A Blog Called Wanda

I'm still here - saying hello

 

 

Hi my friends. I'm still here - thought I would say hello today. I wasn't sure if I should post something or not, but then I figured I need to keep it real. You guys are like my crafty family - so much love and support you bring me all the time. My father passed away a few days ago and so I sort of checked out from life for a bit. Trying to process a million different emotions. Trying not to cry every ten minutes. I know a lot of you will understand. He was very sick for a long time, and he was a Christian, so I know that he is HOME and at peace.  

The hubs took me out to dinner to get out of the house on Saturday night and we stopped on the way home at this lovely field of sunflowers not too far from where we live. I thought these pictures were scenes from heaven so they seemed right for today. 

I hope all of you have a wonderful day and I'll be back with projects soon. XO 

Nautical Week 2013 Wrap up! Happy Friday!

Ahoy Mateys! Happy Friday.... Although I am a bit sad that Nautical Week is over! I had loads of fun sharing my nautical projects with you all this week. Thanks for coming along on this ride with me! Today I have a set of classy Thank You cards to share - to say thank you to all of you for your kindness and bloggy friendship! 

Resharing one of my favorite Nautical Instagram shots from earlier this Summer...to remind us to be free and set sail....

 

For my cards I used a pretty stamp set from Stampin' Up (it's called By The Tide) along with a classic sentiment courtesy of Paper Source. My technique is one-layer stamping, which I hardly ever do. Good reminder to go back to the basics - because it always works. I really like how they came out.

My card bases and my layers are all a pretty, creamy vanilla cardstock. I think that just makes everything seem more fancy, don't you? I stamped the text first in Distress Linen ink...Then added all my pops of color. The sentiment was stamped in Stayzon ink to make it really crisp. 

Here's a side view/close up. I love anything that says Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket! The hubs and I got married on Cape Cod and explored the islands on our honeymoon. It was magical! 




































THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! For coming along on Nautical Week 2013!! Yay!! Have a wonderful weekend everyone! 

Okay, on a totally different topic! I have (partially) recovered from the BIG GIANT FUN that was Wednesday night's Bruno Mars concert! Here are a few pics I snapped with my iPhone! Look how close we were!! OMG. I have been to about a billion concerts in my life...and this one is definitely in the top ten! Awesome, energetic, cool show.  

Okay, now that's really it for today! XO

 

Nautical Week Day 4 - Whales!

Hey friends and fellow nautical lovers! Thanks for coming back for Day 4 of my Nautical extravaganza here at A Blog Called Wanda! SO happy to have you here again! Well....I am SUPER tired today for a VERY good reason! At the last minute yesterday afternoon, one of my friends at work and I decided to go to the Bruno Mars and Ellie Goulding concert last night here in Sacramento! OMG what a show! It was fabulous!! Thanks to Stub Hub (which I totally recommend) we were in the sixth row on the floor...for much less than face value on those seats. Score! You know how sometimes you just throw caution to the wind and go do something fun (on a work night no less)??? I'm so glad we went.

Okay, so on with nautical week! Now, I am a preppy girl from the 80's and I used to wear lime green pants with pink Polo shirts and penny loafers with no socks... I still have my copy of the Preppy Handbook that I bought new in 1980. And, I also still have my original Vuarnet sunglasses from that same year. You get the picture... That being said, whales are fun, cute and preppy....and nautical! SO today's post is dedicated to the whale. I have three cards today!

Yup, I went there. Lime green and hot pink whales! This little whale die is new this season from Memory Box and I kept it clean and simple. Added some scallops and a little border and this one was done!  

Next up is a banner card with a little whale on some cute patterned paper from the By the Shore collection. I used my PTI banner dies to go to town on the banners and then used some more of those awesome wood anchors from Studio Calico. This was was FUN to make. I just kept adding stuff. The sentiment is from PTI as well. The cloud die is a Simon Says Stamp die!






Here's a close up of my banners and clouds....






Hello Mr. Whale!














And, last but not least, a bright and cheery GIANT whale in lime and bright blue! This stamp is from a Kelly Purkey set and I LOVE him! I made my background from the uber cool chevron die from Papertrey Ink.







