Welcome!

So very nice of you to stop by! What a fun and challenging hobby to have!

May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
- Irish Blessing

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Spring has Sprung

Spring has Sprung....well maybe...BUT not today!!!! With rain/sleet/snow and tonight we have had lightning and thunder along with snow in a thundersnow! Crazy weather!!!!  Anyway....this was for Penny Black Saturday Challenge 143...Spring has Sprung! The challenge was to do Spring and use Penny Black stamps.

The first one is using Nikki Sivils dp, GKD sweet mango cs and stamped with Penny Black stamps. I colored with copics and Sakura glitter pens. Also used a mustard distress ink. I also used the new Floral Doily Motifs from Spellbinders and the new Fancy Tags Two. I added some ribbon and a bee brad.

















I also did another Spring card. This is also for the Penny Black Saturday 143 Challenge and for Stamp TV color challenge -- using GKD sweet mango, wild dandelion and green grass cs. I used SEI dp and die cuts of classic, lacey and scalloped Spellbinder squares. Martha Stewart ladybug punch added some ladybug designs and added some ribbons and ladybugs. Again used Penny Black Stamps and colored with Smooch, Sakura glitter pens and added some yellow and green sprout ink.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Think Spring

This is for Speedy Cat's Challenge #47 at Mark's Finest -- 3 pastels, 3 bling, 1 image on a circle card.

I used the Cutting Cafe's alarm clock pattern and covered it with Basic Grey pastels -- green, pink, and then added the aqua as my third pastel with the stamping of Think Spring. I used tattered rose and shabby shutters Distress Ink and Brilliance blue on the inside. The die cuts were rick rack circles, circle scallops and the new heart spellbinders circles. The cs was GK and Mark's Finest.

I used Sakura glitter pens and some copics to do the coloring on the outside and inside. Then added some pink bling, a ribbon bow. The stamps are spellbinders beaded circle stamps and Lochart stamps.


This is the front

This is the top and bottom of the inside

A close up of the top of the inside

A close up of the bottom of the inside

The back -- and this was one stamp I could NOT resist using on this one!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The Versatile Blogger


Thank you! I am pleased to accept this award from Marie! A big thank you to her...I LOVE going to her blog and getting inspriation! She has wonderful ideas and does beautiful work!

I need to list 7 things about myself and then send the wonderful award on to bloggers that have inspired me. 

7  Things About Myself:

1.I  thoroughly enjoy  travel. In factI  am leaving at the end of the month for a week in Ireland. It will be such fun.

2.  I taught first grade for 37 years... but I love being retired! I find this chapter of my life full and exciting! I do enjoy getting up each day.

3. I love do all different kinds of craft things -- cardmaking is my favorite, but I also scrapbook and already have the supplies for the Ireland scrapbook! I also needlepoint, knit, make paper projects to name just a few.

4. I enjoy working with flowers and am looking forward to being able to soon plant the flowers outside and watch them grow and listen to the birds sing. The idea of open windows is wonderful!

5. My favorite pets are cats. I have 2 who are wonderful companions...they are good travelers as well and great lap kitties. Ginger is the color of ginger and Snickers looks like a snickers candy bar! Snickers has food allergies so she has to be very careful what she eats and Ginger will eat most anything. After staying at my sister's for her "vacation" while I was gone....she fell in LOVE with treats and NOW has to have them all the time...also a glass of water in the shower!

6. I enjoy entering card making challenges and always eagerly look to see if my name is drawn. I have been lucky enough to have a couple of wins....but would SO love more!!!! I find that I can get great ideas by trying these different challenges because it makes me think outside the box.

7. I enjoy learning new techniques and it would be very exciting to be a guest designer. I LOVE shopping and looking at all of the stamping tools/stamps/products. WHAT fun!!! I find it to be a most enjoyable hobby. I have made several cardsets as gifts and enjoy coming up with gift ideas.

 

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Spring with Mardi Gras Colors!

This was for the Cute Card Challenge of SPRING and for the For Fun Challenge of Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and yellow and also for Cupcake Inspirations. I just found this pansy stamp by Stacy and also used I Brake For Stamps and PaperTrey birthday stamp. I used that lovely Royal Velvet cs from PaperTrey with matching royal velvet ribbon. The yellow cs was from GK. The dp was Colorbok. I used Martha Stewart's lace punch and cut out with Spellbinders Labels 3. Added some pearls and Recollections Stickers. Even found a stamp from DRS for the enveloped! AND hooray...Spring is coming...BUT not tomorrow!! They are predicting snow again tonight and tomorrow -- wet and heavy...and HOPEFULLY this is about it! They say it will be like driving on MASHED POTATOES!! Oh joy!

The front
Inside
The envelope

Monday, March 7, 2011

Cupcake Birthday

This is a card I created for a little girl's birthday. I cut it out in the shape of a cupcake...then used some stash dp paper to cover the card...white glitter, cupcake paper...used GK white cs and Mark's Finest white cs for labels...used spellbinders to cut out the stamp shapes which are by Hero Arts. Colored with Sakura glitter pens and copics...added some liquid pearls and ribbons and pearls. This is for the challenge at Cupcake Inspirations.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Celebrate Your Day

Here is a birthday card I just finished for a male friend...think it should work...no frills on it! :-) I used DRS stamps and then cut the squares out using spellbinders lace and eyelet squares. Used some yellow and green GKD cs, Debbie Mum dp. I added some stamps and also used Stampendous stamp. This is for a Stamp TV Sketch design and also for Belli Challenge #112 -Animals...the brad inside is a stray monkey one I had left from long ago!  Colored with copics.


Vellum embossing

This was a new technique for me to try! It is for Joan's Challenge.  I used vellum and then embossed with white and colored with brush pens.I embossed the borders with lavender.  I used the Just Rite stamps...Beautiful Blossoms Borders and Centers. The royal velvet cardstock from Papertrey was perfect for color matching and used their ribbon also. I used Mark's Finest white cs with the Martha Stewart punches. And of course used the spellbinders scalloped ovals, hearts, fancy labels and had to add a bit of bling! It was my first attempt...so don't look real close!  ( I ended up making 4 cards.)  BUT it was fun....and I do like the finished look!