I really have to stay off this computer...

Because I just have been ordering way too many stamps lately!!! I was using Google Reader and started reading Sweet Miss Daisy's blog. She had a cute stamp from Whippersnapper Stamps in a project and one thing led to another and now I have even MORE stamps coming to my house! Ack! Ack! When will it end!

Now, I know some of you have been patiently waiting for me to use the stamps I DO have. In particular, at least one of you has been quite vocal in your wish to see me use the Eat Cake Graphics stamps I bought last month. So last night, I decided to gratify this desire and to make the card I had in mind when I bought these stamps:

Ingredients: Santa Looking Down, Christmas Tree, Box O' Coal, Mr. Peedles (Eat Cake Graphics), Naughty or Nice? (Cats Pajamas); Paper - Whisper White, Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Real Red, Green Galore; Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore; Other - Ticket Corner Punch & 3/16" corner rounder (Stampin' Up!™), Cuttlebug Dots Embossing folder (Provocraft), Vintage Brads (retired), dotted organdy (Michael's), dimensionals, Tria Markers, Prismacolor Blending Pen.

Isn't it STINKIN' CUTE?!?!?!? I love these stamps and they are so much fun to color! I decided to use my Tria markers and am not really sure about the color of the floor....but it seems to work, so I went with it. I had gotten a bit of ink smudged on Santa's boot and behind it and didn't want to go through all the work of positioning all these separate stamps again, so I had to color in the ground somehow!

There's a bit of a story behind this card as well. I had this card in mind when I bought the stamps, but I realized who I was making it for when I was in Kalamazoo. My friend Julie has a new dog, who is very, very naughty. We ended up stopping after our dinner togehter to buy a new collar for him because he's chewed through his second one. And so I decided to personalize this for Julie:

If you enlarge the photo, you should be able to see that the tag on the dogs collar says, "Parker", the name of Julie's dog. I hand drew this and cut it out to adhere to the image.

Another detail:

While I was able to stamp the dog, mask him, then stamp the tree behind him quite easily, I was unsure of my ability to get this Box O' Coal in the right place, plus there were issues about what should be in front of what and what should be behind. So instead, I stamped, colored, then cut the box out. Then I used an exacto knife to make a slit in the focal image around the edge of Santa's arm and hand. and inserted my box! That allowed me to play with the position so it was just right.

Julie doesn't read my blog, so she has no idea that she's getting this card...shhhhhhhh....don't tell!

Now, here are the two cards I posted on Splitcoast yesterday, as promised:

Ingredients: Kitchen Sink Stamps 3-Step Turkey Trot; Paper - Blue Bayou, Really Rust, Cosmo Cricket Gretel, Ruby Red, Very Vanilla, River Rock; Ink - Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip; Other - Cuttlebug Textile Pattern embossing folder, Bobbin ribbon (Michael's), dimensionals, clipiola (Target), copper brads (SU! retired)

The colors I used to stamp the turkey are in this order:

Apricot Appeal - stamp 1
Pumpkin Pie - stamp 2
Close to Cocoa - stamp 3

Ingredients: Kitchen Sink Stamps 3-Step Holly & Mistletoe; Paper - Whisper White, Ruby Red, Wild Wasabi, Handsome Hunter; Ink - Certainly Celery, Wild Wasabi, Handsome Hunter, Groovy Guava, Ruby Red, Bravo Burgundy; Other - gold ribbon (SU! retired), ticket corner punch, gold brads, Sakura clear glaze pen, Sakura Startdust glitter pen.

To get the three dimensional effects on the leaves, these are the colors I used in order:

Leaves - Certainly Celery - stamp 1, Wild Wasabi - stamp 2, Handsome Hunter - stamp 3

Berries - Groovy Guava - stamp 1, Ruby Red - stamp 2, Bravo Burgundy - stamp 3

A close up of the holly, showing the glaze pen and glitter pen:

Inside the card:

The dimensions of the card are:

Card base: 6 1/2 x 9
Score at 3 1/4 and 6 1/2", then cut the remaining piece on a slant. Fold it to the inside of the card and secure the edges with a thin piece of sticky strip.

Well, I have a guest coming to stamp today and a special delivery coming my way as well! More on this tomorrow...I gotta keep you guys guessing!

Comments

[Anna Wight (SweetMissDaisy)]

Oh aren't you just the most fun. ;) Can't wait to see what WSD projects you've got up your sleeves!

[Lynnette]

Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! I love it! It is SO stinkin' cute. I haven't yet hit the submit button on the cart full of stamps I have selected at Eat Cake Graphics.
I think it will be soon, because my finger is getting twitchy. Especially after all that practice over at Kitchen Sink Stamps yesterday;) BTW, was it my chocolate bribery that prompted the posting of this card?

[Peggy Maier]

Your friend Julie should get a real laugh from that card Jan! I know you'll have fun with your guest stamper & your special delivery! Have a beautiful day!

[Carol]

ohhhhh!! I love the sparkly details on the Holly - I will be "stealing", um "borrowing" this idea as soon as my stamps come. I've been working on keeping my twitchy fingers away from the Paypal account - so many GOJUS new stamps out there - thanks for "enabling", um "sharing" --
carol

[Shannan Teubner]

That is hilariously cute!!! I love all your little details!

[~liz]

um same problem....

[Joan B]

that Santa card is amazing. Wow! I just spent some time catching up on your blog. All your stamping is fabulous. I am glad the time spent with family at your brother's funeral went well. Your parents sound great. How sad to lose a child. My best wishes for all of you.

[Nancy]

HOORAY! I'm the one that really wanted to see the ECG inventions you could make. I knew you'd make me laugh with whatever you designed! Thanks so much for "listening" to my plea!!! LOVE IT!

Nancy
kurulnj@hotmail.com

[Diane Cooper]

Hahahahaha! I love that dog and Santa! That is hilarious!!!! Can I get some of that coal for christmas? I swore in front of a store Santa the otherday by accident (long story!), and he winked and told me I would be getting some coal in my stocking. YOurs is quite nice!
Diane

[Pat Huntoon]

I love the Naughty or nice card -- ohhhhhh I don't want to buy it -- don't makeeee meeeeeeee!

[Debbie Olson]

Jan, this is so stinkin' funny! They should be paying YOU to use this stamp--they'll wonder why it's all of a sudden skyrocketing in sales. . .

[Rose Ann]

Your card for Julie is so cute and perfectly colored. I love it!

I love your Kitchen Sink cards as well! Both are so lovely!

[KellyS]

Love the santa card! So cute! Thank you for sharing your secret tips. :)

[Kathi S.]

I love thast card. I need something with a cat who can't seem to find the litter box that is ten feet away.

It looks like you stayed away from the computer all day on Saturday or was it that you were too busy "scoping out the competition" that you didn't post yesterday. ;-}

[Heather]

If it makes you feel any better I've looked at that cute dog stamp before and now I'm going to have to go buy it. It's just too cute on your card. Thanks for enabling me... :)

[Jules]

I can't wait to see what you are going to do next! I love this card, So Fantastic!

[Terry Molineux]

OMG Jan this money holder is gorgeous!!!! I want to be you when I grow up! I do not have any stamps other than SU any suggestions on what to substitute?

[Lisa]

Ohmigosh, that Christmas card is too funny! Love it!

Awesome coloring job! I hadn't heard of Tria markers before. I hear/see the Copics so much. (I've bought 2 so far. Too painful on the purse!)