Love is in the Air

Hi stampers,
Some of you may not be familiar with this holiday, but in this part of the midwest we have a card/gift giving holiday called Sweetest Day.Check out the origin of this holiday, it is fascinating. It is always in October and I thought you might like to get an early start. Art Impressions has the best heart to use on a card or a scrapbook layout. If your area of the U.S. doesn't celebrate Sweetest Day you could use this card for Valentine's Day as well.

This card is very easy and quick to make. The card is 6"X6" and I used a heart punch to make the heart cut out areas on card stock on that panel in the center. The stamp is P2003 and I heat embossed the image on white CS using red embossing powder. Adding the white doily was a great accent.  I added a few of the hearts that were punched out and adding glitter to them really gave the card that special pizzazz.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Glitter Graphics

Smile with your Heart

Hi Stampers,
The punch used in today's card is from Just Imagine/Kreations, and I used punch #917 . It's a cool punch, it has hearts on it.  When I ordered it, I had envisioned using it for Valentine's Day, and I'm sure I will. However the punch goes great with the stamps I am using on today's card. It's funny how things just fall into place.

The 4-in-1 punches are quite the bargain. What other punches give you all that versatility with one punch. I am always amazed with the different looks you can achieve when you use the inserts that come with each of the 4-in-1 punches. This punch has wide versatility and will work with many different themes besides Valentine's Day. I can see it used on a scrapbook layout with pic's of the family, love, the grand kids, your husband, the kids, you get the picture. I am sure you will think of many many more themes and uses. Make sure to look at the whole array of Kreations Punches. I'll bet you see something that will be just right for your project.


The stamps set used on the today's card are part of a set from {ippity} stamps. It is set IPK-120. Click here to go to the {ippity} store for a great selection of stamps.


I also received a blog award yesterday from Denise at Lala's World. I met Denise thru Crafter's  Companion and I am very honored that she would bestow this award on me. Thank you so much Denise!!!

As part of this award I have to answer the following 12 questions and pass this on to 5 people. Here are the answers to my questions: 

Name your favorite color? 
Black - I wear it a lot


Name your favorite song?
Rolling in the Deep - by Adele


Name your favoirte dessert?
Cherry Pie (but I love all sweets)


What wizzes you off at the moment? 
Can't think of any particular thing

Your favorite pet? 
My cats, all 2 sometimes 3 of them

Black or white? 
Black  of course

Your biggest fear? 
Heights

Best feature? 
Sense of humor

Everyday attitude? 
Go with the flow

What is perfection? 
a spring day

Guilty pleasure? 
chocolate

When you're upset? 
I gripe


I want to pass on this award to friends that I've met along the way. Some of these ladies I've known longer than others, some I've met thru the internet, but each has touched me in various ways. It's always nice to recognize people and their efforts and pay it forward. 


Angie
Dawn
Donna
DeeDee
Linda aka Lovely Linda


Each of these ladies has given me support and has been there when I needed them in more ways than one. They support me with comments and believe me when I say, I cherish each and every comment from everyone who leaves a comment. These ladies cheer me on and inspire me as well, and continue to make me stretch my imagination and my abilities.


Please do me a favor and check out their blogs and get to know these ladies, they are all great artists in their own right.


Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. 

Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog Hop Winners are announced

Hi Stampers,
Yes this is my second post today, but I just wanted to let you all know the blog hop winners over at Sparkle N Sprinkle have been announced. And here they are:

Grand Prize Aileen Freeman
Prize 1 from Donna Ellis - 2 embossing tinsel colors of your choice - Karen A Jones
Prize 2 from Dawn Thomas - 3 embossing powders  - Linda Craig
Prize 3 from Linda Loew - 3 Glitters- Denise B
Prize 4 from Shona Erlenborn - 2 Sparkle N Soft Colors - Barb P
Prize 5 from Patti White - 2 flocking colors - Anita Braddock

Congratulations to the winners!!! Please check the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog for directions on claiming your prizes.

Please mark your calendars for the blog hop next month.It will be held Thurs. Sept 22 and Fri. Sept 23. Prizes will be given away and we will have more great cards to inspire you. I am hoping to see you then.

Thanks for stopping back today.

Barbara

A late evening snacker

Hi Stampers

I just had to share these pics with you all. Tuesday evening about 11:30, I was changing a banner on my storm door and I looked down and low and behold I had a late night snacker on my porch. I have 2 cats that come by and I always have food out for them. One cat lives in the neighborhood but she is very scrawny and has become somewhat matted and always looks so sad. The other cat has just about moved in. I think someone dumped him off. He looks just like Morris the cat. And my 2 cats that I have had for 10+ years  are not too happy with that new arrangement... yet, but they will get used to him. Anyway, I look out on the porch and there is this huge raccoon. Chowing down on the cat food and drinking all their water. So I go get my camera and he is still there still eating and drinking, so I snap a few pic's thru the storm door. He doesn't even seem bothered I am there. I knock on the door and even crack the door and whistle. He still acts unfazed. I snap a few more pic's I was really trying to get him to turn around and look at me thru the storm door, I wanted a pic full face, but he wouldn't cooperate. Here are the 2 best shots, and sorry for the glare since these shots are taken thru the storm door w/ glass in it.

What a beautiful creature this raccoon is. My 2 cats were really fascinated with this guy and he was twice the size of them. After he finished the food and water he left for the evening. I think he comes by every nite. One night last week there were 2 of these critters chowing down on my porch. I guess when it gets dark I will have to remember to bring in the food and water. And no, I would not even attempt to pet these guys, even though I'd love to, common sense tells me otherwise.

Stop back tomorrow, I have a card for you.

Sparkle N Sprinkle Autumn Inspirations Blog Hop

Hi there,
Welcome to the Sparkle N Sprinkle Autumn Inspirations Blog Hop.
If you hopped here by way of Eleanor's blog, then you're in the right place. If not, and you'd like to become eligible for the Grand Prize and five other mystery prizes, please begin on the Sparkle N Sprinkle Home Blog here. Please leave a comment on my blog to become eligible for the grand prize or one of the 5 mystery prizes.

The blog hop runs from August 25 thru August 26, with winners announced on Aug 27 between 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.. 
One grand prize and five mystery prizes will be awarded.


To qualify to win one of the prizes please hop to each designers and leave a comment.

I have 3 cards for you today:

The 1st card is: Spooky Face -  

Stamps used: 
Spooky Face 1721-335A
Smell Jellybeans 1726-335B
Glitter used: 
Orange Surprise Glitter G1010
Black Ice Glitter G1020

I used Spellbinders Stacked Pumpkins to make these great orange pumpkins. Also using the 1/4 inch Tear-ific tape on the edges gives me the ability to add a glitter border to my layers.
Click here for the complete instructions to make this card.
My 2nd card is:
The Pumpkin Stack-
Stamps used:
Pumpkin Stack – Lg  1278-228J
Pumpkin Stack – Sm  1284-228B
The Beauty 539-228B
I applied alcohol ink using  fall colors on glossy paper and used a leaf punch to punch the leaf shapes. Add the leaves to a trellis border made from a die to make the interesiting border on the card.
Click here for the complete instructions to make the card.


My 3rd card is:
The Haunted House-
Stamps used:
Spooky Tree  1718-335K
Shadow Haunted House  1720-335A
Bat  1723-335AA
RIP 1717-335B
Glitter used:
Spirited Green Glitter G1070
Impulsive Purple Glitter  G1069
Embossing Powder used:
Clear Detail Embossing Powder  EP280
That Tear-ific tape allows you to apply straight lines of adhesive and it makes it super easy to add glitter.
Here is how I applied the colors to the black CS.
Use a sponge and apply PearlEx in a circular motion on black CS, sponge a circle of Yellow/Gold PearlEx to the top center of the Black panel. Next sponge the rest of the Black panel with Purple PearlEx. (Note:Stamping with VersaMark over the PearlEx will cause the PearlEx to be removed from the CS and will cling to your stamp, make sure you clean your stamp even if you are stamping the same image again.) Using Versamark, stamp images over areas of the black CS. Cover the stamped images with Clear EP and heat set.This is a cool coloring technique.
Click here for the complete instructions to make this card
Next stop in the blog hop is Linda Loew

Thanks for stopping by today.
(Don't forget to leave your comment to be eligible for prizes.)

