I've done it now...

I've done it now! My dear Betty has finally talked me into it. I signed up with Stampin' Up just today and she is going to be my wonderful upline.

As most of you know, I've been stamping and scrapping for over 12 years now and I would say that 90% of my supplies have always been from Stampin' Up. All of their products are of great quality and I stand behind them 100%.

I wanted to post a message to let you all know that I am now a Stampin' Up demonstrator (something that I should of done years ago!) and if there is anything that I can do for you please don't hesitate to ask.

In the next few days to a week I will be adding a blog that is strickly for Stampin' Up and taking names of anyone who would like to hold a workshop, a catalogue party or who would like to be a part of a stamper's 6 group. In the meantime you can take a peek over at my site or if you'd like to take a look at what there is to offer you can view my shop here.  I will keep this blog up and running - however all my Stampin' Up goodies and such as well as a link to my online ordering will be on the other blog.

I hope that you can support me in this new adventure! I hope to be doing this for a long time!

Only 4 more days...

Woo-Hoo!  Only 4 more days til Halloween!  Yippie skippy!!  It is a little different out here though.  When we were in California Halloween would last until late into the night.  You'd have those little ghosts and goblins - and the big ones too - knocking on your door close til midnight.  Out here it is a little organized.  This year Halloween and trick or treating will be Saturday the 30th and it is between the hours of 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm.  I kinda like the fact that we know we won't be up and down to the door all night, but I will miss seeing all the little goblins.  And poor Danielle.  She's not doing so well with being 18.  She wants to dress up and go out herself Ü  I told her that was one of the disadvantages of growing older.  I think that my love for Halloween rubbed off on her...  he he he...

I have a couple of cards to show you, ready?

The base card is Basic Black that I layered with Almost Amethyst and Lavender Lace.  I stamped the image from Best Fiends and colored it in with my pencils, gamsol and markers.  I then sponged some Perfect Plum ink around the image before layering it on to a piece of Basic Black paper.  I took a 1" strip of Basic Black paper and used my white gel pen to make the "eyes" so they kind of look spooky, like they are floating.  I also accented the spiders eyes in the back ground.  A little ribbon and I was complete.

 This card was a quick one.  The base is Basic Black that I layered with Tangerine Tango, Lavender Lace and some old DP from SU!  I stamped Dracula from Best Fiends with Black ink and just colored in the "booquet", his tie and eyes with markers then layered it onto Basic Black and Tangerine Tango.  I took a "bite" out of the image panel with my scallop circle punch as I did with the card base and layers.  I also accented th eyes of the bats on the background with my white gel pen.  I stamped the sentiment from Just Between Fiends on Basic Black with versamark and embossed it with silver embossing powder then layered it on to a piece of Tangerine Tango card stock.  I took a strip of DP from SU! (sorry, it's very old and I can't remember the name of it) and added it to the front behind the image and sentiment panel - it's the same as the piece that I layered inside the card.  You can see it from the "bite" that is taken out of the lower right corner of the card.  I chomped that out with my scallop circle punch, and then I was complete.

I think that this card turned out cute.  It was an easy one to make "assembly line" style.

I've got a couple more Halloween cards to show you, but they will have to wait until tomorrow!  Have a super great evening!

A little Bugaboo for you...

Good afternoon all my blogging friends!  I'm taking a break from the beautiful day to share with you a card that I made yesterday.  I've been a little hooked lately by the digi stamp bug - and I needed to make another special card for Halloween and this is what I came up with.

I was out and about in blog land and stopped in to Bugaboo Stamps and found this cutie!  She is part of their Halloween brats set.  She reminds me of a much younger me (he he he...).  I made the card 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square.  The base card is Tangerine Tango that I layered with Green Galore and Almost Amethyst.  The DP is from My Minds Eye and SU!  I printed out the image and heat set it with my heat gun then colored the image in with my pencils and gamsol.  I used my picket fence punch from Martha Stewart nesties to create the base behind the image.  I then wanted something in the bottom corner so I cut out the flourish with my Storybook cartridge and glued that in the bottom right corner.  I stamped the leaves and pumpkin out from SU! Happy Fall Ya'll set, colored them with pencils and gamsol and adhered them over the flourish.  I added a little stitching with my Pumpkin Pie marker around the image panel then gave it a spritz of shimmer with my Shimmer Mist and I was done.

You can kind of see the shimmer a little in this picture...

