Valentine Connection

Send me an email with your snail mail address, and I'll send you a "real" Valentine!

Thanks Jackie at Kreate With Me 2 for this wonderful idea. You can check out Jackie's blog using the link at right.

Stampscapes Fun

Yesterday, the 4 Tower regulars (Joan, Evelyn, Mary and I) spread out our "toys" on the dining room table and went at it. We were experimenting with Stampscapes images and had some good results. Here are two cards I completed, although I still have a lot to learn!

The chapel card was done using 6 stamps: chapel with trees, country path, tall grass, meadow grass, overhead branch and clouds. Dye ink was applied evenly beforehand on glossy cardstock with sponge daubers. For the grassy area, I used green pigment ink and removed some to lighten the pathway. I mounted it on the inside of a card with a small square "window" through which all you see is the steeple until you open it. After stamping a sentiment on the blue overlay, I mounted it on the card and added a blue button.

The cabin scape was made with 5 different stamps: cabin with trees, grass, pine tree, clouds, and birds. Ink was applied less evenly using a Colorbox stylus and dye inks. I mounted it on white cardstock with a kraft overlay and added a pine tree brad.

This was a lot of fun, especially with the four of us sharing ideas and oohs & aahs! ...not as difficult as it looks!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Someone recently sent me a list of quotes for encouragement, and this one was particularly thought provoking:

"SOME PEOPLE COMPLAIN THAT GOD PUTS THORNS ON ROSES, WHILE OTHERS PRAISE HIM FOR PUTTING ROSES ON THORNS." (Anonymous)

Which one are you???

My First Acetate Card

This is my first attempt at doing an acetate card, and I'm not sure I'd do it the same way again. I think I'd rather do it without the white card inside so that it has more of a "floating" effect. This set came from Hero Arts and included the white cards and envelopes, so I used them here. I'm looking forward to some more experimenting, though.

Meanwhile, I love the Cuttlebug butterfly with the pearls for the body. I've made several other cards using the 4 different butterfly folders, and they all came out simple and elegant. With CB backgrounds and a few gemstones, they were easy to do. More on both later...

And The Winner Is...

#11--"Homemaker"

Congratulations--you've won the blog candy!

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. Stop by again soon!

Another Happy Valentine

Here's a happy cat all decked out for Valentine's day:

This completes all the Valentines I'm sending out. Now I can concentrate on Spring birthdays and anniversaries.

Don't forget to check out the blog candy and challenge in the post below!

NEW YEAR BLOG CANDY CHALLENGE!

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:

Just scroll down through the cards I posted in 2008 and choose your favorite. Then leave a comment on this post telling me which one you selected. At 10 pm on January 15th, I will pick a random winner to send a special Valentine with the clear stamps shown here. Have fun!

Eyelet Lace Valentines

Thanks to a 50% off coupon for AC Moore, I shopped on New Year's Day and finally purchased a new Fiskar's edger punch. Although it doesn't show up in the photo, the punch also embosses between the cutouts and the edge. It was just right for these Valentines in combination with some two-sided designer paper from Stampin' Up on the tall one, and the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots on the horizontal card.

Enjoy!

NO RESOLUTIONS HERE!

I've never been one to make New Year's Resolutions--they only get broken the first week anyway...right??? Instead, here's what I've done every year:

For the month of January, I hibernate. Isn't that a great idea? This is when I catch up on all those indoor projects at home, take time to reflect on the things that are really important, keep warm by the fire, do some reading, prepare Bible Study lessons for the Spring semester, write letters, etc. Oh yes, and purge my stamping tower of unwanted/unused items to make room for more creativity in the coming year. To make the time for these things, I pull back on all my usual activities: Mothers Classes are delayed restarting until Feb., we use a 6-week Winterim at Bible Study (usually a tape series) to allow time to prepare for our more in-depth studies starting late Feb. to May; and, except for church, Bible Study and grocery shopping, I stay home most of the week all month. It really works for me as a way to recover from the busy-ness of the holidays and recharge my inner batteries.

Besides, I just HATE the cold...unless we get a few inches of powdery snow that allows me to go cross-country skiing. (After the first 10 minutes of that aerobic activity, I really warm up!)

Leave a comment and tell what you do in January to beat the cold!