Hey there!

Wow! It feels SO good to have an internet connection, but I really should be working. So I'm just going to take a minute and let you know what's going on.

I've been calling Time Warner (RoadRunner) every time there's been an issue with my connection. And, actually, it's nearly any time there's weather in the area. Meaning, if there's a power outage, if it rains, snow... you get the idea. So I called last Thursday night and was told that everything looked fine, but we had no internet. So then I called again at about 10 PM and a very nice associate told me that I had irregular levels and a service call had to be performed. So I went back and forth about dates and FINALLY got one for this wednesday (the 2nd) after 6 PM.

Headache, anyone else? My migraines are a little back. And just when I think it's over, the weather changes (especially barometric pressure), which prompts a few more problems.

Anyway, if all goes well I SHOULD have internet access Wednesday night. After fighting with the company and telling them I've had issues for over 6 months. And once that happens, I'll let you know. Right now, I'm trying to be crafty at work, cutting out 2,000 stars with my cricut over the course of the next two weeks. Eeek!

Blog Hop!!!!

Wow oh Wow! 2009 has definitely been a year full of new and wonderful things--both off and on the blog. I'm writing to you today as a participant in my very first blog hop. Yes, I'm FINALLY on a blog hop. I took the plunge with Ildi Co. and here were are.

So now, I have a great card to show you. I am sending it to someone who isn't a part of the team, but that is a dear Online Creative friend. I'm totally ruining the surprise. So, I'm sorry.

This is a new little girl and she's really darling. She's a Clownkins, and it's the newest release from Ildi Co. Isn't she cute? You'll of course be looking for a letter that you can collect for the last leg of your journey and *I* think you'll be able to find my letter very quickly. Did you see it amongs the *???? Write down that letter, as well as the letters in the entire blog hop and you can get 10% off at the Ildi Store the night of the new release. You are not to pay for your order when you use this code until you receive a manual invoice from paypal. This invoice will have the adjusted price.

You should be joining me from Shannon's blog and next in line is April's blog. If you haven't started the blog, check out the very first stop at Jenny's blog.

Oh, and if you'd like to get the chance to win some surprise blog candy from me, you just have to become a follower and then post a comment on this blog. There's a little bag of goodies I've been collecting, that I'm sure someone will fall in love with. And it could be you! Please note, if you're already a follower, simply say that in your comment. And, if you comment and let me know you bought something at the Ildi store, I'll add another entry for you, that's right TWO entries for this special and amazing blog candy if you buy something from Ildi's amazing store.

I have a lot more to post, but I've had major computer issues. In fact, I will be without the internet at home until at least Wednesday evening. Time Warner Cable is sending someone out then, but I've been telling the associates there's been a problem for the better part of 6 months. Eeek!

Anyway, in the interim, I will be working on a tutorial and some other really neat things for you.
Please be sure to check out the Ildi Co Blog Hop. Thanks so much for checking me out and Happy Creating!

Ildi Work

Wow, oh wow! I'm having such a fun time with my Ildi DT work. Apparently this project didn't post yesterday, so I'm reposting it.

Ildi stamp, colored with markers
American Crafts patterned paper
Bazzil Jetstream Cardstock
Letters cut out of Cricut Plantin Schoolbook
Stitched accents (on letters) drawn in with Signo White Pigment Pen
Small pieces of glitter are miscellaneous
Also used foam squares and Transparency paper to make my window. When it moves, the glittery stars really do move. I tried to make sure they went up top so everyone could see them.

This is the result:

I was inspired by all of the cards I've been seeing lately with techniques, so I decided I HAD to do a technique card. I really like how it turned out, and I think it's perfect for a more masculine feel that I was hoping to achieve. Be sure to stay tuned, we're having a blog hop for Ildi on Saturday... Woo HOO!

And Another Goes into the Mix!

Last week was Farmer's Market at the Greeting Farm and I picked up a stamp... It's another Wild Sprout! Annika is her name and I'm thinking of a couple of back to school projects for this cutie as well as possibly some Book Group related stuff.

