Thursday, August 30, 2007

Here's a discount for ya!

I got an email from Tracey over at Starving Artistamps asking if she could post my Doodle Factory cards in their gallery. Of course I said yes and not only did she put them in the gallery but my 'Yipee' card is on the home page! How cool is that!? Anyway, she gave me code to pass on to all of you for 10% of any new order. Like ta here here it goes....

10heidijo

Pretty sweet huh? Here is the direct link to the Doodle Factory guys and here is the link to the home page. Oh, and they have 5 new Halloween ones too! Check them out!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Pull out those crayons ladies!!

About a month ago I saw a thread on Splitcoast about someone trying crayons with Gamsol. Knutsen24 is who started it but no one ever showed any results. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands thinking that surely they would in no way comapare to the Prismacolor pencils I paid $1 each for! I'll let you decide for yourself!

I used 'Pip & Oggy' from the Doodle Factory Creatures that I got from Starving Artistamps to demonstrate.

The first row uses Rose Art crayons. I found these to blend very easily and retain most of their true color (not diluted when pulled out with the stump). I think they blended so easily because of the large amount of wax in the 'cheaper' crayons.

The second row I did with Crayola. I noticed that it lost a lot of the brightness once I blended and it also didn't blend as easily.

The last row uses Prismacolor pencils. Of course I love using my Prismas! They get a little bolder once blended with the OMS and they blend so smooth.


Okay, so you can decide for yourself but you know I have to tell you my opinion! When it comes down to it crayons are a great fill in if you don't have any Prismacolors or the exact color you want or need. One big drawback with the crayons is the control aspect. They don't have as fine of a tip, nor can they have one really. Here is how I rate them:

Prismacolors
Rose Art crayons
Crayola crayons

So, if you are looking for a cheap (and I mean cheap!) way to achieve the look of the Prismas with OMS I would highly reccomend picking up a big pack of Rose Art crayons (and a good sharpener!) the next time you hit the store!

Oh, and one more thing, POST LINKS TO YOUR RESULTS! I wanna see! Show me! Show me! Show me! Now go try!

Flurry of Fall cards!

So, part of me loves fall so much (my fave season, mostly cause I look better in a sweater and jeans than a bikini!) that I want it to hurry up and get here. I love the getting up in the morning, stepping outside, and smelling how fresh the air is! But, the other part of me is saying, get a tan, swim in the pool, wear the tank top that makes you look like you have more cleavage {wink}! What is a gal to do? I think for now I will be happy with summer but in a month I will be pulling out my ribbed tutleneck whether it's chilly or not! To help me get in the mood though, here are some fall and Halloween cards!

We interrput this program to bring you this important message.
****I will be posting something pretty cool later today so make sure you come back and check it out!!!!!****
Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

Sorry the pic is a little dark, it was a little cloudy and I forgot to lighten it up a little before I saved it. I really like how easy this pumpkin is to use! When I put the adhesive on the back to keep it on the block, I cut the stem away from the pumpkin. This let me use the stem on either side of it. There was quite a bit of masking with this and I do have to say this was my first time with so much masking. I have actually only masked anything a handful of times. I like the look of masking so I think I'm going to do it a lot more often. Once I stamped everything out and started to color with my re-inkers, I realized that I didn't have any orange re-inker. Uh-Oh!!!! So, instead I grabbed one of my acrylic blocks (what I always use to put my re-inkers on since it cleans off so well) and put Barely Banana and Cranberry Crisp in two spots and mixed them together a little. I didn't get the same color every time which I honestly like the look of because pumpkins are really all different shades of orange.

  • Autumn #1 (smARTworks) stamp set
  • Fabriano watercolor paper
  • Stazon jet black
  • SU re-inkers (Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Barely Banana, Cranberry Crisp)
  • aqua painter

I think this card and I have a love/hate relationship! I have never done a layout like this before and I like it, I just done know if I like the final product. I think maybe doing the sponging and the stardust pen together might have been a little much. Or maybe it's those blue lines in the Magnolia paper that throws it off? I love this pumpkin stamp though!

  • Autumn #1 (smARTworks) stamp set
  • MME Magnolia DP
  • Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery CS
  • Cuttlebug Swirls embossing folder
  • Marvy Mega scalloped square punch
  • Prismacolors and OMS
  • Sakura stardust gelly roll pen
  • pop dots

Just wanted to make an easy Halloween card. I don't know what I would do without my Marvy punches!! I might go back later and add googly eyes to the spider, once I find them that is. I think the kids might have snuck them away and used them for their many projects!

