Sunday, February 11, 2024

2024 Going by in a Blurrr!

 I really don't know how the first month of 2024 is gone nor do I know where it went.  Maybe I had my eyes shut the whole month.  Now two weeks of February are almost gone as well. With February being a short month, you know that it means March will be here, like tomorrow.  

But before March arrives, I wanted to post a few cards I have made and a few I have received.  

November CCC

My card went out to Dee in Kenya

I received this super fun card from Lou in Australia,

She called this sledding pig totally out of control, as he spins and slides, both!

December CCC

My card went out to Barbara in Switzerland
My bears must have been calling their friends to tell them I needed a bear.

Because I got a bear who came to me from Bonnie in CO
He's pulling a sled full of gifts, which I love and the little St Nick rider.
Isn't this a great card!


January CCC

My card went out to Hilary in UK
I used the sketch instead of the theme of Mythical creatures used by many.
.


Dee in Kenya did use the theme, Mythical creatures, though and sent me this wonderful dragon! 
The colorful Kaleidoscope (or Stained-glass window) background makes him even more special.
Very Medieval looking.


Back to some challenges from Splitcoast Stampers

I have had a hard time keeping up with the challenges I used to do on Splitcoast Stampers, but I have tried to catch up a little on the Watercolor challenge.  I am trying to improve my watercolor skills but find little time to practice.  Hard to improve without painting, right.
These three pictures are ones I did for the challenges in the last few weeks.  
      


Valentines will be here in a few days so I'm giving you all a card to remind you how much I love you.  
The foiled heart was made with my new Glimmer machine, which was my Christmas gift from my sweet husband.  He now has plenty of other gift ideas for me, like more foil plates. 








Sunday, November 12, 2023

Christmas on paper Playeers

 Hello, It's been a beautiful Sunday and I have a couple of cards I would like to share with you tonight.  

This one is going to be entered into the Paper Players Challenge  and of course it adds to my Christmas Card stack.  I am still behind, but maybe I will get caught up before Christmas.  


I've also been preparing for a Card class that I do each month.  This is one of the cards we will be making.  I love this stamp set and I especially love it in blue. 
 

We are also making this fall card and goodie bag in class this month.  I just love this little fox from Hello Bluebird Stamps.  He just looks so purposeful pushing his pumpkins along.  The large border stamp on the bottom of the card is one very old Stampin' Up wheel that I took off the wheel and mounted on cling foam.  I did that with all my wheels and now I use them a little.  I never could keep those wheels running straight, so never used them.  Now they just stamp- much easier. 
  


My last post I forgot to add the picture of the card I sent to Jeanne in MN.  This is it.  
For some reason the colors of pink and blue lead me to think of baby cards, but I liked how this turned out with the blue background and just that touch of pink in the flowers.  


And I thought I would add one last Christmas card I made a few days ago.  I got this Digi image colored quite a while ago and just now turned it into a card.  The greeting is stacked up a few times to give a bit of lift but not so much as foam tape gives.  Thanks, Jennifer McGuire for that tip.




Thursday, November 2, 2023

Gundi's Bear

 From the Card Chain Challenge this month I received Gundi's Bear.  He brought me a cupcake, or I should say a craving for cupcakes. So, I have been baking and seeing this bear with his cupcake all month.  I did get to enjoy eating a few cupcakes though.  This is such a fun card and I love the design gundi made for the bear.  The stars and the cupcake with stars on it make it very well coordinated.  


I just signed up for the Card Chain Challenge for November.  I wonder what path the card I receive this month will send me on.  It will be fun to see.  
Everyone makes such lovely cards and I am always so happy to receive them from the Chain.  


Monday, October 30, 2023

Christmas is coming the card stack's getting Fat - yes sing along!

 My Christmas card stack was a little slim, so I had to start fattening it up.  Christmas will be here before we know it and I still do not have enough cards made, but I am getting closer.  

Here are a few cards I have made lately. The Simon Says Stamp Challenge this week was Anything Goes.  So I made a Christmas card with a SSS set called Gifts of Christmas.  

It has a lot of different elements in the set, but I chose to use the bucket full of Candy canes and greenery.  I used a radiating hearts stencil behind the stamped and die cut elements.  I am entering these two cards together in the challenge.  


I also participated in Justine Hovey's 12 Days of Christmas last week.  Here are some of the cards I made during that fun 12 days of inspiration.  










Hope you enjoyed seeing how I've been having fun.  It's been a productive card week.  Now if I can just have a few more productive weeks.  I've been making a lot of cakes the last couple of months also.  I had no intention of baking cakes again at this stage in my life, but it seems everyone likes to eat cake.  

Here is the cake that went out to a friend today for his daughter's birthday.

 
I have to admit I would've liked to cut a piece out of this one before I sent it off.  It's cookies and cream and I really do like these cakes.  I made a new flavor I had not made before a few weeks ago for the same friend.  It was Pecan Pie Cake, and I did get a taste of that one and I can say I am now a fan.  


  

                                


Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Norway is a Long Way from Texas

 My card for the Card Chain Challenge was headed to Gail this month.  And Norway is a long way from Texas, so I am hoping that the card arrived today.  It had not yet arrived on Sunday.   Since Gail only posted one picture of the card part way opened on the reveal yesterday, I am thinking it may have not arrived in Mondays post like we were hoping.  But I am going to take the chance that Gail will not look here before the card arrives and I am posting both pictures of the card.  



I used the sketch somewhat this month and pretty much used the colors.  I had fun using these Pumpkins and some DSP I have hoarded for a while.  Don't look Gail! Until the card arrives.

Here is the beautiful leafy card I received from Jeanne H in MN


I love how she painted the leaf!

Last night I actually got to play in one of the Splitcoaststampers challenges.  First time for the CAS challenge in a while.  The theme was puns, so I used the AI set Gullfriends and made this card. 


Also tried out a new die last night and made this card with a shaving cream background piece for the sunset.  Then stamped and embossed the sentiment on the die cut base.  The embossing folder I used on the card base looks like the earth when it is so dry it starts to crack into weird patterns.  



 

That's all for today.   I had printed out several digital stamps a very long time ago and I spent some time coloring today.  Maybe I can get more cards made tomorrow with some of those images. 




Friday, September 22, 2023

Nephew's Birthday Card

 I was tired of using the usual Birthday embossing folder I have had, so I bought a new one.  I tried it out this morning and then realized I needed to get a card in the mail for our nephew's birthday.  The set, Waterfront by Stampin Up was out on my desk from using them to make a card sample for a class I will be teaching tomorrow.   It's been ages since I've used the Waterfront.  The ladies wanted to do watercolor and make a card.  I don't feel like I'm qualified to teach them Watercolor, but I can help them make a card that looks pretty much like it.     The ladies who are coming to class have not stamped at all, most of them anyway - Did I bit off more than they can handle??


Then I did our nephew's card with just a band of the scene.  Hope he likes his card.   

I didn't add any other sentiment outside because the embossing folder says it for me.  


I almost boo-booed any added the beautiful card that I received from Jeanne over at the Card Chain Challenge, but that has to wait for a few more days.  It's pretty.  You'll like it.  
Hope you all have a great weekend, I know I will.
Just one more card before I go. 


See you again soon.






Friday, September 15, 2023

Keeping in Touch with Friends

About twelve years ago we moved about 100 miles away from our home of 28 years.  We are in that area once in a while but have not taken the time to hook up with our friends very often from our old neighborhood.  But we did that a couple of weeks ago and it was so enjoyable.  We met over a meal (of course) and had a good visit and were able to catch up on what was happening with at least one couple.  We should do this more often and with larger groups or we will lose touch with everyone eventually.  

A couple of weeks ago I made this little Christmas Card with a snowman on it.  I decided to hook him up with some friends today by entering the car in the Christmas Kwickstart Challenge. Christmas Kickstart Challenge,   He will be making new friends. 

 


New dies and a piece of gold foil paper (already cut) found in my scrap box led to this Christmas card. 


It's been many months since I've been able to play in the Challenges on Splitcoast Stampers.  The Tuesday Teapot Challenge has always been one of my favorites there.  This card went to John, the Husband of a good friend from the site.  He needed some cheering up and loves sailing. 


And finally, I made 8 of these cards for all of the ladies in my church group who have birthdays in September.  Thankfully that paper does most of the work for the background flowers.  I only die-cut a few to add for dimension and texture.  I sure hope they like their cards.  







2024 Going by in a Blurrr!

 I really don't know how the first month of 2024 is gone nor do I know where it went.  Maybe I had my eyes shut the whole month.  Now tw...