Reclaiming My Card Making Joy Using a Crazy Bird!

This summer I have been on the go a lot and haven't had time to blog or even create many cards.  I have missed it and hope things are settling down to where I can get back into the swing of things.  Summertime is NOT my favorite season as I don't fare well in the heat, and after a long day of work and commuting I just don't feel like creating.

I thought I would share a pair of cards with you today.  The first one I made for a fellow fountain pen lover who is celebrating a birthday.  I used one of the Crazy Birds stamps by Tim Holtz as I think they are just so adorable and happy in feel.  Decided to perch him on a fountain pen, of course!

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous, Hero Arts, 100 Proof Press
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Ranger Archival Inks, Memento Black
Paper: Gina K Designs
Misc.: Copic Markers, Tim Holtz Distressing Tool

The next card up I made for an upcoming birthday for a dear friend.  I decided to use some fountain pen ink that I received from my favorite online fountain pen shop Goulet Pens.

Supplies:
Ink: Various Fountain Pen Inks
Paper: Watercolor, Gina K Designs
Misc: Ribbon, Stampers Anonymous Stencil, Tim Holtz Distress Tool


Sitting down to make cards again has really lifted my spirits and reminded me of all the joy this hobby brings into my life.   Hoping you have a fun-filled day!

Happy Birthday, Cowboy Bob!

On Saturday evening, my husband and I went to a party in the city to celebrate one of Alan's long-time friends, Cowboy Bob, who was having a birthday party.  Bob is one of the founders of the theatre company that Alan belongs to.  Bob is always wearing a cowboy hat and boots no matter where he goes.  He also has a love of horses, and always portrays the Lone Ranger when the company performs it.  So I decided to make this card for his birthday!

Supplies:
Stamps: Lizzie Anne Designs
Paper: Core-dinations, Gina K Designs
Ink: Memento Black, Distress Ink (Walnut)
Misc.: Ribbon, Tim Holtz Alpha Tiles, Oval Scallop Die, Tim Holtz Paisley Embossing Folder, Tim Holtz Sanding Block

It was a lovely evening of friends enjoying each other's company.  Alan and I are very glad to call Cowboy Bob our friend.  Wishing him many years of good times ahead!

I hope you are able to find some quality time with those friends who bless your life!

Until next time!

You Are A True Friend

Hope you had a nice weekend!  We had snow again on Friday and it made for a bumpy commute, but I am glad that it is melting fast!  I am hoping that this was winter's last snow for the season.  It has been brutally cold and I am itching for Spring weather to arrive and match what the calendar is saying!

Today I am sharing a birthday card I made for my dear friend, Mariola.  She is someone very special and she is a cat lover.  Her cat Brownie is the light of her life.  When it came time to make her a birthday card,  I knew I had to put a cat on it!

Supplies:
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp (Furry Cat & Box),(Hello You 3x4)
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Archival Inks
Misc: Copic Markers, Corner Rounder

I find the two stamp sets I used for this card are reached for very often.  There are lots of fun sentiments and ones that are perfect for most occasions.

Wishing you a purr-fect day!

Donut Worry Be Happy

For today, I am sharing a sweet card I made for a pen pal who sent me some of her illustrations in a letter.  I am not someone who draws or sketches, so I thought it would be fun to make her a card with my letter to her enclosed.  I found this funny sentiment stamp and knew I had a donut stamp in my stash that would go with it.

Supplies:
Stamps: Studio G, Stampabilities 
Ink: Archival, Memento
Paper: Gina K Designs
Misc.: Copic Markers

After making this card, I really had a hankering for a donut (I have a major love for crullers.) Thankfully for my waist there weren't any in the house!

Hope you have a fun and sweet-filled day!

Stay Strong! Stay Brave!

Today I was able to spend some time in my stamp room after a long absence.  I wanted to make a card for a dear friend who is going through some serious health issues currently.  I decided to use three stamps from two stamps sets by Dina Wakley.  These stamps really said what I needed them to say.

Supplies:
Stamps: Dina Wakley
Ink: Archival
Paper: Gina K Designs


I sure hope this little card helps her know how much she means to me and that she is never alone while she is undergoing her treatments.

Thanks for visiting!  I hope to be back blogging regularly.  I sure have missed it and all of you.

Saying "Happy Birthday" With a Jane Austen Birthday Card

Hi, guys! I know it has been a long time since I shared a card I made with you. Truth is, I haven't been making any since I was in the hospital.  This week I was finally in my stamp room making cards again. The card I am sharing today I made for my dear friend Amy who celebrated her 50th birthday (and I missed it!).  Amy is one of the ladies in the Jane Austen group I mention from time to time.  What better way to say Happy Birthday to another Jane lover than with a Jane card!

Supplies:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Paper: Papertrey Ink (Jane Text Paper), Gina K Designs
Ink: Versafine Black, Old Paper & Antique Linen Distress Inks

When I gave my friend her birthday gift, I made sure to include a vial of ink that is called Jane Austen.  It is a lovely dark green shade.

It is great to be back on my blog.  I look forward to visiting with you as well.  You don't realize how much you love your blog until you don't get time to work on it!

I thought I would share a photo my husband snapped today.  We have been having a snowy/icy and cold winter here.  He found my garden sign poking out from the snow!  I have been itching to get outside and after this winter, I will have PLENTY of work to do to get it ready for Spring!

Have a great day!  Until next time!

Where Has Winnie Been?

You may have noticed that I have not been blogging or visiting for a while.  After Christmas, I fell ill and was hospitalized for seven days.  I spent New Year's in the hospital, ringing it in with my husband and toasting with plastic cups full of ice water,  and it was rather depressing.  Thankfully, my doctor is working on my medications and soon I will be like my old self.  I will never take being home for granted again!

My blog relies on sharing my crafting with you, and since I haven't created anything lately, I haven't been able to share.  I thought I would share the Christmas card I made for my husband.  We both love fountain pens and I gave him two of them for Christmas.   I decided to make a tree out of ink spots with nibs for a trunk.  It was a lot of fun to make and he really enjoyed it.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts, Hampton Arts
Ink: Wendy Vecchi Ranger Inks
Paper: Gina K Designs
Misc.: Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mirrored Stars, Twine

Speaking of fountain pens, while I was sitting in the hospital, my husband brought his laptop so I could watch my favorite YouTube videos to cheer me up.  I came across one on gratitude by SBRE Brown and after watching the video, I asked my husband to bring my fountain pens and paper the next day, and I spent the day writing thank you letters to various hospital staff who had been so helpful and kind while treating me.   By taking the time to show my gratitude, I feel as if my recovery was made easier.

I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday season.  Thank you all for all the fun and support this past year, and I look forward to sharing more of my cards and my inky fingers soon!!

Tea Time Tuesday - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

This Friday my husband and I started decorating our home for Christmas.  The tree is trimmed and I started bringing out my Christmas teapots.  Today I am sharing my Santa teapot with you.  He is just so jolly and always makes me smile.

This weekend I started making Christmas cards for my friend Erich to give.  He asked for a dozen cards and he tends to like the humorous or sweet cards.  So the first one I made was this one.  I used a favorite vintage Santa image and a fun stamp from the Hashtag Stampers Anonymous set I won.  Hope you like it!

How are you preparing for the holiday season?  I am attending a Christmas party this weekend, and am hosting a cookie swap the following week!  Lots of holiday cheer coming my way!

Today I am sharing tea at:

Tea Time Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Hope you have a tea-riffic day!

Happy Thanksgiving

Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the USA.  I took off work today to get the house ready for the feast.  I thought I would share a pair of cards I made for my parents and my husband's father.  I used the Maple Leaf image from the Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous stamp set.  Both cards used the same stamps, but I made one an top open card and the other a standard side open card.  Distress Ink pads were used to give them a watercolor look.

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampers Anonymous, Inkadinkado
Paper: Gina K Designs, Watercolor paper
Ink: Archival, Distress Inks
Misc.: Twine, Distress Tool

The backgrounds were colored with more Distress Ink (one is Antique Linen, the other Rusty Hinge).


Wishing each and every one of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!  I am truly thankful for so much, and count each of you among my blessings.

Wishing You A Cozy Day

Are you a pet lover?  Do you love dogs, or cats, or maybe another type of exotic pet?  Well, I was asked to make a birthday card for a young woman who loves cats.  I was asked to incorporate a cat and the color purple as it is Chelsea's favorite color.  Let me show you what I came up with!

Supplies:
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp
Paper: Gina K Designs, Bo Bunny
Ink: Hero Arts, Memento Black
Misc: Scallop Punch

I really love the stamp set Pillow Talk by Simon Says Stamp, as it incorporates images perfect for the dog or cat lover.  This stamp set was a birthday gift to me from my friend Mariola and I get a ton of use from it as there are so many wonderful pet lovers out there.

I used to have a cat named Emily who loved to crawl onto my pillow just like this cat.  It makes me smile to remember her when I stamp these images. Emily, sadly, is no longer with me, but maybe someday I will have another furry friend in my family.

What about you?  Do you have a pet?

Until next time!

Baby Boy's First Birthday Card Using My Favorite Blueprint Stamp

Do you have a stamp that you reach for over and over? For me it is the cupcake stamp by Stampers Anonymous! As you know, I love the Blueprint stamps, but this one is the one that I use the most.  I needed to make a little boy a card for his first birthday, and the single candle was just perfect for the occasion.

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

I have been enjoying the change of season here in New York.  I am enjoying the cooler weather and all the Fall outdoor fun!  My husband and I have been to some local apple farms, our local arboretum for their Fall festivals and this weekend we will be attending an Oyster Festival.  They have a lot of vendors there who sell their crafts, so it is right up my alley, not to mention all the delicious food!

Thanks for visiting today!  I hope to get into my craft room next week and share some fun with you soon!

Sharing Love with Fountain Pens and Ink (Anniversary Fun)

This week my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary.  You may know my love of fountain pens and ink, but I am happy to say my husband has begun to dabble in the hobby.  For our anniversary, we both gave each other fountain pens and ink.  It was a fun surprise.

I always wanted a Lamy 2000 fountain pen, as I have heard lots of great things about them especially on SBRE Brown's and Goulet Pens website and YouTube channels.  The Lamy 2000 was first made in 1966 and that is the year of my birth, so that really made it special for me.  My husband loves Pilot Metropolitans and asked for a set (fountain pen and pencil). He already had a few of them and so far that is the only fountain pen he is interested in.  You may notice that I picked up a TWSBI USA this week. Lots of inky fun waiting for us to enjoy.

I decided to make my husband a card with a fountain pen theme to go with his gifts. I made a mask of a heart and stamped ink splatters inside for for the heart image.  The fountain pen stamp is by 100 Proof Press.  It was a hit and I was glad that I could merge my two hobbies of stamping and fountain pens.

After we use our pens and ink, I will share how they did!

May your fingers be inky, and your heart happy!

It is National Coffee Day!

You are probably used to seeing my posts about tea, and plenty of cards with a tea theme.  Well, today is National Coffee Day and I am submitting this card for my blogger friend Chaitali's Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  Chaitali is a lovely lady who I am lucky enough to have gotten to know a bit since I started blogging. She is a major talent, but even more important, a kind, encouraging soul.

I decided to go with a vintage feel, and used a favorite set of mine by Crafty Secrets.  Sadly, they are no longer in business, but their stamps remain among my go-to stamps for many occasions.

I hope you will hop along and enjoy some fun coffee cards (without any of those pesky calories!).

Until next time!

Using Stampers Anonymous Blueprint Stamps for a First Birthday Card

It has been awhile since I was able to put up a card I made! Time has been working against me lately. Today I am sharing a card I made for my friend to give a little boy for his first birthday.  I was only asked to incorporate blue and yellow.  I thought it would be fun to use my favorite Blueprint stamps by Tim Holtz as the images are so festive and large.  This card is not my usual small size, as I used a full sheet of card stock scored in half.

Supplies:

Stamps: Stampers Anonymous

Paper; Gina K Designs

Ink: Memento Black, Distress Ink

Misc.: Circle Punch, Wink of Stella (Clear)

I used the computer to personalize the card and even add the boy's age.  Clear Wink of Stella was added to the images to give them a shine and added interest.

Wishing Matthew a very special birthday!

Until next time!

WOYWW #276 - House Mouse Birthday

Since today is Wednesday, I am sharing what is on my desk with you.  I am currently working on birthday cards for my father-in-law and my father this week.  Today I just finished my father-in-law's card using a fun House Mouse stamp.  That mouse sure looks happy and content.  Makes me wish I had some cake!

I thought I would share Cal's card with you! I am looking forward to celebrating him on his 89th birthday!

Thank you Julia for this desk hopping fun!  I look forward to seeing what you are all up to this week!  If you haven't joined in, I would love for you to!  Visit Julia and add the link to your desk! You will have a lot of fun, and meet some fabulous people!

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!

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!

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!

WOYWW #268 - "Candy Is Dandy, But …"

I can't believe it is Wednesday already, so you know that means! I am sharing what is on my work desk with you!  I was asked for a last minute favor at work today.  A friend needed a card for her dentist and his technician as I am gathering she was a bit of a rough patient.  She picked up liquor for them and wanted to thank them with a card to go with it.

I am not too sure what it says about me that I have a bunch of stamps of various drinks and bottles!

Here is the card so far!

Thank you to Julia for the desk hopping fun!  Why don't you join in and share what you are working on?  I would love to see!

Until next time!