Out of my comfort zone

When I was a young mom, I begged my DH's grandma to come and live with us. Grandma Violet was the most amazing woman, and I loved her dearly. She lived up north in a small town and would come to visit a couple of times a year. The stories she told, the cooking she did, the advice she gave, her strong faith, and the love and warmth she exuded was beyond compare. I begged her to come and live with us. After all, who wouldn't want to just be with her every single day. But as often as I asked her, she always said no. She wanted to stay 'where she fit'. She had her daughter and some of the grandchildren close by, and her church, and the familiarity of her town, and I understood that. She was in her comfort zone. I admire the fact that she wanted always to be independent; to be self-reliant, but I really wish she would have come. We two women would have had a blast. I miss her, but I know that one day I'll see her again. She's got a special place in heaven, I'm sure! You all would have loved her to bits. And what does this have to do with card making, you ask? Not a darn thing, except, that I try at least once in a while to get out of my comfort zone. Crossed that line this morning....

Much like Hannelie over at Desert Diva, I saw the cue card at CASology and went 'wha....???!!! Fish???' Guess I won't be playing this week. Thought that if I used super fast shipping, I could order that Fish More stamp set from WPLUS9 that I've had my eye on, and....No. Not gonna do it. But I want to....!! No. Use what you have. Another argument with myself lost. Or won, depending on which side of me you're rooting for...Lol. And then there was inspiration from Ardyth's card. Too cool. Got me thinking. As did the most fantabulous coloring on cards by Kylie over at Studio 4490. I'll wait. Go check these blogs out and you'll see what I mean. Inspiring, aren't they? Really got my little pings going. (Gosh, I'm long winded...just can't stop this) Bear with me a few moments more, and I promise to get to the point. So darn many of you out there have an impact when you don't even realize it. It's true. I could name so many more who push me in new directions, but I did promise to get to the point.... Well, I thought I'd try coloring something. But had no fish. Well....not one that pinged in my head anyway....Popped around blogland, and what do you think I found?? Yep. The perfect image. It's a free digi from A Day For Daisies. You'll see it shortly. Never used a digi before. It's waaaaay out of my comfort zone. But I went there. I figured it out. I tried. I liked it. I'll do it again. It was fun. I'm learning. Woohoo!!!

I sure hope you like this. I'm quite enamored with her.

(Couldn't get the lighting quite right, sorry about that...)So I printed the image right onto a scrap of Bazzill white cardstock, then I printed her onto some dp. I fussy cut the dp mermaid's tail, then with my craft knife, I cut around her arms. Slid the tail under her arms and glued it down. I used  Copic markers for the balloons and her skin tones, and a Sharpie for her hair. More Bazzill for the base, and a panel of the dp underneath it. The sentiment is from an MFT set with SU purpley ink. Digis and coloring? Who me?? Yep. Expanded the zone. Happy dances everyone.

Is there anything better than card making???!!!!

Seriously. Years ago, I had some special little friends. Babies and toddlers, and I wanted to give them something special for Christmas. I found some plastic sleeves, bought rings from the hardware store, and made tiny little scrapbooks, using clip art, stickers from the Hallmark section of the Walgreens, and photographs I had taken of my little sweeties. As I look back, they were pretty crude, but I know that the kidlets got a kick out of having books about themselves. A few months later, a friend told me of a new phenomenon that was beginning to take hold--scrapbooking. I hit Michaels, and lo and behold it had to be like walking into heaven.

I was immediately hooked. Just so you know how long ago that was, there were no 12x12 papers...only 8 1/2x11. I made myself a couple of scrapbooks, and was quite proud of the results. These were the days of   fancy edged scissors, and 'Magic Matter' and 'Coluzzles' as the epitome of tools. Then the concept exploded across the country, and yeehaw, we got a scrapbook store in town. (It's closed now.) The whole industry changed and became so much more fun. Amazing papers, embellishments, techniques, die cutting machines, and so much more appeared on the markets. I was witnessing the paper crafting evolution (gee!, doesn't that sound grandiose?!!) (Insert huge belly laugh here!). And I seriously loved scrapbooking. I got my sister hooked. I was happy.

