Stampin' Mama: A mama that stamps

XOXO Card and matching mini flower pot - Kitchen Sink Stamps

I'm just so "tickled pink" with myself right now. I wanna hug my card and my little flower pot because they're just so darn cute., but I'm afraid they'll get crushed, so I'll just sit here and stare at them and smile at myself instead.

This morning, I was feeling SO uninspired. I knew I wanted to create, but I had no clue WHAT to create.

Having my very own muse helps a lot, though. All it takes is a phone call with Jen and I'm on my way. The two of us start brainstorming and then I get all fired up and get to work.

She told me to get out the box of ribbon she sent me to help inspire me. I fell in love with the rick-rack. And then we got talking about working with a little flower pot. I combed through my bins for one of the teeny little flower pots that I knew I had hid somewhere (my daughter had been taking them and planting in them last year and I finally put my last two away so that I would a couple intact when I needed them. I even stamped the pot!

I then went through my utensil drawer (read: drawer with extra big utensils and "stuff" that never gets used) and found a couple skewers in the back. I created the little flowers using my Scalloped edge punch and taped the skewer down with a little bit of Sticky Strip to one of the scallops, then sandwiched the second scalloped circle on top with some pop-dots.

For the card, flowers and pot, I used images from the Love & Luck set (from Kitchen Sink Stamps).

I stamped a border around the little flower pot using the large flourish image from the set. I adhered some rick-rack around the edge of the pot and filled the pot with my own hand made crinkled paper. I couldn't find the paper grass that I thought I still had and was trying to come up with a way to duplicate and remembered that I had a crimper collecting dust under my desk. I had actually hidden it under my desk because the kids tried using it with Playdough once and I was afraid of them ruining it. Out of sight, out of mind.

I cut thin strips of Certainly Celery cardstock and then ran them through the crimper and had (almost) instant crinkled grass. It helped to stabilize the skewers in the pot.

I tied some of the rick-rack around the skewers to take the place of leaves.

The card I made took elements from the little flower pot. I adhered lengths of rick-rack across the Whisper White cardstock and then adhered scalloped circles on top, staggering them so they'd all fit on the card. I adhered the scalloped circles with pop-dots for dimension.

I stamped the "xoxo" (from the Love & Luck set) with Purely Pomegranate ink. (the other color I used for stamping was Regal Rose)

I'm now going to go stare at my cute little set again. Have a beautiful and creative weekend!

Oh.....and if you haven't entered my give-away yet....you have till Tuesday. Go here ---> Groovy-Give-Away

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama

It's time for a Groovy Give-Away

Wow....it's been a while since I've done a Give-away and a while is too long to go in between. It's high time for another one! And this one is a good one! (Well, aren't they ALWAYS good??)

The Coaster Mini Books Trilogy Tutorial CD has been really popular and I want a lucky someone to WIN this CD!

Did you know that coasters can make the most amazing mini-books? This tutorial CD gives you 3 incredible Coaster Mini Book tutorials! They're FRESH, FUN and FANTASTIC!

*** This Give-Away is NOT limited to where you live.....so even if you are outside of the US or Canada, you can still participate.***

So......what do you need to do to enter this Groovy Give-Away?

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post - about whatever you'd like to say.....it's YOUR turn to talk! :)

I'll pick the winner with the random number generator on Tuesday (6/3) at 11 am Eastern Time and announce the winner here!

Spread the groovy love and send your friends over to enter, too! And while you're at it, if you haven't already signed up for my mailing list (which is that little box ALL THE WAY at the top of my blog, right under my picture), pop your email address into that box so that you don't miss out on any of the fun stuff I have going on outside of this blog, along with newsletters and more!

Thanks for reading!
-Erika

You are My Sunshine set....GinaK

I had this thought in my mind to use my slot punch on a card with paper as ribbon. When I took out the new You are My Sunshine set (which is GinaK's new "Free with 3" set....purchase any 3 sets and get this set for free), I planned to somehow use this idea I had in my head on this card. When I started out, I had a completely different vision of the finished card in my head and let me tell you.....the finished version of this card looks NOTHING like the version I had created in my head.

Not that I'm complaining....I quite like how this version turned out. And now I still have that vision in my head of the other card layout that I can use at another time. I love it when things work out like that.

When I think of beach scenes, my thoughts always turn to blues, greens and browns. Those colors always calm my soul and they happen to be my 3 favorite colors (especially when paired together), so the chance to use them with a beach set is perfect for me.

I a big sucker for watercoloring line art sets. And I'm a big sucker for using real watercolor paper. It looks so nice with watercoloring painting. For this card, I used the lids of my inkpads, a little bit of water and a paintbrush. I took the colors from the Summer Picnic Designer Series paper (Stampin' UP) to choose my colors for painting. All of the patterned paper that I used on this card is from the Summer Picnic pack.

