{Painful to create}

OH MY GOODNESS~this post will be short---I just spent so long making this card---and I don't even like it! BUT, since I spent all that time, I'M POSTING IT! (sorry for the yelling!)





I really enjoyed putting together my card for last week's Raspberry Suite Color Challenge that Dawn McVey did. So, I was excited when I saw that she had posted another one on Sunday. I loved the fabric that she used for the inspiration--the picture was so pretty---then, today I pulled all those colors out and looked at them together and panic ensued! I just couldn't figure out a way to put them together. I refuse to even tell you how long it took me to finish it---it was finally just a matter of stubborn pride! (and I definitely have some of that!)

So, enough of the whining---let me tell you how I did it all. (I'm not going to tell you about all the paper that ended up in the trash--then you could figure out HOW LONG this took!) I started with a piece of Kraft cardstock and used my polka dots basics and some Vintage Cream ink. I added the Pure Poppy cardstock and the small flower from Friends 'til the End--again using the Vintage Cream ink. I stamped the same flower on a piece of Pure Poppy, Berry Sorbet & Sweet Blush cardstock with my Versamark pad and then embossed them using Seafoam White powder from Ranger. I cut them out and then added the buttons from my White & Cream Mix Vintage collection and tied them on with some linen thread. I attached them to the card with dimensionals. I was trying to tie in all those colors (I think this is what I don't like about the card---) so I scalloped some 2008 Bitty Dots Basics patterned papers in Berry Sorbet and Sweet Blush and added the scallops to the pure poppy cardstock. Yeah, I'm not crazy about that, but it's there and by that time I wasn't going to trash it---remember the stubborn pride thing....

SO, I added a hello from Beyond Basic Borders to another Labels Four die and called it a day! I hope you can find something you like about it---I do like the big flowers---how can you NOT love those flowers? :) I hope to be back tomorrow with some less painful pictures! We are headed to my parents to celebrate David's birthday again tonight. Mama's cooking---it doesn't get better than that! Maybe it can help me get over the pain!

Have a great day~


{hello}
Stamps: Polka Dot Basics, Beyond Basic Borders, Friends 'til the End (PTI)
Paper: Kraft, Pure Poppy, Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, 2008 Bitty Dot Basics patterned paper (PTI)
Ink: Vintage Cream, (PTI) Palette Noir, Versamark
Accessories/Tools: Cuttlebug (Provocraft), Labels Four Dies (Spellbinders), Linen thread, Dimensionals (SU!) Seafoam white embossing powder (Ranger)

{Spring Break}

Hello all---I hope to be posting regularly this week. It's spring break and we aren't really traveling until we take Hannah to look at a couple colleges at the end of the week, so I hope to have lots of stamp time. Today is my husband's birthday. I made him a card this afternoon. I am the worst to do things at the last minute. This is a simple little card, but I think he'd prefer that! I started with a piece of dark chocolate and used some of the same ink on some kraft cardstock. I used Damask Designs stamp set for the pattern. There's a stamp that has this border pattern on it, so it made this go really fast. Why I wait to make cards on the day I need them---I don't know, but I do, so fast is definitely what I needed! If you don't know me, I'm blessed with a sweet husband. Here's my post about him last year on Father's day. (if you know me, you probably know my husband!)




I added some satin ribbon and a HUGE button from my white/cream vintage buttons bag. My tag uses two stamp sets, Men of Life, and Heart Prints---I had some extra space on there after I found the right nestability die, so I added the XOXO---you can never have too many hugs and kisses, right! This die is from the new Labels Four set. I just got those from Ellen Hutson's store. She ships things SOOOOO fast---if you are in need of some stamp stuff, definitely look at her store first. She's all the way across the country from me, but I get my stuff SOOOOO fast. (And no, I do not get anything from telling you I love her store---that would be amazing, but it doesn't happen! I just love her store!) Enough of the commercial---back to the card. I added some kraft paper on the inside and punched it with my spiral punch. This is one I got free from my Stampin' Up party last month. Anyway, there's my simple card for my sweetie on his birthday! We are going to Bonefish to eat and then we'll come back home for birthday cake and presents.
Here's a picture of my husband, David, from last weekend. He conducted the pit orchestra for Hannah's (Trinity Academy of Raleigh's) spring musical, Babes in Arms. So, here they are together. I'm blessed with a godly husband and I'm so glad we are able to celebrate his life today---I hope you celebrate your blessings today! Thanks for stopping by!



David's birthday~
Stamps: Damask Designs, Men of Life, Heart Prints (PTI)
Paper: Dark Chocolate, Kraft
Ink: Dark Chocolate
Accessories/Tools: Cuttlebug (Provocraft), Labels Four Nestabilities die (Spellbinders), Dark Chocolate Satin ribbon, Vintage buttons-white (PTI), Hemp twine (colored brown with Copic marker), Linen thread, Spiral punch (SU!),

{CPS 109}

I have a friend who had to have some surgery, so I wanted to make her a card to get in the mail today. I decided to go with the CPS 109 to help me get it done quickly. I could sit forever and stare at a blank piece of cardstock and think of all sorts of things to do---so if I want to get something done quickly, I always start with some sort of challenge--a color challenge, sketch challenge, etc. CPS or Card Positioning Systems is a great place to go for a sketch every week.

