Old Reliables

I have only been stamping for a little over 5 years, and I have to say that I feel each year I grow as a stamper. I learn new techniques, I learn a little more about techniques I already know, I find new stuff ... it is all a journey. ('Journey' - man, I do crack myself up sometimes!) So it is a rare thing for me to go back into the archives and re-make a card from several years ago. That's years with an 's'.

But this baby is a card-maker-who-sells-her-stuff blessing:

Not only is it a cool card, it works for so many different occasions. I have it in the Sympathy section, but I pulled it out twice this weekend when people asked for a Sympathy-but-not-like-someone-died card. I think both were intended for people going through some kind of personal crisis, and my customers were looking for something a litte more than a Thinking Of You card. They both loved this one, and I am now out of them. Sold out!

So I did what I almost never do: I went back into the ole archives and made some more. I even pulled out last year's In Color card stock and inks to make it happen. I just love this combination of Vintage Violet, Marigold Morning and Very Vanilla, and the inks just go so well together (Cranberry Crisp, Marigold Morning, Buckeroo Blue and True Thyme.) See? Hoarding can be a good thing!

The stamps are by Endless Creations, and I got them at a LSS a few years ago. I believe they are keepers!

Now for a radical change of topic, this guy is a total experiment:

I have so many of the A Muse building stamps that I felt compelled to try and use them. During my Brownstone Marathon this past weekend I had a few of these retired (and hoarded) Raised-Edge Note Cards left over, so I played and this is what came out. I am not lovin' it so much, but I think it has potential. I've only made a few, so I'll test the waters this weekend to see what the shopping populace thinks. I'll call it Market Research. ;-)

By the way, all these photos are crooked because I am working in about an 8"x8" stamping space, and it doubles as my photography spot. To take the photos I kinda have to lay my head down on one side and take the picture cockeyed. There you go - cockeyed pictures! There is only so much I can do with the tools I have. Please bear with me. I thank you.