A Snippet of Untruth

Here is a card I made. I'm not sure for what purpose one would need a card with such a greeting on it, but I still rather like it.

I suppose if you were inviting someone to a party to end all parties you could use it.  I'm not throwing that or any kind of party.  That sounds like way too much work.  I'll tell you one thing.  This post ain't legendary.

The Fine Print: Card stuff from Club Scrap "Tribal."  

Happiness with a Lady Bug

They are keeping me flitting all over the place today.  That's okay though because it makes the day go faster. It has gone so fast the thing is just about done now.  I have just enough time to slap up a bright card to share with y'all.

The Fine Print: Stuffs by DeNami Designs except for the brads which were lolling about on my desk.

Home Sweet Home

This is one of those quick and simple cards that only took four and a half hours to make. 

I had the card base and that patterned piece, along with several other bases, patterned layers, and card toppers.  One by one the cards came together but this one just didn't.  I think I tried every other patterned piece and topper I had with it before realizing that it needed a stamped image.

That cream colored piece is heavily textured so I broke out the Versafine ink for it and did a little touch up with a Copic thin liner. It looks quite crisp and clean in real life. I'm not sure the photo translates that so well.  The red layer is metallic.

I had fun stamping that afternoon, even though my description of making it sounds like it should have been frustrating. Because while this card took awhile to come to life, I coaxed out quite a number of other ones before this one.

The Fine Print: All the parts from Club Scrap "Tribal."

Butterflies and Lace

Every time Mrs. A hosts a butterfly challenge I check it out and think, "Well, yeah, I can make a card to fit that theme" and then promptly don't.  It's not that I have anything against Mrs. A or butterflies; it is just that time and I aren't good buddies.

This time around, however, I already had the pieces of this card lying around waiting to be put together. I had the card base, the word topper, the hunk of lace and the dimensional sticker all set aside. I knew the card lacked something and once I saw the L is for Lace challenge I knew what was missing was a butterfly!

Since that card was so quick and easy I decided to make another one. I have several cards pieced out that aren't put together because they all lack something.  In the case of this second card the thing it lacked was the lace.  Again, Mrs. A to the rescue!

The Fine Print: The majority of card parts from Club Scrap (yep, still slogging away at old kits) "Spring Chorus" supplemented with dimensional stickers from K and Co.  The hunk of lace was in my desk drawer. I think it fell out of a completely different kit.

When Skies are Gray

Today the skies are gray, the sun is weak, and the thermostat can barely muster up the strength to crawl over 70 F. That almost sounds like umbrella weather.

We are currently having 8 inches of rain--8 inches between each drop.

The Fine Print: Stamps by DeNami, designer paper from my stash, and weather by The Mother of All Mothers.

Fancy Times

I've been a busy beaver today (which is odd because I'm not a beaver) so I don't have time for much but I do have time to show you this CASEd card I made.  I had the ladies make this at a recent workshop.  The bow is cool but takes the longer cutting plates... or you can cut half, turn it around and cut the other half like we did.  And by "we" I mean me because doing that scared folks.  Don't be scared!  Just try it!

The Fine Print: All products by A Muse Studio.

Workdesk Wednesday-Three Zero Seven

The other day while perusing the net I ran across this meme which goes against everything What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday stands for.  It still made me laugh, and I'm sure you will get a chuckle out of it too.

Here are WOYWW we not only discuss, we discuss in minute detail.  We analyze, we commiserate, we oogle, we covet,  and share the nitty gritty. Luckily for you all, no one ever accused me of being a lady before, so here is my craft stash.

The desk with the punch shelf behind it.

More stash to the left of my desk

The mother lode

 More crafty goodness

 

A man and his cat (not always part of the stash)

A cat and his paper

The embarrassing pile of kits 'n shit

Just a small stash of flowers

Recently arrived in the mail--my first LOTV paper pack! *swoon*

Stamps I used for a recent project and want to use again soon.

The Fine Print: In the interest of being somewhat ladylike that ain't everything but it is most everything. It's enough for you to get the big picture.  I hurt my lower back/bum so it's hard to hobble about. My "end tables" for the living room couch are small wooden file cabinets filled with stash. I can't bend down to photograph them; or if I did I'd still be there.

The Many Faces of Spring

The other day I was messing around with a tri-fold card wondering what to do on the three panels when I remembered that I had to make a spring card for a swap.

I decided that I could show the many faces of spring, including the traditional everything-is-happy-and-blooming phase, the raining like there is no tomorrow phase, and the phase that was very popular this year--the drowning in snow phase.

In the end though I copped out and decided to show spring like we do it here in southern Arizona.  We do it without the rain and without the snow.  You do, however, need a jacket for that first panel.

Not only did I use up a random tri-fold card base but I used up some bit and pieces of designer paper and ribbon I had lying about qualifying me for the Snippet Playground.  It has been far too long since I've been by for a play.

The Fine Print: Stamps by Taylored Expressions "Love Grows Here," scalloped bordered punch by Martha Stewart, and this and that from my stash.

Just When you Thought it was Safe

Actually why did you think it was safe from seeing more of these cards from the same kit? I started off telling you there were 12 of them and have only shown you 9 so far.

I'm not usually into square cards because of the need for fancy envelopes and fancy postage prices but I made this 4.25" square so it fits in a standard A2 envelope.

These long guys fit into business sized envelopes. I've made a few of those sized cards lately and they are kind of fun.  These used up envelopes that came in the kit, but never fear, I have a ridiculously large stash of biz envelopes as well, you know, in case I want motivation to make more this size.

The Fine Print: Still mostly stuff from Club Scrap "Sorento" with a few random embellishments thrown in. That fabulous large rick rack was given to me by a generous friend.  It's a scream!

And Some More!

Another scheduled post with more of the same, but different!

 I recently uncovered the border punch used above and have really been going to town with it.

Here I used some oldie but goodie photo corners! I remember when they were the rage and always sold out everywhere.

This card has some subtle pattern stamping in the background, but apparently it is too subtle (and its not just this photograph).

The Fine Print: Same old, same old.

Crooked Stamper Sketch Challenge #3

I'm going to interrupt all these kit cards to jump in here with a brand new, hot off the press, fresh CSSC #3 challenge card.  I'm so tickled that I made this before the challenge expired. That's also why I'm interrupting our regularly schedule post, so I won't miss the deadline

Above is the sketch, nice and simple, loads of room for interpretation. I try not to grit my teeth too much over the left facing banner (no idea why that makes me nuts). Below is the card I made following the sketch, left facing banner and all!

This card just totally fell together. I wanted to make something using products from the A Muse April collection and since I adore this set the choice was easy.  The designer paper was on the top of a drawer of paper and the blue card was left over from a 12x12 piece* I cut up earlier for a different card.

The Fine Print: *Amazing! I actually remembered to use a piece of 12x12 cardstock. Mark this day in your calendar.  Stamps by A Muse Studio "Birthday Girl."

Three More

If you paid close attention to all those wordless words I babbled yesterday you'll recall that I said I had made up 12 cards with some leftovers, but had only shown you three.  That's so I could milk them out for a few days while I go cause mischief elsewhere.

This is a scheduled post because I'm off doing something that is either illegal, immoral, or fattening, or possibly all three!

Or probably more likely I'm just wandering around my house digging through crafty stash piles and wondering where it all came from....

The Fine Print: More of the "Sorento" kit cards from Club Scrap with some of my stuff added in for good measure.

Wordless Friday

You've heard of Wordless Wednesday posts (which I don't understand because most of them have lots of words to read, which doesn't seem very "wordless" to me) but as usual, I'm late to the docks (and turns out I should have been at the airport anyway), so here's a wordless Friday post.

 Which is just as wordless as those Wednesday posts I was just mocking! These cards are from a box 'o crap crafts that I finished up this past weekend. I'm hoping to do the same again this weekend but I just jinxed myself by telling you all that was my plan.

