Surprises are great!

Our former next door neighbors are "bunking" with us this week unexpectedly. Mike's Dad died and they flew up from Miami for the funeral. I have hustled around to get set up for them and I knew there was a reason my crafting/guestroom finally got cleaned up last week. They will be here until Monday so it will be great to spend time with them and also for them to see other friends since they have not been back to Michigan in 5 years. We are hoping to go to the cider mill on Saturday.Cider yum!
Happy crafting!

My friend

Gini is downsizing her stuff and gave me this great storage unit for my crafting area. I decided to fill it with my "go-to items". This way I won't have to go hunting for them as they get hidden in my crafting frenzy moments.I put my Cuttlebug boards right on top so I can condense the tool. I put all of my folders, and dies for it on the shelving unit together in a box. It started out that way but it didn't last long as I worked on projects.Here is my "new unit "all filled up.My Spellbinders are in a hanging basket next to it, easy to find quickly.
My next project is tackling the paper shelves. I know it will be easier to find the exact paper when it is properly sorted again but it isn't a fun job for me.
Happy crafting and thanks again Gini.

Guess Who!

I had the chance to work with the Cricut Storybook cartridge today. This cute owl was the result. It was cut at 4inches and using each of the layers, and scrap paper plus a sentiment from the Hampton Arts "Who loves You?"stamp set became a card. The base is from a set of pre-cut cards from Michael's in the Dollar section.It was inked around the edges with DI Stormy Sky. The owl was enhanced with Zig Markers,and attached to the card folder with Pop Dots to give him some room for his wings and is sitting on a freehand branch I crushed a little after cutting it out to give it a bark like feeling. This will be a Halloween card for some special little friends.
Happy crafting!

I have been

busy, busy. I had an order for sympathy cards so I have been working on that plus trying to finish up my reorganizing of my work area. I rediscovered the many sheets of designer papers that I have and really want to use up.I plan to bring some of them to our next paper crafting meeting at church to share with others.I have a new card posting to share tomorrow. Now since it is starting to turn to fall like weather, I will be able to spend more time with my card making instead of my gardening and other outside projects. I did get some needed work done this week like reworking the flower beds near the front door, which was on my to do list all summer long.
Hope you get to have some time for crafting this weekend too!

Pumpkins in the cornfield -part 2

The second card from the same set of stamps is this one.The sweet scarecrow and the tumbling leaves went so well together. I water colored the scarecrow after stamping with Memento sepia ink, and then edged the card using DI Pumice Stone .The ribbon is unknown but is so shimmery, and was just enough for this card. This is going off to a friend as a thinking of you card.
Happy Crafting!

While cleaning,

I rediscovered an uncut sheet set of stamps from Firecracker Designs by Pamela. I had picked up a few sets before she closed last year and was happy to find some new autumn stamps in my stash which didn't get ruined in our basement flood . They were in a plastic shoebox tucked away safely on my shelf where I kept my acrylic paint. I cut out just 2 of the stamps from the sheet but will certainly be making more cards with the other images soon.
The sentiment was stamped with Mementos Tuxedo Black, and the circle was edged with DI Antique Linen.The pumpkins were stamped on some shimmer scraps and Zig Markers were used for some embellishment. The ribbon is American Crafts Dk. Green. The plaid paper is unknown from the scrap box, and the edges were distressed with a scissor blade.The folder is Bazzill Brown.
Happy Crafting!

Make a Wish

I have been a cleaning whirlwind in my craft area this week in my spare time. It was a disaster and sorely needed attention. Now between this ,that and work, I finally had time to make some cards.
Today's card was made using Quic Kutz Santa's Workshop set of dies. I got it at a swap a while ago and tucked it safely away... and rediscovered it during cleaning. The set includes a variety of circles and other shapes. The card included a flower made using some Sizzix flower dies, and a shape pre-stamped with make a wish from a swap , it will be used as an emergency card for the autumn season. I had premade the flower and sprayed it with Glimmer Mist Sunflower for a hint of a shimmer. The background cardstock has torn edges using Coordinations paper. The folder is a Bazzill brown while the brad is from Making Memories. The twist ribbon is from Berwin Offray(after Christmas sale last year).Pull out those older items and have fun crafting!

Funky Fold Two

I made another card using the same technique and a stamp from the GinaK Design set (Warm & Cozy Christmas)which was colored with Zig Markers. After rereading my previous sketchy directions, I decided to instead send you right to the creator of the process at the end of my post today. Here is my card today. I like the punched snowflakes enhanced with Stickles to added to the card. The punch is a Mc Gill.The paper and ribbon are from the scrap box.My friend Gini asked me at our church coffee hour hour to replicate the card pattern for her,so I tried to demonstrate it with no tools like a a bone folder, cutter, ruler, glue stick, etc. It was a challenge but I think it was sure better than the partial directions I included in my last post. Here is the original site again:http://wickedwonderfulcreations.blogspot.com.
Happy Crafting!

Something unique

I found a new kind of funky folded card on wickedwonderfulcreations.blogspot.com. It used a piece of pattern paper 11"x11" folded in half on the diagonal. Next score on both sides of the triangle on the long sides at 3" and 5.5". Turn it 90 degrees and score it at the peak 3 1/2" on both sides of the triangle peak. Using a bone folder, press all of the score marks sharply. There will be an excess tiny triangle on each side of the peak flap, using scissor cut it off. Reopen the paper and using adhesive glue it together. Stamp a small image, color it and add it to the closure for the card formed by the small triangle on one end of the card. I know her directions are more detailed than mine so for more help check the site out . My image is from Unity(hello my friend).It was stamped in Mementos Tuxedo Black and colored with Zig Markers. A ribbon finishes the card . The sentiment is hidden inside. Hope you check out the site and try something different yourself.

Hi There

Pumpkins are turning up in the grocery stores , a sure sign that fall is on the way. I have been seeing costumes and the shelves and shelves of candies too for the visitors who will soon be touring the neighborhoods. I have some young friends to make cards for in the coming weeks but here is the first one. The card includes a cluster of vintage stamps, including a Stampendous small checked frame(I love the uneven frame -so perfect for Halloween time),a SU pumpkin from an old set, and the Hi There is from a Verve Set-Happy Hello. They were all stamped with Memories sepia and the image was colored with Zig markers. Diamond Stickles was added to give a little glow to the pumpkin , while the scrap of unknown ribbon tied it together.
Have a great weekend. I'm happy to have some time to work on some cards!

Why ?

After all of the repairs needed from our flood in the basement were completed, I looked around the house and decided to remove the vintage kitchen wallpaper and instead to paint it after it was done. I haven't tackled something like that alone in ages and I have gotten bogged down in my process. The rummage sale, plus my nanny job responsibilities have delayed my progress but like a turtle ,a slow and steady pace is my motto.
My card making has really on a slow pace recently but I need to pop a thinking of you card into the morning mail, so I took some time to work on it. Here's a new one with a vintage CTMH from a recent swap sale.It was stamped with Mementos Tuxedo Black and water colored. I have collected so many swatches for kitchen paint choices, so I decided to use the excluded items in card making .Just a touch of ribbon and then it was mounted on a green pre-folded card. I hope she likes it!
If you are in the path of the hurricane on the way, please stay safe. Growing up in NY/NJ area, I experienced several hurricanes and they are not fun.

It's Over

Our church rummage sale is over and we were so blessed to raise almost $2,000 for our mission projects through the year. I'm tired but we all worked so hard to have a good sale. We even found a group willing to pick up the unsold items today so we could tidy up to get ready for church in the morning.
Happy Crafting.

Hello my Friend!

I found this Unity Itty Bitty Stamp recently and I love the combination of fonts on it. I combined it with a Inque vintage swirl (Monarch),a flower I made using a Nellies die fastened with a brad after being Glimmer Misted. I used the ribbon gathering technique from Niki Estes blog to complete my tag card. I used Distress Inks Antique Linen and Tea Dye to age my tag and some Jilly Bean twine through the hole on the tag. All set for a last minute card to pop into the mail.
Happy Crafting !

Busy

that is the word for it. I am the co-chair of the church rummage sale and it is coming up on Thursday-Saturday this week. Our group has opened more boxes and trash bags filled with donations than we expected this week.I can get you a good price on lots of t-shirts, jeans and evening gowns. too Each year there seems to be a sort of "donation theme". What I mean is , more and more of certain things. This year, is Christmas ornaments, lights, and yet more lights. Judy, in charge of the holiday item section, even starts to groan when one of says... look what's in this one Judy.We have received so many sets of lights that it fills a 7 foot table completely. We are a great source for bud vases too. We must have gotten in 75 of them . Too bad we aren't holding any wedding showers soon, we could supply centerpieces easily with the mounds of silk flowers up for the sale too. We are raising money for our church food pantry so here's hoping it will be a big success.
I'll be back with some new cards after the rush is over!

Picture time

Our weekend adventure in camping was fun. We had alternating rain-or drizzle then sun, non -stop heat ,and apparently we were visiting in the cicada world area. They sang us to sleep and that was all one could hear at our campsite in the afternoon and during the night. The mosquitoes were not friendly but our DIL came prepared with Burt's Bees insect repellent which help fend them off. Here is a photo of Erik (one of our sons)in his tent.I like the photo of the lily pads in the lake that I took on Sunday during on our walk around more of the park we visited too.When we went swimming in Eagle Lake , the trout were swimming around the people enjoying the lake. I had never experienced swimming with fish before(they were about 10 inches long).
Happy summertime all!

Away time

We are actually going away for the weekend to spend time together with the entire family. We are going camping for the first time since the guys were young . Now to many people that isn't anything special but Bob and I are more B&B people .So we will be off for our adventure soon to Battle Creek to a state park with our 2 sons and DIL. It is just for two days but should be fun. Since the weather is so humid , we are hoping to go to a lake in the area. I promise a photo when we get back.
Happy weekend all!

Garage Sale Finds

I ran errands today and stopped at a local garage sale today and found a Making Memories 27 piece Distressing Kit brand new in the box $2.00( on their website it runs $29.99). I have had that on my wish list forever. I also found some cute sets of SU Furnished with love-unmounted /new but vintage sweet designs and sentiments(-Have a chairful day -$2.00) and Listens with the Heart(another unmounted one but vintage for $1.00).I guess it is time to start to replace all those loved stamps I lost in my basement flood. These are older unused in mint condition things but new to me and inexpensive which makes them fun to try out!
One never know what turns up at a garage sale. Check out the ones in your area too.
Happy crafting!

My soul finds rest

in God alone.This verse from Psalm 62:1-2,is perfect for a thinking of you card. My cousin is having surgery in the morning .I thought this would lift her spirits. The sentiment is from ODBD Scripture Collection 4, while the flourish is an oldie from Inque. Both are stamped with Memories Sepia. The lace border is from my stash of ribbons. The flower is from Spellbinders Flower Creations 3, and after cutting the paper in my Cuttlebug, was Glimmer Misted with Sunflower. The brad is from Making Memories.The design paper is from Sassafras Lass mini pack(Mix and Mend).
Happy Crafting!

Mini Gift Card

I just love clean and simple styling. I noticed this sketch #FTL151 on the clean and simple site(cleanandsimplestamping.blogspot.com)and decided to try it out.It is a perfect size for a gift enclosure card and I will be needing one in a few days. I hunted in the scrap box again and found everything I needed in the paper department right away. I used my Martha Stewart Score tool to follow the directions on their site. Next I cut the sections out using my Fiskars cutter.I also used a Martha Stewart edger to create a lacy treatment. The sentiment(stamped with Mementos-Tuxedo Black) is from an Inkadinkado set by Dawn Houser (from a Big Lots sale only $2.00 recently.)I plan to make many of these cards to have for last minute gifts. Check out the site for the details.
Happy Crafting!

Summer Angel

Ages ago, I bought these seasonal stamps from Grubbies. The one used on this card is Summer. I used the old scrap box again to find both the sage and plum papers pieces and the background paper is BG. The image was stamped with Mementos Tuxedo Black and the angel was colored with Zig markers.The small hearts around the angel have a touch of Stickles Star Dust. The 3 flowers were from the scrap box as were the brads.The ribbon is from Michaels.Another birthday card ready to mail in the morning.
Happy Crafting.

Oh well!

My migraine headaches are back again. We are expecting rain tonight and hopefully I will be feeling better soon after the storm passes. (at least I can hope that to be the case)

Embossing Folder Fun

On Creations by Christina(creationswithchristina@yahoo.com) today she shared a super easy project. She ran a white CS panel through her CB in an embossing folder after measuring off sections to create a panel. After embossing , she added Thickers to spell out a word after inking them separately to change the color before gluing the letters on the panel. To finish the card, she added an designer brad for an accent. I changed my word to hello(inked it first with DI Stormy Sky then gluing it onto the panel), and added a small flower with a brad from my stash. I liked the results and also got my Thickers(mine are Venus font) on sale at Big Lots($2.00). Just love those sales!
Happy Crafting!

Ahh Borders

I went to the clearance sale at Borders last night. Lots of people were in the check out lines but the store was still stocked well. I was hoping to find a copy of Cardmaking & Papercraft magazine. It is from England and pricy here in the states at $10.00.They do include extras and I was able to get the issue 93 that included 7 acrylic stamps-Fairies of the Seasons. It also includes free papers to download(with their code) by Sarah Williams of Flutter Bee Designs. I even got 40%off and used a gift card. Now I have some new images to try out. This image is the first one I tried. The image was stamped with Mementos Tuxedo Black and colored with Prismacolor Pencils. The background papers were downloaded from their website. The ribbon is from the scrap box and the snowflake punch is from Martha Stewart. StarDust Stickles were applied to the snowflake for a bit of bling. Another Christmas card to go into the stash.
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On a sad note, I was shocked to see the awful events which happened in Norway. My family is Norwegian American and I visited there with my parents. My prayers are with the families . Some friends of ours currently live in Oslo and I heard from them today and they are safe .

A friendship worth keeping

It is a birthday week for several dear friends. I made this card to get into the mail in the morning. The MFT Pure Innocence stamp used one of my favorites. My cousin Peggy is also a special friend and the last few months have been challenging for her. This card is to remind her I'm thinking of her. Happy Birthday Lady!I used scraps from my box and the general idea from AmyR's posting today.The sentiment was attached with pop dots. I added a "gem" to enhance the "magic wand".The ink is Mementos Tuxedo Black and the image was water colored.The wings and hearts were enhanced with Stickles Star Dust.(Sorry the image is a bit blurry-my camera is acting up again)
Wishing you a great day!

Birthday Rhubarb

I am a fan of Sweet n Sassy Stamps. Korin, the owner/illustrator has a new little bear in her digi line. He is cute and I decided to make him into a birthday card. I used scraps from the box , my CM hexagon punches, embossing folder, watercolor paint to paint him, and an oldie SU sentiment stamp to create this card. His embellishment, a red rose tied with sheer ribbon attached with a glue dot. After arranging the variety of hexagons in a rainbow fashion, the card was run through my CB in a QuicKutz Polka Dots folder. It is off in the mail tomorrow to send to a friend for her birthday.
Have a great day!

Nature gives...

The flowers in my garden are growing so well and it inspired me to make this CAS card using a variety of stamps,one from Unity,while the verse is from Verve . The dotted paper is from the scrap box and the card stock is White Bazzill. The ink used was Memories Sepia and the card was edged with DI Spun Sugar. The center of each of the the flowers was enhanced with a dot of Stickles Peeled Paint.The sheer ribbon is SU Ivory.The flower is unknown from the stash. Another card for emergencies is ready.
Have a great day today!

Without a little rain...

This card includes stamps from Elzabells , a great company unfortunately no longer in business. I had forgotten I had it in my stash. The set , A brighter tomorrow, has great sentiments and a rainbow and clouds too.I water colored the rainbow and edged the clouds with light blue watercolor . The ribbon is from my stash and I cut a slot to feed the ribbon through to hold it onto the white cardstock covered with a scrap of Basic Grey.The ink used was Mementos Tuxedo Black.
Wishing you sunny days!

Hello Friend

This card is going out to surprise a friend. I used some collage scraps, a MS butterfly punch and a Verve stamp from the set Happy Hello.The sentiment was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black.The folder is from Halcraft and has a matching envelope. It was fun to have time to make some cards today.
Wishing you a great day today!

Gift Card Folder

I pulled out my QuicKutz Anime birds die to make a quick card. Using kraft paper for a base, I cut out the larger bird with my CB and Basic Grey scraps. The smaller bird went on the inside to decorate the pocket to hold the gift card. Just a bit of glue to put it together and a sentiment from Hampton Arts stamped in Distress Ink Dusty Concord and a sage ribbon tie and a quick gift was ready for the mail.
Happy Crafting to all.

Happy 4th of July to all!

I felt the need to create a card to celebrate the birthday of the USA. We are lucky to live here and give thanks to family members and those who sacrificed to keep us free. My card today uses stamps from two companies. The star stamps are from Verve(Polka Stars) and the girl is from Magnolia(a stamped image gift). The paper is from the scrap box and the folder is Bazzill Beige.She was water colored while the stars were stamped with Distress Ink Faded Jeans, Barn Door, and Stormy Sky.The twine is unknown . The card is being sent off to a special friend in the military in the morning.
Enjoy the holiday and blue skies.

At last

I had the time to make a card. It was a thank you card for a friend who has truly been there with all of the ups and downs for us during the past few weeks. The stamps used are from Unity and the inks used on the Bazzill white cardstock were Distress Inks Bundled Sage and Antique Linen. The corners were edged with the CM corner rounder. The ribbon bow is SU ivory sheer.
As this week is our VBS and I am the lead toddler teacher, it will be another busy week ahead. This is the first year we will be offering a toddler class. Our curriculum offered their program plans for the little ones on line and so a friend Michelle and I are working on making sure the children will have fun. It should be quite an adventure as it is being held from 5:30-8:30pm. First we have supper and then the fun begins and it is all free to the families. Have a great week ahead!

Finally...

we are nearly done with the cleanup. This has been the longest month in our world. Today we had the furnace repair people here. They rebuilt our furnace (and aside from the bill ,you don't want to know about the amount),we should be warm again in the winter time-Yeah! We have been slowly trying to get back to "normal". We are planning on painting the basement over the 4th of July. Our son Erik has been chipping off the old textured bumpy plaster so we can have smooth walls. We would never have gotten done all the work finished if he hadn't been helping us every step of the way.
In the midst of the mess, my cousin Conrad died. Since we could not go to NJ for the funeral, I made cards and sent them to each member of the family and their own families. That is about all of my recent card making activities. I hope to get to card making soon.

Progress is slow

The basement is stripped of flooring and walls back to the original cement . The drying fans are still running. Our neighbor works for a plumbing supply and got us the special part for the hot water heater. Bob managed to get it back together after a tricky fix but now we have to wait until the morning for it to work(with our fingers crossed).Thanks John!Still no washer or dryer and the furnace is still drying out. Thursday night is a town Q&A meeting to discuss the flood and who is actually responsible for the sewerage spill. It should be a lively meeting.

Words of Kindness

After spending 12 hours Saturday emptying the wet basement things with my family from the flood damage, we called friends and took nice warm showers there. What a joy!

As we worked, we soon realized the scope of the mess and hired a company to sanitize and strip the basement to avoid black mold etc.They worked for hours and left these giant sucking fans to run with the dehumifiers ( it sounds like airplane engines) moving the air around for several days in the basement & kitchen . Hopefully that will do the trick . Thanks to them for their expert work and kindnesses.Our block looked like Ghostbusters with all of the haz /mat clothing at everyone's home.

I called my brother who lives away from us to let him know about the flood. He is autistic and sometimes says the most profound things. He told me"As long as the television is safe,you will be okay". He loves the television so I took it as a big hug from him. Thanks Ken.

Mother Nature

and her never ending torrents of rain in our area of SE Michigan ; storms combined with a pumping station 90 miles away going off line equals more like 20 inches of sewage water in our basement. What a mess and it is the first time in 24 years in our home to have this kind of disaster. As we are blessed today with actually finding a utility pump in a Home Depot only 20 miles away ,we are now pumping ourselves out as this is being written. We are unsure about the status of the furnace, water heater, dryer,washer(just repaired by my husband for$ 250.00 a week ago)let alone all of those special heirlooms-Lionel Trains, my doll collection, Christmas items, our tree, and so many cartons of children's books (I was getting ready to donate to a school from my teaching days), and even my wedding gown and so many keepsakes. AAK... but as Bob said ,it is only things. Our photo albums were upstairs as was my special Norwegian costume from childhood. We have our health, each other and will work through this "inconvenient glitch in our lives". Our thoughts and prayers go out to those many people impacted more seriously due to weather conditions in recent days all over our country.
I am not expecting to be blogging for a while but I hope to have time soon again for papercrafting.

Busy, busy

I am taking some family time and will be back in a few days. I am also thinking of the terrible tornados traveling through our country and the impact on the lives of so many people. Stay safe on your travels with the Memorial holiday weekend quickly approaching.Happy crafting to all.

Request

I had a request for a military card from a church friend. I found this great set (So Far Away) at Firecracker Designs by Pamela before they closed last year. I had made several cards before to send to church members serving in the military. This time the card is going to a female proudly serving our country.I made it a bit softer but remembering the postal restrictions, added no flowers nor brads. I hope her Grandmom likes it tomorrow. The sentiment inside...You are not forgotten! Thanks to all who serve our country proudly.

Pinwheels

I have been seeing pinwheels on many blogs and tried this one myself. These directions came from -www .barbstamp.com-(Easy Peasy Pinwheel Card). To make this design, cut 2- 2 5/8"squares. Next from two different designer papers, cut 4 -1 1/4" squares(I used my old CM punch for this). Take the larger squares, turn them 90 degrees and glue together on top of each one. Placing the squares fitting into the corners of each of the points lightly glue them on the top. Add a brad to finish it off, in the center of the pinwheel. add to the front of a card using glue dots as the piece is a bit layered. I added a rectangle to act as a "handle" and placed my sentiment there. I will be making a bunch of them to continue to use up my scraps.
Happy Crafting!

Aah Daisies

There is nothing like a bunch of daisies to boost anyone's spirits. When we were dating in college, my guy bought me daisies. As the years have passed with the typical ups and downs, he still gets me daisies but Shasta or Gerber ones now. I pulled out this stored away SU Decorative Daisies set and thought it would be perfect to use for a thinking of you card. I double stamped each of the flowers with VersaColor inks,then added 3d dots to the second set on the top of the first layer of flowers. The vase was free handed using some vintage paper which looks like a spatter glazed vase .I had a bit of matching ribbon to add a bow . The sentiment is from Sweet n Sassy I'd pick You(#1071). The cardstock was edged with Distress Ink-Mustard Seed.
I had posted but lost a couple of postings with the Blogger issues recently. I'm glad that is over.
Happy Crafting.

New Stamps

This is the first card made with one of the new stamps (Stampavie-Gillian Roberts-Baking a treat)I bought last week at the Novi,Michigan Mega Meet. I thought she was so happy with her buddy bear keeping her company . The images were stamped with Mementos Tuxedo black and water colored. StarDust Stickles were added to both the bow and chef hat on the bear. The folder is from Cuttlebug, and the sentiment is from Sweet n Sassy.The ribbon is unknown and I water colored the Prima flower to match her shirt.
Happy Crafting!

