pockets and piercings

Howdy folks!  Hot enough for ya?  I'm not sure exactly how hot its been at home although, I've heard its very hot.........my poor veggies.

I happen to be in New Mexico, in an adobe house with no air conditioning, and I can tell you for sure, its very hot here.  Tonight though, we've had a lovely thunderstorm and things have cooled off a little.  I do love thunderstorms. 

Its funny because at home it gets really hot.  100-106 is not unusual in the summer.  But when the sun goes down, it cools off.  Not here.  It is still 93 at 9:00 at night.  What?!  We are drinking so much water that we slosh.  No kidding..........

No pics until I get back.  My computer won't bring up the internet so I'm borrowing for now. 

I DO have pics that I brought with me on a flash drive.  17 had to teach me how to use it.  So here we go. 

Here is another card I made up for my card ladies.  Super cute!

A Word for You set.  Lucky limeade, island indigo and whisper white cardstock.  Black Stazon ink.  Corner rounder punch, big shot, fun flowers, scallop border punch, brights patterned prints dsp, polka dot embossing folder, 5/8" brads, white taffeta ribbon, 3/4" circle punch and dimensionals.


A pocket card!  Pocket cards are so much fun.  this one measures out 4.25x4.25.  Its just like the one I made 17 for her birthday. 

I cut 3 layers of the flower and embossed just the top one.  Then I fluffed it up. 

I got the color combo from the Color Coach.  Love that thing.  The pullout measures 3.75 x 3.75. 


Let me know if you need more direction on how this was made. 

We also had a right of passage this week.  Grace got her ears pierced. 

She has been asking to do it for a few years but chickens out every time.  Well one of her friends got hers done right before school got out and that gave her the courage to "git er done".  She told me that if she wanted to chicken out that I had to make her do it.  Yeah, right.

She stuck it out all by herself and TaDah!  Cute little diamond looking earrings.  She has taken very good care of them and we haven't had any pain or infection.  Yippee! 

Alrighty then, they just started a movie.  Rango.  Looks cute. 

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope you're in a nice cool place with enough water to make you slosh. 

Blessings, b.

blah, blah, blah and a card!

Howdy stampers! 

Ahhh....Thanksgiving break.   Yes!  Although all I've done so far is clean.  And clean some more.  After the tournament last week, my house was seriously neglected.  Now we are back to normal.  Whatever that is.

So whats on the agenda this week? 

I do love me some Harry Potter.  And Ron.  I love Ron too.  Oh okay, Hermione is wonderful too. 

The boy said he wants to go to but he wants to read the book first.  That is my fault.  When they were little and wanted to see a movie, I made them read the book first if there was one.  But man!  I don't want to wait around for him to read it.  We'll see how industrious he gets. 

Harry watches me stamp.  He hangs on the blinds by my desk.  He is wondering why I haven't seen his latest movie.  I'm working on it Harry. 

Really, I don't talk to inanimate things........often.


What else is coming out?

This comes out next week.  I'm getting it but will save it for Christmas.  Give me a chance to read the book again. 

Okay, I do have a little stamping goodness for you.  

Christmas classics set.  Whisper white and real red cardstock.  Old olive ink.  Neutrals Patterns DSP, scallop trim border punch, real red satin ribbon and misc. button. 

What a sweet simple card eh?  I totally ripped this design off of Connie Collins.  Love her stuff!  Really easy card to mass produce.  Not so sure about mailing that big ol' bow though. 



Now, normally I don't endorse naked buttons.  They need thread!  I originally wanted to use the 5/8" brads.  The silver one looks so pretty for the bell, but I was doing this for a workshop and I didn't have enough.  So on with the naked button.  I used a glue dot to stick it on there.  Easy peasy!

Okie dokie, its nighty night time for me.  Thanks so much for stopping by. 