I mounted the watercolored image on top of a piece of patterned paper and then used my slot punch to punch a slot at the top and bottom of the image (on the far left side). I threaded a strip of patterned paper through each of the slots and taped it the end under. I put a mini gold brad through each strip, right below the slot. The paper strips look like they're wrapped around the card, but I just trimmed the paper along the edge of the cardstock.

To give the water a bit of sparkle on the waves, I used a bit of Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I applied some 2-way glue to the wave lines and then sprinkled the glitter on. It makes the ocean look like there are sparkling white crested waves breaking into shore.

The little dots above the beach image are clear Rain Dots (also from GinaK). They were just enough to balance out the top of the card without overwhelming it.

The only thing this card is missing is me in that picture.....sitting on the beach with a glass of lemonade and dipping my feet in the water. Soon enough.....summer's right around the corner.

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama

Scrapbook Page - No Regrets

I was working on submissions to send in for Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooker of the Year and ended up deciding that I just didn't have enough time to get everything done. I've not been feeling well over the weekend and there's been a lot going on. I probably could have pushed myself, but I knew that I would just end up creating pages simply for the sake of having something to send in. If I'm going to enter something like that, I want to put my whole heart into it. I don't want to send in pages that I've created without putting everything I have into them.

I've got my sights set on the Memory Makers Masters contest and that isn't due till July 31st, so I've got plenty of time to work on that.

In the meantime, I wanted to share one of the pages that I had intended to send in to the CK contest. It seems more fitting to share it with all of you than to hide it aside in the files over at CK.

This page was fairly easy and quick to put together, simply because the base page was pre-printed and fit SO well with the theme that I wanted to create my page about.

I mounted my picture with simply silver-brushed photo corners. Sometimes, those old-fashioned photo corners are all you need.

My title was done with some new chipboard letters I picked up recently. I used both the letters and the negatives left from punching the letters out. These letters are self-adhesive so I even saved the backings that I peeled off of them for later use.

I really adore the dimension that chipboard gives a card or a layout. And I especially adore letters and fonts. I love to mix them up.

When I thought about the journaling that I wanted to use for my layout, I originally thought about using a quote on my page. I searched and searched, but couldn't find something I really liked. Most of the quotes that I found on regrets talked about having them. That's not where I wanted to go with my journaling. That's not what I felt. I enjoy using quotes on my pages. When I find good ones, they help to further convey what I'm feeling and thinking inside. They're a continuation of my own thoughts. While quotes are great, there are just some pages where the journaling has to come from the heart and stand alone. That's what I decided to do with this page when I couldn't find something I was completely satisfied with.
I was going to type out the journaling, but I think it's pretty clear from this picture as to what I had to say. The page is actually on a tilt, so I turned it straight to make it easier to read.

I used Really Rust cardstock to type my journaling on, but it was a bit too bright so I grunged it up a bit by swiping it with Creamy Caramel ink and then cut the journaling into strips.

I cut an arrow out of a piece of black felt to attach to my page. The little date on the side was done with a stamp that only went up to 2007. I stamped it to read Jan -- 2000 and then used my black fine tip marker to turn the last zero into an 8.

Have a wonderful night and may you wake up to a brand new day with no regrets!

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama

EDITED TO ADD: I've had a few people asking about the subtle title was created. I'm sorry that I confused people to think that the "Live with Intention, Play with Abandon" was part of the title that I created. I had mentioned that the base paper was pre-printed....I guess I should have explained that the "Live with Intention, Play with Abandon" is PART of the pre-printed paper. It came like that. The only things I did to the paper was add the stuff in the middle of those (the picture, my chipboard title, the arrow and my journaling). The paper came from the Basic Grey Sublime Collection.

Limited Edition Kits!

If you're looking for some fun To-Go Kits.....with everything at your fingertips to create some awesome projects, I still have some of my Limited Edition kits available, but there's not many of them left and they're going fast!

Check them out here: Recipe Box To-Go Kit and CD Tin Mini Album Kit

Once they're gone.....they're gone!

Great Giveaway!

Just a heads up that my mom, Donna, from over at the Spatulas, Corkscrews & Suitcases blog, is giving away a fantastic FREE COOKBOOK!

Make sure you stop in and leave a comment to get a chance to win!

Click here ----> CookBook Give-Away!

The give-away ends on Tuesday, so there's still time! Make sure you leave your comment on HER blog, not mine. :)

4-Day FREE Stampin' Up Shipping Special

 Memorial Day weekend is upon us and that means all sort of sales. But who wants to brave the crowds this weekend? And wouldn't you rather shop from the comfort of your own home?              

So, what's better than having your order delivered right to your door?? No driving!                    

And what's better than not having to drive??             

                    

FREE SHIPPING!

                         

Here's how it works:
               

                                         

Place an order ANY TIME from 10 am Friday, May 23rd, through 9 pm Monday, May 26th and get FREE SHIPPING on all orders $60 and over!

(Orders totaling over $150 will get free hostess benefits!)

You all know I like a little fun.....

Because I like to make things even more fun....

5th person to order receives a FREE White Signo Uni-Ball Gel Pen
10th person to order receives a FREE Package of Stamping Sponges
15th person to order receives a FREE Pack of Hemp Twine

Don't have a BIG Stampin' UP catalog at hand? Just CLICK HERE to view our catalog online!

Make sure you don't forget the awesome Occasions Mini Catalog - it's only here for a little while longer and then it'll be GONE!

Also.... through May 31st, when you spend $35  on any Stampin' Up! products, you'll get 25% off all On Board chipboard products from pages 178-179 of the Spring/Summer Catalog!

And.....Get a free hobby blade when you purchase a Stampin' Up Cutting Mat (page 184 in the big catalog).

There are 2 ways to order during this "Free Shipping" Special:

• Email me at: erikaerin2001@yahoo.com
• Call me at: 802-877-2296 or 802-349-6671 (cell)

There are 5 ways to pay:

Pay with your Visa Card
Pay with your MasterCard
Pay with your Discover Card
Pay by PayPal (I'll send you an invoice via email...payments must be made by Tuesday, May 27th)
Pay by local Vermont check (Local checks must be received by Wednesday, May 28th)

If you call in your order and get my voice mail, please leave your order on my voice mail and I will call you back with a total.
The "4-Day Free Shipping" Special ends at 9 pm, Monday night (May 26th).

Orders totaling $150 will receive free hostess benefits.                             

Happy shopping!

-Erika

Full tax applies in states where tax is applicable. This special is only available through Erika Martin, Your Stampin' Up Demonstrator.

This special does NOT apply to orders placed at local workshops. 

                                                   

Just Me and My Dad.....such a cute stamp image!

I really love the idea of the Kindred Spirits line that GinaK came out with. The images show "real" people doing "real" things. They seem so down to earth. And so applicable for every day cards.

This is another one of the cards that I created for the release party that took place on Tuesday night.

I used the new Just Me and My Dad image to create this card. I honestly don't know which image is my favorite from the Kindred Dads line because they all rock so hard!

My kids love to fly kites and I have quite a few photos of Davy showing them how to work the string and keep the kite in the air. We have a couple kites in the closet that need to come out this weekend....we've had some really great windy days that have been perfect for kite flying.

My kids think that the best thing in the world about kites is the ability to fly heavier objects like boxes and laundry baskets up onto the kite string and into the air. This was a trick that Davy learned when he was a boy. It's all about the wind and letting the string out nice and slow, along with threading the basket or box onto the string right. Oh....and straws. He loves to thread drinking straws onto the string and watch them fly up the string. Sometimes I wonder if I have three kids in my family, instead of just the two little ones. That big kid of mine gets just as much enjoyment out of kites as my little kids do. I'll have to take a picture sometime this summer of them flying the boxes and laundry baskets up on the strings. It has stopped a few cars on the road before.....trying to figure out how in the world a laundry basket is seemingly hovering in the air. It's quite funny!

Two of my favorite colors came into play in this card. Blue and green. And it was so easy because of the sky and the grassy hill the father and son are flying their kites on.

I stamped the image on Confetti white because I love watercoloring on it. It holds up the water really well. I mounted that on Soft Sky cardstock and then on top of the grass patterned paper (which has been hiding on my paper rack for about 6 years now) that I mounted on top of my Wild Wasabi card base.

The greetings from the Kindred Greetings for Him set are so well suited to all the images that Gina created in the Kindred Dads line.

I adore the sentiment that I used on this card. It fits the image so perfectly. This greeting is actually all on one stamp, but I chose to split it up so that some fit on top of the card and some fit on the bottom. I used my Black Stampin' Write marker (the brush tip end) to color the words I wanted and then cleaned it off in between stamping.

I used some little light blue and green brads on either side of the greeting that I got a few years ago at Joann's a few years ago. Way to use up those hoarded supplies! I'm getting better and better at it all the time!

Hope you all have a wonderful evening!

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama

Trying out a new card shape!

GinaK had her release party last night for the fantastic new line of stamps that just came out. Her forum over at SCS was hopping all night long and there were amazing samples shared by the girls on the Design Team. I really look forward to these release parties.....lots of fun chatter, great company, tons of laughs....and of course, all the sneak peeks and  challenges.

Speaking of challenges....one of the other things I love about the release parties is being able to put together a sketch challenge for everyone that visits! I was actually supposed to be somewhere else last night and that ended up being canceled, which meant that I was able to make the party after all! As soon as I knew I could make the release party, I asked Gina if I could take on one of the challenges. These challenges really make me think outside the box. This particular challenge ESPECIALLY made me think outside the box.

