Color my world

So, here i am, at the end of Day 2 of painting (at our new house). It has been a lot of work, but very satisfying.


The rooms we're working on started out totally white, so it's been a lot of fun to make a drastic change by adding color. I took "before" photos yesterday, which i will post together with their "after" shots once i take them.


So far we have the living room totally done, and the dining room almost half done. After that we'll do the master bedroom; all of that needs to be finished by Tuesday because the floor guy is coming. I hope to get the kitchen painted next Thursday if it doesn't get done this weekend.


Needless to say, i haven't had time for much cardmaking lately. However, i did make 2 birthday cards earlier this week. Here's one of them, which i made for my sister-in-love Janice and which i may use for an upcoming Stampin' Up! workshop:

And now i must get some sleep in preparation for tomorrow...Day 3 of the paint job!

Materials:

Stamp sets: Greetings Galore, Background Basics

Cardstock: Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Whisper White

Ink: Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink, and Certainly Celery ink pads

Tools: 1/8" and 1/16" Hole punches, paper crimper, bone folder

Adhesive: Tape runner, dimensionals

Other: Pretty in Pink eyelets, Stampin' Pastels, blender pen

Happy Wedding Day!

Yesterday was a very special day around here because our dear friends Wendy and Michael tied the knot. Yes, they were one of the many 7-7-07 couples, although they did not set the date before meeting one another, or get married at one of 7 Walmarts, or any such craziness.

It was a beautiful day for it, the bride was breathtakingly gorgeous, and the groom was proud and handsome. I really am so happy for them...Wendy and i have been very close friends for many years, and I am so glad that God brought Michael into her life. I think they'll be great companions for one another on life's journey.

Anyway, i promised that i would post a scan of their wedding card after i had given it to them, so here it is!

A mini-stamping getaway

The other day, we went out of town. John still went to work, so i was left to my own devices. For the whole day. Away from the distractions of home. So, thanks to my new cool craft tote, i brought some stamping supplies and had a creativity-filled day. (Well, aside from the couple of errands i had to do.)

Beforehand, i had visions of making piles of cards, like my sideline Kristin can do given a few hours to stamp. That didn't happen. However, i did get some sets mounted and did come up with a few new designs. And i made several copies of some designs. One of the cards i made is downright ugly, so i am not posting it. :) Here are the rest!












These two are the result of forcing myself to get out colors i NEVER use. I used mostly Not Quite Navy and Old Olive for them, and boy did i fall in love with that color combination! Fun. Also, i tried a new (to me) technique on these, called direct to paper. Basically, you swipe your ink pad over the paper. I had left my sponges and stippling brushes at home and didn't bring a good background stamp, so i swiped some Old Olive on the base of these cards to add a little more color.














I made both of these cards with a stamp set and wheel i had not yet used. I had a lot of fun with that set and am pretty happy with how these cards turned out.

And now, for my favorite card of the day:

This was the first one i made with the Olive/Navy combination. The scanner doesn't quite do it justice, but i really love this one. I used another new stamp set, a hostess set called In the Spotlight. You can really do a lot with this set! If i had only thought to bring my circle punch i would have been able to do even more. (I love the fact that so many of the new SU! sets coordinate with various punches, especially because i am way too impatient to cut things out with scissors.)

So for any of you who are thinking about turning a weekend getaway or vacation into a stamping retreat, here is my advice:

1. Get yourself a tote or bag that has lots of pockets for your scissors, markers, stamp sets, ink pads, etc.
2. Don't forget your SU! dimensionals. If you do, you might be forced to use random-brand foam squares, and you will be kicking yourself big time.
3. Likewise, don't forget your bone folder. You'll be stuck folding your cards with *gasp* a popsicle stick, and trust the one who knows, it won't work as well and will drive you crazy all day.
4. Limit yourself to just a few colors of ink pads, but make sure you have the matching paper and coordinating embellishments or you'll be frustrated.
5. Expect your first card of the day to be kinda ugly. Once you get on a roll, they'll get better and better.

Happy Stamping!