Fleur-de-lis magnets

The weekend has arrived! I need to catch up on preparing for all my upcoming events, one being Women's Week, held by the Womens Council of Greater Baton Rouge.

Vendors were asked to contribute to the 'Diddy' bags that will be handed out during the luncheon at the end of September. My contribution is shown below. Here are magnets I created from blank coasters.

First I wheeled the image "a-la-carte" across the entire coaster and cut them into quarters. After they were all cut I stamped the Fleur-de-lis image from the "Carte Postale" stamp set with Black Staz-on. Gold Lumiere is sponged on the edges to soften them up. There are 400 magnets in all and I think they turned out quite nice!

Here's a quick image of a swap I did and never had a chance to mail. No worries...I have another swap that they'll be going to. The set "Season of Joy" is from the new Holiday Mini (that starts tomorrow). The new Soft Sky cardstock looks great for wintery cards paired with silver embossing.

Fall is nearing....

It's HOT outside! I'm trying to do as little outdoors as possible (luckily for me stamping is an INDOOR activity).

This weekend my focus was to catch up on swaps, design projects for upcoming classes (lots of big events coming my way) and do a little stamping from ideas stored in my head. In fact, here is one of those ideas. This card uses the beautiful Baroque background stamp. I ordered this because I thought it had lots of possibilities with it's bold design.

The first thing that came to mind was using it several times to replicate velvet wallpaper. You know, the wallpaper that one finds in an old Victorian home. The problem is how do I get those bold images to look and feel like velvet? Hum. Flocking is an option; unfortunately I don't have black, nor do I have the patience to look for it online much less wait for it to come in. Looks like my velvet card idea is out! Sooooooooo, I decided to simply stamp with a Black Staz-on dye pad onto Pumpkin cardstock and again on a peice of acetate. The acetate is raised with dimensionals in select spots (obviously under the solid black images).


I went back and forth as to whether or not to add more to this. A mini bow would look great (if it was velvet). Nope...covered to much of the bold images I wanted to show off. So, I settled for simple black brads.

Oddly, the Staz-on made gaps on the acetate where the ink did not cover; so I took a watercolor brush and a bottle of Staz-on reinker and simply filled the gaps.

Here's the final result. What do you think?



In between making cards and swaps I decided to take a little break and water the glorious garden I spent 4 weeks in Spring preparing. Well, it WAS glorious, before the heat of July and August arrived. This is the 2nd year we tried a vegetable/fruit garden. Can you guess what this was supposed to be?




It's a cantelope! Yep, that's what it is. I cropped part of the photo where the fruit looked bad (yes...it looks WORSE than this).

Leaves were falling everywhere with Fall approaching. As I watered one garden in the back yard a twig fell on top of my shoulder. I kept watering figuring the movement of my arm with the hose would make it fall, but no. I turned around to brush it off myself to find it wasn't a branch at all!!! It was THIS..........

ACK!

I ran around shaking my shirt and screaming. The dog was completely confused! This thing would NOT shake loose. It's feet were stuck to my shirt and it would not budge. Finally I finger plucked him off from underneath my shirt (becuase I was NOT touching it). He plopped loose and fell at the tree base.

Yuck! That's when I decided to get back to my stamping room. I'd rather deal with rubber locust than the real thing.

Mini Stamping Convention

Last week I attended a mini convention held by my second level upline, Amy, (who did a great job of preparing I might add). She and others who attended the SU! Colorado convention shared some of what they learned. There were great Make and Takes and the chance to socialize with other demonstrators.

Here are a few highlights. You can view more on my WEBSHOTS site.

Image 1: Our fearless leader talks as we work. That's Amy in the red shirt on the right.

Image 2: Judith, me and Pat

Image 3: Fellow Demos

Halloween Lantern

Playing around with some Halloween designer paper "Creepy Crawly" and my "Best Fiends" stamp set.

