Fang-tastic Treat Box

I can't belive that September is half-way through and now Halloween is just around the corner. I was never a big Halloween fan growing up - The idea of dressing up in costumes always felt more like a challenge to me than fun, however now that we have a young child Halloween comes with a whole new view. The idea of dressing up, myself, still causes my blood pressure to go up, but Matthew seems to really enjoy Halloween and dressing up in costumes.

Well since Halloween is right around the corner I thought I would try out a new project. I recently saw a post on Kim Score's blog (http://www.paperpunchaddiction/) where she posted this really cute little punch art bat - I just had to try it out. So here is my creation:

I recently bought the candy wrapper die and have been dying to use it - No pun intended. With a young child, and many Birthday Parties, valentines day parties, and Christmas parties in my future I thought it would be a wise investment. The treat box is made from the Candy wrapper die with one end folded in and closed up. The other end was squeezed together like a milk carton and closed with some Pear Pizzazz ribbon. This fabulously cute bat is created with the new Owl punch from Stampin up as well as the 1/2" cirlce punch and the large oval punch. - See Kim's website for full details. I then used one of the sentiments from the Fangtastic set - It just seemed to fit the occassion.

Go Batty and Enjoy !!

Christmas Card Class Sneak Peak

I'm having the second, in a series of 4, Christmas Card classes coming up the end of this month - September 25, 2010. I thought I would show you a sneak peak at one of the two cards we will be making in this class.

I really love the Toile effect on cards. I just think it looks so classic and victorian. Well, I tried to do a variation of that technique using different colors. I actually really liked the way it turned out.

If you are interested in attending my class to create this and another great card for the Holidays, please drop me a line or place a comment here on RubberStampTramp. Can't make the class - but want all the digs anyway - Ask me about my "Classes To-Go kits".

Enjoy !

You're on My Mind....

We have some family coming to visit us next week and so I have been trying to get the house in order, including my craft room, which also tends to serve as a play spot for my 4 yr old son who always has to be in there with me. Needless to say a number of miscellaneous toys wind up finding a temporary home in my craft room. So while cleaning up and trying to straighen and organize my tools and toys I came across this card I did a while back and I thought I would share it with you. The layout is very simple, however I just really like how it turned out.

The card base is Perfect Plum with Pale Plum (retired SU color) and black accents. The designer paper is from the Razzle Dazzle paper set, also retired. I used the Movers and Shapers Die with the Curley Label insert and the Curley Label punch. I punched the piece of White cardstock and placed it inside the card and then stamped with the Upsy Daisy set on the card front with Perfect Plum making sure to stamp on the white as well. I then used the Movers and Shapers die, again, to cut a piece of Pale Plum and trimmed it down and made the border. To finish the card off - a little white grosgrain ribbon, and some dots with the White gel pen. I love my gel pen. The sentiment is also from the Upsy Daily set and is stamped with Perfect Plum.

I hope you enjoy !

Cracked Glass Technique

I recently got the Friends Never Fade set from the current SU Idea Book and Catalog along with the Greenhouse Gala Designer paper. The two are a perfect match. I love the color combinations of the Greenhouse Gala paper. I don't think I realized how much I like Baja Breeze until this paper came along. I had been wanting to try a new layout and just didn't have the right combination in my head yet, so I just kept putting it off. Well along came Friends Never Fade and Greenhouse Gala and TADA.....

In addition to this layout - I used the Cracked Glass Technique, which I think is really cool. I know that in the picture there is a sharp contrast between the white background and the Cracked Glass piece, but IRL it is not so shocking.

The colors I used in this card are Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizazz, and Whisper White. The Chocolate Chip piece was run through the big shot using the flourishy side of the Perfect Details texture plate and the large scallop square piece was done by using the Scallop Square Bigz clear die by Sizzix. The last few touches are some Pear Pizazz ribbon and the sentiment is from the Love You Much set.

Enjoy.

Just Jawing Birthday

I have a niece with a Birthday coming up at the end of the month and what can you do for the "Tween" scene ? Well, I know that Nevie, short for Genevieve, like most young adults these days, is big into Twilight. Well - I don't have a Jacob or an Edward stamp, but I did have this Stampin' Up! Just Jawing set that I had only used a couple of times and I thought it kind of fit the Gothic-ish scene.



