Sassy & Sweet Notes

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm wearing green today ... are YOU!?

*pinch pinch!*

Garden Girl available at Whipper Snapper Designs.

Rustic Snowman Card

What a wonderful day in the pacific northwest! We woke up to a very light snowfall that put about 2" of soft powder on the ground by the end of the day. Beautiful! I drove to Grandma's house for a quick visit, and had a cheery time visiting.

Here in the snowy mountains we're getting ready to tuck in for the night, and hope to hear the jingling bells of Santa's sleigh midway through the night. I hope we're on his "nice" list this year! *grin*

Merry Christmas to you, from Alan and me, and all the critters on the farm!

Easel Holiday Card

'Tis the season for making fun gifts, and I made a good assortment of them this year. Here is a jar of spice tea mix I dressed up using plaid ribbon, and a tea-dyed tag. I made a card using a left-over image from my critter treat packages, using October Afternoon papers.

Instead of making a standard card, I decided to make an easel card. The card is the standard A2 size, and has a cardstock fashioned easel on the back to support it for display. For mailing, the easel slides out of the bottom "pocket", and folds flat against the back of the card. So easy, and so fun!

Poultry Play

I'm catching a flight up to Washington in the morning (I'd better start packing!), and thought I would leave you for the day with this card I made using my Sledding Chicken stamp, from Whipper Snapper.

Doesn't she look like she's having FUN!

Wheeeee!!!

Image stamped in black Memento ink, colored with a combination of Touch Twin and Copic markers.

Happy Monday!

Pass the inspiration, please!

Today I finished up the last (I think) of this year's Christmas cards, and thought I'd share a funny little story about my card.

Last year I saved THIS CARD of Darleen's in my "favorites" on SplitCoastStampers. Darleen was inspired to create her card by THIS CARD, also found on SplitCoastStampers.

I had just finished putting the last few buttons on my cards (I made 8 of them) and decided to scroll through my Google Reader list and see what others have been up to this weekend. I was quite surprised to find THIS CARD posted by Debbie Olson today, which she created using inspiration from Darleen's card as well! Crikey! What are the odds of THAT happening, more than a year after the original card was posted?!

"Alan, better go buy a lottery ticket!"

Supplies: EK Success snowflake punch, Memory Box patterned paper, Christmas Blessings Cling Mount set from Whipper Snapper, old buttons, twine, misc cardstock

Holiday Treats for our Furry Friends Part 2

I finished more critter treat packets! This time, cats and big dogs.

For the cat toppers, I used the Whipper Snapper image called Sanders. Perfect fit, and perfect image for such an occasion.

I filled the packets with catnip flavored Temptations. Mmmmm! And festive, too!

For the big dogs, I used the Whipper Snapper image called Smiling Lab. I tucked a wrap into a long, narrow cello bag, and added the topper.

Labs of all colors!

You will find my first post of holiday treats for our furry friends here.

And by the way, I'm entering these toppers in the current Touch Twin Markers & More challenge.

Holiday Treats for our Furry Friends

I started making this year's pet themed holiday treat packets last weekend, and was able to put the final touches on these three last night.

We don't have a lot of kiddos in our family, and only a few of my friends have kids, but there are lots of furry friends between us all! They are always on Santa's "Nice" list, so we put a little something in their Christmas stockings!

I used this cute little dog from Whipper Snapper (Wriggley) to create "toppers" for small clear envelopes that I tucked a couple of small-dog friendly chews in. I used papers from the recently released Holiday Style paper pad by Cosmo Cricket for the die cut layers. I used a Martha Stewart punch to create the holly leaves (one of my favorite holiday punches!), and one of my small tea-dyed tags for the sentiment.

The images were stamped in Memento ink and colored with a combination of Touch Twin and Copic markers.

I used my trusty Karen Foster Snap Stamps to create the sentiment on the tags.

I have no doubt these will be enjoyed come Christmas morning, if not sooner!

More critter themed treat packets to come!

Easy Does it Santa

Just a quick card to share with you today...

I've been up to my eyeballs in projects, but don't have any photos to share with you yet. In all honesty, because there's no room on my table to actually TAKE the photos! My desk is always a disaster when I'm working on holiday projects. Even the kitchen has been taken over. This weekend I made hand dipped cinnamon taper candles to sell at the local antique shop, and that is only one of the projects I have going on in the kitchen. Too much, too much, TOO MUCH!! But it's all so FUN and it all needs to get done! *grin*

Have you made up your Thanksgiving menu yet? We'll be headed into town to John and Sue's for dinner on Thursday. I'm making pumpkin pie and the BEST candied yams! Mmmmm.

Stamp sets used:
Christmas Cuties

Christmas Blessings

Hope you have a fabulous Monday!

Daisies Smile

Whipper Snapper is gearing up for the big Spring/Summer 2012 release, which takes place in December. They've been sharing sneak peeks on their Facebook page, and I thought I'd share my own sneak peek of one of my upcoming images for the release.

The image is colored with Copic and Touch Twin markers. Once I was done coloring the image, I sprayed the entire layer with a nice even coat of spray adhesive (Aleene's Crystal Clear Tacky Spray). While the adhesive was still tacky, I sprinkled on Martha Stewart crystal fine glitter, and brushed off the excess.

Sparkle MANIA!!

Happy Monday!

