I love waterfalls

…not just the beautiful waterfalls found in nature, but also waterfall cards. For the longest time they fascinated me so much: I loved receiving them and watching the different panels flip over and back and over again. I decided I would figure out how to make them; many (many, many, many, and still many more) YouTube tutorials later (thank you to everyone who posts videos…I love watching them) I thought I had a pretty good handle on what I needed to do – it didn’t hurt that one tutorial actually listed out all of the pieces I needed with measurements.

Ever since my first attempt, I can’t seem to make enough of them.

Here are two examples that I received recently: one is for Valentine’s Day from my mother and the other is from a fellow stamp clubber (she made them as her “favorite technique” in for our January card club). I love them both; the diverseness adds to notion that they can be used for anything. What will be next? Oh…I just got an idea…I’ll need to find a reason to make it now….

This is so exciting!

11 Years of Dating!

That’s right – on this day eleven years ago my husband and I went on our first date. And after all this time, even now that we are married, he still takes me out on dates. He is the best ever; I am so blessed.

Two Fresh Cards

Honestly, I do not know from where these cards came (I sincerely apologize if either of them are from you), but I love them. I was “reacquainted” with them as I was sorting through my office; I was surprised how they both made me think of citrus though they are completely different: the boho style of the one contrasting the picnic style of the other. It blows my mind to think that two so diverse cards could be made with, basically, the same color palate and evoke the same overall feel.

What do you think? Do you get the same feeling as I did?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

I know I am a bit late…for 2010, but just think of it as 51 weeks early for 2011!
My sister sent me this ‘Patty’s Day package a few weeks ago and I love it! She prepares holiday treats for her son’s (my nephew) class and make a few extra for me.

The “Happy St. Patrick’s Day Tube” is actually a mini M&M tube (complete with candies) that she covered with a festive label and tied with ribbon. The “Pinch Proof Medallions” are attached to gold…well, gold Werther’s Originals candies (you can never find those chocolate gold coins when you need them). Finally, an adorably simple card: not too “over the top ‘Patty’s Day”…just the way I like it.

As always, “Thanks, I love it!”

Ode to All Natural

During one of my “cleaning” spells in my office, I located these two cards which I thought were great depictions of how a card doesn’t have to be filled with bows, flowers, or “cutsie-ness.”

This is a thank you card from my mother, Susan. She and my father joined myself, my husband, and our two girls (ok, technically they are our two dogs, but as any of you who have dogs know: they are just like kids) in the Pecos Forest for a quiet and relaxing weekend. I think she must have used at least four different sets, but they all work well together and create a natural and creative card.

This a Christmas card from Sharon. What is more fitting than a pine bough with some strategically place cones? I love the simplicity of this mini note card and its use of negative space. Sharon’s well edited and reserved eye is so well exemplified in this card.

I love them both!

Smells like a nice gift

January card club was a time for some creating with a few new products. Anne offered us bottles of reed diffusers to decorate (my flavor was Fresh Mist) with rub-ons and a little “bling.” She also provided us with a pattern and coordinating designer paper for a gift container. We were also introduced to elastic cording, mini envelopes, and the “clear-mount” stamps by Stampin’ Up!

Thanks Anne.

Ronald McDonald Challenge

At January’s card club we were given two packages of supplies with which to create cards for the Ronald McDonald House Charity. Here are the results of my two kits:

Purple Paradise

This kit included the white card base, the lilac panel, the black panel, and the smaller white panel. What to make…what to make…. I had recently purchased two stamp sets which seemed to coordinate well with each other, so I thought I would give them a go. Wanting to stay true to this challenge, I wanted to stick with the supplies provided as well as I could; I moved some pieces around and came up with this straight forward layout. After looking at it for a bit, I knew it needed something more, but I couldn’t figure out what. It took a bit longer, but then I recognized another card’s layout in this…it was from Halloween time. I loved it then and I love it now: all I need is some ribbon and a grommet and I was set.

Recipe: Vintage Vogue and Vintage Labels stamp sets, Basic Black, Whisper White, Very Vanilla, and Lovely Lilac card stock, Basic Grey, Lovely Lilac, and Versamark Ink, large white grommet, wide black organdy ribbon, ½”circle punch, sponges, black embossing powder, heat embosser, Lovely Lilac Stamp-n-write marker, and dimensional spots.

Seeing Stripes

This pack contained a completely different group of pieces (for one, there were lots more, and two, nothing “clicked” at all): navy, red, green, yellow, white, confetti…holy cow (I was certain Anne set out to drive me up the wall with this combo)! It took some time, but I determined that the best theme for this would be a natural one. Most of the pieces layered really well together (yup…that is 5 layers on that center panel), but doing so left me with so many small pieces. What to do with these? I wanted to use them, but how? I cut them into various strips and aligned them around the edge. Something was still off with that center panel: the words I used seemed a bit narrow for the space (since they did end up going all the way to the top and bottom), so I added a bit of twine to fill the empty space. A bit of sponging around all the edges tied in all of the rough edges.

Recipe: Sidekick Sayings and All Natural stamp sets, Ruby Red, Old Olive, More Mustard, and Not Quite Navy classic inc, Ruby Red, Old Olive, More Mustard, and Not Quite Navy, Confetti White, and Whisper White cardstock, hemp twine, dimensional spots, sponges, and Not Quite Navy Stamp-n-write marker.

Chilly Friends

I ask you this: what is better than getting new stamps? Getting new stamps as a gift! I received this new stamp set as a Christmas present this year; I was thrilled. What I like about it is that it really shows how much the giver (you know who you are…and thanks again) really knows what type of stamping I like.

I thought I would break in my new set by making a card (for no reason whatsoever). It was pretty cold here in town (and we got some really wet snow one night), so it was a perfect match. I really liked the way it turned out. I didn’t want it to open in a typical way, so I used a modified two-fold card (I hope you can see this ok in the picture).

I have to share a funny story about this card: the stamp set comes with several characters, some accessories, and a section of ice. I knew that I wanted the characters sitting on the ice, but I knew they wouldn’t fit all on one. In order to emphasize the saying on the inside, “I get by with a little help from my friends,” it didn’t make sense to me to have them all on different pieces. I broke out some post-its (another of my favorite inventions) and decided to mask the edges of the ice to create one large piece out of the small pieces. This was great; I got it all stamped…one large piece for all the chilly friends to share. Here is the ironic part…when I placed the friends on the ice I realized that even if I didn’t go through all the trouble of masking the edges, you wouldn’t be able to see where they overlapped anyway because the inside edges would have been covered by the creatures. Ugh…all that work for nothing! Oh well, I know (and now you know) the main goal, so I suppose that is all that matters.

Recipe: Cold & Cuddly, Beyond Basics, and Sage Advice stamp sets, Cool Caribbean, Taken with Teal, and Winter White cardstock, Cool Caribbean, Perfect Plum, Basic Grey, and Taken with Teal classic ink, Versamark inc, Winter White embossing powder, heat tool, Flirty Ribbon Originals, Stamp-a-ma-jig, post-it, Taken with Teal stamp-n-write marker, sponges, and dimensional spots.

More than just a crafting event...

I was able to attend Sharon’s open house/hostess appreciation event. It was a lot of fun to see some friends from W’ink I hadn’t seen in a bit (since the holidays put our meeting on hold for a couple months) and to laugh like we normally do as well as try out some of Stampin’ Up!’s new products from the Occasional Mini and the Sale-a-bration. We made a progressive scrapbook page using some new designer paper (I love that designer paper…), the new decorative edge and corner punches, and the red cordory button/brads. We also got to practice our detail cutting with the “Totally Tess” stamp set; we cut out her pants and shirt as well as her bag with each of the stamping tools separately and then combined them to create a card with depth and interest. We finished up with another card; this one uses that lovely designer paper, another new edge punch, the new wide satin ribbon, and a new way to apply glitter (what a nice and straight band of glitter…I love that stick-strip).

From the creative projects to the wonderful company, it was a enjoyable afternoon. Thanks Sharon! Take some time to look at Sharon's Blog Designs by Sharon for some more

fun ideas.

Message in a Bottle

It is always nice to get a little something, don’t you think? I received a little not from Anne, one of my Stampin’ Up! demonstrators. She could have put it in a card or in a letter, but no, she made it into a little treat. This is one of the mini soda bottles filled with crumpled up strips of paper with the note twisted up inside. It was my very own “message in a bottle” (ok, so I watched that movie on Lifetime the other night…).

Thanks, Anne; what a great idea! Take a few moments and check out Anne's Blog Stamping with Blue Moon Creations to see some of the other creative surprises on which she has been working.

My Favorite Technique

I have been meaning to post this for a little while, actually, ever since I made it. Thank you to all those who left their suggestions as to which technique I should try for my stamp club challenge card. It was a tough decision, but after a lot of pondering and eliminating, I think I have determined what my favorite technique is. Can you guess? Need a hint? Here is the card:

Do you think you got it? Well, if you guessed “sponging,” then you are correct! Previously, I used this technique to add depth and dimension to the edges of cards or popping color on stamped images (not to mention the chalkboard technique…ooo, I like that one too).

I love (love, love, love, love, love) the way this card turned out. I took sponging to a whole different level (for me at least). The front panel of this card is a white piece of cardstock…that’s right: white! The two leafless trees in the foreground are stamped, but everything else – the mountains, the distant trees, the rolling hills, and the sky – is all sponged.

I cannot take all of the credit for this card; I received inspiration from another stamper I came across while on my “favorite technique” hunt: Michelle Zindorf at Freedom in Creating. She created this card using the direct to paper technique with stamp pads. I tried it, but realized it was probably time to re-ink my stamps because they didn’t create much color on the paper. It is at that point that I thought I would try sponging it…and voila, a card is born.

This card also includes several other of my favorite aspects of cards (they aren’t really techniques): layering and dimension. I do so love to layer…pretty much everything. The card front is actually six layers thick (not counting the word box): picture, black, blue, black, yellow, and black (you can’t really see this last layer in the photo). Oh, and by the way, each layer is has the edges sponges…I just couldn’t help myself. I continued this to the inside of the card with a few more layers there. The layering adds to the dimension of the card: from the word box being popped out (with a couple layers of its own) to the dry embossed blue layer of the mat…I do so love it all.

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Recipe: Branch Out and Sage Advice stamp sets, Whisper White, Brocade Blue, Basic Black, and So Saffron cardstock, Basic Black, Basic Grey, Brocade Blue, Old Olive, More Mustard, Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke, and So Saffron classic inc, Branches embossing folder, sponges (lots of these), dimensional spots, and lots of time.

Ah...that's nice.

Is it just me or is there just not enough time in the day to get everything accomplished? It seems that the first thing that gets put aside is updating my blog…and I am sorry if you follow me and don’t get to see new posts regularly. I was able to work on a few items the past few days and will get them posted within a day or so.

What a busy lives we live, huh?

Have I mentioned that Daisies are my favorite flower? Have you noticed that once in a while you see something and it makes you pause for a moment and think, “Ah, that’s nice.”? I saw this picture and fell in love with it…I hope you like it too.

Help!

I have a stamp club meeting this weekend and need to create a card for the card swap with the theme: use your favorite technique. I thought this would be an easy choice, but it turns out that it is not. So, I am throwing this question out: what is your favorite stamping/crafting technique? I have so many that it is difficult to pick just one (or even two).

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

A slow conversion

When Stampin’ Up! introduced their new In Trend colors for this year, I was not impressed (I have said this many times), but I think Sharon refuses to concede defeat. I received another card from her using these new (limited time) colors. I am slowing liking them more and more.

Happy Birthday…to me!

So, I am not a huge “announce my birthday” person, but now that it is over I do enjoy looking back at it. I remember those days when I looked forward to my birthday as a day which would be all about me and that I could do whatever I wanted. Now, it is a different story. I do still like being able to do whatever I want, but it consists more of spending it with those I love as opposed to going out for a wild night. This past birthday was a great day: my husband and I got some lunch and then spent the rest of the day at home with our two girls (our lab, Sara, and mini dachshund, Cinnamon).

I got this unexpected birthday card from Sharon and it really felt like my birthday was near. I do always love to get cards from her: they are each so different, but all fabulous. Thanks, Sharon.

The “must buy” list

As I have said before, though I do not send Christmas cards, I do love receiving them. I received this card and love it; it uses two sets which are on the top of my “should buy” list (well, one on the “should buy” and the other now on the “should have bought” list). I have seen so many beautiful cards make with this ornament stamp and the list is growing of projects which utilize the graphic stamp. I love the way this card offers a subtle match of Christmas and subtlty.

Beautiful.

A few books I read lately…

I thought I would take a few moments to tell you about a few of the books I have read lately. While the holidays were in full swing, it was difficult to find some time just for myself, but I was able to squeeze a bit in.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Lisa See is one of my favorite authors; she is so descriptive that the images and scenes in her stories come to life so vividly. This story did not disappoint. See does a fantastic job telling the story of a girl who’s life changed dramatically due to war and her duty to her family. I found myself rooting for her when she was struggling and smiling when she triumphed. I got choked up when she experienced heartache and rejoiced when she “came into her own” later in the story.

Marley and Me: Love and Life with the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan
Overall, I liked the book. It was interesting and detailed the lives of this growing family, the Grogans. But I found myself having a difficult time extracting the emotion from the book; his writing style seemed more “newspaper columnist” than storyteller (which makes sense since he is a columnist). This makes it sound like I didn’t like the story; I did, but it didn’t live up to my expectations of it. I was so used to “the book is so much better than the movie” experiences that this one just fell a little short.

Being by Kevin Brooks
He does a nice job blending the “really out there”-ness of science fiction with the personal and relate-ability of the everyday. The premise is that there is a young man who realizes that he is not “all human” inside and spends the length of the novel evading the “authorities” (though no one can determine under who’s/what’s authority they are acting) and figuring out what is going on inside of him.

Icing on the Cake by Laura Castoro
For starters, this book was nothing like I expected it to be. That being said, I liked it. The story follows the life of a woman who is trying to balance all aspects of her life: children, work, love, interests, friends, and so much more (aren’t we all?). Her passion is baking (bread, not cake as the title (and cover art) implies, but her business is struggling. How does she revive her bakery while dealing with current tragedy in her life? Well, read the book and find out.

To see what I am currently reading or to read my full review of these books, check-out my goodreads.com site; invite me to be your friend and we can compare books.

An oversight…

I enjoy so many aspects of my office: the color, the convenience, and so much more. I always overlook one aspect of it even though it is usually a favorite among those who visit: my window valence. It is so difficult to find the perfect valence (or drapery of any kind), so be search went on and on without any success. I was getting so frustrated. Three wall of my office are painted a dusty blue color, leaving the fourth (the wall containing the window) white; I don’t think I was being too picky in my search for an adequate detail, but I suppose I was. What was I to do? I decided to “take a break” from it for a while; if I saw something, then ok, but I was not going to actively look for anything.

I was walking through a store and ended up in the wrapping section: wrapping paper, bows, ribbon, and gift bags. To bags caught my eye; there was a black velvet-like bag with a white bow and a bag with black and grey polka dots. I snatched them right up and knew exactly how they would work. After I got home, and a few clear push pins and a stool later, I had a valence.

What do you think?

November Card Club

I was more excited for Card Club this month than before for several reasons: first, I was the hostess, so I got to get all of the neat goodies that Stampin” Up! offers to it’s hostesses; second, as the hostess, I got to choose what kind of card/technique Anne would demonstrate for us; third, this is the only month in which my two crafting clubs meet back-to-back (they are usually a week apart) so it was a fun conclusion to my crafting weekend.

The card/technique I chose was a “Magic Card.” I am usually pretty good about being able to follow written directions, but this card has eluded me for quite some time; I was thrilled when Anne agreed to show us how to do it. Ultimately, it was a lot of steps, but this time they were well worth it…I LOVE IT!!! I am definitely going to have to try this with other stamps, themes, designs, and so much more.

Thanks, Anne, for teaching me this fantastic new trick!

A Challenge, in so many ways

For my card club in November, the challenge was to make a card using circles. This very broad scope left the field wide open for interpretation and creativity; that should make it easy, right? Wrong! And, to top it off, I was the one who picked the challenge (since I was the hostess in November). When I did pick it, I had an idea in my head; I went home and tried it out, but it was not working out well…so back to the drawing board.

Circles…circles…circles…what to do with circles…? I couldn’t believe I was having so much trouble with this challenge. I tried to put it out of my mind, hoping that an idea would just come to me in a dream or something – no luck. I was sorting through my stamps one day and came upon a background stamp. Hmmmm…maybe I can use this. I thought and thought and thought; finally, I broke out my circle stamps and went to town on the image. I wrote it up, sketched it out, and decided on a card.

Think I was finished? Not even close. I decided on paper colors, chose the ink, found a phrase for the inside, stamped all the images, punched all the circles, assembled the layers, and voila…the card was complete. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I look at a card when finished and think, “Yup…I like that…I did good,” but this was not one of those times. What was wrong? What was missing? What needed to be changed? I was at a loss. It turned out exactly like I planned, but it was different than my sketch. I asked so many people what they thought I should change…add a ribbon, add a brad, add color, change the layout, change the stamp, and on and on and on…

I wasn’t sure what to do; I thanked everyone for their input (thank you all again…though I didn’t take your advise, I was happy to receive it), but decided to just stick with my original card. The more I look at it the more I realize that I do kind of like it (not full fledged “I like it” yet, but it is getting there).

I am interested to see what you think about the card. What would you change? Let me know.

Recipe: Pastoral Toile and All Natural stamp sets, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, and Very Vanilla card stock, Going Grey and Staz-on ink, 1½ and 1¾ circle punches, and dimensional spots.

November W’ink

Each month there is more and more to learn and do at our W’ink Club Meetings. This month was no exception; Sharon pulled out all of the stops and spoiled each of us way too much (thanks, Sharon…you are so generous).

We made two cards and one exciting project for the upcoming holidays:

Cracked Glass

This technique takes layering to a whole different meaning; not only can you do it with paper and accents, but you can also do it with embossing powder, which is what helps to make the cracked glass technique so successful. After lots of layers and lots of heat, followed by a nice cool-down in the freezer (mine chilled out on a Heath Klondike bar…mmmmm), I was able to go crazy with the cracking. I think this is the only good kind of cracking glass there is. A little rub with some ink and it was good to go.

A little bit of everything

I so enjoy seeing all the different cards and projects we make in club, but this card is one of my favorites; it has all the things I love: layers, pretty paper, ribbon, sparkle, black/white color combo, and embossing. I do not think I have ever made a “Happy New Year” card before, but after making this I think I may try to change that in the future.

A little sparkle for the tree

For our project this month, we customized some clear glass ball ornaments with shimmer paint and our choice of ink colors. It took a bit of time, but they turned out beautifully. As the colors dried and the glitter was added, each ornament sparkled and dazzled – each unique, but spectacular just the same.

We don’t have another official W’ink meeting until February; I am going to miss it.

W'ink Challenge

Trust me when I say that I had no intention of participating in the W’ink challenge for our November Club Meeting. I was so busy and it didn’t even phase me not to make anything. I had a few moments before a meeting later in the evening and thought I would “just see” if I could “put something together” for the challenge.

We were given a sketch provided by the Mojo Monday blog, week 108 to be exact. All I knew is that I didn’t want to make a card, but what could I do? I decided to use a picture frame with a photo of me and my husband (I have several pictures of us in my office, but I have a larger one of us on the counter top…I decided to swap it out). All I knew was I didn’t want it to be “girly,” and I wanted the accent to be a ribbon with a bow (tied on top of the glass). I did a little treasure hunt through my patterned paper and found exactly what I wanted.

It turned out great…well, at least I think so. What do you think? Click here to see what Sharon, W’ink’s demonstrator, thought of it.

Recipe: Urban Garden Designer Series Paper (two different patterns), Soft Sky and Basic Black cardstock, black organdy ribbon (wide), black 8’x10’ picture frame, and a photo of the most handsome husband in the world (taken at Lake Powell).

Beautiful...

So, my husband is still not awake yet (this is a big surprise since he is usually awake before me) so I was cruising around the crafting blog superhighway again and came across a beautiful card by Michael Funke at Stampin-Style.

I have seen many different holiday cards: some are cutsie, some are funny, some are religious, and some (let’s face it) are just a bit over the top excessive. When I saw this card by Michael, I was floored; it is so beautiful. I actually read all about how he made it and now I want to make one myself…not today, though, but definitely soon. I couldn’t help but to try to share his creation with more people.

I hope you love it as much as I do; check out his blog to see more of his creative projects and ideas.

Thanks, Michael, you have made my morning!

Quiet time in the morning

It has been a while since I have posted a creation for a challenge, so I thought I would take a little bit of time to do one this morning before my husband wakes up. I went to all of my favorite challenge blogs, but decided to check one more place. I went to Card & Scrap Sketches to see what the new sketch was; I decided to make a card with this sketch in stead.

So, this has happened with clothes, food, and even television, but it rarely happens to me with stamps. I had an idea in my mind about this sketch and I went to my supplies to find what I needed. I looked through each set and thought, “I can’t find anything I need,” even though I have a plethora of images from which to choose. I knew I wanted to use the grass image from the Asian Artistry set (I got a thank you card from Sharon with this image on it and I fell in love with it), but I was having a difficult time finding the right image for the lower part of the sketch. I decided to alter it a bit and use a saying instead…I hope that is ok, Monica.

I hope you like it; I like the way the sparkle on the three wild flowers picks-up on the bit of sparkle in the ribbon. It feels like a little bit of Spring in the middle of the cold Winter (actually, I don’t think it is officially winter yet…oh well).

Recipe: Asian Artistry and Friendship Flowers stamp sets, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Sage Shadow, and Whisper White card stock, Perfect Plum and Sahara Sand classic ink, Pale Plum Stampin’ Write Marker, dazzling diamonds, and narrow white organdy ribbon.

A new spin on an old favorite

Can you remember back to a previous post of mine raving about some adorable Halloween treat bags decorated with the Stampin’ Up! Big Shot Top Note and punches? I was blown away by them…super adorable. After visiting Gretchen’s blog multiple times a day to look at them (and after attempting my own version of them) I thought, “Wouldn’t it be adorable if I could make some for Christmas?” Then it happened: the clouds parted, the light shone down, and a miracle occurred: CHRISTMAS GIFT BAGS WITH THE TOP NOTE AND PUNCHES!!!

I was on top of a cloud. I immediately sent Terri an e-mail stating that I found them…she seemed to get as excited as I was about them (if this was even possible). I want to start by saying that I think Gretchen is amazing with the creations she makes, both the treat bag and her many other projects. As I looked at her bags and then looked around “crafting-blog-ville,” I saw so many versions of these bags. I took them all into consideration and nailed down one of my own.

It was Halloween night and I was able to complete my faces between Trick-or-Treaters. After I finished I just lined them all up and looked at them; I was so happy with all of them. Even now, I love to look at them. I have given up on choosing a favorite because each day it changes. Which is your favorite?

Thank you to everyone who has created their own version of these; I love seeing how new ideas and projects get re-interpreted by different people around the world.

Some News

I spoke with my sister yesterday (yes, actually yesterday...which means this post is current) and she said that she finished some really cute Christmas stuff and she would be getting it in the mail to me withing the week. I can hardly wait to see what she sent....

I told her that I would send her samples and supplies for my Christmas Treat Bags (that's a teaser...pics will be on my blog tomorrow). I can't wait to share them with all of you; if you are going to Anne's Christmas Card Making Event tomorrow, then you can see me put more of them together (since I don't send out Christmas cards, it is a great time for me to put these together)...if you ask nicely I may even let you do one yourself.

That's all the time I have now; I have to leave for my "day job." It is so cold out (and I don't think the defroster got all of the frost off the car so that means I have to do a little scraping); I would rather stay wrapped up in a blanket with my girls (my dogs) at my feet.

Bye for now...check back tomorrow.

Have I seen that before?

I was taking pictures of different cards and projects in my office and set my camera down on the countertop. As I was setting-up my next picture and looked over to the camera I saw this picture on the screen. I snapped it just so I could look at it more; I love the way it turn out. I suppose I am just used to looking at everything from a certain angle; I couldn’t believe how different my ink holder and printer look from this slightly lower angle.

It makes me want to crawl around on the floor looking at different objects…well, not really, but you get the idea.

There was something odd, though…

I came home from work and found in the mailbox not only an envelope from my sister, but also one from my mother. Since it was a bit before Thanksgiving, I knew right away that the one from my mother was a Thanksgiving card, so I opened it and saw the creative card she made (left). Feeling upbeat after that unveiling, I opened the package from my sister and found a Thanksgiving card from her; it was exactly what I liked: layers, colors, and layout…a hat trick of creativity (right). There was something odd though…something vaguely familiar about her card, but what could it be. I looked again at my mother’s card and then it hit me…can you figure it out?

Both my mother and my sister used the same stamp in their cards. The image in my mother’s card is a bit smaller and used as an accent whereas in my sister’s card, it is the star of the show. I sat there just looking at the two of them, back and forth, mesmerized at how different the same stamp looked in each card. Each card is so much characteristic of it’s maker, but still so different.

Wow…

October Card Club

I know, I know: I am a bit late with this, but oh well….

Shimmer Paint was the theme for club in October. I had used it a couple times before, but this time we used it differently: as a spritzer and mixed with reinkers. I love the way the sparkle brings these two holiday cards to life. Anne was so inventive with her use of materials and layout for both the Happy Holidays card and the Give Thanks card.

Though this was enough to entertain me during club (well, this and my constant jazzing of Monica…hi Monica), I think what made me laugh was how Anne wanted to “shimmer” everything, “What else can I spritz with shimmer paint?” she would say. I love it…I do the same thing. It still surprises me how much a little sparkle can change a project. It’s like magic!

Ta da…introducing the Amazing Anne and her Shimmer Paint transformations!!!
Thanks, Anne. What a fun afternoon.

A Halloween Treat

I got a Halloween package from my sister (ok, so I am little behind in posting) and it some pretty cute treats in it: a card holder (it is supposed to hold about six cards with envelopes, but I am currently pushing that limit as it hold all the cards I need to file away), a super cute Halloween card, and a little treat box (for some reason, the treats inside seemed to disappear not long after they arrived…spooky).

I enjoy seeing what little treasures she sends me.