My first secretary card!

So, my husband is a principal now, and since he's in charge of 3 buildings, he has 3 secretaries!  Well, one of them is leaving for a better paying job.  Her last day was Friday, and he asked me earlier this week to make a card for her, and of course, on Thursday night at midnight, I finally finished it!  Since she works at the elementary level, I chose paper from the Elementary School stack by DCWV.  The apple is from School Days from Kitchen Sink Stamps.  The ribbon is from the Chick Flick ribbon nest from My Favorite Things.  I used Labels One nesties for the sentiment panel.  The sentiment is from Sincere Salutations from Stampin' Up!.  On the inside, I used Labels Eight for the white panel.  The scallops are from Stampin' Up!'s border punch.

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!

Updated Blog Post - Stampin' Up! Stamps FOR SALE!

Hi all!  Back in October I listed on here about 70 Stampin' Up! sets that I was getting rid of.  Well, I still have about 50 sets left that I want out of here!  For no other reason than I just don't use them!  I want them to go somewhere where they will be used!!!!

So, if you would like to take a look and see if there are any that strike your fancy, or were on your lists but never got around to buying while they were still current, here's your opportunity.

One thing though:  These are ALL unmounted!  I have them on transparencies, stored in page protectors in binders to save space.  I peel them off the transparency and place them on a clear block and stamp away!  So, if you're only a traditional woodblock stamper, then don't even waste your time looking!

Each set is $10.00 and I will pay shipping (it's really part of the $10.00), so you're really only paying like $7 or $8 for a $25.00 set on average.  I will pretty much ship anywhere.

So, if you're interested, check out my blog post here:  http://erinscrafts.blogspot.com/2009/10/retired-unmounted-stampin-up-stamps-for.html.  And if there are any that you would like to purchase (I go through PayPal), then please feel free to email me at esmetak@gmail.com. 

Thanks!

Ahoy there, me hearties!

Ahoy there, me hearties!  Today I be sharin' with you me own version of a "scene".  That be aarrrgghhh challenge this week.  We be usin' a picture o' ME, Terrible Ivan the Pirate, straight from AiFactory, those scallywags!   

So, me started with a piece o' cardboard that I scrimped and saved.  I painted it white, then sponged clouds on.  I used beads instead a' the real deal gems and jewels in the treasure chest that I found last week on the banks o' ye old Allegheny.  Ya can see the end of my dinghy on the corner of the cardboard scene.  The sentiment at the top reads: "Aaarrrrggghhhhh you ready to find that treasure?", in case ya have scurvy and can't see.  I used real sand and sea glass from the shores of Hawaii from my last journey 'round the world.

That's enough now!  Continue sailing on to the other scurvy dogs on the design team and see what they did with the picture o' me!  Now you can walk the plank off me piratin' ship! And give me back all me treasure! 

Hoist up the jolly roger, men, it's time to sail on!

Double sketch!

Is it bad to post two different sketches in one post?!  Well, I'm doing it because I don't have time to do two separate ones! 

I just recently discovered Mercy Kerin's sketch blog!  I know, I've been living under a rock!!!!  HELLO!  Why did it take me SO long to find this?????!!!!!  Well, thanks to Amy Scheffer and her absolutely STUNNING cards, I found this blog and I'm SO excited!  I love sketches!  Those are my favorite challenges!

So, here isMercy's sketch:

And here's my take:

And a close up of the microbeads that I put on the main image:

And here is the Card Patterns sketch:

And here's my LATE submission!  LOL!

This card is for my cousin who is turning 9!  Can you tell?!  LOL!  This image is from MFT's new set Who's That Birthday Girl!  What a fun set!!!!

All right, off to celebrate w/ my cousin at Nemo on Ice!  Whoo hoo!  My kids are excited!

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!!

Crafty Secrets Crafty Blocking challenge

This week over on the Crafty Secrets thread on Splitcoast, the weekly challenge was to do crafty blocking.  There's color blocking, which this challenge was based on, but we were to use scraps from Crafty Secrets goodness!  I grabbed my Summer Journal, and started tearing out pages to use!  The sentiment that I used is from Crafty Secrets' Glamour Girls set.  The background paper is from Mad Retro by Die Cut W/ a View (DCWV).  You can see all the other awesome blocking creations here in this gallery!

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!!

Lilly Of the Valley

Hi there!  Today I am showcasing a new set designed by our very own Laurie Wilson!  It's part of the Lilly Collection, and it's on sale at the AiFactory store for only $5.00!!!  For the whole set!!!!  What a steal!!!!  So, go check it out!!!!!

Everyone on the design team has been assigned a specific flower from the collection, and I was assigned the Lilly of the Valley.  I really like the Lilly of the Valley, so I was excited to work with it!  When I looked it up online, to get the colors right, I noticed that the flowers are surrounded by leaves.  So, I printed out 3 flowers and I layered them separately.  I did the paper toling(?) technique for the flowers, popping them up to not only highlight them, but make them more realistic.  Then I took the leaves and put them behind so that they look like they are surrounding the flowers.

Our challenge this week was to do clear and simple.  And clean.  I wanted to highlight my flowers and make them the main focal point, so I decided to go w/ a transparency as my card base and then used white for the main panel.  I cut 2 more panels to put on the inside, one to hide the front of the card panel's backing, and then one to write the message on.  I broke out the sewing machine and went through several pieces of paper before I got it straight enough that it didn't look like my 5 year old tried to stitch!  I received clear buttons as a Christmas gift, so I found those and added the thread that I used when stitching to the buttons so they aren't naked.  I added Barely Banana ribbon for contrast.                 

Below are the rest of the team's links!  Be sure to check them out! 

Lola, Cheri, Kerry, Penny, Fink, Monica, Angie, Fliss, Carole, & Carlie

And check out the challenge this week HERE and if you participate, you could win the whole Lilly set FOR FREE!!!!!!!!!  Hope to see your stuff!!!!

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!

Card box and card for a friend!

I am hoping that this package has reached its destination before this post is read by the recipient!!!!  Since I was downloading other pictures, I figured I would put this on here.  I made this box and card last week, and FINALLY mailed it out this week.

I did purple and green because that's my friend's colors in her stamp room!

The word CARDS is from an alphabet that I found at Michael's.  I think it's Inkadinkado?  Everything else is from Kitchen Sink Stamps.

And her card!  I used MFT's I Want Candy!  The sticks are actually q-tips that I cut the ends off!

And that's it!  Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!

Card Patterns card sketch

Hi there!  Today I can finally find time to post this card that I made earlier this week in a rush for someone.  It's so nice to have a sketch to start a card.  The card gets finished so much quicker when you have a jumping off point!

Here's the sketch challenge for this week: 

And here's my submission!

I used Kitchen Sink Stamps Multi Step Lilies, using Grape Jelly, Imperial Purple, Sweet Plum and LuLu Lavender.  The leaves are Cottage Green, New Sprout and Bamboo Leaves.  Cardstock is: Elegant Eggplant, Lavender Lace, Almost Amethyst, & Very Vanilla.

Have a STAMPASTIC day!!!

Recipe Swap!!!!

Hi there!  Today is recipe swap day!  On AiFactory this week, Mia has created recipe cards!  My challenge for the team was to share their favorite recipes!  And that is your challenge too!  We want you to share YOUR recipes too!!!!  Go to http://aifactorychallenges.blogspot.com/ and catch the details!  We hope to see your fabulous tried and true recipes!!!!  You can also purchase the recipe cards HERE!

So, for my project, I decided to share my appetizer recipes because I'm really good at appetizers and desserts, and struggle w/ the main dish.  And all those sides?!  Jeez!  Can't you just have steak?  Why do you have to have potatoes and salad too?!  So, I love when I have parties, and I get to make all kinds of appetizers!  LOL!  I have two appetizers and a drink to share!  Try them!  My family and friends LOVE these!!!!!  In addition to my recipe cards, I also decorated a recipe box!  This is becoming a fun norm for me, and I really enjoy making these!  Enjoy!

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!

Flopsey Easter Basket

Hi there!  Today I thought I would share something that I made just for fun, and for the MFT WSC challenge!  I got it in right before the deadline.  Not like waiting til the last minute!  LOL!  Well, not that I waited, it's just that I finally had time to work on it!  Weird how I always get stuff done when my husband is not around.  But when he's home and taking care of all the kids, I can't get anything accomplished?!  Must be that multi tasking virtue that I have!  LOL!  Even when my kids were hanging all over me, I still managed to get things done.  Amazing.  In my book, anyway!  Hahaha!

Ok, anyway, the challenge was to use the Easter Basket template that Mel McCarthy (MFT DT member) created.  I wished that I had more time, because as I was laying in my bed this morning waking up, I thought of all the things that I could have added to it.  Oh well! 

When you purchase the template (which is very inexpensive!), you get a couple different options for printing which I thought was really cool!  I decided that I wanted a woven basket.  Once I cut out all the panels, I ran them through my cuttlebug in the Swiss Dots folder.  Then I cut each piece and sponged around the edges.  I wove the pieces together and adhered them to the liner.  I adhered the corners together on the inside, and then decorated!  The lace is from an MFT kit that I purchased previously.  The grass is from an EK Success punch.  I used Gardener Flopsey for the main image, and cut out the carrot that he's carrying and put dew drops in his basket instead for Easter Eggs!

Paper:  Close to Cocoa, Green Galore, Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla

Ink: Choc. Chip, Copics

Stamps: Gardener Flopsey

Embellishments: lace, grass punch, oval and scallop oval nesties, Swiss Dots embossing folder, sponge

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!!