Checkered Hearts

UGH!  Sorry if you have been looking for this.  Our cable was out last night and they had to come this morning and do a couple of things outside, so my apologies.

On with the show..

It's technique week at Hand Stamped Sentiments and one I love and use often... Inked Emboss Folders.




So I was stuck for a bit because I can't emboss an entire 12 X 12...but then I decided to use the technique in a detail of my page.  Truth is I love the Stripes folder in creating a checkered pattern, simply turn it 90 degrees and ink again.  I went looking for a photo that I have of the girls in plaid shirts, I know it's sad that I recall photos I have, but then found this 5X7 of Kendall in her little Jessie swimsuit that was plaid.  Take a look at the final product:

I used many-o-retired products, the previous in colors and the letter dies, but just because Stampin' Up retires them, doesn't mean I stop loving them...

All of my hearts on the bottom use this inked technique.  I first inked the paper than punched the hearts.  To balance all the letters, I stuck included a piece of First Edition DSP, if you don't have this paper shame on you!  Teasing, but I really love adding this.  Some stitching on the bottom and done!

Hope it was worth the wait!  Be sure to hop over and see what the rest of the ladies created!

Back Away

...from the craft table, not from http://handstampedsentiments.blogspot.com/Hand Stamped Sentiments!  It's theme week and what could be so fitting for this time of year, but PUMPKINS!



My page got a bit carried away...

I'm a bit addicted to the new Spritzer bottles, I just didn't have my paper as far away from the bottle as I wish...

Anyways. I love how I used the "plant paper" from the First Edition DSP.  I love my large Old Olive banner which is fabric.  I am loving the 7/8" Cotton ribbon which I used twice.  I love the size of those letters....miss them.  And last but not least, I adore my pumpkins!

They are ovals and circles that I sponged.  For them vine, I dyed my Bakers Twine with Old Olive reinker. Once it was dry I wrapped around a pencil and sprayed it with some Spray Starch.  I let it dry for a bit, then I finished drying it with my heat tool.  Super cute!

Be sure to hop over and see what the others have come up with.  I'm super excited to see some scrap pages....I get to peek when I upload my project!


I'm also linking up with Dynamic Duos, love this blog!

NO More Collecting

Do you have products in your craft space that you HAD to have....and then don't get around to using them?  I DO!  It's a color challenge this week at Hand Stamped Sentiments, and I also personally challenged myself to use some of those products that I've been neglecting!



Another card! I'm trying to find a balance of family time, volunteering, girl's activities, and me time...the me time is been hard to find lately.  I just didn't get around to a layout this week, but I am pretty happy with this card.  AND I used 5, count them 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, products that have been eagerly waiting for their turn at the desk.

I have to admit these colors threw me at first.  I'm not an Indigo girl (the color, not the band), but I remember a fellow HSS designer doing a Halloween card with blue and I really loved it...have to remember not to "stick" to traditional colors.

Anyways, I loved this kitty, and I loved the Early Espresso embossing powder, and I loved the designer buttons all of which are in the Holiday Catalog, and I ordered the Argyle embossing folder and fabric as soon as the Annual Catalog came out....and this is the first time they all made their way onto my desk.

I'd love to see what you can create using these colors...and if you can use something neglected too, well bonus!  I can't wait to see what the others have created, I really am such a fan of them all!

LOAD-Day 1

The gals over at Let's Scrap have a LOAD (Layout a Day) challenge that starts today....and I was just crazy enough to take on the challenge.  I've struggled with me time lately, and I really am in a better mood if I get to sneak away and create.  They may not be the most "brilliant" layouts, but they are another page in the girl's books.

Here's today's Layout:

This is my oldest who found some mustaches I had purchased and then forgotten about at Christmas time.  I had found the black mustache paper at a local craft store and the rest of the materials are from Stampin' Up.

Day 1. Done.  ...I really am hoping I can do 31 days of this!

Blue Jar Craze

Hand Stamped Sentiments is going crazy for blue jars this week!




Now if you are a Pinterest addict like myself, you know these are ultra-popular.  This week I made a (simple) card, but when it comes to my card style I'd say I'm a CAS kinda girl.

This photo stinks royally!  My photo editing software is not letting me save and you can tell I usually crop and help the image color.  (I may work on it again today, but as of last night I gave up!)

Anyways, I went with the Perfectly Preserved set and framelits.   I stamped with Staz On onto vellum and then colored the jar using a blender pen and Tempting Turquoise ink.  I stamped the stems directly on the white to make it look like they are in the jar.

Short post tonight.  Life has gotten crazy busy with the girl's activities and this week they are all switched around because it's homecoming. Hope you all have a great week and be sure to hop over and see what the rest of the team has created!

Scrapping Backwards

Confession 1:  I have never used the technique that is this week's challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  (I know...you're not shocked.




Confession 2:  I designed the layout-colors and all before having a picture....TOTALLY backwards for me, but I love how it all turned out.

After I read the tutorial, I headed to my craft room with the intention of taking out the Woodgrain embossing folder...but then the Chevron one was sitting by my Big Shot and I thought why not.  Since I didn't know what it was going to look like and I didn't know what I was going to scrap, I took out Real Red ink and thought this may be fun to do a Rainbow layout.  This has to be my favorite color combo--how can you go wrong with a rainbow?!?!

So I ended up with these six pieces and then headed to my photos---please if you are just starting scrapbooking, do not follow my lead.  I was getting a bit nervous until I ran across this photo from this year's MN State Fair.  The girls had already gotten their fair-do's and had on their (hideous) "cool dude" shoes and I thought with this much color in the photo, these pieces would work perfectly!

Little Farm Hands is an area where children can learn the workings of a farm and then sell their products at the market and get a little treat at the end.  It has been one of my favorite things to do every year...and I'm starting to think this may be my last year.  Linnea was one of the biggest kids there, and Kendall didn't want to ride on the little pedal tractors.  I have scrapped many of these pages and I thought I'd change it up with NO farm animals on it, so I went with a butterfly as I hadn't inked up this set yet.  I did so on the First Edition DSP as I had some sitting on my desk.

I'll leave you with a closer view.  I really enjoyed this technique and can't wait to play with it and some new folders.  Be sure to check out what the other designers have come up with!

ABC's

It's theme week at Hand Stamped Sentiments and I can't tell you how excited I was to see the theme after failing miserably on last week's colors.




The best thing with the theme is I'm back to scrapping!  I'm sure you can guess where I took this....back to school pictures.   I can happily report we all did fine.  Kendall is enjoying Kindergarten and wishing she went everyday, Linnea is getting the hang of third grade and all the new responsibilities of their planners, Erik is adjusting attitudes in regards to his students thinking he's going be just like the previous teacher, and I enjoyed my first week but yesterday I began filling out an application to sub.  I loved staying home with my girls, but I really do have that desire to get back into a classroom.  Anyways, here are my pageS!

I had an idea almost immediately!  Masking is so big right now and I'm loving Stampin' Up new spritzer spray bottles.  I took an old Stampin' Up alphabet chipboard piece and punched out the letters I hadn't used and used that for my mask.  Here's a photo of it:

I used some alligator clips to hold it down, but clearly not enough and the spray "fuzzed" a bit.  I loved the look, Linnea informed me that I messed up.  For her's I used Real Red and for Kendall's I used Tempting Turquoise.  After I removed the mask, I lightly spritzed the background--I laid them on my kitchen table and stood on a chair and sprayed from way up high.  I was going for a really light mist and that worked perfect.

Here are some closer ups of the cluster portion of their pages:

Linnea's shirt was shiny so I threw on a silver glitter banner.  I crimped the largest window frame to give it some texture, forgot we axed that too :(  Then I just started building.  I had a piece of Whisper White that had been embossed with the Chevron folder sitting on my desk (it was a dejected piece from last week) so I cut it down and carefully brayed Night of Navy ink on it.  The folded star is all over Pinterest and goes with her shirt.  Thought it needed a little button tied with some dyed Real Red bakers twine I had in my drawer.  The 3 is from the new dies, but I used retired ones for the rd, miss the size of those ones!  Then I used our new Silver pen to finish.

Kendall's is much the same.  I had to bring out the Concord Crush, I miss that purple, as it best matched her backpack.  I also ended up using some Baja Breeze seam binding as the Tempting Turquoise ribbon I had seemed too bright.

I can't wait to see what the others have come up with!  Go take and look, and see what you can create using our theme-I'd love to check it out!