A little Red

Just for fun, here's a collage of red and more stamp sets than I can name!

Trying Again

After being away for a while and taking a break from blogging I've had to jump through more hoops than I care to count to get back here! Anyway, I'm trying again, let's see how well I do with this new blogger stuff! Here's a recent quilted valentine in blue, what do you think?

Design Your Own Stamp

Sometimes you just need to design your own image to meet your needs. This is where the SU "My Ditigal Studio" is an wonderful tool! I've had this style of card rattling around in my head for a while, but I never find an image that I loved enough to pull it off. Enter MDS! This is several "ditigal" stamps layered upon one another and printed onto Shimmery White cardstock. I left this card very clean so that the main image pops right off at you and takes center stage. I love it when a plan comes together!!!

Looking for something in white

I often hear people lament the "flimsy-ness" of Whisper White cardstock, and while I will willingly admit I'm one of those people that would kiss Shelli Gardners feet if they brough us a heavier weight pure white cardstock, please don't sell Whisper White short! Yes it is thinner, and yes sometimes it does take a few extra minutes for even water based ink to dry on it, but the sharpness and clarity of an image on Whisper White is beautiful! My April class revolved around Whisper White and one or two other colors, I cannot claim originality for the Blushing Bride and the Poppy Parade cards, but I sincerely appreciate the brilliant minds that did think to!

Mixed Bunch and a Blossom Punch

I had to jump on the bandwagon with this set and matching punch! One of my customers (and a sweet friend) actually purchased, and asked me to plan a class around it. Here's two of the cards we did, hope you likey!

Back In The Game?

Hi everyone, sorry it's been so long since I've posted, honestly I really haven't had an urge to blog since I posted about my mom's passing in December.

Then to add insult to injury a whole lot of "issues" I guess I could say rained down on us to the point that I've had enough rain to start another Great Lake! Do you really want to hear about my woes? Probably not, but it makes me feel better to get them out of the way.

Let's see, I believe we left off with my mom passing away four days before Christmas...
Since then we've dealt with:
1) Finding out that my dad as prostate issues that is must likely cancerous, but at 80 years old and just losing my mom, he doesn't care to follow up on it.
2) Finding out my husband has Barrett's Disease and learning that we'll have to deal with yearly cancer screenings.
3) I found a lump on my right upper hip, what we thought was a simple fatty tumor turned into a calcification of body tissue that was roughly the size of a quarter, but the shape of an arrowhead that was pressing onto my sciatic nerve.
4) Jeff underwent surgery for a hiatal hernia and a re-construction of the muscle that joins the esophagus and stomach.
5) Six day post-op, Jeff had heart attack. Luckily we acted fast enough that there's minimul damage to the heart, but it's one more thing to follow up on every year.


So I haven't felt like doing a lot of stamping in the past three months, however I did do a banner class early this month, we made this:

I think my ladies liked it, four of them bought the Pennants Die :)

To welcome Jeff home after what amounted to almost 2 weeks in and out of the hospital, I made this banner using MDS and the new Summer Schmooches Sneak Peeks, for our front door. I was going for the look of needles, but what really tickled me was when I turned it over and found a sweet way to do pencils for a back to school project!



So there in a nutshell is my limited stamping/crafting attempts and my sad tale of the past three months.

Am I doing any better? Yes, I mean I still miss mom every day and I still cry easily, but I'm thankful that my husband and kids are going to be okay overall. Plus I'm feeling the urge to stamp again! I leave tomorrow for a weekend "retreat" with some of my best stamping pals and God willing, just maybe I'll be back in the game!

Kick off Christmas!

Over at Splitcoaststampers the SUO Creative Crew challenges for December have been posted and I thought I'd start with those for a "Kick off Christmas" theme!

My color combo was: Perfect Plum, Brushed Gold, Elegant Eggplant, V.Vanilla

CCREW1211DF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM -- DSP/Color Focus: Pick any one combo and make all of the challenges with that combo. Please share your color combo! To start off use the attached fun & funky sketch!


CCREW1211CF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM -- Catalog focus: One piece of Jewelry, Handbags, Wearable Art This could include something made from our fabric line, something with the Simply Adorned line, or something entirely unique to you! Just keep it in your color combo!


CCREW1211HF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM -- Holiday focus: A home decor item - can be holiday or everyday, as long as you keep to your color combo


CCREW1211SF, CreativeCrew, SUO or SUM -- Scrapbook focus: Not actually a scrapbook "focus" this month, more of a "free for all" item - you can do an SB page, framed art, giftable, treat packaging whatever! Rock my world with whatever "wow" you can think! But, keep to your color combo

Time For Tea

Another Hope You Can Cling Too card, tea seems to be just the ticket when you're feeling punkie!

Not To Shabby

My challenge for Hope you can cling to was to make a collage card, this was make vintage, shabby sample

Save The Hooters

I was playing around with a friends Owl Punch (no I haven't bought it, yet) and came up with this cute play on words for the Hope You Can Cling To Challenges

I Stamped This One

I actually made a window card, I haven't done one of these forever and I love the softness of this one. This is one that will be going to SCS Hope You Can Cling To Drive.

Reminds Me of Gramma's House

Another DSP card, I love the Beau Chateau paper, this sheet reminds me of my Gramma's kitchen!

Christmas Take Two

There's no stamping here, just the new Frostwood Lodge DSP and glass glitter, it's kind of a little to easy!

Christmas Take One

Doesn't this embedding embossing technique look way cool on the glimmer paper I LOVE it!

Feeling Blue, and Kraft too!

Isn't Bashful Blue and Crumb Cake yummy together?

I Love Tag Art

Tag Art in itself is a challenge! I love how this one turned out with the hand sewn french knots!

Ready to Spook

Isn't this a dreary Halloween card? I love it!

Domestic Goddess Suite

The Creative Crew challenge this month included using the Domestic Goddess suite. I altered a cup carrier from DQ to make the gift packaging, altered a pocket folder into a coupon holder, and altered a calendar book for important dates. The package will include a plant, some dish towels, and of course the necessary candy ;)

My Change Purse

I love to alter things, I need to use up some of my stash, my Altoid Tin fell apart after using it for change for about three years.... So I guess that's a recipe for a new one! Lookie, it originally had a small maglight packaged in it!

Thinking Fall, Already?

Man has this week cooled off here in Michigan! Actually I haven't seen any Phesants lately, but they were all over this summer!