Random things about me

Sara (check out her blog on the right) tagged me, so here are 7 random things about myself:

1. I got my first (and only, so far!) tattoo when I was 35 ~ OUCH!!
2. I am absolutely TERRIFIED to fly. When my oldest was only 2 mths, I passed up a trip home because I just couldn't bring myself to get on a plane. I'm talking sweaty palms, cold chills down the back TERRIFIED.
3. I could eat ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
4. I love watching Ghost Hunters and home decorating shows.
5. I haven't worked outside of the home in 7 yrs. and am extremely nervous to go back out into the *working world* next year.
6. I really, really, really would love to get some of my work published but hesitate to send anything in because I worry it won't be *good enough*.
7. I love to refinish furniture.

Whew, that was hard!! Ok, I'm thinking that almost everyone has probably been tagged at this point, so whoever would like to write some random things about themselves, please do so!

Festive birthday colors

Here's my card for today's color challenge over on SCS. They're such fun, bright colors, I immediately thought *birthday*. Although, these colors did give me a little bit of a fit! I started this card last night and after working on it for about an hour, just stopped and went to bed. I suppose I got a decent amount of sleep because I didn't seem to have a problem finishing it off this morning. I actually inked the entire flower stamp from Oh so lovely in so saffron, then went over the stem part with a turqoise marker (go back to 1st grade or those older ziploc commercials ~ yellow and blue make green! did I just date myself???) and went over the flower centers with a red marker. {man, I love my SU markers!} The scallop piece was inspired by Chat's work (check out her blog on the right).

Today is my middle son's 7th birthday so he gets to decide where we eat dinner. So no cooking for me, but I do have to make a cake. He asked for a Nintendo DS for his gift, but we told him if he got that, then we wouldn't throw a party for him (same offer we made our oldest) because those things are expensive!! Well, his Gameboy Advance SP has been misplaced for a few weeks now and we told him that if he didn't find it, he wouldn't get the DS. Well, I had already bought it! But I really don't think he's expecting it, so I'm hoping he'll be very surprised to get his gift this afternoon. Alrighty ~ thanks for stopping by!

Another Christmas card

Here's a card I plan on doing at an upcoming workshop. My hostess requested that I show the bleaching technique, so I thought it'd be cool to have some bleached *flurries*. Super easy technique with really cool results, I just hope it doesn't get messy at the workshop!! I almost didn't add the swirls on the card base, but now I think it just makes it look more festive.

We're getting down to just a few days before we get our things all packed and shipped out! I'm so excited and nervous. I really hope my youngest handles it well. My other two are old enough to realize what's going on, so maybe they'll be *good* big brothers and help out their youngest bro. Well, if I can ever figure out how to add a counter to my blog, I may actually get to a point where I'll give some blog candy!! If anyone can give me some help with that, I'd greatly appreciate it! Hope everyone has a great week!

Basic pomegranate color challenge

I started this one a few hours ago, then the little one woke up and well, I'm sure you know the how the rest of your day goes when you have a little one! Anyway, I do like this stamp set, but didn't feel like coloring it all in and that's where the Spotlight technique came in! What a great technique when you're feeling *lazy* or just don't have enough time. The *snowy* parts of the colored image have liquid applique on them. I sponged over the basic grey textured cs to soften it, plus it helps accentuate the texture. This is also my card for Beate's sketch challenge, WSC24 ~ her blog is listed on the right, so go check it out!! Alright, lots to do today ~ geesh, what else is new ~ so I better go! We are getting very *short*, as they say. We're down to 42 days left in paradise. I can't believe how quick the time flew, but time to move on. Ok, I'm blabbin'... thanks for stopping by!!

New banner?

Hey, look! I did my blog banner myself ~ what do y'all think?? Go ahead, be honest! I'm still learning my Adobe Photoshop program, so I'd appreciate any and ALL comments! Thanks for stopping by! I hope to have time to post a card (that I started almost 3 hrs ago!!) a little later!

Fall color wishes

Here's my card that was inspired by Jen70's blog challenge to use really rust, bravo burgundy and river rock. Such a wonderful combo!! The large panel was done using the versamark emboss resist technique. I stamped the larger image from the True Friend set in versamark on glossy cardstock, let dry, then brayered river rock over it. Once I wiped off the excess ink, I think colored the smaller circle image from that set with burgundy and rust markers. The cut out medallion was done by first stamping in river rock, then, because SU doesn't have a river rock marker, I went over certain areas with the rust and burgundy markers. For a little *extra* I added a copper eyelet, faux stitching and distressed the burgundy layer. And, as usual, I have to rush off to run errands!! Geesh! OH! Almost forgot, the card base has linen stamped on it in rust, not sure if you can see it good! Alright, have a great evening and GO SAINTS!!!

Limited elegance

I have to say that I love Jen's limited challenges. Sometimes having too many options just makes my head spin! We were only allowed to use one flower image stamped once, one swirly type image, ribbon as the only embellishment. We were also allowed to use punches, paper piercer and sponging. I just received my True Friend set earlier this week, so this is the first time it's seen ink. Such a pretty set and it was kinda cool to be able to just pop out the die cut stamps, adher to the wood and ink! I did the shadowed swirl using celery and white craft. I don't have a stamp-a-ma-jig, so I just line it up and hope for the best!! Ok, lots of errands to run, so off I go!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

card info: paper ~ celery, guava, white. stamps ~ true friend, baroque motifs. ink ~ celery, guava, white craft. access. ~ punches, ribbon, marker, piercer.

Altered frame

I've had this wood frame that I bought at Walmart for several months and finally finished it thanks to Julia's Ways to Use It challenge yesterday. I'm so happy with how it turned out and these are so easy to do! Even my hubby was impressed with it!! Ok, I have a card to upload and lots of other things to do today, so I better get going!! Don't hesitate to ask me any questions about this project or anything else!!

Thanks for stopping by!

project info: wood frame from Walmart. paper ~ outlaw dp, caramel. ink ~ choc, white craft. access. ~ scallop punch, taffeta ribbon.

Pink for awareness

This week's color challenge was anything pink. I decided to go with this fun Lizzie Anne Designs set. (drawing a blank on the name of the set at this time and I've got hubby sitting to my right waiting for the puter, so I'll add the name of it later!) I masked the flowers and colored them with my trusty SU markers. Used a jumbo eyelet for the center of the cut out flower and knotted some ribbon through the center of it. Decided to add some faux stitching on the sides of the rose red panel. I sponged the edges of the main panel and the card base with pretty in pink, not sure if you can tell. Ok, I have one more card to upload, but again, hubby is hovering, so I'll post later! Oh, also, the layout is this week's sketch challenge on SCS! Thanks for stopping by!

Cutie Pie sketch

Finally found some time to do the sketch challenge for today on SCS. Unfortunately, I had to wait for my hubby to get home to upload it since I left the camera in his Jeep ~ grrr! Anywho... the only stamping on this is the sentiment! I really wanted to use designer paper, so I decided on the Cutie Pie dp. The cut out flowers on the sentiment panel are from a different sheet of the Cutie pie dp. I used the ticket corner punch on most of the panels and for a little extra pop, decided to faux stitch using a black marker. I think this sketch just begs for designer paper and would be great for quick Christmas cards. Alrighty, that's it for now!

card info: paper ~ celery, white, rose red, cutie pie dp. stamps ~ hugs and wishes. ink ~ black. accessories ~ punch, brads, mat pack, marker, pop dot.

Bleaching on Basic Gray

This card was done using the CC135 colors ~ River Rock, Basic Black and Basic Gray. I've always loved bleaching on cardstock because you just never know what color you'll get once the bleach is dry. Who would've thought that basic gray turns to river rock when bleached??!! Once I did the bleached basic gray layer, I knew I had to use it on my card! These colors are very soothing and elegant to me, also perfect for a *man* card, I think. I'm running VERY low on river rock cardstock, so I took a piece of white and brayered it with river rock for the main image layer. I stamped the Queen Anne's Lace stamp (which I now know that it's not a weed!) in basic gray after stamping off once. I highlighted the tips with a white gel pen. The card base was done with the En Francais BG stamp in basic gray which I also stamped off once. Oh, just wanted to add that I just use one of those little trays from a microwave meal (such as lean cuisine) for my bleach. They're the perfect size since you don't need to use much bleach for this technique. I lay a few layers of paper towels or tissues on the bottom and pour a little bleach on top.

Well, this is the boys last day of their fall break, so we're going out to the beach. I'll have to see what I can get cleaned once they go back to school tomorrow ~ yay, lucky me!!! Ha! I can't believe we're having our entire house packed in just 3 weeks!! Fortunately, the new house seems to be moving along nicely (thanks Tara!) and I'm praying we may actually be able to move in it BEFORE Christmas!! Though I'll try not to get my hopes up too high, but Christmas in a hotel is no fun, especially with 3 kids! Been there, done that!!

card info: stamps ~ oh so lovely(hostess), en francais bg, baroque motifs, circle of friendship. paper ~ river rock, black, basic gray, white. ink ~ basic gray, river rock. accessories ~ bleach, punches, piercer, taffeta ribbon (yum!), hardware.

Triple cuteness!

These are the quickest little set of cards I've ever done! The featured stamper for today is Anna Wight ~ her coloring is amazing!! I know these don't come close to her, but I knew I'd have to do some coloring if I was going to CASE her. I also decided to go with these cute little 3x3 cards for Sharon's blog challenge. I didn't have the scalloped edges originally, but while taking care of middle ds's meal worms (yea, gross!! but they're for school work), something got on the bottom of one of the cards ~ grrrrr!! Well, it was close enough to the edge to snip off with the corner rounder, so I went with the scalloped edge look. Adds a whole other dimension of cuteness, if ya ask me!! Moral of the story: *there are no mistakes*!!! I think that's why I love this craft so much ~ it's very forgiving!! All coloring was done with my trusy SU markers.

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Anna and Beth!!! And thanks for another great challenge, Sharon!

card info: paper ~ whisper white. ink ~ black. access. ~ markers, ribbon, punch. How much simpler could it get?? hehe!

Challenge combo card

I've completely cleaned out my laundry room from top to bottom, got rid of lots of trash and junk, set aside some things for a yard sale I'll have in a couple of weeks. I've also gone through my youngests' closet, some of my scrapbook stuff, got all of our immunizations done, had my oldest two go through and get rid of any toys they no longer want or were broken, ordered a part for the car, set up an appt. to have the scratch on the door repaired and let's not forget all the *regular* stuff like laundry, cooking, etc. ~ so is it safe to say I deserved a *stampin' break*?? Well, I think so and therefore, gave myself a much needed break last night!

I hadn't done this weeks' sketch challenge, ways to use it challenge or the limited supply challenge so this one card combines ALL three for this week!! This is my first time cutting into my *yummy* Outlaw dp. Yes, it hurt a little, but some sacrifices need to be made in the name of stampin', no? I absolutely love stamping on twill, so when I saw the twill WT134 challenge I knew that's what I wanted to do. This is a great sketch, gives you so many options for the top panel and what to use for the little tab. And yes, I used that wonderful little tool, my Cropodile, to add the eyelets to the twill ~ worked perfectly! Added some faux saddle stitching (I think that's what it's called?!) and hemp.

I want to publicly thank Tara (her blog is listed on the right, go check out her awesome work!) for taking pics of our house while it's being built!! How fortunate are we to have found someone that lives blocks away from our new home and is willing to take pics for us?? Not to mention she's also an SU demo and has boys the same ages as mine?!!! Just makes us feel even better about moving to Katy ~ we've already *met* a wonderful person and we haven't even moved there yet!! Yes, we are feeling very blessed! Can't wait to meet you, Tara!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Card info: paper ~ sage, vanilla, outlaw dp. ink ~ choc, cocoa. accessories ~ cutter tool, twill, eyelets, piercer, marker, cropodile, sponge.

Lookie what I did!!!

I made that banner up top all by myself!!! OMW, I can't believe it!! Ok, yes, it's off center, but dangit, I did it!! Now, if I can just remember everything I did, then I can change it up! How cool is that??! Ok, I'm pretty proud of myself ~ now off to see what else I can do! Oh, and just so you know, I did it on Photoshop Elements.

Hmmm, whatcha think?

I'm in a Christmas tag swap on SCS and have finally sat down to try to come up with something! I'm not sure if there's a certain size it's supposed to be but this one is 2 1/4in X 3in. So, whatcha think? Would you like to get this in a Christmas tag swap?? Is it *good* enough?? Thanks for your input!

Simple wheel challenge

Here's a quickie card I did for Sharon's (notimetostamp) blog challenge. The challenge is to make a card using wheels as your main focal point. I *love* my wheels, but don't use them nearly enough, so I really thought this was a great challenge. Wheels are the best when you need a really cute card, but don't have the time to break out all your stamps. I colored in parts of the main image with markers to help tie the colors together. A few little loops of ribbon and some brads ~ which, btw, I probably should've done a different color because I think they blend in with image a little too much ~ are just enough to add a little extra *cuteness* to this card. And it just wouldn't be one of my cards if it didn't have piercing or faux stitching on it! The sentiment if from one of the Take Three stamps inked up with a marker.

Well, this weekend I really kicked it up a notch {BAM! think Emeril} and started cleaning and organizing and all that other fun stuff - NOT - in preparation for our big move to Katy, TX. We don't want to bring any stuff back with us that we no longer need or want. And so... the fun has begun and won't end until we get everything packed (by a gov. contracted mover, thank God!) around the end of October!! The good news is a great customer of mine would like me to do a workshop for her in early November which gives me an even better excuse to hold onto some of my stampin' supplies even after the packers are long gone! I've been trying to come up with a way to tell my dh {dearest hubby} that I really *NEED* to keep some supplies here so I didn't have to go so long without my beloved *rubbah and ink*!! And now I have the perfect excuse!! Because really, once everything has been packed and shipped, what am I going to do for the next month until we fly outta here?!! Yes, of course, hit the beach ~ duh!! But in between doing that, a-stampin' I will be!!! Have a great one!!

Card info: stamps ~ Doodle wheel, Take Three. paper ~ Turquoise, pretty in pink, white. Ink ~ black, turquoise. Access. ~ brads, ribbon, gingham, markers, piercer, white gel pen.