Copied from Last Night's Post

Goals for tomorrow (really today):

1. Play with my new stamps
2. Clean/organize the dungeon
3. Work on my SU! order that I want to email to my demo tomorrow (today) sometime
4. Mail out some birthday cards for people who have birthdays coming up - DONE
5. Get the Bella images I stamped mailed to the people I agreed to send them to
6. Oh, yeah, go to work. - Definitely to be done because I got called in early.
7. List some blog candy because I'm over 2,000 views.

The rest of the list is to be done as soon as possible - something will be done faster than others.

New Stamps!!!

My Flourishes stamps have arrived! I ordered them over the weekend and got an email on Sunday night saying that they'd be shipped Monday.

AND...

They're here!

I got the Cake Decorating 101 set and Sweet Treats - because I think they'll combine fabulously. :)

I also picked up some sweet May Arts ribbon - I need to look at it in better light than that of my computer room, but one side looks like it's really close to River Rock in color and the other side is a deeper shade of Really Rust.

I can't wait to play.

Goals for tomorrow:

1. Play with my new stamps
2. Clean/organize the dungeon
3. Work on my SU! order that I want to email to my demo tomorrow sometime
4. Mail out some birthday cards for people who have birthdays coming up
5. Get the Bella images I stamped mailed to the people I agreed to send them to
6. Oh, yeah, go to work.
7. List some blog candy because I'm over 2,000 views.

Snow Day Creation

Yep. Snow day. The rain from yesterday afternoon froze and caused an ice rink to form in place of all the roads. School was closed, but what was amazing was that DAYCARE was closed too. I've worked at daycare for 4 years and this is the 2nd time we've closed in that time. The last time we closed was last March and we had an enormous snowstorm, really cold temps and the power was out.

So I got a text message at 5:30-6am saying "Adult snow day - daycare's closed." I read it, smiled, thanked God, and rolled over and went to sleep.

Since I don't have to be anywhere today, time to get some stuff done - like the Bella images I promised Laura and Wendy BEFORE Christmas. Oh, and the Sketch Challenge.

I really liked the sketch challenge - it was simple and fun. Which is great. The hardest thing to do was the chocolates - I colored the box with Prismacolor pencils and baby oil, then colored the chocolates with my Close to Cocoa marker. Diamond Glaze went over top - then I used my paper piercer to scrape some of the glaze away so the shine appeared on individual chocolates. That was a bit of a pain - I put the glaze down a little thick.

Inside the card, the sentiment from MFT's Be Mine set is stamped in white.

This is my card for my Cupidee box. The Challenge Chasers group I belong to on SCS decided we liked the Elfing idea - and created a Cupid list amongst ourselves. We had to fill out this survey - favorite colors, snack, images you'd want (that reminds me...), sets you like, sets you don't, etc. You must send a favorite snack and a Valentine's card in their favorite colors. Not a problem for me - my Cupidee (what we decided to call the receivers) likes pink and purple. I feel bad for the person who has me - I chose blue and green.

Stamps: MFT stamps - Be Mine. Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Pink Passion, Pretty in Pink, GP white. Ink: Versafine black, SU marker - Elegant Eggplant and Close to Cocoa. Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, baby oil, ribbon, buckle, Diamond Glaze, dimensionals.

Funky color challenge

Not funky as in kinda cool. Funky as in "I'm not sure this is going to work." The colors for today's CC were: Yoyo Yellow, Going Gray and Basic Gray. But I did it, and I'm okay with what was created.

I just want to thank everyone who pops in to read this blog. Seriously, for a while, I thought I was blogging for myself - and I was the only one reading it too. Kathy, thank you for the beautiful card. I got it last week and forgot to post a thank you here. :)

Anyway, back to the card.

Stamps: Rubber Stampede Sunflower. Paper: Going Gray, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Yoyo Yellow. Ink: Basic Gray. Accessories: 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" square punches, Prismacolor pencils, grey satin ribbon, white gel pen, We R Memory Keepers Foil, Glitter and Flock pack, dimensionals.

Dahlia Fold

Today's Technique challenge was to create a flower out of circle punches - using the Dahlia Fold. The fold is very simple once you get the hang of it. And it's a learning process.

Mistake #1: using patterned cardstock - which is really hard to fold.

Mistake #2: Not so much using the scallop circle punch, but folding it in different ways. One of the reasons my flower looks funky.

I chose to use some Tres Jolie dp by My Mind's Eye and I pulled the colors for the rest of my card from that.

I really want to try to make another card later today with regular dp to see the difference.

Stamps: MFT - You Take the Cake. Paper: Close to Cocoa, Always Artichoke, Taken with Teal, Very Vanilla, Tres Jolie dp. Ink: Close to Cocoa. Accessories: scallop circle punch, coluzzle, Close to Cocoa marker, celery ribbon, spiral clip, brads, dimensionals, word window punch.

It's Sunday

And Sundays mean Featured Stamper cards. Though Sunday nights in February will also mean Stalker's Thread Color Challenge cards too.

Yep, I'm hostess for the STCC challenge in February.

But it's not February yet, so back to the Featured Stamper. Today it was stampingpam. She has a great gallery, but one card really caught my interest: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/644707

On Featured Stamper cards, you're supposed to change at least 2 things. That never seems to be the problem - I always seem to change EVERYTHING.

Stamps: Gina K/Melanie Muenchinger - Just so Hippy, Papertrey - Mixed Messages and Text Boxed. Paper: More Mustard, Bashful Blue, Basic Gray, River Rock, Very Vanilla, Le Jardin dp. Ink: Bashful Blue, River Rock, More Mustard. Accessories: Sakura white gel pen, mat pack, paper piercer, brads, dimensionals, corner rounder punch, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Bashful Blue round tab punchout, stapler.

The Dancefloor - the VSN Honor's list

Tonight Kath and Kim, the VSN coordinators listed the cards chosen by the hostesses of the challenge that stood out.

The list for this VSN is "The Dancefloor." And if you're curious to see the list, it's here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8527783#post8527783

After all the cards for the challenges, there is a list 'honor' cards from each of the hostesses - meaning someone went through our galleries for vsn entries and chose the best. Mine was my giraffe buckle card for the Unique Closure challenge. This tickled me because as a hostess, we're not "allowed" to be chosen for the Dancefloor.

My first VSN honor - and I'm a hostess.

My Final STVV

The Stalker's Thread challenges are unique for one major thing: at the end of the month, the challenge is passed onto another hostess.

So, this is my last time hostessing the Visualize Verses challenge. The hostess for February is Faith - Markie's Mom. She's a wonderful person and the stamper I want to be when I grow up, so I'm sure her poems and songs are going to be phenomenal.

So it goes without a surprise that I didn't choose my song for my final challenge until 8:30 tonight. I am such a procrastinator.

The song is...

"Cheek to Cheek" by Irving Berlin, performed by Fred Astaire in one of his movies with Ginger Rogers - I can't remember which one, there's 10 or so.

Heaven, I'm in heaven

And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak

And I seem to find the happiness I seek

When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek

Heaven, I'm in heaven

And the cares that hung around me through the week

Seem to vanish like a gambler's lucky streak

When we're out together dancing (swinging) cheek to cheek

Oh I love to climb a mountain

And reach the highest peak

But it doesn't thrill (boot) me half as much

As dancing cheek to cheek

Oh I love to go out fishing

In a river or a creek

But I don't enjoy it half as much

As dancing cheek to cheek(Come on and)

Dance with me

I want my arm(s) about you

That (Those) charm(s) about you

Will carry me through...(Right up)

To heaven, I'm in heaven

And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak

And I seem to find the happiness I seek

When we're out together dancing, out together dancing (swinging)

Out together dancing cheek to cheek

Here's the deal - this is your inspiration for your card. Create a card that comes to mind after reading the lyrics.

Stamps: Gina K Designs: Heartfelt Hits 1. Paper: Going Gray, Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White. Ink: Basic Gray. Accessories: rhinestone brads, Primas, dimensionals, spiral punch, Sakura Stardust gel pen.

Sketch Challenge

When I saw the SCS sketch challenge last night, I wasn't very enthusiastic. It seemed a bit blah to me. I looked at it again this morning - and thought that it wasn't too bad.

Downstairs to the dungeon I go.

The long panel was perfect for one of my new sets: Out on a Limb by Papertrey - and I've been dying to use it.

Okay... colors. I liked the idea of the 3 panels in the background being pieces of dp, so I flipped through my bags of SU dp. *I cut my 12x12 SU dp into 6x6 squares - a little easier to store and I don't feel AS bad using it.* I finally settled on Apple Cider dp. And decided to use Really Rust and River Rock - the 2 colors on the piece I picked. I wanted another color, so I decided on Wild Wasabi.

I really like how it turned out, especially with the black glaze pen marking some of the dots on the dp. The dp, main image, River Rock layer and card base are all sponged with Really Rust.

Stamps: Papertrey - Out on a Limb. Paper: River Rock, Really Rust, Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla, Apple Cider dp. Ink: Really Rust, River Rock, Wild Wasabi. Accessories: ribbon, stapler, sponge, dimensionals, Black Sakura Glaze pen.

Issues

No, nothing bad. Just issues.

I'm sure this has happened to everyone stamping/creating: you head to your workspace confident that "I'm going to do THIS today." THIS can be anything - today, THIS was the Polished Stone Technique. I was sure it was going to look great on the card I was going to make. This was in my head.

In reality, the Polished Stone turned out okay. Not fabulous, but not "oh dear Lord, that's OOOGLY." I also hadn't really thought my ideas through. To make a very detailed and boring story short, it all fell apart and the Polished Stone paper - now covered with Versafine black and the hint of Stazon - went into the trash. Don't. Ask.

So this card is what came out of my failed attempt. Not bad at all - I must admit. The flower is the outline and solid heart from Papertrey's Sweet Love stamped 4 times in Real Red. The solid hearts are one piece of paper trimmed around. The outline hearts were stamped individually, cut out, folded and glued in place. An American Crafts brad (that's really close to Soft Sky in color) finishes my flower off.

I love the dyeing pearls technique created by Stampin' Kub. It's REALLY easy to do. My corsage pin is dyed with Soft Sky reinker and Diamond Glaze.

I need a sympathy card because one of my friends on SCS got the news yesterday that her brother had died. :( So this is going to be heading off to her tomorrow.

Stamps: Papertrey - Sweet Love, Out on a Limb. Paper: Blue Bayou, Real Red, Whisper White, Soft Sky dp. Ink: Real Red, Blue Bayou. Accessories: pearl pin, ribbon, diamond glaze, Soft Sky reinker, dimensionals, American Crafts brad.

More VSN shtuff

A little more fill-in on the weekend. VSN's officially over - all cards up for honors were supposed to be in at 11pm EST last night. Over Saturday and Sunday, I got 7 more challenges done - for a grand total of 10 challenges out of 18. Not bad, but still, not that good. I haven't been able to play along with the VSN as it goes along. I always seem to play catch-up.

Now that all the cards are in, time to choose the honors gallery. Not winner's gallery, honors. The 2 cards each hostess liked the best out of her challenge. Personally? I had it easy - I had 43 cards in my challenge gallery and 10 of those were done by hostesses - who can't be chosen. I feel for the people who had 90-100+ in their galleries. Only choose 2?

My choices were made and my private message with my choices was sent to the VSN coordinators. The honors gallery list will go up later this week.

Here are the rest of my cards/projects from VSN:

It's VSN Baby!

The full-scale VSN has arrived. For those not familiar with Splitcoast and VSN, it's the Virtual Stamp Night. You have 45 minutes to complete each challenge and 15 minutes to upload, snack, chat, etc. before the next challenge starts. It started last night and a challenge was posted every hour on the hour starting at 6pm EST. It started again at noon EST and the final challenge will be posted at 11pm EST.

Personally? I fill out the chart - because the coordinators are kind enough to supply the players with a chart to fill out with all the challenges on it - and do them when I have time. Most of the time, this means I'll do 3 or 4 in one sitting - timing myself between each.

Have I been a good VSN hostess (even though my challenge fell in one of the mini VSNs, I'm still considered a hostess) and done all the challenges? Nope. Even with prior knowledge of what the challenges were, I didn't get them done - or have all the necessities to do them all.

I do have 3 challenges done. I'm planning on going down into the basement soon to get some more done tonight.

Stamps: Gina K Designs. Paper: Ballet Blue, More Mustard, Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla, Autumn Leaves DP. Ink: More Mustard, Certainly Celery. Accessories: Tacky Tape, brads, corner rounder punch.

Stamps: Papertrey - Sweet Love. Paper: Blue Bayou cs and dp, white. Ink: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky. Accessories: Coluzzle, ribbon, adhesive rhinestones.

Stamps: Papertrey - Spiral Bouquet. Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla. Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink. Accessories: 1/4" circle punch, velvet ribbon, rhinestones, quickie glue pen.

STVV and *gasp* a MAILBOX!

I am such a procrastinator. I have a whole week to decide what I want as the poem/song for the Visualize Verses challenge, but I do the deciding Thursday afternoon/evening.

So I was thinking about all the songs or poems I could do and coming up with a blank or "I can't use that." And my iTunes library wasn't helping me - which is a shock in and of itself. I have almost 1300 songs in it - over 3 days of music - with only a few songs repeating (I have a few repeats.) Everything from classical music and choir pieces to Seether, Evanescence, and Abba. No inspiration.

Out of the blue - like most weeks - a song pops in my head. The problem is that it's a blend of 2 songs... one I feel comfortable using, one not. So I had to look up the song I wanted to use. Sure enough, the line I was getting confused happens to be in both songs.

The song for today is: "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies

Sugar,

Oh, Honey Honey.

You are my candy girl,

and you got me wanting you.

Honey,

Oh, Sugar, Sugar.

You are my candy girl

and you got me wanting you.

I just can't believe the loveliness of loving you.

(I just can't believe it's true).

I just can't believe the wonder of this feeling too.

(I just can't believe it's true).

Sugar,

Oh, Honey Honey.

You are my candy girl,

and you got me wanting you.

Honey,

Oh, Sugar, Sugar.

You are my candy girl

and you got me wanting you.

When I kissed you girl, I knew how sweet a kiss could be.

(I know how sweet a kiss can be)

Like the summer sunshine pour your sweetness over me.

(Pour your sweetness over me).

Oh pour little sugar on me honey (sugar)

Pour little sugar on me baby (honey honey)

When you make love so sweet (Yeah Yeah Yeah.)

Pour little sugar on me (oh yeah)

Pour little sugar on me honey

Pour little sugar on me baby

I'm gonna make love so sweet (hey hey hey)

Pour little sugar on me honey.

Ah sugar.

Oh honey, honey.

You are my candy, girl,

and you got me wanting you.

Oh honey (honey, honey, sugar, sugar)

Sugar, sugar

You are my candy girl...

Now, to have some fun, I had to use my Sweetiebellas. Their ice cream cones have a really cool texture - I glued some sugar onto them. :) Yes, REAL sugar - straight from my sugar container in the kitchen.

Stamps: Stamping Bella - Sweetiebellas; SU! - Priceless; Papertrey - Piece of Cake. Paper: Barely Banana, Soft Sky, Always Artichoke, white. Accessories: corner rounder punch, paper piercer, Prismacolor pencils, Sakura Quickie glue pen, sugar, ribbon.

And yes, I said I finally finished my mailbox. It's not extremely ornate.

Paper: Wild Asparagus DP. Accessories: 1/4" Real Red grosgrain, Bazzil rub-ons, chipboard flower glued to the flag with Diamond Glaze - chipboard is inked in Brilliance Moonlight White and sponged Tempting Turquoise. Me and My Big Ideas adhesive rhinestones finish it off.

Buying Frenzy

So, in the past 2 weeks, I've bought Gina K stamps, My Favorite Things stamps, and on Monday night/Tuesday morning - Papertrey. I've already received my Gina K and MFT stamps, and I got an email yesterday (Tuesday) that my Papertrey stamps had shipped. ALREADY!

*sigh* I still have an order to place with SU! I running really low on certain colors of cardstock. And there are a few sets I want from SU!

But if I'm going to buy the stuff, I need to use it.

So I broke out one of my new MFT sets for today's Sketch Challenge card (regular sketch challenge, not the STSC.) What kills me about this sketch is that I created a card WITH THIS SKETCH - on Sunday and thought I was being great and creative. I didn't upload it because the card is destined for my Virtual Stamping Night Secret Sistah - and I didn't want her getting a sneak peek.

Anyway, back to the card. When I bought my Gina K stamps, she also had these glitter dots - pieces of plastic covered in glitter. They looked interesting, so I bought some red and some light turquoise. The light turquoise looks good with Tempting Turquoise.

My Card:

Stamps: MFT - Punny Farm. Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Close to Cocoa (cs and dp). Accessories: glitter dots, ticket corner punch, dimensionals, cropadile, ribbon.

First Gina K card

Well, not actually my first Gina K card, but the first with one of my new sets: How Sweet it is. It's one of her Stamps for a Cause series - each set dedicated to a specific cause and part of the $$ raised with the sale goes there.

Which I think is fabulous.

My card was created for the Stalkers Color Challenge 13: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky. The stalkers color challenges are strict - you're not supposed to use colors not given in the list on your card (except for neutrals.) *holds hand out to be slapped* My flame is So Saffron - I'm in trouble.

Stamps: Gina K Designs - How Sweet it is, SU: Be Happy. Paper: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Whisper White, Rose Red dp. Ink: Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Rose Red, SU Markers: Regal Rose, Rose Red. Accessories: corner rounder punch, spiral punch, brads, dimensionals.

Newest addition to the table

A while ago I bought into a share of 205 yards of various sizes and colors of grosgrain ribbon. It arrived this last week and I was faced with the conundrum of where to put all this new ribbon.

In a complete act of fate (or a sign I look at the most random stuff on the internet), I wound up at Nichole Heady's blog - Nichole is the owner of Papertrey Ink stamps. On her blog a while ago, she had a question/answer session about her studio - she had posted pictures.

Her ribbon was wrapped around wooden clothespins and held in penny candy jars - separated by color. It looked great.

Now, I don't mean to totally take her idea and run with it, but if it works, it works.

1. I don't have lots of room. I was only going to get 1 jar, maybe 2, and just deal.
2. She gets her clothespins at Dollar Tree dollar store. I have one of those within walking distance - if I wanted to cross a VERY busy road.
3. I thought 60 clothespins was going to be enough for all my new ribbon and the stuff I already had. With some left over. Yeah right.
4. I checked 2 Walmarts (where she said she got the penny candy jars) and they both were out. So I grabbed a "cracker" jar instead.

When I got home, I measured the lid with my Coluzzle circle pattern and cut a piece of Autumn Leaves adhesive mat pack. **tangent: I love this stuff. Cut it and peel the backing off. No need to fight with tape dispensers. I think I have to get some more when I go to Target next.

I wrapped some Celery 1/4" grosgrain that I had before my share came in around the edge of the lid and secured it with Tacky Tape.

The jar itself is decorated with Bo Bunny rub-ons. Honestly, these were a pain in the patootie to work with... probably because of the way I was working with them. I was using the whole sheet instead of cutting out what I wanted.

So here's the finished project with 60 clothespins of ribbon in it.

Pity Party's Over

Time to try again.

Plus I needed to make a card for the Stalker's Visualize Verses challenge. I made one earlier today that I looked at and went "this is horrible." So I planned on making a STVV sample after I finished the second My Favorite Guest Designer card.

Well, as I was finishing up the card, I was singing to myself. I tend to do this a lot - I was in choirs in high school and college. My brain's like a radio constantly switching channels. Once I realized what I was singing, I had an epiphany.

Why not use this card as my sample - AND my entry?

So I think I will. :)

The song in my head was Manhattan Transfer's "Java Jive"

I love coffee, I love tea

I love the java jive and it loves me

Coffee and tea and the java and me

A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup (boy!)

I love java, sweet and hot

Whoops mr. moto, I'm a coffee pot

Shoot the pot and I'll pour me a shot

A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup

Oh slip me a slug from the wonderful mug

And I'll cut a rug just snug in a jug

A sliced up onion and a raw one

Draw one -

Waiter, waiter, percolator

I love coffee, I love tea

I love the java jive and it loves me

Coffee and tea and the java and me

A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup

Boston bean (soy beans)

Green bean (cabbage and greens)

I'm not keen about a bean

Unless it is a chili chili bean (boy!)

I love java sweet and hot

Whoops mr. moto I'm a coffee pot (yeah)

Shoot me the pot and I'll pour me a shot

A cup, a cup, a cup (yeah)

Slip me a slug of the wonderful mug

An I'll cut a rug just as snug in a jug

Drop a nickel in the pot joe

Takin' it slow

Waiter, waiter, percolator

I love coffee, I love tea

I love the java jive and it loves me

Coffee and tea and the java and me

A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, boy!

Here's my card:

Stamps: MFTstamps - Essential Sentiments, Hot Stuff. Paper: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Very Vanilla, Autumn Leaves Adhesive Mat pack. Ink: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, Brilliance Moonlight White. Accessories: sponge, prima, bella baubles, ticket corner punch, dimensionals.

My entry into the Guest Designer Challenge

When I went to bed last night, I had an idea of what I wanted to do for my entry into the MFT Guest Designer Challenge. I even had colors chosen.

I went down into the dungeon (my stamp place) and created it - took my time. I was proud of it - am proud of it. I uploaded it onto SCS and linked it to the forum. Then I looked at some of the other entries.

I almost cried.

There are days when I don't think my cards will ever match up to some made by others. Right now I'm wondering why I even decided to enter this contest. That if this card is the best I can do, why bother?

Sorry, I'm having a little pity party right now.

Here's my card:

Stamps: MFT - You Take the Cake, SU - Print Pattern. Paper: Soft Sky, Purely Pomegranate, Very Vanilla. Ink: Soft Sky, Basic Gray, Purely Pomegranate. Accessories: Coluzzle, Basic Black and Going Grey SU Markers, Cropadile, ribbon, dimensionals.

MFT

The new My Favorite Things stamps released this evening, along with the new challenge on how to be the February's My Favorite Guest Designer.

This month's challenge is to create something that isn't square or rectangle. We also have until 8:30pm tomorrow (Thursday) to complete and upload. I'm thinking of ideas. I just hope they turn out they way I want.

Off to do a little bit of sketching before bed.

Again, no altered mailbox

You're going to get sick of me bringing up the altered mailbox. I'm starting to get sick of bringing up the altered mailbox.

But I have a card to share.

This is for the SCS color challenge: Barely Banana, Wild Wasabi and Blue Bayou. The chipboard is neutralized with Brilliance Moonlight White (it's a shimmery white) and Barely Banana was sponged on top. I glued some rhinestones onto the chipboard to make it even more shimmery.

Stamps: Friends (I can't remember by whom). Paper: Blue Bayou (cs and dp), Wild Wasabi, Barely Banana, Whisper White. Ink: Brilliance Moonlight White, Wild Wasabi, Barely Banana. Accessories: Basic Grey chipboard, rhinestones, corner rounder punch, spiral punch, ribbon, dimensionals.

Still no Altered Mailbox

I could keep milking this thought for awhile. Truth is, I started altering a mailbox tonight. It's just not done. I'm not sure what I want to do to the ends - or little alterations to make it really pop. I'm feeling a little indecisive about what I want to do with it right now. Hopefully it will be fit for public viewing soon.

Anywho, I made 2 cards today. I was actually hoping to have them finished, photographed, and uploaded to SCS by 7pm so I could be in the Gina K. Release Sketch Challenges. *laughs hysterically* RIIIGHT. Things working against me:

1. I am a procrastinator by nature. I seem to love doing things at the last minute. I didn't start said cards until this morning, but I sketched and plotted my cards last night so I was ready to go.
2. I was a good friend and took a coworker's hours at work because she was sick. I went into work at 10 - I only gave myself 30 minutes to work on these cards - figuring that I'd have time after work to get them finished.
3. I work at a daycare - which I've mentioned in the past. We close at 6 - theoretically anyway. We often have late pick-ups. Like today. I didn't leave work until 6:20.
4. I was planning on making French Toast for dinner. I needed eggs. Off to the store after work. *le sigh*

Did I get my cards done on time? NO.

Paper: Barely Banana, Lavender Lace, Mellow Moss, white, So Saffron Prints DP. Ink: Versafine black onyx, Lavender Lace. Stamps: Stamping Bella. Accessories: ticket corner punch, corner rounder punch (for scallops), Marvy Extra Jumbo Scalloped Circle punch, primas, dimensionals, brad, chipboard circle (under the Mellow Moss circle), mat pack, SU! Markers, Sakura Glaze pen

Stamps: Gina K/Langley Boy. Paper: Ballet Blue, Basic Gray, Vellum, Autumn Leaves Adhesive Mat. Ink: Versamark. Accessories: brads, silver embossing powder.

No Altered Mailbox today

But a Featured Stamper Card!

I was drawn to this: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/654422 card by the Featured Stamper today and wanted to recreate it in my own way.

• I don't own Zoofari, but I DO have It's a Jungle Out There by MFT stamps.
• I tend to cut all my SU paper down to 6x6. Great for "normal" cards, but doesn't quite work when you're working with 9.25x4 cards. I found a piece of Cosmo Cricket Storytime (I think that's the title of the collection) and pulled the colors for the card from the stripes.
• My animals are stamped in Versafine Black Onyx and colored in with Prismacolor pencils and baby oil - Gamsol Magic with a twist.
• I used the bigger polka dots from the Prints papers as my frames for my animals. I also colored them to match the frame.
• It's superduper hard to see, but there's an arched sentiment under the the frames. It's was too long to go straight across, so I curved it (thanks to flexible acrylic stamps) to fit.

Paper: Almost Amethyst, Basic Black, white, Cosmo Cricket dp; So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie and Certainly Celery DP. Ink: Versafine black, Almost Amethyst. Accessories: So Saffron brads, 1 3/8" circle punch, Prismacolor pencils, baby oil.

Coming soon...

Altered mailboxes!

Yes, I jumped on the Target $1 Spot Mailbox wagon. I currently have 6: 1 pink, 2 red, and 3 white.

I can't wait to see what I can do with them.

*gasp* It's a card!!!

I seriously haven't stamped since Christmas Eve. I was feeling lazy. I even skipped one of my Visualize Verses challenges.

But... I'm back and with a new card. :)

Today's (well technically tomorrow's) Visualize Verses poem is:

"Feelin' Good" - performed by Michael Buble, the Pussycat Dolls, and I'm sure numerous other artists.

Birds flying high

You know how I feel

Sun in the sky

You know how I feel

Breeze drifting on by

You know how I feel

It's a new a dawn

And a new day

And a new life for me

And I'm feeling good

So good, yeah

Fish in the sea

You know how I feel

Rivers running free

You know how I feel

Bouncing on the tree

You know how I feel

It's a new a dawn

And a new day

And a new life for me

And I'm feeling good

So good

So good

Dragon fly out in the sun

You know what I mean

Don't you know?

Butterflies all having fun

You know what I mean

Sleep in peace when day is done

That's what I mean

World is a new world and a bold world for me

Stars when you shine

You know how I feel

Scent of pine

You know how I feel

Oh, freedom is mine

And I know how I feel

It's a new dawn

And a new day

And a new love for me

And I'm feeling...

Oh...

I'm feeling good

You know how I feel

You know how I feel

YouYou know how I feel

Feeling good

I'm feeling good

I'm feeling good

Feeling good

Feeling good

It's a new dawn

It's a new day

It's a new life for me

• Card base is Sage Shadow - regular card size. I chose it to go with the DP:
• DP is Autumn Leaves - Manhattan collection. I love this paper, it really close to Sage Shadow in color and a very pretty pattern. I ticket corner punched the dp and placed copper brads in the corners.
• Basic Black cardstock in between the card base and the dp makes the color difference less noticeable.
• My butterflies are stamped on Whisper White with Papertrey's Butterfly Kisses. I stamped in Sage Shadow and Groovy Guava and cut them out. I folded the wings to they're 3D and popped them on a dimensional.
• Ribbon is May Arts brown polka dot organdy.
• I grabbed some of my Primas and layered them together and attached them with a copper brad. Then attached them to the card with a dimensional just above the knot in the ribbon.

Side story: I've talked about my stamping space before. It's in the basement - one of the reasons I refer to it as the dungeon. It's wonderful in the summer - it's maybe 65 down there. Right now? It's 13 outside. The basement's probably hovering at 50 - at the MAX. I have poor circulation in my hands and feet, so I'll wind up with blue fingernails. Going downstairs tonight to make this card, I put on sneakers so I didn't walk on the floor stocking footed and I put on a sweatshirt to keep myself warm. Honestly, I feel it's ridiculous, but it's cold down there!