Tired but getting super excited.....

I am so tired from doing tons and tons of homework, but my reward is coming...  Hubby is taking me to StampAway and I am taking Tim Holtz' and Shari Carroll's classes!!!!  How much fun!!!!!  Tomorrow is my Friday and away we go!

First Week - Complete!

So, my first week of grad school is complete..... WOW, was that a lot of work!

For all those who came out to Stampers' Alley last weekend for my make n' take - THANK you for taking the time to wait in line.... I cannot believe I had a LINE!  Next time, I will try and remember to have more stations available.... I did have a fab time and met some very nice new stampers!  Hope you all had fun too!

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with friends making thank you cards - we made over 100 cards in one day.... Whew, that was a lot, but they looked awesome and I am so proud of the work we did.... started at 10am and took a lunch break, and finished around 5pm.... then crashed on the couch the rest of the night while the NASCAR race was on and by the time I woke up, it was getting close to the end, and not a good one for us, but apparently "that is what the fans like" - I personally will get on my soapbox right now with the comment that it is not about the crashing.... it is about the racing - and to my point, the Formula One race that we had on today, had some amazing passing and lead changes without all the destruction!  Oh well, time to build more cars, Matt will be a busy guy this week!

As for me, more homework!  And some needed time in my craft room (I hope) - maybe I can get some images uploaded by the end of this week.... I am thinking that we (my stamp buddies) should challenge ourselves to pick one item in the craft room that is not normally used anymore - and make 2 project with them.... While creating yesterday, we were commenting on how eyelets, for example, just kind of sit in their containers and are rarely taken out and used these days..... so maybe that will be the first one - this week, 2 projects that have eyelets!  Would love to see if any of my virtual buddies will join the challenge and post some project for me to see.....

Until next time,
Happy Stamping!
Dani

Make N Take - this Saturday, 6/30

I will be doing the below Make N Take this coming weekend at Stamper's Alley!  Come and join the fun, hang out, see the new Distress Markers work their watercolor magic with these great Hero Arts stamps.... I will be demo-ing this card from 10:30-1:30 so stop on by when you have time and play!

The "tag" can be tailored with several sayings - not just a thank you... and the colors allow for this to be masculine if needed.... I just love how the shadow ink in soft sand just blends wonderfully with the Antique Linen distress ink....
Hope you like!
Happy Stamping!
D

Ok, now who can tell me why my pictures continue to upload sideways.... well, don't hurt your neck.. I will try and redo these pictures tomorrow....  I have a dear friend who had some surgery last week, and another friend suggested making several get well cards.... here are two that I did with the same paper and stamps... obviously will only send her one of them.... but the other will be handy to have on hand.... love the pattern paper from Basic Grey and Hero Arts... and the little girls from MFT Pure Innocence line is perfect for these kinds of sentiments.... love, love, love.....

Hope you do too!

Enjoy, and happy stamping!

D



Clean - finally!

My craft room is finally clean, and I mean clean.... Matt-clean... and for those of you who know my hubby, you can appreaciate!  I think we have removed 4 trash bags of "stuff" and boxes of "to sell" items.... Yikes!  I feel like an episode of Hoarders.... well, you know.... I "plan" to use that someday... Oh lordy, I need some help!!!!

But out of the mess, came some much needed inspiration!
be back with pictures....

OK, the news I have been waiting for....

I have been accepted into Graduate School!!!!!  I will start a Masters in Project Management as soon as the summer session begins on July 2nd......  I am so excited and thank everyone who helped me in all the support, love and encouragement!  New things ahead!!!!

And speaking of ahead.... I will be on vacation with my hubby starting this week....... a long overdue honeymoon - yes, honeymoon 10 years later!  better late than never!  I will post pictures when I get back and upload them!!!!

I hope to have one more card posting this week though... can't promise, but think I have it in me....

Happy Stamping,
Dani

oops!

Thought this had already posted, but after saying that on Saturday, came online and realized it hadn't... so a little late, but never too late!

This card was made for my dad - he had a big birthday and then retired this month.... since he lives in an active adult community, there are lots of widowed/single ladies who can use a repairman here and there.... he had been on loan to these ladies since my parents moved in, but NOW, he has no "real job" and can do a whole lot more.....

The stamp is Fix It Fred from MFT.... they also have the tools die that I used, along with the cork paper to make the board....  Papers are from Hero Arts/Basic Grey and I absolutely love how this turned out... although, I had trouble with my Copics and getting Fred colored to my satisfaction....

