Stamp Act

Beautiful Blooms.....

I actually made a card for no reason, no challenge, no reason except that I loved these colors and wanted to use them!!!  I saw a card using River Rock and a blue color.  I immediately thought how pretty River Rock and Bashful Blue would look together.  I added Vanilla and a dark brown Bazzill color as well.  I must say, I LOVE these colors together and hope you do too!

The base of my card is Bashful Blue with a mat of Dark Brown Bazzill cardstock, then Vanilla, then River Rock and then a decorative piece of paper from the retired SU! paper pack, Holiday Thyme.  The 2 little pearls are from K&Company and are self adhesive.  The focal image is from the retired SU! hostess set, Garden Silhouettes.  I had NEVER used this set ~ can you believe it??!?!?  I used markers to ink the stamp up.  I used Chocolate Chip and Bashful Blue markers for the branch and flowers and then used a blender pen and my River Rock ink pad to color the leaves.  Once I had colored on my stamp, I huffed on it a few times and then stamped it on my Vanilla cardstock.  I added a knot of Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon and White ~ Liquid Pearls to the centers of all of the flowers.  I then matted it on Bashful Blue cardstock and then a larger piece of Dark Brown Bazzill cardstock.  I used dimensionals to mount the focal image on top of the dark brown Bazzill cardstock.

This card was also REALLY easy which is good because I have a lot going on right now!!  I will share the news with you tomorrow!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Lynda

Mothers Day Ensemble......

I had such high hopes to add a beautiful pin to this Mother's Day ensemble BUT the stupid pin did NOT want to look right so....there is NO pin!!!  I am sure some other amazing little jewelry item would look beautiful in this box!!!  LOL!!! 

The card is based on Wednesday's sketch challenge and the box was made using the instructions from the dinosaur box I made last week ~ HERE!   For this set, the main, beautiful paper is from Best Creation and already has the glitter on it!  The card dimensions are 4" x 9".  The base of the card is Shimmer White cardstock and the flap has a strip of Mellow Moss cardstock.  I then added the same May Arts Ivory sheer organdy with gold edges as I have on the box.  I wrapped the ribbon around the flap and taped it under the oval flower image.  I then added a knot by punching two holes on either side of the bouquet, pulled the ribbon through and tied it.  Here is a close~up of that ~

I added an extra strip of decorative paper on the right side on the inside of the card.  The butterflies are from a Martha Stewart punch which I punched three from the decorative paper and glued them just in the centers and bent the wings up.  I then added some purple crystals to the centers of the butterflies and larger ones to the centers of my flowers on the card.  I used my Quickie glue pen.  I stamped the Serendipity Bouquet on Shimmer White cardstock using Creamy Caramel ink.  I then used my Creative Memories oval cutter to cut it out.  Since I don't YET have the oval Nestabilities, I used my scalloped scissors to cut around the oval to make a scallope mat of Creamy Caramel cardstock.  I didn't have the right color ink to color the flowers, looks kindof Periwinkle, so I just stamped the flowers on the decorative paper and cut them out and mounted them on top of the stamped ones.  I did color the stems and leaves using my Mellow Moss ink pad and a blender pen.  I used dimensionals to adhere it to the card.

The box was done with the same decorative paper and ribbon.  I also used Mellow Moss cardstock.  Here is a picture of the top of the box ~

I used the same measurements as I had on dino box but for the lid I did this one a bit different.  After I scored it, I used my square Nestabilities to cut out the center of the lid, leaving a small edge.  I then glued a piece of Acetate on the inside.  I then cut out a group of flowers from the decorative papers and adhered it on top of the acetate.  The butterfly was done the same was as the ones on the card.  I used Elmer's glue to adhere it to the top of the box.  Here is a picture of the inside of the lid ~

Here is a picture of the front of the box ~

I used my Martha Stewart punch to make the decorative edge.  The ribbon was tied around the entire lid one time and then I tied 2 more little pieces of ribbon on top of the first knot to layer it 3 times and then when I cut it, I staggered the edges.  Here are a few more pictures and I hope you can see how beautiful the paper is and how nice the glitter looks ~

I hope you are all having a great day!  We have had the nicest weather today and let me tell you, the kids have really enjoyed it but the dog has REALLY enjoyed it!!!  Here is proof!

Blog Candy and LOTS of other stuff!!!

I'm back!!!  I have lots to share!  Today is my Birthday!!! Yes, I am 21 AGAIN!!!  I don't know if you guys saw the picture this morning of the 115 year old woman?  Well, my darling little angels (with some help from their Daddy) mentioned that SHE looked better than me!! LOL!!!  Oh boy am I lucky to have such a loving, caring, family!!!  Anyway, I am going to offer up some Birthday Blog Candy beginning today and I'll pick a winner Tuesday evening at 8 EST.  All you have to do is leave a comment HERE, on this post!!! 
I have been going through my CRAP, oh, I mean, lovely PILES of craft items I have been hoarding for years, because my friend Tamara is having a crop next weekend to raise money for Autism Speaks so I wanted to put a basket together to donate so it can be raffled off next weekend.  While shoveling through, I found some stuff I thought you guys might like and use!!!  Here is the STUFF~

This includes 1 unmounted French Flair background stamp and 5 unopened packs of retired SU! papers ~ Au Chocolat, Dashing, Le Jardin, Holiday Thyme and Four Seasons.  I will post the winner sometime after 8pm Tuesday (4/22).

Since April is National Autism Awareness Month, if anyone is interested in donating to Autism Speaks, please email me and I will provide my mailing address and Tamara will include it with her donation that she will send in sometime after the crop on Saturday.  The checks can be made payable to Autism Speaks so you will have a receipt. 

I wanted to share with you some Birthday RAK's I received last week!!!  I feel so guilty because I LOVED getting the RAK's but have yet to send a Birthday RAK!!!  I have been on the Bloggers RAK list for at least a year now!!!  I know, how selfish is that!!!  I promise to do better!!!

Isn't this cute???  I love it!  This is from Simone ~AKA ~ Spazzgirl.  Thank you Simone, it is darling!

This one is from Karen Mackie  ~ AKA ~ BradsMom.  I love these colors and the DP is darling!  I will have to keep searching for Karen's SCS gallery and will add it when I find it!!

This awesome card is from Amy.  I have never been able to get this buckle card to work!!!  Amy did a great job on this.  I will have to keep it for inspiration!!  Thank you Amy!

Last but not least is this card I received Debra.  I LOVE this stamp set ~ one of my favorites!!!  This is so cute, thank you so much Debra!

I will leave you with a card I made recently using the DARLING Bunny from Serendipity Stamps.  The decorative paper is from Imaginisce and is their Peeps line.  I won't go in to a lot of detail because the card is pretty simple AND my friends are taking me out to dinner tonight and I need to get going!!!

Thanks again for stopping by and don't forget to leave a comment to win my blog candy!!!

~Lynda

A NEW fold for you!!! (well, at least it is NEW to me!!!)

Good Saturday Morning!!!
I was surfing the internet last night and ran across a cool fold that I had not seen before so really this fold is new to me and may not be new to you!!!  I will show you my masculine cards later because I totally got sidetracked on making the following cards!!!  I have to go to my sons football game shortly so I will be making this post rather short but I will be back later to offer up some BIRTHDAY Blog Candy!!!!  Here are my cards ~

I wish I could take credit for coming up with a spectacular idea but I must admit, I found the EASY instructions on Martha Stewart Crafts.   The size of my card is 4x4 and the cardstock is Soft Sky.  I masked the 2 flowers at the top but then had to paper piece the one on the left because I SCREWED it up and had to cover it!!!  I used SU! Soft Sky Print Designer Series paper to do this.  The flower stamp is from the SAB set, Friendship Blooms, which I might add had never seen ink before today!!!  I stamp the flower again on Whisper White cardstock using Soft Sky ink and then cut out the center flower.  I used MAMBI clear crystals for the centers of all of the flowers.  The white rub ons are from the SAB rub on set called Love & Happiness.  I also found an AWESOME white gel pen which I used on the flower dots on the right and you can find that in Michelle's store ~ Stampers Dream.  I also used my Quickie glue pen and white flock (also from Michelle) on the center of the upper right flower.

