Inspiration Challenge and Copying Gina

I found a challenge on SCS the other day that I really wanted to try. It involved creating a button border of some kind. You got extra credit for using hand stitching and using one of Sally's sketches. I love the look of stitching on pages, but I've never been brave enough to try to do it. I also combined it with a challenge to scraplift Gina (Mousey'sMom). I didn't scraplift one of her pages, but I tried to emulate her beautiful distressing.

I was exhausted! I really liked the grid look in the sketch and I didn't have grid patterned paper, so I made my own using whisper white cardstock, the tempting turquoise stampin' marker, and the lines on my stamping grid paper. I hand stitched a dark turquoise circle in the pink circle (the free form next to the button ring) using some embroidery thread. I really enjoyed it and think it looks nice! I really admire Gina's work, however, I'm a *terrible* distresser! I've talked to her this week about "how to" and I decided to give it a whirl. I already had my pictures cropped and matted, my colors picked, and the layout of my dps. I did all of that Monday night. Wednesday night I spent almost 2 1/2 hours distressing, inking, and getting it to look right! I even embraced the tear. :) Whew! Hats off to you, Gina!

Turning Four


Stamps: best friends upper alphabet
Paper: gable green, pretty in pink, dots and dashes dsp, tempting turquoise
Ink: close to cocoa, tempting turquoise
Accessories: SU distressing tool, simon upper chipboard, assorted buttons, dimensionals, pink passion stampin' marker, tempting turquoise stampin' marker, crystal effects, sponges, embroidery thread
Techniques: distressing, sponging, sewing

Blog Award!

I've never gotten a blog award before! Gina gave me this! Her work is AWESOME and AMAZING! I'm supposed to list 5 addictions and then pass it on to 5 others. So, here goes...

1. my family

2. the internet/SCS

3. my phone

4. current Bible study

5. scrapbooking

And to pass it on...

1. Jennipher

2. Cassie

3. Anavon

4. Tessa

5. Barb

More New Creations

I spent the day working on a few things I've had on the back burner. I joined a Rolodex scripture swap a while back and I've never made my cards. They are due by the end of the month. I finally bought the Rolodex (and thus the cards to make my swaps) last week. Making them was a little easier than I thought it would be. I ended up making my swaps (6+1 for the hostess + 1 for my mother + 1 for me) plus an extra card (one for me, one for my mother, one for the hostess) that wasn't truly a scripture, but I really liked the verse. I also made another card from a new spring catalog hostess set.

God writes the Gospel

I made this card for my own file. I thought it was a beautiful sentiment and could be used as a divider card within my file.
Paper: whisper white

Ink: close to cocoa, old olive, ballet blue, regal rose

Stamps: Friend to Friend, Season of Friendship

Accessories: dimensionals, regal rose grosgrain ribbon

1 Corinthians 13:13

I've always loved this set and could never bear to get rid of it when it retired. I am definitely not a soft (and/or) subtle person, but these colors jumped out at me when I started visualizing this card.

Paper: whisper white, bashful blue, pretty in pink

Inks: bashful blue, certainly celery, pretty in pink, almost amethyst, basic black

Stamps: Peace and Love, So Very

Accessories: tab punch, stamp-a-ma-jig, scallop punch

Rustic Rooster

I fell in love with this guy when I first saw him. I tried not to get him, but I couldn't resist. I don't even particulary care for roosters, but this one is French. Must have been his accent I fell for!

Paper, ruby red, chocolate chip, so saffron, very vanilla

Inks: really rust, chocolate chip (stamped off once)

Stamps: Rustic Rooster

Accessories: 1" circle punch, chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, pastels, distressing kit

It's a New Catalog!!!

So many things have been happening. First, the new SU catalog is out and I'll post the link tomorrow. I've made several things over the last few days including some using new stuff! Here are the new things in my gallery.

love you lots! page

Paper: whisper white, old olive, pink pirouette, riding hood red, raspberry tart dsp (NEW in the spring catalog)

Ink: kiwi kiss, pink pirouette, riding hood red

Stamps: Doodle That, Best Friends lower alphabet

Accessories: Big Shot, top note die, kiwi/vanilla satin ribbon, dimensionals

Notes: I cut the top not die out of the raspberry tart paper with the intention of cutting it in half and having a different layout. I couldn't bear to throw away that beautiful paper so I used the negative space to create a different block.

Pacific Love You Much

I've seen so many beautiful cards using this stamp set and pacific point/baja breeze. I wanted to create something simple that my customers could make easily and quickly that was not too girly and not too Valentine-y. This is what I came up with.

Paper: pacific point, whisper white, real red

Ink: pacific point, real red, bashful blue, mellow moss

Stamps: Love You Much

Accessories: scallop punch, triple heart punch, real red grosgrain ribbon, stampin' markers, dimensionals, tab punch

Bella Bookmark

I fell in love with these bookmarks last fall and have wanted to use one ever since in a class. I bought the hodgepodge bulk buy just to make these. I finally made it for this month's class.

Paper: whisper white

Ink: riding hood red, old olive

Stamps: Bella Blooms

Accessories: vanilla hodgepodge hardware, vanilla brad, button boquet, linen thread, baja breeze double stitched ribbon, crystal effects

Happy Birthday, Roy

Today is DH's birthday. He won't read this and doesn't even know the web address to get here (and he thinks that blogging is ridiculous and a mark of Generation X), but I want him to have a good day. He only has us and I hope we've made it special.

I have to make boxes/gifts for the school board members. It's Board Appreciation Month and I have to have them by tomorrow night's meeting. By the same meeting, I also have to have a presentation put together over the dyslexia program at the middle school. I'm thinking I'll be able to create the powerpoint tomorrow and get a small booklet put together to give to all the members.

mini-VSBN Challenge 5 - St. Louis Cathedral

I made one final DPS last night before Roy began pouting. :) That means I have challenges 6-8 left to complete by Sunday. I really want to get them all done.

Challenge 5 was to use one of Sally's sketches (always awesome). I made it into a double page spread. This on is not Stampin' Up only because I had these lime green chipboard letters I wanted to use, so I threw in some Paper Studio paper and Primas as well. These were taken last February when I attended SERA in New Orleans. I had been to NO once before, but was only there to board a cruise ship and we didn't even stop. I spent five days there last year (the week after Mardi Gras). It was truly an eye-opening experience.

Paper: real red, only orange, whisper white, Paper Studio "blue with green dots" and "green with white stitches"

Ink: real red, only orange

Stamps: Doodle This

Accessories: wal-mart chipboard letters, Primas, brads, SU bold bright brads

His Holy Name and Scripture Challenges

I just grabbed two blinkies (see my toolbar on the right) for two challenges that I'm going to try really hard to complete this year. You can check them out at SCS. They are the His Holy Name Challenge and a Scripture Challenge. Here is the link to find them. They are meant to be non-stressful and edifying. My kind of challenge since life (and school) is so unpredictable that challenges are sometimes hard for me.

Happy New Year!

We're having a mini-VSBN at SCS today. So far I've completed 3 of the challenges posted. I'll post pictures now and update with details later. Come join us!

January 1, 2009


Stamps: Bella's Bloom, Independence Day, Fall Flair, Merry
Paper: basic gray, confetti white,whisper white, so saffron, baja breeze, kiwi kiss, tangerine tango
Ink: so saffron, baja breeze, tangerine tango, kiwi kiss, basic black
Accessories: kiwi kiss ribbon, baja breeze ribbon, pumpkin pie ribbon, 2-way glue pen, SU microfine cosmo green glitter, journaling computer generated

Holiday Baking




Stamps: big deal alphabet
Paper: holiday treasures dsp, whisper white
Ink: baja breeze
Accessories: aspen ribbon, old olive grosgrain, chocolate chip taffeta, riding hood red taffeta, brad Techniques: sewing

Playing Lincoln Center


Stamps: Elegant Notes, Headline Alphabet
Paper: whisper white, basic black, elegant eggplant
Ink: basic black
Accessories: recycled buttons, scallop punch