10 Minute Card

I kid you not. This card was made in 10 minutes. I know because I paused my TV and the HD DVR only holds 15 minutes. I was well into taking pics when it kicked itself back on. :)

So why the rush?  Well I just got an email from Sunny over at Life in Rehab.  She was kind enough to blog about me and a few other folks whose blogs she really enjoys.  This couldn't go without a new card!  So I made a quickie "hi!" card to all of you who are stopping by, be you new or old friends. :)

The quick info:  Beige cardstock card base, assorted Prima flowers, a few Dew Drops, and some leftover letters (you know I hate throwing out those bits).  The punched circle is from a test patch of paper for a project I'll be posting soon.  The ink pad I used was a Kaleidoscope pad that I brayered on to the paper and stamped images with Chalk ink and Archival Ink.I used a variety of Technique Tuesday swirls and Hero Arts flowers.  The ribbon is a light yellow Swiss dot.  Oh, and of course Stickles for the centers of the flowers!!!  I entered this at the Under the Table and Dreaming link party this week for a chance to win a cool Flirty Apron.

So again, hi to all of you!  If you really want to know where the letters came from or the specific inks, leave me a comment and I'll track it down for you. :)   Thanks again for stopping by and don't forget to stop by Sunny's blog!

3 Pink Balloons

Another use-your-scraps card.  How do I end up with so many bits and pieces?!?  My Grandma Poppy (of Sweet Tea fame) was a lived-through-the-Depression-not gonna-waste-anything kinda gal.  I grew up 2 doors down from her and she rubbed off on me.  I hate to through out my scraps!  I might NEED them.

Yippee, my hoarding of scraps paid off this time.  LOL!  I think this is a happy card, although I got so into putting it all together I forgot to stitch the buttons.  Oh well.  I left the inside blank so it could be used for a birthday or a thank you card.  The stamp is from Papertrey, the green card is Amuse and the rest is a good guess.  These were all pieces most folks would have tossed after cutting. :)

I hope you enjoyed this and thanks so much for stopping by!  Leave me a comment and I promise to reciprocate. :)

Not a Blue Christmas Anymore!

This is what Cad thought of the before pics of the cards I had made.  There wasn't anything really wrong with them, but they needed a little umph.  Okay so really he fell asleep and got so startled when I walked by he didn't realize his tongue was still sticking out.  He sat like that long enough for me to grab the camera and snap this pic.  Poor old guy.  Here I'm posting such embarrassing pics of him for the world to see. LOL!

See?  They are nice, but I wanted to try to stretch myself a little and try to use more stuff from my stash.

I added some ribbon I scrunched and now I think the card has a little more presence.

This one is more subtle.  I added faux brown stitching to the blue paper.  There's already some brown Stickles on the reindeer's nose and the card base had been stamped with brown snowflakes.  I also punched up the envie with a fun sentiment.

I went subtle here too.  I used liquid pearls to edge the plaid paper, a brown Tombow marker to dot the scallop edge around the snowman, colored the snowman with some brown Copics, and added some blue Stickles to the buttons.  None of these are major, just some nice details.

This card got all flowered up and the envie got some snowflakes and a lovely sentiment added.  The flowers got blinged with Stickels, buttons, and Dew Drops.

I just though these might be fun to encourage y'all to stretch yourself like I did.  It seemed scary and I didn't want to wreck the cards.  Then I stopped and said to myself "geesh these are cards, it's not like I can't make another one!!!"

I'm adding these to the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge.  This cupcake was the inspiration piece.  I also added this to Really Reasonable Ribbon's Ramblings, Aly's Sunday Challenge, Bunny Zoe's Crafts, Basic Grey Challenges, Life as Lori, Socialize with Me, and Cooking It Up with Katie.  So how'd I do?

Mini Joy

Some folks make the most beautiful albums with pictures in them and everything! :)  I spend my time with 6 year-olds for a reason.  I'm the queen of short attention span theater.  I must only work on small projects if I have any hope of finishing them.  LOL!

I was playing around with my cricut the other day.  I cut a little of this and a little of that.   I looked at what I had cut and what was sitting out in my little studio.  Inspiration struck!

The base of this album is a wicked long piece of paper that was pre-scored so I folded it into an album and used my zutter to bind it.  This was a good way to clean my area too!  Most of this had been lying out in the open.  Either I put it away or I used it!

It's a simple and small album.  I'm thinking of making a few of these to sell at the Country Fair my church has in September.  This widdle thing is like 4.5 x 4.5 and would be cute for kids to put picks in to show off their happy memories for show-and-tell.

Whadda ya think?

Resolutions and Frames

I want to thank everyone for the sweet responses to my post about Sweet Tea!  I adored all your comments.  Okay, resolutions then my frame project!

