It's Time for Lauren's technique

Good evening my legion of fans. I am suppossed to be in bed...I promised myself, but my mojo started workin' out of nowhere and I was able to come up with this card for Lauren's Saturday technique. I totally cheated, in that I didn't use the stylus and color. Perhaps tomorrow, I'll give the true technique a whirl. Deets on that can be found at her site which is on my sidebar. I'm trying to be fast here, so I'm not linking. Forgive me. . So we were to dry emboss. I pulled my much beloved Cuttlebug out (actually, it's always within reach) and a folder, and dry embossed a piece of gold vellum...luv how shimmery it is. The base is SU's kraft and the mat, SU's black paper. The image is stamped on a shimmery cs from Paper Temptress and I used Nestibilities for the mats. The stamp is from Inkadinkadoo and I absolutely adore it...so versatile. I got embossing happy and embossed it as well with gold powder. The punch is from EK Success. There new line of punches ROCK! Strong, easily stored....I want them all. I put a tiny gem in place for the eye, not something I would ordinarily do, but what the heck...a little more glam can't hurt. The shimmer was so intense, that the card didn't actuallyphotograph well. Or could it be that I don't know how to "fix it" with my in my photo progam? That's the problem with my blog, I can never do justice to my work because I don't have time to fix, and organize photos, and blog! URGHH! Some day.....

So, enjoy the rest of the weekend and no matter what, get some stampin' in, ya' hear?!!

Hurry Before the End of the Month

I know, I was on a roll for a few days, huh? I soon sank back into what is known as my normal...reading blogs so much that I don't have time left for posting on my own. I've also been busy with the usual, end of school activities for grandson, various appointments, etc. But I didn't want the month to get away before I posted this lovely card that is totally my design. Aren't the colors great. And I have been hoarding those brads, so using three on one card is a major achievement. The sentiment is from Stampabilities. They sell lots of these Christian stamps in HL, which just makes my day when I come across them. The paper is SU and the oval punch is too. The CB textile folder was used on the pink. This card was one of 20 that I included in my dd's "all occasion cards" lunch box. I don't believe I've posted it, so I'll have to see if I can locate a photo.
Ah well, the weekend is coming and I have to make 6 thank you cards and 8 thinking of you cards for a "paid" (can you say WHOOPIE!) project. I have 2 more weekends to complete them. Now if only I could settle on one design for all 6 and 8. My problem is I get bored out of my mind making the same exact card over and over again. This is why I don't participate in many swaps. I seem to always find way to improve on the next card.

Well, enjoy the rest of the week my legion of readers.

Erica

Mojo Monday

Good Evening,

Well here it is Monday and that means Mojo Monday's sketch is here. You can see it here http://www.mojomonday.blogspot.com/. I am always meaning to make something and the Monday gets away from. This time, I stayed disciplined and focused. And I made a card.

As you can see, I was faithful to the sketch except a circle didn't work with my little fairy, so she's in an oval. Isn't the dp paper lovely? It is yet another digi designed paper from a kit mentioned in a recent post. The link is there too.

I need to correct an error on yesterday's post. I said the dp paper on the purse was from a pad and actually, it was also a digi dp from the same freebie deal as this one. Mia culpa.

The sentiment is from SU's ret. Painted Posies and the fairy is a Studio G $ clear stamp. Isn't she cute? I colored her on watercolor paper with watercolor pencils and added a little sparkle from a sparkle pen. I sponged a little Memento Sky Blue around her. The cs is SU and a Bazzil murgandy mat. The ovals are Nesties and the border is an MS punch with the flowered Cuttlebug border. And how about that ribbon bow, huh? Pretty neat. I hope it shows up well. These are super easy to make and fun. A little bling for the flower centers finishes this up. I'm really pleased with this card and it didn't take me all day to make. Sketches really help me. Now I gotta find a mojo blog for every day of the week.

Happy Stamping everyone.

