Simple Saturday …on Tuesday

I have to say Simple Saturday is kind of dumb for someone whose signature is simple and does simple about 95 percent of the time. However, it’s a tradition. About the only sure bet there is on this blog at this time, and even so, I am sometimes late … or early, depending upon how you look at it. LOL.

Anyhoo, I was dying to try the new Cuttlebug folder Jeanne sent me. I love damask and brocade and the design of this folder. I love the larger (5x7-inch) embossing folder, too. Even though I used it to make an A2-size card, I love that the larger folder gives one the option of covering the whole card base. To make the embossing stand out a bit more, I sponged it with White Daisy pigment ink. The butterfly is a digital image from Hero Arts. I used sponges and ink for my 60-second coloring job. In keeping with the simple theme, I added a single rhinestone to the “o” in “you.”

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Moonstruck cardstock; Moonstruck, Hydrangea, and White Daisy Pigment ink pads; Hero Arts Winged Friends digital image; CTMH Say it in Style stamp set; Sparkles; Cuttlebug w/Kassie’s Brocade 5x7-inch embossing folders and Nestabilities Labels Eight; Round sponges; Sponge dauber.

A Slice of Life: Speaking of Jeanne, it’s her birthday today! Even if she doesn’t post today (I hope she is having too much fun!), stop by her blog, and wish her a Happy Birthday. Today has been another good day. There were a couple of extra guys here to dispense goodbye kisses this morning, and I talked to Bjorn this afternoon on the phone. He had to tell me about his “great” visit to the dentist this morning (unlike previous visits when he has been mortified) and the fact that he lost a tooth today. I was busy at work, which always makes for a good day.  After work, I stopped at Mom’s for a few minutes and came home to a quiet house. Even though you wouldn’t catch me on a golf course when it’s as nippy as it is this evening, hardcore Husband is there and most likely will be until he either becomes preoccupied with hunting or the snow flies.

That’s probably enough jabber out of me for one night. How was your day? A fine one, I hope. Have a wonderful Wednesday, too!

Dreams

Other possible titles for this post would be “Obsessed,” “Striving for Perfection,” “Good, Better, Best,” or “Three Strikes and You’re Out.” LOL.

It all started with Card Patterns Sketch 79.  This top view is what I initially came up with. I had to knot my ribbon instead of making a bow, because that little piece was all I had left. The butterflies were punched from a coordinating piece from the same 7gypsies variety paper pack.

I actually thought the card was OK until I photographed it. It looked a little blah. Maybe if there was a spot (or spots) of color behind the butterflies, my card would look a little better. So… I used a

piercing tool to help me pry the well-glued little buggers from my card. I punched some 1-inch circles from yet another coordinating piece of paper – the one I probably should have used to punch my butterflies to begin with. I adhered the circles to my card and re-glued the butterflies.

Again, I thought my card was alright until after I had photographed it, and I realized the rust-colored circles looked kind out of place – unfinished. And so, I yanked ever so gently removed the butterfly-laden circles  and backed them with New England Ivy cardstock.

While the photograph of my third and final stab at this card falls short of taking my breath away, I can live with it. It looks finished to me and appears to have recovered from surgery nicely.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and New England Ivy cardstock; 7Gypsies Nottinghill 6x6-inch variety paper pack; New England Ivy and Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink stamp pads; Verses Wings of Your Dreams rubber stamp; New England Ivy Designer Ribbon Rounds (retired); KaiserKraft pearl accents; Martha Stewart Butterfly punch; 1 and 1-1/4 inch circle punches; Sponge dauber; Piercing tool (but only as a surgical instrument. LOL.)

A Slice of Life: Well, we made it through Monday. I hope your day was a good one. Mine wasn’t bad. I finished up a time-consuming project at work that took me the better part of three days and then started on some other smaller projects that have landed on my desk recently. I came home to a couple of charming little boys who are staying with us tonight. The earlier part of the evening was spent playing games with Mathias. We are currently in the midst of a booming thunder/rain storm, which may or may not have something to do with the fact they are having a hard time settling down this evening. My attempt at stamping this evening didn’t go well,  so I think I’ll go pick up my corner and then grab my book and read until I fall asleep.

I reiterate I hope your day was a good one and that tomorrow is, too! Take care, and thanks for stopping by.

 

A Couple of Cards

This card is my adaptation of FTL105 as featured on the Clean & Simple Stamping blog. This card was “all wrong” until I added the narrow strip of Garden Green paper to the right of the scalloped edge. It’s amazing how a skinny strip of color can make such a difference.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Garden Green, and New England Ivy Stamp sets; Garden Green and New England Ivy stamp pads; Hero Arts Three Ferns rubber stamp and Impression Obsession Count Your Blessings stamp set; Fiskars Apron Lace border punch.

This next card is my take on Unscripted Sketches #70. I used my favorite Saran Wrap technique to add some pattern to the solid Autumn Terracotta cardstock. What’s the Saran Wrap technique? It’s a wadded up piece of plastic wrap basically used as a stamp. The result is a kind of suede-like look. You knew it had to be simple coming from me, right? LOL. The background for my grass was created with round sponges and ink from Autumn Terracotta and Sunflower ink pad. I love the results that look like one of those sunsets take one’s breath away.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Autumn Terracotta, and Cocoa cardstock; Autumn Terracotta, Sunflower, and Cocoa ink pads; Hero Arts Silhouette Grass rubber stamp and Impression Obsession Count Your Blessings stamp set; Basic Craft Buttons; Autumn Terracotta Designer Ribbon Rounds (retired); Piercing tool; Stampin’ Up Piercing Guide & Mat; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: It’s been a quiet, restful day. Nice.

How about you? Whatever you are doing today, I hope you are enjoying yourself. It’s hard to believe there are only a couple of days left in August, isn’t it? Marv will have his last week with Bjorn and Mathias before they go back to school next week. I know he isn’t nearly as excited about it as they are. In fact, I can imagine he’ll be a little lost until he becomes accustomed to not seeing them so much.

I’m off to read for a spell and then perhaps, stamp some more. Enjoy the evening, and as always, thank you for stopping by!

Thank You!

On Thursday, the mailman delivered a padded envelope filled with goodies from my friend Jeanne. There was a new Cuttlebug folder (that does 5x7-inch cards), a magnet with a saying about friendship, a package of Martha Stewart doily tags, and so lovingly made by Jeanne, a beautiful tatted medallion, a number of wonderful crocheted elements suitable for cards, and the gorgeous crocheted bracelet shown in the foreground of the photo and again to the right on my not-so-lovely-at-the-moment, kind of old-looking hand. Neither photo does justice to the beautiful beads. And the card, isn’t it the cutest ever? While Jeanne hasn’t been stamping all that often recently, she never seems to lose her touch. The words “Thank you” seem weak in compared to the gratitude I feel for Jeanne’s lovely gifts and the friendships this blog has brought into my life.

The happy mail didn’t stop with Jeanne’s package either. Among the greetings was this awesome card from Sparkle. When I see Sparkle’s amazing coloring, I want Copic markers, although I tell myself that even if I had ‘em, I most likely don’t have Sparkle’s talents. I ooh and ah over her cards and her coloring on her blog, and now, I find myself doing the same thing with her card in my hand. Another thing her cards inspire me to do is add some real stitches. Now, that might be something I can actually handle … one of these days.

I turned 57 on Friday. I celebrated with a short workday and then, a family supper last night. Between Marv and Mom, I didn’t spend much time in the kitchen. And no purchased birthday cake for me. Mom surprised me with a scrumptious “Better than S*x” cake (the typo on purpose as not to attract weird comments. LOL.) It was so good, and I couldn’t help but realize, too, how very lucky I am to still have my sweet mom – not only alive and well but actually here with me.

As I have mentioned other years, the anniversary of my birth is followed by the anniversary of my dad’s passing. Early in the morning of August 28, 1997, my larger-than-life dad died peacefully in his sleep. While I have never doubted that it was his time to go, I still miss him and know I will until one day when we meet again, and he slaps my knee, and I hear the familiar, “How ya doin’, pal?”

Life is good – so very good – and yet sometimes, I find myself struggling with so many things. In recent weeks, I’ve been up and down, which, at times, hasn’t been very conducive to creativity. You’ve been so understanding. I have appreciated it.

It seems as I grow older, I become less and less adaptable to change. In my 57th year, it’s my goal to pull it together again and try to become a bit more resilient.

Enough jabber. I have some chores to do. Once they’re done, I’m going to plop myself in my corner and make something to show you. Enjoy the day! Later, my friends…

Live Your Bliss

I finished this card several days ago but have been too tired/lazy to post it until tonight. You can’t really see the Sparkles in the photograph, which is too bad, because picking and placing those tiny buggers with a needle was painstaking work. LOL.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Black cardstock; Black ink pad; Gina K Designs Fine Furnishings and Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages stamp set; Bitty Sparkles; Satin ribbon from my stash.

A Slice of Life: I have been very busy at work this week, which is good except for the fact I have been dog tired at the end of the day. Other than that, there hasn’t been a whole lot going on around here this week … so far. My mailbox held some wonderful surprises today, which I will show you about at some point tomorrow. For tonight, I’m going to go take a relaxing bath and go to bed – a few extra ZZZs in preparation for the weekend unless I get too caught up in Eat, Pray, Love, the book that has been sold out in town and I was finally lucky enough to finally get my hands on this afternoon. Make your Friday a good one, friends. Thanks for stopping by!

All Seasons Sweet

Here is my take on Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #125. We noticed this weekend that the leaves are just so barely starting to turn color. It’s coming to that time of year.

I stamped my leaves using the stamp rolling technique. The combinations were Autumn Terracotta and Cranberry, Goldrush and Autumn Terracotta, and Sunflower and Goldrush. Why I didn’t stamp the leaves directly onto the background, I don’t know. Instead, I stamped them on a separate piece of cardstock and cut them out. To give the plain paper some texture, I used the Saran Wrap technique on the Autumn Terracotta card base. The sentiment was mounted to the card with foam tape.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Autumn Terracotta, and Cocoa cardstock; Autumn Terracotta, Cranberry, Goldrush, Sunflower, Cocoa, and Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink ink pads; Close To My Heart Nature’s Vein, Air Mail (retired), and Impression Obsession Count Your Blessings stamp sets; Sunflower mini brads; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: If today was any indication, it is going to be another fast week. This evening, we drove out to Dustin and Miranda’s house to check on their progress. I think my son, however, must have Little Red Hen Syndrome, as I keep offering to help, and he keeps saying (more or less), “I will do it myself.” LOL. With what is left of the evening, I’m going to stamp a little and then take a relaxing bath before I hit the sheets.

I hope your Monday was a good one, too. Thanks for stopping by.

Name Them One by One

The name of the stamp set, “Count Your Blessings,” used for lovely sentiment on my card brings to mind the words of an old hymn: When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

The hymn, in turn, reminds me of the quote by German theologian Meister Eckhart: “If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”

Today’s card was inspired by this beautiful card on the Lucy’s Cards blog. I love the bird, and with the link to the digikit so handily provided, it was mine within seconds of my seeing it. I don’t think the purchase and the time it took to complete the download took more than three minutes. Pure impulse but only $4, so not so bad. LOL. And now, I am thinking I need to learn more about using digikits – something beyond sizing and printing a single image.

Back to my card, the edges of the paper were distressed with Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink by Ranger. While I only have this one pad, I think I would love all of the Distress Inks in his collection. The colors are so pretty. My printed bird was cut out and attached to the card with 1/16-inch thick foam dots.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Colonial White cardstock; 7gypsies Nottinghill 6x6-inch paper variety pack; Barn Red and Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink ink pads; Impression Obsession Count Your Blessings stamp set; Journey Back – Elements Digikit by Vinnie Pearce; Twine; Stampin’ Up Spiral Border punch; Sponge dauber; Pop Dots.

A Slice of Life: Mom and I went to church and then grocery shopping this morning. The afternoon was spent doing laundry and housekeeping chores. This evening, I am going to do as little as possible before going to bed early.

I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend. If only they didn’t go by so fast! Take care, friends, and thanks for stopping by.

Simple Saturday

Here’s a very simple “backpack” card made with Mint Motif’s recently released “School Basics” set. School will be starting here on the Tuesday after Labor Day, so I thought it would be wise to get a few cards ready. Periodically, it is fun to surprise the boys with cards in their backpacks – just a little note from Grandma with a few encouraging words.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Outdoor Denim cardstock; Outdoor Denim gingham B&T paper (retired); Black, Cranberry, Topiary, and Crystal Blue stamp pads; Chocolate marker; Mint Motif School Basics stamp sets; Stampin’ Up Spiral Border punch; Prismacolor colored pencils; White and silver gel pens.

A Slice of Life: Maybe it spontaneity that my life has been lacking! Today, we made a little impromptu trip to a nearby state park with Cameron, Sarah, and the boys, and it was the “bestest” of days! We spent the afternoon frolicking in the water and then hiking around the park before enjoying a picnic supper. It was fun. Bjorn is our nature lover who relishes filling his pockets with treasures. Today, it was acorns. After all that fresh air, I should sleep like a baby tonight.

How was your day? A good one, I hope! Enjoy your Sunday, too.I need to get around to visiting all my blogging buddies again – I’m so far behind! Soon… Last, but not least, thank you for your comments on my last post. Excited about the baby and mindful of all my many blessings, I’m feeling the fog starting to lift.

Pink or Blue …

 

 

I sent my son an email on Wednesday. It read, “Pink or blue, I love you and Miranda and Baby Carlson.” The message was sent in anticipation of the ultrasound that was conducted that afternoon.

My cards were inspired by a couple of cards posted on July 30 on the lovely Paper Delightz blog.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Heavenly Blue, and Black cardstock; Black ink pad; Close To My Heart Treasure Life stamp set; KaiserKraft pearl accents; Fiskars Apron Lace border punch.

 

 

 

 

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Baby Pink cardstock; Black ink pad; Stampin’ Up Essence of Love and Close To My Heart Say it in Style stamp sets; Black/white mini check ribbon from Wal-Mart.

A Slice of Life: I am not going to keep you in suspense. In December, the Queen of the male-dominated Carlson family will be sharing her throne after Lady Miranda gives birth to a precious little Princess. Yes, the baby is a girl. Yesterday, sweet Dusty sent Miranda a dozen pink roses along with a note telling her what a good mommy she is going to be. There is no doubt. As for me, I cannot wait to meet her, and as the days are getting shorter and the evenings cooler, all of a sudden, December does not seem like it is so far away.

Now, to answer the question that might be on some of your minds. Where the heck have I been? Well, I haven’t been on vacation, although it might have helped my cause. No. I’ve been at work, at home, here and there but not much of anywhere except perhaps in the deepest creative rut I have ever fallen into. It hasn’t mattered what I’ve tried to do in my corner whether it be trying to come up with something original or copying someone else’s creation, nothing has worked.

In truth, the rut might extend beyond my corner – at least a little bit – because I haven’t been making any big strides in any other areas of my life either. While it doesn’t happen very often, there are times when even though nothing is wrong, things just don’t seem quite right. I’ll come around one of these days.

How are you? I hope life is treating you well and apologize for being absent for so long. With that, I am going to plant myself in my corner and see if I can’t come up with something for Simple Saturday. I’ll talk to you again then.

Simplicity

I was in the mood for a CAS card tonight. Easy stamping. Easy coloring. Clean. Simple. While the card turned out that way, you should see my corner right now. The first thing I did was bump a container (small, luckily) of odorless mineral spirits . Splat. Upside down on the floor. As I was reaching down to pick up the container and access the damage, I bumped my box of Prismacolor pencils. Crash. They hit the floor – all four trays – all 120 pencils. A CAS card and a colossal mess. I guess I know how I will be spending the rest of the evening. LOL.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy Textured and Cranberry cardstock; Black ink pad; Fawn Lawn Just My Type and Just My Type, Too stamp sets; Red mini check ribbon from Wal-Mart; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps.

A Slice of Life: Compared to what went on in my corner this evening, the rest of my day was relatively uneventful. Most of my workday was spent in a meeting, which means tomorrow I will be chained to my desk doing what came in today and hopefully, keeping up with whatever comes my way tomorrow. I am almost spooked by how fast time is flying these days. Yesterday, I received a meeting notice for the 19th and mentioned to a co-worker I thought it was strange that this particular meeting would be scheduled so far out. She reminded me the 19th is next week. Yikes. Excited about being a first-grader, little Bjorn is going to get his wish soon.

Nope. That mess in my corner isn’t going to get straightened up with me sitting here. I’d better go. I hope you day was a good one and that tomorrow is, too. Take care, friends, and thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy Every Moment

A half hour or so ago I didn’t feel like stamping tonight and then  … I saw the sketch for Mojo Monday 151 and thought of this stamp set. A color combination came to mind as did a pad of Basic Grey paper. Voila! I had a card. Oops! Excuse the little pencil mark at the bottom. I marked it to center my ribbon. I’ll erase it.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Spring Lilac cardstock; Basic Grey Lilykate 6x6-inch paper pad; Black, Spring Lilac, and Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink stamp pads; Enjoy Every Moment stamp set; KaiserKraft pearl accents; Green satin ribbon from Wal-Mart; Fiskars Apron Lace border punch; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Foam texture tool.

A Slice of Life: I had a great day. Work was busy and productive. I stopped at Mom’s on my way home. She’s making new friends and enjoying life. There have been several occasions in the past few days when I haven’t been able to get a hold of her when I’ve call, because she has been out and about – a good thing. To have a life of her own after nearly 57 years of centering her life around her children is something she deserves. I love seeing her so happy.

We had a break from the heat today. Many welcomed the rain. I might have appreciated it, too, had I not gotten drenched walking to my car after work. LOL. I was on my way to bed when the stamping bug bit. It’s time.

I hope yours was a wonderful day, too. Here’s to a Happy Hump Day as well. I’ll most likely “see” you again then. Take care, friends.

Bear with Me …

… but I just had to make one more card with the “Beary Best’ set and Back Country papers that are from last year and used (by me) for the first time ever yesterday. Why did I think I did not love these papers? This is one of my favorite color combinations. Oh well. So, I foolishly deprived myself for a year…

The card is my adaptation of Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #123. As you can see, I created a little scene. The images were colored with a blending pen and ink from my stamp pads.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Colonial White, Bamboo, Outdoor Denim, and Olive cardstock; Back Country paper packet; Black, Bamboo, Heavenly Blue, Brown Bag, Chocolate, Grey Wool, Outdoor Denim, Sunny Yellow, Sunflower, and Orange ink pads; Dove blending pen; Beary Best stamp set; Basic Craft Buttons; Ribbon from Michael’s; Orange Peel Stickles; Stapler; Cloud stencil; Round sponge; Sponge daubers; Martha Stewart Embossed Zigzag Edger punch; Black My Legacy Writer.

A Slice of Life: It was another hot day in Minnesota with temperatures in the 90s. Thank goodness for air conditioning. While it is only used a few weeks out of the year, I am quite certain I would perish without it. Husband was going to turn it off last night but heeded my order, “Leave it alone!” My workday was busy and productive, and with plenty of pending stuff, I don’t anticipate a break in the action tomorrow. And work was pretty much it for the day. With the exception of a little stamping session and heating up leftovers for supper, I have remained relatively stationary this evening. Hot is an excuse to be lazy for Northerners who are not used to it. LOL.

I hope your your week got off to a great start, too. Thank you so much for your visits and comments. They are what keep me coming back!

