PAPERLICIOUS

A "So Called Simple" One Layer Card

I'm back!

I did NOT make a brownie cheesecake. I am beholden to no man.  I am woman, here me...whatever.  Isn't Mike cute? -- he really wrote yesterday's blog post, which is so not like him... and he kept checking to see if anyone commented and got a big kick out of your very funny comments!  If he keeps this up, he is going to need his own blog.

Ok, enough about HIM.

I marvel at those of you who can make beautiful "simple" one layer cards.  I find them anything but simple. There is no room for error.  If the sentiment is crooked, start over, rather than trim around it.  Nothing can be covered up with crackle embossing powder or shades of watercolor!  It is all out there!

Nevertheless, I decided to try my hand at one. I've been meaning to use the Gina K Designs Retro Boutique set ever since I arranged for Mike to give it to me for Christmas.  It is hard to see in my photo, but I dry embossed a line next to the ribbon and there are red Liquid Pearls accenting the cute little purses.  I colored the image with Copics on Gina K's Luxury cardstock and used Poppy Satin Ribbon from Papertrey Ink.  I couldn't leave it alone so I made a little purse charm to set off the ribbon. 

The beauty of Gina K's card stock is that the Copics do not bleed through.  And, I've found another use for Copics, which I will share tomorrow.  They are growing on me.... .

Gina K. Pure Luxury Compared to PTI Stamper's Select

Let's face it -- we are nuts about paper and are always on the lookout for the perfect white cardstock.  So I set out to compare the use of Copic markers on both Gina K's Luxury Paper and Papertrey Ink's Stamper's Select.  Keep the following in mind:

1. my photography isn't the best. 

2. you are seeing a difference based on my skills using the Copics.  Others may get a different result.  That said: 

The basics.

Gina K -- Her Luxury 120 lb paper is $6.95 for 25 sheets, or 27.8 cents per sheet (I'm ignoring shipping as you can get free shipping with a $35 purchase in the US.).  Gina also sells an 80 lb. weight but I haven't tried it.  It's worth checking out as it is 25 sheets for $4.95 or 19 cents a sheet.

Papertrey Stamper's Select White $6.00 for 40 sheets or 15 cents per sheet (free shipping with $50 purchase in the US).

So, which is better?

First, (no picture) I stamped SU classic ink with a solid stamp and both came out essentially the same -- excellent.

Then, I made this card with the Gina K paper and Copic Markers Flesh Pink E95, Shock Pink RV04, and Chartreuse YG13 (Flower Garden set by PTI). 

To make the flowers I colored each petal completely with the Flesh Pink, then immediately went back over the lower portion of the petal with the Shock Pink, and then took the chisel edge of the Flesh Pink Sketch marker and rubbed to blend. By the way, I like this card!!

It is time consuming to color all the flowers so I colored only one flower on the PTI cardstock.

In real life, the Gina K flower is more blended and the color is more muted.  The ink does not seep to the back of the card.

Conversely, the PTI paper produced a more vivid color but not quite as smoothly blended. The Copics

seep into the back of the PTI paper. Also, the Gina K paper is whiter than it appears in the picture. You get  better view of the color by looking at the photo of the back of the cardstock.

The PTI cardstock is stiffer and works better as a base, although the Gina K's is a close second.

You can judge for yourself which effect you prefer. (I intend to maintain a supply of both). 

World Alzheimer's Day Blog a Thon

Today, September 21, is World Alzheimer's Day, an opportunity to raise awareness of this most devastating, and all too common, disease. 

During Gina K’s last release, Carolyn King illustrated a stamp set, Whimsical Autumn, as a touching way to remember her Grandmother, who just passed away from Alzheimer’s disease.  More than 5 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s, which means that their families and friends are also affected by the disease. Every 71 seconds, someone develops it, and frankly, that is one scary statistic.

