GCA #52 Winner is.....

.....Char - The Mad Shopper!!!! You can see her wonderful Halloween card on her blog: Paper Crafts, Pass it On.

Char I can't remember if I have your address or not!! Please email me at pinkstamper06@yahoo.com with your info!

Up next: GCA #53 - Sometimes We Need Limits!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Packages have gone Postal!!

Hello all!! I just wanted to update those of you waiting on a package from me that they are now all in the mail!! Some, of course will take a little longer than others, but they are on the way!!Thank you for being so understanding.

My back is slowly feeling better. Combined with going to the chiropractor, ice, rest and a change in meds, I feel like I am on the mend. At least I feel like, and I look like, I am walking upright!!! Next Wednesday I have a massage scheduled and that will help immensely!

The pics I have to share with you show the contents of my UDI Stampin' Sis package I received from Jennifer Eby. She showered me with wonderful items and a ton of awesome cards!!!

One of the items she sent was a pack of So Saffron dsp, and I am well into my way of utilizing it!

And look at that Tri-Shutter card she sent me!! Is that gorgeous or what?? I haven't made one of these beauties yet, but it sure is on my list to try!!

Well, I am off to spend the next two days with stampin' friends here in Michigan who I met on SCS!! We are all SU! demos and we are having our own version of Convention!! I'll be back Saturday night. Don't forget to get your Halloween card done by Saturday night!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Thanks in Mambo is Heavenly!

Hello all!! Here is my card I created for this week's IC on SCS!! Stef found us another great site for the IC this week!! She chose the site Heavenly Hostess, which is filled with tons of gorgeous aprons, kitchen towels and headbands. However, I'm not sure if the person wearing these aprons is the one really doing the cooking!!!

My inspiration came from this apron here:

http://www.heavenlyhostess.com/aprons_lauren.html

I was instantly drawn to the colors, flowers and the contrasting prints on the tie. I tried to recreate that by using a piece of Razzleberry Lemonade, in Melon Mambo, with the small flowers, and then layered two strips of Pretty in Pink I had run through the newest texture plates: Perfect Details. I then took my Melon Mambo marker (love it!) and put a small dot on all the embossed dots. My bird, from Fun and Fast Notes, is paper pieced with Afternoon Tea dsp and the Razzleberry/Mambo. I used a Fleurette that I dyed with my PIP re inker, a 1/2: circle of Melon Mambo text and a clear rhinestone brad from my Pretties Kit.

The white taffeta ribbon is for the ribbon tie and the silver library clip is just because! I should have moved things up just a titch, because the upper right corner seemed bare - hence the library clip!

And how goofy am I? I haven't used this set in forever, and actually thought it had retired until I saw it in this years new catalog!! How how easily we forget what we have!!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

Slacker I am!!

I need to send out a HUGE apology to all of you waiting (still) for a package from me!!! Unfortunately I have irritated an old back injury which is leaving me limited with my movements!! It's about all I can do to work during the day, and then sit in my stamp room with the ice pack on!! (Or lay in my bed!)

But, I am going to the chiropractor and have an appointment made with the massage therapist, too. It's just never been this bad before and sometimes I don't know when to stop and sit still! Very hard for me to do!

With all that being said, I anticipate your packages finally making it to the postal station by Wednesday or Thursday of this week. I will send an email to all of you when they go out!! Again, I am sooo sorry!!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #52 - It's Halloweeny Time!!!

Hello all!!! Yes, I know we are jumping all over the place with the holidays, but I was working on a Halloween card today, and thought "This is what the GCA will be!" I'm using the new Halloween dsp from SU! that is just ghoulish!!

Finally here is my sample!! I combined this challenge with the Featured Stamper challenge on SCS, who this week is VA.Sunshine AKA Teresa. She has an awesome gallery.

With the FS challenge you are to change at least 2 elements on the card you create.

My changes are:

* Colors, stamps and theme

* Kept the basic layout, which is one of the elements of the card I loved

* Used ric rak, but in a different way

* Used Big Shot Texture plates to emboss the black panel

This card uses the Halloween Frights sets that was in last years holiday mini!! As this is the only Halloween set I have, I'm glad to have it in the catty!!

The fence was made using my Word Window punch and thin strips of cardstock. I wheeled over the front of it with the new jumbo Texture wheel in Old Olive, which I also used on the Whisper White main panel.

The owl on here came out a little differently than I expected, since he was originally stamped in Basic Black. I off stamped him twice and then did the Rock n Roll technique in Soft Suede. When i stamped him onto the WW, this is how he came out!! And, this is one of the reason's I do not like SU!'s Basic Black. It leaves a purplish hue to images. I prefer to stamp all my images I wish to be a true black in Staz on black. The close up pic gives you better detail of the main panel. And, I also stamped the inside!

So, the challenge this week is to make a Halloween card, project or scrapbook with whatever types of Halloween images you have, upload it either to your blog, or to an online gallery and post a link to your card to this blog entry as a comment by August 8, 2009 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner through a random drawing and post the next Sunday.

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenge and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! If you upload your card on SCS, Stampin' Addicts or Paper Craft Planet, please put GCA52(NO SPACE IN BETWEEN GCA AND 52) in the keyword section.

That way everyone can look at all of the creations at once! If you've been waiting to join in the fun, jump on in and have some fun!! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!!!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #51 Winner is....

....Raindropecho AKA Ann, too!!! (Really it's not me in disguise!!)

You can see Ann's card on her blog: Rain Drop Echo Designs. She made the cutest Christmas card with a darling Tilda image!!

Thanks to everyone who played along this week and for all who just stopped by. Ann, I still have your address so I will be getting your package out to you this week.

Up Next: GCA #52 - It's Halloweeny Time!!!

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

Rich Butterfly Thanks

Hello all!! This is for the LSC this week on SCS: A Challenge to DIE for!!

This is the first time I have used my Rich Razzleberry, and I am so loving it paired with Orchid Opulence!!! That is one color I hardly EVER use and now I can see it will be used a lot!!

Since Wendy limited our stamping to either a sentiment or making our own BG dsp, I opted to use the sentiment. Again, I pulled out my new all-time fave: Teeny Tiny Wishes!!

And, since I finally got my first order in from the new catty, I had to play with new toys!!! Now, I know the M & S die has been out for awhile, but I have drug my feet about getting it, basically because I wasn't sure how to really use it! Well, I recently spent time at a fellow SCSer's house and saw how they worked! Thanks Debra!! So now I have it and the newest additions too!I used the curly label die to create my window and the modern label die to back my punched piece. Since we were limited on the number of stamps we could use, I punched three flowers from WW with the Trio Flower punch and made a bouquet.

And how about that butterfly punch!!!!!! LOVE IT!!! As you can see, the butterfly is going for the flowers.The rest is pretty obvious, except I used thin strips of WW through the button holes. (Not fun, but I do like the result!)

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~