Guess what I got?

I got a nice little box on my front step today. Yes, it was my box of NEW STAMPIN' UP catalogs! Woo hoo! I am so excited! I cannot believe all the new YUMMY stuff in there. OH MY GOSH! I am thinking I will need to take out a second mortgage to get even half of my already growing wish list! The simply scrappin' kits and new papers are amazing! Wow! The new ribbon selection is fantastic as well! I really like the way the stamping world is trending this year. I was afraid it would be all doodle line stuff which I don't care for myself, but NO! So much cool stuff.

Sorry I haven't had much stamping this week. My stamp room has been under construction so
I have not felt like getting in there, but it is slowing making its way back to normal so I will be getting in there to prepare for my first stamping class! Well, I have the week off next week so I should get time to play play play!

What do you think of the new look?

Well, Beth Silaika at Freckled fun designs designed me another banner! I want to know what you think of the new look? Leave me a comment if you feel like it! I love color as I am sure you all know by now! I also love flowers so I wanted some flowers incorporated in it as well. I know nothing about how to do all that stuff, so thankfully Beth does! Check out her blog if you want one of your own!

Fall & Winter Preview Swap #2

Well, after literally toiling in my stamp room for like four or five hours, this is what I finally ended up with for this Pick a Petal set. I am not a fan of this set I have decided. It was a bit hard to work with. I do, however, really enjoy the new color palette. I will be whipping about 11 more of these cards into shape before Sunday night which is when I have my demo meeting. We will swap at that time.

Well (ever noticed that I start everthing with well?) this summer we are undergoing alot of changes in our home. The painting started this week in my craft room so it is totally torn up right now with stuff EVERYWHERE! I am sure all of the mad stampers out here can understand what it would be like if your whole stash had to stashed somewhere else in your house. What a mess! But, well worth it I hope. After the painting I will talk my husband into hanging some new shelves I got for in front of my desk. That will help with getting more of my supplies in arms reach. I have never seen a hobby that is more supply intensive.

Last day of school tomorrow! Can I hear a big WOO-HOO for that? I will be consuming a fair

amount of adult beverages tomorrow night, that is fo-shoo! But, don't worry, it will not get out of hand. I am too old for that. I am also looking forward to reconnecting with all of my dear friends and family that I have lost touch with over this last year that my nose has been buried in books.

Supplies:Stamps: pick a petal, bodacious bouquet

Paper: soft sky, rose red, palette o prints, wasabi

Ink: rose red, wasabi, basic black

Accessories: pale pastel brads, ticket corner punch

Fall & Winter Preview Swap

Well, I am happy to report that my mojo somehow founds it way home today! I am doing a swap with my upline's downline (is that the right way to say it?) and I haven't been able to get myself moving to do it, but today was the day. I am someone who has to work very hard and creating. The ideas don't seem to just come to me. Maybe it is that way for everyone, I'm not sure. But, for me, that whole card staring me in the face is alot of pressure. It is getting easier, though.

My husband, who sees every card I make, thinks this card is my best one ever. I don't know about that, but I like it. It is also hard to only use stampin' up stuff. Sometimes I have the perfect brad that would match a card for a swap or class, but it isn't stampin' up so I don't feel I can use it. But, this card is made with almost exclusively new catalog preview stuff. I don't know how good the photo is. I was havnig trouble with it indoors today so I thought I would try it outside.

Supplies:
Stamps: barouque motif
Paper: solt sky, purely pomegranate, whisper white
Ink: groovy guava, purely pomegranate, soft sky, basic black
Accessories: stampin' up brads

This is a very simple design that I think would work great for a class. I am having one soon and I think I will use this design for that as well as the swap. Have a great day and I will be posting more soon! I am sure I will do the Tuesday challenge on Splitcoast tomorrow so I will post that when I get it done! Should be fun!

Where'd my mojo go?

It is the strangest thing: All I have been waiting for is for the schoolwork to pass so could could
stamp until my heart is content, but now that the work is done I seem to have a mental block. I don't get it! I have all these new toys from the preview order and then others I have been rchasing to play with, but there they sit, all by themselves, wishing someone would take them out to play.

I have a swap I need to make two designs for and I think I get intimidated when I have to do that. It is silly, really. I also have a class coming up that I need to prepare for and I am nervous for that too. It could be those things blocking me or it could be simply no knowing to do without this enormous weight temporarily off my shoulders.

I am also planning on overhauling the stamp room this summer. I am getting some special cabinets for stamp storage and painting and hanging shelves. That will be a project I will work on all summer. Another possible reason for the block is that my stamp room is a total mess and I am starting to run out of places to put things. Makes me feel scattered. Anyway, any suggestions for ways to get back my mojo would be greatly appreciated!

School's out for summer!

Well, for all the hassle that school is, there are a few bright spots in it all! One very bright spot is summer break! While mine does not officially start for another week, I have, for the most part, finished my school work early and I am offically getting back into stamping mode!

I have been totally neglecting my blog and the Splitcoast challenges because I had so many papers and presentations to prepare for. Now that that is over, I am gearing up to be a stamping maniac this summer! Yes, daily challenges, my first 10/10/10 class, and a swap here and there will keep me occupied!

I am going to post this card I made a while back but for some reason it didn't make it to my blog. I haven't made much progress in playing with the new toys yet. I have been a little obsessed with figuring out the ins and outs of the gamsol and prismacolored pencils in any spare time I have had. That will soon change as tomorrow I will tidy up the stamp room and get at it!

A Day at the Beach

Well, this card has been a complete joy to make! I got this little penguin from Inky Antics because I wanted some stamps that I could go crazy with gamsol and the colored pencils. I think this little guy is just about the most precious thing I can hardly stand it! This card was inspired by a card done by Kristen Dubosque that she posted on her blog, Confessions of a Naptime Stamper. She has some really great cards on her blog, but I fell in love this one in particular and, of course, had to have the stamp! Sound familiar? We are all a bunch of enablers, aren't we! Its terrible!

I would have loved to have spent today at the beach, but no such luck. I was inside for the weekend working on yet another paper. I did get it, for the most part, finished so I am in pretty good spirits! The tri-mester is coming to an end soon. I have decided not to take the summer class I was planning on taking as I could use a break from it all. I will really be looking forward to some much need stamping time.

There is a pretty important box coming to my house tomorrow afternoon. I can hardly stand the wait any longer. I have seen everyone using their new colors and I want to too. I am also looking forward to the Baroque Motif set. I actually ended up submitting an order without that set and then ordered that set all by itself the next day. I could have kicked myself for the money in shipping I wasted, but what is a girl to do? When you need your baroque motif you need your baroque motif!

Well, enough of my endless chatter! Hope you like the card!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Penguin is from inky antics, riveted by Stampin' up
Paper: taken with teal, real red, only orange, whisper white
Ink: real red, chocolate chip
Accessories: cuttlebug embossing folder, prismacolored pencils, gamsol and blending stump
bold brights brads

Quick bunny post

I only have a second this am because I have to get to work, but I made this card last night and I really wanted to post it. I got this bunny stamp at Hobby Lobby for their half price sale. I just love the stamp. Something about a bunny in a bubble bath just kills me! I used paper from paper salon, gamsol, prismacolored pencils, blending stump, and the rest of pretty self-explanatory. Have a great day everyone!

Trimming the fat blog candy give-away!!!!!

Okay girls, one little known fact about me is that I HATE WASTE! It makes me crazy! I can't stand to have stuff in my craft room that I am not using. I have been buying alot of designer paper lately and have been having a ball with it, but I never use all of what I buy. So, I have been cutting my designer paper 12x12 papers into little 6x6 pieces because then I have less scraps, I think. Anyway, all of these papers are trendy and hot right now and I don't want them to rot here in my stamp room when one of you could be getting some good use out it.

I have everything here, basic grey, magnolia, American crafts, memory box, you name it and I have it right now. So, I am going to keep half of them and give half of them to one of you who leaves a comment on my blog. You can comment on anything you want: what you are going to do this summer or what your favorite stamping toy is. Doesn't matter to me. I will use my handy dandy random number selector program again and pick one of you out. Patti H. who won my last blog candy give away was just thrilled with her little package that I sent her. I was happy about that. All papers are current and in stores right now.