 As usual, I enjoyed playing with these leftover bits and I wondered why I never finished this box 'o stuff off in the past but I'm guessing it probably had something to do with time. Or maybe I was just sick of the stuff as this box did make a large number of cards. I mean, the leftovers alone made 12!

Anyway, that's it for this gal who is sick of words because I've had to use so many of them today while on the switchboard.  Who thinks of higher education on a sunny Friday afternoon?!

The Fine Print: Box 'o crafty stuff from Club Scrap with a few of my own embellishments and punches added in for fun.

Magical Moments

Do you ever have that thing where time just suddenly works for you instead of against you?  You wonder what made the difference, but you can't think of anything.  It just happened.

That's what happened to me this morning. I woke up at the usual time, got up, did the usual shower, shave, shine 'n shit thing, scooped the usual poop, made the usual medicated food for the cat (probably not the usual one though as Dio was sneaky and most likely ate it), and made my lunch like usual.

What wasn't usual is how I had to move the cat litter boxes, pick up the rug underneath them, shake out the loose litter, scrub the cat puke off the rug, take it outside, realize there was more puke, take it back inside and scrub some more, take it back outside and hang it up, scrub three places on the carpet and give Petromalt to various random cats.

And that wasn't all!  I opened a card I received in the mail yesterday, read the note inside, dug through a couple of kit boxes, selected one, divvied up the parts, cut and scored a card base, cut a card layer, trimmed the topper, trimmed and tied the ribbon (twice because the first piece was too short), tried a couple different embellishments, selected one and assembled the card above.

All that and then it was time to leave. I never have all that spare time in the morning. If I did, just think what great things I could accomplish!  But I don't, and I don't know why I magically did today.  I'm just going to accept it and enjoy that it happened.

The Fine Print: And of course, hope it happens again soon!  Card topper and parts by Club Scrap "Spring Chorus" kit, flower embellishment piece by K and Company.

Riding the Rails to a Happy Birthday

Here's a card I whipped together the other day. I was using up those kit parts again.  I actually emptied one. whole. box! I suppose that doesn't sound that impressive and given that there are a waist high pile of them (at least) I guess it isn't that impressive.

I'm still gonna pretend that I'm awesome though!

The Fine Print: Kit shit from Club Scrap.

Baby Chickies!

I forgot my camera today so I can't show you the pile of cards I made this past weekend but I can show you one I made the weekend previous.

I needed to make a swap card featuring baby animals and was really surprised to find out that I don't seem to have any baby animals except for House Mouse (which I couldn't access) or these little guys. I know I don't like baby humans, but apparently I have something against baby animals too.  Who knew?

The Fine Print: Chickie stamp by Penny Black, other stuff from my stash.  This is a long card made to fit a business sized envelope.  It was fun to make a long card; need to remember that "trick" more often.

More Springtime Girlies

I found these sweet colored images in my box 'o images (the one that apparently has no bottom) and decided to make some spring cards with them. 

I apologize right now if you live somewhere where it is still snowing.  I swear spring is coming... unless of course it isn't. The hummingbirds have left here so they must have gone someplace with spring.

The Fine Print: Stamps by Penny Black, other stuff from my supplies.  When I say I found these colored images I mean I colored them (last year at the convention-I even remember where and when) not that they came pre-colored.

Springtime Girlie

As many times as I tidy off my desk I still miss things stashed in the crevasses. That's why it is good to poke around in the corners from time to time.  I found what I thought was just a blue card base, but when I opened it up it had this colored and corner-punched image along with this designer paper.

I pulled it out and made this card with it.  The blue card base turned out to be too flimsy to make a good card (take note people, the stuff Michael's and Joann's calls 'cardstock' often isn't) so I chopped it up to make layers for my card.  Then I added a million paper flowers and fun brads.

Poof! A card was born!  The pile of stuff on my desk lessened and someone's mailbox was cheered.

The Fine Print: Stamp by Penny Black.

Tropical Bird and Reminiscing

I had a friend...  well, I still have her but we don't do this anymore because we got busy and postage ain't what it used to be.  Anyway, this friend and I would exchange Do-It-Yourself-RAKs using the left over bits and pieces from our respective craft desks.

We would send each other cards bases, layers and enough bits and pieces to make a card.  The idea was to have some leeway with the stuff so most often we sent more than was needed for one card so we could pick and chose.

That was always fun getting to play with limited stuff that you hadn't picked out for yourself.  I was quite tickled to find a couple of these DIY RAKs in my stash to make.  This one was especially fun because the papers were all double sided and either side would have worked with the enclosed card topper.

I corner rounded the card topper and sponged its edges.  I also added my own snippet of ribbon to make this card and discarded a large flourish that was included. And by 'discarded' I  mean I didn't use it not that I tossed it!

The Fine Print: After I made this I realized how much I missed the DIY RAKs we used to exchange.  Unfortunately my friend only scrapbooks now and not very often at that so I can't ask her to revive this practice. If you'd like to exchange DIY RAKs, drop me a private message.

Manly Cards

I puttered around this weekend and made some masculine birthday cards with kit parts.  I originally had plans to make them all the same (boring) but I decided to jazz things up a bit and change them around some.

The Fine Print: Card toppers and ribbon by Club Scrap "Orient Express" kit, gear brads from the Eyelet Outlet, train stamp by Stampers Anonymous, and fat staple by Fascinator.

Workdesk Wed - Number Tree Sero Fi'

I've actually done a little bit of poking, prodding, and playing around my desk lately. It is still far too tidy for the likes of most of you, but it is what it is. It was too chilly this morning for a shot with the open door like last week.

Oddly enough that open door shot made many of you notice the rack behind the door for the first time. It has been there since we moved in and shows up in many WOYWW photos. It was difficult work getting it secured to the cinderblock wall and in fact, we joke that it is now part of the wall forever.

As you can see, Charles wanted to be included. Different things have been on this shelf over the years--large stamps, all birthday stamps, and punches.  It ha been punches for a long time now as that is the best place for them (it's a bitch to dust though).

Here are the latest things on my desk.  Upper left are some manly birthday cards I made last weekend.  Below that is a print out of a punch art cat I want to try. Next to that are two scraps-a pink and black piece of designer paper and a pink punch art flower-they accidentally ended up on top of each other making me realize that they need to go together on a card.  There are the makings of a sympathy card, some random greeting card toppers I found on my desk, a snippet of die cut grass, and a large piece of folded and scored designer paper (I have no idea what that was originally going to be).  My Sarntangles are there as I just rediscovered them (that's why you tidy your desk).  The Stampin' Up stamps from last week are still lurking around to be used as well.

That's my desk and if you want to see other desks and projects as well check out What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday blog hop hosted by Julia at Stamping Ground.

The Fine Print: My first photo of the punch rack was an extreme close up of Charles' face. When I say he wanted to be included I wasn't joking. And no mocking me for dusting. I'm very allergic to dust, besides it is gritty and unsightly (you know this is the desert, right?). Edit to add the original photo bomb photo:

Who Are These Old People?!

Since I have vast experience ignoring annoying things I don't usually notice those ads they put on the side of many websites.  However, my computer had gotten bogged down so I was forced to stare at the ads for an extended period of time while checking my Yahoo mail.

It took awhile before it sunk in and once it did I realized that this ad showed up frequently in my sidebar, so I had no choice but to ask, "Who are these old people and why do they want me to date them?"

Hubby, ever helpful, asked, "What are you talking about?"

So I read the ad off to him, "'Meet single men in your area, 50+.'  This stupid ad shows up all the time!  Why would I want to date these old farts?!"

"Ummm.....," Hubby answered tentatively, "Because that would be age appropriate for you, being as you are in your late 40's."

D'oh!

The Fine Print:  Hubby is younger than me because if you get them young enough you can train them right as they grow up.  Bouquet stamps by Hero Arts.