Share Handmade Kindness

Well, my goodness, my attempts to start blogging again have met with a huge F in effort! I have been creating...just not sharing. Some of the things I've made are NOT shareable (LOL!...U G L Y!) but I do have a few things that have been fun and have worked out (and yes.I.copied.most.of.them from the superstars!).

But today I wanted to bring up the campaign Jennifer McGuire is spearheading at her blog which is "Share Handmade Kindness".  We all need a bit more kindness in the world, don't we?  With handmade gifts we can share that kindness and, perhaps, bring a smile to someone's face.

You can read about the campaign and challenge HERE.

I have been sending out a few cards lately and have had more fun decorating the envelopes than making the cards.  I've done some watercolor washes ala' Kristina Werner which have been well received.

And then I decided to decorate this envelope with a little scene done with some older Hero Arts stamps I have.  My friend, Amy, moved into a new house recently and I wanted to send her a congratulations card.

So here it is:

I blurred her address for obvious reasons.  Can't have ya'all stalking her!

Anyway, a little fancy hand lettering made it even more fun.

I used the Zig Clean Brush Pens which I recently purchased and absolutely love.  They are so much fun and so easy to work with and I am a huge fan of the watercolor look!

We have had so much rain lately that I slipped this envelope into a clear envelope for mailing.  I certainly didn't want my work to wash out!

And that is it for today...a little kindness is on its way to Amy!

Happy Crafting and spread the kindness!

And I am linking this to Jennifer's blog HERE.

Long Time, No See!

I may have used this title before...it is reserved for when I am AWOL for extended periods.  Well, life just got in the way... you know?

I got back from my 6 weeks at the beach.  The last few days were not very pretty sun-wise but I love the beach in any type of weather...I even love when it rains there!  But, before I left I had the chance to see a sunset that was like none other.  The mother of all sunsets....it was so incredibly gorgeous...

The sky was ablaze, as they say. By the way...the photo above was taken with my trusty iPhone.  They do say the best camera is the one you have with you...and I am not complaining about the iPhone camera one bit!
Pretty picture.

On to crafty stuff.  I finally got all of my stuff unpacked and put away so was in the mood to make a card (or two) this evening. 
But wait...in the past few weeks I have learned about the MISTI which stands for (Most Incredible Stamping Tool Invented).  I was hesitant.  I. Was. Skeptical.   But. I. Bought.
I ordered straight from the manufacture which is www.MySweetPetunia.com. Within 4 days that baby was in in my hands.  Great and very fast shipping. Simon Says Stamp also carries it but their price is much higher and then you have to pay shipping on top of that so why not go with the manufacture to begin with.  Makes sense to me.

This is what the MISTI looks like:

It is mostly acrylic which is hinged...their are rulers and guides to help you with your positioning.
It is so easy to use...and makes the accurate positioning of stamps so easy and so fast! I love it!

Here are a few cards I very quickly duplicated tonight:

It was so easy to place things and make sure the sentiment was perfectly straight.

I loved my new friend, MISTI.  I think she will become a really close friend, indeed.

The cards were made with Stampin' Up inks and papers.  The white cardstock is the thick cardstock from Hobby Lobby which works pretty well for most stamping, I think.  The sentiment is by Hero Arts.  The flower stamp set are by SSS.

If you do a lot of stamping and like positioners then you would most likely find this an invaluable tool. 

Happy Crafting!

MIA!

Well...my goodness...I've been MIA.  Missing. In. Action.
Like many of you I've had lots of things going on! All good...all good but they've kept me away from posting.
I am at the beach for my "annual winter sabbatical".  This is the third year I've headed south to be near the water during the month of February...I love being here this time of year.

I love a winter sunset....and one over the water is just spectacular to me.

I've been here two weeks but just a couple of days after getting here my daughter and grandkids came down for a nice long stay.  It was so much fun (and so busy and noisy) having them here and we enjoyed some nice days with moderate temperatures and some fun on the beach.  You can see 2 of the kids in the photo above.

I did bring a few cardmaking things to work on and managed to get a few cards done.  Before coming here I went through my old Simon Says Stamp cardkits and picked a few to "finish out".  What I mean by "finish out" is that I try to use up as many supplies as I can that were included in the kits.

 The cards above were inspired by a card from Kathy Racoosin.  I love the fun shelves and books on them.  And I love the little parts like the file boxes and alarm clock and apple that can be used to build the scene.  I used Ranger distress inks and Hero Arts inks for my cards.
Here is another card with the same set:

Again, it is was great fun to build my little scene!  This card was inspired by one created by Nichol Maguourk.

Fun set!

Happy Crafting!

As the New Year Approaches...

2015 is literally right around the corner, isn't it? I'm always a little sad as the year ends but am excited about what 2015 may bring.

2014 has been a wonderful year...the high point is always when I am with my children and grandchildren and I had lots of opportunity for that in 2014. The wedding of my son to his bride was certainly at the top of the list, too.

The foot surgery...not so much...but I am looking forward to being pain free and hopefully am saving myself foot problems in the future!  I'm doing well...getting around well...but looking forward to when I can get a little more exercise!

I fell in love with these 3D cards designed by Lori Whitlock.  I am so very much hoping that she designs more for other holidays and events!  Here is the last one I made and decided to use it to wish someone a Happy New Year.  I love the way this one turned out, as well...gives the feel of a snowy, wintry day.

Here you can see the layers a bit more:

I love the contrast of the red bird against the white...so very pretty to me.

I am itching to get into my craft room but probably won't be able to for a few days! I have an out of town guest who is not a crafter and we spend our time together talking, eating, reading and yapping.  What a great friend...sure wish she scrapbooked or paper crafted, though! Anyway, she is a wonderful friend and I am so happy to have her here as we bring in the New Year.

Happy New Year to ya'all!

I'm entering this in the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Anything Goes HERE.

Happy Crafting!

4 DAYS AND COUNTING!

The next few days will be busy for most of you, I'm sure!  Since I was having that horrid foot surgery last week I got most everything done before I knew I'd be laid up a bit.
Well, imagine my surprise...only 5 days post surgery and I am hoofing it!  Ok, well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration but I am moving around quite well and actually was able to get to my craft room yesterday for day of fun! :)

I had seen these 3 dimensional shadow box cards on the Lori Whitlock blog and decided to buy a file to try out.  Oh my goodness...it cut so well and was so much fun to put together.  They fold flat for mailing and then you just sort of "square" it back out to the frame shape.  I made this one for my son and daughter in law as they are celebrating their first Christmas as a married couple and I thought the 2 little red birds were just perfect.

It is constructed of 6 layers.  I cut all from 8 1/2 by 11 sheets of heavy cardstock.
Here you can see the layers a bit better...

The little snowflake was done with some Stampin' Up glitter.

And the Peace Love Joy sentiment was stamped with a Hero Arts stamp and with Memento pigment ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.

I love this card...it was such much fun and I'm hoping it goes through the mail well!

Happy Crafting and Happy Holidays!

A Card! A Card!

A shameless copy! LOL! 

An outright steal!

A total theft!

That's what this card is.  Oh yeah...my books may be slightly different but this is a pretty close copy of one designed by Stephanie Klauck which you can see HERE if you want to see the same card on another blog.  LOL!  OK, mine is a bit different....

I was in a big hurry when I made this card (sort of) because my friend was here and despite spending three hours "crafting" I had little to show...so I wanted to get this done.  The Simon Says Stamp card kit for September has the cutest little library themed stamp set.

See?

I mean, that stamp set with all the books and shelves is just so darned cute.

So here is my version...

I kind of like that my little framed print is hanging askew.  Most pictures in my house are hanging askew.  LOL!!!

What a fun set...can't wait to use it for more cards! 

Happy Crafting and Keep Creating! :)

Wimbledon!

I love tennis!  I am a recreational and league player...I have been playing competitive tennis for 22 years.  I have spent thousands of dollars on racquets, shoes, clothes and lessons.  Am I getting any better?  Heck no!  I think I'm getting worse!  LOL!!!  But I love the sport so much I keep plugging away.  Right now during the summer I am on 2 tennis teams and actually have a match tonight.  Win or lose there will be another match just around the corner.
Here is a picture of my tennis team.  I love these ladies!

I am amazed by professional tennis.  Such a different sport.  For one thing the athletes playing singles are out there by themselves.  No coaching (in most situations) during a professional match (although they have introduced coaching between sets during some of the women's tournaments).  But mostly the player is out there alone and has to figure everything out themselves.  I play doubles now so I always have a partner out there who tells me "Move, Susan!", "Pick up your feet, Susan!", "Focus, Susan", "Stop sticking your butt out, Susan!".  LOL!  Not really...we are all pretty supportive of each other and know that we are all trying our best.  Some days ya gots it and some days ya just don't.  Let's hope today I do!

Anyway...to Wimbledon.  My favorite player on the men's side..Rafael Nadal of Spain is out.



He just won the French Open and so maybe was out of gas a bit.  I'm sad.... The defending champion, Andy Murray is out, too.  But two champions... Federer and Djokovich are still in.  So we will see if one makes it to being the one to hold the trophy.  The woman's side has become interesting.  The great American, Serena Williams is out, but our neighbor Eugenie Bouchard from Canada is playing her semifinal match now and has a very good chance to win the tournament.  We will see.....The women's final is Friday.

OK, you can tell I love it and follow it.  Don't ask me to discuss much of anything about the World Cup.  I try to like soccer but it just doesn't happen.  LOL!

OK, enough of tennis (for now!).


My other love is paper crafting, of course and here is a card I made recently with elements from a Simon Says Stamp kit I had on hand.   I stamped with Simon Says Stamp and Hero Arts ink.  The yellow flower is actually a leaf stamp that I stamped several times and then cut out to make the flower.  And yes, it was NOT my idea...I stole it.  LOL!

Plain and simple...and mostly flat except for the enamel dot on the yellow flower.  I also used my Wink of Stella clear pen to go over the flowers to give it a little extra sheen.

That's it for today....Bouchard and Halep are still in the first set and even at 4-all.

Happy Crafting, Keep Creating and yay, TENNIS!

New Favorites!

I had ordered the Scribbled Flowers stamp set and dies from Simon Says Stamp and they came yesterday.  I had it in my cart and took it out...had it in and took it out.  And, uh, finally left it in.  I'm so glad I did.  I love it!  I love the look of hand drawn things and this one is perfect for that!
Here are the stamps and coordinating dies (if you click on the image it will take you to Simon Says Stamp and the featured set):
 
And here is a card I made with it which was CASED from a card I saw by the fabulous Shari Carroll.

 

  The "hello" sentiment was from a Lawn Fawn set and the "you're one of my nicest thoughts" came from a Hero Arts set which I heat embossed with white embossing powder.  
I love this bright and happy card stamped with Memento Luxe inks and will make more!

Gotta run!

Happy Crafting and Keep Creating!

Life is a Beach!

I love the beach.  Going to the beach is probably my most favorite place in the spectrum of  "naturey" kinds of things.  I love art, history and architecture and am happy wandering around Europe and seeing all it has to offer but if I have to choose a spot of nature I'll choose the beach over a lake or the mountains or a canyon or a river any day.  In fact, I have nothing against those other places and enjoy visiting them, too.  Well, I do have a problem with the mountains.  Getting there is a problem.  Winding roads and me just do not get along.  Even if I drive.  Blech. 

Back to the beach.  We are fortunate to take a family vacation for a week to the beach each year.  We all love it and look forward to this getaway each year.  I've been to a lot of beaches in my life....Cape Cod, Southern CA (San Diego and LA), Atlantic City, Long Island (New York), Virginia Beach...most of the east coast of Florida, and even beaches in Hawaii, Italy, Spain and Greece (ok, I did love the Mediterranean and the beach there off of Crete) but my favorite go to beaches are on the Gulf of Mexico.  The water is so pretty to me and I love, love, love the white sand.  You just don't see that at many beaches. 

Sigh......wish I were there instead of metro Atlanta suburbia right now.  LOL!

A friend of mine commissioned me to make some cards for her recently.  She has some beach property and has need of cards to send to renters.

This is what I came up with using some Hero Arts stamps I've had.  (Note to self...time to get more beachy stamp sets!)

I inked the blue background with a variety of Distress Inks and then spattered it with some water to react with the ink.  That is so much fun and I love watching the color of the Distress inks move away.  (It takes little to impress me sometimes!)  I stamped the fish and crab in black ink and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I used some ink daubers and colored them in with additional Distress Inks and then colored in some of the scales and other areas with some Distress pens.

 

The "sand" was done with some kraft paper torn and inked.  And finally the sentiment came from the Girlfriends set by Art Impressions.
And lastly I used some Wink of Stella clear glitter over the little critters.

I think she will like then!

Happy Crafting and Keep Creating!

Boy Cards Rock!

....not really but I did have fun making more boy cards with the Simon Says Stamp Card Kit for May.
:)

Here are a couple more I made.  The first one is just a simple birthday card done with strips of paper.

And a little heat embossing with some white powder for the sentiment.  I love the cute little monsters.  The big red one was cut out of some of the Fancy Pants printed paper.

The second card is actually NOT a boy card but was made with the same stamp set.  I think it is gender-less.  :)

The kit came with a star stencil and I used it to make the background with some Hero Arts Ink.  I love the red, white and blue theme I have going here, too. :)

The tennis shoes were inked and colored with a few Copics and then cut out .  I stamped the sentiment with Memento Luxe ink and then threw some clear embossing powder over it and heated it.  I love clear embossing powder...one of my favorite things to use!  I added some neutral twine over some red strips of cardstock that I cut sort of randomly.

I am actually sending this to a friend who runs all the time.  I think she will like it very much.  I do not run.  In fact when I play tennis my favorite word is "YOURS!" (said with great gusto and enthusiasm) so that my partner will run down the ball.  Of course, my tennis partners use the same favorite word with me.  It's a mutual give and take....and run...


Happy Crafting!  I'm hoping to do a bit today myself....I have several birthdays coming up and need to get some cards going!!! :)

I entered the Cuttin and Stampin Challenge Little Monsters HERE.

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

Love You Sew Much

I was cleaning off my table last night and throwing away scraps of paper.  It is difficult for me to get rid of scraps of paper because I might NEED them some day!   I was trashing stuff and the next thing I realized I was sitting at the table and taking said paper scraps and making a card!  LOL...and this is why I don't get rid of scraps often...you can do such cute things with small pieces of paper.

For example the white circle is actually a circle I cut the other day when I did the You're so Tweet card....I just flipped it over and used the smooth surface to stamp "love you sew much".  Most of those scraps were only slightly larger and needed just a bit of trimming.  I had some older chipboard hearts and used some Liquid Pearls to cover them.  The trim was a piece leftover from another project and a Simon Says Stamp card kit from last year sometime.

It felt good to use up these scraps and give them a home on this card:

I added a few Hero Arts gems and voila!...a fun card!

Here is a closeup of those hearts and that cute trim...

Fun...and mostly made with trash.  HAHA!  Not really but made with things that were soon going to become trash!  Sad to think these scraps might have ended up in a land fill somewhere!

Vicky P at Clips-n-Cuts has a huge giveaway if you link up using her tool Inlinkz.  You can get the information HERE.

Happy Crafting!

*Simon Says Stamp Card Kit of the Month JANUARY 2014 LOVED CKJan14 *Simon Says Clear Stamps ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU sss101382 *Fancy Pants 6 x 6 BE.LOVED Paper Pad 2169 *Ranger PETAL PINK Liquid Pearls Decorative Glue *Maya Road HEART CONFETTI Mini Chipboard C2359 Hearts Love Valentine 2013me *3M Scotch ACID FREE 1/4"" x 36 Yard REFILL Advance Tape Glider Rolls *3M Scotch PINK ATG ADVANCED TAPE GLIDER 1/4"" Adhesive Glue Gun *Neenah Classic Crest **110 LB** SMOOTH SOLAR WHITE Paper Pack 25 Sheets *Hero Arts DIAMOND GEMS MEDIUM ch235 Bling 5mm

InLinkz.com

We're More Than Friends

And Happy Monday to all of you!  

It looks gray and overcast here today so I think this afternoon will give way to some scrapbooking or card making!  I wonder where the mojo (if I can find it) will take me!

This was a fun card to make using a circle stamp from a Simon Says Stamp kit to make the background.  I inked it with some different Hero Arts ink and it was quick and simple and fun to do!

I used some Glossy Accents on the hearts to just give it a little extra shine.  Very quick and pretty easy....the hardest part, of course, was for me to give the Glossy Accents time enough to dry!  I just HAVE TO TOUCH!!!  It's part of my DNA...what can I say?!

And today I am giving Inlinkz.com a whirl.  Vicky from Clips-n-Cuts (one of my very favorite bloggers) is the owner of Inklinz and she is having a giveaway to those who use it.   I love the blogs that use that feature so why not?!

Vicky is also having a fantastic giveaway if you use the Inlinkz tool on your blog and you can find out about that HERE!

Happy Crafting!

Pale Tomato Mid-Tone Shadow Ink	Soft Pool Ink Pad	Cup O' Joe Shadow Ink Mid-Tone	Field Greens Shadow Ink Mid-Tone
*Simon Says Clear Stamps CARD EXCHANGING FRIENDS SSS130801	*Ranger Inkssentials MINI GLOSSY ACCENTS Glue Dimensional Adhesive .5oz	*3M Scotch DOUBLE-SIDED FOAM TAPE Permanent	*Neenah Classic Crest **110 LB** SMOOTH SOLAR WHITE Paper Pack 25 Sheets

InLinkz.com