I realize it's been a long time since I've posted to my blog. Boy, how time does fly!
Our November weather has been incredible this year, though October was very wet. It's been nice to see the sun shine and get the leaves picked up off the yard.

My project for today is a sympathy card. We lost another good friend who lives in Wisconsin.
I made this card using a set from Our Daily Bread Designs called Light of the World. I've had this set for a while but haven't used much lately. I love this image and the verses that are in the set.
You may want to check out their newest Christmas sets that were just released, they look great to me.











I pulled out my Watercolor Pencils from Stampin' Up! to color the main image.
I felt that the paper used was great for this time of year.
I'm going to have to admit one mistake that I made and tried to cover up. When I was doing the paper piercing, I forgot to leave the card open and ended up piercing thru both layers of cardstock. That's why the inside of the card has the paper from the front carried onto the inside. I figured it would help to make the piercing look intentional rather than the mistake that it really was. My daughter said that she like the fact that the inside was decorated as well as the front.

The inside of the card uses stamps from 2 different stamp sets from Stampin' Up! and also a stamp from Stampabilities.

I hope you like the card. I know this man's wife will appreciate it since she is also a stamper and loves to receive hand made cards.

Have a great week!

Influenza Bugs and A Sad Event

The influenza bug hit our household this week. Two of us came down with the bug and it hit pretty hard. We are finally feeling on the mend, but the cough just won't let go very easily. It's a good thing the guest bedroom was ready for use. This is the first time in years I've slept in a different bed, but needed to so as to keep the bug from my husband. So far so good, he hasn't come down with the symptoms yet.

Monday brought a lot of sadness to our household as well. As my husband was dealing with the fact that both of the "girls" in the house were sick, he was hit with another blow.
Tom takes Shadow, our dog, for a walk almost every morning. This gives the dog the much needed exercise that he needs. Shadow has had a bad habit of treating cars as if they are a toy - he likes to play chicken with them. He lost the game this time. Shadow was hit by an unsuspecting driver when he didn't make it around the front of the car in time. He was a handful of a dog - still mostly puppy, but we loved him and he will be missed greatly.

October Create and Recreate

Here's the card for this month's Create and Recreate at church tomorrow afternoon.

After having spent a number of hours today mowing the leaves that have fallen (since most of our snow from this week has melted and who knows when the next storm will arrive),
I wanted a card that would use Autumn colors and images.
I chose Stampin' Up! Fantastic Foliage, a set I've had for a long time with images.

I stamped the oak leaves onto Whisper White card stock in Versa Mark ink, then embossed them with Stamp-n-Stuff Copper Embossing Tinsel. This stuff is great because it combines glitter and embossing powder in one easy step. I then took a sponge dauber and sponged 2 of the images with More Mustard ink and 1 image with Really Rust. I used the Scallop Oval punch to punch out the images.

The main image is framed with a Large Oval punch in a coordinating color and then on a Nestabilities Scallop Square.

More of the leaves and some acorns were stamped in Dusty Durango on paper from the Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper from Stampin' Up! (3 5/8 x 4 1/4) which has had the edges distressed and this layer was mounted on a layer of Old Olive (4x4 5/8) which has the edges distressed and rubbed in Dusty Durango. The card base is Crushed Curry.

The cord is a copper cord from Stampin' Up! wrapped around the card front and tied.

I hope you like my latest creation. (And, I hope those that make it tomorrow like it too.)

2 Challenges - 1 Great Card for 1 Great Daughter!

I made this card for my daughter. There is a concert tomorrow night at school. It's called LHS Live and it is the 2nd year that this concert has been done. It features the jazz band, swing choir and other smaller groups. My daughter is a part of the swing choir and is also being very brave and singing a solo as well. I thought I needed to give her some encouragement and a thumbs up by making a special card just for her.

I purchased this stamp set about a year ago and haven't taken the time to use it yet. I'm sure glad I pulled it out for this card. It fits perfectly since our family LOVES music! The set is My Heart from Close to My Heart.


This card also fits into the Sketch Challenge and the Technique Challenge for this week on SplitCoastStampers.

The card is a regular 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" size, but is mounted so that it will stand up like an easel. I sure hope she likes it.

Recipe:
Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Night of Navy, Whisper White, SU DSP Tea Party
Ink: Night of Navy, Melon Mambo
Stamp set: CTMH My Heart
Other elements: Cuttlebug D'vine Swirls embossing folder, Melon Mambo ribbon, SU large oval punch and scallop punch
The images on the front as well as the sentiment inside the card are mounted with dimensionals to pull them off the page just a little bit.

Thanksgiving Easel Card

I had to use the new stamp set Gifts of the Earth from Stampin' Up! again. I love the images.
Today's technique challenge was to make an easel card. It's pretty simple and the instructions can be found by following the link in the 1st post of the challenge. The fold that is made in the card base makes the card easy to stand up and displayed.

I also used the colors from last week's color challenge. That challenge was to use Mellow Moss, Whisper White, and Kraft.

I used Spellbinders Nestabilities - Scallop Squares to help with the layering on this card. I like how you can cut it out and add the embossed edge to the cardstock.

I also added a button from my stash of old buttons from my mother and grandmother, (it's fun to use some of these little treasures), and also some of my SU HodgePodge Hardware.

I hope you like my card.

Carstock: Kraft, Whisper White, SU Designer Series Paper (hostess pack)
Stamps: Gifts of the Earth, Teeny Tiny Wishes (both from Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Stazon Black, Mellow Moss, SU Markers
Ribbon is a scrap piece I had saved for the right project.

Gifts of the Earth

Fall has definitely come here in North Dakota. Even my teenage daughter left for school this morning saying that it's winter coat time.

I made this card for today's sketch challenge on SCS. I used a new set that just arrived on Monday at my house called Gifts of the Earth from Stampin' Up! I love the images in the set.

The card base is Dusty Durango. The back panel is Crushed Curry embossed using the Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder and framed with Soft Suede. The image panel is framed with Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango and colored with SU markers and then the sky is sponged with Bashful Blue and Marigold Morning. The cross panel underneath the main panel is an image also from the Gifts of the Earth set.

I hope you like my creation. I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Fall Cards & a start on Christmas

I have worked on a couple new card ideas in the past week or so and thought I would share them with you.

The 1st is a card idea I got from looking thru the resources pages of Splitcoaststampers. It's called an Accordian card. I made 2 of these and adjusted the size of the second one just a little bit, but both sizes work out beautifully.

The pumpkin that pops out is made from the SU Round Tab punch. I saw this idea somewhere else for a table decoration and thought it would be fun for a pop out inside a card. The more tabs you add, the more full your pumpkin looks, but be careful to make sure your card will still close.








I used SU's Autumn Harvest set for the stamped pumpkins and leaves on these cards.

Remember to attach your ribbon to the outside of your card before attaching the image layers! It will help to secure the ribbon.











The next cards were done after seeing last Monday's New Technique challenge on SCS. It was to use aluminum foil to make a shiny embossed panel on your card. You just fold the foil around a piece of cardstock and run it thru your Big Shot, Cuttlebug, or whatever machine you have in an embossing folder.


It makes for an easy WOW effect on your card that doesn't cost a lot of $$$$. I figured it wouldn't hurt to get a start on my Christmas cards this way and this new stamp set from SU and the ornament punch to go with it made is easy as well.

Colors used for these cards are SU Rich Razzleberry, black and SU Whisper White.

Bon Appetit

I talked with my son today both by text and actually talked with him as well. It was good to hear his voice.

I decided to send him a care package with some homemade banana bread and some other treats as well as some vitamins. Four cases of H1N1 have been confirmed on campus. I'm hoping he's keeping himself healthy.

This card was made to add to the box. I hope he enjoys it. I used the colors from today's color challenge on SCS to decide what colors to use for this card.

The stamp set used is from Stampin' Up! and called Voila.
Cardstock and ink colors are Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, black, and Whisper White. I cut out the chef and the dome to the tray separately and attached them with dimensionals. I think it makes his foot look like he's going to walk right off the front of the card.


I hope he likes the card and more importantly the goodies in the box.

Stampin' Up!

