Swedish Collage using Starving Artist Stamps!

Have you ever heard of a "swedish collage"? It's a style of cardmaking very popular in... you guessed it... Sweden. The style of these Swedish cards is super fun. bright and colorful, lots of layers, bold patterened paper, you get the idea. It's also common to use bold embellishments on the cards like buttons, chipboard, etc. And Starving Artist Stamps has made a challenge to make one of these cuties. All entries get put into a drawing and 1 random lucky winner gets to pick out a sheet of starving artist stamps! But hurry - the deadline is today!

Well here is my first swedish style card. It may not be as "random" as it's supposed to be. I tend to balance things out a little too much. But i till had a lot of fun making this card.



Here's some more deets to my card...

Cardstock: bazzill textured in Apricot
Patterned Paper: various patterns from Basic Grey's Baby Boy line.
Stamps: Starving Artist Urban Set (robot and rocket); star border from Close to My Heart's Shining Star
Coloring: Copic Markers
Embellishments: Button by bazzill; chipboard alphas by TLC

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Pictures of Gabe

The same gal that took those super fun belly pics with Jack and I came back this past sunday and took some 1 week old pictures of Gabe. I havent seen them all yet, but i just couldnt wait to share my sneak peeks!

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I've been Tagged

I got some recognition from a fellow crafter. When people "tag" me, i always feel so honored. I still find it amazing that anyone "follows" or "subscribes" to my blog. What makes me special? So when someone gives me a little recognition on their blog, it gives me the warm fuzzies. I always feel so honored!


I've been tagged by Michelle AND Leanne. Here is how you play: 1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog. 2.Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. 3.Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. 4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Ok so here goes..... 7 facts about me..
1. I have four soon to be five tattoos.
2. I just gave birth a week and a half ago to my 2nd adorable son.
3. I'm a professional makeup artist, but am totally obsessed with paper crafting (hence the blog name).
4. I used to be a dancer.
5. I dye my hair and have had pretty much every hair color at some point.
6. I believe in angels.
7. I'm going to be really really sad, and lost, when my mm goes home on sunday!
Ok now the hard part.
I am tagging..
1. Melanie
2. Bev
3. cheribella
4. Meli
5. Jacqueline

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Thank You to Alheimer's Caregivers

So my previous post talked about the best blog candy ever, ever, ever! And for a great cause, awareness of Alzheimer's. For those that didn't know this already, yesterday was National Alzheimer's awareness day.

The "challenge" to win this blog candy was to make a card for someone caring for an alzheimer's patient. The caretaker's for these patients go thru a tremendous amount of work and pain. And it is an all too often thankless job.

Here is my card. I put it together while both bpys were taking naps so i was a bit on borrowed time. I sifted thru my drawer of things that were done but not used before (this drawer will be used a lot in the next month or so i think!) If you dont have one of these drawers or baskets, i recommend it! It's so nice and helpful in moments of just not enough time. The only item i pulled for this card was my white cut out that i stamped my sentiment on. It was cut from my cricut using the Accent Essentials cartridge. It was originally cut for another project, but ended up not being the correct size. So into the drawer it went, and it was much easier to pull it out for this card, and not to get out the cricut and cut the paper for this project.

The card size is a bit odd... but it fits into a business size envelope. And i wanted to test out a card of this size. Spice up your business envie by adding some paper to the inside of the envelope! Ok, back the the card.

I used Soft Sky cardstock (Stampin Up) and stamped French Flair background (Stampin Up) in Juniper ink (Close to My Heart). I then added a bit of detail with my uni ball signio white gel pen. I also used my Juniper Marker (Close to my Heart) to ink up just 1 of the birds from the background stamp and then added some swirl detail with the white gel pen. On top of od the bird images i used Glossy Accents by Ranger. (which i got a mini bottle as a freebie just for shopping at creativeplaystamps They always give you a freebie of some sort! :)

Next i layered a bit of Groovy Guava cardstock (Stampin Up) - which also came from the drawer of precuts - and inked the edges with red rose chalk ink (Cat's Eye). My white daisy cardstock (close to my heart) cut out was inked with Amber Clay chalk ink (Cat's Eye) and stamped with the sentiment Thank You in Juniper Ink again, and also using the flowers and dotted circle from Friendship Blessings (Close to my heart). I used my slot punch (Stampin Up) and then wound some brown velvet ribbon thru it to adhere to the card.

And that my friends, is my card!

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The best Blog Candy EVER

Holy MOLY! I've been reading Cammie's blog for some time and she's been in the works of some fabulous blog candy but i read her entry for today and her 1 blog candy prize is now valued at over $1000 dollars! You read that right! And it's for a fantastic cause!

Here's a quick little blip from her blog...

"So thank YOU! Because today is World Alzheimer’s Day, I wanted to do something special for another group of people who are affected by this disease---the caregivers. What began as a little idea----totally GREW! My hope was to get a few contributions from some stamping companies so that I would have a very cool prize to give away to one lucky winner who participated. AS you might have heard----the little prize turned into a GINORMOUS one! So many fabulous companies came forward and offered to contribute. I am so thankful to them."

