Saturday Ramblings

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InStyle Stamps February Bloghop? Go here.

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My children, like most, get side-tracked in the most creative ways. We have a step stool for their bathroom and for quite some time they have been taking my daughter's hair accessories out of the counter drawer and placing them inside the storage area of the stepping stool.

I decided that while its not really where they should be placed at least they are off of the floor and put "away". A couple of nights ago I went around the corner from my studio to their bathroom to check on them. It was bedtime and time to brush teeth, but it was pretty quiet considering we are trying out those battery operated toothbrushes with our children.  This is what I saw on the floor.

This is the artwork of my 4 1/2 year old girl and her 2 1/2 year old brother. Pretty amazing, huh!

Have a happy weekend!

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First Signs of Spring

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Are you here for the InStyle Stamps Spring Flower and St. Patrick's Day Blog Hop? I'm so glad you stopped in! If you know what I'm talking about you have just hopped from sweet Cyndi's blog. If you are just now getting into the hop be sure to start at the beginning here to get a glimpse of all the design team has created for you!

My eye candy for today has been such a pure joy to create. I only hope that it inspires you to go and press to the limit of your abilities. I have never bent paper and cut paper and colored paper like I did with this project. This project used three different images from InStyle Stamps.

Birdhouse - Teacup with Chick - Butterfly

The first part of the hop theme is spring flowers, so I began to hunt for them as I drove through our neighborhood. That gave me the idea for this sort of Spring Watch and Journal set. Go for a walk and journal what you see along the way!

 I made a card that was inspired by Sankari Wegman's Titanic theme card, she bent paper in such an amazing way that I had to try it.

I also made a field notepad inspired by our very own Joy for Method Monday (thanks for the inspiration!).

The inside has a sewn together clear plastic sleeve (sheet protector) holding tiny tags for found objects along the way. Maybe some feathers, or a flower petal that begs to be identified later with our journal entry. The pad is divided into two parts. One for birds and the other for flowers. Half of the pages foldout so you can write and draw about what you see, write about the weather conditions and anything else that might come to mind.

Now the treat that comes with this set is for the birds! Seriously, my two children and I stopped off at our local valley pet and lawn store and bought some No Sprout Seed Mix and then I had to make it into a project for all of us. {grin} I found a homemade suet recipe on the internet and made a few changes to it then my children added it into a shallow muffin pan while I held the apple corer in the middle for the hole. {grin again} At dinnertime my daughter exclaimed, "Daddy! We made Birdseed Bagels!". So that is what the label says it is.

And here is the whole set! Each item has a butterly or two that I was inspired to do from someone's card using them.

Thank you for staying this long!

Now it's time to hop on over to Lysa's blog.

Two housekeeping items:

Vote at the end of the blog hop for your favorite Designer's project, and there is a chance for a PRIZE for you at the end of the blog. 

If you decide to go and buy any of the InStyle Stamps from this project or any other be sure to use the 5% off  link at the top of my sidebar!

Details:

Stamps: Birdhouse, Teacup with Chick, Butterfly, sentiment available soon

Paper: DCWV Butterflies and Blossoms pack, Chocolate Chip, Pink Passion, Brocade Blue and LSS scraps

Ink: LaserJet, Prismacolor Markers and pencils*, PITT India Ink pen,

Accessories: Nestabilities circles, Labels 3 and Blossom, SU! Grosgrain ribbon and LSS ribbon, Lots of Glossy Accents and dimensionals, SU! Tag and Tiny Tag Punch, File Folder Punch, Sewing Machine

Prismacolor Markers Details: Birdhouse - Light Umber and Eggplant, Lt. Cerulean Blue, True Blue, Cerulean Blue, Lilac and Imperial Violet, Blush Pink and Magenta, Deco Yellow, Yellow Ochre and Goldenrod; Birds - Goldenrod, Poppy Red, Carmine Red and Pumpkin Orange (under wing), Warm Black; Blue Butterfly - Lt. Cerulean Blue, Light Aqua and Cerulean Blue (Cloud Blue and Aqua, Sepia and Black pencils); Green Butterly - Deco Yellow, Spring Green and Leaf Green (Sepia and Black pencils).

