Bloomin' Beauties!!!!!!!

A quickie post to share another sample made from one of the soon-to-be released Artful Inkables sets. This awesome set is called "Bloomin' Beauties" and, like its name, there is opportunity galore to make beautiful projects with this set! This card came together very easily. I stamped the images with SU Classic inks then heat set them for a few seconds so when I colored them with my Copics it would not smear. I pierced the stem to add texture and variety and the little photo corners are actually smaller blooms from this gorgeous set. We had a rough night at our house with Rachel waking up from a nightmare just when I was about to go to bed. Her little internal alarm clock wakes her up between 6 -6:30 regardless of when she went to bed. Needless to say I'm functioning on about 2 1/2 hours of sleep! So.... while Rachel is taking a nap, I am going to take the opportunity to get some rest, also. I'll be back later this evening with another sample! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Bloomin' Beauties recipe:

Stamps: Artful Inkables- Bloomin' Beauties

Paper: Cameo Coral, Poison Ivy, PP- Basic Grey Stella Ruby

Ink: Ruby Red, Almost Artichoke, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Swirls embossing folder, Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, Copic markers, Mat pack, paper piercer, SU SS brads, SU grosgrain, sponge

How About Another AI Sneak Peak?!?!

I just couldn't wait until tomorrow! I made one more sneak peak card today using the soon-to-be released set "Plant Prints" from Artful Inkables. I teamed this awesome silhouette set with the new Basic Grey- Euphoria papers and glazed brads. Both of these BG products can be found at Jacksonbelle Embellishments but hurry because the 6 x 6 pads are quick to sale!

I started by making 4 Inchies using the Poppin' Pastels technique. First, I stamped the image onto Whisper White CS with Versamark. *A quick note about card stocks: there seems to be as many opinions about white CS as there are crafters these days. IMHO, I have found that there is no single perfect CS that "does it all!" SU Whisper White has seemed to fall out of the limelight, lately. Most likely because it does not work well with the popular Copic markers and it is a bit flimsy when used as a card back. What I love SU Whisper White for is stamping solid images. It takes the ink beautifully. I, also, use it when I do a lot of the different stamping techniques such as Poppin' Pastels, Embossing Resist, and even Gamsol Magic, although I do use other CS with that particular technique.
Back to the card- after stamping with Versamark, I took a paint brush and covered the water marked images with 4 different colors of pearlescent chalks from both the Shimmers and Jewel Tones chalk sets by Pebbles. Next, I punched one 1" square from each colored image and matted them on a black mat punched with a 1 1/4" square punch. I added a Basic Grey Glazed brad to one and arrange them on the raspberry piece of PP. Next, I inked up the image with Andirondack Pitch Black ink and stamp it several times on the floral PP. After combining those 2 pieces, I added some silver cord from SU (discontinued) and stamped the sentiment from the soon-to-be released, Basic Salutations sentiment set. This was punched with a small oval punch then matted with PP punched with the large oval. I arrange the sentiment with a felt black bird from Maya Road and another BG glazed brad. A few stitches in the silver cord in the right upper corner one more BG Glazed Brad and Voila- a neat card that came together quite quickly. Be sure to see the rest of this set plus 3 others and the awesome Basic Salutations set on July 1st at Artful Inkables. I'll be back tomorrow using 1 more new set and hopefully, a 3-D projects if the stars are aligned for me- LOL! Also, be sure to check out Julia's blog to see the gorgeous creations she is making for the sneak peaks! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Plant Prints Euphoria recipe:

Stamps: Artful Inkables- Plant Prints, Basic Salutations

Paper: Basic Black CS, PP- Basic Grey Euphoria

Ink: Andirondack Pitch Black, Versamark

Accessories: Square punches,Oval punches, Pebbles Shimmer chalks, paint brush, BG brads, Silver cord- retired SU, Maya Road felt bird, paper piercer, Mat Pack, Stampin' Dimensionals

Artful INKables Sneak Peak

I am so excited about today's post! On Tuesday, July 1st Artful INKables will be releasing 4 brand new image stamp sets and a wonderful sentiment set! Today I get to share with you 2 cards that I have made that feature a sneak peak of 2 of the new sets! First, the July 1st releases continue the AI tradition of variety and versatility in their sets. There is definitely something for everyone (or if you are like me, you'll have to have them ALL)!!!

This first card showcases images from Pressed Petals. This set can be used in a silhouette style, as I did here, or using the 2-step stamping technique. I am absolutely in love with the little "tuft" style blossom and cannot wait to use both outline and silhouette images for a whimsical look (can you tell I'm already working on that one in my head- no wonder I've been so scatter-brained this weekend)! A stamping-off technique was used with Old Olive and Brocade Blue inks onto Neenah Classic White CS. My color combination was inspired by one of my favorite Basic Grey patterns of all times, Lily Kate. To tie the bottom strip of the paper to the focal image, I stamped the outline version of the stamps in Chocolate Chip ink. The chipboard frame is Maya Road and it, as well as, the brads are heat embossed using Versamark and The Powder Keg French Vanilla EP. The sentiment, included in the Pressed Petals set, is stamped with Chocolate Chip ink onto the white CS and run through the Cuttlebug with tag Nestabilities. All paper piece edges were sponged with Chocolate Chip ink. May Arts ribbon was threaded through the tag and tied to the frame and Dew Drops were adhered to the card.The second sneak peak set may just be my favorite of the AI July 1st releases. I love the clean, classic look that dandelion images can provide and Sunburst Dandies is no exception. This is such a sweet, unique stamp set that I cannot wait for you to see the rest of it! For this card, after stamping the stem with Old Olive ink, I simply stamped the flower image in Versamark onto a Hero Art's Kraft note card and a piece of scrap that I had from the same note card pack (love it when I can be thrifty)! I then heat embossed both images using Ranger Seafoam white EP. I put the note card aside and began to cut out the little individual "seeds" from the other flower. Next, I ran the little seeds through my Xyron and placed them on the notecard, as if the dandelion was blowing in a breeze. Next, I took a small piece of Old Olive CS and dry "embossed" it with my Scor-Pal, the trimmed the edge with the scalloped blade of my Paper Trimming Buddy. The "A Sunny Day" sentiment is part of the Sunburst Dandies set and I stamped it using Chocolate Chip ink onto white CS then die cut it with a Nestability tag die. Ribbon is SU Chocolate Chip polished twill! Pure stamping fun!!!! Be sure to check back in the morning for 2 more projects using the awesome Artful Inkables July 1st releases! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Note: If you are wondering just what made me pull out my BG Lily Kate when my stamp room has been taken over by beautiful and more recent papers, well, the Our Creative Corner Blog challenge for this week is to use "old" Basic Grey. If you upload your card to SCS using OCCC in the keywords by Friday, July 4th at noon, you will be in the drawing for a 15.00 Gift Certificate to Jacksonbelle Embellishments! How yummy is that!


Pressed Petals Basic Grey recipe:

Stamps: Artful Inkables- Pressed Petals

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Neenah Classic White, PP- BG- Lily Kate

Ink: Brocade Blue, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Maya Road Chipboard, May Arts ribbon, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, MS border punch, SU brads, The Powder Keg EP, Heat Gun, Dew Drops, Sponge, Circle punch

Sunburst Dandies in the Breeze recipe:

Stamps: Artful Inkables- Sunburst Dandies

Paper: Old Olive, Neenah Classic white, Kraft notecards by Hero Arts

Ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Versamark

Accessories: Paper Trimming Buddy-Marvy Uchida, ScorPal, Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, SU twill, Ranger- Seafoam white EP, Mat Pack, paper piercer

So Who Want to See New Rubbah?????

I had a very happy mail day today. The soon-to-be released stamp sets from Artful Inkables arrived on my doorstep!!!! Let me tell you, I was and still am completely blown away! AI will be releasing 5 awesome sets this Tuesday, July 1st. Be sure to stop by the company store on that day to see the new sets, learn about the July sale and check out the new look that the web store is sporting! Until then, it will definitely be a happy stamping day tomorrow! I will have a little sneaky peak to share with you some of these FA-BU-LOUS images!!!!

Until then, I would like to direct you to fellow AI DT member, Julia Aston's blog for your very first sneak peak of the awesome set, Sunburst Dandies and brand new all-sentiment set, Basic Salutations. Julia received her sets yesterday and was right on top of things using them for today's Limited Supply challenge over on SCS! Love what she did with this set!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for my sneak peak... It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Ways To Use It Challenge is For the Birds!

Good morning, All! Lots going on here at the house this morning but I absolutely had to play today's SCS challenge. Julia is usually the hostess for this challenge but she was super busy this week and asked no other than our lovely Lindsey Botkin to fill in! THAT mixed with the fact we were to incorporate bird images into our projects, made it a no brainer for me to play. Truly this card took me all of about 20-25 minutes to put together. The cute little Artful Inkables parrot was stamped with Momento Tuxedo Black ink then colored with Copic Markers. The main image and mat were run through my Cuttlebug and Nestabilities. The cute little scallop on the bottom of the PP comes as is on the paper- lovin' it! As I said, a super simple card just made with lots of great products! It's ALWAYs a Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

For the birds card recipe:

Stamps: Artful Inkables

Paper: Black CS, Cosmo Cricket Hello Sunshine PP

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories: Copic markers, Nestablitities, Cuttlebug, Zig white paint pen, American Craft brads, ribbon from stash, prima flowers

Way to Go Wednesday

I had better hurry with this post or Way to Go Wednesday is going into the wee hours of Thursday morning. So without further ado:

First, I would like to introduce the newest member to the Artful Inkables DT, the creative and talented Pam Miller! I am so excited to get to "meet" Pam and work with her on the AI DT. Not only is she a sistah stamper, she is, also, a fellow nurse- God love her!!!! If you would like to see some beautiful creations, be sure to stop at Pam's blog and while you're there, I'm sure she would love a "atagirl" comment!

Second, it was quite a week for Kim Teasdale. Not only was she selected for the AI DT, she, also, received an invitation for the Clear Dollar Stamps DT! What can we say Kim? When your hot, your hot! For some viewing pleasure, be sure to check out Kim's wonderful creations at her blog!

And what about our own fearless leader, Lindsey Botkin, from Jacksonbelle Embellishments. TWO of Lindsey's fa-bu-lous cards were published in August's Crafts 'n Things and another one is on their website. You will need to register to see this one but it is well worth it!

Before I get to today's card, I would like to send out a Happy Anniversary to my dear blogging friend, Jill Dunn and her husband Dave! They have been married for 11 years today! Here's wishing your a wonderful anniversary, Jill & Dave!

Also, a quick note about a blog candy opp: Starving Artist has a most generous candy opportunity on their blog. Take a minute to leave a comment and you will be on your way to chance at 1 super cute image stamp set and 2 hilarious sentiment sets to go with it (I'm still chuckling over some of them)!

So that takes care of the "housekeeping" aspect of today's post now onto the card! Monday I received my first order from Artful Inkables. The day that I found out about their DT call, I rushed over to their web store to have a look and was thrilled at what I saw! Not only are their stamps deeply etched, red rubber, they are already cut and adhered to mounting cushion. All the images are hand drawn and there is such a nice variety of styles (including my favorite - nature inspired whimsy.) You can find something for everyone! I knew right away, that AI either would have a devoted DT member OR a faithful customer in me!

