simple dreams

Stamp of the Month, August

I can't believe that school is right around the corner! We just got out a few days ago - didn't we??? I know that in the mid-West kids will be heading back to school shortly. Here in Washington State we have summer vacation until Labor Day weekend and then it's back to school for our kids.

Once again I am trying to get a little bit ahead of time by preparing some notecards to give to Katrina's teacher this year. It is a gift that teachers always seem to appreciate and are able to put to good use. So for this month's Stamp of the Month I thought I would share a little project that might help some of you get a head start as well. Not only will you be able to use this months stamps for Teacher projects and gifts, but I think that they will also be suitable for scrapping with as well.

In this month's kit we have elected to include three (3) stamps - IB Apple, IB Ruler and this wonderful AlphaNumber Backgrounder. We did not include the paper clips that are shown here being I felt that most individuals would have a supply of their own and we didn't want you to have to pay for something you probably already own. The addition of the paper clips just made it feel a little more "school-like".

This month's project doesn't really have the typical WOW that I like to include. The WOW factor for me this time round was the new Ranger Pigment pads. I could not believe how beautifully the Snow Cap or white pad stamped this image on the black cardstock. It is supposed to resemble a chalkboard. Ü 

I am going to share a picture of the ink pad being I was so surprised to open it and find a cover inside the cover. I do believe that this may help it retain its' wonderful moist surface.

I colored the white Inchie Square using Y19, Napoli Yellow - I wanted it to resemble one of those old cloth tape measures. After allowing the Copic ink to dry I then stamped the Inchie Ruler using Memento Tuxedo Black. I found that by stamping on a piece of scrap paper first and eyeballing where the image was it was fairly easy to get the stamp to line up nicely with the Inchie Square. Always remember that there are two sides to an Inchie Square and you can use the back if you mess up on the front Ü

The IB apple was stamped on a scrap of Solar Crest White and colored using R14, R27, R29, YG00, YG95, YG17, E55, and E47. Yes, perhaps I went a little overboard for such a tiny little apple - LOL! But you know a girl has to have depth when coloring Ü

I finished the card by adding some basic piercing for texture. I hope that you enjoy the simplicity of this sketch and will be able to use it to create other Inchie based cards in the future.

Stamp of the Month, July

Happy Canada Day!!! I hope that all of our Canadian friends are having a glorious day today!

Have you checked out the new Nestabilities and other Spellbinder designs? Aren't they spectacular!!! Don't forget that the Spellbinder Blog Party reveal has begun - you have until midnight tonight to enter using the link and die information provided on Debbie's blog and until midnight tomorrow night to enter using the link and die information provided on Jennifer's blog. You are not going to want to miss out on entering both of these drawings, especially being if you enter all 14 drawings you will automatically become eligible to win the ultimate prize!

I have been busier than a little bee completing projects for my big reveal on July 4th! I can HARDLY WAIT! Yes, I know - I am yelling - LOL! Sssssh Ellen - it's not your turn yet Ü

So today instead I am going to share the project that I created for this month's Stamp of the Month Packet.

I know, I know - Christmas in July?!? Being that it is always SO incredibly hard to be prepared for the holiday season I decided to put a bit of a festive twist on this month's packet. This card could be given along with your own handmade treats at the holidays, or used as a hostess thank you when you are invited to a holiday party. Perhaps you could even use it as an invitation to a neighborhood cookie exchange. My goal is always to share the versatility of a stamp design and thus the festive twist to the apron. I believe that this apron is one of those stamps that will become SO well used. I like to think about what occasion cards are needed for. With my surgeries and breaks, and... I really was bummed that I didn't have more thank you notes prepared that were "cooking" oriented to thank those who helped our family out with meals.

To begin I made a mask of the pocket area of the apron being I did not want my embellished design to run off on to the apron front.

Eclipse tape is a tool that has been a product I fell in love with years ago. It is one of the best and easiest masking devices on the market in my opinion. I stamped on it and used my retractable blade cutting knife to cut away the part of the pocket I wanted to embellish.

Next I stamped my design over the image. I am showing you my first attempt above so that hopefully you can learn from my mistake - LOL! Even though this tape is extremely thin, definitely thinner than Post-It notes, I find that I still need to us a little extra pressure when I stamp with a mask. If you stamp too gently you will miss the portion of the design that is right next to the eclipse tape as I did above.

Above shows the colored image. I used quite a variety of colors to complete the coloring of this portion of the apron - YG00, YG63, YG95, YG85, R81, RV17, RV19, RV34 and W1. I then cut it out and added texture using the technique I go into more detail about below.

I began by quickly coloring my image using YG00, YG63 and RV19. Being I knew I was going to be covering a portion of the design with a second layer I colored the pocket quickly just to provide color on the inside top of the pocket.

As you can see the color of the green I selected was brighter than the cardstock. Therefore I needed to add some gray to the image to bring it closer to the color I needed. I selected several neutrals and tested the colors on a piece of scrap paper. I found that W1 combined with YG00 was the perfect blend. The picture above shows how I brought the gray in from the edges. Someday soon I hope to learn how to make a YouTube video because that is the only way I know how I could show you how I blend colors. I added a little YG63 along a couple of edges and then came back over top of all the colors with YG00.

As you can see from the back side of this image above I concentrated more ink in the blended areas around the outside edge and I left the center of the apron, lighter and brighter to achieve a "rounded" look to the image.

With each project of the month I like to share something that will be a small "WOW", or that is cool thought. For this one I wanted to show you how you can add texture to the apron and truly make it look more like fabric. This is created using a simple paper towel and colorless blender solution.

I have included this image just so that you can see how I let the solution bleed out. I actually let the solution sit on the paper towel for approximately 15-30 seconds. You want the paper towel to have a damp feeling, but not be soaked. Set the paper towel straight down on your project and gently apply quick pressure over the entire image. I would like to recommend that you experiment on a scrap piece rather than your original piece of art, so that you don't wreck your beautiful creation on your first try Ü

As you can see by this closeup view the texture added is the coolest little addition. I also applied this same technique to the cut out apron pockets and towel.

The piece was completed by mounting it on a basic Nestability rectangle, which was then mounted on the scalloped Nestability rectangle. Using a soft green ink I stamped the Holiday Millinery Embellishment randomly over the cardfront to add texture.

One last tip is to use your Copic markers to add color to regular staples. I was able to add a little more raspberry "zip" to the image by using my colored staple to attach the little ribbon embellishment.

Well I'd best get back to finishing up all those projects I've started - LOL! You should see my work room. I have all sorts of beauties distributed along the length of my countertop awaiting their final embellishments, pictures etc. Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous evening!

Stamp of the Month, June

Summer picnics are just so much fun - now if only summer would arrive here in Seattle! I kid you not when I tell you that at many Fourth of July events here in Seattle we must bundle up in our winter clothings. So here is to hoping that this year we once again get that magical day on which to celebrate our freedom.

To create this month's Stamp of the Month packet I decided to use this awesome Picnic stamp, but once I started creating there were a couple of other stamps that coordinated so perfectly that I just went with it and elected to put three of the Lockhart new stamps, (picnic, IB watermelon and summer days) in this month's kit. They have been flying out the door so please know that if you click on the link above and get a funny message that says this item is not to be found, we have currently run out. Please know that we have ordered more and will be restocking as quickly as possible.

To begin cut an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of Holly Berry cardstock lengthwise to 4 1/4" x 11".

Fold cardstock as indicated above.

Using my favorite method of coloring, a blend of Copic Markers and Prismacolor Color Pencils, I colored the image stamped using Adirondack Pitch Black Ink on Neenah Classic Crest, Solar White cardstock. Begin with light colors of Copic Sketch markers (R14, B41, YG00, Y21 Special Mix).

Continue to add depth and layers of color by using the following colors of Prismacolor Color Pencils: Powder Blue, Denim Blue, Copenhagen Blue, GingerRoot, Sand, Goldenrod, Limepeel, Dark Green, Process Red, Scarlet Lake and Crimson Lake. I work from light to dark with my Prismacolors as well as Copics. To create a "sunny window" effect inside the frame I adding additional layers of color in the corners, leaving a brighter spot directly behind the image - almost like a light source is directly behind the grouping.

Finish the coloring portion of this project by adding Black Copic marker and Clear Glossy Glaze pen to the watermelon seeds. I also added the glossy detail to the blueberries and the flagpole. Add a little Stardust Glitter pen pizzaz to the flowers, flagpole, watermelon rind and piecrust. It is incredible how these little details can add so much to your final image.

I really wish that these pictures didn't one dimensionalize things so much.

To add additional texture to the front "flap" of the cardfront I used a small piece of the Corner Flower piercing template. There are numerous options for adding dimension to this front strip - other pierced designs, brads - be creative. Then add your sentiment in the lower right hand corner of the card front.

This particular layout can be so versatile. I challenge you to create a card patterned after this layout and link it in the comments section below.

One of the challenges of creating 4 1/4" square cards is the type of envelope they fit in, as well, more postage is required. My buddy Julie shared an idea with me some time back that I thought was pure genius - it was resizing a regular envelope to hold these adorable cards. I believe that she used adhesive and vellum for her design - my memory is failing me at the moment! I decided to use my handy dandy little Janome sewing machine to create the perfect sized "pocket". You could also sew a seam across the bottom to create an envelope for a 3 1/2" square card. As you can see in the photo at the top of the page I stamped the IB Watermelon up the side to create some added interest on the envelope front.

You girls are GREAT guessers Ü You are right - June has a Friday the 13th and it is the only one this year! We would like to thank you all so much for your support over this past year by offering you Version 3 of this celebration. On Friday, June 13 we will once again have a special promotion of 13% off of all products in our store for 13 hours beginning at 6:00am Pacific Savings Time (on the East Coast that means it will be 9:00am). Watch for more updates or sign up for our newsletter (scroll to the bottom of the home page) to receive the special code you will need for this special celebration!

Stamp of the Month, May

Thank you all SO VERY MUCH for the well wishes, healing thoughts and prayers! I truly apologize for the HUGE gap in time with my communication. I feel that the surgery went well, but it will be some time before I really know the outcome. I am feeling very optimistic being I am getting around extremely well considering everything they did, but it takes the bone 9-12 months to heal and so I will not know for at least another 3 months whether or not they were successful in the reshaping of my femoral head (the bone that fits into the hip socket). Sitting (and walking any length) are still a little difficult (OK, so a lot difficult some days Ü) my behind feels like it is on fire if I sit for too long - LOL and so I have been trying to treat my body "gently" in order to maximize the healing in these first weeks.

It has also been a bit of a challenge for me to have my creative "stuff" separate from my office. I am at the mercy of my DH's schedule right now in getting my "studio" put together at my office. I will then have all my creative supplies moved down there as well and thus will be able to be a lot more efficient. When this is completed I will take photographs and share them with you. I have put quite a bit of thought into the organization of this space and so I hope that everything will have a spot so that I don't waste time looking for stuff - LOL! You know how that goes - we accumulate things to try and then they don't get a home, so we then can't find it when we want to use it :D Well hopefully the storage solutions I am trying will rectify that. J.J. will be working like a trooper this week to get all that IKEA furniture put together and then move my "stuff", so hopefully I will be up and running (well, not literally LOL) by next week.

Now on with the creative end of this post :D

When creating this month's stamp of the month packet I wanted it to be versatile enough to be used for the upcoming month's events. With Father's Day and Fourth of July right around the corner, and it starting to feel a lot more like summertime, grilling and outdoor cookouts are much more on my mind. I also wanted to showcase a fun layout that would incorporate Inchies in to it, thus I picked the IB Hot Dog and IB Hamburger as my focal point.

I stamped these images directly on the White Inchie Squares using Memento Ink. One of the things I had noticed when I stamped on these dense Inchie Squares with any of the other inks I have been using with Copic markers I have always needed to heat set it. So I wanted to try the newest Tsukineko ink with the Copic markers. I must say that I am truly taken with these! I did not have to heat set! I will be carrying these new inks in my store when I get around to being able to place an order, because I was so impressed.

I apologize for not being able to recal all the Copic colors that I used on my Hot Dog and Hamburger. If you are in need of the colors please post below and I will pull them back out and do my best to figure out which colors I used. Everything happened in such a hurry the end of last month and with surgery on May 2nd my life just started spinning out of control - uggh!

The black square was then cut to the size of 1 5/8" wide by 3 1/4" high. I mounted the white Inchie squares, leaving a gap in the center. I then place my two red brads to add some punch in that center.

There were a number of phrases I thought about using, but being I wanted to use this as a Father's Day card I thought the phrase "What's cookin' good lookin'?" would be fun. I printed it out in Word on a sheet of paper. I then cut out my Double Ended Tag. I affixed it using a temporary adhesive directly over the printed words on my sheet of paper and sent it back through the printer again. When I can't find the stamp I would like to use, this is a wonderful way to be able to say whatever I would like.) I then placed my tag back into the die and embossed it.

Next I mounted my tag by running the ribbon through it, putting adhesive on the back and mounting it on my card front. I then mounted the Inchie squares panel and ended by adding a little piercing to give the card front some additional texture.

Thank you all so much for your patience with me during this time. I am most definitely looking forwards to being back on a more consistent basis with more creative stimulation soon!!!

Stamp of the Month, April

It has been a long time since I posted anything using the beautiful parchment paper we carry. When creating using this paper one achieves such a soft, elegant look. So for the April Stamp of the Month packet I thought I would share this art form with you in a very elementary way to expose more of you to the beauty that can be created using these simple tools.

I began with specific limitations - as you well know one must think in advance in order to have supplies at the ready. This month I had preselected a beautiful springy ribbon and brads to use in my project, but I had not determined what stamp I was going to use. It occurred to me that April is Tulip season here in Washington state and I just knew that this image would translate into Pergamano so well. When coloring flowers I often times Google the particular flower I am coloring to use as a reference. Little did I know that there are EXQUISITE blue tulips! You must click this link to see some other incredibly gorgeous blue flowers Ü

Photo by Nedko

To begin I stamped my Tulips image using Palette, New Canvas on Parchment paper. I then gently heat set it being I am an impatient stamper and don't like waiting for ink to dry - LOL! Be careful to hold your heat source away from the paper though so that you don't "curl" it. Place your parchment paper stamped side down on a dark padded surface. I prefer to use one of the Pergamano Embossing pads, but beginners can use a black piece of cardstock atop a stack of papers. Next I used my Fine Stylus Embossing Tool to trace all the details of the image. As you can see the Fine Stylus, shown on the bottom, has a much finer tip than any other stylus I carry. I really like this stylus for detailed work. You can achieve an embossed look with other embossing stylus, but it will not be as precise.

Copic markers work fabulously on parchment paper! To color this image work on the back side (or opposite side) of the stamped image - the same side as you embossed on. Begin with the lightest colors - B23, YG00, and Y21 (special). Add depth and dimension with B29, YG63, G85, Y21, YR14 and E39. Below is a close-up of the finished image.

One of the little quandries that one runs in to with vellum and parchment is that all detail shows from behind. In this case I really wanted the image to pop. As a solution I then stamped the Tulips image once again - this time I used a very light blue ink pad, Adirondack 's Cloudy Blue - to stamp my image on white cardstock.

To hide the adhesive can be tricky. There are many new adhesives on the market - one is made by Tombow and I tried it at CHA, unfortunately I could still see it through the vellum and so I try to be clever in attaching my projects so that no adhesive will show. I punched holes in the parchment using my Making Memories Slot Punching Tool. I love that I can punch a slot in any location with this tool. I did learn though that one should use the Making Memories cutting board that comes with it rather than the Basic Grey Magnetic Precision Mat - I managed to punch my slot right through to the metal surface - oops! Fortunately I was able to reinsert the little piece and my mat looks as good as new, but I thought I would forewarn you so that hopefully you don't make the same mistake.

Then thread your ribbon through the slots and apply adhesive to the back side of your cardstock placing it directly behind your pergamano piece. Place your project into position and adhere the cardstock to your cardfront. As you can see I removed the parchment from the ribbon so that I could adjust the ribbon to be in the correct spot for tying my knot. Next apply adhesive to the back side of the parchment piece directly beneath where you will run the ribbon. At this point I realized that I wanted to "frame" the parchment and so I ran my E39 Medium Broad tip around the edge of the parchment.

Thread ribbon through slots and adhere the parchment attaching two brads in the upper left hand corner of the parchment aligning them with the knotted ribbon below. I also sponged a little Vintage Photo distress ink on the Ocean Blue notecard to pull it all together.

OK - so I'm a goofball - LOL! I made this post go live and I wasn't even finished with it. So there you have it - a sneak preview of what is to come later tonight Ü I hope that you enjoy this month's project and jump on board with a Pergamano style or parchment craft project!

Stamp of the Month, March

OMGoodness - I can not believe it is March!!! AND I can not believe that Easter is in March - March 23rd to be exact! Can you ever remember Easter coming so early??? In thinking about what would be appropriate for this month's Stamp of the Month, spring fever hit me. I am SO very ready for sunshine, warmth and pretty colors outside! Being those colors are not yet here I just had to use bright cheery colors in this month's creations. Lockhart's Dottie Bunny has hit a soft spot in my heart. I don't know if it is the folksy, cute factor or the little polka dots - LOL!

One of the things that I heard from you is that you enjoyed the simplicity of some of the projects I have created recently. So I took my lead from that and created TWO easy projects for you to replicate using this month's Stamp of the Month packet.

The new collection of Memory Box decorative papers, Sprout, has some of the most wonderful images to use as backgrounds with rubber stamps. I love the scale, diversity and color range within each collection! I began with the Dottie Bunny and selected a very simple tone on tone portion of the floral background to stamp the bunny on. I then colored in the circles with my E27, Africano, Copic Marker. Cutting out the bunny is so very simple and allows you to add depth to your project.

Next I selected a patterned paper that would make a wonderful scenic background and selected "just the right" piece of that pattern to cut out my backdrop. I did use my largest rectangle Nestability to cut and emboss this layer, but you can also just cut a rectangle if you do not own the Nestabilities.

I would like to share the following tip when you work with background papers. If the color of the image on your background paper is not exactly what you want, then simply adjust the color with Prismacolor color pencils or Copic markers. In this case I used Chocolate Prismacolor color pencil to add a little more of the correct brown tone to the leaves - this really helped aid in bringing the entire card together and added a little more texture to the area I wanted the eye to focus on. Place this decorative paper on top of the Vanilla Bean cardstock and punch your holes. I then added adhesive to the back side of this element, but did not place it in position until I had threaded my ribbon. Once your ribbon is threaded you can then affix this element and tie the knot.

Another tip I would like to share is in regards to placing your punch for the holes. Look carefully at the picture below and you will notice two little Sharpie Marker lines on my punch. They are hard to see so I put white arrows indicating their placement. This ensures that I reach in the same distance each time I punch. You can also use your Crop-a-dile to do this, but if you don't own one this is the next best thing Ü

To complete this card I added some brads to help bring balance and interest and placed my bunny to jump over the bushes.

This month I just couldn't stop with one card though - LOL! The next idea hit me like a rocket and I just had to share it with everyone as well. It all began this time with the egg. I purchased an egg shaped McGill punch last year right before Easter - did I use it? NO! What a shame - so I pulled out the punch and created the egg. What could be more odd, yet cute, than a bunny jumping out of that egg? Ü

I will include a copy of this egg, hand-drawn, in this month's packet for those who don't have the punch or who don't feel comfortable drawing a cracked open egg. You will then be able to trace the version that I created.

The next adventure I will share is how to create the tag. Being that I didn't have the exact sentiment I wanted, in the exact size I wanted, I decided to create my own. I selected to use a whimsical font call Witchcraft - OK, so I really don't like the name, but I love the font - LOL! The key to getting precise placement is quite simple. First, print out the font on a regular sheet of typing paper. Next cut out your tag and holding it up to a light source affix it to your typing paper precisely over the printed area, centering as need. I typically use a permanent adhesive being that when I pull it off the typing paper it is the typing paper that will tear and not your decorative cardstock, but I have also used temporary adhesive and it seems to have held quite nicely. Then just reprint by sending that typing paper back through your printer a second time. Voila - you will have a precisely printed label. Filling in the letters with some additional color brought the lettering out a little more. I felt that the striped paper had the appearance of grass and so selected it for this label. The holes on the label were just a little too large for the brads so I punched a little 1/4" circle out of coordinating cardstock and affixed it to the label. Then the brad fit nicely to hold the label in place.

Last but not least I added some texture to the background using the wonderful CHF Paisley backgrounder inked in a coordinating pink (I believe I used Stampin' Up!s Pretty in Pink or perhaps it was Adirondack Shell Pink - I forgot to write it down and now my memory is failing me - arrgh). Prepped the coordinating stripe, egg top edge and bunny tail with 2-way glue and blinged it with this awesome Iridescent Glitter.

So get hoppin' girls - you don't have much time this year to get those Easter greetings prepared and sent!

Stamp of the Month, February

This month's creation was TOTALLY inspired by Debbie's "We're Quite the Pair". I absolutely adore how she used her creativity to showcase these socks in a different light. Being that this month is Valentine's I wanted to share how it is that this could be turned into an absolutely darling Valentine image. I think that the words "Sole Mate" or "We're a great pair!" would make the cutest little greeting inside the card or in the lower right corner of this card. Or hey - if you are not being all lovey, dovey you could just put "Love Stinks" on it instead - LOL! Another option being that we are in the prime of cold and flu season would be to use the awesome Lockhart sentiment "get comfy, rest and get better".

I decided to show something a little different this month. Rather than stamping on white or off-white paper I elected to stamp on one of the wonderful textured pattern papers included in this months Stamp of the Month Packet. It is from the Memory Box Enlighten series. The texture in this paper reminded me of the texture you would find in a pair of comfy socks Ü

I stamped the Warm Socks image directly on the patterned paper. I colored the image using the  grouping of Copics below. Just adding a hint of Warm Gray around the sock edges helped pop the image off of the background.

Next I created a reverse mask for the sock exposing only the sock on the right.

Then flip your image upside down and using the tip of your Copic Sketch Markers add the heart details.

Sharon has shared the wonderful trick of creating hearts with you on her blog. I will share it with you once again here. This time I would like for you to consider some other shapes you can create using the same type of brush marker position.

The brush tip when lightly "laid down" on your paper leaves a wonderful tear drop shape. When combined in fun ways you can create all sorts of different images - the biggest skill you will need to develop is the ability to place the tip of your marker in the correct position as you consider what it is that you are creating.

This flower was created by layering "tear drops" in a circle. Then repeat a second time, adding a second tear drop slightly off from the first. Complete the flower by adding a yellow dot to the center.

The butterfly is created by placing the tear drops and then adding the body and antennae detail with a multi-liner or the brush-tip of the Black Sketch.

Add random hearts using Copic color G40 to the area at the top of the card front.

To complete the card use a pair of scallop edged scissors and a hole punch or Crop-a-dile to add the eyelet effect to the scalloped edge of the striped paper. Color the silver brads with Copic Marker RV34.

I use a pair of self-closing tweezers to hold my brad in place as I color it. Allow the brad to dry for a few seconds. Adhere the twill to your project and insert brads in place as shown above. At times I need to retouch the tops of the brads with a little more color after I push them in to place.

I hope you enjoy the versatility of this month's Stamp of the Month and I look forward to hearing if you have any other thoughts about what it is that you can create with a tear drop. So put your thinking caps on and see what else you can come up with Ü

Stamp of the Month, January

I have been trying to get a jump-start on "things" in life, but it hasn't been working too well for me yet - LOL! In preparation for Valentine's I wanted to get going a couple of months early in hopes of being more ready for the "sweetest" day of the year this go round. I designed everything, made certain that I had everything necessary for the packet and then of course life got away again - so finally here are the directions for this months Stamp of the Month - "Tart of Hearts".

It all began with the image, ribbon and brads. A couple of months ago I discovered these yummalicious Bon Bon sugar coated brads and knew they were perfect for the "chocolatey feeling" that comes with Valentines. Next I found the soft pink (it may look white in the picture, but in real life it is the softest pink that coordinates perfectly with Cotton Candy) and red edged ribbon - my color scheme was determined Ü. These coordinated beautifully with Flirt 6x6 paper and Cotton Candy and Vanilla Bean Memory Box cardstock.

Coloring this month's image is super easy. Only four Copic colors were used - RV11, R29, E31 and E27. I began by coloring the image with the lightest colors - RV11 and E31. I then added red highlights (R29) to the upper left side of each heart.

Use a white "palette" to scribble R29 on to it. Pick the red up using Copic RV11 to blend the heart colors and add color to the background behind the hearts, the doily and the polka dots and stripes on the stand.

The chocolate highlights (E27) were added last. These were added by using the lighter color (E31) to pick up E27 from the palette and add shading to the image as shown in the first photo above. Red Glitter and Clear Glaze were added to the Hearts and stand for that little extra pizzaz.

In placing the image on the card front I left plenty of room for you to add a sentiment beneath the tart (I would stamp this in a rich Espresso color). "Be My Valentine" is the first idea that comes to mind, but "Thanks a Bunch", I Heart You, or "You're the Heart at the top of my Tart" could also be fun. You may even want to color one heart a different color and put something to the effect of "You are Special". How about cutting or punching out one of the little hearts and add a "Missing You" sentiment? What other ideas do you have for this little stack of hearts? I would love to hear them.

Stamp of the Month, December

Where have I been again? LOL! Well... filling orders, answering emails and phonecalls, and most obviously not blogging. This bronchitis is continuing to get the best of me and therefore by the time 9:00p rolls around I just can't work any longer and head to bed. Are any of you allergic to your Christmas tree? I am wondering if our tree this year may be the culprit for my cold just not getting any better. It appears to start getting better and then wham, back full force.

I decided that today had to be the day I shared how it is that I created the flowers for our stamp of the month project, no matter what! I am then heading to bed for some much needed rest. I am so sorry it is taking me so long to post the instructions this month. I wanted you to also know that Memory Box shipped our notecards on Friday so that we can get all the orders out post-haste tomorrow. My count of the Dill notecards was waaaay off and this month's kit has been so popular that we totally missed the boat on it. We count our inventory constantly, so how could it be so off?!? LOL! This is just one of the many things that continues to mystify me :D

These flowers all started when I fell in love with the Create-a-Cut. The manufacturers of this nifty and no longer to be found cutter shared with me how it is that they made these. I can not take credit for this idea at all. One of the girls was incredibly skilled at making these and it was while working with them that I discovered the fun of making these. Being that the cutter has pretty much disappeared I had to come up with a different way of making them, so that I could share these with you, and thus the move back to the old-fashioned decorative edged scissors. So pull those babies out and start putting them to good use once again.

For the flowers on this month's project I used zig-zag scissors. Experiment with different scissors for different types of flowers. Scalloped scissors make great roses, deckled scissors can make beautiful carnations. These are so simple to make! It doesn't matter if you cut straight or have that crooked cut going on. In fact experiment with those crooked cuts to see what type of flower you can create. I have made some that are different heights in the center and longer around the edges. Think of a real flower and then see if you can figure out a way to replicate it.

Begin by cutting a 1/2" strip of paper that is 8 1/2" in length. This will be enough paper for a number of flowers. Then using a detailed pair of regular scissors you will cut your "petals" in to this paper strip. This is where variation can occur as well. For these flowers, I wanted them to have more of an appearance of a poinsettia, so I cut the design shown below. As you can see the shape is somewhat rounded with little "slivers" in between each rounded shape. Each one of the zigs (or zags Ü) is 1/4" in width.

Insert the paper in to the slotted tool. This little gadget is essential in making nice tight flowers in my opinion.

As you can see I cut my long strip back in to manageable lengths. Most of my flowers for this card only use three or five of the little "zig-zags" to complete each piece. Lay down a tiny strip of glue - for mine I used my Making Memories ribbon glue - it comes out in a very small thread and thus is simple to use and manage. I'm certain that most any white glue will work though. You could apply it with a toothpick if need be. Do not apply glue to the spot that is next to the slotted tool. If you do you will end up gluing your flower to the tool. Start the glue application about 3/8" away from the end that is inserted in to the slotted tool.

At this point you will then roll your paper around the tip of the slotted tool. In this case I rolled it tightly towards myself. Once I have it rolled in to place I hold it for approximately 30 seconds until the glue begins to adhere. I then pull the flower off the end of the slotted tool and lay it down to dry for a few minutes while I work on the next flowers.

Once the base is dried cut it shorter. Envision the flower below with about 1/2 of the tight rolled base snipped off. This allows me to bring the flower closer to my paper when adhering it. Do not cut too much off though or you will end up with just a bunch of paper snippets. Yep, done that - in fact I still do sometimes when I cut too agressively in quest of that tight short flower - LOL!

Next "roll" each petal back using your finger nail to form a floral shape. To determine how many flowers I need for my completed project I just sprinkle them around where I think they belong. For this month's card I made six flowers - (2) five-petal or five zig-zag flowers and (4) three-petal flowers (those shown above). Typically I like to use odd numbers, but in this case six seemed to look the best.