I think this card is cuter in person.... The stickles I put on his back kinda makes him look like he swam through an oil slick!! Trust me on this one. He is shiny and sparkly!

Okay sailors! That's what I have for today! Whales....and fun! Thanks for coming by again! Tomorrow is the last day of nautical week (how sad) and I hope you will be back. Leave me some comments!! Have a most fabulous day. My day will involve a LOT of coffee! It was worth it though. XOXO

Nautical Week Day 3 - Shabby-chic-beach Day!

Hi everybody! Welcome back to Day THREE of Nautical Week on A Blog Called Wanda! Thanks again for joining me this week and for having fun with me as I share my love of all things Nautical and crafty! LOL. Today's theme is shabby-chic-vintage-beach! I wanted to use my collage skillz to make some cards too, instead of everything being very graphic all week. I had tons o' fun making these two cards. One is feminine and one would be more masculine. I hope you enjoy them too! And, I hope you are having a fabulous week! 

First up is a card I made and finally used this amaze-balls paper collection from Authentique that I've totally been hoarding! The papers are all from that same collection.... I jazzed my card up with some pearls and ribbon and shells....oh my. 

 

 

The anchors on my card are brown wood and they are from Studio Calico. I painted them with pearl craft paint and then glued little pearls on them. I must say I really like how that came out!! The shells are from a Tim Coffey collection called Seaside Traveler, that you can get at Joann's. The 'postcards' are cut out of the patterned paper. 

Here is a close up of my grouping...some ribbon and crochet trim to go with my shells and anchor...Lots of layers! 

Next up is my masculine vintage card, made using some cool map paper! The paper, sticker, and shells are all from the Tim Coffey Seaside Traveler Collection (K & Company). LOVE this paper! I distressed the edges of my layers and inked 'em up too. 

This sentiment stamp is from Stampa Rosa! Remember them? Love this cool font. I added a dark brown anchor die and some 'rope' to my card. Tried not to go too overboard...get it? Overboard? Hahahaha. 

As I'm saying all week - THANK YOU for coming by to share with me! Have a great day my ship shape friends! XO. Tomorrow is Whales! Thar she blows! Okay, I'll stop with the jokes...It's been a long week though. 

 

Nautical Week Day 2! The fun continues!

Hi everyone! Ahoy! SOOOO excited about all the fun comments and activity yesterday on the bloggy blog! Seems like a lot of you are really into feeling nautical right now too! (I said nautical not naughty!) Thanks for coming on by to see what day two has in store! 

Today's cards are of the CAS variety....lots of white space...and some cool stamps! It's sometimes hard for me to leave all that white space, but I'm working on it. After I made all my cards for this week, I noticed that I stamped two of them with the sentiment "hello there!" So that's the theme for today's part of nautical week. LOL. 

My first card was made with a new stamp set and matching dies from Papertrey Ink. I think I'm in love...sigh... How neat is all that swirly writing? And, in gold ink? To die for! Love how the dies cut exactly around the frame too. I went with the can't fail color combo of navy and gold! I had that sparkly paper in my stash and wanted to use it!! 

 

 

 

That star stamp is the teeeeeeniest little stamp ever! Love it! 

 

 

 

Here is a side view of my layers....and sparkles....

 

 

 

Next up is a wild octopus under the sea! This is a great stamp from Paper Source. They are really into nautical right now too! LOL. I stamped him in bright red and then the did my sentiment, which  is from WPlus9. I added some blings for bubbles and popped some aqua paper with it. I love aqua and red, always. 

 

 

 

One way to add some interest to your CAS cards is to place each layer on foam tape. Simple but yet refined I think. 

 

 

 

So that's it for day two! Tomorrow I think we'll do shabby-chic-beach-nautical day! Yeah, that sounds good! Have fun with me all week...and don't forget to leave a comment! XO

Nautical Week 2013!

