A Snowy Day

Well, it seems that winter has finally hit here in the mid-west. Snow, wind and grey days. So, I thought it was a great day to get a few of my "Thank-You" cards made.

 I found a challenge at Dutch Dare Card Challenges # 196 with an inspirational photo for the challenge theme.

 I kept this pretty clean and simple. Winter is peaceful and uncluttered, to me. It's about softness and silence. So, here is my card.

Thanks for stopping by my little blog.
I hope you have a peaceful and blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Joan

One Autumn Morning

Autumn has really arrived here in the Mid West. Yesterday was 80 degrees and today we are at a whopping 46 degrees. With that in mind, it was easy for me to create this scrapbook page. I love having pages ready so that I can just add a few precious photo's and insert them into my book. 

I kept this page pretty simple. I dug into my autumn stamp drawer and found this beautiful poem by Nita Harksell. This is a Great Impression stamp that I inherited from a friend. It is One Autumn Morning coded J48 from Great Impressions. Not sure how recent this stamp is, but it is a gem. I couldn't even find it on the blog store site, so it really must be older. 
I also used a die of autumn leaves that embosses the veins of the leaves. Not sure who manufactured this die. I picked it up at a resale shop and I just love it. 
I  used Stampin'Up Four Frames for the poem title and the place a stamp tool to adjust the poem title. I used a burlap looking paper from the Paper Studio.

Well, my page is all ready, waiting for my special photo's. I am submitting this page for the Great Impressions Challenge Blog.  Thanks for stopping in today. Have a beautiful autumn day. 

Joan

Just saying hello

Okay, autumn is here, but I am just not ready for the colder chilly days. As I was reading all the blogs that I subscribe to, I came upon the Stampin' Sisters in Christ challenge #161. This challenge is based on the scripture from Psalm 52:10 and we are to use a tree in our project.

Scripture:

 "But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; 

I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever." 

Psalm 52:10

Inside of card :

Thanks for stopping by today 

Joan

World Card Making Day 2012

So, Happy World Card Making Day to you all. Hope everyone can make at least a few cards today. I started out with the Penny Black Blog to take a photo of my crafting area will I will be today. So, here is my little corner of the basement in St. Louis, MO.

  Yep, I'm in the basement in a little corner, but it is my girl cave. LOL.

So, I am off to scan a few blogs and facebook to see what is happening for World Card Making Day and to get a few cards made for challenges. Hope you all have a happy day.

Joan

My 15 Minute Creativity List

Wow, did I ever have fun today. I actually PLAYED with no pressure, no colors requirements, no sketch to follow, just let the creativity juices flow.

 I follow a blog called Artsyville and there is a post today called List it Tuesday: 15 minute creativity .  The idea is to create a list of creative things  can be done  in 15 minutes or less. So, I viewed a few of the posts that are linked in and came up with a fun page for my mixed media journal.
 This is going to be a good prompt for me for several reasons.
1. I used stamps that I haven't used in ages. Wow, are these still fun stamps!!!
2 Sometimes I get off track of what I need to do.
3 It shows that I can be creative
4. Just the title alone will get me excited to start on or finish a project.

So, here is my fun project for today. Mind you, it is no masterpiece or something so fantastic that will make you ooooh or ahhhh, it's just a fun piece.  Oh and I used more alphabet sticker on just these two pages than I have used in the past 3 years.

Thanks for stopping by today. Thanks to Aimee and  the other ladies who inspired me to create my list.
Have a great day.

Joan

A Package of Faber-Castell

On Saturday, I received a gift package of Faber- Castell products from the blog site of Vicki at The Creative Goddess.  Please, go take a look at her blog for a lot of creative projects.


Take a look at today's blog post  with Vicki.

Designer Craft Connection Blog Hop- Hanging Hand Towel

http://www.vickiodell.com/designer-craft-connection-blog-hop-hanging-hand-towel/

Tell her I sent you. 


Thanks for looking. Have a great day.

Joan

School Days

Yes, I am back for a 3rd time today. I have had the whole day to play.

I found a fun challenge at Stampin Sisterhood with an inspiration photo.

  So, I went digging through my stamp and paper collections to see what I could come up with for the challenge. So, this is what I ended up creating.

I started out with the little girl called Miss August from DOTS, now CTMH. Wow, this stamp is old and I know that I bought it used from an online seller. I colored her with my Copic markers, cut her out and popped her up with pop dots. I decided to make a tag, stamped it with an tiny alphabet cluster (thanks Piali), added some ink around the corners and add the inked school paper banners. I used a Darice Wood Grain embossing folder for my card. Added a strip of elementary lined writing paper, inked it a bit with some brown and used Kraft paper to make it pop off the red card.
Now, this was a fun project for me and totally different. This is why a love challenges because they take me away from my comfort zone. (I am usually a flower card person). Thanks, Stampin Sisterhood for another fun challenge.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great day.

Joan

Musical theme card

Well, can you believe it?  I am back for a second post today.

I have been so inspired by so many beautiful cards, that I decided that I needed to participate in the challenge " Something Musical" ODBDSLC124 on the Our Daily Bread blog site. 

I had to do some creative thinking to make this card work for this challenge.

 I only have the Scripture Collection 2 set, so I started there. I found one verse passage that has the word "sound", which goes with the music theme. Then I hunted around for a very old music book that I hope to find an appropriate song. The book is Songs and Pictures by Robert Foresman, copyright 1937. I think this was used in schools long, long ago. I found a song called "God's Love" and used this for my music theme item. With my spellbinders dies, some inks, pretty papers, some stitching and a blue flower, my card came to life. 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a blessed day. 

Joan

Autumn Blessings

Can it really be Autumn already?
 Where did the Summer go?

I am diving into my card making again and loving every minute. I decided to use the challenges to get me motivated to replenish my card stash. I love Flourishes, llc and decided to enter their Timeless Tuesday #188 challenge. This weeks theme was to make a card or project with a "Fall/Autumn" theme. Well, I only have two Flourish stamps sets, Waterlily and  Humming Along and I didn't think I could pull those off with a fall theme. So, I pulled a dusty stamp off my shelf to make a card to play along. Guess I need to ask for a gift certificate, from my family,  so I can purchase some new sets from Flourishes. So, here is my card.

I made this card very simple so that I can send it to my brother. I guess guys hate all the bling, but I added a few little green square blings on my tag banner. Do you think he will notice? LOL.

I stamped the background with a tiny background leaf stamp on Kraft paper with a dark brown ink to match my brown cardstock. The sunflower image (Anita's) is stamped in Oak Brown (CTMH) and the sentiment is from TPC Studio Autumn Leaves. I used some Copics to color my image.
On the inside I used a sentiment and coordinating paper.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Joan

White wedding

Well, I am finally trying very hard to get back into my card making and scrap booking.
My son needed a wedding card and I headed off to my basement craft room to see what I could create. I found a few cards that I could CAS, but needed to use what stamps I had on hand. So, here is what I came up with. I hope to enter this in a few challenges.

I embossed the card, then added a second layer of the same embossed image strip behind my stamped image. I added pearls and bling to the stamped image. The inside is a spellbinders die and a few bling.
Thanks for looking.
Have a great day.

Back in the swing of creating

Okay, it has been a looooong time since I was able to post in my blog. Life just got busy with my Mother-in-law and now she is living in Texas. TIME to start creating. I found this blog on fb and there is a fabulous giveaway. So here is the blog post site. http://candronicoucardcraft.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/giveaway.html  Lots of goodies.

So, now here is my one of my newest creations. I love using stamps to create scenery. This one is kind of a mixed media, mixed stamp companies. I used some paint, torn papers, punches and dies.

Thanks for looking. Have a great day.

Joan

A little time away

This is just a little note to let you all know that I will be away from my blogging for a while. I am headed to Pittsburgh to visit my mother for 2 weeks, then when I get back, I will have company. Since my father-in-law passed away in December, my MIL has been living with my SIL in El Paso. Now she will come live with us for 4 months. I hope to get some things posted or do a few challenges. Sorry to let you all down, but LIFE HAPPENS. Have a great day.

SS10 Valentine's Day Card

 Well, Valentine's Day has come and gone, but I have this card I made and thought I would just post it for this challenge at Stampin' Sisterhood at Rubbernecker Stamps. This is a digital image, of which I cannot recall where it came, so my apologize to the artist. I colored this with my watercolor pencils, which I sometimes use for a change of pace from my markers. Hope you all had a wonderful day with your loved ones!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by my little blog.

Joan

SS9

The Stampin' Sisterhood posted an inspirational photo for this weeks challenge for Sisterhood Sundays SS9. What a beautiful photo! I was so tempted to go with a tree on my card, but instead I chose flowers.

So, here is my card for SS9. I used several different flower images from my stamp stash for this  card. But, I  have used  FLORAL 497-09  of  Rubbernecker stamp for the main flower in the foreground. Again, I am using another saying from the Garden Phrase Set 508. I love this set of sentiments! I also have found that my markers work fantastic on the red rubber used by Rubbernecker Stamps.
Thanks for stopping by my little blog. Have a great day. 

Joan

SS8 Pansy's

I made a card today for the Stampin Sisterhood Challenge - Sisterhood Sundays. Wow, that was a mouthful, but this is a fun challenge place. This week is an inspiration picture / color challenge.

I pulled out an old set of stamps for my flowers, BUT, the sentiment is from my new Rubberneckers Set, Garden Phrase Set SKU:508 . 

 I used the Close To My Heart colors of Pansy Purple and Olive. I also used some Copics YG63, N3 and a violet for extra shading. I also did some sponging on the background. My background plaid paper is made using a stencil and sponge roller. Wow, I haven't used these in a long time.

Thanks for stopping by my little blog. Have a great day. 

Joan

The Play Date Cafe Challenge 116

Over at The Play Date Cafe, there is a new challenge for the week. It's a color challenge using these three colors.    Plum, Pear and Moldy Cheese. 





 Sounds like a wine and cheese party to me. Well, so here is my card using those three colors. I had so much fun being creative today. The image is digital, but the background stamping are real rubber stamps. 

  I made this card with my son in mind, who just started a new job. He doesn't ride a bicycle anymore, just a motorcycle, but this image was so cute, that I couldn't resist using it. Thanks for stopping by my little blog. Have a wonderful day.

Joan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SS6

A new challenge at Stampin' Sisterhood from Rubbernecker Stamps prompted me to use my NEW stamp that I won from a past challenge.
I used the FLORAL 497-09 for my card today. It is such delicate little floral stem. I used markers to color this image.
I thought that a birthday card would be perfect with this sketch.
So, here is my card. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Joan

Poo Happens

 Oh, I was in one of those moods today to make light of my brothers recent colonoscopy. I had this baby set (Inkadinkadoo- Little Tyke) that I have been wanting to use and I thought this would make a funny card. I just attached the tag with these cute clips so that he can take the just the tag to work and put on his desk. Or, he may just take the whole card. Who knows? I intentionally left the little string point to the bottom sentiment. I wanted the eye to wonder around the card.

Hope he gets a chuckle out of the inside, too. Below each of the phrased, I am going to write my own funny comments. Hope you liked my funny card today.

Have a beautiful day and keep warm.

Joan

Christmas Card Booklet

I just love reading all the blogs that I subscribe to. I don't always get a chance to leave comments, but I do read and make mental notes. There was one in particular that piqued my interest. What to do with all those Christmas cards and Christmas photo's that we can't bear to toss. Someone had suggested making a mini booklet, so I tackled that chore today!.

I measured my largest card and made my chipboard cover slightly larger. Punched a few holes for ring, decorated with leftover papers and stickers, punched holes in my cards and photo's AND I was done!

What a fast project. I also saved one particular pretty envelope from a sender to use as a pocket to store all the address labels that I removed from envelopes. (Why did I do this? Well, it reminds me of the most updated addresses for family and friends) .


Thanks for stopping by today. Hope I have inspired you to make this quick project.

Have a beautiful day.

Joan

Quick Thank you cards

 Tis the season for those many "Thank You" cards. I just made a few quick card.

This first one is just Black and White. I used the heart from a Stamp'nUp Valentine set then masked it to add the other floral spray. I made this thank you card to send to a company that sent us a beautiful tree in memory of my father-in-law.


My second card is the fern from Hero Arts. I just made this clean and simple. It is going to a company that sent us a Christmas gift. I wish I had some stamps with wine bottles and glasses. They sent us 6 bottles of wine and I would have loved to send them a card with those images.

Thanks for stopping by today.
Hugs and have a great day.

Joan

Time to think

2011 is now gone, so I gladly welcome 2012.
 I guess I am writing this as my way of grieving all recent losses.
Oct, Nov. and Dec have been a rough 3 months.
 
In 3 months, I lost 5 people that have been in my life.  First a classmate (Lois) who was a good friend in my younger years. 
Next, MaryJo, a wonderful woman who was a second mother to me, a grandmother to my children and my mother's best friend. I knew her for 40 yrs. 
Then, Doris, my friends mother and my mothers friend.
Then on Dec 23rd, my Father-in-law died from a heart attack. I couldn't be there at the hospital and there was just a brief prayer service. 
On that same day,  a wonderful woman, Anne, who was also my mother's friend passed away. Anne was 92, but she was well read and as sharp as a tack. Anne loved my cards and I would send her packets of cards to send to other elderly people. She always opened her home up and wanted to share a cup of coffee or tea after our Friday morning Mass.
Two in one day was soooooooo hard. 
But, my poor mother has lost three very dear lady friends. Every Sunday they would get together to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers. Can you imagine these 80-92 yr old women cheering on the Pitts Steelers??? I had made a card, from an image at Hambo Hoedown, of a girl football player and a bear. These women LOVED this card because I made it the Steelers colors and the shirt had the #7 on it, which is Rothlisbergers shirt number. Every Sunday, they displayed the card to cheer on their black and gold.

The GOOD....
On Oct. 1, 2011, my daughter got married in Hawaii. This was so lovely. Now I have a son-in-law.


So, for the past two day, I have been sorting things out in my head and my craft area. Last year , at this same time, I did an organizational challenge to clean up my craft area. I thought I did a good job and had my area workable. As I started making more cards to enter challenges, I realized that I didn't like that I didn't have things within reach. So, I think I finally made my craft area more likeable and things are now within arms length.
My goal is to get my scrapbooks done and make a few cards along the way.  Life is so short and I need to get our family history documented. I found that I am the one who remembers the most about our family life and what we did. I did keep all our yearly calendars and many other bits of information. 
So, my thinking time is done. Now to get working. Have a great 2012

Hugs,
Joan