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30 Dec 2008

Take a Look at Embellish-Online!!

Pop on over to Embellish-Online and check out Embellish-Online's Deal of The Day!

There is a new deal for you to check out everyday and today the May Arts ribbon is 20% off!! Wahoo!!

AND if you use code word GLITTER, you can save an EXTRA 20% off your ENTIRE order - even the May Arts ribbon!!

There will be another "Deal of the day" tomorrow!! That GLITTER codeword is good for any order, any day, until further notice and don't forget - 20% off your whole order!!

AND while you are there, be sure to sign up for our newsletter because you want to find out what those daily specials are! - you don't want to miss a good deal do you??!!

Hop on over there, sign up and start saving!! Oh, and tell them Lucky sent you!! ;)


Twinkling Tuesday Challenge & Candy!!

Well, it is Tuesday so it must be Madelynn's Twinkling Tuesday sketch challenge day!!

Here is the sketch - thank you Madelynn for not making it too difficult this week ;)........ I was sweating last week!! Check out the rest of the sketch teams creations - their links are on my side bar.

We would love for you to play with us this week and there is blog candy this week!

All you have to do is make a card using the sketch and upload it to your favorite gallery with the key word MTTSC3.


Then go back to Jessica's blog "The Whimsical Butterfly" and leave her a comment (be nice - she's the boss) on today's post with a link to your card!

Enough jibbering - on to the card!!

I am combining yesterday's Little Paper Shop Monday with today's sketch challenge - so I chose to use the Make a Wish stamp set from Little Paper Shop.






You will probably recognize Stamping Up's Basic Grey card base. I bought a whole package of this paper so that I could use it in place of black - sometimes black is such a strong colour and since I also wanted to use Basic Grey Ambrosia which has grey in it - well I had to use it - besides, like I said, I have a whole package of it!!



I also pulled out the Cuttlebug butterfly tag team combo - I love it and it has four embossing folders so you can emboss that butterfly in four different designs!!


I used a piece of the Coredinations Reminisce Vintage Collection for my butterfly and embossed it with the swirl pattern. Then I sanded it down a bit to give it more of a distressed look. You can see the core of the paper when you do that - get it?? CORE dinations paper - too cool!!

I wanted the butterfly to sparkle, but I am NOT a fan of loose glitter, so took some Fired brick distress stickles and globbed (technical term) it on and then took my finger and rubbed it all over the butterfly. I felt it was too red so then I used orange stickles and did the same thing.

Being the impatient person that I am, I used my heat gun to dry it.

Like I said --pop on over to the other girls blogs and check out their version of this great sketch and don't be afraid- try it out yourself -you might win some blog candy!

29 Dec 2008

Good Morning and Safe Driving!!

I was finally able to be a little bit productive yesterday, without being in a rip roaring hurry!

I have had this General Motors 1957 Bel Air stamp for awhile and so I finally inked it up and make a card. Wouldn't this be great for someone who just bought their first car? or just got their license?!

The backgrounder is
License Plates from Cornish Heritage Farms. I stamped it in Vintage Cream onto Spring Moss cardstock and then clear embossed it.



I decided AFTER that, I wanted a rusty look so I rubbed Vintage Photo distress ink over top and then quickly sprinkled on Vintage photo distress embossing powder.



This embossing powder is a bit different in that it doesn't get shiny - and that is what I wanted!! When the powder cooled down (you really HAVE to wait until it cools) I wiped away the crystals to reveal a very cool rusty look to this background. I love it and it compliments the vintage car perfectly!

The car is stamped in Vintage photo distress ink and then I added Ranger crackle accents on top.

I cut a little tag with the Cuttlebug Tiny Tags die and stamped the words "journey", "live", "seek", "&" and "explore" - with the Everyday Petites stamp set as you can clearly see...........;)

I added some Karen Foster sparkle brads to the card, but I sanded them down so they wouldn't be so beautifully brilliant! They are so gorgeous and sparkly, but that wasn't the look I was heading for today.


Have a great safe driving day!!

27 Dec 2008

A Vintage Christmas.........

