Mojo Flow - Color Challenge - Remake!

I posted about the Mojo Flow - Color Challenge a couple of days ago (scroll down!) with an inspiration using a retired set. I love this layout and the look of the colors and wanted to see what it would look like with River Rock and Whisper White, plus I embellished it a little more. Again - my scanner is getting color funky - all the River Rock matches beautifully in person! lol Stamps: One of a Kind & Define Your Life. Accessroeis: River Rock Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Antique Brass HodgePodge Hardward Kit, 1/2" Circle Punch, Stamp-a-ma-Jig (for lining up the "unique" from Define Your Life) and the White Signo Gel Pen. I stamped off on the River Rock Classic Ink on the Whisper White layer and the River Rock strip under the focal piece for a softer look. Enjoy!

One of a Kind

I designed this for another Sudsol Chat & Challenge Sketch challenge this evening. The sketch was used with permission of Angel at http://www.angelosity.blogspot.com/ - THANKS Angel!

This design uses Blue Bayou, Apricot Appeal and Certainly Celery Prints Designer Series Paper. The Apricot Appeal is stamped tone on tone with the Canvas Bakcground stamp and the main stamp set is One of a Kind. Also used was the Crafters Tool Kit for the paper piercing around the cut out flower image that is popped up on dimensionals. And Blue Bayou Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon - which my scanner makes look violet! yikes! Lastly - I used the Designer Label Punch and the 1 3/'* Circle Punch. Enjoy!

Mojo Flow - Color Challenge!

Here's a color challenge for you - use ONLY NEUTRALS (like river rock, sahara sand, whisper white, very vanilla, basic black, going gray and basic gray) on your project. Seriously - ONLY NEUTRALS! check out this inspiration below (remembering my scanner doesn't do justice to the colors or even always pick them up! lol) This sample uses the retired sets Petal Prints & French Script (Background). The leaf image is stampe din Sahara Sand on the Whisper White and the Sahara Sand center strip. (My scanner doesn't show it very well!) It is done in ALL Sahara Sand and Whisper White - see it CAN be done and with BEAUTIFUL RESULTS! Flow Mojo flow!

Pomegranate Love

Okay - it's *me* who's in love with this combo of Valentine Ultrafine Opaque Glitter (from http://www.creativeplaystamps.com/) and the SU! Purely Pomegranate cardstock & Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon! lol

Other supplies used: Basic Black & Pretty in Pink cardstock, Two Way Glue Pen and Glue Dots.

My inspiration for the big circle "Love" focal piece was the hugest, orange-colored Harvest Moon I've seen in a long time and it was just the other day! The kids I and I enjoyed a "moonrise" for the first time. It was awesome! Enjoy!

Coaster Valentine

I've been wanting to try my hand with these 4" coasters for quite awhile. The Valentine Cirlce set from http://www.creativeplaystamps.com/ is perfect for it! Other supplies used: Valentine Ultrafine Opaque Glitter (from CPS), SU! Purely Pomegranate cardstock, Classic ink & Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, also the Two Way Glue Pen and Sanding Blocks to clean up the edges. These are my three kids demonstrating "love"! Did you notice the angel figurine top, center above their heads? Unplanned - though it's nice to know their guardian angels are watching over them! ;) This would make a great Valentine for all the extra-special someones in your life. Enjoy!

My C&C Design!

Woohoo! I actually stamped alongside hosting the Chat & Challenge tonight! Flow MOJO flow!

This design uses the NEW Stamp Set "One of a Kind". See the flower threesome I used on the So sAffron and Purely Pomegranate to make the background? There is a NEW Matching PUNCH for them!! Also used: Not Quite Navy and Very Vanilla, both the Oval Punches, 1/2" Circle Punch, Stampin' Write in So Saffron, Purely Pomegranate Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon and Dimensionals. Enjoy!

Sketch Challenge

Who wants to play? I am hosting a Chat & Challenge in the chat room on SUDSOL (SU!demonstrator only site). You can play along too! You pick whatever stamps, colors and embellishments you want to use - just follow the sketch! It's really that easy. Then upload to your blog or wherever your online gallery is - and leave a comment on this post with the link for all of us to enjoy! (Note: Sketch designed by Paula G.)

Be My Valentine Inspiration

I got into a groove last night with my CreativePlayStamps.com Valentine stamps. It felt really good having the creativity juices flowing - and in this case it had alot to do with the fact that their stamps work so well together, especially Valentine & Valentine Circle!

