Time Together

I try to remember that I never know what each day will bring my way and to cherish each moment of this precious life we are given.  Time together with my family and friends is so important to me.  So, when I was perusing the gallery of today's featured stamper on Splitcoaststampers (RosiGrld--aka Rosemary), I knew immediately that I wanted to case her pretty The Blessing card and use this sentiment by Rubbernecker that speaks so well about time spent with each other.  The Hawaiin Vine image is also by Rubbernecker. 

 
I stamped my Hawaiin Vine images onto Cherry Cobbler designer paper twice, cut them out, and layered them for dimension.

I appreciate the time you are taking out of your day to visit my blog.

Young John and a Sale!!

Howdy Pahdners!!  Today the CCEE Stampers are remembering John Wayne on what would have been his 103rd birthday.  I loved all of John Wayne's movies when I was growing up.  There was no one like the Duke.

Shirley has challenged the CCEE Stampers to make a western themed card in honor of John, so I pulled out my li'l cowboy from Rubbernecker.  I bet this is close to what the Duke looked like when he was a youngin'.

Speaking of Rubbernecker, you might like to know that they are having a Memorial Day Weekend sale with stamps being 40% off!  Now, THAT is a significant savings!!

I used these fun designer papers, one of which is jean-like and the other a bandana design.  I paper pieced Young John's jeans with the jean-like designer paper and colored the rest of him with Copic markers.

Please visit our CCEE Stampers blog to see the designs my friends made, as well check out the details on how to play along with us.

Thanks for ridin' by and have a rootin' tootin' day!

Brewing Up a Birthday Wish

Hello, friends!  Won't you please come join me for a cuppa joe this fine Monday?  Yes, I admit that I am a coffee-holic. I even have a special thermos I purchased from Hammacher-Schlemmer that keeps my freshly brewed coffee fresh and hot throughout the day, and I take it everywhere with me.  Now THAT's a coffee-holic!!  LOL!

I have a good friend of mine who is also a coffee-holic, so I chose that theme for the card I made for her birthday, using the Teatime stamp set from Rubbernecker. 

I have two views to show you of my card because Joanie, on Splitcoaststampers, gave a technique challenge that she coined as Sentiment Underneath.  In her words, she wrote:  "It's pretty simple...just attach an image panel on the front of your card with a brad at the top only. Then stamp the sentiment under the image panel on the cardstock, patterned paper, or another panel."
Here's the closed view:

and here's the open view:

Isn't that a cute idea she had?

Supplies I used:

Stamps:  Teatime Set (#457) Rubbernecker
Cardstock:  Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip, White, polkadotted dp
Ink:  Memento Black
Accessories:  Stampin' Up's Really Rust and Chocolate Chip markers, chocolate brad, octagon Nestabilities, scalloped border punch, dotted swiss embossing folder, slanted corner punch, dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by and have a terrific day!

Bird in Grapevine

I made this card in honor of the featured stamper, PaperinBloom, on Splitcoaststampers.  I cased her pretty Hi Friend card using this Bird in Grapevine image by Rubbernecker.  I colored directly onto the stamp with my Stampin' Up markers (Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Night of Navy, More Mustard, and Chocolate Chip), huffed on the image to moisten the marker ink, and stamped onto white cardstock.  I then filled in the line images using Stampin' Up reinkers (Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, Close to Cocoa).  The Nature sentiment is also by Rubbernecker from their Fall Trilogy set.

Other supplies I used are rectangle Nestabilities, Elegant Eggplant grosgrain ribbon, Old Olive button, and dimensionals.  A very clean and simple card!

Rubbernecker Extension and Sweet Joline

Special note about Rubbernecker Stamps blog hop:

Due to some ISP issues, Rubbernecker has extended it's blog hop until Friday!  Get the full message here.

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Put flowers around your main image! That's the challenge that Shirley gave the CCEE stampers this week.

Just for You Joline by My Favorite Things.  Isn't she sweet?  Every time I look at one of these Joline images, the song Jolene, by Dolly Parton,  comes to mind, although I didn't give my Joline auburn hair and emerald green eyes.  Here are the lyrics, in part:

Jolene, jolene, jolene, jolene
Im begging of you please don't take my man
Jolene, jolene, jolene, jolene
Please don't take him just because you can
Your beauty is beyond compare
With flaming locks of auburn hair
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green
Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you, jolene

It's just one of those songs that gets you tappin' and a clappin'!

