Recent Product Reviews

Cuttlelbug with Embossing Folders - well worth it - it makes awesome backgrounds, I have not tried the die cuts yet but will. And yes, you do need a cuttlebug even if you have a cricut.

Cricut - couldn't scrapbook without it!!!! Love the letters - haven't gotten too much into the shapes yet. The Xyron sticker maker is a must - putting little tiny glue dots on little tiny letters is too much hassle.

Prismacolor Markers - undecided - do I like them as much as Marvy LePlume water based markers??? possibly. My next step is to get a few Copic Markers and see how they compare.

Amuse stamps - love them!!!

Score Pal - another keeper.

I am on the lookout for the perfect black ink - my StampinUp has faded to purple, the black soot distress ink smudges (I guess I could emboss it) - I could always go back to the old standby and emboss everything black but I wanted things to be a step easier.

Adobe Photoshop - wouldn't be able to scrapbook without it!!!!

the end of the old scrapbook

more of the old scrapbook

sepia vs black and white vs color

I think my sepia phase is passing, of the three it is my least favorite. All 3 pages are 7x7" - to fit a 7 gypsies scrapbook. The backgrounds immediately behind the pictures are embossed with the cuttlebug, the black and white and sepia are further decorated with ink and the brayer. On the black and white the ink color I used was StampinUp basic black which looked dark purple (a nice shade but not black), maybe it's because the pad is 11 years old!!!

The amuse stamps are in - just need to make the trip out to bridgeport to pick them up. The store doesn't open until 12 so I'm twiddling my thumbs until then. Apparently only some of the order came in and I can't really remember all that I ordered so it will all be a surprise!!! They probably have new stuff in too - my bank account and I are ready and my husband has been warned.

Cuttlebug

The cuttlebug came in the mail today and it was a good thing because I have had a BUSY week at work so far and the rest of the week looks even busier.
The is done with the embossing folder - paisley - colored with a brayer (a tip from someone's blog that I found while googling cuttlebug) and a pink kaleidacolor pad. Just a background for a card so far.....

Artwork by Virginia

This is by Virginia. The caption says "Ed, Fred, tom, Peenut and Jery are having a picnic together. Coloring done with Crayola Twistables.

OLD Scrapbook Pages

Here are some of my original scrapbook pages all made entirely with Stampin'Up stamps, ink and paper. I made them in 1999 shortly after I became hooked on this hobby. Everything I used was acid free and the ink seems to have held. The princess pages were made with my all time favorite Stampin'Up set - Dreams and Dragons - stamped in black ink and chalked. I can only load 5 pics at a time per post - more to come.

Waiting for New Stamps

I'm just waiting to hear that the stamps I ordered at Stampin & Scrappin Time last week are in - all amuse stamps and really cute. I have also ordered a cuttlebug and 5 or 6 embossing mats to spice up the cards. Just waiting for things to arrive.
Virginia and I are thinking about making cards for a local nursing home or hospital - she likes to make "batches" of cards and I'm sure there are people out there who might appreciate them. We were also thinking of making goody packs for employees in a nursing home on Easter - it's hard work and underappreciated and might brighten someone's day. I haven't looked into where yet, there are a couple of places near our house.
In the meantime - I'm training for the mountain goat - the sun is finally shining and it's light later and I am just loving it!!!!

More Cards

I am working on cards today and pretending that I'm an artist and my little of the family room is my studio. I am trying to accent the cards a little - it has been so long since I did this that I'd forgotten how fun it was!!!!
Of course, I'm using Amuse rubber stumps. I got prismacolor markers - I wanted to try alcohol/solvent based rather than water based brush markers - so far I am not impressed and prefer my Marvy 1122 LeplumeII. I got a prefilled 24 pack of the markers rather than picking out my own 24 colors, that may have been my mistake.
The flowers and scallop shape are cut by the cricut which I am still loving.

The Hobby Lobby

The Hobby Lobby just opened near our house so we had to check it out. They had some really good opening specials - we got all of Molly's birthday party supplies for 50% off. But... the stamping and scrapbooking section just wasn't that great; it was just a small part of the store and had much less than AC Moore, which is where I normally go for basics like adhesive, scissors, etc. They do have a nice fabric/wool selection which is needed around here. They also stock Prismacolor Markers and Copic Markers (both sold separately, not in kits).

I think I'll stick with Stampin & Scrappin Time - they have so much more variety, nicer stuff and are not any more expensive.

One Picture - Six Looks

The pictures below demonstrate how Adobe Photoshop can be used to alter/enhance photos. The features used were crop, convert to black and white and adjust hue/saturation (click colorize box-hue 27, saturation-21) for the sepia tone photo.
My computer is not cooperating, the sixth photo is the full view of the sepia tone but I can't load it right now, I'll try again later.
Scrapbook pages using the pictures are next!!!

One Picture-Six Looks

Another Amuse Card

This card uses Amuse cardstock as well as an Amuse stamp. The shapes are cut with the cricut. The ink is stampin up basic black (the best black I have found so far). The markers are Marvy brush markers (I'm waiting for my Prismacolor markers to arrive in the mail!!!)

Cards by Meghann

All cards made with Amuse stamps by my daughter Meghann.