Erica

Lauren's Challenge for this Week

Good evening all my fans out there and you are legion. Let me tell you how hard I worked for you today. I got about 3 hrs. sleep...why you ask, because all I did yesterdayinto the wee hours was bloghop. I figured I owed it to myself after feeling so badly for 2 days straight. So, I love Lauren's templates and I decided to take this weeks challenge. I can't link it the way most can, as I'm laptop illerate, but her blog is listed in my faves on the right. I had this template Purse-onality. I lost the download, but I learned the hard way to always make a hard copy which I then can use as a template and/or have it copied at Staples. It sometimes shifts a teeny bit, but you can adjust when cutting and assembling.
I hope to get one of the newer ones before the end of the month. I used SU's ret. eggplant for the base and a Bazill light purple. Very light purple satin ribbon is on the handle with a black satin narrow ribbon for accent The paper is from a pad my dh gave me a while ago and the button is from a big bag I bought years ago, knowing someday I'd need one. I think I could be a button collector if I made an attempt. There are endless varieties. Gee, I wonder who designs buttons for a living. Back to the project at hand. I used Martha Stewert's punch for the borders on the back and inside and the handle. Those little crests are leftover punchies from the border. Aren't I just too talented? I hope you can see the butterflies that are punched with the MS punches. They have a tiny bit of bling, The top of the bag is dry embossed with the CB floral folder. If I do this again, I would sponge it a bit to bring the embossing. The tag is CB held on with SU's old faithful gold thread and a really ancient flower brad. The closure under the button is velcro.I think I've covered it all. If not, feel free to be one of the hundreds who comment on my blog. I hope my little creation is photographed well enough to be inspired by Lauren's templates. You may feel they are a bit pricier than some others (whom I too have on occasion used), however, you need to know that she keeps things nice and simple for the 3D challenged folks out there. Yet, they're are very useful. She has many believiers.

OH, BTW, dd's birthday is tomorrow and she's desperately trying to make a visit from CA for the Memorial Day weekend. I haven't seen her or my granddaughter since Christmas, so I will be praying for that to happen. I think I'll put something in here cutsy for her. She does inspire me. I hope that everyone has a blessed and fruitful week, whether at home or at the workplace.

Daughter's Birthday card

Well, she's 41 on Monday...my eldest dd, that is. UGH, I can't believe it. Knowing she's getting older, just proves that so am I.
Had a rough end of the week...ended up in the hospital. Won't go into the deets, but suffice it to say that prescription drugs are horrible. They fix one thing and mess up we'll never be certain how many others. Side effects are not fun when they rear their ugly head.
So, here is a card I did which will arrive late, 'cause of the previous mentions, and an overall lack of mojo earlier in the week. I finally got the kick-start I needed when I returned home from a full day of stampin' with my 2 stampin' pals. Actually, they are also dear friends. We always talk about how we'll be friends forever. Isn't stampin' wonderful!!!

There's a little somethin' special about this card; I used digi paper. I got it here http://www.making-handmade-cards.com/ and when you sign-up, you get a free set of digi papers to download. They even include "contact" sheets. New to me, but super helpful. I think they're awesome. I believe this company is out of Great Britain. Kinda' neat, huh? I'm trying to get into the digi-world of stamping/scrapping. It might seem like it would be too expensive, considering the ink, but I have seen a breakdown of pricing and it actually works out cheaper if you don't waste your digi paper. The only downside I can think of is you can't print 12x12. Last week, I spent $20 on ds paper and that was with a coupon. I bought 100 sheets and it was in a pad, so there's bound to be some I don't like. With digi paper, you print only what you want as many times as you want it, because you've downloaded it. I could get used to that.

Some other deets...Nesties labels, SU paper, satin ribbon from a share, an HL pearl, flower from my stash, with bling, the sentiment from The Paper Company Studio clear stamp set...never saw these before, but I like 'em! They were at JoAnn's and I got the last one.

Well, it's super late now, and I've gotta play with those little ones tomorrow at church. I hope my readers have a safe and enjoyable rest of the weekend.

Erica

Good Evening,

Here is the 2nd card I made for Mother's Day. Unfortunately, I put the 3rd one in its envie, sealed it and forgot to take a photo. I do that sometimes. By next month, I won't even remember what it looked like. I am on to making a card for my grandson's teacher. This was the poor woman's first teaching assignment. A class of 28 with nearly half who spoke English as their 2nd language...and the grade is 5th. YIKES!! My grandson told me that one day she so completely lost control of the class, that she called the main office and asked for someone to come and help her get it back. Gosh, I felt sorry for her.
Here's another sorta related cutsie. I made her a Christmas gift of 4 all occasion cards and a cute box I decorated. She loved it and asked him who made it (he said she had a really surprised face). Gregory said, "My family." No credit for poor Grandma...well sorta, indirectly, I guess. That's what I get for not putting at least my initial on the back. Afterall, I do have a JustRite stamper kit.
So, I will post the "teacher" card soon, as I need to get it to Gregory for him to add a personal touch. School's out 5/16. Gregory will not be going to this school anymore. His mom is putting him into a high achieving charter school for 6th grade. She is worried about him going to junior high because of several reasons. One is that he's small for his age; a smart kid (i.e., slightly nerdy); very polite and kind; and last but not least, he's black. Well, you see him in my profile. He has been called the "N" word several times in the last 2 yrs. at school. My daughter advised the principal and was given the usual platitudes. Gregory also reported it for the first couple of times, but then gave up as the teacher in charge (it usually happened out on the playground during recess), would tell him to, "ignore those people, they are being rude." Well, that was stating the obvious, I think. I don't profess to know what should have been done and I know this will happen to him again, but it should not and must not be ignored. We pray for Gregory and make sure he tells us everything. We let him know that we will address any problems..maybe not with the best results, but we will not ignore anything that troubles him. Finally, we pray with him for his safety and protection. And we pray privately, that he will never become a statistic. God help our youth of today.
And on that note...I wish all mothers and "you could be my mother" mothers a Very Happy Mothers Day.
Erica

Magnolia's Here

Well, here is my first Magnolia image that I own. I am tickled the designer decided to design an African American Magnolia. And she is so cute. I took some liberty and added lashes and a mouth. I was very hesitant to do this as an artist, I'm not, But I think it came across okay. Several friends and fellow stampers don't really like the Magnolia images because they lack key face elements. I like her both ways. I understand that this makes the artist stand out from all the rest. This card is for one of my dd's. She really is a good mom. She holds a stressful full-time job (not by choice) and raises her 2 children. She is married, but hubby is trying to run his own business with some limited success. It's a rough time to be in business for yourself all alone...except, she helps him with that too. DD is just everything I could hope for in a daughter.
My photo doesn't do the card justice. The sentiment is from SU and the cupcake is from a clear stamp set. Used a MS punch for the border and ribbon and trim from my stash. The paper is from various non-descript sources. The pink is actually a fabric paper that I found in Big Lots awhile back. It's takes ink well. I used StazOn fuschia pink. A little bit of stickles on the "frosting." I think purple was a bit overbearing and I probably should have just used some glitter pen or even my Signo white pen.
I will have two more Mothers Day cards to show before the week is out. Totally different from this.
Enjoy what's left of your day and get to stampin' if you have even a moment.
Erica

Quick...While it's still Saturday

Hi everyone...hope your Saturday is good and your Sunday is blessed. All I did today was read blogs, and then when I still had 4 laundry loads, a trip to the supermarket, Costco and Home Depot looming at 3PM, I decided to make this card. The sketch for it was on a blog I subscribe to, but don't ask me which one. I didn't even print it out. I just turned from my laptop to my craft table and started in. It took me about an hour (that's actually fast for me) to do it. I used some old ds paper from a big giant pad my dd gave me. I thought I'd never make use of this pad, but I actually found quite a few papers I like and can use. I then added this Cuttlebug die flower and my SU retired slot punch. The border is an EK Success border punch...luv them and need every one of them. The sentiment is from American Art Stamp. Never heard of them, but the size is so perfect for the outside of a card when you want to say more than HB, and you don't want to cover too much of the ds paper. I also like the font used. The base is SU's coral and one of their purples. The green comes from the aforementioned pad. The black cs is unknown. The ribbon is SU's black narrow. To round it off, I added flat black beads from the jewelry section of Michaels...went back to get more and they were all gone. I really like this layout and plan on using it again. If I figure whose it is, I'll credit in my next post.

OK, So It's May Already

Well. here it is May already. It's so difficult to believe it could be so far into the year!
I promise I have been stamping like crazy...every day, as a matter of fact. BUT, I find it tedious to upload cards. I haven't got it down to a science and so I have issues when I try to get them from my camera memory card onto my Picasa program. I always seem to copy everything that I've already copied plus the new card. It's probably something really simple that I'm not seeing. But in the meantime, posts with pics aren't going to be frequent.
So here is my first Magnolia card. This was an image that was mailed to me as part of a swap. These little people from Europe are adorable, but more than one friend (stampers and non) have remarked as to why they don't have a mouth! One of them suggested a little heart shaped mouth. Alas, I can't draw...not even a teeny heart. I have messed up too many images to count. So my newest Magnolia...wait 'til you see her, (I promise no later than Sunday PM.), she will not have a mouth. She will be true to the artists' rendition. This card was part of a grouping that I gave to my DD for her B-Day.
I have just about completed my greeting card holder boxes and I will grit my teeth and upload them one by one soon. I'm very proud of what I've accomplished and I think I have improved design-wise. Practice does indeed make for better and hours on stamper blogs helps too.
So have a great first May weekend and stay safe.