Simple Thank You Card

Here is a clean and simple card made with images from Lifetime of Happiness. The flowers were stamped in chalk ink, and the sentiment was stamped in black Stazon ink. I used a thin strip of Prima paper at the top, as well as some pretty cream colored ribbon and a button. I added a spritz of spray adhesive and sprinkled on a bit of crystal fine glitter. It sparkles like crazy! Easy does it!

Holiday Blessings Tree Card

Here's a real quick and easy holiday card, featuring the tree from Christmas Cuties.

I stamped the tree on white cardstock and colored it with markers. To warm up the colors a bit, I also applied some antique paper ink to the cardstock. This took the brightness out of the white cardstock. I could have stamped the tree on cream cardstock, but the piece of white was already cut, and handy.

Once the tree was colored and inked, I then gave the entire white layer a nice even coating of spray adhesive, sprinkled on an even layer of crystal glitter, and set it aside to dry. I cut a hole in a piece of kraft cardstock large enough to frame the tree. I adhered the tree to a base card (cut to 3.5 x 4.5), and overlayed the cirle layer, adhering it over top of the tree with foam adhesive.

There are snowflakes stamped very lightly on the base of the card. The sentiment and snowflake stamps are from Christmas Blessings.

Talk about SPARKLE!

Mother Nature and the Garden

I found images of a project I created in October using the Lifetime of Happiness cling set, and thought I would share them with you.

It's kind of timely that I came across these photos tonight, because we've got quite a windstorm happening and I'm hoping that some of the garden debris finds it's own way out of the garden and into the pasture with the donkeys and cows. Nothing like a little helping hand from Mother Nature when it comes to getting some of the farm chores done!

I really like how this project came together. The peachy colored paper I hand dyed using various distress inks and pearl colored Glimmer Mist. It really is quite pretty being slightly shimmery under the image, which as you can see also happens to be dressed up with even more glitter.

To add the top sprinkling of glitter, I gave the card a light spray of adhesive (spray adhesive comes in a can, like spray paint) after the card was all assembled. While the adhesive was still tacky, I lightly sprinkled crystal glitter here and there. A light hand is best for this technique ... it's easy to get carried away and add too much adhesive, and glitter! (Do you believe me?) *grin*

After the adhesive dries it's no longer tacky, so you don't have to worry about random things sticking to your project after the adhesive is dry.

I dressed up the inside of the card too, using a sentiment from the same set. I chose to add faint butterfly stampings, as well. And more glitter!

... I do believe we're sneaking up on a Friday! ...

Thanks for checkin' in on me today!

Snow Stormin' Snowman

Inspired by last weekend's northeastern snow storm, I blasted this Christmas Cuties snowman card with loads of glitter! He seems quite delighted, wouldn't you say? After I colored the image, I sprayed the entire layer with spray glue -- a nice even layer -- and then sprinkled on the glitter. Once the adhesive was dry (takes very little time), I rubbed my finger over the entire surface to romove any extra glitter and even out the pokey-upy pieces. Once you try it, you'll see what I mean...

And if you think this project is sparkly, you should have seen ME afterwards! *ha!*

I also added a little wool felt holly decoration to the button/twine bow. I had a very small scrap of felt on my desk left over from the wool felt rolled flower hairclips I made last month, so I did a little snip-snip with the scissors, and ta da! Holly leaves! They coordinate nicely with the Jillybean Soup paper. Festive!

Easy Faux Ribbon Cards

I was digging through my ribbon stash for a really wide ribbon to use on the front of my card, and wasn't having any luck finding a ribbon as wide as I wanted. So, I decided to create the ribbon I wanted out of paper! A layer of designer paper, topped with a narrower strip of solid card stock, both with a quick edging of faux stitching provided just the look I was hoping for.

I then stamped the Christmas Cuties candy cane image on the same colored card stock as I used for the card base, colored it very simply with red and a very light grey, cut it out and embellished it with a pretty ribbon bow and button. Once assembled, the entire card got a little spritz of silver spray craft glitter and now it sparkles just right!

The candy cane card was so fun and easy to make, I made a similar card using the Christmas Cuties holiday bells image.

I purposely only adhered the faux ribbon layers at the top portion of the card, so the tail ends would lift a bit from the card base. What a quick and easy way to add dimension!

And oh by the way, these cards aren't your typical A2 size. Instead, they're 4.5 x 3.5. Try it -- it's a fun size!

Holiday Pencil "Treats"

I made more pencil wraps using images from Christmas Cuties! I used the Pencil Treat Box template that I created for my Halloween pencil treats. These are fun to make, and if you haven't made any yet, what are you waiting for!? *grin*

The images color up really quickly, and dress up nicely with a bit of glitter. I set them on a scalloped circle base, just for a little extra cuteness. The striped paper is from the Jillibean Soup holiday 6x6 paper pad. I like the addition of non-traditional colors in the stripes.

The pencils I used were some I picked up last year around Christmastime, but I'm sure if you keep your eyes peeled, you'll start seeing holiday pencils in local retailers soon, if not already! Pick some up!

I think some lucky kiddos will find these in their stockings this year!

Introducing Christmas Cuties & Christmas Blessings

Today I'm excited to introduce my latest two new rubber stamp cling sets for Whipper Snapper - Christmas Cuties and Christmas Blessings. I have had a ball playing with the sets, and can't wait to share all of my projects with you.

The images in Christmas Cuties were drawn with holiday tag decoration in mind, but they easily work for cards and other paper crafts, too! My first project was to make these cute little snow globe holiday gift tags.

I stamped the snowman on white speckled card stock and cut him out using one of the Spellbinder circle dies. I added some little snowflakes around him in a very pale blue ink using the snow image from Penguin Antics.

I created chocolate brown scalloped layers using one of the Spellbinder scalloped circle dies. I drew the simple shape of the snow globe base and cut two sizes -- one for the base, and one for the designer paper layer -- and adhered them to the backside of the scalloped circle.

The back of the tags have another circle layer for the greeting (and to cover up the seam of the base). I stamped a sentiment from Christmas Blessings, and a To: From: image that I pulled from the Garden Fresh cling set. I used a simple strand of twine and a button to decorate the base of the snow globe, and added some nice ribbon, buttons and twine to the top of the tags. These are going to be so fun on holiday packages!

The snow globe tags were so fun to make, I even used one on the front of a card, too! I chose to use a different sentiment from Christmas Blessings on the front of the card.

The sentiments in Christmas Blessings work nicely for card sentiments - both inside, and out! Here I've used the Peace sentiment as a focal point on the front of the card, along with the candy cane image from Christmas Cuties. (The dark layers look black in this photo, but they're really a nice dark brown.)

Brown and red and olive ... I think those are going to be my go-to colors for Christmas this year!

The sentiments are useful on tags, too. I love having lots of sentiment options at my fingertips, and am excited to have this new set for the holiday season.

Kind of hard to see, but I stamped the rustic snowflake from the Christmas Blessings set on the base of the tag and behind the sentiment, in a very light tea dye ink color. Once the tag was assembled, I gave it a quick spritz of silver craft glitter. It shimmers just right.

Christmas Cuties

Christmas Blessings

I'm the only designer working on the release of these two sets, so no hopping around required this month. But just as a reminder, you can see all of the projects past Whipper Snapper Featured Designers have uploaded to their SplitCoast galleries by viewing the Whipper Snapper Featured Designer Gallery. Have a look -- it's always a great place to find all kinds of great inspiration!

I hope you enjoy the new sets as much as I do... Stay tuned for more FUN samples I'll be sharing using these new sets!

Save the Boo-Bees!

For the entire month of October, the SplitCoastStampers online community has been making cards to share with the MD Anderson Cancer Clinic, in support of clinic patients. You can find more info about the event here.

Each day, there is a new challenge posted to provide inspiration to cardmakers participating in the month-long event. I had the privledge of hosting the October 23rd challenge. My challenge title was "Save the Boo-Bees", and the challenge was to use a bee, or bee friendly scene (like a garden, preferably with bees present), or the color yellow. I thought I would share some of the cards I made as the challenge inspiration.

The first card, Friendship is a wonderful thing, was made using an image from my Bee-lieve in a Cure set, and a sentiment from Lifetime of Happiness.

My second card was also made using images and a sentiment from Bee-lieve in a Cure. It's fun to use the various images in the set to create scenes.

I added lots of glitter for sparkle, shimmer and shine!

And finally, the third card also uses an image from Bee-lieve in a Cure. Once I had the bee and sentiment stamped, I added some sparkly clouds to finish the simple scene.

For all of the cards, I chose various papers from a Prima paper pad -- love those prints and colors!

There have been a lot of cards posted to the gallery in response to my challenge. You can check them out here. All these cards have me buzzin' for joy!

Bzzzz!

Fresh from the Garden

The photos I shared from the farm in Oregon reminded me of this little Farmer John garden tag I made before I left on my trip. I used scrap strips of paper from the Memorandum paper pad by Lily Bee Designs to create the tag, and added Farmer John to the tag using foam adhesive to give him a little "lift". I used twine that I use in the garden (to tie up tomatoes and cucumber vines), and I like the extra bit of rustic it adds to the project.

This tag will come in quite handy next spring, when hopefully I'll have something that actually IS fresh from the garden! *grin*

farmgirl betty

How about a little more Farmgirl Betty inspiration!

When I showed Alan this card, he said "why is her hair blue?" That made me giggle!

So, a 2li23ttle off top2.i4c ... but hav3e2 2you 0ev0e00r. tr5ied 5t+o+ +ty5pe3 .with a chic6k+en standi2n2g22 next to..3666you6r6 keybo3a.rd? No? Well, l2e2t me 3t333ell y56ou, it gets0 i0nteresting.

Here is how that sentence should have read: So, a little off topic ... but have you ever tried to type with a chicken standing next to your keyboard? No? Well, let me tell you, it gets interesting.

She types nearly as fast as me, but she favors the number keypad.

Cricket has something she wants to type to you, all on her own:
655116666956112220000...033333233330012+++++56++2100/6616

Whatever that means... It must be good!

Anyway, back to Betty! I love her little chickies!

I decorated the inside of the card too! It's a great way to use up scraps.

Well, it's bedtime for this farmgirl. Sweet dreams!

Introducing Farmgirl Betty, Farmer John, & Lifetime of Happiness

I'm very excited to introduce today, my three new rubber stamp cling sets for Whipper Snapper! I had such a good time illustrating these sets, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. First up, Farmgirl Betty. A sweet little 'thang', happy to share her garden bounty. Farmgirl Betty wears only the finest all-natural fibers, and treats her feet to Birkenstocks.

To create this card, I used the Decorative Label punch from Stampin' Up to create three focal point frames for my card. I stamped several images from the set onto the frames, and added some fine dash lines around the edges as well as some sponged on distress ink. The images are colored with markers, and set on a card base made with Lily Bee Design papers (Memorandum line). Some old buttons and twine finish the card.

Inside the card I've added her chickens and a sentiment from the set. You grow, girl!

Farmgirl Betty

Next up is Farmer John. Farmer John is sweet on Farmgirl Betty, and can you blame him? He's got garden bounty of his own to share. *giggle*

I did some simple masking to create this scene. First I stamped the veggie sign and the two tomato vines. I covered the tomatoes with a paper mask cut out in their shape. Then I stamped the corn right over top of the masked tomatoes. I removed the mask from the tomatoes to reveal garden "rows". I added the pumpkins, chicken and Farmer John by stamping them on a separate piece of paper, cutting them out, and adhering them using foam adhesive.

One of his lady friends can be found on the inside of the card, as well as a sentiment from the set.

Farmer John

Finally, something a little different. Lifetime of Happiness features one of my favorite flowers transformed from one of my own photographs, two butterflies, as well as several beautiful sentiments. I thought I'd try something a little different with this card. I used various colors of distress ink to "dye" the paper that the images are embossed on. I love the results! A bit brighter than my usual style, but so reminiscent of years I spent living in Oregon -- hippies, hippies everywhere. I even hand dyed the ribbon!

First, I used VersaMark ink to stamp the images on watercolor paper. I heat embossed the images using ultra fine clear embossing powder, which keeps the pristine white of the paper showing through. I then used various colors of distress ink to dye the paper, creating a fun wash of color. Because the images have so much color, I chose to use just simple white and black cardstock to finish the card. The text block stamp I used on the orange/red layer is from my All Things With Love set.

Lifetime of Happiness

Of course, the best part of the release is introducing you to the five Whipper Snapper Featured Designers for this month's release! You will certainly want to take a look at the projects they share; you're sure to be impressed!

The Who's Who of October 2011 Featured Designers:
Shellie Daniel
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/ShellieD

Danielle Kennedy
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/dpkennedy
Blog: http://wilddragonflydesigns.blogspot.com

Tammy Hershberger
SCS Gallery:  http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/stampertammy
Blog: http://stamphappy-tammy.blogspot.com

Sue Berker
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/stampinsusie
Blog: http://berkerblog.blogspot.com

Lesa Rapp
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/lesarapp
Blog: http://paperpossibilities.blogspot.com

and Me! Anna Wight
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/sweetmissdaisy
Blog: http://sweetmissdaisy.typepad.com

You can see all of the projects current and past Featured Designers have uploaded to their SplitCoast galleries by viewing the Whipper Snapper Featured Designer Gallery. Have a look -- it's a great place to find all KINDS of great inspiration!

Have fun!

Potted Sunflower

There is a challenge being hosted on the Touch Twin Markers & More challenge blog with the topic of "Florals".

I created this relatively simply thank you card for my entry into the challenge using my Potted Sunflower image. The image is colored with markers, and of course, I added glitter for sparkle and shine!

Happy Friday!!

Touch Twin Marker Colored Image (Video)

Last week I won a give-away on the ShinHan Arts Touch Twin Markers & More blog, and 24 Touch Twin markers arrived in my mailbox yesterday!! How exciting, as you know I'm a pen and pencil and marker and paint and ink junkie!

Since I had the day off today, I spent a little bit of time checking out the new pens. The redesigned ShinHan Touch Twin markers are an alcohol based marker that have a refillable barrel, and replaceable nibs. There are two styles of pens -- one with flexible brush & chisel nibs, and one with fine point & chisel nibs. I received 12 of each, in a variety of colors. I don't know any retail outlets with these pens right now, but I expect the price point to be less than current alcohol pens on the market. 

UPDATE: Carpe Diem carries the sets and individual pens.

If you're itchin' to try alcohol based pens, these would be a nice way to get your toes wet. Or, even if you already have alcohol based pens in your coloring arsenal, these may provide you with an alternative for filling in any gaps in your color wheel! I'll post more about them as I learn more and get more experience with them.

The image was colored with the pens I received, exclusively. I didn't receive a blender pen, but knowing that other alcohol marker blender pens will work with the markers, I've got one on reserve. However, I did not use a blender pen in the coloring of the above image. And I've got video to prove it. *grin*

If you'd care to watch me color the above image, here's a video for you. This time, with tunes!

If you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can find it on my YouTube channel.

On a personal note, THANK YOU for all the birthday notes, wishes, and virtual hugs you sent my way today! What a fun birthday I've had!!

Whipper Snapper Designs Stamped Image: Fall Scarecrow

Halloween Pencil "Treats"

Pencil "treats" are by no means an idea original idea. But they're cute as can be, so I decided to make some for some lucky kiddos! I picked up some halloween themed pencils at Target last weekend. They had several variety in the dollar bins at the front of the store, but I liked the ones they had in the holiday section of the store better.

