tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84418440972277813812011-11-27T18:38:48.567-06:00Mayhem in motherhoodSquirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-53650548413151810152007-05-02T08:32:00.000-06:002007-05-02T08:38:42.905-06:00

Every year Stampin' Up! retires several of their sets to make way for new ones. Here is the list of stamps that will be retiring at the end of June this year. If you do not have a current catalog you can see the catalog online here. If you are interested in purchasing any of them or have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-19201456141338278972007-04-30T11:24:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:20:29.223-06:00

This was a site that I discovered awhile ago. I thought that I had done a review on it and I could not find it when I went back to look. This was one of my favorites. She keeps the mood upbeat, offers suggestions and tips, and categories on all of the posts she has done. It was very easy to navigate through and well written. She adds tons of photos which is very helpful for me since I am a visual

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-39936546896477570172007-04-29T21:44:00.000-06:002007-04-29T21:55:06.835-06:00

So why do I stamp? I love to make things for people. I am a firm believer that when a person gets a card or a gift that is handmade it means more to them. So why do I stamp? It is a really fun way for me to use my creative side. I take the time to relax by making things. I am usually covered in who knows what that my two year old wipes or slobbers all over me or up to my ears in homework,

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-47363837974180016072007-04-29T09:09:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:20:51.966-06:00

I mentioned Monica in an earlier post. She has set up her own gallery in splitcoast stampers and it is viewable to all. Since I am not a great internet person or one that has all the time in the world to search for things online, I had no idea that you could go under the search engine in splitcoast stampers and type in her username and all of her work would appear and that saves me hours from

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-41932108506804077052007-04-29T08:47:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:21:06.182-06:00

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we had our monthly stamping club yesterday. I was telling the girls what I had been doing on my blog and was trying to think of other websites that I had not been to for more stamping info. Monica told me to go to the DIY network website. They have a section on scrapbooking things you can find here and once you go through each section you will find q & a forums

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-62279906529271963912007-04-28T18:22:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:21:23.196-06:00

I know I have posted a Lot of birthday cards, but it seems like every time I turn around there is another birthday. I have had to make 6 cards this month alone. This card was fun to make. My daughter and I made it for my friend Sharon's birthday and I usually make 2 so I can put one in my portfolio. My daughter added my name to this one since it was for the book. I used the word find stamp and

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-17804038192522599712007-04-28T18:14:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:21:39.912-06:00

This card was a lot of fun to make. We made it at our monthly club today and used one of the new sets from the Spring Mini Catalog from Stampin' Up!. When I first saw the set in the catalog, I was not very impressed with the examples that were given and thought I would skip buying this one. We used You make me happy and All year cheer II.On whisper white card stock, sponge apricot appeal around

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-71325394580787497442007-04-28T18:00:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:21:57.105-06:00

Step 1Cut 3 10x10 pieces of cardstock. I used 2 white and 1 red for this project. Also cut 2 5 1/2 pieces and 2 5 1/4 pieces.Step 2Score the 3 10x10 pieces at 5" horizontally, vertically and once diagonally. Stamp snowflakes all over both sides of cardstock.Step 3Glue the 3 pieces together so that they look like the picture above on the top right.Step 4Fold the photo album like an accordion. The

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-49623743389366555372007-04-28T17:27:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:22:13.654-06:00

I made this card for my sister-in-laws birthday. I ran out of time to run to the store and threw this together in just a few minutes. I used barely banana, lavendar lace and whisper white card stock, Heartfelt thanks stamp set and Small Sayings stamp set. As you can see this is very simple and I only used brads for the embellishment on this one.

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-17294783973406863102007-04-28T17:08:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:22:33.372-06:00

So here is a very easy but messy project for a graduation card. It is bleached with oxy clean. You will need a brayer, paper towels, newspaper, oxy clean, embossing powder, heat tool, versa mark and card stock. I chose Bravo Burgundy and More Mustard for this card because of the receipiants school colors.Step 1Over whisper white card stock, cover entire area with your choice of a color. This

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-53406812527954532872007-04-25T10:34:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:22:53.635-06:00

I found this blog, quite by accident, but I loved it. She goes into deatil on what products she used and shows pictures of her great work.I loved how she had a slide of her work off to the side. It takes up less blogging space and shows her wonderful detailed work.She also has this link on her page with an alphabatized list of techniques she has found on the web. I don't have the time to check

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-85360583951308727032007-04-25T10:08:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:23:06.107-06:00

I found this site on Yahoo and decided to check out HGTV's Stamping techniques to see if I could find some new ones. I was not overly impressed with what I saw because the tricks or techniques were not pictured. I am a very visual person and when I can see an image, I am able to recreate or store the technique in memory. This site did have several good tips from different authors that I would

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-726071524561204142007-04-16T21:15:00.000-06:002007-04-16T21:27:12.642-06:00

So as I struggled to fall asleep tonight, I decided to get online and look at some more stamping blogs. I followed a link to e-bay stamping blogs and was not impressed. I went into a few that sounded like they had interesting things, but I saw only one that actually went into some detail and showed pictures. In this blog, she gives tons of helpful hints and sounds like she knows what she is

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-32471101587311238312007-04-16T07:54:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:23:27.198-06:00

So I had some time to check out some of the links that I found this morning and was pleasantly surprised with Craft TV weekly. It had many new ideas and video showing how to put it together as well as printable downloads for design guides. There is an archive for finding older projects and video. What a great tool to have for new ideas! I watched the video for a name badge album. At first I was

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-43791719624730564792007-04-16T07:28:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:23:43.826-06:00

For those of you who like to liven things up, here is a fun technique that does not require much except time. To maximize the leather and suede effect try using chipboard. Chipboard is an accessory that can be purchased through a Stampin' Up! demonstrator or at a craft store.For the leather effect choose three similar colors and start with the darkest. You will need stamping sponges for this.

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-86404252807628924032007-04-15T21:34:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:23:59.517-06:00

When I first saw the article on "Chic Batik", I passed on reading it. It sounded unusual and complicated and since I am known for trying a new technique almost as soon as I have finished reading about it or being told about it, I put it aside until I had more time. So I have just finished reading about how to do this and it really sounded simple. Of course there are many steps to reach the

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-81101086513996122622007-04-03T13:03:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:24:17.837-06:00

Running out of time to get to the store for a small gift bag? Never fear! Here is a very simple gift bag to make. All you need is a brown paper lunch bag, cardstock of your choice, glue, raffia string, tag punch, signo gel pen, a sponge, ink of your choice and a stamp set of your choice.Step 1-Cut off 1 1/2 inches off the top of the bag.Step 2-Cut cardstock to fit the bag. You will need one side

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-79189422757488103962007-04-02T19:34:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:24:35.483-06:00

Two step stamping is a technique that is simple yet frustrating. This is when two stamps are used. One as the outline and the other as a "filler". As you can see in the image to the left on the grape section a lighter color is used first in the background and then a darker color with about the same pattern, The vines are a little different. The pattern for the vine is done in a darker shade of

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-49186169748590371622007-04-02T19:14:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:24:57.821-06:00

This is a new technique for me. I was going through old Stampin' Up magazines, (these are only available to demonstrators) and I came across an article titled "Dotted and spotted. It caught my attention right away. The subtitle is "Using small dots tocreate beautiful images is simple when you stipple." Catchy right? So as I read on, I came up with so many ideas that I did not know where to

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-63070278610081671352007-04-01T19:37:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:25:11.305-06:00

This is the tye dye effect. You will need glossy cardstock, ink refills, rubbing alcohol, papertowels and q-tips. Step 1Drop a few drops of ink on a scratch piece of paper Step 2Wet a q-tip with rubbing alcohol Step 3Using a clean end of a q-tip, mix a drop of ink with the wet end and dab all over the glossy cardstock. Repeat with each color being used. Step 4 Blot Dry with a paper towel. After

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-32388524178938396162007-04-01T17:32:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:25:26.399-06:00

The first row are pictures of the Spectrum Pads. When they are open there is a space between each color. When pushed together, it has a rainbow effect. Make sure to separate the colors again before storing.The next picture is of a color caddy, all current stampin' up ink pads and the ink refills. These are the blender pens and the coluzzle cutting system.The top left picture is the heat tool used

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-49051068232308875562007-04-01T16:32:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:25:41.298-06:00

