Updates...

So, I learned today that some of you may be trying to leave comments without success. I took a look at my settings and, sure enough, I was excluding anyone without a blogger account. I updated my settings and they should work now. So, please, please, please leave a comment *begs her insecure inner-self*.

Please let me know if you have any problems. Of course, if you don't know me personally how will you ever let me know...since you can't leave a comment? Oh the conundrums of the blogging world.

Until next time...

More Big Shot Fun

I made this for a co-workers birthday next week. I cut the textured baja breeze and very vanilla with the top note sizzix die, turned it 90 degrees and cut again leaving a square as opposed to a rectangle. All layers are sponged with close to cocoa ink. I also used a new technique I learned at convention make & takes. I inked the flowering branch stamp in baja breeze, used my blender pen to remove the baja ink from the stems and inked them using the close to cocoa marker...huff and stamp.

Thanks for looking.

It's Your Birthday (retired) and Eastern Blooms stamp sets; baja breeze textured, close to cocoa and very vanilla cardstock; baja breeze and close to cocoa classic ink pads; close to cocoa marker and blender pen; chocolate chip polytwill (retired); Big Shot and Top Note die; snips and rounded corner punch

So, you think you're a Big Shot...

I am just so, so, SO excited about Stampin' Up! teaming up with Sizzix to bring us the Big Shot, as well as exclusive Stampin' Up! only dies!! Tonight I played with my Big Shot and wanted to share what I made.

First a Christmas card. I know it's still early, but I'm planning to do duplicatable Christmas cards at the October Stamp-a-Stack and wanted to flesh out some ideas. This card uses the SU! exclusive Bigz die "Top Note" and the card is a standard 4.25" x 5.5". I stamped the tree in versamark and embossed with white EP, sponged the edges of the Night of Navy Top Note with white craft ink and threaded the wide olive ribbon through a hole made by the horizontal slot punch. I like the simplicity but it seems to be lacking somthing.

Hmmm...maybe it needs glitter...

Card #2 also uses the top note, as well as the birds and blooms sizzlits set (also a SU! exclusive). I folded my base before sending it through the big shot and kept the fold inside the cut area to leave it intact. I sponged the edges of the pale plum base with matching ink. The flower is die cut from apricot appeal designer series paper (SS 08, retired). I used the little sponge tipped stick in my pastels to add pumpkin pie ink to the edges of the flowers, curled the edges and layered them, adding a little bling in the center with a rhinestone brad. The leaves are also cut using the birds and blooms die set. I stamped a little of the Baroque Motifs vine under the flower for interest and tied on a 1/4" olive ribbon. My original intent was to make this a vertical card...like so:

But I kind of like it horizontal as well...

Which do you prefer?

Christmas card: Lovely as a Tree stamp set; kraft and night of navy cardstock; versamark and whisper white craft ink; Big Shot and Top Note die; 5/8" old olive grosgrain ribbon, horizonatl slot punch, white EP, dimensionals and stamin' sponge

Flowered Note: Baroque Motifs stamp set; old olive and pumpkin pie classic ink pads; old olive textured and pale plum cardstock; apricot appeal dsp; rhinestone circle fire brad; old olive polytwill ribbon; dimensional and stampin' sponge

Christmasy Convention Swaps...and a cute kitty!

Here are some more of the swaps I took to convention. The first was for a new catalog preview swap. The "new" is in the color and the sentiment stamp. This is 3 layers of cardstock...2 pacific point with a whisper white sandwiched between. The base PP is 4 1/4 x 5 1/2, the WW layer is 4 x 5 1/4, and the stamped PP layer is 3 7/8 x 5 1/8. I stamped the vine from Baroque Motifs in Pacific Point on PP, ran my embossing buddy over it and then stamped the vine again (intentionally offset), the burst "flowers" and the sentiment in versamark and embossed with white EP. (It think next time I'll stamp in whisper white craft and white EP to give a more solid image.) After embossing I used my 2-way glue pen to add dazzling diamonds to the flowers and sponged whisper white craft around the edges to soften it. I added the white taffeta ribbon (yum...simply LOVE the taffeta ribbon), mounted the stamped PP on the WW and then mounted that on the base PP. Voila! Ok, it really is much less complicated than it sounds. So much so that I'm hoping to include this in the Christmas stack in October (see my events calendar for details)

I also participated in a pin swap and made this domino pin to share. You can view a great tutorial for domino pins here. I embossed the snowflakes and, although you can't see it in the pic, added dazzling diamonds to them with my 2-way glue pen. I attached the black gingham ribbon with sticky strip and the pin to the back with crystal effects. Punched two holes in the card with my crop-a-dile to make the pin more "giftable."

And now for the cute kitty!

This is our newest addition. His name is Pippin (Peregrin Took from the Lord of the Rings trilogy). About 10 days ago he wandered into our lives. There was never a real question about IF we would keep him. Hubby and I never really discussed it..it was just understood that he was ours. He's adapting well to his new home, which includes 2 other cats (7 year-old Moe and 1 year-old Finnegan (Finn)) and a 3 year-old chocolate lab "puppy" named Bettis (yes, as in Jerome Bettis of the Steelers...no, we don't watch football. We adopted him when he was 1yo...name and all.) Isn't he adorable???

Christmas Card: Baroque Motifs and Heard from the Heart stamp sets; Pacific Point and Whisper White cardstock; Pacific Point Classic, Whisper White Craft and Versamark ink pads; stampin' sponge, white taffeta ribbon, white embossing powder, heat gun, 2-way glue pen and dazzling diamonds glitter

Very Merry Pin: Short and Sweet stamp set; Pacific Point classic, Jet Black Stazon and Versamark ink pads; sanding block; sticky strip; black gingham ribbon; pin back; crystal effects; matte acrylic spray sealer

Thank you for your patience...

I'm finally posting my convention swaps. Sorry for the delay...I really have no excuse but procrastination. There, I said it, I'm a chronic procrastinator. You add that to my ADD, and you begin to see what a mess I am. So, here are some of my convention swaps.




Masculine card swap.

My husband, Lee, helped me a bit with this one. I was trying to decide on colors and had close to cocoa, mellow moss and bordering blue in my hand. He suggested I "lose the blue" and I'm glad I did. I really like the result.

Stamps: wonderful you; paper: close to cocoa, mellow moss, very vanilla; ink: mellow moss, basic brown; accessories: eyelet, twill tape; tools: stamp-a-ma-jig, crop-a-dile; other: dimensionals



.

For a baby card swap.
The designer paper layer is adhered with dimensionals to create a window to look through at the ladybugs.

Stamps: Garden Whimsy, Short and Sweet; paper: Kiwi kiss, pink pirouette, bella rose dsp, very vanilla; ink: pretty in pink, regal rose; ribbon: 5/8" old olive grosgrain; punches: 1 1/4" circle, 1 3/8" circle, scallop circle, scallop edge; other: dimensionals, mini glue dots.






.

One/No layer card swap

You can't really see it in the pic, but I dry embossed a recessed frame around the lighthouse image using a piece of cardstock and my fingernail as a stylus.

stamps: light unto my path; paper: whisper white; stampin' write markers: sage shadow, summer sun, ruby red, chocolate chip, not quite navy; tools: crop-a-dile, fingernail (hehe); other: gold eyelet, linen thread.



Thanks for looking.

Three pics and off to bed

Although I'm posting this now, I wrote it last night but blogger didn't like my camera.
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So, imagine how tired you'd be if you stayed up from 6AM Sunday till 10:30PM Monday? Now, imagine that in that time you helped a friend search all her luggage for her ID, went through airport security twice, changed time zones 3 times, almost missed a connecting flight because you believed your ticket and then drove 3 hours home?? Welcome to my day(s).

Three pics to share before I crash...fortunately without a plane. :)

On Friday I met and got not one, but two, pics with Kristina Werner. She was on prize patrol and handed my roommate her prize. I went crazy screaming "THAT'S KRISTINA!!!" You see, I'd just been telling said roommate about Kristina the night before. So, roomie took our pic. Well, b/c general session is not the best lit place, we looked like we had no hair...so, when I ran into her in the hall, I got a second pic. This is the second one...she's the cute one on the right...please ignore the one on the left.
Here's my stack of free stamping stuff...top to bottom Cupcakes wheel, 1" double-stitched chocolat grosgrain ribbon, Say it with Scallops, Eastern Blooms, Crazy for Cupcakes, Flight of the Butterfly and Inspired by Nature (double mounted).
And here's me receiving my Say it with Scallops set from UPS!! Oh, yeah, we were SO excited!!! I can't wait to share more!! But for now, good night

FREE STAMPS!!! ...and now it's over...

I GOT FREE STAMPS!!!!!! Today was a big day for me. I had make & takes and classes in the morning (both absolutely wonderful!) and then at general session in the afternoon (well...from 2:30-5:30) I won stamps!! I got a cute new birthday set with cupcakes, a matching wheel and a spool of new wide chocolate chip stitched grosgrain ribbon!!! And...as if that weren't enough...UPS gave all of us a new stamp set...it's the new Ronald MacDonald House Charities set so $2 from each of the 5,700 sets given away goes to the charity...how awesome is that?!? I'm so jazzed, and while it's officially over, I still have a party with my hotel friends tonight, so I'm off to swap and party with them.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to post much. I didn't realize how busy they'd keep us! I'm so glad my flight doesn't leave until evening, so I can have some free time to breath (and possibly, stamp...or at least mount my new sets...and there's always time ON the plane ;). When I packed to come I left some extra space, so hopefully I'll have enough room for all my new loot.

I can barely wait until the 12th so you can all see what I've got...it's going to be AWESOME!!!!!!