Mother's Little Helper

Panda-monium

Hello, hello!  How are my friendlies today? Are you happy it's Friday? Do you have big plans for Superbowl weekend? Me? No. I could not care less which team wins the Superbowl. Maybe I need to make a bet on it with someone, just to make it a little more interesting?  If I were to do so, which team should I root for?  On the one hand, I could root for Seattle because I love that city, and because my wonderful stamping-and-real-life-friend Karolyn Loncon is a Seahawks fan.  On the other hand, I could root for the Patriots because I'll be spending a lot of time in Boston over the next few years¹ and Tom Brady is very cute. Decisions, decisions! 

Enough football talk.  Let's get back to today: Friday!  Or, as those of us on the Your Next Stamp design team call it, "FUN FRIDAY!"² Every other Friday, half of the design team plays in the current YNS Sketch and Color Challenge.  Here's the sketch and/or color challenge:

 

This week, I opted to use the color challenge.  Here's what I came up with, using the new LOVE AND SMILES stamp set and YNS CIRCLES die set:

Here's a closeup of the cute little panda:

In keeping with the color challenge, he's colored in with dark gray Copic markers (from the cool gray family).

Pandas are some of my favorite stamp images, as Truman, my 18 year old, has loved pandas ever since he was a little, little boy.  In fact, one of the first cards I ever made for Truman was a Valentine that featured pandas, using a trio of panda stamps I purchased on eBay³.  Here's the card I made for him, almost 8 years ago to the day⁴:

I think that's a pretty awesome card, especially when you consider that I really only began stamping three or four months before making that. It kind of depresses me, in a way. I prefer to look back at my old stuff and think "Whew! That's terrible! I've come a long way, baby!" and then light up a Virginia Slims (even though I don't smoke).

This card makes me think, "Huh. That's pretty good. I don't think I've improved that much in eight years..."

Anyway, all this talk about pandas and Truman -- let me get to the point I wanted to make before I went off on various tangents: I was messaging on Facebook with a stamping/blogging friend⁵ of mine, Joan B.  When her son was a freshman in college, she embarked on what she called a "100 Card Challenge" to make and send 100 cards to her son before he graduated. Thinking about Truman going away for college, I told her I was considering embarking on her challenge and asked whether it was sustainable. She recommended I get started now and build up a stash for him. Her son loved getting the cards, but getting to 100 is harder than it sounds, especially with a full-time job, etc.

Fortunately, I have a TON of cards just sitting there, collecting dust. (Why, I don't know. I have no excuse!) But most of them, I doubt Truman would really like. Too frou-frou or girly or cutesy. Today's card, though, I know he would appreciate.  And now I'm going to consciously start making cards with him in mind. I always find that if I make cards with someone in mind, I end up liking them better than if I just make them for the sake of making them. So, in advance, consider this 1/100.  Thanks for the inspiration and great advice, Joan!

With this challenge in mind, I made my card (almost) as flat as can be, for mailing purposes:   One other card note: I used the current Sweet Sunday Sketch, #253.

Alright, alright!  This is by far the longest post I've written in a while.  I'll let you go!  Don't forget to visit the YNS Blog and see what fun creations my fellow YNS designers have created with YNS Sketch and Color Challenge #6.  Have a wonderful weekend, and I hope your team wins on Sunday!

 

Footnotes:

1.  Um, is this a convenient time for me to mention the fact that Truman will be attending HARVARD?!  Is that obnoxious of me?  I swear, I very rarely drop that factoid except for here on the blog-io. After all, I live on a college campus, and it seems inappropriate to talk about a different college under such circumstances. But still. I'm proud of him and excited -- you'll indulge me every once in a while, won't you?

2.  You can call today "Fun Friday," too, if you want.  YNS doesn't have a copyright on that term.

3. I also used a sentiment and heart image from the SU! set, Loving Hearts, and a lower case 't' from CTMH's Solo T set.

4.  I know this fun fact because I had to look it up in my Splitcoaststampers gallery.  I made it several months before this blog came into existence. It was waaay back in the day when you could upload a card to the SCS gallery and get lots & lots of views (1,322!) and lots & lots of comments (28!).  Makes me feel like breaking into the theme from "All in the Family."  Those were the daaaaaays!

4.  I've actually met Joan in real life, but it was so briefly (at a CHA several years ago; I believe I was helping out with a Make-N-Take at the Splitcoast booth, and she waved hello), that I can't really say she's an IRL friend.  But she's one of those cyber/crafty friends that I KNOW I would love to hang out with in real life as we seem to have so much in common.  We're both lawyers & stampers (a weirdo combination if there ever was one) and the mother of son(s), we've had complicated relationships with mothers who were "characters," etc.  If you don't yet read Joan's blog, I highly recommend you start.  She's a really good stamper, and an even better writer. She's wise and witty and just a cool chick.  ("Cool chick" is about the highest praise I have for someone.)

Believe It Or Not!

Are you ready?  I'm about to show you something I haven't done for months.  Are you sitting down?  Alright.  Here goes...

Yep -- a card using only Stampin' Up! supplies!  I kind of think of SU! these days as Big Stampin', in the same way that one thinks of Big Pharma (large drug companies like Pfizer or Merck) or Big Agra (giant farming conglomerates like Con-Agra).  Most of the stamps I tend to use these days are created by small, independent stamp manufacturers.  Kinda the organic farmers of stamping.  And, in the same way that eating locally grown, organic produce makes one feel a tiny bit ... virtuous, I like the fact that my stamping dollars are helping to keep the dream alive of a fellow stamper who had the courage to take a risk and put her heart and soul into creating something for the rest of us to enjoy.

Now, I'm not going all Fast-Food Nation on you (after I read that book, I swore off fast food.  That lasted about six months...).  I like SU! stuff and rarely make a card that doesn't use at least one of their products.  And supporting your SU! Demo is also a way of supporting a stamper's dream.  I'm just saying, if you've been conditioned to think that non-SU! stamps or products are 'contraband,' you might want to look at it from a different angle.  Consider me your friendly neighborhood de-programmer!  Of course, if you're a passionate devotee of that persuasion, chances are you aren't reading my blog...

So, then, why am I showing you a card using SU! only products after that little rant?  Well, because I think it's pretty stinkin' cute, for one thing.  And in order to participate in the Arlington Shoebox Swap I needed to create a 10 minute card using only SU! products.  So this is what I came up with.  I do think those dinosaurs are ADORABLE!  Love the smiley T-Rex with his sharp teeth, and that Pterodactyl looks like such a happy feller.  What little boy wouldn't be charmed by those characters?

I know a while back I promised a write-up of the swap, but time got away from me... That's the same excuse for why I didn't get my Christmas cards out this past year.  Suffice it to say, it was a blast and I was thrilled to catch up with so many of my stamping friends in the flesh.  If you haven't made it a priority to attend an SCS gathering in your region of the country, I urge you to do so.  Where there's a will, there's a way -- just ask Jessie, who drove through 11 hours through tornadoes to get to Arlington!  I bet she'll tell you it was worth every minute and then some to be in the same room with people who share your passion and speak your language.  Good times!

Supplies used:  Stamps: Prehistoric Pals & Wild About You; Paper: Kraft, Night of Navy, Really Rust, Garden Green; Ink: Night of Navy, Really Rust, Garden Green; Accessories: Cuttlebug, ribbon, Dimensionals.  All products by Stampin' Up!

Featured Stamper Sunday and a big ol' mess

Today's Featured Stamper is dlounds (aka Fat Cat Stamper, or Danielle).  She may have a lot of names, but fortunately, she also has a lot of talent and a gallery full of sweet cards to CASE from.  I chose this card, because I like the clean simplicity of it, and it gave me a chance to ink up the Time Well Spent set that SU! sent all active Demos as a holiday present (it's a level 3 hostess set in the new Spring-Summer 2008 SU! catalog).
The terms of the FS challenge require changing at least two elements of the chosen card; I went with a different color scheme (I know you're shocked that I went with pink and green), and instead of an oversized brad, I used a cute little chipboard button from Making Memories as an embellishment.

Supplies Used -- Stamps: Time Well Spent by SU!; Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, patterned paper by SEI; Ink: Staz-On Timber Brown; Accessories: Copic Sketch Markers, ribbon, Making Memories chipboard button, embroidery floss

In other news, I'm still working on tearing down the Christmas tree.  I know a lot of people like to leave theirs up through the New Year, but once we're done opening presents on Christmas morning, I'm ready to move on.  I don't want to hear another Christmas Carol and I want the decorations in the attic.  Next on my list of things to do: clean up my disaster of a stamping room.  To shame me into getting it done faster, I'll share with you a couple of before photos:
and

I hope to have after photos to show you by my next post, but if I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath...

11 Years Ago Today...

... I was sliced open and a squirmy, slimey 3 lb. 14 oz. baby was removed from my abdomen. My husband and I were petrified; the baby wasn't due until Christmas Eve. But he was in a hurry and didn't want to wait. He's still a lot like that. Plus, knowing him the way I do now, I'm pretty sure he thought he might score a lot of candy by being born on Halloween Eve. That tiny little hatchling has become a stringy burst of energy with a tuft of spikey blonde hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and a heartwarming smile. He's smart, funny, and athletic. And best of all, he's kind. He's a wonderful big brother and always tells me he loves me when he leaves the house or hangs up the phone. He's the last to let go of a hug. He's my #1 son (though when I tell him that, I always add that I saved the best for last. : ) ) And he's one of the great loves of my life. Happy Birthday, Truman.

Truman's card was made using the colors from today's Color Challenge: Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron, and Real Red. He was colored in with Copic Sketch markers, and the "Champ" sentiment was heat embossed with white detail embossing powder.

Supplies used -- Stamps: Sporting and Short Order numbers by SU!, Dude by Close to My Heart, Love You To Pieces by Gina K. Designs, Borderline: Family Ties by Technique Tuesday; Paper: So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Nena Crest Solar White; Ink: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, VersaMark, Brilliance Archival Graphite Black; Accessories: Ribbon, eyelets, paper piercing tool and Mat Pack, Tonic paper distresser, Huggerz (I think that's what that red thing is called), white detail embossing powder, metal T from Joann's, 3-D Dots, oval punches.

Snow on Fall Break?

Fall Break begins today in our local school district. Truman had a buddy spend the night last night and just left to go to a different friend's house to play. Life is good when you're a fifth grader and there's no school and you have lots of friends to play with. Life is even better when your parents get a good report about you at the parent-teacher conference, which also happened earlier today. The mood at our house today is easy and pleasant, kind of like the look on this snowman's face. This card (made for today's sketch challenge) may not be seasonally appropriate for Fall Break, but it definitely reflects the mood around our house right now.

Supplies used -- Stamps: Perfect Presentation by Stampin' Up!; Paper (all SU! unless otherwise noted): Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Regal Rose, Shimmery White, Cotton Candy patterned paper by Cactus Pink; Ink: VersaMark; Accessories: Blue Tinsel embossing powder by Stampendous; SU! wide grosgrain ribbon, brads, Uniball Signo white pen, paper piercer, Cuttlebug, circles CB embossing folder, 3-D Dots.

Sweetness!

Isn't this cupcake set the cutest thing? I know cupcakes are kinda trendy these days, but this is one trend I support 100%! Who doesn't love a sweet chunk of cake you don't have to use a fork with?! Speaking of love -- I love this awesome sketch, created by one of my favorite stampin' friends, Jen del Muro of I {heart} to stamp. Every Saturday she shares her Sketch for You to Try, and this is today's. Shannan Teubner and Susan Liles -- a couple of other stampin' buddies from south of the Oklahoma border -- also have samples of this sketch on their blogs, so be sure to surf on over and see what they came up with. Warning: you will definitely be inspired to get inky!

Supplies used -- Stamps: Big Bold Birthday by Stampin' Up!; Paper: (Green Galore, Shimmery White) Stampin' Up!, Doodlecharms patterned paper by Cricut, sparkly cardstock by Doodlebug Designs; Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion, Green Galore; Accessories: Ribbon, Liquid Applique, orange Stickles, 3-D Dots.

Busy*Becca*Bee left a sweet comment on one of my cards this week on SCS. She has a quote on her signature that I have thought about several times since first seeing it, and it definitely brings a smile to my face: "Obsessed is the term the lazy use to describe the dedicated." Isn't that awesome?! : ) So next time someone refers to your passion in a derogatory way, have that handy little comeback on the ready.

The whole fam damily went to the Tulsa State Fair a couple of weeks ago, and fortunately the Sugar Show was still going on. The Sugar Arts Competiton in Tulsa is one of the biggies nationwide and has been featured several times on the Food Network. Most of the people who visit my blog regularly are fellow stamping enthusiasts, and I know you can appreciate the time and love these sugar artists put into their chosen mode of creative expression. Isn't it awesome that there are so many different ways for people to do something for the sheer joy of it? Whether it's cake decorating or butter sculpting (missed that -- it was after the Sugar Show : ) ) or rubber stamping -- it's all good!

The theme for the Big Cakes at the SAC this year was Old Hollywood Glamour. Here are a few of the entries that amazed me or made me smile.

Pac-Man Fever!

I've been thinking about making this card for a couple of days, ever since I was looking at SU!'s Batty For You set and wondering how I could use the images for something other than Halloween and/or outside their little saying-circles. It occurred to me that the ghost looked an awful lot like Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde. (To answer your question: no, I do not use illicit drugs; I was steeped and formed in the eighties, and these cultural references fill the nooks and crannies of my brain like butter does a Thomas's English Muffin.) Today's Ways To Use It Challenge, substitute-hosted by Lindsey Botkin/Jacksonbelle, was to make a card with bling, and I had some Paper Gems that would service as dots and Power Pellets. Speaking of Power Pellets, Pac Man obviously must have just ate one, because he has the little monsters on the run. I think this card would charm the pants off men of a certain age (not that that's a difficult task, mind you :) ). I may need to hang on to this for either Valentine's Day or one of those moments when I'm in the dog house...

The card measures 9" x 3.5". The sentiment is computer generated. The little cherry is a stamp by Judith and is covered in Stickles.

Supplies used: Stamps: Batty for You by Stampin Up!, cherry by Judith; Paper (all SU!): Yo-Yo Yello, Basic Black, Brilliant Blue, Whisper White; Ink: Brilliance Archival Graphite, Staz-On Saddle brown; Accessories: computer, circle punches, Paper Salon Paper Gems, Stickles, 3-D Dots.

First Snow

It's a little early for snow to fall here in Oklahoma (especially when you consider today's high temperature is supposed to be in the 80's) but with global warming and new rubber, life is unpredictable. I just love this little Merry & Bright set from SU!'s current mini catalog. Have you ordered any from that catalog? If so, you know that the rubber came PRE-CUT and ready to mount!!! Sometimes I like to go through the ritual of cutting out my Stampin' Up! stamps; it gives me a chance to get a really good look at them and think about all the different ways I could use them. I'm big on anticipation -- I like looking at presents under the Christmas tree and wondering what they are almost as much as I like opening them! Anyway, cutting my own rubber affords me a little of that anticipatory pleasure, but it's offset by the fact that it can be a bit of a pain. And with my tendency to procrastinate... well, you get the picture.

[Note to dear readers: if you haven't noticed yet, let me make this perfectly clear. I have a tendency to ramble. For example, the above paragraph. This is why I needed to start a blog. My SCS card descriptions were getting so long I was afraid I would start bogging down their server.]

Oh, yeah. The card! I made this for today's Technique Lover's Challenge to make an acetate card. This is my first acetate card ever, and I really enjoyed making it. There's a great tutorial in SCS's resources that can spell out exactly how to do this; I followed it to the letter without a problem. I was inspired by the colors in SU!'s Wintergreen paper pack -- love that paper. Sage Shadow is one of my all time favorite colors. I love, love, love any shade of blue/green or green/blue. Teal, Robin's Egg Blue, Sage Shadow, Sea Foam Green, love 'em all. My very favorite color in the world, though? Kelly Green. Just a little fun fact for you to know and tell!

Supplies used (all SU! unless otherwise noted) -- Stamps: Merry & Bright; Paper: Shimmery White, Sage Shadow, Wintergreen, Hampton Arts acetate; Ink: Palette Hybrid Noir, Soft Sky, Staz-On White; Accessories: Glue Dots, paper piercer and mat pack, Sakura white pen, Stampin' Write markers, ribbon.

Featured Stamper Sunday -- Sweet Miss Daisy!

I think Anna Wight -- aka Sweet Miss Daisy -- is just peachy, so I chose this card of hers to CASE for Featured Stamper Sunday. Anna is a wonderful paper artist, illustrator, and photographer; in otherwords, she's an all-around Renaissance gal! She also happens to be celebrating a birthday today, so Happy Birthday, Anna!

I received this Farm Fresh image from Kelly (atomicbutterfly) in a little image swap we did over the summer. I just love this set, and if you have one you want to get rid of, have your people contact my people and see if we can negotiate a deal. The changes I made from Anna's original are:

1. Different color scheme
2. I used patterned paper where she used a stamped background
3. I added a little ribbon tie on top of the swirly clip. To me, the ribbon ends are the best part of using ribbon (which is why I don't really care for the ribbon that comes with adhesive already on the back), and cards look a little nakey without them. Kind of like when you have belt loops and no belt, or pierced ears with no earrings. Know what I mean?

