Tim Holtz August 2014 Tag - Blind Bird Justice

Here I am finally getting around to making my tag for the monthly Tim Holtz challenge of the 12 tags of 2014.  This summer has been super busy with both fun and crazy things (like a flood!). I was glad to spend some time creating and getting my fingers inky today.

This tag incorporated so many various mediums (Distress Inks, Distress Stains, Distress Paint and Embossing Paste), lots of stencils and techniques and fun products, too.  I used a piece of filmstrip ribbon over the bird's eyes, so now you know why I named it as I did.

I will be giving this to my friend Ruth who enjoys my tags and as a thank you as I have been so behind in my crafting.  Hoping this autumn my fingers will be plenty inky again!

Have you tried making a tag?  It is so much fun, and it is a way of learning new techniques and having some creative time.  Visit Tim's blog and enjoy the fun along with us!

Until next time!

WOYWW # 273 - Some Pencil Love

Can you believe school is starting soon?  In some areas, school has already begun and after Labor Day it will begin here.  I have no children, but looking at my desk today, you may think I was getting ready for my first day!

Many of you may remember that I love fountain pens, but you may not know that I also love pencils.  I just picked up a fabulous pencil sharpener and went to town sharpening many pencils.  I loved it so much I picked one for my husband, and sent one to my sister in-law out of state as she was in need of one.  I think the pink color grabbed me, but the point it produces and the ease of use sold me.  I have no affiliation with Classroom Friendly Supplies, but thought I would share with you in case you ever need one!

Thank you to Julia for this desk hopping fun!  I am looking forward to seeing what everyone is working on.

Until next time!

Thrilled For You!

Today I am sharing a card I made for my husband's aunt and family.  They relocated to Long Island from Virginia and bought a new home.  While looking through my stamp stash, I came across this fun house stamp by recollections.  I heat embossed it in black and used some fun heart paper from my Simon Says Stamp card kit.

Supplies:

Stamps: Recollections, Paper Smooches

Paper: Simon Says Stamp Card Kit

Ink: Distress Ink (Faded Jeans, Worn Lipstick), Versafine Black

Misc.: Clear Embossing Powder, Heart Gems

Instead of the usual "Congratulations" sentiment, I went with this one by Paper Smooches, as we really are thrilled for them.

This Sunday we were able to visit them in their new home and I learned how to play bocce ball!  I seemed to get better as we went along, but still came in last!  I married into a bocce-loving family, it seems.  

Hope you have a fabulous weekend ahead!  My husband and I will be working in our basement as we are clearing it out after our flash flood last week.  We got it all dry, etc, but so many things to sort through and continue to toss away things we don't need.  One fun thing we will be doing is attending a barbecue with some dear friends.  

Until next time!

Tea Time Tuesday - Fun Vessel For Saving Wine Corks

For today's Tea Time Tuesday, I thought I would share something different with you.  My sister gave me this adorable tea pot to house my wine cork collection.  My husband and I honeymooned at a local vineyard, and when she saw this adorable tea pot, she thought of me right away.

I thought I would share these books I used in the photo with you.  Alice's Tea Cup is a wonderful cookbook by one of my favorite local tea shops.  The scones alone were worth the price of the book.

If you are like me, you will have a bunch of various tea books.  I love to pull them out and enjoy learning about the lore of tea.

 

Hope you have a great day!  Thanks for stopping in!

Cool Beans!

So many of my family (me included) and friends celebrate birthdays in the summer.  My schedule becomes hectic with dinners, barbecues, family and friend visits.  Today I thought I would share a card I made for my friend Eva's birthday.  She is another of my Jane Austen gals as well.  When I was thinking of what to give her for her birthday, I decided on including a Starbucks gift card, so I thought a coffee-themed card would make a fun way of packaging it up.

Supplies:
Stamps: Fresh Squeezed Stamps, Stampin' Up
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Archival, Distress Antique Linen, Distress Vintage Photo
Misc.: Ribbon

This is another card using stamps by different manufacturers that I think went very well together.  By inking the background with the Distress Ink, I found the white take-away cup really stood out.  Sadly, Fresh Squeezed Stamps is no longer, but I know the stamps I did get from them will be used for years to come.

I make a lot of tea related cards as I am a big tea fan, so this was a fun change for me.  Funny thing, neither my husband nor I are coffee drinkers.  We only take out our coffee pot for company!

Have a fabulous day!

A Jolly Good Time!

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!  This weekend we attended a surprise birthday party for my good friend Monika.  Monika just traveled to England on vacation, so we had a British themed party for her.  It is only fitting as she is the chair of our Jane Austen group as well.  I love how everyone pitched in, and made food.  I made shepherd's pie, and my sister's delicious strawberry cheesecake trifle.

I thought I would share with you the card I made for Monika.  It was fun to make and used 3 different stamp sets to make it.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous, Artistic Outpost, Technique Tuesday
Ink: Archival Inks, Distress Markers
Paper: Gina K Designs
Misc. Bingo Marker Tim Holtz

While shopping for Monika's gift I came across a cool British themed suitcase like box to house the goodies in.  I made a faux luggage tag for it as well. I love this picture as I love that she enjoyed the card so much.

It was such a perfect day.  Friends, laughter and plenty of yummy food.  Here is a fun shot of our Jane Ladies.  One member is missing, but she was there in spirit!

That is some cake, right?  Just awesome!

Unfortunately, Benedict Cumberbatch must have lost his invitation, as he was a no-show.

Until next time!

Why Aren't Winnie's Fingers Inky Lately?

I mentioned a while back that I haven't been creating a lot of cards lately due to the summer and spending time with family and friends.  One thing that I have been working on lately is my health.  I decided to get in shape and lose some weight.  So on June 9th, I started my new way of eating and dug out my old exercise videos (yep, they are VHS!).  One of the keys to my success has been really focusing on me, and spending time doing the WORK!  Well, it is nearly 2 months, and I have lost 19 pounds so far!  I am very happy, and, more importantly, I feel so much better.

I have been doing a lot of cooking and freezing to make my meals easier to deal with after work. Saturdays have been spent breaking out 2 crockpots and dutch ovens and cooking up a storm.  This has freed up exercise time for me which I desperately need.

Many of you know I love stamping, card making and tea.  What you may not know about me is that I love cooking, and spices and herbs.  I am happy in a stamp store, and just as happy walking through my favorite spice shop Penzey's.   Having a nice supply of spices and herbs on hand makes cooking a breeze.  I thought I would share pictures of my fun spice shelves that my late first husband Charlie, and Alan, have made for me.

This is only some of my stash; you will notice lots of small jars and larger ones of those I use often.  I have no affiliation at all with Penzey's, but love their products and their company values.

Hoping to get my fingers inky on a regular basis soon.  Summer is flying by and I sure miss it!

Until next time!

Tea Time Tuesday - Creativi-tea

Today I am sipping tea in a fun mug that I found years ago.  It brings together two of my passions, crafting and tea!  Inside the mug the definition of creative-tea is noted as: n. Having more creative ability while drinking tea.  Very true in my case.  I find I create better with a nice cup of tea at hand.

Isn't the tea bag holder lovely?  My mom knows how much I love vintage images and when she saw a set of these with various ladies on them she knew she had to pick them up for me.  Mom said they would be perfect for tea parties, especially for my friends in our Jane Austen group!

Currently, I am going through my tea related stamps to come up with a birthday card for a dear friend. I have a couple of drawers dedicated to tea stamps, and many more in sets.  Part of the fun of card making for me is the process of going through my stash and picking images that "fit" a recipient.  I hope to share what I come up with later in the week! 

Today I am sharing tea at:

Tea Time Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Hope you have a tea-riffic day!