#1571 at Kathi's Corner

Hi friends! I have determined that spring is not my favorite season. Instead causing a surge of energy that results in a flurry of positive activities, spring fever knocks me into a hole that is dark and kind of hard to climb to climb out of.

Yup. With no mojo and little ambition, I have been in a funk these past few weeks.

No. My life has not been all bad. In fact, aspects of it have been wonderful, as my family and I have celebrated birthdays (Mathias turned six on April 11 with Grandpa turning 62 the very next day), Easter, and most recently, Mother's Day. It's all good in the family department, and there is not a day that goes by that I don not realize how truly blessed I am.

My funk has had more to do with expectations. With the new job I started in January, I anticipated a lot more time to get things done not taking into consideration I am no spring chicken and that staying up all night three days a week might leave me weary for a day or two or three... LOL. Kinda. Management, too, messed with the process and deemed quantity to be more important than quality. For a perfectionist who deems to do more than take mediocre photos of electronic components, the changes have not exactly been embraced. Thus, I'm not loving this new job that is leaving me feeling like I've been run over by a semi on Saturdays.

OK. So I have realized that, all things considered, I am not going to make great strides with regard to some of the things I want to do. Rather, I will have to settle for baby steps. That will be alright just so long as I keep moving forward.

Now about this blog. You know how it's fun to change things up a little once in a while? Well, due to the way this blog is configured and changes Blogger has made over the course of the past couple of years, I cannot make the alterationsI want to make without going through 1,570 posts and resizing the photographs. Ugh! And I'm not gonna do it! Instead, I am moving and invite you to visit me at Paper Past Times, Etc. (www.kathicarlson.blogspot.com).

If you follow me here (via My Followers or Google Reader), I hope you will follow me there and let me know what you think of the new look/format. You will notice the new blog is much simpler - no muss, fuss, side bars, or stat counters. It suits what I want to do, which is simply to share what I can when I can.

Are you with me? I hope so, because I'm back with you and anxious to resume visiting and commenting on your posts. I've missed you.

Oh, and I made a card today! You can see it here.




 

Night Owl Here…

Thank you so much for your oh-so-sweet comments on my last post. Having been such a lousy blogger for the past couple of weeks, I didn’t expect ‘em.

Here is a card I made last week with new stamps from Flourishes. While I saw so many lovely cards made with this set (here and here and here), it was this gorgeous card that made this set irresistible to me. That sweet nest – I couldn’t help myself.

This one was colored with a waterbrush and ink from my ink pads.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Olive, and Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake cardstock; Passages paper packet; Black, Olive, Garden Green, Heavenly Blue, Desert Sand, Brown Bag, Chocolate, Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake, and Tim Holtz/Ranger Antique Linen Distressing Ink stamp pads; Flourishes Spring Has Sprung and Stampendous Pattern Trio stamp sets; CTMH Speckled Background stamp (retired); Garden Green mini brads; Ecru crochet lace and olive twill ribbon from reasonableribbon.com; waterbrush; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Foam texture tool.

A Slice of Life: I had a fun afternoon with my Mom. We went out for lunch and then did some shopping. I finally found a pair of jeans that fit better than any of the others I currently own. What is it with all the “low rider” jeans these days. Fine for 18-year-olds maybe, but I don’t think the crack of a 57-year-old’s backside is very becoming. LOL. Tonight, I am trying to get my mind wrapped around the idea of going back to work tomorrow evening. I hope things are straightened out from the end of last week. Management couldn’t leave a good thing alone and decided to make some procedural changes in the way we get the parts we photograph. Things didn’t work out at all on Friday night, which was very frustrating, so I am hoping they have either worked the kinks out of the new process or have gone back to the way things were done previously.

For now, I am off to bed with hopes of sleeping a little later into the day. I hope yours is a happy Hump Day! Take care, and thanks for stopping by.

