Feeling Silly with Sunshine Stamps

This is a very quick card that I threw together earlier. I have no idea who makes that $50 stamp but it was the perfect backdrop for my card!

Tomorrow the new issue of SheetLoad goes live and I'll be participating in a Clear Artistic Stamps blog hop. Busy, busy!

Win some ribbon and see sneak peeks SheetLoad September issue

The sneak peeks at the September issue are up over at SheetLoad of Cards. The new issue will be available for FREE download starting Tuesday, September 1st.

Click the link to peek at some of the cards in the issue...

Can you tell who the sponsor is? Tell me who and I'll use Random.org to select 1 correct answer and you'll win some ribbon ;) Don't forget I live very close to a ribbon outlet ;)


UPDATE- NOBODY GOT IT RIGHT! THE ANSWER IS JESSICA LYNN ORIGINALS. BUT I'M FEELING GENEROUS SO MARIE, KIM MARIE AND ETHA WILL ALL WIN A SMALL PRIZE FROM ME ;)

Holiday Card- from me- in August!

Those of you who know me are probably shocked to see a holiday card from me so early in the year. I used A Sparkles Bright & Happy Holiday set from Clear Artistic Stamps. What I like best about the set is the design elements (flowers and stars) come in multiple sizes. I only used the large star on my samples but there is a smaller version about 1/3 size too. I used Memento Ink on shimmer paper so I won't have to color the images (important if I am going to make many holiday cards!)

Slowly Thinking of You

Triple Challenge:
Squigglefly Challenge #16: Circles
Mojo Monday: Week 101 Sketch
Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #2: Complementary colours

I meant to do the Squigglefly challenge on Monday. But my free time this week has been sucked into a black hole! Today I had time for myself (crafting) while I caught up on episodes of Greek (new season starts Monday!) I'm not sure why I can't get decent colors on my digital photos today but the colors coordinate much better in real life!

Slowly Thinking of You
Images: Squigglefly (turtle); Stampendous (sentiment)
Ink: Versafine
Paper: Miss Elizabeth (and no matter how much I use I never run out!)
Cardstock: SU Certainly Celery; Bazzill

Lester Lobster Gets Cooked

I created a seafood cookbook featuring Larry the Lobster from Sunshine's Stamps. Larry is a fresh Maine lobster who lived happily in the Atlantic Ocean until he was caught in a fisherman's net. Now he is destined to become lobsta chowdah.

The net is actually a Fiskars brayered background with an overlay of drywall tape colored with gray Sharpie marker. I wanted to make Larry awake so I gave him google eyes. The recipe book has a Rollabn binding.

Stack O' Manly Challenges

Squigglefly Color Challenge #1
Digital Tuesday Challenge #20- Male cards
Unscripted Sketches #20

I started with a clear card blank from ShortCuts and added a layer of brown cardstock to the inside of the card (where you would sign). I love clear cards. For the front, I printed a circular sentiment from Squigglefly, a tiny cactus from Rubber Stampede and a handcarved desert image from gg designs (yes- it is all lowercase!)

Cottage Rumble- Fold It!

Above is my project for Clear Artistic Stamps Cottage Rumble #14: Fold It The DT did an outstanding job with the theme- cards, ribbon, shimmer paper- some really unique ideas. Come on over and look... and if you decide to play- you could win a prize!

August Simple Special Stunning on SheetLoad

Above is a card that I created for the August issue of SheetLoad. Already read the issue but want to see more? Keep reading!

It is time for the August edition of Simple Special Stunning at the SheetLoad of Cards blog, featuring samples by Barbara DeBose.

Each month one of our artists will share three different cards that use the current layout. Each card is a "step up" from the previous one, but they are all fabulous.

It is a good way to show how SheetLoad is geared toward papercrafters of all levels.

Here are some sneak peeks to whet your appetite...

MMSC15

This is my card for MMSC15 featuring Frosty Fred from Sunshine's Stamps. I kept my coloring way simple to keep in line with the rest of the card.

2 cards that don't deserve a clever title from me

One of my favorite things about digital stamps is that you can re-size them. For example, in the card above, I printed out Francine Flounder from Sunshine's Stamps in 2 difference sizes because women come in all different sizes. One of the girls has sparkling eye shadow and another has a sparkly fin. They get to swim around in a funky ocean too.


Can you mix pink and red? Hockerdocker Helicopter is from the High Flier series at Sunshine's Stamps. The sentiment is computer generated and the polka dots are from Papertrey Ink.

Triple Challenge

It started innocently enough- the Squigglefly challenge for this week was to make a card using only a sentiment- no image. I was ready- I bought their circle sentiments set and printed one on pink paper. I didn't have a chance to finish the rest of the card but then I got an e-mail about Rubber Road Adventures Pit Stop Sketch #4. It featured a circle prominently so I was set. Then Paper Craft Planet had Challenge #10 featuring pink and brown so that pretty much confirmed my color choice (I love pale pink + brown).

Triple Challenge
Digital Image: Squigglefly
DP: Anna Griffin, Miss Elizabeth
Ribbon: Offray

Stitching up a prize!

Over the weekend Squigglefly had a Digi Day (evening) in their Yahoo Group and in the forum at SNR. I fell in love with their images when they sponsored an issue of SheetLoad. One of the challenges was to create a card with stitching (real or faux) and I created the card above and I won. (Random drawing!) But still...

My prize was one of their new images called "Water Lily." Isn't it cute? We came up with some great sentiments to go with the new images during Digi Day. I can't wait to get stamping.

Squigglefly also has a weekly challenge. This week the challenge is to use ONLY a sentiment on your card. The DT samples are great! Check out their challenge HERE.

Corrosive Challenge #25

This card is for Corrosive Challenge #25. Francine Flounder is from Sunshine's Stamps- and she's digital! I love being able to re-size her. I love those luscious Botoxed lips. I trimmed her out and mounted her onto white CS and then I punched 2 sizes of holes to look like bubbles and put a scrap of purple CS behind the holes. I added some Stickles to the smaller bubbles and some of the smaller circles on the background paper. I have had that paper forever and it never did much for me until today when it looked like bubbles! The sentiment is computer generated and the realistic looking lip print is a stamp from gg designs rubber stamps (no caps in their name!).

Going Postal Over Hanes

This was a quick card to make after I manipulated the Hot2Trot image from Sunshine's Stamps. I created a single postoid (aka faux postage stamp) in PowerPoint, copied it and adjusted the background colors prior to printing the page. The edges are cut with Fiskars edgers to make them look live real postage stamps. I added some Black Diamond Stickles to the shoes to make them shiny.

Are any of you old enough to remember the old Hanes commericals from the 1970's? As soon as Christina launched that image I KNEW I had to work that slogan with this image!

SheetLoad Card and Spotlight Sponsor

Above is a notecard box that I recovered and decorated using the August sketch for SheetLoad and stamps from Sweet 'n Sassy. The light colored panels behind the jeans are pale gold. Metallics are so hard for me to capture on film.



Click on the image above to learn more about the August '09 sponsor at SheetLoad of Cards - Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

Gimme Chocolate, a sketch and a review

Funny story about this card... I used Digital Tuesday Challenge Sketch #19 really I did. I love this new image from Sunshine Stamps- it is part of an ocean themed line which I really like. Even though you can't see it I have 2 rectangular layers of cardstock over the DP. Only my image was larger than I thought and then I decided to use the inside of the card sentiment on the outside. Then I decided I needed to use my M&M stamp (Too Much Fun Rubber Stamps) which I haven't used in a while....

Also- SURPRISE- I wrote a review of Pink Persimmon Stamps for Craft Critique and it was published today instead of tomorrow. SURPRISE ON ME! Read my review ---> HERE

Show Us Your SheetLoad

Above is one of my cards which appears in the July issue of SheetLoad. All stamps from the issue sponsor, Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. Below learn about your chance to win 2 free stamp sets from Sweet 'n Sassy.


It is time once again to show us what you have created with the latest issue of SheetLoad of Cards; August 2009.



All you have to do is create one (1) card and enter it in the August '09 Show Us Your SheetLoad Challenge for a chance to win Two (2) FREE Stamp Sets from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

Beauty is Pain

I had a very productive day today. I was up early, stained part of the floor of our deck and made this card and some other stuff that you'll see later this week. The legs/ shoes image is from Sunshine's Stamps. The inside of the card is shown below.

Forever & Always Wedding Card

I discovered a new challenge tonight and it is all Debby's fault! Debby is on the Corrosive Challenge Blog DT and when I saw her card for this week I had to go see what the rest of the samples! This week's challenge #24 is to make a wedding or anniversary card.

For my layout I used Midnight Madness Sketch #13. This is my first week playing the MMSC but I really like their sketches. Plus if that isn't good enough, there is blog candy, prizes and chances to be a MM Guest Designing Diva.

Forever & Always
Stamps: Studio G
Paper: K & Company
Ink: Versafine
Other: White gel pen, Duncan heart punch, Stickles- Platinum

Show us your SheetLoad (+ my new card)

The card above was created using the SheetLoad of Cards sketch for July and stamps by Sweet 'n Sassy (issue sponsor). This card has lots of ink- Distress and chalk inks. I had to tone down the DP, the cardbase, the belly band and the focal image.

It's time for the monthly "Shout Out to SheetLoad" Challenge over at the SheetLoad of Cards blog!!



Head over there today to find out how you can win...



Two (2) FREE Digital Stamps from - Whimsie Doodles!!

I started a Rumble

I started a Rumble over on the In the Cottage Studio Blog for Clear Artistic Stamps. Come on over and see what it is all about- you can win a prize! Click on my card for the details.

Squigglefly Challenge #13/ Caardvarks: Winter Wonderland

Isn't this little reindeer cute? The Squigglefly Blog offered him FREE to use in their challenge #13 this week. Isn't he cute?

Go grab him ;)
Make a card with him
Share it

It also fits the new Caardvarks: Winter Wonderland challenge.

I Scream for Sunshine Stamps

I can't eat ice cream without napkins. Where is that napkin dispenser when you need it?

Happy Wednesday! Sunshine Stamps has some awesome new images: an ambulance, an ice cream truck (what I used for my samples today) and a space ship. There are some other new images that I can't talk about yet- but you'll see them next week.

I have always had a habit of using partial images- I started with rubber stamps and have graduated to digi's! I enlarged Mr. Smoothie, cropped off the unimportant stuff (like the truck) and printed it out. I used Word Art to create the sentiment for the ice cream cones. I was able to overlay text on the image on the Mr. Smoothie truck image so my greeting would "be one" with the image (because I am lazy and that means less cutting).

For this double scoop I printed two cones, one slightly smaller than the other for layering.

Who says handwriting can't be fun? I used a gel pen to create a unique background.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out more samples in the blogs of my fellow DT members. The list is in my sidebar.

Winner of my MAF Blog Candy

The winner of my blog candy (2 Cuttlebug folders + some ribbon) is Karen Sue of scrapwhenican

Congratulations Karen! Please leave me a comment with your e-mail address and I'll mail your prize.

Now available- SheetLoad- August issue

All of the samples in the August '09 issue feature stamps from our sponsor - Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps! When you see a card you like, just click on it to be taken to their online store*. Shopping can't get much easier than that. *When viewing the PDF file onscreen.

My artwork appears in this issue! Through the month you'll see some of my cards from the issue plus some additional cards that I have created using Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and the monthly sketch.

Memories Always-Forever Blog Hop

Welcome to our first Memories Always-Forever blog hop!! We are so excited to introduce our site and our Design Team to you!!

(If you arrived here any way other than from our blog hop, please go back to the MAF homepage to start at the beginning of the hop.)

Memories Always-Forever (MAF) has been created as a place where members can rally together as a crafting community, showcase their crafting talents, share their ideas, learn, and participate in exciting challenges. Our Design Team is here for you - to provide inspiration, to answer questions, or even just chat!!


My name is Heather and I am a member of the Card/ Stamping Design Team. I have been stamping and making cards for over 13 years. I love to experiment with new techniques so I'll be hosting technique challenges twice a month at MAF. Some of my teammates will be hosting sketch challenges, games and card tag. Come join the fun!

Want to win some blog candy from me? Just join MAF and post a comment to the forum and leave me a comment here. I'll pick a lucky person to win some ribbon, cuddlebug folders and some other treats from me.

Thank you for joining me on the hop today. Be sure to make your way to the end of the hop where you can be entered to win this Blog Hop Grand Prize Candy:

Now onto the next talented DT member on the hop: Deanne
(http://a-scrapaddict.blogspot.com/2009/08/memories-always-forever-blog-hop.html)

If at any point on the hop you happen to get lost or off track just check back on the MAF home page for the hop list.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you soon at Memories Always-Forever!