-For those of you who are just beginning to stamp, here is a guide to some of the wonderful accessories out there to help embellish all your projects.PunchesThese are handheld and are offered in a variety of sizes and shapes. These include circles, squares, slots, ovals, tags, and countless others. You can view these on Stampin' Up's webpage in the online catalog pages 220-221.The Stampin' Scrub

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-40649565299725072722007-03-28T16:51:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:25:54.329-06:00

Ladies- Grab your roll of wax paper and get ready to have some fun! For this technique you will need an iron, ironing board, wax paper, an old dish towel, glossy cardstock, a brayer and a kalidascope ink pad.Step 1Set iron on the lowest setting. This does not require much heat. If the iron is to hot it will melt the wax paper.Step 2Cut a piece of wax paper that will cover the area you will be

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-70753292607491598132007-03-28T16:36:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:26:12.631-06:00

This was so much fun to make! We had my son's birthday party at the Fire department and the Fire Brigade set by Stampin' Up! was perfect to make the invitation. The scanned picture does not do this project justice. There is a fire engine that is supposed to appear as if it is coming out of a large billowing cloud of smoke. This project can be messy so please wear old clothes when trying this

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-22377224731190958312007-03-26T14:03:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:26:28.746-06:00

I think all of us at one time or another have needed a card on short notice. This card is very simple and takes only a few minutes to make. Just think of the time you will save driving to the store and having to pick out just the right card... I think it can be used as a birthday card, or a thinking of you card.Most of us love coffee so that is why I have deemed this the universal card. To make

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-28113577289409283502007-03-26T13:43:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:26:50.293-06:00

I had some spare time this afternoon and started browsing some of the links I added to my blog roll. I chose Addicted to rubber stamps in the hope that it was a blog site. When I opened the page I saw that it was a website that many companies use to promote their products. There are several ways they have organized the page. You can find companies under accessories, companies or Artist lines.

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-35205646570776596552007-03-26T04:39:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:27:10.842-06:00

This was a card for a family member's birthday over the weekend. I wanted to make something that the kids could help with and that the receiver would like. I used a few different techniques with this card. The first one is the the crimped effect (the ripple look in the background). This one is fun for the kids because they love to use the crimper. It is an easy way to let the younger kids help

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-51815919787368024602007-03-22T08:21:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:27:26.670-06:00

Some of us out there like to show our appreciation to the teachers in our children's lives around Christmas time or the end of the school year. The first question that comes to mind is what to give? There is the hand towel set, candles, ornaments etc... Why not jazz them up and make them more personalized to the teacher. Stampin' Up! offers a wide variety of stamp sets that any teacher would

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-2793844129294618512007-03-21T15:49:00.000-06:002007-03-21T16:00:48.790-06:00

I think that many of us run into a creative block and so I have decided to offer a few tips in getting through the block. I have close to 200 stamp sets and all the accessories and crafty person could possibly want. Yes, I have a shopping problem... Anyway, it seems to be overwhelming to me at times with all of the options and not knowing where to start. So for all you stampers out there,

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-4969149187041006162007-03-20T12:32:00.000-06:002007-03-20T12:43:27.110-06:00

As a mother of three, a full time student and a virtual single parent until my husband comes home on Friday's after being on the road all week, I have to be very creative when it comes to finding the time to stamp. Since I am a big believer in handmade gifts and cards, you will find me up at all hours of the night when I have a time crunch or my favorite is setting aside the time to break up the

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-28094924034562141732007-03-20T12:13:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:27:52.510-06:00

One of the most common things in stamping is embellishing it so it stands out more. This can create depth, layering and texture. Most stampers have a wide collection of ribbon, eyelets, velcro, brads and many other things that can be used. I found an article on embellishing that seemed to be full of ideas and links to other sites. The author does not seem to go into a lot of detail, but she does

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-69726687582815314132007-03-17T19:29:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:28:10.518-06:00

So as I said in an earlier post, my toddler is sitting calmy watching Over the Hedge with his dad. I love moments like these because I can focus on what I need to do for school and getting ready to return from spring break. So anyway, I received a new issue from my Stampin' Up! stampin' success catalog while on Spring Break. There is an article on "working metal magic". It is basically a

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-69348765515839072002007-03-17T19:22:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:30:12.178-06:00

So my two year old is nestled in with his dad watching Over the Hedge and I have some more time to work on my class project. I was wandering through the Stamping Mad blog and was intrigued by her blog enteries. She leaves the entries short, but has a lot to say. She links to other sites frequently which is nice because some of her blog enteries are on stamping methods she has found with

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-13319759083563396892007-03-17T13:32:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:28:33.475-06:00

In my search for links to add to my stamping blogroll, I came across this one. After reviewing Sarah and the Stampstars I came to the conclusion that she is a craft lover as I am. We have a few things in common. We are both Stampin' Demonstrators, mothers and we have understanding husbands. Her blog enteries consist of her handmade work such as cards or even fun sushi ideas for toddlers. Her

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-78086644117653556802007-03-17T13:12:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:28:49.072-06:00

For this card we used ink and shaving cream. It is a messy project so make sure your work area is covered well. For this technique you will need a small tray(meat trays from hamburger work well), shaving cream, ink bottles and glossy paper.Step 1Spray a generous amount of shaving cream on the tray.Step 2Put a couple of drops of ink over the shaving cream. Make sure it is not covering the entire

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-38406711587596832162007-03-17T13:03:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:29:07.710-06:00

As you can see in the calendar area and background area there are streaks of ink. To do a marbling project you will need an empty closeable stamp container, a couple of marbles and bottles of ink. Step 1Drop a few dots of each color of ink around the bottom of the stamp container. Step 2Add in the marbles Step 3Put the cardstock facing down to cover the opening of the stamp container. Step

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-27361075402593659982007-03-08T15:22:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:29:23.012-06:00

This invitation was so much fun to make. My daughter and I made them for her birthday party. We used whisper white cardstock, pink passion cardstock, green galore cardstock, tempting turquoise cardstock, hemp twine, scatter sunshine jumbo wheel, girlfriends stampset, sirlfriends accessories stampset, and the eat cake stampset.

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-10544174692451579752007-03-07T21:26:00.000-06:002007-05-01T20:29:41.296-06:00

This is a handmade graduation money holder card made with all Stampin' Up! products. To begin you will need an 8 1/2 sheet of whisper white card stock, night of navy card stock, real red cardstock, navy grosgrain ribbon, stampin' pastels, silver encore ink, night of navy ink, sketch an event stamp set and a coluzzle.The middle section of this card should be slightly larger than a dollar bill. To

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-61999436821739579512007-02-10T11:05:00.000-06:002007-02-10T10:55:40.131-06:00

So for my last blog, I wanted to find something a little different than the other two. This dog blog is more of a filter site. It has many links to the actual articles, but also gives you information on it and some quotes from the articles themselves. It offers a gigantic list of links to other interesting animal blogs in the sidebar. I think that the main focus is on great pets and or great

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-42750713931303682772007-02-10T10:28:00.000-06:002007-02-10T10:27:57.855-06:00

So here is the second blog that I came across that really caught my attention. I am a total coffee person.... If I do not get my morning coffee, I am really quite a bitch. So as I started perusing this blog site one of the titles caught my attention. Bubble Chocolate is about a review on a new type of chocolate, one of which is a coffee flavored chocolate. I was reaching for my chocolate stash

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-57967704285819065422007-02-10T09:33:00.000-06:002007-02-10T20:24:58.027-06:00

So as I was re-reading the blogging blogs exercise worksheet, I came across a stamping blog. I was pretty excited to see that I am not the only one who is interested.... This particular site does not seem to be up and running anymore. In this blog the last entry was last November. When I finished going through the blog I was very disappointed. I could not view any of the pictures. I am not sure

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8441844097227781381.post-34988976435767777682007-02-04T21:47:00.001-06:002007-02-05T22:18:25.514-06:00

So here I am, my house is quiet, my two year old is sound asleep finally, I still have no running water when I am disturbed by my phone ringing once again. Yes, it is my husband calling for the umpteenth time wondering if the water has miraculously come on again in the three hours since he has left. So I crack open my laptop in the hopes that I can still finish my last assignment even though I

Squirrleygirlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09880857014268135083noreply@blogger.com0