Then. Ah, then. My dear friend Sandy was making beautiful cards at our monthly Scrap and Stamp events, and she introduced me to Stampin' Up. Still, I was a scrapbooker, not a card maker!! I bought a few SU products, mostly to be polite. (At that time she was not a demonstrator) Then around Valentine's Day about 5 or 6 years ago, DH and I were grocery shopping. He picked up a few Valentines for SOME (and that's the important word here) of the grandchildren. And they cost $21!!!!!!!! Wha....???? Why were we spending that much money on cards and not even getting cards for everyone...how much more was this holiday going to cost us?? I started adding up the numbers of children, grandchildren, sisters, brothers...and all the cards we sent during the course of a year and decided then and there that enough was enough. I haven't bought one card since then. And I'm even more hooked on card making than I ever was on scrapbooking.  And we're talking HUGE addiction to scrapping. I'm in trouble. But in a good way. DH says it keeps me off the streets! Lol.

But why this discourse on scrapbooking? Am I giving up cardmaking?? NEVER!!  No, (shorter story here...) one of our sons and his family went to DisneyWorld for a vacation. He handed me a flashdrive with over 600 photos on it, and I opened my trap and said, "I'll make the kids a Disney scrapbook as part of their Christmas present." What the heck was I thinking?!! I'm so out of practice. And that's what I've been doing since Saturday. Guess how many pages I've gotten finished? Six. Six pages. Call me Rusty from now on... But I'll get the whole book finished by December. And I might even post a few pages. But not now. I put it all away. The last page I finished is crap, and I won't even look at for awhile. It's going to be ripped apart and remade. But not now. I needed to feed my other addiction. The one I've come to love above all other addictions. I could give up chocolate, but not cardmaking. And so that's what I did this morning. I made a card. Ah....it felt really wonderful to do that. I'm now a happy camper. Is there anything better than cardmaking?! I don't think so.

Tired of reading this post? Well, I promise to stop babbling and get to business right now. I don't play often over at Just Us Girls, but fell in love with the current challenge. You've got to see this:

Don't those colors just make you *sigh*?! Just had to play! And....I bought a set of Lawn Fawn stamps the last time I fed my shopping addiction at Archivers, so decided to play the Lawnscaping Challenge as well. 

And here is what I made:

It's another card for Marilyn. I really wanted the sentiment to stand out, so I left it uncolored. The card base is Bazzill, the rest of the papers are scraps. Lawn Fawn stamps, and 3 squeekquins which I colored on the backs with Sharpies. I colored the bird with Copics and both stamped images are popped up. And there you have it. Happy dances everyone.

Almost forgot!

Boy! I guess that the busy-ness finally caught up with me. I almost forgot to make a Father's Day card for my DH!! Perish the thought. For the last 20 Mother's Day, he half-teases me that I'm not his mother, and so, he doesn't need to get me a card or flowers...We differ on that... though in a good-natured way! But just in case I can sway him to my side, I make sure he has at least a card on FD.  Lol.

For today's (at least in this case), 'work of heart', I'm playing along with the fun over at CAS(E) this Sketch. The fabulous Na@Ali created this sketch, and I love its simplicity. My card stuck really close to her sketch. Lots of lovely white space. Pops of color. Fun embellies! This is the Sketch:

And this is my card:

Some drywall tape that I inked with some Colorbox ink, as well as using it to ink up an Avocado Arts stamp, a couple of strips of scraps to encase it, a Dear Lizzy flair button, and some MME enamel dots. All on a Bazzill white card base. And that's the card. Happy dances everyone.

Whew!

