My stampy friends are making cards this Sunday.

Of course, I have a diving class that day, so I am going to miss it.

But in order to get all the great cards they will make, I have made cards for everyone and will drop them off Saturday with Kathy, the hostess.

I wanted to get these done before I got too far into my week.

So I busted them out last night in a mini cardmaking frenzy.

Little bits of paper were flying, let me tell you.

Anyway, I am pretty happy with how they look.

I had them without the yellow backer, just on white. They needed more to tie in the yellow in the flower and the ribbon. So I added the yellow backer.

And that was that.

Flower - Stampin' Up

Words - Papertrey Ink

Thinking of you...

Just a quick post to upload the photo of my card for this month's swap.

Nothing fancy here. Just a nice, clean card in a color scheme I really like.

The dots on the pink paper are from a roller stamp (Stampin' Up).

I inked the sentiment and flower stamp (Stampin' Up) with markers to get all the separate colors.

The centers of the flowers are tiny pink and brown page pebbles.

-

That is all. Back to what you were doing.

Quick round-up of cards

Even with the kitchen mess, I still managed to get myself into a couple online swaps.

Which I would not have joined had I realized just how chaotic my house would be while ONE ROOM was being remodeled.

But I digress.


The first one was for a swap where you make gift tags. This is a tag, but it also opens so it is a card, too. I liked the repeating shapes. And I thought the colors would make it OK to use for a guy's gift. Most of the time the cards are so girly.





The next one is from the same tag swap. I signed up for two spots.
This is just a tag. I used leftover paper from last Christmas. I like the green with the burgundy. It is a little different than normal green-red combos for Christmas.
And I love that stamp I got last year from Cats Pajamas.










The last swap I did (and it will be the last for a while) was for Halloween. I entered for 3x3 and full size cards.
I did another color combo switch up for the 3x3. I don't really like orange, but I went for it. The pumpkin flips open and has "Trick or Treat" inside. And the card itself also opens at the ribbon edge.







The full size card is a tri-fold. And the Boo! on there is just a label from one of those handheld labelmakers.

OK. I think we are caught up on the cardmaking.

Wedding invitations

Gotcha there for a second with that headline, huh?

Nope, not wedding invitations for me.

They are for my uncle's wedding.

The wedding itself is pretty small, with a bigger reception later that night.

So I did one set for people invited to the wedding and reception and another set for people invited to the reception only.

I did about 100 total, which was more than they needed. So I am going to repurpose the leftovers into thank you cards for them.

They are tri-fold cards with an insert that I did on the printer.

I wanted to keep these very simple.

The bride is from Vietnam, so I also wanted to do something not quite so traditional. I like the botanical image with its two flowers bending into each other. It just seemed right.

The flower images are from Papertrey Ink.

I stamped them in clear and heat embossed the color so they have a little texture to them.

Another one for my card-loving, card-making friends

I made this yesterday before work for a swap with my girlies. Actually, I made 8 of them.

I really liked the little vellum pocket thing on the ones I made for the online swap, so I basically cheated off myself here.

The pocket is a little vellum envelope. I cut off the flap and made it into the pocket.

The only thing I am not totally happy with are the colors. I thought they would look better when I cut them all out. But after I made the first one, I was thinking "Eh."

But I already had it all cut out. That'll learn me for next time.

Here's a little love for my cardmaking friends

I made these last night for a swap I am in on Splitcoast.

For non-cardmakers who read this, sorry. You have to put up with my crafty side once in a while.

Anyway, the swap was for a base color scheme of black & white with one other color for pop. I signed up to make one set of full-size cards and one set of 3x3 cards.

First up, the 3x3. This is just what it sounds like. A 3-inch by 3-inch card that are good for little gift cards, with flowers, etc.

I had seen this little black dress idea in a magazine and decided to mock one up to see how I liked it for real.

I thought it came out great.

