ATC Monday - You're GRATE!

Don't worry! I haven't taken leave of my senses and I STILL know how to spell - LOL!

Check this out though!

See? Now you understand my CRAZY spelling - heehee!!

It's RETIREMENT day! Today, April 10th, is when Stampin' UP! announces the retiring list - items that will not be carrying over into the next 2017-2018 annual catalogue.

The image above is from the Perfect Mix set that appeared in the Occasions Catalogue (valid until May 31st), but it is NOT making its way to the new annual catalogue, so if you love it, it's best to order it NOW.

I turned this ATC into a super cute card, but you'll have to wait till Friday to see it!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Perfect Mix
INK: Archival Black
PAPERS: Whisper White, Smokey Slate and Melon Mambo Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Enamel Shapes

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Monday - Number of Years

Welcome to a week with Number of Years!

I love this set for its big, bold numbers - you could almost (almost!) just die cut them and slap them on the front of the card...but what fun would THAT be??

Today's ATC doesn't look like much, but just wait till Friday!

My base is Watermelon Wonder with a layer of Blushing Bride on top. You wouldn't think these colours wouldn't go together since one is fairly bright and the other is definitely subtle, but they really do! You should get some of both...especially the Watermelon Wonder which will be part of the retirement list announcement early next week.

I stamped the sentiment in Watermelon Wonder and then used Blushing Bride (stamped off) to get all the little dots on the card.

The banner was stamped with Watermelon Wonder on Watermelon Wonder Cardstock and then cut out. The finishing touch was the Basic Rhinestone.

Don't forget to come back on Friday (and really EVERY day this week) to see how I used my ATC.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Number of Years
INK: Blushing Bride, Watermelon Wonder
PAPERS: Whisper White, Blushing Bride and Watermelon Wonder
ACCESSORIES: Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Monday - Swimming with the Fishes

LOL!! I *know* what swimming with the fishes actually means, but I was in a funny mood (after a late night hysterical facebook thread) when I was typing up this post, so I couldn't resist!!

This week we're playing with Jar of Love - one of my favourite sets in the annual catalogue that I really don't use nearly enough, so here we go!!

It's Monday, so that means it's time for an ATC and I just love the way this one turned out. And...just wait till you see Friday's card - ADORABLE.

My ATC base is Claypso Coral - remember, it's 2 ½" x 3 ½" which is the standard ATC size - and then I added a layer of Peekaboo Peach and Whisper White. Both the Peekaboo Peach and Whisper White were sponged with Peekaboo Peach Ink.

My jar is stamped in Archival Black Ink and I added a little handle to it (the handle and the die to cut it out are both in the bundle) which was stamped in Smoky Slate. The fishie and the bow were both stamped in Peekeaboo Peach before being cut out with their respective framelits.

I attached the jar to the ATC with regular adhesive (SNAIL) and then added the handle which was attached with glue from the Fine-Tip Glue Pen. I added it just to the base of the handle, making it look like you could actually "pick up" 5)3 jar. Cool, eh?

The fishie and the bow were both adhered with tiny pieces of Stampin' Dimensionals.

Just a reminder that Sale-A-Bration is coming to a close in just a few short days! And that if your order the Jar of Love bundle you'll automatically qualify for a FREE Sale-A-Bration item! Click HERE to place your order and be sure to use hostess code: JYXZZKDF before checking out.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Jar of Love
INK: Archival Black, Smoky Slate, Peekaboo Peach
PAPERS: Whisper White, Peekaboo Peach and Calypso Coral Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Fine-Tip Glue Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Monday

Hmmmmm...I like the sound of that! What do you think? Should ATC Monday be a thing? I do like creating these tiny works of art, so I think I'll keep it up!

Today's ATC marks the beginning of another week of Lovely as a Tree. I hope you're not too tired of this classic set!

I started off with a base of Delightful Dijon and then stamped on a layer of Very Vanilla using Archival Black Ink. The torn DSP/Cardstock on the left is Urban Underground Specialty Designer Series Paper and Basic Black Cardstock. I sponged all the layers then tied the some Linen Thread around the Very Vanilla layer before adhering it to the Delightful Dijon Cardstock using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Would you like to try your hand at ATC? Remember, the size is 2 ½" x 3 ½" and that's really the only restriction. After that, the rest is up to you! Get creative!

Don't forget to check back in on Friday to see the card I created with this little work of art!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree
INK: Archival Black and Delightful Dijon
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Basic Black and Delightful Dijon Cardstock; Urban Underground DSP
ACCESSORIES: Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges

Happy Stampin'!

A Stepped Up ATC

With Leadership just 82 sleeps away (I KNOW!), I've decided to get to work on some of my swaps. Now, I realize that you think 82 sleeps is quite a long time (I mean, it's almost 3 months!), but if you saw my calendar, you'd understand. It's pretty much packed between now and Christmas. So far, I have three craft fairs, 4 classes and two workshops booked. Yeah...

Of course, this is all GREAT for business...not so great on trying to squeeze in time to prepare for events!

And, just because I'm nuts, I've signed up for the San Antonio Regionals which will be happening right after Leadership. You know what that means? MORE swaps to prepare...and they have to be DIFFERENT than Leadership swaps.

One of the swaps I joined is Barb Welch's ATC swap. Now, you'll need to be a registered demonstrator to see that link within SplitCoast Stampers. All you need to do is put in a request with your demo id #. The directions to join the "demo side" are very easy to follow.

Anyway...here is the ATC I created for the swap:

An ATC is an Artist Trading Card. There are NO rules in creating these except that the finished size can be no bigger than 2 1/2" x 3 1/2".

So, I started off with a base of Basic Grey and then added a layer of Pool Party and Domestic Goddess Designer Series Paper. My next layer is a folded piece of Whisper White on which I wrote my Nanny's shortbread recipe. Want it? You'll have to join Barb's swap!

My very top layer is another piece of Whisper White stamped with the A la Carte Now You're Cookin' stamp. I edged the Whisper White by rubbing it on the Calypso Coral Ink Pad and attached to the front using Stampin' Dimensionals. A little piece of ribbon adds just the right finishing touch.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Now You're Cookin'

INK: Calypso Coral

PAPERS: Basic Grey, Pool Party and Whisper White Cardstock; Domestic Goddess DSP

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Glue Dots, Marker, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Curtain Call Colour Challenge # 62

So, Stacey's Curtain Call popped into my inbox yesterday and I tried my hardest to make a card, but all I came up with was this ATC:

I already had the image stamped on Whisper White with Staz-On, so I went ahead and coloured it using my Watercolour Crayons. I know, I know...but I don't own the stamp set (it was borrowed and returned), so I couldn't re-stamp it on watercolour paper...that's why it looks a little worn in the middle of the dress. Of course, the little worn part just adds to the vintage look of the ATC (at least that's what I keep telling myself - LOL!)

My little lady is coloured using Baja Breeze (dress, bow and socks), Daffodil Delight (hair) and Pretty in Pink (heart). She is matted on Baja Breeze and Early Espresso and then added to a 2 1/2 X 3 1/2" piece of Pear Pizzazz around which I tied the bow and added a button tied with linen thread.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Greeting Card Kids

INK: Staz-On

PAPERS: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Button, Linen Thread

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Santa Ho Ho!

When Lauren (my DD) was little, she used to call Santa, "Santa Ho Ho" - SO CUTE!!!

So, today, you get Santa Ho Ho - LOL!

This image is from the Jolly Old St. Nick set in the Holiday Mini. I love this set! I'm a "child of the 80's" so it reminds me of images of Santa from my childhood.

I stamped Santa Ho Ho on Watercolour Paper using Staz-On ink and then used my Aqua Painters and watercolour crayons and ink to colour him in. I cute him out and mounted him on Baja Breeze using Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Jolly Old St. Nick

INK: Staz-On Black

PAPERS: Watercolour Paper, Baja Breeze Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Aqua Painters, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Morning Cup

It's another ATC! WOOT! I just LOVE these things...especially when I can do them using our watercolour paper. Remember...you can get two ATC out of one piece of watercolour paper - BONUS!!!

Today's ATC features my new FAVOURITE set (I think I change fave sets every week - LOL!) - MORNING CUP!

I stamped it on a piece of watercolour paper using my STAZ-ON ink. Have I mentioned that I love, love, LOVE our clear mount stamps? WHY do I love them so much? Because I can stamp several stamps at once, lining them up right on the block. For this one, I chose the coffee pot, the coffee mug and the sentiment and was able to stamp them all at once. FUN!

I used my watercolour crayons and ink smooshed into the lid of my Basic Grey Ink Pad to colour my image.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Morning Cup

INK: Basic Grey

PAPERS: Watercolour Paper; Tempting Turquoise and Poppy Parade Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Clear Acrylic Block, Poppy Parade Marker, Aqua Painters

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Very Merry

I had this card idea in my head yesterday and it turned out that an ATC was just the way to start it off!

I came up with this:

You'll have to forgive the smudging around the image. It was late and I took it at my workspace with my iPhone before attaching it to the card. I can't SHOW you the completed card, because it's a SUDSOL exclusive. If you're a demonstrator...you'll have to join SUDSOL to see it. It's REALLY easy to do! Just click on the link to the left of my blog posts.

I started off with a piece of Whisper White Cardstock. I stamped my little snowman in Staz-ON ink and watercoloured him. Now, I don't normally watercolour on Whisper White, but because I wasn't doing a LOT of colouring, it didn't turn out too bad. If I'd been doing a lot of blending, like in this card, I would have stamped on Watercolour Paper because otherwise, I would have ended up with a whole bunch of little white "pills" from the paper peeling due to the excess water.

I coloured his hat and mitts using the Real Red Watercolour Wonder Crayon, despite the fact that DH pointed out that snowman hats are usually black. Too bad for him! Red matched the theme for the rest of my card!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Jolly Old St. Nick, Short and Sweet

INK: Staz-ON

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pacific Point

ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter

Happy Stampin'!

Watercolour Wonder

Do you remember using watercolour paints when you were young? They came in those plastic containers and there were little wells in the lid where you could create "custom" colours...which inevitably ended up being some awful shade of brown or grey.

Well, watercolours have come a long way baby! Just look at this:

Yep! I made that...pretty proud of myself too! I just LOVE our watercolour paper and once you use it, you will too!!! I used a combination of our watercolour crayons (the new ones are still in manufacturing) and ink pressed into the lid of the ink pad. The Beehive/Bee panel is ATC size...did you notice?

This paper is perfect for watercoloring with using our line art stamps and Classic inks or Watercolor Wonder Crayons. The size was chosen to layer perfectly on a card front without having to trim or make adjustments.

■ 20, 3-3/4" x 5" sheets per package
■ 140-lb. cold-pressed paper
■ 100% cotton
■ Resists buckling when wet

Here's a close up of my little buzzer:

Cute, eh? Did you notice those teeny tiny pearls? You can get those through my online store as well as all the other goodies needed to create this card. Don't worry that the watercolour crayons aren't available yet. You can get a lot of the same look using our Aqua Painters and ink.

And here's the inside of my card:

Yes, I know I used ANOTHER sheet of Watercolour Paper and I KNOW it's not cheap, but I just had to duplicate the look that I had on the front of the card. And...you have to admit...it does look pretty fabulous! I used the same combination of Watercolour Crayons and Ink to colour my little honey pot.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Just Buzzin' By

INK: Staz-ON (for stamping), Cajun Craze (for colouring and stamping sentiments)

PAPERS: Watercolour Paper; Pumpkin Pie and Cajun Craze Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Crayons, Aqua Painters, Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

P.S. I sent out a newsletter yesterday. Did you get it? If you'd like to be on my mailing list, please sign up at the very tippy-top of my blog on the left hand side. There's some pretty awesome stuff that goes out in my newsletter and sometimes there's some freebies too!

ATC Tuesday - Gratitude

I'm trying to get back on track...now that the kids are back in school and we have established something of a routine, I'll be trying to post more regularly...try to bear with me, OK?

Today is Tuesday, so that means: ATC!!!

I'm featuring the Day of Gratitude set this week, so this ATC uses that set.

I stamped the sentiment in Early Espresso on Pumpkin Pie and punched it out using the new Decorative Label punch which is available in the Holiday Mini. I then used the punch again to punch out two Early Espresso Decorative Labels and made a mat for my sentiment.

I sponged Pumpkin Pie ink on my piece of Newsprint DSP and then stamped leaves (after stampin off) in Early Espresso and then stamped the "Thank You" sentiment from the set in full strength Early Espresso.

I added a tiny Library Clip and tied on a piece of Early Espresso ribbon for the finishing touch.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Day of Gratitude

INK: Early Espresso

PAPERS: Pumpkin Pie and Early Espresso Cardstock; Newsprint DSP

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Library Clip, Decorative Label Punch

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Just a Little Thanks

I just love today's ATC!

As I am winging my way to Vegas (I won't tell you what time I had to get up!), this post is set to automatically pop up.

Here's my little ATC for today:

I stamped the image from Matchbox Messages in Rich Razzleberry on Whisper White and punched it out using my 1 1/4" circle punch. It was matted on a 1 3/8" punched circle of Rich Razzleberry and adhered to the front of the ATC using Stampin' Dimensionals.

I just LOVE the magic bow maker that my FIL made for me while I was there visiting last weekend. It makes PERFECT bows every single time! I used it to tie my Pretty in Pink bow for my embellishment.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Matchbox Messages

INK: Rich Razzleberry

PAPERS: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Rich Razzleberry

ACCESSORIES: Punches, Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Thanks

Good morning everyone and welcome to another instalment of ATC Tuesday.

First things first...can you hear the silence? Isn't it wonderful? The kids are all back at school and I have the house to myself. What a glorious day!

Don't get wrong, I do like summer...the sleeping in, the not having to be anywhere for a certain time, the spontaneity of being able to change plans at a moments notice...it's all good stuff.

But let me tell you...those first golden moments of silence once all the kids are out of the house are absolutely divine!

So, today's ATC is a tribute to all the teachers that help keep moms everywhere sane from September to June - THANKS:

I used the direct to rubber technique colouring the image with Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango and Real Red. I tell you, I was SO sad when they retired "Simply Thanks", but I love this new "So Many Thanks" single stamp and I know you will too!

I don't have a square punch the right size to punch out this particular image, so I had to trim it using my Tabletop Cutter. That didn't quite work out the way I would have liked, so I took my scissors to it and trimmed it by hand. Then, I matted it in on a piece of 2 1/4 X 3 1/4" Tempting Turquoise. The Tempting Turquoise was matted onto a piece of Real Red, around which I tied the 5 /8" grosgrain ribbon.

The Tempting Turquoise/Real Red Panel was matted to the 2 1/2 X 3 1/2" piece of Tangerine Tango using Stampin' Dimensionals.

What do you think?

STAMPS: So Many Thanks

INKS: (from markers) Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Real Red

PAPERS: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Real Red

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Love

Today's ATC has already made it's way to the front of a card...which is why I can't retake the photo to fix the blurriness - OOPS!!!

Today, DH and I celebrate our 19th anniversary. Pretty good in today's day and age where the divorce rate is probably higher than the marriage rate! Especially good when people tell me I don't look old enough to have been married for 19 years...I love those people!

So, I used a retired set on this one, but that's OK. There's lots of other lovey-dovey sets in the catalogue, but I liked this one, because it was just PERFECT for an ATC. The set is called "A Happy Heart" and since my heart is happy today, I thought it was fitting.

I used my markers to colour directly on the image using my Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Night of Navy markers. Then I huffed and I puffed and I stamped the image on Whisper White. Of course *sigh* it was crooked, so I had to hand trim it and my trimming was actually straight for a change - YAY! I matted the stamped image on Cherry Cobbler and then on Early Espresso. My ATC is 2 1/2" X 3 1/2" and the Whisper White layer is slightly smaller.

I borrowed my DS' fingers to make the little bow, but I'm seeing my FIL this weekend and will ask him to make me one of those cool wood bow makers that have been floating around.

What do you think?

STAMPS: A Happy Heart

INKS: None (except for markers)

PAPERS: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso Cardstock; To the Nines Specialty DSP (retired)

ACCESSORIES: Markers, Ribbon, Jonathan's Fingers

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Define Your Life

Here's another ATC using one of the Define Your Life stamps. A good friend is going through some pretty difficult stuff right now, so I thought I'd remind her how awesome she really is!

The ATC is pretty simple, but it's effective:

I stamped the words in Rich Razzleberry on Whisper White and then did some layering using Chocolate Chip and Pink Pirouette. The DSP is retired Razzleberry Lemonade.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Define Your Life

INK: Rich Razzleberry

PAPERS: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette and Rich Razzleberry Cardstock; Razzleberry Lemonade DSP (retired)

ACCESSORIES: Button, Hemp Twine

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Vintage Hand Crafted

So far, this is my FAVOURITE ATC!

It was smooshed and wrinkled and inked and distressed - LOVE!

I started off with the idea that I REALLY needed to use my spiral punch! I've had it for at least 2 years and I think I may have used it once or twice. Isn't it amazing the things we THINK we need and then they never get used. Right Diana??? I won't tell you what my friend Di THOUGHT she needed, because (at least for the time being) I managed to talk her out of it.

So, with the spiral punch in mind, I reached for the newsprint DSP because I knew that at least a couple of the sheets had a notebook type design on them. I used the spiral punch first and then took my scissors to the edges to get that distressed, beat up look. I did the same with the Basic Black and Very Vanilla pieces.

I also did some tearing and sponging with Old Olive Ink and then used Basic Black Ink and the large floral image from Elements of Style (have I mentioned that I just LOVE this set?) to add the flowers to the notebook paper.

The next step was to stamp the hummingbird image in Old Olive on Very Vanilla and hand cut it. I also stamped two of the images from Tiny Tags on Very Vanilla and punched them out. I added some sponging in Old Olive, attached some hemp twine and then adhered them to the ATC using glue dots. That extra little touch was provided by the Mini Library Clip.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Elements of Style, Tiny Tags

INKS: Basic Black, Old Olive

PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Basic Black Cardstock; Newsprint DSP

ACCESSORIES: Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Library Clip

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Our Journey

It's time for another ATC!!! This is SO all Heather's fault...I can't stop making these things!

Today's ATC features the stamp set "In a Word" which is in the Summer Mini and only available till August 31st. So...if you love it, now's the time to get it!!!

I started off with a colour combo challenge...somewhere. I find them all over the place and then can never remember where they were - OOPS! Or...as my kids would say, "my bad". Actually, they don't say that, because they know how much I absolutely DESPISE that expression.

Anyway, I digress...

I stamped the swirls from Priceless in Basic Grey and Cajun Craze and then added some Cajun Craze with a sponge over the front of the card. I stamped the word "journey" using my Basic Grey and Cajun Craze markers with the direct to rubber technique. It was stamped on Whisper White and punched out using the Scalloped Oval Punch. I matted it on a piece of Basic Grey punched with my Wide Oval Punch. I found the little suitcase charm in my stash and figured it just PERFECT for this ATC, so I stacked 2 Stampin' Dimensionals and adhered it to the front of the card.

The finishing touch is the Basic Grey Ribbon (also only available till August 31st) tied in a knot and wrapped around.

What do you think?

STAMPS: In a Word, Priceless

INKS: Basic Grey, Cajun Craze

PAPERS: Whisper White, Basic Grey, Cajun Craze

ACCESSORIES: Markers, Ribbon, Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin '!

ATC Tueday- Just a Little Note

When I got the idea for this ATC, I was thinking I would use it as the focal point on a card, but then I decided that it was just too cute on it's own. Plus the "just a little note" kind of meant that it had to stay small. Don't you think?

I used Cherry Cobbler and River Rock Ink on this one, thanks to colours that the Colour Coach suggested. Do you have you Colour Coach yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Let me know you want one and I'll be happy to order it for you!

The images from the Apple Blossoms Set (Level 2, Hostess) were stamped on Whisper White and matted on River Rock. The next layer is Marina Mist with the bottom layer being another piece of River Rock.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Apple Blossoms

INK: Cherry Cobbler, River Rock

PAPERS: Whisper White, Marina Mist, River Rock

ACCESSORIES: None

Happy Stampin'!

Manic Monday with My Favourite Things

Today's rubber whore post is brought to you by MFT Stamps.

I won this set in a blog hop quite some time ago and this is the first time it's seen ink! It seems I'm pretty lucky to have it, because I was just at the site and it's nowhere to be found. The stamp set also features several "text messages" such as :) , 2 cool and c u l 8 r.

Here's my Manic Monday ATC card:

I'm sure some people have heard of "Calling Cards". No, I don't mean the ones that you load up with cash to make phone calls. I mean the ones that people often used "back in the day" to let people know they had visited. I learned of them when I was much younger and watched to movie trilogy "North and South". Man that Patrick Swayze was H.O.T. But...I digress.

For today's project, I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and coloured the image with Copic Markers. My girl was matted on Chocolate Chip Cardstock and then again on Melon Mambo Cardstock. My little extra touch was the length of Melon Mambo Polka Dot Ribbon (retired) sandwiched between the Chocolate Chip and Melon Mambo layers.

What do you think?

STAMPS: My Favourite Thinks

INK: Memento Tuxedo Black

PAPERS: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip and Melon Mambo Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Copic Markers, Clear Glitter Pen and Ribbon

Happy Stampin'!

ATC Tuesday - Define Your Life

Hooray! I came up with another "day of the week challenge". I think if I'm counting right, I have 5 out of 7 now - not bad!

So, Tuesdays are going to be ATC days. Who would have thought I'd fall in love with these things? When I was scrapbooking (which I hardly ever do anymore), I used to ALWAYS scrapbook on 12 X 12 pages because there just wasn't enough room on the smaller size pages - I mean, I have three kids and about 20 years worth of pictures. Who has time for single photo pages on 6 X 6. Of course, now I keep plotting these great 6 X 6 pages in my head - LOL!

The first time I saw an ATC, all I could think was "What possible use can anyone have for these tiny things?" Now, I just can't seem to stay away from them!

Today's ATC's are pretty simple and feature the stamp set "Define Your Life" - thank you Caroline!

I used some of the excess retired Sweet Pea DSP that I still have as well as Taken with Teal (retired) and Old Olive Cardstock.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Define Your Life

INK: Taken with Teal, Old Olive

PAPERS: Whisper White, Old Olive and Taken with Teal Cardstock; Sweet Pea DSP

ACCESSORIES: Spiral Punch, Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!