Show and Tell

Autumn Abundance

Today is Tuesday, October 11. It's been sort of a mixed-bag kind of day. I started out feeling rather sad and sorry for myself. Then around breakfast time my attitude improved. I even went to work for the first time in weeks — and that was very good. It takes me forever to do anything, but I did get a few things accomplished and stayed a couple of hours. Here's the proof...

I came home and took nap, had some lunch, and then just retired to the couch and got lost in the internet for awhile. I decided to have a little snack before working on my blog post, and that's when my fortunes changed. 

My balance and my gait have not been good today. My right foot is swollen and dragging again and, because of all of this, they have decided to up my steroids for awhile. Maybe they didn't do it soon enough, because a little while ago as I was making my way across the family room floor I stupidly tripped on the computer power cord and fell flat on my face. And then I couldn't get up. I finally did, but I had to army crawl to the little step from the family room into the breakfast room to get some leverage to stand. It was frustrating and humiliating and frightening all at the same time. And a little painful, too. I know that Ken & my mom will not be happy with me for not calling them for help — but sometimes you just have to at least try to do things for yourself. And, though I tend to tell all on the blog... by the time I do that I've had a bit of time to process. So — I'm hopeful that the increase in steroids will maybe help that little balance and foot-dragging issue. And that when they try to reduce the steroids again that there won't be any swelling that accompanies it. This whole thing is getting a little tiresome for me.

 

Here's some scripture for today —

Jeremiah 17:7-8

"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit."

Lord, You are my hope. My confidence is in You. I trust You with my life! Sink my roots deep into You. Even though I may be experiencing a drought right now, keep me fresh and productive. Let my life continue to produce fruit.

So, what a mixed-bag of day I've had. Yet, even still, my confidence in the Lord is not shaken. I will confess, I do not like this situation and the Lord and I have had a few conversations about it over the past several days. I can go from despair to hope at the drop of a hat — and vice versa. What I'm learning is that when I was feeling good, this tumor was easy to bear. Now that I've been having some slight headache and mobility issues — well, I'm pretty much a wimp. But, isn't my God the same God? Doesn't He love me just the same? He longs for me to turn to Him in my trials. He IS my hope and my confidence. I may be in a drought, but I won't wither and die because I am deeply rooted in Him. I need to be deeply rooted in Him. Thanks for praying for me.     

 

So let's move on to a card.

Our stash of cards to give to people who are bringing food to us was getting low, so it was time to beef the stack up a bit. 

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I made two cards using Papertrey Ink's Autumn Abundance set. I'm not a great colorer, but I think I did well enough. 

And I really like the sentiment. It's so appropriate. Thanks just doesn't seem like a enough considering all that people are doing for us. We are so, so appreciative!

 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Autumn Abundance); cardstock is inexpensive white); ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black); also used SU watercolor pencils and a blender pen.

I need to finish this up. My mom has a gift card for Olive Garden that we're planning on using tonight. I haven't been to Olive Garden for years, so it should be fun.

Thank you so much for stopping by and for your continued prayers for us. We so appreciate you and are sending you big hugs! Hope to see you here again tomorrow. 

We will not fear... and... a leafy thank you

Today is Friday, September 2. The day before a 3-day weekend. Say a prayer for me. I didn't do so well after a 2-day weekend, so the idea of three days makes me a little nervous. Of course, I've had more treatments since last weekend and am on a higher dose of steroids so everything will probably be fine... still I have just a bit of anxiety if I let my mind go there. (And thanks for the prayers!)

My plans for today include finishing my stamp club project (our meeting is on the 10th) and also finishing another little project to take to the teachers at school that I've begun but am now avoiding.

I'm going to try to figure out how to make scarves work on my head so that I'll be prepared when my hair starts to fall out in a couple of weeks. Thank goodness for YouTube videos. I know that many of you who know me are curious about how I will look as a brunette -- since I told you I was going with a brown wig. Eventually I'll show you a picture of that, too. I promise. When that picture appears, it may be the clue that the hair has begun to fall.

Oh -- and I must write some thank you notes. I've always been bad about writing thank yous, but... man... if ever a person had a lot to be thankful for it's me. And I need to acknowledge how grateful I am. But, I've kept terrible records... so I'll do the best I can from what I remember. If you have done anything nice for us and I don't acknowledge it... can we just chalk that up to me having a brain tumor? :) Truly, though, we are so, so appeciative!