If you know a teacher then you know we always have big plans for what we are going to get done over "Summer Vacation".  This year I decided to pick just a few things and post them here.  I figure if I tell all of you, then y'all will keep me honest. (HA!)  As I tick things off the list I'll post an update here in blogland.  At the end of the summer I'll review and see how well I did.  I really am much better when I have deadlines.

The List (in no particular order)

1. paint upstairs hallway (I've had one coat up since April for cripes sake!) and laundry room

2. clean back bedroom (It's become the default junk room ugh!)

3. work over the cable company for a new deal (I do this every summer)

4. get crown moulding and built-ins installed in living room & repair screen door

5. take 2 tech classes for work (teachers don't party all summer :) we go to school:) )

6. open an Etsy store? (kinda on the fence here)

7. pay myself $1 for every time I walk the dog this summer

8. re-certify my teaching license (this HAS to be done if I want to keep teaching. )

9. post 2 times a week items for all those challenges I want to play in!!! 

10. finish a scrapbook for a change!

So did I bite off more than I can chew?

Here's what I did with a 50 cent frame I got at a garage sale.  I've always had a love of different cultures and religions (probably why I'm a Unitarian).  My husband and I have a collection of a variety of religious symbols, the largest of which are Christian crosses.  We have crosses from all over the country and world.

When I saw the frame I knew it was worth a 50 cent purchase.  I mean how can you go wrong!!  My husband had the idea of using the empty frame on the wall for a focal point and together we came up with the idea of displaying (almost all) the crosses.  Don't they look beautiful?

I'm linking this up to:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Toot Your Horn Tuesday
The CSI Project

First Day of Summer!

Summer is here!!!!!!!!!  I wanted to share so pictures from this past Saturday.  I'll be back tomorrow with somethin' crafty (and my summer to-do list).

My cousin's wedding celebration at Glimmerglass was fabulous!  We had TONS of food and the weather was nice enough to cooperate with sunshine and a light breeze.

I've been to many state parks in NY (I was a summer day camp kid and we hit all the parks) and I can't believe I hadn't been here before.  This was the view from our pavilion and the beach was a stones through away.

The whole day was non-stop eating and catching up.  We had Brooks BBQ- if you haven't had this and you are passing through Oneonta stop by and enjoy!  I meant to take a picture of dinner, but I was half-done before I remembered, so you are getting a shot of the centerpiece instead. :)

The hostess and host trying to feed us all more food!  My husband and I were so full we skipped dinner Saturday night.  That's saying something 'cause my husband never skips a meal. LOL!  All in all, a perfect way to begin my vacation.

Sweet Tea

I'm a yankee, but my Grandma Poppy made sweet tea for us every summer. That's how I knew summer had begun. She'd boil loose tea in a big ole pot on the stove top and then poured it all in a strainer over a huge bowl filled with sugar and lemons. No one else had iced tea that tasted like Grandma Poppy. It wasn't until I went to grad school in Clemson, SC that I found out other people had that tea and they had it (gasp) year round!

Gram's sweet tea is still a sign of summer to me.  I'm hoping to make a big pot next week to celebrate the start of this wonderful season.  As much as I dread the heat of summer and the bone rattlin' of winter, it is so awesome to have seasons.  Being in the Northeast we have such a small window to enjoy the offerings of each season, it makes you appreciate what you have.  Take a few moments to stop, sip some tea and savor the small beauties of the moment.
 

PS. stamps- papertrey and stampington & co. Inks- colorbox chalk ronin. cardstock- amuse and memorybox. other- prima flowers, robins egg dew drops, copic markers, gellyroll white pen.

Celebrate Good Times

4 more wake ups 'til summer vaca!

Quick card facts- I made this card ages ago, but it's such a fun one it was good for this post.  The stamps are all from Technique Tuesday and the paper is all from Amuse.  The ink is Staz-On and I used a glaze for the balloons for dimension and shine.  It's simple and I'm proud of my ability to walk away. :)

I'm actually celebrating my first day of summer by going to my cousin's wedding reception.  He got married this winter at one of those ice hotel's they build in places that get cold snowy winter weather.  He and his wife had a small ceremony and are having a big celebration this Saturday at Glimmerglass in Cooperstown, NY.  I've been to baseball's favorite town a bunch, but never to Glimmerglass.  I'm looking forward to the fun celebration (and the Brooks BBQ we'll be getting to eat!)

Don't forget to check out my Saturday post and get that pocket done.  I really wanna see what you all create.  I get lots of inspiration from all you folks in blogland! :)

What's in your pocket Baggins?

It's Stamp, Scrap, & Doodle Saturday!  The challenge this week, sponsored by Sweet 'n Sassy,  is to make a pocket card, a card with a pocket, or a layout with a pocket.  I came up with this little beauty after being inspired by Suzanne's gorgeous card here.

