Happy Anniversary

So although Sunday was our 6th wedding anniversary, my hubster took me on a mystery trip on Saturday to...Pollywog Holler Eco-resort! It was amazing! You actually have to hike in to get to the main lodge and even further away was our lean-to where we slept.
There is no electricity, just lanterns, and even the showers were solar-powered and from a gravity fed spring. All the building were made by hand by the owners from trees and fallen logs in the area. There was a wood-fired sauna, an amazing vegetarian meal (catered just for us) cooked over a wood burning stove and all the complimentary home-made wine we could drink! (a bit too much it turned out when we tried to walk to our bed later that night!) A fire was ready and burning for us when we got back to our lean-to and it was very peaceful and romantic out in the woods with only the crickets and frogs to serenade us, and the water gently lapping at the sides of the pond.
We were served a wonderful breakfast the next morning and spent some time hiking around the place and discovering some of the amazing art "gifts" and sculptures that have been donated and placed in the woods by many people throughout the past 30 years the place has been in business. This place is not everyone's "cup of tea" but it sure was perfect for us and our anniversary celebration! I'll share a few photos at the end of this post.

Onto today's card. This is the first card I made when I received the PTI anniversary set, Everyday Classics, in March this year. It wasn't made for anyone specifically, but I thought it appropriate for a post about my anniversary!

I also used the leaf image from First Fruits. All supplies are PTI except black ep and black ink (Ranger). I love the look of black embossing on black CS...seems elegant.

Now for some photos of our trip!

I was still clueless at this point, so when we started driving off into the woods on a dirt road I made him tell me more!

This is the entrance to the resort. I thought it looked like a giant jungle-gym!

Loved this tiny mushroom entrance building with the wild flowers growing on top! The roof was an inverted recycled satellite dish!

This was the entrance into the sculptural art forest. We hiked back into there for a ways before coming to this:

The main lodge! The stream running in front was so nice.

We took a quick photo in the woods too! Isn't my hubster a cutie?! *grin*

This was a finished dome house that you could stay in. We saw it through the woods while hiking in. It has the only 8 foot diameter "Floating bed" on the East coast. Cool!

Another view of the Phantasy Dome and the pond in front. If we go back we want to stay here.

This was our lean-to and bed for the night. It was so refreshing to sleep with only a curtain separating us from this amazing view of our own pond!

View from the bed. You can see a bit of the roof in the photo.

This was the bath house, with a composting toilet and a solar-powered spring-fed shower. Love the trees growing off the roof!

I took this photo of my hubby walking around one of the ponds and I loved the contrast of the trees reflected in the water. He almost blends in!

The fire they built for us while we were at the wine bar! It was so nice to go back to our lean-to and see this waiting for us!

The next morning we started the fire again, although we were not cold at all. We really did have perfect weather for this excursion. I'm so lucky.

Thanks for stopping by today, I know personal photos can be boring but I had to share my "mystery anniversary trip" with everyone. *wink*

Orange is the best color ever

Good Morning everyone! I've scheduled this post because by the time you read it, I will be on the road headed for unknown lands! tee hee.
My hubster has been planning a "Mystery Trip" for months now for our anniversary weekend (our actual day is tomorrow the 23rd) and he won't tell me a thing about it! I'm terribly excited, but I told him he had to let me know EXACTLY what to pack, because I was not going to pack dress clothes only to find out we were camping and vice versa. Can you imagine?! (that is SO like my husband too *grin*)

Onto today's card...isn't it pretty? OOPS. We're not supposed to like our work, right? Well, I love this card. Possibly due to the fact that orange is my favorite color of all time, but maybe because green and purple rank right up there too!

Uses PTI's Beautiful Blooms and Mixed Messages. It's pretty self-explanatory though, don't you think? Some ink, a few stamps and buttons and ribbon! Ok, vintage cream CS, Ripe avacado hybrid ink and ribbon, orangerie hybrid ink, plum pudding hybrid ink and buttons, cream twine, orange buttons, Ranger archival black ink.

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll tell you all about our mystery trip when I return on Monday!

Thanks for stopping by today,

Pastel Autumn

Did everyone have a good Thursday evening? My hubster always has band practice on Thursdays so the kids and I usually plan a "fun-food" night. This time my four year old choose to have Spring Rolls for dinner. YUM! My sister-in-law is from Vietnam and she taught me how to make them many years ago...they are perfect for hot summer nights.So although one of my newest PTI stamp sets is called Autumn Tags, I just kept picturing pastel colors with this particular stamp. No matter what pretty fall colors I tried, it wasn't working. Clearly, I gave up! *grin*
I used my score-pal to emboss diagonal lines across the aqua base, and two of my border punches on the spring moss and white CS. Stamped with the newly reformulated Aqua Mist (LOVE it!) I added the sentiment in Enchanted Evening on top.
I added those tiny leaf clusters behind the button after stamping them in spring moss. The leaves are from the new Scattered Showers additions set!

