One Last Easter Card

I love the looks of this card, but not the way it's behaving. Because I water-colored the image (probably with too wet a brush,) it warped the paper; and now it just won't lie flat no matter what I do. I finally resorted to attaching it with brads so that it doesn't come apart completely. Sometimes you just can't win!

The designer paper is from a 6" pad of Basic Grey Lilykate, which works really well with the image and colors I used. Yellow Stickles are used for the flower centers.

Have a blessed and meaningful Easter. He is risen indeed--HALLELUJAH!

Hero Arts Owl

Here's a simple card using stamps from Hero Arts. The owl's eyes are enhanced with tiny "rain dots" that almost make him look like he's wearing contacts! (Click on card for detail.)

The branch was stamped with Versamark on both the cardstock and the scalloped oval, then chalk was applied on the oval. A brown marker was used for the dots on each of the scallops, then the oval was taped over the corresponding piece of the branch. Each of the two ovals are mounted slightly off center for balance.

Enjoy!

One of a Kind

The beauty of designing and making our own cards is that each one truly is one of a kind. Here's one I put together at Evelyn's house yesterday, using her Martha Stewart punch for bordering. I'm lovin' that lacy punch, but it's very hard to use. Anybody else have that problem?

Diamonds Cuttlebug

Here's a card made with the diamonds CB folder and coordinating cutting die. I love the nice clean lines of the various shapes. Of course, with my warped sense of humor, the inside reads "Obviously." stamped on another beige diamond. I added a Happy Birthday underneath, with a personal note. It will be sent to someone with an equally warped sense of humor...

I've Been Tagged--Again!

Thanks to Nancy Grant at Inkcicles. Here goes:

1. What were you doing 10 years ago? If I only had a memory...

2. What were you doing 1 year ago? Last year, both my parents (in their late 80's) were having health issues, and I was going back and forth to my sister's house on Long Island to help out. My mom was in the hospital, then my Dad, then both at the same time, then both recuperating at home. Thankfully, they're both doing well now.

3. Name your five favorite snacks: That's easy! Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate ice cream and chocolate covered raisins!

4. Name five things you would do if you were a millionaire: Actually, I don't think I'd do anything different than I do now, except that when we travel, we would go first class! I've always enjoyed sharing my blessings with others, so it would be nice to have more to give.

5. Name five things you enjoy doing: Leading Bible studies, stamping, doing crosswords out in the sunshine on the deck, traveling, and watching TV with my favorite cat on my lap.

6. Name five things you would never wear again: Size 12 slacks (not that I wouldn't like to!) spike heels, bell bottoms, maternity clothes or eye shadow.

7. Name your five favorite toys: my computer, my digital camera, TIVO, the Tassimo machine, and my rug shampooer.

Five people I'm tagging: there goes that memory thing again...

BACK TO BASICS

Today, I just felt like doing something simple; so this is what I came up with. Getting out the light box and dry embossing with a stylus can be so relaxing--and it makes a card look fresh and bright. It looks better IRL!

HERE'S A TIP:

Ever have a card that came out so great you didn't want to part with it? By scanning all my cards and keeping them in a ring binder, I can keep track of what I've made (whether they were great or not) and to whom I sent it, along with the date it was mailed. This also keeps me from sending the same card to someone another time.

One Stamp Challenge

Isn't it amazing how one floral stamp can do so much! I stamped the flower on green Bazzill cardstock with black ink, then stamped it again on white cardstock. Green chalking highlights the leaves, shades of pink highlight the blossom, with brown chalk for the flower center. The blossom was cut out and attached to the card over the floral image. Add two buttons, a bow and a sentiment-- done!

Paper Piecing

Here's another version of the Hero Arts lily stamp I've been using for my Easter cards. This time I used paper piecing for the bloom, with a coordinating envelope. The image is mounted on metallic green paper with matching brads. Enjoy!

A Bear Visit

Another bear came by for a snack in our yard, right outside our window. Check out the video on my Fox Mountain blog (see list on right.)

Hero Arts for Easter Cards

I'm just lovin' these beautiful new stamps, especially the Flourish Lily! The petals were water colored to coordinate with background papers, with Stickles for the centers. Enjoy!

