Happy Memorial Day!

I still can't figure out how it is the end of May already.  Since I started babysitting Joey all during the week, the time just flies by.  We have so much fun.  He loves playing in my studio.  He has special baskets of toys and lots of good things for play.  He still spends a great deal of time looking in each and every drawer, rearranging my art supplies, and is always a very busy boy.  And so ... it is the end of May and it is Memorial Day and so I will remember those who gave their lives to serve our country so that we could have the freedoms we sometimes take for granted.

I lost an uncle in the war ...  an uncle that I never got to meet or know ... an uncle that my children and grandchildren will never know ... an uncle who was loved and cherished by his friends and family.  Memorial Day is our day to remember.

God bless America!

New Catalog Inspirations, Part 3

I have yet another new catalog inspiration project for you today.  This one involves a lot of strips of gorgeous DSP.  I love it!   

I had to use my own judgement as to the width of each strip.  I changed a few things, but not much.  And, as always, I decorated the inside of the card as well as a coordinating envelope.  I don't think you can see it very well in the photo, but I added scored lines to the yellow strip right below the bow.  It adds a nice texture to the card.

I really like this card.  I think it would be fun to change the greeting to one for a birthday and use this for a really fun birthday card.  I really like how it turned out.  So now you've seen 3 cards that I created, using new catalog inspirations.  Which one do you like the best?

SECRET MESSAGE:
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.  Sign up early to save your spot.  My Saturday Stampers classes have been filling up really early.  Your payment holds your spot.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

New Catalog Inspirations, Part 2

For today's catalog inspiration, I went to the Delightful Daisy Suite.  I used some of the DSP and some of the Daisy Delight stamp set.  Any time you decide to use a card from the catalog for your inspiration, it's a bit of a challenge because there's no list of products they used or measurements for some of the elements on the card.  It probably took me longer than designing my own, but I really liked this card and wanted to make it.  I'm glad I did.

I changed it a bit from the catalog photo --- partly because I couldn't yet order some of the products they showed and partly just by choice.

Notice the DSP on the entire front of the card.  It is not one solid color.  It's made to look like a watercolor wash, with varying intensities of color.  I really like how it turned out.

SECRET MESSAGE:
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.  Sign up early to save your spot.  My Saturday Stampers classes have been filling up really early.  Your payment holds your spot.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

New Catalog Inspirations, Part 1

I love when Stampin' Up! adds such gorgeous ideas for cards and projects to their catalog.  I've found inspiration from several examples in our new catalog.  The catalog goes live in a week now, so I hope you go ahead and get your copy now, so you can be studying it.  Today's card is actually using a stamp set that carried over to the new catalog.  I love the way they showed it.  Here's my take on it.

My color story:
- Pool Party
- Lemon Lime Twist
- Dapper Denim

I love this color story!  If you take a look at the 'labels' at the end of today's post, you will see that I used a lot of products.  This makes it easy to create a really nice design and a card that you'll love when it's all finished.

 SECRET MESSAGE:
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.  Sign up early to save your spot.  My Saturday Stampers classes have been filling up really early.  Your payment holds your spot.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

Eastern Palace Meets the New In Colors

I have been having so much fun working with the Eastern Palace Suite.  There are endless ways you can use it, limited only by your imagination.  Today, I'll share how I used some of the thinlits and the stamp set with all of our new In Colors.  Enjoy!

Here are all 5 of my cards -- one for each new In Color.

Lemon Lime Twist

Berry Burst

Powder Pink

Fresh Fig

Tranquil Tide

Have you decided yet which new In Color is your favorite?

SECRET MESSAGE:
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.  Sign up early to save your spot.  My Saturday Stampers classes have been filling up really early.  Your payment holds your spot.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

Let's start the week with some hugs!

How about some hugs today?  This was a super fun card to create.  I used all 5 In Colors, with Lemon Lime Twist as my card base.  The most fun part of all was the 'hugs' feature.  I'll share more on that later.

You may notice a variation of shades in the colors of the stamped images.  This is because I spritzed each time before I stamped the inked up stamp.  (Ink first and then spritz.)  It just adds to the texture and to the fun.

I am loving using our new Glitter Enamel Dots.  They add so much to a card design.

It's been a challenge lately to get my photos because it's been really windy here.  I moved to the back of our wrap-around porch where I was more protected from the wind.

I'll have more soon about these fun framelits.  They are a ton of fun and super easy to use.

SECRET MESSAGE:
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.  Sign up early to save your spot.  My Saturday Stampers classes have been filling up really early.  Your payment holds your spot.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

5 New In Colors All In One Card

Even with all the wonderful new and old ways to add coloring to a project, one of my favorite techniques is still using an ink pad and my Aqua Painter.  It's quick, it's easy and it's fun.  Make a puddle of ink in the lid of your ink pad.  Add a few drops of water, if needed.  Pick up your Aqua Painter and let the fun begin.  I used all 5 of our new In Colors for this card.  

I added a few speckles from Awesomely Artistic and a greeting from Best Birds.  When coloring with the inks and Aqua Painter, you can lighten or darken the shades of colors depending on how much water you use.  I was using Whisper White CS, rather than Shimmery White or watercolor paper, so I couldn't use too much water or go over the same spot too long, or I would break down the fibers in the CS.

Did you notice the new Glitter Enamel Dots?  I am in love with them!  They come in varying sizes AND varying shades of Dapper Denim, Crushed Curry, Berry Burst and Old Olive.  Love!!!

SECRET MESSAGE:
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

My In Colors Display ... Which color is your favorite?

Let me introduce you to our five glorious new In Colors.  I love them!  I'm still trying to decide which one is my favorite.  All my guests at my Open House in June will be trying to guess which one is my favorite, so I have until then to decide.  I won't tell though, until after the party.

My display shows off quite a few new products - all for our new In Colors:
- inks (used to watercolor the die cut piece)
- ribbons (tied in bows)
- card stock (CS) punched into daisies with our new Daisy punch
- Faceted Gems (I used the clear - for daisy centers.)
- Designer Series Paper (DSP) - Fresh Florals

In case you haven't been introduced personally, here are all the color names.  Pardon the slightly wonky photo.  I must have not held the camera straight enough when I took the photo of the frame hanging on my studio wall.  Aren't these colors just beautiful? 

SECRET MESSAGE:
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

AND MORE CREATIVE FUN ... UP NEXT: 
May 20 / Saturday Stampers / Eastern Palace Suite Projects / 3 cards + a layout / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

OK ... The Last of my Daisy Projects ... for now ...

Let's wrap up my daisy projects with several little bottles from my collection.

 

Coming up ... I'll be sharing some fun cards I created using goodies from our upcoming new catalog.  Be sure to come back to check it out.

If you hadn't been thinking about the new catalog, I'll bet your are now!  You won't have long to wait. 
SECRET MESSAGE:
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

AND MORE CREATIVE FUN ... UP NEXT: 
May 20 / Saturday Stampers / Eastern Palace Suite Projects / 3 cards + a layout / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

There's just something about flower shopping ... and ... yes, more daisies!

A couple of days ago, my husband and I buckled up the baby in his car seat and went flower shopping ... one of my favorite activities of the year.  We figured out early on that we'd need both our cars - one for the baby and the stroller and one for hauling the plants home.  So, off we went.

There's just something about flower shopping.  Everyone you pass is smiling.  It's fun and it just makes everyone happy to walk among the rows of gorgeous flowers.  You see all sizes, all colors (people and flowers:) and I adore them all.  Joey loved flower shopping, too.  He was fascinated by a giant plant that had leaves so large that one of them just towered over him.  I taught him to 'touch' using one finger and let him touch this huge leaf.  He just smiled and smiled.

Every year, I promise myself that I'll stick with my mental list and not get sidetracked by too many other plants that are new to me and may not even grow where I plan to place mine.  That works pretty well ... for a while.  This year was actually my best at staying the course.  I only got one plant not on my list and that was a plant for my new pot on my porch.  I call that success.

I am a container gardener ... due to poor knees and bad back.  We got the large pots planted in the afternoon, while Joey played on the deck.  I placed the other various sized pots then and we'll plant those next.

So, for today's daisy business ... a cute little vintage creamer of daisies.  This was my favorite, too.

If you hadn't been thinking about the new catalog, I'll bet your are now!  You won't have long to wait. 
SECRET MESSAGE:
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

AND MORE CREATIVE FUN ... UP NEXT: 
May 20 / Saturday Stampers / Eastern Palace Suite Projects / 3 cards + a layout / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

Daisies, Daisies, Daisies, Part 2

Today, I have the cutest little trio of daisies in the cutest little vase.  I love it! 

I originally bought this vase to use for a succulent but then I decided to make a terrarium instead, using a variety of succulents.  (By the way, I hadn't made a terrarium for years and years and really enjoyed this project.  Succulents are absolutely everywhere right now, so this would be a good time for you to try making one yourself.)  So, going back to the vase, I had this cute little vase just sitting and begging for some little daisies in it.  I've made several daisy projects already and, so far, this is one of my favorites. 

If you hadn't been thinking about the new catalog, I'll bet your are now!  You won't have long to wait. 
SECRET MESSAGE:
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

AND MORE CREATIVE FUN ... UP NEXT: 
May 20 / Saturday Stampers / Eastern Palace Suite Projects / 3 cards + a layout / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

Daisies, Daisies, Daisies, Part 1 ... and a special message at the end of this post:)

My two absolute greatest loves in the floral world are daisies and Calla lilies.  Calla lilies are elegant and beautiful and need to be used in just the right place.  Daisies are probably more versatile.  They are fun, bright and cheerful, and just plain make me smile.  With my brand new Daisy Punch, Delightful Daisy DSP, Double-Stitched Ribbon, Faceted Gems, and Daisy Delight stamp set, I've been making so many daisy projects that I had to go out and buy up a bunch more packages of floral stems.  Here's my first daisy project ... a canning jar bouquet of daisies.

Aren't they pretty ... and realistic looking.  This project was totally inspired by our new catalog (going live on June 1) and they were a ton of fun to make.

Adding the Baby's Breath, as they showed in our catalog ... I think that's the touch that makes it all look real.

If you hadn't been thinking about the new catalog, I'll bet your are now!  You won't have long to wait. 
If you live in the area, you can stop by and pick up your copy of our new catalog.  Call first so we don't disturb the baby's nap, please.

AND MORE CREATIVE FUN ... UP NEXT: 
May 20 / Saturday Stampers / Eastern Palace Suite Projects / 3 cards + a layout / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June Events:
June 12 / Scraps and Prayers / All Occasions Cards / 5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Make some beautiful cards to add to your stash to send to special friends and/or family.

June 17 / Saturday Stampers /  Mixed Media Patriotic Project / 1:00-4:00 / $20.00 

REGISTRATION CLOSED.

June 22 / EARLY BIRD GARAGE SALE / 5:30-6:30
June 23 + 24 / GARAGE SALE / 8:00-5:00

June 25 / Open House New Catalog Party / 2:00-5:00

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration. 

Happy Mother's Day!

To all the mothers out there ... all who love and nurture us and help to make our world a better place ...
Happy Mother's Day to all of you.