The Male Room Challenge # 33 Triple Stamping

Happy Sunday everyone. I am looking at a bright sunny day after a very weird day of fat snow yesterday. It snowed all day long and it just coated the ground. we had thick fat snow that looked like feathers floating.

Last weekend I spent in the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania with a few girlfriends. We went for the Allentown Heirloom Rubber Stamp Convention but it really was just to spend quality time together stamping.

The weekend was the perfect opportunity for me to catch up on challenges. Today at the Male Room the new challenge is "triple stamping" I have to admit, I had no idea what this was until I googled it and saw it and thought "oh yeah I've seen that." You can google it and see a million videos or tutorials. Here is one from Split Coast.

So since I was in the road trip mood from traveling to the "No's", I went for a travel theme card.

The only problem with this card is the don't carry too much baggage. We are talking bringing stamping supplies- between 2 of us, the whole trunk was filled, leaving the back seat for clothes and food. Needless to say we pretty much spend the weekend in our jamis.

I can't wait to see what you all come up with this cool technique challenge at The Male Room!

Happy Little Stampers July Sketch Challenge

 

Today is my debut on the DT at Happy Little Stampers!! How exciting is that!! To be part of all things stamping is so up my alley. Happy Little Stampers is a unique challenge. It has 3 different challenges under one roof. There is the team I am on- HLS sketch challenge, but there is also HLS CAS challenge and HLS Christmas challenge. 

  

Here is the sketch for July. I tried to think outside the box with this sketch. Let me know if I went to far afield.

When I saw the tree, I knew I wanted something a bit different and i thought- "hey hot air balloons!"

But of course I did not have a single hot air balloon stamp. I mean I am so behind the trends- weren't they popular last year?!!? As always I am a day late and a dollar short when it comes to trends.

So since Lawn Fawn is my new fav company, I had to order their set Blue Skies. I paper pieced the balloon with this orange polka dot paper and then colored the balloon panels with copic markers. It looked cool with the shadow of the polka dots coming through.

The cloud embossing folder is for a horizontal card, but I really wanted to use it on this vertical card. I just embossed what I could, but I really like how the clouds just kinda stop. Interesting effect.

 

So please check out all of the Happy Little Stamper Challenges and join in on all the fun. You have a month to play, so it shouldn't be to stressful to join in!! 

Shake it, shake it up

Shaker cards-wow they are the hottest thing around! Do you think is is a coincidence that Taylor Swift has switched to pop music (not that she wasn't always popular) just when shaker cards were being reinvented. I think not- I mean her new song is "Shake it Off". It is pretty darn close dontcha think? Talk about reinventions.

So when Just Us Girls decided to make shaker cards as part of the trend challenge this week, I put Taylor's Shake it Off on and went to work!

I used a butterfly die from Memory Box and had some fun. I love the flower confetti in the butterfly bellies.

Be sure to check out what the Just Us Girls DT created. I know it will give you inspiration and if that doesn't work, put Taylor on!

Pocono wrapup

If you read last Saturday's blog posting, you will know I spent a long weekend in the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania for a stamping weekend. A few of my girlfriends and I get together at least once a year for this big crafting, eating and chick bonding time. We get up and start stamping before the coffee is poured and we don't stop until its time for dinner. Well everyone else stamps till dinner- I stop at 5pm to make dinner. I love to cook, so it is my job to feed everyone.

We always try to have a few projects in mind when we go up. I had lots of challenges to stay ahead on since I started my first class in my Master's program this past Weds. 

This week at Just Us Girls is Marisa's last challenge with us as designer. I will really miss her, she has always left the nicest and inspiring comments on my blog as well as being a talented stamper herself. This is a wild card week, so she got to pick any challenge she wanted to. She is asking us to create anything EXCEPT a standard A2 size card. What fun! I love this nestabilitie set from Spellbinders. i wish i could tell you which one it is- I don't know and I couldn't find it. The stamp set is brand new from Mama Elephant's August release- Carnival Cupcakes and Carnival Toppers. I think my husband is gonna love this card for his birthday.

I rarely am able to combine challenges, but this week at Just Add Ink their photo challenge is a rainbow of colors and I thought my cupcake fits right in.

Now here are some pics from the crazy crafting weekend:

Jude- whom is dubbed the "Angel" because she is just so darn nice- unlike me! :) Her plan was to watercolor all weekend and that's what she did.

Bevy B. my "it's 5:00 somewhere" partner spent the weekend making up ink swatch cards. Needless to say she brought up just about all the inks she owns!

Patricia, my bestie and co-pilot did a bit of this and a bit of that. Her CAS style was an inspiration to me over the weekend.

I was pretty tired on Saturday and took a wee nap. when I awoke my buddies had this set up at my place with two cards they made for me to celebrate my graduation! The sign "This is my happy place" is on my wall in my studio at home that I brought it up to the Poconos.

Here's my spot working on some challenge. I know its still morning because there is a hot cup of tea at my spot.

Hope you enjoyed my recap, but more importantly please show your support for Marisa's last challenge and play along at Just Us Girls!

True North

I just celebrated my 27th (Yikes!!!) anniversary! It really does seem just like yesterday that George and I were exchanging our vows on a very hot day in May. We had our wedding and reception out doors and it was about 98 degrees! The minister who married us was in his 90's and this was the last wedding he performed. His poor wife was holding him during the service and he called me sarah through out the wedding! At least the license had the right name!

George is very interested in maps and navigation. He always plans our trip routes. When I saw the the Avery Elle stamp set- Knotty, I knew I had to have it for my anniversary card.

 CAS-ology is having a challenge for anniversary cards and I am entering George's card. (I had to sneak it off his desk to photograph it)

 Today was a problematic day to photograph cards. It was cloudy and rainy. The primary card I photographed without any extra light. The card below I turned on a lamp in my studio. Not sure which I like better.

Thanks for stopping by!

PS- incase you weren't sure what "true north" is here is a quick definition from Wickepedia.

True north is the direction along the earth's surface towards the geographic North Pole. True geodetic north usually differs from magnetic north, and from grid north.

Peas and Carrots

It's the fifth Saturday in the month, you know what that means? Its the WILD CARD challenge at Just Us Girls! Marisa has a good one this week! A tall and skinny card. 

I am very verbal that I only ever make A2 cards ( 5 1/2 X 4 1/4). I like my cards to fit the envelope. But  aren't challenges sometimes about confronting your demons? So I bucked up and thought why cant I make think of it as a regular size card just cut down a bit?

I used a new stamp set that I got at the Heirloom Rubber Stamp convention a few weeks back. Sweet and Sassy Stamps always has a great booth and awesome card samples. My girlfriend came across this stamp set and I had to get it too.

I don't often use a lot of pattern papers these days, but the scraps just went so well with the colors of the peas and carrots, that I had to build the card around them. I went with the 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 size so it will fit into an envelope easily.

Please join us for this wild, wild card challenge at Just Us Girls!

ohhhhhhhh the guilt!

This week at Just Us Girls, the challenge is this great CAS sketch from Maria. Naturally, I had to make a Valentine card. 

The first card I made (see card below the sketch) didn't have any stamping except for the sentiment. I really liked it- I really did. I loved the papers I used and how they just went together so well.  I kept looking at it and smiling and this little nagging guilt started rearing its head. The problem with the card was there WASN'T any stamping except for the sentiment. That just is not acceptable in my world. I am a stamper, I use dies folders etc as embellishments not the main focus. I even wrote a wee rant about it here.

So I got out my stamps and reworked the card. I tried to keep the same patterns on the nonstamped card because I really do like it. 

What do you all think, cheater card or stamped card? Am I nuts to even worry? Is this all a product of too much school work or work in general? Who knows? But please join us at Just US Girls with your take on Maria's sketch.