I used this tutorial on SCS and went to my store to get all the bits and pieces.  If you haven't tried making one of these (although I'm thinking I 'm the last person to discover them!) you gotta.  These little flower pots are fun.

I gave myself the extra challenge of making my pot hold flowers that looked like my bouquet from last week.  I thought this would be a pretty thank you card.  Well, that's all for today.  Hope you join us at SSDS this week!

I added this to the following challenges and parties:
The Corrosive Challenge- Die Cuts
Along for the Ride- Week 6

The most beautiful...

These are the most beautiful creations I have ever seen.  Vicki at 2 Bags Full has created this stunning nests and is hosting a giveaway for one.  The good news is that she also sells this little beauties, so if you don't win you can still get a chance to get one of your own.  She is taking a break from selling until August, but this contest is going on now with a drawing on July 3rd.   I just had to share this beauty with all of  you. :)  Hope you found beauty in your day today.

Flowers and a Card

I promise there is a card on this post somewhere.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read this post and find the card. LOL!

A couple of years ago my DH and DFIL dug a small flower garden for me that I can see from the sofa of my living room.  I promptly planted a ton of flowers and this peony was one of them!  I can't believe how HUGE it's blossoms are this year.

This is the bouquet of flowers I rescued after a wild storm came through our area.  I have three kinds of peonies, three kinds of roses, and some green beauty whose name I have forgotten (would love input from anyone who knows!)  The smell is heavenly!!  Do you see the size of that white peony?  I'm not kidding it's the size of my outstretched hand (okay my hand isn't huge like a Hobbit's foot or anything, but still)!

This is my dumb luck card.  I'd love to say that I planned it all out and coordinated everything so intentionally, but nope.  I had made the blue easel card base in the hopes of using up the paper.  I had colored the flower for fun to see how it would look in blues and the ribbon I just happened to have on hand.  I love dumb luck (without it I know I wouldn't have any!).

I used my handy dandy copics for this card and managed to once again to create something with no bling!  I must be ill.  Two cards in two weeks with notably absent bling.  Is there a challenge blog for card sans bling?  Do they offer bling for no bling? Ha-ha-hee-hee.  I crack myself up.

Can, Can part 3

First I want to send a BIG THANK YOU to all the folks who left comments for my students on this post.  They were so amazed that so many folks thought so highly of their creations.  If you didn't post a comment, you still can.  I told the kids I would keep checking to see if they get any new blog love. :0)  Seriously, this really has meant a great deal to both the kids and to me.  You are all very sweet.

It's another Stamp, Scrap, & Doodle Saturday Challenge!  This week you need use a handmade embellishment on your creation.  Scroll down to the bottom to find out what you could win.

I'm loving these altered cans!  I made the mondo blue flower using Glitz paper.  Glitz is the sponsor this week for the challenge and they were nice enough to provide me with this yummy paper to use.

I know, I know this one has a bird just like the last one, but this little guy was just sitting in front of  me begging to have a home on this can.  Create your own handmade embellishment, post it to the SSDS blog and you could win a prize package of paper from Glitz!

I can't wait to see what y'all create!  When you link your post, please stop back here and let me know.  I want to make sure that I comment on all your creations!!!

Sunflower for a fella

I've said it before and I'll say it again- I *heart* Basic Grey!  My favorite line of all time is Ambrosia.  So anyway I made this card using some of this paper.  Why you may ask?  I was procrastinating.  I had some stuff to do last night and I dinna wanna do it!!!

So you all get to see some unexpected blog bling this morning- although I notice this card has no bling!  Huh. Well.  Good for me.  I made something I like and it doesn't sparkle.  Who woulda thunk?  I guess I have to get that stuff done now.


I entered this card in the following challenges:
Etsy Inspired- Sunshyne Silverwear
Polka Doodles- Sew and Sew (the ribbon has stitching)
The Corrosive Challenge- Clean and simple
Andrea's Stamping Moments- Stitching (again, the ribbon)

What's for Dinner?

***EDIT: I'm so EXCITED!  I found out that I'm one of the winners of the Fresh Brewed Design Challenge for this card!  I got to win the new Grace digi which I plan to use with my future students to make even more cards to send for morale boosters for the troops. :)

Okay this isn't really my dinner tonight.  It's a pic from the dinner we enjoyed on Saturday night with family.  Have I mentioned what a great cook my husband's Aunt Pat is?  There are tons of different food allergies and special dietary considerations she has to accommodate and she does it with style and flavor!

 Here's a quick card I made with some assorted scraps.  Never underestimate how great scraps can be for getting the job done.  :)

I enter this card in the following challenges:
Daisy Doodles- Anything Goes
EtsyInspired Challenge- Sunshyne Silverwear inspired piece
Colour Create- Soft Green and Light Aqua
CRAFT Challenge-Blue and Green
 




Card deets:  card- DCWV  paper & rub-ons- Amy Butler  ribbon- Amuse