June Workshop Projects

Hola Amigas!!...I'm back from Cabo : ) & want to show you my June workshop projects before the end of the month...both feature stamps & Designer Paper from the Occasions Mini Catalog and the SU Markers in Real Red & Old Olive! Don't forget...items from the Occasions Mini catalog are only available for 2 more days...through June 30th! You can click right HERE to see the on-line catalog.

The first card features the Tart 'n Tangy stamp set along with Summer Picnic DP & was designed by my friend Nancy Littrell. Finished size is 4 1/4" square (my favorite!). I liked it so much that I cased it for my one of my workshop projects this month. Nancy inspires me in so many ways, I can't even tell you. She has a wonderful gallery over at SCS and you can see one of her great Tart 'n Tangy cards right HERE along with her entire SCS gallery of amazing & inspiring cards right HERE!! Sorry, she doesn't have a blog, but no worries, she uploads LOTS of beautiful creations to her SCS gallery, so there's plenty to see right there : ) !! We used the SU Markers to color directly on the stamps (you can see a tutorial for this technique at the SU website...right HERE), then stamped the friendship sentiment from the Think Happy Thoughts set (from the Spring/Summer catalog) in Real Red Classic Ink. We punched the fruit and sentiment out with the 1 1/4" square punch and layered them up with Real Red cardstock punched out with 1 3/8" square punch.

Nancy was also nice enough to give me a little lesson on watercoloring last month and even let me borrow her gorgeous Blooming Beautiful stamp set! I designed this next card for a workshop project that would use the same 2 markers we used on the first card, but in a totally new way...watercoloring! The card features another piece of that great Summer Picnic DP! I kept the layout super simple so the girls could focus their attention on practicing their watercoloring techniques! Speaking of watercoloring, Cami (stampalittlelovebaby) did a tutorial this week on "watercoloring for cheaters" that was simply fantastic (no surprise there...she just doesn't know how to do things any other way, lol!), you can check out that tutorial right HERE! Thanks Nancy & Cami for sharing your talent and for inspiring me time and time again... big {{HUGS}} to you both : ) !!!One more person I'd like to thank... and that is Leslie Miller : ) . Indirectly, Leslie got all this excitement started about watercoloring when she got together with Nancy Littrell to show her a few watercoloring techniques. Leslie's blog, Running with Scissors, is filled with cards and projects that will make your jaw drop. She did a Thomas Kinkade watercoloring project back in March that was nothing short of pheonominal. You have GOT to see it. Just click HERE and prepare to be amazed!! What did I tell you....isn't that gorgeous???

My stamping time is going to be limited for another week or so (sniffle, sniffle)...but I sure hope to have some fun new cards to show you soon along with maybe a couple photos from Cabo too. I brought a few images to Cabo with me to color (I LOVE to color!). I have unpacking, laundry and repacking to do (we have an appointment out of town later in the week..seems we can't land in one place for too long, lol!) but as soon as I can sqeeze in a few minutes at my workbench , I'll be putting those images on cards!! In the meanwhile, I hope you have an awesome weekend & THANKS for stopping by : ) !!!

Supplies for the Tart 'n Tangy Card ~ Stamps: Tart 'n Tangy & Think Happy Thoughts Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DP Ink: Real Red classic inkpad, Jet Black Stazon, Real Red & Old Olive SU Markers Accessories: Boho Blossoms Flower Punch, Silver Brad, 1/4" & 1/16" circle punches, Ticket corner punch, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Sakura quickie glue pen, Dimensionals

Supplies for the Blooming Beautiful Card ~ Stamps: Blooming Beautiful Paper: Real Red, Old Olive, Summer Picnic DP, Whisper White (layer) Watercolor Paper (image) (140# cold press) Ink: Jet Black Stazon, SU Real Red & Old Olive Markers Accessories: Silver brads, Dimensionals

HAPPY : ) Stamping!

Tic Tac Toe from Mexico

Hola, from Cabo San Lucas, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortes! It's be-a-utiful and sunny...great place to relax and unwind with family & friends. What a blessing it is to be here!

I only have internet for a short time, so I'm going to share this tutorial with you while I can. I'm sure tic tac toe boards have been done before, probably in a variety of ways by all you great stampers out there, but this is my first. The simplicity of this project makes is a perfect little favor for just about any holiday or event... and wouldn't this be great to tuck into the kids' duffle bags when they head off to camp? I love doing events or gifts with themes and this type of project is so easy to customize to fit just about any theme! Lots and lots possibilities. So, are you ready to make one? Here are a few basic simple instructions:

Supplies
1 ¼” & 1 3/8” Circle punches
1 ¼” & 1 3/8” Square punches
Pumpkin, Bashful, Olive & Whisper White cs
Summer Picnic dp
Olive & Pumpkin classic inkpads
Tart ‘n Tangy Stamp set
Roll on Adhesive

Cut/Stamp/Punch the following~
Cut (1) Pumpkin 4 ¾” Square
Cut (1) Bashful 4 ½” Square
Punch (9) 1 3/8” Olive Squares
Punch (9) 1 ¼” **Designer paper squares
Punch (5) 1 3/8” Olive Circles
Punch (5) 1 3/8” Pumpkin Circles
Stamp & Punch (5) Olive Apples with 1 ¼” Circle Punch
Stamp & Punch (5) Pumpkin Oranges with 1 ¼” Circle Punch

Adhere the punched 1 1/4" Squares & Circles to their 1 3/8" layers. Adhere the Bashful square onto Pumpkin square. Lay the 9 Olive/DP squares on the Bashful layer to determine proper spacing, before adhering. As pictured below, I start adhering in the upper left corner and work over and down…that seems to help with getting the spacing/placement even (helps me anyway!).

**tip ~ You can get exactly 9 squares of the same pattern if you punch all the way across your 12 x 12 sheet of paper with your 1 1/4" square punch… that will allow you to match up your pattern if you wish to (like with the stripes).

If you want to keep it really simple, your completed Tic Tac Toe board and pieces will fit nicely into a sandwich-sized zip lock baggie. Or, if you prefer, you can design a box or pouch around the board like I did in the next two examples.

You could easily use this idea to create BINGO cards or if you're feeling a bit more ambitious...how about a Checker Board?? So many possibilities, the only limit is your imagination : ) !!!

This tic-tac-toe in a box, features the Tart 'n Tangy and Short Order Alphabet sets along with more of that great Summer Picnic Designer paper. The top view ~ Here's the inside ~

And a closer look at some of the detailing on the side of the box. I used the 3/16" corner rounder for the scallops and the cropadile to create the embossed dots ~
And here's a Patriotic USA version, perfect for the upcoming 4th of July holiday! Using more of the Summer Picnic DP!It closes with velcro and has a red gingham ribbon handle. The game pieces are stored inside the red pouch.

I used the star stamp from the Wanted set and the (small) star punch~

I added brads to these game pieces, so I punched extra 1 3/8" circles and adhered them onto the back of the game piece (as pictured below) to cover the prongs and give them a nice finished look.

And that's about everything I have to say about tic tac toe boards : ) !!! It's a fun little idea and I hope you enjoy it. I used all Stampin' Up products for these projects. Don't forget...the Tart 'n Tangy set as well as the Summer Picnic DP are only available for about 10 more days...until June 30th. You can view the Occasions mini catalog online by click HERE. You can also view the entire SU Spring Summer Collectin catalog by clicking right HERE.

Because of my limited access to the internet for the next 10 days, I'll probably just sign on once more next week. That's just as well, I think I can find plenty to do here without my computer : ) ! In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the tic tac toe tutorial and be sure & leave a comment it you do! Several of you have left comments for the first time this past week...really great to hear from you!!! Thanks for stopping by and Have an awesome weekend!!! I hope you find a little warm happy place of your own : ) !!

Supplies for tic tac toe in a box ~ Stamp sets: Tart 'n Tangy, Short Order Alphabet Paper: Real Red, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, Old Olive, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DP Ink: Real Red, Old Olive & Bashful Accessories: 3/4, 1, 1 1/4, 1 3/8" circle punches, 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" square punches, Silver embossed brads from the Hodgepodge Hardware kit (Occasions mini), Ticket corner punch, 3/16" corner rounder, Cropadile, Dimensionals, silver strech cord

Supplies for Star tic tac toe pouch ~ Stamp sets: Wanted Paper: Textured Night of Navy, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DP Ink: Real Red & Night of Navy Accessories: 1" & 1 3/8" Circle punches, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8 " Square punches, /4" circle punch, 1/16th" hole punch, 1 Silver brads & Eyelets, Star punch (small), Cropadile, red gingham ribbon, 1/4" navy gg ribbon, Scallop Circle Punch, Medium Cello bag, sticky strip

3 cards in 30 minutes

More quick, simple cards today...I feel like I've been flyin' by the seat of my past this last week, so cards have had to be quick and simple. You know how Rachel Ray has her 30 minute meals show....well today's post is my card version of that show.... "3 cards in 30 minutes" .

I'm really enjoying this new SU wedding set, To Have and To Hold. This time I used it to make an anniversary card...a 30th annivesary for a very special couple (Happy Anniversary Steve & Mary)!! The Happy Anniversary sentiment is from one of my favorite, very versatile sentiment sets, Hugs & Wishes! I already had the image piece colored and it was sitting in my scrap pile (long story how it landed there, lol!)...so that made the card even faster. Tip for making fast cards ~ check out your scrap-pile, there's probably something there that you can turn into a great card! This card is one my husband asked me (kind of last minute...you know how that is) to make for an employee celebrating 20 years with the bank : ) !! I haven't met the gal who'll be receiving it, so I asked my husband about her and what type of card she'd like...he said it should be fun, maybe blue, but definitely no pink, nothing frilly, not too cutsey, not too serious and no glitter {gasp! no gliter?!?}. I showed him a few different sentiments and he like this one from the Phrases for a Friend stamp set from the Occasions mini catalog. That gave me a good starting point. I think it looks like it still needs a few more details, but he thought it was perfect...so that's that. Now that I'm looking at the photo again, the there is one thing that I think would have changed...I'd punch a hole just under the "c" in celebrate and thread the ribbon through...but the card is long gone, so that will have to be something fun to try next time : ) ! There's a tiny spraking swarovski crystal in the "o" , but it didn't show up looking very shiny in the photo, but IRL, it REALLY pops!! I found those at Walmart in the craft/jewelery making isle...they called to me. I'm a little like a gold fish, easily lured in by shiny things, LOL : ) !!! I used textured cardstock for the stars...found a couple of those in my scrap-pile too! And this last card was made with the new Fresh Cuts Notecards (available this month as a sneak peek from the new fall/winter catty)! Those are great for making quick cards. This was a very quick card. I used the "thank you" from the Enjoy every Moment set, along with some Pumpkin Desiner Series Paper, Felt Flowers (Flower Fusion), a Regal Rose brad and a little double striped 5/8" Pumpkin ribbon (from the scrap-pile)...and it was done! 5 minutes...start to finish!! Now that's a fast card : ) !

What are you tips for quick cards? I'd love to hear you ideas : ) !!!

Supplies for the Anniversary card ~ Stamps: To have and to hold, Hugs & wishes Paper: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DP Ink: Brillince Graphite, Black Stazon Accessories: Copics, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Bashful Taffeta ribbon, Swarovski tiny crystals, Sakura clear glaze pen

Supplies for the Celebrate card ~ Stamps: Phrases for a Friend Paper: Textured Real Red & Night of Navy, Whisper White, Prints Pack Designer Series Paper (hostess level-1) Ink: Night of Navy & Real Red Accessories: Red gingham ribbon, Large & Small Star punches, 3/16" corner rounder (scallops), dimensionals, tiny Swarovski crystals

Supplies for the Fresh Cuts Notecard ~ Stamps: Enjoy every Moment Paper: FC notecards, Pumpkin Pie Designer Series Paper Ink: Regal Rose Accessories: Flower Fusion felt flowers, Regal Rose Brad, 5/8" striped Pumpkin gg ribbon

We're headed to Cabo tomorrow for a little family vacation, so don't worry if you don't see any posts over the next 2 weeks. I do have one thing uploaded to blogger to show you while we're gone, including a cute party favor tic-tac-toe idea & tutorial : ) !!! Thanks for stopping by today : ) hugs, nancy

Cased & Retiring Challenge

Wow, it's been a busy few days...graduation, family, friends, fun...and getting ready for a workshop and vacation!! It's all good : ) ... but whew, busy!! Quick post today to show a birthday card I made today for a friend AND my favorite stamp set that landed on the Retiring list yesterday...Unfroggetable!! When I saw the retiring list yesterday, right away, I knew this was the set that would be the hardest to say goodbye to. Earlier this year I made a bunch of cards with it, and its one that will remain in my stamp collection for a long, long time! If it's not in your collection yet, it is my top pick for "must have" stamps on the retired list...it's a super fun set!! If you haven't seen the retiring list yet, just click HERE to take a peek. Those stamps are available until August 10th, then they're gone for good! The background stamp that I used to stamp around the Hoppy Birthday is also retiring...it's called Background Basics. And...the Silver Hodgepodge hardware is from the Occasions Mini Catalog...items from that catalog are only available until June 30th.You can visit that catalog online by clicking HERE. I used all SU markers on this card and a little Dazzling Diamonds glitter to make the frog shimmer : ) !

I cased this card and used a retiring stamp set, both are challenges over at the Great Swap Girls Blog! I cased a card by the very talented Vickie Waugh, the featured swapper over at the GSG blog. She has some amazing cards...just click HERE to hop on over the the GSG blog and check out all the details about Vickie along with links to her SCS gallery and blog!! You can also see Vickie's adorable card that I cased, right HERE!! I also used a retiring stamp, for the bye bye baby challenge...the challenge was to use a retiring stamp, bonus points if you used your favortie (score!!!)! This card is also from last week's SCS sketch challenge, but since it's a case, it's doesn't count. If you'd like to check out that fun SCS sketch (#180)....you can see it right HERE!!

Alrighty then...gotta turn this computer off and get ready for tonight's workshop!! Thanks for stopping by, have a GREAT evening : ) !!!!

Supplies for today's card ~ Stamps: Unfrogettable & Background Basics Paper: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Cutie Pie dp Ink: Black Stazon, Bashful & Celery Accessories: SU Markers in Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue & Blush Blossom, 2-way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Designer Punch, Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Striped 5/8 " gg ribbon, 1/4" celery gg ribbon. Sakura clear glaze pen, Dimensionals

Whoo-hooo Katie!

My daughter, Katie, is graduating from the Oregon Institute of Technology this weekend with a Bachelors Degree in Radiologic Science! Whoo-hoo for Katie!!! I remember holding her when she was a baby, looking at that sweet little face, and trying to image what she'd be like when she grew up. I couldn't have imaged anything this good...she's AMAZING! Okay, I feel some bragging coming on, so it's probably time to stop, lol!!

About the card... OIT's mascot is an Owl, so this will be perfect for Katie. I made her a graduation cap box & mini card last week and I'll give her that at our family celebration Sunday, but I'll slip this little owl card to her tomorrow night...a special note, just from mom. She'll love those googly eyes!! I used the Just Celebrate Stamp set & colored him with Copics.

