Plump Birdie sings Thanks!

This was a quick card just I made just before closing the studio in MN and I forgot to post it!  You'll recognize the sweet birdie, the sentiment on the file label is a CTMH stamp set.  I don't seem to use that one much but it is really useful!  I had a small piece of the patterned paper left so I created a pretty scallop on the smokey plum cardstock and added the design paper over it.  Purple hearts, of course.  

I've been super busy in AZ - the house (yard mostly) was a wreck without our property manager.  My goodness!  I've done more in the past few weeks than I've done in the past few months, I believe!  But not much of it has been in the studio.  That's changing!  My friends are coming over on Sunday afternoon for our Open Stamping.  I'll get to see them, help with make-and-take cards, and probably won't make anything else because I'll be so glad to see my friends!!  Tonight is Halloween - I hope you will be safe and have fun!

Thinking of you card - Psalm 55:22

This is one of the 3x4 watercolor cards from Taylored Expressions.  I used my watercolor pencils and a new one that is Altrecht-Durer in the palest blue!  It's so pale you can't even tell (hint:  background). Anyway, the design paper is a current one from CTMH.  The big flag piece under the focal image is an ombre paper from an autumn paper pack that CTMH had two years ago.  Gotta use up those scraps!  Steve really liked my choice of message for the card.  That's always nice!  

More tags for Christmas

I haven't even unpacked my studio when my Beloved tells me he has used up all the 4 dozen tags for Christmas packages for our family in MN.  (What????)  So, I made another dozen.  Do you remember the CTMH stamp set called "Snow Friends"?  I still cherish this set!!  I don't think you can see the wink of stella on the snow in the air or on the ground.  In real life, these are sweet and simple.  

I'm back in AZ and working hard (but in small pieces) on getting the house and yard back into shape.  The person we hired to tend to our homes this summer is MIA.  I pray he is okay; he is a friend who we've known for about 6 years and this just isn't like him.  

Happy Anniversary card

I fell in love with this dragonfly!  Partly because ever since I've met Steve, I've seen a lot of them and have been told that dragonflies are the fisherman's friend.  He has given me beautiful dragonfly jewelry, too!  So they seem to be about connecting.  And in real life, they are incredibly beautiful!!!!  For this Anniversary card I random stamped the dragonfly image and then used a border die to cut part of the card off!  The die cut "Celebrate" is actually on the inside of the card!  The black/white color choice is softened by "wink of stella" on the open parts of the wings.  I don't think my photos capture the sparkle quite.  

Halloween treats for the little girls

I love Halloween - the bright (traditional) colors, and the whimsy of the stamps (like mis-matched socks!).  The papers are always interesting, and even the tissue comes with sparkle!  So I decided to decorate these simple small gift bags for the little girls in our family.  My Beloved said that they wouldn't notice, and wouldn't care (which might be true) but I said I was doing it for me and for them.  Not much to tell you about how these came together.  I colored with watercolor pencils, and stamped with a Unity stamp Itty Bitty set and a borrowed bit  of sparkle in the air from a CTMH birthday sparkles set.  The cardstock and design papers are all CTMH.  Here are some close up views!

Christmas gift tags

It's the time of the year for me to make a pile of gift tags for my Beloved to use.  He leaves MN after I do - so he takes care of wrapping and labeling all the gifts.  These are so much fun to make - I'm sure I'll be doing it again when I get to Arizona!  We're into the countdown now!  

Bilbo and I fly on 10/10.