Out West arrived in the midwest!!!

I had to have Theresa Momber's very first set, Out West, created as a new illustrator for GinaK Designs. Theresa was the first follower on my blog and left the very first comment and I consider her my first cyber friend and I consider her a friend. She is one of the most talented stamp artists that you have ever seen and if you have been to her blog you know exactly what I am talking about. Theresa, here is the first of many cards that I will make with this totally awesome set.......

The set includes many images that can be used to create so many different cards or scrapbook pages, the possibilities are endless.

I masked the boots and stamped the cactus behind the boots. I had masked the skull to stamp the boots and cactus on the right hand side. I drew in the hitching post by hand and cut a slit in the saddle so that it looks like it is sitting on the hitching post. The saddle is popped up on dimensionals so that it looks like it is on the hitching post.

The Howdy sentiment is included in the set. I sponged around the image, added a button and the main image was complete.

When I ordered the Out West set I knew that I wanted the rope paper I had seen in the sneak peeks so I ordered the digital paper pack Rough and Rugged. It is awesome. I print my digi paper on GP cardstock because I usually use it as a card base and love the true colors I get when printing on it. I was able to download and print the paper on Monday and had to wait till today when my stamp set arrived.

Thanks for stopping by and Thanks to Theresa for creating such a totally wonderful horse lovers, not a cartoon, western set.

I'll be back later with an exciting announcement!

Cathy

Another Dog Gone Birthday!

This is a fitting card for many of my friends when it is time to celebrate another birthday!

Yep, my sentiments exactly!!! This is another darling digital stamp from The Digi Shack and priced at 2.50 per image they are a wonderful bargain, but even better I got all of mine when they had their Grand Opening and everything was 50% off. Yeah I know I am a cheap skate but I got to get twice as many images for the same amount of money. Just that many more images for me to feed my copic addiction :)

I colored the dog with copic markers and mounted it on turquoise and then on chocolate brown cardstock. I had the cuttlebug embossed layer already done and waiting for inspiration. I didn't want to hide all of the beautiful embossing so I left the embellishments to a minimum. I added the 3 brads at the bottom a piece of brown satin ribbon and in the upper left hand corner I used one of my large brown buttons. I didn't want it to look quite so much like a button so I added a blue prima flower and added a sentiment bubble on top.

It was a great plan to make the button with the clear word bubble except that the button was slightly rounded and the bubble didn't want to stay on. I added some Mono glue and used a small glue clamp, yep a craftsman :), and let it set overnight. Walla, my button was exactly the way I wanted it.

I saw on The Digi Shack blog tonight that there is a new sketch challenge up, you should check it out and play along. There is something about buying a digi image and within a few minutes of paying it is ready to download, print and start coloring. Dangerous I tell you ,Dangerous! :)

Speaking of digital downloads, GinaK Designs has a free paper pack on StampTV in the freeby section that is to die for. I have been using the GinaK Designs digital paper since she introduced them a few months ago. I have bought several and gotten several free. The new one is called Jersey Shore and the blues are beautiful. I have been complaining to myself for awhile that there weren't any blues to use, well now there are and the textures are so amazing.

GinaK recommends that you print on a high quality copy paper but I print mine on Georgia Pacific cardstock that I buy at WalMart. It works perfectly in my printer and because it is thicker than copy paper I think the colors are true and absolutely beautiful. You should try it, the price is right but watch out you will be hooked.

One last work on digital paper downloads, you may think that it is more expensive to buy the paper packs this way but remember you only have to print off the ones that you want. I print mine with my printer set at 8 1/2X11 borderless and it is perfect. When you buy an assorted paper pack at Michaels or Hobby Lobby you usually end up with a couple you really love and wish you had more of and the rest just sit and take up space, you know I am right :)

Have a great night.

Cathy

Artistic Outpost card for MOM!

I know that you think that I haven't been making any Artistic Outpost cards lately, well... I have ,I just can't show you yet :) Here is one I made with one of my new sets, Mini Masterpieces and Keeper that I got a couple of months ago.

I love old buttons and the buttons on the background image are from my grandfather's button collection. I even left the thread in the one button that had thread still attached. I have lots of interesting antique buttons in all different colors.

I don't usually make Mother's Day cards because my Mom has been gone for 24 years but I thought that these images were perfect for a Mother's Day Card.

The little square frames, bows, lace, and button collage are from the Mini Masterpieces stamp plate from Artistic Outpost. The Lady with fishing pole is from the Keeper stamp plate from Artistic Outpost.

