January 31

That title is about as catchy and imaginative as I am feeling this evening. Yesterday was the same, too. My mojo tank is running on empty. LOL.

The card is similar to others I’ve made – CAS using textured cardstock. The squares were adhered to the card with foam mounting tape.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy textured, Baby Pink, Blush, Hollyhock, and Vineyard Berry cardstock; Baby Pink, Blush, Hollyhock, and Vineyard Berry ink pads; Togetherness and Say it in Style stamp sets; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: There isn’t a whole lot happening in the frozen tundra. It’s too cold. Today, Mom and I drove to Beltrami for my 96-year-old great aunt’s funeral. Other than that, I didn’t do much. Tomorrow is going to be a repeat of last Tuesday – lunch with Mom and then a little shopping. If it works out, a trip to Dusty and Miranda’s house, too. We haven’t seen little Mari in more than a week – too long!

Did your week get off to a good start? I hope so. For now, I am off to straighten up my corner. Perhaps, I will find a little mojo under the mess! Take care, my friends, and thanks for stopping by.

Simple Saturday

I was thinking about what I should do for Simple Saturday when I spotted Challenge #32 on the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge blog. The colors remind me of summer – a nice thought on a cold winter day.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Dutch Blue textured cardstock; Holiday Red, Sunflower, and Topiary cardstock; Holiday Red, Sunflower, Topiary, and Pear ink pads; Angel Whispers and Thank You stamp sets; Holiday Red Bigger Brad; Button from my stash; White embroider floss; 1-1/4 inch circle punch; McGill Multi-tag punch; Corner rounder; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: Today, I am tired. Tonight, I will sleep. Tomorrow, I hope to be more lively or at the very least, coherent. LOL. Seriously, I have a lot of things I would like to get done over the course of the next few days. Most require energy.

This past week, I chipped away at a few organization projects. Approximately 85 percent of my non-CTMH clear stamps are now in CD cases labeled with the name of the stamp set, manufacturer, and theme – sentiments, nature, occasions, etc. So far, I have filled five mini crates. I didn’t think I had that many…

Today, I changed the way I store my Nestabilities. They were in CD cases, which took up more space than was necessary. Last weekend, I ordered three 1 by 2-foot adhesive magnetic sheets that I cut into 6 by 6-inch squares and mounted on 6 by 6-inch square pieces of chipboard today. Nothing fancy – just functional. Now, I need to find a not-too-big-box to store them in.

The best price I found on the adhesive magnetic sheets was here. At first, I was put off by the amount for shipping. Then, I realized the $5.95 is the minimum shipping charge and not a per item fee. Of course, by the time I had three rolls of Adhes-A-MAG and a couple of other things I needed, I was at the $50 minimum for free shipping anyway.

What are you up to this weekend? Whatever it is, I hope you enjoy yourself. For now, I am off to straighten up my corner, so I can mess it up again tomorrow. I will “see” you again then.

Just Saying Hello

Here is my take on FTL #125, the latest sketch on the Clean & Simple Stamping blog. What a fun way to use scraps! To construct the card, I taped the four 1-1/4 by 2-3/4 inch pieces to a 2-3/4 by 5-inch piece of white cardstock. Then, I stamped it with a background stamp and VersaMark ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. To make the design “pop,” I sponged same color ink onto each of the four pieces, using a Post-It note to serve as a mask between sections. The card base is textured white cardstock.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy textured, Baby Pink, Blush, Hollyhock, and Vineyard Berry cardstock; VersaMark, Vineyard Berry, Hollyhock, Blush, and Baby Pink ink pads; Clear embossing powder; Hero Arts Truly Appreciated stamp set and Flowing Flowers and Leaves Cling background stamp; Stampin’ Up Whisper White taffeta ribbon.

A Slice of Life: Happy Friday! Just one more night, and I’m a free woman again. Yippee! To give you an idea of what I do at my job, I photographed Sunon micro fans last night. Tonight, it will be stuff that looks like this. While these itty bitty little components have to be “posed” just so, I don’t have to tell them to smile. LOL.

Speaking of work, I need to go finish getting ready. I hope you had a great day and are looking forward to the weekend. “See” you again tomorrow!

Find Joy Every Day

I just noticed today there is a grammatical issue with the stamp I used for sentiment on this card.  As it is used, “everyday” should be “every day.” “Find joy every day” is correct as would be “find everyday joy.” Some (mostly younger folks) would accuse me of just being picky. They tell me the rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling are old-fashioned. I don’t think so, although I make my share of errors – especially when writing in haste. Every once in a while, I will read and old post and cringe. LOL.

