Happy Thoughts

Hello Crafty Friends, I feel like August is already zipping by me. Where did the summer go? I know many are ready for fall or winter, but I have to say that I am not. Summer didn't hit here until July, then it hit with a bang. I hope August stays hot here, more pool time. LOL Usually in August we start getting cooler nights, which in turn cools down the pool water. But we will see how it goes this year. Although, I do enjoy what I call "perfect temps" of fall, it is what follows next that I just don't love anymore. 

I have a simple card today. Mostly white on white with a touch of copper. I cut a hexagon out of a card panel, embossed a piece of scrap white paper and put that behind the panel, then popped the panel up on a copper mat.  Then I took two hexagons to make the fame out of the copper paper. Die cut my poppies and glued and popped them up on the front of the card. Added my sentiment and it was done.  I don't hate this card, but not sure if I really love it either. I think it will have to grow on me some. 

Thanks for stopping by to visit. Thank you for your sweet comments, they always make my day. I will be around to visit you all soon too if I haven't been by already. 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

We R Memory Keepers - Mini embossing folder "dots"

AliExpress - The poppies-I think

Sizzix - Hexagon Dies

CTMH - Sending Smiles

DCWV - Metallic Paper Pad 

Christmas Cards....finally!

Hello crafty friends, I was without internet for several days. Bret was trimming the bushes last Sunday and accidently cut into the internet cable. Oops! I'm back up and running now though, so all is good. Now I'm trying to play catch up, as you know I tend to get behind on my own without any help of losing Internet! 

Since I didn't have internet or TV, (I have YouTube TV) I decided to get a start on my Christmas cards....finally! Have a lot more to go obviously but at least I finally started. LOL I had colored 6 of these Penny Black Snowy the Snowman images eons ago and threw them in my leftover's box. Well, I thought it was high time to use them on a card! I dug into the backgrounds box and found smooshed backgrounds to match each of the snowman I colored, how fun that I had little pieces that matched each snowman! I am tickled pink on how these came out. I was inspired by Pinterest and this is my take on it. I let some of the scarves hang over and some not, all the pompoms hang out over though. Some different backgrounds as well. My panels are popped up from the background. I hope these bring a smile to your face like they did mine!

I tried catching up with my commenting yesterday after the service guy was here. So if I missed you, don't worry I will be by to visit! Thanks for stopping by to see what I've been up to with no Internet. It's amazing at what all you can actually get done when you aren't "wasting" time on the Internet. LOL But it is oh so fun to be on it, isn't it?! 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Penny Black - Snowy the Snowman

My Creative Time - Stitched "Capture" Frame w/arrow die, Chalkboard Christmas (sentiment/Santa & reindeer)

CTMH - Frosted D1562

Maymay Made It - Fond Noel (pine boughs), Just Believe (sentiment), Ornamental Greetings (snowflakes)

Cardz TV - Merry Everything (sentiment)

Ohuhu Alcohol Markers

Distress Oxide smooshed backgrounds

Stampendous Frantage

Dahlia's for Mother

Hello crafty friends, I hope everyone is doing well. We have had a small reprieve from the smoke filled air, but it is making a come back on Wednesday.  We even got a tiny bit of rain, hopefully more will come this week. They are calling for some storms, but they are a hit and miss type....some will see them, other's won't, so we will see. 

Today I have a Mother's Day card. I know, it's been a month since Mother's Day! What can I say, you all know how slow I am and to be honest, I had forgotten about posting this card. I either forget to take a photo of a card before getting it out, or I take one and forget about posting it. This image was colored with Prisma colored pencils with a tad bit of alcohol markers as well. I was pleased with how it turned out because you all know I'm not a very good colorist. Popped it onto an embossed mat and matted some more layers. The image was gifted to me and I love it, but have only used it a few times as I never liked how it came out when I tried coloring it...until now.  Not much else to tell about this one. 

