put it all together!

So I made my first Periscope Video showing how I made my card!

Please be gentle on me if viewing it, It was my very FIRST Instructional Video EVER!





Be sure to enter your card over at IO stamps to earn a chance to win a gift certificate for new Rubber or Dies or some other goodies from the store! You can see all the details for the challenge, as well as links for todays' DT players!


Happy Stamping!

--Vicki~~