Life is ever changing

Just a brief note to let you know that I will be taking a few more days away from my blog. My dear father-in-law passed away on Dec 23rd and we are all adjusting to the situation.

SS4 Sisterhood Sunday Challenge

Inspirational Photo for Sisterhood Sunday challenge #4 

 

 

This weeks challenge over at  Stampin' Sisterhood  is an inspirational photo. I love the colors in this photo.

 I came up with this simple card to send to a friend that has an upcoming birthday. The background is embossed and then inked with Star Spangled Blue (CTMH). The stamped pocket is a set I found, again, in the bottom of my stamp drawer. The silver button was done by using silver embossing ink, silver embossing powder for 3 times and then I stamped into the warm paper. There is a big bling in the center of that button. I also embossed the silver stitching on the jean pocket and added bling.So, if you haven't been over to the Stampin' Sisterhood blog site, go take a look at some of the great cards the design team has done to inspire you to join in on their fun. Thanks for stopping by and leaving comments. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Joan

SS3 Sisterhood Sundays Challenge

As the holidays are quickly approaching, I needed to finish a card for this challenge and to get it sent in the mail. Oh, what fun I had making this card. Glitter, glitter, everywhere, glitter, glitter, in my hair!!! The white glitter wasn't so bad, it is more course, but the colored glitters are so fine.

Yet, again, this is from something I had in the bottom of my stamp drawer. Thanks for looking.
Have a great day and  like my card sentiment. "May the bounty of Christmas be with you all year through"   Merry Christmas.
Joan

Pink Angel

Crunch time coming and I still have a few Christmas cards that I need to finish, write a few notes and get them mailed. Eeeeks, am I going to make it?? Don't know, but I am having fun making a few cards for challenges. I am trying to use many of my forgotten stamps, hidden in the bottom of the draw, to justify buying more. I made this card for two challenges.

The first is Stampendous Saturday Challengehttp://stampendousblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/03/december-challenge-colors/  The theme is pink, cream, gold and/or brown.

The second challenge is Stamps R Us and their theme is angels.
So, from those two requirements, I came up with this card.

 I had fun with this card. I used a large background stamp with angels names, some versaMark with clear embossing powder for the foam fleurish, an edge distresser and a gold marker pen for her wings and the star.
Thanks for stopping by to read my little blog.
Have a great day.

Joan

SS2 Angel in the Snow

This week at Sisterhood Sundays, challenge SS2 is underway and almost closing. I have been thinking all week what kind of card to make. So, I dug through my forgotten stamps and came up with this cute little guy. It's starting to get COLD OUTSIDE, and I thought this was very appropriate for the season.

So, here is how I made my card 

My rectangle is torn white paper to represent snow. Then I used some Darice Glitter called White Iris. I also used a Darice Swirl embossing folder to do the top of my card. My circular part of the card is the movement stamped image for the arms. I wanted to have fun with this card but still keep it masculine for a young boy. I used Copic E00,E21,E25,B21,B93,YG03,YG63. Thanks for stopping by today.

An Advent Calendar of My Scrapbook Nook Giveaways

Over at My Scrapbook Nook Blog, the group is hosting 25 days of blog goodies. Each day is hosted by a different design team member or friend. Just go take a look at some very talented women. You never know which one of these talented members may just inspire your inner creativity.

SS1 Santa

I've had a little bit of time to play in my craft area, so I scanned  the blogs for a few challenges. I found a few that I would love to enter my newest card. This card is based on a sketch from the Stampin' Sisterhood Challenge SS1. What a great sketch to work with. I did a lot of new techniques "new" to me. I did some sewing, used my new edge distresser, added string and even put wood on my card. Believe it or not, all this is above what I normally do. I usually shy away from string and just use ribbon, but this card has the woodsy, country look, and it needed some of these things. I really had fun coloring with my Copics and I did have to use a CTMH marker, since I don't have a wide variety of the Copics. (Hint, hint, on my wish list). I have this stack of DCWV paper from Christmas 2010 and I just love the patterns and colors. The Santa is from a new set from Recollections and the Sentiment is from Inkadinkado Holiday Silhouettes.
Thanks for looking. Have a great day.

Challenges I plan to submit this card to:
Crimbo Crackers
Craft Your Passion #86
Cooking It Up with Katie #86
Colour Create
Stampin' Sisterhood Challenge SS1

Updated 12-09-2011     Woo Hoo, I was chosen as Sunday Sister for this challenge. I am so honored. 

Mini Album for Destination Wedding

My daughter, Emily and son-in-law, Sean got married in Hawaii in October 2011. Since it was a destination wedding, I wanted to make something special for the occasion . I thought it would be fun to have something to journal, add memorabilia, or add a few snapshots to remember this wonderful wedding. So, I put together a mini album. Sean and Emily added a schedule of events for each of the days that they had something planned. So, here is what I put together. I made 11 of these for guests. I made pages for each event. Thurs was cocktail night, Friday was the rehearsal dinner cruise, Sat was wedding on the beach, then the Luau dinner, Sun was brunch, Monday was beach day. Then I left a few blank pages and at the back I made pockets for maps, directions and extra pieces of coordinating scrapbooking paper. Thanks for looking.

SS0 Waiting for Santa

Wow, it's been a while since I have posted a card. Life has been busy, but, here I am with a new card just for Stampin' Sisterhood Challenge SSO. The card is to use this picture as an inspiration.

When I looked at the picture, I thought of Christmas Eve, shiny lights and music. Well, I dug through my forgotten stamps and here is what I came up with for the challenge. First, I found this tree scene with the warm fire. It is Waiting for Santa from Close to My Heart, some years back. The sentiment is also a CTMH from the Christmas Wishes set.  I have this wonderful stack of The Christmas Combo from DCWV 2010 just beckoning me to use it on this project. I cut the circle from a Spellbinders die to go with the circle theme that I was inspired from the picture. I also used the Spellbinders Lacy Squares for my stamped image. Various markers (Copic, CTMH, and Stampin Up) were used along with watercolor pencils from Faber Castell. Thanks stopping by my little blog. Have a great day.

A Good Read "The Women of Troy Hill" by Clare Ansberry

While I was visiting Pittsburgh, Pa last week, I came across this book sitting on my mothers bookshelf. My mother is an avid reader, so there is never a shortage of a good read at her house. As I started to read this book, it reminded me of all the family traditions and neighborly activities of my grandmother, aunts and my mother. I hope there are still communities out there like Troy Hill. You may find this book in your library, but I know it is on Amazon. Have a great day.

The Women of Troy Hill: The Back-Fence Virtues of Faith and Friendship

by Clare Ansberry

3.70  ·  rating details  ·  23 ratings  ·  5 reviews

In a small neighborhood, perched atop a hill in Pittsburgh, thrives a world we think we have lost. The women of Troy Hill, now grand- and great-grandmothers, have lived here for the better part of the twentieth century. Most of the women were born here and married here; they raised their children here and buried their husbands (and some of their children) here; and their lives are a living testament to the old-fashioned values of service, friendship, faith, and sacrifice that younger, more restless and rushed generations have nearly forgotten. All over America, communities such as Troy Hill, made up largely of elderly women, are thriving. Clare Ansberry has discovered their secret to long and energetic lives. What Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie did for approaching death, Clare Ansberry's The Women of Troy Hill does for living full lives in the eighth and ninth decades.

Destination Wedding "Out of Town" bags

Well, the wedding is quickly approaching and I have been so, so busy this week. I had a few things to make that were my responsibility for this destination wedding. I need to make bags for the hotel rooms and a drink voucher pocket for gift certificates to a bar. Pretty simple design, but the happy couple wanted to add a special touch with a surf board ornament keepsake.

The drink vouchers holders are a pocket page that can be inserted into the mini album that I made for each of the guests. This digital image came from Carmen.
I have a few others from her site that will go well with the tropical theme, but I just didn't want to go overboard with the mini books.
The paper is from The Paper Studio and it called "A day at the Beach". I hit a fantastic sale at Hobby Lobby last week at 50% off. Yeah.
Oh, by the way, raffia is a mess. I think my dog, Darby, felt neglected this week. Is this picture pitiful or what.

 Thanks for looking and I will have a post on my mini album later today.

To Cheer You

Wow, where has the summer gone? I kind of left my crafting and replaced it with exercising. Our daughter is getting married in Hawaii in Oct and I needed to lose a few pounds (and more). So, in June, I started watching what I ate. Then I added walking into my day. Now, 2 1/2 months later, I am starting to jog. Never thought at my age that I would be jogging. LOL. 
I found a little time to make a card for a friend. I used the Stampin' Up set For All You Do.
My papers were from my stash. I think they all came from Michaels. The inside sentiment is from My Sentiments Exactly. The inks that I used are from CTMH.
Thanks for looking. Have a great day.

New Whimsy Stamps Challenge Starting August 10th

Hi everyone, just a quick note to let you know that Whimsy Stamps is having a new challenge start on Wednesday, August 10th. (which happens to be my birthday). Yep, I can guess I can remember the challenge date for that one. LOL Go take a look, it may just be the challenge you have been looking for.

Have a great day.

So Peaceful

 

Just a real quick post today. I made this card, with the intention of sending to my friend, for her birthday.  But when I finished, I thought that it would make a very peaceful sympathy card. So, in my card stash it will sit, but I am off to make ANOTHER birthday card. Have a great day.

OCL71 Love Birds

 Just another post this week, with a sketch challenge from Our Craft Lounge. I only have 4 stamp sets from OCL and I have managed to use all four this month for their challenges. YEAH me.  Today, I used For the Love of Birds. This was a fun and easy sketch and I am finding that I like following sketches.

Thanks for looking. Have a great day.



Stamp set from Our Craft Lounge : For the Love of Birds
Papers: Gossamer by Memory Box, Hollyhock from CTMH

OCL68 CASE Challenge

Amber  Hillman's Card

 This is my second post for today and I have another card for Our Craft Lounge challenge. It is to CASE someone who has used an OCL stamp set, but I am to use a different set. Well, I chose to use Barnyard Banter. I bought this set about 3 months ago and it has yet to be inked before this challenge. So, here is my CASED card. I CASED  Amber Hillman's Feb 14th blog post.
Stamp set: Barnyard Banter, OCL
Ink: CTMH Holiday Red, Cocoa and Distressed Ink Tea Bag and Copic N3
Paper: Crushed Curry SU and CTMH Cocoa

Thanks for visiting

OCL69 Color Challenge

Over at Our Craft Lounge, they are having a color challenge. As of this post, you still have 7 days to enter.  I love the colors they chose, so here is my entry. I used two different sets to make this card. The first is Build a Bouquet for my flowers. I stamped once on my card and then I added a second layer to the flower. I curled a few of the flower petals for interest. The second set I used is For the Love of Birds. I used the Congratulations sentiment for this card. I love that it is so delicate and has beautiful script. I used the Skor-Buddy to make my two score lines and a Fiskars punch for my card edge. It is a simple and clean card, but I love the fresh look for summer. Thanks for taking a look.