Featured Stamper 275

Good Morning,  I hope you all had a very nice Mother's Day and got to spend it with Mom or at least Family.  I did.  My sister and I like to do a challenge together and we got to do that.  This card is for two - the Featured Stamper on Splitcoast located here and the Victorine Originals Challenge starting today with free stamps for the winning entry.  My two rusty/peachy scraps are Basic Grey, the plaid is a 6x6 Echo Park mat stack and the dictionary page with Mother is from a vintage dictionary cut with a Spellbinders Nestabilities Label Die.  There is vintage lace across the center.  I paper pieced the little mouse.  I just LOVE paper piecing and I thought the matching plaid balloon was cool.  I stuck the Prima on with a large matching brad, sewed on the butterfly and glued on the MOM beads.

QFTD111 - Betty

I'm up for two today, but now the rush is on.  This is my card for the Queen for the Day 111 located here.  The Queen is Betty Wright and there was not ONE card in her gallery that I felt I could do easily.  All gorgeous cards.  So I fudged a bit and this came out OK.

Sympathy

Good Morning,  Oh oh, it's afternoon.  Hard to believe it's not the middle of the night or the end of the day.  I got a card made BEFORE that today.  This is for the Technique Lovers Challenge 376 located here.  This is my idea of Paper Piecing today.  I "borrowed" some Stampin' Up stems to put my cut out flowers on and colored them with a Copic.  I seem to have a lot of plain flower stamps with no stems, so I borrowed.  Don't even know the name of the set.  I assume it was from a rummage.  Next I stamped All Night Media music on the top layer and distressed it.  Yup.  It's the card today and not me.  I'm thankful for that. I stamped my new Judith flower and cut it out, coloring the center with that same copic and inking the edges.  Next I curled the flowers a little and popped it up.  The sentiment is computer generated and punched.

Butterflies in the Night

This doesn't happen often, but I could NOT sleep last night - for whatever reason.  I hate tossing and turning.  Seems like such a waste of time.  If I'm going to waste time, I'd like to do it my way, so I got up and headed for the craft room.  At first I just sat there being mad because I couldn't sleep.  Then I started nosing around in the still not unpacked stamps and things that I had bought at a recent stamp fair.

I dug out this grand background by Impression Obsession which measures 5.5 x 5.5" and wondered what I would ever use it on.  When is a bargain NOT a bargain?? My cards are all A2 size.  I stared at it for awhile and then stamped it on a piece of scrap.  It was love at first sight and I knew I had to overcome.   Whooie!  I can almost compete with Basic Grey!   So I inked up a little more than half of it and stamped it on a piece of cardstock with CTMH Desert Sand.  Next I stamped the Stampendous dandelion seed heads with the same color and by then I thought I needed to make at least 25 more of this same card!   How I ever got back to sleep after this, I don't know, but then I decided it needed some color, so I dug in my "small scrap bag" and came up with some very nice matching scraps just big enough to cut a Nestability Butterfly, and I cut three of them and embossed them all.  I think I went to sleep because I felt satisfied.  I love it.

Thankful for You

No I'm not trying to catch up because I don't think I ever will.  This is my card for yesterday's Featured Stamper on Splitcoast located here.  I had a terrible time with the mathmatics of the flower hanging over the circle.  I didn't have a flower that had a big enough bloom to suit me and the smaller ones looked funny.  I cut the flower out instead of stamping the circle as that's what I could NOT figure out.  The stamp has to be just right in my brain, and cutting out a lilac was not a good idea.  It would have looked nice, but I quit in the middle.  :(  This one makes me feel good even if it IS out of season.  The big bloom is cut out of designer paper and popped up.  I like it.

I may even get a chance to look at today's challenges as dinner is leftovers.

May Flowers

Good Monday, Everyone.
The sun is out today.  Yay!  And today is the start of a new challenge on the Victorine Originals Blog located here.   My tulips in the yard have lasted SO long this year and are still blooming.  I have one row of red ones that looks something like this, so I am giving them a special spot.  They are the good kind that have been coming up every year since we bought this place.

Spring is really here and my plate is getting full.  Somebody asked me to do a craft sale for church in the fall and my brain is going crazy over that already.  Yeah!  I said, "Yes".  If it's Fall, I think I can do boxes of greeting cards, and maybe some wreaths.  I'm getting excited already.

DandeLIONS

I'm a little bit late on everything this week.  I had some gum surgery on Tues and have been taking it easy.  So I get on here and find they "changed the look" on me.  Now I get to figure it out all over again.  :(  Here I am posting my Splitcoast Stampers card from Monday whose theme was "At the Zoo".  I don't own any zoo animal stamps, but I figured there are lots of dandeLIONS at the zoo, so here you have it.