Life is a Patchwork

Hi Stampers,
Today I thought I'd use the Sewing Shoppe set I had on hand. It is from the Doorways series. So I get it out stamp it up and oh no, no actual doorway. What is a stamper to do.... make a brick wall!!! So now the window is attached to the brick wall and you have to imagine the door is around the corner. (LOL) So here is my creation. Don't forget, in stamping, there are no mistakes, just opportunities. Guess I will need to get that doorway to have on hand for the next card.

 By the way, Art Impressions has a great selection of stamp sets in the doorway series. Check them out here. And make sure you get the door,it's a separate set.

Recipe:
Sewing Shoppe  - 3514
Wood Planter C3493
Copic Markers used:
YR09,Y11,Y17,E33,E43,E47,G99,YG45,B21,B95,BG10,V04,RV21,C-1,0.
Spica -Silver
Prismacolor Pencil, Ocre Brulee (Brick Wall)
Ink: India Ink
Card stock: White CS, Core'dinations, Brown CS
Ribbon
Corner Punch


Thanks for stopping in today. Tomorrow will be the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog hop. I hope you can join us for ideas and prizes

Another Thank You ......

Hi there stampers,

I am back with another Thank You card using those great Crafter's Companion stamps.

I used the fairy from the Almond Blossom set. If you are a fairy lover, as I am, Crafter's Companion has a wonderful selection of fairy stamps.The "Thank You" sentiment is in the Buttercup Fairy set. 


The Almond Blossom Fairy is delivering the Thank You's with a handful of Almond Blossoms. This card is sure to make someone's day.


Card Recipe:

Stamps used: Almond Blossom Fairy, Thank You (from the Buttercup Fairy set)

Cardstock: Core'dinations, Blue CS, White CS

Glitter/Embossing Powders used:Sparkle N Sprinkle - Glitter Shimmering Sea G1082, Clear Detail Embossing Powder EP 280

Copic Markers:

BG10 Dress

R02 Dress & Flowers

YG67 Flower Stem

Y11 Flower Inside

Inks: VersaMark & Fresco Chalk- Ink Botticelli Blush, India Ink

Spellbinders Die - Lacey Squares S4-295

Embossing Folder - Couture Creations - Royality

Lace

Thanks for stopping by today

Barbara

If I had a single flower

Hi stampers,
Surprise!!!  I changed my blog background theme. I wanted to have the theme be more "fall-ish". Hope you like it and hope its not too busy with the columns on both sides of the post area. I may have to tweak it a little more, so if you see things moved around it's because I am refining it somewhat.

OK, off to the fun things in life. I wanted to share with you a card that I designed for Sparkle N Sprinkle. This card uses a sentiment from the Thoughtful Frames set 436.This is a great set, quite a few sentiments. And we all can always use more sentiments.
 The flowers you see on the side of the card front are made using a new punch from EK Success. This punch gives you the ability to quill and make the flower. They have 4 new styles and this is my favorite.These are so easy to make and the flowers are really pretty. I also used  Spellbinders dies to make the sentiment pop.

Here is the recipe:
Stamp: Sparkle N Sprinkle Single Flower 3539-436B(In set 436)
Spellbinder dies - the Oval set S4-110, Leaves S4-076 and Beaded Ovals S4-294.
Paper: Designer papers, Pink Petallics CS, Pink CS, Cream CS
Ink: Memento Rhubarb Stalk

Stop back tomorrow for a card from Crafter's Companion.

Thanks for stopping by today,
Have a great week!!

Anything Goes

This week's Art Impressions Challenge is "Anything Goes".What a theme that is, that means the creative door is wide open. So get your thinking caps on and enter a card in this weeks challenge.

I decided to get my Otis stamp out and let him tell me what he should be doing and where he is going. So here is Otis, waiting at an information booth outside in a local park.

Isn't he cute with his shorts and his knobby knees.He looks like he is ready to bird watch or take pictures or read the paper. And of course he's got his boom box with him so he can listen to some of his favorite tunes Since he has stopped at the information booth, I think he's trying to find the rest of his friends at the park. LOL

Card Recipe:
 J1524 - Otis
P1705 -  Wooden Stand Front
T883 -  Tree
A893 -  Leaves
D3010 - Jumbo Tiny Grass
G3488 - Clouds
A1371 - Grass Line
Copic Marker - C1
Spica Marker - Sand
Adirondack Inks - Lettuce , Latte
Fresco Dye Ink - Sistine Sky

I will be back tomorrow with a card creation using stamps from Sparkle N Sprinkle. See you then.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Barbara

Patriotic

Hi Stampers,
I probably should have saved this card til 9-11, but I thought you might like to see this now. And, if you send cards to the guys in the service, this might give you some inspiration.

I just got this stamp recently and he is really cool. Doesn't he look awesome with a little red, white and blue.

Recipe:
United We Stand  - G-2655
Eagle Head  - I3232
Ink - Black Soot Distress Ink, Denim Adirondack, Mona Rogue Fresco
Star Punch
Acrylic Stars
Copic  C1
Card stock: Red, Blue, Stardust
Copic - C1
Bakers Twine

Oh, by the way, have you submitted a card in this weeks challenge ?? The theme this week is "Favorite Technique".  You have until midnight tonight to enter. Everyone at Art Impressions would love to see your card entered.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day. I hope to see you tomorrow with my sample card for next weeks challenge at Art Impressions.

Barbara

This Past Weekend

Hi Stampers,
Hope you had a great weekend. My weekend was quite busy. Thursday morning I taught a class at Stampaway. I called the class An Embossing Journey into the Holidays and then Friday morning I helped set up the Sparkle N Sprinkle booth. Friday night there is always a preview party and I worked the Sparkle N Sprinkle booth. I also worked all day Saturday in the booth and then,  Saturday after the show closed, I helped to tear down the booth and pack it up. What a whirl win few days that was. I was busy and had a great time. I also had dinner with a few friends and 2 of them, I only see at the convention. By the way Stampaway is a stamping convention held every year in Sharonville, just north of Cincinnati, Ohio.Next year will be the 20th year for Stampaway so, you might want to come and join the fun.

The class I taught had 23 students and they loved the projects. Everyone had a great time and quite a few students let me know they loved the fact the projects were all different.

I thought you'd like to see the projects that were taught  for this class, so, here you are:

Trellis Card

This card used stamps from the Autumn Swirl set # 410

Side Step Card

This card used stamps from the Winter Swirl  Set 414

Snowman Card

This tag used stamps from the Merry Crows Set 385

Well now I have to get back to my regular schedule and get a few cards done for my posts that are due in a few days.So I will be back in a day or two with more fun creations.In the meantime, have a great start to your week and I will be seeing you soon,

Barbara

Holly for the Holidays

Hi there stampers,
Since the kids are headed back to school,the holidays are not too far behind. And you know what that means..... time to start thinking about Christmas/Holiday cards. So with that in mind, here is a holiday card design for you to take a look at.

I used a punch from Just Imagine Kreations,  punch 914-Holly to create the border on the white CS. I used no inserts when I made this border. I love the fact it goes so well with the holly I added to the card.What a perfect punch to use on your holiday cards.
Punches add so much to a card and the punches available at Just Imagine Crafts Kreations are great because you can change the look of the punch by switching the inserts. You can make borders or turn the punch into a corner punch and even get 2 different  looks with the 2 corner inserts. All the inserts come with the punch. There are other tools available to get even more looks using these punches.Hope you try one of these cool punches.


Holly Punch - Just Imagine - Kreations  Punch 914

The holly leaves - Heartfelt Creations HCD705
Ornament - Spellbinders 2010 Heirloom Ornament S4-283
Sentiment - Appears in the new Sparkle N Sprinkle stamp set 439- Tis the Season, (available soon).


Have a great week and thanks for stopping in today


Barbara

Favorite Technique

Hi Stampers,

What is your favorite technique?? Well, mine is using alcohol inks and to be honest I haven't used this technique for a while. So I went thru some of my Art Impressions stamps and decided to use this one tree I have, that's one of my fav's.I am imagining seeing this tree on the African plain at sunset.

Please make sure to check out the AI Challenge blog   this week. The theme is favorite technique and if you play along, you have the chance to win a $10 gift certificate from AI. There is a new winner each week.

Recipe:
Stamps: Art Impressions - Q2281 Desert Tree, F2563 Adventure
Alcohol Inks: Lettuce, Watermelon, Butterscotch, Blending Solution
Ink: StazOn
Die: Heartfelt Creations HCD702
Ribbon
Card stock: Gold, Glossy, Green, Yellow Shimmer

Thanks for stopping by today, see you soon

Tulip Row

Hi Stampers,

I know spring has come and gone but I thought this Tulip Row stamp would look great water colored. I decided to water color with my Copic markers instead of a regular water color medium or a water based marker. The card below shows what a great effect you can get using alcohol based markers as your coloring medium. And you can use card stock, no need for water color paper. You can do this technique with any of the great Art Impressions watercolor stamps and the results will look just like you water colored the image.

First color your image with the Copic marker color(s) of your choice. Don't worry if the marker ink dries out, the color is still on the rubber. After I colored the stamp directly with the markers, I took a mini mister, filled it with rubbing alcohol, (or you can use a fine mist spritzer) and spritzed the rubber stamp. Next I stamped the image on card stock and I got this beautiful water color effect. Easy and quick.Make sure to clean your stamp to remove the alcohol and the alcohol marker, as these can have a drying effect on the rubber. I just use a wet paper towel and your stamp will be ready for your next project.

Give this a try with those Copic's you have, on those Art Impressions water color stamps in your stash. You will be very pleased with the outcome, I'm sure.

Recipe:

Stamp - Tulip Row  P2872

Copic Markers - YG45, YR61

Card stock -Bronze, Brown, Peach and Greenish Blue.

Spellbinder Dies: S4-305 

Heartfelt Creations Border Die - HCD702

Here is a tip using dies: The Spellbinder die I used on the peach CS is a square. But I needed a rectangle. I positioned my paper over the die and then positioned my cutting mat so that a portion of the die would not be directly covered, this is where I will extend out on the second pass thru the machine. Next I ran the die thru the machine and pulled the die off the CS. Next I repositioned the die over the last part of the card stock that still needs to be cut, making sure to line up the die with the cuts that were already made on the first pass. Make sure to only cut what you need and don't run the whole die thru or you will not be extending the cut. When using this method you can make a square come out to be a rectangle. You can also shorten a die. How cool is that. Let me know if you have any questions pertaining to this.(Maybe I need to do a video to show how I did this.)


Thanks for stopping by today,have a great day,

Voice of the Sea

Hi Stampers,
With summer winding down I thought I'd better use set 404 Ocean Treasures before it was too late for the summer season. This card was made for my monthly club meeting. We were all given a cute little fun foam shape, and I got the star fish. I knew it would make a great addition to a card using the stamps from Ocean Treasures from Sparkle N Sprinkle.

I used a border die and cut 2 borders and attached them together  to make a wide side border. Then I added small seashells down the center of that border. I also used a portion of the die to add a wave effect using 2 colors of blue CS . I stamped the seashells & colored with Copic Markers . Next I added a sun made from a small rosette and positioned the sentiment on top. After attaching  a few rays to the sun this card is finished.This set would be perfect for a scrapbook layout as well.

I will be back tomorrow with an Art Impressions card. Hope to see you then.

Thanks for stopping in today,

Another Thank You card

Hi Stampers,
I have been asked to be the guest designer over at the Crafter's Companion blog for the month of August. (I was a guest designer back in May too.) This company has a great stamp selection and some wonderful tools as well. And make sure you look at their extensive fairy line. Check out their products here.
The card I have for you today is a Thank You card. And you know we all need these kind of cards from time to time.

These Fairies have really stolen my heart. I love them. I thought the Wild Cherry Blossom Fairy would look so cute along side a medallion from a paintable wallpaper panel. Since the medallion had a circle in it I added more circles using the rick rack circles. 
What better way to say thank you than to have the Fairies deliver the message.


Wild Cherry Blossom Card Recipe:

Stamps used:Cherry Blossom Fairy, Thank You (from the Buttercup Fairy set)

Cardstock: DCWV (Pink colored CS), White CS, Paintable Wallpaper - Leaf Medallion

Vellum added to wings to give added dimension & interest

Copic Markers & Spica (made by Copic):

R85, RV21 Dress & Inside Flower

E77 Flower Branch

YG03,YG06 Leaves on Paintable Wallpaper, Flower Stems

RV21 Border on Paintable Wallpaper

Spica Sand - Hair

Spica Lemon Inside Flowers

Spellbinders Tags - S4-235

Glitter- Sparkle N Sprinkle - Carnation G1028

Quickutz- Rick Rack Circles

Ink -India Ink

Paintable Wallpaper

Thanks for stopping by,

Barbara

Art Impressions Challenge #27

Hi there stampers,

This week, challenge #27 at Art Impressions is themed "One for the Boys". So, with that in mind, I dug thru all my stuff to make a card for a guy.

I used the full size stamp of the antique car. It's so great for a masculine card.

Recipe for the card:
Art Impressions Stamps
Antique Car T2233
Adventure (mini) F2563
Other elements used:
Watch, locket & key - Spellbinders Dies
Buttons - Memory Box Die
Cogs - Punch
Background paper-Dictionary Page and a piece of an embossed CS
Distressed Inks

Hope this is a help for those difficult man cards we all need to make now and then.

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon,

Christmas Holly

Hi there stampers,

Is it any cooler where you are?? No?? Well, just keep thinking Christmas, that should help to keep you cool.

I've designed another card to help cool you off and inspire you.

I've wanted to use this stamp for a few weeks and finally decided on a design.

I made this round easel card. These are so easy to make and you can make square ones round ones and rectangle ones so just let your imagine go wild.

Here is a side view.

Here is the card opened. I just love easel cards. They are so easy to display and they sit there so nicely. This will work nicely on a desk at the office or on a mantle or where ever you display cards.

I used the Copic markers to color the image with and the colors are so vibrant, aren't they.

Using the Spellbinders Fancy tag die I  stamped the sentiment on that fancy shape and used dimensional foam to pop it up . This keeps the card open for display.

Here is the card recipe.

Art Impressions Stamps used

Holly - U2113

Joy- G2164

Other products used:

QuicKutz - Rick Rack Circle

Spellbinders - Grand Circles  LF-114

Spellbinders - Fancy Tags S4-235

Sparkle N Sprinkle Gold Detail Embossing Powder  EP168

Copic Markers: G94, BG96, R29

Dimensional Foam

Keep cool, thanks for stopping by and I will see you soon,

Natures Inspiration

Hi Everyone

I made this card using the Art Impressions Watercolor technique. Not sure you can achieve this look??? Go to their blog to view their video. It's not hard and I bet you will be able to do this as well as I have after you view the video.

Card Recipe:

Stamps used:
Mini Mountain Fir G3237
Large Mountain Fir J3238
Clouds G3488
Left Bank G3260
Stone Bridge I3487
Grass Line A1371
Marvy Dye inks
#60 Salvia Blue
#92 Celery
#18 Dk. Brown
#6 Brown
#12 Gray
140# Water Color paper - Cold Press
Gold Leaf Pen
Brown CS
watercolor brush

This technique gives super results. Art Impressions has a great selection of watercolor stamps  to make different scenes. The possibilities are endless.

That is it for today. Have a great day.Thanks for stopping by,