  • Autumn #1 (smARTworks) stamp set
  • Lavender Lace, black, white CS
  • Stazon jet black ink
  • black Prismacolor and OMS
  • Marvy Giga and Mega scalloped circle and Super Jumbo circle punches
  • SU Word Window punch
  • Cuttlebug Swirls EF
  • ribbon
  • black pen (for the web)
  • pop dots
  • push pin

This next card is one I made for my niece who just started Kindergarten this week. I have seen several different ways to spell 'Yipee' but this is the way I have always spelled it. I love these Doodle Factory creatures and animals from Starving Artistamps! Now they have Doole Factory Halloween stamps! I am going to see if I can possibly make the ones I already have a little Halloweenish.

  • Doodle Factory 'Yapples' (Starving Artistamps), Alpha (Rhonna Farrer) stamp sets
  • teal Prismacolor, brown Rose Art crayon (stay tuned later today for all of the details!!) and OMS
  • Copic grey marker

I have to show you the card that Jolee made when I decided to make a few Halloween cards myself. We were browsing the SCS gallery when she saw Speale's card and decided she wanted to make her own version. The only thing I did was cut the pieces and loan her my finger for the ribbon while she was tying the second knot. She is so talented for a 5 year old!


That's all for now but remember to come by later today for something pretty cool!!!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Coaster Brag Book & Thank Heavens!!!

TODAY IS JOE'S LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!! Sorry for the caps but I am so happy! No more not seeing him 3 days out of the week because he was school and then work right after! He will be graduating on Sept. 9th with a Bachelor's degree in Computer and Electonics Engineering! I am so proud of him! He is has come a long way and let me tell you, 2 years seems like forever! Now, onto the fun stuff!

My MIL asked me to make her a photo book to show to an old teacher she was having lunch with today, so this week I have been choosing pictures (very hard to only pick 20!), deciding how I wanted to make the book, and actually putting it together. I ended up doing a coaster book which I have never done before. I thought, well, I better use these million coasters I have sitting there! Maybe after you guys read this you will be inspired to use all of yours!

All I did was Modge Podge my 4 x 6 pictures onto the coaster on one side, let them dry, and trim the extra off (the coasters are 4 x 4). Then I Modge Podged the rest of the pictures on the opposite sides of the coasters, let them dry, and trimmed them too. Next, I sanded down the edges and punched a hole in the corner with my Cropadile. I added a few rub-ons throughout and made the cover with Cosmo Cricket Dutch Girl paper and the corresponding Bare Naked chipboard alphas. The 4 holes in the corner with ribbon on front was accidental. I punched the wrong corner to attach to the ring so I had to think of a way to fix it. That was it! Then I put them in the order I wanted, put them on the metal ring, and added ribbon. It was pretty easy once I knew how I wanted to do it!


  • heavy weight 4 x 4 square coasters

  • Cosmo Cricket Dutch Girl DP

  • Cosmo Cricket Bare Naked chipboard alphas

  • Making Memories rub-on letters

  • red paint

  • Modge Podge

  • sandpaper

  • Cropadile

  • ribbon

  • metal ring from Walmart (in office supply section)

Just wanted to show some of my favorite pages!





*****
I also wanted to share a few pics of our new 'pet'. After watching the Praying Mantis show the other day on Discovery, we decided to catch one (wasn't hard at all!) and keep him in our old aquarium to observe. Once we put him in we put 3 crickets and a few flies in. He must have been hungry because in the first 30 minutes or so he ate 2 crickets and a fly. You should have seen my kids sqealing! It is really cool how they slowly approach them and snatch them up so quick! I was extremely interested myself! It's been 3 days and he (Manny, we named him) seems to be doing well! He is eating very nicely anyway!





Well, since it is supposed to be scattered thunderstorms today, hopefully I will get a few minutes to make a card or two today! Have a great Saturday!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Such a relaxing weekend!

Hey guys! Just checking in! Our family had a nice, relaxing weekend together. The kids and Joe swam in the pool we got (just one of those easy set ones) and we watched movies together and ate junk food and pizza. It was great! Joe had been working every weekend for 3 weeks so it was nice to have some family time.

I had to write my article for Craft Critique on my favorite tool and although I will leave that a mystery, I will say that I made this thinking I might put it in the article but decided not to. The glitter I used it super super old. I would guess at least 30 years or so from the packaging. I have green, red, and this gold color. I am hoarding them though becacuse they give the actual 'antique' look! It reminds me of those old Christmas bulbs your grandparents or parents hang on the tree.

I can't decide if I actually like this tag or not though. Still getting used to it I guess.

