Toadally Stampalicious

So, there's this little Canadian stamp company that I came across quite by accident (thanks to SCS) and it was started up by a couple of Alberta girls who shared a common love of stamping. Well, they obviously have a fab sense of humour - you should see their images (and sentiments)!

I thought I'd give them a try - you know, support the local economy during times of financial distress and all (that's my story, don't try to make me change it, LOL!) Well, their stamps are STELLAR - clear polymer, which normally gets such a bad rep. Not the case AT ALL.

I don't know if I've mentioned that I'm a rather "lazy" stamper. I mean, I've read all the suggestions to get a better image from your clear stamps: scrub them, erase them, use a foam pad, use only pigment ink,... But, these images came (within a couple of days of ordering them, I might add) and I had to try them out IMMEDIATELY.


They stamped *beautifully* - no help needed!

And the customer service? I had one faulty image, and after a quick email to the company, I had a replacement in my mailbox a few days later. I will *definitely* shop with them again...and again...and again, LOL!

This card is made using their Rockin' Frawg set. He's paper pieced and Cuttlebugged and standing on a stage of Spellbinder Nestabilities. He makes me smile and he "toadally rocks".

Oh, have I neglected to mention the name of this great company? TOTALLY STAMPALICIOUS!

Check them out (sorry, no link as I'm still facing my inner demons there...), but Google knows them well *wink*

SU Retro

A bit of retro SU stuff...old colours, old stamp set, but with a new punch and some "new to me" ribbon (although it, too, is old SU)

This is one of the first sets I bought from SU (Yule Bits & Borders), and I had thought it looked dated. But I was determined, it was NOT going to beat me. I had some previously stamped images that I found while sorting through some of the many clear envelopes of "bits" that have accumulated below my desk.

When I realized just how many images I had all ready to use, I starting thinking to use them together on a card...and this is what I came up with.


I haven't popped up any of the main image, but the thick ribbon (and the fact that I didn't glue all the way down to the punched part), makes it look like I've intentionally added the dimension. Don't you love it when things just fall into place like that?


...and this is the inside, all prettied up!


Less than a month until Christmas...Please tell me I'm not the only one who is in no way prepared!

CTMH Christmas

Do you detect a theme this week? Or perhaps it's just a sense of "impending doom" in that Christmas is just over a month away. Every year, I promise I won't leave making Christmas cards until the last minute, but it's just so hard to deal with snowflakes and Santa Claus when the kids are running in from the backyard calling for popsicles, KWIM?


This uses one of the four adorable elves from CTHM's Merry Pursuits. Isn't he adorable? If you look really closely (or enlarge the image - although then you'll see just how "not perfect" my colouring is) you should be able to see the texture on the red cardstock - made using my SU Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plates

I've coloured him using Copic markers - I'm most proud of the "glow" around the lights, made by simply letting the colour pool from the tip of a lighter coloured marker.







This last image is just to show the dimension on the layers and my strip of matching DSP on the inside of the card.

I originally got this image from the Cdn Image Swap thread on SCS (thanks Shanna), but loved it so much, I had to order it from my local (she lives on my street!) consultant (thanks Kristell!)

So, how are you all doing on your Christmas cards?

More Christmas...

This owl image called to me today. Again, loving popping up part of an image: in this case the eyes and the talons of this little cutie. He's from Cornish Heritage farms and their awesome designer Kim Hughes and I've coloured him using Copic markers.


I've made the clouds by sponging SU Bashful Blue ink over a homemade cloud stencil. The circle sentiment and the little ornament are from CTMH's Just for the holidays. If you look *really* closely, you'll see that the owl's hat is lined with Polar White Flower Soft. Again, I've used a small strip of the retired SU Dashing DSP (oh how I wish they'd offered a full pack of that striped pattern)

This card took very little time to make, but he just makes me smile!

Jolly Old Saint Nick

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...be glad you are only reading this and not hearing my sorry attempts at singing!



I'm in love with popping up parts of images at the moment. Like Santa's face on this SU image (from Jolliest of Holidays). He's also been Liquid Appliqued and glittered - well, I'd meant the glitter to only land on the snowflakes, but it seems the puffed up Liquid Applique was still a bit sticky, so Santa's got an extra bit of sparkle about him...



I've used SU's (retired) Dashing DSP (although there's a similar stripe pattern in the new Merry Moments package - not sure that it has the green in it 'though...), and my often forgotten Spiral punch.

Santa is stamped in Stazon on Watercolour Paper and coloured using my SU markers and an Aquapainter. Glitter applied liberally (you should see the carpet below my desk, LOL!).

Who's cooler than you?

I have a confession to make...

Although I am an avid reader, I have read *NONE* of the Twilight books, nor have I seen any of the films (gasp, I know!). But, that didn't stop me from falling in love with this limited edition digi-stamp from The Greeting Farm. Apparently, this is the infamous Edward.



He reminds me of Danny Zuko (aka John Travolta) from Grease, so that's why I had to use Starving Artistamps' sentiments to finish this card.

I really had fun experimenting with my Copic markers on this card. I'm determined to figure out how to "do" hair like some of those other stamping rockstars!



You'll notice that I folded in the Nestabilities die-cut - not for artistic merit, it was simply too wide for the card!



You might have noticed that I've removed the links from my sidebar and I'm no longer linking within my posts. I'm still fighting my inner demons and contemplating continuing my demoship, but I still haven't signed the new agreement - so I'm practising "being on my best behaviour". Good stuff going forward and I'm going to at least cash in on Sale-a-Bration come January.

I've also spent some time "getting to know" my PSE program a bit better, so I've prettied my pics up for this post.

Sorry, I've neglected posting for a while, but between sickness and visitors (yeah, my next excuse will be how busy it is around Christmastime, LOL!)...

And remember NOBODY's cooler than you :)

guilty conscience

I've neglected my blog again... Thankfully, it's a slow day at work, so I'm blogging from here. Apologies for the "raw" image, but I don't have PSE on my work computer to "pretty it up", centre the image, blur the edges, etc. So, you're getting to see my photography skills at their nitty-grittiest. (my old graphic arts teacher would cringe...)

Perhaps I will replace the image with a new, "prettier" one later, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that, LOL!




So, a while ago I had posted on Facebook that my dad was a pirate...well, he'd had retinal surgery and had to wear an eyepatch, and that was the big joke so that the kids could see the funny side and perhaps not be so afraid of "Granda".

That's why I *had* to make him this card. The sentiment is from a real set (it is *not* computer generated) from Starving Artistamps and as soon as I saw it I knew I'd never get another chance to use it as suitably as this! The focal image is also from Starving Artistamps and it is stamped on watercolour paper and coloured in using my often neglected SU! Watercolour Crayons. The sentiment has been UTEE'd (the new carpet in my basement has now been "christened" as I dropped it sticky-side-down once while heat setting it - grrrrrr!) although it doesn't show up in the picture.

Inside I've stamped another sentiment from the same SAS set. It simply says "ARRRG!"

So, if anyone has any suggestions for getting the last of the UTEE out of my berber carpet (can't see it, but it's really rough - good thing it's recently become sock/slipper weather in these parts) feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments section! I've tried reheating it (slightly...but burning the entire house down would be far worse than a rough patch of carpet under my craft desk) and picking up the melted bits with paper towel and it worked a bit. Now you all know why my blog was named "Stamping ReckLesley"...

Happy stamping!

Blog candy redirection

I've been creating, I've just been very remiss in taking pictures and posting...

But, check out what I stumbled upon this morning...BLOG CANDY worth over $250 Canadian (including StarvingArtistamps - one of their DT is expecting and wants you to guess the gender of the baby). Check it out here and good luck. I'm off to put my guess in now!

An SU! card...

It is with a bit of a heavy heart that I post an SU! card. My demoship is about to lapse and, although I was going to place that required order before month-end, Stampin' Up has gone a bit too "Big Brother" on me (I won't bother going into details, as I'm sure the news is out there if you look hard enough).

I have never advertised the fact that I am an SU! demo, I don't run classes, I don't have workshops. I *do*, however, salivate publicly about their awesome cardstock and matching colours and I *do* greatly appreciate that they allow me to call myself a demo and get a discount so long as I spend a minimum amount of my craft funds with them. I have a couple of friends that place the occasional order from me, but that's it.

I am not on a design team (nor do I expect to be on one any time in the near future), but as you can tell from my *personal* blog, I do like other things...many other things. I also consider myself a very thankful person and feel that I need to give credit where credit is due. To this extent, I feel it shows my appreciation when I can not only provide the info on the products I've used, but where I have bought them (especially noting stellar customer service. I worked in the retail sector for a long time and it was a rarity indeed to get written acknowledgement of a job well done, but when you did, it went a long way...). I also like to hyperlink...therein lies "the rub" as they say.



Anyways, although I own a great many SU! stamps, this is one little gem that I missed out on, but managed to get a few images from my pals (thanks Kristina) on the Canadian Express Image Swap on SCS. It's called Woodland Cottage and reminds me of quite a few of the country homes I saw while back in Ireland.

The card itself is Always Artichoke and I've used Basic Black to mat the image. The DP is from an old stack, so I'm guessing it's DCWV (not linking since I'm not sure ;) ) I've used the SU! Word Window punch to punch out the Doodlefactory sentiment and the tab is embellished with an big SU! eyelet. If the picture was better, you'd be able to see the Crystal Effects (again SU!) on the windows.

I still love SU! and will continue to purchase their products. I will find a current sideline who could use the occasional bit of help to meet her minimums and put her on "speed-dial".

So, now I should have more money to spend on all those other glorious toys out there...it's not all bad then!

(guess I should make a big paper order before month-end...)

Bright birthday

This is an image I got from the Canadian Express Image Swap on SCS. It is called Monstah Bash and is from Stamping Bella (thanks Crystal!)


How fun are they???

They are coloured in "experimentally" using my Copic markers. I was playing with my blender pen when I managed to achieve the gorgeous swirl pattern on the lilac monster in the middle. I'd tell you how I did it if I could only remember (now I have to go back to experimenting all over again!) The sparkly bits (if they even show up) are my Copic Spica markers - sooo pretty!

Again, I've used my Cuttlebug embossing folder to add texture.

The balloons come from the retired (it's a good thing I don't get rid of my retired sets since they always seem to get more use once they've retired than they ever did when they were current. I guess I'm a bit of a "late bloomer") SU! set, Favorite Teddy Bear (I've even spelled favourite like SU! does since *they* named the set). They are popped up on dimensionals and their string is the (you guessed it) retired SU! silver cord. I think they've reintroduced the old elastic silver cord in the new mini catalogue, but this is *not* it!

Circle Nesties, ribbon from Michael's (unknown manufacturer) and the SU! corner punch finish off the card.

Cardstock: Brilliant Blue, More Mustard, Real Red, Lovely Lilac and Basic Black. I can't remember what white was used, but probably Staples brand ultrasmooth...