For those of you who know me well, I am a person that holds to my convictions.
I have agonized over a decision since the beginning of the month and have finally come to a decision. As of the end of this month, I will no longer be a demonstrator for Stampin' Up! Some changes have come about, and I don't feel that I can fulfill the obligations that the company has set before me.

I will be placing one last order before the end of the month. So, any of my customers who are in need of supplies, or would just like to place an order, please call me by Monday evening and I add your order to the others that are already coming in to me.

I still love the products that Stampin' Up! has to offer and I will still use the products and purchase the products, I just do not feel I can be a demonstrator anymore.

Thanks for listening.

Lord's Prayer

I did another of the Create and Recreate at church on Sunday. However, due to everyone's busy schedules, there were only 2 of us there.

I made this card after getting home from that event.

Cardstock colors include:
Ivory
SU Bermuda Bay
SU Cameo Coral

Ink:
Cameo Coral
Bermuda Bay

Stamps:
SU Thoughts & Prayers
ODBD Lord's Prayer

Ribbon from SU and flowers from Prima

My card style tends to be clean and simple, so I hope you like what I've done here. The flowers are stamped twice for a shadow effect. The main image panel and the Cameo Coral layer are popped up with SU dimensionals for more interest. I used the SU Mat Pack for the piercing on the Bermuda Bay layer.

Update

No, I haven't given up on my blog.

After my son moved to college, my daughter took over his bedroom in the basement. Well, you can imagine that it needed some freshening up. So, after painting the walls, shampooing the carpets and putting sealer paint on the floor underneath the carpet, we got her moved into her larger digs. She's loving it!

Now came the part of what to do to take care of the bedroom she moved out of upstairs. After realizing that I couldn't just wash down the walls and move stuff in there, the paint cans came out. Looking thru what was available already in the house gave me and idea and I ran with it. I only purchased 1 new can of paint and got a great result. The walls are now painted - the floor has been scrubbed - the guest bed has been moved up from the basement - a couple pictures have been hung on the walls - and the room already looks FULL but very nice for a guest bedroom.

With having knee surgery just 3 weeks ago, I think I did pretty well to get that much done.

I will try to post pictures soon.

Anyway, I had a couple of cards ready to post here too, but the scanner is not doing them justice and my daughter has borrowed my digital camera. I guess it will have to wait.

Double Pocket Card

I started this card a while ago and just didn't know how I was going to finish the layers to go in the pockets.

Today it came to me and this is how the card looks completed.

This is a Double Pocket card and there is a wonderful tutorial here: http://jarfullofjoy.blogspot.com/2008/04/double-pocket-card-tutorial.html by Judy Rozema on how to make this great card starting with just one piece of double sided designer paper.


The stamp sets I used are from Stampin' Up! and are Kind & Caring Thoughts and God's Blessings. The papers are also from Stampin' Up!

Check out the tutorial and post a link to YOUR
creation in the comment section of this card.

Have a great rest of the week!

For those who know, my knee is feeling much better. It's kind of stiff and needs some strengthening, but it's much better than it's been in a long time. Thanks for thinking of me.

Our Daily Bread Designs

I received this image a long while back. The image is from a set from Our Daily Bread Designs.

This card was put together using the idea from this week's sketch challenge on Splitcoaststamper.

This card was made for a sympathy card. We lost a good friend and member of our congregation this week. He left church on Sunday after having taken communion and went home to his Savior.
It's a loss for us, but a blessing for him.

Update!

Sorry for seeming like I've been absent.

We moved our son to college, took a WEEKEND away from home (hard to do with a hubby that's a pastor), worked extra days at work last week, and had knee surgery today.

Surgery went well today, the doctor found things not as bad as anticipated. Now just to get the pain down and get back to moving again.

Hopefully, I'll be posting some new creations soon.

Shadow Stamping

Here's my card for today. Taken with Teal is such a pretty color. I thought I'd use it to show the shades that it can create when you stamp it twice. The main image is attached with dimensionals to give it more of a framed look.

The card is a trifold. I cut the cardstock at 5 1/2" x 11" and scored it at 3" and at 7 1/4" to create the correct card size.

Recipe:
Cardstock: Taken with Teal, Very Vanilla, SU To the Nines Designer Paper, Chocolate Chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Round Tab punch, Ticket Corner punch.

I used the Mat Pack to create the paper piercing on the 2nd layer. The spray is also stamped in Close to Cocoa on the 2nd layer and then again in the stamped off Taken with Teal on Very Vanilla cardstock on the inside of the card.

Autumn and Bears - What a treat!

I've been playing around with my stamps a bit in the past few days and came up with these cards.

The first one was done after seeing this card Extreme Snowboarding on Splitcoast Stampers. A link to the tutorial as to how to do the background is found in her blog. This is my try at that technique to do a fall type card with Lovely as a Tree and Autumn Days from Stampin' Up! as my stamp sets. I used a brayer for the sky and the grass and sponged the land and some of the fill-in for the colors.

The trees were stamped in in gray with the trees in the background having been stamped off 1st to make them look farther away. The pheasant was stamped 2 times - 1st in Dusty Durango - 2nd in Bermuda Bay without cleaning the stamp 1st so as to leave a little of the other color on the image. I then cut out the head and chest area and attached it to the original bird. The bird is attached to the card with a dimensional and the tail kind of curls outwards and looks more realistic this way.

My 2nd card today is from the new Beary Best Friends set that is coming to customers on Sept. 1st. I stamped a bunch of the bears and worked on different ways to color them. He is cut out and then attached with dimensionals. The Ballet Blue background layer is also attached with dimensionals to lift it off the page a little as well.

I hope you enjoy these cards. I'm looking forward to sharing them with others.

Wheat Harvest

Here is my submission for today's Sketch Challenge on SCS. I used my new Autumn Days set and the Tapestry technique found here. My embossing powder is a deep etch clear powder, so it shows up very shiny on the paper.

I used Pumpkin Pie and Creamy Caramel Craft Ink from SU for the background and stamped the wheat in Whisper White before embossing the whole background piece. The wheat for the main image was stamped in Creamy Caramel and sponged with Creamy Caramel Craft Ink. The entire work is framed with Soft Suede and mounted on a Creamy Caramel card base.

Build A Bear Workshop coming to a stamping workshop near you!

Yes, Build A Bear Workshop is partnering with Stampin' Up! to bring some fun images and craft ideas to you. Starting Sept. 1, customers will have a chance to purchase stamp sets and Sizzix items to create wonderful bear items.

Here is my first card made with the new Beary Best Friends stamp set.

I'm looking forward to sharing more with you in the near future.

Loads of Love Truck

I had a workshop last night and this is one of the projects we made for it. This card has a flap that folds down and lays underneath the main image panel for a closure. The main image and its mats are attached to the card with dimensionals just at the bottom of the image to leave the top open to use for the closure.

When you open the card, there is a space for your sentiment and for writing. There is also a slot cut out to insert a gift card or cash.

Here is the wonderful tutorial that gave me the idea to do this for my workshop last night: Dawn's tutorial Thanks for the great tutorial!

Check it out and try one of these.

Recipe:
Cardbase: Certainly Celery
DSP: Bashful Blue
Main image and mats: Ballet Blue, Barely Banana, Whisper White
Ribbon: Certainly Celery 1/4" grosgrain
Punches needed: Word Window Punch, Tag Corner Punch

Mt. Rushmore after dark

I had to add another page that I scrapbooked today. We visited Mt. Rushmore in the afternoon, went out for dinner and then came back for the evening festivities. There is a presentation by one of the park rangers then a video and then the lights come on while everyone is singing the National Anthem. It is quite an impressive experience.

One presentation we heard was that the sculptor put in aspects that only show in certain light, certain times of the day or certain seasons. He had quite the eye for detail. Seeing the monument at night was much different than during the day.

I used the Big Shot Top Note Die to frame the pictures in 2 different ways. I also used the Top Note and cut it in half to use for the titles. The eagle is an inexpensive yard sale find that I thought would add a nice touch. It was a pin and I just cut the posts off. The buttons are from a big jar of buttons I inherited from my mom.