Sassy & Sweet Notes

Nutcracker Tag

This week's High Hopes blog challenge, hosted by Jeanne, is Go for the Gold. I don't use gold that often, so it was a stretch for me to find something that was actually gold colored and not just yellow! (I don't even where gold jewelry!) But I did find a sheet of heavy gold paper that hasn't seen daylight in at least a year or more. I adhered the heavy paper to a Bazzill chipboard tag and sanded around the edges of the tag. I used a sponge to apply brown ink around the edge of the chipboard. I added some faux stitching and I think it actually looks like gold painted leather!

I chose to use the cute Nutcracker image from High Hopes for the tag, along with a sentiment from my Snowman for Peace set, from Whipper Snapper. I added some twine to tone down the glam of the gold, and some vintage shell buttons. This little number will go in my Christmas wrap box, and I'll use it on a package this winter.

North Woods Stack o' CUTENESS!

I was just going through the card images on my camera and realized I haven't shared this project yet. About time I did...but quickly, 'cause it's bed time for me. **yawn**

The image, North Woods Stack, is stamped on kraft colored cardstock in black Memento ink and colored with Prismacolor pencils. I used Gamsol and a paper stump to blend the colors. I used a white gel pen to add white highlights to some areas. Pretty simple!

If you would like more info on this technique, I have a short Prismacolor & Gamsol tutorial on my Tips & Tricks page. The images in the post have been replaced with links (THANKS to Typepad - groan), but if you click the links the images will display.

I wrote the tutorial almost 3 years ago, and it remains one of my most popular blog pages. It's worth noting that Memento ink was not available at the time I wrote the tutorial. Now, I mostly use Memento ink with this technique, although StazOn does work nicely. You just need to be careful with StazOn, as it can bleed.

Yeehaw!

Skiing Santa

This week's High Hopes blog challenge, hosted by Nikki, is "Make it Sparkle & Shine". For my project, I chose Skiing Santa (fitting for the temperatures we're having). For sparkle & shine, I added lots of Dazzling Diamonds ultra fine glitter to the water, Santa's hat, and the sentiment tag. I also used shimmery polka dot ribbon, shimmery and sparkly buttons from Bo Bunny and Autumn Leaves, and even some silver thread to join the buttons. The sentiment I chose is from my Beach Bum set from Whipper Snapper. It seemed fitting... that Santa, enjoying his holiday!

I find sparkle and glitter one of the most difficult things to photograph on cards with my amateur card photographing lighting setup. But I'm OK with that... it's all about the creative process. Right? Right! If you can't see it, imagine it. *grin*

The image was stamped in black StazOn ink and painted with a water brush and re-inkers. I used a 2-Way glue pen to adhere the ultra fine glitter to the areas of the image I wanted sparkly.

I encourage you to join the fun in the High Hopes weekly challenges. There are always more details on the High Hopes blog, and did you know that every week there is a drawing for free stamps from the previous week's challenge participants!? It's true! Join us!

Happy Sunday!

Christmas in July

This week's High Hopes blog challenge is Christmas in July! I chose to use Tropical Santa because with temperatures in the 100s here, poolside is the only place to be!

I stamped Santa on natural cardstock and colored him with Prismacolor pencils, and used Gamsol and a paper stump to blend the colors.

I decided I didn't quite get enough of my crystal snowflakes last winter, so I pulled out the glass glitter and the snowflake punches and went to town! A little holiday sentiment from my Whipper Snapper set called Snowman for Peace fit nicely on the snowflake.

Join the challenge...more details on the High Hopes blog, along with loads of samples from the other design team members!

Upsy Daisy

This week's High Hopes blog challenge is called "Upsy Daisy", and is hosted by ME! The challenge is to incorporate daisies into your project, whether they're part of the image, you use daisy colors, or even use daisy embellishments! It's totally up to you... as long as there's something to do with daisies included.

I chose to use several different images for my design, as well as yellow and white as my primary colors. I started with the country stand, and created a flower stand using lot and LOTS of the daisy flower pot image. I also used Ally Rose and the bale of hay (one of my favorite images!) to finish off the scene.

