Color Always Means Something

Especially in military uniforms. Think about how much art there really is in the uniforms of our armed forces. The red stripe down the pants of the Marine Corps dress uniform is the "blood" stripe, symbolic of unusually heavy casualties in a significant battle.

Each little piece of cord and ribbon means something. They're not just clothes. Imagine how much more carefully you would choose your clothing if the details all meant something.

The first person to identify the meaning of the ribbon on my little card uniform wins a prize today. And all of you are required to stop and give thanks for people who wear these while we stamp :).


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A Prize, a Lie, a Butterfly!

You know me, the prize will be last. But I'm finally going to award the prize for the Blue scavenger hunt you all went on! Yipee!

But first, let's talk about lying. Specifically, "them." You know - the liars. Wait - let me narrow that down. I'm not referring to every politician ever in the history of humankind. So you can eliminate 80 squillion liars.

I'm talking about the LIARS who told us that that adding advertising to things would reduce the cost. Really? Let's take my Martha Stewart Living Magazine for example. The March 2010 special gardening issue is 168 pages long. 69 FULL PAGES of this magazine are ads. Forget about the partial page ads. There are only 3 two page content spreads prior to page 104 - up to that point, every other page is a full page ad. And yet this magazine costs $5.00? Why doesn't Pepperidge Farms or GM PAY me to read it? Wait - I can't read it, because it's not a magazine. It's an expensive, wasteful, glossy commercial.

Or how about when we all go like sheep to the movie theater - which I do about once a year, but that's another story - and pay $87,000 for a ticket, only to be bombarded by 30 minutes of commercials, preceded by local, cheesy ads prior to lights off.

How about XM radio - that we paid for because it was commercial free? For exactly a minute until they had ads. Or what about cable? Or satellite?

Do you know you see more than 1600 commercial messages per day? It's too much. Enough already. I'm tired of throwing away 69 pages of ads so that I can get one bunny finger puppet idea. We need some sort of bunny finger puppet revolt. I keep calling for revolts, and yet no one has staged an Understand-Blue-give-me-the-(*#^$&#-bunny-finger-puppet already-and-quit-talking-about-your-bladder-medicine-and-terrible-sandwiches-revolt. What's it gonna take? Well done advertising, that's what it's gonna take. Tasteful, relevant advertising.

I know, a prize. :) But first, a card. My wonderful stamping mentor, Beate, is very good at keeping me on task when it comes to stamping. Even when I see a butterfly. She also sent me some Perfect Pearls to play with, and play I did!

The Just for Fun Friday challenge this week was made for me! Aqua, Teal and Kraft. Aaaah - home. I took a beautiful dictionary page my sis gave me - it has kind of a slick finish on the paper, so the sponged ink blended really well. I rubbed layers of Tempting Turquoise and Cool Caribbean into it. Then I took my Bermuda Bay reinker and mixed with my Perfect Pearls Powder until it was about the consistency of acrylic. I painted that on my little Spring Solitude stamp and stamped it on the page. Then after it dried, I outlined the little weedy things with my brown marker and sponged brown ink around them, and the edges of my kraft cardstock and the dictionary page. I stamped the leaves from Stem Silhouettes (stamped off once) along the bottom. I used my Beautiful Butterflies die to cut a butterfly out of the dictionary page, sponged it with Tempting Turquoise, and accented it with sticky rhinestones and my white gel pen. I used Inspired by Nature for the greeting. The little trail is made of rhinestones.
Fun card. Thanks Beate!

Now to the prize! You guys are fabulous! I loved them all. You were so creative! And surely I'm not the only one who found it interesting that we still find the loveliest things that make us happy in nature? That bird of paradise, that little baby's beautiful blue eyes?

As is my custom, I was unable to choose one winner! I chose two, so I'll give the prizes in the order they commented. The die this time goes to Blair - with that heartstopping photo of ice. Incredible!

The second prize - I'll let her choose from my stash, is Lisa (Papergrace), with that bewitching picture of blue-eyed little Grace. Wow, she's pretty.

Thank you guys so much!! Ready for another contest?

I'll be back with the next round of giveaways this week!

Loveyameanitbye.

Oh - you should go play the color challenge! Link your creation in a comment if you do and I'll keep cleaning out my stash! :)

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How Does This Grab Ya?

I just happen to have one of the shopping sprees from the blog hop this week! I'm as excited as you are! It was a surprise to us too, and so crazy fun!

I wonder if it was you? Do you wonder if it was you? Do you want me to TELL you if it was you??

Well first, the rules. If it WAS you, you need to email me - there's a link in my sidebar - with the following information: In the subject line put Day Two and the name of the prize you won and in the body of the email you can squeal :) and give me your address.

So was it you? Well the random number generator picked #120, which was...

Timestamp: 2010-03-26 22:18:49 UTC
resmith said...
Oh, so pretty!!!
March 24, 2010 12:27 PM

So if you are RESMITH - it WAS you! :) Congratulations Liz! :)

Here is a list of the other winning locations for Day Two:

Linda Duke $200 JustRite Shopping Spree

Lucy Abrams $100 Stamp Simply Ribbon Store Shopping Spree

Melody Rupple $100 Spellbinders Shopping Spree

Eva Doblias $100 JustRite Shopping Spree

Enjoy! I'm so jealous!!!

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Home is Where the Crazy Color Language Is...

I LOVE Nautical Flags. Is there anything cooler than communicating in blocks of color? I THINK NOT, matey!

My friend Leslie has been spelling out things with nautical flags for a while. I decided that it would be cool and all theme-y to spell out "Home" in these flags. I imagine that's a welcome signal to a weary traveler!

The background is Old World Map - a retired Stampin' Up! ditty that I will NEVER part with!

stamps: Old World Map paper: Whisper White, Brilliant Blue, Real Red, YoYo Yellow Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Basic Black Satin Ribbon, 1" square punch (All supplies Stampin' Up!)

So all you little voyagers - come home! :)

Oh - I'll announce my BLUE prize tomorrow and have a new round!!

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Sew Rite!

Howdy peeps! Yes, I still know how to spell :).

But today, I'm one of 88 lucky designers in the MEGA March blog hop for JustRite!

For my card I chose a set way out of my normal comfort zone - the Stitched with Love set! Now, if you know me, you know I'm EXACTLY as likely to sew as I am to IRON! :D

However, I loved the images in this set, especially this beautiful little spool. There's something super charming about little spools of thread.

I have the wood stamper, so stamped the center spool image on white cardstock, pierced it, and then stitched it with my linen thread. The background is one of the stitched borders in the set, that I stamped in white craft ink on kraft.

Then I cut the buttons with my Sizzlits die and made a border with a Martha Stewart border punch my buddy Lisa gave me.

The card base is Barely Banana, and so is the ribbon, and I colored the spool with Copics and my white gel pen.

Now, are you ready to keep hopping? You're not going to believe what these bloggers have done!

Here's the full list in case you need a breadcrumb trail - enjoy, and see the details below about the crazy huge list of prizes you can win!

JustRite Inspiration Blog
Sharon Harnist
Sankari Wegman
Marianne Walker
Michelle Wooderson
Linda Duke
Barb Schram
Eva Dobilas
Liz Weber
Jeanne Streiff
Lori Craig
Sharon Johnson
Michelle Woerner
Sherry Cheever
Keri Lee Sereika
Lauren Meader
Michele Boyer
Lucy Abrams
Janine Blackwelder
Edna Morrisedie
Deb Saaranen
Melody Rupple
Charmaine Ikach
Michelle Giraud
Amy Crockett
Lydia Fiedler (You are here :) )
Kelly Landers
Amber Hight
Margie Higuchi
Mary Pfaff
Debbie Seyer

30 designers, FIVE shopping sprees each day. No one knows where the prizes will be! Each day of the hop JustRite will have five Mystery Blog Candy Prizes hidden along the hop with a total retail value of $600. JustRite will randomly select five mystery blogs each day of the hop and randomly allocate each of the shopping sprees. For your chance to win, simply leave a little love (a comment) on each designer’s blog including the JustRite blog. The more designers you leave comments with, the better your chances of winning. Each day’s comments will remain open for three days. A winner from each of the mystery blogs’ comments will be randomly chosen using Random.org. Consult the listing of designers at the JustRite blog each day (each day’s designers will be different) and start out on your way! Beginning Friday, March 26, summaries of all the winners will be posted on the JustRite blog. Good luck to everyone and enjoy all the JustRite eye candy along the hop!

Today during the JustRite Mega March Blog Hop (Day Two) JustRite and its sponsors will be giving away the following five prizes:

· $200 JustRite Shopping Spree
· $100 Spellbinders Shopping Spree
· $100 Stamp Simply Ribbon Store Spree, and
· Two additional $100 JustRite Shopping Sprees!

Blog comments for Day Two will be open until Friday at 6pm EST. On Saturday, JustRite will announce on their blog which five blogs have the mystery candy for Day Two. You will need to go to the JustRite blog to determine where you need to go to find out if you are one of the five lucky winners.

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Even Zebras and Giraffes Need Bubble Baths!

But NEVER cats - I repeat - no cat bathing.
(This message brought to you by Madagascar Bat and Splotchy Paprika)

But giraffes and zebras love a good bubble bath - just look!Stamps: Doodle Factory Boudoir, Doodle Factory Animals, Sentiments - Classic Decor
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Paper: Basic Black, and Basic Grey Marrakech collection
Accessories: White gel pen, Pentel gold gel pen, Copics, dimensionals, circle punches

Now you might be thinking this is an odd couple, but love is love, my people. And these two just clicked! :)

This card is the result of a colossal I Love Lucy moment when I got this Boudoir Doodle Factory stamp set.

I had all the stamps arranged in front of me to work on my designs for the set, and I had the bed stamp upside down.

Yes, that's a bed.
But when I saw it, I pictured this...
Which might explain why I spent all that time in D-Hall.

This card is part of this week's 2S4Y sketch - sponsored by Starving Artistamps. You better hurry if you want that blog candy! :)

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Raccoons are the New Muskrats!

Is there anyone in the world who actually knows what a muskrat is? Because we've all heard Muskrat Love, and happily sung along like nincompoops, without ever wondering why we were singing about something called a Muskrat. Seriously. Say it to yourself "I'M SINGING A SONG ABOUT A MUSKRAT."

It makes no sense.

So, in order to distract ourselves from our nincompoopiness, we better have a prize award for Monday, and then I better give away another prize, yes?

First, Monday. It was a tie between Mary Dawn's darn near existential comment that made me laugh so hard, and Carolyn's blonde joke! Aaah I love a good blonde joke!

So, since Mary Dawn's comment was first, the punch goes to her, but Carolyn gets to choose from my Stampin' Up! acrylic blocks - I have a squillion of them, so just tell me what you want. And both of you send me your addresses.

Yay - winning is fun!

So on to the raccoons.. First. I took the punch like Mary Dawn's prize and punched a glassine envelope and used the heart punch to make a window.

Then, I tied our lovely Real red ribbon around the note that matches the envelope, secured the top with gold cord and slid it into the envelope.


Then I embossed and punched another heart that I put the little raccoon on. His little love bandit heart is glittered. I stamped the glassine envelope with Staz on. So easy & cute. I entered it in the Stampin' Success contest, but alas, did not win! *sound of raccoon growling* They may have specified a muskrat, I can't remember.

So who wants to win a brand spankin' new Sizzix® Big Shot Circles #2 die?

Here's how you do it.

Leave a comment here, and include a link to the most stunningly beautiful BLUE thing on the internet in your comment. It can be glass, wool, living or still, a painting, a shoe - whatever you love that is blue, I want to see it. I will pick my fave.

And I love how sweet you all are - I truly appreciate everyone who said that they already had the prize but played anyway. God bless you stampy people!

Okay - start your engines - let's see your blue finds! :)

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That Deep, Russian Blue...

You know, the Russians "get" blue. Second only to the Japanese, probably. So when I saw this incredibly, stunningly beautiful little Matryoshka set, the color scheme was a no brainer.

I colored the little gorgeous, perfect, nesting dolls with Copics, and arranged them on kraft cardstock.
I filled in the border stamp with my white gel pen, and I dotted the punched border as well with my white pen.

Wait - border? What border? OH... the border I PUNCHED with this??Let's talk about "this." I got some new bookcases, because my studio is out of control, and thanks to Cheshire Kitten, I found out they were cheap enough to be worth the reorg. Thankfully, my sister goes to Ikea daily, because I have shopophobia and cannot do it.

I'm dragging this out because of the ending. So humor me. On the day I had my Dirty Dozen Fan Club gallery deadline, I decided we should put the bookcases together and I should reorganize my whole studio. Because NO ONE procrastinates like me.

Part of the reorg was opening a Stampin' Up! box I'd had for a month and didn't have time to open.
Meaning, I didn't have time to see that I had ordered like a squillion things in duplicate.

OMG. So embarassed. But, my embarassment is your gain.

So here's the deal.

Every day until I give it all away, I'm giving out some big ticket items I have, er, more than one of.

I'm starting with the scallop border punch I used on this card.

Want it?

Well all you have to do is make me laugh in a comment. (keep it clean! :) ) After all, it is...There is going to be a new crazy challenge until all my extra stuff is gone, so tell me...

Do you feel lucky??





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The Fiskateers are Coming!

Actually - they already came!

The lovely and talented Lead Fiskateer Angela Daniels graced our fair city with her lovely presence, and organized a crafty night at Memory Depot that was a BLAST! Here she is with LaRee, the owner of Memory Depot, and yes, that's Austin's own Naughty Secretary (Jennifer Perkins) - an incredibly sweet and fun gal. She even brought us presents, including my new fave crafty tool - the Fiskars hand drill! WE DRILLED LEGOS AND STUFF - I AM NOT KIDDING! So nice to have a very powerful little drill that you don't have to plug in - what brilliance! I was shocked at how well this thing worked. It worked so well that I quickly drilled right through the cutting board I was using. Oops :)

Anyway, my sister made the most adorable little Lego robot! Look at this guy! Squee! His little eyes were drilled with our drills and that's how we put everything together too. So fun.

Then she turned him into a necklace, thanks to the bead-y generosity of a sweet visitor from San Antonio - Carrie Bond.
Angela also taught us how to say "Fiskars" - I promise, you're doing it wrong, just like we're all doing "Copic" wrong. It's fisCARS, not fisKERS. It's super cute. And, in case you're like most people, you are probably saying CAH-pic, when you should be saying COH-pic.

Whew! Now we're all as smart as we are pretty! Heh.

If a Fiskateer comes to your LSS, go to their events - they are great, fun girls with tons of talent and crafty knowledge! I learned a ton and met some awesome local crafty peeps.

See ya tomorrow! :)


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Hi. How Did You Sleep?

I went to the MOST amazing class yesterday. It was given by Roy Williams, a highly successful marketing consultant. He was so brilliant it made my head hurt.
I'd love to share all my notes, but it would take days. However, there are some highlights you might find interesting.

For example, did you know that your right brain - the stamping side :) - never sleeps?

Your left brain does, and as soon as it shuts down, with its annoying logic and rationality, your right brain goes into high gear, integrating the new and unfamiliar you took in during the day with the old and familiar in your head, in a creative problem solving session. That's why after you "sleep on it", sometimes the answers come to you. There are no language functions in your right brain, either. It's good at pattern recognition.

He told us about a sleep study, where one group of students were given a math problem at 7 AM. They had to find a certain shortcut to the problem. At 7 PM, 20% of the students had found the shortcut. However, if they took a group of students and gave them the problem at 7 PM, let them sleep and asked for the solution in the morning, 60% of them found the shortcut.

This is because your creative, wordless, pattern recognizing right brain is working, working all night long on things it can't solve while you are talking and being logical.
Cool, eh? So he suggested if you are proposing something really out of the box and different that might meet resistance, do it at the very end of the day, adjourn the meeting, and reconvene in the morning. People will be much more accepting after they've slept on it and their right brain has worked on it all night.

It also explains why I wake up with completed cards in my head most mornings. And why I sometimes wake up laughing.

Get some sleep!! It's good for your art! I made a really simple card for you today. I cut a tree from the Sweet Pea Designer Paper Pack - I LOVE this paper. Have I even used anything else recently? I think not. I mounted the tree on kraft cardstock and stamped "hi" in Chocolate Chip. Below that is the little border from One of a Kind, with a teeny white dot in the center of each little flower. You could make a bunch of these really fast. There are all sorts of fun things to cut out of that paper, but I really loved the teal and brown.

What are you guys doing this weekend? (Besides sleeping, of course... :) )


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