Just a quickie...

It's late here, and I don't even have anything new to post (boo hoo!). I have a final project due for my current Master's class, and it's basically sucking up all of my time. I'll be able to stamp tomorrow, as I'm going to my friend (and fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator) Tina's "20 6x6 pages in a day" class to learn how to make a 6x6 album in one day. I'm excited about it, because I think it'll be something I'll use (and give as gifts!!!) and that others would like to learn about too!

I just wanted to post quick and tell everyone to have a great weekend! I'm finishing up three ATC swaps, working on a cute tutorial on something I learned recently using the Tag Punch (it's really cute, fairly easy, and will get a "wow" factor!!), and hopefully doing some regular stamping and scrapbooking somewhere in here. Needless to say, it's a busy weekend in the Magreevy household when you include regular cleaning, organizing, yard work, bathing the pets, running errands, lesson planning, cooking...how did the week go by so QUICKLY?!?! I'm not ready to go back to work!!!!

If you go to Gina K's blog here, you can enter to win not one but TWO Giga Scalloped Punches!! She's giving away a Heart and Rectangle Giga Scalloped Punch...can you believe it?!?!?!? I would be in HEAVEN!!!!!

I'll hopefully post more tomorrow! :-)

Edited to add:
I believe Gina is giving away two separate punches to two winners...so you won't win both punches. Regardless, I entered!!! I'm all for freebies!!!

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I really enjoyed doing this challenge on Splitcoast here as I actually had time to do one! I had to alter the sketch just a tad, but I really love how it turned out. I'm still getting acclimated to a couple of techniques I've stumbled across, so I first tried to do the flower with the Faux Alchohol Ink technique...which looked absolutely AWFUL!!! I attempted to use Vintage Violet, Cool Caribbean and Marigold Morning reinkers to do the background with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol. It was waaaaaaaay too bright, and didn't fit with the subdued theme of the card.

Although it's hard to see, I did use a sponge dauber to dab Perfect Plum all over the main image, which gave it a more vintage feel. I also used a some scraps of the Enchante Designer Series paper in the Stampin' Up Winter Mini Catalog, which is no longer available for purchase (although I wouldn't be surprised if it appears in the new Fall/Winter SU Collection released on July 1). I also put the Very Vanilla cardstock through my Cuttlebug with the Flower Embossing Folder, which I picked up at AllThatScraps. And I LOVE the black Making Memories brads that I grabbed at CrazyScraps, which came in a big set with silver and white brads of different sizes.

Supplies:

Stamps: Delight in Life (SU SellABration set)

Paper: Very Vanilla, Vintage Violet, Enchante DS Paper

Accessories: Making Memories Brads, May Arts Pink Dotted Ribbon, Cuttlebug, Flower Embossing Folder, Stampin' Up Watercolor Wonder Crayons, AquaPainter, Chalks, Sponge Dauber, Marvy Giga Scalloped Punch

I actually stamped today!

Not only did I finish a swap due Monday, but I actually stamped a card for fun. Wow, I had almost forgotten how nice it is to stamp for fun once in awhile! I received my PaperTrey order on Wednesday with the May release of Little Lady, which is a really cute set. It's on backorder until May 30th, but PaperTreyInk does a fantastic job of getting stamps and orders out as soon as the stock is replenished, so order now! I didn't realize just how big the ladybug is...it's about 1" x 1"! Pretty impressive if you want more than one on a card. This didn't turn out exactly how I'd like it...so I might update it and change the main portion. I intended to have the two ladybugs just kind of roaming around, but they look too uniform when I stamped their trail the way that I did (I should have reversed the stamp to make it more creative). I did like that I shortened the saying from "A Happy Life is Made of Little Things" to just "Life is Made of Little Things". I essentially had to do this for the size of everything, because I couldn't fit the first two words on it. I will say I love the color combo, and never get enough opportunities to use the Basic Black cardstock. It really looks fantastic IRL with the Tiny Bubbles Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, and I accented it with May Arts ribbon that I got from AllThatScraps.

I stamped the ladybug body first on Very Vanilla cardstock with Rose Red ink, then stamped the body in Stazon. I then stamped the entire image with the body stamp in Versamark and embossed with clear embossing powder. To give it a thick look, I kept adding embossing powder as I was heating it (and got it everywhere in the process...that stuff really books it across the kitchen table!!). I then cut the wings out, stamped the body image again on the main cardstock, and glued the wings to the main cardstock. Hard to explain...but I think it'll make more sense if you look at the picture. It's a cute project...but not perfect in my opinion. Oh well: it'll be a work in progress for me this weekend!

Materials:

Stamps: Little Lady by PaperTreyInk

Paper: Basic Black, Rose Red by Stampin' Up!

Ink: Rose Red (SU), Black Stazon, Versamark

Accessories: May Arts ribbon, Cuttlebug, Tiny Bubbles Embossing Folder, SU Cutter Kit, Dimensionals

On a non-stamping note, my school is closed this week for our half-term break. The British educational system goes almost year round, and we don't close out the school year until July 20th. So we get a week off each term at the halfway point, then longer breaks between terms. So I'm definitely looking forward to getting things done around the house, sleeping in, completing the three other swaps that are due June 15th on Splitcoast, and finishing up my final project for my Master's class. I can't wait to sleep in Saturday morning!!

WOO HOO!!!

I have had 1,000 visits to my itty bitty blog! How exciting!

I've decided I'm going to offer up some blog candy for 2,500 visits...and I'd love some ideas on what would be good to give up. Post your ideas and tidbits so I can start planning now!!

The Legacy of Buckaroo Blue

I had two swaps due next week, and managed to combine both of their requirements to make one blue card. Yep, me and my blue! A swap in my SU group was to use retiring sets, which made me pull out Flower Fest (boo hoo on it being retired!) and a current hostess set. A swap on Splitcoast required using In-Colors, since they are essentially retiring as well. I decided to whip out the Buckaroo Blue, which I've barely used since picking it up a few months ago (and I still haven't opened the package of True Thyme or inked anything with the pad...that'll teach me to buy something I KNOW I won't use!).

I love the final product, and it only used Buckaroo Blue ink and Versamark! I like how soft it is and very comforting. And (insert a picture of me patting myself on the back), I actually figured out how to put the freakin' new Watermark on the card BY MYSELF!!! WOO HOO!!! I'm relatively tech-savvy, but this seemed a little beyond me. I had to re-download some photo software that I never updated when I had to wipe my computer last year, but quickly figured out how to pop it onto the pictures. I'm really proud of myself. Beth at Freckled Fun Designs definitely had to put the banner up for me (something about deleting HTML code...banner hanging in air...pixels...yada yada...no comprende...) but I got the watermark on there. Yippeee!!!

Supplies: (All Material's Stampin' Up!)

Stamps: Flower Fest, Blooming with Happiness (hostess set), Fine Lace background

Ink: Buckaroo Blue, Versamark

Paper: Buckaroo Blue, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Black embossing powder, silver eyelets, clear embossing powder, cream organdy ribbon

Check out my new banner!!!

Ain't it purty??? Beth from Freckled Fun Designs did it. I LOVE IT!! I'm so glad I found her off someone else's blog, and it was really easy to do. She sent me all her goodies in a PDF file so I could pick the font and any other designs I wanted, plus I had to pick colors. I also love that she used Blue Bayou, one of the new colors coming up in the new catalog for Stampin' Up!!

Thanks soooo much, Beth!!

Time is scarce...

There just aren't enough hours in the day right now! I've been so busy that I've only been able to stamp once in the last four days, and that was to finish a swap that had to be mailed today. I'll post the picture of the swap tomorrow, which is a swap I found on Splitcoast. I've been working on assignments for my Master's classes, lesson planning, yard work, pet duties, and regular run-of-the-mill household duties. I'm pooped!

I hope to have new things to stamp and post by the weekend, as I should be receiving my new PaperTrey Little Lady set this week, as well as the Inky Antics order I made. Woo hoo!

Hope everyone is enjoying their week!