Lasso Cowboy

Howdy, y'all! Are you ready for another Monday morning? :-) This cowboy is ready to lasso you outta bed and put you to work!

Hee hee hee! This cute cowboy is from Eureka Stamps, and I added the lasso to his hand before coloring them with Copic markers. They are stamped directly onto kraft cardstock for a rustic look, and I added some die cut letters for the sentiment.

Taking the rustic theme further, I sponged a little bit of brown ink on the edges of the kraft cardstock, and then I distressed the edges. Some cross-stitched x's frame the upper left corner for a fun and unexpected touch.

Hope y'all have a great week!!

Stamps: Cowboy Holder and Lasso from Eureka Stamps
Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento, Suede
CS: Suede, Kraft, Naturals Ivory
Other: copic markers, glitter pen, distress tool, linen thread, Wingo Zingo alphabet sizzlit

Frost with a Twist - Noel

This is the last of my Christmas in July cards with Chapel Road stamps. I've loved coming up with different ideas each week, and this week I've gone clean and simple.

The background is a really cool technique from Technique Junkies and it's called Frost with a Twist. I've never tried this one before, and I love the effect. It gives this card a great visual texture while still being a mail-able card.

I stamped the long holly garland from the Holly Plate (Chapel Road) at the top of the white cardstock and then I sponged some Antique Linen distress ink all over. The ornaments are 3/4" circles punched from some Christmas paper, and then I adhered some page pebbles to each circle. Some gold cord was tied into bows and adhered to the top of each ornament and then I drew lines from the holly garland to each ornament with a glitter pen. The sentiment is some letter stickers from Authentique.

Have you enjoyed all my Christmas cards this month? Which one was your favorite? :-)

Stamps: Holly Plate from Chapel Road
Ink: Moss, Artichoke, Antique Linen distress
CS: White, glossy white, Chocolate Chip, Wassail dp (Basic Grey)
Other: sponge, gold cord, page pebbles, 3/4" circle punch, glitter pen, letter stickers from Authentique
TJ Technique: Frost with a Twist

Antique Glimmers - Noel

There is a new challenge on the I Brake for Challenges blog, and today is all about Christmas. I love making Christmas cards, and this one was a joy to make.

I tried the Antique Glimmers technique from Technique Junkies for the first time, and I love the results. What you don't see in this picture is the gorgeous gold shimmer from this technique. I tried to photograph it, but because of all the red in the background, none of the pictures came out right. You're more than welcome to come on over here to see it in person - trust me, it's gorgeous and shimmery. :-)

This beautiful Christmas collage is the Joyeux Noel Amaryllis stamp from I Brake for Stamps. The sentiment is paper pieced, and I added some black pearls to the gold cardstock scallops.

I think I will make some more cards like this, perhaps in different colors, and if I leave the black pearls off, it would be the perfect mail-able Christmas card. I love making flat cards so I can easily mail them out. What colors do you think I should use for this card?

Be sure to check out the I Brake for Challenges blog to see what the other gals created. We'd love to have you play along with us!


Stamps: Joyeux Noel Amaryllis stamp from I Brake for Stamps (use code SAVE10HOLLY to save 10% off your order)
Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Aged Mahogany distress, Fired Brick distress
CS: Red Riding Hood, White, Black, Gold
Other: black pearls, Scallop Diamond Edge punch (EK Success), Gold Glimmer Mist, sponge
TJ Techniques: Antique Glimmers, Paper Piecing

Wedding Cake

When I was at a shoebox swap back in May, one of the cards we did was a fun wedding cake made from cardstock. That inspired me to create this card today using cardstocks from Paper Temptress. I've got a complete tutorial written up on the Paper Temptress blog HERE if you'd like to check it out.

This card is so versatile - you can substitute any color for the pink background in order to coordinate with the wedding colors of your special couple. You can also use different flowers or something else in place of the flowers. I love it when a project is easily "customizable!"

Town of Bethlehem

This is a very quick and simple Christmas card using this wonderful Bethlehem with Verse image from Eureka Stamps. I inked it up with Versamark and embossed with gold embossing powder. Then I cut the excess cardstock away from the edges and adhered it to a vanilla card base.

Clean, simple, striking, elegant, and best of all - mailable! I whipped out a set of these in less than 30 minutes. You could do these in any color you wish, and you can easily produce 50 of these at the last minute and pop them in the mail.

You can see I created a set with four different colors below:

Stamps: Bethlehem with Verse from Eureka Stamps
Ink: Versamark, Antique Linen (sponged around edge of vanilla card)
CS: Vanilla, Burgundy, Eggplant, Artichoke, Night of Navy
Other: gold embossing powder, sponge

Pull Tab Rhubarb Honey Bee

Hey folks! I was just playing for fun tonight, and I colored up this adorable Rhubarb Honey Bee image from Sweet N Sassy Stamps. This is a digital image, so I printed it out and then colored it with Copic markers. I used the Copic Texturizing technique from Technique Junkies to give the fur some texture, and then I added some glitter to the wings with a glitter pen.

In case you were wondering, yes, that is a pop tab from a can of soda. I don't know what this particular technique is actually called, but I call it a Pull Tab card. When you pull on the metal tab, you can read the first part of the sentiment:

The inside reads,"have a honey of a day!" I hope this brings a smile to your face this weekend. :-)


Stamps: Rhubarb Honey Bee from Sweet N Sassy Stamps, sentiment from Stampin Up!
Ink: So Saffron
CS: Black, White, Saffron, Saffron dp
Other: oval dies, Copic markers, glitter pen, pop tab from soda can, silver brad
TJ Technique: Copic Texturizing

Chapel Road Challenge - July 22, 2011

Merry Christmas!! :-) The theme for today's Chapel Road challenge is Christmas, and I need some cool thoughts today. We've had daily temps of 101 and 102 since the beginning of June, and next week promises to be 103. Yikes. I'm definitely in the mood for Christmas and some nice frosty temps.

I used the small bunch of holly leaves from the Holly Plate set to create this wreath. I just stamped the leaves over and over in a circle, added some red "berries," and tied a red bow at the top. The background was created by using the Cuttlebug Highlights technique from Technique Junkies.

Check out what the other Design Team gals created for this challenge by going to the Chapel Road blog. Pull out your Christmas stamps and play along with this fun challenge. Ho ho ho!!


Stamps: Holly Plate from Chapel Road
Ink: Olive, Moss
CS: Vanilla, Olive
Other: sponge, red ribbon, red rhinestones, circle dies, Holly Ribbons embossing folder
TJ Technique: Cuttlebug Highlights

Telescoping Card - Bird & Feathers

Good morning! I'm sharing this fun Telescoping Card with you today. This is a fun technique from Technique Junkies, and it is much easier than it looks. I used stamps from the "For the Birds" sheet and the Two Feathers stamp from I Brake for Stamps here.

This is how the card looks at first:

Then you pull the top circle up, and you see this:

Then you pull again to see the entire card:

Isn't that fun? I stamped the feathers in a soft Kraft ink so it would be light enough for me to write a personal note on there. The sentiment on the middle circle was stamped with a darker brown ink over the bird and then I sponged the edges with that same darker brown ink. It will be fun to give this to a dear friend and see their reaction. :-)

Stamps: For the Birds sheet & Two Feathers from I Brake for Stamps (use code SAVE10HOLLY to save 10% off your order)
Ink: Kraft, Chocolate Chip
CS: Kraft, Naturals Ivory, Marina Mist
Other: sponge, brands, ribbon, circle dies
TJ Technique: Telescoping Card

Santa and his Rein-dillos!

Ho ho ho!!!!! Yup, you read that right - Rein-dillos!!!! Santa doesn't have reindeer in Texas because it's just too darn hot for those reindeer. Ever resourceful, Santa loads up his special armadillos when he gets to the Texas border. Hee hee hee!!!

How's that for a fun Christmas card? :-) I watercolored this Santa & Dillos image from Eureka with some dye inks. I sponged "dirt" around the armadillos and I sponged around the entire piece with some dark blue ink and used a white gel pen to add some stars to the sky. The yellow stars & gift bag and the black wrought-iron work around the sleigh were painted with some shimmery Creative Inspirations Paint. You can see the shimmer here:

I used the Faux Chipboard technique to create this star and this is also painted with some shimmery yellow Creative Inspirations Paint:

Stamps: Santa & Dillos and Ho Y'all from Eureka Stamps
Ink: Jet Black Stazon, Not Quite Navy, Blush, Basic Grey, Caramel, Red, Going Gray, Pumice Stone distress
CS: Red, Kraft, White
Other: sponges, aquapainter, glossy accents (dillo nose), white gel pen
Creative Inspirations Paint: Onyx, Sunshine
TJ Technique: Faux Chipboard

Faux Tiles Poinsettia

I'm back with another Christmas card today! Are you getting inspired to start making your own Christmas cards yet? LOL

For this card, I used the Poinsettia Background stamp from Chapel Road to do the Faux Tile Technique. It's a cool way to show off your background stamps! I kept the rest of the card simple by stamping a single poinsettia from the Poinsettia Plate and adding some gold cord and gold brads. The single poinsettia is embellished with the Wisped Frames technique from Technique Junkies.

This card is easily mail-able. Think of all the different colors you could do this card in - you could have a whole box of Christmas cards done in no time!


Stamps: Poinsettia Background and Poinsettia Plate - Chapel Road
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
CS: White, Cherry Cobbler
Other: sheer white organdy ribbon, gold cord, gold brads, oval dies, sponge
TJ Techniques: Faux Tiles and Wisped Frames

I Brake for Challenges - Summer!

It's time for the next challenge from the I Brake for Challenges blog! Can you guess what it is this time? It's all about Summer - hot days, swimming, flip flops, and BBQ's!

So what does a birdhouse have to do with summer? Bear with me as I tell you a little story. Every year we have some barn swallows who nest in the spaces under our porches. Well, right now I've been seeing a lot of those barn swallows flying in and they are hanging out on the ledges and on our outdoor ceiling fans. I don't know if these are the parents or the babies, but they come back every year. Sooooo..... I had birdies on the brain when I was creating my "summery" card. :-)

I was also inspired by a couple of challenges over on the Rogue Redhead Designs blog. They have a sketch challenge and a color challenge going on - click on those to see what they are and play along! I used summery colors - fun oranges and pale blues - and I aged these papers by doing the Distressed Papers technique. The birdhouse image (Birdhouses Set from I Brake for Stamps) is colored with Copic markers directly on some patterned paper. The ribbon is actually some white ribbon that I colored with some distress stains. A few Wild Orchid flowers from I Brake for Stamps provide the finishing touch on this clean and simple card.

I hope you play along with this fun Summer challenge over at the I Brake for Challenges blog. Feel free to combine this with the sketch challenge and the color challenge on the Rogue Redhead Designs blog as well! :-)


Stamps: Birdhouses Set - I Brake for Stamps (use code SAVE10HOLLY to save 10% off your order)
Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento
CS: dark brown, Stella Rose-Mabel paper (My Minds Eye)
Other: distress stains, white ribbon, Wild Orchid Flowers from I Brake for Stamps
TJ Technique: Distressed Paper

Eureka - Christmas in July blog hop

Hiya, folks! Welcome to the Christmas in July blog hop with the Eureka design team! If you have come here from Kristie's blog, then you are on the right track. If not, please start at the Eureka blog so you don't miss anything.

For my project today, I used the Three Wise Men stamp and the O Holy Night sentiment stamp. I stamped both with brown ink and then cut them with some oval dies. While they were still inside the dies, I sponged some Antique Linen ink around the edges. Some dark chocolate satin ribbon on the left side and some pale blue patterned paper is all I needed to add to this Christmas card.

I hope you have enjoyed my Christmas card today! Please hop on over to Dawn's blog to see her Christmas project. Have a wonderful day!


