Stamp Act

Shaker box flower....

So on Wednesday, I was on a roll, the Mojo was ON!!!  Well, on Thursday, the Mojo was GONE!!! LOL!!!  I STILL haven't done Wednesday's sketch challenge!!!   Sometimes, I have lots of ideas and everything flows really easily ~ not so much lately.....  I am sure my Mojo will find me soon but until then, I have card to show you that has some neat elements on it and I will give you the instructions!  I am not really thrilled with the card but hey, at least I finished one!!! LOL!!!

The inspiration for this card is from Laura Fredrickson's awesome blog in which she did a tutorial on chipboard shaker boxes!  SUPER easy and really fun!  Be sure to check it out as she is REALLY creative and full of great ides!!!

I could not get the color right in the pictures either so I do apologize for that.  I used all SU! paper.  The base of my card is Whisper White with a mat of Pretty in Pink, next is Celery and then I used Whisper White again and the top pink decorative piece is from SU!'s new Berry Bliss collection.  To make the shaker box flower (following Laura's instructions), I used Pretty in Pink craft ink and heat embossed  using Iridescent Ice embossing powder.  The inside decorative piece is also from the Berry Bliss pack.  The white beads are old and have an iridescent tone.

The next step was to make the stem.  I used wide Celery grosgrain and stitched on it!  This was really easy too!  What I did was add Scotch tape to one end ~

and then you have something to hold on to and can pull the ribbon through the sewing machine.  This is how it looked when I was done ~

I then taped (Scotch) the top under the flower and then the bottom of the stem was taped to the back.  The next NEW fun technique is a decorative corner.  I used the polka dot piece from the Celery Designer Series paper and cut a 2x2 square.  The first step is to fold the square in half one way and then in half again.  The paper will look like this when this step is done ~

Next, you will open the square up (it is divided in quarters) and then fold in 2 of the front squares to make a point ~ like this ~

The last step is to slip it on the corner you want to decorate, add eyelets and ribbon ~ finished!!!  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! 

I am working on another tutorial for you!  My friend Lynn asked me to do a tutorial on THIS book.  I made a few of these last year, before I had my blog, and would like to share the instructions with you!  The books I made last year (1 for my friend Lynn's birthday and 2 for my kids' teachers) included tags with ribbons sticking out the top.  On the tags I had Lynn's friends write a personal note to her and I did the same for the kids' teachers.   I had all the kids write whatever they wanted to their teacher.  Oh my gosh, they turned out great.  The kids said some really funny and sweet things!!  Anyway, this book was something I learned to do at a class last February I took by Donna Downey.  I added my own twist and will share on Monday!!!

Have a great day!

~Lynda 

For You ~ River Rock & Black Color Challenge....

Here is my card for yesterdays color challenge which was to use River Rock, Basic Black and Whisper White.   I know, a day late and a dollar short!!!  Mary and I have been very busy with our "girl time."  The boys went to Florida (my in~laws have a condo there) so Mary and I stayed to take care of the animals and have girl time!  We have had such a good time!  Yesterday we went with our friends to a pottery place and did some ceramic painting.  It was really fun!  Anyway, here is my card ~

The base of my card is Basic Black with a mat of Whisper White.  The black crystals are from Stampers Dream and are Hero Arts.   The next layer is first Basic Black then River Rock and then the decorative polka dot paper is from the retired Cider pack.  The top layer is first Basic Black then Whisper White and the top focal image piece is River Rock.  I stamped the flower and bee from Bloomin' Beautiful directly on the River Rock and then again on Whisper White using Basic Black ink.  I cut the top of the flower and the body of the bee out of the Whisper White.  I colored the stem and flower (on Whisper White) using my River Rock ink pad and a blender pen.  The bee body (on Whisper White) was colored using Basic Black ink and a little River Rock ink and a blender pen.  The vellum strip was run through my Cuttlebug in which I used my floral folder.  The label holder is from the new silver Hodgepodge kit in which I used a rubon from one of the SU! rubon sets (can't remember right now!) and my small oval punch and Whisper White cardstock.  I used my Quickie Glue pen around the inside of the holder and adhered the sentiment.  I used a dimensional to mount it on the front and then added the black and white ribbon which I got at Michael's and then just taped the ends around the back of the card.

