Make a Difference

I’m still under the ‘clean sweep’ rock, but didn’t want to leave you empty handed if you stopped by. <wink> Here’s another Nature’s Silhouette (it’s available for purchase today) card that I quickly put together for a friend.  Hardware and Stickles kick this up a notch without adding too much time to the process. I’m actually going to mail this one today. Do you know that this will be the 3rd card this week that I have actually made and sent! <gasp>

I am trying to be much more diligent about sending cards to people I care for.  Why? Because the following card actually made me draw a breath when I opened the envelope. I received this RAK from fellow blogger Gretchen Belanger, and I was instantly reminded what it feels like to open a little present, to know that someone was ‘just thinking about you’.  You can see a TON of awesome ideas on Gretchen’s blog. Thank you, Gretchen for thinking about me.

A wonderful surprise showed up in my mailbox today! It was my complimentary copy of the new Spring Take Ten magazine.  I was excited to see one of my cards on the cover - 1st Class, lower right. I have a mini-tutorial on the Split Negative technique on pages 62-63. There are tons of other wonderful ideas in here from some of your favorite artists. I spotted  many samples from Sharon Johnson, Debbie Olson, Tricia Ulberg, Kim van der Sanden, Jen del Muro, Lisa Zappa, Kathy Torrence and Kim Hughes. It will be available March 1st. Thanks for letting me gush just a bit. 

Here is another sample that I created for the CHF booth at CHA. This is one of those ‘happy accidents’ cards. The ink is Beige Brilliance Pearlescent applied to my red stained brayer. The Beige Brilliance drew out some of the red tone from the brayer and the ink took on a light pink sheen. I contemplated trashing the idea, but then decided to run with it. It totally fit the color scheme. 

Just another bit of encouragement to anyone on the TK fence. While these images are beautiful when colored, you do not have to be a watercolor or marker artist to use these stamps. They make wonderful monochromatic cards.

• Stamps: Forest Chaple by Thomas Kinkaid - & Victorian Leaves from Cornish Heritage Farms
• Ink: Beige Brilliance Pearlescent
• Cardstock: Spring Willow Dark, Razzleberry Medium and Cryogen White
• Accs: Prima Blossoms, Faux Pearls, Corsage Pin, Sheer Twinkle May Arts & Nestabilities by Spellbinders

I think I’ve lived a year in the last month…It’s cards like this one that keep you going! Sharon is one of those rare breed stampers…she actually sends the cards she creates. LOL! She’s used the emboss resist technique and several layers of ‘color’ to give this depth and dimension. It’s just gorgeous! As if the card wasn’t enough….it came with this inside:

Samples of all the shimmery cardstock from CutCardStock.com! OH my gorgeous! Now, you can see a SU! color comparison and recommendations over on Trudee’s blog. There is no need for me to re-invent that wheel. What I can tell you is CutCardStock is AWESOME! I ordered from them again on Wednesday this week, my order arrived on Friday. Cindy and the staff there are so nice, shipping is fast, prices can’t be beat and service is king.

Have a wonderful weekend!

During all the garage sale excitement last Friday, the mailman dropped off this ‘SO sweet‘ blogger RAK from Nicole Cooke. It’s adorable! I love her attention to detail, like: the paisleys over stamped on the big blossom, the crisp and thick black embossing of the sentiment and the hint of red around the edges of the white cardstock (a different take on the ‘fall back on black’ method). Make sure you check out her blog Stampin’ Library Girl. You’ll be glad you did! Nicole, thanks for thinking of me!

And yes, how blessed am I? Read the rest of this entry »

Get a load of this… Read the rest of this entry »

Who doesn’t like ‘happy mail’ and lookie what came to my house by way of SWEET Lizzie and Lizzie Anne Designs. She was giving away this set to whoever guessed closest to the date of her 10th wedding anniversary coming up! So, Congratulations to Lizzie and Phillip who will celebrate 10 years in December! Thank you so much for the set! I can’t wait to stamp something!

If you have a notion to stamp something yourself this afternoon, Lindsey at Embellished is having a contest if you utilize Lizze Anne stamps. It ends tonight, so be quick, check the details and get yourself entered!

I love it when a plan comes together, even if it’s Plan B. I was disappointed when a girlfriend wasn’t able to make a visit in from Atlanta this morning (flight problems). So, I went to Plan B….

Like any good mom, I arranged play dates for both my girls from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. and waited for Brown. Here he is coming up my sidewalk, right on time, at 2:46 p.m.  I told him that all over the United States there were lots of smiling women waiting UPS today! I’m off to play!

I had admired this beautiful card in the SCS galleries a week or so ago, and let me assure you….the photo cannot do it justice. I know that because I have it in my hot hand! Trudee, thank you for thinking of me and for your sweet, sweet note!

These beautiful blooms are watercolored…incredible. The layers of color and the shading is so pretty. Of course it sparkles…it’s from Trudee. The sewing on the vellum is real. This whole card screams ART. Thank you, Trudee Sauer , thank you!

Sharon Harnist asked me in the comments on a recent post if that was a ‘real’ water lily. YES! A few months back I showed you a dreary, bleak picture of my water garden after a long, hard winter. Man is it ever a sight when the lilies decide to wake up for the summer! The water you see on the leaves is from the gentle splashes of our fountain. Soon, the surrounding flowers will be in full bloom, and I’ll give you a full view. For now, thought I’d give you a snippet of the bliss I enjoy all summer long.

Speaking of Sharon, I have 2 pieces of Happy Mail that I have been hanging onto for a few weeks. They are 2 of the prettiest cards. Definately Happy Mail day when these beauties arrived:

This beauty showcases the PaperTrey Green Thumb set.  The soft, even sponging on the edges, the shimmer and shine, the faux stitching…all Sharon Harnist trademarks. Gorgeous!!

This cute little thing was a challenge card that Sharon completed when I sent her the purple DCWV cardstock and the stamped Anna’s Bird images. She, Beate, Angel, Jenn and I had a wonderful time coming up with something, and this was such a surprise in my mailbox.

 Thank you for thinking of my Sharon! I love my cards!