Life in the Haunted Forest

Remember how I was ooohing and aaahing over Halloween? I'm not done yet, baby!!! :)

I saw today's sketch challenge on Splitcoast and I happened to have the PURRRRRRFECT stamp on my desk!!

Here's the sketch:

Now - don't you agree that this is the perfect spooky goodness for that layout?

The shape of the trees in Haunted Forest (coming up in the Holiday Mini) make it a cinch for the large circle from the Circles #2 die. I cut a white circle, and stamped the image in Basic Black. Then I punched a 1.25" circle out of a post it and masked my moon. Then I brayered Daffodil Delight and Poppy Parade over the circle and removed the mask.

I highlighted the image with my white gel pen. I used my Sahara Sand marker to trace around the image - it just needed a little something, and I think that was it!

The card base is Crumb Cake, and then I used the Pick Your Poison DSP (also from the Holiday Mini) to finish it off.

My favorite part of this image? THIS TEENY WEENY ADORABLE LITTLE RAT!!!!

Oh my goodness I love that rat.

Cutest. Rat. Ever.

Do you like sketch challenges? I gotta give my homegirl Roxie some serious props for what she does with this sketch challenge every Wednesday. She maintains a whole gallery of all the sketches from the beginning of the challenge that you can use for inspiration. There's also an email notice you can subscribe to so you don't miss the weekly sketch. She rocks like that.

So come play! I'm trying to get back on the daily challenge wagon now that my travels are over for a while. It really helps my mojo.

So do you like this stamp?

I have a little treat for you! Every person who places a $50 online order with me between now and August 31 will receive this stamp for FREE when the catalog goes live on September 1!! That's right - that little rat will be yours! Click here to order.

With the buy 3, get one free DSP sale this month, you can really score some serious freebies.

Go forth and stamp!

Giving Away a Date With Colin Firth!

Can you BELIEVE all that great news??? I bet you never thought that stamping would win you a date with Colin Firth!!

Probably because it won't. But if it DID, it would really be cool.

However, it will get you all kinds of cool other stuff :). Like, for example, the new catalog!

 

It's live, and you can get your paws on one by contacting me. Then, there's the starter kit special, with $225 worth of stampy goodness for $99 in July! The kit contents are a $185 value, but if you join in July guess what? You get this $40 project kit bonus!

PLUS - I GET ONE TOO!!! You know you want to buy me a present :) 

To join the fun, click here.

Since I'm traveling for most of July and won't be able to have classes, I have my own special to add. Any customer that places a $50 or higher order on my website during the month of July will be entered into a drawing (1 entry for each $50 spent) to win the sassy new Pennant Parade Stamp Set and matching punch! Whee!!! :)

Now speaking of joining the fun, I decided this weekend I should get cracking on at least a few swaps for convention. Uncharacteristically early for me, I know. But I did an experiment almost a month ago that I really loved, so I thought I'd share it in Salt Lake.

Thanks to my weekly executive session on Friday mornings at St. Arbucks with Kim, I'm able to actually stamp things in a nice uninterrupted stretch, and this week I knocked out a bunch of my experiments for swaps.

Here's how it worked. I took full sheets of cardstock and sponged Daffodil Delight ink all over the whole sheet. Then I went back in spots and sponged Calypso Coral randomly all over the whole sheet. I cut up the sheet into panels, sponged the edges of each rectangle with Soft Suede and added Tempting Turquoise Craft Ink with a foam paintbrush.

Do these colors not look phenomenal together??

I just can't stop looking at them. I stamped the images from the new hostess set - Faith in Nature - over the panels in Basic Black and stuck them on white card bases. To show you how attentive and focused I am, if you look closely, you'll see that I have the leaf upside down - the script is upside down, so clearly I have the leaf in the wrong orientation. Oh well. They'll be collectors items. :)

Now I liked this technique so much that I did it on a larger scale for the Austin Art Boards Contest for Reagan Outdoor. This contest was to create a piece of art that was 6" x 24" for Reagan to use on billboards around town.

The winners haven't been announced yet, so I can't show it to you, but I will soon, I promise!

I've added a few things to my Crazy Bargains page out of my retired stash, so check here for some great $7 stamp sets.

Also, for all you scrappers out there, by popular demand, I added a scrapper's version of my Keep Calm Shirt to the store!

I'll be back tomorrow with some patriotic goodness for you. I was thrilled this morning when Google emailed me and said "You have no events today." Aaaahhh... a day of stamping!

Happy Caturday!

Buried for Another Day...

I feel like that sometimes.

Like I'm running around like a little blue squirrel, burying things, trying to remember where they are and come back to them.

My Google Task list (which I LOVE, btw), it overfloweth. My inbox runneth over.

When things get that way, my cards get simple. And I kinda like it.
How about that sassy woodgrain stamp from the new catalog?? Huh? You want it, don't cha? I like how it's a clean, modern version, and not rustic. It made me think of Martha's beautiful faux bois projects.

I love it in white on blue. I would love it in blue on white. :)

The little blue squirrel is from Animal Crackers. PS - on images where the greeting and the image are together, I always cut them apart so that I can use the images by themselves. Don't forget you can always customize your stamps before you mount them!

A few little events you might want to know about:

The starter kit is on sale for $85!! If you want to join the Understand Blue group of demonstrators, now is the time!! Welcome to Cara Chatfield, the first to take advantage of this special in my group.

If you want to, click here to join. The password is understandblue. :)

Also, I'm having a blogger webinar tonight. If you want to set up a blog, or if you already have one and want to spiff it up - join us tonight! Registration is in my sidebar!

Have a great Thursday!

Have you signed up for the UBlue Cyber Club? Attended one of my Webinars?? Come on - get your geek on! :)

Want to see my other blog?

Inventory Blowout Sale and Answers to some ?s

Hi Ladies!!

Until January 18th, Stampin' Up! is having a giant inventory blowout sale! Check the items here for some unbelievable deals, then head to my SU site to place your order. Every person placing an inventory blowout order prior to the 18th, will go into a drawing for a gift certificate for $30!

Then stay tuned below for answers to your ?'s about the UBlue Cyber Club.

Click the flyer image to enlarge and see the prices.
Onto the club.

1) Yes - the $10 Just the Facts does include postage to mail the supplies like paper, ribbon, etc. to you - it's a flat $10. The PDF will come via email.

2) There will be 3-4 project each month - I do 3 if one is particularly involved.

:) Thanks ladies!!

Hoping to post a card before I leave for Leadership - well, because I like to procrastinate stuff like packing!

CU.

Have you signed up for the UBlue Cyber Club? Attended one of my Webinars?? Come on - get your geek on! :)