Seeing Double....

A few weeks ago friend and Dirty Dozen designer, Pam Hooten, was amazed that I can stamp so many cards in one sitting. She mentioned if she could stamp like me, she'd never be behind on birthdays! I 'fessed up to my secret. I cheat. I use the same layout and prep a ton of cards with different patterned papers & the same layout. When you use an assembly line type process, you can keep cards on hand and slap on a main image when you need a quick card.

Here's how I do it. I take and stamp the same background (canvas) in the same color (creamy caramel) on different colored cards, all at the same sitting. I may do 12 to 15 of these cards. Then I layer different scraps of patterned paper on that match. Choose your cardstock colors based on what will match your patterned paper.(See above)

Then, later on, or even in the same sitting, I'll add a main image to the card. You can use the same image with different color combos, or mix it up and do all different images. See what a different effect the same image has on each of the 4 cards? And your friends & family will never know it was mass produced, as each card is different, yet the same.

I finished the taxes! YIPPEE!

So it's pretty bad when you procrastinate doing taxes with *CLEANING*, which I did for 2 hours yesterday. Holy moly. Procrastinating one bad job with another bad job? I'm not right.

I pulled out my vacuum cleaner and there was a puff of cat hair and dust that came out of it. (Think pigpen and the cloud that surrounds him.)

I may be getting spring cleaning fever, I have this urge to clean my house from top to bottom. I'm talking, the kind of cleaning where you even dust the baseboards. The sun is shining in the windows and you can see every bit of yuck and dust that has piled up over the winter. I can't wait to be able to open windows and doors and let fresh air in.

I did these cards on Saturday, when I was playing with the Cosmo cricket papers. The white swirl (Autumn Leaves Swirls v.2) is embossed onto the paper with white embossing powder. I guess I think of that doodle as a very elegant swirl, but look how fun it is when paired with springy paper and done in white!

Happy Monday, everyone!

Happy daylight savings time day!

Is it an official holiday? Should we send cards with clocks on them? HIP HIP HOORAY, THAT MEANS SPRING IS ALMOST HERE! Only 7 more Minnesota blizzards to go this month and then we'll hit April! HEE HEE!

I started cranking out birthday cards late yesterday. I think I may be procrastinating finishing my taxes. Not sure. SNORT!

Loookit how matchy-matchy these cards are with my banner! I'm pulling out the old sets that I've grown to love and using them with fresh paper. All the paper used on these cards is from the Cosmo Cricket Dutch girl collection. Oopsie, I lied. There's that yellow polka dot from last year's SU spring mini. Here's the patterns from dutch girl, you can buy them from Joy of Stamping at Eclectic Paperie.

http://eclecticpaperie.com/dutch-girl.html

So, because we don't have that extra hour today, I may not be able to get to my taxes. I have a lotta stamping to do.

Ahhh, the wine hangover.

Please God, just shoot me now. My big plans for stamping all day have been interrupted by a splitting headache! Mojo done left the building, people! I'm attempting to do more challenge cards for Heather Nichols' "Pinewhite" challenge today, and not doing a very good job of it!

I find that it's really hard for me to stamp in anyone else's style but my own! I love taking layouts and tweaking them to my style, but for me, if I'm not used to using certain colors or papers, it's really difficult. There will only ever be one Pinefeather, of that I'm sure.

I'm always so envious of other people's styles...its hard to 'love' the stuff I create, because there's so many fabulous stampers out there that I admire! Sweet Cindy Lyles (Starlit Studio) made a comment the other day about finally realizing that she's 'GOOD'. That made me GASP, because anyone who knows her from Splitcoast could see that it was EVIDENT a long time ago.

So today, just for a minute, let's give ourselves a break and say 'I FREAKING ROCK'. Even if we don't believe it.

(FYI, I ROCKED THIS CARD!)

(NOT! I HATE IT.)

(BUT I DID ROCK MY BANNER. HA!)

I'm a little winey tonite.....

Yes, that's misspelled on purpose, Val! (snicker!) Valerie Stangle can catch a spelling error a mile away! I think I drive her a little nuts with my version of Webster's dictionary.

So tonite's card reminds me of red wine. It's a new Cosmo Cricket patterned paper called Halfway Cafe: Amarillo. I made it for a VSW sketch challenge that Heather Nichols (Pinefeather)http://www.pinefeather.typepad.com/ is hosting this weekend. The sketch layout is from a card in Papercraft's March issue. Sorry, I haven't seen the issue so I can't give credit here.

I've used a number of stamp sets on the focal image...one is Polka dots and Petals from the SU spring mini. The other large fab dotty circle is from an absolutely fun set I bought at Joanne ETC for 1/2 off. It's a Fiskars thank you acrylic set that I paid $8.00 for a few weeks ago. The great thing is, it not only has thank you stamps, but has all these fun little floral elements and circles and goodies. I've got a really bad photo of it here but I'll try to post a link in case you need a closeup.

ANYWAY. Its been a crappy crappy week, so I felt like red wine. No blizzard here this week, so I didn't have to choose between Archivers and the liquor store. The bad girls are on their way over for some Friday night drinkin and tawkin, so it's a quick post right now. I'm going to stamp the weekend away so I'll post more later.

Happy Friday, everyone!

I can't sew. Sew what?

How does it work that I can't manage to sew a button on my clothes or hem my own pants, but I can putz for hours sewing itty bitty details on a card. Ok, well I don't think it qualifies as sewing really, please don't check out the closeup image or you'll be verrrrrrry disappointed.


I'm obsessed with the big blossom now. Do you guys have to warm up to a stamp set like I do? I've really had a hard time with the sell-a-bration sets this year...not really into any of them! What I'm really craving is some good image sets, the ones where you can color to your heart's content and let a stressful day at work melt away.

I think everything has already been done with this blossom...I'm still waiting for inspiration to hit me with something out of the box for the flower blossom. I'll have to get back to you on that one when it hits! The blossom stamp was inked with saffron yellow, and then 'kissed' with various colors (pumpkin pie, ruby red and close to cocoa) and stamps from the polka dots and posy set from the spring mini. Recognize the polka dot paper? Last year's spring mini paper! I hoarded the yellow polka dot too long because it was my favorite pattern and now it doesn't seem new and exciting any more. So I gave myself permission to use it. Yikes. I'm not right.

There's noooo place like home!!!!!

I just flew home and boy are my arms tired. Ba-dum bum. Ugh, is that *not* the dumbest joke ever? I am so fricken glad to be home, it's not even funny! I do this trip yearly, but this has been the most challenging trip to date. It even tops having to carry a fullsize, 6 foot Irish HARP through customs in Mexico. Yes, you heard me right.

Anyway, in my 19 years as a travel agent, I've never seen the airline system so screwed up by a snowstorm! Everything in the book came my way this weekend. Lost luggage, people stuck overnight from missing connections, my favorite auditor stuck behind an accident on the freeway until 4am after his flight arrived at 1am. But we got through it all, I'm home, and I'm on my way to wash piles of clothes now.

I did this quickie card today for my sister, to thank her for feeding and watering my 2 stooopid cats this weekend. Is this not the key-ute-est little makeup travel bag I bought for her? It looks like a bowling ball bag and is hard sided! I got it on sale for $16.99 at the airport gift shop!Shhhhh...don't tell her what a score it was! Nothing like waiting until the last minute. DOH!

I bought this huge Anna Griffin Bailey paisley print paper at Archivers on clearance a while ago, and have put off using it because of its horribly huge pattern. I broke out the SU big blossom and slapped on a cute little circle center from the new polka dots and paisley set. Did you know that when Archivers clears out their paper, a lot of it goes in the 6 for $1.99 bin? Always check their hotspot when you're in there for fun paper. The polka dots are by SEI.

So I'm off to do laundry. Oh the glamour of travel.