The Upside to Social Distancing

I can't believe it took a virus of epic proportions and a social distancing mandate to get me back into my craft room!  I haven't made a card in YEARS!!  I had forgotten how fun and therapeutic card making really is.  So needed right now. 

I signed up for the online Spring Card Camp class and not only do I hope to learn new techniques but I am optimistic it will help me remember ones I haven't practiced in a long time!

I recognize so much has changed in the online card making community.  I may decide to post via Instagram or Flickr instead of trying to keep up a blog again.  Just want to keep it simple and not be so worried about how "perfect" the pics of my cards are and listing all the supplies used. 

Happy Easter!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  I hope all the moms who are celebrating today get to spend time with who or doing what they love!  

I had lots of Mother's Day cards to make this year and I thought I would share them all in one post.  Here's a few featuring some gorgeous Sizzix/SU die cut butterflies and SU and Papertrey ink stamps :

Here's a fun and cute design featuring loads of die cuts from various companies:

And here's a more clean and graphic design featuring WPlus 9 fresh cut florals and Mama Elephant products:

I haven't been able to visit your blogs lately as unfortunately one of the moms in my life (my MIL) sustained some bad injuries from a fall that required surgery and short-term (we all hope- especially her!) placement in a nursing home.  Talk about an "in your face" reminder of how quickly life can change!!!

Thank you for your thoughtful comments!  I hope to make time this week to see what you all have been up to:)  

Edited to Add:  Just realized any of my cards in this post would qualify for the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge:  Let's Get Sentimental .  Since they are featuring Tim Holtz products I will enter my first card as I used some Ranger peacock feathers and peeled paint distress inks:)  The sentiment I used is from Hero Arts.

Hello, Baby!

Quick post today my friends!  It's FINALLY Spring here in upstate NY and I've got to get outside so my skin can remember what sun feels like - LOL!

Needed a baby card for a co-worker's baby shower and after I finished it decided it would be perfect to add to the current challenge at Virginia's View!

My coworker is having a little girl and has decided to decorate the nursery with ellies and a pink & gray color combo.  I found the perfect ellie image on Cricut cart "Create a Critter 2" and was able to die cut a momma ellie and a baby:

One of the things I really like about Cricut cartridges is most of them have a shadow feature so you can easily add dimension to your images.  I added googly eyes (of course!) and some embroidery thread to their tails.  Also did a little sponging with some smoky slate ink on the edges of the die cuts for a little more dimension.  

Other Supplies Used:  Papertrey ink white cs, Martha Stewart pink carnation and endive cs, Amuse pink gingham pp, Stampin' Up smoky slate and basic gray cs, SU sentiment (Sweet Essentials), Mama Elephant dies, MFT stitched snow drift die and banner die, Stampin' Up heart embosslit, my all time favie Hero Arts cloud bg and soft pool shadow ink

Have a wonderful week and thanks for all the sweet comments!

It's Your Birthday!

At the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog the theme is Happy Birthday - to celebrate their 6th year!    

My boss asked me to make a birthday card for his wife with a gardening/farming theme as he is giving her a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) membership to a local farm called Sweet Penelope Farms.  I had a lot of fun creating and personalizing this little farm scene:

The barn from Lawn Fawn "Critters on the Farm" set was embossed then colored with copic markers.  The sentiment- stamped in Stampin' Up daffodil delight ink- is from Mama Elephant's "Happy Everything" set.  The little sheep, ears of corn and tomatoes were die cut using Cricut cart "From My Kitchen" while the wheelbarrow and gardening tools came from the "Walk in my Garden" cart.  

Other Supplies Used:  Our Daily Bread Fence die, My Favorite Things Stitched Snowdrifts dies and banner die, Cuttlebug swiss dot embossing folder, silver brad, toothpick, Lawn Fawn Let's Polka Mon Amie pp, Stampin' Up real red, crumb cake, black, garden green and daffodil delight cs, Papertrey ink white cs, Amuse gingham pp

I don't think I'll ever tire of creating scene cards - although it is a little exhausting to list all of the supplies used!  LOL!  Hope you're having a great week so far!  Thanks for all the thoughtful comments:)

Virginia's View Challenge #14

Hope you had a Happy Easter!  Last week the hubster and I took a mini vaca to Washington, DC to see the cherry blossoms - unfortunately we didn't see too many of those but we didn't see snow either!  Can you believe we actually had wet snow here in upstate NY yesterday???  Enough already!!!

