Dia De Los Muertos and the drilling of the bone...

Hi friends!

I'm hungry, I'm in pain, and I'm blogging.  It's been a while - I kind of had to!  I had a little surgery earlier to try and fix a tooth that has given me 12 years of trouble and already resulted in five root canals and three crowns - no word of a lie! - but that's what's made me pick this card to share tonight.

I'm sitting at the kitchen counter right now, warming up some nice mushy soft hashbrowns (seems like a good idea when I'm both starving and in pain...) and I decided to whip up a quick blog post.  One of the projects in my queue is this Day Of The Dead (or Dia De Los Muertos) card, and it seemed fitting.  Trust me, this all ties together... I'm getting there.

See, I have a little large love for sugar skulls and Dia De Los Muertos stuff.  It began about 17 or 18 years ago when I visited Mexico as a teenager.  The details and designs are so beautiful, and there was something about the dark subject matter- death, loved ones who have died, skeletons - contrasted with the bright colours and happy accessories that just seemed so... NICE.  It was such a festive way to celebrate family and friends who have passed, instead of solemnly and sadly mourning them.

Which brings me to today.  I will often sneak little Sugar Skulls into my life, and that currently includes a pair of shoes.  I bought some Converse shoes this year with a totally amazeballs sugar skull design all over them, and I was wearing those shoes today when I went to my specialist's office for my surgery.  He's a funny guy, and he took one look at me and said "Skulls on your shoes... is that how you think today is going to go??"  Ha!

So when I was choosing a card to share tonight, well... it seemed fitting.  Even though I definitely didn't die but almost passed out when I saw them drilling a window through my jawbone on the live-feed monitor.  Yikes!

There is a stamp set in the Holiday catalog called Mr. Funny Bones that contains a tiny, perfect sugar skull.  It also has 28 other totally fabulous stamps, but that sugar skull was all I needed to seal the deal.  I needed it.  Badly.

Paired with the Festive Birthday DSP and some spicy accents, this card is a perfectly cheerful way to send a spooky halloween greeting - or change the sentiment and it's a great everyday greeting for the sugar skull lover in your life.

Have a great day - see you soon!

Cheers,
Shannon

Mr. Funny Bones Photopolymer Stamp Set

Birthday Fiesta Photopolymer Bundle

Festive Birthday Designer Series Paper

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Creative Collages

Hello friends!

This card was created in the reverse order of my usual process, so I thought I'd write the blog post in reverse order, too!

I typically get an idea for the card I want to make - the stamps, the layout, the patterns - and then choose my colours accordingly.  This card came together in the opposite order; I found a group of colours that I fell in love with, and I let each of those colours inspire the elements in which they were used.

So let's start with the pallet this time!  

I've talked before about how I arrange the ink colours on my Colour Caddy - and if you haven't heard, I don't!  Each time I pull some pads out of the caddy, I stick them back in where ever there is space.  Sometimes (okay, usually) this results in a huge mess.  But often, I end up with pockets on the rack where several colours I never would have thought to combine end up together, and they look brilliant.  This is one of those.  subtle Pink Pirouette, neutral Smoky Slate, and brights Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, and Bermuda Bay.  The last three are a favourite combination of mine, but adding the grey and pale pink changes it so dramatically!

Here's what I came up with once these colours were in my hands.

A big, messy, bright collage will different punches, stamps, and embellishments - just my style!

Sometimes the cards create the colours, and sometimes the colours create the cards.  It's fun to mix it up!

Hope you have a great weekend planned ahead - enjoy your Friday!

Cheers,

Shannon

Barnyard Baby Boy

Good morning, friends!

When you get in a crafting pickle, and you just can't seem to find the inspiration to create, what do you do to help?  I like to look through Pinterest or at design magazines, hoping something catches my eye to inspire me... but when push comes to shove and I just can't get there, I'm not above CASEing - I find that remaking another designer's card with Stampin' Up! supplies is one of the easiest ways to bust that funk!  This is one of those cards.  I found it on Pinterest, and it was designed by Vicki Wizniuk and made with another company's stamps and supplies.  I just LOVED her card and couldn't stop ooh-ing and ahh-ing over it, and I needed to make my own... Stampin' Up! style, of course!

Barnyard Babies was definitely what I needed for this one, and I loved the little cow!  I used Dapper Denim, Pool Party, and Pear Pizzaz for a fresh and bright baby boy colour scheme, with some touches of Smoky Slate.  I love this colour combo.

I brought in a couple of small touches from Celebrate Today as well as Thoughtful Banners to help with that sweet sentiment and those darling stars in the background.  Have you noticed how much mileage I've had from Thoughtful Banners?  That set is a must-have!  

Enjoy your day today!  

Cheers,

Shannon

Barnyard Babies Clear-Mount Stamp Set

Celebrate Today Photopolymer Stamp Set

Thoughtful Banners Photopolymer Stamp Set

Dapper Denim Classic Stampin' Pad

Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad

Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad

Watercolor Paper

Smoky Slate 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Stitched Ribbon

Aqua Painters

Layering Circle Framelits Dies

Balloon Framelits Dies

Big Shot

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Sunday Stories - and You're Nuts!

Hello friends!  I hope you've had a wonderful weekend.  Too short?  Yeah, mine too.  Sigh!

Today, I was included on the Stampin' Up! Canada Facebook page for their "Sunday Stories" feature - these are little videos designed to introduce some demonstrators across the country, and I was so honoured they asked me to be a part of it!

As part of the video, I shared a fun little card that hadn't appeared on my blog yet.  This one has a little bit of my signature crazy mixed in.  Maybe a little extra, actually - I made this the same day I had a medical procedure and there was likely still some sedative in my blood that makes me a little loopy.  My bestie and I were crafting together and we both laughed that I'll look at it the next day and wonder what I was thinking.

Turns out, I still kind of love it!  Because we're all a little nuts, and sometimes, it's nice to celebrate it.   I always tell my husband that life would be boring without my little bits of insanity.

My favourite thing about this card?  I used the Labeler Alphabet on the inside to write "but I love you anyway."  Tee hee.

Hope you had a fabulous day!  I've got some new and exciting stuff queued up this week, and I'll hope you'll make some time to come by for a visit.  Lots of new holiday items up ahead!

Cheers,
Shannon

Acorny Thank You Photopolymer Stamp Set

Touches Of Texture Clear-Mount Stamp Set

Mr. Funny Bones Photopolymer Stamp Set

Labeler Alphabet Photopolymer Stamp Set

Hardwood Wood-Mount Stamp

Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad

5/8" (1.6 Cm) Burlap Ribbon

Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder

Copper Foil Sheets

Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad

Copper Metallic Thread

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

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Instagram Tips in Action!

Hello friends!  How is your Friday treating you?  It's my son's day off school, so we are having a lazy day together.  It's 1:30pm and we're both still in our pyjamas!  He started school last week, and I started back to work after taking the last several years off with him, so it's been pretty chaotic around our house lately.  We needed a day of rest.  

Earlier this week, Stampin' Up! shared a tip I'd submitted on their Instagram page.  I know many of us are missing black embossing powder after it retired, and I missed it so much that I needed to find a work-around.  And that got me thinking... you know how the Archival black ink stays wet after stamping, and you need to either heat-set it or give it a few minutes to dry?  Hmm... 

So I tried, and it worked!  Yup, it's just wet enough to hang onto the embossing powder, and if you use clear, it picks up the black colour from the ink and creates a beautiful black-line embossed image.  Check it out! 

I was so happy to have discovered this, and I wanted to share it with you all.  I stamped the bird to stage the above photo, and since I won't let a little birdie go to waste, I whipped it into a card.

Blender Pens are fantastic for bringing some colour into stamped images - I love the smooth transitions I was able to get with this birdie! The DSP background and punched circle make this card quick and easy to whip up.

I hope this little tip helps you - and I'll let you in on a secret:  if you work REALLY fast, you can get a bit of embossing powder to stick to any of the coloured inks, as well!  Cha-ching!  Embossing powder in every colour!

Cheers - have a fabulous weekend.

Shannon

Best Birds Photopolymer Stamp Set

Neutrals Designer Series Paper Stack

Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper Stack

Vellum 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Metallics Sequin Assortment

5/8" (1.6 Cm) Burlap Ribbon

Everyday Jars Framelits Dies

Birds & Blooms Thinlits Dies

Sparkle Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Big Shot

Scalloped Tag Topper Punch

Blender Pens

Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad

Embossing Buddy

Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder

Heat Tool (Us And Canada)

Layering Circle Framelits Dies

Thoughtful Banners Photopolymer Stamp Set

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