Fly a kite Congrats

How fun is this? I know this is not my typical style, but I've been feeling bright and cheerful lately so it apparently shows in my creativity! Stamps from Practicing Creativity Designs, supplies from PTI. I used my Copics to color the kites after stamping them on white and cutting them out. I LOVE the clouds in the You're Dandy set...so cute!

On another note, We had a scare here last night. My hubster was out riding his bike and was attacked by a dog that had apparently broken loose from his kennel. He got away and made it home before calling the local police to make sure the dog wouldn't hurt anyone else. The owner came home and got the dog back into its kennel and convinced Animal Control not to take it away. Poor lady was terrified we were going to sue her.

Wanna see my husband's leg? WARNING--GROSS PICTURE!

I was little perturbed that he was bleeding on the carpet while calling the police, but then he lifted up his jeans and I freaked out a bit more! lol

He's off to get a tetanus shot this morning. It's been about 13 years since his last one!

Thanks for stopping by, have a creative day!

SWEET!

Do your kids say this? It seems to be the word of choice for my 10 year old lately! Come to think of it, my best friend says it a lot too! *chuckle*

I was in the mood for bright and fun today so I thought I'd post this card I made a few days ago. I created the patterned paper on the bottom part of the nestie shape using the cool "ray" image from Practicing Creativity Designs set called You're Dandy. Wanna see how?

First I stamped the large ray image along the edge of my CS using Palette Hybrid ink in Sunflower, Orangerie, Beaux Arts Blue, Giverny Green and PTI Perfect Match ink in Pure Poppy.

The I repeated the same image in those same colors in between the first set of rays.

Last, I used a Copic Multiliner SP (this one is 0.03) to add dashed lines along the rays.

Then I just framed the section I wanted with my nestie and cut it out! I cut out another one using plain white CS and combined sections of them both together, covering the line with ribbon. The sentiment is from another set from Practicing Creativity Designs, called For the Love of Dots.

I cut the artisan edge out from the black card base and added dashed line with a white gel pen to tie in the dashed lines on the PP I created and also the ribbon. Simple and cheerful, in a nutshell.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a good one!

Couch friends

Ok, so I know this isn't a chair, but I really like that sentiment!

Notice the couch cushions? I stamped them again on an angle so the couch would look more 3D.

I had fun stamping the BG with BB: Retro in white and then adding the EE dots with a Copic to pull in the darker blue color. Rug is embossed with white e.p. and I added some simple stiching to adhere the scallops at the bottom for the sentiment.

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday. I'm keeping this short because I have a lot to do, so I'll be back tomorrow with more chatter.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dandy notecard set

Happy Saturday everyone! I've been playing with some new stamps I received in the mail yesterday from Practicing Creativity Designs. Fun, high-quality, clear images that stamp like a dream! And I'm a sucker for those dandelion images too. *wink*

I picked out six colors and their corresponding darker shades to create these notecards.

1. Lemon Tart/Summer Sunrise

2. Aqua Mist/Hawaiian Shores

3. Sweet Blush/Berry Sorbet

4. Melon Berry/Terracotta Tile

5. Spring Moss/Ripe Avocado

6. Lavender Moon/Plum Pudding

Then I stamped the fun background image of overlapping circles on each card base in three different ways. Using the darker ink, I stamped both dandelion images on Stamper's Select white CS and added the teeny tiny seeds to look like they were blowing in thew wind! A quick sentiment in black and they were done!

I really like the sentiment here, because the inside of the cards can be "Thank You", "Get Well", "Happy Birthday", "thinking of You", etc. I think I may actually give these to my mom for Mother's Day as a gift.

Thanks for stopping by today, hope you have a great day!

Another Notepad

A few weeks ago Amy posted a really great notepad that she had made for someone. She mentioned that she was always making them but didn't have one for herself. I agreed. Always making fun things for others but not for ourselves. (Isn't that just like us crafters?!) So I suggested a trade. I make one for her, and she make one for me!

This is the one I made specifically for her.

I stamped the Damask Designs image in White Snow pigment ink on Sweet blush CS and then again, slightly off-center with Sweet Blush pigment ink. It gives it an embossed look that I really like (and Amy said she thought it was flocked and tried to feel it! lol).  I stamped the text onto the Spring Moss CS with Sweet blush ink too, and then layered it with Aqua Mist CS.

Additions include buttons, Berry Sorbet ribbon, and the scalloped circle "note to self" sentiment, all on a kraft base with a white notepad inside.

It was really fun to make this for her, and it feels good to send some snail mail to someone I only know through this amazing hobby. Hope you enjoyed it too Amy!

Thanks for stopping by today! Be creative!

Spring Swap

I signed up for the Spring swap on the PTI forum a few weeks ago and this is the card I sent to my recipiant, Anika. Nothing too elaborate, but I did make a matching notepad to go with it! Don't these colors say "SPRING" to you? *smile*

Thanks for stoping by today! Have a good one!

Embossing redo

Today's card is actually a case of myself. I love doing that! Do you ever look back at your older cards and think it might be fun to "redo" them? I was perusing old blog posts from 2007 and saw this card I made while on the DT for Verve. I like using black or dark grey to ground some color when working with white. It makes things pop!

Don't you love those eyelets and that gorgeous Hawaiian Shores twill ribbon? Yum.

The main image panel is glossy white CS on which I clear embossed the butterflies and floral stems. Then I sponged ink (actually Cool Caribbean *gasp*) on top and stamped a few more butterflies and some flowers using Summer sunrise ink. Pigment ink doesn't sponge too well on glossy CS, so I had to use a dye ink and Cool Caribbean was the closest match!

Image stamps from With Sympathy (the first time I've ever inked that set up!) and the sentiment is from Giga Guidelines (I cut the 'thank' and 'you' apart so I could place them under each other instead of on top of).

Thanks for stopping by today, hope you have an artsy day!

Tuesday's child is full of...thanks?

I started this card weeks ago, but never got around to finishing it until this weekend. Sometimes when things aren't working I leave it and come back with a fresh mindset a few days (or weeks!) later. Do you ever do that?

I stated by embossing the Dahlia on vellum with white EP. Then I did this technique to make it pop, and using a Copic, colored in some small areas on the back of the vellum.

I wanted to use the Aqua Mist Bitty Dots PP, but I didn't like all the white, so I used a Copic Multiliner pen to add miniscule little black dots to the bitty white dots! lol You can see I left a few lines of white dots empty. The card base is actually Smokey Shadow, not black, which gives it a softer feel. Ocean Tides ribbon stitched with my sewing machine, and white gel pen dots along the Artisan bottom.

Today would have been my Dad's 86th birthday. He died 2 years ago and I miss him like crazy.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a great Tuesday!

Come on Spring!

Happy Monday to you all. While the sun did shine yesterday, it was still chilly outside. I want Spring to be here in FULL! I can't really get into spring cleaning mode when it's still cold...and I need to get crackin' on some indoor paint jobs.

I love Beautiful Blooms. It's such a classic set that can be used in many ways. I paired it here with a sentiment from Borders &  Corners: oval. After embossing a nestie, I masked it with eclipse tape and stamped the flowers with orange zest and raspberry fizz before adding some dotted leaves with Giverny Green (I think it's a better match than New Leaf). No ribbon, can you believe it? *grin*

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a creative day!

Celebrate

Earth Day is April 22 and I intend to celebrate fully! I am a founding member of the Olean Area Earth Day Coalition and we used to put on a huge celebration that thousands of people attended each year. Alas, we've toned it down a lot in recent years although we still hold workshops and invite the public. I've been asked to teach a workshop on "nature based crafts." It's too bad I can't use paper, ink and stamps, huh? *grin* I'm planning on clay moulding, something with naturally dyed local Alpaca wool, and maybe some re-purposed crafts (like using those old jeans and t-shirts to create something new).

I want to have a "kids" table too, and focus on homemade playdough dyed with natual substances, macaroni and dried bean collages, and making your own crayons from soy wax. Have any other ideas for me?

This card uses Becky Oehlers' adorable set, Wonderfully Whimsical. I LOVE that this particular sentiment is included! I masked the main panel and pounced Aqua Mist ink inside to make the BG for the trees. I thought about doing some distressing or inking the edges for an aged look, but decided that clean and simple was what I wanted.

Thanks for stopping by today, hope you have a GREAT Sunday!

Red Berry Birthday

Happy Saturday! We have snow here although the sun is shining, so I sent the kids outside to play. This is another card I made a few weeks ago and never had a chance to photograph. All PTI except the Cuttlebug embossing folder. I don't usually like red and pink together, but the melon berry looks alright, don't you think?

Fed Ex just dropped off our ants for the Ant Farm the kids received for Christmas, so we're off to put them into their new home! Wish me luck that my boys won't try to take the farm apart and release Western Harvester Ants into our house!

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Wishes for the men

One from the archives today as I am busy with other things and haven't been able to photograph anything new.

This was an attempt at a masculine card using butterscotch e.p with Giga Guildelines. I like the color of butterscotch e.p better than gold or copper...it's the perfect mix between the two! A small piece of PP from SU found it's way in there amongst the PTI product too! *gasp*

After it was done I tossed on those rustic wood buttons and then didn't like it. Unfourtuantely, glue dots are unforgiving, so they had to stay.*pout*

Thanks for stopping by today. TGIF!
Hope you have a great weekend!

Whimsical Thanks

Whipped this thank you card up last week but didn't get time to photograph it until today. The new formula Raspberry Fizz ink doesn't match the ribbon very well, but the idea is there! I like using the polka-dot ribbon backwards so that just a hint of polka dots show.

