T MINUS 3 and Counting!

T-3 and counting.  Saturday we will have liftoff.  OK, not that kind of liftoff but one very meaningful in my family as my baby boy...my little itty bitty baby boy is getting married. 
I have most of the stuff on my end under control but still have a few last minute details to take care of.  My head is swimming... LOL!

This past weekend was the "Last Fling Before the Ring" where my future daughter in law and her bridesmaids as well as a few other friends gathered for a weekend in the North Georgia mountains.  I had decided to just go up for the afternoon and evening on one of those days and was glad I only committed to that!  The first night they stayed up until 3am and got back up at 6!  I can't do that anymore.  This gal NEEDS her beauty sleep!

We went to a winery which was fun.

I'm smack dab in the middle and the bride is on my left.  Her mother is on the far right in the front.
We also went zip lining which I've never done before.  It was really fun and not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.  I'd do it again...but nope...not gonna bungee jump!

 It was a fun day but I was EXHAUSTED when I got home.  I mean, I just don't have that endurance like I used to.  Hate to admit it but it's true!  LOL!

I made this card for D'Ann and gave it to her with some soft and comfy pjs. 
I made it with the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit for November.

I did a little heat embossing with some clear embossing powder for a little sheen.
Very simple...very easy...and fun to make!

Well, enough blogging......time to get some things done around here!

Happy Crafting!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!  Besides the importance of this day in Christianity it is also a reminder to me that the wedding is only 6 days away!  Crunch time.  I have put off cleaning my house as long as I can.  Oh no...wait...no cleaning on Easter...it will begin tomorrow!

Here are a couple of Easter cards I made with the same set from Mark's Finest Papers that was gien to me by a friend I used in my last post. 

Both were colored with Copics but the top one I wanted to add some Wink of Stella and added pink to the flowers which covered up my oh so perfect coloring (LOL! NOT!). 

On the bottom card I used the Tiny Tag die and stamp from Paper Trey Ink as well as some brightly color BoBunny paper.

Off to do a few things:
1. Make deviled eggs.
2. Begin Pre-wedding stress

I have already begun item #2, of course.

Happy Easter and Happy Crafting!

Cards That Never End...

Do you make a card that never ends?  You know...you have an idea for a simple card in your head and you go to work on it.  But it doesn't just translate to paper the way you see it in your head....know what I mean?  So you stamp your image on white paper, wait for it to dry and then watercolor it...and cut it into a mat shape smaller than your card base.  Then you decide that doesn't look right so you corner round it.  Nope...that isn't going to do so then you decide to cut around the image leaving a little bit of white.  Doesn't quite work so you cut it again on the image line.  Then you remember you bought some new dies from Simon Says Stamp that are way cool postage stamp dies.  You get the correct sizes and proceed to cut them out.  You adhere your image to the smaller one and it just looks so plain so you think...ok, how about some embossing?  So you spend some time looking through your dozens of embossing folders and pick the one you always use anyway...the Swiss Dots.  So you emboss....and then you realize you debossed.  Not a huge problem, right?  You can just turn it over.  Not this gal...you don't like the way the die looks backwards because the edges of the die don't look uniform with the other die cut you've made.  You know how metal dies give that curved edge...well, it has to be curving the right way!  So you go get more paper and do another mat which you have to cut out with the dies and then emboss.  Then you assemble you card.  And you realize you need some Wink of Stella glitter on your flowers.  And the bunny nose.  And ears....and the stems of the flowers.....and after you have meticulously applied all of that....well then you decide the whole dang image needs it.  Oh....and I forgot about the part where I had stamped my greeting directly on the pink piece before embossing and then didn't like the way that looked either.  And of course stamping on the white banner took a couple of tries because it wasn't straight and if there is something that bugs the OCD in me it's when something isn't straight! LOL!!!!

And then you hate the card.  LOL!!!!

Not really....I don't hate it.  But what should have been fast and easy was NOT fast...maybe easy....but not fast.  

If you are bored to tears by my narrative.  I get it.

So instead of 4 Easter cards I only made 2.  And this is the bugger that took so long!

I used Distress Markers to water color.  The stamped ink is Simon Says Stamp as are the two colored cardstocks.  The stamps I used were from Mark's Finest Papers and were a gift from a friend.

I've entered this in the A Blog Named Hero: Challenge #42: Layer Cake.

And that's it for today!

Happy Crafting!

Two Weeks From Today!

We are moving right along towards our impending huge event!  2 weeks and counting until our wedding.  I don't mean "my wedding" of course....but I do own the boy getting married so I think it is appropriate to say "our wedding". :) Ok, I'm stretching it, I know.

2 weeks from now at this exact moment (7:20pm) the vows will have been said and we will be dining and imbibing at the reception.  My dress is at the tailor's and I will pick it up in a few days...thankfully, it only needed to have about an inch taken off the hem.  Lucky for me.  I have my table decorations mostly done except for adding fresh flowers which, of course, can't happen today.  I put labels that I created from a template found on the internet (thank you, Al Gore, for creating the internet!....I know, I know...he never said he invented it but he did and I quote say "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the internet".  I know he didn't mean he invented it but it has been great fun using that over the years!)   Anyway, I digress....I did find a template online...why reinvent the wheel and made these labels:

The nutrition label is just so fun!

We are giving those to out of town guests along with a little welcoming bag and will be using them as we prepare and beautify before the ceremony.  They were fun and fast to make.

I am only sharing these as I had already shown them to my future daughter in law.  Some of the other things are still a surprise for her and my son.

Here is a card I made to thank one of my friends who hosted the couples shower for them a few weeks back.

I used Amy Tangerine papers and a die from Simon Says Stamp called Circle on a Line.  It is a really great die!

The thank you sentiment is a Hero Arts stamp and was stamped on a scalloped punch piece.

Well, that's it for today.

Hope to see you again soon!

Happy Crafting!

During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp#AxuiPGQmMKVRmSVf.99

During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp#AxuiPGQmMKVRmSVf.99

During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp#AxuiPGQmMKVRmSVf.99

During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp#AxuiPGQmMKVRmSVf.99

During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp#AxuiPGQmMKVRmSVf.99

2 Weeks and 1 Day and Counting!

Oh my goodness....it's been a while since I posted but I've been one busy lady! We are 15 days from my son's wedding and I don't think I could busier than I am right now. So much to do and crunch time is here. I have decided I am really grateful that I only have 1 daughter. I can see the stress the mother of the bride is under trying to get everything done. But I am sure that it will all be simply wonderful. I only have to do the rehearsal dinner, basically, and although there are still many details it is all coming together. I have made the table decorations as well as a few other details...but still lots on my list needing checking off. I can't show photos yet because I want it all to be a surprise. 

I miss my regular paper crafting but these little crafts have been fun, too. I can't wait to share with you what I did and will...but not until after the wedding.

 I did go to Washington, DC last week for a retirement ceremony for a friend and enjoyed my time there. I love it there.  I took this photo of the Capitol with the sun reflecting off the windows.

 

I loved seeing the Lincoln Memorial lighted at night.

 

 

And the Washington Monument's reflection in the Reflecting Pool was just lovely.

 

 I went to Arlington National Cemetery a couple of times because both of my parents are buried there.  It's an awe inspiring place, in my opinion.  I'm so grateful to all of those who have served our country.

It was rainy the second time I visited but still just as beautiful under gray skies.

I also went to the Pentagon at night to see the 9/11 Memorial.  It was so beautiful and the picture does not do it justice:

I bought a new camera recently as my Canon SX 230 broke.  I got the Canon SX 280 and was really please with the night time low light photos!

Anyway, I made a bunch of thank you notes for my daughter in law to use.  I think she appreciated them. 

Here are some samples:

The one above was made with the Stampin Up Bitty Banners die and stamp set.  I used some printed papers I had on hand.  So simple and a card I will duplicate again and again!

Green is D'Ann's favorite color so I made her some "thanks" cards with some Paper Trey Ink cardstock and ribbon and a Simon Says Stamp die.

 

Here is a closeup of the inlay...love how that looks:

And that's it for today.  I might be AWOL again for a few days/weeks...but certainly not a month!

Happy Crafting!