September Bombshell Sketch Challenge

Well, here it is September 1st- a brand new design team and a brand new set of challenges on the Bombshell Stamps' forum. Kathi, our sketch genius, has come up with a wonderfully fun sketch for us this month. Check it out:
I don't make many long cards so this one was fun to make. Here's my take on Kathi's sketch:

I used Stampin' Up's textured Razzleberry cardstock for the base of the card. The card measures 4-1/4 x 8-1/2" so it will fit in a regular legal-sized envelope. The patterned paper is unknown. It's some I picked up in a "yard sale" at my local stamp store. Instead of making just one panel for the image, I made 3. Two are cut from SU's silver metallic cardstock and embossed in the Cuttlebug using the Diamond Plate embossing folder. The center panel is GP110 white cardstock. The motorcycle image, from Bombshell's Harley Bikes stamp set, is stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored using Copic Markers. The "Girl's Ruin" banner is from Bombshell's Girl's Ruin stamp set. I thought it went well with the motorcycle, afterall, a motorcycle CAN be a girl's ruin...you wouldn't believe the cost of accessories for a bike! :D The skull image is from Bombshell's Speed Shop Hot Rod stamp set and is punched out using a small oval punch, layered on a scalloped oval of textured Razzleberry CS, which is layered onto a large oval of GP110 white. All punches are from Stampin' Up. The scrap of black and white dotted ribbon and the lace are from the Offray Ribbon Outlet.


I hope that you'll play along with us on this sketch challenge, as well as the other challenges on the Bombshell Stamps' forum. We can't wait to see what you come up with!!

Introducing....

...the new Bombshell Stamps' Design Team!!!

A new term for a revamped DT- we welcome 3 fabulous artists to the team- Cheryl, Alison, and Kelli. I am SO excited to be working with these ladies...check out their blogs!! You'll be amazed at what they do! In welcoming these ladies, unfortunately, we have to say good-bye to 3 equally talented artists- Nicole, Terra, and Erika. I guess it really isn't "good-bye" because once a Bombshell ALWAYS a Bombshell, so I know we'll still see lots of them!!

We also introduce a new set of guest designers for the next 6 months...drum roll, please...and here they are!! Meet the monthly pin-up girls:

Ms. September- Meredith

Ms. October- Mary Ann

Ms. November- Mary H.

Ms. December- Diana

Ms. January- Alaine

Ms. February- Dawn

Check out the Bombshell Forum if you haven't already done so! There are lots of fun challenges and prizes to be won!!! Also check out Bombshell's brand new stamp sets! WOW!!

I'm off to my hide-away now, so check back soon to see what I've been up to!

5 Times AND a Cover Girl!!!

I received my Just Cards Holidays, Volume 2 issue in the mail today and I was THRILLED to see one of MY cards on the cover!!!!!! Being published is still all new to me, so please bear with me!

This is the card that was published on the cover:

Not one that I personally would have picked for a cover card, but hey, I'm still thrilled!!! :) It's on page 73- "Blessings"- in the Thanksgiving section.

Here is another card that was published on page 65 "Best Witches":

...page 99 "Snowflakes Are Winter's Butterflies":

...(THIS one is my favorite!) page 95- "Merry & Bright":

(The card above I sent in over a year ago, so if you send cards in for publication, be patient!!)

...and finally this card on page 114- "Celebrate the Season":

Two of my Meade Girls friends was also published- Amanda and Tracy. Congrats girls!!! Pick up a copy of Just Cards Holidays, Volume 2- there are tons of fabulous cards in there!!!

You Warm My Heart!

A new online stamping friend from the Facebook Maryland Stampers group, Angie, had this stamp set called Tiny Teapots. It's a long-retired Stampin' Up set- so old that Splitcoaststampers doesn't even have a gallery for it...so, she started a teapot challenge to create samples for this set. I was first on the list, so she mailed me the set. It's a very cute set of 4 different teapots and a sentiment, but I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to use it...after some hemming and hawing, this is what I came up with (and please excuse the crooked scan!):

It's a very simple card, but I like it. The card base is GP110 white, with a layer of Basic Black, then a layer of GP110 which has been embossed using my Cuttlebug and the circles embossing folder. I cut a strip of Basic Black and ran that through the Cuttlebug using the Dotted Swiss embossing folder. I stamped each tea pot in a different color and punched them out using my 1-1/4" square punch (couldn't find my 1-3/8" square punch- go figure!). Cardstock used was Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink and Certainly Celery. Ink colors used were Bashful Blue, Rose Romance and Old Olive. I attached the teapot squares using pop dots. The sentiment is stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I attached small green gems to the one teapot- he looked like he just needed "something".

I will now pass the stamp set on to another friend, Gloria, to see what she can create using it. Thanks, Angie, this is a fun "swap"...instead of swapping cards, we're swapping a stamp set!!

7 Kids Challenge Blog!!

Just wanted to let all my cardmaking friends know about the brand new 7 KIDS CHALLENGE BLOG which opens today!! Their first theme will be "Pink & Polka Dots". The 7 Kids Design Team is fabulous and I can't wait to see what they've come up with for this theme!!!! There will be one randomly chosen winner who will win a $50 gift certificate to the store and three winners chosen by the DT for their excellence in card making, one of whom will be invited to be the guest designer on the next challenge!

So, if you want to be challenged, make sure to check out their new challenge blog...Let all of your cardmaking friends know and go ahead and snag the blinkie below for your blog!

My Secret Sister Strikes Again!

Here are a couple of cards that my Facebook Maryland Stampers Secret Sister sent me the past couple weeks...

This card is adorable! Love the paw prints sentiment!


You can't tell it in the picture but the white space behind the pets is sparkly.

This birthday card I received in the mail today. Love the horses! It's such a masculine card!

Thanks, Secret Sister- whoever you are!! (And I guess I won't find out until the end of October when this round ends!) :)

She's A Firecracker, Alright!

It's time for this month's Bombshell Hump Day Hop!! This month's theme is "She's A Firecracker, Alright!" Kas wanted us to:

1) Use Red, White and Blue
2) Use "Firecrackers" (Bombshells stamps, of course!)
3) Have a Military theme
4) or make them sparkle like a firework!

As it turns out, I wasn't able to get a project made for this month's hop, but I wanted to list the blog list so you can check out what the others made for this fun and fabulous hop!

Check 'em out:

Kas
Katie
Kathi
Jodie
Cheryl
Steph
Meredith
Alison
Erika
Danielle
Keely
Angie
Laura
Kelli
PerkyNihilist

Remember that if you leave a comment on the blogs above you'll have the chance to win a fabulous prize from Bombshell Stamps!! The more comments you leave, the more chances you'll have to win free stuff- what's better than that??

A Trip Down Memory Lane...

Each month, Bombshell Stamps hosts a challenge contest. The winner wins a fabulous prize. You can win 3 different ways- by leaving a comment on the blogs of those participating in the Hump Day Hop, by playing along with the sketch challenge or by playing along with the monthly challenge.

The monthly challenge is created by the Bombshell of the Month (aka- guest designer). This month’s Bombshell, Ms. July- Alison, challenged us to use photos on our project and called the challenge “Photo-Synthesis”. I had an idea that I had wanted to do since last month’s challenge (which I didn’t get to participate in). Ms. June- Kelli, challenged us with the theme “Memory Lane”- to create a memory box or similar project.

A friend had given me a wooden book box. For a long time I had wanted to alter it, but I’m not very good at altering things, so, I kept putting it off. When I saw Kelli’s and then Alison’s challenges, I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer, so…

I pulled out the box, found some small crocheted doilies, old photos of my parents, some scraps of ribbon, stick-on gems, some flowers, and a couple of Bombshell images and this is what I came up with:

The box was already covered with DSP when she gave it to my (thanks, Rhonda!!). I printed out the photos that I wanted to use, trimmed them down to size and then mounted them onto Ruby Red and Chocolate Chip cardstock. I attached scraps of Cranberry Crisp stitched ribbon to the sides of each photo and some burgundy self-stick gems (Bling It from Basic Grey) to my Mom’s photo. I stamped the No Regrets (from Bombshell’s Girl’s Ruin stamp set), the rose verse (from Bombshell’s Rose’s Portrait stamp set) and the measuring tape (Impression Obsession) onto confetti white cardstock using Chocolate Chip ink. Burgundy roses would have been perfect if I had any, but…I was running out of time and I had to use what I had on hand! The yellow flowers were a bit bright for the rest of the items on the box, so I toned them down a bit by sponging on Cranberry Crisp and Chocolate Chip ink. Everything is attached to the box using glue dots.

I love the photos I used. They were taken probably in the mid-1940s. My parents will be celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary on Friday! Although I’m not good at altering, I’m very happy with how this turned out! I think it’s the perfect memory box in honor of my parents. Thanks Kelli and Alison for the fabulous challenges!!!

A Cool Car & A Hot Chick...

It's been so HOT and we're all attempting to stay COOL. This is another card that I created while keeping cool in my hide-away. Bombshell Stamps are known for their "hot chicks" but did you know that they also have "cool car" stamps?? This card is made using a combination of stamp sets- the "hot chick" is from the Bombshell Angel set. The "cool car" and the flag image are from Bombshell's Speed Shop set. The "Built for Speed" sentiment is from the King of the Road set.

All images are stamped onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Blak ink and colored with Copic Markers. The "hot chick" (aka Bombshell Angel) is cut out and adhered to the front of the car panel. The card base is Basic Black and is sized at 5-1/4" square. The next layer is silver metallic cardstock that has been embossed using my Cuttlebug and Diamond Plate embossing folder. As I was rummaging through the mess that is my stamping room, I found some red, yellow and green brads and thought they looked like a traffic light, so I added them to the card as well. This card kind of reminds me of the drag racing scene in the movie Grease. I'm pretty happy with it. What do you think?

Bombshell's July Sketch Challenge

It's like a million degrees outside today, so I thought it was a good time to catch up on my stamping challenges.

Kathi, Bombshell's resident sketch guru, gave us a fabulous sketch for this month. Take a look:

It's an easy sketch, but one with SO many possibilites!! Here's my take on her sketch:

I LOVE how this turned out!! I really like the olive and burgundy color combination. The card base is Basic Black. The Old Olive panel is embossed using one of my Tim Holtz embossing foldes- Retro Circles...did I mention I LOVE my new Tim Holtz embossing folders??! Well, I DO! I used 2 different patterns of DSP as the background layers...both from Basic Grey's Lemonade pack. The image, from Girl's Ruin, is stamped onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic Markers. Self- adhesive "Bling It" burgundy gems from Basic Grey were attached around the edge of the Nestability-cut ovals. Nothing hard or extreme about this card, but instead it's a simple but pretty card...or at least I think so!! :)

Now, do you want to play along and possibily win a fabulous prize? Create a card using Bombshell Stamps and the sketch above and post it to this link. We can't wait to see what you create!!!

Bombshell Stamps' DT Call!!

Bombshell Stamps is looking for new design team members!!! We are looking for crafters who are excited about stamping, and would love being part of a fun and friendly design environment.

Term and Open Call: If chosen, your term will run for 6 months beginning on September 1, 2010 thru March 1, 2011.

Application Process: All submissions must be received by 12:00am PST, Aug. 14, 2010.

View our Design Team Call here.


C'mon, you know you want to apply!!

I'm Back!

Well, I've been gone the better part of a week. We went down to Myrtle Beach and then up to the Outer Banks. We had a good time, but, boy, was it steamy!!!! When we went to Cape Hatteras yesterday , it was only 82 degrees but it was 79% humidity!! But, despite the heat and humidity, we had a good time...the only pictures that I took were of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Isn't this pretty??

Now that I've settled back into being home again, I'll be stamping away the day tomorrow (it's just too hot to do anything outside, anyway!!) I'll be working on a couple of challenges for Bombshell Stamps, so make sure you check back in. Oh, and don't forget the Bombshell Hump Day Hop this Wednesday! See you then!!!

I Feel the Earth Move...

This morning, a little past 5am, I was rudely awakened by a 3.6 magnitude earthquake. It was centered in Rockville, MD, about 25 miles from here as the crow flies. I actually don't remember "feeling" the earth move but I did wake up and look at the clock, and it was 5:05am, so I'm thinking maybe that's what woke me up?? Who knows...

Anyway, over on Facebook, I'm part of a group called the Maryland Stampers. We decided it would be fun to do a secret sister similar to SCS's Divine Secret Sisters.

Well, my mailman was very good to me today!! In the mail I had not one but TWO envelopes from my Secret Sister!!! Here is the first card I opened:

I LOVE that cupake and she did a fabulous job coloring the image ...and inside, she had tucked in a pack of the prettiest blue print flowers from Hero Arts (very similar to Primas). I can't wait to play with them!

In the second envelope was this very cool lighthouse card:


The lighthouse and sailboat are stamped, cut out and attached to the card. Wonder if she knew I like lighthouses??

I think this 4 month round of Secret Sisters will be lots of fun! Hmm...I wonder who she is?? (I didn't recognize the handwriting- darn!) :)

Check back in a day or two-I hope to have a couple new things to show...until then, stay cool!

