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!

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! 

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.

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.

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.

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!!

Christmas Continued

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

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

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

 

 

 

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

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

 

 

 

 

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

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

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

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

Monster Hugs

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

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

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

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

An Attitude of Gratitude

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

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

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

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

Hooray!

It’s Friday. Is everyone gearing up for a fun weekend?

My card is based on Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #132. I don’t think it requires much in the way explanation, although I might mention that I have taken quite a liking to the look achieved when one uses a Nestabilities die as a stencil for sponged ink. Not only does it add some depth and interest to the image but creates an instant border as well.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Bamboo, and Desert Sand cardstock; Silhouette Creative Basics paper; Black, Bamboo, and Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distressing Ink stamp pads; Hero Arts Friendship and Garden Bouquet stamps and Verve Stamps Autumn Splendor stamp pads; Black chiffon ribbon; Fiskars Apron Lace border stamp; Sponge daubers.

A Slice of Life: The birthday party for Sarah I had planned for this evening was postponed until Sunday. Cameron and Sarah got their hands on some tickets for a college hockey game tonight in Grand Forks. I didn’t mind at all. Sunday won’t be such a rush. With some extra time to prepare, I can do it up right.

It was kind of a crazy week. Wednesday night, I couldn’t get to sleep until around 2 am. At precisely 2:15, I woke up to the blaring of a car horn – not the intermittent beeps of a car alarm but a loud, continuous blast that sounded like it was coming from the parking lot below. I woke Husband, who said it wasn’t coming from a vehicle but the Civil Defense alarm. “No, dear,” I told him, “we don’t have a Civil Defense alarm that is close enough for us to hear, it is a damn horn. Now, go figure out where it’s coming from and make it stop.” Sure enough. The vehicle belonged to a tenant, who, once awakened from a deep sleep, took care of it. Temporarily. Around 5, the process had to be repeated. I got my best sleep that night between 6:45 and 7 when I got up.  Last night, it was catch up time, which, I am happy to report, went well.

Today, Husband was scheduled to have a tooth extracted at a dentist’s office in town. Shortly into the procedure, however, the dentist decided that an oral surgeon was needed, so he sent Marv packing – mouth full of Novocain – to a surgeon in Grand Forks. Husband calls me at work to tell me all of this when he’s already 50 miles down the road. “So,” I ask, “you’re going to have oral surgery and then drive yourself home?” Yup, that was his plan. Luckily, there was no anesthesia involved – not that I knew that for quite some time. Fortunately, too, he waited until he got back to town to take any painkillers. Worrying about him was not conducive to getting a lot done at work – at least until I knew he was home safe and sound.

The boys are staying with us tonight. We picked them up at daycare and took them out for supper, which was fun albeit the full soft drink that got knocked over right off the get go. One brother tipped it and felt bad. “Don’t worry, honey, it was an accident.” The other got wet and hollered like a stuck pig. “Knock it off. It’s not like it hurts or anything.” To Husband, “Go get a dishcloth. Get a mop, too. Refill the glass while I clean up the mess.”

Sigh … Laugh … Doesn’t this all sound like … life? The rest of the evening has been uneventful. Games. Hugs. Giggles. And the little guys fell fast asleep within minutes of saying their prayers.

I am looking forward to a busy – but calm – weekend. How about you? What are you doing? Cameron went all out on the boys’ Halloween costumes this year – Jango Fett and Bobo Fett minus the blasters, which wouldn’t have been appropriate for school. The kids were thrilled anyway. I’ll have to get some photos on Sunday. For now, it’s back to my corner for a little stamping session before bed. Hope to see you again on Simple Saturday. In the meantime, take care, and as always, thanks for stopping by.