No Rain in the Forecast

We don't have rain in the forecast today. In fact, the forecast says it will be like 400-bazillion degrees today, but that's just business as usual for us.

The lack of rain doesn't mean we can't all enjoy this card I made though, celebrating those not so dry days (they do happen here, I swear, we get at least 1.5 a year if you add all the hours up).

This is one of those rare cards where I decorated the inside as well.

The Fine Print: Stamps by Stampin' Up, large scalloped rectangle dies by Spellbinders, umbrella by Memory Box. I'll be on the road or in meetings all day, so either freezing or melting. I'm looking so forward to it. Not.

I Think I Love You

Isn't this a fun and crazy stamp? I picked this up from my friend who is downsizing like crazy. I think this is her and hubby from back in the day. I'd love to be one of those wild and crazy little old ladies, but man, that sounds like it takes a lot of work. I'm all about the naps.

The Fine Print: Motorcycle couple by Diamonds, greeting by Alias, Smith & Rowe, designer paper from HOTP, and ribbon from my stash.

July 2 Workdesk Wednesday

I haven't joined in Workdesk Wednesday for a long time so I thought it was time to jump in and snoop around.  I'll show you mine if you show me yours.  Seriously, if you haven't checked out WOYWW, as it is known, you should.  You get to see lots of crafting spaces, lots of projects in progress, and sometimes a delicious mess.

Sorry, no delicious mess here for you today because I spent last night cleaning off the top of the desk.  I had lost all available work space.  I couldn't take a "before" photo because the camera was lost in the rubble somewhere. Now there is lots of room to play and even some items sitting out ready to be played with.

These little ladies are on top of my desk, waiting for me to play with them.  They are from a new set from A Muse Studio called bathing beauties.  They are fun to paper piece and as you can see I got carried away making them.

I don't have a card of my own to show you so I'll show you the one I received in our mystery item card challenge from my big stamp group.  Every month if you chose, you receive an item and have to make a card with it.  You don't know what the item is until you receive it.  It was punched grass strands, which can be seen here as this ladies eyelashes.  It is so neat to see what people come up with to use the mystery item on.

That's it for me.  You may want to check out my post from yesterday as I have a give away on it.  It does require a little work on your part as you have to peruse some new stamps and tell me what you'd buy (horribly HARD work, I know).  If you don't feel like working you can at least say hi to the kitties.  They are all there.

The Fine Print: Mystery item card by Elizabeth Rascon. That's really all I got. I know a lot of you read down here to read something funny or snarky but I'm lacking in both fun and snark.  The bottle of allergy pills I took seemed to have killed those off (yet the nose runs on).

Birfday Mundays

Hi! My name wood be Dio! My mom axed me to do this post cuz she letted Wendy blow in her ear and it gived her a badness earache.  I don't fink it was the Wendy who is my girlfriend cuz my mom isn't mean like that.

My mom wood come and blow in my ear and say that woz from Wendy; you know she woodn't keep it to herselfs, she wood pass it on. Or maybe she keeped it so I woodn't git a earache.  Well, den that's nice of my mom.  I don't wants a earache cuz then the doctor puts medicines in your ear and then swabs.  I don't wike swabs in my ears. I wike to carry dem in my mouf though!

Anyway, we got more birfday cards to show off.  I might have to have one of these birfday fings so I can get cards too.  Mebbed people wood send me monies too and I kin buy fings from Ma'amazon.  Dey have good fings.

I wood buy crunchie cat foods and cat foods in a can and new jingle balls cuz all my old jingle balls got broked.  And treats! I bet treats come from Ma'amazon too!

And mebbe I would even get a new mouses that hasn't losted his tail yet.  All my mouses git their tails losed.

I wood get my mom some swabs for her ears and a new tinsell ball for my baby brudder. And my dad could have moovees!  He wikes moovees and I wike dem too unwess their is scaredy parts.

I fink I wood like chick flix! Cuz I like chicks. Thems wike birds and I wike birds. I could eat dem if they wood just letted me.

My sister Poppy sez you have to ask mom to put the bird in saw-tay and den in the cooking machine. You shood not eat raw birds becuz you could git A B C D Ecoli which isn't wike cocoa coli which has budtles that tickle yer nose.

