random.on purpose.

October is a-comin' and a-goin'...

I CANNOT wrap my head around the fact that the end of the year is fast approaching!  Proof positive that time flies whether you're having fun or not - this year has definitely been a mixed bag!  Mostly good, thankfully...

I had a chance to make a few things recently.  One of them I'll hold off sharing for a little bit until it reaches its recipient, but here are two cards that I've made in the past week:

Stamps: Unity Open Your Soul and TPC Studio Autumn Harvest; Ink: Ranger Archival Black; Paper: Recollections white; Accessories/tools: SpectrumNoir markers

This card was for two challenges on Splitcoast:  one to use fall colors, the other for the Featured Stamper this week.  The card I chose to CASE from Bev Polen's  gallery (guneauxdesigns, the featured stamper) was this one:

 

I liked the Zentangled designs in it, so I added some patterns within my leaf stamps, too.

The other card was for a friend who had a birthday and is going through a divorce.  I attempted to add some humor to the occasion by directly ripping off a card I loved:

Stamps:  Unity Miranda Girl and Sorry, Wine Does That; Ink: Ranger Archival Black; Paper: Recollections white, Occasions mirror gold, Close to My Heart dp; Accessories/tools: Gina Marie wine label dies, Spectrum Noir markers

Here's the original: 

  (I told you it was a ripoff - I can recognize...)  Inside it says, "I hope your birthday is filled with joy...and wine."

I guess that's it for the time being!  Sorry I'm not more chatty and that I'm so intermittent in posting.  I've got some things in the works that might spur me into a more regular posting schedule, but I can't promise anything - I just NEVER know what's coming at any given moment!  I know I'm not alone...  Have a fabulous week and thanks for stopping by!

 

Doubling Down 'n Dirty

So the fun continues with the Dare to Get Dirty challenges!  I've managed a few more cards (having Friday off of work definitely helped), so I'll throw a few more on here for your viewing (hopefully) pleasure...

Sherry got her card yesterday, so I can show you that one now:

Stampin'Up! Awesomely Artistic, Prima sentiment; SU! Mossy Meadow ink; SU! Mossy Meadow and Pool Party cardstock, Recollections white cardstock; SU! Apothecary Accents die, ribbon, gem brad and gems

And everything I've made since my last post:

Unity Bright, Happy You, The Cat's Pajamas Smells Like Cake; Versafine Onyx Black, Stampin'Up! Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight and Strawberry Slush inks; Recollections white cardstock

WhippersSnapper beach collage stamp (don't know the name of it), Close to My Heart Seaside; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Close to My Heart textured Bamboo cardstock, Recollections White cardstock; Gina Marie Stitched Scalloped Square and Stitched Scalloped Rectangle dies; Spectrum Noir markers

Close to My Heart Seaside and Hugs and Kisses; Stampin'Up! Island Indigo and Real Red ink; Recollections white cardstock

Unity Boots, Class and Sass; Stampin'Up! Early Espresso ink; SU! Early Espresso and Naturals Ivory cardstock, Authentique plaid

And, finally, probably my favorite card that I've made so far:

Stampingbella Petunia and Penny Take a Break; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Stampin'Up! Pixie Pink cardstock, Recollections white cardstock, Bo Bunny plaid; Spectrum Noir Markers; Doodlebug Designs sprinkles

I just think those piggies are the cutest EVER, and the colors in that plaid make me happy all day...!  I've been under the weather a bit and I got up to get a warm beverage to start the day, but  my 100-pound head is calling me back to bed, so I'm a-goin'!  Enjoy your weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Time to Get Dirty

Hey, peeps!  It's been a bizillion years (seems like) since I posted any actual projects, and almost that long since I had any in progress!  This week has been/is Dare to Get Dirty challenge week on Splitcoast Stampers.  It's an annual event hosted by current and alumni members of The Dirty Dozen (SCS's "design team") for the fan club members.  There are five challenges every day, and you have to be a fan club member to see/participate in them.  Membership is cheap ($24.95 annually), and worth it to me to support such an amazing website!  Tutorials, forums, galleries - it's a treasure trove for anyone looking to get educated about this hobby and to form friendships or to just see amazing artwork - LOVE it!  You don't have to be a fan club member to do everything else on the site, but you do for these challenges and/or to view what the Dirty Dozen is up to year 'round...

