swimming...

ever feel like you are stuck in the muck and need to "just keep swimming" to get out?   thanks to certain  fish with a short attention span (hmmm...ring a bell?), i find myself saying that mantra a lot!!  i made this card for the diecut diva blog using a cool fishbowl card base from creative cuts & more.  (find post here).  i used an awesome {ippity} set that was perfect for the fishbowl!

swimming
stamps:  ippity
cardstock: island breeze, white
ink: melon mambo, gumball green, tumbled glass, black craft
embellishments: clear embossing powder, glitter

don't forget there is an awesome sale at unity right now (through tomorrow) and it helps out an awesome cause.  and there is some {ippity} on sale, too, so pick me as your chick for your entire unity purchase!

you are fab...

only one more day until the {ippity} new release party!  7pm cst.  be there or be square!!  i used the new fabulous girl set on this card.  and some fun canvas tape. i i even paper pieced, which i haven't done in a while!

you are fab
stamps:  ippity

cardstock:  amuse pp, sassafrass pp, walnut cream
ink:  baja breeze, onyx black, walnut ink distress, worn lipstick distress
embellishments: canvas tape, prismacolor markers

and don't forget about the l.o.v.e. {ippity} blog hop starting tomorrow!

warm wishes...

needed a few little cards (these are 3x3) so i busted out the my newest {ippity} stamps and my new tim holtz winter distress inks.  good times!!

warm wishes

stamps: ippity

cardstock: night of navy, ocean breeze

ink: iced spruce distress, evergreen bough distress, blue chalk

thanks(giving) blog hop...

hello and welcome to the thanks(giving) blog hop with a few {ippity} chicks!!  thanksgiving is a great time of year...it usually marks the beginning of the holiday season.  it's also a time to think about all we are thankful for.  what a great time to have a blog hop centered around giving thanks and thanksgiving!  so pull up a chair, grab your favorite beverage, and hop through the blogs!

i will be giving away one of the new {ippity} kits to a random peep, so don't forget to leave a comment (winner will be picked on 11/25!).  some of the other chicks are also giving away blog candy, too, so comment along the hop!! 

a craftie from work was making some cute cards one day and she was using burlap on them.  i loved the idea so i wanted to try it.  i got light colored burlap and inked the edges with some distress ink.  love the burlap!

thanks and gratitude
stamps: ippity
cardstock: dusty durango, soft suede, walnut cream
ink:  gathered twigs distress, rusty hinge distress, peeled paint distress
embellishments:  burlap

next up on the hop is lisa.  visit her blog schnauzer scraps.   thanks for visiting!!  and, if you need the new (or not new!) {ippity} releases or want a {just add ink!} kit, visit my {ippity} blog for all the details!!  


here is the complete list of hoppers.

angie - {stampsings of the shug} **you are here!**
lisa - schnauzer scraps
andrea - ippity stamps 4 u
jen m - mitten's papercrafting
barbara - {ippity} do da
kim - scrappin creations
cheri - the paper freak
jenmarie - taylor-made by jenmarie
noelle - noelle scraps a lot
jenny j - jen's cup of creations
sarah - the joys of creating
crystal - crystal's craft corner
susan - paper & joy

happy hopping!!!

looking good...

some things just make me smile.  this is one of them.  kirsty is hosting an atc swap and the theme was mustaches.  i have been stumped on what to make.  then i was organizing my stamps (don't get excited...only did one little section!) and saw this cute chick.  then i had an epiphany.  this is the result.  the other thing making me smile to day is that it is friday!!  finally!!!  it's been an exceedingly long week.  glad it's over! but also it's friends with flair.  go visit unity and see what the other fwf peeps made.

looking good 
stamps: unity
cardstock: walnut cream, cosmo cricket pp
ink: island indigo, cherry cobbler
tools:  punch, prismacolor markers

joy...

i know, i know. it's july. but some people are already thinking of christmas. hobby lobby has had christmas stuff out for weeks. nutty. here's another set of atcs (you know i'm addicted, right?) with a 'christmas in july' theme.  it's funny, because i made these while i was on vacation in las vegas.  the day i was thinking christmas it was 104 degrees!!  i was definitely thinking cool thoughts.

joy...
stamps: unity, jillibean soup+unity
cardstock:  walnut cream, cherry cobbler, jillibean soup pp
ink: walnut stain distress, barn door distress, island indigo, lucky limeade

 

life...

so when i first saw this stamp, it didn't jump out at me (like some do).  but i'm a compulsive unity sale kinda girl, so i had to get it when they had their last sale. and now i've fallen in love with it!   i needed to make a set of atcs for a swap with a number theme.  of course, i had two other stamps (also from unity...go figure) that i was going to use, then i decided to see what i could do with this one.  i feel kinda like  i cheated because it's a pretty basic atc, only used one stamp.  but i added a few things to give it some character.

life...
stamps: simple stories + unity
cardstock:  walnut cream, early espresso, my mind's eye pp
ink: walnut stain distress, island indigo
embellishments:  buttons

knotty tree...

trees.  i have so many tree stamps and i never get tired of them.  all those owls stamps i have and love feel at home with the trees!  i made this set of atcs for a tree swap that suzi is hosting.  this was kind of a fun atc to make.  i loved the stamp but didn't know what to add to it.  i had limited resources, since i made it while on vacation.  i decided it needed some texture and had made a knot for something else that was sitting on the table. i thought it would be fun to color the twine with distress ink and this is the end result!  little knots that look like buds.

knotty tree...
stamps: unity
cardstock:  walnut cream, lucky limeade
ink: walnut stain distress, broken china distress, barn door distress
embellishments:  twine
tools:  prismacolor markers

light...

more cards using the new {ippity} sets.  this one is called shine, shine, shine and it is one of my favorites! i used some glossy accents on the light bulbs to make them look glass-like.  don't forget there is a new release coming up august 5th.  you are not going to want miss this one! 

light...
stamps: ippity
cardstock: lucky limeade, wisteria wonder
ink: wisteria wonder, early espresso, wild honey distress
embellishments: glossy accents, su ribbon

thankful...

finally got a chance to play with the new {ippity} release from june. this set is such a cute, simple set but it has tons of possibilities. and it's only $6. crazy!  (you can get one for yourself here...)  i used  a spica glitter pen on the dragonflies to give them a little sparkle.  the second picture shows it a little better.  i've also been playing with the new in-colors from stampin' up.  at first i wasn't very thrilled because they look very similar to old colors.  then i did a side by side comparison of the ink and paper.  they are similar, but different enough to notice.  they are starting to grow on me!

thankful...
stamps: ippity
cardstock: walnut cream, wisteria wonder, calypso coral
ink: island indigo, pool party, lucky limeade, calypso coral
embellishments: spica glitter pen

really really like...

a friend of mine recently celebrated a special event. she is a 4 year breast cancer survivor. so it warranted a card to honor kicking it's trash! i think this little good news bird is so cute! (i know...i think a lot of bird stamps are cute. but not all of them!)

good news...
stamps: unity
cardstock: walnut cream, crumb cake, blushing bride, fancy pants pp, colorbox pp
ink: soft suede, peeled paint distress, old paper distress
tools: paper tape-k & co 

courage...

have you played along with the {ippity} challenge yet? did you know you can win twenty bucks (you know...$20!) from your favorite chick?  well if you haven't and you didn't, you should and you could!  the new challenge is using your favorite quote or encouraging sentiment. so go visit the {ippity} challenge post and play along.  you have until july 17th to get inky.  here's the card i made for the challenge.  weekend is almost here so hope you have a good one!

courage 
stamps: ippity
cardstock: walnut cream, old olive, dusty durango, colorbox pp
ink: dusty durango, crumb cake, blushing bride, tattered rose distress, old paper distress

life's moments...