I'm sure I forgot some details...if you don't think I've listed something and want to know just send me a personal message.

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A Sunflower 4 You

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I've made a whimsical card for a very fun InStyle Whimsical image, Sunflower.  The card sketch is from this week's Crazy 4 Challenges blog here. 

I selected these greens and yellows because I was trying to make a St. Patrick's Day card to play along with InStyle's Over the Hump Day Blog Candy Giveaway theme. It was a big stretch to make this flower with the Script background stamp that is actually the Irish Blessing.  A song that was sung at the end of every concert I was in with the Whitney Women's Chorale. I sure do miss those gals. So I decided to not force myself into the theme or I'll end up with gold coins all over the place and a leprechaun hat on the flower. LOL

The background is made with two Stampin' Up background stamps and then I paper pierced and handstitched the left rectangle with yellow DMC embroidery floss. I colored the flower with my prismacolor markers. The sentiment panel was a playful inspiration with some leftover yellow squares that were meant for stamping the center from a poinsettia stamp...a couple of years ago. LOL I played around with all types of alpha stamp sets for the sentiment and finally just scribbled the word with my Prismacolor Marker and then over the top of that with a Bic Black Gel pen.

I glued everything down and then glanced at the sketch...doh! I forgot the element of three in the top right corner. I pulled back and used my old fashion eyelet punch and setter while the other half of the card was still attached to the card base.

The tag is made with the new Stampin' Up jewelry tag punch and sentiments that are in the mini occasions catalog (available until early April).

I enjoyed making this little card. Remember, when you decide to go shopping at InStyle's store go through the 5% discount link in my sidebar!

Details:
Stamps: Instyle Sunflower, SU Weathered or Texture(?) BG and Script BG, SU Tiny Tags
Paper: White, Close to Cocoa, LSS green and yellow scraps
Ink: Close to Cocoa, Garden Green, Prismacolor Markers*, Bic Black Gel pen
Accessories: Yellow eyelets, Jewelry Tag Punch, DMC yellow embroidery ribbon, SU dimensionals and 3M Pop Dots.

Prismacolor Details: Canary Yellow, Spanish Orange, Burnt Ochre, Spring Green, Grass Green, Parrot Green and Emerald, Walnut, Sienna Brown, Dark Brown.

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February InStyle Stamps Sneak Peek Day 1

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InStyle Stamp has some amazing new stamps releasing this Thursday and today is our first of two days of sneak peeks.

I have two images to show you today and I adore both of them and yes I had a blast coloring them.

Meet Drea. This little darling girl has a prayer in her heart and a happy song on her face. Don't you think so? I've been wanting to create bookmarks so I made this A2 size card perforated in the back to shed the side panels and make it into a bookmark.

Here's the back of the bookmark card. The  dry emboss ends where the perforation line is located. It's kind of hard to see in a photo, but it's there.

Details for Drea:
Stamps: InStyle Drea, Verve PJ 1Thess 5:17-18
Paper: LSS Blue, Brocade Blue, Close to Cocoa, Mohawk Smooth White
Ink: LaserJet, Brocade Blue, Prismacolor Markers*
Accessories: Nestibilities Small Oval #6, Scallop Oval #6, Fancy Tags, SU! Scallop Trim Edge Punch, Cuttlebug Victoria EF

Prismacolor Details: Drea Hair - Deco Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Blender; Eyes - Blender, SkyBlue Light, Deco Blue; Skin - Eggshell, Brick Beige, Clay Rose; Shirt - Cerulean Blue, Periwinkle, Navy Blue; Pants - Mocha Light, Mocha Dark; Shoes - Warm Grey 50% and 90%

The second card was a dream to color. I'm not sure why I picked the colors but when I looked in my BoBunny Paper stash there was designer paper to match it. That doesn't happen for me very often.
Meet Lily. She's holding a cute new chick and I think he's in good care!

Now there are more sneak peeks to see. Head on over to InStyle Stamps Whimsical and Retro blog and see the list of other Design Team peeks.

