Friday, December 13, 2013

Happy Third Birthday, Owen!

Wow - our grandson, Owen, is three years old today! This is the card I made for him.

Since he is a big fan of Mickey Mouse (we have to call him Mickey some of the time, and his friends are Minnie (me), Pete (Grandpa), Goofy (Dad), Clarabelle Cow (Mom) and Donald (Wyatt.) I of course had to make him a Mickey card. I couldn't find my Disney embossing folders, so I went on-line and found this image. I printed it twice and cut out the package and Mickey's head and mounted them on foam squares. The font is a Disney font called "Walter." I used black to mat the layers.

Starting in January, Owen will be going to preschool/daycare. I'll sure miss the little bugger, since I've been babysitting since he was two months old. It will be GREAT for him to go there, though. And now I have Wyatt to take care of and shower with attention.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Monday, December 9, 2013

Winter Birthday

Today is our daughter-in-law's birthday. This is the card I made for her. She loves Christmas, so I thought she would like this Christmas-y birthday card.

The background is from a Recollections matstack that I picked up on Thanksgiving. I embossed the white strip with a Cuttlebug folder and matted with shimmery silver. The sentiment (from Papertrey Ink) is embossed with silver embossing powder.

Life hasn't exactly become less busy! We hosted Thanksgiving and have had a lot of company. The Christmas cards all got mailed out and I finished my calendars, finally. We haven't done very much shopping, but we really don't have a lot to do. We made our list of people to buy for and noted a few ideas. I really want to get that done as soon as possible. I haven't done any card-making (until last night) for about three weeks, it seems! It actually feels kind of good to NOT be spending time in my stamping room and worrying about making cards for my blog! I have hardly been on the computer, too. Our weather has been COLD!!! And snowy, too! Yuck!!! Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and not too stressed by holiday preparation.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Monday, December 2, 2013

Christmas Sunday (On Monday!)

Since my calendar page went on yesterday's post, I'll do my "Christmas Sunday" on Monday. I actually made this card almost two weeks ago, and it is my last for the year! I got the Christmas letter done and the cards all went out the day before Thanksgiving. Whew! I really wanted to get them out early this year, since we have a new address and not everyone had it yet.

Another simple card, and I made five of them with various stickers. The ornament stickers are from the dollar area at Michael's a few years ago. The patterned paper is from a Recollections stack. I cut the vanilla circle with a punch and the green circle with a Nestability. The sentiment is from Rubber Stampede.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

December Calendar Page

The last month's calendar page from 2013. Unbelievable!

The trees were embossed with a Lasting Impressions brass stencil. I matted with shimmery gold paper. The sentiment (from Denami) was embossed with gold embossing powder.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving Day! (To my American friends, and to everyone else, too, whether today is "Thanksgiving" or not!) I hope you all have someone special to celebrate and give thanks with today!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Flutter By Wednesday - Thanks/Thankful


This week's Flutter By Wednesday challenge is to make a card with the theme "Thanks" or "Thankful." Be sure to include your fairy or butterfly! If there are at least 50 entries, there will be a prize, so let's all get busy creating! Then, link your card up the Flutter By Wednesday blog.

For my card, I went really simple. Imagine that! LOL! But, this is even simpler than usual. The background is a sheet of patterned paper. It's from a small matstack from Jodie Lee Designs that I purchased a couple years ago at a small scrapbooking store on our way home from a mini vacation. I just trimmed it down, stamped the sentiment (from a retired Stampin' Up! set called Thank You Kindly) with SU! Soft Suede, and matted with Soft Suede cardstock. We'd love to see what you all come up with!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Happy Hanukkah!


Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate it! 

This is the one Hanukkah card I made this year. I cut the snowflakes out of an iridescent cardstock that I've had for years. I used my Cameo Silhouette to cut them. I matted with a thin strip of textured light blue and a thicker strip of the same cardstock as the snowflakes. I printed the sentiment on my computer before assembling the card. Happy Hanukkah, Harriet and Bruce!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Christmas Sunday

A new Sunday - a new Christmas card. Not for long, though! I have two or three more to make. Yippee! I was hoping to get the Christmas letter done and printed yesterday, but didn't get a chance. Hopefully, VERY soon, as we are hosting Thanksgiving, and I really wanted them done before that.

