A couple of mosaic cards

You've heard of regifting? Well I am recarding. I punched up some older cards I didn't particulary like and came up with these 2 cards-as well as a bunch of other cards. It was a fun exercise AND I enjoy the challenge.  No waste that way. The ultimate recyling you could say.

The top card is about as simple as you can get. I used 3 punched inchies...

They were all stamped with images from Oxford Impressions Casablanca set and some blue/brown images from Technique Tuesday's Casablanca set. Three punched butterflies were added (Martha Stewart) and then a saying from Dylusions stamps. On the butterflies I aded some bronze Viva dimensional dots and I drew in the antennae.

The 3 inches on the bottom card are made using the same stamp sets (since they came off the same card.)  I basically layered a strip of blue paper, added some strips of paper tape...the inches...some little shiny heart stickers...stamped the postmark from Autumn Leaves and added the little Making Memories love tag with a tiny brad.

Once again, you can't get any simpler than that.
And I got 2 new cards from the 1 I started with.

So this week has been me get ready for the craftsfair this weekend. I've been working in front of the tv after I get home from school...I get home, change into my sweats, make a cup of tea and  put on vintage Christmas film DVDs-

Have you seen them? They are classic holiday films...romantic comedy musicals...so anyhow, they go on and I work on the floor in front of the tv...

Then I work until Dave gets home. Actually, it has been pretty relaxing. No one to bug me but the cat and the dog...and after doing this for 2 nights I am in pretty good shape. Works for me.

So it is hump day, already!!!!  And the last day of November, already! Wow! Still very warm here in in NH-though that is suppose to change. Week is flying by.

Not quite snowman weather

We've been having a bit of a heatwave (again) here in  New Hampshire...yesterday it was well into 60's...enough to really finish melting the snow we had but to put us back into mud season (again). This weather this year just doesn't know whether to cool off or get warm. I can't tell the time of year by it, that's for sure.

So here's a fun card. I started by stamping snowflakes with Versa-mark on this bright blue cardstock. Then I stamped the snow men (all stamps from Paper Smooches-and all but the umbrella are from the Snow Dudes set) on white and colored them in. I then ripped some white paper to make the snow, and attached the snowmen  to the card...I added the umbrella to the one on the right...those twig arms were just calling out for something. Finally I stamped the saying and then used white Stickles glitter on the torn paper snow and a bit on each of the snowflakes-give the card a bit of sparkle that way.

That's it for today...too much else to tend to.

I am exhausted

What a FUN weekend. But busy. And now it is ALREADY Monday morning and another work week awaits. And me not getting myself organized for the craft fair on top of it all so now I have that to do...but I am not going to turn it into a BIG deal in my head so that helps.

Monday.

Yesterday we cut down our Christmas tree in the warm fog (I think the warmest and foggiest cutting time ever) and put it up. It looks fantastic and I am glad it is up. Nothing else is up but that is ok. Everything is out of the attic and so it is just finding time to put things out...and I can do that as I go. We still have 4 weeks until Christmas. The tree is always the BIG item.

Will show you some photos once I load them onto the computer.

So this weekend I did squeeze in maybe an hour in the studio and started my Holiday 2011 Journal. No pictures for you yet though. I didn't knit at all-was hoping to finish the tam I am making- and I didn't open Great Expectations to read either.

Oh well...sometimes you want a low key weekend and you get a busy fun one instead...and I wouldn't trade it but I do wish I had a bit more down time.

Here's a few more summer Outer Banks journal pages.

I love this page. I started with the rain drop stencil from Crafter's Workshop which I traced and then I used some watercolor crayons to color them in. I doodled and colored the words and then I die cut the 3 leaves. Simple but effectives.

This page I started but using a Crafter's Workshop stencil and some aqua ink to lightly add some design to the watercolor paper. Then I used aquamarine Archival Ink and a Dylusions stamp to make the dots. Finally I used a Copic to color in some of the diamond-ish designs that were part of the C W stencil. I added the photo, which I outlined with black Sharpie, stamped the saying (also Dylusions), jotted down a few notes, glued down the blue waxed thread and added the die cut banner and the punched out red heart.

Lastly, this page was to celebrate the sumemr weather. I used a dotty CW template to stencil the orange dots (used Memories orange ink) and I used a strip of blue paper and doodled the ornage scaloops on its edges. Then I added the photo an stamped the word. I die cut the heart in white, stamped the flowers in aquamarine ink (Impression Obsession backgrounder) and then colored the heart with the orange ink. Then I used orange vellum and a Sizzix old fashion flower die to die cut the orange flower and used a fuzzy blue brad in the middle.

