Sweet Sunday Sketch

It was time for me to do another one of Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenges. It took me a little while to decide what I wanted to do.

I had the new set from Stampin' Up! - Scene in a Garden. I hadn't inked up the cute little pumpkins in the set yet, so decided it was time to give them some play....well, that meant breaking out the old Autumn Vine paper (retired :( ) I love the colors in the DSP and the prints that make up the pack too. So here's my creation:

Cute - eh?

Recipe:

Stamps: Scene in a Garden

Ink: Stazon Jet Black

Paper: Choc. Chip, Sage Shadow, Autumn Vine DSP (retired)

Accessories: Sage Shadow ribbon, Choc. Chip jumbo brads, Watercolor crayons (Earth Elements)

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Today is my mother's birthday! I know that my mom is the one who gave me the creative talent that I have. I've seen her work. I've seen her work from high school. She's always had talent. And our styles are very similar. It's the one thing that I am really glad she passed onto me. (The way I roll my eyes at things that my hubby says - she could have kept that, but passed it on to me too - my hubby is SO VERY thankful :) ) My mom is also a stamper - something I got started in, and passed onto her. And yet - today's card comes from a stamp set that she owns that I had to borrow! We share - and that's good!

I just love this set - Blooming with Love. It screams my mom! All the flowers, the pots, the wheelbarrow - it's so her style.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!

Recipe
Stamps: Blooming with Love
Paper: Baha Breeze, Choc. Chip, Whisper White, Parisian Breeze DSP
Ink: Stazon Jet Black
Accessories: Watercolor Crayons (Earth Elements bundle), Choc. Chip ribbon, Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelet, Scallop Edge and 1/8" Circle punch

Baby Memory Box

So, you've seen these little lunch tins right? And you wonder, hmmm, what can I do with that? I've decorated a few of them - some have been for nieces and nephews, I've made one for my son Will, who stores his crayons and markers in it. This one, I decided to alter into a memory box for my SIL's baby to be.

So from the plain old tin, to this:


It's pretty stinkin' cute - huh! The one thing that I really like about it, is the fact that those chunky things that you want to keep, like the hospital bracelet for example, don't always fit into a memory book without being akward. In here, you have plenty of room for all kinds of things. I made dividers seperated by months. She can keep pictures in there and simply sort by the months.

Ialso made a few milestone dividers, such as the first haircut. I used some sticky strip to attach a clear bag to the divider so she can keep a few locks of precious hair!

So - what do you think?

Thrifty Gifty

I'm a huge fan of giving cute little gifts. Not gifts that you spent a fortune on, but those that have a little thought behind them, and ones that the recipient will appreciate the fact that you put some effort into. I like to look at an object and figure out a new use for - such as a Pringles chip can. Did you know that if you add a little designer paper, these become cute little gift boxes. As do Crystal Light canisters!

This is a $2 jar found at Walmart - I added a little paper, stamped a cute sentiment for the top, rubbed on some rub-ons and filled with candy. This particular jar was a door prize for a baby shower. Everyone oohhhed and aahhhed at the cuteness of it, and I was just glad that it was a hit.

And while it is super cute, the entire process took less than 10 minutes. It's so much more personable that just a jar of candy. Do any of you have some thrifty gifts that you've given? Leave a comment and let me know.

An old egg

Here's an oldie - but a goodie! I was trying to remember what I had done for Easter Cards last year and came across this one. I just love this stamp set - A Good Egg. That little guy is so stinkin' cute. I had made it with some carosel note and white craft ink, some rub ons, a little glitter.....

Okay - now I'm in the mood for some Easter Cards...off I go!

Hello Birdie!

Another card for you to see - using the Cheep Talk set. This little guy just reminds me of spring. Although - some of the local weathermen are predicting are predicting 8 - 14 inches of SNOW this weekend. WHAT??? It's April. Snow is not allowed. Whatever happened to April Showers bring May flowers? That does NOT mention anything about snow. UGH! So, here's my attempt at reminding us that spring will come - eventually!


Recipe:
Stamps: Cheep Talk, Itty BittyBackgrounds
Paper: Old Olive, Choc. Chip, Good Morning Sunshine DSP, Whisper White
Ink: Pacific Point, Choc. Chip, Old Olive, Ridinghood Red, Summer Sun, Versamark
Accessories: Certainly Celery Poly-twil ribbon, Supernova Fine Glitter

Get Connected!

I fondly remember when I was a little girl the letters that I would write and send to my aunts and to my grandparents. I would draw them pictures, or even make them cards. My Aunt Marilyn recently sent me an envelope full of things I had sent her over 30 years ago. That tells me that it was meaningful to her - she has saved them all of these years!
While, in these economic times, people are spending less on gifts, it is still nice to give something - anything. My mom recently told me about a gift she gave to a friend of hers. It was a paper box that she'd made and filled with candy. She said that the recipient loved it and commented to her that it was so nice to receive a gift that wasn't purchased at a store, with the mentality "Oh, this will do!"
People appreciate the heartfelt effort that goes into sending a handwritten letter. It means much more than an email ever does. Do you know how much more it means when they receive a handmade card? How many people do you know that print out an email or text message to save for later reading? I have a stack of notes from my husband from our early dating years. And so does he. Not a one of them is an email.
This is the thought behind this month's Stampin' Up! promotion. Get connected with your friends and family. Send them a simple handcrafted card. Instead of going out and buying an expensive gift, make them something meaningful. How about a name frame? Or stamp a set of personalized cards that they can turn around and use? Make a cute little gift box. None of it has to elaborated or complicated. Just make it meaningful.
Click on the link to the right to find out more about the promotion! Contact me to learn more.

Onesie! Twosie!

My sister-in-law Laura is going to have a baby in June, and recently we held a baby shower for her. We went with a clothesline themed and strung a ton of onesies, socks, bibs and other cute little girl outfits on a line for her. I (literally) whipped up a couple of onesies the morning of the shower. They were SUPER easy - and very adorable. This first one I cut thr flowers out of felt with my BIG SHOT! That thing is awesome! I layered the flowers and sewed them onto the onesie with a button from Button Latte right in the middle.

This one I used the felt flowers from Flower Fusion. They made this one even easier. The flowers are diecut, so I just had to layer them and tack them on with a button center!

Looks like I should have ironed that onesie first - oopsie!
Here's the third one I made - a little closer for you to view.

Aren't they just the cutest thing? I almost want a girl for myself! Maybe in a couple of years.

Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge

Remember - I told you I'm on a sketch challenge roll! Here is another one! This one comes from Karen's blog. I tell you what - she does amazing work. I admire her clean and simple style and the way she can use colors so well together.


Here is the card that I came up with:

I was really in a spring fever mode when I made this. The sun was shining, but the air was really chilly! So, warm days I was wishing for! I'm becoming fond of Cameo Coral too - it's a bit out of my realm - but it's just screaming spring to me! I also used the new stamp set, Scene from A Garden, from the Occasions Mini Catalog that is brand new April 1st! I just love the grouping of mud boots in this set (I only inked up two of the pair of boots for this card tho) - it's a scene that is often seen at our house. Daddy mud boots, Mommy mud boots, and little boy mud boots. However, ours usually have plenty of actual mud on them. I also used a technique with vellum on this card. I ran it through the Big Shot with the Stampin' Up! Texturz Plate, then used my Stampin' Up! Markers and colored the individual flowers from the backside. It gives a nice subtle wash of color to the vellum, and makes the pattern stand out. Pretty cool - huh!

I used a blender pen dipped into the bottom of my watercolor crayons to do the watercolor the image. What do you think?

Weekend Sketch Challenge and Please VOTE!

This month my stamp club is going to be working with vellum and window sheets. So, I've combined some sketch challenges with this months projects. And, I need your help! Please let me know which of these cards you like best, and let me know why. Just leave a comment below.
Here is the sketch I used - found at Beate's blog and her weekend sketch challenge. Which was actually hosted by Charmaine on her blog!


Here is card #1 - Sorry about the blurry picture - I must have bumped my camera - who knows. I hope you get the jist of it tho. Stamped the bold flowers on the vellum and overlaid it on the Urban Garden DSP....

Here is card #2: Better picture this time! I was afraid that the daisies weren't going to show up well enough, but I think they are okay....


My other feeling is that maybe the flower on the sentiment are just too, umm, maybe delicate for the stamped flowers I chose? The bold flowers and the daisies? Remember - I'm not a big flower person, so am quite limited as far as stamps go in that department! Anyway, if you would please let me know which one you like the best, I would greatly appreciate it! (As I typed that, a British accent came through my head...I must have watched Will's Lassie movie one too many times...)

Taylored Expessions Cupcake Challenge

I'm on a sketch challenge roll here! It sure helps the ceative juices flow a little more fluidly. Gives me something to go off of and just play. I've admired Taylor's blog for quite some time. She IS a fellow Iowan after all! I decided to give her challenge a whirl. Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

You'll notice I turned it kitty-whompass. I knew when I saw the sketch, that I wanted to use balloons to take the place of the flower. You know, I don't always do well with flowery type things! I like the colors, the brightness, the fun that this card evokes. What do you think?

Recipe:

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes

Ink: Stazon Jet Black

Paper: Pacific Point, Taste of Textiles (printed vellum), watercolor paper

Accessories: Stampin' Up! Markers, blender pen, Pig tails Ribbon

Here is a card recently made at a workshop I did. I have fallen in LOVE with the birds. I think I like them because they can be used in a magnitude of ways. I'll be able to use them on scrapbook pages for the boys and on cards. But also, I can easily change the mood of them just by changing my colors. This card seems more bright and cheery in person. I used the Good Morning Sunshine DSP - and I really like that paper. It reminds me of the song "Rockin' Robin". Yeah - you'll be singing that the rest of the day now!

I really like these buttons from Button Latte. Too cute!

Recipe
Stamps: Cheep Talk
Paper: So Saffron, Choc. Chip, Good Morning Sunshine DSP, Whisper White
Ink: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Choc. Chip
Accessories: Button Latte (go ahead *gasp* NO RIBBON!)

Mark(er) me on your Calendar!

You'd LOVE to own your own complete set of Stampin' Up! Markers - right? Who wouldn't. You get every Stampin' Up! color in a handy box with a carrying handle. They allow you to color your stamps to acheive multiple colors in one shot. They simply are MARVELOUS!
During the months of April and May, I am going to give you the opportunity to WIN your own set of markers. Exciting right! Here's the details:
To get your name entered, you need to get your name on my calendar by hosting your own workshop or submittng a hostess quaifying order. This workshop can be held by:

• Host a workshop in your own home. Learn about exciting new Stampin' Up! products, make a couple of make and takes and earn other great hostess benefits too!
• Host a book party. Show your friends, neighbors and relatives the fun things that they can make with Stampin' Up! products, gather their orders, and earn free hostess benefits!
• Submit a hostess qualifying order on my Stampin' Up! Website: http://www.jenarkfeld.stampinup.net/ Combine orders with friends if you want to, but only YOUR name will be entered in the drawing.
• FYI - a qualifying hostess order is one that is $150 or more.

Right now, I have a few dates open for in home workshops. Contact me to find out if you can get your name on my calendar! Drawing will be held on June 1st! You don't want to miss out on this one!

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #10 via Karen Giron!

I've wanted to do Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge for a while now...and I finally had some time to do this one. Funny - this sketch is very similar to the cards that I have been doing at my workshops this month. I love it!

I did go out of my league tho and used Lovely Lilac paper. I NEVER use purple on anything...guess what! I really like this card - and I like the purple. Gives a good contrast with the other colors I used. I actually picked the Lilac paper and then was stuck. So I pulled out the Color Coach (aka life saver) and found that Summer Sun was a contrasting color - since it was so bright, I used it sparingly. I had pulled the other colors that coordinated according to the coach, but they just weren't going where I wanted to go. I had a scrap of Old Olive DSP sitting on top of my desk, and thought, wow - look at that. Looks pretty good. Oh, the evolution of a card can surprise me.

I used my water color paper to stamp the cupcake tower on. It makes for much easier coloring with markers, and you can actually blend your markers with a blender pen then too!

Recipe:

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes

Paper: Lovely Lilac, Summer Sun, Old Olive DSP

Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Versamark

Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, Markers, Blender Pen, Fresh Favorites II Buttons

Hello!

I had told you that my Stamp Clubs did a faux metal technique this month. We used the Sale-A-Bration stamp set, Polka Dot Punches. This set reminds me of the embossed tin that would have been on a ceiling in an old merchantile. This is one of the projects that we did:



An up close look of the "o".

Isn't that an awesome look. Have you tried this technique before? Would you like step by step directions? This is a perk of being a member of my stamp clubs. I'm working on setting up my fourth stamp club - if you are interested contact me.