"Delicate" and "Sweet" is what comes to mind when I look at this design. I made the background tone on tone in Pretty in Pink using the cutest darn rosebud from the Valentine Circle set - it soooo adorable! My Two Way Glue Pen - which I use all the time to apply Glitter - keeps the lovely Miss Muffet Ultrafine Transparent Glitter on the heart image from the Valentine set. I heat embossed the Arrow image (Valentine set) AND the HOdgePOdge Hardware oval with SU! Winter White Embossing powder (though I coated the oval in Whisper White Craft Ink first). The Glitter heart is cut out and popped up on Dimensionals. Other supplies used: Pretty in Pink Card Stock and Classic Ink; Regal Rose Classic Ink; Pink Gingham Ribbon, Pretty in Pink Brads and the retired Corner Rounder Punch.

Be My Valentine Inspiration 2

Pomegranate Hearts - imagine my glee when I was playing with the FAB Valentine Ultrafine Opaque Glitter from CreativePlayStamps.com and found it matched perfectly with the SU! In Color Purely Pomegranate! Paired with Basic Black -meow! [and I thought Basic Gray was a sexy color! :) ] So the scan doesn't show the full beauty of the Glitter - but if you use glitter - you *know* baby! I created a tone on tone background using the solid heart image from the Valentine set. As a matter of fact - ALL the images used on this design are from the Valentine set. Also used was my handy Two Way Glue Pen to apply the Glitter and Basic Black 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon. Enjoy!

Be My Valentine Inspiration 3

I had such fun playing with my Valentine stamps & Glitter from CreativePlayStamps.com the other night - here is another design...This design uses the stamps Valentine, Valentine Circle and Swirls. It also uses the Valentine Ultrafine Opaque Glitter. I applied the Glitter using the Two Way Glue Pen for the heart image and along the edges of the Designer Label Punch(SU!). Other SU! Accessories used: 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, 1/4" Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon and Dimensionals.

What unfortunately doesn't show on this scan is the lovely tone on tone background I created using the "Love" image from the Valentine set (the cursive letters are formed out of tiny hearts!).

Altered Notebook

I made this for a birthday present for a 6 year old friend of my daughters. Altering Notebooks is one of my favorite "altering" projects because it is so quick and easy and FUN! With the variety of stamp images Stampin' Up has - it is easy to create designs that are whimsical or classy or somewhere in between. I stock up on these notebooks when they are on sale at back to school time for 50 cents a piece. This one uses Regal Rose, Elegant Eggplant & Whisper White; Petals Jumbo Wheel (in Regal Rose Classic Ink) and retired Quirky Alphabet Upper (in Elegant Eggplant Classic Ink); the wonderful Scallop Punch, Pretties Kit and retired Elegant Eggplant 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon. I also used the Two Way Glue Pen to add Miss Muffet Ultrafine Glitter from CreativePlayStamps.com (Note: scroll down for a coupon for CPS that ends today 1/19!!) to the edges of the Scallop Punches AND (this is my favorite part of this design) to the edges of one of the Pretties Kit flowers! The Faux Suede "binding" was created by crimping a piece of Elegant Eggplant card stock, then gently peeling apart the paper (did you know paper is made of several layers?) you don't have to crimp the paper for this technique, but you do have to 'distress' the entire piece you plan to use by rubbing back and forth along the edge of a table or dull edge of your Craft & Paper Scissors.

Isaiah's Birthday Invite

I got my inspiration for this layout from Beate Johns' Weekend Sketch - WSC31. this is my first time using one of her sketches, and I am thankful for it because I needed layout inspiration! I am not stamping nearly enough, so my layout juices are trickling. :)

I used the long retired stamp set Sketch a Party. Card Stock Colors used: Close to Cocoa, Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy & Confetti White. Classic Ink: Bashful Blue & Chocolate Chip. Accessories: Stampin' Writes in Summer Sun & Chocolate Chip; Two Way glue Pen, retired SU! Star Eyelets, Crop-a-dile and Valentine Ultrafine Opaque Glitter(from CreativePlayStamps.com - see their coupon below!) Now to reproduce 7 more of these! :) Enjoy!

Last Chance for CPS Coupon!

I am excited to be able to offer you this special coupon from CreativePlayStamps.com. Wait til you see their New Releases (click on the words to see them now!) AND - they're on Sale!

Click HERE for the Coupon!

Help us celebrate the arrival of our new designs! For a limited time, all stamp sheets are marked down to $10 each. With this coupon, you can get 3 for $25! Offer expires January 19, 2008.Valentine Red Glitter is also On Sale right now! I used it on the Heart Flower Garden design found in the December 2007 Archive.

Enjoy!

New Year Challenges - Faith Crafting

As I was perusing some of my favorite blogs, I clicked on Lori's Blog and came across an inspiring idea for 2008. Lori was moved by the Holy Spirit to meld her love of her Christian Faith with her love of papercrafting. She invited a few friends to join her and keep her accountable - and Scripture Chicks was born! What a FAB name, huh? Basically - this group of gals are picking a Scripture passage to memorize each month, then printing it out and papercrafting it up real pretty - then picking a way to display it. I LOVE the idea and am hoping to join them in this Faith Crafting journey.

I was at the Christian Mom's Retreat at Bishop Lane Retreat Center all weekend this past weekend and received my project inspiration there. It's going to take me some time to get it together, but I hope to get it done and post a pic of it here - it's a Prayer/Scripture Board. My goal is to get my January Scripture Card done first though, as this is the point of the entire idea! So many Scripture passages to memorize, so little time! :)

The second Challenge - or really inspiring idea - came from Angel, one of the Scripture Chicks (click on her name to visit her Blog) - and that was choosing ONE WORD to use as a guide for this new year. I look at it as a kind of Mission Statement in a nutshell. My word...

STEWARDSHIP:

Riverside Websters II Dictionary defines a steward as: One who manages another's financial affairs or property.

The Catholic church, and I believe most (if not all) Christian churches teach that everything we have - our time, talent and treasure - is from God and IS God's and we are given these gifts to be good stewards of. Whether it is how we spend our time, how we use our talents or how we use our treasure (physical bodies, money, belongings, etc.) All has been given to us to use for His Glory, that all hearts would turn toward Him. some parts of Stewardship have been "easier" for me, while others have been much more difficult. In choosing this as my word this year - it is my hope to allow the Holy Spirit to bring further balance to how Stewardship is enacted in my life.

Here is a prayer I am using to this end, I hope many of you will also find it useful and meaningful:

Stewardship Prayer

O God, I resolve to put You first in my life.

I recognize that You have blessed me with all that I have & all that I am.

I commit to giving back to You the first portion of my blessings.

Doing so may seem scary at times, but I hear Your reassurance in Scripture,

"Be Not Afraid" and "Do Not Worry Anymore", and I know that I can depend on You.

I resolve, with the help of Your Grace, to sacrifice when necessary -

but always to do so out of a spirit of sincere love, just as Your son, Jesus, did for me.

I humbly accept the challenge to share from my means, rather than my excess.

I recognize that being a good steward is nothing more than being truly Christian.

From my heart, I thank You Lord for blessing me., and I trust in Your Love.

Dear God, I resolve to be generous with my time, talent and treasure -

giving in proportion to the gifts I have received.

At times I may fail, but I pledge to keep trying.

In so doing, I will confidently live each day with a spirit of true peace and joy.

Amen.

CreativePlayStamps.com Coupon!

I am excited to be able to offer you this special coupon from CreativePlayStamps.com. Wait til you see their New Releases (click on the words to see them now!) AND - they're on Sale!

Click HERE for the Coupon!

Help us celebrate the arrival of our new designs! For a limited time, all stamp sheets are marked down to $10 each. With this coupon, you can get 3 for $25! Offer expires January 19, 2008.

Valentine Red Glitter is also On Sale right now! I used it on the Heart Flower Garden design found in the December 2007 Archive.

Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot?

So - what do you think of these two designs? The Lovely Lilac Wedding design was mine. the Tempting Turquoise/Only Orange design was my hubby's! This was THE FIRST SWAP I ever participated in after becoming a demonstrator 4 1/2 years ago! It was a Set Sampler Swap - meaning every swapper had to use the same stamp set so we could all have a set of great samples in different styles to show our customers. I am still pretty proud of my first swap design, and Steve's too! (Of course it was his ONLY swap design for me! lol Though he did design and stamp some soccer invites for his indoor team for a pizza party once.) I wish I could say my designs only got better from there - but I'm still trying to forget a few swaps from the past - if I find a scan of any of them, I'll share them even though it's not Halloween! ;)

So - let's take a vote! Leave a comment here as to which of these two designs is the better one. My hubby insisted mine was nice, but his was better. Settle this for us once and for all!

January Valentine Workshop

These are the projects we did at a Workshop yesterday. I do all my workshops as THO (totally hands-on) which means all who attend make every project. The focus for this Workshop was St. Valentine's Day - which could also inspire for weddings, anniversaries, showers and the 'Just Because I Love You' times.

The little Pretty in Pink Favor Box perfectly fits a Ghriradelli Chocloate Square - or a small peppermint patty and probably several other types of chocolates/candies. It also uses Rose Red Prints Double-Sided Designer Series Paper, Pretty In Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Scallop Punch, Two-Way Glue Pen and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. The heart image is from the NEW Level 3 Host set - Time Well Spent. It is an outline image - which we used the Versamarker to color inside the lines to darken it in a tone on tone manner so it pops out a bit. The Scallop is also mounted on Dimensionals.

The Basic Gray Beauty has no stamping at all! That Basic Gray is such a sexy color - perfect for that special Valentine man. This card also uses Bravo Burgundy and Confetti Cream, as well as Very Vanilla 5/8" Wide Grosgrain Ribbon. This was an accessories & technique card - we played with the Pretties Kit by coloring the big flower with the Blush Blossom Stampin' Write Marker, and the little flower with the Aquapianter and the Bravo Burgundy Water Color Wonder Crayon. Then attached the Pretties Kit ivory pearl in the center.

Clearly From the Heart Card: I have been wanting to make a card using acetate/transparency as the base for several months now. It is a bit more difficult to work with, but oh how elegant! Perfect foran extraspecial Valentine, Wedding card or Anniversary card. We also used Real Red Whisper White and Brushed Gold cardstock. White StazOn ink is perfect for this kind of surface, and that is what the Priceless Set swirls are stamped in. Gold Metallic Encore Ink Pad was used to tip the Scallop Punch focal piece. White eyelets and the Crop-a-dile hold on the Real Red focal piece backing. Real Red Craft Ink and Clear Embossing Powder were used on the heart image also from the Priceless Set. The sentiment is from the Holidays and Wishes Set.

ENJOY!

Let the Stamping Begin...

Isn't he the cutest? This is my youngest, learning to stamp. In December, he came up to me out of the blue and said, "Mommy, I want to stamp," so matter-of-factly and with those beautiful blue eyes earnestly gazing up at me - how could I resist? I promptly cleared him a spot on my stamping table, showed him how to ink and then clean the stamp when he was done with it or the current ink color, and watched him stamp! He is 2 (won't be 3 until Feb.) He did FABULOUSLY, never left a stamp uncleaned AND put it back in the case too before he took another stamp! Of course, my 5 year old daughter couldn't *not* stamp too then (she's been stamping for about 2 years guided completely by the sound of her own stamping 'tap, tap, thump' - you know, the proverbial beat of her own drum in terms of colors and designs!) so I got her set up too, and then decided I should sit down myself and work on something (I think it was our Christmas Triptych Cards!) so I could *supervise*. Well, first time was teh charm, cuz he stamped again just yesterday and rarely cleaned a stamp, though he did put the still inked stamp back in the case - how thoughtful! lol Ah well, he is only 2... :)

I've Been Tagged...

by my friend and upline Patti (check out her blog by clicking on her name!). On to the 7 random facts about me...

1.) I am the baby of six kids, and though all my older siblings say I was spoiled - they were WRONG! ;) (I am, however, the BEST of the six - heehee)

2.) I met my husband when I was 15 on a Catholic Retreat Team. It was love at first sight for me, though I was so innocent and naive at the time I didn't know that's what it was. He dated my best friend for two years instead of me!

3.) I have a bachelor's degree in social work and a master's degree in public administration.

4.) When I was a young teen I was in love with Michael Jackson (this was well before all the plastic surgery!). One whole wall of my room was plastered with posters of him from Tiger Beat and all the other teen magazines!

5.) I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter series - we have all the books on CD and listen to them over and over. I can't wait til my kids are old enough to share them with!

6.) I am a Marriage Encounter(ME) child - my parents were involved in ME back in the seventies when it first came to the Chicagoland area. Steve & I made our first ME Weekend in Feb. 1999 (before we were blessed with any children), then again in Feb. 2007 and now we are Presenting Team for our local Weekends. (See the link on the left side of my blog for more info!)

7.) I am a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) very soon to be a Homeschooling SAHM!!

Thanks Patti - this was fun! Though it was hard to choose what to share!

Tag to these other 7 Bloggers:

1.) Elizabeth: http://www.mamastamper.blogspot.com/

2.) Kathleen: http://www.stampjourney.com/

3.) Paula: http://stampnscrapwithpaula.blogspot.com/

4.) Barb: http://www.barbstamps.com/

5.) Dannie: http://danniesdesigns.typepad.com/

6.) Kimberley: http://procrastistamper.blogspot.com/

7.) Sue Ann: http://nevertoomanystamps.com/

The rules are simple, share 7 random facts about yourself and then tag 7 other bloggers. I'm off to finishing preparing for my Valentine THO Workshop. Will post the projects, hopefully tomorrow! :) Thanks for stopping by... and I hope you are enjoying the last of these 12 Days of Christmas! Wise Men Still Seek Him...A Joyful and Blessed Epiphany to you and your families!

Bundle Up for Valentine's Day!

Just in time for Valentine's Day crafting, this bundle features the Happy Heart Day stamp set, Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Medium Cellophane bags and a FREE spool of Regal Rose 5/8" grosgrain ribbon.
Want to see the whole flyer? Download US_Valentines_Bundle_0108.pdf
But wait -- there's more...
Host a party or club event with sales of $350 and you may choose a FREE stamp set from the Spring Preview Brochure.
Call me today to book your own fun gathering to earn Stampin' Up!'s great hostess benefits AND earn an additional Spring Preview Brochure set FREE! But hurry -- this special is only for January hostesses.

YOU DID IT!

Sylvia M. sent me this fun New Year's card using both current and retired SU! product. THANKS Sylvia!