Color Throwdown #231

Broni is our Color Throwdown hostess this week, and she’s got this great, bright color combo for us to try!  I just love that photo, and know you’re going to love creating with this inspiration, too!
For my creation this week, I needed a get well card…

One of the ladies I work with fell last week on an icy morning and broke her wrist, so I made this card for all of us to sign for her using my sweet “Little Nurse” stamp from Lili of the Valley.  The papers I used are just a variety, and I die-cut a flower with my Pretty Posies Die-Namics, and some awesome corrugated kraft cardstock sent to me by my BFF, Bar!  (I sponged a little Melon Mambo ink on the edges.)  The sentiment is computer-generated.
The layout for my card is from the Deconstructed Sketch #90 for this week.
Please be sure to visit my Color Throwdown sisters for more inspiration.  And stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details!
Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Denise Marzec
Joan Ervin
Kerri Michaud
Lori Tecler
Lynn Put
Wanda Cullen
Kim Hahn, February Guest Designer
Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

Oh Happy Day!

I had to stop by my niece’s house yesterday and can’t ever go there empty handed… she had two darling little girls that I can’t resist spoiling, so I quickly made these little Hershey Nugget treats before heading to her house.  I used my new Mini Blooms stamp set and Mini Blooms dies that I got recently from Papertrey Ink and a few Stampin’ Up! punches.
Here’s a side view…

These are so easy to make up, using a 5” x 1 3/'8” strip of cardstock, and my old SU! tag punch.  Just score 2” from each end, add a piece of Scor-Tape to the bottom of the Nugget to keep it secure, and finish it up!
My only problem with making these is that no matter how hard I try to just keep Nuggets “on hand” in my stamp room, they always get eaten!  :)  Who can resist good chocolate?
Happy stamping!

Turning Over a New Leaf…

During new release week recently at Papertrey Ink I saw this card made by Nicole and instantly fell in love with the pretty little flower stamps, and that sweet looking  fence!  I just had to do a little stamp shopping after that, and got my own set of the new Mini Blooms stamp set and the matching Mini Blooms dies, plus the Wrought Iron Background Basics set.  I CASE’d Nicole’s card completely using some SU! and Ranger distress inks, then added a sentiment from the Movers & Shakers stamp set, and some punched butterflies.  This card will go to a friend from church who had a birthday a few days ago.
Maybe you’ve noticed lately that a lot more of the cards I’ve been posting are for specific people?  A few weeks ago I posted here about how I was stepping down from some of my design teams, and a few of you have asked what’s next for me.  I think I may have insinuated in my blog post that I have some new design commitments in my future, but that actually couldn’t be further from the truth.  The reality is I am taking a break from design teams…. temporary or permanent, right now I don’t know.  But I do know I’m really burned out from the pressure of doing design work.  And I’ve accumulated SO many cards over the years as a result, many that I don’t feel I can actually use.  For some reason, I find it hard to combine the need for a card (a friend’s birthday, get well, etc.) with the “need” to design using certain stamps, paper, and other supplies.  So for now, my new “commitment” is my own list of weekly challenges… I start a list each week of people I need or want to send a card to… someone with a birthday, someone who needs encouragement, someone I need to say thanks to, and those people are getting cards, rather than me filling up box after box of cards I can’t use.  Plus, I just think part of the whole “design team” phenomena is having a desire to be recognized, to be acknowledged, maybe even to be adulated?  And I’m just done with that!  Don’t get me wrong… I care about what YOU, my sweet blog readers think about my cards.  But I’m done trying to impress people who don’t really care about the real me…. I’m done bawling my eyes out over how many times I’ve tried to get on certain teams and been passed by…. I’m done working ‘til the wee hours and sacrificing time with my family because “I have to go make a card!”  I would rather put a smile on the face of the lonely widow at church because I left a card in her mailbox, than worry about if Jane Doe at XYZ Stamp Company has noticed my card, know what I mean???  I hope this comes across in the nature it’s intended… I’m just trying to explain the new leaf I’m turning over.  It’s given me a lot more freedom and JOY the last few weeks, that’s for sure.  A friend even commented about how much happier I seem without the pressure of design work!  (Perhaps even a few of you reading this could stand to re-evaluate what you’re doing lately with your stamping?)  This certainly doesn’t mean that I’m not going to participate in challenges, and wouldn’t mind some short-term guest designer spots because it’s fun to try some new experiences.  But the whole big commitment thing… it’s time for a break!   :)  And Tammy is a much happier stamper as a result!
I wish YOU happy stamping!  And thanks for stopping by!

Stamps for Sale

Just a note to let y'all know my stamps for sale page has been updated again!  You'll like what you see, I just know it!  Check it out HERE or click on the tab above!

Thanks!

Color Throwdown #230

It’s Color Throwdown time again and this week Barbara, the One-Handed Wonder is our hostess with this earthy color combo.  I initially HATED these colors… I do NOT do shades of blue, especially blues like Marina Mist.  I. JUST. DON’T. LIKE. IT!  But then I found a paper pad from My Mind’s Eye hiding in my stash that I thought was a good (enough!) match for these colors.  Remember, if you don’t have the exact colors it’s OK to substitute!  (And yes, I’m pretending I didn’t have the exact colors!  LMHO!)  So here’s my card…..

There’s a couple from my church I’ve been wanting to send a card to…. he’s working many, many hours and trying to get his degree, and she is at home with the kids just trying to keep everything running smoothly.  So I thought this cowboy from My Favorite Things, along with the sentiment I added inside (see below) would be a good note of encouragement for them both.  The cowboy comes from the new Cowboy at Heart a ‘la modes stamp set from MFT and for the layout I used the Guest Designer sketch for this month.  I used a few Die-Namics here as well… the Fishtail Flags STAX and the Oval Chain Border.
Here’s the inside, using a sentiment from the Triple Scoop set for this month…

Please be sure to visit my Color Throwdown sisters for more inspiration.  And stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details!
Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Denise Marzec
Joan Ervin
Kerri Michaud
Lori Tecler
Lynn Put
Wanda Cullen
Kim Hahn, February Guest Designer
Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

One of My Favorite Peeps

I needed some cards to send to a few friends, so I pulled out a paper pad from My Mind’s Eye that hasn’t been shown a lot of love and made these two cards…

I used the sketch #111 from My Favorite Things for this week for the first card, using my new Pure Innocence “One of My Favorite Peeps” stamp set.  I paper-pieced the dress with some of the designer paper, and used a few Die-Namics in the design including the Simply Scallops Medium border and a flag from the Accent It – Flags and Tags.
For the second card…

I pulled out this good ol’ Pooside Chicken stamp from Whipper Snapper and added a sentiment from Hero Arts.  Hopefully this warm up my friend since we’re in the midst of our usual cold Ohio winter!  There’s a few MFT Die-Namics on this card too, including the Small Scallop Border and a Fishtail Flags STAX for the sentiment.
Stay tuned for the Color Throwdown tomorrow!  My card will make you wanna’ shout Yeehaw!  :)

One Shoe…

I had an Etsy customer recently request a special order card using this image, and a “shoe” sentiment for the inside, similar to a card she bought from me a few years ago.  So I used this sweet Cinderella digital image from Mo’s Digital Pencil, colors with Copics and made up this card using some new My Mind’s Eye papers.  I loosely followed the Deconstructed Sketch #89 for this week for the layout.

On the inside, I computer-generated this sentiment and printed it on more paper from the 6x6 paper pad…



Happy stamping, happy weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

Poppy Sympathy

I unfortunately had the need for another sympathy card this week, so I decided to play along with the Love Fest challenges that started today at Splitcoaststampers.  Today’s challenge was to incorporate L.O.V.E. in your card, so I did…
L – layers, layout (I used the Retro Sketch #50 for this week.)
O – oval
V – vellum, vanilla cardstock
E – embossing (around the oval edges, and on the sentiment)
The poppy on my card is from the Poppy Patch stamp set from Flourishes, and I also used the Poppy Patch Silhouette cut file so I could mount the flower above the oval.  The papers I used on the card are Crate Paper “Maggie Holmes” collection.
Since the card base is dark gray, I added a small panel inside with a Fishtail Flag die cut for writing…


And while the Retro Sketch was fresh in my mind, I decided to make one more very clean-and-simple card using the sketch, because I needed a quick card to send to my Pastor.  The stamp I used here is supremely old… it maybe very well be one of the first stamps I ever bought, made by Stampourri.  I doubt I’ll ever part with it…. it’s an oldie, but a goodie!

Happy Friday!  Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

Check it Out

I had the chance to pick up some new stamps and Die-Namics recently from My Favorite Things, and finally got some time last night to PLAY!

Using the Mojo Monday sketch for this week, I created this card to send to a dear friend who can use some major encouragment.  I used the new Document It – Library Card, and Document It – Right This Way stamps from MFT, along with the Accent It – Flags and Tags Die-Namics (the little purple arrow) and the fabulous Pretty Posies Die-Namics for embellishments.  For the library card pocket, I used the Library Pocket cut file from the Silhouette Online store.  The papers I used here are new Dear Lizzy I picked up recently at Archiver’s…. LOVE the papers, but there is only ONE PIECE of each pattern in the 6x6 pad!  Yikes, what’s UP with that?  I’m going to need another one!
On the inside, I added some Fishtail Flags STAX die cuts, and a sentiment from the Complimentary Greetings stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Happy stamping!

Color Throwdown #229

It’s Wednesday again, so the Color Throwdown team has another challenge for you.  Wanda has picked these deeeee-lish chocolates as the color inspiration for this week and instead of make a card, I’d like to just dive into that decadence!  :)  But… I made a card, anyway!
I saw this darling card on Pinterest one day, and decided to CASE the design.  Unfortunately, I’m feeling like my version seriously pales in comparison, but it is what it is…

I used the Annivesary Set from Papertrey Ink for the flowers, and Woodgrain Fence Die-Namics from My Favorite Things, a kraft tag I cut with my Silhouette, and the sentiment from Impression Obsession.
Please be sure to visit my Color Throwdown sisters for more inspiration.  And stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details!
Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Denise Marzec
Joan Ervin
Kerri Michaud
Lori Tecler
Lynn Put
Wanda Cullen
Kim Hahn, February Guest Designer
Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

Much Obliged

Nothing is better than coming home from a long shift at work and finding a package of newly released stamps from My Favorite Things waiting for you!  Even though it was 10:00 p.m. when I got home, and I’ve got a whopper of a head cold, I just had to get inky!  I need a thank you note to take to work with me tomorrow, so I got busy!
The layout for this card is the Wednesday Sketch #110 from MFT, and I used the new Cowgirl at Heart a' la modes stamp set, and I borrowed the sentiment from the Cowboy at Heart set.  The paperes I used are My Mind’s Eye “Unforgettable”.  And I used a few Fishtail Flags STAX to finish the design, along with a button and twine.
That’s all for now!  Thanks for stopping by… happy stamping!

You’re Magic – Color Throwdown #228

It’s time for another Color Throwdown challenge and this week it’s my turn to host the challenge.  I thought something romantic was in order since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so here’s the color combo for today….

For my card, I decided to get some very neglected stamps inky again and to play along with the new TCP Tuesday challenge at The Cat’s Pajamas.  The challenge for February is to use your stamps in a new and creative way, so I used this non-Valentine stamp set called Presto! and created a Valentine…

I combined this sweet bunny with some older Valentine paper from My Mind’s Eye, and added a seam binding bow embellishment.  Behind the bunny, I added a Heart Ring Frame cut on my Silhouette Cameo.
Please be sure to visit my Color Throwdown sisters as well as our new Guest Designer for February for more inspiration.  And stop by the CTD blog for all the challenge details!
Barbara Anders Broni Holcombe Denise Marzec Joan Ervin Kerri Michaud Lori Tecler Lynn Put Wanda Cullen Kim Hahn, February Guest Designer
Thanks for stopping by, and happy stamping!

MORE Cards for Sale!

Believe it or not, I still have MORE cards for sale!  I've updated the listing... this will be the last one for now, I promise!  Visit my CARDS FOR SALE PAGE to see them all... and every card is only $2.00!  Read all the details at the top of the post, and give me a holler with what you want!

I also still have a few 6x6 paper pads for sale, as well as a whole Stamps for Sale page!

Thanks so much!