First Time with OSW cards

I went to a workshop Saturday at my friend, Luanne's home, and she showed us girls how to make OSW cards. I had seen these on SCS, even cut out one sheet to create some from patterned paper. In the end I really didn't think I would like them, so I put it off. The pieces are still here in my half-started baggie full of goodies. *roll eyes*

Well, she introduced us to the Wild Rose set, which will be retiring soon -- so it was a "get it if your interested" day. I fell in LOVE with this set. I had tried two-step stamping before, too, and never really liked my creations. Well, with Luanne's help, the Wild Rose set, and the stamp-a-ma-jig my patterned paper turned out gorgeous (if I dare say so myself). We all had a fun time chit-chatting and creating. All in all, it was a good day with a fun group of girls, rubber stamps, ink, and our cutters. *wink*

Here is my attempt at getting them all in the picture.

Here are a few I really like.

Stamps: Wild Rose, All Holidays, and Garden Collage from Stampin Up

Inks: Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava, River Rock, and Blue Bayou

CS: Vanilla, and the In colors (same as listed above in Inks)

Accessories: Double stitched ribbon in blue bayou and purely pomegranate, silver brads, pewter brads, sheer burgundy ribbon (close match to pom), vanilla lacy ribbon,

:) Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Gift with my new PSX stamp

About 1-1/2 weeks ago, I fell in love with a PSX stamp of a teddy bear that I saw in the Dirty Dozen gallery on SCS. I just had to get my hands on that cute teddy bear stamp (for those who don't know -- I collect Boyd's bears). I had collected bears ever since I was a teenager, and only a few years ago narrowed my collection down to just Boyd's and others that family has gotten me that I just couldn't give up. So, when I saw this card created by SF9rfan (the link will only work if you are a paid member at SCS), I just had to find this stamp. I had never purchased a PSX stamp before or even knew where to get it, but thankfully Ebay had a few. I found it rather cheap, and this is how it all began . . .

I created the card and matching mat for this frame for my neighbor girl, Alycia's baby shower, which is coming up next month. She is such a sweet young lady, and I hope this is something she will like. Don't mind the silver frame. That will be replaced with a pretty white one. (as the white one I bought had a knot in it, and I ended up creating a bigger one anyway) LOL

Stamps used: Teddy Bear from PSX and Baby set from Inka-DinkaDoo CS: Barely Banana, Almost Amethyst, Bashful Blue, Bordering Blue Tools/Accessories: Coluzzle, Nesties small scalloped oval set, prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, blending stumps, yellow satin ribbon, light blue grosgrain, blue satin "It's A Boy" ribbon, light blue stickles, Sakura glitter pen, white gel pen, and 3D felt embellishments.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Check out my new banner!!

Okay, ladies, if you get my blog feed through Reader or FeedBlitz, you have to stop in and see my new banner! It's very pretty! Wonderful colors, cute little bird, and beautiful swirls or flourishes. Beth from Freckledandfun.com created this beauty for me, and I am so ecstatic about it!! I wish I could do what she does . . . it's okay though, hey, I found someone who can, right?! If you are interested in a new look for your blog or just a banner or watermark, she can do it all! Check out her link on the right hand side of the page. FreckledAndFun

Some GinaK challenges this week

Well, I got to play a little bit this week, and I just have to share with you these adorable images from Melanie Muenchinger's Just So Hippy stamp set. I just love this set and would also LOVE to add to it, but alas I am waiting until I get back from the beach later this summer to buy any more stamps on line. *sigh*

These were both created for the challenges that Gina's team has going on after the new June release from Friday night. I was there for a little bit, but duty called. I had some work to do on-line, and MAN does it get harder and harder to follow along during those releases or WHAT?! I ran to the bathroom and came back (3 minutes tops), and they were almost 3 full pages ahead of where I was at! Wow . . . okay, anyway. Here are the cards created.

GIRAFFE . . . SO BEHIND CARD

Stamps: Canvas bg from SU and Just So Hippy Set created by MelanieM and sold through GinaK Designs (both links to Melanie's blog and Gina's store are in the blog rolls to the right).

