PIP Christmas Card

As much as I don’t like to do this, I’m asking you to do it again – take my word for it, that is, about this PIP (prettier in person) card. It’s white on white on white – so subtle and yet striking in its crispness. If you could see the sparkle of the snowflake – covered with ultra fine crystal glitter – you would get the full affect.

I used textured cardstock for the richness it adds and a lot of foam mounting tape behind the embossed piece to keep it from caving. The sentiment on the inside of the card, “May All Your Days be Merry and Bright,” was stamped with Holiday Red ink. It’s another keeper/sender, although I might have to make one like this for myself, too. For whatever reason, it makes me feel good to look at it.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy Textured cardstock; Holiday Red ink pad; Mint Motif Very Merry Sentiments stamp set; Red satin ribbon from my stash; Martha Stewart Ultra-Fine Crystal glitter; Cuttlebug w/Snowflakes embossing folder, Snowflake die/folder Combo, and Nestabilities Classic Circles set; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: For no particular reason, I am happy tonight. Having put in some extra time earlier in the week, my workday was short and not quite as intense as the other this week. Marv went with his brother to the cabin today to decorate for “Carlson Christmas,” which will be celebrated on the 18th. I think they were going to do some bow hunting, too. With no husband to cook, I called Mom to go out and have a bite. We both had Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches. Good food. Good company. You can’t beat that.

I do believe my night owl ways have caught up with me this evening, however, as I am tired. Leave it to me to wait until the weekend to go to bed early. LOL. Oh, but there is always the possibility I will get a second wind. We shall see. For now, I am off to the bathtub and then maybe to my corner for another stamping session before bed. Have a great weekend, everyone, and thanks for stopping by.

Gingerbread Snowflake

I thought I’d offer an explanation in my title tonight. That way, you won’t be thinking, “What’s with the brown snowflake?” LOL. The inspiration for my card was derived from this Tuesday Trigger on the Moxie Fab World blog. It was further inspired by this beauty on the Lucy’s Cards blog. My gingerbread snowflake is Brown Bag cardstock cut with a Cuttlebug die. After embossing my “cookie,” I inked around the edges with Chocolate ink, careful not to burn it! After it had cooled, I “iced” it with a white gel pen and then sprinkled it with sparkly sugar (Icicle Stickles). Antique Linen Distressing Ink was used to tone down my too-white ribbon. All the while I was making this card, I didn’t think I was going to like it. All put together, however, it’s a keeper. Wait. I take that back. It’s not a keeper but rather a “sender.” I’m adding it to the growing pile of cards I hope to send out this year … if time doesn’t get away from me.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Brown Bag, and New England Ivy cardstock; New England Ivy, Chocolate, and Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distressing Ink stamp pads; White Uni-ball Signo Broad tip gel pen; Say it in Style Stamp set; Red mini check ribbon from Wal-Mart; Pearl Opaques; Cuttlebug w/Snowflake die/embossing folder combo; Sponge distressing tool; Sponge dauber.

A Slice of Life: Whoa. If the next 23 days fly by as fast as the last five have, Christmas will be here in no time. After four days off, I was anticipating a long workweek. Not so at all – the result of having been busy and enjoying what I was doing. I stopped at Mom’s after work tonight and visited with her and my sister Karen, who happened to be there today.

Even though the temperatures have dropped (it is currently –4 degrees), the sun has been shining and weather hasn’t seemed too bad the past couple of days. No wind – the good weather/bad weather differentiator.

Are you thinking ahead to the weekend? We have a family birthday party on Saturday. Other than that, I believe it is time to decorate for the holidays and perhaps do a little cyber shopping. Fun. Tonight, I will let you go with a wish that your Friday is fantastic. Thanks for stopping by, my friends.

Simple Saturday

 

This card last night with scraps left over from the card I posted last night. I wanted to play around with the Banner Day Die-namics that were part of a recent My Favorite Things order. I think the card would have been cuter had the pennants been cut from patterned paper. It could be personalized with alphabet stamps, providing I give it to someone with either a five- or three-letter name. Bjorn, maybe? Cam?

Materials & Tools: White Daisy Textured and Holiday Red cardstock; DCWV Indian Summer Fall Matstack; Star Spangled Blue ink pad; Happy Birthday stamp set; Cranberry Waxy Flax; Cuttlebug w/My Favorite Things Banner Day Die-namics.

 

 

 

This card is a sampler of Close To My Heart’s new colors. I was inspired by one of the cards in this post on the Less is More blog. The new colors are pretty. However, I like many of the colors they replaced, too, so with the new, I am feeling a bit of loss as well. Of the new colors, I think Sky and Pear are my favorites.

The circles and sentiment were adhered to the card with foam mounting tape. I scored the detail on the right side with my Martha Steward Scoring Board.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy cardstock; Black, Sky, Cotton Candy, Smoothie, Gypsy, Pear, Lagoon, Pacifica, and Sunset ink pads; Hero Arts Antique Brocade stamp and Thinking of You Stamp set; Sparkles; Martha Stewart Scoring Board; 1-inch circle punch; Round sponges; 3M foam mounting tape.

 

 

 

This next card was inspired by a card in this post on the Inky Doodles blog. If you look at the link and do not see a card that looks anything like mine, it is OK. Now you know what kind of memory I have. I remembered the verse. My butterfly should have been a leaf. Or, maybe not. The verse – a favorite – is certainly appropriate for a butterfly.

The butterfly was stamped on smooth white cardstock and sponged with Gypsy and Sky inks. Actually, the butterfly was stamped and sponged several times. I don’t know if the new inks are different somehow or what the deal is, but they don’t seem to “sponge” well. I will have to play around some more before passing judgment, however. The sentiment was computer generated. The butterfly’s antennae are wire.

Materials and Tools: White Daisy Textured and smooth cardstock; Black, Sky, and Gypsy ink pads; Grey Wool marker; Hero Arts Butterflies stamp set; Computer generated sentiment; Black Wire; Glitter Stack; Quickie glue pen; Round sponges; 3M foam mounting tape.

 

 

This card was inspired by Jeanne (of Creative Bliss fame) on this post. Again, I was playing around with a new Close To My Heart color – Lagoon. Other than the fact the paper was embossed by Mathias, who still loves the Cuttlebug and Grandma’s punches, there isn’t much to explain.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black,and Lagoon cardstock; Black and Lagoon ink pads; Hero Arts Antique Brocade stamp and CTMH Say it in Style stamp set; Sparkles; 1 and 1-1/4 inch circle punches; Cuttlebug w/Swiss Dots embossing folder; 3M foam mounting tape.

A Slice of Life: The boys were here until after lunch. We had a fun morning. This afternoon, I am gloriously home alone. Husband is at a family wedding in Grand Forks – his cousin’s son’s daughter. He isn’t without a date, however, as he had to pick his mother up at the bus terminal in GF about 45 minutes before the ceremony was to begin. I mentioned earlier in the week, that I might stay home, and while he wasn’t crazy about the idea, he didn’t even ask today. Woo hoo. He must have instinctively know I was in need of some peace and quiet. I guess I probably don’t need to tell you what I have been doing. LOL. The fun needs to end for a bit though while I do some housework. The cleaning fairy didn’t show up again this week.

I hope you are having a great Saturday. Thank you so much for stopping by.

Simple Tuesday

LOL. Simple Tuesday versus Simple Saturday. The former just doesn’t sound right, does it? Two-Minute Tuesday has a certain ring to it and would have been appropriate for this card had I not had to spend 10 minutes looking for the Die-namics I used to cut out the flowers. Obviously, the corner I’ve tried so hard to keep neat is not neat enough.

Actually, I made two cards tonight, but unless I fall in love with the first one after letting it sit for a day or so, I am not going to show it to you. Currently, I think it is ugly. No biggie. Inspired my these cute cards posted recently on the Jennifer McGuire Ink blog, I went with a simpler design. Love the textured cardstock. The colors. The simplicity.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy Textured cardstock; Cranberry, Sunflower, and Dutch Blue cardstock; Black ink pad; Happy Birthday stamp set; Kaiser Kraft pearl accents; Cuttlebug w/My Favorite Things Flower Trio and Leaf Trio Die-namics;  Corner rounder.

Enabler Alert: As I have yet to see it mentioned in the blogosphere, I will ask the question. Have you heard about the new Cricut Imagine? I received an email from Cricut last Friday, watched the video, and responded with a big “Wow!” Suggested retail on this gem is $599.99 although I saw it listed at $499.99 somewhere. I am guessing it will not be long before one can pick one up on eBay in the $350 to $375 range. That is if one wants to to pick one up. LOL. I need to know more – like what the printer cartridge(s) is going to cost. I like the fact, however, that in addition to the new Imagine cartridges, it is compatible with regular cartridges as well as the blades, etc. While the Imagine is not on my wish list yet, I am impressed. What do you think?

A Slice of Life: I came home early this afternoon, feeling kind of punk. I was fine after resting for a while. Overtired, I think. Other than that, it was a pretty ordinary day.  How about you? Did you have a good day? I hope so. Tomorrow’s Hump Day. Make it a good one!

A Wedding Card

Such efficiency… actually making a wedding card two days before I need it.  Now, if  only my photo had done it justice. Instead, it’s another one of those PIP (purtier in person) cards. LOL.

Using the big embossing folder Jeanne sent me to its full advantage, the card is a 5x7. I love it. While A2-size cards are well suited for most occasions, I like to make larger cards for weddings.  As you can see, the design is simple. The sentiment was embossed with gold detail powder, and I was lucky enough to find the perfect button to add a special finishing touch.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Chocolate cardstock; VersaMark ink pad; Gold detail embossing powder; Gracious Greetings stamp set; Brown satin ribbon from Wal-Mart; Gold button from my stash; Cuttlebug w/Kassie’s Brocade 5x7-inch embossing folder; Embossing heat tool.

A Slice of Life: Bowling was fun last night, and I am happy to report I did not exactly bowl like a rock star. As averages are established on the first night, bowling better than you usually do is not a good thing. Been there. Done that. This year, however, I start new the season with a respectable average that isn’t so high I have worry about achieving it each week. I can simply relax and have fun, which, for me, is the idea behind the activity.

Work today was not particularly fun. Working through my lunch hour, I spent seven hours editing a micro site, which is set to go live tomorrow. The PIP acronym above was the result of a day of acronyms. Electronic engineers, I believe, must speak in acronyms.  They make up words, too – words that are not in the dictionary, but if they are “Googled” show up on a datasheet or press release from some electronics firm. I spend a lot of time looking up words and acronyms to determine if they are real or simply someone’s attempt to mutilate the English language. Had fate been a little kinder, I would have worked for the distributor of stamps and craft products instead of the electronic components about which I admittedly know nothing more than I want to after seven years. LOL.

Ah, relief is in sight. Tomorrow is Friday! We have a wedding and reception to attend on Saturday and young guests (guess who) staying with us on Sunday night.

Are you having a nice week? I hope so. I’ll sign off with a wish that your Friday is a good one. Take care.

Simple Saturday …on Tuesday

I have to say Simple Saturday is kind of dumb for someone whose signature is simple and does simple about 95 percent of the time. However, it’s a tradition. About the only sure bet there is on this blog at this time, and even so, I am sometimes late … or early, depending upon how you look at it. LOL.

Anyhoo, I was dying to try the new Cuttlebug folder Jeanne sent me. I love damask and brocade and the design of this folder. I love the larger (5x7-inch) embossing folder, too. Even though I used it to make an A2-size card, I love that the larger folder gives one the option of covering the whole card base. To make the embossing stand out a bit more, I sponged it with White Daisy pigment ink. The butterfly is a digital image from Hero Arts. I used sponges and ink for my 60-second coloring job. In keeping with the simple theme, I added a single rhinestone to the “o” in “you.”

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Moonstruck cardstock; Moonstruck, Hydrangea, and White Daisy Pigment ink pads; Hero Arts Winged Friends digital image; CTMH Say it in Style stamp set; Sparkles; Cuttlebug w/Kassie’s Brocade 5x7-inch embossing folders and Nestabilities Labels Eight; Round sponges; Sponge dauber.