Details for Lily:

Stamps: InStyle Lily, Stampin' Up 2005 Elegant Sayings
Paper: BoBunny Paper, Dreamy White Textured paper (unknown company), Mohawk Smooth White
Ink: LaserJet, Chocolate Chip, Prismacolor Markers*
Accessories: Nestibilities Large Label #3 and #4, LSS Violet Satin Ribbon, DMC Floss 3474, EK Success Flower punch, Hemp Twine, Cumin Powder, Marshmallow Glimmering Mist (on flower)

Prismacolor Details: Lily Hair - Light Tan, Dark Umber, Warm Black; Eyes - Pale Jade, Jade, Spearmint; Skin - Cinnamon Toast, Mocha Light, Mocha Dark; Blouse - Grayed Lavender, Lilac, Jacket - Brick White; Chick - Cream, Spanish Orange; Slacks - Khaki, Bronze; Shoes - Bronze, Mocha Dark

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InStyle Stamps Free Digis!

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Virginia at InStyle Stamps is giving away a free digi-stamp! She's had a rough weekend (furbaby sickness) and feels like spreading some cheer anyway.

These are brand new images and you'll get to choose which one you want! WOW!

To get the free digi of your choice make a post on your blog, just like I have, and then go over to InStyle Stamps blog and give her some love and comfort and then let her know your choice and where to mail it.

That's it...what are you waiting for?...Go...now... {wink}

See ya tomorrow for more InStyle Stamps Anime Sneak Peeks. Then on Wednesday is Whimsical and Retro Sneak Peeks. We are going to have some exciting images to show.

Okay...you can go get your freebie now.  {wink} I'm going to now.
 

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Happy Valentine's Day

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I got my first set of Cat's Pajama's stamps yesterday and was so excited at it's versatility. I have a very special card to send out today. It's a beary sweet PJ wanting to say Happy Valentine's Day!

This card is going to my mother-in-law from the grandkids along with a goodie bag today. I had to time this post so that she would get the card first and not see the post. You might see him next time with a flower in his hand for a get well card, or he could be donning a St. Paddy's hat. You'll have to keep you eye out for him in all the galleries because I bet he'll be around a lot.

Details:
Stamps: Cat's Pajama's A Beary Good Year
Paper: Various scraps from LSS
Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black, Chocolate Chip Ink pad and Writer, Creamy Caramel and Rose Red, Prismacolor Markers in Cinnamon Toast, Sienna Brown, Light Umber, Blush Pink, Magenta.
Accessories: Nestibilities Classic Square Large, Classic Small Inverted Square and Scalloped Square, DMC Floss, SU! Cocolate Chip Grosgrain ribbon

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InStyle Sketch Time

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Virginia has us stepping into spring colors with Club Anime's sixth color challenge today. I don't know about you, but I'm ready to leave the pinks and reds on the shelf and bring out the spring colors. If you are too, come join us for some fun! I hear Virginia has a sneak peek of a new stamp line and you can see a couple at the Color Challenge post and Instyle Stamps Whimsical and Retro blog post.

I had so much fun with Marissa that I didn't want to stop! Fortunately for me, I always print out a second image just in case I need it for paper tole or a mistake, so it might be available to make another card! LOL

I've been inspired a lot by the works of Mercy Kerin and I finally case'd her style from the past few cards she has made. I used the Card Patterns Sketch for the week you can find it here. I'm probably going to join into Splitcoast's Ways to Use It Challenge which is to use Odds.

So would you like to join us? Stop on over at the InStyle Club Anime blog, here, and get all the details.

Details:
Stamps: InStyle Marissa, Verve Thankful Hearts
Paper: Mohawk Smooth White, Kraft, Basic Black, LSS Pink, Purple and Yellow (punched flowers)
Ink: LaserJet, PITT India Ink Pen, Graphite Black Ink pad, Prismacolor Markers*
Accessories: SU! 1 3/4" circle punch, Coluzzle, Nestabilities Standard Circle #6, Paper Piercer, Martha Stewart 3-in-1 Hydrangea punch (smallest punch)

*Prismacolor Details: Marissa: Hair - Tulip Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Goldenrod; Skin - Eggshell, Brick Beige, Clay Rose; Shirt - Blush Pink, Cherry; Pants - Violet Mist, Imperial Violet; Shoes - Cold Stone, Periwinkle, Indigo Blue; Grass and Flowers - Spring Green, Leaf Green, Tulip Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Mocha Dark, Eggplant.

