Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #149 "Diamonds or Pearls!"

For this weeks challenge you will create a card or project that includes either diamond like rhinestones or pearls! Tell us whether you prefer diamonds or pearls in your post and we’ll enter your name into our drawing TWICE!
Oh, and please don’t forget to stamp.  We are STAMPtacular after all!

Here is my design team card for some inspiration.  I LOVE to use pearls on my cards, as you can see!

Our sponsor for our challenge this week is:

SCRAPPERS DELIGHT

PRIZES:

1st Place - 3 Digis

2nd Place - 2 Digis

3rd Place - 1 Digi

MY BLOGOVERSARY!

Wow - I can't believe it's going to be my second blogoversary in two weeks!  I promised that I would have something fun for all my crafty peeps! I'm having a giveaway, but I want to make it fun and a little bit of a challenge, so here are the deets...

I have 20 brand new, unwrapped ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink Pads.  That's worth over $100 retail value! Here is a product description: "a unique kind of dye ink in a skin-foam ink pad.  The inked area of this pad is 3" x 1 3/4" but because the pad is raised above the case it can easily ink any size rubber stamp. They are non-toxic and permanent when heat set." Here are the colors - Rouge, Lipstick Red, Lime Pastel, Yellow Ochre, Olive Pastel, Ocean, French Blue, Charcoal, Pink Pastel, Tangerine, Wisteria, Blue Iris, Dark Peony, (my favorite!) Warm Violet, Creamy Brown, Sour Apple, Alabaster, Yellow Citrus, Chestnut Roan, and Pumpkin Spice.

Now here's the fun part.  Starting today, leave me one comment per day telling me the funniest thing you heard or saw that day.  Laughing is ALWAYS the best medicine!  The deadline for commenting is February 29th, 2012 11:59 PM EST.  The winner will be randomly drawn from the top ten people who left me the most comments TOTAL.  (Yes, you should comment daily if you want to win.)  

If you are new to my blog and sign up to be a follower, your name will be entered twice on the first day you comment!  If you post this picture of the giveaway on your blog sidebar and link it back to my blog, your name will be entered twice for every day you comment!  If you don't have a blog, but have a Flickr account, you can do the same there.  PLEASE make sure you leave me your blog address or Flickr address with each post.  I will pick the winner on March 1st!

So good luck and thanks for sharing my blogoversary with me!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Marcy

A HUGE Thank You and Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #148 "Seeing SPOTS"

It's been a tough week for me.  I was informed that a dear person I send cards to, passed away.  I've been very sad, but with the help of friends, I was lifted up by lots of  hugs.  Thank you all so very much!  I passed on all of your prayers too.

On to the challenge for this week at Stamptacular.  Create a card with spots/polka dots on it! They can be anywhere - as few or as many as you wish, as long as we can see them when you’re finished! Oh, and please don’t forget to stamp.  We are STAMPtacular after all!

Here is my design team card for some inspiration.

This card looks so much better in person.  I didn't want to use polka dot paper because I wanted to challenge myself to think outside the box - I'm just that kind of crazy!  I was inspired by a challenge on another blog where they are to use just black and white.  Thinking I might enter this challenge, I set straight to work collecting my materials. 

So, I started with an image I pinned on my Pinterest boards from The Graphic Fairy.  You can see it was originally in color.  To change that, I printed it out in black and white.  LOVED it!!  I also just received some awesome new embossing folders from a not-so-local LSS, that blew me away.  THIS one called to me.  (Actually another one did first, but I just wasn't happy with it for this card.  That will show up in another card!)

Now, at this point in the process, I had a few ideas rambling around in my head about the dots - one of which was going all white on the background and putting buttons on the black ribbon.  I dove into my button stash (see HERE) to find some favorites and came across the black antique glass belt buckle.  Sliding it onto the velvet ribbon, I knew this was the one. 

Some gingham paper and a RAK butterfly came next.  But now where were my dots?  I remembered seeing some craft idea using a quilted looking technique and buying the embossing folder for that idea! So I punched out black cardstock and adhered them all to the centers of the embossed quilt design with Glossy Accents.  I also used the GA on top of the dots too.  I decided to stop.  And at this point, I knew this card would NOT fit the CAS challenge that I originally wanted to enter this card into, LOL!!  A happy accident, I would say!

Now don't forget to check out the cards from the other Design Team ladies. They are AMAZING!

Our sponsor for our challenge this week is:  

  Our very own WINNIE!

PRIZE:

SUPPLIES:

Paper: black and white cardstock - PPI, gingham paper - Memory Box

Stamps and Digis: image by The Graphics Fairy

Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities - Classic Circle Large, 5th Avenue Glam - Diamond Shadows Embossing Folder

Tools: Sizzix Big Shot Pro

Other: Vintage belt buckle and black velvet ribbon - my stash, Glossy Accents, butterfly - RAK

I mentioned in a previous post that I had some exciting things coming to my blog - I thought I'd give you an idea of what to look forward to!  All next month I will be celebrating my BLOGoversary with some fun things.  Then in April, I have a milestone birthday - my 60th, and I've got an amazing GIVEAWAY that I'll be putting together especially for you with some of my favorite things.  Stay tuned!!

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #147 "TEXTURE Please"

For this weeks challenge you will create a card or project that has at least TWO different textures on it. There are so many choices to choose from! What will you choose? Please be sure to let us know where you used all your different textures in your post ...be creative, but please don’t forget to stamp.  We are STAMPtacular after all!

Here is my design team card for some inspiration.

Now, you would be surprised at how many textures you use on a project and don't think about it.  For me, I think of fabrics, ribbons, and things that are elevated off the paper.  I selected an image I knew I could use many textures with.  

My roly poly chef from Bugaboo definitely needed a chalkboard.  I stamped the image onto manilla cardstock, cut it out, then cut out the "chalkboard" area inside the image.  I replaced it with a scrap of paper that I thought was a perfect chalkboard look and then inked it with Hero Arts Old Letter Writing stamp in frost white Colorbox ink. I let it dry a bit and then smudged it a little to look like real chalk.  Then I colored him with Copics.  I finished the chef coat off with some Ranger black Glossy Enamel for black buttons - the first layer of texture.

The next layer of texture I used was a canvas sticky-back circle from Technique Tuesday.  I stamp it with Versafine black onyx ink using another Hero Arts stamp, Spoon and Fork cling.

My third layer was the corrugated cardboard with the twine and button.  I assembled the card using "restaurant check" red and white paper for the bg and put that on top of black and kraft PTI cardstock.

I think he's adorable!  Now don't forget to check out the cards from the other Design Team ladies. They are AMAZING!

Our sponsor for our challenge this week is: 

BUGABOO STAMPS

PRIZE: Winner’s Choice of 7 Digis!

STAMPS:
Hero Arts CG188 Spoon and Fork, S4878 Old Letter Writing
Roly Poly Chef - Blackboard

Just For You!

SO excited about the new stamps and products coming out from Hero Arts!  This is their finest, as far as I'm concerned.  They really created stamps that can integrate with every style of stamping and cardmaking. I am in LOVE with their Art of the Card series.

The stamp I used here, "Untitled Postmark," reminded me of an embossing folder I had purchased but never used.  It's a Texture Fade called Post Card from Sizzix and I think it's gorgeous.  I used a pretty blue gingham paper from Memory Box and then sanded over the relief.  For the actual stamp and postmark, I used another MME dp - "Blink of an Eye."  I think their pads have been the MOST beautiful to work with lately.  There's a zillion pads styles and they all coordinate.

And lately, I have had a crush on a new fiber I found on the website Lima Beads, called True Hemp.  I adore their 10 pound cord that comes in so many colors.  Then I added the little corrugated cardboard heart because I felt it needed a finishing touch.  From Linda, at The Funkie Junkie, you'll be sure to find the most amazing goodies in her Etsy store.  Her blog is also eye candy for everyone!

I guess you know you're addicted to cardmaking when you are already composing your next card in your head before finishing the last one!  I've already gotten my materials laid out....

Have a fabulous weekend!

Thanks for looking!

Hugs,
Marcy

Love Me Some Stamping!

I've officially moved into my studio!  Well, at least it looks like it - there are four empty water bottles, a "used" plate and fork, fuzzy slippers and the dog beds.  I've been whippin' cards out all week!  It seems like the mailman has made friends with my furbabies, finally, because he delivers my new stamps almost daily.

It's been a while since I've been able to make some "general" everyday cards for myself and it feels wonderful.  I'm so over the holidays!  Maybe because we still have no snow here, in Massachusetts and I am lulled into a false sense of Spring coming.... but I'm gravitating toward clean, fresh colors.  Oh, don't worry - the shabby, vintage me is screaming to come out too!

Using my new Sizzix Big Shot Pro that Santa brought me, I cut out the white chipboard with a Spellbinder (it cut like buttah!) and glued it to larger cut of black cardstock.  The white paper lace is from The Funkie Junkie Etsy Shop (be sure to check it out, Linda has AMAZING products!) I've used it several times and is a dream to work with.  I love the way it looks, don't you?  The black cotton lace is from my vintage stash.

This card will be entered into the Lily Pad Cards Simon Says Sponsored Chipboard Challenge and CAS-ual Fridays Chip Off the Ol' Block Challenge #34.

It's amazing what a new year can do for the soul.  We just took our tree down and it's all bright in the living room again.  I feel like my mojo had gone on vacation, but quickly returned when my new stamps started arriving!  I have some fun things planned, so stay tuned!

Happy New Year everyone!
Hugs,
Marcy

Thanks for looking!

SUPPLIES:

Paper: PPI black cardstock, Paper Accents white chipboard, MME Lost and Found Breeze
Stamps: Hero Arts K5540 Spring Dream, CL574 Say It All
Die: Spellbinders Labels Twenty Three
Inks and Markers: Versafine Black Onyx Ink, Copic black marker
Other: White Paper Lace from The Funkie Junkie, black cotton lace from my stash, Sizzix Big Shot Pro