TappStampers

2009 - a year in review

It was a busy 2009, so here is a sampling of paper crafting during the past year for you to enjoy!  (I promise to do better in 2010!)

My first MDS project!!  What fun -- and EZ!    LOVE IT!!    

Flowers during the year...      
 

I doubt I have posted all of the photos, but I was so excited to have 3 of the stampers in my stamping
group win RIBBONS at the 2009 NC State Fair!  Congratulations ladies - fantastic show!

   

Love that Matchbox Die; there's soooo much you can do with this!!!  

More 3-D items; LOVE these bookmarks and 'purse' gift card holder - just s-u-h-weet!!!: 

   

Used punches to make this adorable brownie/girl scout for my special young friend: 

Christmas 2009 samples:  I was  just trying to figure out how to 'fill' that extra white space on the right corner - got the job done!

   

From the SU! website idea spot: 

My Christmas Card - 'The Holy Night is Near'  (water color/easel card) 
  

One of my favs:  Scallop portion and adding brads (cased, of course!)   

Simple.  Easy -- ALWAYS winner in my book! 

 
 
 
 
 

Coneflowers - my new favorite!

I am addicted to both the stampset, Inspired by Nature, as well as the coneflower itself.  What a cool flower this is!  I have seen this set used a LOT of recent, and just could hardly wait to give it a try myself.  I did use this same set on a recent post, but here is yet another one...

One of my stamp clubs made this lovely card.  It is interesting that when I make a card, it somehow 'evolves' -- in this instance, I reached for Chocolate Chip CS, but ended up grabbing Elegant Eggplant - and liked it better!  I also intended to have the Elegant Eggplant CS a larger mat...but when I stamped the coneflower, there was a smudge on the left side...so I just whacked it off!!!...and thus reduced the size of both the focal point piece and its mat  : )   I think it turned out much better.  Just hafta work with whatcha got, right?!!

Here's the recipe:

SS:  Inspired by Nature, Wonderful Words
CS:  Old Olive, Only Orange, Elegant Eggplant
INK:  Elegant Eggplant, Versa-Mar
Stampin' Pastels:  Elegant Eggplant, Only Orange, Old Olive
Accessories:  Ticket Corner Punch, Stipple Brush (with Elegant Eggplant), sponge (edges, Only Orange)

Always remember that even though some colors or stamp sets or embellishments may retire, you can ALWAYS SUBSTITUTE YOUR OWN ideas!!

The Best for the Best

Well, it's taken me a bit of time (months, actually!!) to figure out what I'm doing wrong re uploading photos to my blog...you know how figuring out such tech-y schtuff takes such a BLOCK of time; it does for ME anyway!!  I tease that I am always looking for something that I can never find and because it is big, it should not be so hard to find:  what I am looking for is that BIG BLOCK OF TIME!!  lol!!  Well, it appears that I've found that block of time as well as success in uploading a few photos. 

Here is a card I cased for my sweet SIL, Myrtle.  She has such character and strength and has survived a very difficult and trying year.  The whole family wanted to celebrat her!   This card was made especially for you, Myrtle -- congratulations!  You made it!  We are soooo proud of you - The Best is Yet To Be!

As usual, this card was cased.  Here is the recipe:

CS:  More Mustard, Basic Black, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey. 
SS:  Inspired by Nature, Best Yet (Hostess Level I*)
Inks:  Versa-Mark, Basic Black (embossed, clear)
Stampin' Pastels:  Close to Cocoa, More Mustard, Old Olive. 
Accessories:  Chocolate Chip ribbon, Horizontal Slot Punch

Hostess Level I stamp set from the 2008 Fall-Winter IB&C, Best Yet.  This set has a great ollection of words for many uses...but the only way you can have it is to have a workshop of at least $150, or purchase $150, or place that total of orders from friends and family (without having an actual workshop), or join a club and be a hostess at one of the club meetings -- lots of ways...just ask me!

Always remember that even though some colors or stamp sets or embellishments may retire, you can ALWAYS SUBSTITUTE YOUR OWN ideas!!

Oh My Heavens: Gorgeous!

Late tonight just before getting into bed, I noticed a brightness outside -- the moon was out, even though we are expecting rain tomorrow!  It had become quite foggy...and seeing this hazy moon through the trees reminded me of my Christmas cards this year!!!  Wish I could've taken a picture of my moonlit night for you all, as it was just gorgeous. 

Although one cannot improve on God's creation, we can oftentimes attempt a stamped duplication, as I did on this year's Christmas cards.  So, this is as close as I can get to capturing a photo of this moonlit night for you all.

I am sure I cased this from some place -- I'm a born case-R, you know!  I just do not recall who the artist was, so I do apologize to the excellent artist!  I really loved the cards this year, though a bit austere.  Black and white totally.  I embossed the image from the Lovely as a Tree stamp set in black on Silver card stock, then used a dauber and White Craft Ink to create the illusion of fog.  I also dotted flecks of snow in the 'air' and 'laid some snow' on the tree branches and on the ground with my awesome white Signo Gel Pen. 

As I worked through the stages of making the cards, I realized at one point that if I just sat the inked dauber down' onto the cardstock, it looked like a hazy moon on a snowy night!!  Without the snow, this just looks like a beautiful foggy night in the late fall.  Don't you think this is a really great masculine card!  Just change out the snow for the fog, and change the sentiment to suite the occasion.  Let me know what you think!

Always remember that even though some colors or stamp sets or embellishments may retire, you can ALWAYS SUBSTITUTE YOUR OWN ideas!!

Valentine's Day

I am having such a blast this week creating Valentine Cards for our Monday Mailer's 'swap' with the NC SUDs designee.  NC SUDs is 'NC Stampin' Up! Demonstrators - a fantastic group of SU! stampers!!  We share soooo much information as well as gather for Quarterly stamping events throughout NC.  So, this month's Monday Mailer's theme was Valentines and here is what I've created for my NC SUDs friend, Tammy.  This is just one of many, Tammy!!

Well, FINALLY!  Here are two!!!  (A week ago, I was having issues uploading snapshots of a few new Valentine's Day cards I'd made...and at that time, I just gave up and went to bed -- after all, it was about 3 AM!!). 

Success at last, success at last, TGIH, success at last!  In retrospect, I think I was just not being patient enough.  I 'spose it's pretty hard to be patient at 3 AM! 

I enjoyed making this cute little pink elephant.  I used this sheet of double-sided sheet of paper from Stampin' Up!'s new Ginger Blossom Designer Series Paper.  I thought it looked like the lush flowers in a rain forest, so just coordinated this cute little elephant from the Wild About You stamp set.  The big feller is stamped him on Whisper White card stock using Cameo Coral classic ink.  Then, I cut him out and put an adorable heart in his trunk.  The Ginger Blossom DS paper does not have words on it, so I stamped the words 'Wild About You' from the (you guessed it!) Wild About You stamp set right onto the designer paper.  I think he's adorable!!  Of course, the heart has been glittered!!  I used Stampin' Up! dimensionals to 'lift' both the elephant and heart from the page.

And here is #2:  Here, I've used the same Ginger Blossom Designer Series Paper.  This time, I felt this particular side resembled an acquarium or perhaps an ocean bottom.  Doesn't it just lend itself to this ocean critter?  This adorable little crab comes from the Crab and Company stamp set.  There are just soooooo many options with this versatile set:  Sandy Claws with a Santa hat to sit on top of the crab or other sealife in this set; Snappy Birthday, Shore Do Love You (which I used here), and others.  Here are photos of both the 'love' card and the 'birthday' card I made with this set. 

On both cards, I used Stampin' Up! dimensionals to lift the crab and the glittered heart (or the glittered present). I just could NOT resist adding 'googlie' eyes (non-Stampin' Up!) from my Halloween stash!  Adorable.  Who wouldn't want to get this in their mailbox!

Always remember that even though some colors or stamp sets or embellishments may retire, you can ALWAYS SUBSTITUTE YOUR OWN ideas!!