Blasting Off

It is definitely turning out to be Fall around here. As I sit at my laptop computer (on my dining room table), I can see our gigantic tree in the backyard is starting to change colors. It is funny, I love Fall and all of the color changes, so I love seeing our big tree change colors, but then instantly the little voice in my head reminds me that it means that all of those leaves will be coming down in a bit...ugh! The only part of Fall I do not like...raking leaves, raking leaves, and raking some more leaves! Seriously this is a humongous tree!! Oh well I will try and enjoy the color and the first couple of rakings where I can bury the kids...it is the rakings after the fun has expired that I dread!

So this card was suppose to be posted on Tuesday, but for some reason I completely forgot. Tuesday was my last day as a Guest Designer for Sweet n' Sassy Stamps! It was so much fun breaking out my Sweet n' Sassy images every week during the month of September. I finished off my guest designing stint with the rocket from Little Boy Toys...love this rocket! I used the latest Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #75 for my layout and went with a bold color scheme. I found this Night Sky pattern paper in my stash and built everything around that. The rocket was stamped in Brilliance Graphite Black ink and watercolored with an aquabrush and ink pads. I colored in other parts of the rocket with a silver gel pen. The image was cut out with an oval nestabilities and my background panels were cut with the Labels 14 dies. Some sparkly ribbon and some black rhinestones finished it off. Did I add too much sparkle/bling for a boy's card?! I am still planning it for a boy, so I hope not!

Check back tomorrow for the latest Makeup 4 the Weekend Challenge. Until then, thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

The Engineering Details

Stamps - Little Boy Toys (Sweet n' Sassy Stamps); Paper - Real Red, Summer Sun (SU!), Night Sky (Jill's Paper Doll World Scenemakers Background), watercolor paper; Ink - Night of Navy, Real Red marker, Summer Sun marker (SU!), Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko); Accessories - Silver Gelly Roll Pen (Sakura), Black Rhinestones (Darice), Black Sparkle Ribbon (JoAnn's), Oval Nestabilities, Labels 14 (Spellbinders), Paper Piercer, Mat Stack (SU!), dimensionals

Aches, Planes, and Butterflies

I did it! I actually walked a half marathon...although technically I need to point out that they obviously accurately measured the marathon but not the half marathon because I think it was closer to 13.5 miles instead of 13.1 miles...and believe me that extra 0.4 miles was definitely felt! I managed to keep up around 14:30 minute miles...which is pretty fast for me. More impressive is that I did that when at around mile 9 my hips were in pain (until about a day ago) and my knee (which I have had numerous surgeries on) starting aching at about mile 10. I remember trying to lift my knee to stretch it out a little and I could barely bend it! But I still completed the Air Force Half Marathon at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. And I may actually do it again next year! I was just glad that I got healthy prior to it...I managed to catch a cold a week prior and basically did nothing in hopes I could get rid of it in time!

So since I was sleeping all last week (just about literally!) I missed my Sweet n' Sassy Guest Designer post...well I made a post, but just with an old card. Pretty much killed me to do that, but I made up for it with this cutie card. The layout for my card is using last week's Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #73 and I was inspired to try my hand at the offset scallop look with the Moxie Fab World Offset Scallop Gallop Challenge. So I stamped the cutie plane from the Little Boy Toys set in Brilliance Graphite Black ink on watercolor paper. I watercolored it with an aquabrush and ink pads, added a little silver gel pen accents, and cut it out. I created my offset scallop sky with 1-1/4" circles punched out of various shades of blue and a couple scallop circles of white for clouds. The plane was then popped up off of the scallops with some dimensionals.

The sentiment which is included in the set was stamped in the corner and the card was finished off with some gingham ribbon and a button with a little silver cording.

The Engineering Details

Stamps - Little Boy Toys (Sweet n' Sassy Stamps); Paper - Not Quite Navy, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Baja Breeze, Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Real Red Pattern Paper (SU!), watercolor paper; Ink - Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko), Real Red, Bravo Burgundy (SU!); Accessories - Yellow Gignham ribbon (JoAnn Essentials), Red Button (unkown), Silver Cording, 1-1/4" Circle Punch (SU!), Big Scalloped Circles Dies (Spellbinders), dimensionals

For my second card uses the current Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #74 which has a spin of using Deep Red and Mustard colors. As fall is nearing around here, this is definitely a color combo up my alley!

This time I used one of the butterflies from the Everyday Miracles stamp set. I stamped the butterfly twice in Brilliance Graphite Black ink...once on Very Vanilla cardstock and once on watercolor paper. I watercolored the one butterfly with an aquabrush and ink pads. I masked the other butterfly and then stamped more butterflies randomly around it in three colors of ink. This was then cut out with a Circle Nestabilities and matted on a Big Scallop Circle of Kraft cardstock.

Then I cut out my watercolored butterfly leaving a little tab at the base of the wings. I folded that tab over and glue it down and attached the rest of the wings with a dimensional. Gives it a slightly 3D effect. Finally the sentiment was stamped in Bravo Burgundy and matted on a Big Scallop circle of More Mustard. Then the card was finished off with some black satin ribbon and black rhinestones. Gosh I just love those butterflies!

Hopefully I am done with my cold and I will be back with another Sweet n' Sassy creation next Tuesday! Until then (or sooner), thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

The Engineering Details

Stamps - Everyday Miracles (Sweet n' Sassy Stamps); Paper - Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla, More Mustard, Kraft (SU!), watercolor paper, Kitchen Spice Allspice paper (BoBunny), Striped paper (DCWV); Ink - Bravo Burgundy, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard (SU!), Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko); Accessories - Circle and Big Scallop Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), aquabrush, black satin ribbon (Offray), Black self-adhesive rhinestones (Darice), Corner Rounder Punch (SU!), scissors, dimensionals

Change is Good!

Not always a motto I follow, but for the most part change is good...right?! In this case change is very good! I was asked to be a Guest Designer for Sweet n' Sassy Stamps for the month of September!! How very exciting and I am totally honored to even be asked. Now I just hope that I can deliver the goods! If you would like to read the announcement (and my bio...they gave me free reign so it is way too lengthy and that is with some editing...note to self, talk less!!) check out the POST on the Sweet n' Sassy Stamps Blog.

So for my first POST on the Sweet n' Sassy Stamps Blog, I created a card using the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #72 (how could I not use a Sweet Stop Sketch?!) and the awesome set Everyday Miracles. I actually didn't have a good butterfly stamp (well I have one but it is from a retired SU! set) so I was super excited to get my hands on this set. I love the sentiments that go with it as well...they could be useful in so many stages of life! I stamped the butterfly in Black Stazon ink all over a rectangular piece of watercolor paper making sure one butterfly was fully shown. Then I trimmed the two long sides back cutting around the full butterfly's wings. I stamped the butterfly a second time as well.

Then I watercolored the wings and cut out the second butterfly's top wings and body. This was matted on Sahara Sand cardstock. Then I used some very cool So Sophie paper by My Mind's Eye to complete my card. The sentiment was stamped in Black Stazon ink. The final touches were to add some dyed white taffeta ribbon (dyed it Sahara Sand color) and a rolled flower following the tutorial on SCS.

So since I am guest designing for the month of September, you will be seeing some Sweet n' Sassy stamps here every Tuesday! Thanks for checking out my kind of engineering!

The Engineering Details

Stamps - Everyday Miracles (Sweet n' Sassy Stamps); Paper - Rich Razzleberry, Sahara Sand (SU!), Graceful Happy For You and Graceful Little Lady from So Sophie Collections (My Mind's Eye), watercolor paper; Ink - Black Stazon; Accessories - white taffeta ribbon (SU!), glue dots