OLW31 - Back to the Beginning

This week's One Layer Wednesday Challenge (OLW31) is a blast from the past - a blast from our stamping past!  The challenge is to go back to your beginning in rubber stamping - and draw from the things that attracted you to stamping in the first place -

Look at these old beauties!  My love of all things paper began with Stampin' Up!  Here are some of my first purchases - buying the ink was not an option so purchasing the chalk allowed me to have all the colors to match the cardstock.  I also really loved techniques when I first started stamping so Splitcoaststampers was THE place to go to learn - still is - what a wonderful resource!  Remember Dazzling Diamond Dust?  You know how coal miners can get black lung - frankly, I may have sparkle lung.  The jar in the picture is the third one I've had - LOVE me some embossed bling.

Here's my modern twist on it - I used Washi tape (this stuff is great - not only decorative but removable too) to mask off around the butterfly (colored with chalks).  This way I could use the technique and not add a layer to my card.

The silk ribbon is from May Arts.  Here's a link to a card aptly named Heartfelt Dazzling Diamonds that I uploaded to SCS in March of 2006!  I've definitely come a long way since then!!  ;-)  What did you do when you first started stamping?
I am also linking this card to the Moxie Fab World Card Creations:  Favorite OccasionsWeek - The Thank You Challenge - I dare you to say that 10 times fast!  BTW - It is a great issue!!

Making Memories Necklace -

Part of my Diggin' on Damask loot was a bunch of findings from the Making Memories Vintage Groove jewelry line by Jill Schwartz.  This morning I decided to put a quick necklace together.

I laid out my charms in the order that I wanted to put them together and reinforced the fabric flowers with a bit of E-6000 - not taking any chances of them falling off during the exertions of the day!  Do you see the coral colored charm above - do you find it to be a bit "too colorful" - probably not but I am not one to be too flashy so . . .

I quickly toned it down with a dab of Folk Art Champagne Shimmer Acrylic paint.  Took only seconds and made it "more me".

I could not take a clear pic not matter how I tried once I put the necklace on - There is a reason there are very few pics of me on this blog!  I'm glad the mirror didn't crack!  I'm off to take my Vintage Groove-y self off to the grocery.  Hope you are having a great day!

PDCC#57/CardPatterns Sketch #92 - Antique Ledger Bird

WHOO HOO - got a chance to play a little with my new toys!  It is overcast and rainy today so you can't see that the silver paper is shimmery and that the striped paper has glitter!

I used the colors from the current Play Date Cafe Challenge and the sketch from Card Patterns.

Here are some of the tools used - I used the Marvy Uchida punch to cut out a cute little bird from the Making Memories Paper Reverie - Brun Antique Ledger Bird.  The SU! bird punch makes quick work of leaves for under the decorative embellishment.  The sentiment is one of my favorites from A Muse.

A Tim Holtz Texture Fade folder added texture and the gray/silver ribbon added some extra shimmer (you are going to have to trust me on the whole glimmer part!)
So yesterday on the way home our youngest boy HAD to stop and use the restroom - we ended up getting off at a kinda sketchy exit and stopping at a store that had bars in the windows and on the door.  Since he'd never been  in an "establishment" like that he looked around and said, "What's up - are they expecting a zombie attack or something?!" - that boy cracks me up. . .

Happy Mail from Paper Crafts!!

A couple weeks back I was named as one of the winners of the Diggin' On Damask Challenge on the Moxie Fab World blog.  I was very happy to come home from our trip to Mississippi to see this box on our front porch!!

I about fell over when I opened it and found ALL the goodies inside here - Everything is from Making Memories - lots of paper from the Paper Reverie Collections (Sienne, Noir, Metallique, Brun Antique) plus ribbon, diecuts, brads and journaling pages PLUS lots of delicious Vintage Groove pendants and chains for making your own jewelry!!  It is past 11 at night and I need to go to sleep but I am so excited over my treasures!!

We had a great weekend in Mississippi - My "bestest cuz" Selena and I left the kiddos with their dads and headed off to brave the shopping on Friday.  $10 jeans at Bass Pro Shop made the trip worthwhile - plus coffee from Starbucks, sushi for lunch and cupcakes for dessert - lots of other shopping in there too but I like to think about the food.

The boys had great fun riding 4-wheelers, shooting bb guns and playing with the dogs, etc. when it was daylight and after dark there was plenty of Rock Band and Just Dance on the Wii. 

We had a big family dinner on Saturday night and a bonfire afterward plus fireworks!  Loads of fun - our car looked like the aftermath from Mt. St. Helen's this morning from the ash but Corey and Steve washed it off before we headed home.

When I was around all the family I forgot to take any pictures - sheesh!  But I did manage to take some pics of the cows - it was late in the day and the sun was setting -

I was surprised to see calves so late in the year.  They were super cute though -
We are glad to be home but were sad to say goodbye. 

OLW30 - Inspiring Minds

I am so swamped but I can't resist a One Layer Wednesday!  Jennifer Styles of Styles Ink is sponsoring this week's challenge - and the card below is the one I chose for my inspiration.

The birds were kinda "grungy" looking and the tiny touch of red in the lower right hand corner where the artist's signature is located were things that drew my eye.

Normally I'd "swirl and tap" to evenly ink a stamp but in this instance just lightly tapping the stamp to ink pad takes advantage of the woven fabric that makes up the top surface of a die ink pad.  See that tiny bit of yellow?  That's a chunk of Post-it that masked the area where I wanted to stamp my sentiment.  Liberal use of a Stamp-a-ma-jig made sure the butterflies were flying exactly where I envisioned them.

I wanted a little more red at the top so I added a satin ribbon and then finished up the bottom with some Martha Stewart Coarse Glitter - pretty bling!  The stamps and sentiment come from A Muse.

Stamping Royalty!!

Not to toot my own horn (but really, if I don't toot it who will?) PaperCrafts Connection has an article on the 2010 Stamping Royalty!!  Anytime you would like to see my "Royal Parade Wave" just ask - I am available for lunches, dinners, breakfasts, brunches (just about any occasion where I don't have to cook and you will feed me) for interviews and autographs.  Please note - I am a very modest person so I asked them to keep my picture small (har har)!  Have a great day and happy stamping!!

2S4Y/PDCC56 - Just a Note

I've been meaning to play more with my Tim Holtz Distress Inks and finally got a quick moment - The stamp is called Tree Tile from Rubber Soul and I embossed it with white ink and then randomly colored the tile with Distress Inks (Broken China, Peeled Paint, Aged Mahogany) using the foam tool by Inkssentials.

The colors are from the current Play Date Cafe Challenge #56 and the layout is from 2Sketches4You #66.
I decided to layer onto kraft cardstock for fun and to really draw attention to the colors and the patterned papers.

The patterned papers are from Basic Grey and 7 Gypsies.  Sentiment is from A Muse.  The boys and I successfully raked the backyard today - there are currently 33 bags stuffed full of leaves all along our curb.  There are a few more leaves left but we ran out of bags!!  We'll finish that up tomorrow - We can see grass again in the backyard and no more "dog surprises" hiding under the leaves for us to step on!!  That was the worst part!!  Blech!