A time to remember

those who have served our nation and given their lives so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have. I cannot thank these men and women enough for all that they have done. I applaud those who have served and have returned home to family, friends and loved ones. I can only imagine what it must feel like having a loved one serve in today's military. God bless you all!

Many of my relatives have served in the armed forces over the generations. With pride I fly my flag high not only on this special day of recognition but each and every day.

The poppies (PSX) were colored using Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol (magic pencil technique learned at the hands of Debbie Gimbel at my very 1st convention) and placed on a black background. The poppies are elevated with foam tape. In the flower centers is Black Diamond Stickles. The old calendar page was distressed with distress ink and the corners curled. The flag (Rubber Monger) was stamped on vellum and colored on the reverse side with regular colored pencils. Note to self: start with the lightest color (white, in this case) first! The darker colors smeared a bit so I mixed up some Heavenly White Twinkling H2Os and painted over the white colored pencil. The moisture caused the paper to warp so close up it actually looks as if the flag is unfurling, not just the way the image was created.

Who are you?

Another birthday card for a fellow ATT member. After applying alcohol inks & gold metallic mixative & blender to my craft sheet I placed the #8 tag into the ink, drying after each move so the colors didn't get muddy. The brown bird was stamped first so I could figure out where the floral spray and birdcage should go. I wanted the birdcage to appear suspended from the spray. The 'b' is a raised glossy sticker that actually covers a place where the ink didn't get the best coverage (hush, don't tell!). The yellow ribbon and antique brad finish off the tag that I mounted onto black cardstock then another piece of decorative cardstock.

Why?

To celebrate a birthday of one of the ATT club members! I stamped the face on a half sheet of vellum then colored on the reverse side using distress inks then heat set. The vellum layer was folded in half then adhered to a white cardstock base. A watch face and TH spinner finish off the card.

Yesterday I worked outside all day and completed all my landscape projects. The weather was gorgeous; one I wish could have been bottled & saved for another time. Sigh. Today should be quite a bit warmer and more humid. Perfect day to visit a fave stamp store and pick up more TH texture fades so I can play tomorrow. Next week I hope to start the downsizing of my stamp collection. But first I need to finish a brief updated version of my family research for the reunion next month. It's always something, isn't it?

Tattered florals

It's been a busy week with no time for art -- graduation, birthday, sick, and plenty of yard work. Today is inside chores...need to cool off! Tomorrow I should be finishing all my landscape work and can just sit back and enjoy my efforts. There will always be weeding (so, so many maple seedlings) and mowing.

Using baby wipes, coffee filters, black and silver vinyl screen, scraps of denim, Tim's tattered florals die and a few Spellbinders dies and some old buttons, I fashioned these flowers. I'm also really pleased with the background in the photo...an old paper towel that had been used under some other project...cool colors and design.

Reinkers and mists created the colors on the flowers and leaves.

Don't forget to take time out of your busy lives and enjoy your flowers whether they're faux or not!

A really nifty tip

I was resting my eyes yesterday afternoon and thinking about the cards I was planning to make for all my June occasions. I'd seen a card on Susan's blog (5/21) that really caught my eye because of it's simplicity and ability to work for most any occasion. She was making notecards for teachers and boxing them up...a really nice gift and presented in a clear box.

The dog image I really liked (& have!) but it felt too simple for me. I combined a bit of the line drawing from her bee card. Hmmm...still a bit flat. This is where resting my eyes comes in. I'm not good at giving an image a shadow and wanted something easy and foolproof. Yes, I could stamp & cut out a solid image and place it behind the stamped image but then I'd have to stamp and cut twice. I thought about all the coloring devices I have on hand. Hey, what about a light gray calligraphy marker? I lined it up in my hand as if to write in the calligraphy style (took classes years & years ago) and followed the image where I wanted the shadow. Voila! Just perfect and what I wanted. I really think this tip is worth something, don't you?

I didn't like stamping the sentiment directly on the card. Nope, on a layered rectangle wasn't right either. Hmmmm....hey, how about a bone? And I just happen to have a Sizzix die. Yahoo! A bit of brown distress ink and I think I've got a winner!

Live life...be content

Good advice to keep in mind on a daily basis.

This tag is mostly Wendy with a bit of Tim thrown in. Lots of background stamps overstamped a distress ink background. The scalloped border was inked up, stamped on a background stamp, then the border stamp was stamped and cut out. The butterfly is 2 layers - the top one is acetate so it can fly. The chipboard heart was inked up, a layer of Glossy Accents was heated up then touched up with a gold paint dabber.

Putting on the ritz

This is a 6x6 scrapbook I made for my niece who will be graduating next weekend. Promenade is hosted at the school before the prom. Couples attending prom can come show off their finery to the community. It's a lot of fun and you get to see the kids looking pretty darned spiffy in all their finery.

Sorry I loaded the pages in reverse order...this blog thing is still a learning curve for me.

I wish...

that it would stop raining for a longer stretch of time. We've had more wet days in May than not. This mini banner (3.5"x5") sports enough color to help wash away the Monday rainy grays. The stamps (background, Wish) are Wendy's, the bottom flower layer is Tim's (coffee filter) and the vine is from Tim's Regal Crest. The wire mesh is a portion of rabbit fencing (works better in my art than in the yard!) and the button is from my stash. Inks by Ranger, natch!

Love is in the air

for special friends celebrating their wedding anniversary. Don't you just love the soft color families of sage and plum? Paired with white they just ooze romance to me. All stamps by Hero Arts except for the sentiment and that's by Stamp Camp. Don't remember which Cuttlebug folder I used, any floral will do.

Special day

A MI friend is celebrating her birth today. Happy birthday, dear friend! Thought I'd share the card I made to recognize her special day. I found the inspiration for it on the Simplicity blog.

All stamps by Wendy; the button punch is Martha Stewart. I made several of these but in different colors. Easy peasy but a great-looking card! Stamp the image, distress ink, distress the edges - voila!

Flying high - another mini banner

Here's another mini banner I made recently. The banner was cut from coated cardstock but all the other pieces are kraft cardstock. The dies are by Sizzix. Tim's keyhole punch from the alterations line is the bird's wing. All stamps are Wendy's including the scalloped border. I cut it out, punched out the holes and added some gems. The background was colored using an idea from Wendy. Several distress ink pads were smooshed on my craft sheet then spritzed with Perfect Pearls and water. I know the recipient was tickled to get this!

It's all about families

I am spending this week and maybe next diligently working on finding more info for my family research. I did locate my great-grandmother's photo when she turned 16 back in 1882. And I think I found the name of a great-great uncle's wife through some diligent census work. It's tiring and tiresome but I figure one day I will be able to find my paternal great-grandfather. All I know is Charles was from KY and was married twice, both to women named Nancy. He died in IL in a town that no longer exists. Ancestry.com can't seem to locate him based on this info. Go figure. LOL My dad's family reunion is the end of June. I am planning on a new release of the info then...it's been 8 years since I shared the first book. Enjoy spending time with your family...and learn what you can NOW and get it down in writing while you can. Label those photos NOW! Believe me, generations from now will be most appreciative. Just because your kids may not be interested in their family history, their kids may show interest later.

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is the card I made for my mom to celebrate 55 years of motherhood. It's totally CASEd from a card I found on another blog. You'll have to go back to April 13 to see her card. I don't usually CASE a card so completely but the original is so nice I didn't want to mess up the idea.

I used Wendy's tree and plaid background (on the pink strip), sentiment is Hero Arts. All inks by Ranger (distress and archival). My butterfly is 3-D and is by Martha Stewart. The dictionary page was carefully torn out to reveal 'mother' words.

Wishing you all a splendid day...no matter what you're doing, where you're doing it, or with whom!

Mother's Day cards - part 2

Here's another card I made for the occasion. This one was inspired by one I saw on Splitcoaststampers back in early April. The tutorial was Acrylic Distress. I used the Cuttlebug Victoria embossing folder and Nestabilities Label 4. The central image is by Rubber Moon (on glossy paper), the background and edge stamp are Wendy Vecchi's. I got the flower from Tim in a giveaway. Added a few decorative jewels, a button and some ribbon it was complete.

Mother's Day cards - part 1

One of the blogs I follow is Mrs. C, one of my Gingerwood friends. Her cards inspire me as does her message of sharing them. The March 15 card inspired this Mother's Day card for my sisters.

Kraft paper on hot pink with some decorative paper thrown in. Not a color palette that fits either sister but I really like the combo so there you have it. My photography skills have the pinks looking quite different when they really are in the same family. I have no idea of the brands on anything I used. The only way I could achieve the white ink look was to go with a white acrylic paint on my Wendy Vecchi plaid background stamp. The Mother's Day stamp is Hero Arts.

I'll have my step-mom's Mother's Day card to share tomorrow and my mom's card on Mother's Day. I planted peach-tinged yellow dahlias in a large urn for my mom but gave it to her a few weeks ago when she was here.

What's noisier than a Carolina wren outside your window?

TWO Carolina wrens singing their hearts out! Love listening to their melodies. Always brings a smile to my face. This year I have a pair nesting in a birdhouse attached to an old hoe on the steps leading down to the patio. Between singing from the roof and the nearby weathervane, they're driving my poor kitties nuts!

With the birds all a twitter thought I'd share another birdcage I did. This one is for my other sister. This one has a backdrop for the flowers (chipboard), the 'stems' (thin cardboard), the bird is Tim's - probably thin cardboard. A Wendy rose, Martha butterfly (2 stuck together for more dimension), velvet rickrack from Basic Grey and some dew drops. Another stencil letter by Tim, that ribbon is also Basic Grey. All ink by Ranger. I'll drop it off tomorrow; hope she likes it!

Scallops - they're not just for dinner

Just picked up the Scallops On the Edge die by Tim Holtz. I've been wanting this since the preview so I was tickled pink (see it?) to be able to use it right away. The front edge was die cut and so was a contrasting narrow strip for the inside right edge.

The image is from Penny Black (Brushed Tulips 2835K). I colored it with Tombow markers then misted lightly before stamping. The message on the tag is actually the title of the MSE stamp set and was the perfect size. I didn't ink up the year or company name. The small flower is from the same set (M101).

The rickrack scooted a bit...too late now, it's in the mail. Why didn't I notice this before?!?!? Grrrr....