Kristina's Color Inspiration Challenge #7

I LOVE doing the weekly color challenge from Kristina at kwernerdesignblog. She always has such gorgeous, rich-looking photos for us to work from, and such yummy color combinations! Here is her picture for this week:

Isn't it wonderful? I want to just crawl right into that bed and cover myself up with that vanilla-sky-cocoa-chip awesomeness! Anyway, here's my card. I'm not in love with it, but i like it.

Today is going to be another good day! My Pistons won last night again, after a slow start in this series again Philly. The baby drank from a bottle today that was more than half formula, which is big progress for us. (He's getting teeth and he likes to use them, so I'm ready to wean!)

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Mojo Madness Monday on Tuesday!

Last night I did Julee's Mojo Monday sketch from Poetic Artistry, but I didn't get a chance to post it. Here is the sketch:


And here is my card:


I used an odd combination (for me) of Certainly Celery, Night of Navy, Ballet Blue and Chocolate Chip. I colored the stamps from True Friend with markers to get all the different colors on one stamp. I'm not sure I like this one, especially after seeing Julee's card. I think maybe I need some new stamps to play with... I seem to be stuck using the same few sets. Man, we stampers are such enablers, aren't we? (Both of each other AND of ourselves :-)!!!!)

Splitcoast Technique Lover's Challenge 166

Today I tried another new challenge. Over on Splitcoaststampers there is a technique challenge every Monday. This is my first, the Two Way Open Card. I had some Rose Red DSP sitting out on my table, so I just used it, along with the stamp sets True Friend and Everyday Flexible Phrases. Here is the front of the card, closed:


You untie the ribbon and fold out the left triangle:



Then you flip up the card and write your message inside!



What a cute fold for a card!

Pun Fun is so much Fun!!

Okay, so I've been playing with my new set, Pun Fun, and I have to say.... I LOVE IT! I actually didn't even know I needed it, until I saw what Michele Force was doing with it over on her blog, The Stamp Link. I love the cards she did, and ended up getting the set. It is so much fun to watercolor with! Here are the four cards I came up with this weekend:


On the first one, I used a strip of patterned paper, and these colors: Brilliant Blue, Pumpkin Pie and Wild Wasabi. I used my Watercolor Wonder crayons and my aquapainter to color in the image. The corners are using the ticket punch and blue brads. I popped up the image on Stampin' Dimensionals and tied some of our striped grosgrain. So cute!


The second one is basically a copy of the first, just using different colors and the little sheep!


The third card is using the rocket ship, which I LOVE! I tried this double pocket fold card finally. It is the coolest to showcase both sides of our double sided paper! There is a great tutorial for this double pocket card at Judy's blog.



Again, this card is basically a copy of the previous one, just different colors and stamp. I LOVE this set! I think I'm going to design a class around it for my stampers...

Today's another beautiful day! We saw the movie "Juno" last night and loved it. The music from it is fantastic, so we went out and got the soundtrack. Fabulous, fun music!!!

Have a great day!

Color Inspiration Challenge #6

I tried another new challenge today. One of my favorite stampers, over at kwernerdesignblog does a weekly color inspiration challenge. Here is this week's inspiration:




Here is the card I came up with. I really like it, and I hope you do too!




Good night! My Detroit Pistons won tonight. Now I have to go fast forward through American Idol to see who got kicked off...

Mojo Madness Monday

I am trying a new challenge today. Julee, over at her blog, Poetic Artistry, has a Mojo Madness Monday sketch. I made a card using her sketch today. It was strange to be limited to a certain layout. At the same time, I liked it, because I didn't have to figure out where I was putting anything. Here's what I came up with. I hope you like it.

Another Beautiful Day!

I tell you what, I am SOOOOO happy to have such lovely weather again. When pressed, I will say that winter is my favorite season, but on days like today, I am not sure why I say that! I think my new favorite season in Spring! The sky is so blue, and the sun is shining. You just can't help but smile!

I did some more with rub-ons over the weekend. Here a a couple of cool things...



The first one is a notepad from Target. I did rub-ons down the side, over the "O" in notes, and on the pen. What fun! The second one is a candle holder, although I'm not sure how well you'll be able to see it!

We also went to a birthday party over the weekend for one of my hubby's kindergarten students. I whipped up a card quickly on Saturday morning, and ended up loving it so much I made two more for some other upcoming birthdays in the family. Here it is:



Have a great day!

Rad Rub-Ons!!!

So I was a bit skeptical when Stampin' Up! decided to start offering rub-ons. I mean, where's the stamping involved with rub-ons? But, curiosity got the better of me, and I bought a package. I fiddled with a few images, but it wasn't until yesterday that I fell in love. LOOK what you can do with rub-ons!!!!!

I started with one of those cool blank Kraft notebooks from Target, and it took me all of a minute or so to make it look this good with the rub-ons! I love this so much, I can't even give it away! I will be using it for a gratitude journal. So, of course I started putting rub-ons on anything else I could find nearby. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see the next project!

On a non-stamping note, the dryer was fixed, but the vent is messed up, so I have to go figure that out tomorrow, when I put on my "Mrs. Fix-It" hat.

Have a fabulous weekend!!

Terrific Tuesday

I'm so happy to finally have some sunshine! Needless to say, no stamping today. So I will share with you something I dug out of my card box. It is still one I rather like!

The boldness of this flower is what I feel like today. This set is one of my current faves. I passed over it so many times when I first got the catalog, and then I started seeing what other demonstrators were making with it, and I ended up having to have it! The big flower is so much fun to layer. I don't know if you can tell, but there are several cut out layers on the flower, with the corners peeled up to give it dimension.

I hope you have a fabulous day!

No case of the MONDAYs here!

Good morning! Happy Monday! I guess it isn't really that surprising that I don't dread Mondays right now, while I'm home with my baby. It is just like any other day, except that my dear husband isn't here to help me. I love spending time with the baby. Of course, right now, he's crying instead of napping, so we'll see how I feel in another 30 minutes or so!

Here's your card for today. It is using my favorite current set--Priceless. I just love the swirls and dots in all the images. I went a little crazy with the corner rounder, too, but sometimes I'm in the mood for no hard corners! The colors are Certainly Celery, Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi. Love that Pomegranate double stitched ribbon! The In Colors will be changing at the end of the summer, so get all these beautiful ribbons, inks and cardstock now! Check out the link to the online catalog on the right side of this page. Or, if you'd rather have a hard copy, drop me an email and I'll mail you a catalog for only $10, including shipping (check, cash or Paypal.)

Stampin' Up! is even offering a deal with the Wild Wasabi right now. Here it is:

Wild for Wasabi Special Product Offer!

From March 1 through April 30, you can purchase a specially-priced Wild Wasabi card stock pack for only $3.95--that's 16 sheets of pre-cut (4-1/2" x 11-1/2") and pre-scored (at 1-1/8" and 5-5/8") Wild Wasabi textured card stock that can be used to make all kinds of fun and easy cards and projects!

Have a wonderful Monday!

Want Some Markers?

Join my Many Marvelous Markers Club!

The Many Marvelous Markers set is a set of 48 Stampin' Write markers in a carrying case. The Markers are absolutely one of my favorite Stampin' Up! products. They are wonderful for coloring in images, writing on the insides of your cards, all kinds of fun techniques! They are dual tipped (a brush tip and a writing tip.) Amazingly enough, you can actually use your markers INSTEAD of an inkpad for many different techniques. So If I'm not sure what colores I will need when I'm stamping "on the go," I just take my markers with me instead of my ink pads, and I have ALL the colors! What is so awesome about our markers is that they come in our 48 exclusive colors, so they match EVERYTHING!

Individually, the Stampin' Write markers cost $3.25. By color family, twelve markers are $31.95. The best deal of all is to buy all 48 colors in the carrying case for $125.95. This is not only the best deal, but also all of your markers will be in one place and easy to carry!

Now, I know that $125.95 is an awful lot of money all at once. So I'd like to introduce you to the idea of the Marker Club! You will purchase one color family of markers and coordinating pack of cardstock each month for four months. BUT, in the fourth month, you will receive not just the markers and cardstock, but ALSO the carrying case, an assorted package of the neutral cardstock, a bonus of four neutral markers (Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Going Gray and Basic Gray), PLUS a level 1 hostess set of your choice. You will get all of this for just 4 monthly payments of $46.95. (This already includes shipping and taxes)

This is such an amazing deal! If you were to purchase the markers one at a time, or even color family at a time, it would cost you $156, before S&H and taxes. WITH S&H and taxes, it would cost you about $183. So, for about the same price, spread over four months, you will not only be getting all 48 markers, but also 4 additional markers, 5 assorted packages of cardstock, and a level 1 hostess set! What a remarkable deal!

To make this cool club work we need 4 participants. Each participant needs to let me know his or her choice of the level 1 hostess set at the beginning of the club. As soon as the club is filled I'll send out an e-mail invoice and once I have everyone's payment I will place the order. The family of markers and coordinating card stock will be available for pick-up or delivery by the end of the month. The last month of the club everyone will receive their carrying case, hostess set, neutrals card stock and neutrals markers in addition to their last color family of markers and coordinating card stock. Monthly installments will be mailed to long-distance club members via priority mail.

All club payments will be due on the first day of each month. You can pay cash, check or via Paypal to jezirus@lycos.com. Sorry -- this offer is limited to members with U.S. billing and shipping addresses.

So come on, you know you want these and there's no better way to get everything you want without breaking your monthly budget! Contact me to join the marker club today!

Jessica Russell
stampaholic11@yahoo.com

Happy Sunday!

After spending the morning at the laundromat, as the dryer is on the fritz, I am taking a quick computer break before going to take care of the baby! So, here is another card for you.

This is, unfortunately using designer paper that Stampin' Up! no longer carries, but I still LOVE the layout, and think it can be easily adapted to so many color combos and papers! I used the True Friend stamp set, our current "in colors" of Groovy Guava and Wild Wasabi, and our beautiful scallop circle punch!

I will try to do an updated version of this card using current designer paper, and will upload it soon. Until then, have a wonderful day!

Less is more?

I would love to go back and find some of the first cards I stamped. I'm sure they wouldn't compare with what I can create now, but we have to start somewhere, right? As a teacher, I tell my students the only way they can get better at something is to practice. Over the years, I've gradually added more "skills", or techniques, and LOTS of embellishments. I'm addicted to brads, buttons, ribbons, hardware, etc. Sometimes I find it hard not to put TOO much stuff on a card. So, once in awhile I like to go back to the basics, and just do a simple one layer card. That's basically what this is.


I used the stamp set Doodle This, along with Sincere Salutations. I used blender pens and classic ink from the lid of my ink pads to color in the image. If you have never done this, it is one of the easiest ways to color an image. I'll post a quick tutorial soon. I believe the red flower is popped out on a Stampin' Dimensional, so it is not truly a one layer card, but darn close! Sometimes less is more! Have a wonderful day.

Welcome!

Hello! I'm so glad you joined me here. I'm planning to log my personal creative journey here, as well as share some fun stamping ideas with anyone who is interested! Please feel free to ask questions or leave comments. Enjoy!