Medallion

I couldn't wait to get this fab stamp and it took me a while, but I intend to make up for lost time.

For me, this card is both busy and elegant. I've never used lace on a card before and the flowers are doubled and the paper on the bottom uses alcohol ink on glossy paper with the gold flecks in it. Oh, you all know what I mean...it's a technique that we have all done at some point. Anywho, it worked for what I was trying to do. I just love how this turned out and will have a difficult giving this one away. I inked up the flower and may have gone a bit over-board, otherwise I'm happy with it.

Got plans for Saturday?I am finishing up my dd's treat holders for T-Day. They are so stinkin' cute. I will share with a kudos to the tute-maker (ha ha) that inspired me.

Make sure you get in a little stampin...I know I will. I'm going to find a challenge somewhere and try it.

Hugs & Blessings
Erica

Happy Friday

It's here....the weekend. Do you have any big plans? I suppose just getting ready for the holidays. I don't do Halloween, but Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday...because of all the yummy things to eat. I keep to a very traditional menu and that's the way my family enjoys it. I'm curious as to what my legions of fans have for their dinner. Do you try new things on this day, or stay with the tried and true? Do you do it all yourself, or invite people over and then ask them to bring a dish?Do you make a specific request of them, or just say bring whatever and hope for no dish doubles. I will post my menu in the first week of November. My hubby is asking me how much I think I'll need this year to spend on the day's food. For the first time, I'm at a loss. Food is one of the priorities that has sky-rocketed in price this year. I'm noticing that meat is staying at a somewhat good price, but everything else...especially flour, cereal products, rice, is way up. I don't know how large families are making it. We will have 10 people this year including 3 little ones whose eyes are often bigger than their bellies. I like to have leftovers to send home with my family and some for the next day for me & hubby, plus enough to make a turkey soup and a couple of sandwiches. If I buy ham...and most of the time I do, I will get a bone-in ham and make split pea soup. It is dh's favorite. He won't eat the ham, but he'll eat the soup made with the ham. Go figure. So, I'm all listenin' legions of fans. Bend my ear.

For my card, I used the Nesties Labels 7. When I saw this showcased on a blog-hop back in August, I knew I had to have it. Don't these stamps work well with it. They are by Inkadinkadoo and Hero Arts. The paper is My Minds Eye. The flower is a Michael's wedding flower with a brad. There is also another Nestie under the Labels 7. I added Cuttlebug corners and a bow and M.S. leaves. Oh, and some bling on the corners. The base is SU's old olive. I really like how this card turned out and that means I don't want to give it away...at least not until I get tired of looking at it.

So, make sure you make time for stamping this weekend and rest up for the upcoming holidays.

Hugs & Blessings,
Erica

More Tulips

Here is a second tulip card. This one is done is done in blues. I suppose it is sorta' monotone. I stamped on watercolor paper and used my watercolor crayons to paint the flowers. I'm thinking I need to do something about hi-lighting the center of the flower as they need to be black. I may try using a extra-fine point marker to just dot some speckles on.
I hope everyone has enjoyed their Saturday and had the chance to do some stamping. Not much going on in my life and that's the way I like it.
For a well-done video-tute on how to use the "bow easy", a tool I can't live without, see Stamp TV where Gina does a marvelous job of making this tool work. I was making them fairly well, but her tute showed I was missing one critical step. Maybe it will do that for you or if you don't have one, tempt you to get one. The link can be found here
StampTV.com. You may have to go the previous show...just look for words that include "bow easy." I'm still playing around with direct links as Blogger went and updated and I never fully understood the old one. But I can tell the update is better...just gotta get used to it I guess. I suppose that's what Sundays are for, huh...with that said, Have a Blessed One, and get some stampin' done will ya?!
Erica

OK, so it's not in a row

 
Lookie, I paper-pieced. This is the easiest image to do that technique with, IMO. It's from Stampin' Ups' Voila set. I made the card for my SIL's B-day. He loves my cakes. Hey Yosha, that recipe will come in handy. I plan on making it for an anniversary he and my dh celebrate really soon. So the ds paper is from a dwindling stack of My Minds Eye that I adore. and everything else is fairly ordinary stuff.
Well, I gotta run...Bible study and I have opted to run to KFC for dinner for dh tonite and YIPPIE, he said OK. So, I'm off.
More cards on the morrow.
Have a good hump day evening.
Blessings,
Erica

Oh Bother...Day Two

 
I just glanced at the clock and it is after 12 midnight, which means I am honestly not posting two days in a row. Well, let's pretend, shall we?
So here is a card I made with that gorgeous stamp I have been blathering about. It doesn't have a name but is from a company called Heartfelt Creations. There is only a toll-free number on the wood block. I bought it at the CKC a few weeks ago, along with two unmounted Christmas sets. They are all quite lovely. They had many to choose from. When time allows, I'm going to have to do a search to try locating a website. If any of my legions of fans knows of them, please share.
So, can't you see the versatility in this stamp? What could you NOT use it for I ask? Tomorrow, I'll have another design and I will probably bore you with more until I've had my fill. It is so easy to color. Here, I've used kraft paper and Prismacolor pencils with gamsol. Red pearls I bought at CKC, some twine and MS border punch with an MS butterfly add some pizzaz. The ds paper is from my stash. and the choc. chip mat was embossed with a CB folder and then sponged with some distress ink. I just love it and will have a rough time giving this one away.
My CTMH, Amy, has finally resolved the funding issue for me to join and it's now a done deal. I expect my kit by mid-week. It's been 6 months since I greeted Mrs. Brown with a happy wave. When she drops off my dh's meds, I don't even open the door, so she just leaves them in doorway alcove. I have to be reminded to go and get them, as I rarely use the front door for anything but letting guests in.
So, I hope you have fun plans for the weekend and if not, remember, there is always stamping. That's what I plan on doing.

Autumn...are we there yet?

 
Hi everyone...a little bit of a hiatus there. My legions of fans know I couldn't get past seven days in a row, right? Well, I'm about to start another lucky 7 with this, the first one. I know I blathered on and on about a new stamp that I got and adore. Well, I have been making even more cards with it. I have to take photos and upload. I absolutely will share with you in the coming two days. Cross My Heart! I am also waiting to get my demo-ship with Close To My Heart. That has become a bit of a mess as they do not take my credit card of choice (AMEX) and we have had to figure out how to get me my kit. I hope this is resolved by next week. I already have a small order from a friend.
So here's a fall card of sorts. I wanted to use the hottest new product....flower soft. My pals and I bought 3 colors and split it between us. This is the autumn color. It is a nice little something to add to your cards. The colors of he MS butterfly don' quite work. I might need to change that out at some point. Flowersoft is one of those things that will come and go...it's not ribbons or buttons and Heaven forbid like CB folders and Nesties. Speaking of, Hobby Lobby is having a 40% sale this week on Nesties, including a few of the recently introduced pendants and I am scrounging up money wherever I can to add to my stash. I am raiding my dh's change box tomorrow and I'm not tellin' him either. Bad girl that I can be!
Hugs,
Erica

Seven. O C'mon, It's 7, Really

 
Happy Saturday...errr, okay, so it's Sunday. I'm countin' this as seven (7), in a row, 'cuz I definitely meant to post before midnight, except, my mojo went into high gear and I stopped to create a beauty (with a little help from a blogger...but not much). The stamps did it all. I got my SU medallion today and I had to use it right away. Gosh, I am going to have a blast with that stamp. Shelli has a winnner with this one. And no, you can't see it until another time, 'cause, I didn't take a photo yet.
So instead, I have a Christmas card for you. Clean & Simple in keeping with my plan for holiday cards this year. This one did take a bit longer tho' 'cause I used my CB to cut out each letter. The snowflake is sparkling. I cut an A2 size sheet of white cs and by rubbing 2 different pigment pads all over it and then sprinkling glitter and heating to set, I made my own designer snowflakes. Then I punched lots of flakes with my Martha Stewart snowflake punch (the first one distributed...there's a newer one out now, I believe). A little ds paper from my stash and river pebbles finish it off. I like it, how 'bout you.
My stampin' pals and I also got together and we created up a storm. I'll post cards during the week. Shout out to Jeri, as her mojo was positively on fire and she made the majority. Love you both El and Jeri.
May my legion of fans be blessed this Sunday as you take time to honor our Lord in your places of worhip. Please pray a prayer for those who are unable to do so in other parts of the world.
Hugs,
Erica

Six Days in a Row

 
Well, I'm rushing to get this in under the wire. I had a weird day today and I was not happy with dh. He was not cooperative until I gave him the silent treatment which is extremely difficult for me, since I love to talk and have had to for the both of us since he lost his ability to speak coherently about a year ago. Of course, I got angry about some plans that should have been smooth, but were anything but this time, and I started to complain. He understood my frustration, but when we returned home, I never got my head on straight and the afternoon just dwindled into no accomplishments until now. I just finished whipping my craft room into some semblance of order so that I won't be embarrassed in front of my stamping girlfriends. I have my lunch menu set for them now as well. I was gonna get a Christmas card prepped for them to make...this one in my blog, but it didn't get done. I'll be rushing off to bed right after I post, so that I can get up early and sweep, mop and do a bit of dusting. Then off to get some bagels for breakfast before they arrive. In between that, I will find time to assist dh with getting dressed. I will be super busy. So, this card is so clean & simple that a child could make it. The stamps are all SU. I used by Nestie for the small mat. Any small Christmas themed stamp could be used in place of the Santa hat; a present, a snowflake, bells, a small ornament, pine cones. I plan on making about 10 of these for sending out. The embellie is called a 'glitter done' from Crystal Stickers by Mark Richards. I bought them in silver too from Hobby Lobby.
Be well friends and enjoy your weekend...and most of all get a little stampin' done, will ya'?
Hugs,
Erica

Going for Five Days in a Row

It's time to show some of the clean & simple Christmas cards I've been making. I definitely borrowed this sketch from somewhere, but changed it enough to still call it my own. All of the C&S cards are "holiday" cards. I can't seem to wrap my mojo around one that is C&S, but also Christian themed. I do have more than a few religious (for lack of a better term) word stamps, but no sketch matches them. I will have to hunt the SCS gallery when I have loads of time (hmmm, and that will be when?). So how about my legions of fans give me a round of applause as this is the very first time I have blogged 5..yup!, five, that's cinco days in a row. And it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. As with anything, ya' gotta' stay disciplined. I have also kept some posts short. I'm still unsure if this if my blog is written as a therapeutic diary..reduce the BP, and calm the anxious heart, or a way to show-off my card crafty things. I think I've managed to make it both. So, I'd better sign-off now, before this becomes lengthy. I have dinner to cook still and some laundry to finish. Saturday, my stamping pals join me for a fun day of stamping and munching on goodies. We are going to try to pull together a "lunchbox" filled with cards for one of their moms who is in failing health and won't be able to do much shopping for such. I'll be taking pics for my blog.
One more day til Happy Friday.
Hugs & Blessings.
Erica

Four Days In a Row...almost

Good Morning...I didn't quite make it for the PM. I wasn't going to try...but then I ate two Werthers' butter hard candies and got a burst of energy. I'll take my cholesterol pill later :)
So, continuing with cards, here's another that could be categorized as clean & simple. It probably just barely makes it because of the ribbon. The ds paper is from K&Co. The stamp is another $ Inkadinkadoo. The flowers are punched with pink pearls for the centers. I used a Nestie square and did the out-of-the-box technique. Ya gotta' own a sharp pair of scissors or a good blade knife (?hmmm..know what I'm talkin' about?). Stuck some EK Success punched corners on...smaller than SU's corner punch and some ribbon and a little colorin'. The sentiment was borrowed from Papertrey's set, "On My Couch." That little set along with the Additions set totally lends itself to lots of other cards. And there you have it.
Well, today was hump day and I was busy with 2 Bible studies. I returned to one after a month hiatus to devote to getting dh back on track. Oh, how I need the camaraderie of my fellow Christian women to get me through the long hauls of life.
Hang In There Sisters...see ya' in the mornin'.
Erica

Third Day In a Row

So how was your Tuesday? Mine was pretty ordinary...a Dr. appointment for hubby and then home where my sweet tooth got the best of me and I made a plum kuchen from a recipe found here http://www.kingarthurflour.com/. Should any of my legionnaires request it, I will be happy to share. It was deleeecious!. I was too lazy and cheap to buy real cream and whip it, so we had the canned stuff. I always seem to have it on hand. I should have taken a picture. I already made one with nectarines for my dd to serve at a small dinner party she gave last month, but I never got to taste it. She assured me that it won rave reviews. That does my heart good. I thrive on compliments made on my cards and desserts. Thank goodness I walked 40 mins. this morning. AZ weather is quite delightfuly this time of year, though we desperately need rain and I am hand-watering my larger trees every night for fear they will succumb to this 3rd year on record with so little rain. They are predicting a "wet" fall/winter. We'll see.
So here is my card created a week or so ago. It started as CAS card, but I tweaked it enough so that I can now say it's mine. I was trying to get all the colors from the ds paper to match with the cs. I've got SU's pomegranite (ret.), apricot appeal, kraft, and a blue of some hue. I'm terrible with remembering the blues in particular. I used a newer CB folder and the ds paper is from a huge collection by K & Company. Blue pearls (aren't they pretty) and ribbon from my stash round it out. The flower is a dollar stamp by Inkadinkadoo. They are really designing some lovely stamps IMO these days.
So my legions of fans, carry on with your week. I will return tomorrow with another fall-themed card.
Be Blessed by the Creator
Erica