Hi everyone! Did you have a nice weekend? I hope so! I was in the craft lab alllll weekend making projects to share with you this week! I have had this idea in my head for months and finally I have done it! So, I present to you.... A Blog Called Wanda Nautical Week 2013! What is Nautical Week? It's FIVE DAYS worth of fun projects all related to the ocean, anchors, sailing, whales, and the beach! WOOOT WOOOT! I am so inspired and I have been hoarding nautical craft supplies for some time now....It was time to put them to good use. 

I hope you will have fun with me all week as I share with you my nautical projects! Today's cards are very bright and cheerful and full of red, white and blue! As the week goes on I will have one day full of whale cards and one day with shabby-chic inspired beachy cards....and who knows what else! 

First up, it doesn't get more nautical than this! Red, white and blue anchors! I used my STRIPE TECHNIQUE again to create my own background paper...

 

 

The sentiment is from one of the Simon Says Stamp Kelly Purkey sets and I love the font. The anchor die is from Memory Box and it's just the right size for cards. I paired it with some crisp royal blue. I love how graphic this is! 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a side shot to show my layers....

 

 

 

Next up I have a fun card made with some Paper Smooches stamps! I combined two stamp sets to make a sailing scene! Have I mentioned how much I looooooove Paper Smooches? I'm sure I have! 

 

How cute are these two friends hanging out on the dock!? I used my trusty Copics to color everyone in, then cut out all the pieces...lots and lots of foam tape later...lol. I just kept adding things! This makes me smile. 

 

 

 

These little nautical flags are too fun.... I glued them onto piece of twine first and let them dry. Then I strung them on my paper using some (more) foam tape. 

 

 

That crab kills me! So funny! 

 

Okay, so that does it for day one of Nautical Week! Hope you liked my cards and hope to see you tomorrow, and every day this week for some fun. I'm also entering my cards in the CURTAIN CALL CHALLENGE which is Nautical themed right now! You should enter too!

Thank you for your support and for coming by. Please leave comments...I LOVE comments! Have a great day! XO

 

Click on the links for the supplies I'm using today! 

InLinkz.com

Trend Watch - Feathers!

Hi there! Happy Weekend! What's happening in your neck of the woods? I've been so super busy out doing some fun things with the hubs and it's been a good Summer so far. It's hot again here and I'll be spending the weekend in the crafty cave staying coooooool. I'm also starting my countdown to college football season... Today I am sharing some cards I also have posted over on the A Blog Named Hero blog and they are all made with feathers stamps!

Have you been noticing the feather trend lately? Feathers are popping up everywhere! Clothes, home decor, paper, and stamps! Hero Arts has tons of cool feather stamps and I've been wanting to play with them for a while. I like feathers because they are organic and natural, but they can also be very graphic and colorful. Really they can take on any look. I've made three cards with different techniques and color combos. Hope you find something you like! 

 

 

For my first card, I used the feather stamp and some bright, happy colors to make a background on some crisp white paper. I love this color combination! I think this would be an easy card to change up to match certain colors or to make it masculine. I like how graphic this is. I added a butterfly for some dimension over my sentiment. All stamps are from Hero Arts! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up is a CAS design in kraft and white - which is always a nice look. I embossed my feathers and my sentiment with white ink and white embossing powder to make it very white! Then I cut out the feathers and mounted them on foam tape. For the twine, I poked two holes in my top layer of paper and fed the twine through and tied it in a bow. Makes it easy! At the last minute I added some brownish blings. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
And, last, but not least, you know I had to go all vintage/shabby/chic with it! LOL. I stamped the feather in grey ink to match the paper and then I distressed all my layers. I used vanilla cardstock instead of white. I left it with no sentiment so I could use it when I need a card for something later.  

 

 

 

 

 

Which card do you like best?! Have you been crafting with feather images at all? Share with me in the comments! I'd love to hear from you. Thank you so so much for coming by today. Have a wonderful weekend! If (big if) I can get my act together I may have something cool going on next week here on the bloggy blog. You'll have to come by and check! XO

FULL SUPPLY LIST IS OVER AT THE A BLOG NAMED HERO BLOG. CLICK HERE! 

 

 

Taylored Expressions July Key Ingredients Kit Launch!

