Sassy & Sweet Notes

Thank Ewe!

If you haven't seen Laura's "Like No Udder" card, you've GOT to check it out! It's adorable! Not only does her card have a great layout (one of my favorites) and great colors, but masking is a super fun technique too!

I couldn't wait to play with my new Memory Box Spring Sheep stamp, and thought this would be the perfect style card to create. ...and I needed a thank you card too, so it worked out perfectly!

I stamped the sheep on Pearlized White cardstock (the stuff I use ALL the time!) and did some quick color splashes with markers. A light tan for the wool on the sheep, light gray for their shadows, and some light green for a touch of grass. The sentiment is printed onto the paper using a computer font. So easy, and I really should do that more often! I used some of my decorative scissors (thanks Mom!) to create the wavey black edges. I think they're fun!

If you've never tried the masking technique, you should! Laura created an awesome tutorial and posted it to her blog. You can read it here: Masking Tutorial  Great job, Laura!!

Bzzz zzz zz...

I did a bit of doodling this evening, and this is one of the cards I ended up with. I drew the design onto Pearlized White cardstock with my black drawing marker. When I had all of the black arts done, I colored in parts of the image with Prismacolor markers. I added Stardust Stickles for more sparkle and shine! Maybe tomorrow I'll find something to stamp on!

It's late. I'm going to crawl under the electric blanket and watch the daily HGTV craft shows I record. Carol Duvall, Craft Lab, and That's Clever (my favorites!) and maybe flip through a few magazines. ...or maybe, I'll just catch some Zzzzz's...

I can see my table!

I had to do a little cleaning up in my room and in the process decided to replace some of my storage items with new drawer units for my work table. I picked these white drawers up at Target, and Alan and I put them together last night. They went together really easily with just a cordless screwdriver and all the provided hardware. I'm really happy with the storage they provide, and the extra sturdiness they provide too, so I can safely create a shelf above them for more "stuff".  I like having the things I use most often right at my fingertips, so the storage area in the center of the table is where I keep all of my tools, markers, sparkles, embellishments, etc. I keep my loose stamps in the drawers above, and in larger drawer units under the table. Pretty handy! Now if only I could keep it so tidy!

I got some fun mail from my Mom today! She mailed me some cocoa and a box of Red Rose tea (our favorite!). Lots of places in Texas are supposed to carry it according to their web site's store locater, but I have only seen 1 box in any of the markets I shop at (which I bought!)... and have never seen another box since.

Mom also sent a fabric charm bundle from the new Moda series "Hearts Aflutter". Fabric charm bundles are so great! They are a bundle of neatly cut 5" squares with one 5" square of each fabric in a series. You can see each piece of fabric in the series here: Moda Hearts Aflutter

Maybe I'll get some Valentine coasters made ... hmm... perhaps for a Valentine blog candy! I'll put it on the list of things to do! Stay tuned!

i fiddled...

...and changed up the blog a bit.
Something a bit more Spring-y, and light.
Pink is Spring-y and light - I like pink.
...i like birdies. =)

thinking of you.

Lately I'm finding myself drawn to simple stamping -- really simple stamping. Not a lot of layers, not a lot of doo-dads. Maybe some ribbon, or sparkles, but not much else. A cute image and a precise sentiment really can create a striking design, in my opinion.

When I'm creating simple designs, I have to use good paper. Good texture or a soft finish, or even existing design elements like the green edge on this note card -- I think they all dress up a simple layout.

This card was made using the brand-stinkin'-new clear acrylic Flower Patch set by Memory Box. The acrylic that top stamp companies are using for their clear stamps seems to work so much better than acrylic that clear stamps used to be made from. The new stamps work with all kinds of inks, and provide good clean lines when stamped. The acrylic seems to be a bit firmer as well, which I think helps them render a really nice, sharp detailed image.

I'm really impressed with the quality of image I got with these stamps, even on this lightly textured paper. This set is made up of floral designs that are very delicately drawn. The stem of the flower stamped perfectly -- fine and crisp! The sentiment, which is a very small font, stamped perfectly too, every time! I'm excited about the new acrylic stamps hitting the market. And while I still favor using wood mounted stamps, I think the new acrylic stamps are way too cool not to have!

