Dawn's New Release and Fun with the Kitchen Sink Gals!

Hey THERE!

I'm so excited to share with you a card made from some of the most adorable "sweet lil' baby" stamps I've seen in a LONG time! Oooow, FRIENDS! Run, click or giddy-up ~ If you have not been by the Stamp Away With Me blog in a while, of, you're missing out! Dawn has been showcasing samples made by her very own {mighty TALENTED} hands and Oooow, baby! ADORABLE inspiration!

Peekaboo! I had a FESTIVAL-o-sweet-baby fun! Let me tell ya! Look, oh, just look at this sweet teddy bear! There are so many "fun to color" images in this set by Dawn and Wplus9designstudio, but also some absolutely, breath-taking sentiments, with the most gorgeous fonts! THEN, to make for even more stampy-fun... there are always a few totally fun to register images, including the lil' bow on the top of Teddy-girl, here! I don't know if you can see the darker line detail, but that was actually one of two bow stamps that register together flawlessly! I don't think I captured it in these photos, but I high-lighted the bow with some dimensional adhesive for a pure satin-baby-sweet look that I really like, IRL!

I tossed in the large bar of woodgrain, from Dawn's "Woodgrain Silhouettes," and used it with white CRAFT ink for the yellow background panel.... It's subtle, but darling for new-baby application.... Yum! More white CRAFT direct to card stock, no embossing, just air dried for wonderful patterned paper fun! I also used the white CRAFT ink to soften the edges of my tiny, peekaboo envelope.... {I smells me some baby powder!}

Hey, did somebody say ENVELOPE!?! Yeahoooooo! Check out what the Kitchen Sink Gals are up to this round! Oh, HEY! Now that's a goooooood time! I'm so happy to have finally found my way to play at the fantastic playground of EBTKS, and drink in the influence of these fine and talented ladies!

Allllllllrighty then! Here's the "peekaboo" of my envelope! A sweet lil' greeting fit for the new baby!

Whew! What fun!

I love a lil' stampy colorama/paper engineering/challenge fun ON A FRIDAY night/Saturday morning! And, HEY! While we're talking FUN! Kindly check out the AMAZING talents of my sisters of design, Kerrianne, Maile and Savitri - Say HELLO to inspiration!!!

So there you have it - GATEWAY to fun! Where ever you are, I sure hope your weekend unfolds with lots of creative opportunity and good times for YOU! I ALWAYS appreciate you stopping by my lil' creative spot here, in Blogland! Thanks, AGAIN!

Supplies -

C/S - Stampin' Up!
D/P - October Afternoon
Stamps - WPLUS9DesignStudio
Ribbon - Stampin' Up!
Envelope Template - Stampin' Up!
Border Punch - Martha Stewart Crafts
Oval Punches - Stampin' Up!
Crystal Effects - Stampin' Up!
Detail White Embossing Powder - Stampin' Up!

Miss you, dears!

Hello, friends!

Just a quick Friday "HELLOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I've been, once again, missing my special corner of Blogland and all-o-yous! Been helping my smallish-girl with some pretty cool 4H projects for a little fair this coming weekend. So.... (now I'm weeping a lil' bit...) I've had to forgo my own {sob!} paper crafting, and visiting, to keep myself focused to help her get some special projects ready.... I'll be holding my breath until the big barbecue on Sunday, but I thought I'd stop in today to say a quick "Haaaay!" And tell you....

I made this a while back... {I love this sentiment!} It (the sentiment), the dear and the sun are from a Sassafras Stamp collection, but the sunburst design, directly to the kraft background is from Wplus9DesignStudio's Funky Flowers collection! {Yumm!}

I'm REALLY excited, because tomorrow..... Dawn will be sharing the DT's samples from her new May releases! {Yipeeee!} Since I have had the privilege of having these in my hot lil' hands now, for a few weeks, I CAN'T WAIT to finally play with them here in BLOGLAND! Yee Haw! I hope you'll check out Dawn's blog where she is already dazzling with some super-fabulous samples featuring her latest images! I, too, managed to crank out a little goodie to share on Saturday, as well, so I guess I'm still capable of some minor multi-tasking, after all! {Doh!}

Thanks for stopping by! I can't wait to reward myself with some SERIOUS blog surfing and visiting this weekend! Hope life is crafty and spectacular in your neck of the woods!

Supplies -

C/S - Stampin' Up!
D/P - Cosmo Cricket
Ink - Stampin' Up!
Stamps - Sassafras; WPLUS9design studio
Embossing Folder - Cuttlebug

Going with the {wood} grain is MOST fun!

