Always Weathered

I just love making this set look shabby. All product is SU! with the exception of the black safety pin. The edges were swiped with a toothbrush loaded with Chocolate Chip craft ink. The bird was inked, rock n rolled and spritzed. The taffeta is kraft that was run across my close to cocoa classic pad. Print pattern was inked using creamy caramel and then the edges were highlighted with a close to cocoa marker and spritzed before stamping. I overstamped it with weathered in Sahara Sand. The rust card base was stamped with weathered in craft white ink and the edges were toothbrushed as well.

Framed Bird

The frame was created by cutting a piece of Naturals White cardstock to 4" x 5 1/4". Using a Fiskars 12" cutter, cut out the center leaving a 1" border around the edges. Cut from the center corner to each edge corner diagonally. Stamp sections with weathered background in close to cocoa and sponge edges with Chocolate Chip craft ink. Cut the leftover center of the frame down 1/4" and mat on Blue Bayou and then Soft sky that is just larger than the frame opening. The bird was inked with Blue Bayou and rock n rolled with Choc. Chip craft ink, spritzed and stamped. The heart was stamped with craft ink and embossed with clear powder. Assemble layers and place a window sheet over the center image making sure it is large enough to go under the frame. The Bayou Stitched ribbon really matches, it just didn't photograph true to color.

Lovely Hour

This was created for today's Ways to use it challenge, music inspired. My card took a U turn somewhere along the way, but sometimes good things come out of being redirected. The sheet music is from a vintage song book. I distressed it using Tim Holtz Old Paper and Vintage Photo inks. The off white layer was cuttlebugged with the new Allegro embossing folder and sponged with the same inks. The image and words are on glossy cardstock that I used Adirondak alcohol inks/polished stone technique on. I stamped the Time collage in Stazon Jet Black ink. The collage is available from Rubbernecker Stamp Co. and is one of my favorite images to work with. This is just a small portion of the stamp. The words are computer generated and printed using the transparency setting under printer options. To print on a scrap of cardstock, first print on a full sheet of computer paper and affix your prepared cardstock over the top of the words using mono adhesive or something similar. Print the image again. When printing on glossy paper, you will have to allow for extra drying time or dry with a heat tool.

Timeless Friend

I received a huge box of stamps and goodies from my friend Holly aka/Toy on Splitcoast yesterday. The box was the first place I went when deciding on an embellishment for today's Sketch Challenge. The plums and browns were inspired by the tag and the rest just happened. The images, inks and word tag punch are all available from

Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

I stamped the main images using Tim Holtz distress ink/vintage photo. The textile embossed layer was swiped with TH milled lavendar. All my edges were achieved by using a toothbrush and Versafine vintage sepia ink. It dries quickly, but is a pigment base making it easier to get the edge effects I like. The brads are distressed as well. Here's an easy tip for beating them up:
Using a 1/16" punch attach brads to a scrap of cardstock or cereal cardboard, etc. Pound away with your hammer to distress and beat them up. I just leave a row of them attached to my cardstock scrap for use whenever I need them. The clock brad is by K&Co. and the plum/chocolate ribbon is Martha Stewart, the dotted ribbon is Walmart.

Treasure Hunt Tuesday!

It’s TREASURE HUNT TUESDAY @ RUBBERNECKER. The Treasure if you find it, will be a free image. However, to receive the Treasure a purchase of any size is required, and your treasure must be claimed between 5:00 am PST until 9:00 pm PST today (8:00 am EST - 12:00 am EST). Not only is today Treasure Hunt Day, but for every $50 in stamps purchased, you will receive one FREE stamp.
Frances will have the first clue to the treasure.
While you are on the Rubbernecker Homepage make sure and read about the Rubber Bucks Monthly Drawing AND the FREE stamp offer:
*** Each month you can qualify to win $100 coupon good for Rubbernecker or Stamp Oasis stamps! For every $20 you spend, your name is entered once into a drawing.
*** For every $50 you spend on Rubbernecker, Stamp Oasis or KK Originals stamps, you get to choose a FREE stamp!

Blog Candy!!!!!!!!!!!!

For chances to win blog candy go check out:
Kittie’s, Frances’, Broni’s and Tosh’s blogs and leave comments to be entered for their random drawings.

Rubbernecker Stamp Show Demonstrators Needed
Product demonstrators are needed for some of the shows to work with Dave and the Rubbernecker Team. If this is something you’d be interested in please check –>HERE

Always BasicGrey

Today's Technique Challenge was to use at least 2 patterns of designer paper. I used 4 as well as a solid dp. They are all BasicGrey Scarlets Letter from a 6 x 6 paper pack. I love the smaller patterns and the ease of choosing from an assortment. The bird was inked using Tim Holtz distress ink in Fired Brick, rock n rolled in Vintage Photo, spritzed and stamped. I did the same with the berry branches. The only cardstock I used was Basic Black for the mat under the main image and the circle sentiment and card base. The edges were sponged with Fired Brick, Vintage Photo and Black Soot. The tiny photo corners were created by punching a 3/4" square out of DP and cutting in 1/2 on a diagonal. I used temporary Dotto to stack them together and stuck them on a piece of scrap paper. Then, using the same 3/4" punch, I punched out the center notch creating the photo corners. I hope that makes sense! The label holder is by Making Memories.

Country Living Inspiration

I designed this for today's Inspiration Challenge on Splitcoast. It's one ofthosechallenges that either grab you or they don't. Today, I was inspired by the colors of the Country Living room. The first thing that came to mind was this Dragonfly Collage by Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

The glossy cardstock was first sponged with Tim Holtz distress ink/Broken China. Then I used Adirondak Alcohol inks (butterscotch & wild plum) and blending solution to make the polished stone look. The background was stamped on 2-quarter sheets of the glossy polished stone paper using Stazon Jet Black ink. I cut one up and used a black artists pen to make a thin faux black layer around the edges and then layered them on bright green and turquoise CS. They are wrapped in a thin gold thread that is secured on the back with tape. The same technique was used on the domino. The dragonfly highlights were created by using a scratch tool to remove some of the ink and exposing the white core of the glossy paper. You get a thinner line that is more defined than if you do wax resist.

Open Your Eyes

Art is all around us, you just need to

open your eyes.

The backgrounds were created with Adirondak Alcohol inks on glossy cardstock. I then stamped the images

in Jet Black Stazon. Stamps and inks are all available from

Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

The white highlights were made with a scratch tool, but a craft blade would work too.

The layers were wrapped in gold thread before matting. Stamps used include: TimeCollage 1611-SO, Maker of Dreams 1729-SO,

Find your Path 1645-SO &

Womans Face 189-01 RN

Best Friends

I made this for today's sketch challenge on Splitcoast. Roxie always comes up with the best challenges for us. All images and inks are by

Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

The best friends tag and kraft strip that says wonderful world are also from Rubbernecker from a Butcher Block Sky & Sage paper pack.

The white layeres were created by inking my stamps with Tim Holtz Distress inks. First, I inked the entire image using Faded Jeans, rock n rolled the image in Tea Dye and then a little Black Soot. I spritzed the rubber with water before stamping. The dragonfly block on the tag was masked off and then stamped with baroque background that was inked in Weathered Wood & Tea Dye, spritzed and stamped. The tan layer and collage panels were sponged with Walnut Stain ink and the light blue layer, tag and tan strip were sponged with Faded Jeans. I love TH inks because they stay wet longer and blend so well. The tag is on dimensional foam tape.

Lucky #7

Random.org chose #7 for this weeks Rubbernecker Bucks Blog Candy winner
Congratulations Teresa Chapman email me to claim your Rubbernecker Bucks!!!

Rubbernecker Blog Candy!

I am giving away blog candy, again this week. Wouldn't you love to have $10 to spend on some awesome Rubbernecker or Stamp Oasis stamps?

All you have to do to claim the candy is leave me a comment on this post and tell me what occasion you make cards for most. I used to make more Birthday cards than anything, but now seem to send more Thinking of You or need a lift type cards.

There are 3 other design team members giving away blog candy today as well. Check out their awesome blogs and enter there too!

Jeanne Streiff/Inky paws

Sherry Cheever/Walkin' on the Bad Side

Candy Williams/Candy's Land

Leave your comment by midnight Tuesday est. and I will announce the randomly picked winner by noon on Wednesday, February 20th. Good Luck!!!

Treasure Hunt Tuesday!

Ahoy ye Matey!

It's TREASURE HUNT TUESDAY @ RUBBERNECKER. The Treasure if you find it, will be a free image. However, to receive the Treasure a purchase of any size is required, and your treasure must be claimed between 4:00 am PST until 9:00 pm PST today (7:00 am EST - 12:00 am EST) Not only is today Treasure Hunt Day, but for every $50 in stamps purchased, you will receive one FREE stamp. You can check out more information on the Rubbernecker Home Page. The first clue in this weeks Treasure Hunt can be found on: Sherry's Blog Walkin' on the Bad Side

While you are on the Rubbernecker Homepage make sure and read about the Rubbernecker Bucks Monthly Drawing AND the FREE stamp offer:*** Each month you can qualify to win $100 coupon good for Rubbernecker or Stamp Oasis stamps! For every $20 you spend, your name is entered once into a drawing.*** For every $50 you spend on Rubbernecker, Stamp Oasis or KK Originals stamps, you get to choose a FREE stamp! We also have some Rubber Buck Gift Certificates to give away as Blog Candy!!! These are redeemable for any stamps in the Rubbernecker or Stamp Oasis sections!

