An EARLY Friday Challenge...

Yours truly is in charge of Tomorrow's Limited Supply challenge (LSC222)on SCS. But I decided to post it early enough for Eastcoasters to get a card in. I think it will be a really fun one...one that I will most likely do again in the morning!



For this LSC challenge, you may ONLY use the following:

**½ sheet of plain cardstock for your card base—no other plain papers…NONE.
**Plenty of patterned paper, decorative paper, flocked paper, glitterized paper, shiny paper, etc.
**No coloring supplies…no copics, pencils, markers, crayons, etc.
**Please keep embellishments simple.

I love these Starving Artistamps!! Just great for funky fun paper piecing when you are tired of coloring. I glued a strip of the "cupcake wrapper" onto the left hand side on the inside of the card...for contrast when I write a note. This card was supposed to be for my DSS little sis. Sorry sis! haha

Stamping Solid-ly with Solid Stamps

Could that be the latest stamp-inspired tongue twister? Just try to say that 5 times quickly.

DRS Designs has a stately Silhouette Grad Cap(W1092KU) that I chose to use this week. Since we are in the mist of graduation for highschool and college seniors, I thought I'd stamp some conGRADulatory cards.

Solid stamps give some people the fits but here are some ways to help you get a good color, especially when using large images.
1. Put a little texture on that stamp so it picks up the ink. Some people rub the new stamp on their jeans. For this stamp, I used my sanding block and lightly sanded the top surface.

2. Be sure that your ink pad is nice and juicy. Crafy ink can help a lot too.
3. When you stamp your image, hold it down a little longer than you usually do.
4. Try adding cushioning. Either with EZmount or place a magazine underneath your paper.


Now on to the Graduation Card examples...




I love using acetate on cards! I stamped and embossed the Easy Swirl Background (688HU) in silver. The black card base is cut slightly smaller than the normal so that it fits inside the acetate "cover." I used black craft ink and clear embossing powder for the simply solid mortarboard. Then, silver cording is added on the spine of the card to create this elegant graduation card.

Solid stamps can be quite versitile! They don't have to stay solid, or one color! One idea is to mask an area and then color it in with daubers. For the Silhouette Grad Cap, I used post-it notes to mask the top area before daubering on a darker blue. This can give a bit of texture to your image.

I used a gold Sakura pen to add in the tassel detail.

If you want to change the look of a solid stamp, you can try the "rock n roll" technique. First, ink your stamp in a light color, then roll the edges in a darker hue. Also, markers may be used to color a section of the stamp a different color too. Be sure to look up DRS Designs' many graduation stamps and sentiments!

Hinged card for Jo

Thankful Thoughts is a set that I had long admired and I am so glad that I have it in my collection, even if it was traded for long after it had retired. (Now that I think about it, I acquired Garden Silhouettes the same way. I'm a late bloomer when it comes to stamps!) I had embossed this image last week and it was intended for the CAS challenge. Yet tonight, it was an easy focal point for the TLC. The color combo is from the Corrosive Challenge Blog by Janet. I chose to make my hinge card open in the landscape view. The kraft layer pulls up to review a message from the sender. This card is going to be sent to an elderly woman at my church who recently had heart surgery. She is so kind to my family and I hope it cheers her up.

2Sketches4You sponsered by the doodlious Starving Artiststamps

Once again, Starving Artistamps has teamed up with 2Sketches4You Challenge Blog to bring you a funtastic offer! Here's Sketch 27:



I flipped it and used some JUMBO Primas for this interpretation:

So, go do the sketch and then take Starving Artistamps up on their 20% discount this week!! The code: 2sketch4you is good for just 7 days. There is always a few funky stamps that I have my eye on. Stamp then jump on over to their site and shop away! It's a holiday so treat yourself! Then flitter over to the Starving Artistamps Gallery to see what the SA designers came up with!

PMS and the Stamping Out Alzheimer's event

Alzheimer's is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. 5.3 million people suffer from it! Some inky stampers have started a "Stamping Out Alzheimer's Event" and it is going on right now. To become a member, go to http://www.stampinoutalzheimers.ning.com
The suggested donation is $5. Once you are a member you will have access to all kinds of fun things! There are oodles of challenges (all with prizes attached! Freebie downloads. And daily prizes given away at random. It is a 7 day event so there is a lot of time to get in on the action!

Paper Makeup Stamps is sponsering a challenge for this week's Stamping Out Alzheimer's Event. The challenge theme is "Any Winged Thing." Simple enough if you are lucky to have a few delightful fairies up your sleeves! haha.



I used my daubers again for a more rustic coloring job. Coupled with the patterned papers and paper piercing, this card is top notch on the texture scale!

Please use the tag PMSSOA in the PaperCraftPlanet gallery so we can easily see all the cards in one place! 1 Lucky winner will get a gift certificate of $25 to use at the PMS store!
Members of the Stampin Out Alzheimers event will also get a coupon code to the PMS website for 10% off their order. You'll just have to look for our blinkie in the sidebar to get the code.

Overheard charms...

Ken just told me this funny. It just happened a short time after we arrived home from church this afternoon.

Apparently, E* (aged 5) stepped on C*'s (aged 9) foot. Ken thought it was an accident but of course, C was dramatic about it. "Ow! He hurt me." So then, to take revenge, C* went over and stepped (on purpose) on E*'s foot. "That didn't hurt. That didn't hurt," was the response that E gave.

Another funny from yesterday's trip to Michigan Adventure...which is an amusement park. We were all riding this ride which rotated rows of seats as if you were clock hands...around in circles both clock wise and then counter clock wise. So while looking absolutely frozen in fear and clutching the hand bar, C* was hollering "I'm lovin' it! I'm lovin' it!" It was halarious!