A Slice of Life: Speaking of Jeanne, it’s her birthday today! Even if she doesn’t post today (I hope she is having too much fun!), stop by her blog, and wish her a Happy Birthday. Today has been another good day. There were a couple of extra guys here to dispense goodbye kisses this morning, and I talked to Bjorn this afternoon on the phone. He had to tell me about his “great” visit to the dentist this morning (unlike previous visits when he has been mortified) and the fact that he lost a tooth today. I was busy at work, which always makes for a good day.  After work, I stopped at Mom’s for a few minutes and came home to a quiet house. Even though you wouldn’t catch me on a golf course when it’s as nippy as it is this evening, hardcore Husband is there and most likely will be until he either becomes preoccupied with hunting or the snow flies.

That’s probably enough jabber out of me for one night. How was your day? A fine one, I hope. Have a wonderful Wednesday, too!

A Couple of Cards

I’ve been seeing these little spiral roses everywhere and decided to try them one more time. When I tried them the first time – quite some time ago – I must have been in a “mood” or something. Whatever my issue was at that time, however, they are very easy. If you haven’t try them yet, here is an instructional video I found on the Simply Rae blog.

For my flowers I used 1-3/4 and 1-inch circle punches. To add some color variation, I gently tapped Hollyhock ink on my Blush cardstock. I love the idea of being able to make my own flowers. Dying or painting white ones is a bit of a pain, and regardless of how many colored ones I have on hand, it seems like I never have the right color and/or size.

Materials and Tools: White Daisy, Blush (flowers),Blush Textured (card base), and Garden Green cardstock; Blush and Hollyhock ink pads; Hero Arts Friend Definition stamp; Close To My Heart Thank You stamp set; May Arts ribbon; Martha Stewart Five-Leaf Branch punch; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Labels Eight set; Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive; Glue Dots; Sponge dauber.

 

The epitome of relatively quick and easy, this card features all of the elements I love – texture, color, and most of all, simplicity.

Before cutting it out, I colored the butterfly using a round sponge and ink from my Heavenly Blue, Crystal Blue, and Moonstruck ink pads; I colored the dots on the wings and outlined them using a rather dried out Moonstruck marker. Had the marker not been dry, I probably would have used a blending pen and ink for the outlines. I will probably add a couple of Pop Dots under the wings to support them. A few drops of Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive on the butterfly’s body is all that currently holds it to the card.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Moonstruck cardstock; Heavenly Blue, Crystal Blue, and Moonstruck ink pads; Hero Arts Butterflies Cling set; Close To My Heart Say it in Style stamp set; Cuttlebug w/Leafy Branch embossing folder; Round sponge; Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive.

Two Peas in a Bucket had 25 percent off on its Hero Arts stamps last week. The discount combined with a free shipping code put me in retail heaven, even though I didn’t get as carried away as I would have liked. When it comes to Hero Arts stamps, I be pretty safe in saying, I want ‘em all. LOL.

Today could best be described as slow, although I’m certain the evening will not be that way. I had about a half hour to play with the little boys between the time I got home from work and their dad and Sarah came to pick them up. They were outside with Grandpa, playing with their ESPN Better Batter Baseball contraption that Uncle Dusty gave them. What a difference a year has made with regard to ability and enthusiasm. What a blessing it is to watch them grow. Life is so good.

Tonight will be a repeat of last night. A few chores and then some fun in my corner – but not before I put a few things away. My usual 6 square inches of workspace have been reduced to less than two. Such a sloppy stamper am I.

Enjoy your evening, and as always, thanks for stopping by!

Simple Saturday

Howdy! How’s your weekend going? I started out a little sluggish today, sleeping in and laying around until early afternoon. Since, I’ve cleaned my little abode and am in the process of finishing the laundry. We had dinner guests, too – our two favorite little people who are spending the night as well. Before bedtime, Grandpa and Bjorn teamed up against Mathias and I for a couple of games of “Go Fish.” Mathias and I won the first game, and we tied the second. The “matches” in our game are upper and lower case letters, and they’ve both got them down pat. It’s fun to play and know that they are learning at the same time.

Anywhoo, I didn’t get a chance to stamp until tonight and used this great sketch from Unscripted Sketches for my inspiration.

The background is embossed with a Snowflakes Impressabilities template, which is one of four sweet Jeanne sent me for Christmas. Thank you!

Metal and the design cut out, the Impressabilities are more versatile than regular embossing folders. In addition to embossing and debossing with them, one can use them as stencils or apply ink and deboss for a letterpress affect. The embossing affect, I’ve noticed is a little less pronounced with softer edges. Close To My Hearts cardstock doesn’t crack either, which I think is great.

For this card, I embossed white cardstock and then applied Heavenly Blue ink to the raised design and edges of my pieces. The large snowflake on my card was cut with a Cuttlebug die, run through my Xyron, and covered with Martha Stewart Snow glitter. And of course, this is one of those cards that is prettier in person.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Heavenly Blue cardstock; Heavenly Blue and Crystal Blue ink pads; CTMH Happy Birthday stamp set; Gem from my stash; Martha Stewart Snow glitter; Stampin’ Up Word Window punch; Martha Stewart Snowflake punch; Cuttlebug w/Snowflake die and Impressabilities Snowflakes template; Xyron; Glue Dots.

And now, I’m going to tend to that last load of laundry and then call it a day. I hope you had a wonderful day, too! Later…

Love is in the Air… …

… is the Stamp Simply #121 theme as featured today on the No Time to Stamp? blog. I definitely kept it simple, using textured cardstock and my Cuttlebug Postage Stamp die/embossing folder combo. The matted embossed image was mounted on the card with foam tape. A five-minute card!

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Cranberry, and White Daisy Textured cardstock; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Cuttlebug w/Postage Stamp Combo.

TGIF! I skipped out of work a couple hours early again today, happy as a clam to come home during daylight hours. Husband and I stopped and bought groceries on the way, so I’m all set to hole up for the entire weekend. Yippee!

How about you? Have you got plans? Whatever you’re doing, I hope you enjoy yourself. While I doubt my Simple Saturday will be more elementary than tonight’s card, I’ll give it a whirl. “See” you then!

Simple Saturday

This is what you get when you make cards with four and five-year-old boys. You can see the results of their efforts here.

Not bad, huh? They manned the Cuttlebug, chose their color schemes and embossing folders, covered the snowflakes they cut themselves with glitter, and advised Grandma with regard to the placement of their card elements. They were particularly impressed with the “diamonds” we added to the center of the snowflakes.

I was kind of impressed with the inexpensive, old-fashioned glitter we used. Unlike its more expensive counterparts, it actually sparkles in a photograph. LOL.

I had a great day. Got a lot of stuff done. Spent the evening with my two favorite little people. A fine Saturday. Hope yours was, too! Later…

Blessings

Here’s a simple card I made this afternoon for no reason other than I was in the mood to color.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Chocolate, and Autumn Terracotta cardstock; Patterned paper scrap from my stash; Black, Chocolate, and Twilight ink pads; Whipper Snapper Designs Pumpkins & Sunflowers stamp and Papertrey Ink Out on a Limb stamp set; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Stampin’ Up Photo Corner punch; Cuttlebug w/Autumn embossing folder; Dove blending pen; 3M foam mounting tape.

Have you ever felt like you’ve already made every card there is to be made? That’s kind of how I’m feeling this weekend. I think it’s called “no mojo.” It’s not like I don’t have enough stamps or anything, In fact, sometimes I think I have too much stuff, that I’d be more creative if I had less. That’s not to say, however, that I don’t or won’t do my share to keep the currier companies in business. LOL. It’s a vicious circle isn’t it?

No, the hubby is bugging me to go for a ride. He must want some ice cream or something. Can’t turn that down. Hope your weekend was a good one! And, as always, thanks for stopping by. You’re the reason I keep coming back… Later!

Friendly Advice

I was going to title this post "Simple Sunday, Too" but then realized that "simple" would be appropriate for all of my posts - regardless of the day of the week. LOL. There was no stamping after bedtime last night, but rather ,I made these cards in the midst of bedtime battle. And, I was chewed out by one little boy who showed up by my side when he should have been sleeping because I'd used the "cranker thing" (AKA Cuttlebug) without him. What nerve! Actually, there was no battle at bedtime - just a permissive grandma who told them they could "camp out" in the living room and watch TV until they fell asleep. At 11, however, I had to turn off the television. Mathias fell promptly asleep, and a few minutes later, Bjorn, who is long accustomed to falling asleep in grandpa's arms, fell asleep in mine. Grandpa arrived home a few minutes later to relocate Bjorn to the bed and, after hearing about our bedtime adventure, tell me I'm a "pushover." Imagine!

OK. About my cards. I've had Inkadinkado's "Friendly Advice" set for quite some time and have used a couple of the stamps previously. As for the rainbow sentiment, I've had my eye out for a rainbow stamp to go with it. I've never found one I like, however, which led me to finally make a card without one. For this one, I taped five 1 by 3-3/4 inch strips of cardstock to a 5 by 3-3/4 inch piece of cardstock and ran it through the Cuttlebug as one unit. The sentiment was attached with foam mounting tape.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, Amethyst, Heavenly Blue, Key Lime, Baby Pink, and Sunkiss Yellow cardstock; White Daisy Textured cardstock; Black ink pad; Inkadinkado Friendly Advice stamp set; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Cuttlebug w/D'Vine Swirls embossing folder; 3M foam mounting tape.

My second card evolved after flipping through my embossing folders and realizing how little I use my "word" folders. In other words, it was inspired by guilt. LOL. Truly nothing to say about this one other than the fact that my "candle" was created with a stamp from "It's Your Day," the August SOTM, and the flame (inked with Sunny Yellow and then Orange) was made with a leaf from the "Angel Whispers" set. Very simple. Kinda cute.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Holiday Red, and Star Spangled Blue cardstock; Holiday Red, Clover Meadow, Sunny Yellow, and Orange stamp pads; Inkadinkado Friendly Advice, CTMH It's Your Day, and Angel Whispers stamp sets; Red mini brads; Stampin' Up Ticket punch; 3M foam mounting tape.

As I was long on the front end of this post, I'll keep it short on the end. Mathias is patiently (kind of) waiting to play a game of "Go Fish." It's all luck. I'll lose anyway. LOL.

I hope your day is wonderful. Thanks for all your sweet comments. While I'm pretty much a self-healing old broad, it's always nice to have a little understanding. Take care, friends! Later...

I'm Such a Loser ...

... at Cootie, that is! I got my revenge though. After losing by four legs to Mr. Mathias, I tricked the little Munchkin by telling him in my perkiest voice, "The winner gets to pick up the game!" He fell for it, going so far as to thank me and then scrambling to put everything in the box. I may not be lucky, but I can still outfox a four-year-old ... most of the time.

Initially, I was going to use "One of a Kind III" for my title but after three cards, find myself becoming weary of the phrase. LOL. Seriously, what do you think of this one? My thoughts are, "I'm almost there." This one seems a little bottom heavy to me. Anyway, this is basically the same sketch as the last card turned on its side and with an oval instead of a circle. The polka dot flower is one I stamped a while back with a stamp from my Spot on Backgrounds set.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Cranberry, and Black cardstock; Black ink pad; Flower stamp from Tickled Pink promotion; Be Yourself May SOTM, Spot on Backgrounds, and Boutique Borders stamp sets; Big Pinks and Hero Arts paper flowers; Black Bigger Brads; Martha Stewart Arched Lattice Edger punch; Cuttlebug w/Swiss Dots embossing folder and Nestabilities Classic Ovals set; 3M foam mounting tape.

It turned out that going out for supper interfered with Bjorn's plans (a television program), so Grandpa went and got them and brought tacos home to eat. We confiscated the children for the night, because after a grueling day at work, their daddy needed a break. I'm hoping he went out to socialize a bit. Funny how this is working out. Fifteen years ago, I thought he was way too social, and we butted heads at every turn. Now, I occasionally find myself pushing him out the door to go do something. Anyway, with little ones here, I can't clean, so I'll just have to stamp until it's time to go to bed. It just breaks my heart ... My wish for you is a wonderful weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Take My Word for It

I'm relatively certain I could post 20 photos of this card, and still wouldn't be able to see how sparkly it is. So, you'll just have to take my word for it. With the embossed design covered with glitter, it's sparkly, and because I kept the rest of the design simple, it's got that understated elegant look that I like.

I've seen the technique on several blogs but am remiss to know where I saw it first (or last, for that matter). Just know, I didn't "invent" it!

The glitter and glue I used are from the Martha Stewart line. Not really knowing what I was doing nor how fast the glue would dry, I glued and then added my glitter in small sections. When it was done and dry, I added the narrow black mat and the ribbon. Originally I'd planned to add a tag with a sentiment but changed my mind and stamped it in a patch of white space up in the corner. It worked for me. I hope you like it, too.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Black cardstock; Black ink pad; Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages stamp set; Cuttlebug w/Leafy Branch embossing folder; Martha Stewart Carrara Marble glitter; MS glitter glue; Red Satin ribbon from Walmart.

I hope your weekend has been wonderful. If I'm not too tired, I'll post this evening after we get home. Not having stamped for a few days, I'm sure I'll be suffering from withdrawal! Later ...

A Quick Hello!

Hi! I'm on my way out the door again - this time to go have dinner, so this will be short.

I started this card several days ago, creating the background and then not having any kind of vision with regard to finishing it. Tonight, I figured it out, and I have to say, it's prettier in person than it is in the photograph. To create the background, I stamped with VersaMark, embossed with clear embossing powder, and then used a sponge to apply Heavenly Blue and Amethyst ink from my ink pads. The rest explains itself, I think.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Heavenly Blue cardstock; Heavenly Blue, Amethyst, and Crystal Blue ink pads; CTMH Be True and Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages stamp sets; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Kaiser Kraft pearls; Martha Stewart Doily Lace Edger punch; CuttlebugVersaMark w/Butterfly Combo die and embossing folders; ink pad; Clear embossing powder; Embossing tool.

I hope you're having a great week. I'm done with work for the week! Yea! A three-day weekend is something I think I'll be able to handle. Stamping is definitely on the agenda, so count on hearing from me. In the interim, enjoy the evening, and thanks for stopping by!

It's That Easy ...

Yes, it's true. Kids say the darnest things. I've also learned that their simple words often show wisdom well beyond their years. Hannah's quote about what to do if you're feeling blue is a perfect example. Happiness isn't about having the perfect house, family, or job. It isn't about having anything. Rather, to be happy is a decision we make. It's an attitude. For me, feelings of gratitude have much to do with the fact that I consider myself a happy person. I genuinely appreciate my family and friends. I am thankful that I have a job to go to everyday and a place to call home. Don't get me wrong. I'm not Suzy Sunshine every day. Some days I have to work at it. I think we all do and what's important is that we keep trying.

Now, about my card. Yup, it's another simple card with one quality worth noting. Do you notice how the embossed pattern matches on the different pieces of cardstock? I accomplished that by cutting my four rectangles and then taping them together on the backside before running them through the Cuttlebug as one sheet of paper.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Black cardstock; Summer Carnival Textured Cardstock; Black ink pad; Inkadinkado Friendly Advice stamp set; Cuttlebug w/Spots & Dots embossing folder.

While I wasn't blue, I did spend the best part of the day in bed with some kind of yucky bug. I'm feeling much better this evening and am anxious to get to work tomorrow. Other than that, there isn't much to report. I hope your week got off to a great start. Thanks for stopping by!

A Pair of Bears

First a little disclaimer . . . You're probably going to see the word "new" rather frequently this weekend. I want you know, however, (and I haven't the foggiest notion why!) that I've been really "good" lately. I haven't bought "much." About the bear stamps, they are new and one of the latest releases from C.C. Designs. For me, it was love at first sight, and to date, they are the cutest bear stamps I've ever laid my eyes on. While making my purchase at All That Scraps, I picked up this Argyle Cuttlebug embossing folder, too. I've seen so many cute baby cards made with this folder that I thought it would be a good one to add to my collection. I might add that while it wasn't the only new folder I liked, it was the only one I bought . . . so far, anyway. Back to the bears, I almost consider a cute bear stamp a stamping "staple." You know - like sugar, flour, and rice in your kitchen cupboards.

Now, about the card, it's my rendition of the sketch for Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #30 . I took the easy way out with the bears, stamping them on Brown Bag cardstock and cutting them out. I also ran the brush tip of the same-color marker around the stamped lines to give them added dimension. A little Carnation Pink chalk on their cheeks gave them some personality. They make me smile. The sitting bear is mounted to the card with foam tape, and I used Mini Glue Dots to attach their satin ribbon ties. Use pink instead of blue, and those two little boy bears will transform into a cute pair of girl bears.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Heavenly Blue, and Brown Bag cardstock; Heavenly Blue gingham paper (retired); Black and Crystal Blue ink pads; Brown Bag marker; C.C. Designs Bear Hugs and Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages stamp sets; Light blue satin ribbon; Spring chalks; Cuttlebug w/Argyle embossing folder; Black My Legacy Writer; 3M foam mounting tape.

So much for sleeping in on a Saturday morning. It was 5:38 when I tiptoed to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. "You up?" Marv muttered. "Yup." I had the chance to make a couple of cards before the little boys woke up. They are in fine form this morning. This has got to be the best time of day with little kids, which means I should get my butt off the computer and go enjoy them. You have a good day. I'll catch you later . . .

And You Thought . . .

I was going to put this stamp set away for a day or two. Well, that I was before I saw this great card on the 2B Krafty blog. Isn't Janine's card pretty? I was intrigued by the color combination, a couple of colors I don't think I've ever put together before. Now that the card is done, however, I'm wondering if I might not have liked Buttercup with Outdoor Denim more than I like the Moonstruck/Buttercup combination. I guess that's a question I'll have to answer on another day.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Moonstruck, and Buttercup cardstock; Moonstruck ink pad; Treasure Life September SOTM; Hero Arts Art Flowers Spring Collection; Moonstruck Bigger Brads; White mini brads; Acrylic discs from Michael's; Cuttlebug w/Swiss Dots embossing folder and Nestabilities Classic Ovals set.

By the time the guys got home from the golf tournament last night, Bjorn and Mathias were both in bed. Thus, they are still here. I'm going to go hop in the shower, and then I think we should make a trip outside for a little fresh air and exploration. I have another card to post later. Until then, enjoy the day!

Martha Has Arrived . . .

. . . at Walmart in Thief River Falls. The lace border punch I was all hopped about was sold out, however. I don't know if I would have bought it anyway, since I hadn't gotten around to using the Fiskars Sunburst border punch I'd purchased instead. I did buy a butterfly punch and a pad of Martha Stewart paper that, while I needed it like a hole in the head, is very pretty. I don't know what this card is all about. Watermelon is not my favorite color. I wanted something bright against the white. Bright it is . . . The butterfly needs some glitter or something. Perhaps I should have used three butterflies instead of just one. I don't know.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Watermelon cardstock; Black ink pad; Happy Birthday stamp set; White satin ribbon from Walmart; Martha Stewart Butterfly punch; Fiskars Sunburst border punch; Cuttlebug w/Floral Fantasy embossing folder; Black Bitty Brads; Black My Heritage Writer.

I slept well last night, which felt really good. I spent the day doing chores around the house and went out to dinner this evening with my son. We ate at a Chinese restaurant. It was fun, and the food was good. Before I went to Walmart, I made a trek downtown to check out the scrapbook store I had yet to visit. What do you suppose there wasn't a sign at the door that said they were closed from July 15 through the 22nd? Evidently, she was expecting new stuff, too, because the sign instructed delivers to be made to the next-door Hallmark store. Only in a small town would someone lock up shop for a week . . . Oh well, I suppose those folks need vacations, too. I'll check it out some other time. That was my not-so-exciting but moderately pleasant day. I hope you had a good day, too. Thanks for stopping by!

Inkspired

Hallalujah! It's Friday! I am so looking forward to what looks like is going to be a restful weekend. Marv's leaving in a bit to go work on the hunting cabin until Sunday, so it is going to be quiet, which is just what I need to get my bearings straight.

This card is one I might use for a club project Sunday night. It's simple but beautiful nonetheless. While I've seen several versions around the blogosphere, I saw it first here on the Flutter by atomicbutterfly blog.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy cardstock; Garden Green ink pad; Say it in Style May SOTM; Ribbon from Walmart; Gold mini brads; Cuttlebug with Birds & Swirls embossing folder and Nestabilities Classic Ovals set; Sponge dauber.

Although weather.com says it's only 75 degrees outside right now, it's got to be 85 in the den where my corner and computer are located. That means I'm either going to go hang out in the living room or maybe outside until it cools off a bit. Whether you've got plans or are joining me in a quiet weekend, I hope yours is a good one. Thanks for stopping!