Howdy

Greetings from the wild, wild, wild, wild west. Yep, it's pretty wild around here. I went all day without a nap.

The Fine Print: Cactus stamp from Paper Smooches.

Very Important New Flash

We interrupt your regular boring blog programming with this Very Important News Flash: Princess Judy actually made a shaker card! This would be the very first ever shaker card she made since people discovered how to make them without using foam core board. She used sequins as her shaker material. It was almost like she knew what she was doing!

We now return you to your regular boring blog programming.

The Fine Print: Stamps by Paper Smooches. The top photo is the card front and the bottom photo is the inside.

Ready, Set, NO!

There was a while there where it was utterly ridiculously cold out and for some reason I felt compelled to defrost my fingers long enough to make these cards:

 No! Just say no to snow! But I was saying yes to all this wintery blue background paper I have.

This second card made me kind of sad because of Leslie's (The Crooked Stamper) passing. She would have loved this story.  See, last year I made several Swanky Snow Dude cards and shared them with her. I fussy cut the snowmen out and Leslie gave me grief about it and said I should just buy the dies. I finally relented and picked them up in the spring. Since I wasn't making snowmen at the time, when the dies came I just put them into the same package as the stamps.

Fast forward to this winter season and I pull out the stamps and matching dies... well, no I pulled out some dies but they sure don't match. Gosh knows what dies I did buy but it ain't the Swanky Snowdudes dies. I'm not sure if I ordered the wrong ones or if I was sent the wrong ones but the result was the same--random dies. I'm sure Leslie would have had a scream over that. I opted not to fussy cut the Swanky Dude this time.

The Fine Print: Top card stamps by Taylored Expressions "Ready, Set, Snow." Bottom card stamps by Paper Smooches "Swanky Snowdudes." Dies used by Spellbinders, designer paper by DCWV, stickers and twine from my stash. Of course I had to look up what dies those were: Cool Dudes. I don't have the stamps.

Mocking Monday

What better way to start a Monday back to work after a long holiday but with a good mocking?!

The Fine Print: Stamps by Paper Smooches.

Let's Chill

This poor card has been in my pending file since last year. I was having fun playing with my Snow Dudes set and fancy folds and I guess I never got around to sharing this with you.

I often joke about finding Christmas card designs that leave little or no room to write on so I don't have to fuss with writing some asinine message to 50 people. Well, no room to write on this card. So guess what?!  Next year I'm gonna whip 50 of these up!

Ha!  Just kidding.

The Fine Print: Stamps by Paper Smooches "Swanky Snow Dudes," snowflake die by A Muse Studio, let's chill die cut shape by Spellbinders, and other stuff from my stash. And this gal didn't chill today. I was too busy swimming in the outside pool. Eat your heart out East Coasters!

Super Size THIS!

Since the employee population where I work is old, fat, and terribly unhealthy our human resources department is always trying to do something about it. They offered a gift card for a wellness check earlier this year (so we could know just how bad off we really are), they only allow healthy foods at any employee function, and they offer tips, like this gem:

Employee Wellness Activities
Did You Know?
Walking sideways burns 78 percent more calories than walking forward. Lateral motion takes extra effort by working your body in unfamiliar ways. Try adding this in to your regular fitness routine for some variety.

I can just see all us employees scuttling about the campus sideways now.... and students fleeing in terror.  It makes for a great visual.

The Fine Print: Any bets before HR starts fielding a large amount of claims for broken bones and dislocated body parts? Fattening stamps by Paper Smooches.

Out of this World

Sometimes I just outright lie to y'all.  Okay, it isn't intentional.... it just happens.  Recently I said I don't like find directions and then try random things and then promptly showed you my round step card where I did just that.

Strangely enough when I was looking for the link to it to share with someone else I ran across another card that caught my eye and yes, I had to try it.

Here is my first (and so far only) try at making a flap fold card. The card on Splitcoast is made with all Stampin' Up supplies that I don't have so I had to make do with what I do have but it worked out. The folded over flap goes around the circular part and tucks in behind the greeting which is raised up on foam tape.

Here is the card with the top flap flipped up.  The piece that is decorated with star paper and has the alien glued to it flips down to reveal the inside of the card where you can write your note. I didn't photograph that because I had already written a note in it.

The Fine Print: Alien by Paper Smooches, Greetings from Roswell from an old foam set (Stampendous maybe?), star border by Martha Stewart, circle punch by Stampin' Up, scallop circle by Spellbinders, and star paper by unknown.  And yes, that is shimmery yellow paper (retired A Muse) making me an extra liar since I said don't like shimmery, shiny or metallic paper.  I'm a woman, contradiction is the name of the game.

Mmm... Sushi

I'm going to have sushi for dinner tonight.  

I hope it doesn't stare at me like that. But if it does, I'll just eat it eyes first.

Take that, sushi!

The Fine Print: Stamps by Paper Smooches.

Go Team!

I guess there is some sporting event thing today or something...  All I know is it makes for great snacking.

Here's my message to the winning team.

The Fine Print: Stamps by Paper Smooches "Green Acres" and "Sentiment Sampler."  And yes I know it is the High Holy Day known as Superbowl Sunday.  I just can't muster up the ability to care much.  But there will be cake at halftime. And tits too according to the guys watching the game who are hoping for a Halftime Wardrobe Malfunction.

Nature Abhors a Vacuum

You know how it goes, just when you think things are one way, Mama Nature comes along to set you straight.  I was just thinking to myself the other day that we seemed to have a bit of extra money this month.

Since Nature abhors a vacuum she promptly kicked an unexpected household expense my way.  And apparently Mama N really hates vacuums, because she made mine roll over and die.

And I didn't just have any vacuum either. I had one of those high end Dyson machines that start with a large one digit number and then has a couple zeros after it.  I don't know what Nature was thinking because I didn't have that much of a surplus this month.

I'm linking up with the Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge this week because Anything Goes and my vacuum cleaner sure up and went.

The Fine Print: They say it isn't nice to fool Mother Nature, but She sure has no problems messing with us!  Stamps by Paper Smooches "Squeaky Clean," designer paper by My Mind's Eye, dies by Spellbinders, ribbon and glitter brad from my stash.

Dotty Awesomeness

My friend who gave me the dotted washi tape in yesterday's post also gave me this one.  I had to make this card to prove I really do use my washi tape. You know, to justify the couple hundred rolls I own.

The weather is freakishly cold so I felt it was appropriate to break out a snowman for this clean and simple card.  I tried hard to make it not so clean and not so simple but none of that worked out.

The Fine Print: Stamps by Paper Smooches "Swanky Snowdudes" and "Cuteasaurus."  Washi Tape by Doodlebug and card base by DCWV.

Totes Cool

In honor of absolutely nothing, have a card with a goat on it.

This is the card I made for my big stamp club's mystery item challenge.  The mystery item was the punched grass. I showed you the card I received (the nurse with the enormous eyelashes).  I know it isn't very clever to used punched grass as grass, but it was all I had.  At least I used a silly goat and put a sillier saying on the inside:

Stay tuned for the winner of my July 1 A Muse Challenge..... drumroll please!   The winner selected by Random Org is.....  BECKY EVANS!  She would buy the bubble blowing girl set.  That one is definitely on my wish list as well!

The Fine Print: Totes cool goat by Paper Smooches as are the funky letters.  Stitched circle die by MFT, scallop and regular circles by Spellbinders.  Designer paper by Simple Stories "DIY Boutique."

Green & Yella, Kiss a Fella

Yesterday I mentioned that I just happened to have a boy-friendly stamp set sitting out on my desk.  That's because I was bound and determined to use the frog out of it. And I did!

 My embroidery floss comment yesterday made me pull it out again to wrap around the striped layer.  If you didn't rush out yesterday to buy some in every color, never fear!  Today is another day.  I'm really happy with how this card turned out. I'm especially tickled with the dots on the frog.  They are made with a blender pen. Hot damn! It almost looks like I know what I'm doing.

Since I used snippets (the designer paper and yellow cardstock) I'm going to hook up with Pixie's Playground to see whatever one else is up to.  Go check it out!  Use some of the newly purchased embroidery floss with your snippets and join in today!

The Fine Print: Frog stamp by Paper Smooches "Little Fella," designer paper snippets by KI Memories, eyelet square by Spellbinders, bling, flower, and big brad (swoon) from my stash.... Oh, just learned that American Crafts makes those big brads.  Buy some of those too!

For the Boys

I was recently asked to send a card to friend's little boy.  Before I got around to making that card I was asked to send a card to a different friend's boy.  Well, then, time to break out with the boy-friendly set that just happened to already be out on my desk!

I also pulled out a very old paper pad that was mostly used up in the hopes of finishing it off this weekend. That might be a bit ambitious. Also ambitious is the thought that I was going to come up with two different card ideas.

The Fine Print: Stamps by Paper Smooches "Little Fella" set, designer paper by Provo Craft "The Den," oval dies by Spellbinders, tag punch by Marvy, navy satin ribbon by A Muse Studio.  Tag tied onto the ribbon via embroidery floss; that stuff is handy to have around. Get some today! In every color! Just to be safe!

Rudolph Day - The Freezin' Season

It's been way too long since I've joined in a card challenge so I thought I'd jump back in with a trio of holiday cards for the Rudolph Challenge. While I'm not ready for the Freezin' Season quite yet (or quite ever) I could do with a little less heat in the air.  Those triple digits sure can get a bit stifling after awhile.

I decided to use some pre-printed card bases that I had in my Christmas stash and what better to go with these cards than my newish Swanky Snowdudes stamp set that I had to have after seeing it over and over this past holiday season.

I actually had 5 card blanks when I started but one of them was gunked up so I cut out the greeting and applied it with dimensional tape.  I liked it so much that I did it on the second card as well.

I originally was going to put all three snowmen (snowdudes, sorry) on all three cards but I thought they looked a little crowded.  I had to do it for at least one card though.

The insides of the cards are decorated with bits from the card bases I cut up.  I didn't put a "happy holidays" or "Merry Christmas" greeting in any of them. I thought I'd wait and see how things go come the holiday season.  Sometimes it is nice to just have a winter themed card lying around.

The Fine Print: Stamp set by Paper Smooches "Swanky Snowdudes," card bases by DCWV, snowflake punch by unknown (from back in the day before crafting companies put their name on their products), bling by Hero Arts.  Hubby was strangely concerned that I'd mention him on my blog, so here goes: Joe Palmer.

I'll Drink to That!

The Fine Print: Stamps by Paper Smooches "Get Outta Town," designer paper by Echo Park "Splendid Sunshine," flower die by Marianne but I lost the smaller of the two flowers so there's another reason to drink--to drown my sorrows, and scallop border die by A Muse Studio.  I also gave myself a concussion* with a refrigerator, so let's all have a drink to celebrate that kind of talent.

*No, not really a concussion, mom, just a sore head.

DINO-mite

I did manage to make a few cards while I was on vacation recently.  Not really enough to justify bringing my entire craft room with me, but I got a few done.

Like this little cutie.  He was part of my campaign to stop hoarding Paper Smooches stamps and start using them.  I'm still more excited by fondling them than using them, but I'm trying!

The Fine Print: Some people would say that I'm very trying...  Stamps by Paper Smooches "Cuteasaurus" and "Spectrum."  Designer paper by Simple Stories "Daily Grind" pad.  Scalloped border by A Muse Studio and flower brad from my stash.

I [Heart] Paper Smooches

I really like Paper Smooches stamps. I like that they are whimsical and cute and a bit quirky--like me!  Only unlike me, they rarely get used.  I like to covet them more than use them.  I play to put a stop to that nonsense right now.

I thought I'd start with this fun and funky magical unicorn.  How do I know he is magical you ask?  By how shiny he is!  That, and he's a unicorn.  Everybody knows all unicorns are magical.

The Fine Print: Unicorn and sun by Paper Smooches "Spectrum," believe greeting by A Muse Artstamps, cloud dies by A Muse Studio, shininess proved by Wink of Stella.

E is for Earwax

My bad.  E is for EMBELLISHMENT!

That's what is happening over at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers this time around. I know we're all embellishing fools, so c'mon over and join us in this week's challenge.  There will be snark a'plenty there, but it is not required.  And this time around I get to be a guest designer.  Check it out:

I don't know if my faux postage stamp counts as an embellishment or not, but I have some ribbon, a cat-eye button, twine, flourishes and the best embellishment ever--scoopable cat litter!  Don't worry, it is fresh from the package.

Or is it?

Here's the inside greeting.

The Fine Print: Poop Poste by unknown, kitty and poop stamps by Paper Smooches, ribbon by DeNami, flourish from MFT, label die by Spellbinders and designer paper by unknown. 

For All the Sickies

For all you sickies out there (notice I said 'sickies' and not 'sickos') here is a get well card to send you down the road toward better health.

I made this card last month when many people were going for round 2 of that wicked cold that showed up around the holidays.  I joked to a manager at work that I was installing a mister system on my office door.  Instead of sending out a fine spray of cooling water, it would spray Lysol on all those who entered.  You know, a girl can never be too careful!

The Fine Print: Floral stamp by Stampin' Up, greeting by Paper Smooches. Night-night.