You Make Me Smile

Here is my take on FTL #132 as featured recently on the Clean & Simple Stamping blog. The image was colored with Copics – more than once. What is with the inked up sentiment stamps I am dropping on almost-finished cards these days? It’s like the stamping gods are testing my patience and/or perseverance. LOL.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy cardstock; Doodlebug Design Black Eyelet patterned paper; Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad; R24, R29, YG3, and C1 Copic markers; Penny Black Gossamer stamp; Hero Arts Thinking of You stamp set; Red/white gingham ribbon from Wal-Mart; Button from my stash; Close To My Heart Licorice Opaques.

A Slice of Life: Hello! I hope this post finds you healthy, happy, and enjoying the first days of spring. I’m doing OK with regard to happy and healthy but have yet to enjoy spring – much. Currently, Mother Nature must think the inhabitants of the frozen tundra need one more blast of winter in the form of a gigantic snowstorm. While the precipitation has not yet arrived, the forecasters keep saying its coming. Ugh!

The past few days have been busy. We had three overnight guests on Saturday night – the grandkids – which made for a fun evening and Sunday when the “big kids” turned up here, too. Yesterday, I pretty much spent the day recuperating from the weekend and my funky workweek. Today, I had lunch with Mom and did some shopping. Tomorrow evening, it’s back to work. Bummer.

Speaking of “bummer,” there is so much going on in the world right now, I don’t think the media knows what the heck to report. Surely, they are not telling much in the way of good news. Much of it is depressing. Some of it is scary, and we hear much, much  more about the people who are doing bad things than we do about the activities of good folks. I find that sad, because regardless of how wild and crazy the world appears to be, I maintain that most people are good people – ordinary people living ordinary lives – people like you and me.

I have met a lot of good people and wonderful friends through stamping and this blog. One of those special people is my friend, Jeanne, who took the time to email me and offer encouraging words – in a way that only she can do – when my blog was young.

Last week, I mentioned a surprise in my mailbox. It was a package from Jeanne that contained this wonderful cross-stitched birth sampler for baby Mari. I was as touched by this beautiful gift as I was by the breathtakingly gorgeous afghan and hat that Jeanne made and sent in January. While I consider myself to be reasonably good with words, I stumble as I try to describe the beauty of these keepsakes and what they mean to me – what Jeanne means to me.

In the card that accompanied the sampler, Jeanne noted the joy she derived from making it as she thought of me spending time with my new granddaughter. I believe that to be true, as she is clearly one who derives joy in using her many talents to bring happiness to others. I am so blessed to be one of the recipients of her goodness and generosity. This is one of those times when “thank you” doesn’t seem like enough. Nevertheless, it’s all that I have. Dustin, Miranda, Mari, and I thank you, Jeanne, from the bottom of our hearts.

If you are still with me, thank you for stopping by my little corner of the blogosphere. Whether it’s posting or visiting other blogs, I haven’t been around nearly as much as I would like to be lately. So much to do… So little time… and seemingly less now that I have more. Whoa. Figure that sentence out. What I am trying to say is that I have a lot going on right now. My hope is that life settles down a bit one of these days and I find more time to show up here on a regular basis. In the meanwhile, take care. Hope to “see” you soon!

Friendship

"… Friendship is the golden thread that ties the heart of all the world."-- John Evelyn. There. I saved you from having to read the fine print. The quote is so true.

When making this card, I kind of wished I had a punch or die that cuts waves. When I made this card, I was wishing for a die or punch that cuts grass. In both cases, I used what I have – a pair of scissors for the grass on the other card and a punch that creates gentle waves for this one. The specific punches or dies would be nice, but what I have worked, and sometimes, it is rather satisfying to simply “make do.”

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Holiday Red, and Pacifica cardstock; Black and Sky ink pads; Copic markers; Verve Stamps Text Objects; Red mini brads; Cloud stencil; EK Success border punch; Sponge texture tool.

A Slice of Life: Marv picked up Bjorn and Mathias after school today and brought them here until their dad finished work. They were sporting the green St. Patrick’s Day T-shirts I got them. While Marv was fetching them, I hid 20 “gold” coins in the living room and kitchen, which, once they found them, were redeemed for dollar bills. They thought the treasure hunt was great fun. It was nice to have a couple of hours with them.

The hours sped by at work last night. We were busy. I anticipate more of the same tonight. And as “tonight” begins in a little more than a half hour, I had best get my stuff together and make my way across town. Whether you are Irish or not, I hope your St. Patrick’s Day was a good one. Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be back soon.

Just Saying Hi …

… With a simple masculine card.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Black cardstock; Graphic 45 Communiqué Collection; Black and Ranger/Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distressing Ink stamp pads; Hero Arts Just Saying Hi stamp set; Black velvet ribbon from reasonableribbon.com; Black button brads and photo clips; Sponge texture tool; Cricut w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set;3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: I’m late for Tuesday and early for Wednesday. Go figure. Yesterday, I had lunch with Mom after which we hit Wal-Mart and then the grocery store. When I got home, there was a wonderful surprise in my mailbox – something I will tell you about in the next day or two. Today, I have a few things I want to get done before going bowling and then to work. Thursday and Friday, I don’t anticipate doing anything more than working and sleeping and trying to maintain my good humor. LOL. I do hope I am not too tired on Saturday. We’re going to have three little houseguests for the night. It should be fun. 

Enjoy your Wednesday. I’ll be seeing you again soon.

With Sympathy

After having turned this card into a sympathy card last week, I decided to make another that was something like it to have on hand. This one turned out a bit on the feminine side, however, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but will be a determining factor with regard to how I use it.

The image was stamped with VersaMark, embossed with white embossing powder, and colored with a blending pen, using inks from various stamp pads.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Olive, and Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake cardstock; White Daisy Pigment, VersaMark, Baby Pink, Blush, Hollyhock, Garden Green, Olive, and Dutch Blue stamp pads; White embossing powder Hero Arts Flower Bird Garden and Leaf Cluster stamps; Impression Obsession Sympathy Sentiments stamp sets; Dove blending pen.

A Slice of Life: How was your day? I had a great day, crossing a few items of the bottomless “to do” list and enjoying a visit from Dustin, Miranda, and Mari early this evening. Have I told you lately that little Mari is the sweetest little thing I’ve ever laid eyes on? LOL. Yes, Grandma is smitten. Grandpa, too. She was propped in the crook of his knee for this photo. and evidently, she thinks he is a pretty funny guy.

I did some stamping today, too, and am happy to say I have something prepared for every day this week. No more sloughing off. LOL.

Tonight, I am tired and am about to do the sensible thing – go to bed. I hope your Tuesday is terrific. “See” you again then.

One More …

Here is another really simple card made using the big Stencil Flower stamp. The only thing I can think of to say is that Close To My Heart’s Sky is about the prettiest blue I have ever laid my eyes on.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Sky cardstock; Black and White Daisy Pigment ink pads; Hero Arts Stencil Flower stamp and Truly Appreciated stamp set.

A Slice of Life: Good morning! How was your weekend? Ours was quiet and restful. As for what I am still doing up at 2 am, I am not certain. Maybe the past couple of days have been too restful. That said, I really should go to bed, so I can get up tomorrow and do something, so I have something to talk about. LOL.

I should say, too, that I wish you a wonderful week. And, as always, thanks for stopping by!

Simple Saturday

 

When I make a card and wish I had something that looks similar hanging in my closet, I always feel like I’ve accomplished something. The “print” I created for this card would make for a nice blouse or maybe even a fun summer dress.

This card is 5-1/2 inches square. The flowers were colored with three Copic markers. The shading was accomplished with a blending pen and ink from my Grey Flannel ink pad. The flower centers are White Opal Liquid  Pearls.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Black cardstock; Tuxedo Black Memento and CTMH Grey Flannel ink pads; R24, R27, and R29 Copic markers; Hero Arts Stencil Flower stamp and Thinking of You stamp set;  Ranger White Opal Liquid Pearls; Dove blending pen.

 

 

This next card was inspired by one I saw here on Nicole Heady’s Inspired Papertrey Ink blog. I wouldn’t mind wearing this one either. LOL. I stamped and shaded with Grey Wool ink. The stitching on the red strips is faux, created with a piercing tool and white gel pen.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Cranberry cardstock; Grey Wool and Black ink pads; White gel pen; Hero Arts Stencil Blossom stamp and Verve Stamps Asian Flair stamp sets; Dove blending pen; Piercing tool; Stampin’ Up Piercing Guide and Mat.

A Slice of Life: Are you having a good weekend? I hope so. Me? Right now, I am looking forward to a good night’s sleep, and then we shall see what the new week brings. Of course, I have projects in mind – more, in fact, than there are hours to accomplish them. That seems to be how life – mine, anyway – works. LOL.

For now, I am off to the bedroom to watch some TV … for about five minutes … before falling asleep. Enjoy your evening, friends. I’ll be back tomorrow after catching up on a little shuteye.

Dancing with Flowers

When I look at this image, I imagine a carpet of soft green grass beneath my bare feet and the fresh smell of spring wafting through the air. What a happy thought, and even though its only 20 degrees in the frozen tundra, the power of the sun is evident. I just stepped outside for a breath of fresh air and noticed water from the melted snow falling steadily from the roof. Yes, spring and then summer will come.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White cardstock; DCWV Linen Closet patterned paper; Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake ink pad; Hero Arts Dancing with Flowers stamp; KaiserKraft pearl accents; Ivory ribbon from reasonableribbon.com; Martha Stewart Doily Lace border punch; Sponge Texture Tool; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: Happy Thursday to those of you who are nearing the end of your workweek or, for that matter, anyone who is looking forward to the weekend. Most of us get to spring ahead this weekend, too, with daylight savings time starting at 2 am on Sunday morning. Usually, it takes a while for me to adjust to that lost hour. With my new schedule, I don’t think DST will have the same effect.

I got quite a workout at my job last night, taking photographs for 10 of the 12 hours I was there. As the process involves a lot of up and down – including standing on a rather wobbly stool – I could hardly move by 7 am this morning. I had my first-ever cardboard paper cut, too. On the palm of my hand, it was deep, wide, and about an inch long. Once I got the bleeding under control, I put a bandage on and forgot about it until today when the bandage fell off. Evidently, it was a clean cut, as it was completely healed except for the scar. Tonight, I anticipate spending most of the night editing all those photos I took last night. After sitting in one spot for hours on end, I will probably be stiff and sore tomorrow morning, too. That’s OK. After a few hours in bed, I’m always good to go again.

With that, I am off to the shower. Husband doesn’t know it yet, but he’s taking me out to dinner tonight before I go to work. I hope you are having a wonderful week. “See” you again soon!

Handmade Happiness

As simple as it is, this card was a bit more labor intensive than most that come from my corner. Lots of cutting and pasting, including the itty bitty clothespins that reminded me of the tiny integrated circuits my clumsy fingers try to keep from dropping at work.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, and Outdoor Denim cardstock; Splendor paper packet (retired); Black ink pad; Brown Bag, Topiary, Sky, and Goldrush markers; Hero Arts Kiss from the Sun stamp set; Colonial White Waxy Flax; Needle, Sanding block.

A Slice of Life: How is your week going? From my perspective, the hands on the clock seem to be moving about twice as fast as I wish they would. A few items have been checked off my “to do” list but not nearly as many as I would have liked. Perhaps, the next 24 hours will be more productive that the past couple of days have been. And then again, maybe I will get sidetracked and do something fun. LOL. Speaking of fun, Mom and I went out for lunch and did a little shopping earlier today. I still love the fact that my weird work hours enable me to do stuff like this.

No, if I am going to accomplish something today, I had best get my butt out of this chair. Enjoy the evening, my friends, and thanks for stopping by!

Colored with Copics

Hi! How was your day?

Here is a card I made Friday, which was colored, nonetheless, with Copics! My friend, Alanna, very sweetly sent me five Copic Sketch pens at Christmastime – the start, she said, of my collection. How fun! The only thing I wasn’t quite certain of was how to get started. Should I buy a few random colors that appealed to me or would it be better to build my collection by purchasing markers in the same color families? Because their blending properties are what make them so special, it made sense to purchase them in color families. From my first order, I have markers from the red, blue violet, and yellow green families. When the order I placed Friday arrives, I will have also have some from the blue, green, and red violet families as well as a couple of greys for creating shadows.

I have been placing my orders with CarpeDiem, where, with a $50 purchase (13 markers), shipping is free. How long it will take to build what I will call a solid collection, I do not know, although I believe that as I get better at using them, I will want to accelerate my purchases. I cannot tell you how much I wish they were readily accessible where I live, however. Placing an order – particularly one that is carefully thought out – is work. Adding a few to a store shopping cart once in a while would make the collecting part so much easier. LOL.

OK. Because this is my first serious attempt at using these markers, please cut me some slack with this card. I used three shades from the blue violet family to color the hydrangea petals and three shades from the yellow green family to color the stems and leaves. While in the photo, it appears that I could have/should have blended the green shades better, to the naked eye, the colors look fine. Darned camera. LOL. Seriously, it’s going to take some time and probably a lot of  tutorials and YouTube videos before I get it figured out. Learning the art of Copics, however, will be fun.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Spring Lilac, and Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake cardstock; Black Memento, CTMH Olive, and Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake ink pads; Hero Arts Dots and Flowers Design Block and Hydrangea stamp; Close To My Heart Friendship Garden stamp set (retired); KaiserKraft pearl accents; Copic markers; Round Texture Tool.

A Slice of Life: It’s been a busy couple of days with a wedding yesterday and kids and grandchildren here today until after supper this evening. As planned, Mari spent the night. She has been sleeping through the night for a couple of weeks. Nice. She doesn’t really cry either. Rather, she makes little sounds that have an “I’m not happy” tone to them. Kind of like a complaint. Most of the time, though, she is happy and loves to be talked to. In particular, if I tell her what a pretty baby she is, I am almost always rewarded with a great big smile. Funny, too, how she stares intently at my mouth as I speak. It’s like she really wants to get the talking thing figured out. Oh, and it was so good to see the little boys, too. Mathias and I played a bunch of games while Bjorn played on my computer. They are growing so fast in so many ways.

