Happy Birthday Mom--- Hope It's A Hoot!

Well, as you might have heard, yesterday was my mamacita's birthday. I tried to play that - oh gosh - she has to be so young to be my mom -- and what does she do? She blurts how OLD she is!! LOL! Sorry mom, I just had to!! I know you're really not THAT old! LOL!

I wanted to show this card ON her birthday but I didn't know if it arrived. Didn't want to post when she hadn't even opened the card! I created this little number with Gina K. Design's new set Owl Always Love You. Isn't this guy a hoot? So stinkin' cute!

The card itself is pretty simple - patterned paper, circle cut from the front of my card with my circle Nestabilities, frame created with the circle and scallop run through my Wizard at the same time and then stamp the owl so that it peeks through the window! The tag was created from Sizzix tag set. After I stamped the owl in permanent black ink, I colored him with Prismacolor pencils. Every now and then, I remember I have colored pencils!! I blended the color with odorless mineral spirits.

Here's a close up! The owl and branch was outlined with a really pale brown marker just to make it pop a bit! You can see too that I peirced the scallop as well! AND added bling to the flower centers! The inside is the best - this set has the cutest sayings EVER!
Come to find out my mom did have a good birthday! Thanks to all who dropped in or left comments here for her! She LOVED them!!

Until tomorrow! Have a fabulous day!


“You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

10-Minute, 1 stamp, couldn't get any easier card!

Just a quick and easy one today! This is a "ten minuter" for sure. A little decorative paper, a neat saying, some rectangles and scalloped rectangles thanks to my Nestabilities, a silk flower, a fun brad and some black satin ribbon! That's it. I like this card because it IS so easy and could be made in a hurry to send to a friend at a moment's notice -- never know when these will come in handy!

Switching gears -- IT'S MY MOM'S BIRTHDAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! LOVE YA! If you have time, go check in on her and wish her the best. You can find her HERE at her blog! I won't tell you how old she is - but let's put it this way, if I am her daughter - she must be TERRIBLY young! :-)

Have a fabulous day everyone! Until tomorrow!


The pleasantest things in the world are pleasant thoughts - and the great art of life is to have as many of them as possible ~Montaigne

Coaster book creation!

As I was surfing a while back, I came across this cute little coaster book with directions on how to do it! I saw it on Amy Celona's site - click HERE to see her take on it! I just picked up some new Penny Black Stickers and thought this would be perfect! So, away I went! I know Amy used a couple pieces of paper to make her accordion folds. I was lucky. I had a long strip and was able to just do it without attaching pieces together. I think when I started, my piece was 8-1/2 by 17. I got it at my LSS!
I cut my paper 1/4" shorter than my actual coaster so that it wouldn't overlap and then scored 1/4" less as well so that my "folded squares" were 3-3/4" square. I created the "pockets" with just a piece of paper folded in half. The measurement was 3-1/2" by 3-3/4" and then folded in on the 3-1/2" side. The rest is just embellishment!

So, what would someone use this for??? I have no idea! I just thought it was fun to make! I put the "memories" tag (Impression Obsession sentiments) on because I thought of two things - first, stuffing a picture inside OR creating a birthday list for each month and stuffing that inside. I thought, as a gift for a friend, you could stuff a photo of the two of you and you could stuff a gift card and message in the second pocket -- Ok, I'll stop now! I know you guys are creative people. You can come up with something!! If you make it, let me know!

Here's a look at the inside close up! One of the butterflies was cut out and mounted on card stock so that I could "pop it up" with foam tape. The flourishy stamp is from Inkadinkado!


The "postage" stamps were also mounted and popped up with foam tape.
I should mention-- if you are in the Billings area-- this is one of the projects we will be making at stamp camp! So, if you haven't signed up yet - give Mary a call! We are going to have a blast with the MOST PROJECTS ever created at a stamp camp! at least 10 cards and this project! WOW! Like I said, call Mary at Stampressions!!

Before I go, I wanted to say thanks for all the fun comments you left on yesterday's post about my daughter -- it truly warmed my heart and made Mother's Day even better!! You guys are the best!!

"No matter what looms ahead, if you can eat today, enjoy the sunshine, mix good cheer with friends, enjoy it and bless God for it. You are only sure of today. Do not let yourself be cheated out of it."~Author Unknown

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! I hope you have a relaxing and wonderful day!

Here's a bunch of flowers created and "grown" especially for you! To make this card, I stamped in permanent black ink (Versafine Black Onyx), heat set and then colored with Prismacolor Pencils and blending with Gamsol - odorless mineral spirits. I love this technique and have been doing it since I started stamping AGES ago! If you ever want to see some of my other work, click HERE.This was my site before I entered blog land! It's pretty archaic but I keep it up for a good gallery of old cards. Anyway, this technique of layering colors and blending with mineral spirits creates a really vibrant look.

I wish I knew what image this was! I got this in an image swap from Princess Jacki!! She sent me a box FULL of images. Man, I'll be coloring those for-EVER! I love to color so it really was the sweetest gift! So Princess or anyone else who knows---if you know who made this geranium stamp - let me know!

The background stamp is called Pretty Pattern from Cornish Heritage Farms. LOVE their backgrounders -- don't you? I'm proud that this company calls Montana home. It's nice to have such a cool company in your home state!! In addition to creating the background, I also stamped the circle tag with it using distress ink (Tea Dye). The sentiment is called Mini Messages from Impression Obsession and is a part of their new summer line! Look for them in stores now! Mitra tells me they should be on the IO website soon! Other deets about this card? Chalked around the image before I colored, used a corner rounder on the edges, used a 1" circle punch for the tag and then strung some hemp cord (Stampin' Up) through to attach the tag. Done!

Here's a close up so you can see how vibrant this color is!
Before I go... I want to brag a bit about my daughter!! We have an event called the Women's Run each year and the money raised goes to help in areas of women's health i.e. free mammograms and exams etc. Well, my 4-year-old decided she wanted to "run the race." So we signed up for the 2-mile and I thought I would be carrying her before long. But I said, she said she wanted to! So.... here's us race morning (7:30 is early for me!)

And here is her IN the race. She RAN THE WHOLE WAY! And, she finished in under 28 minutes. What? That's crazy with those little legs! Here she is in action! That's her Aunt Teri with her guiding her through the crowd!
And here she is at the finish line still wearing her "game face!" She actually yelled at the end - "You gotta want it!!!" I cracked up!! Seriously! Needless to say, I'm terribly proud!! She kept ME going!

Guess this is a start to a new tradition!

Until tomorrow.... HAVE A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

Stamp Simply 34-- In Stitches!

TGIF! Stamp Simply Time my friends! This week, we get to pull out our sewing machines or fake like we know how to sew on cards! LOL. This week's challenge is "in stitches." You can sew or go faux - just as long as your card has some sort of sewing "look" to it! For all the challenge details - click HERE to visit Sharon Johnson's place!


For my card, I chose to let my sewing machine "drive" on this one. This is one of my favorite ways to sew on cards -- because you can't get it wrong! I figured out what I wanted to use as my base for my card and my mat. I then put my paper through my sewing machine and only minimally guided it through. I love the curves that are just naturally created! Looks a bit funky!

The rest is pretty simple. I used one of Gina K's new stamp sets called Comfort and Peace. This set rocks for so many reasons. It is the perfect stamp for those serious times in life when you struggle to find the right words. Sadly, I created this for a friend whose mom is battling Pancreatic cancer (Stage 4). This same friend also recently had a baby - just a month ago- and when the baby was born, it was born with a condition called Peter's Anomoly. It's a condition that impacts vision and typically comes with a cloudy cornea and glaucoma. This little baby girl has already gone through four surgeries. So, if anyone is the praying kind (I know you are out there) please pray for Baby Theresa and her grandma (also named Theresa). I know they need all the prayers they can get.

Back to the card... The image was created by just coloring the back with markers and "huffing" before I stamped. The circle and scalloped circle were created thanks to my Nestabilities dies. After I adhered it to my mat, I just trimmed it up so that I only used a portion of the circle. Before I matted it all up, I used a slot punch (Stampin' Up) to string my ribbon through and added a faux brad (it's acutally a hot fix nail head). That's pretty much it.

