I'm Back ... Part One

Well, it probably appeared that I abandoned this blog but I'm BACK! I'm going to do a marathon of posting today (if some little ones around here leave me be!)

A Get Well Card

This card was made so long ago I don't remember the circumstances. I'm sure David asked me to make it. Freely admitting that I do not have an original design bone in my body this card is CASED from one I found somewhere. To the original creator I offer my gratitude and ask that on the completely off chance you visit my blog and see your creation let me know and I'll more than happily give credit where it's due.

Stamps are Pocket Silhouettes, background stamp is the retired Dots & Dashes and sentiment is Series 16 from Studio G. Ink used is Stampin' Classic Garden Green and Craft Basic Black. Cardstock is So Saffron, Garden Green and Whisper White. Ribbon is 5/8" So Saffron grosgrain. Unfortunately, my square punch died a horrible death by crumbling the top left corner of just about every punch so she's gone to the great punch heap. This was an incredibly easy card to make.

Thanks for looking and yes HE stamps!

A simple card of sympathy

Recently, the father of one of David's staff passed away and he asked me to make a card. Luckily I have never made a sympathy card but on the other hand that means I have no stamps that seemed appropriate. So, I made this card which admittedly is nothing unique or dynamic ... just a simple little offering of condolences. This was my first attempt at ribbon folding and it was far less complicated than I had thought it would be. Colors are Baja Breeze, Mellow Moss and of course So Saffron. Patterned paper is Walk in the Park Designer Series from the Occasions Mini.

Thanks for looking and yes HE stamps.

Flower wreath thank you card

Thursday David asked me to create a card for the retiring executive assistant of the college. I created a more basic version of this card and liked the idea so much I had to revisit it. It's probably not a new technique to anyone but me -- I drew a circle on the Whisper White cardstock and then stamped the images around it. I really like this look, I'll be looking for more stamps of this type in the future to keep refining the look.

As you probably can tell from the last few posts I bought me some patterned paper during the big buy 3 get 1 free sale. I am loving all these great papers. For this card I used a bit of the Tea Party Designer Series Paper. I am anxiously awaiting the new catalog and the new designer series paper choices!

Duh, I also forgot to mention that the sketch for this card is a design from Monday Mojo . A great place to get a little inspiration!

The details:

Cardstock: Certainly Celery and Almost Amethyst

Patterned Paper: Tea Party Designer Series Paper

Stamp: Pocket Silhouettes

Rubon: Memory Makers

Ink: Certainly Celery and Almost Amethyst

Accessories: White Dots Colorbok

Thanks for looking and yes HE stamps!

Scrapbook pages

What follows are several pages that I created for NSM. Unfortunately, the pages did not turn out as I hoped through one reason or another. I am a horrible judge of my own work ... too much comparing. I wasn't going to show the pages but in the end decided that I needed to do it for myself, so here they are:

Gatsby's Casino

Our adventures in the Princess Cruise casino.

Cardstock is So Saffron. Patterned paper is Jackpot Designer Series Paper. Computer journaling. Titling and large diecut is from the Opposites Attract catridge for the Cricut.

Scrapbooking Pages

What follows are several pages that I created for NSM. Unfortunately, the pages did not turn out as I hoped through one reason or another. I am a horrible judge of my own work ... too much comparing. I wasn't going to show the pages but in the end decided that I needed to do it for myself, so here they are:

The Butterfly Farm

An excursion we took in St. Thomas to a butterfly farm.

Cardstock is Kiwi Kiss, Brilliant Blue and Tangerine Tango. Patterned Paper is Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series Paper. Diecuts

are Cricut Home Accents cartridge, and stamped

with Autumn Leaves Block Stamps 2 stamp set. Pewter Jumbo Build-A-Brads are embellished with paper selections from Good Morning Sunshine DSP. Ribbon is Kiwi Kiss 5/8" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon.

Sorry for the weird view of this post, having a hard time controlling how the content appears!?!

