Doubling Up for Simple Saturday

Home alone last night, I stamped away the evening, coming up with not one but two Simple Saturday offerings. This first one was made using the Darling Damask stamp set again.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Crystal Blue, and Black cardstock; Black and White Daisy Pigment ink pads; Renaissance by Design Darling Damask and CTMH Gracious Greeting stamp sets; Black chiffon ribbon; Stampin’ Up Photo Corner punch.

My second card was inspired by this card I spotted in the gallery on Ellen Hutson’s Simple Dreams blog. To keep the soft look, I stamped the sentiment with Desert Sand. If you can’t see it in the photo, it reads, “May you never forget the promise of spring.”

Materials & Tools: Vanilla Cream cardstock; Desert Sand, Garden Green, Blush, and Baby Pink ink pads; CTMH Simple Blossoms and Renaissance by Design Roots & Wings stamp sets; Colonial White organdy ribbon; Kaiser Kraft pearl accents; Cuttlebug w/Swiss Dots embossing folder and Nestabilities Classic Ovals set.

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone’s day is fun and safe. For now, I’m off to do some chores. And then? Maybe I’ll stamp some more! Thanks for your visits and comments. They are appreciated! Later …

I’m Back …

After a busy week, I’m back and with a new respect for people who are busy all the time – working moms with kids at home, kids’ activities – something going on darned near every day and night. Twenty years ago, I might have been able to “keep up.” No more. After a week of “busyness,” I will be delighted to resume my quiet, somewhat boring “grandma” life next week. As for getting “caught up,” that didn’t happen. Oh well.

About my card, it’s all about the color. I love turquoise.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, and Ocean cardstock; Black and Ocean ink pads; Renaissance by Design Darling Damask and Close To My Heart Gracious Greetings stamp sets; Black organdy ribbon; Stampin’ Up Build-A-Brad; Martha Stewart Doily Lace Edger punch.

Yup, I’m back. I hope everyone didn’t give up on me during my little hiatus. That said, I’m off to my corner to first clean it up and then mess it up again, so I’ve got something to post tomorrow and beyond … Hope yours is a fun weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Boo!

Here’s a simple Halloween card I made last week – most of it anyway. I managed to eke out enough time last night to finish it. There isn’t much to explain. I random-stamped the pumpkins, bats, and dots, used my Speckled Background stamp to fill in the background a bit, and then added a little white pigment ink to the edges. A ghostly touch, don’t you think? 

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Black, and Stampin’ Up Kraft cardstock; Black, Orange, Chocolate, Desert Sand, and White Pigment stamp pads; Papertrey Ink Spooky Sweets and CTMH Star Struck and Say it in Style stamp sets; Retired CTMH Speckled Background stamp; Orange brad from my stash.

I hope your week got off to a great start. Mine did. I hope, too, to touch base with you again soon! Thanks for stopping by. Later…

Simple Saturday …on Sunday

Hi! How was your weekend? Mine was good. Yesterday’s wedding was beautiful. Time with family is priceless.

My Simple Saturday offering is a birthday card for my brother who is turning 50 on Tuesday. He was the fifth child in our family and the first boy. The oldest, I was barely six and in first grade when he was born. I remember my teacher picking me up and hugging me when I told her I had a new baby brother. She was so excited about the fact the baby was a boy, something I didn’t understand at the time. I thought girls were fine. LOL.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Stampin’ Up Kraft and Chocolate Chip cardstock; Retired CTMH Abundance paper packet; Cocoa, Sunflower, Goldrush, Autumn Terracotta, Vineyard Berry, and Bamboo ink pads; CTMH Happy Birthday and Waltzingmouse Peace & Plenty stamp sets; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Circle punches; Sponge dauber.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, my posts are going to be “hit and miss.” I have some “life” to catch up on before the snow flies. If you follow my blog and check it every day, you might want to consider subscribing it via Google Reader. That way, you’re notified of updates and don’t have to waste your time checking a dormant blog. If you have questions about Google Reader, the information here might be helpful.

I hope your weekend was great, and although I say it frequently, thank you for your visits and comments. They mean the world to me. I doubt my posts will be all that scarce, as I can no more stay out of my corner than I can the refrigerator. LOL. I just need to move stamping and blogging down a couple of lines on the priority list … until I’m caught up! Take care, friends. Later…

Fun Friday

Fun stamps + Fun papers = A Fun Card. There is no lack of colors and texture here. The stamps are from Close To My Heart’s new Grown with Love set. The papers are from Cosmo Cricket’s Earth Love Mini Deck. There isn’t much to say. I stamped the tree with Cocoa ink, colored over it with a Brown Bag marker, cut it out and ran it through my Xyron before mounting in on my layered-paper card base. The “leaves” were cut from various paper patterns with a half-inch circle punch. I glued the majority of them down “flat,” saving seven to layer using foam mounting tape.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Cocoa cardstock; Cosmo Cricket Earth Love Mini Deck; Cocoa and Bamboo ink pads; Grown with Love stamp set; 1/2-inch circle punch; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

Happy Friday, friends! I hope, like me, you have had a good week. Do you have plans for the weekend? My nephew is getting married tomorrow. I’m excited about seeing my mom, sisters and brothers, and nieces and nephews again. Other than that, I need to catch up on some household stuff and make preparations for a little family gathering next week.Oh, and I’ve already spotted some fun sketches and a challenge or two I want to try, so most likely I’ll have something to show you. Whatever you’re doing this weekend, I hope you and yours are healthy and happy. And like always, thank you for stopping by. Later…

Drummer Boy

Isn’t this a sweet image? It’s Drummer Boy from Stampendous and part of The Nativity Cast. A friend brought the stamp to me the other night. Little did she know that Katherine K. Davis’s “The Little Drummer Boy” has been my favorite Christmas song since I was just a little girl. I caught the message of the song early on.
I am a poor boy, too … I have no gift to bring …That’s fit to give the King … Shall I play for you … On my drum? … Mary nodded … The lamb and ox kept time … I played my drum for Him … I played my best for Him … Then He smiled at me … Me and my drum. Life isn’t about having the most or the best. It’s about trying to be our best.

Now, about my card. I colored the image with Prismacolor pencils and OMS. I kept thinking the little guy should be dressed in red and green and had to keep reminding myself that he was a drummer and not an elf. As for the patterned paper, it’s from Basic Grey’s Wassail collection. The 6x6-inch pad I bought last year is pretty thin and my favorite patterns gone. I still love it and need to get some more. Oh, and because I’d stamped my image on Colonial White cardstock, I had to “unwhiten” (new word) the patterned paper. To do so, I used my Bamboo ink pad and the “direct to paper” technique.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White cardstock; Basic Grey Wassail 6x6-inch paper pad; Black, Barn Red, Bamboo, and Twilight ink pads; Stampendous Drummer Boy stamp; CTMH Peace on Earth stamp set; Natural twill ribbon; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Dove blending pen; Black My Legacy Writer; Sponge dauber.

How was your day? Mine was A-OK, and it’s Friday tomorrow! Yeah!! Being it seems I had to tell a story at the beginning of my post, I’ll keep the end short again. Enjoy the evening, friends! Later…

Truly One of a Kind

Tonight’s “stamping story” began on Monday evening with the Mojo Monday Week 109 sketch, a “bright” idea, some pretty patterned paper (see below), and this pile of buttons. You guessed it. I was going to make a card with a cherry image – as in button cherries. Wouldn’t you have thought in this pile of buttons I would have had two that were the right color and size. Nope. I had one. The others were either too big, too small, too bright, too pink. Darn. I don’t even remember where I got these buttons.

OK. I don’t have two of the right buttons. I don’t have a cherry stamp. I was hellbent on cherries. So, I thought, I have a publishing program on my computer that has a ton of clip art, fine art, photographs … but no cherry image I wanted to use. Darn. I turned to Google, searching for “digi stamps cherries.” Almost immediately, I found one! It was perfect and only $1. I put it in my cart, and paid for it with PayPal.

I already had my card base put together last night as I waited for my digi image to show up (within 24 hours) in my Inbox. By 10 o’clock, it hadn’t shown up. A no show. Darn! I’m rather disgusted by then. I picked up a black pigment pen and drew a simple image using the cherries on the patterned paper as “models.” I colored them with markers. I distressed the image with my Speckled Background stamp and a couple of sponge daubers with Bamboo and Brown Bag ink. I was neither happy nor unhappy with the results, but I didn’t finish the card. I’d give the digi image one more day…

When it wasn’t here tonight, I finished the card with my one-of-a-kind hand-drawn image. If I could change one thing, it would be the angle of the cherries. I love the way the distressing worked out, even though the photograph kind of washes it out. Quite a story, huh? I’m not an artist… but I really wanted this thing off my desk. As for my $1 digi image, I’m willing to bet there will be an message from my email carrier with all of the recent messages that got hung up in its spam filter, and it will be there. Darn.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Black, and Topiary cardstock; Studio 45 Bee’s Knees and Copacetic from the Times Nouveau Collection; Black, Bamboo, and Brown Bag ink pads; Topiary, Holiday Red, and Cranberry markers; Retired CTMH So Sweet Seasons stamp set; Retired CTMH Speckled Background stamp; Black My Legacy Writer; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Piercing tool; Sponge daubers.

After all that, I’ll simply thank you for putting up with me and wish you a wonderful Thursday. I promise if there’s a story to go with tomorrow night’s card, it will be short… and sweet! Later…

P.S. As I was writing this post I received a message from my email carrier. My digi image was stuck in the spam filter just like I predicted. I have it for next time ....

In Search of a Good 12-Step Program …

LOL. My card this evening was inspired by this card on the Little Princess Cards blog. Sarita’s  gorgeous card also inspired me to purchase the EK Success Diamond border punch. Sigh. That is how this disease … obsession … whatever you want to call it …. manifests itself. I see. I ponder (briefly). I buy. And, I’m only joking around.

In reality, I’d been looking for a large scallop punch for quite a while. It was her card and a couple of other pretty ones I’ve seen that convinced me it was the EK Success punch I wanted. I wouldn’t mind having the pretty stamp she used, too, but due to the fact that I have some self-control, I don’t and “made due” with a stamp from CTMH’s Vintage Valentine set. I was also struck by the pretty color combination Sarita used and attempted to emulate it with Brown Bag, which is a very pretty caramel color that I rarely use. Oh, and I “picked up” my punch from an eBay store.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Brown Bag, and Black cardstock; Black ink pad; Vintage Valentine and Gracious Greetings stamp sets; Black chiffon ribbon; Pewter Designer Brads; EK Success Diamond Lace border punch.

Another day almost done as we push towards the end of October. The calendar is reminding me I need to make a few Halloween cards. It wouldn’t hurt to get a little jumpstart on some Christmas cards, too, even though I’m hoping to do a photo card with a family photograph from the wedding. That’s if the photographer comes up with the proofs in a timely manner. I’m kinda funny with my card-making … much more apt to make a spring card in February than a wintery card in October. It has to do with my disdain for the bitter cold that accompanies the fluffy white stuff in the frozen tundra.

On that note, I’ll let you go with a wish that you enjoy the evening and my thanks for your having stopped by! Later …

Sometimes…

… I make a card I don’t like initially, and then, for whatever reason, it grows on me. Such is the case with this card, which is my take on Unscripted Sketches #27. As for what I didn’t like, I don’t know what it was. Perhaps I thought the flower was too cutesy for the rather sophisticated patterned paper. I dunno. It looks fine to me today. I colored my flower with markers, using Garden Green, Holiday Red, and Cranberry.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Black cardstock; Studio 45 Communiqué Collection Society Page; Black, Bamboo, and Brown Bag ink pads; Hero Arts Special Moments Cling stamp; CTMH Thank You set and retired Speckled Background stamp; Grosgrain ribbon from Wal-Mart; Black Bigger Brads and mini brads; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

It’s been a quiet Monday, and I’m looking forward to it staying that way. I hope yours has been a good day, too. With that, I’m off to have a bite to eat and then, see if I’ve got any mojo. You’ll find out tomorrow! Until then, take care!