Here is a picture of the inside ~

Here is another card using the same technique ~

This card is also 4x4 and is Kraft cardstock.  I used my Scor-pal to make the embossed box.  The stamp sets I used are Touch of Nature and the sentiment is from In My Thoughts.  I stamped the fern around the edges using Versamark ink.  The bird was stamped using Chocolate Chip ink and then colored using Prismacolor pencils.  The butterfly was stamped using Chocolate Chip ink but before I stamped it on the card, I stamped off so it would be lighter.  After I did it, I wish I would have used Versamark ink instead but oh well, too late!!!  The sentiment was stamped using Chocolate Chip ink. 

Ok, I have to run but as usual, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!  I'll be back later this afternoon!

~Lynda

A new technique!!!

Happy Easter ~ Again!!!
I hope you all are having a fun Holiday!  We worked around the house and ran some errands.  Of course these things were done AFTER Easter egg hunting this morning!!!

I have a new technique to show you today!  Now, don't get me wrong, this is a new technique to ME!  I am sure many of you have already done this but for those that haven't, it is really easy and fun!  It is along the lines of Polished Stone.  This card is my first try ~

The base of my card is Basic Black.  The next mat is some awesome decorative paper I had bought some time ago by Rusty Pickle.  The image is matted on Basic Black cardstock.  OK, now lets get to the image!  The first thing I did was to stamp the Starving Artistamp Daisy (18.02) on glossy cardstock using my Versamark.  I let this dry and then once the Versamark was dry I layered Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks lightest to darkest.  I started at the bottom of the images and added a few drops of Latte Alcohol Ink & a few drops of Alcohol Blending Solution and then wiped the color on to the glossy cardstock.  Latte was my lightest color and then my next darkest color was Caramel so I added a few drops of this color on to a new cotton ball.  With this color I started wiping about a 1/4 of the way up from the bottom and wiped the ink on the glossy cardstock all the way to the top.  The last color and my darkest is Ginger.  I used another cotton ball and wiped this ink starting around the center and going all the way to the top with this color.  The last step is to use another cotton ball and add some Alcohol Blending Solution to it and wipe from the bottom to the top to blend the colors and make it look more even.  I must say that the cotton ball leaves streaks so you might want to purchase the felt pads that are sold with the inks and blending solutions.  I am going to get some this week because I do think the look would be less streaked using the felt pads. 

OK, the final step is to spray (you want larger drops ~ not a fine mist) Rubbing Alcohol on the image.  Let this sit for a minute and then dab with a tissue.  You can then polish the image piece with a clean piece of felt. 

The sentiment is a Rubon from Basic Grey.  The flower centers are from Prima (they came in a can that had flowers & crystals) and they aren't really shiny but the color was perfect.  I used a glue dot to adhere them. 

Now for how I did my butterflies!!!  I have done this technique before and love the look!  The BEAUTIFUL butterflies are from Starving Artistamps and can be found HERE (small freak p1.6).   I stamped the butterfly (2 times) on a transparency sheet using Black Stazon.  I also stamped the butterfly on the focal image piece using the Black Stazon.  I then cut out the 2 butterflies from the transparency.  Once the butterflies were cut out I turned them over and used Misty Lavender Pearl Ex, a paint brush and Future Floor Wax to color the butterfly.  Once the Pearl Ex & floor wax dried (I did do a couple of coats), I bent up the wings and adhered the butterflies using a glue dot.  That's it!  Here is a close up of the butterflies ~

Don't forget that until the end of the month (3/31), you can get a 10% discount from Starving Artistamps on your entire order by entering code ~ lyndadis at checkout. 

I have another card to show you which I used this technique again but it will have to wait since my daughter is waiting for me to color with her!!!  Be back shortly!!!

~Lynda

A Valentine....For my daughter....