The cutest part is the bee!!  Oh my gosh, I used black flock which I got from Stampers Dream ~ HERE!   I am so excited how it turned out!  I used my Quickie Glue pen around the fur of the bee and then added the flock.  I also added Stardust Stickles to the wings of the bee.  Here is a close up of the cutest bee ever!!!

What do you think???  Sorry about the washed out picture!  Anyway, stop by Michelle's store as she has lots more than what I am showing you here!!!

Enjoy your day and I hope to be back later with my card for today's sketch challenge!

~Lynda

A "Dirty" sketch challenge.....

Each month on the 15th, when you are a SCS fan club member, you have access to the Dirty Girls awesome creations!  I look forward to this time each month because these girls are TALENTED!!!  Anyway, the Dirty Girl challenges are posted and we can play along!!!  The following card is based on the layout challenge!

The base of my card is 5 1/4" square and is Wild Wasabi textured cardstock.    The next mat is first Whisper White and then Soft Sky.  I added white rubons from American Crafts on the top and bottom of the image piece.  The 3 pieces of hardware on the bottom are flower buckles from the new SU! silver hodgepodge set.  I added Wild Wasabi double stitched grosgrain, tied it once and then added glue dots to the back to adhere them on the card.  The focal image and decorative papers are first matted on Whisper White cardstock and then Soft Sky cardstock.  The 2 decorative paper strips are from the Afternoon Tea paper pack and were adhered directly on to the Soft Sky cardstock.  The vase full of flowers is from the Bloomin' Beautiful stamp set and was stamped first on Whisper White cardstock using Basic Black ink and then again on the Afternoon Tea decorative paper.  I also stamped the flowers again on Whisper White so I could cut out a few of the flowers and pop them up in the bouquet using dimensionals.

I cut the vase out from the decorative paper and taped it down.  I colored the flowers and leaves using my Soft Sky and Wild Wasabi ink pads and a blender pen.  I cut a few of the flowers out and colored them and then used dimensionals to pop them up.  I added White Liquid Pearls to all flower centers.  I also used Soft Sky ink and a blender pen for the base of the vase.  I mounted this on Wild Wasabi cardstock and then adhered it on the card using dimensionals.  I then added White taffeta ribbon and a small piece of Soft Sky double stitched grosgrain ribbon.

Hope all is well and I hope to be back tomorrow with something new!!!

Stamps ~ Bloomin' Beautiful   Paper ~ Whisper White, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi cardstock and Afternoon Tea decorative paper  Ink ~  Basic Black, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi  Other ~ Dimensionals, Soft Sky and Wild Wasabi double stitched grosgrain ribbon, White taffeta ribbon, Silver Hodgepodge, Glue Dots, American Crafts white rubons, White Opal Liquid Pearls, blender pen

Pretty Pink and Kraft Flowers...

Hi!!!
My kids are off this week for Winter break so I have been quite busy although I HAVE been working on some things in between playing "Julie the cruise director"!!! LOL!!!  Today, my friends Lynn and Lisa and I took the kids on a guided tour of the Pentagon.  It was LOTS of fun and very interesting.  One of the best and worst part was the 9/11 memorial they have built.  They take you to the exact spot that the plane entered the building and then a little further down, have a beautiful memorial.  So sad to see all those names.....

I did this card the other day and hadn't had time to post it so here it is!  It is not based on any challenge, just my own idea ~ hmmmm.....  imagine that!!!! LOL!!!

The base of this card is Kraft cardstock.  I have always loved this color and need to use it more often!!!  The next mat is a light pink Bazzill piece with a mat of Holly Hill decorative paper which I have had for years!!!  I added Heidi Swapp clear crystals to each corner using my Quickie glue pen.  I used my Creative Memories oval cutter and cut a piece of Kraft cardstock.  I used my new Starving Artistamps Large Sillhouettes, stamped the center image using Versamark and heat embossed using white detail embossing powder.  I then used my sponge dauber and added Pretty in Pink chalk around the blooms.  I used a tissue to clean the chalk residue from my flower.  I then stamped the other 2 images using my Vermark and then let it dry.  I love the look of the watermark!  I matted this piece on Whisper White cardstock and then used my scallop scissors to trim the Whisper White into a scalloped oval.  I punched holes on each side of the flower stems and added my reversible May Arts ribbon and tied a knot.  The dragonflies are by Prima and can be found HERE.   I adhered the oval on the front using dimensionals and that is it!!

