Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I woke up this morning to snow! Just a little, but it was so funny watching Miss Ellie running around the deck trying to catch snowflakes. Oh I should have taken a picture! We are supposed to have this weather for a few more days, no accumulation so to speak, but may I will be able to get some pictures. You want to know the funny thing? I bought a hot tub three years ago and have been WAITING for it to actually snow so I can sit out there with a glass of wine in my hand and watch the snow fall. Well, I am still waiting. Maybe I put a jinx on the snow thing, because it hasn’t snowed since I bought the darn hot tub!

I spent a good deal of yesterday in the studio just coloring. I can’t wait to show you what I did, but it will have to wait until tomorrow or later in the week. It was so much fun!!!

But get a load of this – You’re “tutu”rrific! Isn’t this just the cutest image ever? I never took ballet, but my girls did and I always loved seeing them run around in their little tutus. My dad would just laugh at them and then ask if he could have a “no go” ticket to the recital! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA – they were so cute together! Of course, he did go to a few recitals!

The image was stamped in Black Stazon on watercolor paper and then water colored with distress reinkers. I so love the colors of these reinkers – they are just so vivid! A white gel pen was used to place the dots on the tutu and leotard, and the edges were sponged with Worn Lipstick Distress Ink. The background papers are BasicGrey Phoebe, and they were sewn to a black background panel. The main image panel is raised on mounting tape.

Stamps: Rubbernecker Easter Collection o1-01 Bunny in Tutu and 01-11 Tutu-rrific Text from Rubbernecker Stamp Company

Paper: Black, Canson Watercolor, BasicGrey Phoebe

Ink: Black Stazon; Worn Lipstick, Tattered Rose, Weathered Wood, Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint Tim Holtz Distress Inks

Accessories: Royal & Langnickel Watercolor brush, Black Gel Pen, Signo White Gel Pen, Sewing Machine, Ribbon, Tsukineko Sponge Dauber

Here’s a photo of the product used for this card. All except the sewing machine and gel pens can be found at Rubbernecker Stamp Company.

By the way, don’t forget to comment for my Tawdry Treats, the winner will be announced tomorrow morning. I have also decided to throw in the Hot Stuff card as part of the package. The lucky winner will get to send the card to someone of their choice! Tomorrow is also Treasure Hunt Tuesday at Rubbernecker, and I will have the first clue! If you find the treasure, you will receive it free with any purchase. In addition, for every $50 you spend on stamps, you will receive one image of your choice free! Check the homepage for more details!

Good Sunday morning! I hope your weekend has gone well so far. I was able to spend a good part of my day yesterday in the studio and hopefully will be able to do the same today. Of course, around this house you never know when all hell make break loose. I haven’t seen the oldest daughter in 3 days – she may have already moved and forgot to tell me. I know she forgot to take her stereo, because the alarm went off again this morning. As I laid in bed to the sounds of BA BOOM BA BOOM BA BOOM, I envisioned once again how I will be able to make that room mine and what I could do with the furniture she has left behind.

Oh the anticipation of it all! While waiting for my move, I had to clean my current space so I could at least stamp. I truly thought that the transition would move along a little faster than it has, and wasn’t too worried about my space. Well, now that it is clean and organized – I have the need to stamp. So yesterday I did get quite a bit done. I ended up stamping at least one Valentine’s Day card and got a few Easter ready to go. It occurred to me last Tuesday night that Easter was early this year and then I started to panic. But, Valentine’s Day is first and I have only one card done - hmmmmmm, guess I need to play a little more today.

Now I know this is not the typical Valentine’s Day card, but when I saw this image of the chili peppers and had the sentiment Hot Stuff right in front of me, I couldn’t resist. I found a heart background in my stash and poof – an instant humorous Valentine!

I colored the image of the chili’s with Copic Markers, and used my Blender pen to draw out some of the color where the highlight marks are. Now this is funny, I wanted to put a little glaze over the highlighted areas, and did I grab my glaze pen – NOPE, I got the glitter stardust pen instead. How could I be so stupid? Anyhoo, I finished up the card by stamping my background and coloring the sentiment. I decided to sponge all the edges with distress ink and raised both the chili image and sentiment on mounting tape. Now if I only had someone to send this card too!

Stamps: Rubbernecker Southwest Collection 288-04 Chilis and Sentiment Collection 145-06 Hot Stuff Sentiment; and Stamp Oasis Background Collection 1129 SO Heart Backgroud from Rubbernecker Stamp Company

Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Kraft, Burgundy

Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo and Aged Mahogany Distress Inks

Accessories: Copic Markers, Tsukineko Sponge Dauber, Ribbon, Brads, Mounting Tape, Sakura Stardust Glitter Pen

All products above, except the Copics markers, can be found at Rubbernecker Stamp Company. Don’t forget that Rubbernecker is running a special - for every $50 spent on stamp purchases, you will get one free. You can find out all the details by visiting the Rubbernecker home page.

Now, if you are still with me, cause I know this is starting to be a very long post, I have some Tawdry Treats. The stamps are compliments of Rubbernecker Stamp Company and the ribbon is from my own personal stash.

To win these fabulous Tawdry Treats, leave me a comment. Tell me all about the most memorable Valentine’s Day gift you ever received. Believe it or not, mine is an address book that my aunt gave me when I was about 10 years old. I can even remember that it was wrapped in very colorful tissue paper. I felt like such a big shot with my own personal address book. I will pick the winner on the morning on Tuesday, January 15.

Happy Saturday! I hope some of you are going to find time to stamp today! I know I plan on spending the entire day in my freshly clean and organized rubbah room! No, I haven’t gotten to move yet – still waiting on that daughter of mine to finish getting her stuff out of her room. I’d be glad to help her if she would only tell me what her schedule was – I can’t get a definite answer out of her! To give her credit where credit is due, she is a full-time college student and just took on a full-time position at her job – she is one busy young lady! BUT I’m soooooo anxious to move downstairs, just as I’m sure she is soooooooo anxious to get out on her own!

How many of you have seen the new Tickle Your Funny Bone release by Gina K. Designs? It’s called You Know You’re Old When and I’ve got to tell you, it is one of the most fun sets I’ve had my hands on in a long time. Better than the toilet bowl even - and I thought that one was hilarious! The minute I started putting ink on this set, I couldn’t stop – all I could see were cards my mother would want to send to her lady friends!

Here’s one I worked up that day, on the outside it says You know you’re old when . . . And the inside says . . . Getting lucky means you found your car in the parking lot. I know my mother is going to love this one!!!

The first picture I took of this card, I had striped ribbon and a bow at the top. I took it off and photographed the card again. I think I like it better without the ribbon, and it makes it easier to mail, which is very important to most of my family!

Stamps: You Know You’re Old When by Gina K. Designs

Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, SU Real Red and Basic Black

Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black

Accessories: Copic Markers, Pilot Black Gel Pen

Hope ya’ll have a great Saturday and get to do something that tickles YOUR funny bone!

For the heck of it, I decided to show the card withe the ribbon — which do you like better?

Good morning and happy So I finally got my mess in the studio cleaned up yesterday and actually stamped late into the night. I feel so much better getting all those stamps organized and put away. Now I ALMOST know where everything is!

Before the holidays, I worked on a series of cards using the Cowboy from Lizzie Anne Designs. The first one I posted last week. What I thought I would do, is give you one each week until the series was over. When I started the series, it occurred to me that the little cowboy could be holding any number of things in his hand. With Valentine’s Day drawing near and I am getting some cards ready (I know, typically not my style, I seem to always wait until the last minute), I knew he had to hold a little heart.

Here I have the cowboy holding the heart balloon from the High Hellos set. There was no masking involved. It was just way too easy to stamp that balloon right over his hand. How I love those acrylic blocks! The images were then colored with Copic markers, and the edges were sponged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Actually, the edges of every piece of paper were sponged with the distress ink. The background paper is from a pad that Mallory gave me for Mother’s Day one year which I’m finding myself using more and more. I stitched the background panel to another on the sewing machine. The sentiment, also from High Hellos, was stamped in the distress ink and the panel was made by punching with both the small and large oval punches. I don’t know who will be getting this card, but I think it turned out rather cute.

Stamps: Cowboy and High Hellos from Lizzie Anne Designs

Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Kraft, DCWV Retro Prints Mat Stack

Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink

Accessories: Copic Markers, Tsukineko Sponge Dauber, Brads, Ribbon, Small and Large Oval Punches, Mounting Tape

Happy Thursday! Well, my daughter is still moving in bits and pieces and it looks like the big move is not going to happen any time that soon. So my studio is in shambles, stuff is thrown everywhere, and I have no creative mojo going for me. I guess I am going to have to reorganize again to make some room so that I can find somewhere to stamp. Not only that, with all the new releases and projects I’ve had going the last couple of weeks, new stamps sets are piled all over the place – I have no idea what I really do have. For some, I’m sure they wish they had that problem – for me it only leads to frustration. I am an organized stamper – things have to be put away after each and every project.

Anyhoo, I woke up early this morning – too early actually, but I went ahead and got moving. When the Ways to Use it Challenge was posted on Splitcoast, I thought cool - leather - I think I can do that. The card below is my third attempt at the challenge today. I told you, no creative mojo. You truly do not want to see the other two! I might try and work them up later, but honestly, I might need a to even finish them.

Well let’s get to today’s challenge card.

The image was stamped in Adirondack Pitch Black and then colored with Copic Markers. I found some scraps of old designer paper, sponged all the edges (along with the edges of the image) in Vintage Photo Distress Ink, and layered them all on black cardstock. Now, I knew I had some old leather strappings somewhere, but I couldn’t find them. So when I was digging in my closet I found an old belt. You know those belts you get with pants that you never wear. Why do we keep them? In my case, they never fit and I hate belts. I have just started wearing one particular belt, but only when I have on a pair of my big shorts or jeans. You know, the ones you buy knowing they are too big but you really need something comfortable that will fit at the end of the day! So anyway, I found this old leather belt, cut the ends off and unbraided the thing. I took three strands and rebraided them for the required leather in the challenge. I’ve had some silver ribbon slides hiding in my stash and thread the braid through the slide. To keep with the silver, I placed silver brads around the card and colored the maiden’s jewelry with a Silver Spica Pen.

Stamps: Rubbernecker Southwest Collection 233-07 Woman with Hands Out from Rubbernecker Stamp Company

Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Black and Kraft Cardstock, Outlaw Designer Paper

Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink

Accessories: Copic Markers, Silver Brads and Ribbon Slide, Tsukineko Sponge Dauber, Silver Spica Pen, Leather Straps from an old Belt