mary and joe...

i think this may be the first set of atcs i've made that had no hand stamping on them. good thing chris didn't specifiy that it was a requirement! this is for a nativity set of atcs. i saw this cute digi stamp from bugaboo stamps and i wanted to use it. (ps they are having a moving sale until august 10th with everything 50% off!) anywhoo...can't wait to get this swap back and see what everyone else did! i also took advice from my friend, chelsea, and colored the bling with markers because i didn't have yellow! works great!

mary and joe
digistamp: bugaboo stamps
cardstock: chocolate chip, stampin up pp
ink: burnt umber
embellishments: prismacolor markers, rhinestones-kaiser craft

delight...

weekend!! it's almost here. can not wait!! one more day of work, then a weekend! so let's get this friday friends with flair party started!! then we can get the friday part over and get to the weekend! hope you all have had a good week and get to do something fun tomorrow! i'm waiting for my july kit of the month from unity to get here (hurry up, usps!) so look for something fun and new for next week! thanks for visiting and be sure to check out the rest of the fwf peeps starting back at the unity blog!

delight
stamps: unity
cardstock: river rock-su; walnut cream-bazzill; cosmo cricket pp
ink: summer sun, burnt umber, cookie dough, sticky toffee
tools: jumbo scallop die-namics die

completed atc swap...

a few have asked what a swap looks like when it's complete. so here is a picture (sorry, not a great one) of the gnome swap that i just finished sending back to everyone. i love how different they all are, even the three of us that used the same stamp!! i store these in baseball cart sheet protectors and 3-ring binders. they are so fun to look through!


angie, kirsty, joanne
mary, suzi, robin
chris, paula, joanie

friends not food...

it was so nice hanging out all weekend with my stamping friends last weekend, because you could be making something and get immediate feedback. like this. i had the background stamped and thought it needed a little something. i was thinking clear glitter. well, lesa happened to have picked up some cool bright colored glitter at the stamp convention earlier in the day and she held it up and said "how about this?" PERFECT!! of course ellie and patty were thrilled, because this was the second project that day that i had used glitter. they think i'm going to learn to like it. no way. still a mess! but it does look cute!

friends not food
stamps: ippity, kim hughes
digi stamp: hambo stamps
cardstock: buckaroo blue
ink: certainly celery, bamboo leaves, angel pink, tangelo
embellishments: prismacolor markers, glitter

floppin' in the wind...

so funny story. sherri, the queen of hosting swaps, posted two swaps that i could not miss. (i know, there aren't many that i can not miss.) they don't really have anything to do with each other. i joined her annual flip flop swap. then she added the clothesline swap (which i posted a few days ago)and i had an immediate idea. a clothesline with flip flops!! i love how it turned out!


floppin' in the wind
stamps: basic grey
cardstock: wild wasabi, hot fudge, my mind's eye pp
ink: cantelope, wild wasabi
embellishments: hemp twine
tools: flip flop punch

tree...

i know, boring title. but i couldn't think of a better one! this set of atcs is has a lot going on with it. it's monday, so that means h{ippity} hop! i used {ippity} stamps on this so i could use it for the hop. it's also for a swap i'm in with an embossing theme. i used two types of embossing, heat and dry. i used a cuttlebug embossing folder and the big shot. then i heat embossed the tree limbs on the tree. the colors i picked were for kerry's color challenge. and the kicker, i used the stamps that are part of the fishy philosophy set that are meant to be coral. instead i made them into flowers and tree limbs! don't forget to start at the beginning of the h{ippity} hop to see everyone's creations. also, new {ippity} stamps come out on august 12th!!



tree
stamps: ippity
cardstock: river rock, wild wasabi, soft sky, hot fudge
ink: certainly celery, baja breeze, wild wasabi, burnt umber, haystack, versamark
embellishments: swiss dot embossing folder, clear embossing powder

4x4 canvas swap...

ok, stay with me here. this is another one of those "why did i join this swap?" posts. sometimes i just get caught up and can't lay of the "join now" button on the swap page. this was one of them. luckily, i found some inspiration and created this. it was so outside the box for me. it is a 4x4 canvas swap. kirsty sent the 4 other people in the swap the 4x4 canvases and instructions on what we were doing. we decided on the theme of "the ocean." (instructions are italicized)

THE OCEAN.
First layer: COLOUR
Squirt, smoosh, spritz – get that colour on however you like!
Think only of the colour – no planning of future layers allowed at this point.
Each of your canvases may look different at this stage – that is fine.
If you want to add texture i.e. gesso, tissue, glue to the colour – add away!

i've never painted anything (other than a single color) so i was a little worried about the background. i started with a nice light blue. then i added some layers with more shades of blue and a little green. i actually had a great time mixing colors and shades to get what i wanted. i also experimented a little with some tissue paper for texture.


Second layer: PATTERN
Stamped, printed, found: still not thinking too much about the outcome. Just follow your instincts!

i used a couple of different stamps for this part. i thought about using regular ink, but then i didn't know how bright the images would be. i ended up using the acrylic paint and i love how it worked. this and the next step kind of merged together.


Third layer: STAMPED IMAGES
These can be digital or rubber. Colour them and collage them on.
Fourth layer: TEXT – pop some in there somewhere.
Fifth layer: DOODLING
pens, markers, Paint markers – any media that makes doodling on your work possible.

i kind of doodled the pink coral before this step, but i did do a little doodling!

TAA DAA: You have created a MASTERPIECE! (5 actually!)
here is the finished project. i used some shimmer spritz on the canvas to give them a little sparkle. i covered them with a little glossy accents to give them a water-like look. i hope everyone else likes them!

go with the flow
stamps: kim hughes, ippity
ink: white craft ink
embellishments: tissue paper, white gel pen, glossy accents
other: acrylic paint, 4x4 canvas

got snow?

it's been so hot lately. and i've loved thinking of cooler days. not that i love the snow. i mean, it's pretty to look at. but i don't love it. i do love this cute tinsel glitter by martha though. it makes great snow. this is for cindy's "christmas in july" atc swap, so i hope this is okay. i found the cute "got snow?" stamp at the enchanted cottage in nc (isn't that a cute name for a stamp store?) so i wanted to use it.


got snow?
stamps: amuse, close to my heart
cardstock: soft sky, buckaroo blue, basic grey pp
ink: soft sky, certainly celery, cantelope, onyx black
embellishments: prismacolor markers, tinsel glitter

gnome boy...

my friend joanie hosted an atc gnome swap a while back. i loved them! all of the gnome atcs were so cute. i had to borrow some gnomes for that swap because i didn't have any. then i decided to host one myself. i found a cute gnome digi stamp from hambo stamps that i was going to use. then, last weekend in nc, i found this cutest stamp that i thought looked like a gnome. so i used him instead. turns out others thought the same thing because i think three of us used the same stamp without even knowing the others had the stamp. they all turned out so cute and different!

gnome boy
stamps: poppystamps, unity, stampers anonymous
cardstock: certainly celery, dusty durango, hot fudge, walnut cream
ink: burnt umber, certainly celery
embellishments: prismacolor markers, hemp twine

pete...

this is pete. pete loves butterflies. i made pete for suzi's "going to the dogs" atc swap. the nice thing about being with friends at sherri's was the abundance of stamps to choose from!! i didn't have any dog stamps that i haven't used already, so i borrowed this sone from sherri! she's going to go crazy because the last four sets of atcs i posted are all "going the wrong way!"

pete
stamps: magenta
cardstock: kraft-su; hot fugde-mft; my mind's eye pp
ink: wild wasabi, baja breeze, onyx black
embellishments: prismacolor markers

life's a beach...

can you stand how cute this stamp is? me either!! and i love this new stuff sherri found at the stamp convention last weekend. it's called honey mulch. it could be used for many different things, but i used it as sand.

life's a beach
stamps: penny black, bella
cardstock: bermuda bay, river rock
ink: turquoise, cantelope, onyx black
embellishments: prismacolor markers, honey mulch

cherry tree...

i know you've gotten used to h{ippity} hop monday, but i didn't get signed up (and mostly forgot!) so hopefully, next monday i'll be playing along.

one of my shackie friends has decided to jump into the world of digi stamps. and she is awesome. her creations are amazing and so are her digi stamps. i used this set of trees that she made to make the atcs for a swap. suzi is hosting the...wait for it..."it's all fun and games until someone loses and eyelet" swap. that has to be the best title in a long time! so we had to make atcs that used eyelets. i decided that it would look like cherries on kirsty's cool trees! go check out kirsty's blog here.


cherry tree
stamps: basic grey
digistamp: kirsty j
cardstock: certainly celery, riding hood red
ink: wild wasabi
embellishments: prismacolor markers, eyelets

surf ducks...

been hanging out with a bunch of shackie friends. it's been three days of crafting, stamping, laughing, raining (boo!), and generally good times. sherri's been an awesome hostess! so far i've gotten a few sets of swaps completed. i love this one. it's for the swap i am hosting with the theme of duck, duck, goose. the nice thing about all the stamp stores we have been to is i was able to find the perfect sentiment for the card!

surf ducks
stamps: basic grey, amuse
cardstock: my mind's eye pp
ink: prussion blue, baja breeze
embellishments: prismacolor markers

therapy trip...

i'm off enjoying the beautiful state of north carolina (and the horrible humidity!) with a bunch of stamping friends from the shack. it was a last minute trip for me and my cute mom. kind of a whim talking about it with sherri when she told me what her plans were for this weekend. i mentioned it to kerry, who immediately said "well why don't you go?" (he's such a keeper!!) my dad needed a little more persuasion, but the old man agreed that it would do my mom a world of good to get away for a little girls/stamping time. and so far, it has been fantastic!! we've spent two days shopping/stamping/laughing more than we all have in probably months!!


angie, joanie, sherri, ellie, mary, patty, chelsea, lesa, michelle

good times great...

happy monday? who likes monday? i do sometimes. i do when it's h{ippity} hop monday! so i guess i should start over.

happy monday!!! that's better. do you know what's funny? or sad, depending on how you look at it. i'm a card maker. i make tons of cards. (ok, not tons, but you get the idea.) problem is i'm terrible at sending said cards. like i had two friends that had surgery last week. think i sent them a card? nope. i'm a horrible card sending friend. let's not even mention birthdays! i knew that i needed to make a card for today's h{ippity} hop. so i made a card with a purpose in mind that i will actually use it. i left it on the counter this morning with my cute hubby's keys. i don't tell him enough how much i love him. i am going to try more often to let him know with little cards like this. i also tried to make a unique card in the sense that it isn't really a standard opening card. it's card size, but it's really a little card on a flat base. i likey. i hope you do to. remember to hop on over to the {ippity} blog to see the rest of the hop.

good times great
stamps: ippity
cardstock: riding hood red, kraft-su; hot fudge-mft
ink: burnt umber, versamark, fired brick distress ink
embellishments: bling

spooky tree...

this is almost an exact replica of the previous posted card, only it looks so much different! it will make an awesome halloween card! miss robin, this is for you! your comment idea was amazing. i saw this as you were describing it. although there is no moon, since i couldn't find any velum (ok, couldn't find is a stretch...i don't think i have any and was too tired to look!), so we'll say it's a new moon! thanks for the inspiration!


spooky tree
stamps: unity, stampin up
cardstock: basic black, eggplant envy
ink: eggplant envy, platinum all purpose ink-tsukineko
embellishments: ribbon

kick back...

ok, so i think someone has sped up time. i can't believe how fast time is going lately. it's friday already! wasn't it friday and friends with flair about 5 minutes ago? seriously! so here is this week's card for friends with flair. i took advantage of unity's big sale last weekend and i'm so glad. i absolutely adore this stamp! and i made this card in hopes of taking things a little slower and maybe not having time whiz by so quickly. inside the card says "kick back".

thanks for visiting and be sure to check out the rest of the fwf peeps starting back at the unity blog!


kick back
stamps: unity, ippity
cardstock: hot fudge-mft; walnut cream-bazzill; my mind's eye pp
ink: burnt umber, haystack, baja breeze
embellishments: prismacolor markers, stampin up ribbon

scarepigs?

you've heard of scarecrows, but what about scarepigs? me either, until i saw this awesome stamp at hampbo stamps. how cute is this?? i knew as soon as i saw it that it was a must have. my fellow shackie from down under, kirsty, is hosting a scarecrow atc swap. so this counts as good as anything! i used the bit of burlap stamp (from {ippity}) on the background, but after the ink dried, it's very light. so imagine it's there.

scarepig
stamps: hambo, ippity
cardstock: dusty durango-su; hot fudge-mft; walnut cream-bazzill
ink: burnt umber, haystack
embellishments: prismacolor markers

flutter tree...

i know you may be thinking that this set of atcs looks very similar to my last card posted. well, actually the card looks similar to the atcs! i made the atcs first and loved the color combo of the pink and wasabi. so i decided to make a card, too. this set of atcs is for a butterfly themed swap that my friend nancy is hosting. i'm digging this tree, even though it's covered in butterflies. you wouldn't guess it by my projects lately, but i'm not a huge fan of butterflies. oh well. maybe they will grow on me (or maybe not...)

flutter tree
stamps: unity
cardstock: wild wasabi, pink pirouette
ink: burnt umber, regal rose
embellishments: prismacolor markers

flowers and butterflies...

happy monday!!

it's time for the monday h{ippity} hop! woot woot! this weekend went by so fast, that i nearly forgot to do my card for today. but i made it. whew! it's a simple card, really. just some butterflies and flowers. i was going to add some sort of sentiment, then decided not to. and i'm digging these 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 square cards lately. don't know why. remember to hop on over to the {ippity} blog to see the rest of the hop.


flowers and butterflies
stamps: ippity
cardstock: wild wasabi, pink pirouette, kraft
ink: burnt umber, jardin moss, regal rose
embellishments: prismacolor markers


if you need {ippity}, shoot me an email or visit my {ippity} page!

slice or two...

happy independance day!! nothing says 4th of july like a big slice of watermelon!! i made these for the watermelon (go figure!) atc swap i hosted. please remember why we celebrate this holiday and the freedom we have. and my psa for the holiday weekend: wear your seat belts. wear a helmet if you are on anything with two wheels (or and atv!) or a skate board. watch your kids around any body of water (no matter how small you might think it is) and don't assume someone else is watching them...especially if they can't swim. it's not worth it otherwise. i love my job, but that doesn't mean we need to be busy we people who aren't being careful! thank you.

now go have a big slice of watermelon today!


slice or two
stamps: studio g
cardstock: certainly celery, american crafts pp
ink: onyx black
embellishments: glossy accents, prismacolor markers

dance...

friday...i'm both happy and sad to see today. happy because it means this week is finally over. it's been a rough one. also happy because it means friends with flair. that's always a good reason. and that it's a holiday weekend-even though i have to work part of it. but also sad because i have to go back to work today. maybe it will be a good thing. get my mind on other things. we'll go with that.

on to this week's card. i have loved the little banner stamp ever since i saw the june kotm. so i decided to use it for this card. and i saw the stamp and it reminded me of something my grandma would believe in, so i merged the two. i like the result. remember to visit the unity blog to see the rest of the fwf projects. and have a safe and fun holiday weekend!

dance...
stamps: unity
cardstock: kraft, wild wasabi, certainly celery, soft sky, so saffron, purely pomegranate, stampin up pp
ink: baja breeze, certainly celery, old olive, burnt umber
embellishments: hemp twine
tools: die-namics clouds