Crafters Flea Market

Just wanted to say thanks to all of you who went to Galesburg to check out the Crafter's Flea Market. Word has it that many of you attended and your contributions (purchases) were appreciated by all the ladies who set up shop.

I had a busy Saturday and so far a productive Sunday morning as well. I went to the sale yesterday and purchased a couple of retired stamp sets that I'm pretty sure I couldn't live without, 10 yds of ribbon for $2 and untouched Metallic Art Pencils for $5 (quite a steal if you ask me!!!!). Then I just HAD to go to Hobby Lobby for some fine gold embossing powder and came out with 3 more stamps, glue pens, glue pad, embossing powder and paper.

Even hubby got into the act and picked out a stamp for his best friend's Christmas card. I, of course, thought he should make the card himself - but he wouldn't go quite that far with it. This is the card made with his choice of stamp. Go figure!!!!

I created the background using the line of trees from the SU set Lovely as a Tree and sponging Not Quite Navy to create the sky. I LOVE that color for a wintry sky. Oh - and here's a tip. When your sponge daubers start to look frazzed - get rid of them. They tend to leave spots in your sky!

The second card was inspired by this card by Laura Fredrickson. Her card is STUNNING!!! I didn't have access to my computer last night while I was creating this card and all I could remember about Laura's was the way she cut-out the poinsettia and the placement of the ribbon. Obviously mine was inspired by hers - but not a direct CASE - which really is a more creative process.

The stamp and the patterned background paper were purchased from Hobby Lobby. The image was stamped and colored twice on Waterccolor paper with SU markers and an aqua painter. On one of the images I colored the outer leaves Green and the inner leaves red. Both images were then cut-out. The red/green image was cut out into sections. The red portion was popped up with a dimensional on top of the first then the green petals were cut out and placed under the 2-dimensional image to create leaves. The entire image is popped up with a dimensional onto the patterned paper and layered onto a piece of Ruby Red cardstock. I used Stardust Stickles in the center of the flower and placed Gold metallic ribbon diagonally onto opposing corners. Before layering this onto WW cardstock which I sponged in Green and Red around the edge I added gold brads in each of the 4 corners.

I think that's all the time for play today. I now have to get busy and tend to household matters.

Thanks for visiting.

Jill

INSPIRATION STRIKES AT ANY HOUR

Have you ever had one of those moments of inspiration in the midde of the night and just couldn't rest until you got the idea down on paper? I had one of those this morning. Samson (my big dog) woke me at 3:30 a.m. whining to be let out for a potty break. I roused myself enough to realize John was sleeping in the living room in the recliner (apparently he was afraid his 3 cups of coffee before bed would keep ME awake!) so I had to actually get out of bed to wake him. HE lets the dog out - NOT ME! By the time I walked back to the bedroom I was wide awake and decided it was a fine time to stamp. I had this beautiful stamp with a bench and flowers I had purchased at a Garage sale earlier in the summer which I hadn't used yet and a new one from Hobby Lobby that talks about "rest". The two just seemed to go together so off I began. Let me tell you it did NOT turn out at all as I envisioned. In fact - it almost went in the garbage after 2 hours of work!!! I went back to bed at 6 a.m. totally disgusted with the result - woke back up at 7 a.m. and spent another 30 minutes reworking it. THIS IS THE RESULT.

First I stamped the image in Black Stazon on 140# watercolor paper and colored it using SU markers, an aqua painter and blender pen. I added my gold metallic paint to the scrolled ironworks on the bench using my Gold Ziggy Paint Pen then brighted it with a touch of Summer Sun marker. I rounded the corners, sponged the edges with Not Quite Navy and Close to Cocoa then layered onto a scalloped rectangle of Chocolate Chip. I added gold dots in each scallop with the Zig Pen. Gold ribbon was added on the diagonal of two opposing corners and gold brads were placed in the corners. I colored paper flowers using markers and the Zig Pen and cut leaves from a scrap piece of Bella Rose Designer Paper. These were layered onto a piece of BigShot embossed Chocolate Chip cardstock. The last thing I did was to stamp the greeting in Basic Brown on Watercolor Paper, sponge the edge in Close to Cocoa then cut around it with paper snips and tuck it under the flowers and ribbon.