Face Time

Celebrating just three of the many faces of my 2 year old nephew Jase who has been living with us for the past seven months.  I found the LO on a site called Choubox Scrapbook Design I was able to grab the sketch as a pdf file and refer back to it often as cutting sizes were included.

Being a new demonstrator creating samples can be challenging to say the least ... so here's another example of using cardstock exclusively on these pages.  I think using the background stamp from the Sweet Sampler stamp set turned out really nicely though.  Cardstock is the extremely like able Barely Banana and always faithful Bashful Blue.  Ink was the stand-alone Bashful Blue.  Unfortunately, I did have to veer into non-SU products for titling and fonts.  Fonts were downloaded over the Internet and were freeware.  Titling was completed using the Sure Cuts Alot software for the Cricut.

Thanks for looking and yes HE stamps!

About quality and cardstock

I just discovered something and had to share -- many of you may already know this but like I said I had to share!

Since I am still lamenting the soon retirement of the 2008-09 In Colors I have become incredibly Scrooge-like with cardstock.  This morning I am working on a two page scrapbook LO and decided to mount all the photos on Pacific Blue.  After I got over the shock at the sheer amount of cardstock that would be required for the photo mounting I arrived at the decision to brayer a couple of pages of white cardstock.  Still being Scrooge-like I pulled out an old stash of white cardstock and went to town.  For the second sheet I decided to try out my precious stash of Stampin' UP!  Whisper White cardstock.  I can't believe the difference - take a look for yourself.  Be warned I am not a brayer type stamper this is my first go at brayering so there's lots of lines but the truth is in the pudding.  

The amount of ink accepted by the Whisper White cardstock is amazing.  Now I have never been a cardstock snob (patterned paper yes) it took me quite some type to jump on that whole Bazzill bandwagon.  For me cardstock was for matting or often behind the patterned paper (don't ask!)  Stampin' UP! has high quality standards for all their products and it shows with this little unknowing experiment.  Take some unsolicited advice and get yourself a package of this paper you won't regret it!  Am I biased?  You bet, but my love of the products of Stampin' UP! is the reason I became a demo.

Don't forget that for the month of May all patterned paper and textured cardstock are buy 3 packages get 1 free.  By the way, that free package can be more expensive than the 3 you purchase.

Thanks for looking and yes HE stamps.

the eyes of my child

A Christmas layout?  Yes, a Christmas layout.  A small one ... bear with me.  This LO was taken from the Stampalooza's Monthly Scrapbook Challenge on the SU Demo board on SCS.  When I started this project I had the date set as April 15, 2009 but it was actually 2008.  I was too far in to back so I pressed on.  The sketch was done as 12" x 12" and I wanted to do a 6" x 6" so I reworked it.  I think I kept most of the design elements but you take a look and judge.

As I look back on Christmas there was so much going on that I missed, but it's in their eyes, the fear (holidays were not exactly top priority in their previous situation) the excitement and the homesickness.  We tried to make it as much fun as we knew how.  However, it was our first Christmas with these little people.  Having never experienced a Turner & Baty holiday (tendency to go over the top) we of course overwhelmed them.  They did stop opening presents to go off and play!?!  Add to everything a sudden bout of flu the adults experienced on that morning and the photos will never make it into the hallowed walls of Olan Mills.

Thanks for looking and yes HE stamps.

Going live

For the last week I have been working on a website, aptly entitled  HeStamps by the way.  The site went live this evening.  All in preparation of my Virtual Grand Opening.  I've spent a lot of time on this opening and I'm ready to get back to doing some non-electronic stuff.  You know that feeling!  The rush we get from measuring and cutting cardstock, the slick feel of new patterned paper and the little impressions of ink on your fingers when you get a bit too rough with the scrubber pad.  The short of it is I need to be reminded why I did all this website work.

Please stop by HeStamps if you have a moment or two.  Just be gentle if you have the need to critique a big portion of the site was done after children were in bed and my red rimmed eyes were beginning to cross and close.  Oh and I hope to have something creative posted soon.

Thanks for looking and yes HE stamps!