smARTworks news

If you've been playing along with the smARTword challenges, you're ready for a new word for the month - February's word is GLITTER. Here's a little sneak peek of my card...whoa, huh. If you make a glitterfied card this month, why not link it up to the challenge? You might win a prize! And an extra bonus for those who use all smARTworks stamps - smARTbucks!

In other news......you can find all full sheets of stamps on sale this month for 25% off - here are direct links to those catalog pages, in case you're curious:

Petal Power ~ Frames ~ Swirly-Gigs ~ Look Up

Ministry Mix ~ Feathered Friends ~ Fun Stuff

That's all I know today...!

Clematis frame

I actually stamped this before Christmas and was going to post it then, but it never happened... This is the Clematis Frame stamp from Heartfelt Creations. I stamped it in the corners of the main panel, then stamped just partial images on the edges for some extra flourish. The flowers are colored with markers and a gold gel pen, and the rest of the panel is sponged with Lettuce and Cranberry inks (the old Adirondack line from Ranger - I think they call it "Earthtones" now).

Heartfelt Creations stamps used:
Clematis Spray
A Gracious Heart

I used a printed flourish as a guide for the pierced areas in the oval areas...you can either stamp an image on a clear piece of plastic (a clear envelope works well) or print and trace a favorite design, then just pierce along the lines.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

new Alesa Baker stamps

Here are a few stamps just released by Impression Obsession - these are designed by Alesa Baker, whose elegant style is so unique. Her new stamps fall into two categories - Valentines and Spring.


For the valentine card, I stamped "Medium Line Heart" 4 times directly onto my decorative paper, then colored the hearts in with Neopiko markers, shading with Prismacolor pencils and adding a few highlights of acrylic paint with a small stylus. The sentiment is "Happy heart". (I just noticed that both these stamps are available in a clear set with some other cute hearts and sentiments...you can see the set below.)

I'm having trouble still finding my bearings...is Valentines Day really only 2 weeks away? *sigh*

I wanted to show you this bicycle set too - I've been on the lookout for bicycle stamps, so this was a pleasant surprise. The stamps are available as individual rubber dies, or in a clear set. Below is the full clear set, so you can see (the actual set is 4"x6"). All those little treasures can be tucked into the basket on the front. Cute, huh?

My first bike was a pink bike with a banana seat and sissy bar, and a basket on the front...anyone else? Later in life (haha) I had a purple beach cruiser...that was in my phase of not wanting to be like anyone else...I also had red plaid Keds when everyone else had plain white ones...

My card is pretty simple - not a lot of coloring, just enough to make it Valentine-y. I used Neopiko markers for my coloring, and a couple pewter heart brads for accent. I love the sentiment too..."What sweet delights a quiet life affords." True, true.

You can see all the new releases here ......... Thanks for stopping by!

1 set, 2 ways

It's been a while since I posted anything from smARTworks.... I've been waiting soooooo patiently for my latest stamp designs to come, but I'm thinking they are stuck somewhere...sigh...3 months in transit already? Hmmm...... but historically stamps have shown up as soon as I've requested a new batch to be sent....ha! smARTworks has been closed for the month of January to upgrade their system and prepare for the new year, so get ready to check out the changes next week! Let's see what Susan has up her sleeve. I do know there's a new sheet of smARTbucks stamps available...so if you are into saving smARTbucks, your options are expanding!

Anyway, here are 2 cards I made this weekend using the Sunflowers set. Both cards are colored with Neopiko markers on watercolor paper, and shaded with watercolor markers. (You can click on the set name to see a variety of cards by other design team members using this set - we all really like this one!)

The second card is a little 'something' to me - not sure what inspired the bold pattern combo...but it is what it is! I'm still finding my mojo after our trip and the transition back into routine...It's a little hard to see in the picture but each of the flower centers is filled with brown microbeads.

Better get on with my day!
Thanks for stopping by ~

New Impression Obsession release.......

............is posted! If you love I.O. art stamps you've got to check these out...here are a few of my favorites. Tons of new clear sets too, new Cover-a-card backgrounds, and a new artist!!! If you're a pet person, you'll definitely love Gail Green's new images.

These are obviously not alllllllllll my favorites and definitely not to scale.......sooooo much to see though - wish I could be there to see them revealed at CHA! My cards are there as samples for the new images - I guess I will have to be satisfied with that for now!

Had such a good day today - school went relatively well (sadly, that was because my DD was sick and I only had 2 kids to teach), then had a good meeting with the staff ladies, and a fun round of volleyball in the rain. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.......content. Going to bed! Take care, and have a great week!

stamp storage

We were discussing stamp storage in one of my groups, so I thought I'd share how I store my design team stamps - this is my Impression Obsession binder. I use heavy-duty page protectors and have sewed them to make pockets. For the clear sets, which are 4" wide, I've sewed the page protectors in quarters, then carefully slit the bottom pockets just below the stitching.

For unmounted rubber stamps, I've made larger pockets, just sewing the page protector across the middle. I keep the stamps in one pocket, and an index in the other pocket, then alternate on the next page to keep it balanced. I put a couple pieces of wide double stick tape across the cardstock backing to keep the stamps in place.

I have other stamps (non DT) in CD cases, most in a spinner next to my desk that holds 144 cases.........that's full, and I have some overflow cases in a cabinet...my smARTworks stamps fit nicely in photo albums, so those are on another shelf. Just a little something that works for me!

Blossom tins

I mentioned the new sets from Heartfelt Creations that coordinate with Nestabilities floral sets the other day - thought I'd share one of my projects today...these tins are about 5-3/4" tall, and they're baking powder tins - I've been saving them to alter, of course. :) They're simple to cover with decorative paper, with an additional bit of trim here and there. For the rose, I followed Tim Holtz's excellent 'grungepaper roses' tutorial - no need for me to reinvent the wheel! (oops, just got distracted looking through his blog at new products - embossing folders and dies, oooooooh my dear.) A few changes to his instructions for my roses: I used 4 roses instead of 3...I stamped them in waterbased dye ink on watercolor paper, and sprayed them with water so the ink would run (see below). The leaves are petals cut out from the same flower and turned around the other way. The 'dew drops' are small drops of 3D Crystal Lacquer, a great glue for this project. The rose and trim are hot-glued onto the tin.

Here's another tin I did with the same die, just cutting out the inner flower with scissors instead of using the Nesties. On these I colored the flowers with markers then brushed them all with Sunflower Shimmerz. The center is a coconut shell button with a couple layers of Crystal Lacquer. The two bottom flowers are just hand shaped, no cutting. On the top layer I cut in to the center and then glued two petals overlapping to give the flower a little more dimension. (That will make sense if you look at Tim's tutorial for the rose...)

There you go - what'cha think? Feel free to ask questions if you have them. Thanks for stopping by!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Shaped cards

The IODT is breaking out of the rut a little bit - making shaped cards, anything but a rectangle is fair game on this challenge.

I pulled out a template that I actually had published in Paper Crafts at some point in my life...I forget when! Back when I had time to send things in for publication, and before international postage was an issue, so at least 5 years ago... That card was a pocket card with an accordion-folded piece of cardstock on each side inside to create a pocket for tea or hot chocolate, or whatever. For this I used the same template but just created a top-folding card.

This image is called Thistle Garden, and it will be available soon...I colored it with Neopiko markers then cut out the template, and added the trimmings.

Did you know that you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps? See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! Be sure to check out the rest of the team's cards for inspiration....links are over to the left!

hmmmmm........

I started to post something earlier and I'm not sure what happened...life, I guess. Right now I want to give you a heads-up about the new releases just out from Heartfelt Creations - they have designed several floral sets that coordinate directly with Spellbinders Nestabilities floral sets. I have a couple of the sets that I've been playing with and they are so much fun! Very versatile, for cardfronts or for 3-dimensional projects. I have a few projects that will be featured over on the HC blog tomorrow, so I'll save those for their debut. Here are the sets I have been playing with -

These coordinate with the Blossoms 1 & 2 Nesties (but if you don't have those, no problem - break out the scissors!). There are a bunch more sets, and you can view them all here. Right now I'm making a dimensional flower-topped tin for a co-worker of mine who loves sunflowers...(hi Cheryl!) - it's still drying, but I'll take some pictures to share after I put it all together tomorrow. If you saw Tim Holtz's tutorial for paper roses before Christmas, the first 2 sets above work wonderfully for those.

Still trying to get my head back in the game...I was telling DH earlier that I feel detached - we had an extra long break from our campus schedule and also took 4 weeks off of homeschooling and left computers and other busy stuff behind when we went on our trip...so I'm having a hard time refocusing and jumping back in...especially knowing what a busy semester this is going to be!! I have a class to teach in April, then we go right in to preparation for graduation (this is the class we are closest with, as we came on staff when they entered as brand new students), and I heard yesterday that a couple students are planning a wedding here sometime before graduation as well! Another student couple is expecting their first baby somewhere in there...then 2 staff families are leaving on furlough...just good busy times. Bracing myself...and holding on for the ride!

Our Missions 2 class is getting ready to take off for a 9-week practicum in a tribal location (language/culture learning) so I have been taking care of their orders for OTC meds to be taken by each family...I think we're done with that. Tedious! I hate that the pharmacies here give meds without names or labels (sometimes just a crushed up powder, mixed meds, wrapped up in tiny pieces of paper), so I make sure that each type of medicine is given with date, dose and instructions.

OK - that's it for me - got a little more wordy than I expected! Must be time for bed. See you!

Good news!

I've been working on stuff I can't show you *yet,* but here's one secret out of the bag...new Valentine and Spring stamps are available at Impression Obsession now!

Here are a couple new stamps you'll find over there (and there are still more to come!!): this is Valentine, and the sentiment is called Happy Heart (hey, who'da thunk?). My card is colored with Neopiko markers and shaded with Prismacolor pencils.

I've been working on some new dkdesigns sets...we'll see if anyone wants to buy them...! Looking ahead to graduation, send-offs, and a set about worry & trust. Good stuff. Better go find something low-carb for lunch, though...kids went with our helper to her house, and after lunch I want to get my lesson plans done for next week while the house is quiet (ok, I don't WANT to do them, but the timing is right!). Have a great weekend, y'all!

update......and a card.

Well....apparently my helper had a talk (though I'm not sure how respectfully...) with her relative about how she felt she was being treated, and she was told that it was up to her where she wanted to work, and she chose to stay with us...so I'm still a little uncertain about how it was handled or if there will still be pressure on her, but for now she's still mine! And I'm thankful.

Here's a card in celebration...I'm giving my stomach a break before CHEESECAKE...

This is one of Leigh Hannan's upcoming releases from Impression Obsession - you know me and brown...this scene just looks so inviting! The image is called Sanctuary, and will be available soon. It's colored with Neopiko alcohol markers and shaded with Prismacolor pencils and some sponged inks. The bubbles are white (mine is old and slightly yellowed...) Liquid Applique. I used a few other stamps on the card:

Cover-a-Card Dots (background stamp, stamped in Brilliance Pearlescent Beige)

Journaling 1 (clear stamp set - label)

TypeStacks Family Set (sentiment - clear set)

That's it for now - one more project to finish up tonight!

pics from our trip and other life stuff.

Hey there...my word, what a week this is turning out to be! Lots of catching up, projects I can't share yet, and on top of it all yesterday, my house helper had a relative basically tell her she had to work at her internet cafe and quit here, and though she doesn't want to quit and loves working for us, she couldn't say no to a relative...so...she is able to finish out the week (though she wanted her to start today! grrrrrr) and then...I guess we'll just see what happens. Nothing takes God by surprise, not even this.....

Well, one of the things on my list was to process all those hundreds of pictures I took on our trip, so here are a few of my favorites, plus links below to the rest in case you're interested.

-- The village we went to is split in two - one part is upper (up on a little plateau, where we stayed), and the lower part is by this river. We have students from both areas.

--the house we stayed at (it really wasn't as small as it looks in the picture!), and my man. :)

--our students whose wedding we went to attend.

--my little guy and his friends

--saying goodbye to DH in the heli

--hanging out with good friends back in town

--mountain view...can you imagine living here?!

--my litttle guy at a gorgeous white-sand beach

--old but still functioning lighthouse

If you'd like to see more pictures, you can check them out on my facebook:

Pictures of our time in the tribe

&
Pictures of our time in Palu

In other news.............DH and I started a low-carb diet yesterday and we're already tired of eggs... lots to be said for planning ahead! Today though, we are totally blowing it because I never got my birthday dinner, and I need me some spaghetti and garlic bread and cheesecake as a last hurrah.

All for now - cheers!