Recipe:
Stamps: Polka Dot Punches
Paper: Delicate Dots DSP, So Saffron, Sahara Sand, Whisper White
Ink: Baha Breeze, VersaMark
Accesories: Silver Embossing Powder, Silver Brad, Certainly Celery Poly-twil ribbon

Sale-A-Brate! With Botanical Blooms

We made this card a couple of weeks ago at a workshop. The hostess wanted something with flowers. I had the Botanical Blooms stamp set from the Sale-A-Bration catty, but hadn't even mounted. I wasn't even sure that I would mount it. You see, I'm not a huge floral person. I have 2 boys, well, three if you include my husband. We don't have much for flowers around the house. Except on the outside. Aaaaanyway! So, the hostess loves flowers. I mounted the set and decided to give it a whirl....you know what? I loved it! This set is so stinkin' cute, and this card I came up with is too! I may not be able to use this set for the boys' scrapbook pages, but it was so nice to get in touch with my inner feminine side. Here's the card:

I really am in love with these new cordorouy buttons(this going gray color will soon be released). Did you know, if you use a mini glue dot to adhere the button to your card (or scrapbook page) the likelihood of the button coming off are very slim. Even when you send it thru the mail.

And I actually used pink on a card too! Can you believe it? AND NO RIBBON!!! *gasp* I think I was running a fever or something when I did this one! Cute - eh?

Recipe:

Stamps: Botanical Blooms

Paper: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Urban Garden DSP

Ink: Baha Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouhette

Accessories: Going Gray Cordorouy Buttons (coming soon), hemp twine

I've been blown away - by my

embossing tool! Really - I'm sure you're tired of looking at the same old blog page now for a week - and I have been creating - lots and lots with my heat embossing tool. This month my stamp clubs did a faux metal technique. This was so much fun - and was my first try at it too. We had a great time in both clubs - and I learned some things myself! Like how to tie a really pretty bow, thanks to Bonnie. And I did pass that info onto the other club, btw - and I did give you credit Bonnie!!! :) Anyway, while practicing the technique, this is one of the cards that I came up with.

I REALLY am loving this card. YILM (yes, I love myself! [phrase coined by Jan Tink]) I love the retro fan, the retro looking DSP - the colors...the new hardware that's about to come out - I love it all.

Isn't that just awesome - you simply heat up 4 layers of embossing powder - one at a time, moving very quickly so that the layers stay hot while you dust with more powder. When you have a nice thick layer of embossing powder heated up, you press your stamp into it and viola! Instant metal....

Tell me what you think! Leave me a comment please! Inquiring minds want to know - is this something that you would like to learn??

Recipe:

Paper: Baja Breeze, Going Gray, Urban Oasis DSP

Stamps: Puns from the Past

Accessories: Basic Jumbo Grommets (black), Valet Ribbon Originals, Tag Punch, Silver Embossing powder

The Power of Stazon Cleaner!

At the workshop I did on Sunday, one of the gals there mentioned how much she loved her Stazon Cleaner. She said that it would get any stain off of a stamp... And I've used the Stazon Cleaner several times to get my stamps clean, and can wholeheartedly agree that it works miracles. Last night I was using my Big Deal Alphabet, and saw that one of the stamps was badly stained. So, I thought, what a good time to show all of you how well this stuff does work...

Can you see how this stamp is stained? Before I even snapped this photo, I tried to clean it with my regular Stampin' Mist cleaner. It is still in sad shape. Now, don't get me wrong. 9 times out of 10 I'm using the Stampin' Mist to clean my stamps with. It's my go to cleaner, but when I need some reinforcements...out comes the Stazon Cleaner!



So, I dab on the cleaner and let it set for just a little bit. I can actually see it breaking down the ink that has stained my stamp. Amazing!





Then, I rub it on my Stampin' Scrub pad, and VIOLA! Clean as it was brand new. How about that!







If you would like to give this product a try, give me a call, or send me an email. I can get one on the way to you...

Newsletter, Newsletter, who wants a newsletter??

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KWerner Color Challenge

Really FAST post - I gave KWerner's Color Inspiration a try again. But, I'm at the end of my rope as far as time goes, so I'm just gonna post it and tell you about it later!!! SORRY!


I used the Good Friend set again - which I am in love with. I need to come up with a decent sentiment for the card yet. Will (my 3 year old) has put dibs on this card. He wants to send it to his Aunt Elizabeth. So, that's what we will do!