Dog Lovers ATC Swap

I joined an ATC swap on Splitcoast, and the theme is "Dog Lovers". Here is a sneak peek at the cards that I am sending to the hostess tomorrow. The cute stamp set is from JessicaLynn Originals. I used Prismacolor pencils for the dog and the grass, and added at textured background to the sky with a Stampin' Up wheel. I did a fake "spiral notebook page" effect on the right side by punching a line of holes and tearing each hole. Now I'm curious to see what the other swappers came up with for their dog lovers ATC.

My First Acrylic Album

I made this 6-inch acrylic album in a class at the Memories Scrapbooking Expo over the weekend. I've never worked with an acrylic album before, and I was surprised by how fast and easy this was to put together. If you use double-sided papers, you only have to glue them to one side of the acrylic, because it will show through nicely on the other side. I'm all ready to add photos and journaling to this album, and it will be done!

Here are some photos of interior pages:




My nine-year-old daughter went to the expo with me, and she also made an album like this. I think she's hooked!

Have a great Monday.

Some Sketch Challenge Cards

Here are two cards that I made using some of this week's sketches.

The first is the Splitcoast card sketch SC221:



I used Stampin' Up cardstock, papers and ink. The stamps are from Our Daily Bread Designs.

The second sketch I used is from Firecracker Designs FCD012:


I used Stampin' Up cardstock and ink, and Prismacolor pencils. The stamps are from Firecracker Designs. Aren't they cute? The puffy sticker is from SEI.

I will be gone most of the weekend, so I won't be posting or blogging until Sunday night probably. My daughter and I are going to a scrapbook expo in Columbus. Yay! We will get some much needed mother-daughter time together. We are taking a couple of classes, so I will have some stuff to show you when I get back.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Animal Kingdom Scrapbook Page

I used Splitcoast SBSC182 to do this 2-page layout of pictures that I took at Disney's Animal Kingdom last December. The large circles are a "basketweave" designer paper from DCWV. I don't have a circle-cutter that cuts this large, so I traced a bucket and cut by hand. (Kickin' it old school!)

The dark brown and rust handmade papers are from Provo Craft. They are called Eco Africa--they are made in Africa from plant fibers, no trees used. Very thick--and they give a great texture to the page. The stamps are from an old set from Stampin' Up called Beautiful Batik.





I love his SpongeBob t-shirt!

Chip VS. Dale

Another installment into my Disney album:


Previous to going to Walt Disney World, I thought that Chip and Dale were exactly alike, and there was no way to tell the difference between them. Oh, how could I have been so ignorant? So I made this page to keep track of the chipmunks in the future. It turns out that there is quite a rivalry between the two.

I used materials that I got in the March kit from Scrapbook Takeout, along with some brads from Stampin' Up. The paper is from Jillibean Soup--very unique and fun.

Enjoy your Sunday everyone!

Curvy Path of Life

Now here is a card that turned out exactly as I had imagined it in my mind before I started working on it. That's very unusual for me! The sketch is from Card Positioning Systems CPS107, and the palette is from Splitcoast color challenge CC210. I have to admit, the oblong shape of this card had me a little thrown at first, as did the color of the kraft cardstock. But it all came together in the end.

The scripture stamp is from Our Daily Bread Designs and the swirls are from Firecracker Designs. And, of course, the swirls are intended to represent the curves in the path of life (in my path of life, at least)!

FYI, I also posted today at the In the Cottage Studio blog, so head on over there to see that card also!

Have a good weekend everybody!

Contest Winner and Card Sketch

In my previous post, I had a contest to see who would receive this set of coasters that I made for the Cottage Rumble challenge. The random number generator gave me the number "2", which corresponds to the post of Teresa (Ladydoc). Congratulations! Here is what she said:

Well, they are all beautiful but I think I like the blossom best.

Gorgeous work!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I will have your package in the mail ASAP! You will receive the coasters, along with some blank coasters to stamp on, and a few other goodies that I dig up!


And now, here is a card that I made for the Splitcoast Sketch Challenge SC220:



I used the Belinda's Whispers in the Woods stamp set, which has this beautiful fairy stamp. I colored her in with a watercolor brush and Stampin' Up chalk pastels for a soft look. The designer paper is from Times to Cherish.

That's all for now. Have a good Thursday.

Win at the Rumble!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

As promised, there is a Cottage Rumble going on at the In the Cottage Studio blog! All of the design team members for Clear Artistic Stamps made special things incorporating the color GREEN.

My project is something for "home decor". And guess what--you can win what I made! Simply go to the Cottage Studio Blog and read the Rumble post:

Rumble Post

Then come back HERE and comment on this post for your chance to win. I would love to hear your opinion of which one of the four items that I made was your favorite:

1. The tree
2. The bird
3. The fairy
4. The tulip tree blossom

You will have until Thursday (3/19) at Noon Eastern time to enter your comment. I will use a random number generator to choose a winner. (PS. Your prize will probably also have a few extras thrown in from my stash!)

Thanks for reading!

A Pillow and some Science Kids

First things first: Stay tuned for tomorrow's RUMBLE at the In the Cottage Studio blog. All of the designers for Clear Artistic Stamps will post projects on one big RUMBLE post. And as an added bonus, you will have a chance to win the project that I will post. And guess what, it's NOT a card! I think it would be most accurately described as "home decor". So be sure to stop by here tomorrow for your chance to win.