Should you be interested in any of the Starving Artistamps stamps, don't forget about the current special they are running and the design team discount of 10% on your entire order by entering my code ~lyndadis.  For more details, check it out here ~ HERE.   

Thanks for stopping by!

~Lynda

How 'bout a Summer Picnic???

I am so excited to share with you a card that I actually came up with the layout all by myself!!!  I got my pre-order from SU! and man, the Summer Picnic paper is SO cute ~ LOVE IT!!!!  On this card I also used the cherries from one of the new sets called Tart and Tangy.  I wasn't too sure about the cherries at first.  They are smaller than I expected but once I added the Red Stickles, I liked them much better!  Here is my card ~

The base of my card is 5" square and is Wild Wasabi cardstock.  The cherry paper is from the Summer Picnic decorative paper as is the red on the bottom.  I used a chipboard parenthesis to trace the decorative edge and then cut it out.  I added white gel pen dots and then Frosted Stickles because the stupid gel pen didn't do what I wanted!!!  I hate that!  I wish I could find a white gel pen that works!! LOL!!! 

The striped strip is Wild Wasabi from the Prints hostess pack.  I added a strip of Whisper White that I cut using my decorative edge scallop scissors and then added the red striped grosgrain ribbon and tied a knot.  I used my Nestabilities to cut a circle from Whisper White cardstock and then I stamped the cherries using Wild Wasabi ink on the stems and Real Red ink on the cherries.  I cut a scalloped circle again using Nestabilities and Real Red cardstock and mounted them on the card using dimensionals.

Hope you all are having a great weekend!

~Lynda

Lauren's Saturday Sketch Challenge ~ 2/16/08

Hi Again!
I wanted to post my card for Lauren's Saturday Sketch from last Saturday before she posts her new Saturday sketch tomorrow!! LOL!!

The base of my card is Kraft.  You probably don't believe me because this picture does not show it very well!!!  Before I got on, I will tell you that I used my distressing tool on the edges of paper.  The next layer is Night of Navy and then a piece of red Bazzill cardstock.  The Kraft layer was stamped with my Versamark using the Boho Backgrounds stamp.  I am not sure who the striped paper is by ~ it was a scrap I had!  The image is my BEAUTIFUL Mustang by Serendipity Stamps.   I stamped on Whisper White cardstock using Chocolate Chip ink.  I colored using my Prismacolor pencils and Mineral Spirits.  I matted on first Kraft cardstock and then Night of Navy cardstock.  The ribbon is Kraft Taffeta and red gingham.  I used a silver buckle from the NEW Hodgepodge that will be available from SU! next month.  The decorative circle is from the Boho Backgrounds set, stamped using Night of Navy ink on Kraft cardstock.  I punched this out using my 1 1/4" circle punch and then matted it with a circle punched from my 1 3/8" circle punch.  The silver brad in the middle is also from the new Hodgepodge kit and has a star in it.  I added a red crystal.  I used glue dots to adhere this and used dimensionals to mount the mustang on the front. 

Thanks again for stopping by!!!

~Lynda

Limited Supplies Challenge ~ Signature Style

Today's limited supplies challenge at SCS was to use our own handwriting on a card.  I saw this color combo and had to use it! 

The base of my card is Barely Banana.  The next layers are first Basic Black and then Groovy Guava which I ran through my Cuttlebug and used a floral embossing folder.   The focal image is a new tulip stamp from Starving Artistamps.  I stamped the image using Basic Black ink on Vanilla Shimmery Cardstock.  I colored the image with my Prismacolor pencils and Mineral Spirits.  I wrote the "for you" sentiment using my Basic Black marker and then matted the image on Basic Black cardstock. 

