House Mouse Halloween

Happy Halloween to all! Today I'm sharing the cards I made for two of my grandchildren. The third one received (hopefully today!) this one - except I added Stickles to the faces.

For this first one - and the second one, too, actually - I used House Mouse stamps for both the image and the "BOO." I colored the cute little image with Copic markers. The image and matting were cut with Spellbinders dies. The image panel is mounted on Dimensionals.

For the black panel on this second one, I applied white ink to a Fiskars texture plate, just by tapping the ink pad on the plate. Then I embossed the black cardstock and matted with Tangerine Tango from Stampin' Up! Once again, the image and matting were cut with Spellbinders dies. Both the image panel and sentiment panel are mounted on Dimensionals.

There is a new Stamp of the Week from Repeat Impressions, too. This week it's the Tombstone, found on this page. It's available for 50% off by visiting the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built, and following the instructions found there. You will also find the creations by some of the Rock Stars. We'd also love to have your join our challenges - both the WHAT IF? Wednesday sketch and the Designer's Choice Challenge (my "recipe!") See the blog for details and join in the fun for a chance to win a great prize.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Rose Birthday

Another quick post with a Card Parts card.


The parts for this card were the stamped and cut rose and the scored panel. The rose, from Inkadinkado, was colored with markers and stamped on watercolor paper. It was cut with a long oval Nestability. I added the matting, cut with a scalloped long oval Nestability. I mounted it on Dimensionals. The white panel was scored with my Scor-Pal and matted with the same cardstock as the rose. The sentiment is from a set from The Paper Company. I kind of liked the look of the white with the ivory - something different.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Fifth Anniversary, Eric and Brooke!

This is the card we gave our son and daughter-in-law for their fifth anniversary. I can't believe it's been five years already!!!


It's also a card made from my "card parts." The pre-made parts were the embossed glasses already matted on silver, and the embossed background strip. The strip was made by brayering white ink on the Fiskars texture plate before embossing. I matted that strip with silver, also. The embossed panel was mounted on foam squares. The sentiment is part of a stamp from The Paper Company.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

"You're So Tweet"

I have so many cards to make for November, a few more Christmas cards, and about 13 calendars. However, I've been having a great time digging through my "Cards Parts" box! I have several cards to share with you - I've made 12 in the past few days! Some will have their own day and others will be doubled up:)


For this one, my card parts were the embossed background and the Nestability matting. I added the image and sentiment - from Fiskars. I colored the image with Bic markers. The background was done with a Fiskars texture plate. First I inked it up with white ink and then did the embossing. The image panel is mounted on Dimensionals.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Congrats, Andrea!

I made this card for Andrea - another proud grandma in my Yahoo! stamping group. Her daughter just had her newest baby boy, born last Thursday.


My stamps are both from Repeat Impressions. I paper-pieced the baby's sleeper and used the same paper for the background. I cut out the oval for the baby with a Spellbinder's die and the matting with my new Labels Ten set. I colored with Copic markers. I added white pearls on the matting layer and brown pearls for the baby's eyes. I mounted the image layer on Dimensionals.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions Designer's Choice Challenge - A Recipe

It's time for a new Designer's Choice Challenge from Repeat Impressions - where one of the  Design Team members comes up with the theme and the other Rock Stars - and YOU - create your cards accordingly. Today it's my turn:) I have chosen a "recipe" for you to follow. My challenge is to use one image, one sentiment, two die cuts or punches, and three embellishments. We'd love to have you join in! One random participant for the month will win a full sheet of unmounted rubber of their choice. Please visit the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built, for all the details and to see the wonderful creations. Or follow these links to the other Rock Stars' blogs:

Darsie ~ Dawn ~Joy ~ Karen ~ Kendra ~ Maki ~ Miriam ~ Robin ~ Vicki

For my card, I used: image - 3805-J Winter's Eve, sentiment - 1141-F Christmas, die cuts - Lacey Squares and Fancy Tags, embellishments - Stickles, pearls, star (flower?) brad. I stamped my image with Stampin' Up!'s Brocade Blue, and the matting is also Brocade Blue. I used Stickles on the white area of the image. I embossed a piece of white for the right side of the card with a Snowflakes Cuttlebug folder, and then added a thin strip of the same blue. I colored the pearls with a Copic marker to match the blue matting.


We'd love to have you join us! You also have nearly a week to participate in the latest WHAT IF? Wednesday challenge for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate. See the details for that challenge here.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

SplitCoastStampers Clean and Simple Challenge

This card is for yesterday's SplitCoastStampers Clean and Simple Challenge, which was a sketch. The sketch is this card.


I inked up my tag, from the Stampin' Up! set Tags So Much, with markers, stamped, and punched with the SU small tag punch. Then I punched the matting with the SU tag punch and Real Red. I cut a rectangle of white and added the red stripes to it. I mounted that panel on Dimensionals and glued the tag to it. I don't know what set the sentiment is from, but I do know it's Stampin' Up!


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week - Tall Pumpkin

Time for a new Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week. This week's stamp, available for 50% off through next Sunday, October 30, is  2310-G, Tall Pumpkin and can be found on this page. Please visit the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built, for all the details and to view the other Rock Stars' creations. Or, you can follow these links to their blogs:

Darsie ~ Dawn ~Joy ~ Vicki

For my card, I stamped the Tall Pumpkin twice on orange cardstock and the Round Pumpkin once. I cut them out. I stamped them again on green cardstock and cut out the stems. I used the Goofy and Bad Intentions stamps for the face pieces. I stamped them on yellow-orange cardstock, cut them out and glued them on the pumpkins. For the border piece, I used the Candy Corn and stamped it multiple times. I colored them with Copics and matted with orange. Then I stamped the sentiment. All of the stamps I used can be found on the same page, here.


Also, you still have until tomorrow evening to participate in the Designer's Choice Challenge challenge, found here, and another eight days to participate in the WHAT IF? Wednesday Sketch Challenge, found here. There are great prizes to be won!


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Birthday Elephant

I was done working on my Repeat Impressions cards for the week (which you'll see on Monday and Wednesday) and I really felt like making more. So, I dug out my card parts boxes and picked out several items.


The orange panel was already cut. It's from a Die Cuts With a View stack called Cafe Mediterranean. I matted it, and the other layer, with Chocolate Chip from Stampin' Up! The bottom panel was already scored with my Scor-Pal and in my box. The elephant was actually left over from our daughter-in-law. It was cut with a Cuttlebug die. I never would have thought to simply cut it from one color and leave the eyes and ears open. I would have tried dealing with the tiny pieces cut from another color. It's so fun to have other people use your things and get new ideas! I'll miss them when they don't live with us any more. I mounted the elephant on Dimensionals. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink and is stamped with Chocolate Chip ink. EDITED TO ADD: The card base, bottom layer and the elephant are all ivory/cream.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Fall-To Layout #163

I made this quick and easy card using the Fall-To Layout #163. (You can find the layout here, on Natasha's Clean and Simple Stamping blog.)


Not much to say about it: three Prima flowers, white brad centers, and a sentiment from The Paper Company:)


I have had almost no time for creating lately, but at least things have been good. My sister was in town from Atlanta and I went down to my mom and dad's for a couple days to spend some time with her. (Our parents were in Branson, so we had the house to ourselves.) I hope to have a little time to create today. I hope everyone has a great weekend!


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions WHAT IF? Wednesday Sketch

It's Wednesday, so that means it's time for another Repeat Impressions challenge. This week, it's a WHAT IF? Wednesday Sketch Challenge. Here is this week's sketch, designed by Wendy - the owner and stamp designer of Repeat Impressions.

We'd love to have you join us in using this sketch. Make your card using the sketch, upload to your blog or on-line gallery, and link to the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built. You will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate from Repeat Impressions. Visit the blog for all the details and also to see the wonderful creations by the other Rock Stars. Or, you can follow these links to their blogs.

Darsie ~ Dawn ~Joy ~ Karen ~ Kendra ~ Maki ~ Miriam ~ Robin ~ Vicki

For my card, I used the sunflower image, found on this page. (Scroll down a little ways.) I stamped it on textured ivory paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored it with Bic markers. I matted with a reddish-brown cardstock, after rounding the corners. I added the ribbon and bow, brown pearls, and the sentiment - also from Repeat Impressions. The card base is Very Vanilla, from Stampin' Up!


You also still have nearly a week to participate in the Designer's Choice Challenge - to make a Fall or Halloween card. This is for a chance to win a full sheet of your choice of unmounted rubber. The details can be found here.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Birds and Flowers - Last Two for Church

Here are the last two cards I made for our church's Lutefisk dinner craft sale. (The other two new ones are remakes of ones that have already been on my blog.) The main image stamp for these cards is one I got in the dollar bin at Michael's a while back. I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp an entire row of them. Then I colored them with Bic markers and cut the strip in half for the two cards. I added the scoring with my Scor-Pal. The matting is from Stampin' Up! The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.

The sentiment on this one is from the dollar bin, too.


Today is also the first day of the new Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week. This week's stamp, available for 50% off through next Sunday, is Frankenstein Face. You can find it on this page. To check out what the other Rock Stars have done with this stamp, visit the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Silhouette Flowers and Sponging

Two more cards for our church. These are my favorites, I think. I cased them from my friend Joanne, who made a card like it at a Stampin' Up! card-making event. I punched the circle in thin paper and used it for a mask to sponge ink inside the punched out circle. After sponging with two different colors, I stamped the flowers - from Technique Tuesday. The sentiments are both from Papertrey Ink. The matting for both is from Stampin' Up!

It's often hard to tell by the pictures, but both card bases are Very Vanilla and the image panel is lightly textured off-white.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Two Simple Birthday Cards

Here are two more cards to donate to my church. These are remakes of a previous card. Both cards have ivory cardbases, Stampin' Up papers, a Spellbinders Floral Motif die and Papertrey Ink sentiments. This first one also uses a stamp from Stampin' Up! for the main image. Both cards are also scored one inch in on the left and have the left edge glued shut. Hope that makes sense:)

I colored the image on this one (by Hero Arts) with markers before stamping.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Two Simple Sympathy Cards

Once again, I have been asked to donate cards to our church for the Craft Sale at our Lutefisk Dinner. They sell the cards for $1.50, so I really don't want to spend a lot of time making them! I went through my "stash" and picked out 28 to give up, and have made 12 more. Good enough:)

I made a few sets of doubles, including these for today's post. Same stamps, different colors. The swirly background stamp is from Tattered Angels. (Edited to add: Sorry! I listed the wrong company in my original post. I meant to double check BEFORE the post went "live" and then I forgot!) The sentiment is from Papertrey. I'll have more in the next few days. Not too exciting, but at least I've had some stamping time and will have something to share. :)


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Two Sketch Challenge Cards

I made both of these cards for this week's SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenge. For this first one, I started with a dollar stamp from Michael's. I colored it with Copics and added the "pearls" in the centers with a Pearl Pen. The embossing on the green layer was done with a Sizzix folder and the purple layer was embossed with a Swiss Dots folder. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. The edge of the purple piece was done with a Martha Stewart punch. I also added a bow.

For this one, I used a Technique Tuesday stamp for my main image. I used the Swiss Dots folder for all the white layers. The sentiment is again from PTI and the decorative edge was again done with a Martha Stewart punch. The butterfly is also a Martha Stewart punch, and I added pearls for the body.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions Designer's Choice Challenge - Fall/Halloween

Another fun challenge from Repeat Impressions. The Designer's Choice Challenge this time is from Joy and is to make a Fall-themed or Halloween card. It's super-easy, too - just make your card or project, upload to your blog or an on-line gallery, and link your photo up to the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built. You'll find everything thing you need to know there, as well as pictures of the Rock Stars' creations. One random winner for the month will win their choice of a full sheet of unmounted rubber! You can also follow these links to the Rock Stars' blogs:

