Sassy & Sweet Notes

Simply Friends

I have found myself in a "simple" stamping mood lately, and this card is pretty simple. There isn't any stamping on the background, the layout is simple, and the coloring is simple... gotta love that!

These two gals (from Rosie's Roadshow) have so much personality and expression in their faces! Even though they're individual stamp images, I immediately thought to use them together. They look like friends -- life-long friends. Without even saying a word, you know they know exactly what the other is thinking!

Those are the best kind of friends.

Cookies!

I've been playing more and more with various coloring mediums recently. While watercoloring is still my favorite, it's nice to add a little variety to my projects now and then.

I stamped this Inkadinkado cookie bear (dog?) in Pitch Black ink by Ranger and colored him with Copic markers. I really like the clarity of the colors, and it was fun to play with the blender pen (see the lighter colored polka dots?) and create darker dots with darker blues. I'll be using this technique again - it was FUN! Whimsical, too!

I used a Memory Box note card for the base, and did some quick stitches for embellishment.

Inside: Friends are the chocolate chips in the cookies of life.

Mmmm, cookies!!

Bee Twinchie

I had to laugh today when I visited Karrie's blog. She made a card with this little Memory Box bee, too! We must have been sharing brain waves, Karrie!

I had so much fun with yesterday's twinchie challenge, I wanted to do another one right away!

I stamped the bee in Pitch Black ink by Ranger and colored him with markers. I added a bit of white gel pen for highlights, and ooooo lots of sparkle to his wings with Dazzling Diamonds and a Quickie Glue Pen. The polka dots on the yellow paper were done with a little foam dauber. I like their randomness. The "hello" sentiment is from my own Sweet Expressions set from Whipper Snapper.

This card gave me several fits of frustration. Well, not the card itself, but the assembly of the card. I've been using a 12x12 Tonic guillotine paper cutter recently and am finding that it's "off" just enough to drive me crazy! I never had that issue with my Fiskars 12x12 rotary cutter -- but I got tired of replacing the little cutting bar that the rotary blade rolls on. So I switched to a Tonic. I'm not happy..... Ugh... What's a girl to do? Switch back, I suppose...

What do YOU use as a cutter? Tell me all about it!

We've got Winners!

Thank you to everyone for participating in the drawing for the Crafty Secrets Image & Journal booklets! I loved reading about your favorite fall treats -- sounds like I need to ask for RECIPES next time, too! Yummmm!!

Not only do I have one set of booklets away, along with a handful of pre-cut Crafty Secrets paper in that cute scalloped shaped card, I have TWO sets of booklets and pre-cut cards to give away! Double the fun!

Congratulations to Tammy Nichols and KathynRuss! Drop me a note, ladies, and I'll get your package o' goodies out to you right away!!

A Twinchie Challenge!

I love doing challenges with online stampin' friends. It keeps us in touch, and gives us an excuse to do something away from any other design commitments we might have. The challenges are meant to be fun, and this one sure was!

Inchies (1" squares) are all the rage right now, but I thought it would be fun to do something on a slightly larger scale. The challenge was to work with a twinchie! If you're wondering, a twinchie is a 2"x2" square that can be its own work of art, or incorporated into another design size (like the front of a card)! We also had to use citrus colors, faux or real sewing, a faux or real button, and patterned paper. 

I didn't realize how difficult it might be to find citrus colors in my paper stash! With the volume of paper I own, I never would have thought that would be a challenge! I had to dig DEEP to find this paper by BasicGrey. Thankfully, I have the 6x6 pad of paper, so I didn't have to look too far to find a coordinating paper.

I chose to make a chipboard twinchie and used my new Songbird stamp, stamped on 140lb watercolor paper so it had enough stability when it was cut out and adhered to the twinchie. I doubled up a couple of buttons and added them to the twinchie with glue dots. A couple whips through the button holes with a thin strip of cardstock dressed the buttons up quickly and easily.

Be sure to check out the other challenge players projects!
     Val Stangle
     Leigh o'Brien
     Jenn Balcer
     Karrie Baker

Are you inspired to create a twinchie? If so, post a link to your project in my comments section -- I want to see your twinchie creativity!