Hey friends! Today is day two of the festivities for Taylored Expressions July Kit launches! This week we're showcasing the awesome Stamp of the Month Kit and the Key Ingredients Kit that Taylor offers. Today I'm featuring the KI Kit along with one of my favorite TE stamp sets called Bikes and Trikes!

Here is my fun card I made for one of my best girlfriends! I am truly happy to have her along on my life's journey! I gave this card to her on Saturday when we took a stamp class together....

 

 

 

 

The KI Kits come with solid papers, patterned papers and ribbon, that all coordinate PERFECTLY! It makes it so easy to make a nice project, without the guess work. Everything comes in a nice package, easy to store, too! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUPPLIES:  Bikes and Trikes Stamp Set,  July KI KIT, Memento Ink, Oval Nestabilities

Please hop around and see what everyone else made with this great Key Ingredients Kit today! 

Amy Crockett

Carole Burrage

Cassie Trask

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Michaud

Monika Davis

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Tracy Clemente

Wanda Guess

Taylored Expressions July Stamp of the Month!

Hi Everyone! Today we're starting a week's worth of fun activities for Taylored Expressions! There is a super cute new Stamp of the Month called Cute Hoot and it has matching dies! There is also the launch of a new Key Ingredients Kit! I've used both the SOTM and the KI Kit for my fun project today! Taylor really does have the BEST subscription kits! This little owl is adorable! Hoot Hoot! 

I kept my card clean and graphic, with a retro aqua color theme....He reminds me of the 50's! 

 

 

 

 

I cut out a bunch of hexagons using the papers from the KI Kit, and then played around with them until I got the look I wanted. I mounted my owl on some foam tape. The background is a cool impression plate, also from Taylored Expressions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUPPLIES:  July SOTM Cute Hoot and Matching Dies, Chickenwire/Woodgrain Impression Plate, Hexagon Stacklets, Blings, Memento Ink. 

Here's a photo of the Cute Hoot Stamp Set: 

Here is the link list for this week's fun! Be sure to check out everyone's projects! Today we are all using the Stamp of the Month and the KI Kit! I can't wait to see what everyone came up with! 

Amy Crockett

Carole Burrage

Cassie Trask

Charmaine Ikach

Jen Shults

Kerri Michaud

Monika Davis

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen

Tracy Clemente

Wanda Guess

A Blog Named Hero - Challenge Time - Inspired by a HA Artist!

Hi Friends! It's that time again...time for another FUN challenge over at A Blog Named Hero!  This time around the challenge is to create a project inspired by a Hero Arts Artist! Cool challenge, right, since they are all so super inspiring! I hope you will play along with us! CLICK HERE to go to our post to enter your project!! 

I did not have to think very long before I decided which artist to be inspired by. I have had this one cool project of Lisa's saved on Pinterest and thought it would be perfect for this challenge! I love everything about her project - the colors, the mix of elements, the tags....well...all of it! I decided to ink up some tags and then mount them onto a card. I used a lot of new stamps and some pretty floral paper! 

 

 

I loved combining all this color with the distressing of brown ink - it just really works. This is such a neat color palette too. I just kept adding stuff! I first inked my takes with the Plaid stamp in Linen Distress ink...and then played! 

 

 

 

I really like this "happy thoughts" sentiment. The alphabet is new...and comes with the cute heart stamp too. FULL SUPPLY LIST is on the A Blog Named Hero Blog with links! 

 

 

 

I mounted my tags on foam tape and added some twine and buttons for a little more color. This was just plain fun to make. No rules, just stamping! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you sooo very much for coming by my blog today! I really look forward to seeing your creations in our challenge this time! Hope you enter! Have a great week! I'm off to put my feet up. Hubs and I went up to Lake Tahoe this weekend to see the B-52's in concert and we are too old to party anymore! I gotta go to work tomorrow! LOL. 

 

 

Taylored Expressions Share Joy Campaign!

 

 

Taylored Expressions is launching the Share Joy Campaign, which will be an on-going venture with different charities. The charity for July is Hospital Chaplains which is near and dear to Taylor and Jon. In honor of this month's charity, we are sharing encouragement cards today on our Design Team Blogs. I'll get to my card in a bit, but first I wanted to share with you a note from Taylor and Jon about what this means to them...

