SC187, WT177 Challenges

I got woken up early (before 6AM) this morning by my orange tabby. I decided to do some stamping this morning since I didn't stamp last night. I combined yesterday's SCS sketch challenge (SC187) and today's "Ways to Use" challenge (WT177) and this week's Hero Arts challenge "Amazing" . Julia S. from SCS made my day by having today's challenge. Guess what the challenge is.... "Scrap-It". I was just telling myself to use as much of my scraps as possible throughout this week. Well, this challenge surely made my day. All the papers are scrap papers on this card are from my scrap basket... I have a humongous pile. I pull out my cuttlebug today, for it has been collecting dust. The sentiment (the only stamping I did for this card) is from Hero Arts so that qualify it for the Hero Arts challenge... cheesy, but hey, a challenge is a challenge and I am going to give it to Nick, the LSS owner I ALWAYS go to. She is a talented, creative, and amazing woman. She's my creative inspiration, if it wasn't for her, I won't be addicted, but fulfilling hobby. Is this suppose to be good or bad? It is totally good for me, but bad for my pocket book. Maybe I will make another card for the Hero Arts challenge later this week. I am so excited for this Saturday's VMAA party. See my blog below to join in the fun.

Recipe:

Stamp: Hero Art

Ink: Stazon timber brown

Paper: white, pink, brown, blue pearl, dp, vellum dp

Accessories: Cuttlebug, embossing folders and die, dew drops, and crystal

Let's Party A*Muse Addicts

I am so EXCITED over this party. This will be my first A*Muse Addicts party! I have already joined the A*Muse Addicts forum. I love A*Muse and Elzybell stamps, they are so cute. I love the clean and simple style. Where is the Party..... the VMAA (Virtual Meeting of A*Muse Addicts) is this Saturday, August 2nd @ 8pm CST. The is where all the A*Muse addicts gather online to have great time... chatting and stamping off course. There will be challenges that have to be completed in 30 minutes from a choosen theme. Join us this Saturday evening ... Let the party begin!

Playing Again!

I was actively playing with my stamps yesterday. I think I spent the entire day making these two cards. I have been wanting to try the pull-up pop-up card technique tutorial, shown by the talented and famous Jennifer McGuire in the Hero Club Blog. I just got to try it. I did it with my new Magnolia stamps I received at the end of June. I was so EXCITED to receive my new Magnolia stamps that I shown it to my DH and telling him how CUTE and ADORABLE they are. My DH wanted to cut the rubber because the stamp images are in a whole sheet. Off course I won't let DH cut the rubber because I will be very sad if anything happens to my Magnolia stamps. I decided to let him stamp the images on white cardstock for my file. This is just one of the first stamps I received. I signed up for the Magnolia's Stamp club which they will sent out 4 times a year (about $50 per quarter). I already colored (prismacolor pencils and baby oil) this Tilda last month, but didn't do anything else with it until now.

Like I said, I have been trying to use up all of my scraps as much as possible before going for a new piece of paper, so the color combo is the same for both of these cards. I actually did the SCS New Technique challenge first before doing the pull-up pop-up card. This was yesterday's new technique (LSC179 - Blintz Base). I have to say that I didn't really like this fold that much. I used Gina K's Just So Hippy stamp set. Love this set, but haven't play with it much. I finally inked up the hippo stamp. The umbrella and the sentiment is from My Favorite Things (MFT). Love their stamps also, but only has this set for now. This is the first time this set has been inked. This card is just so cute, just love the shorts on the hippo and the faux zig zag lines. I don't know how to sew, so don't have a sewing machine, so I have to do make faux lines with my pens to mimic sewing threads. Maybe one of these days, I will buy a sewing machine and learn how to sew. As of now, I have too much on my plate to take on another hobby.

I have to admit that I have purchased quite a bit of stamps and accessories over this pass year and haven't even inked it up. Shame on me, throwing so much money and not play, but I do have a very good excuse! I better go play... running to my craft area!

Gina K July Sketch Challenges

I fianlly got my hands dirty again. This past Saturday, I went to Stamp Works, my local stamping shop, for some motivation and inspiration. Nicolette, the owner of Stamp Works is such a talented lady. I usually do the make n' take from Nicolette every Saturday. Yesterday, I finally clean up my crafting area, but now it is mess again after do last night's cards. While I was cleaning up and going through all my crafting items, I have so much things I hardly even touched. Some things are still seating there in their packages for over a year now. I really need to use up all the pattern papers, cardstocks, and embellishments before I buy anything new. I am such a HOARDER and these things can't be collected because it gets dusty and discolored by the dust, incense fumes, and our cat furs and rubs. I still have tons of papers and embellishments since I start stamping almost 2 years ago. Wow, I can't believe I have been doing this for 2 years now. I know I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on this hobby. I am slowing down with my purchases because I need to tell myself if I will use, is it worth it, can I find an alternative item I already have, and can I wait. I have so much scrap paper laying around. I need to start using my scraps before going for a new piece of paper.

I finally got back into making some cards. Since last Thursday, I wanted to play with my Gina K stamps after seeing the sketch challenges on the Gina K forum on SCS. I have to say that some of this stamps are not inked. I am so bad, I like to collect rather than play with them. This first card took me at least 2 hours to make such a simple card. I couldn't decide on the paper, rubber stamp, and ink. I just couldn't decide what to do. I guess after 2 months of not playing, it gets rusty. The next card, took me 30 minutes. That is an improvement. I haven't bought any new stamps from Gina K Designs since January. I LOVE her stamps and check out all the monthly releases. They have some talented designers.

...More Updates

I had a follow-up with my OB earlier this month. My placenta isn't cancerous, so that is a relief. I am feeling much better and thanks for all the well wishes!! Thanks everybody for keeping up with my blog.

Currently, DH and I have a lot on our plates right hopefully that hopefully everything will start to smooth over in over the next few months and things will start to be better by later this year or early next year.

I haven't created anything for almost 2 months and is not feeling the drive to create. I guess I am in a slump. I still read other artist's blogs and SCS and online craft products, but I don't seem to be able to go to my create station and create something. Maybe one of these days, I will find the drive to create.

Currently, we have four cats we are feeding on our front porch. There is one cat that seems to have an eye issue which we are currently trying to trap, but it seems like he/she is already neutered or sprayed. We will be trapping any of the four cats and getting them neutered or sprayed. Maybe one of these days, I will be able to get some photos of them to show you.