Anyway, I've been playing along as I can and have made a few cards (I know - who even remembered that I ever did that?!) to share here.  I won't go into the details of any of the challenges, just show you the cards and list what went into them.  The first three are watercolors:

Unity Pretty as a Peacock; distress inks

Unity Best Year Yet; Close to My Heart For Every Occasion; distress inks; ribbon

Stampin' Up! Jest Between Friends; Fiskars Quotes - Laughter; food coloring (an experiment)

This next one was another experiment of sorts...  You know how, when you're doing heat embossing, sometimes you get stray specks that you don't see until after you've melted them permanently onto your card?  Yeah, that happened.  Instead of starting over (which I usually would have done) I intentionally sprinkled more powder around and melted it (from underneath so it wouldn't blow away):

Stampin'Up!  Lots of Hearts (formerly a wheel, currently a long strip of flat red rubber joy); Unity Love Brings You Home; SU! Melon Mambo ink; Versamark ink; Stampendous Black detail embossing powder

If you've been following me at all, you probably know that I don't do fancy folds or other "fiddly" types of techniques or cards, so this next one surprised me, too.  When the idea strikes, you go with it, right?

Unity More Than Ice Cream; Close to My Heart Boutique Borders; Stampin'Up! Pacific Point and Strawberry Slush ink; Stampin'Up! Baked Brown Sugar cardstock; hand-drawn scoop (Micron pen); Martha Stewart mini scoreboard; Spectrum Noir markers

You may have noticed that I've been using a lot of Unity stamps.  They're kinda, sorta my new obsession...  When you've been involved with any hobby for any length of time you most likely find that tastes and styles and all the rest of it morph over the years.  Unity fits where I'm currently at in my evolution, apparently.  Many of the stamps that I loved for quite awhile have found new homes elsewhere...

I still LOVE Purple Onion Design stamps though, and gave a couple of new ones a test run:

Purple Onion Designs Happy Halloween Noteblock; POD/Stacey Yacula Studio Happy Pumpkins; Versafine Onyx Black ink; Basic Grey papers

A former obsession was Inkadinkado stamps.  I've whittled my collection down considerably, but I still have quite a few and love them so much!  Here's one of my faves:

Inkadinkado Warm Holiday Wishes; Unity sentiment; Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Basic Grey paper; Paper Studio Holiday Red cardstock; Spectrum Noir markers; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; Stampin'Up! Real Red ribbon; Gina Marie Designs Fishtail banner dies

Waaaaaaaaay back in the day (which, according to Dane Cook, "was a Wednesday", lol) I was a Close to My Heart consultant and some of those stamps are still in my collection, like this one:

Close to My Heart Sweet Dreams; Unity sentiment; Versafine Onyx Black ink; Prima papers; Spectrum Noir markers; Sakura Stardust glitter pen; Stampin'Up! Apothecary Accents die

Those are all that I've managed so far, minus one.  The other one is a card for a friend that is currently en route to her, and I don't want her to see it here before she sees it there, ya know?  I'll post it another time, along with any others I may happen to come up with.  Thanks for stopping by, and have a FABULOUS weekend (just in case I'm not back today or tomorrow...) ;-D

Cannibalizing Stamps

Hello again!  No apologies for the length of time between posts - I warned you, lol!  I am trying to make your (very infrequent) visits worthwhile, though, so here's what's on tap for today:

I have been working on a project that requires some "fiddling", and I'm a VERY impatient fiddler, so I needed to streamline the process a bit.  I'm stamping in sketchbooks/journals and wanted the page opposite the main image to be decorated in a coordinating image to give the whole project a more finished, cohesive look. 

I tried the whole masking and selectively inking thing, but I'm making more than 20 of these babies, and that's waaaaaaaay too time-consuming and "fiddly", as I said.  My answer was to CUT OUT the part of the image that I was masking and use it as a stand-alone stamp.

Before you get all crazy and lob rotten tomatoes (or worse) at me, consider that I DO NOT sell my stamps when I'm tired of them - I give them away.  Resale value - for the most part - is not there, and I can't be bothered with photographing, listing, checking back, packaging, shipping, blah blah blah blah blah (more fiddling again - yuck!).  Meanwhile - they are MINE and I will do with them whatever I choose and not suffer any guilt at all!

SO - I will show you two of the stamps that I cut apart and how the results of that were used.  Both are from Unity Stamp Co (my current obsession, thank you very much).  First up is Be Amazing:

Gorgeous, right?  I wanted that fabulous tattoo on the opposing page, but masking it was a total nightmare.  Here's how I cut it apart:

 
                        BEFORE                                                                                            AFTER

 You'll notice that I started at an edge and went in from there to make the cuts (I spread the edges apart for the photo so you could see it, but it's really just a slit).  It was a tight squeeze in a couple of spots, but a video I had seen recently from Club Scrap had an excellent tip for that.  Tricia suggested bending the rubber back on itself slightly to show more of the "space" between.  Clear as mud, I know, so watch the video and you'll see what that means.  Here's the end result:

 

The next one is from the Angie Girls lineup of beauty.  I used Willow Girl:

This cut was MUCH simpler:

   
                                    BEFORE                                                                                                AFTER

And the end result:

If you look back at the photos, you'll notice that I did NOT do my usual trim-as-close-as-humanly-possible-to-the-image thing on these cut-aparts.  I wanted to be able to put the stamps back together in their original state, so I left everything exactly as it was so they'd fit back together exactly as they were.  Fun side note: ALL of the Angie Girls are on sale over at Unity right now.  Go get some - they're awesome!

