Simple Saturday

I repeat – Hi There! How are you? It has been another one of those weeks when I have gotten caught up in life and deserted the blogosphere for a few days. 

Today’s card was inspired by this cute card on the Lucy’s Cards blog. Mine is a no-sew, faux stitch version, made using six of the eight colors Close To My Heart will be retiring from its Summer color collections. Along with Bubblegum,

Clover Meadow, Orange, Citrus Leaf, Ocean, and Hydrangea, it will retire Star Spangled Blue and Watermelon. They will be replaced by colors that appear to me to be more muted and perhaps, trendy. I am anxious to see them along with the new catalog, which will be available for consultants to view online tomorrow.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy (textured), Bubblegum, Clover Meadow, Orange, Citrus Leaf, Ocean, and Hydrangea cardstock; Clover Meadow ink pad; Hero Arts Thinking of You stamp set; Uni-ball Signo Broad Gel Pen; Piercing tool; Stampin’ Up Piercing Guide & Mat.

I hope you have had a good week. Last night, Mom, my sister, Karen, and I attended the last of the Community Art Council’s summer productions. “Leaving Iowa” is a comedy that makes you laugh until you cry while simultaneously touching your heart. We had a good time. Earlier today, Mom and I checked out a Farmer’s Market, had lunch, and did a little shopping downtown. With a house that has fallen into disarray these past few days, I need to go get to work. I’m hoping husband is in the mood for a quiet evening at home. If so, I’ll spend it in my corner. My fingers are crossed. Enjoy your evening, friends, and thanks for stopping by!

Blue Skies

This card is my take on Card Patterns Sketch 74. I am sure you will agree there is no shortage of either pattern or color on this card. LOL. It is busy but fun with a whole lot of faux stitching, which is just imperfect enough to look real. LOL.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy cardstock; Splendor paper packet; Goldrush, Topiary, and Crystal Blue ink pads; Over the Rainbow stamp set; White Bigger Brads and mini brads; Piercing tool; Stampin’ Up Piercing Guide & Mat; White gel pen; Round sponge.

Posts three days in a row and an earlier-in-the-evening one tonight as well. How about that? Work today was a busy and productive. After work, I ran some errands and ended up kind of splurging on a cute black/gray/white plaid tunic-style shirt and a black camisole and leggings to wear with it. So far, it all looks good on the hanger. I hate trying clothes on in stores. The mirrors, I swear, are distorted. LOL.

Tonight, I am going to do a few things around the house and then, hang out in my corner, so I have something to show you tomorrow night. I’ll talk to you then. In the meanwhile, enjoy your evening and make Wednesday a great day.

Journey

Here is a simple card made with Close To My Heart’s “Happy Journey” set. I love the column stamps with this set and it goes without saying, the lovely sentiment.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Cocoa cardstock; Passages paper packet; Brown Bag, Cocoa, and Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink ink pads; Happy Journey stamp set; Pewter Mini Medley Accents Collection; Piercing tool; Stampin’ Up Piercing Guide & Mat; Sponge dauber.

How was your Monday? My day was OK. I was busy at work, which caused the clock to move at a reasonable speed. Tonight, I’m taking it pretty easy – still recovering from the busyness of the past few days. LOL.

Thank you for your visits and comments. They are so appreciated. Have a great Tuesday!

So Very Grateful

 

When I popped into my husband’s downstairs office to get something this afternoon, I discovered some mail from this past week, including a package from Laurel. And, what a lovely surprise it was! In the package was this awesome card and a stamp that I once admired. Yes, Laurel, you did indeed “Plant a Seed of Kindness.” I still LOVE this image and am thrilled and honored you shared it with me. Thank you so very much.

The stamp is from Personal Stamp Exchange (aka PSX), a company that stopped manufacturing stamps several years ago. I don’t know why, because its images were lovely. After seeing the card Laurel made with this image, I did a little investigating and even searched for the stamp but to no avail. Laurel’s package was like hitting the jackpot!

And now, the big question. With a small block of time to stamp today, did I do this beautiful image justice?

