Emboss or Die!! CD Sneak Peak Blog Hopping!

Emboss or Die!!!!  Argh!!!!!   I feel like a pirate when I say that!!

Today is the day that you can see some of the awesome techniques offered in the new Emboss or Die CD by Technique Junkie's Pat Huntoon!  The Emboss or Die CD has a whopping 79 PDF Technique Tutorials in step-by-step, pictorial format. Get the most from your Embossing Folders, Die Cut Machines and Electronic Cutters

There is a place on my sidebar where you can pre-order the CD and pay via PayPal.  

Now..........for my creation for this reveal.  The second I saw the technique, the idea for this card popped into my head.  Sometimes that happens and then I just can't get the idea from my head onto the paper.  BUT not this time!  It turned out exactly like I wanted.  This is a technique called Scalloped Dress.  It almost has a Warhol look to it as well. 

Want to see what the other Design Team Members made from the new CD for the hop? Our artwork is displayed below -- click on a thumbnail photo to go from blog-to-blog. Each blog will have the thumbnails to make it easier for you!

Another one I forgot!

Earlier this week I mentioned that I made thank you cards for some of the people who helped our car club provide dinners to soldier families.  These two cards (one design) went to the women at the National Guard who found the families for us!  Thank you, Laura and Jill!

The cards use the new color distressing technique from the new TJ newsletter and it was a super quick card to do!  Love those quick ones. 

The New Phone books here!

Does that remind you of the Steve Martin movie, The Jerk?  I loved that movie.  Well, the new 'phone books' aren't really here but the new Technique Junkie Emboss or Die CD is here!!!   Yeah!!  I have added a button to the side of my blog so that you can purchase it right from here.   (I don't get the money, Pat does!) 


You will have to stay tuned next Tuesday for a fun reveal of some of the techniques in the CD.  I'll show you one of the techniques on the CD and you'll get a chance to see what all the other designers did for it as well. 

For today, however, I'm going to show you some one of the techniques in this month's newsletter.  Distress colorblocking!  I think this will be one of the most popular techniques of the issue.....I sure loved it.  All the stamps for these samples are from SmARTworks.

Yesterday's card

Here is my resolution card I did for yesterday.  I had a lady call me and wanted me to do cards for her niece and nephew.  Here is one I did for the niece (who has medium brown hair).  I hope she likes this one!  Mo's Digital Pencil drew the DARLING little girl who is colored with copics.  I didn't have a sentiment I wanted so I just wrote it.  I also wrote a title on the book that the little girl was reading.

Catch Up!

I didn't get a post done yesterday but I DID get a card done and have still kept up my resolution!  Yeah! 

Here are a couple of Valentine's cards I did for an order.  One of for a mother and father and the funny Wee Henry one is for her nephew. 

The stamps on the All My Love card are Hero arts and Memory box as well as Stampin Up.

The Wee Henry card is a digital stamp from Hambo Stamps!  Enjoy!

Quickies!

It was a very quick productive hour today for my resolution card.  The one card actually turned into 8 cards!

The cards I made that you see in the picture are a quick thank you card to the people who helped us when our car club purchased Christmas dinners for soldier families.  There were three people who gave us extra funds that fed 5 extra families.     I just embossed the nestability right on the front of the cardstock instead of layering it.

Then I made two other cards that were a little nicer to thank the gals at the Oregon National Guard in the Family Assistance Program who worked hard getting all the names for us.  I can't show you those pictures until next week as they are one of the new techniques coming out in the upcoming Technique Junkie newsletter.  I just love this new technique because it is QUICK!  Can't wait to show you.  So.......I LOVE productive hours!  Wish I could do quick cards all the time.

Pounds of Rubba Plus

I must say that it HAS been a couple of years since I've made the time to take care of my unmounted rubber.  I've been using it but it wasn't cataloged and it wasn't in CD cases.   That is about to change.  I have these all cataloged and they will be in cases soon!  Yeah!!


Now all of that part of the post was a decoy as the card I did today for my resolution is for my Son-in-law, Adam, and since he is on FB I didn't want him to see his card!  We have a plethora of birthdays the end of January and the beginning of February so I'm trying hard to be ahead of the game instead of waiting until the last minute like I normally do!

I wanted a big beer mug but didn't have a stamp so I just drew it.....nothing fancy mind you.  Mug is colored with copics.  The oval BG is a TJ technique called bingo splat.  The lighter blue background piece is also a TJ technique but since I wasn't smart enough when I made it to actually write the name of the technique on the back......I have NO idea what it is!  The 'foam' is just cotton.   I didn't want to go too much overboard because Adam is the type that just throws the card away at the end of his Birthday...........*gasp*!!

Do you live close?

Do you live in my area?

My kids will have the front part of their duplex available around the first part of March.  They live in the back part. 

It is a 2 bedroom/1bath unit. $750/mo. includes water. You are responsible for garbage, cable, electric. The duplex is in Oregon City on a dead end road with no one across the street. Close to bus and shopping.

 If you know of anyone who might be interested, please let me know!!!!!!

Maybe you could win!

Win a Tim Holtz Core'dinations Paper Pick FREE!!! so easy! Woo Hoo!! It is a  chance to WIN a super cool Core'dinations Paper Pack. Core'dinations have teamed up with Tim Holtz. Just click HERE, or click on the picture above and enter your e-mail and you are entered!  You'll have to let me know if you win!!

Jim, don't look!

As I typed my title today, my musical turrets kicked in and I was soon singing "The Streak"...you know...."Ethyl, don't look!  It was too late, she was already mooned"  Anyway....my title is a message to my son, Jim, to "Don't Look!"  He is on Facebook and my blog posts to FB.  This will be his Birthday card this year.  You can read a write up about it and see it's picture by clicking HERE .  The link takes you to the Technique Junkie blog where I post twice a month.  Hope you enjoy my hidden card!  I made it yesterday and have continued to keep up my one a weekday resolution!  Yeah.....almost a whole month. 

Sometimes when I go downstairs to create, I really struggle and it takes a couple of hours to come up with one decent card.  This particular card worked up in about 30 minutes!

Hubba, Hubba Valentine

Still keeping my resolution!  I didn't post the cards I did on Mon, Tues and Wednesday since they were design work but you'll eventually see them!

Today I made another Valentine.  This card was inspired from a TJ friend, Nancy Young.....her flower was WAY better than mine though!  I think this guy stamp is a hunk....you know.......a 'real' man!  Clean cut, handsome, trim!  He is from RubberStampAve and I love him!  Below him to the left is my version of Technique Junkie's Acetate Flower.  I think my acetate flower technique needs to have a little work.  AND this was my third try.  Shameful!  It does use another TJ technique called Cuttlebug Highlights but instead of highlighting with ink, I highlighted with Versamark and used a sparkle embossing powder.  Hope you enjoy!

Accident Update:  Well..........I'm still doing my spinal decompression treatments.  I'm soooooo ready to be done with this.  My back feels better off and on but there is no change in the numbness in my feet.  My question tomorrow to him will be .....How long do we continue!?

On another note:  I get another piano lesson tomorrow.  So excited.  I better bone up on my "Happy birthday" chording before I go!

Suuuuuuu-whewwwwwT!

Got some cool information today.  Hambo stamps is starting a new Hambo Hoe Down Challenge and when you participate, you can get a free digi and more when you continue with the challenge!!  Click on the Hambo Hoe Down blog button to the right for more info!!

I Didn't Forget!

Bet you thought I broke my resolution because I didn't post.  You're right......I didn't post BUT you're wrong, I didn't break my resolution.  I'm actually ahead.  I did three cards yesterday BUT you don't get to see them for a while.  They are design team work!  I have three more to do today for design work then you get to see something on Wednesday!

Aged Thinking

Aged Thinking.......sounds like I'm getting old!  hee hee!  This is a card that uses the Aged Tiles technique from the Technique Junkie newsletter.  Quite easy unless you are using parchment paper like I did....sheesh!  The ink would not dry and I had a terrible time keeping ink off the image.  what you are seeing is the THIRD stamped image!  My fingers are all brown!  I should have just embossed it!  This image is from RubberStampAve that I've had for a couple of years and has never seen ink.  It just seemed perfect for this technique.  I hope you enjoy!

Aged Wine

Every week the technique junkies have a technique from a past newsletter that they invite people to try again.  This week it is Aged Tiles.  I combined it with the Torn Frames techniques as well for this card.  I do have to admit that Aged Tiles was not a technique that I really wanted to do but it was pretty easy and fun.  I was trying to figure out which stamp to use and my eyes fell upon this stamp by Inkadinkado.  In hindsight, I wish I would have stamped and embossed it to darken it just a shade!

I'm even a little ahead this week for my resolution.  I have another card I made but I can't show it until the very end of the month as it features one of the techniques in the upcoming newsletter!

AND some news.......starting March 1st, there will be a new CD that you can get from Technique Junkies.  Called "Emboss or Die".  It is such a clever name and will have 70 techniques on it.  30 ones from newsletters and 40 new ones.  Stay tuned for more information soon!

No Mojo Today

It was just one of those days.......I tried and tried and just couldn't make this card look like I wanted.  Now that I have it done, I am NOT happy with it.  I am unhappy with the dark sponging I did on the orange lace.  Everything else was okay to me.  Maybe I'll tear it apart and redo the lace.  The background piece was a TJ technique called Dragged Madras that I've had in my stash for a couple of years.   The bunny is from Embossing Arts, from a LONG time ago.  Anyway......I got my 'one a day' card done for my resolution but I'm not that pleased with it.


ALSO..........no matter how much light I put on my card to photo them, they always seem to look dark to me.  It does it on both cameras I have.  So, my question to you is.......do they look dark to you?   I've been trying to lighten them up in Paint Shop Pro but the 'white' background still looks gray to me.  I HAVE complained about this new monitor's color since day one.  The color in itself seems to be great but the lighting of the color, no so great.  It is a Samsung flat screen.  I did love my tube screens better but they were HUGE.


Thanks for listening to my rant.  My granddaughter will love the card if I tear it apart or not.  It has glitter so she will be pleased! 

Love Truck!

My friend, Penny, and I played today.  We had a blast.  We made glitter ribbons backgrounds as well as bingo blast backgrounds.  You should see my table!  It was a good thing that I had covered it completely with paper.  I even found some splatters 5 feet away on the floor.  Sorry that the picture of us is a little out of focus....I think I need a new camera!   If you look where the arrow is pointing, you'll see purple all over Penny's fingers.......one of the Radiant Rain bottles decided that it wanted to leak! 

So.....I took one of my glitter ribbons backgrounds and cut out the newest freebie from svgcuts.com and made the card below.  Didn't take too long.  My hubby looked at it and said, "Love Truck?, What is that?" 

Sheesh!.....honey!!  It is Love STRUCK......can't you see the 's'?  I obviously need to put a little piece of white paper behind that 's'!!

Hope you like my cute little story!

Barely Made it!

Today was a tough one getting a card done as I had my grandson.  I was also trying to get the stamp hole somewhat presentable so my friend (who is coming over tomorrow) wouldn't scream in fright at the mess!  Here is another of many valentines that I'm getting done for my family.    I've wanted to use this I love you stamp for years!  I believe it is a Hero arts Stamp as well as the background.  The smaller heart is by PSX.  How I miss that company.........*sigh*.

We are supposed to have a huge storn with snow today into tomorrow but now they have backed off and we may just get rain!

Sympathy today

It was a sad day to make a card.......over the weekend we found out that Ed Egan, a longtime Rhododendron Society friend, passed away.  This card is for his wife, Fran.  I saw a card that Mari Adams had made that was similar and when I saw it, I knew that Fran would love it.  I used the Pencil over Marker technique from Technique Junkies but instead of using darler pencils, I used lighter since the paper was dark.  I added some Stickles to give it a little bit of life. 

Still keeping the resolution!!

Valentines for the Kiddos

The sweet mouse is from Sweet and Sassy Stamps.  I used cuttlebug highlights on this one.

I did something brand new to me too!..........I cut the hearts behind the mouse with my brand new Cricut and the SCAL2 program.  I created the heart myself!  The scallops really came out a lot smaller than I imagined....a learning lesson for sure!  The looped red border is also a freebie from SVGcuts.com.  I thought that it need a little glitz so I glittered the layer under the mouse.  The mouse is colored with copic markers and cut out.  Ugh!  I hate cutting little stuff.  I'm NOT a very good cutter. 

I'm actually making three of these so I'm going to be ahead of my resolution goal.  Good for those bad stamping days, right?

After the other day, I'm not sure I want to reward the little twerps!  But I guess they were just being kids.  I watched all four grandkids while my daughter-in-law was getting her Monday Makeover that she won on a local radio station.  Which is a great story.  My middle daughter, Leah, nominated my oldest, Angie for Monday Makeover on 104.1 The Fish.  Angie won!  To thank Leah, Angie nominated her.  Then Leah won!!  I got to thinking that I should nominate my daughter-in-law, Ahtia.  So, I did and SHE won!!  Cool, huh?!!  Anyways, all three of the little kids were arguing and crying over one of the train set toys I have.  I sent all three to the corner where they ran and started to cry.  I told them they had nothing to cry about and to be quiet.  Which they all did.....amazingly enough!  So, I told them that the train set was MY toy and if they wanted to fight and cry over it and not share that I would just put it away.  I let them get up to go play again and no arguments over the train set!  At least for the 5 minutes they played with it.  Then it was on to a different toy.  After three hours of watching them all, I was really pooped.  I don't know how Ahtia does it for the whole day!!  Hopefully when the little three get a little bigger, it will be easier.  Breauna (who was here as well) was a jewel and happily reading her homework story to me.  We always have a wonderful time together!

