Bite Me!

Ok, I don't really want you to bite me :) But you have to admit, it gets your attention! I discovered a new technique this weekend that I just love. It was defined and demonstrated by Janine Tinklenberg (aka the great JanTink) that she calls the Dirty Joseph's Coat technique. Check out that link, she has lovely video tutorial there :)

I started out using the Dynamic Duo challenge, but read the rules again before posting and realized that the challenge is to use those 2 colors with only neutrals.... oh well! I love the pop of green in this, so no way would I change it  :)

• Stamps: Bite Me photopolymer, Tags 4 You
• Paper: White, Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum, Pear Pizzazz
• Ink: Perfect Plum, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Pear Pizzazz
• Other: Stampin' Trimmer with Rotary addition and Tiny Wave cutter, Label Bracket, 1¼" and 1-3/8" Circle punches, Signo white gel pen, Raven Trim Lace (retired) , Black Flourish designer jewels (retired), dimensionals

 

Now this picture goes WAY back to 2007. I think this was the last time we took all of the kids out trick-or-treating together. Sigh.... I miss those days...

Charlene was a Zombie Prom Queen (one of her own dresses and some clearance bin costume makeup), Dakota was the invisible man (sunglasses, a hat, and an ACE wrap!), David was a werewolf (make-up kit off the clearance rack from the year before), and Geoffrey was a young Obiwan Kinobe (with a light saber toy and some felt sewn into a long vest).  This was the best outside, in the dark, photo shoot I have ever had and some of my favorite shots of the kids. I will be working tonight, so we will see what ER is like in Bemidji compared to Red Lake. It was actually quiet in Red Lake on Halloween :)

Map Birthday

 

I finally got the Deco Labels framelits! I have wanted them for some time, but kept putting off getting them. I should know better. I use the heck out of all of the framelits. For the cost of one and a half punches, you get several nesting shapes, and they take up less space :) 

I am also stretching myself a bit. This is a Dynamic Duos color challenge, and I must admit I am not very good with monochromatic color schemes. This was a hard challenge for me!

I have seen some wonderful sponging lately, it is one of my favorite techniques. I have no problem getting my fingers all inky :) I always seems to wash away when I shampoo my hair anyway. I sponged on the Wisteria Wonder and Perfect plum, then stamped over it with the World Map background stamp in Basic Gray.
I was aiming for masculine with this card so I stayed away from a lot of embellishment. It was hard to resist adding rhinestones and stuff. I am also making an effort to have less bulk on my cards that may need to be mailed, so no buttons either! Hmmm, I think it is time for me to pull out my coaster board and button dies again.
The paper piercing around the Gray Deco Label was done free hand since we don't have a piercing guide for it (I am hoping for one with the Occasions Mini).

• Stamps: World Map BG, Blue Ribbon
• Paper: White, Wisteria Wonder, Basic Gray
• Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum, Basic Gray
• Other: Big Shot with Deco Labels framelit, Sizzix Circle framelits and Chevron EF, Paper Piercer and Mat, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Smokey Slate Chevron ribbon, Signo white gel pen, Sponges, dimensionals

Inside I used the Faux Torn Paper technique. It is super easy, adds depth and detail, but has no bulk! I must admit that I reinked my Basic Gray pad before I stamped on the inside as the map was not as crisp on the front of the card as I would have liked.

Since purple, and world travel, seem to be the themes for my post today, how about a picture from my trip to the Seattle Aquarium in September of 2011. Jamie had a conference there For Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and I tagged along. I did a bunch of exploring by myself and had a great time! There were a ton of things to do within walking/public transit distance from our hotel, and this was one of those things. These starfish were so vibrant! They were inside the main building and in the interactive pool. I am glad I have started to post personal pictures, it gives me an excuse to look at my photos and remember some really fun times! Maybe I'll actually do something with these photos now!

And the best for last... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my daughter, Charlene!!! She is 23 years old today :) This picture was from our trip to California in September. Love you girl!

Cakey Birthday

You may have noticed that I have been participating in more challenges lately. There are several reasons for this, including just wanting new inspiration. I feel like becoming more a part of the on-line community. When I left Red Lake Hospital to work closer to home in Bemidji, I lost my group of stampers that would meet with me once a month. Our schedules just did not mesh anymore. Plus, I couldn't look at the schedule anymore and try to find an evening that worked for most if not all of the group :) I have been missing that kind of interaction. And frankly, I have not found a new group yet. I hope to soon. This is not at all about sales for me, although it doesn't hurt :) It is about the socialization factor. Those of you who are reading this post are most likely crafters too. You know what it is like to get a group of people together working on crafts. And talking, and laughing, and sharing the stories of our lives. I really miss that. So, now all of you blog readers out there have become my "group of ladies" to share with. I appreciate any and all who come visit my blog and read my silly stories, and comment on my posts. They make me smile and feel some of the connections I felt with my friends... and I thank you! OK, now on to the stamping! That's what brings you here anyway :)

I used 2 challenges for this card. The Friday Mashup challenge was a theme and/or color challenge. I hit both! The color combo was Crushed Curry, Coastal Cabana, Going Gray, and Smokey Slate. The theme was cake :)

And a sketch from Retro Sketches. They always have great sketches there :)

I was inspired also by Heidi Baks card with the cascading dots. I used a variety of circle stamps from my stash to create that background. It took more time than I thought it would!
Incidentally, this ended up being Charlene's birthday card, cause it was special enough to send to my girl :)

I stamped a little cake in the inside of the card also. You can never have enough cake. This color combo surprised me in how much I enjoyed creating with it. I will have another card to share with you later with the same colors.. I have the main image colored and matted, sitting on my desk waiting for layout inspiration :)

Now, this picture is 2 years old (Geoffrey has put on more muscle and his curly hair has grown back), but it was too late in the evening for me to grab a picture of Geoffrey (now 17) on Friday night when he wore this chainmaille shirt again. He went to a Halloween dance at school, and won a prize for best costume! Geoffrey and Dakota made this shirt. They bought a roll of 14 gauge steel wire, coiled, cut, and linked the circles together to make this shirt all by hand. Dakota has since made and sold 2 of these custom made shirts. They have both made and sold countless bracelets, key chains, and chainmaille cross necklaces. It is pretty cool to see your kids develop a specialized craft :) Proud mama here!

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Papertrey October Blog Hop Challenge

PaperTrey Ink is having a blog hop today and I thought I would join in with a few tags. Christmas is coming, and we all need gift tags. Not every tag has to be extra special, but it is nice to have a few on hand :)

The challenge was to make five tags. Well, I started out making 5 different tags, but ended up making 5 of one kind, and 1 each of two others. Enjoy!

 Here is a shot of most of the tags together. Two of the trees are not in the picture, just not enough room :)

I made 5 of these. They are made with the In the Meadow stamp set and dies, with Gumball Green, Early Espresso, and Raspberry Ripple ink, and Raspberry Ripple ribbon, rhinestones, and Baker's Twine.

I also made a wine bottle tag with the Wonderful Wreath single stamp from SU in Crushed Curry and Cajun Craze. I also used some of that yummy Champagne Glimmer paper with the Expressions thinlit, Burlap ribbon, adn Crushed Curry Chevron ribbon. The tag was created with a 2½"x8½" strip of Crumb Cake. I used several circle dies to make the wreath and the hole in the tag, and scored the tag 2" from the top.

This last tag is made with the Chalk Talk framelit and another Expressions thinlit. The teeny tiny "christmas" is from the brand new SU photopolymer set Endless Wishes.

I had actually been just playing with the wreath stamp and had these images laying on my desk just waiting to be used, and this challenge seemed to be the perfect opportunity!

Supplies for Tree Tags:
(not pictured: PTI In the Meadow stamps and dies)

InLinkz.com

Supplies for Wine Tag:
(not pictures: Spellbinders large and small circle dies)

InLinkz.com

Supplies for Merry Tag:
(not pictures: Spellbinders large and small circle dies) 

InLinkz.com