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!!

Say It With Flowers

As I have previously written, I haven't been doing much in the way of crafting or card making lately.  I have been out and about enjoying summer and spending time with family and friends.  I had to make an exception to my break when I was asked by a partner at the firm I work for if I could make a special card for him to give his wife for their anniversary.  He had never asked me before (normally, I make them for assistants and a few other staff members), so I said yes.  The only guidance he gave me is his wife loves color and flowers, so this is what I came up with.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts, Paper Smooches, Gina K Designs
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Archival Inks, Memento Black
Misc: Copic Markers, Gems

Here is another example of one card using three stamp sets by different companies.  It is a fun way to get the most of the many supplies I have and give the sets a different look.

It felt so good to get my fingers inky!  Hoping to just find time to create for myself soon.  I know I have relatives coming next week and a block party to attend next weekend as well so I am not sure when I will fit it in.  Summer is really in full swing here!

If it is summertime in your area, I hope you are having a lot of fun and family/friend time, too!

Until next time!

Fountain Pen Lover Birthday Card

Many of you know that I have a love of fountain pens, and use them to write to many pen pals.  I found out this week that one of my newest pen pals is celebrating a birthday this week, one day after mine.  I decided I wanted to make her a fountain pen themed card and had a fun time sorting through my stamps to come up with this card!

Supplies:
Stamps: Scrappy Happiness, Hero Arts, Picture Show
Ink: Archival Inks, Distress Markers
Paper: Gina K Designs
Misc.: Simon Says Stamp Curve Die, White Gel Pen, Spritzer Tool

I love when I can sift through my large collection of stamps and put various companies together on one card.

As a lover of fountain pens, I am accustom to random splatters of ink drops, and think it was a fun addition to the card.  I love the handwritten look of the sentiment by Scrappy Happiness.

I have a new fountain pen on my table today.  An early birthday gift to myself!  It is a Namiki Falcon that I have been wanting for a while, and hope to use it for some flex writing.  It is my first gold-nibbed pen, so it is rather exciting for me.

Wishing Emma a very Happy Birthday!

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!

WOYWW #234 - Thanksgiving Cards Under Way

Hi guys!  Hope all is well.  I am sorry I was very busy last week with work and home and did not get a chance to participate in the weekly desk-hopping fun!  Today I am sharing what is on my work desk with you.  Be prepared, as it is very messy and full of inky fun!

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving here, I am trying to make a few cards for family and friends.  Nothing like last minute crafty time!

You may notice that I dug out my Distress Markers, Distress Inks, Archival and Hero Arts inks.  Such an inky desk today.

Thank you to Julia for hosting this weekly desk-hop!  I hope to visit with as many of you as I can while I prepare the house to get ready for tomorrow's Thanksgiving holiday!

Some Halloween Fun

Hi, guys!  I started making more Halloween cards today.  I saw this fabulous paper by Webster's Pages and it reminded me of one of my friends.  I decided to keep the amazing pumpkins on the papers as the main focal images.  I used the Simon Says Stamp banner stencil to frame the sentiment.  Hero Arts Orange Soda was sponged through the stencil.  I think it is the perfect Halloween orange.

Supplies:
Paper: Webster's Pages, Gina K Designs (Mango)
Ink: Black Soot Distress Ink, Hero Arts Orange Soda
Stamps: A Muse 
Misc.: Simon Says Stamp Banner Stencil, Pearls

This next card was a fun and simple one.  I won a bunch of fun Halloween stickers from a blogger from the UK and decided to use a few on this card.

Supplies:
Paper: Carta Bella, Gina K Designs
Stamps: Studio G
Ink: Black Soot Distress Ink, Hero Arts Grape Juice

What I thought was cool was the stickers have a transparent feel, and if you notice, the pumpkin appears to be getting eaten by the spiders on the paper as well as the large one on the top.

Thanks for visiting today!  Hope you enjoyed seeing what I am working on!

I am entering these cards in the following challenge:

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/challenge-spooky/

Until next time!

Silent Night, Holy Night

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  Today I am sharing a Christmas card I made for a friend's son.  I knew I used my nativity stamps the last few years on her cards, but I wanted my card to reflect the birth of Christ, so this is what I came up with.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts, Papertrey Ink
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Versamark
Misc: White and Silver Embossing Powder

I thought using the Star would be a perfect way to make this a Christmas scene. I really love when I can make scenes using stamps from different lines together.  It really is a fun way to get more out of your stamps.

The use of the white and silver embossing really stands out nicely against the navy background.

I am entering this in the following challenge:

http://www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/2013/10/challenge-101-anything-goes.html

Until next time!

Housewarming (Modern/Funky House)

Hi, guys!  Hope all is well! Today I am sharing a fun housewarming card I made for a family.  I decided to use my Hero Arts house stamp as well as their "Polaroid" frame stamp.  Not sure what they called it as I was given this stamp a while ago.  Who doesn't take pictures of their home when they first get it, right?  It is a fun way to share in the excitement of what a new home brings.

I decided to use ivory card stock for the image and kept the colors toned down as the card is for both males and females.  I paper pieced the door and the chimney to add some fun and color.  It is hard to see in this photo, but the black background is embossed with polka dots to match the house.

I am entering this card in the following challenge: www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.com

Thank you for stopping by today!

Until next time!

Happy Birthday, Mama (Giving Tree)

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  For today's card, I am sharing a birthday card I made for my friend Christine's mother.  She mentioned a lot of wonderful qualities her mom possessed and one of the notes mentioned how giving she was.  She said she was really a "giving tree," so I knew what I wanted to do for her.  I used this great tree image by Hero Arts for the focal image.

The stamps for both the sun and grass are by Claudine Hellmuth.  I just love her fun, artsy, and quirky style.  I feel they went great with the fun and funky tree. Red gemstone hearts were added to the inside of the tree.

I am submitting this card to the following challenge: http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com

Wishing Christine's mother a blessed birthday!

Until next time!

I Thank My Lucky Stars For You

Hi, guys!  Today's card came about after I had a spray ink mishap! I was trying to use my Dylusions Spray inks on one of my stencils, but it bled underneath the stencils (too much ink!).  I loved the colors and HATE to waste anything.  So I decided to punch stars out of the papers, and loved how they looked.  I embossed the card with the Cuttlebug Star embossing folder and placed some of the punched stars in the centers of the embossed ones.

I thought the sentiment by Hero Arts is perfect for this card.  I used Jelly Roll pens to color the stars on the sentiment. This is a clean and simple-looking card and I enjoyed turning my mishap into a fun card! 

How do you save your bloopers?

Until next time!

Everything Is Better With A Friend!

Hi, guys!  Had some Distress Ink fun today!  I made a card for my friend Christine to give our mutual friend Ruth for her birthday.  Both these ladies are some of the biggest fans of my work and show me so much support.  They both have me make cards for all their special occasions, so Christine wanted one made for Ruth!

I decided to pull out my Distress Inks and some Perfect Pearls Mist.  Christine loves butterflies and I know Ruth does too, so I decided to use my Martha Stewart butterfly punch on this card.  The butterfly is layered with 3 colors from the card and attached down the body of the butterfly which allowed the wings to be bent to mimic flight.

Supplies:
Ink: Versafine Black, Distress Inks, Perfect Pearls (Gold)
Paper: Watercolor Paper, Gina K Designs
Stamps: Hero Arts
Misc.: Clear Embossing Powder, Oval Punches, Martha Stewart Butterfly Punches, Bling, Pearls (colored with Copic Markers to match)

It is hard to see in the picture, but the watercolor paper was sprayed with gold Perfect Pearls which gave it a nice shine and helped blend the inks even more.

Wishing Ruth the happiest of birthdays!

Hope you have a fun day and find some time to do something you love!

Mother's Day Cards Galore!

Hi, guys!  I have been very busy making Mother's Day cards for the upcoming holiday.  I thought I would share some of them with you today.  Since there are quite a few, I will not list all the supplies, so if you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me a message, or leave me a question and I will get back to you!

The first one is for my friend's Babci (Grandmother in Polish).

Here is a modern-looking one for a friend's mama.

One for a grandma.

Another one for a grandma!

Hope you like these fun cards.  My hope is they will make some lovely ladies very happy!

Enjoy your day!

WOYWW #203 Prepping For Some Serious Card Making

Hi, guys! Hope all is going well!  It's Wednesday, so that means I am sharing what is on my work desk! Thank you, Julia, for this fun!

Today my desk has a bunch of stamps on it begging for ink!  I started pulling various florals for Mother's Day cards and spring birthday cards I will be making.  I also have a Holy Communion Stamp and sentiment sitting there to make a card as well.

Next, I took a picture of my chalkboard where you will see a list of cards I am currently working on for various people.  I find this a good way for me to keep track of what I need to work on.

So, you can see I am a very busy card maker!  The spring brings lots of holidays and family events that many people send cards for.   My fingers will be very inky for quite some time.

Hope to visit a bunch of desks today.  If you want some fun, or inspiration, I would highly recommend you join in at Stamping-Ground!

Until next time!

You're Special To Me

Hi, guys! Hope you are having a great day!  Today I am sharing some cards I made using my gelatos.  I was inspired by Jennifer McGuire who was showing watercoloring with Inktense pencils.  I do not have those, so I dug out my gelatos and watercolored on watercolor paper to make these fun banners. I then punched various size hearts out of the painted papers and scattered them around.  The cards are each embossed as well.

Supplies: 
Stamps: Hero Arts
Paper: Gina K Designs, Watercolor paper
Ink: Versamark, Faber-Castell Gelatos
Misc.: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Martha Stewart Heart Punch, White Embossing Powder

I love that they look so bright and cheerful.  Watercoloring is just so fun and so relaxing to me, and I just wish I could find time to do more of it!

Hope you find some time today to do something you love!

I Love You More Tag

Hi, guys! I thought I would share with you a gift tag I made for my friend Ruth to give to her husband for Valentine's Day.  She and her husband love using two hearts on the cards they give each other.  I incorporated two heat embossed ones and mounted them on Action Wobble Springs and attached them on the tag.  I love the motion of them!  Reminds me of a fluttering heart.  I used the faux letterpress technique for the background using white ink. I stamped directly on the ribbon using Archival Ink and used Distress Stain.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts, Anna Griffin
Ink: Distress Inks, Archival Inks, Versamark, Unicorn White, Distress Stain
Paper: Watercolor, Ranger Black Tag
Misc.: Clear Embossing Powder, Cuttlebug Folder, Computer Generated sentiment, Action Wobble Springs

This was fun to make.  It is the first time I used the Action Wobble Springs and can't wait to use them again.  Something about the movement just puts a smile on my face.

Until next time!

Valentine For Felix (Hero Arts Hearts)

Hi, guys! Hope you had a great weekend!  We sure did!  Saturday my hubby was in his monthly show in Manhattan.  They performed episodes of "The Shadow" and "Richard Diamond, Private Detective."  It was a great time shared with friends as well.  I really love when they do the old-time commercials. Truly hysterical. I think it is wonderful that both my husband and I have creative outlets that we can enjoy and share with others.

For today, I thought I would share a Valentine card I made for my friend to give to her husband.  She likes large size cards, so this was an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of card stock scored in half.  I had a hard time photographing this card due to the shape and size of it.   I heat embossed hearts and inked them with various shades of distress inks.  I used Tim Holtz Alphas to personalize the card.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts
Inks: Distress Inks, Versamark
Paper: Gina K (Black & White)
Misc.: White Embossing Powder, Tim Holtz Letters


Tomorrow I will be on a vacation day and I will be working on a bunch of Valentines and other cards that have been requested.  I am looking forward to having a fun day of inky fingers!

Until next time!

Girlfriends and Cosmos

Hi, guys! I am sharing the last of my Christmas cards with you today.  I made these for two of my girlfriends.  The first one was made using the fun Christmas words by Dyan Reaveley.  Plenty of Distress Inks and a fun sexy stylish woman image by Hero Arts were used on this one.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts, Dylusions by Dyan Reaveley, Stampers Anonymous
Inks: Distress Inks, Red & Black Archival
Paper: Gina K Designs

One of my good friends loves to sip Cosmos when we go out and makes a wicked one herself,  so I made this card especially for her (she knows who she is!).

Supplies:
Stamps: Dylusions by Dyan Reaveley, Vap Scrap, L. Jackson
Ink: Red and Black Archival
Paper: Gina K Designs

You can tell I had fun using the Dylusions Christmas Words set this holiday season.  I found them hysterical.

Now that the holidays are behind us, I will begin working on some birthday cards and valentines soon! Valentines are some of my favorite cards to make.  I can't wait to begin them.

Have a great weekend!

Happy "Owl"idays!

Hi, guys! Sorry for the lack of posting, but with the holidays comes lots of obligations, and also lots of fun times as well.  Today I am sharing a Christmas card I made for my friend Erich's nephew, Alex.  I thought I would use this adorable set from Hero Arts which features various owls.

Suppplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Black Memento, Distress, Stampin' Up
Misc.: Copic Markers, Glitter, Red Gel Pen, Typewriter Dies (Memory Box)

Distress ink was used to make the sky blue (very light application of Tumbled Glass color). To personalize the card I used the Typewriter Dies by Memory Box.  I decided to use more untraditional colors for this card and used a lot of browns.

Wishing Alex and his family a very happy holiday season!

Until next time!

True Friends

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  I was asked to make a special card for a friend to give to one of her best buddies.  I was asked to make it shabby chic in feel and to incorporate shades of pink and greens.  This is the card I came up with for Sheryl.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts
Paper: Stampin' Up, Watercolor Paper
Inks: Versafine Black, Distress Inks
Misc.: Perfect Pearl Mists, Ribbon Colored To Match, Distress Tool, Stick Pin, Heart Punch, Embossing Powder

I love using Versafine Ink for embossing with clear powder.  The image comes out very crisp and clean of any stray powders.  One of my least favorite things to do is use black embossing powder as I seem to get stray powders on my image.  They can be knocked off, or wiped off with a paint brush, but using clear powder just makes it so easy.

Making this card made my fingers very inky, so you know I had fun!

Have a great day!

True Friends

Hi, guys!  Hope your day is going well.  Today I am sharing a card I made for my husband's friend Mike. When my hubby and I got married, he had two best men.  Mike was one of them.   I enjoy making cards for Mike, as he always seems to enjoy receiving them. He is very artistic and so I am touched when I hear how he enjoys them.

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts
Paper: Stampin' Up
Ink: Distress Inks
Misc.: Ribbon, Perfect Pearls (Metalics)

For this card,  I used various colors of distress inks and then used quite a few metallic Perfect Pearl Mists. It really gave it a cool shine and metallic look.  By using the mist with the distress inks, I was able to get them to blend nicely together.

Here's wishing Mike all the best this year!  We consider him a gift each and every day!

Until next time!