Stamping At CaT's Corner - Tami's Place

Little Cowboy

I recently received this image from Blue Ridge Impressions and I just thought it was so sweet and beautiful and it reminds me of my son in a way too.  I don't know if this little guy is sad, disappointed or just plain tired, but he is too cute -and- he allowed me to try my hand out at watercoloring for the first time using my Stampin' Up! Stampin' Write markers with my Aquapainter.  All the rage right now in the world of coloring are these things called Copics which are pretty cool and allow for not only vivid colors but great shading.  Well, I came across a site not too long ago which told me I could achieve the same results with my good ole Stampin' Write markers as long as it was on watercolor paper and I used an Aquapainter....so this is what I came up with!  What do think?

Thanks for stopping by today!  :)

Recipe:  Paper:  Night of Navy, Western Sky Designer Series Paper, Brocade Blue, Watercolor Paper, Very Vanilla;  Ink:  StazOn Black, Chocolate Chip, Night of Navy;  Stamps:  Cowboy (Non-SU!), All in a Row, Starstruck, So Many Sayings (Retired SU!);  Accessories:  Jumbo Eyelets, Hodgepodge Hardware, Dimensionals, Circle Punch, Sponges, Distressing Tool;  Techniques:  Watercoloring with Stampin' Write Markers;  Special Tools:  Aquapainter, Cutter Kit. 

Have any questions about my creation or to purchase supplies, please send me an email!  I'd love to hear from you! ;)  Happy Stamping!

Little Tips --- Ribbon Storage

If you are anything like me, if you are out and about and see pretty ribbon, you HAVE to buy it! lol  ...and then sooner or later, you open your ribbon drawer, box, can or whatever you have your ribbon stored in and there are pieces of tangled ribbon everywhere and you don't even know what ribbons you have.  Of course this isn't a problem for you if all you ever buy are spools of it and can keep it neatly organized on a shelf or in one of those handy SU! ribbon holders, but let's face it, they don't ALWAYS come on neatly organized spools - so what's a ribbon lovin' girl to do? 

Well....I have seen this idea on a couple of blogs while blog hopping and thought I would share it with you in case you haven't seen the idea yet.  I would like to say where I saw it, but alas I just committed the IDEA to my brain and not necessarily WHERE I saw it, so please know that this IS NOT nor am I making claim to it being my idea.  If you happen to know where it came from, please leave a comment and let me know! :)

So here is the idea:  You know those "old fashioned" wooden clothes pins?  They make great little ribbon spools - check it out:

I found my clothespins at doitbest.com in packs of 50 for $4.29/pack. 

It's very simple really - you just slide one end of the ribbon into the slot towards the top of the pin:

Then you start wrapping the ribbon around the spool until all the ribbon is wrapped:

Once all the ribbon is wrapped, you can secure the loose end with a pin - tip:  if you stick a pin in the ribbon over a point where the slot of the clothespin is under it, you won't have the sharp point of the pin sticking out anywhere.

Repeat steps with all of your ribbons - I plan on storing mine in one of those cute Alterable Paint Cans that you see on so many of the craft sites - I have one on order that should be here today or tomorrow!  I will share again when I have a finished product! :)

Note:  If you don't have pins, you can secure your ends like I have on the pin closest in the above picture by wrapping it under your last layer and pulling tight.

Thanks for stopping by today and leave me a comment with your ribbon storage ideas!  It's always great to share and learn new things! :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

More pockets!

So on Wednesday afternoon I was able to meet with Jennifer S.  A wonderful stamping sister that actually found me through my blog and who lives not too far away.  While my son was attending a play-group, I was able to take a few minutes and meet up with her for a catty delivery and some wonderful Starbuck's coffee :)  She tried my pocket tutorial on her own and came up with these wonderful card creations.  The card on the left is made with Stampin' Up! and Basic Grey Papers and the card on the right also features a stamp set from My Favorite Things (MFT).  I pulled each of the inserts up just a bit so you can catch a glimpse at those as well.  I think Jennifer did such a fabulous job on these cards and I also learned something - if you notice, she expanded on my design by making scallops, so I of course asked how this was done:

TO MAKE SCALLOPS ON YOUR POCKET EDGES:  Instead of using your cutting tool to round your side foldover panels, simply trace the curve on the reverse side and then cut the curve with your scallop scissors!  How fun is that?  :)

But anyway, it was just so much fun to meet and chat with Jennifer over some yummo Starbuck's and I look forward to doing it again real soon!  I hope you enjoy her cards as much as I have :)

In other news, keep checking in as tomorrow is THE day that all of my new 2008 Stampin' Up! stuff makes it's appearance at my house!  Keeping my fingers crossed that the big brown truck makes his deliveries a little early tomorrow - yippee!

Altered Project

This is a little cardboard purse that I purchased from Joann and decorated to make into a little keepsake box/photo frame for my daughter.  The handle (which is not shown in the photo) is beaded and sets it off perfectly.  Simple, quick and easy if you are looking for any last minute gift ideas for Christmas or a Baby Shower. 

How I made it:

1.)  I painted the sides, top and bottom of the purse box with a matching Folk Art brand of Acrylic Paint - Ballet Pink for this project.

2.)  I took out the designer paper that I was going to use and placed it on my cutting mat facing down on the mat.  I put the purse on top of the paper and traced the outline with a pencil and cut it out - repeat for back of purse.  To get the center cut out right, I simply placed my paper on top of the purse and made the cutting outline by pressing on the cut out edge with my finger to get a crease I could cut on.

3.)  I next applied the paper on the purse using Mod Podge and let dry.  Once dry, I rubbed a tea stain ink over all the sides to antique, blend it a bit.

4.)  Embellish as you like...then you are ready to insert your photo! :)

Simple and easy!!  Anyone can do it - give it a try!

Have any questions about my creation or to purchase supplies, please send me an email!  I'd love to hear from you! ;)  Happy Stamping!

Gotta love coffee!!!

Thanksgiving is over and the mad shopping has begun...everyone looking for that perfect gift.  I don't know about anyone else, but the other thing I look forward to this time of year...a nice hot steamy cup of Starbuck's Peppermint Mocha's!  Yum, yum!  I just think they are the best little treat on a cold winter day, especially when you could use that little extra kick of energy while you are running around to get all of your shopping done.  AND, for those of you that live locally and think this is a good idea...have you checked out the new Target on Route 20 in Mentor, Ohio?  It has it's own Starbuck's coffee shop right there inside the front doors - whoo!

For the feature card today:  I just LOVE this coffee paper I found made by Flair Designs and had the best time playing with it in the making of this sample.  I used some Liquid Applique to add the frothy look to the top of the mug.

Recipe:  Paper:  Basic Black, Close to Cocoa, Flair Designs Designer Paper;  Ink:  Chocolate Chip;  Stamps:  Espress Yourself;  Accessories:  Hodge Podge Hardware, Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Eyelets, Stampin' Dimensionals, Liquid Applique;  Techniques:  Sponging

Have any questions about my creation or to purchase supplies, please send me an email!  I'd love to hear from you! ;)  Happy Stamping!