it's funny how sometimes you can have something for a long time and not really notice it. then later you stumble across it and it speaks volumes to you.  i've had this {ippity} set for probably a a year.  yet i never really thought about this sentiment before.  i was looking for a stamp for a different card and i saw this one.  i love it!  i'm also starting to layer stamps more.  i think it's a cool look!  it's fun to experiment with different stamps and how they look layered.

have you discovered the cool background stamps that are only $6?  thoughts from the past is one of them.  such a great stamp.

life's moments...
stamps: ippity
cardstock: walnut cream, blue bayou, colorbox pp
ink: blue bayou, old paper distress
tools: corner chomper

where there is love...

happy monday! had a great weekend...did some yard work, went walking, and got to spend more time in the craft disaster area (aka my craft room!). i'm loving rediscovering some {ippity} stamps i forgot i had! you can have some, too!!

where there is love
stamps: ippity
cardstock: barely banana, rich razzleberry, soft sky, walnut cream, su pp
ink: soft suede, broken china distress, peeled paint distress, old paper distress
embellishments:  glossy accents
tools: prismacolor markers

birdcage...

spent a little time in the craft room this weekend.  let me just say, it's been too long!!  i definitely need to make more time, more often!!  here is a set of atcs i made for a birdcage swap that christie is hosting.  love this bird stamp!  and a bonus, i found this cool hero arts background stamp on clearance at hobby lobby for $4!  hope you had a great weekend!

birdcage
stamps: hero arts, melody ross+unity, katie & co
cardstock: walnut cream, dusty durango
ink: wild honey distress ink, peeled paint distress ink, walnut stain distress ink

squirrel...

so i saw the cutest card at a stamp store in nc.  (i know...i was there in like june...) and i took a picture of this cute card because i loved it and thought it would make a cute set of atcs.  in fact, i bought the stamps, just so i could make them and posted a swap with the theme of woodland creatures.  wouldn't you know it?  i couldn't find that picture anywhere.  but i did make a half decent set of atcs anyway.  i just love the little set of logs!!

squirrel 

stamps: memory box, hero arts

cardstock: early espresso, walnut cream, cosmo cricket pp

ink:  early espresso

fintastic...

happy labor day! i hate that since it's labor day it means that summer is almost over. where did it go?? it's also monday, so that means h{ippity} hop time!! i love these little fishies. and they are so cute swimming in a big group. so tried my hand at masking. i discovered a super easy way to mask. post it notes. they are easy to cut and don't stick to your paper. plus, you can cut two at a time!! easy peasy. have a great day and go visit the other {ippity} chickies.

fintastic
stamps: ippity, kim hughes-chf

cardstock: soft sky-su; walnut cream-bazzill; my mind's eye pp

ink: blushing bride, pear pizzazz, early espresso, tempting turquoise

embellishments: prismacolor markers

happy birthday...

do you know what time it is?? no, not tool time...it's time for friends with flair! it's a fun little blog hop that happens each friday. a bunch of stampers who love all things unity make some sort of creation and post it on their blog. one of the bloggers has the friends with flair blinkie. if you are the lucky winner, you win 25 unity stamps! (then you'll become obsessed like the rest of us!) so play along! start at the beginning and take a stroll through the blogs. i broke out the july kotm for this week's card. my finished project is NOTHING like what i started out making, but i like it anyway. i experiemented with some colors i usually don't put together and tried out my new tim holtz styled labels movers & shapers die. i just altered it a bit. i don't think he'd mind, isn't he the king of distress? the inside of the card says "happy birthday". i love this new pear pizazz from su. it's a great shade. well, have a good weekend!

happy birthday
stamps: unity, {ippity}
cardstock: pear pizazz, rich razzleberry, kraft-su; walnut cream-bazzill
ink: pear pizazz, rich razzleberry
embellishments: glaze pen
tools: styled labels die, sizzlets circle #3, circle punch

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

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