Thinking about my long “to do” list and not quite caught up on my sleep yet, I am most anxious to hit the sheets tonight … early … right after I straighten up my corner. I truly hope you had a great weekend, too, and are looking forward to the week ahead. That said, I’ll be back soon. Take care, and thanks for stopping by.

Simple Saturday

Today’s card was inspired by a card that was featured in this post Wednesday on The Hero Arts Club blog.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake cardstock; Garden Green, Olive, and Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake ink pads; Hero Arts Dictionary Greeting, My Cute Stamps Ashley’s Blossoms, and Close To My Heart Thank You stamp sets; Foam Texture Tool; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: Let the weekend begin! As I said yesterday, we have a wedding to attend this evening, and tomorrow I am hoping for some time with my grandsons. Other than that, I have no specific plans for the next four days. That doesn’t mean there is nothing to do, however. My “to do” list is as long as my leg! LOL.

Just out of bed and up for the day, I am off to the shower after which I am going perform a few housekeeping chores. The cleaning fairy didn’t show up again this week. Darn.

Thank you for the comments on recent posts. Your support is always appreciated. With that, I will bid you adieu for today. Hope to “see” you soon! 

I Miss You

Here is a simple card I managed to eke out a couple of days ago. The image was colored with Prismacolor pencils and OMS, and I scored the cardstock I used for the background to emulate the siding of a house.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Black cardstock; Black ink pad;  Day Dreamer stamp by Leanne Ellis for Sugar Nellie Stamps; CTMH Say it in Style stamp set; Black/white mini check ribbon from Wal-Mart; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Martha Stewart Score Board.

A Slice of Life: Happy Friday! How is your week going? Mine has been good – work and all. I cannot believe how fast my “condensed” workweek goes by. I thought that once I figured out what I was doing, the work would become more routine – maybe even boring. Not so. Regardless of how good my photos are, there is always room for improvement. The same goes for editing them, and there is always something new and fun to learn and/or figure out using Photoshop.

On the home front, we have a wedding to go to tomorrow night after which Mari will be coming to spend the night. I am hoping to see Bjorn and Mathias on Sunday before they go to their mom’s for the week. It’s been way to long since I have seen those little Munchkins. Other than that, I have 101 things I want to get done on my days off but (so far) nothing on the calendar. Do you have plans for the weekend? Whatever you are doing, make it a good one! I’ll be back tomorrow with a Simple Saturday post. In the meanwhile, take care and thanks for stopping by.

Party Time!

Hello, blogging buddies. In the event you thought I fell off the face of the earth, I thought I would provide a little glimpse into my world and let you know what I have been up to lately. On Sunday, my sweet sister hosted a baby shower for Miranda and Mari in the Community Room of the apartment complex where I live. Deb, along with my three other sisters, my niece, and our Mom, arrived on Saturday afternoon to decorate. She used a cute farm theme. This is what the room looked like before I turned out the lights on Saturday night.

There was a horse, of course, wearing an infant-sized cowboy hat. Mari received her first pair of western boots, too!

Bandana bouquets made for cute centerpieces on the tables.

Holy cow! Take a look at the goodie-filled diaper cake that took center stage on the gift table. It’s almost too cute for words.

More cuteness. Yummy, too! Made-from-scratch raspberry cupcakes. Sister Dianne used her Cricut to create the cute picks. Sister Kim made the cupcake wrappers. Dessert followed a wonderful lunch made by my sisters, sister-in-law, and mom. It was a fun afternoon – perfect to the last detail – and while little Mari took it all in stride, her parents were very touched by the thoughtfulness put into the event.
Oh, and I just had to show you the picture of Mari that her Mommy took late last week.  Sweet, huh? I had prints made and put them into 5 x 7-inch frames – one for each of her parent’s desks at work. Mommy returned to work, and Mari spent her first day at daycare on Monday. While Miranda was sad to leave her little one, I understand all is going well for both Mommy and baby.
It’s back to work for me tonight, too. Now that I have become accustomed to my new hours, it seems like four days off fly by as fast as two days once did.  I finally made a card last night, or perhaps I should say, “successfully” made a card last night. I don’t know if the organizing I have been doing has squelched by creativity or what is going on but my stamping endeavors of late have been quite disastrous. Anyway, I will post it either later today or tomorrow.
I hope this post finds you healthy and happy. It’s March already! Spring is on its way – even in the frozen tundra … eventually. LOL. Take care, my friends. I hope to “see” you again soon.