Will post some projects later. Don't forget, tomorrow is my day to feature some awesome Ildi Co. designs.

Happy Creating!
GothamGal

SPCC # 11

Wow! I was inspired by this week's color challenge to do not one but two cards for the SPCC Challenge. Here's what the color challenge colors were:

And on each of these cards, I used a soft suede card base. The white was an accent, as was the green. I'm so glad I was able to color my images to attain some of the colors in this week's combo.

I love that green fiber. It's like that stuff I've seen in cars, know what I mean? Have an Imaginesce tree stamp (from the fairy tale collection, I think) stamped on whisper white. Then that was stamped with the two inks on the challenge. It's one of the first times I've actually done different ink colors on one stamp. You can't see it, but the flowers have diamond stickles for accent.

This little guy (From the Greeting Farm, his name is Edward) is colored kinda funky, but totally along with the challenge, then I added him to some Making Memories Spellbound paper and added some accent ribbon. I created depth by placing some of the designs over the ribbon. Used my trusty corner rounder.

Wednesday Means Ildi Co.!

It's Wednesday, which is the day I get lucky enough to feature work for Ildi Design Co., a digital stamp company that's relatively new and totally AWESOME!

I decided to make a card featuring the adorable bear (KUMA?) flying a kite. I personally, love flying kites and can remember taking my little brothers to the park to fly kites a lot when I was growing up. Maybe Mary Poppins had way more of an impact than I thought it did (they sing a song about Flying Kites just before the end credits, LOL). Here is my card:

I actually took off the end string, so that I could give the illusion of movement. This is from personal experience, as sometimes kites will not behave! I added some ribbon to the thread. I bought thread similar to what we use when we fly kites--the clear stuff (I think it's similar to fishing?). Anyway, I like the way it turned out, but I'm thinking of a bigger card next time, with maybe a few more bells and whistles--clouds, a sun... you get the idea.

Be sure and check out Ildi Co and snag your set of these adorable stamps--you can save $6.50 when you buy all 10 stamps for $20. Why are digi stamps so great?

• Well, for one thing, they won't clutter up your desktop because you store them on a computer, flash drive, etc (just make sure to back them up!).
• Digi stamps are just as fun (if not more fun) to color--no waiting for ink to dry or trying to figure out placement (you can open your photo editing software and print out an entire sheet filled with digi stamps).
• Digi stamps can be sized to fit nearly any project! That's right, when was the last time you wanted that physical stamp to be just a tiny bit smaller, but it couldn't be because you didn't buy the smaller size in addition to the bigger one?

I'm definitely not tossing out my rubber stamps, because I really love them. But I will say that digi stamps are becoming a lot of fun for me. They're really cool to use, and I love the idea of a hybrid type stamping project. I like the ease of use and the control I can have over the image.

Seriously, if you haven't yet tried digi stamps, I would suggest you try out Ildi Co. They're a really great, small company that's making leaps and bounds. Get in on the ground so you can snag some really great deals. Check out the links in my sidebar to see some other really great projects that showcase the functionality of these cuties.

(By the way, there's some really cool stuff coming along from Ildi Co. Check back next week for my Wednesday card AND you might also want to check back next weekend, but more on that exciting news as it develops!)

Happy Creating!

My First Wild Sprout!!!

I finally took the plunge and picked up my first Wild Sprout stamp from The Greeting Farm. I had such a hard time picking, but ended up with Edward, because he was just so adorable. Once I had nailed down that it was Edward, I had the hardest time finding him in stock at stores--so I ended up checking out Summer's shop, Roses on Paper.

Roses on Paper features a wide selection of Greeting Farm stamps, as well as Alota and Magnolia. Shipping is quick and affordable (ordered at the end of last week and got it last night!), through the US postal service--FROM HAWAII!

Seriously, check out Summer's shop and maybe you could snag one of these cuties: