Need a Change

Hopefully, with all of the snow we are supposed to get this weekend (5-10 inches, so vague aren't they?!) it will give me time to revamp my blog. I have been tired of my banner for a while now, just no time to change it. I also need to remove some links and add some different ones. Maybe change up my background too. I need FRESH!

This is also a reason I need something fresh! I am so done with winter! This is a pretty cool picture though, I have to admit. I took it with my Macro lens.



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A friend of mine is got some bad news recently and I wanted to send her a card to let her know I am thinking of her. I thought the Queen Kat Designs 'Huggy Monster' was perfect for what I wanted. Plus, I had to dig into my Gretel paper I got awhile back.

• STAMPS- Huggy Monster (QKD), Need a hug? (Inkadinkado)
• PAPER- Cosmo Cricket 'Gretel'
• INK- Stazon jet black, Colorbo Chestnut Roan
• OTHER- Nestabilities dies, Prismacolors and OMS, Copic gray marker, ribbon, brad
  

Check this out! The code in this blinkie will give you 10% off your order at Queen Kat Designs! http://www.katstamps.com

If you add this blinkie to your blog (make sure it links to www.katstamps.com, if you need any help doing so, just ask me!) and then leave a comment on this post letting me know you did, you will be entered into a drawing for a prize given on April 1st!

I can't tell you what the prize is, but I know you won't be disappointed! AND, the more people who get entered into the contest, the bigger the prize will get!

So........SCREAM IT! Let everyone know how much QKD stamps rock and have a chance of winning at the same time!!!

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I hope everyone has a good day!! Stay warm and make a great creation!

Yet another Tea Party

I am going to ignore the fact that I haven't posted in a while and just act like I posted yesterday!!

It's the smARTworks Tea Party Wednesday again! I really enjoy doing these sketches and the sketch today was provided by the smARTworks owner, Susan Trask.

• Birthday Dreams WD-180 stamp (smARTworks)
• Cosmo Cricket 'Dutch Girl' DP
• black, white CS
• Palette Nior ink
• Cuttlebug flowers die
  
• red felt
• brads, ribbon, pop dots

Make sure you check out what the other Cookies did with this sketch! And if you'd like to play along, we'd love to see!
Donna
Susan L
Dina
Trish
Susan T

I have lots of cards to share so hopefully I will be able to share a few a day for a week or so. I'm planning on that!!

Now, I am off to clean up the rest of our computer/stamp room because it just might become our bedroom as well! Right now we have the kids in a bedroom upstairs but we might move them downstairs for the winter since fuel oil is going to be 40% higher this year than last. Just don't know if we can swing a $1,600 heating bill for the winter (electric bill not included). I think we are going to move my big metal rack out along with a few small things and put our bed in the corner. If we do that then the kids will move into our bedroom which stays warmer than any other room in the house. We are getting Clinton a race car bed for Christmas (used of course, those things are $400 new!) and hopefully everything will fit in that room okay. We're keeping our fingers crossed!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Turkey day!!! Oh, and don't get trampled shopping for those deals on Friday!! Stay safe!!!!!

*One more thing to add. My article on glitter re-inker ornaments ran on Craft Critique yesterday so check it out if you want the tutorial!*

Happy Summer!

I am so glad it's summer! I am lovin' that the kids can go out and play in their pool all afternoon while I scour things to photograph! BTW I am still so amazed at how much there is still left to learn about my camera. I am really enjoying figuring everything out though! I just downloaded a free 30 day trial of Photoshop CS3. The real software is around $600-$700 so I'm sure I won't be getting that sucker (although with Joe's school discount I could get it for $400, and Yes! I checked). It will be nice to know what program I really want to get though by comparing what one has versus the other. I really hope to be making some money off of this sometime in the near future. But, first things first, still gettin' comfy with my settings and whatnot first. I would love to do Senior pics. Just set a flat fee for the shoot, make a CD of the pictures, hand it over to the parents and let them decide what they want to print out and where. Plus, I have lots of nieces and nephews to practice on! One of my nieces will be a senior this coming year so maybe she could get some word out. Oh, don't I think big! Let's move on shall we?

Just wanted to make a quickie with my adorable Scraptrends stamps. Love this swim suit! I just inked it up this morning. I also don't know what I would do without my snap stamps!!! They are such a fantastic item to have in your stash! I heard they aren't selling them any more. I hope that's not true because for those of you who might not have gotten them (what, were you having mental problems!? {wink}) I would hate for you to have to miss out!

• White CS
• Scraptrends flexible stamps (found them on clearance at JoAnn's)
• Karen Foster 1/8" snap stamps
• True Blue Prismacolor pencil (one of my fave colors)
• Gamsol and blending stump
• Copic gray marker
• stickles
• ribbon
  

This is one that looked so much better in my head!!! I think by the time I got everything on it might have been just a tad too much. I dunno. I hope you like it Tiffany! Cause it's in the mail and comin' to you! I used chipboard again. Painted it white and distressed it with sand paper. Punched holes in the scallops and added stickles to the holes. Also added stickles to the Cuttlebug flower.

• Cosmo Cricket Dutch Girl paper
• Riveting stamp set
• Cuttlebug flower and slides dies
• Mellow Moss classic ink
• Stazon Jet black ink
• Chipboard frame
• ribbon, pop dots, stickles, sand paper, brad

I hope all of you have a good weekend! Make the men in your life have an excellent father's day!!!

Challenge cards with good 'ole Dutchy

Okay, so once I got my stuff yesterday I was torn on what to use first but my longing for the CC paper was too much to bear, so I had to tear it open. This is what I came up with the first time around. It was the SC127 on Splitcoast. I really like this layout and I think I might try it again. I still that it is lacking something but I think if I add anything else I would be overdoing it. However, I did have to add some stickles to make it shine! I also made everything popped up. I think there are like 3 different levels to this bad boy.

• Cosmo Cricket Dutch Girl paper
• Wonderful Words stamp set
• Real Red classic ink, Tim Holtz Walnut distress ink
• scallop edge scissors
• spronge, stickles

This is my #2 card with DG paper. I made this for the Ways to Use It challenge #116 on Splitcoast. The challenge was chipboard. Well, whaddaya know!?! I have a new pack of bare naked chipboard sitting on my desk! Yay! I painted a few coats of white onto the chipboard frame and let it dry. Then I took regular sand paper (not the fine grit) and sanded the edges so it would match the distressed look of the paper. The flower is just two of the Cuttlebug flowers stacked on top of eachother (the bottom one in the pic). I really enjoyed doing this card and I just love how it turned out!

• Cosmo Cricket Dutch Girl paper
• Noteworthy stamp set (SU)
• Cuttlebug flower dies
• Cosmo Cricket bake named chipboard buttons
• white acrylic paint, brad, velvet ribbon

I hope to be making even more tonight! Oh, and I am getting ready to go update my photography blog! Check it out!