Marvelous Possibilities

Choose happiness!  That's how I started out this weekend.  I headed up to our camper in Wisconsin for a weekend of stamping.  It was going to be just my husband and I, no kids, no grandkids, and nothing buy quiet solitude and a basket full of stamping supplies.  Well, it started to rain as I left home, just a sprinkle, but it got heavier as I drove the hour to the campgrounds, and by the time I got up there the campground was like it was flooded over.  I never saw so much standing water.  My husband said it was so noisy from the heavy rain he had to turn off the TV, because he could not hear it.  So, the rain slowed down and stopped shortly after I arrived, and I couldn't wait to get my stamping supplies in and get creative.  I worked all evening on a card, that just was not coming together the way I envisioned, and I finally stopped without completing assembly and said maybe I would feel better about it tomorrow.  Then came the phon...

 It's always fun to play with a new stamp set.  Some are harder to master than others, and this was just one of those that I had to play around with to get the effect that I was looking for.  It's called You've Got This, and it's a sneak peek at one of the new products in the new catalog arriving June 2.  If you like this and would like to see more, let me know and I'll get you a catalog.  I had a vision of what I wanted to do when I started this card, and here's where I began, with the crosshatch design to stamp in the background. I knew I wanted to color the flower, so I ended up stamping off the design in order to do that.  I tried stamping the image in a couple of colors and test coloring in order to get the soft look I was hoping for.  I ended up using Basic Gray ink for the initial stamping, and then I colored the flower with Calypso Coral and Pear Pizzazz Stampin Write Markers.  I did a little experimenting trying to get a lit...

 Happy Birthday to me, happy birthday to me!  It's been a fun weekend playing with my new stamps called Sprinkles of Life that I got in my preview box from Stampin' Up! One of the great things about this stamp set is it has a coordinating punch which makes layering so much simpler.  It's so much fun to play with something when you have not seen the stamps used everyplace, and you just have to use your imagination.  I did a close up of the card (but you have to excuse my photography. I cannot get my camera to focus clearly anymore.  Time to replace it I guess)  I used two techniques for the focal point. For the frosting on the cupcake, I inked my stamp with Daffodil Delight, and then I pounced Melon Mambo, and Tempting Turquoise on it using Stampin Write markers, to give it a sprinkled effect.  I thought the white background was a little stark, so I used a technique that I came up with a while back using a bath scrunchie that I dipped in the...

    When spring blooms, we are all looking for flowers everyplace we go.  I have plenty of flowers blooming in the woods up at our trailer, but my yard is a sorry sort.  I think the only thing with blooms are the violets.  My lilac bush produced just one lonely cluster of flowers.  I'm waiting to see what else will come up this summer, as last year my husband got carried away with his new rototiller, and tilled up my perenials.  He forgets to keep to his own side of the garden.  When I saw the beautiful wreath for inspiration on the Inspired by Stamping challenge #93 , I wished for tulips in my yard.  I guess I'll have to head to the flower shop, or get my stamps out, and I decided to share this lovely wreath of flowers instead.  I used the Wondrous Wreath stamp set with matching framelits.  Hint: You'll be seeing more of this.  CAS on Sunday Challenge  #58 cue was Cheer Up, Buttercup!  and I have just the...

     I just had to make one more card this weekend, and so Sunday morning I opened my stash and looked for one more idea for a card challenge.  I was intrigued by the layout for As You See It Challenge #086 .  I always love to tip some paper.  The paper from Birthday Bash DSP was just what I needed, and then I remembered the color challenge from Create with Connie and Mary #354 to use Bermuda Bay, Tangelo Twist, and Gold.  I had to do a little digging in my limited stash but came up with the Tangelo Twist in the Confetti Celebration DSP.  The only thing I was missing was the gold.  I found that in the balloons, and added a little more to back my salutation from Remembering Your Birthday.  Fast and simple, but popping with fun.  Well, I just got my box of fun today, and I can't wait to play with my new Stampin' Up! products.  I am excited to play with the new colors.  Want a peak?      ...

 My friend and I have been making a challenge for each other each week to inspire us to make some cards.  This past week we were to make cards for children.  I had all kinds of ideas for cards I wanted to make, so I grabbed a bunch of stamp sets that related to my plan and headed up north to stamp for the weekend.  Well, no matter what idea I had, I was missing something to complete the card.  I had no markers, or water color brush, just a blender pen, so that's what I used to color my owls.  They look a little goofy, but in a cute way.  I wish that I had buttons to add to the card, but I did not, so I used little punched flowers and some pearls that I had colored for a previous project then never used.  I kind of feel like I McGyver'ed this card, but it turned out great in the end.  I had a certain layout that I was trying to follow for the Paper Craft Crew Card Sketch #143 .  I thought it looked like a fun layout to play with, a...

 I was back up at the campgrounds again this weekend, and the weather was lovely.  Lovely enough to spend lots of time outside, playing with the grandkids, visiting with the neighbors, and enjoying a nice bbq - smoked ribs that my daughter made for our Mother's Day dinner.  I spent some time stamping in the evening.  I had to get a birthday card done for my son-in-law before we celebrated his birthday Friday night.  Then I went to work on the cards for my daughters for Mother's Day.  I started with a card challenge to get me inspired, and that's the first card I am sharing today.  I used the sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch #122 , but I flipped it upside down a little.  Then I used the colors from the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #139 to use Black, White, Turquoise and Orange . (Opps, this was supposed to be a birthday card for the challenge.)  I was excited about the color challenge, but the big challenge was to come up with some ...

Oh how I am going to miss these colors when they retire.  I have to play with them as much as possible before the new catalog is released.  So when I saw these colors for the challenge at Fab Friday , I knew I needed to play along.  I found a wonderful layout at Freshly Made Sketches #185 , but I had to add a little to the banners in order to use all the colors for the other challenge.  And, I know that I have given this a bit of a stretch to play along with Crafty Boots Challenge, when they asked for Wings I thought that feathers would do.  I have a beautiful cockatiel named Snowflake, and feathers are a way of life at my house.  She is allowed to fly loose all day, so we find her beautiful feathers all over the place, and I marvel at each one of them.  I have thought often about including some in my crafts.  I have enough of them.    The feathers and salutation come from the Lovely Amazing You stamp set.  Love the sayings...