So that's all I've got for you today.  Hope to see you back here Monday for more.  Who knows what it will be Ü  Have a super great weekend!

Another Magnolia

Yes, I'm hooked.  Isn't it terrible when you see something and you just can't get enough.  I just love all these little images ~ they are adorable.  I admit when I first saw them I really didn't care for them - then that's all I saw everywhere and they grew on me.  So now you wanna see my take on Sitting Alva?  Here goes...

When I first saw her it screamed "Christmas" to me - that's why the red and green...  The base card is Cherry Cobbler that I layered with some Handsome Hunter.  The DP I used was from Oriental Trading.  I colored the image in with my pencils and gamsol and added some accents with my markers.  If you click on the picture (and make sure that you click on your back button to come back) you can see that on her had I added some white fun flock for a little texture.  I cut the panels behind her out with my Labels Nine and small Scallop Oval nesties.  The sentiment in the corner is from CTMH that I stamped with Handsome Hunter ink and cut out with my oval nestie.  Along the side I punched a border with my SU scallop trim border punch in Handsome Hunter and tied a bow that I made with some organdy red ribbon.  I secured the bow with a piece of linen thread and a button and I was complete.  This card measures 5" x 5".

So, you like??  I hope that it inspires you in some way. 

That's all I have for now ~ If I don't see you back here tomorrow have a super great Fall weekend!

Blog Candy Alert!

I just thought that you'd all like to know that Really Reasonable Ribbon is giving away some awesome blog candy.  Go take a peek if you have not already!

Now who wouldn't want to win this!!  Go quick!!  But be sure to come back Ü

Magnolia Monday ~ on Tuesday? RRR10

Ok, I've been bitten by the Magnolia bug.  Yup.  I just love those images.  At first I really did not care too much for them - but now, I love them.  And no, I don't own any yet, but I hope to soon.  I was blessed with a dear friend who sent me a bunch of the stamped images.  So you wanna see what I came up with?  I'm sorry that I don't have all the info for these cards, but here goes.

This card is 5" x 5" and I can tell you that the base card is Tangerine Tango and that I layered it with some old DP that did not list where it was from.  I used my Martha Stewart punch and some ribbon.  The bat's are from The Angel Company and the set is called Spooktacular.  I colored the image with my pencils and gamsol and used my markers here and there for some highlights.  The circles are cut out with my coluzzle and I added a bit of doodles to the purple layer.

The base card is Green Galore that I layered with some DP from My Minds Eye and other various papers.  I colored her in with my pencils and gamsol and my markers.  The cauldron and sentiment is from SU! an old set called Haunting Halloween that I also colored with my pencils and gamsol.  I added some ribbon and a cool button and that was it.  This card is also 5" x 5".

I hope that you like them and that they inspire you.  Sorry for the short post today - but I'll have more for you tomorrow, promise!  Have a super great day!

**Edited to add:  Thanks to True for letting me know about Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings challenge.  I entered this card into their challenge RRR10 - go take a peek.

Cards and Cuppy Cakes

Ready for a card and some cuppy cakes? 

I was fishing around my tubby the other day and this stamp jumped out at me.  I have a tubby that holds pretty much most of my Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas stamps.  I'll show you a picture later ~ it's one that I only open once a year.  Anyway, I've really been into the easel cards lately and this image said or screamed EASEL to me.

The deet's are downstairs right now, I'll post them later.  But I can tell you that the image stamp is from Penny Black and the sentiment and bat are from Whipper Snapper.  Cute, huh?

Here is an up close version.  I'm a little disappointed that you cant see all the sparkle that I did on these in the picture.  Sitting in front of the TV is not one of my favorite things to do, I only have a few shows that I watch.  So sometimes I'll stamp some images and sit and color them at night while we are all watching TV.  These I worked on for a couple of nights.  I colored them and I then outlined them with sparkly gel pens.  The did turn out cute IRL. 

Now I want to show you the cuppy cakes that I made for a SCS gathering we went to last weekend.  We get together every few months or so and swap cards, it's so much fun.  This time our group was a little smaller, I guess there was too many other things going on that weekend.  We used to just order pizza but then we had a thought to all bring something and that's so much fun!  So here is what I brought this time, cuppy cakes of course!!

I found a recipe on line that I had to try, it was over at Stampin' Stressaway with Carole Anne.  Might I say that these are NO WAY as beautiful as the ones she made.  I followed her recipe to the letter and let's say that they were a disaster.  When Ricky came home from work he saw them on the counter and said they looked like chicken pot pies.  They grew huge and filled the top of the cupcake sheet, then they sunk in the middle.  I know that it was something that I did, but what I don't know.  I'm new at the cuppy cake thing.  BUT they did taste really good, like sugar cookies.  So Carole Anne if you can please tell me your secret ~ I would love to make those again ~ the correct way Ü 

And the tops.  Well they are not as pretty as hers by any means, but like I said, I'm new to this.  I only have a few tips right now so I had to work with what I have.

So that's all for today.  I hope to show you more tomorrow ~ see you then.  And have a super great day!

Just some random rambling's...

As I sit here thinking it is still morning and looking at the clock only to notice that it is officially afternoon I am writing this post.  I'm sorry for the lack of posting lately, but life's been in the way.  First of all hubby's hours were switched from day's on 1st shift to night's on 2nd shift.  I am not a night person.  I like to go to bed early, well not actually early ~ between 10 and 11:00 pm and maybe read for a while.  With hubby coming home just before 3:00 am is really putting a cramp in my style.  I try really hard to stay up and wait for him but the last hour or so is too hard.  Not last night though thanks to little Ms. Danielle.  She got me hooked on that show Hoarders and I guess there was a marathon yesterday because when Ricky came home I was sitting on the couch watching it.  I can not believe how people can let that happen to themselves, but I know that it is a sickness.

And then another thing happened, I've been picked for jury duty.  It's something that I've always wanted to do ~ but is there ever a "good" time for it?  Yes, I know it is my civic duty.  Other than having to juggle everyones work schedules with the car I am looking forward to it.

I have some other news too!  I won blog candy!  I was shocked when I received the email.  Me, a winner of blog candy!!  The blog candy that I listed on my last post from Vicki at Stamp Smiles - I won it!!  Woo-Hoo!!  Thank you once again Vicki, you made my day (week, month.....)!

I have also received an award from two separate people.  Gale from Dreams on the Coast and Barbara from Barbara's World of Whimcee's ~ thank you both ~ You are both so kind. 

So now it is my turn to nominate others who have inspired me...

1. Keersten over at The Purple Palace.  She is one who has inspired me for years with her creativity.  I can honestly say that I've kept just about every card that she's ever sent to me ~ she is a talent.
2. Von over at Messy Me.  Her style is so different from mine that it just interests me.  I've had the pleasure to swap cards & ATC's with her in the past and I can say that I've been one happy recipient.
3. Beth over at Blooming Where I'm Planted.  I was lucky enough to meet Beth a year or so ago at a gathering we attended from SCS.  She is such a talented paper crafter - one who I like to CASE every now and again. 
4. Barbara over at Foster House Design.  I found her thru the Paper Wings site, her being a fellow TAC Angel.  Her creations are AMAZING!  And she is a fellow lover of anything Halloween Ü
5. Nicola over at Gorillamama Greats.  Nic is another wonderful lady who I've had the pleasure to swap with.  Not only does she make wonderful cards but her blog is also filled with other crafty items too!

There is so many to mention that I have not - and I am sorry but this post is already very long!  If I've been to your site and left a comment it is because I love your work and you've inspired me in one way or another so please consider yourself a part of this award.  There is so many people to mention, but just not enough time. 

I hope to be back a little later with a post of something that I've created, so please come back. 

Have a super great day!

Looksie at Vicki's Candy

Vicki over at Stamp Smiles is giving away some blog candy ~ take a peek HERE.  But don't forget to come back here Ü

Happy World Card Making Day

There is so much going on this weekend here in Kentucky.  Not only did the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games begin but we also have the Festival of the Horse going on here in town this weekend.  It goes on every year and to me it signals the beginning of the Fall season.  As most of you all know Fall is my favorite time of the year.  Sweater and sweatshirt weather, starting to pull out the holiday decorations, apple cider, hay rides, pumpkins, changing leaves, cooler nights ~ just family time in general.

And in honor of World Card Making Day I thought that I would share with you come of the cards that I have been making and have made.  Once again there are a few of them and I don't have the lists of what I had used but if you'd like to know just drop me a line and I can tell you.

Now, what do you have to show for World Card Making Day?  I'd love to see, just leave me a comment with a link so I can take a peek to.

Have a super great day!!