Next cut out the leaves. Each leaf varies in length from 3/8" to 5/8". I freehand cut the shapes as shown below and then use a small embossing stylus to add detail to the leaf back. Hopefully you can see the simple line I drew in the leaf shape below.

Next I shape and position my leaves. I began with only five leaves as shown, but as I worked on my project I decided it needed a few more and ended up using a total of eight leaves for the final project.

I use two different methods to adhere the flowers and leaves - Diamond Glaze/Crystal Effects and glue dots. I have found that the Diamond Glaze/Crystal Effects holds a lot better, but it takes some time to dry and therefore you need to leave your project sit untouched until the glue is dry. When in a hurry I use glue dots, but they simply don't hold as well.

As the final touch I then cut out the entire bouquet and used dimensionals to pop the bouquet off the cardfront. The shadowing this creates adds realism to the whole project.

OK - so now you know how to make paper flowers. I would LOVE to see what you all come up with so please leave me links or send me notes to share your versions.

I bet you want to know what colors I used to color as well, don't you Ü I colored the entire image so that if you look down closely at it the project appears complete right through to the base.

This month I started with Prismacolor pencils. I laid down the colors Poppy Red, Chartreuse, Sand and Goldenrod on the berries.

Next I added in the darker hues - Scarlet Red and Crimson Red, Limepeel and Dark Green, more Sand and a little more Goldenrod. I then used my Copic Glitter pens in Red and Gold to add that final pizazz.

Once again my photo editting leaves a lot to be desired - I have completely washed out the colors. I think I might ask Santa for a white balance filter for my camera, as well as a gadget to adjust the colors on my monitor. These two little items would make editting photos SO much more accurate (I hope. I'm guessing that if I actually had time to learn more about my camera that this would be something I could do with it as well though - LOL!). If any of you know of good ones I would love to have your opinions on this. (My camera is a Nikon D80.)

Just a quick update - all the sale orders are out (unless you were one of the few unfortunate souls who encountered our miscount of inventory and ordered an item that we were off by one or two.) The good news is those orders will hopefully be going out this week being that our inventory is supposed to be restocked shortly. Our suppliers have done a remarkable job of filling the holes that were created by our sale. A huge thank you to all of them!!!

The girls who create the Dew Drops have been sick with the flu too, but they are hoping to get our new order out to us on Monday or Tuesday, which means we should have them by week's end. I'll check back in with them so that I can update those of you who have already placed your preorders. It is so fun to see how many of you love the "unusual" little items we find. Many of you have sent emails, cards, and special things my way sharing your appreciation with me. I thank you SO MUCH for your kind words of encouragement, support and appreciation and the incredibly thoughtful items that have been passed my way. I am behind in my acknowledgements and feel awful about it - it is high on my priority list though. Please know that you are SO appreciated - I'm losing my mind being that my body is not cooperating.

I guess while I'm whining about my uncooperative body I might as well fill you all in on the week ahead. This week is going to be another tough week to get things accomplished. I head to the foot specialist for a "fitting" this week. I'm really excited about that actually - LOL! They will be making a special "orthotic" (I think that is what it is called) to help my right foot. Then I head to the hip surgeon for yet another consultation - I'm not certain I'm so excited about that - LOL, but there is a huge part in me that knows I need to do this and therefore I am convincing myself to be hopeful. It appears we may have a "fight" on our hands with our insurance company. They will pay for the arthroscopy (a scope to look into the hip socket), but then will not pay for the reshaping of the femoral head and hip socket. At this time they believe this will help alleviate the problem of my leg collapsing under me. What's up with the insurance company anyways?!? They would pay for a hip replacement, but my doctor's believe that I really don't need a hip replacement yet. I am very happy for this, but... If any of you have word's of wisdom we might use I would love to hear them! OK - enough with the whining.

I hope to be back soon with Michelle's kit and an Inchie Challenge. Word is out that you love what the girls have created. They are genius aren't they! I have more of Karen's to share with you and she will get some information up on her site as well.

Karen and Scott lost their computer of six months this past weekend just as Scott was about to make the new images and an Inchie post go live. They are hoping to update their website by next weekend, but as with all things computer oriented one just never knows. Moral of the story - back-up, back-up, back-up to an off-site location. Yikes, computers can be our nemisis.

Have a wonderful week and don't let the stresses of the season make your lives to crazy!

November Stamp of the Month

When selecting what it was that I wanted to use for the Stamp of the Month project this month I decided to use the Autumn Wreath being that it would be appropriate for both fall and Christmas. Not only can you color this wreath in "autumn" colors, but it is easy to switch your color palette ever so slightly and turn it into a Della Robbia style wreath for the holiday season. I'm not certain if you will remember a card I did last year about this time in which I used a more traditional "holiday" oriented selection of colors. I thought I would share it with you again so that you can have yet another alternative to view while coloring your image.

This month I wanted to share a more vibrant look. I love the new Memory Box paper collection, Studio. The colors are so vivid. Rather than going with the more traditional Holly Berry (which does look awesome with these papers) I wanted it to be a little more offbeat and selected the color Persimmon (I apologize for my inability to get the color correct on my computer screen - Persimmon looks just like the fruit - a fun pinky/orangey/red tone. How is that for a description? - LOL!) which we will be adding to our store soon. This allowed me to select vibrant colors for coloring in the image.

This time I used a combination of Copic Marker and Prismacolor pencils. To begin coloring the image I used the lightest Copic colors. By quickly coloring the entire wreath I was able to define where my colors would be placed.

During this application I work extremely fast - not worrying too much about precision. I then start layering the colors. Wouldn't you know it - the pictures I took of my coloring process were blurry - LOL! So I did a little "replication" below (this time I colored on white rather than the natural white) of only the bow section to share the step by step progression. I have often referred to using a plastic palette (at times I just grab the nearest acrylic block - at others I prefer to use something white so that it is easier to "see" the light tones) and so I wanted to share a picture with you being that a picture is worth a thousand words.

In the tray above I colored R59 - one of the darkest reds currently in our color palette. I then used R14 to "pick" this color up off the palette with the tip of the marker.

On the bow above I colored the lower portion of the bow using R14 dipped in R59. As you can see I start coloring up at the bow intersection where the "shadowing" would make your bow appear darker, dragging the color out to the end of the bow. As you color the marker color lightens back to it's original color. I then colored the top portion of the bow just using R59. I left the right side untouched and came back in on the left side with R14 to help "blend" the R59 out. As you can see the color is much more "defined" at first from the color right next to it, when utilizing this method.  There are many different ways to arrive at a "similar end". Picking the darker color up with the marker that you laid the first color down with, allows for the easiest of blending.

Never fear that you will "contaminate" your lighter color with the darker color. Simply scribble your marker off on a piece of scratch paper - voila you will once again have a like-new marker with it's original color back again.

Lastly I came back over top of the Copics with a variety of reds, and a Sand, Prismacolor color pencils. The texture and sheen that develop from this type of application are completely different then when using the Copic markers alone. Pictures can never seem to truly capture the variety of depth that is achieved using this method. You can see it best on the pears below, where the contrast is the greatest, how beautifully Prismacolor pencils "mingle" with Copic markers.

This month's kit is finished off with the wonderful funky texture of the velvet rick rack, antique copper brads (don't be afraid to use these en masse being there are 100 in the package) and Dill cardstock.

I will happily tell you that the order has been placed for the Copic markers that will match the Stampin' Up! colors, but I do not yet have any clue as to when those will actually arrive. It takes a while you know - LOL! So keep watching our blog and as soon as we having something more definitive I'll share the details with you.

We are still awaiting our Nestability restock, as well as the new dies that have been ordered. The Nestabilities will not be here until mid-month. Hopefully the new dies will arrive before I head out so that I can get them up on the store. We have hearts, scalloped hearts, paisley and scalloped paisleys, petite ovals and their coordinating basic shapes (these ovals are a different size then the classic ones) - I think that you will enjoy these new products. We are waiting each day for that truck to arrive :D

I have another bracelet kit that Debbie put together just waiting for me to get it up. It is absolutely "charming" (ha!ha! boy I am SO not funny when I'm tired) watch for it shortly.

We are off to Disney World in two days!!! Our summer trip had been "postponed" due to my foot and so we are now on our way. Slow but steady - right?!? The girls - Beth, Malena and Malin, will all be here keeping things running smoothly and take caring of you and our pup, Jasper. I am so excited to be taking my littlest for her first real visit to see the mouse. We tease her that she has been there before, but she seems to think that being one just doesn't count - LOL! I hope to be back one more time before then, but as you can see by the few posts of the last few weeks life is spinning out of control. I can promise you that I have some wonderful things in store for you to celebrate our one year anniversary the end of this month (big wink!). Take care and have fun being creative!!!

October Stamp of the Month

I can NOT believe it is October already. Where has this year gone?!? I feel like I'm treading water and just barely keeping my head up - LOL! I am thrilled to report that I am beginning to walk a lot better. I have been working with Carrie, who has been such a wonderful help in bringing the pain levels down to a more tolerable level. It is still difficult to get around, but is getting easier each and every week!!!

OK - so this month I just had to change it up. I adore the fall images that Karen has in her collection and I just could not go through the season without putting one in a Stamp of the Month Packet. So I began creating a card using this month's stamp of the month - Indian Corn. I LOVE the colors in Indian Corn and used some that I have hanging as a garland over my pantry door, as the inspiration for my coloring.

Last month's image was colored using Prismacolor Color Pencils - typically this is the medium I have been using for the Stamp of the Month project being that I believe most of you own Prismacolors. Now that many of you have purchased the Copic markers from me I have decided to switch it out and share with you which Copic colors I would use to color in the image. I then used this image on my Thank You notes this month as well as the stamp of the month packet example. Yes that's right - each month I color the Stamp of the Month to use for the Thank You notes so that if you do choose to purchase this stamp or packet you will have a close-up view of the image I have colored.

When coloring using Copic markers I typically lay down my lightest colors first. This image is so incredibly easy to color being that the base color is pretty much all over. Using Y21 and YG00 (on the leaves only) I quickly colored the entire image.

I love how Trudee shows you all the beautiful colors together that she uses in her projects, so I went ahead and did the same type of picture showing which colors I used in my project. By doing this it is easy to find the colors in her posts, so I will try and do the same for you :D Thank you for the awesome idea Trudee!!! (Just as a side note - Trudee just colored this same image a few days ago - so scroll down in her posts for another idea as to how to color in this image and see how Trudee did it Ü)

ETA: You must also check out Mish's blog - she also did a card featuring this month's stamp of the month Ü

Being that I didn't want for the darkest colors to just explode off my project I colored them on to a plastic surface and then using my Y21 picked them up and added them to my project as shown below.

I did touch the tip of the R59 to the berries and only a few of the kernels of corn. The YR21 was also used directly on the husks and corn kernels. All other colors were added using the Y21 as my base marker.

Once I had all the colors in place I used the orange Spica glitter pen to add that shimmer you see. Using an extremely light hand I just lightly twirl the glitter down the left hand side of each cob of corn as well as up some husks and the center of the leaves, finally dotting the berries with the glitter as well. I find that less is more in this case - I always try to achieve a balance from left to right and top to bottom when applying glitter to images.

Next I determined how it is that I would complete this project. As luck would have it I had a fabulous spool of Raffia in stock - it has a total of five colors in it and I couldn't believe how well it went with the image. Pure luck I tell ya! I pulled some Memory Box cardstock (Cantaloupe and Burgundy) and notecards (Jack O Lantern) and was thrilled with the beautiful color scheme that nature had provided. Being that I wanted to keep the elements basic rather than adding a patterned paper to the mix I added yet another stamp - Give Thanks. I loved how this sentiment has the little acorn and leaves swirling off the ends and felt that it made a wonderfully subtle element to the background design.

You will notice that I have used the Nestabilities to add detail to my focal point, but please do not hesitate to change this up to basic layers if you do not own these dies. I know that I will be asked which particular dies I used if I don't post that information here - so hopefully this will help answer that question before it is even asked :D

• Rectangle, Classic Small
• Rectangle, Classic Scalloped Small

Other ideas that would be fun to make with this stamp are place cards for your Thanksgiving table (I hope to share that idea with you soon), thank you note cards, or even focal points on napkin rings! Wish me luck on my to do list so that I can get back here in a timely manner to share these creations with you sooner, rather than later.

ETA Again :D - you must check out Debbie's latest tutorial on using the magnetic placement mat to cut and emboss a frame. I must tell you that I LOVE this new accessory! It has helped me keep my dies positioned so much better than in the past!

On a completely different note I thought I'd let you in on a little secret (well maybe it's not so little at this point - LOL!). Cornish Heritage Farms has brought on another new artist - Kim Hughes. Her stamps are just put simply - CUTE! Kim is an absolute delight - I had the good fortune of meeting her at CHA Summer and I am so thrilled to send you on your way to learn more about her and the wonderful team that is working to show you how to use her awesome new stamps. CHF has put together a treasure hunt that is certain to be a load of fun and has some WONDERFUL "treasures" awaiting you along the way. So head on over and tell them that Ellen sent you :D

September Stamp of the Month

WOW does time fly! I can't believe that it is already September 24th - what a BUSY month!!! One of the things I always try and do is show you how it is that I color the Stamp of the Month, so that those who purchase the stamp or packet have a reference point. I did take progressive pictures once again as I colored this month's project back in AUGUST and I am finally getting around to sharing the details. Sorry for the huge delay.

Once again I start with my lightest colors. In this case I used: Light Chartreuse, Sand, Scarlet Lake, Burnt Ochre and Sky Blue Light.

Next I added accents of: Limepeel, Crimson Red, Chocolate, and Goldenrod and finally Dark Green, Olive Green, Crimson Lake, and Denim Blue.

Last, but certainly not least is the fun shimmer and shine that the Spica Glitter pens provide. In this case I used Orange on the flames, Red on the berries, Clear on the roof and snow, and Melon on the wreathe. I then used the white Souffle pen to add highlights to the candy canes.

I selected a product that would be versatile as a background paper - the Memory Box Holiday Greetings paper collection even has an assortment of tags included that you can cut out and use on your projects.

To complete the project I pulled out a wheel that has been sitting here waiting to be tried. I really like the effect that I was able to create with it. I think that any "tracing wheel" in your sewing kit would probably give a very similar effect to the drifts below.

Simply run the tracing wheel across the entire length of your paper crossing over your pathway along the way. Simple layouts and the added touch of the brads and cut edge make this a quick and easy card to make. Adding a hint of the same paper to the back of the envelope adds to the cuteness factor of this little ensemble.

Now for some product updates:

• the ever missing Copic markers are(hopefully) on their way soon. It was almost a "sit-down" meeting I had with Justin a few minutes ago. I said I needed MORE information - please - purty please with a cherry on top! So here is the skinny - "Ellen's" colors are in the warehouse - do you hear a big WOOHOO?!? But that doesn't do me any good until they put the sets in the wallets and cases and get them out the door to us. So I pushed for a more critical answer and learned that they have someone coming in to put them together tonight and tomorrow - here's to hoping that that individual is an organized and fast worker!!! With that shipment I can hopefully say that our "issues" with preorders will be ended. Now if all my competitors would just leave "Ellen" colors off their orders I would be a much happier camper - LOL! I kid you not - Copic is getting orders from others asking for "Ellen" colors - I didn't know I was so popular - teehee. I politely asked them to please ship Ellen her colors before they send off these colors to other places being that they are "my" colors - snort! I had no idea I would make such an impact in this little world of markers.
• new colors - you have all been asking for Stampin' Up! colors. I am working on that. I know - I could just go and read what everyone else has selected as Stampin' Up! colors and use their list, but I have a very critical eye and I need to pick these colors all by myself if I'm going to attach my name to these. Am I just a little overzealous or commited to perfection in my books? - LOL! The one thing that I can honestly say is that I have always been know for my "eye for color". Through design school and when working as an interior designer my color memory and selection was always something that I took pride in perfecting. So once again you can be assured that I am going to test the colors that I think are correct before passing this information on to you. I thank you for your patience and support. Please know that once again I am going to be whittling the colors down until I find the best combination possible.

Last but certainly not least in my books are shoes!!! Am I a goofball or what? I just had to take a picture of my feet for the memory books. The joy of putting on a PAIR of shoes - what a moment!!!

Last week was a rough one for me. Walking with the boot on and not using crutches took a serious toll on my knee, hip and spine. DIfferent leg lengths is obviously not a "good thing". (Hmmm - I wonder what Martha would call it? Does she have a category for those not so good things in life?) By Friday I was absolutely miserable. So I made a rather bold move and set my boot (cast) aside and pulled out an old pair of tennis shoes. Getting my foot into that shoe was no picnic I tell ya, but I began to think it might be the lesser of two evils, so I just pushed it in there - LOL! I made my way to the shoe store and selected these shoes (the same shoe - only in a larger size to help make room for my still swollen foot :D) and now I am walking. OK - so it's baby steps, but I kid you not when I tell you that it is something I am extremely grateful for!!! WIth some help from Carrie I hope to put the additional knee and back aches to rest and get on with life. Thanks for hanging in there with me throughout this "life altering experience". Hopefully soon all the little "issues" will have been put to rest and life will just be easier :D.

We have some wonderful things up our sleeves, but only time will tell you what they are :wink: so hang tight for fun things to come. Now go get our your color pencils or markers and do a little coloring - relax - it will feel good!!!