Doesn't the button match the lavender moon PP perfectly? Shhhh...don't tell but the button is from the Sweet Blush button collection! It's amazing how well the pink buttons match the pale lavender color. Love that!

So thanks for stopping by today, TGIF!

Put the lime in the coconut...

I'm trying out a "Wordless Wednesday" post.
Well, almost...*smile*

Dana

Eat dessert first!

Yum! Anyone for a cupcake this morning?

I was going for a simple look here, with some kraft CS, a few ribbons and a cupcake topped with lots of fluffy frosting.
I tried to emboss a label shaped nestabilities onto the front to frame the cupcake, but it doesn't show very well in the photo. Can you see it there?

I love cupcakes. I used to make them frequently, but have backed off for the summer, because who wants to bake when it's hot out, right? *grin* Plus, the frosting melts too quickly and slides off the top!
My nephew just got engaged and he and his bride-to-be have asked that I make cupcakes for each guest instead of a wedding cake. I'm so excited! 200 mini cakes? How awesome is that?! The ideas are swirling around my head as to color, flavor, design, fillings, etc. It's like edible art!

This card was inspired by this one here on Taheerah's blog. I liked the look of the cupcake alone with a few lines accross the bottom. Thanks for the inspiration Taheerah!
I stitched the ribbons on, added some matching buttons with twine (LOVE how that stuff matches kraft cardstock perfectly!) and topped the frosting with liquid applique to make it puff up. I also added a touch of glitter to the frosting, but, again, you can't see it in the photo. This card uses all PTI supplies, including Cupcake Collection.

Thanks for stopping by today!
Dana

More Button Bits!

Happy Monday all! (at least it is for all you mom's out there where school is already in session, right?!) We don't start back until September 9, and we'll be changing things up a bit this year with both boys attending private school. Our youngest is delirious to start Kindergarten...me? well I'm a nervous wreck! It's quite a long bus ride too, and since we get over 300 inches of snow every winter I'm feeling iffy.

Onto today's card. I was really excited to put together all these colors, but was disappointed once I was done. Somehow it seemed better before I assembled it, if you know what I mean. The IDEA seemed better than the actual PRODUCT.

Raspberry Fizz, Chocolate, Whisper White, Lavender Moon, Aqua Mist. It looks too "put together" or something. But I do love the stamp set, Everyday Button Bits! I also used Background Basics:Retro for the chocolate card base. I can't get enough of that set and use it frequently. Don't you like white ink on Chocolate? Scrumptious! I also think the photo is a bit washed out, but because I already sent this card out, I can't re-take it! Love those buttons though...*grin*

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday and thanks for stopping by!

Dana

Sending a smile

Good morning, good morning! What are your plans for today? We're going to my mom's in the Finger Lakes (2 1/2 hour drive) to pick up our oldest son. He's been having a great time at Grandma's house these past few weeks.

I was up late last night for the newest Papertreyink release. Woohooo, what a party on the forum until the wee hours! Some lovely new stuff was released too.

Onto today's card.
I thought I had previously posted this card but apparently forgot. It uses Everyday Button Bits and Background Basics: Retro. I had some scraps lying around my desk and when I saw them together I knew I wanted to use them on a card. They were so pretty! Berry Sorbet, Melon Berry, and Spring Moss PP. Paired with Kraft and a bit of chocolate it all came together perfectly, don't you think? I embossed the card base with a CB folder, then rubbed it with fresh snow ink to make the raised dots more prominent. Not having a scalloped punch, I drew and cut my own for the edge, sewed new leaf buttons onto the stamped trees, added sentiment and some ribbon and called it done! Everything is PTI.

I hope you have a wonderful Saturday, thanks for stopping by!

Dana

Life is Great!

I keep telling myself, "tomorrow's Friday, just hang in there"but it's hard isn't it? Seems like it's all I can do just to make it through the week sometimes.
Then I think about how wonderful my life really is, and I feel as if I should celebrate! How lucky are most of us, really? Things could always be worse...we have so much to be thankful for.

This card is a result of a few scraps lying on my desk that caught my eye and made me see something beyond the obvious (scraps, that is.)
It came together so quickly that I hardly had time to think any of the process through! How serendipitous is that? (is that even a word?)

I'm keeping it simple today. You guys know how to put a card together anyway! All supplies PTI.

Think happy thoughts. Be grateful. Delight in life.

Thanks for stopping by.
Dana

Raspberry Suite Color challenge #14

Trying to step outside my comfort zone with one of Dawn's color challenges. Red, pink, and purple? You must be joking! I would never put these colors together if it weren't for the creative genius of Dawn. She's simply amazing. She inspires me to no end with her talent to think outside the box!
I fiddled around for quite some time, not really "feeling it". Finally, after walking away for a spell, I came back and all my pieces just fell into place! I'm actually delighted with my effort here.
Using Tim Holtz mini masks, I covered the vintage cream CS base with some of my favorite flourish masks and sponged on Raspberry Fizz ink. Once removed, I had these pretty cream swirls that really stood out.
After adding a strip of Plum Pudding CS stamped in Vintage Cream ink with Damask Designs, all I had to do was add the Scarlet Jewel ribbon and a flower (stamped and cut out) from Friends 'til the End. Of course then I put on some finishing touches...buttons! Ending with a sentiment from Mega Mixed Messages and a line drawn with a copic marker to match Scarlet Jewel, I called it done!

What do you think? Does purple, pink, red, and cream seem like a crazy color combo? Maybe, but I think I pulled it off. *grin* Thanks for the challenge Dawn!

And thanks for stopping by this evening folks...I appreciate it.

Dana

Bicycle race

Hello all! Well, the rain hasn't stopped, but it sure has gotten muggy and humid out! We're a bike riding family, and frequently go on long rides with a picnic here in the country. Our 4 year old is learning to ride withOUT his training wheels and is very excited when he does it.
Want to know a secret about this card? I used my copics for the first time on it! Crazy huh?
I know. I've had them for months and months, but have been too scared to use them! So silly of me, as I used to LOVE coloring as a child and even as a teen too. It was just like riding a bicycle! So easy and all my coloring techniques came back to me quickly, no learning curve.
The base of Plum Pudding was stamped with Polka Dot basics in plum pudding ink and the outlined with vintage cream. I used the Everyday Button Bits for the bicycle and sentiment. Matted it with Summer Sunrise and then tied the whole thing with a Hibiscus ribbon. See how I cut out the "Wishes" part of the sentiment? I liked the ribbon where it was but didn't want to cover up the word, so I stamped it again and placed it on top!

Thanks for stopping by today!
It feels good to be blogging again.

Dana

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down...

I used to love singing that song down the halls in HS with a dear friend on Mondays. Although I like rain, we've had a surplus of it this summer, and today so many places are flooded, roads are closed, and power is out. I dropped my son off at daycare this morning (he goes to the Learning Center at one of the ski resorts here) and the entire resort had no power. It was a madhouse of yelling, running children inside that building with no lights on! *grin*

I wish it would stop raining here in western NY, and give us a few warm, summery days. Soon it will be snowing and I will have missed summer altogether!

I started this card by paper piecing the umbrella from Scattered Showers with Green Tea Leaves PP from PTI. Then I used my new score-bug embosser with my score-pal to create dotted score marks like rain on my card base. I love how that looked, and once I added some glitter, it was even better. Just like rain! (It doesn't show up very well on the photo though)

Keeping it simple, I added the sentiment and a button and a tiny scrap of ribbon. Then in a fit of insanity, I decided to scallop the bottom of the card and pierce it. I didn't like it, but I was stuck with it anyway! *smile*

So keep your chin up on this dreary, rainy Monday. Or, better yet, if it's sunny and warm where you are, send some my way, please.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Dana

My Favorite Things Exchange

Up for something fun?
Nichole, over at Casa De Leche is hosting a summer fun exchange. I just signed up and am hoping some of you will too! How fun is this idea? You put a few of your favorite things into a box, mail it to someone, and get a box in return of someone else's favorite things.
I'm already thinking about what is going into the box...
--a copy of my favorite book
--some PTI ribbon, buttons and white CS
--smarties (YUM!)
--my favorite recipes?
--a CD of some of my fave songs
--what else? (I probably shouldn't put fruit in the box although I love it!)

This is almost like a RAK, only you are sure to get one in return (and it's not so random...).

So click on the logo above and sign up!
I'll be back this evening with another card.

Dana

Did I say I loved fruit?

A few days ago this card came to me in a dream. Seriously! I woke up, sketched it out on the pad I keep by my bed and then earlier last week executed it in my studio. It turned out just as I has pictured. Love the bright colors together with the white. Do you ever dream of cards and layouts? Seems crazy, but it happens frequently to me.

I don't have the new scalloped punch that seems to be appearing everywhere, so I just drew some waves and cut them out approximately. But the white border punch underneath made it look really crooked! Oh well, it's art, right?

The cherry stamp is from PTI's new Everyday Button Bits stamp set.

I originally thought I wouldn't get this set, but at the last second added it to my cart and have been loving it ever since!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Dana

I love Pears!

I have been collecting pear images for many years, so the latest stamp release from PTI, Fruitful, was "pear-fect" for me! *groan* Fruit just seems to call to me, both in stamping and in eating. We eat a LOT of fruit in my household.
After inking up the pear image several times using the rock-n-roll technique, I cut three of them out and added some stems and leaves. I love how each element is separate, so it can be a different color!Doesn't it look good with the raspberry fizz and lemon tart colors? I used another PTI set, Background Basics: Text style, to stamp some background interest on the yellow behind the pears. I also decided to leave the sentiment off this one until I need it for a specific occasion. (Who am I kidding? I'm keeping this card for myself! *grin*)

So thanks for putting up with my long absence. What with my husband's bicycle accident and subsequent broken leg, finishing the applications for my children to attend private school, my four-year-old having his tonsils out and tubes put in his ears, summer vacation, family reunions, and my crazy work schedule now that the Emerald Ash Borer is in NY, it's a miracle that I have ANY time to stamp!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll have more in the next few days too!

Dana

Blog Hop night!

Well it's that time again. Yes, it's blog hop night with PTI! Last month was my first one and I was so inspired by all the samples, that I decided to participate again.

Here was the challenge: For this month's Blog Hop, we want to see all of your very best backgrounds. They can be created with a set originated for that purpose or a reinvention of images that were not.

I wanted to use a set that wasn't intended for making backgrounds, so I dug out Limitless Labels. Although I've used it frequently for mini chocolate gifts, I wanted to see what I could do if I tried to make my own PP with it!

Here is the sheet of CS that I stamped using raspberry fizz, summer sunrise, and new leaf inks. I added the sentiment in black.
When I cut it up to use on my card, I decided it needed more "umphfff." So I stamped the flower in new leaf ink all over the background to fill in the white parts.

Doesn't that look better? Working with these bright colors is not generally my style, but branching out is always good, right? *grin* All supplies are PTI except for the white ep.

I have a book discussion tonight at the library, but I can't wait to come home and hop around checking out everyone's backgrounds!

Thank you for stopping by this evening...have fun continuing on your blog hop!

Scrapbook layouts!

I am not a scrapbooker by any means. In fact, before these five LOs, I have only ever made one layout before (12x12, for a friend, in 2004). So imagine my surprise to be an honorable mention in the March Guest Star Stamper contest at Papertreyink! I am truly honored.



All supplies and stamps are PTI, except some of the buttons.

Thanks for stopping by on this beautiful Tuesday morning!

The re-emergence of the A7

A long time ago in a studio craft room very close by...the A7 sized card was very popular. Then stamping was discovered and the A7 became obsolete as the newer, better, smaller A2 sized was instituted.

Just for old-time's sake I thought I'd make a larger card like I used to. I miss the freedom of the larger canvas, and have several stamps that are better suited to big spaces.

This is for my great-niece Elizabeth who will be 9 in a few weeks. She is very artsy and loves to create things with paper and glitter and glue and beads and markers and stickers and...*grin*

All supplies except image stamp, claret ink and brown brad are PTI. The berry/vine stamp is from Stampington.
I like how cheerful and spring-like this card is. I'm happy with how it turned out too! (is that okay to say?) Maybe some more A7 cards are in my future...

Thanks for stopping by! I hope I've inspired YOU to change up your canvas size today.

Amazing story

I just have to share this adorable video story. What an imagination this girl has!


Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

Simple Little Things

Happy Tuesday blogworld! Although it was 3 degrees outside this morning, and we still have snow on the ground, I am feeling chipper and hopeful that spring is right around the corner! (Hey, a girl can hope, right?)
The layout of this card is one I use frequently. I call it my "go-to" sketch. I first used it here for a Halloween card in 2007. I know most folks like to start with a sketch, or a color combo, or even a stamp set and go from there, and they'll stick to that. But I use all three (and more) and never begin a card the same way. It depends on my mood. For this one, I stared with a sheet of shiny, glittery dark blue CS. I purchased this stuff from PTI when it first came out, but hadn't even opened the package yet. And from there it just blossomed into a thank you card in red, white and blue! I used only the stamp set Simple Little Things, last year's anniversary set from PTI. Starting with the spring rain CS, I repeatedly stamped the cross/flower type image in a pattern and then enhanced it with white gel pen. The main image was stamped in dark blue ink and then red gel pen used to accent the tiny flowers. The strip of PP came from PTI's Men of Life paper pack.
Can you see the sparkly-ness of the base CS? It's awesome.

Thanks for stopping by. I wish you all a bit of happiness today!

Something Special

It's Monday. 'Nuff said, right?

I don't feel like chatting much, but you won't mind, right? Image and sentiment from CHF. All paper, CS and ribbon from PTI. I used a shadow ink cube from Hero Arts to do the pale blue rectangle (DTP inside a nestie), and Dark Chocolate from PTI with Versamark for the image.
Thanks for stopping by, hope your Monday turns out fantastic!