Retro #111 and Card Concept #8

Happy Friday, everyone.  It is Friday, right?  I've been busy.  I don't know what all I've been doing but I haven't been spending much time in the craft room.  That combined with the fact that my right brain went on vacation, I just haven't made any cards until today.  I made a list last night of all the challenges I want to enter and there were 7 of them, none of which could really be combined, most of them due on Sunday.  Uh oh. Here are two of them.

First up is Retro Sketches.

My step granddaughter's birthday is May 1 and I made this for her.  I used a couple of NBUS stamps on this - the PTI Library Card (and die) and My Craft Spot's Scrapping Life. The paperclip is cut with my Cricut and embossed with gold three times and imprinted with a heart - the faux metal look..

The next card was a real bugaboo.  It's for The Card Concept.

I don't have an umbrella stamp or die so I cut this girl with my Cricut.  I knew I wanted a spring like umbrella but after that everything was trial and error.  Mostly error.  I ended up by embossing clouds for my background, cutting it to leave space for the sentiment from PTI. (Another NBUS)  It's for the clean and layered category.

Tonight the church group is going to see "Heaven is for Real" and tomorrow is an all day church meeting.  So when will I get those other cards done?  I may have to give a couple of them up. (insert sad face).

I'm so glad you stopped by.  I love reading your comments so I hope you leave one.

Curtain Call and Muse #53

Luckily I have been getting some cards made for challenges this week but once I get these posted, I need to get my valentines finished and in the mail.  In addition to my 7 grandchildren, 1 great grandson, my daughter and 2 daughters by another mother, I have 10 homebound people from the church that I'm sending valentines to.  Many are done because I have been making them over the last two weeks for challenges but I still have a few to finish and then address and mail.

Today's cards are not valentines.  This first one is for Curtain Call

I bet there has been a run on hot chocolate with the weather we have been having.

I've been having a little trouble with boo boos on my cards lately so it was fun to actually make a card that called for a mess.  And I didn't mess the mess.  Go figure.  I made the cocoa rings with an NBUS stencil from Tim Holtz and Walnut Distress Ink.  The cup is cut from A Child's World and the tag and sentiment are from My Craft Spot.  Can you read it?  It says "Chocolate helps" and I totally agree.  In fact our bell choir director gave each of us a giant candy bar when we played this morning for worship.  I think he thinks it will help us play better.  (wink wink)

My second card is for Muse.  I just HAD to play this one because the inspiration from Vicki Dutcher is just my style.  Here is her card.

And here is mine.

I love mixing papers and layering.  The scalloped circle is from Elegant Edges, the star is a die from PTI and the papers are from my scraps.  Well, not the background.  That's something I picked up when the local craft store closed down but I don't know who it's by. The sentiment is from PTI's Birthday Bash.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope your week gets off to a good start.

CASology #77

What do you think when you see this word?

There are so many different ideas you can find over at the CASology gallery.  Me?  I immediately thought of a bubble bath. Then I went looking for an image.  Fortunately there was a shadow image on my A Child's Year cartridge.

I typed the sentiment on my computer, stamped some bubbles in Fresh Snow with a stamp from PTI's Polka Dot Basics and swished them with some Wink of Stella.  I added a few above the tub with VersaMark and some sparkle embossing powder.  You can see them better in this close-up.

I never take bubble baths anymore so I don't know why that came to mind.  Maybe wishful thinking?  I wonder if I have any bubbles around.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you take time to relax..

CASology #61

This morning we watched my husband's great-grandson play football.  Now you normally wouldn't call football players cute but these kids are 8 and 9 years old with helmets almost as big as they are.  They ARE cute!   Oh, btw, they won, 12 - 6.

Today's card is for CASology.

The Cricut cartridge A Child's Year is full of silhouettes.  I just had to choose one

Considering the fact that so many in my family are artists, I thought this would make a cute card.  I used the Watercolor Wonder stamps from PTI with Distress Inks for my background.  Quick and easy.  Truth be told, not really.  This is actually the third try at a background.  I tried water coloring and splattering but nothing turned out like I wanted.  Stamps to the rescue.  Wait!  Did I, a non-stamper, just say that?   I did, but that doesn't mean I will be buying a lot more stamps.

I'm glad you stopped by.  I love reading your comments so please leave one.   I'll be sure to return the favor.

MCS #94, PP #7 and CASology

Yay!  The sun just came out.  This has been quite a day, weather wise.  There was a little snow, then a blizzard and now the sun is shining.  Like they always say in Michigan (and a number of other states I've heard), if you don't like the weather, wait a minute. We've had some flooding in the area, too, with streets and schools closed in a nearby town.

I have two cards to post today to make sure I beat the challenge deadline.  I hope the challengers don't mind me combining them both  in one post, but the positive side is more people get to see my work. :)

(My gadget on the side is in the way of my post so I moved it down.)

First up is My Craft Spot #94 - Cute Critters and Paper Playtime #7- use a pun.  I made this card for a young girl from our church who has been hospitalized for a while and has now be diagnosed with Lupus.

The dog is cut from Doodlecharms.  The sentiment is from the computer and cut with my new frame cuts from Hero Arts.  

My second card is for CASology.

I knew I didn't want to do the obvious with this cue so I went in an entirely different direction but one that still holds true to travel..

The cut is from A Child's Year, with the sentiment printed on the computer.  I inked the edges of the top layer, cut 1/2 inch smaller than the base card, and popped it up on foam tape.  You can go anywhere you want  through books

Since I've been typing this post, it has snowed again and the sun is now shining.  Talk about schizophrenic.  

Thanks for stopping by to see my cards.  Comment if you please, and have a wonderful day.

FCCB + DCD

I usually sit at my dining room table every morning to check things on my laptop.  I get the morning sun and a good view of my bird feeders.  This morning I saw the funniest thing.  We have a problem with neighborhood cats running loose.   I don't like this, especially when they catch one of my birds but today it was worth the entertainment.  A cute little black and white cat was fascinated by the squirrels.  He chased one from the neighbor's to a tree by my feeders.  He sat at the base of the tree and watched, waiting for it to come back down.  As the squirrel approached the ground, the cat ran around the tree to get it.  The squirrel scampered back up and the cat watched as it went higher and higher. When he decided it wasn't coming back down, he noticed another squirrel across the street and took off after it.  I have never seen cats chase squirrels before and wonder what would  happen if he caught one. 

Today's card is for a double challenge:  Fantabulous Cricut - Pilgrim's Progress and Die Cuttin' Divas color challenge - use orange, yellow, brown and one other color.

The image is cut from A Child's Year and the top note from Elegant Edges.  With the pilgrims in dark brown, I used white as my other color to make them stand out and carried that out through the shadow and card base. 

I have to get busy and make 8 more Thanksgiving cards to send to the homebound people from my church.  This is a labor of love that I have taken on to show these members that we have not forgotten about them.  I also send birthday and other seasonal cards, signing them all "from your church family".

Have a great day!  I hope to see you back here soon.

Best Friends

I follow a number of blogs.  Some people just show their cards, some add a detailed description and other are very chatty.  I like the chatty ones  because it helps me know the blogger better.  Sometimes I get so into the card challenges that I neglect to say anything personal.  That doesn't include my recent post about lost luggage.  That one was long.  But it was also not a challenge card.  Imagine that! 

I spent yesterday trying to rearrange my craft room.  I want to put a new counter top in there but needed to see how everything was going to fit and be easily accessible to me.  I'll work with this arrangement for a while and maybe change a few things when the counter tops are purchased and installed.  Meanwhile, I'm glad I spent the weekend making cards for some challenges.

Today's card is for Thankful Thursday and Creative Cutter Room.  Both are "Friend" challenges.

The cut is from "A Child's Year" done in dark brown.  The background paper is from a K and Company stack called Best of Brenda Walton.  I thought the word bubbles were appropriate.  I found a matching paper for the stamped sentiment that I cut to fit in the image.  How lucky was that?!

I have a busy day today but it will be back in the craft room tomorrow to finish a couple of cards I need for the end of the month.  And maybe a challenge or two. :)

Red, White and Blue

I thought I'd skip the challenge at BBTB2 because I really didn't have any printed red, white and/or blue paper and plain just wouldn't do.  Then I stopped in to my local "dime store" where they have a very small scrapbook section.  That's not what I went in there for, but couldn't resist taking a look.  And there it was, a red stripe and blue polka dot.  I snatched them up and decided to use the sketch from Mojo Monday to make my patriotic card.  I'm also entering it into the My Sheri Crafts "Oh I Love America" challenge.

My square card is 5 1/2 by 5 1/2.   I used plain red for the layer under the stripe, and navy blue under the star embossed rectangle and the circle.  The flag cut is from A Child's Year. 

It promises to be a great day at the lake.  Hope you all have fun plans for the weekend and coming holiday week.