Blog friends

I have met so many wonderful people since I started blogging. I think stampers are just the most awesome people

I recently was given this award by three extremely talented women; Pam Hooten, Vicki Chrisman and Lana Lepinski. Each of these woman blow me away with their talent and I am tickled that they thought of me for this.



Here are the rules:
1. Pick 7 of your favorite blogs
2. Winners can put the logo on their blog.
3. Link the person who gave your award to your blog.
4. Name the 7 that you are giving the award to with their links.
5. Leave a message on their blogs so that they know they've won!

I have quite a list of favorites in Google Reader, so it's hard to narrow the list down to 7, but these women REALLY wow me:

1. Make a Difference
2. Pink Tulle with Feathers & Sequins
3. Sassy & Sweet
4. Stamp a Little Love Baby
5. Taylored Expressions
6. Amazing Paper Grace

7. Thinking Inking

If you pay them a visit, be sure and tell them HB says "HI!"

So... no project today. :o(

Life is sooo crazy right now as I've accepted a new position in the bank in St. Paul, MN and I start on Tuesday. I will be living with a friend during the week and coming home on the weekends until we sell the house. Ya know, I think I would rather clean toilets for a living than pack! Today I worked on my craft room. OMGOSH, do you have any idea how much stuff I have!!!!!!!!

Rustic Branches in the Spring

This is my first scallop card! I KNOW! I can't believe I haven't made any of these... I see them all over blogland! Let me tell ya, it won't be my last! It's the perfect size for a little notecard to tell someone you are thinking of them, or to thank them for doing something special!

This is the third season/holiday card I've made using Rustic Branches, the set my friend Pine designed for Papertrey Ink. (you can find Fall here and Christmas here)
I adore this set! (and no, I'm not saying that cuz she's my friend and I adore her. lol! I'm SERIOUS!)

I started by making the scallop face of the card with Bo Bunny paper. It's a heavier weight, almost like cardstock. I know many make the base of the card using the scallop Nestability (you can find these at my dear friend Ellen's store), but I decided to make the base of the card in white, using the large circle Nestability and attaching the scallop to it.

I then used a smaller Nestability to make the inner circle. I embossed this one to give it a "frame", and then sanded the edges to have the white core of the cardstock come through.

I stamped the wreath on white cardstock and then cut it out using a smaller circle. I use Eclipse tape to hold the die in place while running it through my Cuttlebug. It is THE most amazing masking tape ever and because it's removable, it is perfect for holding things temporarily in place. You can find it at Eclectic Paperie (I love that place!).

I punched the little flowers out of the same Bo Bunny cardstock and used a teeny tiny drop of Liquid Pearls for the centers. The center flower (from Beautiful Blooms set by Papertrey Ink) is stamped in black and colored with Copic markers. The center is also Liquid Pearls topped with fine glitter.

I added a couple ribbons, stamped the sentiment on a little jewelers tag, and waLA! Cuteness!

Now... I need to think about what to create for a summer theme using this set! ;o)

Hope your day is FILLED with sunshine!

HB

Supplies

Stamps: Rustic Branches, Beautiful Blooms, Mixed Messages (Papertrey Ink)

Paper: Bo Bunny, Neenah

Ink: Black Soot Distress Ink, Copic markers

Misc: Nestabilites, flower punch (Michael's), Liquid Pearls, Eclipse tape, glitter (Stampendous), ribbon (May Arts, Target), jewelers tag (Office Depot)

Trick or Treat

I've always sent (well, since I've been stamping anyway) Halloween cards to my close friends. I love the colors of Halloween - the oranges and purples and greens (black goes without saying. lol). It's the perfect time to send a hug to someone you care about! It's never expected and will surely give them a smile!

I was cleaning out my old craft room and came upon a piece of decorative paper that I used a couple years ago when making Halloween cards with our granddaughter, Gracie. I love all the little words, in all the colors. I pared it with a new piece of paper that I just got at the LSS from K&Co. (don't 'cha just love being able to make old things new again instead of throwing them away!?!)


Anyway... it was the perfect background for the pumpkin stamp in Hocus Pocus. I stamped the image 3 times on white cardstock, masking off the face on two of them, and then colored all three with Copic markers.

I added just a tich of yellow and grey to Mr. Pumpkin's smile to give the appearance of a candle burning inside (please tell me you think it looks like that, and not just yellow stained teeth! lol)



I added a strip of green cardstock that I texturized with a tracing wheel and some matching buttons from my every growing button box.

The sentiment *Trick or Treat* is from the Spooky Expressions set. I adore all the different fonts Anna used when creating these sentiments!

The two new sets that Anna Wight designed for Whipper Snapper Designs make creating Halloween cards a snap! I love all the whimsical faces she put on the characters in Hocus Pocus! And if you can't find the perfect sentiment in Spooky Expressions, well, then I can't imagine what you want to say!

So... get creating people! Halloween is coming and it feels SO much better to send a treat than to play a trick!
HB

Supplies

Stamps: Spooky Expressions, Hocus Pocus (Anna Wight for Whipper Snapper Designs)
Paper: K & Co, ? (unsure of the other piece), SU!, Neenah
Ink: Black Soot Distress Ink, Copic markers
Misc: buttons (from my button box), ribbon (SU!), glitter (Martha Steward), deco wire (SU!), tracing wheel

Peace Joy Love

The new Rustic Branches set (Pinefeather Press for Papertrey Ink) has got to be one of my very favorites! As I sat playing with it last night, I realized that it can be used for just about every season/holiday. THIS is a fall card.

And here is Christmas:

I used both the solid and the outline wreath that comes in the set. I stamped the solid in Mellow Moss (SU!), stamping off once. I then stamped the outline in black, just slightly off center from the solid leaves. I colored these leaves with Copic markers. I love the shaded effect it created!

I stamped the berries in Cranberry Crisp (SU!) ink and added Candy Cane Stickles over the top. The words are stamped in the same ink and punched out with a 3/4 inch circle punch. I sponged the edges and then added glitter. The crocheted lace added just the right vintage touch.

I love creating simple holiday cards and this one will be easy peasy to mass produce for family & friends!

Next up... Spring! :o)

HB

Supplies

Stamps: Rustic Branches (Pinefeather Press for Papertrey Ink)

Paper: SU!, CTMH, Neenah, (the polka dot is from my scrap bin)

Ink: Black Soot Distress Ink, SU!, Copic markers

Misc: ribbon (CTMH), Nestabilites, circle punches, glitter, Stickles

Favorite treats

I was at the grocery store the other day, looking for something fun to put into some adorable Martha Stewart treat bags I had gotten. And there they were!!! SIXLETS!

As a kid, when I'd come home from trick or treating I'd dump my bag of goodies on the kitchen table and start to pick out what was *mine* and what I'd share! The first thing to go into the *mine* pile was Sixlets! OMGosh, these were my absolute favorite!

The new Anna Wight for Whipper Snapper Designs sets, Spooky Expressions and Hocus Pocus, were perfect for these treat bags. They come with the window, so all I had to do was create a frame using an oval scallop Nestability. I stamped the star from Hocus Pocus with white craft ink all over the bag, added the tag and filled it up with Sixlets.

I stamped the cat (doesn't he just look like he's looking for trouble?) with Black Soot Distress Ink and then covered him in Stardust Stickles. Makes him look a little less ominous, don't you think?

The witches hat on the matching card is mounted on a metal edge tag that I edged with a black Gelly Roll pen. I hung the tag from a button covered in a circle of matching cardstock.

The ribbon is attached to the card with a random sewn stitch (ala my friend Mishie).

I gotta confess. ALL of the Sixlets didn't make it into the treat bag. LOL!

HB

Supplies
Stamps: Hocus Pocus, Spooky Expressions (Anna Wight for Whipper Snapper Designs)
Paper: Crate, CTMH, Neenah, SU!, Bo Bunny
Ink: Black Soot Distress Ink, craft white (SU!), Copic markers,
Misc: Nestabilities, treat bag (Martha Stewart), ribbon (American Crafts), Stardust Stickles, word window punch (SU!), brads (MM), rhinestones (KaiserCraft), buttons, embroidery floss

Thankful for Pine!

My dear, sweet friend Pine (Heather Nichols) released her first stamp set for Papertrey Ink this past weekend, called Rustic Branches. This is her design... start to finish, and I am SO proud and excited for her!!!



I had the privilege of being with her (and 20 of our closest friends) at a retreat center in Wisconsin during the release. It was so exciting to watch her face as her set went live on the Papertrey site at midnight on Friday! We all stood around her, with glasses of champagne, ready to celebrate the stroke of midnight! I created this card for her, to say thanks for letting me share in that joy!

The set is so beautiful... made up of branches and wreaths and everything Pine!

Thanks for stopping by!

HB


Supplies
Stamps: Rustic Branches (Pinefeather Press for Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Burnt Umber (Palette), Sage, Spanish Olive (VersaMagic), Copic markers
Paper: Neenah, Cloud 9, CTMH, gold paint pen (DecoColor)
Misc: Nestabilities, ribbon (Michaels), pin (Heidi Grace),

Wild and Spooooooky

Today's the day! Anna Wight has designed two fabulously spooky Halloween sets for Whipper Snapper Designs; Hocus Pocus and Spooky Expressions, and they are a must have! I am so in love with the smiles on these characters! They have a funky, primitive kinda look to them and they make me happy!


I used the two little ghosts in the Spooky Expressions set to create my own background paper using white pigment ink on kraft paper (Papertrey Ink).

For the card on the left, I created a frame using a rectangle Nestability. I stamped the ghost from Hocus Pocus with black on white cardstock, trimmed him out and popped him up with foam tape. Needing a tich of sparkle, I edged the frame in black glitter. The faux brads are circles of black cardstock covered in the same black glitter.

The card on the right is a simple, 5x5 square card. I stamped the eeeerie spider (don't ya just love that smile!?!) right onto the kraft and then again on white cardstock. I cut out just the body of the spider and popped him up slightly with a piece of chipboard. The sentiment is stamped on white cardstock and matted on black that has been edged in black glitter. I love the way the ghosts in the background are just swirling about!

You can click on each image to have a closer look.

Be sure and check out the other Featured Designers to see what ghoulishly good things they created!

Pam Hooten: http://pamhooten.blogspot.com/

Jami Sibley: http://jami.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

Trudee Sauer: http://trudee.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

Leslie Miller: http://leslierich.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

Thanks for stopping by!!!

HB

Supplies

Stamps: Hocus Pocus, Spooky Expressions (Anna Wight for Whipper Snapper Designs)

Paper: Papertrey Ink, Neenah, ColorMates, Making Memories

Ink: Black Soot Distress Ink, white pigment

Misc: black glitter (Martha Stewart), Nestabilities, Inkssentials opaque white pen, black shimmer pen (Gelly Roll), tracing wheel

odds & ends...

It seems like FOREVER since I sat down to stamp! But, in the midst of all things crazy around here, I had to sit down and make something. A calming of the senses if you will. lol

This Penny Black stamp is one of my all time favorites. I pared the image with gorgeous {Note}worthy paper by MM and a vintage button.

Here is one of (well, two of) the reasons I haven't had a chance to stamp anything. Our granddaughters, Grace and Elise, were here for the weekend. We had such fun at the park!

Gracie is such a great big sister, giving Elise rides on the dinosaur! I tell ya, one forgets how much a 15 month old moves! Up and down stairs, living room... kitchen... living room... stairs... kitchen... repeat 1000 times!

Speaking of kitchens. I spent today prepping food for our girls retreat. 22 of us, from all over the country, will meet up at White's Wildwood Retreat Center tomorrow for 4 days of stamping and laughing and eating. It is just the BEST time! Pine organizes everything and I take care of the food. No frozen pizzas for this crowd!!!

So... I'll see you on Sunday night (ok, maybe Monday. I may need to go to bed when I get home!)

HB

You warm my heart!

Do you ever find yourself with so much on your plate that you don't know which item to tackle first? That's me these days. Our children are moving, we are getting ready to move, jobs are changing, people are going in all directions. YIKES!

I find the best thing for me is to sit in my craft room and color. That clears my mind and helps me to put life back into focus.





This image, by Penny Black is pure therapy! Using Copic markers, I shaded the little hedgehog leaving white spaces in his fur to give it texture. (you can click on the image for a closer look)

The falling roses were stamped on scrap cardstock, colored, cut out, and then mounted on the image with chipboard pieces. I love the dimension that gives without making them so high.

After the roses were colored and highlighted, I used a Stardust Gelly Roll pen to add just a tich of sparkle.

So, when life gets overwhelming, try coloring!
HB

Supplies
Stamps: Penny Black, Papertrey Ink
Paper: Wild Asparagus (My Minds Eye), Neenah
Ink: Palette Noir, Antique Linen Distress Ink, Copic markers
Misc: Ribbon (SU!), Swiss Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug), small scallop square punch, square punch (Marvy), pearl

Delish!

I am soooo lovin this new set by Stampendous called Merry Muffins! It's the new exclusive set at Eclectic Paperie and it's available TODAY!!!

Not only is it an adorable holiday set with it's cute penguin and cheery snowman, but it is a year-round set! There are so many combinations of sentiments!



I used a Beate sketch for this 4.5 x 4.5 card. It's one of my favs! And when you use matching papers (Fall Flowers by SU!), it's even better! I stamped, and cut out the soda glass on a piece of white cardstock, colored just the edges of the glass with a Copic marker (B001) and added some glitter (gotta have that sparkle!).

I stamped Fluffles the cat, all fat and happy floating in the whipped cream, on white cardstock, colored him with Copic markers and then used Liquid Applique to create the whipped cream. I used my very smart friend Lisa Zappa's technique to add glitter to the Liquid Applique! (I cut out the image before adding the Liquid Applique!)


The base is die cut using a round Nestability with the center lightly sprayed with Boo1 (using the Copic Airbrush System) and edged it with glitter. FUN card to create!

Head on over to eP and check out the Merry Mix they put together! I'm guessing this set is going to fly out the doors!

Hope YOUR DAY is delish!!!
HB

Supplies
Stamps: Merry Muffins (Stampendous)
Paper: Fall Flowers DS paper (SU!)
Ink: Black Soot Distress Ink, Copic markers
Misc: Crystal Glitter, Liquid Applique (Stampendous), Nestabilities, punch (SU!), white EP (SU!), tracing wheel, paper piercer, ribbon and bling from my stash

Sneak Peak!

oooo' I am SO ready for winter! OK, so maybe not TOTALLY ready. LOL
But, once you see the new eP exclusive set by Stampendous called *Merry Muffins* you're gonna forget about hot summer days! I guarantee it!





I whipped up this little gift card holder in a snap! It can be used as an ornament, or attached to a gift bag.


















I started with a Stampendous Clipboard, covered it with designer paper, and then made a pocket using a strip of white cardstock covered in coordinating designer paper.








It's so easy because the clip comes off! No trying to finagle your way around it!








The little penguin is all fluffed up and happy sitting atop his cupcake! The *frosting* is Cotton Ball White Fun Flock with a little Crystal Glitter added for sparkle. (you can click on the image to get a closer look)







So, put a big snowflake on your calender for August 8th (that's this Friday!) to run over to eP! Joy & Daisy have even created a *Merry Mix* to go along with *Merry Muffins* that's filled with FUN STUFF!


Supplies
Stamps: Merry Muffins (Stampendous)
Paper: Daisy Bucket Designs, Neenah
Ink: Black Soot (Distress Inks), Copic markers
Misc: Liquid Applique, Fun Flock, Crystal ultra fine glitter (Stampendous), Fiskars scallop border punch, ribbon (May Arts)

...at the edge of a petal

It is at the edge of a petal that love waits.

I think this is my favorite saying of all in the Blooming Expressions set (Anna Wight for Whipper Snapper Designs). It just has such a romantic sound to it.

My friend, Lisa Zappa gave me some chipboard to play with and this little frame is the perfect size for this poppy!

I stamped the flower on Neenah Classic Natural and the stamped over it with the Linen background stamp (SU!) using Antique Linen Distress Ink. I stamped it again on a scrap piece and colored both with Copic markers. I wanted flower to match the background paper (Daisy D's), so I used YR Cream, R27 Cadmium Red and R59 Cardinal, blending them until I achieved the depth I was happy with. I layered just the large blossom using a small piece of chipboard.

I cover the chipboard frame (Crafty Secrets) with a soft yellow paper (Paper Salon) that was stamped using the linen background stamp. I sanded the edges, spritzed on some Creme de Rouge Glimmer Mist (you can find this wonderful stuff at Eclectic Paperie!) for a bit of shimmer and then inked the edges in Burnt Umber (Palette).

The sentiment layer is stamped with the Sanded background stamp (SU!) using Antique Linen Distress Ink. The sentiment and the swirls are stamped in Burnt Umber and then I distressed the edges before matting it on Chocolate Chip cardstock.

Little pearls, an antique brass brad and some beautiful satin ribbon were the finishing touches.

I think this will make a beautiful wedding card!
HB


Supplies
Stamps: Blossoms & Butterflies, Blooming Expressions (Anna Wight for Whipper Snapper), Flourishes (Autumn Leaves)
Paper: Daisy D's, Paper Salon, Neenah, SU!
Ink: Noir, Burnt Umber (Palette), Copic markers, Distress Inks, SU!
Misc: Glimmer Mist, small scallop punch (Marvy), decorative pearls (Joy Crafts), ribbon (SU!), chipboard (Crafty Secrets), piercing tool

Flying Cupcakes!

Fridays are Happy Cupcake Day over at Taylored Expressions, and the layout for this week's challenge is capital F-U-N!!!

I dug through my stash of stamps looking for just the right cupcake to fit the main image panel and nothing, NOTHING struck my fancy. grrrrr Don't you wish you just had a store out your backdoor so you could scoot over and pick up just what you are in the mood for? No? Ok, maybe that's just me.

Then I came across this adorable stamp by Anna Wight for Whipper Snapper Designs called Delivering Balloons! Perfect size, but no cupcakes.

Light Bulb Moment! A tiny cupcake in the balloons!!!

I stamped the teeny tiny cupcake from a Mini Clear Stamps set (Inkadinkado) in each of the balloons, colored them with Copic Markers and then used Stardust Stickles for the frosting.

The rest of the image is also colored with Copic Markers and then bordered with a doodle line using a Copic Multiliner pen (size .05).

The sentiment (Catslife Press) was stamped in black on white cardstock and then using my Copic Airbrush System, I sprayed it to match the designer paper.

*you* (Papertrey Ink) is stamped in white craft and embossed with white detail embossing powder. I even remembered to rub my Embossing Buddy (SU!) over the whole image before stamping and embossing so I don't have little white speckles all over! lol

The scallop boarder is the the reverse side of the plaid designer paper, die cut with a scallop round Nestability. I added the white dots with an Inkssentials opaque white pen.

Here is Taylor's awesome sketch. It will definitely be added to my Sketch & Inspiration book!

Thanks for visiting!

HB

Supplies

Stamps: Whipper Snapper Designs, Catslife Press, Inkadinkado, Papertrey Ink

Paper: Wild Asparagus (My Minds Eye), Neenah

Ink: Palette Noir, Copic markers, craft white (SU!), Copic Multiliner, Inkssentials

Misc: Copic Airbrush System, white detail embossing powder (SU!), Startdust Stickles, Cindyribbon (May Arts), sewing machine

Soft Silhouette

Last weekend there were all kinds of challenges happening over on Splitcoaststampers for the Dare to Get Dirty party (I LOVE a good party!). My life is too crazy right now to try all of them, but they were all fabulous and I have definitely noted them in my Sketch & Inspiration book.


The thing I love most about challenges, whether from SCS or from individual blogs (Taylor's Cupcake Challenge is one of my very favorites... and hey, it's today!) is that they surface styles and techniques that I forget about. I get lost in all the pretty papers and baubles sometimes. lol

For this card, I combined two of the Dare to Get Dirty challenges. The first *Silhouettes* by Joan Ervin. I totally forgot how much I love the simple, yet elegant presentation a Silhouette gives.

The layout is from the challenge issued by Toy. Totally perfect for a silhouette image don't you think?





I used Neenah Classic Natural White for the base and the oval. I stamped the image (Inkadinkadoo) in Grey Wool (CTMH) and then stamped it again on Grey Wool cardstock. This cardstock has a white core, so after I cut out the two birds, I sanded them with an emory board to add just a tich of texture.


I also cut the scallop oval from the Gray Wool cardstock, and then using my Copic Airbrush System, I sprayed T5 (Toner Gray) around the edges to deepen the color. The designer paper is from the Carbon collection (SU!).

The Basic Gray ribbon (SU!) with three little pearls (Hero Arts) added the finishing touch.

So, if your mojo has gone missing (ya, mine got left at my friend Bevie Pearl's house in Chicago!), go find yourself a challenge. I guarantee it will get those creative juices flowing again!

HB