I made this card for a dear friend who got some really bummer news this week. I'm hoping it brings her a little bit of cheer. You're in my thoughts, M...! I'll call you!

Speaking of bummers, I got a bit of bummer news on Friday night. I received a call from my bank's fraud service. Seems they saw some suspicious activity on my account Friday evening and called to verify a few transactions. Turns out that my card had been used by someone in Australia to purchase some theater tickets online. Amazingly enough, only two transactions (and less than $20) were cleared on the card before the bank contacted me and I authorized the card to be immediately canceled. Monday I will call my bank and sort out the fraudulent charges. It's all very odd... I do what I can to protect myself from fraudulent activities like this. Who doesn't anymore, right? I guess one can never be too cautious.

Peaceful Sunday wishes to you all...    

Ya'll Make Me Laugh!

I had the BEST time reading your posts to the Blog Candy! Thank you for sharing a little something about yourself! I read every post, visited blogs and photo galleries - there were so many fun things to see and learn!

Here are just a *few* things I learned about you:
- You're stampers, scrappers, and most of all collectors! *wink*
- You're crazy funny... ...in a good funny way!
- You're into cleaning and organizing
- You have "organized" messes (I call it Clutter Chaos)
- You (... ok.. "we") are addicted to things we love
- You're international
- You're learning! And sharing! And happy!
- You love pets and kids, kids and pets
- You love chocolate!
- You're brilliant!

Thank you for sharing yourself with me. I loved every bit of it! I've randomly chosen a winner, because there's NO WAY I could do it any other way.

Congrats to Colleen Schearer in Pennsylvania!

Thank you again, to everyone who left a note. I wish you a happy, inky weekend!

Let's Celebrate!

I can't even begin to express how excited I am about the release of the 2007 Whipper Snapper images! The CHA convention is next week in Anaheim, California where all of the new stamps will be on display. Send all of your good wishes to John and Lisa and the Whipper Snapper team -- they have a busy week ahead of them!

To celebrate the launch of the new images, I think it's time for some more Blog Candy! This Framed Balloons stamp is one of my new designs. The block measures 2.5x3.5 and is a nicely etched red rubber stamp. Brand new -- hot off the press!

In order to get your name included in the drawing for this stamp, I'm requesting something special from you. When you post your comment to this post, I want to know at least 2 things about you. Tell me something fun! Something you're excited about! Or something you just think I should know. If you have a blog, feel free to include that as well! I'd love to check it out!

One winning name will be drawn from comments posted (that meet the above criteria...) Friday, January 26th at MIDNIGHT (that's tomorrow!) I can't wait to know more about you! And don't forget to include your name!

It's almost the weekend!

Fairy Gift Bag

I was able to play with my new sewing machine again! I made this fairy gift bag using an image from the Crafty Secrets Cotton Scrap series. I had this feathery looking fabric in my stash, along with the vintage-style lace. I wanted the bag to have a bit of sparkle, so I stitched on some pearl beads in the center of the lace flowers. I added the pink velvet ribbon, and the pink ribbon ties to match. This bag is about 5x7 inches.

This was so fun to make! I can't wait to have time to make more! By the way, if you're interested in purchasing any of the Crafty Secrets merchandise, please contact me via email. I can help you!

I love announcing winners!

Thank you for all the great comments about the quilted coasters. I'm glad you like them! The great thing about these is they're simple enough you could make them fairly quickly by hand as well, if you don't have a machine.

Many of you have asked how to make them, so here's what I did. I bought the 5" squares (Moda brand fabric, from their Sanctuary line) at a local quilt shop, but you could easily cut down any larger piece of fabric to 5" square. I ironed the squares so they were good and flat, and layered them with a piece of natural cotton batting. I made sure the fabric edges (top and bottom layers) were lined up and then pinned the three layers together with lots of pins around the edges and spaced evenly in the center of the square as well. Using lots of pins is kind of a pain (sometimes literally!), but it keeps things from shifting while you sew.

My first stitch line was one of the center diagonal stitches. I cut a piece of masking tape and laid it diagonally across the square so that one edge of the tape touched two opposite corners of the square. Then I sewed along the edge of the tape, careful to remove any pins that were in my way. When I got about 1/2" from the point I turned corner, removed the tape, and sewed along one edge. At the next corner, I replaced the tape diagonally across the square, but in the opposite direction as it was previously. I sewed along the edge of the tape, and when I got 1/2" from the corner I turned corner again and finished sewing around the entire square. Sewing along the edge of the tape helps me sew in a straight line.

I created a second outside stitch line, closer to the edge of the square. When it was completely sewn, I trimmed around the edges with my pinking shears and stitched on the ribbon & button. Tada! Quilted Coaster - cute as can be.

And here are the winners!
Alan drew one name for the yellow coaster: Congrats to Carrie Flanagan!
I drew one name for the lavender coaster: Congrats to Dorothy Yoder!

Email me your mailing address girls, and your coasters will be on their way!

I hope everyone enjoys the blog candy I offer - I certainly enjoy giving it. I'm so excited about the upcoming offerings I have planned! Stay tuned! I think you'll be thrilled!!

Quilted Mug Coasters

My Aunt Patty and my Mom make the cutest quilted coasters for their craft tables and as quick gifts. I have several of the coasters they've made for me in my room on different work areas - they're PERFECT for mugs of hot tea, or glasses of cold drinks. And if they catch a spill, they're simple enough to toss in the wash.

I thought that while I fiddle with my new sewing machine, I would make some of these now and then to offer as BLOG CANDY. These coasters feature a different Moda designer fabric on each side and have a nice cotton batting center. They're 5" square - just perfect for even the biggest of mugs! The one on the right looks a bit bluer than it really is. It's actually a really pretty lilac/lavender color.

If you'd like to be considered for this BLOG CANDY drawing (who doesn't like FREE stuff?) leave a comment on this post - don't forget to include your name! I'll draw TWO names and each person chosen will receive a coaster (one of the two shown). If you have a color preference tell me in your comment ... and while I will TRY to accommodate, I can't guarantee you'll get your first choice since the drawing is totally random. Names will be drawn at NOON Central on Tuesday January 23rd (that's tomorrow!), so get your comment posted if you'd like to win!

Enjoy your day!

I've been Tagged...

I was 'tagged' yesterday by Leigh O'Brien and Anne Sanborn. I guess this means that I must fill you in on "ME" by answering the questions below...here goes...

A - Available or Taken: Taken
B - Best Friend: Alan, and all of my Oregon Girlfriends!
C -Cake or Pie: Mmmmmm..... CAKE
D - Drink of Choice:   Tea - hot or cold, and a good coffee latte!
E - Essential item you use everyday: Toothbrush. ...and my computer.
F - Favorite Color: I love browns and rich reds
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Bears!
H - Hometown: Currently Milford, Texas, but originally Newport, Washington. (Don't hurt yourself trying to find either one on a map.)
I - Indulgence: "me" time
J - January or February: neither ... October!
K - Kids & Names: (dogs & bird) Miss Daisy, Mister Farley, and Twinkle Toes - and too many to list if I mention Alan's animals! =)
L - Life is incomplete without?: Family, friends, and hobbies
M - Marriage Date: *snicker* How about Shackin' Up Date instead? July 21, 2006
N - Number of Siblings: 1 sister, 1 brother
O - Oranges or Apples: Oranges
P - Phobias or Fears: Currently, Texas freeways (Scary!!) and Texas spiders (GROSSSS!!!)
Q - Fave Quote:  I go to nature to be smoothed and healed, and to have my senses put to  tune once more.  -Robert Burroughs
R - Reason to Smile:  Because life is fun!
S - Season: Fall
T - Tag 3 or 4 People: Cindy, and several emails sent... =)
U - Unknown fact about me:  I'm right handed, but left-eye dominant (and who cares!)  =)
V - Vegetable you don't like: Brussels Sprouts, cooked cabbage, cooked celery (gag!)
W - Worst Habit: Clutter Chaos!
X - X-rays: Teeth, Right hand, Right leg, spine,
Y - Your Fave Food: Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Chicken
Z - Zodiac Sign:  Libra... I'm happy you're my friend. *grin*

I went shopping...

I finally got to go shopping yesterday. It's the first time in 3 weeks that I've been able to leave the house for something other than a quick trip to the post office or grocery store. And boy did I have FUN! Look what I picked up for myself!!

I've finished one project - a small gift bag. Once I figured out why my thread tension was all wacky (thanks Mom!) sewing with my new machine was a breeze!

I've got all kinds of projects in mind... here's hoping I can find the time to get them done. Or at least started. Ha!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Quick and easy, down and dirty...

Quick and easy... refers to this card I made last night using one of my new Whipper Snapper images. Stamped on Pearlized Shimmery White paper and colored with Prismacolor markers, I just quickly layered it onto some designer paper by Bo Bunny and called it good. Simple... but I like simple.

Down and dirty... refers to my visit to the barn earlier today. The deep freeze we had earlier this week has thawed. Soft ground combined with the rain and ice we've had this month, along with cows and donkeys, makes for a very muddy-mucky barnyard. Imagine how thankful I was that I was able to catch myself when I slipped in the mud while I was carrying the water bucket. Mud slimed up my boots and I spilled most of the water in the bucket, but at least I saved myself from landing fanny first (or worse, face first) in the muck! That would have been BEYOND gross!

Imagine My Delight!!

Today I received my first Whipper Snapper order since the new image release. OH HOW FUN!! I had to ink up at least one stamp IMMEDIATELY - yes during the middle of my work day!! One of the benefits of working from a home office, I guess! *giggle*

I chose to play with the Crooning Cow image by Shelly (one of the Whipper Snapper artists). I also ordered the "love is in the air" sentiment, which I think is so fun! I inked up the cow and sentiment with black Stazon ink and stamped them both on a Fabriano notecard. Then I colored him with my aquapainter and ink from my Stampin' Up reinkers. I punched a small hole in the fold of the card, and on the front of the card, and threaded through some narrow organza ribbon. I really wanted to tie a heart charm onto the ribbon tie, but couldn't find one in my stash of charms. Bummer for me! 

If you haven't seen the new set of images at Whipper Snapper you're missing out!! Check them out!

I can't wait for the end of my work day, so I can play, play, play!!

Valentine Gift Box - Part 2

I've received a lot of emails about the gift box I posted earlier this week. (See original post here.) Most of you wanted to know how the box opened, so here's a photo for you showing how the lid comes off the box. Here is the box with the lid just resting against the side of the box - not attached in any way.

You can sort of see the black patterned paper I used to line the inside of the tape roll. I used that same paper on the bottom coaster, so when you look inside the box the walls and the bottom of the box all look the same. In this photo you can also see the pearl beads I glued to the bottom to act as feet for the box. I like it lifted up off the table surface a bit.

Inside the lid there are 4 brads set so that when the lid is on the box, the brads sit just inside the rim of the box and keep the lid from sliding around. To determine where the brads needed to be place, I traced the inside of the tape roll onto the inside surface of the lid and marked where the edge of the brads would need to be so that the edge of the brads just touched the line. I punched holes where needed and set the brads. Works perfectly!

For those wanting to know about adhesives used, here's the info I posted yesterday. (Just trying to get it all together in one spot for ya!) I used Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue (returning to the store soon - I just sold out today!) to adhere all of the paper layers, to glue the top two coasters together, and to glue the cardboard tape center to the bottom coaster. It's the best glue for paper crafts! But I've found that Fabri-Tac by Beacon is better than the Mono Multi for adhering ribbons and fabric-type embellishments. So, I used Fabri-Tac to adhere the velvet ribbon.

I think this red velvet paper is so great! I was at Target yesterday evening and found the same paper, but in a soft blue - and it's just as divine as the red!! I will post a project using that paper soon!

It was another chilly icy day here in Texas, and lots of other places around the states. Stay warm and safe!

Brrrr....

It was still way too cold here today for it to be enjoyable outside, so aside from watering and feeding the animals I spent all day inside working. At least we had power today, so in the house it was nice and warm while it was chilly-chilly-brrrrr outside!

All of the outside animals have their thick winter fur to keep them warm, and shelter to stay out of the wind and rain. ...well, the chickens have lots of feathers, not fur. Ha!! The cows and donkeys are super fuzzy! Dixie's Chick is doing well. She comes out of the barn when we go down to feed and lets us rub her nose before she wobbles back to the barn with Dixie. She's a very sweet little baby. I was able to pick her up on Sunday, and think she weighs about 30 pounds. Certainly no more than that. She's an itty bitty little thing.

Anyway... since it was so cold today I thought I'd post another one of the new Whipper Snapper designs just released! Something flowery to get my mind of the chill! This image (Sunflower Vase) is one of my favorite new designs. Hope you like it too! I can't wait for the spring flowers to bloom here! Hopefully our pastures will be full of Texas Bluebonnets this spring! I can't wait to show you those!

Valentine Box Update:
Some of you have questions about the Valentine box I posted earlier this week. I used Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue (returning to the store soon - I just sold out today!) to adhere all of the paper layers, to glue the top two coasters together, and to glue the cardboard tape center to the bottom coaster. It's the best glue on Earth for paper crafts! But I've found that Fabri-Tac by Beacon is better than the Mono Multi for adhering ribbons and fabric-type embellishments. Someone also wanted to know if the box opened, and if so, how. I'll get a photo taken of the box with the lid off and will upload it tomorrow. Stay tuned!

It's late now, and time for bed!

Texas Ice Storm

It's really dark at 5am in the country when the power goes out.

And it's really cold when the air temperature is well below freezing, and the wind chill and humidity make it feel even colder.

And it's a lot of work on the farm when daily chores are slowed by a thick layer of ice covering everything. Fences, doors, gate latches, water troughs... 

And it gets even colder when the power has been out in conditions like this for 13 hours. Today was a long, cold day here on the farm, and for people all over Texas.

The first photo is the fence next to the barn where the chickens are, and the second is a piece of wire that hangs on the side of the barn which I thought looked cool! You can see that even the side of the barn was coated with ice at least 1/4" thick - more in some places. It was really beautiful ... but VERY cold!

Since we had no power, that also meant we had little to no heat until Alan got the fire started. And then, we were all still pretty chilled. The people in town didn't get power until after 9:00pm, so we had Alan's parents out to the house to keep warm and have dinner. Tomorrow is supposed to be just as cold, but hopefully not as much ice... Hope the power stays on!

Valentine Gift Box

I found this fun red paper at Target on my last visit. It was in the scrapbook section, along with a lot of other fun papers, templates, ribbon, and doo-dads. The darker areas of the paper are fuzzy red velvet! I thought it was pretty cute, and thought it might make a nice Valentine gift box.

The box is made from the cardboard center of a roll of packing tape and three round chipboard coasters.

I started by covering both sides of the bottom coaster with black patterned paper and sanding the edges. To hide the white edge of the coaster I inked it with black craft ink and let it dry. The top is made with two coasters sandwiched together for extra thickness. I covered one side of one coaster with black cardstock, then covered one side of the second coaster with the red velvet paper. I glued the plain sides together, and wrapped the edge with black velvet ribbon.

The flower was made using several layers of my Ellison Flower/Daisies Thick Cuts die and my Big Shot die cutting machine. I altered layers between the velvet red paper and black cardstock. The charm at the center of the flower is by K&Company - I've had it in my stash for a couple of years, at least! I added some fun whispy fiber around where the tape roll connects to the base, and finally glued six pearl beads to the base to act as feet for the box.

I wonder how many cardboard tape centers I'll have collected by the end of the year!?  *wink wink*

2007 Spring Collection Announced!

If you're on the Whipper Snapper email list, you probably already know that they've just announced the entire 2007 Spring Collection! If you're not on the email list, get to their site and check it all out today!

I had so much fun working on this release - hope you enjoy the new designs! Most of these images were submitted to Whipper Snapper in October. I can't even begin to imagine how much work it has been for them to do a release this big. Congratulations Whipper Snapper team! I think everything looks great!

Umbrella & Slicker image shown.

It's A Girl!

We were finally able to determine if the calf is a heifer or bull (it needed to stand up so we could see!) ... and yay!! It's a heifer! Alan will have to give her an "official" name for her registration with the Dexter Association, but she'll have a farm name too. Official names are always so long and complicated since you have to connect them to the farm they were bred on, etc. So, I've decided that I'm going to call her Dixie's Chick. She's the sweetest little gal, and the cutest face! Dixie is proving to be quite the good mama too... Good cow, good brown cow!

Some of you have asked about, or commented on, her size. She's actually a very small cow -- she *might* have weighed 20 pounds when she was born. That's not very big. We have a 16 pound house cat named Zilla if that puts some perspective on things.

Meet Zilla. She's our harp seal kitty...

Addition to the farm...

Today is an exciting day here on the farm! We've got a new addition! Our Dexter cow, Dixie, had her calf this morning. We haven't seen it move from the position it's in yet, so we're not sure if it's a heifer or bull calf. We'll know once it gets its wobbly legs under itself and starts exploring the barnyard.

Yesterday I thought Dixie might have been close to having the calf, so Alan's dad and I put her in the barnyard pasture. Getting her in the barnyard was half the battle -- keeping all the other cows and donkeys out of the barnyard was the other half of the battle! They're always so helpful, and nosy.

We hoped that she'd have the calf in the barn out of the wind, so Alan's dad tossed some hay down from the barn loft ... sure enough, she did!

Good cow, good brown cow.

I'm the only one here at the farm today, so it's up to me to check on the calf and make sure it stands and starts eating. Cross your fingers that all goes well! Pretty cute, eh?

About Dexter Cattle: Dexters are the smallest breed of cattle in the US, which makes them perfect for small farms. Cows mature to 750-800 pounds, and are typically 36-42 inches high at the shoulder. Bulls mature to 1000-1100 pounds and 38-44 inches high at the shoulder. Dexters are typically black, but can also be dun. Dixie is a dun, and her calf is black with dun highlights. Learn more here.

Bucket of Daisies...

It's exciting to see new Whipper Snapper images pop up as we get closer and closer to the big reveal day! Here's another sneak peak of one of my upcoming designs with Whipper Snapper. See Colorin' Kate's beautiful card using this image on SplitCoastStampers.

Colorin' Kate creates beautiful display cards for Creative Pals, the primary retail store for Whipper Snapper stamps.

Great job, Kate!!

Valentine Blog Candy Winner!

Wow, what an overwhelming response to the Valentine Blog Candy post! You girls are all so happy and kind! One winner has been randomly chosen ... congratulations to Julie Phillips! Email me Julie, and your stamps will be in the mail!

Stay tuned for more fun love themed blog candy posts!

...Love is in the air...

Whipper Snapper 2007 Valentine Stamps

I've had a lot of people ask me which Whipper Snapper 2007 Valentine stamps were designed by me. To make things simple for everyone, here's a list of my dozen!

Anna's Love Bug
Cherish
Flowered with Love
I Love You Flower
Love Birds
Love Bouquet
Love Charm
Love Circle Tag
Tree of Hearts
Two Hearts
Valentine Flowers
XO Valentine

Eventually, you'll be able to pull up all of my images by searching the Whipper Snapper site for "WIGHT". But for now, the new 2007 images are only categorized by 2007 Valentine.

Hope this is helpful!
Happy shopping!

Valentine Blog Candy!

You know I love giving away Blog Candy, and think it's about time to tempt you with some Valentine goodies.

These 4 stamps are from Michael's. I was able to pick these up in Spokane, Washington while I was up north for the holidays. If you're in that area, the Northpoint store had a good selection of stamps. Mom and I had a great day shopping!

If you'd like to be included in the drawing to win these stamps, post a comment to this thread by 8pm Central time Thursday January 11th. Leaving a comment will put your name in the pot, and you might just win! Be sure to include your name! One winning name will be selected randomly from all entries. Good luck!

Create a Chick

I'm a fairly quiet member of ScrapFriends.com. I joined the site a couple of years ago. They had a hardware failure at the end of December and recently asked users to recreate their accounts. While I was poking around their new site I noticed that a lot of ScrapFriends users have cute little girly avatars. So I did some more poking around and found where they're getting them!

Check out Bless This Chick.

You can create a cute girly graphic to represent you - or a friend - for free. Just start clicking on different images available on the page and you'll see how things change.  When you're done, click the 'done' button and you can email yourself the finished graphic. Pretty cute!

