Happy June!

I've been excited about Close To My Heart's June Stamp of the Month since getting my hot little hands on it weeks ago, and I'm even more excited about it now that it's finally available to customers. It's a fun set. This card was simple and quick, using a color combination that was new to me.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Vineyard Berry, and Desert Sand cardstock; Twilight textured cardstock; Retired CTMH patterned paper; Vineyard Berry, Garden Green, and Bamboo stamp pads; With Love June SOTM and Happy Birthday stamp sets; Antiqued Copper mini brads; 1 and 1-1/4 inch circle punches; Sanding block; 3M foam mounting tape.

I am going to label this post June 2008 Stamp of the Month. Then I'm going to go back and relabel all of the cards I've made with this set the same. That way, when you click on the label on my side bar, you will pull up all of the posts showing cards and projects made with this set. I need to redo my labels to more clearly define what's here. However, it will take some time to go through all 500-plus posts. I think I can eliminate "Jabber from the Heart" and "More Jabber." That's pretty much a given, isn't it? If I'm not talking, it's either that I'm short on time or in a lousy mood . . . Who me?? Not today! It's beautiful outside, and Cameron and the boys are coming over to spend the afternoon with us. If we're lucky, Dustin and Miranda will stop by, too. I had my little dose of solitude. It was nice, but having my family around is so much better. I hope you have a good day . . . wonderful June! Thanks for stopping by.

Inkspired

This simple, but sweet, card was inspired by Nicole Heady's May Blog Hop Challenge card on her {capture the moment} blog.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White cardstock; Stampin' Up Kraft cardstock; New England Ivy and White Daisy Pigment ink pad; With Love June SOTM and Happy Birthday stamp sets; Yellow mini brads; Empressor scoring tool and mat; EK Success corner rounder.

What a strange day. My "doing something" earlier entailed laying down for a nap. The sun was shining at the time, and a few minutes later (or what seemed like it), it was pouring rain again. I got up to shut the windows again and stayed up which is just as well. If I sleep now, I can be sure I'll be roaming around again during the night. Marv's not home yet but called from the construction site. I could tell from the description of the work he was doing that he was doing stuff he isn't supposed to do, so I chewed him out. While I don't want him acting like an invalid, I don't want him going beyond the boundaries that have been set either. Will he listen? Probably not. Is your weekend more exciting than mine? The quiet I appreciated last night is getting old. I hope Mr. Marv shows up soon, so I can give him a hard time in person. It's more fun that way . . . Catch you later!

Yikes . . .

Had the rest of my day gone the way this card did, I would be fit to be tied right now. Luckily, it didn't. There's nothing worse than being in the final stages of making something and ruining it just as you're finishing it. When it comes to its sandability (a made up word) feature, I love CTMH's white-core cardstock. However, there are other times, particularly when I'm using black paper, that I find the white core to be a pain in the you-know-where. It's not unusual for me to run a same color marker along the edge to eliminate the white. Well, that's what I did tonight, and the marker slipped leaving a big, not-at-all-pretty black streak across the Breeze background piece. Were it not for this blog and the fact that I wanted to post something tonight, I would have chucked it and gone to bed. Instead, I salvaged what I could and started from there. It's not a great card anyway. The Stampin' Up Tab punch is one I "had to have" that has ended up being one I don't use. I thought the notebook paper them would be the place for it. Wrong. I don't know if it's the color or proportion or what, but it's ugly. My flower vase, while straight, looks crooked, probably due to the angle of the notebook paper.

This was the kind of stamping experience that would have kept me out of my corner for a week or so 10 months ago. Now, that this blog has become part of my life, however, I can imagine I'll try again tomorrow. My photo is bad tonight, too, which was enough to send me to Amazon.com to order one of those photo tent things. I found a collapsible one that I won't have to look at 24/7 in my small space.

Materials and Tools (like anyone would want to duplicate this thing): White Daisy, Black, and Breeze cardstock; Computer-generated "notebook" paper; Ocean, Carnation Pink, and Black stamp pads; With Love June SOTM and Happy Birthday stamp sets; Black mini brads; Sparkles; Stampin' Up Spiral and Round Tab punches; Cuttlebug w/Swiss Dots embossing folder.

The thing about this card is that experience tells me I'll add it to my "For sale" box at work, and it will most likely be gone in a day or two.

On a brighter note, Marv and I got a lot done today and worked side by side without picking on each other . . . much. We cleaned and dismantled the living room, preparing it for a coat of fresh paint. The draperies are down and ready to go to the dry cleaners tomorrow. The sofa pillows and a couple of throws went into the washing machine with the attitude that if they didn't survive, they could be replaced. A once nice silk ficus tree that Bjorn picked two-thirds of the leaves from three or so years ago finally took its rightful place in the dumpster. I cleaned a curio cabinet, all the while asking myself why anyone with two little kids around so often would have something that has glass on three sides of it. Speaking of little ones, our work came to a screeching halt when Bjorn and Mathias' mother called and asked if we could take them for the rest of the day until morning. I never complain when work turns into fun, and I did manage to get the laundry done after they arrived. Anyway, that was my day. It was nothing exciting, which for the kind of excitement we have when we have some, is a good thing.

I hope your holiday was a good one and that the rest of the week is whatever you want it to be. As always, thanks for stopping by and sharing my corner. I'll be back with a card or something and most likely, more mindless chatter tomorrow night. Take care.

Bright & Bold

Here's another card made with the Just Love stamp set and the same bright color combination. It took a while, because with the exception of the flower stems and sentiment, all of the elements were stamped on same-color cardstock and cut out. After a considerable amount of work, I was concerned for a while that I should have done something more with the background. Once all of the pieces were in place, however, I decided I like the white space that remains. If I'd added anything it might have been some stamped stitching. Gotta love it when the great ideas come after the fact!

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Holiday Red, Topiary, Sunflower, and Dutch Blue cardstock; Holiday Red, Topiary, Sunflower, and Dutch Blue ink pads; Close To My Heart With Love June SOTM and Impression Obsession Anytime Sentiments stamp sets; White mini brads; Stampin' Up Word Window punch.

I took a nap and woke up feeling like I've been run over by a truck. It's raining outside and about a 120 degrees in this apartment. I'm sure the lady in the apartment below us still has her thermostat set on 85 and is cold. So, if all I'm going to do is complain, I don't suppose anyone wants to listen to me . . . Perhaps, I should just put my cantankerous butt back to bed and try to sleep it off.

For lack of something more original or different to say, thanks for stopping by. I hope you're enjoying the weekend.

A Favorite Color Combination

I don't remember when I first pulled this color combination out of Close To My Heart's Color Combination Guide, but I loved it and still do. It's the perfect bright combination for whimsical stamp sets such as With Love. This Stamp of the Month set (for June) is one that you will be seeing a lot of in coming weeks. For me, it was one of those "love at first sight" sets, and showing you what can be done with it is going to be fun.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Dutch Blue, Holiday Red, Topiary, and Sunflower cardstock and ink pads; With Love June SOTM stamp set; Sunflower Bigger Brad; Sanding block.

It's only 7 p.m., and I feel like it's 11. I guess fresh air has the same effect on grandmas as it does little boys. I think I'll lay down for a little while and see what happens. Hopefully, I'll get a second wind. Later!

A Handsome Trio

I came across a template recently on the StarLit Studio blog that showed how to cut two 6x6-inch pieces of designer paper to make three cards. Because I've been "collecting" 6x6-inch paper pads recently, the template piqued my interest. You can find it here. The cards Cindy made with the template can be viewed here. It was a fun project, using three favorite stamp sets and putting together some colors that, for me, were a little out-of-the-box.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Baby Pink, and Cocoa cardstock; Basic Grey "Sugared" 6x6 paper pad; Baby Pink, Cocoa, and Goldrush ink pads; Cottage Floral, Say it in Style May SOTM, Cornish Heritage Farms U R A Hoot, and With Love June SOTM stamp sets; Brown Bigger Brads; Stampin' Up Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon; Just Blooms White Daisy Collection; Baby Pink Bigger Brads; Brown Mini Brads; Cuddlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Circle punch; Edge Distresser; 3M foam mounting tape.

My sister, who joined the ranks of "grandma" earlier this week, called this morning and told me all about it. It was so good to hear from her. She was as blown away by the experience as I was, and to coin an old line, she "ain't seen nothin' yet!" She'll be an awesome grandma. We had lots of fun with the boys today, too. Grandpa charged up the Gator, and they went round and round the yard with Bjorn in the driver's seat and Mathias a happy passenger. Their mom came to get them a few minutes ago, so the house is quiet again. That's OK. I'm kind of excited about the fact that I've got a couple of days to relax and do whatever strikes my fancy.

Thanks for stopping. I hope you are having a great weekend, too.

Inkspired

This card was inspired by Lisa who was, in turn, inspired by Vicki. These are two very talented ladies. The creative circle goes round and round. What a fun ride! While I do not have a lot of the new products from the latest CTMH catalog, I will have to say that I love the ones I have - especially the Cottage Floral and Spot on Backgrounds stamp sets. The possibilities of these two sets are endless.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Chocolate, Pink Carnation, and Bamboo cardstock; Pink Carnation, Chocolate, Desert Sand, and Bamboo ink pads; Cottage Floral, Spot on Backgrounds, and With Love June SOTM stamp sets; Button of unknown origin; Chocolate Waxy Flax; Corner rounder; Sanding block; 3M foam mounting tape.

I'd best get back to my boys. We've played games, colored with markers, had a pillow fight, and shared numerous hugs so far this morning. I could use a few more before they go home. Thanks for stopping. I'll catch you later!

Just Because . . .

Just because it's not that late, and besides, I felt like it. The inspiration for this card did not come from another card but rather the very cool header on Allison's Stampin' When I Can blog. I love her new look, and yes, I'm a big fan of black and white. What the photo doesn't show (very well anyway) are the Crystal Stickles I added to the big flowers (or weeds or whatever they are). While the Stickles are clear, they are reflecting the color of the Ocean cardstock - very cool in person.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, and Ocean cardstock; Black and Ocean ink pads; With Love June SOTM and Say It In Style May SOTM sets; Crystal Stickles; and Acrylic discs from Michael's.

With this card, I'm going to put the June SOTM away for a few weeks and concentrate on April. Most likely I'll be using a lot of the May set, too, a set of about 40 great words and phrases.

Oh, and by the way, I've seen Close to My Heart's new catalog via an interactive catalog on the consultants' web site. There are some great new papers, stamp sets, and the art work looks awesome. That said, I'm going to go put my pajamas on and brew a cup of Sleepytime tea. Ideally, I'll get up early and go to work early so I can come home early tomorrow and get a little jumpstart on the weekend. Talk to you then!

Mostly Sunny

The weather forecast for today was a bit off. It was beautiful, beginning and ending a "blue sky day." The temperature is currently 48 degrees, a regular heat wave but not warm enough for the short shorts I noted a young woman wearing on the drive home from work. She was all tan, too, something that did not occur naturally in Minnesota.

My cards are a sneak peak at the June Stamp of the Month, With Love. It's a fun set that I just had to try. There's nothing to fancy going on here in the way of design - just a couple of simple, fun cards.

Materials & Tools (top card): Colonial White, Petal, and Buttercup cardstock; Paper Garden paper packet; Buttercup, Petal, and Sweet Leaf ink pads; With Love June SOTM set, Twill ribbon; Circle punches; Corner rounder; Smokey Plum Bigger Brads.

Materials & Tools (bottom card): White Daisy, Cranberry, and Black cardstock; Black and Cranberry ink pads; With Love June SOTM set; Red 1/8-inch grosgrain ribbon from Wal-Mart.

A little sunshine made this a much better day. It's funny how much the weather has to do with one's attitude. It's not, however, like I sit and look out a window all day. My desk at work is located within the bowels of a 600,000 square foot building that has very few windows, just a few sky lights here and there none of which are anywhere near where I am located.

I did head outside on my breaks and basked in the sun like an old cat. I came home to find a UPS package, a replacement for a badly damaged package that arrived last week and had to be sent back. UPS and I are not on good terms right now. They've lost another package, and to top it off, I shipped my sister's camera (that I inadvertently brought home with me from the baby shower) back a couple of days ago to the tune of $16.85. It had to go 46 miles. I almost choked when the guy gave me the total, and I think I was maybe a bit sarcastic when in asked, "So, is it going to get there tomorrow?" I never thought it I would say this, but it's looking like USPS flat rate Priority Mail is the way to go these days. At least, they don't double the cost with "surcharges." There. I've done my complaining for the day.

Marv started his cardiac rehab yesterday and came home with some information. The most expensive drug he's taking is an anti-rejection drug that he shouldn't have to take forever. What he feels in his chest that he didn't feel before is one of the stents. One is much larger than the other two. It's something he'll have to get used to. He's currently restricted to lifting 10 pounds and will work his way up to 50 pounds, which will be the maximum. No more carrying me over the threshold. Guess he won't be able to toss me out either. He's lost 10 pounds in the last two weeks, too, and needs to lose about 30 more. I don't think that will be too difficult considering what we're eating these days.

Man, I'm jabbery tonight, probably because I was so engrossed in my work today that I didn't say "boo" to anyone. For now, I'm off to do a few domestic things before turning in early. Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back tomorrow . . . as in Friday!!