Snow Kissed Snowman!

Hi friends! This is my second post today...I finally uploaded a card for the Dare to Get Dirty forum for monthly Christmas Card challenge and realized I should put it here also. I do love making Christmas cards...although I also send out some really cute boxed cards...for special friends and family I do hand deliver or mail out a hand stamped Christmas card!
This is the snowman featured in Power Poppy's set, "Snow Kissed." I adore this set and have made a few cards from it...but this is my first snowman. I actually water colored this up and then added a few prisma pencils for shading. I also used a bit of shimmery white for the highlights of the snowman in water colors. I am really enjoying water coloring right now.

I just ran out of this red ribbon...it is my very favorite from Stampin' Up and I've had it awhile in the Cherry Cobbler red. My snowman looks a little small here...I think it's the angle. I added some filigree die cut snowflakes sprinkled in glitter and a rhinestone that I colored up bright red with a copic marker!
Thanks so much for your visit...I always enjoy reading your kind comments. Blessings on your day!

Ode to Aspens

One of my favorite things about Fall in Colorado is the changing of the Aspens. And I realize I haven't any aspen stamps...but I decided not to let that stop me when I was watercoloring up this set from Papertrey Ink, "Mighty Oak." There needs to be a set called, "Awesome Aspen," or "Amazing Aspen," or "Artistic Aspen..." or something like that.
So, I decided to diecut the trunk in white, since Aspens do have a white trunk with those knotty
"eyes" on them.

I used Peerless Watercolors for these after I had die cut the leaves. I painted them one by one in various shades of golden Amber, green and golds, fiery red and orange hues. I stamped the sentiment from the set in a black ink to give contrast to the  card stock. I also added Nuvo gold drops (maybe I got a little carried away?) But I love the little bit of shimmer and that's one thing that is difficult to capture in water color.

This past weekend I was so excited to go to a place in the mountains with a friend I had never been to before. It was the perfect weekend to go Aspen viewing for the color change. I was able to get a pretty good photo to share here. 

Aspens near Boreas Pass, Colorado

Thanks so much for your visit today...I always appreciate your visit and hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Serendipitous Sympathy

So...this may seem like a strange title for stamping...but I have to tell a little story with my cards today. It all began when I decided to try my hand at water coloring a stamp that I had acquired through a personal sale on a stamping blog so I don't have the name of it other than Poppies. I do love Poppies and so I wanted to color this with a vibrant ink. I used some smooshed on acetate distress oxide inks and ended up with this as my final result:

I am still a novice in this water coloring venture...and I ended up adding layers of color over time. I also decided to add blues and browns and teals to my leaves so it had almost a tropical feel by the time I was done. The perfect paper for framing is a newer one to me from Stampin' Up that I just ordered, "Tranquil Tide." 
Anyways...I was pretty happy with the outcome and decided to make a copy of it to use on a future card due as : 1. I am a very slow stamper and water coloring isn't second nature to me. 2. I have had too many other health issues to spend hours on my craft. 3. I wanted to keep a copy as a color referencee. 4. Well, you get the drift...
Anyway, I made a copy. And the colors came out completely different...like my colored inks were missing the green although the printer didn't show any colors as low.

Hopefully your monitor looks a little more  clearer than mine, and if not, if you click on the photo it will enlarge. When this came out of the printer I actually liked the bleached out leaves and decided it would be a good sympathy card for this time of year (Brownish yellows and oranges and golds.) Unfortunately, I had to cancel plans for hosting a weekend at our place due once again to health...and at the same time the friends I was hoping to host also had a death in the family and we realized it was not a good time to meet up and yet it saddened me that we couldn't due to so many difficult circumstances. For me...working on cards is cathartic while I am creating.
I used some gold Nuvo  drops randomly to add a bit  more color. Now I have two cards from one water coloring and one was a complete surprise in a good way!
Thanks so much for your visit today!

Creative Confetti~Birthstones

Hey there friends...today's blog post has to do with some fun challenges on Power Poppy! One of the challenges for the month of August was to create a card using your birthstone. I have always loved birth stone rings and the first ring I received was from my parents along the age of 11 or 12...and it was a simple gold band with a garnet. What is so amazing to me is I still have it though it is way too small for my fingers now. 

So I actually made a couple of cards but had a difficult time finding the right color for garnet. Then I looked up the stone's symbolism and read that garnets aren't just the deep crimson; but can range to a rosy red which is the color I used for my card today. And just for good measure...I also colored in my clear stone with a deeper rose for the garnet.