There are a lot of new stamps at Starving Artistamps as well as a special offer from now until February 27th ~ Buy one full sheet of unmounted rubber stamps, get one sheet of cling for it free!   This offer is valid on new orders for full sheets only.  Also,  don't forget that you can also get a 10% savings on your entire order by using the following code ~

Enter Code ~ lyndadis in the discount code box in the shopping cart.

 

Enter this code in the discount code box in the shopping cart to get 10% off your next new website order.

Once you enter the code, click recalculate. 

you should see the discount come up.

If you do not see the discount applied immediately, stop and contact us at strvingartistmp@aol.com

do not finalize your order or your card will be charged the amount shown.

This discount can not be combined with any other offer.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Lynda

Help!!! I'm seeing spots!!!

Here is my second Spring Garden that I CASEd from Lauren!!!  I promise, I won't show you EVERY single one I do but this one is quite different than the first one so I thought I would share!!!  I will definitely share though if I am able to find some jars that will fit inside the "egg carton" holders in the box!  Anyway, this one is quite polka dotty.  I designed it TOTALLY around the red and white polka dot paper I got at Target in their dollar spot.  I knew I would be glad I got it!!!  Hope you like it!

This one was definitely not as time consuming as the one in my previous post.  I basically cut a piece of the polka dot wrapping paper to be long enough to fit around the entire box.  I also made it wide enough so I could tuck it down inside the box (I will show you the inside in a minute!) so I just used adhesive and stuck the paper on the box.  I trimmed the polka dot paper at each corner just down to the top of the box so I could fold it in without it being folded or scrunched.  I used some adhesive to adhere these down as well as the bottom.  The ribbon and flowers were done basically the same as the previous box.  I will show you a close up in a minute as I did stamp the white flower and I really like how it turned out!

The bags were done by stamping the flower background stamp from Boho Backgrounds using Black Stazon.  I used punched Whisper White using my SU! scallop punch for the tops of the candy on the inside.  Here is a picture of that.......

This one was fun finding all the red, white and black candy!  I used Lifesavers, Black jelly beans (I love these but I don't think anyone else does!!! LOL!), red & white gumballs, Twizzler bites, Starburst red jelly beans and red Swedish Fish.  I covered the "egg" holder part with Basic Black cardstock.  This was really easy as I just laid the cardstock on the carton, used a pencil to trace the circles on the back, punched them out with my 1 3/8" circle punch, adhere the cardstock on the holder and then trimmed around it.  Easy as can be!!!

The Spring Garden Sentiment is also from the Just Hatched set.  I stamped it on Whisper White cardstock using Basic Black ink and then cut it out leaving a very small edge.  I then mounted it on Basic Black cardstock and cut it out again.  I punched an oval from my Marvy Giga oval scallop punch and then mounted all of it on top of a rectangle I cut from Basic Black cardstock using my rectangle Nestabilities.

The flowers are all misc. flowers I have had.  The black  scalloped ribbon is from Lindsey as are the red single jewels and the jeweled flower center (by MAMBI).  I used a pop up glue dot to adhere the flower on the front.  The ladybug is from Autumn leaves and was stamped on Whisper White cardstock using Basic Black ink and then cut out.  I colored in the dots using my Copic Spica red glitter pen, added it's antennas with my black marker and stuck it on using a dimensional.

In case you didn't see my previous post with all of the links for the supplies used, HERE it is!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!!! 

Have a great day!

~Lynda

Wanna see the CUTEST Spring Garden???

I am so excited about how this little "garden" turned out!!!  It was actually really easy but a little time consuming but LUCKILY I had LOTS of candy to make it worthwhile!!   You know, you can't give an edible gift to someone without making sure it tastes OK first!!!  LOL!!  This box is a TOTAL CASE of Laurens carrot garden HERE!   She is so amazing and I totally HAD to make some of these!!!!  The box came from Papertrey Ink and actually has the little egg carton divider included!  All you have to do is cover it and use your 1 3/8" circle punch and punch the holes.  You probably would like to see the darn thing since you have no idea of what I am talking about ~ right?!?!? LOL!!!

Are you ready????

Maybe you should get your credit card out now so you are ready to order the boxes!!! LOL!!

I'll wait.............

LOL!!!  Funny aren't I???  OK, here it is!!!

