Monday, March 31, 2008

Happy Spring



I love Spring. It's one of my favorite seasons. It's a time of new beginnings, of rebirth, a time when flowers poke their noses through the frozen earth and declare their intentions, when baby birds chirp out their delight in being born. There is nothing like being able to open your windows and let the fresh air into your house after spending a winter cooped up.



I remember when I was little and we lived in Ohio, my Mom would throw open the windows and the house would smell so fresh. She would do her spring cleaning, and she always had a clothesline that she hung the curtains and sheets on, and there was/is nothing like the smell of clean sheets that have been dried on a clothesline in the cool spring air.

When you are a kid in the north, winter is fun because you get to ride on your sled in the snow, but spring means you can get your bicycle out and play with your friends outside after school. Times were simpler then. We didn't have video games or computers, so we actually played outside after school and during the summer. I think we were healthier, and I know we developed friendships and interacted with each other in ways that today's children don't. We weren't latchkey kids, our mothers didn't work outside the home. They didn't have to.

Yeah, I know, we don't have snow and ice in Florida in the winter, but it's still the same. You know that in a few weeks the weather will be hot and will last that way for many months, and so you enjoy the last of the cooler weather.

Oh, gee, I didn't mean to get on a soapbox...

Let me just say, I hope you have a happy spring....


Thursday, March 27, 2008

Another Blog To Check Out...


It just dawned on me that I subscribe to another blog that I haven't shared with you, so without further ado, let me introduce you to Paperlicious. I love the humor of the author, and the cards are stunning. Her address is http://paperlicious.typepad.com/ and I will put a link under Blogs Of Note.

Here is another card I recently made:


All images by The Angel Company


I apologize for the blurry scan, but the image is stamped on acetate, the colored on the reverse side with alcohol inks. The acetate is attached with brads, and it doesn't lay flush on the scan bed, so it didn't scan clearly. But you get the idea.


For those of you who tuned in yesterday and learned of my brother's health problems, I can report that he had the heart catheterization, and the heart doctor put 2 more stents inside 2 of the stents they already implanted previously. We'll see how he does with this. The next step will be a bypass. Personally, I think they should have done the bypass when the first 2 stents didn't work properly, but then, I didn't get the medical degree and I don't make the big bucks. So....thank you for your prayers. We really appreciate them.

I'll be checking in again tomorrow. Until then, happy crafting...

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Good morning!

Good morning to you! It's Wednesday...we are halfway through the week! Woohoo!! (Can you tell I live for weekends?)

Have you noticed the blogs listed on the right side of the page? Take a few minutes to check them out. Lots of inspiration and beautiful work. Also, check out the links section...templates and other resources.



This card was made after being inspired by Michelle Zindorf and her tutorial on her blog, Freedom in Creating (http://zindorf.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/). It's not complete yet; I need to trim it down and mat it and put it on a card base, but you get the idea. The sentiment stamp is from The Angel Company, and the shell stamp is from My Paper Moon (http://www.mypapermoon.com), and is one of 3 shells in a series.

I will be busy at work for the next little while (and possibly up to 2 months). My brother Steve, who I work for, had 2 stents put in last March. In December, he was having heart pains, they re-did the stress test and the heart catheterization and determined that he was clogged up again and put in 3 more stents. Now, here it is March again and he's having more trouble. So, this afternoon he's going to have another catheterization to see what's stopped up this time, and the heart surgeon will go from there, but his Internal Medicine doctor has already told him no more stents, so we will have to see what happens. So, if you are a praying person, your prayers would be very much appreciated right about now. With him gone from the office, I will be responsible for all the office work.

Talk to you again soon....

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Joseph's Coat Inside Out

I read a lot of blogs every day, and I ran across this technique on the Stamps, Paper Scissor blog, which you can find here: http://stampspaperscissors.typepad.com/stamps_paper_scissors/2007/09/index.html I have to warn you, this gal has a sense of humor.....

Bold stamps by The Angel Company, background writing stamp by Hampton Arts

This was a fun card to make. Unlike the traditional Joseph's Coat technique, this one uses plain cardstock, not glossy. And it was actually very easy to make, and looks good. My kind of card!
In a nutshell, you stamp your background image on light colored cardstock. Add some colors by sponging. You don't have to cover the whole card. Then you ink up some bold stamps with versa-mark, stamp them on the background, and emboss with clear embossing powder. Now, take some darker ink pads and sponge it on the card. When you are done, take a tissue and wipe off the embossing. Viola! A very pretty card. The details on Stamps, Paper, Scissors, is much more detailed and has pictures, so hike on over there and check it. out.

If you make one, post a link back here so we can check it out.


Other good news....my step-son is home from Iraq! He's at Ft. Stewart, GA, but he's back in the states after completing his 2nd tour. Woohoo! Now we can actually watch the news again...

It turned COLD last night! Brrrr....it was in the 40's, which is very cool for here. I slept with the bedroom windows up, though, and it was very refreshing. I sleep much better when it's cold. Even the cats were content to be inside for the night. I love this weather, though, and can't get enough of it. It will be hot soon enough, and will last way into the fall, so give me cold weather while I can get it.

Talk to you again soon....


Monday, March 24, 2008

Cuttlebug Technique

Whew! I can't believe it's been a week since I have posted. But March is turning out to be a busy, busy month for me. And it's not done, yet. Saturday is my daughter's birthday. Usually May is our busy month, but for some reason this year March is running a very close second.

I was playing around with a new stamp and a new technique (at least it's new to me) today, and wanted to share the results.

I believe the stamp is by Rubber Stampede, but the technique I was telling you about uses the cuttlebug embossing folders. You open the folder, and ink the negative image (the side with the cuttlebug title/logo), insert your paper and emboss. The ink gets down in the hollows. I used white cardstock to emboss so you could see the contrast, but you could use any color cardstock you want. You will want to clean your embossing folder immediately, so as not to stain it. I think it adds a different dimension to the texture.

If you don't want to hear me whine, stop reading now...lol. My back has been hurting all weekend. It's not completely out, but it sure does hurt. It seems like every weekend something is wrong that I don't get to enjoy it to the fullest. Getting old sure isn't for sissies, as my (younger) hubby likes to tell me. Don't worry, he's not THAT much younger than I am. And he's learned not to make fun of aging...hehehe.

We had a nice Easter, how about you? We had dinner with the kids and my son-in-law's parents, then we watched Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest. Johnny Depp is just too good as a pirate. It's funny, but those are the only movies I really like him in.

Ok, I'm off to think of a special for this week. By the way, I put the rest of the punches that are left in the Clearance section at http://www.mypapermoon.com. Check them out.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Are you wearing green today? Because today, everybody's Irish! Actually, I am Irish on my mother's side (her maiden name was Casey), AND my father's side. His great-great-great-great-great grandfather (however many greats...lol), Patrick, came here is the 1600's from Ireland.

I don't have any cards to share with you from this weekend, but I do have a coupon. Today only, if you use coupon code SPD at check-out at My Paper Moon (http://www.mypapermoon.com/), you will receive 17% off your order.

I made a few cards this weekend, but nothing spectacular. A few birthday cards that were needed. On Sunday, I went with my daughter and 2 granddaughters, and some friends to McKee Jungle Gardens to the Bugs and Slugs Exhibit, which are prehistoric bugs. These things were huge, and I'm so glad I didn't live back then.


The girls with a sculpted sea turtle.


A dragonfly with a 2 ft. wingspan...


Emilie on a true-to-life sized slug....ewwwwww!!!

Needless to say, we had a great time!

And now a word (or three) about Easter:

Easter this year is: Sunday March 23, 2008

As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20).

This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.

This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here are the facts:

  • The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).
  • The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Latest Card

Well, I'm having a hard time adjusting to the daylight savings time, how about you? I want to stay up late, but then I don't want to get up in the mornings. And my hubby is a grouch about it, so that doesn't make it any better.


On to better things...This is the latest card I made.

All images The Angel Company.

Isn't this just the cutest little hedgehog? I decorated the outside of the envelope with the same little guy, only he was holding a bouquet of flowers, and I put polka dots on it, too. With several birthdays coming up this month, I needed a quick and easy card, and this was it.

Check out the video at the bottom of the page. This song will get in your head. I had heard it before on a blog, and then I heard it on a commercial on TV the other evening, and I kept racking my brain trying to figure out where I had heard it. I finally remembered it was on a blog. And now it's on MY blog, so I can listen to it any time I want. lol

If you haven't check out my website lately, I am trying to clearance lots of stuff to make way for new stuff, so the prices are right. The link is http://www.mypapermoon.com. Then go to the clearance pages.

Ok, I'm outta here for the evening. Hope you have/had a great one.

Friday, March 7, 2008

My First Triptych

I have never done a triptych before, and after seeing Kristy's on her blog(http://kristychristopherson.blogspot.com/), I knew I had to try one. This is the first one I did:

It was so much fun, I did another one.

These are ATC sized cards. I cut the paper 3-1/2" x 7-1/2" and scored it every 2-1/2" with the Scor-It, making 3 ATC sized cards.

Are you ready for the time to change this weekend? My poor hubby has such a hard time adjusting when it changes. Anyway, don't forget to set your clocks AHEAD 1 hour Saturday night, so you will have the correct time on Sunday morning when you get out of bed.

I hope to get some stamping done and maybe even some scrapbooking this weekend. I hope you get to craft some, too.

Talk to you soon....

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Handmade Journal

Good morning and happy hump day. When we get over the Wednesday hump, we'll be on a downhill slide into the weekend! Woohoo!



I've been busy since last I posted. I have made a handmade art journal. Isn't it pretty? The scan doesn't do it justice. I even sewed the pages together. The pages are held in the journal by 4 ribbons, which are tied on the outside, and the knots are staggered. You can't see that in the scan. I used 4 of the colors from the blocks on the cover for the ribbon colors. It also closes with a ribbon tie, which you also can't see.

I learned how to make this journal at My Creative Classroom (http://www.mycreativeclassroom.com/). This particular class is free, but there are mostly paid classes there, including altered art, scrapbooking, journaling, stamping, jewelry making, home decor, and everything in between. Check it out when you have a few minutes.

These journals are addictive. While working on my first creative writing assignment - I have to think about it, you know - I decided to make another blank journal, which turned out just as nice as the other.

Ok, here is my creative writing assignment. Maybe you can help me out. The assignment is "Feel the Fear - and do it anyway." I'm supposed to write about something that I'm fearful about, that I've worked through the fear and done anyway. Hah! Everyone who knows me knows that if I'm chicken about something, there's no way I'm going to do it anyway. The thing that comes to mind right away is my fear of heights. Which includes mountains and roller coasters. And there is no way I am going on a roller coaster. Or a mountain. So there! Hah!

Don't get me wrong, it's not because I don't want to do those things. I would dearly love to ride roller coasters with my wonderful hubby, but I know I would hyperventilate when the ride started for sure, and I probably would have a heart attack and die right at the theme park. The fear is that paralyzing. So...I must figure out something else that I was fearful of that I did anyway. Any ideas?

Here is another Freebie site. It's called Artist-How-To.com and the link is here: http://www.artist-how-to.com/Countdown.htm. Check them out!

Talk to you soon!

Saturday, March 1, 2008

My Challenge to You

I have recently started doing challenges. I think it helps me stretch outside the box. Sometimes I'm given an image, sometimes a layout, but it makes me stretch and get away from plain boring matted cards.



Today I was looking at an envelope box, and decided to use the colors and layout to make a card. Below are the box and my card. What do you think?


Do you think I came pretty close? There were several ways I could have gone with the white piece. I thought about leaving the top right side unglued and use it as a pocket for a tag, which would have been nice. Instead I glued it down and stamped the P for Pretty or Posey (you decide). The darker blue divider is a piece of dark blue ribbon.

Now, I would like to challenge you to pick up a book, or a package, or anything that strikes your fancy (it could be patterned sheets, or a coffee cup from Starbucks, or a pretty bag from a boutique), and make a card using those colors or layout. Then I'd like you to post them to your blog, if you have one, and leave a link here, so we can all come admire your creation.

What are you waiting for? Go create something...