 

 

I stamped the image with Cocoa ink, colored it with Prismacolor colored pencils and used a blending stump to blend the colors with odorless mineral spirits. Because it colored up so nicely with the colored pencils, this is one image that didn’t leave me yearning for the Copics I’m too tight to buy. LOL. I’ve always said fall colors are my favorites. That will be true once fall arrives. In the meanwhile, I am enjoying the lush green of summer.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Cocoa cardstock; Basic Grey Indian Summer 6x6-inch paper pad; Cocoa. Bamboo, and Colonial White (pigment) ink pads; PSX stamp and CTMH Say it in Style stamp set; Copper mini brads; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Piercing tool; Stamping Up Piercing Guide & Mat; Sponge dauber.

How are you? Did you have a good weekend? I’ve had a wonderful week/weekend but am exhausted. I’ve been to a parade (Wednesday night) and the county fair (off and on) that ended today. Friday night, the little boys stayed with us. I spent yesterday with Mom, a couple of sisters, and a cousin and her daughter from Winnipeg. Last night, it was back to the fair with the energetic younger members of my family. This morning, Mom and I went to church. This afternoon, the energetic young ones were back for some wet outdoor fun. In the few minutes I had to myself, I cleaned and even ironed a bunch of clothes so I will have something to wear to work this week.

With the exception that I will have to go to work every day, the calendar is not so full for this week. A few days of “Lazy Days of Summer” will suit me just fine. If it isn’t too hot in my little corner, “lazy” is going to include some time at my stamp desk getting reacquainted with the hobby I love. Tonight, however, I am going to go stretch out on my nice, soft bed and watch some television. I anticipate being awake for maybe five minutes. LOL.

Have a wonderful week, my friends, and thanks for stopping by. I hope to chat with you again soon. And one more time, thank you, Laurel! Your kindness touched my heart. As for husband, who leaves my mail on his desk for days on end, I’m going to have to have a talk with him. LOL.

It’s Tuesday… Again

This card is for you. Yes, I have missed you and apologize for the disappearing act. I don’t even have a good excuse.

Isn’t this chair cute? A couple of weeks ago, I won the weekly drawing on the Card Positioning Systems blog and got to pick the set of my choice (value up to $23.95) from Gina K Designs. It was a tough decision. I look and looked at all the beautiful designs, and in the end, chose Nina Brackett’s Fine Furnishings. It arrived on Saturday. Thank you CPS and Gina K Designs!

This is my Simple Saturday post – a few days late. The chair – as you can see – was  paper-pieced. I used textured white cardstock.

Materials & Tools: Sweet Leaf, Black, and White Daisy Textured cardstock; Emporium paper packet; Black ink pad; Gina K Designs Fine Furnishings and Close To My Heart Say it in Style stamp sets.

What’s new? I have some serious catching up to do with my blogging friends. A week is too long!

As for what I’ve been up to, it hasn’t been anything outside the norm. Work. Home. Work at home. Time with family. Time with friends. The only thing that has been lacking is mojo. I’m hoping to find some soon. Please don’t give up on me.

It’s Tuesday

That isn’t much of a title and certainly not anything you didn’t already know. It is simply the result of my lack of imagination this evening.

My card was inspired by this pretty card on The Paper Landscaper blog. Last night, I made the same card – in shades of pink. I hated it. The black, white, and red is more me. Do you, too, have an easier time making cards using colors that are in your closet?  I’d never really thought about it before but realize it to be true – in my case, anyway.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Black cardstock; Cranberry and Black ink pads; Hero Arts Wildflower Garden, Close To My Heart Thank You and Noted Backgrounds stamp sets; Black grosgrain ribbon.

Today was an OK day albeit a tiny bit disappointing. I didn’t mention previously that I had applied for a different job at work. I didn’t want to “jinx” myself. Now, it appears I should have told you and asked you to cross your fingers. LOL. Seriously, the job was a bit of a long shot and what some would view as a step backwards. The job was a support (clerical) position in the international sales department. Other than the fact that I’m kind of tired of marketing and would like to “get my hands dirty” again, I was intrigued by the hours this position offered – 6 pm to 6 am three nights a week, alternating monthly between Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Yes, working nights would have meant a bit of a lifestyle change but not one that would have been difficult for a night owl like me. And four days off? Yes, I could have handled that.

Two people were hired. One of the gals is a longtime sales supervisor, who most likely knows her stuff, and the other is a great gal I’ve worked with in the past who is already working a 12-hour shift in a different area of the sales department. I understood the decision to hire them.

