Live Love Stamp

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Shelli!

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 04:50:00 +0000

Man oh man! It has been a good long while since I have updated this blog! Life just got so crazy busy for me. I wasn't able to keep up! The truth is, it is just as crazy now, if not more so, but I have this desire to blog again. We'll see who is paying attention!

The new SU catalog is fantastic! I have fallen in love with so many new stamp sets and products! Where to begin! I purchased the Mosaic Madness stamp set and embossing folder as well as the punch, first! I think it will take a few tries to learn how to use it properly, to get the alignment and spacing right. I am far to impatient to use a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig.

For this card I chose River Rock, black and white CS. I think I need to work on the lighting some, as it appears even more yellow than River Rock really is, but I like the simplicity of this card.

Happy Monday, and remember......a hand made card is like a hug with a fold in the middle!

Blessings~

Shelli

Santa's Pants~~!

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 04:10:00 +0000

So, your son comes to you at 8 pm....."mom, tomorrow I need to bring a card or something for my Secret Santa teacher for student council.......can you make a card with Santa or something on it?"

So what is one to do but jump on SCS for inspiration, and I was NOT disappointed with all the ideas! I got this little number from HERE! I just made a few changes to the buckle and voila! I used the directions from the blog I linked you to above and they were VERY easy to follow!

Needless to say my son was uber impressed and I think the teacher will like it too!

Mission accomplished.

100 years later.....

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:52:00 +0000

....she posts again.....sheesh! Crazy-ness!

I know it's been a very long time since I posted.....such is life I guess!

I cased this from a blog just this morning, and now naturally someone has closed all my "windows" and I cannot seem to locate the author. I will keep looking and add when I find you!

I started with Espresso CS, the DSP is Old Olive and the SS is Bitty Bouquets (ret.). I simply used my SU markers to give it some life!

It's Mail-A-Card-Monday! Get to it! This one is going out today!

~~Blessings~~
Shelli

List Pads~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:29:00 +0000

I have made these before, but have you? They are cute and inexpensive to make!

First buy 5x7 steno pads. Big stores like Costco sell them cheapest in yellow, and office supply stores sell them in the white like I found here. White costs more but is easier to work with when it comes to colors. Your office supply store will cut them in half for you for very little (around 1-2$ per stack) Call around in your area for the best prices on cutting.

The CS you use behind the pad will be 9.5 inches by 1/4 inch wider than your pad. I have had the size of the pad vary after cutting based on how careful the person is, so measure the pad and add 1/4 inch. The score on the longest part at 1inch and 1 1/4 inch for the piece that comes up and over the top. You will use Sticky Tape to adhere the pad to the cs. Place one piece on the top of the list pad and three on the back. A trick I learned is to remove the film on the sticky tape piece on the front first, then adhere that before you remove the pieces on the back. Sticky Tape is very unforgiving remember. Then just decorate in whatever theme you like and place two strips of magnet on the back for hanging on the fridge! Ta-Da!

If you're confused, come to club this month. I just decided we will be making them!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Post It Pads~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:46:00 +0000

Here's some more cuteness from the craft thingy I am doing this month!

These post it pads are made from the 4x4 coasters. I covered them with DSP and my 3M gun. Then I slightly sanded the edges, used my Bind It All to link the two pieces and then decorated!

Inside is a standard sized post it pad, but I split them in two halves. Meaning I separated one pad into two equal pads. You need to cover all four sides of the coasters with DSP so that they are pretty when you open them too. (which would have made a good photo......)

They are great little gifts for teachers and co-corkers a like!

Hugs!~~~

~~Blessings~~
Shelli

Candle-O-Joy~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 13:22:00 +0000

I told you I was no good at post titles!

So as I mentioned I am doing a craft fair in my town. It's a sweet friend of mine who has different vendors from home based companies and their own businesses come out to her HOUSE (brave girl) and sell our wares! I am making a few handfuls of items to take over there in a couple weeks.

I like making these decorated candles. They are easy and so cute! I package them up in a clear cello-bag and tie it up with a cute little tag for gift giving.

I seem to remember these doing well. Anyway, the DSP is from last year's SU Christmas collection. The Snowman is from Very Merry and the other circle stamp is from Perfect Punches. Be sure to use Sticky Strip tape (super strong) on the edges of the CS to hold it together!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

You Bring Joy~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 08:01:00 +0000

Card #3 from the church event. In keeping with the CAS theme, I used some DSP I had on hand from my LCS. I chose the colors from there for the rest of the card. They ended up being Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery and Peach Parfait. The greeting is from my $1 bin dig a few weeks ago! The buttons are SU's Sizzix die that makes 4 cute little buttons. I simply tied embroidery floss through them and added Dimensionals behind. Ta-da!

Proof that encouragement doesn't have to be fancy! Just mail that card, I dare ya!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Just a "note"~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:01:00 +0000

See what I did right there? My son says that all the time when he does a play on words, goofy kid!

This is card number two from the event at church. Very simple, but cute nonetheless. The stamps you see inside the oval are two separate ones from the same set. I simply placed them close enough so they would fit inside the punch. Then I used Dimensionals to pop it up a little. Add a tiny red rhinestone and you're all set! Not much else to say about this one...........

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Simple beauty~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 08:01:00 +0000

I hosted a card making event at church this past weekend. I had the wonderful help of two good friends and it was fun!

I wanted to share with the ladies about encouraging others. So often we get junk mail and bills, and nothing else in our mailboxes. I bet your in box isn't much different.

My goal for this workshop was to spur the ladies who came to encourage others with the written word. What a better way to do that than with a home-made card in the mail! I got to share about two things I am passionate about; encouragement and card making! A nice blend to say the least!

I was going for simple with the cards we made since I didn't think that most of the ladies who came would have card making experience, so what you will see is simplicity.

This DSP is left over from Sale-A-Bration several years back. It is Sahara Sand. I think its gorgeous paired with a little black don't you? I used the new Sizzix frames for the oval shape, which is perfect ith the oval punch for the scripture you see! I just love how SU pairs their products like the frames and the punches, for a big and easy WOW! The little flower adds just the right pop with the rhinestone in the center.

I hope you are blessing someone today with a little love in the mail box! Remember, a hand made card is a hug with a fold in the middle!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Choo-Choo!~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:30:00 +0000

My Grandson loves trains! I mean like a lot! It took one trip into his great grandpa's train room (to use the term room lightly) and he was hooked! He is just 19 months and the boy is obsessed! While this train stamp set is retired, and not very toddler-ish, he loved it anyway! I started with Going Grey CS. I used my note book edge punch on Real Red, and Grey ink for the train and greeting (that alphabet is also retired...sorry!). I colored in the yellow in the windows with a marker for some interest and, ta-da!

I kept the inside simple but fun! Another retired SS called Letterpress (I will never get rid of either of those alphabets!) and a heart punch!

The finished size is 5.5 by 3.5. Sometimes it's nice to have less space to fill.

I have started work on some items for a craft sale I am doing soon, come back to see photos of those!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

More fall fun~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:01:00 +0000

This image is from the same set that I showed you yesterday. I stamped this one on the white cs with Olive ink. Then I re-stamped it onto Pumpkin Pie cs, cut out the pumpkins and adhered them right over themselves on the white cs!

The greeting is also from the set. I used Chocolate Chip ink directly on the DSP. I matted those two pieces onto Chocolate Chip cs. The eyelets below it have been in my stash forever, as has the ribbon!

I hope you're enjoying the fall cards! Come back tomorrow for some items I am working on for a craft event I am doing next month!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Nothing says fall like....

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:31:00 +0000

Pumpkins of course! I was at my LCS and this stamp set caught my eye. It has some nice fall-ish images. The pumpkin and leaves is one image.

