Stamp-tastic!

There were a number of things I enjoyed doing in the "Before Noah" days that don't really happen much anymore.  For example: sleeping past 6:30 AM, cooking just one meal at dinner time, actually browsing in a clothing store, and going out dancing every Friday.  Another of those things that's gone by the wayside for the time being is my stamping hobby.  For several years, I was actually a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, which was fantastic because it paid for my crafty addiction.  I loved making cards and scrapbook pages, but when the economy took a hit, that combined with having a new baby to care for made it really difficult to keep hitting my minimum, so I gave up the business.  Now, I rarely get the chance to make anything just for fun because I don't have a good space to do it.  It's impossible to get anything done when Noah is awake, and you have to get out so many different supplies and materials for a project that even if he's napping, it would be impossible to clean up right away when he wakes up.  Hubby doesn't think that a random assortment of ink, stamps and scrapbook paper make a very nice dining room table centerpiece, so for now, my hobby is on hiatus.

BUT...today, my fabulous friend Lisa {who I met online at BabyCenter when we were both expecting our cutie pies}, gave me the chance to stamp again, and boy was it wonderful!  She recently became a consultant for Close to My Heart, and she asked me to host a card workshop.  We made 20 all-occasion cards for $20, which is a fantastic deal...just a buck a card, which is way cheaper than buying them {and they're sooo pretty!}  She did a lot of the prep work ahead of time by cutting the papers down to the right sizes, so all we had to do was stamp and assemble.  Here are the four fantastic designs.

This may be my favorite.  I love the 3-D flower, and my favorite part is the little rhinestones.  I'm a sucker for anything that sparkles!

I like the whimsical look of this one with all the different patterned stripes at different lengths and heights.  I also like the use of the rounded corners on both the word strip and the card itself {it's hard to see in this pic, sorry}.

I always have trouble coming up with totally masculine looking cards, but I think this one fits the bill.  Manly colors, no flowers...it's good stuff.

This one was the simplest design, but it's still fun and summery.  I really like CTMH's designer papers.

Want to know what I really love?  Acrylic Stamps.  Today was my first experience with them and I. am. in. love.  Back in my SU! days, all the stamps were mounted on wooden blocks...which is just dandy when that's all you've got.  But boy, oh boy.  Wait till you try these babies.  You peel these little clear stamps off a clear plastic sheet and stick them on a clear block.  Then you can remove them and change them out whenever you want.  Here are my favorite things about them:

* You can see what and where you're stamping!!!  This is a huuuuuge help when you're doing 2-step stamping, trying to line things up like putting a stem on a flower, or trying to re-stamp something you screwed up.

* You can place several stamps how you want them and ink them together.  Alphabet sets, for instance.  Just spell out your whole word or phrase on the block and then ink it instead of painstakingly doing one letter at a time!  You can also put words going in different directions {see the "many Thanks" card for an example} and stamp them how you want.

* It's cheaper and easier to store. Once you get a few good sizes of blocks, the stamp sets themselves are cheaper because you don't have to pay for the blocks every time.  Also, they come in these thin little envelopes...so small, so portable, so store-able!  Ahhh!

Of course, I had to get me some.  When my order comes in, I'll be sure to show you my first original creations in quite some time!  In the meantime, if you're interested, check out Lisa's business blog.  She just may be willing to do a little giveaway coming up here...stay tuned! 

And speaking of giveaways, don't forget One Artsy Mama is participating in TWO this week...if you haven't already entered to win one of my  Peas in the Pod necklaces at A Little Etsy Love or a Bird's Nest Necklace at Southern Scraps, what are you waiting for?  :)  There are only 15 entries so far for the Bird's Nest; good odds!  Well, hope you all have a great weekend, friends!  I'm off to get some much needed sleep since Little Crafter has been dealing with some nightmares lately that are keeping our whole family up at all hours...send a few prayers his way, would you?  Blessings!