My interview was last Friday. I thought it went very well with the exception I think a lot of interview questions are written for 30-year-olds. For example, I couldn’t even put the question, “What is the process you use for making difficult decisions?” in a workplace context, because compared to some of the extremely difficult decisions I’ve had to make over the course of 56 years, workplace decisions have seemed like a piece of cake – never anything I couldn’t figure out how to take care of. A younger person with less life experience would interpret the word “difficult” very differently.

If you’re still with me, thanks for listening. Like I said, I’m cool and when it comes right down to it, relatively satisfied with the job I currently have now that the dust has settled a bit in a department that has undergone a lot of changes in recent months.

Being I told you it’s Tuesday, I suppose you’ve figured out tomorrow is Wednesday – Hump Day – already! Are you having a good week? I hope so. I’ve noticed the blogosphere (or at least the blogs I subscribe to) is quieter during the summer and even quieter yet on weekdays. Work, and afterwards, places to go and things to do. It’s all good.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for stopping by!

Typewriter Talk

What a coincidence. After my jabber about typewriters this past weekend, look what ended up in my possession today.

While I was taking care of grandchildren Saturday, Mom and some of my siblings were at the farm going through some odds and ends – mostly stuff that belonged to my grandparents and great-grandparents – stuff Mom didn’t want but not stuff she wanted to give away. They threw everyone’s names in a hat/container and drew to see who would get what. This typewriter was among my box of treasures.

The typewriter belonged to my maternal grandmother. I remember playing with it when I stayed at their house. I love it. According to some information I found on the Internet, this typewriter, made in the USA by L.C. Smith & Corona Typewriter, Inc. beginning in 1938, was among the first portable typewriters. I even found a copy of a display ad for it from a 1940 issue of Time magazine. Even better, I found one can still buy ribbon for it. Perhaps, it will amuse my grandchildren, too.

It’s funny how the random drawing worked out. I also received a beautiful ruby ring that belonged to my dad. It was his birthstone, and he always wore the ring on his pinky when he dressed up, which he loved to do and did rather frequently considering he was a farmer. While he had quite a lot of jewelry, this piece was the one that stood out to me – the one I can still “see” on his hand. Not overly masculine, it looks nice on and fits the middle finger of my right hand. Had I been given a choice, this ring is what I would have chosen. Lucky me.

I hope you had a good day. I did, although my attempt at creativity did not pan out this evening. I’ll try again tomorrow night.  Oh, and to answer a question for Jeanne. CPS is the Card Positioning Systems blog. I was last week’s winner! While the drawing is random and didn’t have anything to do with my card-making prowess, it was fun to win anyway! The sponsor was Gina K Designs. I love her stamps and am most anxious to see what I won.

And now, I’m off to bed. Have a great Tuesday, everyone! I’ll “see” you again then.

A Long Night …

… of sleep, that is! I went to bed before 10 and didn’t get up until after 10. That is more than 12 hours of sleep, which by the way my body is feeling right now, might have been a bit much. And while the little guys kept me going all day yesterday, I don’t think I should have required hibernation afterwards. LOL. After I finish this post, I’m going to work out the kinks.

Here’s a little project – a gift box – I started the other night and finally got around to finishing today. The template can be found here. Heavy cardstock or lightweight chipboard is recommended. I used CTMH cardstock, which is heavy enough for a gift box. Made from heavier stock, one could use it for storage. Additionally, two or more can be stacked. Oh, the possibilities! To give this particular box a little more flair, I am going to “paint” the butterfly’s wings with Orange Peel Stickles. Imagine a little sparkle – a bit more pizzazz!

Materials & Tools: Olive and Colonial White cardstock; Passages paper packet;  Olive, Bamboo, Autumn Terracotta, and Black ink pads; Goldrush marker; Live Inspired and Butterfly Kiss stamp sets; Antiqued Copy mini brads; Fiskars Euro paper cutter w/scoring blade; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Labels Three and Classic Circles sets; Terrifically Tacky tape; Sponge dauber.

Here is another card made with the Just My Type set. Actually, I was going to show it to you yesterday but noticed, only after I’d photographed it and brought it up on my computer screen, that one of my mats was big-time crooked. Thus, minor surgery.

With no frills, it’s a good man card. In fact, I have just the man. The first editor I worked with at The Times has a birthday coming up on the 16th. I cannot tell you how much this man taught me and how grateful I am. He retired after I’d been there a couple of years, and, of course, would have been one who would have actually used a typewriter at one time.

Back to my card, I used Liquid Glass on the keys, space bar, and striker (I think that’s what it’s called). With the exception of using it as an adhesive, I don’t use a lot of Liquid Glass, because quite frequently, I’ve deemed it to look sloppy and used on big areas, it warps the paper. For yesterday’s push pin and for this card, however, it worked and gives the cards that “touch me” quality.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, and Textured Topiary cardstock; Black ink pad; Fawn Lawn Just My Type and CTMH Happy Birthday stamp sets; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Liquid Glass.

How’s your day going? I’m starting to feel a little perkier. I mentioned doing yesterday’s dishes earlier but husband said he’d do them. As I post, he’s making lunch. It looks like I’m getting the Queen Treatment today. Maybe I’ll get to spend more time in my corner than I thought I would. LOL.

I hope you are having a fantastic day. As always, thanks for stopping by!

 

Simple Saturday

 

Here are a simple card  made with a stamp set that lends itself perfectly to CAS – Fawn Lawn’s Just My Type.  I love the typewriter in the set but had to explain to the little boys what it was. Heck, I don’t know if their dad has ever even used a typewriter. LOL. Anyhoo, when I saw the pushpin, I remembered I had some cork. It turned out though, what I have is thicker (1/8th inch) than what most are using for cards, so I had to “make do.” I used Glue Dots to adhere the cork to the background piece as well as attach the stamped elements to it. That way, everything should stay stuck. Oh, and I almost forgot, I used Liquid Glass on the push pin.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, and Holiday Red cardstock; Cork; Black and Crystal Blue ink pads; Holiday Red marker; Silver gel pen; Fawn Lawn Just My Type and CTMH Noted Backgrounds and Journaling Jots stamp sets; Ribbon from reasonableribbon.com; Stampin’ Up Spiral border punch; Liquid Glass.

For as quiet as last weekend was, this one has been noisy and fun! The little boys stayed with us last night and as planned, spent the day with me while the rest of the family golfed. We had so much fun. The boys made their own mini pizzas for lunch – English muffins, Pizza Quick, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese. As long as the oven was on, we baked a cake, too – a lemon “poke” cake frosted with Cool Whip. We made cards, with the boys choosing the Cuttlebug embossing folders and stamps they wanted to use. With temperatures in the 80s, we went outside for a while – long enough for everyone to get wet. The boys had squirt guns. Grandma had the garden hose. How I ended up wetter than they did, I don’t know. LOL. I think they were tired when they left. I know I am. It’s going to be early to bed for granny tonight.

While I would love to stamp all day tomorrow, there are some domestic chores that will have to be addressed. My little friends are messy, and if the truth be told, I’m not a whole lot better. The evidence lies in my corner and the kitchen. I hope will be able to eke out a card or two.

I hope you are enjoying the weekend like I am. Thank you for your visits. They, along with your sweet comments, are so appreciated.

A Random Pick

  Tonight’s card is my take on Mercy’s Tuesday Sketch Challenge #81, featured this week on the Lord Have Mercy! blog. With nothing specific in mind for the sketch, I told myself I would use the first set of stamps I randomly pulled from the storage box to make my card. The only stipulation was that the stamps would work for the sketch. My first pick netted this set from Basic Grey. The fact I had matching paper within arm’s reach made the process much easier than I thought it would be. It was kind of fun, in fact.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Olive cardstock; Basic Grey Porcelain 6x6-inch paper pad; Olive, Baby Pink, and Blush ink pads; Basic Grey Porcelain Gracious Bitsy and Flourishes Wreath of All Seasons stamp sets; KaiserKraft pearl accents; Martha Stewart Butterfly punch; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Ovals set; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

Hi! How was your day? Mine was a good one, albeit routine until the end of the day when I came home to two little boys I hadn’t seen in nearly two weeks! They’d had a fun day with Grandpa. Saturday is my day! I cannot wait.

Tonight, I’m going to take it easy – maybe stamp a little something so I have something to show you tomorrow night. Until then, take care, and thanks for stopping by!

 

Making a Scene

Allsorts Challenge 59 this week is to create a scene on your card.  “Create a scene” sounds like “make a scene” to me – three words I closely associate with the word, “don’t,” as in “Don’t make a scene.” I think that phrase must be a throwback from the “children are to be seen and not heard” days. Now days, it seems likes making a scene is commonplace, and there are no rules for children, which is probably why they grow up and think nothing of making a scene. It brings the word “decorum” to mind, which is as old-fashioned as my thinking is becoming. LOL.

As for the scene I created for my card, it’s pretty simple, and it’s the only scene I made today.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Star Spangled Blue cardstock; Splendor paper packet; Star Spangled Blue, Holiday Red, Topiary, Heavenly Blue, and Black ink pads; Practicing Creativity Designs Look Up! and CTMH Happy Birthday stamp sets; Red mini brads; Stampin’ Up Word Window punch; 3M foam mounting tape.

 

This card was made with a cute image (Fly Free by LeeAnne Ellis for Sugar Nellie) I’ve had for a while that I’d tried to color several times before but never to my satisfaction. Finally, I sat down last night determined to use it to make a card, and this is what I came up with.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, Crystal Blue, and Amethyst cardstock; Black, Crystal Blue, Amethyst, and Twilight ink pads; Sugar Nellie Fly Free and CTMH Speckled Background (retired) stamps; Hero Arts Anytime Messages stamp set; Black mini brads; Prismacolor colored pencils; Dove blending pen; Black My Legacy Writer.

Nope, I didn’t make a scene today. Just tried to go with the flow. LOL. Actually, it was a fine day with just enough to do to make the workday pass pleasantly. After work, I stopped to visit with Mom before coming home to tackle the laundry I ignored on the weekend. Husband is still at the golf course.

And I slept like a baby last night. I’m going for two nights in a row. A good night’s sleep makes a world of difference when it comes to energy and attitude.

How was your day? Does it seem possible that it’s Thursday already tomorrow? While it isn’t going to be quiet, I’m looking forward to the weekend anyway. Saturday, I will have the little guys to all myself while my boys and their dad participate in our company’s annual Golf Social. With the assistance of his brother, Cameron has organized it for the past several years, so there is a lot of planning that leads up to it. Dusty will not be playing golf this year, however, as he is on crutches. It seems he slid into base last night at softball and has a badly sprained ankle and nasty contusion on his heal. Having experienced a sprained ankle a couple of times, he has my sympathy. Ouch!

The laundry room beckons. Enjoy your evening! And thanks for stopping by.

A Wedding Card Idea

This is my adaptation of OCCSC22, the current sketch challenge on the Our Creative Corner blog. As someone who usually uses an odd number of elements, I was thrown off a bit by the fact the sketch calls for two. But then, I remembered a cute wedding card I had seen somewhere. The question was, “Where?” The search began with me scanning through quite a few of the numerous blogs to which subscribe through Google Reader. It took a while, but I eventually found this card featured on [fittingly] the OCC blog.

“Borrowing” the heart idea, this is the card I came up with. Although it was my first inclination to create a white and black card, I decided to use pink so the “dress” would stand out a bit more. The hearts proved to be the challenge, because I’d previously convinced myself I didn’t need  heart-shaped Nestabilities. After this past weekend, however, I am certain, beyond a doubt, I not only need hearts but stars as well (This awesome card on Sharli’s Place sold me on the stars!).  Anyway, if my hearts look a little rough around the edges, it is because they were cut free-hand.  I’ll save this card for inspiration and make another to actually use once I have the dies. It’s a cute idea, don’t you think?

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, and Baby Pink Textured cardstock; Black ink pad; Gracious Greetings stamp set; Black Bitty Brads; Sparkles; Black satin ribbon from Wal-Mart; Cuttlebug w/d’Vine Swirls embossing folder; 3M foam mounting tape.

My first day back in the real world wasn’t so great due to a lousy night during which I experienced multiple Charley horse cramps that alternated between my left calf and foot. Ouch! It seemed like I would no more than get up to work one out than I’d fall back asleep for a few minutes only to wake with another one. When the alarm rang at 6:45, I must have shut it off. Luckily, I woke up on my own in time to get to work on time. As you know, strenuous exercise was not on this past weekend’s agenda. A calcium or potassium deficiency is unlikely. With dehydration the most likely of any of the causes, I drank less coffee and more water and juice today. Tonight, I am really tired and hoping for a good night’s rest.