As I reach the end and feel like I'm running out of time, they are getting simpler:) I embossed the design with a new-to-me Sizzix embossing folder. I stamped the sentiment (an oldie from Katie & Co.) and the holly leaves (from Repeat Impressions.) I colored the holly leaves and berries and then added red Stickles to the berries.

I'm linking this to the Christmas Card Challenge blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Friday, November 22, 2013

No Card - But a Post:)

I scored some free cabinets yesterday. We picked them up last night and Jim (with a little help from me) got them put up tonight! (Just the uppers ones. The lower part is part of old dining room hutch.) I'm not sure what all I'll keep in them, but I've already got them at least half full! I put ribbons and punches and some paper in there so far. I think it will make my stamping room more tidy, as I had a lot of stuff piled up and not very neat looking. Now I'll be able to get my bulletin board hung and a couple pictures that I've wanted. It will be nice to finally have my stamping room all in order!

I haven't had any time for stamping lately. Seems like taking care of a two-month old and an almost three-year-old doesn't leave me a lot of time for anything else! LOL! I DO have four posts scheduled for next week, though.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Flutter By Wednesday - A Sketch



This week's Flutter By Wednesday challenge is another great sketch by Design Team member, Kathy. We'd love to have you join in the fun! Just create your card based on this sketch, and link it up to the Flutter By Wednesday blog. Be sure to include your butterfly or fairy! If there are at least fifty entries, Danni will be awarding a prize.

For my card, I did something different for me. I started with the papers, working my way from the bottom up. It seems I usually work from the top down:) The papers are from a stack I bought at Michael's, but I cut it into six by six pieces and threw away the cover sheet, so I can't tell you who it's made by. Sorry. I chose to use this whimsical butterfly stamp from Inkadinkado. I colored with Copics. The sentiment (from Papertrey Ink) replaces the ribbon in the sketch. I guess I just kind of forgot about/ignored the three dots at the top of the panel. LOL! (Sorry, Kathy!) Looking at the card in the picture, I can see that I put the butterfly piece on crooked:( Maybe I can get it off and straighten it up.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Christmas Sunday

Here is my card for this week. I actually made seven of this one - with slight variations. On some of them, I positioned the panel on the right side, instead of the middle. One of them has silver glitter. Etc.

I saw these cards on Joan's blog, and really liked them and the "NOEL." So, instead of purchasing the file from the Silhouette site, I made my own. The NOEL and the red circle were cut on my Cameo Silhouette. I used my Xyron machine to apply the "sticky" for the glitter. The ornament top was stamped with a Verve stamp and embossed with silver embossing powder. I free-handed the ornament string. I used a punch for the holes to put the ribbon through. I'm submitting this to the Christmas Card Challenge blog. (Edited to add: As always the main challenge is just to make a Christmas card. This week's additional challenge is "sparkle and bling." Gosh, I even met the specific challenge!) This makes 66 cards done. I think I have about 14 to go. I still have to stamp a sentiment in them all, though, so I guess I still have a ways to go!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Happy Anniversary, Nancy and Ralph

Here is the anniversary card I made for a friend in my stamping group. I thought it was appropriate that I used an image I stamped while I was at our Group Gathering. Nancy wasn't there, but now she can see something from there:)

The image is a multi-stamp set from Rubbernecker. I don't remember what colors I used. I matted with a dark blue. The sentiment is from Inky Antics and is stamped in black.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Another Simple "Guy" Card

I have a nephew who turns 35 next week. This is the card I made for him. Always so hard, but the main thing is to just send a card and let him know I remembered.

The main image is a retired stamp from Stampin' Up! (The set is called Vivid Greetings.) I stamped it with Midnight Muse. I only have five of the new ink pads from SU!, but I sure do like the way they work. The bottom layer is also Midnight Muse. I embossed it with a Cuttlebug folder. That's it, and it will work just fine:)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Flutter By Wednesday - Open Challenge

Time for a new challenge from Flutter By Wednesday. This week's challenge is open - just be sure to include your butterfly or fairy! If there are at least 50 entries, Danni will be awarding a prize to a lucky random participant. Be sure to link up your card to the FBW blog.

I had these three butterflies sitting on my desk. They were cut from an Easter card I was working on. (Yes, silly me! Working on an Easter card. I don't even SEND Easter cards! LOL!) I glued them to a small piece of blue cardstock and embossed with a Sizzix folder. Then I matted with the same color cardstock using foam squares, after rounding the corners. I embossed a strip of the same cardstock and glued it to the card base. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. It's not exactly a fall card, but it will keep til next spring!

We'd love to have you join us this week!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Blue Birthday



This is the card I made for my mother-in-law for her birthday. She will be 96 tomorrow! I had chosen a different card, but my husband wanted something with a bigger sentiment, so he helped me choose what to use.

The sentiment is a large wooden stamp, and I can't read the label to tell who it's made by. I stamped it with Pacific Point ink and added Star Dust Stickles to it. I scored a double line all around it. I punched a circle out of Pacific Point for the flower center. I added Stickles to that, too. I also used the Pacific Point to mat the sentiment panel. The patterned paper is from a Recollections matstack.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Christmas Sunday

I sure am glad I started my Christmas cards when I did, because I'm starting to feel the pressure already! Since it's Sunday, I'll share this one with you.

I used some textured red cardstock and embossed it with a new (to me) Darice embossing folder. Then I sanded the embossing down, allowing the white core to show through. I adhered it directly to the card front. I stamped the sentiment (from Jillibean Soup) with Versamark and embossed with Detail White embossing powder. I'm entering this into the Christmas Card Challenge blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Happy Fiftieth Anniversary!


It's my husband's brother and sister-in-law's 50th Anniversary today. Happy Anniversary, Dave and Betty! (They don't read my blog, though.)

I used shimmery gold paper for the background, the sentiment matting, and the numbers. I embossed the background with a Sizzix folder (available through Stampin' Up!) and matted with black. I printed the sentiment on my computer and cut it with an oval Nestability. The mat for it was cut with a Spellbinders die. The sentiment is mounted on foam squares. The numbers were cut using a Cuttlebug die set.

It's our anniversary today, too! :) It's "only" 39 years for us, though.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Purple Anniversary - and a Little Wyatt Update

Quick post. I had a little time to play in my stamping room on Monday, and this is one of the three cards I made. I hope to have some more play time soon!

The black oval and the flowers were cut with my Cameo Silhouette. I used foam squares to mount it. The patterned paper is from a stack from Recollections and the sentiment is from Inky Antics. I matted with black.

A quick update on our grandson, Wyatt. He had a doctor appointment yesterday, and he was up eight ounces from last Wednesday. Awesome!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Flutter By Wednesday - Brown

Time for this week's Flutter By Wednesday challenge. The challenge is to use brown - and a fairy or butterfly, of course! Check out the blog for inspiration from the design team, then get busy creating your own challenge card. Link it up to the blog so all can see what you've made. If there are fifty or more entries this week, Danni has a surprise for one random winner!

When I thought "brown" and "butterflies," the two didn't mix very well in my mind. But I'm relatively happy with the way this turned out. I sponged three Stampin' Up! colors on a masked-off strip. (Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie and Close to Cocoa.) Then I used Chocolate Chip to stamp the butterflies (from Inkadinkado) and the sentiment (from Inky Antics.) I matted the panel with Chocolate Chip cardstock.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!

Friday, November 1, 2013

November Calendar Page

Oh my gosh - it's November! Where has the year gone???

I masked off the center portion and sponged on More Mustard, Really Rust and Chocolate Chip inks. (I also masked off the sun/moon before sponging on the darker inks.) The tree stamp is from Inkadinkado and the sentiment is from Verve.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back and visit again soon!