A Few Minutes to Spare

Here is my take on Unscripted Sketches #67. I didn’t deviate much from the sketch, and as for what I did to make it, the photo pretty much tells the story. The only thing I have to say is that I love the sweet little images in Close To My Hearts’ “Beary Best” and “Beary Busy” sets.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Outdoor Denim cardstock; Back Country paper packet; Black and Juniper ink pads; Beary Best stamp set; Outdoor Denim and Barn Red Bigger Brads; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Black My Legacy Writers; Dove blending pen; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: Sunday nights are bittersweet as I realize the weekend is about to end and attempt to wrap my mind around the idea of another workweek. Today has been a great day, however. I got quite a bit of cleaning done and washed a load of clothes. Cameron and the boys were here for supper before the little guys went to their mom’s house for the week. With temperatures in the 90s, I was smart enough to use the oven in the Community Room downstairs instead of adding to the heat and making the air conditioner work harder in my personal space.

Recapping yesterday, Bjorn caught his very first fish last night. He was so proud – even if it was just a little rock bass. His Daddy got the sweetest photo that will make a great scrapbook page when and if Grandma ever gets around to scrapbooking again. And Sharli, you were so right about small town life. Small communities are like gigantic families. Speaking of, there are 27 first cousins on Marv’s mother’s side of the family, ranging in age from 48 to 73. Twenty of them were at the funeral. These cousins have children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren, which makes for a lot of weddings, baby and bridal showers, graduations, and an occasional funeral. After a long and painful dying process, yesterday’s funeral was not as sad as the fact that Eddie had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer to begin with. While he was a good guy with a good life that included a wife, children, and grandchildren who loved him and will miss him, he is in a better place now.

If the weather is as hot as what is forecast, I’ll be hanging out inside after work this week – hopefully in my corner. I hope your week is wonderful. I’ll talk to you again soon.

Simple Saturday

The design for this week’s Simple Saturday card was so simple I made two! Besides, the “Is it pink, or is it blue?” question is still up in the air at my house. LOL. The question is no longer a question for a number of my co-workers, however. In my department, three of my co-workers had babies this past week, and there was one a couple of weeks ago as well – three boys and one little girl – Brennan, Mason, August, and Tegan.

The inspiration for my cards can be found here on the Simplicity blog. Don’t you just love Susan’s CAS style. I certainly do. Oh, and before I forget – my cards meet the criteria for Stamp Simply #151 challenge – One Layer Cards – as featured on the No Time To Stamp? blog.

Materials & Tools: White Textured Cardstock; Heavenly Blue, Crystal Blue, Baby Pink, and Blush ink pads; Sweet Baby and Baby Impressions (retired) stamp sets; Heavenly Blue and Blush Designer Ribbon Rounds.

A Slice of Life: The funeral we attended was for Marv’s cousin’s husband, who succumbed last week to pancreatic cancer at the age of 60. The service was held in a tiny church in a little town about 40 miles from here. As the families were so large, the entire sanctuary of the church was reserved for family and relatives with the rest of the attendees (and there were a lot of them) filling the church basement, entryway, and spilling out unto the steps and churchyard. After the burial and lunch at the church, everyone was invited to gather at the couple’s rural home, so it pretty much ended up being an all-day affair. And tonight, I’m exhausted tonight from having spent a good part of the day outside in the heat and humidity. The high heels and pantyhose that seemed like a good idea this morning weren’t very comfortable by 4 pm.

On our drive back to town, we stopped at the farm where Dustin and Miranda will be living. About 15 miles from city limits, the three-bedroom, rambler-style house (that was Miranda’s grandparents’ house) sits in a huge yard with lots of other large farm buildings. With a mowed area as big as most city parks, there will be no shortage of space for the little one to run and play. The house, which her grandpa built in 1969 and added on to in 1980, has a big living room, kitchen, dining area, master bedroom, two baths, and a number of smaller rooms, including the sweet little room that will the baby’s nursery. They are in the process of painting everything, and new floor coverings will be laid throughout before they move in.

Grandpa and Cameron took the little boys fishing on the river this evening. I hope they catch some fish and are having fun.

Tomorrow will be another “church and chores” Sunday. I am hoping to have some time with Bjorn and Mathias, too, and if there are a few minutes to spare, a little time in my corner. Tonight, I’m going to grab a book and head to bed early.

If you are still with me, that’s my weekend so far. What are you up to? Whatever it is, I hope you are enjoying your time. Take care, and thanks for stopping by!