The folks at Flourishes asked the members of the Flourishes design team and the members of the friends of Flourishes blog team to buy the set and post a card or other item made with the set today.   As many of us as possible agreed, knowing that 100% of Carolyn’s proceeds will go toward the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of her grandmother. 

Please consider buying Whimsical Autumn.  You'll be helping other families, and you will own another beautiful stamp set!  Can't beat that combination.

This set makes a lot of sense when you think about Alzheimer's. I think of Autumn as full of flashes of brilliant color that slowly fade away.... Many thanks to Carolyn for designing a beautiful set (autumn is my favorite season), to Gina K for her usual warm, generous spirit, and to Flourishes for reminding me to buy the set (it was already on my list!). 

Supplies:

Whimsical Autumn by Gina K; Stampin Up!: Confetti Cream and Ruby Red Cardstock; Summer Sun, Ruby Red and Old Olive reinkers; copper hardware; Creamy Caramel marker and ink pad; other: Palette Burnt Umber ink and twill ribbon.

To see all the other rockin' creations made with Whimsical Autumn in honor of Alzheimer's Day and Carolyn's Grandmother, please check out the following blogs (I am pretty sure that most of these stampers got the set in time, but if not, you'll find something amazing to look at anyway!):

Carolyn King (major blog candy!!)

Julie Koerber

Cindy Haffner

Cindy Lawrence

Leslie Miller

Susan Roberts

Faith Hofrichter

Barb Schram

Laura Fredrickson

Jan Marie Caruso

Sharon Doolittle

Nancy Kirk

Lunch Table Sleuthing

I've got an update on the goings on at work.  But first, here's a birthday card for someone with a sweet tooth -- which is pretty much everyone I know!  I don't normally make such bright cards, but this image just cried out for a fun background. 

If you aren't familiar with this set, it is How Sweet It Is, from Gina K Designs.  Seven dollars from every set goes to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.  Gina has shown time and time again what a big heart she has, and I am happy to purchase her "Stamps With a Cause" line. 

Other Supplies:

Paper:  Sassafrass Lass Serendipity Sunshine Lollipop; Stampin Up White, Pumpkin and Bashful Blue cardstocks; markers; ribbon, eyelets, corner rounder punch.  Large Circle Nestabilities Dies and Stickles

*****

There is no polite way to say this.  We (the lunch table) are obsessed with a couple who eats/romances in our cafeteria.  We have no idea who they are (no ID around the neck like the rest of us post 9-11 Federal employees).  Here are the clues:

1.  He's a 50ish pudge.  She's a late 30's blonde. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
2.  She orders him around.  We can hear them in the line waiting to pay (he pays), and she is always bossing him.  Really. 
3.  They sit about 2 inches from each other -- sometimes with feet entwined and they STARE at each other's eyes the entire time they are eating.  I think this is the part that has us all staring at them.  (Yes, sometimes we switch seats to get a look, or to stop looking). 
4.  Sometimes he FEEDS her.  French Fries.  One at a time. 
5.  He massages her neck.  In the cafeteria.  He literally stands up behind her and massages her. 
6.  She owns a turquoise thong.  I'm not going to tell you how we know this, but let's just say a white dress plus a turquoise thong = LOTs of staring by certain lunch table members. 

Our conclusion so far:  They can't possibly be married -- to each other!!!  No married couple behaves this way in public.  Other than that, we are clueless.

Our goal is to figure out who they are.  We have no business trying to figure this out.  In fact, the mystery is probably way better than reality. 

Yes, this is the highlight of the day......

Discoveries

I'm chock full of little discoveries today, but first I'd like to share this card I made with one of my favorite Gina K Designs sets, Simple Pleasures.

Supplies:

Sentiment from PaperTrey

Paper:  Watercolor, Papertrey Ink Berry Sorbet

Inks:  Black Memories; PTI Berry Sorbet Palette ink and reinker; various SU Watercolor Crayons

Ribbons:  Gingham by SU and waxed linen threa

Other:  Cuttlebug Tiny Tag Dies; Soft Subtles eyelet from SU, Watercolor brush; Black Journaler and dimensionals from SU; Large Rectangle Nestabilities die

****

Ok, now for my random discoveries. 