To help keep a "Girlish" feel to the card I used some Retired SU Designer Paper called Garden Party (I think) - The main colors are Old Olive, Orchid Opulence (retired color), and Basic Black. The back ground stamping, the main image, and the sentiment are all from the Just Jawing set. The background is stamped with the stars stamp in versamark. I did some paper piecing for the cross-bones and for the eyes. I used some of the Designer paper for the cross-bones and Orchid Opulence, covered with Dazzling Diamonds for the eyes. And for extra special girly flair - A Big Black Bow. I hope Nevie enjoys her Birthday card as much as I enjoyed making it and seeing how it turned out.



Here's a little secret - I read the Twilight series too.

A place for Birthdays and Special Occasions

So....I'm really bad at remembering birthdays and such. I always think " Oh so and so's birthday is next week" and then the week comes and goes and I have missed getting the card in the mail. So my goal is to be sure to remember the birthdays, and special days, of all of the people who are near and dear to me. So to help me I created this:

I found several Office Max brand rolodex for on Clearance for $2.00. Needless to say I cleared them out of the last 6 they had. I have made several for other people, including a Christmas Gift for my Mom this past year - but I finally put one to use for my own good.

The bird and the leaves are punched with the Stampin' Up! two-step bird punch. The flower is from the SU 5-petal punch and the flower center is a an old pearl brad that I had lying around. The paper is made by Chatter Box - Not sure where I got it from. It was super easy to cut out the paper - I used my Big shot and the Address card Sizzix die. Perfect fit ! The monthly tabs are punched and layered with the 1" and 1 1/4" Circle punches from SU. I hand wrote the months for a more homemade touch.

Let's hope my new system works.

Elements of Style Toile

Well, I know it has been a while since I have posted anything. Time just seems to get away from me and before I realize it.....Well I hope you understand.


My project today is the Toile technique. I have always loved the way Toile looks - So Victorian. This is my first attempt at doing Toile and I hope you like it.

All of the supplies used are Stampin' Up!. I used Marina Mist, Bashful Blue and Whisper White cardstock. I stamped the large flower image from the Elements of Style stamp set, on both the bottom and the top layer with Marina Mist. On the Top layer I then took a blender pen and ink and colored in the flowers and leaves. I took the top layer and ran it through the big shot with the lattice embossing folder for some extra texture. Lastly, the sentiment is also from the Elements of Style set and says 'For You". It is also stamped in Marina Mist - punched with the 1" circle punch and layered with a 1 1/4" Marina Mist circle. Unfortunately, you can't see it well in the photo, but the words "For You" are highlighted with dazzling diamonds.

I do apologize for the quality of the photo - Let's just say I'm not making my millions as a Photographer.

Happy Father's Day

Every year Father's Day sneaks up on me. It always just seems to come out of nowhere. Our son's birthday is in May, our wedding anniversary is in early June, and school ends (for my hubby, who is a teacher) either end of May or early June. So Father's days always just seems to get lost in the shuffle somewhere. Well believe it or not - I actually am on top of things this year and have been able to get some Father's Day cards done already. Usually I'm doing them on Father's Day eve and mailing them on post-Father's Day Monday.


My Father-In-Law is a Harley Davidson FANATIC. Although he lives in NY - where that funny white stuff falls from the sky 1/2 of the year - he rides at every opportunity he can. Actually owns two motorcycles - can only ride one - but owns two - Go figure. Well Great Impressions had this terrific stamp of a vintage looking bike - Saw it and just thought of Doug.


I used Kraft paper, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip and a retired SU Designer Paper (I can't remember the name AND can't find an older catalog). I ran the bashful blue through the Big shot with the texture plates and then sponged some chocolate chip ink over it for some additional dimension. I also used some crystal effects on the tank of the bike.

Enjoy and Happy Father's Day !!

Graduation Greetings

As some of you know, my cousin Jennifer, is graduating from High School this year. My hubs, my son and I will be making the trek north to North Tonawanda, NY (near Niagara Falls) to help her celebrate. This is the card that I made for her. Her school colors are Red and Blue - and I felt that was just too, too.....looking - I can't even think of the right word...So I decided to focus on the Red part and I wanted it to be a little feminine too. So I wipped out my favorite base for cards - Say hello Kraft Paper - "HELLO" - and just wung it. I'm pretty happy with the results. I think it just has a very feminie feel to it. IRL the Dazzling Diamonds add the perfect focal point the the flowers - Just very pretty in person.
Supplies Used:
Stamp Sets - Upsy Daisy, Graduation Stamp (not by SU - unsure of manufacturer)
Ink - Riding Hood Red Classic Ink
Paper - Kraft CS, Pink Pirouette CS, Whisper White CS, Riding Hood Red CS, Candy Lane DP
Accessories - Big Shot Top Note Die, Big Shot and accessories, Riding Hood Red Ribbon, Paper Piercer, Sizzix Texure plates (SU Backgrounds #1), Paper piercer.