Wishing all

a beautiful day especially to all of the Moms . It was a gorgeous day today. Our Mom/Daughter dinner event on Friday night was a big hit. We had over 85 in attendance and a hat contest with prizes along with a crazy fashion show. I was Ms. Stamps during the parade of wardrobe and created an outfit for myself with stamping items pinned all over it.
The food was great and the husbands waited on the tables and best of all did all of the dishes and cleaned up the church kitchen!!! After the dinner, I sold a bunch of my cards in the boutique area with all of the money going towards our mission work projects. These were the two most popular cards . The papers were from my trusty scrap box , I'm still working on that pile of papers. The card on the left includes a PTI Fillable Frame #10 shape that I bought from another crafter recently. That sentiment is from Sweet n Sassy.

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On Saturday, it was the big Mega Meet in our area for papercrafters. I went with some church friends. It's a girl's day out for us and we have fun checking out all the new things available from different companies in their booths. I did buy a few new stamps...but I went with a limited budget plan and my trusty lists so I wouldn't be too tempted. I made a splurge at the QVC outlet scrap booking booth and bought a Cosmo Cricket kit with 9,000 piece kit, originally $60.00 for $10.00. It includes 2 8x8 albums, frames, magnets, and all sorts of projects, included materials to create cards. I found out that all of us in our group did too. On the way home in the car, we decided we should have a project day to create gifts for the holiday bazaar from the kits. There were two different one kits to choose from there along with a smaller kit for $5.00. Since it was the last day of the show, several booths offered discounts on their remaining stock which was terrific . There were many make & take demos too. A great but busy weekend for us all!

Some cards are

hard to make. I recently found out a friend is facing a serious health issue with the possiblity of mere months ahead of him . How to make a thinking of you card, not sad but thoughful. I pulled out an old stamp from JKDesign-Faith. It was stamped with Mementos Sepia ink, and roughly torn around the edge. The DP is double sided and from American Crafts-Junior Touchdown.I trimmed it and then folded the corners. Using Dark Green Twine, the corners were sewn and knotted. It was mounted on a Bazzill white card. The inside was stamped with a PSX Keeping you in thoughts and prayers. Thinking of you buddy!

I'm busy getting ready

for the boutique at our Mother/Daughter Dinner at church. The ladies always look forward to seeing the items available, and the husbands who wait on tables and wash the dishes there try to find a gift for their ladies too. All the money goes to our mission projects so it is great cause. I'll take a picture of the items I made before the event.
Happy Crafting!

You're on my mind

I noticed the sketch challenge on the Verve Stamp blog. I really liked the sketch and it was simplier than I first thought. I changed it a bit and put my sentiment beneath my bow level. I used the Heartfelt Phrases set from Verve and once again I checked out my trust scrap box for papers. The pink rick rack I used on the card was a gift as was the vintage looking pale pink flower. The butterfly was punched from scrap box papers using a Martha Stewart punch. The edges were inked with Distress Ink for a vintage look. The sentiment was inked with Memento Tuxedo black. Verve has a contest which ends 4/28 if you complete four cards from their 4 sketches and post them on vervestamps.splitcoaststampers.com with a nice prize for a lucky crafter.
Happy Crafting!

Photo Time

Our oldest son stopped by on his way back home from a trip and a quick dinner with us and we got a new photo of the 4 of us. Tracy was not with him since her sister was visiting her out in Kalamazoo from Ohio for the weekend. Just me and my guys! Happy Easter to all.

I saw these sweet

mini baskets on catswhiskerstutorials.blogspot.com and decided to make some for Easter . I just love the many scraps in my carton and made use of some very vintage paper on this project. The purple plaid paper is from HOTP and looks great combined with two different shades of purple as the basis of the basket. The pattern calls for 6x6inch squares to start so I used a 8x11 paper sheet and created the handle with the leftover scrap. I used two different edgers on the handles-Martha Stewart and a Fiskars . I really wished the companies marked the tool with it's name because I really do not remember that information. The pink striped paper is newer-2010 Pitter Patter from MM -one of my surprises found at Monday Morning (25 sheet double sided pack for 1.99). The coordinating brads hold it together and are are from Recollections.I plan to put some "grass " in the bottom with some treats for dessert .
Happy Crafting!

I tried

out my Inky Antics Carrot Bunny Honey POP set. I won it from Jackie and it is unique with a 3D surprise. I made a first card following her directions and know I will be making lots more. papers from the scrap box . The images were stamped with Mementos Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock and the bunny had a bit of detailing with a Prismacolor Rose Decor pencil. The ribbon is unknown but lime green to act as grass for him on the front of the card.The inside of the card is the surprise part by using the Honeycomb Pad to create a 3D effect.There are several other choices of sets with a variety of images.
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Around here...we are counting the days until the Great Lakes Mega Meet ,in Novi, MI on May 7th. I will be seeing Jackie and many more companies also like ODBD . I plan on going with friends and we will have a fun "Girls Day Out" for ourselves.I have been saving my spare change for months.

Visiting a friend

today to stuff the plastic eggs for the egg hunt at church. After we were finished, she said I could check out her stamp drawers so I went through them quickly. One of them from Stamp-N-Doodle (1992) was a cute monster which reminded me of Where the Wild Things Are book. I made several stamped images of this one and others for a change in my stamp images options and brought it home to play with for fun. I thought this would be a perfect little birthday card and more items from the scrap box were used . I will get through the scrap box pile eventually.The image was water colored and inked with Mementos Tuxedo Black.
Happy Crafting!

I noticed

a sweet rabbit on the Cardmaking & Papercraft blog. They have free extensions from the magazine to download. In issue 90 Color Clinic, they offer the rabbit for coloring practice. I water colored the print, cut it with a die from Nestibilities Labels 3 on the Cuttlebug,and edged it with Dusty Concord Distress Ink. Next,I added a bar of vanilla scrap paper with organdy ribbon bows from discontinued SU ribbons. It was mounted on some lilac Bazzill card stock. It speaks of spring to me...now if only our weather would cooperate.
Happy Crafting!

Christmas Best Wishes

I think I needed a break from bunnies. I got the idea to start my Christmas card stash. I read a few Christmas through the year blogs and using more from my scrap box, used a collage style to make this card. It used scraps from BG Olivia pad and the mottled paper piece is completely unknown to me. Both the green ribbon and sentiment are from SU and the LSS swap recently. The card stock is Bazzill Beige except for the sentiment piece which was white. Everything was edged in Distress Ink Antique Linen. I guess since it is snowing outside in SE Michigan on April 18th, a Christmas card was appropriate for the day.
Happy Crafting!

It's wonderful finding

something that is just right for a gift. Becca Feeken on her blog, Amazing Paper Grace yesterday(14th of April) had something that really attracted me . It was a Potpourri Holder made from a 12x12 sheet of paper. I tried to replicate it with my supplies at hand . I like how it turned out although I haven't quite completed the inside of the holder yet .Following the directions in her tutorial on the blog,(amazingpapergrace.com/potpourri-holder) off I went to try it out. I used 1 sheet of ivory Bazzill, which was sponged with Distress Ink Tea Dye all over on both sides to give the folder an antique appearance. Next I cut a scrap of K&Company paper to glue on the front but added Offray Enhance ribbon first to act as a closure. The shaped panel was cut with a Spellbinders Lattice die while the sentiment is from ODBD Scripture Collection 4 and inked with Memories Sepia on a piece of pale gold scrap paper. The dimensional stickers are from Michaels with the flowers are from my stash. The MS punched butterfly is from the Glimmer Mist scraps from the other day that I prepared. It had 2 pockets inside that I edged with Fiskars edge punches. I plan to add some bath salts or potpourri packets inside but I haven't made a shopping trip for that yet. Thank you Becca for your inspiration.
Happy Crafting!

My new order

from Lifestyle Crafts- Nested Scallop Heart set came in today and I picked it up. I ordered it at the open house a few weeks back at the local SSS. Here is my first card. I sprayed Glimmer Mist on wax paper and created something new with some white card stock using my 3 colors, Sunflower, Jazz Blue, and Tattered Rose. After waiting, patiently for it to dry,using the 2 smaller dies and decorated dried paper , it was run through the Cuttlebug . Pop Dots separated the layers. I continued by adding a small circle from my bag of extra punched shapes cut with CM punch. The final punch was my spring favorite-Martha Stewart's butterfly with a scrap from the new sprayed paper scrap. The card stock was Bazzill Kraft. The ribbon is unknown. The sentiment is from Stampendous.I like the soft colors combined in the card.
Happy Crafting!

Small Thing

I had forgotten the Greeting Farm set-AO Buddies I have and had not yet used the boy from the set. I decided to try something different with layers. I thought this would be great for a birthday card . The image was stamped in Memories black, and water colored. All of the papers are from the scrap carton and unknown. The brads are Making Memories.I like the unevenness of the layers on the square card .It seems perfect for a little boy's birthday card.
Happy Crafting!

Spring Sweetness

I just love this Magnolia Tilda cutie and her Bunny stamped with Memories black ink and water colored. This card combines pieces of Basic Grey scraps, plus pieces from Stampin' Up older papers . Just love that scrap box and I am determined to use it up this year. At this time, I have a full copy paper case box for holding my scraps so I have a long way to go to achieve my purging goal...The papers were all edged with Distress Ink Tea Dye. The die cut flower was from a swap and the brad is from Making Memories.

Party Time

Today was the party for my little friend after church.The children had so much fun and unfortunately, the mom who took photos for me had my camera on movie mode instead of photo so the 20 pictures she took I can't post. If I get a couple of photos from someone else, I will post one. The girls created their own party hats just right for a proper English tea and modeled them.

Princess Time

A friend of mine is having a Princess Tea Party for her sweet 4 year old. I am making place cards for each of the "princesses "in attendance. It is fun creating something special for her. The family has had to deal with some difficult medical times for her Dad and they are blessed that he is doing okay. I am looking forward to helping her celebrate her birthday. I will post photos of the event and my place cards soon.
Happy crafting!

Hi Again

I'm starting to feel better . I have had one thing after another but... I have been working on cards while I was away. Here are two different ones. Life 's True Happiness card combines a WeR stamp and an Inky Antics sentiment. Zig markers were used to color the branches and flowers directly on the stamp before printing ,while the verse was stamped in Distress Ink Bundled Sage. The white Bazzill panel was edged with DI Shabby Shutters. I used Provo Crafts scissors to trim around the edge of the panel also and added on some Rock Candy Distressed Stickles on the flowers. The ribbon is Mays sheer dotted green. The other card has a sentiment from Clear Dollar Stamps on the collage card. The ribbon is from Michaels and each of the pieces were edged with DI Tea Dye. The butterflies were cut with MS punch.
Wishing you sunshine days!

The butterfly counts

Another of my Easter cards is this one using papers from last years DCWV Flower Shower pack. The glitter papers were perfect for this reverse butterfly strip technique. Two sheets of glitter were punched with the MS butterfly punch. I used 2 of the green ones as accents and the deep purple butterflies were placed into the holes on the green strip. The sentiment is from Sweet n Sassy Stamps stamped in Tuxedo Black and edged with Dusty Concord Distress Ink after being punched out with a CM 1 1/2"square punch. The ribbon is Offray Enhance.

Oops..

I hurt myself in a fall and my shoulder is really painful. I went to the doctor and now I have to go to physical therapy. Tomorrow is the first session so hopefully I will know more then.
I made a little boy birthday card for a friend's son. He is 4 and always says "I don't want to eat , I'll just have cake ". This is a great fit, with no bows, or "messy stuff". I bought him a book on bugs for his gift. I thought he might notice the ladybugs in the CC Design image. It was stamped with Momentos Tuxedo Black, and water colored. The sentiment is from SU Afterthoughts.I applied Antique Linen Distress Ink around the edges after it was corner rounded. The green plaid DP was from the scrapbox.
Happy Crafting!

Free Demo time

at my LSS last night for Lifestyle Crafts(QuicKutz new name).It was a demonstration of their new Letterpress products. We all got a chance to try it our using their Epic machine. It is very nice and would be great for mass producing stationery like invitations but nothing I would need now. We did get a freebie for coming,Icing RubOns. I haven't tried that before so that was nice. I did splurge on a new embossing folder Polka Dots. These are larger dots than the minidots on the Sizzix folder and I like the look. It is the A2 size right for card making and was 30% off. There were drawings for free dies, plus someone there was lucky and won $200.00 of free QuicKutz items so it was fun to help her shop for her goodies. Still other people won collections of dies. One lady won duplicates dies and offered me to choose one. I picked the treasure box die-it is 2 pieces which when cut and assembled looks like a flat treasure box. I plan to make coupons with the die cut for VBS for the children who learn their scripture verse each day to use in our treasure box area. I'm sure it will work into my cardmaking also . I'll get a card posted tomorrow I made with the new folder.
Happy Crafting!

There are two

cards today that I have ready. They are both images from LOTV (Lili of the Valley )stamps. I thought I had used up all of my pre-stamped images from a image swap but I found a few more. I just love the little sweetie(Rosie Posey) with the flowers. While sorting papers, I found this pack of MM Hul-La-Ba-Loo paper. I thought it waould work well with the flower wrap Rosie is holding. I had a roll of Celebrate-it Basic Narrows ribbon from Michael's Hunter Sheer Dots and the card quickly went together.Rosie was colored with Zig markers. Sage vellum was the first layer after the Bazzill Chocolate Folder. Sheer White ribbon is next. The 3 bows are made from the ribbons on the card. The second card is Spring Bunny. The folder Bazzill Sage was run through the CB using a CB Windowpane folder(Oh My Crafts). The image was edged with Distress Ink Bundled Sage after using a corner rounder on it. It was water colored. The sentiment was from Inky Antics, and also corner rounder and inked. The ribbon(Offray Enhance) was knotted and a flower(after having DI Spun Sugar applied) was attached with a glue dot and a MM yellow green brad in the center.
Happy crafting!