A Really Cute Card!

Okay, I promised you a really cute card. I made it, honest!!!! I just can't upload it because my stupid little USB thingy broke. I don't know where the cables are to upload directly from the digital camera. So, this weekend I will head out to Best Buy to purchase a new USB thingy (don't ya just love how technical I am about digital photography?)..

Will you still love me if I describe the new card? It uses Wild Wasabi, River Rock, Very Vanilla and Basic Black. It combines three different stamp sets: Unfrogettable (now you know why it's green), All About U and Polka Dots and Petals.

You have to trust me that it is really adorable. I PROMISE I will upload it here as soon as I rip the little USB thingy out of it's package!!!

Happy Friday and Happy Stamping!!!

The New Catalog is Here!

Yesterday was quite comical!! I knew my catalogs were coming via UPS. So, I basically did everything I could to keep myself busy until 2:30pm. I watered the lawn, vacuumed, dusted.....basically everything but stamp (that's why there's no card posted today....sorry!!!). Anyway, I finally jump in the shower and guess who comes to the door? Mr. UPS man.....with my brand new beautiful catalogs!!! DD is also in the shower, and it is our tradition to go through the catty together. So, I bang on the bathroom door telling her to hurry up because THEY are here. I throw some gel in my hair so it's not a totally bad hair day. DD and I then proceed to go through the new catty.....drooling over all the new goodies!!!

So what caught my eye in this new catty?

1. The layout itself is amazing. Kudos to the graphic designers.....it is so much easier to read and find things!!!

2. The samples are amazing. Yes, there are cards, but there are also TONS of gift project ideas in there. How many times have I spent $15 on an idea book that is disappointing? The idea book costs $9.95, has tons of great papercrafting ideas, the recipes for all those ideas and oodles of new goodies for me to play with!!

3. My favorite stamp sets:
Christmas - "Big on Christmas" - so cute, big words with a character for one of the letters
Floral - "A Beautiful Life" - a stunning daffodil set
Whimsical - "Garden Whimsy" - butterflies, snails, ladybugs.......so cute!!!
Useful - "Calendar" - oh the possibilities to make your own little calendars
Greetings - "Wonderful Favorites" - a great set for anyone on your cardmaking list
Background - "Sanded" - looks like it was sanded with a sanding block in both directions

4. The new accessories are incredible.......textured 12x12 cardstock, new In Colors, Pretties Kit (with dyeable flowers, pearls, rhinestones), Crop-o-dile, all the new punches!!!!

I hope all of you have an opportunity to caress a catalog of your very own!! I am sure you will find your own list of treasures!!!

I will try to stamp a card later tonight to post for tomorrow!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

Lovin' These New Colors!!!

The new In Colors for this year are simply luscious! I used three of them in this card: Blue Bayou (my personal fave), Purely Pomegranate and River Rock (didn't think I would like, but in person it is fabulous).

As a bit of history of myself, I have been a scrapbooker for almost 9 years now. I started stamping maybe 4 years ago. What can a scrapper like about stamping? EVERYTHING!!!
- you can make your own patterned paper. On this card, I made my own pp by stamping dots with my sponge daubers in each of the 3 colors. I then swiped my River Rock ink pad over my cardstock in both directions. Voila! Instant patterned paper that will ALWAYS match the colors of my project.

- as a stamper, I will never run out of letters for my titles again. Why? Because I own alphabet stamps. Never again will I have to run to my craft store or LSS to pick up more letter stickers to complete my title. Way cool!!!

The conversion to stampy scrappin' is not always easy. You need to build your page accents now, but I get a bigger sense of accomplishment that the page was completely made by me. A big holler out to all you stampy scrappers!!!!

Happy Stamping!

stamp sets: Loads of Love
paper: Whisper White, Purely Pomegranate, Blue Bayou
ink: Purely Pomegranate, Blue Bayou, River Rock
accessories: SU tool kit, ticket corner punch, sponge daubers, black gingham ribbon, Hodgepodge Hardware, dimensionals

Crabby Today!