The set is from Power Poppy, "Orchid's Rock." I colored the image with a variety of copic markers and stamped the sentiment and the upper border in a light colored memento ink. I decided to go with one of my curved border dies to give interest. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and always enjoy reading your comments! Have a blessed day!

Cheerful Columbines~Creative Confetti!

Hi friends! I can't believe we are in the middle of August...I have been a little on the slow end to get things here on my blog lately! It must be those lazy days of summer kicking in!
This month Power Poppy's Challenge is a new "Creative Confetti" and my Cheerful Columbines card is an attempt to add a little glow to my flowers and the entire image...with yellow added in.  You can find Allison Cope's video tutorial here.
Although I am enamored by this Columbine image I will readily admit it's posed a coloring challenge for me! It is a bit more to color on and shade and highlight...and when I went to trim it for the life of me the image seemed tilted and still does. So here's my tilt a whirl card...I added a sentiment set a bit more straight on top to hopefully ground it.

I added a bit of yellow copic marker on the columbines and also for highlighting. I also found a perfect green designer paper to mimic the speckling in the egg and some earthy twine to add a bit of rustic charm. I have a lot of practice to get it right...but if I don't stare with a critical eye this card is for certain cheerful and will go to someone that needs a bit of encouragement!
Thanks for stopping in...I would so appreciate your comments!

Power Poppy~Inspire Me! July Challenge

Hi friends! I had to make an appearance for this month's July Power Poppy Challenge-Inspire Me! There is always so much inspiration; but this time I found a retired Bloomie, Leslie Miller, to follow as my inspiration! She showed us how to make envelopes to match our cards...and I must say that even I, the measuring challenged person that I am...was able to do this one! Such easy and clear to follow instructions! The tutorial is here on the Power Poppy "Make it Monday" post.
I used a retired Flourishes stamp for the sweet teacup with some designer paper for the envelope. I have a pretty Prima daisy that I may add as an envelope closure if I decide to hand deliver this card.
Oh, I guess I should show a photo and stop jabbering...

I water colored the cup and saucer...and added just a bit of colored pencil shading. The sentiment is from Power Poppy's "Potted Primroses" stamp set. So cute together! I outlined the word "hello" in a pink copic marker.

The strip of paper is the same I used for the envelope, then I added a wee bit of pink designer paper along the border.
I am a bit rusty in stamping...but so very thankful for being able to revisit my pretty stamps and papers...it is such a relaxing and fun hobby!
And that is it for today! We just visited the Oregon coast last week so I hope to post some photos from our trip here in a couple of days!
Thanks so much for popping in and wishing you a blessed day!!

All About Bees

Hi friends! I have been a little remiss about posting my cards here on my blog...so will try to remedy that this week!

I received my Power Poppy stamps a couple of weeks ago and have had fun playing with this set, "Bee Kind Toile." I actually posted this on Instagram already. Oops!

I really am smitten with the Bee Skep on the pretty cake stand! 

I found some old Stampin' Up designer paper in this pretty blue color...so I stamped the tiny sentiment on the top in that banner "Happy-Bee-Day" to match. The border around the bee skep is made by a repeat single bloom stamped in a circular border. I added some Wink of Stella to the honey dripping over the sides and used a fine black tip micron pen to add some detail to the bees antennae and stripes.

The oval border cut out is from Papertrey Ink. 

I think that's all the detail...I worked awhile on my card and was pretty happy how it turned out. 

I hope you enjoy and thanks so much for stopping by!

Get Well in Chintz!

I kind of love chintz fabric...it is so pretty and cozy and full of color! I don't decorate with it though; because it is so very feminine. But when I needed a little get well send off recently; I dug through my stamps and found this oldie from Art Impressions.

This was easy to watercolor up; although the pink did a bit of smearing outside the lines...It turned out pretty well. I kind of adore those bunny slippers and just now realize I should have probably drawn a shadow line. Oh well...it's cheerful and in one of my favorite color combos; yellow, pink, and green!
Happy Stamping and wishing you a blessed day!

Round and Round with a Precious Baby Card!

Hi Stamping Friends! I actually spent some time over the weekend doing one of my favorite things... stamping and coloring with Copics! I had just received a fresh little bundle...no, not a baby  but almost as sweet...a new parcel of Power Poppy stamps in the mail! My card today features Power Popppy's newest release, "Precious Baby. I love this set that Marcella illustrated...and it was so fun (and very easy) to color up.
The June Power and Spark Challenge is here from card designer extraordinaire, Stacy, "Round and Round," and she asks us to use round corners or make a round card. I used a lot of scallops in my card, so rounded off for sure!!

I used one of my favorite colors for neutral baby cards, a mint green swiss dotted paper, and added double scallops on the top and bottom to frame the image set in an oval (only because it did not fit into a round very well.)
I have a little pink satin bow to add in the corner...but I am not sure whether the recipient is having a boy or a girl just yet; so the bow will have to wait!
This vignette is so vintage and sweet; perfect for a baby card!
Thanks for popping in and wishing you a happy day doing whatever your little heart desires to do! 

The Secret of My Success~Fashioning Floral Sprays from Tiny Stamps!

Hi and hope if you're visiting you'll let me know in the comments below! I would really love to hear from you! 

I've always been drawn to the Folk-Art look of some of Papertrey Ink"s stamps...but once I held them in hand and saw all the numerous pieces I've been a little intimidated...befuddled...whatever you want to call it...Making it happen on my cards wasn't as easy as the design team made it look. 

One of my favorite sets is "Embellished Elegance." I liked it so much I also purchased the dies as there are many pieces in the set and some are intricate.

I came across an every day kitchen product on some one's blog not long ago that was used to keep a floral centerpiece or spray in place on your cards. Are you ready? It's the Glad Press n Seal that you find next to the Saran Wrap in the kitchen aisles! It is such a genius idea...I had to share a card I made.

Basically, you cut out your pieces, stamp where you wish...then you layout your design. You then take the sticky side of the "Press n Seal" and cover your project. You can carefully pick it up, (and all the pieces stay attached,) then flip it over, apply your glue to the backs of the pieces and then turn it over and lay it down on your card front. Holding it in place to allow the glue to adhere...you are able to then gently peel back the Press n Seal and have a perfect bouquet or floral spray. It takes the guesswork out of the final product. I've used this method a couple of times and it sure has helped me a lot!

Here is my card:

There were probably at least a dozen different pieces...all stamped in happy colors and the sentiment is also stamped and diecut. So to keep the vines flowing from the script letters...this made it so much easier. I also added a border of striped paper in PTI's Raspberry Fizz to the lower half along with a very thin strip of blue shimmer paper. This turned out so pretty...happy and fun for a birthday card!

Thanks again for your visit. I hope you will give this method a try...oh and you can always use this Glad Press 'n Seal for storing food in your fridge...if you get tired on stamping with it. :)

Inspired by All the Little Things Blog Challenge!

We've got Spring outside! I am pretty happy about that, especially since two days ago it snowed! It made the grass green and the birds sing.... We went shopping last weekend for a bicycle for our daughter. Her birthday is in February...but we waited to get the bike until she could ride it as winter in Colorado doesn't lend itself very well to bicycle riding. I am awaiting a picture from her getting ready to ride! When I do, I am definitely going to be putting it here on my blog as it is one of those cute cruiser bikes and she got a leather seat and cute little basket for it.
I decided to play along at "Inspired by All the Little Things" challenge blog as these colors made me immediately think of the new bicycle and of course, I had to make a card for our daughter to go with her bike!!

And here is my card...inspired by the cake colors and the fact it looks like a birthday to me!!

My card uses Papertrey Ink's stamps, "Pedal Pusher" and the new "Stitch in Time Borders."  I love that I can customize all of the bicycle parts for the real thing...I was able to stamp the seat in brown just like the real brown leather seat! A pretty boquet of flowers in the basket and she's ready for Spring! I added a bit of embroidery floss to the top of the border frame.
Thanks so much to "Inspired by all the Little Things" for the fun challenge!!

Power Poppy~Vitamin ME!~April Challenge

Hi there!! I so enjoy reading the Power Poppy blog, and collecting all kinds of beautiful stamps that inspire me to create! I loved April's Challenge by Marcella to just write about what you do for yourself for "Vitamin Me!" 
I actually had to think about this one for awhile...but three things come to mind.
Creating...as in mostly cards...but also in becoming better with techniques through tutorials and practicing.
Nature:   I do love to walk, and especially in areas where God's beauty abounds for me...like along mountain trails, anywhere near a quiet stream, in the orchards behind our home and Botanical Gardens and waterfalls...it doesn't have to be far away to fulfill me.
God~Reading His word, the Bible, listening to beautiful hymns, reading Christian non-fiction, and worship at our church...these are all things that inform and ignite my faith, fill my cup, and encourage me to love others well.

This Power Poppy stamp, "Short Stacks" is one of my very favorites. I had a lot of fun making a colorful vignette, then matched up the papers...not the normal way of doing things...but I think the papers actually do set off this image pretty well. I added a banner in the top portion, and a pretty floral gem on the bottom!! Also, a tiny cut out heart to adorn the side...notice the bottom of the stack, "Best Book Ever..."  I love it!! 

Your visit just tickles me...would love to know you stopped by! Wishing you many blessings on your day!

You Brighten my Days ~Vellum Embossing

One of my favorite stamping techniques is embossing on vellum. I love the softness that results; although you do have to be careful not to warp your vellum with your heat tool.
Not too long ago, Laurie Schmidlin, from" Just Give me Stamps," shared a beautiful card using this technique on the Papertrey Ink blog. You can find her excellent Vellum tips and tricks tutorial here on her blog. She shares how to add inks, and also ways to attach vellum to card bases among other tips. Here is her photo from her blog of her gorgeous card:

I basically did my best to CASE  Laurie's card; using the supplies I had on hand, which was the gorgeous Altenew set, "Peony Bouquet." I also used a different die and tied the cording differently...and took a lot worse photo...but I really wanted to share these tips and tricks because they were so helpful for me! I hope you will take a look at her blog and see!

Layers of vellum, gold and white embossing and a gold "You" die cut make up my card. I also used some pretty pale pink polka dot as the under layer. The ink color underneath the peony is Tim Holtz's oxide in " Picked Raspberry" ink. I like this ink for blending behind vellum as it doesn't leave harsh smears or hard edges and requires minimal blending. (Tip to me as I tend to forget these things.)
I crisscrossed some thin gold cording and added a few sequins to finish my card. I couldn't decide whether or not to add that gold cording as it appeared a bit off to me no matter how I did it...but this is what I finally decided on.
Thanks for taking a meander here and wishing you happy stamping!

Stamping Just Because

Hi there, sweet stamping friends! I have been doing a bit of stamping here and there and can't seem to take the time to actually post on my blog here! I really do enjoy blogging and visiting other's blogs...it is such a creative way to not only gain inspiration...but peek into the lives of people I feel I almost "know" because of their sharing stories, pictures, and kind words.
There are several friends I know who are going through health struggles, both personally and through these blogs. I've made a few cards that are encouragement and faith based that I hope to share in the next few days here.
This one is using a new-to-me set from Papertrey Ink, Brushed Birds. I really liked the sentiment, and I always fall for any type of bird on cards, and this set has several that you can change up the colors any way you want. I have never seen a pink bird...but I kind of like it!

"Serenity is quiet courage."
I recall reading a definition of meekness that stuck with me because it encapsulated the meaning well.  The author stated that sometimes meekness is misunderstood as being weak, or one who is easily walked upon, or subjection of wills. But the meaning that was given is "Meekness is restrained strength or strength under control," the greatest of all strengths. True meekness combines gentleness and strength. My Mom possessed this trait more than anyone I know as she dealt with the debilitating illness of M.S. for many years. I saw in her a gentleness, yet powerful strength...something to be admired!
So I am wondering if this serenity definition is similar.
The bird is perched on vines from another PTI stamp set, "Elegant Embellishments." I die cut several small floral and tucked them in here and there. Nuvo gold glitter drops were used in the corners for embellishments that are easy to mail.
Thanks for your visit today and may you be blessed!

Power and Spark Challenge~Fabric Inspired!

Hi friends! We're having such balmy pre-Spring weather today!! I know snow is still going to make an occasional appearance...but today the wind is blowing warm breezes.
I just purchased a new pillow for my stamp room! I had acquired a couple of gift cards to Pier 1 so I splurged and this little piece of embroidery brings so much cheer to my space.
So I made a card inspired by my pillow fabric to participate in March's Power and Spark Challenge~using fabric as your inspiration.  Allison Cope leads this challenge, and if you visit the Power Poppy blog, she shares a lot of Pinterest inspired boards!
Here is the fabric (just an up close of the pillow.)

I perused all of my Power Poppy stamps and wanted to make a bright card...so I chose the "Folk Heart" stamps and made this card:

I had so much fun with this card, coloring with copics and using a mixture of corals, hot pinks, brilliant blues and sunny yellows! I added a colored button and twine to the top corner and used some fun gingham papers...and I actually think it's one of the cutest cards I've made in awhile. Every once in awhile, I am pretty happy with a card. I really wanted to ground the image, so I just cut out the dies twice with two different different gingham in yellow and coral...and layered the coral gingham to the bottom of the die cut.
That's it, thanks so much for stopping by! I so appreciate it when you do and delight in your comments! Blessings on your day!

Power and Spark Challenge~Add some sparkle!

I'm submitting this month's Power Poppy Challenge for February while it is still February. Barely. I used a retired Flourishes stamp for this one...no coloring except for the oh so tiny hummingbird!

My sparkle is all the sequins and the hummingbird has a layer of wink of stella so a slight shimmer there! 

I rarely stamp in blue...but I sure do love this color...Stampin' Up Marina Mist with these flowers!! Kind of made my heart sing. As I often do...I began by making a little set of these and then decided to just make the one...but now I have the idea anyway and can use this as a template and change up the sentiments!

Thanks so much for stopping in to say "hello." Blessings on your day!!

Papertrey ink Blog Hop~February 2018

Good morning and welcome to my blog! I am participating in this month's Papertrey Ink's blog hop and so glad as this was our inspiration this month:

It was so fun to challenge myself to break out my Spring Cloche fillers stamps and dies to make my card! I used the vine and flowers in my card to mimic what appears to be a pretty pastel scrunched up table runner and the pretty foil eggs in the grasses...were my flowers. I basically just used the entire picture as inspiration.

That vine was so sweet I decided to drape it in the corners as they seemed a little bare to me. I used the negative die cut to stamp out several pots and flowers and made bunches of bouquets to have on hand!! The cake plate was fussy cut and I added Ranger glossy accents for some shine.
Blessings on your day!
Now off to hop like a bunny! (That's the one thing I did not have...no bunnies in my stamp room! Must remedy that soon.)

Make it Monday Challenge~Framing Sentiments and Images

Hi friends!
I am joining in with this week's PaperTrey Ink Monday!
Laurie did a wonderful video tutorial on the Papertrey Ink blog on how to frame images or sentiments. Her cards are beautiful!
I made a birthday card and followed another tip seen recently on backing your frame with vellum to soften the floral...so the floral peeking through on the underside of the vellum frame is much softer. I also die cut my image from the Fun Frame Dies (PTI) from gold mirror card stock.
The floral frame was made from a mix of PTI stamps and quite a few colors. The card was matted with the PTI Ocean Tides and Gold Mirror as well as PTI white.

Thanks for looking!

My card measures 5 1/2 x 5 1/2

I look forward to seeing what everyone else is submitting for this challenge

-always such great inspiration out there!

Steamboat Spring's 104th Winter Carnival

Erin and I (she's beautiful, isn't she?)
As I was driving to our mountain condo over this past weekend...I couldn't help notice there was hardly any snow and the Winter Carnival was set to take place the following morning. We were there for our daughter's birthday weekend and for my husband, an avid skier, to catch a few runs. The winding road leading up to the condo was bare in many spots, revealing lots of bleak gray foliage and mud where there should be sparkling snow. Such is winter at times.
But overnight, the snow came...and by morning and all through the entire day, it came down in downy wet crystals...sticking to everything.
It was magical...and I am glad for all the kiddos that participated in the festivities. The Main Street is closed off and the events begin...kids of all ages being pulled by horses with real life cowboys who grew up riding horses on local ranches. So fun to watch!

Kids getting ready for the three legged race!

Locals and visitors line both sides of the street to watch the events which lasted until noon. In the background you can barely make out a dark strip halfway up...that is Howelson Hill ski jump where some past Olympian Gold medalists have practiced.

Cowboys and horses...oh my! What else can I say?

Walter -our daughter's dog

He's such a sweet natured and gentle creature. Everyone stopped, especially tiny toddlers...to reach out and stroke his fur. They must instinctively know what a sweet dog he is. And he loved all the attention!

Thanks for stopping in...I hope you're enjoying the winter weather wherever you are!

Papertrey Ink's Anniversary Color Challenge

Hi friends! Happy Valentine's Day! I actually did make a few Valentine cards...but they are already in the mail and on their way to the recipient. We just returned from a weekend in our mountain condo...celebrating our daughter's birthday with her. I will post a few photos in my next post.
But time's awaste-ing and I need to get moving with this card challenge. I got back from our weekend late Monday afternoon, after driving through not so great weather, (icy roads...really hate them!)... so missed a couple of the deadlines for the challenges...but here's one I did get to make this afternoon.
Today's entry is for Papertrey Ink's Color Challenge here in celebration of the company's 11th year anniversary!
I used this color pallet as my inspiration for today's card!

For my card, I used the "Year of Psalms" July set. I just could not capture the sweetness of all the tiny stamps in the pretty colors in the challenge. It is so pretty in real life and I hope that it brings some comfort to the person I have in mind to send it to.

Here is a close up:

This was a lot of fun to make using all the different colors! Thanks to Papertrey Ink for the challenge. There is a $100.00 store credit if you win so play along if you can.
I am also entering my card into this week's WordArt Wednesday's Challenge.

PTI~Make it Monday!

Just a quick card post today! I am always inspired by Make it Mondays on Papertrey Ink blog~and this week I am actually entering! I know...that never happens...I usually am lagging behind by a couple of weeks.
This week Stephanie challenged us to use different papers on our cards. Well, let me just say...I started with a notebook page with a floral spray...and tried for a bit too long to make it work. Then I just scrapped the idea and began over with my new set, "Life is what you Bake It." Oh my word, is it cute!!

I used some pretty blue tissue paper and a couple of doilies as my "added papers." The doily was actually die cut with a heart die as was the blue tissue paper (layered 3 of them on top of each other)...and then I made a fun pleated streamer to go along the border.The heart has an added floral rhinestone and a few white and clear sequins were sprinkled on top.  This is a 4 1/2 inch square card which fits this image pretty well. It looks like a party to me!
Thanks to the inspiration from Stephanie...I got a little outside my normal creative process on this one.
It's been fun visiting...see you next time!

Barberry Chickadee

Well, Christmas may be viewed as so long ago...and everyone has moved on to the New Year and most of us are already hankering for Spring...but I've just got to say...we had a blizzard yesterday and
spring is not anytime near...but there's lots of beautiful sparkly snow on the branches here in Colorado!  And our backyard Chickadees seem to be enjoying it and flocking to the bird feeder.

This darling Chickadee is actually a digital from Power Poppy. I fell in love with it and even though I only got around to making one card...was pretty happy with how it turned out. I used some sweet digital papers from Stampavie and a died seam binding ribbon. The snow has added glitter for sparkle and the entire image is colored in copic markers. My friend loved her card this Christmas and that always makes me smile.
Thanks so much for your visit!

Power Poppy "Grab a Map!" Challenge

Well, hello there...echo...echo...echo. I know it's been awhile, but I am back in the stamping mode after a bit of a busy Christmas/post Christmas and then my big 60th birthday celebration last weekend. It's been so nice to get back to a quieter pace and as always, it takes me much mind shifting to begin stamping again after such a long while.
But, thankfully, I have so much inspiration from Power Poppy this month to "grab a map!" I can definitely use all the help I can get! The challenge is to use one of the sketches from Page Maps in the month of January.
Now my card looks nothing at all like the cute drawings in this sketch...but if you look closely, you can see I followed the layout pretty closely.

I wanted to use Power Poppy's Azalea's stamp set, so I did. And it went very soft and vintage on me...so fun to color and very relaxing!

The hardest part of making this card was choosing the designer paper...I have quite a bit to sift through. But I was so glad I did, as the  paper contributed to the overall look of the image...and it was fairly easy to color in these tones of soft pinks and creams and gray copic markers.
The sentiment is from a retired Flourishes stamp.
Here is a little close up of the flowers:

I love the sentiment on this, "Where beauty blooms hope flourishes." It reminds me of a book I chose for my very first book club selection "Own Your Life," by Sally Clarkson. In her book, she encourages us as women to create beauty in our homes, through natural elements, flowers, candles, beautiful music, books that elevate our minds to think and thrive on that which is beautiful and brings God's glory into our hearts. I think so many of us in the midst of winter, can become a little low and despondent, especially on days where there is very little sun or natural light. It is then that we need to especially cultivate habits of beauty. I am speaking to myself. I am trying to do this in our home by at least some evenings, lighting candles at dinner and playing classical music while we eat. It is nice, and our dog, Beulah even seems to thrive on the relaxing music.

Thank you so much for dropping in. Your comments brighten my day! Blessings on your day!

Snow Kissed Stocking~

Hi friends! Just a quick post here. These past few days the South and East were hit by unprecedented snow...in places like Texas and Atlanta, Georgia, Alabama, and such! Which makes this post even more newsworthy as we live in Colorado...and no snow in sight! We've had 60 degree weather, setting records and actually...I am kind of glad. Because I am planning on a drive over the mountain passes to see my elderly Dad. It's a trip I've often had to cancel as the roads can be bad. And I'm planning on leaving in just a few days. So...here is my nod to snow...
I saw this pretty Christmas~y paper, "Birds and Berries," on Stacy's blog and really loved it. So I bought it...the only purchase of paper I've made for Christmas.
I used the Power Poppy newly released set , "Snow Kissed." It has some darling images! I made this stocking late at night...deciding to stamp it directly on the pink designer paper...and didn't really love it at first. I almost threw it out...but then decided to fussy cut it and added some glitter...and then figured out a die cut to make it stand out a bit more. Now...I really like it...whew! I really don't like to throw things out.

The image was stamped in Momento Gray which gave it a very soft feel. Colored with copic makers...then used ovals and two pieces of the pretty designer paper to mat. A gold tinsel bow was added to the top. The glitter added a lot...but you can't see it too well in this photo! Also, each of the ovals and the stocking were mounted in dimensional tape...so there is a lot of depth to this card!
Thanks so much for stopping in! Do you have any snow in your part of the country?

Christmas Cookie Envelope~ or Something Else!

Hi there! I have another quick post today with yet another Power Poppy Twelve Days of Christmas Challenges! Power Poppy Bloom Brigade, Cindy Lawrence, has a really neat tutorial on the Power Poppy blog and a template for making a Christmas Cookie Envelope.
If you scroll down, you can see all the projects from the Design Team...so many pretty projects!
So...I already had this pretty pink envelope which was the start of my inspiration. And  I had already made this pretty poinsettia using dies and then sprinkling with chunky glass glitter. And so I went a bit more elegant in presentation using a (retired) Flourishes stamp also designed by Marcella Hawley. I've collected her stamps for many years now!

 I made a belly band enclosure to go around the envelope and adhered ribbon, then
the poinsettia, and lastly tucked in these pretty sprigs die cut in vellum.
I'm not sure what I will put inside, maybe a special letter or flat ornament ,a CD...so many possibilities...but no cookie because this is too fancy for that! :)
Okay, back to projects...if you're like me there is a lot to keep you busy! As Always, thanks so much for popping in!

Power Poppy Altered Object

Hi friends!  I have a lot of things I should be doing...but for some reason I keep getting drawn to my stamp room with paper and glitter flying everywhere. I've been joining in when I can to Power Poppy's 12 Days of Christmas!
Today I'm entering the "Altered Object" from Stacy! You can view all the challenges here.  Stacy had darling glitter paper covered tins...which reminded me I still have a few of those in my craft closet. The one I don't like to open the door because all the not so pretty things come falling down on me...those ugly and plain items that just need a little paper and die cuts and ribbon and bows...well...I digress.
I went with a masculine theme because this is actually for my little brother. I wanted to use the deer in the "Wreaths Plain and Fancy." I also used some prancing deer designer paper.

I made two tags, the smaller one with the reindeer white embossed, then the larger tag with the sentiment copper embossed. They look pretty neat layered with the little deer dangling down. I had to lie this flat to photo...which is why the dimensions may look a little off.
Now I just need to figure out what to put in it!!

Power Poppy Twelve Days of Christmas Gift Bags!!

Just a quick post! I'm so smitten with Tosh's gift bag on the Power Poppy Blog!

She challenged us to make a gift bag.
I didn't use her tutorial to cover the top of the bag which is such a neat idea because I wanted to use some polka dot tissue ...but I did use Tosh's ideas of layering paper and making a border around the top of the bag! I layered on some pretty ruffled red gingham and striped aqua ribbon around the top of the kraft bag and some oh so cute designer paper to frame the center which is a tiny little church I colored to match the paper. The sentiment on the tag and the church are from Power Poppy's set, "Wreaths Plain and Fancy." Of course I had to add some fancy diecut snowflakes and glitter to all the snowflakes, fence, church and tiny trees!
This was definitely not something I've attempted...but am happy with the customized bag for a friend that loves red and aqua and will get a thrill out of this, I hope! Inside is a pretty frosted candle for her home.
Thanks for looking!

Christmas~Making a Scene

I have been busily stamping for the week up until this past week. Then suddenly, everything had to come to a halt...as our Beulah had to have her TPLO (Taibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy) surgery. This type of surgery is done after a torn, or in our dog's case, a partial tear of the cruiate ligament (ACL) in dogs to stabilize the joint.  We had tried everything to avoid that, including a month long rehabilitation at our Colorado State University Vet Hospital. But we went in this Tuesday for a meeting and the outcome was next day surgery. Not what you want to do the month of December for sure...or any time! But,she is doing pretty well, very sedated and still limping. I won't post a picture just yet as it isn't pretty. But she is tolerating her cone much better than the last time she had surgery. I just feel so badly as animals don't understand and I wonder if she feels somehow betrayed by us.
Which is why I have to get lost in stamping once in awhile. It is a wonderful escape...especially with the scenes you can make with this new to me stamp set by Papertrey Ink. I spent a lot of time one day just stamping out all the components of the two houses and one church in the set...along with fences, mailboxes, snowy trees! This particular scene was one I pretty much copied from Mary Beth. You can find her inspirational blog here.
My brother is a postal carrier...so I wanted to use the mailbox and added a pretty red cardinal perched on the top!

I had a lot of fun making this card! The trees are all different shades of green...the roof has a snowy glittered cap on top...and a few snow drifts make it even more idyllic. The sentiment color is muted, keeping with the dreamy scene. I love the white linen card stock PTI carries...it has a wonderful subtle texture.
Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll be back sharing some of the cards I've been making soon!

November Power and Spark Challenge~Portion Control!

Hi again! My, but this isn't the most timeliest of challenges with our typical American Thanksgiving Day just around the corner with a lot of feasting and celebration going on! I am actually going to attempt to bake two desserts ahead of time and freeze them! That's because I don't like standing for hours on my hard kitchen floor and this way I can make as much ahead of time. But I also am wanting to try making small bars rather than pies...because if your family is anything like ours, no one can have just one dessert. The polite thing to do, I guess, is try one of everything. Aha! So this year, I'm going to be ready for the buffet line and make small bars to go on plates rather than your standard pie size. Think it'll work? Well, I'll let you know!
Sorry to get off on a tangent...what has me thinking "portion control" is this week's Power Poppy challenge by the Bloom Brigade, Cindy Lawrence, to practice "portion control" in your card making. I took out my very favorite Christmas stamp, "Heaven and Nature Sing," and just started playing around with it.  What I ended up with is the rose image stamped and white embossed in all four corners...and then I did the same with the holly image in this set on the tag. I don't recall that I've used this Spellbinders Die before...but the card turned out very pretty and very large. And it actually made me a bit dizzy with all the swirls and flourishes....What do you think?
It was really fun to see my stamps differently and find a new way to use this set and also be happy with the outcome!

I used silver glitter paper for the tag, and threaded two ribbons, a dark pink and white on top of each other and threaded those through the tag.

Here's a close up of the center panels:

This card brings back a memory...as do so may cards I make. Isn't it funny how our creativity so often comes from long ago memories filed away from childhood, or travel, or ??  Once I finished this and examined it closely...I realized I had first seen this color combination as a child when I'd been taken Christmas shopping by my Mom. I stood behind the gift wrap counter (in those days they had several samples of wrapped packages on the wall,) and thought as a young girl that I'd never seen anything more fancy and beautiful than  the bright pink package with silver ribbon and was so bedazzled by it. I don't recall if we took that package all wrapped up home with us, or even what the gift inside might have been...but that memory came flooding back when I saw my finished card.
Thanks so much for looking, and have a blessed day!

Create Along With Us~November 2017

Just a quick post today...sharing a card inspired by this month's Papertrey Ink release from Betsy Veldman of the Design Team. The Create Along with Us November 2017 had so many beautiful card designs.

I was inspired by the cut out window and the white winter background. I went to bed with visions of this card...but since I did not have any of the dies...I used this winter die from last year and made my own scene with critters from the In the Meadow Set.

Since the scene is so white...it doesn't have the best photograph...but I am happy with the outcome...A deer, bunny and birds nestled on the branches with a light blue background and snowflakes. The snowflakes in the upper left are PTI felt, a blue glitter, and white layered up...all to hide a sentiment that went slightly askew...

Thanks for looking! And thanks to Betsy Veldman for so much inspiration!