Baby Birthday, Big Shot, and Alcohol Inks

There's been lots going on here, stamping- and other-wise. Between maintenance issues on my current apartment and looking for a new one, I've been a bit stressed. How do I cope with stress? I stamp, of course!!

I keep a running list of swaps, birthdays, orders, and special projects so that I can stay on track and [hopefully] avoid any last-minute crunches. Next up on my list was a set of invitations to baby's first birthday party. I designed the card with lots of details, so it took me most of a day to get ten cards done; but I'm really pleased with how they turned out. Here's a pic of them all lined up on my worktable, waiting for the Stardust Stickles to dry:


Saturday was a fun day because my friend Rose Ann came over! She brought her Cuttlebug and Big Shot and alcohol inks and gesso... let's just say she taught me a LOT! I've got a pile of punched and embossed pieces that I can't WAIT to use on cards. The timing of her lessons on how to use the Big Shot was perfect, because look what arrived on Monday:


YeeHaw!!! I am now the proud owner of a BIG SHOT! The poor UPS guy nearly dropped the box when I squealed with excitement, lol.

I spent yesterday afternoon practicing, and now I have another big ol' pile of stuff to make cards out of. I didn't anticipate how addicting the Big Shot would be. I'm going to be hard pressed (ha! a Big Shot pun!) choosing between rubber stamps and dies and embossing plates when I place my personal orders with Stampin' Up! Oh well, it's a nice problem to have!

I had never used alcohol inks before, so I was tickled pink when Rose Ann showed up with hers and let me play with them for the first time. I'm duly impressed with them... gotta start saving my pennies so I can get some of my own. Here are two cards I made with the "experiments" I did on glossy cardstock:








Both the cat and the hummingbird are images from Michael Strong Rubber Stamps. The scalloped circles were cut and embossed with Spellbinders Nestibilities.




Next on my agenda: Who knows? I have some watercolor iridescent medium I want to use for a technique contest that ends next month... but then again, I want to play with gesso and try some of the techniques in this month's Technique Junkies newsletter... and I have a bunch of stamps from SU!'s new Holiday Mini catalog that haven't seen ink yet... and then there's this pile of embossed cardstock to play with... and a Big Shot to tinker with...

Stay tuned to see what I come up with next!

P.S. If you live in the Columbus, OH area, take a look at my previous post. I'm looking for hands to help me make cards for families staying at Ronald McDonald houses -- no experience necessary!