I also used the file tab die from MFT to add his "job title".... the perfect touch IMO is the Tim Holtz ruler tape.... PERFECT!  The tools are hanging on the cork board with brads....

Well, he loved it - of course.... he would love it if it were a single layer with crayon writing, like when I was a kid......

Thanks for looking and love any comments!
Happy Stamping
Dani

For Lynn

My boss is one of the most fabulous people I know.... she has really taken me under her wing, cared for me, and taught me a lot about life and career.... The past month has been a bit of a strain and I am not sure when the last time I said thank you or let her know how much I have gotten from just being around her.... so... when I got one of the weekly MFT newsletters, saw this card (several similar ones that I combined) - I thought my boss would be the perfect recipient of it......

The card base is PTI Vintage Cream, as is the top layer which was die cut with the MFT die.... behind it is paper from Graphic 45 that I picked up last weekend at Stampers Alley when I was working - you know, work, play.... all the same in crafting......  inside, I took the die cut piece and used it for the accent.... I think the sentiment works beautifully and the whole thing turned out fabulous... I know she will love it!

Hope you like....

front

inside

I really love when I see all the insides of cards decorated.... so I gave it a try.... I think that is much nicer than just the front.....

Happy Stamping!
Dani

I am coming back....

I had a burst of creativity... Made a fabulous card (in my own opinion) and will photo it tomorrow and post the deets..... I am ready to come back to the blog world, so I promise you will start seeing a lot more of me and my wild antics! Yes, I said antics!! Maybe Inky Antics that is..... Ha ha ha..... Dani

Under Construction - ME!

Ok, it had been s while since my last post for several reasons.... Oh, not to bore with small details, just know that I put myself under construction.... If you can dream it, you can become it..... And my dreams have been changing, therefore I have been changing.... I hope you will all think it is a good thing as I do, and much needed.....

Stay tuned for some details, but for now, I need to get to bed before the alarm goes off and I am dragging myself out of bed!! That would NOT be pretty!

Till then....happy stamping!

Up before should be legal.....

But, what do you do when you can't sleep.... Look at your emails, right? And what did I find, but the first lesson for Tim Holtz's online card class.... Woo Hoo... Makes sleeping not seem important.... This is going to be an awesome time and I am looking forward to tricks of the trade and some creative stamping time of my own (don't we all).....

Well, now thT at I have read the fitst lesson, off to do some homework!
Happy stamping, and sleeping for most!
D

Hero Arts Monthly Contest - Flowers

Ok, so I have been wanting to enter the HA monthly contest, but time always gets away from me.... but, ta-dah... I have made a creation (that I will share in a moment with you) and it is uploaded and ready!  Just in time too!  Midnight tonight is the deadline.... Cross my fingers, wish me luck!!!!!

More good news, this past Saturday, I entered and finished my first 5K.... while I walked the majority of it, I did run some... and 11 months after having my hip broken and screwed back in place, that is a HUGE accomplishment that I am quite proud of!  thank you, thank you!

Another piece of info, I have resigned from the Tiffany Doodles design team... I am in need of some alone stamp time, if that makes sense.... I feel like I am not able to just play with the things in my craft room like I have been wanting too, so now, I have only to stamp for myself....  I hope this activates some additional creativity coming out of me and that I will get to try a lot of new techniques and fun ideas on my own.... I have loved being on the team, and getting to sneak peak some new things and play with them, but this break will be well received by my stressed out mind/body.... no more constant deadlines, just fun!  After all, that is what stamping and crafting should be about - pure enjoyment....

Well, I have made you wait long enough to see my entry.....
I used the Tall Flowers stamp in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on PTI white cardstock, stamped several images and colored with Distress Markers (Antique Linen, Scattered Straw, Peeled Paint and Forest Moss)... several layers were cut out and pooped ontop of themselves..... main image is die cut with Spellbinders Reverse Wonky Rectangles and then so is the patterned paper as well.... the paper is from HA/Basic Grey Out of Print paper pad.... plain seam binding was dyed with Distress Stains (Scattered Straw and Peeled Paint), tied in double bows and topped off with a button and twine.  The layered piece is popped up on the card base of the same paper and white cardstock.... I love these colors and hope you enjoy seeing this....

Have a fabulous evening... and hope to get crafty this weekend so I will have more to post....
Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stamping!
D

Oh Happy Day!

First I must start off by saying YEAH Joe Gibbs Racing!!!!  We won the Phoenix race just now, and our other drivers were 6th and 10th.... awesome finish for everyone!!  Woo Hoo!!!!

Ok, now for a couple of cards:  I wanted to try the clean and simple look with lots of white space - I have seen several posted lately and love the look, so here are two of my attempts...
The first one is a large white on white layer, the image is Stampin Up in Memento Rich Cocoa on white PTI cardstock.  Colored with copic markers and layers on Chocolate Chip paper and some brown twine wrapped around the bottom.....

The next cards was done using the same image, same coloring... the difference is the shape of the focal piece and the accent of Chocolate Chip stitched ribbon......

Ok, these pictures look fine on my computer, but once uploaded, they are sideways... not sure why, but I will attempt to fix that.... hopefully you  can still get the idea...

Again, this proves how challenged I am when it comes to this blogging and taking pictures of my cards... blah!  I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and the week ahead looks bright!  I have a lot going on this week, but hope to get more cards done - maybe my creative juices are finally coming back - these allergies have really dulled my brain.... but I got all 10 swaps done, the two above, another one partially done and working on a fun "biggest loser" project... hope to get more of that done and posted this week!  Wish me luck....

until then, happy stamping
D



quick post.....

Ok, so re-reading my last post, it is obvious I was up way too late that night and did NOT proof-read....my apologies for that horrible blog post.... I hope to say it will never happen again.....

Onto today's activities.... I had a fabulous time hanging out with some friends and stamping to my hearts content.... It is always nice to meet new people and get to share ideas and laughs and ink!  I was able to create my swaps to send to Indiana (better late than never... sorry ladies) and I really like how they turned out.... I was also able to use a couple of stamps I did not own myself (shocker, right????) and really liked how they turned out.... I will post tomorrow when there is some light to photo by.... speaking of light - the funniest part of today was the power going out for 2.5 hours... and yet, true crafter till the end, we carried on and stamped/laughed/tried to see without lights and finished all that we were working on... didn't really skip a beat except when someone tried to emboss... whoops, need power to use the heat tool!!!  Too funny....

Looking forward to more crafting tomorrow.... till then, Happy Stamping!
D

Late day....

As some of you know, Brenda's husband had not been well these past months or more.... Well, this past week Harold let go and moved on to his next sdventure in this world, whether up to heaven or watching us closely as an angel.... Or. Move at peace and taking it all in for when others begin to show up. Whatever the plan is, Brenda has been the most respectful and dignified lady I have know - a true southerner through and through ..... Very. Much an woman to look up to for grace under pressure!

I hope she realizes how much we all love her and her shop!
So no card samples to post today but maybe tomorrow if I can get something done....

Till then. Happy Monday a coming!
Happy stamping
D

Special President's Day post..... ;o)

So, since I am off on President's Day, I still consider it to be part of the weekend right now..... and as I mentioned in my last post, there might be a bonus post this weekend.... here it is!
First let me say, I feel a ton better.... Friday was defitinely a turning point.... I was finally able to go to the gym on Saturday afternoon and was lucky (in a way) that hubby had to work so I was forced to take the one more day to rest a bit.... we were supposed to go to the stamp show in Columbia, SC for the day, but since I was sick, he told a co-worker he could help with the project they were trying to get done..... so, with nothing else to do that day, I rested... and by the afternoon, I was itching to get out.... felt much better AND had seen a post from my LSS that they had just gotten in the distress markers.... and was that enough to get me out.... HECK YA!  So, I dressed for the gym and headed to the LSS incognito - even sneaked past my fellow stamp store regulars/co-workers and worked my magic, counting to make sure I had picked them all out!!!!  And yes, they were mine!  While I was there, I got to be part of creating a project with a customer - wow, do they put a lot of faith in me ;o)..... then, since I was dressed for it, I headed to the gym.... yes, me at the gym on a Saturday - let me say, that has NEVER happened before.... but, lucky for me since I needed to get another day in exercise-wise and it was fairly empty at that time..... so, burned some calories just in time for the hubby to say he was getting close to coming home..... the plan.... Sunday to get up early and head to Columbia since the show goes on both days.... wow, this was getting better and better by the moment..... new markers set AND a trip to the stamp show!  Lucky me!  Well, it DID NOT disappoint... as always, Stampers Anonymous was out in force... Ted always knows what I love to see and made me my own piece of art (I am starting a Ted collection).... after 3 trips to his booth, amoung all the others.... we decided 3 hours of walking at the show was enough for us.... packed all my goodies into the car and hit a local hot spot (amoung the peeps of Columbia) - Pawley's Front Porch.... as seen on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, this did not disappoint.... salad and half a sandwich later and I felt like I needed to be wheeled out to the car.... then the drive home - uneventful, thank goodness... and then, put away all the goodies.... not able to happen in one evening so I had to continue the project today... but, have all the distress markers put away along with my Copic markers... they were $4.99 each - what a freaking deal..... had to complete some of my color families with a deal like that...... although, now that I have so many, I may need more storage space.... a revamp of the craft room may be in the near future!  I need to sort, clean and sell..... anyone interested in anything in particular, let me know... chances are - I have it!
OK, enough of my rambling..... here is the real post for today!  Wedding Card!!!!

