Bargain Plants

Don't you just love finding a bargain, especially when it is something that you can really use ?

I stopped by our local home improvement store last week to look for paint, decided to walk through the garden department to see if there were any decorative plum trees to replace the three we had to cut down. No trees, but there were some plants marked down. I spent $6 and brought home:
3 grasses
2 flats of petunias (12 plants each)
1 flat of lantana (12 plants)
2 hanging baskets of pansies

I promptly put them in a few pots on the porch and brought out some Halloween decorations.

I by no means have a green thumb. In fact, if you looked very closely you would see more weeds than flowers !

Freshly stained porches, repainted columns and now some fresh colorful flowers. Next up, repainting the front door. All of my hard work these past two weeks is paying off.

Mulligans Memory Box

I never shared the photos of the small memory box I made for my cat. It is much smaller than the one I made for my dog so I didn't have as much room to play around with photos and embellishments. He was buried so there are no ashes being kept inside as the other is, doubling as an urn.

I used the old Meow Meow stamp set from Stampin' Up!
I used some unknown brand decorative papers, Stampin' Up! inks and card stocks. I really wish Stampin' Up! would create designer papers with dogs and cats on them =)

Thanks for looking =) 

Cat Sympathy Card - again

A friend lost one of her beloved cats recently, so I made a card for her. 

The sentiment was printed out on card stock then punched out. 

All supplies used were from Stampin' Up, except for the rick rack and sentiment. 

I've made too many pet sympathy cards the past year it seems........

Thanks for looking =) 

Card Set 3

This is the third set of blank note cards and coordinating envelopes that I decorated to donate to Operation Write Home. I added scraps of card stock, stamped and colored images, die cut pieces, ribbon, etc - almost all of which is (or was at one time) available from Stampin' Up!

Card Set 2

Another set of blank note cards with coordinating envelopes that I bought for $1 then added stamped images. I also used Crystal Effects on the printed polka dots to add dimension, making them resemble brads.

All cards are being donated to Operation Write Home.

All stamp images (except bugs and kisses), card stock scraps and inks are from Stampin' Up!

Thanks for looking =)

Card Set 1

I bought three different sets of blank notecards and envelopes for $1 each a couple of years ago, never have used them. I decided to turn them into greeting cards to send to the troops through Operation Write Home. I will post each of the three sets over the next few days.

This particular set was a sort of "Baja Breeze" on slightly off white print. I added pieces of card stock stamped with various sayings, bits of ribbon and card stock scraps. All stamps, punches, etc are from Stampin' Up! (many are now retired) unless other wise noted.

Word Play stamp set, Baja Breeze ink

unknown rubber stamp image, half of Top Note die

All Year Cheer stamp set, other half of Top Note die

Greetings For You  stamp set

Elements of Style and All Year Cheer stamp sets, unknown ribbon scrap, 

practice piece from this project here

http://craftysahmiam.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-finally-put-ink-to-new-rubber-stamps.html

Field Flowers stamp set, punches

Elements of Style and Well Scripted stamp sets, unknown ribbon scrap

All Year Cheer stamp set, unknown ribbon scrap

Leftover home made shimmer paper from this project here

http://craftysahmiam.blogspot.com/2010/07/happy-heart-class.html

Thanks for looking =)

World Card Making Day

I've been working on cards to send to troops off and on the past month. I wanted to finish off a box to mail out today, but didn't get enough done yet. No sense in sending a half empty box ! So I'll keep plugging along on them, using up old scraps and samples as well as making new cards to fill that box. I will be sharing photos of some of the cards eventually.

I'll make a few cards early this morning, then head outdoors to take advantage of the perfect fall day we are forecasted to have here. Nothing fun, just lots of things that need to be done around the house outside.

Happy October ! 

www.worldcardmakingday.com 

Nice surprise !

front

inside

back

back of envelope

I found a nice surprise in the mail box today - a hand made card and hand made envelope from an old friend !  It looks like the bugs, flower, bow and starbursts are punches. I recognize the stamp sets as old retired sets from Stampin' Up!

Faux Black and White Photo Rubber Stamping Tutorial

I've had this idea for some time to try to use my favorite car stamps and inks to recreate the look of an old black and white photo.  I finally did it and was quite pleased with the result, I will be making more of these! My "experimental" cards were sent to Operationwritehome.org to be used by troops to write home on.

The crayon resist technique and basic masking are used to recreate the look of a black and white photo.

SUPPLIES

Glossy White card stock

Going Gray classic ink

Basic Gray classic ink

Basic Black classic ink

Classic Convertibles stamp set (retired long ago)

Stampin' Sponge

White crayon
Sticky notes

Photo mounts

SNAIL adhesive
Unknown scrap of, map design paper

Construction paper

Stamp the image onto white glossy card stock with permanent black ink .

Use a white crayon (with a sharp point is best to get into smaller areas) to scribble on certain areas of the image that you want to remain white. It is difficult to see in the photo below, but there is a slightly dull area where the crayon has been used on the whitewalls of the tires.  Tip:  Tilt your stamped image around in bright light to check for areas you've marked on with the crayon before inking if you'd like to try to check your work. The areas where there are marks made with the crayon will be dull.

Using easy to remove sticky notes,  frame around the image. Tip: Hold the stamped image up to a light source, something as simple as a window works well. This should allow you to see where the edges of the sticky notes are in relation to the edge of your glossy card stock piece. The photo above is light from a window showing through the sticky notes; the darker yellow areas are where the sticky notes are stuck to the edge of the card stock.

You could just mask off a larger piece of paper them trim it down when you are done.

Use sponges to pounce on shades of gray ink as well as black to simulate an old  black and white photo.
You can also use shades of brown to make a sepia photo!

Gently wipe the image with a soft piece of facial tissue to remove the ink and white crayon.

Carefully remove the sticky notes from the edges.

Your faux black and white photo is now done!

If you'd like to take it a step further to make it look like a well loved old photo, you'll want to do some distressing to it. Lightly scuff the surface of the paper with sandpaper, crinkle the image, add ink splotches/smears, tear or curl the edges, poke a couple of small holes in the corners to make it look like it was tacked to a cork board or even add a sliver of torn tape to make it look as if it had been taped somewhere then removed. There are lots of ways to make your faux black and white photo rubber stamped image look vintage !

Since this rubber stamping technique was supposed to look like an old black and white photo, I wanted to keep the feel of it being in an old scrapbook. I used black photo mounts to adhere it to black construction paper that was attached to a card stock base. I then framed it with a piece of scrap paper that looks like a map.

The above finished card is 5 x 7.

Thanks for looking =) 

Center Step Card

My first attempt at making a center step card. It fits in an invitation sized envelope. I gave it to my mom for her birthday.

Instructions can be found here:
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/centerstepcard/

side view

top view

flattened 

SUPPLIES:
Stamp: Birthday Greetings, old set from Stampin' Up!
Real Red and Very Vanilla card stock, Stampin' Up!
various decorative papers, unknown
Daisy, boxed kit of flowers unknown
Large pearl brad, unknown
mini flat back pearls, Stampin' Up!
Small flower punch, Stampin' Up!
Early Espresso ink and marker, Stampin' Up!
Clear embossing powder, Stampin' Up!

Thanks for looking =)