StampInsanity

I'm MOVING!

2009-08-31T21:07:00.003-04:00

Follow me! The *supremely* talented and amazing Tonya has built me THE coolest, and MOST PERFECT site for StampInsanity! So here is what I need those of you who subscribe by RSS feed to do... because the .blogspot.com blog (this one) will meet its demise shortly!

Visit the awesomeness of http://www.stampinsanity.com/ (sans blogspot) and subscribe to the RSS in the upper right corner of the page. That's all. I know - I ask a lot. But you will want to be getting the updates, previews and special SI info forthcoming! Like this IMPORTANT NUGGET:

***The official release date for the first two SIS sets has been pushed back to Wednesday, Sept 9!*** 09-09-09.... that's got to be lucky, or somethin', right?!

I cannot wait to share Morgan and Henry with you! And my smart alecky, ummm, wit. Yeah, wit. I'll go with that family-friendly version. :)

So, do your RSS subscribing, bookmarking, or choose your preferred way to keep up ~ because it's about to get interesting!

THANK YOU, T! You are unequivocally THE greatest human I have ever known! YAFA, chica!

Exciting News!

2009-08-26T14:40:00.002-04:00

Hey, y’all! I have some *VERY* exciting news! After a metric butt-ton of planning, praying, working, stressing (rinse and repeat about 224 times… LOL) and finally achieving… I am so excited to release my first line of StampInsanity Stamps! Henry© and Morgan© will be here for your viewing and stamping bliss on September 4th! Be sure to come back to see them in all of their awesomeness ~ especially to see the *amazing* Design Team and their first creations using SI Stamps! In addition to Henry and Morgan, I will be releasing a set called Otherworldly Loves, and this one is just funny. If you are a certified Paranormal Princess like me, you will love this one! Future releases will knock your socks off, too – be sure to come back to see what the hubbub is about! See you on the 4th for all of the release day festivities, and your chance to win goodies!

Until then, savor the StampInsanity!

TTSVC#3 ~ Team Bill or Team Eric…

2009-08-19T15:47:00.001-04:00

Welcome back to Twilight Tuesday Sookie/Vampire Challenge! After a break last month, we are raring to go – especially after the last few episodes of True Blood! This month, we are seeking your opinions and your creative genius to demonstrate which “team” you are on… Having mentioned TB, I have to remind you that this is the book series challenge – not the HBO show! SO – does Bill’s cool, calm Southern gentleman demeanor chill your jangled nerves, or does Eric’s magnetic, powerful aura flick your Bic…

*sigh* I am so in love with these two vampires. Geez. But while I love Bill from the story (ESPECIALLY the show!!), I am completely infatuated with Eric, er, Alexander Skarsgard!! Now would be the appropriate time for me to plead Switzerland, but that’s a copout. *GAH!* So, yes, I remain Team Bill – and seriously, you can spare me the wet noodle treatment about some of his actions. I can meet you one-for-one with questionable Eric moves! lol They are both flawed, beautiful vampires. So completely different that it is hard to compare and impossible to choose. Alas, moving on, I have no project. My computer is all but dead, and I cannot get to my files at the moment. I am hoping to remedy that soon – let’s cross some fingers and toes, because I have some important stuff on there… See my next post!!!

TTIC43 ~ A Love Song For Edward & Bella

2009-08-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

I love music! I relate just about everything I hear in songs to something. I just love it - I FEEL it! So my challenge is going to draw on that. I challenge you to think about the Saga as a whole, and then to decide in retrospect, what Edward and Bella's song should be. It can be a song about a particular part of their relationship, or their journey as a whole. Be prepared to explain!! This IS a variation of a prior challenge, so I ask that you try and go in a different direction if you participated previously! This will take some thought before project ideas even come into play - I better go start studying my iPod now...
Challenge Portion: Choose a song. Explain why it should be theirs. Share lyrics that are particularly poignant, if you can. Create a project scrapbook layout around this song.
Comment Portion: Do you have a theme song? One that seems to have been written *just* for you? Do tell! You can go as fun or profound as you are comfortable with - it is all good!

Yep, that was me. I wrote this challenge – and I was so excited by it, I wrote it up & passed it on to the Designers MONTHS ago! It was going to be SOOO easy for me, because I love music so. Yeah, a funny thing happened – I cannot find a song to save my mortal soul! ME! Someone who breathes music, cannot seem to come up with an appropriate song. Well, as I am writing, it is Thursday August 13 (last Thursday, as of posting day!) and I am dying here! It occurred to me that you might get a kick out of my creative struggles, so I thought I would share – and yes, that makes you weird. :) Joshing!!!

Anyhoo… here it is in a nutshell. I’m stumped. My choices are too Rock. Too gooey. Too teeny-bopper. Too edgy. Gah! Am I being too picky? Well, duh. This is serious stuff! What I *should* have challenged was a song that represents their relationship or something, because there is a metric butt-TON of great breakup songs, which would ROCK us into the New Moon movie hype. But NO. I had to go romantic. *gag* I. Am. A. Doofus. I’ll be back another day, and hopefully I will have a great Love Song for Edward and Bells. Let’s keep our fingers crossed, shall we? …in the meantime, “I’m not gonna write you a Love Song, ‘Cause you asked for it; ‘Cause you need one, you see…” Sara Bareilles <—She rocks!!

Well, I did it. I found a song – not a perfect one, but a really good one! It is called The Luckiest, by Ben Folds. I figure that we all can agree that being teenagers madly in love eternally is pretty lucky! :) I can envision Edward playing the piano and singing this to Bella. You should be hearing Ben singing now - he's just so soothing. Love him! Anyhoo... onto my project. (I will post the lyrics below!)

Now, given my logistical issues with creating (roughly 85% of my cr – uh, stuff off being lonely in the storage facility and all) I am really happy with this. I managed to scrounge enough pieces of like colors to make it work. IMHO, that is. :) I *DID* have a snafu with the title bar… I packed away my Cricut cord! GAH! So I added that by computer. Sue me. It’s kinda fun to have to work outside the box – and improvise. Working with what I got… my own little Limited Supply Challenge! LOL …however… I did just notice that this is incomplete! Holy cow. I guess that catastrophic and final computer meltdown threw me off (another rant for another day!)… In the center, I meant to add “A Love Song For Edward and Bella” over the shadowed musical notes I stamped on there. Save me! Gawd.

As promised, here are the lyrics ~ I warned you, these are not particularly profound, but they work literally and metaphorically. I dig it – hope you do too! (Jac~ I am lookin’ at YOU, girlfriend!)

~Beth

I don't get many things right the first time
In fact, I am told that a lot
Now I know all the wrong turns, the stumbles and falls
Brought me here

And where was I before the day
That I first saw your lovely face?
Now I see it everyday
And I know

That I am
I am
I am
The luckiest

What if I'd been born fifty years before you (*wink*)
In a house on a street where you lived?
Maybe I'd be outside as you passed on your bike
Would I know?

And in a white sea of eyes
I see one pair that I recognize
And I know
That I am

I am
I am
The luckiest

I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you
Next door there's an old man who lived to his nineties
And one day passed away in his sleep
And his wife; she stayed for a couple of days
And passed away

I'm sorry, I know that's a strange way to tell you that I know we belong
That I know
That I am

I am
I am
The luckiest

Please join in and play along with us! If you do, here are a few guidelines to follow:

For posting to a blog: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as Splitcoast Stampers or Flickr: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; an example is TTIC43 for challenge 43. No number signs (#) or spaces are needed in the keyword. You can also add in more general keywords for Splitcoast/Flickr (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge, etc.). Thank you for your help with this!

Comments/Posting your link: Please leave a comment with the link to your challenge piece to tell us that you played along with us! Then we can all visit you and leave lovely comments for you. (We are no longer using Mr. Linky as we were having quite a few spam issues and downtime.) We are big fans of comments around here! And don’t forget — leaving a comment on this post will get you entered into this month’s blog candy giveaway!

And as always, our Design Team has fantastic projects to display for this week’s challenge - please go and check them out!

Beth ~ Dani ~ Eve ~ Jen ~ Julie ~ Margie ~ Rebecca

with Guest Designers:

Alison ~ Donna ~ Jacquie ~ Erica (subbing for Margie!)

Special Wednesday Challenge ~ Club Scrap Part Deux

2009-08-12T08:00:00.002-04:00

As promised, another Special Wednesday Challenge! This is the second half of last week’s Club Scrap sponsored challenge, and we were challenged to make anything but a card – with the theme The Men or Women of Twilight, depending on which kit we were given. I received the Geared Up Flag Book kit, and was totally going to make an album “by Edward” of the cars in his life. Alas, I seem to have lost a piece of the kit along the way, and had to improvise. After some serious scrounging for a piece of (beat up) black 12x12 paper, I was able to use some of the pictures I printed! I figure that being the gearheads they are, and the fact that they are immortal and all… they probably would keep some sort of momento of their cars through the eras… Now, about this PAPER! Wowzers. The texture and depth of color is awesome! It was hard to make myself cover any of it up! (FYI – the paper behind the Volvo and Porsche is not CS) Gorgeous materials. You can see more of their fantastic product line on their website.

We have a few other designers working with CS kits: Please visit Dani ~ Eve ~ Rebecca ~ Alison ~ Erica and show them some TwiLove! Peace Out! :)(:

Happy Twilight Tuesday!

2009-08-11T11:15:00.002-04:00

Hello, Twilighters! ‘Memba me? I bet not – I wonder if I even remember how to post! Sheesh. I don’t know about you but this summer has effectively kicked my butt. I am counting down the days until school so I can REST! Funny – I always thought that was what summer VACATION was for… I was SO wrong. Just a quick note explaining my absence – avoiding a long and boring story… the bottom line is that I have had to pack up my WHOLE craft room. OMLV – what a job that was. It is now lonely and safely tucked away in a storage facility. I swear I am positively twitchy with it so far away! SO… in addition to only having super basic tools and extremely limited supplies on hand, I also have no tables to work on! Well, I technically have tables – living room, dining room, etc – but prospective home buyers don’t really need to see my creative process! (ie, MESS) It is a major downer to not be playing regularly, but as time and space permit, I will get some challenges met.

Anyhoo ~ I just wanted to pop in and make sure you remember to bookmark me, subscribe or follow my blog because there is some STRAIGHT UP AWESOME things about to appear here! Seriously. Profoundly cool. With fangs. (…and so much more!)

Also, this week’s TTIC is one of my favorites so far, and I don’t have my toys to play! Erica has issued a GREAT one. Rock on, Erica! I can’t wait to see what people do with your Unlikely challenge! :)

TOMORROW! Tomorrow! (I will spare you the ‘love ya, tomorrow’) Ah-hem… as I was saying, tomorrow is a Special Wednesday Challenge, in which I AM participating. I know, I just totally made your day, didn’t I? *sigh* It’s a gift. You will totally want to see this. Very different for me. And on that note – see you tomorrow!

Fresh From the Greeting Farm ~ It’s a Mini Edward!

2009-07-15T10:05:00.001-04:00

Bonus time! Check out this super cute stamp from the Greeting Farm! Mix in an extra color challenge from Margie, and this is what I came up with! Wicked cute, I’d say! Look closely, and you will see he shimmers, ‘cuz really, what the heck good is a Cullen if he doesn’t SPARKLE! :) Other cool touch… check out my current technique brain-child, tye-dying with markers. Ok – surely someone somewhere has done this, but I haven’t seen it yet, so THERE! Hee hee. Forgive me – I am punchy from staying up to try and force Blogger to accept this post. (I lost.)

Since I am completely discombobulated this morning, let’s go back and review the challenge, shall we? *sigh* :)

The creative portion of the challenge is to make a piece using the classic Twilight color scheme of red, black, and silver, and you must use a stamp from The Greeting Farm to play along.

For the comment portion of the challenge:

So many of us turn to these classic colors for Twilight projects, which are clearly inspired by the covers of the books. However, we’d like to know if you have other favorite colors to use for Twilight projects. Do you have any other interesting colors that you like to use? Leave a comment here and tell us about it!

Have a Twilicious day, Twilighters! Did you see Harry Potter yet? Squeeee… :D *Ahem* On to the fine print….

Alison ~ Beth ~ Jen ~ Julie ~ Tonya ~ Margie

Please join in and play along with us and leave a comment with your link!

If you do, here are a few guidelines to follow:

For posting to a blog: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as Splitcoast Stampers or Flickr: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; an example is TTICTGFC for The Greeting Farm Challenge. No number signs (#) or spaces are needed in the keyword. You can also add in more general keywords for Splitcoast/Flickr (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge, etc.). Thank you for your help with this!

Comments/Posting your link: Please leave a comment with the link to your challenge piece to tell us that you played along with us! Then we can all visit you and leave lovely comments for you. We are big fans of comments around here! And don’t forget — leaving a comment on this post will get you entered into this month’s blog candy giveaway! We also have a weekly blog candy prizethis week, and a comment here will get you entered for that as well. (We are no longer using Mr. Linky as we were having trouble with spam and frequent downtime.)

TTIC38 ~ Bella & Edward’s Honeymoon

2009-07-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

This week's challenge was issued by Dani, and we will focus on the honeymoon scene from Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. If you have not read this book beware, there will be spoilers!

I’m nothing if not thorough.
Edward Cullen, Breaking Dawn, Chapter 5, p.78

He didn’t ask what I was thinking, which was out of character for him.
I guessed that meant that he was just as nervous as I suddenly was.
Bella Cullen, Breaking Dawn, Chapter 5, p.79

Breaking Dawn has so many wonderful scenes and one of my favorites is the honeymoon that Edward took Bella on after they were married. What a romantic time for them. Alone on a tropical island… sigh. This is the stuff that dreams are made of.

The Challenges:
Craft – Make something that you feel represents Bella and Edward’s honeymoon.

Comment – Tell us about your honeymoon (no personal details please!). Did you go somewhere or see something special? Or did you just hide out from the world and enjoy being with your new spouse?
If you haven’t been on a honeymoon, that is ok! What is your dream honeymoon?

Well… Welcome Back, blog hoppers! I decided to try my admittedly non-technical hands at digital scrapbooking. Wow – these last few hours have made me appreciate your talents, Digiscrappers! And how. Yikes, yikes and … EGADS! I am almost embarrassed to put this up, but I figure I can look back in a few months and see how far I have (hopefully) come in my digiscrap projects! It’s a noble goal. Here goes…

*sigh* I TOLD you! You know – it has potential! Someone did an admirable job of PhotoShopping this picture together, and the background works. But darned if I could figure out how to embellish it! Sheesh! Now that I have WOWed you, here is lame attempt number two! Repeat same concerns from above! Hopefully, faithful readers, I will have my old fashioned paper and supplies back in a place where I can unpack and actually USE them!

Moving on, I had a wonderful honeymoon in Jamaica. In fact, last summer we returned to the same Sandals resort for our 10 year anniversary. It was lovely. I haven’t told my Hub yet, but I am pretty sure I will retire there… He can come if he wants to. :)

******

Please join in and play along with us! If you do, here are a few guidelines to follow:

For posting to a blog: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as Splitcoast Stampers or Flickr: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; an example is TTIC38 for challenge 38. No number signs (#) or spaces are needed in the keyword. You can also add in more general keywords for Splitcoast/Flickr (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge, etc.). Thank you for your help with this!

And as always, our Design Team has fantastic projects to display for this week’s challenge - please go and check them out!

Dani ~ Eve ~ Jen ~ Julie ~ Rebecca

with Guest Designers:

Alison ~ Donna ~ Jacquie

TTIC36 ~ What Says Twilight to You?

2009-06-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

This week’s challenge comes from Julie with the excitement of the Artful Inkables release:

So many things say “Twilight” to the multitudes of Twilight fans. What images do you think of when you think about the Twilight books and movies? For some, Twilight means an apple, for some, the chess piece on the cover of Breaking Dawn, and for others, Bella’s truck conjures it up. Many fans love to express their Twilight love by choosing a “team” to root for, and others have favorite quotes from the book that are near and dear to them. Please create a piece that expresses what comes to mind when YOU think of the Twilight saga.
For the comment portion of the challenge: Many people often say that reading the Twilight saga has been life-changing. Please share how the saga has changed your own life or made you view life in a different way.

It’s no secret that I am firmly Team Jacob. I chose to showcase the wolf and my devout puppy love. I hope that you enjoy your blog hopping and the exciting stamp release from Artful Inkables!

Remember: Each comment you leave on a TTIC challenge is an entry into this month’s Blog Candy Give Away!!!

Please join in and play along with us! If you do, here are a few guidelines to follow:

For posting to a blog: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as Splitcoast Stampers or Flickr: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; an example is TTIC36 for challenge 36. No number signs (#) or spaces are needed in the keyword. You can also add in more general keywords for Splitcoast/Flickr (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge, etc.). Thank you for your help with this!

And as always, our Design Team has fantastic projects to display for this week’s challenge - please go and check them out!

Dani ~ Eve ~ Jen ~ Julie ~ Margie ~ Rebecca ~ Tonya

with Guest Designers:

Alison ~ Donna ~ Jacquie

TTIC35 ~ Renesmee (Breaking Dawn Spoilers!)

