I didn't get this card uploaded last week as I was not sure it was worth looking at, but it's growing on me. The challenge located HERE was to try something you had not tried before. This was a stretch for me. I am not sure what to call it, but will tell you what I did.
Good Morning
I think the fun of making this card was the newspaper. It's a 1987 newspaper from somewhere in PA and came to me as packing in a box that held a small Christmas tree from someone's mom. I save all the really good stuff and this fit in that catagory. This is for the Featured Stamper challenge over on Splitcoast located HERE. I needed a Masculine card or at least practice making them. Right now they are a challenge so I am practicing. This one probably has too much "stuff" on it, but here it is anyway. I glued the newspaper onto cardstock, stamped the Unity jeep on cardstock and die cut it with Spellbinders. Strips of cardstock are scraps (all scraps are good) and the sentiment is Rubbernecker. Works for me, but then I'm a Girl!
This is my card for the HSCRC13 Challenge and is #4. The Hymn is Worthy of Worship. I found this stamp that says it all. It's Psalm 96:4. For my verse I used I Chronicles 16:25a which says, "For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise". Amazing that these two verses are almost alike. So many times things are repeated in the Bible. Maybe it's so if we miss it the first time, we'll find it in another spot.
This is the third HSCRC13 Hymn and Scripture Challenge located here. The hymn is My Faith Looks Up to Thee and I have found my verse. I took part of Jeremiah 31:13. There is a line in the third verse of the song that goes, "Bid darkness turn to day; Wipe sorrow's tear's away. I based my card on this line. Interesting situation at work this week. On Friday we had no money for Payroll. We needed enough by Monday or we would have to hold the payroll. My faith felt very small on Friday - especially as we all knew there was no mail on Monday and usually very little comes on Saturday. But the Son was shining and more than enough came in Saturdays's mail to make Payroll. God is good.
Good Monday Morning (I'm pretty sure anyway) Haven't had time to check much yet and Monday's can fool with you.
This second card is my favorite. I love Paper Piecing and I just did the same thing with denim. This time it's thick denim from old jeans. You will need a sissor that cut heavy cloth for this. I stamped the balloons on the Recollections cardstock and then stamped it again on the denim. I cut out the balloon parts and glued them right where they fit. Tombo Mono glue works well here.
I hope you are having a wonderful day. We have more than 3" of light and fluffy snow today. It's more than we have had all year and is so pretty. I like at least one good snowstorm in winter and some pretty snow. This counts as pretty, but not the storm. And I watch the storms from INSIDE in case you wondered.
This is my card for the current Queen on Splitcoaststampers.com located here. I used two Victorine Originals snowman stamps for this card. I used a scrap of dp for the background, then embossed a piece of white CS and tore it for the snow on the bottom. Next I glued on the snowmen, gluing only the bottoms so they stand out a bit from the background. The snowflakes are ProvoCraft dies - some of my very first and I glued them on. Then I colored the noses, and scarf, hat and arms on the right with copics. I think they are so cute.
Today I made another batch of Homemade Granola. I wish I could share with all of you. I found a recipe in a magazine - Feb 2012 - and decided to try it. The first time I burned it really bad and had to pick out all the dried fruit and pitch it, but I practiced and it's downright good now.
The recipe is from a Vermont Maple Farm and was from Country Living Magazine. I just wanted granola - not overly healthy, or astoundingly gorgeous to look at - but just good tasting granola that I could eat for breakfast every day because my doctor said my cholesterol needed help. This is what I found.
 I don't know about you, but I usually have a tough time with Winter Decorations for my house. I think it's maybe because all the glitz and glory of Christmas and then Winter is here is full force and I feel SO PLAIN. And what can you do with "plain". I try to make some simple seasonal decorations from things I already have around the house. Goodwill is a good spot, but I already have LOTS from Goodwill so I just start digging. This decoration is in a small corner by the front door, at the foot of our stairway and is intended to move your thoughts to Valentine's Day. I have lots of "collections" and at my house something that you have more than two of is a collection. I have more than two Vintage Purses, more than two Vintage Hats and at least two Vintage Umbrellas, so we started there. The lampstand is from Goodwill. I found it this fall. The cord was already cut off and the hat or whatever else I put on usually covers the "lampy" part on top. Bob is an electrician and will take it apart for me in a minute if I ask, but as long as it doesn't show, I am fine using it as a display. Goodwill has lots of different kinds of these. The hunt is the best part. The cloth is probably a yard of something I couldn't resist once and is not hemmed, but just put over the round covered box underneath. I store wrapping paper in there. I am not completely happy with this and keep moving the purse around. I might try one that lays flat next. This one has to be propped and I want the lampstand base to show. Any ideas are welcome. I sure won't feel offended. |
Sometimes I struggle with making a card and sometimes I just have a ball. Today I had a ball. I wanted to try out my new Memory Box dies and I got a chance to do it - with a bit of a "wild hair" added on this Splitcoaststampers Wed. Sketch. I used yellow cardstock for the first die cut which is the Cityscape Silhouette. They I cut the Cityscape Nightline out of black and put them together. I wanted a big moon and Nestabilities Petite Oval came to mind, so there you have it. That's a BIG moon. I did change some shapes and flip the sketch, but I think that's ok. I added the red flower instead of the bow on the sketch sample. The flower is Memory Box Honeyblossom Sprig. What a cute name for a die. The stars are from one of my oldest ProvoCraft dies. I don't know the name but it's stars and snowflakes and I use them all the time. The sentiment is my only stamp and is Victorine Originals. I hope you like it too.
Today is the day we take down Christmas. It always gives me a few sad feelings. Seems as if I am "undoing" the joy it gave me to trim the tree - hanging all the homemade ornaments made by the grandkids when they were small and beautiful ornaments made over the years by my more artistic friends. I know this is not the case, but you know "feelings". They sometimes tell the truth and sometimes they don't. When the tree comes down, they LIE a lot. I first need to "undress" the tree and then take a few walks around the house to find things like my jar with the vintage ornaments and cookie cutters that's on top of the kitchen bookcase. I think one year that one stayed up all year. (There's no excuse for me) We seem to collect doorbell ringers - you know thos pretty decorated big bells that you hang on the doorknob and they jangle loudly when someone walks in? They are packed in their boxes.
The Manger is empty. It was under the tree and is now all folded up and packed away. The angel over the doorway blowing the trumpet to announce the birth of Jesus has been taken down and is replaced by a Winter Greetings snowman sign. The sparkley garland on the mantel is down, but I did leave some of the other pretty stuff that just says "Winter" to me. (Happy thoughts) There are several spots in the house that are filled with greens from our bushes outside and the greens are now bone dry. I worry about the ones on the mantel as we have had lots of fires this weekend. So those greens will go today, but I may replace them with new ones soon. Greens are SO NICE in winter and we have so many bushes that need trimming. So most of my part is done. Now Bob will take the lights off the tree and it will go outside for the birds for the rest of winter. I hope taking down Christmas is not sad for you. January is a good cooking month. Get out some of your good recipes and dream a bit today.
It's no fun being sick all week and especially on Christmas Week. I have not accomplished much as I get way too tired out, but I AM pleased with this card that I made for the Queen for the Day Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers. QFTD145 is located here. The End of Year Challenge was to find the person who was Queen nearest your birthday and I was pleased to get Roberta. I had not been able to make a card in her honor then. Too much partying you think??
I sure do hope everyone is getting shopping, cleaning, cooking and traveling all done in time for Christmas. I am kind of stuck in the middle of all this and my poor dog is wondering just what is going on. Because I am so far behind, I am posting this Birthday Card for my friend, Teri. I will also send it, but it will be late. 
Most of the cards start out white or off white, so I am going to put down the steps as well as I can. On the above card this was the order. The polka dot background, next the Christmas light sticker, then the corner doily and last of all the greeting, flower and gold cord.
I have this wonderful Art Impressions graduation stamp that I just love. So all my Congratulations/Graduation cards get made this way. I use the school colors which are usually on the announcement. This one is for a graduate from Ohio State University. As you can see, the colors are red and white. It's done in Print Shop Deluxe and is a tri-fold card size, but I cut off the third "flap". "On Your Graduation" is printed on the front. Then I glued a piece of red cardstock across from the greeting, stamped on white and glued it to the red with a border showing. I added the piece of flower to this one because this is a girl and she is an artist. I always love how they turn out. They fit perfectly this size in a #9 envelope, but as you can see, you can cut off the top and bottom quite a bit for a different fit. Try it.
Still working on Christmas cards, so this had to be one. This is my card for the Inspiration Challenge on splitcoaststampers.com located here
The Sketch Challenge on splitcoaststampers.com this week was a challenge for me. It reminded me of a half shuffled deck of cards, and what do you do with that? Shuffle it some more, so that's what I did. Lately when we drive in to work in the morning, the sun is just coming up, and beside complaining because it's in my eyes, I do enjoy the beauty of it. Some days it's been awesome. It starts low as a big orange ball. Then you see it through the trees and finally it's over the top. Just glorious. I am such a wannabe artist that I tried to capture it here. The sun is made with a cork and PSX ink. The other images are all Victorine Originals and you can find them here. The flowers are silk from Michaels. When they get to $1 a stem, I get some and take them all apart. My background paper is Basic Grey and the tissue strip is Tim Holtz.
This is my card for the Technique Lovers Challenge on 12-3-12 . This is the link. www.splitcoaststampers.com My computer is not cooperating right now. The challenge is to build a snowman. The idea here was that the snow was falling and the snowman was just waiting to be built. I think he's waiting for a body. I used ProvoCraft dies for the snowflakes and punches for the eyes and cut out my own hat and scarf. Cheesecloth provided the snowbank.
I am extremely behind again and am starting to think it will be this way for the rest of the year. (I was going to say "life") We have to think positive. This is my card for the Inspiration Challenge for Sat. 12-1-12 located here. The inspiration site was a wonderful place called Signals and I was inspired by the Caroline Abalone Cuff . If you are looking, you need to click on the LARGE view for my inspiration. The brown background is embossed with an inked folder and the sides are torn. This CS was adhesive backed, so it tore really well.
Hi Everyone, I am so pleased with this card that I just had to post it. This was made for the Inspiration Challenge on Splitcoaststampers.com last Sat. Took me this long to get it done. (IC365) Check it out. I started with a piece of Basic Grey Aged and Confused cardstock. I first stamped a Victorine Originals evergreen branch two timea and then two different greetings - Victorine Originals Christmas Wishes and a Stampin' Up Holiday Greetings that I think I picked up at a thrift shop. The ornaments are the fun part. I used a Basic Grey 6x6 paper pad print and stamped the Stampin' Up ornaments - one with Close to my Heart and one with Ranger inks. Then I used the dies and cut them out and embossed the edges. They were already looking pretty good to me at that point, but I wanted a bit of sparkle, so I had two square charms in a bag and I attached one to each ornament with a gold brad. I love them and want to make more.
Thanksgiving at our house is a menagerie of people who like to play games, watch football and do crafts. On occasion we do a Thanksgiving craft and many times we have done Gingerbread houses as was the case this year. This is my grandson, Ryan, and I at the start. Usually I don't get to make one because I am so busy beating the frosting, but this year I threatened them with taking turns doing the beating and they were all very careful and used small amounts so I never had to make a second batch. :)
This is the end result. I call it The Neighborhood. There was one more, but she managed to get away before the picture was taken. No one EVER likes what they built. Mine is the one with the TV tower. There is also a pool in back that you can't see made from Sweet Tarts. 