We had this for dinner recently. It was delicious and a perfect light spring meal. The cheese you see is fry-able, it doesn't melt so it was the perfect complement.

Halloumi Cheese with Cucumber Lentil Salad adapted and modified from The Family Chef

6 Persian cumcumbers, peeled in strips and cut into half-circles

5 ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks

2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

1 T. fresh mint, chopped

2. c. cooked Beluga lentils

3 T. Evoo

1 lemon, juiced

S&P

1 package Halloumi cheese, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Toss the first 7 ingredients together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Don't add too much salt, as the cheese is quite salty. Heat a frying pan over med-high and add a tablespoon of oil if desired. (I didn't because the cheese cooked in it's own juices and browned perfectly without it.). Place the cheese slices into the pan and saute until golden. Flip slices over and do the same. Serve warm with the cucumber salad.

Note: the Persian cukes, mint, and the Beluga lentils really MADE this meal. Try not to substitute!

Thanks for stopping by today!

PTI Princess Challenge no.5--Neutrals

I made this card right after I received my Delightful Dahlia's set last month, but I wasn't going to post it because I didn't like it enough. Something is just not quite right about it, but when I saw the most recent PTI Princess challenge by Val I knew it would be the perfect fit. "Neutrals only," she declared, "No color."

I can't take credit for the LO, it is basically CASEd from a card I saw 3 years ago now. Don't ask me where I saw it, or who made it, but I apparently sketched the LO onto a scap paper I recently found while cleaning my studio. I know it was almost 3 years ago because the scap of paper was the back of a 1st grade school paper that my now 4th grader must have brought home!

I tried to color a white button with a grey Copic, but it wasn't the perfect shade, so I covered the button with CS instead! You can also see the scalloped border on the bottom of the sentiment panel a bit better here. I was pleased to use some old eyelets too...remember those? *grin*

Thanks for stopping by on this wonderful Wednesday!

Rose colored..daffodils?

I know it's been a week since my last post. I've had no time for blog hopping or posting because I've been swamped with wedding invites for a customer. This is my busy season and I become a hermit in my studio!

Did everyone have a nice Easter? This was the first time in 3 years that we haven't had snow for Easter Sunday so we had our egg-hunt outside! See our crocuses? Yay for spring!

My mother swears there is such a thing as pink daffodils so I guess this card isn't too far-fetched.

When I have a few spare moments I've been practicing with my Copics, but I have sooo much to learn that my work sometimes feels sophomoric. I had fun with this card though, because I love the touches of Spring Moss and Avocado with Scarlet Jewel. So pretty together, don't you think?

I will get back to hopping and commenting as soon as I have more than 10 minutes on my computer, but with my regular job and the wedding customers I don't know when that will be. I miss you guys!

I thought I'd leave you with a pic of my plate for Easter Dinner. We had, as always, seitan ham (home made wheat meat) with pineapple dijon sauce, smashed red-skinned potatoes with scallions and chives, roasted asparagus and this year I added corn casserole with red peppers.

Thanks for stopping by! Regular posting to resume soon I hope!

Masculine whimsy

I finally got up the nerve to start using my much coveted Wonderfully Whimsical set designed by uber-talented Becky Oehlers. Because these types of images are not my regular style I was intimidated, but I had so much FUN with these last night! I don't know why I waited!

This card is for a guy, so I tried to leave ribbon and "extras" off, but I couldn't resist a few buttons. For masculine cards I generally try to stick to few colors or a monochromatic color scheme, so the red, white and black seemd a good fit. I really like how I can stamp the tiny sentiments right into the sign on the house...fun, fun, fun! I was worried embossing would be difficult because of the small size of the stamps, but as you can see, it was not a problem and actually looks great.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Butterfly mornings

It's Monday. I'm feeling a bit better although I can't seem to eat much besides dry Cherrios and bananas. Well actually they aren't Cheerio's brand, they are some generic organic version (I forget), but it's all the same. My kids call them "toasted oats" so they apparently aren't brand snobs either!

I realized last night while sorting through photos on my computer, that I hadn't ever posted this card. I don't know why not, I like it just fine! Years ago I saw something like this somwhere and it stuck in my head. Some of you know that I don't normally like butterfly stamps, so if you feel the need to smirk at me, go ahead *grin* but...and this is a big but here folks...I didn't actually USE any butterfly stamps! HA! I only used the die and then stamped ON the cut-out. So there. *thumphhhb*

Supplies: Background Basics: Diamonds, Background Basics: Retro, and Signature Greetings paired with Hawaiian Shores, Enchanted Evening, Ripe Avocadoa and Stampers Select White. The button had sparkly gold flecks in it, so I used a gold glitter Spica pen and added touches on the butterflies, but you can't really see them here.

Thanks for stopping by today, hope you have a great Monday!