Blessings, b.

sweet 16

We have had a busy few days around here.  Yesterday 15 went on a fieldtrip to UCLA and Pepperdine.  She really liked Pepperdine.  The sun the surf.  The campus is really beautiful too. They went to the pier afterward and ate dinner.  Check out this pic she took. 

She took an even better one with her phone but we can't figure out how to download pics off her phone yet.  We're technologically challenged around here. 

Then today the boy went paintballing with the band.  Now all the boys are crazy for it.  He had a really good time but he is so sore right now.  AND he has welts!  Sounds like fun to me........


Now tonight, 15 is at a Sweet 16 birthday party sleepover.  Of course I had to make something super cute.  We went to Target and got her a cute necklace.  Check out the packaging:

Letterpress numbers (retired).  Kraft, whisper white, pretty in pink, melon mambo, rose red, and old olive cardstock.  Melon Mambo ink.  Ticket corner punch, large oval punch, 1 3/8"circle punch, coluzzle, pink Chunky glitter, Tombow multi glue, scallop trim border punch and polka dot embossing folder (wart maker).

This is just like the valentine boxes I made.  Its smaller though.  Its 3" x 3" x 1 1/2".  It turned out so cute! 

I made the card 2 3/4" square so it would fit inside the box.  I was running short on time and couldn't get quite as fancy as I thought a Sweet 16 card should be, but my girl was breathing down my neck making me hurry!

I stamped the numbers in Melon mambo and then went over them with the Tombow multi glue.  Then I squished the chunky glitter into it.  I ended up just drawing squiggly lines around the edges.  Probably a little squigglier than I would have liked but, I was hurrying!

Anyway, I hope she likes it. 

I also found something else at Target. 

Jacob Black in da house! 

Here is a funny story.  Well, I thought it was funny. 

The girls and I are in Target and of course the first thing in the cart is New Moon.  The Three Disc Version!  So we're getting our shopping done and we stop to look at something and a lady looks at me, points to my shirt, and says, "Is that what I think it is?"

"What?"  Then I look at my shirt and then look back at her and see she has the movie and the Forks documentary in her hands.  I had on my Team Jacob shirt. 

So laughing I say, " Yeah, it is."

She starts laughing and points out her pants.  They say Quilette on them.  We both laugh.  15 is looking at us both like we're crazy.  I look at the lady and pointing at 15 say, "She doesn't understand the whole Twilight Mom thing."

"Oh, have you been to TwilightMoms.com yet?"

"There is a website?", I say.

"Oh yeah.", says she.   Hmmm...

So of course I've checked it out.   You know, I really like the books and plan on taking them with me when I have to leave on a jet plane in a few weeks.  And I'm looking forward to reading them again.  But really people, there is more to life.  So there ya go.

Okay, I've talked too much and its time to kick the boy off the big tv so I can watch my movie.  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great weekend!

Blessings, b.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Tomorrow is St. Patty's Day!  I am half Irish.  I had a great-great-grandma Katy O'Grady straight from Ireland.  My grandma used to tell me great stories about her.  Apparently she was kinda feisty.  Chase a chicken and strangle it with her bare hands.  You go Katy! 

Anyhow, we do celebrate the day here.  We wear green things, eat green things, and talk with accents.  Erin Go Braugh!  (Which means Ireland Forever and has nothing really to do with St. Patty's Day.)  Yep, we're dorks.

Anyhow, I did get the cute little box done for the cute little cards to go into.  Lookee:

 

Vintage Lables set (SAB).  Old olive, kraft, and whisper white cardstock.  Soft suede and old olive inks. Welcome Neighbor DSP (SAB), old olive wide grosgrain ribbon, hemp, dimensionals, scallop trim border punch (SAB) and curly lable punch. 

I had all these little strips of DSP left over from the cards so I thought I'd use them up.  Kind of like a little sneaky peek as to what is inside. 

I really dig on this Vintage Lables set.  This is the first time I've used the lable part.  I like it!

Don't they look all nice and snug in there?  This will make such a great gift. 