It's been quite a week. Or should I say nearly two weeks. The busy-ness is almost done for a bit, but for this afternoon and tomorrow, I am sticking close to home and my to craft room as much as possible. Got the granddaughter through graduation and party; really proud of her as she was the salutatorian of her class. Nice girl, going on to UW this fall. Long day was the party day... My feet were screaming by the time I sat down at 10:00. But it was a nice party, with no rowdies and lots of fun. Made a quick run to urgent care the morning of the party for DH, but he is alright, thankfully!
Spent all day yesterday playing with grandkids in Madison. Let me tell you, they are some of the most fun anyone could have. Took them out to lunch to the Hubbard Avenue Diner. They all ate a good lunch and then we had pie...or in 3 year old Drew's case, "a cookie. With frosting. Please". Grant had his own piece of oreo, and Lily and I split a slice of Mississippi Mud pie. Think creamy thick brownie in a graham cracker crust. She ate most of it...thank goodness! It was soooo rich and yummy. Then I took them to Marshall's to look for books for them. Well, the two oldest wanted stuffed animals ("grandma, they're Not toys, they're stuffed animals!") but Drew spotted a book that he had to have. The Adventures of Captain Underpants.  Later his dad said it was probably the word underpants that captivated him. Who am I to say no to a child who actually chooses a book over a toy...or a stuffed animal?!
And today. Poor me...had to take Jen out for her birthday lunch, and wouldn't you just know, a run to Archivers. Spent waaaaaaaayyyy too much on supplies, but most were for the Disney book I'm making for those three little ones in Madison as part of their Christmas present. The best part of the day is to spend time with a friend. Just talking. Just being. Just perfect. *Sigh*
I haven't had much time to visit blogs, make cards or do any crafty fun stuff. I started with an idea for a card on Friday after I saw the new cue card at CASology, but didn't have time to do much with it. Tried to craft a bit on Monday after the dentist, but was feeling that leftover tiredness from Sunday's party. Today, I just whipped it up. It's for Marilyn. And I'd like to thank you all out there for the thoughts and prayers as she continues to battle with her cancer. The card has to be flat enough to mail, so there are few embellies on it. Besides, the whole concept over at CASology is Clean and Simple...

For this card, I've used all scraps out of my two giant scrap boxes. (I swear they multiply at night!!) Except the white Bazzill card base. A bit of baker's twine, Memento London Fog ink, Lawn Fawn sentiment, and a random daisy. And since this has been a bit of a long winded post, I'll stop now. Happy Dances.

Quickie post

I have to wait for the lawn care guy to leave, and for the dust to settle before I can get to the 'big' jobs I have planned for today. Wash the patio doors, the kitchen windows, the side door windows, and wash floors. Plus the assortment of things I need to do to get ready for the graduation party here on Sunday. Couldn't just give the inside a 'lick and a promise' -- it's supposed to rain on Sunday, so that means inside and outside need to be well done. All my friends say to wait and clean until after the party, but I just couldn't let people in if the place is a mess. So I'm doing a quickie post. My super nice neighbor's birthday is also Sunday, and I wanted to get a card made for him. I'm 'borrowing' the colors from Geri G.'s Gallery Idol card, and btw, she made it to the top 15! Woohoo! Big congrats to her!

This will go into Seize the Birthday. Great sketch and I hope I captured it well.

Here's what I made:

Bazzill white cardstock, scraps (again) of all other cardstock, a piece of transparency paper on which I stamped hb using an older, but still great stamp from HA. I cut stars with my Cricut, and added a bit of bling. The white star is popped up. I should have taken a close-up of it, but I've already walked it over to my neighbor. It was pretty easy to make, and I've got to run for now, so will get moving and get work done, then will catch up on the comments I need to leave on all your wonderful blogs. I apologize for being so far behind with all of this. Happy dances everyone.

Snippets of time

That's all the time I have for the rest of this week and much of the next. Just a few snippets. Things to do, people to see, places to go. The usual summer (well...almost summer....) craziness. Good craziness though. And I needed to get a card made for our daughter. You'd love Jeanne. She's sweet and smart and rather nice. Much like her dad, she' also a bit of a workaholic. But in the way that makes her a valuable and loyal employee, and somehow, she finds time for the most important things in her life--family, friends, and yes, fun!

The Paper Smooches Sparks Trend Watch this week is "Gold". Stumped me for a bit, but the slow pings banged, gave me a migraine, banged some more, and finally dropped an idea on my desk. I knew I had saved some bits of one of my favorite blue dps, and I also knew that I was saving it for Jeanne's card. And after a bit more futzing, it came together.

This is what I made for Jeanne's birthday.

It's an overcast day here, and in spite of my best efforts, the almost yellow beige looks way too yellow here. I did my best to cool it down, but then the blues get funky. Achhhh.... So I have no clue as to who made the papers...every single piece is a scrap. The gold ink is from Stampabilities. there's a few bits of gold thread wrapped around the card too. The flower is random, but I love these and knew that they'd match my card. All stamps are from Paper Smooches -- Word Salad and Hot Concoctions. And that's about it. I wish I could find more of this paper...Happy dances all.

