Faux Tiles

A member of my blog group, Rebekka of Diamond in the Rough, posted a card on August 18 that I thought was beautiful. I don't think I have ever tried this technique before, but I am rather pleased with the results.

Last Leg

We are on the last leg on my youngest daughter and her husband's visit before they leave for Okinawa, Japan for three years as a Marine family (not the amphibian kind but the kind that wear a uniform -- just to be clear).  Her journey makes me happy and very sad. Sad because three years is too long for a mother to be separated from her child (good thing I have four more at home) and happy because they are in for such a wonderful, exciting adventure that I will get to experience second-hand thanks to my awesome brother and his gift to me of a new computer with a webcam.  But hopefully, the good news for you is that you get to see more cards like the one I am sharing with you today.

I try, honest

I cannot get enough of this beautiful butterfly stamp. I think I am going to have to hide it from myself to prevent boredom. I have hid things from myself in the past without much success. I will often hide money that is earmarked for something specific and then, I act so surprised when I find it an hour later, I run out and spend my "new found money" to celebrate my good fortune. Oh well, I try honest!

Happy Birthday Blog Hop

While Rupert was catching forty-winks, Penny was busy wrapping presents, ironing armor, polishing her jewelry and getting a manicure (that took forever) and finally they are both all dressed and ready for the Happy Birthday Blog Hop in honor of their genius, Janette and Stamping Dragon Designs.

If you did not start at Janette's blog, don't wait, go back and be sure to leave a comment at each of the stops for a chance to win some terrific blog candy. And if you are not a follower, please consider joining us.

Janette

Sammi

Tams

Stitchy

Scrappy
Donna
Nataliya
Tammy (me)
Robin
Claire
Beth
Jenny

Something Different

Sometimes, I scare myself with my card-making obsession. I kid you not, I woke-up thinking about creating this card. Naturally, it is not a grand as I had imagined but still, it is interesting.  I will try again only I will delete the bling, use a different background and make a masculine card.

Butterfly Birthday

When I saw this stamp at Hero Arts Blog, it was a "must have" for me (remember we all agree you cannot have too many stamps). When I found the the example, I was surprised to see how similar but different I had remembered the card.  Regardless, I am happy with my results. Plain and simple but the butterfly . . . 

Say No To Calamari

I must once again step onto my soapbox and join the Genus Octopi protest boycotting calamari. Just because an octopus has eight legs, no backbone, notable mobility and the capability to regenerate lost legs is not a reason to eat them!  Just like my friends the dust bunnies, octopus have families that depend on them. So please, rush over to Stamping Dragon Designs, to get this winsome image and join the protest. 

If you are a connoisseur of calamari and do not wish to participate in the outcry, you might consider joining this week's celebration in honor of Stamping Dragon Designs and their mastermind, Janette's, birthdays!  If you haven't already, please visit Sammibug's Scrapshack and enter the "Name the Paper Pack" and pop in on Droplets in a Rusty Bucket to guess how many cheesy hot balls are in the jar. Tomorrow you will not want to miss Inspired By Friends for details on the "Make a Birthday Card for Stamping Dragon Designs". Saturday you absolutely must come back (hopefully you will  come back sooner) for the Birthday Blog Hop. Who knows, you might be one of several winners along the way.  Good luck!

What's Cook-n?

Many months have passed since I made this card. I liked the inside but the front was just, well, what can I say, pea-brained.  I have no idea where my mind was that day or if it was in the house when I stamped a simple "hello" and a butterfly on the outside. Exactly what does a kitchen, hello and a butterfly have in common? Unless you can fry butterflies and hellos, absolutely nothing and that is why it was nonsensical.  Months later,  I noticed where I kept the butterfly was a stamp set with things that do go in the kitchen and thankfully, a lightbulb went off and now, I am T-totally satisfied, and NO, there is no such thing as having too many stamps. 

Fairytales

Once upon a time, as fairytales go, there was a beautiful young woman . . . and  blah, blah, blah, until the end of the story when they say, "and they lived happily ever after."  That was all well and good when I was  five years old, but now I am somewhat older and wiser and I cannot help but wonder about the more significant facts of the romance and wedding such as, how many bridesmaids were there, what color did they wear, did the Prince rent his tuxedo, where did they go on their honeymoon, and were any premature babies born before their ninth-month anniversary? Okay, so I'm nosey. Recently I had an occasion to meet with Cinderella and I had prepared a long list of questions but the only straight answer I could get from her was, "I should have kissed the frog."  And that my friends, is the end of the story except to say this endearing image was done by Mo Manning, the mirror is from Snow White's Wicked Witch collection, and the spotless floor is the property of Cinderella's step-mother.

