Fancy Hearts Card

YUMMY VALENTINE INSPIRATION
     I took my inspiration for this card from the Moxie Fab Fancy Schmancy Tuesday Trigger blog challenge http://www.moxiefabworld.com/2012/01/tuesday-trigger-fancy-schmancy.html.  Here is the yummy picture that was the inspiration.  They just look as though they would melt in your mouth, don't they?!  
     I was excited to see the pink and brown, as I love those colors together, and I knew exactly what paper I would use.  This heart swirl paper from Basic Grey was just what I wanted.  I entered this in the Basic Grey Hearts/Love challenge here http://basicgreychallenges.blogspot.com/. 
     Allsorts challenge bloghas a Free and Easy Friday challenge, which I also entered with this card here http://allsortschallenge.blogspot.com/A scan of my heart stamps and I found the perfect ones from Impression-Obsession.  Here's my take on the challenge:

Close up of details:                                                                                                                                     

  

A few pearls, some ribbon, and feathers to tickle the fancy!  So much fun on a cold, blustery, snowy day!

Blessings,

lynda

Valentine's Day Card Using Cuttlebug & Spellbinders

Happy Valentine's Day.....I'm BACK!!

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE ENTIRE CARD

Hi there!  I know it's been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd catch you up.  I really, really missed blogging - and spending lots of time in my craft room.  I'm finally able to take a breather, and getting back to a semi-routine.  AND, finally stamping and scrapbooking again.  I'm so excited to be back in my room doing what I love, love, love to do.  I'll catch you up, then show you one of my Valentine creations I made for the Cart Patterns Sketch challenge.  Here's a link to the challenge blog:  Card Patterns Sketch 151 .   Here's a sneak preview.  Scroll down to see the rest of the card after my catch-up.


CATCH UP:  My "new" job (I started in June as administrative assistant/secretary at my church) is going very well, and I LOVE, Love, Love it.  Can't believe it's been  eight months already.  Seems like I just started.  I actually enjoy going to work every day, and look forward to it.  It's interesting, challenging yet not overwhelming (now that I know what I'm doing most of the time), and the staff is WONDERFUL - the best people I've ever worked with.  Did I say I LOVE MY JOB?!  Ok, I guess I did.

My family is doing very well.  Faith, Dan, Keeley, and Kennedy, the joys of my life are doing well.  Keeley was seven in January, and Kennedy was one in November.  It was a busy holiday season.  We celebrated Kennedy's birthday and Thanksgiving in November, Faith's birthday, Dan and Faith's anniversary, Christmas in December, Dan and Keeley's birthday and New Years in January.....with other extended family and friends occasions interspersed throughout as well. Phew.

Hubby's job is very unstable.  He's working three days a week now, in lieu of closing down entirely.  Praying for the company to get some orders so he can stay employed.  It's tough out there!

That's the 'in a nutshell' version.  I will be back here at the blog more often now that I have a better handle on my job.  I'm actually starting to take Fridays off, which I was supposed to have all along, but have been working just until I can do my work in the four days I was hired for.  I think it's time.  I took off last week, and this week.  Fingers crossed.  I figure if I can get through the holiday season in the church office, I can get through anything!

As far as this blog, I will be here as time allows, and when inspired, of course.  Today I would like to share one of the Valentine's cards I made.  I used a Cuttlebug embossing folders, an EK Success punch for the swirl cut-out area, and Nestabilities for the circle, Gina K. Designs stamp.  And here's the card......

And...just have to share a couple of pics of my favorite people:

That's it for now.  See you soon at the blog!

Happy Valentine's Day!

lynda

Thanksgiving 2011

Ah, what a beautiful day.  The loves of my life were all together at my home, and we enjoyed a great meal together.  I was up at 5 AM to start cooking and prepping for the big meal, but I didn't mind, knowing how much my family would enjoy the fruits of my efforts.  Christmas music was playing all day, lending to the festive spirit of the day.

Turns out my daughter was sick, but my granddaughters and son-in-law were excited about coming, and looking forward to having turkey dinner, so they came anyways.  Faith mostly laid on the couch, bucket at the ready.  Dan and the girls enjoyed dinner with us.  Faith did get up a little later and tried some mashed potatoes, and was actually able to keep them down, so that was good.

We enjoyed a nice visit, and I took Keeley to see the new Muppet movie, which opened today.  We loved it, and it was so nice getting out with her for a couple of hours.  We laughed, and cried....well, I cried!  Yes, I cried at a Muppet movie, I know!  But it was so good, and I love, love, love the Muppets.  Hope you get to see it....and do let me know if it doesn't leave YOU with a lump in your throat! 

I'm so thankful today for my family, my health, our jobs, plentiful food and shelter, and this beautiful country we live in.  And I'm grateful for God's abundant love and grace.  May He richly bless you this Thanksgiving, and throughout the Christmas holiday.

In Him,

lynda

Technique Tuesday - Glitter and Marker Fall Flower Card

 

I pulled out one of my favorite Penny Black stamps for this card.....I just love this fall flower.  I chose to emboss it with black, and colored it with Tombow markers.  After assembling the card, I felt it needed a little something, so I added some glitter.  This just kicked it up a notch, don't you think?  

I finished off the card with a Spellbinder's die label.

Just a quick post tonight....to bed early for me.  

Blessings,

lynda 

Canvasette: Cornucopia card on canvasette with markers

Couldn't resist one more.....I am loving this canvasette paper!!!  Here's card two:

Can you tell I'm in FALL MODE?  I love everything about fall....the cool, crisp air, colorful leaves, fall foods, fall clothes, the smells and sounds.....everything!  I'm even more into spending time in my craft room.....stamping fall scenes, of course!  Gotta love all those rich, earthy colors and textures!

Hope you get to try this canvasette paper soon.  See my previous blog for the first card and details.

Blessings,

lynda

Technique Tuesday - Fall Still Life Canvasette

I was poking around in Michael's Craft store a while ago, and came across this pad of card stock weight paper with the texture of canvas.  It's called Canvasette, and looks and feels much like canvas that oil painters use.  I thought I would give it a try.  Here's my card:

 

I was really pleased with the look, and thought it looked rather like an oil painting.  If you click on the picture of the card, it will enlarge it, and you can see the canvas-like texture a little better.  In person, it really makes you wonder if it is, indeed, an oil or acrylic painting!

I started by stamping my image with permanent ink - I used Ranger's Sepia archival ink.  I chose the sepia, so that the outlines would be less noticeable than if I stamped with the standard black outline.  I felt this sepia gave the image a more oil-painted look.   

I then just started 'coloring' with Tombow water-based markers, blending and shading as I colored.  That's it!!!  It's that easy.  The paper does all the work.  I added some sponging to give it an aged look and soften it a little.

The stamp is one of my old favorites from Art Impressions.

Next time you're in Michael's, stop in the art department and pick up a pad of this canvasette and try it out.  You'll be amazed at how easy it is to create this look.

Blessings,

lynda

Technique Tuesday - Halloween Cards With Mesh

I was rifling through my stash, and found some pieces of mesh fiber "paper" that I just had to play with.  This isn't really paper, per say, but fibers that are woven together to create a piece of woven material that makes terrific backgrounds or accents for cards and/or scrapbook pages.

I was thinking halloween (already, right?  I know), and here's what I came up with:

I decided to keep the cards similar by using the same papers and colors.  The first card uses some black mesh material.  I used orange ink on the happy halloween, and tapped some black ink here and there.  A simple tag die cut, with some eyelets (remember those?) and checked ribbon complete the look.

On the second card, I chose white mesh.  The tag was hand cut, and the bats were from a punch.  I added some pen stitch lines on the white panel across the front of the card.

So, that's it for today.  Keeping it simple with two easy, clean halloween cards.

Blessings,

lynda