Here's a close up to show the stamped flower. I just love this image. I know it will be well used!


Hope you make time to play this week for Sharon's Challenge! If you need some inspiration, be sure to check out the fabulous creations from the other members of the Stamp Simply Team!!

Dee
Tammy
Jennifer
Janine
Becky

Take care and have a fabulous weekend!



Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Make It Stick!

Hi all! I bought these stickers a while back and thought they were so cute. Mix them up with some matching textured card stock, ribbon and rhinestones and you can make a fun little girlfriend gift in less than an hour!

These cards pretty much all follow the same "formula" I took a 2" square punch and punched out a window in all of them at the top of my mat and then made a second square a bit smaller so that I could "pop" it out of that punched window with some foam tape. Then, each one was embellished a bit differently. As you can see with this card below, I used a rectangle punch to add some ribbon threaded through with a slip knot. I also added bling to the centers of the sticker flowers.


This card below was embellished with a matching sticker flower that is kind of three dimensional. The window was accented with some matching patterned paper behind and a polka dot grosgrain ribbon accented with a ribbon slide.
This last card was done by adding some rhinestones, and some brown grosgrain ribbon in a knot adhered to the back of my card mat.
Easy peasy! I thought it was fun to take a break from stamping to create some cute and quick cards! Sometimes you just need quick and easy!!

Today my daughter has a singing program at her preschool. I'm sure I will be choking back the laughter. Those spunky little kids just make my heart light! Hope you have a bright spot waiting for you in your day! Happy Thursday!

~Julie

Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.~ George Bernard Shaw

Tag--- You're It!

This card is one I created FOREVER ago. Call it an oldie but goodie.... a New 2U, old 2 me!
It's so easy, it could be a 15-minute card. After you cut out your tag, you give it a 1/4" mat and leave the fold in tact so you can use the pink layer as your card. The box around the sentiment was created by making a box with post it notes and sponging yellow ink on the inside of the box. Stamp the sentiment (Hero Arts) and the flowers (Penny Black), color the flowers with makers by picking up the color off a pallete with a blender pen. Add some sparkle to the flower centers with Stickles and add a tied ribbon with the help of a glue dot. That's it!

Here's a close up of the flower -- if you squint - you can see the sparkle in the flower centers!

Not really a busy day here, just some errand running. We are shopping for a new car so wish us luck. We have an SUV and the price of gas is killing us! So, hopefully we'll be able to trade it in for something that doesn't break the bank gas-wise. UGH!

Hope all is well with all of you! Happy Stamping!

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."~Eleanor Roosevelt

It's A HOOT!

Well, May is here and that means my design team work for Gina K. Designs is now in full swing! WOO--HOO! I just got my hands on the latest release and made time for PLAY TIME!

When I saw the Owl Always Love You Set, I immediately imagined a kind of tree house kind of card. The kind with a door that looked like boards just stuck together. Why? I have no idea! But when I hit my craft room this weekend, that's what my vision was!!!

So, here's the outside.... I used some of Gina's new "guy bling." Don't ya love it? Screw heads!


And, here's the inside.... I stamped the owl and the sentiment on a separate piece of paper. I colored and cut out the owl and glued him to my wood grain paper. The sentiment was attached with a bit a tape and one of the screw brads. This card will go to a couple that is just moving into our neighborhood. We've been friends for more than a decade, and now we'll be neighbors!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend and was able to get a little R & R. Have a fabulous day!


Stamps: Owl Always Love You, Gina K. Designs, Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Tea Dye Distress ink to distress paper edges on all layers. Staedtler watercolor pencils to color owl, Embellishments: screw brads, Gina K. Designs, natural colored hemp cord, Stampin' Up. Patterned paper- woodgrain (unknown).



Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete. If you're alive, it isn't.
~ Richard Bach

How Does Your Garden Grow???

I absolutely love this time of year when we can dig our hands in the dirt and watch the seeds turn to flowers. I think it's always fun to give the gift of flowers - even if they come in the form of a seed packet. It shows you care. I love receiving these things too because when I plant the seeds and watch them grow, my friend is never far from my thoughts!

So, I created this little number to put my seeds inside. It's a 4-1/4" by 9" strip of pink paper that has been scored 3-1/2" lengthwise. Your finished packed will measure the same size as a regular card - 4-1/4" by 5-1/2". I added a scalloped border and some black and white sheer polka dot ribbon.

Decking out the pocket was the fun part! I just got some new Flourishes stamps in the mail and thought they would be perfect for this project! That Siberian Iris is to die for! Click HERE to see the whole set! I even used the Damask Flourish backgrounder to create a kind of sparkly watermark effect. I stamped my Siberian Iris, masked it and then stamped the Damask background over it with Versamark ink so that it wouldn't cover the flower only be peeking out behind it as the backdrop. I then brushed on some Luminarte Iridescent Red Polished Pigments. This medium sticks to the Versamark and after you rub or burnish it with a soft cloth, you really don't need to seal it! It creates this beautiful shimmer.

I also got to play with another new toy on this project!! I recently got a Monogram Stamp by JustRite Stampers. I saw Sharon Johnson create this really cool stationary set and that's what did it for me! Click HERE to see her project! Who new you could mix and match all their fonts and borders? I didn't until I started to surf around. Very cool! I decided to spell the word "grow" because I thought, obviously, it would be perfect for this project.


Here's a close up of the Damask background with the Polished Pigments shimmer. I even used the Damask background on my monogram circle. I liked giving it a little something extra!
Hope you are having a fabulous weekend! I am going outside to play--- it's a gorgeous day here!
Take care,


You must be the change you wish to see in the world ~Mahatma Gandhi

Stamp Simply---Spring Time Style!

Now that May is here, I think we could all use a breath of nice spring air ---am I right? Well, that's what this week's Stamp Simply challenge is ALL about--SPRING! Here are the rules, pink, green and flowers. That's it! You know you can't resist this one!

If you want to check out all the details, head on over to Sharon's place by clicking HERE. I have to make a confession. I had the challenge all worked out with a fun card that had a different shape to it. But, Thursday night we went to go shopping for a birthday present for my mother in law and BAM a really cute gift that bag just grabbed my eye -- polka dots, flowers and some bling. This would make a really great card layout! So I went back to the "mom cave" to stamp another one for Sharon's challenge! I wish I had a picture of the gift bag so you could see it - but the only picture of it is in my head! No jokes please.


This is truly a simple card. The flowers are part of a new *soon to be released* set from Impression Obsession. It's called Flower Duos II and its a set full of two step stamping options from dandelions and poppies to sunflowers and roses. It's really lovely! So, be sure to check out the IO site in the coming weeks! The bottom is a piece of green that was stamped with a circle background stamp from Amuse Art Stamps. I stamped and cut out the flowers, added some bling and a bow and that's it!

Here's a close up...

Be sure to check out the rest of the Stamp Simply Team to see what they cooked up!! And if you stop by Janine's place, don't forget to wish her a Happy Birthday!!! Have a good one Janine!!!!

Dee
Tammy
Janine
Jennifer
Becky

"Dream as if you'll live forever...live as if you'll die today."~ James Dean

Take Me To The River....

Well folks, no luck. I was all set to share a new card that I made last night and no camera battery - it's dead. Do I have a back up? Well...... no. So, I thought it might be nice to take a break from cards and share some of my family time with you all! I had these on my computer from a recent trek. I often talk about taking family walks down by the river. We are really blessed to live within walking distance of the Yellowstone. And, we love it! There is an island behind our home that off shoots of the river surround.

This is the bridge that takes us to the island. The weeds look reddish color because that is the sunset making them glow... I can't wait 'til everything greens up. It will be even prettier out here! Here's hubby and our dog Maggie. Downstream there's a beaver just munching and swimming away. I tried to take a picture, but it kind of looks like those old Big Foot photos - grainy and blurry! Darn thing wouldn't sit still. Can you believe it? :-)
We did see this family of Canadian geese. Aren't those babies darling????
And, these are the kiddos. Their favorite part of our walks is the time they get throwing rocks. As you can see, they'll never run out!!

So, that's my family and one of our favorite things to do together! Hope I didn't bore ya!!

Before I go, I wanted to say thanks to my bud Bela of Bela's Creating Place who gave me the Bloggin' Friend Award! How Sweet! I'm not sure if I'm supposed to pass it on.... but here's what I'll do. How about I offer you an invitation to take this and give it to someone who brightens your day! Spread a little cheer!

From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life~ Arthur Ashe

Another Impression Obsession DT Challenge!

For this month's Impression Obsession Design Team Challenge - the rule was to use "stamps only" That means no decorative paper, no rub-ons, BUT embellishments were allowed!

So.... I came up with this window card showcasing one of the soon to be released IO stamps for summer - Cupcakes anyone? This stamp is so yummy! The window was created with the classic oval Nestabilities. I layered up the front of the card with a red layer on the lower half of the card and scalloped strip and THEN cut out the oval. After laying the main white piece on the red mat on the inside of the card, I stamped the plate of cupcakes to show through the window and started to color it up!

I added some pink chalk around the image to make it glow a bit. I colored the image with watercolor pencils, added some stickles glitter glue, the "You're Sweet" sentiment and that was pretty much it! On the front of the card, I did tie a bit of polka dot red ribbon and added the cutest embellishment. It's a hat pin style embellishment with a fun pink oversized crystal on the top! I love it! I picked up a whole bunch in a handful of colors.

Here's a look at the inside.....


Be sure to check out what some of the other IO girls did with this challenge! These ladies will be posting throughout the day today! Don't forget to check Penny's blog for a chance to win some new IO stamps!!!

Daniela
Penny
Tina
Laura
Bernadette
Deborah


Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up. ~ The Reverend Jesse Jackson

Back with black.....

I guess you could say Sharon got me on a roll with her "hint of black" challenge a few weeks back because, as you can see - I haven't stopped! Just look at my posts this week! It's ok - you can tell me, "put your hands up and step away from the black ink pad!" Maybe I should--huh?

Moving on...

This little card was actually my first card that I did for Sharon's challenge. I didn't like it at first, but now it's kind of grown on me. It's a 4 by 4 square and fits perfectly into those little envelopes that Amuse Art Stamps puts out. The black mat is 3-1/2" by 3-1/2" and the center mat with my stamping is 1/8" smaller all the way around. I did use that ticket corner punch from Stamping Up and added my bling there with 3mm crystal rhinestones. I stamped my main image (Design Block Silhouette - Hero Arts), stamped and matted the sentiment (Hero Arts), layered it up, tied some ribbon and added them with a mini glue dot. Nothing to it!

Enjoy today! Thanks for stopping by!



No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted. ~ Aesop

A Shout Out!

Denise G. You know... my bloggin' and coloring bud - can you email me at juliekoerber@bresnan.net?????

A tisket a tasket......A May Day Basket

Happy Monday!
I wanted to share the other project I headed up at my LSS this past Saturday. If you saw yesterday's card, this one was designed to match it!

I have to start by saying -- I did NOT come up with this idea! I actually found it on Deena's blog A Necessary Creativity. Click HERE to see her tutorial! Her basket is darling! I know this was a SCS Technique Challenge but you gotta give Deena credit for the great tutorial! If you want to see more inspiration from the SCS gallery - click HERE

In a nutshell, what you do is start with an envelope! I used a larger 5 by 7" one. You're supposed to use the tag punch on both sides to create the handle, but I didn't have one, so I used a large rectangle punch - if you check out the tutorial, this will all make sense! I covered by envie with scallops and decorative paper (Lasting Impression) and then added some fun with the Inkadinkado stamps! It's a fun creation for those times when you just want to give a "little something!"

Have a great day!

Blog Candy!

My bud Penny has some AWESOME candy from Impression Obsession! Click HERE to see what she's got up for grabs!!! The samples she made with this set are amazing!