I simply colored the pumpkin and flowers in with my markers. It''s a little challenging to see, but there are Old Olive SU brads in the flower enters.

I haven't done torn paper in a little while, and it seemed fitting here! The fun ribbon is nothing special but it matches so nicely here.

As fall sets in with cooler temps, it becomes soup and stampin' weather! Less time outside, more time in! Soup in the crock pot leaves more time to stamp!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Film Frankie~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:01:00 +0000

I love this one! Isn't it great! (she says patting her own back). I was talking to my daughter and she said "Mom, you don't send halloween cards...." and I said "I'm not, he's from a movie, they are movie cards!" (sarcastically) and the idea was born to make a movie strip of Frankie!

I suppose I should have made the notches on the black cs on both sides, but I didn't really think of that until it was completed. I used my markers in a continuous striping motion to get even color. If you double back with markers, you get dark areas and uneven color. The "hello" is also from the $1 bin. I'm telling you, you need to stalk those craft store bins. I have a wonderful collection of words from the $1 bin, but I have been collecting them for a couple years. Just grab a couple when you go. They replenish every couple weeks!

Well, hats off to you. Hug your kids, love your hubby, mail a card to a friend, and be thankful for what you have!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Frankie~~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 13:42:00 +0000

When I saw this little guy lying in the bin at the store, I had the idea here. I stamped him in blank ink onto Wasabi cs. Then cut him out! I ended up going over the black areas in his hair, pants and shoes with my marker to make it a crisper black. I thought he needed a touch of color so I clipped a tiny piece of Pumpkin Pie cs and added it over the "patch" in his pants. The scallop circle is Wisteria Wonder. Finally I added those boogley eyes again! They are available in so many sizes. I recommend you get lots to have on hand. I have added them to all kinds of things!

One more for tomorrow, that happens to be my favorite, sort of. They are all so cute! See ya tomorrow!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Monster Mash~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:21:00 +0000

I could NOT resist this cute little guy at my LCS this week! I don't really do halloween, but these lil' monsters remind me of that old Monster Mash song? Do you know it? He was $1! So he came home with me~~

I kept these very simple. Here I added some Wisteria Wonder ink to the base with an old retired stamp called Weathered. I chose Lucky Limeade for Frankie.....!

And here I added some "boogley eyes" for additional interest!

Isn't he cute!!!!

I have two more to show you with Frankie! Come back soon----

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

From Club~~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 14:01:00 +0000

Hello again! It's been a busy time. First, we have been short handed at work, so my 30 hours weekly has been anything BUT 30 hours for a few months actually. It was just recently complicated further by a co-worker moving out of state. It takes FOREVER to hire someone so.......I have been working 35-40 hours for quite some time!

The granbaby (and his parents!) came for a week long visit and it was TERRIFIC! And as you know, granbaby time trumps stamping time all the time!

So here is a card that we made at club in September! I think it is the last unpublished photo I have so I better get crackin!

The layout if FLT93 over on the CAS blog. I started with Espresso CS and moved on to Poppy Parade and Pear Pizazz. I used the French Foliage SS, a favorite for fall! The third ink color you see there is More Mustard. The greeting is from Just Believe!

I will leave you with a shot of myself with two of my gorgeous daughters........we had some girl time out! I am a blessed mama!

We went out for dessert at The Texas Road house! Thanks for the fun times girls!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Sunshine~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:01:00 +0000

"Sunshine, on my shoulder, makes me happy!" Remember that oldie but goodie! Something about this Sunflower stamp makes me think of that song! Was it John Denver?

I found this big stamp a little challenging to ink up. It is large enough that you need to lay it down face up and hold the ink pad to coat it. But patting or tapping the ink pad doesn't get very good coverage, so pressing and twisting is required, but then I get lines that I can't make go away completely. I had to do this one several times. It is probably less noticeable on a slightly darker color of CS, but it was a challenge on Vanilla. Worth the effort, but challenging.

I used Soft Suede ink on the vanilla CS and matted on Soft Suede CS. Then I used the dotted ribbon punch to create toe faux ribbon on the front with Daffodil Delight CS. Oval punches finished it off. I found this lovely card in the gallery over on SCS by stamperjeno. Thanks! Simple and fun!

Don't forget it is mail-a-card-Monday!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Oh Summer, where for art thou?

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 14:10:00 +0000

I never wish away summer, but I always wish away winter....so I am not really ready for fall yet because that means winter is right behind it. Having lived most of my life in San Diego, I much prefer warm temperatures. I think snow is wonderful and pretty, from inside the house or on TV. I lived six years in the high altitudes and dealt with snow so much that I am "over" snow. I like to say that snow and wind (we get a ton of wind here in my little valley) are 4 letter words. Please don't say them.

I do, however, like to make fall cards! I like the colors and the leaves and the calmness of them. I liked the card on SCS by picard76 a lot, so I came up with my own version. The SS is french Foliage, and the colors for ink are Old Olive, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, and Chocolate Chip. I started with Very Vanilla CA. The main focal point has a square of Mustard ink in it. Wonder how I did that? I took my square clear stamp block and applied ink directly to the block. When pressed to the CS you get a look that is soft and almost fuzzy. Then I added the leaves and so on.

Happy Sunday, may you be blessed and loved!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Fall is in the air~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 13:42:00 +0000

What a week it's been for me. Sorry I haven't posted much, but then I suppose you're used to my random spurts of posting!

I CASed this one from SCS! The three pieces of CS are Old Olive, More Mustard and Cajun Craze. I ran them thru the Cuttlebug with an embossing folder to give them some dimension. The leaves are stamped on the Very Vanilla CS in the same colors of ink plus Chocolate Chip. I like the look of torn paper, so that what I did along the top! Lastly I added some linen thread tied around the end of the Vanilla piece~~

That's about it, very simple and fast. The finished card size is 5.5 x 3.5 A fun new size to work with!

Stamp Club today girls! See ya later!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Reverse Masking!~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:26:00 +0000

Hi there! I have been playing with French Foliage this week as the fall temps have been showing themselves. It seemed appropriate!

This technique warrants the blog post!

This is reverse masking! I cut a 2.75 x 2.75 inch square from the center of a 4.25 x 5.5 piece of CS by first cutting a 2.75 inch square of CS. Then I used an Exacto knife to cut around the square which I had adhered to a 4.25 x 5.5 piece of CS.( I did it that way to be sure that when I centered the square onto the card front I was stamping on, that it would be truly centered.) I then placed a small amount of adhesive onto the mask to hold it in place, and laid it onto the Vanilla CS I would be stamping on. Then I sponged, with Pumpkin Pie ink, into the square. Then I added the leaves and dots and whatnot while the mask was still in place. When I removed the mask, I got the nice square full of images you see! (clear as mud?)

There is Pumpkin Pie CS behind the main image, but it's the Pumpkin ink I don't care for. It came out to orangy. Maybe if I had used More Mustard.....anyway, the technique is cool! Check out www.Splitcoaststampers.com for a tutorial!

More French Foliage cards to come! Stamp a little today k?

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

The little things~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:57:00 +0000

I tried another card with the FTL #156 from the CAS blog!

I used my Cuttlebug narrow strip embossing folder to create the pattern behind the circle image. I used my tiny circle punch to create the Pumpkin Pie circles inside the flowers on the embossing! The color combo came from the Color Coach, and I added Crumb Cake for a neutral. Once again, my $1 bin greetings hit the mark!

Have you ever seen an item of clothing on someone and thought, "that would make a great card!" I have! Next time that happens, stop and jot down some notes......what colors were in the clothing, what stamp set do I have that would be great for that? Then put those notes with your craft stuff and when you need some inspiration, ta-da!

Happy Wednesday to ya~~~

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Birds and Bees'----without the bees~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 08:01:00 +0000

I really like going to the CAS blog for inspiration, because when I do, about 1/3 of the thinking is done for me! I can create an original, but I don't need to figure out where to put stuff! I just choose colors and stamps and go! So many times I find a cute card to CASe, but I like it so much that I don't really make it mine. I just copy, and I am pretty good at that! But with the CAS blog, it is more my creation! Capeesh?

I used the new In Color, Pool Party for the base. The color selection came from the Color Coach, and I added So Saffron and Not Quite Navy. The bird is from PTI and the sentiment is from my score at the $1 bin last week! Aren't they great!

The CS and ink are, of course, SU!

This is FTL #156 on CAS. Some have used ribbon for the narrow strip behind the circle, some have used DSP, I went with stamping! I have these great circle border stamps from PTI that I rarely use, cuz I don't really know what to do with them. But they were perfect for today!

Tomorrow I will have another card to show you using the same layout. I actually have a library of sketches on my computer that I refer to when I need something to start with! Try it!

~~ Blessings ~~

Shelli

Dude!~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:27:00 +0000

While blog surfing yesterday, I came across THIS card by Julie D.! I knew I could recreate it, and it was so great that I made just a few changes.........go see!

I was especially impressed by her reverse "kissing" technique. After I inked the skateboarder guy with Soft Suede ink, I used the dotted stamp from Extreme Elements and pressed it onto the inked skateboarder, this lifted some of the ink off and created the cool look you see there!

The circles are Lucky Limeade as is the ink on them. My little happy birthday greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (if you don't own it, you should!)

I am enjoying a day off work today and so is my hubby! We almost never have time off together so I am looking forward to it~~what fun things will you do with your family today?

Here is a parting shot of my Granbaby! He will be 18 months tomorrow and he LOVES Thomas The Train! I get to see him later this month and I CAN'T wait!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

The Camera Returns~~!

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:52:00 +0000

Well, when my camera finally returned from Disneyland, it's memory chip would not allow us to add any new photos, and it took me a couple weeks to get "into town" to get a new one......the joys of living in the sticks!

It's all the same I guess since I have been working a lot of extra hours and haven't really been stamping anyway......just the tiniest little bit!

I knew when I saw it that the Berry Blossoms DSP was a must have! I adore the rich colors in this set! Don't forget, it's okay to stamp on DSP, as I have done here.......there is no law against it!

I used the layout from the CAS blog, #155.

My CS is Calypso Coral with Espresso and Lucky Limeade and a hint of Wisteria Wonder. Great colors!

Here is a closeup of the words on the DSP. I hit pay dirt at my LCS last week! I found 10 awesome stamps in the $1 bin! Woo hoo! I was excited, AND I had a gift card from my recent birthday, so even better right!

Even though Monday is a holiday in the US, it is still Mail-A-Card-Monday! The postman will have to wait til Tuesday to pick it up, but you can still mail it!

~~Blessings~~

Shelli

Missing Camera~~

noreply@blogger.com (Shelli Deckard) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:01:00 +0000

My camera went to Disneyland this week with my darling daughters. To say I am jealous of their fun is an understatement. I am excited for them and their first road trip together, but it is a weird feeling to have my children take off to California without me.....really weird.

Anyway, the point of that musing was that I can't take new photos. So I went fishing in my file folder in the computer and came across a few great cards that I did before I had a blog!

This was done at a 10 for $10 class I taught once. Simple coloring on the stamp itself makes this two color image possible. Of course I used my SU markers. I adore them! Thanks to my mom for getting me the original set for Christmas one year! After two color renovations, I have had to redo them but the case and a few of the markers are original. They really do last a long long time!

Have a great weekend! See you back on Monday (unless I get especially motivated when my camera returns!)

~~Blessings~~

Shelli