2009-06-16T13:16:00.001-04:00

Sorry I am late, Twilighters! Technical difficulties – technically, I left my camera locked in my gym bag… at the gym. Before you ask, I was taking pictures of my son and his mad tennis skillz… nothing creepy! :) sheesh. Now, on with the show…

This week we have our challenge issued by one of our current Guest Design Teamers, Jacquie! ***BUT, since we are headed into Breaking Dawn territory, just a fair warning to stop here if you have not read BD yet!*** Here’s what she offers:

Today's challenge is taken from Breaking Dawn, we learn that Bella is pregnant and she makes it through the birth and we meet her and Edward's baby, Renesmee. She is amazingly talented, gorgeous and immediately becomes the focus of ALL the main characters in an individual way.
Renesmee is half vampire/ half human, she has the gift of being able to transmit her thoughts through her touch. She grows fast and as we find out later in the book she will stop growing at 15 and she is immortal. We learn that Jacob has imprinted on her also. She shimmers in the sun, has her mothers brown eyes, Charlies curly hair, likes blood over food, she learns at an amazingly fast pace and easily wins over anyone that comes near her. I love how she is so charismatic, I love her character!

"She's like nothing else in the world," he told me... Bella Swan Breaking Dawn pg. 428
"The stranger-child in Rosalie's arms had to be weeks, if not months, old...Her shiny bronze-colored hair fell in ringlets past her shoulders. Her chocolate brown eyes examined me with an interest that was not at all childlike: it was adult, aware and intelligent"....Bella Swan Breaking Dawn pg. 438

Challenge Portion: There are so many options for this challenge, you can focus on the relationship between Renesmee and Bella, Edward, Jacob, Charlie, Rosaliee, Aro. You can think of her powers, or just her looks. Anything goes!!
Comment Portion: She has so much power over everyone right away, is there anything or anyone that has pulled you in so swiftly, a friend, a spouse? Do you know a sweet little girl like Nessie without the being half vampire of course . Tell us a little about it!

Well, I gotta tell ya… I had trouble with Renesmee – the storyline, not the cute little girl Jacquie so eloquently described. How can you not love THAT little girl! However, I am going to go ahead and let you know that MY SON is just such a child. Yep – especially when he was a baby… before he could even smile, you could see the joy in his face. I used to say he “smiled with his eyes”, because he totally did! People gravitated to him and he charmed them. When he was just learning to talk, among his first words were the different makes and models of cars, (Momma was NOT first, btw!) He was basically our dancing bear – everyone wanted to hear him tell what cars were going by or being pointed out. His great fun was walking up and down parking lots pointing to vehicle logos to learn what the cars were. (He’s still a car fiend today, in fact!) Keep in mind, he was less than 2 at the time! SO, yes, I know such a child. :) On that note, this is what I created, and boy, did I go Old School with this one! I envision her newborn picture in the center, with maybe her birth info, or love notes from her new family in the flowers above. Or even closeups of fingers and toes – the possibilities are endless. But since she is NOT your average baby, I thought she should have VIBRANT birth page fitting her personality.

Remember: Each comment you leave on a TTIC challenge is an entry into this month’s Blog Candy Give Away!!!

Please join in and play along with us! If you do, here are a few guidelines to follow:

For posting to a blog: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as Splitcoast Stampers or Flickr: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; an example is TTIC35 for challenge 35. No number signs (#) or spaces are needed in the keyword. You can also add in more general keywords for Splitcoast/Flickr (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge, etc.). Thank you for your help with this!

And as always, our Design Team has fantastic projects to display for this week’s challenge - please go and check them out!

Dani ~ Eve ~ Jen ~ Julie ~ Margie ~ Rebecca ~ Tonya

with Guest Designers:

Alison ~ Donna ~ Jacquie

TTSVC#3 ~ Sookie Stackhouse

2009-06-15T09:00:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Twilight Tuesday’s Sookie Vampire Challenge (TTSVC) #3!

This month we are drawing our inspiration from our favorite mindreading cocktail waitress, Merlotte's own Sookie Stackhouse!
Craft Portion: Create a project that embodies the uniqueness that is Sookie. Embrace her character, and show some Sookie-love!
Comment Portion: What is it about Sookie that is so captivating? Why do you suppose she was so anxious to meet a vampire? Or, how do you think her life would differ if she never met Bill that night, or if she hadn't saved him from the Rattrays? hmmm.... Choose question one or take on them all - this is sure to be a FUN challenge!

First of all – DID YOU SEE TRUE BLOOD LAST NIGHT?! Oh, stinkin’ WOW! It was SO worth the wait! *doing the happy dance* Those are some serious vampires right there! Awesome… I SO love that show! Any Team Bill out there? I mean, real Team Bill-ers… like who have to defend him to the Team Eric minions? LOL Can I just say, nanner nanner… Bill is the MAN!

Moving on to the business at hand, I really enjoy Sookie. I love her gift/curse (the whole mindreading thing) and I love how she deals with it. She snaps a smile on her face and does her best with it. She doesn't whine or hide herself away. She grins and bears it. Which is what led me to make this little matchbook card:

‘Cuz that’s what Sookie does ~ she grins and bears it. Can you imagine having to hear everyone’s thoughts ALL the time? Eww. It would be handy for about 1% of the time. Or maybe more if you are a mom. :) That’s is what I love about her. Her Gran raised her right. She is a pure heart with a strong moral compass, who jumps headlong onto the vampire world – which is not so much of the same persuasion! And she stays true to herself. Sookie is just a great character which makes these books so enjoyable.

Margie * Jacquie

(Don’t forget, you can subscribe to the Challenge Post’s comments for others who join in!)

Please join in and play along with us! If you do, here are a few guidelines to follow:

For posting to a blog: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Sookie Vampire Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as Splitcoast Stampers: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Sookie Vampire Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; this week’s keyword is TTSVC3. No number signs (#) or spaces are needed in the keyword. You can also add in more general keywords for Splitcoast (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Sookie Vampire Challenge, etc.). Thank you for your help with this!

Look What I Got! I’ve been RAK’ed!

2009-06-09T12:45:00.004-04:00

No, not “racked”! Specifically, you know, b‘cuz I am a chick, and all ~ No, I was RAK’ed with a Random Act of Kindness from a fellow Twihard! I got a postcard of Volterra – FROM VOLTERRA! Is that frickin’ COOL BEANS, or what?! Ok, ok – here it is…

OH-SO-COOL, indeed. I’m keeping my note on the back to myself, ‘cause I’m selfish like that, but she does say that the views are awesome and she found some tulips painted red and white, a la the NM book cover! COOL. NESS. I would love to see that! *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* LOL Sounds like Volterra is really embracing their place in the series!! Thank you, TIA! Made my day!! Now it’s time to RAK someone… Who will YOU RAK today??? Do tell…

Yes, it IS photographed on a (clean!) pillowcase – what’s your point? LOL

If you are looking for TTIC#34, scroll down, or click HERE!

TTIC34 ~ Celebrate Summer!

2009-06-09T10:18:00.001-04:00

This week Jen brings us this FUN challenge! Read on:

One of the enigmatic things about Twilight is that every book aside from Breaking Dawn revolves around the school year. Twilight ends with Prom and New Mo on picks back up as school starts again, likewise with Eclipse. I always wonder what Edward and Bella did with their summer vacations, especially that summer between Twilight and New Moon and as summer is creeping upon us rather rapidly with the summer solstice is just under two weeks away on June 21st I thought it would be fun to celebrate summer this week!

Now on to the challenges!

Creative Challenge: Your creative challenge this week is to go all out and celebrate summer! You can create a Twilight themed summer piece or you can celebrate your own summer plans or a fantastic summer that has passed.

Those of you participating on the other side of the world from those of us in the US/Canada are just wrapping up your summer… your task is similar to above, celebrate something wonderful you did this summer or focus on Bella and Edward’s possible summer adventures.

Comment Challenge: Do you have a favorite summer adventure of your own? I want to hear about it! It could be from your childhood or currently. Do you have any exciting things planned for THIS summer? I’d love to hear about those too!!

Well, this week, I FINALLY (sorry, Dani!) got to do Dani’s awesome Sketch Challenge! And I went *gasp* cute! You know – I love summer and all of the extra time with The Boy, day trips, bug bites, bike rides, pool time – phew! I’m getting worn out already and school has been out for one day! Since I have oodles of boy summer experiences past and future, I focused on the Cullen girls. My card shows my fantasy day, a full-on SPA DAY, lived out through Rosalie and Alice.

Remember: Each comment you leave on a TTIC challenge is an entry into this month’s Blog Candy Give Away!!!

Please join in and play along with us! If you do, here are a few guidelines to follow:

For posting to a blog: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as Splitcoast Stampers or Flickr: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; an example is TTIC34 for challenge 34. No number signs (#) or spaces are needed in the keyword. You can also add in more general keywords for Splitcoast/Flickr (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge, etc.). Thank you for your help with this!

And as always, our Design Team has fantastic projects to display for this week’s challenge - please go and check them out!

Beth ~ Dani ~ Eve ~ Jen ~ Julie ~ Margie ~ Rebecca ~ Tonya

with Guest Designers:

Alison ~ Donna ~ Jacquie

A TTIC Vacation Day…

2009-06-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

By the grace of our fearless leader, Tonya, we’ve been allowed a vacation day. And none too soon – I am learning very quickly (and mercilessly, I’ll add!) that the last couple of weeks of primary school is CRAZAY-ZAY!!!! Holy cow. So I thought I would steer you to a post I did a few months ago where I narrated and revisited some of my earlier challenges. Rest assured, we will be back on our Twilight horses next Tuesday and raring to go!

Also – have you checked out Tonya’s brand new store??? It’s amazing and to celebrate her Grand Opening she is offering a special discount! Go look quick! Discounts don’t last forever! Go share the love and support *T* and all of her incredible hard work!

See you next week, Twilighters! Oh, and just because I love y’all… and this seemed to be the highlight of my post last week :D…

TTIC33 ~ Favorite New Moon Quote

2009-05-26T08:00:00.002-04:00

I love quotes that capture a moment - just a sentence or two that stick out and remain in your memory forever. My challenge is to choose one from New Moon (that is a challenge in and of itself ~ choosing just one) that sticks with you. One of my favorite quotes in the whole series is from Jake, of course, and since I have used it already, I will 'challenge' myself to find another. But as Challenge Mistress, I will wield my considerable power and share it anyway - even if it is a little long.

Jacob was simply a perpetually happy person, and he carried that happiness with him like an aura, sharing it with whoever was near him. Like an earthbound sun, whenever someone was within his gravitational pull, Jacob warmed them. It was natural, a part of who he was. No wonder I was so eager to see him.

~Bella Swan, New Moon, Chapter 6, p.145

Craft Portion: Create a project that captures the moment and complements the quote you've chosen.
Comment Portion: Explain why your quote is memorable to you and what about it 'grabbed' you initially.

Well, hey – that was easier said than done. Mainly because I seem to have loaned out NM to someone (WHO?) because it is not on my bookshelf. Gah. HOWEVER, given the spirit of the challenge, I remember something Jake said that obviously stuck with me. It is later in the story, ****SPOILERS –if you have not read New Moon yet, STOP HERE!!*** after he and Bella have had some heated disagreements about werewolves and vampires, and the situation they are in because of them. He tells her: “I’ll always be your friend. No matter what you love.” I love that sentiment for a couple of reasons. First, it proves that he is willing to make the effort (and we know how monumental that effort is for him) to accept Edward and Bella’s relationship, in the name of their friendship. He is a true friend no matter how much he wants to be more, or how much he detests the existence of Edward, let alone the fact that he is a mortal enemy of Jake’s tribe. Jake is something special. Secondly, he gets his wiseass dig in there with the “what” in place of “who”… That’s my Jacob.

Now join in and play along with us! Here are a few things that will make it easier for you:

For posting to a blog:

Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on TwilightTuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as Splitcoast Stampers:

Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; this week’s keyword is TTIC33. You can also add in more general keywords for SCS (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge, etc.).

Comments:

Please insert your name and a link to your project in our comments below to tell us that you played along with us! Then we can all visit you and leave lovely comments.

Now go and check out our Twilight Tuesday Design Team creations:

Dani ~ Eve ~ Jen ~ Julie ~ Margie ~ Rebecca ~ Tonya

TTIC32 ~ The Great Northwest

2009-05-19T09:00:00.001-04:00

This week Eve has us pondering the beauty that is the Great Northwest…

Challenge for Tuesday is The Great Northwest. If you have ever lived there you know what I mean. Maybe if you have only visited there you know what I mean. Maybe if you only heard about the filming of the movie you know what I mean. It is beautiful there. There is a reason for it's beauty....all the rain!
So from the space needle to the forests. From the rain to the trees. From the lush green beauty of it all to the Olympic Peninsula. There are so many reasons to LOVE the great Northwest. Edward's family chooses to live there. Bella feels she has to live there, and hated visiting as a child. Don't forget the trips to Seattle, the coast, and into the forest. Have fun with this one!
Comment portion: If you could visit anywhere in the Northwest - where would it be and why?

Well, that’s easy – I’d go to La Push to visit Jake and the boys, then I would hang out in the woods behind the Cullen’s to sneak a peek! Seriously, though, I have always wanted to visit Vancouver and the mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It seems like an awesome city! A little farther north than Forks, but same idea. Heck, if you are from the East Coast, like I am, in my mind it’s the same thing. (Don’t hurt me BC’ians!)

For my craft, I am recycling again. I had a plan and blew it. I’m going to go ahead and blame it on the ants that popped up out of NOWHERE, since they forced me to bleach my entire kitchen or risk certain insanity and probable institutionalization… Yeah – that took all day. Good times. The colors that always make me feel like the woods are in these two projects. I love the deep greens and browns – I’m from Maine, we spend a good part of the year living those colors! This first card is a favorite – I LOVE to play with my brayer. I don’t know why I don’t use it more often. (Oh yeah – NO TIME!) The second one is one of my favorite cards that Tonya ever sent me. And it is kinda funny because she was so shocked to learn that I was Team Jake! LOL I believe I actually stunned her for a minute. Ahh, memories…

Now join in and play along with us! Here are a few things that will make it easier for you:

For posting to a blog:

Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on TwilightTuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as Splitcoast Stampers:

Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; this week’s keyword is TTIC32. You can also add in more general keywords for SCS (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge, etc.).

Comments:

Please insert your name and a link to your project in our comments below to tell us that you played along with us! Then we can all visit you and leave lovely comments.

Now go and check out our Twilight Tuesday Design Team creations:

Dani ~ Eve ~ Jen ~ Margie ~ Rebecca ~ Tonya

TTSVC2 ~ Fangtasia

2009-05-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Another day, another great vampire book challenge! I hope you have read Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series – if not, why?! At the very least, you must be watching (well, right now, waiting for) True Blood! Just a few more weeks now until TB returns, but in the mean time, we will celebrate another awesome vamp series with the Sookie Vamp challenge #2:

Welcome to Twilight Tuesday Sookie Vampire Challenge (TTSVC) #2!
This month we are drawing our inspiration from Fangtasia, Eric's vampire bar in Shreveport.
Craft Portion: Create a project that screams "Fangtasia,"!
Comment Portion: Would you go there? What would you expect to see there? Let your imagination run wild! This is Fangtasia we are talking about here!

I am all over this one! Mainly because I would flippin’ LOVE to go there! Especially if Alex Skarsgard really was Eric and he really was there! *sigh* Yeah, I would totally be there. We’ve discussed SHSVVs, haven’t we? Smokin’ Hawt Swedish Viking Vampires? I am, of course, drawing a lot of inspiration from the HBO series – I LOVE LOVE LOVE that show! – and I have to say that I envisioned Fangtasia to be exactly like Alan Ball and Co did for HBO! I love the way the vamps move – and those “go-go” dancing vamps were awesome! I’d be completely enthralled by them… and let’s face it. Vamps are just hot. I’d love to vamp watch with an appletini, and if I was really lucky – hang out with Pam for a bit. Cause you KNOW I love Pam. Yep – I totally do. She’s cool. Anyway, here is my ‘poster’ – you know, the kind that show up by the thousands on campus around Thursday afternoon??? lol I had a terrible time photographing this! I found a wicked awesome graphic online, since I could not figure out the font to save my soul… and I printed it on acetate. It looks ridiculously cool in real life (modest much?) … if you look really (and I DO mean really) closely there are pictures of Pam and Eric ghosted in the background. I made a charm with the address on it – because how can you go to the hottest vamp bar in town if you don’t have the address?? And we all know that vamp Life Begins After Dark… I want to go to Fangtasia. Like, Now!

Please join in and play along with us! If you do, here are a few guidelines to follow:

For posting to a blog: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Sookie Vampire Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as Splitcoast Stampers: Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Sookie Vampire Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; this week’s keyword is TTSVC2. No number signs (#) or spaces are needed in the keyword. You can also add in more general keywords for Splitcoast (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Sookie Vampire Challenge, etc.). Thank you for your help with this!

TTIC31 ~ Graduation!

