Not This Time

Thanks to Beth Shelly, and Nancy for their words of support!!  I really appreciate it but I didn't make the team this time. It was fun to try though and I look forward to the "Hambo Hoedown" challenge site kickoff and congratulating those that did make the design team!!! Now I am off to send the bunnies card to Junior who loves getting cards from me and maybe, like Nancy, work on a Gingersnap Creations challenge.  Thanks again for your support and happy crafting!!!!

Well I Got Brave...

I decided to apply to be on Hambo Stamps design team.  I have no idea if I made the team, but I sure had fun playing with the digital images they sent for me to use, and they are generous enough to say I could post them.  So, here they are.  Far and away my fav is the first one, "Hoppy Spring".  Those bunny cuties inspired me to make the sliding pop-up card that was this past week's SCS inkling.  I LOVE how it turned out.  I used watercolor paints and had a great time!!!

Isn't that image the cutest???

For the second image, I was very close to my deadline for applying, so the result is a bit more conventional.  The little guy is wee Henry and he is just so cute.  This card looks much better IRL ...

Whether I make the team or not, I feel pretty good for having given it a try!!!  Have an awesome weekend everyone and stay warm!!!

A Sweet Tutorial from Sunflowers and Dragonflies

If you haven't visited Beth Norman's site, you really ought to.  She is definitely the Tutorial Queen and when I visited last night, I found the Faux Porcelain technique and here it is:  Thanks Beth!  The stamp is from Club Scrap and the embossing folder was a gift from my BFF.  It is a beauty...  You know I love your comments...

I am a Ginger Gem Again!!!

I am so thrilled to have once again been named a Ginger Gem for the Gingersnap Creations Polar Animals challenge.  It is especially sweet, as I had the image of what I wanted to do in my head and almost missed the challenge (I thought it was over).  When I realized I had less than 24 hours to enter my vision, I got to work (it just happened to be about 11:00 p.m.) and I created almost exactly what my mind's eye saw.  Thanks for the honor Gingersnaps!!!  You can see my entry in an earlier post!!!

OSA Challenge #105

Here is today's new OSA weekly layout challenge.  It is the year of the rabbit so I decided to honor that.  The floral papers are washi paper, as is the purple, larger squares.  I also used one of the Oriental embossing folders.  Thanks for looking...

Junior's School Photo

Here's my cutie!!!  Junior (Lance Eric) is my youngest grandchild and I just adore him.  Here is his first real school photo.  I had found the paper and didn't realize initially that it was high school album paper, I was just thrilled to find "Junior" paper... LOL... it turned out to be perfect for a little frame (Sizzix die) for his photo... Thanks for looking:

I am hoping to flatten out those small wrinkles by putting the whole thing under a heavy book... Isn't he adorable!!!!

Gingersnap Challenge - Polar Animals

I barely made it in time for this challenge.  I knew I wanted to do it because I love this penguin stamp...  it is from I Brake For Stamps and I love the detail of it.  The background one from Gina K. called baby wipe background.  I made the sentiment on my computer... enjoy....

A "Lovely" Card

I am on a roll here with this design style.  Here are two more, the first one with pink and chocolate (hard to tell, I know) and one with pink and black:                  

OK, break time and on to other styles!~  Thanks for looking...

Another OWH "Scraps" Card

This morning I watched Dawn Griffiith's video and was inspired to make a similar card using my scraps of course.  I really am looking for something simple enough that I can make tons of them but alas, I am one who can make any seemingly easy project difficult!!!  LOL... well here is my take on her adorable card!!  I love it's simplicity in that you use essentially one piece of cardstock.  I will keep working on this card because I just love the idea of it.  In my card, the patterned paper (smaller circles) is some of the oldest I own.  Seriously, it is from my very first days of cardmaking/rubber stamping... talk about hoarding!!!  Ok, here it is:

What I love about this card is that though it is only one piece of cardstock, it can still stand up.  I just like that it is a little bit different than a standard card.  I am off now to try to simplify my process, to make it, as Dawn would say, easy-peasy!!!  While you are at her studio, check out some of her other videos.  She has some great tutorials and she has a great laugh!!!

Operation Write Home Challenge

Hi Everyone, Hope you new year is a going just as you planned!!!

Operation Write Home challenged us to use only our scraps to make cards.  I thought that was a great idea and I had the perfect stamp to do that with...it's a Gina K. stamp perfect for paper piecing.  This is what it looks like stamped...

Then I set about choosing just the right scrap colors to create a pleasing composition... so far, so good.  Next I started cutting each section.  Unfortunately, I used the stamp itself as the guide for the pieces (as I think about it, how the heck did I even do that????) Anyway, I cut all 10 pieces before I realized that the shaped pieces were all backwards!!  Are we having fun yet???  Not only did the cutting take hours, but then, I had to start all over using the stamped image as the guide.  LOL... gee, I don't think this is what OWH had in mind for making multiple cards...  I do like my finished project, which looks better IRL, cuz, every little imperfection shows up on the scan and not so much on the actual card... anyway, I am glad I completed it and even though afterward I wondered why I didn't just cut squares and rectangles and overlap them, I am also happy that I chose to do it just the way I did.  I might try this card again because I love the idea of it, even if mine is less than perfect.   Here it is:

Have a wonderful crafty day everyone!!!

Happy New Year!!!

I hope everyone's holiday season was/is as special as you had hoped it would be!!!  I know for me, anytime at least some of our family is together it is very special!!!  My big wish is that we all can be together for one big holiday!!

So, once again I have been a bit MIA, but here is my first card of 2011... it is for my daughter-in-law's mom.  The sketch is from OSA, an oriental stamping art yahoo group I belong to and the sketch was done by Lindsay Weirich , who has an awesome blog and great digital images and templates.  I used washi papers for the floral paper and the pale violet background paper.  I used a Spellbinders label, turned at an angle, for the sentiment, which is a Club Scrap stamp.  I like how it turned out and I hope you do too...

OOPS, I forgot to add that even though on the scan the ribbon looks black, it is actually a very dark purple.  OK, I'm done.  Enjoy the day...

Today's Christmas Card

It is feeling a little like the 12 days of willow's Christmas cards... LOL... so, here is today's card.  It's another take on Tim's tag.  I once again stamped on the embossing folder but this time I used a speckle stamp from The Angel Company (my new most favorite stamp!!).  I hope I was able to evoke the sense of peace I feel when it is snowing and swirling in the middle of the night.  Let me know what you think...

One More Card Done!!!

Thanks Michele for your kind words and letting me know I am not alone... LOL... So, here is my take on a Technique Junkies Warhol technique.  The papers are from Reminisce, Paper Wishes, and of course that gorgeous red is from Paper Temptress.  The tree stamp is a Hero Arts stamp and the greeting is an inexpensive clear stamp of unknown origin...

Oh, I forgot to mention that I had such good success with the craft knife yesterday, I decided to give it another try... LOL... not too bad I'm thinking...

Slowly, I create

At the rate of 1 card per day and having just started, I am thinking I am not going to get many Christmas cards out in the mail this year!!!  Oh well... I am having fun once again, so that is encouraging!!  Yesterday, I watched Beate's tutorial which you can find here on Splitcoast Stampers  and was inspired.  She made a beautiful Z-fold card and I just had to give it a try (quite interesting seeing as I am more than a clutz with a craft knife).  I managed to create a card for my son and his family and I am happy with how it turned out (and I suffered no injuries from the knife...LOL).   The paper I used is some "old" Bo Bunny it is from a page kit called Cherry Pie Family Ties, but I thought it looked very Christmas-y... The stamp is from The Angel Company and the die cut bow is a sweet little punch from Martha Stewart.  I hope you enjoy it and better yet, give it a try...

I realize now that I should have taken a photo to show the "swinging" part of the card (the tree with the large bow) but if you watch the tutorial, you will see the mechanics of the card.

Just a Couple of Cards

For this first card, I did my take on one of tim's tags this year.  I just love the idea of stamping on the embossing folder.  So, I gave it a try and here it is:

And here is a card for my BFF Carole:

Thanks so much for looking!!! 

Day 2 and 3 of tim's 12 tags of Christmas

Well, to my loyal follower Terry, LOL, thanks so much sweetie for your kind comments, here are the tags I managed to create.  I really want to do yesterday's tag but haven't had the time.  Terry and anyone else who stumbles on this blog, enjoy!!!

I'm Back, sort of...

For anyone who wonders, I am still around.  I have been busy losing over 36 pounds...LOL... I feel better than I have in most of my adult life and I'm not done yet.  Unfortunately, at the same time, I was not feeling particularly creative, though I did make a few things. 

But now, I am in the middle of watching tim's 12 tags of Christmas and have a couple to share.  For today though I want to share a never-ending card I made for my son and daughter-in-law's anniversary (thanks to Christie Hund's instructions) and a simple birthday card for a friend (thanks to Gina K. I believe).

Here's the Never-ending card (created with K and Company papers):

Here is the birthday card:

I appreciate all comments and would love to hear from whomever comes across this post...LOL!!!  I will post my tim tags tomorrow....

Challenges

Hi again!!  I have created an arch that fits the CCC #18, the Gingersnap Creations Arches challenge AND Simon Says Stamp's, anything but a card!!!  So, hey I am going to enter it into each one... 

I used a template that I had from somewhere.  The beautiful lady comes from I Brake For Stamps, the flourish stamp is from The Angel Company, and I got that beautiful lace and the pearls from Scrappin Deals n Steals.

WOW!! It's Been A While

I didn't realize it had been so long since I blogged!!!  My vacation was so awesome... it was great seeing my family and watching my grandson head off to kindergarten!!!  He is just sooooooo cute!!!  I loved my week on the coast with all my sister crafters!!!  We had a great time and Penny and Bea did an incredible job organizing everything!!!  I met some wonderful women and had such fun learning new techniques and completing a ton of shoebox projects!!! I also got to eat my favorite seafood... steamed clams!!! Yummmmmm

Maybe the most important thing that happened to me while I was in Oregon was to learn about Medifast from another crafter, Donna Downey, who lost a ton of weight and now coaches others on their Medifast journey.  I have been on the program for just over 2 weeks and have lost a total of 14 pounds and feel healthier than I have in years!!!  I still have 34 more pounds to go but I feel so free of the dependence I had on food.  It has been my "drug of choice" for all my life and I finally feel like I have a solution!!!  Thank You, Lord!!!

Now on to a card I made for my friend, Carole.  I used the texture duet technique from the latest Technique Junkies newsletter.  The stamp is from Inky Antics (isn't she adorable??)... The sentiment is from Stamps of Life.  I actually put the "trick or" on the envelope... LOL... both embossing folders are from Cuttlebug and I got the pattern cardstock from Scrappin Deals n Steals.  I will be back with more later this weekend... thanks for looking!!!

Heading Out of Town!!

Well, next Wednesday I am heading to Portland, Oregon and then the following Sunday, to Depoe Bay on the Oregon coast for a week of relaxation and crafting with old and new friends!!  It is going to be an awesome retreat and I just can't wait!!!  I am traveling with my girlfriend, Carole, and we just keep calling each other saying, is it time yet????  Are we there yet??? 

For now, I have had some things other than cards to share and just haven't gotten to posting them, so I am going to today...  One is a bamboo domino pendant to which I added some beautiful Washi paper, wire and beads, and Diamond Glaze.

The next piece of jewelry is a pendant and chain I made using chip board, an image, and glossy accents.  And, yes, the chain design is asymmetric.  It looks much better when worn than on a board.

Lastly (and definitely least... LOL) I tried my hand at a technique I saw on you tube.  Here is the link, RachO113 and here is my interpretation.  Unfortunately, I chose to use a cardboard cheese container  LOL not quite sturdy enough for this technique, but it was fun to try...

And as always, I love to read your comments and if I don't get back to you with a personal thank you, please know that I love all the love notes you each leave... I sometimes cannot figure out how to let you know I read your comment, especially if your email is not on your blogger profile... but please know I read and love every one of them!!!