Now let's get into the Word for just a bit.

Psalm 46:1-2

"God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes [and brain tumors] come and the mountains crumble into the sea."

Yes, I like to personalize scripture. :) And, I can tell you that, when I stay in my Bible... when I go there every day... it is so much easier to not fear. I know that I've said it before, but it probably bears repeating. Being in my Bible daily (I use this one... The Change Your Life Daily Bible) is essential for my mental and spiritual well-being. The other thing that really helps me, and I've said it before, too, is that I've loaded my phone with some of my favorite Christian music and I play it often. Doing both of those things -- daily Bible reading and listening to music that magnifies the Lord -- keeps my focus off of what ails me. And I bet it would keep your focus off of what ails you, too. You may want to try it. :)

So -- now it's after 3:30, I've had my treatment, been to Target... bought a scarf that is NOT silky (silky is so slippery to work with!)... went to a shoe store and bought a pair of shoes with no heels (PURPLE! gotta have something kinda fun!)... and am now realizing that I haven't really done a single thing that I planned to do today. Oh, well. I'll try chipping away at my to-do list later.

We've had so many people do nice things for us and I thought I'd share some of those with you. Maybe they will spur an idea in your mind of something you can do for someone else. Or maybe you'll just want to copy. Copying is fine. I think it's a great form of flattery. :)

Here's one idea. My office assistant, Kim, while we were still in the hospital, came in with this round hatbox...

I think that I knew immediately what I would use it for. Besides getting a lot of cards, which I've shown you how Britt's been taping them to our walls, we have gotten letters, annointed prayer cloths, and other things that just aren't wall appropriate. So -- this box was perfect...

It corrals all of those precious items in one place and makes it easy for us to locate words of encouragement and just look at things that make us smile. :) And it's much better than a willy-nilly pile of stuff on the counter -- which is my usual style.

On to something crafty... 

 

This card has sort of an autumn look to it. Is anyone else ready for cooler weather and fall colors? 

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Hmmm. I seem to be out of words... Not much to say about this. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Day of Gratitude); cardstock is SU (Sahara Sand, River Rock); ink is from SU (Cajun Craze, River Rock, Chocolate Chip); button is Papertrey Ink (Dark Chocolate); marker is SU (Chocolate Chip). 

So -- I really, really appreciate you stopping by my blog today. I know we're not having much of a conversation lately since I haven't been doing much in the way of responding to your comments... but I do read every single one and am so encouraged by your words. Thanks for participating! And I hope those of you in the U.S. have a fabulous holiday weekend. Hugs to you all!

One Layer Cards

Trying to keep up with some of my favorite challenge sites this weekend, so here is a card for this week's One Layer Wednesday Challenge on Simplicity by Late Blossom: to use three images and a sentiment (OLW20).

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These leaf stamps look so good using the rock and roll technique (inking the image in a light color and then rolling the edge in a darker color before actually stamping). Perfect for fall leaves. Of course, what would a Janelle card be without a little glitch of some kind? After I stamped the bottom leaf, I dropped the stamp (ink side down, of course) on the edge of the card creating a faint mess. Sigh. I debated leaving it as is — you know, highlighting the handmade quality (haha)... but decided that I should trim it off instead... which then led to having to trim the top of the card, too, to keep things in balance. As usual, one thing leads to another... the top corner looked too empty and square so I rounded it and, finally, I'm pretty pleased with the end result -- a card that's a little smaller than I intended, but — hey — it's flat and will fit in an envelope very easily now!

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Leaf Prints, Big & Bold Wishes); cardstock is Stampin' Up (Cream Confetti); ink is PTI (Summer Sunrise, Orange Zest, Dark Chocolate); also used a Creative Memories corner rounder.

Since I seem compelled to do all of Susan's one layer challenges, here is a card for OLW7: to use repetition. Yeah... I went repetition crazy here. 

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This card is for my high school friend, Armando, who was hinting last weekend that he needed a card to bring him luck during the fall run of the Coho Salmon (up in Washington state). I tried to use fish colors, adding a touch of "salmon" to represent the very tasty meat.  So — Armando, this one's for you. Hope it helps. ;)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Big & Bold Wishes) and K & Company (Actopus to Zelephant); cardstock is PTI (Rustic White); ink is Stampin' Up (Going Grey, Cameo Coral, Basic Gray).

