Hello, everyone!

It's been awhile since i've posted, i know. Aside from being super busy, we no longer have the net at home, for now. Until we get it back, my posts will be few and far between. i've been making tons of Christmas cards and hope to post them before too long...
i hope everyone is well and has a wonderful Christmas! And happiest of New Year's!

Mojo Monday, Week 10

Julee over at Poetic Artistry has come up with another great sketch for her Mojo Monday challenge. i had made a card for this week's challenge a few days ago but wasn't quite happy with it, so i went back to the drawing board. Here's the final outcome, and i don't like to brag on myself, but i'm very happy with the results. Unlike most of my cards, i'm keeping this one for myself, especially after all the work i put into it.

i started by stamping the leaves and cutting them out. i didn't know exactly how it would all go together, so i just played for awhile until i got it right. Paul, my DC (darling companion), actually helped a lot with the details. i sought his opinion a few times over the course of putting this together, and he had some great ideas that i didn't think of, like outlining the leaves in the left corner in gold, just to name one. i adhered some of the leaves directly onto the cardstock, and the rest i added pop-dots to for a 3-D effect. The background (that says "autumn, fall") is CS i stamped and embossed to make my own PP. The sentiment is actually a "Thanksgiving" stamp, but i wanted to break it up. The finished card measures 5" x 5". It took a couple days to make this, but it was worth it. i just love it when a plan comes together!

Ingredients: CS - stash, Paperbilities; stamps - Stampendous' Leafy Silhouettes, MM Magnetic Rummage Alphabet, sentiment by Anna Griffin from All Night Media; ink - Pallette Hybrid, Colorbox, gold gel pen; ribbon - Michael's; brads - MM; EP - Stampendous; chalk; pop-dots.

Holiday collage...

i've been on a creative spree the last couple of weeks, and i'm loving it. i haven't had tons of time to craft, but when i have i just felt like i was in the zone. Here are a few cards i've made recently...

These first two are CASEd from a card in the Nov/Dec 2005 issue of RubberStampMadness; the artist is Hannamaija Teisko. There's no online link to her card (that i know of) and i'm not going to scan in another artist's work without permission. i only tweaked it slightly, adding some script behind the images rather than the gold mesh she used. i also used different stamps. The above card uses gold accents, like hers, and the card below differs only in that i used silver. Oh, and obviously, her card did not include the PTI sentiment.

Ingredients: watercolor paper; CS - stash; stamps (hold on,there's a lot of them!) - Limited Edition's Women Trio, Stampendous' Leafy Silhouettes, Inkadinkado (script), foam architectural stamps from Michael's (i don't have the original packaging and can't remember who makes these!), Typewriter Alphabet by Rebecca Sower from Nostalgiques, sentiment from PTI's Take a Bough, little stars from TT's Loves Me, Loves Me Not; ink - Ranger Archival, Versamark; watercolor paint; embossing pen; EP - Ranger; gold ribbon by Offray, silver fiber - unknown; Stickles; envie from PTI.

This card follows the same idea but with a few adjustments. The only supplies that differ here are a few of the stamps, but all come from some of the above sets with the exception of the "rays" above the woman's head; that one is from the now defunct A La Carte Art Stamps - it's the top half of a vintage stamp. Also, the letters that make up "dream" come from Making Memories' magnetic Rummage alphabet set. Oh, and i added some chalk to the card base.

These cards are super-easy and fun to make. i started with a piece of watercolor paper and randomly added watercolor paints in two colors. After the paint dried, i stamped to my heart's content, keeping the images close together so that i could get a lot into the square when i punched the paper with my 1 3/8" square punch. Some of the images i embossed, others i just stamped. Then i just adhered the squares as i liked to the card base (which i either chalked or stamped and embossed) and added any words or ribbon. You end up with a nice collaged effect that looks like it took a ton of time but really was fairly quick and easy. Ofcourse, leave it to me to find a way to make "quick and easy" take forever - i spent over two days on these three cards! Haha..

Thanks for stopping by! Hope everyone's doing well and having a fabulous day!

Christmas sneak peeks...

i have been spending hours over the last few days in my craft room, hunched over my desk making Christmas cards and working on the batch for my customer. i have so many things i want to show here, but can't yet. Some of the x-mas cards will be going to people who read my blog, so i don't want any spoilers. i do, however, have some little sneak peeks of the x-mas batch...





i've been making good use of the new Papertrey Ink set Take A Bough (thanks, Dana!) - it's a lot of fun to play with!

This year i decided to keep most of my x-mas cards fairly simple, relying more on paper and stamps than embellishments like ribbon and metals. By doing this, i'm able to make more cards more quickly (a big plus since, like last year, i plan to make all of the cards i need to send out and not rely on any store-bought ones) and i spend less on shipping.

Well, i'm off to make some grub for Z.'s dinner. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

You Make Me Smile...

My buddy Heidi nominated me for a You Make Me Smile Award! Thanks so much, Heidi! You make me smile, too! :) i am supposed to nominate others that make me smile. There's so many who deserve it, but today i'm nominating 3 (several i wanted to nominate have already been nominated by others!).

The first blogger who makes me smile is Roberta. i recently discovered her blog while searching for others interested in polymer clay. She has some amazing polymer creations, and she uses her handmade beads to make some truly beautiful jewelry. Go check out her blog and you can see for yourself!
Another talented lady who makes me smile is Julee of Verve Visual fame. i'm sure most or all of you visit her blog already, but for anyone who doesn't, you won't be disappointed when you go! Her handmade cards are beautiful, and her Mojo Monday challenge is great fun. It's no wonder her new stamps are so popular - she's got boatloads of talent!
And finally, a blogger who is already famous in the crafting world, Kristina. i doubt she reads my own blog, but i sure visit hers a lot! Her style is simple, eye-catching and memorable. If you check out any of the paper-crafting magazines, you've probably seen her designs before. Go to her blog for some serious inspiration!
And anyone who's blog or site i've linked to on my own blog - all of you make me smile!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Thank you to all my readers...

i just wanted to say thank you to everyone who visits my blog and especially those of you who leave me such nice comments! i really appreciate your support and compliments on my artwork. In the beginning, i responded to comments on the comment page, but i quickly realized that most of us don't have the time to go back and reread comments on others' blogs. i just wanted you guys to know that i read every single comment and am always uplifted by your kind words. i will be posting some handmade blog candy sometime in the near future, so be on the lookout for that! ;)
Have a great day everyone!

A thank you card for someone special!

My buddy Dana over at Kismet, Art and Life recently sent me a wonderful package of goodies (including the new PTI set Take a Bough!) for my birthday, so ofcourse i had to send her an extra special card to say "Thank you". i worked on this card over the course of a couple days (i'm often in and out of my craft room trying to juggle the rest of life and art, too!). i was very happy with how this one turned out.


i actually colored the roses with Prismacolors first, but when the rest of the card began to overwhelm the main image, i went back over it with markers. i actually liked the combo of the two, though you wouldn't know by looking at it that i'd used pencils, too.

Ingredients: CS - stash, Paperbilities; stamps - $1 stamp from A.C. Moore (roses), foam harlequin stamp, SU!'s Noteworthy; ink - Ranger Distress ink, Colorbox Fluid Chalk, Marvy LePlume II markers; ribbon -Bobbin ribbon; brads - MM; pop-dots; Prismacolor pencils; envie from Office Max (don't know brand).

Dragonfly birthday card and my first criss-cross card...

i've been making a lot of new cards but can't show most of them here just yet. Some are for an order and some are for friends who might see them before they arrive in the mail. Here's two i can show.

This one is for my MIL's birthday. She loves dragonflies (Paul even tattooed one on her arm!), so i thought this dragonfly from Technique Tuesday's Boho Buzz set was a perfect choice. i inked and embossed it and then added some Stickles. Simple, but i know she'll like it.

Ingredients: CS - Bazzill, Paperbilities; PP - MME; stamps - TT's Boho Buzz, Papertrey Ink's Papertray; ink - Versamagic, Colorbox, Ranger Archival; ribbon - American Crafts; brads - MM; EP - Stampendous; Stickles; pop-dots; envie from Papertrey Ink.

And here's my first ever criss-cross card! i really enjoyed making this; it was a nice change from the standard card. i love this PP from MME, even though i'm not a huge pink fan - it reminds me of a hankerchief. This is actually part of my customer's order, but i'm hoping she either won't see it before i send them out, or won't mind me sneaking it in! ;)

Ingredients: CS - Bazzill, Paperbilities; PP - MME; stamps - Brenda Walton's Garden Words, Rhonna Farrer's Swirls V:1; ink - Versamagic, Colorbox Fluid Chalk, Ranger Archival; brads - MM; Stickles.

Thanks for stopping in! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Random old photos...

No new paper art to show today, but i do have some random older photos that i've never posted, so i thought i'd share them. Some of these are a few years old, some a little more recent.


These first two were taken at my mom's house, several years ago.

My dad's old truck (he's since sold it). West Virginia, maybe 4 or 5 years ago.


The June House, Ferrum, Virginia.

Rusty parts at the old sawmill site near my house, maybe 2 years ago or so.
Thanks for stoppin in. Hope everyone has a fabulous day!

A birthday flower...

i finally have something new to show, and i was able to sign on today! It's a good day! Here's a card i started Friday and finished this afternoon.

i stamped then cut out each petal and curled them before adhering them with pop-dots. i kept the rest simple since the flower was such a dominant main image. i like the sentiment stamped in white, but it seems i just can't find a nice, crisp white ink that shows up really well on dark paper. Has anyone had good luck with a certain brand? If so, i'd love to hear about it!

Ingredients: CS - Paperbilities; PP - My Mind's Eye; stamps - Tech. Tuesday's Loves Me, Loves Me Not, Papertrey Ink; ink - Pallette Hybrid, Colorbox Fluid Chalk; brads - American Crafts; button - American crafts; pop-dots.

Thanks for visiting! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Just a quick update...

i just wanted to let everyone know why i've been MIA lately - my computer has finally kicked the bucket. Sometimes i can sign on for 10 or 15 minutes before it shuts down, sometimes not even that. i can only get dependable service over at mom's, so my posts will be few and far between until we resolve this situation.
Hope everyone's well!

Mojo Monday #3...

i had a lot of fun with Julee's sketch this week. i recently got a couple new stamp sets and made use of them here. These petals from Technique Tuesday's Loves Me, Loves Me Not reminded me of snowflakes so i went with that. i've been thinking about Christmas cards lately and it's time i got started on this year's batch.

i had some harlequin PP i wanted to use here, but only a small piece, so i recreated it with my harlequin foam stamp (i forget who makes it). The circle piece peaking out at the bottom is from another new set, Bumble Bee by Inkadinkado. i embossed it in silver and then pierced the holes (hard to see here). The main image was actually stamped first in Colorbox' Fluid Chalk ink in Ice Blue, then Royal Blue pigment ink. Unfortunately, you can't see the Ice Blue in the picture. The little "snowflakes" floating around the petals are stamped in silver and then i added some Stickles that don't show in the photo. The center contains a shiny snowflake sticker, then a punched circle and brad. i took this picture tonight so the light was a bit off. i may try for a better shot tomorrow - if so, i'll repost this pic.

Ingredients: CS - Paperbilities, Colorbok textured; PP - Hot off the Press (blue snowflakes); stamps - TT's Loves Me, Loves Me Not, Inkadinkado's Bumble Bee, harlequin foam stamp, Alphabet Pixie's Love Letters; ink - Colorbox pigment in Royal Blue, Colorbox Fluid Chalk in Ice Blue, Ink It Up in silver, Ranger Archival; chalk; silver EP by Stampendous; brad - MM; ribbon - Offray; sticker - EK Success; Star Dust Stickles; pop-dots.

ETA: i uploaded a new photo of this card (see top of post) this morning.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Two cards, same idea...

i love Autumn; it's my favorite season. A few days ago i noticed a change in the light and i could smell fall around the corner. Today we didn't even have the air conditioner on, and the nights recently have been downright chilly! i get so excited this time of year. In this spirit, i've been working on a few Autumn cards. i did these two designs today, making two of each so that i could keep two and also add two to the batch for a customer.
Both these cards follow the same basic design. The fronts of these are a little shorter than the backs, just to make things interesting.

i like this one, but i'm having issues with my eyelet setter. It's the one by Making Memories, and although i prefer it to my old hammer/setter, it often squishes the eyelets and distorts them a little. i'm going to just make the best of it for now as a new one's not in the budget. What setter do you guys prefer?

Ingredients: CS - stash; PP - Provo Craft, Basic Grey; stamps - Leafy Silhouettes by Stampendous, Papertrey Ink, Art Warehouse's Ribbons and Lace set; ink - Pallette Hybrid, Colorbox Fluid Chalk, Ranger Archival; ribbon - Wal-mart (it's plain white ribbon that i stamped a design onto); brads - MM; pop-dots; faux stitching.

i'm really happy with how this one came out.

Ingredients: CS - stash; PP - Basic Grey, brown script from Dollar General; stamps - Stampendous' Leafy Silhouettes, Papertrey Ink; ink - Pallette Hybrid, Colorbox Fluid Chalk, Ranger Archival; ribbon - Bobbin ribbon from A.C. Moore; brads - MM; pop-dots; faux stitching.

As always, thanks for visiting!

Mojo Monday...on Wednesday!

Here's the card i'm going with for Julee's Mojo Monday sketch. This week's sketch has a twist - you have to include some scraps or pieces that almost made it onto a card in the past but for some reason were not used. My "almosts" here are the sun image, the bleach-stamped brown cardstock and some scrap PP (the sun's "rays"). Thank you to those that commented and helped me make a decision! (For supply info on this card, see previous post.)

Help me decide...?

Art has been hard to find time for lately, and even when i found the time, it seemed i'd lost my mojo. i just wasn't happy with most of the things i'd turned out. i think Julee's Mojo Monday sketch over at Poetic Artistry has helped turn the tide! Although i'm not completely satisfied with these results, they are a marked improvement over my other attempts.
Julee's sketch has a twist - you have to incorporate something from your scrap pile, like images that almost made it onto a card but for some reason were put aside. This first card is one i whipped up yesterday. The main stamped image was an "almost" and the faux ribbon was a scrap. i didn't like this one enough to enter it into the Mojo Monday contest, so today i tried again.
Ingredients: CS - stash; stamps - Papertrey, Inkadinkado, Art Warehouse; ink - Colorbox Fluid Chalk, Versamagic, Ranger Archival; PP- Rob and Bob; brad - MM; stickles; pop-dots.

The following two cards also include some "almosts" - i stamped, chalked and inked both suns a few months ago, and the brown CS on the first one was something i bleach-stamped just the other day. My problem is this - i can't decide which of these two i like best and want to enter. Advice? Do you like...
CARD #1...

...or CARD #2?

...Or, maybe you like the first one that i decided against! Either way, i'd love to hear some feedback.

Ingredients for both cards: CS- stash and scraps; stamps - sun - unknown, sentiments by Inkadinkado, label frame from SU's Noteworthy set; ink - Palette Hybrid, Tim Holtz Distress Ink; chalk; PP - My Mind's Eye and unknown scraps; ribbon - stash; brads - MM; pop-dots.

Thanks, and have a great day!

ETA: Thanks for the comments, ladies! In response to your questions and observations, Dana:
The faux ribbon on the flower card was made using a ribbon stamp from Art Warehouse's Ribbons and Lace set. i stamped it with chalk ink, wrapped a piece around and then wrangled with another piece until it was "tied" like ribbon. i also agree that sun card #1 could use some ribbon peeking through, and i wish now i had matted it on brown. Here's the problem - i adhered these two so well that yesterday i tried to switch the sentiments and they wouldn't budge (pop-dots)! i also used both snail adhesive and Tombow Mono-Multi because i didn't want these coming apart. Well, now i can't get them apart! Hehe... i thought about making a new card using the things i like best in both of these, but then i wouldn't be using my "almosts"... i think i almost confused myself with this post!

i'm back home...

...after an unexpected vacation to Myrtle Beach, paid for by one of Paul's close friends. We only had a few days to plan and pack before heading out on Saturday to Tennessee to meet up with our friends. Sunday morning we hit the road and arrived at MB State Park that afternoon. As expected, the place was packed due to the Labor Day holiday, and our tent campsite sat smack in the middle of a ton of other campers, mostly RV'ers. By Monday evening, the bulk of the crowd had cleared out and we had the place pretty much to ourselves.
We had not had a real vacation in years, and our last major road trip was back in 2003 when we drove here from California. Being a traveler, i've had the itch for so long now to explore, and this trip was just what i needed. We had a wonderful time and even avoided any rain. i spent most of my time down on the beach, ofcourse, swimming by day, going out at sunrise for picture-taking oppurtunities, and on the pier late at night. i breathed in as much of that ocean as i could, because i don't know when i'll return again. The Atlantic has it's charms, but for me the Pacific is just magical. Regardless, just being near the ocean is intoxicating.
These are a few of the pictures i took while there. They were all taken at sunrise when the light is ideal for good ocean shots. i have nothing new in the way of paper-crafts to show as i haven't had a chance to create something new in maybe 2 weeks. Hopefully, that will change today!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope everyone has a lovely day!

Second verse, same as the first...

Today's cards are based on the card in my last post. When i got in my craft room this morning, new ideas just weren't coming, so i decided to follow Dana's suggestion and make more of these. i also found a scrap of this paper with the company's name, in case anyone was interested. This PP is by Me and My Big Ideas.


This one is my favorite of the two.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Back to school and one new card...

Hi, everyone! i have been super busy lately and haven't been able to get on here, plus my computer seems to work when it wants to, so that's posed a problem! Part of my busy schedule recently has included getting Z. ready for the first day of school - he's in second grade now! Today was the big day, and he came home with a smile on his face, so that's good. With him back in school, i'll get a lot more done during the day, and i may actually have time to step in my craft room again!

Today's card was made for my aunt-in-law's wedding. The wedding ceremony was a very casual affair, so i made a card to reflect that. Very simple, but i like it. This is the only new thing i've made in a few weeks! No ingredients this time - i forgot who made the PP and the rest of the stuff is from my stash. i can tell you that the sentiment is from Inkadinkado and the ink is Ranger Archival.
Here's the card with its envelope.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope everyone is doing well!

Believe...

believe2
Originally uploaded by bluemama

Well, no new art to show today, so i thought i'd share an old favorite. Some of you have already seen this, but it will be new to others. This is one of my favorite cards to come out of my little craft room.

i really like the envie with this one. i made it using PP so it would match the card perfectly. Oh, and this pic is smaller because i uploaded it using flickr. i haven't reinstalled my photos to our computer since the crash.

Ingredients: CS - stash; PP - Rob and Bob Studio; stamps - Rhonna Farrer's Swirls V:1, Brenda Walton's Garden Words, Limited Edition; ink - Ranger Archival, Ink It Up; ribbon - Offray; eyelet - MM; pop dots.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope everyone has a wonderful day! i know i will - my mom's keeping Zach overnight, so i will get a much-needed break! :) Woo-hoo! It's like a miniature vacation. i plan to spend quality time with Paul, maybe go out to eat, and i'm going to burn the midnight oil in my craft room. But the best part? Peace and quiet! My child talks incessantly, and as much as i love the little stinker, i will be grateful for the sounds of silence...

Computer drama, and sadly, artless.

i just wanted to let everyone know i am suffering some computer issues lately and might not be able to log on as often. About a week ago, our computer crashed, and we lost all files. i had two months' worth of photos disappear that i hadn't gotten around to burning yet. i hate losing photos. Sometimes i miss my old Canon 35 MM. Anyway, our computer still seems to be having some problems, so i'm having a hard time doing what i need to do.
i have no new art to show. :( i've been too busy to even step into my craft room for a week. i feel the need, though, for something creative, made by my own two hands, so hopefully tomorrow i can get some craft-therapy.
Hope all of you are well! Thanks for visiting!

Be Magical and Coffee, Yum!

i've been working on some new cards, but i can't show them here just yet - some are on their way (or will be) to friends, and the others are part of a batch for a customer. Yes, a customer! She is one of my best friends - we've known each other since we were 15, met in high school psychology class. i know she reads my blog, so i want her to at least be a little surprised when she gets her cards.
So instead i thought i'd post some older cards. These are from a couple months ago.

i made 2 of these and sent one to my MIL. She's constantly bugging me to sell my cards. ;)

Ingredients: PP-MME; CS-stash; stamps-Rhonna Farrer's Swirls V:1, Brenda Walton's Garden Words (flowers), sentiment-?; ink-Palette Hybrid, Colorbox; brad-MM.

i made this one for my mom. A little background on this: Two Christmases ago, we got mom a Senseo coffee pot, the kind that takes pods and makes 1-2 cups at a time. We are some serious coffee drinkers in our family, and for years i've been grinding beans to make the best, freshest coffee i can. Well, goodbye beans! The Senseo pot makes the best coffee i think i've ever had, and it's never, ever bitter. i can't say as much for my beans. With Senseo, the coffee even comes out with a foamy top, and the overall texture is velvet and smooth. A few months ago i finally got my own Senseo pot and shelved my regular pot for emergencies, i.e. if we run out of pods and can't get to the store right away. That has yet to happen because i stock up on pods, hehe. Anyway, this card was in honor of that oh-so-delicious coffee.

Ingredients: PP-stash (can't remember who makes it); CS-stash; stamps-foam stamps from Wal-Mart, letters from Alphabet Pixie's Love Letters set, faux ribbon from Art Warehouse Ribbons and Lace set; ink-Palette Hybrid, Colorbox, Ranger Archival; ribbon-Wal-Mart, A.C. Moore; brads-MM; pop-dots.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Wild and Wonderful, Part 2

These photos are from 2003.



i love West Virginia in Autumn.

Foggy sunrise.


This is one of my favorite photos of my dad. This was taken during one of our hikes.




Thanks for stopping by! i hope everyone has a great day!

Rockin' Girl Bloggers

i was nominated for the title Rockin' Girl Blogger by my friend Dana over at Kismet, Art, Life. Thanks, Dana! Apparently, i'm to add the graphic for this great nomination as well as nominate 5 other bloggers. The latter i can do, the former, not so much. For a very long time now i've had issues saving any picture or graphic from the internet to my own files. They never save as the correct file type and i have so far been unable to convert them. i've told this problem to many people and so far no one has an answer. :(
Anyway, here are my 5 picks. Some or all of these may have already been nominated, but hey, i've always been a rule breaker. ;)

Dana - She nominated me, and i'm probably not supposed to nominate her back, but like i said, rules shmules. She is a wife, mother of two, and all-around busy mom. She makes AMAZING art and is also a foodie like me. If i need inspiration, i know i can always find it here.
Penelope Dullaghan - Her art and graphic design work are fabulous. She's also one of the great minds behind Illustration Friday.
Heather Nichols - She makes all kinds of wonderful art, including reworking used items, something that is close to my heart. You can find a link at her blog for her Etsy shop, Ink and Nickel, where she sells some awesome stuff!
Ali Edwards - There's a lot of great art as well as photos here. A very creative lady and a neat blog.
Michelle Lamar - Definitely check out this blog! It's called White Trash Mom and is sure to bring a smile to your face. i love her style. i actually found this one while playing around on google one day.

