Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Sweet & Simple


Yet ANOTHER gift enclosure (are you sick of them yet???).....Stamp from CTMH - Memento Ink, Copics, Stickles, paper flower accent and sheer ribbon from A Muse.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Happy BarK-day

 
Have I mentioned that I REALLY like Paper Smooches stamps??  I mean I REALLY, REALLY like them??  Of course I don't care for ALL of them......but if I had to do some mathy-math - I'd have to say that I like about 95% of the images.  That's a pretty high percentage.....so obviously I really like Kim's quirky, fun & whimsical style. 
 
Unfortunately once again the Kraft CS looks a lot like CRAP CS.......sigh....... 
 

Stamps: Paper Smooches; Memento & CTMH Pigment inks; Copics; google eye; mini pom-pom; Cuddlebug embossing folder; Basic Grey B&T

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Shhhhhhh.........I'm napping........


Please, be vewwwy, vewwwy quiet, I might be dweaming of hunting wabbits.........

Snoozy greetings from Iris.............

P.S.  My mama (Creepella) made me the lovely little floral pillow (guess she was tired of me using the remote)......it matches the blankie that her mama got for me from IKEA.......sure I'm kinda spoiled, but I totally deserve EVERYTHING and oh-so much MORE...

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Why, Hello there...



Greetings from the beautiful and lovely Lily....................

Friday, July 26, 2013

Fun O'clock



I know, I know, I knowwwwwwww - I'm a broken record.....but I can't help it - they are what they are.....and what are they?  Well, they're so stinkin' cute it should almost be illegal.  Paper Smooches, that's what I'm talking about!!! 

Another gift enclosure (3 x 3-ish)......with just a circle punch (Marvy) of white CS and some quick stamping with Memento inks, a fast swipe around the edges with some CTMH pigment ink, a bit of Copic coloring, a well-placed gemstone and a trim here and there with zig-zag scissors, an eensy bit of polka-dotty ribbon from May Arts and a scrap of B&T paper (????) and it's definitely "Fun O'clock"!!

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Sniff-sniff.....CAKE???


Such a wee little stamp......to make such a large card.......but get some help from some handy-dandy Basic Grey B&T and ta-dahhhhh, you're done!

Stamps - Hero Arts & Cat's Pajamas; Memento Ink; Copics; Stickles; Liquid Glass/CTMH; Basic Grey B&T; Marvy Punch.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Party Girls


So Friday, Pam and I were FINALLY able to take Debbie out for her b-day celebration (only a month late....)


Did I mention is was PRINCESS Pamela.....????


And uhmmmm, well, plain ol' me..............
 

And the b-day girl herself, Darling Debbie.......


And well, EVERYONE knows this one......right?????

It was a lovely visit and we had some well-deserved FUN.......

Stamps:  PSA Essentials (Smirk Girls), CTMH; CTMH CS; Cuddlebug Embossing Folder; A Muse Ribbon; Making Memories Brads; Marvy Punches; Memento Ink; Copics; Spicas

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Green Gardener


This summer Creepella has been busy tending the raised beds garden.  I LOVE cut flowers so they planted one bed with JUST flowers.  As you can see (look closely), she's had a bit of help with the flowers.  I guess there are two mantises that have been hanging out.....so one day she decided to snap a few photos!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Happy Place


Definitely Chef Bo-Bo's "Happy Place"......bags are packed for D-Land (see the B&T paper?).  Another little gift enclosure....I think it's about 3 x 4-ish.  I'm too lazy to see the paper manufacturer but it's all Disney-related (Heidi and I purchased the last two pads from Stamper's Corner).  I've used it quite a bit and as you can see, I dressed it up a bit with some Stickles application.

Stamps - Paper Smooches; Memento Inks; Copics; Stickles

Been busy with making cards for the craft fair so I haven't had time (i.e. keep forgetting) to snap any photos but that's #1 on my list for the weekend.  Hope to have some ready for next week's posts.  Increased stamping means decreased stitching time and that makes me kind of sad.  While I'm grateful for the continued and steady paycheck, working full-time REALLY cuts into my crafting time....sigh......

But fun times are scheduled for this evening - Pam and I are taking Debbie out for a belated B-day celebration - wheeeeee, what fun we're going to have - those two crazy women are ALWAYS fun!!!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Sky High


Only a wee bit of stamping on this card.  As you can see, it's mostly paper, paper, paper goodness.  Oh, and toys - I mean TOOLS of the trade.  Paper is from CTMH, A Muse and Doodlebug.  Stamp is from Memory Box, Bakers twine and cloud die-cut from A Muse, weird scissors from Martha Stewart. 

Monday, July 15, 2013

I Robot


That was a weird movie.....one that Creepella and I agree could happen.  Technology and the advancement of Artificial Intelligence - not a good thing.  Great potential but even GREATER weirdness.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm totally good with most weird....I'm just not a fan of THIS type of weirdness.

I stamped this gift enclosure (it's a 3 x 3 card) during the Girl's Weekend that Heidi and I had in April.  Actually, I borrowed Heidi's set....yep, this is an oldie but goodie - a WOOD-MOUNTED set from CTMH.  Kinda fun to stamp with wood-mounted stamps every once in a while.  I don't realize how often I've come to depend on being able to see "through" stamps until I whip out a wood-mounted stamp!

Stamps & CS - CTMH; Memento Inks and Stickles and about 4 minutes later, you've got a cute little gift enclosure!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Neener-Neener

Not certain how many times I've used the above for a Post title.....but when it comes to Iris, it's pretty darned fitting!!

Here's another little card - a b-day week card for Creepella.  Stamp is from Paper Smooches, cool B&T paper from CTMH, Memento & Colorbox Chalk Inks, Copics and a heart punch from Marvy were all that were needed to whip up this Iris-inspired card.

Been busy stamping - talked to Heidi today and let her know that I was FINISHED with my b-day card sets (we're each doing 10 sets with 3 cards in a set).  I'm feeling pretty good about it (yes, even rather smug), but I really wanted to get a jump on getting them done BEFORE school starts.....I've got a little more than a month to go - so I'd better keep the momentum going.....wish me luck!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Hello Kitty "Hidden" Mickey


While I'm not a huge fan of Hello Kitty, some of them are pretty cute.  These are in the PSA Essentials line.....it's a gardening set of Hello Kitty (I also got the "Autumn" set - hopefully I'll remember to use it in a couple of months!). 

Made this mini-card (it's just a smidge over 3 inches) for Chef Bo-Bo Head.  The B&T is from CTMH, the CS is just scrap pieces (remember, this is a small card, it doesn't take much).  Memento Inks, Copics and a bit of Spica action finish up the color coordinating.  Marvy punches and Fiskar scissors were the rest of the hardware needed to complete the card. 

Monday, July 8, 2013

Cheerio!



Hmmmm, I have NO idea how long I've had these stamped (and colored) images.  The images themselves are CTMH (but these stamps are wood-mounted so that will give you a clue as to their age).  STILL love them though - they're so Happy!!  The teacup on the envelope is from A Muse - a nice match, yes?  The rest of the card materials are items found here & there in the stamp room.....remnants pretty much.  The sentiment is from Cat's Pajamas.  I colored these with Tombows (again, pretty much dates things don't you think?) - my go-to markers before I was introduced to Copics. 

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Re-use, Re-purpose & Make Do

I've got YEARS of Mary Englebreit "page-a-day" calendars.  Once in a great while (when I have my crappy-ola together) I make The Perfect Card from one of the pages.  Basically this page fit the bill because the cat is wearing a name tag indicating his name is Bob and he's a party.  I doctored it up a bit by adding a gift (which hides his tail because our Bob is sans tail) and replacing the party hat with a PARTY Hat and finally......I used some colored pencils to tone down the WHITE kitty into a darker kitty (remember, our Bob is Midnight-ish). 


Creepella loved the card and I loved being able to actually "recycle/re-purpose" something half-way decent. 

Progress or a BIG Giant Mess???

Welcome to some of my stamp room......this is just as you open the closet door....this cabinet houses a lot of my specialized 8.5 x 11 cardstock and most of my 12 x 12 CTMH scrapbook Level 1 & 2 kits.  As you can see I try to utilize every nook & cranny.....my scrapbooks are stored on the top of the cabinet, labels facing out so that I have some sort of clue of what's in those boxes.....
 
 
Just to the left of the paper cabinet I now have 6-foot shelving pretty much from floor to ceiling that runs the length of the rest of the closet.  As you can see I'm still fiddling around with how to space the shelves for maximum storage of stamps, accessories AND stitching AND crochet stuff (which is currently located in the hallway...sigh...).  I've got containers in a wide variety of sizes so it sort of feels like putting together a big  puzzle...

 
 
Another shot of the "long wall"....

 



A shot of the stacks of wood-mounted stamps that I've stacked into "categories".  Oh, and I'm pretty pleased with that stool from IKEA - that will allow me to sit and browse through my stitching charts, fabrics and fibers at my leisure (wellllll, once the charts & stitch stuff are actually IN the closet......)


 

Here's a view of the "short wall"...  and the wall to the left will eventually have 2 or 3 stamp cabinets (they mount to the wall) that my Dad made years ago.......they hold "loose" wood-mounted stamps that I use frequently like background & texture stamps.  I still need three more 3-foot shelves to complete this short wall but I'm pleased with how it's going so far.  Obviously the label maker will be getting a good work-out once all the containers and stamp sets are on the shelves.....


This stuff is pretty much blocking the closet doorway.  Bob is loving the easy closet access - he likes to keep up on the nearly constant changes in the stamp room.....


Yet more wood-mounted stamps that will be housed in the closet, right now they're just hanging around the closet door.....waiting for their "room assignment".  Oh look - could that be an open space on the yellow bookcase my Grandpa built (it's probably older than me....yikes!!)???  Nooope, I'm just a piggy-girl and haven't put the embossing folders back in their proper place.


Ok, now we're getting to the nitty-gritty.....the HUB of the stamp room.....my desk.  Yessss, there is a desk there - somewhere.  It's rather a Sherman Tank of a desk - something I purchased at a garage sale at work....it's huge and metal and clunky and you just about need a crane to move it......but for $25.00 it was a bargain that we couldn't pass up (and could barely get into the van)!! 

Obviously I'm all about adjustable shelving.....while they're not the prettiest storage option, they're VERY functional AND affordable.  I have both 6-foot AND 2-foot shelving on the wall behind me & my desk.  I also have two paper racks and a couple of additional 2-foot shelves that fit PERFECTLY in this space.  I've surrounded myself with the stuff that I use most often so when I'm in a creative frenzy, I don't have far to go to get what I need. 


 
Most of my CTMH acrylic stamps are in CTMH containers that fit on the shelves (stacking two containers makes them easy to get to and utilizes space most efficiently).  Of course NOW I'm converting to the larger containers that CTMH has so the shelves will be changed a bit AND will look much more uniform when this conversion is complete.  The very top shelf holds holiday-themed stamps and two containers of roller stamps from Stampin' Up (I'm definitely an equal-opportunity stamp procurement specialist!!)
 
 


And while I'm sitting at my desk, I have a 4-foot shelving area to my right - this houses my most-used inks, punches, scissors, adhesives, etc.  The top shelf will eventually be filled with decorative items as it's a scary scene to try to get up to those top shelves.......  In the  lower right you can see where most of my clear stamps (other than CTMH) are kept (by category & on large binder rings and then housed in a few plastic containers to keep control of the chaos).  I also have most of my larger Marvy & Stampin' Up punches on towel rods/racks from IKEA directly under the corner shelves.

I didn't take any photos of the view from my desk, but I have another large window and a TV along the opposite wall that are positioned well for getting inspiration from nature and for watching our favorite DVDs......there's also a loveseat, an ottoman. two tall paper racks and a narrow folding table that Creepella has commandeered along with her section of 2-foot shelving.  Once things are a bit tidier, I'll continue the tour......................



Whew, that mini-tour just about wore Bob out.......after all, he's also the keeper of this blog and oversees the creative efforts that happen in this stamping/crafting room!!


 
Thanks for visiting.....now we're off to get busy stamping!!!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Sparkly Love


Obviously NOT a card.....but still it's a crafty sort of thing and holiday-related.  This is a pretty quick and easy design.  Love this little black kitties and I have many (many) charts of them for various months and holidays.  As I was avoiding some of my larger stitching pieces (and wanting to START something new because that's ALWAYS fun...), I decided I need to stitch up this little guy.  Creepella saw it and whined and wheedled enough that I stitched up a modified version for her - and she had the perfect little frame for him too. 



Here's a close-up of his little French-knotted butt......because EVERY black cat needs a pink French-knot of a butt......

Mini-kats ("Great Purrformance") from Calico Crossroads; DMC floss; Metallic fiber from DMC as well; 22-count Aida cloth from Loops & Threads (Michaels)

Wishing everyone a Happy & Safe Independence Day!!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Strong & Proud


I've never seen her IRL, I hope to someday (can we say "retirement"???).  She symbolizes pride, humbleness, strength and hope and I am in awe of this inspiration.  As jaded and cynical as we can get with the daily drudgery, I'm wishing we can all feel the hope and pride she represents...

Stamps (CTMH); Memento Inks; Copics; EK Success star border punch; Stickles; Bakers Twine (A Muse).

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Penguin Sparkler


Making use of some older stamps and lots of Stickles.  Again, it's a pretty fast & easy card - still love those crazy penguins.....as Creepella says, "They're so much fun!!".

Stamps: Penguin (Memory Box); Sparkler (A Muse); sentiment (ann-ticipations); Memento Ink; Copics; star & mini-star brads (Memory Makers??); Ribbon - Michaels (purchased in 2012).

Monday, July 1, 2013

Stars & Stripes


Quick & easy 4th of July card (and happily, they're in the mail too!!). 

Stamps from CTMH, Cuddlebug embossing folder, Memento & Colorbox Chalk Inks, ribbon from Michaels (purchased last year).