Jan 6th card

Here is the card I did for January 6th.  I'll need a number of Valentines cards.  My daughters sometimes purchase cards from me for their hubbies and I'll need four for grandkids.  THEN we have 5 birthdays the first part of February.  So, I have plenty on the 'must get done' plate.

This Valentines day card doesn't show it but there is an extra layer on the red heart to pop it up a little.  I used the 'out of the box' technique on the hearts as well the cuttlebug highlights on the strip below.  I thought of putting on a sentiment but decided to just put it inside instead.

It is funny how a card evolves.  I grabbed this Valentine paper and wanted to use it because it had this cool embossing on it already (you can see it shining in the photo).  As I grabbed this paper from a stack I had, out fell the scalloped pieces that I cut when my friend, Cindy T, let me borrow her scallop card die.  Hmmmmm, I thought.  Maybe I'll finally use some of these......It's only been almost two years since I cut them out!  YOU don't ever do that do you?????????  Then I looked at my stamps to find something that I felt complemented the paper.  Colors were chosen to match the paper.  The original strip below the image was bright green and it was just overpowering the hearts so I tore it off and use paper that was close in color to the background of the designer paper.  I stamped" from the heart" on the inside.  The heart stamp is from Hero (I think!)

Hope you enjoy!

Getting ready for Vday

Here is one of the first cards for Valentines day.  This one uses colors that aren't terribly Valentine-ish.  I used the Antique Wallpaper technique for the background paper and the Copic Expressions technique for the flower heart.  For some reason, I really struggled with the layout of this card.  Mr. Mojo was hiding for a while!   Good thing I had some background papers in my stash!  Makes creation quicker when backgrounds are already done! 

Stamp credits: Stampendous for the heart and SmARTworks for the word Valentine.  Enjoy! 

For me........one more day keeping the resolution! 

One of my resolutions

Did you make a New Year's Resolution this year?  I usually do.  I usually break them by the first week too!  Hee Hee!!

Well, this year, I thought I would try making a resolution that would be kind of easy.    My resolution is to make at least 5 cards each week.  That would be one a day for the week days and the weekend would be off.  I thought that 5 a week would be doable.  So begins my quest.  I know that there will be days I don't make my quota but maybe other days I can catch up.  Today is the 4th and so far this year, I'm at 9 cards.  I will try to post some of them each day.  Some you won't get to see until the next issue of the Technique Junkie newsletter is out.  Like the first nine cards of this year......you won't see them until the first of February! 

So.....to tie you over until you can see the first nine, here is one that I made for the last newsletter!   Thought I better post this since it had a Christmas theme!  The technique is the faux brick behind the cute little bear behind the candle.  It was colored with copics.  The embossing between the bricks is pewter.  Prettier than silver in my opinion.    The bear/candle image is from I Brake for Stamps! 

Pencil Resist

 

Here is a card that I did for the December Technique Junkie newsletter called pencil resist.  I was tickled that the background came out so neat on this.  Hope you enjoy!  

I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas and New Years.  Our New Year's eve was quiet.  We were going to play pinochle with some friends but they had to cancel.  We ended up going out to eat with some neighbors.  It was wonderful spending some time with them.  Hadn't had that chance for months!  All was not lost though, got to play cards with our friends tonight instead!  

Got to play a little with my new Cricut Expressions.  I got it with some of the money I made at my yearly craft sale.  Got the SCAL2 for Christmas and had the Cricut Design Studio as well.  Got a number of cartridges from Cricutmachine.com....many of them only $20.  Now with the SCAL2 I can even cut some of my own artwork!  Way cool!  I tried to cut one schernschnitte that I had scanned from a 1947 calendar my mom had but some of the cuts were just too little.  I'll have to alter the picture for it to work.  

Also, for Christmas our kids gave us a new photo of all of them and their kids together.  They had to sneak the frame from the hall Christmas Eve and get the new photo into it.  It is a wonderful picture of everyone.  I LOVE that kind of gift!  

Drum roll please!

So.......who got my blog candy for the Fancy Folds and Motion CD from Technique Junkies?

My random number generator picked #23.......
















Congratulations to:

Dani said...

Thank you for the chance to win the cd. I love cards that move or do something. Love your art work. Dani Little stampingdani1@gmail.com

December 28, 2010 7:21 AM  

 

Dani.....I'll send you an e-mail!  You have until Monday at noon to get a hold of me and claim your prize.   If I don't hear from you by then, a new winner will be picked!!