River Rock Color Challenge!

The Splitcoaststampers Color Challenge this week is to use River Rock, Basic Black and Whisper White. Honestly, I don't think I would have participated, but I started seeing all the *gorgeous* cards using this color combo and knew I had to try it too! This is probably the first time I've used River Rock and I *love* the classy look of it with black and white.

Sadly, I was in need of a supply of sympathy cards so that's what I made tonight. This was a very simple card that came together quickly because I used Beate's Weekend Sketch again for the layout. The card is a standard 4-1/4 x 5-1/2". I stamped the front of the card with the linen background stamp and river rock ink. On top of that I layered another piece of river rock stamped with the filigree background stamp.

The sentiment is stamped and embossed on white cardstock that I cut out and embossed with a rectangle Nestibilities die. The flowers are stamped over the sentiment lightly with river rock ink. And can you believe how well this ribbon matches the paper? It's one of those $1.99 spools from Hobby Lobby that I probably bought when they were 50% off. I had no idea at the time that it was "river rock" in disquise! :)

I hope you're all having a great week so far. Thanks so much for stopping by! Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

(inside sentiment stamp) "May you have comfort in each happy memory and in the assurance of Heaven."

Supply List ~

Stamps: Stampin Up - linen background, filigree background, Happy Harmony; My Sentiments Exactly S146-10; Morning Star Stamps-inside sentiment (see quote)

Paper: Stampin Up - basic black, whisper white, river rock

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, clear detailed embossing powder, Stampin Up River Rock

Other: black eyelets, ribbonFX (faux river rock) ribbon, rectangle Nestibilities die

Hey! Hey! We're the Monkeys! . . .

". . . And people say we monkey around.

But we're too busy singing,

To put anybody down."

I'm really dating myself with these lyrics aren't I? Back in 1966, seeking to capitalize on the popularity of the Beatles, television executives dreamed up another fab-four group called the Monkees. Ok, what does this have to do with anything?! I'll quit singing and reminiscing and get back to telling you about my card... :)

You already know that I cannot resist these adorable Changito monkeys by Stampendous. Hubby and I made a last minute trip down to Omaha on Friday afternoon and I got to shop at Archivers while he was at Scheels. I love Archivers almost as much as Scatter Joy in Sioux Falls. They don't have half as many rubber stamps, but I always manage to find a few I can't live without! This is a small acrylic set called "Changito Notes". It's sold as an "Archiver's Exclusive" for $7.99 and comes with the monkeys and several words for inside the frame. {happy b-day, thank you, thinking of you, miss you, love you, U, hey u, 2, 4, !!!} I picked up a Stampendous Spring 2008 brochure while I was there and I'm in love with many of their new acrylic sets.

This card came together rather quickly. I started with the coordinating DCWV stack designer paper, paired it up with the SU groovy guava cardstock and colored the image to match with my prismacolor pencils. The center of the frame is paper pieced. I stamped the frame on groovy guava, cut it out and layered it on top of the full image after I colored it. You may not be able to tell, but I stamped the front of the card with the Stampin Up linen background stamp and Tim Holtz tea dye Distress Ink. It's pretty subtle, but goes with the distressed look of the patterned paper. Now that I think of it, I probably should have distressed the white cardstock too. I'm planning to send this to our daughter in Hawaii to let her know how much we miss her.

Have a GREAT week everyone and thanks for stopping by today! Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"I dropped a tear in the ocean. The day you find it is the day I will stop missing you." ~unknown

Supply List ~

Stamps: Stampendous Perfectly Clear Stamps-Changito Notes SSC238, Stampin Up linen background

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz tea dye Distress Ink

Paper: Stampin Up Groovy Guava, DCWV textured brown and patterned paper

Other: large antique brass eyelets (again!), brown & peach grosgrain ribbon

Urban Elzy ~ You Go Girl!

Once I saw this sporty little Elzybells stamp, I knew I had to have her! She's just *so* cute driving what I think looks like a VW Beetle. Lucky for me, last month I won an Elzy card contest at my favorite stamp store ~ Scatter Joy in Sx Falls, SD and the prize was a $10 gift certificate. It didn't take me long to spend that...and more! :)

My inspiration for the layout of this card is Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #36. I love her sketches and try to participate as often as possible. It's so helpful to have a starting point in creating a card!

Did you notice I used those large brads I was bragging about in my last post? They are just a cinch to use with the handy-dandy Crop-A-Dile! The wild designer paper is by K&Company ~ Urban Rhapsody Points of Interest. I just bought a couple sheets of this new paper series, but they are all wonderful! You'll notice that I printed the "you go girl" sentiment on the computer and cut it out to fit inside the arrow on the paper. That's what you do when you don't have a stamp to fit the space! I thought about doing some random stitching on this, but decided it might be too much and just paper pierced the edges of the image instead.