I’m really hoping, too, your day was better than mine. With that, I’m off to get a few things done before soaking in a hot tub of water and heading to bed early. Enjoy your evening, dear friends, and thanks for stopping by.

Another Play Day

They say all good things must come to an end. Tomorrow, it’s back to the 9 to 5 world. That’s OK. Having a job is good. Having had a wonderful weekend is better.

I made five cards today but am going to hold on to a couple of them for a day or two. The cards I am showing you were made using the same paper from the awesome “Spendor” packet and the same fun stamp set, “Love You Forever.”

With the exception of some fine detail – beaks and owl parts – that I colored in with markers, the critters and tree elements were all paper-pieced using the patterned paper for the top two cards and cardstock for the bottom one.

I made this top card first, my take on Card Patterns Sketch 71, which was featured Saturday on the Card Patterns blog. It was fun, albeit my hands seem like they include too many thumbs when it comes to handling itty bitty, little pieces such as the center of the flower. I used Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive to glue my pieces in place.

Pleased as punch with my first card, I thought I would try one more. This second card is my adaptation of Unscripted Sketches #62. I didn’t have a gold button, so I punched a gold circle to put behind my green button to make it stand out a little more. The smidgen of blue ribbon ties in the blue circle behind the cloud paper. The googly eyes add a whimsical element.

Oh, and before I forget, if you are not familiar with the Unscripted Sketch it Saturday blog, take a look. They have a fun Christmas in July promotion in the works, and today, their featured designer is my friend Alanna.  She made a wonderful Christmas ensemble that includes a card box, Christmas planner notebook, and three cards. Outstanding!

On a bit of a roll, I wanted to use the Love You Forever set one more time.  With baby on the brain, I could not resist making a baby card with  the little sheep stamps. And while you can’t see it, the sheep are actually three-dimensional. I stamped them twice on Grey Wool cardstock and once on white. I cut out the the grey pieces once in their entireties and from the other grey piece, just the heads. I cut out the white pieces, cutting around the bodies and heads. Then I applied white Liquid Appliqué to the bodies and let it dry.

Once the Liquid Appliqué was dry, I puffed it up with my heat tool and assembled by sheep. After gluing down the bodies, I used tiny 1/16-inch thick pop dots to attach the heads. Mama sheep was glued flat to the background paper. Baby, who wandered around my desktop, was finally captured and stuck to the card with a piece of foam tape.  Following me? LOL.

I used a silver gel pen to give Mama sheep’s bell some sparkle. Additionally, I cut a cloud from a scrap of the patterned paper, glued it to chipboard, and added to the card with foam tape.

Finally, this card is what I came up with for Get Sketchy #45 on the Get Sketchy blog. The funny thing about sketches is that sometimes I am totally into them, and other times, I am like an empty well. These past two days, I’ve loved ‘em and appreciate the folks who take the time to create them. Now, I’m going to try to assemble one Materials & Tools list for all three cards. I think that will be OK. If you have a question, please feel free to ask, and I will try to remember to answer you.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Colonial White, Goldrush, Topiary, Brown Bag, Grey Wool; and Crystal Blue cardstock; Spendor paper packet; Chipboard; Black, Bamboo, Topiary, and Crystal Blue ink pads; Love You Forever, Happy Birthday, and Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages stamp sets; Summer Craft Buttons; White buttons from Wal-Mart; Goldrush Waxy Flax; White Embroidery Floss; Blue mini-check ribbon from reasonableribbon.com; Stampin’ Up Whisper White taffeta ribbon; Googly eyes from my stash; White Liquid Appliqué; Black My Legacy Writer; Silver gel pen; Piercing tool; Stampin’ Up Piercing Guide & Mat; Fiskars Apron Lace border punch; Sponge dauber; Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive; Liquid Glass (used as an adhesive); 1/16-inch foam dots; 3M foam mounting tape.

That was fun! And, being my post is already long and it’s getting late, I’ll let you go with a wish that the rest of your week (a short workweek – yippee!) is great. Take care, dear friends, and thanks for stopping by. 

