Making Your Own "Designer Paper"

Today's Limited Supply challenge on SCS was to make your own designer paper using only one stamp set! I think I need one of those spinning wheels (like on the game shows) with all my sets on it...give it a whirl and see what it lands on!!

Our Daily Bread won the spin *wink*

I started with the bird image, embossing it then watercoloring with reinkers. This set my color scheme...I don't always have a "plan" in mind...just sit down and have at it! lol

As you can see, I took the flower image and stamped it randomly in black on Prism's Intense Kiwi, then just highlighted the flower centers with a white gel pen.
I then lightly stamped the flowers again on the verse and watercolored them, using a lighter touch this time so as not to detract from the verse.

When I started to assemble the card, I didn't like how the squares were lining up...it just bugged me! So, I cut around the flower and branch end and tucked the verse square under it! Voila! Much better!!

Why don't you give your stamp wheel a spin and make some of your own designer paper!!

Thanks for stopping!

Fresh From the Oven! Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins!!

Ok...I had to do it!! Those blueberries were just too tempting..coloring them and tasting a few for the photo shoot! *wink*

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup rolled oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt1 egg, beaten
¾ cup milk

½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup oil½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Grease muffin pan or line with paper cups; set aside. In a bowl stir together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in center of dry mixture.

In a bowl combine egg, milk, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold blueberries into batter.

Fill muffin cups ¾ full. Bake at 400* for approx. 10-12 minutes or until done. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Makes about 18

Enjoy!

Artful INKables Blog Candy Winner and Sketch!!!

We have a winner!!

Estela said...
I'm looking through your blog incredibly impressed with your talent! Please enter me.

and, no, her comment didn't get her any extra points! lol

Estella, I've emailed you...
if I don't hear from you in a day or so,
I'll have to pick another winner.

Thanks to everyone who played!!

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For the Sketch challenge on SCS today I had fun with this one!
Colored with Prismacolor pencils blended with baby oil and Copics. A little sponging with Distress inks around the edges to soften the glare of white and cloud template sponged with Distress ink.

I used a marker on the "Berry Best" only (it has a border around it) because I just wanted the words, huffed and stamped!

Now I think I need to go make some blueberry muffins!! YUM!!

recipe:
stamps: berry picking-artful inkables
paper: georgia pacific white, prism nautical blue med, iced teal, sunflowers med
ink: adirondack pitch black, distress faded jeans, shabby shutters
other: prismacolor pencils, baby oil, blending stumps, copic markers, spellbinder's nestabilities, daubers, homemade cloud template, white gel pen, marker, cuttlebug/folder

Thanks for stopping!!

Something Stinks!

It's Monday and time for another CCEE Stampers challenge.

This week is a supply challenge. Tosh sent each of us the following: this skunk image, Studio G sentiments, velvet scalloped ribbon, dp by Dream Street Papers and a cuttlebug flourish diecut piece...(diecut was optional)

So Tosh asked us all to make a skunk card and send it to Laurie (Lauraly on SCS).... here's why, Tosh hates monkey images but Laurie teases her on a regular basis, she even asked her to hold a sock monkey at CHA so she could take some pictures!It's Payback time!!.... cause Laurie hates skunks! So Tosh asked us all to make a skunk card and send it to Laurie .... bwahahahahahahahahaha!I tell ya...this group is CRAZY!!!

Be sure to check out our blog here to see the other girl's cards and a special challenge to you...*wink*

Luckily one of my grandkids had this skunk hat I could use in the photo...otherwise I would have had to use the dead one their dog deposited in the yard! LOL!!!! ewwwwwwww

Thanks for stopping!..............and don't forget you still have time for the Blog Candy!

He's Just Around The Corner...

This morning I got news that a friend's husband had passed away.

Ron and Sue weren't close friends, but someone we've known for probably close to 30 yrs or longer! Sue shared stories of when she was in South America and llamas, stopped and helped me round up loose llamas...they've gotten llama manure for their garden, shared plants from their cold frame and apples from their trees. Good neighbors....two miles down the road.


So, I wanted to make a special card for Sue, one that she could put on the fridge or keep in her Bible............I came up with this.

"Death Is Nothing" is a poem I got from a bookmark several years ago. I believe it's longer in the original, but this condensed version is perfect card size and says just the right things. I printed it on cardstock from the computer then used my Curved Rectangles Nestabilities to cut it out.

I wanted a masculine look and I'm sure Sue and Ron have seen many deer out around their property, so I used Stampin Up's Noble Deer and added trees from PSX and grass from CHF.

All the images were stamped first in Adirondack Hazelnut. This allows the image to be seen enough to color but not overpower the printed verse. Of course now coloring with Copics rather washed out the definition of the images.......................so here's a tip....................................

Using a stamp positioner <---very important! stamp with a slightly darker ink (I used Adirondack Slate)over your colored images! This will redefine your lines and make your images pop!

To finish the scene I sponged Distress inks around the edges, starting at the outside sponging in. This is the largest rectangle in this set, so I glued my scene onto Prism Nautical Blue and cut freehand around.

He's just around the corner Sue....all is well.

Thanks for stopping,

Psalm 91...Inspired?....Maybe

It's 3:18AM as I sit here writing this blog post. What am I doing up?! Well, an idea that kept dancing around in my head and a nagging tickle in my throat that set off a coughing fit! Might as well get up and at least put the idea to paper and see if it turns out!


As I walked into my stamp room all of a sudden the coyotes started singing...kinda cool! Has nothing to do with what I'm stamping....lol...just eerily cool!


A friend of ours drove up from West Virginia yesterday to spend the weekend. He related a story of what happened at work Wednesday. He was up on some scaffolding, pulling up a long plank...as he was walking backwards he somehow stepped off the edge! Below him were blocks and construction stuff, but somehow he didn't fall onto it, he got caught on something which broke his fall. Everyone around was amazed that he walked away with a couple scratches and a bruise! He said he was thankful that his guardian angel kept him from something that could have been serious!


That planted the seed in my head and this is what I came up with.
This Guardian Angel Prayer from Our Daily Bread designs was perfect for this manilla tag. I wanted it to have a masculine feel to it and thought the eagle from On Eagle's Wings, also from ODB was just right! The pines is a stamp I've had for ages from PSX that I repeated several times.

A quick coloring with Copics, masking the eagle, sponging with Distress inks and the tag was done! Oh, to whiten the white of the eagle I used a Prismacolor pencil.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.
Psalm 91

I'll give this to Daniel in a few hours..................think I can sleep now?!

Thanks for stopping!

Limited Supplies and My Spellbinders Are Getting Organized

Today's Limited Supplies challenge on Splitcoast was:

1. feature any shade of green, with bonus points for using designer paper!
   
2. embellishments limited to 2 (this is a limited supply challenge after all!)
   
3. keep your layers limited to 3 or less.
   
   
   I like green, but too much of it is...well... too much! But I just love these mailboxes from the new set, Post A Note, by Artful INKables and had to use them....Kermit must get his mail here! (don't forget you still have a chance to win this set plus 3 others if you leave me a comment here )

I stamped and colored the mailboxes with Copics and carefully cut them out. I even cut some teeny mail to hang out of the open box! Finished it off with some punched "greenery" HAHA... get it? Greenery...yuck yuck!... and some flowers with Liquid Pearl centers.

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If you've never been to Mel's blog, Mel Stampz, you're missing so many goodies! She had this tip back in January for storing Nestabilities that I've been wanting to try, so today while at Wally World I picked up some cork panels.

This is one of 3 shelf units in my stamp room. Out to the right side in front is my "knitting-machine-table-turned-craft-table" where my Wizard and Cuttlebug stay. Obviously I need to get some more cork to finish hanging what I have....and when my new sets come *wink*...

Pretty nifty huh! Now I don't have to flip through the CD case I'd used with magnets adhered to cardstock cut to fit the pockets!

Thanks Mel!!

And....Thanks for stopping!

Artful INKables New Release Blog Hop...and Blog Candy!

My first blog post as an Inky Girl!!

I'm so excited to share these new images with you from Artful INKables, available today! This one is called "Berry Picking". I had so much fun coloring and putting this one together! The rubber is deeply etched and I love the heavy plastic packaging! These stamps are unmounted but come on cling cushion.

It's colored with Copics and some highlights with white gel pen. The tag/pouch set is from Creative Cuts and More. I ran just the front panel through the Cuttlebug with the bubble folder.......lots and lots of blueberries! YUM!

Kristin started the blog hop, please hop on by and see all the other fab creations!

Now!! Are you ready for some Blog Candy??!!

This is all 4 new sets
plus
some May Arts ribbon!
just leave me a comment and next week I'll pick a winner!
(be sure your email is there too)

Congratulations to Estela Sagredo who won this fun candy!!!

Thanks for stopping!!

President's Day and a Round Top Box

Another odd title day!

Some trivia for you in case you ever get asked "Just where did Lincoln's funeral train go?". This sign is in our town of St Paris. The tracks used to run behind our house but have since been removed...how I miss the train rumbling by!

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Now, the Round Top Box....this was today's Technique challenge on SCS. I ended up doing 2 of these and have no clue what I'm going to do with either one! lol

I started with this one, printed the template onto Kraft cardstock because I wasn't sure what I'd put on it when I got upstairs to the stamp room.
I'm trying to use stamps that haven't had love for a while and this one definitly qualifies! I can't remember the last time I used these tulips and I don't think I've ever used the sentiment! The tulip image from PSX is colored with reinkers. I pieced the Nestabilities scallops to fit just around the top. Rather plain compared to some of the awesome examples today!

It's been kind of a lazy day around here...my son had a couple friends spend the night so they were hanging here all day. Should I try another box....oh sure...why not!

Well....I went upstairs again with NO PLAN.... I stood and looked at this stamp, that set, this one, that one...you get the picture!
This is what I ended up with.............my mind just kind went off on it's own! LOL
I started by making a "moon" mask...hole and circle and putting the 'circle' down I used my Copic Airbrush System (ABS) to put down the blues and greens. Then using the 'hole' mask I airbrushed the moon.

Using one of the trees from "Forest of Trees" from Flourishes, I stamped just over the edge of a piece of scrap paper so I only got part of the tree each time, then I colored them in with Copics. Adding more Distress ink below the trees gave me my shadows
For the wolf face in the moon, I inked it up with Distress Old Paper, took a tissue and wiped the edges. This softens any definitive lines which I didn't want and also made the image a little smaller to fit inside the moon.

The rest is just pieces of the retired Wolf set...the running pack, masked several times so I could get a large pack. The single howling wolf...colored with Copics and a coat of clear ep to ease in cutting out and it looks cool!

recipes for both:
stamps: tulips-psx, sentiment-verses rubber stamps, retired wolf-stampin up, forest of trees-flourishes
paper:gp white, prism kraft, classic yellow, nautical blue med
ink: adirondack pitch black, reinkers, distress faded jeans, pine needles, old paper, vintage photo-ranger, versamark-tsukineko
other: copic markers, abs, scor-pal, template, waterbrush, spellbinders nestabilities, zip dry glue, inkssentials white gel pen, distressing tool, clear ep, daubers

Thanks for stopping!!

Just Painting Around....

An interesting title and an even more interesting reason for it!


Today is my Monday challenge with some friends, CCEE, on SCS, it's our CNFS challenge (Catchy Name Featured Stamper) ... we pick someone who has a catchy user name on SCS and then we create our card around that name and send our cards to them.


This week it was Tosh's turn to select the person whose name we were going to use and she selected Michelle aka JustPaintingAround. Tosh told us that Michelle has a spotlighting style that she loved, so for our card we had to use the spotlighting technique. Let me tell you, Michelle really has a very unique style and I love it! She's a very talented person!!


I've done spotlighting before, but never the way Michelle does it! Will I do it again? Darn tootin!
I started with one piece of cardstock doing the entire scene. "Megan" from Whipper Snapper is colored with Copics. The purple flowers and grass are from the set "Ground Cover" from CHF. I drew the red flowers to match Megan's. The flowers are also colored with Copics and the grass is Prismacolor pencils blended with baby oil. The sky is using my cloud template and distress ink.

Then using my Nestabilities I cut out Megan, cut a mat and layered her back over the scene!

recipe:
stamps: Megan-Whipper Snapper, ground cover-Cornish Heritage Farms
paper: georgia pacific white, prism blush red dark
ink: adirondack pitch black, distress broken china-ranger
other: copic markers, prismacolor pencils, baby oil, blending stumps, spellbinders nestabilities, distress stickles-ranger, button-jesse james & co, ribbon, dauber, cloud template, slot punch, white gel pen

To see what the other girls did you can go to our blog.

Thanks for stopping!

As The Spinning Wheel Turns....

So, today I mentioned to someone that
I was going to spinning guild today. Than in turn brought the question,
"Dawn, what is spinning guild?"

Instead of taking my wheel,
I took my camera instead
and will show you just what might go on once a month.
I've been going to guild for almost 10 years!
Wow! Has it really been that long? Yup, guess so!

It all started with my friends' love of fiber, all aspects of it and buying a loom at an auction! They needed a place to put it (and several others that followed), all the spinning wheels, TONS of fiber, books,
material, spinning paraphernalia

and I have no clue what else might be there, lol!

The birth of the Loom House.
(Beams from an old barn.)

One of the many rugs that have been woven by Lis.

Of course we have to eat to keep up our strength!


Steve, an engineer, is the newest member. An awesome knitter,
this is a scarf he started in October....08....
if it were me it would be October 1998!
I just don't understand this stuff! Wow! It's fabulous!

And he spins too!

This is a waxed linen bag that Rose has woven.
Too bad my picture didn't turn out!

Rose spins, paints, weaves.....who knows what else! And she quilts!
Today was the perfect day for my camera
because she brought several quilts and tops to show us!

Mo knitting....if you want to know....ask Mo!

Lori knitting. Lori and her sister Lis were the ones that taught me to spin.
Have a spinning or fiber question, they can answer it!

One of Lis' sheepys
Lis, Lori and Mo make things all year to sell at
various fiber shows.... their name....
"Three Bags Full"
The Great Wheel

All of us from different walks of life brought
together by a common thread....or piece of yarn!

Thanks for stopping!