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

Cup of Thanks~

It's Monday and the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge from last week is due in a couple of hours...so here are two of my entries using their Lots of Polk Dots Challenge! I made two cards from my new in the mail set, "Grab a Cup." Like many of you, I love my morning coffee, and thought this set was darling with the pretty added daisies. Thanks for stopping in, wish I could offer you a cup in person and we could sit and have a nice long chat!

I used a pretty spellbinders die to frame this out, cut out the main image and made my own little plaid napkin using ink and a blender pen. I used dots in the designer paper, both the top and the bottom with the big doilies.

I used the same polka dots with the designer paper, and tried using my copics to make dots in my tea, but then realized that tea doesn't usually look mottled like that, and if it were coffee, it would most likely be grounds, and then, why would there be a lemon on the side of my coffee cup? Oh well, the good thing about stamping is it is all "pretend" and you can make things any way you want them to be. I loved playing with this set and hope you enjoy the final outcome!

Puppy Love and Roses Rolled into One!

I have always loved Valentine's Day and enjoy giving my friends and family hand stamped cards. This little cutie puppy image is from a set "There She Goes." I spent the weekend getting out my Big Shot for the very first time and trying out some of my Mini Rolled Rose dies and felt. I mean I spent the weekend...literally. My fingers just couldn't seem to get the hang of the rolling and keeping the rose from unraveling or rolling the right way, and then gluing down the bunched felt before it had a chance to come apart. I ended up with a small baggie of roses in pink, chocolate brown, and aqua blue to show for my efforts. I just look at that bag and smile, knowing I will now have a few stashed reserve roses on hand when I need one. So this single rose is a star on my Valentine today!
I am entering this week's Crazy 4 Challenges 220 to make a Valentine using the colors pink, chocolate, cream and aqua!
Just curious, who do you send Valentine's cards to? Thanks for coming by...I am staying warm and dry inside stamping today...it looks like a blizzard outside!

Beulah at Six Months!

Hi there, puppy loving friends! Our daughter got this cute camera shot over the Christmas holidays at our condo in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. You can see our newly renovated kitchen in the background, and this is one of my favorite expressions of our Beulah-girl...curious and playful. I also love this photo of Tom holding her. She is almost getting too big to sit in our laps now...as my husband likes to tell me, "Our little girl is growing up..." And right now she is recovering from her surgery to spay her...oh, I feel so badly for her...she keeps looking at me with those wounded or is it sleepy? puppy eyes...and I just tell her she will feel better soon and give her lots of soothing puppy pats. Poor thing. I know she'll be back to her playful self in a few days...thanks so much for visiting and have a relaxing weekend~! *Oh, and when we picked her up last night at the vet's and we gave the receptionist her name, she says, "Oh, that was the really Pretty golden,"...as if giving her special recognition. That was sweet, but I told her, "They are all really pretty..." And she laughed and agreed with me. Don't want to hurt any one's feelings...but truthfully, I think most dogs are "pretty," or "handsome..." but of course, Beulah is beautiful in our eyes. Awww....

Sympathy and Remembrance

My dear friend, Charlene Merrick, was heaven bound on January 2nd. She was very active on Splitcoast Stampers, had the honor of serving on the elite "Dirty Dozen" team, and was also one of the regular "teapotters" on my friend, Cindy Motherway's Teapot Tuesday Challenges. We " met" on SCS long before any of us had blogs, and became good friends through our love of stamping and mutual friends. We had so much fun, always bantering and enjoying commenting on each other's card galleries. It was a big treat when she and a friend, Barb, made the plane trip to Colorado and spent a weekend as a foursome together in 2009. I was the tour guide As we toured the area, And drove to a nearby mountain retreat, Estes Park for an overnight stay. We shopped, Hiked around Beat Lake, ate out for lunch, played games and just generally had a blast. That trip cemented our friendship. Those memories of laughter still bring me a giggle. I had always hoped to travel to Michigan to see her, but that didn't happen.

A close group of us decided to remember her birthday (today) by sending her husband, Terry Merrick, a card to honor her memory. The suggestion was made to choose a card from Charlene's Pinterest board of her favorites. I loved this card, taken from the " Flourishes" gallery. And even though I did not have the exact stamps, I substituted what I had...the overall look is much like the original. I hope her husband, Terry finds comfort in this card. 

                                   

Button Up!!

We are experiencing a bit of balm here in Colorado today; so much so that I was able to open a couple of windows to "air" the place. Such a nice change from the arctic freeze we've been experiencing!
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #254 this week is "Button Up," in other words, use a button and make it a winter creation!
This is not a Flourishes stamp...it is one I "hunted down" and my stamping friend helped me. It is a Darcie stamp...and I am happy to say, it's been inked up three times this winter.

 

I cut out the snow bank with white and popped it up on dimensionals. Then a light layer of glitter was glued on the rim of the snow. The background paper reminded me of snow flurries, so I just went with it...added a snowflake punch rimmed with glitter and a button with some red twine. This will go to a friend in the mail, hopefully this week!

Thanks for stopping in as always!!

Winter is Calling

Hi friends! If you are stopping by...I wish you a warm welcome! Life has been pretty full and busy and a little too hectic for me with renovation deadlines of our mountain condo looming 10 days before Christmas! We had extended family coming this year and lots to do. Stamping time has been limited, but I did manage to pull out one of my very first stamp purchases. This was bought on E-bay for $33.00. It was one of my first ever purchases...you know when you type in a minimum bid? My finger accidentally hit a few more digits than I realized...I think I was only bidding 3.30 at the time, and then my bid showed up as $330.00. I kind of panicked until the auction was finished, and I only paid a mere $33.00...which was about twice what I had intended. But, I still don't regret it as this is probably my favorite little girl to color up, and there is also one of a puppy in the set holding a mitten that pretty much steals my heart as well! Speaking of...our little puppy, Beulah, is now 6 months old...I will be sure to include a picture of her later this week as she is the sweetest!

 And now for a little close up...

That fun white stuff you heat set and it gets all fluffy and texture-y...I can't think of the name of it...and added pink pearls and used the background basics, also from SU! for snow in Memento Fog ink. I had so much fun visiting this set again...thank you for your visit as well! If you're still around, send me a little comment, would you?
Stay warm and cozy~

Welcome Miss Beulah!!

Miss me? The last two months have been a whirlwind of activity and unexpected happenings in my family! We had to move both daughters on opposite sides of the U.S. over the summer. Our oldest went to be with her fiance in Satatoga Springs, New York in June. Our youngest had just moved to a new townhome right in the heart of the city of Denver...when she decided very suddenly to take on a job challenge in California. The job is not new, but is an 18 month temporary extended training to increase her knowledge of the different aspects of the company she is in. She really loves challenges.
But this Mom had had enough of the "empty nest." Seriously, a long time has gone into bringing this little girl home...and a lot of planning and pursuing. The timing though, I had no control over...and wouldn't you know we picked her up the day after dropping our youngest daughter off at the airport?!
I named her "Beulah," which is a very special place to me where I used to visit my Nana and Papa in the mountains of Colorado. After looking up the name and discovering it's meaning, I thought it quite fitting for her. The word, Beulah, means "Promised Land."

Puppy sleeping

Mommy needs a nap too!!

Thanks so much for welcoming our new little fur ball. She won't stay small for long, so I'm spending all my free time playing, cuddling, and lots and lots of potty breaks. I will share a new picture soon!!

Christmas in July Glittered Snowflakes

Hi...another card for this week's Flourishes challenge going on till tomorrow!! This was a Christmas in July challenge. You know how long I have wanted to do a hanging "ornament" look on a card? Due to the strange angle of my camera and it being night time here, this is not the best photo. I will try to take another one outside tomorrow if the weather permits. I love Flourishes sentiments, and this one is from the "Christmas Postcard" stamp set. I set it off with a strip of rose quartz glitter and edgers die. This was time intensive, but if the glitter stays put, it will make a really pretty surprise in someones mail! Thanks so much for taking a peek!

Black and White-Tres Chic! FLLCBC1

There are quite a few challenges going on the Flourishes Blog this month!! This card's submission is using only black and white as your card design. This unique die is a Flourishes exclusive Key Hole die, combined with a new to me Doily Embossing folder by Sizzix. A few tiny rhinestones and simple black matting and you have a pretty quick card. I kept wanting to add ribbon, but it just did not look right! Now I need to be invited to an elegant affair so I can mail this first class!!

Thanks so much for stopping by and your comments are always looked forward to and make my day!!

Blessings~

Flourishes Birthday Celebration!!

One of my very favorite stamp companies is turning 6 this month...and they added a fun birthday card challenge to their blog this week!! The card was a pretty simple card, to be done in 10 minutes. I had everything picked out in advance...but it took a bit longer for the glue to dry with those beautiful Prima roses! The card went together very quickly, though!! Love these stamps and their design team is amazing

...a big Congrats to Flourishes!!

Just Keep on Pedaling

Hi there, stamping friends! I just wanted to share a card I made over the weekend using the Papertrey Ink stamp set, "Pedal Pusher." Isn't it cute? I love that all the pieces are separate, so you can have any color of bicycle, basket, and wheels...and then add your own basket topper. This was Pinterest inspired, but not a CASE. I tried out my new PTI edgers dies, and decided to use them as a topper as I wasn't sure how else to add it. Nothing like a red polka dot sky, is there? This is for my stamping friend, Charlene, I had the fun of meeting once quite a few years ago who is going through some difficult trials in her life. The beauty of stamping is while you are creating, you can also be saying specific prayers for the recipient you have in mind. Thanks for popping in, and wishing you blessings on your day!