I've been cannibalizing stamps for years - cutting off offending bits or separating sentiments attached to images, for example.  The Be Amazing cuts are probably the most dramatic, though.  If you're afraid of this, don't worry - you can still be all fiddly and mask off the parts that you want/don't want.  Or if - unlike myself - you are really good at inking up a stamp with markers to get just the part you want, then you're golden.  My marker/stamp skillz sucketh, and my patience is non-existent for multiple maskings, so I needed a solution that would work for me. Cutting stamps apart is that solution!

That's it for me today!  Who knows when I'll be back?  In the meantime - enjoy yourself, do something stampy/crafty/creative and maybe even BRAVE!  Thanks for stopping by!

Here She Comes Again...

Good thing that I don't blog for a living, isn't it?  I really should be at least a little more consistent, but I just never know what life is going to bring me at any given time.  My work schedule is "beck and call", my DH started a new job that has thrown both of us several curves, and my life in general lacks any kind of rhythm or consistency, so that gets reflected here, as well...

Be that as it may, I've noticed that a couple more of you folk out there have subscribed to my little corner of Blogland (thank you), so I'll at least try to post something worthwhile when I DO get around to it!  My latest venture was inspired by a couple of threads over on Splitcoast, having to do with organizing diecut samples and such.  One poster said that she cut every single die so she could see what did/didn't fit in or on it, and someone else mentioned that you could laminate pieces/parts and I percolated those tidbits with a few other things that came to mind, and this is what I've done:

What you are looking at is two different things for the same process.  The black cards are punched with various punches and laminated.  The others are similar to the templates provided with the old Creative Memories shape cutting system.  What I did was take a laminating pouch, open it up, slide one of the punched cards into place at the top, then trace a set of nesting dies in the spaces around it, using Micron pens.  I alternated red and blue to make it easier to differentiate between the dies.  I then wrote the name of the die set in black ink, closed up the pouch and ran it through the laminator.  Here's what one of the sheets looked like after that process:

After the laminating, I cut the templates apart and rounded the corners.  Here's why I did what I did:  I was not about to cut every single die - waste of time, money and cardstock, for starters.  Then I would have had to figure out where to put all of those diecut pieces - no thank you, please!  I traced around the dies on the INSIDE of the pouch so that the ink would be trapped between two sheets of plastic and not wear off over time.  I had to put the punched cardstock at the top of the pouch so I could feed that end into the printer.  Without it, the pouch just wraps around the rollers and you have to disassemble the laminator to get it out (ask me how I know).  One more thing to note:  on some dies (Nestabilities, for example) the traced area is not the cut line but the embossing line.  That's fine with me because I don't like  my image or sentiment to overlap the embossing, anyway, so it's more accurate for my purpose...

Now I have templates to use to see how different images or sentiments will fit and/or look with different punches or dies.  I'm going to store them in with whatever category of stamps they fit best in (frames, tickets and banners, flowers, whatever), so I don't forget about them.  I haven't done all of them yet, but you can see I've got a good start!  I think I'll put samples of all of my embossing folders in with the stamps, as well - I forget about those all the time, too!  I do have samples of all of these in a binder that I pull out periodically if/when I think I want something particular, but having them in with the stamp sets will probably remind me to use them MUCH more!

So - that's my story today!  Maybe it's a useful tidbit of information for you, or at least inspires a thought.  Happy Valentine's Day (or, as it's alternately referred to, "Happy Singles Awareness Day") and have a great week!  See you when I see you!

On to the next thing...

So - I started another post with more pics of cards that I made for the Hope You Can Cling To challenges, but I never finished it or posted it and I want to share something else first, so there's that...  After the end of the card-making marathon (I finished 31 of the 40 challenges - a personal best), I needed to address an issue that has been on the back burner for a bit.  It was a "completion" of sorts to an earlier project.  The earlier project was this:

What you are looking at (sorry about the weird lighting - afternoon sun through mini blinds on a file box under a desk) is all of my cardstock.  I have each color like this:

Whole sheets and scraps together in a regular page protector...  I cut off the part that has holes for the binder to make tabs, alternating left and right, and wrote the manufacturer and color name on there with a Sharpie.  You're looking at two of them stacked to show how the tabs alternate.  That little circle sticker that says "OF1" means that I have another page protector in my "overflow" box, and that there is only ONE more of those (I have a couple of colors that there are two or three, and they are noted that way on the sticker).

