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!

Merry Christmas, Dear!

I have been busy in my stamp room making more Christmas cards.  Today I am sharing a pair of them with you. Both cards were made with a Simon Says Stamp set called Gnome For The Holidays.  I won this stamp set a while back, and find it fun!

Hoping to find some time to make more cards soon.  Really miss having inky fingers!

Until next time!

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!

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!

#SimonSaysCreate (and I did!)

What a lucky lady I am!  I was able to attend the Simon Says Create event in Columbus, Ohio this weekend.  I thought I would share my thoughts and some of the photos I took and some of the "creating" I did.

I live in NYC, and always wanted to take classes with Tim Holtz and Jennifer McGuire, and haven't been able to take a class in my town.  When I saw they were teaching in Columbus, I knew I wanted to sign up.  I was so glad that I registered when it was announced as it sold out very, very quickly.  When I saw the rest of the teaching lineup, I knew I was in for a treat.  

Simon Says Stamp picked a great location and I stayed on premises and loved the ease of travel to and from as I traveled alone and didn't rent a car.  Lovely hotel room and amazing staff.

I have been asked how it was to attend a large event alone.  Crafters tend to be very kind and embracing to those alone.  Each meal someone included me with their group.  Very nice ladies.  When the hoopla got to be a bit much for me between classes, I just took a walk and got some tea and relaxed by the pool.  

Tim Holtz taught three classes. He was very kind, and his teaching style is very cool and he makes sure you understand and encourages people to ask questions if they are unsure.  He doesn't just plow along with some students sitting there lost. With such a large group (100 ladies), it amazed me how much information he was able to share and how many techniques he was able to cover! I am a card maker, so 3D items are not something I normally do, so these projects were out of my comfort zone at first, but boy, did I have fun and felt so free to try new things!

My folio underway!

Here is my Burlap Collage!  What fun and totally different than anything I normally do.  

My last piece from Tim's class is my Configurations box.  This was the longest class we took.  By working on the other two projects, we had the techniques already and were very familiar with a lot of the processes.  This was such a hoot, and I found out I am "wire" challenged, as for some reason I had problems following how it got used and Tim came to my assistance.  It holds the bottles and vials in the box.  You will notice my tags in the box are not done, but that is okay, as I plan to work on them now that I am home.  

You may notice there is an adorable lantern in the top left box.  It is fun, as it lights!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I don't art journal.  But I am happy to say that Shari Carroll taught an art journal course on the last evening and it was a lot of fun and very interesting to me.  We used Gelatos, Gesso, and Multi-Medium.    Here is the page I worked on.  For a first effort, I am rather pleased with it.

We made a lot of cards as well.  The instructors were amazing, and the Simon Says Stamp staff were incredibly helpful and they always had smiles on their faces.  Truly a great way to experience a weekend away!

Here are a few pictures of me with some very familiar faces!

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If you stayed with me this long, you are a trouper!  I sure hope Simon Says Stamp makes this a yearly event!  If they do, I highly recommend you join me there!

Until next time!

WOYWW #261 - Lots of Creative Goodies

Happy Wednesday!  As some of you know, I was away in Ohio for 3 days to attend the Simon Says Stamp Create event.  What a fun-filled time!  I was so excited to get to take my first classes with Tim Holtz, Jennifer McGuire and others.  I will write more about them later this week.  Since it is Wednesday, I am sharing what is on my work desk.  Well, you will see it is covered with lots of stamps, stencils, inks and lots of other goodies.  All these wonderful supplies were given to us over the course of the class.  I will be going through it and sorting and putting it away.

Isn't that very generous of all the manufacturers and Simon Says Stamp?  The classes alone were worth the trip, and meeting so many lovely crafters was a major bonus.  

Thank you, Julia, for the desk hopping fun!  I am looking forward to seeing what you are all working on!

I hope to share some of the projects I made while at the event.  I can tell you, my fingers were very inky and covered in paint most of the time.  I even got to take an art journaling class, and made my first page.

Until next time!

Happy Mother's Day - You're The Best Mom!

Today we celebrate mothers for all they do for us.  The word mother is not one to take lightly or for granted.  They are the foundation of the family and guide us along the way and help to make us who we are.  I am blessed to have a wonderful mom.  She raised 6 children and even now (I am no spring chicken), she is someone who I go to for advice and comfort or, when things are going great, someone who I need to share the good news with.

I thought I would share a card I made for mom for Mother's Day.  A bit of background: my parents have a dog named Chester who my sister found abandoned and abused in a park.  My parents took him in and my mom cares for him like he was her 7th child.  He has become a vital part of our family and so when I saw this image (in a Father's Day set no less!), I knew it would be perfect for my mom.

Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet N Sassy, Simon Says Stamp (bone)
Ink: Memento Black
Paper: Gina K (White, Kraft)
Misc: Uni-ball Signo White, Copic Makers, Spellbinders Square Dies

I wanted the card to be quirky and fun (just like Chester) so the bones were stamped randomly around the card.  I received a call from mom to let me know she loved the card!

Hope your Mother's Day was a lovely one!

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!

Pet Sympathy Card (Cat)

Hi, guys! Hope all is well!  Today I am sharing a pet sympathy card I made for a blogger friend who lost her beloved kitty.  I recall when I lost my cat Emily. Her passing came a year after I lost my husband.  I feel God made sure she was still with me that first year of my grieving.  I can't imagine living alone that year. I decided Bee could use a special card to know that I care and understand her loss.

Supplies:
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp, Lawn Fawn
Paper: Gina K Designs
Ink: Hero Arts Shadow Inks, Copic Markers, Memento Black
Misc.: Lawn Fawn Banner Die, Hero Arts Pearls

Blogging makes the world a lot smaller and more personal to me.  I am lucky this year to have "met" some very fine people and bloggers, and I count Bee among the finest.  I hope this card helps bring some comfort.

Until next time!