Dazzling Congrats

I wish I could congratulate myself. I am trying to organize my ink pads. So I bought lots of plastic bins and buckets at Joann's last week 50% off and am trying. I just can't get the perfect way to grab and go with them. There are a bunch of large ones but those won't go unless they are Tim Holtz pads. I take them everywhere. They have their own tin home. But I have a ton of mini pads. I tend to buy the small ones to try them out or if they are on clearance. That way if I lose one, it's no biggie. Ninety nine cents to a deuce fifty is not bad for a trial run. I have even given Some way when asked, as I usually buy the bigger one of those and don't mine.

This is a two in one card. You can pop this tag off and it becomes a bookmark. The base card is stamped with the newer "OMG this is too cool" ink pad called Dazzle . It's from Versamark and it does everything a watermark ink pad does-but it shimmers, too! There are two colors and this is the Champagne (the other being Frost). I am hoping for a black or inky one soon. You really have to see it up close to appreciate the properties of this very versatile ink. You can even emboss with it and I have used it on the edges of cards just for the highlights. BTW-I think the stamp I used-a wafting leaf-is a wayward SU one. But don't quote me on it.

The tag is done using a set from Rubber Stamp Tapestry. What a nice company they are. You feel so creative after using their stamps. I used a mix of mini SU pads and some Tim Holtz Distress pads for the best accent colors. One caveat, when using the dauber stamps from RST, be light of hand. You can see where I pressed a bit too hard on the top of the tag and caught the rim of the wood dowel. The final word was from a SU set-maybe a SAB set or hostess, not really remembering right now. Then the tag was layered, some fibers attached and pop dotted to the larger card. I did add some extra shimmer using a clear glitter pen from Copic .

Remember, you can see more detail by clicking any photo on my blog. Special prizes to anyone who can catch and remove all the cat hairs! :)

Just In Time For Canada Day/Fourth of July-CANDY!!!

Aren't these adorable? A generous artist to the North has offered this up for the taking. Click the link below, follow the deets and keep your fingers crossed. Anybody who says Michigan doesn't have the best neighbor in Canada is from ..... well ......... Djibouti.

Motivet

Cat Gifts

I have two cats . Both are head cases. Since my Loki left us a few weeks back, both of these fur shedders have been in my bed crying all night. I know Spencer misses Loki as they would snuggle and Loki would bath her (she however, would never reciprocate). But they made it work. Loki was the token male of the cats but was the most maternal. Go figure.

Nebbie however, is a strange one. She is actually my son's cat. He found her in a dumpster and she is gorgeous, but when he moved to Iowa years ago, he could not take her or her brother initially, so I had them both. Then they winged west for a bit. However, several moves necessitated them being broken up. I took Nebbie back and Drako (a very aggressive castrated male) went elsewhere. I lost track of where he is or if he even IS. At that time I had 5 cats. Crazy cat lady, right?

Here is Nebbie giving me the Bronx Cheer.

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This stamped image looks a bit like Nebbie. At least the fat part. She will eat the dog food, the cat food, the soft treats, the plants, plastic bags and whatever else she finds. And if it's not fresh or piled right in her bowl, she wails. I mean WAILS! Like you have cut her gut out.

I colored this image using Prismacolors and Gamsol. The layers were all scraps. This ribbon has wire in it and it does fold nicely under the layers and stays put with just some tape. Penny Black stamps just make you smile not matter what your mood. They are now available in both wood mount and acrylic but I still prefer the wood mount for the best crisp images.

A close up of the colored image.

Daddy Dog

To anyone who is a dad, has a dad or wants to be a dad, this is for you.

Tea Cup

A real quickie as it's too soggy to play with my stuff tonight. I think we have had four inches of rain so far and my yard is a mud bowl. It will have to stay dry for a week to let me get the area cleaned up and seeded. Thanks to the dog digging craters and his constant pacing, I have no grass.

This card is made using brass stencils run thru a die cutter with a rubber thingie. It's way quicker to emboss this way than with a light box. I then cut out the pieces and layered them to make a tea cup filled with flowers. The flowers were rolled a bit and sanded on the edges as was the cup. Base card used a circle Nestie in the same manner. A bit of ribbon was tucked in the teacup.

The side ribbon was wrapped around the card and taped inside. I then hand tied a small bow of the the same ribbon and snot dotted it. I simply can't tie a bow well and cheated. See, I am honest. I suck at bows. A small metal message charm was then glued to the lower edge. Since this card is pretty dark in spots, click the photo for more detail.

Whiz Kid

I just got back from Iowa. Going to see my son and daughter in law was the only reason to spend 12 freaking hours in a car with a dog, a nephew and a sofa slug. On one stretch of Interstate 80 just west of Chicago, we traveled 10 miles in a hour and a half. At least the ball game got started after a three hour rain delay-so I could listen on the radio. Some things I never want to see or smell again-orange cones, signs for crazy fireworks stores every 100 feet (even worse than the See Ruby Falls ones going south on I75), Hammond Indiana (Gary is just as smelly), bad food diners, birthplace signs for Reagan or Hoover, and more cones/detours. And no more Beach Boy music for god's sake. Why did I get him XM for THREE YEARS???

I boarded the other dog at Doggie Day Care. 21.50 a day. Plus special shots and baths. He didn't even miss me (sounds familiar). I certainly can't afford to do that again any time soon. He tends to whiz on anything that looks like it needs it, too.

This card is made using scraps and the stamps are from Great Impressions. I noticed my brads are off kilter. Just like the crazy dog. This is pretty easy to figure out and other than the coloring of the image (I make up images to take with me and color when I am bored, thus having a bunch ready to use) this card is a simple 10 minute or less creation. I used Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol because using markers in the car is a scary thought. Pencils are so much easier to control. Unlike dogs or husbands.

Loopy

I am going away for a while. I thought about leaving my blog set up to post some cards but I honestly don't have time. I now know why I don't like to go anywhere. It's because I have to do all the work. It's not a vacation for me in any sense of the the word. So I leave you with this card titled Loopy. I am feeling that after digging up dirt the dogs peed on and killed everything that previously was so beautiful. I have wash going, garbage ready to hit the curb, dinner cooking to finish up the fridge stuff, a cross town trek to pick up pint boy, and gas up, dog to drop off, and on and on and on. Sofa slug is sleeping at 7PM. I hope you get the picture of why he has that name. Anybody got some Valium I can borrow?

This is a card run thru the Cuttlebug and embossed using a stencil. I then sanded it. I also used a Nestie. The layers are sanded and popped. Fast, simple and uses up some scraps. If I return and don't need admission to the looney bin (that might actually be a vacation!) I will post again. If I sneak out on I80 somewhere between here and there, it was nice. Hope you miss me. At least someone should.

Psychic Stock Purchase

At least some humor to tide us thru. More please.

Same Old-Another MI Store Is Closing.

This is a cut and paste from Scrapbook Memories email announcement. This store is in Chelsea, west of Ann Arbor just off I94 . It's a beautiful little town with an almost back in time presence. For any Jeff Daniels fans, his local theatre Purple Rose , is located in Chelsea. The scrap store had recently moved to a smaller location perhaps to stave off the inevitable in Michigan these days. And for fans of Jiffy Mix (all your grammas used this or Bisquick, right?) , yup, products of Chelsea and the building is one of the first you see going into the downtown area.

"As some of you may have heard, I have decided to close Scrapbook Memories. I was offered an opportunity to work for my sister in Reno Nevada. She offered me a job a couple of months ago and I have decided it would be a great move for me. I have sent out invitations to anyone that I had an address for in my data base. So you may be receiving an invitation to come in and shop before I announce it in the newspapers. The sale will start on Thursday the 11th of June. I have had the store for 10 years and have met many nice people who are now my friends and I will miss everyone of you. I plan on being on the road ( yes I am driving) July 27th to Reno so the sale will go up to the time I leave. Unfortunately there isn't another scrapbook store around the area so I am recommending The Scrapbook Zone in Farmington Hills or Scrapbook Mania in Canton to buy your scrapbook supplies or if you need somewhere to crop. Hey we might luck out and someone will come in and buy my store before it closes..."

If you get in the area or know of someone living in the vicinity, tell them to drop by for a few deals. I unfortunately won't be making the drive unless I can stop by on the way back from seeing my son in Iowa. It's about an hour and a half drive for me from my home.

ETA-Please always check the sidebar for local openings, closing and anything in between like name changes. I try to keep up on the rumors and actuals as best I can. I no longer drive to most stores and rely on newsletters and actual contact with site and store visits.

Loki

Daylight

I must wait for the sunrise.

I must think of a new life

And I musn't give in.

When the dawn comes

Tonight will be a memory, too

And a new day will begin.

Touch me

It's so easy to leave me

All alone with the memory

Of my days in the sun.

If you touch me

You'll understand what happiness is.

Look, A new day has begun.....

Goodbye my boy. I will miss your hand nibbles and talkies.

Now every day is your day in the sun.

Another Crazy Blog Giveaway! Go Look NOW!

Two great giveaways in one week. I may have to do something too. Anybody want the sofa slug? I thought not. Go visit Melissa's blog for happy stuff.

Keepsakes By Melissa

Jalopy

Remember the movie Cheaper By The Dozen? No, not that awful remake, but the original? I could watch that every day and never get tired of it. My bestest friend Peggy came from a family of 14 kids (one actually was born a month after I had my daughter Courtney!) and I wanted to be one of them. No matter how bad things were-and there were some life altering events in their family-they still loved each other. It was the same with the Gilbreth family. Just once I would have loved to go touring in their car. And had the sing along. And wore those cool dresses. This card reminds me of that time.

I believe this is a Gray Wolf stamp and sadly , he does not have a website. The designer is located here in Michigan and he does a lot of the scrap or stamp shows in the Midwest. Your local stamp store could order for you or do a google search. He makes lots of cars, trucks and wonderful realistic animal stamps.

I did a couple of layers distressed in ink and roughed up a bit. The vellum is also inked as I wanted a burned look with out the smell. Coloring with Prismacolors and gamsol, and even a distressed look on the car as it is old and been out in the elements. Lastly, a couple of buttons tied with jute. This would be perfect for a Father's Day card or a retirement card or a card to wish a laid off GM worker the best (but I think this is a Ford). I would even tuck a GC inside as most of the laid off aren't going back on the line and will need some help soon.

Incredible Blog Candy!! Go Look.

Bev's Crafts

You won't regret it. Make sure you poke around her blog.