Created By Ann

Deal of the day

2012-02-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

If you have been on the fence about any of the following TJ CD's, now is a good time. Make sure you tell Pat that Ann C Sent you!! You'll want to follow her blog to get the Deals!

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I (Pat Huntoon) am pleased to announce a new area on the Technique Junkie Website: The Deal of the Day! If there are any specials being offered for TJ products, you will find them in that area of the website. The deals last as long as the link is active -- it could be a day, a week or a month-long sale. When the link is no longer there....the deal is gone.

And yes, we are kicking off with a great deal!

For a limited time, you can order any 2 Specialty CDs for $31.95 plus postage! The CDs are normally $17.95 -- it's a great deal! Make sure you order from the Deal of the Day page.

Have a great day!

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Zen Stamping

2012-02-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a wonderful technique from the Feb 2012 issue of the TJ newsletter. It is called Zen Stamping and it was really fun to do. I used a Hambo Valentine basket that had open hearts. After Zantangling the hearts, I shaded them with copic marker. Enjoy!

King/Queen for the day

2012-01-30T08:39:00.000-08:00

Here is a fun card that I entered into the challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp and Show blog. Anyone can enter. Their theme is anything to do with kings and queens. Now.....who wouldn't want their crown to be handed to them on a silver platter! That would be the easy way to get it! This was colored with pencils.

End of a good store.

2012-01-29T00:46:00.000-08:00

Stampadeedoda has been my local stamp store for over 20 years. Patty, the owner, has been a good friend over the years and I will miss her very much. She will be giving classes locally not far from the store site but the retail part had their last day yesterday. Here is a picture of Patty and me from last week. I taught my copic class to over 50 people at her store. It was wonderful.

Best of luck in your retirement, Patty! You will be missed very much.

Glittertine

2012-01-28T16:16:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick and simple card Uses double embossing....morphed. I didn't really use double the embossing......only one and some scoring. BUT if you want to see the real double embossing technique, it is on the Stampin Companion CD (purchase button on the top right).

I made this for some Valentines for my family and such. The red heart and crown are made with some sticker glitter paper that I've had for like forever! Don't know why I tend to hoard the pretty stuff. The heart/crown die is from Tim Holtz. Hope you enjoy!

Burnished Love and my Cut File

2012-01-28T00:22:00.000-08:00

Today I saw this really cool cut file that made a fold over flap card. I wanted that cut file BUT found that it was only available for Silhouette cutters. Grrrrrr........ Well, I thought maybe I'd try my hand at making my own cut file with the same idea. Found a corner motif that I thought looked nice. Put it in the corners and added the scallop borders. Sounds fast but it took TONS of time!

I liked the way it turned out but found that with the motif I picked, it wasn't so great for the fold over card without a backing to keep the little cut pieces from bending out of place.

I used a technique from the new Stampin Companion CD called Burnished Embossing. It was fun and looks great. I hope you enjoy the pics. If you like the cut file (.jpg and Scal2....I think), send me your e-mail and I'll ship it off to you. ;-) (I did punch the eyelet holes with my punch)

That cute little link for the CD is on your top right!

Acrylic Block Backgrounds

2012-01-14T16:36:00.000-08:00

Well......(you say).......she sure has taken a long time to post something creative!!

Yes, you are VERY right!! At the beginning of the year, I decided that once the Christmas decorations were put away (in my craft room closet), then I would tackle my Stamp Hole (aka Craft room) and redo everything! It has been a huge job!! There was so much stuff that didn't have a 'home' that I relocated unnecessary things and replaced them with stamp storage things! I'm really close to being done and finally just HAD to create!!

This card is made using a technique from the new Stampin Companion CD (hint.....you can order it from my sidebar at the top). This CD was created using only Stampin Up products. THAT is really great if you are a demo!! BUT.......even though I'm not a demo, I still LOVE this CD! The techniques are fun and most are easy. Many are swift as well. This technique is called Acrylic block background. I love the different looks you can get from it as it has 4 variations. I used Variation two. Enjoy!!

Today has been interesting.........we don't seem to have any water. Ugh!! Not sure what is wrong but the well doesn't seem to be pumping the water up very fast. Sounds like an expensive service call to me. Showers tonight at my daughter's house. Thankfully, she is close to us.

It's a new CD~!

2012-01-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

Technique Junkies as a brand new CD out! Below is more info about it including a sample tutorial.

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Do you love SU? If so, you will love Technique Junkie's brand new CD:

Stampin' Companion - 70 tutorials exclusively using Stampin' Up! products.

This CD has a terrific blend of cards, projects, and other ideas. Every tutorial uses current Stampin' Up!* products, including items from the current mini catalog and Sale-a-Bration. The CD is a collaboration between Pat Huntoon and Jane Bosi and uses all of the products -- including the dies, sizzlits/framelits, smooch paints, inks, stamps, paper, etc., from the current Stampin' Up! catalogs.

If you are a demonstrator, this CD will provide you with workshop ideas for many months to come....and if you are just a fan (like me), you will enjoy using your SU Products with these tutorials.
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AND.......here is the link to a free tutorial from this CD. CLICK HERE
To purchase.....just click on the link on my sidebar!

Tiddlyinks

2012-01-01T16:05:00.000-08:00

Tiddlyinks has some really darling images coming out in two days. Click on their link on my sidebar! They are having some blog candy along with their release. Check it out!

Hoping to get some regular posts up on the ol' blog in January! Stay tuned.

A Christmas Lesson

2011-12-03T11:51:00.000-08:00

My yearly humulity lesson story..........

Every year when I decorate my dining area for Christmas, I take out a cute little Christmas ball that is made into a little bear. This little decoration reminds me every year to be more caring and loving. Why? Well, one Christmas many years ago, I was sick, sick, sick. I could hardly get out of bed. My family had to make the dinner and everything. The flu had really kicked in and I barely made it out of bed to eat.

My husband's uncle and wife announced that they would come and spend Christmas with us. I was NOT happy. Why would they come when I was so sick? My rebellion took the place of "no gift for them" kind of attitude. When we opened our gifts Christmas Eve, the aunt had given me this bear decoration. Not a big gift by any means but it really put me into my place. It reminded me that family is precious. No matter whether you want them there or not!! Lord, may I be humble this season! Remind me that YOU are the reason for the season. Not my own selfish desires. The aunt died of cancer several years ago and the uncle was gone before her. No opportunity to make amends in my mind. Just this small reminder every year when I decorate.

May this Christmas season remind you to be humble and thankful!

Sweet N Sassy Stamps & Technique Junkie Blog Hop

2011-12-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps and Technique Junkie Newsletter joint Blog Hop! The Technique Junkie Newsletter is excited to show case their new 3D and Fun Folds CD (remember you can get it right from my sidebar!!)

“The Technique Junkie Newsletter has been publishing rubber stamping technique tutorials since 2002. The 3D and Fun Folds CD contains 70 step-by-step technique tutorials in pdf format – perfect dimensions, perfect directions and great pictures for every step. Visit www.techniquejunkies.com for more details about the CD and the Technique Junkie Newsletter.”

A fantastic group of design team members from both Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps and the Technique Junkie Newsletter, have helped put together this fabulous Blog Hop to kick off the 3D and Fun Folds Cd.

We have a Blog Hop happening each day with an opportunity for you to win many prizes from some of our wonderful advertising companies! Please stop through EVERY DAY and take your time visiting each blog! You have until 11:59pm EST December 2^nd to leave comments on as many blogs as you can to win the Grand Prize. Go to Tuesday's post for the links to the other days of the blog hop!

On Saturday, December 3, Pat from Technique Junkie Newsletter will announce the winners from each company. Be sure to hop along on each day! There will be FIVE WINNERS! On Monday, December 5^th, Pat will announce ONE LUCKY WINNER with a GRAND PRIZE with a bundle of prizes from all of the participating businesses.

If you have been following along already you should have come from Jackie Kalchert's blog. If you are only starting here, please head back to the Technique Junkie Blog and go from there. You won't want to miss any stops along the way – in order to win you will need to comment on everyone’s blog AND Pat Huntoon’s Blog. There will be an additional chance to win by playing along in her Blog Hop! (you can read about how you can play along on my post from Tuesday.)

Here is what I created for today's hop.........

I really love Cocoa........Well......I like hot cocoa but this Cocoa is Cocoa the Mouse. Korin, owner of Sweet n. Sassy Stamps has Cocoa doing many different and fun things. I thought this image was just wonder for this little Table Basket. It could hold a packet of hot cocoa along with a baggie of marshmellows. I wanted to stage my photo with a packet of cocoa but, alas, none to be found in the house! Cocoa was colored with copic markers and completely cut out to mount on the front of the basket. I must confess that I didn't use the same dimensions that were in the CD for this project. Reason? Well......I don't have the Grand Caliper Spellbinders dies or cutting machine......so.......I just made it a little smaller! Quite easy. I used the largest circle and scallop circle I had and decreased the size of the holder between the two. Other than that, the directions are the same. Hope you like my little cheat!

Your next stop on the hop is Monika Davis, but just in case there are any hiccups, here is the whole list of celebrants on this Blog Hop!

The Technique Junkie Newsletter Blog

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog

My Sneak Peek contribution to Thursday's blog hop!

2011-12-01T00:44:00.000-08:00

Reminder: If you plan on getting the 3D CD, it is easy as pie....

just click on the link on my sidebar!

Today is the fourth day of the Technique Junkie blog hop to showcase the new 3D and Fun Folds CD. Design team members from both Mark's Finest Papers (a Heinrich Company) and the Technique Junkie Newsletter helped put together a fabulous blog hop for us today.

If you have been following along already you should have come from Geri Utterback's blog.