Before the Canadian dollar went wonky (don't worry - no more whining!), I had purchased some Jenni Bowlin material, because I absolutely loved her bingo cards!



So I made some Christmas cards with them! They are only one sided, however you could fold them if you wanted for a different look.



I just wrote my message on the back and mailed or hand delivered them to our friends and family!

I downloaded some free vintage Santa pictures from different sites, sized them to what I needed and printed them off!

Pretty easy and very original!

Off to another Christmas celebration today......I think this is the end of them this year......all fun and very good eating ;) !!


26 Dec 2008

More quick cards...still on Christmas!

Can't get out of the Christmas mode because I keep remembering who I don't have cards for!



We always get my nieces something for Christmas, naturally, but this year, it got down to the wire and I kept thinking.......come on ---get those cards made!!





So Christmas Eve morning, I had to toss a couple of cards together really quick!

Of course when I look at them now - they should have had a tag dangling from the fuzzy ribbon with a snowflake or a star
behind it - ugh! I had NO TIME ----my fault!



I used that cute My Mind's Eye paper, Be Merry and some fuzzy ribbon. I stamped and coloured and stickled up the Cornish Heritage Farms snowman image, popped it up - three times!!! and added it to the card!

So easy when you don't add what you sh
ould add!! ugh.....again....

Anyway, they thought their cards were cute, so that is what counts I guess!

Hope your Christmas was everything you hoped it would be and more!



24 Dec 2008

Berry Sweet Love

This will be my last card for a few days......we have so many Christmas' in the next few days I need to spend the time focusing on my family (ie wrapping presents, making food, all those things that should have been done weeks ago!) I truly neglect them when my mind is on stamping!



This is the new stamp from Paper Pretties, and she is just a doll! I coloured her with copics, paper pieced her to add the "wallpaper"-- Cornish Heritage Farms background stamp Pretty Pattern , and then did her up with some K & Company Berry Sweet paper.

I want to thank each and every one of you for helping to make my blog the success that it is! I love blogging and cardmaking and I hope you love coming to see my creations.

I wish you and your family an awesome Holiday and lots of wonderful wishes for this season and the New Year!!

23 Dec 2008

Announcing The One, The Only, and the Very First...........

Madelynn's Twinkling Tuesday Challenge!!!! YAY!

Today marks the first day of the design team's sketch's for Madelynn's sketch challenge, and boy, she sure didn't let us off lightly!

These criss cross things are always such a trial for me, but I just decided wrap a bunch of ribbon - like I have been wrapping all week --haha!

We would love to have you play along with us if you can. Just use the code word MTTSC2 when you upload to Splitcoast Stampers (Madelynn's Twinkling Tuesday Sketch Challenge 2)!

Check out the rest of the NEW design team's cards (on my side links) and show them a bit of love! We are very excited about Madelynn and Jessica's new venture and hope you are too!!



The image and sentiment is from Whipper Snapper Designs and I have almost been bullied into using it by both Jessica and Danielle who both think I NEED these images!

Honestly, I love c
hickens so why am I not using more chicken images? Well, I finally bought some and do plan on using them...........



In fact I will probably be using up a lot of my stash of stamps, you know, those lovable stamps that you never use and get pushed to the bottom of the pile.

***QUICK!! Leave NOW if you don't want to be bored by my whining!!

The reason being, is that crazy Canadian $$$ w
hich has taken a HUGE plunge so buying new stamps is off limits.

For example: I buy two beloved stamp sets at $14.99 each set average. Add on the $10 shipping for those sets, which is probably a fair price given today's shipping costs. So far we are up to $40 in US Funds.

Our Canadian $$ today is worth .82 cents (today at noon) , add a few cents so the bank makes some money and that is probably another 5 cents so $40 becomes $49.20 Canadian.

Of course at the border they add provincial sales tax and fede
ral sales tax - another 13% - that now becomes $55.60 - add another $5.00 for brokerage fee and that is $60.00.

So a $15.00 stamp set becomes a $30.00 stamp set. Am I whining?? You bet. Is it anybody's fault? Probably, but I can't do anything about it except not buy the merchandise.........ugh.....and at Christmas!!.....just as well.........

And if you are still following me, I applaud you, because that is pretty boring stuff, but strangly I feel better for unloading, even though I know not how to fix it!!....haha!


22 Dec 2008

Monday Topiary!

Today is Little Paper Shop Monday and I decided to grab the Topiary tree today and make it all Christmas-y!

I stamped onto Kraft cardstock with Papertrey Ink vintage cream ink - a lovely ink for sure! and then clear embossed it so it would be easier to colour those teeny leaves - that really only took a few minutes! And I didn't even colour all of them ......just enough to make me happy...!!





I loaded up the tree with some Hero Arts bling and added a few Stamping Bella baubles along the cross piece. (I tried to find the link for these particular baubles, but sometimes that website has me stumped with their categories......bella dots, bella bling, bella embellashments,bella baubles, bella donuts - I think it might be one of those!)

I stamped the pot onto Pure Poppy cardstock and a piece of K and Company dp, cut it out and popped it up onto the image then made a bow out of some twine and added it with a glue dot.

The designer paper is a K and Company Christmas pack that I have been using all season, even though I have a ton o' Christmas paper from other companies. I guess I just luvvvvved this paper this year!!

For the final touch I cut out a snowflake with my Martha Stewart snowflake punch added a bauble and adhered it to the card - very easy and very quick!!

Be sure to check out the rest of the design team's blogs for today's card and some inspiration!! And we have a new DT member yay! which is Taylor Usry - pop on over and give her some luv okay??!!


21 Dec 2008

Christmas Raks, and FUN News!!

I am so bad at posting cards people have sent me...............but late is better than never........or something like that.........

This one is from Sue Neal!! She was giving away the prettiest little glittery embellishments on her blog and I signed up and she sent me some - what a sweetie!! I used them on this card here!

I would love to know if that is a hand punch or hand cut little thing-ys where the brads are?

Does anyone know?




This blingy card is from Kim and Kelly at The Paper Pickle AND it had a free stamp rental card
AND a $20 gift certificate inside - sweet!

I heard hubby say something about the amount of money I spend there and the gift certificate -

and blah blah blah.........






This is from that sweetie Diane LaPointe, who I met blogging and
she is awaiting a liver transplant,
which is amazing since I have already had a liver transplant AND we have the same doctor - very weird!! (not the doctor - just the circumstances of how/why we met)




And of course Allison, who, not only is a fellow DT member of Little Paper Shop,
but is expecting a baby and has a full time job and keeps up her fabulous blog and lets everyone know what is going on in the blogging world!!



and the best one of all .........sorry girls, I have a favorite........is from our 2 year old grandson Jake - isn't it cute and he is so smart to be able to figure out that Sizzix machine at such a young age........ haha!




Okay, onto the news!!

I have been asked to join Madelynn's Twinkling Tuesday sketch challenge team and I am thrilled to pieces because the sketches will be done by an eight year old girl, Jessica's daughter Madelynn.
Very cute and very sweet! How could I turn THAT down??!

You will see the sketch here every Tuesday, and you are so welcome to join in the fun and play!!
You can see the rest of the design team on the right hand side of my blog under the cute little blog blinkie/banner/thing-y!!

20 Dec 2008

Glittery Ornaments.....

I was pressured to change my title.......probably for the best!

Sorry, I couldn't help but laugh.....I'm like that sometimes........
too much sleep maybe......

I have wanted to decorate my own Christmas balls for some times -
well every since I saw this post on Prairie Paper and Ink!

It is such an easy thing to do......
although the first two balls I had to do over because they sucked........
I had too much liquid in them and the glitter was clumpy and yucky and hardly pretty at all.
Of course it had to be semi pretty because it had glitter in it.........

Without further ado, here are the balls - and tons of pictures!!

It starts like this...........some drops of chocolate chip reinker and water in the ball .......swirl it around from bottom to top.........then drain it upside down onto a paper towel for a second or two - you don't want it to dry out!!




sprinkle a ton of Martha Stewart florentine gold glitter in the ball and swirl again from bottom to top.........and basically that is it!!

This one had a bit too much wetness in it still - you can tell the glitter is a little clumpy!



The red ball is Rose Red reinker and Barbara Trombley's art glitter - true red



The blue ball is Ballet Blue reinker and Martha Stuart white gold glitter and the light green on the right in Sage Shadow reinker with Martha Stewart White Gold glitter.



I like Martha Stewart's glitter because it is so fine,
but I am sure there are a ton of fine glitters out there......just fine.........



19 Dec 2008

Quick Cards..!

This week on our Friday Challenge at Embellish-It Scrapbooking, we are focusing on quick cards!

I threw this card together on Tuesday, and have just now remembered to upload it to the Embellish-It Scrapbooking gallery - run on over and check out the Design Team Gallery to get a few ideas on those fast cards that will make your Christmas gift giving so enjoyable!! Go to the gallery and then to Card challenges and you will see the Friday Challenge section.



Seriously, this card took under 15 minutes to make, and most of that was decided where to place those Hero Arts poinsettias - I fuss about things like that! Should the red one go on the left or the right? Or maybe the top........Or maybe I should have green centres or gold centres or just bling centers..............Do you think the flower centers should be all the same colour or all different? Pure silliness I tell ya!!

The paper is Basic Grey Wassail of course....... I got mine from Barb at Embellish-It Scrapbooking and then I loved it so much I had to get some more locally when I was at The Paper Pickle!! THAT is how much I love it!

It is on sale at Embellish-It Scrapbooking for TODAY ONLY for $4.49 for a 6 x 6 paper pack!! Get over there and check it out!

Oooops! Back to the card......

The card base and ribbon is Spring Moss from Papertrey Ink and the sentiment is from Cornish Heritage Farms - Joyeaux Noel Christmas set!

Have a great day!




18 Dec 2008

Baby Socks!

Today's challenge on the Ways to Use it is to make something quick, for that last minute gift you forgot.

So I have decided that I have forgotten to get a gift for my little granddaughter-to-be (work with me).


I had these baby socks, I stock up on these little things - really - and I was in the $$$ store the other day and found these cute little containers for $1 each Canadian.

I thought I could shove pack those cute little socks into the container and decorate it rather quickly.

She won't be born until the end January and honestly, I really thought it might take me that long to decorate this even though it is supposed to be a quick gift......it's the tying......bah.....

Anyway cute and quick!! and what baby doesn't need socks??!!

Supplies: Jenni Bowlin tag, Jenni Bowlin rick rack, Papertrey Ink vintage cream ribbon, Cosmo Cricket Fleuriste ribbon, twine, Basic Grey white chocolate chip letters coloured with copics, baby socks


17 Dec 2008

A New Sketch Challenge.....

Jessica from The Whimsical Butterfly has a budding artist of a daughter who has designed her own sketch challenge, hereinafter to be called "Madelynn's Terrific Tuesdays" so I thought I would do up a card for "Madelynns Challenge, Sketch Number One"!




I used the Impression Obsession stamp, Gingerbread Man, and coloured it with copics.



I layered my image onto Papertrey Ink Spring Moss and then again onto a piece of K & Company Christmas pack which was cut out with the Curved Rectangle Nestabilities.

My card base is Papertrey Ink Pure Poppy cardstock topped with Designs by Reminisce Christmas paper and tied with some Papertrey Ink Pure Poppy swiss dot satin ribbon.

The little tag was cut with the Cuttlebug tiny tags die and stamped with Papertrey Ink's Holiday Treats acrylic stamp set.

The Itty Bitty mittens are a cute little Lockhart stamp from Ellen's store. I coloured them up with copics, cut them out and popped them up onto the image - very sweet!

I added a few Stamping Bella baublie-boos because they are so pretty and because I can!

Congratulations Madelynn on your very first sketch challenge!! It was fun!!



16 Dec 2008

Sparkle and Believe!

A sparkly Christmas for you today. I wanted to whip up some quick cards, which naturally wasn't quite as quick as I thought.....those dang glue dots are sticky........first the one finger then to the other finger then transfer to the scissors then to the paper piercer then back to the fingers.......geeshssshhhh.......

I used Basic Grey Wassail paper (on sale right now!) and put it through the Cuttlebug snowflake folder (on sale right now!) then using dtp (direct to paper), I ran my antique linen distress ink overtop of the embossed snowflakes.



Using the silver leaf pen I made a border around the edges of the Wassail. I added a piece of Ocean Tides cardstock which had been punched with the threading water punch and tied a piece of Ocean Tides satin ribbon around the paper, adhering it at the back. Believe it or not, I didn't want to use a bow on this card!!

Then I glued that piece to my card base of Papertrey Ink Ocean Tides cardstock.

I decorated a Heidi Swapp ghost shape snowflake with antique distress stickles and frosted lace stickles. Then I cut the tips off of a snowflake that I had on my desk, that had been cut with the Cuttlebug Snowflake die and added frosted lace stickles to that.




I adhered it to the Heidi Swapp clear snowflake (with those sticky dang glue dots) and topped it off with a mirrored bauble from Stamping Bella. I glued more mirrored baubles to the corners of the card to dress it up and finally added my sentiment, which is from the set Joyeaux Noel (Christmas Snowflakes) at Cornish Heritage Farms.

Today is my hubby's 50th birthday so we are going to town...... whoot whoot!! Probably going to fight the masses of shoppers - what a way to celebrate a birthday!

Then again, maybe no one will be shopping today......



15 Dec 2008

Laura's sketch.....

Today is the 15th of the month, which means another Little Paper Shop challenge!

This month Laura had the honours, and chose to challenge us with a sketch, a wonderful sketch which I just loved.

Sometimes I have a block about sketches, I don't know why, it just happens. Truth be known, sometimes I have a block about a lot of things.........but no matter.......

This was Laura's sketch - isn't it great?!





and here is my interpretation of her sketch.





I used the Little Paper Shop stamp set called "A Dream" and kind of added a few things to the sketch. I can do that if I want. oh yes I can..........

The designer paper is K & Company Brenda Walton Peppermint Twist Christmas pack and has beautiful pinks and greens and turquoises-s-s-s-s within the designs, as you can see.

Since the paper in the 12 x 12 paper pack is double sided, there are gorgeous designs included on the backside that are not just Christmas oriented, so you can use this paper year round! Very cool (and pretty!!)


The base of my card and the ribbon is Papertrey Ink Spring Moss. I punched out a little Martha Stewart butterfly and added a bit of a Hero Arts jewel to make her feel special and pretty!

A few little Autumn Leaves buttons topped off with some yarn (because I can't find the thin jute anywhere that I shop - hubby says that means there is none available anywhere in the world) finished off this card perfectly!!

We had our first celebration of a family Christmas yesterday at my mother-in-law's home, and just like I thought, we came home perfectly stuffed and tired and feeling gross and fat but very happy that we have such a loving family to share this holiday season with! And that is only the beginning!!


Chiropractor......

I have a chiropractor appointment this morning so I will be posting my Little Paper Shop design team challenge later today!! In the meantime take a look at the other DT members designs - fun fun FUN!!

I wouldn't be me if it wasn't a late posting - but you knew that already!!

13 Dec 2008

A few Raks posted finally!

A few months ago, Charlene from contacted me from CCEE Stampers and asked if she could use my "catchy" name for her challenge. Of course I said yes and this was the result!!

These wonderful ladies sent me their cards that they had made in my honour - how wonderful and I am so truly delighted - they are all so beautiful!! - cards and ladies!!



Tosh Leyendekker aka Stamps4funinCA - the head cheerleader






Cindy Motherway aka Mothermark - First Captain







Frances Byrne aka StampOwl








Dawn Lusk aka DawnL








Charlene Merrick aka LilLuvStampin





Carolyn King aka Cammie


I won't be posting tomorrow - we have a family Christmas to attend so I will be too stuffed to sit at the computer when I get home...........