longest work day of the month

This bear (stampabilities bear-ied in paperwork) is from the "gruffies" line. it just made me laugh the first time i seen it, so its one of the images i got from Dick at HMstamps... Its stamped with Versafine vintage sepia on GP110 and colored with prisma pencils. The sentiments from Stampers Anonymous & Up on pop-dots. The stripe pp is from Basic Grey, the pink pp is from Paper Adventures. The blue cardstock is unknown, the Pink velvet is from MM, the cardbase is one of those 5X7 ones in the "value packs" that you get to buy they envelopes for... ( I wall paper over the bases) because when you see sewing on cards of mine, it is not visible in the inside of the card. I build them in layers usually and then just cut the bottom piece the same size as the card base.

Cards from Happy mail

Last week one day i found this boy image (Stampington & Co. sm Jonathan 1995 as an auction ending (during the time frame that I would be driving to work) and later i found no one besides me bid on it... It arrived in last nights mail... the seller neglected to mention her craft room smells like a cigarette ( or i didn't see that in the listing) but, the stamp is in other wise good condition... ( is there away to remove that smell from a wood mounted stamp?) one of my worst allergies is cig smoke. so, I stamped a few of these images to play with and put the stamp in the garage... maybe air will do something over time? He's colored with Prisma pencils (skin is a prisma marker) and the tiny frog is from Stampin' Up! (Garden Pleasures) the frog is cut out and i didn't feel like taking a knife to the between the frogs legs so i colored it with the same marker that i used on the boys hands... Sneaky I know, and it's up on pop dots. the Sentiment is from Impression Obsession and stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock then heat embossed with SU old Olive powder. (retired) the ribbon could be American crafts ( it was a gift so not positive) the two sided pp (plaid and blue shirt looking) is from the scrap bin but, it really feels like chatterbox. the polkadot pp is from fancypants, the yellow brads are doodlebug, and this card is 6 Inches Square in real life.

closer look at that frog.

This is my first wishrak mouse i have colored. I have to go through the envelopes to be certain who to thank for it, I don't know its real name, because I trimmed the image to fit the card and seen afterwards the writing on the back of it... ack, Colored with pencils, the water and bubbles have some stardust pen work on them. The wide organdy is unknown. The pp I found at Joann's today on the way home from Work. I went in with the intention to pick up a pack of 5x7 cards (that come with envelopes) and found they are all on sale (so 50 cards with envelopes for 5.99 is pretty good) then i found they had a big display of Die Cuts With a View pads of papers and this one is from the pad called luxury paper. its metallic and shimmery. the card base is Shimmery White. and this one is 5X7 in real life.

I think i have figured out the trick to catching the shimmer of the pen work, its not so much a tilting the card but tilting the way the light is hitting the card on the table...

so, next time you cannot get the shot you want try moving the light instead of the card.

Lose sight of the Shore

This card is slightly larger then 5X7. I decided that coloring these i should do two at a time because, if i come up with a color combo i like that gives me a spare colored image to play with later... so you will be seeing this again sooner or later... The House Mouse image is from Stampa Rosa, done in Versafine ink on GP110 white cardstock, colored with prisma pencils and burnished with the colorless blender pencil. There is a bit of tea dye ranger distress ink color dusted on the edges. with some Sakura gelly roll stardust glitter pen on the water surface line. ( see photo below) The Sentiment is from PSX and stamped with Always Artichoke ink on GP110. then i bent the cardstock a bit so it would look a little distressed but, not a lot. the mini brads are from doodlebug (antique brass) the polkadot PP is from Fancypants (its a double sided one so the other side is fall colored small flowers) all the textured cardstocks are from Bazzill and the costal netting is from Magic Scraps (sage).

Today i read a post at splitcoast that the whole house mouse line is not an angel company. what a bummer eh? I have been asked more then once if i would sell my cards so, as much fun as these are to color. no one is allowed to sell cards with these images... Maybe someday that will change since Stampin' Up changed their policy last year. ( Id bet they sell even more stamps now too)

Christmas cuttlebugs and Mice cards (again)

These are just a little bit different then the first one from the other day, these the ribbon is plain organdy because i don't have enough of the swirl printed kind... (something to look for later i guess) I really am enjoying this folder, So i hope the stores actually get it in someday soon... (I am now 4 ahead on my May challenge cards ha ha)

The sentiment on this one i think could be out of the like it a latte set? (not sure) but, it is Stampin' Up of some kind. the mice are stamped with versafine Onyx black on Georgia pacific 110. and colored with prisma pencils, then burnished with an colorless blender pencil... the gingham ribbon is unknown. the green and brown cardstocks are from Bazzill. this one is 6 inches square in real life...

