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Imagine

Imagine

Posted on July 13, 2011 by buffycooper

This always reminds me of Barney (the dinosaur).  When one of my boys was very little (and I won’t say which boy, because I don’t want to embarrass him), he had a “grumpy time” every day around 4:30-5 p.m.  Maybe it was because I was busy starting dinner, or he just needed a little snack or something.  But he would just be out of sorts.  And then we discovered Barney.  For about six months, Barney was my hero.  The kids on the show drove me nuts, though.  And then they added the “Baby Bop” character.  I wanted to bop her, let me tell you.  Fortunately by then the kids had outgrown the show.

But back to the story…there was a special about imagination, and one of the songs was “Just Imagine.”  And that’s what this tag reminds me of.  It’s from the Word Play set.  I finally ordered it (another freebie!!), and it arrived in the shipment yesterday.  And Rachel had this great idea of glittering the “G.” I glittered the whole word, but you can’t really see it in the photo.  It’s just enough glitter to look magical.

Click on photo to view larger image.

Stamp sets:  Delicate Doilies; Hello, Doily; Word Play; Ink:  Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade classic; Paper:  Whisper White, Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight; Other:  Decorative Label punch, sponge daubers, lace ribbon border punch, corner rounder punch, mat pack, paper piercing tool, glitter brads – brights, Tombow multi-adhesive, stampin’ dimensionals, versamarker, heat & stick powder, dazzling diamonds glitter, heat tool

This is a combination Andrea Walford and Rachel card.  Andrea had the gatefold card with the border punch on her blog the other day, and Rachel gave me the colors and rainbow idea for the doily.  Look at the inside -

Click on photo to view larger image.

I love the way this looks with the red center and lighter edges.  Using a sponge dauber, I inked the stamp with Poppy Parade for the center, then Calypso Coral, and finally Daffodil Delight on the outer edges.  For the inside “flaps” (not shown), I used one of the Delicate Doilies stamps with Poppy Parade.

For the glittered “Imagine,” I considered the 2-way glue pen, but the tip is a little thick.  So I used a versamarker with Heat & Stick powder, then Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  And one last tip – to adhere the lace border, I used Tombow Multi (the liquid glue with the green cap).  I used teeny tiny little dots…and when I say “teeny tiny,” I mean smaller than a pin head.  Once I had the glue flowing, I just barely touched it to the card stock.  And I didn’t put it everywhere on the border, just a few places.  That stuff holds forever – plus it gives a little “wiggle room” before it dries.  If you find your lace isn’t exactly straight, you can move it a bit.

So there you go!  Tomorrow I have another “fashion card.”  I had a blouse on Sunday that I thought would make a great card design.  It’s Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Basic Black and Tempting Turquoise, and I can’t wait to show you!  I also think I used at least one stamp from every new set I got yesterday, except one.  Pretty good, right?

Thanks for stopping by!  I’m going to try to do something with fabric today.  Cross your fingers.  Cloth and I have not had a good partnership lately.

Is it Christmas already?

Not Christmas, but close.  It's the new Stampin' Up!® year!  My UPS man is getting used to me, I think.  He doesn't run when he hears me coming any more.  He was actually very calm today when he dropped off my first order from the new catalog.  And just think; if I had gone to convention, I would have had to wait until Sunday for the order. Quelle horreur!  Well, maybe it's not that bad.

Rachel had surgery several weeks ago, and everyone who was staying with her had to be gone for the week.  So I brought her home with me, and, WOW!  First, it's fun opening a box of new stamping supplies when there's someone here to appreciate it.  But even better - she looked at each item in the box and said, "Oh, you could do this!" and, "Oh, you know what would be cute?"  So here's what she designed for my new Creative Elements set.  (Oh, yeah - and the absolute best part?  The stamp set was free!)

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Stamp set:  Creative Elements; Ink:  Versamark, Basic Black classic, Whisper White craft, Cherry Cobbler & Tempting Turquoise stampin' write markers; Paper:  Island Indigo, Whisper White, Vellum card stock; Other:  Big Shot, Top Note die, 2-way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, scallop oval punch, mat pack, paper piercing tool, In Color polka dot brads, heat tool, embossing buddy, stampin' dimensionals, mini glue dots, embossing powder - Iridescent Ice, Cherry Cobbler, Tempting Turquoise, Black

Don't you love it?  First I stamped the swirl/leaf image in Basic Black.  Then I stamped each flower in Versamark and added embossing powder.  And the easel is so easy.  Cut three Top Note die cuts - one for the base, one for the front, and one for the easel.  Score. the easel about 1" from the edge and again at the center.  Glue the 1" scored side to the back of the platform.  Fold that up and over, and then adhere the other end to the bottom of the card front.  Schedule a workshop, and I can show you how to do this in person!

