Just Some Doodles

I was cleaning out a closet the other day and ended up going through a bunch of my artwork from over the years. Here are photos of a few of my doodles from about (maybe) five or so years ago. Now you'll know why I stamp rather than draw, LOL!

In Search of My Muse: Six Cards

You know how when you haven't stamped for awhile, it takes some time to get back into your groove? Well, that's what I've been working on for the last two weeks. Rather than bore you with a lot of blah blah blah, I'll just show you what I did in the order I did them...

Card 1:
Not sure why the above card is vertical, since it's supposed to be in landscape orientation (horizontal). Gotta love Blogger, sigh. Just lean your head to the left and you'll see the card correctly. :)

Oh, I forgot to mention, my idea was to work with just the 2011-2013 In Colors for this batch. I've gone now from loathing the colors to sort of liking them. Well, except for Wisteria Wonder, which has been a true love from the start. (You know me and purple!)

Card 2:

Card/Project 3:

(There's that orientation problem again! This time lean right and you'll see it correctly!)

Below is a tin of Hershey's Nuggets wrapped in DSP to match the card. I wrapped a ruffly ribbon around the tin and then added some cute little tags to jazz it up. The recipient was tickled pink!

Card 4:

The above card is stamped on Whisper White, but my lighting issues cause it to look like it's on Very Vanilla. Sorry 'bout that! Speaking of colors, I learned while making this card that the Fall Tim Holtz Distress Ink colors (Seedless Preserves, Ripe Persimmon, and Gathered Twigs) closely coordinate with Stampin' Up! colors of Perfect Plum, Only Orange (retired), and Soft Suede.

Card 5:
Life is hard enough most days, so I'm not much of a distressor in my stamping -- but I thought I'd give it a shot on this card! I ran a piece of DSP through the Big Shot with an embossing folder, then sanded the design even further so that it would stand out more. I also added some SU! Dazzling Details (like Stickles made with SU!'s Dazzling Diamonds glitter) in some sections of the embossed design, although it doesn't show up very well here.

And finally Card 6, my personal favorite:

Aww, nuts, this one's sideways, too! If you lean to the right you'll see it correctly.

So there ya have it, my first round of cards in ages! If you have questions about the colors, stamps used, or anything else, just leave a comment and I will respond. I won't be going into a lot of detail as to the "ingredients" of my cards like I have in the past anymore, since I'm pretty sure everyone just bleeps over the info anyway.

I can't wait to start on my next batch!!

Pretty Glue Holder

My Tombow Multi glue was driving me crazy. Every time I set it back down on the worktable, the glue would go to the opposite end of the bottle and then the next time I wanted glue I'd have to wait or shake or both. No more! (Big grin!)

I ate some yogurt and used the container as my glue holder. Within two days, I was despising the yogurt container on my table -- what an eyesore! So, I dressed it up!

It's not an original idea, and I even got the template for the designer paper wrap online. Still, I'm proud of my quick fix as it's the only thing remotely stamping-related I got done for several months while my heel and legs were healing.

Paisley Petals Sympathy Cards

Remind me to not stop stamping again for such a long time. I have to relearn how to stamp, where my stuff is, and how to blog! I also realized as I started to do this that I hadn't updated my watermarks to 2011 yet (and it's JULY!!). Now that that's done, hopefully I can get back into the groove of things.

Anyway, here are my first cards post-break. They're not stunning, I know, but I'm still proud of them just for having gotten my act together to make them! Both cards feature the Designer Series Paper called Paisley Petals on a base of Marina Mist, and the only ink used, for both stamping and sponging, is Early Espresso.

I used the Keytag punch (retired) for the sentiment on the first card, and raised it up on Stampin' Dimensionals. The ribbon is 1/8" taffeta in Marina Mist. Even with the "loud" DSP print, the card seemed a bit scarce -- until the Beautiful Wings embosslit and Basic Pearls came to my rescue.


I wanted the large sentiment from the Thanks for Caring stamp set to take center stage on the second card, and I think setting it off inside a 2 1/2" circle does just that. The decorative border was done using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch. If I had to do this card all over again, I would heat emboss the sentiment to really make it stand out.



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I did invest in a few supplies while I was on sabbatical, and one of my favorite items is the new Cupcake punch. Being the goof I am, I've had fun telling friends I made cupcakes -- only to show them a papercrafted version of the treat! (Bad Joyce!) Here are the first two I made:



Now that I've got the stamping bug again, the hardest part is going to be deciding what to do next! I have so many ideas! Stick with me, and I'm sure I'll have some COOL stuff to share!

Smiles,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce

She Lives!

Yes, indeed, I am back from my 6 or 7 month sabbatical, and it feels great to be getting ink on my fingers again!! My first card is a simple sympathy card, and my second one (halfway done) is going in that direction as well. I need to dig out my camera to show the cards, but I just wanted to swing by and thank any of my readers who stayed with me while I was away. My goal is to make your sticking around worth the wait!!

Happy Dancing to be back,

Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce