Don't put all your eggs in one basket!

      Wham!  Something woke me at six this  morning.  Wide awake - no drifting in and out.   Don't know what it was, but I suspect it was an explosion inside my brain.  As soon as I awoke, I had this card in my head.  Yesterday while preparing for a Stamp Camp coming up on Saturday, I was stumped as to what to do for something "different" than a standard card.  So I borrowed an idea from Lydia Fiedler of Split Coast Stampers.  Her's was a Halloween card with a slider so the treat cup can be accessed from inside without having to rip the card apart to get at the candy.  Lydia is brilliant!  If you don't believe me, check her out on Split Coast.  She inspires me daily.  www.splitcoaststampers.com

(Hope that link works!!!)

     I wanted to do an Easter basket with tiny little eggs (Okay, so they are peanut M&Ms.)  I think it all came to me in a dream just before my brain exploded this morning.  All products used are from Stampin' Up! (except for the M&Ms).  I used Crumb Cake cardstock to make the basket.  I cut a rectangle and ran it through the crimper on the diagonal in both directions so it gives it a bit of a basket-weave effect.  Then I cut the angles with a craft knife.  I cut the handle from the Frame, Oval Scallop die and snipped off the upper section.  The paper is Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink and Marina Mist cardstock.  The DSP is from the Beau Chateau collection.  The "slider" is Pretty in Pink over stamped with Versamark using the large floral stamp from the Mementos stamp set.  Then I used the smaller floral with Pretty in Pink ink. You can't see it very well in the picture, but it makes a really subtle pattern on the cardstock.  I cut the tab for the slider using the Decorative Label punch and more Beau Chateau DSP and added a pink brad from the Subtles brad pack.  The little sentiment is from the new Heaven Blessed stamp set.  It needed some green (everything needs green because it's my favorite color!)  So I punched some little leaves from Pear Pizzazz cardstock using the Bird Builder punch.  The perfect touch even if I do say so myself.  Drum roll please . . . . . . . .

     The most difficult part of the whole card was not eating the entire bag (and it's one of the BIG ones!) of peanut M&Ms.  I really, really love peanut M&Ms.

Ready for Spring

      Okay, it's been a very weird and warm winter.  (I think that qualifies as an alliteration.)  Since most of the roses have started to sprout little tiny leaf buds, it's time to get the season started for real.  We did manage to have a measurable snowfall a couple of weeks ago, but seriously, it's time.

     Since moving to the mid-west nine years ago, I have discovered that winter is grossly overrated.  Where I grew up, on the Texas Gulf Coast, winter was a magical, mystical thing we read about in story books and saw in movies (i.e. Dr. Zhivago.  Remember that opening scene where black clad zombies trudged through the immense snow with a casket hoisted over their heads?)  Now that was what winter was about!  Not one long season of hot, sticky, humid, damp, (I could go on for days with adjectives describing the non-winter aspects of the Gulf Coast) . . .

     However, nine years into this experiment in seasons, winter has totally lost it's appeal.  It's just plain cold.  Cold to the bone cold.  Shivering in my thermal's cold.  Freezing my butt off cold.  Get the picture?  So as I sat in my "studio" (if you saw it you'd die laughing at that one!) shivering, I was inspired to create something to remind me that it WILL be spring soon.  So I came up with this little art piece.  What do ya think?

     At my next stamp camp I am going to unleash these materials from Stampin' Up! on my girls (snicker) and see what they can come up with.  Make it your own, ladies!  This should be great fun.

     We will also create a couple of cards.  You can never have too many butterflies - - -

     And this one . . . . .

    

     Hope you have a creative day.  Think SPRING!

Defying Gravity - almost!

      This has been a really crazy week.  The full moon, while beautiful, played all kinds of heck with my abilities to glue things together straight!  Or maybe it was the gravitational pull of Saturn, or Venus.  Whatever it was, I had one heck of a time.  Lots of things went in the trash and there was lots of mumbling explitives under my breath.  Not the kind of relaxing fun I usually have when I play with paper and ink.  Oh well, the cards are done now and all I have to do is put them in the mail (some of them anyway.)

     My mom is turning 86 on the 19th so I made a special card for her.  I also  made some pretty kitchen accessories to send her.  One can never have too many pretty cup towels!  This one has a design that looks like Spring.  I need Spring right now.  Here's the card.  Happy birthday, Mom.

And here is the cup towel and dishcloth.  I embroidered the cup towel and crocheted the dishcloth!

     Our good friend, Mikey, has a birthday on Tuesday (Valentine's Day).  I had fun making this "masculine" card for him.  He also has a great sense of humor so I used funny quotes.  The inside says "What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about!"  Happy Birthday, Mikey.

     And of course, there's Valentine's Day proper.  I made Valentines for my BFFs.  Here are a couple of them.

 

     And now for the most important happening this week.  Valentine's Day is also mine and Richard's wedding anniversary.  Wow!  14 years - where did that time go?  It seems like yesterday - and yet it seems as though we have always been together.  Love you, Babe.  Hope you like the cards I created just for you -  Happy Valentine's Day, my love.

And Happy Anniversary to the love of my life!

   Whew!  It's been a busy week.  I think I'll just enjoy the next few days.

    

Merry Christmas. Really?

      Note to self.  When photographing a card with a cream colored background, use a contrasting color for the background!  Oh well, it still shows up pretty well.  I'm doing the Christmas Card Challenge on Split Coast Stampers (www.splitcoaststampers.com).  I signed up to do two a month.  That should give me a pretty good head start by the time December rolls around.  Especially since I only got a very few cards out this past Christmas.  Here are my first two for January.  Got 'em done just in time!

     I love creating backgrounds with stamps.  The angel, harp and snowflakes were stamped on the cardstock.  Then I used new paper from Stampin' Up! called Everyday Elegance.  I like using things that aren't particularly theme oriented to add color and interest.  This one is a keeper.

     The next one is made with Stampin' Up! Frostwood Lodge Designer Paper and the new Doily die. They are both so terribly Victorian. I love the doily in Real Red.  Who says doilies have to be white?  Not I!



     This is a pretty good start on my Christmas Card stash.  Maybe I'll go ahead and sign them, address them and get them realy to mail!