Some Thanks!

                     

Hi All!  Popping in to share a couple of easy thank you cards I made using just a couple of stamps and inks.  

Can't remember if these were supposed to be marigolds or zinnias, but I have decided they are zinnias and need to be colorful. ;-)  Love how this card just looks like the feel of a sunny afternoon in the summer!!!  The beauty of the layout here is that the sentiment takes up most of the space and then the flowers are giving an L frame.  

Layered on some designer paper adds some more pop and interest.  The sequins were just a fun addition that not only adds some extra color, but also a little sparkle and added dimension.  I have been really trying to use my embellishments lately instead of hoarding them in case I need them later.  Where is the fun in waiting to use something that is asking to be used now?!?

What fun embellishments have you used in your creations lately?

More Crayon-y Thanks

How's your day going?  I'm off to ME to clean our cottage for some new renters.  Before I head out, I thought I'd share another crayon inspired Thank You card.

Went a little bold with the crayons this time.  Not sure I love the red crayon.  I think if I were to do this again I might pick a different shade of red.  I feel like it stands out too much.  Perhaps an apple that was more red instead of the green? 

After looking at this, I'm inspired to make more of these.  The weather in the mornings has been lovely enough- maybe I'll color outside! 

Have a Happy Wednesday!

M

Thank You for a Great Year!

Today is the first weekday day of my summer break.  It was a pretty good year!  Lots of ups and downs, which is typical, and new friendships made.  My work "roommate" and I went through several interesting "roommates" before we got an awesome one!  We are so happy to have her joining our room again next year!!!  I also got a chance to get to know three new teachers.  Oh my goodness, I forgot how much energy I had when I was that young. ;-)  Happily their enthusiasm is contagious and they helped this old dog learn some new tricks!

Thinking about how thankful I am for this past year, these seemed like some perfect cards to share today.  If you follow me on Instagram, you had a peek when I shared these during Teacher Appreciation Week.  The trio at the top are cards I made for an Etsy customer.  The only thing more fun than using crayons is coloring them! 

The image is from Unity, the apple die cut is from Papertrey Ink, buttons are most likely My Favorite Things (but could also be Papertrey Ink), the twines are Twinery via a gal on Etsy, doilies are from the sale bin at Michael's, the sequins are from Taylored Expressions, and the papers are from my stash (either I bought off Paper Issues or got in my local kit club).  The copics I used were ones I pulled to match the papers in front of me.

Since I make WAAAAAAY more cards than scrapbook pages, I have lots of scrapbook-y stickers leftover from the Kit Club where I'm a member.  It occurred to me I could use these to stamp messages like "thank you" (Amuse).  Quite a lightbulb moment there, huh. ;-P  The image is My Favorite Things and I'm pretty sure I haven't ever actually colored this image.  I always seem to just outline this image with a coordinating color instead.  I just love how it pops!!!

Lots planned for this summer!  I'm tutoring 3 (maybe 4) kiddos, 3 trips are planned (2 to ME and 1 to The Cape), a Therapy Dog test (which we will likely fail next Tuesday, but its ok.  We can take it again), a possible class, lots of work on my Etsy shop (goodies to add and some great ideas on stuff to create!), a LONG outstanding project to finish for a friend, and oodles of reading.  A pretty tame summer this year and I am thrilled.  I'm going to need it!  I know what I have going on this autumn already and it will be quite jam packed!!!!

How 'bout you? Any big plans? Any little plans?

May all your plans come to fruition!  After all YOLO!!!

M

Anchors of Thanks

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!  I have a nautical/Americana inspired card to share with you today.  It went into another variety pack of cards for an Etsy customer.  I had made a TON of different cards using these papers and was excited to whip out what was left to make a this.

This time of the year I really feel the pull of all things nautical.  I think it is because we begin spending more time up near the coast of Maine, weather starts getting nicer, and we can spend time walking on the beach and along the trails at the nearby pond (which seems like a small lake to me- what qualifies a pond vs. a lake??)

How 'bout you? What inspires you this time of the year?

Playing with Ink

A cute duo to share today.  Really tickled with this set!  I used lots of goodies for these fairly simple cards.  Dies, dew drops, Copics, washi tape, two different stamp sets, 2 colors of Mister Huey, oh yeah and some paper.  Hee-hee!

