Yes, I'm Fine

Due to multiple concerned comments and emails, I thought I'd pop in to let you know I'm fine.

Remember, I am no longer with SU and I am still "off" paper crafts, so there is no punch art to share. Heck, I haven't even looked at anyone else's blog in six months so I can't point you to anything new.

So what am I doing?

Just returned from a three week visit to see hubby (he is working in Australia).  Fun!!!

I'm crocheting these days.  I learned how about 6 weeks ago and I'm burning through the yarn - sometime ripping out and redoing multiple times (not proud of that but I'm an honest woman)

My girls are fine.

My oldies are chugging along. Or is that tottering along?  (one of each is accurate)

Hubby misses me (of course). I miss him.

The dog is still a lovable shedding sweetie.

I have the house "fixed" so if we MOVE I'm ready for the realtor. All those little chores you put off are done and I'm 90% decluttered.  There is always something else to give away although the word "barren" came out of hubby's mouth on his last visit home...  Could I have gone too far?

I have lost 22 lbs. (Weight Watchers and exercise and still working on losing more...)

Can't say if I'll ever get back to punching. And I am turning off comments on the blog because I am darn tired of deleting 20 spam comments everyday.  I'll leave the blog up for you to refer to if you find a burning need for one of my old ideas.

Thanks for stopping in and who knows, one day that old Inspiration Fairy might find her way home...

bye bye butterfly.... (sob!)

I'm not a Stampin' Up! demo anymore - but I still know a few (grin) and they told me this morning that 12 punches are retiring this year.  I saw the list and was OK with the losses UNTIL I saw the Butterfly punch and the Heart to Heart punch are getting the ax.

OH NO!!!

Take a look at the list at my right had side bar and see ALL the punch art you can make with the butterfly punch - well, don't even look there - just click this ----> 87 posts use that punch! 

If you like my punch art, and you don't have this punch, BUY IT TODAY before it is gone.  I will not stop using it in my punch art unless mine breaks.  And I don't know of any other place you can find one except Stampin' Up!.   Maybe I need to buy a back up butterfly!

Cleaning Lady

My favorite yahoo group has started up once again (only active Spring and Summer) and Kimm, our challenge leader is getting us ready for a season of creating with a series of challenges.  The first challenge was to find and clean your stamp area. Ladies are posting their before and after photos - gosh, I love seeing where other ladies create.

Because of all this activity,I thought I'd do a little cleaning lady...

Her face was borrowed from a  picture in an old stamp catalog - Stamps by Judith - Judith Kleinschmidt.
Her shoes were borrowed from my memory of Carol Burnett and her cleaning lady character.
Her hair is the postage stamp punch with another piece of it punched next to the hole to give a front layer
Dust pan is the pennant punch trimmed to have a handle
Collar is from the cupcake punch
The rest is the usual mess.

and here without any mess is my clean space....

Hopefully it will be covered in punch droppings soon (and for the next few months...)

Link to more Angry Birds

WOW - I found even more angry birds - I just stumbled across this blog following a link

Check out THESE  birds by Niki Toll -  also with tutorials.

Punch Art - isn't it FUN?

Link to Angry Birds

Just got an email request to make some Angry Bird punch characters and I said I'd try...

But I did a quick google search and found where someone else has already done them - and has a .pdf with awesome directions.  Melissa Stout is a WAY nicer blogger than me.  Check out her work HERE.

Love her bird and pig!

And I love that game.

Still Doing Laps?

Another stamp inspired punch art project - HERE is the stamp set that I saw - from Art Impressions - "Memory Laps".  I took it down to one girl (no lap) in a chair instead of two on a sofa...

Could be used for a pregnancy congrats card and certainly on a scrapbook page.