Joline's dress is paper pieced, she's colored with Copic markers, and her shoes are highlighted with red stickles.....just like Dorothy.  My yellow flowers are medium sheer by CreativeImpressions.  The sweet flower in Joline's hair, as well as the one she is holding, were colored with Fuzzy Peach and Black Orchid Twinkling H20s.  Here's a complete list of the supplies I used:

Stamps:  Just for You Joline by My Favorite Things; sentiment from Stampin' Up's retired So Very set
Cardstock:  Whisper White, Riding Hood Red designer paper
Ink:  Memento Black, Adirondack Lettuce and Pesto
Accessories:  Copic markers, Twinkling H20s, red Stickles, oval punches, Labels Ten Nestabilities, red pearls, fence border punch, embossing folder, dimensionals, mini glue dots, paper piercer

Please visit our CCEE Stampers blog to see what Shirley, Cindy, Tosha, Frances, and Joanne came up with for this challenge, as well as get the details for playing along with us!

Fifth Avenue is Fab

Just playing around with my Fifth Avenue (Stampin' Up) stamp set today as I haven't used it in a long time.  I stamped the image in white craft ink onto Blush Blossom cardstock and heat embossed it. After I cut out the image, I sponged the various colors of pink and melon with small sponge daubers, spritzed champagne shimmer mist over it, and popped it up on dimensionals.

Supplies I used today are:

Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, All Holidays, MS leaf

Paper: Blush Blossom, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Chocoate Chip dp

Ink: Early Espresso, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, White Craft

Accessories: white embossing powder, heat tool, sponge daubers, oval punch, Spellbinder's Fancy Tags die, dimensionals, MS leaf punch, Champagne Mist shimmer, Sizzix embossing folder

Be sure to scroll down to my posts from Monday and Tuesday for a chance to see the new Rubbernecker images and win a $25 gift certificate!

My Dandelion Garden

Today is Rubbernecker Stamps RELEASE DAY!!    Thank you for joining us.  We are so glad you could be a part of the fun!!  Since we had SO much fun last time with our game, how about another game?  Our release day fun this round, will be a WORD SEARCH!!  All you have to do is travel to EACH of the FABULOUS design team blogs, like usual, and leave them some LOVE!!  However, while you are there, you will pick up a WORD at EACH stop!!  At the end of your journey you will you will then leave your ANSWERS on the RUBBERNECKER BLOG!  ONE lucky entry will receive a PRIZE……………………………….

**A $25 RUBBERNECKER STAMPS GIFT CERTIFICATE**

MY WORD IS 

“ INK”

You will have until THURSDAY to enter, for we know that everyone is VERY busy!!  You can find the HOP ROUTE below! Thanks again for joining Rubbernecker Stamps for their NEW RELEASE DAY!!!  Hope you enjoy the HOP!!

And, now, for my card....

I used the new release Wild Garden Dandelion Border image.  I stamped the image onto black cardstock with white craft ink and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I poured the white embossing powder over the dandelion tops only (I used a small brush to remove any embossing powder that got on the stems) and heat set.  I was then able to color the stems and bottom border with Prismacolor pencils dipped in Gamsol to soften the lead a bit.  I dotted with white gel pen for accents.  Other supplies I used are:

Stamps:  Wild Garden-Dandelion Garden Border (#540-02)

Cardstock:  Bordering Blue, Black, Night of Navy designer paper

Ink:  White Craft

Accessories:  white embossing powder, heat tool, Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, white gel pen, Lacey Circles Nestabilities, zig-zag border and flower border punches

 

Here's your blog hop route:

                

• Bev Gerard
• Charlene Merrick
• Frances Gumprecht
• Jacquie Peifer
• Jen Charboneau
• Joan Ervin
• Julia Aston
• Juliana Swanson
• Karen Hunsaker
• Kittie Caracciolo
• Cathy/Mutnik
• Rubbernecker Stamps

• 
  
  

          

Have fun hopping and Good Luck!

Each Day is a New Beginning

Hello and thanks for stopping by my blog!  I'd like to welcome you to Rubbernecker Stamps PREVIEW days!!  Today is DAY TWO!! Rubbernecker will be releasing new stamps on Tuesday 5/17/11.  You will want to visit every one of the talented design team participants, for on one of their blogs, is a chance to win a $15 Rubbernecker Stamps gift certificate!   You can find the complete list of today’s participants on the Rubbernecker Blog!  Hope to see you on RELEASE day; we have a FUN game planned for everyone!!  Thanks for stopping by, enjoy all of the creations, and GOOD LUCK!!

This elegant image is called Bubble Vine.  I actually stamped it twice, heat embossing it first in black and then gold slightly offsetting the image onto Crumb Cake textured cardstock.  The sentiment is also heat embossed in black.

Here's a list of the supplies I used to make my card:

Stamps:  Bubble Vine (#561-03); Each Dawn a New Day sentiment (#1590-SO)

Paper:  Black, Crumb Cake textured cs
Ink:  versamark
Accessories:  black and gold embossing powders, wavy border punch, Bazzill paper flowers, black brads, embossing buddy, heat tool, gold leaf pen

Remember to hop on over to the Rubbernecker Blog to see what my design team mates have created and for your chance to win a gift certificate!

Catching Up

Happy Sunday, my friends!  We've gone from sunny, 80 degree weather to a rainy, 41 degree day here in Michigan.  Talk about drastic temperature changes!  Since it's cold and rainy, I thought I'd take the time to catch up with my blog.  What with Blogger being down for a couple days this past week, I have three cards to share with you today that I did over the course of the last few days.

The first card I have to show you was one I did for the Ways to Use It challenge on Splitcoaststampers to make a design with a tree.  This flourish by Rubbernecker looks like a tree to me.  I stamped the image in white craft ink onto black cardstock, heat set it, and then colored it with metallic art pencils (known as black magic technique). I then sprayed shimmer mist over the entire black panel.  Supplies I used are:

Stamps:  Flourish (#503-14)

Paper:  Cool Caribbean, Black

Ink:  White Craft

Accessories:  metallic pencils, black brads, white acrylic paint, embossing folder, Spellbinder's Fleur De Lis border die, heat tool, shimmer mist, octagon Nestability

My second card was for the Free for All challenge to make a sentiment the focus of your design.  Again, I used a Rubbernecker sentiment stamp.  Rubbernecker really has a great collection of sentiments, and I think this expression of sympathy is especially well worded.

This card came together very quickly, which is not typical for me.  I always seem to labor over every little detail, finagling this and that until I almost drive myself crazy!  LOL!  Anywhoo, I stamped the Fall Trilogy leaves in River Rock on the background for a watermark effect, and I crimped the bottom River Rock panel for some added texture.  Added this rich, black satin ribbon and adhered my sentiment panel and I was done!  Supplies I used for this card are:

Stamps:  May Time Bring (#824-SO); Fall Trilogy (#480)
Paper:  River Rock, Black, White
Ink:  Memento Black, River Rock
Accessories:  black ribbon, crimper, Long Classic Rectangle Large Nestabilities, dimensional

My third, and final card, was also made for the Free For All challenge to make a sentiment the focus of your design.  Obviously, I went with a Christmas theme.  I just received my new Film Strip Shapeability by Spellbinder and was anxious to use it.  Here I stamped the three different sentiments from Stampin' Up's Perfect Ending.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but I made faux buttons with my 3/4" circle punch and paper piercer.  Other supplies I used are:

Stamps:  Perfect Ending (Stampin' Up)
Paper:  Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Whisper White, Old Olive dp
Ink: Memento Black
Accessories: Film Strip Shapeability, 3/4" circle punch, paper piercer, wide lattice border punch, markers

Also, if you're interested, Rubbernecker is having a new release of stamps on Tuesday, May 17.  Some of the design team members have previews to show you today.  I'll have previews to show you tomorrow.  Stop by the Rubbernecker Blog for all the details.  There's opportunities to win gift certificates, too!  Woo-hoo!


 

I Luvs Me My m&ms!!

Shirley has challenged the CCEE Stampers to make a card in honor of National Fudge Nutty Day, meaning we could make a card with chocolate, nuts or just a really nutty card.  As anyone who knows me will tell you, I luvs me my m&ms so I went with an m&m theme for my design today.  I typically do not use stickers in my designs, but this package of m&ms and the little brads were just too good not to use with my m&m designer paper and this luscious chocolate satin ribbon.  Here's my chocolately delight for your purview:

The sentiment stamp is by Stampendous and I KNOW it speaks the truth!  LOL!

If you'd like to join us in this challenge and/or see the designs my talented team mates, Tosha, Cindy, Frances, Joanne, and Shirley made, please visit our CCEE Stampers blog.

Have a chocolately good day!

The Four Scores

I named this group The Four Scores because that's about how long it took me to make this card, but it was fun bringing it all together! I paper pieced all of the jackets except for the guy in yellow. I colored his jacket with Copic markers by making the polkadots with the lighter yellow first and then coloring with the darker yellow around those. Their pants, shoes, ties, and shirts were colored with a combination of Stampin' Up watercolor crayons, reinkers, and markers. I attempted to give Ethel, the leader of the band, blue-gray hair with my Copic markers. I also put Crystal Lacquer on their shoes and the standup bass.  The name of the image is Old Characters Ethel and the Group (#562-10) by Rubbernecker.

This card is also for today's technique challenge on Splitcoaststampers to do colored embossing. You color the indented side of an embossing folder with a marker(s).  I colored my checkerboard embossing folder with a More Mustard marker for my checkerboard frame around the main image.

Look Ma! No Stamping!

Rarely do I create a card design without using stamps, but that's what I did today with my Butterfly Rag Bag inspired design today.  Anne gave us the Henrietta's Handbags website for our inspiration challenge today on Splitcoaststampers, and I chose this cute Quilted Rag Bag. 

All I used for this card is my Beautiful Wings Embosslits by Stampin' Up, some fun white and black polkadotted designer paper, my deckled rectangle Nestabilities, a white gel pen, and dimensionals.  I distressed the edges of the white and black designer paper further with my finger to resemble the rag look in the inspiration piece.

I've been down with a cold the past few days with absolutely no ambition to stamp, so it felt good to get back into my stamp room for a little while this morning.

Rubbernecker New Release Day!

Today is Rubbernecker Stamps RELEASE DAY!! Thank you for joining us for the fun!! To change it up a bit, our RELEASE hop is MORE than a HOP!!! How about a game? For some Release Day fun, we are having a WORD SCRAMBLE!! All you have to do is travel to EACH of the FABULOUS design team blogs, like usual, and leave them some LOVE!! However, while you are there, you will pick up a LETTER at EACH stop!! At the end of your journey you will UNSCRAMBLE the letters and figure out what the WORD should be!! You will then leave your ANSWER on the RUBBERNECKER BLOG! ONE lucky entry will receive a PRIZE……………………………….

**A $25 RUBBERNECKER STAMPS GIFT CERTIFICATE**

MY LETTER IS

“B”

You will have until THURSDAY to enter, for we know that everyone is VERY busy!! You can find the HOP ROUTE below! Thanks, again, for joining Rubbernecker Stamps for their NEW RELEASE DAY!!! Hope you enjoy the HOP!!

I used this Layered Floral Panel image for my two designs today.  It is the size of a background stamp easily covering a 4 x 5 1/4" piece of cardstock.  So many different techniques ran through my mind with this set from using alcohol inks to chalks to perfect pearls to embossing to coloring the image with markers and spritzing with water for a watercolored effect.  There is a lot of versatility with this stamp.  I did play with each of those techniques and have three designs to show you the different looks you can get with this image and techniques. 

On my first two cards, I used Ranger alcohol inks and blending solution to color my glossy white cardstock and then I stamped the Layered Floral Panel in Stazon black.

I went with soft colors on this card, which are Cloud Blue, Willow, and Shell Pink. I applied drops of each of these inks to my blending tool and stamped all over the glossy cardstock. I then dropped larger dots of each of the reinkers directly onto the cardstock and let the color splay outward. Lastly, I added a drop or two of the blending solution in a few spots to mute the colors a bit more. The black ribbon is from May Arts, and I attached the circle sentiment panel to the black ribbon with pink embroidery thread. The sentiment is a partial sentiment from Rubbernecker's Tea Time set. I colored only those words I wanted with a black marker.

For my second card, I went with a brighter color scheme using Butterscotch, Cranberry, and Eggplant alcohol inks with the same application I used on the first card. I knew I was going to use the sketch design from Card Patterns for this card, so I punched out a butterfly (doesn't it make for a beautiful butterfly?) from the top of this background panel to place on my circle panel. I applied Wild Honey and Ginger distress inks to this circle panel and pierced holes around it. This was such a fun sketch with which to play. I used Purely Pomegranate ribbon for the center piece behind the image panel and glued my yellow buttons to the ribbon with Aleene's Tacky Glue.

For my third and final card, I actually pulled out my Stampin' Pastels (chalks) that I haven't used in eons! I stamped the image with Versamark onto my cardstock and then applied the various colored chalks with q-tips and cotton balls. I used Summer Sun, Ruby Red, and Certainly Celery. Don't these colors just scream summer to you? The leaf foliage is from a Sizzix die and the little hydrangeas are from a Martha Stewart punch. My friend, Kittie, has been making some gorgeous floral bouquets with similar flower punches, and I found myself "needing" this punch. Giggle. I used only the smaller hydrangea, using a stylus to press down the center of the flower, and added a touch of Scattered Straw Distress Stickles to the flower centers.

Now, here's the official blog hop route you'll need to follow to obtain all the letters for the scramble and post comments for a chance to win the $25 gift certificate:

Design Team

• Charlene Merrick
• Frances Gumprecht
• Jacquie Peifer
• Jen Charboneau
• Joan Ervin
• Julia Aston
• Juliana Swanson
• Karen Hunsaker
• Kittie Caracciolo
• Maria Gurnsey
• Cathy Bomgardner
• Rubbernecker Blog  (you must go back to the Rubbernecker Blog to enter your answer in the comments section)

All of the new release stamps are available NOW at the Rubbernecker store!!  Happy shopping and GOOD LUCK!

Rubbernecker Preview - Day Two!!!

Hello and welcome to Rubbernecker Stamps PREVIEW days! Today is Day Two (if you missed out on Day One, you can scroll down to my post from yesterday). Rubbernecker will be releasing more new stamps on Tuesday, May 3. You will want to visit every one of the design team members blogs to not only see all the new stamps and their magnificent creations, BUT you also will have a chance to win a $15 Rubbernecker Stamps gift certificate!!! You must leave a comment on each blog, though, because not even the design team members know whose blog contains the hidden opportunity to win this certificate!

For my design today, I used one of the ornament stamps, which is called the 10-Point Ornament.  I stamped 10-Point Ornament in Versamark onto My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found designer paper and clear embossed it.    I distressed the edges of this piece  by tearing the cardstock and applying various Ranger distress Inks (Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge, Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy, & Vintage Photo) with a blender tool.   I removed the excess ink from the image by rubbing a paper towel over it.  This technique is called emboss resist.

I stamped a sentiment stamp from Rubbernecker's Fall Trilogy set onto the base Very Vanilla cardstock using Stamp-a-ma-jig and applied blended Distress Inks (same as above).  The button in the center is dark brown and the "Dream" sentiment is also from the Fall Trilogy set.  Before I tied on my gold organdy ribbon, I sprayed champagne shimmer mist over the entire card (love that shimmer, I do!)

(click on photo for larger view)

As with yesterday, be sure to visit the Rubbernecker Blog, if you haven't already, to find the complete list of today's design team participants. Thanks for stopping by, enjoy all of the creations, and GOOD LUCK!!  Tomorrow is the actual release day of all the new stamps---with more opportunities to win goodies---so I hope you'll swing by, again, tomorrow!

Rubbernecker Preview - Day One!!!

Hello and welcome to Rubbernecker Stamps PREVIEW days!  Today is Day One.  Rubbernecker will be releasing more new stamps on Tuesday, May 3.  You will want to visit every one of the design team members blogs to not only see all the new stamps and their magnificent creations, BUT you also will have a chance to win a $15 Rubbernecker Stamps gift certificate!!!  You must leave a comment on each blog, though, because not even the design team members know whose blog contains the hidden opportunity to win this certificate!

For my design, I used this Impatiens image which is only one of the amazing floral stamps in this set.  Mr. Rubbernecker has really come up with some beautiful floral images that you won't want to miss out on.

I heat embossed my Impatiens with black embossing powder, and then I watercolored it with Adirondack inks (Red Pepper, Cranberry, Pesto, and Lettuce).  I just love the intensity of these beautiful colors with the black embossing.   I cut out the image and applied to the cardstock.

The Red Pepper and Cranberry diluted with watercolors reminded me of Stampin' Up's retired Cameo Coral, so that's the cardstock I used on the bottom.  It's hard to see in the photo, but I did score the Cameo Coral cardstock in a striped 1/4" pattern. 

(click on photo for a larger view)

I wanted the focus of my design to be on this beautiful image, so I kept the overall design clean and simple.

Now, be sure to visit the Rubbernecker Blog, if you haven't already, to find the complete list of today's design team participants.  Thanks for stopping by, enjoy all of the creations, and GOOD LUCK!!