  • DCWV CS
  • BasicGrey Fruitcake paper
  • Marvy Giga and Mega scalloped oval punches
  • Cropodile and eyelet
  • sandpaper
  • glitter
  • ribbon
  • pop dots
  • black marker

I thought it would be fun to do the Blog Scattegories that is going around. I love the game Scattegories! My family and I always used to play that and Balderdash. Yes, we are very good bs-ing!

  • Your Name: Heidi
  • Famous Artist/Band/Musician: Hannah Montana
  • 4 letter word: Hand
  • Vehicle: Honda
  • TV Show: Happy Days
  • City/Town: Honalulu (wish I was there right now!)
  • Boy Name: Harper
  • Girl Name: Hayley
  • Occupation: Hair dresser
  • Something you wear: Heels
  • Celebrity: Halley Berry
  • Food: Hot Dog
  • Something found in a kitchen: Honey
  • Reason for Being Late: Having a baby (I've had the chance to use that 3 times!)
  • Cartoon Character: Henry (from Oswald)Something
  • You Shout: "Honey, I'm home!"
Well, that was harder than it looked! You should try it if you haven't already! Well, I am off to try a sketch challenge from Mama Dini's blog. If you get a chance today, you should try that too!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Completely cool show!

I just watched an hour long show called Praying Mantis on Discovery Channel and it was so neat! I had no idea all of the things a praying mantis was capable of! Did you realize some of them can grow up to 8 inches long?! That's huge! And the foam sacks that the eggs are stored in can stand temperatures of below 40 degrees for a period of time! That is just crazy! Anyway, if you get a chance, you should really check it out! On Discovery called Praying Mantis. Enjoy your Sunday!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Attack of the scallops!

Okay, so who else out there is like me and has trouble putting the scallop punches down? Is it a disease? Do I need to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy? Someone help me! I thought I was doing good last week when my post had no cards with scallop punches used! Well, apparently my mind and heart took over because as I was uploading my cards this time I realized that every card used one! Tell me I'm not the only weirdo in the crowd! Well, actually I know that isn't true!! I won't name names but man, some of you are a little Coo-coo! {wink} Moving on!


Alright, I know that it's part of my 'job' to tell you guys how wonderful smARTworks stamps are because I am on their Design Team, but honestly, between you and me, they really do rock! Since I have gotten my DT sets and a few extra ones I just HAD to buy, I haven't been able to put them down. Nor have I wanted to! If you haven't checked them out yet, you simply MUST do so! They have something for everyone! Not to mention, that cute Birdie Bitties set I used last post (Oh Happy Day card) is only $2.00! How can you beat that? Oh wait, you can't! So go here. Man, I should get paid commission! {wink}

This first one is another attempt at using the bird on the branch. I did a no layer card with it before and loved it so much I didn't want to do it any other way! But! I also wanted to see what it looked like inside one of my Marvy scallop punches. I pulled out my Mega scalloped oval but it just wasn't big enough and I have held myself back from getting the Giga! So, next I pulled out my Giga scalloped circle. It worked great but I had to fill the branches a little. All I did was re-ink the bottom branch and fill it in where it needed. I thought the soft colors of the Lilly Kate BG paper went well with the soft colors of the bird and flowers.

  • Spring #1 and Middie Messages #2 (smARTworks) stamp sets
  • BasicGrey Lilly Kate DP
  • Marvy Giga scalloped circle
  • Prismacolors and Gamsol
  • ric rac
  • Copic gray marker
  • push pin
  • pop dots

This next one is quite out of my 'zone' that I usually stick to. Which is why I think I like it! I am just now starting to get the hang of shading more with my Prismacolors. I am using two different colors on some things now (like the leaves) and actually don't hate the result! I swear though I can't put that Copic marker down! Love how it outlines!

  • Spring #1, Middie Messages #2 (smARTworks) stamp sets
  • polka dot DP (can't remember maker, it was scrap)
  • Real Red, Certainly Celery, white CS
  • Cuttlebug Swirls EF
  • Marvy Mega scalloped oval
  • Word Window punch
  • Coluzzle oval template
  • Prismacolors and Gamsol
  • scalloped scissors
  • Copic gray marker
  • push pin
  • ribbon
  • pop dots

The last one actually I couldn't wait to use! It came in my Starving Artistamps order that I got in the mail today! Aren't those birds too cute for words!?! Get this, their names are Pip and Oggy! Can you believe that!?! They are part of the 'Doodle Factory' line. Oh my gosh, when I looked at these I wanted every single one!!! But, thank goodness I limited myself to 4! Plus she added a free small one in with my order! Here is the link. You must go look NOW! I got Pip & Oggy and Tobias from the Doodle Animals and then I got Zot and Yapples from the Doodle Creatures line. I thought the Zot would be absolutely perfect for making cards for those addicted to coffee and can't function without it! And Yapples was just too stinkin' funny. Now that I think about it, I need more of these guys! They are so up my alley!!!


