Samuel P. Bunny

Are you scratching your head over the title to this post, Samuel P. Bunny? When I was about 10 years old we had a pet rabbit and his name was Samuel P. Bunny... Sam, for short. I loved Sam. He was such a great pet. Sam was a New Zealand White rabbit, not brown like the way I've colored this one. Sam had bright red eyes. He was gorgeous. Nevertheless, I had to title this card in Sam's honor.

Isn't this stamp great? I love it! It is an old 1993 PSX stamp. I colored him with Prismacolor Pencils and sponge-shaded the background behind him with Tim Holtz Antique Photo ink. The card stock is craft cardstock and I've stamped it with the beautiful Stampin' Up background stamp called Fine Lace using Chocolate Chip ink. The carrot ribbon is one of those teeny weenie spools from Micheals.

The sun is out today. Reflecting off the snow it really is a pretty, albeit cold, winter day. I hope your day is filled with sunshine too.

Until next time....

House Mouse and Friends Design Team Call

The House Mouse and Friends challenge blog posted the following announcement this week. So if you love House Mouse, Gruffies and Happy Hoppers stamps and are interested in applying for one of the two spots open on their Design team, read on:
Vacancy - Design Team Members wanted

We have a vacancy for 2 new DT members. The term will be for 12 weeks (12 challenges). You will be given a minimum of 2 weeks advance notice of upcoming challenges to give you plenty of time. You would also need to email your work to me by the Friday before the challenge (this will give me the weekend to prepare the post as i won't be around on Mondays soon).

If you are interested in joining our DT team then this is what you need to do:

Make a post on your blog containing the following:
1. Why you would like to join the team
2. Show three samples of your best work on the post (please post pictures and not links to help save us time), they don't have to be new work and do not have to contain HM stamps (though we would like to see at least one)
3. Leave a comment on THIS POST with a link to your application post.

In response to this call, and with this post, I wish to apply for one of the DT positions.

Why, you ask? Because I would be ecstatic if I were to be chosen to be one of the new members of the House Mouse and Friends Design Team. Each Monday the team presents a new challenge and I always thoroughly enjoy participating in these challenges; especially because they are using some of my favorite stamps: House Mouse, Gruffies and Happy Hoppers. My collection of House Mouse stamps is extensive and what a great opportunity it would be for me to be a part of the team that presents these weekly challenges using some of my favorite stamps. Oh yes! (she squeals)…I’d be delighted to be chosen!

Below are three sample cards of mine. I'm not sure if they are my "best work" but they are three of my favorite cards and I wish to submit them as samples.

Baby Shoes

Everytime I make a card using a House Mouse stamp I immediately think of two of my friends, Nise and Deborah, both of whom refer to my House Mice as "rat" or "vermin" or "rodent" cards. It makes me laugh everytime. But come on ladies...aren't these cute little mousies?
The challenge over at HOUSE MOUSE AND FRIENDS for this week was to use paper piercing on your card. When my husband saw this card and I told him the challenge requirement he laughed and said, "You always do go a bit overboard!" True enough, this is a lot of piercing, but it was fun to do and I don't use this ornare piercing template often enough. Besides, it was perfect for this image with the oval center.

I probably would have added machine stitching to this card but with all of that piercing there no longer was any room or space to stitch.

This is the year of baby girls for my family and friends. I have two newborn baby girls amongst my family and friends so I decided to add pink shoe laces to these sweet vermints.

I hope everyone is staying warm during this exceptionally cold, snowy and icy winter across most all of North America. To my friends across "the big pond" what is your weather like this winter? (Summer to my Aussie pals).

Stay warm!

My new love...My Cello

Please allow me to introduce to you my new love...my cello. I just purchased it this past Saturday. I really don't like to think that I need a "bucket list" of dreams of things to do before I die, as I prefer to live each day and enjoy new discoveries as they come. However, if I were to have a "bucket list" then I would say that top among the things I wanted to do before I die is to learn to play the cello.

I grew up in a musical family. My mother was and still is an accomplished pianist and organist. My father had the most beautiful singing voice and played the piano and trombone as well. With five children in my family money was tight, but music was abundant. While we may not have had some "things" we did have music! Each of my siblings learned to play the piano. Being the stubborn "middle child" of five, I didn't want to play the piano (and boy-oh-boy do I regret that stubborn streak now!). My aunt and my great grandfather had violins. Since the instruments were available for me to use I took violin lessons. But what I wanted to play, with all my HEART wanted to play, was the cello.

Up until now I've never had the means or opportunity to play. Well, my friends, this gal ain't gettin' any younger. Last year, after seeing the movie "The Bucket List," Paul (my husband) and I began a continuing conversation of things we feel we'd regret if we didn't at the very least get to try. It became a kind of verbal bucket list between the two of us. Paul continued to ask me why not get a cello and live my dream? Well, for one thing, they aren't cheap. Besides, aren't I kind of old to start something new like this? After a lot of encouragement and soul searching I began to research cellos. I knew I didn't want a student/starter cello. I wanted an instrument that had a quality tone and construction. Last Saturday I found her...meet my new cello.

The photos don't do it justice because I got a lot of flash back in the photos. But I had to post a couple photos. I'm in contact with four different cello instructors in our area and will soon arrange with one of them to be my teacher.

For now, I wanted you to meet my newest love...my cello. Look out Yoyo Ma...here I come! :)

Friendship is sewn with love

I have been eyeing the Quilters sampler stamp set made by PaperTrey ever since it was first released. I finally bit the bullet and ordered the set as well as the suppliment sentiments set and just couldn't be more pleased with the sets. Each of the quilt blocks is an individual stamp so you can create a crazy quilt (like I have) or a specific quilt block quilt. Not only that, but there are many sewing themed stamps and sentiments too.

I used my new Faber Castell markers to color each of the quilt blocks to match the Daisy D's background paper.

This is just my first, playing around with the set kind of card. The possibilities are practically endless and I know this is going to be a well used stamp set.

Stay warm!

Pretty Woman

If you have seen the movie "Pretty Woman" you'll remember the scene where Vivian Ward (played by Julia Roberts) accompanies Edward Lewis (played by Richard Gere) to the polo match. Do you remember the brown polka dot dress and wide brimmed hat she wore? Maybe I have seen the movie too many times because I love the clothes Vivian wore and the ensemble she wore to the polo match was gorgeous!

I just purchased six different Sophisticated Ladies rubber stamps from RubberNecker rubber stamps. This particular stamp is called Jessica. I think that she looks a lot like Julia Robert's character, Vivian, in the movie Pretty Woman.

This week's layout challenge for FRIDAY SKETCHERS was perfect for this stamp. So I used the layout (below) and blinged up my pretty woman.

These RubberNecker stamps are such fun to color. It is almost like having fashion paper dolls and I'm sure I'll be posting a lot of different cards using these sophisticated ladies of various decades.

Have an enjoyable Sunday.

Cheers!

I Wuf You

Yesterday, we had a blizzard. A full blown blizzard, snow storm, can't-get-out-the-door or even see-out-the-window kind of blinding snowstorm. So, while I was literally snowed in as the blizzard moved through our area, I decided to pop a movie in the computer and set up my watercolors and make a Valentine card for my hubby.

If you like cats and dogs and rubberstamping you must check out my good friend Tricia's rubber stamp company, appropriately named, PURRS AND PANTS. Tricia carries an entire line of kitty and dog stamps and sentiments.

Isn't the background paper fun with this image with the heart tree? I happen to find a little scrap of Valentine wrapping paper in my supplies. It wasn't too wrinkled so I got just enough out of it to use as special background paper to coordinate with the stamp and red crystal heart embellishments.

Do you make and/or send Valentines? If this snow continues to pile up like it has this winter so far and I'm going to be housebound, I will most likely be getting a lot of Valentines made.

Again, if you are a cat and/or dog lover, check out Tricia's stamp company PURRS AND PANTS.

Rose Porcelain Teapot

This rose porcelain teapot stamp is one of my older stamps and has been well used over the years but each time I use it I get the same joy as if it were a brand new purchase. The stamp is made by All Night Media and is from the Sandy Lynam Clough collection.

Last night I was tidying up my embellishments and realized I hadn't painted with my twinkling H2O's in ages. Well...that was enough tidying. I pulled out the little H2O pots, water and brushes and painted a bunch of images until I couldn't keep my eyes focused anymore. It was fun! For this teapot I used some teeny tiny dabs of raspberry colored liquid pearls on the base and handle of the teapot to give a bit of dimension like a real teapot might have.

I ran out of silver card stock and my silver leafing pen had gone dry so I didn't get to edge the card as I'd hoped to. Ahh...the hazard of stamping and cardmaking late at night. Can't get out to replenish supplies. But I like the way this came out anyway. It is simple. I'm not sure yet if I'll add a sentiment tag or use it as a notecard. In fact, I think I'll ink up this stamp again and try some different things with it.

For now, I had better pull on my boots and mittens and go out in the snow and do some shoveling. I'm sure I'll make a pot of tea when I come in.

Have a warm and cozy day.

Bark!

BARK! Bark, bark, bark! This stamp set was one that just jumped off the shelf and fell into my shopping basket. I couldn't help it. Really! This clear stamps set is by Inkadinkado and contains 6 different jazzy-snazzy dogs and 6 sentiments and accessory stamps.
I think these dogs need colors. Colors, that is, that are not common for the dog so this was a lot of fun checking out ribbons and background papers to help bring these pups to life.

Are you noticing a similarity in the cards, besides the obvious dog theme?

Each card is made in the same general layout. This week over at Julee's layout blog, MOJO MONDAY she presented this layout to use this week. It was perfect to use for this set of cards.

So here is not one, but a set of three cards using Julee's Mojo Monday68 layout challenge.

Now I need to get busy and use these cards for thank you notes and get them in the mail.

Have a barking good day
Cheers!

Love bird

I'm having so much fun with this new set of Vintage Bird stamps from The Greeting Farm (formerly known as Pink Poison). There are three different birds in the set. Yesterday I posted one of the birds and this one is my favorite.

Our Creative Corner Challenge site provided this layout sketch to use this week and I liked it so much that I used it for both cards (yesterday's and today's).

The designer paper is from All Night Media (Anna Griffin) and just seemed perfect for the Victorian/vintage look I was going for with the "Love Bird". The LOVE sentiment is also one of the stamps included in this set.

For this bird I decided to use my Faber-Castell markers to color the bird. I still learning to blend with them but it is coming.

I have been wanting to finish my cards on the inside and plan to do it more often. I stamped the flowers in a mauve pigment ink and embossed in clear and added a drop of ivory liquid pearls in their centers. The sentiment is from the Stampin' Up! set called "Sage Advice."

So here is card #2 using my new Vintage Birds set. Come on ladies....cave in and order this set. You know you've been itching to. Afterall, it was one of you "enablers" who showed me the set in the first place. You know who you are! Oh, and The Greeting Farm has super fast service. Even to me here in Canada.

Hope everyone has a delightful and creative day.

Cheers!

Hello

I discovered a new-to-me stamp company called The GREETING FARM (formerly known as Pink Poison) and I just love the vintage birds set. There are three different fancy birds as well as sentiments in the set. They certainly do present some wonderful coloring opportunities.

Inspiration to ink the stamps up came when Our Creative Corner challenge began for 2009. This week's challenge is the sketch below:

I stamped the bird with Versamark on watercolor paper, embossed it with gold detail embossing powder and water colored the bird using Tombow markers. Next I cut out the bird and mounted it on pop dots for dimension.

The designer paper is from All Night Media (Anna Griffin) and the red flower is from Daisy Doodles.

I made another card using another of the bird stamps in this set and using OCC's layout. It is fun to see how different cards look even when using the same layout sketch. I'll try to get that card posted tomorrow when the light for photographing is a little better.

Cheers!

Rustic Thank You

The Friday Sketcher's Challenge site presented a lovely layout using tags for its last challenge of 2008. I wanted to use this sketch in a rustic look and I chose a sweet stamp from an old Stampin' Up set called Garden Pleasures. I really like the challenge of the off angle layout in combination with the tags. This is the layout sketch we were challenged to use:

The tag is colored with Faber-Castell markers. The tag is made from a highly absorbent cardstock and I think that these markers work better on a glossier surface but trial and error is half the fun for me.


The photos make this appear to be on a white background but actually it is pale blue which, combined with the tan, brown and craft paper center looks much better in real life.

The next Friday Sketchers challenge will be posted January 9th. If you enjoy sketch challenges I encourage you to check out Friday Sketchers. Participants are from all over the globe and it is so inspiring to see a wide variety of interpretations of sketches on cards.

Cheers!