I gave a lot of thought to the color I added. I considered red, pink, purple. But decided to go for something a little different.

I really like the green. I think it is somewhat unexpected to see such a soft pastel with the b/w base.

The dress does have a fold at the top to open, so I snuck a little greeting in there. The card also opens from the top.

The frill at the bottom of the card is two layers of mulberry paper, one white, one green.

For the full-size card I knew I wanted to use this taupe as my accent color. I know it isn't very colorful, but I really like the contrast.

Plus the color goes great with the French-inspired image I chose and the "Bonjour" greeting.

The photo corner detail was done with a heart-shaped scallop punch that I folded around to make the corner.

The vellum on the front is a tiny envelope. I got them in clearance and figured I would think of how to use them later. I cut off the top flap so the greeting tag just slides in and out.

I really love this card. I think it is fun, but elegant.

And I have a bunch more of those vellum envelopes. So you are likely to see more of this type of thing.

Quick post about a not-so-quick card

This card was done for a Splitcoast swap on triangle fold cards. I don't do too many different folds, so I thought it would be fun to try it.

Plus it gave me a chance to use some paper I got on sale and one of my new Marvy Uchida scallop punches.

Go here if you want to try it: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/triangletrifold.php

I won't go into a lot of detail about the products I used. That stuff is all pretty simple. I think the key is learning the fold.

Time to get creative again - already!

It seems like only a couple weeks ago that the stamping group met.

Oh wait... it WAS only a couple weeks ago.

The thing with the group is that we don't always meet on a set Sunday, say the third Sunday of the month. We meet on the Sunday that is the best for the most people. So sometimes they come one right after the other.

I was going through some cards I did for some recent Splitcoast swaps. The one above seemed to be well-received and it was quite simple.

I may do that. But since I am doing premade cards instead of sets that we make during our gathering, maybe I can get more elaborate.

I like to keep the ones we make at the gathering simple. I feel bad when I make people spend so much time on a really fancy card with lots of little doo-dads and techniques.

Anyway, the image and sentiment on this card are Stampin Up, as are the inks. I used generic patterned paper for the stripes. I like a lot of layers and I like a lot of texture. So I used my paper crimper on the pink backer paper. And I turned the stripes horizontal since I mostly see vertical stripes on other cards. It also is a good contrast to the vertical crimping. Then I used the extra strip of orange behind the "Heartfelt" to make it stand out more from the vellum.

I inked the flower with my markers to get the mottled look and then added a coat of glitter glue to give it some sparkle.

Sounds like a lot of steps, but it really is an easy card.

My cartoon alter-ego

I did this card a while ago. I just loved the stamp. I call her the "birthday babe."

I also did a version of it in orange tones to give to a friend with an October birthday.

Anyway, I chose to post the "birthday babe" today because when I bought the stamp last year, she reminded me of the figure I had oh, say, a few years back (OK, more than a few, but who's counting?).

And I have been on my diet lately, trying, trying so hard to be good. It is tough to diet when you are a foodie like I am.

But I lost another 2.5 pounds this week. Yay for me!

So the "birthday babe" is my sort-of inspiration. She's hot for a cartoon, huh?

Purple poppies

So I finally have the pictures of the purple cards I did for an online swap. I did the top one first, but wanted to coordinate the paper more, so I ditched the big piece of dark purple paper and brought in more of the stripes.

I used a smaller piece of the dark paper just to accent the image of the green flower pot.

The images and sentiment are all from PaperTreyInk (www.papertreyink.com) and the striped paper is from Stampin' Up.

I stamped the pot in green, then overstamped in versamark and embossed with a thick clear powder to give it the glassy, shiny look.

The middle flower is cut out and popped up and the center of it is embossed in black.

It can be hard to get a real sense of the embossing and dimension in the photos.

These took quite a while to make. There was a lot of embossing, and cutting out the pots and each flower was quite time-consuming. Assembly was time-consuming as well. I sure hope my fellow swappers like them!

Anyway, yesterday I went to a family barbecue (sooooooooo much good food) and after soaked in a very hot jacuzzi for a while. It was so relaxing. I was falling asleep by the time I got home at about 9 p.m.

Today I am off work, but was feeling a little queasy this morning. No, not from the barbecue. I am not sure why. But I checked with some other people who were there and no one else feels ill. So it probably was just one of those weird things.

I am doing better now, but I did skip pottery this morning. Bummer.

It was for the best since I have tickets to the Angels-Twins game tonight and I wanted to be sure I was feeling well enough to partake in the stadium cuisine of hot dogs and beer.

Now, since I am home, I am going to tackle some bills, then head out for some errands.

I hope everyone has a good day!

A couple takes on one set

This set is the Pattern of Friendship set from Stampin' Up. It was in one of the mini catalogs a while back, last summer I think. It has the small dresses (four in a row on one stamp) and a couple '50s looking ladies in dresses on a larger stamp. There are some others in that set, but I can't remember them all.

Whatever.

I did the red card first for a swap with my regular stamping group, it was late last summer. I did the pink and brown card a few weeks ago for a swap on Splitcoast (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/).

The Splitcoast swap was to highlight the use of brads or eyelets. I chose eyelets and played them up with the ribbon.

I really like the simplicity of the red card, with its graphic colors and a touch of black. But the pink and brown combination is a favorite of mine. And I thought using the different patterned papers and the pinking shears would make it look like different patterns of fabric.

Maybe. Maybe not.

But it is a fun card. And there was a prize attached to that swap. The hostess was having her fiance choose the winner. He didn't choose me. But she liked my card enough to declare me a winner also. So I get a prize, too. I won't know what it is until I get my swaps back in the mail next week.

Anyway, here is a link to the card that her fiance chose: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/571720?cat=10336

I finished cards for the purple swap, but don't have photos yet. I will post those when I have time. Maybe tomorrow.

Feeling abstract today

Actually, this photo is not all the abstract. It is really pretty literal. It is what it is, as they say.

I'm not sure what the little squiggly thing is, some sort of bug. But it represents how I feel today. A little twisted, a little out of sorts.

I haven't felt particularly creative the past few days. Sometimes that happens. Then I set aside my projects and focus on work or cleaning house or something else that is very literal and doesn't require me to be creative. The cards will wait. They will be there tomorrow.

Well, work requires me to be creative, just in a different way.

Anyway. Tangent.

The photo: It was taken on the recent Santa Barbara trip. This is on the beach near Vandenburg AFB. It is a very isolated beach, not a lot of traffic. It isn't far from the wine region and it makes a nice break from vineyards and rolling hills and the varying winery architecture.

The squiggly thing was quite small, less than the size of my pinky finger. I loved how it was just sitting there on the sand, making it's own little shadow on the world.

I took several shots, but this was the first and the best.

I had to get down on my stomach to get close enough to see the detail in it. It was so beautiful in its simple way. Just the color, the shape of it against the sand.

Beaded Butterfly

Here is an example of a more complex card. It has a simple look in that there are very few paper layers and very few colors.

I used PaperTrey's Butterfly Kisses for the butterfly and starbursts and Little Lady for the flight trail.

The ink is Archival Brilliance in Aegean blue.

I stamped the butterfly in the blue then embossed with clear, sparkly powder. I attached some beads with the blue wire to add detail to the body.

I stamped the trail in the blue then glued on beads sporadically along the trail. The starbursts were stamped in the blue, then I stamped over them with a solid circle of versamark and embossed them in the sparkly, clear powder.

The contrasting dots are just circles I made with a standard hole punch in the taupe cardstock.

Not a difficult card, just a lot of embossing and glueing of little tiny beads.

Happy Stampy Sunday!

Some friends are coming over this morning to make cards.
We try to do this once a month, but everyone was so busy last month that we couldn't get together.
So I have been having withdrawals.
It's really fun. There are usually 5-7 of us. Everyone brings a project and all the supplies, and then we make each others projects.
Then we eat. Oh, did I forget to mention that it is also a potluck brunch?
Yeah, I think we like the eating as much as we like the stamping!
My food contribution for the day will be tea, coffee, various Italian sodas and some veggie/hummus roll-ups for the appetizer.
I will post the card contribution later. But for now, here is a card I did a couple years ago as part of a set of 20 different cards I made for a friend.
She was in the running to be Miss Leukemia/Lymphoma of Oregon and needed things for a silent auction. So I made a set of cards for her and a duplicate set for me.
That was my first real foray into making a lot of cards and really focusing on the details. Back then I thought these were the fanciest cards ever. Since then, I have gotten more elaborate with my creations.
By the way, my friend didn't win the title. But she did raise several thousand dollars for the Leukemia/Lymphona Society.
She is the most awesome chick ever. http://www.onewahine.blogspot.com/

Little Lady

Here is the card I mentioned in the last post.

The images are from PaperTrey (http://www.papertreyink.com/).

I like to get my hands dirty

I have many projects in the works now. Which is part of the reason I have been so lame about updating this blog.

The other part is that I am still trying to decide on its identity.

But whatever. In the meantime, let's talk about some art.

I have been slacking a bit with my pottery. I had some wheel days that didn't produce anything good, and it was a bit discouraging. But then I did some hand-built pieces that came out so nice. I think I may concentrate on handbuilding.

In fact, I signed up for the next session at P.V. Art Center and the class which used to cover so much, now focuses on hand building. So I am excited.

The art center is soliciting submissions for a couple shows. I may submit some of my small ceramic pieces to one that is all about small art. So cool!

For that one, pottery and sculpture have to be able to fit in a 6-inch by 6-inch box. Fun!

There is another one that seems a little more open as far as the requirements. I am contemplating some photos for that one. I haven't been as active with my photography as I used to be. But I did get some interesting shots in Miami.

More on the art front: I went to the Getty Center on Tuesday. My main reason to go was to see the John Humble photography exhibit (http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/humble/). I really liked it. It is amazing how simple the shots are, but still there is life to them.

There also was an exhibit on illustrations of beasts in medieval manuscripts (http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/medieval_beasts/). Wow! The detail and color of some of the illustrations was amazing.

Then there was some wandering in the galleries before hitting the gardens. I love the fountains and the gardens. It is a great place to stake out a patch of grass and do some people watching.

My other projects in the works are all card-making projects. I have to get a project together for this weekend's brunch. Plus I just sent out three swaps and I have two more to do.

And I am trying my hand at being a guest designer for a new stamp line. We'll see if they pick me. So far I have submitted one design, but I want to try at least one more.

A sense of direction

I have none right now.

Which is why I haven't posted anything since the original entry.

I've worked a couple of six-day weeks in a row and have just been kind of drained.

I do have a full weekend coming up starting tomorrow. I can use the rest.

Sunday will be about chores, some creative projects at home and Easter dinner at my aunt's house.

I bought a copy of "Where the Wild Things Are" to give to my nephew. Since he is only 7 months old, he won't be into it yet. But it is a classic and every kid should have a copy.

Let the wild rumpus start, kid!

My pottery class at the PV Art Center starts again Monday. So far, in my two 10-week sessions, I have made a couple slightly wobbly trays/plates, some small, somewhat lopsided bowls and I have several pieces in progress now.

In the last session I even managed to make some bowls that will be big enough to use for cereal or soup. Finally.

And they are mostly not lopsided.

If I still feel artistic and creative, I may go wandering around the South Bay looking for inspiration for some designs to carve into the pottery before it is fired. I am really liking that effect.

I need to figure out how to post some pictures here. Then I will put up some shots of my bowls and maybe even some of the cards I have been working on lately.

But for now, I am done.