WOYWW #306 - Saying Good-bye To A Wonderful Store

Today is Wednesday, so I am sharing what is on my work desk with you!

I am sure you are all a bit like me.  You have a local hobby shop you love to visit.  Scrapper's Playground is a scrapbook shop that is nearby and always has just what I am looking for.  Unfortunately, I found out they are closing their doors.   I spent Saturday afternoon shopping there and picked up a lot of goodies.  While shopping, I felt just a sad feeling like I am saying good-bye to a good friend.  This store is where I met a lot of lovely people, and even got to attend a class taught by Tim Holtz.

You will notice that a lot of my goodies are by Stamper's Anonymous and Tim Holtz and Ranger.  It seemed fitting for me to purchase these items from the store since they made it possible for me to attend a class with Tim.

I am looking forward to many happy hours of stamping and creating and will remember Marie and the staff of Scrapper's Playground for all the good times!

Thank you to Julia for the desk-hopping fun!  I look forward to seeing what you are all working on!

Until next time!

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!

Happy Birthday, Dear Friend (and USA, too!)

Soon we will be celebrating the Fourth of July here in the U.S.A.  When I was picking out a card to share with you today, I decided to share a card I made for my friend Asia's birthday this week.  I think it is appropriate also for wishing America a very "Happy Birthday!"

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous, Simon Says Stamp
Paper: Simon Says Stamp
Ink: Memento Black, Archival 
Misc.: Copic Markers, Corner Rounder

You may have noticed that I haven't been blogging that much lately.  Lots going on currently, and with summer added to the mix, time has been flying by.  I made a promise to myself to slow down and enjoy the nice weather, and to work on myself a bit!  Working on getting more exercise and making better diet choices.  Wish me luck!

Wishing all those in the U.S. a very Happy Fourth of July!

Until next time!

June 2014 Tag - Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 Stencil Fun!

Can you believe it is already nearly the end of June?  This summer has been very busy for me and I am glad that I was able to get in my June tag for the 12 Tags of 2014 by Tim Holtz!  Can't believe I got it done today under the wire!

This month Tim showed us a fun technique using his stencils and distress inks.  I used a new arrow stencil by Tim that I just picked up this weekend and I thought would be fun to use. I incorporated some of Tim's rub-ons and a plastic arrow as a 3D element.  The sentiment I used was one from the Stampers Anonymous set called Hashtags.

Have you ever tried making one of these monthly tags?  If not, why not give it a try? I find I learn a lot of great techniques and interesting ways to use the supplies that I have on hand.  You can find the directions over at Tim's blog.

Hope you have a great day! Thanks for visiting!

WOYWW #258 - Bookmark Making Under Way

Happy Wednesday!  Today I am sharing what is on my work desk with you.  You may remember when I shared my desk last week my pen pal letters were under way.  Well, this week I decided to start working on bookmarks for my fountain pen pen pals. I thought they would be fun to tuck into letters as a surprise.

Stampers Anonymous has a great stamp set with fountain pen related images and old cursive handwriting images, etc.  I thought they would be perfect for this gang of letter writers.  I used my archival black ink and plenty of Distress Inks.  Only one is done so far, but it was a lot of fun to make.

Close up of stamping:

Finished bookmark:

The metal nib is from Tim Holtz and I think it was a fun embellishment.  The seam binding was stamped with a fun swirl image from the set as well.

Thank you, Julia, for the desk hopping fun!  If you haven't joined in,  you might give it a go as the sharing of desks is fun, you learn a lot and the friendships made are priceless.

I am looking forward to visiting with you today!

Until next time!

Au Revoir, Mon Amie!

Saying goodbye is never easy when you work with someone you like and they change jobs.  Yesterday one of our attorneys left our firm and is going somewhere else.  This was the first time I ever made a departing attorney a card, but this lady was very kind and when my husband passed away, she helped me with my paperwork and helped me tread water when my head was foggy and she made sure my interests were put in the forefront.  For that alone I will always be thankful.

I made a Paris themed card as I know she studied in Paris when young, and she speaks the most beautiful French I have ever heard.  For this card I used Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous background stamp, and the focal image is from Hero Arts.   The ink I used for the background was Wendy Vecchi's, and I sponged Tim Holtz Distress Ink around the image.

As many of you know, I love Paris.  While thinking about this card, I realized that my Paris and French collection of stamps is rather large.  I don't use them enough, so I am glad I had a reason to get them inky!

Until next time!

Love and Encouragement

I have been making cards for many years and for many situations and occasions.  Most of them are happy and are easy for me to embrace, but some, like sympathy cards, are harder for me.  This week I was asked to make a special card for a friend to give.  You may recall I lost my first husband to cancer and when I hear the word I feel overwhelmed with sadness.  I was asked to make a personalized card for a young man (37) who is losing his battle with cancer and will be with the Lord soon.  My friend asked for a card of encouragement and love for this young husband, father and friend.  This card weighed on my heart and soul this weekend and this is what I came up with.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous
Paper: Gina K Designs, Watercolor
Ink: Distress Stains, Distress Ink, Archival Black
Misc: Clear Embossing Powder, Ribbon, Tim Holtz Index Labels

Bible verses and words of love and encouragement were included inside.

My thoughts and prayers go out to this young man and his family and friends.  I hope this small card shows him how much he is loved by so many.

Until next time!

WOYWW #245 - Valentine's Day Gift Bag Decorated With Tim Holtz Supplies

Today is Wednesday, so I am sharing what is on my work desk with you. Shield your eyes if the sight of a inky mess scares you!  I just finished decorating a gift bag for my husband's Valentine gifts.  I decided to use a few sets of Tim Holtz stamps by Stampers Anonymous and Wendy Vecchi Archival inks.

I used my Distress Markers to spritz the bag and made a tag with one of Tim's tickets that I stamped on.

Here is the completed bag.  I decided to use the Tim Holtz tissue that has text on it.  My husband loves books and dictionaries, and he cringes when I tear them up for my crafting.  I know he will like this fun paper. He will see the Distress Glitter on the heart and know it was made by me!

Thank you to Julia for this desk hopping fun!  I look forward to catching up with a lot of you today!  Hope everyone has a special Valentine's Day on Friday!

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2014 - January - Leave Ordinary Behind

My husband loves his pocket watches.  He has three:  one his parents gave him when he graduated college, one he bought himself and the one I gave him when we got married. So, tonight I had an extra good time creating my monthly Tim Holtz Tag as it featured such a watch.  Tim used his large die, but I had his mini die and so I decided to give it a go using that one.  For this tag, I used only Tim Holtz and/or Ranger products.  That is not always the case, but this time I was able to find all I needed in my stash.

Lots of stains, inks and embossing were used on this tag.  I got to use a sentiment from a new stamp set by Tim on this tag.  I don't know many people who strive to be ordinary, why not try to be unique!

If you haven't tried making a tag of your own, I would suggest you visit  Tim's blog and he will show you how to make one, and give it your own spin!  Looking forward to seeing what the February tag will be and what new things I can learn and share.

Saying Happy Birthday With a Handmade iPhone Card

How many of us LOVE our iPhone (or other smart phones)?  I know I do!  I was a holdout and decided to get one recently and find I use it a lot!  Surfing, emailing, podcasts and tweeting are at my fingertips. So, when I won the Hashtag stamp set last week, I thought it would be fun to make an iPhone card and stamp the greetings on it.

Here is my handmade iPhone card.  I used glossy black card stock as the base and cut it down and rounded the corners to help it resemble my phone.  I used white and blue card stock to decorate it.  A white gel pen was used to do the doodling along the top.

How fun is this?  I plan to give it to a special person whose birthday is coming up soon. She never seems to put her phone down!  The possibilities are endless with the sentiments in that stamp set!  The black glossy card stock has a white back so it is perfect to be able to write a personal message to the recipient.

Off to get my fingers inky! Hope you find time to do something you love!

Hashtag Love

Many of us have had days where you are feeling rather blue, or just plain blah.  Well, the other day I was having one of those days and it turned into a fun, happy day by a generous act.  Mario Rossi came up with a great idea for a stamp set for Stampers Anonymous called Hashtags! It was perfect for him as he is a great Twitter and Facebook user.  If you aren't following him, I highly recommend you do, as he is so much fun!  When I saw he was giving away some of these stamp sets on Facebook just by leaving a comment I did.  When I saw I was one of the winners I was so happy and excited!   After a long day of working and commuting in below zero weather on Friday, I came home to find it in the mail!

Last night I used the stamp set to decorate packaging and make a tag for my girlfriend Amy, who we are celebrating with this afternoon at a brunch.  The gift bag was a plain inexpensive bag, but by using my various Stampers Anonymous stamps to decorate it, it made it personalized to my friend (one of my Jane Austen group ladies).  The fun hashtags look great scattered throughout.

I am looking forward to making more fun things with this set.  Thank you to Mario Rossi and Tim Holtz for your generosity of spirit.

Just remember as you go through your day, a kind word or action can really mean a lot to those you encounter along the way.  No act is too small to make a BIG difference!

Santa Squared

Hi, guys! I have tons of holiday and Christmas stamps, and Santa images are among my favorites.  I thought I would share a pair of Santa cards I made for the season.

The first one up features a Santa by Stampers Anonymous (Tim Holtz). Love the old-timey look and the full face.  I paired this card up with a funny sentiment by Ranger (Dylusions).

The second card features another fun Santa by Rubber Stampede. His eyes have the twinkle I love for a good Santa image.

Hope you are enjoying the days leading up to the big day!  I am still wrapping and shopping, believe it or not.  Hoping to finish up everything tomorrow so I can sit back and enjoy some holiday fun with my family.

Until next time!

Cards Abound This Week!

Hi, guys! Hope all is well! Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but with work and card orders, I have been swamped.  Over the next week or so, I will be sharing a lot of cards.  I have a friend Christine who always orders a bunch of personalized cards from me and who is going out on leave to have a baby soon.  She gave me a list of all the cards she will be needing for various occasions and holidays while she is out and I have to get them done before next Friday!  So far I have completed 8 out of 13, so you know what I will be working on this weekend!

I thought I would start by sharing two thank you cards she asked to be made.  The first one is for her in-laws for taking care of her daughter for a few weeks while her husband went back to work.  I decided to use the LARGE thank you stamp from Papertrey Ink.  The focal point is embossed with Zing embossing powder and I like how it pops against the patterned paper.

The next card up was made for Christine's brotther as a thank you for her daughter's dance classes.  Chris mentioned that her daughter's class all wears blue outfits and tutus.  I used a sheet of Nutcracker paper by Graphic 45 as I thought it was perfect.  The little ballerina stamp is by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.  Love that little stamp!   I decided the cute sentiment by Dear Lizzie was perfect. Distress Ink in Faded Jeans was used to add color to the edges of the images and the patterned paper.

This week I am entering these two card in the challenge at: http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com  These will be my first submissions there.  Very excited to join in the fun!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Hope you find some time in your day to do something you love!

Until next time!



Distress Stain Cards (Sympathy & Thank You)

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  Today I thought I would share a pair of cards I made using my Distress Stains.  I made two similar backgrounds and used the same stamp set by Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous.  The paper I used is watercolor paper as I find it works great with stains as they are a wet medium.

After they dried, I used the lighter (softer) background to turn into a sympathy card for a friend who lost his mom.  I think nature themes work very well for sympathy cards.

I then used the second panel to make a thank you card for a friend who hosted us for this Labor Day weekend.  Barbara is someone who ALWAYS makes me laugh and smile.  I used the brighter background and went with a more whimsical way to display the sentiment. The sentiment I used is from Paper Smooches.

Isn't it great that you can create two cards easily using the same backgrounds and stamps but change them a bit for two special people in your life?  I know when I take out my stains, or paints, it is very rare that I only make one card.  It saves me time and cleanup and I enjoy stretching my imagination.

Until next time!

Bon Anniversaire, Mon Amie!

Hi, guys (or should I say Bonjour?)! Today I am sharing a birthday card I made for my good friend, Monika.  Monika is Chairwoman of our Jane Austen group and such a fabulous lady.  The card I decided to make for her today is special in that I incorporated a windmill into the focal image, the reason being she collects those images, as her family name means "windmill" in Polish!  I received The French Marketplace stamp set by Stampers Anonymous at my birthday barbecue a few weeks ago, and she was very excited when she noticed the Moulin Rouge image in the set.  How perfect, and timely, for me to be able to use it for this card!

Stamps:
Stampers Anonymous, Clearly Impressed
Paper: Gina K Designs, Tim Holtz French Industrial
Ink: Hero Arts, Distress Ink (Vintage Photo), Veramark, Archival Black
Misc.: Fired Brick Distress Embossing Powder

I decided to use my Distress Embossing Powder, and really like how it turned out  I don't seem to use these powders that often, so I will have to remember to pull them out more!  The background was done by masking the image and stamping the French script image repeatedly.

I don't often decorate the inside of my cards, but since Monika loves vintage images and distress, I decided to use the other images in the set, as well as the French "Happy Birthday" sentiment by Clearly Impressed.

Monika is truly a blessing in my life, and I am blessed to call her friend.  I wish for each and every one of you a friend just like that in your life.

Until next time!

July 2013 Tim Holtz Tag (Patriotic Theme)

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  As many of you know, I am participating in the 12 Tags of 2013 challenge by Tim Holtz.  Each month, I look forward to Tim posting his new tag and learning something new! This month, being July, the tag had a patriotic theme.  Tim's was to thank the firefighters who lost their lives in the Arizona wildfires.   I made mine using a patriotic theme, but mine focuses on how lucky and happy I am to be living here in the USA, and how "good" my life is because of it.

These tags are very technique and product heavy.  I used crackle paint on the stars and "4," lots of Distress Stains, Distress Ink and stamps galore.

Winnie's fingers were very inky when I was all done with this tag!  But boy, was it fun!

If you haven't tried one of these tags, I think you should.  It is always a fun, creative challenge!

Until next time!

Tutu Cute

Hi, guys! Hope all is well! This weekend was a very busy one for us.  We attended a dance recital for two of our nieces.   When we go we always bring the girls some flowers and a little present.  I decided to stamp a pair of tiny tags with the tiny Ballerina stamp in the Stampers Anonymous set. They were stamped with ink to match the girl's costumes.  I hung one on a cute snack size Nutella & Go.  It kind of reminded me of Minnie Pearl and the price tag on her hat!

I love to make little treats for people by adding personalized tags, or gift bags/boxes.  The girls were happy to receive them after all their hard work.   Want to meet the girls?

Amanda & Grace

Hope you have a great day!  Until next time, my friends!

Birthday Butterfly Wishes

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  Today I am sharing a birthday card with a butterfly theme for a friend to give. She is giving a gift of a set of my cards in a butterfly box, so I thought this card would go lovely with the packaging.   This card front is watercolor paper stamped with Distress Inks and Archival Ink.  The key to this card is to stamp with archival ink directly on the embossing folder and then run it through your machine. Then you can go as wild as you want with the Distress Inks as that really makes the embossing pop!

Supplies:

Stamps: Stampers Anonymous

Paper: Watercolor, Ginka K Designs

Ink: Distress Inks, Archival Ink

Misc.: Cuttlebug Folder, Ribbon

I had very inky fingers when I was finished with this card! But I feel it was worth it!

Have a great day!  Hope you find a few moments in your day to do something you love!

Some Blueprint Birthday Cards

Hi, guys!  Hope all is well!  I made a pair of birthday cards using the Blueprint Stamps by Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous.  I just love using these stamps as they are so fun to color and have a great look to them.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous
Paper: Gina K Designs, Desert Strom
Ink: Memento Black, Copic Markers
Misc.: Tim Holtz Wishbone

Isn't that wishbone adorable?  I applied it with Glossy Accents.

This second one is a fun present/gift stamp.  I like that I can use this for birthdays as well as Christmas or any other occasion that a gift is involved.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Memento Black, Copic Markers
Misc.: Gems

If I had to recommend a great birthday stamp set, I would say this is it!

Hope you have a great day!  Until next time!

Congratulations, Mr. Chairman!

Hi, guys! Hope all is well! Today I was asked to make a card by my husband for one of his oldest and dearest friends, Jeff.  Jeff was just elected Chairman of the Board of the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. It is such an honor, and so we wanted to recognize it with what else?  Yep, a card!

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous, 100 Proof Press
Ink: Archival, Versafine
Paper: Gina K Ivory, Core-dinations
Misc.: Cuttlebug Music Embossing Folder, Tim Holtz Exclamation Point, Clear Embossing Powder

Core-dinations Kraft paper is a great paper to use with your embossing folders. Using a sanding block and removing the color reveals the Kraft core underneath.

I decided to heat emboss a cool record image with clear embossing powder on the envelope.  Isn't it a fun way to finish off a card?

Without art and music in our lives I believe our world would be a pretty cold place.  Thank you to Jeff for all you do to keep music alive and well on Long Island.

Until next time!