ATC Books

I have always wanted to do some ATC's, but never seemed to get around to trying them out. Recently a stamping pal of mine sent me an ATC challenge type thing where you send so many to the next person on the list, and then you are supposed to somehow end up with a bunch in the end! It looked like fun, so I have decided to participate! Anything new I try I seem to look for a book on it first to get some basic tips and hints. I found this book while in Pittsburgh the other day, and decided I had to have it. My favorite thing about this book is it describes the history of the ATC's and how they came to be! It also shows the basic materials which luckily I already have, and then naturally some fabulous artwork! So.....if you are a big fan of ATC's this book is great! I'd also love to hear from readers that can suggest some other great books on ATC's!

New Book

Tonight I was playing around with the Adirondak colorwash sprays, and decided I would make a little book. I love Tim Holtz stuff as well as Stampers Anonymous stamps, and I tried to mainly use those here.

Recent trip goodies

My latest love is rubber stamp and mixed media artist Tim Holtz. I love all his tools and techniques. This summer is they first time I have ever tried something he came out with called Grungeboard! It's a flexible sheet of material that can be painted, inked, hammered, or grunged! It's so much fun. It feel like thin leather, but it's actually paper based. It amazes me because you can't tear it! On a recent trip to Huntington, WV I found several packs of grungeboard, and it was on sale!!! I bought a couple of packs with the sheets of numbers, but with different textures. I also bought a couple of packs with only the texture, and you can use any cutting machine you have such as the Big Shot etc. to cut a shape that you want. Since Tim also came out with this cute little texture hammer for grungeboard I had to have that as well. I love that it comes with various tips to use for different textures. Next was some of Tim's stamps I have had my eye on for a bit, and natureally as soon as I buy these I hear he has just released some new ones that I am also drooling over!
Also, while in the Huntington, WV area my boyfriend surprised me with a little trip over to Kenova, WV where we had lunch at an old time soda fountain. It's been updated over the years, but still has that old time feel, and there's still a real running pharmacy inside! The food was yummy, and looking at the pictures of the area all along the walls was great! I even spotted one of The Pumpkin House, and found out the same man who owns the pharmacy lives in The Pumpkin House. The Pumpkin House is my favorite place to go see near Halloween! Each Halloween there are over 3,000 jack-o-lanterns that cover this house. The designs and creativity are just amazing to see. People from miles away come year after year to see this amazing place! Last year we were even able to take a tour out back which in the fall is set up almost like a production line. Everyone in the family helps out with some aspect of it all, and it's just a dream for a Halloween lover like me!!!

New SU sample

Here's a sample I did tonight with one of the sets that will be in the new SU catalog that's coming out in August!!! The set is called Deer Friends. Rudolph is my favorite stamp in this set.

Building A Bird House

Woo hoo...just got in an order from Frantic Stamper, and I can't wait to build my bird house...out of paper that is! I can't wait to se this template on cardstock, and then use all the little stitch holes to start sewing. I don't normally sew, but lately the hot trend in cardmaking is to sew on your cards. My aunt bought me a small sewing machine just for this purpose, so this week I am going to try my hand at it and see how it goes. I can't help but think back my my high school home economics class when we were sewing and I made that terribel crooked apron! Wish me luck!!!! haha

New Tim Holtz Goodies

Here are some new Tim Holtz stamps that I just got! They are just perfect for doing ATC's! Ooh...I love Tim's style! Such an artsy flair!

Holiday Cards ideas

......I have been crafting up a storm today. These are the 2 final card ideas I have come up with that will be my holiday cards this year! The first one features the Baroque Motifs set from Stampin' Up. I wanted to use some other set from SU other than the typical holiday sets everyone expects you to use for holiday cards. The tree card is done with the Lovely As A Tree set from Stampin' Up. I used the coluzzle to cut out an oval shape, then used the hole I had cut stipple in the background. I love it it! At first the colluzle tools and I did not get along and I was regretting ordering them. Everyone kept telling me it was so easy once you get used to it, and it turns out it is! Now I am addicted to this little cutter set, and want even more designs! Alright....back to crafting for me!

Baroque Motifs

I love this new set from Stampin' Up! It's called Baroque Motifs #109403 $25.95 p.126. I am in love with all kinds of swirls lately. It's hard to see the pretty colors of this card from this scan, but the cameo coral flowers are to die for! I think we will add this card to the list of cards we will be doing for the stamp class in November!

2 New Books

These are my two new favorite books!! Scrap City is just my style of scrapbooking. It shows off the wall type artsy pages about lots of things that you would never even think to scrap about! I enjoy self discovery type pages so I am loving this! The Crazy For Chipboard Book is a small book, but since I have discovered using chipboard more on my cards and scrapbook pages I love it! I'm on the hunt for other books that have lots of chipboard projects in them too, so if anyone knows of any others I'd love to hear about them!

More weekend goodies

I was so happy when I finally found the 12x12 size slab of scrapbook paper called Once Upon A Time!!!!!!!! I had been hearing about it online for a while now, but had not been able to find it. It has some beautiful fairy, mermaid, castles, dragons and more on it. The pages just carry me away to an enchanted land where I used to dream as a little girl! This paper is so pretty I don't know if I can even bring myself to use it, but I'll try! Michael's also had some stickers and 2 different types of chipboard letters to go with this awesome paper which I decided to treat myself to as well. I stocked up on some stickers since they were on sale. I have a love of all trees so I ended up with a couple of different tree stickers again this time. My favorite little purchase was a title made of twisted wire that spells out SPRING! Fitting to use on the first day of spring like today! Another unexpected treasure was some little clear acrylic stamp sets by Hampton Arts that were in bin for only $1.00 each....had to get a few of those. Now I just have to find the time to actually use all of this stuff!

Weekend goodies

J.R. and I had quite a weekend in Huntington for St. Patrick's Day. First of all we came across a friend of ours who works for the ROCK 105 radio station doing a live remote. They were celebrating St. PANTIES Day. If you came by and gave them a pair of underwear you got a free t-shirt! It was interesting! Later we wnt to dinner and then hit all my favorite craft stores. Here are som of the goodies I bought. I found some great glitter, chip board clocks and letters, bags of buttons, giant flowers, cute little flower shaped sanding blocks and more. Blogger owuld not take all the pics on one post so stay tuned for more goodies!

Frosty Greetings

Well, I am finally working on my holiday cards a little today. I really want to use this "Frosty Greetings" sentiment by A Muse Rubber Stamps this year. I'm going to be playing around with several ideas over the next few days to see what I can come up with!

Ribbons, ribbons...Oh My!

I found these great new ribbons at Jo-Anne Fabric this week. Most spools were only $1.99 woo hoo!!! I just love the cute pumpkin ribbon. They had bats and cats as well. I may have to go back after those now that I am home and still thinking about them. I'm off on Monday (Labor Day) so I think I'll spend the day stamping and using ribbon! I'm shocked at the amount of ribbon I actually use these days. I just love adding it to a card. I go through phases of what I use on the cards. For a while it was all clay embellishments, now ribbon.

Window Pane Cards

Man....I totally love these little window pane cards. I've looked online, and can't find who makes them now! Why do I figure out I love something ONLY AFTER I HAVE THROWN THE PACKAGE AWAY????

This card was made by using a Hero Arts flower set, and then adding little Prima Flowers on some of the stems. You can't tell from the picture here, but I used Perfect Pearls as a dusting on the flowers to give them that shimmer look.

Red and Orange FW Card Swap

I am in a great online stamping group called The Divas of Stamping Design, and we do swaps each month called "Friendsday Wednesday" Each month you are paired up with a different person and you send that person out a card on Wednesday. This month I got a lady named Beth. The theme for the month was simple....just use the colors red, yellow, and orange in any shade for your creations. These are the 4 cards I came up with for Beth.....hmm....I hope Beth doesn't read my blog very often or she will see them in advance! I really like the triangle type stamp I got on my trip to Florida. I loved making the triangle card you see here. Any unusual shaped card is wonderful to me!

Stamping Goodies

I ended up going back to Florida again this summer. My uncle passed away this time, so it was a very sad occasion. My uncle Buddy lived in Miami, and it was 20 hours from us, but he truely was one of my favorites. Buddy always had a kind smile and a warm hug for you anytime you saw him. I was also glad to get to see a few of my cousins again. It was a shock to learn that one of them had been a stamper and scrapbooker, but I didn't even know it! My cousin was sweet enough to take me to a stamp store there in Miami called The Scrappy Stamper. A fabulous little store with a nice selection of goodies. I had just put in a huge order online before I left home or I would have really hit the shop wide open, but I still managed to get these goodies. I also found out that the shop owner was also from my home state which was kind of neat! I was excited to get the new H2O's to paint with, and I now totally love this new flower punch my cousin told me about. I also can't seem to enter a store without buying just a couple of Halloween stamps. My Halloween stamp collection is HUGE! It is my favorite holiday to stamp for! Well, I'm off to stamp.......

Thunderstorms

I Ijust love thunderstorms......I could sit and just watch the sky forever during a summer storm. The rain is harsh,and gentle against your skin all at the same time. My boyfriend and a couple of my friends went to watc the big firework display last night for the 4th of July, but we ended up not being able to see them from where we were parked. It was so rainy/foggy there just wasn't much of a show. We still had fun since we went out to eat at Pizza Hut earlier, and then to McDonald's for an ice cream after we finally gave up on the fireworks. I have been playing around with this little dress and shirt/jacket stamps from Art Impressions tonight. I love that there are so many ways to use these 3 stamps. I think I'm going to create a dress for every holiday out of all the pretty paper I have!

Smooches

I've been feeling in the loving mood today so I decided to do this "smooches" card using A Muse stamps!

6 More A Muse Cards

I haven't been working with A Muse stamps very long, but it keeps surprising me by how quick I can make cards with these stamps. I am so inspired by the entire A Muse Crew!

A Muse cards....7 today!

Wow...in between unpacking from my recent trip to Florida I surprised myself and managed to stamp 7 cards with A Muse stamps today. I think my favorite is that says...truly, madly,deeply. I made it for my parents 33rd anniversary which was yesterday....a day late, but I still wanted to do it.

Father's Day 2006 card

My father means the world to me. I stamped this ship for him because he has always been my guiding ship in life. He has always been a warm port to come home to. Having him in my life has made me a much better person. I stamped the anchor inside all over the card because I feel like he and his love is the anchor in my family. I hope he knows how much I love him this year, and every year!