Baby Bear Hope

I made this card for a dear friend from my childhood.  Meg is a wonderful person inside and out and has always held a special place in my heart, as well as the rest of my family.  Back in January she told me about a Facebook page, Lily the Black Bear.  Since that day, I have been hooked on checking the status of Lily and her cub Hope.  I won't go into all the details but it is a great page and I've learned a lot. 

Stamps:  Button Bear, Everyday Flexible Phrases

Paper:  White, Pink Passion, Black

DSP:  Non-SU

Ink:  Black, Pink Passion, Wild Wasabi

Accessories:  ticket punch, brads, oval punch, CB sticks embossing folder, prisma pencils, OMS, ribbon, eyelets, dimensionals

I'm flying to New Jersey in the morning with my children to visit my brother.  My hubby is staying home to take care of the animals.  We are looking forward to visiting NYC again.  Always a favorite when we head north.  My brother works in NYC so I thank him so much for taking us into the city on his day off...he's a great guy!

I'm not taking any stampin' stuff with me, so I'll see you all when I get back next week.  It's hard to take anything on a plane now, especially scissors.  I hope everyone has a wonderful week.  Until next time...

Pam~

PPA Featured Artist

I'm so excited today...I am the featured artist over at the Pals Paper Arts website.  This week's challenge is a sketch.  Be sure to stop in to see what others have created and be sure to upload your card so we can all enjoy it and comment on it.

Here is the sketch that was designed by the Pals Design Team.

This being my first time to be a featured, I decided to do a simple and clean card.  Here is what I came up with...

You can click on the card and it will make it bigger.

Stamps:  Aviary, Because I Care

Paper:  Sahara Sand, Poppy Parade, Not Quite Navy, White

Designer Series Paper (DSP):  Not Quite Navy

Ink:  Not Quite Navy, Poppy Parade

Accessories:  brads, dot emobssing folder, hole punch, dimensionals, stamp-a-ma-jig, Color Coach

All products are Stampin' Up, unless otherwise noted.

I used a new stamp set, Aviary, on page 121 in the new catalog.  There is just something fun about this stamp set that really appeals to me.  I'm looking forward to making some more cute cards with these little birdies.  Stampin' Up also has some great DSP in the new catalog.  Be sure to check it out on pages 172 - 175.  I knew I wanted to use Poppy Parade, the new in-color, for my bird.  I used the Color Coach (page 165) to help decide on the rest of the colors.  A must have for all stamper's!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Pam~

A late PPA challenge

You know that saying...A day late and a dollar short?  Well that is me with this card.  The link to post your card closed Tuesday at noon and I didn't get it finished until 2 p.m. The Pals Paper Arts challenge this past week was a wedding themed card.  Ok, this was a challenge for me.  I've never made a wedding card before.  Since the challenge was wedding themed, I knew I needed to use the new in-color Blushing Bride.  That was my starting point and the rest finally just fell into place.

After all the time I put into it, I decided to go ahead and post it. This is what I came up with...

Stamps:  Baroque Motifs

Paper:  Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Early Expresso

DSP:  Blushing Bride

Ink:  Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz

Accessories:  circle punch (non SU), oval punch, tag punch, pearls, dimensionals, color coach

Technique:  sponging

All supplies Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted

Thursday, July 22nd, will be a big day for me.  I am going to be the featured artist at the Pals.  Be sure to come by and see what the challenge is.

Have a great day,

Pam~ 

Funky Four

Have you ever saw a stamp and you think I've got to have it?  You might not need it or have a real purpose for it but it just keeps tugging at you.  Well Funky Four did that to me.  Those four mushrooms just won me over for some wild reason.  Out of the new catalog, this set was at the top of my wish list.

Here is my first card with the Funkies inked up.  I've been in a mode of stamping pretty simple cards lately.  Must be the heat frying my mind and I can't think in details.

Stamps:  Funky Four

Paper:  Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, White

Designer Series Paper (DSP): Wild Wasabi, So Saffron

Ink:  Wild Wasabi, So Saffron

Accessories:  brads, corner rounder, Nestabilities oval dies, blender pen, sponge

All products are Stampin' Up, unless otherwise noted.

Hmmm...the heat must be frying my mind from cooking too.  Don't think my hubby will like that excuse every evening though.  Guess I'll head downstairs and see what jumps out and says "cook me".

Have a great day!

Pam~

July Pals Blog Hop

Welcome to the July PALS HOP!  This month we are featuring Stampin' Up!s New Catalog and In Colors 2010-11!  If you've hopped over from Joanna Munster's blog, Inspired By Stampin', I'm stop number 11 on the PALS HOP and I'm glad you hopped in!  I'll help you "hop along" from blog to blog where you'll find inspirational ideas for paper crafted creations from the Stampin' Pretty Pals!  Should you hop off course, simply click on any of the links in the PALS HOP LINE-UP below and you'll be back on track!

HOP LINE-UP

1. 
   
   Kylie Nicolosi - Kylie's Crafty Corner
2. 
   
   Mike Funke - Stampin-Style
3. 
   
   Barbara Furlong - The Love of Stamping
4. 
   
   Martha Stewart - Seasons Of Stamping
5. 
   
   Gina Shaw - Cards by Gina Shaw
6. 
   
   Nina Dee - Deesigns By Nina Dee
7. 
   
   Jason Casper - Jason's Stampin Pad
8. 
   
   Carla Bazhenow - Carla's Scraps
9. 
   
   Mary Fish - Stampin' Pretty
10. 
    
    Joanna Munster - Inspired By Stampin'
11. 
    
    Pam Giudici - Wacky Whippet Stamper

Below is my card that I made for my first PALS HOP.

 

Stamps: Flower Fancy, Itty Bitty Bits, Love You Much, Baroque Motifs

Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Early Expresso, White

Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, More Mustard, Old Olive, Certainly Celery

Accessories:  blender pen, brads, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, square punch, polka dot embossing folder, dimensionals

The big bloom was stamped in black, colored with a blender pen using Cherry Cobbler and More Mustard ink.  I cut out the bloom and attached it with a dimensional dot.  I stamped and punched out the little flowers to add more color.  I added the sentiment and bird, from the Love You Much set, for more details. 

In case you jumped in from someplace other than the first stop, hop along for more inspiring ideas from Kylie Nicolosi, Kylie's Crafty Corner, stop number 1 on the July PALS HOP! 

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me.  I would love to help you in anyway that I can.  Thanks for "hopping" by and enjoy the rest of the Pal's creations.

Pam~

Catalog CASE

I was looking through the new 2010-11 Stampin' Up! catalog...again...and saw this card on page 130 and really liked it.  I don't have a cake plate stamp so I used my Cricut cartridge Sweet Treats to cut it out.  I was really pleased with the way it turned out.

Stamps:  Itty Bitty Bits, On Your Birthday
Paper:  non-SU...came from Michael's in an assortment pack.  Yellow, turquoise, black, white
Ink:  Pixie Pink, Orchid Opulence, Black
Accessories:  Cricut and Sweet Treats cartridge, glue dots, corner rounder

Tomorrow is a big day for me.  The present man will be stopping by with my goodies from the new catalog.  It will be an exciting afternoon going through everything and hopefully getting to play with it too. 

I will be participating for the first time in a Blog Hop.  Join Mary Fish and the Stampin' Pretty Pals on Tuesday, July 13th at 5:00 AM CST for our New Catalog and In Colors 2010 PALS HOP!  We'll show off our paper crafting skills with inspirational ideas and projects featuring the amazing new selections and papers available in the new 2010-11 Stampin' Up! Idea  Book and Catalog!  Don't miss the fun!  Mark your calendars and come "hop along" with us!  See you on Tuesday!

Have a great day,
Pam~

50 and counting

Pals Paper Arts is hosting their 50th challenge this week.  Congratulations go out to all the artists that make it happen each and every week!  This week is a color challenge using Basic Gray, So Saffron and Chocolate Chip. 

When I was thinking about these colors, one thing kept jumping into my mind...chocolate!  With that thought one stamp set comes to mind...Things I Love.  So I went to work with those two thoughts and this is what I ended up with ...

Stamps:  Things I Love
Paper:  So Saffron, Going Gray, Chocolate Chip
Ink:  Chocolate Chip
Accessories:  Cuttlebug D'vine Swirl embossing folder, CB scalloped square dies, ribbon, dimensionals

I did not have any Basic Gray cardstock in my stash so I went with Going Gray.  Even with the gray being a different shade, I am pleased with the way this card turned out.

This stamp set also has a shoe that can be used as things that you love.  After looking at the shoe, I thought to myself, I would much rather have some chocolate than shoes.  Hence the chocolate being on this card twice.  Hmmm....don't know if I have my priorities in the right order.

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.  I enjoy reading them and appreciate each one!  Have a great weekend!

Pam~

Another Monday MOJO 146

Today's card is for my nephew who is having his four wisdom teeth taken out this week.  I figure he is not up to surfing my blog so I can go ahead and post this before he gets it.  I used the good 'ole faithful Monday MOJO sketch to get started.

Stamps:  Pun Fun, Itty Bitties (bought this set in 1997)

Paper:  Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler, Bashful Blue, Basic Gray, DSP  Night of Navy

Ink:  Black, Night of Navy

Accessories:  Prisma Markers, ribbon, CB embossing folder and square dies, Nestabilities circle dies, dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig

One of these days I will take pictures in the day and not at night.  I love the stamping part but not very good at getting the pictures taken.  Today I was actually ready to take the picture and my camera battery needed to be charged.  Go figure...

Have a great day,
Pam~

Look what I got...

First off I want to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July!  We live in a great country and I'm thankful for our freedom and the men and women who make that possible for us.

Yesterday I got another gorgeous card from my Secret Pretty Pal.  I am lovin' her card and what a fabulous job she did on tying the ribbon.  Mine just never look good.  If my secret pal reads my blog, thank you so much!  I love texture and pink...woohoo.

Have a great day,
Pam~

PPA 49 ... Happy 4th of July

Another challenge = another card = getting to spend time in my craft room.  Today's card is made for the PPA 49 Inspiration Challenge .  Be sure to stop by and play along with us.  It is so much fun and it gets your creative juices flowing.  I apologize for the picture being a bit on the dark side.  I took the picture tonight rather than earlier in the day.

For this card I pulled out some really old sets.  Matter of fact, the flag stamp has never been used and I got it in 1999.

Stamps: Seasonal Patches, Year Round Fun

Ink:  Real Red, Ballet Blue

Cardstock:  Real Red, Ballet Blue, White

Accessories:  CB star embossing folder, Nestabilities circle dies, eyelet, ribbon, thread, dimensionals

I did not have any Ballet Blue ribbon, so I used white ribbon and ran it across the ink pad.  I like the look you get from doing that. 

It's been a great day...Stampin' Up released their new catalog today...yippee.  I've already placed an order!  Lots of new goodies will be coming my way shortly!

Thanks for stopping by and I enjoying reading your comments.  Have a great day!

Pam~

PPA 48 ... A sketch challenge

A quick post for today.  We have company coming over for dinner and I have a lot to do ... clean the house, go to the grocery store and cook.

I'm posting two cards ... my brother and sister-in-law both have birthdays the beginning of July.  I used the PPA sketch for Julie's card.  Kind of went with the same design for Steve's.

All  products listed below are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

Stamps:  Card Games and Vintage Vogue
Paper:  White, Brocade Blue and Night of Navy
Ink:  Brocade Blue and Night of Navy
Designer Paper:  Brocade Blue
Accessories:  corner rounder, dimensionals

Stamps:  On the Fly
Paper:  White, Really Rust, Always Artichoke
Ink:  Really Rust, Always Artichoke
Designer Paper:  Really Rust
Accessories:  dimensionals


Enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a great day!


Pam~

MOJO 144...Red, White and Blue

The card below is for the MOJO 144 challenge and will also be my Fourth of July card.  Check out the sketch here. 

This card used both my Cuttlebug and Cricut.  There is not much stamping but still has a lot of detail. 

Cuttlebug:  Star and Script embossing folders

Cricut:  George Cartridge

Paper:  SU! Brilliant Blue, Real Red and White

Accessories:  ribbon, brad, SU! label punch

Stamp:  From the Dollar Tree

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a great day.

Pam~

Two Challenges...

The card below is showcasing the Pals Paper Arts 47 challenge and the MOJO 143 sketch.  Be sure to check them out.  I have not played in awhile and it feels great to participate again.  The Pals theme this week was summer. I wanted to use stamp sets that had not been taken out of their case in awhile.  This is what I came up with....

Stamps:  Cute As A Bug, DD Daisy
Paper:  White, Black
Ink:  Black, Ruby Red, Yo-Yo yellow
Accessories:  Prisma Pencils, OMS, CB square embossing folder, Nestibilities circle dies,

The designer paper is from my scrap folder, which I haven't touched in a while. So, I have no idea where it came from.  My watermelon is not the color I wanted. I was trying to multi-task and picked up the wrong pencil and didn't realize it until I started blending the colors.  While coloring I was also trying to win tickets off the radio to see Heart.  I didn't win and my card has a bright watermelon that looks like juice came out of the ants bite. :)

I'm heading out to Birmingham for the weekend to watch Michael play soccer at the Alabama Sports Festival.  It should be fun but extremely hot.  I feel for the guys on the field but thank goodness they all love what they are doing.

Have a great day,
Pam~

P.S.  I had this post all typed up and only needed to add my picture of the card.  Can you tell I was in a hurry...I forgot to put my white paper under my card to help with the shadow. Please excuse the reflection of the card on the car hood. Well, I left for Birmingham to go to the soccer game and forgot to upload the picture.  So here it is Sunday night, MOJO has closed the link and I'm barely getting the card posted before the Pals close their link.    Well...I had good intentions.  On the other hand, now I'm going to upload another picture to show you.  Below is a picture of a champ.  Michael's team won the Gold medal.

This picture shows how fun our HOT weekend was.  Thanks for stopping and I hope everyone also enjoyed their weekend.  Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads out there!

Trying out more new colors

I've been enjoying some time in my craft room...mmmm, such a nice atmoshpere...and my new purchases still.

I made this card for my sister-in-law last night. 

Stamps:  Sweet Scoops, On Your Birthday
Paper:  Marina Mist, Pretty In Pink, Daffodil Delight, White
Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Creamy Carmel, Chocolate Chip
Accessories:  Cuttlebug stars embossing folder, Nesties oval dies, Cricut Wild Card cartridge, brads, new Color Coach

I found the layout in my new Paper Crafts magazine.  I also want to give kudos to my son, Michael, for taking the picture.  He was goofing off with my camera and card and I told him I would use his picture.  I stick to my words.  Think he did a great job with it...better than me.

Have a great day,

Pam~

I'm Back...and refreshed

We had a fabulous time out in San Diego!  The weather was perfect and our days were busy from sun-up to sun-down.  I could adjust to living out there except for the parking would drive me crazy.  We went to the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Los Angeles and the beaches.  If you ever get to LA, you have to go visit the Getty Museum.  It is spectacular!  My hubby really wanted to go there and the children and I were not to enthused about it.  Once there we were all blown away with the buildings, gardens and the art.

Ok, on to my card that I made when I got back.  This was for my neighbor who took care of our animals while we were away.  We got back on Tuesday night and the present man came on Wednesday afternoon with my new SU! goodies. What a great gift to come home to.

This card uses a new stamp set that will be in the catalog which will debut on July 1st along with some new ink colors and paper.  I also used the new color coach to help me decide on what cardstock I wanted to use. I fell in love with the new color coach.  A must have for all stampers and scrapbookers!

Stamps:  Friends Never Fade

Paper:  Regal Rose, Daffodil Delight, Early Expresso & White

Ink:  Regal Rose, Daffodil Delight, Early Expresso

Accessories:  ribbon, Nestabilities circle & scalloped circle die, Cuttlebug paisley embossing folder, Stickles

Bethany was scrapbooking while and I was stamping.  She put her creative mind to work and designed the layout for us.  Her scrapbook page turned out really cute too.  She is making a scrapbook of her first year of college.  She definitely has crafting abilities.

I'm off to make a birthday card for someone special.  Hope they don't mind getting it a little late.  The good news is that it will be postmarked before her birthday.  Does that count as not being late?