This card was based on a Splitcoaststampers challenge from this past Monday. Every Monday on Splitcoast there is a new technique challenge. This week was to create a card using the stair-step fold. The Santa stamp is from Rubbernecker. The house stamp - borrowed from a friend and the trees are a stamp from Stampin'Up!s "Lovely as a Tree". This was a fun technique and definitely challenging. First I stamped the trees onto white card stock then sponged thesky using Not Quite Navy making sure to leave white space toward the bottom for snow. This I attached to the back "step". Next I stamped and colored the house then tore from each edge up to the house to create the snow on the ground and then cut out around the house. I tore a second piece of white cardstock and layered it under the house to achieve a little more depth. This completed piece was adhered to the middle "step". Santa is stamped on watercolor paper and colored with markers and an aqua painter. He is popped up on dimensionals onto torn white cardstock which is adhered to the front "step". I sponged the upper edge of each torn snow layer very lightly in Not Quite Nay and then lined the edge with Stardust Stickles. The snow on the trees and in the sky is made with a white gel pen.

Thanks for visiting. Enjoy your weekend and remember to get in a little play time.

Jill

DON'T THROW AWAY THOSE SCRAPS!!!!

Seriously! Hang onto those scraps you get from cutting into your nice Designer Papers and cardstock. They really do come in handy. Yesterday I posted a card I made in which I had cut a large scalloped circle from a piece of Chocolate & White Polkadot Designer Paper. Last night as I was trying to decide what to do with this adorable snow globe idea from "thinkinchair" on Splitcoast, I remembered the scrap "frame" that was created when I cut the scalloped circle. It worked perfectly and I was glad I saved it so that I didn't have to waste a piece of DP to get the effect.

This little snowglobe was created using the Stampin'Up! Tab Punch, a circle Nestabilities, and my BigShot. I purchased the image from Rubberneckers. It comes in a set of 4 stamps (3 penguins and an ornament stamp) and is absolutely adorable! The cardstock colors are Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, and Soft Sky with the piece of scrap Bella Rose Polka Dot Designer Paper framing the cut out Nestabilities scallops. The little "Merry Christmas" stamp is one I've had for several years and I don't remember the manufacturer/distributor name. I added Stardust Stickles to the globe to create the falling snow effect and added a bit of shadowing and highlights to the base to add a bit of 3-d effect.

This second card I made last night is another idea for my Christmas cards this year. I just CAN'T decide on a design this year - normally I have the idea by July and the cards finished by now - but not this year. I don't know why it's so difficult - maybe because I have so many different ideas and styles it's making it harder. Anyway - enough of that. The cardstock for this card was purchased at Hobby Lobby (because I'm out of Chocolate Chip until my next SU order) but are very similar to SU's Chocolate Chip and Creamy Caramel. The sentiment was purchased at Hobby Lobby and was stamped in VersaMark onto Chocolate Chip and heat embossed using Ancient Gold brand Antique Gold embossing powder. It's really cool looking IRL as it has a glimmer of other colors when the light hits it just right. I tied a gold ribbon around the base and then layered it onto a piece of thin, gold shimmery paper and then layered again onto Chocolate Brown CS. The card base was dry embossed with the BigShot and a Cuttlebug Embossing folder. It was very quick to create and I love the sentiment and the simple but clean look. I'm rethinking the ribbon - this one was all I had at home and is a little too "shiny". I might try raffia for a more homespun "straw in the stable" looking finish.

Thanks for visiting today. Don't forget the Crafter's Flea Market on Saturday in Galesburg. I don't have much money right now - but you know I just HAVE to go and take a peek!

Have a good day.

Jill

CHOCOLATE KISSES & PINK TUTUS

Mmmmmm. Doesn't that title sound delicious?? Makes my mouth water just to think about it. But sorry - no candy on this site - not even a photo of a chocolate kiss. So - what's the title all about? It's this week's color challenge on Splitcoast Stampers. The three colors this week were Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss and Pink Pirouette. This is my take on the challenge.

I started out my embossing my main card base and cutting the large scalloped circle using my BigShot, a Cuttlebug embossing folder and a Nestabilities die. I then lightly sponged the raised image and edges of the card base in Regal Rose. The scalloped circle was adhered directly onto the card base.

I used the retired Stampin'Up! Best Blossoms set for the image and stamped the leaves in Kiwi Kiss. For the blooms I colored the stamp with Stampin'Up markers in Pretty in Pink and added Regal Rose to the center then lightly misted the image before stamping on Whisper White Cardstock. I used the corner rounder, sponged the edge in Regal Rose then adhered to a piece of corner rounded, Chocolate Chip with white polka dots Bella Rose Designer Paper. This was layered on a piece of edge sponged Pink Pirouette card stock. The corners of this piece were ticket punched. I decided to add a border of Chocolate Chips dots to the edge to coordinate with the polka dot DP.

The sentiment is from Sincere Salutations by Stampin'Up! and was stamped in Chocolate Chip directly onto the image layer.

Lastly I tied a length of 1/4" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain ribbon to the bottom and popped all these layers up off the scalloped circle using dimensionals.

And here it is. The finished creation. I was pleased with the overall look of the card. However if I make it again I'll make sure to stamp my sentiment a little straighter! :)

Thanks for visiting. As always feedback is appreciated - but remember to be kind if you criticize. (You can be as brutal as you want if you're showering praises! :D )

Jill

DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW . . .

Not to panic - no snow in our forecast for a while yet I hope. I've been editing photos for the past 10 hours today and decided it was time for a stampin' break and since I'm still undecided on my Christmas Cards I thought I'd play with the BigShot and my Stampin'Up Snowflake Die because - well - I just LOVE MY BIGSHOT!

I cut the snowflake from white fun foam which had the advantage of already having an adhesive backing. It went through the BigShot perfectly. The upper 4/5ths of the card base is embossed with the swiss dots Cuttlebug folder. The embossed lines on the bottom of the card base were created using my cutter and scoring blade. The stamp is one I've had for several years and is distributed by Savvy Stamps.

Very quick - very easy. Just the kind of card I needed today.

Thanks for visiting. I'm off to edit photos.

Jill

DOOR PRIZE DRAWING

Thought I'd give you all a peek at the door prize drawing for the Christmas Craft & Pizza Party on December 6th. I saw one of these recently at a scrapbook store. It was decorated for Halloween and was so cute I thought I'd give it a go. I was thinking about using this as the "surprise" Christmas Craft for everyone to make - but it is too time consuming for an afternoon project - so it became the door prize drawing instead.


The basket/bag/container is an unfinished wood kit by BEYOND THE PAGE that I covered inside and out with a two-sided Designer Paper by Terri Conrad Designs. The bird is a premade chipboard piece - by ??? (Unfortunately I removed the label before reading the manufacturers information - sorry!) I cut out the large butterfly from one of the pieces of Designer Paper and popped it up on the knot of the ribbon and added pearls and paper flowers to the bird to finish. I can just see a set of BathBeads and Oils surrounded by raffia sticking out the opening can't you? Hmmmm - maybe I'll have to think about adding those before the party!

Oh! Looking at the photo I just realized I took the photo BEFORE I finished the project. The edges of the wood are now stained with Chocolate Chip ink - guess I got in too big a hurry to show you the project.

If you haven't signed up for the event and would like to, leave a comment here on the blog or email me privately for all the details.

Have a great day and don't forget to play a little.

Jill

DO NOT GO TO THE CRAFTER'S FLEA MARKET

on the 18th of October. Some silly woman told you the WRONG date!!!! It is the 25th of October not the 18th!!!! and runs from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thank you Sarah for the email - I would have lost many friends over this if not for you!!!!

Jill

NOT VERY CHATTY TODAY -

but I haven't posted in a while and I wanted to show you some "upcoming" project ideas.