The first set I purchased was this cute little Enchanted Fairies. I love these sweet little images and since my DD loves all things fairy, this was a perfect choice for me. My layout is for today's Sketch Challenge at SCS. I haven't "played" with a SCS challenge is a little while so I was determined to do so today. The background is a 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" square of Regal Rose. All paper pieces except the focal image were distressed with Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink- Antique Linen. I love to use Antique Linen when I want a very subtle distressing. The little PP squares are BG Sugared and measure 1 1/2" x 1 1/2." They are mounted on Chocolate Chip CS. My cute little fairy is stamped on Neenah Classic White with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and colored in with Copic Markers. The sparkle of her wings was painted on with Star Dust Stickles. The little flower blossoms were made with 2 different Martha Steward hydrangea punches, then blinged with a Sakura Stardust pen and distressed with the Antique Linen ink. The little flower centers are Lime Green Stickles and the leaves are actually petals cut from the largest hydrangea blossom. Voila- today's sketch challenge Artful Inkables style!

Be sure to check out the Ways To Use It Challenge on SCS tomorrow! Lindsey Botkin is the guest hostess and she has a challenge that most of you will love! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Enchanted Fairy card recipe:

Stamps: Artful Inkables- Enchanted Fairies

Paper: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip,More Mustard, Barely Banana, Neenah Classic White CS, BG- Sugared

Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress- Antique Linen

Accessories: Copic markers, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Stickles, May Arts ribbon, American Craft brads, Martha Steward punches, Sakura Stardust Glitter pen

Jacksonbelle Tuesday

Wahoo! Tuesday once again and time for another Jacksonbelle Embellishment Design Team challenge. This week it is Anything Goes- you gotta love that! We would be thrilled to have you play along so if you do, please be sure to use JBE008 in your keycode when you upload to the gallery at SCS. Looking forward to seeing your wonderful cards! Be sure to take a look at the other DT members blogs to see what they came up with today!

• Amber Hight
• Broni Holcombe
• Dee Jackson
• Elezebeth Neumann
• Erin McKinney
• Kisa Peters
• Lila Holgate
• Lynda Benden
• Maren Benedict

First off, a quick disclaimer. My challenge card did not photograph very well. IRL, the yellow in the little bird is not as harsh. Hopefully, tomorrow I can take a better photo in the daylight to exchange for this one.

My Harmony Prima PP had been neglected for a while so I decided to pair it up with this new little Inka bird & frame stamp. After coloring the bird with Copic Markers, I die cut the image with Nestabilities and added a SU rub-on phrase inside the frame. The "thanks" sentiment and the little dotted flourish and flowers are rub-ons from the same pack (Love & Happiness from Sale-a-bration.) I had the most fun with the Prima flowers. The large blue flower is, also, from the Harmony line and the little mesh flowers (are those cute, or what) are brand new from my lss, Once Upon a Scrapbook. The centers are clear button from AL topped with a little piece cut from Prima lace. FUN, FUN! I stamped the kraft colored piece of PP with a CHF Polka Dot backgrounder (I so {{{{LOVE}}}} the CHF backgrounders) using MM paint. The rest is pretty self explanatory. TFL!

I got a bit of a late start this evening on my card because we celebrated Mary Elizabeth's 11th birthday this evening. Our family along with her 3 bffs went to the local Mexican restaurant (ME's fav.) for supper. It was truly a delightful, fun time for everyone. Just wanted to share a couple of photos of my girls when the wait staff came out and placed a huge sombrero on the birthday girl and sang to her! Feel free to click on the pics to see the fun the girls were having!Be sure to stop by tomorrow for Way to Go Wednesday. It's ALWAYS a Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Inka bird card recipe:

Stamps: Inkadinkado, CHF Polka Dot backgrounder

Paper: Curious Iridescent Crycogen White, PP- Prima Harmony

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Distress Ink-Brushed Cordoroy

Accessories: MM paint, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Copic markers, SU rub-ons, Prima flowers, AL clear buttons, Prima lace, K & Co. ribbon, American Craft brads

Techniques: Stamping w/ paint, alcohol markers

Scrappin' Sunday

Hello, it's Sunday once again and time to share with you a scrapbook LO. In honor of my Mary Elizabeth's birthday this past week, I decided to share my favorite 12 x 12 LO with her as my focus. Please ignore the peek of my chipboard storage case in the back. I'm still trying to come up with the best way to share these larger projects with you. These photos were taken 2 years ago at my niece, Stefanie's wedding. I can remember how proud Mary Elizabeth was to be asked to be her Junior Bridesmaid and how sweet she looked in her dress and up-do! It was a beautiful, memorable occasions!

The LO is made with all SU supplies, many of which have been retired since. I hope that everyone has a super week! Be on the watch for Jacksonbelle Tuesday Challenge and Way to Go Wednesday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for happy mail both from Jacksonbelle Embellishments and Artful INKables to keep my fingers inky this week {{{{grin}}}}! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Saturday SWAPs

Good Saturday morning, All! Hope everyone is getting to spend Saturday doing exactly what they want to do. I know for me that includes helping hubby hangs some new storage rails in my craft room and getting a chance to get my fingers inky!

For today's Saturday SWAPs I am sharing a card that I made last week for an Eat Cake Graphics SWAP hostessed by Dana Vincent over at SCS. Dana had seen an ATC that I had made using ECG and PM'd me to see if I would like to join her SWAP. I did have to consider it a minute only because I had really spread myself pretty thinly between SWAPs and JBE DT Challenges but I adore the funny, whimsical, line drawn images from Eat Cake and decided to give it a try. My contribution to the SWAP is pretty straight forward and was quick to put together. All stamps are by ECG and PP is from K & Co. Wild Saffron paper pack (I love that line of paper.) The background was stamped tone on tone with Taken with Teal and the sentiment was made using a MM Tag Maker. I attached the tag with a couple of glue dots, then stitched in place with Karen Foster's Scrapers' Floss. That pretty much covers it. With my new DT commitments, I will have to really cut back on committing myself to SWAP groups. I am currently signed up for an A - Z Inchie SWAP (I'm U & V) and I will participate in the JBE ATC SWAPs but that is about it. Wishing everyone a rubber-filled weekend (or whatever else it is that you might want to do)! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care, Beth

ECG SWAP card recipe:

Stamps: Eat Cake Graphics, CHF- Geometric Flowers 2 backgrounder

Paper: Taken With Teal, Curious Iridescent Crycogen White, PP- K & Co. Wild Saffron

Ink: Memento- Tuxedo Black

Accessories: Copic markers, Nestabilties, Cuttlebug, MM Tagmaker & rims, Wild Wasabi stitched ribbon, Karen Fosters Scraper's Floss, Brads- American Craft

A Super Good News Day!!!!

