This is a quick post....

Hello crafting peeps....
It's been a long day and I am pretty tired.
I want to get this post up so that I can enter it into the StampTV Friday challenge.
The requirements were for a sympathy card and I really enjoyed making this one.
Somehow, it just felt right and flowed smoothly....ahhh what joy when it all comes together.

I have really been struggling lately.
It seemed like I had great ideas but NOTHING came out right.
It was one of those times (I'm sure you've experienced it too) when things just WOULD NOT
come out looking like I had imagined. And the more I tried and worked at it, the worse it got.

So, I did what I always do at times like that...I went to sit on my "Father's lap". My real father has died, but my heavenly Father is always there to answer my heart's cry and bring peace into my muddled thoughts.

So, with His help, I put everything aside, and just start a simple card.
I tried not to think about all the ideas I had, the embellishments I wanted to do, everything.
I went through my stash, picked out some white embellished paper, and then found this beautiful
square of flowers that I had cut out from a card I received a long time ago, and started to build from
there. It seemed to be so freeing...I found such JOY in just simply putting things I loved together.
I can't tell you how wonderful that felt.

I didn't feel overwhelmed or that I HAD to make it look like something that would win prizes and accolades. I was just doing something that I liked, enjoyed and felt good about.

I don't know how we get into these places where we feel "NOT GOOD ENOUGH" but the world seems to push us to bigger, better, faster, prettier...trying so hard to be the best at everything!!! But God tells us we don't have to do that....we just have to allow ourselves to ENJOY the gifts God gave us and use those gifts to bless others.

So here's my simple card.....

 

Have to show you this little bird at the bottom. He wasn't too visible and I like him so much. I made him a while ago. A friend of mine and I did an afternoon of making fun embellishments that we cut out of Tim Holtz' grungeboard and then colored with different paints, Perfect Pearls, and embossing powder. On this one I heat embossed and then set a small flourish stamp on it while it was hot so that the stamp image would imbed itself into the embossing. Came out nice, didn't it?

The rest of the card was made with a white background paper that was dry embossed with a Cuttlebug folder. The flower square is a cut out from a card I received.

I wrapped that with white satin ribbon, cut an oval and stamped the text in navy blue.

The butterfly was cut with Martha Stewart punches. There are two pieces...they fit perfectly together. They are both cut from the cover of a music CD jacket. I love those, they have such beautiful covers on them. I have used quite a few that way.

The little rhinestones on the right side are blue teardrops.

I am entering this card into Stamp TV Friday challenge

and

http://thestampmanchallenges.blogspot.com/

http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com/

Thank you friends for visiting,

Please leave me a comment....they're a great lifter-upper.

Finally, a Lilly of the Valley image...

Hi everybody,
I am sharing this card with you with much excitement and joy...
I bought a few Lilly of the Valley stamps back over a year ago when they were still very new in this country. I was so excited to get some because I just loved their beautiful creations. Now they have so much more and I am very excited for how their business has grown.

Anyway, I was really intimidated to try them. I started a few times but somehow I could never get the image colored decently. I see all that beautiful coloring that crafters do on their projects and I just don't seem to have the talent to make them look right. I think that what I need is the right product for the job. So I finally bought some DerWent pencils, but they are too dark for these small images.  HELP please!!! If you have any suggestions for me, I would surely welcome them. I really want to be able to be comfortable with coloring images.

So here's my card and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. The image is not as lovely as you ladies would do, but it's a start. And hopefully, if I get some helpful hints, maybe you will see some better colored images coming up.

I have entered this card into these challenges:

http://tuesdaytaggers.blogspot.com/
http://thestampmanchallenges.blogspot.com/
http://fashionablestampingchallenges.cottagecrafts.ie/

Thanks for stopping by,
Be blessed!!!
e

Family Visits...the fun and the sad!!!

Hi there scrapping peeps,

We were surprised this weekend by a visit from our daughter and her family. What a fun thing!!!
Instead of just doing normal everyday stuff, we get to spend it with kids and pets, and a couple of adults too. And then we get to do fun stuff, like stay up til the wee hours of the morning watching movies. That's the good part.

But we also had a not so fun thing happen during the night. Our granddaughter's bunny died. She had him and loved him since 2005 and didn't go anywhere without him..."love me, love my Nemo!"  Kirstin (our granddaughter is 15 and a natural caregiver. Nemo was her best friend, lived in her bedroom and they spent many hours together. Another life lesson...living with the good and the sad...

But that's life and we KNOW that there's many happy days to come. She has family that loves her, cares for her and helps her through the sad times. Love you, Kirstin. God bless you for many happy days and adventures to come.

Goodby Nemo!!!

I do have a card for today.
I made this for a couple of challenges.

 

Stamp TV's Monday challenge is an inspiration picture and I fell in love with the mirror frame on it. The colors to use are mustard, blue and deep red. So that's what I started with.

http://www.polkadotdoordesign.blogspot.com/ has an inspiration challenge with the same colors and I LOVE their challenge site. Not only can you win the weekly sponsor prize, but you might also be invited to be a guest designer.
http://stampinsistersinchrist.blogspot.com/ They wanted us to use an item we had purchased that we just had to have, but it's been hanging around in our stash. See the heart on this card? I bought a packet of these beautiful hearts a long time ago...but guess what? they just never seemed to fit into anything I was doing. So, I'm very happy to have found a place for one of them.
http://www.simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/ This challenge required us to use a Tim Holtz technique. My background is colored and then stamped over with a mesh background stamp. The dark red on the right side is a piece of long stranded fiber with a heart attached by ribbon and a butterfly nestled in the strands.

So, that's it for today.
Be blessed today and every day,
e

Tired, but happy....