I have also been buying stamps from Inky Antics, stampendous, stampabilities lately and I will throw in some stamped paper with some of these images. I think that is a great way to try something out with no investment on your part. Good luck to you all. Check back at the end of the week and I will post the winner's name!

Up to no good!

Well, girls, I have been up to no good today, I must admit. Okay, can you say, "Sale at Hobby Lobby?" Oh.....my.....gosh! They had 50% off all the stamps and paper and alot of embellishments this week. I was looking through the Splitcoast gallery last night and saw some of the really cute cards with those House Mouse stamps that seem to be catching on right now. I commented on a card and the artist of the card private messaged me and told me where she got it. So, I got to Hobby Lobby to see what they had and I found the CUTEST bunny stamps and some paper that I have had my eye on lately. The problem is, I don't seem to have time to use all this stuff I keep accumulating lately!

I normally take digital pictures of my cards, but today I took a scan of this card to see if you could see it better than you could the digital photo. This stamp is so cute I really wanted you to be able to see it up close. I am not too happy with this card, but the stamp is to die for! They are little bunny bees! Can you stand it? Bunnies and bees at the same time. Could it get any cuter? I am thinking my card did not do the stamp any justice so maybe I should keep playing, but I really need to get some work done today so the day isn't a total loss as far as productivity goes.

Tuesday color challenge

Happy Tuesday everyone! What a gorgeous day it is here today! It is about 70 degrees and sunny! I am definitely out of my funk! I worked today until one and then came home to work on the color challenge of the day. I also met with our decorators and we are very very very very close to ordering everything. Then we will have to wait for three months for it to come. I will post before and after pictures. We have been working on this since January! It will be nice to get it done and I am sure this will not be the last you will hear about it since I am not a good waiter!

I am off work on Wednesday as I am every week and will be spending a part of my day interviewing a friend of mine for a paper I need to do for school. I will be very glad when this class is over because it is out of my area of interest. Although I complain about school alot I do enjoy learning and taking on a new career. Sometimes the load gets heavy with multiple projects due at the same time, but no heavier than my load would be if I had kids. I know that job is very hard as well. I have the weekend off so that will give me a good chance to get some work done and hopefully doing some stamping!

This card actually turned out okay even though I didn't know what to think about the color combination. I feel that way every week and then when I am done I usually like it! It is good to get me out of my color box, that is for sure! The way I did my sentiment was an idea from Nichole Heady's Blog.

Supplies:
Paper: ruby red, elegant eggplant, whisper white
Ink: elegant eggplant, certainly celery, ruby red
Stamps: blossoms abound, best blossoms, Papertrey Ink Green Thumb
Accessories: earth elements brads, eggplant grosgrain ribbon, key tag punch, ruby red and celery markers, ticket corner punch

Sunday Challenge

Hello there everyone! I am pretty lazy today and seem to have lost my stampin' mojo! I don't know quite where it went. I was totally on fire earlier this week with my last card. But this one just didn't come together and I didn't have it in me to keep working on it until I liked it. So, I just decided that I was going to post it anyway.

This card is for the featured stamper challenge. I basically cased everything accept for the papers, colors, and main image. You can check out the beautiful card I cased from Tosha in Splitcoast Stampers here.

I had school yesterday and Matt came with me and stayed over night with me which made me very happy. It is always nice not to have to drive there and stay over by myself. I think I am in a funk because of all I have yet to do before the semester ends in three weeks. I was really looking forward to the end of the semester because that meant a ten week break for me. But, last week I got the bad news that I have to take a summer class for three weeks right in the middle of the summer. I will have to start studying for it right away because of the ridiculous amount of material covered in three weeks. So, looks like summer will officially start at the beginning on August. ug!

The supplies I used for this card are as follows:
Stamps: bodacious bouquet from stampin' up
Paper: basic black, whisper white, designer paper from American Crafts
Ink: old olive, ruby red, summer sun
Accessories: black brads from Michael's, square punches, round corner punch