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Valentine Day 13 - You're the Spice... and 14 - You and I...!

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Since it will be Sunday tomorrow, I'll post about Day 14 as well today. I hope you all have enjoyed your virtual candy and been able to get some great ideas from them.

Day 13!

Yesteryear's treat:

Clever Saying:
I'll show my love for you the pleasure,
By giving you a chocolate "Treasure".
Candy: Hershey's Treasures Candy

Today's treat:

Clever Saying: You're the spice...of my life.
Candy: Red Hots

Day 14!

Yesteryear's treat:

Clever Saying:
I don't tell "Whoppers"
I don't tell lies; You're an important part of our family ties.
Candy: Whoppers

Today's treat:

Clever Saying: You and I... sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.
Candy: Hershey's Kisses.

Updated: If you would like to review all the other days here are the links.

Day 12 - I like the way you...
Day 11 - I love the way...
Day 9 and 10 - I'm all and Time with you...
Day 8 - I love you...
Day 6 and 7 - I'm nuts... and You are...
Day 5 - You're the greatest
Day 4 - You satisfy...
Day 3 - My heart bursts...
Day 2 - Dip me...
Day 1 - I love you...

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Taylored Expressions 100th Sketch!

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I came across a post about the Taylored Expressions' 100th Sketch Celebration (TESC100) and then saw the sketch layout and immediately knew Coco Bear was going to be it's feature on my take of the sketch.

I started with pink and brown color cardstock and then on a whim added a blue background to Coco and I almost thought I'd ruined it! LOL But I pulled it together and Coco is still the cuter for it. Coco is from DigiStamp Boutique and I have so wanted to color him up and get him on a card. You should really check out the digital images over there. Look at all of them if you dare, but go see Coco first of course.



Tip: After masking off Coco and the ground area of the image, I used my darker blue marker to color the SU! background stamp and immediately pressing it on the colored background. It gives a subtle pattern to the image and also hides any marker striping that might occur from overlapping while coloring.

Details:
Stamps: DigiStamp Boutique Coco with heart, Verve Love Monkey (sentiment), SU! Backgrounds (retired)
Paper: Brocade Blue, Close to Cocoa, Fresh Paint Textured Pink, LSS pink
Ink: Laserjet, Close to Cocoa, Prismacolor Markers*
Accessories: Nestabilities Standard Circle and Bloom, SU! Tag punch, Trio flower punch, and another (retired?) three flower punch, SU! Scallop Trim edge punch, Martha Stewart Iridescent Cotton Candy and Bubblegum glitter, Glossy Accents, Sissix Birthday A6 EF Tween Flowers Texturz Plate, Michael's striped ribbon. Whew!

Prismacolor Details: Coco: Fur - Mocha Light, Mocha Dark, Sepia; Heart - Blush Pink, Carmine Red: Background - Cloud Blue, Blue Slate; Ground - Parchment and a heavy soak of Colorless Blender

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Valentine Day 12 - I like the way...

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Day 12 is here!

Yesteryear's treat:

Clever saying: You are a "Smartie"
You're full of brains,
I know you'll go far,
you'll make BIG gains.
Candy: Smarties

Today's treat:

Clever saying: I like the way you talk... to me.
Candy: Conversation hearts

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Day 11 - I love the way...

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Good morning!

Here is day 11 of our 14 Days of Valentines. The heart box with all these milk cartons is camped out on our kitchen table. Everyday my children wait for Daddy to get home from work so we can look at the next milk carton. Talk about restraint! LOL Enjoy!

