Pumpkin Patch Scrapbook Pages

I finally got myself almost organized! Yeah! So I decided to take advantage of my almost clean desk and do some much needed catch up on my kids scrapbooks. I recently bought the Autumn Harvest set from the Holiday Mini. I love the sketched look of the pumpkins, leaves and gourd. It is such a sweet set and one I am sure I will use again and again.

These pages are for my son from our trip to a large Pumpkin Patch last year. I made identical pages (except for a few pictures) for my daughter's scrapbook (making the pages for the same event identical for each one makes it easier for me to catch up). I have been thinking about doing these pumpkin pages for quite a while. It was a lot of work since I watercolored all of the pumpkins and leaves. A bit much I know, especially since I than had to cut them all out. But I am pleased with the results. I hope someone can get some inspiration or an idea from these pages. Have fun scrapbooking!

Color Combination

I have been stamping a bit but not as much as over the summer. The start of school has cut down on my stamping time, but hopefully once we get the routine down I can find more time. Here are three cards I have recently made for some workshops and another project. I love the Chocolate Chip cardstock and all the combinations I can come up with. I used the same color palette for all three cards--Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Soft Sky & Blue Bayou (Loads of Love card only). The stamps sets are--Baroque Motif, Loads of Love and the Snowflake Spot. I also used the vintage brads with each card.

Chipboard Card

I made this card at a fabulous Stamp-a-Stack I attended recently. The idea came from my Stampin' Up! Demonstrator magazine (yet another perk for signing up). I loved the template of the card and the use of the chipboard (which is quickly becoming one of my favorite embellishments). This card was made with the Ronald McDonald House stamp set, Just For You on page 105 in the Fall/Winter Catalog. Enjoy!

Ornament Experiment

I recently purchased the On Board Trimmings Chipboard set from the Holiday Mini catalog. I will admit it stayed in its package for quite a while before I actually opened it. Than I wasn't sure how to use it or what to do with it. Once I got some advice and suggestions on how to use it I decided to give it a try. Now? I love chipboard and cannot wait to see what else I can come up with.

Recipe: On Board Trimmings Chipboard. Paper: Wintergreen Designer Series, Sage Shadow, and Whisper White. Ink: Sage Shadow and Whisper White. Silver Elastic Cord (Holiday Mini), certainly celery ribbon, white embossing powder and Silver eyelets. Tools: Crop-a-dile (of course), sanding blocks, embossing gun and Modge Podge Glue (decoupage glue).

I traced the paper to fit the chipboard and than cut it out (I did use a hobby blade for the scallops). I lathered on the glue (make sure you are in a very well, ventilated room) and placed the paper on top. It takes a few minutes to dry. Once it was completely dry I used the sanding blocks to smooth the paper and the chipboard. Than I just began to create. I had so much fun! I cannot wait until I have a little more time to see what else I can create.

Snowflakes in August

Crazy I know but I just got all my holiday stamps in and couldn't wait to try them out. So tonight I took a moment to get creative. I absolutely love these new In Colors! There isn't a single one that I don't like, well okay, so I wasn't into the River Rock at first, but the more I play with it, the more I love it. Tonight I decided to play with the blues--Blue Bayou and Soft Sky. They look so nice together. So I took out my brand new The Snowflake Spot set and broke it in tonight.

I used Blue Bayou and Soft Sky cardstock for this card. I used Blue Bayou (the Versamark pad would of given the same effect) and Whisper White ink and white embossing powder (I am all about embossing now that I have played with it a little more). I used Whisper White ribbon and vintage brads. Yes I used the crop-a-dile with this one too! I used it to punch a hole in the ribbon so I could get the brad in easier.

The second card was done with Soft Sky, Blue Bayou and Whisper White cardstock. I used Soft Sky and Blue Bayou ink. This is the same stamp set as the first card. It always fun to see how many cards and ideas you can get from one set. I like the simplicity of both cards.

Cutting Kit Answer

Hello ladies! Here is the answer to your question, direct from Stampin' Up! At this time we do not sell replacement parts for the Cutting Kit. Sorry!

My Fabulous, Supportive Husband!

I just have to gush over how incredible my husband is! I had a workshop tonight (I had so much fun, I hope you did too ladies). My husband not only made dinner tonight and watched the kids while I was out working (well, we all know it's more like playing but that's okay). But I came home, expecting to have to clean the kitchen, but all the dishes were done and the kitchen was clean. Just so you know, my husband despises doing the dishes with a passion. I am so grateful his support as I step out in faith and start my own business, it is great to know I have his love and support! Thanks honey!

Wet Your Pants Funny!

Okay, this has absolutely nothing to do with stamping but I would be remiss if I didn't pass it on. If you want a great laugh you have to check out this auction listing on Ebay. The auction is over but the story behind the auction is laugh outloud hillarious!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130144061675&ru=http%25

If you are up for more laughs, than check out this funny mom's blog!

http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com

Emboss Resist Technique Tutorial

It has been driving me crazy! When I did the emboss resist, my emboss turned the color of the pastels. I have learned, not to use pastels but a sponge and classic ink pads. I also forgot to buff the color off of the embossed image with a tissue. Oh, well, it is all a learning process. Maybe I will play around some more tonight once the kiddos are in bed. Anyway, here is an awesome Emboss Resist Tutorial online. It walks you through the steps (with fabulous pictures). I will put up new pictures as soon as I try again.

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/embossingresist.php

It feels like Christmas!

I love it when I see that big brown van coming up my street and I know I have a Stampin' Up! box coming. It is so exciting (even if the order is for someone else), it is almost as much fun as Christmas morning.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on my new crop-a-dile. If you have not played with one, you do not know what you are missing. I love the look of using eyelets on cards and scrapbook pages but hate having to pound them into place, it is such a pain. With the crop-a-dile, setting eyelets is a breeze. It is as easy as using a hole puncher. I placed eyelets on my dragon fly card for my upcoming card swap. (I used the pick-a-petal set once again). It took no time at all and the eyelets really finish the cards. The only downside of the crop-a-dile is that my hand is a little too small for it. It is a little hard for me to grip and after doing 30+ eyelets, my thumb was a bit sore trying to hold onto it. It is also a little heavy. But don't get me wrong--it made setting those eyelets an absolute dream. It probably would of taken me an hour to do it with a hammer and set. It only took 20 minutes with the crop-a-dile.

I received all of my color families stamp pads today, which is so exciting. I only had the bold brights before, which is great for summer but with the holidays coming up I really wanted some more colors to choose from. Now I can really start playing with colors and designs. I also ordered some new holiday stamps, from the Fall/Winter catalog and the new mini. They are so much fun and they definately put me into the Holiday mindset. One of the sets I ordered was the Wonderous Gift set which I have fallen in love with, it is so elegant. I have been wanting to try embossing and especially the emboss resist technique. So I had fun playing with my new tools with my always eager daughter and my mom (a fellow, avid stamper).

To emboss resist: 1. Use a versamark or white craft pad to stamp the image on (preferably white paper). 2. Put clear or white embossing powder over the image. 3. Shake excess off into the tray. 4. Heat image with a heat gun until the emboss is set. 5. Use pastels or ink to color or sponge over the embossed image, the white lines will some through and you will see the white embossed image through the other colors. I am sure there are other ways to do this but this is the only way I know of at the moment. If I have missed a step or you know of another way, please let me know!

The emboss resist didn't turn out quite like I had envisioned. But I liked our cards, the first of many cards of the season. Chloe, my daughter, even got into the spirit and embossed a card for the first time tonight, she had so much fun. I will keep working on the emboss resist technique and hopefully I will get it down. But even if it is not perfect, I am very happy with it and I had a blast with the "girls" tonight working on it.