Lilacs in the Fall

I wanted to try a little bit of shabby look with these lilacs, and also a more Fall centered theme...how did I do? My image was water colored, then I used some of the actual paper from the Prima packaging for the petite print pattern because I love that paper...and a big Prima flower that was in the packaging. My youngest daughter brought this adorable Prima Flower

package all the way from China. She had stopped in a scrap booking store and saw them and bought them for me as a souvenir. That was so sweet...so I've been trying to find fun ways to use them! I added a little twine bow behind the flower and a pretty jewel in the corner along with a Martha Stewart doily. I am submitting this to this month's Power Poppy's Power and Spark Challenge! You have this week to play along...Thanks so much for stopping in, I hope your day is blessed!

New Addition to the Family~Welcome Walter!!

Our daughter, Erin, with her new Mountain Bernese puppy, Walter! Walter is squirmy, wiggly, has an extremely long tongue, his eyes dance with merriment (kind of like Erin's)...and he has a little swagger in his puppy walk. He has mastered the stairs on our deck , is almost potty trained, and has won our hearts! He has made quite the impression on Instagram, with hundreds of fans and followers!  I can sure see why! And Erin is one happy puppy owner!! Thanks for sharing this "Major Moment" with me!!

Power Poppy November Challenge~Embellish This!

For today's card, I am participating in this month's "Power and Spark Challenge!" over on the Power Poppy blog!I have been stamping and will have a few cards to add to this collection soon. Here in Colorado, we woke up to a cold frost on the last of the autumnal leaves remaining on the trees.I don't know if I am quite ready for the bundling up of winter...but I can celebrate the coming season with a new card! This is a set from Flourishes (which is retired, but I heard, coming back?)...and I love these sweet birds. I attempted a little more masculine look to my card, then I had to add pearls, but I kept them masculine, because they are brown, right? I mean men do like brown pearls, I'm certain. Ha! My embellishments are pretty obvious...thanks so much for stopping in and taking a look!

I used retired SU! designer paper, colored in with copics, added a wink of stella clear pen over the branches, brown ribbon, pearls, and a snowflake die cut with pearly brown center! I hope you're staying cozy wherever you are!

Happiness

Last year I took an online card class just to try out some new techniques and refine my stamping skills. It was actually really fun trying new ideas with paper, ink, and SU! Products!

This is one of my favorite cards I made using Stampin' Up's "Choose Happiness" set. 

The black cardstock has a stamped floral encore gold ink background. Sequins, doily, and gold thread were the embellishments. 

And here is a close up of the embossed birds:

I rarely stamp cards on black cardstock, but the gold encore ink really add a dash of formality and drama. Thank you so much for visiting...wishing you a day filled with joy and happiness!

One Year Anniversary!

One year ago...this happened...

Our beautiful daughter had her fairytale wedding in her princess gown...and her Prince Charming is just that! I am so happy they've celebrated their first year wedding anniversary this weekend.
I made an anniversary card to give them for this occasion...trying to use the soft muted shades from her wedding colors. My card is totally inspired from Lilybean Paperie's blog...nobody does shabby chic and beautiful like she does!!

Two vine die cuts, one in cardboard, the other in vellum...embossed with rose and gold detailed inks. A vellum overlay on the left panel, a floppy bow with underlying gold threads...stamped background in bridal rose ink with Gorgeous Grunge from Stampin Up and a few gold sequins to finish! The sentiment is also gold embossed. Thank you so much for stopping by! 

Wedding Card in Gold~

I rarely make wedding cards because I rarely get to go to weddings anymore...but my beautiful niece married this past weekend and my husband and I , both daughters and respective husband and boyfriend also travelled to Woodinville, Washington for the grand affair! Her colors were champagne and gold...so I decided to use this gold vellum heart overlay over a gold embossed floral paper for the base. The stamp is SU! and is gold embossed. Tiny rhinestones and a champagne were added for flourish. The card is 5x7...which seemed appropriate for a wedding. This was actually easy, but I think it makes a keepsake for the bride and groom.

And here you can see a little more of the paper underneath and the gold embossing...shield your eyes!

There seems to be no easy way to capture gold without glare. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly this card came together using the overlay. I used mini glue dots under a few of the hearts to prevent the vellum from curling up.
Hope you enjoyed this card...blessings on your day!

Shabby and Chic~French Provincial Style!

Good morning friends! I just returned home from my niece's wedding in Washington state this week, so I will be having a simple wedding card to show you in a few days...but meanwhile...of course I had to stop by Power Poppy blog and find this month's challenge!

I don't make shabby chic cards often...and after a lot of fiddle and faddle, I finally finished two cards for the challenge. That's because one kept wanting to go a different direction with colors...I'm sure you know what I mean. I wanted to use the Power Poppy Lilacs stamp and also try out these new Peerless Water Colors that come in long bookmark looking papers with beautiful deep hues of every color. Once I stamped in Memento ink and began with the colors...I noticed right away that the saturation and hue was so deep and rich...I couldn't go with the soft images usually seen in Shabby Chic. My colors were bright blues, purples, flesh pink, shabby shutters greens, and that bright yellow that resembles the sun...it wasn't until this morning that I could recall the exact place of this color inspiration:

It was a few years ago in one of our travel ventures to Europe. I was on a perfumery tour in Grasse, France...where fields of lavender are grown for the glorious making of perfumes...it is the best smelling place ever, and very intoxicating! The colors of that area were so beautiful...this card maybe partially captures it. And believe it or not...the actual color inspiration was a tiny bathroom in a little cafe that actually played itself out in my card today. It was the prettiest bathroom I had ever seen...and one that I won't be duplicating in my home as it was very feminine...but my memory bank stored that and here it is...to the best of my limited artistry.
I do believe travel is one of the best ways to be inspired in all areas of life...beauty, knowledge, idealism, wonder...it is such a great investment and memories will find ways to stay alive and encourage in darker days.
Thanks so much for your visit today!

It's a Bright New Day!~Power Poppy "Hang Some Paper" Challenge

Thanks for stopping by today! I decided to make another card for Power Poppy's "Hang it Up Challenge" which you can see here using my latest set, "Lilac Time."

 I spent some much needed time stamping this weekend; determined to finally figure out these Spellbinder Borderabilities I had never used. I found a wonderful tutorial on YouTube and it helped so much to make this card. I used several of the Borderabilities and the sentiment from the set. Also, I stamped the individual flowers on white to make my own background paper~can you see it? It actually matched one of the design papers I used! Imagine that! The other three papers are from a pack of Basic Grey paper pack, "LilyKate." The pack contained the tag and I used that as my starting point for the sentiment.The tag is tied up with a pink taffeta ribbon, silver cording, and a petty floral button with rhinestone center.
One thing I find with stamping is no matter your mood...you can choose to pick up a wonderfully positive sentiment and let that be your focus and as you put your card together...it is a wonder how much your mood can lighten and countenance brighten. And then when you mail it...the blessing is two-fold.
Blessings on your day!~

Power Poppy~Hang Some Paper

My favorite stamps, Power Poppy, are back with a July Challenge!!You can visit their blog here to read all about it.

My card is from the "Short Stacks Collection." Such sweet images...and this one is colored with copics in one of my favorite color combinations...pinks/roses/minty greens...I did use 3 designer papers for this card and am so thankful to DT member, Leslie, for the inspiration this month as I liked the combo and thought the chevron banner added a little more interest! I added a little glittery goodness to the tulips, hearts, and ribbon with a Wink of Stella pen. Thanks so much for stopping in!!

Songbirds

Hi there! Just another quick post today with a sweet songbird stamped out for a friend's birthday! This card was found on the Papertrey Ink's capture blog by one of their designers...I changed a few things but the overall design was inspired by them.
I was so happy to make this in one of my very favorite color combinations...red on white! A very dear friend from way back in 7th grade is having a birthday at the end of this month. She called me out of the blue about a week ago and when I asked her how she was...she told me that she was fine...now. Then  she went on to explain she had suffered a brain bleed back in February and had been in Intensive care for two weeks before she was able to go home. Her Mom stayed with her and took care of her for a couple of weeks after that. Her lightheartedness accompanied by the heavy news left me at a loss for words...it is always hard to know what to do or say after a crisis has occurred, and been recovered from. I just said I was so happy she was fine now and that she was here and I valued her friendship. I won't forget her birthday this year...she loves the color red, so this was made especially for her! The little Happy Birthday to you stanza is actually meant to be a banner...but after not having much success cutting them out evenly; I opted to use it as a background stamp and love the way it turned out. A little prima flower perched on some natural twine completes the songbird ensemble.

         

No hail allowed!

I am a little late in my gardening this year...as in I have nothing at all planted in any planters. First we were gone on Mother's Day weekend which would be my typical day to plant...then it became unseasonably cool...and then the past two weekends we have had huge hail and rainstorms...so about now I am debating whether I should or not. Our daughter planted an entire garden in her very first home...and said the hailstorm this weekend ruined it. So sad...but she may replant some areas.
One of the things I love about stamping cards is you can have instant flowers...no hail damage allowed! I love this pretty bouquet of cascading floral in this sweet bicycle wicker basket. My card today was Pinterest inspired. I made this for a friend who is getting on in years and I think this is a fun birthday sentiment for that occasion. Wishing you hail-free and stress-free gardening! Thanks so much for your visit.

Pedal Pusher

Hi blogging friends! Happy June! I can't believe we are already nearing summer,can you? Way back in February, my youngest daughter, Erin, took us to a breeder she was considering for her first puppy. This was a "sample" of a sweet little cuddly fellow (that was about to go home with another owner.) I took a few pictures because I wanted to celebrate the moment...even though the actual puppy is still a few months from coming home with her. The Bernese Mountain is the breed she has chosen...they are supposed to be very mellow, sweet dogs...but big! And she lives in a two bedroom town home right in the heart of downtown Denver. Oh my is all I can say to that!

She is in line for the next male dog of the litter due sometime in September, I believe. I just recently took out my Papertrey Ink stamp, "Pedal Pusher," and found this cute puppy face that is one of the many options to fill the bicycle basket.
As I am a little rusty, the design was taken from Pinterest...but I changed up the colors and layout a bit. I love the way this card took shape...

That face looks a lot like the puppy's face in the photo, don't you think? This card just makes me smile. I added a bit of crochet ribbon over the basket to look like the puppy is swaddled in a blankie along with all sorts of fun embellishments to give this a little dimension.

As always, thanks for stopping in...your comments make me smile! 

Steamboat in the Spring

Our first visit since January to our little Steamboat "cabin," and taking a walk on my favorite path that borders Fish Creek...I turned around and told my husband, "this would be a pretty picture," but I didn't have my camera...so he took out his phone and snapped this...oh my...so beautiful!! Will get back to stamping soon.!

Power Poppy April Challenge~Pop of Pastel!

Happy Spring! Yesterday I was driving around our neck of the woods and suddenly, Spring had sprung! Every tree was in bloom, the grass had lost it's brownish hue from the dormancy of winter, and green was sprouting up all over! That doesn't mean we won't still have some winter like weather possibly pushing through in the next few weeks...but boy, it felt so good to finally see some spring!
This month the challenge at Power Poppy is to add a "pop of pastel" to your card.

  

I used the stamp set, "Springtime Love" for my card. Anchoring the pretty focal image with two different Spellbinder's dies set it off and gave the image a little more presence. I also used a tulip embossed border, now retired from Stampin' Up. The ribbon matched perfectly! 

I love the bleeding hearts on this stamp...they are so pretty and fun to color. I added a bit of glitter with a Wink of Stella pen and used some dots with copics to highlight. This shade of lavender reminds me of spring!

Yesterday I had this song that I must have learned way back in kindergarten going through my head...it is such a sweet refrain and reminder of this time of year:

Sunshine bright,

Raindrops light,

Makes the spring time flowers grow.

Voices ring,

Children sing,

Happy Spring is here we know!

Thanks as always for stopping in...I wish you Spring in your heart even if your weather isn't cooperating just quite yet!

Power and Spark Challenge~Go for the Gold!

So, hey, it's been almost a month since I've popped in to my own blog...I've been busily stamping per the usual, but not so much blogging! That has to change today...as it is the last day to submit a challenge to this month's Power Poppy's "Go for the Gold" challenge here.

Admittedly, this is a Christmas card, and I plan to enter it into SCS's Christmas card challenge. It will be in the pile for next year if I can bear to part with it! Chickadees have to be one of my favorite birds, and I was very challenged to color these images in an effort to resemble these sweet little creatures. Thanks to some help online, I think I did alright.
And just in case I forget and want to replicate my own rendering...here is a little close up:

This image is matted very simply in SU's glittery gold and a cherry cobbler linen bow and Webster's sparklet to finish it off! A bit of gold spica pen to add sparkle to the flower centers...and we're golden!
Thanks so much for dropping in...may your day be blessed!

Pretty Pink Zinnia!

I have long been an admirer of many of the design team members of the now retired Flourishes stamps. This card was completely inspired by Christine of Christine Creations who now serves on the Power Poppy brigade team! She introduced me to pointillism via her blog a long time ago...and when I can remember; I love to use this for shading around a focal image.  The technical definition of "pointillism" is using points of ink in art to form a pattern. This doesn't actually form a pattern, but it adds a lot of color surrounding this pretty flower! I still have so many of the Flourishes stamps, many as of yet not inked

...so I will be continuing to use these and feature them on my blog along with the newer "Power Poppy" stamps!!
Thanks so much for stopping by, hope you enjoyed my little card!!

J-O-Y Mason Jars!!

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at my house! If you're anything like me, you are either scrambling or sacked out on the couch! Well, this evening, I am sacked out...but my craft room shows evidence of my last few days of activity. I saw these on Pintrest and had some large widemouthed Mason jars so decided to make these candle/tea light holders for our daughter for her first Christmas with her husband.

 These Mason Jars were featured on Suzanne Dean's blog,"Bitz of Me,"  here. She has excellent instructions on her blog with lots of pictures showing the process. The only changes I made were using felt and snowflake dies rather than stickers, and adding the Tim Holtz tinsel and pom pom trim along the mouths.  The jars were painted with Martha Stewart's craft paint in "Cloud." I painted one coat using up and down strokes, let them dry for a couple of hours, then applied a second coat. The jars were left alone overnight.A quick sanding using a sanding block and an emery board on the letters and they were ready for embellishing! I used felt from Papertrey Ink and my snowflake dies from Spellbinders to make the snowflakes. The flakes were layered in cream and blues with a hot glue gun. The chipboard letters were purchased in white glitter which saved time. I found the fun "snowball" fringe at Joanne's fabrics. The pretty vintage silver tinsel is Tim Holtz. The tinsel and ribbon trim were added with a hot glue gun.

The center jar with the letter "O" looked a little sparse, so added the snowball trim and tinsel. Each  jar rim received a thin coat of mod podge then dipped in Sparklets glitter. The glitter is actually made from glass crystals, so I tried to go easy with it...but it does add some pretty vintage sparkle!
I am including the battery operated tealight candles.
Thank you for dropping in...my beverage of choice this month has been Celestial Seasonings peppermint tea! It tastes good, helps with congestion, relaxing, and festive without the calories! Wish you could join me!

Ah-Choo! Tissue?

I've been a little crafty elf...making a tissue box cover! These are from a tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers. Beulah, my dog, "found" the one I made from last year and chewed the lid...so I made another one. The papers are from last year's paper pad and no stamping...just sponged over the top of the embossing and sides  in white craft. I added a little glitter using dimond stickles to the snowflakes and flower centers. I wish the colors were a little more true...the overall look is very soft and dreamy; just like a walk in a winter wonderland!

Here's a little view from the top 

Thanks for your visit...wishing you sneeze-free days ahead!

Shake it Up with Shaker Cards!

Hi there~ it's been awhile! I ordered two beautiful stamp sets this week from Power Poppy and am playing along in their Power Poppy Peep of the Week Challenge here.
This is one of those tried this and tried that and this is what I ended up with. I wanted to use these pretty SU! sequins and snowflakes in a Shaker Card. Unfortunately, I added glitter to the mix and it stuck to the acetate. I am still searching for that serene blue to use on Christmas cards...this is a little darker than I wanted it to be! But with the beautiful church image at moonlight...it is still lovely!
Thanks for dropping by...may you be blessed!

Stamp: Power Poppy "O Holy Night"

Just stopping by...with a Beulah "Hi!"

Breathe In...

I haven't been stamping up my usual the past couple of months...but I could not resist participating in this week's Power Poppy blog "Peep of the Week" challenge. Marcella and the Bloom Brigade Team make it pretty easy...just stamp  any card or project using Power Poppy stamps or digital images and share it on their blog!
Since we are entering the last month of the wedding round up...I thought I would make this card for our soon to be wed daughter, Caitlyn. She has had over a year long engagement and yet this last month is just full of little details that need attention, on top of a new job and very busy schedule. She has a good attitude and help also, which never hurts...but thought this card from her Mom might be just the thing to relax and remember to Breathe In...

I used some of this beautiful designer paper to make a few bridal shower items, including a bride-to-be banner for the food table and strung these tiny envelopes (a Papertrey Ink envelope die) across a mirror for note writing. I had a couple of envelopes leftover and can't waste them...so paired them with this beautiful botanical from the "Springtime Love" set and used the very appropriate sentiment from the "Good Thinking Renewal" set! Of course, the second half of the saying, "Breathe Out" is used on the inside of the card along with a couple of strips of the designer paper with the shutters (which represent an open window, I believe...)
This is actually an A6 card size, which gives a little extra length for both the mini envelope and the tag adorned with ribbons to fit nicely.

This gorgeous image was stamped in versamark and embossed with ranger gold detailed embossing powder. I colored with a variety of copic markers and added some blue to the flowers to add a pop of the same color in the envelope. The tag has a bit of gold detailing around the edges and also stamped with a soft blue background stamp to add a bit more interest.
I need to get this in the mail today...so often I make a card and then it waits a week or more to mail...so going to scoot. Thanks so much for your visit!!

Beulah Baby!

This picture was taken on Mother's Day. We have two daughters,  but Beulah always cooperates better for pictures with her Auntie Erin. I think she knows Erin means business and she needs to behave! Beulah is standing on the ottoman that is in front of my chair. When she was a little puppy, I started putting her up on the ottoman and we would play like that all the time. She would love to nuzzle under my cozy afghan and chew on the fringe, or my fingers. Whichever. But now she is a big girl, and she still thinks of this as her "spot." Which I guess is better than the couch. But at about six months, she became too long for just the one ottoman, so I scooted over another one and now it looks like a choo choo of ottomans, and her "caboose" just kind of hangs over the edge. It really makes me giggle. Every single time. I have a few more to share but this is it for today. Thanks for coming by.

Throwback Thursday~Puppy Style!

This past October...our lives changed dramatically when after a very difficult season of consecutive losses (the most difficult was my Mother) ...we gained one very special puppy. I  named her Beulah. The name means "Promised Land," for that is what I believed we would see...a land of promise,  days of new hope, new beginnings, family relationships renewed, restored, happiness and joy after the state of sorrow begins to wane. I needed joy back in my life and I searched for a year for this little girl to join our family.
I spend so much of my time laughing now...and smiles seem to be a perpetual state of my heart. Puppies are a lot of work, I will be the first one to state that...but anyone who has had a puppy knows...the dividends outweigh the investment. I have heard friends tell me that they are about ready to get rid of a puppy after the first few months...and I just want to say, keep at it...keep training, keep giving lots of positive reinforcements, and realize that you are making an investment that will give back over many years!!

Beulah and her beloved socks sitting in our deck wicker chair. Sweet face! But the wicker couch that is on the other side? Well, that was chewed up before the end of summer! Naughty.

                                                    Our daughter, Erin, and Beulah
It was "puppy love" for our daughter, Erin, the first time she was able to fly in from her temporary home in Cupertino, California She could not get enough hugs, kisses, and carried her in her arms like this most of the weekend!  Melts my heart!!

Inspired Tulips Three Ways!

Isn't it funny how a small gift can be multiplied by the joy it inspires? Not  long ago a friend brought over a bunch of purple tulips as a little "thank you" gift. Since the ground is still largely grayish and not greenish and the spring has not yet sprung in these Colorado high plains parts...the flower blooms were a delight to my senses! Of course, I could not stare at them too long without feeling the urge to express their beauty through my favorite creative medium, stamping! Using these tulips from Flourishes stamps, I made three cards using three layouts and three different colors. Which one do you like best?

Tulips in pink  

Tulips in Purple

Tulips in Yellow

I actually had time to make my own ribbon colors by dyeing some seam binding. I just used a few drops of  SU! reinker and spritzed with some water and tossed it around on a flexible cutting board as I could not find my craft mat. I am happy to say that the ink washed right off the cutting board and now it is delegated to my stamp room so I can dabble in a few more colors. This was fun and easy too! 

Recent Trip to California Coast

Big Sur