Jack-O-Lantern

It's been awhile since I've carved a real pumpkin! I have been making the craft-type ones and have a little collection that I set out - very handy, but not quite the same. It was kind of fun, actually. I roasted the seeds and they turned out delicious!

Happy Halloween!

Yoga

I gave a small token of my appreciation to my Yogini tonight at Yoga class - it has been 6 years since I discovered Yoga - she has been in the room the whole way - and has been my life-line.

These cards turned out so nice - the first time I tried to use these new stamps, the result was just "ok". This time I pulled back and let the stamp stand on it's own beauty - a more CAS look than my usual, and I love it.

I photographed it before I added a small charm with the symbol for "ohm". It's gone now - so you'll have to take my word for it - a little circle about 3/8" in diameter was attached at the center of the bow by an interesting safety pin that I re-purposed from a recent clothing purchase.

These are the fabulous Yoga stamps by American Art Stamp that I got a few weeks ago. I stamped them in Momento Tuxedo Black on Kraft cardstock - drew the frames by tracing the outside edge of the largest nestie (like a recent post) and colored them with my new pencils and OMS (odorless mineral spirits). I used a variety of sentiments as you can see - some from Who's That Girl (their yoga stamp set) and others from PTI and Waltzingmouse Stamps.

And, yes, I did copy Curt O'Brien's wonderful little gift box (again). So handy!

Have a wonderful weekend, dear friends! Let me know what your favorite part was - what did you treasure most about this weekend?

Fall Tree

I was just playing around with stamps and colors - taking a break from the Halloween and Christmas projects! This card just happened and I kinda like it. The stamps are from PTI. I used some outdoorsy design papers and a bit of twine. I tried to create some ground and a little definition around the tree with the Copic marker.

I am so very glad that tomorrow is Thursday. I had a diagnostic test regarding my tummy yesterday that did not go very well (I don't know the result yet - but the test was awful!). I'm thankful to be back on an even keel and looking forward to a weekend when I can truly relax. I'll be going to the new Yoga studio again Friday after work . . . so with any luck I'll be "blissed" and sleep wonderfully! I received more HUGS in the mailbox that I want to share with you . . . but it will have to wait until tomorrow as it's past my bedtime already.

Namaste.

Thanks to You

This card was a quick thank you note for a colleague who went 150% the other day at work - who needed to know that the effort was appreciated. I loved how fast it went together. I used kraft cardstock, outlined the largest rectangle nestability on the outside of the die using a black micron pen, and stamped the Waltzingmouse Stamps images on Close-to-My-Heart Olivia design papers and cut them out. The flower is on 1/8" foam adhesive - so just barely popped up. The "Thanks to YOU" image was from another WMS stamp set.

So - Sunday was amazing as well - every weekend should be so wonderful! When I am queen, they all will be. I had toyed with the idea of going to the 5 PM church service Saturday night - but got so engrossed in the craft room that I missed it! So, I set my alarm to attend the 8 AM service - but hit the snooze one too many times and slept through that one as well. I showered and at the last minute pulled on a new blouse - a little surprise from my usual Sunday casual. There was a reason - apparently. I had completely forgotten that I was an usher today for the 10 o'clock service - but God knew. I enjoy ushering (Oh please, don't let Bill read my blog - he'll schedule me more often!!). I love greeting my church family and having a role in the service - however small.

My weather was beautiful - so the yard work and even some cleaning in the garage were such a joy! Normally I'd be "melting" - but today was perfect!
I've got just a couple of details to handle then it's off to bed! I'm ready for the new week!

Hugs!

Count Your Blessings!

This card is performing double-duty - I will use it next Sunday for the technique of the month (stamping on glossy cardstock) and am entering it in the Stamp Simply weekly challenge of which the theme is Thankfulness. I like it when something can be used twice! It's like "recycling"!

Edited to add: I skipped over the requirement to SAY what I'm thankful about! I love being able to go into my craft room and create something with the things available. I love yoga class, sleep, and feeling strong again. I love a day when I get to "talk" with my DD (I miss her so much!). There are a thousand things every day that I'm thankful for - I love my blog-friends and seeing all the amazing things you create, too. I guess this short list probably fits the bill.

First I should update about the Yoga class - I know I gushed about how much I enjoyed it - but the "good night's sleep" - well, that's something to write home about! I slept 10 hours. Really! And I awoke feeling full of energy,joy, and was able to move pretty much right away.

What a delight today has been - as I have spent it mostly in the craft room (with a lovely interlude to Skype with my DD and enjoy her new hairstyle and other ramblings!) I'm well over half-way creating the Phase 1 of my cards for the holidays; 35 Christmas cards in one design. The limiting factor this year (there is always something that limits the number of cards for any one design) is the red buttons. And I thought I had enough red buttons to last the rest of my life! Guess not. (giggle)

After church tomorrow I do need to run a couple of quick errands, but then I get more time to play! Hope you have a great Sunday.

Hugs!

Ta Da!

My very first House Mouse project! This was one of the many images that Curt sent to me - I colored it up with color pencils and OMS (odorless mineral spirits). The photo makes the image look washed out - it wasn't super strong in real life but it was more "substantial" than it looks here! LOL

I also copied the little box that Curt created. It has enough room inside to tuck a treasure or two - I'm sure I'll be turning to this design again and again!

Well - I tried Yoga at a new studio tonight. My favorite Yoga instructor (Linda) was teaching there and urged me to come give it a try. I'd follow Linda anywhere - she's that good. This studio is lovely and the class was excellent. It felt just right. I felt strong again, and left the class feeling the bliss. I will sleep tonight. So very happy.

Namaste.

Another wonderful gift!!

Can't we all benefit from a "mailbox hug" now and then? This was a second delightful surprise in my mailbox in a two week period! I know, I know - right about now you're wishing you were me! Me too!! LOL

This gift came from Karen Baker. She used some tapes on a card recently and I commented that I hadn't tried them yet. She remembered my comment and sent this generous selection of delightful tapes (some paper, some cloth!) and a beautiful card! I am just thrilled - I love Karen's work! I hope that I don't hoard them forever, but instead, use them to create something worthy. (no pressure)

It's Thursday evening - I have another weekend set aside for my own mental health - and that just seems so extravagant. Luxurious. Indulgent. Well, I will do a few chores and some yard work - but the weather is going to be "heavenly" (low 70's) so being outside will be a relief after being cooped up all summer long! I hope to get a good running start on my 100+ Holiday cards this weekend. My list has grown every year - and I keep a scrapbook of the cards and annual letter that goes out to close friends and distant family. It's kind of fun to look back and see what my style was in 1999 . . . if you know what I mean! Do you make cards for the holidays? (I use the term Holidays because I make about 95 Christmas cards and some Hannukah cards, too)

Hugs!

Metal Challenge

On Friday my friend Deb Neerman posted her entry for the Stamp Simply challenge of the week. She wrote:

This week, Sharon has us rockin' with "hard rocks!" Think metals and stones as added elements for your project including metallic pens, metallic papers, rhinestones, gold, silver, and diamonds. Feel free to use copper, rubies, emeralds, pearls, etc. Use these types of beauties to embellish and enhance your rockin' creation!

I decided that I could make a card with "metal" and this is the result! I was amazed that the silver embossing photographed to look like silver and not just a gray swirl. Hmmm, I wonder what I did differently?! If you know - give me a clue!

Hugs!

Sympathy cards

Another sympathy card, and I didn't have much time to pull it together, either! I went for subtle - so the Verve image was stamped in Chocolate ink right over the patterned paper (in my stash, no idea where I found it). The image shows up, but just barely. I like the effect and it's even prettier in person.

It's been a good weekend! I enjoyed Yoga class Saturday morning, came home and cleaned up the craft room and stamped a bit. Today after church I've stamped more while the laundry goes. Pretty laid back - just what I needed!

Namaste.

I had a dream . . .

Do you dream about card designs? I do, but usually I'm not able to remember the details - just some key part of it. From one dream, I remember the Waltzingmouse Star. I just had to use the star on top of a Christmas tree. This is a HUGE star folks. LOL So - the tree took a bit of fiddling. Finally I opted for felt - it seemed "heavy" enough to hold up that big star! It had to be folksy to account for the strange proportions. I stitch the edges of the tree loose, and when I adhered them to the cardstock, I pulled them in just a hair towards the middle so the center would open up - I tried to get a photo where you can see the dimension.

I hadn't used my sewing machine in awhile and had forgotten how to wind and load the bobbin. After a few miserable tries (thank goodness I've learned to practice on scraps of cardstock) I got it going. Now I've promised myself to use it more often so I can remember! Lastly, I used one of the PTI impression plates but I stacked it into my cuttlebug loosely so the impression is faint. I love the effect.

I can't believe it was last Monday when I posted - shame on me! I have been visiting and soaking in all your creativity though. Last night was a flurry of activity - strangely, my inspiration mostly came from cleaning up the table enough to find a work space! What are your plans for the weekend?

Hugs!

Surprise in my mailbox!!!

Recently there was a fabulous challenge going on that I wanted to jump into and I e-mailed my friend Curt O'Brien to ask if I could use any other stamps for this challenge since I didn't have any House Mouse stamps (yet!). Curt replied that I needed to use House Mouse stamps and he would send me a couple of images so I could join in the fun! Look what I found in my mailbox!!!!! This darling box (carefully wrapped in a protective bubble wrap bag)!!
Check out the details! I love the silver on the magnifying glass and that the lens is shiny with glass! The larger photo didn't quite capture it so I was careful to grab a close-up!
This shows the box starting to open - the luscious ribbon (chocolate - of course) slips off and the lid lifts up . . .
A couple of images?!?!!!! I don't think there was one design in the pack that didn't have two stamped images. I asked Curt if this was because he knew that if I only had one, I would never be able to give it away? His reply was that he likes to have two so when he messes one up he has another try! Oh my goodness - I can't imagine Curt ever messing anything up!
To top it all off - this lovely fall card - with a sweet note. I am truly blessed - and to think that 2 years ago I didn't really even know what a blog was! Now I have dear "blog friends" all over the world. Friends that make me feel warm and fuzzy - loved. I am honored by this gift and I will treasure Curt's artwork! I couldn't wait to share them with you so that you can oooooo and aaahhhh over them, too.
By the way - I will most likely be posting some cards with these House Mouse images in the very near future! ;-)

Hugs!!

Sweeeeeet!

Trick or Treat! These little tubes were quick and easy - but so cute! I used Close-to-My-Heart stamps and inks, and tied the tags onto the tubes with black tulle. The back of the tags say "a boo-tiful night".

It's been a busy Saturday morning - and I'm off to curl up in a soft place for awhile. Lots of things still planned for the weekend, but one of the most important was taking time for me. Right now "me" wants a nap!

Hugs!

Happy Birthday!

This fun card was inspired by Vicki Wiznuik (here). I re-created it as closely as I could but I used the Magic Moments papers (retired). The larger dot border is from Circle Around, the candles are from Candlelight. I love how Vicki let the candles fall off the popped-up focal piece - so interesting! I'm happy with this card and it didn't take long at all!

It's Thursday night already. I'm usually just dying for Thursday night to get here, and I'm not complaining - just surprised that it happened so fast! Tomorrow will be busy, too, and I love it when I'm busy! Then, the weekend and our weather is finally beautiful - the highs are only forecast to be mid-80's. Hooray!

What fun things do you have planned for this weekend??
Hugs!

Something for Card Making Day - a day late.

I didn't get to stamp on National World Card Making Day - but I sure wanted to! I finally got into the craft room today and made this simple card - I like how it turned out! It uses the CTMH Olivia papers (5 x 1" strips) on a base of Barn Red cardstock and then popped up for dimension over a card base of Bamboo. The sentiment (PTI) is embossed with Cocoa embossing powder and sponged with Bundled Sage (Tim Holtz distress ink) with the Spellbinder die still in place (to create the white edge). The butterfly was punched from a Martha Stewart punch that I finally bought - it's lovely, isn't it? I'm sure I could have used a few products from other companies if I'd actually tried!!! LOL

Interesting weekend - let's just say that I'm ready for the new week and hoping for a good one. I have certainly enjoyed visiting everyone's blogs and seeing all the creativity flowing - you are absolutely amazing!!! I have saved so many things to my inspiration folders that I really don't need to make anything new ever again, I can just copy you! ;-)

Have a good week!