Running With Scissors…

Hello!  Today is the first day of a 12-day Christmas celebration, a party hosted by Sharon Johnson (notimetostamp).  Full details can be found here.  Sharon has enlisted the aid of her Stamp Simply Team and a few of her blogging friends to make this extra special and extra fun.  It’s been a great time getting ready, and now it begins.

Todays activities include:

• Blog candy:  Sharon
• Blog candy:  Janine
• Challenge and Featured Project:  Janine.  Janine has tied her blog candy, challenge and featured project all together . . .  Janine will give you the details, along with links to some fabulous and inspiring samples.  Do you like cookies?  Well . . . check this out!

I don’t have anything stamped to share today, but I wanted to be sure and let you know about the party.  I’ll be back tomorrow.  Enjoy!

I’ll bet you’ve been seeing cards made with these new Our Craft Lounge sets all over the place.  Well, when I saw this set I thought how fun it would be to color and what happy cards it would make.  What a great opportunity for playing with designer papers, polka dots, scallops, ribbons — all the thing I love when I want to just sit down and have fun.

The name of this set is Life is Sweet and you can see it here.  It has a variety of cute images and useful sentiments.  I watercolored my three-scoop confection with Stampin’ Up! inks on watercolor paper and cut it out with oval Nesties.  There are glittery sprinkles on the chocolate topping, and the cherry has a glossy coating of Crystal Effects.

I’m trying to use up some older designer papers and I made fair progress with this card.  The entire card base is My Mind’s Eye designer paper — it’s a light cardstock weight, which is plenty heavy enough with the outer layers and the inside lining.  I thought this stripe was . . . how shall I say . . . hideous.  It seemed okay when I bought it ages ago, but you know how it goes — new and irresistable papers come along and you’ve got all these piles of old stuff . . .  To tone down the brightness of the paper, I sanded it with fine grain sandpaper.  Here’s a before and after of the striped paper:

The sanding helped soften, not only the appearance, but the feel of the paper.  It’s an interesting effect that’s nice for a change.  Any paper with a white core will respond to this treatment.  Of course, you won’t know if it has a white core until you sand it, but all double sided designer paper has a white core.  I sanded every piece on my card, including the popped up flower circles, which were punched from the design of another sheet.  Maybe you’ve got some of that “what was I thinking” paper?  Perhaps a good sanding will make it more palatable.

I’ve got more images from this set stamped and waiting to be colored, but other projects are in the works, too.  I’m not sure which I’ll get to first.  I’ll be sharing something again as soon as possible, and I always hope you’ll enjoy it and find any little idea you can use.  Until next time, take care and have yourself a wonderful day!

• Stamps:  Life is Sweet (Our Craft Lounge)
• Paper:  My Mind’s Eye Kaleidoscope designer paper, watercolor
• Ink:  Jet Black Stazon, various SU! inks for watercoloring
• Accessories:  Ribbon, brad, Spellbinders oval Nesties, 1″ circle punch, scallop edge punch, glitter, Crystal Effects, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Hello, again!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thursday, whether you spent it observing our American Thanksgiving day or going about your regular routine.  I stayed up past my bedtime so I could make a card to officially kick off the Christmas season.  I don’t join in the Black Friday frenzy, so I’ll be staying home stamping and puttering today.

I felt like making something light and easy at the end of the day so I chose my Inkadinkado Winter Birds set and simply embossed the bird and Flourishes’ Holiday Greetings sentiment on Shimmery White cardstock.  I brushed a little white pigment ink over the Cuttlebug embossed snowflake border and added some of Stampin’ Up!’s retired silver organdy ribbon.  It’s a very easy card, not too heavy or bulky but the layers and embossing give it some dimension.

Now… there’s a little something coming up Monday in case you haven’t heard about it already.  My friend, Sharon, is having a Stamp Simply Celebration and she knows how to throw a party!  She’s hit the BIG 1,000,000 on her stat counter and feels like celebrating, so she’s enlisted the aid of some of her blogging friends in putting on this shindig.  There will be blog candies (22 in all!), challenges, featured projects — all with a Christmas theme.  We look forward to this way of saying thanks to you — the folks who make our efforts worthwhile.  I hope you’ll join us Monday, December 1, when the ten-day party gets under way!  I’ll see you again soon!

• Stamps:  Winter Birds (Inkadinkado), Holiday Greetings (Flourishes)
• Paper:  Pink Pirouette, Shimmery White
• Ink:  Versamark, Craft White
• Accessories:  Ribbon, Snowflakes Cuttlebug embossing folder, 1 3/8″ circle punch, embossing powder

I hope this day finds you happy and well.  Many of us will be spending it with family and friends — chatter and clatter and promising scents wafting from the kitchen, each ring of the doorbell welcoming another soul into our home.  Maybe you’re spending the day quietly, or even alone.  If so, perhaps it’s time for quiet reflection and now, more than ever, is the time to count your blessings. 

For a while I kept a journal — a daily reminder of ten gifts I’d received that day, ten blessings to be thankful for.  I know this may sound corny, but I went to bed with a peaceful heart every night when I kept that journal.  It may have been a tough day.  Maybe I got my feelings hurt or everything that could go wrong did go wrong.  Those days I’d have to really reach for those ten blessings, but I always found them.  I’d write that I awoke to birdsong so beautiful it seemed to echo in the trees, and that I was treated to a glorious winter sunset as I drove home from work.  I’d be thankful to hear the rain pouring outside while I sat warm and cozy by the fire.  Or my heart might have been warmed by the smile of a stranger.  I’d write about the scent of a candle, the feel of my cat’s fur, or knowing that my family was safe at home with me.  I’d think and think until I’d come up with ten blessings for my journal.

These days I often find myself “too busy” to count my blessings.  Here I am, worrying about finding time to write a blog post with everything else going on in Life . . . silly.  Of all the things to worry about!  Today, I realize one of the things I’m grateful for is the opportunity to connect with so many of you through this venue called a “blog”.  Every day, though this blog, I experience the joy of giving and the kindness of strangers.  Now, that’s something to be thankful for!

So, thank you for being nice enough to visit with me and say such nice things so often.  Thank you for putting up with my sometimes erratic posting.  Thank you for everything because without you, this blog just wouldn’t be, and that would make me sad.

The card I’m sharing is one from the past which I hope is okay with you.  What it says is what I’m saying to you.  Thanks for your friendship — cyber, though it is, it’s very important to me.  Happy Thanksgiving!

• Stamps:  Fall Whimsey, Love Ya Bunches, Flannel Plaid, Linen (all SU!, some retired)
• Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Cranberry Crisp
• Ink:  Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Cranberry Crisp, markers for coloring
• Accessories:  Ribbon, linen thread, eyelets, 1 3/8″ square punch

We did a little thing like buying some new furniture and it turned into a HUGE thing.  I sure didn’t expect to have my whole house turned upside down during the process of moving out the old pieces and moving in the new.  We emptied out two desks and a large wall unit.  A sofa and love seat were sold this weekend and a computer desk, another small desk and loads of other items went to Goodwill on Monday.  More furniture is waiting to be sold and another load goes to Goodwill today.  Piles of “stuff” still need to be put back in place.  I haven’t been in my stamp room since Friday night and, gosh, Thanksgiving is right around the corner. . .

You can imagine where my focus is right about now.  I’m longing for some relaxing stamping time, but it will have to wait.  So. . . I’ll be back with stamping as soon as I can.  I’ll be thinking of you!  I hope you’re having a wonderful week!

A friend asked me to make a sympathy card for her so I prepared this one with not much time to spare in the evening after work.  These are the times I reach for the solid image stamps which are so easy — no coloring, and this Stampin’ Up! Heartfelt Thanks flower is etched in such a way that it makes its own highlights.  I colored directly to the rubber with SU! markers and sponged lightly around the image with Sage Shadow ink.

I always feel that a sympathy card should not be “overdone”, but something quiet and easy on the eyes, with enough detail in the design to assure the bereaved you care enough to craft your message thoughtfully.  I don’t know this card’s recipient, only that it’s a woman who lost her husband, so I chose a somewhat neutral but feminine look for it.  The layers, brads, ribbon and the dimensionals which raise the oval flower panel set it apart from store bought.  The inside right of the card is lined with vanilla cardstock and stamped with an appropriate sentiment.  Despite these features it’s a one postage stamp-card which will glide smoothly through the mail with a crimped cardstock sheet protecting its front.

I appreciate the opportunity to share with you today and, as always, I wish I could do more.  There’s plenty of stamping on the horizon, though, and I hope we’ll meet here for the stops along the way.  Be well, and have a wonderful weekend!

• Stamps:  Heartfelt Thanks (Stampin’ Up!), Blooming Expressions (Whipper Snapper)
• Paper:  Sage Shadow textured and smooth, Very Vanilla, Diane’s Daughters designer paper
• Ink:  Cameo Coral and Old Olive markers, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow
• Accessories:  Ribbon, brads, oval Spellbinders Nestabilities, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

There’s no putting it off any longer…it’s time I got busy with Christmas cards so I need to get myself in the spirit.  I made two of these — not exactly mass production but two is better than one, I guess.

This is some very simple stamping with a punched and embossed border panel and embellished with ribbon, tiny rhinestones and Crystal Stickles.  It would be easy to mass produce this design but I do like variety.  It’s lightweight and flat enough for easy mailing — with a cardstock sheet protecting the front those little rhinestones won’t be a problem.  Red Stickles or glitter could replace the rhinestones to make it more economical and completely eliminate any trace of a bump in the envelope.

I hope you enjoyed and found an idea or two useful.  It was great that you could drop in — I love visitors! 

• Stamps:  Season of Joy, Many Merry Messages — both Stampin’ Up!
• Paper:  Real Red, Whisper White
• Ink:  Gable Green, Green Galore, Palette Noir
• Accessories:  Offray ribbon, rhinestones, Crystal Stickles, Martha Stewart border punch, Snowflakes Cuttlebug embossing folder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

I absolutely love Flourishes new Autumn Flourishes set!  It’s so beautiful that I hope to use it well beyond Autumn and Thanksgiving so I thought I’d try it with a delicate and feminine look.

The dainty filigree leaves in the background are what first caught my eye with this set.  They can be either the skeletonized leaves of late autumn or simply lacy, frilly, fancy leaves which are lovely any time of the year.  I’m drawn to all things botanical and this set will make cards for many occasions, both feminine and masculine.  Yes, I certainly do love these stamps!

The leaves are stamped in Palette Landscape (green) and Lavender Sachet.  The sentiment is from Flourishes Mixed Greetings set.  The satin ribbon and pretty lavender Kaiser flat-backed pearls can be found at Flourishes, as well.

I hope to share more with this set later.  I spent the weekend out in the exceptionally beautiful weather and when I wasn’t outside I was visiting with friends and shopping for furniture.  That didn’t leave much time for stamping.  Life is so full of things to do!  Have a great day!

• Stamps:  Autumn Flourishes, Mixed Greetings (both from Flourishes)
• Paper:  Prism Iced Azalea light, Memory Box Meadow, Neenah Classic Solar White
• Ink:  Palette Landscape, Lavender Sachet and Noir
• Accessories:  Ribbon, pearls, oval Nestabilities, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Hello!  I don’t have a project to share today, but I wanted to be sure and tell you about a wonderful opportunity.  Cindy is giving away one of Flourishes’ brand new stamp sets!  Check out Cindy’s beautiful card creations and look for the free set on her Friday, Nov. 14th post:

Cindy Lawrence:  The Creative Closet

 Good luck, and have a wonderful day!

 Hello, again!  I’m happy to be posting today because that means I accomplished another one of the projects on my “to-do list”.  A friend’s two daughters are both expecting in April — pretty exciting stuff for a grandma-to-be!  They’ll be home for Thanksgiving, at which time the family is having a double baby shower, and Grandma asked for a card for each of them.

Since the blessed events are a few months in the future I thought it would be nice to focus on the shower occasion and save the “baby congrats” for later.  I selected the only two shower-themed stamps I own and tried to give them the soft, sweet look of “baby”.

My first card uses retired Stampin’ Up! stamps, ProvoCraft designer paper, lots of teensie Offray ribbon and beautiful Kaiser Pearls.  The main image is watercolored and the sentiment circle is embossed.  The top panel of the card is mounted on foam tape and sits like a frame over the picture.  The scalloped sentiment circle is on dimensionals, too.  These cards will be hand delivered so I felt free to add lots of dimension and “bumpy stuff”.

Card #2 is more retired Stampin’ Up! plus a Hero Arts sentiment.  The paper is PTI Aqua Mist and Sweet Blush.  The ribbon and inks are also from PTI’s Perfect Match collection — except the purple ink — that’s a regular Palette ink called Lavender Sachet.

I stamped the backgrounds in Aqua Mist Houndstooth and Sweet Blush Canvas but they don’t show well in the photograph.  They give an illusion of texture more than anything.  I didn’t intend for the cards to come out so similar in color — oops!  At least they’re different in design…  Now it’s up to my friend to choose which daughter gets which card.

I hope this finds you well today.  I’m glad you could stop by for a while and I hope we can do this again soon.  Take care!

• Stamps:  Card #1 — Send a Celebration, Riveting (both retired Stampin’ Up!).  Card #2 — Weather or Not (retired Stampin’ Up!), Canvas, Houndstooth, Hero Arts sentiment.
• Paper:  Card #1 — Barely Banana, watercolor, Whisper White, Almost Amethyst, ProvoCraft Designer paper.  Card #2 — PTI Aqua Mist and Sweet Blush, Neenah Classic Solar White.
• Ink:  Card #1 — Timber Brown Stazon, Barely Banana, Sage Shadow, Almost Amethyst, Bashful Blue, Versamark.  Card #2 — PTI Aqua Mist, Sweet Blush, Ocean Tides, Spring Moss, Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, Palette Lavender Sachet and Cognac
• Accessories:  Card #1 — Offray ribbon, Kaiser flat-backed pearls, embossing powder, white Souffle pen, circle and scallop punches, Scotch brand foam mounting tape.  Card #2 — PTI Aqua Mist grosgrain ribbon, linen thread, eyelets, ticket corner punch, Cuttlebug Swiss Dot embossing folder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape