Show and Tell

Just a Card

If you come here for some crafty inspiration, this post is for you. If you come here for the other stuff... well, come back later. This is going to be a flashback type of post... the kind that I did pre-brain tumor... just a card for a challenge.

So this card is in response to Susan's challenge on her blog — to be inspired by something on my blog. Seems a little odd to be posting an entry for this challenge, but I've been encouraged to do so — and, per my usual, I'm kind of squeaking in under the wire. 

I chose the card from this post to be inspired by. It is also a one layer card and I kind of like the way I framed the scripture verse with all the flowers and stuff.

SHOW

Pretty obvious interpretation — foliage all around, text in the center; pretty much like the inspiration piece. 

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Turning a New Leaf, Beautiful Blessings, Floral Fusion); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White); ink is Stampin' Up (Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, So Saffron) and PTI (True Black).

Thanks for popping by to take a look at my One Layer Wednesday card. And, if you played along in the challenge, thanks so much for that, too. Also, I'd like to thank Susan for honoring me in this way and bringing attention to my situation. Having all this additional prayer support is very touching and so important to me. I hope that if this was your first visit to my blog that you've gained some inspiration and that you'll come back and visit me again. I'd love to have you! I'll be back later today with what has become my regular post... an update, some scripture, and another crafty moment (this one will be a child's birthday card). Hope to see you for all that — and, again, thanks for your visit and support!

OLW62 and OLW52

Sorry for being absent for awhile there... I'll give you an update later. But right now I just need to get these One Layer Wednesday cards posted before the next challenge is introduced tomorrow. The first card here is for OLW62, to make a thank you card for a specific person — and mail it.

SHOW

I think I may have cheated a bit here — or at least strayed from Susan's intention. I can't seem to make thank you notes for my bride-to-be daughter fast enough these days, so this little stack (just seven cards because I only had seven envelopes left!) will be going to her. She is a great girl, though, so I'll just say here... thanks for being such a wonderful daughter, Britt — always a voice of reason saying just exactly what I need to hear. :) (And, what a beautiful bride you'll be in just eleven days!)

AND TELL: stamp is from Stampin' Up (Gently Falling); paper is from a stationery store that was going out of business; ink is SU (Late November Spectrum stamp pad).

 

 

 

 

Now since I'm still trying to catch up from challenges of past weeks, here is the card I made for OLW52 — to use circles on your card.

SHOW

Not much to say about this one. Just a very simple, graphic card. 

AND TELL: stamps are from Stampin' Up (Great Shapes, Little Pieces, Enjoy Every Moment); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Rustic White); ink is SU (Sahara Sand, Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Melon Mambo, Pacific Point, Real Red).

That is going to have to be it for today. I promise I'll catch you up on our lives as soon as I can. Things are definitely busy right now. I have plenty to post... just not a lot of time to write and edit. Hope you understand. 

Thanks so much for hanging in there with me and stopping by for a little visit. Hearing from you makes my day! I still have some stamp club cards to share, plus lots of wedding related stuff — so, I hope to be back soon.  Have a great evening!

OLW 61, OLW51

I'm going to have to be quick today. Too much going on, I think.

These are cards for One Layer Wednesday challenges. This first one is for OLW61 which just so happens to be the challenge this week — to use clouds (as issued by Jennifer and her son).

SHOW

I used the clouds stamp from Unity, scored around the outside edges of the image, used a post-it to mask the left and right sides, and then stamped the sentiment across.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (Kit of the Month: Oct. 2010) and Stampin' Up (Graceful Words); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White); ink is SU (Going Grey, Kiwi Kiss); also used a Scor-Pal.

The second set of cards is for OLW51. This challenge was to make three cards using the same image but different sentiments. Here are mine. 

SHOW

I should've used my Stamp-a-majig on that first one where I repeated the image. Oh, well. I still kinda like it. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Unity (Kits of the Month:  Aug. 2009, Sept. 2009, July 2010 and the leafy image was a freebie I got with my first order); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Stampers Select White); ink is Stampin' Up (Certainly Celery, Marina Mist, Pretty in Pink, Real Red), Encore Ultimate Metallic (Silver), and Memento (Tuxedo Black). 

I have a ton of things to do so I think I best get going. Thanks so much for stopping by here for a few minutes. Tomorrow is stamp club — we're doing a luncheon and recipe card swap. Hopefully I'll get back to show you my card sometime in the evening. And hopefully you'll be back, too. See you then! 

OLW60, OLW50

Before the cards, a couple more pictures from our 4th of July. You saw the morning parade pictures yesterday. Here are a couple photos from the evening cook-out in our cul-de-sac —

Can you see the driving rain?

Crazy. So we all ended up in our next-door neighbors' garage. Still fun to celebrate the holiday with our neighbors — about nine or ten families' worth.

Now, gotta squeak my One Layer Wednesday card in before this week's deadline. Maybe one day I'll actually post a card before Tuesday night! This week's challenge was to layer stamped images. I feel like this is almost too easy, but I like the graphic nature of it.

SHOW

Had I time I would have made this card in a ton of colors with a ton of different stamps. So easy, but I love it! I don't think I'll ever purge Stampin' Up's Great Shapes set from my collection. :)

AND TELL: stamps are from Stampin' Up (Great Shapes, Silhouette Sentiments); cardstock is SU (Very Vanilla); ink is SU (Crushed Curry) and Memento (Tuxedo Black).

Now another One Layer Wednesday card for an old challenge. For some reason I just can't bear the thought of skipping a single challenge. Weird, I know. This is for OLW50, to use "old rubber". I've had this dragonfly stamp since my craft designing days in the 1990s. I think that definitely qualifies it as old. :)

SHOW

I carried this challenge to extremes. Not only did I use an old stamp, I used an old stamp pad. In fact, the stamp pad was so old that everytime I inked it up, pieces of the pad came off with the stamp. But, being true to my character... I just carried on. Throwing away something I've started working on is just not in my DNA. So these dragonflies have a rather mottled look. I decided it was kind of interesting — but, I did throw away the stamp pad after I was finished. Peeling the layer of foam from the stamp pad off of the stamps was getting to be a little ridiculous. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Hot Potatoes (Dragonfly) and Stampin' Up (Thank You Kindly); stationery paper from a store going out of business; ink is Color Box (Tropical) and Memento (Tuxedo Black); also used Prisma Ultrafine glitter (Gold).

Here's a little more from our midwestern trip — finally moving on from Indiana into Illinois. I spent way more time writing about our time in the Hoosier State than we actually spent there. I really do know how to go on and on, don't I?

Saturday afternoon was quite exciting because our first order of business was spending time with my blog friend, Sue. And how I love her. If you read her blog, be assured that she is as nice as she seems! :)

Ken and I met Sue and her husband, John, at a Panera Bread in Springfield for lunch and then they treated us to a visit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum.

Here Sue & I are with our hosts — the Lincoln family. :)

What a great visit we had — both at the museum and with Sue & John! If you're ever in the area of Springfield, Illinois I highly recommend the museum (and Sue... :) )

She made a little gift bag for me. I forgot to photograph it, so you can see it on her blog here. But I did get a picture of the little card she made...

Cute, huh?

And here's the inside...

 Love the way she used that little banner as part of her message. Cute and clever! :) (Thanks, Sue!)

Well, again... that's probably more than enough for one day. I do plan to be back tomorrow. With more crafty stuff. And more Illinois stuff, too. Hope to see you then!

 

Hello, One Layer Wednesday

Hello! Thought I'd pop in with a couple One Layer Wednesday cards. The first one is for this week's challenge (which expires tonight... you know how I like to squeak these things in!). OLW59 is an inspiration challenge based on the photo at right (found on Pinterest by Susan).

 

 

 

 

SHOW

Hopefully you can tell how I used the photo as inspiration. And hopefully you'll overlook my very amateur coloring job on that daffodil. Maybe someday I'll work on my skills. Or lack thereof. :)

AND TELL: stamps are from Stampin' Up (Great Shapes) and Papertrey Ink (Year of Flowers: Daffodils, Mixed Messages); cardstock is PTI (Rustic White); ink is SU (Soft Sky) and Memento (Tuxedo Black); ribbon is from PTI (1/4" silk); also used three yellow-ish Copic markers.

The next card is one of my "make-up" cards from several weeks ago — OLW49, where the challenge was to use "new rubber" (previously unused stamps) and the colors pink and green.

SHOW

Since I had some new stamps and also needed a couple thank you notes, this was a perfectly timed challenge. In the process of making the cards, though, I smeared ink on one. Grrrr. But, you know me... I don't redo, I just rework. So to the right you can see the other version.

AND TELL: stamps are from Stampin' Up (Printed Petals, Silhouette Sentiments); stationery paper from a store going out of business; ink and markers are SU (Wild Wasabi; Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette); also used Divine Twine (Cotton Candy).

Here is where the family stuff begins (and I'm afraid it's a little lengthy)... so, feel free to duck-out now. :) While I was absent from the blog, I was mostly in the car with my husband, going from place to place in the midwest... visiting family and eating some of our favorite delicacies (a term I use loosely as you'll see over the next few posts). We drove 2100 miles in about 4-1/2 days. Thankfully we travel well together.

Our trip started early in the morning last Thursday.

Yes, before dawn. And that photo was taken after we'd been driving awhile.

On the plus side,

we did see a pretty sunrise. :)

Soon after the sun came up, though, we got into the mountains...

and some rain... which to me is way better than having the sun beat in on me through the car windows. But, then, I'm not driving. And when it gets too tense (like the rare occasion that I disagree with the speed at which Ken is barreling down the rain-slick road...), I just go to sleep. It's a great escape and makes the trip go so much faster. :)

One of the good things about traveling with Ken, is that he drinks lots of coffee... which requires lots of stops. So I never have to ask how much longer until we arrive at the next facilities. I just know that it will be before I'm desperate.

One of his favorite places to stop is at Pilot gas stations/truck stops/convenience stores. They're usually clean and have lots of food and drink choices.

I thought these were pretty. And I like slushies, but my beverage of choice is coffee so I just admired the pretty colors through the lens of my camera... much to the amusement of the ladies behind the counter...

who posed for a fleeting chance at fame (as though that would come through my blog... haha!). :) People are friendly down here in the South.

By the time we reached Cincinnati, the sun had come out.

Sort of, anyway.

(Love Cincinnati's bridges.)  [Edited to correct:  OK. So I don't pay close attention when Ken's driving. That is not Cincinnati. That's Louisville. So, I guess that I really love the bridges in Louisville, not the bridges in Cincinnati. Or, well, maybe I do love the bridges in Cincinnati, too. I just don't remember them right now. Guess we'll have to drive through there next year so I can compare. :) Sorry for the confusion!]

Although the sun hid away again as we approached Indianapolis...

and made the first stop on our tour of favorites.

I love the Mexican Hot Chocolate at the Chocolate Cafe in downtown Indy. And I can take the strange looks from people when I order it in the blazing heat of summer (which didn't apply this year as it was probably in the 60s throughout our entire trip... a nice relief from the 90+ degrees that we've been experiencing in North Carolina).

In a change from our usual schedule, we made a stop at the Indianapolis airport to pick up Ken's mom, who flew in that day from Florida...

which gave me a new view... one from the backseat. And, the backseat naps just about as well as the front seat does, so that was fine with me. :) (It's good to be able to sleep almost anywhere, right?)

Shortly after I woke up, we arrived at Winona Lake, where Ken's sister and brother-in-law have a house. Another sister had driven in from Kansas City, so there was lots of good conversation around the table.

And a gorgeous view of the sunset over the lake.

Ah... so peaceful. Just what you want after being on the road for over 12 hours.

And, I think that's more than enough for one day. How about if I show you more tomorrow? Don't worry, there will be something crafty, too. Couldn't leave that out! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit. I've missed hearing from you, so be sure to say hi — and I'll plan to see you again soon!

Out of Order

That's how I feel sometimes. A little out of order. After a great start last week, I now think I need to put an "out of order" sign on myself. I'm not sure how it all fell apart, but it did. Nothing really happened. I just went on the fritz, I guess.

But... that's not what the title of this post is really referring, too. I have a system for "making up" challenges that I enjoy doing but have missed. I do the current challenge and then I post a card for the most distant week that I skipped. So that means that since I am doing cards for One Layer Wednesday challenges that I should be doing this week's challenge (OLW 58, to use orange, yellow, and aqua) and a card for OLW 48. And I have a card finished for that week. In fact, I've finished cards for most of the weeks that I couldn't find time for when they were live. But today is Father's Day. So — it would make more sense to show the card for OLW 56, when the "prompt" was to create a Father's Day card. So, here I am breaking my rule for what to post when. And that makes me uncomfortable. Call me crazy. Call me a slave to routine. Call me what you will. But, I'm still squirming as I break my own rule.

So, first of all, here is the card for this week's challenge issued by Susan.

SHOW

I think this card is cute. And it's me. (Even though it features a bird... or, as much as I've been using birds lately, maybe I should say... because it features a bird!) For being such a simple design it really took me quite some time to get it to the point where I was pleased with it. I won't share all my trials with you, but my final two are in the photo below.

Which one do you like the best?

AND TELL: stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Tag-its #2, Tag-its #3, Banner Builder); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White); ink is Stampin' Up (Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Cool Caribbean); also used a Corner Chomper.

And here is the card for the 56th One Layer Wednesday challenge. And this has become Ken's Father's Day card.

SHOW

He really is a first class male. :) He is always ready to do anything for me. I ask, he does. Better yet... most of the time I don't even have to ask. It's more like this... I mention, he does. Or... better YET... he notices, he does. Amazing, really. I don't know any other men like him. And... it's not just for me. He's like that with everyone. But especially with his children. He's one great dad! Happy Father's Day, Hon!

AND TELL: stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Postmarks, Star Prints); cardstock is PTI (Rustic White); ink is Stampin' Up (Riding Hood Red, Marina Mist, Sahara Sand), PTI (Tea Dye Duo), Memento (Tuxedo Black), and VersaMark.

I have nine posts started... just waiting to be finished and published. You'd think that would mean that I'd be back tomorrow. And I'd like to be... but I make no promises. There's a lot going on around here these days. :) 

Thanks so much for stopping by for a little visit. Hopefully we'll meet up again soon. Have a great Sunday! 

OLW 57 summer & OLW 48 sympathy

Well, I'm going to try to get back into the challenge mode this summer. And, for me, a good re-entry into challenges is Susan Rahaila's One Layer Wednesday. I do love making one layer cards. This week's challenge was issued by Jennnifer Styles — to make a card inspired by summer sun, sea, sand, beach, etc. You may know me well enough by now to know that summer sun would make me hot and that when I'm hot that I may just think that I need something to cool me off.

SHOW

And, of course, that could be a fan or air conditioning or — because it's me — ice cream! :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Sweet Scoops) and Papertrey Ink (Daily Designs); cardstock is PTI (Rustic White); ink is SU (Only Orange, Certainly Celery, Creamy Caramel, Tempting Turquoise) and PTI (Berry Sorbet).

Now, I really like the one layer challenges so much that I feel compelled to make up all the ones that I have missed. So, here is OLW48 — to make a sympathy card.

SHOW

After stamping, I ran the card front through my Cuttlebug with a Papertrey Ink impression plate. Then, it seemed to be too big and out of proportion so I chopped it down a bit. Much better. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Think Big Favorites #3, Through the Trees); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White); ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black) and Stampin' Up (Marina Mist); also used PTI's Picnic Plaid impression plate.

 

That's it for now. I hope you've had a great day! See you again soon.

 

One Layer Wednesday 47

Yikes. I just realized that I have less than an hour to post my card for last week's One Layer Wednesday challenge #47 — a sketch challenge this time, issued on Jennifer Styles' blog. So, here goes:

SHOW

 
I used a square punch on edge of a sticky note to create a mask... centered it on my 4-1/4" square card base... stamped the polka dots... added the center focal point stamp... glued on a little embroidery floss bow... and I was finished. A quick and easy one layer card. So quick and easy that I decided to make another... this time in yellow. (That little round tag stamp looks kind of Christmas ornament-y to me... maybe shoulda used a Merry Christmas sentiment. Oh, well.)

 
AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Polka Dot Basics II, Tiny Tags); cardstock is PTI (white); ink is Stampin' Up (Real Red) and PTI (True Black); DMC embroidery floss.

Today was interesting. We had big storms go through in the middle of the night last night that tore down electric poles and wires and traffic lights and generally made a mess of things about 2 miles south of our house. In fact, the road is still closed down there. Fortunately we didn't lose power at our house. Fortunately again, I don't go south for my 3 mile commute to work... I go north — so I didn't have to go through detours and horrendous traffic like most people in our part of Charlotte did. However, when I got to work, this is what it looked like inside:

 
Yep. No power. But the staff showed up...

 
even though they had to use flashlights to find the right colors of construction paper for art projects. :)

And the kids showed up, too...
enjoying art and stories and playing in our classrooms that, fortunately, have big windows that let in a lot of the sunlight that was streaming in once the storm clouds had passed.

Crazy day. I'm longing for just a normal, ordinary, run-of-the-mill day at work. It's been awhile. Maybe tomorrow. :)

Gotta get this posted... and gotta get to bed. Thanks so much for stopping by for a little visit. Hope to see you again soon!

happy

Sorry for disappearing on you for awhile there. My life took a turn out of my control starting on Friday evening. We had been looking forward to going out to dinner with our weekend house guests (more on that another day), but our next door neighbor lost his father rather unexpectedly. (More on that another day, too.) His wife was out of town for her first weekend away since their baby was born in October and we ended up babysitting for the little guy while his daddy went to the hospital and while his mama was driving back from Charleston. Then over the course of the weekend I guess I just kinda lost motivation to post. Is that OK? Sometimes you just need a little break, you know? So, I guess that was mine. Hopefully I'll get back on a roll now. I do miss you when I don't pop in to say hi. :)

So, I wanted to participate in this week's One Layer Wednesday Challenge (#46) — to use eggs or an egg on your one layer card. And I have less than an hour to get mine posted. And I didn't actually make a card... instead I made a tag. But it is just one layer. Can it count?

SHOW

 
I have two stamps with eggs and they are both really small. (Of course, now that I write that I suddenly remember another that I have. Oh, well.) My attempt at a card looked pretty ridiculous with my tiny little stamp — so I decided to make a tag instead. Since it was so quick and easy I made another... and another... and another.

 
Four tags altogether. I was sort of thinking tags for baby gifts when I made them, but I bet you could also use them for other occasions. You could even add more words either underneath or to the side if you wanted to be more specific... happy... "birthday"... or "you're my friend"... or "new home"... or "for you"... or just about anything.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Impression Obsession (A Little Birdie) and Papertrey Ink (Vintage Picnic Sentiments); cardstock is PTI (Kraft); ink is PTI (Dark Chocolate); coloring done with Stampin' Up markers (Baja Breeze, Regal Rose) and blender pens; baker's twine is from Divine Twine (aqua, cotton candy); also used PTI's Fillable Frames #9 die.

Thought I'd give you a snapshot (or two) of my week thus far:

 
Yep. Those are green eggs. With ham. Typically our 3 year old classes celebrate St. Patrick's Day by experiencing Dr. Seuss's book, Green Eggs & Ham — but since we were on Spring Break at that time, we rescheduled for this week.

It's very exciting for the kids as they help to crack eggs, stir, and wait for the eggs to cook. They're so enthusiastic as they go to the tables to sample the fruit of their efforts. And then reality sets in...

 
and they realize that green eggs are just plain old weird.

And some of them find very creative ways to not have to look at them...

 
Haha! Fifteen years of green eggs and ham and this is the first time I've seen the ham used to hide the eggs. :)

Thanks so much for dropping by today. I hope you'll take a minute to say hi (because I really do appreciate your visits!). And I'll try to be back again tomorrow. See you then.

Six Sides

The One Layer Wednesday Challenge this past week (OLW45) was to create a card inspired by the Pennsylvania Dutch hex sign. Jennifer had just returned from a little trip to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania where she encountered many and became inspired herself. Since hex- refers to six, I wanted to make my design six-sided. That was my own requirement. Not Jennifer's. Yes, I like to make my life difficult sometimes.

SHOW

 
I used pretty traditional colors for this one — although it's not a circle like most hex signs are. But at 5-1/2" square, it's bigger than most cards that I make. If you want to see some of the hex signs that I reviewed before I began stamping, you can click here. Yes, thanks to the links provided by Jennifer, I researched a bit. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Boxes, Bags, & Tags, Flower Fusion #1, Heart Prints, Tree Trimming Trio); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White); ink is Stampin' Up (Summer Sun, Real Red, Glorious Green, Pacific Point).

So, after making a sort of traditional looking hex sign, I had to get a little crazy and try something different. And, here's my more contemporary take on the challenge.

SHOW

 
Fun, huh? This one is a little smaller than the other at 4-1/2" square. I'm thinking about adding a sentiment to the lower right corner of each. But maybe not. I'll decide when it's time to mail them, I guess. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Tea for Two Additions); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White); ink is Stampin' Up (Basic Gray, Certainly Celery).

Today it was cloudy and cool outside, but yesterday was a beautiful, sunshiny day. And Ken started the process of cleaning off the screened porch.

 
Ahhh. Spring is here. :) But while Spring may be here, Spring Break is over and tomorrow is back to work. I love hanging out at home, but having to go to work makes me more productive at home. I guess because I know that my time is more limited. I can certainly be good at frittering away a day (or a week...) when I don't have to keep to a schedule!

Thanks for stopping by to spend a bit of your time here with me today. Your visits mean so much to me! Hope to see you again soon!