Wednesday, February 27, 2019

I Have A Question For You...

Besides making cards and hanging out with the grands, I like to cook and bake. And after a nice conversation with Darnell about scalloped potatoes, I got to thinking. I wondered if people still "cooked" supper; you know, do people make home-cooked meals, or do we now just rely on take-out, delivery, subscription meals-in-a-box, and/or drive-through foods? So that's my question, and if you feel like you want to leave an answer in the comment box, feel free. If not, that's fine too. After all, it's just food for thought (hahahahahahahaha). Btw, I cook nearly every night. I can make practically anything and my baking is nothing to shake a stick at either -- just ask the grands and DH!

I don't have any food photos for you today, but I do have a couple of cards to show you. Let's have a look, shall we?

The first card will head off to Words 2 Craft By, and the second one will play along at Fusion and Simon Says Wednesday Challenge





Words 2 Craft By are asking us to contemplate 'love and random acts of kindness.' My card reflects the love I have for my friends. That's me on the far left hanging out with three ladies at a lake house... Don't know what life would be without them! Love them so much!!


I used a large Art Impression image, and worked on my Copic coloring. It's getting a bit better, but I have a long way to go. That's fine. I can monitor my progress in the coming months! The sentiment is from Altenew. 

My next card is just plain fun, if you ask me.


All the stamps are from Ellen Hutson. The dies are too, except for the rectangle which is MFT. I did a bit more Copic coloring here, and winked up the unicorn and rainbow, which you cannot tell. I found this chunk of patterned paper by Studio Calico, and believe it or not, the dots are the same color as the rectangle...they just look gray in the photograph. Go figure... I used the sketch and a bit of the photo for inspiration. Well, it's time to get supper going. I'm going to stuff a couple of pounded chicken breasts with some chopped bacon and cheese. We'll add a baked potato and some nice green veggies to round out the meal. Guess I'd better get cracking! You have a nice evening, and as always...


Saturday, February 23, 2019

College Hoops

I am so thankful for College Basketball. Hours and hours of hoops played on TV, with DH completely entranced by "his" teams. Let's see if I can remember a few of "his" teams. Well, there's Georgetown (got his Masters and PhD. there), Iowa, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Marquette, Gonzaga, Arizona, Arizona State...Today's games will keep him busy, and let me craft the day away in here!

I seemed to have been on a card making roll. Made a slew of them, and will show you three of them. Bear with me...

Card No. 1 will play at CAS(E) This Sketch, Card No. 2 will head off to SSS Wednesday Challenge and Freshly Made Sketches, and Card No. 3 will go over to Inspired By.





Still with me? Hope so... Sorry. I was compelled by otherworldly forces to make cards and post them here. I'm being held hostage in my craft room by my own creativity! Don't send help; send chocolate!


Found some greenish bluish paper in the scrap files, and went with it. Added some sequins, which in real life have more of that aqua cast to them, but photograph in the pink range. Go figure. The sentiment is from PTI.


I hit that scrap file again, and came up with this floral piece. LOVE it. Now I have to find more patterned paper...hahahahaha! The green paper is from SSS, and the sentiment is from Studio Calico. I have about 3 layers of thickerer cardstock so it sits nice and high. PTI rainstones. 


I used an old piece of MME paper cut with an Altenew frame die. SU newsprint paper. Paper Smooches leaves, a few pearls, and a PTI sentiment. I did use some ME Winter ink (oh how appropriate...) on the frame. But that's about it. 

As long as College hoops are on, I will continue to craft. Thanks for visiting, have a great weekend, and as always...


Friday, February 22, 2019

Here's to Sunny Fridays

Beautiful morning out there today. Pretty blue skies and oh-so-glorious sunshine; what a lovely way to start the weekend. Just got off the phone with my sister who lives in northern Wisconsin, and she said they're about to get hit again with another 15" of snow. Those poor folks are at the "shoveling off their roofs before they collapse," stage. Haven't had to think about that in a forever time. So for all of you folks who are up to their eyebrows in snow, be careful, and remember that Spring will come.

I've got a card to share today. Saw the prompt at CASology, and thought it might be fun to play there.


I've had pets of all sorts, though mostly dogs and cats. Our last critters were Cinnamon and Sugar, sweet kitties. We had to have them adopted into another family once DH started having surgery, so at least for the foreseeable future, we are true empty-nesters. 


This kitty is from N&T, as are the little fish. The sentiment is from MB, and the speech bubble is from LF. The scalloped die is a ME. A bit of Copic coloring and done. If my kitty card isn't CAS enough, I do hope the DT at CASology will take it down. Now go and enjoy your weekend. Make cards and do what makes you happy! As always...


Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Snow Days

Well good morning! We've got another wintery, snowy day here, but that's alright. Gives us all something to talk about, lol. Heading off for a haircut a little later this afternoon, and am looking forward to it. But before I go, I need to get cleaned up and wash my hair...you know, it's like brushing and flossing before you go to the dentist! My stylist Mary just laughs at me. And other than getting my hair tweaked, I've only got plans to play in the craft room today - Woohoo!

I've got less than five hours before Inspired By closes, so I'd better cut the chatter and get a move on.  And I'm also joining in at Addicted to CAS with a second card. Let's take a look, shall we?



I was definitely inspired by the cacti, especially the one on the left front. 


All the images are Hero Arts stamps, and the sentiment is from Studio L2E. A bit of Copic coloring and a chunky frame created with a couple of MFT rectangles. Oh, and a green base just because I wanted to. 

Next up is my griddly card:


About a hundred years ago, my friend Geri gave me a bunch of patterned papers. This is one of the scraps I have left. I've been hoarding saving it for that special card. A teal base with that special grid paper, and added to that is an MFT "wish" cut with a bling for the 'i.' The "big" is from a Li'l Inkers set. Can you believe that's all? Overall, a pretty EZPZ card, and I like the way it turned out. 

I've got to run now, I can hear DH beginning to stir, and I need to get his day started before I need to pop out. You all take care, and as always...


Saturday, February 16, 2019

Have You Seen It?

I wanted to open today's post with a question and an endorsement. Have you seen it? Have you seen Kara (from Bright Hope Creations) has a brand spanking new YouTube Channel? Well, she does, and mm-hmmm, girl can color with Copics. Need tips and tricks? Need to see how it's done? Head over there. Very, very cool. Have a little visit, and then come back - I've got a couple of cards to share with you this morning.

Two cards, four challenges. The first card will play along at Seize the Birthday, and Time Out. Card number two is off to SSS Wednesday Challenge, and The Flower Challenge


Here's the first one:


I do love the retro look of that bathing suit. Like the Barbie dolls way-back-when wore. I can see some cool white framed sunglasses with green lens' and a big picture hat, too... For this I used an aqua base and some aqua and black sequins. The image is from Photoplay, and the sentiment is from HA. I cut the panel with an MFT wonky framed die, then added a slender black panel to highlight everything.  Black, white, aqua. I like the way this works together.

For my second:


This set by C9 was one of the stamp sets I received for Christmas. Someone who knows my taste well thought I should have this (ok, ok... I gave myself a present...). I played with it a little, but really not until this week have I played with it. For this card, I started with a B&W striped paper from MFT and once the flower was finished, I cut the white panel with a LF border die. I added a Verve sentiment and some yellow sequins. I really like this one, and I hope you do too. Have a wonderful weekend and stay warm!


Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Did you know....

Did you know, as far as I can tell, that there's only one word in the English/American language that rhymes with "orange?" It's an obscure word for something related to botany, "sporange." Can't write a good poem with that, can you? I will say that waaaaay back in the 1960s, on that (still funny) show, Laugh In, Judy Carne came up with "door 'inge." Door hinge. As a kid, I thought that was extremely funny. And all this leads into a couple of new-to-me challenges where I'm playing today. You'll see the connection to all my 'orange' trivia/nonsense/stuff you really didn't need to know in a minute.

ORANGE OPULENCE



The first challenge is called The Rainbow Card Challenge, and the second one is the Crazy For CAS Challenge. Love the bright color, especially when we're snow covered again, and that sketch is right up my alley. Here's my card:



I found a scrap of polka dotted paper in orange, and a scrap of orange cardstock for both the label and the 'sweet.' I cut the circle with an MFT die, and used the sentiment from C9. Three enamel dots, and that's all. So QAEZPZ to make! Fun thank you card! Hope all is going well with you and as always...


Sunday, February 10, 2019

Twofer Challenge #13

I'll bet you thought that the Twofer Challenge this month would be "hearts," or "love," or something equally Valentine-ish, didn't you?! Nope. Though, I suppose Valentine's Day stars could be really romantic....


Except maybe here, or in even more northern climes. Usually early to mid February is, well, bitterly cold, with temps below zero. I think if I do gaze at the stars with my sweetie pie, it'll be from inside a nice warm house, lol! Got any plans for Valentine's Day? Ours will, I'm sure, include several college basketball games. Just can't get more romantic than that, can you?...hahahaha!

So let's see where the stars took me:




The green shaker card is a thank you card, and (as if you couldn't tell) the second card is a birthday card. I make tons of birthday cards. I have to...I have exactly 47,298,106 family members. Or so it seems, anyway! The sentiment on the shaker card is from WPlus9, and all the papers and MFT stars are scraps with some clear sequins (from Ardyth) tossed in for good measure. EZPZ to make. The birthday card uses an MFT paper, and the same die cut star as in the shaker. Just one on this one though. I added some flat gold sequins, and that's a Uniko (I think) sentiment. Another card in the EZPZ realm. See...it's not all that hard to make two differently designed cards with the same stamp, die, or stencil! If you're asking, then let me tell you that by doing this at least once a month, and actually, when I stop and think about it, I often find myself doubling up; making two cards with the same supplies - that way, I've always got that 'extra' birthday card, or sympathy card, or baby card, or which ever card the kids need when they stop by and ask, "hey ma/grandma, do you have a _____ card that I can have?" I don't often post the doubles, but I make them. Boy this challenge is handy! What will you do with 'stars?' Be sure you stop by the Twofer Challenge blog and join in the fun! I'll see you there, right?!