2007 Valentine Images

Whipper Snapper just announced 47 new 2007 Valentine images! This is a select release just for Valentine's Day. Hundreds of more new images will be releasing soon. Yes, hundreds!  **grin**

This Valentine flower vase is one of my new designs. I can't wait to get my new stamps so I can play! I'm so tickled to be able to work with Whipper Snapper. They're like family.

Have fun shopping!

Another Whipper Snapper Peek!

Whipper Snapper is gearing up for their next image release, and I am so excited about it! It's going to be HUGE and I think you're going to LOVE it!!

I haven't seen all of the new images by the other artists yet, but I have seen some and have to say my stamp wish list is already really long!

They're working very hard to get ready for the CHA convention being held in California towards the end of the month. Over the holiday week while I was in Washington I worked hard to create cards for Whipper Snapper to use as samples at the convention. Here's a photo of some of the cards they'll be using in their showcase booth -- and of course, a sneak peek for you at several of my new designs.

Be sure to get your name on the Whipper Snapper mailing list! You won't want to miss any opportunities to catch a glimpse of new images, and maybe even a coupon code or two!

I've been featured!

Check out Linda Muhr's blog. Linda lives in Sweden, and has chosen to feature some of my cards on her blog. Once you get to her blog, you must scroll down and see her own wonderful, whimsical designs she has posted.

I thought this was fun... I don't read Swedish, so I went to a Swedish to English translation web site to see if I could translate Linda's text to English.

Here's the translation I received for the text in her blog post:
"Yous must only collapse in hers blogg there she lär out hint on that färglägga as she. Anna Wight self vet nots how self find hers, but indeed is she fantastic, hers manner that färglägga and self favour ju all stink. husband am comprehending that is she ju designer ate 3 superb company in America. If I see the right as applies she creature aquarium pens. self is nots so capable on English so yous sheep deed tell what the is for pens. interesting."

Looks like something about being an artist, about apples, and self favour ju all stink.

Linda, I'd love to know what you *really* said!

Edited to add: Thank you to those of you who have kindly sent translations of Linda's post to me! It all makes much more sense now! *grin*

"You must check out her blog in which she teaches how to color... Anna Wight - I don´t know how I found her, but sure she is fantastic! The way she colors, and I do like all the frames... I can understand why she is a designer for 3 large companies in USA. If I got it right she uses some sort of watercolor pencils. Im not so good at English, so please tell me what kind of pencils these are - interesting!"

Thanks Linda!

A bit more information on the pencils I use. The brand name is Prismacolor, and they're a normal artist grade colored pencil. They are not a watercolor pencil - in fact, these pencils are water-resistant. They have a highly pigmented core, and they're soft enough to put a good amount of color on paper. I bought the 120 Prismacolor pencil set online at dickblick.com. You will need a good pencil sharpener with your new pencils. They come unsharpened. Prismacolor makes a good hand-held sharpener, but I carefully use a small battery operated one that I found at an office supply store. Just be very careful when sharpening...  I also buy my paper stumps and tortillons online as well. I prefer the 5/16's size stump, and the small sized tortillions. While you're shopping, pick up some Fabriano Note Cards and Envelopes - you'll love them! I like the Reply Folded Cards and the Square Folded Note Cards.

Hope this helps!

Nightly Visitor...

I'm back home in Texas now after my week long visit in northeastern Washington with family. We had a great time, the weather was lovely (snowy and cold), and plenty of time was spent resting.

My parents live in a log home with big glass windows and doors that open onto the front deck and yard. One night we saw a face looking at us through the doors. A mother raccoon and her two babies (nearly full grown now) came by for some cat food snacks. I was trying to take a photo of her while she was eating, but she looked up and this is what I ended up with! I think it's pretty cute, even if it's blurry!

I was able to get some other photos of her as well. They're very brave to come right to the front door to eat. Their footprints in the snow are so cute!

In some places raccoons are considered pests, but when you live in the woods they're part of the atmosphere. We've always enjoyed all of the wild animals that we get to see around the house.

Admittedly, the black bears that come through are a bit unnerving, but they're still amazing to watch!

The bears are particularly fond of Dad's bird feeders. *grin*

Dad's not so fond of having to repair the bird feeders. *grin*