Valentine project #1

So here's the card I came up with for my Valentine workshop. Is there anyone out there who doesn't just love the Crab & Company set from Stampin Up? I thought it would be a unique and unexpected set to use for a Valentine. I had two other attempts before this card, but they ended up in the trash. I'm pretty happy with my end result.

I used eggplant and pomegranate SU cardstock. Inks were SU versamark, rose red, eggplant and creamy caramel was used to sponge over the sentiment. I got the ribbon at JoAnn's for $1. And don't we all agree that everything is cuter with google eyes?

Now, I just need to come up with two more projects for my workshop. I'm still deciding how I want to embellish the Target mailbox and then I think the other project will be a nugget box. I've seen so many cute ones and figured that now is as good as any time to give it a try.

I've decided that for my workshop, I'm going to use totally different color combinations for each project (that's my attempt at thinking outside the box a little). I attended a stamp workshop back in December and we made five different projects, but they all used the SAME patterned paper. By the third project, I was ready to scream!

Oh, I've also added a picture of the birthday cake I made last night. It's a giant S'more and was a huge hit with my kiddos.

Harvest Moon

After doing laundry, running errands, going to Taekwondo lessons, going out for dinner and making a birthday cake, I finally got to sit down tonight and play with my new stamp from Hambo. Here are all the juicy details:

Cardstock - SU Groovy Guava

Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye (confetti)

Main image - Hambo Stamps "Harvest Moon"

Sentiment - American Art Stamps

I colored the image with my Copics and added dimensionals under the hat and the shoes. The picket fence was bought at Michaels for a quarter! I used a circle punch on the front of the card and stamped the sentiment on the inside.

And of course...would any card be complete without Stickles? I think not.

Greedy?? Perhaps....

Look what I got in the mail today from Monica at Hambo Stamps. I can't wait to ink it up and play tonight. Hopefully I'll be able to create something "blog-worthy".

I'm sure most of you can tell that I went to Target today. I remember last Valentine's Day when EVERYONE on Splitcoast was talking about these cute little mailboxes. Of course, I went to all of my local Targets and couldn't find any. Well this year I hit the mother lode! I saw them out of the corner of my eye and grabbed every single one of them - 20 in all.

Don't worry, I won't be using all of these myself. I decided to host a Valentine workshop at my house. Each person will get to decorate a mailbox in the color of their choice, make a Valentine card and a nugget box for their sweetie. I'm not a Stampin Up demonstrator, but I thought it would be a fun way to spend a weekend with a house full of my girlfriends. My friends are still persuading me to sign up with SU, and they've almost convinced me. I think I may give it a shot next month and see how it goes.

I'm going to spend the next week or so trying to come up with some cute designs for my workshop projects and I'll share them as I get them completed.

I'll also be using some of these mailboxes for blog candy sometime soon!

Cured yet?

Does anyone else love this image from SU's Farm Fever set as much as I do? It's just so cute!

The card base is Purely Pomegranate and the rest of the papers and ribbon are from my scrap bin. When I finished the card, I thought it needed a little "something", so I grabbed my two favorite punches from SU, the spiral punch and the photo corner punch and reached for my Blue Bayou card stock.

For the ribbon, I used a craft knife and made a slit at the top of the card to pull the ribbon through.

Thanks for looking - be sure to check back soon for my first blog candy giveaway!

Hip Hip Hooray!

I just love this set from Stampin Up! It was the only set in last years catalog that I just HAD to have right away. I think it was one of the first stamp sets that I got which was really cute for making kid cards.

My cousins daughter is going to be three next week and she's a petite little thing. I always think of her when I see the little mice image from this set.

I couldn't find any background paper that really matched the colors I was using, so I made my own with the four smaller images in the set (cupcake, party hat, present and confetti). I used my SU ink spots - cameo coral, certainly celery, so saffron and orchid opulence. I used the Marvy punches on the main image and colored in with my Copics. I used the mega oval from Memory Box stamps to ground the image and used my paper piercer on the scalloped edges of the large punch. The ribbon was from the $1 bin at Michaels (gotta love that).