Vintage Halloween

There is just something magical about Halloween -- especially VINTAGE Halloween!! I was SO EXCITED when I learned that Crafty Secrets was going to have a vintage set with all kinds of fun vintage Halloween images! I have been waiting and WAITING for a vintage Halloween set! And the set is just so FUN! Sandy did a fantastic job of choosing images.

I used this sweet little girl image from the set, and also pulled one of the flourishes from the Crafty Secrets Flourishes set for some subtle stamped fun behind the main image layer. I find myself reaching for the Crafty Secrets Flourishes set so often! The images are perfect for subtle stamping, and easily work on projects that are elegant, cute, and even western! You know I love that!

I stamped the girl in black StazOn ink and painted her with a water brush and reinkers. I added some faux stitches around the border, a little shell button, a scalloped edge, and popped the image panel up on foam adhesive for dimension.

The scalloped card base is STINKIN' fun, isn't it! I found a new XL Sizzix die that cuts a full sized card base in this shape, and it's even scored down the center! I'm surprised you couldn't hear my squeals of delight for hundreds of miles around when I ran that puppy through my big shot for the first time! ...or, maybe you could!

Ooooh, I'm so happy to be working on fall and Halloween designs now! That means autumn is just around the corner...and maybe, just MAYBE we'll have cooler temps soon, too! Wouldn't that be nice! Tomorrow promises to be 103 degrees. Phwew. Sounds like a good day to stay inside and STAMP!

I've got a little box of goodies to give away as Blog Candy! I've got a set (yup, all four) of the recently released Crafty Secrets Images & Journal Notes booklets to give away. There are four booklets, including Homemade, Childhood, Birds & Botanicals, and Summertime. I'll also include a handful of die cut Crafty Secrets papers cut in this fun scalloped shape. If you'd like to be entered to win, leave a comment on this post. I'll draw one winning name from all comments on Monday morning, early. I want to know your favorite fall treat. And be sure you leave your name! Good luck!!

Lady Bird

I'll be honest.... when it's 100+ degrees outside, the last thing I want to do is head out into the sunshine carrying an 8 pound camera. The heat makes it seem more like a 40 pound camera. But I've been meaning to go out and take photos of Lady Bird, and just haven't had time until this evening. And even then, I only wanted to be out in the sun for a short while. Phwew, it's hot...

Taking photos of our animals isn't always easy. They're so friendly, they get too close for the focal length of my lens! Today was no different. I wasn't able to get any photos of our donkey Molly -- she pretty much rode around in my back pocket the entire time I was outside. I'm surprised I could get any shots at all, since Molly drapes her head over my shoulder when I kneel down to take pictures. They're all good helpers, I tell you!

I did manage to get a couple of cute photos of Lady Bird. She's not too sure of us yet, so she's pretty shy. In her opinion, the best place to be is on the OTHER side of her mama from me when I've got my camera in hand. It makes getting photos of her sweet (really, rotten) face a challenge.

It wasn't long before Jackie (her mama) decided it was time for them to head to the far end of the pasture, away from me, away from all the cows. See ya later, alligator!

She'll be a week old on Sunday. She LOVES to run. FAST!

CHA Highlights

I had such a great time at CHA with Lisa! We met lots of people, and saw all KINDS of fun stuff at the show. My favorite new item, hands down, was the new line of FABRIC from BasicGrey by MODA!! Ooooooh, it's divine!! They had several handmade items on display, including a quilt, handbag, oven mitts, and aprons. They had the 5x5 and 10x10 charm packs, as well as the jelly rolls on display. I wanted to take them home with me! Look Mom, new FABRIC!!

Another favorite of the show was Graphic 45. They were one of my February CHA favorites as well. I love their papers, and the samples they had in the booth were beautifully done! Lots of altered items. I really love the colors they've used in their line.

There were really nice samples done in the Studio 490 area of the Stampington & Co booth (Stamper's Anonymous, etc). I love flowers, and there were lots of great ideas using grunge board and lots of nicely executed designs. The above sample wasn't necessarily my favorite of their display, but it shows how flowers were made out of the grunge board - nicely inked, stamped, and shaped.

