Looking Ahead

Today may be Mother's Day but I am all ready trying to look ahead to the next holiday...Father's Day.

Today I thought I would make a few cards that could be given to men.  Two of which I thought were best suited for Father's Day.

I used the CR84FN colors to inspire me....and what great colors they were....mint, blue and neutral.  Oh, this was perfect for a mans card.

Also featured on today's cards are my favorite paper line EVER!  I am  on my third pack of 180 sheets and I guess this will be the final package that I get as I have not found it anywhere in more than a year.  Bohemia by My Mind's Eye.


Products also featured:
Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Walnut Stain and Evergreen Bough
K&Co made the hot air balloon (so very cute)
Graphic 45 made all the early Hollywood inspired tags (what a great line that is too)
Hour glass by Bo Bunny
Gears by Tim Holtz
Embossed tag and scalloped cirle by my lovely Big Kick
Edges on the cards (that are die cut) by Creative Memories
All patterned paper by MME
Kraft cardstock from the open stock shelves at Hobby Lobby
Bingo number by Maya Road
Ribbon from Hobby Lobby
Letter stamps by the Miss Elizabeth's at the Dollar Tree
Dad rub ons from a kit I got at CKC, and it was a CK one

My first Big Kick projects are spring cards

I got a Big Kick for my birthday and the first day I got it I just HAD to try it out.  I pulled a random piece of cardstock from my paper rack and it was carnation pink.  I cut and embossed using every folder that I had...this entire 12x12 sheet of paper.

Today I sat down to do my weekly Mojo Monday challenge and I wanted to use those nice embossed things that I had made.  I will start with this weeks sketch then my creation.

The first two cards feature a Tim Holtz embossing folder and of course Tim Holtz Distress Ink.  The frame is a Sizzix die (another new one) and the You are my Sunshine is by Fancy Pants.   Everything else is from my scrapbin.

The bottom two cards....the pinked edge background is a cuttlebug.  The music note stamp and the script stamp are by Close to My Heart (my birthday stamp set).  All other papers are from my scrapbin.  The love was purchased at JoAnn's.  The "you are the music in me" font is Amienne.

Mother's Day for my favorite MOM!

Today's challenge is brought to you by Crazy 4 Challenges.  http://crazy4challenges.blogspot.com/  I have been checking out their website for well over a year.  They do things that inspire me to think...and when I think I can create.  This time they provided a photograph.....The colors SCREAM my mother!  The organic quality of the balls SCREAM my mother.  And I was all ready needing to do something special for my mother.  I had wanted to make her a canvas....I just didn't know where I needed to go...UNTIL I saw this photograph!!!!  

I stuck with a similar color scheme and used some of the round elements and even some of the earthy qualities....after that I tried to be VERY VERY unique.  

May 8th marked my mother's 40th year of being a mom.  I used a 31 and a 9 to display the 40.  I found a quote that is sort of unique like my mom. I used some steampunk elements because my mom is kind of like a steampunk lady. A little old fashioned wrapped up in modern devices.  That is her!

She is a pretty incredible mom and I am blessed to have her.  I was one lucky baby!  One lucky bald, fat baby.

Here I am 40 years later and never shall I be able to repay her for what she has done for me.  I hope she knows I tried to show her how appreciative I am with this canvas.

I love you MOM!!!!

Love and Marriage

A couple of the girls at work at getting married.  They are taking two lives and merging them into one.  A path I went down almost 19 years ago, and I love him more today than 1993.  I hope these girls are as blessed in their marriage.  As lucky in their life partner.

One of the best Bible verses goes with my thoughts on marriage:   1 Corinthians 13:4-7

 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

  I made one of these cards for one of them and the other for sale.  Every single item on both cards is from the scrapbin.  A bin that seems to be bottomless!!!  

The Wedding and Have Fun rub ons came in some offer to join a club through the mail.

The inks are ALL distress inks

The pleats and rosette were made with the Martha Stewart scoring board

The crown is from K&Co

The boarder punch is Fiskars!

 The flower is Prima

The buttons are Making Memories

The color scheme is by CR84FN

and

The design is by Mojo Monday

A simple thought and a simple design

Today is just a simple thought....We were at a ball game today getting killed.  The boys were looking kind of rough.  The heat was intense (and it is only May).  The score was very one sided....but my son was still smiling to his friends.  Still giving hi fives, still displaying a good attitude.  I am very blessed in this little boy...very very blessed.  I need to work on that kind of attitude, when things look hopeless I need to find the good.  It's there, I just need to find it. 

This is my first time doing the retro sketch.  When I found it I knew this was a site for me!  Here's my first entry:

I used a Ditto stamp by Hampton Arts for the background.  The ink used it Ranger Archival.  On top of that is a scrap piece of teal and another of pink.  It is a simple design but I think it has a big impact.  

I opted NOT to use the bow because I intend to mail this.  It would not be very post office friendly with a giant bow on the front.  However, it would have looked FANTASTIC!!!

Because I used the color combo for CR84FN I am also sharing it with my buddies there.

If you are a big scrapbooker, or even just beginning I encourage you to check out either of these sites.  Get you a jump start on ideas and have some fun while you are at it.  

Smoothing out my altered journey (CR84FN)

I have always been a little off the beaten path from what others have been.  I have enjoyed off the wall things, and been interested in the most bizarre objects.  Since I discovered the internet I realize there are others out there that have the same type of random thoughts.  That think their head will explode if they cannot pick up a paintbrush and just paint. Someone that gets a thrill just from walking down an aisle full of paper. Someone that feels that with a writing utensil and some paper you can make anything.Someone that dreams all week of the weekend so they can create ANYTHING!  Someone that has to take their art materials with them wherever they go, just in case somethings hits their very busy brain.  Someone that brain NEVER shuts off.  Yeah, that's me.

I have always taken pride that I am not like anyone else and I celebrate it in every way that I can. I have tried to convince my children to have this attitude, but that is not so easily done.  That is my work in progress, in the meantime here is how I am displaying my individuality today.  



A bit ago I began an art journal.  This was a regular John Grisham book that I picked up at McKay's for a quarter.  I decided  to alter it in every way possible.  The cover will be last because I want it to reflect what is inside the book.  I had to take out some of the pages because my art tends to be 3d and the book would not close.  Here are my journal entries for today.  I was very lucky that the colors match my favorite challenge CR84FN

 Poem found on the internet
Parenthesis and plastic like flowers-from a CKC class
Blue and pink paper open stock at Hobby Lobby
Girl and postmark stamp-Hot off the press
Flower on rosette-Stampin UP!
pink flowers from my parents 40th wedding anniversary party
blue flowers by prima
background inks by Michelle's Musings
other paints by Americana, Folk Art and Apple Barrel all acrylic
Image of Titanic from the internet (but I flipped it from the original photo)

.

Hog Heaven tag, pink photo corners are Forest Friends by K&Co

Pink and blue card stock open stock from Hobby Lobby

Butterfly by Melody Ross and it was painted at an Archiver's class

Ghost Letters by Heidi Swapp

Special chipboard from an old kit.  I think it is Westrim Crafts (I was a beginning scrapper when I got it)

Quote from the Sound of Music-Maria

  Doily from my mom in laws house

bodice of dress made from Stampin UP! file tab punch

border punch by Fiskars!

Kraft card stock by Recollections

Be Yourself, believe, shoes and dress stamps are from the Dawn Houser set by Inkadinkadoo

Paint by Apple Barrel and Folk Art

Pink flowers from my parents 40th anniversary party

Shimmer and spray paints by Michelle's Musing

Distress paint by Tim Holtz

Houndstooth stamp by Technique Tuesday

quote by Edna Turnblad and Hairspray

Girl stamp in the corner by Hampton Arts

moon from a kit my daughter used when she was about 4 (she is now 15)

Patterned paper for dress by K&Co

Your'e so square (Mojo 238)

 What a fun concept!  I have a little bit of order and on top of that a lots of chaos.  I LOVED this sketch!

This layout is very much my life...there is a plan of order but then on the top is a mass of ramblings and flying by the seat of the pants.  There is me trying to have order and everything all planned out, but then there are the others in my life that don't plan anything that just kind of throw things together and it works. 

Enjoy!

All patterned papers are by K&Co
All inks (with the exception of the black ink) are Distress inks
Black ink is Ranger
All ribbon is by Making Memories
Scalloped border is the trash from a K&Co sticker border (I just colored it red with fired brick distress inks)
Bingo number and domino by 7 gypsies
Chipboard by Technique Tuesday (Technique Tiles)
Butterfly by K&Co
flowers by creative memories
grunge tag by Tim Holtz
paper clip by Making Memories
sunflower found at my father in laws house

Blessed!!!

Today's posting is all about choices.  I was thinking about the choices that I have made.  I guess in friends.  I was thinking about friendship and the people that were there for me when Henry (Grandpa) died.  There were some people that I expected to come to the visitation and did not.  Then there were those that I thought might come but would not and they DID!  Then there were those that true friends.  Friends I have had for over 20 years.  Friends I feel like I have let down in the past and won't do that again.  God has shown me much in the last two weeks.  He has shown me that I can do things that I did not think I could.  He gave me the ability to tell someone I love that it was okay to quit fighting.  He gave me the ability to promise I would care for my mother-in-law and mean it.  He comforted us during a very hard spring break.  He gave my mother-in-law a blissfully aware attitude to be able to cope with the funeral.  And He showed me that I have put my trust and love in the wrong place.  That I needed to shift what I was doing and who I was doing it with and realize that I have made the right choices by following His will and I need to continue to do so.  I am going to try not to look back at mistakes I have made but look ahead to the good that I can do.  I am have made so many boo-boos, I should learn from them and not repeat them.  I intend to do just that.  I am focusing on truth and not falsehoods.  

I am blessed!!!

To get the looks below:

Patterned paper-K&Co I believe it's Bailey

Pink card stock- open stock from Hobby Lobby

Cream card stock-Bazzil

Doily from a local supermarket

Pocket watch chipboard-Bo Bunny

Ink-Distress inks in Spun Sugar, Frayed Burlap,and Old Paper

Flower from something my father-in-law bought from Publisher's Clearing House

Girl stamp-Hot off the Press Vintage Ladies

Butterfly Chipboard-Oriental Trading

Stickles-Distress Stickles in Picket Fence, Spun Sugar, Vintage Photo, Black Soot and Gold

 

Keeping it going!

I promised that I was going to be more gracious this year and send cards as much as I could.  I feel that I am keeping this promise.  This week I have to send some thank you cards. Since I can't stand to do things like everyone else, I decided I MUST send some unique cards.  I am so grateful to the love that everyone has shown me the last few days.  I hope that my cards will let everyone know exactly how honored I am for everything that they have done for us.  

All paper used to make these cards are from my scrapbin.  All inks are by Tim Holtz (Broken China, Worn Lipstick, Spiced Marmalade and Mustard Seed).  The punches and die cuts are made by Stampin UP!.  The Thank You stamp is made by Fiskars. 

Thank you notes (Mojo Monday 235)

I needed to make some cards for thank you notes that I need to send for the gifts that people gave us for our grandpa's funeral.  I could not stand using those cards that the funeral home gave us.  They were uncreative, blah and boring!  I did limit my time spent on each card because I needed to make many many cards.  I set a 4 minute limit on each card.  I stuck to it closely and created 28 cards in one night because of my limit.  

I made these 2 from the MOJO Monday sketch for this week. This sketch helped me stay true to my 4 minute limit (at least for these 2 cards).  

Patterned paper on the red card is by K&Co.  On the yellow card it is by Bo Bunny.  The other papers are from my scrapbin.  The Thank You stamp and the border punch are by Fiskars.  The flower stamp is by Stampin UP!  The flower sticker on the yellow card is by Bo Bunny.  All color inks are Distress Inks by Tim Holtz.  The black ink is by Ranger. 

Limiting your creativity???? I don't think so.

You can only use 2 sheets of 12x12 paper.  Everything else must come from scraps that you have.  I did it!  I did not think that I could, but I did.  I took 1 sheet of 12x12 paper made by Bo Bunny (houndstooth on one side, green distressed on the other).  I also took one sheet of yellow Bazzil card stock.  I did NOT measure the paper because I am bad about that. I eyeballed  the paper, and I would say I cut it somewhere around the 7 inch mark. That left a a 5x12 (ish) strip and a 7x12 piece.  I cut the 7 inch piece in half.  I made 2 cards out of this.  I cut the yellow paper in the same fashion, however most of the yellow became mats for the 2 main cards.  As you can see one of the yellow pieces made a card.  That card (card 2) I used a Fiskars border punch to create the edging.  The thank you stamp is by Fiskars.  The face punch is by Hampton Arts.  All color inks are Distress Inks by Tim Holtz.  Black ink by Ranger.  The dot sticker border, the flower sticker, and the patterned paper (as stated earlier) are by Bo Bunny. 

I did have some yellow paper left over after creating these cards and decided it would make a great mat for the inside of the cards (perfect for writing my message).