The dew drops, stamps, and washi are easy to spot.  Where did I use the Copic marker?  Well, the b/w rose paper wasn't colorful enough for me.  It came in a kit from a kit club I am a part of and I thought it was a little meh.  I never would have bought it if I wasn't in the kit and thank goodness it was!!!! It gave me a chance to play around and have a "make it work" moment.  I circled the rose blooms with a W-2 Copic marker in a scribble sorta fashion.  Then I used a small circle punch to make a few masks for the blooms.  While it was all masked I sprayed some Mister Huey and waited for everything to dry.  Presto blamo I had a newly colorful patterned paper to use.

Than wasn't the only place I used the Mister Huey though.  The polkas dot paper had "drops" of pink on it, but the two parts I had cut didn't both have pink.  Solution- add a few flecks to the card on the left and now they look more like a set.  I thought I was going to gift the duo and that is why I originally matched them to each other, but then I ended up needing to break up the set.  I'm glad I played around with the sprays regardless, cause these look so light a fun!


lknvl/ksdjflk

A Rose of Thanks

Good Morning!  Thought I'd share a fun and easy thank you card.  It uses one of my last pretty Wilton cupcake doilies.  The ones they made before they changed the design. :( I use the new ones, but they aren't as pretty as these really lacy ones. 

I am pleased that everything I used was something I have been hoarding for a bit. :) It's a more subtle mellow palette and I kinda like that.  This isn't a combo I would have put together usually and I'm really liking how it turned out!

What unexpected colors or overall creation have you used/ created lately?

Sparkly & Rustic Thanks

Morning' Peeps! Boy how time flies!!!! I made this card a bit ago and discovered I hadn't shared it, which is a shame because it is one of my favorite looks.

Sparkles from gems and Sticklers mixed with some rustic burlap ribbon.  Ahhhh, love the juxtaposition.  This card was inspired while I was trying to make some anniversary cards.  This bouquet kept begging to be used by getting mixed in with the other supplies, so I finally said to myself  "okay use it!" LOL!

The daisies were originally just flat, so each center got some bling with the addition of Stickles centers.  The photo doesn't truly do the bling justice!

Tonight should be interesting for me.  I am taking my first French lessons in 20 years!!!  I'm wicked excited and nervous too.  I've had my "test" to see where I fit and I'm happy to say that I am functioning at about a Grade 3 level.  That may be higher than when I was in High School French. *hee-hee*. Class is late, 7-8 pm and I'm sure to be exhausted. 

What new things are you about to try, or would like to try?

Gray and Orange

A big thanks to the sun for coming out to shine today!!!  We totally needed the rain, and I LOVE a good rainy day, but the colors on the trees look AMAZING when the sun hits them.  Honestly one of these days I'm going to go off the road with all my leaf peeping.

This card is a combo of the cloudy weather we've had and the colorful leaves all around. :) I am still crushing on this ribbon I made.  A couple weekends ago I went nuts with dyes and created another 9 or so versions in pinks, greens, springtime Monet-style multi-colored ribbon, and a wicked cool version that looks like an autumn tree in full blaze (can't wait to come up with something for that!)

The plan today is to go visit a friend's studio up in Lowell.  It is in an old factory and the whole place has been hosting an Open House all weekend.  I can't wait to see everything and get inspired!!! It also looks to be a good ride with leaf-peeping opportunities (fingers-crossed I stay on the road! LOL!)

Happy Creating!

Vintage Rose

It is a gray day here in New England.  Seems like a good day to share a pretty bouquet! :) I did some cleaning and organizing of cards in my "repair shop".  These are cards that either got messed up, don't have a sentiment yet, or need a cutie-patootie envelope.  Yesterday was a perfectly overcast day, so I took pics of the cards that got "repaired".  LOL!

This one is a thank you card.  The colors kinda inspired my new classroom space.  It's teeny-tiny, but I have a window so I'll at least get to see the autumn leaves, winter snows, and spring flowers!

It was fun adding the leaves from an old SU hydrangea set under the chipboard rose.  Usually the leaves are under the hydrangea, like in these cards, and it is nice to see the cool effect with chipboard!  I'm totally crushing on weathered wood right now- I've been all over Etsy looking at weather wood skins to put on my school-issued MacBook, just haven't hit the buttons on the right one yet.

I'm off to assemble meals at Dream Dinners this morning.  It is sooooo nice to have a freezer full of goods ready to cook for dinner.  Makes deciding "what's for dinner" way easier (& the leftovers solve the "what's for lunch" too!)

Have a great Friday!

Summer Resolutions 2014

It's time to post some summer resolutions!  I'm much better about dedicating myself to these resolutions when I post them for all of you to read.  Let's see how many I can cross off the list by Labor Day weekend...

_______________________________________________________________________________

Summer Resolutions 2014

1.  Get Cida housebroken

2.  Donate 10 boxes of "stuff from the house" to charity (likely my closet!!!)

3.  Get clothes I am keeping tailored (I'm short and lazy with my sewing machine)

4.  Gather crafty goods not being used to either purge or sell

5. Plant succulents on back deck

6. Mulch pathway & generally give love to backyard

7.  Sit outside to read or eat 2-3 times a week (if it is pretty I should admire it!)

8. Get upstairs toilet & shower fixed (both are using too much water!)

9.  Get curtains for bedroom (seriously we've been in the house like 8 years and only used shades!)

10.  Fix hole in ceiling our poor friend Jeff made whilst in our attic. :)

11.  Use treadmill 5 times a week (if I tell y'all I'm gonna do it, I'll feel guilty if I don't)

12. Blog and comment at least 2 times a week (y'all are so inspiring I gotta get my mojo going again!)

13.  Add more details to my creation posts

14.  Design & create 3 new banners

15.  Don't spend any money (other than bills & food) for the next 3 weeks 

__________________________________________________________________________

 

 



And since no post is complete without a fun creation to look at, I've got this little cutie for y'all.  It is a teacher thanks card I created back for Teacher Appreciation Week.  The sentiment is Amuse, the image Unity, the ribbon I dyed myself, and sadly I'm hanging my head in shame because I'm already failing at a resolution!  I can't tell you where the dp came from 'cause I pulled it from my scrap bin!! ACK!  Okay, okay.  Tomorrow will be better right?

Happy Friday!!!

Made My Own Ribbon!

Well, sorta.  I have seen all those luscious hand-dyed seam binding ribbons folks have made and finally got around to making some of my own!! 

Eek!  I LOVE how the coloring came out.  It was a mishmash of Tim Holtz dyes, Tattered Angels spritz, and good 'ol tap water.  I dumped everything into a zippy bag, squished it around a bunch, and left the top open overnight to dry.  The card is a bunch of chipboard shapes leftover from another project and the bling is from a bag of scrap bling I got at my LSS just before it closed.

Thanks for stopping by!  Please let me know what you think of the ribbon and what tricks or mixtures you use to create some custom ribbon. :)

Thankful Duo

 

Happy Sunday!  I can actually say that it is a "sun" day today too!  Pretty rays of sunshiny goodness have been peeking out and are much more welcome than the storm that had originally been predicted for today.

 

I thought I would share a couple of thank you cards I sent out this week.  This one went to B over in London. (You are probably seeing this before you even get it B!)  It had a couple of flat things in it we thought she could use more than us. :)  I liked that the postcard looked like airmail and also had a seastar- B's last stateside addy was Maine.  I'm also jealous that she has flowers blooming in London!  Before long it will look like the background paper over there!!!

 

This is a card we sent to the gal who took care of Cad's cremation.  I tried to color it a bit to look like him, which wasn't easy since he was a little bit of every color. :)  We are going to spread some of the ashes at the ocean, when it gets warmer, and DH is building a box for the rest.  They came in a heart shaped box and I thought putting that in one of DH's boxes would be nice.

 

I am busy in my studio whipping up some new goodies for the GYB winner & for my Etsy Shoppe.  If the sun keeps shining, I may even get pictures of them! :)  I'm off to eat lunch and catch up on the last 2 episodes of Downton before anyone spoilers happen to me- I've gotta say I've been pretty lucky so far.

 

Have a sunny Sunday!

 



A Bouquet in a Blizzard

Happy Snow Day!  Well, it is for me anyway. :)  My town dodged a snowbullet with only about 3 inches of snow.  My school is 30 minutes south, so they called off school late last night.  Still haven't heard from anyone sown there about how much they got, but some towns have 15 inches.  It's light and fluffy, which is great, but it is BITTER COLD.  Wind chills are 20 below.  Frankly, I'll take 20+ inches if it means no sub-zero temps.  Tomorrow will be worse.  7 below as the air temp (I shudder to think what the windchill will be) & I am facing 20-30 minutes of outdoor bus duty.  Y-U-C-K!

With all the cold, it seems like ages ago since we were all complaining about heat and humidity! LOL!  Seems like a good time to share a paper bouquet. :)  This is a simple set that is a more girly take on this book themed set.  I'm counting it as my 4th 50 Projects Challenge.  I think I might add a tally of this personal challenge and my Christmas cards personal challenge (mostly so I can keep track for myself!)

Everything is boxed up and pretty for gifting.  I loaded it into my Etsy Shoppe, but if it doesn't get sold, I know it will get gifted. :) 

The papers are mostly BG with some MB kitchen dots (I think), the card bases are MB, ribbon is BB & Doodlebug, button is MFT, and the luscious sentiment is Avery Elle (my new favorite crush).

I'm going to spend a little more time under the covers, snuggling with my corgi, sipping my coffee, and blog surfing before venturing out (dentist appointment & PO run).  How 'bout you?  Any fun plans?

A First and a Second

Hiya Peeps! This weekend BB was having a sale on Surface tablets.  I've been eyeing one for the last year- my poor old laptop is a very abused 10 year old Dell.  She's been wiped once already and her slowness & hiccups have been making me think she needs to be put out to pasture before something catastrophic happens to all the goods she has on her drives. She this weekend we decided if we got at least 1/2 our chores done we would head to BB and then out to our favorite pizza joint.

So this post is my first foray into blogging with my new toy. :)  I'm wicked excited because my Surface is about 100X's lighter than my Dell and it's small enough that I can even fit it in my purse when we travel!!!

The cards are my second project in my 50 to be completed using only my stash.  These are going to be cards to keep in my drawer at school.Teachers can never have enough thank you cards!  There are so many people that help us get our job of "building people" each day.  Parent Volunteers, fellow teachers, and students themselves can always use a note of thanks, so I try to keep some handy. 

The papers are all goods I had cut up a while back and just never assembled.  The card base is eucalyptus from Memory Box, the felt is from My Favorite Things (not sure the color name), the designer paper is Basic Grey and Amuse, the die is Papertrey Ink, and the sentiment is from my new favorite company Avery Elle (LOVE THEM!).

Yippee! 2/50!  Only 48 to go...

Snowy 3x5 Opportunity!

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone already! Where does the time go?!? Ours was a wonderful long weekend spent with lots of family, friends, and (needless to say) food. :)  Our house is tricked out for Christmas thanks to my DH's family and our good friends the Hakala's and Wysocarski's (ask Erin for her chocolate chip cookie recipe- they are awesome!)

Now that it is December (SERIOUSLY!!!!), time to get those cards made and sent.  It's crunch time people.  What's that?  Got all your cards made?  Fabulous, but do you have all your gifts ready?  You know, those last minute need something kinda gifts?  I'm here to help! :)

You can make 15 Cards at my class on December 14th from 10-12 at Ink About It in Westford.  5 of each of the 3 designs you see above.  If you can't make the class, you can always order a kit.  I'll cut and stamp everything for you, so all you have to do is color, assemble, and package. :) 

These cards would make great thank you notes for all your Christmas gifts, or add a couple snowflake sequins to cover any holly and these make great winter birthday cards come January!

Can't wait to see you on December 14th!

Christmas Thanks Peek-a-boo

All things Downton are getting chic again, like sending handwritten thank you cards...

Were your friends and family good to you this Christmas?  Have you sent your note of thanks?  The Dowager would be speechless were she to see your beautiful thank you card (and wouldn't that be a coup!).

Here to the rescue!  I've got a tutorial over at The Hen's Den that'll have you making an easy 'n elegant Christmas Thank You card in no time flat.You'll have thank you's done with buckets of time left to enjoy the last season 2 recap episode this Sunday night.

Then she'll want some flowers

Well my goodness, the day certainly got away from me!  I meant to post this first thing, but Cad did so well at his water therapy session today that we stopped by one of the locally owned pet supply stores and got him a bone (lots of customer love and some free treats from the staff).  They are collecting supplies for the GI dogs.  I can't believe I never thought about the military canines before!  There was a big list of needs so I bought some eye cleaner to donate.  Not as fun as a toy, but probably way more needed with all that dry desert sand and grit.  Now that I'm finally home and settled here's the next installment!

So these were the frames originally I thought I was going to use on the Mad Men in the Summer inspired and Mid Century meets Asian inspired cards.  I had each card with the daisy mae  paper at the same time 'cause the dies can go through multiple layers.  It was AFTER I cut that I realized that the frame wasn't going to frame anything because they were the same size.  Back to the drawing board...

I went back and cut these 4 Memory Box cards and this time I made the card window ONE SIZE SMALLER.  Ya know, so this frame could be glued AROUND the hole.  LOL!  Of course then there is the leftover set of shapes had after cutting the card window and the hole in daisy mae paper, but I'll show y'all that next week. :)

The envies got some pretty dressing too!  The mum I used on the insides of these cards was still out, sooo, I got out 4 different inks.  Each card has a different sentiment and it seemed like a fun idea to make each envie different.

Bless your hearts if you could follow all that!  Hope you have a great evening.  I'll be posting something July 4thish tomorrow! :)