Happy Accident

I was worried about you.

I was worried that you might be suffering without your daily punch fix.

I decided to give you a tiny punch idea to hold you thru the layout share until punching returns tomorrow.

You would have to suffer without this if I hadn't had a happy accident this morning. 

Happy accident doesn't mean I crashed into a car full of clowns,  it means I spied a shape amongst my punch droppings (sounds disgusting, huh?)

I was punching away - struggling, trying every combination of odd things to create a piece of a character when I stumbled on a shape I think you will like.

Lips!

I know we have passed Valentines, but you can always leave a love note for your kids or sweet thing can't you?

Problem:  If you don't LOVE punches you might not have the curly label punch.  But if you don't love punches, why would you keep reading this blog? - so never-mind, I'm sure you can all make these lips today.

I used the HOLE from the curly label then punched a 1 inch circle around the hole.  1.25 circle looks good too - you get a little wider mouth.  You can get fuller lips by pushing your punch 'in' further.

Easy!  And you never know when you might need to leave a little kiss.

Now go make something cute with lips on it - and come back tomorrow for a new punch project.

Scrap the Art - Scrapping Usher

I am loving Scrapping the Art's challenges.  For one, they are fun.  Two, they are challenging to me.  And three, I am giving myself a tiny bit of art education when I research the featured piece.

The current challenge inspiration at Scrap the Art is Daybreak by Joan Miro - a Spanish artist. I suspect most of the entries will be inspired by the colors - how could they not be?  I followed the links to the first few entries - They are WOW cards! Wow Wow Wow. 

I will, however, stick to trying to use the art to inspire my scrapbooking.  (Sorry punch fans - but you can't have copied EVERYTHING I've shown you - you can live without a punch project today.)

Here's what I came up with:

The yellow in the inspiration piece made me immediately think of this photo from the stage of the NBA All Star game last month. The burst of light around Usher as he takes the stage is even a little reminiscent of the star-burst in the art piece. I also used the colors, the thin black lines, a diagonal feature and the black dots. I decided there was enough red in the photos and that red paper would be distracting from the story I was telling so I didn't add any.

Don't get all jealous - these photos look like we had FANTABULOUS seats - and while our seats were good they weren't on the floor.  These photos are courtesy of Jerry Jone's SIXTY YARD WIDE BIG SCREEN in his fantabulous new football stadium.  I mean that baby is HUGE. 

(Fantabulous = fantastic plus fabulous)

The journaling is in black on the blue paper - hard to read in the photo so here it is if you're interested:

The NBA All-Star game was in town this year – on Valentine’s Day. Randy and Scott decided it was the place to be, so they made it a ‘couples’ evening instead of inviting some of the guys to go with them to the game.


While neither Jan nor I would have picked a basketball game as our Valentine’s entertainment, we had a REALLY fun time- dinner at Mariano’s, of course, and then the game.

All I knew going in were the names of a few of the players that no doubt would be there – and which Mavericks had made the All Star team. No clue about anything else that would go on.

I was thrilled when Usher was the opening entertainment. While I am too old and uptight to “approve” of some of his song lyrics, I am not DEAD. This guy is young and Hot and talented and Hot and energetic and Hot.

And did I mention…? HOT!

Wrestler

I have lost track of all the emails requesting a punched wrestler.  I know there have been at least four and I didn't offer these ladies much hope - I really didn't expect to ever figure this one out.

I understand the need for wrestling items. College girl went to her high school homecoming with a wrestler during her Senior year - and down here, in the 'Land of Football', homecoming mums for the girls are the size of basketballs and are approximately the same weight as a large dictionary - personalized with names of the couple and their activities.  The boys wear normal size mums on garters on their arms but they still have to have lots of ribbons and 'stuff' dangling down.

I had to create a mum for this kid (a wrestler) and searched high and low for wrestling items to put on it. Wound up focusing on his other interests because marketers have not yet realized the needs of those who love high school wrestlers.

This probably won't help you with your football floral needs, but might help you with scrapbooks and cards...

These parts are almost the same as Spider-man:
Body - full heart with wide oval at shoulders
Arms - large oval, small ovals
Hands - modern label shortened by small oval - slot thumbs
Legs - large oval, small oval
Boot - Full heart trimmed (heck, I cut so much you might as well just free hand them)

Changes to make him a wrestler:
I switched the upper arms to small ovals (high school - not quite as MANLY yet)
made the boots shorter
gave him a shirt - wide oval punched with small oval for neck and arm holes
gave him shorts  - large oval trimmed over the flesh colored large oval
gave him  - two slot thumbs with fist position (no need for spider webs coming out)
gave him - Stefen Brock (male demo) head
(Stefan didn't know what he started when he sent me that photo and request)

If you aren't a regular reader - the Stefen head is the ornament punch, scallop oval trimmed with star point for hair,word window ears, slot eyebrows, standard hole punch eyes, 1/2 circle trimmed nose, word window neck

You can add wrestling headgear if you want accuracy - but I decided he looks better without it.

Super Stuff

When I think "SUPER" it is usually with "size" and drive-thru and Diet Coke.

But, Chris Riehl, a newer reader, needs a Super Hero for her great nephew. I'm a sucker for little kids plus I love requests that aren't TOO specific.  The Inspiration Fairy works best with a little "wiggle room".

I googled "super heroes" and the Spiderman pose looked the most do-able.  I didn't draw on the web lines but I think the shapes came out pretty accurate.  So here ya go...

EDIT:  Try faux alligator for your "fabric" web lines - see Kris's post HERE

Spidy How To:
Head - wide oval inserted into 1 3/8 circle to snip off just a bit - turn punch upside down - you are inserting just the end of the wide oval through the circle opening and just catching the end in the punch to snip off - attached to body on dimensionals
Eyes - wing from Two Step Bird
Body - full heart with wide oval at shoulders
Arms - large oval, small oval
Hands - modern label shortened by small oval - one hand has slot thumb
Legs - large oval, small oval
Boot - Full heart trimmed (heck, I cut so much you might as well just free hand them)

Notice the hand with the thumb is positioned wrist up - so he can shoot out his web.  I may not read comic books but I saw the movie - I know a few details. 

This is the first hand I have ever been really really happy with.  Modern label may show up as hands in future characters.  I like it!

THEN I realized I could use old spidy as a base for a request I have gotten multiple times.  This is gonna make several ladies happy, but you have to come back for my next post to see what one of my top requested punch art charcters might be.

Wilma! (stretch that out for about 8 seconds)

Remember the end of the Flintstones?  Fred puts the "cat" out and gets locked outside and yells Wilma (3 syllables of Wiii - lllllll - maaaaa!) 

Hee hee, making old Fred has brought back so many memories from that show.  And it reminded me of eating Butter and Jelly sandwiches while I watched.  Actually it was margarine.  And it was Welch's grape jelly.  And it was Mrs. Baird's white bread.  Not exactly nutritious but my favorite early childhood meal. 

Since lots of you commented and emailed that Fred brought back memories I thought I'd give you this easier project. It is almost all circles and ovals - surely you have those?!?

Head - wide oval
Side and top hair - small oval  (I trimmed the side ones straight along her face)
Bangs hair - large oval
Necklace - 1/2 inch circle
Neck - modern label (could just use scrap)
Mouth - tip of small oval in red - piece of standard hole punch in white on top of that.

Draw on your face and hair details following my sample.  Easy!

I'll be sending this to a dear friend - seems like the "Stone Age" since I've seen her.

Yabba Dabba Doo!

After working on all those lady bowlers on Friday, I was inspired to punch one of America's most famous bowlers.

It might be safe to say this is one of the WORLD'S most famous bowlers, just standing here, admiring his bowling ball...

I really wanted to do Fred's "twinkle- toes" pose but feet are almost as HARD to do as hands.

I have so many memories from the old Flintstones show (1960s).  It used to come on television on Friday nights.  Friday was the night my dad regularly worked late at the bank, so my brother and I got to eat on TV trays in the den and watch black and white TV while we ate!  That was a big treat and I really looked forward to it.

Have a need to make Fred Flintstone?  Here is punch list and a photo:

Head - key tag (retired) can get the same thing from a rectangle rounding the corners (approx 1x2 inches)
Beard area - 1 3/8 circle trimmed flat on one side
Nose - wing from two step bird - trimmed just a tiny bit off the pointed end
Hair - small oval trimmed, part of boho blossom
Eyes - heart to heart, standard hole punch'
Clothing - 2 x 1,75 rectangle snipped with large star point at bottom and sleeve openings
Tie - pieces of small oval, modern label, tip of word window
Spots - snipped triangles - use scissors
Arms - heart to heart, word window
Feet - 5 petal flower (trimmed)
Bowling ball - circle, standard hole punch

I wound up drawing his mouth - I tried punching (see the don't need item in the photo) but never could get it right - so grabbed a marker and took care of business - added his ear and eyebrows this way too.

I'll use "my" Fred on a scrapbook page in my BOM (book of me)

Yabba Dabba Doo!

Old School Teacher

Teachers love to hear the pitter patter of little feet

... going out to recess.



Did I hear someone say "Amen"?

See Dick Run.

See Jane Run.

See Ellen teach you how to make the teacher.

Head - word window shortened by re-punching

Nose - point of middle arrow My Way

Hair - piece of ornament

Glasses/eye - NON SU oval punch from my stash, scrap strip

Neck - small My Way

collar - small Heart to Heart

top - small oval

sleeves - square punch offset from square hole

skirt - large oval, snipped with scallop square

feet - 5 petal flower trimmed

hand - slot

ruler - scrap strip

Class Dismissed before that mean old teacher whacks me for all the grammatical errors in my posts!

Third Lady Bowler

Just so you'll have a "spare" ...(groan)

So happy to have my beloved ornament punch back in the current punch drawer! 

I'm loving trying punch characters in ACTION poses!

Would you like to know the punches I used to make this big boob bee-hive bowler?

Eh?

What?

I couldn't hear what you said with the noise of pins crashing in the bowling alley.  I'll assume you said "yes"...

Hair - wide oval bee hive, 1.75 circle bangs - cut then snipped with small star
Head band - 1.75 circle offset from 1.75 hole
Head - beloved ornament
Ears - word window
Earrings - standard hole punch around smallest crop-a-dile hole
Eyes - small heart, standard hole punch - make sure white is showing around the black if you want the "surprised" happy look
Nose - standard hole punch
Mouth - small oval offset from large oval hole
Tongue - small oval punched with heart to heart
Neck - word window
Chest - small oval
Shirt - butterfly, wide oval trimmed flat at bottom
Sleeves - small ovals
Her right arm (your left) word window, flower trio (trimmed)
Her left arm (your right) wide heart to heart
Legs - large ovals trimmed flat at bottom
Ankles - medium arrow My Way Arrows
Socks - piece of word window
Shoes - piece of word window, slot punch stripes

And don't worry - there is no 4th Lady Bowler - that would have to have been a "rear" view and while it would be funny, I'm not going there.  Promise.

so tell me...
Which of the bowling ladies did you like best?

A) side view

or

B) semi-self portrait

Bowler B) is a semi-self portrait because it half (semi) looks like me

and

that chest is about the size of a Semi (truck)  - that is definitely the part that DOESN'T look like me.

or

C) front view

I'll have a poll for voting.

Poll results are in:

61% prefer the front view (in pink)

The other two bowlers were tied at 18% each

and one voter doesn't love any of them.

It is that famous lyric... "You can't please everyone so ya got to please yourself"

My fave was the fat lady.  She makes me grin EVERYTIME I look at her.

Lady Bowler "Strikes" Again

Lady Bowler "Strikes" Again!

Couldn't decide if she was a left or right handed bowler.

These photos are funnier than anything I could say.

Lady Bowler

Gail requested a bowler, male or female.  Since so many of my goofy characters are men (are men just naturally goofy?), I thought I'd try a woman bowler. 

The images I googled to see poses were just hysterical.  When I think about it, the pictures I have of me bowling are pretty funny too.

I am not sure I like the pocket I put on her pants - easy to leave off.

Here is a photo so you can see how I did the shoes

The rubber soles are the throw away part from the new Pinking Hearts Border.

The glasses are from the Scallop Trim - a Sale-a-bration punch - I will cry if this punch disappears after SAB because I just discovered it is PERFECT for glasses.  (You had better get it this month, just in case)  I added a little bling to them just because I could.

Head is circle trimmed at face.

See if you can figure out the rest.

