Gem-collared Cats

I have had an awful day, and it's only lunch-time. I should have stuck to RED. You can't go wrong with RED. I woke at 12:30 with a migraine. Took my pills, went to sleep until 3. At 4 I went in the hot tub, checked SCS, and read until 6. I was getting sleepy, so I went to bed, and woke up with a start at 8:30. My PT appt was for 9. WHOA! Got there on time, came home to find my Night Splints had arrived, went back to PT. Spent an hour and a half making this card, and now I don't like it. I'm too tired to start over, so it is what it is. It's hot and sticky, so I'm staying away from working in the yard until I meet a couple GFs for dinner. This day is a BUMMER..........except for you guys! Hugs!

SC237 Purple Butterfly

I had a lotta trouble with this simple sketch the morning. Started with one color, ended up with another. Totally different. My camera that takes such wonderful pictures doesn't do a good job on this color..........it's really bright IRL! Thanks for looking. I'm off to weed!! Check on you later!

2nd post.......for the Dare and CC

The Doubledog Dare Challenge was posted this morning by our hostess Fran (Francie G.), who dared us to make a wedding card. Please join us, and put DDC in your keyword so we can see it in our gallery. To make it a little tougher, I combined it with today's CC of lavender, banana, white, gray, and black!! I think this would work really well for an anniversary card too. What do you think? I also posted (below) a photo of DH in the garden. Please take a look. Have a great day.

How Tall is Tall?

Here is a picture of my DH, Jay. He is 6'4" tall. Does that give you any clue as to how tall our yucca plant is??? It doesn't bloom every year. All of a sudden we saw the spike getting closer and closer to opening up with its gorgeous creamy bells......and here it is!! Not the most flattering picture of Jay, but it sure does put the plant in perspective! I was hoping the rest of the blossoms would open so I could show you all of them, but they fall off soon after opening. I'm glad I took the photo when I did!!

2nd Post - Happy Smiles for the CAS

Rich Razzleberry counts as RED, doesn't it??????? I couldn't resist the CAS today. One of the artworks Jen highlighted was a giraffe (and you know I LOVE giraffes, don't you?) in these fabulous colors, on a green bg. I have recently become more interested in simple and clean lines, and had this wonderful image from Whipper Snapper. I am enjoying my scor-pal, and with my camera fixed, you can even see the lines I scored. I'm done for today......promise!!

Penguin Popsicles

Ya think I might have gone overboard just a little on this???? I have been up since 3 AM, and don't seem to be functioning well so far. I guess this is a little busy, even for me, but I loved this little penguin, and one thing led to another, and.............there it is. I love this crazy bg dp, orange, RED, caramel. Just crazy. Hope it doesn't knock your eyes out!! Have a great day. Hugs.

OUCH! a Second Case of Kelly our FS

Got a call from Mom to say my Uncle Warren just had "thing" removed from his hand. I had seen this card (above and beside mine) Kelly made with circles, and thought it would be perfect for some bandaid paper. Since there was no room for ribbon or a big button, I used tiny buttons and a piece of the dp cut into a pennant shape (much more masculine, don't you think?) He saves all my cards.......how cool is that!....... and I think he will get a kick out of this one. Thanks again Kelly for a wonderful layout!!

FS Kelly, The Little Stinker!!

I had no intention of making a card this morning, then I discovered the FS today was Kelly (Schirmcat)! She is such a trouble-maker/fun girl!! She has a great sense of humor! She is responsible for the Naughty and Nice List (she put me on the Naughty......correctly!), and for various other infractions. Here's to you, Kelly, you little stinker!! Enjoy your day. That's good advice for us all...........have a good one! Hugs!

Pirate Gold

The Inspiration Challenge at SCS today........I couldn't wait to use my new pirate stamp set, and when I saw this cute pirate costume on the website for the IC, I knew I could ink it up! I started out with RED, but it just wasn't working, so I sneaked a little into the corner holding the pirate's gold. This is the first time I have taken out my Ranger distress inks, and I think I will use them a lot! I even gold embossed the words, and I hardly ever think to do it, although I really like the look. I hope you like the look too. Have a great weekend! Hugs to all.

Oh, Those RED Ladybugs!

