GCA #118 - Happy NEW Year to You!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!!  I pray all of you had a safe and fabulous New Year's Eve and Day!!!  I stayed nice and cozy in my apartment, working on some swaps I need to get out!!

Now that Christmas is behind us and the New Year has started, this week we are going to focus on NEW things!!!  What did you get for Christmas, either from loved ones or stuff you bought yourself????  Anything that is NEW to you, I want you to use it on your creations this week!!

The week of Christmas I received my Occasions/SAB pre-order.  One of the sets I ordered is from the main IB & C, but one I've wanted since the catty came out: Grunge Rock!  Not exactly sure why I like this set, but since I seem to be into more vintage/collage/distressed looks lately I think that's why I like it!

Anyway, I finally inked it up yesterday and new it would be the perfect choice for this week's GCA!!  And, I used every stamp in the set on this card!!!  That doesn't happen very often!  I also made this for the FS204 on SCS : WhiteRockMama AKA Marisa!  I liked the layout she used on her card and the colors.  The colors came from the Curtain Call Color Challenge. 

My changes are:
* Stamp set
* Colors - While I kept the Certainly Celery, I did use the original Melon Mambo and Pink Pirouette from the challenge
* The layout is basically the same, yet I tweaked my sentiment panel and didn't notch the ends.
* Left off the button and used a clip/ribbon combo
* Used rhinestones instead of dew drops

I also used my Distressing Essentials kit - Tea Stain - around the sentiment tag and the main image panel.  The sentiment tag was also distressed with my distressor tool.

Love how this turned out!!!  And I know who it will go to!!  One of my close girlfriends has a birthday in April and this is perfect for her!!  Nothing like being prepared, right??

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by January 8, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA118 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!


Happy Stamping!!!!


~~~Ann~~~~

GCA #108 - Trees, Trees Everywhere!!

Hello all!!!  Yesterday I spent a wonderful day at a stamping event with my up - upline, Jan Wakeland.  She is from Pennsylvania and she some to my little town of Jackson, MI!!!  Jan is an awesome person, so full of love, warmth and such a passion for guiding you in your SU! business.  I have learned a lot from her.  She asked me to do a presentation at the meeting, showing how to use our new Distressing Essentials Kit.  It was a lot of fun, and I forgot completely to take pictures of my projects!!  I know a couple of my friends did so I will see if they can forward them to me.

As I contemplated the challenge for this week, I sat on my balcony looking out and thought "I will sure miss the leaves on the trees surrounding the back of my apartment building."  Since I live in an older complex, we have many, many grown and mature trees that shade us and create privacy.  During the spring, summer and fall seasons I feel like I"m living in my own secluded world as much of the surrounding neighbors are hidden by the trees.  So that is where the idea for this week's GCA came from!

The card I have for you is one I made last year, while still a current set (Trendy Trees), some of the papers and embellies are not.  I used Sage Shadow, dsp from 2009 Holiday mini, Sage Shadow gg, Creamy Caramel textured card stock and Whisper White as my card base.  But still, it's a cute card, if I do say so myself!  This card was created for a VSN challenge on SCS last May.  Here's the details of that challenge:

For this challenge there was a list of items you needed to include on your card!! Those are:

5 layers of dp and/or cardstock
3 colors of ink
1 image
1 sentiment
3 dew drops (brads, bling or liquid pearls will qualify for this - no faux brads/etc)
Stickles or Shimmerz or glitter or glittery gel pen to glam it up!!
some sponging....
and to get the suitcase closed, you'll need some ribbon!! (thread will work too)

* Well, I have 6 layers of card stock, not counting the base layer!
* 1 image and 1 sentiment
* 3 brads
* ribbon and thread!!
* sponging on the frame and image panel
* gold and clear glittery pens used on the tree

My frame around the main image was made using the torn frame technique from the Nov/Dec 2008 TJ newsletter. I love how this turned out, but it took over half my time to create!! Good thing the rest of the card came together very quickly!!!!

My glittery pens on the tree don't show too well, but they are there!

So, the challenge for this week is to have your creation incorporate a tree, or trees, on it.  Even branches count.  And if you don't have any tree stamps, feel free to make your own!

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by October 9, 2010 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA108 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!


Happy Stamping!!!


~~~Ann~~~

An Inspired Thanks - LNS 78

Hello all!!!  I hope everyone was able to enjoy the Independence holiday with family and friends.  I spent the weekend with friends and time in my crafting haven!!  Trying, desperately, to get ready for convention - which only 16 days away!!!!!!

Anyway, this is one of the cards I created this weekend.  The challenge for this week on the Late Night Stampers group is an inspiration one and this is what I came up with.  The minute I saw the picture I thought of my Inspired by Nature set.  Took me a little longer to come up with the idea, but when I did it hit me quick and I HAD to put this together right then!!  Ever have those moments??

I'll start with the Bashful Blue background layer.  I attempted to try a technique which uses mesh bagging to create the texture.  I had a piece from utensils I bought and just found it today while cleaning!!  Anyway, I say attempted because it didn't turn out like I thought it would.  I used my brayer, a sponge, the ink pad and then a sponge dauber and just kind of rubbed it over the mesh.  The effect on here is fine, but I would have liked it slightly more detailed.  I did use Bashful Blue ink.

The main image panel was created using Pacific Point, Bashful Blue and Whisper White.  My thought/idea was to give the look of looking out of a window, but necessarily from an inside view.  Make sense?  Not sure I quite achieved that look, but I do love how this card turned out.

The grass was stamped on Whisper White in Wild Wasabi a couple of times, to create depth.  I then sponged Bashful Blue over, with a scalloped oval, to create sky and clouds.  The sun was actually a "boo-boo", but it turned out ok.  The window frame was created by punching four 1 1/4" squares and running it through the Lattice Square eb folder.

The cone flowers were colored with markers and stamped onto Whisper White.  I used Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight and Chocolate Chip.  LOVE that we now have markers to go with former/new In Colors!!!  I then cut them out and popped them up with dimensionals.  To create even more depth I purposely curved the stems out some and curled up some of the petals.  I then wove them through the linen thread, which is wound around the bottom.

My sentiment is stamped with the new Perfect Punches set, using the Round Tab image and the saying is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  Both of these are done with Pacific Point ink.

The butterflies are cut from the Beautiful Wings embosslit in Pacific Point and Wild Wasabi.  The entire main image panel is popped up with more dimensionals.  To finish this off I used my distressor tool on the Pacific Point and Whisper White panel.  Reminds me of looking at a scene on the beach.

The inside was done with the leftover butterflies, stamped some more grass and layered Bashful Blue, Wild Wasabi dsp and Whisper White together.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~