A Card and Bookmark for My Aunt's 89th Birthday

My "bit of a break" has most certainly been much longer than I had intended.  I'm happy to be playing with my toys again, so I thought I would start with my aunt's 89th birthday card.  She is probably my biggest fan and I always love making something truly special for her.

This card doesn't have a stamped and colored image, though I do have plenty of them ready and waiting for just the right card.  The photograph is one I took of wild flowers along our road.  It was interesting to me that this little bunch resembled a heart.  I used one 12 x 12 sheet of K & Company Que Sera Sera double-sided cardstock.  The colors and designs are so beautiful! 

With remaining pieces of the dp I made this corner bookmark.  I've seen these in several and have been making quite a few as gifts and for the shop.  I almost always have enough leftovers from a card to make a matching bookmark.  The photo was printed smaller for this.

This is the back of the bookmark, with a birthday wish to make every day special for my aunt.

Other material used:

rhinestone swirls

Prima flowers

Basic Grey brads

heart charm

white mulberry paper

orange ribbon

shapes cut with Nestibilities

leaves from Martha Stewart punch

I sure appreciate you coming back for a visit!  You're welcome to comment and let me know you were here, then I can pay you a visit in return.

Have a blessed week!

I'll Be Back Soon!

Well, my break has been a bit longer than expected, not that it has been a "break" in the relaxation sense of the word.  I've done quite a lot of sorting and organizing, helping to unclutter my work area, including my computer, and, hopefully, unclutter my creativity.  Boxes of scrapbooking magazines from 2004 are going to the local thrift shop.  My stepdaughter took home about 10 pounds of scrapbook paper, which her daughter immediately dove into!  I have a bit more to do before I can declare victory over the mess, but this has been a very productive break.

One thing that will come out of this overhaul is that many of my cards will be for sale in the "Card Boutique", a new tab that will soon appear on this blog.  I also plan on opening a "Shop Handmade" site as well as eBay.

I've sure missed blogging and, of course, card making.  I'm ready to get back to it! 

I'll Be Taking a Bit of a Break

I have some projects to work on, most of which will make my studio even more of a disaster area than it already is!  I have to get this place reorganized!  At the end of all this I plan to have a Shop Handmade site, an eBay store, and a "yard sale" here on this blog.  Somewhere here in Branson will be a thrift store with a truck load of craft magazines and materials that someone else can put to better use.

This does not mean I'm "going out of business".  On the contrary, I hope to be more creative and productive when all is done.  Who knows?  There might even be a new designer in the neighborhood.

I'll be checking in from time to time because I just can't be away from all this creativity for very long!  I might even have a new card to post now and then.  Hopefully I'll have all this done in the next week or so.

Hugs to all,

Fresh Brewed Designs August Blog Hop

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and you know what that means for Fresh Brewed Designs ... another blog hop and image release. The HOP starts with Rhonda, so be sure to go there first! If you are hopping and got here from Amanda 's blog, then you are good to go!

This hop will not be your ordinary hop... it is full of secrets and smiles, wonder and amazement. Magical things happen when you get a group of ladies together. What kind of magic you ask? The only magic worth seeking, wanting, cherishing... the kind of magic you find in true friendship. Today we have a little bit of magical enchantment to share with you in these newest Fresh Brewed Designs images. Each tells a little story, a little mystery, a little fun, and adds just a little bit of fantasy to each creation you will see during this hop.

As children we remember those Fairy Tales about mermaids and magical worlds where fairies live. We would lay in the grass and wonder if the patch of wildflowers was full of life, if mermaids swam in the sea beneath us. It is always fun to imagine and dream.

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again” ---- CS Lewis

For my card I used Tiana with the lovely Lilies of the Valley on her wings.  I remember finding these delicate flowers in both of my grandmothers' gardens.  The way they bloom in clusters, facing downward like little bells, they must produce sweet music heard only by the fairies of the gardens.

I colored Tiana with Copics and made the card with a purple and green color scheme.  The background paper is from the Basic Grey Wisteria collection.  The green and lavender trim papers are punched with three of the Martha Stewart border punches: wrought iron, pansies, and branches. The Lilies of the Valley are silk picks from Hobby Lobby wedding department and the ribbon from my stash.

Thank you so much for hopping, fluttering, or splashing by today. Please continue your journey by stopping by Jenn 's blog to see her beautiful creation. There is more magic and fun to come. Be sure to complete the hop in full, you will not want to miss the surprise at the end!!!
 

Bah! Humbug! Challenge --- Paper Tearing

I so love the ladies at Bah! Humbug!  Last week I referred to them as the "Trio of  Tinsel" and Max commented that she hoped that "it refers to how we sparkle rather than that you'd like to hang us up LOL!"  I'm sure it's a rhetorical question, but it most definitely is because Max, Ann and Irene sparkle!  They pick very creative guest designers, too.  Just hop over to Bah! Humbug! and see for yourself!

Every week I look forward to the new challenge because they come up with truly creative themes and techniques.  This week they have us tearing and ripping paper!  I love the look of torn papers and distressing, though too often I try too hard to make it a "perfect" tear, whatever that may be.  So, I gave myself an additional challenge:  to tear paper that has a mind of its own, such as mulberry or handmade paper.  I selected three sheets of papers handmade in Nepal.  They are actually part of a notepaper and envelope set I bought at Barnes and Noble book store.  It proved to be up to the challenge, giving me a truly random tear.  I layered the ivory, dark pink and light pink Nepal papers onto a card base of ivory card stock, also tearing the right edge.

The image, Christmas Fairy Holly, is from Mo Manning Digital Pencil. I had already colored her so finding the Nepal paper in my stash was, once again, a very lucky find! I used the Nesties Deckle Edge die to frame her. There is a piece of gold mulberry paper underneath the image. Prima flowers that are sprinkled with sugary glittery, a sentiment fromK & Co, and gold cord top it all off.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Now, do yourself a favor and visit Bah! Humbug!  I promise you won't find Scrooge there, but you will find inspiration for the fast approaching holiday season!