Thanks a Bunch

I took a little break from making Christmas cards to play with a new stamp set, Penny Black’s Betsy Bluebell. While I certainly did not need another stamp set, this little one’s cuteness wore down my resistance – like it took much. LOL. Anyway, I paper-pieced her dress and colored the rest of the image with Prismacolor pencils and OMS.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Indian Corn Blue, and Olive cardstock; Patterned paper scrap from my stash; Black, Olive, and Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distressing Ink stamp pads; Penny Black Betsy Bluebell stamp set; Dark red grosgrain ribbon from Wal-Mart; Summer Craft Buttons; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Foam distressing tool; Cuttlebug w/ Stampin’ Up Square Lattice embossing folder; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: It was another busy day at work. As for the weather, it was frightful – very windy and because of it, very cold. Tonight it is even colder – 10 degrees but the winds have subsided, which any temperature more tolerable. Your probably wondering, “Am I going to have to listen to this girl complain about the weather for the next five or so months?” Nope, I will get used to it. Besides, with that new job I’m starting next month, I won’t have to go outside as often.

It’s Hump Day already tomorrow. Make yours a good one!

Christmas Continued

This first card was inspired by this beautiful card,which was posted yesterday on my friend Barb’s The Buzz blog. Barb was the guest designer for 2010 Christmas Card Challenge Week #52 on Sparkle Creations Weekly Christmas Card Challenges blog. I love the sketch and at this late date, can’t tell you how much I wish I had played along all year.

There isn’t much to say about my card that isn’t self explanatory. I used Crystal Stickles on the rooftops and trees, and while you can see some of the sparkle in the photo, it is much sparklier in real life.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Bamboo, and New England Ivy cardstock; Mistletoe Level 2 paper packet; New England Ivy and Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distressing Ink stamp pads; Snow Days stamp set; New England Ivy chiffon ribbon; Crystal Stickles; Cuttlebug w/Stampin’ Up Square Lattice embossing folder and Nestabilities Classic Ovals set; Sponge distressing tool.

 

 

 

This next card was a quick and simple creation. With no embellishments, it is USPS friendly, too. I colored the stamped image with Prismacolor colored pencils and OMS.

Materials & Tools: New England Ivy and Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake cardstock; Black and New England Ivy stamp pads; Stampendous Partridge Tree stamp and CTMH Say it in Style stamp set; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps.

 

 

 

 

Can you handle one more? This last card was inspired by the poinsettia Debbie Olson (Thinking Inking) made for her card that was shown here on the CLASSroom blog. The flower is made with Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Alterations die. I used Cranberry cardstock, stamping the text and sponging the edges of the petals with Garnet ink. I used the handle of my piercing tool to curl the petals of the top flower for a little added dimension. More quick and easy.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Cranberry, and New England Ivy cardstock; Passages and Mistletoe Level 2 paper packets; New England Ivy and Garnet ink pads; Hero Arts Friends Definition background stamp and CTMH Say it in Style stamp set; Button from my stash; Ecru crochet cotton; Piercing tool; Cuttlebug w/Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Alterations die; Sponge dauber.

A Slice of Life: Busy at work, I sailed through the first workday of the week. If they are all like this (and I anticipate they will be, it will be 5 o’clock on Friday in no time. It’s been snowing and blowing since midafternoon. If the first 10 or so days of snowy weather have been any indication, it’s going to be a blustery winter. We’ll just hope it isn’t too long. I made a beeline home from work today to sew Bjorn’s patches on his Cub Scout shirt before Pack Night this evening. After they bought, it Cameron called to ask if there was a quick/easy way to put patches on a Scout shirt. Nope, I told him, as far as I knew they still had to be sewn on, and yes, I would do it for him. It was like history repeating itself. Having been Mama Den Leader turned Cubmaster with her Cub/then Boy Scouts, I have had plenty of practice at sewing on patches. I am as pleased as punch, too, to see the Scouting tradition continue in a new generation.

How was your day? I hope it was a good one. Before I get ready for bed, I’m going to make a tour around the blogosphere and a stop at my stamping desk where I plan to take a little break from the Christmas cards I have been making these past few days. Have a great Tuesday, and thanks for taking the time to visit!

In the Mood …

… for a sketch (Get Sketchy’s GS#66) and another Christmas card.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and New England Ivy cardstock; Mistletoe Level 2 paper packet; New England Ivy and Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distressing Ink stamp pads; Peace on Earth stamp set; Gold mini brads; Red Sparkles; Piercing tool; Stampin’ Up Piercing Guide & Mat; Martha Stewart Snowflake punch; Stampin’ Up Metallic Gold Cord; Sponge distressing tool.

A Slice of Life: I found out today what it is I want/need for Christmas – a sled with shock absorbers. This afternoon Marv and I joined Cam, Sarah, and the boys at the sliding hill behind the National Guard Armory. My intention was to take some photos, which I did, capturing smiles so bright you can almost hear the giggles that went with them. Then, someone suggested I take a trip down the hill. Lacking the common sense of most people my age and still wanting to be part of the fun, I selected a lime green saucer as my vehicle of choice. Once I was in the sitting, cross-legged position required to ride on that small, concave plate, Marv gave me a push, and I was off, flying (literally at times) down the hill. Great fun. Tonight, however, I have a kink in my back representative of every bump I encountered, which were numerous in quantity. But really, what did I expect? Providing I can walk tomorrow, it was worth it. LOL.

That was my excitement for the day. Are you all geared up for the coming week? After four days off, I am ready to go back to work. I hope you had a great Sunday, and I’ll be “seeing” you again soon. Thanks for stopping by.

Simple Saturday – Christmas

After last night’s post, I hopped (not quite) over to my corner and popped out (just about) these three cards. I didn’t have a specific plan in mind when I started any of them. They just kind of evolved – all quick and easy and what I’m going to need if I am going to make handmade cards this year. There is not a whole lot to say regarding technique. I colored Father Christmas with markers. Everything else is obvious – I think.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Cranberry, New England Ivy, and Garden Green cardstock; Mistletoe Level 2 paper packet; New England Ivy, Cranberry, Garden Green, and Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distressing Ink stamp pads; Garden Green, New England Ivy, Holiday Red, Goldrush, Baby Pink, and Tombow Flesh markers; Father Christmas and Peace on Earth stamp sets; Red Sparkles; New England Ivy Bigger Brads; 1/2-inch square punch; Foam distressing tool; Nestabilities Classic Ovals set (used as a cutting guide); Craft knife.

A Slice of Life: Our “second” Thanksgiving was wonderful as our family celebrations always are. The only thing that wasn’t great was the fact there weren’t as many of us there as there would have been had we been able to get together on Thursday – 18 verses 34 or so.

Tonight, I am tuckered out and ready for a quiet day tomorrow.  How about you? Are you having a nice weekend? I hope so. Now, I think I will mosey over to my corner, clean up last night’s mess, and maybe create a little something for tomorrow. Have a great Sunday!

Many Blessings …

Look what arrived in my mailbox this week from Jeanne.  Along with card was one of her Cricut cartridges – Mother’s Day – that she told me to use to my heart’s content for as long as I wanted. What a sweet, thoughtful gesture. And use it I will … once life settles down … someday. If you are familiar with Jeanne’s blog you know that she has been using her Cricut to make some awesome cards – like this one, these, and so many more. I really love this pumpkin card – made with the Cricut George cartridge – and am so thrilled to have it. Thank you, Jeanne!

When I count my blessings, the wonderful people I have met through blogging and Close To My Heart’s bulletin board are right up there on my list. One of the things I am anticipating with the new job is more time to blog, post on CTMH’s site, leave comments, and build on these friendships.

Speaking of friendships, Alanna is another special blogging friend, who sent me this gorgeous card a few weeks back. There is nothing like telling someone you love a card and having it show up in your mailbox a few days later. And it was the perfect pick-me-up that came at a time when I needed a little boost. Thank you, my friend. It meant more than words can say.

Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving? We did even though Mother Nature raised havoc with our plans to travel. Winter has arrived and with it, lots of snow. Combine snow with blow, and you get a blizzard and weather advisories that keep you at home. Before the snow, there was some freezing rain south of here that made the roads slippery, too. As a result, the family Thanksgiving dinner at my sister and brother-in-law’s house was postponed until tomorrow. Yesterday, we had dinner her for Cameron, Sarah, and the boys, and my mom. We had pork loin (the “other white meat”), baked potatoes, corn, mixed vegetables, coleslaw, and a yummy pumpkin dessert. Not traditional but good nonetheless. I had a little “Martha” moment, too, and made some turkey treats – an idea from Our Best Bites. As you can see, my turkeys – off center tail feathers and all – didn’t look quite as good as the ones on the website. Nevertheless, my guests liked them, and they made great bribes with regard to getting the little boys to eat their dinner. “No turkey until you’ve finished your meal!”

Cameron and Sarah worked today, so Bjorn and Mathias stayed last night and spent the day with us. After work, Cam, Sarah, the boys, and Grandpa went to a motel that is down the street from us for a swim. The owners are friends and have told us repeatedly to use the pool whenever we want – “Our pool is your pool.” Today, we finally took them up on their offer. I’m told the kids had a blast, and even though it would have been fun to see it, I’m not sorry that I stayed home and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Two days of non-stop activity, and this Grandma is ready to relax.

Dustin and Miranda visited today. The crib ensemble that they’d picked out and we purchased for them arrived earlier in the week. Isn’t Abby’s Farm cute? They are going to get the nursery painted (a coordinating soft pink) and then Dustin and I are going to do some coordinating mural painting – the tree, owl, and bird for sure and more if there is room. I tried to convince Mommy that once the design is on the wall, it’s as easy as coloring in a coloring book, but I don’t think she believed me. Dusty is all about it, however. I’ll do the drawing. He can do the painting. It will be fun. Photos to come.

As for the first part of the week, Bjorn and Mathias had programs (still called “informances”) at school Tuesday, so I took the afternoon off. When I was at work, I was busy. In December, things should slow down. That will be good, as I would like to have everything in order for my successor. I haven’t had a chance to stamp since Sunday, which has been a bit of a bummer. I am hoping that I will get a chance to be at least a little creative once we get back from Fertile tomorrow.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thank you for your friendship and support. It warms my heart. I’ll be back as soon.

Anticipation

As is my tendency to do these days, I picked up a few little pink things recently and thought I would make a card to go with them. The sketch is from Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 94. The sweet image is a digital image from by LORi designs. I had fun paper-piecing her dress, shoes, hair bow, bag, shoes, and carriage with patterned paper and cardstock. Paper-piecing reminds me of cutting out paper dolls – a favorite activity of mine 50 or so years ago. LOL.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Lilac Mist, and Baby Pink cardstock; Sweet Pea paper packet (retired); Baby Pink, Grey Flannel; and Blush ink pads; Brown Bag, Baby Pink, and Tombow #580 Flesh markers; Dove blending pen; Girl with Stroller digital image from by LORi designs; Say it in Style stamp set; Silver Bitty Brads; Buttons from my stash; Stampin’ Up Word Window punch; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles and Classic Scallop Circles sets; Pink chalk with sponge applicator; Round sponge.

A Slice of Life: Other than paying a visit to my mom this afternoon, I had another quiet, lazy day. With the holiday season fast approaching, this might be the last quiet weekend for a while. That is OK. I’m looking forward to the busyness of Christmas and, of course, the birth of Baby Girl Carlson. Will she be here for Christmas? Maybe. Due on the 30th, there is the possibility she will be a New Year’s baby. I don’t care. I’m just excited to meet her.

Now, I’m off to check out my closet and decide what to wear tomorrow. A three-day workweek. Yippee. We’re going to my sister and brother-in-law’s house for Thanksgiving. The little boys are going to spend the day with us on Friday. It’s gonna be a good week. You have a good one, too!

Simple Saturday

This was going to be a single-layer card until I stamped the sentiment crooked. How does that happen with clear stamps? I think it must be kind of like bowling. I know what I am supposed do to get the ball to hit the pins just right. It just doesn’t always work out that way. My brain gives the order. My arm does not listen. In bowling, if you don’t get them all the first time, you get a second chance. If you are willing to change your plan, there is often a second chance in card making, too. For this one, I straightened my sentiment by trimming, added a mat, and saved the “spare.”

Materials & Tools: Cocoa and Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake cardstock; Holiday Red, Cocoa, and White Daisy Pigment ink pads; Papertrey Ink Out on a Limb and CTMH Peace on Earth stamp sets; Speckled Background stamp (retired).

A Slice of Life: The party last night was fun. Our friend was surprised and delighted, and it was nice to have the opportunity to see some people I had not seen for quite some time. Today, I stayed in and took it easy. With temperatures in the teens, it is cold here. It’s snowing this evening. Maybe it will stay this time.

Whatever it was you did today, I hope it was enjoyable, restful, or exciting – whatever you needed it to be. I will be talking to you again soon!

Sometimes …

Tonight’s card was inspired by this lovely card on the Inspired By blog. “Hmmm…” you say? That’s OK. I’m saying it, too, and wondering if this card will grow on me. Sometimes, they do. Sometimes, they don’t. LOL. I will share a little tidbit of information you might find helpful at some point. If you cut three squares that are just a tiny smidgeon over 1-3/8 inches, you get three squares that fit on a card that is 4-1/4 inches wide. My scallops are four 1-1/4 inch circles. For placement, I marked the center at 2-1/8 inches and worked from the center to the edges, trimming them flush after they were attached. Make sense? Probably not … Hey, I tried.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Cocoa, and Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake cardstock; Cocoa, Twilight, Petal, Sweet Leaf, and SU Crumb Cake ink pads; Hero Arts Friendship Background stamp; CTMH Enjoy Every Moment stamp set; 3/8” natural twill ribbon; Cocoa Waxy Flax; 1-1/4 inch circle punch; Round sponges.

A Slice of Life: Good news at work today. My replacement has been hired and is tentatively scheduled to start January 3. Once I have shown her the ropes, my new adventure will begin. No stress that I can foresee. No office politics. More time at home to do the things that are important to me. Other than that tidbit of news, it was an ordinary day.

How was your day? A good one, I hope. Do you have plans for the weekend? Tomorrow night, we will be attending a surprise birthday dinner party for a longtime friend – a woman who, while not old enough to be my mother, was like a grandmother to our boys. Sunday evening, I have stampers coming over. It should be a good weekend here. For tonight, though, I’m off to bed. Have a great Friday. I’ll be “seeing” you…

Monster Hugs

A kid card for you-know-who for no reason more than to let them know I love ‘em. I also love the bright, fun Hooligans paper from Close To My Hearts and Hero Arts’ Monster Fun stamp set. After an unsuccessful attempt to color the monster with markers, he/she was colored with Prismacolor pencils and OMS. I cut him out, too, and popped him up with a little foam tape. Because I didn’t have a googly eye that was large enough, I used a Page Pebble in its place. Fun!

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Lagoon, Pear, and Sunset cardstock; Hooligans Level 2 paper packet; Black ink pad; Hero Arts Monster Fun stamp set; Black brads;  Making Memories Page Pebbles; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Black My Legacy Writer; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: It was a busy day at work and a fun night at bowling albeit I am determined I will have a new pair of bowling shoes before I go back there. No, my 20+ year-old bowling shoes are not worn out. In fact, they look like new. They are too small. My feet have either grown or my arches have fallen enough over the years that I now wear shoes a half-size larger than I did. Anyway, I have limped out of the bowling alley for the last time. Surely, there is a cheapbowlingshoes.com out there somewhere, and when I have finished this post, I am going to find it. LOL. Having worked only a day and a half so far this week, I don’t know why I am so anxious for the weekend. Nevertheless, it cannot come soon enough. As I glance out the window, I notice there is a bit of snow on the ground. ‘Tis the season, and as much as I am not wild about the prospect of cold, I am thankful it has taken as long as it has. In Minnesota, this could have been two months ago. I’ll whine if it’s still here in May. That is a possibility, too. Ah, life in the frozen tundra. LOL.