Dog Gone Stamps is having a SALE! Check out their website and check out all of the specials!

Have a good one!

Cathy

Two GinaK Designs Challenges

Hi Everybody,

GinaK Designs had a release party last Thursday and therefore the ever popular challenges which allow you a random chance to win one of the new sets. There are three challenges and this post will show my two entries.

Challenge 2 is by Bev and is a great challenge called Yummy Recipe. You had to use:

1 side of designer/printed paper

2 different ribbons/fibers

3 eyelets

The second challenge is by Cammie and called Double Vision. The challenge is to use the sentiment stamp to create a background paper as well as the sentiment. I used both the 3 larger leaves and the sentiment to create my background paper. I like the way it turned out.

Thanks for the great challenges Bev and Cammie. I would love to win one more new release, I could only manage to get one, but that is still better than the past few months :)

Gotta go to work.

Be back with Theresa's Challenge tonight

Cathy

Digi Shack Challenge Week 2

Hi everybody,

I am so glad that things have settled down a little bit in my world and I have more time for stamping. The Digi Shack has a color challenge this week and the colors are going grey, summer sun, and certainly celery. Here is the card that I made using those colors:

When I bought this digital image my intention was to cut it out and color it more in the colors of a cone flower and turn it upside down, but once I colored this I really liked the way that it turned out so I left it as it was. I colored with copic markers and then because it was kind of plain I decided to do some paper piercing. I used my circle template and also my square template for the holes starting with the circle around the flower.

I had a little trouble deciding what type of background paper to use for the certainly celery as I didn't want my card to be too plain. I found this circle pattern paper that is pretty much certainly celery colored so that is what I went with for my certainly celery color along with the ribbon.

I made the sentiment tag by cutting three strips of paper and using a tag punch to make the ends tag like. I got this tip from my friend Theresa on her blog, crafting the web.

I am trying to finish a couple of GinaK Designs challenge cards before tomorrow so that I can try to win a couple of her new release sets. I could only manage to buy one set this release so hopefully I can win another. I have been pretty lucky winning GinaK stuff in the past few months :)

Gotta keep plugging away. You may see another post later tonight, you never know about me.

Dog Gone Stamps Blog Hop--Meet Daisy!

If you are here because you like to follow my blog, wonderful, glad to see you. If you are here to follow the Dog Gone Stamps Blog Dog Walk if you came from Jana's blog you are in the right place. If you didn't start at the beginning of the Dog Gone Stamps Blog Walk you should start at Lauri's blog.

Daisy is one of the sweetest looking dogs that you could ever ask to have. She is perfect for a greeting card, invitation to a 4th of July party or just to say hello.

I colored Daisy with copic markers and added the stripes and stars to her hat in honor of the celebration. I think she wore her self out at the parade, don't you?

Be sure to check out all of the other projects created by the rest of the Design Team Members and then go to DogGoneStamps and check out all the wonderful stamps they have to offer. I know you will find some images that you can't wait to play with, I know I always do.

The next stop on the Dog Gone Blog Dog Walk is Lisa Cook. Thanks for stopping by!

Check out the rest of the DT members blogs here:
Lauri Ingram
Mitzi Koons
Dana Grothaus
Lisa Foust
Jeanette Waters
Sandra MacLean
Sandy O Sullivan
Lorie
Jana Mays
Cathy Edgar
Lisa Cook
Tonya
Jacilynn Cox
Sparkle Smith


Nancy Torfin, Owner

Have a great week-end!

Cathy

Baby Wipe background technique

The StampTV tutorial last week was making a background using a babywipe. I have done the babywipe technique where you use the babywipe as an ink pad to get a varigated color stamping, but Gina's plaid background was really cool and I wanted to try it. Here is what I came up with:

Isn't that a cool plaid background. Be sure to check out the StampTV tutorial to see how easy this really is.

Did you notice the little crochet flower in the lower right hand corner. I made it. I am so terrible at following crochet directions that once I get the basic idea I make up my own pattern as I go along. It has taken me 3 days but I think I finally have a mental pattern that works. This was one of my beginning ones but I still like it. It is made from crochet thread and a fairly small crochet hook. Maybe tomorrow I will show you how I make the crochet flowers.

I was finally getting caught up on my stamping and my back decided to go out on me. I was home today and may try to go to work for half a day tomorrow. I don't have too many problems once I get standing or sitting it is just the in between movement.

Gotta go, see you tomorrow.

Cathy