Blogging Butterfly

Yea! Bubble time! I was inspired by my blogging buddy Lynn to use (well - actually purchase) a butterfly stamp. Lynn is my most loyal reader and poster! Thank you Lynn for the inspiration and sweet notes. The sentiment was picked out especially for you!

I finally broke down today and bought a butterfly stamp. Okay - so I bought MORE than just a butterfly stamp...but EVERYTHING was on sale. It was my way of boosting the local economy and demonstrating my frugal fiscal responsibility to my friend Lisa - who by the way says "you should buy it" to every item I fondled, pointed at, or drooled over. Maybe shopping with her isn't such a good idea...

Blogging Butterfly
~Base card - PaperTrey Ink - white
~Layer of black cardstock
~Three layers of The Paper Studio The Basics
~Scallop circles of hot pink and lime green (it looks rather yellow on my monitor - but it really is lime green)
~Butterfly stamp by Inkadinakado colored with Copics and highlighted with some Diamond Stickles, hand cut and folder for dimension
Challenges
Crazy for Challenges - black cardstock
Just Us Girls - color inspiration (hot pink, lime green and orange)
Our Creative Corner - butterflies
Do You Stack Up - stripes

Thank you for clicking by,
Nancy in Iowa

Only 258 Shopping Days 'Til Christmas

I know it's spring but I was in the mood for a Christmas card so I compromised with myself. I made a Christmas card using spring-like colors. Well - okay maybe the little boots aren't exactly spring-like - but who can't like shiny red boots?!

A Jump on Christmas Shopping
~Base card - Gina K Designs - Pure Luxury white
~Layer of pink cardstock
~Layer of The Paper Studio Happy Hootin' Holdiays design cardstock
~Two strips from a rectangle shape doily from Dollar Tree
~Spellbinders Nestablities Labels Two die cut - edged with Tim Holtze Distress Stain Broken China popped up using foam Sticky Doos
~Two metal snowflakes (repurposed earrings)
~Di's Digital image
~Image printed on Cryogen White from Papertemptress colored with Copics, fur highlighted with Fairy Dust Blue Diamond Dust and Pinkie, boots highlighted with Stampin' Up Crystal Effects
Challenges and Inspiration
Twisted Sketches - sketch with two
Paper Sundaes - anything goes
Pile it on Sunday - pop it up
Craft Your Days Away - metal
Crafy Hazelnut's - Christmas + song (Christmas Shopping song)
Red Wagon - spring colors
Ladybug Crafts - shapes

Thanks for clicking by,
Nancy in Iowa

Learnin' in the Bubble

Time in the Bubble! Time for a card or two! I tried a new-to-me technique, called Sponging a Layer, posted as the challenge over at Just Us Girls. I enjoyed it so much I tried it twice.

Thoughts of You

~Base card - Gina K Designs Pure Ivory cardstock

~Ribbon

~Sponging a layer technique using Distress Ink Peeled Paint, Hampton Art Stamps Watercolor Daisy, anc Copics

~Sentiment

Challenge

Just Us Girls - technique challenge

Happy Cupcake!

~Base card - Gina K Designs Pure Ivory cardstock

~Ribbons

~Button

~Sponging a layer technque using Distree Ink Faded Jeans, Taylored Expressions Whimiscal Wishes - colored with Copics - highlighted with Stickles and Stampin' Up Crystal Effects

Challenges

Shabby Tea Room - cupcake birthday

Crazy for Challenges - buttons

Do You Stack Up - glitter

Play Date Cafe - color inspiration

Thanks for clicking by,

Nancy in Iowa

Sweet Dragons

Just a really, really quick post as I have a few chores to finish up on my weekend To-Do list - then it's off to watch Game of Thrones! Yes! I 'got' GoT fever!

By the way - Happy Easter everyone! I gave up sweets for Lent - can't wait to have a dish of ice cream in the school cafeteria tomorrow! DRAT! I have to work tomorrow but the school cafeteria will be closed because there are no classes on Easter Monday. The Coconut/Almond/Fudge ice cream will have to be on my Tuesday list of things to look forward to...

Sweet You
~Base card Stampin' Up pink cardstock
~Layer of Bazzill purple cardstock
~Layer of Paper Pizzaz - Garden Scattered Flowers
~Ribbon
~Oval emboss/die cut using Spellbinders and Cuttlebug
~Digital image from Phindy's Place colored with Copics, shoes highlighted with Stampin Up Crystal Effects
Challenges and Inspirations
Just Us Girls - sketch
Phindy's Challenge - anything goes
Pile It On - all about S
Crafty Catz - CAS

Thanks for clicking by,
Nancy in Iowa

Productivity, Pears, and Parallel Tracks

Pretty productive day today! Worked from home this morning, then worked in the yard, (I swear I could actually hear dandelions pushing their way up through the ground), did some laundry, made my first visit to our local railroad museum (Siouxland Historical Railroad Museum) and made a card. Where did all this energy come from? I have NOT a clue!

Pear of Buttons
~Base card - Bazzill Thunder
~DCWV two aqua cardstocks
~Layer of green Stampin' Up stamped with Stampin' Up All Natural~Magic Mesh from Stampin' Up
~Scrap of gold cardstock
~Stampin' Up All Natural pear colored with watercolors
~Buttons with DMC floss

Challenges and Inspiration
Play Date Cafe - color inspiration
My Time Made Easy - sketch
A Gem of a Challenge - color inspiration

Thanks for clicking by,
Nancy in Iowa

Refrigerators, Laptops, and Lasses

Today sister Judy asked me why I haven't been blogging. Part of the reason is that this is my busiest time at work and I get home REALLY late. Even though card making is my therapy after 13-14 hour days my jammies, pillows, and comforter hold more healing power than any coloring, gluing, or cutting can offer. Mostly my lack of blogging is because my laptop is nearly flat-lining. It served me well during hours of writing papers for my graduate's degree - but it is slowly losing its memory and its speed is grinding to a snail's pace - very much like its owner! It seriously takes 10 times longer to post a card than it does to make it!

A new laptop would be on my 'priority purchase list' if my refrigerator wasn't randomly squealing like a pig caught in a mouse trap. I'm just waiting for it to cool its last yogurt and freeze its last Popsicle! Now if I could just find a computer that freezes (only what it is supposed to), cools, uploads photos and surfs the Internet....

Here is card number three of the wee Colleens for my cousin Maura. She has three daughters Sheila, Sonja, and Anne. She will have her next St. Patrick's Day cards ready especially early! (Or I can just admit to thinking about making these especially late!)

Orange You Special!

~Base card - PaperTrey Ink Ocean Tides

~Layer of My Mind's Eye Spring in Bloom

~Orange card stock strips with My Mind's Eye Just Stripes

~Spellbinder's scallop circle die cut and embossed using Cuttlebug - layer of Ocean Tides and Paper Temptress Cryogen White - laser printed with Phindy image colored with Copics, Wellington's highlighted with Stampin' Up Crystal Effects, scallops dotted with Copics

~Two layers of ribbon

~Prima flower and leaves

~Button

Challenges

Ladybug Crafts - spots and stripes

Crazy for Challenges - sketch

Phindy's Challenge - ribbon

Mark's Finest Papers - square

Here are they are - all three together:

Thanks for clicking by,

Nancy in Iowa