I hope your day was great and tomorrow is as well. Thank you so much for your visits and kind comments. They mean a lot. Take care, friends. With a couple of ideas floating around in my head, I hope to have something to share tomorrow, too.

Monday Musings

My most recent disappearing act was not planned but rather the result of a rather unpleasant “slice of life.” I’ll explain later. As for my card, I colored my image with Prismacolor pencils and OMS. The bird (attached with foam tape) was embossed with Chocolate embossing powder.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Olive cardstock; K&Company Remake Earth Browns Mat Pad; Black, Desert Sand, Chocolate, VersaMark, and Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distressing Ink ink pads; Chocolate embossing powder; Stampin’ Up Elements of Style stamp set; CTMH Speckled Background stamp (retired); Mocha Opaques; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Embossing heat tool; Sponge Texture tool; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: Sunday was family day – time with Mom and Karen in the morning, son and grandsons in the afternoon, and home-from-the-hunt husband in the evening. Yesterday, I got up and while I had the ickiest of headaches, I got dressed and was on my way out the door when my stomach started to lurch, and I made a beeline for the bathroom. Once my stomach was empty, I made another beeline for my bed where I slept for about 20 of the next 24 hours. I was hot. I was cold. When I was awake, my head pounded and my stomach continued to expel whatever was in it, which wasn’t much. Although I felt worn out from the ordeal, I was better this morning and went to work this afternoon. A bug – nasty as could be but short in duration. A waste of time nevertheless.

I certainly hope your week got off to a better start. That said, I am off to see what you’ve been up to. After that, I’m heading back to my corner to try to make up for lost time. Have a great Wednesday, friends, and thanks for stopping by.

Simple Saturday

Had I not wrestled with ribbon for 20 minutes, this would have been a 5-minute card. I need to go find some double-faced satin ribbon, which is much easier to work with than the type that is only shiny on one side. Otherwise, there isn’t much to say about my Simple Saturday offering. The stamps are from Stampin’ Up. I love the flowers and look forward to doing some colored variations, so you just might be seeing more from this set in coming days. That’s if I can stay home long enough to stamp. LOL.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Black cardstock; Black ink pad; Stampin’Up Elements of Style stamp set; Red satin ribbon from Wal-Mart.

A Slice of Life: I spent the day with Mom and my sister, Karen, who has made a remarkable recovery from her surgery 10 days ago. There was another craft show in town this weekend – Holiday Fair, the juried show that I participated in for several consecutive years way back when. While there was a nice assortment of items, handmade jewelry appeared to be the most plentiful. After the craft show, we had lunch and then did some shopping downtown. It was a fun time.

I hope you had a good day, too. Until next time, take care, and thanks for stopping by!

Give Thanks

Here is another card inspired by one I found in CardMaker magazine. It afforded me the opportunity to try out a new embossing folder – Stampin’ Up’s Square Lattice folder – that I used at the workshop I attended last month and fell in love with. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the folder doesn’t chew up CTMH’s white core cardstock as much as I thought it might due to the fineness its pattern. Oh, and about Stampin’ Up’s Kraft cardstock, I was wrong last night about the name of the new color. It’s Crumb Cake, not Biscuit. Where, I wonder, did that come from?

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Autumn Terracotta, Barn Red, and Olive cardstock; Felicity Collection  (CTMH promotion/retired); Chocolate and Barn Red ink pads; CTMH Four Seasons and Verve Stamps Happy Fall stamp sets; Pewter mini brads; Autumn Flower Soft; Cuttlebug w/Stampin’ Up Square Lattice embossing folder and Nestabilities Scalloped Classic Rectangles set.

A Slice of Life: Like every other day so far this week, my workday was very busy. With so many “do it now” projects coming at me from so many directions, thoughts of catching up on the less pressing but still important stuff this week have faded away.