This will have to be a short post---Hannah has a soccer game (in the rain) and Joshua has practice---yep, in the rain. SOOOOOO, I get to go stand in the rain for the next 3-4 hours---so excited about that---SOOOO, on to the card!

I used my FREE Papertrey Ink set, Everyday Classics (of course, it's not REALLY free, because I purchased a few of their sets to get it, but it's still REALLY cool when you get a stamp set in the mail from your favorite company that you didn't really pay for!) If you're interested in learning how to get a free set, just go here. I stamped the tea cup in Hibiscus and added the tea bag by masking off the cup. Then I added the "steam" with my Copic grey marker. I used my labels three dies that I just received from Ellen Hutson's store.
I used one of my Hibiscus vintage buttons on the ribbon. Then I was looking through my stash to find a brown button---none of them matched, so I colored a white one with one of my Copics. I had seen people do this, but I had never tried it. It looks really nice. The hemp is a natural color that I also colored to make it dark brown. I decorated the inside of the card this time---I added a little patterned paper and then stamped the small cup in the same ink on the inside.

Off to the game! Thanks for stopping by~enjoy your day!

CPS 109 Feel Better:
Stamps: Everyday Classics, Mixed Messages
Paper: SS White, Dark Chocolate, Hibiscus, 2008 Bitty Dot Basics patterned paper (PTI)
Ink: Dark Chocolate, Hibiscus, Fresh Snow
Accessories/Tools: Cuttlebug, Tags (Provocraft), Labels Three Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Copic markers, Vintage buttons-white and hibiscus, Hibiscus grosgrain ribbon(PTI), DMC white thread, Natural hemp twine (colored brown) (SU!), Threading water punch (Fiskars) (PTI)

{Raspberry Suite Color Challenge 2}

Dawn McVey has started a color challenge and I decided to play along. I "know" Dawn (I totally DON'T know her, but I feel like I do--I read her blog and have a glimpse into her life, so I'm using the term loosely here!) from her design work for Papertrey Ink and her numerous cards in various papercrafting publications. She has a keen eye for color and is known to put 4 or 5 colors on one card---HORRORS! I remember when I began stamping I was specifically told---"no more than 3 colors for a card"---WHAT?? Yep, seriously, that's what I heard---over and over---but Dawn came to the rescue! I love challenges--they get me stamping when I'm stuck---and sadly, lately I've been stuck a lot! If you haven't been to Dawn's blog you MUST go---she's a stamping hero of mine. I love her style and I think you will, too.

Here's my take on the card---this is a simple layout that took me FAR too long---again, "stuck"---but here it is anyway! I hope to do quite a few of her color challenges, so keep your eyes peeled for some crazy color combos!



Short and sweet today. If you have any questions, let me know and I'll answer them~
Hugs,
Kathleen






Congratulations Color Challenge:
Stamps: Wishing You, Everyday Classics
Paper: Dark Chocolate, Stamper's Select White (PTI), Certainly Celery, Taken with Teal (SU!)
Ink: Certainly Celery, Taken with Teal (SU!), Dark Chocolate (PTI)
Accessories/Tools: random ribbon from a blog candy win---COOL!!, button (Foof-a-la), natural hemp twine (SU!), Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots embossing folder (Provocraft), Threading water punch (Fiskars), Bigz Top Note die (SU!)

{Finally a little stamping}

Ahhhhhh--I have missed stamping! Now that I feel better, I just wish I had more time! It's "drama week" at the Nelson home---and if any of you have kids involved in Theatre Arts, you know what I mean! The week is actually called "Production week", but we Nelson's (OK, the parents, anyway) call it "drama week"....because there's sure to be plenty of it, at school and at home! When your kids go to a small school, they do everything---they sing in the choir, they're in drama, they play sports, they are class/school leaders---they still have the normal academic load AND all the other---so all around Trinity Academy this week---parents affectionately (OK, some--NOT so affectionately) refer to this week as drama week! It's all worth it in the end, but it's a VERY LONG WEEK! OK---all of that said, I've been distracted the last week or so trying to help out with the production---so, very little stamping has been done!

I did have a Stampin' Up party and got so much free stuff it was kind of embarrassing! It was NUTS how many free stamps sets I got! You gotta love Sale-a-bration! I picked up a bunch of punches---I LOVE THE PUNCHES! Anyway, I hope to get a chance to use some of my new goodies, soon!

I have had this journal for some time now, but I finally decided I need to use it and MAYBE I'd be more likely to use it if it was cute---SOOOOOOO, here's my cute new journal---it's really just for me. It won't be going anywhere, it's just a journal I write in when I read my bible, but I need to write more things down and perhaps this will help me do that~~~

I used patterned paper from Papertrey's line and added the ribbon to cover where I pieced it together. I just love this saying by Luther (there's a better picture below)---it's in the Out on a Limb sentiments set. What a great reminder of how God prepared a way for all to come to Him.

I cut the ovals out with my nestabilities and HAD to add some buttons, I LOVE the buttons---the black and white are Papertrey Vintage buttons and the red are from a Foof-a-la package I have. I sewed them on with various DMC flosses. I stamped the edges of the journal directly with my stamp pads to add some texture. This was a very quick project---it just took me three weeks to sit down and do it!

It's good to be back to blogging! Thanks for stopping by today. I hope to be more regular with my posts again soon! Have a great weekend~
Kathleen

Altered Journal:
Stamps: Out on a Limb, Out on a Limb Sentiments (PTI)
Paper: True Black, SS White, Pure Poppy, Black and White Basics patterned paper, 2008 Bitty Dot Basics patterned paper (PTI)
Ink: Palette Black, Pure Poppy
Accessories/Tools: Oval/Scallop Oval Nestabilities dies (Spellbinders), Cuttlebug (Provocraft), Buttons-(PTI & Foof-a-la), Pure Poppy Grosgrain ribbon (PTI), DMC floss, dimensionals (SU!)

{Where have you been?}

Well, I've been here....just not stamping too much....horrors! Right after David left for Africa, I injured my back and I haven't really been comfortable stamping! Yesterday I did some stuff, but not much. I am feeling a little better everyday, so I'm sure I'll be back to regular posts soon. I did have a fun experience this week. My son had a friend over and they were having a snack after school. They were sitting at the kitchen table and looked out into our creek and saw these two ducks. Now, we have seen lots of creatures in our creek, but never ducks. I was so excited, so I went out on the deck---careful not to let the Black Lab out there, and began snapping picture after picture of these fun creatures God made. (Obviously it's time to clean up our creek....something we have to do every spring, but it's still a little cool for me to stick my feet in that water ....back to the story) So, I went back inside and talked to the boys about how cool it is that we have these ducks in the creek...I was so excited! Joshua asked if he could go out there to look at them up close. So, he crossed the creek and got really close---and then began throwing rocks in the water near them to see what they will do----yep, that little bundle of depravity wanted to scare the ducks away! I called him in to finish homework and give him a little "talkin' to"---as southern mama's do so well. The boys finished their homework and snack time and they began to play. I went upstairs for awhile and he and his friend went outside to have a little more fun with the ducks---when I wasn't looking or scolding. The ducks moved on down the creek and the boys turned their attention to something Star Wars and all was well. I had wanted the rest of my family to see the ducks, but my little boys had scared them off.

I was so pleased to find the ducks back again when David came home from work. He was grilling our dinner and there they were in a different part of the creek---they had moved to a place with more shelter---but they were back. They were persistent little ducks and I was so glad they came back to visit. This time, they came to a place of shelter---tucked up under some tree roots. I began to think how wonderful it is that we all have a place of shelter...our Heavenly Father is our shelter in the midst of the raging storm---or in the case of the ducks...in a storm of rocks. :) I hope you feel God's ever present shelter in your life today, whether your creek is calm or you are in the midst of a great rock storm---He is our ever faithful God.

Psalm 27:1-5

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When evil doers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent. He will lift me high upon a rock....

Blessings~
Kathleen

{Sketch Card}

Jen Del Muro does a sketch every Saturday and encourages us to play along. It's been a long time since I have been able to play, but I decided to play along this weekend.

Here's what I came up with. I stamped that little branch I was telling you about from Beyond Basic Borders in Spring Moss on White cardstock. I used some Taylor's Tiny Twinkles from Taylored Expressions. I thought they looked cute with the polka dots. I wanted to use some actual punched out polka dots, but I wasn't crazy about it when I put them on there, so I used these instead---and who doesn't love a little bling, right? The details are below---I have hurt my back, so all that stamp time I was going to have probably just won't happen---I can't sit for very long. I'm so mad---but I'll just have to get over it! I went to the doctor today and I just hope the medicine she gave me works it out!

This is what we woke up to this morning---I actually took it in the afternoon, so it had already begun to melt, but this is what it looked like out my back door. The snow was really wet, so it stuck to all the trees---it was so pretty---and it meant a snow day for us...which is great today, but won't be so great on the day I have to make it up!!! Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a great week~


Sketch for You to Try Birthday:
Stamps: Beyond Basics Borders, Mixed Messages
Paper: Spring Moss, Plum Pudding, Stamper's Select White, 2008 Bitty Dot Paper, Polka Dot Parade (PTI)
Ink: Spring Moss, Plum Pudding
Accessories/Tools: Cuttlebug, Tag die (Provocraft), Plum Pudding Satin Ribbon, Vintage Button New Leaf (PTI), Linen Thread (SU!), Threading Water Punch (Fiskars), Taylor's Tiny Twinkles (Taylored Expressions