Stacked Stones Studio!

I had a great phone call from a friend recently...she was calling to tell me she was pleasantly surprised when she went to her mailbox and found something other than a bill or store circular waiting for her...a little card from me.  My "take away" from that was to realize that in this ELECTRONIC-centric world that we live in....cards and handwritten notes take on new significance.  People rarely get cards "just because" - and when they do it has a high impact. I was headed out to a family get together today...and in addition to the pan of baked beans (remind me to share my recipe with you sometime...it is super simple and always a big hit) I made a quick card. I tend to be a bit "punny" so the sentiment inside says "Thanks for inviting me to hang out with your flock!" Flamingos are a favorite of the hostess so that was really the inspiration for my card...I cut them out on my Silhouette.  Here are a couple of details... I used a re...

If you have been a following of my blog - you know that I am a big proponent of using up my "stash." Oh yes, I love new crafting supplies as much as the next person...but I sometimes have greater inspiration when I try to use what is left in a creative way.  My last blog post showed you two layouts where the "confetti" was actually the stars and hole punch outs from other projects...and I think several of the ribbons and strips of die cuts were also things that were just snippets left from other projects that I hadn't "put away" just yet. So today, I though I would do a quick share because three elements of this card came from "using what is left...from other projects. First...the green grassy hills is a bit of creative cutting and placing from a strip of left over pattern paper. When I make cards I like to use 6x6 paper pads because the scale of the print is appropriate, and you have "pre matched" colors and patterns to wor...

Well hello there friends. I was really hoping to get a video edited for you all today...but I didn't.  So...in the meantime I will share a couple of layouts. One that uses the same technique that I shared in my last video...and one that I am going to show you in the video I need to edit! (I shouldn't even tease should I?) Do you see the flowers?  I used the same technique of masking and quick coloring on these flowers...just a LOT brighter...more Kati-esque than my rather sedate cards!  I stamp a couple extras and cut them out and popped them up to create the floral frame.   A couple of other details...I used my score board to  score two parallel lines on each side of the white paper that I stamped the flowers on.  Here is a tip - mat your picture first and draw some light pencil lines before you stamp....then you only have to color the parts of the flowers that are going to show. Once I had done the stamping and I put the picture back in p...

Well I hope you have had some time for creativity this week...I did - and the thing I am MOST excited about is that I have been able to get back to creating videos for some of my projects!  I have missed getting to share the "process" with you and am super glad to be back on track. I have a fun project to share with you today...using a Papertrey Ink stamp set - A Year In Flowers: Marigolds . It is perfect for this type of card because it is "line art" which works great for doing a little or a lot of coloring....with markers, colored pencils or watercolor. You can see I opted for doing just a bare minimum of coloring. I needed to make several gifts for some friends and wanted them to be handmade...but I had a real short window of time to create them in...so I just had to come up with an idea that had a lot of visual punch but could be created fairly quickly.  These line art stamps were just the ticket. One of the things that I love about working with Papertrey...

Ok...so you all know that I have a tendency to stamp just about everything.  I have been known to alter chipboard embellishments with some custom stamping...stamp a background for a card or layout, stamp a title or even all of my journaling.  I have stamped buttons, metal flowers, acetate and photos. So - it was probably a natural progression for me to take my love of stamping to my fingernails. There is a bit of a backstory.  For the past 25 years, I have worn acrylic nails.  As a teacher and speaker, I KNOW I talk with my hands...it is unconscious....I just do it - and I have just worn acrylic nails - usually in a really understated french manicure.  As a crafter, I can be REALLY hard on my hands....I am always splashing paint or ink and my hands just end up being a mess.  A few months ago I decided it was time to leave the acrylics off my nails and let them just BREATH!  I loved my well manicured nails, but I felt like they needed a break...but...

Summer is full of birthdays in our family...and that is just the excuse I need to get out my stamps and come up some fun new cards...and my family knows that I really can't resist a good pun! Thought I would share this fun little card with you...it is square 4.25 x 4.25.  I used a couple of Papertrey Ink stamp sets and Dies: On The Farm and Hello Sunshine. The sky and grass part of the scene are from On The Farm - and I stamped the sky on a piece of My Mind's Eye paper from a 6x6 pad...love these for card making because they are smaller scale prints that work well for this format. I did a little machine stitching around each of the pieces to give them a bit of definition. The cows in the "herd" were die cut with the On The Farm dies from another piece of My Mind's Eye paper...I love how they look kind of "mod-ish!" To make them stand out against the background, I took a Copic marker and just ran it around the edge...instant POP!...

Have you ever been working on a project and just not known what you needed to do to finish it? I had such a clear idea when I started on these cards. I wanted to create a monochromatic card with a stamped background. Specifically, I had found this set of stamps by Technique Tuesday when I was cleaning my studio...and stamping sounded MUCH more fun than cleaning! As you can see, the stamp set has flowers, leaves and swirls of different sizes - perfect for creating the background. And that was the end to my inspiration.  I should have taken a picture of the stamped panels...I certainly had plenty of time to do that - since I finished stamping them three weeks ago and they have been sitting on my desk just staring at me. Nothing. I had nothing.  Not one single idea. I had two 4.25 x 5.5 panels with pretty purple flowers all over them....and nothing I tried worked.   But then, last Monday I popped over to the Papertrey Ink blog to check out the Make It Monday ...

Hope you all have had a great Father's Day...whether you were celebrating your Father, the father of your kiddos - or any other guy that is a Daddy! This was my first Father's Day since my Dad went home to be with the Lord - and that fact alone made me conscious of celebrating those guys that work so hard to be a good DAD to their kids.  It is hard work being a good dad! I am sure you have your own "list of what makes a good Dad," but I thought I would share what I have been pondering today - things learned from my own Dad or from watching Royce with Weston. You're A Good Dad If... 1. You live everyday knowing that your kids are watching what you do more than listening to what you say...and you give them a great model to follow. 2. You know that while you might be the guy with all the answers to your kiddos - you go to your Heavenly Father for the BEST ADVICE ever. 3. You know that as easy as it would be to say "YES" to your kids, you take the ...

Well, hello there friends! I know - it has been awhile since we have gotten together to chat here...crazy life!  I have been doing some fun creating though - and want to begin sharing some of it with you. This past week, I was really inspired by the cards that Heather Nichols shared for the Make It Monday Challenge on the Papertrey Ink Blog.  If you would like to check out her tutorial, you can see it HERE . I ended up making a set of cards to send to my sister for her birthday...she is a busy Mom and I thought it would be nice for her to have a few cards ready for when she needed them.  These were really fun to make - and super easy. The basic pocket started out as a standard Kraft A2 size card that I trimmed off 1.5" and then stitched up the sides. If you don't want to sew, you could just tape or staple the sides. Before I created the pockets, I left the cardstock flat and stamped a background - starting with the largest stamps first and then filling ...

Ok...so you probably are totally laughing at me - since Thanksgiving was LAST week...but perhaps you will still enjoy this video and find some techniques that you could use on some holiday gifts...(except for the quirky turkeys). I LOVED seeing Tim Holtz make those cute turkeys... you can check his blog out here ....I made a few modifications because my computer is off being fixed and I couldn't print his pattern out to make the heads...so I had to just "punt" and draw my own. I think they turned out cute. I also have an idea for a way to use the rosette die for some Christmas projects so I will be back with a tutorial on those soon. Also - I totally will be using this basic card design with some of Tim's Mover and Shaper Dies that are Christmas themed... Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving...and for those of you that reside outside of the US...I am sure that you have days (perhaps not a holiday specifically) where you stop and focus on all the blessings you have i...

Here is a video I did showing a gift I made for Dad a few years ago. He was a professional baseball player...and had quite a collection of pictures and news stories that I was able to use in making the mini. I used a medical file folder...it's construction is VERY sturdy...and I love the long fasteners that make it easy to add additional pages...I think I am going to have to create another project with a medical file folder as a base so I can do a tutorial for you guys. Hope you are all headed towards a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have so much to be grateful for...and know I count you as a huge blessing in my life! {{hugs}} Jann

I love this picture of my Dad. It was taken soon after he graduated from college...and around the time that he and my mother married. Dad finished his freshman year of college and then was drafted into the Army...and served in Korea. He finished up college when he returned...I think he looks so dapper! My Dad was always super healthy. He played professional baseball - and even as he got older he had the physique of an athlete. I think that is what has made the past 10 months so hard. At 84 he was totally embracing life...traveling, hunting with his brother and playing golf several times a week. Back in January he had a regular doctor's appointment and his bloodwork came back with a total surprise...Dad was diagnosed with leukemia. He was referred to an oncologist - but the doctor sent word to Dad's doctor that he didn't really need to see him - the leukemia was so advanced that he would not recommend any chemo therapy for someone as old as my Dad. Even today, that both mak...

 My very dear friend and co-worker lost her husband yesterday.  He was a young man (remember I think you are still "young" if you are within 5 years of my age...yes it is a sliding window - but I'm ok with that!)  - and full of life and love for his wife, his children, his grandbaby girl and his work. In fact, he was in the middle of a presentation at work - and collapsed.  Such a shock to everyone - and we will all miss him very much.  Jess played soccer on one of the teams in Spain when he was younger - and I enjoyed learning a lot about the sport during the World Cup - Jess was a very patient teacher (up until I met Jess and Carole - I only had a working knowledge of Football and Baseball and a willingness to watch Basketball with my nephew) - but Jess sucked me into this sport that was totally foreign to me.  I am sure I will be tuning in the next time the World Cup Tournament is being played - although it just won't be as fun since I ...

Ok...this post is long overdue...but I finally have taken all the pictures. It is going to be a bit long - so hang with me here.  When I was doing the BIG STUDIO overhaul - I found a few kits or collections that were left over from classes that I have taught over the past year.  As you all know, I teach at local scrapbook stores and scrapping retreats, and I almost always end up with an extra kit or tool because someone cancelled or I had to buy a certain number of a product.  I am getting ready for the fall and spring round of classes - and need to move these things  out to make room for the new inventory. I would love for them to go to a good home...could it possibly be yours? *smile*  I only have one or two oftmost of these kits... If you click on one of the Buy Now Buttons and I have already sold it, you will get a message that it is sold out - and you can come back to this post and keep shopping. (shipping will be added at check out) My Mind's Eye...