Going International!!

Well, this is what has been on my plate the longest and it is the largest. For the past few years my dad has asked me to make him Chinese New Year cards for acquaintances and friends he has made in China. Each year, except for one, I have handcarved the stamp. I base it on the postage stamp that the USPS put out years ago. They published a stamp each year in accordance with the Chinese New Year. This year it is the Year of the Boar.

Just to give you an idea, here is the starting point:

A blank piece of eraser. At least that is what I call it. I use the Speedball brand - obviously. It is easy to cut through. No sneezing, being nudged by dogs, or pulled on by child is recommended when carving!

I transferred the image I wanted to cut and after some cutting I finished with this:

In this photo I have already carved out the boar and added a frame. I have cut out the Chinese characters before, but was a little time constrained to take the time to decide how I was going to carve out the character that aligned itself on top of the image. So the areas in the corners will be "white space".

Here is the finished card. You can see what I mean by "white space". I am going to suggest to my dad to either sign his name in the "white space" or attach the postage stamp image to the space. It just did not come to me about what to do with the space. I walked away from it and slept on it, and that is what I came up with . Oh and I forgot to leave a space to adhere the stamp image to it! It was supposed to be in a spot that you will see in the next image.

The year of the Boar is 4703 - used the computer for that and my Zipemate diecut for the tab.

I did this double slider card at my February Stamp Camp. I thought it would be a good design and something different than a traditional card. I decided this card would not open up, although it could with a little modifying. At Stamp Camp I spoke of how this could be made into a traditional card if you wanted to.

Okay...see where it says "Happy New Year" that is where the Postage stamp of the Boar was to be put. This morning when I woke up it hit me - hard! That and where was my dad going to sign his name????

So I have a couple of options. There are always options.

Option 1: Adhere the stamp to either upper right or lower left of "white space".

Option 2: Sign name in opposite corner.

Option 3: Sign name on back of card.

So, with that off my plate and onto someone else's...I am off to begin looking at Mini Camp ideas.

More Valentines..

Hello -

I know I have not posted in about a week. I have had a few things on my plate. One of the items on my plate you will see today. Last week, after making the valentine cards I went on to make a Valentine card for my parents from Jacques. My mom calls him her little monkey, as well as other names of endearment, and my friend Shelly owned this stamp set. (So thank you Shelly for letting me borrow it and make this Valentine.) I of course CASED it, and cannot find where I CASED it from to give due credit. So I apologize for that. I was able to use the paperlicious designer papers from SU! found in the Winter Mini Catalog.

I have been showing these papers at stamp camp and home shows, but finally got to tear into them. They are nice quality - cardstock weight. So they handle well and hold up.

The next item I CASED from two people: "stamping goddess" and "a mama that stamps - stampin mama".

You cannot see it but on the inside is the saying from Like it a Latte - Nothing is better than a good friend with chocolate. I stamped that in the White Craft Ink pad. I did not have the stamps they used, but I CASED the design and overall concept. I used the Pocket Notes from the Winter Mini as well as those Paperlicious designer papers. A glue dot holds the candy in place. :)

Jacques' Valentine Day cards

Happy pre-Valentine's Day everyone! I was given a list of names that is in Jacques' class at daycare. I was so excited and overcome with giddiness because you know what that means!!!

I could stamp the valentine's for Jacques!

I can say these are Dee Dee originals! I used the Cute as a Bug and Toy Box stamps. I punched the hearts out with a small punch and popped the heart out on the spider. The cards are a 3x3 size. Perfect for a Valentine's exchange. Now, I am reality based with this. These were quick and simple because I know some may not last the night when they are taken home. BUT I made an extra one for a scrapbook page. I have not begun on that, and it may take me some time.

The inside I printed on the computer with the Stampin' Up! font CD. I cannot remember if the fonts came from the 1st or 2nd CD -or one from each! The heart is from Like it a Latte from the Winter Mini Catalog.

I am sorry I did not get these posted sooner, but since I am lying around with a sinus infection (my coworkers diagnosed me) I thought this would be a good time.

Happy V Day to everyone!

The building of the Stamp Station

Hello everyone!!

I am excited about beginning a blog. Many of you that know me are saying...like you need another thing to do! Well, I thought if I cannot stamp daily like I would like to do maybe I could write about it.

I know reality is...I will not post every day. But I am learning that I can post pics and other fun stuff - stamping or not related.

Today I really thought I could spend some time stamping, but thus far I have put things away in my stamp area - are you proud of me Elizabeth? I had two very wonderful people help me with the building of the Stamp Station. I wanted an area that was functional and was easy and fun to put things away. It really is fun to put things away when they have a home! I also wanted an area that my son could play in and we could be around each other without a problem.

This is where my friends stepped in. Marcy helped me move and eliminate furniture. After that, she would not come back - and I could not blame her - LOL - but she still speaks to me - wink. And that is where Elizabeth came in. She is good at categorizing and MAKING YOU THROW STUFF OUT. There were times I was ready to throw her out, but I have to give her credit for being willing to come back. It was a lot of fun and it made me think! The room is not quite finished, but it is very functional. I can now have mini camps in my basement!! Wa-hoo. My husband and son can have the first floor and not be disturbed with playing.

I had a home show yesterday, and I have a powerline meeting this Friday night. I need to get things put away and straigthened up so we can meet in the Stamp Station.

Well, back to straightening up. I gave away a computer desk and hutch that I was using as my stamp table and now have to rig something up temporarily to stamp on. I have my eyes set on something cool - that I have to build. Thought has gone into this, and I would like to see it happen. I know reality is, it will not be built in a weekend. So for now, I make do and others will too. The best part is..I can have people over to stamp and scrap! That makes me happy :)

Have a good day!