Another sympathy card

I used a retired flower stamp set from CTMH for this one.  I needed an open flower image that I could heat emboss with white detail embossing powder.  Then I used pencils to add color.  A stripe of Glacier cardstock, the sentiments (from Verve) stamped in Saddle ink and a bit of string and it was done.  I really love how easy it looks.  

My darling daughter turned 33 last weekend.  I can hardly believe it!  But getting to spend time with Kristen and Brian recently really showed me how mature, lovely, gracious, and happy she is!  I brought her into this world hoping she would turn out to be a good person and she has FAR EXCEEDED my expectations!  

A special celebration!

At the Mesa Stamp Show there was a vendor that had pre-designed images (like the edges/water of this "card") that were on a watercolor paper.  I carry many of these with me when I travel along with my Derwent Inktense Pencils and when I have down-time I color.  Then I can make a card easy-peasy by adding a sentiment or something!  

We have a dear friend who is being ordained to Priesthood in the Episcopal church in June.  I thought the "leaves" also looked like water, perhaps even a wave, so I colored it in blues and blue-green.  The waters of Baptism (another sacrament).  

In this photo you might be able to see the clear iridescent filaments that I tucked under the focal image piece.  In the light they are really, really pretty!  Made me think of "let your light shine".  

Stephen picked the inside sentiment.  He liked this one best - and since he's been there, done that, I thought it was appropriate to let him help with this card!  I love it, really.  I hope our friend does too!

Meow!

I bought this kitty stamp at the Mesa Stamp Show in the Spring.  I had to have it, don't you know, because it looks just like my Mr. Bilbo Baggins!  

Another House Mouse image in my favorite card template style!

This little guy makes me laugh!  So smug in the bushes - peeking out of one eye at us!  I used scraps I had left from the Chelsea Gardens papers (love that set - wish it was still around!).  

The inside of this card has the new sentiment "Be Brave, Be Bold, Be You"!  It's available in the current Seasonal Expressions book!  I really love it - and know you'll see it again and again here.  I stamped it in Juniper. 

We went to St. Cloud yesterday - talking with AAA MN about River Cruises and such.  Oh My.  We also had a sumptuous dinner at the Star of India restaurant.  Steve had lamb masala, but I had a chicken dish made with spinach that was just heavenly!  I have left-overs so if the boys go fishing tomorrow night, I'm all set!  Brainerd could use an Indian food restaurant and a place with Thai food.  That, and maybe some real Mexican food, would make it perfect!  *giggle*

House Mouse!

I am falling in love with these little House Mouse guys!  They are so cute, and easy to color!  I'm NO expert at shading, but the way the stamps are designed, the shading is implied and they turn out looking okay!  I was trying to imitate a card where the focal panel hangs off, overlapping a piece on the inside of the card.  But my focal panel turned out to be WAY too big and it looks a little wonky.  But it's still cute and I'll use it for a birthday card!  

In this photo you can see the silver used on the tinsel tassel on top of the hat.  I also used wink-o-stella over the hat's surface.  

The inside of the card has the sentiment from Birthday Sparkles (I use that sentiment set a LOT) and the background pattern from Jumping Geometrics.  It was fun!

Sympathy card using Love Blooms

I'm still in love with watercoloring, even though I don't have a very good handle on it yet!  I tried to let the background (very pale gray) run and be free but it didn't really.  I'll keep practicing!

The stamp set is the CTMH retired set - Love Blooms.  The sentiment is Verve.  I used Derwent Inktense pencils and did the gray color by blending two colors of the CTMH watercolor paint set to create the right tone.  I just didn't get it "flowing" like I needed (more water??).

The sentiment was stamped in the new Charcoal color.  

Our Crabapple tree is in bloom

And our baby Zestar Apple tree!

So fun!

Pet Sympathy

I was just putting away things I shipped to MN from AZ and saw this stamp set again - and sat down to make a couple of cards for my pet sympathy stash!

I'm getting settled again - back to yoga classes and such.  Our excitement for the day was that a swarm of bees decided to come live in one of our pine trees.  Steve called a bee keeper who came with a box that had the hive frame inside - she climbed up the ladder (in the full bee-keeper regalia) and held the box below the spot where the bees were getting to work building a hive.  She gathered most of them, but most importantly the queen, into the box.  Then she left it with us for awhile, until it gets dark.  Slowly the bees have been joining the queen in the new location - and by dark they should all be reunited!  I have to tell you, this is an amazing process to watch!  I was so grateful that she could come help us and she is grateful to possibly have a new hive. Win-Win!

I've Landed!

My husband's niece and her husband just had their second child last week so I needed a Welcome Baby card!  I found old papers in my stash and a retired CTMH stamp set (the inside is a Verve set - Bloom & Grow).  

Sorry I've been gone so long - I was packing up the house in Mesa - and then traveling, and am finally back in my second studio in Minnesota.  Our trip was fabulous - we attended my SIL's graduation:

Then we scurried up to New Hampshire to be with dear friends!  From there we stopped at Niagara Falls (WOW!)

Then we stopped for Acension Day service at Steve's seminary - Nashota House, in Wisconsin.  That was a very special day.

Ok,  Back to regularly (I hope!) programmed business!