I have decided i have a real mouse problem here... a house mouse one that is... I have went from 3 stamps to 24 in the last little while (6 are on there way here still) and i have one more (gotta have it) on my watch page...

along with some sentiments for them...

I'm going to take a photo of them all (probably two or three to get them all) and post it here (in a few days when all the mail arrives... I know i am not alone in this particular addiction, and i think this will make it easier for doing some image horse trading too, to say this is what i have... because i know i cant buy them all some, i see and think that would make a super card for so and so, but i don't really want to buy it for one card...

anyways your probably wondering what spurred this shopping spree, and it was I have gotten good news from the insurance co. (finally) my surgery is not going to empty our bank accounts when the last big bill comes in...

YES!!!! So, there is light at the end of the tunnel... now, if congress would only put a stop to the rising oil prices eh?

I managed to color a few more mice late last night and hope to steal some time to make more cards this evening. J and Tim are taking a hunting safety class together at night and so there are three more classes this week before it ends.

Have a good day, and remember if you have some happy mail waiting to go out do it by wed. (Thursday postage goes up again too)

a Productive day

This Monarch Butterfly (SU Natures Sketchbook) came to me via wish rak from jlazarski {Thanks Jessica!!}

It was impossible to capture with the camera today, but there is sakura gellyroll stardust pen work on every vein on each wing. These are colored with prisma pencils. the Sentiments from Impression Obsession and up on popdots. the Copper texture pp. is from my scrap bin and I'm sure i got it at Michael's but, i don't know who makes it. The brown texture cardstocks are bazzill and the green mat is Mellow Moss with the su spiral punching along the top edge. The copper shimmer organdy is unknown. this card is 4 1/2 x 6 inches in real life.

It's been in the back of my mind all month I am three Christmas cards short this month for the challenge at splitcoast... so last night I colored two of these "mouse under the mistletoe" images with Prisma Pencils. the Sentiments from SU (fancy flexible phrases) the white cardstock is Georgia Pacific 110 and the ink is Versafine Onyx Black. this one is 5X7 in real life. the Ribbon is from May Arts.

This is the second one. I won this stamp on eBay last week and it arrived in last nights mail... the pp scrap is from Chatterbox, and double sided. so the green and the stripe are from the same scrap. the textured mat is from Bazzill. That wide wide satin red ribbon is from an Joann's grab bag sometime last year. this one is 6 inches square in real life.

Now this was a happy discovery... Last weekend when we went to the stamp sale we also wandered around the rest of the store later... and i found copic markers. so these are the two colors i came home with. they did not have any that were colors with the same letter twice with different numbers. ( what i read somewhere to buy to see if you like to shade with them) the third one i bought is an oval shape and is a colorless blender.

anyways, I borrowed this cuttlebug embossing folder from Alice (because I thought it would be too similar to the D'vine swirls and didn't want to buy a duplicate folder.) so, as a test drive I thought why not run some of this (cheap thin premade cards) that I bought to get the envelopes for through the bug side ways... that looked pretty neat just naked. but then i picked up these markers because hey gotta try them sooner or later right. so, as i was coloring i had two observations about them. They DO NOT SMELL even a fraction as much as the Prisma Markers do... YAY that alone may make them worth the cost... and, then i just turned the card open as i was coloring and I discovered that the bleed through looks intentionally cool on the inside of the cards too...

Inside of cheap cardstock cuttlebug embossed and colored with Copic and Prisma Markers. Since I only have three copics (so far) i used one prisma marker (flagstone red) on the berries part of the embossing.

Last week i needed an idea for an "card kit" for a lady who wanted to make guy cards. and she loves to color but, cannot stamp or cut anymore. so, this is the card i came up with for her kit. And so I sent her one card made and then the pieces to do 6 of her own. this left me with some cut up papers and such so i just kept making them until I ran out of the paper... the ones below are flat with no hemp string on the corners. but, I think they will still be nice for the people sending them. ( I hope) tossed them in my nearly full box of cards going out to the troops soon.

Anyways. we are having nice weather, got lots of weeding done this morning and hoping to do some more tomorrow. ( supposed to start snowing again on Tuesday)

Sweet Mice

Are these not the cutest ever? I really am surprising my self how much fun these house mouse's are to color... this ones titled love in a tea cup from Stampa Rosa. I think the Stampabilities people may still make this one? Sentiments from Hero Arts and stamped with Always Artichoke on GP110 and then there is some Peeled paint distress stippled onto the torn edges. the pp is from scenic route. The water and the hearts in the sentiment have some stardust sakura gelly roll pen work on them. This card is 5X7 in real life. I am so happy its friday... ( and its not my turn to cook) hoping to get to play tonight.

Wish Rak Image Cards and Furbaby snapshots

This Mawhabella was gifted to me via wish rak from BethanyPaul ( Thanks Bethany!) her skin is prisma marker and the rest was colored with pencils. the Sentiments from SU (all holidays) and up on pop=dots. The green paper flower is from Prima and the fabric polkadots one is from Heidi grace. this ones 4X6 in real life.

This rubber romance diva (Nay) was gifted to me from Yoorah through wish rak and same as usual colored with prisma pencils ( except the skin is from markers) the pp is from My Minds Eye. ( the thin stuff that was in the Costco packs last year) The ribbon i have forgotten. this ones 5 X 7 in real life.

Now this one i did for the first mystery challenge at the stamp shack. This month is being hosted by Tami, and the challenge is to use Felt. so, the reddish flowers are felt. the blue are translucent plastic of some kind and the bling is from Hero Arts ( Thanks Jan! its only been on my desk since my last birthday I have such a hoarding problem...) the blue cardstock is unknown, the cardbase is DCWV and this is A-2 in real life.

any time Grace finds anything, stick rock what ever Storm steals it from her as soon as he notices she has anything in her mouth... so she is on the run hoping to hang on to her treasure for a few more moments...

now this next photo just made me laugh, every single dog we've ever had seems to have the funniest "comfort" sleep position... so, when i shot this i was thinking of you know like those hands holding up the sign from the Lazy boy commercials... "we do comfort" so this is

Grace does Comfort... haha.

Today .4.22.08

Miss Gracie Lou who consented to holding still for just one second for this latest mug shot...

The title of this mouse is "together under the moon" I was thinking it would work well for anniversary cards and such... the forever is from Hero Arts and the Love is from SU (noteworthy) the orangeish pp is from Basic Grey, the green speckled cs is from Club Scrap, the cardbase is DCWV. this is A-2 in real life...

my internet's been down for about 20 hours at home and just came back on line a bit ago... so, if you dont hear from me, send some warm weather this away... we are getting real tired of the freezing temps, and winds and snow and hail...

this weekend

I have had this particular house mouse for about an year now... it caught my attention on eBay and i never did anything with it. ( because it was one of those fallen victim to badly colored with water based markers...) so, I'm enjoying seeing my own coloring coming along playing with the pencils... this card is 5X7 in real life. the house mouse image is from Stampa Rosa (Giddy up) the sentiment is from PSX, these are stamped with versafine on Georgia pacific 110 with some shabby shutters and peeled paint distress ink color dusted on the edges. the sentiments up on pop dots, the shimmery copper organdy is unknown. the green texture cardstock is Bazzill and the PP is from Basic Grey.

Now this is a new to me image, i found this one along with two others yesterday at stampstrucks annual used stamp sale... the name of it is Hot cocoa 1997. Its stamped on GP110 and colored with prisma pencils, the design in the tea cup looked a little southwestern to me with the triangles and when i think of southwest i think of silver gaudy turquoise jewelry... so that's what inspired the colors. the Sentiments from SU (Lovely Labels) and stamped with Versafine Deep Lagoon on the reverse side of the textured yellow bazzill cardstock, the skinny gross grain is unknown. There is a little bit of antique linen distress on the edges of this as i spend the am cleaning and managed to make this particular image dusty... used real fabric pinking shears on the mat. this one's also 5X7 in real life.

Loot... :) this year Alice and i left home 2 hours before the store was to open. it snowed through the mountains and even in the city where this store is ( which doesn't happen there very often) so, the store was not as crowded I'm sure because of the weather... I'm pretty happy about what i found and what i paid for them... :) Alice filled a hand basket cart too, so I'm sure we are gonna go early again next year.

Some different views, all in all i found 4 su sets ( two unmounted) three old house mouse stamps that had not seen ink, some PSX odds and ends, one cool Magenta one.

all these stamps have been inked and cataloged and assembled.

( which was what brought on the cleaning reorganizing jag this morning as it seems when you come home with such a pile there is of course no where to put it.)

Stamp Shack Yahoo group LINK

for those of you who are having stamp shack withdrawals while the site is down there is an Yahoo stamp shack message board to check in at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shackieupdates/ I don't remember how hard it is to join, but you will need an Yahoo account to do it.

Challenge cards

This was for Laurie's current twisted sentiments theme challenge going on now in the stamp shack. most the things i think of for challenges like this i either don't have an image that will work ( gasp!) and I'm too lazy to come in the house and print up sentiments... but I'm still thinking about this challenge and if i can think of some smaller one liner types i can try my alphabet stamps i suppose... the background (wine words) and wine sketch are from Inkadinkado and the sentiments from River city rubber works. they are all stamped on ruby red cardstock with versafine onyx black ink. the paper wire is from paperbilities ( walmart like 5 or 6 years ago!) and up on black pop dots.

Jan's current technique challenge is to emboss vellum any way you like so this is my second entry for that one... the red and black cardstocks are from Bazzill, the vellum was run through an Swiss dots cuttlebug folder (which poked a couple of holes into it under the image from club scrap) the sentiments from the su set ( so many sayings) the cappuccino mug is from Inkadinkado. The ribbons May Arts.

this is my 8th color combo challenge colors are pale green (as a neutral) black, white and cream. this card is A-2 in real life, the image is from the retired SU set called laundry notes ( that i won on ebay because it was too much fun to color the wishes granted to me) and the green cardstock is unknown, the black is bazzill, the check pp is from K&Co. the lace ( I think could be from the embellishment studio but, not sure anymore) the cardbase is from DCWV. (some day i am gonna have most these premade cards used up!)

hugs and kisses

The colors are a little off... thought this angle shows how floofy they hearts are on the front of the card.

This card is 4 1/2" x 7" in real life, the red is an 5X7 cardbase from an Joann's pack that i trimmed. the plastic XOXO button was also from J's a few years ago. (not sure who makes it anymore) the Hearts are stamped with Versamark on hammermill inkjet vellum and heat embossed with Ranger seafoam white. (then sewn to the bazzill textured mat) the top left heart is from Stampendous, the middle heart is from Impression Obsession and the bottom heart is from the SU set called Always. the top of the mat was punched with the SU spiral punch. have a happy Thursday. only one more week before L O S T comes back on...

yard sale season is officially OPEN

Last Saturday morning before we went to the park to see the fishing derby participants and my family gather there for them. we went to a few yard sales... this was my thing i found for me. ( probably paid too much for it) $30.00 (metal drawer pull on the side reads Hamilton) but, I've wanted one for a long time so... had originally intended to put some of Tim's antique lures into it, but since the drawer does not have glass on the front he thinks that's a bad idea... ( and that i should keep if for sentiment stamps) what a guy. :) if i only had a wall in the play room to hang it on... such is life.

critters

This (was never photographed last year) when Tim turned 40 this was the outside of his secret party invites ( which never came to pass as we planned the party over the mountains out of town and it snowed like crazy the weekend we were to hold the party) so, he ended up being the only person in his family to get out of the dreaded 40 party. ( which makes him smile to this day) The quail is the only wood mounted stamp i own with no mfg info on it what so ever. the french script background is stamped with versafine vintage sepia on a piece of foil transferred tea dye distress on hammermill 110 cream cardstock. the sentiment's from Hero Arts. the mini brads are creative impressions, the pp is from Basic Grey. The cardstocks are Bazzill. (how's that for a memory? it could be better i guess but really that is off the top of my head)

I had a box of Happy Mail arrive from Dick at HM Stamps last Saturday evening and so far two of the images have become cards...This top one is exactly how i feel every time i have a cup of coffee, how can anyone resist that face is beyond me, this was the first image into my shopping cart haha. They are both stamped with versafine ink on Georgia Pacific 110. and colored with Prisma Pencils. the paisley Background is stamped with Old Olive on Hammermill 110 (staples office supplies) The sentiment's from the SU set so many sayings and punched with the word window punch. the sheer polka dots ribbon is May Arts, and the gold cord is from SU. The green textured cardstock is Bazzill. this card is 4X6 in real life.

This one i did as a take off of the current color combo challenge i have going on in the stamp shack this month. ( which i can post here now, so will work on that later) but the colors are neutral ( black, cream white with pale green) this green (certainly celery) is pushing the neutral part a little, but i think not everyone has the pale quiet colors in their stash... and you know it really doesn't matter in the long run, i did this mostly to say to those people who want to play in the challenges its OK to use what you have. it really is.

This card is 5X7 in real life, the sentiments from the su set called so many sayings and colored with an tombow marker and the ribbon is from Joann's, and the black mulberry is from one of those old mat stack pads.

This is another quickie Christmas card. I have been working on these for the split coast challenge, and I am falling behind this month. sentiment's from SU (yep, same as the cards above) i tend to use what ever is on the table... which makes the cards go together quickly. ( and is a good thing if you only have a couple of days of the week to do that in) my bin of colored images is growing.