That is it for this card. Thanks for stopping by to see what I'm up to and hopefully I've been around to see what you are up to. 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Image - Stamplorations "Framed Dahlia"

Sentiment - CTMH "Just Saying" 

Snippets for my mats

Prisma Pencils

Ohuhu alcohol markers

Little chevron puff sticker was a gift, so I used one. They are silver but I colored over it with a tan alcohol marker

Happy Birthday

Hello crafty friends, I can't believe we are in June, but we are. Mowing has slowed down big time in the last two weeks. Yards are turning brown because we are so dry now. Crazy how fast things can turn. Feast or famine it seems. The pool has been opened but evenings are in the mid to low 50's with some 40's thrown in, so the water is very cold. We've also had lots of smoke from the wild fires in Canada. All week we had bad air quality. One day it was in the 400's, worst than NY. Which is crazy to me. I definitely shouldn't complain though, some people are living in scary weather right now, so my prayers are with them. 

I have a birthday card using some left overs of colored flowers/stems from my "unused stuff" box that I colored with colored pencils and alcohol ink markers. Still have plenty more, but at least a few things were used. The white background was made using a NBUS Small Die kit from Spellbinders for April. The dies are so fun to use with fun lacy individual patterns. I arrange the dies the way I wanted them and die cut the top then flipped to die cut the same for the bottom, leaving an open space in the middle.  Added my sentiment, flowers and three black pearls. Just simple and plain. 

Thanks for popping by and see what is up in my neck of the woods. Hopefully I've been by to see you as well and if I haven't, I should be soon.


Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:

Spellbinder's Small die of the month for April 2023

Stampin Up "Bloom with Hope" -  for the daisy, colored with Prisma Pencils (I think)

Simon Says Stamp - for the flower stems and the blue flower (I think), colored with Ohuhu Alcohol markers

Close to my Heart ""Just to Say" stamp set - Happy Birthday

A Few Cards-Lori Whitlock files (warning long post and pic heavy!)

Hello my crafty friends, I hope you all are doing well. I'm back from my trip, got back two weeks ago. Had to rest and recouped as I did get sick while I was gone. Nothing to serious, but the Lupus reared it's ugly head. More on the trip later though with some photo's. I did have a great time with my brother, sister-in-law and nephews. 

Now I see what everyone is complaining about with Blogger! Please bare with me while I figure all this out. It is very slow as I am. lol I have a few cards to share with you that I cut on my Cricut Joy. They were fun to cut and fold and I love how they turned out.  I have more designs that I haven't cut as of yet but will share when I do.  

This one I stamped the sentiment on using a drop shadow as well. 

        This one my Cricut Joy wrote the sentiment on for me.

                           This is one I stamped the sentiment on as well as the last card.  

A few photo's from my trip to the Outer Banks. We had a great time and wore our mask when we headed out or to the grocery store. Not much was open, we we did get to the lighthouse, although you couldn't climb it because of Covid. But the State Park person was there to answer questions and tell us about the lighthouse. It was moved a quarter of a mile to it's currant location, which I thought was interesting. I would imagine it was a s-l-o-w move being it's so tall! It is still in use today as well. We did hit a little craft festive that was outside. Wearing our masks of course. We were in and out pretty quickly too. 

So on our first day, we got to the Outer Banks around 11:30 am. We left at 4 am. All was good, got a sandwich since we didn't really eat anything but a granola bar, the boys ate all kinds of snack though. Just like boys. lol Then we decided to go to the beach afterwards because the house wouldn't be done until around 6 pm since they had to disinfect per Covid rules. Started through the dune and oh my gosh, the sand was HOT!!! So hot, that it burned blisters on my toes, now I did have flip flops on, but the sand got on the flip flops thus burning my toes. I had to keep stopping and shaking the sand off because it was so painful. Got out of the dunes and stopped to rest, was feeling sick as well as being really over heated. I asked my SIL if my nephew could wet a towel so I could put around my neck and of course he did. But before he got it to me, I lost my sandwich. How embarrassing! But a nice lady saw it and brought me over a sugar drink, reaching it out to my SIL who the handed to me. My brother came up after getting our area set up and helped me the rest of the way to my chair. Then the same lady sent waters over too. So sweet of her!!! Anyway, was good after that! Enjoyed the rest of the day on the beach. When we left the sand wasn't hot. So back to the house we went. My SIL sprayed all the highly touched areas down with disinfect as well. Then made the beds, she wanted to make mine too, but we compromised with me helping. Next day we went out and got water shoes so mine and my youngest nephew's toes didn't get blistered anymore! lol He was young and would run across the sand, I could barely wade through the thick sand in the heat at a snail's pace! Then later in the week, my Lupus reared it's ugly head and I got sick, same as I did a few years back when I passed out in the bathroom. I didn't pass out this time, but my SIL saw me change as I was sitting eating my breakfast. I went to lay down for a while when all heck broke loss. I was in the bathroom for a long time, sent them down to the beach to enjoy the day and I stayed behind. My SIL texted to see if I needed her or anything. I told her just to enjoy the day down at the beach!  Day after started out ok, but then didn't. So I stayed in again but my SIL had some Imodium and I took that, so then was good to go. Friday, I didn't go down to the beach either, it was just to hot and the heat was messing with my Lupus. I did go down in the evening a few times though and that was better. Bless my SIL, as one day we were walking back and she stopped to wait for me to get through the dune to the walk way. I told her she didn't have to wait for me and she said she was using me as an excuse cause the heat got to her too and she needed to stop and rest before going the rest of the way! I didn't feel quite as bad as I'm 10 years older than my brother and my SIL. lol So here are some pictures.

Under our canopy, thanks goodness for some shade, but it was still hot even with the ocean breezes!

Our house for the week

                                                       The beautiful lighthouse

                             My brother and me one evening down at the beach

My brother's family

All of us

Under the pier-My SIL took photo's of my nephew's under the pier

                              And lastly, a new photo of me after we came back home

If you stuck with me this long, thank you! I know it was a long post!!! I just want to say I appreciate you all and I love when you stop by and visit for a spell. I finally am catching up on my cleaning after being gone and got the mowing done as well. Bret and I just don't agree on what clean is. lol I know I haven't been around to everyone, I am working on it. I am slow, getting slower all the time. lol So bare with me and I will get there. Again, you bring much joy and sunshine into my life and I appreciate each one of you! 

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:
Cricut Joy and Lori Whitlock files

Maymay Made It stamp sentiments

My Creative Time stamp sentiments

Close to My Heart stamp sentiments

Stampin' Up papers I won a while back

Happy New Year! My First Challenge/post of 2019

Hello my crafty friends, I know I am late in wishing everyone a Happy New Year, but better late then never right?! Wishing so much happiness, blessings and good health to everyone!

Ok, I wanted to keep up with my Christmas card stash this year, Kahlua is getting better and not quite getting in to as much trouble as she was. Still gotta keep cords up though! But since she is being better, I was able to get some cards made. I wanted to join in on the CAS Christmas Card Challenge, the prompt is blue and silver. A color combination that I love, but never remember to use it. Dumb I know! So I thought, yep, I have to play along with this one. So out came the stamps and inks. As always everything I used will be in the recipe section below. I am also trying to use some of the many NBUS or stamp sets that haven't been given much love this year. Wish me luck. lol I even used some of my many snippets! So might go and join in over at the Playground, haven't been around to see Parsnips, Dudley or Di in a long while!

This card didn't quite turn out the way I envisioned it, but it is still ok and I'm good with it.  So I made 17 of them, well 18 but messed one up. lol But at least I have 17 cards ready to go for the coming Christmas season! I hope you enjoy it too. 

As always, I thank you for taking time from your day to stop by and visiting me. I love it when you do and I know that I have been slack on my visiting. But hoping to get better with that! Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

It doesn't show well, but I have a blue mat and then the white, blue is matted on a silver mirror card foil. I also know my baby Jesus looks black, but he isn't. 

Trying to tilt in the sunlight to show the shimmer of the silver ink. Not sure if you can see it or not. 

 And the inside, which I kept simple but matting matches the outside.

Crafty hugs,

Card Recipe:
Close to My Heart Remarkable Wreath and Reason for the Season (Reason for the Season is a NBUS set) stamp sets
Delicata Silvery Shimmer ink
Stampin' Up Night of Navy ink
Navy blue card stock scraps
DCWV Foil Paper (mirror card stock)
My Creative Time Belly Band stamp set for Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Maymay Made It Joyful Stamp Set for the His Presence brings....