Well, it’s Saturday…. not yet ready to call it “Good” yet, though…. and I’ll tell you why in a moment..

I really needed a distraction this morning, so I decided to check out the IC challenge and see what I could come up with.   You would think that with 1000’s of stamps in my studio, I could find a rooster, but nope!  I did have an outhouse, though… so I went with that.   Besides, I haven’t played with my Hambos in a few days and was beginning to feel the withdrawals. 

Unfortunately, my mind is not on stamping or much happy things this morning, as we have had a major tragedy hit home.   My ‘adopted’ son (Mike) returned from Iraq yesterday for what was to be a very happy homecoming (although only a 1 month leave).  Well, Thursday night, his mom’s fiance was killed in an auto/train collision.   Mikey is my Zeke’s best friend for years and we basically adopted him as he spent so much time at our house.   We, as well as our community, are in shock.

Sorry, I don’t feel very chatty this morning..

 Here’s my deets:

Stamps: Outhouse Pig and sentiment by Hambo Stamps (www.hambostamps.com)

Colors: Chocolate Chip, Pirouette Pink, Bella Rose DP, GP White

Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black, copics

Accessories: brads, ribbon, HPH, dimensionals, ticket corner punch

TFL!~ and have a blessed day

  Happy Saturday, Ya’ll….

Today’s submission is a dual challenge for me.   I was inspired by the Inspiration Challenge photo of Snow White.  I love the brilliant colors.   I also challenged myself to make a card without scallops or my precious cuttlebug!  No punches, either!

This came out so far from where I started.  I originally wanted to do Snow White’s Rose, but the colors would not allow it, so I went with something really fun, instead :).   I adore this seal image from Hambo.   He’s got lovestruck in his eyes.  So, I made up my own sentiment “sealed with a kiss”. 

It’s going to be a busy weekend in the studio…. have some deadlines looming.  I can’t wait to show you!

Here’s my deets:

Stamps:  Seal and seal stand by Hambo Stamps (www.hambostamps.com); XO are karen foster snap stamps; sentiment is handwritten

Colors: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Yo Yo Yellow, GP White

Ink: Real Red, Yo Yo Yellow, Brilliance Graphite Black

Accessories: brads, ribbon, dimensionals, scissors

TFL!~ and have a blessed day!

  Good Saturday, to ya!  I thought this was an appropriate title/sentiment for today as it has been days since I’ve been able to post.   I apologize for no sketch yesterday and my silence.  We’ve had a case of the ’sickies’ in our house.  I’ve been playing nursemaid to my DH (flu) and DS (conjunctivitis).  

My mojo is just not where it should be today, either.  I’m hoping I’m not coming down with their creeping crud.   I went to my studio with the Inspiration challenge in mind.  I cut paper for two different cards and neither of those panned out.   So I went really simple on this third one.  The ‘balls’ are made from the lollipop from the Very Punny set.  Everything is on dimensionals. 

Here’s the deets:

Stamps:  Seal and Sentiment by Hambo Stamps, lollipop from Su!’s Very punny.

Colors: Real Red, GP White

Ink: Brilliance graphite black, copics

Accessories: scallop punches, scissors, dimensionals, ribbon

TFL!~ and have a blessed day.

  Good morning!  Today starts a weekend of marathon stamping.   I decided to start my run with the Inspiration Challenge.. to get me warmed up, so to speak.   It was a ‘dual’ inspiration this morning.  Not only is Stef’s inspiration piece… seen here… gorgeous and inspiring, but I was also inspired by a card made by imastampin (Karen) seen here.  I just *geeked* over Karen’s card as I have always loved vellum and rarely use it anymore.   She also got me with my favorite Stipple Rose.  Way to go, Karen!!

Here’s what I did.  I found this heart stamp by Technique Tuesday.. I don’t remember ever using it!  I stamped it on vellum and embossed in white.  Then I stamped it again on Soft Sky in Soft Sky and cut them both out.   I also used the same heart stamp to create my backgrounds.   I layered the heart image and attached it to my card with ribbon and dimensionals.