I have my Recollections 110# white cardstock (which I use for card bases) and my Georgia Pacific white cardstock (for stamping and layering) at the very front, and they are not in page protectors (although the matching scraps are).  I also use Stampin'Up! Naturals Ivory quite a bit, so it's at the front, too.  The colors are arranged in ROYGBIV order, with neutrals at the back.  When I need a color, I just turn the protector upright (portrait orientation), take what I need, put back what doesn't get used, then turn it back to its file position (landscape orientation).  I have as many page protectors as will fit in a hanging file folder, and all of them hanging in order in the file box.

I obviously have a lot of colors.  I already had some Close To My Heart colors from a long time ago when I was a consultant (plus a few that I've purchased since), and I have the full current selection of Stampin'Up! cardstock, plus some retired colors.  I was recently enabled into acquiring a whole slew of Recollections brand (Michael's) cardstocks, and I also bought a "Holiday Pack" of Paper Studio cardstock to match the Christmas patterned papers I'd bought.  I got really tired of trying to find the best one to match my project by plowing through all of the folders (before this project they were by manufacturer), so I took a cue from Jennifer McGuire (she used hers for ink swatches) and others and did this:

These are pages designed for coin collectors to house their treasures, and each pocket is 2" square.  I cut 1 3/4" squares of every single color I own and labeled each one with manufacturer and color, then slid them into the pockets in the same ROYGBIV order as my file box.  It may look like it's not exactly that way, but there's a method here.  I know how Odd Brain works, and organize accordingly, lol.  Here's a little closer look so you can see that I just wrote the color right on the sample, and mixed up all of the manufacturers:

Now I can find any color I want very, very quickly, I have a way to corral the scraps, and I can compare cardstock colors to patterned papers without a lot of bother, since they're all right there.  On to the "next thing" referred to in my title...

I have made a wonderful new friend here in Las Vegas that I first got acquainted with on Splitcoast.  Her name is Amber and she's probably THE most generous person on the planet, and a just generally nice one, to boot!  She has "gifted" me SO MUCH PRETTY PAPER that I can't keep track of all of it!  Seriously - I have EIGHT Iris cases and one large-ish file box now, in addition to the smaller file box that I already had!  I have a pretty good memory, but I can't keep THAT MUCH in my Odd Brain...  What to do?

Being the organizational freak that I am, I did the following: 

• Put all of the papers in stacks by manufacturer
• Separate "full sheet" papers (you know the kind - they're usually designed specifically for scrapbooks and you can't really cut them up into smaller pieces until you determine which piece you want)
• Separate all of the matching sticker sheets and sheets that have have tags or cards or whatever
• Separate all of the holiday papers by holiday

THEN - I got "trading card" collector's pages, which have nine pockets per page.  Trading cards (and ATCs) are 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" high, so I cut a 2 1/2" wide by 1 3/4" high square off of one corner of EVERY SINGLE 12" x 12" paper that I have!  My rationale went like this:  I am a cardmaker.  I sometimes/never need a 12" piece for anything.  I do have a few dies that require 12" length, but nowhere near that in width - or vice versa.  I have multiple sheets of most designs/patterns.  Will I really miss that little rectangle?  No - no, I will not.  The rest of the story is that there is no way in you-know-where that I will dig through eight Iris cases and a file box to find a pretty piece of paper, so I wasn't using them.  I took my little rectangles and put them in the pockets:

The two pages above are some of my (now) extensive collection of gorgeous Authentique papers (I told you Amber was generous).  Each pocket has the front and back of the same two-sided paper, where that applies.  In other instances, where the papers are single-sided, I just put them with a similar color or style within that manufacturer.  I did separate out my Stampin'Up! papers and keep the collections together:

The one sticker identifies which collection it is, the other notes which colors of cardstock coordinate with that collection.  Some of my papers are relatively new, some are nearly ancient.  I don't really care too much what's "trendy" - I just like what I like!  I also did holidays separately.  Here's a shot of some Halloween papers:

I have all of the "one pagers" and sticker sheets in one of the Iris cases, which I will still have to dig through if/when I want/need something. ONE, I can deal with...  The 12" file box now contains all of the papers that I have smaller collections of.  Eventually I will have them in hanging file folders, appropriately labelled, but for now they're just identified with a Post It tab on the first paper for that manufacturer (in alphabetical order, of course).  The other Iris cases are labelled with what is in them, so I can see instantly which one I need to grab to find the paper I'm looking for.  The two cases that house the Christmas papers are red instead of clear - I thought it was appropriate...

I do have some 6" square papers and some 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" "mat stacks", as well, but I'm not willing to sacrifice portions of those, so I just keep them together and dig through when needed:

Some of them are in cut-down file folders, others are just in there.  At some point I'll get motivated enough to cut down folders for the rest, but I'm kind of fried on paper organization right now...  I did clean things up a bit by putting all of the scraps into clear envelopes and tucking them in with the appropriate collection:

There are a few other random things in this box, as well, like cut-down Kleenex boxes (there are some really cool patterns on some of them!) and the covers of some photo albums that I cut apart for my stamp storage.  Free is a great price for pretty patterned cardstock, wouldn't you say?

Well, alrighty then!  I'm pretty much thinking that I've rambled on for waaaay too long, and I'm going to stop now!  Hopefully there is something helpful in this overly-long, photo-heavy post.  Happy Hump Day, and thanks for stopping by!

Hoping Still...

Crazy week!  Are you ready for another round of Hope You Can Cling To cards?  Because I did manage a few more between all of the other stuff...

(Stamps: Stampendous Fruit of Plenty; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Papers: Stampin'Up! Apricot Appeal and Rich Razzleberry, Paper Studio Black, Prima Almanac dp; Accessories/tools: Stampin'Up! Apothecary Accents die, Fiskars slot punch, seam binding ribbon, Bic, Prismacolor and Spectrum Noir markers, Zig Painty gold pen)

The challenge from Kathleen (Kathleen Curry) was to make a card depicting something edible - "Food for the Body and Soul", and I've been waiting for a good reason to use this beautiful stamp, so there you go!  I know that there is a way to do the die cut so the image can extend beyond, but I had an epic fail there, so I've got multiple layers going on to accomplish the task...

(Stamps: Stampin'Up! True Friend, Boho Backgrounds and Day of Gratitude, Close to My Heart Goodness of Life; Ink: Stampin'Up! Pacific Point; Paper: Stampin'Up! Pacific Point, GP and Recollections white; Accessories/tools: Stampin'Up! Square Lattice embossing folder, Cuttlebug corner flourish die, Spectrum Noir markers)

Kerry (kerbear) asked us to google "mosaic tile" and create a card inspired by one of the resulting images.  I liked this one:

I found some stamps that were similar in style to some of the tiles in the pic and used similar colors, but kept it much simpler, obviously.

(Stamps: Penny Black Hugs, Stampin'Up! Double-Line Doodles; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin'Up! Strawberry Slush; Papers: Stampin'Up! Summer Picnic and My Mind's Eye Quite Contrary dp, Recollections white; Accessories/tools: Micron black pen, Specrum Noir markers, The Cat's Pajamas Framed Up dies, American Crafts ribbon)

Lisa (Shoe Girl) is all about the "HUGS!", so that was easy-peasy!  I fussy-cut the embracing mice and popped them up for a little dimension.

(Stamps: Unity, Studio G sentiment; Ink: Close to My Heart Spring Iris, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black; Paper: Stampin'Up! Pool Party, Recollections white; Accessories/tools: Spectrum Noir markers, Sakura clear glaze pen, makeup sponge)

Lori (LMcAree) reminded us that those going through cancer treatment have light days and dark days, and wanted us to represent that on our cards by using an ombre technique.  I wanted to create a resist for my vase of flowers, then sponge on the ink to create the ombre effect.  Usually I would go over the whole image with a Versamarker and clear embossing powder, but my Versamarker had outlived its usefulness and had to get tossed and I haven't replaced it yet.  I thought I'd experiment with a clear glaze pen to see if it would work, and it mostly did.  There are little gaps here and there, and little halos here and there, but overall it was reasonably successful.  The pinks in the flowers got totally lost somehow, but I'm still relatively satisfied with the card - it's at least close to the picture in my head...

(Stamps: Stampendous Damask Chair; Ink:Versafine Onyx Black, Close to My Heart Blush, Delicata Gold; Paper: Stampin'Up! Blushing Bride, Paper Studio Black, Georgia Pacific white; Accessories/tools: Detail clear embossing powder, blender pen, computer-generated sentiment (French Script font))

Gail (mamaxsix) stressed the importance of relationships in the whole big picture of cancer treatment and life in general.  There are two back stories to my card:  The first is that - back in the day - I owned a shop where I did reupholstery and such, and I had a tendency to collect chairs with the intent to rework them and send them back out into the world.  I seriously never met a chair I didn't like and, at one point, had sixty-five chairs waiting for my attention!  I felt that this affinity was explained by a Hallmark card I found one day, which had the sentiment I've used here.

Back story two: When I was staying with my mother and caring for her while she battled leukemia, I used to be up earlier than everyone else in the family (they were all on Pacific time, and I was used to Eastern, so my inner clock still woke me up three hours earlier than everyone else).  My mother would wake up early, too, and I'd sit beside her and talk until everyone else started to stir.  Those early morning moments are among my fondest memories, and always will be.  And that's the rest of the story!

(Stamps: Unity; Ink: Ranger Peeled Paint, Peacock Feathers and Wild Honey Distress Inks, Versafine Onyx Black; Paper: Manila tag, Close to My Heart Colonial White, Colorbok Summer Splash aqua, Paper Studio black, and My Mind's Eye polka dots; Accessories/tools: Ranger craft mat, Mini Mister, heat gun, Perfect Layers rulers, ribbon, brad)

Final card for today!  Angie (ohmypaper!) reminded us that "Tears Can Be a Good Thing", and asked us to use a water-based technique called "Wrinkle Free Distress" on a tag or cardstock for our card.  I'm generally reluctant (*ahem*) to try techniques, but I put my big girl panties on and gave it a go!  It's one of those techniques that has less-than-perfect results and, rather than get said panties in a twist, I decided that "good enough is good enough" and embraced the imperfections and got on with the card!

And that brings you up to speed on EVERYTHING that I've accomplished for HYCCT thus far!  I'm still eight challenges behind, but I'm thrilled that I've done as many as I have!  This is SO unusual for me!  It's been good to get back into some kind of creative groove, and it's also been good to give myself permission to not worry about things being perfect, or being behind, or any of the other things that would usually get under my skin a bit.  Baby steps, people!  Off to find something edible, and then - perhaps - make another card or two!  Thanks for stopping by!

More Hope...

I'm still behind, but also still playing along with the Hope You Can Cling To challenges.  I'm jumping around a little order-wise, because if I have an idea for one of them I have to execute it before I lose it.  Know what I mean?  So, some get skipped until the Muse strikes...  Here are a few more that I've completed:

(Stamps: Stampin'Up! To You and Yours, Nature's Christmas and French Foliage, Cloud 9 Design Christmas; Ink: Riding Hood Red; Paper: Stampin'Up! Naturals Ivory and Cherry Cobbler; Accessories/tools: ribbon, gem brad)

Paula (mrslaird) requested that we "Don't Color Between the Lines" - use any image and any ink, but don't color in the image.  I tried my hand at toile again, with better results than my previous attempt, I think...  It was kind of a lot of work (first on scrap paper to practice, then on cardstock for real) and I didn't want to cover it all up, so I just wrapped a ribbon around the panel and added a fancy-ish bow.

(Stamps: Stampin'Up! I {Love} Love, Stacey Yacula for Purple Onion Designs Star and Sky, Close to My Heart 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, unknown heart trio; Ink: Stampin'Up! Real Red and Pool Party, Memento Tuxedo Black; Papers: Stampin'Up! Real Red, Recollections white, and My Mind's Eye Quite Contrary dp; Accessories/tools: Stampin'Up! decorative label punch, ribbon)

Stacy (JBgreendawn) told of an experience that makes her incredibly grateful for the loved ones she shares her life with, and asked that we include a trio of hearts and some red in our cards - "Hearts for Hope"...  I also incorporated this week's sketch challenge in my card.

(Stamps: Stacey Yacula for Purple Onion Designs Toadstool and Tucker, Close to My Heart One-Way Backgrounds, Unity sentiment; Ink: Stampin'Up! Raspberry Ripple, Memento Tuxedo Black; Paper: Stampin'Up! Raspberry Ripple and Naturals Ivory; Accessories/tools: Colored pencils and odorless mineral spirits, LaLa Land Crafts Heart Banner die)

Jacqueline asked us to "TRASH Cancer" - use items beginning with each letter of the word "TRASH" in our card.  Here's my list:

• T - toadstool
• R - Raspberry Ripple ink and cardstock
• A - arrows
• S - snail (isn't Tucker adorable?)
• H - heart banner

I used the Gamsol Magic technique on this card.  It's quite possibly my favorite way to color images!  Very forgiving, and I just really like the look...  The heart banner was to fill the "H" requirement and to fill the empty space in that corner. :)

(Stamps: Stampin'Up! The World Over, Close to My Heart sentiment, Purple Onion Design 1 cent; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Paper: Close to My Heart Lilac Mist, Recollections white, sticker paper; Accessories/tools: Marvy Uchida postage stamp punch, baker's twine, Bic, Prismacolor and Spectrum Noir markers)

Diane (DCInkit) wanted us to go "First Class - No Extra Postage", which translates to a card that isn't lumpy/bumpy or thick or heavy.  I stamped individual kids from the "World Over" stamp onto sticker paper and punched them out with a postage stamp punch.  Flatter than flat, those!  The main panel is popped up, but only 1/16" (the postal requirements for extra postage are over 1/4"), and the twine is relatively flat and "squishy", so I think it's all good...

