Lilac Panels

I loved this set from the moment it came out with SU. For this one, I stamped and then cut apart the three panels. I colordusted them using Judikins Color Duster Brushes to put the yellow background. This is a 2 step set and I used the same color for both steps but for the lighter step I tapped off the ink once before stamping.

To Wendy

The link is at the side. It quit working and so you can find it on my blog roll.

Rude Commenters

Once again I have a certain person posting dozens of rude comments here requiring deletion. I will probably go to moderated comments again. I hope this does not inconvenience my regular readers too much. Since I know who this person is, I am sorely tempted to make it public, but it would serve no good or kind purpose. I just want her to know that friends have directed me to evidence of who this is and that if she persists, I will be doing some reporting. I am going to check with Blogger to see if there is any way to block this woman so that I don't have to moderate. Time will tell.

Blog Candy Reminder

Don't forget to check the Jan. 26 post to have a chance at a Valentine stamp!

Kitchen Sink Flowers in Blue

Another card made with the Daisy Set. I also used a silk flower Scissor-Sisters that I purchased in a stamp store while traveling last summer.

A Card from a GW Friend

Kathy W, from the GW board, sent me this card some time ago. I just realized that it was in my "blog ready" file and I had never posted it. I love this SU set and I love the colors she chose for this very pretty card.

Stamping Lady

This retired SU set is a fun one to work with. I don't use it often, but it is one I will probably never part with. It is colored with watercolor crayons. The background is done with a stamp from the Hero Arts Swatches set. I don't remember the source of the designer paper.

Paper Trey Ink Link

The Paper Trey Ink link I left a couple of posts below was incorrect. I have fixed it and it works now. Thanks Loni Sue for letting me know about it.

Side Slot Valentine

This card is made with SU's Boatload set. The pink strip is attached only at top and at bottom to allow the boat piece to slide in and out of the front. It is colored with watercolor crayons and the heart is paper pieced with Memory Box paper.

Paper Trey Ink Forum

Click on the title of this post to go to the Paper Trey Ink chatboards. Lots of great people, great ideas, and links to great blogs over there for anyone who loves Paper Trey designs.

Another Felt Nestie Sheep

Stamps by Paper Trey and background strip is SU Houndstooth. Once again I used felt with the Nestabilities to make the body.

Felt Nestie Sheep

I bought several colors of felt so that I could make sheep bodies with my Nesties in my CB. It works!! I had to adjust the shims some but I got it to work. The rest of the sheep is made with Paper Trey stamps and the background is Hallmark Baby Quilt gift wrap. This is the first of my experimenting. More to come.

Red Duck Adhesive Rollers For Sale

I have 12 new Red Duck Adhesive rollers for sale. I use an ATG gun now and these were my favorite adhesive before I bought the gun. $22 for them plus $4.90 shipping. Extra $1.60 for insurance if you want that too. Email me at rubyslippers@neofast.net

Would You Like to Have This Stamp?

Blog Candy!!!

This center image double heart stamp can be yours if you respond to this post and are drawn on Feburary 2 before midnight--just in time to do some Valentine card making. All you have to do is comment on this post and within your comment tell me what new stamping trend/product has you hooked. Is it clear stamps? Nesties? Copic coloring? Whatever--share with me your latest product or trend that you are glad you are using currently!

This blog candy is the first of several where I will be offering a stamp duplicate that I have purchased. I will make a card with my own stamp and you could be drawn to receive a brand new duplicate of the same stamp. Remember that if you post anonymously in the comment area, you lose your chance of winning, since I cannot identify or contact you.

The background of this card is Cuttlebugged and I have no idea where I got the stamp for the pink "love you" hearts, which I am pretty sure is quite an old stamp. I embossed the central stamp with red sparkly EP and then filled in the white with clear Stickles.

Obsessed With a Stamp?

I am just glued to this stamp. I love this Inkadinkadoo bird embossed in black on this Basic Grey paper. I also used SU Ruby Red ad Blush Blossom paper and the SU Label punch with my PaperTrey sentiment from the Out on a Limb set. I have never used this color combo before and love it.

Note to Debbie and Diana: Watch your mailboxes for copies of this card. Mailed them today.

Valentine Tins

Loving these little tins I bought at beau-coup online (click title of this post and it will take you there). They are very inexpensive and you can put candy or votives in them. I got red votives at JoAnn to make these for my friends. Ribbon and papers are from various places. I stamped the images with Stazon white. I figured out that placing the lid face down and stamping from the inside of the lid pressing against the table gave the best image. If you mess up, Ultra Clean stamp cleaner will take off the white ink.

Photos Soon!

I am feverishly working on heart tins and valentines. I hope to post pictures tonight and this weekend. So stay tuned!

Jury Duty Scam

I have not posted things like this on this blog before, but I think this is important to let people know about it. Several stampers are asking that bloggers post this today to let the public know that this is true. There are links to verify it at the bottom of this post.

JURY DUTY SCAM :

This has been verified by the FBI & Snopes.com (their links are also included at the bottom of this email).

Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book.

It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call.

Most of us take those summons for jury duty seriously.

A new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced.
The caller claims to be a jury coordinator.

If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant.

Give out any of this information and bingo, your identity was just stolen. The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma, Illinois, and Colorado .

This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system.

The FBI and the Federal Court System have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.


Snopes site: says this is real fraud.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp

FBI site: warns about the fraud.
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm

Answering Questions

Meant to get to these much sooner! Sorry!

Q-How do you get sparkle in your EP?

A-I custom mix my EP all the time. I go through lots of Judikins Stardust EP that I bought in bulk a long time ago. Mixed into black and you get a gorgeous sparkling black EP.

Q-You mentioned heart shaped tins. Did you get them and have you made anything?

A-Yes to both. I got 3.5 dozen of them and have made candle holders out of 6 of them so far. I will get pictures taken soon so I can post them. They are really fun to work with and I love the clear tops.

Q-Do you have any SU sets for sale?

A-Yes, I do, but until I get a list made up, you can email me at rubyslippers@neofast.net if you are looking for a certain set. I hae decided to sell about 30 of the sets I never unmounted and about 10 of the sets I did unmount.

Q-How did the felt work in the Cuttlebug with the Nesties?

A-Worked beautifully after I figured out my shims. They cut outs are going to be sheep bodies. I am pleased with how they are turning out. Will be posting pictures soon.

Q-I am interested to know what popular stamping items you have NOT given in to.

A-I own no basic copics, but did get several of the glitter pens and love them. I do not have a Bind It All, I am not planning on the new Cropadile. I do not have any Ellzybells, although I like some. Still not into the Bellas. I am sure there are lots of other things that I have not succumbed to, but plenty of things I have. I am into such a ribbon kick. Loving the velvet ribbon at ATS.

Faith Is... Silhouette

The bird on the Nestability circle is Inkadinkadoo and the paper is from Memory Box. The background on the card is an SU roller and the sentiment is from smARTworks stamps. I embossed the bird in black so it would really stand out on this card. The cardstock is SU Barely Banana.

Stamps For Sale---Cheap!!

What did I do with my MLK Day? I cleaned and sorted. I have an entire $8.95 priority ship box full to the brim of the most eclectic variety of stamps you have ever seen in your life. Most are barely used. I am selling the whole box (hundreds of dollars worth) and some brand new for $35 plus the $8.95 shipping (insurance optional). Email me at rubyslippers@neofast.net if you are interested. I don't have paypal but will take checks and then send when they clear.

Vintage Valentine Rabbit

This is an unmounted stamp from smARTworks. It comes as part of a very, very inexpensive set. It was given to me free by smARTworks as a gift and I just love it!! I went over the blue jacket with clear Stickles. The background is an SU rollers, and of course, I had to put those Nesties to work on this card. Ribbon is from May Arts purchased at All That Scraps.

Unbelievable Stamping Room

Click on the title of this post to see a slide show of the most unbelievable stamping room!

We Have Snow!!

I thought this card was a good one to post today since we woke up to a covering of white. It is very cold outside and I am happy to stay inside and have hot chocolate.

New Paper Trey Stamps

These stamps just arrived on Friday afternoon and I am enjoying them so much. Each overlay for the branch has an additional single element so in this case I added more flowers in a lighter color. Centers are pink Liquid Pearls. I love the sentiments too. I die cut and embossed the rectangle with my Nestabilities.

Cardstock

I have been asked to comment on cardstock.

My white preference is by far, Paper Trey. It dry embosses like no other, is thick enough, and it is very white. I also like it for usig markers and watercolors. It takes ink beautifully too.

For my less expensive white, I do like GP (Walmart) and find it about equal to SU, but much cheaper. I use it for layering and backgrounds mainly.

For colored cardstock I use SU for my basics and Bazille Bling for shine. I also buy Carnival Red by the large package at Paper Zone. I cannot find a true enough red besides that one. SU's Real Red is still just a tad not deep enough for my taste. I like a very deep true red.

I have lots and lots of other stuff I picked up in my early stamping days that I use now and then. SU has never come up with a baby pink or a baby yellow to suit me so I buy from a scrapping store in Issaquah, WA. I also use lots of my older stuff when making things for my students since they have no idea about cardstock quality. I also let them use it to make things, but my GW board friends have donated lots of cardstock so I am well set there.

I use SU's smooth Vanilla since I have not found anything comparable for that. I also tend to use their glossy and their vellum, just because it is convenient to me now that we don't have a lot of choices in the area.

I buy my designer papers at both local stores and Craft Warehouse, as well as probably nearly half of it online from All That Scraps mainly.

Rose Ribbon Sympathy

I cannot remember where I found this gorgeous ribbon with roses on it, but I do love it. The background is Bazille Bling from ATS that has been Cuttlebugged. Sentiment is from my new Paper Trey set and the ovals are Cuttlebug die cuts. We have sent so many sympathy cards in the last year. This is for a dear friend who lost his mother last week.

Paper Trey Sweetie Pie

These stamps are from the Paper Trey Valentine set. This little pie was the stamp that made me have to have this set!. I colored it with markers. Scallops are done with Nesties. The background embossed papers was purchased pre-embossed. The cherry and green trim is paper from an old Mary Englebrite calendar.

Winter Joy

This card is done with various SU stamps. The top of the snow ornament is a Fascinator staple. I don't use the stapler, I just use the staples. The tool is not necessary. I embossed the snowflake in white and sponged white around the edges. I used a splatter technique from my old tole painting days to do the blue background.

Paper Trey Baby Card

I love the new Valentine Paper Trey set because it can be used for other things. I made this baby card using the little sheep in pink for a girl. I plan to buy some felt and see if I can die cut the body and have a fuzzy layer that way.

Embossed Dots and Frame

I did the embossed dots on this card with my Crop-a-Dile. Not sure if they will show in the picture or not. The frame is from an SU set and then I masked in order to add the flowers. The ribbon is May Arts and purchased from All That Scraps.

Kitchen Sink Thank You Stamp

The background of this card was made with one of the circle Thank You stamps that Maria at Kitchen Sinks includes in some orders as a gift. I also have a flower one she sent. The snowman, which has been Versmarked and embossed in Judkins Stardust EP, is the Marshmallow Snowman from Stampabilities. He was watercolored first.

Nesties Heart Problem Answers

About the Scalloped Heart Nestabilities:

"There was a defect in manufacturing on the Spellbinders Scalloped Hearts, the replacement hearts have been ordered and will be in the warehouse in two weeks. The replacement scalloped hearts will match perfectly with the straight edge hearts. Anyone that has purchased and received the original scalloped hearts will be able to replace them at no charge."

Ellen Hutson and others say that they will be doing replacements. Cut At Home will be mailing information soon.

If I Disappear

We are having some computer problems. Youngest son has a friend who is a whiz with computer problems and repairs them for MAC people. He is working on it. Things are better right now, but we could lose all of it. If I disappear for a few days you will know why!

Do You Want a Stamp Like Mine?

I am going to try something over the next few months. Today I bought 3 stamps and then went back and bought duplicates of each. I am going to make cards with mine, post them, and then for blog candy over the next couple of months I will offer a chance at an identical new stamp. This way you can see the stamp in "action" and if you like it, you can get yourself put in the pot for a chance at it.

So many times I see cards and would love to own the same stamp. I get contacted very, very often by readers wanting to know where to get stamps like mine and so I am going to make it possible! I thought this might be a fun way to share my stamping joy. I will be doing a Valentine stamp give away sometime in the next couple of weeks. I need to get that stamp broken in and I will be showing you what I have done with it.

What do you think of my idea?

Kitchen Sink--More Daisies with Nesties

I used my rectangular Nestie on a white Paper Trey card (best cardstock for embossing IMO). Then I masked off the edges and used my Kitchen Sink Daisy set in pinks and reds. The deepest red is Adirondack Cranberry. I think this is my favorite ink combo so far. The sentiment is from Paper Trey.

Kitchen Sink in Pink

This card is made with the Kitchen Sink Daisy set. It is such a fun set to create with. Backgrounds are done with retired SU Linograph and SU Canvas. Stitching was done with a white gel pen from www.jetpens.com. These pens are identical to the white SU gel pens and much less expensive.

Check Out this 11 yr. old's Amazing Stamping!

Click the title of this post for a link to Mr. Eli's stamping. You would never imagine that this stamper is only 11 years old!! WOW!

Blog Candy WINNER!

I am so excited to announce the blog candy winner! I had planned to do it this evening but there is a bit of a chance that I will have to be away from the computer, so I am going to do it now just to be sure. I will have to say, that it was great fun looking at all the blogs and finding links at blogs I have never even seen before. I will be linking the blogs when I get a day with the time to do it. In addition to those who commented here who had linked (yep, I checked them all out) I found 37 other blogs to enter in the drawing. One of those who commented here was the winner! Monica, I have contacted you via email for an address. Congratulations! The six brand new stamps and the packets of embellishments are ready to go once I have an address.

Readers, if you would like to see Monica's delightful blog, just click on the title of this post to see her wonderful creations.

Watercolor Crayon Valentine

I really love using watercolor crayons. They are one of my favorite ways to color. This is an SU Valentine set I bought because my students love it so much, but I have found that I really like it too. I use it in class with the kids and also at home. I like these bright colors and the designer paper was the inspiration for the colors.

Another "Found" Card

This little guy just slipped right by me to post earlier. The bulbs are done with crystal effects. I have no idea the brand of this snowman, but I do enjoy him when I have some time to color. He is just so cheery!

New Hero Arts Catalog ONLINE!

Click the title of this post and it will take you to the full color complete new catalog. I am very excited about their new line and also happy to see nearly 30 pages of clear stamps!!

If You Give a Girl a Stamp....

This was sent to me by Mary T. a few minutes ago. It is something a stamper found on a site and was started being sent through email. It is great and thought you might like to read it too:

If You Give a Girl a Stamp
By Tracy Harp
If you give a girl a stamp she‘ll want to make a card…she’ll need an ink pad to go with it. She will spend hours pouring over colors trying to decide just the right one to buy. In the end she’ll decide she just can’t choose so she’ll buy them all.
Then she’ll remember she’ll need card stock to match the ink so she’ll quickly add four packs of assorted paper to her list, oh and white, vanilla, black and kraft!
Reading about certainly celery, purely pomegranate, pale plum and pumpkin pie will make her hungry so she’ll go to the kitchen for a snack. While munching on cookies she’ll realize she needs ideas of what to do with the stamp. She’ll go to her computer and google rubber stamping.
She’ll find a site called Splitcoaststampers. Wow!! So many techniques and ideas and a gallery that never ends. She’ll spend hours gazing at beautiful cards and projects. Her eyes will become dry from staring at the computer screen. She’ll go to the bathroom for some drops.
On the way, she’ll pass her family sitting at the kitchen table waiting for dinner. She’ll quickly heat up some leftovers and try to pretend she hadn’t forgotten. While talking about the days events, her son will bring out the school pictures he had gotten that day.
That will remind her she wanted a digital camera to take pictures of her cards so she can start her own SCS gallery. She’ll convince hubby of all the reasons the “family” needs a new camera. He will finally agree and she’ll head to the store to buy one.
On her way home she’ll pass by Joanns and remember she needs an Ott-Lite to go with the camera she just bought. While shopping for a light she’ll see aisles of paper, punches, embellishments and ribbon. She’ll pick out a cart full of items but realize they don’t carry THE punch she saw used on a card she saved to her favorites. She’ll return home and go back to Splitcoaststampers to find out where to get THE punch.
Her search will lead her to someone’s blog where she’ll see a Starbucks bottle made into a cute candy container. That will remind her she has some bottles in the recycling bin so she’ll go to the garage to rescue them from the trash.
While in the garage she’ll see her son’s bike which will remind her she needs to buy a new helmet for his birthday. Thinking about birthdays will remind her she wanted to bake some cupcakes for him to take to school.
As she walks to the kitchen she’ll pass by the table and see the stamp. The stamp will remind her that she wanted to make a card and she’ll probably want some…

Another Snowman

I purchased this stamp over at Impress in Seattle. The sentiment is from the MFT, Baby It's Cold set. The embellisment is a button from JoAnn. This is done on cool carribean SU cardstock and I also used Figgy Pudding Basic Grey paper.

Marshmallow Snowman

This card got tucked in the wrong pile and did not get photographed earlier, so I am posting it now. The snowman face is from Stampabilities and is Versmarked and then embossed with Judikins Stardust EP in order to get all the sparkle. This is one of my 3 favorite snowmen stamps and I am always happy when winter arrrives so I can put him to work again!

Blog Candy Reminder

Don't forget the blog candy up for grabs. Check out the January 8 post for details. This one is for bloggers only, but I have another one coming up closer to Valentine's for all.

Kitchen Sink Daisies

This card is made with my clear Kitchen Sink Daisy Set. The tutorial on their site made them easy to use. I also took a black Sharpie and made small marks on the back to make positioning each layer a little easier. These are high quality stamps that are really fun to use. I used a variety of inks and used a Judkins Color Duster to do the blue background. I used Stickles to make the glittery centers.

Pretty Bird

Click on the arrow above to see photo if you are using Google Reader.

Mary, over at GW, very kindly purchased this Inkadinkadoo Birds Galore set for me. It will not be widely available until March, according to an email I received from the company. It seems it is currently available in only a few stores that we don't have here in the Northwest and I just had to have this set. If you haven't noticed, I have been on a bird kick for the last year or so. This set is going to be my absolute favorite.

I used my little Cuttlebug folder on the edge twice to create the dry embossed flowers. The bird was inked in red and then I sponged on some black knowing that I wanted it to come together with the black May Arts ribbon from All That Scraps. It is a simple card, but I am pleased with it. The sentiment inside is from smArtworks stamps and says, "Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark".

Amazing Blog I Discovered Today

Click on the title of this post and it will take you to a blog I just discovered this morning. How in the world did I ever miss this fantastic blog. I just could not quit looking at the cards over and over. Such amazing attention to detail and the color schemes are just wonderful. I will be adding this one to my blog roll and going back to it over and over again!!

9" x 12" Vinyl Cling for Sale

I have 4 sheets of Vinyl Cling (Graffix brand) for sale. $5.00 total--free shipping! These are great for unmounting stamps and using them on acrylic blocks. Since I have gone almost exclusively with clear stamps, I am paring down supplies. Email me at rubyslippers@neofast.net if interested.

Pink Snowman

This card was made with the SU Snow roller and the snowman from the Perfect Presentation set. The paper is from a DCVW pack I got at Craft Warehouse.

MFT BoHo Heart

I made this Valentine with my My Favorite Things BoHo Blossom set. I really love both of the hearts in this set. I used ColorBox Fluid Chalk ink in Warm Red. I am not sure of the brand of designer paper.

Another Baby It's Cold Valentine

This card is somewhat similar to the one I did earlier this week. I love this set and have found I can make wintry Valentine's from it. February is still very much winter around here. I love using the Stickles for the snow. I used markers and a Dove blender to do the coloring.

White Diamond Snow

This card was made with White Diamond Judkins EP embossed after using white pigment ink and my SU Jumbo Snow Roller on black. I just love the sparkle on the white. The snowman is Denami in black and I edged the white with Stickels. The snow circle is from JoAnn for $1 and the center is cell phone bling. The background is white Bazzille Bling cardstock.

Heart Shaped Tins!! Great price!

Check out these darling clear topped heart shaped tins! Great price and reasonable shipping. Click the title of this post and it will take you right there!

Blog Candy!!

I promised Blog Candy after 50,000 on the counter and life and a big storm where we had no power for 3 days messed up those plans. But, things are back in order, so here's the deal. I have over 600 stamping blogs on my Google Reader. As I am reading over the next week I will note those blogs that have linked my blog. Those will go into the drawing. If you want to comment on this thread to let me know that there is a link so I don't miss it, that will be fine, too! Blog candy consists of 6 brand new stamps and a variety of embellishments and ribbon. On January 15 before midnight I will contact the winner via their blog or their email (or both) to let them know they have won!! Good luck everyone!

Baby, It's Nearing Valentine's Day

I added hearts to my Baby, It's Cold Outside card to make it a February card. Stickles make the sparkling snow. Nestabilities do the rectangle.

Polar Pals

Love this set!! I like to do the little girl's coat in red to contrast with the blue. The background is SU Flannel embossed in white. The sentiment is set inside a word window punch out. The red snowflake border is from my favorite border set, Technique Tuesdays' Hanging by a Thread.

No Power-No Water-No Computer-No Blog, But----

I could still stamp!! We had 3 days without power, running water, and all that goes with it. But during the daylight hours I got some stamping in. This card was done on Paper Trey cardstock--my strong preference for dry embossing. Ribbon from May Arts and purchased at All That Scraps (link on side).

Looks Like Snow

Looks and feels like it could snow here tonight. This card is made with an SU Snowflake stamp. The pink teeny blings in each center on the right is cell phone bling you can get at Walmart. A friend gave me a huge assortment for Christmas. The flake is Ruby Red and I used a combo of Stickles and Liquid Pearls to jazz it up.

Hampton Arts Snowman

I first saw this stamp on a blog last year and had no idea how hard it was going to be to find it. I eventually did and have really enjoyed this cheery guy! The sentiment is from Cornish Heritage and I used the SU Word Window Punch to make an opening so I could emboss it in white. I used Stickles for the center of the flower.

Sledding Snowman

This is a Cornish Heritage stamp, but I masked off the holly since I did not want it to be Christmasy. I used Stickles for the snow and Nestabilities for the 2 scalloped rectangles. I sponged the white one with Ruby Red ink. Ribbons are May Arts purchased from All That Scraps. Background is the SU Snow roller.

How Dare She!!

Please tell that hussy Renee to get away from my man or I will come after her with a tiny circle punch and pierce her ears!!!!

What am I talking about? Click on the title of this post and read Dear Paperlicious's predictions for 2008.

Happy New Year from Ruby Slippers!

GW Renee K told me about this great faux license plates and so I just had to get one for my stamp room. The purse was a Christmas gift from a friend. I will be back later today with some goodies.