The LSC today was to crop a part of an image, and use it three or more times. The stamp I used is called Buggy Borders by Whipper Snapper Designs. Today was a day for RED, and I love the combination of my favorite color with Black, White, and Yellow. I had just gotten these fab daisies from MS, and they were calling to me. This week's TLC was to make a STAND UP CARD, and it was such fun I decided to do another. It kind of put itself together, and I really like the results. Hope you do too. Have a great weekend, and thanks for taking a look !

Will He Melt in July??????

I nearly had a heart attack this morning!! Christmas in July for the WT today!! Oh boy! I'm still trying to patiently wait for summer, and here we go to winter. BLEAH!! Because I am a very disorganized person, I still had two stamps out that should have gone into the closet with my Christmas stuff, so I didn't have to go rooting around to find a stamp. I love this silly snowman, and I can't figure out if he fell down, or had too much eggnog. Whatever, he got a RED hat, nose, and soles of his boots. I love this paper, it has fabulous sparkles on the ornaments, and a plain green other side.........no matching involved. PHEW! Hope you like my effort for today. Have a great one!!

Second Post.......SC...Hang in There!

I just love it when everything goes together, don't you? I had this fabulous matching dp from Paper Patch. The wheat and pink were meant to go with each other, and I had this image from I Brake For stamps that was perfect!! The SC today gave me the layout I needed, and I had some of this wonderful corrugated cardboard from an earlier card. I even stitched the button down to hold the bow in place. I used my corner punch without the guard to make the border. I hope you can see the stickles on the wheat, and that you think the cutting I did for the out-of-the-box-look is okay. I really like how it came out. Thanks for visiting, and have a fun and creative day!!

First Post: Belli Challenge #69

This week's Belli Challenge is to make a card with texture........Flower Soft, flock, metal, whatever. I used flocked bg paper I got at...are you ready?.......BIG LOTS! I altered the Penny Black stamp by using my marker on just the parts I wanted, and added the udder, tail, and body spots. I think it came out great! The whole reason for using the cow was to get in these funny balloons! Aren't they fab???? They really make me laugh! I also love the wonderful cow print ribbon. *Ties it all together, right? (EEEEwwwww!) * I hope you like the card I made, and that you will want to join us in the Belli Challenge. Just put CBC69 in your keywords.

Sand Castle Summer, DDC

Our hostess for the Doubledog Dare Challenge this week is Joanne (sleepyinseattle), who gave us a choice: blue, orange, yellow for a summer card, or the CC colors, since they were so similar. Please join in the DDC, and just put those letters in your keyword so we can find your card in that gallery!!

I chose the CC colors of apricot, blue, turquoise, and caramel. I got this sand castle stamp last year and didn't get a chance to use it much, so I thought it would cover the colors really well. What do you think? Oh....I had to slip in a little RED, just because! Have a great day, my friends!!

2nd Monday Post! CAS Blue Birthday

Decided to do a second card today...this one is for the CAS22 challenge. All the men in the family love birds, so this card will work for any of them! I hope you like it!! Don't forget to look at my RED card below this one!!

1st Monday Post....DDC, TLC Stand Up RED flower and pearls

We had a wonderful 4th of July........our grands were here, and the little kids loved being with their BIG cousin from NV! Justin flew back last night, and the ten days went really fast. The fridge is still full of leftovers that we will be eating this week. DH will be at the grill, and I will have my fork and napkin ready!!

Back to real life, the technique today was a fun fold card. I combined it with the challenge from the DDC. Our hostess, Joan (joan ervin), dared us to make a card in our favorite color.......easy peasy for me! Woo-Hoo!!!

I hope your 4th was happy and safe, and welcome back to my blog, friends!! Hugs!

I'd NEVER Forget Your Birthday!

Now tell me, is this the cutest elephant? Dustin Pike is a fabulous illustrator and designer of digi stamps. The LSC today was to use a digi and/or die cut, no stamps, and only two embellishments. I used ribbon and stickles and die cut the BG with my Nesties Label. Of course it had to have some RED, so I used a soft rose shade. I hope you like it.

I'm waiting for Mom to arrive for the weekend. We will do some stamping, of course, but we are getting ready for the family to arrive tomorrow for a cookout and swim!. The sun has just come out, and we are promised sunshine for tomorrow (instead of 5 weeks of rain which we are really sick of!!)!

Have a safe and happy 4th!! Hugs to all!

Native Lovely

This may surprise you, but I ADORE Native American images. They are not so easy to find, and not always as beautiful as this one. It's a pain in the neck (or lower) to paint, but the results are worth it, I think. The challenge was to use corrugated paper/cardboard, and I've had this piece for years. Definitely time to use it. You may also be surprised that the dark color is Burgundy....you know I have to sneak in a little RED whenever I can!

Probably this will be my last post this week. We are having 17 of the family here on Saturday. DH and I went to the grocery store this morning to get SUPPLIES, tomorrow to get the drink stuff. We are hoping to have nice weather. Today, starting at 4 AM, we had AWFUL thunder and lightning, and driving rain........2 inches an hour!! Flash flooding! It has rained all day, sometimes in torrents, but we did manage to stop for lunch! Tonight we are joining friends for a drink and appetizer at their house, then out to eat....again. Life is hard.

Have a safe and fun 4th of July wherever you are. Hugs to you all.

Sports in RED/White/Blue

It feels so good to be making a card in RED, and having my digital camera back! It's the little things that matter, right? This is the layout for the SC today, and I had a lot of trouble deciding on a theme. My stash of guy cards is pretty low, so that won out. I am not really crazy about VERY GEOMETRIC cards, so this wasn't easy for me. I hope you like it......and if you have any suggestions as to how I could make it better, please feel free. Another bleak cool day......where is SUMMER!!!!????!!!! Anyway, I send you all a big hug!

On the Road Again

I made this card for the CC today........in Kraft, Saffron, and Navy. I bought the ribbon about 2 weeks ago, and here were the perfect colors. I love this By Land set by SU.......fun for kids, and even older "kids". The ribbon and paper match IRL........hard to get true colors on another awful gray day, and theweather guys are promising thunderstorms for this afternoon. We are hoping the bad weather will be over by the weekend for our annual 4th of July party. Hope you have a great day. Hugs to you all.

CAS and Wanted

My camera came back this afternoon! I had posted two cards this morning, and wanted to take a better picture of one of them, and in deleting one, I deleted everything. let's try this again! These are for TLC and CAS today. I was particularly interested in the techique......Faux Burnt Edges. I hope you like it. I think it makes a wonderful masculine look! The flowers on the other card are sparkly.....that was the other challenge. Thanks for looking.

A Dove for Dawn

I don't always take part in the Featured Stamper challenge, but today, the celebrant was Dawn Lusk. I really love her gallery, and she is nice enough to comment from time to time on the cards I post. The card I cased is on the right. You can easily see the changes I made, so I won't bother to list them. I am not happy with the picture I get from scanning, and am anxiously awaiting the return of my camera TOMORROW!!! We have company coming shortly, so I may not get in many comments at your blogs, but know that I will be checking on what you are doing later. Have a wonderful rest of the weekend, friends!

Classic Chinese Take-Out...1,2,3.

This title makes more sense than it seems! The LSC today was to pick one item from each of three lists, and make a masculine card. Here's what I chose: 1-truck,2-brown and green,3-hardware and fibers. It's a number day for sure, because I have some great things to report:1-my cousin Stefanie had a baby boy named Chase,2-my grandson Justin arrived this morning from NV for 10 days to visit,3-I got an email that my camera is on it's way back home repaired! What a TRIPLE!! I'm a happy camper! Hugs to you all!

Bold Bright RED Flower

I am truly missing my digital camera. Scanning a lumpy card is hard.....you get parts that are not focused well. Here I have tried to show my card for the WT challenge to use bold bright colors. Of course, to me that means RED. Yesterday I sat on my chaise and crocheted some flowers, thanks to the tutorial, and had to use one to show I really could do it!!! YAY!!! The only other B&B color I used was Glorious Green, and I had fun with punches and the swirl from Priceless(look closely to see it!). Another get well card for my friend. Have a great day, and it would be wonderful if someone could send us some sunshine!! Hugs, all.

Hey Chick!

While I was uploading the turtle with the RED flower, I realized how little of my favorite color has been appearing.......so I made another SC card, but this time with a wonderful shade of .......what else?.....Mandarin RED. Just HAD to! LOL!

Get Well Whimsie

Today is a busy day........two uploads! This first is a get well card using the SC, and a free digi stamp. Check out the forum for the details of the Doubledog Dare Challenge. Our hostess this week is Julia (artystamper) who sent us this cute image. I thought it was perfect for my friend Wendy who just had surgery! Please join us in the DARE this week.......remember to put DDC in your keyword.

The second post is just below, for the Belli Challenge. Please take a look at that one too! Hugs, you guys!!

Belli Challenge #68

This week's Belli Challenge is to make a 4th of July card. Firecrackers are wonderful, but to me, July 4th is all about America and the American Flag. Behind the flag is an acetate sheet on which I printed, "God Bless America, land that I love". I hope you like it, and that you will join us in making a card for this challenge. Also, please welcome our four new DT members!

Sunset Bay

I put this card against a black bg...the card itself is white with the sunset scene on top of a little scrap of black. I sure wish you could see the scoring at the bottom and right side of this card. It really makes a difference when I scan as opposed to taking the digital photo. I can't wait to get my camera back from the company! I think this makes a wonderful masculine card........nice to have one in my stash. Have a great day. Hugs to you all.

I Hear You're Doing Swimmingly!!

The title of this post is what this card will say inside. My friend Wendy is having surgery tomorrow, and I have made a bunch of cards to send her.......one a day for a week. This card is also for the CAS challenge to do a card with paper piecing. I love the look on the face of this silly whale. Hopefully, it will make her smile. As you can see, I am having to scan my cards since my digital is being fixed. I can't wait to get it back!! Hugs to you all.

Silent Froggy

Beside my card today is the picture of Christy's card I CASEd......she is the Featured Stamper. I thought her card was really cute, so I kept the layout and colors, but reversed them. The stamp is new, and I was happy to have a froggy to add to my collection of frogs. Her card has a sentiment......my froggy is silent. It's hard to talk when you are catching flies! Happy Father's Day...and hugs to all you Dads!!

Lion Wishes

I bought a plate of rubber a while ago, and this phrase was on the side. Since it was not a part of the images I purchased, my first thought was to pitch it. After a while, I went to Google, and a lengthy search produced results................so I kept it. The challenge on SCS today was to use a foreign language on a card, using limited supplies. I knew just about everyone would use French, so I wanted something different. (I'm always different, aren't I?) I found this in a box I have labeled AFRICA. Perfect words to use with wild animals. The translation of the Dutch reads: Have a BEASTLY fine day. How perfect is this???!!! Hugs, you guys!!

A Romance in Garlic

I just couldn't resist another text card....especially one with this great saying. We are garlic lovers here..but only if we BOTH have it! I hope you get a kick out of it.

Japanese Text

Sorry about this image. I had to use my scanner, so one side is a little out of focus. My new digital has the flu, and has to go back to Canon......it says Lens Error. I tallked to a tech there, and he said they had to fix it there. So, off to the Post Office, and who knows how long without my "baby". And it's raining......PHOOEY!!

This card is for the WT today......to use text. As I was looking around, I saw this paper, which I love, and thought Japanese text was just as good as any. I love these Koi, so there you have it. Have a great day, and hugs to all.

What a Hoot!

I just LOVE this set, Forest Friends by SU! It just came, along with the new scallop oval punch, and I couldn't wait to ink it up! The SC today is fabulous........I used a bunch of little scraps I had saved (apparently for this card!). I hope you like it.

I am in a real quandary today....the sun is shining, but this is going to be the only good day this week. Should I postpone the 15 kids and grandkids for Sunday, since we always have a bash on July 4th? No one will be able to use the pool, the kids will all be inside, DH will have to use the grill anyway.......what do you think? Input please. Hugs to you all, my friends.

Baseball Boy!

Ah! RUBY RED, blue and white! Fabulous colors for the CC today, and how well they worked for the DDC as well. This week I am the hostess for the Doubledog Dare Challenge. I challenged the group (and you too!) to make a card for a kid. If you would like to join us, please put DDC in your keyword.

This birthday card is for my DGS who plays shortstop for the Hudson MA team of 9 year-olds. He will be ten next month. Double figures!! A few weeks ago I posted his picture, so if you scroll down, you'll see Jake.

I love this Frances Meyer paper of baseballs.......who could resist using it with this cute little bug stamp. The buttons came from Target, and the sentiment is from Diamonds. Perfect for this card. Thanks for joining me today..........still dark and rainy. I am hoping for some sunshine for Sunday when all the kids will be here for Father's Day. Having the pool and hot tub unused is awful! Hugs to you all!

.......and Speaking of Humor...

I have the funniest story to tell! We have dinner every Saturday night with the same couple......one week their house, one week......you get the idea. We have done this for YEARS, and are really close friends. This past weekend, something really funny happened during dinner. Our buddy Tom got laughing so hard, a kernel of corn came out of his nose!! Can you even imagine! We got so hysterical we had to stop eating (but only for a while!). As a result, I made this card for him, and will send it out this morning. He will laugh all over again. I have posted the inside as well as the front so you can get the whole joke. I just couldn't resist!

A Different Duet with some Humor

At the top is my card for the FS today, a CASE of sumtoy. Her card is below mine......I put it here so you can compare. I changed the colors, stamp and sentiment, added a ribbon, but kept the layout and the piercing. Inside it says "I gather it's your birthday". It has been raining here for days, and probably because of that I am very silly this morning. The sentiment is computer generated......wish I could find a stamp that says it, but had to settle for typing. You know certain things about me......I have a favorite color, and I LOVE funny cards. I hope you find humor in this. Whoever is doing the rain dance, you can stop now! Hugs.

Stirred, Not Shaken

A very simple card today......The inspiration for this card came from the bottle label. It gave me a chance to use my favorite color (of course!), and one of my favorite images, the Gibson Girl. I've wanted to use this sentiment for a long time, but couldn't find the right venue. I think this is perfect. I tried stamping it, but it just needed to be printed on the computer to give it balance. I hope you like it. Hugs.

DDC, LSC224 A Jay for Jay

Ah! Being back home is wonderful! My knees are killing me, my back is sore, and my hand is swollen from emptying part of the attic so Mom could have a place to put her decorations and dolls so she could put bookcases (which I put together...6 of them!) in her craft room. Now she has room to see her stamps. She will probably move them around for a few weeks until she get comfy, but now has a place for everything.
This card is for two challenges. First, for the DDC, Bev (beestamper) gave us a layout to follow with no other directions. Easy peasy. Join us this week by putting DDC in your keyword. I used this layout for the LSC today, the requirements were as follows: water and sand colors, with ribbon, piercing, and brads. The card needs a little explanation. It's for my DH, Jay, for Father's Day. He is a bird LOVER. We have all different kinds of feeders in our yard (and plenty of bird doo), and a place to put peanuts for the Blue Jays. They make a lot of noise, but are really fun to watch. They are VERY picky about which peanut to take....they shake them, and decide which seems fuller! Who says they are bird brains????? Anyway, this card really works for him......from colors to theme!
Thanks for looking, and hugs to you all.

Belli Challenge #67

I am so pleased to upload my first card as a Design Team member of the Belli Challenge! The layout is from Sassy Stamps, and was such fun to follow! Belli is looking to fill in a few new Design Team positions. Go to www.bellichallenge.blogspot.com for information. You will see the cards posted by the team for this week's challenge: Father's Day. Timely, right? Mine is here a little late, as I was away most of the week.
I love this SU set, especially because we have all the men in the family as summer cooks. The grill is their personal property, and we girls don't mind a bit!! I didn't have to have my arm twisted to use my favorite colors, and they seem to be just right for cookouts!
Please join us in the Belli Challenge this week, and think about being a DT member.

White Pearls and Hearts

Didn't think I'd have time to post today, but the CC was up early. The challenge was to make a one layer card only in white. I haven't dry embossed in forevah with my metal stencils, stylus, and light box, so that's what I did for this card. I traced the outline from a scalloped card, and cut it out of white CS. I really love the result. White only is so elegant. I hope you like it. I am off in a few minutes to Mom's to help her clean out one of her attics so she can have more room in the Craft Room for all her stuff. Big job, and NO ONE could do it alone. We have also enlisted the help of DH who will load up my van with stuff from 1959 that has never been unpacked!! See how big a job it is? Have a great week, be back Friday PM. Hugs to you all.

Beautiful Erin!

No card making......Mom arrived on Friday, and we did a lot of errands. Saturday AM we left early for my Uncle Paul's 90th birthday party in New Hampshire.......long ride, great fun! Sunday was my granddaughter's Feis (pronounced FESH), her Irish step Dancing competition! She of course is central in the picture in her beautiful dress. (If you click on her, the picture will enlarge, I think) Erin has just turned 12, loves purple, but her latest favorite is Teal! She competed for the first time in hard shoes, in addition to soft shoes for the Reel, Jig, and Slip Jig, and won medals in all four. By the time we got home, Mom, DH and I were very tired. We sort of watched the RED SOX lose, and were really bumps on logs. Busy weekend. Tomorrow I leave for Mom's for a few days...we are attacking the attic before it gets too hot. Be back on Friday afternoon. Have a great week. Hugs.

DDC, WT221 Heard the NEWS?????

WOW! Was this ever fun!! I combined two challenges today, and I hope you like what I've done. Anne (Itsapassion) Dared us to make a card that has real newspaper on it for the DDC this week. (Please join us!) Julia challenged us to make a card being creative with punches, etc., instead of stamps. I used the tag punch to make the shingles, and made a very simple chimney to show the paper on the roof, which is where it generally is, right? That's it. Hugs to you all, my dear friends.

Puffer Fish

Today I am starting with an explanation. This was a simple sketch, but for me it was nothing but trouble. Everything that could go wrong did, and a few other things did too. The glue I was using was VERY sticky...so much in fact that things got stuck down in the wrong places too soon. I ran out of dp, and had to piece it after it got stuck down to my cs, and I had to replace that too. The punch got stuck, I couldn't figure out how to cover up the holes in the button so they wouldn't show. I had only a scrap of the right color ribbon, and in the picture, it looks like it's now way near what I had in mind. When taking the photo of the card, the light was so awful I couldn't get a true color, or get the glitter to show up. I should have quit when the first thing went wrong! Now here's the final truth......I really like it!

Thanks for looking and putting up with my whining!! Hugs.

CC Baby Giraffe

Imagine my delight when Betty filled in for Emily, and posted the color challenge this morning!! No problemo!! RED works for me.......and added orange and green. I had fun with punches, my cb, and paintbrush. I hope you like it. We are awaiting the arrival of a baby in our family. My cousin Stefanie is due any minute, maybe today??? Glad it's not me!! We don't know what to expect, so a card with a giraffe in these colors will work for a boy or girl. Will keep you posted!

DDC Purple and Gold

I was up really early this morning, checking for the CC and the DDC. The CC wasn't posted, but the Dare was. Considering I'm a week behind, I thought I had better do the one I owed the group. The hostess for last week was Michelle (sf9erfan), who dared us to make a card with metal, 2 ribbons, and sponging. The sponging and the ribbons you can see pretty well, and I used a single metal brad in the primas. When or even if I decide to send this card, it will surely break the bank....thick with layers, and HEAVY!! The gold in the bg is embossed with French Script, and there's a bit of Baroque Motifs hiding in the bg too. I hope you like it. Off to PT. Hugs.

Layered With Flowers

I know, I know.......still no RED! {(Don't PUSH me, jojot!)} This card is a case of one of Roxie Glaza's beautiful cards. She was the FS yesterday. I love Roxie's sketches, and case her cards all the time. Mom was here for a very busy weekend, but we did find time to make a couple of cards, and this is one we cased on Saturday.......how fitting for the FS to have what we had cased!

Mom just went home. We entertained friends Saturday night, and had our youngest grandson John's First Communion on Sunday morning. There was a party afterwards, and then we attended part of grandson Tommy's Lacrosse game. About twenty minutes into the game, it started to sprinkle. When the sprinkles turned to outright pouring, the game was called. What we saw was such fun........I had never seen Lacrosse played, so it was very new to me!!

Today I am really tired. No sleep for days. Actually, I sleep, but only in fits and starts, so I never feel rested. Gotta get back to my neurosurgeon and see what more he can do for me. He mentioned cortisone shots in my neck, and maybe that's the way to go. Pain is radiating up on both sides of my head along the nerves. Wait!!!.......aren't these supposed to be the Golden Years???????????

Today we are picking up grandson Jake after school, and he'll be here for supper. His Mom has her next-to-last Track meet, and Dad has a meeting and a dinner, so Jake is ours for a while. He announced yesterday that he is 9 and 3/4! I guess every bit helps!!

I'll be reading and lying low today until Jake is here. Hope you are getting some rest too after a busy and fun weekend. Hugs to you all!