Hello

Hello! Nothing new to post. I have been being very grown up and responsible lately which has meant no time for stamping. This has been about as much fun as it sounds. I am hoping to get back in my stamp cave next week, or sooner if I need a mental health break. I did do a little bit of stamping last night, but it didn't turn out and I didn't have any more of that colour and only that colour would do (I'm sure you know what I mean) so I need to get out and get some more. Happily, I also need to make a run to my LSS for a little treat. I am on a self-reward program where I get a little something from Heather's like a Copic marker or a small stamp, etc. if I work out at least three times the week. I'm just back from workout number three and there are some new Crafty Individuals stamps in stock that are calling my name! I've already used up Feb and March allowance, so these weekly incentives really help me get to the gym. My Feb-March allowance is chugging its way here from Australia so I have no idea when to expect it. It can take 3-4 weeks from the States, so I have no notion of how long it will take to get here from the other side of the world. I get freaked out just thinking about it. (freaked out at the enormity of the distance involved, not freaked out by waiting for stamps. I'm not that obessessed with stamps, well I am, but not in this case. I am actually feeling quite patient and zen about waiting for the order, leaving lots of room in my psyche to freak out about transglobal shipping.)

Well, I have taken enough of your time considering I don't even have something stampy to post. Hope you're able to get some stamping in!

Take care and I'll be back as soon as I can.

It's Sweater Day

It's National Sweater Day - time to turn down the thermostat by 3 degrees and put on a sweater. I feel a bit like it's cheating since it's going up to plus 5 today, but still. It's a balmy 15 in the house right now - not too bad so far.

Check out the website:
Turn down your heat on Thursday 150,000. That’s how many Canadians we need to participate in National Sweater Day this Thursday, February 17. Help us meet the goal by turning down your heat by 3°C and putting on a sweater. You will make a big difference in the fight against climate change.For more information about National Sweater Day, visit our website.Other ways to get involved:
Take the National Sweater Day pledge for the chance to win a $500 gift certificate to Loblaw or one of two $250 gift certificates to Joe Fresh Style!
Sweater yourself on Facebook with our app. Dress up your profile picture and show your friends that you’re serious about fighting climate change.
Bid on a designer sweater, donated by leading Canadian designers. All proceeds go to WWF.

Valentine Card - Queen of Hearts

Here's the card I made for my sweetie on Valentine's Day and I thought I would post it to enter the Quietfire Designs Queen of Hearts challenge too. I used my Quietfire Designs butterfly stamp from the Papillon sheet and stamped it repeatedly with two colours of versamagic ink (Oasis Green and Aegean Blue) and silver encore ink. Then I heat set it with a dry iron, whomped with my anti-static bag and stamped the valentine sentiment (Paper Inspirations). I also stamped one red butterfly with some red Palette ink (Moulin Rouge). There is a little heart at the end, from an A Muse sheet of crystal stickers, which I coloured red with a copic. There got to be some smudging from the iron (I didn't use a piece of paper between the iron and the project - bad girl! Lesson learned the hard way there) so I had to stamp some background, so I used a mosaic tile stamp (Judikins) and some light distress ink. The panel is matted on some red metallic paper and a sage shadow card base. I don't know if this is too feminine or too Christmassy for DH. Oh well, that's what I get for leaving it till the last minute - no time for do-overs! On the plus side, I realize how much I like this layout - very quick and easy. I could see it working for lots of purposes, with lots of options for changing up the colour scheme. Paper Inspirations has a bunch of sentiment stamps like this too for many occasions (but I only have this one - so far!). Still, any vertical message would do, I would think.

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday card

I made this card for this challenge at Card Positioning Systems #203. It's sponsored by Stampotique, and there are free stamps to be won, so I thought I would give it a whirl. I didn't have an appropriately sassy/snarky sentiment stamp, so I hand-wrote in, "And how old are you???" I remember when our little was small (like 3) everyone would ask her how old she was, and she would tell them and eventually she started asking them back. It was quite funny to see their discomfiture. To her it was a very common conversational gambit, so why not ask back? She didn't know that little kids aren't supposed to ask grown-ups how old they are. Anyway, that's what I think of when I see little Marci here.

The background papers are BasicGrey (Indian Summer collection) and the card base is More Mustard. Marci and her crown (both Stampotique) are embossed in black and coloured with Tombows.

Sorry for the long silence. I had a wicked 'flu and was in bed for a week. Next year I am getting the 'flu shot. I forgot this year, and I really got hit hard. Our whole family has been knocked down to varying degrees, and unfortunately I was hit the hardest. I hate being home sick and totally lacking the will to stamp. I see them there, I know they're there, and I just don't have the wherewithal to do anything about it. Luckily I am on the mend now, and have come up with two batches of ATCs for the Darkroom Door February swap, featuring the colour red. I also came up with some extras since if you send extra original ones, they will pay the postage back and save me having to figure out international reply coupons, etc. I haven't made too many ATCs so it was fun to experiment with that size of creative space. I made quite a few really hideous things, and eventually stumbled on some treasures. AND my parcel of January allowance arrived in the form of a box from Fred B Mullett, including some gorgeous embossing powders, an enormous Bluegill stamp, and some other marvellous rubber goodness. Can't wait to play with those!!!!! All that ep.... so much fun! Can't wait.