Another Fabulous Meade Shoebox Swap!!!

Yesterday I attended the Meade Girls' shoebox swap and had SUCH a great time!!! Good friends, tons of delicious food and some of the most wonderful cards to make! Take a look at all the cards I got to make!

This is Jane's card. Sorry for the poor photo- because of that fun little flower, I couldn't scan it. Oops- looks like I'm missing a button! Hmm...where is my button jar??

Top- Jen/ Bottom- Sharon

Top- Dawnmarie/ Bottom- Stacy

Top- Paula/ Bottom- Me

Left- Rose/ Right- Kathy

Top- Pete (Evelyn)/ Bottom- Kathi

Left- Amanda/ Right- Mary T.

Left- Sara/ Right- Linda

Left- Vera/ Right- Lynn

Left- Mich/ Right- Ann

I think everyone had a fabulous time stamping the day away! Thanks to Amanda for hosting another fun get-together! I can hardly wait till the next one!!

Blog Look and SBS Card

Well, it looks like Scrappinblog.blogspot.com is no more...so my pretty blog template is gone... :(
Right now, I will go with this boring background until I have more time to search around for a pretty one...now, onto my card...

Tomorrow, I will be attending a shoe box swap at Ft. Meade. Amanda always puts on a fun and fabulous swap with lots of wonderful cards, tables full of delicious foods and THE friendliest bunch of stampers you could ever meet-the Meade Girls!! Okay, so, here's the card that I made. I used this for a SCS swap many years ago, and thought I'd do it again...

The cardstock that I used is YoYo Yellow (I will miss you!), Basic Black, Real Red, and GP110 white. The image is from an old SU set called Simply Sweet. Accessories used were the modern label punch, 1/16" hole punch, black brads, SU markers in Real Red and YoYo Yellow, Memento Tuxedo Black ink and I even found and dusted off my old crimper to use on this card! Poor thing had felt SO neglected since I got my Cuttlebug! I hope the girls enjoy making this card. I love the black, yellow and red color combination.

I'll be back in a couple of days to show you all of the fab cards that I make tomorrow! Until then...happy stamping!!!

"Boy Toy"

Time for being hot...it's summer! So what's the deal with a "Boy Toy" bloghop? Well, it's dedicated to the men in our lives. It doesn't have to be a boyfriend or husband..... maybe a soldier, a father, or just a masculine theme or card. Bombshell Stamps have always been great for "manly" things, but now more than ever. Just think about the new digi clothes stamps for the Bombshell Angel- the policewoman, firewoman, etc... they are GREAT for sending out that perfect card...AND MAN...the new motorcycle stamps!!! They are rockin'!! As a rider myself, I'm just LOVING these new stamp sets!! There's a bike for every rider- cruiser, chopper, vintage- you name it, Bombshell has a motorcycle stamp for you! And the coordinating stamps are perfect! So, here's my contribution to June's theme "Boy Toy":

The bike image is from the recently released Harley Bikes stamp set. The image in stamped onto GP 110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then smudged around the edges. The image is layered onto a piece of SU's Basic Black. The card base is also Basic Black with a layer of metallic silver cardstock which has been embossed using my Cuttlebug and the Diamond Plate embossing folder. The "map" is a page that I snitched from my husband's road atlas...he'll never miss it (I hope!). Large silver brads were used along with a "Detour" sticker and a "curve ahead" road sign dimensional sticker- both from Reminisce. I thought the "curve ahead" sign was perfect for a bike card- every biker just LOVES riding those "twisties".

Now, head on over to the following blogs to see some other fabulous "Boy Toy" creations!
Make sure to leave a comment on each blog- you might win a fabulous prize!!

Kas
Meredith
Croppixie
Sy
Alison
Danielle
Katie
MaryG
Steph
Kelli
Angie
Cheryl
Kathi

Bombshell June Sketch

Well, June is almost over but I FINALLY got my Bombshell Stamps June Sketch Challenge card made. First of all here is Kathi's wonderful sketch:

...and here is my take on that sketch:

(and, yes, I KNOW the scan is crooked- I REALLY need to hone my photography skills so I can photograph my cards instead...). This card is made using the beautiful Rose's Portrait stamp set. I just love this image- she is just gorgeous! The image is stamped onto watercolor paper using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I decided to dust off my Prismacolor Pencils and Gamsol...Gloria? Did you faint??? (inside joke!) :) I don't use them very often...I just don't think I can use them as well as some I've seen...I guess practive makes perfect! The image is layered onto Basic Black and then Real Red. The card base is Basic Black with a layer of YoYo Yellow which was run through my Cuttlebug using the Fleur de Lis embossing folder. The ribbon is from Offray. The sentiment, from Rose's Portrait, was punched out using the Modern Label punch and popped up using dimensionals. The brads are some I found at my LSS but can't remember who makes them. So, this is MY take on the challenge. Now it's YOUR turn! Create a card using Kathi's sketch above and post it to the Bombshell forum here. You could win a fabulous prize!! But hurry- time is running out!

Oh, and make sure to come back on Wednesday for Bombshell's monthly Blog Hop! This months' theme is "Boy Toy"...and my card is almost finished!

Faster, faster, faster!!

I just LOVE Bombshell Stamps' brand new motorcycle stamp sets!!! The images are fabulous and the sentiments are so fun! Here's a card I made using another of the stamps from the Harley Bikes set (this bike is very similar to my bike, although I DON'T have a Harley!)

The card base is SU's soon-to-be-retired Brilliant Blue. :( The patterned paper is from a pack of glitter patterned paper that I got from ABC Distributing. The bike image is stamped onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored using Copic Markers. I then went over the blue using a blue glitter Spica pen and the chrome using a silver glitter Spica pen to give it the "sparkle" that my bike has. The image is layered onto SU's silver metallic cardstock and then onto Brilliant Blue. Large silver brads from Recollections are in the corners. The sentiment is popped up using dimensionals. I'm not too thrilled with the way this card came out- I thought the blue of the bike and the blue in the patterned paper matched better than it looks here. Oh, well...

Thanks for looking!!

Ride!

I finally got a chance to play with the brand new motorcycle set that Bombshell Stamps recently released...and I'm loving it!! This is a VERY easy card...

This set is called "Harley Bikes" and consists of 2 great bike images, a V-twin engine image, and several sentiments. The card base is Basic Black. A layer of SU's Sahara Sand cardstock was run through my Cuttlebug using my brand new (and FABULOUS!) Tim Holtz "Bricked" embossing folder. The bike image is stamped onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and sponged around the edges. I paper pierced the corners and the bottom of the image and layered it onto Basic Black then attached the image to the bottom portion of the card using dimensionals. The "ride" is "Thickers" foil letter stickers from American Crafts. I guess this could be considered clean and simple?

I can't wait to play some more with these fabulous images AND my new Tim Holtz embossing folders!!! Check back again tomororw for another card using this stamp set.

Bombshell Beauties

Finally! I finally got a chance to get into my hide-away and stamp! Whew! It's been such a hectic couple of weeks, but with school winding down, things should (hopefully) calm down for me! I'll be on vacation soon and should have lots of time to stamp then!

So, this is what I have for you today- another card using Bombshell Stamps' beautiful Rose. This image is just SO gorgeous! The stamp set is called Rose's Portrait and here's what I did with her today:

I stamped Rose onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black. She is colored with Copics, however, the green and pink scanned much brighter than they really are. I used my oval Nestabilites to cut the image out. The card base is Basic Black. The patterned papers are unknown. For the bottom part, I punched out circles using my 1-5/8" circle punch and layered them. It was AFTER I scanned the card that I noticed that they were a bit crooked at the bottom...oh, well...too late now! :) I saw a card made with this sketch on Jody Morrow's fabulous blog- Confessions of a Ribbon Addict...you can find her blog in my "Ink-spirations" list in my sidebar. The ribbon is from the Offray Ribbon Outlet in Hagerstown, MD. If you've never been and you're in the area, it's a MUST! The oval image is popped up using dimensionals.

My second offering today is an ATC- my first ever. A friend asked me to make an ATC that describes me...I kept putting it off and putting it off, but it can't be put off any longer...the thought of making an ATC scared me...it's the size, I think, that worries me- so little space to create on. Anyway, this is what I came up with, although I don't think I'll be making any more ATCs in the near future! :)

The card base is SU's silver metallic cardstock. The DSP is also SU. I used the Bombshell Angel image and stamped her onto GP110 white cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored her with Copics. I then "dressed" her using Bombshell's "Biker Bombshell" digi clothing set. She is popped up on dimensionals atop of big pink Prima. The "Biker Chick" sentiment is computer generated. So, Steph...how did I do?

I haven't forgotten about the Yo-Yo tutorial...I just need to get it done when there is someone home to take pictures for me...it'll be coming soon! I promise!