Peace & Plenty

Here is my take on Weekend Sketch Challenge #102 as featured on the Fresh & Fun blog. I colored my image with Prismacolor pencils and OMS.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Autumn Terracotta, and Cocoa cardstock; CTMH Retired Abundance paper packet; Black, Cocoa, Bamboo, and Twilight ink pads; Waltzingmouse Stamps Peace and Plenty stamp set; Gold mini brads; Stampin’ Up Old Olive grosgrain ribbon; Cuttlebug w/Autumn embossing folder and Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Dove blending pen; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

This next card is my adaptation of the sketch for Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #87. Again, my image was colored with Prismacolor pencils.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Autumn Terracotta, Cocoa, and Olive cardstock;  CTMH Retired Abundance paper packet; Black and Cocoa ink pads; Waltzingmouse Peace and Plenty stamp set; Gold mini brads; Piercing tool; Fiskars Apron Lace punch; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set.

How’s your weekend going? I’m doing OK, although the clock seems to be moving faster than it does during the week. This afternoon, I’m preparing a project for stamp club tonight in between loads of laundry. I’m looking for to this evening and wish the laundry would do itself. LOL. That’s it for now. As always, thanks for stopping by! Later …

Simple Saturday

When I saw this pretty patterned paper in the Grace paper packet, I immediately saw its potential for this 10-minute, Simple Saturday card. 

Materials & Tools: Twilight, Barn Red, and Stampin’ Up Kraft cardstock; Grace paper packet; Cocoa ink pad; Happy Birthday stamp set; Cocoa grosgrain ribbon; Martha Stewart Doily Lace Edger punch.

I hope you are having a wonderful day! I certainly am. After a trip to the grocery store for a couple of ingredients, Bjorn, Mathias, and I are about to make chocolate chip cookies. Yum! I’ve stamped a bit, too, so I’ll have something to show you … later!

 

Easel Card

You know by now I don’t usually attempt the fancy stuff, but when I spotted some of the easel cards that have appeared on various blogs this week, I thought, “I can do that!” I found the directions here, so you can try it, too!

As you can well imagine, when I saw the cool tree in the Childhood Portrait set, I immediately visualized it with Autumn Flower Soft. So long as there are leaves on the trees, I’ll be using this stuff, and then I’ll have to get my mitts on some of their new Polar White. It’s sparkly! Back to this card, I wasn’t so sure about the two leaves on the focal point image until I added the third with the sentiment. It works. As for the curly wire, we don’t see much of these days … a little added texture.

Oops! One more thing … my easel card measures 5-1/2 inches square. I believe measurements for 5, 5-1/2, and 6-inch square cards are provided on the link I shared. I’ve seen smaller ones, too.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Barn Red cardstock; Retired CTMH Abundance paper packet; Cocoa, Goldrush, Autumn Terracotta, Barn Red, and Bamboo stamp pads; Childhood Portrait and Nature’s Vein stamp sets; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Gold wire; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Ovals set; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

Woo hoo! Happy Friday! I'm tickled pink that the weekend is (finally) here. I’ve seen several sketches posted that I want to try over the course of the next couple of days. We have visitors, too. Bjorn and Mathias are with us until tomorrow afternoon sometime. It should be a good time. I hope your weekend is wonderful, too. Thanks for stopping by! Talk to you again soon!

Gettin’ Krafty

The challenge this week for Stamp Simply #108 on the No Time to Stamp? blog was to make a card (or something) using Kraft and Black paper. Not a problem. I love Kraft cardstock! And, while I think I’m the exception instead of the rule, I tend to keep my cards simple for the Stamp Simply challenges. That’s not a problem either cuz’ simple is what I do.

About the flowers on my card, I’d love to say they’re Primas but instead, they are from a cheap little bush of silk flowers I picked up at Wal-Mart. For whatever reason, I have a difficult time buying paper flowers online. Perhaps, they are one of the few (very few) things I need to see before purchasing. I dunno…  Anyway, I kinda like my card – cheap red flowers and all. LOL.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, and Stampin’ Up Kraft cardstock; Black ink pad; Holiday Red marker; My Cute Stamps Ashley’s Blossoms and Waltzingmouse Stamps Blessed by You stamp sets; White Bitty Brads; Silk flowers from Wal-Mart.

Happy Thursday (as in the day before Friday)! Thank you for your comments in my last post (all posts, for that matter). In the most recent, you must have wished me back to health, because I’m feeling much better today. Eighteen or so hours of sleep might have helped, too. LOL. Oh, and my stack of “pre-made” cards isn’t quite as big as I might have made it sound like it was, which means I should mosey on over to my corner and see what transpires! Hope your day has been a good one, too! Later…

Thanks a Million!

OK, so the sentiment and image don’t exactly go together. A little saying with the word “warm” in it would have been better. However, what I have didn’t fit, and I was too darned lazy at the time to computer generate something. Some days are like that. About the rest of the card – it’s my take on Taylored Expressions Challenge #86. It was another fun card to make that probably doesn’t warrant a whole lot of explaining.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Indian Corn Blue, and Garnet cardstock; Sweet Home paper packet; Cocoa, Garnet, Sunny Yellow, and Orange ink pads; Bamboo marker; Welcome Home and Thank You stamp sets; Pewter Bigger Brads; Stampin’ Up Photo Corner punch; Sanding block.

It’s a good thing I’d “stamped ahead” as I may be out of commission for a few days. It appears I wasn’t resistant to the bug I was exposed to recently. Darn. Anyway, I hope you are having a good week. Talk to you again soon.

A Sketch and a Brainchild

Here’s my take on this week’s A Sketch for You to Try on the i{heart}2stamp blog. I’m loving CTMH’s new Childhood Portraits set and Grace papers in the prettiest of color combinations – Twilight, Barn Red, Honey, and Cocoa.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Barn Red cardstock; Grace paper packet; Cocoa and Bamboo ink pads; Childhood Portraits stamp set; Clear button and paper flower from my stash; Twilight mini brad; Ecru crochet cotton; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Ovals and Classic Circles sets; Sponge dauber.

When I saw the little one on the rocking horse in the Childhood Portraits set, I immediately thought “Baby.” I also envisioned the image embossed in blue. And then, I saw the Crystal Blue and Sweet Leaf patterned paper in the Twitterpated paper packet. The result is a card I like as much as the one I envisioned (which doesn’t always happen …LOL).

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Crystal Blue, and Sweet Leaf cardstock; Twitterpated paper packet; Crystal Blue and VersaMark ink pads; Crystal Blue embossing powder; CTMH Childhood Portraits and Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages stamp sets; Metal charm; Offray ivory satin ribbon from Wal-Mart; Kaiser Krafts pearl accents; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles and Labels 6 sets; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

Hi! How was your day? Mine was A-OK. Tonight, I’m going to clean up my corner – a dirty job but somebody’s gotta do it. LOL. And, you never know. It’s rare that I clean that I don’t come across something to inspire/sidetrack me. Enjoy your evening! Later…

 

No Place Like Home

Here’s my card for Unscripted Sketches #26 made with Close To My Hearts new Welcome Home stamp set and Sweet Home paper packet. I really had fun with this one. I stamped the sofa and cut it out. The end table and lamp were stamped directly onto the patterned paper. Then, I stamped the lampshade on Buttercup cardstock, cut it out, and added it to my “setting” with a little piece of foam tape. Like I said, fun!!

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Garnet, and Buttercup cardstock; Sweet Home paper packet; Indian Corn Blue, Buttercup, Garnet, and Cocoa ink pads; Welcome Home stamp set; Buttercup mini brads; Fiskars Apron Lace border punch; 3M foam mounting tape.

It’s Monday and the start of a new week. I’m going to do my best to make it a good one. I hope you do, too! As always, thanks for stopping by. Your visits and encouraging comments always make my day! Later …

Grown with Love

Here’s my take on Weekend Sketch Challenge #101 as it appears on the Fresh & Fun blog. I love sketch challenges when I have the time to participate and am partial to this one, because it was the first one I ever tried. I actually remember being nervous about participating that first time – a “bashful blogger” I was once upon a time. LOL.