I am offering Blog Candy this week! (Be sure to scroll up to the Blog Candy post and answer my question. You will not be entered in the random drawing if you answer the question here or on a post other than the blog candy post)

You will also find Blog Candy giveaway's on the following blogs this week:

Jeanne Streiff /Inky Paws

Sherry Cheever/Walkin on the Bad Side

Candy Williams/Candy's Land

Henna Woman Post It Book

This is a book that holds a 3" square
post it pad. They are so easy to make, the post before this has photos and directions. The script DP was stamped with a Diamond Border Stamp from Rubbernecker Stamp Co.
I inked it up using Tim Holtz Tea Dye
distress ink and rolled the edges in TH Black Soot. I re-inked every other time I stamped as I went down the front of my book cover.
The Triangle Angel was stamped in Stazon Black on Glossy White CS. I stamped the Scroll Art Design using Ranger Clear Resist ink and then sponged the layer with TH Tea Dye, Walnut Stain and Aged Mahagony distress inks. A spiral punch was used on the left edge. The cool stitched wool corner is by EK Success and was a set of 4 that I rescued for 90% off after Christmas. I layered the Triangle Angel on Black and Burgandy cardstock and used 2 different fibers tied around the binding. All stamps and inks available from Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

Post It note book

Cut thin cardboard from a cereal box or something similar. You will need (2) 3 1/4" squares and (1) 3 1/4" x 3/8" strip.
Cut cover DP (script by Karen Foster) to 4 1/2" x 8 1/2".
Cut liner DP (Daisy D's) 3" x 6 3/4".
On back of cover paper, score or draw lines 3/4" in from each short end.
Score or draw a line 5/8" from edges on both long sides.
Affix the cardboard as shown in the first photo lining it up with the score/pencil lines. I did the squares on each end and then centered the center binding strip.
Notch and trim corners as shown in photo 1.
Fold, glue and press long flaps in to place. Repeat with the end flaps.
Glue liner paper in place, gently fold and score cover.
Apply glue to the back of sticky notepad and attach to inside back cover.
Decorate and embellish cover as desired.

Travel Woman

The collage was stamped on glossy cardstock starting with Ranger Clear Resist ink and the Scroll Art Design stamp. I love the way the scroll resist looks on the angels face.
The layer was sponged with Tim Holtz distress inks in Concord Grape, Broken China and Mustard Seed, blending the edges of the colors. The images and inks are all available from Rubbernecker Stamp Co.
Stamps include: Scroll Art Design, Triangle Angel, Peacock Feather, MK Postmark, Paris Postmark, Moutier Postmark, Cote D'Azur Postmark, French Letter & Word Diamonds. I stamped over the glossy sponged layer using TH Black Soot. The Word Diamond layer is also stamped using Black Soot and sponged with Concord Grape. The Violet card base was stampe with the Scroll Art Design using Stazon Opaque White. The glass beads are attached with the fibers and I added a gem stone to the angels forehead. The postage stamps are stickers by Rebecca Sower Designs.

Easter Envelope Pouch

This cute little pouch was made using a standard A2 envelope.

You just seal it and cut off the end. I used stamps from the new

Spring Time set that will be released by Hanna Stamps!

Friday February 22.

The fence section was stamped all the

way around the bottom portion, masked off and then the grass

was stamped. The white envelope is sponged with Soft Sky &

Wild Wasabi inks. Images colored with copic markers. The oval scallop layers were punched using Marvy Super (blue punch) and Mega (pink punch) the wasabi oval is a McGill 1 5/8" x 2 1/8" punch.

Easter Egg Hunt

Isn't she the sweetest? This is a new set from Hanna Stamps!
called Spring Time that will be released on Friday February 22nd. Stay tuned for a sneak peek from Route 66 which will be released on the same day! All images on my card are in the spring time set except for the sentiment which is SU!

The fence section was stamped repeatedly across the white cardstock using Tim Holtz Black Soot Distress ink. I made a mask and cut out between all the slats and stamped the grass. The fence and grass were colored with copic markers in various shades of green, brown and grey.
The basket was stamped on brown Basic Grey designer paper in black, cut out and highlighted with a white gel pen. The basket of eggs and bunny are mounted on dimensionals. Hanna's dress was also stamped on Basic Grey designer paper (Phoebe 6x6) and cut out. I highlighted parts of the dress using a green copic marker. Hanna was stamped again on Georgia Pacific white CS and cut out. I colored her with copics and added the dress and Easter Egg to her hand and layered her over the fence. The background was sponged using Soft Sky classic ink above the fence and a small amount of Wild Wasabi on the grass portion.

Circles of Time

This is for today's Limited Supply on Splitcoast. I kept it simple and think I got it right so the challenge police won't come after me. We were to use stamps with circles and 1 optional sentiment. My watch chain is also circles and so are the brad fasteners. I used a 1 1/2" diameter page pebble over the Time Face after sponging it with Tim Holtz Old Paper Distress Ink. The Time Face is available from
Rubbernecker Stamp Co.
I received the awesome time collage image from Joanne/jojot and don't know the manufacturer. The sentiment is retired SU! Thanks for looking, I hope you like the simplicity.

Time Healer

This was created for today's Sketch Challenge on
Splitcoast Stampers. Images, DP, inks and Ghost Clock are all available from
Rubbernecker Stamp Co.
The taffeta was run across Tim Holtz Distress ink/Weathered Wood stamp pad and secured with loopy brads. The bottom panel was stamped using Stazon Black ink on acetate. The Time sentiment was stamped using a stamp positioner so it vertical. The large rectangle layer is on dimensionals and the layer was stamped in weathered wood ink using Baroque Background from the Stamp Oasis section. I love how this card turned out!

Bloomin' Riley

I was wishing for spring with this bright Riley card. Riley is available from Hanna Stamps!
The sentiment is Penny Black. I am hosting the sketch challenge on Splitcoast Stampers today and this is 1 of 2 cards I created as samples. The DP's are all The Paper Studio. Riley is colored with Copic markers.

It's Treasure Hunt Tuesday again!

It’s TREASURE HUNT TUESDAY @ RUBBERNECKER. The Treasure if you find it, will be a free image. However, to receive the Treasure a purchase of any size is required, and your treasure must be claimed between 4:00 am PST until 9:00 pm PST today (7:00 am EST - 12:00 am EST). Not only is today Treasure Hunt Day, but for every $50 in stamps purchased, you will receive one FREE stamp. You can check out more information on the Rubbernecker Home Page.While you are on the Rubbernecker Homepage make sure and read about the Rubber Bucks Monthly Drawing AND the FREE stamp offer:*** Each month you can qualify to win $100 coupon good for Rubbernecker or Stamp Oasis stamps! For every $20 you spend, your name is entered once into a drawing.*** For every $50 you spend on Rubbernecker, Stamp Oasis or KK Originals stamps, you get to choose a FREE stamp!

You will find the first clue to the Treasure Hunt on the Rubbernecker Homepage this week.

This too shall pass...

Isn't she the cutest? How can Hanna look like she is having fun in the rain? Well, I wish we were dealing with rain in Michigan. It would be warmer at least. All images are available from
Hanna Stamps!
(Rain Day & Things Hanna would say) Hanna is paper pieced and the boots were masked off to stamp the puddle. I colored the image with copic markers. The turquoise was stamped with craft white for the rain drops and puddle. The sentiment was all one line, so I used a stamp positioner and marker to make it fit. Main image is on dimensionals. This is going to a fellow stamper who just had major surgery. I hope it brightens her day!

Travel Passage

I am loving these stamps from Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

The base is a sand color and was stamped with Map BG in Tim Holtz Black Soot, the edges sponged with TH Faded Jeans. The World Postcard is glossy cardstock that was sponged with TH Faded Jeans, Mustard Seed and Broken China. The postcard was stamped with Stazon Black. Then, I took a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol, added a few drops of Encore Gold reinker and dabbed over the entire piece of cardstock. I knew the glossy paper would not absorb the metallic ink, so I dumped clear embossing powder over the layer and heat embossed it. It was really neat because I could manipulate the gold ink by putting the heat closer to areas that had heavier coverage and kind of getting it to fan out into the clear powder. The Compass was stamped on acetate with black stazon and attached with a vintage brad. The twill was distressed with TH Frayed Burlap.

Travel Triptych

If you have ever done collage work, you understand the importance of having a good assortment of images. Whether the images are rubber stamps, clipart, designer paper, printed media, vintage materials or a combination. I love the versatility of using rubberstamps because I can alter the colors and depth as well as add to or omit parts of images. I used 16 stamps on this triptych collage tag, all available from

Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

Some images are under the Stamp Oasis section (SO) and some in the Rubbernecker section. (RN) Here's the list of what I used: Baroque BG 1230-SO, Diamond Border 1341-SO, Word Squares 1522-SO, French Block 5250-SO, Postage Heart 1679-SO, French Letter 1150-GM-SO, Triangle Angel 1535-SO, Map Background 193-01 RN, Travel Background 44-08 RN, P2 Postmark 193-02 RN, Eiffel Tower 193-10 RN, Eiffel Postmark 193-08 RN, Passport Mini 44-07 RN,

Bon Voyage text 44-14 RN, Petite Airline Tickets 44-02 RN, Moutier Postmark 193-11 RN

Inks are also available from Rubbernecker Stamp Co. Tim Holtz Distress Inks:

Black Soot, Concord Grape, Old Paper, Brushed Corduroy, Tea Dye, Walnut Stain. Stazon Jet Black. The compass, voyage sentiment and eiffel tower were stamped on acetate and cut out. The word squares, french block and face were stamped on parchment paper and torn or cut and layered. Most of the stamping was done by inking up with Tea Dye ink and rock 'n rolling the image in Black Soot, misting with a fine mist water bottle and then stamping. The 3 tags are held together with Daisy D's DP cut into 3/8" x 5" strips, affixed and the top and bottom trimmed with a scissors and then lightly scored.

Love you Truly

So, today's featured stamper on Splitcoast is Sarah Green. I have admired her work for quite some time and love her style and versatility. I did not have to go far before coming across a card that I wanted to case. You can see the card I got my inspiration from Here. I started with a piece of vintage sheet music, tore the edges, rolled them and distressed with Tim Holtz Old Paper and Tea Dye inks. It is layered on kraft cardstock that was stamped with Rubbernecker Stamp co. Ancient Heart from the Stamp Oasis section. I inked the heart in Tea Dye ink and rolled the edges in Aged Mahagony, misted with water to blend and then stamped. The kraft layer was then distressed with an edge distresser and sponged with Tea Dye ink. The Music Background (Rubbernecker/Stamp Oasis) is stamped on the burgandy layer in Black Soot. Dew drops were added to the photo corner that was sponged with Tea Dye ink. Narrow organdy and kraft taffeta were used for the bow and I added a stick pin.

Inspired by Bedding

So, today's Inspiration Challenge on Splitcoast was this gorgeous bedding. I chose to use these cool old world tile stamps by Rubbernecker Stamp Co. The subtle background was also created using Rubbernecker's Baroque Background in the Stamp Oasis Section. I inked the stamp with Castaway ink by Jacquard (also available from RN) and let the ink absorb into the CS before ironing on cotton setting. The background is subtle, but defined. I have found that using a very cheap cardstock works best. There is also a right and wrong side of the paper. If the image does not emerge when ironed, try the other side of the paper. The tiles were all stamped with Tim Holtz Fired Brick Distress ink, embossed with Detail Clear EP and sponged with TH Peeled Paint ink. The tiles are all on dimensional foam tape. The DP is Stella Ruby 6 x 6 paper pad. The edges of the card base and DP were scraped with a toothbrush inked with Versafine Sepia ink.

Celestial Dreams

I said all this yadda yadda on Splitcoast, but I am gonna repeat it here, bear with me.... I get this call a few weeks ago from Rubbernecker - will I guest design for them? Uh - sure, doubting myself at that moment. I know there are wonderful colorists on that team. I won't ever try to even duplicate what they do. Then, Sherry says that they love my collage work. OK, I am catching on now. Great, collage is a no brainer for me, coloring is another story. Fine, I will take on the challenge and guest design for them for 2 months. 3 weeks into this gig, I am so hooked on Rubbernecker images that I have branched out into the intimidating territory of colorable images. Oh man! I will never confess to even try to be a colorist, but I must say that Rubbernecker images are the easiest to color with ease. Really, if I can do it anybody can the images are superior to any I have stamped with in the past. On to the nitty gritty's: Image stamped on GP white with Tim Holtz Black Soot. Colored with copics. Sponged around image with Weathered Wood, edges with Black Soot. Stickles on stardust. Layered on strip with Moon Panel in the Stamp Oasis section as well as the celestial dreams image. The sentiment was markered and part of a sentiment from the petite sayings set also in the Stamp Oasis section. Thanks for looking and reading my long drawn out version about my coloring! Now, go check out
Rubbernecker Stamp Co. you will be very pleased with your purchases!

Diamonds in the Rough

I love Rubbernecker Stamps can you tell? I just had to play with more new images I just received. The Diamond Border goes so well with the new Cuttlebug Diamonds in the Rough embossing folder, that my card was based from that. I stamped the diamond border in Tea Dye distress ink repeatedly on the cream layer, inking up every 2 times I stamped. After that, I embossed the layer with the EF and then did a DTP technique with TH walnut distress ink. The cracked glass Lg. Diamond Tile and Petite Tile were stamped in walnut and Tea Dye inks and embossed 4 times. I used walnut ink to sponge on my large tile and then used a copic marker to go over the "cracks" and blend the ink in. The petite tile is layered on a vanilla cardstock and is up on dimensionals. The mesh is from angel wings bought in the doll section at Hobby Lobby. The fabric tag sentiment is an unknown tag that I received from a RAK. Oh, the acetate layer was stamped with Perfect Pearls medium and dusted with gold powder. The stamp is from the Stamp Oasis section called Dragonfly Collage. I hope you like this as much as I do!

Love & Cherish

Today's Limited Supply Challenge was to make a non traditional Valentine. That meant no hearts or flowers, no reds or pinks. I can do that! I just got new stamps from
Rubbernecker Stamp Co.
so, the challenge was perfect today!
The DP is also available from Rubbernecker and is from an 8x8 Butcher Block Sky & Sage paper pad.
I stamped the Word Diamonds using Tim Holtz Distress ink/Faded Jeans on the DP. Then, Word Squares were stamped on cream CS using TH Weathered Wood ink. The edges were torn leaving just 4 squares and sponged with TH Old Paper ink. The Love Block stamp was inked with TH Black Soot and I used a sponge dauber to add TH Weathered Wood ink to each letter and cut them out. They are mounted on foam tape. The Word Tags punch is also available from Rubbernecker and the edges of the Kraft CS were sponged with TH Tea Dye ink. The Kraft card base was also sponged with Tea Dye. The twill tape is by Autumn Leaves and was distressed with TH Old Paper, the plaid ribbon is seam binding from my local fabric store. I also used my sponge dauber to shade the edges of the DP using Weathered Wood ink. I love the LSC because it forces me to make cards that are usually relatively flat and mail friendly! Thanks for stopping by!

Holy Cow! An Award?

I was so surprised when I received this award from Stamp Talk with Tosh
Thanks Tosh, what an honor. I know that Tosha is relatively new to blogging and I am too. So, this just tickled me. Now it's my turn to tag a few, be sure to visit their blogs and check out how awesome they are. Here goes:
Juliana/Stampin with inky fingers
Becky/Wooden Shoe Stamping
Holly/Toyz Haven
Debi/Debi's Crazy Life
Linsey/Outside the Lines
Silvia/Mabie Stampin
Danielle/Wild Dragonfly Designs
Gabriela/Confessions of a Stamper
Sencie/Serving the King
Jen/Just a little bit of me.

Going Dotty

It's a snow day here in Michigan and my title should be Going Batty, not dotty. But, I used dots not bats, so Going Dotty it is. I don't know what the school superintendant has against us Mom's, there is no reason that school had to be cancelled today. We had a blizzard yesterday, but the roads were clear by this morning. On top of it, I got up at 5:30 and checked the news. Nope, our district did not cancel. so, I sit down with my coffee and am on my 2nd cup when the cancellation pops up on the TV. Man! I could have gone back to bed but there was no turning
back at that point. Now, the kids are bored and I am trying to get them to do something other than eat and watch television. My challenge card is finally done, but it sure felt like a struggle to get here with all the distractions today. The heart and fancy scroll are Tim Holtz grungeboard that was smooshed into Versacolor Ash rose and raspberry pads. I then embossed them with clear EP. The sentiment is part of a stamp from Rubbernecker Stamp co. called Petite Words/set of 10 small sentiment stamps. The edges of my layers were distressed with Versafine Vintage Sepia and a toothbrush. Inks and grungeboard are all available from Rubbernecker

Pieces of Time

For today's sketch challenge, I chose to use Kraft/Charcoal/Black for my color palette. The Black layers were stamped with a castaway pad which alters the color of the paper instead of adding color. I had to experiment with this and found that you must use

uncoated cardstock. Even if you think your CS in not coated, it might be. I found that using the cheapest CS out there works best. All inks and images are available from

Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

in the Stamp Oasis section.

After stamping your images (in this case Baroque Background and French Letter) you let the carstock sit for 5 minutes or so letting the ink absorb into the paper. The image is revealed when ironed on the cotton setting. I really like this look because it is more crisp and defined than using bleach and way less messy. The Time Collage was inked with Tim Holtz black soot distress ink and the edges were sponged. The time piece bookplate was antiqued with Stazon Black and a Black Copic marker. I filled the center in with watch pieces from 7gypsies. The ribbon is May Arts and the chain was part of a jewelry embellishment I picked up on clearance with intentions of cutting it apart for collage work. I love this sketch and the colors I used today, I hope you like it as well!

Beauty in the World

This is a rather large card measuring 6 1/4" square. I was inspired by the frame from an 8" x 8" Butcher Block Sky & Sage paper pad. The circle "wonderful world" and clock image are also from the pad. The actual card opening is just the violet and clock layer on the tag. Hey, sometimes you want to send a note but don't have a lot to say! The violet base was stamped with Baroque Background and dusted with perfect pearls in gold and pearl. The edges of all kraft cardstock were sponged with Tim Holtz Distress ink/weathered wood and the french blue layer using TH dusty concord. I stamped the French Letter in concord and also the Petite Words sentiment which was embossed using detail clear embossing powder.
All images, are available from
Rubbernecker Stamp co. in the Stamp Oasis section. The Butcher Block paper pad, perfect pearls and distress inks are also available from Rubbernecker. Be sure to stop by and browse soon!

Plan B tag

OK, so here is my Plan B tag that I decided to finish this morning. All images, inks & grnugeboard are available from
Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

I did alot of masking and omitting to get the images the way I wanted. Please scroll down for all the nitty gritty details in my Faces of Time post.

Inks used on this one include: Tim Holtz Distress inks, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Tattered Rose, Scattered Straw, Weathered Wood. Versamark, Stazon Black. The key and keyhole were embossed with copper EP.
Stamps include: Baroque BG, Time Collage, Maker of Dreams, Ancient Heart, Moonchild, French Block,French Letter, Angel Sculpture.

Treasure Hunt Tuesday!

Ahoy ye matey's...........

It’s TREASURE HUNT TUESDAY @ RUBBERNECKER. The Treasure if you find it, will be a free image. However, to receive the Treasure a purchase of any size is required, and your treasure must be claimed between 4:00 am PST until 9:00 pm PST today (7:00 am EST - 12:00 am EST). Not only is today Treasure Hunt Day, but for every $50 in stamps purchased, you will receive one FREE stamp. You can check out more information on the Rubbernecker Home Page.
While you are on the Rubbernecker Homepage make sure and read about the Rubber Bucks Monthly Drawing AND the FREE stamp offer:
*** Each month you can qualify to win $100 coupon good for Rubbernecker or Stamp Oasis stamps! For every $20 you spend, your name is entered once into a drawing.
*** For every $50 you spend on Rubbernecker, Stamp Oasis or KK Originals stamps, you get to choose a FREE stamp!
Now, as if that’s not enough….
Look for Blog Candy giveaways on Rubbernecker Design Teams Blogs!!! This week Blog Candy is available on:
Kittie’s Blog
Frances’ Blog
Tosh’s Blog
and Broni’s Blog
You can find the first clue to the Treasure Hunt on Broni’s Blog!!!

The Many Faces of Time

This is a chipboard tag that measures 8 1/2" tall & 5" wide. All stamps are available from Rubbernecker Stamp Co.

in the Stamp Oasis and Rubbernecker categories. The keys and key hole are grungeboard by

Tim Holtz and are also available from Rubbernecker. I included a photo of the collage after stamping in Tim Holtz Tea Dye and Walnut Stain inks. Now that I look at that photo,

I realize that I would like to make a similar tag, eliminating the grungeboard and all the sponging. A listing of stamps and inks will follow my how to's. Here goes:

Plan A, affix DP by K&Company to chipboard. Stamp all images using a stamp positioner and a baby wipe to remove ink from sections of stamps I didn't want to stamp. Sponge with distress inks, stamp and emboss sentiment. Then, I got the brilliant idea use a moist baby wipe to "wick" the ink for a softer look. Well, it worked but buckled the dp. OK, I can fix that..... Get out the iron and smooth it out avoiding the embossing. Now is where Plan A

really fails. A quick blast of Krylon matte finish before going out for dinner. Note to self, that buckles the dp even more. 2nd note to self, ironing the piece with a matte finish will only make it stick to the iron or scrap paper placed over the top.

Plan B, tear ruined layer off and start over. All is going well until I turn the stamp positioner the wrong way because my cat was "helping" me.

Plan C, is what you see here. 12 ink pads, 10 stamps, many baby wipes for eliminating ink from parts of the rubber and lots of masking and sponging to get to this point. You should see my stained fingers! The Time Collage stamp was used for the pocket watch and clocks, sun and cherub face. I inked a portion of the stamp I wanted to use, stamped it on my stamp positioner sheet and then used a baby wipe to remove ink that surrounded the image I wanted to stamp. By using the baby wipe, it left a nice soft feathered edge and I am sure the properties of the distress inks helped the process. The grungeboard was smooshed with Versamark ink and embossed with copper EP and then swiped with Stazon Black. I sanded the finished pieces to take some of the sheen off them. Oh, forgot to mention that I sponged the edges of the finished

tag with walnut stain ink and then took Versafine onyx black and swiped it on the edges of the chipboard tag to finish things off. Here's the supplies:

Rubbernecker Stamps:

Time Collage 1611-SO, Moonchild 1112-SO, French Block 5250-SO, Ancient Heart 1232-SO, Maker of Dreams 1729-SO, Baroque BG 123 -SO, Womans Face 1890-01 RN, Peacock Feather 189-05 RN, Garden Urn 189-08 RN, Angel Sculpture 189-04 RN

Inks: Versafine onyx black, Versamark, Stazon Black. Tim Holtz Distress inks: Walnut Stain, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo, Old Paper, Shabby Shutter, Scattered Straw, Tattered Rose, Weathered Wood, Aged Mahogany.

Fibers: Basic Grey Periphery & Infuse collections.

B is for Birthday

B is for Birthday & Baking & Brenda.
Brenda is my Sister, her birthday was 10 days ago. It is my birthday today and we are getting together for lunch.
I didn't stamp Happy Birthday on the
card, because I already gave her a BD card, so the B is for Brenda & Baking I guess! Brenda loves to bake and I just had to make a card using this darling set from
Clear Art Stamps/Crafty Secrets. Funny thing is that these stamps landed in my mailbox on Friday. I was opening the package and wondering if I had lost my mind. I have coveted this Little Chef set for
some time, but did I order it and just
forget? Hmmmmmm, I hope I would
remember that! About that exact time, an IM pops up from my dear
Splitcoast friend Jules/Julesiana. She wonders if anything arrived from her. I say no, then the lightbulb goes off in my head. Sure nuf, she had the set direct shipped to me. How sweet is that??? What a dear friend, she just knew how to make my day. The DP and die cut B are Cosmo Cricket/Dutch Girl and the colors seemed retro and fun for the images. I hope Brenda likes it!

Pink Champagne

Hanna Stamps! Sweet Celebrations set is so much fun. I used the 2 step lips, sentiment and champagne glasses for this card. the glasses were colored with a copic marker to make pink champagne and then I added pink stickles to the contents and crystal stickles to the bubbles. The edges of the layer were sponged with Tim Holtz scattered straw distress ink. The lips were stamped with Regal Rose first and the detail was overstamped with Rose Red. I sponged the edges of that strip with TH aged mahogany. The lace strip was punched with a Fiskars border punch. The DP is The Paper Studio.

Behind you 100%

Here is my card for today's Featured Stamper challenge. Renee/prchvs has such a wonderful style, it was hard to choose just one card to case. But, I had already chosen these stamps from
Rubbernecker Stamp Co.
before the challenge was posted. I have more stamps coming from
Rubbernecker and was determined
to use some that hadn't seen ink yet.
The card base is Sage Shadow CS, the rest is all DP by Hot off the
Press/Vintage 8 x 8 collection.
The Grand Bunny Bottoms/84-01 were stamped on a natural linen DP in Versafine vintage sepia ink, colored with Tim Holtz tattered rose and added fun flock to the tails. The sentiment actually says "I'm behind you 100% but I omitted the I'm. It is stampex in Versafine onyx black. All edges except the card base were sponged with TH frayed burlap and then scraped with my trusty toothbrush loaded with vintage sepia ink. My goal on this card was to make a fun card without it being too cutesie. I think I accomplished my style while still using some different images for me.

Zara Living Room Inspired

Today's Inspiration Challenge on Splitcoast inspired me. Sometimes it does not. I guess that is why it is an inspiration challenge! I have added a picture of the inspiration room below. The baroque background and sentiment stamps are by Rubbernecker Stamp Co. and the classy background is what came to mind when I saw the tufted couches on the IP. The ovals were inspired by the lamp table and the printed ribbon has a light yellow glow like the candles and the lamp. The hardware is CTMH edge anchors and were sent to me by a friend on SC, Twinshappy. She also sent me the yummy Chocolate ribbon. The background was stamped a 2nd time on confetti tan CS and fussy cut and then layered on confetti creme. Oval layers are: Confetti Creme/McGill oval 1 5/8" x 2 1/8",
Close to Cocoa/Marvy Mega Scallop oval (pink one) Choc. Chip/coluzzle.

Ephemera Calendar

I created this coaster calendar for
my Sisters birthday. We don't do
gifts, but we usually make a little
something for each other. She loves baking, coffee and reading, so that is the direction I took.
The coasters are held together with
a hinge and brads. I attached it
to the back of the coasters after
gluing the DP on, put the brads through and then glued the DP
on the front. All images are from
Hot Off the Press Vintage Ephemera
collection. Well, the keys pocket
watch and coins are stickers by
American Traditional Designs. I
printed the calendar pages off
Splitcoaststampers where you will
find many sizes and styles. The calendar
is 1 1/2" x 2" and I resized the printout
before printing on parchment paper.
Some of the images were not the size I
wanted, so I photographed them and then
printed on parchment paper.
(wish I would have thought of this before
using some of them on other projects!)
The coasters will get a few coats of Mod Podge as soon as
I locate it. Let me know if you have a clue where I put it!
I have another version of the coaster calendar in my gallery
at splitcoast.