But you really need to check out the whole entry. Here ya go for that...
http://myblogbycammie.blogspot.com/2008/09/heart-to-heart-blog-candy.html

Please please please check it out.

For my own card (and yes, i'm doing this challenge... not just for the fantabulous prizes that will be won by 1 lucky lucky lucky winner, but because my family has been affected by this disease. My grandmother-in-law has this. It started to affect her shortly after i met her for the first time, so i feel lucky and honored that i was able to get to know this wonderful woman before this disease struck her. However, it has saddened me in so many ways. She didnt even come to our wedding because she was afraid she'd have a spell and not remember who we were and dampen our day. I would have LOVED to have her there regardless of if she remembered me. But knowing how upset she'd be made me understand her decision.

So that is how it has personally affected me. Even if you've been lucky enough to escape having someone you know and love with this disease, please make a card. The prizes are outstanding and the mission is even more outstanding! Please please please check it out!

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He's HERE!

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Name: Gabriel Scott Cotton
Birthdate: September 14th, 2008
Weight: 9 lbs, 1 oz
Height: 21 inches

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So something worked! After waiting a bit for those pesky contractions to help me out a bit, we headed to the hospital. I wanted to be sure i had time to register and all that. They were about 5 minutes apart and werent horrid, but not very comfy either. They said they would admit me and the doctor on call would come in to break my water. They went ahead and gave me an epidural since the contractions would get worse after the water breakage. And suddenly 4.5 hours later, i had a baby in my arms! It was crazy! With my first labor just so so harsh, i wasn't expecting much better. In comparison, this labor was a breeze. And my doctor (not my normal doctor) was PHENOMENAL! He was very attentive and immediately asked me questions about my tailbone when i mentioned it broke during my first delivery. And though i was told that i'd "be lucky if it didnt break", luck was on my side and it didnt! I really think this doctor being very attentive is why it didnt break. I wont go into all those gory details, but i was very pleased with my entire hospital team.

As for life adjustments... It still hasnt totally hit me that i have 2. My mom is in town for a bit so i definitely havent felt the stress of 2. Jack is wonderful with Gabe. He just LOVES to hold him, and kiss him. If you put Gabe in his lap he just sits so still and stairs down and him and kisses his head. it really is so adorable! The first time Jack came to visit Gabe and I in the hospital he exclaimed to me "That's my baby brother!" and he immediately asked if he could hold him. When i put Gabe i his arms he looked at him and quietly said in the cutest and quietest voice "Hi! I'm Jack!" It was really too precious for words. Of course when he's not holding the baby he's completely forgotten there is a baby around and returns to his crazy 2.5 year old self running around like a Jack Rabbit (i guess the pun is intended). But we'll work on that. haha.

So thats all i have for now. Of course i'd still like to work on some crafts and what not, but i'll need to get used to life. So i will be peeking in and maybe even have a card or 2 while my mom is still in town. We shall see!!!! :)

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SERIOUSLY????

Ok... 12 hours after i woke up with contractions... i'm still at home. No labor for me today. The contractions have continued, but just not at the 411 scenario. Argh. I took a walk today... for over an hour until my feet couldnt take it anymore. Plus it was just darn hot outside. After i got home i decided to make my hubby go to a chinese food run. He thought i was crazy, but agreed to make the trip. While he was out getting me some hopefully labor inducing food, i made this card for a friend. She is a SUPURB lady who is just the sweetest thing since hawaiian bread (which i ate an entire thing of yesterday, no joke). Her mom has recently gotten very ill and she's gone to see her. I'm extremely close to my mom and just cant imagine her being sick at all so i'm really feeling for my friend. Its one of those things i simply cant help with, but i wanted her to know i was thinking about her. So i made this card. It's simple (i'm having contractions mind you), and i'm only HOPING it makes her smile a little.



I used yam cardstock by Bazzill for my base. I love this color. And if you havent noticed lately, i'm a little in a fall state of mind. The other pieces of cardstock are simply scraps so i couldnt really tell you the colors and brands.
The main image is from one of the Figgy Pudding stamp sets by Basic Grey. So yes, it's a christmas stamp used in a fall fashion. I stamped the wreath on glossy cardstock (again, it was a scrappy do on my table, this would have worked with any cardstock) and rich cocoa memento ink. I then took stickles to color in my berries (which i did orange to be more fall than christmas). I colored my leaves with the only green stickles i had which was eucalyptus (i need to get another green i've decided as this one just didnt show enough) and then the bird i did with red stickles. All of my edges are inked with cats eye chalks (chestnut roan, amber clay, dark moss and maroon). My scallop border was made with Stampin Up's border punch.
The 2 brads in the corner are by Spare Parts. The sentiment stamp is one of the ones i picked up at the Stamp expo. It's by Savvy.

And there you have it kids. Now i'm off to get a 2nd plate of Kung Pao Chicken. Wish me luck!

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today's the day?

Well... today may be the day. I've been having contractions since about 4 am but they've been nothing to get too excited over... just enough to not be able to sleep! I've have menstrual cramps worse than these and they arent often enough for me to go the the hospital yet. So why wake up the fam for us to all be groggy all day. *sigh* I tried sleeping but finally just got up at 6 (it's about 7:20 now). The worst thing is i cant even craft my contraction blues away! haha. My mom is here (Thank God) but my craft room is also my guest room so i cant just barg in and make a card or anything. :) I cant even get on my own computer - i snuck in my hubby's office to play online this morning since when the door is shut, not much sound comes in or out. So here i sit... timing out contractions... saying darn it just get closer together already! At least my kitty is keeping me company.

Ok, i suppose i dont have anything else to say or post... just bored mostly. haha.

Chat soon! Hopefully i'll have a baby by the time i post again!

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Another day, baby-less

So still no baby. My mom got into town last night... so today we made a couple returns and shopped at both toys r us and babies r us. My 2.5 year old was a DISASTER from being over tired so we went home after that and he fell asleep before we were out of the parking lot. So then i left mom and the boy at home and went out to do more errands! Mainly because i just wanted to walk this kid outta me! :) I picked up a few goodies and came home with VERY swollen ankles... but no contractions. *sigh* I went on a walk again tonight with our new double stroller. Walking hurt... but now i'm just sitting on the couch again. Grrrr. Can you feel my frustration!? Tomorrow is my due date. I went into labor on my due date with jack... what are the odds it'll happen again?

Ok - enough whining about still being preggo and onto my card...

This card was made for a challenge on splitcoast stampers to use a white gel pen in a way you usually dont. Here's my card...


I used the bird image from Growing in Unity (by Unity Stamp Co) The bird image has negative spaces to create polka dots which i just filled in with my white gel pen. I thought it really made the bird stand out. I also used my swiss dots folder by cuddlebug and inked the edges as well as brushing the ink pad over the embossed image to help those dots to stand out a bit. The ribbon is Papertrey ink twill ribbon in dark chocolate (LOVE that stuff) and then the flower is by Prima. Over all it's a simple card, would be easy to make duplicates of, but i also enjoyed the simplicity of it.

Thanks for stopping by!

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So yesterday was the Unity Hip Hop. I've become addicted to the Unity Hip Hop! Seriously! Thursdays hit and i dont want to do anything else! haha. Yesterday i was good. I took Jack to school and then went to the dr (no fun news, just that baby could come anytime, and if he didnt come by monday night, i'd be going into the hospital at 5 am on tuesday!), ran some other errands and went home to get some stuff ready for the PO. Then picked jack up from school and took him to a playdate (i wanted him to be seriously sleepy!).

Then during jack's nap i played at the Hip Hop! I completed Unity's wednesday challenge which was a sketch challenge. Here is my card...



I loved the sketch. It was simple, but lent itself to a bit of elegance. And i was in a very fall mood! Maybe because for the first time in MONTHS it wasnt muggy and hot! Of course it was overcast and grey but hey, i'll take it! Ok, onto what i did for the card...

It's a 5.5x5.5 square base. I ran a strip of cardstock (i think it was SU's marigold) thru my cuddlebug and used chalk and distress ink to mark it all up. I used the SU border punch on a scrap of red red (and marked it up a bit with aged mahogony distress inks as well. It's hard to see, but it adds just that bit of extra depth. The image is where i really had fun. I'm still playing with this whole idea (it's similar to what i did on the unity butterfly card only with different inks). This time i used my distress reinkers (yep, gonna have to get more of those!!!) They stay wet much much longer and make the blending process much easier. I'm sure i'd get this effect with the alcohol inks as well but i havent tried it yet. Again i used a glossy coated paper to start and i stamped out my main image (the tree from Growing in Unity) in black versafine and then covered it with black embossing powder. NOTE: i discovered later that the black embossing powder was not really a good idea and you should probably use clear! I then used my reinkers on a plastic plate and a sponge dauber around my image. Distress colors i used were Straw, Marmelade and Mahogony. Since i recently learned that you can EMBOSS with the distress inks (i didnt know they were "sticky" enough) i decided to use UTEE (ultra thick embossing enamel) over the whole image. I'm simply not good with this stuff. I dont really get it. One of these days i'll have used it enough to truly get it. Anyhoo - i covered the entire piece of glossy cardstock with the UTEE and as i embossed it, my black embossing from underneath starts to run a bit. Woops. I might have scrapped that piece and tried again except for the running black made the tree look a little spooky and since i was using all halloween colors - i just rolled with it. So that was my card!

I did manage to work out another splitcoast challenge (that i used unity on!) a little later. But i may just have to save that card to post until tomorrow because somehow, i dont see myself getting to work on much else today other than prep for MY MOM to be here. Thank the Lord! :)

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