I am also excited about my latest Spring Project.  I drove to the bank one day and saw some unique Garden Art on the way.  Someone had painted all sort of  hmm (dishes, pans and plates) to look like mushrooms and put them upside down on posts in their garden.  I headed immediately to the thrift shop to find some of my own.  I found about 5 stainless steel bowls and am in the process of spray painting them.  So far I'm having a bit of trouble as it's still too cold for paint to dry and I made a real mess the first time.  Bob has a great fear of my spray painting in the basement.  I can't imaging why.  I will post some pictures as soon as I can get something that resembles a mushroom.

My Spring Flowers

These are two pictures that I took of my flowers today just before lightning struck and the power went out.  Bob and I decided to walk the dog before the rain came.  We headed down the road in front of our house, got almost to the end and I felt a huge raindrop splash on my face.  We turned around the decided to get home as soon as we could.  We got about 3 houses from the corner, there was a loud noise and we saw a "fireball" on top of the power pole.  I turned around and Bob was ducking.  From what is what I wondered.  A reaction, I guess as he was in the middle of the road.  The lightning had hit the pole, burned out the fuses and "chewed" through the steel  wire holding up the pole. (No, it didn't fall), but it took out power to 93 homes.  Bob is an electrical contractor and knew just who to call and the power company had it fixed in a couple hours, but this was the closest I had ever been outside and unprotected when lightning struck and it was a bit unnerving.  I am thankful for God's protection.

Playing with Round

I think I'm in a Brown mood today, and Tim Holtz helps fill things in.  This is my card for the Splitcoast Stampers challenge SC380 located here.  I found out after starting that circles are a real challenge for me.  Maybe because I don't use them in a "bunch" very often.  So I got out my Tim Holtz Mat Stacks and started making circles.

After a couple, I decided it needed to be more interesting, and since one of my favorite things to do on cards is add unique things that I have found - even if it's on my tabletop, I started looking around.  Both the watch face and the clock hand were on the tabletop just waiting to be used.  I found the felt flower, Tim Holtz text flower and the button sticker in my flower drawer.  I really wanted a black flower for the smaller circle, but I must have used them all.  The key is from a little container of charms and finally, I DO like how it turned out.  It may have lifted my mood to "tan".

Cabin in the Woods

Happy Day after Easter.  Our Easter was a good one.  I hope yours was too.  This card is for the Splitcoast Queen for the Day challenge #107 located here.
I started with a piece of gold cardstock, embossed  in my Cuttlebug with a woodgrain embossing folder.  Then I added just the TOP paper from a piece of corrugated cardboard that I had sprayed and peeled off.  It was curled and I had a hard time keeping it from crawling off the piece underneath, so I attached it with brads.  The black square - which looks brown - is distressed on the edges.  Next I added the moon which is just a circle punched out of yellow cardstock. Then I stamped the trees with VersaMark and clear embossing powder.  Tthe Art Impressions cabin is stamped with Ranger Vintage Photo,  cut out and glued on. The sentiment is computer generated.

   My better half likes to talk about running away to a cabin in the woods when things get rough.  He has been talking about it lately, so I made him one.  (I'd probably have to go along to cook.) Don't you think?

Back in the Day

Good Morning.   I am running crazy.  I needed a haircut, but my girl is not in this morning, so I bought a little time and have done the Splitcoast IC331 Challenge.  The website to be inspired by is Soul-Flower and it took me back to the 70's.  We know I save everything and I found a bag of yoyos from the 70's that I had bought at a rummage.  Someone was making a wonderful patchwork vest and sewing the yoyos on, but they must have given up.  I have been using those yoyos right along.  For this card I stamped All Night Media music on a piece of off white cardstock, glued it onto a green background and added the yoyos with sewed on buttons, some corrugated cardstock (just the top layer sprayed with water and torn off), silk flower and scrap of Basic Grey.  Now I think I need to get busy on Easter dinner and that means shopping.  You all have a very nice Easter.

Victorine Originals April Showers

Hello.  It's April and this is one of my cards for the Victorine Originals April Showers Challenge located here that starts today. (There's a prize, Ladies)  My card is a night time shower.  I started with a piec of black cardstock, added a torn piece of embossed, inked cardstock and then the image panel.  Can you tell I'm cleaning off my stamping table?  This is made from leftovers I found lying on the table.  Did I say "leftovers".  They're Treasures.  :)

QFTD106

Today's Queen for the Day is sillyfilly aka Sylvia on Splitcoaststampers.com located here.  I started with a piece of green textured cardstock to which I added a piece of white.  I stamped the butterflies on with VersaMark and embossed them with clear embossing pwdr.  Then I sponged around them so they would show.  I think I got a bit carried away with the sponging, but I like it that way.  Next I stamped the bottom butterfly and die cut the top one and popped it up with a Nestibilities die.  Jewels and a Victorine Originals sentiment were added to finish it off.  Have a beautiful day!