Once again, the Accucut booth was another one of my favorites. This card caught my attention - can you imagine mailing this!? They really do have the best die cuts for boxes and shapes!

My favorite new paper line from the show was by My Mind's Eye. The line is called Laundry Line, and I must have it ALL! Look at this cute little dress they had on display and this is only one of the papers from a 40-paper line! Cute, cute, CUTE!! The series is done in pleasing colors of blue, green, pink, brown, and cream. Very "prairie girl" which I LOVE!

I loved this sample in the Stampendous booth. This accordian folded snowman card was made using a new clear set by Stampendous. Because the body of the snowman isn't solid (not filled with acrylic), you can move and shape the snowman to be any shape you want! Clever as can be! This set is on my wish list for sure!

We're still in the height of "owl mania" and Hero Arts had some great ideas for Halloween! This is one that really stood out to me. Super cute - super simple! They also had owls dressed as pirates, and even as a bat, which was also very cute!

2008 Fall/Winter Whipper Snapper Release!

Oh my gosh!! I am so excited! Lisa at Whipper Snapper has been working very hard to get all of my new 2008 Fall/Winter stamps added to their online store, and I'm so excited to see them all posted this morning! She's still working on posting images from the other illustrators, so keep checking the 2008 Fall/Winter image pages to see more fun stuff from Shelly and the rest of the gang!

I have a few (ok, more than a few) personal favorites from this release. Snow Fisherman is certainly one of them! Because I have a soft spot in my heart for snowmen, I included quite a few snowy characters with this release. Oooooh, so FUN!

My 2008 Fall/Winter Images:
Acorn & Posie
Balloon Duck
Barkley
Belle
Bird Nest
Birthday Chicken
Birthday Love Bug
Bitty
Blanket Sheep
Blizzard Bob
Bunny Pull Toy
Christmas Car
Christmas Truck
Chubby Love Bug
Claus
Fly a Kite
Folk Bird
Get Well Dog
Gift Giving Penguin
Happy Holidays Frame
Harvard
Hot Cocoa Snowman
Jonny Snowman
Kitty Hugs
Knitty
Lots of Candles
Love Bug Pirate
Maggie
Miss Marie
Mistletoe
Ornament Reindeer
Over the Moon
Pear Tree
Pinetree Snowman
Polka Dot Angel
Potted Sunflower
Present Reindeer
Pumpkin & Cat
Qwackers
Roley Poley Santa
Rootin Tootin Snowman
Rover
Santa Ornament
Sheila Love Bug
Ski Jumping Penguin
Sky High Penguin
Small Bird
Snow Couple
Snow Fisherman
Snow Kitty
Snowframe Kitty
Snowframe Pup
Snowpie
Songbird
Stella
Stork & Balloons
Stuffed Stocking
Teatime
Toad on Stool
Tom
Twin Peas
Walter
Yumm
Farmer & Adell
Fishing Chicken

Curious Puppy

Here's a little card I put together using a couple of images from Storage Units, Ink & More's new line of clear stamps. I wanted to use this brightly colored paper from The Pets Stack of paper from DCWV.

I like how the sewing around the edges really makes the paper look like fabric! I think my Mom had some pants that looked just like this paper some time around 1972. And I'm pretty sure we have photos of her wearing them! 

I colored the image with a water brush and reinkers. I added a bit of ultra fine glitter to the body of the dragonfly for LOTS of sparkle!

Meet Lady Bird!

Life on our farm never ceases to amaze me..... I was on the phone with Alan on Sunday morning while he comforted Twinkle Toes during her last minutes of life. We were both so very sad. Less than an hour later, Alan called me again -- this time with good news!

When he went out to do the morning feed he saw that Jackie, one of our spotted donkeys, had *finally* delivered her baby! (We were beginning to wonder if she wasn't actually prego, but just plump! I guess she was prego!) She delivered a sweet little jenny (girl). Don't you think she looks so much like little Eddie who was born last October!? Alan took this photo and emailed it to my phone so that I could see the new baby, even though I was away from home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

We've decided to call her Lady Bird after Lady Bird Johnson and in our own little way, after Twinkle Toes who we also called Birdie. Lady Bird couldn't have been born at a better time! More farm updates coming soon! I'm trying to catch up on life!

In Memory: Twinkle Toes

In 1998, Twinkle Toes was turned over to the Exotic Bird Rescue group in Eugene, Oregon. She was listed as a "found" bird by the organization because the man who turned her over to the group said she flew into his garage one evening. Her original owner was never located.

I was a member of the Exotic Bird Rescue group and was contacted to be a foster home for her until a permanent home could be found for her. She was such a sassy little spitfire with personality to spare, that after our first night together I decided to call the rescue group and submit my paperwork for her adoption. She's been a part of my life ever since.

Twinkle Toes passed away Sunday morning... I'm grateful that Alan was with her, comforting her and giving into her demands for a head rub. She loved head rubs. She loved Alan. And millet. And pencil erasures. And biting off the edges of paper. Important papers! She was always getting into trouble.  But she was worth every bit of that trouble.

I never would have imagined that a little bird could be missed so much...... I'm so very sad.

Thoughts of You

I'm having the best time this week! Sorry I've been a little quiet -- I haven't been able to get online until tonight. I've been visiting the Whipper Snapper family in Brookfield, Wisconsin since Wednesday and am just having a ball! In addition to all of the fun here in Wisconsin, Lisa (she and her husband own Whipper Snapper) and I spent two days at CHA in Chicago where we got to see all kinds of crafty people! What FUN!

But the most fun of all will be tomorrow (Sunday) when Kathy Sanders and I will be doing demonstrations at Creative Pals in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Kathy will be doing Copic marker coloring, and I'll be doing watercoloring. It should be a hoot! If you're in the area, be sure to come say hi! The event starts at noon!

I thought I'd share another card I made using two of the recently released sets Blossoms & Butterflies and Blooming Expressions. I'm having so MUCH FUN with these two sets! I stamped the images in black StazOn ink, and created a mottled background (more on this soon...). Then I painted the poppy and butterflies using a water brush and reinkers. I added some white highlight areas with a white gel pen, and finished off the card with a few layers and some subtle flourish images from Crafty Secrets.

Well, I could say a whole lot more, but it's late and I'm beat and I need my beauty sleep. *grin!* Until next time...

Baby Frame - Shabby Style

Two weekends ago I picked up some little wooden frames at JoAnn's, and just in time too! I wanted to alter one of them for the Crafty Secrets booth at CHA! I managed to squeeze in some time this past weekend to get it finished up. I used regular ol' acrylic paint and painted the wood with a nice vintage pink, and vintage white.

Once the paint was dry, I brushed a light layer of brown paint over the entire frame, and quickly wiped it off with a paper towel. This added just a hint of "age" to the paint, and took the "newness" off of it. I adhered the patterned paper to the front of the frame and inked it up a bit with Walnut Distress Ink by Ranger. I used one of the Crafty Secrets flourishes stamps to add a bit of flair to the front and sides of the frame. Once everything was dry, I made a little pin to add to the center of the ribbon.

Here is a close-up photo of the pin I made using little plastic flower petal and leaf beads, also found at JoAnn's. I used a BIG beaded pin (the pink ball at the top of the flower is the ball on the head of the pin), added the flower petal and leaf beads.

At the base of the beads I added a crimp bead. I also added a bit of jewelers glue to help keep things tightly in place. To keep the sharp tip of the pin from poking anyone, I glued on of the button-style flower beads (included in the package with the other parts) to the tip of the pin, and then glued the bead to the frame.

I'm pleased with the way this little project turned out! It got me wanting to do more painting!!

I'm off to the airport! Today is the start of my trip up to Milwaukee and Chicago! Yahoo!!

Let everything you do...

...be done as if it makes a difference.

Here's another card I put together using two of my newly released sets, Blossoms & Butterflies and Blooming Expressions. I chose a warm color palette of browns, various shades of olive green, and warm sunflower-like yellows.

I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, and one of the things I love about that area are the large ferns that grow in the wooded areas -- not only on the eastern sides of Washington and Oregon, but on the coastal side of the states as well.

In the springtime, the ferns are fresh and green and ultra soft as they grow and uncurl. In the late spring and summer, they are a deep green with rigid stem structure. When sunlight shines through the leaves, you can see the veins in every leaf. In the fall, they turn a rich golden brown color as they dry. They were my inspiration for the leaf images in the Blossoms & Butterflies set. I wanted a simple greenery image included in the set, and they seemed like the perfect choice.

Every month I find myself having a new favorite set, and this month it's no different! I think this is my favorite month so far as far as images go... But, will I feel the same when I get August's stamps in my inky little fingers!? I'm not so sure!! The August stamps AWFULLY fun, and so different from this month's sets! I can't WAIT!

Introducing...

Have I got exciting news to share! Today Whipper Snapper is releasing FOUR of my new cling sets! I'm never kidding when I say I've been busy, and Low-Howdy, have I been BUSY!

So, today not only do I get to introduce you to my four new sets, but I also get to introduce you to five new Whipper Snapper Featured Designers as well!

This card was created using images from two sets being released this month, and with inspiration from a recent card shared by Leslie Miller. Leslie created a lovely card that looked like a painting of beautiful tulips on a stucco wall. Thank you for the inspiration, Leslie!

I stamped the images in black StazOn ink and painted them with a water brush and reinkers. For the background, I first created a mottled looking surface with distressing ink by Ranger. Once dry, I lightly stamped an expression from this month's set called Blooming Expressions again and again. I used my little Janome sewing machine to zig zag the layers together, and added a flip-ended sentiment banner at the bottom with a brown pearl brad from SEI.

And now for the sets! Click on the set images to see a larger version of the image. Typepad is still making smaller file sizes FUZZY when it resizes the files, but when you view the larger files you'll be able to see the set images clearly.

 
For this month's release I wanted to do another floral set, but wanted something that could be a bit more elegant than the first floral set we released in January called Posies for You. Blossoms & Butterflies is exactly what I had in mind. There's just a touch of whimsy, but the images can be dressed up with elegance as well. I have had the most fun playing with this set. I shared a sneak peek in June using this set as well. Here's a LINK if you missed it!

 
I like including sentiments in my sets, but there were so many sentiments I wanted to include it just made sense to create a set dedicated to expressions. Blooming Expressions is filled with some of my favorite sentiments. I added in some basics as well, to round out the set. I used two different sentiments from this set on the card posted above. One of the expressions is stamped over and over very lightly on the background to create a bit of visual interest to the image, and the other is on the banner at the bottom of the card. I hope you enjoy this set as much as I do!

 
29 Again was created specifically for birthdays. A classic schoolbook font was used for the numbers and add-ons, and 21 different fun birthday expressions were included. I think this will be a fun set to have on hand!

 
Finally, we're releasing a sentiment set dedicated to all things baby, called Baby on Board! There is a total of 23 expressions and I included 8 tiny images that will be perfect for use on tags, gift enclosures, invitations, etc.

And now for the BEST part of every release! I am so excited to introduce you to FIVE new Whipper Snapper Featured Designers for July and August! I am so lucky to be able to work with so many of my favorite stampers. Every month I am completely amazed at the creations the designers make. They truly are the BEST part of the releases.

Carol Halvorson
Blog: http://happinessblooms.blogspot.com
Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/hb

Jami Sibley
Blog: http://jami.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com
Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/jami

Leslie Miller
Blog: http://leslierich.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com
Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/leslierich

Pam Hooten
Blog: http://pamhooten.blogspot.com
Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/iris

Trudee Sauer
Blog: http://trudee.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com
Gallery: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/go/trudee

Please visit their blogs and galleries, and see their amazing creations. Not only do they create amazing designs with Whipper Snapper images, but all of their design work knocks my socks off!

Evening Storm & FIRE!

When it's HOT like it is here, thunderstorms brew up out of nowhere. Lightening is quite dangerous, and when it's as dry as it is now, there's always fear of fire. We haven't had rain for well over a month ... maybe even close to two months. It's very dry. Very dangerous.