2009-05-12T07:40:00.002-04:00

Ready or not! This week, Rebecca throws us headlong into graduation season! In her words:

One of my most favorite scenes in the movie occurs when Edward is showing his home to Bella for the first time. As they go up the stairs, they pass a huge frame full of graduation caps.

Bella asks "Graduation caps?" and Edward replies "Private joke. We matriculate a lot".

Craft portion: Create a project suitable to give as a graduation gift!

Comment portion: Reminisce about your graduation ... or an upcoming graduation for someone in your life.

I love this time of year! Graduation was so exciting – felt so monumental! Which, of course, it was… I remember vividly being outside the auditorium saying good byes – and knowing that I wouldn’t see many of these people ever again. Promising to stay in touch, but knowing it probably wouldn’t last beyond the summer or first weeks of the college semesters. It was all a very surreal experience for me. And crystal clear in my mind!

For my craft, I initially made a grad cap card, a la the scene Rebecca described… I also loved that scene. In fact, I had a cap-tion (ouch) on it that said, “We matriculate a lot.” That was just so funny to me! So, instead, this is a card I like to use for graduations – in the grad’s school colors, of course! I like it because it is encouraging, hopeful and positive. All the things a grad needs to face the new chapters in their lives.

Don’t forget to visit the other amazing DT submissions, and browse TwilightTuesday for Blog Candy and so much more!

Dani ~ Eve ~ Jen ~ Julie ~ Margie ~ Rebecca

Now join in and play along with us! Here are a few things that will make it easier for you:

For posting to a blog:

Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on TwilightTuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as SplitCoastStampers:

Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on TwilightTuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; this week’s keyword is TTIC31. You can also add in more general keywords for SCS (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge, etc.).

TTIC30 ~ The Ballet Studio Scene

2009-05-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

We got this week’s doozy from delightful, degroovy Dani (channeling a little Deee-Lite… yes, I am ancient!) Groove is in the He~aart!

Today’s challenge is all about The Ballet Studio Scene from Twilight.

I thought this room would be visually dramatic for my little film. That’s why I picked this place to meet you. It’s perfect, isn’t it?
-James
Twilight, Chapter 22, p.449

Sigh. There is just something about James…

Anyways, I have always found this an interesting scene. I am not sure if I like the book version better than the movie version though.

I am also not sure if I agree with Edward’s decision to keep Bella from changing into a vampire.

Craft Portion: Create a project that shows your favorite part(s) of the Ballet Studio Scene.

Comment Portion: How do you feel about this scene from Twilight. Was it not scary enough? Do you think Edward made the right decision to keep Bella from turning?

First, my project: Yep, this one jumped right over creepy and landed in downright sinister! But, let me explain… One of the major insults in this scene that James chose was to destroy Bella. End her life, devastate Edward, and so on. The added insult being that this studio was part of her pure, innocent childhood. Little girls dance – it’s what we do. (7 years, here!) James gets to crush a part of her childhood in addition to all the other damage he intends to inflict on Bella and the Cullens. SO… with that in mind, I made a cute, yes CUTE card, and then proceeded to ‘ruin’ it as best I could… by smearing Jet Black and Timber Brown StazOn onto an acrylic sheet and tying it up with a bloodied ribbon. (I think it’s definitely the ribbon that bumps us beyond “creepy”.) But this is not a warm and fuzzy scene. It is a scene of terror, destruction and will to survive. Nothin’ pretty about that! :)

Moving right along - I, for one, LOVED the studio scene in the book. The whole James chase was spot on, in my opinion. I was so completely on edge from the time they ran from the baseball game, I could not turn the pages fast enough! I knew going into the theater that day that given the relatively ‘short’ running time that a lot of the drama overall would have to be abbreviated. It just is what it is. I was, however, definitely concerned that this was one of the major scenes that I realllly didn’t want to get messed up on the big screen. I was pretty happy with the outcome – and I think that Cam Gigandet was a phenomenal James, and in this scene he absolutely stole it. That scene performed badly could’ve been really campy! In short – I generally always choose the book over the movie, and this is no different, but I really was satisfied with the studio scene.

Did Eddie make the right choice? I think so. One of Edward’s stellar qualities is that he wants her to experience as much of her human life as possible before she is turned. I think that him tasting her blood (his greatest desire and ultimately, greatest fear) in order to suck the poison from her body is a monumental character point for him. He earned some serious respect from me by doing that. I like that he has the conviction to maintain this decision. Phew… all this Edward praising is making me a little woozy… better stop before it gets worse. :) Don’t forget to visit the other amazing DT submissions, and browse TwilightTuesday for Blog Candy and so much more!

Dani ~ Eve ~ Jen ~ Julie ~ Margie ~ Rebecca ~ Tonya

Now join in and play along with us! Here are a few things that will make it easier for you:

For posting to a blog:

Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on TwilightTuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site.

For posting on another gallery, such as SplitCoastStampers:

Please indicate that you are playing along with the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge on Twilighttuesday.com and please provide a link back to our site. Please use the appropriate keywords for our challenges; this week’s keyword is TTIC30. You can also add in more general keywords for SCS (such as Twilight, Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge, etc.).

TTIC29 and a half… BFF’s

2009-04-29T19:36:00.005-04:00

As I said in my last post, I have the greatest BFF in the history of history. Allow me to explain: My BFF is the kindest, most generous and genuine person I know. Her heart is ALWAYS in the right place and if she has a “tragic flaw”, it is that she cares too much, and places people above herself too often. She NEVER has a second’s hesitation to help out in any way she can when needed, and will agonize if her loved ones are in trouble and she cannot help. She is without fail a beacon of truth and decency. And if the truth isn’t sunshine and roses, well, she will still give it to you – but she’ll feel awful about it! She never acts without completely considering everyone involved. EVER. Her goal is always the greater good, and her actions are guided by her pure heart and her innate sense of grace. (Got your hankies out yet?!) She is beyond brilliant. And, she is THE perfect BFF ever born of this earth. Are we getting that?? I am so blessed to have her. I can honestly say she saved my sanity more than once with her selflessness. She has been my rock FAR too many times to count, and when she says that our military move (the same military that brought us together, mind you, in San Antonio!) that separated us broke her heart – well, that was completely mutual. So much so that we actively consider moving back to Texas! (My DH is a gem, too, btw!) I cannot think of a more perfect situation than to be near enough to hug and pound daquiris with my BFF! And stamp, of course. ;) She tells me I am a groovy BF, but she is heads and tails above me. She has it down to a science, and I am just trying to keep up. She makes sure I am fair and kind to myself when I would really rather not be – and makes me take credit when I prod cool things to occur. (No easy feat, let me. Tell. You.) Remember that post on the author’s blog? I never would’ve shared that, (‘cuz I’m shy and stuff… LOL) but she cleverly played her cards so that I had to! And I ended up getting some of the coolest compliments from that project! Thank you, T! In short – she rocks. Kicks Ass. Rules. Blesses me with her very existence. A few more fun facts: She used to make an analogy to Fried Green Tomatoes, a movie which I never saw, but she says that we are they. She is my dream BFF. She loves Turtles. The candy, not the critters. And roses. (Hence my project!). She has the most amazing frickin’ skin, too. Brat! :) I say that in the kindest way – since I have the complexion of a 15 year old… LOL She’s a great mom. She’s an awesome “leader” for us free-spirited arty types over at TwilightTuesday – keeping us focused and motivated. You would be dumbfounded, seriously, to learn exactly how much time and energy she puts into making that challenge site phenomenon what it is. All for the love of Twilight and the sense of community she gets in return. Hardly puts food on the table – just fills up her heart! SO, by extension, she is a BFF-by-association to all of you TwilightTuesday-ers. I can say with all certainty that she feels that way, too. :) Hop over and give her some love – she’s amazing!

So, back to the TTIC… you can clearly see why I love Jake. Well, can’t you? I appreciate a true friend. He ranks up there with my BFF. Bella sucks, but again… all together now… “that’s for another post”. Plus, Jake is a smartass, and I cannot resist a smartass. No chance of that. ***My BFF is most certainly not a smartass – she is way too classy for such depravity.***

Real quick – I embossed with SU’s Fifth Avenue Florals (the embossing folder), cut it out and then I used YoYo Yellow (SERIOUSLY! when was the last time you used that for ANYthing?!), and watercoloured lowlights onto it, then bleached highlights. Pretend that there isn’t a big ol’ bleach spot where the idiot artist dipped her brush into the wrong clear liquid… Cool effect. I’ll call it Bleachercolouring. :)

TTIC29~BFFs: Jacob & Bella

2009-04-28T07:51:00.006-04:00

My eternal BFF, Tonya, issued the challenge this week… and it is a fabulous one!! Read on:

It is my turn to issue this week’s Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge: BFFs: Bella & Jacob (TTIC #29). I want to focus on the friendship between Jacob and Bella…

Bella and Jake have a very special friendship. Jacob was there for Bella when she needed someone to bring sunshine into her life. Jacob was a caring and loving friend to Bella. Although Jacob viewed Bella romantically, Jacob did not imprint upon Bella. Jacob could never have loved Bella the way Bella loved Edward or Edward loved Bella. But they could be the best of friends. The could love each other in deeply passionate friendship kind of way.

“He was my best friend. I would always love him, and it would never, ever be enough.”
Bella Swan, New Moon, Chapter 9, p.219

“Yeah, I’ll always be your friend. No matter what you love.”
Jacob Black, New Moon, Chapter 18, p.409

Craft Challenge: Make a project celebrating your best friend. Or Jake and Bella’s friendship.

Comment Challenge: Do you have a best friend whom you love passionately (in a friendship kind of way)? What makes your friendship so special?

Funny thing… I was going to take this week off, considering that my life spiraled musically out of my control these last few days, but in this instant, I have completely changed my mind. You know why? I have THE single greatest BFF in the world and I want to tell you ALL about her! So here’s my revised-at-the-very-last-second plan: I am going not spend all day reading my new Black Dagger Brotherhood novel, which I will be picking up as soon as I can kick the Spawn from the car in the school lot… and yes, an accurate comparison would be I may also not breathe until said novel is back in my lap! :) I’ll tell you all about the BDB another time – I promise. Today is about StampVamp, my BFF! So… tomorrow when you visit TT.com, skip over here and learn a thing or two about the Vamp’s awesomeness. …’Cuz, she puts in a TON of work to make this site amazing, and she deserves to be honored like no other webmistress before her! Did you mark your calendars yet? See you tomorrow…

On a completely separate note… I want to also say a ginormous THANK YOU to everyone who has left such lovely and ego-pumping comments! I really and truly appreciate them, and it makes all the craziness of getting an extra weekly project posted for you guys to enjoy completely worth it!! You guys are awesome, and I feel SO blessed to have been a part of this TwilightTuesday phenom! You ROCK OUT LOUD.

{{HUGS!}} ~Bethxx

***Don't forget the ther amazing Design Team blogs:***

Dani ~ Eve ~ Jen ~ Julie ~ Margie ~ Rebecca ~ Tonya

TTIC28 ~ Edward & Bella’s Wedding

2009-04-21T08:40:00.000-04:00

This week’s challenge comes from Margie, who has us thinking ahead to “The Wedding”… :) Dum, dum da-dum…

I had planned to do up an invitation and go all out – then I remembered that I still do not have my books back and therefore could not dig out the details! I’ve been an utter PEST to Tonya and Julie, (THANK YOU, LOVELIES!) who have been wracking their brains and cracking open their copies to find my facts! So, instead of pushing them completely over the edge of sanity, I decided to go with a more ‘generic’ wedding card – I envision this as a good ‘Thank You’ card for all the loot they rake in at their nuptials! :)

Don’t forget to go and visit the rest of the Design Team!

Eve * Dani * Jen * Julie * Margie * Rebecca * Tonya

While writing this, I was listening to "Canon in D Major" composed by Johann Pachelbel.

Easter Cards! (Better late than never)

2009-04-17T20:21:00.001-04:00

Yay! I actually got my cards out timely this year… just not posted. I have to say that considering how much I detest the bunny stamp set… the cards turned out pretty well. I made a couple of the bunnies gray – and that’s what I should have photographed. Can’t win ‘em all… or so they tell me. And because I cannot be pigeonholed into making all my cards the same – I save that madness for Christmastime ONLY! – here is another one I sent out… It is a CASE of a CASE I did for my Spring Fling camp last month. Who says you can’t recycle a good design? Not me… :) The last one, well, you’ll see it is already sealed in it’s clear envelope (‘cause I’m a closet applause whore – why else would I blog this stuff?!) so the picture pretty much sucks. Sorry about that! Good news is, I finally got my camera fixed – took the guy all of 2 minutes of button pushing. Talk about humbling. Anyhoo – my son is waiting to view the TiVo’ed (new!) SpongeBob, so I really should get to that… Life is good. :)

2009-04-16T17:10:00.001-04:00

Ok, I’m having a little trouble coming up with a catchy title for this post… “I’ve Been Bit. And Smit.” No. “Dearly Smitten”. Meh… “Look AT ME – I’m a FAMOUS”. Fat frickin’ chance! :) So CLEARLY, I have an issue with tooting my own horn, but something pretty stinkin’ cool has happened in my little world… I got to make a layout for one of my favourite authors, Michelle Rowen – and she totally dug it! For real! Check it out. I can imagine no better combination than my two great loves (obvious family, friends, etc aside, of course!) than to use my favourite books to inspire my craft. Anyhoo – I really love the Immortality Bites series because I think the writing is fab and the main character, Sarah Dearly, completely and utterly kicks ass. She’s endearingly sarcastic, says what she thinks, deals with life’s trial through humour and does her best to do what she feels is right. Hmmmm… sounds familiar. :) And, ah, HELLOOO, the leading man-vamp is basically a brooding Hugh Jackman. Yeah… that’s a reaaally nice bonus to the story. Super nice. And, said brooding, hot vamp has an equally sexy name: Thierry De Boennicoeur. Niiiice. Anyway – I tried to clip and crop a couple of close ups of the layout, because I chose a couple of my favourite quotes from Michelle’s favorite scene from Bitten. {FYI: From here on out: ImmBites, and B&S! ‘Cuz I’m a little lazy like that.} Also, I found this really cool excerpt that you should check out – because you will definitely want to read the book after this! Seriously – how funny is to hear a vampire say that being one sucks? This book is funny and engaging and touching and just an all around great read. You jump right into the plot and there is constant development throughout. I should apply for a marketing job with MR’s publisher, huh? Anyway – I had a lot of fun creating this for Michelle, and as much as I avoid cliches (as I should with the puns, I know) it was very satisfying to give something back. I’ve enjoyed the books that much. I think everyone should make a card or objet d’art especially for an author who has touched your life in some way. Link back here - maybe we can start an Author Appreciation day over at TwilightTuesday. :) Happy Reading!

Oh, and ‘cuz I can, and I LOVE this cover! --> they both look great and I totally want that ring! :)

While writing this, I was listening to "Closer" by Kings of Leon

***

1) I am such a PUTZ! THANK you for your kind words, Michelle and everyone who has left comments. You make me blush!

2) Tall, Dark & Fangsome releases on Aug 25th – I’m SO not a patient person.

A NEW Challenge! TTSVC1 ~ Dead Until Dark (Sookie/Southern Vamp bk1)

2009-04-15T01:20:00.002-04:00

While writing this, I was listening to "C'mon C'mon" by The Von Bondies

You all know by now just how much I love a good vampire story – if you don’t, then I have to wonder who’s blog you’ve been reading all this time!! One of my very favorite series is Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampires. You may know them as the Sookie Books, or the books on which HBO’s True Blood is based upon. (AWESOME in it’s own right – but a topic for another post!) As another aspect of TwilightTuesday, we are so excited to introduce the first Sookie Vampire challenge!

***PS – if you are looking for Jasper and TTIC27, click HERE!***

On with the Sookie show! ***If you haven’t read the books yet – and dare I ask, WHY THE HECK NOT?! – you should skip the rest of my post. It is just too good a story to risk being spoiled!***

Craft Portion: Create a piece that reflects book 1, "Dead Until Dark's" story.

Comment Portion: What part of the book inspired your creation and/or what part of the book really stood out to you the most!

Join us in the forum to discuss the Sookie Stackhouse Series!!!

For the craft portion – I went with the obvious. Yep – not much ‘splaining to do here, huh? Green flowers for Merlotte’s uniforms, a little bloody martini down at the bottom. Yum – good stuff. :S I chose the quote when Sookie sees her first vampire – the beautiful Bill Compton. (Yup, Team Bill here!)

As far as my inspiration, I tried to remain very generic and non-specific to any part of the story. Overall, I LOVE LOVE LOVE these books and when I read DUD for the first time, I really enjoyed & embraced the realism of it. Seriously – no eye rolling, please… You could honestly believe that vampires had truly ‘come out of the coffin’ and were productive members of society! Heck, I even bought into the telepathic waitress and all the other good stuff! Charlaine Harris has a wonderful way of allowing us to feel this story through Sookie’s narration. Sook is astute, honest and generally a great character to have as a point of reference for the others in the story. So, if you did not heed my previous warning of spoilers, and have not yet read this book… click here and get yourself a copy right now. This is a must read – kind of like that other series… what’s it called?? oh, yes – Twilight!!!

Visit the other Designers who are playing along… Margie * Tonya

TTIC27 ~ Jasper Hale…

2009-04-14T08:00:00.004-04:00

This week, Julie issued our challenge, and may I just say – it’s about time we show Jas some love?!! Well, it’s MY blog, and I’m gonna! I really like Jasper – can I get a “Hale, Yeah?!” Totally underrated vamp.

In Julie’s words:

“Hey everyone -- it's time to show Jasper a little love! Jasper Hale's character is the theme for the challenge on Tuesday, April 14th.
For the creative portion of the challenge -- create a piece that says Jasper to you!
For the comment portion of the challenge -- it's all about the CALM. Since Jasper's special ability is being able to control people's moods, and he seems to use that to calm people quite a bit -- talk a little bit about the ways that YOU like to calm down. Crafting, stamping, reading, cup of tea, whatever it may -- just talk a little bit about how you like to chill out!”

I love Jasper – and I’ll tell you why… He makes such a monumental effort to be civilized for his family, which is completely awesome. BUT, deep down, Jas is a beast! And I mean that in the coolest, most vampirical way. (Thank you, SpellChecker – I am aware that I made up that word.) As much as Edward tells us (and tells us, and tells us) how ‘bad’ he is because he’s a vamp, Jasper lives it. And he doesn’t ever whine about it – he hangs back, strong and silent, and acts they way he needs to. He rocks! AND, he has flippin’ great hair!

Moving on… Jasper has the unique talent of being able to manipulate emotions. As the mother of a purely male 7 year old spawn, I would pay dang good money for THAT ability, let me tell ya! He chills people out. I, on the other hand, generally need a margarita or a Bailey’s & rocks. :) Or in the real world, a good book. In my uber-fantasy world – BOTH! Ooh, and a white sand beach in the Caribbean… but I digress. Anyhoo… on with the show:

I’m on a layout kick. What can I say? I wish I was better with the digital scrapping, but, I like the dimension of the real deal. What is cool to note about this one, is that I made my background paper with bleach and a napkin. Hi tech-tech for me, kids! (That’s Beth-speak for High Technology Techniques, FYI) I also bleached on/off (whatEVER!) my stamped flourishes from one of my all-time favorite SU sets (Baroque Motif). The other awesome thing about this one – I managed to find some really good pictures of Jas/Jackson. Did I mention they guy has GREAT hair? Well, outside of the 1st movie, anyway. :o Yeah. I will ‘fess up to the crappy scroll thing at the bottom – it was a final sanity-saving measure. Everything I tried to put there singed my eyeballs. It’s a space-filler until I can muster up enough mojo to come up with something cool. I was hoping to put a bio or something – like thumbtacked onto the cork, on notebook paper. Hale, yeah! Where were you guys with these ideas 2 hours ago when I was cursing a blue streak down in my craft cave? Since it is pushing 1am, I will have to stick with what I got. :S Gads – I hate when that happens.

As always, I highly recommend that you visit TwilightTuesday for all the fun! Books and art – what more do you need? Besides Bailey’s and chocolate… and the white sand beach, of course. PLUS, the other Designers’ submissions never disappoint! See you around the forum!

Eve * Dani * Jen * Julie * Margie * Rebecca * Tonya

TTIC#26 ~ the Void

2009-04-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

This week our challenge comes from Eve, who has us examining Bella in New Moon:

The "void" that Bella experienced when Edward left.
You remember in the books how months passed by?
The broken heart we have all had at one time in our lives.....
Yeah that.

Yep, we’ve probably all been there. It’s a brutal rite of passage in a girl’s life – the first shattered heart. The one that makes your world feel like it was never really yours, and you now have nothing keeping you from floating away into the abyss. Bella got that lesson big-time in New Moon. Days running together into months, with her tenuous grip on her emotions challenged by the smallest things. This might be my favorite time in the whole saga. (And where I completely give myself over to Team Jake!)

For my project, I decided to go with the dark and dreary emotions Bella was saddled with. She felt no light, save for her time with Jake, and the world looked bleak and colorless to her. This is what I came up with:

I used PearlEx, glue and my heat tool to create the background and stamped ‘the void’ onto a clear Tim Holtz charm. I think this gives off the bleakness that Bella felt all those months she spent mourning her loss.

Don’t forget to visit the other fabulous submissions by the Twilight Tuesday Design Team:

Eve * Dani * Jen * Julie * Margie * Rebecca * Tonya

Visit TwilightTuesday for the latest Blog Candy, discussions and the April Sketch Challenge!

TTIC#25... Favorites ~ Part Deux

2009-03-31T15:25:00.017-04:00

Still working with SuperJen's challenge, celebrating our favorite aspects of the Twi Saga... In my previous post, we discussed her Comment Challenge. Now let's move on to the good stuff... 'Cuz I like to maintain some suspense, and stuff...

I decided to use this to look back at some of my favorite projects - we have seen some doozies since we started this little joyride, yeah? I'll start with a few of my own faves... starting with the very first 'official' challenge we ever did: Rosalie Hale

...Kinda funny since there is really no point in the saga that I enjoy her - until it's time for Jake to start in on her with the blonde jokes, of course. (Goes without saying - can I get a "woof, woof"?) Although, having the advantage of seeing her in the movie - I will say (again) that girlfriend kicks some baseball ass. So there is at least one redeeming quality. And she makes Em happy. WHY, Emmett, why? Explain yourself! And none of that "she saved me" crap... :)

Next is Dani's Twilight Music challenge. I was jazzed (oooh, yikes - sorry) about this one from the very first second (two for two!) I saw what she had planned for us! I am one of those people who 'feel' their music (and my books!), so I am always relating songs to something - and since my life is so ungodly suburban, it seems lately to be the excitement of said books! I had Chasing the Dragon chosen before this challenge was ever issued! I actually have this one on my wall - because, hello, BS are MY initials too, Miss Swan... My luck that my initials are BS. My poor son's are PMS. The horror...

I also liked my Team Jacob project:

And we all know on which side of THAT fence I reside... :) Puppy Love, baby! I used my turn as challenge master to push my puppy boy on the amazing Design Team, and they completely and utterly rocked my world with their projects. Every single one was awesome - and it is safe to say that I am the sole Team Jaker on the DT... although we do have a Switzerland or two lurking... I'll claim 'em. It gets lonely in Jacobville. My point is, even the Team Eddies came out swinging. It was awesome!

And, finally, yes, finally - I promise, we celebrated the release of the movie. What a day that was... a 35 year old mom in the theater by herself with a bunch of teenagers. Good times, friends, good times.

So there it is. My TTIC 'memoirs', of sorts. I have enjoyed being on Twilight Tuesday's design team so much - we have grown and touched so many people with our mutual love of books and craft. Through our awesome forum we have made so many connections with other crafty Twihards! I suggest that if you are thinking about trying to play along, but are afraid to show us your goods - just do it! If you scroll back through my projects, you'll find some stinkers that you can't possibly outdo!! And that's a promise! :) Seriously - there is no judging, just fun. Give it a try! I'll be looking for you...

Happy Twilight Tuesday!

PS - Go get Stakes & Stilettos by Michelle Rowen... released today! Everyone MUST read her Immortality Bites series. So frickin' fun!! ...and now I will get back to my new book... :)

TTIC #25 ~ Favorites!

2009-03-31T09:00:00.003-04:00

This week, the supremely talented Jen issues one of our best challenges yet:

"For this weeks TTIC challenge I wanted to do something a little different. We've been picking very specific themes that showcase the design teams favorite things and having everyone create something based on that. Well this week I thought it might be fun to focus a little more on what our participants like and are drawn to about Twilight. So our focus this week is: Celebrate YOUR Favorites!

This week for the creativity challenge you are to show us what you love about Twilight. Is it Edward? Or the baseball scene? Emmett's one-liners? Alice's quirky style? The meadow? Or maybe it's a quote. You choose! As part of this challenge to vamp it up a bit I also want you to concentrate on showcasing your favorite medium. Use your favorite technique, supply, material, etc. to help show case your favorites about Twilight. (I know that might be a tall order so 1 out of 2 ain't bad. ) Show us what you LOVE about Twilight.

Comment Challenge:I would love to hear what Twilight has meant to all of you. It seems that Twilight has affected to many people on so many different levels. I know for me it's given me this great group of women who I love creating with along with so many other wonderful gifts that I never thought would come from just a book. I'd love to hear more about what Twilight has brought into the lives of others. "

I could not agree more, Jen! Onward, Twilighters...

First, I am going to hit on the Comment Challenge. I love this question, and every time I sit to answer it, I answer it a little differently. I assume it is because books and stories affect me differently depending upon the day and situation I find my life in at the time. My base feeling is that this story clearly grabs people for the ideal of teenage love. Whether it is the teenager who yearns for that kind of 'love' or those like us (ok, ME!) who are long removed from the teenage angst and our first crushes and splintered hearts. For me, I was taken back to good old Brunswick High School (the Old one - the dilapidated and crumbling one!) and was firmly entranced by the writing of Bella's emotions. I won't sit here and tell you I agreed with much of Bella's actions and/or choices, but I completely got where she was coming from. She was masterfully written in that respect. (A tad whiny, but that's for another post...) :) More mundane than all that, though, my high school even looked like Forks HS! Plus it rains a lot in Maine too - the weather is very similar. It has been a long time since I have actually sat down and reminisced about these little details of the high school experience, and that's what Twilight did for me.

I will be back with a crafter's challenge very soon - I will not bore you with more tales of technical woes... suffice it to say we are lucky to have our TTIC picture up there! CHECK BACK!

Visit TwilightTuesday for your last chance at winning the March Blog Candy, plus the other fabulous Design Team submissions! Rock On, Twilighters!

Eve - http://thisisbliss838.blogspot.com/

Dani - http://countyourbeautifulblessings.blogspot.com/

Jen - http://deconstructingjen.com/

Julie - http://www.starsfallcreations.com/

Margie - http://ohbumbleismemargie.blogspot.com/

Rebecca - http://bellacarta.typepad.com/

Tonya - http://www.stamphappens.com/

TTIC#24 ~ Carlisle Cullen

2009-03-24T17:49:00.007-04:00

Happy Tuesday, Twihards! This week Dani challenged us to create a project that is reminiscent of Dr. Carlisle Cullen.
"Carlisle is an important part of the Twilight saga. In fact there is even a chapter in Twilight named after him. In this chapter we learn about his history as well as how the Cullen family was started.
The Creative Challenge: create something from Carlisle’s history. It can be about anything: his life in London, how he swam to France, when he turned Edward into a Vampire…
The Comment Challenge: Is there something in your family history that you are proud of? Is a relative of yours famous for some reason? Do you work on your family’s tree? Tell us something about your family’s history."

Here's what I came up with: Classy and masculine.... very Carlisle!

This is a Crimped Envelope card and they are my current 'thing'. The sentiment reads: "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." Plus, it helps if you are immortal. :) I think this is how Carlisle strives to live and he clearly does it well. He is a fantastic character and I think he makes a wonderful mentor for Edward. Love Carlisle!

Don’t forget to play our Scavenger Hunt as well! We have some fun prizes to give away!

Also, be sure to check out the rest of the DT’s spectacular creations:
Beth ~ Dani ~ Eve ~ Jen ~ Julie ~ Margie ~ Rebecca ~ Tonya

Back to Buzz-ness... & So You Think You Know Vampires?

2009-03-18T14:33:00.019-04:00

Ok, I get a Lame-O Award for that one... but since I'm time-crunched for an appropriate pun-riddled title... it stays, hon. (Ouch - and the hits keep coming...) Sorry for that. Truly. Sincerely.

Anyhoo... I finally, nay, actually took photos of some of my latest projects. Which implies that I remembered to do so BEFORE sending them off... I know! - will wonders never cease?! Now, I can hear Tonya groaning all the way from Texas... YES! I BOUGHT THE DAMN BEE SET! The little ones look like the Anne Geddes babies or those weird Snow Babies... kinda cute. Or maybe I was sleep deprived and imbibing some Bailey's. It's a mystery. ...But I digress! My point, and I did have one on some level, was that they struck me as cute - in a completely NOT-my-normal-kind-of-cute way. Maybe I could draw some fangs in... now that would be cute! Oh SNAP! You know I'm just gonna have to now... rambling streams of consciousness can be very dangerous! Sheesh!! Can you say ADD? My point is my project... talk about taking the scenic route:

PS -if you have never visited my blog before - welcome! But don't expect much for details a la most craft blogs... I'll gleefully supply you my 'recipe' if you ask! Oh yeah - my camera is still having issues, so the picture is crap. Gah!

Now - VAMPIRES! Yippeee! One of my very favorite blogs is The League of Reluctant Adults... just the name alone is freaking awesome! Man, if that doesn't describe me.... In all seriousness, this is a group of wonderful authors, (ok, so I haven't been able to read them all, but I am dilligently working on it - and have yet to be disappointed!) who share themselves through their blogs... it is freakin' fantastic! (Michelle Rowen ROCKS! Definitely check her out. Immortality Bites! 12 days, baby!) I SO love the internet! Back on point... the League (well, Molly Harper of said League) is having a Vampire Trivia Contest this Friday, March 20. Not that you should enter, because I will be winning it... just thought you might like to share in my glorious butt-kicking. :)

Happy Wednesday!

TTIC #23 ~ Happy St Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T20:56:00.005-04:00

O’Cullen style… Happy Twilight Tuesday AND St Patty’s Day, Twilighters!
This week, I had the honor of choosing the obvious challenge… now, come on, you know you wonder what *they* would do in any given situation! Onward, Crafters, to this week’s Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge!
Crafter’s Challenge: Take the spirit of the holiday and create a St Patrick’s Day themed craft. Try to incorporate some Cullen in there - imagine them celebrating! Erin go bragh!
Comment Portion: Think about how the Cullens would celebrate… they are smart vamps - did they come up with an ingenious way to color their “beverage” green? (Um, yuck! ) Attend the Forks Irish Festival (they could have one!) or jet off to Ireland for a quick vacation? -AND- How do YOU celebrate?

Eve - http://thisisbliss838.blogspot.com/

Dani - http://countyourbeautifulblessings.blogspot.com/

Jen - http://deconstructingjen.com/

Julie - http://www.starsfallcreations.com/

Margie - http://ohbumbleismemargie.blogspot.com/

Rebecca - http://bellacarta.typepad.com/

TTIC#22 ~ Bella's Birthday!

2009-03-10T16:00:00.001-04:00

***edit: ok, so I scheduled this to post at 9PM today - ugh... DOOFUS alert!***

Welcome to Twilight Tuesday! Can you believe we are up to #22? Phew! This week's challenge comes to us from the molto bella e di talento (super lovely and talented!) Rebecca:

New Moon opens with Bella's 18th birthday and Alice in full party mode. Most people dread turning 30 or 40, but Bella dreaded turning 18 - mostly since that meant she was "older" than Edward. For the Cullens, they were excited - the last birthday they had ever "celebrated" was Emmett's many decades earlier. For the creative challenge part - create a birthday themed item - you're welcome to draw inspiration from the party or just go with "birthday". For the comment part - tell us if you've ever given or been the recipient of a surprise party or let me know if there was a birthday you dreaded. Or simply just let us know what your favorite birthday gift was.

Remember the scene? (Thanks for providing it, Rebecca - it's a perfect visual!!)

We were pulling up to the house now. Bright light shined from every window on the first two floors. A long line of glowing Japanese lanterns hung from the porch eaves, reflecting a soft radiance on the huge cedars that surrounded the house. Big bowls of flowers - pink roses - lined the wide stairs up to the front doors.

They were all waiting in the huge white living room; when I walked through the door, they greeted me with a loud chorus of "Happy Birthday, Bella!" while I blushed and looked down. Alice, I assumed, had covered every flat surface with pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses. There was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to Edward's grand piano, holding a pink birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents.

It was a hundred times worse than I'd imagined. ~New Moon

And, yes - turning 30 was physically painful... No sympathy for Bells, there! :)

Twilight Tuesday #21 ~ Renee Dwyer (Bella's Mom)

2009-03-03T09:00:00.002-05:00

This week's challenge comes from magnificent Margie, and she has us studying Bella's mom, Renee Dwyer. In Margie's words: TTIC#21 - Renee, A dedication to the Mommy's in our lives...

Comment Portion: What do you care about the most about the "Mommy(s)" in your life (Moms, Sisters, Daughters, etc.) and/or do you have a similar relationship to someone like Bella and her Mom's relationship?

Craft Portion: Create a Twilight project dedicate to The Mom in your life

I came up with this card... for some reason, I imagine Renee wearing a yellow flowered sundress - did I read this, or is my imagination running amok again? My mom is nothing like Renee, but I love her and this is a card I would gladly send to her just to say "hey". :)

Don't forget to visit Twilight Tuesday to check out March's sketch challenge and Blog Candy! And, of course, you will want to check out the rest of the Design Team's projects! That goes without saying! --> While you're at it, wish the lovely Eve a belated Happy Birthday!! <--

Eve - http://thisisbliss838.blogspot.com/

Dani - http://countyourbeautifulblessings.blogspot.com/

Jen - http://deconstructingjen.com/

Julie - http://www.starsfallcreations.com/

Margie - http://ohbumbleismemargie.blogspot.com/

Rebecca - http://bellacarta.typepad.com/

Tonya - http://www.stamphappens.com/

Twilight Monday? #19 ~ Villains...

2009-02-23T20:55:00.001-05:00

OOOH! And Twilight has some good ones! This (ahem, LAST) week's challenge came from Tonya, via Julie:

Enough with the mushy theme from last week…this week’s theme is the villains of the Twilight world! {Boo! Hiss!} The very clever Tonya came up with this idea, which should really get you to put your thinking caps on.

The creative part of the challenge is to create a project inspired by one (or more) of the villains from the books. For the comment portion of the challenge, tell us a bit about your reaction to the villains in the stories: do you enjoy any of them? Do any of them freak you right out? Or are they just too fantastic for you to even fear? Whatever you think, just tell us about it!

I chose James and Victoria from the first book. James is just deliciously bad. And, Vicki, well, she's not much better - but you can't fault a girl for falling for the bad boy, um, vampire, now can you? I was totally on the edge of my seat when Jimbo was tracking Bells, and cursing him the whole time. Looking back - he was a really good (bad) literary villain. He was written with cunning and intensity - and darn it if that movie didn't make him hot, too! Yep - the total package. Although, I will say, I prefer my bad boys to be slightly more, ah, 'metro', shall we say. J & V are definitely a little rough from living mainly in the wilderness. So my projects capture the above vibes: danger, intensity and rough edges. LOL

Spring Fling Stamp Camp!!

2009-02-21T12:04:00.003-05:00

Ok - I cave to pressure! It has been a while, and I aim to please, so I have scheduled my next Stamp Camp for Saturday, March 14th at 10am until... well, whenever we finish! I currently have 5 projects and limited space, so if you are interested in the details - email me NOW! ***Incentives for quick RSVPs and guests!!*** See you there! :)

*ridiculously cute photo from www.madwomandaily.com*

Are you ready? I mean, REALLY ready for this?

2009-02-11T19:13:00.006-05:00

***If you are looking for Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenges... they immediately follow this post!***

A Stampinsanity project post that has nothing to do with Twilight... :) Catch your breath - head between the knees if necessary... Better? I decided to prove that I have indeed done other things over the last 20-plus weeks since Tonya and I began this crazy trading-Twilight-projects-cum-TTIC challenge. I remember my first Twiject - I made Tonya a card with little fang/bite marks. I don't think I was even finished reading Twilight at that time! Going through my workspace, it was amazing (nay, shocking!) to find how many Twiject/projects I have done! What I have NOT done in these 20ish weeks is any sort of scrapbooking of my family (I am still currently about 7 years behind on my 7 year old's life albums...) Ugh... that's my mission - to get some of these gazillion photos and memories into albums. Oh yeah - and to get birthday and holiday cards out TIMELY!! My dh actually asked me if he should start buying cards (*gasp*) and sending them himself, after he reminded me that he didn't get one for Christmas. And that his father's birthday was that very day, which was also his birthday, (I know - no excuse for forgetting that one. You'd think...) for which I DID have this card made for. Embarassingly simple, but effective! Hey, in my defense, I didn't think he cared about my cards! I was wrong - collective "awwww"... bravo! I knew I could count on you for some faux-empathy. :)

Oh yeah, the other thing I have done in these same 20ish weeks... is read over 35 books! Yes, this includes re-reading a couple of series book, but still... That is valuable stampin' time, and I am torn between two loves (lovers? I should write a song about that...) when I have that precious, precious down time. So the long and short of it is this: I have to get back on my Stampin' Up horse ~ my customers are clamoring for my next Stamp Camp, and I have sorely neglected them!! Bad demonstrator! Bad upline! Bad, bad, bad! On that note - I am retiring to my comfy bed, with my way too pristine SU catalog and will begin that Spring Fling prep. :) Oh well - until Lost comes on... hopefully it won't suck as bad as it did last week! Gawd...

Until next time - probably on TTIC Tuesday... :)

****UPDATE: Lost most definitely did NOT suck this week!! Awesome!****

TTIC#18 ~ Twilight Valentines

2009-02-10T09:59:00.002-05:00

Happy Tuesday, Everyone! This week's timely challenge comes from the fabulous Julie... Read on:

Hello everyone — hopefully you are in a mushy Valentine mood — ’cause that’s our challenge theme for today!

The creative part of the challenge is to make a Valentine that could be given to one character from another in the Twilight world. With all of those couples, there should be enough to inspire us! Just to be clear — as much as many of us might want to gift Rob with multiple mushy Valentines — this particular challenge is a Twilight character thing rather than a Rob thing.

For the comment portion of the challenge — talk a bit about the couples in the Twilight world. Which couple’s story you might relate to or admire, which couple might not work for you (hey, imprinting on a baby theme - I’m looking at you!). Anything you like. I would bet that a lot of us love the stories because of the romantic elements — just elaborate on that a bit, and tell us what parts of that appealed to you.

So, here is my Valentine for Edward from Bella. I know, I know... sheesh! She makes his life a beautiful thing, and he is always looking for ways to tell her. That's where I was headed with this card - got lost along the way and ended up in my favorite destination: Toomuchville, deep in the heart of Dumdum County. I may try and do something to backdrop the vellum heart - I just love that paper and wanted to save the brocade design. Oh well. I'll see what I can do with it and get back to you! (See those felt hearts? From Dani!! :)) Plus, this card was ridiculously difficult to photograph and edit. The Purely Pomegranate paper with the Real Red "pop" looks much better than it photographed.

For the record: Even though I am Team Jake, I choose to block out the whole baby imprinting thing, just like I prefer to ignore that Renesmee (aka: freaky baby) exsists! lol Having said that, I love Carlisle and Esme's relationship - from what we see it is very pure, loving and respectful. A healthy love affair. And sweet - we are talking about Valentine's Day here, aren't we? Sweet is the flavor of the day!

***Don't forget to visit the Twilight Tuesday Blog and Forum for blog candy, lively discussions and instructions for linking your submissions to the group!***

Eve - http://thisisbliss838.blogspot.com/
Dani - http://countyourbeautifulblessings.blogspot.com/
Jen - http://deconstructingjen.com/
Julie - http://www.starsfallcreations.com/
Margie - http://ohbumbleismemargie.blogspot.com/
Rebecca - http://bellacarta.typepad.com/
Tonya - http://www.stamphappens.com

Twilight Tuesday #17 ~ Jacob Black!

2009-02-03T06:53:00.001-05:00

Yep! It is finally my turn to issue the challenge! Here goes...

Our theme this week is: Jacob Black!

I like Jake. No secret there. And it is clear where the lines are drawn in the sand, so to speak, in Twilightville! Having said that, I invite everyone to objectively think about the character, Bella's trusted friend, her strength in her weakest hours, her light through her darkest times and her humor on a seemingly humorless day. Theirs is a special friendship. My challenge to you is to capture the essence of the special bond in a project of your choosing.

***"Jacob was simply a perpetually happy person, and he carried that happiness with him like an aura, sharing it with whoever was near him. Like an earthbound sun, whenever someone was within his gravitational pull, Jacob warmed them. It was natural, a part of who he was. No wonder I was so eager to see him." ~Bella, New Moon.***

Comment Portion: Explain your version of the relationship between he and Bella, or he and the other Quileutes... basically, the essence of Jake. What is the dynamic that draws you in or *GASP* deters you from him. ***note: I don't intend for this to be a TJ vs TE debate! This is NOT about Edward!*** Do you know someone who is as special as he is to Bella? Does the rebuildng of a car remind you of something or someone? Did someone special teach you to drive (a motorcycle?), or save your life??? et al... Take this any way you want. I just want to see a little puppy love and will abuse my executive power on this one to get it!!!

So... Here is my Jacob-is-an-awesome-friend card. Bella is blessed, truly and utterly blessed, to have a devoted friend like him. He is special.

PS ~ Fear not, Twilighters, it is a common misconception that you must be a card carrying member of Team Jacob to enjoy this character! This is not so. I promise. :)

Don't forget to visit Twilight Tuesday for Blog Candy and a lively Message Board!

Other Design Team submissions:

TTIC#16 ~ Twilight Music

2009-01-27T08:00:00.006-05:00

This week Dani issues our Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge, (which I totally love and have been pondering for weeks now).
Twilight Music
Comment Portion: What song/music do you think of when you think about Twilight? Is there a song that just screams 'Twilight!' to you? Why?
Crafter's Portion: Music is an important element in Twilight. Let the music from the book or the movie inspire you!

I love music and as soon as Dani posted her topic, I was kicking myself for not coming up with it myself! Ugh... Anyhow, on with the show... First things first - click play in my Playlist (sidebar -->) to get the song started. It's a good one, I promise.

NOW, I chose the song that you hear now, which is Chasing the Dragon by Epica. I know it is long, and I apologize for that - but it leaves me with the same feelings that Twilight (mostly New Moon) did. I will post the lyrics at the end of my post, and I think you will see why this song screams Twilight to me! Specifically, the song is about loss/heartbreak and conquering it, ie, the 'dragon', that wishes to suck her into the abyss. It's great. If you follow the song, there is the crescendo towards the ends where she 'slays' her dragon. Awesome song. Oh, I suppose you'd like to see the project, too. Here you go...

I KNOW! An actual 12x12 scrapbook page! Phew - this took forever. Now I remember why I prefer 6x6 and 8x8 albums! :) And you know what else? Bella Swan and I have the same initials! I am so framing this and putting it up.

I love this dragon; and did you notice a little stained glass Edward - Eve sent me that last fall, and I finally found the perfect spot for it!

And finally, props to the band Epica for such an awesome album and amazing song. (The flower is covering the title; the album is called the Divine Conspiracy.)

Don't forget to visit the other Design Team submissions:

Blog Candy:

Please don’t forget to leave your comments and links here. If you are posting to SCS, please use keyword TTIC16.

Now there are 3 different ways to be entered into January’s Blog Candy. Check out Julie’s post for more info: Blog Candy!

Here are the lyrics so you can follow along:

Chasing The Dragon by Epica
Free my mind
Heal my scars
Erase the past
Dark days to forget
And memories to last
In my heart
Free me now
Make me forget
And forgive
There's no use
To go on and live
Show me a way
To the sun
Heal my scars
Nothing will be forever gone
Memories will stay and find their way
What goes around will come around
Don’t deny your fears
So let them go and fade into light
Give up the fight here
Let my eyes take in
The beauty that's here
That’s left on this earth
My ears long to hear
A melody
Give me sight
Nothing will be forever gone
Memories will stay and find their way
What goes around will come around
Don’t deny your fears
So let them go and fade into light
Give up the fight here
Poison is slowly seeping through my veins
Stealing the only dignity in me
I pick them up and let them fall
To cause your pain and hit them all
[grunts]
One more life to live is what I want
I’ll take the joy away from them
See to it, they will all be damned
One more chance to heal what I have harmed
The dragon is wreak havoc in my brain
Plays my emotion, a never ending game
Nothing will be forever gone
Memories will stay and find their way
What goes around will come around
Don’t deny your fears
So let them go and fade into light
Give up the fight here
One more life to live for me
I want the night just to colour the day
The morning to chase all my nightmares away
Don’t you deny that we're all human beings
We all have our flaws that can make us obscene
Obscene…
Give me what I want
Give me what I need right now
That’s what I want
That’s what I need, get it!
Dolendo novit mortalis vitam
Tell me what I want
Tell me what I need right now
That’s what I want
That’s all I need, cure me
Dolendo discit mori mortalis
Losers
Nothing will be forever gone
Memories will stay and find their way
What goes around will come around
Don’t deny your fears
So let them go and fade into light
Give up the fight here

TTIC#15 ~ Twilight Cars...

2009-01-20T08:09:00.006-05:00

This week Margie challenges us to channel the Cullens love of fast cars! Here is Magnificent Margie, in her own words:

***I love how each character has their own specific vehicle to fit their personality/needs.
Comment portion will be: What would be your ideal Twilight car? and why?
Challenge portion: Create a Twilight inspired "car" item.***

I am a certifiable gear-head, so I was totally excited about the hot cars those sexy Cullens drove. And, let's get this clear - movie Volvo is the baby version of book Volvo. THAT was a letdown in the "details-I-was-lookin'-for-in-the-movie" department. But, I digress... The first time I read Bella getting snotty over the "stupid shiny Volvo owner" in he parking lot, I about choked on my Coke! That is just a funny line - gets me giggling every time!

So, my car inspired item is this humongous key ring. Yup - this baby is about 6 1/2" wide! I was thinking about putting my own keys on it! Then it occurred to me that it would drive (ba-dum-bah) me nuts hitting my knee while I'm driving. Oh well - it was a nice idea, albeit brief.

And, well, I'm a Volvo girl - and since I have a kiddo, and a ginormous dog, my car of choice is a Volvo V70R. Fast, baby, fast ~ and Dum-Dum* has her place to lay down. :) *Although, in Dum-Dum's defense, she likes the seatbelt and open-window of dh's backseat... I love my Dummy girl! woof

Don't forget to share your pictures at http://www.twilighttuesday.com/, and be sure to check out the other Design Team submissions!

Eve - http://thisisbliss838.blogspot.com/
Dani - http://countyourbeautifulblessings.blogspot.com/
Jen - http://deconstructingjen.com/
Julie - http://starsfallcreations.blogspot.com/
Margie- http://ohbumbleismemargie.blogspot.com/
Rebecca - http://bellacarta.typepad.com/
Tonya - http://www.stamphappens.com/

Have a fangtastic Tuesday!

*****The complete series of MOONLIGHT is out on DVD!!!**** <-- Sexy vampire alert! Alex O'Loughlin, baby. Check it out!

The NEW Stampin' Up Idea Book & Catalog is HERE!

2009-01-19T18:21:00.002-05:00

And it is GREAT! There are tons of new accessories, embellishments and papers ~ oh yes, and STAMPS! This is another fantastic offering from SU - get your coffee and browse online now, or call me for your own copy!

TTIC#14 ~ Vampire Baseball!

2009-01-13T08:59:00.001-05:00

This week's challenge comes from Eve, who wanted us to channel the amazing Vampire Baseball scene. I love that scene! Is that whole baseball story just ridiculously clever on the author's part? Being a sports nut, that is one of my very favorite scenes in the entire saga! As much as I don't like Rosalie, I love that the girly-girl gets up there and jacks 'em outta there, just like the big boys! And Alice, who I most definitely do NOT hate - she rocks that ball all over the mountainside, too! Awesome. Love it! So, I came up with this very Vampire Baseball card! As Bella said, and really, who wouldn't upon such a revelation, "Vampires like baseball?" LOVE. IT. I also tossed in a quote of Jasper's, mainly because I just love the guy and I think he doesn't get NEAR the love he should. (Let's keep this to book Jas, and not movie Jas, who just seemed creepy...) :)

Don't forget to share your pictures at www.twilighttuesday.com, and be sure to check out the other Design Team submissions!

Eve - http://thisisbliss838.blogspot.com/
Dani - http://countyourbeautifulblessings.blogspot.com/
Jen - http://deconstructingjen.com/
Julie - http://starsfallcreations.blogspot.com/
Margie - http://ohbumbleismemargie.blogspot.com/
Rebecca - http://bellacarta.typepad.com/
Tonya - http://www.stamphappens.com

Have a fangtastic Tuesday!

SU's Inventory Blowout - Discounts to 50%!!! SERIOUSLY!!!

2009-01-06T19:52:00.005-05:00

This is truly amazing - you must check it out!!! I'm off to go clean them out...

Online Ordering available!

Welcome 2009 ~ and a New TTIC challenge! (#13 if you're counting!)

2009-01-06T13:14:00.004-05:00

This week's challenge is to capture the spirit of the supporting characters. The ones we dig, that just don't get the love that they deserve. I went with the Quileutes... especially in the later books, I just want to hug them all! Especially Seth - he's so cute! I was even going to honor them by putting their names along the bottom. But, in my sleepy stupor, I started to write Seth Rogen instead of Seth Clearwater. So, I scrapped that idea! I know these are supposed to be supporting characters, but I couldn't resist tying clothes to my wolf's left hind leg... I gotta assume Jake isn't the only one who carries his duds around like that! And I made him rust colored, like my boy, but then there are only so many colors of wolfies now, right? ...Come to think of it, this would've made a great Jacob entry... BAH! I mean, WOOF!

And, Part Two of the challenge is to name your least favorite character. Yeah - Lauren. What a catty, self-centered, two-faced brat! Yep - I said it. She is exactly what I dislike in humankind - and the kicker is, she is so sure she is all that and a bag of chips. (Wow -dating myself there, huh?) That is such a turn off for me - but I suppose every high school in America has a Lauren or two. Blech...

Don't forget to check out the other fabulous entries:

Beth Schultz – http://stampinsanity.blogspot.com
Eve Fowler - http://thisisbliss838.blogspot.com/
Dani Chapman - http://countyourbeautifulblessings.blogspot.com/
Jen Shults - http://deconstructingjen.com/
Julie Boudillion - http://starsfallcreations.blogspot.com/
Margie Cortina - http://ohbumbleismemargie.blogspot.com/
Rebecca Grohall - http://bellacarta.typepad.com/
Tonya Klar - http://www.stamphappens.com

3 Days to go... Oh my!

2008-12-21T15:22:00.001-05:00

I saw Eve's post with her wonderful little book boxes for her kids' teachers... well, I CASE'd. I'm a copycat, I admit it. Tonya did something similar a few months back, too. Mine is basically a hybrid of the two. Eve's is super-constructed with heavy duty book binding supplies, and Tonya used layered cardstock. I knew that mine had to be a little more durable since it is going to be transported to school by my son, *EGADS!* but there is no chance I am putting in that kind of effort into it. I'm just too typically behind the eight ball this year. :) SO, I stalked my home for notepads an used the cardboard backing for these. That was probably the hardest part of the project! I sized them down to gift card width (one gets chocolate with her gift card as an inside joke.) Eventually - in the next 8-9 hours, I plan to decorate these little cuties. There is so much potential! Enough yammering - here they are... and notice there is nary a single reference to anything vampiric... :)

I also made these tins - for my two moms' gifts. Since they don't read my blog, it's safe to show these, too. My MIL about PIHP when she saw the one I did with Tonya when I was in Tx this year. She is so cute, so I can do nothing but oblige her. I have the coolest in-laws in history.

Anyhoo - the pink one is for my Mom and the blue one for my MIL. They will both love them!

Notice the old SAB rub-ons on the lids! See??? Hoarding pays off... sometimes. :)

Happy Football Sunday! (I love them!) Go Pats! :)

Twilight Tuesday #12 ~ Quotes!

2008-12-16T09:00:00.002-05:00

Our mission this week is to choose and use a quote from the series that we identify with most, to inspire our work. First of all, WOW - how do you choose just one?! I had pages and pages of Jacob zingers highlighted and dog-eared (awwww...) because I was surely not going to get into the sappy quotes. Uh huh. That's really what I had planned. Really. But then, after thinking about finding a line that I identified with most, I ended back up in the heavy stuff. Yuck. Here is the quote I planned on using - and my reasoning for it is simple. I love Jake's personality, and who doesn't feel like Bella does here:

Then it hit me - I would have to make a card to depict that profound emotion. Sure - assuming I didn't want to go to bed this evening... :) For the record... this is the reason I love Jake's character. This is how I feel when I read him with Bella. *Jacob ROCKS!*

However, as I mentioned, I went inexcusably & horribly smushy. The portion of the entire series that hit home the most for me, was Stephenie's depiction of "the breakup". Unless you are blissfully wed to your first love (Bravo for you ~ seriously!), you know, understand and feel Bella's pain along with her. Particularly if you are the one blind-sided by it, as Bella was. From the feeling of "evisceration" (perfect word for it) to physically 'holding yourself together', and so on. At least I "got" it, and it is my belief that the allure to the story amongst us TwiMoms is that we all do. It's bittersweet. So the quote I chose was from New Moon below.

Don't forget to check out the other DT submissions!

Free Shipping AND 10% off RETIRING sets!

2008-12-10T20:11:00.003-05:00

Check out the awesome Stampin' Up deals over in my sidebar! ---->

Retiring sets are available until supplies last (read as: HURRY if you want something!), then you are lost to the eBay gouging! Free shipping and 10% discount available until Dec 23rd. Please order by Dec 16th-ish to have "gifts" in hand for Christmas! You KNOW how those men in brown get bogged down during the holidays... I love my UPS guy, btw. He always brings good stuff... unlike the mail lady... :)

Happy Wednesday! GO SHOPPING!

TTIC#11 ~ A Very Cullen Christmas!

2008-12-09T09:00:00.002-05:00

Yes, even vampires celebrate Christmas! Welcome to Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #11! Our challenge this week is to design a Christmas item inspired by the Cullens. I decided to do their card, since I am so bored doing the 122 of my own family's! I thought it would be really cool to find the Cullen crest (forgetting how strange looking it is! Seriously - what up with the hand?!) and build a card around it. Well... I found a picture and made it into a graphic I could cut out (SO cool!). And then I immediately found a better one after hours of messing around with this one! :) At least I tried... my graphic arts skills clearly need honing! But this looks like something classic that the Cullens might send out to their human and vampire friends alike...

Wouldn't it be fun if Stephenie Meyer wrote a holiday book about the Cullens? The second part of our challenge is to share a favorite holiday tradition... but I'm way more interested in the Cullens' traditions! Do they stay up all night singing Christmas carols around Edward's piano? Do they go out and stalk reindeer? Do they buy each other exotic cars? Do they sip donated blood out of Santa mugs? (Somehow that is creepier than attacking Bambi, or Rudolf in this case, in the woods!) I'd love to hear your Cullen family holiday tradition...

Don't forget to check out these other great TTIC submissions!

Tonya
Eve
Danielle
Jen
Julie
Margie
Rebecca

TTIC#10 ~ the new beginning! I'm... Esme?

2008-12-02T09:00:00.005-05:00

Welcome back! This marks the new beginning of the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge! We are so excited to introduce some new Design Team Members, and with that - more interpretations of our favorite Twilight topics! Never a bad thing!! Join in the fun and link back with your own weekly submissions... the more players, the more fun the game!! :)

This week, we are challenged to determine which female Twilight character we are. (Click HERE to take the quiz for yourself - you may be surprised!) In case her lovely photo, or the headline, for that matter, didn't clue you in... I seem to be Esme. The caring Mama Cullen. She is soft and sweet, kind and giving... which led me to this submission for the crafter's challenge:

Not to be confused with any Hall of Fame-worthy pieces! This is actually much more appealing in person - the flower is subtle, but not as much as the photo allows. I used SU Color Wonder Crayons and water to get the soft, watercolored look, which I LOVE! I chose Bashful Blue because it feels the "gentlest" of our colors. And as vampires go, Esme is clearly the gentlest - well, maybe tied with her handsome hubby.

I feel some reworking of this one coming on... Anytime I mess around with those fantastic Rhinestone Brads, I overdo it! Anyhow, I'll get back to you on that one. In the meantime - visit our other Design Team members and see what they've done this week!

Tonya
Eve
Danielle

Jen
Julie
Margie
Rebecca

Stampin' Up Black Friday ~ EARLY!

2008-11-26T08:51:00.001-05:00

AWESOME Stampin' Up sale! WOWzers! Save UP TO 50% on bundled products for the holidays, Dad, embossing and more! I will be all over this one, and you should be too! Visit Here and click Shop Now to take advantage of these deals ONLINE ~ supplies are limited, so don't wait too long! Sale ends December 1st.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

TTIC#9 ~ The Movie!!!

2008-11-25T14:11:00.001-05:00

Stamper's Inspiration Challenge:

This challenge is all about the Twilight movie as your inspiration piece. Be sure to mention the movie as your inspiration and describe what about it is inspiring your project. Link back here and share! Don't forget to leave us a comment with your link!! If you upload to an SCS gallery, be sure to use the keyword TTIC9.

Comment Inspiration Challenge:

Tell us what your movie experience was. Your likes, dislikes, favorite scenes...whatever you want to share.

Well, better late than never! I really expected to have a million ideas after seeing the movie - you DID go see it by now, haven't you??? But I don't! And I have no idea why... maybe it is an anticipation hangover. Yeah, I'll go with that. Anyhow, here is what I came up with:

I felt like the movie was straight to the point - right from the book. (Except that stupid & unnecessary, but funny, field trip scene.) Remember those gems that Eve sent me a few weeks ago? I used those to adorn the side, and eventually, I will pick a unique-to-the-movie quote to (yikes) handwrite up the side above the lovely jewels. If you cannot tell, I used silver metallic paper to cutout the title with, using my Cricut (LOVE it!) and used my favorite Charbon DSP from Stampin' Up for the background paper. (Wish they would keep black and gray DSP around all the time!) Finally, I found a picture I liked (and hadn't seen before - it's a good one, too!) and printed it on vellum and ripped it out. What a chore THAT was - ripping in a circle! If you've never ripped vellum, it always rips differently horizontally than vertically. It's just the way it is woven. YOU go try and make a decent, controlled tear of a circle! I wanna see it! :) But, I digress...

I liked the movie. As I have said everywhere I have posted, I want to see it again, now that I have scoured it for details and correctness. LOL I ruined some of the joy of it for myself by doing that. Also, I have said that Rob Pattinson is an excellent Edward, even in the 'weird' scenes. Surprisingly, I didn't hate Kristen Stewart as Bella - she was good! LOVED Charlie and Taylor Lautner was a super Jacob. I can't wait to see more of him in New Moon - he was very comfortable in the character. Fantastic. I could go on and on, but you really don't want to hear my expert review! :)

Don't forget to check out these TTIC submissions:

Tonya

Eve

OT: True Blood Message Board

2008-11-18T18:52:00.000-05:00

Ok, we all know about Tonya's well-documented obsession with Twilight and Edward Cullen... My vampires of choice are the Southern Vampires by Charlaine Harris. You might know them better from the new HBO series True Blood. Anyhoo - I have been repeatedly frustrated by the overloaded message forums, so I started my own. Hopefully, we can maintain a decent number in order to keep actual conversations going without scrolling around for responses! YKWIM?! If you are a fan... visit me here.

See you there!
~Beth

EDITED 11/18/08 ~ In case some new Southern Vamp fans pop in...

Twilight Tuesday ~ TTIC#8

2008-11-18T09:00:00.004-05:00

Can you believe it?! The movie opens in 3 DAYS! That makes this this the final, pre-movie TTIC!
This week I chose the topic, and the theme is Bella. Simple, huh? Nope - there is so much going on with that girl! There are a million ways to go with this one. For me, though, it was pretty obvious... so I call this one the Juxtaposition of Bella Swan. Clearly this girl is a lesson in confusion and opposition. The good girl, dutiful and trustworthy, nurturing of her family and a pure-hearted caregiver to both of her parents on the one hand, then she is also this voraciously obsessive girl who somehow 'knows' that she is to devote her entire (literally!) existence to another "17" year old on the other - oh, yeah, a "17" year old VAMPIRE. Effectively ditching the 'safe' (in more ways than one!) for a relationship with a supernatural, mythical being. Huh-what? But that is what makes her so interesting. 'Fess up, there are times when you want to donate a hearty V8 "thunk" on her forehead. She's naive, but she's brave. She's smart, but she's naive. She's brave, but she's scared. But above it all, she is sure that she is destined to be with Edward. *sigh* Young love...

So, I went obvious - white roses for her purity and humanity, and black for the obsession and desire to be immortal. (I know we are supposed to stick to the first novel, but my creation encompasses everything I know of Bella from the entire saga.)

As 'cuddly' (as I call them) as the vamps in Meyerland are - well, the Cullens, anyway - vampires are still vampires, so I depicted them with black roses.

The second part to my challenge was to describe how you relate to Bella, and/or to find a quote that was particularly meaningful or amusing. I went with identifiable. Definitely identifiable:

Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain.
Bella Swan, Twilight, Chapter 1, p.11

This is the End~

2008-11-13T17:41:00.018-05:00

...beautiful friend. The End. (Raise your hand if you are hearing the incomparable Jim Morrison and the Doors...) Yeah, the Doors rank right up there with my lovely vampires and Stampin' Up. :) What can I say, I have eclectic taste! Anyhoo... we just wrapped up this year's Stamp Club, and I am a little sad. This was a fun group. Most of them were very new to stamping and now they are pros! *pats self on the back* I was a little surprised to to learn that a few Clubbers pop in here once in a while. Vampire adoration and all...

So, here are the last *sniff* projects we did. The card, which I will say is one of my all time favorites, and a gussied up version of a Jane Raulin-Kissel creation, is one I want to continue to play around with. Other colors and different embellishments. Such a classic looking card - so not my normal creation! (Which is why I CASE!) Although, by some freak of nature, I do SO love the color pink (she said while typing with her trademark black fingernails). I also got to try out the new vanilla hodgepodge hardware. Everyone should have these! I devised a trick to keep the punches in place and now I am all about HPHW! Go order both colors NOW - it is so worth it! $10 Gift Certificate to anyone who buys both online - that's how 'worth it' I think it is!

Here's a hint when working with HPHW: Attach the punch out to your project with dimensionals. It holds it in place, and 'fills' up the space between the hardware and the card base. Works like a charm. And how awesome is this vanilla hardware I raved of earlier... I LOVE it!

Moving right along... I thought these next 3x3's would be great for little gifts. A bit more than a tag, but less than a full card. I'll be using lots of these types on packages this year. Act surprised!

See you on Twilight Tuesday!

Oh, SNAP!

2008-11-11T12:52:00.001-05:00

The second part of the TTIC#7 challenge was to take the "Which Twilight Male Are You?" quiz. So, yes - oh, SNAP, indeed! I am Edward. I was sure I'd be Jake or Emmett. Huh... definitely something to think about there... Oh, well... at least he is fantastically beautiful, if not slightly psycho! Easy, now - I love me some Eddie too, girls! Just to prove my point, here are some of my favorite pictures that scroll continuously on my desktop, courtesy of my Google sidebar! Yes, and endless stream of gorgeous vampires...

TTIC#7 ~ Emmett & the Bear

2008-11-11T09:00:00.007-05:00

Yes, Twilighters ~ another Tuesday is here! And with less than 10 days to the movie, this Twi-hard is getting anxious!! Aarrgghhh! Anyhoo... This week we are inspired by Emmett's story. This was glossed over in the book, but on the author's website you can read him telling Bella is story of life and death, and a little throw down with a grizzly bear!

The long and short of it, is that Emmett was in the woods and came upon a bear than kicked his butt. The rest you have to read for yourself! So I was going for an earthy, rustic feel without being too gory. It was definitely a challenge! Especially since I don't have the cute SU set that Vamp is using! I like the pawprints, and 'torn' equipment, though. Emmett is the man. I love that his machismo has carried over to his immortality. Another great Stephenie Meyer character!

Don't forget to link back if you are playing along and check out Tonya's and Eve's TTIC submission for this week!

TTIC #6 ~ Blame it on the Rain...

2008-11-04T09:00:00.002-05:00

For this week, we were challenged to channel the lovely Forks weather... ummm, RAIN. The whole time I was brainstorming, I kept hearing Milli Vanilli in the background. HA! Anyhow, the rain is almost as palpable as a character in this story. So much hinges on that single factor - The Cullens reside there because of it; Bella commiserates in it and feels her joy that much more vibrantly because of it... she even almost bites it (sorry, vampire humor) because of freezing rain! I read somewhere that the cast and crew actually did "rain dances", of sorts, to keep the clouds and rain in place to authenticate filming! Funny, huh?

This simple little card took forever! I brayered the sky with Not Quite Navy, Night of Navy and then used a napkin to rub off some areas. I also sponged a little Whisper White craft ink into those spots to show small 'breaks' in the clouds. For some reason, I always thin of the scene just prior to Edward saving her in the parking lot, where the rain was freezing on the ground... I imagine the chill, and even tough there was no snow on the ground at the time, I imagine it that way. (I'm from Maine - there is ALWAYS a little patch of snow SOMEwhere!) :) So, in keeping with that incorrect 'vision', I used my Versamarker to paint in some snow on the ground and in the pine tree (Mainers know that there is always snow stuck in the corners of the pine boughs, too!) and embossed it with clear powder before using my markers to add in the grass. Finally, I used my Cricut to cut out the title and then patted it in the WW craft in for the 'cloudy' effect.

Do you get the feeling that I am embracing Autumn in my last few projects??

FYI - Eve Rocks!

2008-10-31T10:41:00.001-04:00

On the off-chance you haven't seen her amazing creations (she especially smokes the Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenges) CLICK HERE! Right now! Don't wait another second!

Any-hoo... We Twi-hards stick together. Check out this surprise I found in my mailbox last week, as I was cruising out of town and filled with stress... :) She is so frickin' COOL! How thoughtful was that? This paper is amazing - to look at it, you would swear it is some sort of fiber/cloth, but it isn't. It's gorgeous - I just want to look at it... I can't bring my self to cut it up, yet... :) And, friends, she made Twilight earrings. Seriously ~ she did it herself! I have a pair on right now! (Along with one of my Twilight t-shirt, but I digress...) They are dang cute. I guarantee I will get compliments - I cannot wear Twilight anything without luring out a fan or two! Eve also found apple brads! How funny! I may have to do a project that themes on the initial cover... I cannot resist those brads!

But, being me, I am making myself late for the kiddo's Halloween parade ~ did we ever get out early on Halloween? I tend to think not... hmmm. Private schools ~ what are ya gonna do?

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH, EVE! You brightened my day~ my week, really! You rock!

Last One... Promise...

2008-10-29T18:11:00.001-04:00

Well, I literally took 10 minutes on this one. I'll probably make it into a card, or use it in a collage of characters I was thinking about doing later on. BUT, I believe I have used up my daily dose of mojo. (There's that exhale I was waiting on earlier...) I am officially done submitting for TTIC#5!

I love wolfie...

TTIC#5 ~ Part 2! More Jake love...

2008-10-29T17:14:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I like Jake! I didn't feel like I captured the correct mojo in my previous submission for TTIC#5. Team Jacob, baby! Poor guy gets no respect. *sigh* He's such a sweetie. I could fill a whole project with great Jake quotes, but I chose this one. It captures "him"...

Now... my wolf stamp finally arrived! Maybe another Team Jacob submission in your future? I can hear the collective gasps... don't forget to exhale!

TTIC#5 Twilight Tuesday - Team Jake baby!

2008-10-28T12:03:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I am late... Note to self: NO open containers allowed on the craft table...

Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #5...........

It's TUESDAY!!!!
Which team are you on? Team Edward (how BORING!) Team Jacob or are you Undecided?

This week we address the almighty issue of Teams... Certainly, with Twilight, it is inevitable that Edward is THE man, uh, vampire, of Bella's heart and the core of the saga. (Especially with that hottie they have playing him in the upcoming movie!) Team Edward is too easy (I will remain silent and refrain from all the jabs that are flooding my mind, since my boy Jake is getting slammed all over the place!) and to be Switzerland is way to politically correct for me! :) But, you know... being ME, I have to go with the underdog - pun intended - and I went with Team Jacob. After he is done being, well a youngish teenager, he really becomes a great wolfie! :) We can debate his relationship with Bella until the wolves come out, but I like Jake. And in New Moon, when he is telling his story - I laugh my fool head off at the way he talks and thinks. Jake rocks!

Don't forget to check out Tonya's and Eve's blogs for their TTIC masterpieces! Are YOU playing? Enter your link in a comment! We are always looking for more people to play with! :)

Added 10-29: Check out this awesome submission by Julie!

Running Late!

2008-10-28T08:21:00.001-04:00

TTIC will be up shortly! Patience, lovely Twi-hards! :)

For a quick fix - check out these (on-time) TTIC submissions:

www.stamphappens.com
www.thisisbliss.com

BOO!

2008-10-23T13:18:00.001-04:00

Scared ya, didn't I? More like surprised, with a BTTP ~ a Between-The-TTICs-Post. Yeah, I know. But I have been into some REALLY awesome books lately. The kind you can't put down - awesome. :) I found some SUPER cute Halloween acrylics at Mike's of all places. They are finally catching on! I figured I should actually USE those Copics that I spent so much money on... and this is what I came up with. I was totally goofing off mindlessly, but I think the images are cute enough to save the composition, huh? That mouse cracks me up!

Now, this one was fun - I love skulls. Does that mean there is something 'amiss' in my life? hee hee. Again, I wasn't putting a lot of thought or planning into these. I swirled the ink on the vellum and layered it over the other image of the Jolly Roger. I also colored the skull on the base layer with my white gel pen. It looks groovy IRL.

Now, since I have done so much hard work today (NOT!), the next one is a foreshadow of what comes after Spawn goes to bed...

Have a spooky, spectacular and cocktail-icious day!

TTIC #4 ~ Twilight Tuesday, Hooray!

2008-10-21T09:00:00.012-04:00

It's Twilight Tuesday again! That means another card inspired by Stephenie Meyer's gift to vamp lovers everywhere ~ the Twilight saga!

This week, we were to be inspired by my girl, Alice Cullen! This girl rocks out loud. I absolutely LOVE Alice! And, for the record, I think that whoever is responsible for casting Ashley Greene in the movie deserves some massively cool award. She is perfect. (Isn't Jas just adorable in that picure, too?!)

So, we know Alice can see into the future, once decisions have been made, et al. She is considered to be especially talented among the vamps in Meyerland. She oozes haute couture style (even rocking it in rural Washington state!) and is a girl who can seriously kick some ass when need be! She is loyal, and has an awesome way of relating to her family and friends. You can always rely on Alice, and she takes that very seriously. She just rocks... have I said that yet? So here is what I came up with with, with Alice in mind:

The lovely Eve sent me this photo after I spent a whole email gushing about Alice's awesomeness and the fabulous casting of AG ~ look at those Topaz eyes! Awesome picture! (Thanks for sharing it, Eve!)

What ability would you have?

If I could choose a supernatural ability, I would totally opt for the ability to alter time. I would like to be able to go back and revisit, and go forward to see what's up. Particularly, on the heels of reading Twilight, I would love to go back and revisit high school ~ I would remind myself that HS is one of the greatest times in life, and that failing my driving test the first time (WHAT?!) wasn't really the end of the world... Is there a character on Heroes for that? :) Plus, I would really like to jump ahead a few years and see what the new Prez will do... or jump ahead about a month to the TWILIGHT opening! :)

Check out these awesome submissions for the challenge, too:

Tonya Klar

Eve Fowler

TTIC #3 - Yep, It's Twilight Day!

2008-10-14T09:00:00.012-04:00

Welcome to this week's Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge! The inspiration this week comes from our wonderful Eve!
Eve's choice for this week's inspiration piece, Edward's Meadow!!

This week's challenge was so fun - we were instructed to use the infamous meadow scene as our inspiration. Yeah, baby! This is the scene that started it all for Stephenie Meyer - her dream of a perfect vampire, in a perfect meadow, professing his love to his Bella. Here's my interpretation.

Of course, I had to include the most awesome quote from the whole series (well, except for the Volvo one!): "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb." ~Edward

"Such a stupid lamb." ~Bella

"Such a sick, masochistic lion." ~Edward

We know that Edward "dazzles" in the sunlight - literally, so I used Dazzling Diamonds and Crystal Effects to add the sparkle to the quotes and the leaves. We also learn that the forest is overwhelmingly green to Bella, so I used baby wipes on the background, and Always Artichoke, Certainly Celery and Barely Banana classic ink (reinkers) and graduated the hues from bottom to top to create the green forest floor, to the brilliant, sunny day they spent in their perfect meadow. I varied stroke styles until I got the 'feeling' I was going for. I wish the picture did it justice - it looks very subtle, but just right in person! :)

Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge #2

2008-10-07T09:00:00.005-04:00

Well, this may be my lamest IC submission ever! I had such high hopes: a mosaic of the Forks students, with the Stupid, Shiny Volvo and Bella's 'choice' represented universally throughout as the apple... It had such potential... Alas, here is what I have to share. Remember what Momma said - if you don't have anything nice to say... :)

I chose the Night of Navy and Summer Sun colors, well, because they are the real FHS colors! The rest is pretty basic. I used the Puzzle Piece Sizzix die and the scallop square Nestie. I feel like the universal feeling of high school is making the 'pieces fit', and Bella and Edwada re no exception. I used Wild Wasabi, because Bella was always saying Forks was "too green", and that occurred to her often when she was going to school in the rain! Of course, Edward's sinky and new Volvo was the obviously out-of-place vehicle in the school lot - prompting on of my favorie quotes: "Stupid, shiny Volvo owner." Funny!

WHAT ABOUT FORKS HS REMINDS YOU OF YOUR HS EXPERIENCE?

Everything! When I read the scenes from the school, I picture it happening in my high school - (the one they are tearing down this month!) :{ I imagine the parking lot between the wings, the cafeteria with it's big black dragon painted on the wall, the dreaded Bio lab. It was a fun walk back through HS. Specifically, I never dated any hot vampires, or had a van come flying at me, though. :)

It's Twilight Tuesday!

2008-09-30T17:08:00.006-04:00

It's Tuesday and our first official Twilight Tuesday Inspiration Challenge! Our inspration for Week #1 is Rosalie Hale. If there was ever a character in a fictional family that I wanted to slap, it's her! But I had a ton of fun designing a card that captured her edge. You can decide if I succeeded!

I decided that the red rose was appropriate on a couple of levels... her name, obviously, but also as it signifies beauty and love. I also feel like Rosalie's heart, if she had one (figuratively & literally!) would be 'bleeding' as she has such long and deep regret about the loss of her human life. Life is the "sweetest thing" for her - she has never let go.

Tell us which Twilight personality you most identify with, and why?!

Well, off the top of my head, I say Alice, although I WISH I could see the future! (I DO seem to rock the football pool, though. hmmmm....) Alice is personable, and I love her relationship with her 'brother' Edward. It seems very familiar to me. She is strong and silent when necessary and takes no crap otherwise. :) I love fast cars, too. I could TOTALLY live with a yellow 911 Turbo! I'd love to say I am as adept with the haute couture as she is, but I try. :) I just identify the way Alice "loves". Alice rocks. I wanna be Alice when I grow up...

My Lovely Vampires

2008-09-25T18:24:00.013-04:00

I know, I know... this Twilight obsession is getting outta control. It is just such a visual, lovely story. *sigh* Plus, StampVamp has started doing her own Twilight-inspired masterpieces, so I have to keep up! :) ANY-hoo... Here is my inspiration for this one:

And this one, if you are familiar with Twilight at all, you know that Edward *sigh* "dazzles" in every way. Hence this one:

It is exceptionally hard to capture Pearl Ex on film - if you have never seen or used it, you are missing out! It is very subtle and shimmery. In this picture, it looks grey, when in facy, it is just the Basic Black cardstock with shimmery Micro Pearl powder blended into it. (The fourish is from Baroque Motifs, and was stamped with VersaMark ink.) Both quotes are from the first book.

Yeah, I am sufficiently dazzled. By Edward *sigh*, not the card! lol Who wouldn't be dazzled by him: Wholly selfish eye candy for the blog mistress here... :)

I make no apologies! :) I'll be back with more cards and some FABULOUS samples from Amazing Jane's meeting a couple of weeks back... Stay Tuned!

Better Late Than Never...

2008-09-25T17:48:00.013-04:00

Last week I had some super cute projects for my Stamp Clubbers... I say so because I totally CASE'd a couple of projects and mucked around with them until I was happy. You know, my standard M.O! Without further ado... my favorite card in a long time. I really didn't change a whole lot about this one, so I cannot claim it as my own brainchild. I actually remember the original artist - I know, deep breaths and you will get over your shock quicker! Her name is Gretchen Barron. (Love that name - Gretchen.)

The set is Upsy Daisy and the DSP is Urban Garden... I dubbed this the U2 card. Guess why? The card base is Not Quite Navy and the highlight and ribbon color is Kiwi Kiss. The only ink I used was NQN, but the highlighted daisies were stamped-off twice... so it is the first and third impression of the same ink. This card is so pretty IRL. where is Annie Leibowitz when you need her???

This little beauty is a modified version of a tri-fold card I found on SCS. I added a couple of extra scores, changed up the dimensions to fit the beautiful Hershey bar, and...

TA DAAA... Like I said, beautiful. And, yes, I am gushing over the chocolate. There is nothing like Hershey's chocolate - am I right?

Two words... YUM. MEE.

The project consists of Basic Black, Green Galore, Lovely Lilac and Tangerine Tango paper, with Batty and Batty for You stamps and jumbo wheel using Basic Black Classic ink and cartridge. I found these awesome magnetic closures at Mike's (they are made by Basic Grey). I also used Sticky Strip to secure the lovely chocolate bar in place. Additionally, I used the Corner Rounder and Word Window punches for the "buckle" portion. For kicks and giggles, I slapped on a couple of googlie eyes. What is a batty bat without crazy eyes?!

New Rubbah!

2008-09-15T21:22:00.007-04:00

I bought that super cute Serenity Now yoga set from My Favorite Things ~ I know, I do feel the guilt! ~ and had to sit down and play! These are the first two cards I made with my contraband... I have to admit, I am on an serious Not Quite Navy bender these days. The Urban Garden DSP has me entranced! :) One might say, dazzled... ...if one were a Twilighter.

This is the inside - cute, huh? Notice the magnet closure? Those are by BasicGrey and they are awesome!

And Project #2...

Lovin' it! Namaste, friends... Ommmm......

Happy Birthday, Vamp!

2008-09-05T20:07:00.005-04:00

I am completely engrossed in a vampire series of novels, so this one has the obvious influence! Fortunately, Vamp is reading the same series! We are sharing our obsession... Gotta LOVE vampires!!

This was an exceptionally hard card to photograph - specifically, because I used Pearl Ex and Lumiere liquid medium, which allows for the subtle metallic sheen to the background images, but apparently is incredibly light-reflective! Grrrr... I also added Crystal Effects to the popped Calla lilies. Ugh - it looks MUCH better in person. ANYHOO... her birthday is next week! Drop by and say 'hey'!

Happy Birthday, StampVamp!

I am a SLACKER!

2008-09-04T17:05:00.001-04:00

I have nothing new to share - well, to be brutally honest, nothing WORTH sharing! I have, unfortunately had to whip up 2 more sympathy cards using my all-time favorite calla lilies ~ but I didn't want to post the same set over and over! Everything else was basically junk. BUT! There is hope, and I will tell you why... I am engrossed in an amazing series of books that has my mojo-a-flo-flo-ing! Unfortunately, said obsession doesn't leave time for stamping. Or cleaning. Or sleeping, for that matter! Once they are done, I am inspired to create! The books are so beautifully and vividly written that I have images in my brain (hopefully, I will find stamps to match!) that will have to surface somehow. So, for now... Have a wonderful week!

From the Garden ~ the Wall Art

2008-08-24T14:52:00.005-04:00

Who knew it would be so hard to find a nice, white frame? Ugh!

I just got this retired Hostess set from Tonya, and this is my first creation with it. Given my love for watercoloring, this set and I will get along famously! Wish I could have gotten a better picture, though. It looks really nice in person... said the egotistic stamper...

PS~The sentiment says: "If you do not have a smile, I'll give you one of mine." (Isn't that nice?!)

Frank N. Matchbook ~ the Concept

2008-08-24T14:18:00.003-04:00

It seemed like such a cute idea at the time... Soooo, I challenge you to come up with your own monster matchbook for halloween treats! My inspiration for Frank here, was the scalloped edging I was doing for another project. I am hoping I will get a jolt of mojo and comeup with a good nose for him. Poor guy can't smell the chocolate he will contain! Any ideas? ***By the way - his "bolts" are arrows from the My Way punch, rounded off with the corner rounder two times. Clever, huh? I know ~ amazing.***

More Halloween Experimenting...

2008-08-20T18:01:00.000-04:00

Rememeber when Vamp sent me these super cute pirate stamps? They will complement the new SU set, Just Jawing - you know, the skull set - so perfectly! I cannot wait until mine get here!! Here is what I came up with in the meantime. I really just wanted to play with new InColor combinations, and then the whole skull-thing hit me... It is different... I had fun coming up with this one. Opinions?

DumDum in Seatbelt

2008-08-19T20:36:00.006-04:00

Ok, I don't usually put personal pics in my blog, but how cute is she? My baby puppy girl, Lily is my girlie-kins. I'm one of those dog-dorks. I love my baby girl! She is on her way to her doggie hotel, nay "Pet Resort", since we are on our way to the beach!

Since we are talking about the beach - we are in Maryland's OC. Ocean City that is. Fun! Here are a couple of purely selfish picures of my boys for my own benefit... :) ***For those of you rolling your eyes, I have another cute (IMHO!) Halloween card set to post tomorrow, so check back! *** ....Hint: Skulls ROCK!.....

My First Attempt at ATCs

2008-08-18T22:29:00.005-04:00

StampVamp over at Stamp Happens sent me the cutest ATC, and asked that I do one in return. This is what I came up with. I'm on the fence about it... what do you think?

Halloween's A-Comin'!

2008-08-18T22:02:00.005-04:00

Can you believe it? I love halloween - it is a fun time in my house... Obviously, I am catching the fever, 'cuz this is what erupted from my fingertips when I sat down to stamp today! I SO hope this means my mojo is coming back from it's extended summer break...

I'm going to stun you by telling you little bit about this one... I cut crooked strips of Sahara Sand and taped them together to create the siding of the house, then smeared my sponge (which had remnants of Perfect Plum from another project) across each plank to make it look older and more rickety. My spider's web is the corner of the Cheesecloth background stamp, and the spider, witch and black cat are from the oldie-but-goodie Bitty Boos set. I used Jan Tink's WICKED "Moonlighting" technique to make my witch pop in the moonlight and sponged the sky with Elegant Eggplant. I watercolored the ground & oak tree from Lovely as a Tree. I made an extra set of shutters, so they are propped up on dimensionals.

Cute, huh?

2008-08-09T11:33:00.006-04:00

Happy to report the Bellas were indeed easier to work with. I am also THRILLED to report that the new SU catties arrived and I am so excited about them! The Fall/Winter 08-09 Idea Book & Catalog is one of the best I have seen in years! Of course, my checkbook isn't nearly so ecstatic...

These girlies, though not SU, were part of that sisterly swappin' tin I mentioned before. I believe that the images and coloring were both from Tonya, aka StampVamp, and certainly the colors are right up my alley! I am going to miss Wild Wasabi when it heads off into the sunset on Monday... What a great color!! I really wanted to add some stitching along that awesome scalloped edge, but honesty, Blogettes, I am whipped! Or lazy - but I'm thinking the fatigue-factor gives me a pass...

Another Sisterly Tin attempt...

2008-08-08T23:46:00.004-04:00

And, finally, for now, my last sisterly tin creation for a few days... I'll do something with that cupcake girlie soon, but right now, I got me some NEW SU to get ordered! I'm obsessed - how do I ever scale that initial order back to an acceptable amount??? Really - tell me! That is my mission for the weekend. Oh, yeah, and the Oympics (oooh, they just lit the torch! I'm all tingly!!) We are sports freaks in this family... Big time! Go USA! Woot woot!

Happy Stampin' (UP!), friends!

Look what I get to play with now...

2008-08-08T23:22:00.003-04:00

My blogging, stamping sisters Kim (InkeyPinkers) & Tonya (StampVamp) combined to create this little goodie tin... well, Vamp made the tin, but the monkey image came from Kim, was colored by Tonya and then sent to me to "do something" with. Gotta tell ya - that isn't easy! The Bellas should be easier... I'm hoping! The little love-monkies are cute, though! I used Crystal Effects on the balloon and Everyday Flexible Phrases (all SU, of course!) plus some Basic Color eyelets in Creamy Caramel and Real Red. Cheated and used a Cuttlebug, but will be retiring that bad boy for the NEW Sizzix BIG SHOT for Stampin' Up! Oh, baby - hang onto your seats for that news...

Sympathy Cards Suck...

2008-08-08T23:19:00.002-04:00

Bum deal. I hate making sympathy cards. I hope our friends know how much love went into this one. 'Nuff said.

More Window Fun...

2008-08-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

...All the leaves are brown...

...And the sky is gray...

Can't you just hear "California Dreaming" when you look at this one? I love the trees, but I went a little overboard with the autumn sky! I feel like I need a sweater, even though it is near 100* here!

Again, I struggle with composition for this set... I need to go stalk the SCS galleries for ideas. Just think, Blogettes, this set will be available for you to earn for FREE in just a few days! You know you want it!

WICKED Awesome Punkins

2008-08-05T01:24:00.008-04:00

Do you like a challenge? Yeah, me too! I read Jan Tink's WICKED challenge for this week and IMMEDIATELY hopped up to play! ...to the COMPLETE disregard of my chores... sssh!

Isn't it fun? My favorite part is the evil punkin "sneaking" up on the gooberish one! Can't you just picture him playing some Halloween tricks on the big guy? But alas, in my haste to try out this groovy masking technique, I negleted to read ALL the SCS rules... I used a retired SU alphabet (Crazy Alphabet). Hmmph! Well, boogers!

I, of course, had nary a full half sheet of any chosen color besides So Saffron (I really would have preferred to NOT have the card base yellow!) so this card was made from scraps! ...you DO save your scraps, right?!! Anyway, I wish I'd have been patient (yeah, right) and completely read the rules, 'cuz I was anxious to share this one!! That, faithful Blogettes, means you get the exclusive! You should feel honored, and maybe a little lightheaded...

Stamp Sets Looking for Happy Homes...

2008-07-29T16:25:00.013-04:00

These poor sets are just getting neglected here and need new homes... I have linked them to the gallery (when available) so you can see the sets in action - just click the set's name. To the best of my knowledge, these are all retired and are for sale according to SU policy ~ if I have made a mistake, please let me know!! It wouldn't be the first time! Here we go...

All Natural $10 -PENDING
All the Best $12
Aquaria NUM (one stamp mounted, used once) $12
Beautiful Batik $15
Birthday Memos $20 (sentiment set)
Bodacious Bouquet $22
Crayon Cuties $12 - PENDING
Fantastic Foliage NUM $15
Fresh Fruits NUM (one stamp mounted, used once) $20
From the Garden $10 -PENDING
Fruity Phrases $10 -SOLD
Gently Falling $8
Girlfriends $14
Girlfriends Accessories $12
Happy Thoughts $8
Holiday Print bg $15
Holiday Woodcuts $14 -PENDING
Lexicon of Love $8 - PENDING
Love Ya Bunches $12
Made From Scratch $8
Merci $8
Occasionally $12
Painted Garden $10
Reverse Prints NUM $10
Season’s Greetings $24 (sentiment set)
Seasonal Solids $14
Shapes & Shadows $18
Sidekick Sayings NUM $12 - PENDING
Simple Shapes $14
Stars & Swirls (well-loved) $6
Suitable for Framing $12
Sweet & Sassy $10
Tagger’s Dozen SU Trade Only-current (Never used)
Tassel Time $12 - SOLD
The World Over $8 - PENDING
Travel Post $18 - SOLD
Wishes Awash $10 -PENDING
Wishing You $10
Word by Word bg $15

Designer Series Paper packs:
Outlaw (2) $10 - SOLD/PENDING

Another Sneaky Peek...

2008-07-28T19:35:00.012-04:00

I got some of my preordered stamp sets - 'cause you know the NEW CATALOG will be available on August 11th. Woot woot!!! Anyhoo... this is a set called Window Dressing. I have to admit it, I really hated it at first. WHY?! WHY did I EVER think this was worthwhile to buy? Then I talked to Vamp, and we brainstormed some great ideas for this little window. This is my first brainchild-attempt... granted, the composition leaves a lot to be desired, but my concentration was on the window. I have to admit, artistically speaking, that window came out pretty darn good! As the *incomparable* Jan Tinklenberg would say - YILM! (Yes, I love myself!) Every time I come up with something I like, I see her "YILM" in my little mind's eye! {If you haven't seen her blog yet, you must! She is very much *incomparable*!}

I masked the stuffin' out of this one... I masked out the window and added the girl, then masked her, and added the chair with the moving paraphernalia onto that! phew...

I think the window looks good. What do you think?

Serious Blog candy here!

2008-07-24T03:27:00.002-04:00

Stamping Sister Shaz, phew, is offering up some major candy... check out our favorite Funky Fairy here: funkyfairyinspirations: FABBY BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY

The Saffron Chef ~ Voila!

2008-07-15T18:53:00.006-04:00

This is the other project I am doing at Stamp Club on Thursday... this one will have Fake, or "Faux" since this post is French-themed, Watercoloring and Paper Piecing. These techniques are pretty self explanatory: we will kinda-sorta watercolor and also piece portions of different papers together to get a funky look, which I LOVE! I haven't come up with a catchy (or kitschy, with me it is pretty much interchangeable!) name for this card, but I have come to love the chef as Chef Charles... channel Inspector Clousseau (or Celine Dion) and pronounce it Sheff Shaaaaarl. Yep. He's my pal. There are so many ways to play around with him! He's a jovial little fella, for sure! The first course is Chef en Saffron, and the second is Chef en Plum. Isn't he just tres magnifique?! And yes, he is very comfortable with his feminine side! :)

Pick a Perfect Plum Petal, Certainly!

2008-07-15T16:22:00.012-04:00

So I was creating a project or two for my Stamp Club happenin' this Thursday... and I decided on Paper Piecing, Faux Watercoloring and Masking for my techniques demonstration. See, I have this amazing group of stampers - almost all of this Club is brand new to stamping (well, they were before I got a hold of them!) and, Geez Louise, they picked up the nuances SO quickly! I instantly became a bad teacher... we sailed right over the basics! And, that's why we are masking. It's such a simple technique that changes the whole feel of your project. That's what I did with this first project - I call it my Pick a Perfect Plum Petal, Certainly! (P4C, for short) card. To be honest, it's very similar to one I saw on SCS, and am again guilty of not writing down the original creator (you are brilliant!). I think that the colors caught my eye above all else - Perfect Plum and Certainly Celery are smokin' together! I did switch up the composition a bit, but overall, I am happy with this one, and I hope the 'Clubbers' are, too!

Vamp is back in Blog-land!

2008-07-08T20:01:00.001-04:00

Hooray!!! I am so excited! Here's her new blog address if you haven't seen it yet: Stamp Happens! Now I really need to get back in the game... can't be outdone! :) Welcome back, Sistah!

And a "Birthday Tilda" too!

2008-07-06T14:25:00.001-04:00

I have a huge confession to make - buried deep in my piles of mail from my vacation - look what I found!! Another card from my Stamping-Blogging sister, Tracey, over in the United Kingdom!! WOW! Isn't she cute?! Check out the pink-polka dotted Uggs! She rocks them, too - I want a pair! This stamp is one of the ever-mentioned Tildas that are so popular across the pond... How long do you think it will take until we are obsessed with them over here? I saw a DARLING little boy Rock-star a bit ago - these are CUTIE PETOOTIE!

THANK YOU Tracey! I love this card! You are so sweet! Thanks!!!!

Happy Stampin'!

~Beth

Birthday Bella!

2008-07-02T21:52:00.003-04:00

Look at this super cool Bella birthday card that Bee sent me ALL THE WAY from the UK!! Thank you so much, Bee! I love this card!! You are so sweet - thank you very, very much, "Sistah"! MWAH

Back to Reality...

2008-07-02T21:48:00.001-04:00

Wow - was Jamaica as awesomely RAD as I remember it? That's a big YEPPERS! I am having such an unbelievably hard time readjusting to the 'real' world, it is bordering on comical!

Anyhoo, I was forced to get my stampin' on because I have a Stamp Club to prep for. I want to use the Fresh Cuts and die-cut cards to show quick and elegant, quick and playful and any other "quick and" combo you can think of! So, these aren't really earth-shattering (wait until I get my next shipment - I have a couple really cute ideas a-brewin'!) but, let's be honest... it is all I have stamped since the beginning of June! Looks like I will be running on Island Time with my stamping, too! Yah Man!

Enough squawking... here are my first of many samples to have by our Stamp Club gathering on the 17th:

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

~Beth

Fresh Cuts ~ Sneak Peek.... sssssh

2008-06-03T13:52:00.007-04:00

This is a Sneak Peek promo for the upcoming SU Idea Book & Catalog (IBC)... I must confess, the Fresh Cuts set isn't my normal cuppa-joe, but I am liking this card. Part of the sneak peek are these nifty, 4" laser cut cards. The Purely Pomegranate DSP petals are actually the inside 'lining' of the card - they are the die-cut outs. The Old Olive DSP leaves are made from my 3/8" Circle Punch and the center flower is the 5 Petal Punch in Almost Amethyst, and finally, the very center flower is from the Spring Bouquet Punch (also Purely Pom). I snazzed it up with the lilac Rhinestone from the SU Ice Circles collection. I used 1/4" strips of Amethyst and Pomegranate DSP to 'frame' the background image, as it isn't as big as the card.

This month's SU eScape promotion is as much about "promoting" you to write handwritten notes and sentiments as it is about giving you a deal on the eScape bundle. Remember how great it is to get a letter in the mail - better yet a card that someone hand-made just for you? It's so easy to get caught up in the instant-gratification of technology... GO WIRELESS this month! I challenge you to send a card to someone who will least expect it... or me. Just jivin'. Not that I wouldn't LOOOVE it! :) Recapture that fun! I double-dog dare ya...

PrettyPink(Preoccupied)Puck

2008-05-29T17:18:00.004-04:00

For those of you who don't know, my screenname is PrettyPinkPuck - I love pink, and i LOOOOOVE hockey. Well, now that I've had to explain myself, it doesn't seem like such a cutesie title...

Ok, here's the deal - I am SO ridiculously preoccupied with my upcoming vaca to Jamaica ~shopping, making lists, hair and nails, and relieving myself of my too-big derriere~ I haven't taken a pic of anything! I've done a few cute last minute things for my son's graduation tomorrow. I can't believe my baby is going to be a first-grader! (OMG! That is for bethy's boo-hoo blog on MySpace, though!) I even bought a true color, HD light - think Ott-lite - for said photos. Sheesh. So this is my solemn promise to get somethin' decent up this weekend!

AMENDMENT: I lost my flippin' camera! I think I left it at a birthday party my kiddo went to on Saturday... odds on it being there when I call in the am? Any takers? Geez Louise.

Busy Little Bethy... and her Marker Mayhem.

2008-05-21T23:03:00.004-04:00

Wow, have I been on a bender... Despite my vehement refusal to do so, I have dabbled in the art markers waters... I am still not entirely convinced they are worth the extra $$$, and I do so enjoy the vibrance of my SU markers... I'll let you know when I get down to my final conclusion!! In the meantime, I have been practicing - and I DO mean practicing (these are not easy peasy coloring media, that's for ding-darn sure!) with the Prismacolors. I settled on those 'cuz I can get them at Mike's with those weekly 40% coupons! Y'all down south could probably get Copics at Hobby Lobby - I saw that they are a retailer for them. I plan on buying a few pink shades of Copics to play with. My own version of Stampin' Consumer Reports. I will say that for the record - I love my SU markers, and for bright colors and eclectic projects - that's what I will always go back to. Those are great markers!

Anyhoo... here are a couple of the images I have played with, and finally sat down and put onto cards... For a beginner, I'm pretty happy.

I like these two - they are from the Sketches sets by Stampin' Up. Even uncolored, the images are so nice. I use these all the time. The soft shading works well on these - I usually watercolor them. Honestly, that is easier! JMHO!

I'll post a few more tomorrow. Time for beddy-bye. I am off to dream of Montego Bay... 22 days to Jamaica... Ya, MON!

Update: I think it is a tie with the Copics and Prismas... But 1st place is SU's Many Marvelous Markers... Love the vibrancy, and versatility!

Quick Hit Tutorial... for when it is OK to scratch

2008-05-21T17:26:00.002-04:00

For the Scratch 'n Sniff card, I cannot take credit. There was an article in Stampin' Success a while back, and this thread has also been posted on SCS. For the record - I like the KoolAid ones the best! Don't forget to use Sugar Free drink mixes, or you'll have a mess on your hands! Oh, yeahhhh ~ remember those commercials? The good old days!

This month's stamp club projects...

2008-05-15T19:53:00.001-04:00

These are the projects that I came up with for Stamp Club this month... But before we move along, this disclaimer... these cards will have the Linen background, and look oh-so-much-hotter. I decided that just now... indulge me. :)

First up... the "Slice of Citrus Sunshine" card... All art needs a name, no? Et voila~

I am totally into the scratch-n-sniff cards, but I didn't want to have too many steps for the Club ladies. SOOO, when I make this card for my own use, it smells like - are you ready? - oranges. So cool. Anyhoo, I used Tart & Tangy and the Summer Picnic DSP from the Occasions mini! (extended until May 31st!!) and Enjoy Every Moment from the Spring/Summer '08 catalog. Additionally, I used Real Red & Pumpkin Pie CS and classic inks, and the So Saffron marker on the orange slice, the slot punch and wide red grosgrain ribbon. The word window punch shows the sentiment, if you look reaaaaally closely. (NO, Vamp, I have not gotten an Ott yet! lol)

Project #2 is the "One of a Western Kind Sky Star" card... yes, Western Sky DSP, One of a Kind stamp set, and a chipboard star. You are impressed with the original titling tonight, aren't you? :) I used Bayou Blue for the base and ink impressions, and the Boho Blossoms punch to make the flowers that are layered onto the star. I also used the Designer Tag punch and layered a 1 3/8" circle I punched from the same paper I covered the star with. The ribbon is River Rock double-stitched, and the white gel pen dotted around the edges. Again - remember this has a background stamp on it! :) Maybe I'd even used Sanded - I love that one!!

You must know by now that I love simple. I am learning (sloooowly) to NOT be the Queen of TooMuch. I was the Monarch there for-evah!! I do, however, constantly find myself wondering what Vamp's take on it would be. She is so good at dressing cards up. She's just SOGOOD!

Gotta run for now - Spawn needs to retire for the evening. And it is te night of nights: Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy and LOST. OMG - my head might explode from giddiness... :)

It worked!

2008-05-13T13:15:00.001-04:00

I actually scheduled that post - how lovely! *sigh* Yes, I was having a frustration moment... What is really crazy is that my drawers are all labeled, and everything has it's place... "everything" just doesn't always get there! Oh, yeah, did I mention that said 'hard-rockin' 6-year old has been "making (me) Mother's Day cards" for about 3 weeks now... That never helps, but it is so sweet, I can overlook!

Onward and upward! I whipped up these little cuties for my boy's wonderful teachers for Teachers' Week last week. (Now, if I could just get him to pull them out of his backpack and give them to the teachers...) My love for little cards is well documented... I like these ones a lot:

Just pretend my photo doesn't stink! :) I love playing with the Elementary Essentials set - I've done a lot of cute things with it! Unfortunately, I tend to send them out without taking pictures first! The card base is Kraft CS, and the rest is pretty basic and self explanatory, as norm. If you can't tell, I cut out a portion of the scissor blade to make it look like the sentiment was being cut. I had a wild hair, what can I say. And the lines are colored like elementary school, learning-to-write paper (remember that stuff?) with the red baseline, light blue center and darker blue top line. Like I said - wild hair. (Gee whiz, I really need to start taking these pictures in better light. So much for being a past student of Photography... ) Being impatient and tired, I wrote out Happy Teacher's Week, which would be infinitely cuter in Peyton's handwriting or stamped, but it was pushing midnight and that just wasn't happenin'!

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Top Secret update... I am almost done! I like to live on the edge... I'll share soon!