  • Pip & Oggy from Doodle Factory line (Starving Artistamps), Be (TAC) stamp sets
  • Marvy Giga and Mega scalloped circle punches, Super Jumbo circle punch
  • Certainly Celery, Brilliant Blue, white CS
  • Prismacolors and Gamsol
  • ribbon
  • push pin
  • pop dots
  • black pen for landscape
*****

Alright, on a side note I just wanted to share that I recently watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and boy, dissapointed was an understatement! Jolee and Ava both love the POTC 1 &2 and will sit and watch it over and over again. Ava was done about 20 minutes in and Jolee was disinterested about halfway through. They even lost me until the fight scene at the end! And the end made me mad too! Ah well, I guess you can't expect too much from a 3rd movie.

Joe and I also saw Knocked Up. That was pretty funny. Lots of F-bombs but removing all of that it definitely amused us!

I wanted to get Wild Hogs at Blockbusted but they were all gone by the time I got there. Bummer. I hear it's pretty funny.

What movies have you guys seen lately? And that dissapointed? Any you loved? Fill me in!

Friday, August 10, 2007

How I use my rubber!

If you googled sex-ed then you are in the wrong place! However, if you want to know my tips on how to use those unmounted rubber stamps, you're in the right place!

I have never used Ailene's tacky glaze and can't really say how well it works but I do know how well Tombow Mono-Multi works! I LOVE it! So, here are the steps!


1. If you don't have it already, go buy Tombow Mono-Multi glue!



2. Turn your stamp over and remove the cap on the Broad Tip end.



3. Apply a good coat of glue to the back of the stamp. By good coat I mean so you can see white, but not runny.



4. Let the glue dry about 5-10 minutes depending on how big the stamp is. You'll know when it's dry because the white parts will have turned clear.



5. You will be able to feel how tacky it is. The stamp will now adhere to the acrylic block without leaving any mess anywhere or having to be washed after you use it! I have stamps that I have used on a regular basis for about a month now and the back of my stamps are still very sticky.



6. No need for foam cushion if you have a mouse pad or fun foam you can slide under the paper you are stamping on.

As of right now I prefer unmounted with no cling because when I use this Tombow glue, as I am cleaning my stamps on my scrubber NONE of them fall off. I can scrub them as hard as I need to and they stay right on the block!!

Hope I have helped anyone who might be wondering how to mount these stamps! If you have any questions then don't hesitate to ask! Have a great weekend!

New rubbah to cheer me up!

So, I got a major disapointment the day before yesterday. I called the fair office to ask one more small question before I went into town and printed out and purchased mats for all of my pictures. As I am asking the question she said
"Well, that should have been on your pre-entry form"
"Pre-entry form? Don't we do that tomorrow?"
"Oh, no, you had to have a pre-entry form turned in by July 28th to be able to participate in the fair."
"Wow, I'm glad the 3 different times I called that someone told me about that!"
"Yes, sorry."
Click
So, if you haven't already guess I can no longer enter my photographs in the fair that I have been working on for almost a month because more than one person can't do their job. Man, am I irritated! However, I am taking the girls to the fair tonight to check out the animals and eat some fatty foods (we don't let them ride the rides, the safety aspect freaks me out!) and see just who would have been my competition had I been able to enter. Everything happens for a reason so maybe this year I just wasn't ready! Thank goodness I got my new rubbah from smARTworks to cheer me up!!

My first two cards today are using my new smARTworks stamps that I am on the DT for. I LOVE these stamps! They are deepy etched and the rubber is nice and thick! I am just giddy! I used Fabriano watercolor paper folded with this one and re-inkers and my aqua painter.

  • Spring #1, WD-27 for sentiment (smARTworks) stamp sets
  • Stazon jet black ink
  • Old Olive, Rose Romance, Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa re-inkers
  • ribbon
This next one I used my Cuttlebug EF for the background. I used Prismacolors and Gamsol to color the Birdie and Balloon and my gray Copic marker for the outline. If you get no other Copics, make sure you get the gray! There is nothing better for shading and outline than that marker! I stamped on the word window punch and popped it up beside the image.

