Saturday, January 31, 2015

Hugs and Kisses for ATCAS

It's time for another Addicted to CAS Challenge


The delightful Deepti chose our challenge this time.



Our sponsors this week are



 Prize is 3 free digis from the store

and



Prize is 3 free digis from the store

My image came from our Eureka sponsor.
I've long been an admirer of their designs.

I colored the hearts with Blendabilities.
Quick, easy and fun to do.

To do the grass, I swiped some Wild Wasabi Marker on a piece of plastic
and picked up some ink with my Aqua Painter.
Some quick swipes grounded this little garden.

Check out the rest of the Design Team cards
and
Our Guest Designer, Julia's awesome card
at Addicted to CAS


Now I'm going to hop over to 
Pixies Snippet Playground
to see if I can get a turn on the swings.
Pixies Crafty Workshop


I'm so glad you could stop by.

Enjoy!
**********
Card Recipe
Stamps:  Heart Flowers Border Digi (Eureka Stamps), Good Greetings
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Solar White (Neena), Melon Mambo
Other: Blendabilities (Pink Pirouette Asst., Melon Mambo Asst., Wild Wasabi Asst.), Basic Rhinestones





Friday, January 30, 2015

Lotus Blossom with Love


I am loving this Lotus Blossom set.
During Sale-a-bration, it's free with a $50.00 Stampin' Up! order.

This is a 3 step stamp and really a lot of fun and so easy to get the shaded look. 

I used Pink Pirouette and Strawberry Slush for these flowers, 
masking the first stamped flower and stamping again.

I used the sketch from the sketch challenge at SCS.
It's been ages since I'd done a sketch.


I wondered what to do with these flowers that I'd stamped
and this sketch seemed to be perfect (after I flipped it).


is
CLEAN AND SIMPLE
GRAB OUR BADGE!


Since I used some snippets (ribbon and embossed strip).
Pixies Crafty Workshop


is
ANYTHING GOES
Simon Wednesday Challenge Blog


I hope you enjoyed your visit. So glad  you stopped by.

Enjoy!
    **********
Card Recipe
Stamps:  Lotus Blossom, Love and Care
Ink:  Pink Pirouette, Strawberry Slush, Wild Wasabi
Paper:  Strawberry Slush, Whisper White
Other: Organdy Ribbon, Delicate Designs EF

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted



Monday, January 26, 2015

Christmas Caroling with Merry Monday


The fun loving and delightful Lori is our hostess this week.



I have some fun snowmen for you today.

Do you see the guy on the end, singing his heart out?

Then there's #2 that looks like he's getting ready to stop the fun.

LOL, it reminds me of my family when we're singing Christmas carols 
of even Happy Birthday!



To make this card, I stamped the image and colored with a combination
of Stampin' Up! Blendabilities and Copics.
I made a mask of the image from Frisket masking film
so I could stamp the trees "behind the snowmen".
Leaving the mask in place, I sponged the night sky around the snowmen.
Then I stamped the dots from Gorgeous Grunge all over the design 
with Whisper White and embossed with Chunky EP, heating from the back
so the powder wouldn't blow away.
(supplies listed below)


Addicted to Stamps
is looking for Holiday cards this week.
Addicted to Stamps and More!

Rudolph Days 
is starting back up.
This year, Maureen, of Scraps of Life by Scrappy Mo fame
is hosting it.


I can't wait to see what Christmas music themed cards 
you share with us at Merry Monday this week.

Thanks for coming to visit.

Enjoy!
    **********
Card Recipe 
Stamps: Carolers (Art Impressions), Lovely as a Tree, Gorgeous Grunge
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Mossy Meadow, Midnight Muse, Whisper White
Paper:  Solar White 110# (Neena), Real Red, Whisper White
Other: Blendabilities, Copics, Fran-tage chunky EP, Stitched Mats Rectangles

All images are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted

Friday, January 23, 2015

Wonderful Wings

Hello my friends.

Edited to add that this card was chosen a Favorite at Happy Little Stampers.



There's a new challenge over there. Why not give it a try?



Look what I found in my UFO box this time.


So I thought I'd make another card for 

Curtain Call shows this inspiration.

Can you tell that this design was cut down?
I'm not sure if that makes it a snippet.
This piece was in my UFO box after all.
I'm pretty sure that it started out to be a whole card front.
Some of it ended up in the trash.
So I'm off to
I've been missing my playmates there.


I'm so glad you could stop by.

Enjoy!
    **********
Card Recipe
Stamps:  Wonderful Wings
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper:  Watercolor 140 lb. (Strathmore)
Other:  Watercolors (Koi), Simply Scored, Wink of Stella

l supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted




Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Heartfelt Thanks


You, my blog readers, are amazing!

I just want to say that your outpouring of love and sympathy have 
touched me to the core.

With all those positive thoughts, prayers, and cards
how could I not be OK?

Here's a big thank you hug for each of you.



Monday, January 19, 2015

Holiday House for Merry Monday

We're back around to Merry Monday.

The weeks fly by so fast!

Kreative Kristie is our hostess this week and she chose...

Create a card with a house/houses on it.


Aren't those little red and white houses adorable?




This card was salvaged from a boo boo.

We did a card in one of my Christmas card classes with the trees
and the little snowman in between.
Some of us didn't have a good aim (like me)
and ended up with levitating snowmen!

I had some of these Holiday Houses  colored and cut out so 
the 2 UFOs came together.

A little Dazzling Details to add sparkle 
(and some extra sparkle on the sentiment piece that covers up another boo boo.)

I love being able to salvage mistakes!

Now it's you turn.

Put a house or houses on your Christmas card
and join us at Merry Monday!

Thanks for the visit.

Enjoy!
    **********

Card Recipe
Stamps:  Holiday Houses, White Christmas
Ink:  Basic Gray, Memento Tuxedo Black, Lost Lagoon, Whisper White, Garden Green
Paper:  Lost Lagoon, Whisper White
Other: Blendabilities, Homemade Holiday Framelits, Dazzling Details

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted



Saturday, January 17, 2015

Around the World for ATCAS

I'm so excited to be on the Design Team for Addicted to CAS!

I'll be working with some awesome designers.



Jaydee chose the challenge this week.



Prize is 12.50 euro (1 stamp set)  to our winner.


The globe (found in my UFO box) was stamped in Chocolate Chip ink, 
die cut and sponged with some Soft Sky ink.
I used a snippet of Textured Chocolate Chip to die cut a frame with one of the 
Lil' Inker Stitched Circles die. Then I put it back together.

I can't wait to see how you interpret this code word.

The rest of the Design Team has some awesome inspiration.

I'll be looking for your cards at

I'm so glad you could stop by.

Enjoy!
    **********
Card Recipe
Stamps:  The Open Sea
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Textured Chocolate Chip
Other: Circles Collection Framelits, Stitched Circles, Stitched Rectangles dies (both Lil' Inker)

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted



Tuesday, January 13, 2015

The Ship


My dad passed this morning.  The nurse said he passed peacefully.  I called on the mobile phone last night and the nurse held it to Dad’s ear so I could tell him I love him.  She said she knew he heard me because he moved.  Hopefully closer to the phone.

I’m OK.  Sad he’s gone but I know he was tired and he’d lived a long life.  He was 93.  We spent a few days with him last week.  I’m so thankful that I got to spend some time with him before he passed. Glad that he knew we were there for him as he'd been for us. Glad for that last squeeze of the hand and kiss.

There won’t be a service until the interment in the spring.  They can’t do burials in the winter there. So we’ll do it when the leaves are on the trees and we feel more like celebrating his life.

I felt the need to make him one last card.  He loved clipper ships and put together many models of them.  They were beautiful and intricate and showed he had patience.  I think it was his way of keeping his sanity with teenagers in the house!

On the inside, I put this poem that I had copied and had stashed in my things to remember. I had it copied as The Ship.  In looking for the author on the Internet, I see that it isn't word for word but based on a poem by Henry Van Dyke.  Another Dutchman.

The Ship
I am standing on the seashore.
A ship appears and spreads her white sails
to the morning breeze
and starts for the  blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength
and I stand watching her
till at last she fades away on the horizon,
and someone at my side quietly says,
“She is gone”. Gone where?
Gone from my sight, that is all;
she is just as large as when I saw her last.

The diminished size
and the total loss of sight is in me, not in her;
and just at the moment
when someone at my side says,
“She is gone”,
There are others who are watching
her coming and other voices
take up a joyful shout,
“Here she comes!”
Henry Van Dyke                                                                                              



Thanks for letting me share this with you.




Monday, January 12, 2015

NBUS Merry Monday Critter

It's Merry Monday time again.

I have another NBUS stamp that I used for this card.

It's from the Winter Wonderland set by Penny Black.

We had some of these cute little birds in the gallery at Merry Monday last year
and they went on my list.


Here's this week's challenge brought to us by the sweet and talented Katie.

Christmas Critters

I'm going over to visit Darnell at her


I stamped the bird with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copic markers.

I've added some Polar White Flower Soft to the hat for a furry look.

The background was stamped with Whisper White dots from the
Gorgeous Grunge stamp set.  I held off on buying that set for the longest time
but finally folded.  It does have some great stamps!

I sprinkled some some Fran-tage embossing enamel on the top and heated 
from the back.  This is a technique that my friend Susan uses a lot. 
She doesn't have a blog but posts often at Splitcoaststampers.
This was a NBUS too.  

The frame is from Simon Says and something else that I kept seeing in
the Merry Monday Gallery.  Just had to have that!

As you can see, Santa was very good to me at Christmas!

Hope you've got a Christmas Critter waiting to be put on a card.

Be sure to bring it by Merry Monday so we can see it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy!
    **********
Card Recipe
Stamps:  Winter Wonderland (Penny Black)
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Whisper White
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Other: Copic Markers, Holiday Frames Craft Die (SSS), Fran-tage Chunky White Embossing Enamel, Polar White Flower Soft

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted



Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Moon Lake

This is the card I did for my DH's birthday.


I think I've mentioned that he likes ducks.

I know this is a goose, but he likes them too.

This is a stamp from the Moon Lake set in the new Occasions Catalog.

It's a great set for those guy cards.

I stamped in Memento Black, used the Blender Pen to make some gray on him,
and sponged around him.

Hubby brought down an old birthday card to sit with this on the mantle.

I see it has the same sentiment inside.

I think I need to remember to change it next year.

MAKE NEW FRIENDS BUT KEEP THE OLD
I've used a new stamp and an old technique (Sponging)
Simon Monday Challenge Blog

TAKE TWO
I've used 2 kinds of embossing (a folder and metal plate,
also, the goose and cattails make 2 images.)

USE SOMETHING NEW
This is a new stamp.
Simon Wednesday Challenge Blog

and
Darnell's NBUS Challenge
first time using this stamp

My Dad isn't doing well and we will be going to visit him
so I won't be around to comment for a few days.

Thanks for visiting.

Enjoy!
    **********
Card Recipe
Stamps:  Moon Lake
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Smoky Slate, Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy, More Mustard Marker
Paper:  Naturals White, Basic Gray, Whisper White
Other:  Stitched Mats Rectangles (Lil' Inker), Woodgrain EF, Blender Pen, Mini Brads

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted


Monday, January 5, 2015

Merry Monday Snowflake

It's Merry Monday time again.

I love making Christmas cards all year long.

It's a lot more fun to have them all done
when it's time to mail them out.

Here's this week's card....




The super talented Kathy is our hostess this week and this is what she chose.


I pulled out a NBUS embossing folder.  The swirls in it look like the icing.

The snowflakes are die cut from Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper.
Love that sparkle!

is going on until January 22nd
you just have to use some schtuff you've never used before
like this embossing folder.

has a new sketch challenge

Pixies Crafty Workshop
cuz I used some snippets for the sentiment


and a new to me challenge
my snowflakes are die cut.


I hope you'll join us this week at
and get a head start on this year's Christmas cards.

Thanks for stopping by.

Enjoy!
    **********
Card Recipe
Stamps:  Four the Holidays (retired)
Ink:  Whisper White
Paper:  Soft Sky, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer, Solar White (Neena)
Other:  Snowflake Swirl EF (Darice), Snow Flurry Bigz Die (retired), Mitten Die (Impression Obsession), White EP, Large Pearl

All supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted