Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Bleah!

A simple card for you this morning in honor of the allergies or what not that I've been struggling with for almost a week.  Uggh.  No fever... no running nose... just gunk that has attacked my vocal chords.  I should be unable to speak by tomorrow.  Ahhh... peace and quiet!! :-)

The House Mousies are colored with Copics, and I paper pierced and sponged a little banana and caramel on the edges.  That's about the extent of my creativity today.

I hope to be back tomorrow with Suzie or Sammy Squirrel... we'll see how I feel. 

TTFN!!

Tricia

Card Request!

Chris has a card request and some blog candy to share on her blog here.  What a great way to spread some sunshine.  I'm going to send my Wishing You Comfort card.  I hope you'll be able to join me!   

Blessings!

Tricia

Monday, March 30, 2009

Birthday Flowers


I love this MOJO sketch! I didn't use any dp on this card (gasp!) I pulled out my Leafy Glade Background stamp and stamped on the textured cardstock in Moss, and I stamped the Ruby Red layer in the matching color with words from the Verve Floral Symphony Set. The tulips are stamped in Cameo and Ruby, then I added some watercolor pencil & gel pen highlights. The Sentiment is Verve's new Circular sayings.   I *love* it!!!!!  The sayings fit perfectly in my punch and they're so classy!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Tricia

Plain Jane Comfort

I love this Plain Jane image by Verve.  It could be used for a sympathy card, a birthday card or just an everyday, "I'm thinking of you", card.  I used the Viva La Verve sketch on SplitCoast for this card and added lots of polka dots and pearls.  I like the cool and comforting color combination of blue and white.  It seems restful.

Thanks for stopping!

Tricia

Details:
Stamps:  Verve Plain Jane "Comfort"
Paper:  Not Quite Navy, Soft Sky DP, Making Memories "Flower Patch" dp, White
Accessories:  Not Quite Navy Ink & sponge, small pearls, ribbon, Fiskars Threading Water Punch, 
Mega and Super Jumbo Circle punches

Sunday, March 29, 2009

DSO Challenge

Here's my card for the Digital Stamp Oasis Sketch Challenge & Blog Candy.  I used Susie Squirrel in the Rain and colored her with Copics.  I added a few stickles and some stitching for dimension.  The hardest part of the sketch was deciding what color brads to use!!  

I hope you'll be able to play along with the challenge.  These images are so sweet and so much fun to color!! :)

Blessings!
Tricia

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Dustin's Dragon

I was browsing Michelle's Blog the other day and found this adorable image that she'd used for a card.  It was a free digital download from Dustin Pike so I stopped by his blog right away and picked it up.  Isn't it precious????  Be sure to double click on the picture to get a closer view.

I colored the dragon with prismas and oms and used lots of purple so I could enter him in the Clear Dollar Stamps Guest Design Team Challenge for this month.  The sentiment is from a retired TAC set.

Thanks for stopping!  Hope you have a wonderful Saturday.  We're out to look for a new TV.  Ours died last night after being on life support for a number of months.  I've been putting off getting one of the flat ones, but I guess I'm probably going to have to give in... Sigh.

Oh - a note of enabling.  Elzybells UK is giving free worldwide shipping today.  And then prices are going up at the beginning of April.  I've been making my list!!! :)

Blessings!

Tricia

Friday, March 27, 2009

You've got Mail!


Here's Samantha Squirrel from Digital Stamp Oasis getting "happy mail" from her mailbox!! :)  I love getting happy mail.  It's so much better than bills.  I especially love getting all things related to stamping or a handwritten note from a friend.  Isn't that a rarity nowadays??  Even if I do send a card, I hardly ever send a handwritten letter that's longer than the blank part of the card.  Hmmm....  maybe I need a penpal?? :)

Samantha is colored with prismas and OMS and the sentiment is from My Favorite Things.  I sponged the background using a circle punched with the SU scalloped circle punch and bashful blue ink.  Have a wonderful evening!!!

Blessings!

Tricia

Viva La Verve!!