The images are stamped in black StazOn ink and painted with re-inkers and a waterbrush. I added some 2-way glue pen to some of the flowers and sprinkled on some ultra fine glitter for sparkle.

I think Ally Rose is just about as cute as they come. I had some cute red and white keds when I was a kiddo, and they were great fun, so I made sure to paint her with red sneakers.

I can't tell you how many glue dots and foam adhesive dots I used on this project. Some of the layers are two or three layers high. That's a lot of dots! Note to self... order more glue dots.

Anyway, be sure to check out the details of this week's challenge on the High Hopes blog later today (I think my post will be live before the challenge post). You will also want to see the projects the other designers put together for this week as well. I've seen them and they're FABULOUS!

Happy Sunday!

am i seeing dots?

This week's High Hopes challenge is Lots and Lots of Polka Dots! What fun! I do love polka dots, so this was a fun and easy challenge for me. If you would like to join the challenge, check out more details on the High Hopes blog.

I chose to paint the images with a water brush and re-inkers, and then go back and add dots in various shades with markers to add to the depth of color, and added whimsy. I like the effect! I'm not sure you can see it, but I even added dots to the twill!

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday ... we're having our BBQ dinner today, rather than yesterday. Thankfully, the weather is SUPPOSED to be a bit cooler (nearly 90 instead of 100+), and there's even a chance of rain. We'll see about that. We're not usually so lucky!

PS: All stamped images on card from High Hopes Stamps.

A Patriotic Farmer

This week's High Hopes challenge is Stars or Stripes. I chose to use both, and created this patriotic farmer card.

I stamped Farmer Clem on watercolor paper in black StazOn ink and painted him with a water brush and re-inkers. For the base of the card I chose to use patterned paper from Melissa Frances. I used white ink to ink around all of the edges before I stitched the pieces down to the background. I used cotton rope from Stampin' Up, chipboard stars which I made using a Sizzix die & my BigShot, more Melissa Frances paper, and a couple of old buttons threaded with hemp twine.

For more details on this week's fun challenge and to play along, visit the High Hopes blog.

A Scrap Challenge

This week's High Hopes blog challenge, hosted by Jeanne, is to USE YOUR SCRAPS! And I did just that! Every piece of paper on this card (and several other cards I made tonight) was pulled out of my scrap bin. I even used scraps on the inside! Even the twill, twine and button were left over from a previous project that they didn't get used on.

I don't mind keeping and using scraps. Using scraps just means I get to hoard all the full sheets of paper LONGER! *grin* I keep six 12x12 stacking drawers right next to my paper cutter, so it's easy to look for a scrap before I pull out a new sheet of paper. I keep them divided by similar color families (red/orange/yellow, green/blue, brown/black, white/cream, etc.) to make it easier to find what I need.  I used to have a rule that I would keep anything wider than my thumb. Well, that got a little out of hand (hahahaa!! I made a pun!) So now I keep scraps I know I'll use again, that are big enough to do something with. As it turns out, it usually means keeping scraps wider than my thumb, and I just purge the box of small pieces now and then.

Someone in the family will be recieving this card for Father's Day. The High Hopes Norman Goat image was Alan's request for the card, and I chose the forest background image not only because it's STINKIN' CUTE, but because the GUY who will be recieving this card likes to garden, and tend to his flowers and shrubs. It seemed appropriate for this "old goat's" Father's Day card.

I stamped the images in black StazOn ink and painted them with a water brush and various colors of Stampin' Up and Ranger Adirondack re-inkers. I used dimensional foam adhesive to pop the goat up off of the background.

I was recently asked how I get the colors in my watercolor paintings so vibrant. I use several layers of color on all of my painted images, and allow the layers of color to dry in between layers. If you build up your colors using this technique, you'll be able to increase the intensity of your painted images. I like good color in all of my painted designs! Don't be afraid of color!

In December 2006 I posted a short tutorial on how I paint -- you'll find it on my Tips & Tricks page. There are photos included, but if they do not display in the article for you, click the photo links and the photo should display in a smaller viewing window. When you read it, it will probably be obvious that I was really into Stampin' Up when I wrote it. *grin* Oh!! And one thing I should also mention... I no longer put the re-inker ink in the lids of the ink pads, even though that is a good thing to do if you want to. Instead, I use a painter's pallette. I guess I really should do a new tutorial ... I'll add it to my list of things to do.

Anyway, Happy Father's Day to my Dad, and to all Dad's! Hope you have a wonderful day!

i like pie

This week, the challenge on the High Hopes Stamps blog is a sketch challenge, hosted by Nikki. For some reason, this sketch reminded me of cards that my friend Carla makes -- check out her sweet gallery!

This card is a bit busier than my cards have been lately -- but, I still tried to keep it rather simple. The sketch called for a few layers, and I chose to use some fun Martha Stewart ribbon, a random button, and POLKA DOT paper!

I chose to use this cute little farmer's wife image from High Hopes Stamps. I stamped the image in black Memento ink and colored it with markers.

I added some stitches around the edges of each layer with my Sew Mini. What a little crafty work horse this little machine is!

If you'd like to join this week's High Hopes sketch challenge fun, you can check out all the details here.

One Old Goat

I'm hosting the High Hopes blog challenge this week, and the theme for the week is "One for the Boys". I chose the wonderful old "Norman Goat" image and made this sassy birthday card! I know just who I'm sending it to, too (even if it will be late)!

The image is stamped in black StazOn and painted with re-inkers. I added some sewing to the layers with my Sew-Mini, and a fun button/twill/twine accent.

I wanted a birthday cake for the background paper, and since I couldn't find one in my High Hopes stash, I used the cake from my Chicken's in the Kitchen set. Deee-lish!

Happy Monday!!

One Sweet Dragon

Today is challenge day on the High Hopes blog, and you're invited to play along! This week, we're heat embossing! I decided to use this sweet little dragon image from High Hopes stamps. The image is water colored, and the spots on the dragon are embossed with clear embossing powder to make them shiny. I added lots of crazy sewing just for fun! *grin*

Button, button, who's got the button

This week the challenge on the High Hopes blog is to use buttons, as requested by Niki. Well now. I can do that! I stamped the High Hopes image on Stampin' Up's vanilla cardstock in black Memento ink and colored it with Copic markers. I layered some groovy polka dot paper from Bo Bunny on more vanilla cardstock and used my sew mini to add some stitching detail. One single button for embellishment - works for me!

If you want to participate in this week's challenge, grab some buttons and get to stampin'! Details on the High Hopes blog.

YeeHaw!

This week's High Hopes blog challenge requires us to create something without using patterned paper. I use patterned paper on just about EVERYTHING, but I managed to pull something together for the challenge.

With the last High Hopes Stamps image release, Crissy (the illustrator) created a couple of images of sitting kids -- I chose to use the girl (there's also a boy). Crissy also created images of things for the kids to sit on, like a bale of hay and a fence. But I thought I'd create a scene that could easily have been me as a kid. I loved my horse and pony when I was growing up -- so yup, this could easily have been me!

I chose to keep my card pretty simple... because simple is where it's at for me this weekend! I did, however, pay close attention to my watercoloring for just the right shading. I was recently asked which paints I use when I watercolor. Most of the time on cards I use Stampin' Up or Ranger ink refills and a water brush. On this card, I used a combination of the two brands of ink refills. Also, there was some Shimmerz paint in my brush from the last time I used it, and it added some sparkle to the painted image. Fun!

For more info on my watercoloring technique, there's a post in the Tips & Tricks category in the Category list on the right side of my blog. During an upgrade, Typepad "moved" the image files so they won't display on the post, but if you click the link for each image the photos will display for you. *Thanks Typepad...groan*

If you want to participate in this week's High Hopes blog challenge, you will find all the details on the High Hopes blog sometime early Sunday morning.

Zigs & Zags!

This week's High Hopes blog challenge is hosted by ME! The theme for this week's challenge is Zigs & Zags! You can interpret that any way you'd like. I chose to keep my card pretty simple, to not take away from the cute bunny image Crissy illustrated. Originally, I'd planned to use some pinking shears and some zaggy ribbon, but after I had the image colored I decided to use some cream colored satin ribbon and a cute little cherry blossom silk flower.