  • ABC-Birdie Bitties, Middie Messages #2 (smARTworks) stamp sets
  • Tempting Turquoise, black, white CS
  • Prismacolor pencils, gamsol
  • Cuttlebug Happy Birthday EF
  • Word Window punch
  • Copic gray marker
  • eyelets
  • ribbon
This next one I made for my sister who was having 'one of those days' Not a favorite card but I wanted to try and use some paper from my stacks that hasn't gotten any use so far.

Alright, so my mom is adorable! She is about 5-10 years 'behind the times'! She tells us all that 'we're the bomb', so when I saw this stamp in the unmounted rubber round robin swap I was in, I had to take it to make her some cards! These are really simple because she is all the time sending out the nieces and nephews cards with $1 for each of them in it! I swear she is the sweetest person ever! Anyway, I plan on making lots more for her so she can have a quick card to pull out. I used Stickles black glitter on the bomb but it's hard to see in the picture.

  • Bomb (unknown), Karen Foster 1/8th inch snap stamps
  • black ink
  • Black Diamond Stickles

This last one didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to. I was going for more of a digi scrap looks with the swirly background and the black flowers. Oh well, it will just be one for my stockpile! All of these stamps are also from smARTworks!

  • Shorties, WD-27 for sentiment (smARTworks) stamp sets
  • Versamagic Sea Breeze chalk ink
  • black ink
  • push pin

Can you believe that I didn't use a single Marvy punch in any of these!?! I think this is a record for me! Usually those are the first things I pull out!

Well, I am off to change clothes and brush my hair so I can take the girls to the fair. I will be making another post though before I do that on how I use my unmounted stamps, just in case you are interested! Have a fabulous weekend everyone!!!

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Great news and I'm still Dirty!!!!

So, first of all I want to share my super awesome news that I made the design team I was trying out for! The company is smART works rubber stamps. I should be getting started next week and I am so excited!! Thanks Susan for this great opportunity!!

I also finished some more challenges from the Splitcoast Dirty Dare. This one was JanTInk's challenge for no dark colors. I think I was walking the line by using Mellow Moss but it's still a light color in my opinion! I used the Stardust glaze pen one the edge of the Pale Plum and Barely Banana and also on some of the pattern on the Paisley and over 'thoughts of you' too. As soon as I drew it on I used my finger to blend it in.

  • Mellow Moss, Barely Banana, Pale Plum CS
  • Deco Designs (TAC), Paisley BG (Cornish Heritage Farms), Thoughts of you (Michael's $1 bin) stamp sets
  • Versamark and Stazon jet black inks
  • Sakura Stardust glaze pen
  • deco edge scissors
  • ribbon

This one I made for JulieHRR's challenge. I knew she would come through for me with a no layer card!! Woo-Hoo!

  • Fabriano watercolor paper
  • Falling Down (TAC), Simply Said (SU) stamp sets
  • Sahara Sand, Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Bashful Blue re-inkers
  • aqua painter

Cambria prompted this next card with an all pink challenge along with BadSherry's Monet challenge which included the cracked glass technique along with the wet watercolor technique. It's hard to see the cracked glass part, but it's there! I stamped the flowers in Pretty in Pink and the took one of my ZIG markers and outlined it. I added a bit of glitter before I embossed and punched it out with my Mega scalloped punch.

  • Rose Red CS
  • Bo Bunny (Candy Dots) DP
  • Happy Harmony (SU) stamp set
  • Marvy Mega scalloped circle punch
  • clear embossing powder

Okay, now I am a fan of BadSherry because well, sometimes she is BAD! And with this challenge she asked us all to be bad! Man was that fun! I still have several other cards floating around in my head but haven't had all of the right stuff to make then, so for now they will just stay there!

  • Gable Green, black, and white CS
  • rhino (unknown), On the Spot wheel (SU), Karen Foster 1/8 inch snap stamps
  • Stazon jet black ink
  • Marvy Mega scalloped punch
  • push pin

Okay, last but not least JeanneS's paper piecing challenge (which also works for Julie's no layer card too!). This is very similar to a card I made before with the Diva Dresses set from TAC. This time there is no pop dots, no watercoloring, and instead of the sentiment being 'Hello beautiful girl' it says 'My beautiful girl' which would make it great to send to a daughter ir younger girl that is special to you. Hopefully I ccan get my MIL to sell it where she works!

  • Diva Dresses (TAC), Word Play (TAC) stamp sets
  • Stazon jet back ink
  • rhinestones
  • push pin

*****

So before I go I need to ask you guys what kind of 'cookie' you think my card making style is. I was thinking something plain like sugar cookie or peanut butter but then maybe something cool on the inside like a snickers bar or something. What kind of cookie do you think I am? And if any of you say "something with nuts of course" then so help me!!!!!! {wink}