Spiffy

I made this card for someone's dad based on a similar card I once saw. I have to say that I am a little heavy handed on that sponge. I think it still works for a nice dude card.  And lookie--matching envelope. How spiffy!

The Fine Print: Stamps and designer papers by Stampin' Up. 

Hip Hip Hooray

I've had these unfinished cards sitting around my stash for like forever so I decided to finish them off. Someone somewhere will be amazed that I did this. That person might be me.

They are bright, quirky and fun. I'm not sure why they languished for so long.

The Fine Print: Stamps and most products by Close to My Heat, exceptions: teal polka dot and solid taps by MME and card bases from my stash.

Road Trip!

Last night I dreamed that my dad told me to look in his file cabinet and I found information on how to find a black diamond mine in the Santa Catalina mountains. Those are the mountains along the north of the city I live in. They were in cave that wasn't easy to find. While I was rifling through my dad's files my mom was having all these ladies over for a pool party and the pool was only half full. One lady wanted to be in a floating lounge chair and read the newspaper only we didn't have a floating lounge chair. We had a metal lawn chair. She threw it into the pool and it sank. She was bringing the mood of the party down.

But I didn't have time for a pool party! I had black diamonds to find! So who do I pick to find this hidden treasure with? Why, my cat, Charles of course! It was a dream so it made perfect sense. Only first Charles and I had to stop off at this gun and drug dealer's house to see a guy about a thing. While I was talking to the guy, one of his hoodlum friends was giving Charles important life advice. I remember thinking, "Charles is probably too young for that." (But apparently not too young to climb all over a mountain looking for a hidden cave).

The Fine Print: All products by Stampin' Up. Are black diamonds even a real thing? I have no idea what this dream was telling me. I didn't even get any good life advice out of it (Charles got it all). 

Dude.

Party On.

That is all.

The Fine Print: Sticker by Mary Engelbreit, die cut by Spellbinders "Labels 8," designer paper and bling from Bo Bunny "Hello Sunshine," seam binder ribbon from my stash.

There's Magic in the Air

Actually if there is magic in the air, it is black magic, bad ju-ju magic.  And smoke. There is a lot of that in the air too.  This was a photo shared on Facebook last night of one of our local mountain ranges. I like how it looks like an erupting volcano but it is just an average run-of-the-mill forest fire.

It is also the first day of school for the public schools (yes, already), the city bus drivers are on strike, and there is rain in the city (but not in the mountain where we need it).  It is making for a really odd day thus far.

This is one of the cards I made awhile back where I took an ATC I received in a swap and turned it into a card. I still have a whole box of ATCs but haven't ventured back into playing with them since that first sit down.  You know, one of these days...

Updated to add: Photograph by David Boulton

The Fine Print: I got nothing for credits, no idea who took the photo or made the stamp. I do know the originally ATC was made by Mark G.  The other bits came from my stash.

Gone Scannin': A Workplace Tale but no Desk

Oh Pshaw! I forgot that today was Workdesk Wednesday. Don't laugh, I really do say "Oh Pshaw!" from time to time because it makes people laugh.... oh, and here I just went and told you not to laugh. Well, laugh all you want; it is good for you.

So no workdesk today---and no camera so I can't even show you the workdesk where I earn my paycheck at which today is actually just an MFP because I have this huge scanning project that has to be done by July 1.  Yeah, that date is in the past, but in my defense my boss didn't tell me about it until the day before I left for my vacation (and I wasn't back until this week).

What I do have for you (besides my silly tale of workplace woe) are some more of the cards I made from old ATCs. These ones all seem to have a nautical bent. This was when I was trying to make up some masculine cards for my friend.

I guess it is back to the scanner for me.  If you want to read a story with a real life lesson in it, check out Dio's Storie from yesterday.  I miss my workdesk pals but hopefully I'll remember it is Wednesday on Wednesday next week.

The Fine Print: And since you are going to ask how my vacation was I was sick the first few days because of course that is how you want to spend your vay-kay and then I had an out of town family obligation.  Despite all that it wasn't bad. I'm glad to be home even if it does mean standing and scanning all day.

One of Those Sets

Do you have one of those stamp sets in your stash?  You know what I mean... the one that when you are rifling though things you pass it and wonder why you don't use it very often?  I'm sure I have more than one of those sets but recently I ran across this one.

I bought it because it has great images in it but I really love this truck. I thought it would be great for masculine cards and since I was making manly cards at the time I decided it was time to stop wondering about it and start using it.

As soon as I started using the set I remembered why I don't use it often.  This truck stamp does not stamp worth shit.  I tried different ink, different paper, different surfaces... and still it took me seven tries to get one decent usable image from it.

The stamp is by a well-known company with a good reputation for quality stamps but this one is just a lemon. I did buy the set used so maybe its previous owner did something horrific to the stamps or maybe that is just how this set goes. I understand that sometimes in life poop happens.  It might be happening right here.

The Fine Print: Stamp by a well-known company with a good reputation, you probably know who it is, papers and stuff from my stash.  I put the set in my sale pile but I feel kind of bad passing a lemon on to someone else. Then again the last time I passed on a lemony set the new owner had absolutely no problem with it. Maybe this set just doesn't like me?!

Duck, Duck, Horse!

I have these cards that I made the other weekend when I was working at my table instead of my desk. That was a nice change of pace and since the chair didn't roll I tended to stay right there and just keep working away.  I made a bunch of masculine cards in an attempt to use up some of these darker paper scraps and card bases.

While working on the cards I kept wondering if that was a duck or pheasant or some other bird. It wasn't until I was putting away the stamps that I realized that the set was called "Wetlands."  Yeah, I guess that means it is a duck.

And I know this one is a horse!  Hey, I'm pretty smart for a girl, huh?!

The Fine Print: Stamps by Stampin' Up--Wetlands and Horse Frontier.

Dude Cards

The last couple of weeks I've been walking around with a niggling desire to make a bunch of masculine themed cards.  I've had other things to make though--swap cards, birthday cards, kit cards to finish off, etc. and no real "reason" to make dude cards.

Then I spent some time talking to a friend who sends cards to Veterans (most of whom are men) and suddenly I had my reason.  Plus, a couple of dude friends of mine are having birthdays real soon!

I actually made a dozen dude cards but you are only getting two right now.  A few of the designs I made were duplicates to use up like papers. I have a crazy amount of brown cardstock scraps so I need to get on this dude card kick more often.  Either that, or fall should arrive really early this year.

The Fine Print: Stamp by Stampin' Up "Horse Frontier," pointy circular die by Spellbinders, papers and ribbons from my stash.  These cards are even stamped and decorated on the inside.  Yee haw!

Fancy Times

I've been a busy beaver today (which is odd because I'm not a beaver) so I don't have time for much but I do have time to show you this CASEd card I made.  I had the ladies make this at a recent workshop.  The bow is cool but takes the longer cutting plates... or you can cut half, turn it around and cut the other half like we did.  And by "we" I mean me because doing that scared folks.  Don't be scared!  Just try it!

The Fine Print: All products by A Muse Studio.

Manly Cards

I puttered around this weekend and made some masculine birthday cards with kit parts.  I originally had plans to make them all the same (boring) but I decided to jazz things up a bit and change them around some.

The Fine Print: Card toppers and ribbon by Club Scrap "Orient Express" kit, gear brads from the Eyelet Outlet, train stamp by Stampers Anonymous, and fat staple by Fascinator.

When Your Dreams Turn to Dust

I've mentioned that my big stamp club does a mystery challenge item card every month where you agree to make a card with the mystery item before you know what it is.  Sometimes they are really challenging and other times just plain fun.  This was a fun one.

The mysterious item was the hunk of lace, which immediately made me think of aprons and this dude.  My original plan was to have the hunk of lace sticking out more at the one and two o'clock position but then I went and stuck all the red line tape across the top, so that's where the lace ended up.

The inside greeting is a fun stamp a friend gave me once.  It reads: When your dreams turn to dust, vacuum.

The Fine Print: Vacuuming dude by Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers, designer paper by Making Memories and hunk of lace from someone else's stash.

Dig It!

I joined an A Muse consultant swap and had so much fun. I really enjoyed it because well, swapping is fun and because we could only use A Muse Studio stuff.  It was good way to get ideas and sample cards from other creative minds.

This is the card I made.  The theme was to make a masculine card.  Some may say that this card is more appropriate to for a little boy but all men are little boys at heart.  Plus what man would turn down an opportunity to hop in a machine like this and take it for a spin?!

The Fine Print: All products by A Muse Studio.  Stamps used--Loads of Fun. Cardstock used--Sugar, onyx, orange petite polka dots. Other products--classic circle dies and onyx twinkle stickers.

Dapper Dude

I wanted to make another sample card from A Muse Studio stuff, and I had a masculine card to make, and I needed to make a card with a hat for a "hat's off" swap.  So I decided to kill an entire flock of birds with one stone and made several of these cards.

I heat embossed the image.  Heat embossing makes me want to gnash my teeth as something always goes awry when I do it.  This time lots of errant flakes of embossing powder stuck randomly all over the striped piece.  I even "pounced" it with an anti-static bag first.  I just can't win for losing when it comes to heat embossing.

The Fine Print: All products by A Muse Studio.  Stamp set used-Happy Father's Day. Cardstock used-Mermaid plain, Mermaid petite pinstripes, and onyx petite polka dot.

To B or not to B

Over at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers the latest alphabet challenge is all about the Letter B.  The letter B can stand for many things: bourbon, bongos, blowtorch, bursitis, burlesque... But this time it stands for Brads or Buttons.

Here's Edna (Queen Bee of Snarky Sisters) surrounded by buttons and brads and Brads.  I know the one Brad is Brad Spit but am clueless who the other Brad is.  But I do know all about buttons and brads so I'd best go that route.  I hope I don't get any backlash because I did only one button.

Behold my one button prominently displayed to be seen by billions! What do you mean you see three little white buttons?  Those aren't buttons! Those are brads!  I'm talking about the button that is in the middle of the card.  By gosh, you still don't see it?  How about now?

Yes! I chose the Belly Button for this challenge.  Those button shaped brads, that's just coincidence.

The Fine Print: Stamp by Door County Rubber Stamps, button brads by unknown, "scallops" created with an EK Success circle punch, and paper from my stash.  Quit yer belly achin' you baby, that right there, that's comedy. Hubby says the other Brad is Bradley Pooper.

Manly Mouse

EEK! I just realized that I'd better get hopping if I want my manly mouse to be a part of the latest House Mouse and Friends challenge.  As you may have guessed, the theme is masculine.  I made a quick and simple card this time around.

The Fine Print: I'm too out of breath from just looking at this stamp to make some clever and witty statement down here.  Stamp by Stampabilities "Big Foot."

Sooper Bowl Sunday!

Happy Super Bowl Sunday for those of you who are football fans (that's 'not soccer' for you Brits) and may your team win!

Not having much interest in football I leave it up to hubby which team we'll be rooting for.  He says we are rooting for Really Bad Weather this year.  I had no idea they were playing and I'm not sure their team colors so we'll just have to make due with the ones I've chosen above.

I'm going to go out on a limb this time and enter this card into two challenges.  I used to think that was being naughty but now I realize it is just reality.  There are so many challenges I would love to join that either I double up or I quit my job and if I do that I won't be able to afford myself.

This card has many snippets on it--the linen textured white piece (used to be my go-to white until I realized just how annoying the texture it so stamp and write on), the ochre colored underneath and the green the grass was die cut out of.  The card base, while not a snippet, was in my "use me up soon please" pile (because I have about a dozen of them).  So off to Pixie's Playground this card goes!

Also I will enter this card into CraftyHazelNut's Patterned Paper February Challenge because I covered the back of the card in patterned paper.  Now I realize that almost every card I make is covered in patterned paper because that's my thing but I wanted to play in this challenge to maybe get some new paper ideas from my fellow participants.  Could be fun, eh?!

The Fine Print: Peanuts stamp by Stampabilities, colored in Copics, grass die by A Muse Studio.  Feel free to swing by the house for some wings, chicken strips, and flavored chips that fight back (meaning HOT).

If You Think I'm Sexy...

So for you card making fools out there, do you ever make a card that you feel is quite clever or at least a little more special than most of the ones you make?  Then have you ever sent it out to someone and never heard diddly poop back from the recipient?  Yeah, that's what happened with this card made for a Letter B swap.  I thought it was quite B is for Brilliant myself.

The Fine Print: Yeah I know I could ask the recipient about it, but by that point it's a lost cause.  Stamp by Door County Rubber Stamps.

A Dapper Man

I am thinking that this may be the card I'll have my stamping pals make this week.  I rather like it  I really adore this stamp even though it is part of a Father's Day set and I have no daddy to send a card to.  And the cats aren't really into sending a card to my hubby, although the kittens have both tried their hand (paw?) at stamping, having walked though an inkpad.

Here is a math problem for you.  Not only is it a math problem, it is a math WORD problem.  I'm sorry to do this to you but my math abilities aren't up to it.  I used to own two Tim Holtz rulers.  One was in my travel bag and one was on my desk (1+1=2).  However, I broke the one in my travel bag because it stuck out and got caught on something (2-1=1).  I had to shuffle the one remaining ruler between my bag and my desk all the time and that caused me to whine because there was a reason I had two of them in the first place.  Then my hubby took pity on my and bought me a new Tim Holtz ruler (1+1=2, right?).  So how come I only have ONE Tim Holtz ruler now?  Apparently I now live in some alternate universe where 1+1=1 because I am still shuffling one ruler back and forth between my new travel bag (bigger to accommodate rulers) and my desk.

Either that or my hubby just lovingly wrapped up the ruler I already owned and gave it to me as a gift as part of some diabolical plan.  If so, it has worked for several months but now I'm on to him.

The Fine Print: Can you say 'gas lamping' kids?  I knew you could!  Dapper man stamp by A Muse Studio from the "Father's Day" set, card stock wasabi petite polka dot and plain, onxy, and silver brads.

A Good Book

I just finished a really good book.  I love to read really good books, but they are hard to follow up.  You know that the odds are not forever in your favor and whatever you decide to read next is going to pale in comparison.

The Fine Print: All stamps and papers by Club Scrap "Bookshelves" collection.