Rest of the Recipes

I am partial to punch art (well, duh) so, of course, my favorite of the recipe swap is from my upline, Jenifer Lange, because she designed these cute cute CUTE punched veggies:

Not exactly "Veggie Tales" but close.  I love them. 

Makes me want to sing "Oh, Where is my Hairbrush?" and "You are his Cheeseburger"

And here are the rest of the yummy recipes: 

(Click on photos to make larger)

Eileen Flannery:

Becky Adams:

Madeline Escareno (still trying to get her to join as a demo):

Sheila Garcia (former demo):

Art Element

I have shown you my swaps for Hot Swappin Mamas before - and here is another one...

I signed up for the "chipboard" element.  Then I put it off and OOPS! -  I need to mail it today PRIORITY mail to get there on time.  No problem - just go to the catalog (mini catalog) for an idea - see what they did for Totally Tess  (cute frame thing), change the colors and a few details, make 10, hop in the car and head to the post office.  That is why Stampin' Up! calls it an IDEA book and catalog.  When you get stuck grab a catalog and copy an idea - they want you to!  That is why they show such cute stuff!

Of course I had to snap a couple of pictures just for you gals - cause it came out CUTE!

Please note that I used the border punch as intended.  I can do normal (occasionally).

Guest Puncher - Joan Hargrove

I almost used an idea from one of my readers for yesterday's soup  page.  Joan Hargrove sent me several (six to be exact) FABULOUS punch art projects that she says she was inspired to make because of moi.  (BIG GRIN here)

So what did Joan send that I could have used on the tortilla soup recipe? 

A soup pot?  No

A veggie conga line? a dancing tortilla?  No and no!

She send me Pastor Punch!  And she has already confessed that she got the idea during a sermon.

The only reason I didn't use this was that I found that video and KNEW Pastor Tom, of Pastor Tom's Tortilla Soup, didn't look like this.  But Pastor Punch is pretty darn clever.  Thanks Joan!  You did a great job. 

Oh, as long as I'm sharing Joan's cleverness, let me show you this one that goes with it.

Isn't she just fab?

Thanks Joan!

Tune in next time for more from the recipe swap - Ohhhhhh the girls did good this month!

"Tune in next time".... how many decades has it been since anyone (besides me) said that?

Pastor Tom's Tortilla Soup

I don't personally know Pastor Tom (although he appears to be from Texas) but I L-U-V his soup. 

I stumbled upon this recipe a few years ago and have fixed it many times.  It is YUMMY! 

So, for this month's recipe swap with my upline and sidelines, I decided to use Pastor Tom's Tortilla Soup.

Here is a video I found of Pastor Tom making his soup.

And here is my recipe for making the bowl of soup from punches: 

Soup - small oval
Inside of bowl - large oval
Rim of bowl - oval ring from large oval punched around small oval hole
Bowl base - 1 3/8 circle punch
Soup Spoon- modern label punch angled against edge of paper so you only get 1 bump and a slant.
Steam - swirly stamp from Priceless
Hearts - Heart to Heart Punch

Assemble as follows:
small soup oval on top of the "inside of bowl" oval - matching bottom edges
rim oval on top of that
if using pattern paper you may have the paper's white core showing on the edge - go around with a marker to darken edge
add all this to the bowl base
Stamp "steam"
position soup bowl
top with "spoon"
garnish with 3 hearts

Enjoy!

Still being lazy

I'm still being lazy but at least I punched something this time (not original - a case)...

I cased this punch art from Brenda Ballesteros - just changing from a girl to a boy.  We had a craft sale for retired items this weekend and the local Karate Studio let us use their space.  Since I had spied this punch art last week, I volunteered to make the thank you card - we'll get Eileen (the glitter queen) to bake the cookies to go with it!

Thanks to Brenda for her timely share of her darling Karate Kid!

Lazy Blogger

I am a lazy blogger today -  I have several things in work but nothing finished so I'm just going to point you to some AWESOME punch art that you are going to FLIP over. 

Nicky Foden says seeing some of my stuff made her feel up to the challenge of punching Cinderella and then she was hooked.  Punch art will do that to you!

She doesn't have a blog, but she has shared on Splitcoaststampers.  Here are the links
Cinderella
Jasmine
Belle
Ariel
Sleeping Beauty

EDIT to add
SNOW WHITE

AMAZING huh?

And I know she has Snow White in work - so keep checking her splitcoast gallery.  You can put Snow White with the dwarfs!

Which one is your favorite?  I'm kinda partial to her Jasmine...

I am a winner!

Woo Hoo  YES!!!!  {{{ happy dance}}}   P-A-R-T-Y    Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah



Ummm....  did I ever tell y'all I like to win prizes?


My buddies from VC_Rocks will attest to the truth of this statement.  And today is a good day (see evidence above) because I am a winner!

I won the very first challenge at Scrap the Art! 

Does my happiness diminish because there were just a few entries - oh no!  These are real artists - the kinda people that make cool stuff out of their very own heads and hands.  COOL STUFF!

Am I a competitive person?  No, not really.  I am a very good (and experienced) loser.

But when I win - I get excited !

Must be a result of the first win I can remember.  Along about second grade, I guessed how many jelly beans were in the jar at our class Valentine's Day party.  And the jar of jelly beans was the prize.  Guess I reenact that sugar high with each subsequent victory.

Anyway - y'all go over and check out the current challenge at Scrap the Art and see what you can do using art as your inspiration!

Basketball Babe

I hope Gale is happy with this little basketball babe.  I like the way she came out...

She is too large for a 4.25 x 5.5 inch card front - so you might need to use "part" of her - or alter her - or make a larger size card.

Here is the how to photo...

Things to do - trim the large oval body by hand to give her some "curves" and nip in with the word window at the neck

The bangs are the 1 3/8 circle cut then snipped in with the small star punch

Pony tail - is curly label punched offset from a curly label HOLE - not sure this is the best solution for a pony tail  bouncing and swinging during her jump - but it works - feel free to improve on it!

Arms are the usual ring - large oval around small oval HOLE

Legs are photo corner punched offset from photo corner HOLE

And I trimmed just a little off the shoe (her left, your right)

I added the hands after the photo - they are the 1/2 circle around the end of a word window HOLE

She is a GREAT player - she stole the ball from yesterday's character.  Way to go girl!

Time for Round Ball

When I was poking around Goggle looking for baseball poses I came upon basketball inspiration. 

You knew the Inspiration Fairy checks into the Google Hotel for rest and relaxation, didn't you? That is where I find her when she isn't hovering over my punch drawer. If you need her, check there. She is often on the clip-art floor or in the cartoon suite.

Anyway, back to basketball...

Obviously a younger player (not a pro) since he is mainly feet (not tattooed muscle). "Mainly feet" is a pretty good description of a lot of young teen boys I think.  Except in real life, he would have much fancier and expensive shoes with some famous logo on them.

I almost did his hair in Apricot Appeal so I could give him a wee moustache and call it apricot fuzz instead of peach fuzz but I figured telling you all that was as good a giggle as actually doing it.

I did have a basketball request from Janice for her grandson so maybe this will get her started.  Janice, if your grandson is younger leave the eyebrows off - those seemed to age him a few years.

Here is a photo I took before assembly (and before eyebrows)

Only part that might not be clear is the shirt - wide oval - cut almost in half - trimmed three times with the word window for neck and both arm holes.  And the hair is just like Stephen Brock - male demo.  And you will notice that some of the word windows were shortened by reinserting them and punching again.

I tried to make a basketball by drawing the lines on a circle but it was much easier to use the "Just Basketball" stamp.  Stamped in pumpkin pie on white - sponged really rust around the edges.

Gale Foster emailed that she needs a girl basketball player so I'll be trying that for tomorrow's post.  I know the pose I want to use.  I guess you will find out tomorrow if I was successful with it or not.

America's Pastime

About a month ago, Ellen (great name!) Williams made some requests... a pizza (which I will probably never do - because I've seen them done already and have nothing new to contribute, sorry!) and baseball anything - player, field, equipment - she isn't picky.

So, while some of you have been waiting even longer for your "punch needs", Ellen (great name!) got Charlie Brown on the mound AND she gets this knock kneed batter too.  I'm not playing favorites just because she has an awesome name - this is just what the I-fairy chose to bless us with.

Obviously this layout is only just begun (humming a Carpenter's song now... "we've only just begun   to live... white lace and promises, a kiss for luck and we're on our way"...)  Ummm.... I mean "take me out to the ball game - take me out with the crowd!"