Twofer Challenge-Garden

Hello my crafty friends, I hope this Saturday finds you all well and staying cool. It's a hot one out there across most of the country. But the end is in sight....at least for us come Monday. Tuesday through Friday is supposed to be low humidity/dew points and temps of 84! That will feel lovely to throw open the windows and doors! 

I wanted to join in the the Twofer Challenge that is garden themed this month. I love my first card, not so much the second card. But it is made so I will go with it. I did print out two each of the sentiments, so I will change things up on the second cards. I used a NBUS stamp set that I've had for ages. I only used the sweet fruit from it with the except of the pears, which I wish I would have used, just wasn't thinking clearly. Again, I will change things up for the second ones I make here soon. I started out printing my sentiments and then built my cards from there by doing my stamping and coloring. No fancy coloring (not that I do fancy) as my markers are drying out and I need to buy refills for them, but that will have to wait. I think I will try water coloring with my distress inks for the next cards. We will see how that goes, or else use my Zig's/Arteza's. Again, will see how that goes.

I want to take the time to thank you for stopping by and visiting with me for a spell. Your comments always bring so much sunshine and joy into my life. I will be by to visit you soon as well! 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

My Creative Time-Berry Special stamps & dies
Cricut & Design Space
Bic, Sharpies, Spectrum Noir markers to color

Buzz, Buzz....

Hello my crafty friends! I have a few cards to share today. Trying to get back in the swing of blogging a little bit once again. So one day I wanted to make a few birthday cards. Saw some papers I had printed a while back and had snippets of. Such pretty paper and so summery so I thought lets get some card sketches and make some birthday cards using this paper. Here is what I made. As always the recipe of what I used will be at the bottom of this post. 

As always, I appreciate you stopping by and visiting with me for spell, especially since I have been out of blogland for so long. Your comments always bring sunshine to my life and I appreciate you all so much! I know I have been sporadic with commenting-trying to get things done around the house, but the fall also made my Lupus flare and I get tired so easily. Just haven't gotten my stamina back so to speak. So hopefully once I get that settled back down I can do more commenting. Hope to be by soon!

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

printed paper from a Nitwit Digital collection
bees, beehive and some sentiments-My Creative Time-Bee Happy and Stitched Bees & Beehive dies
honey comb-My Creative Time-Stitched Honey Comb dies
Bic markers to color my bee's, along with a blender pen on the wings (the blending shows in real life so much better than in the photo's)
Nuvo Sparkle pen for some sparkle on the wings

Finally Back With a Project!

Hello crafty friends, long time no blog! It has been a struggle for me since the Friday of Memorial weekend. I had a fall that broke front ribs and back ribs. Was out of commission for quite a while. Bret took a family emergency day that Friday morning as it happened before he left for work. Since it was a long weekend for him, I was hoping I would be ok once he went back to work on Tuesday. When Tuesday came around, it was plain to see that I wasn't going to be able to care for the dogs. So he worked from home the whole week. So thankful for him and his job that he was able to work from home. He was going to take vacation days instead and then decided to just work from home. So he took care of the dogs and me, cause it hurt to just to sit, and definitely move. Now I'm doing so much better, but sure took a long time to heal. I can still feel a back rib, especially when I lay down in bed or turn a certain way and a front rib will bother me from time to time. So still have a way to go. I might not ever be back to normal though, broke these ribs to many times. 5 times total, 4 times in the last two years. If I don't start being more careful, it will be a walker for me! And I don't want that, not at the age of 59!

Anyway, I did a little crafting. Some before my fall and some just the other day. Sharing the cute mason jar tissue holders that I have made today. I have made 5 of them so far, two have already been given away and I forgot to get photo's of them. But I have the other three. Just used some chalk spray paint and a black spray paint on some of the lids, not all of them though. Kept some the gold color and just wrapped twine on the gold lids that I got  from the Dollar Tree. Then using my Cricut and some black vinyl, put my design on. I am making more of them, spray painting when it isn't to windy outside. These make cute gifts and a great little hostess gift. I love making them! I have been sticking to a white/black/gold color combo because I figure they will go with any color of decor, but they would be so pretty in other colors of chalk paint as well. These have been hugely popular all over blogland and Pinterest. So far they have been well received as gifts as well. 

Now if you are squeamish, don't look at these photos of my fall. I will leave you with my lovely bruised body of the day of the fall, it got uglier and took a month for the bruising to leave. But it was the ribs that was the worst for wear!

Card Recipe:

twine from the Dollar Tree
"writing free" mason jars from WalMart
chalk spray paint-can get from WalMart/ACMoore, etc...Got mine at ACMoore
black spray paint-Dollar General-can get anywhere
flower is from My Creative Time dies
black vinyl-or color of choice, can also use stickers or if talented hand paint
die cutting machine-I used my Cricut Explore and Design Space
some little enamel accents-optional

Retirement Card

Hello my crafty friends, I have to apologize for not getting around lately to visit your blogs. I had picked up something and had been very sick. A bug really gets the Lupus stirred up and I get hit double whammy. Finally feeling more normal, but the tummy isn't quiet right yet and I'm moving very slow. So that is why I haven't been why to visit. Of course the issues with the septic didn't help and now issues with poor Savannah. Not sure how that will play out for her. I sure hate to lose her as I'm so attached to her now, she and Kahlua are my girls. 

But lets get on to why you are here shall we?! My Stampin' Up Lady is retiring. I don't buy much SU at all, but would go once in a while to make cards, for socialization. Went more before Dwayne passed, and only a couple of times since. Anyway a bunch of us are getting a gift card for her and I was asked to make the card. This is a 5x5 square card, not mailing it so I could go with a square card.  I used all snippets to make this card, even the card base is made some a larger snippet that was given to me. So will go over to the Snippets Playground to play along. 

Thanks for stopping by and visiting me for a spell, I promised I wiped down surfaces with disinfecting wipes so you won't catch my bug! As always, your comments bring rays of sunshine in my life. I will be by to visit some of you today and hopefully will catch up in a few days. Thanks for your patience with me and all that is going on in my life right now. I sure do appreciate you all even though it doesn't seem much like I do, I really do! I appreciate all your support throughout the years as well. Just seems like life is a little crazy right now and shows no signs of settle down any. So please bare with me. 

Crafty Hugs,

Card Recipe:

Cricut Explore Die Cutting machine
Images from Design Space

Twofer and Snippets Playground Challenges

Hello my crafty friends, I hope you all had a blessed Easter! We had a good one here, very low keyed which is nice, just myself, Bret and my step father for a meal. We had to eat off paper plates because I'm having septic issues and having a hard time getting any kind of help about it. As Bret has told me before, you just can't give work away. sigh One day hopefully we will have it fixed!! It all has had me in a tizzy and thus resulting in some flares, so haven't felt the best either. But we will get there eventually.

I wanted to play in the Twofer Challenge, but really had no clue what do make. I don't have much in the way of Zoo animals either. But that is the point of a challenge, right?!! So I went to Pinterest for inspiration. I saw a few cards that I thought were cute and that I could kinda' put my own spin on. I decided to use a SU panda bear for both my cards. The bear has a balloon in his hand and I didn't want it, so I masked it off before I stamped him. As always I will have the supplies I used in the recipe section below. I also used snippets on both cards, so will go and see if I can play in the Snippet's Playground.  It will be my balloon card, using black snippets for my stacked "hooray". 

As always, thank you so much for stopping by to visit with me for a spell. Your visits always make my day and make me smile! If I haven't been by to visit you, I will be soon. I do get behind or don't make it every time. Trying not to spend so much time on the computer and do things. Have a card party coming up, so keep your fingers crossed that my potty and sinks works by then!!!

I had a play with Brusho's powders one day and I didn't think anything was looking very good. I'm not very good with them or don't know how they are supposed to look, not sure which! So I quit but kept everything I had done as I figured I could die cut something and get my use from them. Well, glad I did because it worked out well for my balloon. It's much greener in person and has some browns in there as well then what it shows in the photo. I stacked three layers of the "Hooray" to get some dimension to it, added my twine and called this one done. 

This one is very simple, just a frame, some die cut letters and a star in my Panda's hand. I might go back and put "to the world" on yet for Joy to the World. Not sure. Or maybe "Christmas" for Christmas Joy. 

Crafty Hugs,

Card Recipe:
My Creative Time-Stitched Circle Balloon Dies, Bunch of Stitched Stars
Amazon-Hooray Stamps and Dies-no name, so unbranded I guess NBUS
Stampin' Up-Party Pandas NBUS
Brusho's powders
Canson Mixed Media paper
Snippets
twine

Twofer Challenge-Balloons!

Hello my crafty friends, I hope your week is winding down in a good way. These weeks fly by that is for sure. I pray that if you are in the path of these awful storms, you are safe and warm. I can't believe the crazy weather that has been. Also praying for those in the Brazil school shooting. We need a little good news and I wish the news would focus on good news over so much of the bad.

I wanted to try and play along with the Twofer Challenge for this month,  it is balloons. Had no clue what to do. I have many balloon stamps, but I remember a balloon cluster die cut and thought let's see what I can do with that. Well I'm happy to say that I actually thought out of the box with this die even though my cards are very simple! Very unusual for me! lol So I used my balloons as balloons, then I thought lets cut off the strings and tie part of the balloon and use the shapes as a geometric design, then my eye saw eggs. So that is what I went with. I'm sure someone else has probably thought of this, but I haven't looked. Anyway, all the supplies I used will be listed down below. I also used snippets (everything is a snippet except the card base), so will go over and join in at the Snippet's Playground. 

Sorry I'm behind in my commenting once again. I haven't felt well and haven't been on the computer much. But I will be by to visit again, bare with me. As always, your comments bring so much joy and sunshine to my life and I appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to visit me!

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Simon Says: Balloon Bouquet die (not sure, but this could be a NBUS)
Maymay Made It-Up, Up and Away Stamp Set NBUS
My Creative Time-To My Best Peep stamp and die set
Stencil for my clouds on card two-not sure who it is by
Zigs/Arteza Watercolor Real Color Pens on card two

Stars and Snippets

Hello my crafty friends, Happy Friday evening to you all. I hope you all are well and are ready for the weekend. These weeks seem to fly by, the months seem to fly by even more! But that is ok for now as I'm looking forward to spring like many of you are. The bird are really singing so maybe soon!

I wanted to slid in to the Twofer Challenge which I believe ends on Sunday evening. So not sliding in by the skin of my teeth, but still sliding in a little later than normal. I really had to think on this one and nothing really ever came to me, so off to Pinterest I went. So my cards are down right copied!  You can find the original cards here and here. Of course the originals are much better than mine, but still happy with how mine turned out. I used some NBUS as well as  snippets, so will join in over at the Playground.  As always I will have my supplies listed down below in the recipe section. 

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit me for a spell. I know the weather has been rough, but hopefully spring will be here soon. I also thank you for your sweet and lovely comments, you always brighten my day bringing much sunshine to my life. I will be by to visit you as well. Even though I do get behind on my visiting! Yikes! Just bare with me and I will be by. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Crafty Hugs,

Card Recipe:
Card 1
My Creative Time-Bunch of Stitched Stars dies NBUS
                               Wow, So Many Candles-sentiment
Simon Says Stamp-Seeing Stars-for the itty bitty stars- NBUS
Hero Arts Ink Cubes-Crimson, Orange Soda, Tide Pool, Pastel Mint,
Delicata Gold Ink
Versafine Onyx Black Ink
Snippets from the snippet pile

Card 2
My Creative Time-Bunch of Stitched Stars dies
Paper Trey Ink-Birch Background stamp NBUS
Delicata Gold Ink
Versafine Onyx Black Ink
Stampin' Up-Peaceful Wreath NBUS
Snippets from the snippet pile