Enjoy !

Designer Paper Gift Bag

So - Now that the new catalogs will be coming soon (July 1st for those who don't know) I have been in my craft room looking for projects to use up some of my retiring accessories. I tend to accumulate sooo much stuff and since we bought our new house in February, I'm taking this as an opportunity to keep up on making sure I don't let too much stuff gather.

I came across a pattern for a gift bag that was from SU's Stampin Success magazine a while back - it happen to be one of the on-line extras. It was so easy to create from (2) 12 x 12 pieces of designer paper. It can also be done with 6 x 6 pieces of paper to create a smaller bag.

For this project I used the Rockabilly Designer paper, the Just Jawing stamp set, and the Riding Hood Red 1/2" ribbon. The Handles are threaded through two large jumbo eyelets and then knotted on the back side. For extra stability I cut a piece of cardboard (from the designer paper packages) and placed it in the bottom.

This is a GREAT way to help use up some extra patterened paper you may have lying around.

Graduation Favors

My cousin, Jennifer, is Graduating High school this month. Jennifer is the last of the grandchildren in my family to graduate from high school. I have a pretty small family - there are only 6 grandchildren between both sides of my family...I'm the oldest and Jennifer is the youngest. Jenny and I have always been really close...She has always been more like a little sister to me than a cousin and her brother Jon has always been more like my brother. My Aunt, whom I adore, is throwing her a graduation party - a rite of passage any person should have, and I volunteered to make the favors for the party.

39 down - 61 to go.

I decided to go with the "all time favorite" Patty sandwiches. I put a Jennier's Senior picture on the front and her name, and high school info on the back, and I used her school colors. She is graduating from North Tonawanda High School is North Tonawanda, NY. WHERE ?!?! - you ask...NY is literally 1/2 way between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, NY. To mimic her school colors I used Riding Hood Red and Brillant Blue.

Good Luck Jennifer !!!

Last Chance

OK Guys - It's here......

The Stampin' Up Last Chance List - Formerly called the Retired List.

Check it out here: http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/Retired_Lists_0609_US_num.pdf

Keep an eye out for the new catalog to debut on July 1, 2009.

Happy Mothers Day

Every year when Mother's Day comes I am always behind the dreaded 8-ball and buying my Mother's Day cards at the last minute. Well, this year, although I am still late, I was able to make Mother's Day cards. This is the card I made for my MIL - Benna. She is a great lady and I am fortunate enough to have her not only as my family, but also as my friend. (Especially since I was friends with her before meeting her son - whom I would later go on to marry).

I also made her a hodgepodge hardware bookmark to go with it, but my DH packed it up and mailed it before I got a chance to take a picture of it. Take my word for it - it was super cute. I hope she enjoys it.

The stamp set I used is from the current SU occasions catalog and it is called Soft Summer. It is a 2-step stamp set and this is the "bold" set. I used markers to color and and IRL it really looks like watercolor. I also used my new scallop oval punch for the first time - I had been looking for an excuse to use it but just couldn't find one. I also used the Raspberry Tart designer paper and coordinating buttons.

Please enjoy and Have a Happy Mother's Day !!

With Sympathy

It's been so long since I have been able to post since buying a new house and finally getting a new job....Unfortunatley, I have the most sad reason to provide the incentive.

One of the ladies in my craft group recently lost her Mom. Here is the sympathy card I made for her. I really feel for Kim. She has been travelling back and forth from Florida to Pennsylvania to help take care of her mom and last week her mom passed away.

My deepest sympathies to Kim.....My thoughts and prayers are with you.

All the supplies used are from Stampin' Up! with the exception of the stamped images...These are some really old stamps that I have had for over 10 years....I don't even know who made them. The rest of the supplies are listed below:

Paper: Cameo Coral CS, Kiwi Kiss CS, Raspberry Tart DP, Watercolor Paper
Inks: Rose Red Classic, Watercolor Wonder crayons (old olive, cameo coral, rose red)
Accessories: Dazzing diamonds, dimensionals, 2-way glue pen, white signo gel pen, Big Shot, Scallop oval die.

MojoMonday Sketch 73 - Love You

Wow...Two posts in one day....I figured since I have all of my supplies still unpacked and I was working on the week 72 sketch I might as well go ahead and get a jump start on this weeks sketch. Especially since tomorrow I will probably be packing up the craft room and I don't know when I will have an opportunity to do much more crafting....This week the posts might be a bit light.

Here is the MojoMonday sketch for week 73:

And my submission:

I'm really happy with the way this card looks IRL...The picture does not do it justice....I guess we know why I'm not an award winning photographer....The image is a Hero Arts stamp that I have had for YEARS...I stamped the image in Baja Blue on Baja Blue paper. Trimmed the image to size then took my versamark and put the ink pad directly on the paper and coverage the entire image with versamark. Sprinkled irridescent ice and set with the heat gun. It is very pretty. I'm also very wild about this color combo. I used Chocolate Chip, Baja Blue, and a little bit of left over Blue Bayou from last year. Then then to lighten it up a bit - just some layers of Very Vanilla. I didn't have any hardware for this challenge so I used a little bit of Turquoise bling.

I think that I'm going to give this card to DH for our 5 year anniversary this year. Hope I can find it again in June. :)

MojoMonday Sketch #72

It's time for the MojoMonday sketch.....Ok, so I'm a little bit behind....like a week behind....please forgive me...I have been so busy this past week and this coming week too....My DH and I will be closing on our first house this Friday. So much work, so little time, but this dream has been a long time coming so we figure it is all worth it....So next week I hope to say that I will be moving....EEEKKKK. We are so very excited.

Here is the sketch from last week...This is Week #72.

And here is my Design:

I decided to change up my design a little bit...I flipped it to a landscape layout. During my visit to my parents in New York back in January my Mom and I found this great store in Buffalo called Buffalo Stamps and I got some great items there and I thought of these as soon as I saw the sketch. I LOVE this stamp. It is called "George & Ester Love Birds" by Cornish Heritage Farms.

Since we are so close to Valentine's Day I wanted to do something around Love, but not a Valentine's day card per se.....So I thought this card would do well as a wedding or anniversary card - Better yet - a GREAT engagement card.

Supply List:

Stamps: George & Esther - Love Birds by Cornish Heritage Farms, Best Yet - SU

Ink: Black Stazon, Old Olive SU Classic, Pretty in Pink SU marker, Regal Rose SU marker

Cardstock: - All by SU - Watercolor Paper, Old Olive, Ruby Red, Creamy Caramel

Patterned Paper - Mousse by bittersweet, Holiday Cheer Plaid by BoBunny

Accessories - All SU - Scallop Circle punch, Scallop Border punch, paper piercer, mat pack, 2-way glue pen, dazzling diamonds, Build-a-Brad, stampin dimensionals, Pop-up Glue dots

Enjoy !!!

Craft Group Swap

I have been going to the same craft group now for a couple of years....The group is offered by my upline, and friend, Deborah...I really enjoy going and have made some really nice friends.

Well this year the group decided to do swaps....Each member makes 15 card, of the same design, and we all exchange...Our rules for this groups swap are pretty liberal...The only real rule is that the swap had to be a full card - not just a card front...I really enjoy participating in swaps because it give me an opportunity to see what other people do with with designs and the stamp sets they choose...I love the sharing of creativity....I often get new ideas of how to use a particular set or a new technique.

This is my swap for the most recent group held this past Sunday...Yes, Super Bowl Sunday....Never Fear we were done with plenty of time to spare for kick off - Of course I fell asleep during the game, but I guess that is just the way it goes...For this swap I used up some of my scraps that were lying around and unfortunately the scraps were not SU....I don't know what company made them...Here is a list of the supplies that I do know.....All supplies are SU unless noted..

Supplies:

Stamp Set: A Good Egg

Paper: Bazzil textured cardstock in turquoise (card base), certainley celery CS, Barely Banana CS, Whisper White CS, Designer Paper (manufacturer unknown)

Ink: Black Stazon, Pumpkin Pie Marker, Barely Banana Marker

Accessories, 1 3/8" circle punch, Scallop Circle punch, Signo Gel pen, stampin dimensionals

Pick a Petal for Carli

A few posts back I mentioned my husband's cousin Carli Slack and I sent out a request for cards for her. If you didn't get to see the post here is just a little bit of background.....Carli is my husband's 17 year old cousin who lives in Tampa. Carli has been in the hospital for over 6 months now. She was originally diagnosed with Leukemia and initally the outlook looked really good for her recovery. However somewhere during her treatment Carli developed Fungus Mucor on several of her organs. Fungus Mucor, until now, has been 100% fatal. Carli has been a miracle in the sense that her body has been able to keep the fungus at bay, however she does not appear to be getting better and the fear is that eventually it will overcome her.....My Mother-In-Law, who is a cancer survior squared (she survived breast cancer twice) literally sends her a card everyday to make sure Carli has some "light" in her life. Benna has recently run into a problem....She has found out that Hallmark, and Carlton cards only make so many Get well, Thinking of you cards and she is now having to send duplicates.

I have started a collection of cards to send to my mother-in-law so that she will have a "fresh" stack to send to Carli. Here is one of my first creations. I used the In-colors and the Pick-A-Petal set. I cased this card from someone off of splitcoast stampers, but I can't remember who, so if you know, please contact me so that I can give the appropriate credit. I love this color combination. It is Baja Breeze and Tangerine Tango....It is just very sunny - exactly what Carli needs.

Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Pick A Petal
Ink: Black Stazon, Close to Cocoa Classic, Baja Breeze Classic, Tangerine Tango Classic
Paper: Tangerine Tango CS, Whisper White CS, Baja Breeze CS
Accessories: Scallop border punch, Mat pack, Paper Piercer

I am continually making, and accepting card donations, for Carli's cause. Please check out Carli's website at http://www.carlislack.page.tl/. If you would like to help make this beautiful young girls life, just a little bit brighter, and donate some cards please contact me. No donation is too small.

I hope you enjoy this "SUNNY" card.....

Diva Coffee Break Color Challenge

So today I'm out there on the "Net" just snooping around like I do everyday and, also just like everyday, I checked out Dannie Graves blogsite...She is a great source of my inspiration. Some of her card designs are just toooo cute.....

Well today I saw that she participated in the Diva Coffee Break Color Challenge. The color combo just sucked me in - I don't know what it was about the colors - But they just screamed "TRY IT, TRY IT".....So I did....Here is the challenge for today:

The color combination just looks so cute on the pillow, but boy did it live up to it's name...It was a challenge. Unfortunately, I have to say that I'm not that happy with the results of my card....I was hoping for something a bit brighter.

Either way here is my design...I hope you enjoy.

Supplies:

Stamp Sets: Crazy for Cupcakes

Ink: Black Stazon, Pink Passion Classic, Lovely Lilac Classic, Baja Breeze Classic, Going Gray Marker

Paper: Bashful Blue CS, Baja Breeze CS, Lovely Lilac CS, Basic Black CS, Whisper White, CS, Pink Passion Textured CS, Bashful Blue Designer Paper

Accessories: Crystal Effects, Brads, Build-A-Brad

Be sure to check out Dannie's Blog at http://danniesdesigns.typepad.com/. She is very creative and I'm sure she will continue to serve as a source of inspiration.

MojoMonday Challenge #71

Well I'm finally back on firm, un snow covered ground....Thank Goodness. I was visiting my parents this past week in New York and OMG was it COLD....I hadn't realized just how much my blood has thinned in 6 years living in Florida. I don't know if I can ever stand the cold again..BRRRR!!!


While I was at my parent's house along came Julee's weekly MojoMonday sketch challenge. One of my New Year's resolutions was to participate in more online challenges. I really like Julee's sketches. Here is the sketch for this week:



And here is my creation:


I was at my parent's house and wasn't privy to all of the current SU supplies that I have at my fingertips at my house. So I have to admit that some of my items are either not SU products or are not current SU items - Oh I know, GASP !!!


Supplies:
Stamp Sets: Love You Much
Paper: Basic Black CS, So Saffron CS, Whisper White CS, Parisian Summer DP (Retired), Holiday Treasures DP (Retired).
Ink: Black Stazon, So Saffron marker
Accessories: Non-SU ribbon, Three Heart punch

Please feel free to play along too...I'd love to see what you have created too !!!! Keep your eyes out for next weeks MojoMonday sketch.