I chose a couple different images to decorate the front of the pencil wraps. I used Scardy Cat from Whipper Snapper, and Pumpkin Treat from High Hopes. The images are stamped on cream colored cardstock, colored with markers, adhered to a black scallop, then adhered to the pencil wrap. I even added glitter. Ooooh la laaa!

They're so cute, I wish I was getting these for Halloween!

If you want the dimentions of the boxes, let me know and I'll whip up a cut and score diagram for you.

UPDATE: You will find the template I made for these here: Pencil Treat Box Template.

Rootin Tootin Snowman, World Card Making Day!

Today is World Card Making Day (did you know there was such a thing!?), and I nearly missed it! I had intended on working on the long list of projects I have that need to be completed, but my day got sidetracked with errand after errand. But here it is 10:30pm, and I'm happy to be posting a project I finished today. I chose the color combination for my project from the current color challenge (TTCO2) being hosted on the Touch Twin Markers & More challenge blog. It was a perfect combination for my little cowboy snowman!

I used one of my FAVORITE stamps Rootin Tootin Snowman for the main image. The image is stamped in brown Memento ink and colored with markers. A bit of glitter was added for sparkle and shine. I used an ink blending tool to add distress ink around the edges, which I think really makes the snowman glow!

I used a sentiment from Got Mistletoe? and a snowflake from North Pole Post on the inside to dress things up a bit. I really needed the added layers on the inside to balance the weight of the card front. It was a bit front-heavy without them. The designer paper is from Memory Box.

The ribbon I chose to use on the front is an inexpensive wired ribbon from a big-box store (which one? good question!) I don't use wired ribbon very often, but I thought the added dimension it gave to this card was kind of fun. Plus, who doesn't love brown gingham?! A quick addition of button and twine top off the bow.

Let's see if I can finish another project tonight, in honor of World Card Making Day!

Holiday Planning - honestly.

With it being 103 outside today, it's hard for me to believe that summer is over and Christmas is a mere few months away. But the days on the calendar don't lie! Soon I will be ordering up a plane ticket to make my annual trek up north to visit family and hopefully get up to my knees, or elbows, in snow! (Family: you've been notified. Warned. *grin*)

I work on holiday images all summer long, so you wouldn't think I'd have such a hard time with the transition! Every year I intend to start holiday planning sooner than I actually do so I can get more handmade items finished in time for gift giving. Like I should be starting now! But will I? Probably not. Unless you are...  are you?

I am, however, a list maker. A terrible list maker.

I make lists, then hide them so certain someones don't see them. Then, when I forget the list exists (really, I've just forgotten where I hid it) I make a new list. Last year about mid-summer, I made what I'm certain was a really great list of gift ideas for the holidays, but wrote it in a sort of shorthand code.

Something like this...

    N: g&h&gc
    J: c&c&c
    P: j&c&pcs
    J: tb or bf&bf
    ...etc...

This was a really bad idea. I couldn't remember my own code when I looked at the list later, and ended up having to make a new list anyway. I'm sure it was full of really great ideas, though!

So.... are you a list maker? An early bird holiday planner? Dish!

Image: Celebration Penguin, one of my winter 2011 images for Whipper Snapper.

Chicken Mummy Halloween

It was 106 here today ... ridiculous. Still a bit too soon for woollies and sweaters, I guess. Bummer.

Since it was an "inside" day, I spent some time chatting on the phone with Aunt Patty. While we chatted, I made this chicken mummy halloween card, using an image from my Whipper Snapper cling set called Happy Haunting. The sentiment stamped on the background of the card in white craft ink is from another of my Whipper Snapper cling sets called Spooky Expressions.

The patterned paper is from the Ambrosia 6x6 pad, from BasicGrey. This paper line has butterflies and florals, but also has lots of nice orange, black, and grey patterns as well which just say "halloween" to me.

The image is stamped on kraft colored card stock, and I used a water brush and white pigment ink to color the mummy straps white. If this technique is new to you, you can watch a how-to video tutorial here.

Happy Sunday!

Farmgirl Betty

I've got three new cling sets releasing for Whipper Snapper in October, and I'm so excited about them! Meet Farmgirl Betty... a natural-fiber birk-wearing sweetie! Farmgirl Betty and Farmer John harvest all kinds of friendly, organic goodness! Coming to Whipper Snapper in October.

Farmer John

I've got three new cling sets releasing for Whipper Snapper in October, and I'm so excited about them! I thought you deserved a sneak peek! Meet Farmer John... I'm smitten!

...and wait until you meet his gal, Farmgirl Betty! *grin*

Piggly Wiggly Card (Video)

I get asked frequently if I'll demonstrate how I color or paint the images I use on my projects. So I took a video of the process of me coloring this image, and making the card. The video doesn't have any sound (don't have music files to add to videos), so hum your own tune while you watch. *grin* Also, it's in 3x speed, so not to take up too much of your time!

If you have trouble viewing the video here on the blog, you can check it out here on my YouTube channel.

Enjoy!

PS: Let me know if this is something you'd like to see more of.