Today’s card was inspired by this card on the Simplicity blog. I used a piece of copy paper to create a stencil for my rectangle.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, and Pear cardstock; Black and Pear ink pads; CTHM Treasure Life and Hero Arts Anytime Messages stamp sets; Hero Arts Friend Definition stamp; Round sponge.

A Slice of Life: This being my third week of working the new hours, I have concluded that I am probably not going to move very fast on Thursdays. Work was great last night – busy and productive. Tonight promises more of the same.

For now, I am off to make a chicken and rice casserole for dinner. While it bakes, I’ll take a shower and get ready for work. Enjoy your evening, friends, and thanks for stopping by.

Happy Hump Day!

Today’s card has been put together and taken apart so many times, I am surprised I did not wear out the paper. And while I am still not crazy about it, what you see is 10 times better than my other attempts. Initially, I embossed the stems (or whatever they’re called) in white on Petal cardstock. If the idea was right, the stamp was wrong. The finished card was ugly. I’m thinking that swapping out those tiny butterflies for a couple of larger ones might help this card.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Sweet Leaf cardstock; Black and Petal ink pads; Cornish Heritage Farms Silhouette Blooms I and Hero Arts Truly Appreciated stamp sets; Pearl Opaques; Martha Stewart Medium Butterfly punch; Piercing tool; Stampin’ Up Piercing Guide & Mat; Round sponge.

A Slice of Life: I chuckle at my reference to Hump Day. With my workweek just starting in about an hour, Wednesdays are now my Mondays, and I suppose Thursday is technically my Hump Day. Friday is still Friday with the exception that I don’t get done working until Saturday morning. Confused? If I don’t knock it off, I certainly will be. LOL.

With that bit of nonsense, I had best get serious and finish getting ready for work. I hope you are having a wonderful week. “See” you again soon.

In the Meadow, We Can Build a Snowman…

… Or better said, we could build a snowman if it were 20+ degrees warmer. In the frozen tundra where the snow too darned c-o-l-d to stick together, you are more apt to see snowmen in the spring. And by then, if you build one, you hope he melts fast. LOL.

So far, I have yet to build a snowman that is as cute as the one on this card. As you can see, he was paper-pieced on a quarter sheet of Sky cardstock that was speckled with White Daisy pigment ink “snow.” I used Outdoor Denim and Ponderosa Pine cardstock for his hat and scarf. I sanded the paper first, which must have made it look more like fabric, because my card-critic husband was compelled to feel it. I’ve said before how much I like making cards that have that “touch me” quality.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Sky, Outdoor Denim, and Ponderosa Pine cardstock; Tuxedo Black (Memento) and CTMH White Daisy Pigment ink pads; Sunset and Grey Wool markers; Silver gel pen; Stampendous Jumbo Snowman and Impression Obsession Anytime Sentiments stamp sets; CTMH Speckled Background stamp (retired); White Daisy Bigger Brads; Sanding block.

A Slice of Life: I started this post more than three hours ago. I was interrupted to help Bjorn paint his Pinewood Derby card, which is bright green with black and white stripes. I reiterate for the umpteenth time that grandparenthood has turned me into the patient person I wish I had been 25 years ago. After the kids and their dad left, it was time for the State of the Union address.

Earlier in the day, Mom and I went out to lunch and did a little shopping. What a treat to be able to be able to go downtown on a weekday. And to think, I can do it every day should I so desire. I feel like a free woman again. LOL.

It’s back to work tomorrow night, which is OK with me. As for what that means for this blog will remain to be seen. I’m hoping not to repeat last week’s disappearing act. We’ll see …

I hope this finds you happy, healthy, and enjoying your week. Take care, my friends, and thanks for stopping by!

Where’s Kathi?

With the new job and more time at home, I anticipated becoming a regular blogger again – frequent and consistent. So far, that has not happened … but it will … in good time.

I managed to eke out this card over the weekend during a brief visit to my corner. As you can see, I’m still lovin’ the Wings papers and Find Your Style January Stamp of the Month set.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Vineyard Berry cardstock; Wings Level 2 paper packet; Black, Juniper, and Bamboo ink pads; Find Your Style January Stamp of the Month set; Black Mini-Medley Accents Collection; Foam distressing tool; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: How are you? And, no. I have not fallen off the face of the earth but rather the edge of the blogosphere. It’s temporary.

Picking up where I left off last Tuesday (ouch), we had a house full of little people last Wednesday with Bjorn and Mathias joining little Mari after school. Miranda came to fetch the baby right before I left for bowling. After bowling, it was off to work. Going forward, I believe Thursday will be the day I am most tired. Once up on Friday, I actually did some stuff around the house before going to work.

With an 11 am birthday party scheduled for Bjorn on Saturday, I used some vacation time and came home at 1 am. The party was at the waterpark at the casino. What fun! It’s official. I have now experienced a waterslide. After the party, Dustin and Miranda went to Grand Forks for dinner, leaving Miss Mari with Grandma and Grandpa again. After dinner, she was joined by her cousins who spent the night and all day yesterday with us while their dad participated in a pool tournament.

Left to my own devices today, I cleaned and sorted and cleaned some more. By the time Dusty called to visit while driving home from work, I must have been huffing and puffing. He told me to slow down, that Rome wasn’t built in a day. I told him one has to make hay while the sun shines. Once I get this place shaped up, I will have a lot more time for a lot of things.

Busy. Delighted with the new job and even happier to have this extra time at home. I hope everything in your world is good, too. Perhaps, a little jaunt around the blogosphere will tell the story.

For those of you who haven’t given up on me, thank you for stopping by. Hope to “see” you again soon!

Flowers for You

Tonight’s card was inspired by the Graphic 45 patterned paper I used. If you look closely, you will notice the hat pin embellishment I added to dress up my ribbon. It’s one of Close To My Heart’s Pretty Pins. I changed out its pink bead for a neutral-colored heart-shaped bead, adding a tiny drop of Liquid Glass to cement it in place.

Materials & Tools: Vanilla Cream cardstock; Graphic 45 En Vogue paper from the Fashionista Collection; Black and Tim Holtz/Ranger Antique Linen Distressing Ink ink pads; Childhood Portraits stamp set; Colonial White chiffon ribbon; Pretty Pins; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Ovals set; Piercing tool; Sponge texture tool.

A Slice of Life: Although my days off were not quite what I envisioned, all is well, and I am ready to go back to work tomorrow evening. Between now and then I have a few things to do, too. Tomorrow morning, I need to run some errands, and in the afternoon, Grandpa and I will be watching little Mari while her mom goes to her appointment at the clinic. Sweet! If she is happy and awake, you can be sure my camera will be in her little face. For all I know, Bjorn and Mathias will be here for a couple of hours in the morning, too. They were this morning, because school started two hours late due to the frigid temperatures. Evidently, -20° is worse at 8 am than it is at 10 am. LOL. With no wind, it really isn’t all that bad outside.

Did you have a good day? I hope so. I hope, too, that I will have the chance to stamp and post over the course of the next few days. Regardless of whether or not I get anything done, I do have something very special to share. I’ve just been waiting for a photo op. Maybe tomorrow … You will have to check back to see what I am talking about. For now, goodnight and thanks for stopping by!

Masculine Monday 2

Looking at the clock, I realize Monday has turned into Tuesday. However, as I cannot think of another clever title, I will leave it at “Masculine Monday.” Actually, the full title would be “Masculine Monday #2 on Tuesday with a Card Made on Sunday.”

If the truth be known, it took from Sunday until now for this card to grow on me. The paper is from a “had-to-have” but “hadn’t-gotten-around-to-using-it-yet” pad from Basic Grey. The prints in “Oliver” are masculine with this and another one especially appropriate for kids. I did alter the paper some. Although many of Basic Grey’s designs are quite rustic, most have white in them as opposed to the antique white color that I prefer when working with more primitive designs. A foam sponge tool and Antique Linen Distressing Ink took care of the too-white monkeys.

I almost forgot – the sketch is my adaptation of FTL #123 as featured on the Clean & Simple Stamping blog.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Vineyard Berry cardstock; Basic Grey Oliver 6x6-inch paper pad; Black and Vineyard Berry ink pads; Mint Motif I’ve Got Your Number stamp set; Colonial White mini brads; 1-11/16 and 1-3/4 inch circle punches; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: Yesterday was not at all the kind of Monday I had planned thanks to another little bug that managed to a hold of me. It started in the middle of the night with the kind of headache that leaves you holding your head in your hands and moaning. About as soon as I took a couple of aspirin, my stomach erupted. Then, it was back and forth between the bed and the bathroom until about 9 o’clock when I finally fell asleep. When I woke up around 12:30, I felt good enough to enjoy the boys for a few hours. As for the 100 or so other things I wanted to do, they have been added to today’s list. A couple of “good” days would be deeply appreciated here. LOL.

With a wish that your week got off to a great start, I’ll close. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great Tuesday!

Watercolor

Finally, here is a card I will not use the word “simple” to describe. It’s not that it was difficult or anything – just a bit more involved than most of what I have been doing lately. The image was watercolored using a watercolor brush and ink from my ink pads. I also speckled the background with Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distressing Ink and used the stubble tool to add some texture to the solid cardstock in the background. Because I had “painted” on regular cardstock, the paper buckled. I taped it down with Terrifically Tacky Tape, which did the trick in flattening it out.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Black, and Spring Iris cardstock; Black, Spring Iris, Garden Green, Sunny Yellow, and Tim Holtz/Ranger Antique Linen Distressing Ink ink pads; Stampin’ Up Elements of Style and CTMH Say it in Style stamp sets; CTMH Speckled Background stamp (retired); Spring Iris chiffon ribbon; Pearl Opaques; Watercolor brush; McGill Multi-tag punch, Stipple texture tool.

A Slice of Life: It’s almost 9 pm, and I am still in my pajamas. That pretty much explains my day. LOL. After a two-hour nap earlier this evening, I finally have some energy again, which I plan to take full advantage of tomorrow. Oh, and there is no school tomorrow, so Bjorn and Mathias will be spending the day with us. I am so glad I will be home and have this extra opportunity to spend some time with them.

For now, I am off to the bathtub after which I will climb back into my pajamas. I hope you had a great weekend and are looking forward to the week ahead. Thanks for stopping by!

Simple Saturday

A simple card for Simple Saturday made by a happy, albeit tired, stamper. I used much-favored-by-me White Daisy textured cardstock. The lines and bows were hand drawn (with the help of a straightedge!). I colored the hearts with markers and added details with a white gel pen. The hearts remind me of bandana prints.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy textured and black cardstock; Black ink pad; Black My Legacy Writer; Holiday Red Marker; White gel pen; Impression Obsession Heartlines stamp set.

A Slice of Life: Among the many things I have learned is week is that fact that one does not say, “See you tomorrow,” at the end of one’s workday. In my case, the correct thing to say is, “See you tonight,” unless, of course, it is 7 am on Saturday morning. Then you say, “See you Wednesday night.” Yippee! I am as free as a bird until Wednesday evening! The job is great. The people are great. With lots to do, the long hours don’t seem long at all. Life is good.

I am, however, a bit tired today but expect a good night’s sleep to remedy that. What am I going to do with all my free time? I am going to pick up where I left off in my kitchen and then move to the bedroom for an overhaul there as well. The “big” project is going to be my den where my computer and Kathi’s Corner are located. Major improvements are planned. It’s last on the agenda, however, for a several reasons. The biggest one is the reward factor. If I were to do my space first and finally have everything the way I want it, I probably wouldn’t be willing to leave it long enough to get to the rest of the house. LOL.

Do you have plans for the weekend? It’s cold in the frozen tundra – currently -11° on its way to a forecast -17° – a good night to stay home and take it easy. I’ll close with the wish that yours is a wonderful weekend. Take care, my friends, and thank you for stopping by.

What’s Black and White and Red …

… all over? A newspaper, for one thing. Or, a zebra in a blender (yuck). And, this card. As for why the old childhood riddle popped into my head, I dunno. So far today, there is not much rolling around in my head that is making a whole lot of sense. Bear with me, friends.

As for my card, it was inspired by several pretty cards on the Wings of a Butterfly blog. As always, I am grateful for the inspiration provided by other talented stampers/bloggers.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Black cardstock; Holiday Red ink pad; Hero Arts Friend Definition and Flowing Flowers and Leaves Cling background stamps; CTMH Say it in Style stamp set; Black/white mini check ribbon from Wal-Mart.

A Slice of Life: Well, I pulled off my first 12-hour overnight work shift. It was OK. I have a lot to learn, which is what will make the job fun and challenging. What I did not know was how hungry I would get in the middle of the night. Tonight, I will bring lunch and some healthy snacks. The Snickers, Twix bar, and bag of potato chips I acquired with quarters scrounged for from the bottom of my purse just didn’t do it for me last night. LOL.  I do wish I had slept better when I got home. Falling asleep was no problem. Staying asleep was. I woke up every couple of hours and finally got up at 12:30. Thus, I am on my way back to the bedroom to see if I can nap for a couple of hours before repeating the process. All in all, I think this will work once I get into a routine.

I hope you are having a great week! Thanks for stopping by. Hugs!!

A Change of Pace

I set my beloved Wings papers and stamps aside to change it up a bit with a Valentine and my take on CPS 200 as featured on the Card Positioning Systems blog. I colored my image with markers and used a white gel pen to add detail to some of the hearts.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy textured, Black, and Crystal Blue cardstock; Cherry-O Level 2 paper packet; Black ink pad; Holiday Red, Heavenly Blue, Sunflower, and Brown Bag markers; White gel pen; Impression Obsession Heartlines stamp set; Black/white gingham ribbon from Wal-Mart; Black Mini-Medley Accents Collection (button); Corner rounder.

A Slice of Life: Today is the day. I am off to work again later. Because my plan to condition myself for the new hours didn’t work out so well last night/this morning, I am hoping to nap for a couple of hours after we eat dinner at 4. Food puts me to sleep, so that should work and, hopefully, will help the cause.

Have I told you lately how sweet my granddaughter is? It was so good to get to spend some time with her last night. Unlike her dad and uncle who chunked out almost immediately, she is still quite petite. That’s a good thing, as her closet is stuffed with a lot of very cute, very small clothes. Maybe she’ll get to wear everything at least once. LOL.

I hope you are having a wonderful week. Unless I am too tired to surface tomorrow, I will be back. Take care, and thanks for stopping by.

A Sketch Challenge Card

Are you tired of seeing cards made these Wings papers and stamps yet? If so, I am sorry (but only moderately so). I am so in love with the colors of these new papers and cool stamp designs that I simply cannot help myself. LOL.

This card is my rendition of Unscripted Sketches #88. There isn’t anything that warrants explanation except for the fact that the focal point image was popped up with foam mounting tape. With all those cute little button brads along its side, there was no getting it to lay flat.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Black, and Vineyard Berry cardstock; Wings Level 2 paper packet; Black and Bamboo ink pads; Find Your Style January SOTM and Say it in Style stamp sets; Black Mini-Medley Accents Collection; Foam texture tool; 3M foam mounting tape

A Slice of Life: My day so far has been a continuation of my housekeeping mission. In a bit, I am on my way out to run a couple of errands before going out Dustin and Miranda’s house for pizza. I cannot wait to see little Mari! My camera is charged and in my purse ready to go.

Tomorrow night is my first night of work already. I am looking forward to seeing what my new job is all about.

I hope you are having a wonderful day. Enjoy your evening, and thanks for stopping by.

Spray Pen Shimmer

The other day, I stamped the background for this card using stamps from the Wings set, which is included in  the Wings Workshop on the Go kit – Vineyard Berry ink on Colonial White cardstock. Without having a specific plan in mind, I laid my stamped piece off to the side with the hope that I would eventually be struck by a lightening bolt of inspiration. I spied it again when looking for something to spray with my new Spray Pen gadget. Lo and behold, I love the way it turned out. I also sprayed both sides of the circle I used to make the rolled paper rose. I like the way it turned out as well.

Material & Tools: Colonial White, Vineyard Berry, and Olive cardstock; Vineyard Berry ink pad; Wings stamp set; Martha Stewart Five Leaf Branch punch; Spray Pen; Vineyard Berry reinker; Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint.

A Slice of Life: Thinking that I should probably start “priming” myself for my funky new work hours, I stayed up until 5 am this morning at which time I had no problem falling asleep or staying asleep until noon. The only problem was that I woke up with a dull, icky headache that I remedied with an aspirin but hope is not a recurring thing.

With plans to do a major overhaul of my small, currently overstuffed abode, I got the bathroom cleaned today – walls, vanity, fixtures, floor, every nook and cranny. I did the laundry, too. Tomorrow, I am going to start on the kitchen. With more time at home, I am looking forward to doing more cooking once my kitchen is in order. When I worked five days a week, I was more than happy to let Husband have reign in the kitchen. Although I enjoyed his cooking, I am not so fond of his organizational skills. He puts stuff where it fits, which is not necessarily where it fit previously. I believe I have aired this grievance before. LOL.

How was your Monday? I hope a fine start to your week. Have a great Tuesday, too! Hugs to you, my friends. Thanks for stopping by.

Soar

Here is my take on FTL 122 as currently featured on the Clean & Simple Stamping blog. The butterfly was stamped on Colonial White cardstock that had been misted first using Close To My Heart’s new spray pen, which holds a mixture of water, ink (from a reinker), and shimmery Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint. I am glad I was wise enough to grab a shallow box for the spraying technique. While the spray pen is small, its range of mist is wide, and without the box, I fear I would have added a shimmery Vineyard Berry mist to more that was desired. LOL.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Vineyard Berry cardstock; Wings Level 2 paper packet; Black and Vineyard Berry ink pads; Find Your Style January SOTM set; Licorice Opaques Adhesive Gems; Fiskars Apron Lace border punch; Spray Pen; Create-a-Shade Pearl Paint; Vineyard Berry reinker; Sponge dauber.

A Slice of Life: Yesterday was a fun, full day at my sister’s house. Today, Bjorn and Mathias are going to pay us a little visit, and later, Mom and I are going out to get some groceries. Instead of thinking about going to work tomorrow, I am thinking about the fact that I don’t have to go to work tomorrow. Ahh…  LOL.

I hope you are having a great weekend. Hugs to you!

Find Your Style

After a rather exhausting week, I am thrilled to say, Happy Friday!

As for my card, the Fed Ex man brought me some lovely new Close To My Heart stamps and papers yesterday, including the January Stamp of the Month set, Find Your Style.  You can see more and find out about January’s great specials here in an online version of the special Inspirations brochure. What a great way to introduce CTMH’s new semi-annual Idea Book, which goes into effect on February 1.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Black, and Vineyard Berry cardstock; Wings Level 2 paper packet; Black and Bamboo ink pads; Find Your Style January Stamp of the Month set; Black Mini-Medley Accents; Sponge distressing tool.

A Slice of Life: Last night, I enjoyed an evening at Mom’s, celebrating her birthday with my sister, Karen, and her husband, John, their granddaughter, Hailey, and my brother Jim, and his wife, Joni. Deeming it too cold to go out, we ordered pizza in and then enjoyed the ice cream cake that Jim and Joni brought. A good time.

Today was a day that I have been anticipating for a very long time – my last day at my old job. I closed a door and will soon open a new one. While I know it will take some time to adjust to all that is different, I am excited and ready to begin a new chapter.

Tomorrow, Mom and I are going to a post-holiday gathering at my sister and brother-in-law’s house in Fertile. It will be good to see those that I didn’t get to see closer to Christmas. Sunday, I plan a trip to the country to see little Mari and her parents. Then, I have a couple of days off before starting my new job at 7 pm on Wednesday evening – a mini vacation of sorts! Woo hoo!

With that, I will be back! Have a great weekend, my friends, and thanks for stopping by!

A Beauty of its Own

I made this card last night but didn’t post it then, because I didn’t particularly like it. This morning, I liked it better, and in the photo tonight, not so much again. Good grief. LOL.

My distaste for the card might have something to do with my current dislike for winter in general. Snowflakes are beautiful. Snowmen are the cutest, and there is nothing prettier than sparkly, frost-covered branches on the trees. If I could spend the season viewing it out a window at it or better yet, look at it in a photograph, I would be much happier, because actually dealing with it is not a whole lot of fun. Currently, the heater in my car is acting up and only working intermittently. No heater means no defrost, which means at times, I literally have to hang my head out the window to see where I am going – not fun when the thermometer is hovering around 0. I need to find a new motor for the blower online somewhere – that might be a challenge for my little import.

Done with my winter rant, I will tell you about my card. I embossed the snowflakes with clear embossing powder and used round sponges to add some Amethyst and Sky ink to the background. The sketch is Mojo Monday 172.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Sky, and Amethyst cardstock; Sky and Amethyst ink pads; Impression Obsession Holly stamp set and Verve Stamps Plain Jane Every Season stamp; White chiffon ribbon; KaiserKraft pearl accents; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles and Lacey Squares sets; Round sponges.

A Slice of Life: Once my head thawed out from driving home from bowling with it hanging out the car window, I fell asleep for a couple of hours. Work was busy yesterday and today with much to do during the next couple of days as well. My mixed feelings about moving to a different job have dissipated after being reminded yesterday of just why it is I want to leave. There are a few elements of the job and a lot of good people I will miss. There are a lot of elements of the job and a few subhuman-types I will not miss. I am ready for 4:30 pm on Friday.

Tomorrow evening, I have a special birthday to help celebrate – my Mom’s. If you see this before I see you, Happy Birthday, Mom! I will see you after work.

To everyone else, thank you for stopping by! Have a great Thursday.

Masculine Monday

Hmm… masculine Monday. Could this be the start of something? It might be. Either that or it sounds good for tonight. LOL. As you can see, I used some paper scraps that were on my desk from yesterday’s project. I used stamps I bought last year but hadn’t gotten around to using yet (shame on me), which means my card meets the criteria for PIO#1 – this week’s “Brand Spankin’ New” theme on the Pile It On blog.

There isn’t much to say about the card construction.  I like the sentiment. The inside of the card holds a birthday greeting.

Materials & Tools: Black and Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake cardstock; Graphic 45 Shutter Speed from the Communiqué Collection; Black Tim Holtz/Ranger Antique Linen Distressing Ink ink pads;  Mint Motif What a Card and I’ve Got Your Number stamp sets; Black Bigger Brads; EK Success corner rounder; Sponge distressing tool.

A Slice of Life: This is going to be a tough week with a lot going on at work in the way of stuff to do and feelings to be sorted out. After making a difficult decision a few years ago, Husband told me I was the most resilient person he has ever known. I was younger then. Change was easier to accept. Still, thinking way back, I remember how fearful I was when encountering something new. Unless I am worried about someone I care about, there isn’t much that frightens me anymore.

Enough of the serious stuff. It will all be good. A week from now, I will be telling you how I spent my day either at home or out and about having had some fun – maybe both!

How was your day? I hope your week got off to a great start. If you want to pity me, it’s COLD here at -10° F. If you want to envy me, sweet Husband, who put all of the Christmas decorations up, took them all down and put them away today – a job I was dreading. Sweet guy.

Finally, thanks for your comments on my posts. They mean the world to me.