Doodle Dress

My hairdresser just got engaged and her colors are going to be pink and white. Thought I'd whip up a little something to congratulate her.

I used the large flourish from "Doodle This" and the top of the dress image from "Bloomin with Happiness" to make the main image on the card. (both of these stamp sets are from Stampin Up). I colored with my Copic sketch markers (RV11, E04), and added some bling and mini pearl beads. I also traced over the hanger with a silver marker and used clear and pink stickles on the dress to give it a little sparkle.

The sentiment was from the $1 bin at Michaels and I separated it and used my tab punch. The edges of the tabs and the main image were sponged with SU's Rose Romance ink. The black and white photo in the top corner is a sticker that I've had FOREVER! I knew I saved it for a reason!! The little heart cut out is from a scrap of Love, Elsie patterned paper and the two round brads at the bottom were black and dipped in SU's Dazzling Diamonds.

Since this card is for my hairdresser, I've been trying to think of a cute saying to put on the inside. So far I've only been able to come up with, "Hope your marriage is full of "highlights". If any of you have some cute suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Manly enough for ya??

Does anyone else out there have a really tough time making cards for the guys in our lives? I just love all of my cute little buttons, pretty ribbons and Prima flowers, but they don't exactly scream testosterone ya know?

I've been working on a golfing themed fundraiser for my sons 1st grade class and have gotten so many generous donations from local golf courses. I decided to make some thank you cards for all of the guys who made the donations and thought that my House Mouse stamp would be perfect.

I used my Copics to color in the first image and an auqa painter and reinkers to color in the second card.

For the second card, I stamped the image twice and used my 1 inch circle punch on the golf ball and added it to the other stamped image.

I must say that I was VERY proud of myself for tying a perfectly flat bow on the first card - another challenge for me.

Thanks to all of you who have sent me so many kind e-mails and comments to welcome me to "blog-land".

Bubble Queen

In honor of my first official upload, I thought it would only be appropriate to use the very first stamp set that I purchased through Stampin Up. The set is called "Bubble Queen" and it was retired a few years ago.

I booked two afternoons of pampering at a local spa to celebrate the birthdays of my Mother-in-law, my best friend and my husband. The staff at the spa was so wonderful at accomodating our needs and most definately made us feel pampered.

I thought this set would be cute to make the staff a thank you card. Here are some details on the card. I colored in the stamped images with my Copic Sketch markers - G24, RV11, V04, E04, B21, V15, YG03, Y11, E21, Y08. On the cucumber eyes, I used clear stickles and crackle medium. All of the patterned paper was from my scrap bin and the ribbon was from the $1 bin at Michaels.

Okay...here goes

After browsing several of my favorite blogs for the past year, I've finally decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon!

Let me first start by introducing myself. My name is MacKenzie Bruckler and I have been a certifiable stamping and scrapbooking addict since 1998. I love to look through my old albums and see how much the industry and my taste has changed over the last decade.

Some of my favorite companies are Stampin Up, Basic Gray, Karen Foster and Creative Imaginations. Oh... and I LOVE my Copic markers. My husband got me a set of 72 for my last birthday - what a guy!

I'm hoping that this blog will give me the opportunity to share my cards and occasionally a scrapbook page or altered item. I'm hoping to get some pictures posted this week and I will eventually be adding links to some of my favorite blogs and websites.

On a personal note.....just between us.....

I'm happily married to the best man I've ever known and am privileged to be a stay-at-home Mom to our kiddos, who have given me countless memories to scrap.

I usually start "scramping" around midnight, and am ashamed to say that on more than one occasion, I've watched the sunrise from my workshop window. Yikes - time sure flies when your having fun right?

One of my goals for 2008 is to get a card and a scrapbook page published.

My little slice of heaven is sitting in the kid section at Barnes and Noble while sipping on a Starbucks Soy Green Tea Latte and munching on a bag of Trader Joe's flat pretzels while I peruse the latest paper crafting magazines.