FRiEnDs

I know I normally participate in card sketch challenges on Wednesday from Splitcoasters, but I want to share my convention artwork with you this week. For those of you who scrapbook, you will love the next three days, since I have three more layouts to share with you including this one.

This layout was created with the new Free Spirit paper pack from the fall/winter catalog. This was my favorite paper pack when I got my new catty, because I love, love, love orange. AND my two favorite colors with orange are blue and brown. I haven't had time to play with my paper pack at home, so I was glad we used it at convention. The layouts we created were awesome, especially since 350 consultants were working at the same time. That is a lot of people with different skills and experience working together. I thought corporate did a great job on creating layouts for such a big group.

This layout was to show how you can make this paper packet work for a girl or boy layout. Even though this layout has flowers on it, I used it for my boys. The flowers remind me of sunflowers. I really like this one. Layouts with various sized pictures always catch my eye. The saying was printed on adhesive backed twill and given to us from corporate in our kit. That is the nice thing about the twill....you can do so much with it, since it already has adhesive on it. The FRiENdS title is from the My Stickease set that goes with Free Spirit. Each Level 2 My Stickease comes with letters, so you can complete a layout easily. Once I got home, I added pictures, photo clips, button heads and the small spiral. You wouldn't have had to add to this layout, but I just can't seem to leave a layout alone. By the way, the little boy sitting in the chair with Tate and Tanner is their cousin Ben.


This is page two where I used more My Stickease at the top of this page. The little tag is from Memory Labels stamp set. We stamped it on adhesive backed twill with autumn terracotta and cocoa ink. The words across the bottom are from this same stamp set. I was so lucky last weekend, because we got to play with this stamp set. In fact, all the stamp sets I will be showing we got FREE, yes I said FREE from corporate. I love my job!


Happy Stamping!

JOY

Again, I had so much fun this last weekend that I can't quit talking about it. I love it when someone I haven't talked to since last week calls and asks me how my trip was. I get to tell my story all over again!

We made four two-page layouts on Saturday just for starters. This one incorporated CTMH chipboard letters that we covered with Everlasting paper and we used the new ribbon rounds. I was on the fence about this stamp set, Victorian Snowflakes. I am so glad I got to use it. It is one of my favorites from the Fall/Winter catalog. I saw so much artwork completed with this stamp set. It is so pretty when used with prisma glitter. You will see it again, when I post the Holiday 9 x 9 accordion album later this week.


This is the second page of the layout. We used the new foundry frames and bling on this page. I tell ya...I love bling on layouts and cards!


I haven't had time to print pictures for all the layouts I am going to show you. I will be scrapping on Saturday night at my house, so I will take the time to print them then.

Happy Scrapping!

Technique Tuesday - Dry Embossing

I'm baaaack! I had so much fun at convention and created a lot of cool artwork that I can't wait to show you. However, it is time for technique Tuesday, so you will have to wait one more day. This is soooo easy and makes a card or layout look great. You can dry emboss with so many products. I chose to make straight lines that you can make using a Scor-Pal, your Fiskars paper cutter and scoring blade or an empressor guide and tool. Here are the directions:

Dry Embossing

• Take your cardstock and place it on one of the above items. You will need to decide on spacing.
  
• Drag your scoring blade, empressor tool, Scor-Pal tool or even a dry embossing stylus along the edge or groove.
• Keep moving your cardstock with the same spacing or varied spacing. You can stop at straight lines or make a grid. The possibilities are endless.
• Lightly sand the paper to bring out the design. Do not sand too much. You don't want to rub off the raised lines.

Here is the card I made today using this technique. I left it simple, so you could see the background. It doesn't need a lot to dress it up.


For this card I used Give Thanks and Nature's Vein stamp sets. The colors are barn red, cranberry, goldrush, autumn terracotta, garden green and olive. I stamped Thankful on a spectrum pad.

In addition, here is one page of a layout I did a while ago that shows this same technique.

For this layout, I used solo "t", and Essential Alphabet and dimensional letters. The colors are moonstruck, clover meadow and grey wool.

Now, it is your turn!

Stop by over the next few days and see what I created at convention. It was awesome to create with 350 fellow consultants. I got a lot of new ideas!

Happy Stamping!

Happy Halloween

BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!

I have had my eye on this Martha Stewart stamp set for some time now and today it was 50% off, so I had to add it to my collection. This saying is just one of a few sayings that come in this set. I knew I had a vampire stamp from Halloween Dingbats that I could use with it.
In addition to Halloween Dingbats, I used Halloween Night for the haunted house. I stamped the moon in vanilla cream and outlined it with sparkle glitter. Oh, I can't forget my bat punch from the Martha Stewart Halloween collection I used at the bottom. I put prisma glitter on the punched bat to make him shine. Other embellishments used: edge anchors, dimensional elements, smokey plum bigger brads, concave punch, stipple brush and black rope ribbon.

This is my last post until next week. I am going out of town on Thursday to a CTMH regional meeting and have to pack some of my stamping supplies, so I won't have access to them. I can't wait to see our new catty that comes out in January. This weekend is going to be a blast! I get to learn and mingle with other consultants. Friday, I attend some classes and Friday night we all crop together. Saturday, we will play all day creating artwork. I should have something to show you, when I return. Hopefully, I will have time on Sunday to download. Have a great week!

Happy Halloween! I hope you have a "howling" good time!

Technique Tuesday - Chalk Shading

Finally, I am using the 6 x 6 layout "yours truly" created for the technique swap. I used In the Wild stamp set. I can't remember how many of these I had to make. Here are my directions:

Chalk Shading

• Stamp your image.
• Chalk may be used wet or dry. Blue, gray or black are good color choices for shadows. Layer colors.
• Start with the lighter color of chalk and apply a deeper color of the same tone on top of the lighter shades.

I used this technique on this Christmas card. The main image is from Winter Snapshots and I colored Rudolph in with chalks. It is very easy to do and you can add shading with darker colors. I used a lot of fun goodies on this card. The sparkles (click to enlarge) in back of Rudolph are sparkle glitter. Rudolph's hat has fun flock to make it fuzzy. His scarf and the top of the chimney have liquid applique. To make Rudolph's nose shiny, I used liquid glass. I had so much fun making this card.

I pulled out my Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder and swiped the snowflakes with white daisy ink. Oh, and the bling is a new product from CTMH. Everywhere you look nowadays is bling, so I am glad they added some to their line. The inside sentiment is "have yourself a merry little Christmas".

Now it is your turn!

Happy Stamping!

I've Been Tagged - Twice

Well, I have tagged by two different people and I have to tell you two different things. I thought I should take some time on Friday afternoon to answer these tags. My boys are playing computer games, since they didn't have school today. I have a moment of peace and can sit and think. Here they are:

I was tagged by Stacey around a week ago. Her blog is The Queen's Creations. You should check it out...she is very creative! What we do is list out 10, 20 and 30 years ago and what we were doing at that time. Then you "tag" some other bloggers and go back and comment on Relevant Blog and let her know she has been tagged. Hmmm! Here it goes:

Ten years ago...1997

I was 30 years old and working in Lincoln, NE as a Human Resource Manager at MATRIXX Marketing. I was dating my husband, Seth at the time. He lived in Omaha, NE, so we spend a lot of time driving the hour to see each other. I spent most of my free time biking, working out and either talking on the phone to my beau or hanging out with him. Since I lived in an apartment, I didn't spend a lot of time there. It felt like living in a box. The next year, the branch I was working in closed and I was transferred to Omaha, NE. Yippee! Seth and I would live in the same town.

Twenty years ago...1987

I was 20 years old and had two years of college under my belt. The first two years of college I stayed at home and attended a community college. I worked my way through school paying it all myself, so I wanted to take the general classes a little cheaper than at a four year university. I worked at Hy-Vee Foods as a cashier and customer service rep. Eventually, I moved to Macomb, Illinois and attended Western Illinois University and continued to work for Hy-Vee. I didn't stay there long and moved to Omaha, NE to attend University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Thirty years ago...1977

I was 10 years old and in fifth grade. I attended Sacred Heart Catholic School in Fort Madison, IA. It is a small town in the southeast corner of Iowa. It is right along the Mississippi. Fort Madison is known for the widest swing span bridge in the world and the state penitentiary is in my home town. I spent most of my time playing with my sister, my friends and my dog. I was a typical kid, but I was definitely a tom boy. I would rather play any sport than barbies. I loved swimming!

Well, I have had a very blessed life so far and have loved every age I have been. I turned 40 this year and I am loving every minute of it.

I was also tagged by Diane at My Little Stampin' Spot!.

Here are the details:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. You can see Diane's inspiring blog here: www.djluvs2stamp.blogspot.com

2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself (on your blog, we all want to know them).

3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

4. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven Random Things About Me:

1. I love to dip cinnamon pop tarts in sugar free cool whip!
2. I took a perfectionist test and scored 33%. That didn't surprise me.
3. This time of the year is my favorite, because of the weather (fall) and I scary movies are on 24/7 through Halloween.
4. The only reality show I like to watch is Ultimate Fighter.
5. I love to eat out...Mexican, Chinese, Greek...it doesn't matter.
   
6. My favorite flowers are Lilacs and Calla Lillie's.
7. My downfall...I am not a patient person. I have gotten better, but still need to work at it.

I have tagged these talented ladies:

Beth at Sunflowers and Dragonflies
Jami at More is More
Kristina at Kwernerdesignblog
Melissa at Sweetie's Stamping
Lauraly at Just Give Me Stamps
Natasha at Palmtrees and Pogosticks
Michelle at Stampers Dream

Okay, ladies it is your choice which one you would like to complete. Have fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mummy Candy

Rachel Funk sent an email with an adorable mummy wrapped candy bar to the stamp group we belong to this week. Isn't she creative?! Thanks, Rachel! It is so cute that I decided to make them for my boys' teachers for Halloween. This is the one I made. Rachel sent me the instructions, so I knew what she used. The cool part is this guy is wrapped around a full size Hershey bar. The outside slips right off, so a person can keep the mummy packaging.

First, you wrap a piece of paper completely around the candy bar and adhere it together, so it will slip off. I used a 6 x 6 piece of white cardstock. Then tear the strips to adhere around the candy. Here is the recipe:

White and black cardstock, desert sand ink, twill, 1" inch punch, 3/4" punch, Spooky Delights CTMH stamp set. The little black circle for the eye is from a sizzix die. It is the question mark dot. I didn't have a 1/2" punch to use.

This little mummy is easy to make and a great Halloween gift. You should try making some!

Happy Stamping!

Sketch Challenge 147 - Trick or Treat

I am on a Halloween kick lately due to the fact my boys keep talking about trick or treating and what costumes they are wearing. I have been wanting to use my Halloween Dingbats stamp set. These Trick or Treaters are so cute! I saw someone use liquid applique on the mummy, so I wanted to try it. I think it makes him look great! I don't think I will stamp him without using liquid applique on him. The spider dangling from above is from the Happy Haunting stamp set and the paper is from various companies I had in my non-CTMH stash. For this sketch I turned my card landscape, so these little cuties would fit.




Here is the sketch in portrait style.

Thanks for stopping by!

Keep It Simple

I saw on someone's blog within the last week a card where she kept it one dimensional. I belong to so many blogs I don't remember which one...sorry! Sometimes I think I get caught up into making cards with layers and using different techniques and embellishments that I forgot how simple a card can be and still look good. On this card, I stamped the images in black and colored them in with my CTMH markers, and then finished it with ribbon. The main images are from Boo Blocks and the sentiment is from Halloween Night. Both of these are from the CTMH collection. I like how it turned out and it didn't take a lot of time or materials.

Happy Stamping!