One for Time Out, and some time out...

My good friend Anita is the Guest Designer over at Time Out Challenge this week.  Naturally, I had to make a card. Anita's inspiration card is amazing. Seriously amazing. Here, I'll show you:

Seeeee.... I was right, wasn't I? It's a real beauty. Took me a bit to make mine. It's about the third or fourth incarnation, but I finally got something I was satisfied with. So join me in playing along, why don't you. You've got more than a week to get your mojo going and get a card done. I know Anita would love it!

So this is mine:

I started with a Neenah white base, and then using watercolor paper, did a sort of ombre wash with my Dollar Store watercolors. I cut the design with my Silhouette and left a few pieces of the gold in place. The 'birthday' die is from SC, and the 'wishes' stamp is PTI. The gold paper is from Michaels, and if you look closely, the blue 'birthday' is the leftover watercolored piece. I shadow stamped the 'wishes' using Studio G, and some Stampabilities inks. That's pretty much it.

Now...

DH is editing a manuscript from the 1940s for publication. It's a copy of a mimeographed copy. We tried to scan it, have it scanned professionally, but to no avail. So guess who's typing....yep. 300+ pages. I've got a third of them done, but I really want to get it done before the end of the month. And Kaylin's scrapbook, with about 15 pages to do. And a notecard set for a friend. The only way I think I can get this all done in the next couple of weeks is to put my blog on hiatus for the next two weeks. I'll be peeping in at your blogs, and might even leave a comment or two, but I won't be posting until I get my tasks completed. So don't worry if you don't see me. I'll be back, I promise. Until then, happy dances everyone.

I saw the fox this morning!

On Wednesday my neighbor and I were talking about gardens, rabbits, and the wonderful life we have living on the shores of Lake Michigan. Michael mentioned that he hadn't seen the foxes all summer long. At the end of our street is a bluff at least 30 feet high (with trails and paths to get down to the beach quite easily), and scads of critters live in the bluffs. The foxes in the area love the bluffs; they're perfect places to make dens. We wondered if the coyotes had gotten to the foxes. Then this morning, there he was...standing as bold as you please, chowing on some kind of rodent - probably a squirrel - looking gorgeous. Did I have my camera? Of course not, dang it! But he was beautiful and I was glad to see at least one of them back in our yards. I've seen a pair sunning themselves by my other neighbor's garage in the past, and a vixen with kits trotting down the sidewalk to the bluffs; to me, the foxes are just enchanting. They can come and visit anytime!!! It was a magical experience, too bad Michael left for SanFran the other day!! I'll text him, but I sure wish I had a photo to send along...

Now that I've babbled on and on, I'm getting right down to this. Today I'm not going to list the supplies for my cards, but will let you know what they are if you ask in the comment section (that is, if I know for sure..as always, I have used scraps on all these cards)

Four, count 'em, four cards. And four challenges. Let's get to business:

First up is the Avery Elle Challenge

This is a small card, perfect for little hands at 4" x 4".

Next, we're moving right along to CASology. Pretty clean, pretty simple, pretty magical!

And over at Color Throwdown, they've got this fun palette, which in my world leans toward a sort of masculine card...or it it????

And last, but certainly not least is my second card for The Card Concept.

Wedding cards are so much fun to make, aren't they? Oh the promise that a wedding holds...

(that's a printed vellum overlay) Here's a close up so you can see the details a bit more.

And now, I'll be done. Happy dances everyone and have a great weekend!

Pretty in Pink

Luscious. Delicious. Rich! That's what Therese Calvird's card is; all those things and more. But don't take my word for it, have a look for yourself!

I was right, wasn't I?? She's got this beauty up at Muse. And you know how much I love to play there... She's used that gorgeous Painted Flowers set from Altnew, which I am currently kicking myself for not ordering...But somehow I did manage to create something that, at least in my world, pleases the eye. Mine's a bit more informal, with more whimsical blooms. Here's mine:

Yippee-ki-yi-yay!!! More scraps used up in making this one! Even though I use scraps almost everyday, I can't seem to make the box any more empty. Maybe I need to leave the lights on in the craft room after dark....Neenah white base, and TAWS Awesome Blossom blossoms with SU black ink. The sentiment is from TT, the die and the stripes are from the NBUS Note Niblets set by PTI. A bit of black thread, and done. the black and pink panel is popped up on the white. This one is just happy. It's beautiful outside today, and after my errands, I plan on doing a little weeding, and then take a nice long walk. Happy dances everyone!

