New Color Challenge Blog!!

I have the sincere pleasure of announcing the Design Team for the Color Me Beautiful Challenge blog!!  My friend AnnMarie Bryant and I have been working on this blog for about a month. We are soooo excited that you can now meet our wonderfully talented design team and.... TOMORROW you can play along when our first challenge is posted:) Please go meet our very talented team: http://colormebeautifulchallenge.blogspot.com/

All Kinds of Things!!

I just love this fold:)

Project Details
Stamps	Tea Shoppe
Cardstock & Papers	Always Artichoke, River Rock, Midnight Muse, Whisper White, Paisley Petals (retired)
Ink	Midnight Muse
Accessories
Tools	Scallop Trim Border punch, Houndstooth embossing folde

 I'm making lots of these for the craft shows:) This easel style is so much fun to make!

Project Details
Stamps
Cardstock & Papers	Midnight Muse, Razzberry Ripple, Paisley Petals (retired)
Ink
Accessories	one of Mom’s old buttons
Tools

 This belly band style holder is fun too! I'm making plenty of these for the craft shows too. The tags that will be inside are below.

Ink Pad Storage From Foam Core Board!

I love these storage units http://www.organizemore.com/ but they are a little out of my price range. On Pinterest I found Leslie's ink pad storage unit. She made it herself, and not out of wood either... out of foam board! I had a bunch of foam board that my son left when he graduated college and moved out. So I decided to try making one. Leslie has great directions and pictures on her blog: https://messageinafold.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/ink-pad-storage-from-foam-core-board-part-2/ I printed them out, took them to my husband's shop and went to work. This was quite a challenge for me, because I swear I do not have a left brain. Remember those aptitude tests we all took in school? Well, a monkey would scored better on the mechanical ability than I did!! lol Anyway, I could hear my friend Patty's voice inside my head telling me to measure twice, cut once, but for Carole, you better measure three times! So I did, and I talked out loud to myself and the dog the entire time while I was reasoning out how it fit together and how Leslie's measurements could be adapted to fit what I needed. My husband only had to help by lending another set of hands to tape the shelf supports on and then to tape the top/bottom and sides together. He did make one very valuable suggestion. Instead of just taping the sides/top/bottom together, he suggested using these rods (thicker than a pin but you could cut them with wire cutters) to insert into the top shelf and through the side shelf.

In order to cover up the silvery kind of metalish duck tape stuff, I used contact paper on the top and sides. Some of the foam board was ink-stained so I used contact paper to cover the edges of the shelves too. I can't begin to tell you how extremely proud I am of my creation! I've never built anything in my whole life before, and I did this all by myself. My husband always helps or ends up doing stuff for me. He is such a sweetie!!

Do You LOVE Color?

My friend, AnnMarie Bryant and I have been working on a new Color Challenge blog for over a month. We have some mouth-wateringly gorgeous color palettes to play with!

The Challenge Blog is called, "Color Me Beautiful."

Come meet our new design Team on Friday August 31 and check out our new color challenge blog! We will throw out our very first color challenge this Saturday, September 1st!! Be sure to come play along with us!

Craft Show

I've been working on packaging. I found these clear bags in the kitchen cabinet. I bought them at the dollar store the last year I taught. I put candy in them for the kids at Christmas. I found some more at Walmart and in my closet!! These are great for post it notes and memo pads, and they'd be perfect for the reindeer poop!

We Have a Winner!

Bet  you thought I forgot huh?  Bet you weren't sure my dog could pick a winner either huh?  She did, actually they both did. Cricket is the younger dog and I knew she would be interested. Sydney however is 15 and while smarter than Cricket has really become independent in her mature years.

 I'm trying to tell them to sit down and listen to what I want them to do. Sydney is nosy and wants to investigate.

 Cricket however, is more compliant and patiently waits for my instructions.

 Sydney really doesn't care, it's a supper dish and she thinks there might be food in there.

Cricket picking out a name, and it said, "Margaret."

Yes, I rewarded them both with dog biscuits. I know they both think their Mom is crazy, but hey, they got a biscuit out of it!!  Margaret, I'll get your address on the Color Challenge group at Facebook and mail the goodies to you.

I'm in the Money...

Well, a little. But hey every little bit helps right? Gotta fund this craft habit:)  I finally sold my old sewing machine! It was 65 years old and I just don't use it. If I do sew (not often) I use a newer one that has some choices of stitches. This one was just taking up room, and it's silly to be sentimental over a sewing machine. It belonged to my Grandma whom I dearly loved. She could actually sew very well. Too bad she didn't pass that talent on to me! Mom didn't get it either, but Aunt Mable did and a couple of my cousins. Anyway, now my pocket has a bit of green in it and I can put that toward building up my cardstock, punches and embossing folders.  I have PLENTY of stamps, but I'm new to the whole punch and Bigshot scene. I have done some creating today. Remember our bird theme for the craft show display board? Well today I made a bird house for it. My friend Pam, even found the coolest quote to go with our theme. We're doing two craft shows, one in November and one in December, so this is perfect! You rock Pam!!

Carols of Gladness Ring From Every Tree

~Francis Kemble

Wonder if she knows that she's in charge of cutting out the letters on the Big Shot? 

 

Craft Show Creations

I've been working on things for craft shows. Today my friend Pam came over and we had fun craft and chatting:)

I got the idea from Marie Shaughressy. I just need to put a Christmas greeting on the inside. I used the Be of Good Cheer designer series paper to wrap around the nuggets. Isn't it pretty?

These are the first three post-it note pads that I made. It's a matchbook style. I like it well enough, but I don't want to make 25 or more of this style so I tried something different.

This is the next style that I tried and I feel like I can make a ton of them easily. Plus I think the mini pen is a nice touch. I will package them with clear bags and a topper. Dawn has a video on how to make them here.

 The two above open to reveal the top of a tiny sack. I'll put tags in some and treats in others. I got the idea from Jill's Ink.

This cute little elf will be on our display board. This cute design came from Cristy Butzen on Tinker With Ink.

Want a Hint?

I'm using all 6 stockings in one project. Take a guess, what do think I'm making with them? Leave a comment with a guess for a chance to win!

Santa's Got a Sunburn...

I'm listening to Caribbean Christmas music while making things for the craft show. At first I thought maybe it was a little too silly even for me, but you know it works! It's really kinda giving me the Christmas Spirit and inspiring me.  My husband just grinned, I think he thinks his wife is a tiny bit silly! lol

Remember the ornaments I made the other day? Well I kicked them up a notch as Emeril would say. I'm also making something with the stockings. Can you guess what??? I know! let's make this a contest!! Look below.

Blog Candy Contest!

If you are a follower, leave a comment with your guess and I'll send you two books full of sentiments for cardmaking and scrapbooking, along with a couple surprises! If you're not a follower, click the follow me button:) I'll put all the names with correct answers in a basket and have my dog, Cricket, draw a name. Yes, she is THAT smart:) Aussies are wonderful!!

Creative Design Team Call!!!

Color Me Beautiful Challenge

Do you love color?!  Does creating a project with beautiful color combos make you giddy with excitement!? Do you find yourself appreciating well thought out color schemes on the products at the grocery store or even better making note of a color scheme you saw while out to go home and make a card from?!  You may be exactly who we are looking for then!!! :)

We are searching for a team of 4 talented, creative, color loving people that would like to help us play with color!  Your commitment would be:

• 3 months long (September-November)
• You would make a card or project twice a month (3 in November)
• You would comment on the blogs of the challenge participants each week
• You would participate in a private Facebook group with the other Design Team Members
• You will use Stampin' Up! card stock and images only for your cards/projects on this blog 

If you would like to be apart of our team please e mail pictures of any combination of three of your  projects  to us *here*  or by clicking my email button on the sidebar. The Design Team call will run through Tuesday August 28th at 10:00pm.  We will NOT accept any further applicants after that! Thank you for understanding!

You can send photos of:

• cards
• scrap book pages
• 3D items
• Any combination of the above three!

We will notify the new design team members on August 30, 2012!!

We look forward to meeting you and cannot wait to see what you come up with! :)

Have a colorful day!

Carole and AnnMarie :)

Wonderful Water Color Crayons!

Yesterday I cleared the closet in my studio of Christmas decorations:) I moved them to the closet my son’s old room, which still has some of his stuff in it, but we won’t even go there lol! Anyway while moving stuff back into the closet and discovering all the newfound space, I came across my watercolor crayons. I have not used these in years, but boy have I been having fun with them!!  The technique is foolproof, you absolutely can NOT mess it up and the results offer a little surprise each time you stamp. You just can’t predict exactly how it will look each time, and I love surprises!

On the first card, I used Regal Rose and found myself wishing that the card stock matched the pink in the flowers. I looked through my stash and found a sheet that matched better. Then I looked in my catalog at SU’s watercolor crayons. {big gash} they come in our colors!! subtles, regals, brights and neutrals!! Whoo Hoo! Guess what will be added to my wish list? I think I learned about them at a Stampin’ Up! party about 10-12 years ago, and I don’t think they carried them then. But we do NOW:)  I love the matching colors it just makes your projects look so much prettier!
If you have never done this, you’ve just gotta try it. I promise you will love it!! You simply apply the crayons directly on your stamps for a great watercolored look.

Project Details
Stamps	Reason to Smile
Cardstock & Papers	Certainly Celery, Regal Rose
Ink
Accessories	Stampin’ Dimensionals
Tools	Stampin’ Spritzer, Scallop Trim Edge Border punch, Watercolor Wonder Crayons

Supplies Needed:

Watercolor Paper

Watercolor Wonder Crayons

Stampin’ Spritzer

Solid Stamps

Staz On ink pad
Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

Pick a stamp that has a fairly solid image and use your watercolor crayons to color directly on the stamp. I use what I thought was red, but after it’s applied to the rubber and spritzed with water, it comes out pink. I used yellow in the center, followed by a bit of light green near the stem and green on the stem.

Hold the spritzer about 6-8 inches from the stamp and spray it once or twice. Now stamp it onto the watercolor paper. It looks pretty right away, but as the water travels on the paper the look changes a bit and it fun to watch! I stamped 2-3 times, because the 2^nd and 3^rd generation stamping is still pretty!!

If you have a two step stamp then you can stamp your outline image with Staz On. Oh, and don't forget you'd need a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to line up your images. Trust me, I thought I could line up with a clear blog just fine.... NOPE.

Easy Peasy and soooo pretty!!

Watercolor Wonder Crayons - Brights Collection 119804 Price: $16.95

Watercolor Wonder Crayons - Neutrals Collection 119805 Price: $16.95

Watercolor Wonder Crayons - Regals Collection 119803 Price: $16.95

Watercolor Wonder Crayons - Subtles Collection 119802 Price:$16.95

Now you can watercolor in Stampin’ Up!’s exclusive colors! Try coloring directly onto your stamp, misting lightly with water, and stamping onto your paper. You will get an instant watercolor image! You can also take the pigment directly off the crayon with your Aqua Painter to color a stamped image. Artist-quality, highly-pigmented crayons

• Water soluble and easy to blend, allowing for an unlimited range of shades
• Coordinate with Stampin’ Up!’s exclusive colors
• Available in color collection assortments
• Contains 10 crayons per package
• Can also be used without water to color images

6 X 9 Watercolor Paper  122959   Price: $4.95

Same great watercolor paper in a new size! Sized perfectly to use with our Letterpress Plates. 100% cotton, cold-pressed 140 lb. watercolor paper. 5 total sheets, each approximately 6" X 9".

Stampin' Spritzer   126185  Price: $2.95

Make your own color spritzer! Fill this empty bottle with liquid and any color of Classic Stampin’ Ink.

• 2 bottles; hold 12 ml ea.
•   Great for spritzing larger areas, masking, watercoloring

Jet Black StāzOn Pad   101406   Price: $7.95

StāzOn ink is perfect for crisp images on cello bags. Personalize them for birthdays and holidays by stamping right on the cello with this great ink. It's also perfect for watercolouring since the ink is permanent.

Stamp-A-Ma-Jig    101049   Price: $13.28
This is the perfect tool to keep you from ever ruining a whole project with one crooked image! The stamp positioner gives you the ability to place an image exactly where you want it, every time. Allows for fast and precise stamp placement. Perfect for word and letter stamps Sturdy plastic construction Includes washable plastic sheet Black color exclusive to Stampin’ Up! Nonskid base Includes instructions

Everything Ornamental

 I made two more ornaments yesterday, still more the flat version. Now I'm working on one that will be fuller and have more stuff on it:) 

What else have I been doing? My friend, AnnMarie, and I are putting together a color challenge blog called, "Color Me Beautiful." We're so excited about it!! The challenge will use Stampin' Up! colors and stamps. We have the blog design done and now we're working on color palettes and award badges for winners. We're going to issue a design team call soon too. This is going to be soooooo much fun!!  I can't wait to get started. AnnMarie is soooo talented! Wait til you see what she designed for the blog template:)

Did you notice anything different when you came in here?  I redecorated! What do you think?

Project Details
Stamps	Ornament Keepsakes
Cardstock & Papers	Whisper White
Ink	Gumball Green and Cherry Cobbler
Accessories	pearls
Tools	Delicate Doilies Sizzlits Die, Ornament Framelits

3D Christmas Stamping and Punching

You know, I actually took a digital photography class at the University when I was in grad school. A real class. I read. I studied. I have 5-6 books on photography and Photoshop. I read til my eyes were crossed. I took notes. LOTS of notes. Very careful, detailed notes. I have a pretty good camera. I have a tripod. I have Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Then there's my son who never took a class, although he did read a lot on the internet, bought a small book. That guy can flat out take a picture. A drop dead gorgeous, why isn't it in a gallery somewhere picture. He doesn't just use Photoshop, he is a MASTER at Photoshop. He takes all his pictures on manual setting, and he actually understands aperture and Fstop and shutter speed - I mean REALLY understands them and can apply the principals in a second-nature way.  And then.... there's me. {shaking my head}  It's just not fair. I really tried, I worked so hard. Can I apply what I think I know about aperture etc.???? Uh that would be NOOOOO!  I am through with the manual setting. I take better pictures with auto focus. I can take pretty good pictures of landscapes and animals outside. My composition is not bad, I just can't get the lighting right when taking photos of artwork or crafts. Inside, outside - it doesn't matter. I took the pictures below with a white box, northern window to my side. Flash and no flash. Even scanned. They just don't look quite right. The color.. oh horse feathers!!

Project Details
Stamps	Christmas Punch
Cardstock & Papers	Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White
Ink	Cherry Cobbler
Accessories	pearls
Tools	Perfect Polka Dots emb. Folder, Snowflake punch, circle punch

 scanned image on Cannon color printer/scanner

 auto focus no flash

Project Details
Stamps	Christmas Punch
Cardstock & Papers	Whisper White, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler
Ink	Cherry Cobbler
Accessories	Jewels, Cherry Cobbler seam binding
Tools	Perfect Polka Dots emb. Folder, Snowflake punch

 auto focus with flash

auto focus no flash

 auto focus flash

auto focus no flash

Project Details
Stamps	Ornament Keepsakes
Cardstock & Papers	Whisper White
Ink	Cherry Cobbler
Accessories	Large pearl
Tools	Ornament Framelits