If you are only starting here, please head back to the Technique Junkie Blog and go from there. You won't want to miss any stops along the way – in order to win you will need to comment on everyone’s blog AND Pat Huntoon’s Blog. There will be an additional chance to win by playing along in her Blog Hop! See Tuesday's post for the Double Easel card tutorial so you can play along!

I used the Top Note Die project from the 3D and Fun Folds CD. All the images are from Mark's Finest Papers (a Heinrich company). AND they are a Sneak Peek from a new set they have being released on Dec 13th called Snow and Ice.

Here is the top/side view of this fun project. The words, deer and snowflakes were stamped. Then I embossed the trees with a sparkley embossing powder. The whole top was sponged. The snowflake cut out is their stamp in this set as well. After I cut it out, it was embossed several times with clear to give it some weight, then decorated with the rhinestones and silver cording. The icicles on the sides of the box are also part of this cute set.

Here you can see the glittery appearance a little better. Isn't that a lovely saying! You are going to LOVE this new set.

The inside of the box has a divider that was decorated with the snowflake stamp (stamped and embossed, then sponged). You can put anything inside that you want. Some put in candy!

The bottom of the box has the same paper treatment as the box insert.

Your next stop on the hop is Lois Bak, but just in case there are any hiccups, see the whole list of celebrants on this Blog Hop below!

As with most blog hops, there are prizes! This one is no exception. You will want to hop along and make comments on all the participating blogs. The daily winner will be selected from one of the blogs, but no one but Pat (TJ's owner) knows which one! The daily prize is product from the "company of the day". PLUS, You will get one entry each day you comment for the GRAND PRIZE. Read about the grand prize on Tuesday's post. You can go back and see the other projects from the other days if you wish too. The schedule is listed below. You have until 11:59pm EST December 2^nd to leave comments on as many blogs as you can to win the Grand Prize.

On Saturday, December 3, Pat from Technique Junkie Newsletter will announce the winners from each company. Be sure to hop along on each day! There will be FIVE WINNERS!

THEN on Monday, December 5^th, Pat will announce ONE LUCKY WINNER with a GRAND PRIZE with a bundle of prizes from all of the participating businesses PLUS a Lifetime Technique Junkie Newsletter subscription!!

1st Stop: The Technique Junkie Newsletter Blog

2nd Stop: Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Company Blog

3rd Stop: Geri Utterback
4th Stop: Ann Clack (You are here)
5th Stop: Lois Bak

6th Stop: Chris Dickinson
7th Stop: Patty Penn
Final Stop: Pat Huntoon

Link Fixed

2011-11-30T07:37:00.001-08:00

My link for the TJ Double Easel card was broken and is now fixed. Thank you, Cindy, for finding that for me!! ;-) See below.

It's a weeklong blog-hopping extravaganza!

2011-11-29T16:55:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you about the Technique Junkie Newsletter Blog Hop! All week long we will be hopping in conjunction with our favorite vendors to show case our new 3D and Fun Folds CD. Every day there will be new designers, new prizes, new artwork -- tons of fun! At the end of the week, we will have a grand prize basket for one lucky winner too!

Each day you will have an opportunity to win prizes from some of our wonderful advertising companies! Please stop through EVERY DAY and take your time visiting each blog! You have until 11:59pm EST December 2^nd to leave comments on as many blogs as you can.

Monday –Joint Blog Hop with Classy Cards ‘n Suchwww.classycardsnsuch.com

(Monday's hop is done but you can still hop there and make comments for the grand prize!)

Tuesday –Join Blog Hop with Rogue RedheadDesigns

Wednesday –Joint Blog Hop with Paper Temptress

Thursday –Joint Blog Hop with Mark’s Finest Papers a Heinrich Company

(I'll be posting a project for this one!)

Friday – Joint BlogHop with Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps

(I'll be posting a project for this one too!)

On Saturday,December 3, Pat will be announcing the daily winners from each company. Be sure to hop along on each day! There will be FIVE WINNERS! On Monday, December 5^th, Pat will announce ONE LUCKY WINNER of a GRAND PRIZE which includes a bundle of prizes from all of the participating companies.

In order to win you will need to comment on the Technique Junkie blog AND the blogs of the participating designers (usually around 6) make sure to leave your email address. Every day that you enter, you are eligible for that day's prize, plus you get an entry for the grand prize for every comment on the TJ blog you submit (up to one per person, per day) -- that is five opportunities to win the grand prize basket! And the grand prize includes not only prizes from our vendors but ALSO... A "Technique Junkie Newsletter Subscriber for Life" prize!

(In other words, your daily comment make your eligible for a prize from the company featured that day, plus you will have one entry for the Grand Prize)

NOTE: Play along with us for an extra entry for the Grand Prize!

Make a project using the Double Twisted Easel Card, post about it on your blog or in another forum and mention this blog hop and link up your post to the Blog Hop below by Sunday, December 4th at 12 am EST.

The Double Twisted Easel Card tutorial HERE is a real exampe from the 3D and FUN FOLD CD.

Join in on the fun!! Make sure you link your post to the blog Hop to get the extra entry.

DON'T FORGET.....YOU CAN PURCHASE THE 3D AND FUN FOLDS CD RIGHT FROM MY SIDEBAR!

3D Tee Pee

2011-11-22T09:41:00.000-08:00

This 'card' was created using one of the techniques on the new 3D and Fun Folds CD. Isn't it fun?!! Make sure you don't miss out......you can order the CD by click on the link on my sidebar! The images are from Sweet N Sassy Stamps. I just love this little mouse, don't you? I have a picture of each side as well as an angle picture for you. Each side is like a little card all of its own. They were all colored with Copic markers.

New Winner!!

2011-11-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

The winner of the Technique Junkie 3D and Fun Folds CD never contacted me by Friday...;-( So....I have picked a new winner. The new winner via the random number generator is #7!

Congratulations, Gail!!

Gail Klingele said...

Your work is wonderful and you are a very nice, friendly woman. May I have the CD now?

Gail, you have until Wednesday to get in touch with me and give me your mailing address! ;-)

And the winner is..........

2011-11-15T22:53:00.000-08:00

Monday came and went and was really crazy around here. I totally spaced the drawing until just now. Sheesh! ANYWAY.....

Drum roll please.............

Our winner is #8

M1kk1 said...

I would love to learn how to make the gift card box. Thanks for the chance to win the CD.

M1KK1, you have until Friday to get me your address so you CD can be mailed to you. If Friday comes around and I don't hear anything, I'll rechoose a new winner!

Congrats M1KKI! ;-)

So........if you didn't win this time.......don't dispair......just click on the PayPal link on my sidebar and you can purchase the CD!

GUESS WHAT!!

2011-11-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

Remember that 3-D CD just producted by Technique Junkies? Well..........I just happen to have one to give away!! Woo Hoo!!

So.......in order to 'win' this blog candy, just leave a comment on this post. I will pick a winner on November 14th.....that gives you 12 days to comment!! Last time there were only about 25 entries with a few extra entries from people who had ordered the CD. THAT is good odds!! I have about 84 followers so there should be at least that many entries!!

Make you comment today!

Just to wet your appetite a little....here are some pictures of one of the projects in the CD. This is a gift card box. Fun and quick to do. I did quite a few of them for my upcoming sale.

For those who drink Apple Juice

2011-11-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

I was watching Dr Oz a few months back. I just ran across the notes I took from his show. If you or your kids or grandkids drink apple juice then you really need to watch the brands you purchase.

Dr Oz said that Arsenic isn't regulated in apple juice. Hmmmm.....not good. The FDA allowed amount of arsenic is 10 parts per million (ppm). They went to random stores and even tested juices that mothers had at the parks. The results were shocking to me. I listed the brands he talked about and the lowest number and the highest number of arsenic those brands had on their random tests.

Miniute Maid        Lowest 2    Highest 3 (looks like this one isn't too bad.)
Apple & Eve         Lowest 2    Highest 11 (wow.....just above the legal limit)
Motts                     Lowest 4    Highest 16 (wowsers......more than twice the legal limit)
Juicy Juice             Lowest 2    Highest 22 (yikes!!)
AND.........the brand we probably trust the most with our babies.....
Gerber                    Lowest 6 (the legal limit)     Highest 36!!! (Unbelievable!!!! more than three times the legal limit..)

Makes you wonder why they can get away with that....

I think I'm going to look into Organic brands. It also reminds you that a trusted name like Gerber isn't always the best choice!

Don't Forget!

2011-11-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to enter to win the new Technique Junkie 3-D CD. So far, there are only 10 entries and that is VERY good odds! ;-) Go to the first post HERE to make you comment for entry!

Grrrrrrr.......

2011-10-31T23:16:00.001-07:00

I've been getting an awful lot of spam comments so I had to turn on word verification. If that doesn't cut down the spam then I may have to moderate the comments. Thanks for understanding!

Copic Class!

2011-10-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I took the Intermediate Copic class. Here are a couple of pictures for you. Sorry about the lighting......it was only the overhead light and I only had my video camera to work with (no flash). The first is me with Marianne Walker and Colleen Schaan (she was the teacher). Colleen was a great teacher......enthusiastic and fun. The second is me and Salit ( a sweet gal from Isreal).....we had a very nice talk about the upcoming vote at the UN on the Palestinian state and how she is very nervous about it. Possibly war is their concern and I totally see that. She has a Scrapbook store in Tel Aviv and flew here just for the certification classes!

The class was good. Lots of info. Some I already knew and some I only kind of knew. Some was new and that was best. The new stuff had to do with color. I also learned how to better use my shadow grids. I had taken my own markers....(I don't like to share)..... and since I only took the markers they told us would be available to the students, I was limited in some of my coloring. BUT that was a good thing since I had to think outside the box. I found a color combo that I really like for shading reds and lots of combos for hair.

Blog Candy Winner

2011-10-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well......I waited an extra hour and pulled the winner just a few minutes ago! Here is a video of the winning pick. My mom did the camera work and didn't turn it off quite quick enough but that's okay! Also.........Please ignore those awful circles under my eyes. I'm just getting over that nasty sinus infection that everyone has had and I'm super tired!

The winner is Carole RB!! She said:
Carole RB said...

Great giveaway, thanks for the opportunity to win!

I've sent Carole an e-mail asking for her address. She has until Friday, Oct 28th to respond. If I don't hear from her, I'll repick for a new winner!

One Free and One New!!!!

2011-10-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Read all the way through for some great blog candy!!!
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Technique Junkie Newsletter Announces the a Brand New CD:

3D and Fun Folds

70 Tutorials!

This brand new CD has 70 tutorials for gifts, decorations, boxes, cards, and much more! the orginal Fancy Folds and Motion CD was so popular, we just had to create MORE for you.

Freestanding Pop-Up Card Artist: Chris Dickinson, Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers

All of the tutorials are in step-by-step PDF pictorial format -- and are printable to 8-1/2" x 11" paper. We even have an index with thumbnails on this CD to help you find a project quickly and easily!

The CD is $17.95 for US/Canadian Addresses and $19.95 for Overseas addresses.

HERE ARE THE GREAT PROJECTS THAT YOU WILL FIND ON THE CD:

3-D Gift Card Box
4 Drawer Easel Box
4 Panel Card
5 x 7 Step Ladder
Acetate Ornament
Altered Composition Book
Beaded Bag
Big Flap Cards
Butterfly Easel Box Set
Card Drawer Box
Card Organizer Portfolio
Colorwash Batik Scarf
Corner Bookmark
Decorated Clips
Desktop Perpetual Calendar
Double Teabag Holder
Double T Slide
Double Slider
Double Slider (Alternate Version)
Double Twisted Easel
Easel Card
Easy Gift Card Holder
Embellishment Chest
Embossed Tealights
Envelope Photo Album
Explosion Box Purse
Fancy Gatefold
Fancy Fold-out
Fantasy Box (short)
Fantasy Box (tall)
Flap Card
Freestanding Pop-Up
Goodie Box
Goodie Purse
Hanging Bottle Label with Pocket
Hanging Treat Holder

Lacy Purse Gift Card
Large Goodie Card with Pockets
Large Tag Book
Large Treat Box Holder
Map Fold Card
Mini Card and Gift Card Holder
Neverending Card
Origami Inchie Album
Paint Chip Box
Paper Bows
Pinecone Ornaments
Pleated Front
Pop-up Gift Card Holder
Scallop Flower Box
Scallop Pocket Gift Card
Shadowbox2
Side-step Trifold
Spring Loaded Card
Star of David Card
Table Basket
Table Decoration: Pumpkin
Table Napkin Ring
TeePee Card
Telescoping Card
Tiny Box
Top Note Die Box
Top Note Purse
Tri-Fold-out Card
Tri-Fold Book
T-Slide
Twisted Easel
Under the Flap Card
Wine Box
Wiper Card

All the CDs will be mailed the week of October 31st, 2011. Make sure to reserve your today by clicking on the PayPal button below or on the sidebar of this blog!

ORDER THE CD USING THE PAYPAL BUTTON ON THE SIDEBAR OF THIS BLOG!

Technique Junkie Newsletter

Patricia Huntoon
Owner/Publisher
www.techniquejunkies.com
phuntoon@optonline.net
patstamps.blogspot.com

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NOW............drumroll please.............. In conjunction with the roll out of this new CD I am going to celebrate by offering a FREE CD! The most recent 2011 Edition of the Technique Junkie Newsletter CD9. Yup!! AND as a special incentive to you, if you purchase the 3-D CD using the button on my sidebar, I will give you 5 extra entries to get the Free CD.

What do you need to do? Leave a comment on this post only!!! Remember, don't leave a comment on a different post or it won't count. If you have purchased the CD9 using my button on the sidebar, just say so in your comment. I'm going to have everyone's names on slips of paper and let my grandson pick the winner. I'll post the video of the winner. WHEN? You have until October 24th!!

Don't delay....... Here is a picture of the CD you will be getting FREE if you win!

Card sale pricing

2011-10-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

Several people asked how I price my cards for my sale. We started out charging $2.50 many years ago. Just two years ago, we changed it to $3. That includes the envelope. My mother makes nature print cards and cards with real pressed flowers and she charges $3.50.

Our original thinking was to make the price about the same or a little less than a nice card from Hallmark. That way people would want to get a handmade card for less than the Hallmark price. That worked pretty good for us. We have a following and everyone always loves what they find when they come to our sale.

Hope that answers the pricing question from Niki! ;-)

Doing the drawing for the blog candy (CD) later today!

A bunch more for the sale! DON'T Forget!!!!...........

2011-10-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

First off.....don't forget to sign up for the blog candy!! There aren't very many people at this point and your chances are pretty good! I pull the winner on the 24th! Click on the blog banner and it will be the top post.

Here are a bunch more cards I made for my upcoming sale. I make four of each design. This will be the 20th year my mom and I have had our sale! Where did the time go? The first card uses two Technique Junkie techniques and the rest don't have any special technique. The tulip card uses Vellum Sentiments and then the Framed Nestie technique.

The Lily Sympathy card is an image that was drawn by my cyber friend, Donna Moore! Thank you Donna! ;-)

The feel better poppy card has a lovely cuttlebug folder background but the scanner only made it look like spots on the white where some of the shadows were.....*sigh*....... I just didn't have time to photograph instead of scan.

Enjoy!!

Henry and the flowers

2011-10-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

DON'T FORGET TO SIGN UP FOR THE BLOG CANDY.........DEADLINE 12 NOON PT ON OCT 24TH! IT IS THE TOP STICKY POST.

Here are two cards I did with digital stamps. The first digital is from Hambo....his name is Henry. He is soooo cute. Colored with copics.

The second is a digital stamp freebie from a day for daisies. The flower was really only a single flower but I really wanted a group to I flipped, resized, cropped and straightened several of them to create the new image. The file said it was a yellow poppy but I made it red instead. ;-) The background uses Cuttlebug highlights but I used red on red paper to make it subtle but better than nothing.

If you have never........

2011-10-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

If you haven't ever seen a tutorial like the ones that are on all the Technique Junkie CD's, here is a link to show you what one looks like!! They are quite wonderful. Here is a project made from the CD.....it is called a Pop-Up Gift card holder. Really fun to make. Order your CD today using the link on the sidebar. ;-)

Here is a picture of one of the cards I made from the new 3-D and Fun Folds CD.

Working on my sale!

2011-10-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of cards that I made for my upcoming sale. These 5 don't have any special techniques on them......they are all just simply made! I had printed off a number of digital images that I have to color while we were on vacation. Hope you enjoy

Don't forget to click on my blog header to be taken to the top post so you can enter for my blog candy!!

Fall is Here!

2011-10-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

So....here are the Halloween ones that I talked about the other day.

I needed a girl card, a boy card and one for her parents. So........here they are! I found all the images online as coloring pages. I did this because I don't have any Halloween stamps of my own! I'm quite happy with the images though. They are all colored with copic markers. The Skeleton above is 'hinged' at the joints with brads. The arms and legs can be moved wherever you want. The background is veined marble technique from the TJ newsletter.

The Witch girl was a freebie image from Wonderstrange and was called Witchlines. I think she is quite cute. The background here was Black glossy paper and Luminare paints. It was a technique from TJ newsletter but for the life of me I cannot remember the name!

The last card was for the parents so I wanted something a little more Fall and less cute. I found this scarecrow with the pumpkin head was a coloring page image on a site that had free Disney characters pages. His background I 'think' is called Dabbed shimmers from the TJ newsletter and it has lots of great oranges and some metallic to it as well. I also used the Cuttlebug Highlights technique. I've had those little tiny leaves for years. I originally purchased them for a special project then promptly forgot the project to do with them......you don't ever do that do you? ;-)

Thanksgiving early!

2011-10-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

Well.....the weather has finally changed. We are into the rain and cooler temperatures now. A lady that frequently orders cards from me asked for three Halloween, three Thanksgiving, three Christmas, and three each of Thank you and Thinking of you. I had four days to get them all done. Fortunately, I had Thank you and Thinking of you cards in my stock. Then I found more than three Christmas cards that I had made for design team work that were never in my sale before. So that left only three each of the Halloween and Thanksgiving. I'll show you the Thanksgiving ones today and the Halloween ones in a couple of days!

These were all coloring book images from the web. They are all colored with copic markers. The bottom one with the cornucopia has the rolled corners and the torn frames techniques from the TJ newsletter.

Embellished circles

2011-09-24T14:06:00.001-07:00

I wanted to do this technique from the Technique Junkie newsletter but had no great circle stamps until recently! I kept pretty simple and love the way it turned out. Hope you like it too! Those dark lines vertically, really aren't dark but gold tape!

Because I'm almost there!

2011-09-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

I just had to post because I'm so tickled that I'm almost at my weight loss goal! Yeah!! I started at 156.6 and today at only one pound away from my goal, I was 131!! I feel lean and mean! Now that I'm almost done, the hard part of keeping it off begins. But, I'm pretty confident that I can do it. The biggest reason for the loss (for me) was to eliminate my BP meds. At this point, I've cut them in half.

Of course, with the loss also comes a loss in money since I've had to get some clothes that fit! HA!! I've lost more than 3 inches in my hips, waist and chest. Hooray!

Okay.........back to stamping posts now !

THIS is soooo awesome!

2011-09-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

I found this tutorial online on how to add numbers to your comments on your blog. Can you say AWESOME! NOW......when you have blog candy to give away and are using a random number generator, you won't have to count the comments to see who the winner it. All the counting is done for you!! Whoo Hoo!

Here is the Link.

Quiet but busy!

2011-09-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

My blog may have been quiet lately but I HAVE been busy. Between filming tutorials and making Design Team cards (which you can't see yet), I've been also working on some snowglobes for my upcoming card sale in November. Here are 12 of the globes with stars in them. I'll be making 12 with hearts in them as well. They are uber hard to photo since the surface is reflective. But you get the idea. Each has a case for storage and they fold flat!!

A message from Pat!

2011-09-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

Well.......it is THAT time again! Here is a message from Pat Huntoon, owner of Technique Junkie Newsletter. These CD's are awesome. It is like 100 techniques for such a low price. AND they all have step by step pictures. Awesome.

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Dear Ann,

CD9 will be released in two weeks --
Have your ordered yours?

Time to Order!
NOW is a great time to purchase the newest
Technique Junkie Annual CD. The Ninth Edition CD
covers all of the issues from 10-10 to 8-11 --
plus 10 bonus techniques -- in easy-to-print, step-by-step
pictorial pdfs.

It is easy to renew and/or order your CD!
Simply Click HERE to order.

Thank you for your continued business.
I appreciate having you as a customer and
hope you will enjoy the CD.

Sincerely,

Patricia Huntoon
Technique Junkie Newsletter

Woo Hoo I won!

2011-09-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

I was one of the most lucky stampers who won one of the Gina K Designs stamp sets of my choice from their giveaway this weekend.

If you haven't ever checked out Gina's Stamp TV.....give it a look HERE. She is so pleasing to watch and has great card ideas.

I chose Springtime Silhouettes as my prize. You can like StampTV on Facebook as well. ;-)

Some sympathy cards for a friend.

2011-08-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who needed some sympathy cards so I made these up today.

The butterfly one uses the Vellum Sentiments technique from the most recent TJ newsletter. The butterfly is from Judikens and the sentiment is from Hero Arts.

The other two cards were inspired from Gina K's simple cards video on her website today. Thanks for the inspiration, Gina......I needed it to jump start the creative juices today. Somehow, the simple cards are harder for me than the not-so-simple ones!

Some Telescopes!

2011-08-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

I had some friends come over a little while back. We decided that we would play with the Technique Junkie Technique Telescope cards. It seemed a mystery at first but turned out to be quite simple. One of my friends brought her granddaughter and she made a four tier card.

A Sale for you!

2011-08-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

Well.....I've been working hard this last week on tutorials for the upcoming Technique Junkie newsletters! You'll love some of the new things coming up!!

While you're in the mood to hear more......there is a sale going on right now for the newsletter!
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If you are not a Newsletter subscriber yet, check this out! You can subscribe to the Newsletter from now through the end of 2012 for only $22.00 (Canadian: $26.00, Overseas: $30.00) -- that is a $5.00 savings from the regular price!! Your subscription will start immediately with this issue with one password. Want to see more? You can pre-order CD9 (covers the issues from 10-10 through 8-11) too, for just $14.95 ($16.95 overseas) more -- giving you access to 100 MORE techniques. Click HERE to get started - both options are available through that link.

Already a subscriber? Renewal Specials and CD orders can be found HERE.

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A Bella Creations challenge!

2011-08-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

Today is a fun time over at Bella Creations! That is where you can win the new Technique Junkie Stampbooking CD!! ...............AND..............a year's subscription to the TJ newsletter. You MUST enter the challenge on their site to win. Click HERE. The challenge is to make a project with the Tie Dye Embellishments technique. Since I don't scrap I used the technique on a card. There are a ton of techniques in the CD for card making!! YOU get to see the Tie Dye Embellishments tutorial for FREE!! The link for the tut is on Bella's site.

This card also uses the new technique from the most recent newsletter as well called Distressed Fuzz.

So.......what are you waiting for? Head on over there and enter to win....you know you want to! It's a great way to see one of Pat's tutorials as well.......they ARE awesome.

Zander's 3rd Birthday

2011-07-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Well......it has been FOREVER since I posted. Since last post I've been uber busy! Taught two Copic classes at Stampadeedoda for a total of 26 students and another classes booked in August with 5 signed up already.

Then we went on a two week vacation. THAT was soo much fun. We visited my step-mom in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and did a little sight seeing while there. Spent almost 2 extra days in Tulsa getting the rear end fixed on the Explorer..........the bearings were bad.........not good considering that we just had them replaced the end of March this year. Grrr...... Cost us a brand new ring and pinion gear and labor for that. Fortunately the bearings fell under part warranty. Still it was $700 plus hotel, rental car and food.

Then on to Aspen for my 40th class reunion. We had soooo much fun. We stayed at the Flying Dog Ranch. One of the most beautiful places to have a reunion. The mountain view was spectacular. Had a grand time reconnecting with some people that I hadn't seen in 40 years!

BUT tomorrow is Zander's birthday and he will be having a pirate card. The stamps are from Sweet and Sassy stamps. This happens to be a retired set but I just HAD to use it! The pirate and accessories are colored with copic markers. The 'sand' is a crushed shell.......it looks really great. I hope he likes it!

A free digi for you!

2011-06-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you are interested or not but here is a free tie digital for you that I drew today! Nothing fancy. Just click on it for a larger image, then right click and save as...... ;-) enjoy. If you like it, let me know!

You can jump NOW!

2011-06-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

You've heard me over and over again say...."This is a Technique Junkie technique!" Well......if you have ever wanted to get any of the Technique CD's.....NOW is a great time. See the words of Pat's sale below!
Don't delay! The offer is good through June 30th....you don't want to miss out! I KNOW you won't be disappointed.
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All of the Technique Junkie Newsletter annual CDs - CD1 through CD8 - are on sale for $10.00 plus shipping from now through June 30th* (the CD sales does NOT include the TJ Specialty CDs. Only CDs 1 - 8 qualify for this offer).

Each Technique Junkie CD covers a year worth of issues. They are in pdf format, so they are easily printed; and each Cd has between 75 and 100 tutorials on it. Here is a listing of what is on each CD: http://techniquejunkies.com/cd-list.pdf

You can order one, two or all 8 CDs - or any combination therein. Simply email me (phuntoon@optonline.net) with which CDs you would like and I will send you an invoice with the proper postage amount included. In the US, postage starts at $1.39 for one CD and maxes out at $4.95; In Canada, it ranges from $1.49 to $11.95; and overseas, postage ranges from $2.08 to $16.95.

*The three TJ specialty Cds (Emboss or Die, Fancy Folds and Motion and Stampbooking) are not included in this sale.

TJ Stampbooking CD Blog Hop and prize!

2011-06-13T03:14:00.000-07:00

Hey, readers! You've jumped into a blog hop! To start at the beginning, click HERE!

The Technique Junkie Newsletter Designers, along with some very talented Spotlight Stampers, are proud to bring you a special Stampbooking Blog Hop! During this hop, our designers will be using techniques from the recently released TJ Stampbooking CD. The CD contains 75 inspiring tutorials in pdf format. As you will see, these tutorials are fun and versatile. When the CD was first being produced I, personally, shoved it to the back.........I don't scrap! BUT, this CD has wonderful techniques with MANY usable for cards as well!

To find more information about the CD and how to order your own copy, go here: http://www.techniquejunkies.com/stampbooking-cd.html

Judy Jackson (TJ blog) - Start here!

ChrisDickinson

Ann Clack - YOU ARE HERE!

Shelly Hickox

BethNorman

TriciaO’Bin

HettySanders

DonnaDuquette

ReganSeifert

HollyBrown

PatHuntoon

JaneBosi - You'll need to leave a comment on Jane's blog to be entered into the random drawing for the prize (the Stampbooking CD).

So.......since I don't scrap, here is my blog hop card! I hope you enjoy it. The image is from Sweet & Sassy Stamps......isn't it adorable?! He is colored with copic markers. This is a technique called Stitched Borders. ;-)

Antique Wallpaper Chair

2011-06-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

I made this card for my upcoming copic class as an example of tip to tip or palette coloring. I used the June 2010 technique from Technique Junkies called Antique Wallpaper. It is super easy and the results are fab! Enjoy!

Dude Time Doodles challenge

2011-06-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

If you haven't even see Dude Time Doodles, here is your chance! His drawings are a little quirky and a lot of fun as well. I liked his UPS delivery man but used this ball player for a special card to give away to a Seahawks fan. I used the TJ technique called sanded coordinations as well as cuttlebug highlights. I used the round embossing folder to seem like baseballs. The Dude is colored with copics. Hope you enjoy! The challenge is up until tomorrow night. Click here to participate!

Father's Day for a friend

2011-05-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a card I made for a friend to give to her father. She said he played golf so this is what I came up with. Sometimes I really love it when MoJo is in the house. This card really fell together so fast! Cuttlebug highlights for the background. Image was clipart that I colored with copics. I know that ribbon isn't too guy-like but I thought the little plaid was okay for a golfer! Enjoy!

Blasted Bear.....

2011-05-31T13:22:00.000-07:00

Here is another sample I used for my upcoming copic class. This one showed the texture you can get using the blending solution. The background was made using the Bingo Blast Technique from the TJ newsletter! The darling bear is a Penny Black stamp. I added the butterfly trails using the .03 Multiliner by Copic.

Another class sample

2011-05-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

Here is another class sample for my upcoming copic class.........showing that you can use grays to expand your colors. This card had only two pinks on the cupcake. ;-) I used the Lotus Spellbinders die and threaded the ribbon through it. It is a nice way to frame an image.

Forgotten Easter

2011-05-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

I know, I know.......Easter was soooooo last April! ;-) I did make the kids some cute little bags for their Easter Goodies. I use my Cricut! Shocker! It is probably the 6th time I've used it since I bought it last November. I used some brown and pink scrapbook paper. They both had a little bit of interest to them instead of being flat color. This .svg file was shared by a friend on my SCAL yahoo group. It sure cuts nice. I drew on the eyes and eyebrows. The eyebrows were actually a cut out feature but they were just too small so I drew them on instead. I used my copic markers to shade the pieces and it really made them look soooo much better! Fast too! Much faster than sponging on color.

A sample for my class.

2011-05-30T00:57:00.000-07:00

I made this sample card for my upcoming Copic Class at a local Stamp Store (Stampadeedoda). I made a total of 8 samples for them showing different ways to use your copics. This one was just shadowing, blending and special effects like the dots on her dress. Isn't she just the cutest thing? She is a stamp from Penny Black. This is the first time I've used my new spellbinders die of the inward curves.......I really LOVE that die!!

Wishing for summer!

2011-05-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

Well, if you saw the weather around Oregon you certainly would be wondering where summer it. No shorts yet, no sandals.......we've had one day or maybe two that have barely broke 70 degrees! BUT we can live through our art instead! Here is a card using the Color Sandwich technique from the June 2011 TJ newsletter. That cute summer dress is only a dream right now............I actually wore my winter coat the other day......*sigh*.

Sneak Peek for the newest TJ newsletter!

2011-05-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a card using a new technique called spray away from the newest TJ newsletter. This month is another fabulous newsletter full of wonderful techniques. I'll be sharing at least three over the next couple of days. The stamps used on this are from Sweet N Sassy Stamps. She has the most adorable stamps!! Digis too if you lean that way!

Gingersnap Challenge!!

2011-05-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

I hope you enjoy this card.......it uses the denim technique from the Technique Junkie newsletter and is also for the Gingersnap Challenge . If you participate in the challenge you can win the Fabulous TJ Emboss or Die CD!!

Below is the information from The Gingersnap Website:

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Using a medium blue, rust and tan, create a sensational papercrafting or mixed media project! This color scheme is extremely versatile and we can't wait to see all your wonderful variations!

When the challenge closes on June 19, 2011, we will pick 10 Ginger Gems - fabulous creations that we feel really exemplify that challenge's objective. The Ginger Gems will appear in our wrap-up post and in a slide show in the blog bar for an entire week and their creators will have the honor of displaying our Ginger Gems blog badge.

This month, we would also like to thank the Technique Junkies Newsletter for their generous sponsorship.

The Technique Junkie Newsletter was started in 2002 as a resource for Rubber Stamping Techniques. The Newsletter is published every-other month, featuring 15 or more stamping techniques in step-by-step format. Subscribers can choose to receive the newsletter in the mail (comes with access to the online tutorials) or an online-only subscription. Each technique has a corresponding pictorial online, and a full page of inspirational artwork by the talented Technique Junkie Newsletter Designers. To date, over 850 Techniques have been published, by far the largest and most extensive library of rubber stamping tutorials available.

One randomly drawn winner from the qualifying participants for this challenge will become our new Home Page Artist for a week as well as winning the fabulous "Emboss or Die" CD from Technique Junkies and, for this final challenge, a two-year online only subscription to the fabulous Technique Junkie Newsletter.

A super bad review!

2011-05-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well, this review really has nothing to do with stamping. I DO, however, want anyone who is shopping for a dishwasher to read this post though!!

DO NOT......I repeat......DO NOT every buy an Electrolux. I thought I had done my due diligence in shopping for a new dishwasher. What I really wanted in a dishwasher doesn't seem to be made anymore. I wanted something with a door that could accept a special wooden front. I only found one and it was so much more than the others that I just had to give that wish list item up. The second thing I wanted was a flip latch. Also, non-existent in today's market. I went with the Electrolux because I thought that the "No heat element" and stainless steel tub would be good for my energy bill. The salesman really didn't tell me that it doesn't work well for your plastic things...... So.......I thought that a little extra water on my plastics wouldn't be a big deal. So, now you are wondering why I really HATE my new $900 dishwasher. $900? Yup.........Maybe if I had gone cheaper I would have a machine that actually washes well. I have a number of things I hate about this machine.

Three of these items are really design flaws which Electrolux claims aren't design flaws at all.

1. The soap cup.........Now my new dishwasher comes with this cool feature where you can lower the top rack so that you can wash taller items in it. I thought that was cool until I actually put it into use. When you lower the top rack, the little flip open door for the soap won't flip open. DUH!! Not a design flaw....come on!! Clearly not thought through on the designers end.

2. Do you wash cookie sheets in your dishwasher? Well, I do. In this dishwasher, if you want to wash more than one at a time, you are SOOL (Sh*t out of luck) because the only place you can put it is to the far left edge. All the other places won't work because the pegs that you place you dishes in don't line up. They are off center enough that the cookie sheet won't stand. Another design flaw.

3. They have a cool feature where you can flip down the whole row of pegs. I thought this would be really cool........flip those puppies down and you can put nice big pots there. BUT, every time you lean a heavy dish like a casserole on them, they don't stay put. DESIGN FLAW.......

Then there are the reasons I really hate this dishwasher.

1. Clean dishes........well, maybe I should say the lack of clean dishes. They come out with random little black specks of dirt. My old 20 year old dishwasher washed my dishes better than this thing. I don't know if it is the lack of pressure of the spray or the screen not allowing food particles to pass. At any rate, if my dishes aren't practically clean when I put them in, they certainly aren't when I take them out.

2. Soap residue in the soap cup........Don't you think if the dishwasher was working properly that it would at least wash the soap out of the cup? Really?

So......Electrolux......you have received my last dollar. I will NEVER purchase another Electrolux product!!

A DOUBLE Woo Hoo!!

2011-04-27T11:25:00.000-07:00

Well.........yesterday my hubby brings the mail and as I look through it, WOW.....I have a complimentary copy of Stamper's Sampler Catch Up Issue!! THAT means that I was Published! Isn't that cool??!!! So.......I quickly scanned through the copy to find my card (since I have NO idea which one it might be). Hmmmm.....I can't find it. I scan through slower......still didn't see it. So I went page by page and read the names of the submitting artists. Finally......on page 110.....there it was.......a card that I sent in over 2 years ago. Wish I could do that card over again because I could do it much better now!! It was done before I even had my Nesties. So......let that be a good lesson to you.......never give up.....they may finally pick your card!!

THEN..........Since I am a guest designer for Hambo Hoedown today I thought I'd show you my card. You should pop on over to Hambo to look at their other designer's cards as well......so cute! The challenge was to use lots of lace and flowers.....so I did! ;-) I hope you enjoy it!

Tooting my Horn!

2011-04-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you have to toot your own horn, right? Well.......here are two different toots for ya! The first toot is that tomorrow on the Hambo Hoedown, I'll be the Guest Designer. How fun is that!! You can visit the Hambo Hoedown by clicking on the badge on my right sidebar. Tomorrow challenge is real frilly!

Now......as for the other tooting.......it is a stretch but this week's Hoedown challenge was to use the King image below announcing something. Well, sometimes you just have to announce that you are thankful for something. So, I made the king's banner say "Thank You!" I used the "out of the box" technique with Nesties. The fabric of the banner is cut out and mounted up a layer. I happened to have some crown brads that I got at one of the Hot off the Press warehouse sales. I thought it fit perfectly. His hair HAD to have a little grey in it! ;-) Hope you enjoy him!

YES.....I am distressed!!

2011-04-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

This week on the Hambo Hoedown challenge we were to distress this darling Orge with distress ink or distressing of some kind. Funny that this week I am certainly distressed with WAY too much to do. My DVD project for the rhodie society convention for the bus tours is going mega slow. I've got 7 other cards due for design team work and some stuff for my 40th reunion as well. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! I wish this little orge would carry me away! The background came out really cool and the camera almost caught the cool gold spots I gave it.

Hambo Hoedown penguin the right way

2011-04-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

I made one card with this darling Hambo Penguin Bunny but this time it uses the correct challenge technique called an easel card. Really easy to do.. The instructions are listed on the Hambo site. You can see the challenge by clicking on the Hambo Hoedown badge on my sidebar! I added a little sparkle to jazz it up too.

Easter for Angela

2011-04-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have a lady that wanted me to make some cards for Easter for her parents, nephew and niece. So I printed up some digital images for the kids cards, colored them with copics and created! I usually make two for each so the lady has a choice. Whatever she doesn't pick can be used for my grandkids!

I was very pleased with the card I made for her parents. It used one of my new stamps from Heartfelt Creations. They had the most awesome booth at the rubber stamp convention a couple of weeks ago. It is a little hard to tell but the paper (from Paper Temptress) is a lovely pearlescent paper.

The Rabbit in the Egg is a free digital I got from Prairie Fairy. The Bunny with the daffodil pot was a free digital from Creative Pointe. On both of those cards I used a round Easter design that was a digital freebie from Sans Design. The bunny with the basket is from Dustin Pike. And Finally the Bunny Penguin is from Hambo Stamps. This was a free image from their Hambo Hoedown challenge. We were to make an easel card this week for the challenge but I had to make the card before I knew the challenge. That's okay.......it made a darling boy Easter card and I just make another for the challenge.

So......tell me which one of the Easter cards that you like the best!

He's Dreaming.....