For my card, I used Close To My Heart’s new Twitterpated paper packet and Grown with Love stamp set. I’ll have to say that CTMH outdid itself again with the new paper and stamp designs in its Autumn/Winter Idea Book. As for my card design, it’s pretty much self-explanatory. The scattering of brads amongst the leaves were an afterthought. I couldn’t make a card with no embellishments now, could I? Yea, I probably could have … do it all the time … but like the texture the brads add on this card.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Chocolate, and Desert Sand cardstock; Twitterpated paper packet; Chocolate, Sorbet, and Bamboo ink pads; Bamboo marker; Grown with Love and Happy Birthday stamp sets; Sorbet mini brads; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Piercing tool; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

I hope your weekend is going well. We had a great time celebrating Cameron’s birthday yesterday – just a nice day with family. After I finish my chores today, I’m hoping to play some more! Later …

Simple Saturday

Inspiration for today’s card came from this card on the waltzingmouse makes … blog. Of course, in order to make the card, I needed the stamps, too, resulting in my first order from Waltzingmouse Stamps and an overseas company. A successful transaction it was. Yes, I waited a little longer than usual for my order but think the lovely designs made into quality stamps were worth it. It was the sentiments with the Blessed by You set that really “got” me.

About my card, I used a Kaleidacolor ink pad. Neither do I use my Kaleidacolor pads very often nor do I see others using them currently but expect that, like everything else, they will make their way back into vogue one day. What surprises me is that on the rare occasions I do reach for one, I don’t find a dried up ink pad. Obviously, they last for years. I like that. Back to the card, you’ll note it doesn’t include a single embellishment. I just inked around the edges of the card base and sentiment with Goldrush ink using a sponge dauber and attached my sentiment and cutout leaf with foam mounting tape. Simple … for Saturday!

Materials & Tools: Colonial White cardstock; Kaleidacolor Creole Spice and Goldrush stamp pads; Waltzingmouse Blessed by You stamp set; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

We’re celebrating Cameron’s birthday today with him, Sarah, and the boys. I’m hoping to stamp this evening. Have a good weekend, friends, and thanks for stopping by! Later…

Makeover Magic

After my post last night, I did what I said I was going to do – card surgery! Here is the result, which is much more to my liking.

To my way of thinking, the wreath image was too “busy” for the original card base. I replaced it with a simple silhouette image from Close To My Heart’s new (and “must-have”) Childhood Portraits set. Instead of embossing the edge of the circle the image is stamped on, I used Bamboo ink and a sponge dauber to soften it.

And, here’s what I did with the wreath image, using paper again from the That’s Amore paper packet, layered shapes created with Nestabilities dies (Labels Six), and a length of green satin ribbon.

What do you think? Was my surgery successful?

How was your day? I left work a couple hours early today. My back has been bothering me for the past few days, specifically in the area of my right shoulder blade. While I have no clue, I’ve been attributing my affliction to a change in the weather. As it’s always my right shoulder blade that hurts, I’ve thought, too, that it might have something to do with working at a computer all day long. I’ve also considered my posture. If I make an effort to sit up really straight, it feels better. The aspirin I took when I got home made it feel better, too. Now that I’ve whined a bit, I’ll sign off. Enjoy the evening, and I’ll talk to you again on Friday! Yippee!!

Darn …

This is one of those cards that was prettier in my head, and making the situation even worse is the fact that it’s prettier in person than it is in the photograph. LOL. Oh well, at least you know I gave it my best shot.

The stamped image was colored with CTMH markers. I’m happy with it and pleased that the images in this set are evidently small enough to lend themselves to waterbase markers. I reiterate … Darn … The image is nice. The card base is nice, but even though the colors coordinate better than they appear to in the photograph, they’re just not right together. Maybe I’ll toss it on my desk and try a little exploratory “surgery” to see if they can’t be separated and turned into something else. We’ll see.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Cocoa, and Tulip cardstock; That’s Amore paper packet; Black and Cocoa ink pads; Hollyhock, Blush, Garden Green, and Olive ink pads; Flourishes Seasonal Wreathes stamp set; Stampin’ Up Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon; Hero Arts pearl accents; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; 3M foam mounting tape.

Yup! Card making is representative of life in that some days are better than others! LOL. Seriously, my day was perfectly fine, and I hope yours was, too! Thanks for stopping by, friends! Later …

Autumn Splendor

Ach! I’m still struggling with my mojo. Oh, I know. It’s not a bad card. It’s just that it all requires so much effort these days. LOL. Hmm, and what’s to say about it that the Materials & Tools list won’t reveal? I can’t think of a thing. If you do, please ask!