Now, on to my day. First of all, my new football jersey. My very first football jersey, I should say. I've debated for years on which Panther player to "invest" in. It had to be someone that was good... not just a good football player, but good in life, too. There have been quite a few that fit the bill, but I'm glad I held out for this one...

 
you see, Clausen is my maiden name, so when Jimmy Clausen was drafted by the Panthers, well, it was just meant to be. Of course, he's awfully young and whether he's good in the NFL or in life remains to be seen, so I'm taking a bit of a risk. A $60 (!) risk. But, at least I'm on the small side and can fit into a kid size jersey... otherwise it would've been an $80 risk. I'll be wearing this every week during football season for quite some time, so all I can say is he better not become an embarrassment to the family name. :)

I always start out the football season with a great sense of optimism.

 
It's so fun to go to the games and sit in our seats with all our "friends" in Section 204.

 
To hear the Star-Spangled Banner sung. To experience the military fly-over that accompanies the first home game.

 
Even being behind at half-time doesn't dampen the energy of the half-time show... at least not at the beginning of the season.

 
But the heat? That's another thing.

 
The heat quickly makes losing a game twice as bad. I mean, who wants to sit and sweat for three hours or so and then lose?

 
But that's what we did today. And next week we'll be back. For another 1:00 game. Probably on another 92 degree day (adding 10 or so more degrees inside the stadium). Sweating like crazy. But maybe, just maybe, next week will be a win. And then roasting in the Carolina sun won't seem quite so bad. You see, it's still the beginning of the season. And I can still be an optimist. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you've had a wonderful weekend! 

Out of practice.

That's me. Plain old out of practice.

So, I thought that since I hadn't stamped for a few days that it might be a good idea to ease back in with a One Layer Wednesday challenge. This week Susan's challenge (OLW18) is to use a tree stamp. OK, I thought. I have tree stamps. I can do this.

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This set that has 6 different wild and funky tree stamps in it happened to be laying in the middle of my stamp room's floor (from when I started sorting and cleaning over a month ago!) so it was elected. And for some reason I decided to use a Spectrum stamp pad — you know, those pads with multiple colors in them. I always like the idea of Spectrum pads more than I like the results I get with them. Oh, well. Like I said, I'm out of practice.  

AND TELL:  stamps are from Autumn Leaves (Wild Trees) and Papertrey Ink (Autumn Abundance); cardstock is PTI (Rustic White); ink is from Stampin' Up (Late November Spectrum pad); velvet ribbon is from Michael's.

Before I went on vacation, you may remember that I was playing catch-up on this particular challenge, trying to do all the back ones that I had missed. So, here is a card for OLW5:  using faux embellishment stamps.

The August Kit of the Month from Unity had some button stamps, so that was an easy choice.

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Um. I see a few problems with this card. With both of them, actually, but I'm going to be good and not point them out. Maybe you remember that I don't do do-overs. So, what you see is what you get. I used Crystal Effects on the button images and I think that's what saves this card. In real life it's quite eye-catching. 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (August 2010 KOM: all you need...); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Rustic White); ink is Stampin' Up (Basic Black, Real Red, Summer Sun); baker's twine is from Martha Stewart; also used SU's Crystal Effects.

I still have so many Oregon Coast pictures that I want to share and, while it seems a little ridiculous to be carrying on with my vacation photos so long after the fact, I can't help myself. I just love, love, love the Oregon coastline. It's just so rugged and beautiful. 

And I had really been looking forward to spending a day over there.

 
Can you tell?

 
I'm such a cheesey smiler. My brother is a bit more restrained... but he was a good sport, posing for a picture with his dorky big sister.  
 

Like most coastlines, I suppose, the Oregon coast is dotted with lighthouses. Can you see the one in the distance on the photo above? I'm pretty sure that's the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. There's a Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, too. Just to keep things interesting, you know.

Maybe you can see the lighthouse in the photo below. That is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world:  Heceta Head Lighthouse. It really is quite beautiful. Not sure if you can tell, but all those cars crowded in there belong to photographers who were setting up their tripods and getting ready for what I'm sure they were hoping would be a fabulous sunset.
 

I decided not to wrestle my way into the midst of them with my little point-and-shoot. But I think I got a pretty decent photo anyway.
 
 

Even got the lighthouse with the light on. And a seagull perched on the stone wall, taking in the view. Not bad for an amateur with a little Panasonic camera.

The day was so beautiful and so wonderful, but, actually, I was a little disappointed. 

When I think of the Oregon Coast, I think of wind, gray skies, misty weather, wild and rough surf. It was windy, but other than that... well, it was just so pretty out.

 
I think it's probably wrong to be disappointed. I think I should have been happy for the beauty of the day. And I was. But still twinged with a bit of longing for cold, damp, chilly air. Call me crazy. Guess I should plan my next visit for the winter. That will pretty well guarantee cold, damp, and chilly!

That's all for today. Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope to be back tomorrow with more papercrafty stuff and more Oregon photos. See you then!

Farewell Tour #1: After Party

Well, I couldn't make myself stop. I still had more ideas. This "farewell tour" may be the end of me.

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I must say, I just love this card. The colors, the stamps, everything. Oh, I think I'm going to have a hard time giving this set up! 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Suitable for Framing) and Papertrey Ink(Autumn Abundance); cardstock is PTI (Rustic White); ink is SU (Tangerine Tango, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip). 

Then I still had three stamps in the set that I hadn't used yet — so I was compelled to make one more card.

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This card gives a preview of a sentiment stamp set that will be on the Farewell Tour one of these days.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Suitable for Framing, All Year Cheer I); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Rustic White); ink is SU (Wild Wasabi, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Basic Black).

So — I thought I'd give you a day by day recap of our long weekend in Florida. And, believe it or not, this was not a food-focused trip. I didn't take a single food picture. Crazy, I know.

It's about an 8 hour drive from our house to Ken's mom's, so we left early Thursday morning. On the way down, my wonderful husband asked if there was anything that I wanted to do while we were down there. After a brief moment I said, "Well, I wouldn't mind seeing the ocean for a few minutes." And — that great guy of mine made it happen.

We stopped in Cocoa Beach and were pleasantly surprised when we got out of the car.

It wasn't terribly hot and there was a nice, gentle breeze blowing. So unlike the hot and humid city that we'd left!

The beach was not crowded at all.

We walked down and got our feet wet and sandy — after all, what's a trip to the beach without sand between your toes?

Then, back to the car and a quick drive past the big Ron Jon Surf Shop...

 

with the tall palm trees and cool sculptures out front.

And on to Mom Hayes' house... where we were welcomed by that familiar "Ken's coming for a visit" pot roast smell. (OK — I said there were no food pictures, but I didn't say I wouldn't talk about food!) A yummy dinner, good conversation, and a promise of more days of fellowship. 

Now back to the present — I have a crazy, busy week ahead of me. Lots of stuff to do for work. Lots of stuff to do at home. Lots of stuff to make for upcoming occasions. {sigh} I'm tired just thinking of it. And, besides all that, I have to pry the Suitable for Framing stamp set from my hands. :)

Hopefully, I'll still have a chance to do some quick posts, though, so check back. And, thanks so much for stopping by today. See you again soon.

Trees for Every Season

 
I made this set of cards for the October Papertrey Ink Guest Star Stamper contest in the Best Use of a Previous Set category. They didn't win, but I still think they're pretty cute.

Back in August I had done a similar card for the Papertrey Blog Hop (here) and just reworked and expanded on what I had done there.

The starting point was the trees stamp from Everyday Button Bits. Instead of buttons for the treetops, I used patterned paper or punched cardstock circles that had been stamped with images from Guidelines II. I adhered buttons on top of some of the paper circles. Others I left "as is" and some I embossed to represent snow-covered branches.

SHOW:  Spring Card

AND TELL:  all products are PTI unless noted; stamps: Eveyday Button Bits, Guidelines II, Mega Mixed Messages; cardstock: Lemon Tart, White, Kraft; patterned paper: Bitty Box Basics (Spring Rain), Bitty Dot Basics (Spring Moss, Raspberry Fizz, Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet); ink (Dark Chocolate, Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, Fresh Snow) and Stampin' Up's Pink Passion; buttons: Raspberry Fizz, Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet; also used Divine Swirls Embossing Folder from Provo Craft, Fiskars Apron Edge Punch, Stampin' Up's Modern Label Punch and 3/4", 1", and 1-1/4" circle punches, pink rhinestones from my stash.

SHOW:  Summer Card   

AND TELL:  all products are PTI unless noted; stamps: Eveyday Button Bits, Guidelines II, Scattered Showers; cardstock: Pure Poppy, Lemon Tart, Spring Moss, New Leaf, Ripe Avocado, Kraft; patterned paper: Bitty Box Basics (Ripe Avocado), Bitty Dot Basics (Spring Rain); ink: Dark Chocolate, Spring Moss, New Leaf, Fresh Snow; buttons: Pure Poppy; also used Fiskars Apron Edge Punch, Stampin' Up's Modern Label Punch and 3/4", 1", and 1-1/4" circle punches, green rhinestones from my stash. 

SHOW:  Autumn Card

AND TELL:  all products are PTI unless noted; stamps: Eveyday Button Bits, Guidelines II, 2009 Autumn Tags; cardstock: Summer Sunrise, White, Kraft; patterned paper: Bitty Box Basics (Spring Rain), Bitty Dot Basics (Ripe Avocado); ink (Dark Chocolate, Summer Sunrise, Fresh Snow) and Stampin' Up's Tangerine Tango and Real Red; buttons: Dark Chocolate, Melon Berry, Pure Poppy; also used Divine Swirls Embossing Folder from Provo Craft, EKSuccess Embossed Scallop Border Punch, Stampin' Up's Modern Label Punch and 3/4", 1", and 1-1/4" circle punches, orange rhinestones purchased from PTI.

SHOW:  Winter Card

AND TELL:  all products are PTI unless noted; stamps: Eveyday Button Bits, Guidelines II, 2008 Holiday Tag Collection; cardstock: Enchanted Evening, Dark Chocolate, White, Kraft; patterned paper: Bitty Dot Basics (Spring Rain); ink (Dark Chocolate, Fresh Snow) and VersaMark; also used Swiss Dots Embossing Folder from Provo Craft, EKSuccess Embossed Scallop Border Punch, Stampin' Up's Modern Label Punch and 3/4", 1", and 1-1/4" circle punches, Stamp 'n Stuff white detail embossing powder, prisma glitter adhered to circle with Xyron, clear rhinestones purchased from PTI.

And, you know I have to show you more pictures from our trip to the State Fair. How about some livestock? It just wouldn't be a state fair without small children trying to get big animals to cooperate in the show ring.

 

Watching that boy with his cow reminded me of this boy with his cow.

 

August 1942. That's my dad with his cow, Beauty. The two of them won a blue ribbon at the 4-H fair.  Dad was 11 years old. I didn't know my dad as a cow-handler. I don't think I ever saw him with any animal larger than a dog. Well, we did ride horses a couple times, but by the time I came along, he had completely transformed himself from farm boy to professional educator. We were town folk.

And, I don't know about you, but I live in this relatively sanitary suburban world where we don't see (or smell) things like this.

 

Yet, I love the smell of the hay mingling with the scent of the animals and, well, you know what else. It just seems so natural and wholesome and clean, in an odd sort of way. I'm probably making no sense. I think I'm just feeling a little sentimental tonight. Probably a sure sign that I need to get some sleep! 

So that's where I'll head off to now. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. (And, if you read this far you probably deserve a reward! Give yourself a star and have a great night!!) Hope to talk to you again soon! And — maybe show you more State Fair pictures. :)
 
 

 

Nora's Birthday

Our next door neighbor turned three earlier this month. We were invited to her "Great Pumpkin" birthday party.

Instead of a card, I decided on a gift tag to hang off the basic white Wal-mart-purchased gift bag.

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I wanted to do something girl-y and pumpkin-y and think I succeeded pretty well. The pink and purple, orange and green color scheme worked out — making a tag that's worthy of becoming a bedroom-door embellishment.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (2009 Autumn Tags, Vintage Labels, Fresh Alphabet); cardstock is Stampin' Up (Lovely Lilac) and Papertrey Ink (Stamper's Select White)(butterfly and leaves were from my pre-punched stash and I think are SU's Pink Pirouette, Glorious Green, and Old Olive); ink may be Papertrey Ink's New Leaf and True Black, and is definitely their Tea Dye Duo; markers used on the pumpkin stamp are from Stampin' Up (Only Orange, Close to Cocoa, and, I think, Garden Green); also used lots of things from my miscellaneous stuff drawer: chipboard number from Target's Dollar Spot, glittered and embossed sticker from a clearance priced K&Co. set, self-adhesive pink rhinestones, Adornments fibers from EK Success, and then quite a bit of Star Dust Stickles. Oh, and Spellbinder's Labels One dies, butterfly and leaf frond punches from Martha Stewart, and Stampin' Up's Little Leaves die.

I made the tag to complement the contents of the gift bag.

If you don't know about Fancy Nancy and have a preschool or early elementary school girl to read to, you should really look into these books. Nancy is just fancier than the rest of her family and loves to learn (and use) big "fancy" words. She's especially fond of words with a French origin — which was perfect for Nora, as her oldest sister is studying French and went on a school trip to France last spring. (I haven't read all the books, but the ones that I've read also contain a good lesson about dealing with disappointments or embarrassments that come along in life.)

Back to the party, a pumpkin patch had been created in Nora's backyard, and the children — one decked-out in her party finery (very "Fancy Nancy-ish"!) — had fun picking out pumpkins to paint.

The cake carried the theme out perfectly.

What a fun party with a great October birthday theme!

Thanks for coming back by today. I don't say it often enough, but I really, really, really appreciate all of you who come by and sometimes even leave me little encouraging comments. I read every one of them and I don't always let you know, but every one of them makes me smile.

Have a great October day, wherever you are! 

  

Goin' Green

The challenge for this month's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop was to "go green" by recycling some of their packaging items on your project.

My mom and brother flew in from Oregon yesterday, so I decided to make little 4-1/4" square welcome cards for them.

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You may recognize the rather sticky corrugated cardboard that Papertrey Ink packs around the ends of their paper packs so we don't get paper with smooshed corners. I actually liked this look enough that I saved the rest of the strips to use again (although it was a challenge to find something to adhere the circular tag to it — I ended up using Zip Dry liquid adhesive).

When inking the oak image, I used Dark Chocolate ink, removed some of the ink from the leaves using baby wipes and then used markers to randomly add fall colors to them. I think they look pretty much like the autumn oak leaves I remember from growing up in Oregon.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (2009 Autumn Tags, Vintage Picnic Sentiments); cardstock is PTI (Orange Zest, Summer Sunrise) and Stampin' Up (Confetti Cream); patterned paper is PTI (Bitty Box Basics); ink is PTI (Dark Chocolate); button (New Leaf) and twine (Vintage Cream) are PTI; markers are from Stampin' Up (Summer Sun, Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie) and tag is from Tiny Tags Cuttlebug die; also used a circle Nestabilities. 

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Here I trimmed the plastic container that the PTI stamp sets come in, cut and embossed it into flower shapes, and used brads to attach them to cardstock that was cut and embossed with the same die. I think the shiny surface along with all the texture on this card makes for a rather interesting combination.  

AND MORE TELL:  stamp is from PTI (Everyday Classics); cardstock is PTI (Spring Rain, Enchanted Evening, Pure Poppy, Orange Zest, Summer Sunrise, Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate) and Stampin' Up (Confetti Cream); ink is PTI (Dark Chocolate); also used Provo Craft's Textile and Swiss Dots Embossing Folders, PTI's Vintage Cream Button Twine, and Stampin' Up's brads, Lots of Tags Label 1 and Little Leaves dies and their Cherry Blossom Embosslit.  

I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of the little welcome trays that I left beside the beds our guests will be sleeping in.

Thanks so much for coming by — and if you're blog hopping tonight, enjoy all the great inspiration. Hope you come back and visit me again soon!

Moving Toward Fall

The weather this week has been more like October than like August. I even took a sweatshirt with me to the Panthers game on Thursday night. Unheard of. Sure beats sweltering in the afternoon sun — which is what I'll probably be doing on Sunday, September 13, when the Panthers play the Eagles.

I have a couple of cards for you today, both using the colors from Dawn McVey's latest Raspberry Suite Color Challenge. Love these colors together. I think I'm ready for the change of season.

I didn't set out to make two cards. It just happened. I had certain elements that I wanted to use, but couldn't get them to work on the same card — so I divided them up and made two little cards instead. They're just 3-3/4" square — a fun little size!

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AND TELL:  all materials are Papertrey Ink — stamps (2009 Autumn Tags), cardstock (Dark Chocolate, Kraft, Summer Sunrise, Vintage Cream), patterned paper (BItty Box Basics Dark Chocolate), ink (Summer Sunrise, Vintage Cream), ribbon (Vintage Cream saddle stitch), rhinestones (orange); also used Stampin' Up's 1-3/4" circle and ticket corner punches, Fiskars Apron Edge punch, and Spellbinder's Nestabilities Labels Three. 

And, here's the second card.

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Love this one. To add a little interest underneath, I tried stamping the tags in varying degrees of darkness. And, since four buttons of the same size were boring, I jazzed up a large button with adhesive gems. I've seen others do it, and it does add a touch of class, don't you think?

AND TELL:  everything is Papertrey Ink unless noted differently — stamps (2009 Autumn Tags), cardstock (Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream), patterned paper (Bitty Dot Basics Summer Sunrise), ink (Dark Chocolate, Vintage Tea Dye Duo), buttons (Dark Chocolate), rhinestones (orange), Rustic Jute Button Twine; also used Stampin' Up's Bigz Lattice die and Modern Label punch and K&co. adhesive pearl.

So much to do today. A few last minute details at school. Gotta get to Curves before noon as I promised myself I would get to 800 workouts before school starts and today is my last chance to be at 800 before Tuesday as they're closed the rest of the holiday weekend. (I know, I like to cut things close.) Need to run up to IKEA for a few little things. Dinner tonight at our regular Monday night company's house. Her parents are in town — her mom's making some swags for her living room today and cooking her birthday dinner tonight while her dad is pressure washing her back deck and painting the concrete on her side porch. I'll post some pictures if I can get my camera working. We're having issues. :( 

Ken's up at the church (school) now waiting for me so I best get going. Have a fabulous weekend and thanks for coming by today! Hope you get a chance to stop by again soon. Bye.

happy fall

It's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop time — yippee! This month on the blog hop we are celebrating all things autumn. Texture, color, patterns, motifs — anything fall related.

And, since I seem to be addicted to sketch and color challenges, I used this week's 2 Sketches 4 You inspirational sketch, Laura's #33. I twisted and turned it a little, but I think it still fits. Sort of. Kind of. (Last week, I forgot to link my 2S4Y card to their blog — what a flake! If you're new to my blog and would like to see my caterpillar card, it is here.)

SHOW

Spring used to be my favorite season, but as I've aged into the autumn of my life I've become quite fond of fall. I appreciate the cooler weather after the hot and humid summer. I love the rich colors of the leaves against the Carolina blue sky. And I really love the spicy scents of hot apple cider, pumpkin cookies, and stew simmering on the stove. Oh, and one can't forget the sound of the crackling fire or the Friday night football cheers and bands playing at the high school across the road. Ahhh. I'm so ready.

AND TELL:  all supplies are from Papertrey Ink unless stated otherwise — stamps (Everyday Button Bits, Guidelines Two, 2009 Autumn Tags); cardstock and patterned paper (Kraft, Stampers Select White, Summer Sunrise, Ripe Avocado Bitty Dot Basics, Spring Rain Bitty Box Basics) along with Stampin' Up (Tangerine Tango) and a red with bitty orange dots scrap; ink (Dark Chocolate, Summer Sunrise) along with Stampin' Up (Real Red, Tangerine Tango); buttons (Dark Chocolate, Melon Berry, Pure Poppy); Rustic Jute Button Twine.  

Edited to add the punches used: EKSuccess Embossed Curve Edge Punch, Stampin' Up Circle Punches: 1-1/4", 1", 3/4"; Provo Craft Tiny Tags die for the Cuttlebug.

Thanks for stopping by tonight! Can't wait to get hopping myself...

(By the way, I asked on the PTI forums, but no answers so far — Is it OK to link your Blog Hop post to a sketch challenge also? If it's not, I'll take that sketch part out — I just need to know if it "illegal" or bad etiquette or whatever. Thanks if anyone knows the answer!)