While I was away I received some sad news - the mom of one of my high school friends passed away.  I only see Anne at class reunions but she's someone I can pick right up with where we left off.  Her mom was sort of a role model for me as I was raised by a SAHM and her mom was a working woman.  It sounds silly but I remember being so impressed by the fact that her mom planned their menus for the week and had them posted on their fridge - a practice I began when I started working and continue to do even now:)

I used one of my fave Papertrey Ink ginkgo stamps from the Harvest Berries set to make Anne a sympathy card:

  
After inking up the stamp with squeezed lemonade and peeled paint distress inks I lightly spritzed it with water before stamping repeatedly on watercolor paper.  Both the butterfly (Stampin' Up Butterfly Thinlit Die) and the Thinking of You sentiment (Impression Obsession die) were cut from the same Stampin' Up daffodil delight cs as the card base.
Other Materials Used:  Eyelet Outlet white enamel dots

I haven't played along with one of Virginia's View challenges in a loooooong time but when I read her current challenge it actually helped me to put this card together! :

After I had stamped my ginkgo images I decided my card would be more interesting if I cut the stamped piece into panels and popped them up on my card base with foam tape for some dimension.  I love this style of butterfly die as it's a great way to add a layer without covering up too much of what is underneath.

Before I wrap up this post I just have to share one of my favorite parts of our Washington DC trip:

Yep - I got to be a "Bond Girl" at the International Spy Museum:)

Time To Celebrate!

Took a break from Spring/Easter projects to make a male birthday card I need for next week:

I acquired this Memory Box Happy Birthday Background die specifically for male birthday cards.  I recently learned a great trick (that many of you probably already know!) at a Stampin' Up workshop for getting die cuts out of intricate dies.  Run the die through your die cutting machine a second time after placing an unscented dryer sheet underneath it and the die cut pieces will stick to the dryer sheet eliminating the need to poke and prod them from the die!!!  So simple but a serious game changer for me:)
Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up night of navy, crumb cake, calypso coral and bermuda bay cs and birthday bash dsp, Cricut Artiste cartridge(die cut clock), My Favorite Things banner dies, Paper Smooches sentiment, Papertrey Ink partial sentiment, pom pom, gold brad and star from stash

I'm going to pop this into the current Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge.  Hope you've had some crafty time this weekend:)

Freshly Made Sketches and SSS Anything Goes

Happy Saturday!  I'm trying to stay positive as yet again we woke to a dusting of snow on the ground and temps in the teens:(

Worked on some Easter projects this week and the first one I'm sharing is a card based on the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches :

I used a new stamp set by Avery Elle called Easter Blessings and some new pp from Lawn Fawn called Let's Polka Mon Amie:

When I saw this Avery Elle image I immediately thought how cute it would look on an egg.  I die cut the egg image from Cricut cart Doodlecharms and the embossed image was colored with a variety of Stampin' Up markers.

Other Materials Used:  Stampin' Up baked brown sugarcs and crisp cantaloupe cs and sequins, My Favorite Things banner die, Papertrey ink white cs

I'm also popping this into the current Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge.

I wanted to share the Easter shadow box insert I made at a Stampin'

Up workshop:

The finished piece was mounted on an 8 x 8" piece of Stampin' Up chocolate chip cs and put in an 8 x 8" black shadow box frame.