I cut it to the wire with this month's Viva La Verve Challenge creations!!  They were supposed to be entered by the 26th at midnight and I think I uploaded them all on the 25th.  I used my Spring Craft Kit again (go figure!!) and my Verve Stamps except for the butterfly card, which is PTI.  I think I'll package these up and give to my mom to send out.  

Be sure to stop back later.  I have a Digital Stamp Oasis card in the works that I want to share!!


Blessings!  Tricia

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

PaperTrey Blog Hop... Backgrounds



I'm so excited to be participating in this month's PaperTrey Ink Blog Hop.  The challenge for this month was to make a stamped background using PaperTrey stamps.  I started with a piece of Flower Patch designer paper by Making Memories.  I stamped one of the quilt blocks from PTI's Quilter's Sampler set in Soft Sky ink over each of the white polka dots. (Don't you just *love* polka dots??)

My focal point is a diecut butterfly from the Flower Patch embellishment box mounted onto another piece of polka-dotted dp, which is mounted on a piece of white cardstock that I cut with my nesties and ran through the swiss dots cuttlebug folder to add even *more* polka dots!  The little flag is stamped with the birthday saying from Mixed Messages and pierced.  The final touch was a little ribbon and button treatment.



Thanks for stopping by!! ~~ Tricia

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Meet Rebecca Rabbit

Meet Rebecca Rabbit from Digital Stamp Oasis!  She hopped into my inbox this morning to tell me that I get to be a part of the Digital Stamp Oasis Design Team for the next six months.  How fun!  Ellie has some wonderful animal images available for download in her Etsy shop.  My favorite is the squirrel at the mailbox.  You'll be seeing him soon!! :)

This is the first digital stamp I've ever used, mostly because I was sure I couldn't figure out how to size them and print them, but it's really easy, *and* inexpensive, *and* it takes less storage space!   I opened the file in my word processing program, sized the picture down and printed it on Georgia Pacific 110# White.  It colored like a dream - and I used both Copics and Prismas/OMS just to check.  I absolutely LOVE the word set.  The font is so pretty and the stamps fit different size punches or nesties.

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to hop over to the Digital Stamp Oasis shoppe and have a look around.  Blessings!  Tricia

Monday, March 23, 2009

A Mojo Wish

The Mojo Monday sketch for today looked perfect for this sweet vase of flowers from Gina K's set "Simple Pleasures".  I colored it with Copics, used more of my Spring Craft Kit and tied it all together with a button and a bow... something I've been doing a lot of lately... but I have a lot of buttons to use up from the kit and it's such a sweet look!! :)  Thanks for stopping by!!

Details...
Stamps - Simple Pleasures (Gina K)
Papers - Very Vanilla, Barely Banana (SU), Flower Patch (Making Memories), Bazzill
Other - Button, Ribbon, Copics, Stickles (Stardust), Scallop Scissors, Sponge & Palette Burnt Umber ink (around sentiment), Word Window Punch


Sunday, March 22, 2009

Magnolia Blog Candy Sighting!!

Oh, look!!  Wonderful Magnolia blog candy on Claudia's Blog!!  They are stamps from the Easter collection.  So sweet!!!!


Saturday, March 21, 2009

Busy Today!!

I've been a busy girl today!  I've been having so much fun with my Spring kit that I haven't been able to stop!!  Here is a little Bug from CC Designs (who's retiring, I hear!), all dressed up for Easter.  The sketch was from Our Creative Corner and was so fun to work with!!

Details...
Images:  CC Designs, PTI
Cardstock:  Soft Sky, Flower Patch (Making Memories)
Other:  Copics, Ribbon, Button, scalloped scissors

Tilda Joy

More Spring Kit! :)  Today I'm working with Tilda and using the Mojo Monday sketch and the Magnolia Down Under Recipe of 1 Tilda, 1 Yellow Ribbon, and a Flower.  Tilda is colored with Copics and the sentiment is PTI.  Hope you're having a joyful day!

Blessings!

Tricia

Spring Notes Book

Have I told you yet that I *love* this paper from the FlyBaby Craft Kit??  How cute is this???  I'll have you know that the bunnies are fuzzy.  Pettable!!  Say it together.... AWWWWWW!
I altered the composition notebook for my dd who has started stamping with me.  Her passion is to make cards for others who need some cheering up.  The elderly, those with cancer, children in the hospital, etc., so I made her the notebook as a place to keep track of when and to whom she is sending her cards.  

It's chilly again here today and I'm ready to sit down with a cup of coffee and my cross stitch, but I *have* to unbury my desk first!!

Blessings!

Tricia

Friday, March 20, 2009

Copic Coffee Beans

Today's card is for my nephew who works at Starbucks... whose birthday was last week.  Oops.  The image is the same as the one I colored with prismacolors on Wednesday, but this time I used Copics and dark colors to change the feel from feminine to manly.  I used a Fiskars mini-pinking decorative scissor to trim the "Cool Beans" sentiment, and pulled out my Cropadile and some square eyelets to balance out the card.  Thanks for stopping by!!

Details...
Images:  A Cuppa Joe (Gina K)
Cardstock:  Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel (SU), Bazzill Textured, Watercolor paper, GP110#White
Accessories:  Copics, Sponge, cropadile, brads, Fiskars mini-pinking scissors


Thursday, March 19, 2009

Cross Stitch Wish List

Updated:12/2/10
Little House NeedleWorks
Wool Needlebook
Winter Band Sampler
Acorn Hill
Necessities Sampler
The Counting House

Country Cottage Needleworks
A Bee C Sampler
Bless Our Home
Bunny Hop
Sheep in the Meadow

Impie, Hattie, Bea
Traveling Stitcher Pouch & Needlebook

Silver Creek Samplers
Eye on the Sparrow

Bent Creek
The Littles Bunny

Cross Country Stitching Magazine -  Feb '10

Evenweave Fabric - 25 Count or Above
18 ct aida cloth
Overdyed Floss
Scissors :-)
Other fun stitchy things








Butterflies

Here's another 15 minute card.  I used Nestibilities to cut out my scalloped and rectangular pieces and mounted a couple of die-cut butterflies from my Spring Craft Kit with dimensionals.  I threaded a big button from the kit with some wonderful swirly ribbon from my local scrapbook store and then stamped the steam stamp from Gina K's My Cuppa Joe below the butterflies in Grey (or is it Gray??).  I didn't add any words because it was so pretty without them and I didn't want to mess it up!!!  {{smiles}}

Details:
Stamps:  My Cuppa Joe (Gina K)
Papers:  Flower Patch dp & diecuts (Memory Makers)
Accessories:  Large Rectangle Nestibilities, button, ribbon, dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!!
Blessings!!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Nesties at Stamp TV

Have you checked out Stamp TV yet??  It's such a great learning place!  Today's episode was on using your nestibilities in your Cuttlebug.  I'd gotten both of these fun tools for Christmas and had figured out how to use them for myself, so I really didn't think I "needed" to watch the tutorial.  Well, I did anyway, and *wow* did I learn something that will save me so many steps!! :)  My goal today is to make a number of "15 minute projects".  I'll jump off from a challenge but try to make it clean and simple and quick.  Here's my card for the nestibilities challenge.  I used My Cuppa Joe from Gina K's again.  I'm really trying to *use* my purchases (or gifts in this case!) rather than just to look at them! :)

Here's the details...
Stamps:  My Cuppa Joe (Gina K)
Cardstock:  Soft Sky (SU), Flower Patch DP (Making Memories)
Accessories:  Yellow pastel, Large Rectangle Nestibilities, Making Memories Brad, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder, dimensionals, prismacolors, oms


Blessings!

Tricia

Verve Project Parade

The Verve Project parade for this month is to "create an egg-stra special spring project".  I just happened to have a little ziplock baggy full of pastel jelly beans that I was going to give to a little girl who just had a baby sister, so what better spring project than to dress up her treat a little bit??

I started by folding a piece of 8.5" x 2.5" Soft Sky cardstock to fit my baggy of jelly beans, leaving a little flap that I punched with my Fiskars Threading Water punch.  I stamped the flap with my CC Designs Polka Dot Background stamp in soft sky ink, and then added a flower from Verve's Meditations set that I stamped in Regal Rose on a scrap of Making Memories patterned paper.  "Blessings" from the set Hello Pumpkin was stamped in Palette Noir onto another scrap and trimmed as a flag.  I covered the front with another coordinating piece of dp and stapled my bag of jelly beans inside.  The flap is held down with just a bit of double-sided tape.  Thanks for stopping by!  And don't miss the other Project Parade participants (Try saying that 3 times fast! LOL!) listed on the Verve Blog.





Blessings!!

Tricia

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Ducky Joy

I made three similar cards with this image yesterday, but this one was my favorite.  The little ducky (or chicky...) is from Amuse Elzybells and is the last of some images I'd gotten of him through Wish RAK.  I'm going to miss him.  In fact, I may have to buy him!! :)

Details...
Images:  Amuse, TAC
Paper:  Making Memories, Barely Banana, Soft Sky
Accessories:  Copics, Sewing Machine, Ribbon, Button, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Folder, Large Rectangle Nestabilities

Monday, March 16, 2009

Doll Quilt

I had a few minutes today to put together a little patchwork doll quilt from the baby blanket leftovers.  I plan on giving the doll blanket to a "big sister" of a new little girl that was born a few weeks ago.

In other quilting news... check out this wonderful quilting blog candy!!  It sounds good enough to eat!  LOL!!  If you know me at all, you know that I love quilting as much as I do stamping.  It makes me happy to know I'm sewing something that someone will keep and that they'll remember me when they use it.  Even if the points aren't perfect. :)

Blessings!

Springy Thanks

It smelled like Spring today.  We even went for a walk after supper.  Ahhhh!  Tomorrow it might get close to 70 outside.  Oh how wonderful!!!  And.... drumroll please!  I saw my first robin yesterday.  {{smiles}}

In honor of spring - I used my FlyBaby kit again (which I'm *loving*) and made this thank you note with a sketch from Stamp TV.  It's a thank you note, too, so it qualifies for the challenge over at Paper Garden Projects.  Check out her blog and store if you haven't.  There are fun things there!! :)  

I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful St. Patrick's Day tomorrow!  We'll be celebrating a birthday here, so it will be busy.

Blessings!

I colored my lady bug with prismas, oms and copics and paper pieced the flowers.  

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Birthday Coffee

Gina K's "My Cuppa Joe" set was perfect for my DS' birthday card, since he enjoys a cup of coffee with me every morning.  The technique on StampTV this week is woodgraining.  I did mine over textured cardstock - swiped with a mustard chalk ink, and then two different brown dye inks.  I paper pieced the cup and then colored the lid and base with Copics.  The sentiment is from TAC.

One last thing... here's a post about some blog candy for a cause.   The gal's nephew is raising money for those with childhood cancer.  It sounds kind of like getting your hair cut for Locks of Love, but a little shorter. :)

Have a lovely weekend!  Maybe I'll see some of you at the PaperTrey release party tonight.  Speaking of which, did you see Nichole's post today about the card kits with interchangable sentiments???  That is *such* a fabulous idea!!!!!!

Blessings!

Tricia

Friday, March 13, 2009

Clean & Simple??

So after my last post about clean and simple cards I make this one for a design team call for Digital Stamp Oasis... which has some of the sweetest squirrel digistamps! :)  I haven't tried the digistamp route yet, but it sounds like fun, so I used my TAC lion to give the sketch a try.  I colored him with Prismas, OMS and Copics, added some paper piercing and stitching and then played with flowers, ribbon and buttons.  All of the paper and embellishments are from my new Spring Craft Kit from the SCS FlyBaby group... which I don't think I was supposed to use until next week.  But the Making Memories dp was *perfect* for this image and these baby buttons are adorable, and I don't even usually like buttons! :)  And it *is* mailable, I just checked! :)

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Clean & Simple

As I've done more blogging and seen the gorgeous creations, I've found myself working harder and harder to make gorgeous cards myself.  Unfortunately, most of those cards are not mailable - except with extra postage, in a padded envelope.  When I was a demo I was very careful that my cards were classy - but quick and fairly flat.  I used a lot of eyelets, brads and some ribbon, but seldom thick ribbon or buttons because they were harder to mail.  I mentioned yesterday that I'd come across a box of precut card kits.  I'm so looking forward to using them!  So a lot of the cards you see during the weeks ahead are going to be simple.  I'll add little extras here and there, but what I really want is to fill up a stash of beautiful, easy to mail cards... to get back to my blog title of "Simply Stamping".  

In light of that, I joined the Clean & Simple challenge over on SplitCoast yesterday to make a clean and simple card with the colors blue and green.  Granted this is *really* clean and simple, but it's the kind of card I would be drawn to if I picked up notecards at Target, so why does it feel like cheating when I stamped it???

Here's today's tip... for colored cards that come together quickly, keep your line art images fairly basic.  This stamp is one of my all time favorites.  The color choices aren't difficult and it took me less than 2 minutes to color! :)

On another note... Blog Candy alert!!!  Some of you may not know that I own a Christian Dayplanner business called GraceWorks Purpose Planners.  One of the systems that we carry - The Beautiful Life Management System - has become a favorite for many women who are trying to keep up with their housework, their walk with the Lord and the rest of their busy life.   If you're interested in knowing more about it, check out these posts by Jenn of A Beautiful Calling, and watch for a huge giveaway tomorrow!!! :)

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Tulip Blessings

I remembered today that I had a box of leftover card kits that a friend had given me when she stopped being a Stampin Up demo.  Of course, I have no idea what the original cards were supposed to look like, but I think it will be a fun project to use up the precut cardstock & ribbon.  I made four of today's card, for which I pulled out SU's WaterColor Garden II - a set I haven't used in forever!  I updated the look by using my new Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder on the background, and I used "Blessings" from the Verve set "Hello Pumpkin".  My Mom will be thrilled to get a set of cards, I know, and I'm excited to have mass produced a little. :)

Blessings!

Tricia

Monday, March 09, 2009

Waiting for Spring

One of the crafty things that I treated myself with this year was to join Jill Hilliard's Stamping Up Hostess Club.  The monthly commitment was low (otherwise I couldn't have done it), and it's so nice to get the catalogs and to be a hostess once a year, even if I don't get any extra orders.  Anyway, I just received my first order from Jill today and this little card kit was in it.  How fun!  Excellent customer service, huh?? :)  I needed a Magnolia card, so I got out my Copics and colored Tilda with her little bird - a robin, of course, cuz I'm *sure* spring is almost here.  The little sentiment from TAC is just perfect.  "Think Spring!!"

Thanks for stopping by!

Tricia

Saturday, March 07, 2009

Weekend Challenge

Hi all!  Verve has a fun weekend sketch challenge before their release party tomorrow.   You can check it out on the Verve Blog if you want to play along!  I used one of my Verve "Plain Jane" stamps and my Violet Cupcake from Karen Lockhart.  Fairly simple, but it still took me awhile.  :o)

TTFN!

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Joy

I used one of my new Verve stamps today to play in the Mojo Monday challenge.  I just love the brightness of the paper and the way *JOY* jumps out at me when I look at the card.  I kept it fairly simple - just a little paper piercing and sponging.  I didn't want anything to detract from the verse.

I pray you're having a good week! 

Blessings!

Tricia

Sunday, March 01, 2009

A few more challenges!


I had time for one more card tonight, so I decided to make a birthday atc for the Tilda and Friends challenge and then make it into a card using the Papertake sketch.  The atc is fairly plain, but I like her on the complete card.  For the atc background I stamped a Happy Birthday stamp from TAC randomly on a piece of designer paper.  Tilda is colored (very quickly!) with copics.

Thanks for dropping by!!



Fluffles in the Spring

I love Julee's Mojo Monday sketches.  They're a little more involved and really make me think.  Today, along with using the sketch, I wanted to play in the Cute Card Thursday challenge to use an animal stamp, and I also wanted to use this designer paper that I haven't been able to figure a project for.  

I colored Fluffles and the snail with copics and layered them on mauve, then on celery that had been stamped with the CC Designs Polka Dot background, and then on yellow Bazzill.  I didn't add a sentiment because this card is suitable for so many occasions... birthday, thinking of you, thank you, happy spring, you name it! :)

Blessings!

Tricia