One of the booths I spent some time and money at was the Heartfelt Creations booth.... Now, while I love their images, I am not yet sure what my opinion is of it all..... I will say, that the image used for this card, Wedding Bell, was extremely hard to stamp, and I ended up using my Sakura Micron to trace over the outlines of many pieces since stamping over and over was getting frustrating.... I even got a new ink pad, stamped on hard surface, then stamped on stamping pad... nothing helped.... ok, enough moaning and groaning.....  stamped with Tuxedo Black from Memento (my fav) several times, colored with Copic Markers (some of my new ones), fussy cut them and glued them with some curl to them..... the final piece was cut with a framelit die from Stampin Up, the red cardstock was cut with the next larger die and they were added to the gray/white pattern paper with foam tape.... red and white pearls placed all around for accent.....

Well, I better get myself ready for bed and work tomorrow... and we are going to a charity dinner with the Checkers.... cocktail attire!  I am super excited to be able to get dressed up... maybe a picture might make its way to the blog.... MAYBE..... oh, and one last bit of news.... some of you know that with my hip surgeries the last few years, I have gained a bit of weight and was finally cleared to get back into shape.... well, it is going quite well and the dress that I am wearing tomorrow still had the tags on it, and they are a 4P.... needless to say, the dress is loose and that is probably the only way I can fit into it, but still, coming from wearing 16 jeans earlier this year, that is a huge thing for me!  And the jeans I purchased at the beginning of my weight loss adventure as "incentive jeans" in a size 8 were able to be put on today with no trouble!  Now, that is the exciting part....jeans that fit????? seriously?????  I am over the moon happy about that!  Well, it is the gym in the morning calling my name, that causes me to need to get off this computer.... until next time....

happy stamping!
D

MIA - don't you hate being sick????

I have been down for about a week with an upper respiratory infection..... from the woman who sits next to me at the office is my guess..... why would you come into the office with a hacking cough and sneezing up a storm??????????  and to continue for weeks???????  I just don't understand.... and now, I am still suffering.... although, I have to say, not nearly as bad as yesterday - which seemed to have been the absolute worst day ever for me.... I was close to tears, and those of you who know me, know that it takes quite a bit to bring my eyes to watery..... But, this morning, I had a burst of creativity..... and lucky for me, because I was looking head on to a deadline for the new releases at Tiffany Doodles.... let's see what I can show you to tempt you....

OK, so interest peaked?????  I certainly hope so.... stay tuned for more peaks on the Tiffany Doodle blog..... you will love what you see, I know I do!

so, for the rest of today, I think I will try and get a little physical activity and explore a little more creativity in my craft space... no promises... but there may be another post today or tomorrow!

until then, happy stamping!
Dani

Tasty Valentine....

When Matt takes me to stamp shows, he always picks out a booth that I might normally head towards and we get one item from them to try out..... Last year, during this very senario, I got an adorable rubber stamp that was a smore snowman-ish looking thing.... wait, you will see it in a sec..... funny in that we always say "i love you", and "i love you more"..... in looking at this image, I instantly had a thought.... however, our thoughts don't always transform into action at the time we hope..... but, better late than never, right......

Here is my I love you SMORE valentine to my darling hubby.....

The image is stamped on PTI white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  The sentiment, from the new Hero Arts digital set, was printed on the same piece of cardstock, however, I added the "I" and "SMORE" strategically to the image...... the fun smore-man was colored with Copic Markers, layered on Chocolate Chip cardstock which then was popped up on Soft Suede cardstock.... a layer of burlap is tucked under the botton half and stitched along the sides of the card base..... red hearts punched out of paper are coming out of the "u" and the brown button is tied with twine..... fairly simple, but I think he will love it!

Thanks for taking a look..... hope you like....
happy stamping!
Dani

Happy Monday - quick post

So I was super busy this weekend and got no stamping in, but did get to help celebrate a very important event with a very important person.... She is the bright light at the end of a tunnel, the most supportive and kind person, always doing more and more to help others... She is truly an inspiration and lucky for me, she is my close, dear friend.....

Also, I was super busy trying to keep up with all the posts and tweets coming out of CHA! I only wish I were there to see and play with all the new stuff coming out! And hubby said that we should plan to attend next year! So, if anyone wants to plan a big trip to CA in January.... Let me know!

With hubby headed out of town in the morning, I will hopefully have some stamping time in the evenings to get some submissions done for PaperCraftsMag... Due on the 6th.... Just days away, believe it or not!

Well, off to sleep I go... The gym is calling early in the morning....
Happy Stamping!
D

A double dose of stamping!

Since it has been over a week since my last post, I thought I would show 2 cards today!

I have been really in love with Memory Box, but when I had the chance to take one of Dave's classes.... it was all over!!!  Now, I can't get enough of them..... I love them so much and the steel dies that they are manufacturing are out of this world!  So for this post, I am pulling out some of my older stamps.... ones I purchased a while back but had yet to get inky..... why is it that we continue to "need" more stamps, but the poor things don't see ink???????  I am trying this year to make an effort to use all my stamps, or put them in a box and take to the used stamped sale.... it is now or never!

Ok, enough of that.... this first card is one that I was surprised at how much I liked it.... Not usually my kind of thing, I wanted to try stamping on acetate and coloring with Copic markers on the back.... I took the Inspire Butterfly Collage stamp.... I stamped it twice... once on acetate with Stazon Jet Black ink - be careful that you have a steady hand as the ink/stamp will tend to slip on the acetate..... and once on PTI white with Memento Tuxedo Black ink..... After letting the acetate image dry, I cut it out with scissors and then used my Copic markers to color on the back of the acetate (not the side with the inked image)...... I computer generated the words "you" and "me" so that the card sentiment reads You Inspire Me..... I glued the acetate butterfly on with glossy accents just right behind the body part.  The PTI image was matted with black cardstock and the edges were distressed with Tumbled Glass distress ink from Ranger..... I cut a background layer from Basic Grey Out of Print 6x6 paper pad, tied a twill ribbon, and added the bling - they were ivory self adhesive pearls from Want2Scrap and I colored them with my BG05 Copic Marker to change them to the blues I had been working with..... a couple more pearls placed around the image, and it is ready to go!

card recipe:

Paper: PTI Black, White, Basic Grey Out of Print 6x6 paper pack, Acetate from office supply store

Stamp: Memory Box Inspire Butterfly Collage G1352

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stazon Jet Black, Copic Markers – B05, BG05, BG09, BG15, Tumbled Glass Distress Ink

Embellishments:  Black Twill Ribbon from stash, Want2Scrap self adhesive pearls – colored with BG05

Computer generated text “you” and “me”

And for card #2 today.... we have a very similar image - the Adore Peony Collage stamp by Memory Box.  This time, I stamped the image twice with Memento Tuxedo Black on PTI white cardstock..... I cropped the image close, and took my Y13 Copic marker to make a yellow border around the edge..... matted that to orange and then to black.... the second stamped image was colored with Copic markers and then detail cut with scissors.... the flower pieces and leaves were glued to the main image panel..... the background paper is also Memory Box 6x6 Pixie paper stack....  keeping them similar, I used black twill ribbon again on this one.....

card recipe:

Paper: PTI Black and White, Memory Box Pixie 6x6 paper pad, orange paper from stash

Stamp: Memory Box Adore Peony Collage G1433

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers – G21, G24, G28, RV21, RV23, RV25, Y13

Embellishments: black twill ribbon from stash

And, finally, I wanted to thank everyone who participated in the Tiffany Doodles blog hop!  All the comments were amazing to read and I hope you were all inspired to try something new.....

I suppose, I must now say, Let the week begin.... even though I want the weekend to last a little longer..... I must admit, while I love working at my LSS, yesterday wore me out and I didn't really feel like doing anything today... but, I am proud of myself for getting off the couch and creating 2 cards.... got to keep the creativity flowing, right????  And, yesterday was a blast - what is better than doing what you love all day????  I even had a fabulous new customer at the end of the day, and just the rush of putting together a new project is totally worth it!  While I love the regulars who really just know what they want/need.... it is so much fun to see the lightbulb that illuminates when someone "sees" what you are trying to show them.... I think that is probably why teachers do what they do... it is so rewarding!
Ok, enough of that.... time to get myself prepped for the week ahead!  I hope it is a great one for all of you... and try to get some stamping in... I know I will try....

Happy Stamping!
D

It is BLOG HOP time!!!!!

Thank you for joining us at Tiffany Doodles for our first blog hop of 2012! We're so glad you're here! It's ALSO the second anniversary of Tiffany Doodles! 

You're going to find lots of inspiration along the way, from several talented ladies. Be sure to leave each of them a comment by Sunday the 15th for your chance to win something of your choice! That's 19 chances to win! All winners will be announced on the Tiffany Doodles blog Wednesday January 18th.

If you've arrived from Ruby you're in the right place! If this is your first stop, please go back to Jessica's blog so you don't miss anything! 

For my blog hop card, I chose the adorable Ducky image….. isn’t he super cute????  I decided that I would try a new technique (for me) – make a window card and have him “floating” in the window…. I used a Spellbinders Nestabilities Die to cut out the window, attached acetate on the inside and covered with another layer that also had the window cut from it…. that was a little tricky, and next time, I would likely try and run them through the die cut machine at the same time (both layers that is) so that I could ensure the window turns out exactly where I would like it…. I did pretty good, but I would normally have tried to center them both a little better.

So, I started with my base cardstock in Buttercup from Amuse.  With the paper cut in half, the perfect A2 card is created.  You can alter the “opening” of your card by which direction you cut your 8 ½ x 11 paper.  I cut length wise, and scored at 5.5 – creating a top fold card that is portrait. I cut the Amuse Gingham printed paper in Buttercup to make the top layer.  The Ducky image was printed several times on white cardstock from PTI – my go-to white paper these days.  I used copic markers to outline color the duck… I really didn’t want to mess with too much color, so the outlining hints at color – sometimes my favorite way to highlight or hint….. I detail cut the image out twice – allowing for additional paper at the bottom where it would tuck into the backing of the card front.  Pretty much sandwich him in between the paper, acetate and second “backed” image….. is that clear as mud or what????  I stamped the sentiment from Hero Arts on the top and bottom surrounding the window…. Thought it needed an extra touch of some kind…. So out came my buttons and twine….

I hope you're feeling inspired! Before you hop over to JoAnn’s blog, remember to leave a comment for your chance to win! You have 3 days to comment on the postings.  Tiffany is giving away the entire January release and all you have to do is 1) to create a card using a Tiffany Doodles image  2) blog about it and link to our hop  3)  add their link to INLINKZ on the Tiffany Doodles post.  Winner will be posted on Wednesday, January 18^th……

Thanks for hopping along with us; we look forward to seeing your creations!

15 minutes and counting.....

Tiffany Doodles blog hop will be kicking off in 15 minutes at Jessica's blog..... start at the beginning - it always nice that way, huh????

Oh Happy Day!

So, a couple housekeeping things that are making me happy....

Today I did my first day of "couch to 5K" training - that means, my first day of interval running in preparation to run my first 5K scheduled for March 10th (I think).... now, for those of you who know me, running and Dani don't go together.... but, I am on a mission... so today's workout was 30 minutes - a 5 min warm up brisk walk, 60 seconds of running, 90 seconds brisk walking, 60 seconds running, etc followed by a 5 min brisk walk cool down.... and I DID IT!  Although, right now, feel like my knees are going to buckle, still feels like a huge sense of accomplishment!  And, I followed that routine with the stationary bike.... what am I thinking??????  I am a monster!

Next, coming this Friday at 12:01am, we are starting an awesome blog hop at Tiffany Doodles!  I will have all the deets here so be watching.... I have seen some of the other DT inspiration and all I can say is WOW!

Third, my hubby is picking me up and taking me out for date night!  One of the best Italian places that we have found does gnocchi only on Tuesday nights.... YUM.... good thing I just worked out before piling all that potato goodness into my belly.... My stomach is growling just thinking about it!

