Aren't You a Peach!

What better way to take your mind off a runny nose & stuffed up head than to spend an evening stamping? I didn't think I would actually get anything finished tonite as I felt crummy but it is amazing how you forget things when you get busy trying to match up paper & color an image. No better therapy anywhere!

This is a thank you card for the "stash" my daughter asked for a while back.  I usually get them done much faster, but it has been a busy few weeks.  So, Melissa, I haven't forgotten your request!  I'm getting a nice stash together for you.

I used one of Mo Manning's new images and colored her with Prismacolor pencils & gamsol.  The paper is from a pack Melissa gave me from DCWV. I used Spellbinders for the layers and added some embossing to the background for a bit more interest.  And a Martha punch for the butterfly.

They are promising a dry day tomorrow, but with all the water they are releasing from the dam just north of us, they are also promising a lot of flooding. We are all crossing our fingers & praying it won't be as bad as expected.  My office building is about a block from the area they expect to be under water with the first release of dam water.  The businesses on that side of the road are evacuating, I'm told. I'm praying it doesn't get as far as our building.  Especially since I just bought a new car! It came with a lot of features, but floating wasn't one of them.  Guess we just wait & see what happens.

Catch you all later!

May Flowers

How does the old saying go? April showers bring May flowers?  Well, our showers have been going steadily since April with few let ups.  Our forecast for tonite is for severe storms again.  But even with all the rain, we are still much luckier than a lot of folks right now.

I thought it might be fun to do something with flowers for a change.  Although I have 2 huge bins of flower stamps, I rarely use them much any more.

This stamp is a Judith I have had for a long, long time.  I messed with it for a long time tonite & just couldn't find a layout I really liked.  I colored it with copics & pencils & the punched edge is courtesy of Martha Stewart & another of her beautiful border punches.  Hopefully, I will feel better tomorrow night & come up with something I like.  I had planned to get a lot done this weekend, but woke up with a scratchy throat & decided an afternoon nap was probably more productive than stamping.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Something's Fishy!

Well, gals, here we go again. Another birthday card for work.  This seems to be all I'm getting done lately. This card is to replace the ugly plane card I made earlier & hated when I finished it. Since the birthday boy likes to fish, I thought this would be more appropriate. I used a Mo Manning image and added the cute worm & bobber from Whippersnapper that I have had for ages. I'm hoping that adds a bit more interest! i colored it with copics and used paper from my stash. And, of course, you have to add glitter, right?
Since I have been on the great hunt for my ailing mojo, I decided to enter this card in several challenges. Makes perfect sense, right?  ha ha  I've obviously had too much chocolate today!! (OMG did I really just say TOO much!)

I'm entering this one in the Creative Card Crew challenge Anything Goes,  The Paper Shelter Challenge #15-Anything Goes,  Paper Crafting Journey Challenge #11 -Anything Goes

We have been cloudy all day, but it looks like the rain is coming back tonite & they are saying strong storms for tomorrow.  Maybe I should be building a boat instead of coloring one for a card!  I hope all of you are enjoying your three day weekend & staying safe & dry.
Catch you all later!

Let's try again!

For some reason, Mr. Blogger is not working tonite.  I'm going to try posting one more time before I just give up. This is a card I made for another birthday at work.  You know how we love to celebrate! I used a Magnolia stamp & made the background with some gorgeous vellum from my stash made by The Paper Company. I used a Martha punch to create all the gorgeous flowers. The white medallian is from Spellbinders & the butterflies are Martha Stewart punches. I want to enter this in Flutter By Wednesday #156 challenge Clean & Simple. 

I hope everyone is having a great weekend & staying dry!  Catch you all later!

Let's All Fly Away!

Well, the great "mojo" search continues.  Obviously....

Today's card is a dreaded man birthday card. The stamps are from Studio 54.  I pulled out some K & Co paper from my stash & ran a piece of cardstock thru my trusty Big Shot & embossed it with a "manly" pattern.  You may have to click on the photo to see it. It is a pretty simple card but as time is tight right now, it was all I had time for tonite. I am way behind on cards I need for birthdays & still have a retirement card to do yet too. I need a 48 hr. day!

After a record rainfall today, we are actually supposed to have sunshine tomorrow! Yeaaa!! (But then rain & storms again for Friday) Boooo!!!

Have a great day. Catch you all later.

My Lost Mojo

Well, as promised, I am posting the card I started last nite, but I'm not really happy with it.  It will go to a guy at work who likes motorcycles. I'm sure he will find this version of one to be pretty pathetic (especially with the heart), but it is the thought that counts, right?  The scooter is a Snag'em Stamp and the sentiment is from Studio G. I used a grey Prismacolor marker & pencils for shading. The paper is from Stella Rose.

We are supposed to get 1-2 inches of rain tonite with storms & another 1-2 inches of rain tomorrow with 40 mph winds. Is there anywhere that it isn't raining right now?

Well, better get busy & see if I can find my lost mojo!  Maybe it is hiding in the refrigerator with the ice cream!  LOL

Catch you all later!

No card today!

I thought I had better do a little update.  Usually, I work on cards during the week &  on the weekends. This past week, however, my sister & brother-in-law were here so I didn't have any time to devote to cards. And this weekend, we were all busy dealing with a series of emergencies at Dad's. First it was the bathroom sink he tried to fix & broke. Then it was the flooded basement from a downspout that he hired a gutter company to fix this winter & apparently they forgot to re-connect the spout to the gutter.  We spent all day Saturday pulling up wet carpet in the basement & cleaning only to have another hard rain Saturday nite & discover that the downspout itself was also defective & had to be replaced. So Sunday we repeated all of Saturday's efforts in the basement. I am working on a birthday card & have it almost finished, but can't seem to get it just right. My mojo is not only exhausted, it is MIA.  With any luck, I may be able to salvage it tomorrow & post tomorrow nite.

Hope everyone else had a wonderful weekend & that your week is going well.
Catch you all later!

Thanks a Bunch!

I thought we needed a change from birthday cards! This is a thank you card I made for my daughter. She makes beautiful cards of her own, but still asks me for cards from time to time as I have a lot more time than she does. And Mom's always love to help out.  It makes them feel needed again! ha ha

This little guy is from Crafter's Companion.  I colored him with a combination of copics & pencils & gamsol.
He is matted on cardstock from my stash.  Since he is so large, there really wasn't much room to use many embellishments or even paper. At the time I bought him, I wasn't thinking about the size as much as the cuteness of the image. I'm a bit more careful now when I fall in love with a stamp that's the size of a small dinner plate! ha ha

We actually had a sunny day today!  And another is forecast for tomorrow. I'd get excited, but I think they are talking rain again from Wed. on thru the weekend.

Hope your week is going well too! Catch you later!

Have A Dog-gone Happy Birthday!

Another birthday card for someone at work. If  I seem to make a lot of them, it's because I do.  It usually averages over 60 a year now between birthdays, sympathy & retirement cards. Somehow when I started, I didn't think it would end up being this many.

This little guy is from Inky Antics, one of my favorite "critter" makers. They have tons of adorable critters that are hard to resist. Love their cats!  He is colored with Prismacolors and gamsol & the paper is from K & Co. I made the flower with punches I layered. 

It was raining this morning & the weather channel said we would have steady rain all afternoon......the sun didn't get that forecast!  It was so sunny this afternoon I washed the car. Hope I didn't jinx anything!

Have a great week, everyone! Catch you all later.

I Didn't Forget!

The birthdays just keep coming & I didn't forget to make a card.  This darling little elephant is from Inky Antics & I picked him up at Archievers a couple of weeks ago on my way back from my daughters. The fun thing with this set of stamps is they also include a stamp for the inside of the card as well as the template to create a "honeycomb" surprise.  In this case, it was a balloon. The paper is from My Mind's
Eye & I colored this little guy with pencils & gamsol. I think my light was too close as he didn't photograph well.

This is the inside of the card.  Again, my photography leaves a LOT to be desired!  But at least you get an idea of the finished card.

After 98 degrees on Tuesday, today it was 41 degrees when I left the house at 9 am. What a shock to your system! Tuesday I was turning on the air & today the heat is back on & I had to drag out warmer clothes. I think we finally got to about 43 by afternoon. What a strange spring!

I'll be back tomorrow with another card.  Until then, stay warm!!

Catch you all later!

Summer pushed Spring out of the way!

What a wild "almost" spring we had.  It was cold & rainy & you had to have your heat on the whole time. Today summer decided to push spring into the lake & take it's place! It was 95 here today & tomorrow is supposed to be warmer! Yikes!  I'm not ready for HOT yet!  I want warm first, then warmer, then almost hot. (I hate HOT) ha ha

I may not spend much time upstairs in my craft room tonite because of the heat.  I should have listened to the weather report this morning & turned the air on so I could come home to cool air. I'll have you know my bag of M & M's up here is not totally melted, but let's say really, really, mushy! (Which, of course, means you have to eat them right away!)

Having just given all of you much more of the weather than you really wanted to know, let's get on to a card. This is a birthday card I did for a gal at work, but couldn't post as she does check my blog.

This is a Mo Manning digi and the papers are from K & Co. The flowers are from my stash & the doily is a die cut.  I colored her with pencils, gamsol & some copics.

Stay cool, everyone!  Catch you later!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!  After spending time with Mom this morning, I came home & had a relaxing day working on cards.  When I talked to my daughter last night, she said she needed some sympathy cards so I decided today would be a good time to get some done. I made 7 of them this afternoon. I only took a photo of the 3 that were the same.  All the others were different, but I liked these the best.
They were made with an embossing folder & the flowers I love from Michael's wedding section. Nothing fancy, but simple seems to work best for sympathy cards.

Time to watch the Apprentice! Hope you all have a wonderful week!
Catch you later!

Happy Hedgehog!

I didn't have much time to work on cards today, but I did manage to make a very basic little card that I plan to use as a thank you card.  Tonite a basic card was all I had the energy for! The image is a Penny Black hedgehog.  I was about to start a search for paper when my eye fell on a piece of wallpaper that I had pulled out of those wallpaper books I keep intending to give to my cousin. She does a lot of really cute crafty things & I know she would find a better use for it than I could. (And besides, it would give me room for more paper!) Sneaky, aren't I?

For some reason my coloring is looking splotchy in closeups. I'm going to have to check the setting on my camera before I post again.

I hope all of you have a great Mother's Day tomorrow.  I'll be celebrating at the nursing home with my Mom. I'm hoping tomorrow will be a good day for her & she will understand what the day is all about. With Alzheimers, you have good days & bad days so you just have to be thankful for the good ones.

Catch you later!

Thanks!

I was going to post a birthday card tonite, but since it is for a gal at work I decided I had better not chance it. I know she does check my blog from time to time & I would hate for her to see her card here before she gets the real thing!  So, instead, I am posting a thank you card I sent to my daughter & family for my neat Easter goodies. Yes, I am spoiled. We are a family who loves to give gifts for EVERYTHING!

The stamp I used is from Penny Black (and was one of my Easter gifts) & I thought it was fitting to use one with a car to celebrate my new one.  Notice I even colored it baby blue! The paper is from K & Co.

I should be able to post the birthday card tomorrow.

Until then, everyone have a great Friday! The weekend is almost here!

Catch you later!

A Purrfect Birthday!

Hi everyone,

I have another birthday card to share tonite. This one is for a gal at work who, like me, adores cats so I knew her card had to have a cat on it.  I'm hoping this cheerful little guy from Penny Black will fill the bill! The paper is from K & Co. & the flowers are from Prima.

We finally got a warm & sunny day today!  But, of course, they are predicting thunderstorms for tomorrow. ha ha  Wouldn't you know it!


Catch you all later!

Get Well!

I made a really cute thank you card that I may post later, but since it will go to my daughter & family for my Easter goodies,I don't want to post it before it is mailed. So today I am posting a get well card I made this afternoon for my uncle who is having surgery tomorrow.  I've used this stamp from Lili of the Valley before, but this time I tried to make it a more masculine feeling card. The paper is from a Paper Studio pad & I used a bracket die from Die-namics for the edge cuts.

I should have gotten a lot more done today, but it was one of those "lazy" days.  I made the mistake of turning the tv to HTV & I have been watching them decorate or search for new homes all day. Wow, the prices they are getting for homes in other areas are just insane! For that much money in Iowa you could live in a mansion!

Have a wonderful week. It's back to work for me tomorrow. Yuk! I need to win the lottery!

Catch you all later!