A Christmas Thanks & Happy Heart Day

First off I hope everyone had a wonderful and a very Merry Christmas!! It has been a very busy week here at my house and we have one more family Christmas to do on Saturday!!! And then on January 1, 2008, I will be off to San Francisco for 9 whole days!!! I have never been there and I am so excited to go!! I will be attending 2 different conferences, which is the main reason for going. Now on to the cards!!

The first card is for this week's color challenge and sketch challenge on SCS. The colors this week are Gable Green, Glorious Green and Real Red. Great colors for Christmas thank yous, which is what I need now!! So with the combo of both challenges this is the card I came up with.

I used Embrace Life for the flowers and the leaf stamp on the white circle. The flowers were stamped in black craft and embossed with black ep on Shimmery White. Then I watercolored with my Watercolor Wonder Crayons and a blender pen.

I used my distressor tool on all three circle panels and DTP on the white. The red circle panel is cardstock by Wausau and is a shimmery red.

My BG was made with the polka dot stamp from Polka Dots & Paisley's stamped in Gable Green. I finished off the card with some wide white organdy and a Real Red grosgrain.

My second card is for the Featured Stamper challenge from Sunday, December 23rd. This week's FS is Crissy AKA #1artistforhighhopes.

For this week's Featured Stamper Beth chose a stamper with an amazing ability for watercoloring all of her images!!! If you haven't seen her gallery, you really need to check it out!!

This is the card I chose to chose to CASE: Bugs and Kisses Levi Tab. I chose this one, as usual, for the layout!!! But when I went to make my card, the original image I started with was too big for the offset panel. So on to plan B and that was the new Happy Heart Day set.

The things I changed are:

* Colors, but I did keep the red theme

* Stamp set

* Added extra layers

* My main image panel is on pop up glue dots

* My "stitching" is done free hand with the black SU! marker. I tried using my All in a Row like Beate does, but I still haven't got that down yet!!

* Added a ribbon

* Moved the placement of my button and used only 2 brads

* Distressed the edges of the main BG panel

On the mouse I did paper piecing for his shirt and punched a flower for the heart and added a brad.

Happy Stamping everyone!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Thinking of You - CC145 & New Stamps

Well it feels good to be making a non - Christmas card!!! I am all done and they are out in the mail!!

This week for the Color Combo challenge the colors are Elegant Eggplant, So Saffron & Wild Wasabi. Such beautiful colors together and perfect for a sympathy type of card. This past weekend Shelli Gardner's (SU! co-founder) mom, Heather, passed away. I made this card to send to Shelli at this time. I used my new Level 2 hostess set we could pre-order, Infinite Goodness, on here.

All of the white cardstock is Shimmery White and sponged with either Eggplant or Wasabi. On the large BG panel I used my Rough Texture jumbo wheel and did my Triple 3 BG with all the colors. I "off-wheeled" with Eggplant and Wasabi to keep them toned down.

I used four different punches to create the "pad" the dragonfly is on: Key Tab, Scallop, and 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" circle punches. The images are colored with Watercolor Crayons and blender pen.

I also used Mary Jo Albright's sketch she has posted on her blog for her blog candy contest. Check out her blog here: beauty lies within

You can find out how I did my scallop punch here also!! Check out her pictures to see how it's done!! My camera washed out the Elegant Eggplant, but that's what it is!!

I also have been playing with my new stamps from the Spring/Summer preview and here's what I have so far.

This first card uses Happy Heart Day. The elephant is so cute and this can be used for more than just Valentine's Day. Originally this stamp has a saying which flows along the trunk and top of his head, but I cut that off and mounted it on another block. This way I can use the saying separately, and easier, if I want.

I think everything on here is pretty straight forward. A very simple and quick card to make. I used a pewter jumbo eyelet to set the ribbon. The entire panel is up on dimensionals.

The second card uses the "Thank You" from Happy Heart Day, Trec Chic BG and Seeing Spots. While the last two are not new, I did just receive both of them. Another quick and easy card to make and just add some bling to jazz it up!!

And my last card uses A Beautiful Thing with my Rough Texture jumbo wheel. Beate did a fabulous tutorial on Reverse Spotlighting and this is my attempt at that. For the life of me I could not make those flowers match up under the circle no matter what I did!!!! So I just ended up placing them on top of the circles and slightly off centered! I like how this turned out though. I also tried a new way to put ribbon on.

Well, I should get to that Christmas present wrapping before Christmas Eve!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Blog Candy Winner!!!

Here is the winner of my recent blog candy and the stamp set from Treehouse Stamps!!!

CAKVD said...
These stamps are FABULOUS!! The site is great too...easy to navigate. I love the idea gallery and the photos of the design team members.

Thanks!Cheryl KVD
December 13, 2007 9:44 PM

My prize will be on it's way in the next few days and so will your stamp set from Treehouse Stamps!!!

Congrats Cheryl!!!

Sorry for the late post! Huge snowstorm last night causing internet issues!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Free Shipping to Canada!!!

I just wanted to let everyone know, especially my Canadian readers, that Treehouse Stamps has decided to offer free shipping on orders of $40 or more to Canada also!!! Isn't that just awesome??

Don't forget to check out their site and leave me a comment in the post below to be entered in the blog candy contest!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Heavenly Snowmen and Blog Candy!!!

Here is another card showcasing the one of the new stamps from Treehouse Stamps!! The site is now officially open for business (that is what the blog candy is for). More about the blog candy in a minute, but first the card.

On this card I used the snowman from Winter Memories, including the sentiment. All of these stamps are so cute and very easy for coloring with any type of medium.

On here I used my Watercolor Wonder Crayons from SU! and a blender pen. I didn't start out for a masculine feel to this card, but the colors I chose were going that way!!! So I softened it up with the large circle flower copper brad, organdy and satin white ribbon and small piece of blue embroidery floss.

My colors came from the medium size blue panel as I wanted to try out the Faux Denim technique in the newest Technique Junkie newsletter. So easy to do and I like how this came out!!

My base card is PaperTrey Ink's white, then Creamy Caramel which I ran through my Cuttlebug with the snowflake folder, followed by the Faux Denim piece mounted on Choc. Chip text. and Night of Navy under the main image. The second and third panels are distressed around the edges and I did light sponging around the base card, snowman and the sentiment in Creamy Caramel.

I really like doing the sentiment layers as I feel this really makes the sentiment pop! I did revers paper piercing on the round tab layer and faux stitching on the Brocade Blue circle. Both the second and third panels are up on different size dimensionals for depth.

I used small pom-poms for the hat and his buttons!

Please let me know what you think about this little guy!! He will be off in the morning mail to my vets office for Christmas!! We have had some animal emergencies this year and they have taken great care of them, and us, during those times!!

The sketch I used here is this week's SC on SCS!

Now for the blog candy!!! How would you like to win a free stamp set?? The two sets pictured here are the new sets from Treehouse Stamps which I have been showing all week!!!




This is what you do to enter: Take a look at the website for Treehouse Stamps and then come back here and leave me comment. In your comment please let me know what you like, dislike and any suggestions you may have for the site. And please let me know what set you prefer if you win. I cannot guarantee you will receive your preference as Ashley and Kristen will be mailing them out, but I will give it my best shot!! In addition to that, I will personally be sending the winner a small gift made with one of the sets!! I'll get a pic posted by tomorrow of my gift!

Isn't this the greatest??? Who doesn't love free stamps & gifts?? So jump on over to the Treehouse Stamps website and look around and come back here with your comments!!! You have until Saturday, December 15th at 11:59 pm to get your comments in!!


Happy Stamping!!!!



~~~Ann~~~

Here's a Sneak Peek!!!

Here's a sneak peek of two of the stamps which are being released by Treehouse Stamps on Wednesday, December 12th!!! The images in both sets are too darn cute and adorable!!



On my first card I used the moose from Snowball Fight. I just love this guy the best for some reason!! Maybe because he is so innocently waiting with that snowball to throw at someone?? I colored him with my SU! markers and I used the colors from today's Color Challenge on the card. Those are Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie and Certainly Celery. Not a combo I would have thought up, but I do like how they came together.


The sentiment here is also in this set. I made a layered sentiment panel using my round tab and 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" circle punches. Used my gel pen for some faux stitching. I did some distressing on the Pumpkin Pie and Certainly Celery base panels and sponged Pump. Pie around the main image panel.

For his snowball I attached a small pom-pom. The main image panel and the sentiment layer are up on dimensionals or thick foam squares.



For my second card I used the cup of hot cocoa from Winter Memories. Again I used the colors from the CC. Both cards use dp celery and rose red.

For my ribbon tie on the bottom panel I used both oval punches and placed a white eyelet in them and ran the white taffeta through the open holes. A simple knot with another piece and it's done. Again I did distressing to the Pumpkin Pie and Celery layers, as well as sponging on the main image panel with Pump. Pie. I always like to tone down the glare of white cardstock.

I used the same small pom-poms for the marshmallows in the cocoa and touched them just lightly with Pumpkin Pie. This panel is up on dimensionals.

I hope you like the sneak peek. I've got more to come to help whet your excitement for these new stamps!! You can check out the website here: Treehouse Stamps



Happy Stamping everyone!!!




~~~Ann~~~

Purely Friends

This week's Featured Stamper is Charlene AKA LilLuvsStampin! Charlene has an amazing gallery chock full of the sweetest, adorable and amazing cards!! And she's from Michigan too!! Just a hop, skip and jump from me!

I had 4 cards picked to case and decided to go with this one here: Petal Pushers I loved the layout, clean and simple, but I also like the color scheme from the LSC she created this card for.

My changes are:
*Colors - Basic Gray, Purely Pomegranate, PaperTrey Ink white
*Stamp set - Time Well Spent (new Level 3 hostess set)
*Ribbon
*Brads
*I distressed all the edges with the distressor tool
*I kept the layout the same and I did use the ticket corner punch, on all the corners of the image panel and only the corners of the larger sentiment panel.

I used my blender pen in P. Pom. to color in Friends.

The flower centers were stamped on Purely Pom. and punched out with the 3/4" circle punch and then I matched up the lines to the bottom flower.

I just had to share this newest picture of Cameron, my grandson, with everyone. As you know I am remodeling my home and right now I have my stamping supplies all over the house!!!

Well, Cameron found the shelf which I have my Pearl-Ex stored on and decided he needed to wear some!!! He must see his mother or other grandmother put make-up on as that appeared to be what he was mimicking!!

He's just so cute I couldn't even get mad, instead I just laughed and took a picture!! Isn't he just a ham??

Take Care everyone!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Exciting news to share with you!!!!

Ashley Bowen and Kristin Edwards are starting their own stamp company called Treehouse Stamps. They have some of the cutest images in their first two sets scheduled to be released this month. So why am I so excited about this? Beside the fact there is another wonderful company to buy even more stamps from??? Well.......

I am on the Design Team!!!!!!! How cool is that??? This is the first time I have ever applied to be on a design team and I just about fell off my chair when I saw the email from Ashley with the email stating I had been picked!!! So as soon as I have the stamps in my hot little hands to play with, I will post pictures for you see and enable you to run to the place to purchase them!!!!

Here are my fellow team design members and links to their blogs or SCS galleries:

*Amber Hillman - Amber's Antics
*Kelly Sampson - Dairies of a Stamper
*Karen Hunsaker - Karen's SCS gallery
*Elizebeth Neuman - ebethonline

I will also be posting these to my blog list on the side. Please take a moment to check out the wonderful work of these ladies!

Take care!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

Time Well Spent in my Stamp Room!!!

Early in November SU! sent all demos a Level 3 hostess set which will be in the new Spring/Summer 2008 catalog. I can now finally show you the first card I have made with this set. I entered this in a contest and so I had to wait until the contest was over to post it. The contest was the Card of the Month on Technique Junkies using the Colorwash Technique. Check out the TJ link for more great techniques.

I recently purchased one of the Martha Stewart border punches and had played around with on a scrap piece of Orchid Opulence and wanted to use this on my card. I really like how Certainly Celery, Orchid Opulence and Black go so well together. A few embellishments with ribbon, photo corners and brads completes the card!

I really like the versatility and coloring capabilities of this new set. And the sentiments are so accurate.

Ok I promised some pictures of my stamp room, which still in the process of completion. But I want to show you some before pictures and what my new room looks like so far!

See how cramped everything is and what a tight space I have. I know some people have very limited space available to them, but thankfully I am fortunate to live alone in a two bedroom house. I have switched rooms, and the room that was my master bedroom is now my stamp room/office. This room is approx. 12 x 15.

My new room has a great muted orange color on the walls called Butterscotch Sundae. It reminds me of Apricot Appeal mixed with some Pumpkin Pie! And the trim is Really Rust. Gotta love those SU! colors!!! The wood laminate flooring is still being installed, but the part that is complete makes the room feel so warm and inviting. I can't wait to get all of my supplies in here and set up. Right now I have my table set up in the living room and my stamping stuff everywhere in the house!!! Makes it challenging to stamp!

Gotta go, my grandson Cameron is is having a fit because he can't be in here with me!!

Take care and I'll have some exciting news to share with you in a few days!!


Happy Stamping!!!


~~~Ann~~~

Happy Sunday!!

Hello everyone!! Just a quick note to let you know I haven't abandoned you!! I've been busily working on my remodeling this week with very little time to stamp!!! : ( So not right!! But I have a workshop this afternoon and so this evening I will be uploading some pics of my stamp room to give you an idea of my progress so far. The last piece to go in is the wood floor which is being worked on today!!! I am so excited!!

Plus today is Featured Stamper day on SCS, so don't forget to check that out!! CuttersCallous, aka RoseAnn is our FS this week! I have my card picked out and ready to go when I come back from my workshop!!

Take care and Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~