Wild and Wonderful

i have had the great fortune in my life to be able to travel a lot, thanks to having a father who worked for United Airlines for many years. i have been to almost every state, including Alaska and Hawaii, and even out of the country - New Zealand and England. i mention this to say that after all that exploring, i still love West Virginia, where i lived as a child until i was 7. My dad still lives there, in the house where we lived and that he and my mother and grandfather built.
i did most of my traveling with my dad when i was a teenager. Along with a love of travel, he also passed to me a love of photography. He himself is an amazing nature photographer. i love all forms of art, and photography is very close to my heart. i wanted to share a few pictures i took in West Virginia. These are about 4 years old, but some of my favorites.

Best Wishes Bird

i love this paper by My Mind's Eye, and instead of hoarding it, i am actually using it. i'd say that's mostly because i bought it as a slab (and for half-price!) so i am more apt to use it. Here's another card made with some of that paper.

There's piercing in the dotted swirls, hard to see here. The bird stamp was a dollar find at A.C. Moore, and i've gotten so much use out of it.

Other ingredients: CS - stash and Colorbok textured; stamps - Rhonna Farrer Swirls V:1, Papertrey Ink; ink - Palette Hybrid Burnt Sienna, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Alabaster; ribbon from my stash; brads - MM.

Thanks for looking, and have a great day!

Flower cards...

Sorry i've been absent for awhile! Life, as usual, can be hectic sometimes, and this takes a backseat to many other priorities. These are a few of the cards i've made in the last few weeks. i'll upload some more later, in the next day or two.

i love Brenda Walton's Garden Words stamp set, and find myself coming back to it often. The flower stamp shown here is from that set. i stamped them with Ranger Archival ink then colored them using watercolor pencils. i cut them out and attached them with brads onto the circles. It's hard to see in this picture, but there's a small yellow circle in the center behind each flower. IRL, this adds an extra "pop".

Other ingrediants: sentiment from Papertrey Ink; PP is Rob and Bob Studio; ribbon, CS and brad is from my stash; blue ink is Versamagic.

i like this card overall, but i think seeing it now that the cream CS where the sentiment is stamped is too much - i should have shrunk that down.

Ingredients: PP - Rob and Bob; CS - stash; stamps - big flower from MM foam flowers set, stem, leaves, grass from Inkadinkado's Tree set, swirls by Studio G, sentiment is Papertrey Ink; ink - Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ice Blue, Colorbox Lilac, Versamagic Spanish Olive, Ranger Archival; Ranger Star Dust Stickles (flower center); brad from my stash; pop dots.

More Rob and Bob PP!

Ingredients: PP - R and B; CS - stash; stamps - MM (dots), Papertrey Ink; ink - Colorbox Lilac, Versamagic Spanish Olive, Ranger Archival, Marvy LePlume II marker (faux stitching on border); ribbon - Wal-Mart; dimensional glue; EP; pop dots.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope everyone has a lovely day!

Independance day.

Hope everyone had a happy holiday! Every year, Paul gets fireworks, and every year Z. aches to light them off, but then gets so scared he sometimes watches from inside! i noticed this year he stayed outside the whole time - he's getting braver! Loud noises have scared him since he was a baby, and he hates when the military jets fly over and do their maneuvers. i sometimes wonder if it stems from an experience we had when he was very little, maybe 2 or 3 months old, if that. Me, mom, and Z. were at a nearby state park, high up on a ridge overlooking the dam. A military plane flew over so low to the ground and so fast that i had to cover Z. with my body and cover his ears to shield him. It was terrifying, and mom and i both screamed. The pressure was intense. Luckily, none of us suffered any damage to our hearing, but it was scary, and i imagine extremely frightening to a baby.
Tuesday night we lit a few fireworks, and i got a few good shots of Paul and Z. with sparklers. The pictures don't look as good here because i had to scale back on size for web posting (blame dial-up). In my files, they're much clearer.



Have a lovely day!