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Autumn Terracotta, and Chocolate cardstock; Autumn Terracotta, Sunflower, Goldrush, Vineyard Berry, and Chocolate ink pads; Chocolate marker; Hero Arts Dots & Flowers background stamp; CTMH Nature’s Vein and Autumn Splendor stamp sets; Retired Autumn Terracotta Designer Ribbon Rounds; Cuttlebug w/Forest Branches embossing folder.

How is your week going? It’s Tired Tuesday for me. I’m hoping for a second wind, however. My corner needs to be straightened up along with a couple other areas of my domain. That said, I’m off to see if I can accomplish a little something. I hope your day was a good one, and as always, thanks for stopping by!

Another Day of Blessings

Here’s a simple card made with one of my all-time favorite stamp sets, CTMH’s Nature’s Vein. I think I noticed it on this year’s retiring list, so if you love it as much as I do, now is the time to get it.

This set is perfect to use with the stamp rolling technique, which is what I did for this card – first inking up my stamp with Autumn Terracotta and then rolling the edges on my Chocolate pad. Every leaf comes out a little different which is just the way real leaves are. To fill in the background a bit, I used my Speckled Background stamp and Bamboo ink. If you haven’t noticed, I’ve got a little thing going these days with satin ribbon. The button is the perfect finishing touch.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Autumn Terracotta, and Chocolate cardstock; Autumn Terracotta, Chocolate, and Bamboo ink pads; Nature’s Vein and Papertrey Ink Out on a Limb stamp sets; Retired Speckled Background stamp; Offray brown satin ribbon from Wal-Mart; Button from my stash; McGill Multi-Tag punch; Ecru crochet cotton; Needle; Sponge dauber.

How was your Monday? Mine was busy, which is par for the course. A little stampin’ session is definitely in order this evening. That said, thanks for stopping by! Later …

Blessings

Here’s a simple card I made this afternoon for no reason other than I was in the mood to color.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Chocolate, and Autumn Terracotta cardstock; Patterned paper scrap from my stash; Black, Chocolate, and Twilight ink pads; Whipper Snapper Designs Pumpkins & Sunflowers stamp and Papertrey Ink Out on a Limb stamp set; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Stampin’ Up Photo Corner punch; Cuttlebug w/Autumn embossing folder; Dove blending pen; 3M foam mounting tape.

Have you ever felt like you’ve already made every card there is to be made? That’s kind of how I’m feeling this weekend. I think it’s called “no mojo.” It’s not like I don’t have enough stamps or anything, In fact, sometimes I think I have too much stuff, that I’d be more creative if I had less. That’s not to say, however, that I don’t or won’t do my share to keep the currier companies in business. LOL. It’s a vicious circle isn’t it?

No, the hubby is bugging me to go for a ride. He must want some ice cream or something. Can’t turn that down. Hope your weekend was a good one! And, as always, thanks for stopping by. You’re the reason I keep coming back… Later!

Cards, cards, cards …

Here are a few cards I’ve made over the course of the past couple of days.

This first one is my take on Weekend Sketch Challenge #100 on the Fresh & Fun blog. I don’t think I’ve ever used so many brads on a card before. It’s pretty masculine looking. Definitely heavy metal. I love the Autumn Flower Soft.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Barn Red, and Autumn Terracotta cardstock; Basic Grey Indian Summer 6x6-inch paper pad; Cocoa, Barn Red and Autumn Terracotta ink pads; Brown Bag marker; Flourishes Forest of Trees and Impression Obsession Sentiments I stamp sets; Retired CTMH Speckled Background stamp; Gold mini brads; Autumn Flower Soft; 1 and 1-1/4 inch circle punches; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles and Labels 6 sets; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

This next card was one I created the other evening with my favorite cone flowers stamps. I colored the image with a blending pen and ink from my ink pads.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Pansy Purple cardstock; DCWV Indian Summer Fall Matstack; Black, Olive, Pansy Purple, Chocolate, Bamboo, and Twilight ink pads; Whipper Snapper Designs Blossoms & Butterflies and CTMH Thank You stamp sets; CTMH Retired Speckled Background stamp; Kaiser Craft pearl accents; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

This last card was made using the apron stamp I love and Cosmo Cricket’s Early Bird paper. I was so happy to see Cosmo Cricket scale its 12x12-inch papers down into 6x6-inch Mini Decks for card makers.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Olive, and Twilight cardstock; Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Mini Deck; Black, Olive, and Bamboo ink pads; Lockhart Vintage Apron stamp and Hero Arts Anytime Messages stamp set; Twilight, Cranberry, and Olive mini brads; Fiskars Apron Lace border punch; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Piercing tool; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

I hope you’re having a great Saturday! Thanks for stopping by!

Simple Saturday

My Simple Saturday offering this week was inspired by this great card on the Lord Have Mercy! blog. I love Mercy's card and think it's a great way to showcase patterned paper like this gorgeous textured cardstock from K&Company's Ancestry.com collection.

For this top card, I followed Mercy's lead and used bright cardstock for my card base. I was disappointed with the outcome. Thus, my second attempt, which I like much, much better. Perhaps, if my patterned paper had more "white space" the bright background would have worked out better. One other thing worth noting: I didn't have the Big Shot Top Note Die to cut the shape from my patterned paper, so I cut the piece for my top card freehand. A bit tricky and very time-consuming.

For my second card, I wised up and cut a pattern by quarter folding a 4-1/4 by 4-inch piece of copy paper.

Materials & Tools (top card): Colonial White, Cocoa, and Papertrey Ink Berry Sorbet cardstock; K&Co. Ancestry.com Designer Mat Pad; Cocoa ink pad; Verve Serenity stamp set; PTI Berry Sorbet satin ribbon.

Materials & Tools (bottom card): Colonial White, Desert Sand, and PTI Berry Sorbet cardstock; K&Co. Ancestry.com Designer Mat Pad; Cocoa ink pad; CTMH Thank You stamp set; Gold mini brads; Offray brown satin ribbon.

I anticipate the blogosphere will be hopping today with World Card Making Day action. Maybe next year, I'll have my act together and can plan an event or something for WCMD. This year, however, I'm going to spend the day getting my act together as in catching up on the domestic chores that were ignored during the pre-nuptial frenzy I had going on around here a few short weeks ago. Whatever you're doing today, I hope it's something you enjoy. If you're in the neighborhood, stop back later. I've got a couple more cards to share. In the meanwhile, take care! Later ...

Hope is ...

Today's card was inspired by CPS135 sketch on the Card Positioning Systems blog. It was the perfect sketch for a favorite sentiment. As for details, the sentiment is raised, attached to the card base with foam mounting tape. Everything else is self-evident and/or explained in the following list.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Papertrey Ink Berry Sorbet cardstock; K&Company Ancestry.com Designer Mat Pad; Cocoa and PTI Berry Sorbet ink pads; Wordsworth Comfort stamp set; Offray brown satin ribbon; Kaiser Krafts pearl accents; Stampin' Up Ticket punch; 3M foam mounting tape.

Happy Friday! I don't know if anyone has noticed but most of my posts this week have been scheduled. Tonight, I'm here in person. LOL. I hope your week has been a good one, and you, like me, are looking forward to the weekend. Thank you for your visits and kind comments, which are so appreciated. With that, tune in tomorrow to see what I've come up with for Simple Saturday. Later, friends ...

Another Fun Sketch...

Here's my take on the Mojo Monday Week 106 sketch. My image was colored with markers and shaded with a blending pen and ink from my Twilight pad. The poppy colors up very nicely if one outlines it with Holiday Red and then fills in the center with Orange. For whatever reason, the two colors blend, making for a very pretty outcome.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Chocolate cardstock; DCWV Indian Summer Fall Matstack; Black, Chocolate, Bamboo, and Twilight ink pads; Holiday Red, Orange, and Garden Green markers; Whipper Snapper Designs Blossoms & Butterflies and Papertrey Ink stamp sets; Stampin' Up Old Olive grosgrain ribbon; Corner rounder; Fiskars Apron Lace edger punch; Dove blending pen; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

Woo hoo! Tomorrow is Friday! Saturday is World Card Making Day, too! Does anyone have any plans? As much as I'd love to stamp all day, I think my plans involve taking a couple of little boys to a parade. I'm hoping there will be time to stamp at least a little, too! With that, I hope your Thursday was wonderful. As always, thanks for stopping by! Your visits and kind comments mean more than you know! Later ...