Virtual Stamp Night

Oh, how I love Splitcoast Stampers! Every so often they arrange a "Virtual Stamp Night". The latest was yesterday evening and all day today (Theme: Bugs, Birds & Butterflies). Well, I didn't manage any challenges last night, and today I was flying solo with the boys all day while Stew worked, so I only got to start at 7pm. But it was still loads of fun & I love the cards I made!

MAR13VSNL was a challenge to use things beginning with B. Well, I included a few. How many can you count? :D

I had Jacob "helping" me with this one (cue lots of random small pieces of cardstock all over the floor). The stamp of the zeppelin (though it could also be called a Blimp!) is from Moving Forward, the Ronald MacDonald House set in the current SU! catalogue. Love, love, LOVE that set.

MAR13VSNM asked for a scene inspired by the rhyme "Incey Wincey Spider", incorporating some kind of weather, and a bug:

Shockingly that one isn't SUO, it isn't even close. Whenever I'm using stamps from another company, I always pair them with SU!'s cardstock, ink & accessories. They're just awesome quality and I wouldn't be without them!

MAR13VSNN emphasised that bugs aren't just for boys! The challenge was to make a girly, blinged up bug card:

Believe it or not, this was my SECOND attempt at heat embossing, and it still messed up. I ran out of time & couldn't do it again so I'll aim to fix it another time! I also used my precious stash of textured paper here... UPSIDE DOWN!!! The texture just doesn't show up well!

MAR13VSNO asked for the Cracked Glass Technique. And I gave up! I am too tired tonight to be running back and forth from the freezer... :D

With a bit of luck and a following wind, I might be able to get a few more challenges done tomorrow. But I have to say, there's nothing like doing them live!

Funky Friday

Felt a wee bit down today, missing home a little bit. Most of the time I love living here in the States but just occasionally I miss walking around town, meeting people for coffees and cupcakes at the Yummy Cupcake Company and of course, shopping in Monsoon, M&S, Next, Boots etc. And I really miss my family, but that goes without saying!

I also failed to complete the spinning class, I got 15 mins in and realised I'd made a huge mistake and there was no way I could manage another 30 mins. So I slunk out. Not good for the self esteem. I made the problem even worse by going to McDonalds straight after and eating a Angus burger meal and a McFlurry. Oh well, tomorrow is another day!

Tonight I treated myself to some stamping time and got 3 cards polished off. I CASEd the first two from Nat's blog. Her card was a CASE too! Love CASEing. Layout is not my strong point (all my cards tend to come out more or less the same!) so I like using someone else's genius and making it a bit different.

First up: Mum's birthday card at last. Will just have to send it late! In a way it works out OK as her present hasn't arrived yet but I am feeling like a bad daughter all the same!

100.35:

Sorry for the more-than-usually awful picture. My upline and I have done a deal whereby when we buy DSP, we give one of each pattern to each other (there are always two of each in the pack). Hopefully in this way we'll avoid retired DSP overload (I have a BAD case of this!). Neither of us does any workshops or big events so it should work out well. Anyway. She ordered this Comfort Cafe DSP (I would never have chosen it) and I actually really like it.

Supplies for 100.35: Comfort Cafe DSP, Summer Starfruit, Cajun Craze and Pool Party cardstock, Midnight Muse ink, Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon, Delightful Dozen and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets, Scallop Trim punch, 1/2" circle punch, Adorning Accents Embosslits, Bitty Banners Framelits.

Next - Lovely Heather's children have just finished school for the year. Her daughter won loads of Maths and Science prizes (she's a girl after my own heart!) so I wanted to make her a little card:

100.36:

Supplies for 100.36: Comfort Cafe DSP, Summer Starfruit, Cajun Craze and Midnight Muse cardstock, Midnight Muse ink, Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon, Delightful Dozen and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets, Scallop Trim punch, 1/2" circle punch, Adorning Accents Embosslits, Bitty Banners Framelits.

I didn't want to leave Heather's son out so I made him a card too. He's 7 and full of fun! He gets on really well with Jakey. In fact, he's Jakey's hero! It's funny because they bicker like brothers when they are together, but Jacob always holds his ground. Funny little fellow. It'll be awesome to see how Leo and Jake interact when they are older. But for now:

100.37:

It's a bit mad but I like it!

Supplies for 100.37: Outlined Occasions and Up, Up and Away stamp sets, Brights brads, Daffodil Delight stitched grosgrain ribbon, Old Olive and Whisper White cardstock, Basic Black, Real Red and Daffodil Delight ink, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Real Red and Daffodil Delight markers, Big Top Birthday DSP.

Just love the coverage the new Firm Foam SU! inkpads give, I used to struggle to get the balloons of this set to stamp cleanly but it's so easy with the new pads!

Memorial Day Weekend...

...is one of the RARE holidays Stew actually gets here in the USA. Plus it's when all the outdoor pools open here in SoMD... fabulous. Have swum the last two days, it is such fun to swim with Jacob in the sunshine!

Card making has been a bit hit and miss, I really liked the "Goddess Lamp" card I did (100.8) that I tried another with the same paper and another Becky Fleck sketch:

I think I would have liked this a lot more if I'd matted the DSP once more. Or... who knows. I'll find someone to send it to though!

Supplies for 100.9 - Hoover Bow: Pool Party, Calypso Coral and Whisper White cardstock, Domestic Goddess DSP, Pool Party ruffled ribbon, large scalloped circle and 1.75" circle punches, Itty Bitty Banners stamp set and Bitty Banners framelits, Basic Jewels: Rhinestones, Calypso Coral and Basic Grey ink.

Then I realised I have 4 days to do 3 Christmas cards for CCC12 - not normally a problem but when you're sloping off to the outdoor pool it can be a bit tricky to get in the right mindset. However I really wanted to get the Domestic Goddess DSP off my desk after 100.9 (something isn't right about it and I wanted to do something different!) so I made this:

Really like how the string "tying" the mittens together came out - I freehand drew it and this is NOT a strength of mine. Whenever I use markers to ink up a stamp it goes a bit wrong, I think I need to season my stamps better. Anyway, judicious application of the blender pen usually helps!

I am also pleased with managing to use some of my Scallop Dot ribbon. I really liked the concept, but some of the dots aren't quite dead centre (only a fuss pot control freak like me would care) so I don't use it much. Anyway - flipping it over solves that problem AND the issue of white dots, vanilla paper (see, told you I was a control freak!).

Anyway I shall stop rambling on and get to the...

...Supplies for 100.10- Merry Mittens: First Edition (current) and Jolly Holiday (retired) DSP, Chock-full of Cheer stamp set (new!), Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler cardstock, Cherry Cobbler scallop dot ribbon, Basic Black inkpad, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Basic Black markers. Oh, and the aforementioned blender pen!