Stampin Hot in Arizona

Let it snow!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

No, it's not snowing here but my card is loaded with snowflakes!! It's not necessarily a Christmas card but that's probably what I'm make it with whatever text I used inside. The background was made using a Cuttlebug embossing folder on my Wizard machine. The paper is by Core'Dinations and is navy on one side and light blue on the other so when sanded the light blue shows! I like this almost as much as the DCWV white core cardstock! Anyway, on to the card...

I had some dark red glossy scraps that I need to use so it is the layer behind the embossed snowflakes and the punched scallop circle made with the Giga Scallop Circle punch and sanded the edges a bit so it would stand out more. I stamped the red circles (Christmas Circles set) in Bordeaux PH ink, punched out using the Mega Circle punch then stamped with the little snowflake from the Ornamental Snowflakes set. I then punched the little snowflake circle from the Christmas Circles set with Agean Blue VM ink, and punched out it with the Extra Jumbo Circle punch. The ribbon is wide sheer red purchased from a local store.

Here you can see I used my Stardust Clear Gel pen on the centers of the snowflakes plus I used it on some of the embossed snowflakes. The pen really adds some pizazz and bling to stamped images!! I think I mentioned in a previous post how much I like it. LOL!

So, are you getting your Christmas cards made? Christmas is just next month!! Remember that I will have a blog drawing for 2 dozen cards with envelopes soon!!

I really appreciate your comments when you see something you like. Just click on the itty bitty red "comments" listed at the bottom of the post and it'll open a new window for you to leave your comment! Sometimes Blogger can get funky and you'll need to refresh your screen to get the info or see things in the sidebar. Beats me what happens and it is frustrating. Also, at the bottom of the left sidebar is a section called "Labels". There you can find posts on a certain theme or "label" that you want to see. I try to make my blog user friendly and if you have an idea to help please let me know. There is even a "chat box" and a search box for your use.

It's Cuttlebug Time!!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Wednesday I had a Cuttlebug Christmas card class at the AZ Scrapbooking store in Green Valley, AZ. Had 5 wonderful ladies and they all said they had a great time. Well, I'm just thrilled! Anyway, I had kits for 8 so when I got home I started playing! Now, the stamped images are on WHITE paper and the background behind the cards is WHITE! Beats me why my camera or my computer changes it but it's not the cream color showing up. But, I do like the cream! So, here's what I made with the leftovers....

I used Hiero Horses and Gingerbread VersaMagic ink on this card. I stamped off once on scrap paper before stamping the horses on the white layer. The text is from the Just Because set. The paper is by Core'Dinations so after I ran it through a Cuttlebug folder I sanded it and the light brown layer shows through. How cool is that! And I used the Corner Chomper to do the rounded corners. This is a great tool! You can do both 1/4" and 1/2" rounded corners and it'll hold those pesky little pieces inside a container until you release them! Plus it has fold-out "wings" to hold the paper corner in place before rounding! Just too cool. You can get a great little carrying/storage case for it, too. Love it! Ok, commercial break is over. On to the next card.... LOL!

Here I stamped the roadster from our Cars set. Still used Gingerbread VersaMagic ink. I used a little color duster to add more ink to the white stamped layer and, to distress it more, I used a Kool Cat Trax tool (I've had this forever and no, I don't remember where I got it!) to add the "chunky" color. And I used the Corner Chomper on the corners.

On this card I stamped images from the Take Pride set. Again, using Gingerbread VM ink I stamped off the elephants first before stamping on the white paper. The text is then stamped "full strength". And again, the Corner Chomper was used.

Did you know that if you click on a stamp set name or any item I have underscored that you'll go to my online catalog/shopping cart and see the product?? That way you can see all the images in the set or what the tool looks like or larger images of the ink or whatever.

I will be stamping the envelopes soon for the 2 dozen Christmas cards that I plan on giving away for blog candy this weekend. I hope to post the drawing info next week so keep coming by!

New Stamp Sets!!!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:39:00 +0000

I just added some information and 4 new sets in the November Specials slide show in the sidebar! These are really cool! I have to put in an order now. Dang! LOL!

On a sad note....

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

We just heard that our daughter-in-law's father passed away this past weekend. Words can never express the pain one feels for a loved one's loss. I made this card for her and her mother (and, of course, our son and granddaughters) who is battling cancer at this time.