Hope everyone has a fab weekend!  I'm working today but hope to visit blogs tomorrow:)

2015 Bunny Chop Shop!

Happy 1st Day of Spring!  At least what the calendar says - we were greeted by more snow flurries this morning:(:(:(

I decided to play along with Simon Says Stamp Spring Pinterest Inspiration challenge :

 

For most holidays I love to make treat bags for my co-workers and I thought it would be fun to decorate this year's Easter bags with "chocolate" bunnies:

I die cut the bunnies from Stampin' Up cs (soft suede, smoky slate, black and pretty in pink) using an image from the Cricut cartridge Create A Critter 2.  One of the reasons I bought this particular cart is because all the critters lend themselves to "needing" googly eyes:)  The banners were cut from Stampin' Up coastal cabana cs using a WPlus 9 die and stamped with a sentiment from Papertrey Ink Hippity Hoppity set.  At a SU workshop I won the coastal cabana twine and used it to finish off the top of the bag.  I had purchased the white paper sacks years ago at Michael's and they are the perfect size to fill up with chocolate:)

I'm really glad Simon Says Stamp chose this particular theme for this week's challenge!  I didn't realize how early Easter is this year and I really need to get going on making Easter cards!!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!  Thanks for all the sweet comments!

Happy, Happy, Happy!

I promise this is the last pillow I'll be sharing....unless, of course, I find more burlap pillow covers on clearance:)

I was inspired by a pillow I saw on Pinterest to create the poppies from felt circles and black buttons.  I simply die cut the circles using my Cuttlebug and Spellbinder Nesties (Standard Circle Large) from red felt I had picked up at JoAnn's to use on my cards.  I've found that 100% acrylic premium felt die cuts just as well as wool felt and it's really cheap - I paid less than 2 bucks (after a 25% off coupon) for 1/4 yard.  I could make a field of felt poppies with what I have leftover:)  The "stems" were stitched with green embroidery thread.  I used a  "happy" die from the WPlus 9 "Happy Trio" to cut the "happy's" from the same red felt and then adhered them to the burlap pillow cover (only $1.39 on clearance!) with fabric glue.  Finished size is 12" x 16".

We have an enclosed back porch -built when glass jalousie blinds were all the rage (must've been a man who designed them as they are a total pain to clean!) - where I loooooove to read, make cards and think nap in the summer.  Nothing fancy - just old slip covered furniture and cast-offs.  Last year I spray painted some old wooden lamp bases bright red and topped them with burlap drum shades and scattered about some bright red and yellow pillows and knick knacks.  My poppy pillow really expresses the vibe I feel when I spend time on my porch - Happy! Happy! Happy! 

Gotta share a pic of what we woke up to this morning:

Can somebody tell mother nature Spring begins in 2 days???

A Lil' Bit O' This, A Lil' Bit O' That!

Happy Monday Friends!
Thought I would do a "catch-up" post and share some of the projects I've been working on.  Now that I've started looking at my card making supplies with new eyes the sky's the limit!  First up is a home decor piece using some dies, cs, pp and ribbon:

Aren't the bunnies adorbs?!!  I used a trio of Impression Obsession dies and cut them from American Crafts burlap cardstock.  The cs, pp and ribbon are from Stampin' Up (marina mist and baked brown sugar).  It's difficult to see in the pic but the bunnies were mounted on gingham checked pp squares - I have a new camera and I'm still learning:)

Other Materials Used:  12 x 12" frame Michael's, white pom pom's from my stash

Next up is a springy pillow:

I loooooove how this turned out!  I found this cute polka dot material at JoAnn's and ironed it on a piece of Therm-o-web Heat n Bond iron-on adhesive.  I then ran it through my Cricut using a Strong Grip cutting mat and this leaping bunny image from the Kate's ABC's cartridge.  I was so happy with how well this cut -although I did have a bit of a struggle scraping the negative pieces from the mat:(  The die cut bunny was then ironed on a burlap pillow cover I got on clearance at Michael's for $1.99.  My mother-in-law had some white yarn leftover from one of her projects and I used it to make the bunny's pom pom tail.  A super inexpensive and fun project! 

My Stampin' Up demonstrator recently held a workshop using punches to create a cute St. Patty's Day insert for a shadow box.  I had a really hard time getting a pic without a reflection of my arms and kitchen cupboard but thought I'd share anyway:

The completed piece is 6 x 6" and I mounted it on a piece of 8 x 8" black cardstock so it would fit in this 8 x 8" shadowbox.  My mom was really happy to receive this and at the end of this month I'll be attending a workshop to make an Easter insert.

Lately I've been in the mood for "watercoloring" with my stamps:

And while I didn't use any card making supplies in my last project I just had to share how I "upcycled" a tray with some discarded corks and spray paint!  I came across this wooden tray a well-meaning relative made and gave to us many, many years ago:

After spending hours a few minutes on Pinterest I was inspired to give this tray a makeover!

I even enlisted the help of the hubster:)  After filling in the woodburned design(that was on all sides of the tray) with wood putty he sanded it down and then applied primer.  After a few coats of Krylon chalky finish misty gray spray paint it was ready to embellish with some corks - 115 to be exact!

A long post - just like the looooong winter we've had here in the Northeast.  I think this cheeky sign we saw this past weekend outside an area cafe sums it up perfectly:

I look forward to perusing your blogs for inspiration!  Have a wonderful week and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!

Showing the Love

Hello Friends!
It's been such a long time since I last posted I wasn't sure I would even remember how to blog!  Turns out it's just like riding a bike:)  For months I've felt so uninspired to make cards that I really haven't had anything "blogworthy" to share.  And the longer I stayed away from blogland the worse it seemed to get!  I guess part of it is feeling like I don't have any "new songs to sing"...

Soooooo, those feelings coupled with the forced exile to my craft room because of this ridiculous winter we've been having is causing me to take a look at all this card making stuff I hoard have in a new way:

I mean did I seriously think I would ever make enough cards to use up these 139 red buttons??? The sad thing is I have enough left over to make another pillow!  I was able to use my Cricut to die cut the heart template and the felt "love" was cut using a Stampin' Up die.  The embroidery floss I used to stitch the buttons was given to me and I scored the burlap pillow cover on clearance for $5.99 at Michael's.    

And before you pass judgement after checking out my next project keep in mind that I work at a winery:)

I used the same heart template from the button heart pillow and traced it on a piece of 12" x 12" Stampin' Up smoky slate cs.  I actually had my hubby cut the corks in half so they wouldn't stick out as much and so I wouldn't need as many.  Using my trusty glue gun I started outside first and worked my way in.  The tops were painted with some bright red Delta acrylic paint my dh actually had in his stash!  I used the same "love" die from above cutting it from Stampin' Up real red cs.  Frame came from Michael's (using a 50% off coupon of course!) and the ribbon I used to hang it is Stampin' Up's fun smoky slate chevron ribbon.  And speaking of ribbon that's another area in my crafty life that's cause for dismay - I counted 50 spools just on my ribbon holder!  Because of increases in postage I rarely include ribbons on my cards anymore:(

And last but not least I do actually have a couple of cards to share! The first one is a Valentine:

I had to combine products from a lot of different companies to make this work!  Letters were die cut from Cricut Storybook cart.  Ampersand is Mama Elephant.  The stamped "kisses" is a masked Hero Arts stamp from the set "Sending You Love".  Hearts were die cut using a WPlus 9 die.  And that adorable piggy is from a retired Stampin' Up set "Button Buddies".

Other Supplies Used:  My Mind's Eye pp, Stampin' Up pretty in pink, real red, smoky slate and black cs, pink button and googly eyes from my stash

And here's a fun wintertime birthday card for a coworker who is obsessed with owning pink camo:

This snowman image from Hero Arts is one of my faves as it's so easy to paper piece.  I found the pink camo in one of my hubby's hunting catalogs:)  The funny sign the snowman's holding is from a masked off Dolly Mama's stamp.  

Other Supplies Used:  Stampin' Up Hardwood stamp, melon mambo and soft suede cs, Papertrey ink birthday sentiment, Mama Elephant stitched and scalloped rectangle dies, pom pom from my stash

It feels really good to be putting all this stuff that's been languishing in my craft room to good use.  Going forward I'm not going to restrict my creativity to just cards- I'm excited to see where it takes me:)  Thanks for stopping by and for all your constructive comments!

Happy Camper!

Two posts in one day is soooooo unlike me but I wanted to get this one entered before the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Summer ended!  Plus my boss had requested an anniversary card and I always like to give my "customers" at least two choices:)

I'm really interested to see which card he picks.  I thought this one was especially appropriate as he and his wife just upgraded to the biggest fifth wheel I've ever seen - I'm not joking when I say it's probably similar in square footage to my house!  LOL!

I fell in love with this Impression Obsession stamp as it reminds me of the sweet little camper I first started camping in as a little girl (even the white and aqua color combo!).  You know, back in the dark ages before campers came equipped with flat screen TV's and fireplaces and when the bed you slept on also functioned as the kitchen table:)

I embossed the image then water colored it with a combination of Ranger distress ink and Stampin' Up ink.  I popped up the awning for a little dimension and added some silver brads for hubcaps.  Had to computer generate the sentiment.
Other Supplies Used: Stampin' Up coastal cabana cs and twine, Echo Park dotted pp, Mama Elephant clearly creative cuts dies, My Favorite Things banner die

Thanks for taking a peek and for all your lovely comments!

You Float My Boat:)

The current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge is Summer!  Here in the Finger Lakes in upstate NY thoughts of summer definitely conjure up images of time spent on or near the water:

Pardon the pun, but I used boatloads of product on this scene:)  The boat, seagulls, sentiment and heart images are from a sweet little Lawn Fawn set called "Float My Boat".  Cloud die is Papertrey ink while the sun die is Impression Obsession.  The waves were die cut from Stampin' Up island indigo cs using a wave die from The Stamps of Life Sandal die set.  I can't overstate how much I love my new Mama Elephant stitched and scalloped rectangle dies that are part of the Index Cards - Creative Cuts die set!  I was able to score them on a recent trip to my favie independent stamping store in Buffalo, NY called Buffalo Stamps And Stuff :)  
Other Supplies Used:  Papertrey ink white cs, Stampin' Up pool party, soft suede and so saffron cs and island indigo pp, Cuttlebug Hugs & Kisses embossing folder, My Favorite Things banner die

Love when a card turns out just like I envisioned it:)  Got an idea for another summer-related scene - gonna try to get it done today before the challenge closes!  I hope everyone's enjoying these last days of summer - here's a pic of a favorite way my hubby and I like to enjoy a warm summer sunset:

Do You Believe in Magic?

Happy Sunday!  Managed to squeeze some crafty time in and was inspired to play along with the current CASology challenge #108:

We've had some cooler temps the past few days and my thoughts are turning towards Fall and its associated holidays.  I definitely associate magic with Halloween icons and pulled out a Stampin' Up set called Googly Ghouls to create my card:

My talented blogging buddy Greta had recently sent me some Papertrey ink die cuts (Thanks again Greta!) and they were sitting on my desk - in a flash I knew how I wanted to design my card:)  Greta had cut the dies from white cs so I simply used a brayer and some black ink to color the frame.  Because this is a CAS challenge I resisted popping up this layer on the card base, using googly eyes (put glossy accents on the ghouls' eyes instead!) and using sequins (I used recessed die cut stars).  I also added texture to the card base by embossing a Mama Elephant stitched rectangle. 

Other Supplies Used:  sentiment (Hero Arts), baker's twine (Doodlebug Designs), star die (Impression Obsession), white cs (Papertrey ink)

Thanks for the kind comments!  I'm woefully behind on visiting everyone's blogs and hope to remedy that this week:)

SSS: Make it Sparkle!

I was so happy to see that one of my blogging buddies Joy was last week's challenge winner at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge!  This week's challenge is Make it Sparkle!  I'm sharing another card I made using the kit materials from a recent Stampin' Up workshop I attended:

Instead of making a pocket to hold a gift card, etc. per the workshop instructions I decided to make a birthday card instead.  I don't think I would have thought to put these two colors together (rich razzleberry and soft sky) but this combination is really growing on me!  The sentiment is from the new SU set called Age Awareness and the fun, dotty pp is from the Sweet Taffy collection. Some scored lines were made on the bottom strip of SU rich razzleberry cs using a Martha Stewart score board.  And I added some sparkle with the addition of the banner die cut from SU silver glimmer paper and the silver sequins.
Other Supplies Used:  SU rich razzleberry ink, SU soft sky pp and cs, Martha Stewart score board, sequins and bakers twine from stash

Have a fabulous weekend!

Simon Says Stamp (Already!)

Ack!  I can't believe it's the first week of August already AND that it's been a month since I last posted!  I hope everyone's been enjoying their summer - and their stamps!  LOL!  I noticed the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge is "Anything Goes" and decided it would be a good opportunity to share a few cards I made at a recent Stampin' Up workshop.  At the workshop we used one of the new designer series papers called Sweet Taffy- love the color combinations in this collection!

One of the projects was a birthday gift bag and since I have more of a need for birthday cards I took the kit materials home and used them to "CASE" this fun card from Betsy Veldman.  And here is my card:

Supplies Used:  SU stamp set Big News (sentiment) and Dotty Angles border stamp, SU Sweet Taffy dsp and melon mambo, tempting turquoise and daffodil delight cs, SU daffodil delight, old olive and tempting turquoise ink, SU daffodil delight seam binding ribbon, SU flower punch, Papertrey Ink Ruby Rose stamps and dies, Doodlebug baker's twine, WR Memory Keepers corner rounder, Eyelet Outlet white enamel dot, Making Memories white eyelet, Martha Stewart border punch

I closely followed the workshop design for the next birthday card adding a panel of SU textured Bermuda Bay cs behind the dsp and stamped panels for more contrast and a googly eye:)

Supplies Used:  SU Zoo Babies and Just Sayin' stamps sets, SU Word Bubbles Framelits Dies, SU whisper white, pumpkin pie, bermuda bay and smoky slate ink and cs, Sweet Taffy dsp, SU smoky slate chevron ribbon

Thanks ever so much for your encouraging comments!!!

Post 4th of July Blues!

I've been feeling a little blue since the big 4th of July week/weekend has ended.  This year the holiday was more special than usual as I got to share it with old friends and newer family members:)  More on that below but first a card share inspired by the current challenge at Virginia's View:

At a recent Stampin' Up open house I attended I started making one of the workshop cards and then decided to finish it up at home to put my own spin on it:

The flower from the Stampin' Up hostess set Bloom with Hope was stamped in one of their new In Colors called blackberry bliss on whisper white cs.  Using a blender pen I colored in the flower petals with rich razzleberry and the flower centers with crushed curry. The love die (also from Stampin' Up) was die cut in both blackberry bliss cs and gold foil - I like adding a cs "shadow" to thinner die cut words.  I also like combining die cut and stamped words to create sentiments.  The stamped "you" is from a Hero Arts set called Big Ticket.  

Other Supplies Used:  Stampin' Up vellum and crushed curry cs, JoAnn's gold sequins

And now a couple of pics from my holiday week:)

That's me on the left with my bestie from high school Sarah - she lives in Tennessee and we hadn't seen each other in 5 years!  She was staying with her brother who owns Indian Creek farm in Ithaca, NY (which you should totally check out if you're ever in the area!).  There's something so special about friends who you can just pick right up with:)  Sarah is such a talented writer and I love reading her blog - I always come away feeling inspired to create and to explore my own surroundings.  

And Sarah didn't brave that loooong drive from Tennessee alone! She brought her sweet daughter Laurel (that's Laurel on the left) along with 3 of Laurel's friends:

Loved meeting them - they were all so smart and funny!  Just the kind of friends you would have wanted to hang out with in high school:)

I also had a reunion with my cruisin' buddies:

There's already talk about a repeat Caribbean cruise vacation this November:)

And last - but certainly not least! - it was all about the newest members to the family at our picnic! Here's Hadleigh checking out great grandma!  Looking quite adorable in the outfit her great aunt Robin got her (we all know I'm a sucker for polka dots!). 

And here's the cousins meeting for the first time:)  And although they are ignoring both each other and the camera I love that Jackson voluntarily reached out to touch his cousin Hadleigh's knee:)

And I especially love this pic of great grandma with the moms and the babies:)  I honestly don't know how professional photographers do it!  I took a gazillion shots of this and in none of them was everyone looking at the camera - *sigh*!

And finally I think this photo speaks to how all of us felt when the day was done - LOL!:

Hope everyone is having a great week!  I'm looking forward to getting caught up on blogs and getting some crafty time in!