it's the little things

Stamping can be such a fun thing to do! And sometimes, not so much. Like when you've been staring at an image and know that it's not quite right, but can't, for the life of you, figure out what is making you uneasy. And so it was with this card. I needed a masculine, thank you card. I had finished stamping and coloring in the goose image from Wetlands. But it just looked flat and boring. Lifeless and bland. I couldn't figure out exactly why is wasn't sitting right with me. 

First, I tried walking away from the project for a bit. Sometimes that works wonders! But not this time. No new ideas were flooding my brain. Next I sat down with Pinterest, hoping for a little shot of creative inspiration. Even Pinterest failed me. Gasp! Unheard of! 

I was ready to ditch the silly goose and start from scratch. So I picked up my stamp binder. Every time I get a new stamp set, I grab my binder filled with copy paper, and I stamp all the images from the set into it. I add the stamp set's title, how many stamps are in the set, and what type of set it is; clear or wood mounted. I was flipping through the pages looking for a different, masculine focal point for the card. 

And they I saw Gorgeous Grunge! My new favorite stamp set! It is SO versatile! There is a simple little stamp that has lightly sketched parallel lines. And I instantly knew what my goose needed! He was just floating on a Whisper White page! He needed to be grounded. So I grabbed my Soft Sky ink pad and stamped a sky all around him in the background. Somehow, that tiny, subtle detail changed everything for me! I fell in love with the goose, slapped him to my card front, and smiled. 

Happy stamping!

twisting it up!

I'm getting ready to host another Stamp Camp! This is a good thing for so many reasons.

1. It forces me to make time to craft. 

2. I get to catch up with people I don't get to see that often.

3. It gives me a "valid" excuse to browse Pinterest for hours with no guilt!

Most of the time I use Pinterest to get new ideas. To find a jumping off place for my own creativity. To discover new color combinations. But sometimes I come across a card that is so beautiful, that I must make one just like it. Here is one such card:

http://jen-icreate.blogspot.com/2013/03/happy-birthday-to-my-aunt.html

And here's my own twist on it! I changed the layout, but kept the colors and stamping. 

I think that my Stamp Campers are going to love making this card!

Happy stamping!

spring green

Here in the Northeast, it has been one long, cold, snowy, relentless winter. Ice and sleet and -20 degree wind chills and blizzards and three foot snowfalls and shoveling! Lots and lots of shoveling. Enough is enough! It's mid March, and we are still lighting fires in the wood stove for warmth. There is still a foot of snow in my backyard. We even have a flooded area that has frozen over. Anyone for some ice skating? I need spring. I need spring more than I have ever needed spring before. Spring has never been my favorite season because of all of the mud! But this year, I'm almost looking forward to mud puddles because it will mean that the snow is melting.

So today, I sat down at my crafting table and made a couple of cards inspired by early spring. The colors are a bit muted, nothing like the pansies and violets that will soon be popping up in gardening centers. But still, the hope of green things and warm, yellow sunshine. Shy flowers tentatively peeking around corners, wishing for June.

I've been playing with direct to paper techniques lately. Bravely swiping my ink pads across crisp, white card stock, praying for favorable results. You never know what you're going to get! Some happy accidents, and some destined for the trash. I feel like our family is destined for Florida after enduring this winter! 

Happy stamping!