Moxie Fab World's "Map To Your Heart" Challenge!

Hello, hello!

Just wanted to share the card I made for my Dad's birthday this year; it uses a bit of Echo Park's 'For The Record' line, as well as the Herringbone background technique (with vintage sheet music, some sort of Asian newspaper, and an old map - from one of Gauche Alchemy's kits).

You can't really see it in the photo, but the image panel has been stamped with PTI's "Background Basics: Sheet Music" set in their Chamomile ink for a wee bit of added interest, and to help convey the whole 'Birthday' theme.  The sentiment is from PTI's "Sending You" set.  The image panel is also adhered with pop dots, again for a little more interest - but that's about the extent of it.  I didn't want to add too much to the card because a) it's for a man, and b) I really wanted to focus on the background - definitely a go-to technique for me.  (Thanks Beate Johns, for coming up with it - or at least for putting the tutorial on SCS!)

I also discovered that this card fits with the Moxie Fab World's "Map to Your Heart" challenge, so I'll be linking it up over there.

In other news, I'm officially 'free' from all Design Teams, and plan on keeping it that way for some time.  I'll be  posting here when I feel like it, and/or I find a challenge that something I've created fits into or that really inspires me.  My big New Year's Resolution is to actually use a bunch of the product I've accumulated over the last 7 years, which wasn't happening when I was making sure to use 'dt-ok' product.  (Besides, if the world's supposed to end in December, I don't want my whole stash destroyed without having ever been used! LOL!)

Anyway, thanks for stopping in - I hope 2012 has been off to a great start for everyone!
Steph

Happy Birthday to Me!

Hey y'all!

It's the big 2-5 today... no plans, though.  The Mr's out swathing, the big monster's in school, and the little monster is at home giving me tons of cuddles as per usual (and that's always the best part!)...

I've got a Free For All post up over at PWCO today...make sure you swing by & check it out!

Also, since it's my party, I thought I better get a goodie bag together - check back later today for that post!

Laters,
Steph!

Anya Mermaid

Hello, hello!

Hopefully you've made it here thanks to The Greeting Farm/Club Anya

ANYAversary Blog Hop!

I made this card using the Mojo Monday Week #95 sketch...and it is the first of such attempts! I promised myself that I would participate in challenges regularly, although it hasn't really happened yet - I think we've got to get our new old house finished and get moved before I'll have the time to really follow through!!

Anyway, the card:

I changed the sketch a little bit, by adding the sentiment & the cute little shells in the corners. I used Mermaid Anya & the fish from TGF; the shells & sentiment ('Birthday Fishes') are from Stampendous - 'Sushi Bowl Party' & 'Sushi's Favorite Words'. I wound up spending a few hours on this card (like, 5 - lol), thanks to all the paper piecing I did... Everything on the mermaid except her skin (colored with Copic E00 & R20) was pieced, as well as all of the pink on the fish. For the glittery black parts (mermaid tail, background mat, big shells) I colored the pieces with a Marvy Uchida Wet Looks Clear marker & then heat embossed using glittery black embossing powder. The fish's body was colored with Copic C3 & C7, and once that dried, I used the Marvy marker again and clear embossed it. The mermaid's tail fins & shell bra and the fish's middle tail fin & lower fin are all popped up.

I finished up the card with an EK Success Binding Edge punch, CuttleBug Tiny Bubbles embossing folder, KaiserCraft rhinestones and a bit of ribbon from Michael's. There was nothing quick about this card at all - usually anything I make has an intended recipient! (Which means I usually start out with a pretty good idea of what they like, and what I want to incorporate into the card - this one, I was totally 'winging it'!)

Since this is my first ever blog hop, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I think you're supposed to head back to The Greeting Farm and move on to the next blog!! Hopefully, you'll be back...

xo, ~S~

Some Mornings You Just Know...

it's going to be a two-cup day! That's how this morning started out... After an impromptu field trip to Minot, ND yesterday to pick up some tractor parts, and then coming back to Brandon instead of doing the easy thing which would have been to stay in Melita... I didn't wind up getting to sleep until about 2AM! And of course, both girls had all the sleep they needed - and were up at 7 this morning! So - coffee, it is!

Anyway, I built this spinner card for my uncle's birthday card... he's an overgrown kid, so I'm hoping he'll enjoy this card as much as I do! (*ahem*... I guess I can't exactly talk about being an overgrown kid!)

I used the Changito Coffee stamp by Stampendous, and colored him in with PrismaColor pencils. I also added a little bit of Glossy Accents to the mugs, and Doodlebug Lily White Flocking to his bunny slippers - love love love that stuff! As for the mugs, you can't really see the shine in the photo...but it's there!

Well, I'm being beckoned at by a 4-year-old... Guess we're off to go paint a Disney Princess picture now! Ciao!

xo, ~S~

First 'Official' Post

Hey there! Well, here's my first go at a 'real' post... Let's start with something SIMPLE: This is the card I threw together quickly for my nephew's 2nd birthday - Ty LOVES pirates, so this little TGF Ian stamp was PERFECT!

I colored him in with mostly Bic Mark-It permanent markers, but I also used Copic E00 (Skin White) for his face & hands, and dabbed on some Tim Holtz 'Old Paper' Distress Ink on his shirt. He's stuck on there with pop dots...What would I ever do without them?! Although you can hardly see it (because I take awful pictures), I randomly stamped the little skull image (that comes in the TGF 'Matey' set) with Versamark ink on the blue part of the card...and then finished it all up with a strip of paper from the DCWV 'RockStar' pad, and the little 'Happy Birthday' sentiment from I-don't-know-where. Ta-Daaaa... simple, but cute!

That's it for today, folks... Hope to see you again!

xo, ~S~