The first two are ideas for 2 months worth of the Calendar of Cards (aka Peoria Stamp Fest) on November 22nd. I was in charge of Halloween and Christmas cards - the idea is to keep them quick and simple but still unique/attractive. What do you think?( Remember to be gentle with your criticism.)

The next event I am holding is the Christmas Craft Pizza Party on Saturday, Dec. 6th. This is a rough sample of the stationary box, cards and tags we will be making. I reserve the right to change my mind about the details before the gathering. :)

There is one last event I know about at this point. It is the Crafter's Flea Market in Galesburg on Saturday, October 18th. 12 Stampin' Up Demonstrators are selling craft items, retired stamp sets, crafting materials, tools etc.

That's it for me today. If you would like details on any of the events, send me an email and I'll give you the scoop.

Thanks for visiting.

Jill

WEDDINGS, WEDDINGS AND . . .

wedding photos. That's all I've been doing for the past week and a half and has it been FUN!!!!! This past week I spent with one of my niece's and my sisters preparing for the niece's wedding. We cooked food, decorated the "church" (which is a rustic building with sawdust floors), decorated the hall, carved pumpkins, baked and decorated the wedding cake and then saw it all come to an end on Saturday evening. Actually - that's not quite the truth because I went Sunday to the bride & groom's home to watch them open their gifts. What a truly wonderful time and the bride was stunning (don't you agree?)!!!!

With all of that going on I've had no time to make a single card so I decided to scan Splitcoast for inspiration and came up with this beautiful wedding card by Linda Borneman (Hearth Cricket on SCS). She apparently doesn't blog, but her gallery on Splitcoast is a delight. I'm hoping to get to make my own version of her wonderful card in the next day or so.

Also - just a little FYI - I'm planning a Christmas Craft / Pizza Party for Saturday, December 6th from noon to 5 p.m. The cost is $25 and covers craft items, cards, room rental, food & drink. Let me know if you are interested in participating and I'll forward all the details.

Hope today has been a good one for you, that you accomplished all you needed and wanted to accomplish.

Thanks for visiting.

Jill

WORLD CARD MAKING DAY

Yes - you read it right. There really IS an officially recognized card making day. It is Saturday, October 4th! Nomally I would plan a little gathering - but this year I'm going to participating as the photographer in my niece's wedding so I'll be a bit busy. That however, doesn't stop YOU from participating and coming up with some great new birthday, greeting, sympathy, get well (etc.) cards for your stash.

Speaking of weddings - we shot a wedding this past Saturday (we = my son Tristan and me). My good friend, Cindy, came along and was an INVALUABLE help. So I want to send a BIG THANKS her way.

THANKS!!!!!!

(I know that doesn't look very big - but it is the largest font size available on this blog site.)

Since I don't have a card to post this morning due to photo editing responsibilities I thought I'd share a photo or two from the wedding.

Important Stampin' Up! News!!! The new Holiday Mini Promotion is now underway. Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware is ready for purchase (p. 185, Item #112454). And, Stampin' Up! is celebrating their 20th Anniversary with a 20% off sale on the following select birthday stamp sets (with a minimum $20 purchase of regular priced items).

Item # Page # Description Retail Price 20% Off Price
109439 62 Big Bold Birthday $27.95 $22.36
111532 63 Party Hearty* $26.95 $21.56
110994 64 Bitty Birthday $12.95 $10.36
111618 64 Crazy for Cupcakes* $23.95 $19.16
111546 65 Simple Birthday Thanks* $17.95 $14.36
111702 65 Time to Party* $16.95 $13.56
108559 68 Crab & Company $27.95 $22.36
*Die Cut Stamp Sets

Décor Elements has released Phase 2, which includes more beautiful vinyl wall coverings. Discover new colors (Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, to name a few) and cool designs like Nursery Necessities and Park Avenue Ornaments.

Aqua Painter's are on sale INDIVIDUALLY at a reduced price. This is a great idea - how many can you use at one time anyway???

That's it for this morning. I've got to get ready to start the wedding week fun.

Have a great day.

Jill