Saturday, February 9, 2019

Pig And Heart

This morning, my first card features a pig, whom I think is the personification of sass. When I first saw him and the rest of the set, I knew that I absolutely, positively had to have it. And that if I didn't buy this set, I'd regret it. I can still recall the ring I didn't buy at the duty-free store in Jamaica many years ago....Lesson learned. Anyhoo, I've got a bazillion things to get to today, so will show you a card with that pig, and one with a heart. Playing along at CAS(E) This Sketch, as well as CAS on Friday and the Card Concept.


For your blog


Here's my sassy little piggy:


I found some Doodlebug polka dotted paper that I thought would be alright for a CAS look. The sentiment, party hat, and the porker are all from A Muse Stamps. The balloon is from Maker's Movement. I cut the rectangles with an MFT die. A bit of Copic coloring and done. He makes me smile.

Heart card coming up next:


For this, I started with an ivory base, but it's hard to tell. Then a Gina K. kraft paper cut with an RC tag die. The heart and the "love" are all from C9. A bit of ribbon and twine finish it off. EZPZ. Love that quilted inside heart...And I'm off and running. You all have a great weekend. xo 

One more thing before I go... Our bloggy friend, Kara has started her own YouTube channel, where she's helping us all with Copic coloring. She's got mad skills with a Copic in her hand, and you should most definitely check it out, like and subscribe. Here's the link. I can't recommend it enough. 

ETA:  Bobby, one of the members of the Tag You're It Design Team, suggested that I add this card with the tag to their challenge, so I will (thanks, Bobby!!). The inspiration comes from this:



Friday, February 8, 2019

Valentine's Day Card/Tag

Whenever my act is together (hahahahahahaha, yeah, like that ever happens!) I try to at least mail out cards to the little grandchildren. With Valentine's Day fast approaching, it might be time to get making and moving! Got a couple to share today that will hopefully bring big smiles to small faces.

First up is a tag, because in case you didn't hear, Tag You're It is back!!! Yay!! Yippee!! Woohoo!! Rather tickled to have that fun challenge back in blogland. Check out the wonderful work by the DT, then join me in playing along there!  I've also got a card for the current Time Out Challenge. Oh so much to choose from in that inspiration photo!


I was inspired by Jeanne's tag; her scallops and hearts and pretty little yellow flowers. Mine's quite a liberal take on her card, however.



I started with a RC tag die, popped the EH scallops die on top of that, and once the scallops were out, I colored them purposefully unevenly and reinserted them. The heart is from a NBUS C9 set, the little flowers are from Hello Bluebird, and the tiny tag is an older Studio Calico die set. That's a teeny-tiny AE sentiment. 

My card looks like this:


Thought this could go to one of the grandboys. Not too mushy, but still says that grandma loves them. The frame is from MFT, the sentiment is from Verve, the envelope is from StudioL2E, and the heart is from an ancient punch that I brought to Wisconsin in my covered wagon. Do you believe that when my middle son was little, he actually had the audacity to ask me if I came to Wisconsin in a covered wagon ??!! Worse, there was one of those naughty twinkles in his eyes when he asked! Yep, he's still sassy. Couldn't love him more! Anyway, I'd better get moving. Lots to do, and the hours are flying by. You have a good weekend and...


Monday, February 4, 2019

February...

It's February already. I'd like to know what happened to January??! I just wasn't ready for it to be a new month yet. I've still got January things waiting, for Pete's sake! *sigh* Pretty sure I don't have a choice however, so will crack on with things as best I can. This past December when I was divvying up my stash of cards for part of my kids/grandkids Christmas gifts, I realized I had way too few masculine cards. In partial remedy to that small dilemma, I thought I'd concentrate for much of January and February on making those "manly" cards. I've got two to show you today. Let's get to them, shall we?!

I'm joining in the fun over at Addicted To Stamps and More, where it's "Anything Goes." And I'll also be playing along with Less Is More, where not only is the theme a delicious navy and yellow, it's their 8th Birthday. I hope you'll join me in wishing them a hearty congratulations! Great challenge and a great team!




My first card:


I layered kraft and white rectangles, which were cut with MFT dies. The striped stamps are from AE, the sentiment is from HA, and the nautilus is from Gina K. Navy blue ink. I brushed in a little pink color on the shell, and called it good. Good 'manly' card, I think. 

My second card:


I CASEd a card of mine that I haven't as yet posted, but hope to do so soon. It's a good CAS, masculine card. Navy and yellow cardstock cut with MFT chevron dies. A W&W sentiment stamped in CP ink. Done. Definitely a 'Happy Birthday' goes out to LIM! Now I've got to run. You have a wonderful day, and as always...