I painted the image with reinkers and added a bit of intensity and shimmer with Twinkling H2O's. To add some sparkle to the flower I added some Shimmerz Angel Wings paint to the petals. And after the card was assembled, I spritzed it with silver spray glitter. I do love the sparkles...

I used some of my favorite Daisy D's paper from my stash. I'm really bummed Daisy D's is out of business. I really love some of their older paper lines. They did a lot of fabric prints as paper, in conjunction with Moda (who is currently making fabric out of Basic Grey paper patterns). Fabric designs are so perfect as printed paper -- I hope that we continue to see a blend of fabric and paper crafts.

If you want to participate in this week's High Hopes blog challenge, you will find all the details on the High Hopes blog sometime early Sunday morning.

Fun Fuzzy Flocked Lamb

Happy March! It's a sunny CHILLY and WINDY 30 degrees here right now, but I'm not complaining! It sure beats the 86 degree day we had last Thursday. That was WAAAAY too hot for this time of year!

The challenge on the High Hopes blog today is hosted by the amazing Jeanne. The theme is "That Fuzzy Feeling", and what a perfect time to use some Fun Flock! And, by the looks of the other designer cards, I'm not the only one who thought of using Fun Flock on their card for the week.

I stamped the image on a really light cream colored cardstock and colored the image with various markers. Then, with a Quickie Glue Pen, I added a thin layer of adhesive to the sheep's wool and added a layer of Fun Flock. Even though the Fun Flock I used is brown, I colored the wool first so that the color was more pronounced -- you can see the color peeks through nicely through the flock.

And how about that orange paper and ribbon! I'm really liking the color orange right now, and when I saw this cute orange paper at the scrap shop yesterday I had to pick up a sheet. The paper is by Pink Paisley. Cute stuff! The orange ribbon is seam binding from the Martha Stewart line at Michael's. I found this particular roll in the clearance area, before Christmas. I knew it would come in handy this spring! If you haven't tried any of the Martha seam binding ribbons before, you should! They come in beautiful colors, and they're so silky and smooth. And, since they're a bit thinner than typical ribbons, they tie nicely and don't add a lot of extra bulk to your projects. *Love them!*

I also used a vintage (real vintage, not new "vintage") shell button. In January I made a couple of fun button purchases on ebay. This is one of the buttons I received in a lot...and I got a good deal, too! Gotta love that!

you're the BEST!

This week's High Hopes blog challenge topic was suggested by Amy, and it's all about sponging! Sponging is something I do on 90% (or more) of my projects, so this week's challenge was a piece of cake for me!

I chose a couple of cute images from the recent High Hopes farm series release (the donkey is a separate image from the chicken). I stamped the images in Pitch Black ink by Ranger on Whisper White paper from Stampin' Up!, and colored the image with Copic markers. (Click on image to see a larger, clearer version.)

Once I had the image colored, I masked off the edges of the colored image with post-it notes, and sponged color onto the image. I used a sponge ink applicator by Ranger. The two colors I used for the background were Weathered Wood and Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink.

By masking the image edges with post-it notes, I was able to keep a nice white border around the image without having to mat the image onto another piece of what paper. I really like sponging on color this way -- I like the soft "glow" that's created as the color fades to the center. Once the background was inked, I added a few white highlights with a white gel pen, added some faux stitches right along the edge of the color, and assembled the card.

The sentiment "you're the BEST!" is from my Fish Friends set from Whipper Snapper. The tag was created by snipping a piece of cardstock to the shape I wanted and stamping the sentiment in black StazOn. I added some faux stitches and then inked the edges, using the same sponge ink applicator and color.

The background paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Mr. Campy line. I love that paper line! I accented the lines of the wood grain by adding faux stitches to each line. I also inked the edges of the paper to make them a bit darker than the original paper.

If you'd like to play along with this spongy challenge, you can all the details here -- watch for the post Sunday morning. Have fun!

