A Thank You and A Card

Good morning. After several months of what has felt like I was walking through cold molasses, I'm trying to establish something of a new schedule/routine. We'll see how that goes...Um-hmmm.... Before I get to my card, I would like to say thank you for the birthday cards and wishes you sent. I had a pleasant birthday celebration, with a dinner at my daughter and sil's house on the day, and a weekend visit from my son and his brood. I've got a few photos to show you, and I hope you don't mind. You can skip to the bottom if you'd like.

First up are creations by Avie. She is one sweet child, and is funnier than all get out. She also likes to play in grandma's craft room. I am still finding bling and sequins all over the house, lol!!

This is the card she made for me; notice the tape runner where a shell, which I haven't found yet, has fallen off. The yellow sentiment reads, "I see you." 

She loves shaker cards. I mean really, really loves them. So she made me a shaker baggie, with extra, extra tape on it just so the bits wouldn't fall out. Sorry for the glare, but you get the idea. Avie included a rainbow colored 'happy birthday' sentiment inside. What a girl.

We had cake which the girls and daddy baked. Not one, but two cakes! The boys decorated one and the girls decorated the other. Pretty darn good, I'd say!

Ignore the "63" on the cake... I'm sure which ever of the girls wrote it simply transposed the numbers, hahahahahaha! And after cake, we had presents. Here is what not only these four kids made, but when two of my boys and their families were together, all the kids made this:

Grant, Lily, Drew, Avery, Carter, Samantha, and Kaylin each painted a section, and Sam and Lily painted an extra one. It proudly hangs in my craft room. So there you have it. Now, let's have a gander at a card, shall we?

This came together super easily, as I thought that if I worked on a CAS card, my mojo might actually put in an appearance. 

I die cut an Altenew frame and in the center, which was also cut, I stamped an NBUS trio of vases by a company called Simply Graphic. Love them. I used Juniper Mist ink from CP, and colored the water with Copics. A smidgen of WoS for some sparkle, an old HA sentiment and done. EZPZ lemon squeezy. I am going to play at Darnell's NBUS Challenge and at the Color Hues Challenge.

Okay. I'm done now. You all stay safe and healthy. I'll be back soon, and if the mind-set stays, I'll even get to some commenting today. Sending hugs, and as always...

TwoFer Challenge #31

Hi everyone. I hope that September is 'tree-ting' you right. Hahaha. I'm just full of horrid little jokes, sorry. Couldn't help it. Can you guess what the prompt is this month at The Twofer Challenge? Yep. Uh-huh. Trees. Now, I'd made all my DT cards for the year back in February before life became, well, waaay more challenging. And when I looked at my cards the other day, I thought, "hmmmmm....not sure if I like these any more." So I waited for my Simply Graphic order to arrive with some new (imagine that...) tree dies. I like this pair so much better! Now, you don't have to buy new stamps, dies, or stencils to play along with this month's challenge; nope. You can use what's in your stash to make two different designed cards for two different occasions. 

Here are my cards together:

And separately:

The birthday card was made entirely of scraps over in my file drawer, and I bought that striped paper a million years ago to make scrapbook pages with...stopped scrapping a few years ago, and found this little gem amid the 'neutral' scraps. I've got one, maybe two 12x12 sheets that I'm hoarding saving for more cards. It has a nice masculine feel, which is good since this one is winging its way to my middle son for his birthday. So EZPZ. An MFT die, a C9 sentiment, and that new Simply Graphic die.

Card number two is just a simple 'hello' card. This is the entire set of dies from SG. The sentiment is a C9 die. Black and white. CAS. I rather like it. Waaaay EZPZ.

So this challenge runs from the 10th-24th of this month. Hope to see you in the gallery, and don't forget to stop by and visit the other Twofer DT members' blogs, along with our Guest Designers, Helen and Lisa.  I really can't wait to see what you all come up with! And as always...

Twofer Challenge #30

It's Twofer Challenge time again! Yay! I truly enjoy the way this challenge really makes me 'think outside the box.' I'm finding 'new' ways to use stamps all the time now, which, if you think about it, at least doubles the ol' stash! It's almost like free stamps... My focal stamp is an older stamp from Avery Elle, and as I sit here and write, I've come up with another idea for it and will give it a go pretty darn soon... at least I think I will. Mr. Mojo hasn't been around much since John was diagnosed with cancer and then passed. I've only made a few family birthday cards, but I will strive to keep moving forward and get that mojo workin' again.

This month, we have a fun challenge for you. 