And my last card for today:

(Stamps: Close to My Heart Genuine Fun and Seaside, Imaginisce scooter; Ink: Stampin'Up! Blushing Bride, Pistachio Pudding, Soft Sky and Strawberry Slush, Memento Tuxedo Black; Paper: Stampin'Up! Strawberry Slush and Pool Party, Recollections white; Accessories/tools: MISTI, Spectrum Noir markers, ric rac)

Sometimes I get rid of stamps and sometimes I hang onto them, even if I'm not sure why.  I've had three of the stamps I've used on this card for FOREVER!  Seriously - the scooter and the blue and green images have been with me for YEARS and never seen ink (shame on me, I know).  The pink "Happy Place" and the "Be Right Back" are new - just got them a few months ago - and I thought that they'd be perfect for this challenge.  Kim (berlycece) asked "Can I Get a Ride?" so we were supposed to depict a mode of transportation on our cards.  I wanted to keep it light and fun, so that's why I opted for a scooter.  I used my MISTI to line everything up.  If you are unfamiliar with this fabulous tool, check it out HERE.

Well, I guess that will wrap it up for this round of cards!  I hope that your weekend is going well, and that you're taking some time to do something you love!  Catch ya later, and thanks for stopping by!

Hope You Can Cling To

That's the title of a challenge marathon that Splitcoast Stampers hosts every October for breast cancer awareness.  You can read all about it HERE and join in, if you like!  There will be a total of 40 challenges this year.  There were three on October 1, and one every day since.  We're not sure when the extras will get thrown into the mix, but it's so fun!  All of the cards will be sent to a cancer center in Texas for people to give to the patients, or for the patients to give to their loved ones, or whatever!  I'm currently six challenges behind but, since I've actually made ELEVEN cards so far, I think I should share a few:

(Stamps: WhipperSnapper Snowman in Heart Sweater, Studio G sentiment; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin'Up! Riding Hood Red; Papers: Basic Grey Nordic Holiday; Tools/accessories: Stampin'Up! Labels Collection and Deco Labels dies, Spellbinders Back to Basics tag die, SU! Festive paper piercing template, Spectrum Noir markers, Zig Painty gold pen, Micron black pen, spiral clip, baker's twine)

Lydia (UnderstandBlue) hosted the "Whatever the Weather" challenge, and asked us to make a card representing our LEAST favorite weather.  I HATE to be cold, so that's why I have a bundled-up snowman.  His clothes are all paper-pieced, and I doodled around the blue panel and added a pierced border to the white one...

(Stamps: Stampin'Up! You're Amazing, Recollections alphabet, Purple Onion Designs pointing finger; Ink: Stampin'Up! Bermuda Bay, Real Red, Crumb Cake and Memento Tuxedo Black; Papers: Stampin'Up! Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar and Fresh Prints dp; Accessories/tools: Stampin'Up! Apothecary Accents dies, Essentials Paper Piercing template, ribbon, gems, Prismacolor and Spectrum Noir markers)

Dina (Dini) wanted us to "Lend a Hand", as in use one on a card (either literally, like fingerpainting, or an image of one - I opted for the latter).  Some more piercing, some fussy-cutting, and some layering...

(Stamps: Stampingbella Uptown Girls Felicity and Blair; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Papers: Stampin'Up! Melon Mambo, Recollections Butterfly Wings, and Recollections white; Accessories/tools: Perfect Layers, Bic and Spectrum Noir and Prismacolor markers)

Lori (Stamp_Momma) wanted us to "Split the Difference" - use an image for the entire front of the card and split it with a sentiment.  I'm still not sure if she meant to actually CUT the image, but I did it this way...  Those Perfect Layers that Amber gifted me a few weeks ago?  Yup - used 'em on the card AND the banner - so much easier than trying to measure accurately and then place it accurately when you glue things together!

(Papers: Stampin'Up! Cherry Cobbler, Recollections white, K & Company Sweet Talk mat stack; Accessories/tools: Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder, Sizzix Branch with Leaves die, EK Success flower punch, Stampin'Up! Rose Red seam binding, doily, pearls, hope stick pin)

This card truly WAS a challenge for me!  Teresa (va. sunshine) thought that a freestyle collage card would be a good way to represent "Cancer FREE".  I'm not confident at all in my skills on that dealie-o, but I gave it a shot, anyway.  It turned out better than expected, but I'm not sure how "freestyle" it is...

(Stamps: Stampin'Up! Bronc Buster; Ink: Stampin'Up! Baked Brown Sugar and Cajun Craze; Papers: Stampin'Up! Naturals Ivory and Cajun Craze; Accessories/tools: Heidi Swapp edge distressing tool, makeup sponge)

Kathy (CaKath) channeled some Patty Smyth for her "I Am a Warrior" challenge - included a YouTube link and everything, lol!  She wanted us to use images that invoked strength and/or fierceness.  I don't really have anything warrior-ish, so I chose an animal that represents strength of will and lots of heart.  A little distressing and inking on the edges and I decided that was it!

(Stamps: Stampendous Calligraphy Alphabet; Ink: Hero Hues Soft Olive; Papers: Stampin'Up! Old Olive and Pink Pirouette, Best Occasions Gold, Basic Grey Sugared dp; Accessories/tools: Stampin'Up! Top Note and Apothecary Accents dies, Spellbinders ribbon banners die, Paper Studio woodgrain embossing folder, EK Success deer head punch, gold mini brads)

Since so many of those stricken with breast cancer undergo reconstructive surgery, Diane (fionna51) thought that we should be "Under Renovation", too, and re-work a card that we'd made previously.  I chose a card from last year's HYCCT challenges, since I liked the idea and parts of the execution, but always thought that it could have been done better.  This version looks more like a trophy plaque, and is far more interesting to look at.  It also photographs considerably better than the previous very pastel version.

Well, that's probably enough for tonight!  I have five more that are finished, but I'm fading fast and that will give me a reason to come back sooner, right?  Have a good one, and catch ya on the next go 'round!  Thanks for stopping by!

And so on and so on...

So, summer's over and fall is kicking in and you'd never know it by our weather - it's still in triple digits and sunshiny every day!  Of course, we ARE in a southwestern desert (just outside of Las Vegas), so I guess it goes with the territory, right?

I find myself wanting to take a road trip back to New York or something, though, in another week or two.  That's typically when the leaves are at their peak color-wise, and the air is getting brisk and cool, and things are just generally AWESOME!!!   Not too many weeks after that, though, I'd be over it and wanting to migrate back to warmer climes.  TOO MUCH cold and snow to follow...

Anyway - I guess I took a summer vacation from this blog or something like that, since my last post until this one was back in May.  Lots of busy-ness and stress and fun and a whole whack of STUFF kept me from visiting here long enough to post anything.  I didn't even post anything to my Splitcoast gallery between mid-June and today.  If you want to catch up on the stuff I made for Easter and Dare to Get Dirty and whatever, feel free to visit my gallery there.  Here's the link: gregzgurl (that's me)...

Last weekend I went to my new-ish friend's house (Amber) for a stamping day.  This is the third time I've gone, and it's always fun, I always meet new people, and I always leave with "stuff".  I have more paper than I can use in a lifetime, thanks to her generosity, and this time she gifted me the Perfect Layers Mini set that I've had on my wishlist for FOREVER!

I also met Karena, who joined us for the first time.  She had some adorable stamps (that I'd never heard of before) called Tatty Twinkles, and she let me stamp a few to play with after I got home.  I made a card yesterday with one of the images - Tatty Twinkles Halloween:

She's colored with Spectrum Noir and Bic MarkIt markers, and matted on Colorbok cardstock and Provo Craft paper (circa 2003).  I added a touch of glossy accents to her glasses, and used red Stardust glitter pen on her shoes, glasses and wand.  Every self-respecting witch needs ruby slippers, right?

The spiral clip is aslo really old (from my days as a Close to My Heart consultant).  The buttons are vintage and the purple and green ones were white until I colored them with markers.  The ribbon is from a dollar bin somewhere and the twine on the buttons is from the beading section at Walmart.  And that's the rest of the story!

In other news:  tonight is a lunar event that we will not see again until 2033 - a "super moon", "blood moon" and total lunar eclipse all happening concurrently - so you might want to check it out:  How to Watch Sunday's Rare Supermoon Eclipse.  I was alerted in an email from Alexandra Franzen, whom I've long followed and admired.  She also included this link that I found very interesting (and motivating): 7 Fiery Moves for the Aries Super Blood Moon Eclipse.  Enjoy!

Okay - I promised Greg that I would stop ignoring him and watch some football and Nascar with him, so I'm going to go do this thing.  Have a great weekend/week, and thanks for stopping by!  See you again SOON!