From Courtney's Closet Challenge #46-All Punches

A quick From Courtney's Closet Challenge card.

When I get really tired during harvest...I get stoooo-pid! LOL I have looked at the colors in Little Cupcake's shirt for several evenings and just could not get a good grasp of them...so I just picked out what looked like it would go and went with it. (left out the rusty color in my card)

I have a hard time comprehending things at home or conversations after 14 hours of phones ringing non-stop and people talking at me... by nightfall I should just go to bed.... I really wanted to stamp tonight but I didn't trust myself with markers or inkpads of any kind...I just know I would tatto myself, so I stuck with punches...safe for me tonight LOL! I did venture a little paper piercing and managed that fine...I didn't impale myself at least.

This card is made with SU 1 3/8 and 1 1/4 square punches, Martha border punch and the SUBoho Blossoms punch as well as the little 1/4 circle punch that is retired now. The DP is retired from SU also.

I ran the squares through the bubble cuttlebug folder to give them some texture. I paper pierced with my Tim H ruler. If you don't have one of those...you should!

That's it for tonight...off to bed!

Sweet little cupcake Courtney.

A RAK from Larissa!

Not much stamping by me around here due to harvest, but this gives me a chance to post some wonderful RAK's I have received lately. This one came all the way from the Netherlands! Isn't this as sweet as can be?

I received this sweet RAK from Larissa Walemoed over at Car-D-elicious. Stop by and leave her a big HELLO! She has some great creations on her blog!

House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge #43.- Caffeine Crash

This is me!

I've crashed and I can't get up! Just kidding...But I do have to tell you...a LOT of caffeine is consumed during harvest!

I made this card for this weeks House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge #43...a sketch from the ladies at 2RedBanana's. I had to fudge just a wee bit to squeeze in the kaiser pearls, but otherwise I stuck to the sketch.

I know all of us "harvest type" people feel like Mr. Biggly Gruffie! Give us a LOT of caffeine and we perk right up! My caffeine of choice is always pepsi or cocoa...no coffee for me...never acquired the taste...but love the smell!

Okay, the rest of the story...

All the cups are cut out and put on pop dots-- as is the waste basket. This makes for a fun card with lots of dimension. The inside is finished off with a white mat embellished with a small strip of the red polka dot DP matted on a scalloped piece of gable green.

-------------------------

Stamps: Biggly Gruffie stamp named "Attack of the Caffeine Crash" OR1048 by Stampabilities.

Cardstock: SU! Specialty DP, Gable Green, Basic Black

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics

Misc: Nesties-Circle and Scallop Circle, Dimensionals, SU scallop punch for the inside of the card, Kaiser pearls

3 Clovers Thursday Challenge #19-Where are you from ?

This was a fun challenge this week at 3 Clovers Thursday Challenge! The challenge...Where are you from? You are challenged to make a card that represents the city, state or country you are from.

Well...that was easy...You all know I work in one of the cherry capitals of the world LOL! I live on the Columbia River right on the Oregon and Washington border in the USA. The area is named the Columbia River Gorge. It is known for it's beautiful mountains (the most famous in the area of course is Mt St Helens...the volcano that blew it's top almost 30 years ago!) It is also known for it's beautiful rivers,waterfalls, hiking, skiing, biking ...you know...all that outdoorsy stuff. There is year round snow skiing on Mt Hood,(funny video link here) a mountain just a few minutes from my hometown.


One end of the Columbia River Gorge is beautiful and lush and the other end is dry with plains of wheat fields(and now wind turbines to generate electricity). It pretty much has it all. It is also known as one of the premier windsurfing areas in the world! Why you ask?

The wind! It blows and blows and blows here! It is always windy by afternoon here. It is just a fact of life....

We have lots of fruit trees in my hometown and in other towns around us. There are mainly cherry trees, but some pear, peach and apple trees as well as many new grape vineyards.

Yummy cherries...the real thing!

About the card:

This brings me to my card this week.

Of course I had to feature a cherry tree...what else LOL? The other thing I wanted to represent on my card was the wind...I don't know if you can tell it or not, but I put the blue sky piece through the swirly cuttlebug folder to depict the swirly wind...and look...it caught poor Woodstock and is blowing him around. Snoopy is jumping for joy because 2009 looks to be a great crop for cherries!

I cut out the cherry tree and ground free hand and sewed them on the blue cuttlebugged sky. I had kind of reverse sponged the sky, using blue cardstock and white ink to make the clouds.
I then added the little flower brads, the sentiment and Snoopy and Woodstock.

---------------------------------

Stamps:Dance of Joy (Snoopy) by Rubber Stampede :(-- Floral Woodstock(Just for Woodstock) by Stampabilities, Sentiment by Hampton Arts-Bowl of Cherries

Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip and Wasabi, Cherry DP by DCWV, Brown and green print DP by SU!

Ink:Chocolate Chip and Black ink pad by Stamps by Judith (it stamps really black and is great for watercoloring also), Woodstock colored by a copic pen.

Misc: cuttlebug swirl folder, flower brads, sewing machine, dimensionals for the sentiment

Happy Father's Day Dad! On the Farm!!!

I made this card for my Dad. I used a retired Stampin Up set name On the Farm.
My Dad lives out of town and has nicknamed his homestead "The Ranch". I thought this best fits his lifestyle!

I again fashioned this scene after Michelle B's technique of piecing a scene. I just love this effect!

Each element is stamped, colored and mounted individually. The only thing that bugs me about this set is that is not proportional...look how big that hog is compared to the farmer...LOL I would hate to get in that piggy's pathway!

I punched the ground and fence and added this on to the sponged sky. I then used my nesties to cut out my squares (which really simplifies this process). I mounted the two squares on some red and added them back into the "scene".

I used the SU! retired cloud template for sponging the sky.

-----------------------------------

Stamps: On The Farm (retired SU!), Sentiment from H & M Stamps

Cardstock: DP from SU! scrapbook kit, Real Red, Neenah white

Ink: Tuxedo black, copics

Misc: Martha Stewart halloween fence punch, nesties, dimensionals, SU cloud and sponge

A fun and simple Graduation card!

I made this card for my nephew Garrett. He graduated from Seattle University this past week. I am proud that he stuck out that Washington weather...being a native Hawaii boy and all! He is headed for Texas to study law so I thought this card would be perfect for him!

I have had this stamp for ages...I knew the day would come to use it for the perfect occasion! I cut out the scroll and added it with dimensionals. Add some $ and what could be better?

----------------------------

Stamps: Stampington Scroll G1028, Sentiment inside from SU Congrats celebration set, the rest was computer generated

Cardstock: SU! Cocoa and Black

Ink: Tuxedo Rich Cocoa

Misc: dimensionals, long nestabilities

Happy Birthday to Curt!

Hey, if you all get a minute...stop by Curt's World and wish him a belated birthday...I got busy with harvest yesterday and forgot to wish him HAPPY BIRTHDAY yesterday! Hey Curt...hope you came home with your pockets full!

Three Clover's Thursday Challenge -No Layer Cuttlebug card

The challenge this week at 3 Clovers Thursday Challenge is to make a no layer card! And boy, this is not as easy as it sounds. For us stampers that love layers, this was a challenge that generated lots of discussion!

I chose to use my cuttlebug embossing borders on kraft cardstock. I stamped the cherries with craft ink and gently ran some white craft ink over the embossing and the edges of the card to highlight those areas better. Viola! That's the total card!

One thing I did learn making this card...me and craft ink do not mix...I am not kidding, I had red "finner" prints all over LOL!

Now, I have cherries on the brain...cherry harvest is starting here in Oregon...which means my stamping time becomes fairly limited the busier we get. If you don't see me around for a couple days...I am just working...! But really, fresh cherries are just the best! Not to worry though, I have saved some really wonderful RAK's to show to you while I am working away!

Okay stampers....I would love to see what you can create with this challenge!

----------------------

Stamps: Tart and Tangy by SU!

Ink: Craft white, red and green

Cardstock: SU! Kraft

Misc: Cuttlebug embossing borders

From Courtney's Closet Challenge #45-Best Friend

Little Sophie is guest starring this week on From Courtney's Closet Challenge #45.
Sophie's Mama is Katie Brooks at KB Stamps.

I used this sketch challenge from Jen del Muro at iheart2stamp.

One thing I have learned from playing along with Libby's weekly challenges, is to use what I have on hand. I didn't even come close to having any flower DP to match Sophie's flowery pants, so I made my own with an old retired stamp set from Stampin' UP! named Petite Posies. This set does get pulled out and used still...after all these years!

I took my inspiration from Jen's Sketch, Sophies pants and those "orange" pop blocks, and this week's Celebration over at Penny Black's Saturday Challenge. Now I call that multi-tasking LOL!

You can see in the first picture that everything is on dimensionals, making for some fun 3D. I even got to use my new Martha butterfly punch. NOWWWW...as my stampin buddy Charla knows, I used to have a real aversion to bug stamps...including and especially butterflies. I used to just cringe at them...(I am clueless to understand why) but I am slowly coming out of my cacoon LOL and just getting over it! Now, I am not sure Charla has gotten over her smiley face phobia tho!

Do you have a certain type of image that makes you cringe?

------------------------------

Stamps: Penny Black Butterfly Wishes 2620H, Retired Stampin UP Petite Posies, Stampin Up! sentiment from Full of Life

Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Brilliant Blue, Bashful Blue and Blush Blossom from SU!

Ink: Tuxedo Black from Memento, Copics, SU! markers for the sentiment

Misc: nesties, kaiser pearls, SU twill ribbon, Martha punch, dimensionals

House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge-Red, White and Blue!

Here we go with a very 4th of July looking card for this week's Red White and Blue challenge over at the House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge Blog.

This is this month's stamp and sentiment of the month for the House Mouse gang. Although this isn't a mouse, it is his buddy Happy Hopper!

I used a sketch challenge designed by Cindy Haffner. You can find it HERE.

I used my new EK Success border punch on this card...you know you can never have too many punches! I am crazy for punches, especially border ones! This one reminds me of swiss cheese. (hmmm... I must be hungry)

---------------------

Stamps: Happy Hoppers Air Head (Itty Bit) (HMl1018), Sentiment Blow Away (DR1113) both by Stampabilities. You can see all the House Mouse of the Month stamps HERE.

Cardstock: Real Red, White GP, cupcake by Basic Grey

Ink: Memento Black, Copics, SU real red marker for sentiment

Misc: EK Success border punch, circle nesties, misc red heart brads, stampa-majig, dimensionals for the circle sentiment

3 Clovers Thursday Challenge- Snoopy Paper Piecing

This week's challenge at 3 Clovers Thursday Challenge is Paper Piecing. I had such a grand time with this challenge. I made this card, ripped it apart, and then started over again. Another one of those cards that bits and pieces came to me in my sleep. I wasted some darn good cardstock to get the effect I wanted.

I started using a sketch challenge, didn't like that, then didn't like the DP I used so ripped it apart again.

This card was inspired by the work of Michelle B at JustPaintingAround. She creates some of the best scene cards I have ever "scene". You really should go browse her blog...tons of fun cards to see there! She does have some tutorials mixed in her posts on how she creates her scenes (sure wish I would have followed her suggestions as I am sure it would have been much easier that how this little card was born LOL!)

The umbrella and sun as well as the water are all pieced with Stampin Up cardstock or DP. The image was colored with copics.

Now, if only I was sitting on a beach somewhere with Snoopy!
-------------------

Stamps: At The Beach (Stampabilities l1092)

Cardstock: Summer Sun, SU DP, Riding Hood Red

Ink: Memento Black, Copics

From Courtney's Closet Challenge #44

Here is literally a 10 minute gift tag for this weeks From Courtney's Closet Challenge #44.

I want to use the excuse that the dog ate my homework because this little tag is pretty lame, but in reality I didn't think I would get to post this week because I accidently dropped my camera and it broke to bits(see me cry here)and had no way to photograph anything. I finally borrowed one tonight...and was too tired then to make a project much more that this 10 minute doozy! The white piece is just a folded 3x3 piece of white cardstock sent through a cuttlebug folder and the die cut added to the front of that. FAST!

Blogger is giving me fits, so I am not even sure this card will post...all I am seeing as I am typing this post is HTML with no picture. A little confusing for me....Darn... I am giving up for tonight and heading to bed!



------------------

Stampin Up Little Leaves diecut, SU 1/4 circle punch, CB folder, Lavender cardstock and Kiwi too.

A quick birthday tag!

I made this bag of hot tamales up for a good friend and co-worker for her birthday today. She is a little spit fire of a lady for sure. The tag says Happy Birthday Hot Stuff! on the other side!

I borrowed the stamp from my stampin' friend Barb. Although the stamp is not marked, I seem to remember that she may have bought it at Rubbernecker one year at convention. ( but not certain of that!) Okay Barb... who makes this stamp? I do have to tell you...it is one of the best "stampin'" stamps, easy to get a great image with great lines...very well made!

I am heading off to Eugene to have fun at my daughter's community garage sale and taking my parents with me. No stamping for me this weekend!

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend...I AM!

Happy Father's Day Papa Bear!

3 Clovers Thursday Challenge Team are honoring fathers this week. The challenge is to make a Father's Day card with a little hardware. I had a whole 'nother card planned, but Papa Bear sort of took over my thoughts, so I just had to go with him instead!

I had been playing with this Gruffie image, practicing a techinque I learned in the copic class I took a while back...(yes, pictures still to come...) Marianne showed us how to make the pretty blue "halo" (that's what I call it anyway) that some stampers like to add around their image to make things "pop". It took me a while to get, but this is my first try and I really like it, reminds me somewhat of a watercolor look.

I am going to add a computer generated sentiment inside. Something like It's Your Day to Relax Papa Bear! If any of you have any better idea's I would love to hear them...I am never very good at coming up with catchy phrases!

I used the weekend sketch challenge from Lori Craig's blog HERE. This is a large image, so this card ended up being a 5 x 7 card.

Come join us this week at 3 Clovers Thursday Challenge. I would love to see some REAL hardware...mine was a little weak with just 3 little brads...but hey, it is hardware all the same!

---------------------

Stamps: Hammock Hibernation PR1026 (Gruffie stamp purchase at RK stamps-link on the side of my blog)

Cardstock: DP by Basic Grey(striped DP) and Snips and Snails by 3 Bugs in a Rug (polka dots), Summer Sun and Choc Chip for SU!

Ink: Memento Black, Copics

Misc: SU Choc Chip ribbon, misc brads

From Courtney's Closet Challenge Anniversary Edition

From Courtney's Closet #42-An Anniversary Celebration!

I made this cherry card inspired by Courtney's 4 month old picture where she is wearing a cute little girlie cherry decorated outfit. This was the outfit that inspired me to join in on Libby's challenge! It has been almost exactly one year ago today that I joined my first online challenge...and I chose little Courtney as my inspiration. You can view my first ever From Courtney's Closet Challenge card HERE.

This time I chose to use more intense colors, but I did stick with the cherry theme! This is my 39th FCCC out of 42! Do you think I am addicted? I have truly enjoyed watching little Cupcake grow up! This challenged has kept me stamping and learning. And Libby...what can I say...she has become a good blogger friend to me!

Sometimes I tend to get carried away with detailed cards...but my true love is clean and simple cards. For those of you new to my blog...I work with cherries 12 months out of the year! I work at a large cherry processing plant that makes everything from maraschinos to marketing those delicious fresh cherries due to ripen on the trees this month! By the end of June I should be in the thick of what I hope is a large and successful cherry harvest!

This card will go to a very dear friend who also works with cherries. You think I would be sick of those darn things...but truly nothing better than a fresh cherry!

Here's hoping you all find the time to come join Courtney's challenge soon!

-----------------------------

Stamps: Tart and Tangy by SU!, sentiment ...a friend... by Penny Black

Cardstock: Black, Rockabilly Speciality DP from SU!, RHRed

Ink: Memento Black, SU marker old olive and RHRed stamp pad

Misc: punch and circle nesties