Here’s the deets:

Stamps:  Heart by Technique Tuesday, Sentiment by My Favorite Things (boho blossoms)

Colors: Soft Sky and GP White

Ink: Soft Sky, Versamark

Accessories: white brads, white organdy ribbon, circle punches, scissors, white embossing powder.

TFL!~

*******************************************************************************

*Tease*  Keep your eyes peeled…. My Favorite Things March releases coming March 5, 2008…

I will be posting *MFTeasers* here starting Monday!  

There’s also a special announcement coming Monday March 3rd!

TFL!~ and have a blessed day!

  Good Morning… sorta.  Note the time…. 3am.   I sent my youngest two off to camp last night for the weekend.  I was so excited to be able to stamp at any hour I wanted… even 3am… even if it is just for a day :).   I’m a hopeless insomniac.

Anywho.. so at 1:30am I jumped on Splitcoasters to find out if the Inspiration Challenge had been posted.  Jackpot!  The inspiration piece… which you can see HERE….is a gorgeous ad from Country Living Magazine.  I squealed at the colors.  I adore blues and greens together.   No problem, I said to myself.  HA!  Famous last words.

I really wanted to title this “The card from Hell”, but decided not to at the last minute.   This baby took me over an hour to get even remotely close to right.   Several times, I tossed my paper in the air and put my head in my hands… but my muse wouldn’t let me quit.  You see, I started out with Cool Caribbean as my blue instead of he Bliss Blue.   I had it cuttlebugged in the birds & swirls folder.. put it with my other pieces and decided .. it was just wrong.   Too much blue..too much texture… back to the drawing board.   When I finally let go of my beloved Cool Caribbean,  I settled on the Bliss Blue.  It worked much better, but had to go sans the embossing as it was just too busy.  Then my image.  Oy!  I stamped it about 8 times before I got the one I liked.  I had some wild hair tell me to UTEE emboss it to make it shiney..  Not too happy with that effect, but it was done and I wasn’t going to make another change.   I also used a gorgeous piece of Memory Box DP that has swirls and birds and the perfect colors…. but somehow I managed to cover most of it up! LOL

With all the pieces in front of me, I resigned to the fact that it wasn’t my best work, but I was going with it anyway.  I carefully assembled the pieces and when I was done…. I decided I liked it afterall.   Thank God…. I’m so glad HE doesn’t let me do what I want most of the time … heehee.

So… here’s the deets:

Stamps:  Always (SU!) - bird, always circle and sentiment

Colors: Old Olive, Bliss Blue, GP White, Memory Box DP (a gift from Kim@ MFT…. thanks KIM!)

Ink:  Bliss Blue, Versamark, White Craft

Accessories: brads, ribbon, dimensionals, circle punches

TFL!~

  When I saw this morning’s Inspiration Challenge on SCS, I *geeked*.  I’d just used these colors on a valentine for my son (see “nuts for you”) and fell in love with them.  Way to go Stef! 

I haven’t done a kickstand card in awhile, so that was the plan.  Usually, I have someone in mind when making a card, but not this morning.  I think this would make a nice ‘guy’ birthday card, though… so I’ll save it in my stash. 

I really loved the inspiration piece with it’s geometric look, but the colors just called to me, so that’s where I went with it.  The black/brown/tan combo is so rich and with the little pop of blue, wow..makes for a cool card, I think.

Stamps:  Pun Fun (SU!)

Colors: Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Basic Gray, Very Vanilla, GP White

Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black, Copics, White Craft, white gel pen

Accessories: Brads, ribbon, dimensionals, swiss dots embossing folder, ticket corner punch, circle punches, oval punch, word window punch

TFL!~

  I’ve been thinking (a dangerous thing) alot about friends this past week…. so this morning’s Inspiration Challenge on SCS was the perfect opportunity for me to make a card for a ‘long lost friend’.   You can see the inspiration challenge piece here.

My inspiration came  entirely from the colors.   I rarely ever try to ‘recreate’ the piece.   I did a neat little thing with the sentiment on this.. I’ve seen it and done it before.   I stamped my sentiment once, stamped off, stamped the sentiment again.. this time slightly below and off center off the first stamping, then a third time.  It gives a ‘trailing’ effect that I thought looked pretty neat!

