Black and White Wings

As that 70's song by Three Dog Night goes... the ink is black, the page is white, together we learn to read and write... if you're interested in listening to that song, you can hear it right here. Anyway, these two cards that I made today reminded me of that song.

The butterfly stamps I used on these cards are from Molly Stamps, Wings on Things Big and Wings on Things Small. First, I stamped the wings onto a sheet of acetate with StazOn ink then clipped them closely around the outer edge. Then I cut a piece of black hemp cord long enough to give the butterfly a body and antennas when folded. Adhere this between the wings using mini glue dots. Set aside. I cuttlebugged the white cardstock to give some texture to the plain card base and added organdy ribbon for elegance. Attach the completed butterfly to the card with mini glue dots. The sentiments are from Stampin' Up!

Did you notice the new Cuttlebug border folders? Love those! I used one of them on the small butterfly card.










READY FOR SOME CHRISTMAS MUSIC?
I am so proud of my brother, Art Mapa. He is a self taught guitarist, percussionist and a musical genius. (A sample of his Christmas CD is on my sidebar.) Ever since junior high, he has been playing around with the guitar and not long after that, started playing in local rock bands in San Francisco. But, it didn't take him long to realize that contemporary Christian music was his calling. For many years, he has dedicated his talent to the ministry of Christian music. Although he doesn't know how to read notes, he has produced and arranged many cd's! He, his wife (who has a beautiful voice, by the way) and their son were here for Thanksgiving and while they were here, he gave me a copy of his new Christmas CD, A Winter's Chill. I listened to it while I was making cards and I was so impressed! I sometimes forget how talented he is! He plays pretty much all the instruments you hear on there and he arranged it all, which still amazes me! His wife sings on some of the songs on his CD. She also sings full time with the gospel group Heritage and he produces and arranges their cd's.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit. I hope your holiday was just as happy as mine was. I miss my family already!!

Moosemas Gift Card Holder Tutorial

It's officially the biggest and busiest shopping day of the year, now that Thanksgiving is over. I'm hoping that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! I had a great time with two of my brothers and sisters visiting from out of town with with kids. I don't see them too often anymore, so this was very special to me!

Speaking of shopping... today, I'm hosting the Hanna Stamps Challenge and the theme I've chosen is to make a Holiday gift card holder. Here's my sample card. It has a flip top held on one side with a brad, and when flipped, it reveals a card inside the pocket. Below is a tutorial on how I made this gift card holder. Here's the link to the Hanna Stamps Challenge at SCS. Come on over and play along! Oh, before I forget, Hanna Stamps is having a Black Friday Sale today! Everything in the store is 25% off!!!


Paper: 5" x 5-1/2" DSP, 5" x 4" coordinating cardstock, paper and cardstock for stamped image and layers.
Dimensionals
Ribbon
Brad
Sticky Strip






Score and fold in half the DSP and cardstock. Put Sticky Strips on each side of the DSP, but leaving 3/4" below the top of the left edge.








Place the cardstock over the DSP so that it measures 3-3/4" tall. Punch a hole on the left side through all thickness.








Unfold the cardstock and align the DSP hole with the cardstock hole (see photo on left).

Adhere a dimensional above the DSP on the right side of the tape (see photo on left).

Optional: Before removing the liner from the Sticky Strip on the DSP, punch a hole in the middle of the top opening using the 1-3/8" circle punch.
Seal the DSP closed.

Seal the cardstock closed.

Cut a strip of ribbon 12" long and wrap it around the cardstock like in the photo. Next, put a brad through the ribbon through the previously punched hole.

Now you're ready to decorate!



Here's a picture of the gift card holder opened. The great thing about this is that you'll never lose the cover!


Thank you for stopping by. It really makes my day when I hear from you, so drop me a line sometime! Have a great day!

I Miss My Work Desk! Wah....

Oh where has my desk gone? I'm going through stamping withdrawals. For the past two years, since I started stamping, our dining room was taken over by everything stamping related! We no longer had dinner parties or formal celebrations because the dining room no longer existed. But in less than two days, I'm hosting my family's Thanksgiving dinner right here at my house, and they will NOT fit in my breakfast nook. So, for the past three days, I've been taking down my stamping studio, putting everything that I don't use too often in boxes to be stored in the garage and just keeping the things that I use the most on a roller cart. It's a good thing that I started unmounting my rubber stamps from the wood blocks a while back because I can fit all my sets in just a small container now, instead of lots and lots of shelves!