Darsie ~ Joy ~ Karen ~ Kendra ~ Maki ~ Miriam ~ Robin ~ Vicki

For my card, I went with a Fall theme. I used the Apple Basket stamp, found on this page. I stamped it with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored using my new Bic markers. (More about them later.) The sentiment is also from Repeat Impressions and I stamped it with Chocolate Chip ink from Stampin' Up! My matting is Chocolate Chip. I cut the squares with Nestabilities - a plain square and a Lacey Square. The patterned paper is quite old and I believe it's from Fiskars. The card base, image panel and sentiment are all ivory.


We'd love to have you join us in this challenge. You also have another week to participate in the WHAT IF? Wednesday sketch challenge. Details for that are in this post.


Thanks to a "tip" from a member of my stamping group, I watched a video on Gina K about the Bic markers. I figured I had to check them out, and ended up getting a 36-pack from Staples for $15. They are alcohol-based, like Copics. I figured I can use them, but I can also let my grandchildren use them, once they start crafting with me:)


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Super Simple Thank You

A very simple Thank You card for a friend.


I embossed the design with a Sizzix embossing folder on textured yellow cardstock with a white core. After embossing, I sanded down the embossed parts so the white showed through. I added the daisy - from K & Co. That's it.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week - Foliage Positive

This week's Repeat Impressions stamp of the week is Foliage Positive. It's available through Sunday at 50% off. You can find it on this page. Be sure to check out the monthly special, too! You can find it here. This month the special is select Halloween stamps. Wow, I got distracted - back to the stamp of the week! LOL! Be sure to check out the details on the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built. Check out what the other Rock Stars have created, shown on that page, also. Or follow these links to their blogs:

Darsie ~ Dawn ~Joy ~ Vicki

The card that I made went to another friend from my stamping group who recently lost her sister-in-law. I inked up the stamp with Close to Cocoa ink from Stampin' Up! Before stamping with it, I "thumped " on the leaves with three colors of SU! markers - Old Olive, More Mustard and Really Rust. I colored the small, open leaves and the pine cone with markers. The sentiment is also stamped with Close to Cocoa. The matting is Chocolate Chip. I used ivory cardstocks. For the background, I used a Fiskars texture plate. Before embossing, I brayered it with Close to Cocoa ink.


You have until tomorrow evening to submit your card for the Designer's Choice Challenge to use an animal on your card or project. This would earn you a chance to win a full sheet of unmounted rubber. You can find those details here. You also have just over a week to participate in the WHAT IF? Wednesday challenge for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate. Details for that challenge are here.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

With Sympathy

The husband of a friend in my stamping group lost his battle with ALS on Tuesday. What an awful disease. I made this card for Joyce and her family.


I stamped the sentiment (from Papertrey Ink) in black on lightly textured ivory cardstock. I used Versamagic Sea Breeze ink for the images, which are from a Hampton Art set. I scored the lines on the left side with my Martha Stewart scoring tool and added a thin strip of cardstock. The matting is Aqua Mist from PTI. I added a pearl for the bird's eye and more pearls under the sentiment.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

My "Mass-Produced" Christmas Card

Most years my Christmas cards are almost all different. (If I really like one, I might make it two or three times.) However, this is the second year I have really mass-produced a bunch. And here it is for this year.


The image and sentiment were both free (with a purchase, of course!) from Gina K. I stamped the image on white, colored it very simply with Copics, added Star Dust Stickles, and matted with Real Red cardstock. After gluing it on the card front, I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp the sentiment. I think I'll end up with 55 of these cards, and will make 25 - 30 others. The sad thing is that this may end up being my favorite and it will go to those who appreciate it the least!


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenge

I made this card for SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenge #353. I saw it when I was up during the night Tuesday night and designed it in my head before I went back to sleep. It was fun to actually make it and have it turn out the way I thought it would. I don't usually work that way!

The main image is from Repeat Impressions and is called Winter's Eve. (You can find it on this page.) I stamped it using Memories Soft Silver ink. The sentiment is from Rubber Stampede and is stamped in Night of Navy. It's matted with silver and Night of Navy cardstock and mounted on Dimensionals. The strip down the middle is embossed with a Cuttlebug snowflake border folder and is matted with Night of Navy.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Repeat Impressions WHAT IF? Wednesday Sketch

Time for another Repeat Impressions WHAT IF? Wednesday challenge. Here is this week's sketch:

We'd love to have you join in the fun! Make your card based on this sketch from Wendy, upload to your blog or on-line gallery, and link up to the RI blog, The House That Stamps Built. You will be entered for a chance to be the random winner of a $25 gift certificate to Repeat Impressions! Check out the blog for all the details and to see what the other Rock Stars have created. Or, you can follow these links to their blogs:

Darsie ~ Dawn ~Joy ~ Karen ~ Kendra ~ Maki ~ Miriam ~ Robin ~ Vicki

Gosh - I almost forgot to tell you! Check out those links above. We have two new RI Rock Stars! We have said good-bye to Harriet and Michele, and hello to Kendra and Vicki. Welcome, Kendra and Vicki!!

For my card, I started by stamping the cute little penguins from last year's series on shimmery white paper. You can find them on this page. I pieced the stars with red and green paper and matted with red scallops. The side circles are patterned paper and also matted with red scallops. The corner holly stamp is from Repeat Impressions also, and can be found on this page. I colored the holly sprigs with markers.


You still have another week to participate in the Designer's Choice challenge to use an animal. You can find the details here.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. Since we couldn't go to Chicago and spend it with our grandson, I was able to take the hour and a half drive to visit my mom and dad for my mom's birthday. Here is the card I made for her.


The front of the card is just a standard card. I think it would actually make a nice "normal" card. But, my dad tends to like non-standard cards, and since he would be seeing the one for my mom, I made hers different. This is called a "Tunnel Card." I got the directions a long time ago on SplitCoastStampers. You can find the instructions here.

 Here are a couple pictures of the inside. The rose and vase are from Gina K. I paper-pieced the vase and then colored the rose with Copics. The butterflies were punched with a Martha Stewart punch. I added pearls for the bodies. The embossing was done with a Cuttlebug border folder.


Also, today there is a new Repeat Impressions Stamp of the Week. This week's stamp, available for 50% off, is called Scarecrow and Friend. You can find it on this page. I may use it again before then, but you will see this stamp on my November calendar page. Visit the Repeat Impressions blog, The House That Stamps Built, for the details you need to know to purchase it for this special price.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Happy Third Birthday, Andrew!

Today is our grandson Andrew's third birthday. We were supposed to go to Chicago and help him celebrate, but my husband's back has been giving him problems and he was not able to make the drive. So, we'll have to settle for Skype.


I put some Flower Soft on our daughter's birthday card last month, and I guess Andrew was quite fascinated by the texture. So, I wanted to put texture on his card, too. The dragonfly is from a Recollections set. I added Flower Soft to the wings, black flocking to the body, and sparkle to his face. The circle had been cut with a punch and I sponged ink around the edges. The letters are from a set by Scrappy Cat. I stamped with Versamagic pads and embossed with Iridescent Sparkle embossing powder and added some scored lines. The background is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder. The number 3 is cut using a Cuttlebug set.


Today is my mom's birthday, too. I'll be sharing her card tomorrow, probably.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

October Calendar Page

Okay - now it's October already! Here is my page for this month.


All the stamps are from Repeat Impressions - the Pumpkin, Happy (the face), Grass and sentiment. I stamped the pumpkin and face on thin orange paper and cut it out. I colored with Stampin' Up! markers - Crushed Curry, Old Olive and Soft Suede. That's about all there is to it!


If you are interested in making your own calendars, you can find my files at the top of my blog page, under the title.  Just follow the link. I'm so sorry - I made a mistake on my 2011 and 2012 calendars. The months that started on Thursday are wrong - instead of the 19 I put 10. I have changed them in my files. Thanks so much, Joan, for pointing that out.


Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!