Right away I thought of that 1950s play and subsequent film Teahouse of the August Moon, but didn't go in that direction. But here's where I did go:

A birthday card and an Easter card. 

For my birthday card, I found an ancient paper pad, and decided to use some pretty green as wall paper above my scored white cardstock wainscoting. Another piece from the same pad was die cut and trimmed to create the valance above the EH window. The hills are from LF, the trees are from C9, the Sun is from AE, and the sentiment is from W&W. 

Except for the AE Sunburst, all the stamps on this Easter card are from PPP. LOVE that cross, and I love the sun/Son shining behind it. Mighty EZPZ.

Now I know you'll want to play along this month. Be sure to pop over to the Twofer Challenge and see what the DT has come up with, as well as our Guest Designers Mac and Linda, too. 

Working It Out

It's been just over four months since John passed, and I'm not quite "there" yet. Don't know where or how or when the "there" will be. But maybe, just maybe, if I take it minute by minute and day by day, I'll get "there" eventually. I'm ever optimistic, and I count my blessings everyday. This morning I thought I'd try to spend some time in the craft room and see if I still had any cardmaking skills. The first thing I did was to run and find a sketch, and my friend Kylie Page had one here at StampingPals Challenge:

Take a minute or two to check out this pretty new, and definitely fun challenge. I found some papers, some dies, and a stamp that worked and got to it. Felt pretty "normal" if you know what I mean... It might not be the best card I've ever made, but thanks to this sketch, I truly enjoyed the whole process of making it.

In real life, it's a little whiter/brighter, but due to my poor photography skills, the photo looks like this. *sigh* But I think you get the idea. I've been hoarding saving that cute paper for some time now, and don't remember who made it. The navy and yellows are scraps. The sentiment is MFT, the navy panel was cut from a WPlus9 die, and the flower is from an older RC set. Pretty EZPZ, and I rather like it. Thanks to Kylie and the DT over at the Stamping Pals challenge for giving me a boost over the mojo fence. One of these days, I'll find my normal, but in the meantime, please have patience with me. I've missed you all. Stay safe, take care, and as always...

Twofer Card Challenge #29

Well would you look at that?!! Huh! Who knew that the number of today's Twofer post, 29, would exactly match my age, hahahahahahahahaha!?! Okay, I might be fibbing just by a few years...or more, but right this moment, I'm feeling 29 (don't worry though, it won't last....too many projects to do!). I hope you're feeling a #29 Twofer Challenge today. And boy, do we have a good one just waiting for you! It's (drumroll please....) Butterflies!!!

How perfect is that for a summertime theme?! I've noticed a huge variety of butterflies in my flowerbeds this year, and they sure have a way of lifting your heart and spirits just by watching them flutter around. And I've got a pair of cards with a "flutterby" or two on them to show you:

Both cards used Ellen Hutson's Everyday Doodles butterfly. It's such a sweet image, don't you think?!

For this first card, a birthday card for one of the granddaughters, I started with an MFT wonky die cut panel, and gave it a sponging over in blues. I used a total of three EH sets on this card. Except for the hearts, all images are die cut and the clouds are popped up a bit. I used Copics to color, and off it went to Lily.

My second card is a sympathy card. 

I found a decent sized scrap of green polka dots, and had originally planned to use the cut-out part on a white base. I liked it better this way, so using some DO inks, to create a soft background, I went with this design. I added the sweet little EH butterfly, which represents resurrection, and the sentiment is from Verve. Pretty straight forward, and I was able to make two completely different designs in no time at all.

Now I know you have butterflies in your stamp/die/stencil collection, which means I'll be seeing you in the gallery, right?! Right! Be sure to head over to The Twofer Challenge and see all the incredible designs from my teammates, and our guest designers, KT and Barb! And as always...

Twofer Challenge #28

Summertime. Normally a time for going to the beach, camping in the mountains, water sports, vacations, cookouts, fireworks, and all those fun things we do in sandals. Not so much this year I'm thinking. Later this week, my excitement will be to ask my neighbor to come over and toss back a few gin and lemonades on the patio, keeping the requisite social distance of course...if I can find the courage to have a little drinky-pooh (migraine trigger). Might be worth the headache, though...hahahaha!

I'm still searching for my new normal, but I'm not going to push it; it'll come all in good time. I do have a couple of cards for The Twofer Challenge to show you. I'll admit I did them back in February when John was 'slowing down,' so just this post is new. There are so many directions to take this prompt. And I know we all have some kind of circle or bubble in our stash, right?! (ok, ok...some of us have several/many/lots!!)

Here are my two cards, photographed together:

A masculine-ish birthday card, and a thank you card.

For this card, I cut summertime mountains with MFT's triangle dies in three colors. Then I cut a circle with the WPlus9 circle, and tucked it behind the mountains. The border is a rich, deep green color, but of course you can't tell in either photo... The sentiment is from HA. 

Circles and polka dots! That cute paper is from Doodlebug, and it makes me smile. I found a scrap of that tealish color that matched perfectly, and I used that very same WPlus9 circle die and cut out several to pop on top. The diecut sentiment is from Avery Elle, and I scattered some sequins around for just an extra touch of flavor. 

So that's it for me this time. Be sure you stop by The Twofer Challenge blog and see what the other members of the DT have created. Oh!, and our lovely Guest Designers, Jenny and Linda, have made a little something special too! See you in the gallery!

Twofer Challenge #27

In a minute, you'll see an "I'm thinking of you today," card, which seems very appropriate. I am thinking of you all. And I want to say thank you for the lovely cards you've sent, the thoughts and prayers you've offered on behalf of me and my family, and for checking in on me. It's been a bit over a month since my darling passed, and I am still trying to adjust. It will take time, but as God watches over me, I know that I will eventually make the adjustment to this new life. In the meantime, I keep busy sorting, cleaning, and doing those things that have been put off for so long. I have time to do all those things now. I'm not spending time in my craft room, as I don't want to associate mourning with card making. But soon... I hope. Our family will gather to celebrate John's life once Covid-19 allows us to do so safely, though we have no idea when that will be. I continue to think of you, and to pray that you and yours stay safe. Now for my Twofer...

Since I used my "Mayflower" joke last month, I'd better skip it for this month. But those little kids still find it funny, though the days of jokes with grandma are quickly fleeting. Speaking of those little kids, I got a call from one of the grandsons recently asking if I still had the power to send his dad into 'time-out!' Naturally, I responded that I did! G-man and his dad both laughed. Oh the men and boys in my family...I tell ya. It's time, however, to tell you about the goings-on over at The Twofer Challenge. We've got a pretty challenge, "flowers" this time. Now if you're anything like me, you've got way more than one set of flower stamps/dies, and they're all ready and waiting for you to choose one set and make two cards with them, each a different design and for two different occasions. Be sure to stop over at the Twofer Challenge and see what the rest of the DT has created. I guarantee you'll be blown away!

Here are my flower cards photographed together:

And individually:

Let's start with my flowers, shall we? That's a blossom from Altenew's Always There set. I love this bloom. It lends itself so easily to a near infinite number of possibilities. For my 'thinking of you' card, I started with a white base and four blooms with three leaves clustered on a ME chunky, scalloped frame. I tucked a scrap of patterned paper, which was supposed to go on a different card, but when I tossed the frame to one side for a moment, and it landed on the paper, I was smitten by the contrast. It works, I think. I did a bit of Copic coloring, die cut the images, and added that SSS sentiment for balance. 

For my birthday card, I had the idea to go with a bright, rich pinky-red and utilize one single bloom. I left it uncolored except for the center. The square was cut with an MFT die, and the sentiment is from Whimsey Stamps. EZPZ!

I can't wait to see what you make with this prompt! This'll be fun, I promise! See you in the Twofer Gallery, and as always...

Twofer Challenge #26 Reminder

Hey there! I'm popping in with a quick reminder that there's still time to play over at The Twofer Challenge. You have until the 24th to get your gorgeous cards in the gallery! You know you wanna...

I've got a couple of cards to inspire your desire to play! Here they are together:

And here they are individually:

My first card is a "just a note" card for those friends who need a little smile in their mailbox. I went with a yellow base, and then a Greetery panel in the center. All the umbrellas, the raindrops, and the sentiment are from Your Next Stamp (the exact same stamp and die set I used on my first two cards in the original Twofer blog post). Those cute little umbrellas and the raindrops were stamped/colored/diecut in a plethora of happy colors, and an MFT square holds the sentiment. 

For my second card, I went completely "out-of-the-box." Where is the rain, or the umbrellas you might ask. Look at that little flower to the left of the sentiment...yep. I turned the die cut raindrops into flower petals and leaves. Talk about versatility! I found a carefully hoarded floral patterned paper scrap, and then added a PPP border cut in white over the top. The sentiment is from WF. The flower's center is an enamel dot. So easy, and so pretty I think. 

That's all from me for today, and as always...