P.S. Husband just caught sight of my card and is impressed – a rare occasion. He informed me, however, that while my choice of numbers/suits was good, the worst cards one can be dealt in poker are a seven and a two of different suits. I will retain that information for future reference. LOL.

Purpose

As noted in a previous post, before Christmas, I guided Sarah through the process of covering boxes – recipe boxes/gifts for her three sisters. At that time, I started to work on one, too, but got so caught up in helping her, my box got set aside. I finished it today.

Instead of wrapping the entire box, I do it the lazy way, cutting paper to fit the front, back, sides, top, and flap. The parts of the box that are exposed and the chipboard letters were painted with Antique White Delta Ceramcoat acrylic paint.

If the paper I am using to cover a box is lightweight, I use Yes! paste. Because the Graphic 45 paper I used to cover this box is heavier, I ran the larger pieces through my Xyron and used 1/4-inch Terrifically Tacky Tape for the trim pieces. Easy!

You cannot see it in the photograph, but I used the stubble tool from CTMH’s Texture Tools to pounce Tim Holtz/Ranger Tea Dye Distressing Ink on the painted letters to give them the same look as the light colored dots on the patterned paper. The chipboard letters (from Heidi Swapp, I think) were self-adhesive at one time. After sitting around for a while, however, they seemed to have lost their stickiness. Not a problem. I adhered them to my box with Liquid Glass. They will never come off. As for the metal buckle, it is from a vast collection of seldom-used Making Memories embellishments.

The dividers I am going to make for the inside of the box will be labeled birthday, thank you, baby, sympathy, thinking of you/get well, friendship, etc.

Materials & Tools: Close To My Heart Recipe/Photo Box; Antique White Delta Ceramcoat acrylic paint; Graphic 45 Shutter Speed from the Communiqué Collection; Black cardstock; Tim Holtz/Ranger Tea Dye Distressing Ink stamp pad; Heidi Swapp chipboard letters; Making Memories buckle; Black grosgrain ribbon; Stubble distressing tool; Xyron; Liquid Glass. 

A Slice of Life: I saw my baby today! I even let Grandpa hold her … long enough to snap a few (a lot) of photos. She was awake most of the afternoon but drifted off after I gave her a bottle. Mommy and Daddy are doing great, albeit Dusty was pouting, because he has to leave Miranda and Mari to go to work tomorrow. He doesn’t want to miss a thing. Sweet.

Now, I quick word about the title of my post. I do not make New Year’s resolutions. I used to, only to feel like a loser by the 10th or so. LOL. I do, however, like the idea of choosing a word to focus on throughout the year, a concept Ali Edwards came up with in 2007. My “One Little Word” for 2011 is “purpose.” I often feel as if I just kind of stumble through life.

The words in the following quote pretty much tell my story: “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last, it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” –  Alfred D’Souza

Some of my obstacles have been the normal, every day things that are not unique to me. Others have turned my life upside down and inside out. Nevertheless, I have frequently found myself thinking, “Once I get through this, life will be …”

About purpose, I would like to start living life more intentionally, purposefully. If I get knocked of track, I would like to get back on a bit more quickly than I have in the past.

Purpose should extend to my hobbies. Making the box today was fulfilling. For one thing, it was an unfinished project that I completed. There are more. Secondly, the cards I make to put in it will have purpose. I am actually going to use them. LOL. And what I cannot use, I am going to give away as gifts, donations, etc. If I keep the word “purpose” in mind, I will spend my money more intentionally, too. Often, I find myself asking, “Why did I buy this?” Usually, the answer is, because it looked so darned good … on someone else’s blog! LOL.

Do you have “One Little Word” that you are going to focus on in 2011? If so, I would love to hear what it is.

I am off to do a few things to prepare for the workweek – my last regular 40-hour gig – one of the obstacles, as in “time still to be served.” LOL. Seriously, I can imagine my new hours are going to require some adjustment and will be an obstacle, too, until I have had time to work it all into a routine. It will happen.

With the hope that your New Year has gotten off to a great start, I will close with the wish that your week is a good one. Thanks for stopping by!

Simple Saturday Continued …

If you scroll down, you’ll see the cards that started this stamping frenzy, which I must say has been quite enjoyable after a holiday/baby hiatus. Again, I worked with textured cardstock with the exception of the image in the lower right corner. I call this one an “Uptown Girl,” and initially, I was going to paper-piece her outfit. Unable to decide on a color, I stamped two – one in Hollyhock and the other in Grey Wool for a more sophisticated look. I went so far as to cut them out and “try them on her” before deciding I didn’t like either of them. Now what? Flat black would be too boring. OK. I’ll emboss her with black embossing powder … but not on textured cardstock. I found out the hard way that doesn’t work very well.With or without the Embossing Buddy, I couldn’t seem to stamp and emboss an image that was speck-free even though I laboriously attempted to brush every tiny granule away with a small paintbrush – three times! I give up. While you can’t see it in the photo, the shiny embossed image on the flat white cardstock was just the pizazz this card needed.

Using more glitter from the Glitter Stack, the top card was easy as was the last one albeit her tiny paper-pieced bracelet, which you need a magnifying glass to see in the photo and I needed a magnifying glass to find on my desktop – literally. LOL.

Now, if I can come up with some clever packaging, I will give these cards to a teenage niece who might enjoy them. Making them was fun.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, White Daisy textured, Black, Pear, and Holiday Red cardstock; Black, Pear, and VersaMark ink pads; Black marker; Black embossing powder; Be Yourself, Thank You, and Say it in Style stamp sets; Glitter Stack; Quickie Glue pen.

Another Slice of Life: Our guests – Bjorn and Mathias – have gone back to their Mom’s house. It’s quiet around here again, which is always kind of hard to get used to after 24 hours of nonstop activity and noise. The weather has lived up to expectations with lots of new, blowing snow and wind chill advisories of 20+ degrees below 0. By hook or by crook, we are venturing out of town tomorrow to visit Mari and her parents. A mobile upload photo from her Daddy this afternoon showed a little face that is changing already – getting chubbier. If I can muster up the courage to go out, I am going to go see Mom this evening. A respite from listening to football in the next room will be welcome. So, that’s my weekend thus far. What are you up to? Whatever it is, I hope you are bringing in the New Year right. Enjoy the evening, and as always, thanks for stopping by!

Simple Saturday … Hello 2011!

 

Happy New Year! While this card may not be as simple as yesterday’s was, it fills the bill and is another that was made with a leftover element (the square present) that was laying on my desk.

What’s to explain? LOL. I used White Daisy textured cardstock, wondering all the while what I am going to do when my supply is depleted. Oops! I should have looked before I spoke. Although the colored textured cardstock was retired, White Daisy is listed in Close To My Heart’s new Spring/Summer Idea Book. Well, make my day. When I run out, I’ll just order some more! Back to my card, the tall, skinny gift was mounted with foam tape. As for the color combination, I love it.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, White Daisy textured, and Pear cardstock; Pear and Lagoon ink pads; Happy Birthday (retired) and It’s Your Day stamp sets; Sparkles – Blue & Green Assortment; 3M foam mounting tape.

 

 

Using the same sketch (if you can call it that) and White Daisy textured cardstock, I made these cards last night (or better said, during the night) as well. I love them and could have kept going, using every stamp in the Be Yourself stamp set. Perhaps I will make a few more and turn them into a gift set. I made the top one first, stamping the dress on a separate piece of regular cardstock and paper-pieced it. I used a glue pen and glitter from my ancient (and bottomless) Glitter Stack to dress up the other two. Fun!

A little hint – I’ve found that water-base ink, solid stamps, and textured cardstock are not very compatible. It is difficult to get a good solid image. Thus, I do the best I can and then color over it with a marker – in this case a black marker.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, White Daisy textured, and Black cardstock; Black and Cranberry ink pads; Black marker; Happy Birthday (retired) and Be Yourself stamp sets; Glitter Stack; Quickie Glue pen.

A Slice of Life: I reiterate Happy New Year! I look back on 2010 with mixed feelings. Certain aspects of it were not great. Changes at work left me showing up every day with no real job description. For the second time in less than three years, I was shoved off a corporate ladder I had no interest in climbing to begin with. I learned lessons about human nature as it relates to the business world that I would have been happier not having realized. After only five more days in purgatory, however, all of this is going to change. Yippee!

On the home front, 2010 was full of blessings. Shortly after the first of the year, my mother decided to begin a new chapter in her life. I was surprised and delighted when I learned she wanted to move here, and little did we know it would happen so fast. Having her here and being able to spend time with her is a gift I never expected.

Speaking of gifts, little Marla Jean is an absolute treasure – even if she is currently keeping her Mommy and Daddy up all night! Another healthy grandchild – our first granddaughter – a dream come true. At five and almost seven, our grandsons are growing, learning, happy, healthy little boys. The parents of these children – our sons – are “settled” and happy and healthy, too. Miranda and Sarah are like the daughters I never had. Finally, there’s Husband, who is the best Grandpa and a great Dad. He takes care of me, grumbling if I don’t eat right or get enough sleep. He laughs with me, dries my tears, and puts up with my many idiosyncrasies. He loves me, and although he has a way of ticking me off every once in a while, he makes my life complete.

Who could ask for more? I begin 2011 very grateful and prayerful for not only my continued blessings but yours as well. May the New Year bring you good health, peace, and joy.