I hope you're enjoying the weekend! It has finally warmed up here in Nebraska and the snow is melting today. Thank goodness! We're all very tired of winter and looking forward to SPRING! Have a Happy Day! Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. ~Susan Heller

Supply List ~

Stamps: Elzybells Art Stamps - girl in car

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz tea dye Distress Ink

Paper: Stampin Up wild wasabi, K&CO Urban Rhapsody Points of Interest, DCWV textured brown

Other: colored image with prismacolor pencils, added large brads, brown ribbon from Michaels

Bargain of the Day!

First of all, do you like eyelets and do you own the incredible CROP-A-DILE? {It's strong, silent and has a serious bite!} If you do, you will *love* this bargain! Using a 40% off Hobby Lobby coupon, I purchased this nifty little pink plastic case to house my Crop-A-Dile for less than $7! Really, the case is nice, but it's not the best part. Better yet, the case came with 400 jumbo eyelets in 8 different metallic colors! Don't be surprised if you see jumbo eyelets on all my creations for awhile! LoL :)

It "Moose" be an ATC swap!

Ok, you can call me a blog slacker because I haven't posted anything all week, but I really have been busy...and just finished coloring these silly moose images for an ATC swap!

I rarely sign up for swaps anymore, but I do enjoy creating ATC's and Terry {Scrappinuts} at The Stamp Shack convinced me to join her moose ATC swap. My first excuse was that I didn't have any moose rubber stamps, but how could I say no when she offered to stamp and send me the images?! :) This cute little postage stamp moose is by Darcie's Heart & Home Rubber Stamps.

The images were colored in with prismacolor pencils and blended with gamsol. I have to give you a hint on how I cut these out because it really saved some time with tedious cutting. I used my 1/8 " circle hand punch to punch holes in the 'dips' around the edge. Then I simply cut around the rest! Trust me, it was much easier. After cutting them out, I distressed the edges. And speaking of distressed, I was seriously stumped on what else to do with this ATC. Did I need a saying or sentiment of some kind? I wasn't sure and I could not conjour up any "moose" sayings. So I sorted through my stack of rubber stamps and found "best fishes" in my Stampin Up "Very Punny" set. Not exactly what I had in mind, but all I had! :/

Now, I need to get these packaged up and in the mail to Terry in California. Then, I'll look forward to seeing all the other moose creations. That's the enjoyment of swapping!

Thanks for stopping by today! Happy Stamping & Smiles 2 U! ~ Pam :)

Quote for Today ~
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you get rid of him on weekends." - unknown :)


Supply List ~
Stamps: Darcie's Heart & Home Rubber Stamps, Stampin Up Very Punny
Paper: K&Company - Studio K Blue Distressed Wood , Misc brown patterned paper, SU natural
Ink: versafine onyx black, Tim Holtz tea dye distress ink
Misc: antique brass eyelets, brown brads, linen thread, prismacolor pencils, gamsol

It's a GIRL!

It's been awhile since I've created a BABY GIRL card! This one is to congratulate our friends on their precious new daughter.

The glittery pastel designer paper is what makes this card so adorable. It's by DCWV ~ appropriately titled "Nana's Nursery Baby Girl." My sweet DIL Jami at Crazy Daisy Creations bought a stack and shared it with me. Lucky ME! :)

It's a fairly simple card design so I won't go into detail. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or leave a comment below. Now, I'm off to assemble my new Stampin Up! sets that came tonight. I *love* that SU has diecut the Sale-a-Bration sets! I really wish they would do that to all of them! Oh, you wanna know what all I bought? I got "Totally Tabs" (I don't know why I got this one because I hardly ever use that punch! :) Maybe I will use it more now. We'll see. I also bought "A Little Birdie Told Me" and the jumbo metal eyelets. For my *free* set I chose "Lots of Thoughts".

Happy Stamping! Smiles, Pam :)

Quote for Today ~ (sentiment on inside of card)

"A baby is a blessing, a gift from Heaven above. A precious little angel to cherish and to love."

Supplies ~

Stamps: It's a Girl by Stampcraft, PSX F-2501 (sentiment on inside of card)

Paper: DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby Girl, Stampin Up Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Cool Caribbean.

Ink: SU Pretty in Pink

Other: SU scalloped circle punch, 1", 1-1/4" & 1-1/2" circle punches, pastel brads, pink polka dot grosgrain ribbon, stitching with Janome Sew Mini

Weekend Sketch Challenge ~ Changito Monkeys!

This card was created using Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #35. I still had the Stampendous Changito Love Balloon monkey stamp out on my craft table so just decided to use it again today. I love Beate's sketches, especially on days when I don't know where to start! :)

Do you recognize this patterned paper? I've had it for over a year and rarely used it. It's a double-sided Stampin Up chocolate chip designer paper that has since been discontinued. The new SU catty has the same design in olive and blue now. (p 171)

I opted not to put a sentiment on the front of this card and will add it on the inside. I'm thinking it would make a perfectly fun, uplifting, thinking of you friendship card.

Thank you for stopping by today! Smiles 2 U! Pam :)

Quote for Today ~

"There is no joy in life like the joy of sharing." ~ Billy Graham

Supplies ~

Stamps: Stampendous Changito Love Balloon

Paper: Stampin Up Designer Paper, Chocolate Chip, Ivory

Ink: Versafine Onyz Black

Other: large brown eyelets, brown stitched satin ribbon

Doggy Treats for Lilly!

Don't these look good enough to eat?! Would you believe they are doggy treats?! I couldn't resist taking a picture for you all to see. Our sweet friend Kristy is such a dog lover and she's always thinking of her furry friends, even when shopping! Recently she was at Village Point Mall in Omaha and bought these at the "Three Dog Bakery". Our dachshund Lilly was tickled pink! :)

Stampin Up "Sale-A-Bration" Today!

Look at these terrific cards I made today at a Stampin Up Open House! It was so FUN to get to play with two of the new Sale-a-Bration sets ~ So Many Scallops and Birthday Whimsy.

The highlight of my day was that a special friend and former neighbor { Sharon in NE } went with me to the open house. :) It had been over 20 years since we'd seen each other, so it was a real blessing to get together again. What's interesting is that Sharon has been stamping for years... and she "found" me a few months ago via my DIL Jami's blog, Crazy Daisy Creations. :) You gotta love the internet! Oh, this is funny... Sharon's 16-yr old son asked her where she was going today and she told him she was going stamping with someone she met online. :) LoL

I won't go into any detail about the cards we made today since they aren't my original creations. But, if you have any questions, please feel free to email me or post it below in the comments. I hope you're all having an enjoyable weekend! Think SPRING! :)

Quote for Today ~
"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light."-Albert Schweitzer

Changito's LOVE Balloon!

Have I mentioned that I LOVE making Valentines? :) Here is the one I made for my DH (aka MW - Mr Wonderful). You've just gotta love these huggable little Changito monkeys by Stampendous. This stamp could be used for many occasions by simply changing the sentiment in the balloon or leaving it blank. Wouldn't it make a cute birthday, thinking of you or friendship card too?

This card is a standard 4-1/4 x 5-1/2" using Stampin Up Chocolate Chip cardstock. The pink and brown polka dot paper is from my stash...most likely from a DCWV stack. I've used my rectangle Spellbinder Nestibilities dies to cut and emboss the white cardstock and the chocolate chip piece it's layered on. You almost don't notice the large brown eyelets in the bottom left corner. I was hoping they would give it a more "manly" look. :) Did you notice the ribbon? It's by American Crafts and I especially *love* how it matches the paper and image! I doubt MW will notice, but oh well! LoL

Do you have any special plans for celebrating Valentine's Day? I would love to hear what they are! I'm taking decorated heart cut-out cookies to the office and I'm sure they'll be a hit. (duh, any food is a hit where I work!) :) MW and I don't have our romantic evening planned yet. Do you have any ideas for us??? :)

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! Hugs & Smiles, Pam :)

Supplies ~
Stamps: Stampendous Changito's Love Balloon, TAC Nobby Neez (luv you)
Paper: Stampin Up Chocolate Chip, DCWV stack
Ink: Versafine onyx black, prismacolor pencils blended with gamsol
Other: Spellbinders Nestibilities rectangle dies, large brown eyelets set with Crop-o-dile, American Crafts heart ribbon.

Quote for Today ~
"You know when you've found your prince because you not only have a smile on your face, but in your heart as well. " ~Author Unknown

You Make My Heart Happy!

Making Valentine's is certainly a LOT easier than it was when we were kids! Now we have fancy punches to eliminate the tedious cutting by hand, cute rubber stamps for design and colorful inks instead of crayons. Best of all, no messy white Elmer's glue! Oh, how I love my new adhesive tape gun. :)

This card was super simple and easy to mass-produce. It is a 4-3/4" square, but I made a few in the standard 4-1/4 x 5-1/2" too. The inside sentiment is appropriately "Happy Valentine's Day!" This design can be used for any occasion by simply varying the sentiment and the little stamps used in the centers of the flowers.