1.  I think I need that A&E show Intervention!  Wouldn't it be cool to have a shopaholic on there, being intervened by her family and friends, and taken away to some place in Arizona to dry out?

Yesterday I went to my LSS to pick up a Tim Holtz Design Ruler that I had ordered months ago (HAD to have it).  The only LSS near me is Angela's Happy Stamper, and since it is about 30 minutes from my house, most of my craft purchasing has been on line.  As I took the final left turn into the parking lot, my heart beat just a bit faster --- I'm sure that's how alcoholics must feel when they remember that bottle of gin they hid two weeks ago.

Now here's the dilemma.  I don't have a lot of time to go to Angela's -- I only go there about 3 times a year.  So -- with the price of gas and shipping costs, etc, it seemed wise to stock up on a few things, KWIM???

I'm near hyperventilation as I walk in.  Boom!  As soon as I open the door, I'm hit with the smell of rubber and ribbon and inks, etc.  I slow my breathing, take one step and see 8 million cute new Memory Box penguins.  Ouch!  A whole wall of Amuse Arts stuff!!  Double ouch!   A Scor Pal!  The new Memento inks!  I NEED every black or my blog won't have the latest and greatest!!   Somebody, anybody, get me out of here or hand me a winning lotto ticket! 

Yes, my friends, I could feel the taste of gin on my parched lips!!!

So, what did I do?  I bought the ruler. I bought a pad of double sided 6x6 paper -- 24 sheets  (Sassafrass Lass) because the paper was cute and only $3, and 5 yards of waxed linen thread (.20 a yard) (I've been looking for something with which to tie tags, and this works).  Total with tax:  $11.55.   Not too bad -- pre budget days, I could have dropped $100 without looking back.... Can you hear my rationale???  It was really just a sip.....

Total since June 20th:  $51.55  (it's climbing, isn't it?)

2.  You can sort of watercolor with Palette reinkers.  I love Papertrey Ink's new line of papers, inks, etc., but have been wondering how to get a decent (quick) match when coloring in line images.  I thought I had read that the reinkers didn't watercolor. Well, as you can see on this card, I was able to take a small blob of reinker, dip a wet brush and move it around enough.  Unlike water based reinkers (such as Stampin Up's), the Palette hybrid ink will not blot up from the paper, making it harder to remove with a paper towel.  If you look at the vase, you'll see that I blotted the water in the vase a bit to give it a mottled look -- I could do that with SU's watercolor crayons, but not the Palette reinkers. 

3.  More people read this blog than I thought.  Whew, I had no idea that stamp company owners read this blog -- I've heard from a few recently!  It made my day.  Yes, I'm still in high school.  Some of the super cool kids like me!!

So Sweet

Gina K has released another set that will raise funds for a good cause.  In this case, it is How Sweet It Is!  Seven dollars from each set will be donated to the American Diabetes Foundation.  Gina revealed that she suffers from diabetes and I know several others who struggle with this disease. So, this was a no brainer for me -- I ordered it as soon as it became available!  I love it when I can combine my stamping addiction with a good cause.  Thanks, Gina!

I combined the flower and a sentiment from the set with Stampin Up's Dashing paper and coordinating SU cardstocks and ribbon.   

I tried coloring in the image with watercolor crayons.  I tried several times!  I just don't have a huge amount of luck with that product, and went back to my tried and true ink pad and water brush.

 

Carte-licious -- Part 3 -- Ready or Not!

Melissa, Sue,  Rose Ann and I participate in these fun challenges, in which we get stamped images from each other and all agree to post a card on the same day.  If you haven't already, please click on their names and check out their adorable versions of "Veggiebella."