Happy Valentines Day!!!
I wanted to share with you a card I made for my daughter for Valentines Day!   On the top of the card is a little book that is held shut with the ribbon.  Inside I wrote 10 reasons why I love her!  She really liked it!

The base of the card is 5 1/4" square and is Basic Black cardstock.  The next layer from the bottom up is then 2-Scoops pink then Cameo Coral cardstock, then Whisper White cardstock and then on top the decorative pink swirl 2-Scoops paper.  I sponged all of the Cameo Coral cardstock with Whisper White Craft ink to tone down the brightness a little!!!This card layout is the same as the one I had done for my son HERE.   The instructions for the center fold out are on the previous post but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

The decorative papers are Basic Grey ~ 2 Scoops.   Just a note ~ Lindsey is going to close her store tomorrow for a few weeks while she packs and moves so if you want anything, be sure to order soon.   I am not sure what time she will take it down.  Never fear though, she has TONS of stuff on order so when she re-opens, she will have some great, NEW stuff!

The center, focal image is first Basic Black cardstock, then pink 2-Scoops paper.  The folded book is Cameo Coral and then on top I layered Basic Black and then Whisper White.  On the top Whisper White piece I stamped the flourish from So Kind using Basic Black ink.  See my instructions HERE for the book.  The heart from Always was stamped on the pink 2-Scoops paper using Basic Black ink.  This piece I cut out just on the outside of the heart dots.  I then stamped it again on vellum paper using Whisper White Craft ink.  I then cut out the vellum heart without the outside dots.  I adhered it on top of the black stamped one a then matted them on top of Basic Black cardstock and cut around the pink heart.  I mounted this on the top using Pop Dots on just the top of the heart and the bottom so the black velvet ribbon could run underneath it.  I heat embossed a pewter hodgepodge picture hanger by smashing it in my Versamark pad and then dipped it in Black embossing powder.  I held the piece with needle nose pliers and heated.  I added a black brad to hold it in place.

The butterfly from So Kind was stamped on the pink swirl 2-Scoops paper using Basic Black ink.  I cut it out and glued it on top of the heart using Elmer's Glue in just the center so the wings would bend up a little.  I added the Heidi Swapp pink crystals using my Quickie glue pen.

Stamps:  Always and So Kind      Cardstock:   Basic Black, Whisper White, Cameo Coral    Paper:  Basic Grey ~ 2-Scoops and vellum paper   Ink:   Basic Black    Accessories:  Photo Corner punch, black brads, Heidi Swapp pink crystals, Elmer's glue, Quickie glue pen, silver cord, black velvet ribbon, Black embossing powder, Versamark, heat tool, dimensionals, Pop Dots, 1/8" handheld punch

Update on Mothers and Daughters contest ~ The winner will be announced on our blogs tomorrow morning.  I am sorry for the delay but for sure I promise, tomorrow morning the winners will be announced!  We had some FANTASTIC entries and I really want you to all know how much we appreciate you taking part!!  Thank you so much!

Have a great day!

~Lynda

 

Hippy Birthday!!!

I really like this hippo ~ in case you didn't notice!  I saw this layout in one of my Paper Crafts magazines and just loved it but I couldn't get it to look as good as the one in the magazine but I will share it with you anyway!

The base of my card is textured Whisper White cardstock and the decorative paper is from Paper Salon and is their Hip, Hip, Hooray line.  I used my Creative Memories wavy cutter to cut the different patterns and then layered and staggered them on the lower part of my card.  I used my paper piercer, mat pack and my purple and then black Copic Spica glitter pens.  The best part of the card is that I was able to stamp the hippy birthday sentiment on the Pumpkin striped grosgrain ribbon but because I am a loser, I put my heart eyelet too close to the side so the sentiment is a little wrinkled!!!  That was rather irritating I must say and too late to change.  I tried to lay it as flat as possible.....  Oh well, it IS hand made!!!  I was excited though how clear the words stamp though.  I had never had that good of luck stamping on ribbon so at least something went right!! LOL!