Inks: More mustard, summer sun, creamy caramel.

CS: More mustard, summer sun, creamy caramel, and close to cocoa.

Accessories/Tools Used: Paisley cb folder (sample from a friend), yummy satin ribbon (Thanks, Heather), window word punch, and cs folded and taped under the giraffe's bottom and legs to add dimension too.

APE OVER YOU CARD

Stamps: Just So Hippy Set created by MelanieM and sold through GinaK Designs (both links to Melanie's blog and Gina's store are in the blog rolls to the right).
Inks: Archival Brilliance graphite black.
CS: Glorious green.

DP: So saffron and certainly celery from designer pack SU
Accessories/Tools Used: Ribbon from a blog candy win (Thanks again Heather), white flower from a ribbon (Thanks, Carmen), jeweled green brad, prisma color pencils, OMS, Stickles to accent the flower centers and the green dp at the bottom, and SU markers for the flowers.

Thanks for stopping by.

Arrggh, are ye ready to walk the plank?!

If you have someone who is into pirates, this is the card for you. The JLO Design Team was challenged by Amanda to use a JessicaLynnOriginal stamp and the SCS card sketch 166 this month to create a new card. Here is my contribution to the challenge.
The sentiment is a little corny, but I just LOVE it! It really makes me laugh. All I could think of was pirates say Arrrghh, and a chihuahua says Taco Bell (remember the commercial?) Hence -- "Arrggh, where ye Taco Bell?!"

Stamp: Pirate Captain Chihuahua (and sentiment printed from computer)
Ink: Brilliance Black GraphiteDP: scraps with palm leaves and a map
CS: chocolate chip, mellow moss, purely pomegranate black and vanilla.
Accs: Grungeboard, puffy ranger EP, clear EP, prisma color pencils, OMS, SU markers, Sakura gel pen, large oval punch, and light blue copic marker (B00)

Shout Out to SheetLoad and ShortCuts - June 2008

Don't we all love things that make life a little easier?! When you need a set of cards quick or just something to get the mojo going again -- Sheetloads is the place to go. I love how they give us ideas with dimensions already figured out to create 8, 9, or 10 cards at once. Who wouldn't love that?! You can mix it up a little or add more than what they say in their instructions, but all in all -- great way to get started! Check it out at the link below.
Here is my card created with the June SheetLoad instructions. I wanted to use my new Spring Bugs set from JessicaLynnOriginal stamps, and I was really drawn to summer sun and ballet blue cs together. This really *shouted* summertime to me. The other accenting cs color is pixie pink, because it is in the dp I used behind the image too. This paper was also carried inside the card for more added color (like this card needs it), but it should really cheer someone up right?! That bee has to be the cutest bee I have EVER seen.

Stamps used: Spring Bugs -- JessicaLynnOriginal stamps and Riveting -- retired Stampin Up set

SheetLoad of Cards - Free Monthly eZine: Shout Out to SheetLoad - June 2008

Cool, Check this out, too!! SheetLoads sister blog is ShortCuts, again, another great way to save us all time when trying to be creative and pass along the love of our papercrafting, stamping, or scrapbooking to others. Check out this site for a chance to win, too!

SheetLoad ShortCuts: Another chance to win...

Thanks for stopping by!! :)

Father's Day Cards A Day Late

I made a few Father's Day cards earlier in the week, but with all the work we had last week, and then the excitement on Friday . . . I didn't get a chance to show them to you. The first one is made with bordering blue, green, black, and kraft colored scrap. The image was stamped on ww using Brilliance graphite black ink, and then colored with my prismacolor pencils and blended with OMS. My silver sakura gel pen was used to make the little eyelets sparkle. The paw prints are again from the Button Bear stamp set, and ribbon was from PinkHedgeHog. I love the argyle look to that, and it adds a ribbon touch without being too soft.

The tool card was created for my dad. I stamped the image on ww, colored with prismacolor pencils and blended with OMS. I then crinkled the paper all up and smoothed it back out. It was then sponged with creamy caramel ink to make it look distressed. This was layered on a kraft piece of cs, adhered to the mellow moss with plaid bg stamp, and an orange piece was added, which was sponged with really rust. It didn't quite look that orange IRL.

Then the other puppy with boot image was colored the same as the first, but sponged with creamy caramel around the edges, layerd on a 3 x 3 diamond shape dark green cs with dp to match. Close to cocoa was used for the base with vanilla and kraft accents. the string/tie at the left is from a tag that was on a pair of jeans. I thought it looked like a shoe lace, and I roughed it up a bit to make it look ratty. Then I used green eyelets, which I sanded down with sandpaper to distress them a bit, too. The bottom has a strip of chocolate chip ribbon ran across it as well.

These pics here are the reason I was pretty busy this weekend. I just had to share a couple more with you. Isn't he just the most adorable little thing you have seen?! He reminds me of a little lamb. His color is very light fawn or caramel. He is a lot lighter than his mama and closer to his Aunt Amber (as she is white). His mama is there in the other picture with my mom. She will be upset that I posted this picture, as she thinks she looks terrible, but it was a REALLY long day for both of them, and by this time it had started raining. She was trying to get Sarena and the baby in the stall for nighttime. This proved to be the easiest way to get Sarena to follow her. *wink*

Also, as for the winner of the post below . . . I have some images stamped, and I will be sending them out to Alison for her guess of Noah. My mom had said Friday night that she kind of liked the name Noah, and the next day he definitely looked like a Noah. Besides, he came just before the hard rain Friday evening. :) Thanks so much for all of your guesses and suggestions. They were all considered, and we appreciate your help.

It's a BOY!!

Okay, I know this isn't card related, but . . . I just had to show you these cute pictures. I also need your help. I am at my parent's farm tonight, and we can't decide on a good Biblical name for our little boy. We want to keep it Bible-related to go with the farm name. We came up with a few but can't decide, so if you could think of any, PLEASE . . . leave a comment. I will send a little something alpaca and card related to the best name. I am not home to show you what I will send, but I am sure it will be something you will like. In the meantime . . . enjoy the pictures. :) Kelly L

No baby cria yet . . . :(

Well, I got back late last night. We had a pretty productive day at the farm, but no cria (baby alpaca) yet. Sarena wasn't ready to give birth yet. She did lay down in the dust/dirt trying to get cool, and a few times we saw her lying in a different position than usual. This got me excited that "today might be the day." I jokingly said probably tomorrow (Sunday) after I leave she will give birth. Maybe . . . maybe not. Then again, maybe she is holding out until next Sunday to surprise my dad with a Father's Day gift. LOL The first two pictures are of her with the other girls around her, but the last two pictures are Dark Knight's Templer and Wonder Peaceful Warrior (the young males). They are now yearlings but still so cute. They were out with us most of the day --very inquisitive they are. LOL



I also created twelve more cards to take up with me to the farm. There were six of the Hugged card and six of the others using two of each alpca colored in white, brown, and black. They really liked them although I kept them simple using only the alpaca stamps from Kritters In the Mailbox , Rough Edged alphabet and Delight in Life's swirly flourish from SU.



Anyway, I have a few pictures that I took. :) *cough, cough* few There are more that will be added to the Heaven's Gate Alpacas web site if you are interested.

EDITED: PIF information . . . I now have three ladies that are participating in the Pay It Forward. I already sent out Sparkle's package on Friday, and the other two will be going to Marcia and Kristine tomorrow morning. Be on the lookout ladies. As for the rest of my readers and friends, if you are interested in playing along and paying it forward, click on the links for the girls' blogs to stay tuned for their own PIFs. :)

Alpacas, awards, and gifts Oh My!!

Today, I am working on some more cards to add to my mom's collection to take with me this weekend. My DS and I will be going up to the farm. Hopefully, we will get to see Sarena (see picture) give birth Saturday morning. She was due last Sunday, so I am praying she has her cria (hopefully a little girl, too) while we are there. Cody wants to stay with Nan and Pap a while to help out just in case he is needed *wink* . The lucky little stinker is off school after Friday.

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In the meantime, Alison was so kind to award me with the Kreative Award from her blog. Thanks, Alison!! *blushing* I appreciate your award, but I don't think my work is all that different from many of my totally creative friends. So the next thing is that I am to pass along this award to 3 of my creative blogging sisters. I choose . . .

• Melanie a very talented illustrator and senior design team member for GinaK Designs. I love her inspirational projects and great sense of humor that shows through in her blog posts, and WISH I had the money to buy ALL of her stamp sets!! :D


• Chris who is my SBS4 sister, a very good friend, and a new design team member for Simon Says Stamp


• Lee who is a very good friend and such an inspiration to me as well. She DOES have all of Melanie's stamp sets!! :D LOL
  

These ladies in turn are to pass it along to their friends as well.

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Last but not least . . . I have accepted a PIF (pay-it-forward) package from a new bloggin' friend, Jennifer G from the JLO Design Team, and I want to pass on some goodies to the next 3 bloggers that post here. So . . . here is what is up for grabs . . .

I will send packages (like the picture above but the spools of ribbon and fiber colors may vary) to the next 3 readers to comment here, but you have to also PIF to 3 of your readers as well. If you don't have a blog you can still play along, but I am trusting you to PIF to 3 friends/family/coworkers.

The packages will include Daisy Hill DP (whimsical dp with flowers, butterflies and stars), red and gold mulberry paper, fibers, 2 spools of ribbon, and stamped images of -- Hanna But I Need It set, Fruity Fun House Mouse, Santa Claus image (ever sought after last year), Lizzie Ann fairy, and Wheelbarrow Ride Gruffies.

EDITED 06/05/2008: Please, if you are interested in the Pay It Forward you need to say that you will PIF in the comments. I am waiting to hear back from two of the girls, and then I will open it up to the next two in line. Thanks! Leave your email or a way to contact you through your blog. (In hind-sight, I should have made it a separate post . . . sorry about that).

Penguin Doin' The Hula cards

Today I have a few cards to share with you. I was very productive today with my crafting but not so much with housework. Although I did do a load of laundry and vacuumed . . . oh yeah, and I made dinner :) Guess that wasn't too bad.

Anyway . . . I got to play with my JessicaLynnOriginal stamps today. I stamped off a few, but I really wanted to go with the Penguin doin' the Hula stamp. So . . . the first card looked more girly to me, so I added eyelashes to the penguin and softened her colors a bit to a gray instead of black. I then colored the penguins' flowers (or lai) to match my cs. The second card is really doing the hula. I created a tilt card with this one. (I should mention, I originally saw the the tilt card idea on OodabugAlley blog by Ms. Charmaine). There are dimensionals and an aluminum washer behind the little cutie to make him tilt from left to right when you tilt the card.

Stamps: Penguin Doin' the Hula by JessicaLynnOriginal

and sentiments are from GinaK Designs(Lifes a Beach and Party On!)

CS: Purely pomegranate, groovy guava, night of navy, vanilla, white, black and dp from Paper Pack (AC Moore).

Tools: Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol, Marvy (pink) scalloped square punch, 1/4-inch paper punch for hole behind tilt card, 1-inch circle for rounding sentiment, Stickles, ribbon, jeweled brads (Making Memories), and fibers.

P.S. -- See more great JLO stamped creations on the JLO Design Team blog

Not quite picture perfect . . .

Well, my organization is finally coming to the end of the tunnel, or at least I can see the light! LOL It isn't quite picture perfect, but I truly am loving my space being more organized and easier to find things without moving boxes off of other boxes, and holding back the stamp boxes from falling while I slide out another box. Uggh. Going unmounted was really the best thing I have EVER done for my stamping space. I still need about 10 more CD cases to put some of them in, but that isn't too big of a deal.







So here are a few pictures for you to see until I get my JLO cards done tomorrow. :) I have a GREAT idea for my one penguin stamp that I can't wait to try out. I will have to keep you in suspense for tomorrow.

I also found a GREAT deal at AC Moore on an 8 x 8 scrapbook album that was already altered to put pictures into. Here are a few pictures of that as well. Even though I didn't do the scrapping, I did cut and add my DS's pictures from 1995 through 1999. Wow, they seem like so long ago.