It’s been a marathon stamping week for me… counting this card, there have been 15 cards and 2 boxes created this week.   That’s huge for me!   Oh yeahhhhhh… the creative juices are flowing.   I just pray it lasts!

Stamps:  SU!’s Oh, So Lovely, sentiment from Fancy Flexible Phrases

Colors:  Handsome Hunter, Kraft, Real Red, GP White

Ink:  Brilliance Graphite Black, Copics

Accessories: brads, ribbon, dimensionals, circle punches, gel pen, birds & swirls embossing folder, paper piercing tools

TFL!~

  Good Saturday morning!   Did you see this morning’s inspiration piece on SCS?  Check it out here.   My first piece of inspiration came from the white.  In fact, it was so white that it had a blue hue.  Color me inspired! 

My colors were easy.. I needed a plan.  This room screamed elegance to me.  Immediately, Sharon Johnson (notimetostamp) popped into my head.  You see, when I think of elegance, I think of Sharon.  You cannot help but go “oooOoo” and “ahhhhhh” when you see her style.   If you don’t know Sharon (where the heck have you been??!! LOL) you can check her gallery out HERE or her blog HERE.   Thanks, Sharon, for being such an inspiration to me and countless others!!

Ok, now for the card.  I recently mentioned that I had totally overhauled my SU! stamp collection and organized them by year.  As we were in the process, I found numerous stamp/sets that I loved so and rarely ever use.  I decided it was time to take the “Use it or lose it” attitude.  So today, I broke out some oldies, but goodies, that haven’t seen ink in a long time.  Stipple Rose will never leave my studio.  This stamp has special meaning to me as my mom was all about roses… even her middle name was Rose.   The Antique background stays, too.  It goes so well with Toile Blossoms!

Enjoy!

Stamps:  Stipple Rose and Antique Background (both retired SU!)

Colors:  GP White, Soft Sky

Ink:  Brilliance Graphite black, Soft Sky, Copics

Accessories:  Ribbon and dimensionals only

TFL!~

  Uhhhh, anyone notice I didn’t post my sketch yesterday? LOL…. probably not!  Well, I apologize profusely, but it was a little more of a day than I expected.   This is the sketch :

  We’ll call it THSC1 (Toy’s Haven Sketch Challenge 1).  Play along if you like!

I used today’s Inspiration Challenge on SCS as a springboard for this sympathy card.  The image was stamped then colored with copics.  The two larger flowers are popped on small dimensionals.   

Feeling MUCH better, by the way.  I’m sure that little bug was having no fun with me as I was trying to sweat him out!  I spent the last few days in my studio organizing my stamps according to maker and year issued (for SU!).   Now, to finish the rest of the room…..do you have as much ribbon as I do????   Where did it all come from!?

K.. if you do the sketch and don’t post to SCS, please link me to a pic I can view.. I’d love to see!

Stamps:  Oh So Lovely and Small Sayings (both SU!)

Colors: basic black, certainly celery, blush blossom, GP white and Designer series PP (CC).

Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black, Copics

Accessories: brads, ribbon, dimensionals, square scallop punch, slit punch, gel pen, paper piercing tools

TFL!~

  This is for today’s Inspiration Challenge seen here: Inspiration Piece .  I, amazingly enough, do not own a little girl stamp (other than a real cutsey one, that just wouldn’t work).   I chose the angel from SU!’s Holy Triptych.  This set is perfect for coloring with Copics!

I used my old stand by, Aida bg on the Pumpkin Pie layer in Vintage Violet.  It gives the aida an aged look.  I wasn’t sure about these colors at first, but now I’m loving them!!   I was thinking of someone to send this to.. I think I will send it to my neice.  She is truly a sweet young angel.   Her name is Sami Jo and she is in her 3rd year of college.  She is studying to be a photographer.  Her pictures are soooo amazing.   Love this girl!

Stamps:  SU!’s Holy Triptych, Aida BG, Karen Foster Snap Stamps

Colors: Vintage Violet, Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie, GP White

 TFL!~