- Hamselot (#CT073): Whipper Snapper Designs
- Sentiment: Garden of Friendship cling set, Whipper Snapper Designs
- Memento Black Tuxedo Ink
- Paper: Neenah, October Afternoon
- Markers: Copic (0, R11, R20, B93, B95, B97, E13, E15, R37, R39, R59, C1, C2, C3, YG03, YG23, YR21, YR24 -- hope I didn't miss any!)
- Colored Pencil: LYRA Pompeian Red 600-91
- MISC: Seam binding, tracing wheel, Tombow Mono Multi glue, antique button, twine, Stampin Up foam dimensionals, Gamsol and paper tortillon for blending
- Smudge on camera lens: Baaaaad Boxcar Betty

Billy the Kid: Finished Project

I finally finished the project I started using the Billy the Kid image I colored up. This is a large 5x7 card. The image is colored with markers and colored pencils, and I added lots of brown distress ink around the edges, along with some stamped "yippee-ki-yi-yay" sentiments in the background. The sentiment is from my Singing Cowboy cling set from Whipper Snapper. The patterned paper with horseshoes is an old print from Flair Designs, and the lighter brown paper I used for the mat is from a Recycled Mat Pack from K&Company. A button and some small twine finish it off.

There's a "new" (recently re-designed) artist pen available on the market from Shinhan Art, and well, you know I'm a sucker for coloring and painting mediums! There's a challenge posted on their blog where 1 randomly selected participant will receive a few pens for free, so I thought I'd enter Billy the Kid and see what kind of luck I have at winning myself a few of the new pens to try. You can find the details on the Touch Twin Markers & More Challenge Blog.

Happy Wednesday!

Billy The Kid

I was working on my image of Billy the Kid this evening, and thought I'd do a comparison look of the two images ... one with no background to speak of, and one with an inked and stamped background. Pretty neat how a little ink can make such a difference! Oh, I also added a bit more shading to some areas of Billy's vest, chaps, and pant legs in the inked version...

Image colored with markers and colored pencils.

A Cheery Birthday Card

I know lots of people with September birthdays, so I thought I should get on the stick about making some birthday cards! Here's one I put together this evening. Cheery, don't you think?

I drew the image and then colored it with markers and colored pencils. I added lots of ultra fine glitter using a quickie glue pen for sparkle and shine. The sentiment is from my Simply Bloom cling set. I wanted a light and airy sentiment for the banner. I also stamped the background text image from All Things With Love on the base of the card.

Oh, and just may be a sneak peek at a new Whipper Snapper stamp...

Maybe.

*grin*

New Goody!

I ordered a new goody for my desk! Can you pick it out? Click on the photo for a LARGER view...

Not sure what it could be?

All that clutter got you mystified?!

Let me help you out...

I ordered a retail display rack for my markers! I had them stored in different containers previously, but due to their different sizes (some are round, some oval, and some square) and the way that the containers I was using were constructed, I wasn't able to keep the pens in the order I wanted them in.

The way this rack is built, it allows me to mix and match all the various sized pens I have, and keep them in the organized color order that I want! The other items in my area are all sorted by color too, so "order" is kind of an important part of my workflow.

I keep other markers in small drawer units at the back of my workspace, and of course my colored pencils are always front and center within easy reach. I organize most things by ROYGBIV (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, followed by Neutrals). It works for me.

Oh, and see that cutie of a card there in the front?

I made this for a co-worker this evening. She is a dog trainer in her spare time and she asked me to draw up a graphic for her for her puppy training classes. I turned the original drawing into this little display piece for her desk.

On the back of the piece I created a make-shift easel so it can easily stand on display. For ease of mailing, the lower section of the easel has a little tab that tucks up into the shallow pocket I created at the base of the display.

Am I the first person to dream up such an idea? I hardly think so... but I'm the first one in THIS craft room who has, and that's sayin' something! *grin*

Anyone else craving Fruit Loops?

Whooohoooo! Happy Weekend!!

I'm so excited to have a 3-day weekend! This was always a fun weekend for my family when I was growing up as it usually meant we were out camping or at the lake for possibly the last time for the summer. Wherever we were, we always celebrated Dad's birthday (which is the 5th).

Things are a bit different now that there's life on the farm. I have lots of projects I'll be working on this weekend, and will even share a tidbit or two while I'm at it. I'm still working on new Whipper Snapper spring & summer 2012 images, and even several new cling sets that I'm super excited about!

I am also tempted to add chicken house compost to the garden beds, but that would require me to clean up the beds first, and as it's still pushing over the 100*+ temp it might be better to wait a week. Only supposed to be in the mid 90s next week. Might as well wait a week, right?

Here's to happy labor day'ing to you and your family! Bottom's up!

PS: The image on this post is my Rustic Snowman, a personal favorite of mine! See him on projects here, and here. I {heart} him.

Let's hear your suggestions...

I have been busy busy BUSY working on images for the Spring/Summer 2012 Whipper Snapper release. While there's still a bit of time for me to get final images off to Whipper, I thought I would check in with you and see if you have any special requests for images you'd like to see in the collection!

While there's no guarantee I'll be able to actually DRAW what you request, I'd sure like to hear your suggestions and try my hand at a few! So, let's hear it ... anything in particular that you'd like to see as a Whipper Snapper stamp?

I'm Dreaming of Snow!

It might be 106* outside, but I'm dreaming of winter, and snow!

Check out the latest Whipper Snapper images here!