My friend, Jen (who also happens to be my muse), has been telling me for a while now that I need to create a shaped card. So....here it is! An oval shaped card.

If you'd like to take part in the challenge....you still have time! You have until tomorrow night, Thursday, the 22nd. The winners will be announced in a winner's thread on Friday morning. You can check out all the details here at this thread ---> Erika's release challenge!

I folded my Real Red cardstock in half like I would with a normal card. Then, I laid my oval cutter template over the top, while hanging the template over the folded edge a little, and cut out the oval shape. I cut a couple smaller ovals (from white and black cardstock) and adhered them along the fold, trimming the edges off to be flush with the fold of the card.

I used the new Many Happy Returns set for this card. Both the typewrite and the greeting come from this set. I stamped the typewriter with Palette Hybrid Noir ink and then colored it in with Copic markers and used my Copic blender. I'm still trying to learn how to use these markers and learn something new every time I use them.
The greeting is actually one long stamp, but I needed to make it all fit in the white space on the oval so I used my Basic Black marker to do one word at a time. A little more work, but it didn't take me long at all.

I used up some ribbon scraps by folding them in half and stapling them to my layers of white and black cardstock before mount it on on the red card.

The little pink heart on the typing paper is one of the little Rain Dots hearts. It adds such a cute touch to the card and I was quite pleased with myself for thinking to use it here. haha!

You can see along the edge of the red card that I added some black stitch lines with my Basic Black Stampin' Write marker. The edge just seemed so bare, but I didn't want to go overboard with it, so the stitch lines were just enough to give it that "something extra" that it needed, but didn't overdo it.

This picture shows a little bit more detail of the stitch lines.

I also added another embellishment along the bottom right side of the card. Just WAIT till you see these!

GinaK just started carrying these amazing Rain Dots Eyelets. Aren't they awesome??? I love the eyelet dots, but I also love the little tiny dots in the package because they fit just about ANYWHERE!

Well, it's off to bed for me. It's an early night for me. I think I've come down with the illness that my daughter had earlier in the week and missed a day of school for. I'd better get a good night's sleep.

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama

One Design - Multiple Cards.....from the Kitchen Sink

I realized, just recently, that I haven't done a One Design - Multiple Cards post in a long time. Since February, to be exact. It's definitely LONG overdue!

I'm itching to get in my garden and plant, but I don't dare to put anything in there until after Memorial Day weekend. It's a hard and fast rule in our family that we wait until then. This was something my mom always did and it's something I always do. I found out years ago that my mom waited because the elderly woman across the street from us (when we were living in northern New Hampshire) waited until then. She had a HUGE garden and always had amazing crops. She had rules that she played by when it came to gardening, so she was a good example to follow. The reason she waited until after Memorial Day was because up here in the north, you don't want to take chances on any late frosts that will kill your tiny and tender plantlings.

So.....after Memorial Day it is. I've been wanting to get in there and plant my seeds and go to the farmer's market in town to buy my plants, but I've been holding off, knowing that I NEED to wait just a little while longer. It won't be long now. And it's a good thing I've waited because it's been pretty chilly and wet lately.

I have plans to start planting next week. I'm SO excited! I adore this time of year. I love being out under the sun, with my bare feet feeling the dirt underneath, working the earth. Davy has been getting it ready for me to start planting. He's been out there with the hoe after work, turning the dirt over, getting it all loose. Girly has been weeding it out and taking the rocks out.....funny how they always seems to appear every season when you know you took a bunch out the year before.

Anyway...........these sunflowers, from the Honey Bunny set  (from Kitchen Sink Stamps), make me ache for the warmth of summer and get me anxious to start putting my sunflower seeds into the ground.

And then there's the amazing Hydrangea stamp set (also from Kitchen Sink Stamps). I don't have any hydrangea flowers in my yard, but that doesn't mean I don't adore them. I can tell you every house on Main Street in town that has hydrangeas in their front yard. I look forward to when they're all blooming and love looking at them when I drive into town.

For these two cards, I went with the same design, but it's amazing how the cards look so different just by changing up the floral images and the colors. The sunflower card has such a warmth to it with all those sunny colors, while the hydrangea card has such a cool calm to it with the blues and greens that I used.

I stamped a frame of flowers around a piece of Confetti White cardstock for both cards. The greetings in the middle of the flowers comes from the Whole Family stamp set. There's lots of different combinations that you can create with this set.

I mounted the Confetti White cardstock on a piece of coordinating cardstock and then onto a coordinating card base.

I almost felt like I had to add something more to the cards.....because it's just how my mind works most of the time.....but realized that it would just be too much. These flowers are so beautiful that they can stand on their own.

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama