Archive for March, 2010

There is a contest going on over at The Greeting Farm! I am on the team Friends Having Fun and we could really use your help. For week 1, I created this card based on a picture using the colors and retro theme.

Only the top half vote getters move on to next week. Only 30 45 teams go into the next round. The team is great and we would really love to go to the next round. The only way we could do that is with your help! Go to The Greeting Farm and vote. Then you will…

Gallery> Contests/Challenges > TGF Royal Battle > Week 1

then you will vote for Friends Having Fun!

You only have until Tuesday, so don’t delay!

Thank you so much for all of your help!!!!

Erica

Card recipe:

• Stamps: Charlotte digi from The Greeting Farm, TPC Studio sentiment
• Paper: Reflections, Prism, DCWV
• Ink: Versmamark, Bic Markers, Sakura Stardust pen
• Accessories: Spare-parts by The Paper Studio embellishment and flowers, white embossing powder

This is second post for the day…yep, I’m shocked to. You can find the first HERE!

I need to use more stamps! I have had this cute set for over a year and only used it once. I should make a lot more Easter cards when I have this The Angel Company set lying around. Well, at least I made one now! I know it isn’t really Eastery by the color scheme, but I think that is what I like about it. I wasn’t in a purple and pink mode today. I was in a crazy, bright color mode with a cute bunny mode. Does anyone else have those days? Anywho…this is for a lot of different challenges, so here is the list!

• One Stop Craft Challenge: Feeling Fruity (lime green, cherry red, orange (well that is self explanatory!))
• Fussy and Fancy: Easter
• Charisma Cardz Challenge: Spring has Sprung
• OWH Theme challenge: Four Legged Friends
• Jacksonbelle Embellishments: Easter/Spring
• The Crazy Challenge: Easter
• Papertake Weekly Challenge: Sketch

Enjoy! Erica

Sorry yesterday’s post was so quick. I have much more time today and so much to discuss. So WARNING, this is going to be long, but hopefully entertaining and I promise, if you stick with it, there is a new card at the bottom!

So besides my quickie post yesterday, THIS was the last card I shared! Guess what! That card made me a featured stamper at 52 Card Pickup! Also, props to my good friend Margie who was also featured because 1) she is amazing, and 2) she made the cutest Edward’s meadow card using the amazing new Pixie Dust Studio image.

This week has been really crazy. I taught a lesson this week. That always makes me a bit nervous, but it went pretty well! I also started my new job this week at Old Navy! And before you ask, sorry but I can’t give anyone the discount Wade also had to go out of town for a couple days. He is hopefully getting back tomorrow. I am such a dork, but I have really missed him these last couple of days. I know I could never be a military wife. I don’t know how my mom or those other ladies did it. I am a wuss. Wade laughs at me on the phone when I tell him I miss him, but at least he knows I care! (Yes Wade, another shout out on the blog! mwah!)

I did have a birthday party yesterday and with the nice weather, I was able to wear some new clothes and flip flops. I have pictures because since I always bug people (especially Ali) about photos, I knew I had to share.

Those are my funky, tasseled shoes. I need to paint my toes soon. This is my fun new floral top and cardigan from Old Navy, accompanied by my 3 chins. And finally, this is the card mushroom we made while playing Circle of Death. We got all 52 cards to stay on top of the can and you had to have 2 corners hanging off when you added your card. We were impressed and a photo op was a necessity.

Today I went to a Bridal shower of a girl I have known for almost 20 years. I got her gift today, because that’s how I roll. Her card was made an hour before the party…it just happens! Anyways, while I was looking through her registry, I saw that she wanted The Pioneer Woman‘s book. My heart skipped a beat. I have professed my love and admiration for her before, but bear with me! not only can she cook. She takes amazing photographs, and not just of food. I love that she does take step by step photos so even I can’t screw it up!

Of course, I bought it for her. Her eyes lit up when she saw it and we had a short conversation in the middle of everyone about our love of all things P-Dub. Who wouldn’t love someone who has relationship issues with her Bassett named CHARLIE (for any of you that don’t know, charliegirl is my screen name for just about everything. My mom has been calling me Charlie since I was born and has probably used that more than Erica), entitles her photos, “Why I Jiggle, Vol. 1″, and she uses terms such as parking. Honestly, I love hearing about her adventures and it makes me want to write more and get a better camera. One of these things costs less than the other.

(I am about to show the card…finally)

I couldn’t just give her the gift. Accompanying the gift was her card. Amy finally brought back her sketch challenges and I had to play along. This card also fits next week’s Bellariffic Friday. Normally I wouldn’t show my card til Friday, but I had to show the card for the sketch challenge, so just go with it. This also fits the Drunken Stamper challenge of 3D, since I have some dimensional items on my card.  So without further ado…

I also used an awesome quote from my Stamp Insanity set, Zeke and Maddie for the inside.

If you can’t read it, it says, “When you are in love, you can’t fall asleep because reality in finally better than your dreams. Dr. Seuss.”

The photo color is way off. I need to work on the photography a little more. Again, a new camera would be nice…but so would winning the lottery and I think that is the only way for the new camera!

Thanks for sticking in there. One more thing. Tomorrow, The Greeting Farm gallery opens with the Battle Royal week 1 cards. I will be publishing that card tomorrow, but if you would go vote for Team Friends Having.

Gallery > Contests/Challenges > TGF Royal Battle > Week 1   then look for Friends Having Fun!

Thanks for all your help!

Enjoy! Erica

I’m late, I’m late for a very important date. I am actually on my way to my friend Heather’s birthday party and I just made this card for her. I still have to shower and get ready and the party started 15 minutes ago, so I am a little behind.

I made this card with my new Basic Grey Nook & Pantry paper. I love Basic Grey paper. I love the 6×6 packs because I think the size of the design is better than when it is blown up to 12×12. I tend to hoard this paper, but I am trying to use it. I can always buy more…if I can find it. Not a lot of places are carrying the 6×6 pads anymore

I made this card for a couple challenges.

• Basic Grey Challenges: Tutti Fruitti
• Cute Card Thursday: Dimension
• Sketch for you to Try: Sketch

Enjoy! Now I am off to the party!

Erica

I had this idea in my head for a couple days and when I saw some recent challenges, it pushed me to finally make it!

I love this little stamp set from Reflections, sold at Michaels. I wanted to combine several stamps, so I made a scene. I also wanted to make it pop a little, so I added silver embossing powder and several colors of Stickles.

Like I said, this was done for several challenges. Here is the list:

• Charisma Cardz Challenges: Something for the Kiddies
• Cards for men: Happy Birthday
• One Stop Craft Challenge: Let it Shine
• Stamptacular Sunday Challenge: Scene It!
• 52 Card Pickup: Smile

Enjoy! Erica

If you are looking for my OWH Spring Break Blog Hop card, go HERE!

I love Audrey from The Greeting Farm. How nice was it that they gave her away as a freebie!? I love the new sketch from Club Anya and had to play along. My card kind of looks like one of the samples and that was done unintentionally. I just really wanted to use this great image and some paper I was hoarding away.

I love my new sentiment set from TPC Studio. It works for every occasion! I do have to toot my own horn a bit. I only have 2 Copics that I use for skin but I have never learned how to blend them. I actually blended a little today and while you can’t see it in the photo that great, I am happy with how it turned out. The rest of the color are Bic markers. There may not be a lot of colors, but that makes it easier for me to decide! It has been about 2 years since I have had them and it might be time to replace a few.

Enjoy! Erica

Today is the day of the Operation Write Home Spring Break Hop. Operation Write Home is an amazing organization that collects cards and sends them to soldiers so they have something nice to send to their loved ones.

Go to HERE to start at the beginning! If you are coming from Patti’s blog, you are in the right place.

http://www.owhstarsandstamps.org has challenges, tips, tutorials and featured stampers. The ladies are great. That is the creative home base. If you want more information on the organization, go to their main site at http://operationwritehome.org/.

The hop today is all about spring. Here is my card:

I used my Spring Love set from The Cat’s Pajamas. I colored it with colored pencils and low odour solvent. The sentiment is from TPC Studio. I finished the card with various Making Memories Blossoms and Dew Drops.

Just a reminder, if you would like to send in Mother’s Day cards, the deadline is April 1st. If you want to know any of the deadlines or what they want, make sure to go HERE!

Some of the best items on the blog is the stuff about the kid’s letters. Here is all the information if you know any children that want to send a letter.

I love this site and what they do for the men and women fighting for our country. I am a Navy brat so I know how important it is to receive a letter. It is so inspiring to see Thursday how many cards they have received. It is really unbelievable to see how many people come together to help out and that these ladies personally thank every single person and group!

Thanks for stopping by. The next stop on this hop is CANDACE! Thanks again!

Erica

Does anyone have any tips when your Cuttlebug C plate does not want to release your Spellbinder Die?  Seriously, I feel like I need the jaws of life to pry it off and I am pretty sure I am either going to a break a nail or send the die flying across the room…probably landing between the bed and the wall where more cussing will commence!

I would love to know any tips. I am pretty new to this Cuttlebug stuff, so anything will be helpful! Thanks.

Have you ever had one of those ideas that keeps haunting you but it just isn’t ready for paper yet? And then it happens and you are ready to move forward…and it actually translates correctly on paper! No. Don’t worry because in the time that I have been stamping, it just happened to me today! I have been looking at a bunch of challenges recently and wanted to play along but only had bits and pieces swirling around in my head. Then today, as I check my reader, I saw the card Tonya made today. I was also by her inspiring words because I feel like I have been in a funk recently and needed to get out of my box. So here is what I made:

I had this image in mind after seeing the Dutch Dare Card Challenge this week. I have only used these Swirly Butterflies by The Angel Company once in the year or more that I have had them. I don’t have a kaleidoscope pad, but I didn’t want them to be one solid color. I thought about rocking and rolling them, but then as I was choosing the ink colors I wanted, I ended up with four. So I started by inking the image in Versamark because I wanted to try to emboss it will sparkly clear embossing powder. Then I just took the different ink pads, starting with lightest first and just dabbed where I wanted to! I think the colors turned out wonderfully. The embossing powder gives it this great sheen and sparkle in the right light.

Once I figured out what I wanted to do with the image, I remembered that the CPS sketch for this week would be a great pallet for my work. This also worked with a couple other challenges too.

• Dutch Dare Card Challenge- picture inspiration
• Card Positioning System- sketch
• Cute Card Thursday- Celebrations
• Charisma Cardz Challenge: Beautiful Butterflies

I have to thank Tonya also for the idea of the jewels. It needed just a little more bling!

Enjoy! Erica

Card Supplies:

• stamps: sentiment (Chelsea sentiments by Inkadinkado), Swirly Butterfly by The Angel Company
• Paper: The Paper Studio, DCWV, Bazzil
• Accessories: embossing powder, Martha Stewart rhinestones, Studio 18 rhinestones, Spare-parts ribbon
• Ink: Versamark, Whispers

As soon as I bought my TCP Studio Playful Sentiments set, I knew how I wanted to use one of the sentiments. I thought “Chase Your Dreams, You Might Catch One,” would be perfect to use with my Alice digi from The Wild Flower Patch. I also loved the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge this week and thought I would combine the two ideas.

I did have to change the layout a little because my image panel is really big. I love the final look. I also changed it from a standard A2 card to a 5.25″ square card so more of the background paper was visible.

Enjoy! Erica

• Stamps: TCP Studios, The Wild Flower Kids
• Ink: Memories, Bics, Tombo
• Paper: Making Memories, DCWV
• Accessories: Making Memories, The Paper Studio Spare-parts, Martha Stewart floral lace border punch