What I Do Instead of Laundry

I have a new favorite PTI set. Giga Guide Lines . Wow. The sentiments are nice and big, and there are just enough to cover about every event a person might need. And the images...I love them. For both of these cards I used the "rock and roll" technique--ink up the stamp in a light color, then roll the edges in a darker color. I love this combination of Summer Sunrise and Berry Sorbet. I think I've been inspired by all of the beautiful fall trees. Here I tried my hand at a homemade flower--I just punched circles and then folded and twisted and crumpled the paper. I actually was able to separate the layers because PTI cardstock is so thick. Not bad for a first try, right? Paper: PTI Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet, White Ink: Versamark, PTI Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet Stamps: PTI Giga Guide Lines Other: PTI Berry Sorbet Satin ribbon, white embossing powder

This month, we are to showcase projects we are working on for the Holiday season. This card is one of 50 that my 14-year-old daughter is making for my mom. This is Rachel's third year to make my mom's cards. She came up with this design and color combination herself. Isn't it great? I wish everyone could have a Rachel. She's amazing. For the record, I don't mass-produce Christmas cards, because I am a little insane, and I make my kids spell out words with their bodies and silly things like that. This is the card she made last year. Isn't it beautiful, too? These designs are both really simple for mass production. Card #1: Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, Pure Poppy, SU Garden Green Ink: SU Garden Green, Versamark, Michael's brick red Stamps: PTI Tree Trimming Trio, 2009 Holiday Tags Other: dimensional tape, Sakura Stardust pens--gold, red Card #2: Paper: PTI White, Night Sky Shimmer Ink: Versamark Stamps: PTI Silent Night, Snowflake Serenade Other: Silve

I finally got my PTI order today--it seemed like it took forever, but I hear they had quadruple the normal number of orders this month. Hooray for them! Anyway, I was so excited to try Giga Guide Lines and Mish's notepads/Take Note set. Here's my quick first try (I wanted to be able to attach a pen, so I left a loop on the side with the ribbon which ties all the way around): This card is one I quickly came up with for others to mass produce at a craft night for my church next month. It uses my favorite PTI color combination--Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet and Dark Chocolate. I looked and looked for the right size sentiment for the label, and I decided that one of my faves from Stampin' Up--Sincere Salutations--would do nicely. I added a little sparkle to the centers with a clear Stardust pen. Notebook: Paper: PTI White, Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush Ink: PTI Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush Stamps: PTI Take Note, Giga Guide Lines Other: PTI Berry Sorbet satin ribbon, PTI notebook

I am so excited! I won this month's Guest Star Stamper for Papertrey Ink in the category "Best Clean and Simple Holiday Card". You know I'm all over the clean and simple! I think I entered 13 cards or something like that (you can see them all here )--I'll post them over the next couple of days. The best part is that my favorite card was the one that actually got picked. Love it! It really is a simple card to make, but it packs a punch. Paper: PTI White, Pure Poppy, SU Garden Green Ink: Versamark Stamps: Tree Trimming Trio, Signature Christmas Other: White Filigree embossing powder

I ran across this stamp set Saturday at JoAnn. It's Me & My Big Ideas, and it has some really beautiful damask and toile images in it. Unfortunately, the quality of the stamps themselves is quite poor--the surface is uneven, so the images do not stamp well or easily. But, I thought I'd try them out, and I surprised myself a little bit. I really, really like how this first background turned out. This damask image is what sold me on this set (okay, that and the 30% off). It is so delicate, and it is just what I have been looking for in a damask stamp. I also used one of my brand-spanking-new Nestabilities. Oh, how I have had fun with my Cuttlebug! Card #1: Paper: PTI White, Enchanted Evening Ink: PTI Enchanted Evening Stamps: MAMBI unnamed set Other: Cuttlebug tag die, Enchanted Evening twill ribbon Card #2: Paper: PTI White, Enchanted Evening Ink: PTI Fresh Snow, Enchanted Evening, Scarlet Jewel Stamps: MAMBI, PTI Out On a Limb Sentiments Other: Labels 1 Nestablili

I'm playing along for the first time at Crazy 4 Challenges . Here's my take on the sketch: I never make Halloween cards, but this new set from Papertrey has been calling my name. Isn't that paper wonderful, too? Love it. Paper: PTI Summer Sunrise, Orange Zest, Hocus Pocus PP Ink: Versafine Onyx Stamps: PTI 2009 Halloween Tags Other: PTI True Black grosgrain ribbon, dimensional tape, 1 3/4" and 2" circle punches

I am cleaning out my stamp room, and I have all kinds of retired Stampin' Up sets for sale, as well as a few tools I don't use. Here is a thread on Splitcoast Stampers that lists them all, as well as the prices: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15368898#post15368898 If you have any questions, and aren't signed on to SCS, leave a comment here. Also, I can provide pics if requested.

I did it. I finally got a Cuttlebug. My husband said, "Welcome to the age of Guttenberg!" He is less than intrigued by the low-tech capabilities of this machine, but I, however think it's fabulous, and so do my kids. Oh well. He's striving for a paperless world, and this is my hobby. Yin/Yang. Here are two sets of cards I made for my SIL's birthdays. The top one features my Cuttlebug goodies--Swiss Dots embossing folder and ribbon slide dies. BTW, I love that ribbon, too. The bottom one uses Guide Lines in Fresh Snow on Enchanted Evening paper. Delish. Card #1: Paper: PTI White, SU Soft Sky, Whisper White Ink: SU Chocolate Chip Stamps: PTI Trajan Mono Other: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder, slide dies, Offray ribbon Card#2: Paper: PTI White, Enchanted Evening, Scarlet Jewel Ink: PTI Fresh Snow, Enchanted Evening, Versamark Stamps: PTI Borders & Corners Mono Ed., Ambassador Mono Other: PTI Scarlet Jewel twill, circle punch, SU scalloped punch

This week's challenge for our blog group is Valerie's idea, to use the first Papertrey stamp we ever bought. I actually bought 4 stamp sets in my first order 2 years ago, including Believe. I love the simplicity of this set, as well as the combination of fonts. I also love that Santa can hold things (for this card I masked it). I colored him in with my trusty Sakura Stardust pens--red and clear--as well as the berries on the tree. I stamped "peace on earth" with white ink, then traced over it with a Souffle pen. Enjoy! Paper: PTI White, Pure Poppy Ink: Versafine Onyx, SU Forest Foliage, SU markers-Sage Shadow, Blush Blossom Stamps: PTI Believe Other: Sakura Stardust pens-red and clear, Offray ribbon, Souffle pen-white, 2" square punch

Here are some cards using influences from Australia. When I was in 3rd grade, my teacher, Jenni Samuel, told us about growing up there. She moved to the US in the '70's, because she met and married Dave Kunst , who was the first man to walk around the world. She met him in during his walk there, and drove a car 3 miles per hour behind him, towing a trailer, for about a thousand miles. Now that's love! The first card is a girl version, using a retired SU set, Paint Prints, and a white Souffle pen. The second card is a boy version, using another retired SU set, Suitable for Framing; again outlined with the souffle pen. Paper: SU Real Rust, PTI Dark Chocolate Ink: SU Chocolate Chip Stamps: PTI Birthday Basics, Women of Life, SU Paint Prints, Suitable for Framing Other: 2" square punch, 1 1/2" square punch, Souffle pen

PTI's challenge #3 takes us to India. Lots of gold, jewels and bright and interesting color schemes. Normally I wouldn't have added the New Leaf green (I would've gone for lime), but it seemed to fit better. There are itty-bitty rhinestones along the background, and I love these things! They are flat stickers, but they sparkle and look like three-dimensional jewels. Actually, they remind me of Barbie earrings...I got a little crazy with them, and the tweezers and I became good friends. Gold embossing is also something I don't do very often, but I love the look with this background. The bracket for the sentiment is actually a base for a Christmas tree in PTI's Tree Trimming Trio set. Paper: SU Taken with Teal, PTI Raspberry Fizz Ink: Versamark Stamps: PTI Background Basics-Retro, Birthday Basics, Tree Trimming Trio Other: SU Gold Glory embossing powder, Stampendous stickers, dimensional tape, PTI New Leaf satin ribbon

Today's second PTI World Card Making Day challenge is to be inspired by all things Mexican. My husband served a 2-year LDS mission to the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Tobasco about 20 years ago, so he has a special love for the country and the people. He still speaks Spanish, which I should've learned growing up in SoCal, but didn't. Nevertheless, I have been to Tijiuana, and if Swine Flu hadn't canceled it this past May, I would've gone on the Love Boat-esque cruise there. Next year... I always think of very bright colors and all kinds of ruffles...But I settled on a simple one-layer card that reminds me of my mom's Mexican house dress that she (and everyone else's mom in Southern California) wore in the '80's. I tried to recreate the embroidery in the flowers without actually sewing, but I am insane. It probably would've taken less time. I do like how it turned out, though. Paper: PTI Vintage Cream Ink: (and matching markers) SU Real

Today is World Card Making Day. I would love to sit all day and make cards, but alas, I cannot. Actually, I am watching this , which I also love, because it is two days of amazing speeches and spiritual renewal. In a few days, these speeches will be available to read or watch online (and I will edit with the link). So in the 2-hour interim, I'm doing a little card making...Nothing like multitasking, right? So Nichole , of Papertrey Ink fame has issued a few challenges today, and the first is that we incorporate influences from Japan in our card. I have chosen to use Washi paper that my friend sent me when she was living there. She knew how much I loved card making, and she saw these beautiful papers and sent them to me. They are amazingly colorful, shimmery and unique. Here are just a few: Paper: PTI Berry Sorbet, Washi paper Ink: Versamark Stamps: PTI Friends 'Til the End Other: PTI New Leaf satin ribbon, SU Gold Glory embossing powder