I have some EXCITING NEWS that I'm so anxious to share with all of you! Our daughter Katie is engaged! Warrick proposed yesterday at sunset on the beach at Waikiki! Isn't that romantic? She's so happy and I'm SO HAPPY for her! : ) XXXOOO

Believe it or not, I have another Valentine's Day card made and ready to post tomorrow. It's one I made for "Mr Wonderful" using the Stampendous Changito Love Balloon. You'll have to stop by again tomorrow to see it!

Have a LOVELY day everyone! Hugs & Smiles, Pam :)

Supplies ~

Stamps: Stampin Up Happy Heart Day & In the Spotlight, Hero Arts Happiness Messages, $1 M's -inside Happy Valentine's Day sentiment.

Paper: Stampin Up white, rose red, regal rose

Ink: Stampin Up wild wasabi, Versafine onyx black

Other: colored with prismacolor pencils, Stampin Up scalloped flower punch, 1" & 1-1/4" circled punches.

Quote for Today ~

"Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile. "
Franklin P. Jones

Oh Happy Day! Valentine's from Friends!

Valentine's Day has always been one of my favorite holidays... ever since grade school when we crafted our own special Valentine mailbox out of a shoebox and construction paper. It was such a big event to receive a Valentine from the cutest boy in the class. :) And we all loved to receive candy too. Back then, we were thrilled with a piece of double bubble or a pixie stick. Good times!

I thoroughly enjoy getting FUN mail and especially LOVE receiving Valentine's! These are from two very special online stamping friends, Donna in Oregon and Sherri in North Carolina. Aren't they WONDERFUL!? The decorative papers they've used are ones I wish I had...perfect for a Valentine. Sherri told me this adorable puppy is a Penny Black stamp. I think I *need* this one! :) Donna said she used the heart Cuttlebug die to punch out the hearts for this super CUTE card. I love how they coordinate with the background paper.



Thanks everyone for stopping by today. I'm working on an assembly line of several Valentine's and will post a photo later when I get them done. Stay tuned! Smiles! Pam :)



Quote for Today ~
"Love reduces friction to a fraction."

Happy Heart Day!

Finally I had some time today to assemble my new Stampin Up "Happy Heart Day" set and create a card. When I bought it last month, I had every intention of making Valentine's for friends, but I've nearly run out of time. It's hard to believe that V-day is coming up already next week!

My creativity has been lacking lately so this card didn't come easy. :) In fact, I even struggled to select the right coordinating paper. I lost track of how many times I changed my mind. : / The only thing I knew for sure is that I wanted to use this cute "Happy Heart Day" set and try to paper-piece the elephant.

Once I settled on this paper, I stamped the elephant in black on the SU going gray cardstock and then used the SU Itty Bitty Background stamp to give him some subtle polka dots. I then cut him out and glued over the main image. The rest of the image is colored with SU markers and I've used a Sakura glaze pen over the hearts to give them some added depth and a silver metallic pen to polish the elephants toes. :)

It really feels good to spend time stamping again. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today! Hugs & Smiles 2 U ! ~ Pam :)


Supplies ~
Stamps: Stampin Up Happy Heart Day, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Paper: Stampin Up Rose Red, Going Grey, Basic Black, KI Memories Unconditional Streamline, Unconditional Rectangled
Ink: Versafine Basic Black
Other: Silver metallic pen, Sakura glaze pen, Paper Studio bright pink polka dot ribbon

Quote for Today ~
"You have achieved success if you have lived well, laughed often and loved much."

YOU are My Sunshine!

ALOHA!

I'm back from "vacation" and so anxious to begin stamping and blogging again! I've missed you all and can't begin to thank you enough for all the encouraging and endearing comments you've left on my last post. You inspire me and I treasure your friendship. A warm and sincere Mahalo! :)

Hubby & I have just returned from a fabulous trip to Hawaii to visit our daughter Katie and I've attached a few photos for you... one of us our first night there, enjoying happy hour and looking a bit "travel weary", but it's the only one I have of all three of us together. The weather was a bit windy and rainy while we were there, but we saw some of the most spectacular rainbows... and yes, we did see plenty of sunshine and gorgeous sunsets too! The rainbow photos are taken out KT's condo window and the sunset is at Waikiki Beach.

How's this for a simplistic card to ease myself back into stamping? It's made with special thanks to my sweet DIL Jami at Crazy Daisy Creations who gave me the Studio G clear stamp set. She thought it would be perfect for my return to stamping! :) And this card is also for all of you my friends. YOU are my SUNSHINE!

Oh, Happy Day! :) Hugs & Smiles, Pam

p.s. would you believe I have 497 posts on my blog reader to catch up on? Oh my! I've really missed reading blogs too and can't wait to see what you've all been creating lately!