Here is how I made the box:

You can click on the pic to see it larger.  First, I measured an envelope.  That is how I came up with the bottom dimensions.  I wanted 2 inch sides.  Can you understand the math? 

I used my Tombow Multi glue again.  I actually have a little too much here.  But this was last night and I was so tired.  Things got a little gushy. 

Or maybe I was distracted by Edward and Bella.  I finished watching it today.  I'm getting geared up for New Moon coming out on Friday.  Just in time for my birthday.  I can't wait!  Go Team Jacob!  (sorry Edward fans)

I know the lid dimensions always confuse people.  Just add 1/8" to the bottom measurement and then add your sides.  I had originally made 1 1/2" sides and realized they were way too big.  So I changed it to 1" sides.  Looks much better. 

Personally, I love to stamp the envelopes to match the card.  Gives the mailman a thrill.  There is a matching stamp set that goes with the Welcome Neighbor DSP, but I don't own it.  So, since I still had a bunch of DSP left over I thought I would use that.  I used the Tombow multi again so there is no way that DSP is coming off. 


Alrighty, I'm going to try and get to bed earlier tonight.  The Nyquil worked great and its calling me again.  Let me know if you need help with any of these directions to make your own box. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I love it when you do that. 

Blessings. b.

lots of cards

Howdy peeps!

I know, the blog has been quiet over the weekend and with that last post on Friday, I'm sure you all thought I was getting jiggy with some scrapping.  Yeah.......no. 

I've still got this cold thing and its getting worse again!  I just can't seem to kick it.  So this will be a shorty post because the Nyquil is calling. 

I've had an idea in my head for a few weeks now.  I got that new Welcome Neighbor DSP pack from the SAB catty.  It comes in a 6x6 size and I thought it could make some really cute quick cards.  So I sat down this weekend and whipped some out.  I just kept going and going.  They are so easy and cute!

Sincere Salutations set.  Crushed curry, bermuda bay, kraft, old olive and whisper white cardstock.  Soft suede ink.  Crushed curry polka dot ribbon, bermuda bay polka dot ribbon, old olive wide grosgrain, Welcome Neighbor DSP (SAB) scallop trim border punch, (SAB) and dimensionals. 

I did them all the same.  Just switched out the colors to match the DSP.  I did them all 4 1/4" square.  No special envelope needed.  I like that. 

sorry.....crooked picture.

I think I made around 15 of them.  I'm in the process of making a gift box for them to go into.  I would show you now but I hear the Nyquil, "Beth, it is time to go nitey nite."  Can you hear it?  Anyhow, I'll show you the box tomorrow. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a good night and sleep tight.

Blessings, b.

fishies

Good Morning!

I didn't get this posted last night because my girls have rediscovered, Zoo Tycoon. If you've played this game before, you know how addicting it can be.  I finally kicked them off and sent them to bed after 10:00 last night and I was too pooped to post.  We need 2 computers.

So, remember I told you I had been working on another card using the same idea of rainbow of hearts?  Well I sat down with it yesterday and finished it. 

C is for Cat, Sanded background and Vintage Labels (SAB catty).  Close to cocoa, old olive and whisper white cardstock.  Not quite navy, close to cocoa and more mustard inks.  Natural hemp, small oval punch, scallop trim border punch, distresser from the cutter kit, stampamajig, and dimensionals.

One of my son's best friends has a birthday coming up and its become a personal quest of mine to make him a fabulous fish related birthday card each year.  He is crazy for fishing and wants to become a freshwater biologist when he gets older.  The one I made for Scott the other day, was a copy of the one I made Spencer last year. 

So I've been trying to think of something for his card this year.  I just got C is for Cat for free (SAB) and thought of the little fish in this set.  What do you think?  Is is too babyish?  He will be 17 after all. 

I had gone to the Stamping 411 site for the color combo.  I didn't realize they had a color inspiration post every week.  The colors this week were perfect for a manly card. 

