Laura's Bookmarks

Oh my gosh........these are so addicting!! Quick and fun and they make a wonderful bookmark. You can see that you can use about anything you want for added bling, but I started with the scallop punch and pop-up dots and take off from there. This is one of the items we'll do at Stamp Ten in October.

Last night was the second September technique class and what fun it was. I'll be showing some of the samples soon, but I think the favorite this month was the Bleachy, Bleachy one. I've never used bleach because of being afraid people would ruin their clothes, but the bleach pen and a fine paint brush worked wonderfully. Samples soon! Stop again.

August Technique Sample

Isn't this pretty and clever? Thanks to Dorothy Dimento for bringing a sample of last month's technique to yesterday's class. In fact, she brought five samples! And yes, she won the prize. Hint, hint for those of you who may be coming tonight, you better remember to bring your samples of last month's technique! This one is the shaving cream and I'm not sure of the other stamps she used, but obviously she used the oval punch and a brad in the center. More tomorow! I hope we have lots of samples to choose from tonight!

Designer Paper Leftovers

I finally can throw out some small pieces of plain cardstock now, but not this beautiful Designer paper!! I have been cutting for the Stamp a Stack and had some pieces of Bayou Blue Designer paper leftovers.............just mounted them on black and then pulled out my Pretties. I colored the flowers, but they don't show up in the scan do they? The center flower is So Saffron with a fire brad in the middle and the larger flower is tipped with the Bayou Blue inkpad. The next layer beneath the black is River Rock and the word is from the set called With Gratitude. Of course I spent more time on the leftovers yesterday than on a regularly planned card, but I like it and feel good about not throwing away those pretty scraps! Stop again.........

From my window

Sunday night I was feeling a bit melancholy and looked out my picture window to the South at dusk. This is exactly what I saw...........I have tried to take a picture of the moon in these three trees, but it never comes out, so I got out my Lovely as a Tree Stamp set and the moon from Home is Where the Haunt Is. I used Bordering Blue cardstock which was the closest to the color at dusk and stamped away. The moon is White Craft Ink and the trees are black, I don't need a photograph, this is it!! No, I can't see the base of the trees from my window, but the moon is beautiful through the tops of them. How blessed I am to be able to view something this lovely from my own window! Thanks for looking too.

Outlaw Designer paper

Good Monday morning! My apologies to those of you who missed me on Friday and Saturday.....I'm forever the farmer's wife, or nowadays it's the farmer's Mother! For three days last week I had the road duty for the corn harvesting where the trucks had difficulty being able to see coming out of the fields loaded with corn. I do love to be needed and I got a lot of knitting done at the same time! All I had to do was sit with a two way radio and check for traffic as they approached the main highway. There are only a few loads left to finish that field, so not sure if they will need me today. Anyway, the card.............Lyn sent me a card that just seems to refuse to be copied on my computer. So I made one like it, and believe it or not, I can't seem to bring that one to my blog either....weird! Hers had no words and the Outlaw paper was mounted on Close to Cocoa. It is a sideways flip card with the added choc chip taffeta ribbon and aged copper buckle. Perfect for a man and so simple! Well, I changed that a little bit by mounting the same thing on Sage Shadow cardstock and using the words from Short and Sweet inside of the two oval punches. Sorry, I was going to show both of them, but just can't bring the first one to my blog! Next time you need a masculine card, try this! Quick and simple, but very effective. Thanks for stopping in this morning. Don't forget.......this is Technique week here at my house, and.............the deadline is approaching for the Christmas Stamp a Stack October 11 or 13 at my piano studio. I still have a few openings both dates, so give me a shout.

Illuminations again!

Such a nice stamp set, I think.. this time I also embossed the Thanks in White on cardstock vellum, sponged the back with Bayou Blue and mounted it on white cardstock. The corners are punched in Soft Sky and the Designer Paper is from Porcelain Prints. That is mounted on River Rock. This is a little busy for me, but once I got going I couldn't seem to stop! Love these new colors that Stampin' Up has offered us this year. Have a great day!

Groovy Illuminations

I like stamp sets that easily make a whole card and Illuminations surely fits this bill! I stamped the Thanks with white craft on cardstock vellum and tore the outside of it. Mounted it on Groovy Guava Designer paper and then on Guava cardstock. Added a tie of double stitched ribbon and that is it!! Simple but very pretty, I think. Now WHERE did I put that ribbon? Last night I went to use it and it is not with the rest of my ribbons..........guess I need to do some organizing today. It is so annoying to know you have something that escapes.........it's probably right on my table! Thanks for stopping by.

My version Baroque

Here is my color scheme of the Baroque Motif and it's shadow. Bayou Blue, Soft Sky and white, yes, I'm using them again and love them! I wonder if I had turned the card upside down, would the ribbon look better on the left, think I'll try that. The trick to shadow easily is to place the flourish of the Baroque set in the left hand corner matching the wood to the corner of the cardstock with the Bayou Blue then just dropping the flourish down just a tiny bit with the white craft ink. Not down and to the right, just directly down from the first stamping! Several asked if the card I posted last week was embossed, but it was not! I liked how the double stitched ribbon picked up the white in the shadow of the flourish. I really like this color combination as you can tell from many of my posts. And excuse me Lyn, yesterday's colors WERE Old Olive and Rust..........why am I not surprised!! Thanks for stopping by.