Celebrate Birthdays

Since we had a birthday in the house this week, here is another birthday card.

I am terrible about entering challenges but I have decided to enter this card for the current challenge at Ellephantastic Cards & Crafts Challenge Blog's, for cards for men.

From One Diva to Another

Every other Friday, Stamping Dragon Designs has a challenge and today is the day I post my first attempt as a member of the design team. The challenge for this week is to make a card using the following sketch. Don't forget to post your card here for your chance to win four delightful images from Stamping Dragon Design images.

I chose Ellie Elephant to help me because when I first saw her I immediately thought glamour puss, and the rest is history. Ellie is paper pieced and I used metallic pens to enhance the frame and her headpiece is from the House of Pierre Elephant.  I love elephants, I truly do (what's not to love about a creature that is willing to carry her young for 22 months and then give birth to a 260 pound infant). I would have one in a New York minute if I had a backhoe to shove 80 pounds of you-know-what a day and the money to feed an elephant.  If I had an elephant, I would want her to grow-up to be just like Ellie but instead, I must be content with her sweet image.

Be sure to click on the blog links to the other members of the Stamping Dragon Design team located on the right side of my blog to see their outstanding creations and be sure to tell them "Ellie sent you".

More Acetate

I have two more cards I made using acetate to show you today. Hope you like them.

Front

Inside

Wishing You Sunshine

I love using acetate and this particular card I am really pleased with. Sometime ago, I made this and not thinking, I attached the front of the card to the back which meant it had no front. NUTS! So, I tossed it aside with my other rejects. Fast forward in time and it struck me how it could be fixed and this is the results.  I love happy endings!

Front

Inside

Happy Birthday John

Thirty-three years ago today, the world awoke to the news that Elvis had died. Not me, I already knew. I had been up most of the night because of the imminent birth of my youngest son John, and I was not a happy camper, not because of Elvis but because I hate my sleep to be interrupted! But such a sweet joy and I quickly overcame my lack of sleep. So with much razzle-dazzle . . . Happy Birthday John!

Cyber Mom

How many cyber moms do you know? It would probably be easier to determine how many people you know who are not part of the cyberspace world we affectionately call the Internet. Today's card "Checking Facebook" is a freebie I received sometime ago from Mo Manning of Mo's Digital Pencil Shop, but I lost it in the shuffle of converting from a PC to iMac. I'm so glad I found her.

When I think of cyberspace, I think of minuscule bubbles passing back and forth with a hint of sparkle reflecting electricity. All three of my daughters are on Facebook and without a doubt, absent the glasses, I know that this is what my daughters look like when they wake-up each morning and check Facebook, hair perfectly coiffed (like mine *snicker*), and wearing color coordinated pajamas (another *snicker*).

It Was The Worst Ten Minutes Of My Life

If you have been following my blog, you know humor first. This stamp cracked me up when I first saw it and it still makes me laugh. The inside states: It was the worst ten minutes of my life. I have no clue who I might send this card to but, when the need arises, I'll be ready.

Sugary Treats

As a result of winning a challenge for our blog group sponsored by Lucky Girl Paper Arts, I received several of the most sugary stamps. I made today's card with one of the sets. 

Cheap Embellishments

Today's card is an example of  "thinking of you" cards that recently I have been making and sending to friends facing difficulties. The flourishes and sentiment are clear embossed after which I used alcohol ink to create the background. No big deal, we all do it but, did you know that if you use 3D fabric paint, which is readily available at most craft stores and sells for a little over a dollar, you can make your own embellishments? To get rid of the point, gently tap the underside of the card and the result is smooth rounded dots. 

Too Simple

Talk about simple? You cannot make an easier card unless it is totally blank. Sometimes clean and simple is preferred when the recipient's likes and dislikes are unknown. If I were going to send this thank you card to a man, I would replace the bling with a gold stud.

Is it me or has anyone else noticed that the robins are gone? Since it is too early for their migration, does it mean they know something we don't such as were are in for a rugged, hard winter?

How To Videos

Besides making cards, I love to watch tutorials of new techniques others use to make cards. Today's card I made after watching a tutorial on Jennifer McGuire, Ink.  

Love Tree

Instead of waking up this morning to the sweet smiles of Rozie and Xena that only Golden Retrievers can give, I awoke to a major hole in my carpet that Xena had thoroughly enjoying making. Grrrrrr!  With one swift move Xena took out the bedroom and hallway carpet by chewing the seam.  

Trying to rehabilitate a puppy mill breeder dog requires a large resource of patience and this morning that resource almost was depleted. In Xena's world, there is no such thing as good dog, bad dog, she does not even understand the word "no".  I've had Xena almost three months and we have made no progress in the house-breaking department and she continues to want only to be left alone in her hiding place away from Rozie and as far away as she can get from me out of fear that I will take her to that terrible place we call outdoors. 

What does this have to do with cards? Absolutely nothing, I'm just venting. So I'll stop and share a card to remind myself that it is all about love and besides, there is always duct tape.

Cat on a Fence

It gives me great pride to announce that I have been selected to join the very talented design team of "Stampin Dragons Design"!  What does it mean to you my friends? It means that once a week, sometimes more, I will be posting a card using one of Stampin Dragons Design's delightful images. Today's card is my first card as an honest to goodness design team member, and no, I still do not consider myself to be a grown-up.  

About the cat on the fence, Tom, the tomcat, may look like he's sleeping but he is not. He is actually doing my favorite form of exercise, dreaming. I dreamed I took a walk, I dreamed I vacuumed, I dreamed I won the lottery, I dreamed . . .

Bloom

My mother was a professional florist most her life. Her secret for growing beautiful plants and flowers was when she planted them she ever so carefully put them into a pot, gently covered them with the desirable amount of soil, and as she gave them just the right quantity of water she would say, now grow damn it!

Elephants

Elephants, aside from being gigantic, are smart creatures living in herds with a matriarch at the helm that is directly related to each member of the group.  When young males reach the age of maturity, they are asked to leave the fold and join the other bachelors.  One of the attributes of an elephant is long-term memory enabling them to find water at the end of the same trails used for centuries by their ancestors. Sometimes, as is the case of my elephant, they use gimmicks such as tying balloons on their trunks to remember a birthday. If you are thinking about having an elephant join your family unit you will need a sizable yard with tons of water, preferably a lake, because they love water and are outstanding swimmers.  At the very least, you will need to get a mud pit for them to roll in. They sleep while standing, usually crossing one leg behind the other, so there is no need to run out and buy a bed.  The only disadvantage of having an elephant as a family pet is the shoveling of eighty pounds of poop a day. 

More Birthdays Please

I love receiving presents in any size, shape, or form so naturally, I love my birthday although I am not particularly fond of the additional number it adds to my young age.  The elementary school I attended as a child was used as a poll on election day which meant that we had no school.  As a youngster, I knew nothing about elections let alone the actual date on the calendar so when my very clever parents told me that school was closed because it was my birthday, that's what I believed. I was in my 30's when I finally realized my birthday was not cause for a national holiday. A couple of years have passed and I am still not over the shock. 

But it is true, birthdays are good for you, the more you have, the longer you live -- and the more presents you receive. 

You are my sunshine on a cloudy day

Dawn, from "Everything Under the Sun", left a comment on one of my posts asking if I had ever considered trying out for a design team.  My answer to the question . . . when I grow-up, I want to be on a design team. Shortly thereafter, a design team call was made by Stampin Dragon Designs.  Although I am not a full-fledged grown-up, I decided to try. This is my submission.

The second card is actually the first card I made to enter, but my daughter Dania, who often serves as my critic, advised that I should try again. I decided she was right when I had to explain to her the background was an ocean liner and the circles were portholes (with curtains no less). 

Fairy Godmother

My Fairy Godmother (she was born just north of The Digi Shack), has not been cooperating lately, everything I wish for turns out backwards because the wand that she waves to cast a spell is broken. When I went to the "Fairy Godmother Tools of the Trade" website, I discovered they are no longer making parts for her wand so she must purchase a new one. My Fairy Godmother is very angry because her wand was guaranteed for 200 years and she's only been using it for 199. The company will not honor their guarantee because my Fairy Godmother clobbered the prince on his head with her wand to get him to dance with Cinderella. Cinderella will not chip in for a new one because she did not live happily ever after and divorced the prince then married a pauper and is back to scrubbing floors and carrying cinders. Now, I'm to left suffer. 

Hard to Tell

I could not determine if this image was a lemon or an orange so I decided, I would make it both. 

Happy First Day of August

Happy first day of August everyone. Can you believe we are passed the half-way point for 2010?

Today's card is another fairly simple-to-make card. I made the border with a heart punch and attached them to the backside of the center.