Two Days In a Row

If I get this done early, I figure that I will be more apt to actually get it done. So here is another clean & simple card. That's a clear $Inkadinkado stamp from Michaels. Thes sentiment was included. How fun. I used Gina K's Pure Luxery white to stamp on. I think I need to work on improving the coloring and I'm not sure what is my best method to use. But this is a card that everyone needs one or two of in their stash, don't you think?

Well not much happening here in my world. I stayed up tooo late making criss-cross cards for my stampin' buddies and I didn't bother to take photos. But I have plenty of others to share as the week goes on.

Hope you all have a blessed week and enjoy the cooler weather.

Hugs & Blessings,
Erica

It's Been A While

Good Morning,
Yes, it's been a while, and I won't make any excuses, 'cause it'll probably bore you. It's just life happening anyhow.
So, I went to the CKC Convention held here in Phoenix in my area for the first time. I went on a Friday and gee, was it crowded. I can only imagine what Saturday must have been like. It was a good day for vendors and that's important. I think CKC will return here for sure.
I dropped quite a bit onto my Amex card and then regretted some of it, so I called them and asked if I could work out a payment arrangement just on the portion spent that day. I remembered reading something about that years ago...that it was a one-time arrangement. Yippie, they said YES! I will have to call them when I get the bill.
So, most of the stuff is put away now, but Stacy of Wizard/Nestabilities fame was there and I got to shake her hand. Don't know why I didn't try to get a pic. Anywho, she had me put my name down on a list for locals to try out new products. (Wizard is located only 15 miles away from me.) I squealed with delight and I hope I got all my info down correctly I was soooo tickled and nervous! Needless to say, I then proceeded to spend $90 on Nesties and a set of Spica pens and 2 Copics. BTW, she said she personally knows of 20 SU demos who dropped because of the new IDA.
In addition to that little fun-time, I bought 2 wood-mounted stamps from a company I never heard of called Heartfeld Creations. Then on to some small vendors for bling and ribbon. Then to the Close To My Heart booth which I planned on doing. There I met the lovely Amy, currently of No. Car., soon to be in Seattle...hubby's in the Mil....where I announced that I wanted to be a consultant for them before she had so much as shown more than 2 or 3 items. I'd already made up my mind a week before. My only question was...did I have until Mar. '10 to put in my quarterly order if I signed up then and there. The answer was yes...so they work similarly to SU. I mentioned SU and my no longer being a demo and she was sweet & kind about that referring to them "as the other company". It's nice she didn't want to malign them, which is more than I can say for myself. We mentioned the new IDA and she does not see any like it coming down the pike for CTMH.
So, I will briefly elaborate on why I chose CTMH. (1) Good quality clear stamps in neat packaging, (2) Prices not all over the place...there are 4 basic price catagories and the pretty much stick to 'em, (3) you don't get thrown out if you miss a quarterly requirement, instead your discount gets cut, but you actually remain a consultant for life as long as you buy something now & then, (4) Commissioni is slightly more than SU's and S&H is a bit less than 'the other co.', (5)I like the layout/design of the catty (put out 3x per year) a bit more than you know whose...of course, I know that could change.
So, we'll see what happens. As with SU, I will most likely be relegated to hobby status and that's perfectly okay by me.
And so my card hasn't got anything from either company. It does have a Stampendous flower and a Studio "G" $ stamp sentiment in white. The EK success punch 'punches' it up a bit. I colored the flower with Gamsol. I'm calling this card a clean & simple one.
So, enjoy your Sunday. I'm planning on stamping all day to make World Stamping Day extend a bit.
Hugs & Blessings,
Erica (who is committed to blogging every day this week).