Even More Stampin' Up! Stamps to Pay Forward

I've been given even more Stampin' Up! stamps that are up for grabs for just the cost of the Priority Mail flat rate of $4.90. I checked eBay and all of these sets are available but definitely not for less than $5! These were given to me so I'm not trying to make any money; I simply don't have space to them. Most, if not all, are retired sets.

Let me know if you're interested in any and I'll send you my email address. You can then send the $4.90 to me via PayPal. Thanks!

Buds n' Blossoms (mounted, unused)

Borders (mounted, one stamp has been used)

Nature's Seasonal Borders (mounted, MAYBE used once???)

Smorgasborders (mounted, unused)

Fun Filled (mounted, one stamp used)

Stamp Giveaway

A lovely friend from church passed on her stamping supplies to me and I'd love to pass some onto you! Sooo... who wants to play Pay It Forward with me?

1. Take a look at these pics and if you'd like any of these stamps, send an email to me (go here to see my email address).


2. Tell which you'd like and where I should send them.


3. Put up a post on your blog, if you have one, and offer up some of your unloved craft supplies.

Feel free to send your readers here to grab up some of these stamps! I also have a few ink pads that I'll throw in (while supplies last).

Embrace Your Inner Witch

Ah... it's nice to be back. To say that my family has had things... uh... "going on" for the last 10 months is an understatement. It's been too much, really, and instead of helping me cope with the stress, my creativity took a nosedive. I now have a lovely craftroom with *gasp* natural light but for months now, I've just been sitting at my worktable staring out the window looking for inspiration.

Well, I've finally found some! Life has thrown me a bone in the form of a new friend who enjoys crafts as much as I do. She's SUPER talented and I'm honored that she considers me artistic too. This week, I attended her annual "Witches Luncheon" and I want to tell you all about it! I'll begin by introducing my friend, Christa McInturff from Sweet Life ART!. Christa is a graphic artist and mother of two and, in addition to the gorgeous gift items she creates for sale on her website, Christa creates delightful framed works of art that are full of whimsy and color, like this cute pumpkin to the right.

Christa's friend, Mary, hosted the first Witches Luncheon three years ago after hosting the same type of event for Valentine's Day. Mary, Christa and their artist friends all agreed it was a great way to spend time together, exchange handmade gifts and build their boutique-quality decoration collections.

Christa has taken on the role of hostess for the last two years and she truly excels at it! According to Christa, "My party decorating inspiration comes from diving into the details. I open my craft cupboard looking for ways to dress up my table to put smiles on my guest's faces. I love mixing up patterns that make my table decor visually pop with festive flair. Setting up and decorating my table for a party is always a happy moment for me."

Over the years, artists have contributed spooky terrariums, journals, clay bones in vintage bottles, necklace charms, candle holders, martini glasses, and witch and pumpkin creatures... all handmade or decorated, of course.

When I asked Christa what inspires her most when crafting, she said, "My inspiration comes from taking something I have and turning it into a unique gift (all I have to do is open my craft armoire and ideas jump right into my brain)." That must be some armoire!

Some Creations by Christa and Her Artist Friends

I have to tell you, I was thrilled when Christa invited me... honored, really, that she considered me an artist. I was so nervous thinking about what to bring, wondering if my item would be "artsy" enough. I made the little pumpkins to the left and thought they turnout pretty darn cute. They are soft fleece and only about 4"-5" wide so they are really sweet.

It felt great to create again and oh, so lovely, to chat with women about their art forms and lives in general while enjoying Christa's delicious food and wine. Thank you so much, Christa! I hope this inspires some of you to make time to create something and gather among friends.

Here we are, embracing our "inner witch"

Playing with Fall '08 Stampin' Up! Order

I love the new Stampin' Up! blue and green tones. I've been looking for this chartruese shade and was thrilled to see it featured as an In Color called Kiwi Kiss.

When I received my order, I dove right in and came up with this. Materials*:

Whisper White notecard

Urban Garden decorative paper

Brown cardstock

Hidden Garden rub-on

Chipboard circle inked with white craft ink

Everyday Flexible Sayings in Chocolate stamped on Whisper White, distressed

Kiwi Kiss ribbon

* All materials, except for the brown cardstock and white craft ink, are from Stampin' Up!

The Making Memories Button Stickers Made Me Do It

I found a package of faux buttons by Making Memories at Target and I knew I had to have them. I didn't know I'd become obsessed!

As acrylic stickers, they add a layer of dimension to my cards and the colors (pale blue, chartreuse green, ecru and black) are so classy. The line is called "5th Avenue."

Here are the results of my binge...

On the left, I used Stampin' Up! chipboard petals covered in Anna Griffin paper and distressed with SU ink and daubers. Raffia is threaded through the "button" holes. The leaf is also SU chipboard, inked in craft ink and stamped with "unique" from SU's Everyday Flexible Phrases. The bottom ribbon is actually two strips of black and white ribbon sandwiching a strip of crimped black cardstock.

This simple card to the right includes a MM button sticker in chartreuse with raffia tied through, a black cardstock scalloped circle and a squiggle drawn by hand. The "friend" stamp is from SU's Noteworthy set. The card base is an SU Very Vanilla notecard... the whole thing is sweet as can be.

Below are more scalloped circles behind buttons to create flower shapes... can you tell I just purchased the SU scallop punch?

Simple Card Sets

Here are some of my card sets... I enjoy making them as gifts with the recipient in mind but also just making them to try new papers/stamps/accessories/etc.!

Papercrafting: It's What I Do

Okay, so here I am, blogging so that I can tryout to be on a design team... I suppose I outta show my stuff!

I've posted links to my Splitcoast Stampers and Flickr galleries over there on the left. I hope they work though I'm afraid you may need to be a member of those sites to see them.

To give you a feel for what I do, here's an accordian scrapbook I made for my sister last summer. She was here for a week; I made this over her last two days so that she could take it home with her.

I used a variety of elements in this nifty book. There's decoupage, stamping, chipboard, Crystal Effects, embossing, tearing, distressing, ribbon, hemp, vellum... even a can pulltop!