Happy Veterans Day

Have you hugged a Veteran today? Or at least said "Thank You!" for all they have done for you?
I just gave my Dad this card. I was so happy and so proud of myself for remembering this year. And then God did a funny thing. He knocked me back down to size. I had to fight back tears as my Dad said, "Wow. Thanks. No one's ever given me a Veterans Day card before." While I can't go back and change all the years that I forgot to recognize his service (and really, how hard is it? I was born on a Navy base!), I can make sure that starting this year, my Dad knows just how proud I am of him and how grateful I am for his service to this magnificent country of ours. Red, white & blue cupcakes help, too. :D

Please come back for a visit on Saturday for more on recognizing our Heroes!

TFL and Happy Veterans Day!


Image and sentiment: Amuse
Pattern Papers: Creative Imaginations
White Cardstock: Perfect Panels from My Favorite Things
Metal Buttons: K&Co
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black and VersaMagic Ocean Depth; Copics

Homerun Birthday!

My family is wrapping up a wonderful weekend of laughter and fun as we celebrate my dad's birthday! It started with a very fancy and delicious dinner at a favorite restaurant of ours with the best seafood ever! Yesterday, we enjoyed a rare victory by our beloved but embattled Cleveland Indians and lots of yummy ballpark food and fun. Afterward, it was time to blow out the candles and open cards & prezzies. And that's what I'd like to share with you today - my card for Dad.

I just love this simple baseball player stamp from Amuse. I tried a new-to-me technique with the Copics and love how it turned out! I used circle nesties to highlight the image to prevent it getting lost against the strong pattern paper and to keep with the baseball theme, and added a banner using part of an old SU sentiment. I sponged the edges with Night of Navy ink and think the glue dots and some gently rolling of the paper gives the impression of a banner flitting in the wind. Coordinating brown ribbon and my last 2 antique gold brads (pout & add to shopping list) provide an anchor and tie the banner to the image. Inside, I wished my dad a "birthday that's a real homerun" and just had to add a little baseball embellie that I tried to place so it looked like it was on it's way over the outfield fence. :)

I feel so blessed to have shared such a special life and a special weekend with my dad. I strive to cherish every moment with him and the rest of my family, and I wish you the same opportunity to truly savor every moment with those you love.

Have a joyous Sunday!

TFL & Hugs,

Happy Father's Day

This was my card for my dear dad this year. IRL his recliner is brown, but I just loved the look of olive green with this DP, which I honestly just happened to stumble upon going through my stash. Love when that happens! All of the buttons were in my button bag - filled with all those extra buttons you get with new clothes. The epoxy sticker set that I used to spell out "DAD" was a $1.00 find a few years ago on a day trip to Michigan. The real "meant to be" moment was when I recalled that I had this ribbon. To me (and my sis) its reminiscent of a man's necktie. Both the image and sentiment are Amuse from an image swap last year. This may very well be one of the least expensive cards I've ever made - but it was rich in love.

I hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day.

TFL & Hugs,

Aloha!

Hawaii has long topped my "Favorite Places on the Planet" list, ever since my first trip at the age of 9. So when our dear Jeanetter (aka Forest Ranger) hosted our March Sisterhood swap and asked, "Where would you like to vacation?" The immediate answer in my mind was, "HAWAII!" :D

I turned to my treasured Cool Carribbean cardstock and ink, Amuse image stash, and a long neglected SU stamp set (Delight In Life). I was just shy of enough lemon yellow ribbon, so the 6th card got some cool turquoise treatment. Our hula gal is colored with Copics, while the main flower image is watercolored with SU inks (now that is something I haven't done in ages!). What better way to convey the warmth of the islands than with Amuse's simple "aloha" sentiment - I'm not sure if it is the word, the font, or the memories, but it says it all!

Aloha (albeit from Ohio) my friends, and TFL!

Belated #3

This one I came close on....only 1 week (and maybe some days) late! (*I'm blogging from the corner*)


Miss Kelly's birthday was in late March. Kelly is a vibrant, fun-loving gal living with her almost too good to be true DH and 4 adorable kiddos is sunny Miami! And she *hearts* Elzy's. So when I came across this image in my stash, I just had to do her up Kelly-style with lovely golden tresses and vibrant colors!


If you've visited Kelly's blog, you know she loves sandcastles. So again to my trusty stash for this Amuse image. Kelly recently endured some remodeling at her casa, and is now settling into her new creative area. I don't know how often she'll secret herself away in there, but thought a little doorhanger would set the tone for any little visitors who come a knockin'. The exact tones of aqua were a complete guess on my part (who knew there were so many shades!), so I went for 2 shades and some shimmer! The sandy background was the real labor of love: 2 layers of pigment and another of Tim Holtz's Distress Ink, some heavy-duty sponging and a lot of heat setting later, but I was so pleased with the result!

It is much belated, my dear friend, but I am wishing you the best of everything and an abundance of blessing on your birthday and everyday. {{{hugs}}}

Behind on Birthdays

OMGosh! I started the year out so good with getting Judy's (JAM123 on SCS) b-day card to her on time.....and then I don't know what happened! This is Roxane's (2cutecats on SCS) card, which arrived late by at least a week. :(
On the bright side, she said she really liked it (yeah!).

I used a cupcake image I received in an Amuse swap, colored with Copics, and some yummy Basic Grey paper mixed with Bazzill CS. The turquoise ribbon is American Crafts. And of course, I had fun with my nesties!
I have definitely been stuck on cupcakes lately! Btw. this one, Judy's and the group card for Kadie! I loved the Stamping Bella image so much I just ordered it! And a giant cupcake from Unity! I smell a theme, and it smells like frosting! Heehee!
A month later and I am still playing catch up with b-day cards! *hanging head in shame* But I'm hoping to be caught up by the end of the month. *crossing fingers*
I have finally transferred pics from the digicam to the 'puter, so please stay tuned! Thanks for hanging in there with me! I so enjoy reading all your comments and getting to know you all better!
Have a fabulous weekend!
Hugs,

Christmas Cards

Toward the top of my NY's Resolutions List will be better time management and organization!

I only managed to get a few Xmas cards out this year (oh the shame!), and still haven't begun on NY's cards for those friends I didnt' get an Xmas card to. :(

I am beginning to hear that the Christmas cards have made it to their intended recipients, so finally, here they are. I only managed 2 varieties - the Joyful Reindeer and the Saviour. I even ran short on ribbon and hardware for the Reindeer cards, so the one pic shows the variations.

I used Copics and Nesties on the Reindeer card (Amuse reindeer stamp), and SU! Watercolor Wonder Crayons on the Saviour card (SU! retired stamp set) with sparkle on the stars from a Gelly-Roll pen. Thanks to my new love - Tim Holtz's Design Ruler - my brads actually ended up properly spaced and aligned! Wonders never cease! LOL :D

Time management. Organization. Time management. Organization. My 2009 mantra!

TFL!

A Break from Xmas to say Thanks

Awhile ago (too long ago to want to admit!) I ordered the Hero Mail set from A-Muse. It is so cute! A swapping friend's husband is deployed in Iraq, and I finally got around to breaking in the stamps for a card to go in a care package (mostly homemade Chex Mix and chocolate chip cookies). Since it won't get there before the holidays, I went with a simple patriotic theme.

It might be a bit early to start with the resolutions, but at the top of my list is definitely going to be to get more of these cards made!

A-Muse Swap

I have become a swap fiend!

This swap was on SCS in celebration of A-Muse-A-Palooza, and I signed up to do 3x3 cards, which I have never done before - what fun! And, I used my new Nesties, which I have only dabbled with to this point. Plus, more practice with Copics - these got me feeling more confident about my color selection and shading. Can you see improvement? Any pointers to share?

TFL!

This was my swap submission:
And this was the thank-you for the hostess:


(Oooh - sorry about the nails - someone is overdue for a manicure - yikes!)

Super Mom

Here's the Mother's Day card I made for my mom, who is, in fact, super.

I used two different pattern papers I had been hoarding (what else is new), and made the black scallop with the SU! corner rounder punch (guard removed). The main image is Super Woman from Amuse, stamped in Palette Black and colored with Copics. I used the SU! Ticket Corner punch on both layers. The sentiment is stamped in SU! Real Red and Palette Black using David Walker Creative Rubber Stamps (25% off at my local Archivers - love that!) for "Super" and Penny Black Kate Text for "Mom," punched out with the SU! Key Tag punch I just got, and edged with more Palette Black to make it stand out. Both the main image and sentiment are on pop dots. 5 clear bling gems on the scallop and a black satin ribbon to top it off.

My mom got such a kick out of this card! It was great to see! We had a wonderful day - and she felt extra special because we celebrated on Saturday instead of Sunday. I did the cooking, because she said, "All I want is to not have to cook." But, she didn't want to go out either because, "I don't want to be herded around with all the other mothers." Gotta love her! As luck would have it, Saturday was the perfect day - beautiful and sunny, while Sunday was gloomy with rain and a chill. A super day for Super Mom!
Thanks for looking,