The hippo, from Gina K's stamp set "Just so Hippy" (Michelle is out of this set right now) was stamped on Whisper White cardstock and then cut and embossed using my Nestablilities circle die.  The scallop was cut from the back of the decorative paper using my scalloped circle Nestabilities.  I added black glitter dots around it for some odd reason ~ not sure why now!!! LOL!!!  I colored "hippy" with my Prisma Watercolor pencils and a blender pen.  The purple thread is Making Memories and the heart balloon is also the decorative paper, stamped using Basic Black ink, cut out and then mounted using a dimensional. 

I am hoping to get some stamping time tomorrow.  Mary is having a sleepover at her friends house tonight so anyone who has followed my blog knows that this means Joey is requiring my FULL attention!!! We went shopping, for a walk in the woods, played catch with the football, 4 games of Yahtzee, he played with the dog on a huge pile of dirt we have in one of our fields and then I sat with him while he went in the tub (he needed this as he was filthy from playing with the dog) and we planned what we are going to plant in our garden this year!!  OMG, I am exhausted!!! LOL!!!  Can you see why I got nothing done today???  He is so funny!  We all miss Mary though, we're not used to NOT being together but I KNOW she is in good hands and having a fantastic time~ (Hi Lynn!).  I will need her back tomorrow though so she can babysit her brother!!! LOL!!!

A couple things ~

Don't forget about the challenges for Mothers and Daughters Creations ~ HERE!   You will have until Wednesday to upload your items. 

Also, in case you missed my post the first time ~

I have a really cool special to share with you in case you are interested!  Starving Artistamps has released some AWESOME new images ~ with more to come!!  Tracey has offered the following discount for all design team members to pass on to their blog readers so here are the details ~

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

2.  Once you enter the code, click recalculate. 

3.  You should see the discount come up.

4.  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.

5.  This discount can not be combined with any other offer.

Thanks so much for stopping by and HOPEFULLY, if all goes well tomorrow, I will have something new to share with you!!!

~Lynda

Spring has Sprung ~ at least here in Virginia!!!

I have lots going on today but since I haven't uploaded a card for a few days, I thought I better get one posted before you all un~subscribe from my blog!!!  LOL!!!  I screwed up in my earlier post (insert surprised face here)!   I will be posting MY challenge tonight at 7pm.  Don't worry, you will have until next Wednesday (Feb. 13th) to upload.  I also wanted to let you know, in case you are interested of course, we have started a Forum in the Mothers and Daughters Creations webstore.  You do have to register so if you are interested, stop by and chat with us!!!  I have some things to do this evening but will be in the forum some time after 9 so stop by!!!

I had made this card some time ago and hadn't had a chance to upload it so here it is!

You know how I love my Artfully Inking elephant!  I first used my Basic Black ink and stamped the image on Going Gray cardstock.  I used the mosaic Cuttlebug embossing folder to give him texture.  I stamped the elephant again on Whisper White cardstock and cut out his tusks and toenails.  He is mounted on first Whisper White cardstock and then Saffron cardstock.  The bouquet of Daisy's as well as the other single Daisy's I accented around the card were cut from THIS paper.  The decorative corner is a Cuttlebug die and the paper I used is the back of the above paper.  The ribbon is from SU! and the decorative border is an old Fiskars one I have had for quite some time.  The base of the card is 5 1/4" square and the Drapin' Daisies is the same as I linked above.  The sentiment is a SU! rubon.  Very simple huh?

Sorry to rush through this post but if you do have questions, please don't hesitate to ask! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to "see" you tonight!

~Lynda

Does this color make me look HIPPY????

I love this set!  I bought Just So Hippy from Stampers Dream a few weeks ago and have had such a fun time using it!!!  The saying I used on this card cracks me up because back when I had a REAL, PAYING job in which required me to wear nice clothes (my uniform now are jeans, sweatershirts and t-shirts!) so I would ask my husband, does my butt look big in these pants and his "LOVING" reply was ~ No, your butt makes the pants look big!  LOL!!!  I know, I got the last of the REAL Gentlemen!!!  LOL!!!

I did have to print the most part of the sentiment out but I did use hippy from the stamp set!

I started out with a card base of Pumpkin Pie cardstock and then added very thin mats of first Basic Black and then Whisper White.  The next layer is from Crate Paper's Carnival Collection which I bought from Lindsey.

The Pumpkin flowers are from SU!'s Flower Fusion, the blue shimmer flower is from Imaginisce and I topped it off with a square blue crystal brad from SU!  I mounted this on the card using glue dots.  The next layer of paper is first Basic Black and then the coordinating blue which came with the Carnival Collection pack.  I then stamped my cutest hippo on Whisper White cardstock and again on the decorative paper using Basic Black ink.  I cut the hippo out from the decorative paper and adhered the head directly on top of the Whisper White cardstock and the "Tush" was mounted using dimensionals.  I stamped the hippo one more time on Whisper White and cut the toe nails and tooth out and then adhered them on top of the toes and tooth.  I stamped hippy from the hippy birthday stamp by just using my Basic Black marker on just the word hippy, I then stamped it and added my own question marks.  The black circles around the border are rubons from the Urban West collection.   I added a google eye, printed my sentiment from a font on my computer on Pumpkin Pie, cut them out and mounted them on the card. 

Stamps: Just So Hippy ~ Gina K.    Ink:  Basic Black   Cardstock:   Whisper White, Basic Black             Decorative Paper:   Crate Paper ~ Carnival Collection    Misc:  Flower Fusion, Imaginisce glimmer flower, square blue crystal brad, glue dots, Urban West Rubons, Basic Black marker, dimensionals, Computer, googlie eye

If you happen to own this set, Melanie, the designer of this set, is having a contest to win her next stamp release!  You can find all of the details HERE!   Michelle has one set left in her store and remember, you can use this set to make some things to submit for Gina K's design team call.

Also, we all love free stuff right???  Well, hop on over to Tamara's blog as she is giving away some of the new, cute Imaginisce Penguin stuff!!!  Tamara also has some details on the Grand Opening kick off this weekend! 

Have a great day!!!

~Lynda

Follow Your Heart......

This card started out to be for Sharon's Stamp Simply Challenge #20 which is to use Pretties!!!  What a great challenge!  I knew that I REALLY wanted to use my beautiful black velvet ribbon that I have not used yet.  Well....., do you see ANY velvet ribbon on this card?????

NO, of course you don't!! LOL!!!  This easy card took me FOREVAH!!!  I so wanted to use my ribbon but finally gave up and did it without my beautiful ribbon!!!  I will try to use the ribbon another time.....  Anyway, the base of my card is Basic Black with a mat of a light pink Bazzill piece of cardstock.  I added black dots with my Basic Black marker around the entire card on the pink cardstock.  The white cardstock on the top is texture Whisper White.   The first step was to stamp the heart from the new SU! Always set using Basic Black ink.  I stamped the first heart on the left and I also stamped the heart again on scrap paper and cut out just the heart to use as a mask.  I used a small amount of adhesive and stuck the heart mask down on top of my first heart and then stamped the heart in the center, moved the masked heart to the center and then stamped the last heart on the right. 

The decorative hearts were all stamped using my Versamark and heat embossed using White Detail embossing powder.  I used 3 different decorative paper scraps for the hearts, cut them out and mounted them on the front of the card using dimensionals.  I added Heidi Swapp clear crystals on each heart as well as a couple on my Follow your Heart rubon (SU!) sentiment.  I adhered the bling using my Quickie glue pen.   See, it really was not a difficult card except I made it difficult which happens quite often!!! LOL!!!

I have a really cool special to share with you in case you are interested!  Starving Artistamps has released some AWESOME new images ~ with more to come!!  Tracey has offered the following discount for all design team members to pass on to their blog readers so here are the details ~

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

2.  Once you enter the code, click recalculate. 

3.  You should see the discount come up.

4.  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.

5.  This discount can not be combined with any other offer.

 

I am definitely going to order the Large Silhouettes.  I also really like the Flowers and Leaves.  I can TOTALLY see myself coloring those!  If you are a cat lover, be sure to check THESE out! 

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

Have a great day!

~Lynda