See that hole for the tag?  Look here to see how I did that.  


See that I have 2 layers of old olive there?  That was an accident.  But I like it.  I had originally matted the white with a 1/8" border of old olive and then decided it looked unbalanced.  Well, I had used the Tombow Multi glue and so couldn't take off the white panel (without ruining it) so I just added another mat of old olive.  It gave it a faux dry embossed look but I decided that was a little too clean for a fishy card.  So I very lightly sponged some close to cocoa on the white and distressed the old olive.  Get it?


Okie dokie, thats it for today.  The girls are already trying to kick me off so they can take turns playing again. 

Have a super duper day and thanks for stopping by.

Blessings, b.

Look Ma! no stamps.............

well, almost.

Sorry for the absence lately. I've been battling what I thought was a strange migraine but turns out to be a tension headache. I've been a little stressed lately.


I dig on the muscle relaxers (yeah, I like those alot) but of course I can't take them during the day because I'm a lightweight. So by the time I get home from work I'm in lots of pain again and want to rip my head off. Or anybody else's head for that matter. Doesn't really help with the stressed part very much. Anyhow, I get no stamping done. Which REALLY SUCKS because I have this big workshop on Thursday night and I'm not ready.


So today I was/am determined to get something done. So I trucked on over to the Stamping 411 site and checked out their latest sketch. Looked easy enough. Heres what came of it:

Vintage Labels set (SAB). Old olive, whisper white, pumpkin pie and bermuda bay cardstock. Welcome Neighbors DSP (SAB), natural hemp, dimensionals, scallop trim border punch (SAB), sm. oval punch and paper piercer.

I only stamped the little tag. I went ahead and got this DSP free with my last order. I didn't get the matching stamp set. And while the papers are cute, I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. I like trees so I picked this page to putz around with first.


Let me show you how to make that nifty little tag.

Okay, I know what you're thinking, "um.....Beth? That block is kinda big for that stamp." Yeah, I know but I'm cheap and only bought 1 block, remember? And yeah, I know thats a green ink pad but thats what I started with.

Anyhow, ink that bad boy up and stamp it. Then punch it out with the small oval punch. Then, (heres the cool part) take the oval and slide it into the Scallop Trim Border punch just until you see a sliver of the tag above the round part there. See it?

eta: my wonderful, loving, Girl Scout Cookie Selling man just came home. As he bends down to give me a kiss he looks at the screen here and sees this pic of my hand.

him: "whats wrong with your thumb?"

me: "nothing, what are you talking about?"

him: "well its all wrinkly and funny looking."

me: " well, thats what my thumb looks like."

him: "you should Photoshop it or get a hand double."

What a sweetie huh?

Then punch it out and this is what you get. I haven't seen anyone else do this so I feel kinda smart right now. If you've seen it somewhere else, don't let me know about it just yet. Let me have my moment.

I picked the Bermuda Bay color because the clouds are outlined in it. You can barely see it here. But trust me, its there.

Alright ladies and gents, I gotta go to bed. I did get to play with my stamps today and thats good but I still have 3 projects, well, actually 4 projects (hostess gift) ready by Thursday night. No problem right? No stress baby, no stress..........

Thanks for stopping by and listening to my sad story. You guys are the best.

Blessings, b.

cupcakes anyone?

I'm so glad its Friday! What a week! I've got a new work schedule (lesson learned: be careful what you ask for) and its going to take some getting used to. I'm pooped!



Anyhow, a sweetie pie friend of mine asked for some help with a cupcake box. Hey Fancy Pants! I made one last year for my Artisan Award entry but never took any pics while putting it together. So I made another one and took LOTS of pics. I tried putting it all in a Word document but I couldn't figure it out. And I can't post pics in the body of an email. So its easiest just to post it here. Maybe somebody else would like to see it too. Are you ready?

Here is the one from last year. Super cute if I do say so myself.

