My Amber Ink Winner!!!

Congrats to Susie Berker for winning the Amber Ink drawing on my blog! Susie, head on over to the Amber Ink blog to see what you have won!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Amber Ink First Birthday Blog Hop!!!!

Happy First Birthday Amber Ink!

Welcome to the Amber Ink Turns 1 Year Old Blog Hop!!!

In December of 2010 I was asked to be a torchbearer for Amber Ink for the month of January of 2011!  I was a little nervous joining such a great crowd of stampers, but boy did I have fun! You can see my previous Amber Ink projects HERE.   Many of the previous year's torchbearers are joining in this fun blog hop in honor of this great occasion!  


I used this darling new Amber Ink digi set named It's a Trainset.  


I made a little mini picture album of my latest adventure with my grandsons,  Cole and Little Lukey.  We went to see Thomas the Tank Engine and rode the Mount Hood Railroad tracks in the traveling Thomas the Tank Engine railcars into the forest of the Columbia River Gorge and back. The boys had a great time and  the weather was perfect!  The Thomas adventure included  all  sorts of little kid type areas set up-- like miniature golf, bouncy houses, craft tables and story time. Cole (age 3) was the perfect age...Little Luke (age 1) just enjoys everything!

Project details:

Stamps: Amber Ink It's A Trainset
Cardstock: DCWV, Bo Bunny polka dots, SU! Real Red
Ink: Copics B 21,23,24,26   R05,08, 29,39   YR 21,23,24   YG 93,95,97  C5,7
Misc: Bind It All, Sizzix tree die, misc plaid ribbon
I cut my cardstock 4 1\4  x 8 1/2 and scored in the middle.  I folded the page in half after adding redline tape to the bottom to  form a pocket. I bound it with my Bind It All and decorated with wallet sized photo's, added a little of the trees/ forest and topped it off with Amber Ink's little train set!

Here you can see the pocket that holds one of our excursion tickets.

Here are a couple of the quick little pages that pull out. There were 4 pages, decorated on both sides. That's me trying to hang on to Lukey for dear life LOL! He is a wiggly little one for sure...and Cole...always ready with a cheesy smile for the camera!

The caboose page!

Speaking of caboose...I guess I am the caboose in this huge blog hop.  If you have come from  Penni's blog (Lazy Cat Cards) then you have arrived at the right station...and now you are at the end of the tracks...Head on over to the Amber Ink blog and check out the scoop!

Leave a comment here and on the main blog and you might win some Amber Ink love. You have 48 hours to leave comments and the winners will be announced this Friday. (You have until 9pm EST on Thursday to leave comments for a chance to win!)...read the small print LOL

At the end of the Thomas the Tank Engine adventure, Cole looked up at me, grabbed my hand and said to me..."It's a GREAT DAY"


Yes, indeed it was.........




Here is a brief message from Amber Ink!


Twelve short months ago
we made our big debut,
So now we'd like to commemorate
our 1st birthday with you!


This flash mob of torchbearers
always light our way.
Won't you please jog along
on our special day?


Leave your comments here and there
over the next 48
On Friday we'll announce the loot
Don't wait...let's CELEBRATE!
 ---------------
I am in awe of the wonderful creativity and imagination the following crafters have to show you today...hop along with me and check it out!

Passing off the torches for Amber Ink!

Yes, a sad day for me in AmberInk-ville blogland....I must hand off my torch to a new Purple torch bearer! Although I am sad to not be carrying the purple torch, I do know that working with Pam and Amber from Amber Ink has been a blast. Running with those chicks has been great fun and I do plan to do some more running around their site in the months to come! They are wonderful and creative ladies, and just totally crazy fun if you want to know the truth. (insert sad sigh here....I will miss them!)

As sad as I am to hand off my torch today, I am totally excited to hand off the purple torch to another great inspiration, Allison from Stampin When I Can.  Allison is my Basic Grey inspiration, my best blog and list inspiration, and always posts a "Fun thing I found on the web" tidbit to make me laugh!  I am so excited to see what Allison creates with Amber Ink images! She posted a great tutorial  on merging Amber digi images HERE.

Here's what's happening with the rest of my fellow  torch bearers!


Laurie Willson is passing off the blue torch to Keva Brown
Joey McKelvey is passing her pink torch to Scoopy Sue Cooper
Meg Craig is passing her orange torch off to Cheryl Gorka
Brenda Rose is passing off her brown torch to Jenn Lee

The new team is off and running today...stop by and say Hello!!!!

WOYWW #89

 Yep, everywhere is a mess. I LOVE  IT!  That means I have been busy up here! This view is the home of my big shot and light box (barely visible on the right).  The shelf on the left  holds ribbon but mostly punches, and the other shelf holds my HOUSE MOUSE stamps.  Seems this area is getting a little over ran with piles of things to post and put away.( This is usually where I display my RAK's) Right in the middle there you can spy a pile of blog candy I have been trying to get posted...I am so lazy, but I promise to get to it soon.  The other fun thing you can see here is a glass container full of sterling silverware. I saw some neat crafts made with them, so I started to buy some at garage sales  for a "someday" project...yeah right!

One last project that I ran out of time to post. I actually took this pic right before I ran out the door yesterday, (late for work) and since I was giving these yummies out--  it was do or die picture time HA! Every year I have wanted to make these candy cane heart suckers, but by the time I would remember, it was way after Christmas, with no candy canes to be found...but this year I remembered!!! Can  you believe that???  They were so easy and make for a fun little gifty!

I used a Valentine sentiment from Amber Ink and tied them on with some tiny red ribbon! I love little projects like this!

Take a few minutes and go stop in and say hello to all the fun crafter's who link up at WOYWW at Julia's Stamping Ground.

I am extremely fawn-d of you-Amber Ink

I made these cute Valentine cards using some of the new Amber Ink digi's just released  HERE.

I thought this darling little fawn would be a  perfect "man" type Valentine, with the natural colors of the papers. I love kraft and it always seems to go well on "more manly" cards.

This is a quick and easy card and something you could whip up in just minutes if you are a last minute lizzie like me!


Card details:

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

Stamps: Amber Ink digi's. Sleeping Fawn and matching sentiment, and Bee Mine Saying
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, American Craft DP
Ink: Copics
Misc: Card #1  Sisal rope, oval nesties   Card #2  Mega rectangle nesties, SU ribbon and Creative Imaginations flower brad

Bridal Show Mini Album

My daughter became engaged over Christmas and boy am I excited! I made this quick little mini to capture our fun times at the big Bridal Show we attended a few weeks back. All my girls went with me...Erin (plus little Lukey) and Abby and Amanda (who is Abby's best friend-so that makes me Mama Sue to her as well!)

We wandered the bridal show, watched the fashion show, went to lunch at Red Robin's and then headed home. And of course as I type this I realize I should have added a Michaels receipt to this mini. LOL  I made Abby and Amanda stop with me at Michael's and do a wee bit of couponing. Can't miss that opportunity when visiting the big city! Abby is NOT a couponer/crafter...but she did end up browsing the bridal section and I don't think she found it too painful LOL!

I did not make this too fancy schmancy. Just wanted to keep it simple so I would actually "get er done", kind of like those Smash Journals I have been seeing online. Hey, when I saw those Smash Journals, I realized that  I started "smashing" over 40 years ago (oh my that was traumatic to do the math here).  You know, all those scrapbooks back then-where you kept every movie ticket and taped each  birthday candle to the pages too...no acid free tape or papers back then...

Symptoms of a "Smasher"

LOL....a crazy person (aka as Mom) that steals your name tag right off your shirt, keeps your event ticket, takes home a coaster from Red Robin and never goes anywhere without her camera! I confess.... camera!

You can watch this really cute video on Smash Journals HERE.!

I used some wonderful sentiments from Amber Ink to tie all the pages together along with some wonderful Bo Bunny Crush Valentine paper. I added a few Stampin Up rub ons, a little bling and Viola! Hope you enjoy this little peek into what is sure to be our wonderful adventure in 2011!

 soon to be Mr & Mrs

some crazy photo booth pics!

....and some more crazy photo booth pics...all the rage now!

lunch at Red Robins

long, long lines to get in to the show

 

Awww...it was a long day Gwamma!

Amber Ink Birthday Challenge

Come join the party! Amber Ink's InKredible 21 Day Challenge today  is a big birthday celebration...a wee bit late for our Miss Amber's actual birthday celebration, but I think she will enjoy this excuse to keep the party going LOL! If you are looking for inspiration, take a peek here!  The winner gets to design a set with Miss Amber herself...that sounds like soooo much fun!

What party is complete without a card, a cake  and a prezzie? I tell ya, I had so much fun making this trio of  craftiness with Amber Ink digi designer ipaper ...Now, Larissa would cringe knowing that I have never used digi paper, so this was a new experience for me! ...and boy do I love it! Just pick you paper and hit print...what could be easier and more convenient than that?

I used the Amber Ink ipaper named Shot Through the Heart. This pattern comes in numerous color combos as well.  I used my new Sweet Treats cricut cartridge to cut all the fun creations here. I cut the card at 6 inches, the cupcake holder at 5 inches (I think...already forgot) and the little prezzie box at 4 inches (?)...guess I am going to have to start writing those things down. I added some pretty glitter on the white cricut bow and added some Dots and Dashes polka dot ribbon as well. And I am not going to tell you what happened to the "birthday cake" after my "photo shoot"...use your imagination! mmmmmm....

Gwamma's Refrigerator-Amber Ink

 Most of you can relate to kids art and pictures stuck to the front of your refrigerator over the years, can't you? Well...here is mine!

I had so much fun with this card. It was quick and easy and almost felt like cheating...no coloring at all...I finally added just a little grey shading..."just cuz"  but it would have been perfect without too!

This is another  Amber Ink  Mod Kitch image. I added the image to fit half of a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of white cardstock so that when I printed it,  I could score along the side of the 'fridge' and make it a stand alone folded card. I colored some little clothes pins with a red copic and printed up these teensy weensy pics for the front of the refrigerator. A few of these are actual mini copies of pictures I have on the front of my refrigerator right now.  You might even recognize Cole's artwork from my last WOYWW? post here.

Hope you enjoyed a peek at Gwamma's refrigerator today!

Amber Ink Mod Kitch

Hi , Hot Stuff!

This is my first time to carry the purple torch for Amber Ink! I have had so much fun playing with this New Release (  digi set or clear stamps), Mod Kitch Kitsch and Say It Like It's 1959 Tons of fun images and sentiments...so many choices! Check out the blog here as well.

Some card details here~

Before printing I layered the saying onto the front of the stove. If you don't know how to do that, it is very simple...and I am techie challenged too-so you can do it! I use Windows 7.

Copy the stove image and sentiment (or whatever) , to a word document
Resize as desired
Click on your sentiment
Choose Page Layout tab
Click Text Wrapping (to the far right)
On drop down menu chose In Front Of Text
This will allow you to drag your sentiment to the spot you want! Easy Peasy.

You can move many images around on your document this way too.

My son must have taught me that trick........glad I remembered it!


I  colored up the stove and then cut out 3 sides of the oven door(added a piece of white behind the opening),so I could stamp a sentiment.. I layered the stove onto a red piece of cardstock, and then connected the red cardstock with clear Popeze hinges so that it would open easily. I also popdotted up the stove controls for a little more 3D effect but it is hard to tell in this pic.

I stamped a sentiment inside the oven, but if you were really feeling racy, you could write a hidden message inside...........

For the inside of the card, I printed out another stove image and cut out just the door piece and added a row of burners too. Oops...forgot to take a pic of that. Darn. But you get the idea...
Copics used were C2, R 24, 27, ,29 E50 and 51.

Carrying On the Torch! Amber Ink

I have some fun news to share with you today!

I am honored to be asked by a great new cyber friend Cheryl Ann First  from Cafe Expressions to carry the torch on the Amber Inklings January 2011 Amber Ink (th)ink Tank !!! Now how fun is that??? I am so excited  to be chosen! Thank you Cheryl, what a great surprise! Cheryl has wonderful creations to share and also such fun svg freebies on her blog as well,(yes I have become a Cheryl stalker...)

Cheryl has passed on the purple torch to me for the month of January! A hard act to follow, but I hope to make you proud! 

Now those girls over at Amber Inks are late night lizzies and they come up with some pretty funny stuff in their emails...I know this is going to be fun.

If you are not familiar with Amber Ink, please take the time to check out their stamps, digi stamps, and digi papers...lot's of fun going on here! They also have a fun blog you can browse here.

You will soon see some wonderful creations from their soon to be released sets, so stay tuned. Please take the time and say hello to Pam and Amber of Amber Inks and to my fellow torchbearers! Here we go..........

Joey

Meg

Brenda 

Laurie