PS: For those of you who are wondering if I've abandoned my usual coloring method of choice (watercoloring) for Copics, don't worry! I'm just stretching my creative fingers and dabbling in something different for a day or two. Watercolor painting will always be my #1 coloring method of choice, but it feels good to stretch and try something new now and then. I'll have a couple of different coloring techniques to share with you soon as well! Exciting!!

PSS: Some good questions were asked on my post about EGGS... stay tuned for more on that topic! But first, I've got to SLEEP!

Give this card a sentiment!

"Missed your birthday, and that's no bull!"
"I'm one mad cow that I missed your birthday!"
"Forgot your birthday, but I have an excuse...  I have mad cow!" (ref to Boston Legal TV series...)

...what would YOU have this card say?...

All stamps from the recent High Hopes release. LOVE them!! Stamped in Pitch Blank ink, by Ranger; colored with Copic markers.

Hoppy Easter Challenge!

Hurray!! Today is the day that High Hopes released the CUTEST image series EVER. Crissy, the illustrator, has done an AMAZING job! Her images are always full of character and charm... and she draws the cutest faces!

I made this card for today's High Hopes challenge, hosted by Nikki. The challenge is "Hoppy Easter". I made this card for the challenge using one of the images from today's release. Again, I used the idea of off-setting the end of the twill (like I did on yesterday's post), inspired by Michele's card where she used brown canvas.

You're going to want to see what the other girls have been up to as well. Amazing, I tell you, amazing! The High Hopes blog is a good starting point -- you'll find all of the designer links there. Have fun!

One Cute Farm Girl!

 
There's a GREAT new image release happening Sunday morning over at High Hopes, and it's my favorite theme! Can you guess?! Here's a sneaky peek for you at one of the new images!

I love how Michele did her brown canvas ribbon, here, so I did something similar on this card with twill.

Fat Piggly Wiggly of Love

This week there's a challenge on the High Hopes blog to use lace! Since I wanted to put the cute Martha Stewart lace border punch to use, this challenge came at a perfect time! And, since I was out of town and missed last week's High Hopes challenge to use hearts, I thought I'd combine the two into this week's card.

This cute little CUPIG is one of my FAVORITE High Hopes images! I stamped it in black StazOn and painted it with re-inkers. (Jerry, if you're reading this, I used the brush!! HOLAY MOLAY!)

I chose to use some fun designer paper from K&Company, from their 12x12 specialty paper pad called Smitten. It's a great series of paper if you're looking for something really Valentine-y (is that a word?).

The ribbon is from Stampin' Up, and the LOVE sentiment is from my Whipper Snapper set called Bear Hugs. I added some zigzag sewing, too. Oooh, and speaking of sewing, I've got something to show YOU! But first, I must play. Stay tuned!!

Gator Smiles

There's a fun challenge on the High Hopes blog today that I couldn't miss! Making a "dude" card! Sometimes making cards for men can be tough, since they usually require "no flowers" "no ribbon" "no foo-foo". I rather enjoy the challenge of creating something that would be appreciated by men. For today's challenge though, I went more with "boy" rather than "man".

I used this charming gator by High Hopes for the main image. I chose to use paper by Cosmo Cricket (from the Mr. Campy line). The sentiment is one from an upcoming Whipper Snapper set called Friendly Expressions.

If you choose to join the challenge, be sure you visit the blog and post a link to your card. One lucky gal will be selected to receive some free stamps! How fun is that!? All the details are on the blog.

Happy Sunday!

Just a Teenager...

...in Sea Turtle Years!

A friend's grandfather is celebrating his 88th birthday this month, and I'm popping this card in the mail to help him celebrate his day. I really went to town with the sparkles, too! Sparkles make every birthday better!

I wanted to give Kim Teasdale's embossing/watercolor/layering technique a try. If you've never seen Kim's stamp art, you're missing out! HOLAY MOLAY... Kim, that's a lot of work! Not only did I have to drag out my heat gun and embossing powders, but I also had to stamp and emboss the turtle 9 times before I was happy with at least 3 of the impressions! Oh, and be sure you check out the project Kim shared on her blog today! It was created with not only images from one of my Whipper Snapper sets, but she also drew some serious inspirtation from my recently posted felt ornaments! AMAZING stuff, Kim!!

