Red White and Blue… and Pink Green and Purple!  Happy 4th of July Basic Grey Style.  I love this new Euphoria designer paper from BG.

Aren’t these fireworks fun!  I used some Stickles and my Stardust Clear Pen directly on the Euphoria dp.  The “4th” was made using the JustRite Monogram Stamper.  The word “Happy” is from Flourishes “Many Sentiments” set.

This card was made for the Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge #138.  I LOVE this layout!

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Oh and I just have to share a picture of my son’s LAN (Local Area Networking) party that he had last week.  Here are the guys with their computers all hooked together having fun playing their favorite game World of Warcraft (WOW).  I think this was taken around 3:30 a.m.!!

And speaking of fun and games, hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

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Stamps: Star-Studded Season, FLLC “Many Sentiments”, JustRite Monogram Stamper

Papers: Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White, DP Basic Grey “Euphoria”

Inks: Purely Pomegranate, Versafine “Onyx Black”, Pre-inked Monogram Stamper

Accessories: GG Ribbon, Stardust Clear Pen, Stickles, 1-1/4″ Circle Punch, Brads

No kidding. These Twinkling H2O’s really do exactly that.. they twinkle! Look at the sparkle on this wonderful image from the Flourishes “Coffee With Friends” set. I just love how they shimmer and.. well.. twinkle!

Here is the whole card. I think these colors are so lovely.

***EDITED!***

Some have asked about how I did the Cuttlebugged frame around the center stamped section. I should have linked the tutorial on Lynda Benden’s blog and forgot. Thank you Lynda for such a wonderful idea and tutorial.

This next card uses the image of the single small cup in the Flourishes Stamp Simply “Coffee With Friends” set. I stamped it a couple of times on coordinating designer paper from Basic Grey’s “Two Scoops” series, cut them out and stacked them. You know when you stack cups how the handles never allow them to stack straight? Yup it happened here, too. *chuckle* This was fun.

This card was actually one of the cards on the banner over at Splitcoaststampers on the day of this set’s release. I was so excited that they would use my card! How cool is that. Thought I would show it here, too, just in case anyone was curious about all of the supplies used.

Twinkling H2O Card
Stamps: Flourishes “Coffee With Friends”; SU! “So Many Sayings”
Papers: PTI White; SU! “Basic Black
Inks: Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: Twinkling H2O’s, Gingham Ribbon, Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Fiscar’s Scoring Tool, MS Butterfly Punch

Coffee Tastes Better Card
Stamps: Flourishes “Coffee With Friends”
Papers: PTI White; SU! Basic Black; Basic Grey DP “Two Scoops”
Inks: Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: Dotted Ribbon, Rhinestone, Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, SU! Corner Punch

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My 16 year old is having a LAN (Local Area Network) party at our home starting this morning. It will last until tomorrow morning. Yes.. all day long and through the night I will have 12 teenage boys playing the newly released season of World of Warcraft (WOW). He is setting up 4-6 (whatever we can fit) large tables. They all bring their computers and monitors and hook them all together and then play this internet game. It’s great fun.. mostly. The down side is that my computer is in the same room where they set up and play. I’ll try to maneuver my way through the maze here at nerd central to get on my computer, too. I hope I remember to take some pictures. It’s actually pretty amazing!! Have a great Wednesday!

I love cats. My mom loved cats and always had one or two of them around. She never bought a cat.. ever. She always adopted or more accurately they, as in the cats, adopted her… Wilbur, Sam, Cupcake, Gonzo, Boomer… so many cats over the years. But this card isn’t about cats but is instead made by a cat! Yup, a COPY cat!

Sharon Johnson (notimetostamp) came up with this wonderful idea to use the small SU! oval punch as a saucer for the cups. Here is her card that I just love. This card is also for the OCCC (Our Creative Corner Challenge) which is to make a card using at least one brad and one button as embellishments. I used Flourishes new “Coffee With Friends” set for the cups and their “Damask” background stamp. The Damask is stamped on Basic Grey’s “Two Scoops” designer paper. The ribbon is May Arts Scalloped Brown Satin.

Do you think these cups could pass as teacups? I have a whole collection of teacups that used to belong to my mom. She collected them (along with just about anything else you can think of! lol) One of her wishes was to someday take the ferry from Seattle to Victoria and have High Tea at the Empress Hotel. Oh and while on the trip she also wanted to visit the beautiful Butchart Gardens. Well fortunately before she passed away we were able to make that trip!

This is the view of the Empress as the ferry comes in to dock in Victoria, BC. (Photo courtesy of the Stewart Family, 2003)

Here we are at the Butchart Gardens just outside of Victoria. That’s our little group in the lower left hand corner of the photo.

The gardens were incredibly beautiful just like my mom. I’m so glad that she was able to get her wish and we made this trip. I miss her.

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Stamps: Flourishes “Coffee With Friends”, “Damask”; SU! “So Many Sayings”
Papers: SU! Whisper White, Taken With Teal; Basic Grey DP “Two Scoops”
Inks: Memento Rich Cocoa; SU! Chocolate Chip, Taken With Teal Markers; Copic BG02, BG05, BG10; Sakura White Gel Pen
Accessories: May Arts Scalloped Satin Brown Ribbon, Brads, Button, Hemp, SU! Small Oval Punch, Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder

I’m so happy that I was able to play along in Beate’s “Be Inspired” Challenge this week! Just look at this gorgeous inspiration piece.

(Click to enlarge.)

Here is the card I made for it.

First I chose a designer paper with a floral pattern and colors similar to the inspiration piece. I think the embossing helps to complete the look of the frosting. I thought this beautiful image from Flourishes “Fantasy Floral Garden” set was a perfect match to the paper, too. I colored it with SU! markers and a blender pen, a white gel pen and Sakura’s Stardust Pen. I love this Stardust pen. It is so much easier to use than other glitters as it is so easy to control where you want the sparkle to go. And it dries really quickly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve added glitter in the past only to smear it as I’m trying to do something else with the card!

Hope you can all play along today! Check out the other cards made by the Inspiration Challenge Team:

Charmaine Ikach

Danielle Lounds

Dawn McVey

Jennifer Buck

Stamps: Flourishes “Fantasy Floral Garden” and “Flourished Words”
Papers: Very Vanilla, Ruby Red, DCWV Textured Mat Stack, K & Company DP
Inks: Always Artichoke Classic and Markers in Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Bordering Blue, Ruby Red
Accessories: Ric Rak, Brads, White Gel Pen, Stardust Pen, Cuttlebug, Birds & Swirls Embossing Folder

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SEATTLE COPICS CLASS!!

This Thursday there is a Copics class being offered here in Seattle that I am going to. I have wanted to try coloring with Copics for some time but have been too scared to try them on my own. I hope Marianne doesn’t regret her decision of “No Experience Necessary” for participants. I have warned her that she may change that policy after having to deal with a certain “coloring challenged” student in this Thursday’s class! But I’m really excited and really looking forward to it!! And I think there may still be a few spaces available if you live in the Seattle area and you have been wanting to try these markers. Here is Marianne’s blog I Like Markers.

I finished these cards just in the nick of time! DH will be spending Father’s Day with our two married sons. We needed to leave for the airport at 6:30 and I was taking pictures of them at 6:15! So they may not be perfect photos. But since three of the four cards are now out the door and on their way, they are what they are!

This first card is for my DFIL. The image is colored with SU! reinkers. The designer paper is from Basic Grey’s “Scarlet’s Letter” .

Stamps: SU! “For Father”, “Sanded”, “Wonderful Favorites”
Papers: Watercolor, Very Vanilla, DP Basic Grey’s “Scarlet’s Letter”
Inks: Jet Black Stazon, SU! Reinkers in Ruby Red, Certainly Celery, Garden Green, Summer Sun, More Mustard, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Not Quite Navy
Accessories: GG Ribbon, Eyelet, Miniature Screw Brads, Twine, Gel Pens

This card is for my DH. He looks pretty comfy there in his chair. And I’m so proud that he color coordinated his evening wear. He won’t get this card until he gets back from his trip. His two sons living here can give him a second special day. Hope the popcorn is still good by then. *chuckle* It was made with Liquid Applique. After using my heat gun to puff it up, I took a Summer Sun marker and colored around it. More LA would have helped to cover the stamped black lines, but I had to laugh. I can never pop a bag of microwave popcorn without burning some of it! So in reality this is pretty much what our popcorn looks like around here! I had so much fun with all the paper piecing on this one. Lots of dimension, too. The TV antena is colored with Sakura’s StarDust GellyRoll Pen and the TV screen is colored with their Glaze Gray Pen.

Next time I use this image, I will lay down some “carpet” and put up some wallpaper first and then stamp and paper piece on top of that. With the white walls and floor, DH almost looks like he is sitting in the dentist’s chair. Which brings us to card #3…

Stamps: MFT “Let’s Hear it for the Boys”
Papers: PTI White, Brocade Blue, Basic Black, DP..Lots!
Inks: Jet Black Stazon, Brocade Blue, Creamy Caramel, Blush Blossom
Accessories: GG Ribbon, Sakura’s StarDust GellyRoll Pen, Glaze Pen, Gel Pen

This card is for my DS Jeff, who is in dental school and who has just informed DH and me that we are going to be grandparents again come January! This will be Jeff and Kimberly’s first. So I thought I would get him started with his first Father’s Day card. Kimberly is my DDIL whose cards I have shared both here and over in my SCS Gallery. Actually Jeff has made me a card or two as well that I have also uploaded there.

All stamps, papers, inks and accessories are from Stampin’ Up! which makes this an SUO card. (Well except for that little piece of twine. I think I raided DH’s tool box some time ago and stole away with his ball of twine. Wonder if he ever missed it.)

Stamps: SU! “Winds of Grace”, “Wonderful Favorites”
Papers: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, SU! DP “Prints” in Blue Bayou
Inks: Jet Black Stazon, Not Quite Navy
Accessories: GG Ribbon, Brads, Twine

This card is for my DS Gary. He is the daddy to my sweet little twin granddaughters. The inside of the card reads, “Hats Off To You”. Parenthood came at a very young age for both him and his wonderful wife, Jenna.. just 19!! It was not easy.. the girls were very premature and when they were finally allowed to come home from the hospital they still had to have oxygen (as in tanks!) connected to them. Gary and Jenna were truly baptized by fire with these little ones and we are so proud of the great parents that they are. I love this image for Gary! It is so him… full speed ahead on life!

Stamps: Clear Art Stamps “Favorite Fellas”
Papers: PTI White, Basic Black, Real Red, DP Basic Grey’s “Scarlet’s Letter”
Inks: Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Embossing Folder “Bubbles”, Jumbo Eyelet

I don’t know why I pulled out this set and made dinosaur cards. I need to make a graduation card and some Father’s Day cards. And I’m getting way behind on the SCS Christmas Card Challenge. So I know what. Let’s pull out the dinosaur set and make a couple of cards. I dunno. I guess it’s just like the sentiment on one of the cards says, “You’re never too old to do goofy stuff.”

This card’s layout is from Splitcoaststamper’s Sketch Challenge #173.

Stamps: Prehistoric Pals, Older & Wiser, IBB
Papers: Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, DP Basic Grey “Archaic”
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Rain Dots

This second card is an SUO (Stampin’ Up! Only) card which means that only products from Stampin’ Up! were used.

Stamps: Prehistoric Pals, Smarty Pants, IBB
Papers: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Real Red, Very Vanilla
Inks: Basic Brown, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Real Red
Accessories: Twill, Jumbo Eyelets, Corner Punch

Today at school my 16 year old got his yearbook. Wow!! This is like the coolest yearbook I’ve ever seen. The “Eastlake” on the front cover is just like the letters that the kids get to sew onto their letterman’s jackets. Oh and the entire book is in color and printed on beautiful glossy paper with full page foldouts! I have to say I’m totally impressed!

GO WOLVES!!

Well I am home now and all unpacked. Considering that my hubby and 16 year old son were on their own here for over a week, the place looked pretty darn good. And yes… it was sunny where I was visiting my two sons and their families. And yes it was cloudy (and rainy yesterday) here in Seattle. But I promised myself a long time ago that after living in Chicago for 6 years and going through some of the longest and coldest winters EVER that I would never complain about the clouds and the rain when we moved here. My doctor informed me a couple of weeks ago that I should be taking a Vitamin D supplement. And then she added, “Actually everyone who lives here should be taking a Vitamin D supplement.” I don’t know why I thought that was so funny! :/

Now before I disappear into my stamp room I want to be sure and tell you about some really really awesome blog candy!! You know all those great JustRite Monogram stamped cards that have been popping up all over? Well…. Leslie Miller is giving one away… TODAY on her blog Running With Scissors. Get over there quick!!

Any respectable grandma shows off pictures of her adorable grandchildren… right? Here are mine… my beautiful twin granddaughters at age 3. If you live in the Colorado Springs, Colorado area you may want to look up Kim Harms if you need a photographer. I love this picture of the girls.

Here are a couple of shadow boxes I did for the Fan Club at Splitcoaststampers when I was on the Dirty Dozen Design Team.

I titled it: “Grandma’s Garden”.

(Click on it to enlarge.)

Today I am on a plane to go see my sweet girls. One of them is having her tonsils out tomorrow. Since she will not be able to go to her daycare for a couple of weeks, grandma will be taking care of her so that her dad (my son) won’t miss any school and her mom won’t have to take vacation to care for her. The last time I saw them was at Christmas. I’m sure that they will have grown considerably since then.

I don’t expect to be making any new cards or projects to show you until I get back home, but I do have some cards that I have made over the past couple of years to share with you. Most of these have been uploaded in some gallery or another on Splitcoaststampers. A few have not. I got this idea from Sharon Johnson. She will sometimes post some of her older cards and I just love seeing them. So I hope you enjoy “Looking Back” with me.

Let’s start with this card. It could almost pass as a card inspired by the photo of the twins at the top of this post! What do you think?

This was made with some of the first designer paper I bought. I remember being so intimidated by dp. I was much more comfortable using my background stamps. Now I have notebooks full of dp and have to remind myself about that stack of backgrounders! How times change!

Stamps: Long-Stemmed, Sentiment (?)
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Brushed Gold, Very Vanilla, Blush Blossom, DP K&Co.
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal , Blush Blossom, Regal Rose
Accessories: Prima, Brad, GG Ribbon

I have heard this happens.. but it had never happened to me.. until the last few days. Maybe it is all the wedding themed cards I’ve been needing to make? Well after 3 days of sitting and staring at my stamping table, I decided I needed to do something. So here it is.

Gosh I’m really not happy with it but have no idea what to change. I love all the elements I used.. the sweet Wedding Party image from Flourishes, the wonderful sentiment from Crafty Secrets Clear Art Stamps that I bought at Eclectic Paperie. And I love these sparkly chipboard flower stickers. I again tried to personalize the card by using the colors from the invitation itself. And I even colored the bride and groom’s hair the color of the real bride and groom’s hair based on their picture inside the invitation.

Oh well, I’ve heard that when this happens, when the mojo takes a vacation, the best thing to do is take a break and then just stamp.. just stamp anything for fun.

I love Friday’s. I think it is my favorite day of the week. Maybe I can talk DH into going to see Ironman tonight. Seems like it’s been so long since I’ve been to a movie. I’m just getting over almost 2 months of being sick. Geesh. One thing after another until my immune system was so shot that I came down with shingles. I’m finally starting to feel human again… Yup I think it’s time for a movie. Maybe that will get my mojo to surface. Then afterwards I’ll head to my stamp room and stamp anything except a wedding card!

Hope everyone’s Friday is a creative and wonderful day!

Stamps: Wedding Party from Flourishes, Card Sentiments from Clear Art Stamps
Papers: Tempting Turquoise, Very Vanilla, DP from K & Company
Inks: Jet Black Stazon and SU! Markers: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Tempting Turquoise, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Lace, Stickles, Flower Stickers from K & Company, Corner Punch

EDITED: No sooner had I posted this then I looked at the card and I SAW IT!! Woohoo!! There was no “pop”.

I grabbed the card and literally ran to my stamp room! lol Now those who don’t understand this sort of excitement are surely shaking their heads. But my guess is, if you have read this far, you TOTALLY understand. It took all of 5 minutes to grab my black card stock, my white craft ink and stamp a nice black tux for the groom. I cut it out and paper pieced it on. I added a black brad, some black elastic cording and also changed the corner treatment to black. Pop..pop…pop pop!!! Doing the happy dance.

Ask anyone who knows me well, and they will tell you that I have a very obsessive personality. (I like to say that I get very “focused”. It sounds nicer. *chuckle*) Well last night I couldn’t sleep.. I should have just gotten up and gone to my stamp room and made these cards. That way I could have at least gotten some sleep when they were finished. Instead I thought about them all night. I know in the stamping world I’m not alone in this behavior. We are an interesting breed!

I am obsessed with my JustRite Monogram Stamper found here over at Flourishes. On these cards I stamped the monogram border on white card stock and punched it out using a 2-1/8″ circle punch. I then stamped the medallion image from SU!’s “Carte Postale” on a separate piece of card stock. Then I stamped the letters on the medallion and punched out the center using a 1-1/4″ circle punch. I faux stitched around both circles. The monogrammed small circle is popped up on dimensionals. The designer papers are from BasicGrey.

Stamps: JustRite Monogram Stamper: Border “Library-Kitchenof-Deskof”, Letters from the Monogram DIY Kit, SU! “Carte Postale”
Papers: Basic Black, PTI White, Designer Paper from BasicGrey “Boxer”
Inks: Jet Black Stazon, Not Quite Navy, Ruby Red, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Black Gel Pen, White Gel Pen, Circle Punches, Corner Punch, Dotted Ribbon, Brads