Fish-a-Rific

Here are a couple of cards I made last week that I hadn't had the chance to post.

First up is the card I did for the Sketch challenge. I used the set "American Dream" from Treehouse (remember, from now until July4th use promo code:july4thspecial and get 20% off of this set). I used markers to color the kids, white ink for the stamps that were used in the background and added details with white gel pen.


The second card was for the Limited Supply challenge where we had to use brads only within our image. I used an image and saying that will be released from Treehouse on July 10th. Colored with reinkers, some sponging and made a scallop piece for waves. I used brads in place of the bubbles that are a part of the image.

Dedicated to those that Serve

To all of those that serve or have loved ones that are serving or have served, this card is for you. Thank you for your service!

Today's Ways to use it was to use Birds on our cards. I don't own many if any bird stamps so I thought I was up a creek without a paddle. Then I remembered that at demo camp this week we had made a card using The Free & the Brave set (Stampin' UP!) and used the eagle stamp! I hadn't finished mine so I set off to finish it.

I added more layers than what was given to us at demo camp. Distressed it with the distresser tool (they did do this at demo but i did it way more) and distressed it with matching inks (this was not done at demo camp). The saying and the stars are on dimensionals.

So you are probably wondering how I got the word LOVE to be Ruby Red and the rest of the saying is Blue Bayou when Stampin' UP doesn't have a Blue Bayou marker. A small piece of regular tape was stuck over the word LOVE, the stamp was stamped in Blue Bayou, removed tape and inked up LOVE with the Ruby Red marker. Don't forget to huff before stamping!

The big stars are from the set "In the Stars" (Occasions Mini collection '08) and were punched using the big star punch. The little red stars were punched from the Western Sky design paper.

I decided to take my picture outside and "borrowed" some of ds's army guys to use as props for my picture!

stamp: The Free & the Brave, In the Stars; paper: Western Sky dp, Ruby Red, Blue Bayou, white; ink: Ruby Red, Blue Bayou, River Rock; accs: brads, sponge, distresser tool, hemp twine, star punches

I've been Published!!

You might remember this post I did back on March 18. Well now I can show you the card that was published! First some background on why I submitted and how.

Now I had made a card for the Limited Supply challenge where we had to use only numbers on our card. (in Oct. '07) Well I don't own number stamps so I came up with the idea to use a fish from Rubbernecker and make him into a number. I picked the number 9 as my nephew's birthday was coming up so being a good Tia (aunt) I made him a birthday card. I masked the little fish until I had a 9 shaped from fish! A little watercoloring with distress reinkers and I was good to go. But then I saw a contest on RubberStampMadness on numbers, and thought why not enter it. So I sent my nephew's birthday card to RSM (and not by email, they like you to send in the actual card), deadline was Nov.15th! Months went by and I never heard a thing. I started kicking myself for not including a SASE so they could send the card back as I figured I hadn't been picked.

March 7th rolled around and I got an email from Galilee saying that "my artwork was chosen to be in the RSM Numbers centerfold (didn't know I was a centerfold, huh?? lol) - issue 160 (July/August 2008)" I think I fell out of my chair!

So now I'm excited to share with you some pictures of my card in the magazine. Go check out RSM and see what themed art they are looking for next. They also except artwork that is not on a specfic theme. So send in your cards, you never know, you just might get published! Just don't forget that SASE!! lol

Issue 160 July/August 2008 (sorry for the flash on the cover)

School of Fish
Amber Hillman of St.Paris, Ohio sent in our final number. "I went way outside my comfort zone," says the artist. "I didn't have any number stamps so I had to come up with a completely different way to get a number stamped on my card."
To make her number 9, Hillman first sketched a light outline of the number on paper. "Then maksing the fish, I stamped him over and over on the outline," she says. "Then masking the bottom fish, I stamped the seaweed twice and once on a piece of white."
She used watercolors with distress inks on them, cut them out and popped up the middle section of seaweed for dimension. More dimension comes from the Crystal Effects she added to the bubbles. "I stamped and cut out one fish and added google eyes to him."
Hillman has been stamping for five years, and used two of her favorite techniques for this project: masking and watercoloring. Although she says she leans towards the number seven being her favorite, this card would be perfect for a nine-year-old's birthday. "Any time I stamp I have fun," Hillman says. "I really enjoyed this challenge because my card turned out exactly how I had envisioned it." (stamp credits: Fish, seaweed- Rubbernecker.)
By Karen Sweeny-Justice

Treehouse Special

From right now until the end of the day on July 4th, Treehouse Stamps will be running a special on the American Dream stamp set. Use the following Promo code: july4thspecial to receive 20% off the set.

Just Because

Miss me? I haven't stamped in over a week! No, I'm not sick (well, some might think so since I haven't stamped). Both my girls are in 4-H and we only have 3 weeks left until judging! (and nothing had been started!!) So what are they taking? Allie (8) is taking sewing, scrapbooking and cooking. Carmen (12) is taking scrapbooking, cooking and llamas. Can you say busy?? (or CRAZY mom??!!) Sewing is almost done, since it is her first year, it is a simple project like a skirt and a bag. As for the rest....well that is another story.

BUT.... I was able to stamp some today. I made the following card for the MFT sketch and for the Try New Technique. The technique was to watercolor using reinkers or if you didn't have reinkers, to squish the ink into the lid and pick it up that way. The colors I used, I didn't have reinkers so I squished the ink into the lid and picked it up with my aquapainter.

I used one of MFT's new line stamps by Annie LaPoint. I colored the image with Prismacolor pencils and gamsol first and then went back over it with inks picked up with the aquapainter. White gel pen was used on the flowers. Distressed the ovals with Sage Shadow and then with distress ink Vintage Photo. (I used a sponge for both inks if you were wondering) Using my mom's Nestibilities, I cut out the ovals and scalloped ovals. I also used design paper which is a big challenge for me.

stamp: Chamomlie by MFT; ink: black, chocolate chip, sage shadow, creamy caramel, close to cocoa, distress ink vintage photo; paper: Inspire dp (MFT), chocolate chip; accs: ribbon, nestiblities, brads, sponge, white gel pen, prismacolor pencils, gamsol

Inspired by a jacket

I don't usually do the Inspiration challenge that is posted on Saturdays on SCS. I just have a hard time being inspired by a picture of something. But this week I decided to give it a try. We were to use something from a magazine called Acaia to get our inspiration. I had some colors sitting out so I found a Pastel Batik Jacket with those colors. (I want this jacket now!)

I used MFT's "Hey Cupcake" set. Colored in the liners with prismacolor pencils and prismacolor markers. The icing is a seperate stamp that was stamped in worn lipstick distress ink. I added cherries ontop of each cupcake. I distressed each piece of paper with distress inks: tattered rose, old paper and worn lipstick. I also took the distress tool to the layers also. I dyed the ribbon by rubbing it along the worn lipstick distress ink. Added some paper piercing to the corners of the cupcake layer and stamped the cake stand right onto the paper. Linen is stamped on the Certainly Celery.

I'll let you in on a little secret... the saying did and didn't come with the stamp set. It is actually a combo of the two sayings in the set! "Hey" came from "Hey Sweets" and "Cupcake" came from "What's up Cupcake?". Just look at the combo's you can get from just those to sentiments!

For my layout, I used Taylor's cupcake challenge. Happy Belated Birthday, Taylor, this one's for you....

stamp: Hey Cupcake - MFT, Linen; paper: design paper, certainly celery, pretty in pink; ink: distress ink tattered rose, old paper, worn lipstick, black soot, Certainly Celery; accs: paper piercer, distresser tool, ribbon, punch for ribbon, prismacolor markers, prismacolor pencils

I am a...

...Frosted Cupcake

"You're something of a showoff, aren’t you? (But in a deliciously good way!) For you, good taste is only part of the story. Your fresh-baked creations look like they were torn from the pages of a magazine, reflecting your winning sense of style. No wonder your treats get so many "oohs and ahhhs."

Okay, so where did this come from? I was on VeryBestBaking looking for a recipe as I'm in the mood for something sweet and chocolatie. I noticed that my profile wasn't complete so I finished answering the questions they had about cooking etc. And that is how I became a Frosted Cupcake! I think it fits me perfectly. So go sign up and fill out your profile and post back here letting us know what you are. (don't worry, we won't think any less of you if you don't cook often.)

Now I'm off to make some cookie bars or brownies or French Chocolate Cheesecake or "Pumped up" Chocolate milkshakes. These are just a few recipes that you can find at the site. And no, they don't offer just chocolate recipes. Anything to have to do with Nestle TollHouse brand, Carnation brand, Libby's brand and Alber's brand. So you can plan your entire menu just through this site!

ps. Think i've gained 10 lbs just by looking at the site's pictures!! lol

Life is..... BWC#10

Ashley's Brainwave challenge for this week is a sketch. She came up with a doozie! lol But after getting it all put together... I like it!



When I first saw the sketch, i thought of having the triangle as a clasp to the card. I wanted to use magnets but could I find them? NO!! So I used velcro instead. I used Life is a Picnic that will be released Thursday 12:01am June 12th at Treehouse Stamps. When my son saw me using this set a while back, he thought that the ants were made to hold one another. So with that in mind, I took his idea to come up with this balancing act! Thanks buddy for the idea.

stamp: Life is a Picnic - Treehouse stamps; paper: more mustard, close to cocoa, always artichoke, white; ink: basic brown, black, more mustard; accs: white gel pen, culozzle, circle punch, corner round punch, aquapainter, regal rose marker, velcro, dimensions

Inside says: "...a Balancing Act!"

Don't forget to check out the other ladies work:

Michele Kovack
Kristin Edwards
Ashley Bowen

On a roll

Today's color challenge on SCS was So Saffron, Real Red and Regal Rose. Well... I have no Regal Rose paper, at least none that I can find. So I went with sponging Regal Rose onto White cardstock at least for the first card. Yes, I said first card. After I made the first one I decided to try something that I've been wanting to try so I made 2 cards today with the color challenge. I'm on a roll!

For my first card, I used the sketch on the MFT thread for this week. Used the set "Here's the Scoop". Cone and scoops are cutout and on dimensions. Watercolored them in just a little and went over the cone with So Saffron Marker. Took Regal Rose to the cuttlebug piece also. The sentiment is from the "Bundles of Bouquets" (MFT) set. To get the stripes in my ribbon, I took the Regal Rose marker just to the edges of the ribbon.

stamp: Here's the Scoop - MFT; paper: so saffron, white, real red; ink: black stazon, regal rose; acc: sponge, ribbon, markers, hodge podge, scallop oval punch, dimensions


When I got this stamp, I envisioned a Monet look to it. I decided to try using markers straight onto the stamp and spritzing with water. (I know this works on red rubber stamps but wasn't sure about acyrlic stamps.) I colored the flowers with Regal Rose, leaves and middle of pot with So Saffron and the pot with Real Red.

I spritzed the watercolor paper with a little water, Spritzed the stamp a few times with water. Held it for a second or two and then stamped it onto the paper. After the paper dried, I stamped the image again in Brilliance Black. I like the look that came from it. I will have to make a set of cards using this technique with this new stamp line from MFT.

stamp: Annie LaPoint "Take A Break" - MFT; paper: so saffron, real red, watercolor; ink: brilliance black; accs: SU markers Real Red, So Saffron, Regal Rose, vintage brads

Vintage card

When I first saw the new stamp line by MFT, I wanted to make a Vintage card. This stamp from the new line is perfect for paper toile.

I used distress inks: tattered rose, old paper, vintage photo, peeled paint and dusty concord to color my image and distress all my paper. Even the close to cocoa cardstock was distressed with tattered rose. The tub/flowers was cut out and layered with the flowers being cutout again and layered. It is hard to see but I added some Pearlescent watercolor to the flowers that gives them a shine. For the ribbon, I just dragged it along the tattered rose ink pad.

I used Beate's sketch as my layout. Image and Pearlescent watercolors can be found at My Favorite Things.

stamps: Take a Break by MFT; paper: vanilla, close to cocoa; ink: black stazon, distress inks: tattered rose, vintage photo, old paper, dusty concord, peeled paint; accs: Pearlescent watercolors, dimensions, sponge, cuttlebug, ribbon


close up of the flowers, the flowers in each layer are colored even though it doesn't look like it here.

Card set

Wednesday was the last day of school. One of my eldest daughter's teacher is retiring this year. She's had a rough year (lost her only daughter in a car accident) so I thought I'd make her a card set as we have known the family forever. Of course darling daughter of mine forgets to tell me until that last day that the teacher's last day had been last Friday instead!! But never fear, I will just have to send the card set to her.

I used MFT's new stamps that are also part of a new line MFT is coming out with. These stamps were created by Annie LaPoint and can stand on their own. Hence the reason I made the cards as no layer cards. I used SU markers to color them in.

Here's the Scoop...

MFT is having a release party tonight in the MFT forum on SCS. Here is a sneak peek at another set that will be released tonight after the party.

I used only the ice cream scoop and a sentiment from the Here's the Scoop set. Used the colors from the color challenge. I made the square using the coluzzle and punched out the scallop square with a marvy punch. Colored the ribbon by running it over the Soft Sky pad. Added just a bit of color to the scoop using a aquapainter and ink.

stamp: Here's the Scoop...; paper: blue bayou, real red, soft sky, white; ink: real red, black, soft sky; accs: hodge podge, ribbon, scallop square punch, coluzzle, aquapainter

More sneak peeks to come so stay tuned!

Patriotic Birthday

Do you or someone you know celebrate a birthday around the 4th of July? Then this card is for you:

Some Patriotic Cupcakes! A sneak peek from MFT, What's Up Cupcake? The cupcakes are a complete stamp, no need for masking/stamp-a-ma-jig, just stamp and color. The cool part is the sprinkles. They are a complete separate stamp themselves!

I colored the liners with Prismacolor markers and added some Crystal Effects. For the sprinkles, I stamped them in blue and then added stickles. The cupcake stand is embossed in silver.

The rectangle and circle were both done using Nestibilites. (I used my moms. I don't have them myself :( ) White cardstock is embossed with the Happy Birthday folder and the red/blue cardstock are embossed with Dotted Swiss.

Every week there is a sketch in the MFT forum on SCS. This is this weeks sketch. Feel free to play along even if you don't own any MFTs, If you upload to SCS, use keywords: MFTSC33 so that we may find your card and leave a comment.

I am having some issues with my camera which isn't good since MFT's release is this week. Keep your fingers crossed that I am able to get pictures of my cards so that I can show you some more goodies that you will just love!

My Favorite Things (www.mftstamps.com) is having a New Release Cocktail Party on Wednesday, June 4 from 9-11 p.m. Eastern time. LOTS of fun (and a surprise release) is planned including finding out how YOU can be the next MFT Guest Designer. Head over to the MFT forum on www.splitcoaststampers.com to find out all the details and we hope to see you there on Wednesday night.