There's No Place Like Gnome

Veteran's Day OWH Style!

2009-11-14T10:03:00.007-06:00

Thanks for visiting my blog today. We are celebrating Veteran's Day Operation Write Home Style - by having a bloghop! Operation Write Home (formerly Cards for Heroes) collects blank handmade cards and sends them to our deployed heroes so they can keep in touch with their family and friends. OWH also collects AnyHero cards and letters - cards written TO our heroes to show our support. If you didn't start the hop from the beginning, start here so you don't miss any of the handmade goodness.

AnyHero cards can be any theme. In honor of our Vets, I made one in military fashion:

Supplies: stamps (discontinued) from The Greeting Farm, Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Copics, Cuttlebug embossing folder, misc. camouflage duct tape, jute twine, EK Success corner rounder.

Love this little guy! I hope he brings a smile to a hero's face. He was colored with Copic markers. The camouflage strip is duct tape -- I found it at The Tape Depot when I was buying ATG refills. Pretty cool I think.

My next card is for Valentine's Day. Huh? It's not even Thanksgiving yet. Well, the deadline for cards at OWH comes early, so the cards can get overseas and back in time for holidays. Many people are busy with Christmas so OWH is starting to collect them early to ensure they receive enough cards.

Supplies: Kissing Couple stamp from A Muse Artstamps, sentiment from Papertrey Ink, Copics, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Quickutz embossing folder, ribbon from Michael's.

One of my favorite color schemes is red, white and black. It doesn't work for every holiday or occasion, but I thought it would make for a cute Valentine.

Thanks for stopping by today. Your next hop stop is Kate's blog Hello from Kate. She posted early so I already saw a sneak peek of her cards. You're in for a treat - I don't want to spoil the surprise but let's say it made my head spin!

HolidayHaven at StampHaven

2009-10-31T14:37:00.002-05:00

HolidayHaven has begun over at StampHaven. It runs for two weeks from Oct. 31-Nov. 15, 2009. Lots of fun stamping challenges, and some RAKs too! Come get inky with us!

From Trash to Treasure

2009-06-07T20:05:00.007-05:00

I try to be green. From the composter in the backyard, to the rain barrel next to the house. We just bought a Neuton Lawnmower - no more gas. I have a container in my craft area I labeled "From Trash to Treasure." I save some packaging and other materials and try to re-purpose them when making cards. Here are a couple I made.

For the "Birdday" card, I used the front of the stamp package from Unity Stamps for the background. I layered a piece of glossy patterned cardstock from a Making Memories embellishment package on top. I stamped the words and birds on the glossy piece, rounded some corners, and added a ribbon and some bling. The sentiment said "Happy Birthday," but I easily changed it with a letter sticker to match the image.

Supplies Used: Unity Stamp Co. (bird stamp), Banana Frog (Happy Birthday stamp), Staz-On in Timber Brown ink; My Little Shoebox - Tiny Alpha in Chocolate Cake ("d" sticker), Kaisercraft (blue rhinestones), misc. ribbon, packaging from Unity Stamp Co. and Making Memories.

My next card has a piece I've been hoarding for a while. I used to get Studio Calico's kit of the month. One month my package contained a card that mentioned you and your friends could save on shipping if you have multiple kits shipping in one package (or something to that effect). The back of the card had such a lovely design, I had to keep it.

It's the dark-greenish piece with the colorful flowers and script. I finally decided to part with it to make an anniversary card for my parents. I ran a piece of reddish brown cardstock through my Sizzix Big Kick with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I layered a piece of Basic Grey patterned paper on it, then added the Studio Calico card. I did distress all the papers with some brown chalk ink (Colorbox Chestnut Roan). I stamped "Love" in the postage section (Banana Frog stamp, Staz-On Timber Brown ink), then wrapped some twine around. I added a few Kaisercraft pearls and voila!

Thank you!

2009-05-29T19:36:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Cards for Heroes bloghop. Wow, how amazing it was! I can't believe all the participants, and I am still shocked at all the love you left me. Thanks soooo much.

The cards made during the hop have already started to arrive with the shippers. If you haven't mailed yours in yet, please do so soon.

And a special thanks to Fabre and Sandy for all their work getting seting up the hop. Great job ladies!

Cards for Heroes Memorial Day Blog Hop!

2009-05-23T09:30:00.007-05:00

Welcome to the Cards for Heroes Memorial Day Blog Hop. If you haven't been hoppin' from the beginning, please go back and start HERE.

I first actively started making cards about 5 years ago. I like to scrapbook, and thought it was a great way to use leftover scraps and my stamps. I found Cards for Heroes on a stamping message board, and I thought it sounded like a great cause, and an excuse for me to make cards. :) I love reading the hero responses to the cards shipments they receive, or better yet their family's response to receiving a homemade card from their hero.

For the blog hop I made a vintage-inspired, patriotic themed card.

I stamped the background stars in Stampin' Up Whisper White Ink. Image and "liberty" stamped in Versafine Satin Red. The edges were inked with Colorbox Chestnut Roan chalk ink. The stars background stamp is from Unity Stamp Co., and the image and word are from Lasting Impressions with Panache. The red border is a sticker from My Mind's Eye.

Next on the blog hop...you're in for a real treat! One of my all time favorite companies Prima Marketing Company! I am a total Prima flower junkie, and I LOVE their stamps and papers too. So click HERE to continue the blog hop. (And a little tip from me - be sure to scroll down their blog and check out their new flower goodies coming soon. Yummy!) Thanks for visiting!

Did you know?

2009-05-22T22:59:00.003-05:00

Did you know that in a matter of hours over 100 individuals and companies are going to be blogging up a storm? Beginning at noon EST, Cards for Heroes is having a Memorial Day Blog Hop. Bloggers from all over the US and abroad will be posting a card and sharing why THEY participate in honoring our nation's heroes. Spreading the inspiration around just one card at a time. Several companies will be participating and offering prizes.

Wanna know who's participating:

See you soon with my blog hop post!

Unity Stamp Co. Inspirational Blog Hop!

2009-03-28T08:00:00.003-05:00

Woohoo, the blog hop is finally here! View the Inspirational Blog Hop by starting at the Unity Stamp Co. blog. I love using Unity Stamp for my scrapbook layouts and for making cards - so versatile.

Today I made a card for one of my favorite causes, Cards for Heroes. I think a soldier's family might enjoy receiving this cute card in the mail:

This mushroom stamp pairs up perfectly with the The Green Stack papers from Die Cuts With a View. I paper pieced the mushroom, and added some pearls. The tiny mushrooms were cut out of patterned paper, and the owl and branch are part of the patterned paper. Supplies: mushroom stamp from Unity Stamp Co. February 2009 Kit of the Month; patterned papers from Die Cuts With a View (background, tiny mushrooms) and My Mind's Eye (big mushroom); pearls are Kaisercraft; ink is Memento Rich Cocoa; cardstock is Bazzill; misc. jute twine.

I am a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland. Here is one of my favorite little quotes from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll: [said by the Queen of Hearts]

Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

Thanks for visiting. Now hop over to the fabulous Natalie's blog and check out what fun project she has made.

What Eva

2009-03-26T21:00:00.010-05:00

I completed a bunch of layouts from my scrapbook weekend a couple months ago. I never did upload them here, so here's a start:

Let's start with my favorite "What Eva." I got the "Whateva' stamp in Unity Stamp Co.'s Dec. 2008 kit of the month. I thought, "when will I ever use this?" Well, I know a little girl named Eva and I thought it would be a fun play on words. This is from my August 2008 trip to San Francisco.

Supplies used: Papers & cardstock from Studio Calico's November 2008 kit of the month. Patterned papers - Sassafras Lass, Collage Press (journaling scrap), "Whateva" stamp from Unity Stamp Co., Ranger Archival Black Ink, Colorbox Chalk Ink in Chestnut Roan (inked edges), Copic Markers, misc. button.

More to come...

WinterHaven at StampHaven

2009-02-16T10:24:00.007-06:00

I know I haven't blogged for quite a while. I decided to jump back in and mention the stamping fun at WinterHaven. It is hosted at StampHaven, and has lots of fun stamping challenges ranging from techniques to limited supplies to themes. Here is a link to the main thread: http://www.stamphaven.com/forum/index.php?topic=90.0.

I've been participating in the challenges and having a blast. I am hosting the "ugly paper" challenge. I mailed out packets of u-g-l-y paper and pink and green neon vellum to haveners, and they have been creating works of art. Here are my samples:

Isn't he cute? Stamp is from Prima, and I colored him with Copic markers. I'm still getting the hang of them, but they are great to use. Sentiment stamp is from Prickley Pear, flowers are from Bazzill and Prima.

Sorry the picture came out so dark on this one. I just had to create another since I am lovin' this little owl! The "ugly" patterned papers are from a DCWV Retro Paper Stack I bought a long time ago.