Frankie could really use some smaller brads for the bolts on his head. These large brads make him look like he's from outer space, LOL! The "happy" and "Halloween" come from the "Everyday Flexible Phrases" stamp set and punched out with the Word Window Punch.

(sorry for the repost....correcting a typo in the lantern image)

Just for You

Here's a card using the new Stampin' Up! set "Just for You". The set is this years Ronald McDonald set created by SU!. Two dollars from each sale of this set goes toward Ronald McDonald charities.

Hotair Balloon Festival, 2007

This weekend was the hotair balloon festival. We were lucky enough to be selected to host the Southeast Regional championship. Lots of big, beautiful balloons flying around the city. I know everyone enjoyed seeing them flying over-head on their way into work in the morning.

While they are beautiful, it is also August and we're in Lousisana which means it is VERY HOT! Perfert weather for the balloonist, just a little sticky for the on-lookers. Regardless, they are absolutely beautiful! The kids really enjoyed it and had fun collecting all the balloonist trading cards.

Here are a few images I wanted to share. If you'd like to see more you can view my webshots website.

Altered Crystal Light container

I have been saving various canisters for months (ok...YEARS) and have finally decided to put them to use. Here is an altered Crystal Light Container. The stamp set used was "Wild Rose".

I used a Stamp-a-ma-jig to position the images right on top of each other (for the main rose, not the leaves around the canister). The designer paper (stripes) is no longer available. The inks used were River Rock and Close to Cocoa.

Here is a full view of the completed project and a close-up view.

TUTORIAL ON USING THE STAMP-A-MA-JIG

Step 1: Place your imaging sheet in the corner of your stamp-a-ma-jig tool. Ink up the outline image of the rose stamp and then stamp the image on top of the imaging sheet, along the upper left corner of the Stamp-a-ma-jig as shown.

Step 2: (Right photo) Lift stamp and see your impression left on the imaging sheet.

Step 3: (left photo) Slide the imaging sheet with the rose outline over the solid rose image. Position the sheet exactly where you want the outline or the rose to be.

Step 4: (right photo) Once your rose outline is in poisition, place your Stamp-a-ma-jog tool in the upper left corner of the imaging sheet and then remove the sheet. Ink up the outline stamp once again and slide it along the upper left corner of the Stamp-a-ma-jig.

See final stamped image on the "Altered Crystal Light container" at the top of this post.

Punch a Bunch

Here's a little something I made with the "Three For You" punch box. It uses Purely Pomegranate ink and the Purely Pomegrante Love Notes!

This month Stampin' Up! is featuring their a Punch a Bunch promotion. With each purchase of the "Three For You" punch box you recieve a pack of 30, 3x3 textured Love Notes with envelopes (a $12.95 value).

As a special bonus from *** ME ***, all those who purchase the punch box during the promotion receives a "Signa-gel" pen as an additional bonus. Stampin' Up! Signa-gel pens are THE BEST (testimony from my customers). While the Signa-gel looks great on any of your projects, it looks especially nice on the 3x3 Love Notes to add those little details; like the center of the flowers in my sample below or for doodling and squigglies you might want to add.

Baroque Motifs Circle Purse

Here's a sneak peek of my August Baroque Motifs class. This is part two of a series entitled "Going Baroque". Each month participants create projects highlighting the Baroque Motifs stamp set. This month we will also be using the beautiful new Brocade Designer Paper.

The August class includes all the supplies needed to create 1 full purse but you have enough supplies in your kit to complete 4 additional Circle Purses at home.

• Going Baroque ~ August 19th from 2pm - 4pm
• Whole Foods Market in Baton Rouge.
• Class fee: $45.00
• RSVP a must by August 9th (payment due by this time)

All class participants must bring their own adhesive, scissors, 1/16" hole punch, Baroque Motifs stamp set and a beverage of your choice. I will supply remainder of items needed to complete projects along with a light snack. Door prize drawing will be held at 3pm!

Can't make the class, contact me to have all your supplies mailed directly to you! More information can be found on my oppurtunites page.