Bicycles for a Sketch Challenge

For this card I used a Close to My Heart set, some Basic Gray papers, and wadhi tape to follow a sketch. This card will be sent to a persin in my swap group. This swap was to follow a given sketch from one of the members. Love riding my mountain bike, so I was glad for a chance to create a card that reflected that.

A ...My name is Alice

I participated in a swap with an online group and the theme was to make a card based on anything that starts with the letter A. I signed up for it thinking this woukd be easy but it turned out to be a challenge. I finally decided to break out sime Tweety Jill stamps and this is what I came up with.

Cat Burglar

I made a card using the Tim Holtz Crazy Cats set. I found this mask in a bunch of neglected Judith stamps. Made the word bubble using a set feom Stampin'Up! called Just Sayin' minus the wirds and added a stamp from Great Impressions. I am happy with how it came out even if it did take four days to come together. Watcha think?

Retirement Butterfly

I borrowed a design that a friend used on one of her creations to make this butterfly card. The papers are retired Close to My Heart. I think this will go to one of the teachers that is retiring at my school this year.

Shades of Gray

While cleaning off my sadly neglected crafting desk, I ran across some items I had purchased at a StampFest event in Orlando last year. Yes, I never stopped collecting new toys! I pulled together a few other scraps that were laying around on the table and came up with this quick, very simple card. I am thinking I see pattern of pink butterflies in my work lately. Maybe it's a promise of spring being on the way? Surely hope so!!

Skeleton Key Butterfly

Hi!! I can't believe it has been over two years since I have posted on my blog! There have been a lot of changes and challenges over the past two years, so I guess the time has just slipped away. For anyone who ever read this blog back then, Kyli is now cancer free and just celebrated her seventh birthday! I also have a grandson who is sixteen months old. He was just diagnosed with a lifelong condition that will present a whole different set of challenges, but he is just as cute as he can be and such a fun guy to be around. Sadly, I lost my father back in January. My husband and I spent a great deal of time getting his house ready to sell and get him moved down to Florida with us. He made the permanent move in June.
There was so much more, but I really wanted to share this card. It is one of a couple I made this weekend. I haven't spent much time in my stamping room and it took a while to come up with the first card, but this one seemed to come together pretty easily. I saw the idea of using a key for the body of a butterfly while wasting time on Pinterest and just had to try it. I think it came out pretty well!

Christmas Projects

I wanted to share a couple of the projects I have been working on over Christmas break. The instructions for the Santa ornaments above were found on Pinterest and I just knew Kyli would love making these. We made six of them and she gave them to the family as Christmas presents. She was so proud to give them out! They were made with a simple salt dough and baked. Then they were painted up and embellished. Lots of fun to make!
The next project got started when I received a pair of fingerless gloves that were knitted by a friend in New Hampshire. Other people saw them and wanted to know if I had made them. That got me thinking that surely there were crochet patterns for them. Obviously, these are not fingerless gloves. While I was making the crocheted version, Kyli decided she wanted some, too. I dug out some old crochet magazines I had kept for particular "someday" projects and we found the instruction to make these adorable snowman hat/mitten/scarf sets. Kyli picked her colors and became a slave driver for me to get them done. Made hers the day before Christmas Eve while she was staying with us. They actually work up pretty quickly and my rusty crochet skills came back to me in a short time. 

 After I got done with her set, she decided that Liberty, my granddaughter who is six months younger than Kyli, had to have a set also. We don't get to see Liberty nearly as much as we do Kyli, but they are great friends when they do manage to get together. Kyli picked colors for Liberty's set, and it was game on for the second set...all day Christmas Eve!

And here is a picture of Kyli and Liberty together with Liberty showing off her set. It was about 70 degrees here on Christmas Day, so Kyli didn't have hers with her when we took the picture.

Before I go, I wanted to share our good news about Kyli's progress. She went to clinic yesterday and received chemo via her port. Her counts were good and she will now enter the maintenance phase of her treatment. She will only go to clinic twice a month as long as things continue as they have so far. She will receive chemo there and will also take chemo orally at home. As you can see, her hair is starting to come back in and the docs say this will continue. She has responded very well to the treatments. Negative side effects have been minimal and they say that this should also continue for her. She still has 2 1/2 years of treatment, but we are so grateful for the doctors' good news yesterday! We are also grateful for all the prayers that have been lifted up on Kyli's behalf and ask for continued prayers for healing.
I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas season with your families. Wishing you a blessed New Year as well!!

Paper Pieced Witch

Good Saturday morning to all!! I am in such a good mood today! It could have something to do with being able to sleep past 5 AM and having a day with nothing scheduled that I haven't chosen to do on my own accord! I started out by making breakfast for my hubby (I suspect he was beginning to think I had forgotten how to cook) and then actually sat down to do some creating. And here is another wonder of wonders: I actually used a stamp that I purchased yesterday!
 The papers and dies were purchased just last week!! I'm so proud of my self. I got this cute little MFT witch set and combined it with a 6x6 pack of Enchanted papers by Authentique. A couple of embossing folders and dies later, I had this card.
One of my favorite ways to create is to just start with a stamp and possible papers and let the rest of it happen as it I go. I got to do this today, though I really think I should have learned by now that some things need to be tested before putting them into action onto a nearly complete project. Those black diamond Stickles around the frame may not have been a great idea, but there they are. The rest of it I am pretty happy with. The finished card is actually mailable, too!! That almost never happens!!
Well, I'm off to get my sweet little Kyli, who isn't necessarily being so sweet today. She is having some serious mood swings from the steroids they have her on right now, but Gramma can deal for a while and let Mommy and Daddy have a break. A little retail therapy may help, so I think we will hit a couple of stores before grocery shopping and heading to my house for a little creating. I'll be back a little later to do some blog surfing....haven't had time since last weekend. Thanks for stopping in!!

Witch's Dance

I've been wanting to make this card for a while now. When I got the ballet dancer die, my friend Bonnie and I got the idea to make a dancing witch out of her for Halloween. We just weren't getting it done, though. Yesterday, I was at the Dollar Tree and I found some glittery witch hat stickers and they looked like the right size for my dancer. The dancer is cut from black suede paper and her dress from super fine purple glitter paper. The papers are from Echo Park's Chillingsworth 6x6 stack. I knew the little piece of sheet music in the stack would be perfect! All the borders are done with the same glittery purple papers with a card base of basic black.

Puddle Jumper

        I've been pretty busy with the new school year. I have to admit though, that I've had more time in the evenings than I've had in past years because we have switched to an earlier start time. That translates into an earlier release time. So, I am off the clock at 3 pm!! I still don't get out of there at that time most days, but even though I am getting home earlier, I am exhausted and am usually in bed at 8!!
       I had some extra time this weekend and chose to spend it with a sweet little girl that looks a lot like the one in the image on my card! Okay, so my girl doesn't have that much hair anymore, but that's fine with me. Here she is showing off a tattoo she got at an end of chemo party for a two year old boy she met at clinic.

I think I made the best use of my time by spending it with Kyli!
     Anyway, the card is made with a Kraftin' Kimmie image that I actually bought with the hubby's blessing. He thought it was too cute to pass up, too! I colored it with Copic markers and used some Vanilla Sunshine papers I won in a drawing at the LSS! I think they are a perfect match!!
     Well, that's all for today. Hope everyone has a super Labor Day weekend!!

Apple's Tip Jar

I've been busy with trainings and getting my room and lessons ready for the new school year which begins next Monday. There never seems to be enough time to get it all done, yet every year it all gets taken care of and the new year goes more smoothly than I could have hoped. In all this chaos, I realized I had never posted the photos of the tip jar I made for the restaurant run by my DIL's mother. The restaurant is called Apple's Bar and Grill and has a New York theme. I tried to keep it simple so that parts of it would be replaced fairly easily if necessary. After all, accidents do occasionally happen no matter how hard we try.
I started with a basic apothecary styled jar. I used a couple of precut wooden apple shapes and painted them up with acrylic paints. I added the skyline and simple lettering and attached one to each side. I had to try several different ways of attaching the apples to the glass surface. In the end, the best adhesive turned out to be self-adhesive Velcro squares.
Here are a couple more angles:

TP and Ice Cream and a New Member of the Family

Here is another quick card made with an image I had colored previously using colored pencils and Gamsol. The background is another piece of the faux hand-made paper. Very quick and simple to put together.

I also made this card from another image in my pre-colored stash. I love this one from Mo Manning! Really miss our sweet Ice, who was a Siberian Husky. Colored with Copic markers and the border punch is from Martha Stewart.
It's been a crazy summer, so we have put off getting a new fur baby until things settled down. With the new school year breathing down my neck, I found it was getting harder and harder to look at, read, or hear about other people's adorable dogs without having one of our own. A dear friend of mine heard about a dog that completely fit the bill. So here we are; introducing Roxie the Rockstar!!

He is a Rotty/Boxer mix. Loves kids, cats, dogs...well, everyone! He is a neutered male, about 1 1/2 year old. He is so gentle! When we introduced him to my son's dog, a Minpin, she wasn't exactly hospitable. He just ignored her bad behavior and walked away. It was a perfect opportunity for him to display aggression but we saw NONE!! He loves Kyli already and we are so excited about him coming to make our house his forever home!

TP Giraffe

It was my goal this summer to work my way through some of the "stuff" that I had already cut, colored, or prepared in some way prepared and reduce the pile of incomplete projects. Well, my summer did not turn out as planned and while I did get a lot of these things sorted out, I didn't get a lot of completed cards or projects from the deal. This is one I did get done. I had already colored this adorable giraffe image. Several years ago, there was a technique challenge on SCS to make "faux hand-made paper." It was a fun and completely messy process that I got a little carried away with. I made about 50 pieces of background papers in quarter sheet size, ready to put on a card. The colors in this one were perfect for the giraffe image! I layered it up with some gold mirror paper and black card stock. To make the giraffe stiffer because of the fussy cutting and to help it stand out from the rough background paper, I added a couple of layers of clear embossing powder before cutting...this baby shines!!
To make the background paper, I started with a quarter sheet of white card stock, a roll of cheap toilet paper, and an assortment of acrylic paints. I squirted a small amount of several colors of paint on a palette (recycled foam tray). I dipped a wad of TP into the lightest color of paint and dabbed it all over the card stock. By using the cheap TP, small pieces of the paper sticks to the card stock with the paint creating a fabulous texture that looks like hand-made paper. Repeat with a new wad of TP and each color of paint until you are happy with the results. Every piece of paper led to another color combination possibility and I just couldn't stop making the stuff. In fact, I'm thinking I may have to get out the supplies and make some more!
On a personal note, Kyli is spending the weekend (at least) at the hospital. She finished a round of chemo the other day and hasn't been feeling well. Yesterday she started have some gastro issues and vomiting, so they took her in. They are treating her with IV meds for speed and effectiveness which is why she was admitted. We will be heading up to see her later today, but hoping she will be home tomorrow or Monday.
Thanks for stopping in today. Hope everyone enjoys the weekend!!

Summer's Over!

Well, it's official! Summer is over here in my neck of the woods. I returned to work this week for planning sessions by department as we get ready to implement new standards and new curriculum. I'm really excited by how much I accomplished and my expectations for the new school year. I work with an awesome group of people who make coming to work after a long break much more bearable! I made these little books for some of those peeps.....I wish I had the time and resources to make them for everyone! The image is from Art Impressions and it speaks volumes about how we are all going to feel by the end of next week as we get our rooms, plans, and other assorted requirements ready for the kids who will arrive on the following Monday! Did I mention the endless hours of trainings we have to work around to get our stuff done?
I made the notebooks refillable and even supplied each recipient with a small supply of refill pads!

The pads are the biggest hangup to making more of the books. I have bought all I have found, which are very few. Must be a hot item for the new school year as I usually see them everywhere. Have some of stampin' peeps on the look out, too.
Time to get some more planning done before the whole house wakes up and then some fun time later today as it's the last Friday of the summer!! Hope it's a good one for all of you and thanks for stopping in!!

Fight Like a Girl Leukemia

I made this card for my granddaughter, Kyli as she continues her battle with leukemia. She is winning, but it's going to be a long road. I used a Magnolia image that reminds me so much of her before she started chemo. She doesn't have nearly that much hair anymore. I colored it with Copic markers. 

Of course it had to be an easel card so she can display it in her room. I'm not sure if the MFT T-shirt die fits with the feel of the rest of the card, but I used it anyway. Here is a closer view.

Thanks for stopping in!

Loralei Shopper

Almost a month without a post.....whew! I thought I was getting better at this. Here is the shopping queen....definitely not me. Don't really like to make big shopping trips but a couple of times a year. Personally, I think food and clothing are overrated...cuts into the stamping budget too much! But she's cute and so much fun to color. Image is from Loralei and colored with Copic markers. I added a little glitter gel pen for sparkle. I had just purchased the MFT corner dies, so I had to use on my card. Not sure that it was a good move for this particular card, but it is what it is. 
On a personal note, just when I thought things were settling down, it all went a little crazy again. The hubby and I spent another two weeks in Ohio working at my dad's place and things are finally starting to take shape there. We got rid of a lot more of the outside clutter and started working on some of the outbuildings. Planning on another trip next summer.
Things with Kyli have been going well. She is responding extremely well to her treatments. She is at the clinic right now for an all day appointment for a chemo treatment and spinal tap. It won't be long though before she begins a segment of her treatment plan that will have them running to the hospital about 4 times a week most weeks. This will make it difficult for my DIL to work enough hours to make ends meet. Trusting that God will provide.....

Cowgirl Easel

This is a card I made with the intention of using it for my son's MIL's birthday. She is a big western/cowboy fan, so when I make her a card, I often use that theme when designing it. This one did not make it. I was almost finished on the night before we left for our trip to Ohio and hit a wall with it. I just couldn't cut the papers on the right diagonal for anything!!! It's just not that hard, but I guess with the trip coming up, I just couldn't focus enough to get it done. When we got back, it was one of the first things I tackled and it fell together with no problem. Guess I'll save it for her next birthday or special occasion!

I made it an easel card, which is what caused me all the grief. I had already scored the diagonal line. If I hadn't done that first, I could have made it swing the other way and saved all the mangled papers.

I made the star embellishment using chip board stars and embossing powders and glitter glass. I applied the embossing powders repeatedly to get a really thick coating.
And there you have it....another card with lots of postage!! Pretty typical for me!
On a personal note, today is a happy day because it looks like I will be getting to bring my truck home!! My son has had it since Kyli's diagnosis so they had could have a dependable, air conditioned ride to and from the hospital whenever needed. Yesterday, they were able to get a car that fit the bill. I'll be helping out a little to cover some of the expense, but I will have my truck back!!! It will sure make life easier at my house!! I hope everyone has a blessed day!!

These are some of the cards I was planning to have completed in time for this year's Relay for Life event in our area. They were intended to be part of a fundraiser for our booth. I brought my collection of completed cards to be sold, with all proceeds going to the cause. When we listed it as one of the fund raisers for our team, the organizers said, "Yes, having some cancer-related cards would be great!" Well, only one or two of the cards in my stash were actually caner-related, so I got to work and started getting more cards together. The event took place on May 10th. Kyli was diagnosed with leukemia on May 1st. Needless to say, I didn't have a lot of time to get the cards completed before the event. While I still participated, with more purpose than ever, I did not get the cards completed until recently. I guess I have some cards ready for next year's event! I made several of each design and tried to keep them very simple for the sake of mass production. I hope to get more done before next year!

Birthday Flamingo

I needed a birthday card for a friend and I needed it in a hurry! Fortunately, I had everything I needed laying out on the work table. I had a digital image of a flamingo all colored up in a box next to the desk. The other papers had been pulled for another project that never happened some time ago. I had just purchased the punch and hadn't put it in its home yet, so it was also sitting out. I just had to reach up a little to get the bling from the drawer on my desk...and her it is. Quick and simple!! I can't remember who makes the digital image, but he sure is cute. I colored him with Copics. My friend is a flamingo fan so it is perfect for her. DSP is retired SU!
I have another very busy day of projects ahead of me. I am working on a tip jar for the restaurant that my son's MIL manages. It took me weeks to decide how to design it and now that it's in my head, I'm hoping it comes out like I have envisioned it...or at least close to it! Also working on a toy box for Kyli and shelves to house the tea pot collection I brought home from my dad's. My grandmother collected them and I brought home the ones that survived my aunt's wrath after my grandmother died. Most came from overseas while my dad was in the service for WWII. I am quickly running out of summer!!!

More Punched Edges

Here are two more of the punched edge cards that I made a while back. I haven't found a bad punch to use on these! In fact, I bought two more punches a couple of weeks ago, but haven't had time to try them for this technique yet.
The flowers on the blue card are a digital file I have had for ages and unfortunately, I can't remember where I got them. I had to cut them out by hand and I added glitter to them to dress them up.
The second one is very similar to the first card I saw done with this technique. I changed the colors and stamp set, but the use of the retired SU! ribbon border punch is how I first came in contact with this style of card.
Had a little scare with Kyli today. Running to the hospital is the new normal, but we've had a long spell without a temperature spike. Today it happened, but she got to come home. We are headed down soon to spend some time with her, so no stamping time tonight! With her home from the hospital, I can deal with the trade off!!