Gettin' a Little Froo-Froo On

Before I begin my post this morning, I have a request from my sister. Sue wanted me to say "thank you" to all those lovely card makers who left such sweet comments about her cards in my last post, click. She is overwhelmed by your kindness, and wanted me to tell you how much she appreciates your encouragement. We're planning on getting together fairly soon, and it's my goal to help her set up a blog. I can't wait for her to "meet" you all, and to feel the love and support from this incredible blogosphere of card makers. So thanks, everyone. You're going to love Sue. And she'll love you right back!

Allll righty then. So far, I have one card this morning. I started it yesterday, but had to move onto house cleaning and cake baking. DH celebrated his birthday yesterday, and DD Cathy, and her family came over for cake and ice cream. So only a bit of time in the craft room yesterday. I plan on making up for that today. Still in my jammies, and the only real thing I've accomplished (other than finishing this card...) is my morning workout. That's fine with me, however. It'll be back over to the mess for me in a few minutes. I'm playing along with The Card Concept challenge this morning, and got a little froo-froo on. Not tons. I've tried shabby chic, and multiple layers of prettiness, but I can't do it well. So a little froo-froo is it for me. The theme this time at TCC is to create a wedding card. This one could fit into the 'Clean and Layered' category, or maybe into the 'Classy and Elegant' one.

I'm going to show the shiny part first...you can't see it in the whole card photo, but the silver portion of the card is shiny, shiny, shiny. 

This is one of my all time favorite paper combinations ever, in the whole world. 

And the silver swirls are shiny too. Only a little froo-froo. Started with a Neenah white base, then added the blue and silver panels. Can't tell you who made either one of these papers, as they were in my scrapbox, but boy oh boy, do I ever wish I'd bought a ton of these!! The sentiment panel is three layers, with a scrap of blue vellum under the white panel. ME smoke ink, and PTI stamps. A strip of pearls beneath the sentiment, and done. I wish you could see it in real life! Anyway... we're getting some nice soaking rain (yay!), and I'm headed back to the scrap (mess) desk. Happy dances everyone!!

This one's for you Sue!

I'm very blessed. My sister Sue is my best friend. We enjoy spending time together, laughing and talking, and then, about a million years ago, I got her addicted to scrapbooking. We would spend hours on weekends when we could get together in her basement craft room, or in my craft room creating piles of pages. Very often, they were gifts for our dad, nieces and nephews, or other special people. Then as she saw my addiction change over to card making, she kinda sorta vowed not to switch over to that; nope, she was going to stick with scrapbooking...yeah, sure, uh-huh... Once again, I've gotten her going on a new craft addiction. heeeheeee! So in her honor, and because even though I've said she should start a blog, and she hasn't...yet, I'm posting three of her cards today. I've got some of my own, which will follow hers too. You'd like Sue. She's nice, helpful, funny, a great cook (oh for one of her German Chocolate bars right now...), an amazing crafter, and girl can sing. Put her soprano together with my alto, and we're not half bad! If you think that she's got something going on, please let us know in the comment section encouraging her to start a blog. Thanks, friends, for looking!

So, Sue....time to start your own blog????! Sa-wink!

My cards are rather different than Sue's. Well, one is going into CASology, with it's Stripes cue card, and that means clean and simple designs. The other is for Fusion. Check out the beach cottage photo...I could live with that, couldn't you?! 

So first up is my CASology card.

Lots of white space, or in this case, yellow! For this one, I used a Neenah white base, and a large scrap of yellow cardstock, source unknown. I split the cardstock, added a panel of hot pink (again a scrap!), and then a thin strip of stripes onto the pink. A PTI sentiment stamped with Studio G ink, and a boingy embelly I bought at Michaels. Done. 

Then there's my Fusion card...

I hope this qualifies as having both elements. I used the colors in the photo, and while I took a bit of liberty with the sketch, it's still there. Started with my Neenah white base, then added a panel of blue - it too, was a large scrap, as was the white, scored panel. I cut the white panel after scoring it with my ME fancy frame stitched die. (LOVE that one!), and then scrubbed some Colorbox buttery yellow ink over it. NBUS alert!!!! Some new PTI goodies came the other day...Note Niblets stamps and dies, and I've used the flowers and leaves here, stamped in a variety of inks. The sentiment is from Jillibean Soup. Love that font too! And I'm thinking, that's about it. If I want to get to commenting today, I'd better get a move on here. Have a great weekend! Happy dances everyone.

Thank goodness it's August!

I really am glad it's August. My self-imposed "No Buy July" is over. Did I follow through....mostly...only two smallerish purchases. One box, which DH brought in from the mailbox, came yesterday... He really doesn't mind; you should see the full to overflowing bookshelves in his office! We each have our addictions and are completely supportive of one another. I'm pretty sure we both think that an order for one of us means that the other is behind and really should start shopping! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I'm playing with some of those new goodies today. And some slightly older new goodies too, all from PTI. Oh what fun! I'm sure you all know by now that Tag Your It! and CAS(E) this Sketch have teamed up for a twofer that lasts for two weeks. Make a tag, make a tag/card inspired by this delightful sketch by Gayatri Murali. Had to play. Giant PINGS smacking around my brain, and they're still going -- crying "do one in pink!!!!" Will probably listen to them, but have some work to get done before I have any more fun in my craft room. Here's Gayatri's sketch:

Sure hope you're tempted to play along too! 

Here's what I came up with:

The pings made this really easy. The picture in my head translated exactly to the card. Love it when that happens! Started out with a Neenah white base, then added a panel of aqua. Sorry, no label, so have no idea who made it. A scrap of white die cut with my new PTI die, and a scrap of black and white striped paper that I printed with my Cameo. A PTI sentiment with SU black ink, and three black sequins. The star is from SC, and I almost colored it, but liked the neutral tone against the black. Some random ribbon, and a bit of twine. I did pop up the tag too. And that's it for today. Happy dances everyone.

Happy Birthday Marybeth...a little late

Yesterday was Marybeth's birthday. I missed it. However, rather than saying "Happy Belated Birthday" I'm going to suggest that we celebrate a little longer! At least a whole day longer! And we'll all get together and have cake to celebrate with her! Sounds like a little party plan to me. Please pop over, if you haven't already, and visit her blog, Marybeth's Time for Paper. While you're there, be sure to wish her a "longer" Happy Birthday!

Now. If you haven't ever been over to Marybeth's blog, then well, I don't know what. Her cards are some of the most beautiful in blogland. Take a gander and see what I mean. As a little tribute to this most wonderful lady (and lady is the word that comes to mind whenever I think of her), I thought I'd scroll through her cards and CASE one. Mission accomplished. This is her lovely card:

And while I don't have the exact same stamps and papers, I did find some that I thought were suitable.

Marybeth, I'm sorry I missed your "official" birthday. I hope you had a wonderful day with family and friends and got to do exactly what you wanted to do on your special day. You are such a kind and generous person, and let's not forget what an incredible crafter you are! Every time I visit your blog, I know I'm in for a treat. Your works are elegant and beautiful. Much like the person you are. I'm so happy I know you. May God richly bless you on your birthday and all the days of your life. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MARYBETH!

Dropping in quickly

Have hours of work yet to accomplish, but this card has been sitting on my desk, and Freshly Made Sketches closes all too soon! And while I was perusing blogland, I saw that Deepti, (LOVE her work) mentioned a "gold" theme going on at Addicted to CAS. It's also blue, hence Simon Says Work it Wednesday. And speaking of Simon...at the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge, it's anything goes. Things lined up nicely as far as challenges go, didn't they? What's the most challenges you've entered with one card? I think this ties my record...

Will get right to this, as I need to check the chicken on the grill...

Stars aligned and here's my card:

So as per usual, a Neenah White base. Scraps of gold cut into narrow strips and adhered to a white scrap. Three Michaels gold sequins, some gold thread wrapped around my (scrap of) navy blue panel. A Hero Arts stamp used with Jeni Bowlin ink. That's it. Enjoy your week. Happy dances everyone.