Don’t Get the Wrong Idea

The theme of my card has nothing to do with my absence from the blogosphere even though we have had a bit of a run on sympathy cards around here recently. It feels like one of those “You know you are getting old when …” type things. Not really funny … but kind of. Certainly nothing one can do anything about. 

Having made this card almost two weeks ago, I’m struggling to remember the details. One thing: I used the
“Saran Wrap” technique to add texture to the Kraft/Crumb Cake base. This technique amounts to a wadded up piece of plastic wrap used like a stamp. The result is a suede look that I love. The image was colored with Copics. One more thing: None of the cardstock colors I have coordinated very well with my image so I used a Copic to color around the edge of a piece of Colonial White cardstock and used that for my mat. One last thing: I mounted my matted image to my card using foam tape. I guess I remembered more than I thought I did. LOL.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake cardstock; Black, Olive, Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake, and Tim Holtz/Ranger Antique Linen Distressing Ink stamp pads; Copic markers; Stampin’ Up Elements of Style and Impression Obsession Sympathy Sentiments stamp sets; CTMH Speckled Background stamp (retired); KaiserKraft pearl accents; Ecru crochet lace from reasonableribbon.com; Sponge texture tool; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: And here I thought the new job with the new hours would give me more time for stamping and blogging. It’s not working out that way. For one thing, working while everyone else sleeps means I need to sleep when the rest of the world is awake for three days. That is not as easy as I thought it would be, and I am experiencing two, if not three, days of what feels like jetlag (or better said, kinda like I’ve been run over by a truck). I am not complaining but rather love the job and the hours. It’s just that I am not as perky as I thought I would be on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. As for Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays until 7 pm, I have been trying to be more domestic, getting my house in order and spending more time with my family. I’ve also expanded my horizons a bit, exploring different crafts and picking up on an old past time or two. As for time, I still don’t have as much as I would like and probably wouldn’t if I were retired. Should I live long enough to do all of the things I want to do. Sigh… LOL.

I hope this post finds you healthy, happy, and enjoying spring. In the weather department, we have had a few nice days interspersed with some lousy ones. Typical “spring” in the frozen tundra where Mother Nature is usually kind of slow to make up her mind. With a few cards in my “bank” that I haven’t shown you yet, I am hoping to be back soon. In the meanwhile, take care and have a good week. It was good to “see” you again!

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.

Just Saying Hi

Initially, last night’s stamping session didn’t go so well. To make a long story short, I dropped a black ink pad just as I was adding the finishing touches to a rather “fussy” card. The edge of the pad caught  my very pretty pastel focal point  image, leaving an less-than-attractive black streak that could not be repaired, cut off, or wished away. That’s what I get for trying to make an impression with a fancier than usual card. LOL.

After feeling sorry for myself for a few minutes, I cleaned up my desk and started over, reverting to my simple style with different stamps and papers. As I did when making this card the other day, I used an acrylic block as a shadow stamp. Everything else is pretty much self-explanatory. You might not be able to see that I used an edge distressing tool on the right hand side of the “notebook” paper. I think I might have liked a torn edge even more.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Black cardstock; Studio 45 Communiqué Collection patterned paper; Memento black and Tim Holtz/Ranger Antique Linen and Tea Dye Distressing Ink stamp pads; Hero Arts Just Saying Hi and Close To My Heart Noted Background (retired) stamp sets; Antiqued Copper mini brads; Stampin’ Up Spiral and Ticket punches; Edge Distressor; Foam Texture Tools.

A Slice of Life: Whoa. I hope the night passes as quickly as the day did. I am on my way out the door in a few minutes to go earn part of that paycheck that keeps showing up every other Thursday.

I hope you are having a wonderful week. Talk to you soon!

In the Pink

The first time I embossed the Large Blossom image with white embossing powder on white cardstock I realized I couldn’t see enough of the detail to successfully apply color to the flowers, leaves and stems. Thus, I grabbed my waterbrush and simply washed color over the embossed image. My intent was to use it as a guide, which I did with the card I posted last night.

Today, I gave my “guide” a second look, really liked what I saw, and noted that the randomly selected color I had used  coordinates with(darned near matches) CTMH’s new Cotton Candy pink.  I guess we’ll call this card a “happy accident.” One note about embossed and watercolor images: In lieu of watercolor paper, I used regular cardstock that tends to buckle from the moisture. The weight of a couple of heavy books will flatten the image. Additionally, I used Terrifically Tacky tape to adhere it to the cardstock mat.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Cotton Candy, and Black cardstock; Black and VersaMark ink pads; White embossing powder; Hero Arts Large Blossom stamp; CTMH Happy Birthday (retired) stamp set; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Lyra Aquacolor water soluble wax crayons; Embossing heat tool.

A Slice of Life: And here is more “In the Pink.” It’s eight-week-old Mari on the verge of the great big smile that emerged right after the flash of Grandma’s camera. Chubby cheeks. A little rosebud mouth. A double chin. Huge blue eyes and more hair in the back than she has on the sides or on top. She looks like Daddy. She looks like Mommy. Mostly, she looks like Mari and is (in my opinion) as cute as a bug’s ear. The photo to the left reveals what she did most of the afternoon. Evidently, it is hard work being a baby. Sleeping or awake, she is perfect. What a blessing it is to be able to take care of her. I would be happy to just sit in a chair and drink in her sweetness and innocence all day long.

Baby is coming back tomorrow. If she doesn’t have anything else going on, I am hoping to bring Mom over for the afternoon. I want Mari to know Great-Grandma.

I hope your day was a good one. It’s back to work for me tomorrow evening. I am thinking my days off this time went by way too fast. Tonight, I am going to stamp. Enjoy your evening, and thanks for stopping by. Hope to “see” you again soon.

Inspired …

… by this beautiful card I saw a couple of weeks ago on Card of the Week.com. Of course, I was enabled, too, because I had to get my hot little hands on the stamps before I could make the card. LOL. Made in haste, my creation is not as pretty as Susan’s is. I need to watch the video she posted yesterday and see if I can’t improve my painting technique. For this card, I used my waterbrush and Lyra Aquacolor crayons. As you can see, it is unadorned. I wanted to add some twine but couldn’t get it to look/lay right and gave up before frustration set in.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Barn Red, and Stampin’ Up Crumb Cake cardstock; White Daisy Pigment and VersaMark ink pads; White embossing powder;  Hero Arts Large Blossom and Leaf Clusters stamps; Lyra Aquacolor water soluble wax crayons; Embossing heat tool.

A Slice of Life: Today was certainly a quick day. Having stayed up late, I slept late. When I got up I did some general housekeeping chores and then finally finished my current “project,” which has been sorting through my paper. As I noted long ago, I use Cropper Hopper 12 x 12-inch vertical paper holders. Ten of them hold of Close To My Heart cardstock. Patterned papers fill 13 more. Each cardstock color and patterned paper packet/set is kept/put in a zip-top bag with another quart-size bag at the front of each to hold my scraps. My sorting project has entailed taking stock of what I have, separating full sheets from partial sheets, and throwing out the too-small scraps. It goes without saying that I have a lot of paper … that I probably won’t live long enough to use it all … that I should declare a moratorium on buying paper. And stamps, too, for that matter. But aware of my weaknesses, I only said “should.” LOL.

This evening, Mom and I attended a shower for Mari and Miranda that was held at the tiny country church where Miranda is a member. The ladies served a light supper that was scrumptious. The program included devotions and a couple of readings – one serious and a funny one. Mari slept in my arms while Mommy opened a tableful of lovely gifts that included more mostly pink clothes, some toys, various other useful items, and a highchair. It was nice.

Speaking of little Mari, I am taking care of her tomorrow while Miranda does some housekeeping in her horse barn and Wednesday when the veterinarian making a house call. Next week, she goes back to work and baby goes to daycare. The time has gone by fast. Photos of my little visitor will be forthcoming.

Now, I had better get this posted before it isn’t Monday anymore. I hope your day was wonderful. Tomorrow, too. Until next time, take care and thanks for stopping by.

A New Week Begins

As you may have guessed by now, I am really loving Close To My Heart’s new Pear color. It is such a fresh, pretty green and a perfect complement to Topiary.

I tried a new (to me) technique, too, using an acrylic block to stamp the background.  For this card, I used my 4-1/2 by 6 inch block, which covered the whole piece. The use of a smaller block would result in a look similar to that of a shadow stamp.  The vellum sentiment strip was inspired by the Make It Monday #2 post on Papertrey Ink’s blog.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Topiary cardstock; Vellum; Pear and Topiary ink pads; Clear embossing powder; Hero Arts Leaf Cluster Cling stamp and Truly Appreciated stamp set; Acrylic “Dew Drops” from Michael’s; 4-1/2 by 6 inch acrylic block; Embossing heat tool.

A Slice of Life: After sleeping for about 16 of the last 24 hours, I am caught up and ready to start a new week. As for what is on the agenda today, I haven’t decided yet. There is still a lot of sorting and purging to be done in my corner. I would love to just sit and stamp for a while, too. I guess we will see what the day brings.

How are you doing? It’s hard to believe it is the last week in February already, isn’t it? It doesn’t seem to matter what kind of work schedule I have. The days seem to zip right by. And that means that if I am going to have anything to show you or tell you in coming days, I better “get to getting.” Enjoy your Sunday, my friends, and thanks for stopping by!

Coming Up for Air

Hi! Remember me? If you don’t, it is OK. It’s been darned near that long.

Here is a card I made last week. It was inspired by this pretty card on Laurie’s Stampin and Scrappin Place blog.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, White Daisy textured, and Topiary cardstock; Pear and VersaMark ink pads; White embossing powder; Hero Arts Truly Appreciated and Close To My Heart Air Mail (retired) stamp sets; Hero Arts Three Ferns stamp; Topiary brads; Round sponge; Embossing heat tool.

Several Slices of Life: Where have I been? Most recently (as in this evening) I visited my granddaughter (and her parents, of course). I just had to see one more of Mari’s sweet little smiles before starting my so-called “workweek” tomorrow evening. At seven weeks, she is becoming quite social and changing daily.

How was your Valentine’s Day? I hope it was nice. Ours was interrupted by a stomach virus – Bjorn, its victim. The “plan” was to have the whole family over for supper. However, after Grandpa had to make a quick trip to the school to pick up a sick little boy, Grandma hastily “uninvited” Dustin, Miranda, Mari, and Great-grandma. Sarah wasn’t feeling well either, so it ended up being Marv and me, Cameron, and Mathias. Leftovers fill the refrigerator. I know what I will be eating at work this week. It’s OK. Life happens, and better Valentine’s Day than Christmas.

Mari stayed with us on Saturday night and spent most of the day with us on Sunday. While I do not know if I would have the stamina to have a baby around all of the time, it sure was fun for the 20 or so hours we had her. She’s so sweet.

And, what I have been doing the rest of the time? Well, the kitchen and bathroom are clean. The bedroom is clean. The living room is presentable, and I have been working feverishly in my den/craft room. I am thankful this is only an apartment, because if it were anything more, I might not ever get to come up for some air. LOL. I’m making progress, and once things are organized with a plan for keeping them that way, I will have a lot more time for the fun stuff.

I sincerely hope life is treating you well. We have had a nice break in the weather with temperatures in the 30s and 40s. According to the weatherman, however, it’s back to cold come Friday. That will be OK. Just a taste of spring is enough to let us know it will come – eventually. It’s back to work tomorrow evening, and that is OK, too. Those 12-hour shifts fly by, and there are only three of them! Take care, my friends. Talk to you soon.