Fun on the 4th of July

My idea of fun anyway! Last night, I went through the challenge blogs, made a list and between then and now, have made a few cards. I thought about posting them one-by-one, maybe saving a couple for the inevitable day when I either can’t get here or have no mojo, but then I thought, what the heck… And so, here you are!

This first card is the byproduct of a personal challenge – to use up some of the squares I cut for the quilt card I made the other day.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Crystal Blue cardstock; Sweet Harmony paper packet (retired); Crystal Blue and Blush ink pads; Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages stamp set; Martha Stewart Doily Lace edger punch; Cuttlebug w/Swiss Dots embossing folder; Sponge daubers.

 

This next card is my take on FTL97 featured this week on the Clean & Simple Stamping blog. After waiting for a backorder, I finally got my hot little hands on Tim Holtz’s Tattered Florals die.

The flowers were made with Baby Pink cardstock that I sponged with Blush ink and ran through the paper corrugator multiple times to both soften up the paper and give my flowers some texture. The card base is textured white cardstock.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy Textured and Black cardstock; Black and Blush ink pads; CTMH Gracious Greetings stamp set; Buttons from my stash; Black/White mini check ribbon from Wal-Mart; White embroidery tread; Cuttlebug w/Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Florals BigZ Sizzix die; Sponge dauber; Fiskars paper corrugator.

 

This card is my adaptation of Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #119. I inked my stamp with markers with the intentions of spritzing it with water to create a watercolor look. The problem was, when the time came, no water bottle was to be found. Thus, I huffed … and huffed … and huffed until I was darned near lightheaded. Lucky me. The image came out OK. To add a little texture, I stamped the background of my image with my Speckled Background stamp and used a sponge dauber to add some Bamboo ink around the edges.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Olive cardstock; Basic Grey Origins 6x6-inch paper pad; Olive and Bamboo ink pads; Sunflower, Olive, and Cocoa markers; Stampin’ Up Inspired by Nature and CTMH Happy Birthday stamp sets; CTMH Speckled Background stamp (retired); Antiqued Copper mini brads; 1 and 1-1/4 inch circle punches; Sponge dauber.

 

 

 

I was intrigued by CPS #174 on the Card Positioning Systems blog and thought the sketch would be a bigger challenge than it turned out to be.

I stamped some images on my script patterned paper with Bamboo ink – kind of collage style. Deciding how to embellish a rather plain, monochromatic card proved to be the greatest challenge. I ended up piercing around the perimeter of the stamped background piece and adding three mini brads before calling it “good enough.” Best of all, I actually like the way it turned out.

Materials & Tools: Colonial white and Cocoa cardstock; Passages paper packet; Bamboo and Cocoa ink pads; CTMH Live Inspired stamp set; Antiqued copper mini brads; Piercing Tool; Stampin’ Up Piercing Guide & Mat; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Sponge dauber.

 

 

 

 

When I saw C4C44 – a challenge to use two or more ribbons – on the Crazy 4 Challenges blog, I remembered a favorite sentiment stamp and knew immediately what I wanted to do.

It cannot be a surprise that the card base is White Daisy textured cardstock – my favorite for CAS. And, I’m sure you know, too, I love this card – the colors, the message, the clean and simple style.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy Textured cardstock; Ocean ink pad; Verve Stamps Asian Flair stamp set; Striped ribbon from reasonableribbon.com; Grosgrain ribbons from Wal-Mart; Gemstones from Wal-Mart; Liquid Glass.

 

So, if you are wondering what else I’ve done so far today, the answer would be, “Not much.” LOL. I have managed to make a bit of a mess in my corner, and I am struggling to stay cool. After several days of temperatures in the high 80s and lower 90s, it’s dropped to 79 degrees today – cool enough that husband doesn’t think the air conditioner is necessary. As I type, I have two loud, annoying fans blowing hot air at me. Men get the dumbest notions in their heads sometimes, don’t they?

Tonight, we are going to a small town about 30 miles from here for a concert. It’s Oklee’s centennial celebration, and our friend, Jack Sundrud, has returned to his hometown from Nashville and will be performing. I guess that means I will have to comb my hair. LOL.

What are you up to? If you are out and about, I hope you are safe and enjoying yourself. If you’re relishing time at home like me, I hope you are having as much fun as I am. Take care, friends, and as always, thank you for stopping by.

