"Hello Fall" Card

Fall is full of so many colors and smells and tastes. The fresh chilled air just feels like it wakes me up from a hot, sticky summer slumber.... even though I have air conditioning, haha. Anyway, leaves and sunflowers and apples and pumpkins and chili give me so many cars ideas... except for the chili! I skipped fall and made a few Christmas cards, but you bet your britches I'll be making my fair share of colorful fall cards. 

Here's one:

Stampin Up set: For All Things (I bought it just for the hello FALL stamp!)

Stampin Up set: Betsy's Blossoms (or Bitty Blossoms?) used for the center of the sunflower

Stampin Up set: Reason for the Season stamp was used for the sunflower petals

Festive Flower ouch for the yellow petals 

Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia for the green leaves

Distress Inks

Core dinations patterned card stock from Joanns 

Recollections eyelets 

Hemp cord from Walmart 

:-)

"Merry & Bright" Cardinal Christmas Card

Oh my gosh, how I love making Christmas cards!! It's September 21st and sad to say, I've already made about 20 different types of cards for the upcoming 2016 holiday season. I've joined a Stampin Up monthly workshop with my demonstrator and it's so much fun to meet people as obsessed with stamps as I am. I've also invested in a few more Christmas Stampin Up sets. Love love love. 

This card was made with the following:

Tag: Sizzix arrows and labels set (name unsure, but it has about 21 thinlits in the set)

Cardinal and branch: Reason for the Season Stampin Up set (love!)

Ink on the background: Distress Ink Antique Linen

Stamp for the background: from the Gorgeous Grunge set

110lb white paper from Recollections

Merry & Bright stamp: All Year Cheer I I think

Red Stazon ink

And last but not least, hemp twine from Walmart. It ties better than jute in my opinion.

"Happy Anniversary" Card

Stampin Up flower builder punch

Gold Wink of Stella pen

Stamp brand unknown

Recollections shimmer paper

Darice lattice embossing folder

Distress Ink in Vintage Photo & Walnut Stain

Stampin Up Reason for the Season matching stamps for flower veins 

Stampin Up ink in Soft Suede

Oval framelits on Big Shot machine

Recollections pearls 

Mono Liquid Glue

Summery "Thank You" Card

Papertrey Ink jar fillers used with a Deep Red mason jar stamp. Copics used to color. Lemons are embossed. Suhweeeeeet! Love this one. 

Fly Fishing Card - "Thinking of You"

-Stampin' Up's Fly Fishing set (2002): fisherman, lure, fish x3, and Thinking of You

-Copic markers with a horrible result. (I stink!)
-Fish background stamp from Stampin Up's By the Tide

Misc: Memento Luxe ink, Distress Ink, jute, 110 pound paper

My First Totally Insane eBay Seller

After reading what I thought was a confusing listing, I emailed the seller to make sure I knew what was for sale like I've done many times before. I've been bamboozled before, so what's the harm of asking...


Me:
What exactly is being sold here? Totally confused
-----------------------------------------

patstilwell:
I am sorry you are totally confused, that is because you did not read the ad, or the 

title. It says WORDS in the title, then in the ad itself it says Beach Babes WORDS ONLY 

and photo # 2. is exactly what you get. Than another place it says WORDS again, So you 

need to read the ads in everybody's listings and then you won't be confused and won't 

have to ask questions that is already answered for you. I sell tons of these and you are 

the only person that has been totally confused and that is because you didn't read the 

ad.
---------------------------------

Me:
And that's why I wouldn't buy it.
---------------------------------

patstilwell:
You don't need to buy anything from anybody until you learn to read ads. Sorry you failed 

to read it and now it is the sellers fault. This is what is wrong with the world today 

are people like you that blame somebody else for their mistakes!!!! By all means don't 

buy from me because I don't want customers thta does not read to know what they are 

getting and then you would blame me again because you was soooooo confused!!!!! You need 

to also learn responsibility for your own mistakes and don't blame other people for not 

doing your part in what you should already know if you would learn to learn to read an 

ad.
-------------------------------------

Me:
You're crazy. And no one wants to spend 5 minutes investigating what it is you re 

selling. I emailed asking a question about what you re selling because I didn t 

understand, but I see now how nasty you are and how you treat senior citizens. 

MEAN PEOPLE LIKE YOU ARE WHAT S WRONG WITH THE WORLD
-----------------------------------------------

patstilwell:
Do not send me another message. I am a senior too and I sure do know how to read an ad. 

That is the first thing anybody does is read ads in full. It is crazy not too. So don't 

give me that excuse that you are a Senior. I don't use it and I am way over being a 

Senior!!!I have all kinds of customers, how should I know you are a senior. I bet you use 

that a lot for excuses. Get out of my store and I have blocked you from buying from me 

and I will report you for harassment and name calling. This is no excuse for telling me I 

am crazy. You will get reprimanded for breaking rules of Ebay. I know you are fairly new 

at Ebay but that is no excuse, that is for sure. I will turn you in for breaking two or 

three rules here. Shame on you!!!!!!!!
---------------------------

Me:
I already reported you
------------------------------------------------

Copic Conundrum #1

First fact: I'm an amateur card maker and stamper, but find that I am pretty good at picking things up from YouTube tutorials and Pinterest pins.

Second fact: I have invested a lot of money in Copic markers via Amazon (Hyatt's) and Hobby Lobby without being able to properly test and compare colors with what I own; therefore, many markers have been bought that are disappointing and/or are too alike and I just about kick myself for having spent $4-$8 on a marker that I wish I didn't waste money on. There's only so much info you can find on google to compare colors, which is my primary mode of Copic research- that and Pinterest, where a very resourceful woman does Copic Color-a-Day color comparisons. Thanks so much for that. 

Third fact: The entire Copic system is based on the markers' abilities to blend with each other. From my understanding of the Copic numbering system, two markers next to each other are supposed  to be blendable. I know there are many exceptions, but still, I get very disappointed when I purchase a marker that doesn't blend with either of its shoulder partners. This post is about two particular colors in the earth family that, in my opinion, do just that. 

E37 - Sepia

E39 - Leather

Now, which do you think the darker color of E39 is? Go ahead and guess. 

Wrong! The lighter color on top is actually E39. According to the numbering system, E39 is supposed to be darker than E37, and it's not. 

I'm extremely disappointed with my recent purchase of E39.