There are a couple of things I'm working on that I will post in the next two days, but today I'd like to share with you something so exciting that's going on at Paper Crafts Planet that you wouldn't want to miss! Have I mentioned PRIZES yet? Here's the 411 --

Starting this Friday, November 28th, we're having

12 DAYS OF CONTESTS

on Paper Craft Planet! Each day, one of our generous sponsors will give away something AMAZING -- all you have to do to play is make a card that goes with the theme and post it in the correct gallery. We will have one winner for each day! Feel free to play every day!
It's going to be a ROCKIN' holiday season :D

Also on PCP, don't forget our Sketch Challenges on Saturdays.

Have a wonderful day!

Fridge Frame

Above is a picture of our nine year old family dog, Angel. Three months before that, my best friend bought her son a beagle, pictured here relaxing on our couch, which we don't even allow our dog to go on. Her name is Princess and that name should say it all. Angel and Princess have been BFF's since they were puppies and every Christmas they exchange Christmas gifts. I started to make a Christmas card for Princess, but while I was in the middle of it, I thought it would make a great gift if I turned it into a framed picture with magnets on the back so Princess could see it on the fridge everyday. Now all I have to do is get Princess some gourmet treats, wrap them up and I've got one Christmas present done!

Ever since I received the awesome Wings on Things stamp set from Molly Stamps, I have been wanting to use it on a picture of Angel. I finally had the chance to make the first of many. I plan to make more with different designs and mediums, like transfer sheets, note cards for my girls -- those are just some of my ideas for now.

I used the layout for this project from Paper Craft Planet's Sketch Challenge. If you don't know yet, PCP has a Sketch Challenge every Saturday, so why not give it a try! There's no time limit for uploading your submission. Just go to PCP and click on the Sketch Challenge Group to see what's happening. Better yet, join the group so you'll be notified of anything new that's going on! Here's the sketch by Tammy Hershberger for November 22:Thank you for visiting my place and I hope you're having a fabulous weekend!

Thanks and Thanks!

The first "Thanks" is a card. Very simple and very easy. Actually, the one thing that took the longest for me to do was getting the bow to look right. This card is one of those "5 Minute Cards" that I did a tutorial on several posts ago, but instead of embossing the top portion, I embossed the bottom part. When it came time to heat emboss the sentiment, I messed up badly... so, what to do? Cover it up, of course! I should've learned by now that I should just stamp directly onto a separate piece of paper so I wouldn't feel so bad if I make a mistake. Besides, it looks so much better framed and lifted off the paper with dimensionals. After that, all I had to do was add a piece of ribbon and charm that I already had and the card is done. Oh, the sentiments are from SU!'s Heartfelt Thanks and Fundamental Phrases.

Thank You, Heather!
Oh my! My friend, Heather awarded me the Arte y Pico Award. You can read more about the origin of this award by clicking on the link below, but from what I read (most was in Spanish and my Spanish goes as far as "gracias" and "nachos"), this award originated in Uruguay. Well, here are the rules:
(1) Select 5 blogs that you feel deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.
(2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog.
(3) Each award winner (upon acceptance) should show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.
(4) Link to the Arte y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
(5) Show these rules.

I wish I can add a few more, but here are the five that I would like to nominate for this award:

Jen of JenTapler Designs
Sankari of Sankari's Sunshine Corner
Becky of the lakeshore stamper
Lori of Inking Aloud
Melanie of Hands, Head and Heart

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Winter Wishes

For today's SCS sketch challenge I decided to use this cute Winter Wishes set from Cornish Heritage Farms. For the color choice, I used the SCS color combo challenge, which was red, black and kraft. I'm not too happy with the way this card turned out, especially after I added the Dazzling Diamonds. Oh, well... I'll just have to use this set another time.

Thank you for stopping by for a visit!

Prayers for Kristi and Her Family

Kristi Ferro, owner of Hanna Stamps!, lost her father today at 12:50 pm. On Friday, November 14th, he suffered a heart attack at the young age of 59. Please join me and the rest of the Hanna Team in saying a prayer for Kristi and her family to help them get through this very sad time in their lives. She has written about what she's been going through the last couple of days on her blog. If you click on her name above, it will take you to her blog. You might want to leave her a comment also.

A New Cuttlebug Folder (Yay!) and Tutorial

Making Christmas cards with this new Christmas tree Cuttlebug folder is so, so easy! Even if you just emboss a cardstock with it and add a simple sentiment, you've got yourself an elegant Christmas card in just minutes!




In this tutorial, I'll show you an easy way how to color the embossed cardstock using VersaMagic Chalk Ink. I decided to use these because it's easy to use, they're fast drying and the corner point is so convenient to use in small areas.












Starting with the pink chalk, color the tree by rubbing the ink pad lightly over the embossed area .














When the tree is completely covered with the pink chalk, go over the outer edge and parts of the center with the green chalk. Make sure some of the pink still shows.









Now you're ready to decorate your card. To add sparkle instantly, I used Stickles over the raised area. The photo doesn't show how brilliantly it sparkles, but it's there and it's gorgeous!



Have fun decorating your card and thanks for visiting!

Update on the California Fire: Thanks to all of those who sent their thoughts and prayers this way. My family and house were untouched by the fire, which was only blocks away from us. The city and the city surrounding us are in devastating condition and many of our friends have extensive damages and some are even homeless. Thanks for all your love and support.

Flying Thanks!

The theme over at Paper Craft Planet for the month of November is Gratitude. In case you're wondering why I've been making thank you cards lately, that's the main reason...besides, we can always use thank you cards.

This thank you card is made with two sets from Molly Stamps, Quirky Alphabet and Wings on Things: Small. The "wings" are so much fun to work with because I can find all kinds of things to put them on! (Note to self: Try to remember to stamp them on a picture of Angel.) Angel is my dog. Now wouldn't that be so perfect? The card size is made to fit the legal size envelop.

Stamp: Quirky Alphabet, Wings on Things: Small, A Little Birdie Told Me (SU!)
Paper: Kraft Card Stock, DSP
Ink: Espresso (Adirondack)
Acc: Dimensionals, Twine, Silver Hodgepodge Hardware

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Fire, Fire!

I'm posting this as I watch the news on TV of my city going up in flames. Every few minutes, we're getting word from people we know that they're being evacuated from their homes. The picture above was taken about six hours ago and since then, it's gotten very dark outside and the smell of smoke has gotten so strong. Please pray for the fire fighters and the families here in Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills in Orange County, California.

You're Going Down!

I'm thankful for so many things and I'm sure most of you are very happy too, about the drop in the gas prices! Last month I was paying around $74 every time I filled up my tank -- imagine how many stamps I could buy with that? Last week I filled up my tank and my receipt was only $43! I'd say that's something to be thankful for. Which is what inspired me to make this card. The gas pump and road sign images are from Hanna Stamps! and the sentiments are from two different SU! sets. The layout is from Hanna's Friday Sketch Challenge (HSC43). Join us and play along... just click on the link and use the code when you post on SCS.

Stamp: Route 66, So Very (SU!), Thankful Thoughts (SU!)
Paper: White (Georgia Pacific), Kraft, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Reaction (Crate Paper)
Ink: Espresso (Adirondack), Copic Markers
Acc: Jumbo Brads, Twill Chocolate Chip Ribbon, Dimensionals

Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend!!!

Thankful Always

Well, today I'm thankful that I'm starting to feel a little bit better. I actually made a card today! I haven't used the Always stamp set in a long time (a favorite of mine from SU!) and with the Gratitude Album that the Design Team is showcasing on the main page of Paper Craft Planet for the month of November, I thought this would be appropriate. The color combo is from Tuesday's color challenge which was really hard to work with...not a favorite of mine: Basic Gray, Certainly Celery and Pacific Point. I found the Pacific Point color to be disturbing in the mix. Maybe it was just my dizziness -- oh well.

Stamp: Always
Paper: Very Vanilla, Basic Gray, Certainly Celery, Pacific Point
Ink: Basic Grey, Always Artichoke
Acc: Cuttlebug Folders, Dew Drops, Primas, Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, 1-1/4" Square Punch, Paper Snips

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderful day!

Couch Potato

For the last couple of days, I haven't been able to post because of my severe case of vertigo. If you haven't experienced vertigo, consider yourself lucky! It's one of the most uncomfortable feeling of continuous nausea, with everything around you spinning uncontrollably. What made it worse for me was that I also had a migraine at the same time.

Instead of stamping, I spent my time resting on the couch, answering emails and watching shows like Oprah. Yes, good ol' Oprah! She always has something good going on and I thought I'd pass it on:

Snapfish is offering, for FREE ($29.99 value) an 8x11 Snapfish Photo Book, exclusive for "Oprah" viewers. This offer ends on 11/14/08 at 11:59pm pst. If you're not already signed up with Snapfish, it's really easy to do. But HURRY. It's a great way to preserve 20 pages of memories for free! If the link I provided doesn't work, just go to oprah.com and search snapfish. If you're also interested in a 20% off coupon for the Container Store, she has a coupon on her site good until 11/19. Great Deals, huh??

For more coupons, make sure you check my coupon section on my sidebar every week. Whenever I come across a printable coupon, I share the link over there. By the way, I've just added a new Michael's coupon.

Hopefully I'll be well again. I miss my messy work table!

Cool... Thanks!

Love this new Read My T stamp set from Hanna Stamps! The set comes with this tall image of Hanna wearing a blank t-shirt, and lots of sayings to stamp on her t! Since November reminds me of giving thanks, I wanted to make a thank you card. But instead of using one of the cute images from the set, I took out my Things Hanna Would Say stamp set and stamped "Thanks" from "Thanks a Bunch." So this set really is perfect for expressing sentiments. I just love it!!

I paper pieced her t-shirt and colored her Converse the same shade -- how cool is that? For her capris, I just used the color that my own daughter loves: brown.

Stamp: Read My T, Things Hanna Would Say
Paper: White (Georgia Pacific), Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink, Bella Rose DSP
Ink: Espresso (Adirondack), Copic Markers
Acc: Cuttlebug Border Folder, Dew Drops, Ribbon, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots
Technique: Paper Piecing

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you have a fabulous week!

A Challenge and a Stellar Design Team!

The word is out -- Paper Craft Planet is the place to be! If you haven't been there yet, what are you waiting for? Chances are, you'll see lots of familiar faces, tons of inspiration, chatting with people who have the same interests as you, have knowledge of upcoming releases and challenges! Speaking of challenges, join our Sketch Challenge Group! Every Saturday beginning November 8th, a different member of the Design Team will provide a sketch to inspire you. This week, Susanna Boyd (founder of this amazing new planet) is hosting the first sketch challenge. Here is a picture of the sketch and below is a picture of my card as inspiration for the challenge.

When you upload your card to Paper Craft Planet, be sure to use the keyword SK110808 so your card will get into this week's gallery. As an added BONUS, this week's challenge has a great PRIZE package donated by Sakura! A random winner will be selected on Friday, November 14th.

Stamp: B is for Baby (Hanna Stamps), Enjoy Every Moment (SU!), Love and Joy (SU!)
Paper: Whisper White, More Mustard, Baja Breeze, Sweet Baby (Paper Crate)
Ink: Espresso (Adirondack), Copic Markers, Baja Breeze Classic
Acc: 1" Organdy Ribbon, SU! Punches: 1/2" and 3/4" Circle, Window, Small and Regular Oval, Dimensionals, Cuttlebug Folder, Nestabilities, Dew Drops, Pastel Safety Pin, Sponge
Technique: Sponging, Paper Piecing

PAPER CRAFT DESIGN TEAM

If Susanna Boyd reached out to you and asked if you'd be interested in becoming a member of the PCP Design Team, would there be any other answer than a big fat YES? Well, I'm very proud and honored to announce that I will be amongst the super talented crafters who were also chosen to be on the team. I've listed them all on my sidebar on the right with the links to their awesome blogs. Make sure you visit them!

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. I really do appreciate my readers and I do value your opinions and comments, whether it be in a private email or on a public comment board. Thanks so much and have a blessed day!

A Super Cool Christmas

I should call this post "So What Else Can You Make With These?"  I tell ya, you can do lots with these little guys!  These stamps are from the Today's Forecast stamp set from the always fun Molly Stamps.  I decided to make two of them into a snowman -- a cool snowman.  At first, I made the snowman with three layers, but it was too tall for this card size.  So, I trimmed it down to just two.  I don't know why, but the one on top reminds me of a crooner!  Maybe it's the hat.

        

Stamp: Today's Forecast (Molly Stamps), JustRite

Paper: Mellow Moss, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Riding Hood Red.

Ink: Espresso (Adirondack), Copic Markers, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip.

Acc: Ribbon and Twine (SU!), 2" Circlle Punch, Dimensionals, Crystal Effects, Border Punch (Fiskars), Swirls Cuttlebug Folder (Provocraft), Stickles, Opaque Pen (Ranger)

Well, that's it for now.  Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Send It Out, Sophie G!

This was me today! I'm so behind on my ironing that it took me hours to do! But at least I'll be ready for tonight's Hanna Stamps Release Party, from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm eastern time!! In just a few minutes, the Party will begin!!! So, click on the link and be prepared for challenges, win prizes and just hang out with fun people!

This card is for one of the sketch challenges for tonight. Here I used the new Sophie G. stamp. I couldn't resist putting the sentiment "Well this day was a total waste of makeup" which is also from Hanna Stamps! There is also another Riley stamp to be released tonight, so head on over to SCS at the Hanna forum for our PARTY!!!

Stamp: Laundry Riley, Just What I Meant To Say (Hanna Stamps)
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Pretty in Pink, Riding Hood Red, Bella Rose DSP
Ink: Espresso (Adirondack), Copic Markers
Acc: Nestibilities, Dimensionals, Swiss Dot Cuttlebug Folder, Dew Drops, Corner Punch (Marvy)

Thanks again for stopping by!

Temperature's Rising

Sneak peek #3 and one more day before Hanna Stamps Release Party!!! I love this cute image of Get Well Hanna -- I mean, the poor thing does look miserable, but this is such a great get well set! There are more images to the set, but you won't have long to wait to see it all.

Stamp: Get Well Hanna (Hanna Stamps)
Paper: Baja Breeze, Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana, Basic Grey, Making Memories
Ink: Espresso (Adirondack), Baja Breeze, Copic Markers, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Marker
Acc: Dimensionals, Sponge, Circle Nestabilities, ScorePal

Thanks for stopping by!

ABC Baby - It's Sneak Peek #2

Here's another exciting new stamp set from Hanna Stamps, B is for Baby, to be released this Friday, November 6th! For the color combination, I decided to use the color combo challenge on SCS, which was Pretty in Pink, Kiwi Kiss and Riding Hood Red. The layout I used is from the Mojo Monday #59 Challenge from Poetic Artistry. Julee has some of the best sketches around!

Stamp: B is for Baby (Hanna Stamps)
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Bella Rose DSP (SU!), White CS (Georgia Pacific)
Ink: Rich Cocoa (Memento), Copic Markers
Acc: (Spellbinders), Lace Border Punch (Martha Stewart), : Pearl Dew Drops (Robin's Nest), Reg. and Scalloped Rectangle NestabilitiesDimentionals, Mini Glue Dots

This Hippie Chick is Feelin' Groovy

"Slow down, you move too fast... you gotta make the morning last...just kickin' around cobblestone, lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy." Okay, if you're not as old as I am, you're probably thinking, what in the world.... When I was a little girl, I listened to songs like this one. "Groovy" and "Far Out" were as common as saying "Cool" and "Awesome." Now, I may not have had her hair or jeans as flared out as hers, but I still love listening to those old songs. I sure hope some of you can relate to what I'm saying. I can't be the only oldie out there!

IT'S SNEAK PEEK DAY 1 at Hanna Stamps! We have four brand new fun sets and two new Rileys to release this Thursday evening at the Hanna Stamps Release Party at SCS. The party begins at 6:00 pm (EST). As always, there will be prizes, challenges and lots of fun people to hang out with!

Stamp: Hippie Chick, Everyday Sentiments (Hanna Stamps), JustRite
Paper: Barely Banana, Bordering Blue, Pumpkin Pie (SU), White CS (Georgia Pacific), Glitter Paper (DCWV)
Ink: Espresso (Adirondack), Copic Markers
Acc: Gold Embossing Powder, VersaMarker, Dimensionals, Mini Brads (Marvy), Chipboard, Ribbon (Michaels), Cuttlebug Folder

Thanks for stopping by and have a groovy day! Peace!

There's a New Planet...

Have you heard about the newest planet in the solar system? It’s called Paper Craft Planet and all the inhabitants are just like you…devoted lovers of all things paper craft related.

Paper Craft Planet is an online community for paper crafters that is filled with many familiar faces and a stellar amount of inspiration where we share tutorials, videos, photos and links to all things paper crafting! Susanna Boyd, of Card of the Week.com fame, began this awesome site a few months back and its population is rapidly growing!

So, why not stop by for a lot of fun, weekly challenges, PRIZES, an awesome gallery, tutorials, videos, a budding design team (wink) as we share this craft we all love. Just click on the globe above to be transported to a crafty place that's out of this world!