The Share Joy campaign is an invitation to celebrate the joy of card making and to share that joy with others.  The gift of a handmade card can bring a smile to anyone’s face, and we want to bring as many smiles as we can to the faces of people around the world!  Please join us in creating and sending handmade cards that will make a difference in the lives of others. The details for you to play along are at the end of my post! 

This is just the beginning and we will be donating the cards to various charities as time goes on and twe are staring by sending this first batch of cards to hospital chaplains throughout the U.S.  TE stamps are not required, unless you want to be considered for the opportunity to have your card featured on the TE Store homepage (very cool, right?)

 

 

I have been stamping for 20 years now. People often ask me why I stamp (and blog) and I always say...'because it brings me joy!' I love making a special card for someone and knowing that I can brighten their day. It is so pure... And I think that's why it's so powerful. It's positive and creative and loving all rolled into one activity. What's not to like? 

Here is a close up of my vellum flowers...so soft and pretty...

 

 

I want to make sure to give proper credit for this AWESOME idea to make the card like this. It came from a card done by one of my idols - Betsy Veldman. Please CLICK HERE to see her post with directions and share the blog love.  The minute I saw her card I knew I wanted to try it. Here is my side view so you can see the card-in-progress...

 

 

Side view of all the layers. On the back, I put a second layer of blue to match the front - so it looks finished on the inside as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUPPLIES:  In The Word Stamp Set, Circles Cutting Plate, Elegant Butterflies and Overlays Dies, Label Stacklets 2 Dies, Mini Leaves Dies, Petal Pop Ups 2 Dies, Memento Ink.

CLICK:  Share Joy Details and Rules

Everyone is making "encouragement" cards today - won't you hop around and take a peek?! See that long list of designers?? Woo Hooooo! 

Carole Burrage

Cassie Trask

Charmaine Ikach

Courtney Kelley

Danielle Lounds

Jami Sibley

Jen Shults

Joan Ervin

Kerri Michaud

Lori Craig

Melody Rupple

Monika Davis

Rachel Sztonyk

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tammie Edgerton

Taylor VanBruggen 

Tracy Clemente

Wanda Guess

 

Taylored Expressions - New Web Store Launch Party starts today!

Hi stamping friends! You all know that I am on the Baker's Dozen Design Team for Taylored Expressions.... and today is an exciting day for Taylor and her crew! They are launching the newly re-designed web store today! Awesome news! So you know the crazy TE gals never miss a chance to do a blog hop and today is no exception! Here is Taylor's new logo - so fresh and pretty! 

Today we are all showcasing a FREE...yes I said F-R-E-E stamp set you can get just by making a $20 purchase. Lemme tell ya, it's really cute too. The Exclusive stamp set is called Summer Love. Check the webstore for details! 

 

Also, you need to get right on over and set up an account before Friday in the TE Store. Taylor is going to randomly select 10 people to win a $25 TE Gift Certificate! Yipppeeeeeee!

The rest of the week has fun activities too and on Wednesday we will have another blog hop called Share Joy and I know it's going to be spectacular. You will have the chance to make cards to donate to charity with us and the winners will be shown on the intro page to the TE website! Sounds great! More details to follow.

Here is my card for today made with the Summer Love Stamp Set! Lots of fun, and perfect for Summer. I chose some light and ice-creamy colors for the cute little truck and lots of summer clouds...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are my Copic colors for this card...

 

 

 

I so love that cute smiling sun! 

 

 

 

SUPPLIES:  Summer Love Stamp Set, Sunny Days Stamp Set and Dies, Clouds Duo Dies, Banner Stacklets 1 Dies, Copics, Memento Ink, Prisma Glitter

Visit Taylor’s Blog for details on how you can win a $25 gift certificate just for setting up an account and make sure you check out our fresh new look at www.tayloredexpressions.com

 

Happy 4th! Sharing my photos from the ocean....

Hello! Happy 4th of July! Happy Independence Day! I love this patriotic holiday and relish the chance to celebrate the love I have for my beautiful country. What an honor and a priviledge to be an American! I have been so lucky in my life to see much of the USA in my travels. I've been to the 'four corners' as I like to call them: Alaska, Hawaii, Key West FL, and Maine.... and most places in between. BUT, my favorite places are always near the ocean. About a month ago the hubs and I took a trip to Carmel-by-the-Sea to celebrate 20 years together. It was a great trip....no TV, no computers, just us....relaxing, taking photos and being still. I finally got around to choosing my favorite pictures from our trip and thought today would be a good day to share them. I hope you and your families have a great holiday! 

Here is a beautiful home in Pacific Grove - we met the owners - they were outside working in the front yard! What a cool old house. 

 

 

 

 

This is what we came for....

 

 

 

This might be my favorite photo from the trip!!! I followed him with my camera until he was right in front of that rock! I shall call him Jonathon! LOL.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a California Condor! These birds are VERY rare, almost extinct, and we were lucky enough to see about 8-10 of them flying above us in Big Sur. Their wing span is eight feet across! I don't really have a zoom lens - this is how close they were!! CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO  

 

 

 

San Carlos Cathedral...

 

 

 

BIG SUR! Can you see Bixby Bridge in the center of the photo? Also, can you see the cows!? This picture depicts California to me....

 

 

 

The fog is rolling in - what a lovely sight....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

California Poppies in the wild...everywhere! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this photo because it shows how quickly the weather can change... On the left side of the photo it's a bright sunny day... On the right side it's foggy. Perfection if you ask me. This is at Pebble Beach on 17 Mile Drive. 

 

 

 

The world famous Lone Cypress Tree....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 18th hole at Pebble Beach - golfers coming in for the day...

 

 

 

 

 

The La Playa Hotel...

 

 

 

 

 

 

I fell in love with these old fashioned roses. Oh my. They were the prettiest and softest shade of peachy pink. It was hard to capture the feeling of them...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Downtown Camel-by-the-Sea, Ocean Avenue...

 

 

 

I loved this necklace at the J Crew store so much that I bought it! I love this look - the denim jacket with the funky plastic flowers. Awesome. Every trip needs to have a little shopping, right??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carmel Beach the morning we left to come home....until I see you again old friend.... 

Happy 4th of July Week! Patriotic card with a color twist!

Happy 4th of July Week! Whew - lots going on this Summer already! Here it is time to do fireworks, have a BBQ and celebrate our freedom! What are your plans for the 4th? I have a four day weekend from work so the hubs and I are going to head to San Francisco for a mini getaway using some hotel points - get some fog and do some shopping! Looking forward to it already. I hope you have a great holiday too! 

It's one of my days to post for Taylored Expressions and I knew I wanted to make a patriotic card of some kind. So, I got out all my amazing TE supplies and all my red, white and blue paper.... Well, nothing came to me... Then, BAM! It hit me! Gold and Cream! Huh??? Have you noticed the 'gold' trend lately in everything crafty? People are making the most amazing projects using glitter, and gold paper, and sequins.... I thought I would give that a go instead. I'm rather happy with how this came out if I do say so myself! LOL. 

 

 

 

Yes, I only used cream and gold!!!! This gold paper is kind of a burnished gold color which is very rich... I embossed the USA in gold ink with gold embossing powder. I think my embossing powder is old, so it didn't quite stick to everything...but then I ended up liking it! Hahaha.  

 

 

 

 

For the background I used the Ray of Sunshine cutting plate and just used half of it. The heart was embossed with the music side of one of the awesome TE impression plates! I had so much fun making this card!! 

 

 

 

Here is a side shot to show all my layers! 

THANK YOU so much for coming by my blog to check it out! Best wishes for a wonderful holiday! Happy 4th of July everyone! 

SUPPLIES:  Stars and Stripes Stamp Set and USA Die, Ray of Sunshine Cutting Plate, 4th of July Wreath Stamp Set, Banner Stacklets 1 Dies, Reach for the Stars Border Die, Musical Swirls Impression Plate.