2011-04-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

We had a darling caterpillar this week for the Hoedown challenge (see sidebar link). In addition to using the image we were to use lots of pink and green....both bright. So I took the little shoes off the bug and made them into some patterned paper. Then I thought he should be dreaming of becoming a butterfly! All colored (except BG paper) with copics. The DREAMER stamp is from StampAttack in the UK!

The Versatile Blogger Award

2011-03-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

Judy Rozema has a blog called a Jar Full of Joy and today she surprised me with something special! It is called the Versatile Blogger Award. Awwwwww.........thank you so much Judy. I am terribly thankful for this honor!!

I guess that I am to tell you seven things about myself. Well, Here it goes:

1. I'm a grandma of four (one of which gave me his horrid head cold this week). Two girls and two boys. I love them dearly.
2. I've been stamping since 1987. I was introduced to stamps at a home party that featured, PSX and Hero stamps. My first stamp was PSX D474 Two Iris.....Love that stamp.
3. I get to go to my 40th class reunion this summer in Aspen. Yes, I graduated from Aspen High WAY back in 1971. It was a wonderful place to grow up and live. The movie stars ruined it though.....
4. I'm a designer for the Technique Junkie newsletter. I'm going on my third year as a designer for the TJ newsletter. I love this newsletter. The techniques are varied with something for everyone. Sometimes it is a challenge to get the work done but I love it.
5. A shared hobby with my husband revolves around Mustangs (the cars). We have three classic Mustangs. I'm also the secretary for our car club and help organize our big events as well.
6. I'm the trophy chairman for the Portland Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society. It is fun to spend other people's money getting lovely items like pottery, glassware, wooden items and metal items. Gets that shopping out of my system and I don't have to dust what I buy!
7. I'm the keyboardist and leader of our Praise Team at Trinity Lutheran church. We have a great team of 10....4 vocalists, 3 - 4 guitars, drummer, and another drummer that plays those large conga type drums.

Now..........I suppose that I should give this away......don't ya think?

Chrissy D - who is a real productive soul!

Jodi C - Whose coloring truly inspires me!

and

Shirley - Who has a real flare for beautiful cards.

Making do........a Story of Circles

2011-03-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

This is a story...........a story of Ann.......who loved the new Hambo image so much that she ran down to the Stamp Hole the minute she got it and worked diligently coloring the image she loved. THEN......OH MY!! She remembered that each week had a theme and she had forgotten to check. Quickly she ran upstairs to the computer and pulled up the Hoedown blog. ALAS! The sketch design wanted a circle and she had cut a different shape. Horror of horrors. What to do, what to do. She looked at the image she had colored and thought that it would be a shame to let this image go to waste. So she put on her thinking cap...........ADAPT! She would MAKE the image into a circle even though it wasn't. Swiftly she grabbed her circle nestibilities and stared at them. Surely they would speak to her and give her the answer she needed. THEN, it came to her.......make a circle FRAME! Saving the image already colored and STILL using the Hambo Hoedown sketch! Success was hers!

Hee Hee.....I hope you enjoyed my little story and like the result I got! This Hambo sketch and image are from the Hoedown challenge that YOU can participate in as well! Click on the badge on my sidebar. She is colored with copics and it has three layers.....which naturally don't show on the picture. I colored the cup band so that it looked corrugated even though the original image shows it smooth.

Sweet flower girl

2011-03-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

This darling little image is from Sweet & Sassy Stamps. I colored her with copic markers. I thought she needed a little sparkle to jazz her up...used my Spica and Stardust pens. The background is one of the techniques from last year's TJ newsletter AND it is also on the newest CD....Emboss or Die! So many great techniques on that CD. I hope you are able to get one! There is a button on the sidebar where you can purchase one! Now.....back to the background......it is called Antique Wallpaper. Super easy to do and the effect is wonderful. Hope you enjoy!

I'm really going to enjoy myself today........it is the Portland Heirloom Stamp Convention! Woo Hoo! Can't wait to see what new stuff is out there. I decided not to try to work the convention this year since we have so much going on with our bus tour stuff. Taking the day to go to the convention was dicey at best BUT my DH is going to the same convention center to watch the Silver Auction (a car auction). So....we are both happy!

Do you do this?

2011-03-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

I don't know why but I do this ALL the time, do you? I wait until the last minute to get something done. I know that if I had done it earlier I would be so much happier. BUT I wait and let that devil "Procrastination" get the best of me. You don't do that do you? ;-)

This is the weekly card for the Hambo Hoedown. It really is a fun challenge because everyone is a winner! You all win a free digi! Click on the badge to the right to find out more.

The elephant was duplicated, flipped (for one) and resized to create a trio of ellies. I didn't have much time to really color nicely as I was trying to get done before my grandson woke from his nap! The background piece is from my stash of TJ techniques. This one is called Simple Sumi! We were to use sparkle and I really wish that cameras and scanners had a sparkle button. This is much more sparkly in person! The elephants even have a sparkle ground.

It's a SALE!

2011-03-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

OH MY GOODNESS!!! If you ever were thinking of trying Technique Junkie newsletter, NOW is the time. She is having a sale on EVERYTHING.

Click here to read all about it.

BUT........you have to hurry.......sale ends on March 31st!!

Christina's Diaper Cake

2011-03-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

Well, you saw the baby card I made for my niece in law, now here is the diaper cake my daughters (including my daughter-in-law) and I made for her. We thought it came out real cute. They are super easy to make but amazingly expensive! We had 8 pair of little socks that we rolled to look like they were part of the bouquet. We used about 150 diapers, 4 receiving blankets, 2 hooded towels, 4 washcloths, bib, thermometer, 2 binkies, full size lotion, bath soap and shampoo, finger nail clippers, snack cups, hangers, and two stuffed bunnies. Leah, youngest daughter, had some darling painted wooden bugs and frog that we put here and there.

Re-Picked..........for blog candy!

2011-03-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

It is early evening on Monday and I have heard nothing from Jann.......she had until Monday morning to claim her blog candy and I even gave her almost a half a day more. I tried to get ahold of her through her name link but it lead me nowhere Sorry, Jann!

So.....I have used the random number generator once more. and the number was 25!

Congratulations to StampQueen. I clicked on her name and it lead me to her blog....it happens to be Tera Fugan!! Congrats, Tera! You'll need to let me know your snail mail!

stampqueen said...: Hallo - the flowers are wonderful!!!I live in NW Florida. Would love the new CD - haven't been able to squeeze it out of my budget yet :); March 15, 2011 3:37 PM

Christina's Baby Girl

2011-03-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

My niece-in-law, Christina, is having a baby girl in May and this is the shower card I made for her. Now that the shower is done, I can post the card as I didn't want her to see it on Facebook! The image is from Mo's Digital Pencil and it is just darling. I know it real up close and personal now as I ended up coloring it almost three times. Once I wasn't happy with the colors and the second time my copic blobbed at the most inopportune time.....have no clue why. Third time was the charm. The background is waxy cuttelbug, A TJ technique. The word 'baby' was the bottom part of a M's $1 stamp that said "Sweet Baby" When I stamped it, DRAT!.....It was a little too high so I lowered it visually by drawing in some dots and dashes. I added some shimmer to the hair, bunny and other areas as well. Enjoy!

Blog Candy Winner!

2011-03-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the 10th poster!!! .....JANN......YEAH!!!

Jann, you have through the weekend to let me know your mailing address. Again Congratulations.
If I don't hear from Jann by Monday morning, then a new winner will be chosen!


Jann said...: Great cards. Now I know I have to drop everything one of these days to do some white on white plus oneJannNew Jersey; March 14, 2011 5:17 PM

Mo's Wonderful offer

2011-03-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

Would you like to help Japan and get a darling image to boot! Go HERE and Mo's Digital Pencil (Mo Manning) will donate the $1 you pay for her wonderful "What's Cookin" image to Japan relief. So.....what are you waiting for? Go there now!

BLOG CANDY - Don't miss out!

2011-03-16T22:54:00.000-07:00

Don't forget that this Friday I will award my blog candy - a Brand new Emboss or Die CD from Technique Junkie Pat Huntoon!! Make you post on THIS post to be eligible! Make sure you tell me what state you are from too!!

Golden Rhodie

2011-03-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

Still working on my rhodie cards. This is the next and final card using this image. I used the Texture Duet technique from TJ this time. I added a little Cuttlebug highlights as well. I had used the largest Spellbinders for the cut but I used the next size down to give it some embossing. You can just barely see the indent. The scan (instead of a photo) just couldn't quite catch the wonderful texture that second die gave it. Also, since I had used the largest die, getting a shadow color was harder. I used the same die and then cut it diagonally, split it apart and mounted behind the original image. Easy to get a shadow that way without the cutting. Just got this one done today in this design but I got 9 of the white on white design cards that I posted the other day....that was the one with the fuchsia colored rhodie on it! Hopefully I'll get 9 of today's design done tomorrow!

Golden Hambo Hoedown

2011-03-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

This week the wonderful challenge over at the Hoedown (see link on sidebar) is to use Tim's darling little hamster with the pot of gold along with LOTS of gold. So, I took some metal and used the double metal embossing technique from the Technique Junkies newsletter and colored it gold. The bottom layer of paper is also a metallic gold......even though the camera did a "I can't see you number" on that layer. Sometimes things just don't seem to go right and today was one of those days. I got the card all assembled and THEN noticed that the numbers part of the double embossing on the metal were upside down. Sheesh! I'm NOT tearing it apart now! Then I topped it off with some told braid. There are a lot of layers on this little guy. See the picture below the card.

White on White plua a little color!