The Fine Paw Prints: Mom says my brofver and me got 'dopted in the fall so dat means we gots a birfday in early Septembers.  Mom says I gots to share my birfday with my brofver. I always gots to share. If I git a badness earache like my mom I'll share wif him!

More April Birthdays

I just remembered that I didn't share the rest of the April birthday cards with y'all.  This one is made with one of those large stamps that I have mixed feelings about. I like design, I don't like that it is so large because in my mind that limits what I can do with it (and still have an A2 card).

 Here I was using my new die from the Stamp Doctor to make these fancy flip top cards. I traced the opening and hand cut the designer paper to fit around it with a bit of a border.  Since I was crunched for time I made two very similar cards.

This card was a fun one to make with all its happy multicolored zig-zags in the background. I like seeing cards with random pearls on them for accents, but I couldn't quite make the leap to do it myself.  So you see here two lined up pearls and one unobtrusive one randomly off in the bottom right corner.

This dotted card made me smile with its cheery macrocephaliac girl on it. I love this card so much that I want to make another one for a friend who has a birthday this month.  The balloon was a die cut/punch that I was given but I'm sure I can rustle up another balloon for similar card.

The Fine Print: Card One-stamp by Penny Black, chevron punch by EK Success. Cards two and three-dog by Penny Black, greeting by Crafter's Companion, die by the Stamp Doctor, flower brad from my stash. Card Four-stamp by Crafter's Companion, fabulous new designer paper but I put it away so I can't tell you who makes it.  Card Five-All products except the balloon and Copic markers by A Muse Studio.

Doo Hickey Flower

I've long admired the Magnolia Doo Hickey lacey looking flower so imagine how thrilled I was to discover that I put it in a recent on-line order. I love it when I surprise myself like that, which is getting easier to do the older I get. 

I offered this stamp up for sale at a recent used craft sale with the idea that if it didn't sell it was going back in my stash.  I like it but it is big. I pretty much only make A2 sized cards so the BIG stamps aren't quite as appealing, but I made this 4.5" x 6" monster just to prove that I can.

The Fine Print: Stamp by Stampotique, floral vine by Memory box, doo hickey flower by Magnolia, designer paper from some really old stash as is the fancy pants brad.

April Birthday Cards part I

Today I thought I'd share some of the birthday cards I made for those with April birthdays.  I know 17 people with April birthdays! Is that not just an insane number?  I told my husband I was going to have to unfriend some of these people as it is just too many.

Instead of just unfriending them though, maybe we could just throw them all into a pit and let them duke it out?  Think of the entertainment value! The top 8 or 9 folks could be the winners.  You know, no need to fight to the last person standing.

However, if you are keeping count, ultimately you aren't going to see 17 birthday cards as I did use some cards I've shared for other things for birthdays.  Some of the random cards and challenge cards got used to wish the big HB to folks.

There is also a very large chance that I didn't photograph everything either.  I often don't think about it until I have the envelope sealed shut.

So this ought to keep you entertained for a bit!

The Fine Print: Top card made with recycled bits (how Earth Day of me!), greeting by Heartfelt Creations. Second card Penny Black dog and Spellbinders eyelet square die.  Third card stamps by Eat Cake Graphic, ribbon by A Muse Studio, and Spellbinders Lotus Pendants die.  Last card all products by A Muse Studio.

Q is for Queen

Indeed, Q is for Queen and I got a promotion from Princess when I was named The Queen of Snark over at the Snarky Sisters blog for my card named Fred who had a fancy fold.  I think that is really neat especially since I was so sick the day I made that card. I couldn't duplicate that card so easily again while well and that makes me laugh.  And laughing makes me cough, but that's another story.

Fred

That isn't the only queenly activity in these parts though, oh no.  This time around the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers has a new alphabet challenge and that is Q is for Queen.  Here is my Queen.

And isn't he a right nice Queen too?!  He has his glittery tutu on, some fahh-bulous eyeshadow and a crown in case you were unaware of his Queenly status.  Remember folks, it isn't the size of the wand; it is the magic in it. Put your snarky crown on and come join us for this fun challenge.  Snark not necessary.

The Fine Print: Fred card stamps by Stampin' Up and Great Impressions; Queen card stamp by Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers, glitter by Stickles, crown brad by unknown.  Stay tuned for the next snarky challenge where I get to be guest designer.  How exciting!

Short and Squat

No, the title of this post isn't a descriptor about me, although it could be!  It is about this short and squat step card:

I knew I wanted to make a spring themed card and it wasn't long before this one was born.  I picked this stamp set up a crafting yard sale last month and I think I'm going to like it a lot.

Here's another view of my short and squat card.  It fits in one of those letter sized envelopes.

The Fine Print: Stamps by Stampin' Up "You are My Sunshine," designer paper by Echo Park "Splendid Sunshine," grass and scalloped border dies by A Muse Studio, circle and scallop circle dies by Spellbinders, butterfly punch by Carl Craft, and flower punch by unknown.

Tolerance

There is a used stamp and scrap sale next week where people can buy and sell their unwanted, unused or gently used stamp and scrap supplies.  It is a great way to get rid of some stuff and to acquire "new" stuff.  Trust me, unless you are getting out of the biz, it works both ways.

I plan to have a table there as a seller, so I've been pawing through my stash lately to pull out the things I can part with (to make room for new things, of course).  Along the way I found this stamp tucked into an odd corner and this card base left over from a kit I got tired of playing with.  I combined the two and got this cute card.  I added button and tied some twine through it and called it done.  How 'bout that?!

The Fine Print: Unmounted stamp called "Tolerance" by Mo Manning, distributed by Stamping Bella. Papers left over from a Simon Says card kit (the one I kept calling Serenade, which may or may not have been its real name).  And how can I bare to part with stuff you ask?  Well, I like to be able to open the drawers my stash is in and see what's inside without having an avalanche or having to dig through a big mess for 45 minutes. And no, I'm not getting rid of Tolerance.  I'm not sending it to you  Sorry!

Important PSA: Saint Paddy's

I have a Public Service Announcement of an important nature. Of course, being a crafty sort I put my notice into card format:

'Tis true, my wee lass, beware of strange men in green bathrobes claiming to have a leprechaun for you to kiss.

Time to hook up with my lovely Sisters in Snark,

whose challenge is brought to us by the letter "P."

The Fine Print: Creepy man and greeting stamps by Hambo, designer paper from K&Company, and bling by Hero Arts.

January Birthdays

I thought I'd share the birthday cards that I sent out last month.  Usually birthdays fly by with a whooshing sound and then a couple of days later I ask, "What was that?"  So I'm rather proud that I not only made some cards but I mailed them out as well.

The cupcake card was made after I rummaged around in my red paper drawer and discovered that almost all the papers in there were a brick red. I knew that wouldn't really do for Valentine's Day so I'd have to use them for other occasions.  I liked this piece because all the colored dots were glittered.

The next card I made after reading someone's blog (eek-sorry, I forgot who) and she was talking about how she saves many non-stamping bits like interesting packaging and the like but doesn't think to use it much.  I had to agree.  In fact, I've learned to not save it.  However, that night when I went to make a card I found a shimmery piece I'd saved from a gift card from years ago so of course I had to use it just to show I could!

This card was actually for a "cups and cakes" swap but since I made it birthday card I thought I'd share it as well.  I'm not a big cupcake fan, especially ones that look like that.  Doesn't that frosting hurt your teeth just to look at it?  The diagonal cut designer paper and matching piece are another bit I've had stashed for a long time.

This cute elephant was my attempt to stamp right on a designer paper and use it as is.  I'm not sure if it worked or not because it makes the elephant look like a ghost.  I did end up paper piecing the banner flags and the birthday hat.

This last card also had a glittery background paper on it.  I really like the sketched look of this stamp and need to use this set more.  I was looking for a different background than my usual scalloped circle and discovered I had the pinking circles.  I really had them to do that Spirelli string art with but they make perfect accent shapes as well.

That's it for the January birthdays, minus a couple of cards I already shared with you earlier in the month.  There aren't as many February birthdays so hopefully I'll be able to keep up with them.  How exciting!

The Fine Print: Cupcake card-stamp by Imaginations, lattice rectangle die by Spellbinders;
birthday lady card-stamp by Stampendous; cupcake tier card--stamp by Impression Obsession; elephant card-stamps by Stampin' Up, paper by Recollections; cake slice card-stamp by Stampin' Up, pinking circle die by Spellbinders, floral ribbon from my stash, yellow bling from Hero Arts.

At Ease, Disease

Thank goodness it is February now.  That January was a little hard to stomach.  There seemed to be an over-abundance of disease in it. I know I personally hacked and coughed away the first three weeks of it.  I am all over that nonsense now.  Now I can go back to my regularly scheduled sniffling.

I sent the above card to a friend who is a nurse and who was sick.  I've heard nurses make the worst patients. I've also heard that men make the worst patients, so can you imagine what a male nurse is like when he is sick??!?!  The card below I sent to a friend who was scheduled to have surgery.

The greeting on this card just cracks me up.  Pretty much any time you visit a doctor these days you'd better bring along a credit record and a fat wallet of cash.  My friend's surgery got postponed (the doctor didn't want to miss an important tee time or something) so I had to send her another card.

I impressed myself with my CAS abilities on this card.  My friend still hasn't had her surgery, something about a M*A*S*H marathon and an eight of an inch of snow in Georgia.  I dunno, honestly I think she' s just playing me to get more cards.

The Fine Print: Nurse, "get well" greeting and heart shaped bling by A Muse Artstamps, ticket corner punch by Stampin' Up, surgeon and greeting by Art Impressions, "quick recovery" greeting by Stampin' Up, inkwell and feather die by Cheery Lynn.

What's on My Workdesk?

What's on my workdesk, you ask?  Why, a lot of the same old stuff and a cat.  Aren't you glad you asked?

I've worked on some of the projects in progress/leftover bits from last week but some of them are still stashed on the desk.  There are some new ones added on top to boot.

Dio wants me to show off the stuff to the left of my desk.  The top row has two CD hanging file cases that store dies in them.  The silver and black case holds my Copic markers. Under that is a wooden paper holder with paper it in.  The bookcase has bins with drawers with papers by color, ribbons in boxes and magazines.   Left of Dio's head is a three-tiered plastic case that is crammed full of washi tape.  The white drawers under it have stickers, embellishments and paper pads.

Here is a get well card my Momie sent me earlier this month. It was such a nice surprise to find in my mailbox.  And, Lookit! She made it.

The Tic Tac treats is a project my stamp group will work on this evening.  This is definitely not an original design.  I saw this over at Susan's Simple Stampin' blog and just had to try it out.  I don't usually make anything but cards, so this is really out of the box for me.  Check out Susan's blog for easy to follow directions.

The Fine Print: Stamps on Get Well card by MAMBI and Copper Leaf, papers on Tic Tac boxes by A Muse Studio, punches by Stampin' Up, ribbon and twine from my stash.  Yes, that's the twine I have two rolls of each color that I showed off at a previous WOYWW.

All Natural

I had a friend who used to pester me to try her skin care regime because she just loved the way it made her face look and feel.  I'm sure the fact that her sister sold the products in question played a part of why she wanted me to try it as well.

I'm quite pleased with my current skin care products.  I don't need to find a demonstrator or have a home party to buy them, and I certainly don't need to save up for them.  In fact, I just walk into the drug store and pluck them off the shelf.  That said, however, I can be experimental in the name of getting you to shut your piehole up.

There were far more steps than I'm used to with slapping on this and dabbing this, and slathering on that and wiping the other off.  The end result was my face itched and itched along my jaw line.  It went on and on until I scrubbed my face raw to remove all residue of her superior skin care products.

When I saw her the next day I told my friend that those products gave me a rash.  She pondered that for awhile.  "Huh, that's weird," she said,  "since all they are all natural."

Yeah?  So is poison ivy.

The Fine Print: It is the Sabbath so we cannot have Peacocks in front of us, remember?   Stamp by Magnolia, papers by DCWV, coloring by me!

Purple Girly Card

Here is a nice pretty in purple girly card I made.  I have a couple sheets of these fancy layered felt flowers and thought it was high time to put them to use.  I also went out on a limb and actually used some of my Basic Grey paper instead of just hoarding and drooling over it.  I am better about using it these days but some of the older, hoarded stuff just stays hoarded (unless I dig it out of its hiding place like I did here).

The Fine Print: stamp by Hero Arts, fancy felt flowers by unknown, paper by Basic Grey, punches by Marvy.