I used a lot of supplies from the Occasions Mini catalog for todays cards...the Just Celebrate stamp set, Summer Picnic Designer Paper, and the Chunky Glitter on these next 2 cards!! Great stamp set for making quick cards. We all need sets like that. I enjoy sitting down at my workbench and spending an hour or two creating an extra special card... but come on, none of has time to do that with every card. In order to keep up with thank yous, birthdays, graduation, anniversaries, friendship (etc..) and all those other occasions that I love to send cards for...many of my cards are simple. Having a good all-occasions stamp set, designer paper and fun accessories really helps. This little butterfly card is a 3 x 3", and features the olive felt flowers from the Flower Fusion Tin, as well as Chunky Glitter (wings) & Cosmic Fine Glitter (body) ~
Here's a close-up of that glittery butterly (doesn't it just make your heart flutter...in a good way, lol!) ~

And a quick & simple 4 1/4 card ~ I used my Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery & Old Olive SU markers for the butterfly cards. I sure appreciate how the SU products are color coordinated...the markers, cardstock, designer paper, ribbon & brads...even the glitter...it all matches so well! Makes my life easy. I used the 2-way glue pen to cover the wings and a Sakura quickie glue pen for the body (I use the broad brush on the 2-way glue pen for larger areas like the wings, and the tiny tip of the glue pen for smaller intricate areas, like the body). I applied glue to the body first, covered that with Cosmic glitter and tapped off the excess. Then I covered the wings with glue, sprinkled on some chunky glitter and tapped off the excess... then, I sprinkled some Cosmic Fine Glitter onto the wings (in the same color as the chunky glitter). You can see the difference between the butterfly on the 2 cards...the first one is chunky glitter alone, and the 2nd one is chunky plus cosmic....2 different looks : ) !!! Here'a closer look at the 2nd butterfly ~ Alrighty then...I better get off the computer and on to packing. With gradution and all the festivities, this will be my last post for a few days. Thanks so much for stopping by...hope you'll leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you! Have a great weekend : ) !!!

Supplies for the owl card ~ Stamps: Just Celebrate Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DP Ink: Brilliance Graphite Accessories: Photo corner punch, 3/16" corner rounder (scallops), Paper piercing tool/mat pack, 5/8" striped gg ribbon, Copics, self-adhesive Kaiser rhinestones (Copics & rhinestones available at EP), googly eyes

Supplies for butterfly cards ~ Stamps: Just Celebrate & A little birthday cheer (happy birthday) Paper: Brocade Blue, Old Olive, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DP Ink: Black Stazon Accessories: Chunky & Cosmic Fine glitter, 2-way glue pen, Felt Fusion Flowers, Bashful & Brocade Blue brads, SU markers, 1/4" poly twill Olive ribbon, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Sakura quickie glue pen

There are so many great quotes and advice for graduates...here's one I really like : ) ~ " Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." ~Albert Einstein

Fishers of Men

Good morning : ) !!! Oh...I am so excited to share my projects with you today : ) ! These are a few of the examples I've been promising to show you from the brand new Our Daily Bread Design stamps!! This is the "Fishers of Men" set....and it will be released, along with the "Sing to the Lord" set, on June 15th...just 3 more days!!! Am I the only one who has a hard time making "man" cards? It's probably one of the hardest satmping projects for me, but guess what, this stamp set made it easy. Seriously. This fishing basket & lures will get used year round, not only with the great sciprtures (love those), but also for birthdays, father's day and any other man holidays that come up. Most of the guys in my life love to fish so this set is one I will reach for again and again.

For the first card, I stamped the main image with Brilliance Graphite ink onto Shimmery White cardstock, then colored it with my Copic Sketch Markers. This type of beautifully detailed image is just a blast to color with the Copics, you can get all those tiny wicker/wood color variations on the basket. I restamped a second image and colored in the bobbers, fish, basket lid & reel. I cut those out and placed them on the main image with dimensionals. Here's a little closer look at the basket image ~
I used the Prismatics Cardstock for the first 2 cards...these are the colors Kelley gave us this month for our DT color challenge. The first card is my official Color Challenge Card, and the second card is all Prismatics too, except for the SU Naturals Ivory cardstock (love that stuff!). The Prismatic cardstock is really cool. It has a unique finish...it's textured on one side, you can see a little bit of that in the photos...and smooth on the other side. Beautiful, rich colors! You can see all those colors (there are 113 custom colors) ... right HERE! This next card shows off the little fish lure stamp. I stamped it above the scripture 3 times then colored them in with Copics, Shimmered 'em up with my Spica clear glitter pen and made 'em shine with a Sakura clear glaze pen! The photo really doesn't do this card justice...it's really kind of a cool little card irl...lots of texture and color! I used almost every bit of my Prismatics cardstock, except for a few very small scraps (which I saved, of course), so I dug into my vast supply of SU cardstock. It's great stuff too. I have no idea why I reached for these colors, but I did, and was surprised to find that I really liked how they look together... Really Rust, Naturals Ivory and Not Quite Navy. They totally remind me of a little fishing cabin...wih checkered rust and navy curtains and couch...a little retro blast from the 50's! Anywhoo, I stamped the 2 lures onto the Naturals Ivory (reminded me of retro wallpaper)...then Stamped the Scripture and layerd things up & added a jumbo pewter eyelet, for a quick bookmark. Using those same colors and stamps, I made a coordinating card ~

Did you know you could stamp on twill? Yep, sure can. This is Really Rust Classic Ink stamped right onto the the twill. I forget about my twill sometimes, but with this whole fishing theme, I was digging through my rustic accessories and found all kinds of fun things. Which reminds me...I used my Crimper for the base layer of Really Rust, thanks to the Great Swaps Girls blog challenge! I was so grateful for that challenge...which reminded me about my Crimper : ) !! It was my favorite tool for a long time, but then it got pushed to the back of the shelf, behind my beloved punches and got forgotten. It's back out in plain site again, so I'll be using it more often.

Oh, almost forgot to tell you, Kelley at ODBD is offering FREE shipping for all orders over $50! Hey, shipping is expensive these days, so that is a sweeet deal! Perfect time to hop on over and check out those awesome new stamps AND get free shipping! Free is good.

That's it for today, THANKS for stopping by! BTW, if you ever have questions about any of the projects, you can always email me (youcanstamp@hotmail.com). I'm happy to help in anyway I can : ) !!

Stamp set used for all today's projects: Fishers of Men

Supplies for first card ~ Paper: Primsatics cardstock Ink: Brilliance Graphite & Stazon Timber Brown Accessories/tools: Photo corner punch, 1/2" circle punch, Copics, Sakura glaze pen, Spica glitter pen, Cropadile, Pewter eyelets, Hemp Twine, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, dimensionals

Supplies for the 2nd card ~ Paper: Prismatics cardstock & SU Naturals Ivory Ink: Brilliance Graphite & Chocolate Chip (sponging) Tools/Accessories: Copics, Sakura clear glaze pen, Spica clear glitter pen, Cropadile, Pewter eyelets, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, sponge daubers, Distressing tool (Cutters Kit), Hemp twine

Supplies for Bookmark & Card ~ Paper: Really Rust, Not Quite Navy, Naturals Ivory Ink: Really Rust & Not Quite Navy Tools/Accessories: Jumbo Pewter Eyelet, Cropadile, 3/4" square punch, 1/16", 1/4", 1/2 & 3/4" Circle punches, Silver brads, Twill, Hemp twine, Crimper, Paper piercing tool/mat pack

Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you...Psalm 55:22

Just Celebrate!

Quick post to show you a couple of quick, simple cards I made over the weekend with the Just Celebrate stamp set. This is one of those great sets that's only available till June 30th...from the Occasions Mini Catalog!!! Great BIG {{hugs}} and thanks to Cami (StampaLittleLoveBaby) for letting me borrow this set : ) !!! It's a fun, fun, fun (did I mention fun?? lol!!) set to play with! Once I got going with this set, it was hard to stop...I have more cards to show you later. These 2 were both made with the Simply Scrappin' Crew Kids Girl Kit and that same little birthday cake stamp, used 2 different ways. The first card is 4 1/4" square and the second one is a 3" enclosure card. I had really planned on showing you my Our Daily Bread Designs projects today, but I'm having a little lighting issue with my camera this evening, so I'll wait till I can get a better photo in the morning. Kelley's releasing 2 brand spankin' new stamp sets on June 15th & you're seriously going to love them! Plus, she's offering free shipping on orders over $50...what a deal!!

Supplies for the first card~ Stamp set: Just Celebrate Paper: Regal Rose, Wasabi (textured), Whisper White, Crew Kids Girls DP Ink: Regal Rose Accessories: Flower fusion flowers, Pink brads, Pink 1/4" gg ribbon, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Scallop & 1 3/8" circle punches, self adhesive die cuts from the Crew Kits SSK, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, 2-way glue pen

Time for bed...I'm really am going to keep this post short ... nite : ) !

Supplies for the enclosure card ~ Stamps: Just Celebrate Paper: Regal rose, Wasabi, Whisper White, Crew Kids Girl DP Ink: Brilliance Graphite Copics: YG06, RV17 & 19, 21, 23. C3, N1 & 6, Y17 Accessories: 2-way glue pen, Dazzling diamonds glitter, Spica clear glitter pen, paper piercing tool/mat pack

Thanks for stopping by....Have an awesome Day : ) !

Divine Design BVC June

Happy Monday Mornin' : ) ! What a great way to start the week...with our monthly projects for the Divine Design Bible Verse Challenge : ) !!! I chose Hebrews 11:1 for my verse this month, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen". With Megan's ongoing illness and our difficulty in finding answers, this is an important verse for me. As I heard in a message recently, Faith doesn't become faith 'till you step out of the boat and onto the water. So true!

The other Scripture Chicks have posted their projects too...these girls are amazing ~

Lori Craig ~ Make A Difference
Angel Wilde ~ Angelosity
Jami Sibley ~ More isMore
Taylor Van Bruggen ~ Taylored Expressions

Here's a close-up of the Lion on Megan's bookmark...his name is Roar, by Penny Black...another adorable image that Joy from EP let me stamp at the Copic Certification Class. Isn't he cute?

I had a hard time getting a photo of the full bookmark that showed those bright, fun colors, but the close-up gives you a pretty good idea. Megan chose Proverbs 16:9 for her verse this month, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps". She chooses the verse each month and I make her a bookmark for her bible.

Hey...have you been playing along with this challenge? If you have....great! If not, it's never too late & I hope you'll join in. The challenge is to make a scripture based project each month to help you with memorizing God's Word. Click right HERE for all the details. I make a card, and display it in a prominent spot. I see it several times each day, plus it's a great conversation starter when I have visitors : ) ! I also make a bookmark for my daughter Megan each month based around a scripture that she selects. The gallery over at SCS is absolutely bursting at the seams with amazing projects and fabulous scriptures!! If you do upload to SCS, be sure to use the keyword, BVC08. Hop on over the the BVC08 gallery, be inspired...and leave a few comments.

If you like scripture and stamps, you'll want to check back this week...I'll be posting several projects from my brand spankin' new, soon to be released, Our Daily Bread Designs stamp sets!! They're AMAZING...you're gonna {love} 'em !!!

Supplies for the card ~ Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley (polka dots), Computer generated verse Paper: Real Red, Pumpkin, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DP Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Computer Red Accessories: Ticket corner punch, 1/16" hole punch, 1/4" circle punch, Real red brads, 1/4" gg pumpkin ribbon, red gingham ribbon

Supplies for the bookmark ~ Stamps: Roar (Penny Black/EP), Computer generated verse Paper: Pumpkin, Pink Passion, White, K&C Co Berry Sweet DP Ink: Brilliance Graphite Accessories: Copics, Sakura clear glaze pen, 5/8" striped pumpkin gg ribbon, Cuttlebug/rectangle Nesties, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Jolee's boutique flowers, Kaiser self-adhesive pink & orange rhinestones

Wanna hear a great song? Click HERE to hear Your Name by Paul Baloche! Have a GREAT Day : ) !!

Watercoloring with Markers

Did you know you could watercolor with SU Markers? You sure can! And it's easy too! Trying a new technique can be a little intimidating (for me anyway), but this beautiful bird image kept me inspired! Kelley at Our Daily Bread Designs has outdone herself this month. The 2 stamp sets she'll be releasing on the 15th are absolutely amazing! I'll have more samples to show you in the coming week. This set is called Sing to the Lord and includes 4 scriptures, the bird on a flowering branch, an extra flowering branch, plus a "hand stamped by" stamp! Wait till you see the other scriptures, and the other stamp set, they're awesome...love the fonts, love the verses...pretty much love everything about these sets, can you tell? I challenged myself last week to try some new ideas & techniques. So I put the Copics away for a few days {gasp} and used some of my other supplies. The images on today's cards were colored with SU Markers, some water and a watercolor brush. I stamped the images with Black Stazon onto Watercolor paper. I managed to make coloring the bird harder than it had to be, by trying to add layers and layers of color (okay, I admit it, I was thinking of my Copics, lol!). After completing that image, I moved on to one of my SU stamps...Blooming Beautiful from the Occasions Mini Catalog! After learning my lesson about adding too many colors on the bird, I took a much simpler approach with this image, and it was sooo much easier. I just added some touches of color to the Hydrangeas with Pretty in pink and Regal Rose markers, then went in and blended/melted the colors together with my brush & water. I used Old Olive marker on the leaf and Chocolate Chip marker on the flower pot. Same thing, just drew in some lines of color with the paintbrush end of the marker, then went over it with a paintbrush to create some shading and softened the lines. The water allows you to create a lot of variation even with just one color, like the chocolate chip. It's a fun technique to try : ) !

I like this variety of pink Hydrangea. I have a miniature one in my backyard by our pond. It's not looking great at the moment, but hopefully I'll see some blooms soon. My plants are always in danger of drowning from the abundance of rain we get, or beaten down by the gale force winds and if they manage to survive all that, there are periods of drought later in the summer when it stops raining & I forget to water them. My poor plants. It's amazing any of them live : ) . I'm going to try a lot harder this year to water and fertilize them and give them the TLC they need : ) !

Tomorrow (Sunday) is the 8th, so normally we'd be posting our Divine Design Bible Verse Challenge projects...but we've decided to post on the 9th this month, since the 8th landed on a Sunday and it just worked out better for several of the girls. My projects are all ready and I'm excited to share those with you on Monday morning at 8am!!

Supplies for the first card~ Stamps: Sing to the Lord (ODBD, to be released on June 15th) Paper: Regal Rose, Close to Cocoa, Watercolor paper, Summer Picnic DP, Bali Breeze DP Ink: Stazon black SU Markers: Regal Rose, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Caramel, Bordering Blue, Mustard Accessories: 1/4" polytwill Olive ribbon, Dew Drops, Stamp-a-majig, Paper snips

Supplies for the second card~ Stamps: Blooming Beautiful, Hugs & Wishes Paper: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Watercolor paper, Summer Picnic DP Ink: Stazon Black SU Markers: Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive & Chocolate Chip Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware in Pewter, 1/4" polytwill ribbon in Chocolate & Olive, Distressing tool (Cutters Kit), Paper piercing tool/mat pack

Have a GREAT : ) weekend!

Just For Fun!

Now here's a card photo you don't see everyday : ) ! This little critter (the white one) is my daughter Megan's gerbil. His name is Bobby. Meg will be coming home for the summer soon, so I brought Bobby home with me last week...one less thing for her to pack. He really is a sweet little critter and I took this photo and emailed it to Megan, from Bobby, because he was missing her. Don't even ask how I got him to pose...I just clicked at the right time and got lucky! This is yet another image that Joy from Eclectic Paperie gave me at the Copic Certification Class. You can find it, the Copics (I use the sketch markers) and tons of fun stuff at EP... just click right HERE to check it all out!! I heard it was Joy's birthday last week...sorry I missed it, but I am sending my best birthday hugs and wishes your way today Joy : ) !!! Hope it was a great one!

And, since I'm being a little silly today....here's another silly card. I signed onto the computer this morning to find that it was National Donut Day! I had no idea, lol! But, on my to-do list, was to make a birthday card for my brother in law and he LOVES donuts, so...I just put those two thoughts together and made him a donut birthday card. There's a bakers dozen (13) plus some extra donut holes. I know it's goofy, but it'll make him laugh, and it's kind of my job to give him a hard time, so this is perfect. A serious card would just never do for him : )

For the donuts, I used every SU circle punch that I own...1/4", 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" ! Plus for the sprinkles, I used my Chuncky Glitter from the Occasions Mini Catalog! It makes a good sugary glaze (and no calories!).
That's it for today. Hard to believe based on today's post, but I did some serious watercoloring last night and made 2 really "pretty" cards...not silly at all. I'll show you those tomorrow. And, coming up on Sunday (the 8th), it's time for the monthly Bible Verse/Divine Design challenge, and I have a couple fun projects to share with you. Thanks for stopping by...I hope today's post makes you SMILE : ) !!!

Supplies for Bobby's card~ Stamps: Penny Black (?), So many thoughts (retired SU) Paper: Temptint Turquoise, Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Prints Pack DP (hostess level-1) Ink: Brilliance Graphite, Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose Copics: Sorry, I colored this one on a plane recently, didn't keep track Accessories: Small oval punch, 1" circle punch, Large oval punch, Paper piercing tool/mat pack, 1/4" pink gg ribbon, small scallop scissors Gerbil: available at Petco : )

Supplies for the Donut card~ Stamps: Think Happy Thoughts Paper: Caramel, Rose Red, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Cutie Pie DP Ink: Pomegranate Accessories: 1/4, 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" circle punches, 3/16 corner rounder, dimensionals, 2-way glue pen, Chunky glitter

Have a : ) Happy Day !

Fresh Cuts

Stampin Up is offering a Sneak Peek and a special offer on this new Fresh Cuts stamp set and the coordinating 4" notecards from the upcoming Fall/Winter Catalog! Click HERE for all the details on that special offer! I took advantage of the special and sent for both : ) !! The stamp set is die-cut, which is awesome. The note cards are perfect for quick, simple cards. Today's cards show a few different ideas...all pretty simple. I really like how SU coordinates their products...the 5-Petal Flower punch fits in behind the cut-out flower in the note card perfectly, as you can see in this next card (the night of navy flower is from the 5-petal flower punch). I placed a 4 1/4" square of textured Real Red cardstock behind the notecard to add a little color ~And the flower stamp can be punched out with the retired SU Spring Flower Bouqet punch, as you can see in the center (red) flower on the following card....so for those of you who have that retired punch... a little bonus! The petals in the note cards pop out, and you can leave them out like I did in the first 2 cards, or stamp them, then add them back in, like I did in this next card. I added a layer of Real Red card stock to the inside of the card, then used Dimensionals to re-place the petals back on the card front. I used my Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack & an SU Real Red Marker to create some Faux stitching along the edge.

I rememberd I had some SU Fresh Favorites Buttons & used them on 2 of these cards : ) ... I get so used to using my brads that sometimes I forget I have those cute little buttons. I've moved them to the front of my accessory drawer so I'll remember to use them more often. Also, I did use my Stamp-a-majig for placement of the sentiment on all 3 cards. Great tool, gets that image right where I want it every time!

That's it for today... have a good one : ) , thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies for the first card~ Stamps: Fresh Cuts Paper: Fresh Cuts note card, Pomegranate & Celery cardstock Ink: Pomegranate & Celery Accessories: 3/4" circle punch, Fresh Favorites 2 Buttons, Linen Thread,

Supplies for the second card~ Stamps: Fresh Cuts Paper: Fresh Cuts note card, Night of Navy, Real Red (textured) & Bashful Blue cardstock Ink: Real Red Accessories: 1/2" Circle punch, 5-Petal Flower Punch, Photo Corner punch, Silver brads, Ice (blue) circle rhinestone brads, Paper piercing tool/mat pack

Supplies for the third card~ Stamps: Fresh Cuts Paper: Fresh Cuts note card, Real Red cardstock, Whisper White Ink: Real Red Accessories: Paper piercing tool/mat pack, Real Red SU Marker, Distressing tool (from the Cutter's kit), Fresh Favorites 1 button, retired Spring bouquet flower punch, Red gingham ribbon

Summertime Tart 'n Tangy

Isn't this a fun combo : ) ~ the Tart 'n Tangy stamp set, Phrases for a Friend stamp set & the Summer Picnic designer paper : ) ! Bright and fun, perfect for summertime!! All three are available for a limited time (through June 30th) from the Occasions Mini catalog. Hopefully, I'll have more samples to show you later this week, these are just the first two. Tart 'n Tangy is fantastic, it's one of those sets that once you get it out and start working with it, you just think of more and more ideas of what you could do with it!! It was one of my favorites from the Occasions Mini Catalog from the first time I saw it...no idea why it took me so long to order it. I love that you can stamp the fruit all in one color, with an ink pad, like the orange in the first card, or you can use your SU Markers to color right on the stamps when you want to create a multi-colored image, like the cherries and strawberries in the first card.

Here is a quick, simple card, using the same stamps sets and designer papers. The orange was sprinkled with clear Chunky SU Glitter (from the occasions mini catalog), the topped off with some striped 5/8" gg ribbon ~

I made a couple cards last night with the new Fresh Cuts stamp set & note cards...I'll show those to you tomorrow : ) ! Enjoy your day!!

Supplies for the first card ~ Stamps: Tart 'n Tangy, Phrases for a Friend Paper: Real Red (textured), Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Summer Picnic DP Ink: Pumpkin Pie Classic Ink Pad, Real Red & Old Olive SU Markers Accessories: 3/16" corner rounder punch (scallops), 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" Circle & Square punches, 1/16" hole punch, 1/4" Circle punch, Silver brads, Dazzling Diamonds, Sakura quickie glue pen

Supplies for second card ~ Stamps: Tart 'n Tangy, Phrases for a Friend Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Whisper White & Summer Picnic DP Ink: Brocade Blue, Pumpkin Pie Accessories: Chunky Glitter, Striped 5/8" pumpkin gg ribbon, Photo corner Punch, 3/16" corner rounder punch (scallops), 1/16" hole punch, 1/4" Circle Punch, Bashful Blue brads

Grad Gift Box

Today's "Try a new technique" challenge (TLC171)at SCS was to make a 3" gift box, decorate it, and make coordinating 3" notes and envelopes to go with it. I used this challenge to create a graduation gift box for my daughter Katie...she'll be receiving a Bachelor Degree in Radiologic Science next week : ) ... doesn't that sound impressive? I'm very proud of my girl and all her hard work, and wanted a special way to give her a little graduation cash. I have to admit, this isn't an entirely original idea...I saw a box similar to this at Walmart last week. It looked pretty simple, so I thought I'd give it a try. I think I'll roll the cash up inside the "diploma"! I'll add some chocolate and maybe some tissue paper, but for the sake of the photo, kept it simple. Here how it looks when the box is opened ~ I used a "Build A Brad" for the center of the cap : ) ... it was perfect ~ And here is a classic black, white & silver set ... the box closed ~

The box opened ~

The envelope ~

You can't really see it in the photo, but the brad on top of the cap is a Hodgepodge Hardware Silver Star embossed brad. I also used a star for the "seal" on the envelope and on the notecard too.

You can find directions for a simple 3" box template and envelope template at SCS...just click HERE. I created mine as I went...starting with a basic 3" box template I have, but the SCS resource above is great, especially for the envelopes.

This isn't a complete tutorial, but I'm happy to share the basic dimensions of my pieces and the basic steps...I hope it helps:

Cap top layers: 4 7/8", 4 5/8" & 4 3/8" (for the DP version, the 2 smaller layers are 4 3/8 & 4 1/8)

Piece under cap to make it a lid: 6 x 2 7/8, scored at 1 1/2 & 4 1/2

Box base: 6" square, scored at 1 1/2" on each side

My notecards are slightly smaller than 3" square. I made the box first, then realized the 3" notecards would be too small, so I adjusted the dimensions a bit. The envelopes are a lot like the ones suggested at SCS, but I just folded and scored mine around the notecards, so I'm not sure about the exact dimensions. Here's are a couple photos of the envelope:

This box is really pretty easy to assemble. I adhered the 3 cap layers together. Added the brad. Then decorated the lid piece, and adhered it to the cap, using carpet tape (it's a lot like sticky strip, but comes in wider strips). That way, the brads from both sides are hidden between the layers. I used stretchy silver cord to create the tassel.

Supplies for the Pink Cap~ Stamps: Fresh Cuts (for you), It's all good (dream big) Paper: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Whisper White, Bali Breeze DP, non-SU silver Ink: Regal Rose Accessories: Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Build a Brad, Rose brads, Ticket corner punch, 3/4 & 1/2" punches, Designer Label punch, Small oval punch, 1/4" gg Burgundy ribbon, Silver stretch ribbon, Self adhesive clear rhinestone

Supplies for the Black Cap ~ Stamps: Fresh Cuts (for you, It's all good (dream big) Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, non-SU silver paper & reflective cardstock Ink: Basic Black classic ink Accessories: Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Small Oval punch, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Square punches, Small star punch, 1/4" gg Black ribbon, Silver stretch cord, self-adhesive clear rhinestone

Dream Big & Have a great day : ) !!!