OK, so now onto the card making already, huh???
Today I thought I would share with you a birthday card I made for the same co-worker who just got married (still need to come up with that card... better late than never).... When I saw the images in the new JustRite Cling stamps I knew just what I was going to do with it.... too bad what I had in mind turned out terrible!  Good thing for the color images that are on the cling sheet.... I have to give credit where credit is due - coloring was totally cased.... Image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black (my fav go-to ink) and colored with PrismaColor Pencils and blended with GAMSOL odorless mineral spirits.  The image is die cut with a Spellbinder Nestabilities (love those too) and the background layer was cut with scissors - wish they had the dies a bit closer in size so the layers don't have to be so thick....  I absolutely love the ginormous bling that I found to accent the bow - however, did not love adhering it to the card... mishaps galore.... in thinking to myself how to possibly get something that large and heavy attached to the front, the only thing that came to mind was my Glossy Accents from Ranger... LOVE that stuff... put a glob on the card, plopped down the bling, but when I attempted to adjust the placement - it didn't seem to be sitting flush with the card - the glossy accents which I know would hold, ripped that paper!  Wasn't ready for it to dry so quickly!  And what then is a girl to do?????  ADD MORE!  Grabbed that bottle and put a lot more on to make a mound of adhesive!  The other part that made this for me, was the bow tied with the silk ribbon from May Arts - I LOVE IT.... I wish I could use it on every card, but alas, there is no money tree in my yard....  The pattern paper seemed to work perfectly and I cut out the banner for the sentiment and tadaa.... a birthday card!

Closer view

You can see in the second photo that all the layers are popped up with foam squares....I normally love the Stampin Up dimensionals, but for this, I wanted a larger pop, so I used my American Crafts foam adhesive.

Now that I handed it over, there are so many things I would do a little differently, but, hey, that is for another card, right?????

Hope you enjoyed my post today.... remember to check back this Friday for the details on the blog hop a coming!!!!!!

till then, happy stamping!
Dani

Wedding Shower Card

Here is a quick post before the weekend gets going.... Co-worker just got married two weeks ago and we threw her a shower at work. Trying to keep it simple, I went with a black and white card with a splash of her wedding accent color - red.... I wrote their names in the heart to personalize it a bit more... Thanks for looking!

Happy stamping!
Dani

Guest Designer Contest over as SCS!

OMG, just looked over at SCS and noticed that MFT was having a contest for the January Guest Designer... the challenge - Paper Piecing!  Holy buckets, if I don't love that technique the most, I don't know which one would be higher on my favs list... so I had to leave the snoring husband, get out of bed and sneak into my craft room to try and work a little magic before the deadline of noon tomorrow (or actually today since it is well past midnight - oops)..... 

I love the MFT images for this technique as they seem to be made for it... the large spaces and fun designs kind of make me always choose that when using these stamps.....  For this card, I chose one of the oldies, but goodies - Here's the Scoop - I mean, really, who doesn't love to lounge on the couch/chair and eat ice cream out of the container?????

She is done with the Memory Box Gossamer 6x6 paper pack - lots of fun, girly patterns in there... I love the pinks and browns together, so I figured my ice cream would be either chocolate or strawberry... maybe that is where this perfect color combo comes from.... hmmm......

Placed on French Roast cardstock, I cut a pink strip for the center and die cut both sides, cut a smaller piece of the patterned paper and quietly machine stitched it together.... I had to shut the door for fear the snoring hubby would wake up and wonder what the heck I was doing at this hour, when I have to be up at 5am to head to the gym... (again, oops).... once all the pieces were cut, and glued, I die cut the tab and added it to the bottom.... it needed something, so the seam binding came out... one loop not enough, so another added behind (and kind of rigged together with twine and a button hiding the not really tied second loop!).... still something missing.... then came the crystals...  I mean what girl eating ice cream doesn't like a little sparkle, right????? 

When I step back and look, I think it is awesome....  definitely what I had in mind....  Being a guest designer for MFT would be awesome as well.  The new dies they are making are my absolute favorite and am so lucky that my LSS is now carrying them.... The PI images are adorable and can't wait to make another trip to the store to get my hands on some of those precious things to play with..... I hope that this contest entry is only the first in a long line of them.... I am hoping to get more creative with my stuff and get out there.... it is a new year, with new ideas and only time on our hands!  I just hope I feel that way when I am driving in the pitch black to the gym for the first time in probably 3 weeks - love the holidays, but hate having to get back in the swing of things....

Thanks for looking.... until next time (hopefully after some sleep).... happy stamping!
Dani

A day to play!

So, today I had a mission.... clear out my craft room and start playing!  We recently had the carpets cleaned which means everything had to be removed from the floors and put on top of our furniture and then the carpet needed time to dry.... and then the holdays were over, and it was time to put everything back together... since it is not a room we use as a family, it is only my crafting area, it is not always walked into for a week or more at a time - easy to forget to take all the stuff off the tables and place it back on the carpet where it belongs... duh.... well, since the hubby had to work and I did not - the perfect chance to do what I love...  And, did I ever!  I created 5 wonderful cards and I felt fabulous doing them.... so nice to not have a "task" at hand and just play with different things you have been wanted to do.....

Today, I will share the "holiday" card I had hoped to make but didn't get time to....

 

When I saw the sample the company sent to the LSS of these images, I had to try and re-create it.... to much dismay, it was not as easy as it first appeared and I went through several attempts to get it just the way I wanted.... it was not brown ink and brown embossing powder, or brown ink and glitter embossing powder, and it wasn't one brown ink, or another, or yet another.... after multiple failures, I mastered the look I wanted.... Chalk Ink from Colorbox in Dark Brown with Clear Detail Embossing Powder.... just right!  Colored in with my copic markers and covered with Diamond Stickles and wa-la.... love, love, love this.... however, not one to really duplicate hundreds of times... or even 50 really.... added some pleated ribbon from Pink Paislee on top of Grass gingham pattern paper and I think it came out better than I had imagined in the beginning!  Here is a close up of the card - not sure the photo captures the lovely sparkle, which actually looks more bronze against the brown coloring... I think I like it better than the "snow" that was on the sample!

Card Recipe:

Paper:  Stampin Up Chocolate Chip, Ivory cardstock, Amuse Gingham in GrassStamp:  DRS #K505 (pinecone main image), #K467 (background branches)Ink: Colorbox Chalk Ink in Dark Brown with Clear Embossing Powder, Copic Markers – YG61, YG63, E43, E44Embellishments: Pink Paislee Bayberry Cottage ribbon pleats, Diamond Stickles



thanks for looking!  happy stamping....
Dani

Happy New Year!!!

Wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year - 2012... here we come!!!!
10 years ago this morning (very... very early) I got engaged to the most wonderful man in the world.... I am reminded of my joy every new year and hope the best for all my friends and family.... looking forward to the new year is so hopeful as it is all brand new and ahead... I hope for a year of joys and laughter, health and happiness, and some time to enjoy life as it should be.... no more worries and pain.... if you believe, it will be true!

So as I start fresh this year, I plan to take every day as it comes and enjoy it for what it is... a fresh, new start.  I am aleady sketching some cards to make and post tomorrow, so check back soon.....

A card that was made this past couple weeks ago came to me out of an idea to see if it was something I could accomplish - you know how sometimes, as a crafter, the thing in your head does not always turn out like you imagine once it is on paper.... this was not that case.... My boss, who is more a friend and mentor, had hip replacement surgery on December 13th.... a week later, I was headed to her home to bring her a surprise from the team.... the card that I imagined was one that would be thoughtful yet also be fun, just as she is..... so I picked the pinwheel image from Tiffany Doodles and went to town.... I printed it on several patterned papers from My Mind's Eye (my fav 6x6 paper pads!) and began to cut them all out.... my idea was taking shape..... I printed it also on PTI white cardstock for the base and die cut the image out with my Spellbinders Nestabilities..... the stick is colored with 2 shades of Copic Markers.... when I started "fluffing" the curls were not so sturdy so I printed more of the white and \glued the patterned paper to the white to give stability.....  when layered together, I used my Crop A Dile to make larger holes in the center and attached them together with an apoxy brad that was in my stash.... gotta love when something you have just "fits" perfectly!  So they actually spin!!!!!  Love the way it turned out!!!!  Layered on the die cut piece and scissor cut the layers behind it..... sentiment is Hero Arts - always a favorite when trying to find the right words - and they are able to be cut apart, although this one didn't need to be here.... finished with some bling!

The inside is the most fun part.... it reads (got from internet so I can't take credit for the words...)

This card has health-giving powers
And we've made it just for you
We certainly feel much better
And hope that you do too!

below this I listed all the team members that were in on the surprise.... she was overwhelmed and the look on her face was well worth the time it took to make this just perfect!

Thanks for taking a look and as always, comments are welcome (and much enjoyed!)
Dani