Studio Color Scheme & Enabler Alert: Michael's Coupon

I had some fun last week in the studio & I finally decided on the new color scheme for the studio!!! YAAAY!

It's gonna take some time to pull it all together (because I need Brent to help me move the big honkin' desk), but I think it will be way cute and cheerful when it's finished.

I was at an LSS with my friend, Lisa, on Superbowl Saturday and found the most DARLING paper from Cloud 9 Design's Chocolate Chalet family. It's sooo cute.. loaded up with chocolate browns, pinks, greens, etc. The specific paper is Sparkle Chocolate Parfait.

Here is {MPATP} My Plan At This Point:

Accent Wall - green like CTMH Sweet Leaf (slightly darker)
Inkstak - Chocolate brown
RibbonStak - Choc brown or pink
Curtains - a mix of stripes and fun patterns with the colors of the paper {these means Mr.Machine is going to get to sew on FABRIC instead of paper for the first time in EONS!}

I am soooo stoked and can't wait to get started on it. First things first, gotta buy the paint!! Check out Liz Batty's COOL NEW ROOM! I am totally hijacking her wall & InkStak colors! LOVE IT LOVE IT LOOOOOOVE IT!!

BONUS: Michael's craft store has an online coupon this week. It expires Saturday, March 1st.... so hurry and stock up on some goodies.

Click HERE to Get Coupon

RAKITY RAK RAK RAK

Holy Schmokes Scrap{Wo}man!

It's been one heck of a week already... an it's just Monday. Mt Grotegut is still ever present in

Anway... had a lot of fun last night making a video for that something wonderful I'm working on.... think {DREAM JOB}.... ink, paper, BLING, cool tools, etc.... and I can still do the things I'm doing right now (more deets later when it's all finished). Callin' on some blogger love to send some prayers my way :)

Here's some goofy pics of the filming. I guarantee, there will be no acting in my future. I get silly after the first 8 zillion takes. LOL! I changed my shirt to a pink one, because the orange one would not cooperate. The sleeves kept being retarded. LOL!

The very cool camera that Brent's super nice boss let us borrow. I didn't touch it... I'm a klutz and there's no way my PT salary can afford to replace that camera anytime soon!





Here's the Crew.. hard at work. I kept forgetting what I wanted to talk about... serious butterflies, man! Thankfully I have a very sweet Crew... and very affordable! Love him soooo much! Isn't he cute??


And this is what cheering section did....

my laundry room... but I figure I can work on that later. There's nothing wrong with fishing for clean clothes from the pile every morning, right? HAHAHA!
I can't wait to tell you more... I've gotta tie up the ends and then I can tell u what I'm up to :) I will be back tomorrow with a fun project & the unveiling of the new color scheme for my studio!

Inky Smiles!
Erin

Movie Star!

(You're supposed to say the title like that chica from Super Star... Movie Stahhhhhhhhhh! But please, no hands in the armpits.... thanks.)

Holy Schmokes Scrap{Wo}man! It's been one heck of a week already... an it's just Monday. Mt Grotegut is still ever present in my laundry room... but I figure I can work on that later. There's nothing wrong with fishing for clean clothes from the pile every morning, right? HAHAHA!

Anway... had a lot of fun last night making a video for that something wonderful I'm working on.... think {DREAM JOB}.... ink, paper, BLING, cool tools, etc.... and I can still do the things I'm doing right now (more deets later when it's all finished). Callin' on some blogger love to send some prayers my way :)

Here's some goofy pics of the filming. I guarantee, there will be no acting in my future. I get silly after the first 8 zillion takes. LOL! I changed my shirt to a pink one, because the orange one would not cooperate. The sleeves kept being retarded. LOL! Brent's super nice boss let us borrow his VERY COOL and VERY EXPENSIVE camera. I didn't touch it... I'm a klutz and there's no way my PT salary can afford to replace that camera anytime soon! T he Crew was hard at work. I kept forgetting what I wanted to talk about... serious butterflies, man! Thankfully I have a very sweet Crew... and very affordable! Love him soooo much! Isn't he cute??

And this is what cheering section (uhm, I mean audience) did....


I can't wait to tell you more... I've gotta tie up the ends and then I can tell u what I'm up to :) I will be back tomorrow with a fun project & the unveiling of the new color scheme for my studio!

Inky Smiles!
Erin

Sketches to help with {Me} Assignment

Here are a couple of fun sketches to help you with the {Me} Assignment I gave on Thursday's "TFT".

The sketches can be found on the Fiskars website.

# 1 designed by Maria Grace Abuzman:
Where to add the smaller pics of the things that make you happy? Get creative! See that big expanse of empty space around the borders?? *grin*


#2 designed by Stacey Kingman:
I can't wait to see your projects! Leave a link to your online photo in the comments section.

Inky Smiles!
Erin

Thoughts For Thursday - Happiness

“For happiness is anyone and anything at all that's loved by you.”
—Charlie Brown; main character in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.

It's a Charlie Brown quote today! I'm swamped with crazy things for the next WEEK!!!

{Brace Yourself}

{Seriously.}

{Prepare for longrunonsentencewithpoorpunctuation}

I have a lesson to teach at Church next Sunday, 2 very important meetings for church, 1 very important meeting tomorrow evening for something wonderful I'm working on (deets later), some Guest Designing to do for Sweet N Sassy Stamps for March (think two new releases and I have them first- woo hoo!), a creative video to make for the something wonderful I'm working on, an extra day at work tomorrow, regular work next week, (bear with me, almost done here) and several InkStaks to build this weekend, and did I mention Mt Grotegut in the laundry room that needs to be tackled?? (How do TWO people and a dog make so much laundry?)... and then there's my birthday!! Brent wants to know what I want to do... "of course I want to have a cake & ice cream party, dear, but WHEN???"

*WHEW!!!* Ok, so, I feel a lot better now that I have listed out most of the "to do list" and gotten it out of my head.... lol!

Tonight (while I have been trying to decompress and de-stress) I have been reflecting on things that make me happy. A few of them are people (ok, one is a furrpeople) who I love and the others are things. Here are a few of them.

1.) My WONDERFUL husband, Brent (who made us a fabulous Chicken Scampi dinner Olive Garden style tonight), who I LOVE DEARLY and thank the Lord EVERY DAY for blessing me with him.
2.) My sweet and loving furrbaby, Sadie. She's brought me so much happiness and joy. I don't know what I would have done without her as my "baby" during this trial of infertility and previous infertility treatments. She is the best little friend and pet a family could have.
3.) My close friends who have stood by me in all my ridiculous times, good times, and bad times.
4.) The color Pink. It makes me feel cheerful.
5.) Chocolate milk. Mmm... do I need to say more?
6.) The grass poking through the snow on my front lawn. It means SPRING is coming!

Here's a {ME} Assignment: We seldom scrapbook about ourselves... we generally scrapbook about the things and people we love. This week I want you to think about some things that make you happy.

a.) Write them down in a notebook.
b.) Next, journal about them and list out a few reasons why.
c.) Create a digital or traditional (paper) scrapbook layout.
d.) Use a photo of YOU as the main photo (at least 4x6) and use smaller photos of some of the things that make you happy.

IF you'd like to share, leave a link here in the comments section. I would love to see what makes you happy!

Inky Smiles!
Erin

Yard Sale - Blog Style - All CTMH Stamp Sets

UPDATED 8/9/08 @ 12:43 PM (MST)

I am cleaning out my stash and have a whole lotta CTMH stamp sets that need to find new homes. I have priced these stamps at about 40-50% off regular retail price. Gotta make room for new fun stuff!

Click on the photo to view the price list at full size.

Email me at the address listed on the price list. I will update the list as things are sold. I will also take reasonable offers on most items.

If you need a photo of a set, let me know. There are too many sets to put pics of all of them on my blog. Purchases are first come, first serve.

Inky Smiles!
Erin

RAndom RAK winner!

Happy Monday Everyone!

I promised to announce the Random RAK winner today ... so here we go!

I got my hair cut and colored last Thursday. I wanted RED highlights in my hair, (originally I wanted somethign REALLY wild.. just a chunk of hot pink or purple peeking out from under everything - Brent nixed that pretty quick, loL!) but we (my hairdresser and I) settled on a golden color, but then I didn't like it, so we put RED back in over it and well, it turned sort of an Orangey-Red color.

I'm still deciding if I like it or not. The color is only in the front of my hair.. nothing in the back where it's all crazy and wild. I figure that you have to give new hair color more than a couple of days to get used to it... well.... I m still not sure. I might be calling my sweet hairdresser tomorrow to add a little more dark back in and cover up some of the Orange Red color. It's fun having a "punk rocker do" as my sis calls it.. I've had wild hair for a while now since I went short last year... but the color's a little funky! LOL!

Here's some silly pics I took in my new brown bathroom on Saturday:




The winner of our Random RAK challenge is:

Nona Pearl

Nona, please send me an email with your mailing address and I will pop these in the mail to you!

Thanks for playing everyone! I've enjoyed reading the posts and checking out your do's from Sanjaya to Hot Pink! :)

Inky Smiles!
Erin

Time for a Random RAK

OOOH, I think it's time for a RAK.

Here is how we will play:

1.) Post a pic of your wildest hairstyle somewhere and leave a LINK (URL) to the photo in your comment on this post.
2.) Tell us about your greatest "hair adventure"....
3.) Guess what color I put in my hair on Thursday when I got my hair cut & colored.

Complete all three items and leave your replies on this post and I will post a winner on Monday.

Inky Smiles!

Erin


OH... PS... the prize is a container of Double Churned Scrapboard Alphabets - Vanilla Bean (naked chipboard). I've got a couple left and will award one to the winner of this RAK.

Amaryllis and Liz - SHH! no sharing.... you already know the answer :P

Thoughts For Thursday - Love {& some artwork}

Happy Valentine's Day! Today we celebrate Love, whether it be with a significant other, family, or friends. I thought it would be fun to share a couple of neat things...

“When our eyes see our hands doing the work of our hearts, the circle of creation is completed inside us, the doors of our souls fly open and love steps forth to heal everything in sight.”

—Michael Bridge

First, This quote totally relates to scrapbooking and paper crafting to me. We're generally building things with love from our heart. Scrapbooking is "family history keeping", it involves the ones we love, whether they be friends, family, or pets. I love to look at the photos and have cherished memories race through my brain. I always feel immense love when I am creating a piece of art with photos of my loved ones or creating a special papercraft piece of art for someone I adore.

Second, I'd like to share with you some pieces of art that I received in a recent swap, hosted by Susan Culotti. These are 3x3 "pages" that will all go into a 3x3 mini album. The two large altered coasters were created by Susan to be the covers for this Love mini album. A lot of love went into these little guys., each one is DARLING!!!

Click on each photo to view larger and see the individual artist names by each page.



I'm off to get my haircut (and color some gray) this morning. I've been feeling like a woolly mammoth {or was that a fat polar bear... you should see the snow we got last night!!!} When I get back today, I plan on shoveling off my desk and creating some fun projects. With 8 new inches of snow (and it's still coming down), today is going to be another Fat Polar Bear day!

Inky Smiles & Happy Valentine's Day!
Erin

I Love You - Around the World

For those of you who are language nuts like me, here's a few ways to say "I Love You" in a variety of different languages. Can you guess which one is my favorite? *grin*

"I love You" - Around the World

Afrikaans: Ek is lief vir jou
Chinese: Ngo oi ney or Wo ai ni
Danish: Jeg elske dig
Finnish: Mina rakastan sinua
French: Je t'aime
German: Ich liebe dich
Greek: S'agapo
Italian: Ti amo or Ti voglio bene
Japanese: Ai shite ru or Kimi o ai shiteru
Korean: Sarang hapnida
Russian: La liubliu tebia or Ya vas lyublyu
Spanish: Te amo
Swiss: Ch'ha di ga'rn
Thai: Phom rak khun or Ch'an rak khun

Pounced Stenciled Pearls Tutorial - Last Leaf Card

UPDATED: February 17th, 2008

We interrupt this post for an important message:

I'm gonna be PUBLISHED.... well.. at least this TECHNIQUE will be! I submitted the idea to Pat Huntoon, owner and publisher of the Technique Junkies Newsletter, and she wants to use it. The catch is, I had to take this tutorial down permanently.

Soooooo, if you want the instructions for this tutorial, head on over to TechniqueJunkies.com and pick up a subscription to this FABULOUS newsletter! I guarantee you will love it. There's something in it for everyone, no matter what your stamping style is!

Inky Smiles!

Erin

Thoughts For Thursday - The Important People In Our Lives

Charles Schultz Philosophy

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read it straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America Contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. They are not second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier? The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.

They are the ones who care.

{click photo for a larger view}

I will be back tomorrow with instructions to the cool technique
that I used on this card.

Winners, Winners, WIIIIIINNNNNNNNERS!!!

YES! You read correctly! I said WinnerS, plural!

I was supposed to announce A winner last night... but as you all know, it was Super Tuesday, time for Primary Elections! Well, to make a long and negative story short..... I waited in line for 2.5 hours to vote. TWO & A HALF hours to spend literally ONE MINUTE sliding my card in the machine and choosing a candidate and casting the ballot..... I was sooo annoyed and we got home so stinking late...

SO, "they say" if you want to feel better about something, do something nice for someone... SO, instead of ONE random winner, we have TWO random winners for this manly card contest. I have two mini stamp sets from CTMH in my freezing little hands to send out tonight! Thank you ALL for playing this challenge. I love seeing everyone's artwork and blog hopping to those who have blogs!

(drum roll, please... brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrattattttatattttaaatata....)

Winner #1: Amyre -Fiskateer #343's "Manly Collage Card"

and Winner #2: Manna's "Manly Metal Card"

Amrye & Manna - please email me at inkysmiles @ gmail dot com with your mailing
info and I will send these babies on their way to you! :)

Manly Man Card Contest Entries so far....

I 've received a couple of cards and am extending the contest by one day... I will announce a winner on Tuesday evening. Deadline to enter is Tuesday (Feb 5) @ noon MST (US).

I will choose a random winner to receive something fun (like say a mini CTMH stamp set with 4 stamps) from my stash and some other goodies...... Hrmmmm....

Please email a pic of your card to me at: inkysmiles at g mail dot com (no spaces, insert appropriate punctuation) or post a link in the comments section to your card in your online gallery.

If you've submitted a card and it's not here, PLEASE email me!

Also, some entries are marked with personal contact info by the creator, if you want a link to your blog, and your photo is not already marked, please leave it in the comments so our viewers can see more of your art. I have personally checked each FABULOUS blog that was in signatures of emails sent with the cards. THEY ARE AWESOME!!!! I am loving blog hopping and seeing all of your wonderful art & BlueIcicles FREAKIN COOL HAIR!!! (If Brent would not have a hernia, I would SOOOOOO do it!

Here's what I've received so far: {CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED}

Happy Friday! Cards for the MEN in our lives

It's Superbowl weekend and each of us celebrates it a bit differently. Brent and I usually have a "Superbowl Commercial Party". Neither of us is really into sports much at all (ok, with exception of most of the Olympic Sports) and so we have a party to watch the commercials. This year our friends, the Coopers, are hosting it. HEHE! Basically, we get together, eat really good tailgate party junk food and yell, "SHUSH... QUIET.... COMMERCIALS are on... COME QUICK!"... lol! Generally we're playing games or just enjoying each other's company while the game is playing... but when those commercials come on, you'd better not interrupt! LOL!

Superbowl Weekend exudes "macho-ness" to me and I've been thinking that I need to spend a little time working on some more masculine cards for the men in my life. ("My Men" being, Husband, Brothers, Father, Father in law, etc.) I've got a good stash of swirly girly flowery and floofy cards... perfect for the women in my life, but I don't have much in the way of masculine... It seems that it's much easier for me to whip out something pretty and feminine.

Well, I got this really cool random stamped paper last fall from Brenda Harmless as part of our 2 part swap and decided that the design was decidedly masculine to me. I realized this morning that I have not shown this card yet. It is one of my absolute favorites of last year! I was stressing about what to do with the fish paper, but one night I had a fabulous dream about this fish card.. LOL! I woke up in the middle of the night, went out to my kitchen and grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled out what I could remember.

It's kind of hard to tell in the photo, but I cut the fins with my kraft knife and popped them out with some glass micro beads that I piled up on heaps of liquid glass, I rubbed some glitter on the scales of the fish. The sand section in the frame is actual sand paper from my woodshop. LOL! I just tore a few pieces, layered them and glued them in place. The frame is one of my favorite aspects of the card. I snipped some twigs from old trees along the creek in our back yard and glued them together with liquid glass and then tied with twine. It was a big pain and took forever, but I like the finished product. :) I chalked all over the card with pearlesent chalks from Pebbles, Inc and dirtied up the card with ink and doodled with a marker. It was sooo much fun to make!

So this weekend, while your men (or even you) are enjoying the Superbowl festivities, your challenge is to create some fun, masculine cards for the men in your life. Use something out of the ordinary on your card (like I did with my twigs!) and post a link (comment) on this post to your card and I will pick a random entry on Monday for a surprise paper crafting treat! Show us some masculine themed cards! :)

Click image for larger, detailed view

Materials used:
American Crafts Ribbon
CTMH Papers and Inks
Stamps - Roughin It & Outdoor Trek by CTMH (not sure which set the RS paper came from)
Misc - Liquid Glass, misc metal embellishments, twine, glass micro beads, twigs.
Cuttlebug machine and embossing folders, sand paper.