Happy retirement

Good morning,

Today is such a gorgeous day here in New Hampshire. Went for a walk with the littlest one and then a trip to the play ground to swing. It feels like a day for this kind of chair!

This was the card I made for my principal. She decided to retire this year instead of wait. It was a really fun card to make. I've done one before but I decided to add a curtain effect. She owns a B&B in Woodstock, VT. This just looked like it should be for her.

Card front is impressed with PTI Woodgrain plate on Kraft. The image is from Lockhart stamps. Basic Backgrounds: Tintype was used on the curtain and lined (much like in sewing) on the back to cover tape and lace.

Enjoy the beautiful day,

Challenging Fun

Challenging fun!! Stamping with a 3 year old and a 4 month old in the house is challenging enough without 90 degree heat and similar humidity, AND, I lost my glasses, sooo if everything is a little off kilter you know why!

My daughter and I have decided to work on a series of challenges. None in particular, just ones we come across that strike our creative fancy. You can see hers on her blog.
This challenge is in the current Take Ten Magazine. It took a lot longer than ten minutes to make it. Why do all the ideas come when I am asleep or away from the stamps I need. The bowl of cherries is from Ellen Hutson. It is a Lockhart stamp. The small images on the side are hand drawn because the stamps I needed are in Vermont and I'm in NH! There was also a challenge on SCS for the red, white, and blue but I can't find it for the life of me.


This is a Paper Trey Ink challenge we came across. I really like their papers and colors. This set is PTI's Beautiful Blooms. I double stamped the outline image of the flower in order to get the layering. It was then colored in with their blush ink and a blender. The brown is SU's chocolate chip and the close to cocoa DS paper. I had some left over hardware and use it with PTI's Mixed Messages for the sentiment. It can't be seen but I used a glitter pen from Sakura to give the flower a little zing.

This last one is the Inspiration challenge from SCS. Frank Lloyd Wright windows were the inspiration. I used scraps of SU papers to create the circles and the blocking. The stamps are from Hero Arts.

This is so different! I really like the challenges, though. They make me stretch a bit. In this case, a lot!

I may have more later in the week. Depends on how long my eyes can take it! Have a great evening.

Another batch

Here it is!  This is the one I lost on yesterday's post. Never did find it. Probably floating in cyber space somewhere! Do all the dots do funny things to your eyes?  I didn't think of that when I started punching all those spots. I was getting sick of the same old shapes. I just finished a lesson on geometry and the rhombus came to mind. ( Geometry in  grade 1? Go figure.) Then  I decided to make the giraffe "out of the box".

Kind of fun. I added a little hair to the critter with my cocoa pen, punched the spots away with hand held punches, rimmed them with a Sakura iridescent pen and popped it up on the rose layer. Papers and ink are Apricot and Regal rose with a swipe of bashful blue shading on the white. The ribbon was white grosgrain until I used my markers on it. 

Monochromatic (sort of) was the idea for this. I'm am still limiting 

myself to what I can use. I am finding it so much easier to create  as the images are already done and I don't have to agonize over what set to use! No choices on paper either, only the scrap box. I am having a field day with the DP paper. I have so much and rarely use it. Not any more. This is the saffron DSP, mustard accents, banana ribbon, a teeny little crystal from Hero Arts. The coloring was done with water color crayons and blender pen. These are really growing on me. "Friend" is from the Beautiful Blooms set at Paper Trey Ink

Oh, I feel like I'm entering the big time! I finally used my Nesties and my cuttlebug. They were burried in a drawer. I really think limiting myself is turning into a good thing!

This is a  Lochhart stamp from Ellen Hutson. I used the WC Crayons again and an aqua painter this time. Cut and embossed the layers with my one and only set of Nestabilities ( for now ). Layered them all with dimensionals. Papers are River Rock ( get it now w

hile still available), bashful blue and artichoke. I used the SU small oval punch and the designer lable punch. The ribbon was ivory and I added the green and blue marker. 

The message is from PTI. It is their Mixed Blessings set.

Well, "Cookie" is here and wants to dance. Good exercise, right?

Have a great night.