2011-03-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

Here are three cards that I designed this week. All three use images that I drew many years ago. I must say though that I drew them by looking at someone else's artwork. I can draw fairly well but there is no way I could have come up with these images on my own! I had the drawings made into rubber stamps about 25 years ago. Unfortunately, they are too small for the work I want now. BUT, one nice thing about using your own images, is that you can change them and enlarge them any way you want! You can reproduce colored images mechanically and not give a rip what others think too! HA!

Anyway..........I am making up a large amount of cards with rhododendron images on them for the upcoming International Rhododendron Society Convention in May. My goal is to have 10 designs and 10 cards each. Including the red rhodie card that I made my hubby, I now have four of the 10 designs done. So this week was productive! Yeah!!

The first card uses one of the techniques from the BRAND NEW Emboss or Die CD from Technique Junkies. AND to sweeten the pot......YOU.....yes, I said YOU......can WIN this wonderful CD!! How? Well, let's make it interesting this time.

In order to be eligible to win, comment on THIS post AND tell me what state you live in! Any entries that lack that info cannot win if their post number is selected. Easy, peasy! I will pull a winner on March 18th.....that gives you a whole week to remember!

Hope you enjoy these three! The other two use the cuttlebug highlights technique. The middle one uses out of the box as well!

My sweet kids.......

2011-03-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

I just have to post this. My daughter and son (and their spouses) plus some of their close friends, decided to take the kids to Disneyland BUT they decided to keep it a secret. They told the kids that they were going to the beach like they do this time every year. This year they were going to a 'beach' far away and they would fly to get their quicker. The reveal was very funny. You can see the youtube video HERE. My grandkids are the oldest dark haired girl, the long haired little girl next to her and the only boy in the group.

If was funny because after all the hype about flying to the beach this year, Audrey (my youngest granddaughter) and Sydney (a friend's child), were truly upset that they weren't going to the beach. Audrey.....threw her hat down twice! All was good though after they showed the kids the brochure with the castle on it.

enjoy!

Two months is better than none!

2011-03-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

Well........My 5 cards a week resolution made it two months before it was broken. Rats! BUT I babysat my grandson four days last week instead of two and I was just too tired. Not a very good excuse but I'm sticking with it! I'm still going to try to keep the resolution though. One broken week doesn't mean the rest of the year is a bust! Right?!!

Here is a card that I did for the Hambo Hoedown. This is such a fun challenge....you should really give it a try. Just click on their badge on my sidebar! Our challenge was to use this lion and one of the two sentiments that we were given. I thought I would do something different. I took the sentiment and made it into the background of the card. In retrospect I think I should have made the print smaller and repeated it more times. But that will have to wait for next time! We were also to include stripes somewhere, I did them on the lion's shirt! ;-)

I actually almost forgot this week! Hope you enjoy.

Bob turned 60!

2011-03-02T16:24:00.000-08:00

We have a friend in our car club who had a surprise birthday party Sunday night. Bob loves his Mustangs so I found an image and colored it with copics. BUT I had to color is really fast and so it doesn't have all the depth I really wanted. Shelby cars usually have two stripes on them over the top. since this image was not at the right angle to color on the stripes, I just did stripes on the BG of the card with some of my adhesive tape and used glitter over the top! Instant stripes! I used the 'out of the box' technique as well. ;-) If you look really close you can see that I wrote BOB on the license plate. The brads are from Hot off the press.

Hoedown 60!

2011-03-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

Here is my submission for the Hambo Hoedown this week. You can play along with us if you want....just press the Hoedown badge on the right sidebar!! This little bird had a Hero on the medal but I wanted it for a birthday card so I deleted the Hero and added a 60. My sentiment inside says "You wear your age well for an old bird!"
Hope I made it in time......I had a phone call from someone who just wouldn't get off!!!!!

Colored with copics! Hope you enjoy!

Stampotique Challenge SDC25!

2011-02-23T17:42:00.000-08:00

Do you like free stuff? I DO!! Here is a chance from some great prizes. Pat Huntoon's Technique Junkie Design Team (that includes me!) is participating all week in the Stampotique Designer's Challenge. One lucky participant will win a Two-Year subscription to the Technique Junkie Newsletter (on-line only) and a Fancy Folds and Motion CD. The other winner will receive a $30 gift certificate to use on the Stampotique Store. Instructions for participation follow my cards.

I was so tickled with this mushroom image as it was just perfect for the barn wood technique!! It is colored with copic markers and also uses the 'out of the box' technique. The background features the Faux Barnwood technique from the February/March 2011 issue of Technique Junkie Newsletter .

The next card also features the barnwood technique but instead of using the traditional brown, I used blue. I also used some of my favorite images from an artist named Maryse Carrier! You may recognize her drawings as a past artist for Magenta stamps. BUT.........NOW her artwork is carried by Stampotique and I couldn't be more happy. Her images can be found in the Stampotique store HERE.

OK, stampers, here are your rules for participation:

1. For this challenge, use Stampotique Stamps only.
2. You must use either the Faux Barnwood Technique or another Technique Junkie technique of your choice, and state which one you used in your post.
3. On the Stampotique Designer's Challenge blog, you must link directly to your challenge post, not to your general blog.
4. The contest will close on March 8, 2011, at 5 PM EST.
5. Have fun creating and show us what you can do!

*******************

If you want to see other pieces of artwork from this challenge, make sure you hop on over to the Stampotique Designer's Challenge blog.........you'll be happy you did!

Emboss or Die Sneaky Peak

2011-02-22T23:12:00.000-08:00

Here is another sneaky peak at the Emboss or Die innards. This is the same technique I showed you before.....scallop dress. Well........you didn't think I would show you too much did you? ;-) I used vellum for this skirt. I don't know why but it is terribly hard for me to do pastels. If you look at most of my cards, they are really intense colors.........I'm trying to learn! The Emboss or Die CD is almost ready to ship! You can get yours and be one of the first to have it in your hot little hand......just click on the Emboss or Die CD PayPal on the sidebar! BTW......I don't get the money!!

I thought i'd show this card to you today because the two cards that I DID do today are submission work that you can't see!

Hambo Hoedown Pelican

2011-02-21T19:58:00.000-08:00

This is my card for the Hambo Hoedown this week. We received a free pelican digi......isn't he darling?!! Our color palette needed to contain, blue, brown and tan. I layered the pelican several times. Unfortunately I had my larger lights for taking pictures set up in a different room to film tutorials for the TJ newsletter so only had my little lights........not perfect but they sure gave the pelican a good shadow. The pelican and the BG are colored with copic markers. I gave the sand some texture and did the cloud treatment that Marianne Walker showed us the other day on her ilikemarkers blog. The sentiment was generated on my computer.

My Mom's Valentine

2011-02-18T17:18:00.000-08:00

Sometimes everything just fall together soooo easy. The card I did for Valentines for my mom was one of those. I think I had about 15 minutes total into this card. Knew what I wanted to do.....coloring went super quick. I was tickled with it and she was wowed!! ;-) I thought it was interesting that when I used the red copics to color the rose, I wanted a darker color for the shadow and I used V06!! A violet no less!! I'm going to have to remember that!

The image is a digital from Fred she Said. You can't tell from the picture much but the flower bunch is cut out and mounted above the heart. It is also hard to tell that I have gold leafing all around the outside edge of the heart.

I also got two more cards done today that are some of my assigned submission cards. DONE.....and ahead of time. ;-)

Suspenseful! and an Accident Final Report

2011-02-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

Well.......I've been creating but you WILL have to wait. Some of the new techniques coming out in April are soooo much fun! I've had a blast creating and filming them! Got four of my six submission cards done yesterday.

Today was very fun for me........I had a call from a high school classmate. We are planning my 40th reunion (like, when in the world did THAT happen) and were rejoicing at long lost members that have been found with the wonders of the internet!

Monday on the other hand, wasn't as fun. After see the Neurosurgeon they have now determined that I am medical stable but am not responding for any treatments. I've decided that surgery just isn't necessary at this point. I'm willing to live with the low grade back pain and numbness in my feet. Very discouraging. I can still pray for a healing though! ;-)

Still getting it done!

2011-02-14T22:47:00.000-08:00

My resolution is still going strong.....and I haven't missed yet. You just aren't going to see some of my creations until the next TJ newsletter airs in April!!

BUT today I did two cards. I'll post the second one tomorrow. The first one is the Valentine I made for my hubby. This ubber darling image is from Hambo stamps. The minute I saw it I wanted it for hubby's valentine. I drew a larger briefcase for the inside and made it a flip up so that the final sentiment could be under the briefcase. Unfortunately, I had the sentiments already printed off and the computer wasn't ready to print them again so I just put them in place and colored around them. My DH didn't care! ;-) Image was colored with copics. I saw that piece of yellow paper and thought it would be great for the image. I cut it down to size and mounted darker paper behind.....I thought it kind of looked like a doorway!

HoeDown Monster

2011-02-09T22:57:00.000-08:00

This week on the Hoedown challenge, we are to use a Hambo stamp with a heart somewhere on the image. The freebie image we received this week was a darling little monster. He just spoke spots and layers to me so here you have it! I didn't have a heart stamp so I just cut a heart into a piece of paper and used the hole as a mask to sponge the heart on the sentiment. I didn't want to make the monster green since he would be for Valentines day, so I chose purple and lime green......two of my favorite colors! I also took a side picture so you could see all the layers. I popped the body above the tail and the eyes above the body. I wanted the heart to be raised too but not beyond the hands so I cut out the hands and 'wrapped' them around the heart. Hope you enjoy! There are lots of other entries this week already....head on over to the HoeDown.....the link is on my right side bar.

Tapping the Helmet!

2011-02-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

The card today is for the HoeDown Challenge by Hambo Stamps. You can click on the Hoe Down link in the right side bar. The challenge was football. Okay......I do have to preface this with the statement that I really don't care to watch football. If I want a good nap, all I have to do is put on a football game and I can be asleep in 5 minutes. I think it is the crowd noise!

Anyway...........I rate the teams according to their helmets. The cooler the helmet, the more I root for the team. Seahawks, cool helmet. Dolphins, cool helmet. Rams, WAY cool helmet. There are more but NOT Green Bay or the Steelers....they are NOT on my cool helmet list. So, I wasn't going to root for either team on Sunday. BUT then I heard that the "G" doesn't really stand for Green Bay. On a Sports Inside website, the article said that the "G" actually stands for "Greatness!" So........with that in mind, the Green Bay helmet climbed a few notches in the cool helmet list.

So, with the challenge being football, I just had to do the card shown. I did a spotlight technique for the helmet and market tapping for the background. Hope you enjoy!!

THEN..........I was really busy on Sunday and Monday night as I finished up 28 of the thank you cards for my rhodie society trophy donors. It looks just like the red rhododendron card I made for my hubby that I posted a couple of days ago.

Cricut Mickey for Valentines

2011-02-06T00:06:00.000-08:00

My daughter asked if I could make some Valentines cards for her to buy for her nieces and nephew (my grandkids). So....I thought it would be a good time to try out the Mickey and Friends cartridge I had purchased. I did learn one thing.......next time I'm going to make it a LOT larger. Those tiny pieces for the eyes and the tiny red piece for Mickey's shirt drove me nuts! Cuttlebug highlight for the background. The Minnie card will look the same just with Minnie instead. I'll have four of these ready for her tomorrow. I also got 28 cards ready to assemble today. They will be the same as the Bday card I did for my Hubby. It was a productive day for stamping but not for housework....only one load of laundry and one load of dishes!

I also participated in a challenge on CDAC.......you should remember this challenge. I posted a card yesterday that I made.........only to find out that I had used the wrong digi! Well,, this card has the correct digi artist for the challenge. This was a fun challenge. The participants picked 10 elements for a card and you were to choose 5 of them to make you card. I chose, embossing folder, ribbon, border punch, faux stitching and the color pink. You can just barely see from the photo below, the diamond glaze that I put on the cherries. It looks really great in real life. The digi is from Designed2delight and is colored with copics. I was really pleased with the copic coloring on this. I tried not to over color it as I often tend to do!

Ray's Birthday card

2011-02-05T15:09:00.000-08:00

Here is the card that I did for my hubby's birthday. We both love rhodies and have been in the Portland chapter of the American Rhododendron Society (ARS) since 1984. Many years ago, I drew up this rhodie and had it made into a rubber stamp. The stamp was really too little for this card, so I scanned in the stamped image and decided that it was too grainy. Then I blew the size up pretty big and redrew it, rescanned, cleaned up and printed it out as this size. Colored it with copics. The BG piece is a Cuttlebug highlights piece and the flower uses 'out of the box' technique. The sentiment is from SU. I decided that I love this so much that this layout and image will be my thank you cards this year for the ARS trophy donors. So that means I'll be making about 26 more of these but with thank you instead of "it's your day'. Since my time is limited, I scanned in the image above that took me a long time to color and will print out the other 26! My image so I can do as I wish! Yeah!! I did enter this in the #5 Red Hot Challenge at DYSU. Here is the link to that challenge!

I'm the trophy chairman in charge or purchasing the beautiful trophies we have every year for our Mother's Day Show. I get to buy, glassware, china, pottery, metalware, etc. It is a lot of fun to spend other people's money. I buy things that I would like to win since I have won a few over the years. Hope you enjoy the card.

Just a Valentine!

2011-02-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder if I would forget my head if it wasn't attached! I had a challenge to complete for CDAC. It was a potluck challenge from Designed2Delight. Got sidetracked after I got off the computer......had to go back up the stairs from the Stamp Hole to find the challenge potluck list. Got back down to the Stamp Hole, grabbed the image I had colored and ready to go for a couple of days. Picked my 'potluck' items (ribbon, corner punch, stripes, embossing folder, and the color pink.......you had to pick 5). Took the picture of the finished card and then went to post on the challenge. Sheesh! Silly me.........I had a digital image from a different designer instead. Well....that's my story and I'm sticking to it! I hope you enjoy it even if it was wrong for the challenge! Image from Just Some Lines and colored with copics. I hand cut the heart around the sentiment and for the shadows. I AM so excited.....still keeping my resolution......but then again it IS after 7 pm and dinner isn't made yet.

AHTIA DON'T LOOK!!

2011-02-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

Can you tell that I'm working on birthday cards for my relatives! Hee Hee. The first card isn't for my daughter-in-law's birthday but a decoy so her card doesn't show on Facebook!

The first card is called total texture and is a TJ technique from the current newsletter. I used paper from the Paper Temptress and in real life it is just beautiful!

Now for the other card. The stamp is from Inkadinkado and paper from Hot off the Press and Bazzill. I made this for a color challenge card over at Copic Creations. The challenge was to use cool colors. So, NO yellow, red, orange, or yellow green. Do you know how hard it was to do flowers and greenery without my yellows and yellow-greens! Augh!! I wish the camera had caught the subtle light colors in this card. I airbrushed light blues and some Red-violets into the sky. The colors are really more that what you see!!!! Someday they will invent a camera that can do artwork justice! I also used my new MS butterfly punch. Hope she likes it!

TRAVIS DON'T LOOK

2011-02-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

Okay.....I'm posting several other cards first because I don't want my son-in-law to see the first picture on Facebook! Today is barn wood. The first two cards are ones that I did as design work for the TJ newsletter early in January using the new Barn Wood technique. I had a lot of fun making the window on the one card. Stamp credits are "I brake for stamps" on the first two cards.

Now for the card that I made for my Son-in-law, Travis. I am sooooooo tickled with this card. I wanted to make him a card with a tool box on it. Alas, no tool box stamp to be found in my stamp hole. So.......I can draw that.........I say to myself. Well........it was a lot easier in my head than on paper.....took me a couple of hours to get the drawing the way I liked it but I LIKE IT!! I hope that you do too. I had the design for this card in my head and it actually looks like what I wanted! So many times, that does NOT happen. I colored the image with copic markers. Then I remembered that I had these neat screw snaps that I had been hoarding for about 5 years and they were perfect to finish off the card. To the right of the image is another piece of barn wood. Maybe some fancy dancy stamp company will see it and want to buy the image.......hahahahahahhahahah!!

Catching up with my creations!

2011-02-02T10:09:00.000-08:00

Even though I haven't posted what I created in the last couple of days, doesn't mean that I haven't been creating! Here I'll have to catch you up with what I've created!

The first one is a Valentine card that was ordered for a young boy. The digital image is from Hambo Stamps! The background is a technique junkie technique called plaid. When I originally made that background I didn't like it and threw it to the side.....but it was perfect for the dog! Hope you like him!

The next one uses a free image I got from a recent blog hop at CDAC (Crafter's digital Art Center) from a darling company called DoodlePantry. It is such a happy image! I used an 'out of the box' technique for it.

This next card also uses an image from the CDAC hop from a company called CS Designs. I used a technique called "Neutral Shadows" from the most recent TJ newsletter. When I first downloaded this image, I thought that I wouldn't care for it as much but with it colored, I LOVE it! Colored with copics then the bow was cut out and embossed after coloring with Versamark and a sparkly clear embossing powder. Thank you CS Designs.

The next card uses an image from Priscilla Styles. This wasn't a freebie but a beautiful set I purchased from her. It didn't turn out exactly like I wanted......I was a little disappointed in that....but I like it just the same. Next time I want to layer the flowers more and put it on a square card. I think it is the card size that I really don't like for this image. Another thing I would do different it to use a printed sentiment inside the heart and much larger than the little tine print on the heart I used. It does look sooooo much better in person. The ribbon photographed really funky! Colored with copics.

Next is a sweet old fashioned Valentine image from Twisted Papers. Isn't he just as sweet as can be! I decided to make him really pop that I would level him up several times. The balloons have three layers (base and two more) and the boy has two layers with a third layer only from the waist up. Instead of keeping the layers flat, I used my took to round them a little to give more dimension. When I got done with this card, I was terribly pleased with the depth it seemed to have. Not just with the little boy but with the color of the card as well. The background was Cuttlebug highlights and that layer really made it in my opinion! I have 26 thank you cards to make for my rhododendron society so I think I'll use this color combo with a red flower. It should be a real eye catcher! I posted a side view of this card so you can see the rounded layers.

Finally!!!!! I bet you thought this post would NEVER end! When I had my card sale in October I made these Exploding Surprrise Boxes and they were a huge hit. I ended up making 22 of them!!! These last two were ordered by a friend who didn't need them until this time of year. Just before I ran out the door to deliver them last Saturday I snapped a few pictures. Now I wish I had better pictures of them. I think you can get the idea though. There are 20 different surfaces on the different layers. Some people use the layers for photos but I put sentiments or decorations on my layers. The bottom layer has two sections that have a pocket so that the person can insert a gift card or money or whatever. The sentiments were pretty generic so that it could be used for lots of different occasions. The middle birdcage was cut from my new Cricut...(I LOVE my Cricut) and the butterflies are 'suspended' with an acrylic strip cut from a Cuttlebug folder package! Around the base of the birdcages is FlowerSoft to create a little interest! I had the flowers that I used on the tops for many years and am happy to find a use for them. It is hard to see but the top butterfly on the lid does have wire antennae. Hope you enjoy them! Each box took about 3 hours to finish!

Emboss or Die!! CD Sneak Peak Blog Hopping!

2011-01-31T18:32:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-30T14:31:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-30T14:15:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-29T14:03:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-27T21:15:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-25T21:57:00.000-08:00

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.