This evening a very large storm formed just south of where we live (of course we didn't get ANY rain from it). When Alan and I were out doing our evening chores we could see the entire area of the storm and with the rain pouring out of it from the center, it looked like a massive jelly fish in the sky. It was so amazing! Of course, by the time I got back out to the barn with my camera, the clouds had moved just enough that we lost the really cool perspective. But I did get a couple of interesting shots.

Of course, Jackie and Molly always beg for snacks when we're out in the pastures, so any time I'm out in their pasture with my camera they're pretty much in my lap, begging. They're even too close for photos -- I need at least 3 feet of space for focusing, girls!

Tonight was no different. But look at this cool photo I got of Jackie's hip and Molly's ears, with LIGHTENING striking in the distance!! What crazy timing! There was lightening all around, and it was just luck that I was able to catch a shot with lightening actually in the photo! Of course, it's not a GREAT photo of the silly donkeys, but considering Jackie was bumping my elbow with her nose when I took the shot, it's pretty ok!

A few minutes later, I noticed an odd glowing orange area of light about 4 or 5 miles from our house. Seems a bolt of lightening had started a fire and the flames were getting tall, fast!

The sun was just going down when the fire started, and the large orange glow kept no secrets about where the fire was. Hopefully there weren't any homes in danger, which is always a worry when it comes to rural fires. Lack of roads and access make fighting the fires difficult for local crews. But it wasn't long before local and volunteer firefighters had the burn under control. Here's hoping nothing was damaged, or injured.

Today: 105.

Good GRIEF it's hot. Today's high on the thermometer was 105...and the thermometer is in the shade! Thankfully, I had a fresh idea for how to beat the heat.

If you have a Taco Bell in your area, you've got to try one of the Strawberry Mango Freeze drinks they're serving right now. Yummmmmy!! While my Mom and Dad were visiting, we had SEVERAL of these drinks -- they're delish! So good in fact, Mom had the great idea of making our own version of the slushy drinks (Taco Bell is a long way from our house).

My parents gave Alan and I a Cuisinart soft serve ice cream maker when they were here visiting. I used the machine for this recipe. Mix 3.5 cups of mango juice (juice isle of your local grocery store) with 1/2 a can of frozen orange juice concentrate (no water). Mix well and pour into the ice cream maker. In about 12 minutes you're left with a wonderfully fresh, fruity treat! Add a bit of thawed strawberries (and their juice) to the top, and enjoy!

Let's hope it's a bit cooler here tomorrow!

Sunny & 100. Again.

Sunny & 100. That's the kind of weather we've been having lately. And it's not going to let up any time soon. It wears me out, I tell you! Hot hot HOT!

The animals lay in the shade to keep cool. The cats lay on the patio or under bushes and pant to stay cool. Heck, even the chickens are panting, it's so hot! Thankfully we've got AC in the house, even though yesterday we were without power. It got a bit toasty in the house, and then finally power was restored and the house cooled down. Just in time for the power to go out again. About that time I decided it was time for a nap on the couch! Naps are always a good way to pass the time.

Of course, with all the heat we've been having, I've got pretty much one thing on my mind. Staying cool. Here's one idea -- install a shower spigot in the pool. Aghhhhh, now that would be refreshing. Rosie's Roadshow has the best stamps for creating scenes! Thanks for the chill-power, Rosie!

Some Whipper Snapper FUN!

It's going to be a busy weekend! I have LOTS of things to prepare for! On Monday Whipper Snapper is having a *big* unmounted set release with FOUR new sets!! (I told you I've been busy!) And I'll announce 5 new Whipper Snapper Featured Designers who will be sharing their talents with us for July and August. Seeing what the designers do with my stamps is the best part of every month.

Speaking of unmounted stamps, I was so excited when I learned that Whipper Snapper now offers every single one of their wood mounted stamps as cling mounted red rubber!  Not only in their store in Wisconsin, but in their online store as well! While I love love LOVE wood mounted stamps, I'm looking forward to being able to have more Whipper Snapper stamps that take up less space.

I'm taking a few days off from work next week and on Wednesday am flying up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to spend some time with the Whipper Snapper family. I'm SUPER excited!! Lisa (owner of Whipper Snapper and Creative Pals) has all kinds of fun plans for us, including a day at CHA in Chicago, AND the most fun of all will be on Sunday when I'll be doing a day of demo'ing at Creative Pals! Kathy Sanders will be there as well. Kathy teaches classes at Creative Pals, and is also the colorist for a large number of Whipper Snapper stamps (none of mine). She's a master when it comes to using Copic markers, so I'm hoping some of her skills rub off on me while I'm there! If you're in the area, come by and say hi! I think we're getting started around noon. I can't WAIT to see all of the Whipper Snapper stamps lining the store walls! I'll be like a kid in a candy shop! "I'll take one of those, and one of those, and one of those, and oooooh one of those, and one of those...."

As if that wasn't enough fun, at the end of July there will be a big Fall/Winter release! Whoohooo!! I can't WAIT! The other Whipper Snapper illustrators always tickle my funny bone with their images! I'm hoping I'll be able to see some of their new images when I'm visiting next week. Ooooh, wouldn't THAT be fun!

I've got to catch some shut-eye. Wow, it's going to be a fun, busy week!

PS: Like my little holiday birdie? Shhhh... it's a sneak peek from the Fall/Winter release! *grin*

A Manly Birthday

Every now and then I have to break out of the feminine and cute mode and try my hand at something manly. Tonight was one of those nights. Which, by the way, was promptly followed by something floral and feminine (that you get to wait to see until, oooooh, I don't know ... maybe another Whipper Snapper release happening on Monday)!

For this ruff (rough) and tumble card, I pulled out two of my absolutely FAVORITE Stampin' Up sets - Fly Fishing and Decorative Pinecones. I stamped the fisherman on kraft colored paper in Timber Brown StazOn ink. I then loosely watercolored the image with a water brush and Distressing inks by Ranger. I also used a Spica glitter pen to add some sparkle to the fishing line, net and water.

I added the pines to the lower layer, added some faux stitching, inked the edges a bit, added a shell button and the sentiment and glued it all together.

Now that that's over with, it's time to get back to frilly and cute!

Happy Friday!!

Simple Sunflower

It's no joke that life has been moving a mile a minute around here. Maybe even faster. We've been having hot, hot, HOT days and weather like this means there's more to do. The animals require more attention, watering troughs, buckets, and dispensers need to be filled more frequently, and everything just takes a bit more time in the heat. Let's face it -- we just move slower when we're baking in the sun. But even when there's so much to do, I still have the urge...the need...to be crafty!

Several years ago I ordered a ink pad storage shelf from Storage Units, Ink. The unit I ordered holds my Stampin' Up ink, refills, and markers perfectly! I was thrilled to learn that Storage Units Ink is now offering a line of clear stamps, Core'dinations paper, and coordinating ink, and has updated their name to Storage Units, Ink & More!

I made this inchie window card using the little sunflower image from their new set called Butterfly Garden. I've been following their blog and have enjoyed seeing the samples created by the designers. I'm excited to see what they've got in store for coming months!

life with you is sweet.

High Hopes Stamps has just released three more series (pirate, sea life, and circus) by illustrator Crissy Armstrong, and like ALL of Crissy's illustrations, the images are WONDERFUL! I had a hard time deciding which image to use first! I finally settled on this cute little pair of jelly fish, grinning from ear to ear. ...though I don't think jelly fish have ears...  *grin*

I stamped the image in black StazOn ink (my FAVORITE black ink) and painted the image using a water brush and reinkers. I added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter with a Quickie Glue Pen, and sewed the card layers together. I added some buttons (the two that aren't white are actually two different shades of pink, though they look a little red in the photo) to the face of the card, using thin strips of paper as the thread through the button holes. I won't have naked buttons...

The sentiment on the banner is a SNEAK PEEK from a July Whipper Snapper unmounted set! Oooooh, there's so much fun to be had, I can barely contain myself!!

A Few Photos...

My parents have been visiting for the past few weeks, and we've had a great time! They drove down from Washington State, taking a bit of time along the way to visit a few key locations and see some sights.

They've got some great photos from their trip so far, and I just had to download a few and share them with you -- they're so great!!

This is a photo Mom took out the window as they drove south through southwestern Montana. Regardless of where the photo was taken, the snow on the mountain is a nice, refreshing sight as we endure nearly 100 degree days here in Texas. Phwew...

Dad has some nice photos of Zion National Park in Utah, but this was my favorite. The blue of the sky against the detail of the rock walls and the silhouette of the tree make this a nice, graphic image. If you've never been to Zion National Park, I highly recommend it! It's a WONDERFUL park to visit! Lots of hiking trails, variety of nature and wildlife. It's a relatively small national park, and is well managed.

Of all the photos they took at the Grand Canyon, this one is my favorite. Dad did a nice job of capturing the depth of the canyon. It's amazing just how far you can see when you're standing on the rim of the canyon. Like Zion, if you've never been to the Grand Canyon, try to see it at least once in your lifetime. It really is amazing...

Here's another photo of the canyon that Dad took. Such a cool place!!

Mom and Dad plan to start their return trip to Washington tomorrow. They've got a whole list of places to see and things to do along the way, and I'm sure they're going to have a wonderful time! I'm envious!! I love vacations, especially to national parks!

Happy Birthday Hippo...

I've been so busy for the past few weeks, I haven't even uploaded some of the projects I've been working on in the past month or so! I need to catch up! Life's movin' full speed ahead, and sometimes I think I'm left standing still...

Here's a card I finished a few weeks ago and am just now getting around to sharing. I think this floatin' high hippo from High Hopes Stamps is so full of expression -- from the straight up hairs on the top of his head, to the little parachute straps flappin' in the wind -- he really looks like he's fallin' fast!

I added some subtle palm trees at the bottom of the card to suggest that he's floating higher than the tree tops. What fun!

Fish Print and be HAPPY!

Two weekends ago we took a day trip down south of here to Salado, Texas. One of the shops we stopped in is a stamp shop called Stamp Salado.

I was OVERLY excited to see a poster in the shop featuring realistic nature prints (including fish!) by stamp artist Fred Mullett. The shop is hosting a few workshops with Fred in late August, but unfortunately didn't have any of this stamps in stock the day we were there. I had to have one of his fish stamps. At least one! Maybe MORE! So, when I got home I looked Fred up online and placed an order from his website right away!

I have wanted some fish prints like this for so LONG, but just hadn't found anything that caught my eye. Fred's images REALLY caught my eye! My order arrived earlier this week. The design above was my first attempt stamping with one of Fred's stamps. What FUN!

This design was created using a watercolor wash stamping technique, along with blending and spritzing, followed by detail popping over-stamping.

Color me HAPPY!

i don't do mornings.

In fact, I'm full-on grouchy in the morning. I have always been this way. Some people are morning people. They wake up easily, bright and cheerful. Not me. Ugh.

To make things worse, I like really nice quality sheets and I'm convinced nice sheets make NOT being a morning person worse. Good sheets are a good thing. Having to get out of good sheets in the morning ... well, that's not such a good thing.

Memory Box recently released 18 new penguin images, and being the crazy penguin lovin' morning grouch that I am, I had to have Curler Penguin and the supporting sentiment "i don't do mornings". It's so ME! I think this penguin looks a bit too cheerful to be me, though.... I'm grouchier than she is for sure!

Are you a morning grouch?

Is there a cure for the morning grouchies?

A New Chicken Placemat

Mom and I got crafty again last night and made this fun table chicken. Mom gave recommendations on assembly and I did all the sewing. We used various pieces of fabric from my stash and used a chicken placemat that my Mom made in the early 1980's as a pattern for the project.

I don't always use big table cloths that cover the entire table, but I do like having something in the center of my round table. Something roughly the size of a placemat works great, and it's a nice place to keep the salt and pepper.

My Mom thought it was funny that I use one of the original chickens on my table. While the original chicken is still in great shape and works well on the table, having an updated version is fun!

The hen is really meant to be a placemat at each table setting, but we only made one. For now. *grin*

I could have seasonal chickens! Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter .... Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter .... oooooh, FUN!