Day 11!
Yesteryear's treat:

Clever saying:
You always help out when I'm in a
"Crunch"
That's one of the reasons I love you
a brunch. (I think it was suppose to say "bunch" but the tag has an "r" in it.)
Candy: Heart shaped Crunch

Today's treat:

Clever saying: I love the way... you skittle.
Candy: Skittles Originals

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Valentine's for Preschool Classmates

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I had so much fun putting together these valentine's for my daughter's classmates party. Yep. I know what your thinking.  You're wondering why there is an "I" in that sentence instead of a "we". My little girl loves to be in the craft room. She loves to use my Prismacolor markers, and use the die-cutting machine, so I was certain she would have fun putting together these tags. Let's just say that we had fun brainstorming what the tag's would look like, but when it came time to put them together, playing with her little brother sounded much more fun! LOL

I used Verve's adorable Monkey from this set.  I added a set of hearts that I cut with a Cuttlekids die. I drew black lines around the edge of the hearts and then embossed them to match the hearts on the cello bags. When I started to layout the pieces for this tag at one point it looked like the hearts were balloons above they monkey's head, so I added some black button thread through a 1/16" hole in the bottom of the hearts and adhered the other ends behind the monkey.

Even the teacher's and administrator's were on our list!

Thanks for stopping by!

Details:

Stamps: Verve's Love Monkey, Heartland Regular free Typeface

Paper: Pink Passion, Real Red, white cardstock

Ink: LaserJet, Chocolate Chip, Prismacolor Markers*

Accessories: Cello bags and twist ties, Clear EP, Red Stickles, Black Button Thread, PITT Fine india ink pen, CB Swiss Dots EF and Quickutz Polka Dots EF.

*Prismacolor Marker Details: Monkey; head and belly - Mocha Light, Light Umber, Muzzle - Cinnamon Toast, Mocha Light. Heartland hearts - Process Red, Crimson Red.

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Valenting Day 9 and 10 - I'm all and Time with you

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I've been so busy I forgot to check my Valentine's candy posts! So you will be getting another two for one day.  Here they are:

Day 9:

Yesteryear's treat:

Clever Saying:

I've met "Airheads"

I've met geeks, you're one of a kind

You're someone Unique!!!

Candy: Airheads

Today's treat:

Clever saying: I'm all... puckered up!

Candy: Lemonheads

Day 10!

Yesteryear's treat:

Clever saying:
You're so sweet, as sweet as honey,
I love you more than Chocolate money!!!
Candy: Bag of chocolate coins

Today's treat:

Clever saying: Time with you... is refreshing.
Candy: Junior Mints

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Valentine Day 8 - I love you...

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Day 8!

Happy Monday to all of you. I hope you had a great weekend. Are you ready for another week of treats? Well let's get started.

Yesteryear's treat:

Clever saying: To show my love, Oh boy! Oh boy! I'm giving you this [Almond Joy].

Candy: Almond Joy

Today's treat:

Clever saying: I love you... gobs and gobs.
Candy: Gobstoppers

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Valentine Day 6 - I'm nuts... and Day 7 - You are...

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Day 6!
We are halfway through because today I'm showing you Day 6 and Day 7. That way I'll have a day of rest and hopefully no drooling over all this candy!

Yesteryear's treat:

Clever Saying: I hope that we will never part and that we will stay real sweethearts.
Candy: SweetTart Hearts

Today's treat:

Clever Saying: I'm nuts... for you.
Candy: Peanut M&M's

Day 7:

Yesteryear's treat:

Clever Saying: No one can come be [Twix] you and me because you're as special as can be.

Candy: Twix

Today's treat:

Clever Saying: You are one... hot tamale.
Candy: Hot Tamales
Have a great and relaxing Sunday everyone!

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Valentine Day 5 - You're the greatest...

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Day 5!

I didn't really think of this as being drawn out, but I'm getting the feeling of torture just like waiting for Christmas Day to arrive and open up all my presents!
Yesteryear's treat:

Clever Saying:
You have encouraged me
When I've started to waiver
That's why you are one of my favorite [Lifesaver].
Candy: Lifesaver

Today treat:

Clever Saying: You're the greatest... show on earth.
Candy: Circus Cookies

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