Prego Woman:
Head - 1.25 circle
Hair - 1.75 circle near a 1.25 circle hole - sponge edges
Bangs - Part of the 1.25 circle that you punched to create the hair hole - sponge to distinguish from base hair and cut a notch.
Eyes - standard hole punch in white and black - add highlight with white gel pen
Nose - standard hole punch - sponge top with pink ink
Shirt - wide oval for belly - full heart upside down for chest - tips of word window for sleeves - all sponged
Arms - narrow heart to heart next to hole of the same
Legs - narrow scraps
Ankles and feet - Full heart next to hole of same - color in black shoes with sharpie

Chair:
2.5 inch circle for chair back -outline in black
1 inch x 3 inch strip for chair seat - outline in black and draw dividing line
medium oval for chair arms - outline in black and draw center oval
black scrap chair legs

I know a mother of twins about to hatch - I think I'll finish this up for her - probably been awhile since she has "done" a lap - and very soon her lap will be FULL!

Mere Mortal

Yes, it is true.  I am no longer a Stampin' Up! Demo.  


I am a mere mortal.

sigh....

I never was a big SU seller.  Just a user.  And during my little break from paper crafts I declined to meet my quota.  The down side of this it that I now have to pay FULL PRICE (gasp!) for my SU goodies.  The upside is that I can talk about and link to other products and sites.  Full price = bad for me.  Linking = good for you.  You win!

Here is my "get back into punching" first project - Lady in Hat

I think she will go with any snarky sentiment you have for a girl friends card.

My inspiration came from an old (March 2005) Paper Crafts magazine and the stamp is Lady in Feather Hat by Victorine Originals.  (Don't know if it is still available).  But this is what made me want to punch again:

I was cleaning out some old craft stuff - saw where I had torn this page out. Her square jaw line made me think of the Curly Label punch and so I opened the second punch drawer, knocked the cobwebs off and tried it.  I think Betty Boop is the only other time I have tried using the Curly Label as a face.

Here is a shot of her parts:

Here is a list of her parts:

Hat - 1 3/8 circle, large oval, another large oval trimmed as shown in photo
Head - Curly Label - face drawn on (copying the Victorine Originals Stamp)
Neck/Chest - Blossom Petal Builder - feather duster one with the tip cut off - curve line drawn for cleavage
Dress - Full heart, point cut off
Arm - Full heart next to Full heart hole
Hand - end of Modern Label repunched with one of the smaller circles
Brim of Hat - small oval trimmed as in photo
Hair - scraps, cut fringe into one end of each and curl with your talented little fingers

Then I added a little flower but didn't have it added when I took the parts picture - you can figure that out!

Disclaimer - I have not yet flattened the hair, stuck it in an envelope and mailed it so I can't say what it will look like upon arrival at its destination.

My sentiment reads "The older we get, the more we should accessorize.  Or is that exercise?"  And here is where I accessorized her (well, at least I bling-ed her a bit)...

Hello to the faithful!

Hey girls!

I can't believe you still come checking on me.  You are too too too sweet.

I had a good long break from punching and I think maybe it is time to restart.  I pulled out my punches last night and had fun... which is a good sign.  I was horribly out of practice... which is a bad sign.  And I need to do a more work before I show you anything but I thought I'd get you caught up on my life before I got down to posting punch stuff again.

She who was "College Girl" and then "Miss Needs a Real Job" has one.  She's working at a Public Relations/Advertising company in a city she loves and having an awesome time.  While she isn't getting rich, she is gaining amazing experience, and getting to use her creativity.  We can officially rename her
"Career Girl".

My baby "She who still lives at home" is now the current "College Girl" winding down her freshman year -  happy as a clam (I guess clams are happy) with her degree choice, her roommate, her boyfriend and her plans for next year.

Hubby is upside down and backwards.  He is working in Australia, which is about as "other side" of the world as you can get from Texas (thus the upside down) And the down under folks are experiencing Autumn while I'm thinking Spring, doing Night while I'm doing Day, and driving on the "other" side of the road (thus the backwards).  He is in the middle of a two week trip home and it is great to have him for at least a little while.

So my nest is pretty empty, but the dog keeps me from total freedom to travel so what else do I have to do but start punching again and blathering about whatever pops in my head?

Thanks for stopping by and expect some punch ideas soon...