Paper Canoes

Back at it...

2010-11-11T17:01:00.003-06:00

Finally things have slowed down...and I have found time to use my scrapping stuff! Found a few fun sheets of coordinating DP and hauled out some old stamps, bought a new one, and the ideas began flowing. Here is what I have to show for the last 24 hours...not much...but I am glad to be back at it! The stamps in the top one are from a Unity Stamp Co Kit of the Month, I think it was February of 2010, the middle one is from My Favorite Things, and the bottom card was made with a new Itty Bitty set, also from Unity, sold at Archiver's. Coloring was all done with Copics...lots of sewing, layering, and nestabilities, and my windowsill is lined with some cheery cards to inspire me to get moving on some more projects!

Things just gotta match!!

2010-02-17T16:18:00.012-06:00

I have been looking for a better solution than CD cases for my clear and unmounted stamps for some time, and I am thrilled that Stampin' Up sells these clear ones in bulk. They latch shut so I will never lose another micro-Papertrey stamp because it wasn't stuck down securely, and they fit cling stamps on BOTH sides without crushing them. But my one reservation was that I like all of my sets to look somewhat uniform, so I copied the font and layout of the SU clear stamp labels and dusted off my Microsoft Publisher skills, and made some labels!

I stole a few images from the websites if available, (this really doesn't give me any guilt...I bought their stamps already!) and copied the photo onto the label. This one I am showing you is for my case for Whipper Snapper chickens, if I ever get more, I can print a sheet for the back, or even stamp the reverse of the label with the new stamps.

So, I printed it out and trimmed it down to size, then I added a decorative strip of DP. At first, I was going to make them all the same color, but then decided that I kind of like the idea of a bunch of fun papers, and this way I *might* remember what color a set is, so I can find it faster.

Next I scored the spine edge, and voila!

A perfect label...clean and simple, and best of all easy! With about 50 sets to go, I shouldn't be here typing away, but I wanted to share my idea. If you have MS Publisher, just send me an email at papercanoes@gmail.com and I would be glad to share the file and trimming instructions with you!

Non-Stamping Project!

2009-11-05T16:02:00.002-06:00

This is my other project...meet Willow, one of our little hedgehogs! We have 4 hedgies now, and eventually we will be having baby hedgies!! I used to raise them years ago, and recently went to Kansas to pick up these little prickly things. Willow is a Cinnacot Pinto, a fairly rare color, which makes her seem softer than she really is!

Anyway, I thought I would share a little part of my world that is not stamping related! Though I do actually have some paper-crafting ideas for decorating the outsides of the cages with name labels. :)

Baby Thank-yous

2009-11-03T23:03:00.007-06:00

I am so excited to be stamping again! I just did this set of 12 thank-you cards for a shower gift. Of course it's a baby girl...and the mom is an adorable trendy girl, so pink and brown just seemed to be perfect! I changed them all up a tiny bit with the die cuts and embossing folders, but theyare mainly unform in appearance. Pink Pirouette is the embossed base, with Choc Chip frames and Java Versamagic ink just makes the bunny (CTMH) look soft! A little ribbon and a brad, with PTI Mixed Messages sentiments complete this little gift set. The only thing better than an adorable, fun card, is a whole pile of them! I just loved doing these, and had to share pics of them in progress, as well as the completed collection before boxing them up. I am decorating a gable box to match for them to go in...hopefully I will love that too when it's done...if so, I will post pics! Just buyinga dozen stamps, and a cute brown gel pen to throw in, and it's a cute, useable baby gift! :)

More pics of my end of the family room!

2009-10-29T14:43:00.001-05:00

I'm Back!!

2009-10-29T14:27:00.003-05:00

Ok...NOW the basement is done! We finally put the floor and lighting in, and so all I have left to do is find time to use this fun space!! I began college this fall, and with all the projects...well, scrapping has taken a back seat. I have quite a few ideas I will be jumping into next week, though!! So back to SCS looking for more inspiration!

Garden Boot

2009-08-14T10:34:00.004-05:00

It's great to be creating again...now I remember how I came up with ideas...once I make one card then I end up using the same stamp set again, or scraps left over and it's a never-ending cycle! I love it! I just did this card for the Splitcoast challenge to do a summer activity theme, and since I still had the Papertrey set out, I went with gardening of course! I love these colors, Ruby Red and a minty-aqua, the inks are Versamagic brick Red and Aqua. A little sewing, a little ribbon and a button, and it's done!

Sweet Pea

2009-08-13T23:04:00.002-05:00

Finally, I am creating again! I found inspiration in this weeks Sketch & CAS Challenges on Splitcoast and came up with this simple summer card! The stamps are Papertrey Green Thumb, and the paper is SU Celery and Wasabi. I added a few dew drops for the peas and it really made it come alive! This was my first time trying a different brand of embossing folders, both the dot backgrounds were done with Quickutz folders. They seem to leave a shallower but sharper impression than the Cuttlebug brand, but I love what they have come up with and will definitely be buying more! Anyway, this would be a great card as a thank-you for some garden veggies (I do have someone in mind!!), or even a baby card!

We finished my Scrapping Room!!

2009-08-10T09:50:00.013-05:00

Ok it's not completely done, but I have my space ready to use! The only thing left is to add a chandelier over the table, and we just painted the floor for now. I am also going to put the SU *Create Definition* decal on the empty wall above my counter. It's been over 4 months since I have had all my stuff unpacked, and I can't wait to get creating, but I thought I better do the photos now, since it won't be this tidy again for a while!