Hero Arts Stamps Have Arrived!

Butterflies and balloons--perfect together! More scraps utilized for the butterflies and balloon image, as well as the plaid dp. For the envelope, a 4" square makes the matching liner. (Bottom butterfly looks pale because it's stamped in yellow to match color in plaid.)

One More Scrap Card

Here's a birthday cupcake card done with metallic silver scraps for the border, cupcake cup and punched flower. What fun to use up the scraps that keep filling up my scrap drawer!

The cupcake is a Hero Arts wood mounted stamp. The flower on top is from the Hero Arts clear stamp set for birthdays, dusted with crystal glitter. Inside will say "Seize the Cupcake" from the same clear set.

Scrap Paper Card

While Joan and Evelyn were here today, I decided to make a card using some scraps and Evelyn's Fiskars Border Punch. The embossed square was done with a Cuttlebug small folder and mounted on scrap cardstock that just happened to match one of the colors in the rose dp beneath. The rope border punch lets another strip of the rose paper show through. This would have made a nice Valentine card, but instead will be used for a Summer birthday.

The Party's Over...

...and my house is so clean, I won't have to do a thing for weeks! (LOL)

Since Monday is a holiday, Evelyn and Joan will be here to stamp instead of on Wednesday. Meanwhile, check out the post of the Fox Mountain blog and I'll see you back here on Monday night with our latest Cuttlebug creations!

Time Out for a Party

Every February, I host a February Blues Bash to chase away the winter doldrums. This year will be the tenth one! I had to postpone it a day because of all the ice and frozen slush in our driveway, but 18 of my friends will be here. Instead of stamping, there will be a hot luncheon, games to play and lots of laughs.

Check out the Fox Mountain blog (at right) for further details tomorrow night!

Since you asked...

...The Enveloper is a neat little tool that makes envelope-making quick and easy. It consists of a plastic board with ridges at the right places and a plastic embossing tool. The instructions that come with it are easy to follow. Frantic Stamper has it for $24.99 and mine arrived within a few days of ordering. Hint: I attached the embossing tool to the base with a piece of velcro so it wouldn't get lost.

Can't wait to see all those fancy envies on your blogs!

TWO SUNNY CARDS FOR THE MIDDLE OF WINTER...

Now that I have the Cuttlebug and the Enveloper, I'm making fast use of both! The yellow card was done by punching out and repositioning 2 of the circles from the CB embossed piece. The ribbon I had on hand matches perfectly, and the small stamp fit the hole just right. Things don't always work out that well.

The blue card was done with a brass embossing template. I tried putting it through the CB, but couldn't get a clear image with it, even though I used the "sandwich" recommended on SCS; so I wound up doing it with my light box. (If anyone knows a better way to do this on the CB, please leave a comment!) For the cloud, I used the same template, moving it up to make a narrower cloud shape. The blue CB swirls are suggestive of the wind, I think. "A sunny hello" was stamped on white, mounted on yellow cs and edged with yellow Stickles.

What fun to be able to play with new toys!

Sour Cream Containers

No sour cream here--just chocolates inside, along with a proverb from a container of "Proverbs to Go" from Target! It was fun making these, and it didn't take long to make a variety of 20 for my February Blues Bash coming up on Friday. These will make nice favors! (For more on the Blues Bash, click link on right for Fox Mountain.)

HOW 'BOUT THOSE GIANTS!!!

They won the Super Bowl! What an unbelievable game! I have to admit, though--I cheated: I was praying for them...

Back from Florida!

Had a wonderful time of R and R with my sister and her friend, Sheila. We even got to the Metro Miami Zoo on a quiet Monday with no crowds. As you can see by the photos, it was picture-perfect weather!

Thankfully for all of us, especially a curious little white egret, the tigers had just been fed! The big cats are my personal favorite, and this zoo had a white tiger (shown) along with several of the orange Bengals. I also enjoyed seeing a Koala, the elephants, lions and some very delicate looking antelopes that were super slim (an inspiration???)

After a turbulent flight home, I'm looking forward to posting some Valentines--as soon as I get the house clean again!!

OFF TO FLORIDA!

Looking forward to spending some time in the warmth and sunshine of the East Coast of Florida for a few days with my sister. See you when I get back! Meanwhile, be sure to cast your vote at right...

IF IT'S WEDNESDAY, WE MUST BE STAMPING--Part 1

Mary brought the Enveloper to play with today. Here is the group of cards I made, with a few more of them highlighted in Part 2 below. Click on them for further detail.

The grape card is embellished with a flat button I've had in my stash for years. Just proves you never know when you might "need" something! It was perfect for the colors in the paper.

For the celebrate card, I chose the candles to coordinate with the stripes in the envelope paper.

MARY'S NEW TOY: THE ENVELOPER, Part 2

...WHAT FUN! Mary, Joan and Evelyn were here today for our introduction to the Enveloper which makes envelopes in a jiffy. We pulled out our stash of double-sided designer paper, and before you knew it, I had 6 envelopes with leftover pieces to use on the cards. Here are a few of my favorites.

The yellow tulips are highlighted with yellow stickles.

Since I wanted to show as much of the floral image on the brown dp, I settled for a smaller design off to the side. The circle "tag" is embellished with a pearl and mounted over sheer ribbon.

The second brown card looks similar, but is really quite different. Mounted horizontally, I pulled out the beige in the dp for my lily blossoms and the heart button on the right.

We can't wait to see what Mary brings next time!

THE GIANTS WON!

They're off to the Super Bowl after defeating Green Bay 23-20 in overtime!!

Just thought I'd mention it...

MOTHERS CLASS INVITATION

This crazy cat is purple and yellow--the purrfect??? invite to launch the Mothers Class Bible study for 2008! If you got an invitation like this one, wouldn't you want to come?

One Sheet Wonder

Yesterday, Joan, Evelyn and I worked on OSW's in the newly reorganized stamping tower (see posts below). It was such a delightfully sunny day, we worked from 10-3 on our new creations from the samples shown here. I'm so blessed to have such good friends and a cheery place to share ideas with them!

CLEVER CARD HOLDER

Here's the card holder my DH made for me, as shown originally on the Carol Duval Show and mentioned in the posts below. It's made from a yellow slinky and I use it constantly! As I make birthday and other cards, I write the date in the upper right-hand corner where the stamp will cover it later. Stored in chronological order between the Slinky spaces, they're ready to mail on time!

REORGANIZED AT LAST--Part 1!

Here's the New Look! I found white cabinets on sale, (just what I wanted!) to store everything within arm's reach of my chair in a way that made everything accessible and neat (not leaning as it appears in the photo!) If you checked out the old arrangement (see Dec. 27 post) you can see that I reversed the room so that these storage units are on the wall where the table used to be.

Behind the cabinet doors are most of my mounted stamps. Now I can keep the blinds open (or up) during the afternoon when the sun shines in without it damaging the rubber. The rest of them are stored in the 2-drawer unit under the window. The unmounteds are stored elsewhere in the room.

I enjoy having my computer handy, with the printer to the right of my desk, adjacent to the closet doors. My tiny Dell speakers have a full sound, allowing me to listen to a variety of radio stations streaming on the internet. On Sundays, I enjoy listening to classical music from Seattle; nights I often tune in to Delilah's "sappy love songs" as she calls them.

Across from my desk is a 3-drawer wooden dresser which houses my TAC unmounted stamp sets, 12x12 designer papers and a bottom drawer full of scrapbook pages and photos. On top sits my cutter and the special card holder my DH made. Above that is a shelf my husband also made and mounted for me to display my cards before I use them. The horizontal cards hang on the string beneath the shelf, with the vertical ones above. The door at left leads to the hallway.

(Continued below...)

REORGANIZED AT LAST--Part 2!

Don't you just love a rainbow of color??? I store my paper on a paper rack I bought (used) for only $25 at the Rag Shop going-out-of-business sale last Fall. By keeping it in the closet with the doors closed most of the day, the paper is protected from fading. Notice the cubbies underneath, which I purchased at Walmart awhile back and use for storing odds and ends like zip-loc bags, light bulbs, baskets of photos, etc.

My table is positioned in such a way that I can see out the windows to my right or out the door down to the foyer and a view of the driveway to my left. There's plenty of room for guests! Under the window, my DH mounted a wire grid to keep my scissors and heat gun handy. Behind me are the white cabinets and drawers I purchased last week at Target. To keep the tablecloth out of the way (it's a flannel lined plastic) I secured it underneath with velcro tabs.

The hardest part of this whole project was sorting and purging through all the "stuff" that had accumulated over the years. Thanks for looking!

REORGANIZATION ALMOST COMPLETE

I've been working hard on my stamping room redo, and it's almost complete. My plastic carts have been emptied and the contents moved into new storage units. The carts will be given to my stamping buddies to use until it's their turn to outgrow them!

Two goals have been accomplished so far: to make my limited space look neater; and to store stamps behind closed doors, safe from damaging sunlight. In the process, I've purged a lot of unused stamps and supplies to pass on to others, ridding the room of a lot of clutter. Most-often-used items will be within reach from my chair, with less-used items stored away but still easily accessible. One major challenge was the addition to the room of my desk and computer, reducing stamping space even more.

As soon as I have everything back together, I'll be posting pictures. Meanwhile, January is traditionally "hibernation month" for me when I stay home more and catch up on things. So I haven't been stamping as much lately, allowing time to recharge my creativity after the busy-ness of the holidays.

Thanks for visiting--I always enjoy all your comments. Check back here soon for the results of my reorganization efforts!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Off to a running start in 2008! Here's a super-easy card made with one stamp and one color. The balloons were punched from scraps of silver paper with embroidery floss attached on the back and popped out with mounting tape. This will be the first card mailed in the New Year.

Meanwhile, I'm still working on reorganizing my stamping space; and I'm halfway there. There's still time to leave a comment with ideas for storage and other helps. As soon as it's done, I'll post photos!

Best wishes to all of you who have visited my blog -- have a creative New Year!

HELP WANTED!

I am beginning to outgrow the space in my stamping tower and would like some suggestions on how I could make it better. For pictures of my space, use the link for Fox Mountain and open the archives for November 2005.

Thanks for the help!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wishing all of you all of the best of Christmas blessings. See you back here in the New Year!

I've Been Tagged!

Here are 7 things about me that you might not know:

1. I love chocolate (who doesn't?)

2. My favorite color is yellow, and I hate pink.

3. I love cats--we have three of them.

4. I enjoy traveling and hope to get back to Italy some day soon for a third visit.

5. I love to drive--anywhere, even in New York City.

6. I host a February Blues Bash with a different theme each year.

7. I hate to exercise, but do it anyway.

Did I mention that I also enjoy being concise? Here are the 5 people I'm tagging:

Amy G.
Rochelle
Dawn
Lauren
Dee J.

INSPIRATION CARD

A friend gave me a beautiful box of licorice, and it inspired me to make this card. Thanks Jane! Of course, being a cat lover, I used my SU Cool Cat set and dove into my stash of Basic Grey dp for the background.

(The licorice is delicious!)

Home from Prague...

...with a bad case of stamping withdrawal! Can't wait to get back to my stamps and inks, but first I need to recover from jet lag.

Stop by again soon!

OFF TO PRAGUE!

I won't be posting again for awhile; but I did mail all my Christmas cards today! Snail mail is still good for something...

HAPPY STAMPING!

One Bright Star

here's a card I made with a friend who brought her stamp to the Tower. Sorry, I can't tell you what company makes it. We stamped out several on white glossy cardstock with dark blue ink and added a Mrs. Grossman's crystal in the main star. The image was mounted on dark blue, then onto a metallic blue and then on the dark blue card. The greeting inside was stamped on white paper over a light blue gleaming star and reads, "Beneath the silent beauty of one bright star, the light of the world is born."

Thanks to Evelyn for such a wonderful design idea!

Easy Christmas Card!

Here's a quick card you can mass produce in record time! Just stamp the tree toward the right side, color the decorations, add a freehand border, tie a ribbon around the left side of the card and add a message inside. Done!

Kinkade Church

After seeing so many beautiful cards done with Kinkade stamps, I just had to try it. Unfortunately, the colors don't reproduce well on my scanner.

This card was done with an Adirondack spectrum pad (Cabin Fever) on white cs. It was cut into an oval using the Creative Memories system and was then coated with Versamark and embossed with Antiquities Frosted Crystal ep. (The only coloring was done on the windows and the reflection on the water below.) A larger oval was cut in the center of a pinkish-beige textured cs, silver twine was tied on the side and it was then mounted to a dark brown textured card with double stick tape. The four silver brads were attached at the corners, and the image was secured to the card with SU pop dots.

The hardest part of this card was deciding on the cardstock colors! (IRL, the yellow is softer and the texture more interesting. Click on the image for a better view.)

Thanks to Amy Celona...

...for this wonderful card idea--what an inspiration! (See amycelona.com.) For my version, I used the large pine tree stamp from Stamp in the Hand. My card has a top fold (Amy's fold is better, I think) and the matting is reversed. To make the trees more lifelike, I used a dark brown marker to highlight the bark and some of the branches. The sponge daubers worked fine for the white at the top, but not on the trees; so I just used a Q-tip for them. The snow was done with Dazzling Diamonds, which I added while the white pigment ink was still wet. Tearing the bottom of the paper added to the illusion of snow on the ground.

I plan to send this one-of-a-kind card to the dad of a one-of-a-kind friend!

View from the Tower

We woke up to 6" of new snow here in Northern New Jersey today--looks like good stamping weather!


(Second photo was taken from the tower window this morning.)

Snow Scene Card

Yes, I turned the snow scene photo into a lovely card for my parents. (See post below.) The only thing I added was a snowflake brad in the upper left corner after triple mounting it on black, silver and green cardstocks on a white card. Of course, I neglected to copy it, but you get the idea...

First Dusting of Snow

Brrrr...it's too soon to be thinking about winter! Wouldn't this scene from yesterday make a great card, though???

Birthday Card for Li'l "O"

Happy Birthday Owen! Unfortunately, your card will be arriving a few days late. I hope you enjoy making the lights flash on this race car. We miss you, but will be seeing you in Prague soon!

Sticker of Blessing

Lucienne, affectionately called "the Queen of France" by her friends, had to have minor surgery this week. When I found this blinking crown sticker at Michael's, I couldn't resist turning it into a GetWell card. If you look closely, you can see one of the lights lit (at the top of the crown.)

In addition, I found the "you are the queen" stamp for $1 and used it for the inside. The girls at Bible Study each added a note of cheer to enclose. We gave her the card when we picked her up from the hospital today. Needless to say, she loved it!

Notice how the card-making class members are concentrating on their cards... They have learned that a hand-made card can be used to bless someone in a special way.

Tunnel Card Revisited

Here is my Christmas version of the Autumn tunnel card shown below (see post for Oct. 25.) The front reads "How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given."

(The blue looks a lot softer IRL.)

The Rule of Thirds

When I first made this card, it was full size (4 1/4 x 5 1/2) but just didn't look right. Then I remembered the rule of thirds used in photography; so I cut off some of the bottom to make it more proportional. Notice the top third is the pink cardstock, the middle third is the dry embossing and the bottom third is the sentiment and brad. Happy with the adjustment, I then made a new envelope to fit the scaled-down size.

Sometimes, corrected mistakes make the most beautiful cards!

A Quick & Easy Christmas Card

This card was made using a leftover three-dimensional poinsettia sticker and a pre-cut card. The sticker is placed on the inside so that it shows through the opening. The ribbon was tied and fastened to the white overlay (also precut)and fastened to the card front. I added some Stickles to the center of the flower, stamped the greeting at the bottom and also stamped a verse on the inside (under the opening); and there you have it!

November 1st Already?

Where did October go? It's my favorite month, so I'm sad it's over. November brings us closer to winter and all that goes with it: bare trees, cold, northerly winds, shorter days and less time outdoors. Of course it's not all bad. There's more time for cats on my lap or stamping next to a sunny window or sitting in front of a toasty fire...and Christmas on the horizon. That reminds me--I'd better get back to making more Christmas cards!