Now onto today's topic: a pillow sham. When I made my block of the month quilt last year, I ended up with an extra quilt block that was 1/2 inch too small. (Someday I might figure out how I managed to do that.) So I decided to make it into a pillow sham to match the quilt. I didn't do too bad, considering I didn't have a pattern to go by.



And just in case you were wondering, this is what happens when lab geeks have children. They dress their kids in Biophysical Society apparel:


See you tomorrow for the RUMBLE!

Two Quilt Blocks

I've been doing some sewing this weekend, and I've been able to get caught up on my Block of the Month quilt for 2009. Both patterns can be found for free at Quilter's Cache (which, by the way, has 100's of wonderful block patterns for free!).

The February block is Amish Diamond:

I can imagine an entire quilt in this pattern, done with the solid jewel tones that are used in Amish quilts. It would be beautiful.

The next block is called Coxey's Camp:


The more I use this blue and brown palette, the more I like it!

Now I'm off to finish a pillow sham that I started to work on last night. I'm hoping it turns out, since I don't have a pattern!

Happy Sunday.

A Lot of Meat

This page was made using the Splitcoast Sketch Challenge SBSC181. This sketch is great--the page was fast and easy.

When in Orlando, we went to a Brazilian Steakhouse where the waiters brought all kinds of meats to the table. We definitely ate too much that night!

Have a good weekend everyone. I'm hoping to get some sewing done.

Shiny Shiny Shiny

I couldn't get a good photo showing how shiny and shimmery this card is, but I think you can kind of see. This was made for CPS sketch challenge CPS106.


The fantastic hummingbird and sentiment stamps are from the Flight of my Dreams stamp set. I used the Shimmer Paper in Wistful Sky, and I painted the paper flowers with Shimmerz paints in Lilac, Gold Glimmer and Pixie Dust. You can find all of those products at the Clear Artistic Stamps store. The rest is Stampin' Up cardstock, ink and vellum paper. The brads are Making Memories.

I got the idea for the colors on this card from the card in the previous post! Scroll down to see what I mean.

Have a good Friday everyone. TGIF!

All that Glitters

Belinda from Clear Artistic Stamps sent me this beautiful card with my last order. The background paper is such a gorgeous shade of glittery purple. And my name is handwritten so beautifully. I'm pretty good at printing, but not good at all at cursive writing, so I'm so impressed with how my name is written! The stamp is from the stamp set Moments in Lace.

Thanks Belinda! I hope to get my new stamps inked up very soon!

This One's a Beauty!

Look at this beautiful card that I received from Pam at Firecracker Designs! I preordered some of her new sets, and got the card along with them when they arrived yesterday. It looks like the flower is painted with Twinkling H2Os, and I'm not sure what is in the black center--it feels like sand. Isn't it gorgeous? Thanks Pam!

The Castle at Night

We went to Walt Disney World in December so we could admire all of the Christmas decorations and the lights at night. One great photo that we have is of Cinderella's Castle at night. When we shot the photo, the castle was purple, but the colors gradually changed throughout the hour.


I made this scrapbook page with the castle photo, following Splitcoast Sketch SBSC180. The sketch has you "free-hand" a scalloped-edge background piece, which had me a little worried. But it turned out much better than I thought it would. I used star stamps from Firecracker Designs and Brilliance pearlescent ink to add some shine. The Disney paper is from a kit that I bought at the park.

I still have a long way to go before all of my Disney photos are scrapped, but I'm working on it!

Filled With Music

I've been wanting to try this palette and got my chance yesterday: Bashful Blue, Riding Hood Red and Chocolate Chip. I used A Little Note stamp set from Clear Artistic Stamps. The strips of designer paper are kinda old pieces from the bottom of my paper drawer!

The layout is Splitcoast SC218. When I saw this card sketch I wanted to try it because it looked unusual and fun. With all of the layers, I didn't even need embellishments.

I have another card posted today In The Cottage Studio. I made a background with Shimmerz paint. Check it out!

A Chance at Free Stamps!

This stamp set is called "Flight of My Dreams". It is one of six new sets that will be released tomorrow, March 6th, over at Clear Artistic Stamps.

For a chance to win this stamp set, just go over to Belinda's Blog and leave a comment. And don't forget to visit the Clear Artistic Stamps store tomorrow to see all six new sets.

On Eagles' Wings

This eagle stamp is so pretty:

It is one of the stamps in the stamp set On Eagles' Wings from Our Daily Bread Designs. I stamped the eagle with Palette Hybrid Ink in Burnt Sienna and then colored with chalk pastels and a blender pen. But I messed up and colored the tail wrong! It should be white!

Here is the inside:


It's so great to have the perfect Bible verse to go along with a beautiful image. It really completes the card.

Hope your Wednesday turns out great.

Some Beautiful Easter Cards by Nicole

The new Designer By Invitation Only for the month of March at Clear Artistic Stamps is Nicole Maki. She has made some fantastic Easter cards that you will definitely want to see!

Click Here For Nicole's Blog

And how does one become a Designer By Invitation Only you ask? Easier than you might think! Just make some cards or other items using Clear Artistic Stamps and post them on your blog. Then let Belinda or one of the designers (like me) know that you have done that. Belinda will take a look, and if your work is what she is looking for, she will invite you to be a Designer By Invitation Only. So why not give it a try?

To read more about Nicole and to see one of her tutorials, Click Here.

I found some blog candy for you!

If you go to SemSee's blog, she has a wonderful package that she is giving away to celebrate her birthday on March 8th. Happy Birthday SemSee!