GCA #105 - Scallops and Squares, Oh My!

Hello all!!  I've spent a wonderful afternoon stamping with my stamp club girls and enjoying the beautiful fall day we are having here in Michigan.  Perfect temps, 74*, sunny and a a very slight breeze!!  I could handle this weather all year long!

Speaking on my monthly stamp club, that is where this week's challenge comes from.  This is the scrapbook page we did, which is inspired by many talented crafters out there.  We used new products from the Holiday Mini and in the new catalog.

The size is 12 x 12 and starts with a base of Very Vanilla.  The scalloped squares are cut from Marina Mist using the large scallop square and the scallop square duo in the Holiday Mini.  The small scallop square is cut from Wild Wasabi.  Each square is matted with Very Vanilla and then the picture on that.  I am slowly trying to scrap pictures of myself when I was younger.  It's fun to look at them and try to remember what it was like back then.

The ric rac strip is cut from Daffodil Delight using the Tasteful Trim die, as well as the Wild Wasabi zig zags.  This die is also in the Holiday Mini.  Strips from the Newsprint dsp finish off the bottom.  On the upper right corner, I used one of the Candy Cane buttons (gorgeous and huge!!) and new Decorative Label punch.  Both of these items are in the Holiday Mini.  The stamp set is Define Your Life.  This is a great set for scrapbooking.  I also used some Daffodil Delight and Marina Mist 1/8" taffeta.

Since I have an apple in one of the pictures, I stamped the apple from Tart & Tangy and put in the smallest square.

So, this week your creations need to use scallops or squares, but you DO NOT need to use both on your creations. 

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by September 18, 2010 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA105 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

A Michigan Lighthouse!

Hello all!!!  Not too long ago I was in the thumb area of Michigan for work.  Now, I have lived in Michigan my entire life (except for 5 years in SC) and I have NEVER been to the thumb, or seen Lake Huron!!!  How sad is that???  The countryside up there was just gorgeous and helped to remind me just how beautiful our state is.  I'm not too impressed anymore with the area I live in.  That's me in front of Lake Huron.  The second pic is of the lake.

Anyway, the tiny town I was in, Deckerville, had an awesome scrapbook store that was going out of business.  Everything was 50% off!!!  I bought more than I needed, but I got some good deals!  The lighthouse stamp was the last they had and of course I had to buy it.

As I was looking through cookiebaker's, AKA Charlene and FS176's, wonderful gallery, I came across this card http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga...p;ppuser=16247 that just called out to me.  Good a reason as any to put ink on this stamp!
My changes are:

* Colors & type of dsp

* My "charm" is a button. Kind of reminds me of those life ring thingys.

* Kept the lighthouse idea, but used a different one

* Used butterflies

Sending this off to a good friend who lives by the lake.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #93 - It's a Man's World!!

Hello all!!!  Happy Father's Day to all those deserving and hardworking fathers.  Whether you be a dad, grandpa or a father figure mentor, you are needed!

In honor of Father's Day today, the challenge for this week is to create a manly card.  This could be a birthday card, anniversary card, scrapbook page or whatever, just have it fit for a man.

My sample for you is a scrapbook page I made in honor of my son.  Last (2009) spring he was featured in the neighbors section of our town newspaper for his music.  Pictured with him is Malaki at 3 months old.

I wasn't ever quite sure how I was going to put this page together, but once I found this dotted dsp, it just sort of fell together.  I did have to cut up the article, which my son freaked out over, but it was the only way I could mount it on the page.

My base is 12 x 12 Really Rust textured and layered with the polka dotted dsp.  Not sure who makes it.  Some of the dots have a glossy feel to them.  The main picture and title are matted on Old Olive and the article portion is on Cool Caribbean.  I used my Really Rust marker to color the chipboard comma's and the watch parts are by Tim Holtz.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by June 26, 2010 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts or Stamp TV, please put GCA93 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Grrrr - It's Halloween!!

Hello all!!! So I know it's really NOT Halloween, but I completed this scrapbook page for the first Featured Stamper challenge on Stampin' Connection. This is a new site set up by Stampin' Up! for demos only!! It is soo cool to be able to connect with other demos you meet and see only at convention or just get to know new ones too!

Anyway, Mary Jo Price-Williams took the bull by the horns and started daily challenges on SC. She hosts the Featured Stamper challenge and the first stamper to be featured was Wendy Weixler!! She has an amazing gallery and is so full of talent.

I chose to case her Halloween scrapbook page she created with MDS.

My changes are:

* Changed to "regular" scrapbook page
* While I used her basic layout, I did change it up a bit
* Colors
* Not sure what size Wendy's is, but my page is 12 x 12

My base on here is the groom's dsp with the swirly design. I then used pieces of the Cast-A-Spell dsp and Night & Day dsp for my accents.

This is a picture of my son from 1992, when he went as Frankenstein. What a hoot!! I so remember getting him ready for this and he had a blast that night.

The letters were cute from the Timeless Type alpha and my Big Shot. Hence the title of the post!! That is all Frankenstein says, if I recall right!!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~