Another 'Thank You'

My favorite "thank you" card to date.

Re-posting because I am swamped with to-do lists and errands.

I hope to see my rubber stamps again in August!

All images Eat Cake Graphics

How Many Cat Stamps?

Indeed.  We may never know.

This was created about 10 years ago.  Certainly it was stamped before I owned a scanner.

Stamps Used are from 100 Proof Press, Too Much Fun, Picture Show, Eat Cake Graphics, and Stamp Francisco

Very busy here with end-of-year piano, drama, dance and graduation stuff.

Here is a card from the past.  I made one like it for the doc who attended at the birth of #2.

Stamps Used:  Picture Show (sentiment), Moveable Parts (babies)

JFF: Sneak Peak

My project is up at Just For Fun.
Check it out here.

For Holly

My oldest will graduate from high school soon.

I've home schooled her since the third grade--she grew up in a blink!

Past Holly peers out from the pocket-watch.

Current Holly contemplates her many, many interests (too many to include).

 

Can't wait to see what this kid does with her life!

 

Stamps Used:  All Just For Fun Rubber Stamps

Mother's Day!

A thank you card that I made for a Mom who hosted a bunch of us homeschoolers and our daughters for a "Tea" a while back.  It was great fun.

I sort of wish I had a smaller teacup image, but then again...it's stamping!

You use what you've got to make it work.

Stamps Used:  100 Proof Press (girls, landscape), Stamp Francisco (lady), Sumac Designs (large cup), Rubber Stamps of America (smaller cup)

Happy Mother's Day to ALL women, everywhere!

2013 Postcard Reveal

Teacup Fishermen

Today marks the last day of National Post Card Week for 2013.

I've been sick all week so I am saving up all of the post cards I've been receiving so I can enjoy them all at once.  It's been wonderful to receive so much happy mail!

To see other people's contributions to NPCW, visit Demaris' site here.

Some "notes to self" to remember for next year:

• Turn down the brightness and contrast on the computer monitor before finalizing the colors/saturation to get an idea of what the printed version will be.
• Do a test print!  To save on ink, select patches from various spots on the card to print, but do not skip this step.
• Plan for the print shop to hack away up to 1/16" from each edge of your design, no matter what dimensions you provide.  (I added a 1/8" border to my design before sending.)

Stamps Used:  Sumac Designs (fishermen, lighthouse), 100 Proof Press (children)

U.S. flag and shadow was added via Photoshop
Sky texture courtesy of Tezrin at Deviant Art (thank you!).
Water texture by SimplyBackgrounds at Deviant Art (thank you!).

Sunshine on the Water

Sunshine!  At long last.

Been busy, then oddly sick for the past week...this PC's from a while ago.

Stamps Used:  Remarkable (sun), Stampscapes (grass, water), 100 Proof Press (landscape w/trees), Unknown (cloud)

JFF Tuesday: Travel

I'm in a traveling mood today.

Stamps Used:  Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (Collection, Old English City, Postcard Background)

Furry Friends

They are waiting for their National Post Card Week postcards to arrive!

Happy Weekend!

I'll be hanging out at home today, doing some Spring cleaning and getting my postcards ready to go.

Looks like the weather will be beautiful today--hurray!  It's time to pull up the shades and let the sunshine pour in.

Stamps Used:  Beeswax (butterfly, foreground flowers), Stampland (cats in mailbox), StampFrancisco (cat sleeping), Arizona Stamps Too! (grasses, rocks)

JFF Tuesday: Domicile

watercolors, scissors and glue

This card says, "Welcome to the Neighborhood".  It'd be fun to create working doors on these.  Oh, and think about Halloween.  The possibilities.  They are endless!

Stamps Used:  Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (Home Definition, Collaged Row Houses)

JFF Tuesday: Peony

Still quite chilly outside in real life, but a stamper can dream...

Stamps Used: Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (peony, gathering pollen partial)

Nothing Happens

I'm trying to think, but nothing happens.

I found this old scan on my computer this afternoon.
As much as I love babies, I do not miss the sleep-deprived stupor that often accompanies them.

Not one bit!

My youngest is three (almost 4) and a great sleeper.

Remember the time when 1.4MB on a 3-1/2" disk seemed like five times the storage space you'd ever need in a lifetime?  Right.  Those days are long gone.

Stamps Used:  Rubber Stamps of America (computer, floppy disk), Too Much Fun Rubber Stamps (safety pin), Leavenworth Jackson (baby), 100 Proof Press (brain, iron skillet), Stamp Diva (lady)

JFF Tuesday: Dragonfly

Today I made a quick (ha ha...nothing I do is "quick") ATC featuring this cool dragonfly image.

My Mom used to call these insects "sewing bugs".  She was told by her mother to stay far away from these creatures or they'd sew her mouth shut.  eeks!  How do these tales get started?

Stamps Used: Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (dragonfly, water lily)

Don't forget National Post Card Week! info here

It's Almost Here!

National Post Card Week 2013 begins Sunday, May 5 and lasts the entire week

How about stamping a card and printing up a few dozen copies?

My design is cooling off before I whisk it off to the printer.

I'll give you a sneak peek or two...

Here's the cancellation mark that I created for this year.

You're welcome to use it, too.

To get involved, create a post card!  Most are 6" x 4", but the dimensions are up to you.

As for theme?  Any theme or no theme.  Collectors like to have your name displayed on the front of the postcard, along with the name of the event we're all celebrating.  You can abbreviate to "NPCW", if you wish.

Be sure you use non-copyrighted images for your design.  Photos are o.k. only if you are the copyright holder.  If you're a stamper, stamp something.  Send a copy to Rubber Stamp Madness magazine.*

 

Splurge a little and have your design printed professionally.  I use Uprinting, but there are many options, including your local Mom-and-Pop shop in the nearest town.

Finally--and this is most important--SEND your postcards to friends, family, and complete strangers between May 5 and May 11 so that the postal cancellation date falls within National Post Card Week.

 

To get your name included on a list of fellow postcard designers and collectors, send an email to Demaris**.  She'll send you a distribution list.  Mail a pc to everyone on the list, then sit back and wait for the postcard storm to hit your mailbox.

*Rubber Stamp Madness Magazine:  PO Box 610, Corvallis, OR  97339-0610

**Demaris (keeper of the lists): ezrestexas@aol.com

 

Here's another peek for you.

See you in the mail?

 

Search on "NPCW" to find older posts on this subject.

JFF Tuesday: Easter Greetings

Happy Easter!

Stamps Used: Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (cross w/lilies, sentiment)

JFF Tuesday: Poppies

It's my turn to post on the JFF blog today!

Check it out here.

hi

A card to bring cheer.

Stamps Used: Eat Cake Graphics (cat and fish)

JFF Tuesday: Crowded

This reminds me of trying to fit both of my little boys on my lap at the same time. 
Someone's always falling off!

Stamps Used:  Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (all)

Partial images used:  Bunny Artist (egg only),

Traditional Easter Basket (basket only)

Love U Bunnies (as is)

Parts of each bunny were stamped a second time, then glued over the basket's edge to add dimension.

Calendar Page

This was my contribution to a 2013 collaborative calendar project.  Page size is 5" x 7".

Stamps Used:  Eat Cake Graphics (boy w/dog)

JFF Tuesday: Degas' Little Dancer

 

Dedicated to my own "Little Dancer of Fourteen Years", Laurel.

She wears braces though, so probably no jelly beans this year.

Find the image here.

Stamps Used:  Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (all)

Gate Card

An all-purpose design.

...with left flap opened.

Stamps Used:  Printworks (poppy), Karv'd (leaf), StampFrancisco (leafy background on interior)

JFF Tuesday: Springtime Bunnies

Oh Spring, where ARE you?..

Stamps Used: Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (carrots, bunnies)

Card for a Baby Shower

A card for a sweet baby girl, expected in May.

Stamps Used:  Printworks (peapod baby, sentiment)

JFF Tuesday: Spring Revealed

Imagine if this could work!

I'm ready to say good-bye to gray skies and bare trees.
Just a few more weeks, I hope...

Stamps Used:  Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (trees, zipper)

JFF Tuesday: Imagination

The color of springtime is in the flowers;
the color of winter is in the imagination. ~Terri Guillemets

Stamps Used: Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (tree)

Lent Begins

Good-bye treats, at least for a while.  I will miss you!

Stamps Used:  Snake Oil Sam (children waving), Coffee Break Designs (flying donut), Karv'd (pie), Too Much Fun Rubber Stamps (lollipop), Above the Mark (large wings)

JFF Tuesday: Pine Cones

Angry Bird

Here's a little experiment I've been working on over the past few days, "just for fun".

Stamps Used:  Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (cardinal, pine cone)

JFF Tuesday: Nevermore!

...as I pondered weak and weary...

In high school I think I read every short story Edgar Allen Poe ever wrote.  

His stories were just creepy enough.  

His poetry is musical.

Stamps Used:  Just For Fun (Treble Clef, Pair of Birds (partial), Tree in Winter)

Party Favor

 We're on our way to an early Valentine's Day party, but I snapped a quick photo to maybe inspire you to incorporate stamping into your celebration!

Photos are a bit dark--sorry.

Nothing says "I love you" like a heart-toting dinosaur.
Two little boys will exchange these (one little boy is staying home).

 

These are for the other Moms!

I coated Oreo cookies in Mercken's Dark Coating Chocolate using cookie molds from Wilton.  I bagged them up and created toppers from standard 3 x 5 index cards.

Stamps Used:  Gray Wolf Graphics (dinosaurs), Eat Cake Graphics (penguin)

JFF Tuesday: Valentine ATC

Just add chocolate.

Sage ink along with the beautifully scripted word "Love" made for a subtle, elegant background on today's ATC.

Stamping the rose four times (first onto the ATC itself, then onto two shades of green paper, and finally onto bright red) allowed me to then cut and piece together the image.  This is one way to achieve deeply saturated color.

I stamped "Love" in sepia to bring it to the fore, but unfortunately I did this prior to affixing the rose.  A better plan would've been to stamp that part last!  I corrected it by filling in the "L" with a colored pencil.

A solitary heart-shaped brad was added as a final touch.

Stamps Used: Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (Rose, Love)

Won't You?

ABC's, the gateway to reading!  I'm teaching our five year old to read, and he loves it.  He is a very enthusiastic learner, which makes my job all the more fun.

His three-year-old brother likes to copy everything he does (naturally!), but he falls short when it comes to reciting the alphabet.  Declan's version starts off "A, B, C, D, EFFA, GEE..." and then it falls completely apart.  So cute.

Stamps Used:  MaVinci's Reliquary (A,Z), Beeswax (girl w/flowers), Unknown (girl w/apron) 

JFF Tuesday: Just Sweet Enough

snaps and snails and puppy dogs' tails

This valentine was made with my little sons in mind.  They are much more into bugs and bakugan than frills and flowers!  I started with an orange/brown and flecked card stock that has been in my stash forever.  I inked up the swirly image, then removed ink from the dots (see original image here) to prevent those parts from making an impression.  After stamping the image onto the main card, I drew little hearts where the dots would've been.

I stamped the curious little snail and painted him with watercolors.  He was cut out carefully, then stuck to the card with Pop Up Glue Dots.  (It looks like he's about to exit the scene here!)

The sentiment was over-stamped onto a white panel that I covered in skeletal leaves.

All images are Just For Fun Rubber Stamps.

RB7003-4 sided Assorted Motifs (modified)

C2546-Skeleton Leaf

B2759-Snail Sketch

E2658-Love

Snowy Day

this'll be fun

Thinking snowy thoughts today, and remembering some great images from a company that I wish was still around, Remarkable! Rubber Stamps.

Using older stamps like this brings me right back to the stamping friends I had "back when"... Back when S. used to object to anyone suggesting that she "collected" rubber stamps.  She didn't merely "collect", she reasoned, but actually used her stamps.  "They are my tools," she said (and I heartily agreed--then and now).

Stamps Used: Remarkable! (both scarf-wearing kids), 100 Proof Press (girl in yellow), Impression Obsession (tree).

JFF Tuesday: Soaring

Here's an early Valentine for you!

giving love wings

All images are from Just For Fun Rubber Stamps.  I stamped the large heart onto white card stock, then added wings with my trusty Sharpie.  The original image is from the Heart Cube.  The other hearts are from a two-stamp set, Heart Mini 2-Sided.

Notice how Love has emerged, leaving a trail of chaos behind?
Love doesn't notice chaos.

Happy New Year 2013

Hello out there!  I'm back and happy to announce that I am now one of the new members of the design team for Just For Fun Rubber Stamps (note the nifty new badge on the sidebar).  I've included links to the other DT members' blogs as well.  So much to be inspired by!  Please do check them all out.

More excitement:  Through January 18th, you may visit Just For Fun Rubber Stamps and enjoy a whopping 35% off everything you purchase online!  What could be better than that?

Tuesdays here (starting today!) will feature projects that I've created using JFF images.  I'll get back to PCs on Wednesdays and ATCs on Saturdays as soon as I get my time-turner working properly.  I'll be blogging over at the JFF Blog site, too.

I could use a cuppa joe about now.

Enough blather, I hear you saying.  Here's my first JFF project.  We were tasked to use either lace or buttons in the design.  I confess, embellishments are not my "thing".  I tried to be clever and made paper lace using loopy scissors and a hole punch.  Then I dug through my stash of fabric trims to find actual lace.  Strike three came when I dug through my decades-old stash of gold leaf paper trims.  I even tried drawing some lace!  "Lace hates me!" I cried.

Then I noticed what a pit my crafting area had become (oh, there's a week's worth of posts on that topic) and that is when inspiration struck.  My daughter had left out some ribbon spools, and when I was putting them away (we call this "creative avoidance" around here) I spied some ribbon that had lacy edges.  Huzzah!

Though it took literally days to get to that spark of inspiration, once it did finally strike the card went together in a matter of minutes.  Minutes!

The mind is a terrible, wonderful thing.