Waltzing mouse and Craft Stamper magazine

Craft Stamper mag out on Friday again. I've received my issue already and it is a lovely one this month. Fab layout by Morag Cutts (I love her scrapbook pages), some great copic colouring tehniques for faces by Judy Laing, a cool new series on one layer cards by Joanne Wardle (I am watching this with anticipation ... love the simplicity of one layer cards) and lots of of other cool projects too.

For this issue I have done a project using Waltzing Mouse Tag and label stamps. Claire's stamps combine with nestabilities dies so that you can create your own labels ... now is that cool or what!

I kid you not when I say that I had been looking for stamps to go with my label dies for many years. Before nestabilities came out I tried to make my own label designs on the computer (inspired by the good old Making Memories labels) to go with my Sizzix dies. Lining them up properly to cut was near impossible and in the end I gave up. Then came cookie cutter dies and wham, lining up problem solved. Don't you just love all the gadgets the craft industry throws at us.

This label stamp is from the very vintage labels #2 and one of my favourites.

Here is also a tag that didn't make it into print. The scroll down the side is from Very Vintage #5 and the tag is from very vintage #1. The butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch (I have used that a lot before too, but still love it).

Then, if you are not a subscriber to Craft Stamper magazine but would like to take a peek at some of the favourite projects of 2010 (as voted for by the readers), they are launching a new FREE to download e-zine on the 1st of April. Drop back here on Friday for a link and some more details.

Dingbats

I was looking at the new critter stamps from Lawn Fawn today and that reminded me that I have loads and loads of dingbats that I bought ages ago and still really haven't played with properly. Love dingbats, and really don't use them often enough. Much cheaper than stamps too (not that I am dissing stamps ... just saying) and you can print them any size you want.

This cat is from the DB critter doodles set - cool isn't he. He was printed onto orange paper and then pieced, but next I want to try and print my dingbats onto smooth cardstock and then colour them with copics. Yeah!

A weird sentiment I'll give you that - but you never know when someone will look after your cat and then needs to be thanked with a handmade card. You just never know! Best to be prepared and all :)

Class

Today and Friday I taught a class for some of the ladies who were at my Stampin' Up! party - most of them quite new to the world of stamping.

I think their heads were properly spinning by the time they left (sorry ladies - my enthusiasm knows no bounds) :).

I simply wanted to touch on most of the basics ... you know card blanks, different inks for different purposes, some basic techniques .... but really, it is impossible to take it all in, so all I did was bamboozle them with info, techniques etc. I do hope they recover from the ordeal.

In the end we made this card, using the SU sale-a-bration greeting and of course my much loved medallion background. I haven't used my medallion for at least 3 weeks and it was time. I will never tire of that stamp, never I tell you!

Way too easily tempted

There is something very wrong with me at the moment. I am by nature rather thrifty and although I do indulge in crafty purchases, I usually don't impulse buy.

But OMG - that premise has been thrown out the window the last week or so.

First off, hubby has gone to the States for business and that can only mean one thing - buying Papertrey Ink stamps, dies .... and the sorts.

Normally that would be enough to last me for a while - having had a shopping fix and all ... you would think wouldn't you.

But then I went and bought those Paper Smooches stamps I spoke about last week ... ka-ching

Not to mention the Stanpin' Up! stamps from my party the other week ... ka-ching

Then I saw a post on facebook by Annette about dies from dies to die for and bought a few of those .... ka-ching

And then this morning I decided to take a break from tidying and surf the web for a little, saw this card by Mary and suddenly I just HAD TO HAVE some Bakers twine, I mean had to have, like someone that has to have cocaine, that kind of had to have. Not just a little bit of twine either, I bought two full spools of 220 metres each from a great shop I found in the States with reasonable postage ..... and breathe.

I KNOW!

What is wrong with me.

Shall I just erase my paypal account right now or what.

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Then, as I am very much resisting getting off this chair and resuming my tidying, I started going through my computer folders and tidying up my images. I stumbled across these old cards I made way back for Simply Cards and papercraft magazine.

I have been so caught up with stamping recently I have completely forgotten how much I love dies and die cutting. I am SO going to make some cards with dies this week ... I am!

Do you like cute and quirky

I do....

...and I just found some really cute stamps designed by Kim Hughes for her new company called Paper Smooches. http://papersmooches.blogspot.com/ Check out those scooters ... so flipping cool.

Just bought myself these two sets.

And the best thing of all, the postage to the UK is only $3 for two stamp sets, and (as far as I know) below customs duty.

Nothing like a little stamp fix to start the morning hey.

As soon as I get my hands on these I shall make some cards.