Crabby.....a word to describe my mood yesterday!!! Nothing seemed to go right! At the request of my husband, I was asked to cut the lawn....no big deal, right? Uh....yup.....when you can't get the mower started. I SO have terrible upper body strength, so watching me pull that rip cord must've been hysterical to the kid across the street. He did help me out though.......he rocks!!!

Then DD didn't wake up on the wrong side of the bed.....she must've woke up under the bed. WHAT A FOUL MOOD...and all day too!!! Double UGH!!!

Anyway, in ode to my mood, here is Mr. Crab. BUT he is in love with his little starfish friend. See how he is tossing him side to side (I added motion dots with my marker). The little starfish is all sparkly from some Stickles.....Mr Crab is all sparkly from a stardust gelly pen. Ah......sparkly love!!!

This card is a tent card (thank you Michelle Wooderson for this design). It still fits in a standard envelope.....yeah!! The images are all watercolored with my aquapainter and watercolor crayons on watercolor paper. Watercoloring takes away my stress.....believe me, I needed that!!!!

stamp sets: Crab & Company, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
paper: Real Red, Kraft, Marigold Morning, Not Quite Navy, watercolor paper
ink: Black StazOn, Not Quite Navy (for greeting), Creamy Caramel (for sponging)
accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, aquapainter, ticket punch, sponges, dimensionals, markers (for doodling), stickles, Stardust pen

Wanna Sneak Peek?

Here is another new set from the new SU catty!! It's called Double Lined Doodles. Of course, I had to use some of the new In Colors to make this card: Purely Pomegranate and Blue Bayou.

The images are stamped on Kraft cardstock. I used my blender pen and ink from the lid of the Purely Pomegranate ink pad to color the heart. The white Signo gel pen was used to highlight both the heart and the paisleys. The circles are cut out with my Coluzzle and mounted with a dimensional.

The base card is stamped with the Paisley background stamp in Purely Pomegranate ink.

stamp sets: Double Line Doodles, Paisley
cardstock: Kraft, Purely Pomegranate, Blue Bayou
ink: Basic Black, Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranate, white craft ink (for the greeting)
accessories: white Signo gel pen, SU tool kit, sponges, coluzzle, black gingham ribbon

Halloween Fun!

I know what you're thinking.......what is going on in Patti's mind? Halloween cards in June? I couldn't resist!!! Halloween has to be one of my favorite holidays. Why? Who knows? It just is......maybe because I can be a total kid when I am about to hit the BIG 4-0!!!!

This card measures 5"x5". It uses the patterned paper that was in this past Holiday Mini catalog. I cut a 4 3/4" square of it and cut it on the diagonal. To give the diagonal some focus, I sponged around all the edges with Old Olive ink and recreated the dot pattern from the patterned paper onto the diagonal edge itself (basically, big dot and three little dots) with my white Signo gel pen.

The yellow portion of the card is made out of Marigold Morning cardstock stamped with the "Halloween" stamp from Everyday Flexible Phrases stamp set (in Marigold Morning ink). The focal image is stamped in Black StazOn on watercolor paper. Don't you just love the Booglie Eyes stamp set? The image is watercolored with my aquapainter and watercolor crayons. The image is then cut out using my Coluzzle oval template. I used my giga scalloped oval punch and Certainly Celery cardstock to make the scalloped oval. I used my paper piercer to punch a hole in each of the scallops and then a hint of white gel pen on each of the holes. The finishing touches are some vintage violet stitched ribbon and some googlie eyes glue to the bat with Crystal Effects.

Happy Early Halloween everyone!!!!!

Sweet Little One

I love making baby cards! The "Bundle of Joy" set from the Spring Mini makes it so easy. This giraffe is so adorable!!! Since it is a line stamp, you just simply stamp it in black or brown ink and color it in. Personally, I love to watercolor. So, I stamped her on watercolor paper with my Black Staz On ink. I used the lids of my Pretty in Pink and Apricot Appeal ink pads to color her in.

