Blessed by Your Kindness

First, thank you for all of your lovely comments on my Hop(e) for Haiti post. The blog hop was so much fun and for such a wonderful and worthwhile cause. All of the cards shown that day are now up for auction on eBay with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the American Red Cross to aid its Haitian relief effort. The eBay listing for my cards can be found here. The listing for all of the artists’ cards as well as four pre-release sets of Skipping Stones Design stamps can be found here. Additionally, $2.00 from every stamp set sold at Skipping Stones Design between February 16th and 22nd will be donated to the Red Cross.

Tonight’s 10-minute card was inspired by several I’ve seen recently on a number of blogs. It was pretty much made with scraps that were laying on my desk.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Olive cardstock; Veranda Creative Basics; Olive and Bamboo ink pads; Waltzingmouse Blessed by You stamp set; Grosgrain ribbon from Wal-Mart; Basic Craft Buttons; Ecru crochet cotton; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Labels Eight set; Sponge dauber; Sanding block.

I didn’t make it to my corner yesterday. When I got home from bowling, there were two little boys here to play with until bedtime. I’d been so busy at work, I hadn’t had time to eat with the exception of six peanut M&Ms I found in a desk drawer. By the time I finally got some food in my stomach, I was too tired to do anything more than stare at the television for an hour before clonking out for the night.

Today, I left my crazy job at 12:45 to have lunch with my mother and two of my sisters and then go look at an apartment for my mom in a senior living facility across town. After living on the farm for 58 years, my mother is ready for a new adventure. I am so excited for her and delighted by the prospect of her living in Thief River Falls.

I mentioned scraps on my desk, didn’t I? Lots of ‘em, so I’m going to go clean it up, so I can do some serious stamping tomorrow night, Saturday, and Sunday. Yippee! The weekend is almost here.

I hope you’ve had a good couple of days. Again, thanks for stopping by!

Inkspired

You know? As much as I don’t like to miss a day of posting, I think I’ve finally figured out I can’t be everywhere all the time. Last night was my bowling night, and the little boys stayed with us. Thus, when I got home at 7, I opted to spend my time with them instead of rushing to create and post what very well might have been a sub-standard card. The good thing is I’m happier and feeling more creative tonight because of it.

This evening’s card was inspired by this very pretty card on Karla’s Life is Good blog.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Twilight cardstock; Grace Paper packet; Twilight, Cocoa, and Bamboo stamp pads; Close To My Heart Solo “E,” Renaissance by Design Darling Damask, and Waltzingmouse Stamps Blessed by You stamp sets; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Stampin’ Up Build-a-Brad; Sponge dauber; Sanding block.

One more day, and the weekend will arrive. Hooray! Marv left for the hunting camp today, so I’m on my own again for a few days. As much as I like having him around, it’s amazing how much I can accomplish when he’s not here. As for this evening, I’m going to make myself a bite to eat, take a nice relaxing bath, put on my favorite flannel pants and a T-shirt, and clean up my corner in preparation for some creative time in the coming days. Sounds good, doesn’t it? I hope you are having a great week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Simple Saturday … on Sunday

I’m a bad blogger and for the past few days, an even worse stamper. And, it’s not for a lack of trying. The wastebasket in my corner is lined with my Friday and Saturday attempts to create something.

This morning, however, I spotted this week’s CPS sketch and Angie Hagist’s great sample (the top one) and thought, “I can do this.”

Materials & Tools: Stampin’ Up Kraft cardstock; CTMH New England Ivy and Naturals (retired) cardstock; Graphic 45 Botanicabella Collection Eden’s Symphony paper; Black, New England Ivy, and Bamboo ink pads; Brown Bag marker; Walzingmouse Peace and Plenty and Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages stamp sets; Corner rounder; Sponge dauber; Sanding Block; 3M foam mounting tape.

Besides being creatively crippled, I’ve been busy this weekend. Yesterday, I went shopping in Grand Forks with a friend, and I’ve got a major kitchen-cleanup project I’ve been working on.

I hope you’re enjoying the weekend! Now that I’ve finally created a card I deemed acceptable enough to post, I’m hoping my mojo draught is over. We’ll see …

An Award and a Card

I recently received this blog award from the very talented Lisa of Lisa’s Creative Corner. What a sweetheart and such an inspiration to me and so many others. Thank you, Lisa!

Along with the award, there’s a little questionnaire. The rules are as follows:

1. You can only use one word to answer the questions.

2. Pass this along to your five favorite bloggers.

3. Notify them that you have given them the award.

4. Have fun.

One word… This is going to be a challenge.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse

2. Your hair? half-white

3. Your mother? beautiful

4. Your father? missed

5. Your favorite food? Snickers

6. Your dream last night? dumb

7. Your favorite drink? coffee

8. Your dream/goal? self-employment

9. What room are you in? den

10. Your hobby? stamping

11. Your fear? none

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home

13. Where were you last night? out

14. Something that you aren't? organized

15. Muffins? bran

16. Wish list item? Copics

17. Where did you grow up? farm

18. Last thing you did? ate

19. What are you wearing? jeans

20. Your TV? off

21. Your Pets? deceased

22. Friends? awesome

23. Your life? good

24. Your mood? optimistic

25. Missing Someone? yes

26. vehicle? car

27. Something your not wearing? bra

28. Your favorite store? online

29. Your favorite color? green

30. When was the last time you laughed? tonight

31. Last time you cried? wedding

32. Your best friend? Marv

33. One place that I go to over and over? bathroom

34. Facebook? lurker

35. Favorite place to eat? home

As for passing the award on. It’s for you – each and every one of you who take the time to stop by. Your visits, your kindness are so very much appreciated.

Here is a very simple card I made over the weekend. I embossed my cardstock with a rectangular Nestabilities die and stamped and paper-pieced the pear. As simple as that. I love it.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Crystal Blue, and Sweet Leaf cardstock; Twitterpated paper packet; Black ink pad; Brown Bag marker; Waltzingmouse Peace & Plenty and CTMH TLC stamp sets; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Rectangles set.

‘Tis Monday again and a good day... so far! I hope your week is wonderful. Later …

Peace & Plenty

Here is my take on Weekend Sketch Challenge #102 as featured on the Fresh & Fun blog. I colored my image with Prismacolor pencils and OMS.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Autumn Terracotta, and Cocoa cardstock; CTMH Retired Abundance paper packet; Black, Cocoa, Bamboo, and Twilight ink pads; Waltzingmouse Stamps Peace and Plenty stamp set; Gold mini brads; Stampin’ Up Old Olive grosgrain ribbon; Cuttlebug w/Autumn embossing folder and Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; Dove blending pen; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

This next card is my adaptation of the sketch for Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #87. Again, my image was colored with Prismacolor pencils.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Autumn Terracotta, Cocoa, and Olive cardstock;  CTMH Retired Abundance paper packet; Black and Cocoa ink pads; Waltzingmouse Peace and Plenty stamp set; Gold mini brads; Piercing tool; Fiskars Apron Lace punch; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set.

How’s your weekend going? I’m doing OK, although the clock seems to be moving faster than it does during the week. This afternoon, I’m preparing a project for stamp club tonight in between loads of laundry. I’m looking for to this evening and wish the laundry would do itself. LOL. That’s it for now. As always, thanks for stopping by! Later …

Gettin’ Krafty

The challenge this week for Stamp Simply #108 on the No Time to Stamp? blog was to make a card (or something) using Kraft and Black paper. Not a problem. I love Kraft cardstock! And, while I think I’m the exception instead of the rule, I tend to keep my cards simple for the Stamp Simply challenges. That’s not a problem either cuz’ simple is what I do.

About the flowers on my card, I’d love to say they’re Primas but instead, they are from a cheap little bush of silk flowers I picked up at Wal-Mart. For whatever reason, I have a difficult time buying paper flowers online. Perhaps, they are one of the few (very few) things I need to see before purchasing. I dunno…  Anyway, I kinda like my card – cheap red flowers and all. LOL.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Black, and Stampin’ Up Kraft cardstock; Black ink pad; Holiday Red marker; My Cute Stamps Ashley’s Blossoms and Waltzingmouse Stamps Blessed by You stamp sets; White Bitty Brads; Silk flowers from Wal-Mart.

Happy Thursday (as in the day before Friday)! Thank you for your comments in my last post (all posts, for that matter). In the most recent, you must have wished me back to health, because I’m feeling much better today. Eighteen or so hours of sleep might have helped, too. LOL. Oh, and my stack of “pre-made” cards isn’t quite as big as I might have made it sound like it was, which means I should mosey on over to my corner and see what transpires! Hope your day has been a good one, too! Later…