It Seemed Like a Good Idea

A while back (long enough ago that I had forgotten where I had put them and had to hunt), I bought a package of Shake-It Pouches from Impression Obsession. Tonight, I had the bright idea to make a fall card with them using Flower Soft with a tree image. What I did not think about was the fact that Flower Soft is basically colored Styrofoam that – due to static – would stick to the plastic of the pouch. The look is OK, but it doesn’t shake all that well.

About the pouches, they are pretty slick, although next time, I will make a greater effort to get my paper placed over the pouch so that its flat rim either doesn’t show or is equal around the circumference of the circle. Live and learn – the story of my life. LOL. The next shaker card you see on this blog will probably involve snow when (and if) I can bear to think about it.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Cocoa, Desert Sand, and Autumn Terracotta cardstock; Retired CTMH patterned paper; Shake-It Pouch; Cocoa, Desert Sand, and Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink stamp pads; Renaissance by Design Roots & Wings stamp set; Cocoa grosgrain ribbon; Basic Craft Buttons; Autumn Flower Soft; Fiskars Apron Lace border punch; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Sponge dauber.

A Slice of Life: I came home early today with a stomach ache. It started last night. I was fine so long as I didn’t put food in my stomach. If I did, it hurt. This evening, I am fine again, so it must have been some little bug that came and went. Now, I need to get to bed, as I am being picked up shortly after 7 in the morning, which means I need to get up an hour earlier than usual. While that is not my usual Saturday routine, I am looking forward to a day with friends.

I hope you are looking forward to the weekend, too. It finally quit raining here … for a while anyway. It was nice to see the sun again. Take care, and thanks for stopping by.

A Sheltering Tree

This is my altered rendition of FTL#107 as featured on the Clean & Simple Stamping blog. With sleeping children in the house, I didn’t want to go to the kitchen for plastic wrap, so the “Saran Wrap” technique was done this evening with the wadded up paper towel I had at hand. The end result was the same.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Chocolate, Autumn Terracotta, Goldrush, and Barn Red cardstock; Chocolate, Autumn Terracotta, Goldrush, Cranberry, and Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink stamp pads; Renaissance by Design Roots & Wings stamp set; Gold Bitty Brads; Martha Stewart Layered Arches border punch; Black My Legacy Writer; Sponge dauber; Dove blending pen.

A Slice of Life: Yesterday’s wedding was lovely. The reception was fun. Today, I hustled to get my cleaning and laundry done by the time our miniature guests arrived. We only had a couple of hours before it was time for them to go to bed, but we made the best of it, reading all of the library books in their backpacks, playing games, and catching up on some hugs. All tuckered out, I’m going to check out what I’ve missed on the blogosphere and then hit the sheets myself.

I hope your weekend was a good one and that you’re looking forward to the coming week. Take care, and as always, my friends, thanks for stopping by.

Hallmark Inspired …

Since I purchase so few cards, I take special notice of the ones I receive. This is the card Dustin and Miranda gave me for Mother’s Day this year. You can see he has my penchant for relatively simple. The inside message reads, “Three little letters make all the difference in the world. Happy Mother’s Day.” Dusty’s handwritten message: “You’re the best Mom!” I’m glad he thinks so. It’s not like I have a lot of competition. LOL.

Anyway, the ribbon is real and the scalloped circle is raised. I decided to use it as inspiration to make the card below.

 

 

 

While the layout and some of the elements are the same, my version is very different from the Hallmark card. The biggest challenge was choosing the green that I would use. After trying them all, I liked the look of Key Lime against the Heavenly Blue the best. Everything else is pretty self-explanatory. It was kinda fun.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Heavenly Blue, and Key Lime cardstock; Key Lime, Heavenly Blue, and VersaMark ink pads; Crystal Blue embossing powder; Renaissance by Design Darling Damask and Close to My Heart Say it in Style and Star Struck stamp sets; Stampin’ Up Whisper White taffeta ribbon; Sparkles; Piercing tool and mat; 2-inch scallop circle punch; 3M foam mounting tape.

Ah! Another Monday coming to an end. I had a good day with a steady flow of work to keep me busy and make the day go by reasonably fast. Like my former job, my new position is usually either feast or famine. So far, it has been more of the latter than the former, which makes for long, not-so-fun days. I guess there is some new stuff, however, coming my way. We’ll see.

How was your Monday? Has everyone’s weather straightened out? After nearly three weeks of rain and gloom, the sun is shining here, and the temperatures are in the mid-seventies. While that might be a bit cool for some of my warm-weather friends, it’s perfect as far as I’m concerned.

I’m off to get ready for bed. I hope your Tuesday is terrific. Take care, and thanks for stopping by…

A Winter Scene

I don’t make a lot of wintry cards, leaving the pretty snowflakes and cute snowman scenes for those of you who don’t have to live in the frozen tundra.

I’m making an exception for the Mojo Monday 123 sketch, however. We had a few very nice days last week. With temperatures in the high 20s and mid 30s, we enjoyed several winter wonderland-type days with frosty trees and glistening snow – a sure sign that the sentiment on my card is true. Just like some of the tough times we face throughout our lifetimes, no winter lasts forever.

Oh, and while I don’t need to tell you… I could just let you think this card was the original … I will tell you that I performed major card surgery this evening, replacing the original focal point image. For my first attempt, I used a different tree stamp, stamped in cocoa on Juniper cardstock. The “snow” on the bottom was torn pieces of white cardstock. It was ugly right from the get-go. My attempt to “fix” it involved Stickles. With sparkly tree branches and gloppy snowflakes, it was still ugly.

Tonight’s surgery amounted to starting over. I stamped a different tree with Juniper ink on Colonial White cardstock. I tore a piece of cardstock to use as a stencil along the bottom before sponging a Juniper sky. Snowflakes were added with my Speckled Background stamp – first using Juniper and then Colonial White Pigment ink pads. I added a little Colonial White ink around the edges, too, and finally, outlined the tree branches with a white gel pen. And, the end of this card saga is that while this may not be the greatest card I’ve ever made, tonight’s “facelift” was a big improvement.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Tulip cardstock; Treasures of the Heart paper packet (2009 Heart of Winter special); Juniper and Tulip ink pads; Renaissance by Design Roots & Wings and CTMH Four Seasons stamp sets; CTMH Speckled Background stamp (retired) Buttons from my stash; Papertrey Ink Sorbet grosgrain ribbon; White gel pen; Ecru crochet cotton, 3M foam mounting tape.


After that long story, I’ll keep the rest of this short. The wind gave up, making our sub-zero temperatures easier to take. My workday was busy and productive. Tonight, I’m going to wash a couple more loads of clothes and clear some clutter here in my little den before turning in early and making an attempt to recover from last night’s rather fitful sleep session. My computer is acting wonky, giving me an occasional weird “memory kernel” message and requiring me to reboot – each time with my fingers crossed that it comes back to life.

I hope your day was wonderful, and as always, thank you for stopping by! Later…

Inkspired

My January/February issue of Papercrafts magazine arrived today, inspiring me to make this card – fashioned after one by Dawn McVey, which appears on the cover and again on page 42. Dawn combined Berry Sorbet (from PTI) with PTI’s Pure Poppy for her striking card, while I stuck with white ink and trim for a softer look.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Sorbet, and Stampin’ Up Kraft cardstock; White Daisy Pigment ink pad; Renaissance by Design Darling Damask and Papertrey Ink Polka Dot Basics stamp sets; White organdy ribbon; EK Success corner rounder.

Baby, it’s cold outside. Marv wanted to go out for supper but went to the fridge and found something to cook after I shot him my “Are you off your rocker?” look. Cold as it is – 6 below tonight and a high of 3 below tomorrow, it’s supposed to snow anyway. Actually, lots of snow, when it’s this cold, is good, because it serves as the insulation that keeps water mains and the like from freezing.

Tonight, I’m going to surf the Web for some Christmas gifts and clean up after the grandsons, one of whom spent the whole day with Grandpa. Maybe, if there’s time, I’ll pop back into my corner and see if I can’t come up with a little something to show you tomorrow night.

Hope your day was a good one, and as always, thanks for stopping by! Later…

That’s an Awful Big Bow

Big bow and fat ribbon appear to be all the go these days. While the ribbon and many of the cards made using them are pretty, will someone tell me how ya get the darned things in an envelope? I used wired ribbon. I love the stuff, because it’s so easy to shape and manipulate. However, once it’s squished, it’s flat. That’s not to say the recipients can’t reshape it, but seriously, will they? Doubtful. LOL. Nope. I think this bow’s gotta go.

The card – imagine it with a 5/8-inch wide black satin bow – is my take on Mojo Monday Week 114.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, and Cranberry cardstock; Black ink pad; Renaissance by Design Darling Damask and Flourishes Wedding Essentials stamp sets; Sparkles; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; EK Success Diamond Lace border punch.

How was your Monday? As good as a Monday can be, I hope. One day closer to Turkey Day! With that, I’m heading back to my corner for a little more R&R before it’s time to call it a day. Thanks for stopping by!

Inkspired

You know? As much as I don’t like to miss a day of posting, I think I’ve finally figured out I can’t be everywhere all the time. Last night was my bowling night, and the little boys stayed with us. Thus, when I got home at 7, I opted to spend my time with them instead of rushing to create and post what very well might have been a sub-standard card. The good thing is I’m happier and feeling more creative tonight because of it.

This evening’s card was inspired by this very pretty card on Karla’s Life is Good blog.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Twilight cardstock; Grace Paper packet; Twilight, Cocoa, and Bamboo stamp pads; Close To My Heart Solo “E,” Renaissance by Design Darling Damask, and Waltzingmouse Stamps Blessed by You stamp sets; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Stampin’ Up Build-a-Brad; Sponge dauber; Sanding block.

One more day, and the weekend will arrive. Hooray! Marv left for the hunting camp today, so I’m on my own again for a few days. As much as I like having him around, it’s amazing how much I can accomplish when he’s not here. As for this evening, I’m going to make myself a bite to eat, take a nice relaxing bath, put on my favorite flannel pants and a T-shirt, and clean up my corner in preparation for some creative time in the coming days. Sounds good, doesn’t it? I hope you are having a great week.

Thanks for stopping by!

ABC …

It’s still no mojo for Kathi. This is a card I made last week. While it’s not the worst (they’re in the trash), it’s nothing great. The stamps are from a cute little set, “A is for Apple,” from Renaissance by Design.

Materials & Tools: Stampin’ Up Kraft and Black cardstock; Black, Holiday Red, Cranberry, Topiary, and Brown Bag ink pads; Renaissance by Design A is for Apple stamp set; Fiskars Apron Lace border punch.

How was your day? Mine was great … for a Monday. LOL. Before it’s time to go to bed, I’m going to go take residence in my corner and see if I can make something happen. Oh, and if you’re interested, I finally got my hands on a few wedding photos and posted them on my This is the Day blog. Have a great Tuesday, and thanks for stopping by!

A Few Sketch Challenge Cards

Here’s my take on last week’s Mojo Monday Week 110 sketch. As for the card, I can’t think of a thing to say that “the list” wont explain.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Olive, and Honey cardstock; Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Mini Deck; Black, Olive, and Twilight ink pads; Sunflower, Cranberry, and Grey Flannel markers; Whipper Snapper Designs Standing Chicken stamp; Impression Obsession Anytime Sentiments stamp set; Stampin’ Up Old Olive grosgrain ribbon; Dove blending pen; Spring chalks; Sponge dauber; Fiskars Apron Lace border punch; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Ovals set.

This is my card for Weekend Sketch Challenge #104 as posted on the Fresh & Fun blog. Again, not a whole lot to say about the card.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Cocoa cardstock; Basic Grey Indian Summer 6x6-inch pad; Cocoa, Honey, Orange, and Autumn Terracotta stamp pads; Renaissance by Design Roots & Wings stamp set; Brad from my stash; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set.

Finally, here is my adaptation of Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #89. I colored “Megan" with colored pencils and OMS and paper-pieced her top.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Sorbet, and Cocoa cardstock; Cosmo Cricket Earth Love Mini Deck; Black and Cocoa ink pads; Whipper Snapper Designs Megan stamp; Close To My Heart Happy Birthday stamp set; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; 1 and 1-1/4 inch circle punches; 3M foam mounting tape.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! Out last night, I was more than glad to retrieve the hour we lost last week and get an extra hour of sleep. With that, I’m off to face the “busyness” of the day! Thanks for stopping by, friends!

I’m Back …

After a busy week, I’m back and with a new respect for people who are busy all the time – working moms with kids at home, kids’ activities – something going on darned near every day and night. Twenty years ago, I might have been able to “keep up.” No more. After a week of “busyness,” I will be delighted to resume my quiet, somewhat boring “grandma” life next week. As for getting “caught up,” that didn’t happen. Oh well.

About my card, it’s all about the color. I love turquoise.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, and Ocean cardstock; Black and Ocean ink pads; Renaissance by Design Darling Damask and Close To My Heart Gracious Greetings stamp sets; Black organdy ribbon; Stampin’ Up Build-A-Brad; Martha Stewart Doily Lace Edger punch.

Yup, I’m back. I hope everyone didn’t give up on me during my little hiatus. That said, I’m off to my corner to first clean it up and then mess it up again, so I’ve got something to post tomorrow and beyond … Hope yours is a fun weekend! Thanks for stopping by!