So I hope everyone's weekend was as fun as mine and that you are all ready to start up a new week today.

And think...it's a month to Christmas.

Happy Day!

Artistic Outpost Christmas

Here's a holly jolly holiday card I made using Artistic Outpost's Frosty and Friends set. I love this snowman stamp. I stamped on white paper and then did a bit of coloring with Copics. Then I used some Vintage Linen Distress stain to lightly darken the music in the background and give this piece a more older distressed look. All this was added to a piece of truly Christmas green cardstock that I added some printed paper too. Then I ran a bit of paper tape (Cavallini &Co.) and the shiny silver paper word Joy, which I die cut with a Sizzix die. Finally I added red Viva dimenional dots on the corners of the snowman panel.

It is a pretty basic card, but I love it because it is pretty easy to make and I can do a bunch of them to send out this holiday season. I don't think it looks too simple though...

What do you think?

If you like this card check out this whole stamp set (because it comes with some other vintage images), plus a whole bunch of others, at www.artisticoutpost.com/.

Thanks for visiting.



A Banner day!

Here's 2 loyal Maine alumni and fans. This is a picture of the sticker on the back of my niece's car since she also goes to Maine. Last night Dave and I met some of his family members and we went to the Maine/Clarkson hockey game at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, ME. Before that a few of us had dinner in the Old Port- a few beers, burgers and fish and chips. Was a fun night, and even better because Maine won 4-3. It was a hrd fought game and Clarkson was really much better than I expected.

My favorite craft store was having a a super special this weekend...get a gift certificate for 1/2 of what you spend. The place was packed when I went yesterday morning, and of course, though I shouldn't of spent the cash, I had to go! You can use the gift certificate in January, so that means I can have a little shopping trip in January after the holidays. Plus, I tried to get out of the house yesterday and had a dead car battery, so we had to go buy that too. EEKS!!!

Anyhow, so much for getting ready for my craft show this weekend!

Today we need to go cut our tree before Katie goes back to school, I haven't got a stitch of holiday decorations out and I need to get into the attic to dig out things, so maybe over the wek, or next Sunday....and my house is a MESS!! But oh well.

I am off and check the turkey I am roasting today...ok...I am a few days off, but you can't beat the price and it will feed us all week plus some.

Have a great Sunday.

Dave Discovers Black Friday

So my husband discovered the deals of Black Friday yesterday. It started when I checked my email and Staples was having some HP computers on sale, and since he's been computerless  for a bit, he decided to go look. After we hit the jackpot at Staples, we went to Lowe's for birdseed and hitting the jackpot again. Dave was amazed. Then we grabbed a bit of lunch and when we stopped at the grocery store for some milk and a few other things, he got all excited to go to the Home Depot next door and spend some more cash. We did get some holiday presents bought, and all and all we were very successful. I found some brochure bins for my Copics that I wanted and this afternoon when we finally got home I did a bit of cleaning and started my holiday daily journal for 2011. What a day!

Yesterday I showed you photos from our after dinner Thanksgiving beach walk and today I show you some beach photos from last summer. Here's a few more journal pages to enjoy.

Doodling with Copics and Sharpies, a photo and a small tag.

This page is an inside of a folded page-you can see the crease towards the left hand side of the spread. Here's Dave and myself on some Basic Grey paper and some cool blue stickers that are about 9 years old. Whp made them??? Not so sure. You can also see a window I cut open with the information about the lighthouse.

Here's the page with the foler over closed. You can see the front of the lighthouse-it is a bookmark I picked up. I added a few little bubbles and some yellow trim, but I am not so sure I like them, but once they are stuck, they are there.

This is a SIMPLE page. I found this rubber stamp of Ocracoke Lighthouse by Impression Obsession. So I stamped and colored with pastel pencils, watercolor paints and Copics.

Finally, here's a view of the lighthouse from across the inlet from the village of Ocracoke. This page has a piece of an Ocracoke map as background paper. I also used some 7Gypsies tape, a die cut heart and car (Sizzix dies), the words road trip stamped with some Technique Tuesday alphabet stamps. the words Sunday and adventure stamped with Technique Tuesday stamps too, some Thickers bracket stickers and then some doodling of pink circles.

So I am enjoying this LONG weekend. Yesterday felt like Saturday all day and it was great to realize it was only Friday. Tonight we are going to Portland to a UMO hockey game at the Cumberland County Civic Center...should be fun... HOPEFULLY Maine will win against Clarkson tonight!

Enjoy your day!!!



Black Friday

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday yesterday. We went to visit my husband's family and had a yummy meal and some laughs. Us adults (except Dave's mom) went out for a walk on the beach at Plum Island, Massachusetts after dinner. It was refreshing and fantastic since I LOVE walking the beach.

The puppies enjoyed it a lot too, as you can see Harley here. But talk about a tired puppy last night.

And today is Black Friday, the BIG shopping day. Are you going any where? I'm not sure  if I am going out but I want to get some things done at home today...get the Christmas things out of the attic, clean a bit, organize for next weekend's craft fair a bit.

Hard to believe that it is only 1 month until Christmas and that we are back into the holiday season.

With the snow on the ground at my house it kind of felt like we were going to celebrate Christmas.

But before I get into holiday posts, one more fall photo.

And I thought this was a typical late fall view, the bittersweet berries and the wooden fence,dried leaves...

Took this in my sister-in-laws side yard yesterday too.

So those are my scenes from a nice Thanksgiving.

Be back with some art another time.

10 Things Friday-Thanksgiving edition

I know, I am 1 day early. But to celebrate Thanksgiving, I am calling this week's installment 10 things Friday I am THANKFUL for.

1-For the good loving people in my life- my hubby Dave, my daughter Katie, my mom, my brother, my friends and co-workers....

2-For having a great home and a yard and the fantastic quality of life I have at my home. I have support and a calm environment here and it is the country "palace" for me. I am lucky to have a little place in the kind of place I want to live, and I love the state and town and area I live in. I love the fact that I can be the strong willed free thinking pretty self sufficient woman  and I can be that here in my home and nation and family.

3- For living into my 50's so far and for the widsom and peace you find when you get there. You know who you are and I have found a sense of peace in that. I have also found a sense of confidence knowing who I am too, and how at this age you lose the sense of having to keep up with people or have to be someone you are not.

4-For my puppy Harley and my 2 kitties -Emma and Leo. They are loving and sweet and smart and mostly, those 2 boys make me LAUGH-like my hubby too.

5-For finding my art talent and having this great studio in which to create and my little successes-with art I discovered who I was and it gave me confidence and cured my pains. That I am  lucky enough to my have my own studio area...though small and crowded it is MY space and my family supports me doing my art and having my space...

6-For being a happy person...not a perfect person and not having a perfect life...but I am happy with life and with being me. It must be hard for people who aren't happy and who can't see how good life is or who have such bad things in their lives they have major mountains to over come.

7-For having the opportunities to travel and see some places I have spent most of my life just dreaming about.

8-That I am healthy and that so far I haven't had any major illness or issues to put the breaks on my life.

9-For being a curious wanting to learn to and to experience new things kind of person. For feeling young and I think looking pretty good for 51. For having a sure why not kind of attitude and for being stubborn so when someone tells me I can't do something I figure it out and go for it. For being someone who can laugh at themselves and who doesn't take life too seriously. For someone who has had some luck in life and who hasn't been stupidly blinded by too much alcohol and drugs or other things that can get in the way of life.

10 -For knowing that winter does end and spring does come. For now knowing that things do change, that they can get worse, so love the good when you have it. Be thankful for it. For realizing that this doesn't last forever, and however sad that is you got to love the moment you are in. For knowing that though work is driving me crazy right now, it might get better or worse but I have a job and it is not all that bad. Most of it all is mental, it is how you face it all and take it all. I am very blessed, I am very lucky and I have so much in my life that naming 10 things just can't do it.

And here's a card for today....it's a rework of an older card I made a few years back that I'd never used and didn't like one bit. I I pulled off the piece stamped on clear acrylic.  I also punched out the faces of Bogart and Bergman- these are from Oxford Impressions Casablanca set. (That is one of my most favorite flicks!!!) Finally I pulled off the we'll only have Paris saying.

So I took this great aqua colored cardstock for the background, and first of all added a small square of striped paper. Then I added the acrylic passport sheet, the punched square inmade and some paper tape (From the Smashbook series). Then I added the word paper, the Prima flower and finally added some dots from Ranger's dimensional pearls.
Enjoy your turkey dinners if your here in the US, otherwise, happy Thursday. And no matter where you live

So HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you all, may you count your blessings!

The Busiest Travel Day

Addendum:  Wrote this last night and woke up this morning to 4 inches of snow changing over toice and rain. No sooner made my cup of morning tea and sat down to the 5 a.m. news than the power popped off...Luckily we have a generator and dave went out and started...and he drove me to work (Katie will pick me up at 11:30 when we get otu today)...but I get south of Rochester and it is all rain and NO snow yet at home it is WINTER WONDERLAND!!!!!
Anyhow, sorry for the interuption to normal posting, back to my post...

You know, I like Thanksgiving. It is a mellow holiday with good food and some good family time. I like black Friday, not that I would go out at 2 a.m. but I might go out at 6, might...but most likely not...especially seeing I don't think the overall deals are that fantastic...there are some...but I am not going to buy just to buy. But why do stores have to open on Thanksgiving? Why not give employees some holiday time? Is this country just about spending cash? (Is that a silly question?) I don't get it. Run your shopping deals on-line, that works for me, and run them in the store on Wednesday...that's when I go, but can't Thanksgiving actually have any value any more?

 OK, that is my soapbox for the month.

And without trying to sound like a hypocrite, but I have my Yankee Candle mistletoe burning at night and it makes my house smell like it had a Christmas tree up, I love it. See I am not a purist, I love Christmas.

So here is my one other Thanksgiving card that I made this year. I will admit, Thanksgiving isn't all that card inspiring, but it is fun to make a few. (I think of turkey and cranberry sauce more than I think of decorating.)

For this card I used some dark yellow cardstock and this cool silver and brownish paper. The turkey is a Hero Arts stamp, as are the acorns in the corners. The saying is from Crafty Secrets Thanksgiving set which I stamped on the reverse side of the main background paper and then attached the strip.

So onto another topic...

So if my Nana was alive, she would be 102 today. I miss her a lot. She was someone I really looked up to and I loved being with her. She lived until she was 91, unfortunately with Alzheimer's the last few years. I was lucky to know her and to be able to spend some quality time with her.

And so, to wrap up this post-

So if you are traveling today, since here in the US this is the busiest travel day of the year, have a safe trip. Either way, have a great day.

Tuesday Chatter

The week is in full swing and rolling. Yesterday after work a friend asked if I wanted to go see a late afternoon showing of Twilight, and I decided to. The movie was good, not great, I think they could have made the whole story into 1 movie not 2, but I really enjoyed going out and doing something different. Tonight we have Batle of the Classes at school, which is a National Honor Society function I am running, and then tomorrow we are into a half day of classes and I am meeting Katie after that to do some shopping. That is if it is NOT snowing. They're saying we could a good dumping. (Will this be big storm #2 for the year- already?)

Ye Gads!

So since I said the "S" word... I will think warm and beautiful weather and show you a few more journal pages from last summer. Maybe that will keep the snow as rain instead so I can do a little weekend shopping on Wednesday.

Really like this page. I started with orange paper and then added a blue plaid strip. Then the photo and a strip of watercolor paper that was sprayed with a few watery colors of Tattered Angels. There's an orange brad, some orange clip thingy-ma-gingies, a saying from Stamper's Anonymous/Dylusions stamps (those saying sets are the BEST) and a die cut sand dollar that was mounted on more white paper and then trimmed.

So this page is very simple...I am such a simple gal. I left the water color paper white and added some various strips of 7Gyspies paper tape. I added the photo, 2 more die cut sand dollars and finally an anchor which I cut from some printed paper.

And this page is still on white water color paper with photo framed in a light grey paper-not that you can tell here. I wrote out the words in 2 shades of Copics and a black drawing pen. I doodled in the crabs- I love thes elittle guys- and colored them with Copics also. Finally, I die cut the arrow on some shiny green paper that matches the green Copic I used. It works for me as an interesting journal page and a way to include this kind of weird photo-but I will say I sat on the beach about an hour watching crabs sneak out, and as I soon as I moved to snap their photos, they scuttled quickly back into theese holes. I just had to include a photo.

And I am working on one of my fall goals....a book I loved when I read it (swallow hard) 25 years ago and have wanted to reread it...but I don't want to force myself to read it when I wasn't in the "mood" for it. But last night I started it, and the magic has hooked me already. I hope I will love this book as much now as I did...sometimes you love a book but when you reread it years later you are at such a different place in your life that it isn't the same, and that is a disappointment because you want it to be what you remember it as.

Thanks for stopping by.

Last Bloom of the Year

So yesterday was a beautiful late autumn day. A bit of filtered sun, some 60 degree temperatures, and a very light occaisonal breeze. I went out and did a bunch of raking and snapped this photo of one of my rose bushes which is still happily blooming these pretty orangy-red blooms. There isn't much else left in bloom, the trees are basically bare and everything in the gardens has died back.

I love this.

So besides raking yesterday I made some cards- but it was one of those studio afternoons that took awhile for me to get into my groove. I threw away more than 1 attempt and did some chopping and cropping to make some of my attempts into usable cards. I was feeling a bit "pressured" since I am getting ready for the craft fair on 12/3, but I needed to get myself out of that mind frame. I think I am pretty much card prepared...but this is the week I need to get really prepared...a little here...a little there.

AND...TONY STEWART WON THE CHASE!!! THAT WAS THE MOST EXCITING RACE I HAVE EVER WATCHED! IT HAD ME ON MY SEAT WITH TONY STEWART COMING BACK FROM BEHIND MORE THAN ONCE! WOW! AND THERE WERE 33 LAPS LEFT WHEN HE ONCE AGAIN CAME AHEAD AND JUST SITTING THERE HOLDING MY BREATH AND HOPING HE DIDN'T RUN OUT OF GAS!

wow!

So here's another Thanksgiving card I made using a bunch of die cuts and embossing folders. I used this great mustard colored cardstock, and some bamboo-ish looking paper, as well as some embossed grungeboard and some orange paper. I used 2 different Sizzix dies, the pumpkin is from the Seasonal set that Sizzix puts out- it is 12 different Sizzlet dies. I cut it in  organge and did a but of coloring. Then I went and use Tim Holtz's new strip die to cut the leaves, branches and acorns. Then I stamped the saying with 3 stamps. The Give Thanks and the family and friends part is using 2 different older Hero Arts stamps and to connect them I used a Technique Tuesday "for" word.

And one more card for your Monday. Lately I've been making some inchie mosaic cards which is a great mental exercise. Plus, they go so fast! What I have been doing is taking some cards I made a couple years ago (that are sitting in my card stash box that I didn't really like and never used) and I am using a square punch to chop them up. Then I have been reassembling the images into some some new cards. This card has inches made with Oxford Impressions Casablanca set stamps and Technique Tuesdays' similarly named Casablanca set. I also used some 7Gypsies tape, a Sizzix flower die, a Martha Stewart punch to make the center of the flower and some Viva bronze dimensional pearls to finish off the flower. All this is added to onto a green cardstock background.

So that is it for today. Hope your week starts in great way!



Blogger's Challenge

It has been a bit since I participated in this or any challenge...just hasn't been any time and when my computer died last summer I lost so many card photos.

But I have a card for Blogger's Challenge this week- it called

For the Boys

Stamps used are Autumn Leaves for the words (both background and explore) and images are from Technique Tuesday.

Thanksgiving Week

So it is Thanksgiving week. To celebrate, a few cards I'll show you. This one has an image that looks terribly crooked, but it is more my photo cropping than image, to an extent. In real life it looks a bit crooked, I must have messed up cutting the edge. Anyhow, this card is fun and I love it anyhow, crooked edge or not. It is a coloring card...I started with blue cardstock and an image from Impression Obsession which I love and is so fallish. I love coloring too, and I did this with Copics so the colors are bright. I purposefully made it look late autumn, with brown leaves. The Pilgrim girl from Hero Arts, as is the little leaf and the saying. I dashed the line to look like stitching .

So yesterday Dave and I had a successful shopping day together. Plus we had fun together. We managed to get Katie a few more Christmas gifts so I can say she is almost finished...in fact, if I didn't find anything else I could give her what I have and be ok. But she is my one and only so I tend to SPOIL her a bit. But I love doing that!!! (I can hear my Puritanical mother in my head right now....oh Puritanical, maybe that word comes to mind with the little Puritan Pilgrim girl on this card!!!) Anyhow, I am now stocked up on things I need-which feels good. I hate when I feel like we need something and I don't have it...maybe because I am so busy that getting ti isn't walys the easiest or most convenient.

Speaking of busy, that is my week ahead. Tuesday I have Battle of the Clasess at school for National Honor Society-that starts at 6 pm so it means a long day, Wednesday we have a half of day of school but then I am suppose to meet Katie to go shopping-watching the weather though and there's a chance we might have snow...good thing I got my snow tires put on last Friday. Then Thursday we go off for Thanksgiving and Saturday we have a hockey game over in Portland, Maine-but that should be a lot of fun. My week....so I get a 4 1/2 day holiday weekend but I am sure like all weekends-long and short- it will FLY!!!!

Anyhow, enough is enough for me babbling here.
Forgot to mention...BIG race today. It is still a VERY VERY close race between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards, and me, I am rooting for

Have a great Sunday!!!

And THANKS for stopping by.

What you might discover...

When you take off on a little adventure.

*****

What people like to do to commune with nature...

An interesting pursuit.

(Used these cool Prima clear stamps to make the stars which I watercolored and they sparkle, but you can't see it here. I also used a Sizzix die cut and some distress ink.

 In this photograph, this page looks like it needs something.

*****

Delicious and interesting foods.

I would love some hush puppies right now. Never had them before last summer.

This page got some 7Gypsies tape, some scrap paper, some doodling and some PSX stars stamped.

*****

 Beautiful views, those that make you stop and take a breath and just look.

This page got some purple die cut ric rac, a stamped tag using an OLD but FANTASTIC Wordsworth stamp, some paper reinforces, some starfish stickers and some tape.

*****

And lastly, you get to discover history.

This page needs something too, now that I see the photo. For this I used a punch of pre-cut die-cuts including the cool retro triangular travel tag, a bunch of stars-some are bright and sparkley that you can't tell here and some Viva dimensional paint dots.

I am off on a little traveling adventure today...not going too far, but I need my Costco/Trader Joe's stock up trip...don't think I'll journal about it but I could. I love those stores.

Happy Saturday!



10 Things Friday

It is Friday once again. So far am loving this exercise to try to organize my life a bit.

1- So got diagnosed with a sinus infection the other afternoon. At least it wasn't broncitis which is what I thought it was.  Hopefully these antibiotics will kick start some real recooping.

2-I don't feel like I can catch up on anything at work this week. I feel one step behind and like I am in permanent catch-up. I am hoping by today I can get everything organized so I feel more in step with things.

3- I signed up for my first craft fair this week. So I probably shouldn't do it since it is not like I don't have enough to do. I keep thinking about display-and how I do that. Any suggestions? Since I have never sold a craft show before I really don't know what I need, but this is a good place to start since it isn't a huge fair and it is pretty low key. But I need to do it since it is one of those things I have been thinking about for quite awhile now and I need to clean out some art I have made.  Hopefully, I will have success. Its is not even making lots of cash but it is establishing myself a bit.
4-I am also thinking about how to make my travel journal for when we go to Arizona in Febuary. And I want to do a holiday scrap book-kind of like a daily (or mostly daily) journal between Thanksgiving and New Years. I did one a few years back and it was great and I think it would be nice to have another one since it has been a few years.And I have been fixing up some of my cards-to sell-since some of my older cards are kind of BLAH and I am fixing them up by cutting, embellishing...been fun.

5-Feel like it is always dark...especially since the weather has been a bit icky. Luckily with me teaching ecology I have been geting outside a bit during the day, that helps a lot. But it has been dark by 4:30 and you can tell the mornings are getting darker...this week I needed to put my lights back during the morning commute-just one week of no lights since the time change.
6- So last night I shook it up a bit and met Katie after work. We did a little holiday shopping and went out to dinner. Was a fun change of pace, or as Kate said- it made Thursday feel a little bit like Friday-now I am a bit tired, getting hom late last night- but it is Friday!!!
7- I can't believe that next week is Thanksgiving. We are going to my sister-in-laws. Thanksgiving is a great holiday- pretty low key but not a do nothing day. Plus it is a good week at work- 2 1/2 days of work and 2 1/2 days off. Besides dinner we have hockey tickets to see Maine play again on Saturday.
8- So we are still having crazy weather. It was in the high 60's early in the week and now we are back into the cold. It is CHILLY this morning! My body doesn't know what to make of all this. We have had snow already and then days when it felt like April or May. They say back in the 60's by Sunday.
9-I am getting more done of my Christmas shopping.  Not finished...but making progress. But it is just about time to pull out the Christmas music!
10-Are you going to see Twilight this  weekend? Last night when I was out with Katie the line for the mid-night show at a local theatre was already forming at 6. I will go see the film (even though I wasn't crazy about book 4- got to see out the series) once the crowds die down a bit.
Have a great Friday. The weekend is just about here!

Just a few more journal pages

Lighthouse postcard showcased here. I use some printed and plain paper, some cut numbers from some Cavallini tape, some Viva dimensional dots, some chipboard bingo dots, a 7Gypsies image stamped and cut out on white paper, and a German gold scrap anchor.

This great sandpiper photo I snapped on Ocracoke. I used printed (distressed with white stain) and plain papers, some 7Gypsies paper tape, a die cut swirl and some Hero Arts silver dots.

Sunset on the beach in Duck, NC. I went to town on this background made on watercolor paper. I stenciled the background (Crafter's Workshop), watercolored and then distressed. I added a sun stamp (Mostly Animals), some length of a  cut paper strip (what do you call this????) some black cardstock, a tag I made with My Sentiment Exactly stamps, a clear compass by Tattererd Angels, a cut out word and some staples.

Finally a photo of my hubby on distressed water color paper and an 8x8 sheet of 7Gypsies paper. Some 7Gypsies red paper tape, some Martha Stewart stickers and some blue sticker letters that I dooddled and distressed with a red pen.

Have a good Thursday!



When it is dark early

So yesterday ended up being one of those NON-STOP busy days. Wore me out. And since I got home at 4:30 and it was already dark (and since it was cloudy and that made it seem dark even earlier than usual- needed my headlights before 4 on my way home), I went into winter mode which is to come home and put on my pj bottoms, not my sweats. Pretty pathetic but felt so comfy, and man, I was wiped out and needed a little nap-attack.

A little news on my front...So think I might sign up for my first ever craft fair to happen in early December. My one reservation about participating is just the time...not for the fair itself but for getting my goods prepared-as I have things but of course most of my things aren't 100% in order and organized... and I am SO busy as it is I don't know if I have or want to spend the time getting ready for it. And all the things to think about to in order to sell at a fair. But maybe it is just me over-reacting and I say to myself...you should just go on with what you have and go with that. It would be a good experience to do it- and I would be proud of myself to do it...BUT once again...working full time at a BUSY job and then having normal holiday things to do...the hubby is pushing for me to do it...hmmm...Mr. NO Time Management Skills...what am I thinking listening to him? Usually gets me in trouble, but I do agree...it would be a good thing for me to do.

I just don't know if doing it would add some extra stress on these already burdened shoulders...

OK, the shoulder analogy is a bit over done, I know. My burden is nothing compared to some people's, I know that too.

This card uses a really fun set from Paper Smooches that celebrates breakfast!!! I LOVE breakfast, wish I had time for a big one every day. Did I tell you about the apple bread French toast and yummy slab bacon and the breakfast I made last Sunday morning?

Anyhow this card uses orange cardstock and a slightly lighter orange paper, some 7Gypsies tape, some white pen to make the little stitching lines and then lots of Paper Smooches images stamped on white and colored, then cut out and laid out here. I love how the egg is put up like a sun...which is such a good morning image, isn't it?

I hope we have some sun today...and I really want an egg with bacon and toast right now.

Thanks for stopping by...

Tuesday puts me

In a better mind frame than yesterday. I will go to work today and just do what I need to do. I am very ok with that fact. Oh life would be grand if I could be someone who gets to stay home and play in their studio all day.  Or maybe run my own little art center, or design my own line of supplies...but I am sure-and I know- there are downsides to that too and it is not most people who get to do exactly as they please when they please. If you are a designer you are pushing your product and trying to keep more coming. And if you run a little shop you need to be in your shop and answer to custoemr demands-otherwise you won't keep your shop open. And since few of us are rich enough just to sit home and do as we please, well, I won't even contemplate that. It just isn't life. But I am ok with going to work and being back into my routine. November has a way of doing that to you, any little spark of rebellion seems to mellow out like the days...the landscape becoming barren, the nights getting so much longer, dreams of a turkey dinner coming next week...just roll with the flow.

Enough of all that!!!!

Today I have more from my studio  to show you.

Today I have 3 travel journal pages from my summer visit to the Island of Ocracoke, NC, the very southern most part of the Outer Banks.

Here's a cute little house on Ocracoke I could make my own. To make this page I started by using a Crafter's Workshop template and some green ink which I brushed on. This pattern was the Mosaic Grid, and I boxed out and wrote in my page title and then colored in those boxes. I alos distressed the page with a bit of brown ink too.  I added a white punched out heart and a die cut bird (Sizzix, Tim Holtz bird and birdcage) which I stained with Distress stains. I also stamped the dragonfly circles (Hero Arts) in green and colored them in lighter green and added a few more journaling thoughts freehand.

This page is also set on a stenciled background using the starfish from the beach/sheel Crafter's Workshop template and the mini zinnia template. The zinnia is in Archival aquarmarine and the starfish in in Memories brown. Then behind the photo I put a piece of Making Memories journaling paper ripped out the little notebook they come in. I added a postage style stamp (Tweety Jill Designs image pack) and stamped the postmark (Autumn Leaves).Finally a I spread a bit of blue Stickles glitter glue and put some bronze Viva dimensional dots over that.

And finally, this cute little family of ducks crossing Main Street in Ocracoke Village.  I started by adding a sheet of October Afternoon paper (6x6 size). I also added a die cut tag which was cut on craft colored paper. I outlined that in brown marker then added my photo. In the corners I stamped this image (Technique Tuesday) in brown and then colored it in yellow. I also added the yellow paper tape and stamped the swirl image (B Line Designs) on the tag and added the tiny die cut yellow flower center-with a yellow dot of Viva dimensional paint in the middle. The word always (Technique Tuesday) is stamped but I used some old sticker remnants for the words, they had a brown tint and I colored then with yellow and then used a white pen to outline them. Finally, I distressed the page with some brown ink.

That's my stash for today...thanks for dorpping by and visit.

Leave a comment if you do...I love seeing who comes by.

I don't want it to be Monday

I will go to work, and I don't mind going to work, and I am thankful for a good job and I actually like my job, BUT, I really wish I could stay home and putter and poke and play in the studio. Yesterday I officially made my first Christmas items, 3 cards using Artistic Outpost's Christmas set Frosty and Friends. It was so MUCH FUN to pull out one of my Christmas bins- I have 3-although one is just winter stamps like snowmen and snowflakes- and all I want to do is stay home today and go back and play some more. Once I get some photos and load them onto the computer, I will show you my endeavors. I am in a real homebody mode lately...cooking, cleaning, reading, knitting and playing in the studio. I get in these modes every now and again, when I wish I could be a full time artist and just make things and a full time house wife and stay home and cook , but then that goes away and I am back to be the career woman who makes herself a bit of cash.

I will be perkier later today when I get back into the swing of work and when I get over the fact that this weekend just went by SOOOOOOOOOO fast.

The good thing is this week should be a bit quieter than last week, and hopefully I will stay on the cold improvement track.

So here's a different kind of Thanksgiving card. (Can you imagine, next week?) A pink Thanksgiving card!

I started with pink cardstock and some lighter pink cardstock. I die cut the frame with the lighter pink cardstock and attached it. Then inside the oval I stamped the word (Paper Smooches-Chit Chat set) Thanks which I then colored in orange and used the same orange Copic marker to draw trace a line around the inside of the oval. Then I used a small multi-star stamp I have and some white ink t stamp the stars on the outside of the frame.

Then I stamped the turkey (Kim Hughes' Thanksgiving set from the former company Cornish Heritage Farms-but did you hear they got bought out and are reopening this upcoming Friday-the 19th?) on white and also onto the card. The one I stamped on the card is more a guideline and so the feet will be there and look in proportion with the body in front of them. The turkey on white I colored and then cut out and attached. Finally, I added the rest of the saying which is from the same Paper Smooches stamp set as the Thanks.

Anyhow, I hope you feel more positive about your day than I am feeling right now, and I want to thank you for visiting.

Flying

This weekends has gone faster than possible. How can I be home since Wednesday and have it already be Sunday?

So the cold is improving with time...I will be perfect by work tomorrow I am sure. Yesterday I had a GREAT day out shopping with my friend Vicky...I mentally needed a girls day out. Laughing, talking and spending just a tad bit of cash...went to the Crate and Barrel outlet and got a few little deals in their major markdown section. Today will be a quieter day I think, hanging home...maybe some studio time. I can't believe that last night I went to finish up my grades (since I was out Thursday when I was going to finish them) and my school bag empty... I left everything at work on Wednesday...so much for getting caught up this weekend. Means Monday I will have 1 more thing on my list to do, good thing everything is graded and it is just a matter of putting them up on the computer.

So my 3 journal pages from my OBX trip for today are above. Today theme is SIGNS, which I love to take photos of for some reason or another.

My top page - I used some fun ocean paper. I added the small photo of the welcome sign to Ocracoke and a cut out map from a brochure I had.  I outlined those and added the fun in the sun sticker to the sign. Then I used some chipboard black letters and stamped the word adventure (Technique Tuesday). Finally I added a pop-up fish sticker and some clear glass VIVA dimensional dots.

Page 2 is made on some textured sand colored paper. I added the brown houndstooth paper and the sign photo to that. The "stitches" are just little black Sharpie lines. I stamped the words (Autumn Leaves) and the horses (Stampinks). Then I added some rustic trim and some blank chipboard bingo dots. Fnnally, I added the big chipboard ring (Technique Tuesday) and I added a little note to that.

Lastly, this funny seagull sign I saw on the door of an office building-though not the best photo I've ever taken. I stamped the entire watercolor page with this seagull stamp I have (maybe PSX?) and then boarded the page with a strip of black cardstock. I added the photo, stamped the photo enclosed saying on top of the photo, wrote in my info below it and added a few epoxy dot stickers. Finally, it still needed something so I stamped the swirl boarder on white paper (Autumn Leaves), colored it and then cut it out and attached it.

That's my art for today. Hope it is a great day for you!