Stamps: Three Wise Men and O Holy Night - Eureka Stamps
Ink: French Roast (A Muse), Antique Linen distress
CS: Vanilla, Dark Chocolate, patterned paper from Hobby Lobby
Other: oval dies, Dark Chocolate satin ribbon
TJ Technique: Wisped Frames

Glimmered Snowflakes

Hiya folks! Are you ready for another Christmas card? This heat in Texas is just yucky, and I'm ready for some nice cool, crisp fall/winter weather. It can't come soon enough, lemme tell ya!

I love the Glimmering Silk technique from Technique Junkies, and I put it to use again on this card. This time I used a pale blue Glimmer Mist and I didn't sponge any extra color onto the card. These Snowflakes are from Chapel Road and I stamped them with a gray ink onto the paper after it dried.

The white and blue cardstocks as well as the pretty pink ribbon are from Paper Temptress. The white background is the yummy Cryogen White cardstock - it's a gorgeous shimmery white cardstock. The blue is Aqua Basics cardstock and that gorgeous pink ribbon is the 3/8 Reversible Satin Ribbon w/stitches in Pink/Light Pink. I ordered the 5 yard length, but now I'm thinking I need to order the 25 yard roll! It's gorgeous and soft and ties like a dream.

This close-up picture will help you see the gorgeous shimmer of the Cryogen White cardstock as well as the light blue Glimmer Mist on my Glimmering Silk snowflakes:

I love shimmery, glittery things! :-) I added some pink rhinestones to the center of the clear acrylic snowflake just to do something different and to keep this card sparkly.

As I looked around at all the different challenge blogs, I noticed that this card actually fits into several of the challenges. I'm entering this into these challenges:

Christmas Card Challenges #31 - Christmas cards
Craft Your Passion Challenge #65 - anything goes
House of Gilli #11 - lots of sparkle
There She Goes #114 - glitter, glitz & bling


I hope you have a wonderful day! Stay cool!!

3D Christmas Tree

Did you have a nice 4th of July? With the burn bans across most of Texas, we didn't get to see any fireworks, so we stayed in the house and watched fireworks on tv. At least it was nice and cool in the house! :-)

I promised you a lot of Christmas projects this month, and here is another one. This is a 3D tree from Eureka Stamps. It's so neat! You just stamp the image, cut and score, and then glue it down.

I actually sponged extra ink onto the tree to emphasize the edges, and then I adhered a million tiny little red rhinestones all over. This will be a fun tree to decorate - think of all the different colors you could use, glitter, pearls, brads, anything you can think of. I used the Wisped Frames technique from Technique Junkies on the vanilla background behind the tree. I kept the rest of the card simple so that the tree would shine.

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Stamps: 3D Tree Pattern from Eureka Stamps
Ink: Olive, Antique Linen distress
CS: Olive, Vanilla, Dashing dp (SU)
Other: sponge, May Arts ribbon, rhinestones (Kaiser), Label 8 die (Spellbinders)
TJ Technique: Wisped Frames

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July, y'all!! I hope you are all having a fun and safe day today.

I'm sharing my patriotic card today, and this is the Color Sandwich technique from Technique Junkies. It's a fun and unexpected technique with loads of possibilities. I used Holly's Tattered Background from I Brake for Stamps on the star and accented it with some red, white, and blue buttons.

Enjoy the celebrations today!


Stamps: Holly's Tattered Background (I Brake for Stamps - use code SAVE10HOLLY to save 10% off your order)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Not Quite Navy, Kraft
CS: Kraft, White
Other: buttons, linen thread, sponges, star die, distress tool
TJ Technique: Color Sandwich

$25 gift card giveaway at Paper Temptress

Hey folks! I've been down and out with a migraine all day today, but I wanted to let you know about a special giveaway at Paper Temptress. You could win a $25 gift certificate to shop at Paper Temptress (free cardstocks and papers!)! All the details are HERE. Good luck to y'all and enjoy your weekend!