This is my end of the basement family room, the photo below is the view from my *work* space. I love that we can all be in the same room together, each doing our own thing. I will do most of my creating at the counter, but if

I need more space or have friends over to scrap, we can use the table. And then if we have company I can stash my tools away and use the counter for a buffet and the table for kids to eat at or play games.

I found the set of cabinets on craigslist for just $100 for both, and the 12' countertop was a stock item at Menards for $50. The left cabinet was placed away from the side wall to cover a poorly placed pipe in the floor, we cut out the back to fit over it and it's all hidden away now, plus it left a handy space that just happened to fit my punch drawers! I had the bookcases before, but they are from Ikea as well as the baskets and worklamp. The dining set was another craigslist find for $150 with 8 chairs! Overall a few super deals made this a great stamping area! Our entire house has a cabin-y decor going on, so I wanted to make this area fit in, but still be functional...I think it works well!

Anyway, we leave for vacation Monday and I will be back in the stamping world like crazy soon after! I can't wait to dive into my new space and start sharing creations again!

It has to get worse...

2009-07-16T08:57:00.003-05:00

...before it gets better!

I am posting this for my own motivation to finish the job! If I say it should be done within a week, then I will work hard to make sure it happens! We have finished all of the sheetrocking, and it's all taped, with the first horrible coat of mud on. I have all my scrapping stuff either wrapped in plastic or moved to the garage, so there is no creativity whatsoever until this is DONE! I really miss my workspace, and can't wait to have this completed. I need the *me* time to recover a little sanity each night with the kids home for the summer. :) Well, back to work...

Western Memories

2009-06-30T11:25:00.003-05:00

So my room isn't done, but I do have a countertop to work on! Here is my first creation since the move! I made this as a sympathy card for someone who LOVES horses and recently lost her father. I used the Wanted set from SU, and Define Your Life...tried to keep it somewhat simple with the muted colors of Close to Cocoa and Baja Breeze. After a lot of ink distressing and some embellishments, I really like it...hope she does too!

My Space is Under Construction!

2009-06-15T10:31:00.005-05:00

Finally! I have a space to call 'my own'!

It's not finished, but the plan is coming together and the supplies are all purchased, now we just need to find time to actually complete the work. This is one end of the family room in the basement, the wall where the bookcases are is 11' and the space I am taking up on the window wall is 12'...so it's bigger than the dining area I was using before! And did I mention, it's MINE? :) I found this dining set on Craigslist for $150...with 8 chairs! I was going to paint it black, but if I leave it as-is, I don't care what happens to it. DH is adding a chandelier over the table, and it's going to double as a fun class or workspace for friends, as well as a game/entertaining table for company. The maple cabinets were another CL find...$100 for both! The will provide some much-needed storage as well as supporting my 12' countertop, with a space at one end for a built-in garbage, and then a space for a stool or two underneath. This is going to be a great place to set out my die-cutting tools and other items I had to stow away before!

And the best thing is, this is still part of the family room, so I can work on projects and still be 'with' the group! There is a lot of finishing work to be done in the whole room...it measures 33' by 14.5' overall, so I am dreading the taping and mudding job ahead of me, but I am anxious to get it done and feel like I can relax with my scrapping stuff again! So, with a deck, landscaping and this project going on, it may be a while before I am actually back on SCS! Hopefully within a month or so! The joke at our house when we start a project is that 'It will be done at six-thirty.' 6/30/09...haha! Some days it's looking more like seven-fifteen though! Happy scrapping everyone! Thanks for letting me share...sharing an unfinished project gives me the motivation needed to get it done! And thank you all so much for your inspiration...without you posting pics of your amazing spaces, I would not have had half of the wonderful ideas to make this space work for me!

We're Moving!!

2009-04-13T12:26:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't updated in a while...and thanks to those of you who have emailed your concern, but all is OK! :) We are just in the process of moving to a new house....where I will HAVE MY OWN SCRAP ROOM! Yay!! Along with all the projects, packing, cleaning, painting, unpacking, decorating, landscaping, fixing, and trying to keep up on life, I will be out of the scrapping world for a couple months! But when I am back, I will be back with a pile of projects and room to have all my tools out at once!! Woohoo! (To quote Spongebob!) Have a fun summer everyone, hopefully I will be back in the loop before fall!

I did get time to take a few pictures yesterday! These are some Trumpeter Swans that are visiting a small lake nearby. They are a rare sight around here!

Snail Mail

2009-03-07T16:52:00.002-06:00

These stamps are from A-Muse...I love their stamps, they are so fun and whimsical! This card made me smile...so I thought I would share it. It's a very basic layout that works with so many images and sentiments! The stitching around the background paper adds a lot of texture, and the twine, ribbon and button pull the whole thing together.

Tire Swing

2009-03-07T14:03:00.002-06:00

This is one of those new Stampin' Up sets I just had to have, but it's hard to use such a large image. This set with the tree is called Branch Out, the sentiment is from Trendy Trees. I used a lot of distressing, some felt ribbon and twine for texture. The red bird was an afterthought, but it just finished the whole thing off, without the bird it seemed too boring. Overall it's simple, but I like it!

Have An Ice Day!

2009-03-06T13:12:00.002-06:00

I did this card for the Limites Supplies Challenge today on SCS. The limited supply was TIME. We were challenged to do a card in under 30 minutes, and this is what I came up with. I used scraps in my bin, and picked one of the new stamps laying on my table that was easy to color, not much to it! The image is from a new Stampin' Up set called Animal Crackers. The whole thing could be done in less time if I wasn't trying to think about it so much! I really love this background paper from Crate Paper...time to see if I can find more of that!

Together in all Weather

2009-02-27T09:18:00.002-06:00

It was snowing like crazy yesterday, so I had fun escaping into this springtime card. I just colored the images and then built up from there with papers that worked. The colors are Marigold Morning and Riding Hood Red (both SU). The stamps are all from a Stampendous Changito Set that was exclusive to Archivers. I love how cheery and happy it turned out!

Hang In There

2009-02-23T11:26:00.004-06:00

I did this one for a Split Coast Inspiration Challenge...where we were challenged to find inspiration in an exhibit to support breast cancer. I had to use pink of course, and this image was perfect for it! The colors are Pink Pirouette and Regal Rose...with a little gray. The flowers are all punches, some embossed with the Quickuts Curlz die, and then I added pearls to the centers. This was a fun one!! Just need to find someone to send it to!

Copic Comparison Chart

2009-02-17T20:48:00.006-06:00

This is my personal hand-color chart that I have filled in with my markers. It was done on Papertrey Stamper's Select Cardstock, each box was colored with one layer of Copic ink. Tt is purely for reference between one color and another. Since all monitors are different, please do not use this as a true color sample for ordering Copics. It is intended for use to compare similarities in colors and shades of one vs another. B60 is there...just that pale that it hardly shows up...some other light ones are less obvious, like RV000, RV00, R00, BG000, B00, G40, V91...all colored in, but they are very light colors. I will update this as I add to my collection, but hopefully this will be of some help! (Click on the photo for the LARGE version.)

The blank chart can be found here if you would like to make your own!

Monogrammed & Embossed

2009-02-17T13:51:00.004-06:00

Our family was recently shown a huge amount of kindness and generosity by someone, and I really wanted to do some kind of very special THANK YOU! So this is what I came up with...a set of three of these cards, blank inside with the Monogrammed front. All I know about their style is what my husband told me....they had silvery blue walls, and their furniture was elegant/traditional. Hopefully they will like them...nothing worse than trying to thank someone with something they don't like. :) So...this card is actually quite simple...two different embossed panels with ribbons around the seam. And then just dressed up the die-cut 'S' with some punches and silver ink. I love how it turned out!

Ahoy Sailor

2009-02-14T10:45:00.002-06:00

I just love how this little card turned out, so I thought I would post it today. I recently started a little Etsy shop, and my aunt was kind enough to give me a little boost and ordered 3 of my cards! She and my uncle spend their free time on their sailboat, so I did this card as a thank you for supporting my little venture. It's a smaller size 3.5" x 5"...and the images are from Papertrey Ink. I had the rope lying on my table from my last project and thought it was a perfect addition to the nautical feel. I just might have to make more of this one!

Cured Yet?

2009-02-14T10:37:00.002-06:00

I did this card by following a sketch (layout) to apply to be on a design team for an adorable stamp company. Being on a design team means you get to create samples using the stamps from a particular company in order to promote their product. I haven't done that before, but it really sounds like fun, especially since the style of their stamps is right up my alley! I used a Stampin' Up image for this one, and some Basic Grey Papers. I colored the image with Copics and tried to keep the rustic theme of the pig by adding some rope and pewter hardware. I really love how this turned out...but it's pretty hard to beat a farm animal and red on one project...some of my favorites to work with!

Spring Time for You

2009-02-13T13:26:00.002-06:00

Another spring
card! This one is clean and fresh...back to some basics! The stamps are from the Stampin' Up set called Time for You. I colored the image with copics and then embossed the edge and popped it up without a frame. The tag was done the same way with some ribbon accents added. A few punched flowers with brad centers finish it off! The simplicity of the background really shows off the main image.

Right Shoes?

2009-02-13T08:43:00.003-06:00

I'm feeling spring-y with the snow starting to melt and March just around the corner! This is a simple card, inspired by the Crate Paper background. I used Versamagic ink for the boot and sentiment, it's so soft looking! The white velvet ribbon has a faux bow held on with a red and silver brad, and the red flower is just a punch of Ruby Red CS and then embossed with a mini Quickutz Goosebumpz die. Looks like spring!

Caffienated Bunnies

2009-02-10T14:39:00.003-06:00

I had to try out this new MFT set (Tea for Two) and Spellbinders Tag Dies that came today! It's a simple basic layout, but it turned out cute! I got the idea for the tag ribbons from Cindy Haffner on SCS...she does some amazing cards! Anyway, I colored the little bunnies with Copics and added some liquid applique to the tail. A Prima flower and swiss dotted embossed background stitched to the base completes the cute & simple look!

Gray Skies

2009-02-08T11:22:00.002-06:00

I created this card for the My Favorite Things Guest Designer Challenge. The requirements were to use any combination of Pink, White, Gray, Black and Brown. I actually was able to get them all in there with the little bits of brown on the dog! Another request was something to make the girls at MFT say *Wow!*. I tried with this one...and whether or not it makes it, this was so fun to do! I love it! The colors are so soft...I used Pink Pirouette, Basic Gray, and some SU DP on the background with the tiniest pink flowers. Adding some dotted ribbon over the swiss dotted embossed strip and scallops everywhere made this card so feminine. The dots were drawn in by hand on the coat, and pearly trim, dew drops and Primas dressed it all up!

Lovebirds for Friend

2009-02-07T10:42:00.003-06:00

I had to dive into that new *Love You Much* bundle that came from Stampin' Up! I normally don't like hearts, but I LOVED the colors in this! Red, chocolate and pink on vanilla...so soft and happy! Anyway, I stamped the birds with chocolate and colored them with copics, then framed them in scallops. The hearts have white gel pen accents and are popped up for extra dimension. This is a really easy card, but it makes me smile!!

Wake Up!!

2009-02-04T13:39:00.003-06:00

I had fun coloring this new Fluffles the Cat image but couldn't quite figure out what to do with it after that. My new papers came from SU the other day, and this dotted one seemed to work with the kitty! So finally, here is what I came up with. I added the Prima hydrangeas with Dew Drop centers, and the sheer ribbon, and it made me smile...so I decided on the Laughter sentiment from SU. What a fun card to send to that friend who is *NOT* a morning person!

Pewter Cocktails

2009-01-30T09:23:00.003-06:00

I really love how these colors work together, yet are really non-traditional chicken colors! The background is Crate Paper, and then I added some Basic Gray and Soft Sky cardstock. The roosters were colored with copics, with a little glitter added to their cocktail glasses. I stitched the image to its fram as well as framed the background. The jumbo brads appear to go through the whole card, but they are only through the top layer leaving a space to hide the ribbon ends. A little pewter hodgepodge and these funky chickens are *almost* classy!

My Stamp Inventory

2009-01-29T10:38:00.018-06:00

I finally got this done! This is my little stamp book with every stamp I own inside. I did a 6x6 size since almost every set I have fits on a sheet of paper that size, so each page would have it's own set, and with smaller sets there are 2 or three on a page. After stamping ALL 170-some sets of images (here is the one time I am thankful that I don't have as many as everyone else), I bound it all together with my Bind-it-All. I did leave some blank pages in sections where I knew I would buy more stamps, as well as the backs of a lot of pages to add similar sets where they fit in. The hole spacing is the same as the SU binding punch though, too, so it would be easy to add more pages later. Though this binding wire won't fit any more pages...so I would just take it apart when I outgrow it and make two...one for SU and one for all other brands. All of the pages are cardstock, so there is no bleeding through.

I added basic tabs with my SU Tab Punch for each general Stampin' Up theme. And then each other company has a tab if there is more than one set. Finally, there is one section of odds and ends marked 'Other'.

I laid out the pages so that any sets that had another very similar or matching set were facing each other. Also the wheels were stamped on small (less than half) sheets and then added in with the sets that they worked with.

Backgrounds were stamped on these smaller sheets as well, and if they went with a specific set (ie: Chicken Wire with Best of Cluck) I put them in with it, and the remainder of the backgrounds have their own section.

Ink Pad Storage Unit

2009-01-28T12:58:00.006-06:00

I got the idea for this from similar units that were being sold on Ebay. I needed my ink storage to fit inside a specific space on a shelf, so my husband helped (ran the table saw) make this one exactly how I needed it. The SU ink pads fit perfectly, with just enough sticking out the front to let you get a good hold on the thumb grips to pull one out. They have little room to move around so they always look nice and straight. I had been asked how we did this, and I have to say I didn't create any actual plans, but I have decided to post the basic directions on how we did this and the measurements for you girls to give to your handy husbands. :)

You can definitely modify this to fit the space you need. We bought 1x4 pine and 1/8" masonite, it was the same thing the peg boards are made from only without the holes...I am pretty sure it's called masonite anyway. Decide how many rows wide x how many columns and multiply this for your total in compartments. We cut the masonite into 4 1/8 x 3 1/4" squares (one for each compartment minus however many columns wide you are making it. You cut the 1x4 the same number of inches as the rows you decided on, and you cut one more than the # of columns. Mine is 4 columns of 13 rows...so we cut 5 1x4s at 13 inches long. We ripped these down to 3.25" wide, and then routed them with the table saw blade at every inch slightly over 1/8" deep. All but two get routed on both sides, and the last two just one side (these are the outsides). Then we fit all the little shelves in (pound with a rubber mallet...it's a tight fit) squared it off and air-nailed a full-width 1x4 cut with a slight overhang to the top and bottom. We added a square of masonite to the back too.

I am trying to get DH to help with a new one as I recently ran out of space! So make it BIG enough the first time!

Monkeys in the Rain

2009-01-27T12:13:00.003-06:00

Just a fun
happy card...
I had to use this monkey image and decided to color it to coordinate with the background paper. Added some scallops and punched holes in them to make them more notieable I sewed the background on the base and popped the image up. I added some Glossy Accents to the rain and water, and a few dew drops. The sheer ribbon ties it all up! What a fun card to cheer someone up!

Copic Matches for Stampin' Up Colors

2009-01-25T10:37:00.013-06:00

First of all...these are my personal choices for matches I have done IN PERSON. I did one layer of Copic ink on Papertrey Ink White Cardstock. The matching was done by holding the sample up to both the SU Marker and the SU Cardstock of the coordinating color. So, the results could be different if you use another brand of white CS. In the event of the match being in between shades, I chose the lighter one since a second layer of Copic would match it right up. Some SU colors have no exact match, these are created by TWO layers of Copics. One of the colors mentioned will not match by itself. In this photo you can see what I mean by this, the two smaller birds were colored with G21 and BG93 separately, neither is a perfect match for the Sage Shadow color, but when layered on each other in the larger bird, it looks just right!

So, here are my choices for Copic colors to match SU colors:

Current Colors
Almost Amethyst - B63 Light Hydrangea
Always Artichoke - G99 Olive
Apricot Appeal - YR21 Cream
Ballet Blue - B23 Phtalo Blue

Barely Banana - Y11 Pale Yellow
Bashful Blue - B32 Pale Blue
Blush Blossom - E00 Skin White
Bordering Blue - B91 Pale Grayish Blue (Add N2 over it for a perfect match)
Bravo Burgundy - E09 Burnt Sienna over R59 Cardinal
Brilliant Blue - B18 Lapis Lazuli
Brocade Blue - B34 Manganese Blue
Cameo Coral - R22 Light Prawn

Certainly Celery - *** I found that G12 was not quite right, currently looking for the perfect match.

Chocolate Chip - E49 Dark Bark
Close to Cocoa - E74 Cocoa Brown

Creamy Caramel - E33 Sand
Elegant Eggplant - V09 Violet
Gable Green - YG06 Yellowish Green
Garden Green - YG67 Moss
Glorious Green - G17 Forest Green

Green Galore - G14 Apple Green
Handsome Hunter - G29 Pine Tree Green
Lavender Lace - BV02 Prune
Lovely Lilac - BV17 Deep Reddish Blue
Mellow Moss - BG93 Green Gray
More Mustard - YR23 Yellow Ochre
Night of Navy - B39 Prussian Blue
Not Quite Navy - B97 Night Blue
Old Olive - YG95 Pale Olive
Only Orange - YR68 Orange
Orchid Opulence - V15 Mallow
Pale Plum - V95 Light Grape
Perfect Plum - BV13 Hydrangea Blue over BV25 Grayish Violet
Pink Passion - RV25 Dog Rose Flower
Pixie Pink - RV13 Tender Pink

Pretty in Pink - R32 Peach

Pumpkin Pie - YR16 Apricot
Real Red - R29 Lipstick Red
Really Rust - E08 Brown
Regal Rose - R85 Rose Red

Rose Red - R37 Carmine
Ruby Red - E07 Light Mohogany

Sage Shadow - BG93 Green Grey over G21 Lime Green

So Saffron - Y21 Buttercup Yellow

Summer Sun - Y17 Golden Yellow
Taken with Teal - BG49 Duck Blue
Tempting Turquoise - BG05 Holiday Blue

Yo Yo Yellow - Y15 Cadmium Yellow

2007 In Colors
Buckaroo Blue - B95 Light Grayish Cobalt
Cool Caribbean - BG45 Nile Blue
Cranberry Crisp - N2 over R37 Carmine
Marigold Morning - Y38 Honey
True Thyme - YG97 Spanish Olive
Vintage Violet - BV29 Slate

2008 In Colors
Blue Bayou - BG75 Abyss Green

Soft Sky - BG10 Cool Shadow

Wild Wasabi - YG63 Pea Green

River Rock - YG91 Putty

Groovy Guava - R02 Flesh

Purely Pomegranate - R39 Garnet

2009 In Colors
Baja Breeze - BG72 Ice Green
Kiwi Kiss - YG03 Yellow Green (a little bright alone, add YG95 over it for closer match)
Pacific Point - B06 Peacock Blue
Pink Pirouette - RV00 Pinkish White
Riding Hood Red - R29 Lipstick Red
Tangerine Tango - YR07 Cadmium Orange

Neutrals
Basic Black - 110 Special Black
Basic Gray - C7 Cool Gray No. 7

Going Gray - N2 Neutral Gray No. 2
Kraft - E43 Dull Ivory
Sahara Sand - W3 Warm Grey No. 3
Very Vanilla - E30 Bisque

Just Chicken In

2009-01-22T15:23:00.002-06:00

I have neglected my blog for over a week, so I have decided to make today *Chicken Day* and add three of my latest creations at once! All three of these chicken stamps are from Whipper Snapper. On this one I used the SU Chicken Wire background stamp, and embossed it in Distress Weathered Wood embossing powder...if you feel it, it's just like real chicken wire! The sentiment is also from SU (Best of Cluck), and it's framed in pewter hodgepodge. The image was colored with copics, and I used a mini pearl to make the flower pop. Well, enough with the chickens for today...hope you find inspiration in one of these clucky creations!

Hen & Eggs

2009-01-22T15:17:00.003-06:00

My Whipper Snapper chicken stamps arrived last week and I had to try them all out! The one is bigger than I expected it to be, so it really doesn't leave much room for a lot of embellishing. The bowl of eggs reminded me of life on the farm, and I kind of went with a bright country cafe style with this. Just a happy, fun, good-for-any-occasion card for a chicken lover!

Chicken Soup

2009-01-22T15:09:00.004-06:00

Yep, I love chickens! What a cute take on Chicken Soup from Whipper Snapper. This card is another simple one...the image is colored with Copics and sewn onto a mat. The whole thing is popped up on a chicken wire background with a scalloped edge. The ribbon is tied underneath with a flower overlapping all. The cardstock and ribbon colors are Stampin' Up Purely Pomegranate and Soft Sky. This cheerful Get Well card should make someone smile!

Starting With Copics

2009-01-11T10:38:00.007-06:00

Let me start out by first saying that I am NO Copic expert! For detailed information on how to color with these magical markers, please click on the link to the left which will lead you to the Ilikemarkers blog. Marianne is the copic expert! I just see a lot of questions from stampers on SCS asking which Copics to start with when they make their first purchase. So I put together a list my of most-used favorites. Again, these are MY favorites, and everyone has their own style and taste, so they me be all wrong for you! I love more subtle rustic colors, and tend to stay away from brights, so these colors are more muted. They are also fairly versatile selections. This is a basic starting-off point, to which you will be adding to as you branch off into your own style.

This collection starts with the basics, a colorless blender and C1 for light shadows and outlining. BG000 is a watery outline color with a bit of blue-green tint. E41 is a great white color for outlining things that should remain white.

For browns E21 (skin) and then the 2 in that row, E25 (nice medium brown) and E27 (plain brown) are the colors I often choose for coloring trees, dirt, hair and my brown monkeys too. I use E31 a lot...it's a beig-y sandy color. A lighter pinker skin is E00 which is usually the go-to skin color.

For greens...most used are the G20's: G20, G21, G24 and a little G28 (same as 29 so don't bother with both)...I usually use these on grass, leaves and trees.

Favorite blues are the B90's: B91, B93, B95 and B97. These have a soft denim appearance...but work with almost anything I need a blue for. I use BG72 a lot too with these blue colors or on its own for dark water.

Yellow-orange...good basics to start with are Y23, Y38 and YR68...this offers a soft yellow, dark yellow and an orange.

Reds...this one is tough...I use so many! To start with though, I would go with the R20's...all of them. This gives a nice blendable range from soft pink to a red.

These colors will offer options for blending with each other as well as great colors to use alone and for shadows. As you start buying Copics you will quickly find out which ones you need next! And, yes, you just might *need* them all!

Copic & Ribbon Storage

2009-01-09T11:44:00.003-06:00

I have had a few questions about how I store my ribbon and my Copic markers, so I have added a close-up of this little space. (Click on the photo for a larger version.) The black storage compartments are actually 3 separate Quickutz Magpie Storage units. This photo shows one of them, all three are mounted to the wall together to look like one piece. Under that I strung an Ikea curtain wire, and all of the ribbons hang from clips. This works great, since I can pull out any strand of ribbon to lay across my project to decide if it will work. There is no time spent unrolling and rolling it back up if I change my mind. Right now I have about 150 Copics in this unit, and there is room for about 50 more, but they are difficult to pull out when it gets crowded, so maybe this will prevent me from adding to my collection! I hope?

Stamping in the Kitchen

2009-01-05T08:56:00.011-06:00

I wish I had my own room just for stamping...but since that's not an option right now, I use the kitchen table as my workspace. I was determined to keep it looking like a dining area, without my supplies taking completely over, and I have been asked a few times how I do this. Well, for one, it IS taking over...but when everything is put away, it still looks *mostly* like a dining room.

First of all, I bought the tallest widest bookshelves I could fit on the one wall (Ikea - $80 x 2), and then a bunch of wicker baskets (also Ikea) to fill some of the shelves. I use 4 of the baskets to store my wood block stamps, which are mostly SU organized by flowers, animals, sentiments, and elements. One basket is for other brands, and one is for my Big Shot. The last basket stores larger tools, my work mat, and my folding trimmer fits in there too! I use mag files (Ikea again) laying on their back for my 8.5 x 11 cardstock on the top shelf, and then I have 12 x 12 paper trays (Display Dynamics) for all of my patterned papers.

My husband helped build an ink pad holder that fits perfectly in the top shelf, which makes all of the pads easily accessible by just turning around. My table is counter-height, which makes it so easy to stand and grab items I need without getting up and down from a regular height table. Just about everything is right behind me as I work. The tool carousel (Makeing Memories) was one of the best purchases, since it fits almost everything I use all the time, and I can just pull it out and set it on the table, as well as my trimmer, Big Shot, Revolution and Scor-Pal. Set-up really only takes about 2 minutes, it's cleanup that I don't look forward to! I store most of my dies and my Copics and Stickles in the black storage units (Quickutz Magpie) on the wall, and I hung a curtain wire underneath it with clips for my ribbons. Since I was running out of room, I bought the little rolling plastic cart that just barely fit in the corner. The drawers store my smaller ink pads, punches, SU wheels, clear envelopes and packaging, and background stamps. Above that I hung a CD rack to hold my clear and unmounted stamp cases.

Across the room
I have a tall dresser that fits a lot of odds and ends, like ribbon on spools (I put one yard of everything on the clips), scrapbook albums (the drawers are 13x13 inside!) as well as my cuttlebug and all of the embossing folders, and all of my heat embossing tools and supplies.

Right now

my Cricut is banished to the laundry room (right around the corner) where I have a large solid shelf that allows me to use it without moving it around. I also store my in-progress scrapbooks in there near it.

So...until I get my own room...this is *my stamping space*. Yep, we spend a lot of evenings eating dinner together around the coffee table or in the family room. But I *can* put it all away and we have our dining room back!

Surfing Penguin

2009-01-04T09:54:00.003-06:00

A summer card in the middle of winter! I got this little Surf Shop stamp from Amuse and thought it went perfectly with the surfing penguin from SU's Penguin Paradise. The background paper is Crate Paper brand, and I pulled the colors from that to color the images. I added Glossy Accents to the windows and the water to make them look *real* and then tied the background up with a bunch of coordinating ribbons. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. I love how this turned out, but it's making me sick of the snow, and it's only January!

Alpine Ski Hut

2009-01-03T13:41:00.003-06:00

This image is from Amuse Art Stamps, and it turned out so neat with Liquid Applique *Snow* and Crystal Effects *Glass* windows, that I decided to keep the rest of the card very plain, so it wouldn't draw attention away from it. I used the snowflake Cuttlebug embossing folder and a pewter snowflake brad on the white background, and framed that in dark gray. I added a bunch of slate-colored ribbons for som extra texture. This would be a fun card for a Skier for almost any occasion.

Crazy Monkeys

2009-01-03T10:40:00.002-06:00

These monkeys are so fun! This image is called Changito Amigos from Stampendous. I colored it with Copics and then added Glossy Effects (Ranger) to the spit and the tongue to make it stand out. Nothing like coloring monkey spit! :) I kept the overall look fairly simple, but zig-zag stitching the image and the background paper added some texture. The cocoa frame is popped up for some dimension and the sentiment just kind of slapped on to go with the *crazy* theme.

Farm House

2009-01-01T14:27:00.011-06:00

This house is an image that really didn't look like it could turn into anything special! I am sharing a *before* pic to show how simple it really is. I love red houses...so I decided to start there. I ended up leaving the trim white, and making the roof charcoal gray, and then framed the image in dark gray cardstock. I used a dark red background that I Cuttlebug embossed with a stripe pattern and turned it sideways to micmic the siding on the house. The windows were colored with a light yellow and then covered with Glossy Accents (Ranger) so they look like glass. The ribbon goes through the

image panel and then I added the

sentiment near the bottom to balance it out and give it a *theme*. This one would work as a thank you card for a dinner or even for weekend host(ess). :)

Pink Chocolate

2008-12-31T17:10:00.004-06:00

Finally a baby stamps set that I love!! This one is from Papertrey Ink and it's called Bitty Baby Blessings. I colored the onesie with copics, and layered it on a Chocolate Chip scalloped rectangle which I embossed with the Swiss Dots CB folder. The background is Pink Pirouette with Chocolate Chip polka dots, and this was stitched to the card base. The sentiment is framed with the Scallop Circle Punch from SU, hung as a tag and left loose to move around, and the ribbons tie it altogether. I also added a bit of Liquid Applique to the bunny's tail and silver metalic dots for snaps on the onesie.

Kindness Flourishes

2008-12-30T16:33:00.003-06:00

I love doing monochromatic cards, they always seem so classy! This one is all white and Baja Breeze (SU). I tried a new technique that I found on Nichole Heady's blog using polyshrink to make matching *buttons* for projects. I first used the background stamp on the polyshrink, and it turned out to be really fun! Then I layered it and tied the ribbon through it. The butterfly and sentiment are popped up and I added a few tiny rhinestones for a little sparkle. Then I stitched the background onto another layer of solid Baja Breeze cardstock to frame everything. What a great idea to make buttons...no more trying to find the perfect color, just stamp, punch and bake!

Chair & Lamp Welcome

2008-12-29T14:48:00.004-06:00

This is a fun image from A-Muse Art Stamps! I colored it with Copics and then framed it adding the navy blue scallops and some ribbon to make the pale blue and green colors look more vibrant! The background is embossed, first stamped with white Craft Ink and then I used white embossing powder. I puched the word window out of the bottom and stamped the *Welcome* sentiment on the card base. I added the ribbons and then popped the base up on foam dots. A white Prima hydrangea with blue dew drop center finish off this cheery card.

Simple Baby Bunny

2008-12-27T11:18:00.003-06:00

Today I decided to share a very simple card that could be done in about 10 minutes. The bunny stamp is from CTMH, and the word stamp is from Stampin' Up!. I chose a background paper that I love from Crate Paper, and then just pulled ink colors from it for the bunny and the sentiment. The image was cut with the new Labels 1 Nestabilities, as well as a mat in a solid color. The image was popped up from the mat with foam mounting tape and then a gingham ribbon tied through it. The white flower with dew drop add a little dimension. I love the soft simplicity of this card!

Thank You Teacher

2008-12-22T14:58:00.003-06:00

Just talked to my daughter's music teacher and found that she actually made the the school Christmas program NON-Christmas so that all of the kids who don't celebrate (mine is one of them) are able to take part in it this year! I just had to make her something special to show a little of my appreciation for her extra hard work! So this is it! The stamps are from a Papertrey Ink set called Teacher's Apple. I stamped them in rustic red and cocoa brown and then stitched matching frames for the two images. The background paper is Basic Grey Boxer DP, and that is also stitched to the base. Some twill ribbon and a couple of dew drops dress it up but still keep the simple elegance of the card. Hopefully she will like it!

Copper Cowboy

2008-12-21T21:03:00.003-06:00

Bronc Buster is one of my favorite Stampin' Up! sets, though I really don't use it very often, so I thought I would pull it out today. I heat-embossed the main image and some stars with Copper Embossing Powder and then distressed everything with tan ink. The background paper is SU's Outlaw Designer Paper and the colors seemed to work perfectly with the copper. I added a chocolate crocheted trim and used copper wire to 'hang' the stars from it, as well as wrapped some of the same wire around the cowboy image. This is a rich-looking rustic card that is actually really simple to do!

Farm Girl & Chicks

2008-12-20T16:12:00.002-06:00

These stamps are all from a set called Punny Farm from My Favorite Things. The images are fairly large, so I went with a 5 1/4" square card base on this one. I stamped the chicks around the girl's feet and then colored everything with colors in the paper I used for the background. I added Distress Stickles to the chicks and the hat to give them some texture, and decided we needed another little chick popped up in front of the girl's boots. I used Glossy Accents in the buckets to make it look like they are full of water. The image was cut out with a Labels 1 Nestabilities die, and the sentiment was punched with the Key Tag punch from Stampin' Up!. I stitched the background paper onto the base and added the Prima Flowers and then a red Dew Drop to match the ribbons. Overall it's a cheery farm-girl card with a little class!

Time Well Spent

2008-12-18T11:23:00.002-06:00

The title of this card is fitting in more ways than one. This card looks fairly simple, however there was a lot of time spent in coloring and cutting out the images...but it was time well spent! All of these stamps are from a Stampin' Up! set called Time Well Spent. The flower and butterfly were colored with Copic markers and then I added Glossy Accents (Ranger) to give them some dimension. The butterfly has rhinestones on it's wings and both images are layered with foam tape to appear 3-D. The background was dry-embossed with a Cuttlebug folder and slightly inked with pale green. The sentiment was colored with the same inks and the images and backed in green. It's a fresh summer-y cheery card and it was fun to spend some winter-time doing it!

Bee Happy by Mara

2008-12-17T14:36:00.002-06:00

And here is another card to share with you today. This one is called Bee Happy by my 7 year old daughter Mara. She used a Stampendous stamp called Bee Buddies, and colored them with Bic Markits. They were cut out with a Pinking Nestabilities Die, and placed on a yellow textured cardstock base. Then she added a Quickutz Cosmopolitan die-cut letter B in red to match one of her bees, and hand-wrote 'Happy.' She said it was less work that way instead of cutting out more letters. :) I think it turned out perfect! It's easy to be happy when I look at this!!

Snowboard Loser

2008-12-17T14:27:00.003-06:00

I am rarely serious, so humorous cards are so fun for me! This one just makes me laugh...and it was very easy! The image stamp is from Stampendous, and the crazy cat is called Fluffles. He was colored with Copic marker colors pulled from the Cosmo Cricket background paper. (Cogsmo line) The sentiment is from Stampin' Up!'s Smarty Pants set, and it seemed to go so well with this funny little snowboarder. A ribbon and matching punched snowflake finish it all off!

Shivering Monkey

2008-12-17T09:53:00.002-06:00

This cute little monkey is called Changito Cocoa from Stampendous. I did this color combination for a challenge on SCS, and ended up liking how it turned out. The white snowflakes on the background and the 'brrr...' sentiment are embossed in white. The stitching and silver cord on the punched snowflake add a lot of texture. The monkey was colored with Copic markers using the three colors in the challenge: Baja Breeze, Teal and Red and then framed in the color of the mug. I also added a little Liquid Applique to the boots, mittens and pompom on the hat to make them pop. This little shivering monkey was a fun project!

Baby Duck Bath

2008-12-10T09:32:00.003-06:00

This little duck from Whipper Snapper is so cute in his little washtub! I colored him with Copics and then added dew drops to some of the bubbles. Then I framed him using nestabilities in blue scallops and added white dots to make them stand out. The dotted theme was continued on the yellow background which is stitched to the card base. A white button and blue gingham ribbon tie it all together. This simple layout shows off the image perfectly!

Rain Dots

2008-12-09T10:47:00.000-06:00

Another set from My Favorite Things that I had to try out! This one is called Rain or Shine, and I just love those dotted boots, so I added dots with a Millenium Pen (looks like the ink on the stamp) to the raincoat and colored it to match the boots with soft cocoa and celery green Copics. I stitched the frame and the edge of the background paper (Crate Paper) to give it come texture. I added a layer of stickles to the puddle to give it a real watery look, tied a ribbon in a bow, and then centered the flowers with Dew Drops to carry on the dotted theme. It turned out to be a cheerful card to perk up someone special!

Warm Flopsey the Bunny

2008-12-08T16:17:00.000-06:00

This adorable Snowbunny Flopsey stamp set came today from My Favorite Things. I think it is quickly becoming one of my favorite stamps, that's for sure! I went crazy with the sewing machine and stitched everything together, and followed that up with a lot of distressing. Flopsey was colored with Copic colors pulled from the Cosmo Cricket background paper. I stamped an old library card image (Stampin' Up!) and distressed that before adding the sentiment in a dark red to match the frame and stitched ribbon. I added some liquid applique to make Flopsey's hat and mittens pop, and then a punched snowflake was anchored with a copper brad that matches the photo clip on the sentiment. Overall it turned out to be a very *warm* card.

Riley's Good Life

2008-12-07T12:42:00.000-06:00

Another fun image of Riley by Hanna Stamps. I actually enjoy doing laundry, so this one is a must have...of course I use a dryer instead of antlers! I colored the image with Copic Markers that pulled the colors from the papers, and then used Nestabilities to cut it out and frame it in scallops. I distressed the edges of the white paper and I added the dots to the scallops with a white gel pen to make them stand out. The papers are from Cosmo Cricket, and the ribbon adds a lot of texture. I scalloped the bottom of the striped paper to coordinate with the image frame, and then punched flowers from matching papers and added Dew Drop centers to show them off. Life is good...even when you are doing laundry!

Riley's Favorite Coffee

2008-12-06T18:04:00.000-06:00

I finally bought some Riley the Moose...from Hanna Stamps. They came earlier this week, and I finally got a chance to ink one up! This image is called Coffee Riley, and this card hits close to home with a bunch of favorites of mine; I love moose, red, blue, copper, and especially coffee! I colored Riley with Copics, then framed him in colors from the Cosmo Cricket (my favorite!!) background paper. I stitched the paper onto a red base to make it pop, and then tied it all together with a bunch of ribbon knots. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up!'s Define Your Life set...it gives the definitions of words, and I just punched out the part that seemed to fit the image. I framed it in copper Hodgepodge. I hope you enjoy Riley in his comfy chair sipping his favorite coffee with a cupcake!

Dazzling Snowman

2008-12-05T10:46:00.000-06:00

This isn't my latest project, but it is by far one of my favorites. I love red, expecially deep dark rustic red, and I love snowmen...so what could be more fun than this?? The images are Papertrey Ink's Made From Snow set. I stamped the snowman, colored him, and cut him out. Then I covered him in Dazzling Diamonds. I then stamped the hat and scarf on scraps of the background paper, and cut them out. The sentiment is cut, embossed and framed in red scallops with a slightly distressed edge. Cranberry and Silver Ribbons tie the card together, with a few snowflakes punched from the background paper added with glazed brads to balance out the bottom left corner. Then I stamped the envelope with cranberry ink to coordinate with the whole card!

My First Post!!

2008-12-05T10:38:00.001-06:00

Ok...so I decided to go ahead and start a blog...why not? Everyone else is doing it...haha! So this is going to be my spot to share with you some of my favorite projects, and how you can do them too! Again...I am new at this, so it may be a while before there is anything fun about this blog!