As I said before, the box came from Papertrey and I linked directly above.  The boxes are $4 each and come white just like you see.  I did not do anything to the box except add the polka dots, ribbon, etc...  I will start with the box.....  I left the lid on the bottom as you see and used my piercing guide from my mat pack to mark where I want to add my polka dots.  I used a pencil to mark the spots and erased the mark afterwards.  I used 4 brand new pencil erasers and "stamped" the polka dots randomly with Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana, Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery.  Pencil erasers make PERFECT circles!!!  The ribbon on the lid is first scalloped pink ribbon and then a layer of Celery grosgrain with white polka dots.  I think that came from Michaels.  The pink came from Lindsey.  I added some flowers and accented the center flower with a pink jewel Prima Flower center that I got from Lindsey as well.  Lindsey's store is closed for right now while she is moving and will hopefully open back up in the next few weeks!

Here is a close~up of the ribbon and flower ~

I used Scotch tape to tape the ribbon down and then used 3 glue dots to adhere the flower.

The "carrot" bags are actually Wilton cake decorating bags in which I cut about 3 inches off of the top, "stamped" using a pencil eraser and White Stazon ink and then gently used a Q-tip to color in the circles on the bags using my SU! chalks (Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery).  After I let it dry, I gently wiped the bags with a tissue to get rid of any residue. 

Here is a picture from the top of the box.  The polka dots were only done for a about a quarter of the top and then the candy was added.  Before tying it closed, I added a scalloped circle that was punched from Celery cardstock (totally Lauren's awesome idea).  I then tied the top closed with my Celery with white polka dot ribbon.  I used 6 different pastel colored candies but of course you can use anything you want.  I will be making these for my kids teachers and a couple of them aren't huge candy eaters (have you EVER heard of such a thing?!?!?!?) so I will put trail mix, nuts, sunflower seeds, etc... in theirs!

The label on the front is also from Papertrey and is from a new stamp set they just released called Just Hatched.  I stamped the image using White Stazon ink on vellum and then heat embossed using White Detail embossing powder.  I then cut it out and adhered it to a Bashful Blue oval I had punched using my Marvy Giga Scalloped oval punch.  I added a couple of green crystals on each side.

I am working on another one and will post it shortly!  I was hoping to use my Prima flower jars on the next one but unfortunately, they are a little too big.  I am going to go to the Dollar store and see if I can find something that might work!!!  I'll let you know!!!

~Lynda

For my Dad ~ Sketch Challenge #164...

Hi!!!
I hope all is well with you guys!  Seems everyone has the flu these days!  I am feeling better today, I think I was having allergy issues ~ as usual!!  Here is my card for today's Sketch Challenge at SCS.

I don't know about you but I NEVER have cards for men!  This card will work for Father's Day or Birthday.  I inked up my Thomas Kinkade stamp with Basic Brown ink and stamped on Shimmery White cardstock ~ 2 times.  You need to do this twice to get the spotlight effect.  I started with a card base of Mellow Moss and then matted the decorative Moss paper from last years At Home Scrappin' kit using Chocolate Chip cardstock.  I cut one of my images out and matted it on Chocolate Chip cardstock.  I did have to cut it down small to fit properly on the front of the card.  For the spotlight image, I left a clean edge on the bottom and just trimmed the top and sides until I got the look and fit I wanted.  I stamped my sentiment using my Fancy Flexible Phrases set and Basic Brown ink.  I added SU! small green square jewel brads to each side.  I used a Mellow Moss sticky scalloped strip from the At Home kit under the spotlight image and at the bottom of the large TK image.  I ran the brown & white May Arts ribbon on top of the entire piece, taped the ends on the back, tied a knot to one side and added a glue dot right beside the knot to hold the ribbon in place since it is covering up the end of the TK image and start of the Shimmery White piece.  I used dimensionals to adhere this to the top of the card.

I am working on the CUTEST Easter gift EVER!!!  I am so excited about it and it is a total CASE!!!  I HAD to CASE, it was so darn cute, I couldn't help myself!!! LOL!!!  I hope to share it with you later today or at least by tomorrow!!!  Thanks for stopping by!!

Have a great day!

~Lynda