QFTD105

Good Morning.  Today is a sunny day, but I have cold fingers.  Card making does not warm up fingers. :)  My neighbor asked me for an encouragement card for a friend.  Cards are always just a tad easier when I have a reason/person to make them for and I love how this turned out.  It's also for the QFTD105 Challenge on Splitcoast located here.  Various shades of pink and green are always my favorites, and I love this one.  I stitched the dp onto Core'dinations cardstock.  Then I ran cardstock through the cuttlebug, brayered the piece and used just the torn center of the embssed piece, also inking the edges.  The Rubber Stampede Azalea Blossom is stamped, cut out and attached with a button and some cheesecloth and tied on with twine.  The tiny tag is cut out and attached with a brad and Prima and has a torn sentiment glued on top.  I love it.  Now I'm off to check out the next Tim Holtz class.  I am WAY behind on those.  Have a wonderful day!

Monday

It's Monday and I am still reeling from my busy, busy weekend.   Besides church, a guest for lunch, an estate sale, a funeral and some shopping on the weekend, Sat. morning was my Paper Inclinations stamping/cardmaking group.  We do cards, bookmarks etc. for Local Charities and this time we concentrated on making envelopes. (My one source for inexpensive envelopes and cardstock in the Milwaukee area has closed to the public)   We had a couple patterns and it turned out to be lots of fun.  We made some out of brown wrapping paper, some out of a type of tightly woven construction paper that was donated, and some out of a thin white cardstock.  Sort of a no-mind task, just tracing and cutting out and we all had a really great time.  Next time I intend to have tried a couple of the homemade envelope glue recipes I have links for, and we can finish them off.  Wish me luck.
The picture is Rufus our labradoodle.  He dug a hole in the dirt where we are trying to get grass to grow and when he saw me coming, the stinker turned his head the closed his eyes.  Can you believe it!

TLC369 Cropped Poppy

Today is a gorgeous day.  I have been cooking, baking and running and enjoying my day at home.  This is the first Spring in my LIFE that I remember all my daffodils in full bloom this early.   This is a card for a good friend whose daughter passed away less than a year ago.  Yesterday was the daugher's birthday and it was a sad day for my friend.  Cards are such a wonderful way to send a bit of comfort. This is also for the Technique Lovers Challenge on Splitcoast  located here.  I stamped the entire PSX Poppy on cardstock and colored it with copics.  Next I cropped it to fit half the card so I could fit the large Stampendous sentiment on the side.  When I color flowers with copics, I usually only use one color, but go over the parts I want darker a second or third time.  Works for me.

CAS162 - Blue Poppy

In my Journal this morning I remember saying I had a free day.  I'd be laughing, but am too tired to laugh.  I wonder what I would do with a free day.  Smile at the sunshine, maybe.  It was out today.  I also wrote about the weather.  Winter was canceled in WI this year and tomorrow is the first day of Spring, so...there is NO CHANCE of Winter now.  We are breaking "warm weather" records every day.  Who's complaining!  Not me. I am just hoping Old Man Winter doesn't come barreling in one day in April or May.

    I did have some space in between things to put together a simple card today.  It's for the Clean and Simple Challenge on Splitcoast Stampers located here.

IC328 - Baroque Flower

  I'm REALLY tired today.  I think it's the fresh air.  It's a gorgeous day here - got up to 79º.  I worked outside a little, but it really tired me out, so I am thinking in Black and White.  So this is the card I made for the Splitcoast IC328 Challenge here. 

 I started with a plain piece of Cardstock on which I stamped Hero Arts Old French Writing and then the PSX daffodil in Ranger Distressed Walnut Stain.  Since I'm thinking in Black and White, it just looked better to me "uncolored".

Then I cut a piece of Marcos red Carnival Cover and glued a strip of My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Christmas on top, along with a grunge flourish I found in a box. (My craft room is like that)

CAS161 - Crewel

My second post!  I'm getting really brave here. This card is for the Clean And Simple 161 challenge on Splitcoast located here. When I finally got over the CAS factor I really like the finished product. Except for the button covers, the card is all punched and die cut. I thought it looked like a crewel embroidery piece, so that's what I named it.

Victorine Originals Challenge #28 - Lace

This card is made for the Victorine Original Challenge #28 - Lace (2/20/12), located here. I used the acrylic distress tutorial that I found on Splitcoast in the challenge TLC365. I stamped VersaMark and clear embossed over the distressing, then I stamped the flowers with Memento Tux Black wiping off the parts that were on the embossing, and coloring them with an orange copic. Then I added crocheted lace flowers and a strip of vintage lace. The sentiment is Victorine.