Three Flower Friend

I made this card using my Three Flower Friend stamp. The image is colored with markers and a bit of glitter added for sparkle and shine. I used a Sizzix embossing folder (sorry, I don't recall the name of it) on the base of the card to press those cute little flowers into the paper. Once embossed, I used a sponge ink applicator to rub a bit of ink on the surface to bring out the raised edges a bit. A bit of twin and a button finish it off. And today, it got mailed! *Yay!*

Birthday Chick

I've got several friends, and even an Auntie, celebrating birthdays in August, so I got to work on finishing up a few birthday cards. Happy Birthday Chick is colored with markers and colored pencils. I used the sentiment block from All Things with Love for the background. Rustic, country, chickies. Gotta love 'um!

Happy Monday! I've got the day off work, and plan to make a trip to town for a bit of shopping to pick up a few odds and ends. Yahoo! *grin*

Ten Gallon Tex

As a "Dirty Dozen" alum on SplitCoastStampers.com, I was delighted to have the opportunity to host a challenge yesterday for an annual stamping event that's organized for the SplitCoastStampers.com forum members. What a wonderful reason to spend some time being crafty this week! Ten Gallon Tex seemed to be fitting for my challenge, which was all about keepin' it rural! You can find all the details of the event here. And if you're into rubber stamping and are in need of inspiration, you MUST check out the member galleries! They're LOADED with amazing creativity and ideas!

Supposed to be HOT HOT HOT here this weekend, so perhaps I'll spend a bit more time being crafty. Inside. *grin*

What are your big plans for the weekend?

PS: Speaking of chickens, I just saw this rare coupon at coupons.com for .75 off Land O Lakes EGGS! I personally don't need this coupon, but you should grab it while you can, zipcode 76670.

Whipper Snapper Fall/Winter Release

Check out the latest Whipper Snapper images here!

Oodles of fun!!

Happy Sunday!

Alan and I have been having a nice, relaxing weekend. I must have needed some sleep, because yesterday I took a LONG nap. It was like I was drugged, and just couldn't keep my eyes open. I slept so well. And now I feel so refreshed!

For the card, I used my Patriotic Flowers image along with a sentiment from my Love at Home cling set. You probably can't see it in the photo, but I added a layer of Glossy Accents to the water in the jar so it is nice and shiney! Fun!

What have you been up to this weekend?

Sneak Peek!

How about another sneak peek of one of my new images for Whipper Snapper's Fall/Winter release! Inspiration for this image was from a pretty antique blue Ball jar of wildflowers I had in my kitchen window this spring. Here's hoping we get LOTS of rain this winter to give next spring's wildflowers lots of reason to grow!

Happy Sunday!

Monday, monday...

Thought I'd share a sneak peek with you today of one of my upcoming new releases with Whipper Snapper. They're gearing up for the Fall/Winter release; you'll find details on their Facebook page where they've been sharing more sneak peeks of images in the release. How exciting!!

There are 166 full days remaining in the year (off topic, do you count down to Christmas?), and it looks like what's about left of July is going to be nothing but HOT. Unfortunately for us, August promises to be just as hot, or hotter. Maybe September will show us some mercy... 

It's been difficult to keep the garden alive in this drought. In fact, I'm failing. I've got tomatoes still hanging on, but it's so hot that even though they are flowering, they aren't producing any tomatoes and they're starting to look rather tired. The okra is trying to produce, but even it wilts down in the sun (even with daily waterings). Then there are the ants, the aphids, the cucumber beetles, and the grasshoppers ... all doing their part in causing problems. I tell ya, it's exhausting. I'm planning on putting in a "fall" garden, and if I stick to schedule I should be starting tomato plant seeds about now, and getting ready to plant other seeds around August 1. But I'm not sure it will be possible to keep anything alive then, either!

How's the weather where you live?

 

I do believe it's Summer...

Today and tomorrow's forecast is calling for highs of 94*. I can't tell you how REFRESHING that sounds! 10* cooler than it has been, and we're even seeing some clouds! Today is Summer Solstice, but I can't help dreaming of Autumn!! Of course, there are storms all around us and we aren't getting any rain, but at least the clouds are knocking the blister out of the temps.

Whipper Snapper is gearing up for the Fall/Winter release; you'll find details on their Facebook page where they've been sharing sneak peeks of images in the release. How exciting!!

Bring on the Pickles!

Here is a simple card I made using my recently released stamp set called Garden Fresh. The cucumber plants in the garden are really taking off, and I'm getting excited about the possibility of making home grown pickles, relish, and cucumber/tomato salad!

I also planted some lemon cucumber seeds yesterday evening, something I've never grown before. They should be an exciting addition to our summer!

In critter news, I've got to get some photos taken of Olive Oyle's chicks. She's got three of the cutest little Turken (naked neck) chicks (baby Manetta's!), a couple itty bitty mille fleur's, and a little easter egger chick.

Our pretty little red Dexter cow, Lucy, should be having her baby soon! Possibly during the weekend! Here's hoping it's red!

Here's hoping you have a WONDERFUL holiday weekend, full of family, sunshine, and good times! We've got a to-do list as long as my arm, but we will be sure to take some time out for relaxation and celebrating Memorial Day.

This and That...

Remember my setup for making homemade yogurt? Well, how about making gift cards to go along with the homemade yogurt theme! I made this 3.5" square gift card using images from my recently released Whipper Snapper cling set called Garden Fresh. And speaking of yogurt, I'm all out! Time to pull out the ol' canning kettle and heat pad! Mmmm, good!

A peek at the garden reveals that things are slowing coming along. But I have to tell you, I'm battling insects like you wouldn't believe. Cucumber beetles are in numbers like never before, squash bugs have been spotted (and removed) from zucchini plants, and a couple pepper plants have been victim to caterpillars. I'm vigilant at night and do my best bug patrol in the dark, wearing a headlamp and gloves. Squishing cucumber beetles and cutting various plant eating/sucking caterpillars in half isn't my calling, but I do it. ...or maybe it is?

The pole beans (center row) are hinting about climbing the trellis. The bush beans (outer rows) look healthy! I still can't get over how crinkly the first plants look! Something got to them early on, and they still look so strange! We did have the big hail storms and crazy wind that gave them a good beating. The newer plants look "normal" at least!

The flowerbed along the chicken yard is filling in nicely. I noticed a couple volunteer tomato plants, and some volunteer been plants have come up along with lots of seeds I planted for sunflowers, zinnia, and gourds. Should be pretty when it's in bloom! The little tin flower in the photo used to be a rain gauge... but the rain gauge vessel broke. So now it's just a cute tin flower in the garden.

In other news, this coming Friday is my Mom's birthday and I'll be flying up north to spend a long weekend with her and Dad. I'm looking forward to it, for sure! Alan will be staying home on the farm, taking care of all the critters and the garden. It's a lot of work for one person, and he'll have earned BIG HUGS when I get back!

Happy Birthday, Alan!

Happppy Birthday to you,
Happppyyyyy Birrrthday to you,
Happy Birrrrthhhdaaaaaay, dear Alan...
Happy Birthday to YOU!

41 looks GOOD...
no, make that GREAT!
on you!

Smiling Daisies

Hopefully you've been able to check out the samples the featured designers have shared for this release so far. Wonderful ideas, all of them! The best part of being an illustrator is seeing what other stampers do with my art. So fun!

I was able to get several cards made using the smiling flowers and garden sentiment from Garden of Friendship.

I made stamping extra easy by mounting the two images together on the acrylic block. Having them mounted like this made for quick and EASY stamping! Ink, stamp, ink, stamp, ink, stamp... Placing images and sentiments like this on a single block means there's no need to line up the sentiment each time. Get it in the right spot once, and you're ready to stamp again and again and again!

I think these flowers make very cheery cards, and who doesn't like happy, smiling flowers!?

Here's another card I made, using the exact same image/sentiment combination and placement. On this card, I added glitter to the petals of the daisies. Happy, smiling, SPARKLY daisies! Ooooh la la!!

Introducing Garden of Friendship, Garden Fresh, and Recipe Card Companions

It's time for another Whipper Snapper Designs cling set release! We've got three new sets releasing today, as well as a recipe card stamp that will come in handy for so many projects! I've got a lot of info to share, so let's get to it!


Garden of Friendship is filled with all kinds of garden themed images and even a few sentiments. And you can't have a garden set without garden HELPERS, like two fat hens, bees, and butterflies!

And I am particularly fond of the smiling sunflower trio! They get me excited for our own blooming sunflowers! On both of these cards, I used the text block from All Things with Love to add interest to the background. I like the whimsical font of the text background image combined with the images in the Garden of Friendship set.

Garden Fresh is a set that won't be leaving my desk any time soon. I have been having a blast coloring up various jars of homemade goodness! I can't WAIT to make labels and tags for all my summertime canning, and homemade gifts!

I love the variety in this set, making it a must have for all summertime projects!

Recipe Card Companions is a set designed to be used with my Recipe Card stamp, but I also see the images being used on tags and labels, too!

The recipe card was designed to be simple, and easy to use. It tucks nicely into standard sized recipe boxes. I have another project to share with you that features the recipe card and companion images, but will need to wait until another day. *grin*

(Click on images for a larger view.)

You are going to want to check out the blogs and galleries of the Featured Designers we've lined up for this release, as they share projects throughout the month. They are amazing stampers sure to impress and inspire!

The Who's Who of March/April Featured Designers:
Shellie Daniel
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/ShellieD

Beth Matson
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/ematson
Blog: http://nevertoooldtocolor.blogspot.com

Dawn Burnworth
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/flowergal36
Blog: http://mystampingthyme.blogspot.com

Peggy Marsh
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/PMarsh5
Blog: http://thewiredangel.blogspot.com

Shelly Mercado
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/3_Little_Love_Bugs
Blog: http://www.shellypop.com

Jennifer Woodward
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/Thimbles
Blog: http://thimblesbobbinspaperandink.blogspot.com

and Me! Anna Wight
SCS Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/sweetmissdaisy
Blog: http://sweetmissdaisy.typepad.com

You can see all of the projects current and past Featured Designers have uploaded to their SplitCoast galleries by viewing the Whipper Snapper Featured Designer Gallery. Have a look -- it's a great place to find all KINDS of great inspiration!

Have fun!

Whipper Snapper Stamp Give-Away WINNER!

In this post, I mentioned I wanted to do a Whipper Snapper stamp give-away, and the winning name has been randomly selected from all comments left on that post ... big congrats to #32, Dee in NH!

Dee, get in touch with me and let me help you shop at Whipper Snapper! *GRIN*

Sweet dreams!