Skating in August

This little skating bird is from one of my new Stampin' Up sets, and I just had to ink it up.  The background is made by masking off a section with a torn piece of masking paper, and then misting with some Stampin' Up reinker in a spray bottle.  I moved the mask up a little the second time I sprayed to make a lighter section near the pond, and a darker section higher in the sky.
I am entering this in the Less is More Challenge, 3-2-1, since  it has 3 primary colors, 2 words, and 1 bird.  It's also going in the Simon Says Stamp AnythingGoes Challenge,   and the Moxie Fab World, Gallon, Quart, Pint Challenge, since I used lots of blue, some red, and a tiny bit of yellow.

Thanks for stopping by!

Swaps and WOYWW

This tag was on my workdesk until early this morning, when I mailed it out for a Stampers Anonymous Junque Gypsy  tag swap.  To take part, we had to use SA stamps, and I thought the image of the woman was so pretty.  I used Tim Holtz's new summer distress ink colors to color in the background and added as many embellishments as I could.  I can't wait to get my new tags from the other swappers!  I'm going to enter this in Simon Says Stamp and Show, where the challenge is to use the new distress ink colors.  That Salty Ocean Blue is fab!  If you don't have any yet, you should get some, I use it all the time.

Last Saturday I attended a regional Stampin Up workshop, and exchanged card front swaps with about 30 people.  This pile is sitting on my desk now, waiting to get organized.  I didn't make any of these, they were all from other attendees.   It's such a great way to get new card ideas and examples.

 If you are wondering why I am showing you what is on my desk, hop  on over to The Stamping Ground, where a bunch of fun loving and crafty folks show off what they are working on.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I so appreciate your comments.  Would love to have you follow me if you are not already. 

A New Baby

I love simple baby cards,  and this one has a beautiful and heartfelt sentiment from Stampendous mounted on top of some baby themed patterned paper.  I put a wide bow behind the words, and it was done!

 I am entering this in the Stampendous challenge this month where it is all about the Sentiment.

School is starting tomorrow for all of the area children here in Western Mass., and the teachers at my school have been working hard getting their rooms prepared to welcome all of their new students.  If you see a teacher over the next few days, let them know that you appreciate all that they do!

Thanks for stopping by!

Button Challenge and WOYWW

Hot off the workdesk is a card for Embellish Magazines Button Color Trends Challenge.  I just finished this last night and my desk shows the remants of this card and some others from a card making binge I was on yesterday.  I tried to incorporate buttons into the overall theme of the card instead of just using them as an embellishment.

These stamps just came recently and I have not had a chance to use some of them yet.  Love those little Stampin Up birds, and the Stampedous Polar Bears.  The cards in the pile are for some challenges or experiments with new stamps.  The rest of my desk is just a heap of papers from previous card-nothing of interest to you there!
Here's the colors for the Button Color Challenge, nice and bright.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out all the creativity over at Julia's Stamping Ground, where every Wed. we show our crafty stuff!

She is a Vision and WOYWW

You saw the making of a tag last Wednesday, and I wanted to show you the finished product.  Found this saucy mermaid from on online blogger friend and gave her some bling and a shell and posted her over at 

Tag Tuesday.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

This is what is on my desk today, some new goodies!  Stamps, stickers and some beautiful ribbon.  I'll have fun with these.   If you are wondering why I am showing you these, hop on over to Julia's Stamping Ground , where you will see lots of other creative spaces on some fun blogs.  Check them out and join in next Wed.                                                                                                                             

Thanks for stopping by, and I appreciate all of you kind comments!

Birthday Cupcake

Skipping Stones Designs is having a color challenge based on this photo, and I played along,  using a cupcake stamp and little banner.  I added some glitter to give the frosting and banner a little sparkle.

I ran the cupcake bottom through my crimper to give it some dimension.  I used the Artful Delight August Sketch Challenge here-

Over at the Cupcake Craft Challenge they are looking for cards with "bunting", so I am popping that in there also.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ice Cream

Phew, it's hot out today!  Here's a card that might cool you off.   This is from a Paper Smooches stamp set, it's the first one that I have purchased.  I really like the font and sentiment, and tried a little washi tape today.  I'm going out for ice cream tonight!

Thanks for stopping by!  Stay cool!

Crazy 4 Challenges 147 Hot Summer Night and Crafty Creations Cool Summer Treat

Beautiful Shells

Don't you love the gorgeous shell images on this background stamp from Impression Obsession?  I cut out a strip of the background stamp, and made a matching scallop strip to slip underneath by punching it out in white, and swiping over it with my distress ink pad.  That is the new Salty Ocean color, and it's my latest fav. A scallop shell and a sentiment finished it off. I used this sketch from Less is More, week #78.

There's nothing I'd rather do on a hot summer night than sit beside the ocean, so this is going into the "Hot Summer Night' challenge over at Crazy for Challenges.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Ocean and WOYWW

I've missed a few weeks of WOYWWing because we were away at the ocean.  I've posted a few pics at the end of this post.  Now on to the workspace...

I've been making lots of ocean themed tags for Tag Tuesday, this is the one I made at the last minute on Monday for "Rock Pools".  I stamped the sea fan on acetate, to give the illusion of the seahorse hiding behind it.  After I stamped the seahorses, I covered them in Glossy Accents, and when dry, I rubbed distress ink over them. 

On my travels to some scrapbookstores I found this paper and these stamps, so this may come together for this week's tag on "Mermaids and Waterbabies" (I am behind already, and am not sure what a waterbaby is!)

I made the paper on the right using a great ocean background stamp of a wavy pattern, those were just practice stampings, I've got to work with that some more.  I love the mermaid image, but there might be too much coloring for my lowly coloring skills.   That's whats on my workdesk today, you can see other fun spaces over at Julia's Stamping Ground.  I hope you will stop in a take a peek.   So much creativity there!

 My tag is going in a few challenges-

The Artistic Stamper-Holidays

Fab and Funky-Anything But a Card

Simon Says Stamp and Show-What Do You Say?

Here's a few photos of our trip to Turks and Caicos, where the water was an unbelieveable blue, and so clear.

Thanks for stopping by, and I look forward to your comments.