This image is from PSX, stamped on very vanilla cardstock and colored with prisma pencils. the brown and green textured cardstocks are bazzill. the velvet is unknown. its about 5X6 in real life.

couple more RAK image cards...

This image came to me via wish rak at split coast from Lindsalitta ( Thanks Lindsey!) Its colored with prisma pencils and then mounted to a piece of provo craft textured sparkle silver cardstock. ( the old sizzix texture pads) the multi colored ribbon is from May Arts and the satin trimmed organdy is from Offray. The sentiments from the Stampin'Up! set called so many sayings and done with a tombo marker. the cardbase is die cuts with a view. this card is A-2 in real life.

This is one of the Auntie Amy's embossing arts images that Flexie sent to me a while back... the sentiments from stampendous and done on an martha stewart tag punch and up on pop dots, the gold cord is the newer style that SU came out with last Christmas. this card is also A-2 in real life.

I have fallen victim to the house mouse collecting and the happy mail arrived Saturday... so, I have a couple cards done so far and plan on photographing those later.

have a good Monday!

Tickled Pink

Tickled Pink is a retired Stampin'Up! set that i am too cheap to pay eBay's current prices for... so, I had a wish for this granted by Tackertwosome Tina ( Lena's dd) I colored these a while back and stole some time yesterday evening to assemble them into cards while the puppy napped.

this one the black and pink textured cardstocks are DCWV. I can't say I'm a big fan of this cardstock, but i had bought a bunch of packs of premade cards at Joann's when they clearanced it out, so Now i am trying to use it up... This one the image is colored with prisma pencils. The big flowers are from Prima and the stamens are from Impress. the sentiments also from su (all holiday) and done with Versafine onyx black. the pink ribbons offray and the black swirl is unknown. this card is 5 1/2 inches square in real life.

These two the birds are colored with prisma markers. the one on the right was assembled first then the one on the left was last.

This one the bazzill green textured cardstock has some SU Spiral punching along the edge. the ribbons from American Crafts if i remember right. the Pink Shimmer cardstock is from Stardream. this is an A2 sized card.

This one the edges have shabby shutters and peeled paint distress ink stippled on to them. the Pink satin ribbon is from a grab baggie at Joanns. the Filagree background was heat embossed with the pink powder on basic black cardstock. the green textured mat is Bazzill.

what a girl wants

This rubber Romance diva (peggy) came to me via wishrak at splitcoast from KristaStamps. ( Thanks Krista!) She's colored with Prisma pencils. the sentiments from Impression Obsession. ( I think) the stripe ribbon is May Arts, and the sparkle is from walmart ( a long time ago) my best friend gave me a roll of this years and years ago, but i don't have the spool so, unknown. I'm thinking this could work as an young adult or teenager card? inside is stamped with dream big. this is 5X7 in real life.

We have all survived the weekend. Grace is doing well and healing quick. she was supposed to be kept "quiet" hahahaha...

the latest testing went well. the first time around she said i got about 20% of the words right then she turned the volume up and then i got about 40% of the words right. so, my thinking that I have made little progress in the last two months was more or less the same ol same ol ( I am my own worst critic) I got a cool new program for being in the yard too, it has only the top microphone activated not the one in the ear clip, so i am not picking up wind hitting the microphone noise anymore YAY! this is a big deal actually because the sound effects of that is drowns out everything else and makes me feel a little cross-eyed really fast. :) We also stopped by the Paperzone store ( about a dozen blocks south of the hotel we stay at in Portland) and i got some new colors (to me) of the Stardream shimmery cardstock packs. fun stuff. and one new Judikins background stamp (aspen trees)

so, anyways. more later.

me

Some random cards

I did not take notes. this main image is from 100 proof press.

this was an wish rak bella ( have no idea what her name is anymore)

need two more birthday cards quick... this ones a-2 in size. so the smallest one I've made with this set so far.

if you really have to know the recipe email me or post a comment and I'll look for info when there's more free time.

on the home front, Grace is growing like a weed and goes back to the vet tomorrow am for more puppy shots. Storm is still a little green and doesn't share his toys (and steals hers too) J is back in school after a very loooong Spring break. He's hoping to raise his grades before the week long outdoorschool camping trip his class is supposed to go on in May.

Tim's dead tired. ( Grace still gets up about 4 or 5 times a night)

I'm OK a little nervous about the ear appointment on Friday, mostly because I'm sure there will be more hearing tests for progress and not sure I have made any? but then again the dogs don't talk to me and i spend most my time with them. :)

Stay warm! Its hard to stamp with numb fingers.