The green piece of cardstock that the giraffe is mounted on opens like a card. On the inside of this "card" you can write the baby's name, birthday, height and weight!!

The pink base card is stamped with the Flannel Plain BG stamp in white craft ink. The apricot layer is stamped with the Canvas BG stamp in Apricot Appeal ink.

P.S. I didn't get any stamping done last night.....I was too busy watching the sky after the Tornado Watch was issued. I will try to stamp this afternoon and post more tomorrow!!!

Some new ink!!

DD and I went for a shopping trip to Michael's (with coupon in hand). I decided to finally get some Brilliance Dew Drops. Wow, they are so pearly!!! They look incredible with this Pick a Petal stamp set.

The base card is Lovely Lilac. I stamped the polka dot petal stamp in a 5 petal flower formation. I outlined each of the petals with my Black SU marker. The flower center is stamped on scrap, cut out and adhered with a dimensional. I used the splatter stamp from Itty Bitty Backgrounds in Certainly Celery ink all over the white cardstock. I tore away the right corner. The white piece is then adhered to a piece of Certainly Celery cardstock that was stamped with the solid dot stamp (also from Pick a Petal). I used my QuicKutz to cut out the little frame corner (out of Orchid Opulence cardstock).....I then decorated it with my white Signo gel pen.

The sentiment is from Hugs & Wishes stamp set (available July 1st from Stampin' Up!).

P.S. The retired accessories list was released today. Wow, there are some big surprises on there. If you want anything, call your demo NOW.....supplies are limited!!!

http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/US_CA_retiredaccessories.pdf

Happy Stamping!

An Elegant Beaded Christmas

Wowza! Was this card hard to photograph!!! This is the best out of the lot, so I apologize!! I used my new Baroque Motifs and Holidays & Wishes stamp sets to create my first Christmas card of the year.

I used the flourish and the little flower from Baroque Motifs (stamped in Always Artichoke ink) on Always Artichoke cardstock. Tear the top edge and sponge heavily with the Always Artichoke ink. Using Crystal Effects, glue on a red seed bead in the center of each of the flowers. Then highlight the flourish with your Stardust gelly roll pen.

The upper part of the card is Kraft cardstock heavily sponged with Always Artichoke ink. The greeting is stamped in Cranberry Crisp ink.

Mount the two main pieces of the card on a black mat. Then mount all that to the Cranberry Crisp base card. Tie a simple knot at the top using the Cranberry stitched grosgrain ribbon. Using scrap Kraft cardstock, stamp the little flower in Always Artichoke ink. Punch out using the 3/4" circle punch. Sponge around the edges with the AA ink and glue a little red seed bead in the center of the flower. Using a dimensional, place the flower under the ribbon to look like it is dangling from the ribbon.

I challenge each of you to design a Christmas/Holiday card today. Don't forget to comment and post a link so I can take a look at them too!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

New Goodies!!!!

These new stamps had me sweating!!! UPS had misplaced my box containing all my new catty preview goodies. OH NO!!! I called SU, and they were great about it. They sent me a new box of goodies out ASAP. So, then I get a phone call that they located the first box!!! GREAT!!! Now, I have to send my second box back to SU (it arrived today while I was grocery shopping).

Anyway, this card is my first from this latest shipment. This set is so elegant. It is called Baroque Motifs. If you have been reading your papercrafting magazines, you already know that flourishes are the IN thing right now. The gigantic flourish in this set is GORGEOUS!!!!

The base card is 5"x5", and it is made out of the brand new Bayou Blue cardstock. This new color reminds me of the ocean (it's probably because it is very close to the color cardstock I used to use before I was an SU demo to scrapbook our NJ beach vacation pages). The light blue layer is another new color: Soft Sky. The flourish is stamped on this layer in Soft Sky ink. I stamped the word "cherish" in Blue Bayou ink in the bottom right corner of the Soft Sky layer. The Soft Sky layer is matted on Basic Black.

I added a strip of Blue Bayou across the center of the card. This strip is stamped with the Linen background stamp and heavily sponged with Blue Bayou ink. I stamped the medallion on Whisper White cardstock in Blue Bayou ink. I carefully trimmed it out. I then put one of those pretty new rhinestone brads in the center and attached it to the card with a dimensional. For a final touch, I wrapped some silver cord around the top a few times and made a simple knot.

Like I said, this is a superb stamp set. You can make it as elegant or as simple as you want, and it can be used in coordination with many other stamp sets. It's a keeper!!!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

Cute Stamps!

What kind of stamps are "my" kind of stamps? That's an easy question!!!! The answer: anything CUTE or anything FLORAL.

"Silly Sealife" was the first stamp set that I HAD to have from the 2006-2007 Idea Book and Catalog. It was the stamp set that I used in the new catalog swap for my upline's meeting. I LOVE this stamp set. I was upset to hear that it's counterpart, "Fishy Friends", was retiring this year. At least I still have "Silly Sealife" to satisfy my CUTE cravings!!!

This card came together quite quickly. Now that DH has pretty much finished the basement (after the flood in March), all my stamping stuff is going back where it belongs. This includes my Cricut. I am so thrilled that I am able to cut scalloped circles with my Mini Monograms cartridge. The scalloped circle on this card is made out of watercolor paper. I LOVE to watercolor, but I used to get frustrated that I couldn't get the level of blending that I wanted on Whisper White cardstock. My frustration ended when I learned about watercolor paper. What a difference!!!! The only bad part is that it is more cream colored than bright white. I still watercolor on WW when I need that bright white background, but the results are just not the same.

This cutie-pie turtle, whom I will now refer to as Crush (yes, I love Finding Nemo), is stamped with Black Staz On. Crush is then watercolored with my aquapainters and ink squished on the lids of my inkpads. Crush's belly is So Saffron with a little bit of Certainly Celery on the edges and shadows. His skin is Certainly Celery......the color is just built up as you get closer to the lines. Of course, all my cutie-patooties always have blushed cheeks. I do this with my Pretty in Pink marker. My DD HATES when I blush everyone!!! I think it makes them look cuter. What do you think?????

Another trick to watercoloring an image is to add shadows. I do this with my Going Gray ink. I just kind of swoop my aquapainter under the image to give him some depth. As a final touch, I added some of my Gelly Stardust pen to give Crush some bling.

The base card is Certainly Celery with a strip of Cool Caribbean (stamped with the Crosshatch background in Cool Caribbean ink). I used my word window punch to have a place for my "For You" stamp from All Year Cheer I (retiring the end of this month). I used my white signo gel pen to highlight around the greeting.

The ribbon is from the Target $ Spot, but don't run to your Target looking for it. I bought it at least 6 months ago.

I hope you like my Crush card. I will post a project tomorrow with one of my brand new stamps from the Preview Brochure.....they came late on Friday. I cut all the stamps last night.....now they are just ready to be loved!!!!

Happy Father's Day to all your dads and sweethearts out there!!!! We went to a Twins game (they won....DH and I were on tv (cool) and had a BBQ. Thanks for visiting my blog!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

Yeah! The pool is ready!!

The landscapers planted the plants to accent the water feature. They put in the rock and sod. It looks GORGEOUS!!! We are so thrilled!!! It's a perfect day to swim.....90+ degrees (it's been this hot all week and supposed to get hotter over the weekend). We'll eventually put more plants in the rock area on the left side of the pool. I have to decide what I want to plant there!

I {heart} Pick a Petal

Wow! This stamp set is so addicting. I had this pack of Daisy D patterned paper that I got for free if I spent $50.00 at Archivers (yeah, I know, not hard to do). Anyway, after flipping through the papers, I decided to play with the striped one.

The base of this 5"x5" card is Mellow Moss cardstock. The So Saffron strip is stamped with the Paisley background stamp in So Saffron ink. The other side of the card is using that luscious patterned paper. To give it more interest, I gave it a scalloped edge using my small corner rounder punch.

The flower petals are stamped in Regal Rose classic ink on Whisper White cardstock. Don't feel intimidated by this set!! The petals are so easy to cut out!! Just remember to turn the paper and not the scissors to get a clean cut!!! They were a little too pink for the striped paper, so I toned them down by sponging on some white craft ink.

The flower is attached to a belly band that surrounds the card. The belly band is also made of Mellow Moss cardstock. The flower petals are attached to the belly band with dimensionals. A So Saffron circle button and some Crystal Ice Stickles complete the flower.

I am so tickled pink about this card. I like having no pressure to create......just go downstairs to my Stamping Studio and play!!!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!!!

Another Pick-a-Petal card!!

Wow, it's really hard to see the large flowers on the Chocolate Chip background. This stamp set is the first that I have received from the Fall & Winter Collection Preview Brochure. Actually, I earned it for FREE from Stampin' Up!. So anyone debating on becoming a demo, sign up NOW!!! There are lots of perks to being your own demonstrator!!!

Anyway, I wanted to make a 5"x5" card with the more muted tones so I opted for my Earth Elements colors. The base card is Very Vanilla sponged with Close to Cocoa ink. The next layer is Always Artichoke (which is actually in the Rich Regals family but it goes with so many other colors as well). The chocolate chip layer is stamped with the polka dotted petal from the Pick a Petals stamp set. It is stamped in Versamark. I then stamped the center of the flower with the large polka dot in Versamark three times until I got the saturation of color that I wanted. The strip is Marigold Morning cardstock stamped with the same polka dot that I used for the center of the flower in Marigold Morning classic ink. I then stamped the flower center that is more "doodle-like" with Close to Cocoa ink. I sponged Close to Cocoa ink on the edges of the cardstock to tone it down a bit. It is then matted on a piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock. For the final touch, I used copper cord wrapped around the card three times and knotted. The sentiment is from the Blossoms Abound stamp set. Voila!!!

We have a fence!!!

The orange construction fence has left the building and not a moment too soon! Jeez, that thing was ugly!!!

The fence is made of two different styles as we have a walking path along the left and back side of the pool. So, we went with a semi-privacy fence there. So we didn't feel so boxed-in, we chose a scalloped fence on the right side of the pool area. We really like the way it turned out. The landscapers come tomorrow to install the rock, sod and some plants. I'll upload more pics when they are done!!!

Hey Turkey!!

As soon as I saw the "Pick a Petal" stamp set in the brand new Fall & Winter Collection Preview Brochure, I knew I wanted to make a turkey. I guess it comes from all those years of being a Girl Scout leader and trying to come up with craft ideas around the holidays.

Anyway, I built the feathers using the solid petal stamp using Pumpkin Pie ink on Very Vanilla cardstock. I then overstamped with the outline stamp using Close to Cocoa. I then sponged Ruby Red on the edges of each of the feathers. I added a few highlights with my white Signo gel pen.

The head is a 1 1/4" circle and the body is a 1 3/8" circle of Close to Cocoa cardstock. I sponged the edges with Close to Cocoa ink. The beak is a scrap of Pumpkin Pie cardstock punched with the 1/4" square punch. Then cut on a diagonal to make the triangle.

The hangy-thingey (is it called a waddle????) is actually part of one of the petals from the stamp set. I just cut that long teardropped shape out with my paper snips. Once again, I added highlights with the white gel pen.

The feet are cut from the little flower stamp (More Mustard stamped on the Very Vanilla cardstock). Just add some googlie eyes, and it's a turkey! I made this guy very quickly. DS had a baseball game (they won 14-4 but DS got hit by a pitch and is now complaining about his leg...ugh!) Tomorrow, I am going to remake him (this time taking my time).

This stamp set has so many possibilities!!! Definitely add it to your wish list for the new catty!!!

Happy Stamping!!

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!

My DH and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary yesterday. I can't believe that it has been 17 years already!!! Time just flies when you're having fun (okay, i'll admit that it's not always fun but that's what makes marriage exciting). I can honestly say that I married my best friend, and I look forward to every moment that we spend together!!

Since DD had her dance recital last night, Dennis and I had our date on Friday night. We went to dinner at Maggiano's and then we headed to St. Paul to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's Soul 2 Soul concert. It was AMAZING!!!! We had incredible seats....we could actually see their faces and expressions. Faith looked gorgeous, of course. It gives you goosebumps to listen to them singing together.....it's like the thousands of fans aren't there and they are lost in themselves.

Challenge to Myself!!

Every once in a while I like to challenge myself. I think it improves my stamping....helps me think outside of the box. What was my challenge this time? To use a stamp set that I really do not like. This stamp set is called "Flower Filled", and I received it at the 2005 Stampin' Up! convention in SLC Utah. I know a lot of people love this stamp set. I really can't explain why it does nothing for me, but alas, I really dread using this set. So, needless to say I am SO happy that it is retiring...LOL!!!

Enough of my whining and onto the details of this card. I wanted to use some of the 2006-2007 In Colors since they are retiring at the end of the month. The base of the card is Buckaroo Blue. The next layer is Cranberry Crisp stamped with the "Fine Lace" background stamps in Cranberry Crisp classic ink. If you haven't ventured into using background stamps, I highly recommend it. They make such a difference on the final product. The focal image is stamped on Whisper White. The rain boots are Buckaroo Blue. I then used my white Signo gel pen to add polka dots to the boots. The leaves and stems are stamped in True Thyme. The little flowers are stamped in Marigold Morning. The bigger Cranberry Crisp flowers are stamped on a scrap of Whisper White and punched out with my 1/2" circle punch. The circles are then mounted with dimensionals. The sentiment is from "Just So Sayings" from the Spring Mini Catalog (only available 'til the end of June). The sentiment is stamped with Basic Black and punched with the smaller oval punch. I then sponged lightly with True Thyme.

Time is running short for all the retired stamps and also for those in the Spring Mini. I encourage everyone to contact their SU demo to purchase those items that catch your fancy. I had a customer fall in love with a stamp set, him and haw about it, never ordered it, and then spent a TON of money to get it on the bay. Okay, I will stop nagging.

I hope you all have a wonderful day. It's the first day of "school's out for the summer" here in MN. Wish me luck!!!!

Another sneak peek of my Stamp Camp!!!

I have a "Kiss 'Em Goodbye" Stamp Camp this Sunday, and this is one of the cards we will be making. I used the colors from this week's color challenge on Splitcoast: Elegant Eggplant, Ruby Red and Certainly Celery.

"Best of Cluck" is an awesome stamp set. It's a great set to either watercolor with (as I have done here) or just to color in with your favorite markers or colored pencils.

The base of the card is Elegant Eggplant. The next layer is Certainly Celery stamped with the "Weathered" (I just love this one) background stamp in Certainly Celery ink. The hen is stamped in black Staz On on Very Vanilla cardstock. She is watercolored with: Summer Sun, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa and Going Gray. She was still too bright for me. So, I overstamped the entire focal image with the "Linen" background stamp in Creamy Caramel. I then sponged more Creamy Caramel on the edges. The focal image is matted on Elegant Eggplant cardstock and then adhered to the card with dimensionals. A detail that might be hard to see are the little chicken footprints stamped in Ruby Red on the Ruby Red cardstock (on each side of the focal image). I added some black gingham ribbon for some WOW factor...and she's done!!!

I hope my girls at Stamp Camp like it!!!!! Thanks for looking!!!

More pool pictures!!!

The landscapers came yesterday to install a french drain system to redirect the water from our sump pump towards the back of the property. They cut what remaining sod was left in the pool area and placed top soil in preparation for the plants and new sod.

The fence is next on the list. They will either be here late this week or early next week. I will feel much better when the real fence is in rather than relying on the orange construction fence to keep a barrier.

Today is the kids' last day of school. They have been enjoying the pool thus far, and they can't wait to hang out at the pool all summer. Ah, the lazy days of summer!!!!

The weather is crazy here in MN. When people say "if you don't like the weather in Minnesota, just wait 10 minutes", they are not kidding. It goes from sunny to a downpour and back to sunny again. It reminds me of my honeymoon in Barbados.....just not as tropical, KWIM?

Happy Anniversary!!

What are my favorite stamps in my collection? Definitely, all my florals. As I was looking at the Stampin' Up! retirement list, I was getting more and more depressed as most of my favorite floral stamps were being retired. ARGH!!! What is a floral stamping addict to do?

After picking my jaw up and off the floor, I decided to start working with the floral stamp sets that did not retire. One is the Definitely Decorative Serene Sunflower. What does Definitely Decorative mean? Well, basically the stamps are large enough and detailed for stamping on things besides paper. I could use acrylic paint to decorate walls, t-shirts, furniture, etc......

As you can see, I stuck with the paper rather than a 3D item, but it's nice knowing that the option is there. This card was for my brother Michael and my sister-in-law Andrea's 9th anniversary. I REALLY like the way it turned out. I will have to make another to put on my display boards.

This card is pretty self-explanatory. The only thing not really visible is that I used 2 background stamps: French Script and Linen to give the card some depth. I then heavily sponged the edges of the Very Vanilla piece with Creamy Caramel. The tag is built using both sizes of the SU tag punches.

stamp sets: Serene Sunflower, Papertrey's Faux Ribbon (greeting), Linen, French Script
ink: Summer Sun, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Always Artichoke, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa
paper: Very Vanilla, Creamy Caramel, Always Artichoke
accessories: ticket corner punch, sponges, tag punches, black gingham ribbon

I will be organizing my stamp room tomorrow. I will try to post a project if I can find the time!!!

Father's Day Card

Here is another card using the Burnishing technique. Burnishing is simply using sponge daubers to swirl color onto a lighter colored cardstock. In this case, we used Very Vanilla. The colors are swirled on from lightest to darkest. We used More Mustard, Really Rust and Close to Cocoa. The leaf image from "Lovely as a Tree" was then stamped on top of the burnishing using Close to Cocoa.

This card was for a stamp class for beginner stampers. I kept the design very simple. I think I will make another version of this card using background stamps.

The greeting comes from the stamp set "Circle of Friendship". The greeting is stamped on Very Vanilla and punched out with the 1 1/4" circle punch. The edges are then given some color using my dauber in Close to Cocoa. I punched the Handsome Hunter base card with the 1 3/8" circle punch. The greeting is then mounted with a dimensional in the circle on the Handsome Hunter base card.

stamp sets: Lovely as a Tree, Circle of Friendship
ink: More Mustard, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa
paper: More Mustard, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, Handsome Hunter
accessories: circle punches, dimensionals, daubers

Water Features

Today was the day I was anticipating.......the installation of the water feature!!! I was so nervous since Dennis and I basically picked it off of an internet site rather than seeing in person. I have to say that it looks fabulous.

There is another water feature that I do not have pictures of yet. There are water jets that crisscross in front of the diving board. The kids will have a blast diving through the water!!! I will try to post a picture later in the day.

The heater is turned on, and we hope to spend the weekend in the pool, if the weather holds out. The next phase is the landscaping (which is supposed to start this afternoon). The fence happens after that. Then the landscapers come back in to add the plants and river rock. I can't wait to see the plants we've picked out to surround the water feature.

I will try to post a stamping project later too. I haven't spent a ton of time in the stamping studio as things are crazy here with the school year coming to a close.