all is calm, all is bright

Christmas can feel like a storm (and of course we can get a storm during Christmas time - like 20 inches of snowstorm... which can play havoc with ones plans... but i digress) therefore after Christmas we can have the calm. Today is that .... lovely, peaceful... calm. It's beautiful outside and peacefully calm inside. Everyone is taking it easy after several weeks of non-stop activity and I for one am grateful. And tired. My craft room here is lookin a little like a tornado went through it. So I'm hoping to get a little order restore in here. The mess makes me feel a little crazy. And I don't know about you, when things are organized, I feel better all over :-)

I did manage to make some quickie gifts for three coworkers on Christmas Eve Eve -Wednesday night (I have literally hundreds of coworkers every day at work but these 3 are in my department and I wanted to give them just a little something - no big deal). I'd been making Christmas cookies for the past week (in any spare moment I could steal) so that seemed like an easy choice. The first pic shows all three together and the second pic is just a closeup of one. Not the best pics I know but hey - i took them! LOL The paper is Basic Grey and the gingerbread boy is from Purple Onion Designs. He's just so darned cute! The tag and top piece are cut with nestabilites. I tied some ribbon around it and said DONE! They looked cute and everyone loved it - can't ask for more right? Best part was when I went to make something on the fly I had everything I needed.

I'm still seriously catching up so I'm off. Hope to post again before the New Year!

Christmas Tags - a few more

i was wrapping up gifts this morning for niece, nephews and one grand niece (eek that makes me sound old doesn't it... i like to put a different spin on it... I'm a grand Aunt :-)) Anyway here are a couple of the tags. The stamps are Purple Onion Designs - are they not the cutest gingerbread boys and snowmen?

ok - gotta get ready for work. Have a wonderful day!

Christmas tree tag

i've been absent - i know. between work and christmas shopping there hasn't been a lot of time. (i do believe i hear your nodding in agreement...). But one day I did make this tag which i think turned out really nicely. So i'm sharing. :-) That's that Chatterbox plaid paper which I love, a little distress ink going arond the edges, some German scrap i picked up at least a year ago (maybe longer); the trees along the bottom are some foam stamps from Making Memories, and the main Christmas trees stamp and border stamp are from that same Cornish Heritage Farms (The Rummage Bin) stamp set I used previously on a card (the hot chocolate one if you'll recall).

Anyway i hope your holiday preparations are coming together. hopefully i'll be back posting soon.

Christmas Card #11 - Oh by golly.....

and yes, the inside does say "have a holly jolly christmas this year!" courtesy of a cute sentiment stamp by Purple Onion Designs! The "HoHoHo" is also by POD - great stamps, huh?

Those adorable snowmen are from the 6x6 Jolly by Golly Cosmo Cricket pad. The embossed background is a Cuttlebug embossing folder and the snowflake is from Quickutz - glittered up with some glitter i believe i bought at Walmart (who knows when!) The background paper - is a patterned cardstock by Memory Box i bought a while back from Ellen Hutson - and when i received my order they tucked in that ribbon you see on the card - as a thank you - isn't that lovely? I've bought from Ellen Hutson a few times just for that reason - wonderful customer service. Oh yeah - the tag is from Nestabilities - from the Double Ended tag set - i just trimmed off the bottom "end" and covered it up with the snowflake.

Well - off to fold laundry! have a great day kids!

Christmas Card #10 - And now for something completely different!

perhaps it should be my "Monty Python" Christmas Card.....

I wanted to try using some stamps from Purple Onion Designs - specifically the music background and my 2nd favorite alphas, Garamouche (2nd only to Lizziebelle, naturellement). I stamped the background with some Distress Ink in Tea Dye. Then I stamped the alphas (and a circle stamp) in versamark and clear embossed it. Then I used a sponge to rubon the StampinUp! Old Olive ink.

This was my fun little experiment and I kinda like it. I do have plans to give it another go - just slightly different. I'm hoping to have a chance to play with that tonight and I'll post my results.

Christmas Card #9

i tried posting this a minute ago and it disappeared.... spooky

anyway what i posted was my happiness at how this making individual christmas cards has been going. I'm using stuff up, using stuff i have, it's not boring (as making 100 of the same cards can be).

I used some Making Memories Foam Stamps (they no longer sell) - stamped the tree in Versamark on some polka dotted Making Memories cardstock (also no longer available... mores the pity), clear embossed the tree and cut it out. I glued on some thin silver cording from StampinUp! and added the star brad. I also had a scrap of this Making Memories metal border - perfect instead of a piece of ribbon. Hopefully I'll get to another card before I have to go to work. Have a lovely day all!

Christmas Card #8

here's another version with that cute stocking stamp - this one's starring Frankie, my black cat. I scored the background cardstock with a Scor-pal and used a piece of stash Christmas paper from a few years ago - it's still great paper (this Make Do thing is working out fine). I colored the image with primacolors and mineral spirits again.

Oh and I used a white gel pen to accentuate the white dots and trim.

Happy Thanksgiving kids!

Christmas Card #7

The weather is looking a bit more Thanksgiving around the burg - coldish and rainy. But those Cosmo Cricket Jolly By Golly papers are still making me feel happy! I only used a small piece of it in this card but I think it makes a nice contribution. The stamp is from Lockhart Stamp Co. and I'd bought it back in September when I was buying myself a few birthday gifts :-) It's a cute stamp isn't it? and gives me plenty of coloring opportunities. I colored it with prismacolor pencils and mineral spirits. That's the swiss dot embossing folder from Cuttlebug you see in the background. I made the embossed pattern on the pale aqua background using my Scor-pal (it may be hard to see in the photo). I'd picked out a satin deep burgundy ribbon but then I unearthed a roll of this wider ribbon from the depths of my ribbon box. I liked the wider ribbon better so I went with it. The color in the photo is a little off but it really looks lovely in person. Okay kids - that's all for today. Hopefully I'll have another CC posted this week.

Christmas Card #6 Pink Winter Wishes

i'm not a fan of pink. I don't dislike it either but it's never been my favorite color. But every once in a while i find something pink i love - like this Cosmo Cricket Jolly by Golly paper - i love the whole pad of paper. It's so cute and happy. So it deserves to be on a cute and happy card. I saw a cute card by Debbie Olsen using some of the same paper so I thought I'd give it a try.

I used two different Cuttlebug embossing folders (Snowflakes and D'vine Swirl), a retired StampinUp! set called Frosty (for the snowman), a Nestability tag (ribbon tag trio) and a cute little sentiment from Purple Onion Designs Merriness set. I paper pieced the scarf and hat.

Now back to more card making!!!!

Have a fun day :-)

Christmas Card 4 & 5 and a wee kitty thank you

Have you been following Kristina Werner's Holiday Card series? Every week day for the past 3 weeks she has posted videos of Christmas cards she is making- very fun! I'm a big fan of her cards. I was looking at this one from Day 11 Although I'm not a fan of the paper she used I liked the design and thought it might work nicely for a card using some holiday patterned paper I had in my stash. As I mentioned I'm trying to Make Do... use what I have. I'm sure I'd originally planned to use all this paper for scrapbook pages but by the time that happens I'm also completely sure I'll see more lovely paper that will work just as well... right? There is always something new and pretty coming out!Okay so you've seen that card with the Christmas tree paper she made... here's my version with some Basic Grey Fruitcake Vintage ornaments paper. The purplish/pinkish ornament seems very un-Tracy huh? well if you look close you'll see that same color in the paper. You should know that that ornament shape was cut in every color of the rainbow (ok... every color that was in the paper) but no color seemed to work until I tried the purple/pink cardstock. Any traditional color like red or green just left the ornament lost (i think the blue would've worked but i had no color that really matched... which is of course very Tracy :-) it had to match or at least be in the neighborhood). Now onward to card#5 - this one uses some Basic Grey Wassail 6x6 paper (in my stash) as well as some K&Co Christmas Cheer Phrases & Tags Chipbox Chipboard (say that 3x fast). I've had these in my stash since last year - I'm sure I got them with a coupon and equally sure I thought I'd use them last year for cards but that didn't happen LOL The gold ribbon on both cards was adhered with Tombow Mono Multi glue - that works very nicely for really thin ribbon.

And now onto the wee kitty thank you. Last weekend we went up to New Jersey for my nephew's engagement party. Exhausting weekend but a lovely party. Everyone went except, of course, the kitties. (they're not travelers... at all) We had our little neighbor watch them - she's such a sweet 10 year old girl - she feeds, litters them but I also know she plays a good bit with them so I don't feel too guilty leaving them - they don't lack for attention with her around. So here's the little thank you card I made for her - starring Frankie and Spencer. (no I didn't pick out their names. They came with them!)
So that's all for me now. I've gotta figure out my Thanksgiving shopping list.

Christmas Card #3

i'm going to say right upfront, before i forget - inspiration for the card comes from this card by Debbie Olson (whose blog i just love to look at - she does some amazing and wonderful things with cardstock, paper, stamps and pens... whew!) Now you'll note that her card is from a year ago - but when i see something i like i make a mental note (maybe that's what's slowing my brain down?... all those mental post its! lol). The stamp is from a set from Cornish Heritage farms called Winter Vintage Signage. I finally bought it back in September - its got a bunch of cute stamps in the set and I'm determined to use them all. But the one that I decided to try here is the Hot Chocolate & Marshmallow one. I wasn't keen on the price or the pitcher in the stamp so I decided i'd do a little editing - ala Debbie Olson. I inked/stamped the Hot Chocolate portion then went back and did the same with the & Marshmallows part - leaving enough room for the replacement mug - a Quickutz die shape. I cut the oval with a nestabilities die then used my Tim Holtz antique linen and a little Tea Dye to get the look I wanted. The paper is Chatterbox and the eyelets are Making Memories. I'm pleased to say aside from the stamps everything else I had already - use it up and MAKE DO :-) I think it has a Christmas-y look - whaddyathink? That's all for today kids.

Christmas Card #2

I really am happy I bought the coordinating punch for that StampinUp! Delightful Decorations. Isn't that ornament such a pretty shape? Makes me think of all the old fashioned ornaments kwim?

Ok so I was fooling around with ideas and grabbed a piece of cardstock I'd stamped in Versamark with a SU! Canvas stamp - just for the color of the cardstock mind you. I wanted a green background. I pulled out my SU! Peaceful Wishes set and used the stamp - its a piece of evergreen - and stamped with more Versamark but this time I threw on some clear embossing powder. That canvas background had been stamped in Versamark perhaps a week prior - who knew it would still have a little sticking power! I had to play with scraping the EP off a few times and reapply - finally I decided to go for it- and I used the heat gun. Some of the canvas embossed but you know I kinda like it - little more texture and not too distracting. Serendipity! I was feeling a little stupid when I tried to emboss on top of THAT with the sentiment in silver EP- this did not work - don't try it kids :-) But I'm still in that MAKE DO mode so I cut off that portion (at the bottom) and stamped the sentiment on the red background as you see here.

Next - the ornament. I'd already punched out the ornament from a scrap of red cardstock (that had been embossed with the Cuttlebug ep folder - Swiss Dots). I didn't like the top part of the ornament in red - I wanted it to look like the real deal. I found some of that Making Memories sheet metal in my "collection" and used the punch again - voila - metal topper. And I found some wire and made my own hanger. (if you click on the pic you'll see what I'm talking about - little metal section at the top of the ornament with a wire hanger).

I may make a few of these cards. I swear the only hard part was tying that wee bow and getting it on there

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

so I bought some new Christmas stamps a while back - well, perhaps September. and i thought i had better get a move on with the Christmas cards right? I mean it's November. I had grand ideas last year - bought a cute stamp set, worked on those cards for at least a month - but it was such an involved card I never finished making all of them. I did mail out a few to family members but that's it.

Practically against my religion you know what i mean? - to not send out cards.

So i'm going to try my best.

In year's past I've always made one design and mass produced. This year I believe I'll be making whatever suits my fancy. I couldn't decide on one stamp or set. I kept seeing things I liked. Quelle surprise.

so here's a first attempt. i think i'd prefer a skinnier ribbon but i don't have one i can lay my hands on at the moment so i'm going with it! (this will probably be my new years resolution - making do - i think it'll be a good one!)

oh - its a cuttlebug embossing folder, an ornament shaped StampinUp! punch, and the stamp (that's embossed with white ep) is from a StampinUp! set called Delightful Decorations

have a good day kids!

thank yous and the women

Got a lovely new stampinup wheel and had to use it right away on a thank you card. I made several subsequent thank yous i'll post soon but this here was my first attempt. I am in love with this wheel. lovely typography. graphic appeal. i know i'll be using it to death. And being as it's the season of thanks - heck maybe i'll even make napkin rings for the thanksgiving table.
on a side note - dh and i have been watching a number of movies of late on hbo (we don't subscribe normally but there was some deal .... it came with some configuration of our FIOS.. but i digress). One day i saw "The Women" was on - i'd wanted see if this version did justice to the original movie - one of my old movie favorites. Have you seen the original? With Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer and the amazing Rosalind Russell? If not - you really must. There is no one like Rosalind Russell (another RR favorite - Auntie Mame... a must see). Anyway - the new version - well I enjoyed it. But sometimes, with all the updates - well it loses something in the translation. But it was certainly entertaining. Another movie we decided to try - "The Changeling" with Angelina Jolie - if you haven't seen that one - please do. Really wonderful. Gotta run!

sparkly halloween

so i said i was glittering things.

so here are a few examples. I used some Martha glitter and a glue pad (which definitely seems to work better than the stampinup heat and stick powder... just my opinion of course)

the last picture gives you a close up of the glitter on ribbon. I stamped on the ribbon using Purple Onion Designs Halloween Border Tapes

I think they came out pretty cute. No great art just cute cards :-) Now I just gotta get them in the mail....

have a good one!

quick check in

nothing to post yet and i'm on my way out to work.
but... i was wondering... is there something in glitter that's... addictive?
i've been a glittering fool lately.
hoping to post something later.
have a great day!

beautiful fall

The title of this post could mean I fell down (in a very gracious way -oh but of course....) and went boom... but no. I am truly referring to the beauty that is taking place outdoors.

Fall is my favorite season. Hands down. When I was out running some errands today - I was thinking how lucky I was to have off on this spectacular day. The temperature was in the low 70's (particularly welcome after a run of rainy days last week that felt like winter -temps in the 40's!) and the sun was shining. But what struck me were the fall colors. The trees are just gorgeous. The most amazing reds, golds, oranges.

Oddly enough my good friend June had a post on her blog this morning called Create something beautiful for fall (it's a challenge on another blog). And as I was driving along past some beautiful trees, I thought about the card she created and the sentiment on the card. When I got home I decided I wanted to try and use that sentiment and also try a technique recently shown on Splitcoaststampers called acrylic smash. I don't know about smash but i definitely used a transparency and painted on some acrylics! I found a leaf stamp in an old Stampin Up! set called Botanicals. I stamped that leaf in two rows of three (knowing I'd probably like to make 2 cards while I was at it) in StazOn Black. I painted the acrylic paint on the back of the transparency then glued it onto some kraft cardstock. I printed out that beautiful sentiment onto some cardstock and then aged it with some Tim Holtz antique linen. I added the cardstock button (cut from a sizzix die from StampinUp!) and tied it with some twine. Then I pulled out my sewing machine (which hasn't seen any action in forever - which is obvious - I could not get the tension right to save my life but I'm over that!) I decided to fool around with a little Bronze pearl ex here there and everywhere on the 2nd version you see here. It looks much better in real life, trust me.

Anyway I enjoyed making something a little different. Hope you all have a wonderful Friday - go out and enjoy the beautiful Fall!

a little thank you a little halloween a little birthday = Big Post :-)

i'm sorta jumpin around these days with the card making. It's not like I don't have a bunch of cards in my stash - but dontcha know it - for the particular people I'm sending these cards to I wanted to make a card just for them.

Okay. who am I kidding. This is my whole problem. I can't just make a bunch of cards and then send them to people on my list randomly. I have to make a card for that particular person for that particular occasion. And seriously... I'm not that particular LOL It's sorta like my shopping habits for birthdays and Christmas - gotta buy just the right gift for that particular person (and if I don't do that then I have to get a gift card for them from the store they would most likely wanna shop at.... are you following my crazy?... sigh)

I needed a birthday card for my sister - she likes purple and green. So I used the Wisteria Basic Grey papers. Stamped my favorite little cupcake stamp on some of that wonderful white cardstock by Papertrey Ink - it takes ink so nicely - and it's wonderful to use with Copics (which is how i colored it in) and it really works well with Nestabilities (i used labels 2). You'll notice i threw some glitter on those cupcake flowers... made them look like those edible candy flowers. I used a rubon from Quickutz for the sentiment ( i wanted something tiny so it didn't detract from the pretty cuppy-cake) and I used a Martha punch for the border at the top. Finally i found a ribbon that would go nicely. All in all I am quite happy with this card and I think she will love it too.

Next up...

I needed a thank you card - it's not a flowery time of year (we're not including mums ok?) but I was feeling flowery - truth be told i spied scraps of this paper and that i had some flowers that would match nicely - done. I think the stamp is Hero Arts and that's a Nestability (labels 8) and a scrap of rick-rack and a white gel pen.

Then I got an itch to make a Halloween card - having seen so many already in my blog travelling. The witch stamp is Purple Onion Designs as are the bats (clear embossed), the buttons and spider web paper are Making Memories and there's some satin black ribbon on there as well as black embroidery floss. I cut the circle with Nestabilities and sponged around the edge with a combo of Tim Holtz tea stain and antique linen as well as an Opalite Golden Mist stamp pad (it looks better IRL). For this particular card - I'll admit I wanted to make a Halloween card more than I had a particular recipient in mind (but I've got a few people who would like it :-))

Ok... that's all for now. I really need to get moving. A day off, my college girl home (she's still sleeping... ah youth) and a ton of errands to run... ttyl

Cake Time

ok.. so not the best picture but what can i say.. i'd rather make stuff than take pictures of the same.

It's a card for my friend Annie who may remember this picture of the girl eating cake :-)

We had a lot of fun making cards using this picture. For example the card below :

She is a cute little girl and who can't relate to that cake?

So for her birthday card I decided to use that image again. I also used a new Quickutz embossing folder, a felt flower with a button and one of my favorite Purple Onion Designs Noteblock stamps (stamped in Versamark and clear embossed).

ok... i gotta get to work. Have a great day!

birthday cupcake

I mentioned previously I'd picked up a few things since my birthday

One was this cupcake stamp from Lockhart Stamps. Another thing was a Scor-Pal (hence the scoring in the background of this card). I'd gotten a Scor-it and initially I liked it alright. But the adjustable feature with the Scor-it - I think it just bugged me having to move it back and forth, and it didn't seem quite accurate. I don't know. (maybe operator error? quite possibly). I just never was quite in love with the thing - and it was heavy.

I kept seeing things made with the Scor-Pal and I resisted for almost 2 years - feeling it was almost like another die cut system. (I've got Quickutz, Zipemate and the Cuttlebug ok?) In otherwords, there is always something better, cooler, whatever on the horizon. Ugh. I thought I don't need another thing to score with do I? Obviously I decided I did. And honestly I really am loving this Scor-Pal. It's accurate, allows me to just score without thinking about the measurement and it's light (weighs very little). So all in all it was a good purchase.

This card - colored with Copics (I'm going slow with my collection of these. I like them but I still think I love my prismacolor pencils more.) I stamped the image i believe it was three times - colored and cut them out and layered them with foam dots. The tag and shape behind the cupcake are both nestabilities. I printed out the sentiment - I'm finding I never have quite the sentiment I want. (the words or how it fits in my scheme.) This has been an ongoing thing for me. I have looked over my collection of stamps and I have a ton of images and alphabets but my sentiments are woefully lacking. I've got some good ones but in general it seems I pick images over sentiments when I buy.

Does anyone have some good recommendations for sentiment sets? or should I continue to print out stuff from my computer?

(I'm posting this on Thursday while I'm at work. Hopefully I'll post something else before the weekend)

cool dog

well he is the coolest dog isn't he?

i was going to put a caption

"future so bright, i gotta wear shades"

but i thought better of it.

these are supposed to be fun for the daughter

not annoying yaknow?

anyway i found cool dog on some piece of junk mail and he practically barked out to me to cut him out.

Daughter loves dogs just like him and then of course there were the orange tinted glasses (orange being dd's favorite color). I took my StampinUp Pumpkin Pie inkpad and colored up the background then slapped down the dog. I finished off the whole thing with some glue (yes, the exploding variety - see previous post "time 4 cake" if you're looking at your computer screen and thinking "Tracy's finally lost her marbles") . I added a little superfine glitter to the glue and voila... Postcard from Home.

and now for a little music.... check it out

oh and one final thing

Happy Birthday June from the Birthday Queen

a quarter of a century

sounds like a long time doesn't it?

regardless, i wanted to make a card but wasn't coming up with anything. I saw a sketch online (for Verve stamps - as it happens I don't own any but no matter). Not sure I'm thrilled with what I came up with that's ok. He won't mind. And it helped me make something completely different - for me.

Have a wonderful day ~

time 4 cake

my dear and most talented friend Barbara celebrated a birthday last week. I wanted to make her something - perhaps a card - or something like a card. I wasn't quite sure. I do what I normally do - start pulling out supplies, stamps, embellishments - looking for a little inspiration. I think you know what I mean - something that sparks the idea. I wasn't finding anything to get me going. I decided to check my email (stall-a-rama). I'd signed up to get the newsletter from the Vintage Workshop a long time ago - I get them all the time but don't really shop there. However, this time I thought perhaps I'd find that inspiration I was looking for - as Barbara likes vintage (dontcha Barbara?) And indeed, I found this clock. And I was off and running.

The creative process is a funny thing. I had the clock and then I played with different items for 2 days off and on - adding things, taking them away, rearranging. Something was still missing and then it occurred to me I needed something to make that clock jump off the page (actually it wasn't a page it was a bingo card that I eventually completely covered over - but it was a real sturdy bingo card -perfect weight for holding all that I kept adding). I pulled out some glitter! I think that did the trick. The top photo allows you to see the dimension of it and the bottom photo here i think shows off the color better. It does look better in person - for sure.

The vintage wallpaper is from my friend Donna. Yes, that's grungeboard inthe background (that stuff is a lot of fun - try some if you haven't already - it takes acrylic paint so nicely and its so flexible - not like you'd expect just looking at it); the chipboard letters are Making Memories and the glitter is Martha Stewart.

Oh I forgot to mention - i had pulled out this white glue - Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive - to put it together. It had been a while since I'd used it and the tip had gotten clogged. I declogged it - i thought. Still wasnt dispensing glue. I declogged again and replaced the top. And I squeezed just a little too hard - SQUUOOOOOOSH.... white glue EVERYWHERE.. I am happy to report it washes out of shirts, pants, carpets etc etc very nicely. Thought you'd like to know ;-)

That's all for today

bird with chemistry

so you've been noticing i've got a dictionary i've been pulling pages out of to create some postcards from home, right? i found this one page i thought the daughter might like - with the chemical elements. it has sortofa graphic appeal to me. And then i got something in the mail - i can't even remember what it was - that had this sweet little bird on it. for some reason i decided they'd look good together. i slapped that dictionary page down, then trimmed that bird from the page he was on and added him on top of that page. I took a little tim holtz distress ink in linen, then tea dye, and finished the whole thing off with some ultra-thick embossing powder - then cracked it. i'm rather pleased with the outcome.

i ended up mounting the whole thing on a card base - that UTE powder - well it kinda warps a bit - at least for me :-)

so i figured it was safer to send to my daughter as a card in an envelope - than to hope it would go thru the postal service as a postcard.

that's all for today. i've got something fun to post - at least i think so - but i've gotta wait til it's reached its destination :-) - don't wanna spoil the suprise.

a few more postcards

been workin, doin stuff around the house, and trying to make stuff in between. I bought some new things (birthday money :-)) which i'll try and show as i go. Also been playing with stamps and such for christmas cards. (i'm thinking i'm makin batches of different cards this year - instead of one christmas card... we'll see what actually happens LOL)

in the meantime, i'll post a couple more postcards from home. Have a good one ~

Doing a happy aunt dance

My nephew called me yesterday (well actually Sunday but we played phone tag for a day) to tell me he and his long time girlfriend are engaged.
This wasn't entirely surprising - he'd told me a few months back they were talking about it and had gone ring shopping. But still - hearing it is finally official - and hearing how he asked her - well it just made me so happy and ... yes I got all teary :-)
This kid has a most special place in my heart. He's my first nephew (i have 16), my sister's child... and he is just the best nephew you could ever hope to have. I love him like he's one of my own.
His fiance - well this girl is a doll. We loved her the minute we met her - she just fit right in - kwim? She's funny and sweet and well we just love her.
Anyway... I wanted to send him and his fiance a card. They love getting my cards - and of course those are the people you enjoy sending them to! I used the Stampinup set "Together Forever" (i may have to use it for a wedding card in a little over a year from now!); nestabilities and some grosgrain ribbon. I must get a decent scissor just for ribbons (I've been saying this for forever - i'm doing it in the next few days! Enough is enough - I've ruined enough ribbon for heavenssake! I really wanted a slanted cut on those ribbon tails... but this will have to do!) Oh... I'd like to say this aqua-ish cardstock is really a much lovelier shade - very pale and looks really great with the black... it just isn't showing up so good here. Also there is a little shmutz on the scan... its not on the card.... i'm just sayin. Oh yeah - and I printed off the "You're Engaged" on my printer then cut it out....
Have a great day kids!

Postcards from Home Returns

I mentioned previously I'd started sending my daughter postcards. I'd sent my son postcards randomly over say the last 2 yrs he was at college. I thought she might enjoy the same thing. I, of course, enjoy doing it. The postcards aren't works of art. They are more "playtime": whatever i feel like doing at the time - stamps i feel like stamping, pencils i want to draw/color with etc... i have a little canvas and i can fill it with whatever suits my fancy at that given moment in time.

Daughter is at art school - she understands the need for stretching one's creative wings. She also appreciates my love of making things. And i think she knows these postcards serve 2 purposes (at least) - I get to make things + i get to send her my love. (i certainly email all the time but there is nothing like getting real mail at college!)

So, without further ta-doo... I am posting a few postcards I've already sent. Believe it or not, I've actually got a small stack I've made and haven't mailed yet. (i'm ahead of the game... who knew!)

Oh -I think i mentioned before - but if i didn't - I mailed the first postcard with a hole punch and one of those metal rings - so she could punch the postcards as they arrive - they'll all be together and she can save them that way.

You've noticed I'm doing a little gluing on these postcards (dictionary pages, things i find in the mail, tags from the dry cleaner.... as well as stamping, embossing; using ink, watercolor crayons, stamps, prismacolor pencils... yeah... everything goes this time). Have a wonderful day!

poppystamps

i mentioned yesterday i got a few new stamps.

i would have gotten a few more of the PoppyStamps if they had them. They're cute and different from what i've seen lately. And I love anything i can color in.

Anyhow, I picked up Peggy Polkadot and made a little card. I used some Basic Grey Wisteria (had that paper for so long!), a quickutz dragonfly die, a nestablilities die; and i used prismas and copics to color in Peggy.

well i'm off to see what else i can make.... have a good one...

more birthday

so i still haven't started my new job - Friday is my first day. So with a few more days to myself I decided to #1 - buy a few new stamps :-) and #2 make a few cards.

Yesterday i visited a local stamp store. Bought a few stamps. I'd seen these PoppyStamps online and they had a few in the store yesterday.

I indulged :-)

Bought the large kitty stamp and decided it would be a good choice to use on a card for my nephew - (he has 2 cats of his own) his birthday is the end of this week . I fooled around with some copics on the cat but decided i liked my prismas this time to color the kitty. But he lacked the proper festive-wear, if you will. So I cut him out a party hat. Yeah... that'll put this kitty in the party mode.

The cardstock is Lasting Impressions; the "celebrate" is Hero Arts I believe. I had the ribbon in my stash.

Let's see - I also made some thank you cards over the weekend:

I'd wanted to make some thank you's and also wanted to try using some stamps I hadn't really used (at least successfully). So I went on Splitcoast Stampers and took a look around. I really wish i could remember the name of the person who made the card that got me started - but suffice it to say she stamped with white craft ink onto a dark blue cardstock - i loved how hers came out. I thought i'd try that and then create cards of my own using that stamped sheet of cardstock.

Okay... that's all for today kids. I'll have to upload some "postcards from home" in the next few days. Til then, be good!

Happy Labor Day weekend kids

yes.. it has been a while

and a lot has happened in the past, what? 7 months since I last posted anything.

Between work, having 2 kids graduate (1 college, 1 high school), leaving aforementioned job, beginning a new one, shipping one child off to college... well I haven't lacked for things to do. I said I started a new job - I did some training for the new one and am waiting to actually start... so I've had a few glorious days to do whatever came to mind.

I've started sending postcards to my new college girl (and she's enjoying them). So I'll be posting those soon I spose. (I even sent her a hole punch and one of those metal rings - so she can save them).

The other day I was in the Walmart and saw these cute K&Company birthday hat embellishments and thought they'd make cute, easy cards. I haven't made cards in - how long... sheesh ... I don't even know. So I cut up some paper and ran it through the Cuttlebug with an embossing folder; cut up some cardstock and ran some of it through my Cuttlebug with some Nestabilities - voila... cards! They came out kinda cute and I was feelin more like the old me :-)

Oh i should mention I made one card not pictured here for a friend - Happy Birthday Michele

I'd like to say I'll be posting more often - but I'm just not sure quite yet how much free time I'll be getting. But I will say I'm gonna try :-)