Hello scrappers,

This is Tuesday and the start to my work week. I work part time and you would think I would have TONS of time to do all the crafting I desire....NOT SO...there's always a ton of other responsibilities and I am either too busy or too tired, or tooooooo...whatever!
BUT it feels good to be busy and look back on a day that feels satisfying and full. We all want more time...but I don't know, I am so tired by the end of the day I don't think I could take longer days.

I made this card for two challenges in particular:
http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.com/ required colors watermelon, sorbet and lime green and
http://marksfinestpapers.blogspot.com/2011/05/speedy-cats-friends-challenge-54winner.html required "not a normal card" (no squares or normal rectangles).

The cut front piece was cut with my Cricut. The word "Hope" was also cut with the Cricut.
The flowers on the front were made with a Penny Black stamp, colored with DerWent new water color pencils. and then topped off with a very soft, light pink tube of Stickles.
This was my first time using the DerWent pencils. I used a coupon at Hobby Lobby and that made the set much more affordable. They are WONDERFUL!!! Very bright, and just a tiny amount of water on the tip of the pencil just puts the color down gloriously!!! It was VERY FUN!!!

That's all for me for this time.
Enjoy the wonderful summer weather and
Be Blessed,
e

A wonderful summer....

Hello my crafty friends,
It's August aaaagggghhhh... where does the time go??? especially on these beautiful summer days. It seems we wait for summer for so long and then when it comes, everything we love about summer has to be crammed into these few golden weeks. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining... I LOVE summer, just wish it would last longer... for 10 months maybe???? Those of you who live in places like that, you lucky ducky... but those of us who wait and wait... summer is always too short.

With that being said, I always tell myself I will blog more often, and then I get busy and don't do it. It's a matter of priority and mind set. Something I have to get into the habit of doing. I don't know if any of you struggle with that... or maybe did at one time... leave me a note and let me know. I intend to work at it until I conquer.

So, even though I haven't put up much on my blog, I have been making art for my walls and working on three albums. I still have Luke's (he's the graduate) to finish... then I have my little great grand-baby, who is three... and last but not least, I have been slowly re-doing my wedding album.

My latest project is a tag I made for a friend's Birthday. I thought she would enjoy it because she can use it as a bookmark. I made it flat so that it won't be too bulky. That's kind of hard for me because I love to use flowers, etc. but I really tried and I think it's pretty good. I love the colors too, and after I thought about it, I think I have used these colors a lot the last few months. Guess I need to pay attention and get out of the box a bit. I have already decided that my next project is going to be PINK!!!

With that said, here's my tag:

I used a DCWV paper on the background and swiped white Versamagic color on it to mute it down. I really like the look it gave.

Then I used Tim Holtz' Stampers Anonymous stamp in Versamark and embossed in white.

The green on the edges is a Tim Holtz stamp also. They don't say what it's called but it's like tiny dots that fill in places and leave color and texture. I used green paint so that it would leave actual bumps. I smudged the right side a little bit (I wish I hadn't) because I couldn't get it off and it wasn't as "dotty". The left side turned out beautiful but got covered up so it isn't as visible. If you don't already have this stamp, check it out. He talks about it on his site.  He uses it all the time and it makes great snow for winter cards.

The flourishes and little leaves were cut with my Cricut. I could not work without that machine.

And the bird is a SU! punch. I love that bird. I punch it out twice so that I have a solid backing to give it dimension.

Here's the challenges I am entering:
http://simonsaysstampandshow.blogspot.com/
http://fashionablestampingchallenges.cottagecrafts.ie/

Thank you for stopping by.
Blessings,
e

Finding my voice...

Hello friends,
I am in one of those soul searching moods and have been praying to find my own style, my own art, my place where I feel satisfied. And then this morning in my devotions, I was struck by the beauty of the morning, the colors in the sky, the beauty of the birds' song...God IS THE ULTIMATE BEAUTY CREATOR. We are ALL gifted in many different ways to make beauty around us. He made us like HIM and we long to create beautiful things to reflect HIS glorious creation. We long for fulfillment, to be satisfied, to find a way to release that creativity that God has gifted us with.

But the truth is, we live in a fallen world.
Not everything here on earth is beautiful, or just, or loving, or kind.
We are pilgrims in a place not our own. We long for HEAVEN!
Our hearts are set on eternity and being with the ONE who gave us LIFE and LOVE, and JOY!!!
And so here is the dichotomy, we long for what is non-existent here on earth.
We will not find true fulfillment.
We will not find perfect relationships, perfect love, or perfect peace.
We WILL struggle, have pain and LONG for HEAVEN!!!

It's OKAY!!! It brings me joy just to know that one day, we WILL have all hearts long for!!!

In the meantime, I ask God to fill me with the gift of blessing others.
That my art is grace to the receiver and they are blessed to know that God cares about them and I do too.

So with that, here is a card I created and I am going to use it to enter the Hero Arts challenge for July.
The theme is "summer".

The leaf stamp is a Hero Arts stamp.
The window is cut out and outlined in black ink.
The inset in the window is a card I received from a friend.
I love the colors of the flowers on that yellow/green background.
The leaves are black and silver, but the inset tells me that there are brighter days coming.
http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/july-2011-contest-details/

Thank you for reading the transparency of my heart.
I have to share what's on my heart...
I would love to read any comments you might have.

Be blessed today!!!! and tomorrow, and the days, weeks and years after that!!!

Love,
e

It's JULY already!!!

I know I speak for most of us...where has June gone???
We are having a wonderfully BLESSED summer with family this year!
Our granddaughter came to be with us (she is 15!) We had such a great time!!!

Here she is with her bunny (Nemo)...can't leave home without him.
Then the rest of Kirstin's family came and we have a FULL HOUSE!!! (Fun, noisy, never boring, busy house). I LOVE IT!!! I hate it when they leave, our house gets so quiet!!!

Here is a picture of their youngest son (Eli, 6) petting a horse at the July 4th celebration.
Those police officers were so friendly, it was great for the kids to get such a wonderful impression of them.

Anyway, today I have a new card for you. A bit of a different take because I am trying out a new idea (for me anyway) of having a minimal card with many layers. I really like the look.. it speaks to me on a personal level because I used elements that I really loved. I am not giving this one away because the dangling shell is one I have enjoyed for a long time and don't want to really part with it.

The card base is an off-white cardstock, covered on top with a designer paper I had in my stash.
The embellishment paper is a design I made with alcohol inks on shiny cardstock. I make several pieces and then use them to cut into designs or use like I have here.
The half circle is a Heidi Swapp rub-on, cut in half.
The shell ornament is hanging on a metal loop hanger attached with a large pearl brad.
I wrote "Life is...." by hand and attached a little gold and tan butterfly that I cut out of a Mariposa 8x8 stack.

I am entering this card here http://ourcreativecorner6.blogspot.com/2011/06/your-style-and-design-team-call.html for a DT call.

I really like the look, hope you do too.
It feels "artsy" to me and that's what I was going for this time.

Thank you so much for looking,
Come back soon,
e

A beautiful Fathers' Day!!!

Hello everyone...what a GORGEOUS day here in Michigan.
It's warm and partly sunny...it's beautiful to me!!!
AND it's Fathers' Day...but unfortunately my hubby is sick with what we think is a kidney stone. Very painful!!! So he is not having a fun day and there's not much we can do about it.
AND we can't go anywhere either.
All our kids are out of state so we can't even have anybody come over (sigh). For me, that's the worst part, except for hubby being sick of course!

So, we've spent the weekend at home and except for taking the time to make dh comfortable, I have pretty much  spent my time making a card and re-doing my stamps.
I LOVE to organize and when my stash kind of outgrows its designated space, I love to re-think and re-do. I found a wonderful scrapbook outlet store that opened just a few months ago. It's a few miles away from me but OMG the deals!!!! She has tons of stuff..and everything is at a great price!!! IT'S LIKE GOING TO A GARAGE SALE!!! I spent several hours in there the other day and came out as happy as a kid with a whole bag of new toys...

So anyway, I bought STUFF... and now I'm reorganizing my stamps and a few other spaces to make it all work the way I like it. I am a very messy stamper...but I have to start with a clean slate. When I get done with a project I clean everything up and then drag out all the stuff I will need for my new art.

So that's me, working in my little corner of the world.

On to this card: My inspiration came from Peet Roeven (http://scrapalbum.blogspot.com/)  I want to give credit where credit is due. I loved her card so much. 

The first layer is white but I colored the design with blue chalk ink (Cuttlebug folder)
The next layer is matted with orange cardstock and the background stamp is Hero Arts,
stamped with Stampin' Up's soft suede. That is the best background color ever!!!
The next layer is kind of an off-white design paper that I stamped and embossed with white flourishes
on the bottom and top. Cut out and then edged with magenta chalk ink. I was disappointed because the embossing is not very visible but looks much better in real life.
The two hearts are stamped with a stamp from Stamps by Judith.
I stamped by putting orange and magenta on the stamp.
I used the same technique on the stalks and leaves. They are stamped with two colors of green.
A hand cut strip with the sentiment stamped in navy blue. (stamp is from my stash)
The little ribbon is one I had from long ago with orange, magenta and blue on it.
How appropriate is that?

Here's the challenges:
http://embellishmagazine.com/blog/
http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.com/
http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/2011/06/simon-says-lets-play-bingo.html
I chose shape, ribbon & sentiment.
http://www.lilypad.inlinkz.com/2011/06/10/may-arts-presents-a-ribbon-challenge/

Thank you so much for stopping by.
Have a blessed week,
e

Proud Grandma to a Michigan Tech Grad!!!

Our oldest grandson graduated with honors from Michigan Tech.
We are so PROUD of him... He is a really outstanding young man and because of that we know that not all our country's young people are having trouble finding their place in life.
He graduated Summa Cum Laude and is going on to MIT in Massachusetts to get his PhD as a chemical engineer.  He is only 19!!!  I never even went to college, but our daughter and her hubby have done a wonderful job with their kids and all of them are pressing forward to go to college...YAY!!!

Soooo, I am making him an 8x11 album with his graduation and Open House photos...
Thought it would be a good thing for him to be able to look back later and remember this wonderful time in his life. He really enjoyed college, even though he really worked hard. It was his first time away from home too...but most of the time kids need to be away so that they can learn to be on their own. I know some kids aren't ready right away like that, but he was.

Well, enough bragging...now about this layout:

Background is a beautiful flourished,blue design paper.
Picture is on a blue mat with a CONGRATULATIONS stamped in gold on the side.
I have had this stamp forever.
Under the picture is a stamp in gold with the words: "Nothing is impossible with God".
The colors of Mich Tech are gold and silver so I put a Martha Stewart edge around the navy mat.
The edge was cut in white and inked in silver.
There is a Hero Arts flourish on the side. I LOVE it...looks very rich.
It is stamped in navy and colored over with Sakura glitter pen in silver.
The left corner flourish is a Cricut cut from "Storybook".
I did some writing on the side and bottom between the gemstones.
The writing says: "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God"

I entered this into the Hero Arts challenge for June (congratulation)
and http://stamptacularsundaychallenge.blogspot.com/ which is for Dads & Grads.

I am still working on his book, so I will probably have a few more favorite pages to show.

Thank you so much for stopping by,
please leave me a note and let me know you were here.

Be blessed,

e

The Ideas are just flowing or.........

is it just because I am so behind????
It doesn't matter, because I am creating and LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!
It's so much fun when ideas just ramble through my head and I can't wait to start on the next card or LO.

So, here I am with the card I created for the Stamp Man Challenge and the Simon Says Challenge.
I needed a card for my son-in-laws Birthday and these two challenges were just the ticket.

Here's my card:

http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/Challenge was to use stars and stripes.
http://thestampmanchallenges.blogspot.com/Challenge was a recipe and I chose blue, torn and a die cut.

So here's the deets:
I distressed the background blue striped paper and pulled back the corner to show some stars from a     sheet I inserted behind the stripe.
For the flourishes on the stripe, I used several stamps and stamped them in Versamark, then embossed in white. It's quite subtle but that's the look I was after.
The die cut on the bottom is the Tim Holtz on the edge cut. I just got it and I LOVE it!!!
The frame is a stamp I just discovered in my stash and I don't think I had ever used it before. I don't even know when I got it. But I love it...it fits perfectly with all the frames that are being used now.

So there you are...my little piece of art in my little corner of the world.
And oh, by the way...remember when I said I would do something new every time I made something?
I have not forgotten...and even though some of the items were pretty small and I had not brought attention to them, I HAVE been doing them.
In this card that torn corner was my first time doing that...and then going through my stash and finding a stamp I had not used was a part of making sure I do something new EVERY TIME!!!

Thank you for stopping by....
Be extremely blessed TODAY!!!

e

It's a beautiful Memorial Day!!!

First of all, I want to thank every person who is connected with the US Armed Forces. Especially those who are on active duty. Our thanks is not enough, I know, but it is from the heart. I pray God's mightiest blessings over you. That our God will keep you SAFE...physically and mentally. May God send His angels to build a hedge of protection around ALL of our service men and women. And may you know His GRACE!!!!

Our son-in-law is in the Navy and I know from personal experience that it is a very difficult time for the families of these men and women. The dedication of the families are a gift of love to this country also. It is not an easy life. But thanks be to God for them all.

At this time, our hearts also go out to all the families suffering loss from the tornadoes that have devastated our land. It is a huge tragedy that will affect so many for years to come. We pray that God's grace and love will be made visible through all those who have stepped forward to help in this time of need.

Now, on to my card for this Monday.
I am grateful for all the challenge blogs that are available on line. It makes it fun to share our creations with others and be inspired by their DT teams. I don't know who started the ball rolling, but my hat is off to the one who was inspired to take a chance and start something new. We are all grateful participants.

Two of my favorite challenges are the Play Date Cafe and the Top Tip challenge.
The Play Date is saying goodbye to one of their co-founders and they chose the colors black/white and green because that was Sarah's favorite combo. The the Top Tip it was to use 2 or more stamps. So these two challenges went together really easily. I made this card to enter:

I love black and white, but green is not my favorite color. But it works with any kind of foliage so that's what I chose. Maybe I should have colored that little bird a different color, but I didn't want to introduce something else to the mix. Isn't he the cutest though? He came in a stamp set a long time ago, I don't even know what company made it. But he has been a favorite whenever I need a little bird for something. He just has the cutest little look. I don't know if you can tell, but his little belly is small flourishes. I LOVE it!!!

On to the deets:
My frame is from a huge 12x12 pad of paper that was all black/white and silver. I have used tons of it.
The card itself is black and I use a white insert so that I can write on the inside.
I cut the black/white to leave a little 1/8 inch edge around and then cut the inside out to make it a frame
Four thin pieces of black are used to finish off the edges.
The filler in the middle is from a white Hallmark card my husband gave me that has beautiful dotted swirls on it (like from a cuttlebug) and it is just stunning.
The cut tag is the back side from the one used on the Hallmark card. I used 3 different small foliage stamps to make the foliage in different shades of green and then stamped the little bird.
The black swirls and hearts are from K&amp Company. They are just gorgeous and are called "Pillow Stickers"
A little bow from black see-through ribbon finishes the look.

http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.com/
http://toptiptuesday.blogspot.com/
My TIP for the Top Tip blog is to save the cards and advertisements you receive. There are many beautiful papers, inspiration, or colors that can be used in your art. Look at your cards & such with a critical eye. Sometimes cutting out small images from a beautifully colored piece of paper can be stunning. Hearts, butterflies, stars can be just gorgeous and you don't need a large piece to cut those.

Thank you for looking.
Have a wonderful, fun filled day!

A quick post...

I am having to hurry up and get this blog rolling so that I can enter this card into the http://stampinsistersinchrist.blogspot.com/ challenge blog. I forgot that this is Friday already and I made this card just for the two challenges that I am entering this card into. The other one is http://letsinkitup.blogspot.com/2011/05/challenge-15.html

When I saw those two posts, my thoughts just clicked and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I've been cleaning up my craft room AGAIN...still moving things around because I have added supplies and am having to reorganize my space. I love to organize and I like things very near me so that I don't have to hunt around when I need a particular item.

Anyway, I am very blessed to be able to shop around and buy new dies, etc. every now and then so that I feel like I have something new to work with. I always seem to be seeing something that I just "want"!!!

Anyway, here's my card:

The color of the card is actually red and so is the flower, but somehow I just couldn't get the color to come through. This is much more simple than I usually do, but I just really felt like this is all it needed.  Sometimes you just don't need much more.

Here's the deets:
The background paper is "Mariposa"
There's three different flowers put together.  They're from my stash.
The silver border around the sentiment is something I picked up a long time ago. They came in a pack and I have used these sparingly because I love them so much.

http://stampinsistersinchrist.blogspot.com/ challenge is to make a card with an uplifting sentiment and something silver.
http://letsinkitup.blogspot.com/2011/05/challenge-15.html This challenge is to make a card with a sentiment and a 3D flower.

Hope you enjoy seeing my creation.
Please leave me a note...we all LOVE comments.

ttfn
e

Very early Sunday morning....

Hello again,
I wish you could actually be here with me...
I am awake at 5:00 a.m. and cannot sleep. My head is pre-occupied with ideas for cards and album pages. That's a GOOD thing...but 5:00 in the morning....NOT SO MUCH!!!

So, it's a good time to talk on my blog and see what all of you are doing, and I found just the thing!
I was searching through the challenges to see what was out there that I had a project I could use for and VOILA!!! TRY IT ON TUESDAY challenge was to do something, anything with a 70s theme.
Well guess what???? I have just finished a wall hanging for my living room that has a pin on it that was hand made in the late 70s. I wore that pin for a long, long time. I just love it!!! A friend of mine made it for me and I still absolutely love it. You just don't see these any more but they were a craze way back when.  I wanted to be sure to have a place to showcase that pin and I made this hanging that fits in beautifully.
http://tuesdaytaggers.blogspot.com/

I used a frame I had bought . I love those large frames with just a small opening for the picture. The size of the opening is 5x7. I used a piece of cardstock that was actually out of a Christmas pack but it was an off-white with white glitter embossing. I used different shades of Distress Inks (including blue and pink) to add dimension to the background and to make the white embossing stand out.

I adhered the pin to the background and attached a lot of beads (black and white) and two metal hearts
to finish the look. I needed more of the ocean blue for the colors in the room so I added that blue flourish from Ziva.

I like the way it turned out, but most importantly, I get a smile on my face every time I see that pin. It has such great memories and has a look that I love.

Thank you so much for stopping by.
Please leave me a note and let me know what you think

e

Hello Everybody!!!

It's been quite a while and much has happened in our family life.

We had a grandson graduate from Michigan Tech and that has been so exciting for our family. He is a remarkable young man: loves the Lord (absolutely the best part), graduated in 3 years, is only 19yrs old, his Bachelor's is in Chemical Engineering, AND he is going on to Massachusets Technological Institute (MIT) to earn his PhD. The school gave him a full scholarship plus a salary for living costs. GOD HAS BLESSED!!!

It made me  realize that there are a lot of wonderful, dedicated young people out there, we just don't hear about them very often.

I also have a lot of cards and lo's to show so I will start with this flower card. Hero Arts challenge for May is flowers and I decided to do these flowers from their "Thanks" collection. I stamped the flowers twice and layered them for a 3D look.

I made this card for a friend's Birthday.
The flowers are stamped twice and layered.
They are colored with colored pencils then added stickles for the center for sparkle.
The corner is cut with my Cricut, Storybook cartridge.

I have also entered this into the http://movingalongwiththetimes.blogspot.com/
They are doing the "two B's" challenge. Two things on the card that start with "B".
In this card we have "Best" friends and "bling" There are purple square rhinestones and lots of sparkles on the center of the flowers. PLUS the purple background circle has sparkle on the design (I know it's not visible...sorry).

That's it for today.
Eat lunch and then take my phone in....it's not working AGAIN!!! UGH!!!

ttfn
e

I love embossing....

Hello again,

I am home from work today and thought it was a wonderful time to catch up with my blog because there were several challenges I wanted to enter.
I made this card for a friend, with these challenges in mind. So here's my info and my card:

The challenge is embossing on http://thestampmanchallenges.blogspot.com/
and for http://samueltaylors.blogspot.com/ the challenge is distressing.
At http://papersundaes.blogspot.com/ they have a challenge to include texture.
The http://tuesdaytaggers.blogspot.com/ challenge is to use something recycled.
I love these sites...go take a look, see if you like them too.

Here's my card:

I don't know why the background took on that pink cast. This is the first time that has happened...I'm going to move the place where I photograph...and, now that I think about it, this is the first time I have used a white paper under the card.

Now that the apology is over, I will tell you about the card. I really enjoyed making it.
The butterfly and the flourish are embossed with UTEE and clear glitter powder on the butterfly.
The flower and  the edges of the card are Distressed  The flower is also sponged with distress inks and edged with turquiose Stickles.
Lots of texture here with the lace, glitter, embossing and a flower made with several layers.
Recycled items are the lace, which is from a wedding a long time ago and the flower is made from leftover paper from another project.

The flourish is a die from Sizzix, I bought it a couple of years ago.
The flower is cut with the Tim Holtz flowers die. I really like that die, it makes perfect flowers for almost any project.

Thank you so much for stopping by.
Please leave me a comment and let me know you were here.

Blessings,
e

Spring Snow.... hmmmm

It's almost Easter and we got about 3" of snow overnight last night. We have already had 70+ degree weather...what's with the snow??? This HAS to be the last hurrah of winter!!! RIGHT????

Well, onward with better things...Easter IS almost here....we are going to my sister's house for Easter, and I can't wait!!! It will be fun, visiting family, long talks and games...it's always best to be with family and friends!
I remember when our kids were home, there would be new outfits, the excitement of children at anything having to do with surprises, and a big dinner to organize, prepare and CLEAN UP after. Now, with all our kids living out of state, those memories are sweet rememberances that we think about and are so very glad that we had the opportunity to experience.

Things are certainly different now...not worse, just different. New memories, new pictures to take and cherish, new traditions to make. Life is GOOD...but we have to embrace the new things, cherish the old, and thank our Heavenly Father for His gifts. And when circumstances that are not good come our way...we have Jesus to talk to, lean on and trust... After all, LIFE IS A TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT!!! Never forget that!!!

 Okay, on to my card...I have been making a lot of cards lately, for birthdays, etc. but have not watched the challenges to make them fit and have not taken the time to blog. Just too many things on my mind, I guess...I have to FIX that.... Sooooo, finding something to enter a challenge with is kind of difficult. I did make a couple different versions of the one I am going to show you here....I really liked it...it turned out to be very versatile and I was able to fit it for several occasions...Mine never look altogether the same anyway so no worry about sending friends the same card :o)

Pretty simple, easy to make, but it looked nice.
First I stamped the leaf stamp from HERO ARTS on the right side of the cardstock.
Then I cut an opening with a ripped edge look that went into the leaves a little bit for some extra interest.
The designer paper with the butterly is a piece of "Mariposa" paper from DWAV. I love those papers. Of course I embellished the butterfly a little to make it brighter and stand out more because of the dark background.
The writing around the butterfly is done in a very shiny gold, so I used gold to stamp the sympathy sentiment.
I used a pen to run an edge around the opening (4 times) and put rhinestones on the corner.
Also, I stamped the leaves inside the card...I always stamp inside my cards with a coordinating or complimentary stamps or use an embellishment.

Thank you for stopping by.
Please leave me a comment, I would love to hear from you.

ttfn,
e

Butterflies mean spring!!!!

We are having cold weather right now...but I am NOT complaining. I KNOW THAT SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!! It's already in my heart, and I will see it outdoors soon!!!
Michigan takes a long time to get around to being warm. We get teased with a few sunny days and then back to the cold and grey skies...but when it comes, it's AWESOME!!!

All our kids live out of state and we still have three Birthdays to celebrate...so the next month will be filled with long rides and family fun. I LOVE travel of any kind and being with family on top of that, it's like icing on a cake!!! CAN'T WAIT!!!

I've been working like crazy around here! Had lots of Birthdays to make cards for and then have to do taxes on top of that...AND I still have some winter decorations up. Christmas is such a short season and I really enjoy some of the wintry stuff, so I leave it up for a while...BUT IT'S TIME to get SPRING in here.

So anyway, here is one of the cards I made.

 
My inspiration came from Brenda of "Infinite Possibilities". She had a very cute card. All white with a cut-out that she filled with flowers. I just loved it...and came up with this card. Check out her blog, you'll like her stuff.

The deets on my card: White cardstock stamped with Hero Arts "leaves" in black StazOn.
The opening is cut with Spellbinders rectangle (ragged edge).
I cut a piece of designer paper to fit the rectangle and glued it to the back of the opening.
I scribbled three times around the hole and then attached rhinestones to the edge.
All the edges of the white cardstock was roughed up with my scissors...that works better for me than using the tools made for that purpose.

Time to tell you that I am entering this card in thia challenge:
http://samueltaylors.blogspot.com/

God bless you,
ttfn

Orange, Blue and Pink....hmmmmmm

Orange, blue and pink are the colors for this week's challenge on the PLAY DATE CAFE blog.
I saw those colors and I KNEW I had to try a card. What a combination!!! .I knew it would work because ALL colors work in different shades and different amounts... but I just really wanted to try it!!!
How fun!!!

So here's what I came up with. The heart, which is really the center of the orange/pink combo was a piece I had done while playing around with embossing powder and Pearl Ex thinned out with water. It turned out to be totally the right colors. YAY!!!

 That little strip under the double circle Martha Stewart punch is little beads. Doesn't that add a nice happy touch to the card? I love it. I haven't used beads for quite a while. I'm glad I tried it there. I really like it.

http://theplaydatecafe.blogspot.com/
I am also entering it in the Hero Arts Challenge for Birthdays.
I love their blog too. Check it out.
http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/march-2011-contest-details/

Thanks for stopping by.
e

A Birthday Card!

Here is a Birthday card I made for my boss...I'm a little late with giving it to him, but that's been my life lately...the ideas are there and I can't wait to get in there and start putting it together, but it seems that stuff just keeps coming up and keeping me from what I REALLY love to do...

I wish I had made the words a bit smaller...they look too big to me now, even though it didn't seem that way when I was putting them together.

The paper is from the Mariposa pack by DCWV...I love that pack.
The bird, butterfly and birdcage are cuts from that paper. Isn't that birdcage the prettiest ever? All the little wires on it are gold glittery. You can't see it here but it is very lovely (and I don't use that word often!!!)
The words are cut with my Cricket. I still find that a very useful tool in my craft room. I've had it for almost as long as I've been crafting (almost 6 yrs now). I couldn't work without the Cricket, dies that can be cut with my Cuttlebug and punches. These tools make most of my embellishments.
Last but not least is the heart at the top. I am disappointed that it doesn't show up too well in the photo. I cut it from grungeboard. embossed it 4 times with a turquiose powder and then painted with different colors of Pearl Ex. I made a bunch of these embellies in different shapes and I love most of them. I don't go for grunge that's too weird but that look of being artsy and kind of out of the ordinary is my "thing".

So, here's the two challenges I am going to enter this card into:
http://toptiptuesday.blogspot.com/
http://abc-challenge.blogspot.com/
http://www.simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by.
ttfn

A Gatefoild Card....

This was such an interesting project. I haven't made too many of these, but I really like the result and it's fun to "get out of the box" so to speak. I'll have to do more of these.

I wasn't quite sure where to start and then I saw that Timeless Tuesday Challenge required 3 design papers; There She Goes Challenge required colors pink, kraft and ivory and Simon Says Stamp required making your own embellishment. That really got my mind going...I had just bought a pack of papers from DCWV, called the Mariposa Stack...It is beautiful and I couldn't wait to use it.

So, I picked the appropriate colors, cut bits and pieces apart for matching what I wanted and started glueing.
The card base is kraft cardstock and I used an old rub-on I had for the words "YOU ARE SPECIAL". It went so well on that front panel.

There is a large flourish on the inside panel. It came from that same sheet that the words were cut from.

The butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch. I punched it out on white slightly glittered paper from SU and then embossed it three times with kaleidescope powder. I have a sheet of transparency that I colored with Alcohol Inks in different colors and then I use it to cut out embellishments. So I placed the glittered butterfly on top of the transparency, cut around it and glue dotted just in the middle, leaving the wings free Comes out really nice.  The black pearls are from ZVA.

Like I said, this is beautiful paper, doesn't need a whole lot of additional embellishments.

Here's the challenges:
http://tsgclearstamps.blogspot.com/search/label/TSG%20Challenges
http://thecuttlebugspot.blogspot.com/
http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/

Thank you much for stopping by.
Hope you enjoyed it.
Be blessed,
e

Simon says: Not a card!!!

Hello peeps!!!
I am showing a picture that I just finished so that I can enter it into the challenge at Simon Says Stamp...
I love their challenges and this one fits my pic...you must show "anything but a card..."
This is using the Tim Holtz stamp of a bird. You see it everywhere but I had to wait quite a while before I could order it. So now I have it and I like it so much I could use it everywhere!

I love this!!! Tim Holtz is the best!!!

Anyway, I antiqued my paper  by using different shades of tan, gold and brown. I also stamped a background stamp of old french writing in a medium tan color.
I also used Tim Holtz' elegant weeds stamp in shades of rose, brown and sage green, to add interest to the background. I use that weed stamp (looks like St. Anne's lace) on a lot of backgrounds because it gives a very interesting, airy look without calling attention to itself.

Then I stamped the bird in very dark brown and I spritzed on some gold and some pearl spray. I also sprayed it the whole pic with a sealant. 
The flourish is the Tim Holtz flourishes I cut with my Cuttlebug. I embossed it several times. The leaves were cut with my Cricut. Then I made the flowers using the coffee filter technique. I applied all of these on top of the frame for that 3dimensional look.

http://simonsaysstampschallenge.blogspot.com/

Thank you for your visit.
Blessings,
e

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Hey everybody...it's Sunday night and Valentine's Day is tomorrow...
I know it's just a Hallmark thing...but it still is a wonderful day to give special love to those God has given us in our lives.  I am not much for some holidays, but this time I really wanted to make a special card for my husband. I got the idea in the middle of the night and couldn't wait to get started on it. It was exciting to me because it was the first real idea I had since I had gone into my slump after Christmas.

And then before I could get started on making the card, I saw a tutorial on Simon Says for making metallic looking embellishments by embossing on cut out shapes. I LOVED IT!!! I couldn't wait to try that too...so I put the two ideas together and here's the card:

Okay, so for the background I did the "kissing technique" from Hero Arts for the challenge for February. I know, it's really hard to see, but even for the little bit it shows, it makes a pretty background. The white "Receipt" sheet is from my stash. I wrote out the saying "a lifetime spent with you" I printed on my computer and then copied it on to the paper.

The bottom is done using two colors of cardstock and punched with Martha Stewart "Double Circles. The word "Priceless" was printed on the computer.

I have two new techniques this time: Kissing technique and the heart embellishment.

KISSING TECHNIQUE: Ink up (with a slow drying ink) a "shadow stamp" (a stamp that has a lot of ink area. Solid blocks, a solid fruit, animal, etc.) Not a stamp with thin lines...this will not work for the background.

THEN use a thin lined stamp (a flower, words..this works really well...etc.) and apply it on top of the shadow stamp. If you do not ink the top stamp, then it will take away ink and that image will show your cardstock color...OR you can ink the top stamp and it will put ON COLOR on the top of your stamp. So, choice of colors are important.

This is a fun technique and can be very impressive, but it needs some practice. In my card I used the wrong background and that's why it doesn't show up too well. I am new to this and didn't really understand how this technique works, even though I watched the video Hero Arts has on their site.

EMBOSSED HEART: There are a million ways to make embossed embellishments, and they are all beautiful. I LOVE this technique. PLEASE GO WATCH THE VIDEO ON SIMON SAYS BLOG to see this technique in action. The thing that's different with this one is the use of PEARL EX or PERFECT PEARLS as the paint on the embossed piece. It is just beautiful.

Mine is different in that I used a heart cut out of a music CD cover that had beautiful shades of red and black on it. Then I used clear embossing powder rather than black UTEE (I still have not found it to buy) After four coats of clear embossing, I wet my Pearl Ex with a TINY bit of water and "PAINTED" on the heart. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! I then put on the wire and beads. 

Hero Arts Stamps used: Musical Collage and Fabulous Flourish

http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/february-2011-contest-details/

http://aspoonfullofsugarchallenge.blogspot.com/

http://onestopcraftchallenge.blogspot.com/

Okay, so that's it for today.

Thanks for coming by.

Blessings,

e



I'M BAAAAAAACK!!!!

Finally, my heart and soul tell me it's time to get back to doing what I love...
I have been trying to update my blog background and header...and as you can see,without much success.
I bought a beautiful header and background from Heidi Swapp's "House of Three" (they have such beautiful stuff there)...but I can't get it on. I'm pretty computer savvy, but not savvy enough. I'm going to have to write to them for help.

Besides that, I lost my way, my mojo, my desire...whatever you call it, I just didn't have it. Maybe holidays overload...maybe just a cycle we go through...even though I got some cards done, the excitement and the passion was not there. I needed God's touch to create in order to bless others and  let them know they are loved. God blessed me with that this weekend. I got an inspiration for a card for my husband for Valentine's Day that I was so excited about, my mind was spinning.
From there, I saw ideas everywhere!!! I wanted to make a card for everyone!!! IT WAS AWESOME!!!

So, here we go.
I thank God for renewing and refreshing us just exactly when we need it!

Here's a picture I made this weekend to hang on my bedroom wall.  Last year we brought our granddaughter Rebekah home for a visit from college so she could go to Art Prize. It is a competition where artists from all over the world come to town and display their art all over the city. It is a wonderful experience for anyone who loves to see art in many different forms. Anyway, we had a great time and I did this picture to remember our time together.

This is the picture as it hangs on the wall.

Here is the middle frame that has one of my favorite sayings on it:

ART

wipes the

Dust off

everyday

LIFE

Isn't that too true???

Wonderful to hang somewhere where you can read it at the time you need  a lift and a reason to create!!!

My new technique for this project? (I am not forgetting to use a new technique every time)

First of all, I had never embellished a frame that was hung on a wall. I had stayed away from displaying my art...can you say INTIMIDATED????

Anyway, that was a new experience...so the papers, the embellies, etc. were a totally new way of seeing it as a hanging instead of as a  page.

Second...the poem was first printed on the background paper. I didn't like the look.

I then came up with setting it apart by printing the poem on vellum...taking the frame apart and inserting the vellum inbetween. Hard to do once everything is glued down. Live and learn!!!

I really liked doing the frame.

I will be doing more!!!

Thanks for visiting.

ttfn

e



A bird in winter....

Here is a card I made for the challenge over on "Our Creative Corner". I fell in love with their inspiration picture...a chickadee in winter on a bush with red berries... Can't think of anything lovelier than that. I LOVE,
LOVE, LOVE birds...bird pictures, live birds, watching birds... all a favorite pasttime of mine. and I love rich, vibrant colors, like the red berries. So I just had to make a card for the occasion.

I have made a commitment to myself for this year...every card I make will have a new technique or feature that I had not done before. On this card, I cut the frame out into two parts, and then put a thin piece of black cardstock on to my background picture to look like a double frame. It took a lot longer than just matting once or twice, but I like the effect.

The background branches and berries are a Penny Black stamp I bought a while ago but haven't used it much. It's a beautiful stamp, I need to drag it out more often. I stamped on watercolor paper, I'm not sure I like the effect all that much. I'll have to do a card on my regular cardstock and see how that turns out. The branches on the watercolor paper kind of mottled together and I'll have to see how they look without the watercolor effect.

The bird is a punch from Stampin'Up!  I have used that punch over and over. It just works. I cut it out on a swirly red patterned paper, then double backed it with black cardstock so that I would have a black edge on top and bottom. I inked over the paper with a deeper red and then covered it with PPA glaze. The glaze made the bird...it just looks thick and rich and shiny. The branches under the bird are on the bird punch, and they always seem to add just the right touch.

Challenge entered: http://ourcreativecorner6.blogspot.com/

Well, thanks for visiting my blog.

Please leave me a comment....I LOVE comments.

ttfn

e

Brrrrrrrr...it's cold outside!!!!!!

Hey everybody....January is here, in full blast...Snow and cold in most of the country, including Michigan!!! I am a sun and beach kind of a girl....so what am I doing in Michigan you ask....I DON'T KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, on to card talk... I was so excited to get back into my craft room after the busy holidays. I loved every moment of family, friends, church and other activities... but I really missed seeing the ideas that roll around in my head come to life on my crafting table.  We all need that release. That fulfillment of creativity going from an idea to a real thing you can look at and touch. Not that it all comes out as beautiful or as perfect as it does in our imagination, but what we do end up with is wonderful and our own creation. That's the best part... knowing your heart is in the project you just created. So, we share it with our friends and hope that it gives them pleasure knowing that we are sharing ourselves with them.

Here is a thank you card I made. I really like the clean colors and the large white pearls.
 I bought my first gold resist pen for this and I really love it! Very easy to use too. I edged all the layers with the gold resist, using a ruler to keep the edge even.

The rosette is new to me. I don't like them all that much but I wanted to try my hand at it so that I would at least know how to make them. Pretty simple. This one is much fuller than it needs to be. I cut two 12" strips. It did make it kind of hard to handle. The strips were 1 1/2" wide. Since then I have used just one 12" strip and 1 1/4 - 1 1/2" wide. That seems to be just about right. I scored the rosette every 1/4". I like that because that keeps the rosette pretty small in height. I used a lot of strong glue to keep the rosette together. Wouldn't want it to unravel in a few weeks.

I have entered this card in these challenges:
http://www.flourishes.org/category/challenges/timeless-tuesday/
http://ourdailybreaddesignsblog.blogspot.com/


Well, that's it for me.
Keep warm and be blessed.
Love on someone today.
ttfn,
e

 

A NEW YEAR!!!

Hello to everyone who read this
I want to wish you a very BLESSED and WONDERFUL 2011!!!
May it be the best year of your life!!!

To start the year we had a wonderful church service.... GREAT sermon to start the new year.
We were challenged to fast for 21 days to focus on our relationship with God and seeking His will for our lives. AWESOME!!!

Want to share a winter card with you:
Our need for Birthday cards never stops so I actually make many more Birthday cards than I do Holiday cards. Here is a card I made for a December Birthday.

I love the colors on this card. The background is a shimmery white with a subtle swirley design. Silver ribbon, silver pearls, silver hearts. The snowflake was cut with my Cricut and embossed with Kaleidescope shimmer. I LOVE that embossing powder. The card, of course, is the same cardstock as the snowflake.

I hope you like this card as much as I do.... I think it's one of my favorites.

I have entered this card into the following challenges:

http://marksfinestpapers.blogspot.com/search/label/Speedy%27s%20Friends%20Challenge

http://www.flourishes.org/category/timeless-tuesday/

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Blessings,

e

2011 Coming Up!!!!

Hope you all had a very BLESSED CHRISTMAS...
We have our daughter and family visiting and are enjoying our time together. It makes our holidays very special!!!  Right now it is noon, all of us are still in our pyjamas, and watching "The Aristocats"!!! how fun is that??????

I do not have a card for you today... I do need to go make a couple though, so I will be putting some on really soon. I have a lot of ideas flying around in my head and I'm really getting anxious to go and play with my "STUFF" :O)  I have some new items that will be really fun to try out.

I am looking forward to a wonderful, blessed 2011!