Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Stamps:  SU 'Bells & Boughs
Embossing folder:  Swiss dot
Paper:  Whisper white and "deck the halls" designer series paper (SU)

Digital Scrapbooking

My twin grandsons, Eoin and Liam.

Something other than Christmas

Tim Holtz stuff:  Distress Inks:  Stormy Sky, Fired Brick, Vintage Photo
                            Stamp Set:  Urban Grunge

A little Santa Something

I like the little Santa box with the lid.  This will go to my granddaughter for Christmas filled with goodies.  The box is easy to make.  The video tutorial is a My Chic n Scratch.  Angie made a Frankenstein box.  I really like the punch Santa.  How about you?
     Supplies for Santa:  Stampin Up cherry cobbler cardstock, Cuttlebug embossing folder-D'Vine Swirls, punches (Stampin' Up):  Word window, scallop circle, 1 3/8" circle, 1/2" circle, 1/4" circle, Wide and Small oval.
     I have a book that I put my punch creations in so I'll have them another time.  This santa is a punch creation by someone, I don't remember who.

Frog-la-la-la

Love this frog from OCL.  It's the perfect card for my folks in Florida.
   Stamp:  Our Craft Longe-Hoppy Holidays
   Punch:  Martha Steward grass (Looks like ice cycles)
   Copics and various papers (ribbon from Walmart)

 Wonderful blog candy here at the Daily Marker.  Must enter by 11/8. I just love Kathy's work.  It's worth looking at daily!!

Brayer Workshop

I thought I'd share the cards I made at Michelle's workshop in Savannah.  It was much fun and I really enjoyed it.  This is the first one we did.  Used a reverse mask to make the mountain...and look at the reflection...pretty cool.

I didn't think I'd like this one, but I do.  We used "Nature Silhouettes" stamp set from Stampin'Up! and "Elements of Style."  We also used Elements of Style on the first one.

This was the last one.  We used Elements of Style stamp set on this one, too.  A white pen was used to highlight the bird and flowers.  I'm a big Michelle Zindorf fan.  Her cards are very unique and uncomplicated.  A lot of the cards I see on blogs are beautiful, but have so many layers, embellishments that I can't seem to keep up.  The flowers that are being made and used on cards are very nice, but I guess they are really practical for mailing.  The cards I make trying to keep up look busy and messy sometimes.  Anyway, I digress.  Hope you are having a great day and I wish you happy card making.

Post-it note & Pen

Thought I'd share this little post-it note folder that I made.  I found this template somewhere and can't remember where.  I need a better pen, but haven't really looked.  The stamp is an older stamp set from PaperTrey Ink:  "Autumn Abundance."  I have used these flowers quite a bit.  I colored the image with copics.

And that's the directions.  I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder and inked it on the inside and then embossed with Distressed Ink.  I think it looks nice.  I've been following Jennifer McGuire's "Holiday Thinking Inking" classes on Two Peas in a Bucket and she did the same technique using acrylic paint.

Brayer Workshop

Tomorrow I'm off to Savannah, Ga. to attend Michelle Zindorf's advanced brayer workshop.  I attended a beginner workshop in Jacksonville, Fl a few months ago.  I'm very excited!  If you aren't acquainted with Michelle's work you should check her out.  She does beautiful work and it's different from many cards you see.  She uses the brayer to create magic.  I did this card last February for my daughter's birthday using one of her tutorials.  That was before the workshop, so all I could do was sponge.  I tried the brayer but couldn't make it look right.  I love the card anyway and so did my daughter.

This is one of the cards from her workshop...and I used the brayer.  I just love it.  Anyway here's her blog.  Be prepared to fall in love.  There are so many talented people.

Cute Idea for a Desk Calandar

In the small town I live in, we have a handful of wonderful women.  It's our stamp club and our Stampin' Up! lady has some things to make.  The last meeting we made a calendar.  When my uncle came to visit, I sent his wife and daughter one.  It's a simple and easy thing to make and a nice little gift.  The came from Nancy Morgan's blog and Michelle Tech's blog.  The calendar strips can be found here:  http://www.2stampis2b.com/2009/01/four-seasons-calendar.html.  You will have to reduce the size.  I have a Mac so I found the instructions for shrinking didn't work for me.  The base is 5.5 x 8.5, scored at 4.25.  I used basic brown CS and DP from Memory Box for the first quarter.  I put my elements on one half of the CS.  I used Nature's Silhouettes, a Hero Arts stamp set I've had forever.  I'm not sure if they even have this stamp set anymore, but it worked perfectly for this project.

Then the other side of the paper is decorated.  I used "Laundry Line" DP by My Mind's Eye (I just love these papers).  I found it at Hobby Lobby.

On the inside, one side is decorated for July, Aug, Sept.  This DP is from Basic Grey.  I was using up some scraps so I don't know what group of papers this one is from.

And this is the last side.  The DP here is from Club Scrap (I'm not sure if they still have this paper.)  The ribbon is inserted into two holes at the bottom.  This ties it together (wraps it up...haha).  The top photo shows the ribbon tied to make a pretty package.  When June is finished, you turn the calendar around and your ready for the rest of the year.  I used Distress inks:  Victorian Velvet, Stormy Sky, Bundled Sage, and Wild Honey.  Fun!  Fun!  Fun!  The circles are my family's birthdays.  I'm ready for 2011.

Taylored Expressions

Videos from Taylored Expressions that you should check out.

A little Christmas

It seems a little early for Christmas, but I got these new stamps from JustRite Stamps Vintage Christmas 3-1/4...and we just have to play, don't we?  I was inspired by a card by Lauraly, Just Give Me Stamps.   It's good to get the cards ready and not have to scurry when Christmas comes.  I somehow seem to make all different cards.  I enjoy doing this.  The papers are papers I had left from another year and I'm not sure what they are.  I used copics to color the ornaments.  I cut them out and put them on dimensionals.  I also used Crystal effects on the ornaments, nesties circle and scallop,  ribbon (I think Martha Stewart), and faux stitches.  I really like the colors.  Hope you've had a nice weekend.

I promised I'd share a project and here it is. My granddaughter loves Wrigley's 5 Zing gum so I thought I'd wrap it up in a Halloween costume. I used Basic Grey eerie collection. The wrapper is 3 x 6", scored at 3/4, 1-1/4, 3-3/4, 4-1/4. Adhere on the back. The pull-out is 2-1/2 x 5-1/2, scored at 3-3/4 and 4-1/4. The inside edges (second picture) are tapered so it slides in and out easier. The belly band is 1 x 6, adhered in the back. I used a 1-3/8 circle punch with the designer paper, 1-7/16-green; and the scallop circle punch (black) from Stampin' Up! The boo stamp I found at Michael's once upon a time. I sponged Ranger distress ink (crushed olive) for color. I thought the wiggly eyes was a nice touch (a little texture humor). Hope you enjoy this as much as I know my granddaughter will.

I'm excited because I won the Our Craft Lounge September Sketch Challenge. I get to choose a stamp set of my choice from Our Craft Lounge and they have some really cute ones. You just can't beat free. It's the first challenge I've ever entered so I'm encouraged to enter more. There are so many beautiful cards that can be seen in all the challenges.

That's all from To Stamp with Love for now: follow your passion and the universe will take care of the rest.

Boo to You!

Happy Halloween....It's a witchy time of the year. I saw this Shadow Box Card on Dawn's Stamping Thoughts. She featured a Christmas theme and I decided to change it up and make it spooky. I got the witch stamp set a long time ago, Best Witches, from Eat Cake Graphics (the other stamp is a witch flying into a tree; sentiment "Don't drink and fly"...just love it!). The papers are Basic Grey's eerie collection. The spider web and spider are from Memory Box, "Web Crawler." I embossed this image in white on velum and stamped the spider with Memento ink. I used brads to hold the velum in place. I used copic markers to color and just cut around the image with scissors. The Boo stamp was one I got at Michael's for $1.00...thought the google eyes would be cute. I have another Halloween project to share later.

My stamping buddy

I have been so very fortunate to have the best stamping buddy in the world. We have been getting together most every Thursday night to stamp...just Munda and I stamping and talking either at my house or hers. We've been to several conventions in St. Marys, Ga. and stamping classes anywhere close, and just stamp shopping all over the place. We always had to go out of town 'cause there's not even a Michael's close. I think that made it more fun, which is what she was. Munda died suddenlylast night. She had just turned 65 in June. I am so very sad and miss her like crazy already. The last time we stamped at my house she commented on the card I had made with my new JustRite, By the Sea set. I had used the sailboat with "We cannot direct the wind, we can only adjust our sail." She said that was her deceased husbands favorite saying. I went online to tie a sailor's knot and Munda thought that was very funny. We were going to make a card with this set this week. It will take me awhile to adjust my sails after losing my best friend.

Grands

I also have a granddaughter in California. She started the second grade and this stamp, Back to School Girl, also from Lili of the Valley Ltd suited her perfectly. Lili of the Valley Ltd has some very cute stamps. The papers are DCWV "the Grade School stack"; punch EK Success. That's my little granddaughter....very cute!

For the Grandkids

I have 15 month old twin grandsons who live in California, much too far away. My daughter sent me a picture of them sharing a juice bar...so cute! I ran across this stamp, Boys-Milk and Biscuits, at Lili of the Valley Ltd and knew I had to have it. It was perfect for the boys. I don't have a lot of boy appropriate stamps, but I am working on it. The papers are Basic Grey "Oliver", dies are neatabilities (oval and fancy tag), copic markers for coloring, crystal effects on the milk glass. The sentiment is from Unity Stamps. All the time I'm coloring, choosing paper, etc., I'm thinking about my boys.

Autumn Wishes

I just love the fall. It seems to bring lots of memories back...football games, my grandparents place in North Dokato, back to school, new clothes, new paper and pencils...the list goes on. When I saw the Anything Goes challenge, I wanted to share my autumn card. I went to my fall stamps from last year and found this one (Harvest Blessings which is on sale right now) from Verve Stamps. I love this set and it felt good to use it again. The paper is from JoAnn Fabrics, Debbie Mumm "Harvest & Holiday." I also used Circle Nestibilities. I used Memento ink to stamp the focal image and distress inks for the leaves and to distress Autumn Wishes. Anyway....I send the best Autumn wishes to you!

Something New...I'm back

Friday DT challenge #30 from Our Craft Lounge....that's something new. I've never entered into any of the many, many challenges I see, but I have a card that I made with my new Fabulous Florals stamp set. It has all the elements of the sketch and I'm kind of excited to be sharing it. I love this stamp set...it's my first OCL stamps. I found it at my not-so-local, but loved stamp/scrapbook store in Ocala, Fl, Priceless Scrapbooks and More. This is a first attempt and, like everything new, there's "Stuff" to be learned. So here it is......I used Basic Grey "Oliver" paper and the Martha Stewart butterfly punch. The sentiment is from Unity Stamp set, Rockin It. I also used some of Tsukineko Sheer Shimmer Spritz on the flower.