Cherish Lyn

This is a card that Lyn Karpick sent to me this week. I think she said it was for her own anniversary to her husband. I think it is exquisitely simple.........exactly the card most of my people really like! It looks like Wild Wasabi and Groovy Guava to me, but I'm surprised she didn't use Old Olive! Brocade Basics is the Stamp Set with the word from Baroque Motifs. She must have used the stamp a ma jig to get those flowers so perfectly placed. And how nicely the ticket corner punch finishes the card. Thanks Lyn for sharing this beautiful addition to my blog this morning! I wish you were near to come to my downline meeting this afternoon.

Baroque Elegance

Isn't this gorgeous? I received this in the mail yesterday and I couldn't wait to share it with you! Baroque Motif and All Holidays are the stamp sets from Stampin' Up, of course. I must admit it took me two trips through the catalog to find those words! I don't have that set, guess that will be on my wish list now, though, they fit on that small oval punch perfectly. Basic Gray, Going Gray and black cardstock with Basic gray and white ink was all that was used. What a clever way to add the ribbon with the silver brad. I can't wait to try this and experiment with some other colors. Thank you, good friend for the inspiration. I bet more than one person will be casing this one today!!

True Friend Criss Cross

I had such fun with the criss cross card by Beate, but altered by Cambria Turnbow. What a great card....think I could really get hooked on this fold technique! I'm not happy with the colors as they came out on this scan though. I used River Rock and white cardstock, Brocade Background designer paper and the True Friend stamp set. For some reason the white cardstock on the insert almost looks muddy. I did sponge some River Rock on the white insert and the medallion, but in real life it looks cleaner! A bling brad in the middle of the medallion and first I used a strip of River Rock cardstock, but decided it needed the ribbon too. They had used a tab to pull out the insert, but I felt it took away from the words too much, so I left that off. Sorry, this is much prettier than the scan. You can find the criss cross directions on Splitcoast resources.......really easy! Stop by again.

Cherish

I think this will work well for the wedding we have been invited to in October. The background paper is a little busy for me, but I wanted to pick up the white in the flowers so I used that side. I embossed the Illuminations Cherish with white on vellum cardstock and then sponged Bayou Blue on the backside. There is a little dbl sided tape in the middle of the vellum, but the corners are held to the white cardstock with silver brads. White grosgrain on the bottom finishes it well I think. I love this stamp set and will use it often. The Joy stamp will be nice for Christmas, although I didn't use it for the Stamp a Stack.........never thought about it! By the way, the classes for that are filling fast, so give me a holler if you are interested in coming. Thursday night Oct. 11 or Saturday morning Oct. 13 at my piano studio. Only $20 for ten different Christmas cards.......great way to get that jump on the holidays. LauraCrr@aol.com

Autumn Leaves

Scrapbooking really went well I think! We had our meeting last night and we took scrapbooking to several levels! Some people only made the card that I'm showing this morning, a few made layouts to finish at home, and one brought her pictures and completed two pages!! I guess that is typical! This card is the technique I taught them, stamping with stazon on vellum, turning over and coloring it with markers and then making the ring with two sizes of punches. The rings are with gold metallic paper although it doesn't show well in this scan. The leaves are from the new Autumn Harvest stamp set and mounted on vanilla, then crimped More Mustard and finally all on River Rock. The Autumn is from Season by Season set that I think is very useful for scrapbooking! I must say the card is much prettier in real life. My scrapbook page has this strip as a border and is quite attractive. Stop by again.

Noble Deer

Tonight is the nignt we do scrapbooking at our Stamp 10 meeting! Our theme is Autumn, so I'm anxious to see what we come up with on our scrapbook pages! Barb Hamlin is the hostess and we meet at my piano studio at 6:30. Today's card is about as simple as you can get, but it certainly fulfills the masculine dilemma doesn't it? Only colors I used are sahara sand and black. The Plaid Flannel background stamp is one I often choose for a man's card, Noble Deer of course is the main focus and Short and Sweet words fit nicely on the small oval punch. A quick, quick card that is handy to have on hand when you need it! Thanks for looking in.

Polished Snowflake

Monday morning and it is really rainy here for a change. Yes, I've posted a Christmas card and realize it is early, but I've been in the Christmas card mood lately getting ready for my Stamp a Stack on October 11 and 13. This is not one of the cards, you won't see them until after the workshops, but this is one I did last year with the polished stone technique and the Snowflake Spot stamp set. Silver embossing and Navy cardstock with some silver cord. I'm so glad that Stampin' UP has brought back the cords again and now they are stretchy!! I think we will be doing the poslished stone at our Technique classes this month, it is a great technique and works especially well with Christmas cards. Thanks for stopping by.............

Lovely Joseph Coat

Here's an oldie, but goodie with my most "favoritest" set of all time....... Lovely as a Tree! I've done this with the Joseph Coat technique using the Pumpkin Patch Spectrum pad. The card itself is So Saffron with Canvas stamped in the same color on top. Some Old Olive, yes Lyn that is a nice color, and the words from the new autumn set called With Gratitude. Here in Central New York the leaves are beginning to turn, so this will be the sight around here soon. I love the beautiful colors in the woods, but dread the next phase..........winter is so long and dark!! I have lots of knitting and stamping to do though! Thanks for stopping by today..........tomorrow is my sister's birthday and I'm planning a gathering at breakfast time, so may not post until Monday. Tuesday is Stamp 10, girls, so I'll see many of you then. Have a great week-end.

Sooty, spooky Haunted House

Halloween is NOT my favorite time of the year, but let's face it.........we need to be ready! This card is the soot technique that we did a couple of months ago in our Technique class. Glossy cardstock is necessary and a candle, but be careful, edges burn very quickly! Blacken the cardstock and quickly stamp on it.........as in this case I used Home is Where the Haunt Is, my favorite Halloween stamp set. Fixative of some sort is a must or the soot rubs off on your fingers! This works with gold or silver mettalic cardstock also, but I prefer the white glossy.

Stampin' Up has a great special this month called Fall Frenzy and if you spend only $3o in merchanise, you qualify to purchase one of six stamp sets at 30% off the regular price. Those six sets that are offered are : Stem Silhouettes from the Holiday Mini, Bitty Boos Too, Haunting Halloween, Thoroughly Thankful, Elementary Essentials, and Autumn Fest. Complete information is on our website www.stampinup.com This coming Tuesday night is Stamp 10 in my studio in Tully........join us for some stamping fun. This month is Barb Hamlin's party and we are going to do some scrapbooking..........a card too for those who are not into the scrapbook mode! We start at 6:30, so come along!

Eggplant Sidekick

Good morning........I'm excited because today is the day my good piano will be moved into my home from my studio! I love the piano I have been teaching on for many years, and will be glad to have it right here! I no longer give piano lessons in town next to the Elementary School, but may give a few here in my house at some point. I certainlyhave a few talented grandchildren who often jingle it. On to the card of the day. Keep it simple I always say, and this one is exactly that! Eggplant cardstock with some Doodle This in White Craft ink is my base. Sidekick Sayings stamped in black on Almost Amethyst and colored with markers, dotted with the white uniball pen. Just a white grosgrain knot held on with a mini glue dot. Very, very simple, but quite effective I think! Thanks for stopping by..........now I must go clean my spot for the piano.

Birthday Presents

Good morning......birthday presents are due this week, so Matthew and I finished up some picture frames yesterday. Matt is my eight year old grandson who loves to stamp with me........and he is good at it! The Designer paper is Outlaw with some Choc Chip Taffeta ribbon on the sides. The watercolor is of course from Virginia's class and I used both Heartfelt Thanks and Garden Silhouettes. Last night I really got excited about the cards we will be doing for the Stamp a Stack on October 11 and 13. My list is filling fast, so if you are interested, give me a call. We will be doing ten different Christmas cards and it only costs $20. Light refreshments, door prizes and a chance to get a head start on your cards for the holidays. Hope to hear from more of you, there is still room in both classes. My e-mail is

LauraCrr@aol.com.

Designer Paper Scraps!

Last night I was working on picture frames and when I began to pick up the scraps of Designer Paper it seemed a shame to put these papers back in the file without making a card! So........I started with the two larger pieces of paper that were the inside of the picture frame and continued on from there! This is the Brocade Background package with lots of punches and a piece of Always Artichoke cardstock. I used both ovals, round 13/8", and the scallop punches. So many of the designer papers lend well with the round and scallop punch. Again I used the Short and Sweet words which fit inside that smaller oval. It was fun to see what I could do with the leftovers. Hope you all are having a great holiday week-end, we couldn't ask for nicer weather here in Central New York. Thanks for stopping by.

Hoppy Birthday, Ashlyn

Not too long ago (last December!), I received this clever card with another set of words from Debbie Moczek and of course I immediately ordered the set, wheel etc to make it. Well, this morning I woke up thinking about going to Ashlyn's birthday party this afternoon and wonder if it is too soon to get this card made. Boy, I'm lucky Stampin' Up didn't retire this set before I got around to using it!! The set is Unfrogettable, the wheel is Lily Pad and the ink and frog are Glorious Green. The background paper is Gable Green. Real Red and Bashful Blue are used behind the frog. Punches are both ovals, 13/8" round, 1/2" and 1/4" and the feet are done with the horizontal slot. Lots of two-way glue and double sided tape, black pen and there you are. Why did it take me so longto get to this card? Not because I didn't have everything I needed........Hoppy Birthday, Ashlyn!!