Getting back to Kim's technique on this card -- the cute High Hopes turtle is stamped several times, embossed, and painted with watercolors. Then I cut several of the turtles out, removing additional parts (like legs and tail, and finally everything but the shell) with each additional layer. Once I had the parts cut out, I layered them up with foam dimensional adhesive. The time it takes to make the additional layers and cutting each one out very carefully adds to the time of the project, but I think the results are super!

The balloons on my card are punched from watercolor paper using the Martha Stewart balloon punch. I then painted them various shades, added a layer of Glossy Accents by Ranger, and glittered them up. They sparkle like nobody's business!

Sweet Tweet

This week, the challenge for the High Hopes designers was to incorporate metal into our project - any kind of metal. What fun! I chose to use one of my metal heart buttons, and put together this little birdie card in shades of blue and brown. If you would like to join us in this challenge, you'll find all the details on the High Hopes blog.

This project was a quick break from holiday crafts and snowflakes. But, don't worry! I worked my fingers to the bone on some fun wintry projects that I'll be sharing as soon as they dry (or shortly after)!

Love, Santa

Each Sunday on the High Hopes blog, one of the designers posts a challenge. This week the challenge was to use buttons AND brads on our projects. I don't use brads all that often, so this was a bit of a challenge for me!

I decided to use one of my nice Making Memories fancy metal brads as the center for my button. The posts on the brad were far too wide to go through the button holes though, so I had to get creative. I thought about just cutting off the brad posts and using glue to adhere it to the button, but that seemed like it was kind of "cheating" and not really using the brad as a brad. Instead, I used some of my old scissors to cut the brad posts in half, lengthwise, making the two original posts into four! My button had four center holes, so it was a cinch to thread the new, smaller posts through the button holes and secure them on the backside.

Here's a closer look at the snowflake embellishment. You can't see the four brad posts, but trust me, they're there. *grin*

The Santa face is one of the images from the recent release at High Hopes. The image is stamped in black StazOn and painted with re-inkers and a water brush. The "Love, Santa" sentiment is from my North Pole Post set from Whipper Snapper. There's another crystal snowflake for you! (Addicted...) I used the same chunky glass glitter on Santa's hat. Ooooh, sparkles!

Woodland Santa

Today's a new High Hopes Challenge day. Hope you can join the fun! This week, Crissy challenges us to use non-traditional colors for a Christmas card. What a great challenge!

For my card I chose Woodland Santa, one of my favorites from the recent holiday release. I stamped the image in black StazOn and painted it with re-inkers. I used a white gel pen to add some white highlights to the image. I used some Ranger Distress Ink to warm up the image a bit by sponging around the edges of all the layers. I was even able to add a bit of color to the white thread I used for the sewing lines. The white thread was very "stark", so I was happy that the ink I used to age the paper also aged the thread.

If you check out the High Hopes blog, you'll find more non-traditional color samples from the other designers, and you might even find some surprises in the form of GOODIES! Goodies you won't want to miss out on if your a fan of High Hopes!

Anything But...

This week on the High Hopes blog, the challenge for the week is "anything but a card". I whipped up this little scalloped tag just in time! Callie Christmas Kitty is from the latest release of images, and is as full of mischief as you can get! I know we've had this scene in our house, more than once!

I put the tag on this Made in Canada Crown jar full of antique thread and spools that I picked up at a *relatively* local antique shop a few weeks ago. The top of the jar is cool! It's two pieces - the metal ring, and a sealing cap which is embossed glass. I'll see if I can get a photo next time I'm taking pics.

We're one day closer to the weekend!

you're my favorite...

The gals over at the High Hopes blog are hosting weekly challenges, and this week's challenge is to do a bit of sewing on your project. Could be machine sewing, hand sewing, or faux ... there's still time to play along if you'd like! You'll find more details over on the High Hopes blog.

I chose to do a little machine sewing, and some faux sewing too! The stitches around the very edge of the card are the faux stitches ... the lines on the white layer are machine stitches. Crissy's fat little monkey is so cute, and of course, what's a banana without some sparkles!?

Fishing Santa... + blog candy!

I have to say, this is my absolute FAVORITE image from the recent High Hopes release. Crissy's Fishing Santa is just so CUTE!!!

For this card I stamped Santa on kraft colored paper in black Palette ink. I colored him with Prismacolor colored pencils and used paper stumps and Gamsol to blend the colors. (Click here for more information about this coloring technique.)

Once I finished coloring Santa, I used a white opaque pen to bring out the white of his hair, beard and 'stash. Once again, coloring inspiration for using colored pencils on kraft paper came from Paula Williamson. Thanks Paula! *grin*

And now for the BEST part of this card! It has been a while since my last blog candy offering. I thought this would be a good time to start offering blog candy goodies as a way to celebrate my upcoming birthday! Yahooo!! I have Fishing Santa, a small Santa hat, and a sentiment that reads "Best fishes for a Merry Christmas!" stamps to offer up as blog candy! All three of the stamps are new unmounted red rubber (no cling or cushion), from High Hopes Stamps.

If you would like to be entered into the drawing for the stamps, please leave a comment on this post. I'd like to know your favorite place to find inspiration for creating your own projects. Do you have a favorite site, or magazine, or catalog, or maybe something entirely different, that you go to for ideas, inspiration, or just for crafty fun? If you can, leave a link so we can check it out!

I'll be choosing one name from the comments on Friday, October 3rd at 9:00pm Central -- be sure you leave your name!

Happy Thursday!
(ooooh, it's one day closer to Friday!)

Birthdays Look Good...

This week there is a fun challenge for the High Hopes designers, and you're welcome to join in the fun! Check out the details at the High Hopes blog.

Kimmie issued the challenge for this week -- we needed to somehow incorporate brads into a birthday card design. I didn't get too creative with my brad usage, but they're there. *grin*

The dolphin was stamped on watercolor paper and painted with a water brush and reinkers. I cut him out and as a last step, I adhered him to the card using foam adhesive.

The colored background was done a little differently. The images were stamped on kraft colored paper and colored with Prismacolor colored pencils using Gamsol and paper blending stumps to blend the colors. I added ultra fine glitter for lots of sparkle.

If you want more information on the Prismacolor/Gamsol technique, I have a "Prismacolor Colored Pencil & Gamsol Tips" tutorial in my Tips & Tricks section.

The birthday sentiment is one from my Whipper Snapper set called 29 Again.

October is my birthday month (Tuesday the 7th), and I think I'm going to have a good time making birthday cards this month! ALL for ME! *grin*

EAT CAKE

Crissy Armstrong, the illustrator over at High Hopes Rubber Stamps, has been busy busy BUSY! Today is a new image release day, and I must say it's one of my favorite releases yet! There's also a fun new blog for you to enjoy which is all about High Hopes Rubber Stamps. There's a challenge posted with big incentive, so check it out!

To celebrate today's release, I made this "eat cake" card featuring one of Crissy's new dragon images. I love this little chubster, Albert.

Paula Williamson caught my eye recently with this card and with this card -- her colored pencil technique is wayyyyy cool! Thanks for the inspiration, Paula!

The EAT CAKE sentiment on this card is from my unmounted birthday sentiment set called 29 Again, from Whipper Snapper.

High Hopes Rubber Stamps Design Team

Meet the designers who make up the High Hopes Rubber Stamp Design Team (aka the DIVAs)!

High Hopes Divas

Tina Russell: Owner
SCS: Pickled-Tink
Blog: High Hopes Rubber Stamps

Inge
SCS: **Inge**
Blog: Patterned Paper

Michelle
SCS: MilwaukeeMommy
Blog: Mommy Time

Amy
SCS: AmyW
Blog: Stampin’ Stuff

Nikki - DT Coordinator
SCS: bunny-zoe
Blog: Bunny Zoe’s Blog

Lacey
SCS: LaceyStephens
Blog: Hand Stamped by Lacey

Amy Leggate
SCS: StarGazerAmy
Blog: Scrapbooking Obsession

Jeanne
SCS: Jeanne S
Blog: Inky Paws

Ying
Blog: Creative & Stamping

Me!
SCS: SweetMissDaisy
Blog: Sassy & Sweet Notes