Happy Everything, polka dot background and cupcake from an old hostess set. Whisper white and pretty in pink cardstock. Whisper white, choc. chip, regal rose, garden green and real red inks. Scallop circle, 1 3/8" circle punches, pink chunky glitter, white organza ribbon, chipboard frame, tombow multi glue and dimensionals.

I think I made it 3"x3"x3". It really depends on how big your cupcake is.





Here is the other one I made for tonight's little tutorial. She wanted to use it for a baby shower. Since the other one I made was pink I thought I'd go blue this time.

Schoolbook Serif Alpha and polka dot background (retired). Kraft, whisper white and bashful blue cardstock. Whisper white craft ink. Scallop trim punch (SAB catty) bashful blue striped grosgrain and a transparency sheet.

It looks so much plainer than the pink one. Believe me, I putzed around with this thing for 2 days trying to figure out what it needed. It still needs something but I don't have any baby stamps and decided to leave it alone. Less is more, right?

Okay, lets get started. I decided to make mine 3 1/2" square. Now ideally you would know what size your cupcake was and go from there.

I decided to make the sides 3" tall. So I added up 3 + 3 1/2 + 3 = 9 1/2" square. Then I scored each side at 3". That left me with a 3 1/2" square in the middle.

You with me so far?

Then I cut up to the score line and trimmed off the edges on the corners. See? You're glad I took alot of pics now huh?

I used the Tombow Multi Glue because I love it. Its so much easier to use than the sticky strip and I think it holds better. You don't need much.

Now glue and fold up each side. Like this:

Okay, somehow I went out of order here. I should have the lid pics here. Oh well. Now I'm going to show you how to use the new punches.

They come flat. Makes it easy to store them.

On the bottom there is a lock. You just slide it over and it opens.

Ready to use! They are still really easy to use. The punches in the main catalog won't come this way. Just the new ones featured in the SAB catty and the Occasions Mini. This one is the Scallop Trim Punch and you can get it for free out of the SAB catty.

So you stick your paper in there and punch. See how the image is on the side of the punched area?

Line up the punched part with the image and punch again. This will ensure your pattern doesn't get messed up.

See? Cute huh? And easy. Even I can do it without messing it up.

Okay, here are the lid pics. Sorry about that.

For my lid, I wanted 1 1/2" sides and then I needed to add 1/8" to the center so that the lid will fit nicely.

So my lid measured out like this: 1 1/2" + 3 5/8" + 1 1/2" = 6 5/8" square. I then scored at 1 1/2" inches on each side and cut up to the score line. Just like I did with the box.

Okay, now I took those pretty strips of whisper white and glued them on the sides of the lid. Don't glue them to the folded part.

Does this make sense? Oh yeah, I cut a hole in the center so you could see the cupcake inside. You can barely see it here, but I glued in a piece of transparency so that the cupcake couldn't escape.

Okay, now we're gonna glue the folded tabs in. Again, not much glue is needed.

Now for the inside part. The inside is just the same construction as the lid. BUT, instead of adding an 1/8", you subract 1/8".

I'm losing you here aren't I? It sounds much harder than it is.

So for my insert I measured like this: I wanted my sides to be 1". 1" + 3 3/8" + 1" = 5 3/8" square.

I then scored at 1" on each side, cut up to the score lines and cut a hole in the middle ( so the cupcake doesn't dance around in there).

A little glue on the tabs.

Fold them in.

Put it inside. I must have measured mine a little wrong because its a little loose in there. But I don't that cupcake is going anywhere.

Decorate your lid, (but don't spend 2 days like me farting around with it) and put it all together.

It would look even better with a cupcake in there wouldn't it? Oh well...........just use your imagination with me here.

So once you know how tall and wide your cupcake is, making a box is cinchy. Its just a little math. You can do it!!

Okay peeps, I'm off to bed. I have lots of stamping to do this weekend. My big workshop is Thursday. I hope I have everything. Thanks for stopping by and keeping me company.

Blessings, b.