For Marilyn

A couple of weeks ago, my sister-in-law learned that she has cancer. (DH's brother's wife) While both she and Bob are brilliant people, they don't speak 'medicalese', and can't give much information about the diagnosis. They split their time between Germany (near Bonn), and Raleigh, NC, so we don't get together with them very often. They were in the states when Marilyn started not feeling well, and they are thankful for the medical treatment she will get in the Raleigh area. Lots of good doctors and hospitals there. Not that she wouldn't get wonderful care in Germany; I'm sure she would. As I've done in the past for other family members and friends, I will be sending her a card every week until she doesn't need them anymore. I wish I knew more about her condition, and her prognosis, but I will just pray that everything works out for the best and according to God's will.

I decided to base this card for her on the current challenge over at Muse. The lovely and talented Laurie Willison created this beautiful card, and it's up to us to 'make it our own'. I'll admit I was struggling a bit with it, but in the end, I managed to make something that I think Marilyn will enjoy. First is Laurie's card:

I changed things up a bit. I used a white base, and then a subtle designer paper under the white focal point. 

It looks so much prettier in real life...I kept all of Laurie's colors, including the smidge of orange (my flower center dots are orange), and used three blings, though not in the same place as Laurie's. 

Bazzill white card base, SU ink and stamps, Copic orange for the centers, Making Memories crocheted lace, three blings, and some pop dots. I don't remember what the blue dp is...bought it 5 years ago for a scrapbook page for one of the grandsons...still sitting in the drawer...my bad. 

Now don't forget to get out there and vote for your favorite card in the Gallery Idol. And go and have happy dances everyone.

Confirmation Sunday

At church tomorrow, it's Confirmation Sunday. This year we have four confirmands; three very sweet young ladies, and one very special young man. I've had all of these kids in one or another of my Sunday school classes through the years, and it's wonderful to have watched them grow into such fine young people. I belong to a small (in building size) church. It used to be tiny. And we are growing. In years past, sometimes there were no young people being confirmed, or maybe just one, and at most, two. So four is something of a big deal for New Hope. I love going to church. Being a Christian, I like to hear God's Word and be in the company of others who do also. Our small church is like having another family - with sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, cousins, grandchildren...well you get the idea. It really is like family. We're laid back, we argue with one another, but we're always there to help, support, laugh with, counsel, and just plain love each other. New Hope is growing too. I will admit that I was worried that we'd start to lose our sense of family as we grew/are growing, but I have to say, it's more like welcoming loved, new family members home. Pretty awesome. Pastor Janke has made a true difference as our shepherd, and we are thankful he is there. In a little bit, I'm going up to church to clean for Confirmation. Not that the church is dirty, rather it's just the weekly thing we'll be taking care of, and putting a little extra sparkle on everything for tomorrow. I don't mind helping out. It's nice to do this with "family". Now you may wonder why I've waxed on about this.... Well, naturally I've made cards for the kids. And after the middle section of this post, you'll see them and even get a tiny bit of an explanation about them.

All right. I got some new toys in the mail this week. I waited until this morning to play with the one I have wanted for ages. You need to know why (at least a teensy bit). I'm dyslexic. I have issues with multiple areas in my life, and I've found over the years that if I think hard before I attempt something new, it just works better for me. It's like getting a step-by-step movie in my head. Generally works pretty well for me too. So all last night, when I could barely contain my excitement (tell me you don't know what that's all about...) I worked out what I needed to do and exactly how I needed to do it. And dang it all, it worked the first time! Yipee! And I've fallen in love with my new Parker Alphabet dies. Oh. My. Gosh. *sigh*

This card (*sigh*) is for three challenges. First up is over at CAS-ual Fridays where the theme is "Congratulations". And then I found a new to me challenge. It's Pinspired Challenge. Looks like a lot of fun, and I thought, I'd give it a go. Great 'pinspired' photo too! And lastly, it Anything Goes over at Simon Says Stamp. I'm thinking my 'anything' will work here.

This is my card:

Very simple, very plain (I might have been channeling Ardyth here...). All papers but the white Bazzill card base are scraps!!!!! Three little blings in lower left, and my new toy, Parker Alphabet dies from Memory Box. I am so in love with this set of dies... Pretty straight forward card. And irl, it's a smidge brighter. Sorry for bad camera work.

These two cards are the ones I made for Confirmation. I found a website that explained "Luther's Rose", which is one of the symbols of the Lutheran church. I won't go into detail, but I will say that the images are appropriate for Confirmation.

That's it for now, and I think I've been windy enough for one day! Happy dances everyone.