ONE More Owl ...

Had my stamp club the other night (YAY!) ... and AS USUAL I was runnin' around like a chicken-with-my-head-cut-off until the last possible second!!

This is one of the cards I made them (which is very similar to one I posted a few weeks ago EXCEPT that my "peek-a-boo" owl is actually INSIDE the card instead of on the front. I LOVE this idea (although I can't take ANY credit for it). It's kinda been all over, but I don'g know who made it up!

And I will be busily getting ready for the Control Freaks Blog Tour for the next couple of days ... be sure to come back and check it out!!

Stamps: Perfect Punches, Woodgrain bg
Paper: Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, Peach Parfait, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso
Accessories: Wide Oval Punch, Owl Punch, 2-Step Bird Punch, Spiral Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Curly Label Punch, Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Folder (for owl's belly)

Mojo Prison ...

You've all been there, right? You know the place I mean .... when you can't seem to think straight enough to get the creative juices flowing in a positive direction .... when everything you try to do seems to take WAY more effort than it should???

Well ... that's where I was visiting yesterday as I tried to make this card!! Dang!! I HATE it when that happens. I just could NOT seem to get to a happy place with this card for the LOOOOONNGGGEST time!! And once I finally got 'er done, not ONLY did I forget to attach the photo to my gallery post over on SCS (where I made this for CC290 - Always Artichoke, Blushing Bride and Marina Mist), but I hadn't even EDITED the darn photo after pulling it off of my camera!! My brain was OUT to LUNCH, baby! And it wasn't even 10:00 a.m.!! Some days are like that ...

By the way ... I got the idea for the purdiful butterflies on this from my good friend (and fellow Control Freak) Dawn Olchefske. I thought the idea was BRILLIANT and KNEW I was gonna have to "borrow" it from her. Check out HER creations with it:

Dawn's Lovely Butterflies

Stamps: Elements of Style, Sincere Salutations
Paper: Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, Marina Mist, Blushing Bride
Ink: Marina Mist, Blushing Bride, Always Artichoke, Certainly Celery, Early Espresso, Rose Red, Bashful Blue
Accessories: Circle Scissor, Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die, Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Folder, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Paper Distressing Tool, Pearl Stickers, Blender Pen

"Epic Fail" ...

... at least that's a phrase that my kids would use to describe this! I had THE hardest time getting this card together for TLC290. The challenge was to do a technique called "lace sponging." The basic idea is to take a piece of lace, lay it down on your cardstock; sponge over the top of it, then remove the lace ... which SHOULD leave the pattern of your lace behind. I was batting zero from the start ... first of all, I don't own ONE single, solitary piece of lace!! Not even a piece of lacy ribbon!! Okay, well I have some that a friend recently sent me, which is VERY purdy ... BUT, it was too dense for me to sponge through, so THAT didn't work. THEN, I tried to use some tulle ... which looked kinda BLAH, so THAT was no good. I finally decided to just give up and cheat ... yup! That's right!! I CHEATED. I used my old SU Victorian Lace background stamp!

THEN, I decided to try the "faux tile" technique that my BFF, Jan, recently did on a card for a Control Freaks swap. (Check it out HERE.) It was LUVERLY, so I decided to try it. Well, it is HARDER than it looks!! I kept messing the images up!! First I stamped the images too hard, which made them go down into the score lines or "grout", which totally ruined the whole effect. But if you stamp TOO lightly then you get goobered-up images. I tried stamping this stinkin' background about FOUR times! Sheesh!!

To top it all off, I went to upload the card on SCS and not ONLY did I forget to attach my photo to the upload, I hadn't EVEN edited the photo after I took it off my camera!! It was NOT my day for stampin' ... that's fer SHURE!!

Stamps: Autumn Days, Day of Gratitude, Victorian Lace background
Paper: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie
Ink: Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, Always Artichoke, More Mustard
Accessories: Decorative Label Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Scor-Pal, Stitch-Doodle-Dot Template, Always Artichoke Seam Binding

Circles & Rectangles Challenge

For the challenge I posted on SCS for the Free for All today I decided to do a sketch. I seem to get stuck in the same type of layout ALL. THE. TIME.

So I decided to shake it up a bit with this card (which is based on one I did back in June HERE, at least as far as the layout goes). I like adding lots of different patterns and textures together (which, oddly enough, is weird since I didn't use a SINGLE embossing ANYthing on here!). I'm still likin' my Groovy Grape. And I'm having issues with the name of one more color ... Crumb Cake (formerly known as Kraft). I swear the first thing that comes to my mind for THAT one is "Cookie Crumb" ... I think SU shoulda just called ME first and asked me for names!!

Happy to have a weekend where I am not going out of town for a change. It will be nice to resume a more normal schedule now that the kididdles are back in school.

Stamps: Day of Gratitude
Paper: Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, More Mustard, Very Vanilla
Ink: Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, More Mustard
Accessories: Circle Scissor, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" Circle Punches, Paper Piercing Tool, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Pearl Stickers

Fishin' Wishes

Let me start off by saying that I don't really like Thomas Kinkade (is "hate" too strong of a word?). His art just kinda just doesn't do it for me (don't flame me ... I know there are a LOT of people who love him ... that is why the man is filthy stinkin' rich!).

Okay, now that I have done the disclaimer thing ... here is a card I made with a Thomas Kinkade stamp for today's sketch challenge over on SCS (SC297). The only way I like his images is if they are all monochromatic ... I guess that's just me. So that is where this came from.

Kind of a short post today. Gotta go and get ready to go stand in HOURS of lines to get my driver's license renewed ... JOY of JOYS!! Can't wait!!

Stamps: CHF Don't Get Much Better, SU Wonderfully Worn, SU Short & Sweet
Paper: Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink: Soft Suede
Accessories: Paper Distressing Tool, Small Oval Punch, Word Window Punch, Hodgepodge Hardware, Twill Tape, Cuttlebug Forest Branches Embossing Folder, Spiral Punch, Small Binder Clip

Birthday Blues

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ... okay, well .... maybe not! But at least a few years ago I found a mui-lovely card on SCS that I knew I was just gonna HAFTA use as inspiration one day. Wellllll ... today is that day. Isn't this card love-er-ly??? I really am happy with how it turned out ('cept for the fact that the squares aren't exactly even). Here is the card, done by Melody Schwartz (aka lacyquilter) over on SCS:

Melody's Blue Tile Mosaic

Pur-de-ful, isn't it??? I was trying to figure out what to do with the little bit of "extra" space that I ended up with at the bottom of my card. I decided to try a border punch. After I punched it once smack-dab in the middle I decided that I kinda liked it like that, so that is how it stays ....

Stamps: Watercolor Trio, Bella Toile
Paper: Very Vanilla, Pacific Point
Ink: Pacific Point
Accessories: Large Oval Punch, Photo Corner Punch, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Pearl Stickers, Pinking Hearts Border Punch, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Dimensionals

And today is kinda bittersweet at our house. Our dear, sweet and adorable German daughter - Coco - is headed back to her home in Munich tomorrow. She has been with us for a month and the time has just flown by. We have truly enjoyed the time she has spent with us and are trying to figure out how much money we would have to give her parents for them to let us KEEP her!!! We spent the better part of today up in Midway, Utah, where they were holding the annual Swiss Days Festival (it's all about fun, crafty booths, food, music and time spent with those you love). We now consider her part of our family and look forward to the time when we will be able to see one another again ... hugs to you, Coco!!

Lovin' My "Groovy Grape" ...

... and it's all my BFF Cheryl's fault!! When SU announced all their new colors a few months back, we were all havin' a hard time remembering the names of them (especially since we didn't actually have any of them yet!!)! Anyway, Cheryl was having a brain block on the name of the new purple color ... she kept referring to it as "that grape-crush" color ...

So it is HER fault that I can NEVER remember the name of the lovely new Concord Crush cardstock (I have to look it up almost every stinkin' time!!). First thing that comes to my mind?? "Groovy Grape" ... so, I have just decided to succumb to my failing memory and call it what I like. So, it's just always gonna be "Groovy Grape" to me!!

While my OTHER BFF, the infamous JanTink, was staying with me during Convention, she decided she needed to play with my new Aviary stamp set (a set she SWORE she didn't really love, but has since bought due to my evil influences!). She made a card VERY similar to one I had been thinking of in my head ever since getting the stamp set (really...HONEST!). Here is HER card that was the inspiration for mine:

Jan's Awesome Birdcages

Great minds think alike, I guess!!

And I just HAD to use some of my "old" SU stuff to finish this card ... the "Happy Bird Day" sentiment from the Tickled Pink stamp set and some Wild Wasabi striped ribbon ...

Stamps: Aviary, Tickled Pink
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Concord Crush (aka Groovy Grape), Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Concord Crush, Melon Mambo
Accessories: Sizzix Birthday Embossing Folder, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Wild Wasabi Striped Ribbon, Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals

Whhhoooooo Loves Ya????

Hoot! Hoot!! I really stepped out of my comfort zone today with the little bit of Tempting Turquoise that I added to my peek-a-boo owl. I have seen several cards since Convention where the little owl is peeking out of a hole in a tree. I'm not sure WHOOO to credit for this idea, but I {{{heart}}}} it!!

I'm probably going to go out of town one last time this summer for the weekend (we are probably gonna run up to our family's condo on Bear Lake .... IF I can get it packed and put together after work today!!). Not quite sure where the time has gone this summer, but I guess there's no turning back, right??

Stamps: Woodgrain Background, Fabulous Phrases
Paper: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Owl Punch, Wide Oval Punch, 1" and 3/4" punch, 1/4" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/8" Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon, Double Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Folder (for owl's belly), Dimensionals

Glamourous!

A friend of my daughter's recently had a murder mystery birthday party. She had asked all of her friends to dress up in clothing from a bygone era, and this is what Amelia looked like as she was headed out the door.

Shazam!!! When she walked in the room BOTH my sister in law and I had our socks blown right OFF!!! Holy COW!! Could this REALLY be my little girl???

The most fun thing about this is that pretty much EVERYthing that she was wearing was vintage ... the dress was my mother's (from the 1950's), as were the beads; the little black gloves were from my paternal grandmother (found them in the drawer of a VERY old sewing machine while I was moving my mom last February); the hat and fur cape were my maternal grandmother's (and Amelia's namesake). How AWESOME is THAT??? She really looked amazing!! It was totally fun creating this layout using MDS. I swear I have more fun with that program than I care to admit!!

Supplies: My Digital Studio

End of Summer Wildflowers

Where on EARTH did this summer run off to? I am always amazed at how each year seems to fly by more quickly than the one before. It seems that my children were just barely little ... and they are now 22, 19 and 16. Those years were so precious and fleeting. As hard as they seemed at the time, I would do them over again in a HEARTBEAT. So many lovely, wonderful memories.

Our summers are always filled with good times spent with family ... something for which I truly feel blessed. I have always enjoyed a really close familial relationship ... nothing is as important to me as they time I can spend with those I love.

As the summer is quickly rolling to a close, I find myself on the road once more. This time I am with my darling daughter, Amelia, and my new "daughter" who is here visiting us from Germany - Coco. She has been a true joy to have around. We have all really enjoyed her company ... her sweet smile, gentle nature and infectious laugh. She has been here nearly two weeks already and only has two short weeks to go. We will be sad to see her leave ...

We are currently in a little town called Rockville, Utah. It is just about a 5-minute drive from Zions National Park. We are hiking, relaxing in the stone pool and playing games (doing a little reading and eating in there, too!). With any luck, we will be on the OPPOSITE end of Utah next weekend when we plan to take Coco up to Bear Lake on the Utah/Idaho border (another place where we have spent countless summer days enjoying time with family).

Which leads me to this card ... I so enjoy the flowers of spring and summer and will be so sad to see them go. Such a great thing that they will all be back again before we know it ...

Stamps: Silhouette Sentiments
Paper: Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, Very Vanilla
Ink: Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Scallop Trim Border Punch, Scallop Border Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Small Oval Punch, Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Elegant Lines Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Smooch Moonlight Pearlized Accent Ink, Dimensionals