Good Monday morning!  I think I might be back on track and will be able to post more often than I have the last couple of weeks.  I have a special announcement today! 

A few years ago at Stampfest Orlando, I met the owner of Just For Fun Rubber Stamps, Debby.  She is the organizer of Stampfest Orlando and I’ve had the opportunity to talk with her both times I was there.  She also travels the show circuit, and Just For Fun is always at Stampaway in Cincinnati, giving me another opportunity to chat with Debby and her husband Rick.  Debby and I have talked over the past year and a half about how she wanted to start a design team, blog, etc., and where she needed to start.  Needless to say, with each of us having busy schedules, etc., the discussions never went any further.  This year after chatting very briefly with Debby at CHA and Stampaway Cincinnati, Debby asked if I would put together a design team for her and be the Coordinator.  This time, I said yes and here we are . . . Announcing the very first Just For Fun Design Team!

I am so excited to be working with this group of ladies, some new to the design team world, and a few you’ll immediately recognize as designers I’ve worked with before.  So without further adieu, and in no particular order, I give you the Just For Fun Rubber Stamps Design Team:

Broni Holcombe – Splashes of Watercolor

Heidi Blankenship – Embellished Dreams

Linda Duke – Linda’s Works for Heart

Sandy Sandrus – CleverIdeas

Starla Nelson – Exploring Creativity

Be sure to visit their blogs today, as each of them will be posting with images from Just For Fun Rubber Stamps.  I for one can’t wait to see what they’ve created for us today!

Here’s what I’ve created for today . . . a little Thanksgiving nostalgia.

The image was colored with Distress Re-Inkers and then the edges were sponged with Antique Linen.  When working with a cornucopia image, I always think of the song “Over the river and through the woods.”  If you are at least my age, you’ve got to remember it too!  It was one of those standards we always sung in grade school.  I found a copy of the words on the internet, printed them out, and gave them a little distressing with the Wrinkle Free Distress Technique.  It was then tucked in behind the image.  I made some frames using Spellbinders™ Oval and Square Nesties, and tucked them around the image as well.   I always forget to tell you this, but after I sew the background paper to another panel, I go back and sponge the edges with distress ink.  It tones down the white thread I use so that it appears more aged.

• Stamps:  G1624 Cornucopia from Just For Fun Rubber Stamps
• Paper:  Arches Watercolor; Prism Suede Brown Dark and Papaya Puree Medium; 7 Gypsies Market
• Ink:  Ranger Archival Coffee, Old Paper, Scattered Straw, Vintage Photo, Spiced Marmalade, Dried Marigold, Walnut Stain, Dusty Concord, Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany, Mustard Seed, Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint Distress
• Accessories:  Spellbinders™ S4-128 Classic Squares- Small, S4-126 Classic Squares – Large, S4-Petite Ovals – Small, and S4-139 Petite Scalloped Ovals – Large; Watercolor Brushes; 7 Gypsies Paper Fasteners; Papertrey Vintage Button and Jute; Computer; Sewing Machine; Tsukineko Sponge Daubers; Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fantastic day!

  Are you ready for the little tonight?  I am!  I’ve got a basket full of candy that I don’t like (or can’t eat) to give out and we’re all set. 

Now, how many of you are Steel Magnolia fans?  I LOVE that movie and all the great one-liners that I never get enough of.  One that constantly makes me laugh is when Ouiser is sitting in church and proudly announces that she and her friends used to dress up like nuns and go bar hopping!  When I saw Mo Manning’s drawing of Joy, I knew that I had to have that image and exactly what I was going to do with it.

The image was printed on Neenah paper, water colored with Distress Re-inkers, then die/cut and embossed with Spellbinders™ Circle Nesties.  The sentiment on the front tag and inside the card was computer generated. 

I think I’ll give this card to my mother to send to one of her friends . . . they’ll get a real hoot out of it!

• Stamps:  Joy from Mo’s Digital Pencil, and Happy Birthday from Endless Creations
• Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Prism Frosted Teal; Black; BasicGrey Urban Prairie
• Ink:  Ranger Black Soot, More Mustard, Vintage Photo and China Blue Distress Re-Inkers
• Accessories:  Spellbinders™ S4-116 Classic Circles – Small, S4-114 Classic Circles – Large, S4-125 Classic Scalloped Circles – Small, S4-143 Long Scalloped Rectangles – Large, and S3-031 Scalloped Tags; Kaiser Craft Self-Adhesive Pearls; May Arts Ribbon; Vintage Button; Black Twine; Foam Mounting Tape; Sewing Machine

Have a Happy Halloween and thanks for stopping by!

Hey y’all!  This month has been so hectic that I can’t even believe that we are at the end of October already!  I just don’t know where the days go.  Thanks to all of you for your prayers, well wishes and happy thoughts during the past week.  My mother-in-law’s service was just what she would have wanted!  I must say that those church ladies . . .  WOW . . . can they dish out the food!    My mother-in-law always helped prepare food at the church when there were lunches, services, birthdays, etc., and let me tell you . . .  her friends spared nothing.  There was food to nibble on during the entire day and then they actually served us a sit-down family dinner of fried chicken and all the fixin’s. 

Now that I’ve recouped some of my sleep and am trying NOT to rake leaves, I decided to spend some time in the studio today.  How many of you remember bubble lights?  I loved them as a child and when I found them in the stores when my girls were little, I couldn’t resist buying some.  I can sit for hours and watch the little bubbles  . . . totally wasting time being mesmerized. 

When I saw this stamp from Just For Fun Rubber Stamps, I had to have it!

I colored the image with Copic Markers, drew little bubbles with an Inkssential White Opaque Pen, and then added some dots of Ranger Glossy Accents.  The dots looked like bubbles, but after sleeping on it I decided to cover the entire bulb with Glossy Accents.  Now the bubbles look they are are inside the bulb and not hanging there.  The image was then die/cut and embossed using Spellbinders™  Long Classic Rectangles.  To marked where the branches came out first, trimmed them back to the marks and pulled them through to the other side before cutting.  I’ll show you this in a couple of days via video, I just didn’t have time when I started the project.

My friend, Sharon Johnson, sent me this luscious May Arts Silk Ribbon and I couldn’t resist using it on this card.  If you haven’t tried this ribbon, I would suggest it . . . FABULOUS to work with!

Oops, I almost forgot to tell you that once I colored the image,  I masked the bubble light and airbrushed some pale yellow over the background.  Even though you may not see it, I wanted the light to put off a little glow.

• Stamps:  H2356 Bubble Light and D2615 All Good Cheer from Just For Fun Rubber Stamps
• Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Memory Box Spiceberry; Prism Blush Red Dark and Herbal Garden Medium
• Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Ranger Distress Embossing and Old Paper
• Accessories:  Copic Markers and Airbrush System; Tsukineko Sponge Daubers; Ranger Glossy Accents, Inkssentials White Opaque Pen and Queen’s Gold Embossing Powder; Sewing Machine; May Arts Ribbon; Foam Mounting Tape; Spellbinders™ S4-144 Long Classic Rectangles – Small, S4-143 Long Scalloped Rectangles – Large, S4-140 Petite Ovals – Small, and S4-139 Petite Scalloped Ovals – Large

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ve had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend.  I know I am  . . . it’s Talladega baby!

Good morning!  I must apologize for the lack of posts recently and my inability to stamp.  It’s been very hectic around the Cheever Household over the last few weeks and just when I thought things were going to ease up, we had another setback.  Late last Thursday night we received a phone call that my mother-in-law had collapsed at church.  While I made a pot of coffee and a go cup for Mr. Stodgy, he was getting dressed and heading out the door.  It is a four-hour drive to where he had to go, and minutes meant a great deal at that time.  Unfortunately my mother-in-law passed away early Friday morning, but all her boys were able to be by her side thank goodness.  Today we will be celebrating her life and how she touched everyone she came in contact with.  If you think of us today, think only happy thoughts . . . that’s what my mother-in-law would have wanted.  She loved life and was always available with a helping hand and a kind word.  I am so grateful this marvelous woman was a part of our lives!

Now let me get to my project for today.  Last week I mentioned that I had been working on a special project.  Beate Johns asked me to write a tutorial for Splitcoaststampers on how I make my snowflake medallions.  I also had to do my first video so please be understanding when you watch it.  Quite frankly I like videos but have been scared to do my own.  Now that the jitters have been abated, I’m sure I’ll be doing more!

Here’s my finished project for the tutorial.  You can find the written tutorial on Splitcoaststampers here, Snowflake Medallion.

• Stamps:  Tim Holtz Collection - Retro Holiday from Stampers Anonymous
• Paper: BasicGrey Figgy; Prism Baby Blue Light, Papertrey Rustic Cream and Ripe Avocado; Neenah Classic Crest Solar White
• Ink:   Ranger Distress Embossing and Old Paper; Papertrey Fresh Snow
• Accessories:  Spellbinders™ S4-222 Create a Flake 1, S4-139 Petite Scalloped Ovals - Large, S4-138 Petite Ovals - Large, and S4-174 Petite 5-1/2″ Deckled Scalloped Borderabilities; Sewing Machine; Ranger Glossy Accents and Broken China Distress Embossing Powder; Art Institute Vintage Glass Glitter; Tsukineko Sponge Daubers; Vintage Buttons; Craft Wire; Mounting Tape; May Arts Ribbon

Here’s my first video  . . . please be kind!

I hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Here it is Saturday night, and I’m finally in the studio.  I had an idea for a gift tin, and wanted to see if I could make it work.  Some time ago I picked up a couple of the metal (altoid) tins at Archivers when they were on sale.  I thought I would use them business cards, but they are just the teeniest bit smaller than a business card.  However, they would be perfect for a gift card or money (everyone’s favorite gift)!

I was playing with snowflakes earlier in the week, and had an extra that I wanted to use an embellishment on the tin.  I found some Graphic 45 paper I thought matched and decided to cover one of the tins. 

I found an image that looked snowy and covered it with Ranger Cracked Accents.  The flip side of the paper used to cover the tin was die cut/embossed with Spellbinders™ Curved Rectangles Mega Nesties.  For the fun of it and for some added dimension, I die cut/embossed a portion of a frame using the same Nesties™.

Here’s a close-up of the snowflakes and the image.  I love the effect of the Crackle Accent and of course you know I can never find enough uses for the Vintage Glass Glitter.

You’ll be able to see more about these snowflakes on Wednesday.

• Paper:  Prism Baby Blue Light; Graphic 45 Christmas Past Collection – The Night Before Christmas and Jolly Old St. Nicholas
• Ink:  Ranger Old Paper Distress; Papertrey perfect match Fresh Snow
• Accessories:  Spellbinders™ S5-006 Curved Mega Rectangles and S4-222 Create A Flake One; Tsukineko Sponge Daubers; Crafting Wire; Papertrey Vintage Buttons and Rustic Cream Button Twine; Ranger Glossy, Matte and Crackle Accents; Art Institute Krystallos Vintage Glass Glitter

I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend, and thanks for stopping by.