Happy New Year

With a week of the new year gone, I hope it's not too late to send out wishes for a fabulous 2014.

I used Crafty Secrets Party Cats digital stamp set. To the make the cats a little more festive, I added the crown from Bird Notes and  party hat from Born to Fly. The sentiment is from Christmas Kewpies.  I colored the image with Prismacolor pencils and then added a few stamped stars from the acrylic set Pixie Dust. I'm joining the Crafty Secrets January Linky Party here.

We started the new year with a hike in the mountains on the first.

The temperature was in the upper 30s, so it wasn't too terribly cold, but like much of the country the temperature is now in the single digits thanks to the Polar Vortex.

I hope 2014 has begun positively for you, and as always thanks for stopping by today.

Ellen Hutson Inchie Challenge-EHWCMD1

Ellen Hutson has seven great challenges in honor of WCMD with a great prize package over on the Classroom. For the inchie challenge I chose Wildflowers from Clear Art Stamps which I stamped in Ripe Avocado (PTI) and colored with Prisma pencils and blender pencils. The tiles are mounted on Ripe Avocado with a mat of Orange Zest. The card base is Kraft and the sentiment is stamped in Rich Cocoa (Memento). I will definitely use this idea again. I guess this means I need some more narrow stamps. :)

Halloween Squared

I made this card for the Crafty Secrets Challenge on SCS-It's Hip to be Square. The image is from Halloween Fun which I colored with Prismacolor pencils. The sentiment is from the new Halloween Vintage Postcard Kit. The image and sentiment are mounted on scalloped mats. I used foam tape to mount these onto the gingham paper. I made the buttons by cutting with the smallest square Nestabilites die; I used a PopTart box(love those brown sugar poptarts-my breakfast treat once a week). Then I poked two holes and then covered in Orange Peel Stickles. After the Stickles dried, I covered the buttons with Glossy Accents. It took a long time for both the Stickles and Glossy Accents to dry, but I like the end product. I see more Stickles coming home with me :) May have to visit LSS today or at least this week.

Have you seen the sneak peeks at Waltzingmouse Makes... ? It looks like Claire will have more fabulous and tempting sets to release soon.

Thanks for stopping by,

Cammie

Playing with Plaid

I was happy to see the Crafty Secrets Challenge on SCS this week is to use plaid. I have an affinity for plaid, and I got to cut into some My Mind's Eye Christmas paper I recently purchased at LSS. I only bought two sheets; I think I should have bought more. I guess a return trip is in order. This was a simple card to make once I chose stamp and layout. I frequently am overwhelmed; it often takes me awhile to decide on those two elements. The layout is modeled after a card made by Nichole Headry, although my ribbon and button are attached differently. This is a card to fit a 4x4 envelope. I have been branching out from the standard A2 card--must be all those tempting envelopes at PTI. I guess my shopping cart will have several envelope packs in it when the 15th rolls around.

Thanks for stopping by and happy stamping,

Cammie

Supplies:

Stamps: Vintage Christmas (Clear Art Stamps)

Ink: Pure Poppy(PTI)

Paper: The Merry Days of Christmas-Pajama Plaid(My Mind's Eye), Kraft(PTI)

Other: Pure Poppy Vintage Button, Spring Moss twill ribbon (PTI), brads (Paper Studio), 1-inch circle punch

Greetings from the Other Side

I made this card for this week's Crafty Secrets Challenge on SCS. The challenge is to use a frame.

I used one of my new little stamps from Mouse Party, such cute little rodents! I colored him with Prismacolor pencils , used Stickles on the pom-poms on the hat and a glitter pen on the buttons, and cut the image so that he would cover part of the frame. The sentiment is from Wildflowers. To complete the idea of a picture, I used twine and a button to hang my picture. For the background, I used Aqua Mist stamped with Polka Dot Basics in Versmark and heat set with clear embossing powder for the top portion and Dotty Dude paper for the lower portion. This paper from My Mind's Eye has several colors that work well with PTI cardstock. The red base matches the frame.

I'm off to stamp some more.

Cammie

Supplies:

Stamps: Mouse Party, Wildflowers (Clear Art Stamps), Polka Dot Basics (PTI)

Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Versamark

Paper: Dotty Dude (My Minds Eye), Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart, Pure Poppy, Stamper's Select White (PTI)

Other: Aqua Mist Vintage Button ,twine (PTI), Prismacolor Pencils,Scalloped border punch (EK Success)

Sweet Baby Chick and CPS

A quick trip to Hobby Lobby this morning to buy new B plates for the Cuttlebug with a 40% coupon resulted in a few more items. What a surprise! I got the plates along with a couple of dies that had been marked down and some fall ribbon that matches PTI's Scarlet Jewel. ( So much for the plan not to buy any more ribbon, except for PTI ribbon). I'm such a sucker for a bargain. I also got embroidery floss to match my latest PTI paper orders.