The "create" piece is stamped and embossed with black embossing powder on vellum.  Then I colored the back with markers and punched the vellum and a piece of Whisper White with the scallop oval punch.  I put them together with the brads, then adhered the whole thing to the card platform with dimensionals.  If you love this as much as I do, be sure to leave a comment so I can forward them to Rachel.  She really did everything except the stamping - and that's only because she's not supposed to do stairs yet.

Thanks for stopping in!  I'm off to dry off my tootsies.  More rain came into my stamping room than I realized, and my feet got a bit damp.  I'm thinking now that heat embossing with an electric heat tool while standing in water wasn't the smartest thing I've done today, but, hey - you do what you have to do in the name of art, right?

Life in a Fish Bowl

Mike & I went to a nearby city "over the mountain" yesterday.  I'd give you the name of the town or city, but I'm not sure which one it was.  Over the mountain, it's one big run-together city, which is probably why people from this side of the mountain just say they're "going to 'the city.'"  Which one?  Who knows? Well - Mike does.  And people who live there, I guess.  I'll always be a "country girl," though.  The "big city" gives me hives, and I can't wait to get home.

While we were there, we stopped for lunch.  My only stipulation was to go somewhere that had nice salads.  So we went to Sweetwater's, because I knew their salads were fabulous.  (I got the Monterey chicken, and it was wonderful.  I didn't read the description well enough, though, and discovered the chicken was battered and fried.  *sigh*  I picked the chicken off and brought it home for the kids.)  Sweetwater's has a revolving door, and even though there's a "regular" door beside it for handicapped or other use, they want you to use the revolving one.  I guess it keeps the heat out (or in - depending on the weather) better than a "real" door.  Great idea - but I'm revolvingdooraphobic.   I have a friend who was going through one with her kids, and one of the children got stuck.  (She was ok, and my friend got her out in seconds, but it was scary for everyone.)  And I just don't like them.  I've had people say, just keep moving.  You can't get stuck.  Well...

I have another friend who was teaching some classes at a fitness convention.  The hotel/convention center also has a revolving door.  Danielle was following a guy with a huge gym bag, and just as he was getting out, he decided to get his bag wedged in the door.  He was fine, but she was stuck in the door until they could get the bag unwedged.  And it took hours.  Ugh.  I can't imagine how hot it was with the sun streaming in through the glass.  And, of course, everyone who wanted to use the door would just stare at Danielle, like she could do something about it.  Her comment was, "I felt like a fish at the aquarium."

Being a pastor's wife for years and years, I know about that!  People are always watching you.  Sadly, it wasn't so much as an example, but to see where you were going to mess up.  I finally had to realize that it really didn't matter what I did or didn't do; someone was going to take offense.  I was too friendly; I wasn't friendly enough.  I should just know if someone was needing help and give them a call; I shouldn't meddle.  I finally just gave up and did what I believed was the right thing, since someone was going to be upset anyway.  So life in the fish bowl wasn't that hard.  It just meant doing the right thing, which is what I try to do anyway, even when I'm not in "the public eye."  I suppose that was ingrained when I was small.  Dad & Mom always taught us to be polite and considerate of others' feelings.  Which, of course, is the "Golden Rule" in a nutshell.  And one of those "polite things people do" was to send a thank you card any time someone did something for you.  And here's one we made at the open house.

Click on photo to view larger image.

Stamp set:  Faith in Nature; Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate Chip classic; Lucky Limeade stampin' write marker; Paper:  Soft Suede, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade; Other:  Big Shot, Top Note die, Chocolate Chip dotted scallop ribbon, Petals-a-plenty embossing folder, word window punch, stampin' dimensionals, blender pen

On the original, I inked the entire flower in Chocolate Chip, then colored it (gently!!) with a blender pen and ink.  If you do this, you need to clean your blender pen before you pick up ink each time, because the Chocolate Chip will bleed into the Cherry Cobbler a little since it's not waterproof.  And it will be on your blender, so it gets a little muddy looking if you don't clean the pen.  Or you can use Chocolate Chip craft ink and clear emboss the image first.  (I'm still not over losing Basic Brown.  Sometimes I just want permanent ink that's not black or gray!)  When Judy made her card Saturday, she colored the flower and the outline with Cherry Cobbler and it was really lovely.  So I stamped my extras that way.  If you get a little Cherry Cobbler on the stem of the flower, you can use the blender pen to clean it off, then add ink back with the marker.  And to color the flower, you just pull the ink that's already there into the image with your blender pen.  Since the blender pen is a little dryer than an aqua painter, it doesn't smudge up your image too much.  Easy - and quick.

Well - that's probably enough rambling for today!  Look for a cool new promotion in August - and don't forget the summer mini catalog!  The sales period for that goes through August 31.  It's easy to overlook it with all the new catalog excitement.  But the summer mini has some wonderful products - including the Strength & Hope stamp set and digital download.  For each set or download sold, Stampin' Up!® will donate $2 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  So you're not indulging your stamp habit with another set; you're helping find a cure for breast cancer.  For more information, click here.

Thanks for stopping by - and have a great day!

Razzleberry Ice Cream

Summer is made for ice cream.  Or is ice cream made for summer?  I can hear my husband saying, "All seasons were made for ice cream!"  I've told the stories about Mike and ice cream before.  A nice serving for me is a nice little sample for Mike.  I saw a card very like this one in the Stampin' Up!® Idea Book & Catalog on page 69.  I thought it would be a great one to make at the Open House today.

Click on photo to view larger image.

Stamp sets:  Pennant Parade, Create a Cupcake; Ink:  Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry classic; Paper:  Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquoise card stock; Pumpkin Pie textured card stock; Other:  Cupcake builder punch, Petite Pennants builder punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, crimper, Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, scallop edge punch, stampin' dimensionals, mini glue dots

Isn't this fun?  I used one of the pennants for the cone and the cupcake icing for the ice cream.  This would work for a friend card, or a birthday or even a thank you. And it's very quick and easy.

I had a great time at the Open House this afternoon.   We had two cards we could make, and Nancy brought some she had made at another stamping event.  They were gorgeous!  I wish I had taken my camera so I could have gotten pictures.

My new catalog order comes Monday - so I didn't have as much to show today as I had hoped.  But on Monday - watch out!  New embossing powder, brads, ribbon, punch, fabric and more.  And stamp sets, of course.  I thought I had ordered the new embossing folders, but it looks like I missed them.  That was a surprise, because the new frames were definitely on my first order list.  So guess what's on my "second order" list?  Yep.  New folders.

Have a wonderful weekend.  Enjoy the sunshine and have a restful Sunday!  Thanks for stopping by.

Pool Party Cupcakes

Wow - I must have really been tired last night.  I got the pictures ready for the blog, but totally forgot to post!  I've been getting ready for the Open House and planning make & takes for everyone - plus projects for Mike, so I guess I just crashed. 

Here's the cupcake card I made the other day.

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Stamp sets:  Create a Cupcake, Fabulous Phrases; Ink:  Pool Paty, Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade classic; Versamark; Paper:  Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Island Indigo, Wild Wasabi card stock; Other:  Paper Piercing tool, mat pack, cupcake builder punch, small oval punch, brads - brights

This was CASEd from a Stampin' Up!® design.  The original used the Pennant Parade stamps instead of cupcakes, but I forgot to take that set with me when we left last weekend.  I'm so glad the Create a Cupcake set and matching punch made it to the catalog.  It's a lot of fun, and great for any celebration!

I have another crazy busy day today, so that's it for now.  Thanks for stopping in.  Hope to see you tomorrow at the Open House.  It's officially from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, July 9, but I'll be "open for business" by noon at least.  Come by and see me and find out how to get free catalog merchandise!

Studio Sketches

I'm so excited about getting my new catalog order next week!  I ordered mostly accessories - polka dot brads, new watercolor paper (it's bigger!!), new embossing folders, punches...I did order a few new stamp sets, but I also got 3 free.  Free stamps are my favorite!  And you can get free stamps too.  Saturday, July 9, from 1-3 p.m. I'll be having a catalog kick-off open house at the "studio."  I'll have some give-aways, door prizes, make & takes and more.  I'll also have my recently retired stamps and accessories for you to look at and buy.  For every $1. you spend on retired items, you can select $.50 from the new catalog - FREE!*  So come out and join us!  If you can't make it, you can call, e-mail, text or fax your order to me with payment info.  Please be sure I have your order by 11 p.m. Saturday.

*plus shipping/tax

Click on photo to view larger image.

Stamp sets:  Heard from the Heart, Studio Sketches; Ink:  Jet Black StazOn; Crumb Cake, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, So Saffron, More Mustard, Garden Green, Early Espresso stampin' write markers; Early Espresso classic; Paper:  Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Garden Green card stock; Other:  Vintage Wallpaper and Perfect Polka Dots embossing folders, Big Shot, aqua painter, Distressing Essentials kit, antique brads, crimper, stampin' dimensionals, scallop trim border punch, corner rounder punch, paper piercing tool, mat pack

I had fun with this one.  I embossed the Garden Green layer with the Vintage Wallpaper folder, then added distressing ink.  It was a little too much, though, so I embossed it again with Perfect Polka Dots, distressed it a little more and crimped the bottom.  The only problem I have with distressing is if I moisten the card stock, it never wants to stick well.  I'll keep working with it. 

That's it for now.  It's been a long day, and tomorrow will be pretty packed too.  Thanks for stopping in!

Just fluttering by....

...to say hi!  Yesterday was a "shared internet" day, so I didn't get on much.  After almost 29 years of marriage, we still don't share well.  I had a card to show you, but didn't get to post it.  And then, last night I made this one and liked it better.  One day, I'll post the other one.

Click on photo to view larger image.

Stamp sets:  Vintage Vogue, Fabulous Phrases, Four Frames, Elements of Style; Ink:  Marina Mist, River Rock, Crumb Cake classic; More Mustard stampin' write marker; Paper:  Very Vanilla, River Rock, Early Espresso, Marina Mist card stock; Other:  Big Shot, Beautiful Wings embosslit, decorative label punch, mat pack, paper piercing tool, brads - neutrals, mini glue dots, stampin' dimensionals, sponge, blender pen

I like the "old" feel to this.  Mike's comment was, "It looks like it could have been a pattern on my grandmother's couch."  I think that might be a good thing.  I wanted to use Crumb Cake with Marina Mist, so we started there.  And then I just kept pulling out stamp sets, because I could!  (Boy, it's nice to be home again!) 

Here's a trick I learned from Shelli Gardner, co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!® - If you have a larger image but you want a little bit of it to be in another color (like the bird's beak and legs), go ahead and ink the stamp with the main color.  Then take a blender pen and remove color from the areas you want to be different, and re-color them with a marker.  Cool, huh?  Of course, if you want to "omit" a section of the stamp altogether, this will not work unless you completely dry off the "omitted" section.  If a part of the stamp has just had ink on it, it will leave a ghost-like mark on the card stock. 

I had a wonderful surprise this morning!!  Being away from my measuring crutch (i.e. the scales) all weekend was a little scary.  I mean, when you've been working at losing weight and it's creeping down very slowly, you don't want to see numbers you thought were gone forever, you know?  So I closed my eyes and weighed myself this morning and - WOOHOO!  10 pounds down.  My goal is another 10 pounds before Mike & I go on vacation in September.  I have over two months, so that's doable, I think.

New downloads are available for MDS today, and they include new In Color products for 2011-13.  If you have the digital crafting system, check for updates.  There's a new version available, and it has the 2011-13 In Colors - free!  But if you want ribbons, buttons, textured & designer paper or bows, you'll need to order some downloads.  Go to my web site to see them and place your order.

Now is a great time to hostess a workshop.  We have a new hostess program that allows you to spend your hostess money any way you want.  You can order exclusive hostess products, catalog merchandise or both!  Visit my web site, hover over "Host a Workshop" and select "Hostess Benefits" to see the exciting new program.  The minimum you can earn is $25 (with a $150+ workshop), and if your workshop is $400 or more, you can select at least 1 item at a 50% discount!  (We're talking a $50 Big Shot here!)  Contact me today to schedule your party!

Thanks for stopping in!  Have a wonderful week.

Duck, Duck, Goose!

No Aflac jokes, I promise!  It's just too obvious.  Remember that game from when you were a kid? I couldn't figure out if this was a duck or a goose.  I should know, I guess, since I grew up on a farm.  But we didn't have poultry, just cattle and a few horses.  (Ask me about beef cattle, and I'll really impress you.  Maybe.  If you don't know much about beef cattle.)  When the boys were little, our local park had a pond with a lot of geese and ducks.  You could buy food for them until the city decided the geese were overpopulating and feeding them was adding to the problem, so they quit selling the bags of grain.  But we stopped by to feed them one day.  Good grief.  Geese are nasty little creatures.  I had to act brave for the boys, but I was ready to take a stick and smack a couple geese until they were ready to be Christmas dinner.  So I really, really hope this image is a duck.

I wrote and rewrote my "wish list" many times, paring it down to a manageable amount and this set, Cherish Friendship, was on it each time.  I love to watercolor, and anything "farmish" gets my attention.

Click on photo to view larger image.

Stamp sets:  Cherish Friendship, Fabulous Phrases, Delicate Doilies; Ink:  Jet Black Stazon; Island Indigo classic; Many Marvelous Markers; Paper:  Just add cake designer series paper; Wild Wasabi, Calypso Coral, Island Indigo card stock; watercolor paper; Other:  Whisper White taffeta ribbon, brads - regals, brights, mini glue dots, stampin' dimensionals, small oval punch, paper piercing tool, mat pack, aqua painter, scallop edge punch 

This was also a sketch challenge.  Since I was working with limited supplies, I used the ribbon and duck/goose as embellishments.  Since I didn't bring any buttons or larger brads with me, I punched some small ovals and stamped the doily image on them for the other two embellishments. 

I saw some wonderful fireworks last night.  They seemed to go on forever and were really amazing.  They had patriotic music playing at the same time, and the crowd was so appreciative.  It really brought home the idea of "Americana." 

My computer is in the same room as the TV, and Mike is watching the closing arguments in the Anthony trial.  After years of watching Matlock and Perry Mason, I realize that TV trials are a lot more exciting than real ones.  And now that they're finished talking about things I won't mention (just in case you're eating), I'll go fix some lunch.  But it won't be anything with rice in it.

Thanks for stopping in!

My Friend

My Friend

Posted on July 2, 2011 by buffycooper

I thought I’d show you some pictures of how Mike & I relax.  We’re at our house in the mountain for the weekend. (Note to potential burglars:  Don’t bother going to the house.  There are still lots of people there, as well as a large, very protective dog.  Trust me, it won’t end well for you.  And there’s not much to steal anyway, because as you can see, we brought the good stuff with us.)  Anyway – we’re in the mountain “relaxing.”  Here’s Mike -

Yes, he did bring his laptop with him (so did I, obviously).  And a printer and a larger screen and keyboard for his computer.  He’s actually going to spend the weekend writing, so that is relaxing for him.  I just thought it was funny to see an office on the dining room table (what’s new there??) at our “getaway” spot.

Here’s how I relax.

What you can’t see to the left of the photo is the bulk of my stamping supplies.  You see the Greenhouse Gala bag.  Behind it is an end table with paper, stamps and punches.  And this is what it will look like in Florida, too, when we go on vacation.  I just saw a note on a stamping forum asking about the “e-scape promotion” Stampin’ Up!® conducted several years ago.  The point was to turn off all electronics for a day.  I’m not sure, but I don’t think I took part in that one.  I may have held a stamping event, but I’m fairly positive I at least checked e-mail and text messages.  For me, a day without electronics is, well, several steps backward.  You might as well take away indoor plumbing and air conditioning while you’re at it.  Not a pretty sight.

But this is, I think.

Click on photo to view larger image.

Stamps:  My Friend; Ink:  Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder classic; Jet Black StazOn; Paper: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Calypso Coral card stock; Just Add Cake designer series paper; Other:  sponges, stampin’ dimensionals, mat pack, paper piercing tool, brads – Brights, small oval punch (for the corners; hey – I’m working with limited supplies here!)

There are so many things I need down here – my Stazon refill.  A corner punch.  My Stamp-a-ma-jig.  New blades for my paper cutter.  It’s always a challenge to stamp away from home, because you have to work with what you’ve brought.  Or find a craft store nearby – and that’s not happening here!  There’s nothing nearby except neighbors who have wireless internet that they “share” with everyone within reach.  Sandy is smart.  She stamps a bunch of images before she leaves home and just takes those, her watercolor crayons and aqua painter, and maybe some card stock for mounting.  I try to plan, but it never works out.  It’s like planning menus for the week (or month).  I get to the night we’re supposed to have, oh, let’s say chicken marsala, and I’m not in a chicken mood.  I want flatbread pizza with black olives and artichoke.  And it’s not like you can switch days, because flatbread pizza isn’t on the menu list anywhere.  *sigh*  I’m not very good at planning ahead.

I think we’re going to take a walk soon (if I can talk the man into leaving his “relaxation” for a half hour or so).  Maybe the little store at the entrance will have a hairbrush.  I forgot mine and I have serious bedhead this morning!  But a walk would be just the thing today.  I’ve lost 8.5 pounds, but didn’t bring scales with me.  I figured that was pushing it a little.  So since I don’t want to see nasty surprises when I get home, I think a long walk would be a great idea.

Have a wonderful weekend!  Don’t forget my open house July 9 from 1-3.  I’ll have retired sets and accessories for sale, and for ever $1 you spend on retired items, you can select $.50 in merchandise from the new catalog.  So if you spend $50, you can get $25 new merchandise free!  If you can’t make it, you can attend virtually.  I’ll post the list here on Saturday morning, and you can call, text or e-mail me with your order and payment information.  Don’t miss it!