Husband has returned to the hunting cabin for a few days. We’ve experienced a change in the weather. It’s cool but not nearly as cool/cold/frigid as it could be – a good thing in my book. I stopped by Mom’s this afternoon and was pleasantly surprised to find a sister – the cookie maker – there. I think I convinced her to return to town, along with another sister or two or three, on Saturday. There is another craft show in town, and I thought it would be fun for the “Page” women to make a day of it.

That is enough small talk. Today is Veteran’s Day – a day to reflect, remember, and honor those whose sacrifices allow us the freedoms we so often take for granted. 

And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me ….

Have a great Friday, my friends, and thanks for stopping by.

It Will Move…

I picked up a copy of CardMaker magazine on the newsstand the other day and was inspired by the first card I saw when I quickly flipped through it. The gatefold is fun but what I really love is the verse and have someone special in mind for the card. What I didn’t have was the stamp (yet), so I did the next best thing …on my computer. Did you know that Stampin’ Up has discontinued its Kraft cardstock? Actually, I think what they did was rename it, “Biscuit,” and now there is ink to match, which I used to stamp the mountain scene in the background. I love the blues and brown with the Kraft ….er, Biscuit… cardstock. The card has a manly feel, too, which is good considering that special someone is a guy.

Materials & Tools: Stampin’ Up Biscuit cardstock; Basic Grey Granola 6x6-inch paper pad; Stampin’ Up Biscuit ink pad; Computer-generated sentiment; CTMH Beautiful Things stamp set; Outdoor Denim grosgrain ribbon.

A Slice of Life: I bowled this evening and had a couple of so-so scores before impressing myself (and a couple of other people) with a 172. I came home to Husband and a couple of sweet little boys, who were looking forward to story time and a little TLC from Grandma. At 8 p.m., however, they were ready for bed and were asleep within minutes of saying “Amen.” They are really tired after a full day of school. Marv came home last night and is going back to the hunting cabin tomorrow. As predicted, I was glad to see him. Busy every day at work, the week is flying by. A funny little story… I was going to get the boys’ suitcase from their dad before leaving work this afternoon. I stopped by Cameron’s desk on my way out of the office, and supposedly, he opened the hatch on their Explorer remotely from his desk. When I got to his truck, however, the only door that was open was the door on the driver’s side. Not wanting to take the time to figure out what button to push to open the hatch, I crawled in and over the seats to retrieve the suitcase. As I am a relatively spry old broad, all was fine until I attempted to back my way out and got wedged between the driver and passenger’s seats. I’m glad I was wearing pants, although I may not have attempted such a foolish fete in a skirt. Of course, I managed to pry myself out all the while hoping no one was watching. It must have been quite a sight. LOL.

Leaving you with a mental picture of my backside stuck between the seats of my kid’s truck, I’ll sign off for tonight. I hope you are having the best of days. Thanks for stopping by!

Something Different

For those of you who have been blogging a while, do you sometimes feel as though you’ve done it all when it comes to card making? I am nearing 1,500 posts, and lately, I have had the feeling that nearly everything I do is a repeat of something I have done before. Of course, that is not true – a fact that was made clear to me tonight when I opened the latest Stampin’ Up catalog up to a random page. This evening’s cards were inspired by the two cards that first caught my eye on Page 96. Although, of course, the colors are not exactly the same, they are close and a color combination (Heavenly Blue and Bamboo) I don’t believe I have ever used before. The stamps are different, too, but similar and used in a different way that, most likely, I would not have thought of on my own. It was kind of fun and enough to convince me that I have yet to “do it all.” LOL.

There isn’t much to explain that the Materials & Tools list will not reveal. There was a question about my Speckled Background stamp a few posts back. It is an old (darned near brittle) CTMH wood-mount stamp that I would not part with for the world. Speckling can also be achieved with reinker ink or thinned (watered-down) acrylic paint and an old toothbrush. My precious stamp achieves the same look and isn’t nearly as messy.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Bamboo, and Heavenly Blue cardstock; Bamboo, Heavenly Blue, and Desert Sand ink pads; Hot Diggity, Solo “B”, and promotional alphabet stamp sets; Speckled Background stamp (retired); Heavenly Blue mini brads; Twine; 3/8-inch natural twill ribbon.

