Finally Friday with Roses!!

Hello all!! I hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful week as we have here in Michigan. We have been getting a taste of spring and it is wonderful!!!

Our project for today comes from Selene. She used the beautiful Manhattan Roses embossing folder to create a simple, yet elegant card.

Enjoy your day and your weekend!!!

Stamps: Embrace Life

Ink: Versamark, watercolor crayons, bashful blue, ballet Blue, and brilliant blue
Paper: whisper white, and ballet blue

Accessories: Blender Pens (to apply the watercolor crayons) Bashful Blue Silk Ribbon (from the mini)

Big Shot embossing folder Manhattan Flower, Black Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Powder Pal, Embossing Buddy, Snail Adhesive, 3/16" corner rounder

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Finally Friday and Time to Fly!!!

Hello all!!! Here we are at another Friday, which means the weekend is upon us!

The card we have today is from Gretchen Barron and showcases the new butterfly embosslit - Beautiful Wings. This is in the Occasions mini and is a must have!!

Here is what Gretchen has to say about her card:

There's nothing better in the cold of winter than a nice shot of bold, bright colors and beautiful, whimsical butterflies! I used Real Read, Only Orange and Whisper White as my primary colors.

Other colors used for the butterflies include YoYo Yellow, Lovely Lilac, Green Galore and Brilliant Blue. The butterflies are cut and embossed with the new Stampin' Up! Beautiful Wings Embosslet and the Big Shot (available January 5th in the Occasions Mini Catalog).

The ribbon is 5/8" Real Red Satin and the sentiment is from Heard from the Heart. The bottom of the Whisper White layer is punched with the new Scallop Trim Border Punch.

You can find all the details and more photos on my blog at http://gretchenbarron.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/01/a-new-year-and-a-new-sketch-from-stamping-411.html

Thanks for looking -- blessings, Gretchen

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Finally Friday and Love is in the Air!!!!

Hello all!! I know I have been really bad the past couple of weeks and completely forgot to post!! How could that happen? You know, that thing we call life!

Anyway, can you feel the love that is all around us right now? Valentine's Day is 29days away!!! Are you ready?

I've wanted to try the Herringbone technique in the most recent Technique Junkies newsletter and I just hadn't made time. Well, the other day I was sitting at my table and got the bright idea of trying this technique using ribbon!! I plenty of ribbon scraps in bin, and so I went looking. I pulled out red, black and white ribbons and then just followed the directions.

I started out with a 4 1/2 x 5 1/2 piece of scrap card stock and covered thoroughly with double sided tape. At that point I just started laying out my ribbon scraps in the Herringbone pattern. Once I was done, I trimmed the edges and then cut the card stock piece down to the size I wanted. This is the largest piece. I was able to make three cards with the pieces I had.

My card base is Shimmery White and I then used Real Red and Basic Black. The stamp set I used is Love You Much and the bird is punched using the new 2 step bird punch in the Occasions mini.

I used my distressor tool around the edges of the Basic Black panel, just to add some texture! Both the heart and bird are popped up with dimensionals. I also popped up the bird's wing. Lot's of dimension on this one!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Finally Friday - Christmas style!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

I hope this day finds all of you surrounded by family, friends and enjoying the day!! If you must travel, be safe.

This gift set I put together for my BFF, Deb. Are 40 year somethings supposed to have BFF's? Too bad, I do! Actually we have been friends since we met in 1990 when we both started our pre -reqs at the community college for the nursing program. We have since gone through our bachelor's and master's programs together and have watched both of families grow through the years. And I wanted to really give her something from the heart this year as she, and her husband, have been so good to me over the past couple of years when I needed it.

She was just amazed at how everything looked liked you would find it in a store! She kept asking me, “Did you really make these?” She knows I stamp and she buys cards from me all the time!! When people only see the cards you make they don't realize all the other possibilities out there too!!

The picture frame I found on clearance at TJMaxx. I backed it with a piece of groom’s dsp and then laid my card front over it. This actually was a card to begin with, but someone suggested I should frame it and so I did! And I think it made a lovely gift.

The candle I just covered up the label on the front and wrapped some ribbon around the neck and the body. And yes, that is a contraband butterfly punch but the current SU! one is too big and my new butterfly embosslit arrived on Wednesday!!!! (Pre-order for the new Occasions mini & SAB starting on January 5th.)

Then I made a set of 10 monogrammed notecards for her. She loves red, so I used my leftover Riding Hood Red and Bella Rose dsp. I am so happy with how they came out.
And, one of the best parts is this only cost me around $10 to put together! I also put some lotion/bodywash in I bought after Christmas last year on clearance. But, most of all she loved it and that is what makes me happy!!

I also gave her the button wreath card I made for GCA68. She thought the buttons were purchased that way and then I put the bird and branch on it. I think I told her three times that put the wreath together myself!

Happy Stamping and Merry Christmas to all!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Finally Friday - Decorated Candles!

Hello all!!! How's this post for some last minute gift giving inspiration?? I love to make candles and it always impresses people when you tell them it was stamped!!
This week Adriana has a little tutorial for us on how to create these amazing gifts, in no time at all!!!

Step 1. Stamp onto tissue paper.

Step 2. Put a sheet of printer paper under the tissue paper and punch out your image. A 1 3/8" circle fits the tealight candles exactly, but a 1 1/4" punch works well, too.

Step 3. Punch a 1/8" circle in the center.

Step 4. Discard the printer paper circle and place the stamped tissue paper circle over the candle. The wick should come up through the center 1/8" hole created in step 3.

Step 5. Heat the surface of the candle with a heat tool. You will see the wax begin to melt and the tissue paper begin to turn nearly clear as it absorbs the wax. Continue only until the paper is clear. (It's very fast - it will only take a few seconds!) And you are done! This is a quick project that makes for great last-minute gifts!

Thank you Adriana for this quick, and easy, project for all of those last minute gifts! I haven't yet tried stamping on tealights.

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Finally Friday - Blizzard style!

Hello all!!!  Here in lower Michigan (I think maybe most of Michigan) we have been in the midst of a huge snowstorm!!!!  Not quite a blizzard in snow proportions, but we have winds that are!!  All this week I was over on the west side of the state, near Lake Michigan, and that lake effect snow is no fun to deal with!!  I came home today and it me 3 hours to get here!  (Normally it's a 1 1/2 - 2 hour drive.)  Unlike our creator this week, Carol M., I am not a fan of snow!

So, on to this weeks sample from our very own Carol!  She is too funny and if you ever get the chance to meet her in person, and spend some time with her, you will be laughing until your sides ache!  She used the adorable Patterned Pines set from the Holiday mini.

Here's what she had to say:  this is another card for our holiday sas on 10/10. The pines are embossed with Real Red pigment ink and clear ep.  The ticket corner punch, real red polka dot ribbon and tTeeny Tiny Wishes finish off this card.

Thanks Carol for more added Christmas inspiration!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Finally Friday filled with snow!

Hello all!! How many of my friends are out in the mob of people today shopping???? Not me! Been there, done that and I am in no hurry to do it again! I would rather stay home and stamp!

The card I have for you today is one I made during my peace and quiet yesterday! I certainly wouldn't want to mass produce this as it took me around 2 hours to complete!

I had an idea for this in my head and I think it came pretty close to what I envisioned. Since I was going for the whole snow and cold feeling, I used Night of Navy, Ballet Blue and Whisper White as my color choices.

The Night of Navy layer was swiped with Whisper White craft ink and left to dry. I was going for the look of snow. How did I do?

On the Ballet Blue Top Note piece I stamped some of the snowflakes from the Snow Buddies set (Level 2 hostess - Holiday Mini) in Whisper White craft and heat embossed with white ep. I then overstamped the other other snowflakes and the star in Ballet Blue to create more depth.

My snow was created with Tombow multi glue, Dazzling Diamonds and Chunky clear glitter. Before I applied the glue and glitter I swiped the pieces, which I tore to create hills, with Ballet Blue ink. Since the Tombow dries clear, the ink shows better than I thought it would.

Each of the snowmen were stamped on Whisper White with black staz on and then cut out. Again, I would not want to mass produce this card! What was I thinking??? I then took scraps from the Christmas Cocoa dsp and paper pieced the hats and scarves. The "carrot" noses were stamped on Only Orange and the boots were done in Kraft. I used small pom-poms for the tops of the hats.

I wanted the snowmen to look like they were holding a "sign" and so I used a leftover piece of jute and strung it through the ends and around. Not sure if you can tell in the photos, but I put their hands around the jute. Both of the snowmen are up on dimensionals and the sign is up on double dimensionals.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Finally Friday - Harvest Style!!

Hello all!!!  This week we are being treated to wonderful card from the ever talented Gretchen Barron.  The watercoloring on here is just amazing.  Since this is not one of my talents as a stamper I am always in awe of those who can!

Here's what Gretchen has to say about her creation for this week:

What great colors for fall and Thanksgiving ... which is why I decided to use one of my favorite fall sets -- Harvest Home. The sentiment is from Grateful Greetings and accessories include 5/8" Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, The Eyelet Border Punch, Large Oval and Scallop Oval punches, Stampin' Dimensionals and Blender Pens. I used the Blender Pens and reinkers to do the watercoloring on the stamped image.

Ink colors include Pumpkin Pie, Dusty Durango, Old Olive, Really Rust, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip and Not Quite Navy.

More photos and complete instructions can be found at http://gretchenbarron.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/10/harvest-home-and-two-new-challenges.html. thanks for looking -- blessings, Gretchen

Thanks Gretchen for inspiring us all with a wonderful card!!

