The Password to Larkspur Lane

As a child I DEVOURED the Nancy Drew mystery stories.  She was so glamorous with her pumps (had no idea what those were at the time, but they sure sounded chic) and convertable and handsome Ned.  Her adventures were quite a mental escape for a small-town girl like me.  The Password to Larkspur Lane sounded so pretty.  I didn't know what larkspurs were back then. 

So when PTI released the July flower of the month as larkspurs, I thought "Aha!  I finally know what those flowers look like!"  Yes, I lead a pretty boring life as this was a momentous occasion.  LOL~

I think this still needs something, but since I was not sure what, I just left it.  Sometimes less is more, KWIM?  At least it is in my world.  PTI cardstock, stamps and twill tape.  Gina K light purple and white cardstock.  Oval nesties and Copic markers. 

Until next time......

Generic, ambigious, non-descript

This started out as a sympathy card.  But I always try to make more than one of each design.  So I went with a generic "thinking of you" on this version that could be sympathy, could be encouragement, could be just about anything, LOL~

I'm not very good at using patterned paper but this seemed easy enough.  I used Bazzill peach cardstock, SU River Rock cardstock, random patterned paper and London Fog gray cardstock by Gina K.  The sentiment is a SU punch, the large die cut is one of the Spellbinders Labels. 

It's definitely not my usual "style" but I like it.  Have a super, awesome day!

Back to School

We are going back to school on Sept 7th.  And we've had a rocky start to the year already.  They tried to put my son in a combined first and second grade class with a very inexperienced, subpar teacher.  So I had to push and assert my parental rights to get him put back in the class he was originally assigned to.  His teacher has picked up 4 additional students already, so I think she needs a special thank you on the first day and this is for her. 

Paper bags was a tough challenge for me.  I'm really not even a fan of kraft paper <gasp!>.  I decided to morph my bag into well, a bag, LOL.  But a smaller bag, and one that displays the homemade treats as much as carries them. 

I made tags using the jar set and mounted them on the notebook page.  I embossed the page using the letters background, but you can't see it here.  The jars are full of blueberry and sweet pepper jelly, thus the blue and green.  The "handle" of the sack is just ribbon that I braided in primary school colors.  It's just Offray ribbon from their outlet.  At $1.25 per roll, I could sacrifice as much as I wanted.  The thought of using that much PTI ribbon made me cringe.  :-)

The blueberry jam jar already had a decorative seal and ring, so it didn't need any embellishing.  But the sweet pepper jelly was a bit plain so I added a label to the lid (although after a second look, it appears to be more of an apple than a pepper, LOL Oh well!) and some Havest Gold PTI satin ribbon. 

I hope our teacher likes it and knows how much we appreciate her!  I could never be a teacher.  I don't have nearly enough patience.  ;-)  Happy blog hopping everyone. 

Thinking out of my A2 box

It seems like I always make A2 sized cards.  I think it's because it's simple, doesn't require much thought or waste and I have those size envelopes in spades. 

But I decided to get out of my comfort zone and make a 4.25x4.25 card instead.  I love the Vintage Picnic set and all the different combos of baskets and fillers.  Although I am very lazy and wish there was a die cut for the baskets.  I cut it out and popped it up on dimensisons to give the card some depth.  The white background with the flower filler was cut with Nesties. 

Sometimes it's nice to just drop someone a note to let them know that you are thinking of them.  I think this will work nicely for that. 

PTI cardstock, patterned paper, and stamps.  SU punch.  Nesties Labels 1????  I can never remember all the details, LOL~

Thinking of all my wonderful blog friends....  :-)

Large Families

I have a big family. 7 kids, 5 grandkids, a bazillion aunts, uncles, counsin, nieces, nephew, etc. So LOTS of birthdays. Thus I am always on the look-out for birthday sets. I'm not sure that this set was intended to be a birthday set, but I used it that way. And kind of like how it turned out.

I've been on a Versamark tone-on-tone stamped background kick. I think it adds a nice touch without being overwhelming.

PTI stamps, cardstock and ink. SU Top Note die cut.









Have a good day and thanks for sticking with me through feast and famine here on my blog. :-)

Springtime

Daffodils always remind me of spring.  I have a yard full of them that just seem to shout "Winter is over for another year!!!"  They are just bright and cheerful and I love them. 

This is another of the PTI's Year of the Flower sets.  I made these cards for my family for Easter this year.  SU So Saffron and Green cardstock and punch, random patterned paper, Copic Markers, PTI stamps. 

Simple but it works for me.  Cutting out the daffodils was a royal pain (particularly since I made 6 other these), but I think it makes a nice presentation. 

Thanks for looking!

Dads

I've spent my entire life as Daddy's Girl.  My dad was not always an easy man to live with.  We inherit so much from our parents and he got his dad's temper.  Which he passed on to me.  It seems to be diminishing through the generations and that's a good thing. 

But I digress.  My dad is special to me.  So I want to make his birthday a special occasion.  I really struggle with masculine cards, so I was pretty pleased that this came together so well. 

The PTI On the Road set seems very appropriate for my father.  He loves cars.  Really, really loves them.  Some of my most vivid childhood memories take place at car lots/car dealers.  He's even been known in recent years (now that all of us are grown and gone) to go out to a yard sale (another of his loves) and come home with a Mercedes Benz, LOL~  I can't wait until my daughter is 16 and goes for her annual weeklong summer visit and comes home with a car.  I only wish I was kidding. 

Anyway, the green brown combo appealed to me..  The double yellow stripe on the side is my attempt to make it look like the car is indeed "on the road."  Sometimes I think it looks okay; other times I think it looks like it's just hanging out there in space.  Either way, I hope dad will like it. 

Have a great day!

SU at GASC

A friend and I attended the crop at the GASC in Chantilly.  It was not nearly as crowded as I remember last time.  But the chairs were every bit as uncomfortable as I remembered, LOL~  The good news is that I now have a super, awesome, new stamping buddy.  An honest to goodness, real-life, local stamping afficionado. 

This patterned paper is from Basic Grey.  I really liked the pretty, bright, cheery colors. 

The embossing folder, cardstock, and punches are from SU.  The stamp is from PTI. 

Take Two

Designing a card takes a lot of work for me as I am not naturally creative.  So when I find something that works, I make more than one with slight modifications. 

This card was made for my secretary's birthday.  She appreciates my work so much that it's a real joy to create for her. 

The stamps are PTI, the ribbon and word window punch are SU.

This second variation is a thank you card.  I never seem to have enough of these. 

The stamps are from PTI, the large image is from the Graduation set and the circle images are from the free set that PTI gives away if you buy 12 sets in one year.  Free is always good! 






Have a wonderful day~

Memories

When I was small, we lived with my grandparents while my dad finished school.  So for the first two years of my life, I was not only the only grandchild, I had Grandma's attention 24/7.  Then for the next four years, I spent almost every Saturday with her going to the "beauty salon."  To say that she was a huge part of my life would be an understandment. 

Grandma loved to garden.  She had green thumb that I've never seen the likes of since.  Anything would grow for her.  One year, she planted  Lily of the Valley all along the walkway since they are my birthmonth flower.  Shortly thereafter when I was 6, Grandma died of a massive stroke caused by high blood pressure.  I miss her every day.  But for years, every spring the Lily of the Valley would bloom and make me feel like she was still there with me in a very small way.  I've tried to grow them myself, but they never took. 

So when I saw this stamp set from PTI's Year of the Flower series, I knew it had to be mine.  I paired it with SU's new Daffodil Delight cardstock and PTI's New Leaf cardstock.  The ribbon is SU's Crushed Curry from last year's In Colors.  It actually goes very well with the new Daffodil Delight. 

This card makes me smile.  It cheers me up.  Hope it makes you smile too.

The pressure of a swap

I made this card for a card swap on the PTI forums.  My forum friend's favorite PTI color is Sweet Blush.  For some reason, I have a truly difficult time using that color.  Particularly as a main color. 

So after many false starts, many failed attempts, this is what I came up with.  I sweated and fretted about it.  But thankfully, she liked it.  Whew!  This is why I don't do many swaps.  I'm afraid that I'll do substandard work and let down my fellow swapers.  Too much pressure for something that is supposed to be fun and a stress relief for me, LOL~

All PTI materials.  Cardstock, ribbon, ink, stamps, ric rak die cut, texture plate, etc.  Oh, and Copic markers. 

Thanks for looking and have a great day~

Mary-posa

Butterflies are a favorite in our house.  My youngest flits and flutters around just like a butterfly.  Never staying in one place very long, and always very graceful (unlike her mother).  Her name is Mary, so a logical extension is that we call her Mary-posa, meaning butterfly in Spanish.  All my kids speak Spanish. 

So when we saw that Mariposa DCWV stack at JoAnn's, we had to have it.  This butterfly paper came from that stack. 

This paper has a wonderful glittery shimmer which appeals greatly to my 4 year old.  What little girl doesn't like glitter, right? 

The ribbon is white satin dyed with PTI Chamomille ink.  The butterflies are stamped from the PTI butterfly set and colored with Copic Markers.  The cardstock is SU's new Cajun Craze and Marina Mist.  The border punch is also from SU.  The die cut is from Spellbinders Fancy Labels. 


Hope your day is as delightful as a watching butterflies. 

Paris

This card is for my sister for her first anniversay.  She went to Paris on her honeymoon, so I thought it was very fitting for her. 

Someday, I'll make it there.  Someday, I'll get to go on a vacation that doesn't consist of Disney World, a construction project, visiting family, or Las Vegas.  Don't get me wrong, I love doing all those things.  But someday, I want to take a grown-up, romantic vacation with just Hubby and me going somewhere I've never been  before.  For now, this is as close as I've ever been to Paris, LOL~

A new attitude

It would seem that I need a new attitude.  Something upbeat.... positive.... grateful.  I have been given many blessings and with those come a few crosses to bear as well.  I need to focus on the good and uplifting aspects of my life and allow the rest to slide off like water off a duck's back. 

This card seems to embody that thought.  The sky really is the limit when you have the right attitude.  I can see that quite clearly now, but how do I focus on that when the bumps come along?  If you have any sage wisdom to offer about keeping things in perspective, I'd love to hear it.  I let so many things affect me on a personal level that I should just let go and keep in source of the angst in mind. 

Anyway, I loved this PTI set and had to have it.  Then I saw the patterned paper and immediately thought of this application even though I think those are supposed to be waves, tee hee!  Of course, it took a month or so to actually get around to executing this grand (in my mind) idea, LOL~ but here it is.   The ink kind of ran a bit on the ribbon (used Momento ink) so if you have any advice on a better ink to use, that would be most welcome.  Balloons were colored with Copic markers and hand cut as I forgot I had the matching die.  Ooops!

Have a great and uplifting day!

Life happens.....

My life seems to be filled to the brim and speeding by faster than a freight train.  Each day is full of work, kids, activities, household projects, and on very rare occasions, crafting. 

It seems that the more I do, the more I have to do.  I've spent the past 8 months working my guts out trying to pick up the slack at work for vacant positions.  I thought I was doing a good job.  I was TOLD that I was doing a good job by my boss.  But yesterday, he blew up that one thing is not moving fast enough for him.  Suddenly, all I've done is not enough.  As much as I try to remain professional, that hurt.  A lot.  Maybe I'm wrong, but when you give it your all (and then some) and am told that that is not enough, it stings.  I'm really not sure where this will end up.  I've put up with this kind of thing for 3 years now and I'm tired of it.  I love what I do, but maybe it's time for a different path for me.  We shall see. 

But enough doom and gloom.  I thought this card was very appropriate.  Life is more than just that moment yesterday.  I'm trying very hard to remember that today.  This card uses SU's new color Cherry Pie with another new color Blushing Bride.  I honestly can't remember the name of the stamp set, but it's by SU too and in the Summer Mini catalogue.  It's super simple, but that's about all I have time and energy for these days, LOL~ 

Thanks for looking (and listening to me vent).  Have a great day!