Something Splendid

When I saw Close To My Heart’s August Stamp of the Month set, “Something Splendid,” I immediately thought of the fields of sunflowers that are a common, albeit glorious, sight in northern Minnesota this time of year.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Indian Corn Blue, and Chocolate cardstock; Sunflower, Goldrush, Indian Corn Blue, Chocolate, and Bamboo ink pads; Something Splendid August Stamp of the Month and Say it in Style stamp sets; Speckled Background stamp (retired); Chocolate grosgrain ribbon; Martha Stewart Layered Arches border punch; McGill Multi Tags punch; Sponge dauber.

A Slice of Life: Happy Friday! I reiterate it was a fast week. Last night’s Movie in the Park outing was fun for the entire family. I did notice, however, that either I’m getting smaller or Mathias is getting bigger, because neither of us found his being perched on my lap very comfortable for more than a few minutes at a time.

We are going to a funeral service in the morning. With no specific plans for the weekend otherwise, we will see what it brings.

Whether you have plans or no plans, I hope your weekend is wonderful. Thanks for stopping by.

So Blessed …

Here is a card inspired by this beautiful card on the Patty’s Stamping Spot blog. What really caught my eye were the colors she used – so pretty!

To create my stamped image, I used the watercolor technique – accomplished by coloring the stamp with markers and then spraying it with water from a fine-mist spray bottle. The colors I used were Outdoor Denim, Lilac Mist, and Olive. The dimensions of my card are 3-1/2 by 8 inches.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Lilac Mist, Outdoor Denim, and Olive cardstock; CTMH Outdoor Denim and Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink stamp pads; Lilac Mist and Olive markers; Hero Arts Wildflower Garden and CTMH Because of You (retired) stamp sets; CTMH Speckled Background stamp (retired); Stampin’ Up button; Olive Waxy Flax.

A Slice of Life: Wow! Only one day left of yet another workweek. It has been a fast/busy one. Yesterday, we were treated to a companywide picnic under big canopies in one of the the parking lots. The menu featured pulled pork, barbeque chicken, potato salad, fresh vegetable and fruit trays, and a dessert bar. It was locally catered (no small task for 2,200+ people) and absolutely fantastic. Last night, I had dinner with my Mom, a couple of my sisters, and great-grandniece – oh-so-cute and very entertaining two-year-old Hailey. We had a wonderful time. When I got home, however, I wanted to do what I always want to do after eating a big evening meal – sleep, which is what I did even though I had this card ready to post.

Later this evening, Marv and I, Mom, Cameron, Sarah, and the little guys are going to attend the annual “Movie in the Park” event. The weather should be just right unless, of course, it decides to rain. The movie they are showing on the big, inflatable screen is Night at the Museum, which, I understand, is good family entertainment. It should be fun. I invited Dustin and Miranda to come with us, but they are busy painting the interior rooms of the house they will be moving into soon. I should say Dusty and Miranda’s brother are painting – under the direction of the mommy-to-be, who, by the way, started feeling the flutter of a moving baby earlier this week – so exciting!

I hope this finds you happy, healthy, and enjoying life. Thanks for taking the time to visit my little corner of the blogosphere!

A Different Sketch

When I decided to try another sketch last night, I literally grabbed my chosen paper and paper cutter and parked my keester in front of the computer. This card is my take on Unscripted Sketches #66 as featured on the Unscripted Sketch It Saturday blog.

This is one of those fun sketches where one can get buy with letting some pretty paper do most of the “work.” Once I’d selected my paper, I knew a coiled paper rose would make the perfect accent. The rose was made with Baby Pink cardstock. I inked the edges with Blush ink to give it a bit more depth. The freehand leaves were made with the same paper I used for the background. Before the leaves, I folded my paper strip in half and ran it through the paper corrugator at an angle. To give them more definition, I inked their edges with Olive ink. I also inked the edges of my patterned paper base as well as the circle elements. The card was relatively quick and easy, and I am pleased with the results.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Baby Pink cardstock; Basic Grey Sugared 6x6-inch paper pad; Olive and Blush ink pads; CTMH Happy Birthday stamp set; Gold mini brads; 1/2-inch circle punch; Sponge daubers;  Creative Memories Circle Cutter; Fiskars paper corrugator; Sponge daubers; Glue Dots.

A Slice of Life: Continuing my story from last night, the homemade ice cream was wonderful – worth the time and every penny of the extra expense. Who would have thought that a pint of Half & Half, a pint of heavy whipping cream (the budget buster), a teaspoon and a half of vanilla, and a cup of sugar would have turned into such a delight? I was a bit worried, too, as only after I filled the space between the cream can and the bucket with ice, salt, and water did I actually read the directions. I’d dumped what was supposed to have been layered and had used way more salt than I would have had I’d read up on the process first. Regardless, the texture was perfect and the taste – divine. About not reading the instructions first, that was me acting like a man. LOL. It was a good day at work. Tonight, the house is quiet – a stark contrast from last night. I’m going to call my Mom, stamp a little, take a relaxing bath, and go to bed early.

I hope your week is going well. Thanks for stopping by. Your visits and kind words are appreciated more than you know.

Bright & Bold

I thought this was my adaption of Card Patterns Sketch 75 until, that is, I took a second look at the actual sketch. It appears the quick drawing I produced and toted over to my desk was a little off. Oh well. I tried. LOL.

Anyhoo, here’s a bright birthday card.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Tulip cardstock; Animal Cookies paper packet; Tulip, Sunflower, Clover Meadow, and Dutch Blue ink pads; It’s Your Day and Happy Birthday stamp sets; Topiary, Tulip, and Sunflower mini brads; Cranberry gingham ribbon; Green rickrack from Wal-Mart; Orange Peel Stickles;  1 and 1-1/4 inch circle punches; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: Work was busy today and will be for the rest of the week/month – a good thing. Tonight, the little boys are staying with us. As I write, we are waiting for our homemade ice cream to “ripen” in the freezer. I must have anticipated grandchildren someday when I kept what is now a “vintage” Waring Ice Cream parlor. I sure hope the finished product tastes good, as the homemade variety is at least three times more expensive than the ready-made stuff. And Husband was disappointed when the whole pint of heavy whipping cream went into the cream can. He was hoping there might be enough left over for his cereal in the morning. First of all, yuck. Secondly, I don’t think he would find heavy cream on what should be his heart-healthy diet plan. Sigh.

Did you have a good day? I hope so. Once the little ones are in bed, I’m going to see if I can’t come up with a card or something for tomorrow. Enjoy what is left of the evening, and make tomorrow a wonderful day! I’ll talk to you again then.

Up for the Challenge

This card is my take on SSS67, this week’s sketch on The Sweet Stop blog. It also meets the criteria for Challenge #29 on the Raise the Bar blog. “Sticky Situation” is the theme, which means you are supposed to use a sticker on your card.

I used two stickers on my card. The focal point image and border are Penny Black stickers that have been in my stash forever. It was nice to have a reason to use them. It took me a while to choose papers to use with the sticker. Finally, I decided on Lilac Mist and Spring Iris, which coordinate with the spots on the sticker. Both the image and the sentiment were attached to the card with foam tape.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Lilac Mist, Spring Iris and Black cardstock; Spring Iris, Lilac Mist, and Black ink pads; Impression Obsession Anytime Sentiments and CTMH Noted Backgrounds stamp sets; Penny Black “Sun-kissed” Stickeroos; Martha Stewart Layered Arches border punch; 1and 1-1/4 inch circle punches; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: Today was one of church (with Mom) and chores (all by my lonesome). Tomorrow, it’s back to work. It’s hard to believe it is August already. Before we know it, school will be starting. And the baby that is due in December … it won’t be long. Dustin and Miranda had a doctor’s appointment last week. He called the next night and said that it was all finally becoming real to him – to the point he’d had a hard time getting to sleep the night before after their appointment. I have never seen a father-to-be quite as excited as this one is. I love it and know he is going to be a fantastic daddy.

I hope you had a wonderful Sunday, too, and that the week ahead brings you nothing but good things. Take care, friends, and thanks for stopping by.