Enjoy your weekend!

Pam~

San Diego bound...

I'm headed to the west coast today for a week so won't be stamping.  This time I'm actually happy to be away from my craft room for a while.  Looking forward to enjoying San Diego's perfect weather.

Yesterday was the release of  Stampin' Up's retired lists of stamps and accessories. We are all getting ready for the new catalog, which comes out July 1st. I'm so excited to see what is new besides the color renovation. I did get a sneek peek at few new items. Of course, I had to place an order. It will still be like a vacation when I come home to a SU! box. The fun won't stop until I have to do the laundry.

This card was actually stamped for Bethany while she was away at college. I used one of the cute fellows from my House Mouse collection. Prisma pencils and OMS (odorless mineral spirits) were used to color the image. The designer paper came from a pack which I purchased at Hobby Lobby. I add SU! bashful blue for a splash of blue and to tie in the stamps. I ran my blue strip through my cuttlebug with an embossing folder to add some texture. I love texture!

I hope you have a wonderful week and do something that makes you smile and laugh!

Pam~

Sympathy cards needed again

Happy Memorial Day (a day early)!  As a military brat, I will always have the Army running through my blood.  Say a prayer for those individuals who are serving our great country and fighting for our freedom. 

Unfortunately I had to make sympathy cards again...so sad.  I really liked the layout that I had used before on a sympathy card so decided to use it again.  This time around I changed the cardstock colors and the main stamped image.  The stamps are still from the same set, Stampin' Up! Thoughts and Prayers.

The card below uses Old Olive cardstock and designer paper.  Nestabilities oval and circle dies were used to cut out the tree and sentiment.

For my other sympathy card I used Mellow Moss cardstock and designer paper.  Accessories used were a corner rounder and the Nestabilities circle die for the sentiment.  I used the automatic picture adjuster on this photo and it seems a bit bright, especially compared to the my other picture.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have safe and fun holiday weekend.

Graduation Card

I made this card for my nephew's graduation.  His school colors are gold and black.  This is the closest gold color paper I had in my paper stash and it is from Hobby Lobby.  The designer paper is also from Hobby Lobby...it is big pack of different black and white patterns.

I started off with my House Mouse graduation stamp inked in black.  Prisma colored pencils and mineral spirits were used to color the cute little guy.  The congratulation stamp is from Stampin' Up! All Year Cheer.  The SU! ticket punch was used on the corners and then gold brads were added.  The cuttlebug star dies and the cuttlebug were used to cut the stars out.

I was really pleased with the outcome of this card.  I hope my nephew likes it as much as I do.  The children and I are headed out to see his graduation on Thursday.  From what I've been told, this should be a "different" graduation.  They live in a small town in Georgia and it will be held outside.  I hear some folks bang on pots and pans...hmmmm.

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by!

Pam~

Secret Pal card

Shame on me for not showcasing this beautiful card on my blog sooner.  I received this from my Secret Pal.  Her card is gorgeous and made me smile when I opened it.  Within our Pretty Pals  Stampin' Up group we are having a little secret pal swap going on.

Thanks Pal for making my day!

Where has the time gone?

Ok, I have not abandoned my blog.  I've been working on my soccer gifts and don't know where the time has gone.  I've wanted to participate in so many challenges and didn't get to any.  I know this next week will be very busy too so don't know how much stamping I will get done.  Our soccer banquet is Friday night and I've got a lot to do for that. 

I wanted to show you what I've been working on this past week.  I made these cute little boxes to hold the altered notebooks and candy.  I still have to buy some gift cards to put in them.  Once that is added, I am adding white shredded paper to it.  That little bit of white hanging out and over the edges adds a nice finish. 

I used my Cricut cartridge Sports Mania for the decorations on the boxes, except for the soccer ball.  It was stamped (SU! Have A Ball) and punched out.  On the backside of the box I made a soccer jersey and put the player's number on it.

I'm sitting here tonight basking in happiness.  Our varsity soccer team just won the state championship this afternoon.  I'm so happy for the guys...they had an excellent season this year.  

To all the moms out there, I hope you have a very Happy Mother's Day. 

Pam~