Supplies used (all SU! unless otherwise noted) -- Stamps: Farm Fresh; Paper: So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Basic Black, Petals & Paisley dp; Ink: Staz-On black; Accessories: Copic Sketch Markers, Groovy Guava reinker, Aquabrush, ribbon, swirly-clip, ribbon, 3-D Dots, SU! Perfect Layers tool.

Inspiration for the Flower Challenged

I've mentioned before that I'm not much when it comes to stamping flowers. If I do flowers at all, it's usually going to be something cute or graphic-y (that's a technical term), not realistic. I love flowers in real life, and I admire what other stampers are able to do with floral sets, but me stamping with a set like Wild Rose would be as awkward as Ellen DeGeneres wearing a mini-skirt and spike heels; there would just be something glaringly inauthentic about the whole deal.

That being said, there are a few sets that happen to have flowers in them that I quite like, and those sets come in very handy, especially when one is issued an Inspiration Challenge like today's, which is to make a card inspired by this bedding. This card came very quickly and I think it's sweet, though I'm not sure I would have used Purely Pomegranate for the big flower had it not been a shade used in the bedding. I think I'd have just made the big flower Regal Rose (same shade as the smaller pink flower). So, if you're looking at my blog for inspiration Mr. or Ms. Pottery-Barn-Bedding-Designer, there's a little tip for you. The Purely Pom just kind of throws me off. But, whatever. At this point, it's done and I chalk up what I'm not crazy about to wabi sabi.

Supplies used (all SU! unless otherwise noted) -- Stamps: Priceless, Office Accoutrement; Paper: Bashful Blue, Shimmery White, Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava; Ink: Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Groovy Guava, Regal Rose, VersaMark; Accessories: corner rounder, Polysparkle embossing powder by Ranger, ribbon, brads, Mini-Sprinkles by Queen & Co., 3-D Dots.

Twill we meet again, sweet Vespa...

Oh, the weather outside's delightful
But I'm feeling a wee bit spiteful
On the Vespa I want to go
The shop is slow, oh it's slow, oh it's slow

Over Labor Day weekend, we went down to the Lake to visit with my in-laws, and we took our Vespa (so cute, and just a couple of months old). Well, it was parked outside our cabin on a gravel slope, and long-story-short, the Vespa and I slid as I was trying to push it off its stand. We both got a few scratches. So, on Tuesday -- the day after Labor Day! -- I took it into the Vespa dealership to have them touch up the paint job. It's still there!! What could be taking them so long?! Don't they understand that Autumn in Oklahoma lasts about five minutes between the sweltering heat of summer and the miserable cold of winter?! Okay. Hang on. I'm calling them right now. "That number is busy..." Grrr...

Since the Vespa is on my mind, I decided to make a card with this cute scooter stamp from SU!'s The Wheel Thing set. The present from Holiday Blitz (LOVE the versatility of that set, and the images are so, so cute!) set fits perfectly on the rack. Today's Ways to Use it Challenge was to use twill, and in my stash I found this festive printed twill by Junkitz that determined my color scheme. The big, fun piece of background patterned paper is from the Martha Stewart line available at Michael's. The card is a 5.5" x 5.5" square and conforms to Bad Sherry and Jeanne S's most recent Just Because We Wanna sketch challenge. The scooter image was colored via SU! markers and huffing.

Supplies used -- Stamps: The Wheel Thing and Holiday Blitz by SU!, sentiments by A Muse; Paper (all SU! unless otherwise noted) Whisper White, Gable Green, Only Orange, Junkitz patterned paper, Martha Stewart "Classroom" crafting paper; Ink: Basic Black, Only Orange, Tempting Turquoise; Accessories: Junkitz twill, brads, SU! Stampin' Write markers.

I {Heart} Kraft

I do. I mean, I really, really do. I just love it. I love it so much that when I sent in my order to become an SU! demo (I'm just a hobbyist; I've never had a class or sold one item), I opted for a package of Kraft cardstock instead of the recommended Whisper White. (I wish I would have done the same with Heartfelt Thanks; I KNEW I would never use that set, but I was swayed by the chorus of SCSers who swear by its versatility. And, if you're a flower stamper, it is very versatile. But I'm not a flower stamper. My black thumb runs too deep.) What's so special about Kraft? I think it's so friendly -- not formal in the least. It's just comfy-cozy, don't you think? Plus, it reminds me of "... brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things..." Kraft is definitely one of my favorite things.

Here's a Krafty little Halloween card I made for today's Sketch Challenge. I used Paper Trey Ink's Faux Ribbon set to make the 'ground' and the sentiment is from last year's SU! Hostess set, All Around Argyle. The image is popped up on 3-D Dots, and was masked off at various points.

Supplies used (all SU! unless otherwise noted) -- Stamps: Autumn Apparitions, All-Around Argyle, Faux Ribbon by Paper Trey Ink; Paper: Kraft!, Basic Black, Making Memories Halloween Embellishment pack; Ink: Basic Black, Garden Green; Accessories: Stampin' Write Markers; ribbon, Paper piercer and Mat Pack, 3-D Dots.

Three is a Magic Number

I have to tell you, I get all weepy when I hear that Schoolhouse Rock song by Bob Dorough, "Three is a Magic Number." It's just such a beautiful little ditty that takes me back not only to Saturday mornings when I was growing up (remember when cartoons were a treat you could only see once a week or early, early in the morning?), but also to those days as a brand new parent with one little baby. Such a sweet, tentative time, when you're still figuring out what it means to be a grown up and yet you have this little life totally dependent on you and you're afraid if you don't do everything exactly right you might break him. Huh? you ask. How does a song/cartoon written for children bring all that up? Well, Schoolhouse Rock is the best of both worlds -- simple but smart. Take these lyrics, for example:

"Three is a magic number.
Yes it is, it's a magic number.
Somewhere in the ancient, mystic trinity
You get three as a magic number.
The past and the present and the future,
Faith and hope and charity,
The heart and the brain and the body
Give you three.
That's a magic number."

And of course, here's the especially sweet part that always comes to mind when I hear about a couple having their first baby:

"A man and a woman had a little baby.
Yes, they did.
They had three in the family.
That's a magic number."

I made this card for two purposes: today's SCS Color Challenge (to use Blue Bayou, River Rock, and Chocolate Chip) and also as a baby card for one of my favorite stampers, Amy Rohl (aka rohla). I know it may seem like kind of a strange image for a baby card, but I know Amy will get it. Plus, if she's anything like me, she'll think that her sweet baby George is a miracle that ranks right up there with the Big One. : )

The layout is based on the SCS Dirty Dozen's sketch challenge. The image was colored with reinkers, an Aquabrush, and Watercolor Wonder crayons. Then sentiment was computer generated.

Supplies used (all SU! unless otherwise noted) -- Stamps: Baby Jesus is Born, Canvas; Paper: Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip, River Rock, scrap from a Fabriano Mediovalis card, Very Vanilla; Ink: Brilliance Archival Graphite Black, Chocolate Chip, reinkers in Blue Bayou and River Rock; Accessories: Ribbon, oval punches, dimensionals, Watercolor Wonder crayons, Aquabrush, Signo white pen.

Featured Stamper Sunday -- starofmay

Ooof-tie! Today's Featured Stamper on SCS is Kristina Werner (starofmay). She's the 33rd stamper to be featured in this series of challenges. I'm familiar with most of the stampers who have been featured so far, but I'd never seen any of Kristina's stuff before. I checked out her blog, and let me tell you, I was completely and totally BLOWN AWAY! She has a fresh, clean look that I can only aspire to, and her handwriting is to die for. I think Heidi Swapp may have seen her handwriting somewhere and copied her... Anyway, make sure you check out Kristina's blog for yourself. Beware, however: it's so sweet, you'll come away from your computer with a mouth full of cavities!!

Here's my take on Kristina's Thank You card. The changes I made are:

1. I used the pumpkin and jack-o-latern face from the Holiday Blitz set instead of the apple. I'm deeply into making Halloweenie stuff these days.
2. I changed the color scheme to be more Halloweenie, too.
3. I added the little cute little Making Memories Sweets tag. Just got these as part of a Bday gift from my friend Pam and I love 'em!
4. I used the Linen bg, a line of dots from In the Spotlight, and an A Muse sentiment. I don't have the Polka Dot bg or All In a Row that Kristina used, and I love the "Hello Pumpkin" sentiment because it's so versatile. I can use this card for just about any purpose but sympathy between now and Oct. 31.

Supplies Used (all supplies SU! unless otherwise noted): Stamps -- Holiday Blitz (pumpkin), In the Spotlight, Linen bg, A Muse sentiment; Paper -- Lovely Lilac, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Wild Wasabi; Ink -- Basic Black; Accessories -- Stampin' Write markers, non-SU! ribbon, Making Memories Sweets dimensional embellishments; Crop-a-Dile.

Thoughts on Lilliputians and Zebras...

Surely you were forced at one point in school to read Gulliver's Travels. Remember when Gulliver washed up on the beach of Lilliput, and found himself tied down to the ground, surrounded by people less than six inches high? Well, apparently the Lilliputians have been enslaved by someone associated with Stampin' Up! The Big Celebrations set from the new catalog depicts scenes of little people wrapping a present, decorating a wedding cake, trimming a Christmas tree, and dangerously dangling by the string of a balloon. Judging by the scale of the objects to the wee folk, the items appear to be human-sized. I bet Shelli Gardner (co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!) owns them, and thought it would be cute to have her artists memorialize their labors in rubber. She must have a ton of 'em to get as much stuff as she gets done and look so great -- she has five kids and ten grandkids and still looks younger than me. *Sigh*

Anyway, I used the Big Celebrations set to make a card for today's Sketch Challenge. According to this image (which I colored with Copic Sketch markers and highlighted with Copic Spica glitter markers for a little sparkle), the females have a strict dress code that requires them to wear modest, full-skirted frocks. I faux stitched around the image panel, and the outer yellow panel was cut with scallop scissors. That yummy ribbon is also by SU! -- it's the new 5/8" grosgrain in Regal Rose. I love it so much that the answer to your unspoken question which I have telepathic received is YES, I would marry it but that's illegal seeing as I'm already married.

Supplies used: Stamps -- Big Celebrations by SU!; paper (cardstock is all SU! unless otherwise mentioned) -- So Saffron, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, PaperTrey White, patterned paper with light blue reverse-side by Treehouse Memories; Ink -- Brilliance Archival Graphite, Regal Rose; Accessories -- Copic Sketch and Spica markers, piercing tool, SU! mat pack, Signo white pen, ribbon, scallop scissors.

Say Hello to My Lil Friend...

(When you read that, did it sound in your head like Al Pacino in Scarface? If not, go back and read it again the right way.) Isn't this little zebra adorable?! I nearly kissed the computer screen when I first saw him at www.starvingartiststamps.com. You see, the Claremore (the town in Oklahoma where I live) school system's mascot is the Zebra (colors: red and black). Animal prints have been a big trend in decorating and clothing in recent years, but in Claremore, Zebra-ish items never go out of style. And quite frankly, most zebra stuff isn't all that cute. But -- Hallelujah! -- all that has changed now that I have found Zeebo (name of said Zebra, according to the manufacturer). I am going to use this stamp so much over the next decade or so, the rubber will be completely flattened by the time my youngest graduates. For example, this little card is the prototype for teachers' gifts for my oldest son to give this Christmas. I figure I'll make a set of six or so per teacher along with some sort of foodstuff. The design is somewhat simple to allow for mass duplicaton. Except for one detail: Zeebo is completely covered with Copica Spica glitter markers, so he's really sparkly in real life, which just adds to his sweetness. I love my new little Zebra friend!

Supplies used: Stamps -- Zeebo from Doodle Factory Animals by Starving Artistamps; Paper -- prepackaged base card, PaperTrey White, Basic Black, red gingham by Creative Memories; Ink -- SU! Markers; Accessories -- Copic Spica glitter pens, Offray ribbon, paper piercing tool, Signo White pen, Marvy Uchida Giga Scallop Square punch.

Lookie What I Got!! I love having friends who stamp and realize what a gift it is to send a handcrafted card! And that I have one who is also such a great friend, she's like a sister to me? Well, what more could I ask for?! This GORGEOUS Bella card was made for me by Kristi (kmallett78) and is even more spectacular in person. Lots of bling, stickles, beautiful coloring, and the wine glass and bottle label even have Glossy Accents covering them to make them more realistic. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Know what's just as awesome? When someone you don't even know is sweet enough to send a beautiful handcrafted card, like this one I received from Jennie Moczan (mocjen). Jennie and I are both part of the A Muse Addicts group (I'll add a link to that group later in case someone reading this would like to join), and she thoughtfully sent me this lovely Bday RAK. Thanks, Jennie! You rock!!