I had some of the most exciting news yesterday! Kristin, of Artful Inkables, e-mailed me to say that I had been chosen to be on the AI Design Team and would I accept the invitation! A very excited "YES!" was my answer. I am completely thrilled to have the opportunity to work with this amazing stamp company, Kristen, and the 4 other gals that make up this team:

Jennifer Maraoka
Julia Aston
Kim Teasdale
Christina Fischer

I have been looking at these talented ladies blogs and I am truly humbled to be included in their company! If you would like to read Kristen's announcement, you can find it here and better yet, if you would like to browse through her webstore try here. You will not be disappointed with the awesome hand drawn, rubber stamp images that are available! I can't wait to get my inky little fingers on the next new release this coming week! I will be a busy, happy gal! I will be back tomorrow for SWAPs Saturday. Until then, it's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Happy Birthday My Sweet Girl!!!!

Anybody care to venture a guess what I was doing 11 years ago today??? That was the most special day that my oldest daughter was born. I do not want to imagine what life would be like without our Mary Elizabeth. She truly has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I have ever met. Her passion is all things animal and we would have a zoo at our house if hubby and I didn't practice a lot of restraint. I am fortunate enough to be able to home school her and while we do have our trials, I count our time learning TOGETHER as time that I am truly blessed. We've hit the pre-teens and are certainly seeing some of the moodiness that comes with growing up but so far we are communicating well and her mom is teaching her chocolate can help you through emotional times! She is very creative and loves to draw, scrapbook and stamp along side me. This is something that I hope we share for years to come! I sure love you, my sweet girl!!!

I hope you will stop by tomorrow. I have some exciting news to share! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Way to Go Wednesday

I'm posting a bit late on my Wednesday post. DD #1 is visiting with her grandmother this week, so I've been able to give DD #2 my total attention and she is lovin' it!!! Today she chose to go to books-a-million (purchased a Diego book and a dinosaur egg- it should hatch by tomorrow after being submerged in h20 all night) and went to Marble-Slab for an ice cream. After we returned home she wanted to "snuggle on the couch and watch School House Rock dvd.) Well, needless to say we BOTH fell asleep! So I'm just stopping by for a quick post to give a shout out to some very deserving bloggers!

First, sending a big congratulations to Nancy Grant of Inkcicles. Not only is Nancy a super talented stamper, she has a well-rounded blog that shares many day-t0-day aspects of living in ALASKA! On top of this, she is just super sweet person! I am so excited for Nancy for being chosen as a Guest Designer for Clear Dollar Stamps this coming August! Be sure to treat yourself by checking out her beautiful designs!

Next, things are still rockin' for DT members over at Jacksonbelle Embellishments! This week I am so happy to announce the Elezebeth Neumann was called my Kim (the KIM, herself) from MFT and asked to be a part of a special assignment design team. Well, of course, she said "YES"- her blog entry for this event is super cute so be sure to give it a look see! I can't wait to see what "special assignments" those gals have to share with us!!!

Last, but certainly not least, a hearty "way-to-go" for Allison of Stampin' When I Can for being recognized by "blogs of note" from Blogger today. Not only does she make awesome creations, she certainly has a noteworthy blog and is definitely the "go to gal" for blogging information in the paper crafting world! Can't tell you how much help her blog has given me over the past year! Much appreciation and cheers coming your way, Allison!

Well, hubby just got home from work and brought supper- for some reason the "chef" didn't show up today! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Jacksonbelle Tuesday

Good morning! It's Tuesday once again and time for another Jacksonbelle Embellishment Challenge. This week is a product challenge to use the beautiful new Daisy D's paper, Chloe Marie! We would love to have you play along, so if you do be sure to use the DTJBE007 in the keycode when upload to SCS. To see the awesome creations of the other DT members just check on their name below to be redirected to their blogs.

Broni

Dee

Elezebeth

Erin

Kisa

Lila

Lindsey

Lynda

Maren

I absolutely have to run today but I will be back later with the details of my card! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time. Take care!

Edited: I have taken a couple of minutes out of what has become a crazy day to share with you the details of today's card. Please see below for the deets! Thanks!

The cute little birds image is new from Inkadinkado that can be found at Jacksonbelle Embellishments. Lindeys is out of many of the new line but with the popularity of this line, I bet a re-order is in the near future. I colored the image with my Copic markers and cut it with Nestablities. The black scallop mat is Bazzill die cut with Nestablities. The panel directly underneath the focal image is a piece of Chloe Marie PP stamped with CHF Geometric Flowers 2 backgrounder using Versafine Black Onyx ink. I used lace from MM and pink tafetta ribbon from SU. The faux stitched zigzaged lines are rub-ons by Daisy D's and the brads are American Craft! Thank so much for stopping by... I'll be back tomorrow with Way to go Wednesday!

Back to Our Routine

The visit with my in-laws was very pleasant. My MIL and oldest DD spent the day shopping on Saturday- lss, Michael's, Hobby Lobby- we hit them all! That evening hubby and I celebrated our anniversary. We have a new "up-scale" shopping area in our town that is absolutely beautiful and with it came some new eateries (something Huntsville, AL had MUCH need.) We ate at a restaurant called Dolce which had an Italian flair with the cuisine. It was truly a memorable evening! Sunday was Father's Day, of course, and we spent the day at the pool with the girls. Such fun!

My in-laws returned home this morning, so we are trying to get back in to our routine. Today I am sharing a card that I began on Thursday evening but because of the necessity for "crisis cleaning" on Friday, I was unable to complete it until today. It was actually finished except for the machine stitching along the border where the 2 PP meet. Unfortunately, you really cannot see the stitching in the photograph.

The rest of the card is pretty straight forward. I have teamed up Crafty Secrets Sweet Kids stamps with BG Sugared paper, Primas, and May Arts ribbon. The image is colored with Copic markers. The buttons are a mix of Autumn Leaves and BG and the centers are stitched with linen thread from SU.

Be on the look out for Jacksonbelle Tuesday in the morning. Remember it's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Sweet Kids card recipe:

Stamps: Crafty Secrets- Sweet Kids, Canvas BG

Paper: More Mustard, Pretty in Pink, Curious Iridescent Cryogen White CS, BG- Sugared

Ink: Versafine- Black Onyx, Ranger Distress Ink- Antique Linen

Accessories: Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, Copic markers, sponge, sewing machine, May Arts ribbon, SU linen thread, Button- BG and Autumn Leaves, Prima flowers

Crisis Cleaning

My in-laws are on their way down from Knoxville to spend the weekend with us, so I am in, as we call it at my house, "crisis cleaning mode!" I started on a card last night (probably should have started cleaning the house then, huh) but did not get to finish! Hopefully, I'll be able to finish up and post it tonight. Until then, wishing everyone a Lucky Friday the 13th. It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time (except when you should be cleaning for company)! Take care!

An A Musing Post

I know that title is a bad pun but thought is was appropriate for sharing another card I made yesterday using A Muse stamps. This time I used this cute little Elzybells in the little "bug." My hubby saw this card and said he liked it but when he read the sentiment "The road to a friend's house is never long" he stated that it might be long if you were puttin' down it in that old bug- always the jokester!!! This is a very simple card made from an A Muse Lime peel Band note card. The cute little image is stamped directly on the card and colored with Copic markers. I added some highlights to the front wheel and the back of the car with a white Zig Painty marker. The sun is from the Quickutz Sunshine alphabet (retired) which I used to die cut A Muse 4-bar notepads from the Kitchen Collection. The extra "rays" are doodled with Straedler fine tip markers and sparkle comes from Dazzling Diamonds adhered with Quickie Glue pen. The little ribbon is A Muse. I actually only made a card front with the A Muse note card so the backside of my coloring and the ends of the ribbon would not show through to the inside of the card. The little felt flower is SU and that brad is American Craft (my most favorite brand of brad, ever.) Easy peasy and ready to go to it's recipient who I already have in mind *wink*!

Speaking of A Muse... Have you heard of A MUSE A PALOOZA? Well, it is a stamp extravaganza from July 7th- 13th. There is stamping fun galore during this event! Right now there is a blog set up for challenges, fun games and PRIZES leading up to this event!!! To participate in the festivities, be sure to register right away! There is no charge or strings attached to registering (short of being kept up-to-date on fun happenings and, did I say, PRIZES)!!!! If you register, I would love to have you put me, Beth Thomas, down as your referral. They are doing different contests (yes, with PRIZES!!!!!) for folks with the most referrals. So run, don't walk, or click very quickly over to the A Muse registration site and get an opportunity for loads of FUN and PRIZES!!!!!

Way to Go Wednesday

I really was in need of some therapeutic stamping today- you know the kind that you do for absolutely no reason except to create something fun. I find A Muse images and supplies perfect for this kind of blissful stamping! So before I start with the Wednesday "pats on the backs, " I'm just going to give a quick rundown on one of the 2 cards I made today. All products made by A Muse unless otherwise stated. This little 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 card started by stamping the Hammock image onto Curious Iridescent Crycogen White CS with Versafine Ink in Black Onyx. I heat set the ink before coloring the image with Copic markers. I added detail to the little coconuts with a Zig Painty white paint pen, then added Dazzling Diamonds to the "sand" with a Quickie Glue pen. I die cut and embossed the image with my Cuttlebug and oval Nestabilities. The mat for the image was cut with a scalloped oval Nestabilities. One scalloped oval was cut from a Blue Kitchen 4-bar note card and another from a Brown one. The two ovals were cut in half then recombined to make a complete mat. The seem was hidden with a piece of French Roast stitched ribbon and Lime Peel stitched ribbon and French Roast sheer ribbon were added to embellish the knot. This was all attached to a Cabana Blue Astrix note card, the sentiment added in Black Onyx ink and a American Crafts brown brad attached with a glue dot to the corner. I cut the prongs off the brad so they would not show through to the inside of the card. A simple, fun card!

So who has done something to enjoy recognition this week? Well, first sistah JBE DT members, Amber and Maren were both selected to be members of the Unity DT. They both truly ROCKED it with the Unity Stamp projects they had been displaying on their blogs. I'm really excited to see what these talented gals do with this awesome new line of stamps!

Maren is really rockin' this week with an announcement of another card being accepted for publication! This time be sure to look for her card in the October Scrapbook Trends.

It has been a very happy week for JBE DT members! Elizebeth received the news that she has been invited to be on the DT for Stampavie and their darling Rachelle Anne Miller images. Since these stamps originate in BK this was an international DT call! Way to go, Elizebeth!

Last, but certainly not least, I won't to give a hug "at-a-girl" to my friend Meg. Since January Meg has committed to a healthier lifestyle. While weight-loss has not been her primary focus, she had set a goal to meet before going to visit her family this summer. Well, 2 weeks ago, Meg went on vacation to visit her family and had met her weight loss goal! There is certainly no need to talk numbers (goodness knows I wouldn't want to share mine- lol) but lets just say her dedication has been significantly rewarded! Way to go, Meg! I'm so very proud of you!

Again, I do my best to keep track of items for my Wednesday post throughout the week but cannot possibly keep up with all the wonderful happening in the week. I NEVER intentionally not show someone the love! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Jacksonbelle Tuesday

Sorry, I'm a bit late with today's challenge card. Last night allergic reaction topped off with taking Benadryl to keep the itching under controlled TOTALLY wiped me out! I'm just now starting to be completely alert and back to myself. I think my girls really liked "sluggish Mom" this morning. Mary Elizabeth was able to play on the computer all morning and and I'm not sure but I think Rachel had root beer with her breakfast. Sometimes you just gotta do what works! Of course, tomorrow morning I will pay for this but, hopefully, by then I'll have the strength of Super Mom again! So onto today's challenge...

This week the ever so talented, Lynda Benden, created a most awesome sketch for us to follow. Here it is if you would like to play along. We would love to have you upload with the others at SCS, just include JBE006 in the keywords. If you would like to see the cards made by the other DT members just click on their names below. There were some awesome takes on this great sketch.

Lindsey

Amber

Broni

Elizebeth

Erin

Kisa

Lynda

Maren

My inspiration for today came from an 8 X 8 paper pack by Anna Griffin called the Alix Collection. I really like the seashore/nautical theme with clean lines, bold colors and nice textures. Actually, I only used a bit of the paper pack- only the yellow paper for the card base and the paper for the scalloped mats . I started by stamping the sand castle and sand pail images from LAD "By the Sea" in Versafine Black Onyx on iridescent Crycogen White CS. They were both colored with Prismacolor Pencils then blended using the Gamsol Magic technique. Next, the images were die cut using Nestabilities, as were their mats. I traced over certain areas with a Sakura Quickie Glue pen then sprinkle the images with Dazzling Diamonds. The photo today is very dark which is making the navy CS look extremely dark and the "sparkle" hardly show at all. After applying Dazzling Diamonds, I added CE to the sand pain and shovel. A piece of Night of Navy CS was embossed with my Swirl folder and a piece of Brocade Blue CS was stamped with a CHF Polka Dot Backgrounder in Night of Navy ink then trimmed with a Fiskers Treading Water border punch. I did not have any coral ribbon so I colored some white SU Grosgrain with a Copic marker. After dying the ribbon, I took 2 pieces and attached them to a wide piece of white Strano grosgrain ribbon. After adhering the main image to the Night of Navy embossed CS, I used a paper piercer to secure the "striped" ribbon with brass brads. I rarely use shiney brass brads but felt today this was in keeping to the nautical theme. I added another small piece of the coral ribbon to the corner of the navy CS with another brad, then adhered the entire panel to the Brocade Blue using Stampin' Dimensionals. Finally, I placed a little shell brad (also, from AG line) beside the sand pail and added it to the corner. Voila! Thanks for stopping by today! As always, your visits and comments mean so... much! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Nautical card recipe:
Blogger is not allow me to add recipe that I copy from my SCS gallery at this time. Please feel free to visit gallery for specific brands and manufacturers.

And the Winner Is....

Cricketpe!!!!!

Congratulations Lucky #6!!! If you would please e-mail me you postal details and I'll have that on it's way!

For some more awesome news, Lindsey has added a Clearance section to Jacksonbelle Embellishments!!!!!! Be sure to click on the word "clearance" above for an opportunity on some awesome deals!


My JBE DT challenge card may be posted a bit late tomorrow. Apparently, I'm allergic to Ranch salad dressing. I don't like anything with a mayo base so I don't eat it but my DD, Rachel, loves it and I bought her some to dip her little carrots. Right where she gave me the sweetest kiss on the cheek, the whelps started. Before I knew it is was on my face, down my neck, into my scalp and my eye even began to swell a bit. Two Bedroll later I'm doing much better but it is definitely Nighty-Night for me! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Scrappy Sunday

Be sure to check out this post, for a Blog Candy Give-Away!!!!!

It's Sunday once again and time for another peak into my family scrapbooks. Today I am sharing a 12 x 12 layout of my little Rachel on her 3rd birthday. Keep in mind that she is currently 4 1/2 and while I don't necessarily scrapbook in chronological order, it has been awhile since I made this. Some of the products I will remember, while others not so much! I love the view of this photo- with Rachel looking upward. Artist (and dear friend) Dianne Hart took this photograph as a guest at Rachel's party. How completely awesome is that- an adult friend coming celebrate this special day when she doesn't have a pre-schooler in tow! I printed the photo 5 x 7 in sepia. I thought it would look nice with the soft pink and cream hues in the PP (unsure of manufacture.) The color of Rachel's dress was wrong for this paper and B & W was too harsh. The photo is then matted with pink Bazzill (I often choose Bazzill CS for my scrapbook pages because I love the rich texture.) I cut the PP into a circle. To this day, I do not own a fancy circle cutter. I use a simple rolling ruler that I purchased at Staples for around 5.00 to draw the circle then I cut it with my paper snips. The chipboard flowers are by Fancy Pants covered in Bazzill CS. The flourishes and the title "THREE" are made with Autumn Leaves stamps. Finally, I placed an acrylic sticker (I believe by EK) that says "We hold their hand but for a moment, but we will have their heart forever." Each element was distress with Van Dyke Brown ink and a sponge. I never get tired looking at that sweet little face! Wishing everyone a fa-bu-lous week! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time. Take care!

Saturday SWAPs

Be sure to check out this post, for a Blog Candy Give-Away!!!!!

Saturdays are ALWAYS busy around my house! I'm sure most of you can empathize due to your own hectic schedules. Looking back, Saturday is a day that I have traditionally neglected when blogging for just this reason. So I decided to think what crafty item do I readily have available at most any given time and I thought, "of course, SWAPs!" I am one of "those" people that enjoy participating in SWAPs. My first favorite is ATC SWAPs but I enjoy SWAPing cards, as well! Whether it's my Girl Scout background (SWAPS are a big GS tradition) or the fact that I love to receive handmade paper goodies made by others, I don't know, but it is something I like to do! Sometimes I will post a project that I have given in a SWAP, while other times it will be a pretty that I have received.

Today's SWAP featured is an ATC I made for a Durcan Designs SWAP. This is the 3rd ATC SWAP in which I have participated with Tracy Durcan as "the hostess with the mostest!" The contributions are ALWAYS gorgeous and unique- definitely an awesome SWAP! The base of the card is Barely Banana embossed with a Swiss Dot folder from Cuttlebug. The PP is Daisy D's Baby Girl and the white CS is Curious Iridescent Cryogen White. The cupcake and rosebud images are Inkadinkado's Birthday Cupcake and the sentiment is from Lockhart Designs. All images are colored with Copic markers and areas traced over with Sakura Quickie Glue pen then dusted with Dazzling Diamonds. The little scalloped border was made with a Fiskers Treading Water border punch and the "doily" is a piece of the Crycogen White cut out of a circle Nestability then punch out with the SU large oval punch. Every thing is distressed with Ranger's Tim Holtz Antique Linen distressing ink. The ribbon is Sweet Blush satin by PTI. This was such a yummy card to make-lol! Don't forget to leave a comment below for blog candy which will be drawn on Monday evening. Watch tomorrow for another Scrappy addition to my blog and then Tuesday, I can't wait to show you the Sketch Challenge that the JBE DT is cooking up! Hope everyone enjoys a safe, fun weekend! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Ladies of Leisure Challenge

Be sure to check out this post, for a Blog Candy Give-Away!!!!!

So, it's time for another Ladies of Leisure challenge. Actually, it is past time but the hectic schedules for May did not afford the "divas of dawdling" much time to get our acts together! This month it was Jill's turn to challenge Chris and I. All I can say is WOW, what an awesome bit of inspiration she had for us! If you would like to play along and be a LOL, please click here to look at this fabulous website of Flirty Aprons! We were each to choose one and use it as inspiration when creating our cards. One of my favorite color combos is light blue and chocolate brown so I knew right that this was the rufflie one for me. My favorite colors, stripes, polka dots, ruffles- there was inspiration flying all over this baby!First, I absolutely HAD to use the colors in this apron and did so using Chocolate Chip and Soft Sky CS and a small piece of Afternoon Tea PP. The PP, also, incorporates the stripes as does the wonderful piece of May Arts striped ribbon. I framed the striped ribbon with May Arts chocolate brown ruffled ribbon to represent the foo foo ruffle along the apron edge. Finally, my favorite pattern- polka dots -can be found on the Soft Sky embossed with my Cuttlebug and Swiss Dot folder. The fun polka dots on the dress of this cute little Tiddly Inks image from Stampin' Bella even furthered the theme. She and her friend are colored with Copic Markers and their sparklie crowns a gold Spica glitter pen (also by Copic.) The panel that offsets the focal image is CHF Pretty Patterns and my die cut brackets are Sizzix dies that have been distressed with Ranger Brushed Cordoroy Distress Ink then edged with a Zig painty gold pen. Bling is from A Muse and MAMBI.

If you do choose to play along, we would love to see your Flirty Apron cards. Just post a link to the comments in one of the LOL blogs! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

LOL challenge card recipe:
Stamps- image & sentiment Stamping Bella
Ink- Chocolate Chip, Memento Tuxedo Black, Ranger Tim Holtz Brushed Cordoroy Distress Ink
Paper- Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Curious Iridescent Crycogen White CS, PP- SU Afternoon Tea
Supplies- Copic Markers, Spica glitter pen, A Muse Twinkle Stickers, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Swiss Dot Embossing Folder, MAMBI rhinestones, May Arts ribbon, Sizzix dies, Zig Painty pen, sponge

Milestone/Anniversary Giveway

Hello, All! Life has been crazy hectic and before I knew it, the first anniversary of my blog AND reaching 15,000 visits flew right past. So, how about some BLOG CANDY!!!!! Truly, this is merely a token of what all of your visits and comments mean to me. My family is very supportive and will give me a "that looks great" but they don't realize what is put in to the projects (well, hubby would probably try to guess what was put into them in the terms of $$$$-LOL)! That is why input from other paper crafters means so much; that is why each and every comment y'all leave me is so special! Okay, your over the mushy babble and are ready to get into the sweet stuff. Up for grabs and chosen by randomly generated numbers is a beautiful 6 x 6 pad of BG Boxer paper and the matching booklet of rub-ons.

Look at all these yummy rub- ons!

So what do you have to do for a chance to win these goodies? How about a little blog scavenger hunt? I promise not to make these too difficult. Please list the answers to these 3 questions in the comments section. The winner will be "drawn" on Monday, June 9th in the evening sometime after 8pm CT (aka Rachel's bedtime)!

1. What project was featured on my first blog post? (hint- if you go to the archives and click the little arrow by 2007, there will be a drop-down menu for the months of last year.)

2. How many images are in my SCS Gallery (just choose the number at the top of the page, this may vary a bit but no big deal- it's all FUN)!

3. Name 1 thing I do (another "hat" I wear) that is not related to paper crafting.

How is that? Easy peasy- huh! Once again, thanks to each and everyone of my readers! You gals (and occasional fellows) are priceless! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Way to Go Wednesday

Sorry, I'm a bit late on this post. I am continuing my "purge and reorganization" on the house (primarily on my daughters' rooms and new playroom) and was on a roll today! This will be a quick post BUT that doesn't mean that these 2 ladies deserve any less recognition.

First is Maren Benedict, fellow DT member for Jacksonbelle Embellishments. You may remember that I mentioned Maren in last weeks Way to Go feature. She had a submission chosen for publication in the October edition of Cards. Well, let me tell you, that gal is on FIRE! If you are an dedicated challenge follower on SCS, then you already know that Maren was chosen this past Sunday to be the FEATURED STAMPER!!! Do yourself a great pleasure and be sure to check out Maren's SCS gallery! For extra fun, you might even try out the challenge.

Second, I would like to send a big At-a-Girl to my dear BFF, Chris Twing! It wasn't until our up-line and myself e-mailed her our Congratulations that Chris even realized that she had a card in the SU Stamper's Showcase this past Monday! Her card is not on her web-site so I cannot share it with you but check out her website, it you would like to see some beautiful SU creations! Chris is in the process of trading in her website for a blog. The website does not allow for comments and Chris is looking for a more fun, interactive way to enjoy the paper crafting world. It was actually Chris that got me to start my blog in the first place!

So if you would, please join me in giving both of these talented gals a great big pat on the back! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Wahoo! I just noticed that I have passed my 15,000 blog hit! That and a recent blog-aversary are definitely reasons to celebrate here at A Stampin' Good Time! Peak back on Thursday to see what I have in store!!!!!

Jacksonbelle Tuesday: A Color Challenge

A happy Tuesday to everyone and with that comes a color challenge from the Jacksonbelle Embellishment Design Team. We welcome everyone that wishes to join us this week by posting their challenge cards to SCS using keywords JBE005. So what is the challenge, you ask, looking at my brightly colored card- ORANGE, GREEN, and BROWN (or BLACK.) You can use other colors (as you can see with my YoYo Yellow addition) but you must include the 3 challenge colors. There is, also, no specifics as far as shades or tones of these 3 colors. Be sure to check out the rest of the teams awesome creations-

Lindsey

Kisa

Amber

Dee

Lila

Lynda

Broni

Elizebeth

Maren

The inspiration for my card came from this new Cosmo Cricket paper "Hello Sunshine." The colors in this 8 x 8 pad are so bright and cheerful, the patterns are modern yet still have the eclectic look that CC does so well. And bonus! The edge of the paper is die cut to have cute little borders on each page (see bottom of card.) The focal image is made with 2 different stamps from the Inkadinkado "Fancy That" line. I, first, stamped "Enjoy Your Birthday" onto to a piece of iridescent white CS, then flourished the top and bottom with "Flower Burst" using Versafine Onyx Black ink (Lindsey is currently out of these 2 stamps at the present but keep checking back because she often reorders.) Next, I colored in the whimsical flowers, flourishes and letters with Copic markers. Not a lot of shading going on due to the tiny areas I was coloring but I did use a bit of gray for some shadowing (shows up much better IRL.) After the image was complete, I cut it out with an oval Nestability then die cut a scalloped mat using a piece of the CC paper. The ribbon slide was cut from a Spellbinder's die then cut in 2 pieces to run under the focal image. I added yellow ribbon from my stash and a tiny piece of black trimmed ribbon from A Muse. The little sunrise index tag is a Quickutz die from the Sunshine Alphabet and it is attached with little green sparkle brads from HL. The final embellishment was a snap from WRMK. A very straightforward but cheerful card, IMHO. Yesterday began a long week for me. My hubby is out-of-town until Friday on business, so I'm out numbered by the kiddos. Mary Elizabeth came home from playing with a neighbor friend complaining of a horrible headache and it looks like her fever is back again. She had been fever-free since Saturday! Ugh! Just a little peak into my exciting life-teeheehee! Be sure to check out my Way to Go Wednesday feature tomorrow and be on the lookout for the Ladies of Leisure Challenge on Friday! It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!

Enjoy card recipe:
Stamps: Inkadinkado- Enjoy Your Birthday, Flower Burst
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx
Paper: Yoyo Yellow, Curious Iridescent Crycogen White, PP- Cosmo Cricket "Hello Sunshine"
Supplies: Copic Markers, Cuttlebug, Nestabilities, Quickutz, WRMK snap, Crop-a-dile 2 Big Bite, Brads-HL, ribbon- black edged A Muse, yellow from stash

A Scrappy Sunday

Before I ever picked up a stamp or made my first card, my primary paper craft passion was scrapbook pages. I still continue to love to make 12 x 12 single and double layouts but not as many as I should to preserve the precious moments of my family's life. First, and most obviously, scrapbook pages take longer to complete (especially for me.) Even with my own craft room, it is not wise to leave a layout in progress unprotected- something aka Rachel might happen to it. My second deterrent for posting my 12 x 12 work on my blog is simply due to the fact that I am not set up to get what I consider a good photograph. I'm often not pleased at how my cards post so certainly scrapbook LOs pose a problem for me. I do have plans to continue scrap booking my daughters as the grow but I have learned not to feel pressured about it. This is suppose to be a hobby and hobbies are suppose to relieve stress not create it!

So, on to my layout. The photos were taken at the Knoxville Zoo for Boo at the Zoo. Every Halloween, the zoo would "dress-up" in true Halloween style to allow the children of Knoxville to trick or treat. This was Mary Elizabeth's first year to attend the night time version; the previous year she had attended Itty-bitty Boo at the Zoo and that is a daytime event. But as a much older woman of 2 years, she was able to dress-up in the Raggedy Ann costume Nana (my mom) made her and attend with the "big kids." Going to the zoo was one of her favorite past times, she has a tremendous passion for animals. Unfortunately, Boo at the Zoo was a bit of a disappointment because all the animals were asleep and this was truly just for Trick or Treating.

It has been awhile since I created this layout and my already feeble memory is a bit fuzzy on the details-lol. The paper is from a now de-funked direct sales company called Leaving Prints. I used to really like to use the clean designsof their paper because they were so easy to personalize with stamping. The scalloped border on the red flower piece was created by tracing a scalloped piece of Bazzill CS and cutting it out with scissors. The only stamping on this particular page are the "o"s in the word Zoo from an Autumn Leaves alphabet and the little kraft tags that say "good," "Halloween," "fun" from Everyday Flexible phrases. Ribbon and rickrack are from my lss and buttons are Autumn Leaves. The little suspender clasps were hand sewn to the black elastic but I do not remember the manufacturer of either of these.

I will be posting a couple of challenge cards this week. I'm working on one for the Jacksonbelle Design Team for Jacksonbelle Tuesday and the Ladies of Leisure will be posting their monthly challenge later in the week. Don't forget about Way-to-go Wednesdays. If you know of someone that is deserving of recognition, please, feel free to give me a cyber shout. It's ALWAYs A Stampin' Good Time! Take care!