A Slice of Life: What a fun evening I’ve had – certainly more enjoyable than the usual Monday night. Cameron’s Sarah emailed me at work today and said she needed a couple of cards and was wondering if she could come over and check out my stash. Of course. When she arrived, I asked if she wanted cards that I had already made or if she wanted to make them herself. The girl wanted to stamp! I offered a couple of samples, and under my direction she made this card, replacing the “Thinking of You” with “Happy Birthday” for her Dad’s BD next week and the blue version of this card for a new nephew who was born this past weekend in Wasilla, Alaska (Sarah Palin territory). Although everything was new to her, she followed my directions to a tee, and her cards turned out perfect. Her excitement was contagious, too. The embossing process and the results amazed her, and she is quite taken with the Cuttlebug and all that it can do – stuff that I take for granted. Like I said, it was a good time. Such a nice young woman, too.

It was a busy day at work and as the weatherman promised, another gorgeous day. I am still struggling a bit with the time change and think I would prefer darkness at the beginning of the day as opposed to the late afternoon. Once I start working during the night and sleeping during the day, it probably won’t matter.

Did you have a good day? I hope so. Make tomorrow a good one, too. OK? Take care, friends, and thanks for stopping by.

A Cup of Kisses

I found my inspiration for the day when I came across this post on the {Stampin’ Gal Val} blog. The tutorial for this fun little project can be found here along with several others in Scor-Pal’s November E-Zine. The finished cup is 3-inches tall by about 2-1/2 inches in diameter. It’s kind of cute, don’t you think?

Materials & Tools: Colonial White cardstock; Martha Stewart 12x12-inch Classic Woodland Paper Pad; Cocoa and Ranger Antique Linen Distressing Ink ink pads; Mint Motif Very Square Sentiments; CTMH Just Blooms; Chocolate brad; Cocoa chiffon ribbon; Brown crochet cotton; Martha Stewart Score Board; 1/4-inch Terrifically Tacky Tape; McGill Multi-Tag punch; Sponge dauber.

A Slice of Life: Today was exactly what I said it was going to be – church and chores. Expecting it to be cold, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a gorgeous day when I walked outside this morning. Sunshine. Nothing more than a gentle breeze. In fact, the thermometer reached 60 here today. Very nice. A couple more mild days are forecast before the temperatures drop 15 degrees or so later in the week. I will take them!

In addition to the takeover of what he thinks is his TV, Husband’s absence due to hunting affords me the opportunity to eat what I want when I want. While he is about 100 times more willing to try new things now than he was when I married him, he still likes to stick to the basics – the meat and potatoes that don’t do much for me. Anyway, his being away spurred me to try this recipe I came across the other day on the House of Hepworths blog.  Oh my goodness. Is it good. Husband might even eat it, although I think he would might at the artichokes. I think I might become a bit more adventurous in the kitchen again once I’m home more.

While I sound happy to have the hubby gone, and it is kind of nice to have a couple of days of quiet, I will be missing him by tomorrow night and will be very happy to see him on Wednesday. It’s always that way.

After a little blog surfing, I’m going to bed. As usual, the time change has me a little off. I hope you have a wonderful week. Talk to you soon!

Simple Saturday

Here is a simple Christmas card fashioned after the simple sympathy card I posted Thursday. Again, I used textured white cardstock. The branch is embossed in silver. I considered using foam tape to mount the focal point image but then, thought again. With no bumps or lumps, it is a very USPS friend card. It was also very fast, very easy, and I love it.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy Textured cardstock; Holiday Red cardstock; Holiday Red and VersaMark ink pads; Silver embossing powder; Embossing heat tool.

“Tag are Fun!” is the theme for Stamp Simply #164 on the No Time to Stamp? blog. The inspiration for my tag was derived from the plaid giftwrap I bought (in bulk) at Hallmark earlier today. Now, I’m going to have to make a few lot more! I colored the elf with markers with the exception of the Ponderosa Pine, which would have appeared too dark. For the green, I used a blending pen, and it came out just right.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Cranberry, and Ponderosa Pine cardstock; Hallmark giftwrap; Black, Ponderosa Pine, Juniper, and Tim Holtz Antique Lace Distressing Ink ink pads; Holiday Red, Baby Pink, and Tombow Flesh #580 markers; Dove blending pen; Merry Pursuits stamp set; To/From stamp (retired CTMH); Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Sponge dauber.

A Slice of Life: I spent most of the day with Mom. We went out for burgers at the American Legion and then hit the stores downtown before finishing off the day at Wal-Mart. Oh, and we went to a craft show, too. It was a good day. I bought a winter jacket – a very classic black wool pea jacket that “looks like me” and a black/gray animal print sweater that is a bit on the wild side and does not necessary look like me but is fun anyway. I picked up a couple of things at the craft show, too – a lovely glass bead necklace made by a friend of Miranda’s and a very cool cheese tray, which was made from a flattened wine bottle.

Before leaving work yesterday, I learned I should be starting my new job around the first of the year. While I was kind of hoping it would be a month sooner, it will be OK. The New Year will be a good time to start something new – a fresh beginning.

Tomorrow, it is going to be church in the morning and chores in the afternoon. I am hoping for some time to play, too. How about you? What are you up to this weekend? Whatever it is, I hope you are enjoying yourself. That is what weekends are all about.With my hunter away, I am off to claim his recliner, his remote, and the “good” TV – for a change. I might as well take advantage of the opportunity. LOL. Take care, my friends, and thanks for stopping by…

Simple Sympathy

Tonight’s card (made earlier in the week) was inspired by this pretty card on the Simplicity blog. In addition to her card, the title of Susan’s post caught my attention. I will have to admit, too, that there are a few colors in my collection of cardstocks that make me say “Hmmm…” Gray is one of them. I just don’t use it. Much. However, I like the looks of this simple, yet elegant, sympathy card.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy Textured and Grey Flannel cardstock; Grey Flannel ink pad; Papertrey Ink Out on a Limb stamp set; KaiserKraft pearl accents.

A Slice of Life: Is it Friday yet? Almost. LOL. I suppose you are accustomed to my irregular posts by now. I start out every week with the best of intentions, and then, life seems to snag me in some form of busyness, tiredness, or both. Tuesday evening it was election returns, even though I did not not think I would get as caught up in the whole thing as I did. Husband was gone for the night, and I went to bed at 10 only to still be watching returns at 3 am with intermittent trips to the computer to check Minnesota returns on the Secretary of State’s website. I guess I’ve still got the nose for news. Last night, it was bowling – fun but nothing impressive in the way of personal scores. Tired might have had something to do with it. Tonight after work, I took mom to the hospital where we visited my sister who had surgery yesterday. A hysterectomy. Karen is doing well and should be released in a day or two.

With absolutely no plans and a husband who will be off deer hunting, I am looking forward to a quiet, do-whatever-I-feel-like-doing weekend. How about you? I hope you are having a great week. With hopes of stamping my little heart out this weekend, I should be “seeing” you again soon. Until then, take care.

An Attitude of Gratitude

This is my plan for November – to make a conscious effort to stop worrying about what I do not have and the situations I cannot control and  concentrate on all that I have and all that I can do to make the world a better place. Making the world a better place sounds pretty lofty, doesn’t it? Initially, I wrote “my world” but thought again. If I am a good wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, friend, employee, citizen, my example will make the world a better place – a least a little bit.

And now about my card, which was inspired by this beautiful card that was posted today on The Hero Club Blog. I would have loved to have duplicated the inspiration card right down to the last detail, including that beautiful textured paper in colors I love. Instead, I worked with with I have and am satisfied with the results.

A Slice of Life: It was a busy day at work, making for a tired Kathi tonight. Actually, I don’t think I have recovered from the weekend quite yet. Perhaps one more good night of sleep will bring me back to full steam. I have noticed one thing in the last few days, however. Overall, I feel so much better without that constant shingles pain. The rash is so much easier to contend with, and that’s starting to go away, too.

With a couple of things to do before bed, I’ll sign off with a thank you and wish that your Tuesday is a great day.