I do, so, love the look of woodgrain! There are a few stamps that I will have to insist travel with me... to the after-life. Not to sound macabre, I'm just stating the facts ~ I loves me my woodgrain!



In particular, and imagine my delight, when super-sassy Dawn Woleslagle, from Stamp Away with Me, designed not one, but two stamps sets, celebrating the look of WOODGRAIN! Wahoo!



In her recent release, "Woodgrain Silhouettes" and "Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions," {*Schwing!*} , there is MUCH to play with, but my FAVE image, by far is the big bar -o- woodgrain! THERE IS SO MUCH THAT CAN BE DONE WITH THIS STAMP - it's not even funny! Right now, there is this cool feature on Dawn's blog called "All eyes on...." and this time it's "masking!" In that particular post, there's a whole project and tips for masking with the woodgrain image... HOT, hot times, friends! S M O K I N' hot! So, being one who loves some added inspiration, I masked these guys....



Oooow, my goodness! It's that STINKIN' cute owl from "Funky Flowers" and oh, I had a festival of masking with him, let me tell ya! First of all, let's just bask in his adorableness. He (or she) has so much personality and potential! Easy to make a mask with this image and a post-it, and THEN, to make my owl babies look like they're slumbering... {I stewed over this for a while...} I tapped the image into my ink and then wiped the ink off the eyes with a Q-tip. This left just enough hint of ink, to give the illusion of a closed eye lid. I just drew on the eyelashes with a brush tip marker to make the little sweethearts look like they-be-napping!

Then, oh, then... ANOTHER fave of mine... GOD love the google-eye! Oh, YEAH! Still a blessing to crafters everywhere! SUCH fun! {Wonder who invented that baby? What a discovery!!!}



Speaking of inspiration, there are birds of all kinds going completely nuts, here at Rancho Durenberger. While I'm not nearly a stealthful [nor talented!] photographer, don't hold your breath for any amazing shots by REGULAR standards... However, I will share that we must have a nest, or soon to be a nest of owls, somewhere! I hear this one owl morning, noon and night! Alas, no possibility for pictures, but certainly inspiration for this card! I can't resist tossing out a couple of photos, although nothing artistically stellar.., I CAN'T believe I finally got a picture of this "neighbor" of ours in flight! Indulge me, if ya would...

Our humongous pine tree! It's the tallest tree for miles! (Not great perspective to show that exactly, but please, trust me! I don't do well measuring distances, but it towers over us!)

Way up at the pinnacle of the tree is this hawk. I call him a he, but I don't know! He's just huge. I imagine him about two and a half feet at a sitting position... Looks to be a red-tailed hawk... He's huge, proud and AMAZING! Last spring, when I noticed him for the first time, I spent literally hours photographing him, so I could prove to my mom (who's something of a bird expert...) that he REALLY is that big. {She did NOT believe me until she saw the photos. When you realize how big that tree is, and then understand how clearly, Mr. Hawk is visible, there at the tippy-top, there's no doubt that is one HUGE hawk!} I so desperately wanted to get a shot of him in flight. I tried soooooo many times! Sometimes until I just couldn't hold the camera any longer!



Finally. THE MONEY SHOT! Wahoooo! Just the other day, it was only my second attempt and BAM! So awesome! So beautiful! Wow. I find these birds breathtaking! Just last night, he came down quite low (and me, without camera!), I could, literally see a mouse he was SHOWING off with! I think he likes me now! Hee Hee




So, wow. I've been really into sharing, lately. I hope you don't mind. AND, I hope you're having a good week! I'm feeling a lot better after solving some MORE{!} internet difficulty I was having ALL BY MYSELF! Yep, had COMCAST coming today and everything. I was MOST frustrated with some channels, no phone and very sketchy internet access for TWO DAYS! So, as I prepared to dust and make my unsightly cables look prettier for COMCAST man.... I had this thought... "Some services, but not all.... hmmm.. " The modem tower was only blinking a few of the many lights.. yet there was a little bit of service... SUDDENLY, this sounded like an internal problem... Not the kind with wiring or wind or age of technology... THE kind that looks like a C-A-T... that sometimes plays behind the entertainment unit..... DOH! Felus interuptous... that's what I'm calling it. MY cat had knocked out a cord BEHIND the cabinet.... Grrrrrr. Grrrrr.... Purrrrrrr! {Either way, I fixed it myself! Yee HAW!}

Okay, then. Shutting down! Love yous guys!

Supplies -

C/S - Stampin' Up!
Stamps - Wplud9Design Studio
Leaf Die Cut - Sizzix
Oval Cutter - Coluzzle
Tree Trunk Design - ME!
Ink - Stampin' Up!
Ribbon - MM

Colorful fun with the JUGS!

Heeeeeyyyyyyyyyy!

It's been a long while since I've had a chance for some challenge action.. {Don't cry for me, Argentina...!} I mean, I've been loving working up samples for Dawn's Color Cue - DON'T MISUNDERSTAND... But, I've missed making the rounds of some of my other favorite challenges... And this week, my sweet lil' friend, Dana, made me weak in the knees with her sample for the latest JUGS challenge... {check IT, friends - BREATH TAKING card craft, indeed!} I am POWERLESS over their colors of choice, so I carved out some time for paper-fun!

Just some of my MOST favorite colors together... Reminds me of my obsession with baby girl bedding back in the day... *sigh!* Anywhoo, lots of fun at the JUG'S site ~ Lisa is having a birthday, and let me just say that the samples are particularly OUTSTANDING! There's also incentive to twist your card into a birthday theme.. {I FORGOT! Doh!} Regardless, it was just a super terrific gas to work with these colors! I had a 12 days of T!m Holtz flashback and created one of his groovy grunge flowers with plain, old card stock, as recommended, by Dana, who has been swearing that you don't HAVE to use grungeboard to make them {and may I just say, she's RIGHT! And BOTH ways are awesome!}

I had it in my heart to really go to town with a couple of Dawn's {Wplus9DESIGN} newest collections, Woodgrain Silhouettes and Woodgrain Silhouette's Additions... But I couldn't quite get my wood grain "work" to jive with what I had already completed... I had MORE fun with some of the wonderful leaf patterns and images and even threw in one of Courtney's stamps!!! {A great pairing, indeed!} ... Funny, though, as I prepared to post this, I noticed that Dawn has a WONDERFUL tutorial on some cool techniques with her large wood grain stamp {which is AWESOME!} along with some tips from Kerrianne, so definitely check that out, too, if you have some time! Don't forget about Dawn's latest challenge and also her call for an additional DT member is still going on, so DON'T be SHY! Yipeee!

Okay, friends! I'm not even sure if I'm typing with any sort of accuracy, so I'd best wrap this up! Let's have a grand Tuesday, shall we! Thanks, SO MUCH, for dropping by!

Supplies -

C/S - Stampin' Up!
Stamps - Wplus9DESIGN STUDIO, Practicing Creativity (cloud/label shape)
Ink - Stampin' Up!
Ribbon - Michael's
Flower Punch - Stampin' Up!
Swiss Dots Embossing Folder - Cuttlebug
Rock Candy Stickles - Tim Holtz/Ranger

Prayers for Pee Wee....

...were SO appreciated!

He's feeling MUCH better and I can't tell you all how much your kind thoughts and dear prayers helped...

So here's PEE WEE, himself, to say thank you!



He stalks me when he knows I'm trying to snap a head shot, so take this with all the silliness you see here! I'm feeling very thankful and celebratory in the horsey department for today, so I'll also share something that I've been working on for a while now... it's nearly done!



This is Mac! {He and Pee Wee are good friends IRL...} Like I said, he's nearly done and I'm nearly ELATED! I've got a bit of tweaking to do on his considerable muscles, but I see the light! I REALLY DO! {Here comes a "Yee Haw!".....} Y-E-E H-A-W!

Speaking of ranch fun, here's my girly-girl dressed for Spring fun at our recent 4H general meeting where they had incentive to add some more Springiness to their evening's attire...





Can you see her bunny tail? {Subtle enough?} She wanted to blend, but still be participating! Mission accomplished!

Anywhoo, friends! Sorry to be void of card for this post, but I really appreciate the opportunity to share a little slice of some of my other artistic pursuits. I hope to have a card for you tomorrow, and the completion of Mac in another day or two and THEN there will be a REAL celebration! Wahooo!

Hope you had a terrific weekend!

I love paper!

Especially, when it's flippin' awesome... Super-delicious colors and let's not forget about cool artwork! These days, my tail wags ferociously for nostalgic vintage prints, and October Afternoon has been delivering the goods, big time! I was INSPIRED...

By their new {to me!} and recent collection, Report Card....

My kids, who just returned to school after Spring break, not so inspired! But that's okay, I did my time!!! I was in school when these images were still in use! So, I'm allowed to play! {hee hee} Speaking of play, I thought that these cool stamps would compliment nicely with the Report Card collection, so I colored up this guy, his wagon and books and sent him off to school as well!

He's pretty cute! I colored him with a combo of Water Color Pencils and Stampin' Up's Watercolor Wonder Crayons with an aqua painter {LOVE those things!}

Anyway, these stamps are by a COOL, local (in my neck of the woods!)company called Pink Persimmon... If you can't find them or you want more info, please e-mail me! I met the owners, IRL, around Christmas time at a local VINTAGE art fair {awesomeness!} and I was quite smitten with their vintagey funness!

Sometimes, I just loves me a good "color-in" image and Pink Persimmon has MANY that fit with that fun criteria! So, YEAH for PAPER CRAFTING-FUN! Hope you're having some RIGHT NOW!

Happy Saturday to ya!



Supplies -

C/S - Stampin' Up!
D/P - October Afternoon
Stamps - Pink Persimmon
Ink - Stampin' Up!; Staz On
Ribbon - Stampin' Up!
Charm - Michael's Recollections
Corners, Circles, Scallop Circle Punches - S/U!
Die Cut Sentiment "Good Luck" - Quick Kutz
Die Cut Letters "TIME" - Sizzix
Chipboard Alphas "2 LRN" - Heidi Swapp

I'm feeling a little CHALLENGED!

Dawn Woleslagle has a new Color Cue Challenge and it's a dilly!





Just in time to celebrate some of her NEWEST stamps... {WAHOOO! I hope you'll go by her blog and check out her AMAZING samples and terrific celebration of these unique images and infinite possibility... } Dawn has been incredibly prolific and YOWZA, very inspirational! This is an opportunity to really challenge yourself with this terrific color combo, I just hafta' say (once again...) If I can do it, YOU can! Sincerely! I sure hope you'll play along! And, FRIENDS... for MORE and terrific ideas about how to play with these super colors and images, don't miss Maile and Savitri's Color Cue samples as well!





Thank goodness for challenges! I had almost forgotten how much I love White CRAFT ink! Just plain old CRAFT ink, direct to card stock, air-dried... NAKED, babies! No embossing! {DANGER!!!} It's so beeeeeeeeeaaaaaauuuuuuutiful! Dawn has created MORE images that register together, large and small, crisp and bold, delicate and beautifully drawn.... Did I mention POSSIBILITY! Yipeeee!

I had such fun with this darling, lil' bird! He's so animated in this terrific pose and he reminded me of the hoards of determined Robins we have here at Rancho Durenberger right now ~ suddenly, I was inspired to use the gray/blue and melon color from Dawn's Color Cue, direct to stamp, to emphasize the "Robin-ness" I was seeing here...




I tapped him into my "Groovy Guava" stamp pad from Stampin' Up! just to get the stamp primed, the used a "Brocade Blue" pen, direct to stamp and swiped it over the top half of the bird image, cleaning it on a piece of scratch paper, to maintain the gray/blue, but using the lines of the bird's wings and beak as a natural color line. The pen wipes the color away, but leaves just a hint that adds some natural volume... Then, I dabbed just a little bit of "Chocolate Chip" for an eye and legs... The shadow was created with a small aqua painter and a hint of "Brocade Blue"... POP! {I'm powerless over a nice shadow for a lil' grounding...} Good fun!

So, friends. Paper crafting... I've been missing it and ya'll! Hope you're having a wonderful week, and that you get a slice of time to join Dawn's latest Color Cue AND consider throwing in your "hat" with her latest DT call! We're having a WONDERFUL time, I don't mind sharing that! Dawn is looking for a three month commitment, so PLEASE, please, share your talent with her and US! It's all good!

Supplies -

C/S - Stampin' Up!
Stamps - WPLUS9DesignStudio
Ink - Stampin' Up!
Ribbon - Stampin' Up!
Punches - Stampin' Up!
Die Cut Sentiment - Quick Kutz
Heavy Transparency - Hambly

One last wiff of March and apologies....

Well, friends. I've been absent from blog life once again {*sniff*sniff!*}

So sorry to have missed all of you and your latest and greatest creations! I'm running, running, running, it seems.... {YES, like we all are, no doubt!} But, I can't resist sharing one more, tiny touch of the Irish and March Magic, before I fully embrace this lovely, but sometimes cruel {ugh!} month ~ April...



Yes, please. I could use one.

A kiss, that is... A little peck or a hug.... it's been a long couple of weeks.... Action-packed, full of mighty ups and downs...! And, although, it's not my usual M.O. to really vent, here in BLOGLAND ~ would you mind if I share a few of the highs and ... frustrations? Oh, heck, well, I hope not, cause HERE I GO! {Beware of LONG post!}

Husband, asked... or ANNOUNCED, that he would be bringing "Auntie", his 35 {-ish} year old cow back to OUR ranch... I don't know if they calculate cow-years like dog's, but I can tell you, she looks and acts much like his 95 year old grandmother, who also lives with us... She is O-L-D! Super sweet, though. She lost her "friend" at the ranch where she was being enjoyed as a lawn-mower, so she "had" to come live with us and our HORSES{!?!} for company... This cow is the first off-spring of the original "Mama-cow!" {see my page header and sidebar!}. Mamacow passed away back in 2002, so we figure Auntie to be in her late 30's by now! Anywhoo, this would all be no big deal, unless you've met my horses! FREAKING out, they are! All except Mr. Pee Wee - a true gentleman and a quarter horse, whose probably moved and pushed a few cows in his day... He don't care! But the WARMBLOODS and my silly paint mare.... Let's just say, having Auntie here has caused me some serious challenges in moving horses around... And FORGET about riding ANYONE, until they seriously settle down... I really didn't need the change in livestock energy right now... (But she does add to the scenery, a bit!)


THEN, my brother! My dear, funny and wonderful oldest brother, announces that he will marry his lovely, Deborah. And, by the way "it's on a Monday afternoon and could you drive Mom and me to SAN FRANCISCO on the day...." And spend the WHOLE day and most of the night, "witnessing" them get married at City Hall... (Oh, but they do make such a fetching couple!)

AND!!!! I had to get dressed up, like a big girl! (That's Mom, Marc and ME!)

A WONDERFUL dinner to celebrate the newlyweds (and give my aching, high-heel wearing feet a break!)

Yeah! For the newly weds! Here's one last shot of the nuptials ~ the ring fingers! (Check out my big bro's blog if you want to hear why he's not wearing the ring on that PARTICULAR finger for the time being....)

The next day, a "Life Skills" award ceremony at the wee-girl's school... FIRST thing!

Then, dodged tragedy AND a vet bill, treating this horse, our beloved PEE WEE, through a bad round of colic... He is elderly, by horsey standards, but I have been though colic a dozen times or so and I was determined that I could treat him. Due to his age and his propensity to colic, there isn't much more that can be done for him with the vet, unless we had buckets of money. For me, it's always about quality of life... It wouldn't be fair to even attempt surgery on this horse, so when he colics, I have to be a big girl, jump in and do the best I can with the resources I have... It's just one of "those" things...

Here he is, taking excellent care of my boy in a horse show a few years back...

He's so handsome and good-hearted... I can't even begin to explain how special and kind he is...

He takes such good care of our family! He fills my horsey-lovin' heart so completely! If you have it in your heart, say some prayers for him. I wouldn't ask, but I would be HONORED to care for him until he's 35 or 95 or even ONE HUNDRED years old - he's that special! Currently, we figure he's about 27 years young and we just want to be able to keep him comfortable and happy.... {Just a good thought or two would REALLY help!}

So, after avoiding tragedy here at Rancho Durenberger, we celebrated the
girl's 9th birthday at a local theme park!

Together with some DARLING friends and another ARIES baby, we did the DISCOVERY KINGDOM with style! A FULL day of RIDES, animals and FUN! Check out the B-O-Y! (Oh, yes - the PRIDE! hee hee)

Arrived home in the nick of time to blow out some candles on a pie that husband picked up!

No worries on not having a MARTHA STEWART style cake - the NEXT day was Easter!

"Mrs. Nuttles" laid some Easter goodness!

Much frustration in locating "eggs" for the hunt, as the box containing Easter items was LOST following the addition of "New Scrapland" a few months back... Luckily, late Saturday night I remembered I stored some boxes out in the horse barn! {Doh!} Easter Egg hunt SAVED!

Then a DECADENT brunch at a local hotel...

I survived two weeks of chaos, and even shared EASTER brunch in the same space as someone who has hurt me, in the deepest part of my "scrap-booker's soul." I managed to enjoy the experience in good karma, and with the triumph of knowing that goodness, respect and honesty and true friendship matter most. I was surrounded with loving family while continuing a tradition that we have enjoyed since losing my dad, eight years ago. It was a good day and a fine celebration.

I sure wish... that you, my dearest friends and companions in this fantastic corner of the blog-o-sphere, have had a wonderful Easter! If you've made it all the way to the bottom of this post, THANK YOU! I look soooooo forward to catching up with you!