I purchased some Core'Dinations cardstock from our local scrapbooking store and it is the dark embossed and the brown that's stamped on. Pretty cool paper! I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder and my Wizard to do the square embossing then I sanded it to bring the light brown through. The stamp is in the set called With Sympathy. I also used another image from the set for the inside. The brown base is from my stash that I've had forever. The little embossed tin flower I received from a friend.

Here's a closeup of the embossed tin. There was 4 in the package. It's rather copper colored, not this silver that is coming across in the photo. The card is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" as I wanted something a bit larger than a standard A2 size. And, while you are reading this, I'd appreciate a prayer for Amy and her mom, Sue, and the rest of the family. Thanks.

New Drawing!!!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:55:00 +0000

TAC™ has a new drawing for free product!!! How cool is this!! The Penelope SWIC collection and a great stamp set!!

What you could win!!!
• Penelope™ SWIC™	retail value: $6.95
• Penelope™ Cardstock	retail value: $6.50
• Penelope™ Ribbon	retail value: $4.95
• Antique Copper Hardware	retail value: $4.50
• Gratitude Journal Stamp Set	retail value: $21.95

	Total retail value: $44.85

Click HERE to enter or enter from the button in the left sidebar. I'm not sure if the "frame" in the set is actually open like it shows. Anyway, enter the information required and best wishes for you to win!

Are you ready for the new year??

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I carry a little pocket calendar to keep track of my days as I sometimes forget I have something planned for a certain day when asked to do something. Since 2010 is just around the corner I purchased a new 2010/2011 pocket calendar for $1 at a Dollar-type store and had to recover it!

I really like our Cha Cha SWIC paper. The colors are bright and cheery. I also used a small scrap from the Cha Cha cardstock pack to stamp the text but I did stamp on the smooth side of the cardstock. You get a much nicer image when you do that. The text is from the Always Remember set which I think is great for the website password books I sometimes make or even scrapbook pages!

For a little more fun I punched out 3 flowers and edged them with the Noir PH ink that I also stamped with (plus swiped around the larger paper pieces). We carry 2 of the punches, Extra Jumbo and Super Jumbo, but the small one is by EK Success, I think. There are 2 more punched flowers to the upper left of the pattern paper in the top photo but since I didn't get black ink around the edges they are hard to see. So, now I'm ready for next year, how about you??

Happy November!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:57:00 +0000

Today I'm just posting to remind you of the November specials. Scroll down the left sidebar to the November Special slideshow. You can click on the slideshow which will take you to my Picassa album for better viewing of the sets, prices and item numbers. We have 2 sets, the Stamp of the Month (SOTM) and the Vintage set available. You can purchase one or both at a special price with a qualifying $30 order. BUT, to get these great specials you must contact me to place your order as going through my shopping cart will not work to get them. Hope you had a fun and safe Halloween!

Don't forget to enter TAC's latest contest!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:19:00 +0000

The final day to enter the Miss Moxie Drawing is Oct. 31!! Here's the LINK! You can only enter once!! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!!

Upcoming class

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:09:00 +0000

Just a reminder for my Green Valley, AZ customers... Don't forget the Cuttlebug Christmas card class on Nov. 4 at the AZ Scrapbooking store from 1 - 3 pm. Cost is $18 and you'll make 3 cards. Please bring a sanding block, a Stardust Clear Gel Pen, and adhesive. All paper will be supplied and I'll have the inks, etc. for you to use. Sign up quickly by calling the store at 520-393-7755!

A semi-creative Christmas card...

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I purchased a package of 8 blank cards from Michaels a while back and played a bit yesterday. The cards are glossy so I had to be careful when stamping so that my images wouldn't smear.

I should have used the darker green (Viridian Leaf PH) on the stars (Christmas Minis set) in the white circles instead of the light green (Chartreuse PH). The tree (Joy of Christmas set) was also stamped on glossy to match the card and the text is from the Thinking of You hostess set. I used a green from DCWV Brights cardstock stack to layer all stamped images.

Here is a closeup of the tree. The ink had quite a reaction to the glossy. You can see some of the "dots" where I used my Stardust Clear Gel pen for some bling.

Here is the inside. I used the stars again to give some design to the inside and the text is from the Holiday Wishes set. I'm still trying to decide if I need to add something more to the cover. Any ideas or leave it as is?? Comments appreciated!!

A flower for you!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:40:00 +0000

I kinda fell down on my posting this week as I've not been creative. Today I finished a card that I started Monday. This sketch came from Heather's Monday Sketch with a change in the ribbon size.

I'm using up paper scraps as I have baskets full! The stamps used are Gerbera Daisy, Joyful Tags, Build-a-Background & Enjoy Nature hostess sets, and a retired set for the Hello on the tag. I used Noir, Orangerie, and Raw Sienna PH inks and colored the daisy with my Prismacolor Pencils.

If you look closely at the flower petals you can see where I highlighted with my Stardust Clear Gel pen. I also used it on the veins of the leaves. I also thought the button was perfect for the flower center but just had to add a piece of white scrappers floss for more fun.

So, do you forgive me for being late with my post? I am working on a blog candy drawing for next month. It'll be 24 Christmas cards with matching envys.

I (Heart) You!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I promised you that I'd post my hubby's anniversary card. Again I made a wiper card but this one is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2".

I used the new set, I Heart You, from Inspiration Avenue. It's also wonderful for making Valentine cards. The word, Love, in the middle of the heart is from Tag Tidbits. I used only L'Amore and Noir PH inks. You can't see the bling but the I, You, and large heart are all embellished with the Stardust Clear Gel pen. After making this card I think I need to order a L'Amore refill. It's not as vibrant as it used to be but I've had the ink pad about 4 years. I used red and white cardstocks along with White Cardstock Strips. I tried to make the heart look like it had wings - what do you think?? It's also raised on Pop Dots. And again, I used my Scor-Pal to create the folds/scores.

I used my Corner Chomper to round the corners on the wiper arms (and also on the arms of my mom's card in my previous post). And the paper clip at the bottom is only there to help hold open the card. I wrote on the left arm "Happy 28th Anniversary" with a red ink pen. I wished you could see the bling from the Stardust Clear Gel pen. I tried to take a pic of one of the hearts but it just wouldn't take, oh well.... Anyway, I do like this and everyone thought it was real cool when we went out Saturday night to celebrate.

I'm wiping it up!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

How's that for a title?? Anyway, I actually tried a new style of card called a Wiper Card. It's so cool! The reason it's called this is when the card is opened there are 1 or 2 "arms" that pop up!

I used one of the new free download paper patterns from TAC. Since I was running out of black ink it printed is this cool pink! The card is a standard A2 size. The stamped images are from the hostess set Enjoy Nature using L'Amore, Viridian Green and Raw Sienna PH inks. I also used black ribbon, flowers and button from the Audrey Embellishment Jar and Garden Mix Bitty Blossoms, white scrapper's floss, green brad, and a cool circle embellishment that I found. I added some bling on the stamped flowers with my Stardust Clear Gel pen. The black and white label was given to me. I used my Scor-Pal (my favorite tool) to create this and they may have the directions on the site. When I checked a week ago it wasn't posted yet.

Here you see the 2 wiper arms and the left side of the card. The text on the left side arm is from the hostess set Thinking of You. The text on the right arm is from the Great Greetings set and both are stamped with Noir PH ink. All the butterflies have been embellished with the Stardust Clear Gel pen, my favorite bling maker.

Here is a closeup of one of the butterflies. They are all embellished with the Stardust Clear Gel pen. Did I mention it's my favorite bling maker?? I used Pop Dots to give the butterflies some depth.

Tonight I'll be giving my mom this card as we celebrate her birthday and our anniversary by going to Red Lobster. I will show my hubby's card in my next post so stay tuned! Oh, and Dean got me a Chiminea (not sure of the spelling) which is a small outdoor fireplace. I'll take a picture soon and another one when I get it painted and stamped! It's NAKED right now!

What time is it??

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

I've had such a hectic week and have not had time to stamp! I had a fun class yesterday at the AZ Scrapbooking store and today I'm giving a Make 'N Take for their grand opening. Hopefully tomorrow I can get back to creating.

So, since I have nothing new to show you I decided to post a clock I made about 4 years ago using a VERY retired stamp set. I made clocks for everyone for Christmas that year. I even sold a couple. They were fun to make and I tried to match the design to the person's personality or likes.

I purchased the clocks at Walmart for about $4 each and in a variety of colors. With great care I took off the plastic covering over the face, removed the hands (must remember the order to get them back on correctly so they'll work), and removed the paper face. I traced this face on cardstock, cut it out and decorated. I did have to mark where the "hours" were located in order to stamp in the proper positions. Then just reassemble!

So, what do you think??

And, Saturday we (us and my folks) will be going to Red Lobster in Tucson, AZ to celebrate our 28th anniversary (tomorrow is our actual anniversary) and my mom's 78th birthday (her day is the 28th). Also joining us will be my Aunt Joan (mom's sis) and cousin Bob. Dean was supposed to work again all weekend but he got Saturday off so we can celebrate. He worked every day for the last 2 weeks. Poor guy, he's pooped. But he got my lawn swing put up as my anniversary gift! I love sitting out under our awning on the swing drinking my coffee and watching the hummingbirds come in to feed. When we get the little fence put up I'll take a pic and post it on my personal blog so you can see the changes we've made since we moved here.

Peeping Pumpkins

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I got this idea from a wonderful crafter, Christina Steeves, and thought these would be great fun to make for family! Click on her name to see what she made that inspired me!

I used Spookalicious and Sweet Goodies stamp sets for all images. They are all stamped using Noir PH ink.

I used white, brown, and orange cardstocks. The recipe card was made using my word processor on my computer.

The eyes of the characters on the recipe card and on the candy corn on the lid are colored with my Stardust Clear Gel Pen. This just has to be one of my favorite bling makers!!

I colored the corn with Prismacolor Pencils. Ok, but maybe markers would have been better to color the corn. I also used my Mega Circle Punch and Giga Scallop Circle Punch.

And, if you want the recipe, here it is!
1 quart-sized canning jar with lid and ring
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 c. M&Ms
Package of Peeps candies

Place crumbs into the jar. Use a meat tenderizer to pack crumbs tightly into the bottom of the jar.
Place Peeps candies against the glass on all sides of the jar. Press lightly to create a well i nthe center of the jar.
Add brown sugar to the space in the center of the Peeps, pressing gently to pack.
Gently add the M&Ms to the top of the jar. Seal jar with lid and sealer ring.
Embellish jar.

So, enjoy! And let me know what you think!!

It's for the birds.....

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

We have lots of red cardinals here in southern Arizona but I made this one on the card to coordinate with my paper.

This is a sketch from Mojo Monday and I love how this turned out. I started with a white cardstock base then created the card front. I love the paper, Amberly Grace SWIC and cardstock and really don't need to use the blue cardstock as the whole card. I stamped the bird from the All Things of Nature set using Noir PH ink on the smooth side of the beige cardstock and colored with my Prismacolor H2O pencils and Niji water brush. The ribbon is from the Amberly Grace collection also. My Bitty Blossum was also colored with the H2O pencils and the brad is from Creative Impressions. After I completed the card front I then attached it to the base. I have a little trick I use when attaching small brads to the flowers. I use my 1/32" hole punch on a scrap of paper then I punch that out with my 1/4" punch centering the tiny hole in the center of the 1/4" hole. I then push the brad through this small circle then into the center of the flower. It gives the brad some stability and keeps it in the flower. You can barely make it out since I colored the center of the flower. Now to decorate the inside of the card.....

New Free Downloadable Paper Patterns!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:48:00 +0000

TAC™ has come up with 6 new designs for you to print! Either click HERE or go to the left sidebar and scroll down to where it says Free Downloads and click on the picture! I printed these out and got a lot of red hue as I'm almost out of black ink! Really cool!! I'll play with these soon and post my creations.

Well, it's not a Christmas CARD!!!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I was asked to do a make & take for the Grand Opening of the AZ Scrapbooking Store in Green Valley, AZ coming up the 22nd - 24th. I chose the 22nd in the afternoon. Since they have the Cricuit Expression I had them cut some items for me and this is what we'll make:

The text is from TAC's Gift Tags retired set. If you look closely you'll see Red Stickles as the berries and Stardust Clear Gel pen on the veins of the holly. The tag is about 3 1/2" long and 1 3/4" wide. I do have a Quickie Glue pen which works great for gluing the holly to the tag. Maybe I'll learn how to use the Cricuit while I'm there! And, if you're in Green Valley when I'm at the store, stop by and say hello!

Halloween projects...

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:41:00 +0000

Do you celebrate Halloween? We don't but I came across some great projects made by Kim Spears, an angel, as a design team member for TAC™! Just check out this website!

OMG! I'm still making Christmas Cards!!!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I just got my order yesterday, delivered by Buddy, my wonderful U.P.S. guy, and had to play! I tried a new technique from my Technique Junkies Oct. newsletter and this is what developed.

This cool reindeer is one of the sets available in TAC's Stamp Stimulus promotion and is called Reindeer Food. This set is available to purchase for $6.75 with a qualifying $30 order. The background technique is called Faux Marbling but I'm not sure what I think about it. Anyway, I also used the Thinking of You hostess set "Merry Christmas". As to inks, I used Noir, Burnt Umber, and Raw Sienna PH inks, a grey marker, and one of my favorites, Stardust Clear Gel pen. Can you see it on the antlers below?? I also used it on the hooves. I used a bunch of scrap paper, mostly white cardstock, as I have 3 large containers of scraps and am trying to get them used up.

I'm thinking I will do another Blog Candy drawing next month and give away a bunch of Christmas cards. Let me know what you think about that.

Personal blog updated

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:19:00 +0000

Today I added a post to my personal blog. If interested, click HERE.

Cuttlebug Christmas class

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:49:00 +0000

Next month I'll be teaching a class called Cuttlebut Christmas at the Green Valley, AZ Scrapbooking store. It'll be either the 16th or the 26th of the month from 1 - 3 pm.

The stamps are by Inkadinkado and the paper is Core 'dinations. I did use Palette Hybrid and VersaMagic inks, Bazzil Neutral Mix Bitty Blossoms, Corner Chomper, ribbon, brad, ivory cardstock, white cardstock, sanding block, Cuttlebug embossing folders, Stardust Clear Gel pen, Mega Circle punch, Giga Scallop Circle punch, a color duster, and pop dots. These are really stunning in real life.

Got a moment to play.....

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:00:00 +0000

A while back I purchased a pack of 8 cards with envelopes from Michaels for $1.00. I've sat and stared at them and just recently I got a bit of an idea for them! I really messed up 2 so I ended up with 6 for the set.

I stamped the white dots of the cards with this cute little goodie from the Sweet Goodies set using Paris Lights PH ink. I had to heat set them as the cards are glossy and the ink would smear otherwise.

Here is a close-up of the covers. You can see the stamping in the white dots. The ink matches very well! I then stamped the phrase from Always Remember in Noir PH ink on white cardstock and punched with my Extra Jumbo Circle punch. I also stamped the center with the little emblem which, to me, really added an extra punch (pun intended). I layered this on the Super Jumbo Circle punched matching yellow cardstock. The ribbon is 1" yellow sheer from my stash. I used some foam mounting tape under the yellow circle for dimension.

I used this text stamp from my Inspirational Sayings set and added the little emblem. Just more "pop"!!

And finally the envies. Same little emblem! Now, what am I going to do with these 6 cards?? Could be a hostess gift for someone who books a party from me here in Green Valley, AZ. Could be a gift for a friend or family member for Christmas or a birthday (my mom's is coming up the end of the month). Maybe even a prize at one of my classes this winter at the Green Valley Recreation department. Any suggestions??

Oh No! It's another Christmas card!!!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:27:00 +0000

Ya know, I just can't stop myself!! I am prepared this year. But, will I get them all sent out?? I try to send cards not only to family and close friends, but to my customers and some on yahoo groups that I've been a part of for many years. Anyway...

I used Winchester SWIC, cardstock and ribbon, Noir PH ink, Prismacolor Pencils, and the Stardust Clear Gel pen. And I used the new Peace stamp set found in the new Inspiration Avenue magalogue. How easy!!!

The hardest part of this card was cutting out the wing to raise it on a pop dot. But I love the effect!

We have a winner!

stampincarol@hughes.net (StampinCarol) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:26:00 +0000

After writing all the names on slips of paper, folding them, putting them in a can, and shaking them up, the lucky winner is Sabrina!! I have emailed you to get your address.

Thanks all to you who commented or became followers! I greatly appreciate it. I will be putting together a larger package of goodies when my blogiversary time comes up!!