Gotta Have Paper!

HOWDY PEEPS!  AH, SATURDAY!!!!!  I love Saturdays!  It is the only day that I get to sleep in, so that is why I am prescheduling this post to go up Saturday morning EARLY while I sleep instead of me actually posting it! LOL!  Sneaky ME!

This week's sketch (with a SPIN!) SSS39 at THE SWEET STOP really challenged me!  You all know I am a bit 'off' (HA!) which is probably why I never create anything symetrical!!  And it didn't help that I fell face-forward down the stairs on Thursday!  So, please forgive me for my card today!  It is a bit simple, even for me!  But not everything has to have layers and be fussy, right?  Just agree with me so I feel better! LOL!

SSS39 was to have a spin of JUST a sentiment, NO IMAGE!  GASP!  It's okay, really, settle down now! Shocking right?  I know!  I hadn't created a card without an image in like FOREVAH!  So, that probably also didn't help me in meeting this challenge either!  I ended up using this sweet yet sassy saying from Stampin' Up's  HARD TO SAY stamp set.  Cute, huh?  {Click on pic to enlarge} I also have been wanting to use this Ambrosia paper set by Basic Grey, especially this butterfly paper, but never knew what to use it with!  Well, VOILA!

I do like how it turned out, I guess.  Simple, clean, good colors, followed the sketch, too!  I think that bonk on the head stirred up some drama in my mojo, but it was great getting back to the basics of sentiment only cards, I had nearly forgotten how to do them!

HAPPY MONDAY!!!!  Wasn't it a beautiful weekend?  It was here in Jasper!  You know what they say, when you're in Indiana, if you don't like the weather, JUST WAIT AWHILE!  It changes so often!

ETA: 12/15 - I made this card for the DIGI BLOG at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!  Sorry I failed to mention that all day yesterday!  I just re-read my post and realized I never hooked this up to the appropriate blog! DUH! 

My card is using Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps images from a set called the SHEPHERD BOY which also includes three sentiments/verses!  GO SEE THAT!  I used a sketch by Card Patterns {#45 which you can find HERE!}.... I had never heard of this sketch blog before, it is a good one!  This sketch was very challenging for me, but I think it turned out alright!  I was trying to imply grass/groundcover with the green diagonal stripe and a gray, starry sky with the diamond patterned paper up top.  This paper and sentiment are by Stampin' UP!, the border punch by Martha Stewart, the gray BLING by Basic Grey and the ribbon from BigLots! {Copics for coloring, Brilliance Graphite black ink for stamped sentiment!}

I sometimes wonder if people really put some thought into my cards... besides the green and gray papers implying ground and sky, 'NOEL' is the sentiment, right?  Well, how does the song go?  "Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel!"  So, I thought this card was a wonderful scene for the sentiment "NOEL" to be put at bottom! 

I love how this card turned out for the use of the Card Patterns sketch!  Let me know what you think!

It's a great day! My son is coming home from college today! I haven't seen him for a month! That is the longest we have ever been apart and I have to tell you that I miss him so much! So, having him home for the weekend is going to be sweeeeet!

Josh was smart to arrange his schedule so that he has Fridays off with no classes! While this would be great for long weekend trips home, I think this is the first and probably last one until Thanksgiving. He got a part-time job working at Conseco Field House in Indianapolis, so I am sure the weekends will be spent making money WHILE enjoying concerts and sporting events and other exciting things, so I am going to enjoy the weekend to its fullest with him while I can!

I made this card yesterday for a friend of mine. She is recovering from some medical issues and I wanted to send her a card with this puppy image on it. This is what MY dog, Pepsi, actually looks like and she is the one whose dog had the litter including my puppy! I expect she will find it cute AND appropriate, too! The papers are retired and the stamp is from Man's Best Friend by SUP.

I will be back tomorrow as the last STOP on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps 3-Day Autumn Stroll Blog Hop! So be sure to get inspired by everyone's new fall creations by beginning HERE at the SNSS BLOG! It will surely get your creative juices moving if you have fallen in a rut!

I can't find it in my blog, so maybe I haven't shared this one yet, but honestly, I am not sure! I thought I did!

Anyhoo.... I made this a month ago or so to give to someone who spoke to my son's Christian Youth Group year-end banquet. John was very motivating and inspiring and shared wonderful '1st year at college' tips! Paper is My Mind's Eye, BLOOM & GROW (available at Precious Scraps, just email Bev!), stamps are by SUP! Business size card, kind of frilly, but still masculine (at least in my opinion) with the paisley and black accents.

I am off to the HHGallery in Holland, Indiana, for a few hours today, so come out and see me if you have some free time! From Huntingburg, take S.R. 161 to go to Holland/Evansville and go one mile and turn right onto C.R. 650. Follow the signs! From Interstate 64 take the Holland Exit, go north on 161 and take a left on C.R. 650, so easy to find.

OH, and bring your appetite for Pineapple Upside Down cake, KeyLime Pie, Coconut cake and Lemonade shakeups!!

Morning, PEOPLE!! Well, yesterday's excursion to INDY just about killed me! UGH! But, I am movin' right along now! I am relieved to be reassured what I already knew was true, that I JUST HAVE SMALL KIDS!! HAHA!

This card is shockingly summery, isn't it? I think I just may send this to Eli's doctor to say thanks for yesterday's appointment! See previous post!

Look at the Stampin' Up! supplies on this Thinking Of You card! Perfect for any occasion! Notice the scallop oval punch with sentiment and paper-piercing, large oval (i like to call it the egg punch) punch shown in Dusty Durango orange, Crushed Curry dotted yellow ribbon, AND NEW DSP Razzleberry Lemonade! The stamp images, including the sentiment, are from a HOSTESS Level 3 stamp set called Kind & Caring Thoughts that is debuting in the new catalog on July 1st! LOVELY EH? I first stamped the flowers with the Crushed Curry and then stamped on top of them the Dusty Durango ink in a coordinating silhouette floral image.

OH, did I mention that this is June's Sketch from SheetLoad of Cards?? Well, it is! And I just LOVE IT!! I seem to keep coming back to this one over and over and over!!! That's enough for now! We have a baseball game, tball practice and I have to say good-bye to my Schwan's man, Billy! He is moving his family to Missouri to become the director of praise/worship at a church! Blessings to you, BILLY!! I will miss you!! Enjoy your Thursday, guys!!

Howdy, Peeps! Are ya havin' fun yet? Are ya getting a little creative-mojo happenin' under your skin from all of these terrific 'STOPS' filled with artistic talent? Well, it is sure getting my blood-a-pumpin', let me tell ya! First, let me introduce myself... My name is Nicole and I am a good'ol paper crafter and jewelry designer from Indiana! I love anything artsy fartsy, so I am all too happy to welcome you to MY STOP #15 on the LateNightStamper's Blog Tour!

Come on over, grab some joe, and enjoy the view! Here's just a couple of cards that I scrambled up usin' the 'AND MANY MOWER' stamp set! Ain't it just the cutest? That little golfin' guy, who reminds me of my dad, is seriously the best image for those favorite golfers in your life! AND what is even more special about this stamp set is that it has a "Happy Father's Day" stamp! WOOHOO!! Gotta LUUUUUUUUUUV that! Am I right??

And how about that lawn-mower? HAHA! When I saw it, I was so excited! My dad, you know, the one that looks like the golfer?, well, he has his own lawn-care business! SO! I just KNEW I was going to be getting THIS stamp set, fersure! Yep, folks, this set just says 'DADDY' to me!

ANYHOO, do ya want the details on the cards or what? Well, this first one here, is using kiwi kiss, and so saffron. I know, I know, it doesn't look quite right color-wise, but that's not my fault. For some reason or another, my camera doesn't like the color kiwi-kiss and just can't grasp the correct hue of it. SO, bear with me on this one!

The yellow patterned paper is from 'Walk in the Park' and the green patterned paper is from Urban Garden. I used my scissors to snip the top of the green paper into 'grass-like' strands! Yeah, I know, just ingenious, huh? I was pretty proud of myself, too, HAHAHAW!! The bottom flower images are the flower stamps from the CHEEP TALK stamp set, and I used Versamark ink to stamp those on the kiwi kiss cardstock front. The So Saffron ribbon is the one from the Sale-A-Bration bundle, so if any of you lucky guys got that as one of your SAB incentives, then here's how I used it, feel free to CASE it!

Oh, I guess I should mention that both cards were colored using blender pens and classic ink pads. If you don't know how to do that and want a tutorial of it some time, just leave a comment on this post and I will try to make that happen. And if you leave a comment on this post, you will be entered into a surprise blog candy drawing; notice how I snuck that in? I am wonderin' how many people actually are reading all this!!!

I better hurry, I hear them getting ready to call for ya'll to load back up to head on over to Stop #16!!

OK, now, here's the deets on the next one! I used the 'Walk in the Park' paper set again! LOVE THIS set! I first stamped the golfer onto white cardstock, and also onto the pink floral patterned paper. Then, I cut out his cute shirt and hat from the pink paper and glued them on top of his image that I stamped onto the white cardstock. This, here, is called paper-piecing! SO EASY! Ain't he cute?

I figure that this card would be perfect for those lady golfers!! I wanted to add some femininity to the card; and what says 'feminine' better than PINK?? SO, I highlighted the Pretty in Pink color, brought in the Basic Grey to compliment the pink and floral papers, then used my spiral punch down the one side to give it some texture! I used the winter white taffeta ribbon and my corner rounder to soften it up, just a teensy bit more, again!

So, what did ya'll think? UH, OH! Time's runnin' out! They're boarding you back up to go head over to Lucia's STOP!! Lucia is one terrific lady, let me tell ya! She's just remarkable as an artist and as a coordinator, too! Did ya know that she is the one who got this whole "BLOG TOUR" up and runnin'?? YEAH, that's right! So, be sure to leave her some lovin' and tell her thanks for arranging all of this creative-splender, uh, I mean, splendor!


Oh, and if ya'll are wonderin'... NO, I don't talk at all like I am typin'! I just thought it would be fun to talk a little southern' since this is a wanderin' Blog Tour all over the world! If ya wanna leave me a comment, I would be much obliged, if not, just head on over to Lucia and tell her 'Howdy' from Nicole, the friendliest stamper in the Mid-West!!

EDITED TO ADD 3/28: LINKS HAVE BEEN TAKEN DOWN! It was a TOUR, which has a 'TOURING TIME'! AND like any other tour, the tour doesn't last forever! Thanks to everyone for all of the wonderful comments and compliments, I am STILL feelin' the LOVE!

WOW! Talk about a ton of compliments! I am so flattered!!

That is what I had on this card yesterday at SCS. Funny thing is that it only took me about 35 minutes to make this card! OH, for those newbie readers here, I normally take an hour or MORE to per-fect just ONE card! LOL!!! Maybe I shouldn't try so hard, HAHAHAA!!!

Yesterday's SCS challenge was to use STRIPES! WOW, how easy is that? So, I pulled out this new textured To the Nines Paper Set by SUP! and my new Thoughts and Prayers stamp set (sure to be my next new fave, right up there with Baja Breeze!!) and out came this! I don't know how I managed such a pretty card in such a short amount of time! Must be easier when you have awesome paper and a super cool stamp set coming together!

This card follows the same sketch as the last post. I made this one for Eli's teacher for Valentine's Day. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a little while back (and is now in remission) so I thought I would bling up her card with some PINK-awareness-inspired crystals!

We are going to give this to her tonight after the Valentine's Day Program along with a Breast Cancer Awareness bracelet made of sterling silver and Rosey-Pink Swarovski Crystals! I hope she likes it!

Don't forget to comment on the Wednesday Winner post to have a chance to win the CellBling!!

Don't forget to click on the Wednesday Winner post below to leave a comment to be entered to win this week's CARD! Tomorrow's drawing will be at noon, and then I will post the next Wednesday Winner, which is NOT a card or paper-related item! But, you gotta check back tomorrow to see if you are the winner and what the next item will be!

Be sure to check the post below this one, too! Sale-A-Bration is here!!

Stampin' UP!'s Sale-A-Bration has begun! For every $50.00 in purchases from the new Stampin' UP! Spring/Summer Idea Book, you get to choose a free item from this catalog! Click on the thumbnail picture below to access the PDF file of the Sale-A-Bration brochure!! If you want something, let me know!! To view the new Spring/Summer Catalog, CLICK HERE!

Due to a change in company policy, I can NOW show you a NEW Stampin' UP! Promotion BEFORE it actually takes place on December 23rd!! WOOHOO STAMPIN' UP!

Here's yet another fabulous promo that Stampin' UP! is having beginning December 23rd!! Click on the PICTURE to see the flyer close up AND then contact your demonstrator immediately! I absolutely love this bundle! Of course, I have it early, being a demo myself, but, TRUST ME, you WANT this! The stamp set is AWESOME and the punch is wonderful! OH, and the PAPER??? OH MY GOSH! IT ROCKS!! You can see how I used this stamp set and punch AND paper set HERE (CLICK HERE)!

Don't forget about the free shipping (until Dec. 23rd) with a $70.00 order! OH, and a $20 purchase will give you 20% off any AND ALL stamp sets (there's NO LIMIT!) in the Fall-Winter Sampler Catalog! So, if you think about it, you can take advantage of all of these promos ON Dec. 23rd! Don't miss out of the RETIRING ITEMS, TOO! The Retiring Sets are available until January 18th, but you get an additional 10% off the retail amount Up and Until December 23rd, as well!!

I made this 15 x 8 name frame for my daughter. I love the new paper set by Stampin' UP! Candy Lane will be available later this month in a specially priced bundle with a new triple heart punch and a new Valentine Inspired-stamp set. I LOVE IT!

I used my Provocraft Cricut Expression to diecut the letters. I used the Plantin font cartridge for this one. I also used Chocolate Chip colored cardstock to accent the striped paper and shadow the letters. If you have any new babies in the family, this is a great Christmas gift! Or older babies, too (KayLee is five and loves this and can't wait to put it in her room)!

The last in the series of Stamped Simplicity, at least for now!!!!!!! I LOVE these cards! I will be sure to make more so I can rid myself of some ribbon to make room for MORE of course!! HA HA!

The leafy image is stamped in Red Riding Hood red and the sentiment is in Chocolate Chip. The ribbon has a black, not brown, sheen, but I didn't want to use black for the sentiment. Just too stark in my opinion. SO, I softened it up with Chocolate Chip instead AND it still works fine!

RED and BROWN is the 'new pink and brown' from last year. The pink and brown color-combo could be seen just about everywhere! From furnishings to wardrobe those colors were inseparable! Well, "Goodbye PINK" and "Hello RED"! (NOT that I am happy about it, since PINK is my favorite all time color!) BUT the red is a nice fresh look for brown, so I guess it is okay! I am just waiting for pink and gray and pink and green to come back next summer. Remember those from the 80's?? Crap, I think I just outed-myself on my age!

The color choices are appropriate for the sentiment, I think. Soothing colors for someone who is sad due to divorce, receiving bad news, losing a job or just having a fight with their spouse! Unisex again with the LEAF-y (not floral) image and strong color choices!

If you would like some cards made up for gift-giving at Christmas, some birth announcements or Shower invitations, just email me for a quote! I am working on some birth announcements right now for a lampwork-friend of mine. I made her some as a gift when she had her baby last year, well she liked them so much she just ordered some for her best friend who was due yesterday! Still no word that she popped yet!

Similar ribbon in Pink and Cocoa as the 2nd card shown below in this series of "Stamped Simplicity" goes PERFECT with Stampin' UP!'s Pink Pirouette and Close to Cocoa Inks! Using the same stamp sets of 'Pocket Silhouettes' and the hostess stamp set 'Best Yet' as the second and third cards, I used these to come up with another 'any occasion' card. Just to say "Hi", "Thanks", "Happy Birthday" or whatever, this card will surely bring a smile!

The sentiment isn't showing up too well in this photo, but it is easily read in person. That's what you get from a cheapo-digital! One of these days I will invest in a new camera!

AHHHHHHHH ELEGANT EGGPLANT! I love this Stampin' UP! color! My favorite purple in the entire world! It is so rich! AND to make it EVEN BETTAH... THIS SUPAH GREAT floral image out of the Pocket Silhouettes! I LOVE THIS STAMP!!!!!!!!!! So dainty, so delicate, but it still packs a punch and is so fun to look at!

Gotta love the matching Kiwi-Kiss color sentiment, too! This plaid ribbon is just perfect for these two colors, don't ya think?! ME TOO! Ha Ha! I love this sentiment, too! You could put a monetary gift in here, or add this simple card to a gift for ANY occasion! Birthday OR BABY! It does say "a little someone" and the colors are unisex being a dark purple and a yellowy-green!

Using the Pocket Silhouettes set, I used this floral stamp in Baja Breeze (one of my WAY-FAVORITES!!!) across the middle and added the sentiment in Close to Cocoa to match this checkered and spotted ribbon from Michael's. This ribbon is wired, which is nice to curve any which way you want!

Simple YET Stylish! Gotta love it!

Good Afternoon! I was busy today making a batch of STAMPED SIMPLICITY cards to sell at THIS OLDE HOUSE, here in Jasper, Indiana. I thought that maybe if I made some simple cards, keeping the price lower, that I will be able to get rid of some ribbon AND make some easy money!!

This is the first of a series of five that I will share over the next couple of days. I used this flower (in pumpkin pie) from the hostess set 'Vases in Vogue' from the last catalog. All of the cards are using the new sentiments from one of the new catalog's hostess sets 'Best Yet'. This one is stamped in Chocolate Chip.

Each card uses TWO stamp colors that coordinate with the ribbon. I just stamped the floral images all in a row, added a sentiment in the lower right, and wrapped with a bow on the left for balance. I was able to make between 2 to 8 cards of each style/sentiment depending on the amount of ribbon I had on hand. Don't adjust the color on your monitor. These are made on natural colored cardstock as I am down to about 15 WHITE pre-folded cards right now! I thought I had a whole other box of white! Well, if I do, it is hiding! SO, I pulled out the off-white and got to work!

Isn't this ribbon AWESOME?? I wish I had more than the 3'!! AND, I am re-thinking selling this one because I love the final result! So much for making money, right? HA!

My mother's birthday is today! ANDDDDD, since she is all about the bling, I sent her some of course! BUT, it hasn't arrived yet! So, I am just going to post a picture of her BLINGY card! She hasn't seen this one yet either! So, when she DOES see it here on the blog, she will get her card from me on time! HA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I colored Sassy Suzy with my Copic Markers (CLICK TO ENLARGE AND SEE DETAILS), I used some of the left over paper from the last Wild Asparagus set I used and posted for you all to see (scroll down....). I also used the same Martha Stewart Glitter and a BLINGY Rhinestone flower and a Prima flower sandwiched in between. A little stitched-baja breeze ribbon makes it feel like a present! AND, don't you just love the sentiment!? HA HA!!

CHEERS TO YOU is a fun little stamp set from SUP!. However, if it seems familiar to you that is because you might have seen it somewhere online in the vast blogger world. Apparently, SUP! sold this through their French or Spanish market awhile back (probably the French, since they say 'Cheers' like we say 'Have a good day' or 'See ya later'). AND with that being said, it does NOT come die-cut and ready to mount on the wood blocks, just so you know. For me, that is no big deal. I just assume mount my own stamps that I have trimmed as slim as possible to avoid those unsightly rubber-edge marks that they sometimes leave when you don't trim close-enough to the raised image.

I have three blues on this card, Bashful Blue, Pacific Point (my new favorite blue, if you can't tell) and Baja Breeze (my second favorite). I used my Spellbinders Nestibilities to make the scalloped squares. And the corner punch I got YEARS ago from Creative Memories. I never used it because I thought it made the corner look like a nipple! HA HA HA! BUT, I am glad I did save it and not get rid of it because it is perfect for softening the edges of this card, without just simply rounding the corners.

The two sided ribbon is from Hobby Lobby or Michael's and the rhinestones are cheapies from WallyWorld. I pop-dotted the top layer of the sentiment to allow the ribbon to slide underneath to be tied in a knot. I inked the cards outside edge in Pacific Point to give it some definition.

Using the infamous Stampin' UP! 'color coach tool', I threw this card together late last night. I really like being challenged with their color choices. Sometimes you look at it and say to yourself, "WHAT? Those are ugly together!" But, then when you finish your card, you think, "It actually looks nice!".

I began with Bordering Blue, which is to be used as the mostly seen, main color. The coordinating colors they suggest are More Mustard, Sage Shadow and Not Quite Navy. The complimentary color is So Saffron; I used just one touch of this color on the middle brad.

This focal image comes from the stamp set Check It Out. I thought that this color combo could go masculine as well as feminine, so I used the double leaf stamp image (instead of a feminine flower) from Friendship Blooms, which I believe is a Sale-A-Bration stamp set, with a versamark/watermark ink to give the top of the card this subtle pattern. I didn't use any patterned paper for this card since I felt there was enough going on with the color-combo and the BIG focal image.

I didn't check off any of the sentiment choices, so I could make my choice before I send it out!! But I can see using a glaze pen or some glitter/stickles to mark the appropriate boxes. If you don't have a color coach or are interested in how this tool works, a Color Coach tutorial will be coming up sooner or later!