Happy Stamping and a Happy Thanksgiving to all who will be celebrating next week!!

~~~Ann~~~

Finally Friday - A Cardinal Hello!

Hello all!!!  Here we are at another Finally Friday and I have a beautiful card to show you from Adriana this week.  She used the fantastic Christmas Cardinal set, but as you can see she made it a generic card - perfect for any ocassion.  Here's what she has to say about this guy!

A note about the cardinal on the card:

I used Watercolor Wonder Crayons (the Earth Elements family) to color in the entire image. I wanted the bird itself it be a little more vibrant, so even though I had already colored him with Ruby Red, I added another layer of Real Red over his head, face and back. For this, I just pulled ink from the lid of my ink pad using my aqua painter and painted directly over the RR color. I used the cross-hatch marks of the stamped image as a guide of where I could add additional color.


Supplies:

Stamps: A Cardinal Christmas (111760)
Ink: StazOn Black, Real Red Classic Ink (103133), Old Olive (102277)
Paper: Ruby Red (102030), Old Olive (100702), Chocolate Chip (102128), Merry Moments Designer Series Paper (116572), Watercolor Paper
Tools: Earth Elements Watercolor Wonder Crayons (106696), Aqua Painter (103954), Big Shot (113439), Impressions Pad (114614), Silicone Rubber(114615)
Embellishments: Earth Elements brads (106966), Stampin' Dimensionals(104430)

Thanks for sharing with us Adriana!  I love your tip on using the classic ink over the watercolor crayons to intensify the colors!  Must give that a try!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Finally Friday with Halloween Frights!

Hello all!!  Happy day before Halloween!!  Are you ready?

Thiswas made for the Featured Stamper challenge on SCS, who was VA.Sunshine AKA Teresa.  I had so much fun making this card!

My changes are:

* Colors, stamps and theme

* Kept the basic layout, which is one of the elements of the card I loved

* Used ric rak, but in a different way

* Used Big Shot Texture plates to emboss the black panel

This card uses the Halloween Frights sets that was in last years holiday mini!! As this is the only Halloween set I have, I'm glad to have it in the catty!!

The fence was made using my Word Window punch and thin strips of cardstock. I wheeled over the front of it with the new jumbo Texture wheel in Old Olive, which I also used on the Whisper White main panel.

The owl on here came out a little differently than I expected, since he was originally stamped in Basic Black. I off stamped him twice and then did the Rock n Roll technique in Soft Suede.

In the close up shot you can see the detail a bit better on the main image panel.  The tree branch was cut free hand, no pattern! 

And you can see the inside.  We should always remember to stamp the inside of our cards, but sometimes I forget!!

Happy Halloween and Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Finally Friday - The Charming Way!!

Hello all!!  Here we are agin at another Friday!  I, for one, am quite ready for the weekend!

I have to show you the card I made using a fun and quick technique - Poppin Pastels!! Have you tried it yet? You might want to think about it!!!!!


On this card I did double stamping with the versamark and double usage of the chalks. By that, I mean I first stamped the script BG in versamark and went over it with the Pale Plum chalk. Second, I stamped the flower in versamark over the already chalked BG. (See how versatile this technique is?) I then went over the flower with the Elegant Eggplant chalk, carefully so as not to muddy up my colors. The image on the punched circle was colored with the Old Olive chalk and then a second one was stamped and the middle portion was punched out and Pale Plum was used.

I also did another circle medallion with my Top Note die!!! These are addicting!!

This was my card for FS138 who is NancyRuth this week!!! What an awesome gallery she has to see. You really should take a peek.

My card I chose is here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ga...p;ppuser=42694

My changes:

* Colors & stamp set
* Kept the medallion circle, but used a different style
* used pearls instead of brads
* used my SU! texture plates instead of CB folder
* used chalks to color my images

Happy Stamping!!

~~~Ann~~~

Finally Friday with Christmas in July!!

Hello all!! Welcome to the last day of July, and officially the end of the first half of the year! Boy time flies when your stampin' away doesn't it?

Our project today comes to us from Kristine Memmott, who has Christmas on the brain! But we all know it's never to early to start working on those Christmas cards!!

Kristine made a wonderful pocket card using the awesome set, Winter Post. This is one of many sets in the So Shelli line. I just love how Kristine made the insert look like a postcard.

And while the dsp she used on here is now retired, (bummer!), she gives us an option for different dsp in her list of supplies. So try it out and see what you come up with!

This DSP has retired but I love the color combo. It can easily be switched out with the new Christmas Paper coming out or even the Old Olive and Chocolate Chip DSP.

Paper: Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Holiday Treasure DSP
Ink: Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive
Stamps: Winter Post
Accessories: Round Tab Punch, Jumbo Eyelet, Old Olive 1/4" and 5/8"Grosgrain Ribbon, Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon

Thank you Kristine for a wonderful project and idea for getting our Christmas cards started!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~