Simple Saturday

Good afternoon! Thank you so very much for your sweet comments on my last post. To answer a question, there has been discussion about finding out the sex of the baby, although I don’t know if a decision has been made. We’ve had it both ways. We didn’t know with our sons or Bjorn, but did find out with Mathias. While the element of surprise had been removed, the joy of his birth was not diminished in the least. Whatever Dustin and Miranda decide is OK with me. So far, they’ve purchased one piece of clothing for the baby – a camouflage onesie at Cabelas. Boy or girl, I imagine this little one will be traipsing through the woods after mom and/or dad at an early age.

About my card, the white cardstock is textured. The stamped element was attached to the card with foam tape. It’s all straighter than it appears in the photo, too. LOL. About freedom, it’s neither simple nor is it free. For me, it ranks right up there with faith, family, and friends – all that I hold dear – none of which I want to lose – all of which I would fight for.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy Textured cardstock; Cranberry and Outdoor Denim cardstock; Cranberry and Outdoor Denim ink pads; So Sweet Seasons stamp set (retired); 3M foam mounting tape.

Are you having a good day? I hope so. My day has been perfect, as I’ve gone about my business in the most leisurely of fashions. Husband made dinner tonight. Shrimp Scampi. It was delicious. And to think this is a man, who a few years ago, could not make macaroni and cheese from a box.

Tonight, I’m going to watch some television and maybe do a little sorting in my corner. I think the clutter is having an adverse effect on my mojo. Enjoy your evening, friends, and again, thank you!

Pink or Blue? A Secret Revealed …

On my “Happy, Happy Friday!” post on April 30, I mentioned a wonderful secret. Can you guess? Yes, we are going to be grandparents again!

Here’s the story – On Tuesday, April 27, a very excited Dustin called in the evening and told me Miranda “might” be pregnant. In other words, she was late. “But we’re not going to tell anyone for a long time,” he said. My half-joking response was, “Well, now that you’ve told me this much, you are going to tell me.”

On Friday of that same week, an even more excited Dusty called before work to report that a home pregnancy test had confirmed it. Thus, my secret until now.

A test at the clinic the following week verified the home pregnancy test, and they were told to come back for their first prenatal visit in a month or so.

A couple of weeks later, I told Dustin I was curious about the baby’s due date. I told him I’d picked a random date and using an online due date calculator had come up with December 30 as their due date. I asked him to get the actual date from Miranda and see what date he came up with. The next day, he called. “Mom, you know way too much. The baby is due on December 30.”  Actually, I didn’t know anything more than what he’d told me. It was just a happy coincidence that makes for a fun story.

While the excitement has not waned for the young couple (or grandma and grandpa), the shock has worn off. Evidently, they got pregnant around the time they started discussing the subject. One of Dusty’s comments was, “I thought we’d have to practice for a while.” LOL. I remember thinking that myself a couple of times. Not so. We were blessed. They are blessed. Everyone is thrilled. While there are quite a few who think I need a granddaughter, I can honestly say that I do not care. A healthy baby is all I pray for. So far, so good. On their visit to the doctor this week, they heard the baby’s heartbeat. Mommy is feeling great and taking good care of herself. Daddy has a big grin on his face most of the time.

Now, about my card. I used a sponge dauber and Bamboo ink to define the 1-inch quilt squares. In keeping with the rustic look, I sanded the Crystal Blue “binding” and sponged more Bamboo around the perimeter of the card base and tag.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Crystal Blue cardstock; Sweet Harmony paper packet (retired); Crystal Blue and Bamboo ink pads; Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages stamp set; White Daisy organdy ribbon; Button from my stash; White crochet cotton; McGill Multi-tag punch; Sponge dauber; Sanding block.

Did I say I’m excited? LOL. I’m excited about the weekend, too, which should be just the way I want it – relatively uneventful. Last night, we went out for supper with friends. A very good time. Tonight, Marv is at the golf course, and I’m going to play in my corner for a while before going to bed early. As for the next three days, there are things I want to get done but in no particular order and without any kind of pressure. I’m hoping the relaxed atmosphere is conducive to a little mojo in my corner, too – an area where I’ve felt lacking lately. We’ll see.

That said, I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Take care, and thanks for stopping by.