Under the Weather?

Hi,

Welcome back to another great Challenge week over at Loves Rubberstamps!!!  This week we are making our own backgrounds.  For this particular challenge, I went with my favorite background, airbrushed clouds.

If you have never airbrushed or do not own an airbrush, I highly recommend it.  Any airbrush under 60 pounds per pressure of something-or-another will do.  You do not need the Copic recommended one that is nearly $300.00 retail.  My DH bought me one for under a hundred and I use it all the time.  I just had to buy the hand nozzle with the air trap thingy and the hookups were universal, so no fuss.  I turn it on, plug in my Sketch Copic Marker and push the little thing on the top of the handle.  Easy.  In fact, after I played around with it and got used to using it, I found out how to hold my few Ciao's in it and can airbrush with those too.  I do find that the ones I use most often, I did need to get some refills for right away, it does use up the ink.  Again Many Thanks to Bev Rochester for the cloud die she provides on line here.   Simply place this down on your card stock spray across the top, move down, repeat, and move down to repeat again.  Even if your spraying is uneven, it will look lifelike and I added a touch of W's here and there for a more stormy look.  Again, this is something you start playing around with until someone in the background is yelling they want dinner, lol.  It's fun to do. 

So for this card, I used the Umbrella Die and Stamp set available for preorder at Loves Rubberstamps.  The more we buy, the more inventory Laura can stock, so I am so using all of these to get us stocked up for the winter!  Plus I do love to use them, lol.  This little Umbrella set come with three dies, one solid for the outline that you pick that color with and then the inside die that makes nice little slices from your patterned paper to layer over and then the umbrella hook.  So easy to achieve this look.  But you can also just make a solid pattern umbrella or a solid card stock umbrella if you did not want to glue down the pieces.  I did set all the pieces down first and then glued with my Zig two way glue pen.  Why do they call it a 2 way glue pen?  They say if it's dry bond it's temporary, but I can't get it to stick to anything unless it's wet, lol. 

My little "under the weather" is a little crooked, sorry about that, just now noticing, lol.  This is one of the many sentiments this set comes with, so you get a lot of bang for your buck there.  Oh and the little raindrops stamp also comes with this set and I inked it up in London fog Memento.  There are little heart drops too and a sentiment that says, "showered with love."  This is definitely one of my favorite stamp sets. 

So put your thinking caps on and make your own background paper.  It could be dry or wet embossed, airbrushed or sponged, or maybe something I haven't seen or thought of and then I could KopyKat from you, lol.   Be sure to link up over at the Challenge Blog. I can't wait to see what you all come up with. 

Thanks for looking and for your kind Comments.

Holly

We are having a DESIGN TEAM CALL for our October 1st - December 31st term! You can read all the details on applying on:

Splitcoastampers - This Forum Post - Loves Rubberstamps Design Team Call
or on our Company Blog Post.

Doctor's Sympathy Cards

I went to work this morning and heard the worst bit of news first thing.  One of our weekend doctors lost his wife Saturday.  He was working.  She had told him she didn't feel well when they last spoke.  He was working about 3 hours away from where they live and had decided to stay in the area that night for his shift in the morning.  I'm sure he was thinking he could get to work earlier and get out and on the road to her early on Sunday.  But when he called her repeatedly on Sunday morning, she did not answer.  Becoming worried and concerned, he called to his grown son who also lives in the same area as they do and asked him to go check on her.  It was too late.  She was gone.  They are late 40's/early 50's.  Apparently when his son called to let him know, he was in the middle of a nursing station and was grief stricken.  Blaming himself that he knew he should have gone home, he had a feeling something was wrong.  He hit the counter tops, went into the little kitchenette and closed the door and just started screaming.  I cannot imagine this amount of palpable pain.  I don't even want to know.  They were together forever and very much in love.  And I am deeply saddened by this news.

I share this private story with you because I know for myself and for some of my co-workers, that while we see loss everyday, we kind of put up a shield around us to protect us from being as devastated as those suffering around us.  It takes something like this, from the inside, to really break through that barrier and give us all a wake up call.  About just how life is so precious and how quickly it can be taken away when you least suspect it.  Our hospital members are like family and while we joke we are the most dysfunctional of all families, we still care about each other very much.  I came home tonight and climbed on line to find two cards to case in a hurry so I can rush these to work tomorrow to give everyone a chance to sign them and I even added panels to the back of the outside, some of us have to say a bit more than others, lol. 

Being a health care worker, I know what it feels like to be working, helping others, when someone at home needs you and so I feel so bad for him.  I know he is blaming himself and doing the what "ifs".  They are a strong Christian family, but sometimes this kind of loss can really shake the foundation of your faith.  But to be honest with you, the first thing I thought of is that part in the bible that says God will never give you more than you can handle.  And maybe, just maybe, he knew that this doctor would not be able to handle being there.  It would have been too much for him.  And in his grief, I wanted him to know that a whole facility of people care for him very much. 

These Cards were cased from Karen Squires and Kathy.
Thank God these two women made fabulous cards, I did not have time to design tonight, but I desperately needed two cards. 

Cyber hugs to our doctor,

Holly

Wake me up!!!

I wish it was Wednesday, lol.   It's too late on Sunday for me to be awake and blogging, but I'll tell you, I have had the best day at home, making cards, puttering around, doing a little of this and a little of that.  LOVE that kind of a day! 

I got a bit caught up on my DT cards and on this weeks MFT's sketch challenge card.  So that make me very happy.  I am absolutely in Love with this months Clearly Sentimental about Coffee.  I feel like they made this set just for me, lol.  I'm either too tired and go on auto pilot or I am very grouchy.  Very little happens around here until I have had my first cup, lol.  They just know better. 

I have made these little coffee cards before in some form or another, I never get tired of making them.  I used S.U. mocha morning designer papers, File Tab die-namic, Fishtail Flag Stax die-namic (which we have at my favorite store!), PTI Dark Chocolate and S.U. Kraft and Very Vanilla card stock.  The brads were from my stash and now I need to go hunt some more of these down, Love them. 

Thanks for Looking and for your kind Comments.

Holly

Design Team Call for Loves Rubberstamps!!!

Design Team Call for Loves Rubberstamps!!!!!

Laura, is looking for a few good Designers who want to earn a SERIOUSLY great discount on some cute stamps and dies!  Check out her Blog HERE and come play with me!!!!



Hi Stampers!

Loves Rubberstamps is accepting applications to be a member of our Design Team for the term of October 1st - December 31st, with the possibility of longer term positions for those that show an enthusiasm for our store, products and whose work is always their best.

Requirement would be two projects per week along with a corresponding blog post featuring your projects.

One of these projects will be for our weekly challenge blog which has a new challenge every Tuesday. You will need to have this project completed by Sunday for that week's challenge. You will need to showcase this project on your blog on Tuesday and provide links to our challenge blog. You do get a list of the challenges in advance if you like to work ahead.

The second project can be anything you wish to make and is an inspirational post. This will be for our "Sunday Spectacular" post. This is where we will feature works from multiple designers. You will need to post this project on your blog on Sunday with links to the company store for the products you used. Your project will also be posted on our company blog (which you are at right now) with links to your blog. It may also be featured on our company facebook page and also in our store as a sample for the products used. This project will need to be completed by Friday of each week for that Sunday's post.

Our only requirement for projects is that you MUST use stamps from companies that we carry that are in their CURRENT line - no retired images. We are still growing our inventory so even if the particular stamp is not in our product line up yet... as long as it is one we can order - you can use it. We are always adding new companies and products as quickly as we can.

You must also display our store badge with a link to our store, design team badge and links to the team members websites on your blog, and our blog badge for the challenge blog with a link to that site while being a member

We do have a couple of challenge sponsors who require us to use their stamps the week that they are the sponsor on our challenge site. If you do not have a rubber stamp in their line to use, you will be provided a digi stamp from them to use so you will need to be able to use a digi stamp if necessary.

Our last requirement is to HAVE FUN!
Design Team Members will receive the following:

A 30% Discount off all items we carry in our store (there are a couple of exceptions) during your term

Your projects being featured on the Company Blog, Challenge Blog, Company Facebook Page and in the store as well as links provided to your blog.

Links to your blog from the company blog page, challenge blog site as well as from each design team member's websites

We do allow our Design Team Members to serve on other Design Teams as long as it does not interfere with your commitment to our team. We also allow a design team member to do multiple posts in a day if needed. For example - you serve on 2 teams, each requires a Tuesday Post, you would do one blog post for our company, then a seperate one for your other team.

If you are interested in applying and are able to make this commitment please send an email to lovesrubberstamps@yahoo.com with Design Team in the Subject Line

Please include in your email:

Name

Address

Phone Number

A little bit about yourself

Any current or past Design Team Work (you do not need experience to qualify)

Your blog address and any other online galleries that show your work

And include pictures or links to 3 of your favorite projects

Deadline for applying will be SEPTEMBER 27th - with selections being made the 28th.

Because it will be close to the start of the term when we make our selections, the first challenge project for October 2nd will not be required so the first required posting would be for the Sunday Spectacular October 7th.

We will be offering up to 6 positions

Thank you so much for your time and consideration! Don't hesitate to contact us with questions also!

This Aint Kansas Toto

TGIF!!!!!  Thank You Mother of sweet Karma, I am off this weekend and Soooo ready for it.  Between the studying and stress of the class and the short handed at work, I am ready for a couple days off!  Do you have any weekend plans?  I do!  Resting and Scrapping and hanging out with my guys....oh and entertaining the cub scout troop for our Den meeting on Saturday, but they are easy.  Plenty of Lego's and toys for a crowd of boys around here.  lol. 

I made this for the Loves Rubberstamps Inspiration Friday.    Love this little Kraftin Kimmie Dorothy and it was the perfect chance to get her inky.  You can find Dorothy in the Loves Rubberstamps Store along with a multitude of other goodies, like This amazing MFT's Faux Crochet Border die-namic!  And the fishtail die-namic for the yellow flag tail.  Whoot!!!  Let's go shopping.  While you are over at the Loves Rubberstamps store, check out our challenge, you could win free stamps!!!  And sometimes, Laura is in the mood to throw in some bonus prizes. 

I went to the local scrappy store today and picked up Lilybee design's Persnickety.  And decided I would go ahead and not hoard it this time, lol.  So that is the dp I used, coupled with a black and yellow S.U. card stock.  I used my spellbinder circles to cut her out.  I paper pieced her dress and colored right onto the paper with my BG72, I also used some SU pearls and colored those as well with my BG72.  I used an embossing folder for the dots.  Cuttlebug I think.

Copic List: Face/skin: E21, E00, E000, E0000, E93, Hair: E27, E25, E13, E41, Ground: W2, W0, Toto: W4, W2. Others: B72, E33, E31, E35, BG000, BG0000, BG2. 

I am going to enter this into this weeks Kraftin Kimmie Challenge to Paper Piece. 
I am also using Karen's sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 167.

Do you know that I just now figured out how to make my pictures bigger on blogger? lol.  Just click on it and then it gave me options.....ohhhhhh, lol.   I love discovering new stuff. 

Thanks for Looking and for your kind Comments!

Holly

Passed!!!

Whewwwwwwww, glad that is over with for two more years!!!  Thanks to everyone who wished me luck on this test.  It's getting harder again.  What's up with the capnography and induced hypothermia? lol.  I am happy I passed and happy I learned the new and improved life saving measures.....I still want to go to airway first, lol. 

Holly

Couldn't Scare a Crow

Welcome back to the All That Scraps Wednesday Challenge! This week we are making our projects with Black, Blue, Kraft and Red.  This one twisted up my brain.....I don't know why, lol.   Everything I look at now has these colors, but at first I was drawing a blank.  You actually have two weeks to come up with something for this challenge and link it up over at the All That Scraps Challenge Blog.

I used the new cute little Scarecrow Laugh.  She is so adorable and really couldn't scare a crow if she wanted to.  The pattern paper is Jillibean Soup Country Pumpkin Chowder.  Love these trees and I knew I wanted to use it with this cute image.  So that called for a country scene.  I colored her with Copic Markers - BG10, BG11, BG13 for the hat and shoes, E41, E42, E42, E44 for the straw and hair, R29, R27, R24 for the shirt and bloomers (I love those bloomers!!!)  E0000, E000, E00, E21, E93 for the skin tones.  N5-2 for the crow and YR4, YR7, YR9 for the beaks.  Love these little crows. 

Okay, that's all for me today.  Hope to see your fabulous creations uploaded soon, I love to see what you are making. 

Thanks for Looking and for your Kind comments.

Holly