Mine should have been posted yesterday, December 11th.  However, I didn't like how it came out and I have a new resolution not to use or post cards with which I am not happy, including the photos of the cards that don't capture the image properly.

However, since I'm letting down my challenge partners by not posting a thing, I am posting this card, which I made earlier this morning.  I have issue with it and the photo, but hey, I can't withhold my goodies forever!

I'll have to provide the supplies, details later, but I can say that this is Veggiebella watercolored with Peerless Watercolor sheets.

Thanks for playing this challenge ladies. It is now my turn to pick an image...

Dashing Through the Snow

Why didn't someone tell me that the Stampin Up "in color" River Rock is beautiful -- a nice green and not a grouty rock color!!??  I love this color and will hoard for sure!

And why did I exercise restraint and not get some Nestabilities months ago?? 

My camera can never capture the colors just right, so if you are familiar with Stampin Up's real red -- that is the actual color of the scalloped rectangle and the ribbon. 

The image is from my favorite Christmas 2007 set -- Gina K's Got Snow? and was stamped with Black Memories ink onto what I think is SU Vanilla cardstock!

I used the largest of the "large" rectangle scallop and plain nestabilities dies with my new Wizard to cut out and frame the image.  First time and it came out nice.  I'm stunned!!!!  I'll have a little report on my experience with the Wizard later.  Totally inspired to purchase these dies by Debbie Olson, who should be a gazillionaire by now for all of her outstanding enabling.

I added some beautiful Dashing patterned paper from Stampin Up, some River Rock and Vanilla cardstocks, red brads, a watercolor wash with Stampin Up Old Olive, Real Red and River Rock ink pads, and a Memory Box Holly card.

BTW, I know the picture looks like the right hand corner of the card is crushed, but it isn't.  Not sure what's up with my camera!

Way to Go, Gina!

I served a couple of weeks on Gina K's Design Team and had SO MUCH FUN.  I had to drop out (hopefully temporarily to deal with my Mom).  However, I wanted to share with you what a generous woman Gina is.

Gina sent a lot of stuff to me for free with the understanding that I would produce a few samples every so often for her to put in her store's, Gina K Designs, gallery.  When I had to step down, I expected to pay for all the loot I had received, but Gina insisted I just keep the stamps and other items with no future obligations.

Is that typical of Gina or what??  So here's a card dedicated to Gina, using her Way To Go stamp set.  The background papers were sent to me by Robyn of the Pink Stamper (Robynstamps) on SCS.  Just today I got yet another package from Robyn.  I swear that woman is the sweetest!!!  I stamped the image with Perfect Medium by Ranger and embossed it with white powder and it got a bit lost.  So, I outlined it with a black pigment pen and that helped pop it a bit.  This card is 4 x 4. 

Tomorrow, I will be posting a card made with an image sent to me by Rose Ann of Paper Delightz.  Sue, Rose Ann, Melissa and I are doing another Carte-licious challenge so stay tuned.  Is my card done?  No, but deadlines have a way of getting me moving!

Punchy/Missing Emails

Another card with minimal stamping, but I think this works especially well for a guy.  Not my guy, but perhaps one you know!  I stamped out circles from a quarter sheet of Chocolate Chip cardstock and then added a bunch of punched out circles in Rust, Caramel, Pumpkin and more Chocolate.  Hmm, sounds yummy (ignore the rust...)  All paper by Stampin Up, as is the Jumbo Eyelet (which I colored a bit with a Copic Marker to try and turn it from Pewter to Copper!  Have I mentioned that these Jumbo Eyelets rock?

The sentiment is from GinaK Designs Punchy Words Set.  That set is free if you purchase 3 other sets during November.  Such a deal/almost a steal!

MISSING EMAILS:  I'm fairly certain that I never received a bunch of emails yesterday.  So, if you sent one, please consider resending! Thanks.

Now, if you want Mom info, keep reading.  Otherwise, go hug someone!!