Nick & Lisa's New House

Hello! My son and daughter-in-law bought their first house! We went there today to see it and I love it. It's beautiful and they deserve it because they both work very hard and are the nicest people! I finally got to use my Boards and Beams stamp set from Papertrey Ink. I also tried to do some shading for the first time. I like how the shading under the top edge of the roof came out, but I kind of over-did it on the fromt porch. I still love the card and will try to do better next time. I used Stampin' Up markers and an assortment of papers, including watercolor paper for the house itself.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope to post again soon, now that I'm off work for the next twelve weeks for summer vacation. See you soon.

35th Anniversary

Hello! My sister Joann, and brother-in-law Gary have been married for 35 years! They still seem as happy as the day they were married.

This is the card I made for their anniversary. I used SU Purely Pomegranate paper and matching ribbon from Taylored Expressions. The little love charm is from the bridal section at JoAnn ETC. I used versamark ink and embossed it with marcasite embossing powder. The stamp set is also from SU and it is called 'Love You Much.' Thanks for stopping by today.

6x6 Page Addition

Hello Everyone! Today I have another item to share that we made at the Relay for Life crop. It is a 6x6 page addition for a scrapbook page - or you can frame it and use it for a single photo. You just simply slip the corner of a photo behind the ribbon and add it to a page. I don't usually scrapbook, but sometimes I make pages for new babies if they are requested instead of a card for showers, etc.

Also, my good friend Sue showed me how to link things on the blog. I had never quite figured it out and now that I see how simple it is, I feel very silly! Sue has lots of cool stuff on her blog, (The Blondin Blog), so I suggest you check it out here.

Card from Relay crop

Hello! I finally made some time to catch up on my blog-hopping and I am happy to report that I have found many great inspiring samples and ideas.

This card is one of the cards I made at the Relay for Life crop last week. I used a 6x6 piece of cardstock, folded in half. The frosting on the cake is glittered and so is the stripe of blue-green in the middle. We had lots of fun at the crop and can hardly wait for the next one. Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a great day.

Relay for Life Crop

Hello - So I went to a Relay for Life Crop with my BFF, Katy last Saturday. We had a wonderful day and had lots of fun. The food was great and they had very nice door prizes, plus four make-and-takes. The Stampin' Up person who co-sponsored the event had a really cool bag of freebees for everyone there. She included two sheets each of cardstock and DP, SU post-it notes, SU dimensionals, SU ink pen, an SU pencil that looked like the DP, and a clear acrylic rectangle box. She also had this cute little bag of candy in our bags. The bunny on the label is completely made out of punches from SU. She added a brad for the nose and faux brads for the eyes. The make-and-takes were great and I will post some of them soon. I hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by today.

A Birthday Card

This is a card I made nearly two weeks ago. I haven't been able to go up to my Studio since March 10th when I had a minor accident while on a field trip with some seniors from the school where I work. We were on a college visit and I missed seeing the step in front of me and fell on my knees and grazed the side of my face. It was raining really hard and we were on the way to the bus. I was trying to count the students ahead of me when I fell. The x-rays showed that everything is fine, but I really bruised the knees and could hardly walk for about eight days. It is slowly getting better, and I can now go up the steps (very carefully) to my studio. My DH has been great. (I'm so glad he is retired.) I'm going back to work on Monday, although I may have to wear my bermudas for a while, because it still hurts to have any material touch the knee that has a scab on it.

Back to the card - I love this bright paper and the cupcake had never been inked until now. I added some ice stickles to the cherry in the sentiment and on the cupcake. The frosting is colored with Liquid Pearls and I added fake brads from Joann's. Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a great day!

Specialty Paper

Hi! I made a couple of cards last week and this is one of them. I really like this flower stamp, and hadn't used it in a while. I figured it is time for a Spring card, since we are patiently awaiting the season here in Michigan. I have this wonderfully marbled specialty paper that I don't use often enough, and I used my flowerpot and photo corner punches on it. I pop-dotted the flowerpot and added some rhinestone bling, after using my SU markers on the bunch of flowers. I really like how it turned out, and I can use it for any occasion. Take it easy and enjoy the weekend. Our weather dude says we are finally going to get a little warmer weather for the next few days. Woo Hoo!

Our Stamp Camp

Hello! This is a card I made at our last Stamp Camp with our Stampin' Up demonstrator, Crystal. She has lots of talent, so we made four wonderful designs this time. Our next one is on March 14, and I can't wait. This card is my favorite from the class. It uses the new Bigz die from Stampin' Up and now I have to get one. I love the colors she chose and the rhinestone finished it off beautifully. Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a great day!

Get Well Monique

Hello! It's Sunday afternoon and I've had a very productive weekend. I love it when I feel that way! I completed another card yesterday, which I will post soon.

I made this card for my daughter Monique. She had a very bad sinus headcold and is still recovering. I thought of her when I saw this image with the bunny in the little girl's pocket. The set is called "My Friend and I Stamp Set" from the Trafalgarssquare line, of Pink Papery Studios. (They have many awesome stamp sets there!) Monique has always loved the Velveteen Rabbit and this bunny is very similar. She loved the card and especially the bunny. Thanks for stopping by today.

Get well Dawn

Hello! It's been a while since I posted, but I'm back. I made a couple of get well cards for my daughters in Washington, but didn't get a chance to post them. Here is the first one, which was for Dawn. I love this Elzybell image and hadn't inked it up until now. Also, I haven't used my Stampin' Up photo corner punch in quite a while. Dawn is feeling better and her twin sister, Monique is now sick. I'll post her card tomorrow. Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by today.

Winter Friendship

Well it's February 1st, and the high temperature for today is above freezing! Throughout January, we only had one day above 32 degrees. We are about at the halfway point of winter and I am still enjoying the sunny weather we have been getting. Today's card is from C.C. Designs and it is a Cookie Crumbs set called "Snow Friends." It has about fifteen sentiments and several images. This is my favorite one! Once again I used Stampin' Up watercolor markers and a blender pen. The fake brads are from Joann's. Thanks for stopping by today!

Another Winter Card

Hello! Today I made a really neat card. I love ice skating and have since I was a kid. Ice skates bring back many great childhood memories for me. So whenever I see stamps with skates on them, I must have them! Makes sense, right? Anyway, I colored it with Stampin' Up watercolor pencils and a blender pen. The image is from Lizzie Anne's Little Bits set called "Christmas in the City". I also used my Gelly Roll clear marker to color the blades, and the rhinestones are from Joann's.

Have a great day. Thanks for stopping by today.

Joel's Birthday

Hello! Today we had our Stampin' Up new catty Open House and I finally got to make my new wish list. It is longer than the last catty's list, but not too long. I just finished looking at my favorite blogs, and now I have many great new ideas to use this week.

This card is the one I made for my brother Joel's birthday. It was on the 21st, so I had to wait until he got it to post it. I love the paper and the ribbon I used, so it is safe to say I really like the card! I hope you do too. I made another one similar to this one for another of my four brothers' BD in March.

Thanks for stopping by today. Hopefully, I will have time tomorrow to create something to post real soon.

Winter cards

Hello! It's been a great four day weekend. My BFF Katy came over on Sunday after church and we played in my studio for about four hours. Katy retired in December, so I don't get to see her at work anymore. It was great getting together again. This card is another winter 'whatever I want it to be' card. I love the image - she is so adorable! I used my white Souffle marker on her scarf and the ball on her hat, and some Ice Stickles on the snowflakes. The snowflake brads are from Oriental Trading. Thanks for stopping by today! I'm mailing my brother's card in the morning, so I will be able to post it in a day or so. Have a great week!

Another Thank-You

Hello! Well, here in Michigan we are in the middle of another snowstorm! It is SO pretty outside - I'm just glad I don't have to travel anywhere today. This time they're predicting six to nine inches, and so far we have about four. It's the light and fluffy kind, so it won't be too bad to shovel. We still had snow on the ground from the last couple of snowfalls, and the weather guy said another storm is on the way in a day or so. I love winter so I think it is just beautiful!

This card is another thank-you that I made the other day. I love this little snowman by Hero Arts. He is too cute! I colored him just like the little sticker on the stamp is colored. The ribbon has little dots that reminded me of snowballs. The metal 'thank-you' embellishment is one I have had on hand for quite a while, and the faux brads are from Joann's dollar rack. I hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by today.

Happy New Year

Hello! I have been very busy for the past two weeks, first with my family for the holidays and last week I spent much time organizing and cleaning some things in the house. I can't believe that two weeks went by so fast. (We had a wonderful holiday season with my daughter Monique visiting us from Tacoma, Washington, and we spent quality time with other family and friends.) Today was back to work and boy did the day drag.

This card is one I made as a New Year/Thank You card. I used stickles for the snow on the ground and on the faux brads on the corners. I colored it with my Stampin' Up markers. I love snowmen, and hadn't used this stamp yet. I'll have more to post in a day or so. I hope you have a great day and thanks for stopping by today.

My Christmas cards

Well, I can finally post my Christmas cards! Everyone has received them in the mail and I'm very pleased with how they turned out. I made 26 copies of a card that Taylor Van Bruggen created last year for Stampendous. The stamp is called "Doodle Joy" and I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. They were probably the most time-consuming cards I have ever made, but well worth it. I have been very busy lately and haven't had time to create. I have lots of stuff waiting for me to work on in my studio, and it has been hard to stay away from it for so long. We were supposed to work today, but we had a "Snow Day", so now I'm off for our Christmas break for 16 more days! Woo Hoo! I'm sure I will get back into my studio soon. Thank you for stopping by today. I'm off to do some baking and last minute cleaning. I hope each of you has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Get well, Monique

Hello! This is the card I made for my daughter Monique. She had surgery this week and I hoped it would cheer her up a bit. I couldn't be there with her, (Tacoma, WA) so I hope the card is doing it's job, along with the flowers we sent. We bought a web-cam last week, so we were able to see her when she came home from the hospital. That is really cool! I think we will get a lot of use out of the new technology. My two sons also have web-cams, so we can all have fun with them. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by today. Note: I replaced the first photo I used with this brighter one.

From my daughters...

Hello! This card is from my daughters, Dawn and Monique. They are twins and live in Tacoma, Washington. (Half way across the world from me!) It is the cutest Halloween card I've seen this year and it is completely made from punches. The eyes and mouth were drawn on the ghosts and they were cut with swirly scissors. Pretty cool, huh? I love it when I receive cards that are great samples. Thanks for stopping by today. Hopefully, I will spend some time tomorrow in my studio and have some great new things to post here.

One last Halloween Card

Hello! I had to post this one last Halloween card. I love how the colors in my patterned paper match the cardstock. I used a sticker for the image and even the buttons matched perfectly. I never thought this blue would go with orange, but the polka dots pulled it all together. I have been a little under the weather for a few days, but hope to get back to making some more cards tomorrow. You should hear from me again soon. Thanks for stopping by today.