When I returned home, I had to choose between house cleaning and card making. Tough choice. LOL. So I finished my card for CPS (Sketch 125) which I combined with the Crafty Secrets Challenge on SCS. The challenge was to include stitching on the card. So I found the zig-zag foot and did my first zig-zag stitching on a card. I actually thought it was a little easier than straight stitching. When I'm straight stitching, I tend to go a little fast, and then my stitches get a little crooked.

The final product is this baby card.

I stamped the image from Crafty Secrets Easter Joy with Vintage Sepia (Versafine). I really like the sepia ink with Crafty Secrets vintage images even if you have to give it a little longer to dry. The sentiment is from Mixed Messages (PTI). After coloring the image with Prisma pencils and baby oil, I cut the image with Spellbinders Circle Nestabilities and layered on top of scalloped circle in Lemon Tart (PTI). The printed paper is Flower Patch (Making Memories). The ribbon is from Hobby Lobby, and the buttons are from both PTI and Paper Studio.

Thanks for visiting,
Cammie

Tablescapes

China, linen, crystal. I love them and love tablescapes. What a quick way to redecorate, to set a mood, to welcome a season. Because the inspiration photo for Raspberry Suite Color Challenge # 9 included china and crystal, I envisioned two different tablescapes and then created cards to correspond to those tablescapes. First, a bold modern country flavor- a heavy pine farm table, plain cream china, rough linen napkins, green crystal, black pails filled with large flowers, perhaps mums. Are you seeing it? So, the first card has strong graphic elements. The vibrant green combined with black and cream lends itself to a simple design. This is the card I created one with stong graphic elements. This could be pop art or a modern quilt design. The image from PTI's Beautiful Blooms stamped on a Cuttlebug die cut represents those mums placed on the table. I pierced the the squares and the placed the stamped images on pop dots. A sentiment with no embellishments and the card is complete. I like the CAS look with this color combination.







The second tablescape corresponds more closely to the inspiration photo. An elegant country table--a dark, heavy plank trestle table, heavy cream baroque china (similar to that in the photo), heavy crystal , antique silver containers filled with ferns, lots of cream candles in silver holders, black linens, and then a touch of the unexpected--a bright green brocade table runner.Oh, I want to dine at that table.

The use of Nestabilities Labels 4 corresponds to that elegant feel of the second table. The fern image and the ribbon are obvious.





I hope you'll soon be dining at a lovely table.

Thanks for stopping by,
Cammie


Supplies:
Modern Country
Stamps: Beautiful Blooms , Tags for Spring -sentiment (PTI)
Ink: New Leaf (PTI), Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Vintage Cream, New Leaf, True Black (PTI)
Other: Cuttlebug Die, paper piercing

Elegant Country
Stamps: Wildflowers (Clear Art Stamps), Background Basics Text Style, Mixed Messages (PTI)
Ink:New Leaf (PTI)
Cardstock:Vintage Cream, New Leaf, True Black (PTI)
Other: Nestablities Labels 4, ribbon (American Crafts)

100+ Years

I mentioned in an earlier post that one of my friends and former co-workers is retiring this month after teaching for 30 years. At the high school where I taught, there were four of us in the English department who collectively had over 100 years at the school. In these days, it is becoming more unusual for people to spend so many years at one place. So we four have always felt a great pride and loyalty to our school and our students. I was the first of the four to retire when I retired last year. And although I knew I was making the right decision, it was extremely difficult and emotional to leave what was my life for 30 years. I know Debbie, the second to retire, is feeling the same these last days. In fact, today was her last day with students, the last day of final exams. While tomorrow is make-up day for final exams, there are very few students at school...basically those whose parents force them to attend; of course, the students want to begin their summer vacation. Her last day will be Tuesday. I have been sending her a couple of cards each week this month. She too is ready to start on the next phase of her life but sad to leave a profession she has truly loved. We have taught some wonderful students. While I don't miss all the grading at home, I do miss the teaching and the interaction with the students. Debbie will feel the same I'm sure. Anyway, this is the first card I sent her to celebrate the beginning of her new life.

If for no other reason she will celebrate not having to grade 1,000+ essays and 240+ research papers a year in addition to the all tests, quizzes, and homework.

Thanks for stopping by,

Cammie

Supplies:

Stamps: Image is from Card Sentiments (Clear Art Stamps), and the sentiment is from Life (PTI).

Ink: Black (Memento) Pure Poppy (PTI)

Cardstock: Lemon Tart and Pure Poppy (PTI)

Other: Cuttlebug embossing folder, Nestabilities, Prismacolor Pencils and OMS to color image