Lastly, I used the pink neon vellum to make a teen card for Cards for Heroes. I used black Staz-On ink since vellum is a non-porous surface. Stamps are from Inkadinkado. It's hard to tell in this picture but I distressed the edges of the black cardstock with sandpaper to reveal it's pink core. I love Co'redinations black cardstock with the colored cores! I also smudged some black Staz-On around the edges of the vellum to distress it up a bit.

That's all for now, I'll upload more projects later.

I'm getting ready....STAMPTOBERFEST

2008-10-01T10:49:00.006-05:00

I am getting ready for Stamptoberfest at Two Peas in a Bucket. I am hosting a challenge called, "You're Such a Character." Cards made for this challenge will go to Cards for Heroes. We recently had a Snoopy image swap on the 2Peas message board, so I thought this would be a great way to use some of those images.

There are many fun challenges, such as Spiders Galore, Make it Sparkle, Vintage Lace Holiday, Language of Love, and many others. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join us for Stamptoberfest! It runs from Oct. 3 - 12, 2008.

Gothic Arch - Favorite Movie Challenge

2008-09-27T14:12:00.007-05:00

This week's Gothic Arch challenge was favorite movies. One of my all time favorites is Amelie. This is my first week participating in the challenge. I had a lot of fun with it.

Moos and Inchies and Arches, Oh My!

2008-09-25T16:25:00.003-05:00

Just for fun, I decided I want to start participating in some weekly challenges. I will have to veer from my standard cards and scrapbook pages into new territory -- moos, inchies, ATCs, and gothic arches. All are pieces of art but in different size formats. Moos are 1.1" x 2.8" (about the size of a business card). Inchies are 1" squares, and twinchies are 2" squares of art. Artist Trading Cards (ATCs) are 2.5" x 3.5" (about the size of a playing card). These have 'strict rules' where they can be traded but never sold. And gothic arches, are, well, arch shaped, but the size may vary. All of these can be used on cards (or you can make arch shaped cards like Kristin).

I am hoping to get some done and posted soon. This week's Gothic Arch Challenge is your favorite movie (also hosted by Kristin). I'm not going to tell you which movie, but I will give you a hint - there is a gnome. :)

And the Winner Is....

2008-09-19T16:22:00.005-05:00

Using random.org, the winning poster is poster #1. Congratulations Sandy, you are the winner of the blog candy!

I am amused - Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator

2008-09-17T10:47:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure why I am so amused by this, but I am. There is a blog that has a Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator. She has such unusual names for her kids, and this site will tell you what your name would have been if she was your mother.

http://politsk.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah_13.html

My name is Filter Skate Palin. :)

No Cuttlebug, but you still want to use the embossing folders?

2008-09-16T10:50:00.003-05:00

I have not tried this myself, but...I have heard that some people use a rolling pin with their embossing folder. Yes, a rolling pin, the long round wooden thing in your kitchen collecting dust. Now you can finally put it to good use. Place the paper/cardstock in the embossing folder and start rolling over it.

So if you don't have a die cut machine, give it a try!
{or even if you do have a machine, it might be a fun experiment. ;) }

ETA: If you want to see all the folders available, check out the Provo Craft website. I bought my Halloween folders online from Scrapyland.

Cuttlebug & Core'dinations

2008-09-14T22:42:00.011-05:00

First post on my blog, and I have decided to jump right in with a little tutorial. No stamping on my examples, but you could easily incorporate stamped images.

I bought a pack of Core'dinations Black Magic cardstock from Joann.com. The cardstock is black, with a colored core. So if you tear it, or sand it, you can see the color inside. When I saw it, I thought it would be great to use with the Cuttlebug embossing folders and sandpaper. I made a few Halloween cards for one of my favorite organizations, Cards for Heroes.

I used a sheet of core-dinations with a purple core and the Cuttlebug Spiderweb embossing folder (sorry, the cardstock looks a little pink in the picture).

I ran it through my Sizzix Big Kick. The black side of the cardstock should be raised or embossed.

Then I sanded it.

Here is an after and before look at the sanded web:

I used the Quickutz Revolution spider die and cut it out with the reverse side of a piece of Core'dinations cardstock.

And here is the final card. I used foam dots behind the spider to give him some lift.

Here is another card I made with the same technique. The ghost & pumkin die is from Bosskut. I used foam dots behind the pumpkin and the ghost's arm.

Thanks for visiting my new blog. I'm offering a little blog candy, a new Cuttlebug Spiderweb embossing plate. Leave a comment (or just say hi) and I will choose one person at random on the evening of Friday, September 19th, 2008.