Nope, it's not a card today!

Happy Tuesday!

And Happy Birthday, Melissa!  For a change of pace today, I'm posting something that is not a card. I was in a juried craft show this weekend and part of the fun of going to them is that you can go "shopping" and find all kinds of wonderful things.  I bought the most gorgeous paper wreath for my daughter as part of her thank you for sitting with me all day.  I didn't have my camera with me & didn't think to have her take a picture of it before I left so I tried to re-create one after I got home.  It's ok, but not as beautiful as hers.  I may have to try a different version to see what I come up with.

Oops! Should have cropped the picture, but I think you get the idea. The entire wreath is made from pages of an old paperback that I punched scalloped circles from.  Once you have your circles, I shaped the bottom one around the eraser end of a pencil. Put a small dab of glue (I used my tape runner) on the center of each remaining circle (I did 4 per flower) and shape them around the pencil as well. While still on the pencil, push them into the center of the circle underneath. Your dab of glue should be enough to hold the flower petal in place.  Continue until you have all the layers you want & then using either a brad or a pin with a bead head, push the flowers into a styrofoam base.  I used a burlap ribbon with a lace overlay to make my bow since my house is decorated in shabby chic or cottage chic, whichever you want to call it. 

You can see the punch I used to get the circles in the picture above.  I just put the eraser in the center of each circle & folded & bunched them around the eraser.  Not difficult, but VERY time consuming!

Here is a close up of some of the flowers.  I've already gotten some ideas for a different version & once I get caught up on some cards, I may try another one. It would be a good thing to do on a snowy day & they are forecasting slushy snow for us tomorrow. Hopefully, it will all melt the minute it hits!

Catch you later!

Nap Time!

Hi, everyone!

In case you are confused over today's post title, let me explain.  Mr. Brady always has to be upstairs with me when I work on cards.  Since he finds it such exhausting work trying to oversee what I am doing, he usually ends up napping on the chair beside me. (The padded chair that used to be MINE before he claimed it) If he gets really tired, however, he heads for the bed at the other side of the room for a real nap. This bed is always made & there are a couple of stuffed cats I have had forever which sit against the pillow.  Well, when nap time comes, he pushes the stuffed cats to the side, pulls the quilt down enough to lay on the fuzzy blanket underneath & spreads out.  He already has a fuzzy blanket on top of the bed where he is supposed to sleep, but apparently, he prefers the newer blanket underneath.  Can you say spoiled???

He also likes to lay on his back with feet in the air.  All the better to soak up the sunlight coming in the window beside him.  This is 20 lbs. of happy cat!

Back to business!  I have a couple of cards to share with my new Halloween dies.

This one was made with the Witches laundry die from Cheery Lynn and matted with one of the new Spellbinder dies.  I added glitter to the hat band, shoes & cat's eyes.

This is the same die, but I had cut a spooky tree and added some bats & crows from Taylored Expressions Gothic Window accessories.

The color didn't come thru on this one as the paper is actually a brilliant orange, but I used the same Taylored Expressions die for the cat & pumpkin and set them in a Spellbinder window.  

Today I'm working on Christmas again.  Happy Hump Day! Catch you later!

Sherri 

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Happy Tuesday!

I hope you all had a great Tuesday!  One more day to hump day.  Time goes just as fast when you are home as when you worked!

I've been working on cards most of the day trying to get some extras for the craft show on Saturday. But I had to make a couple of sympathy cards first so I could get them in the mail tomorrow.  I think I liked these sympathy cards better than any I've made yet and all because of one of the new dies I used on them.  Isn't it funny how you can get new dies & some of them will immediately become your favorites?  I've made 4 cards today with this flower die from Memory Box.  I can see it done up in so many ways & with so many colors & patterns I think I could use it on every card I make!  Here are the 2 sympathy cards I came up with. I popped the flowers up on pop dots for some extra dimension.

I managed to do something to my photoshop & it's making it harder to edit & auto adjust so if they look slightly out of focus, that may be why.  (Either that, or I was slightly out of focus when I took them!) The gray paper is actually a softer & lighter color in person.

The background is another die that is now on my favorites list.  This one is from Spellbinders. I've used it on 4 sympathy cards, a Christmas card & 2 Halloween cards already today!   I knew the minute I saw it that I had to have it! 

This next card is a birthday card made with the Memory Box flower die.  (When I say I REALLY love a die, I REALLY love a die!) ha ha

This was a quickie with that same flower matted with a Spellbinder die & using a Memory Box die in the corner.  

I better get busy.  I have a lot more dies I need to try yet & see if any of them will be new favorites too! 

Have a great Wednesday!

Sherri 

Home at last!

Hi, everyone!

It's good to be home!  I was gone last week, which explains why I didn't post.  I drove down to my daughters & we took our "girl" trip to Kansas City for the CK convention.  There were not as many vendors this year which bummed us out, but luckily we made enough stops on our "scenic" trip down that we more than made up for it!  It was a hectic, but fun trip & we even managed to hook up with a gal I had known through work, but had never met.  She & her daughter go every year too & we had dinner on Friday night with them at our favorite Mexican place in Zona Rosa. It was so much fun & I'm so glad we were able to meet & get to know each other.   Between the shopping & friends & great food, it was a really fun trip!

I didn't have much time to "play" with my goodies last night after I got home, but I did manage to make a couple of Christmas cards with some of my new dies.  (I think I can safely say that my retirement gift cards all went on new dies!)

This first card was a quick one I did with a new Memory Box die.  The sentiment was a Cheery Lynn die & the snowflake from Impression Obsession. I added glitter to the snow.

This is my favorite of the two.  And I can't explain why.  It's nothing I would ordinarily make. I used a new Spellbinder die for the matting behind the trees. The birch trees are from Memory Box and the small deer from Impression Obsession.  the pine cone & branch is from Impression Obsession also. 

Better get busy!  I'll check in with everyone later. 

Sherri 

Warmest Wishes

Hi, again!

Wow, I used to laugh at people who retired & then said they were so busy!  How can you be busy when you are retired!  Well, let me tell you....ha ha    Anyway, I'm still working on cards for the craft show. I have been so busy bagging them up I keep forgetting to take pictures.  So, here is the one I just finished.  It's one of Sassy Cheryl's new digi's.  The minute I saw it, I had to have it.  And it was on sale today & tomorrow, which is even better!

I printed this digi on DP too & fussy cut the chair to match the matting.  I knew I was going to do that the minute I saw the image.  I printed out "Warmest wishes for the best ever birthday!" for the sentiment & matted it like the front.

Guess I had better get busy!  I have so much to do the next few days I will never get it done.  

Catch you later!

A quiet night at last!

Hi, all!

Isn't it wonderful to have a quiet night!  For those of you not in our immediate area, we had multiple tornadoes on the ground last night. While none hit our city, they did a lot of damage to several towns all around us.  They blew the tornado sirens twice and YES, I was in the basement!  Brady has the same terror of storms I do, and was only too happy to follow me downstairs.  Poor little guy!

I've been working on cards for a juried craft show & I've been so busy getting them all ready & in their little plastic sleeves, I keep forgetting to take photos!  I finally remembered tonight as I finished this one.

I noticed I didn't have a lot of wedding cards so that is what I concentrated on today.  This one was made with a Stampendous stamp.  I used a Heartfelt die for the lace background and cut it out with a Spellbinder die.  The paper was embossed with my favorite  polka dot embossing folder.

Have a great Sunday!
Sherri

What day is it?

Hi, all!

I used to laugh at retired people who didn't know what day it was.  I think I can already understand and it hasn't even been a full week yet since I retired!  Without the demands of work, there isn't really anything to stand out as a specific day now.  Luckily, I'm on the computer so much, I think that will help!

I have a birthday card to share today.  This was another done with my old Hugware digi's and it was an image I always loved.  I did it in bright, happy colors to go with the cute little face.  Sorry, Melissa, I know you don't like people cards, but there is a bird on this one, so maybe that will count as a "critter".....

I colored her with the usual Prismacolor brush markers and matted her with a Spellbinder die. Some faux stitching around the card & she was done.   As soon as things calm down, I need to get my sewing machine out & see what the problem is so I can start using it for "real" stitching again!

Well, I have a lot of cards to make & very little time, so I had better get rolling! I need to do some "critter" cards for my daughter!   lol    Catch you all later!

Sherri

Birthday Recipe

Hi!

I have something a little different to share today.   My friend Gail gave me this cute apron die from Marianne Designs for a retirement gift & I had to play with it this afternoon.  I think the variations you could come up with are probably endless.  I came up with these two using paper from The Paper Studio.

The lace border on the second one is from Cheery Lynn.  How did we make cards before dies came along?

Better get busy!  Before I do anything else, I have to clean up the mess I have made the last couple of days. I'm kind of like a cook that gets every single dish & pot dirty to boil water! ha ha  Except, I actually clean as I go when I cook!  I need to do that when I craft!   Catch you all later!