Yes, still Precious...

Full card & matching envelope

A little bit closer....

Stamps, B&T - CTMH; Inks - Memento, CTMH & Colorbox Chalks; Copics & Spicas; Sheer Ribbon - A Muse; Large heart brad.

Although she is precious to me..........it doesn't stop me from being quite frustrated, irritated and slightly sideways with her. I made this card when I wasn't feeling all of that - and I'm not really sure when I'll end up actually giving it to her.....we'll see.

Squeezing in the rest

Cardbase - Memory Box; sentiment stamps - A Muse; B&T - ???; Memento Inks; Stickles; mini-heart confetti (from Wishing Well, I think); Scallop scissors; ribbon

The photo is pretty dark considering how bright and cheerful this card is IRL........I love that mini-heart confetti.....they are really tiny and boy do they shake like nobody's business!!



Cardbase - Papertrey Ink; Stamps, black & white polka dot CS - A Muse; Stardream cs; Memento Inks; Copics & Spicas; Liquid Glass - CTMH; Heart bling; corner rounder

I know you're thinking you've already seen this card this week, right? Right........this is a slightly different version - I think this one better.



Cardbase - Memory Box; green & white panel, sheer ribbon, Love Shack & sentiment - A Muse; Owl - Just Johanna; mini-hearts - Hero Arts; Memento Inks; Copics & Spicas; Stickles & heart bling

If you're not humming the B-52's "Love Shack" song then I don't know what planet you're from!! Cute stamp just screaming to be made into a V-day card!!



Cardbase - Memory Box: border stamp - A Muse; sentiment & background stamps - CTMH; Memento Inks; Spicas & Copics; Heart Bling

Another "Twilight"-inspired card. I whipped through all four books so quickly last year, I don't quite recall in which book Edward gives Bella the antique heart charm (that's of course a gorgeous diamond). I've always loved this sentiment......it really does say it all.

Happy Heart Day to all of you!!

Scalawag Love

Full Card & matching envelope

Close-up of rogue pirate cupcake

Cardbase - Memory Box; Cocoa & white CS - CTMH; "Wooden plank" stamp - CTMH; Pirate Cupcake - Taylored Expression; "Ye Scalawag" - Just Johanna; Memento Inks; Copics & Spicas; Hemp, Heart Confetti.

I've been thinking I needed to use him for a V-day card and he obliged. I think the hemp adds just the "rough" texture and quite a fitting card for a guy or gal.

In the Eye of The Beholder

Stamps, cardbase, sheer ribbon & heart bling - A Muse; Ink - Memento; Copics & Spicas; Liquid Glass - CTMH

(Hey, I seem to recall some weird computer game called "Eye of The Beholder" - something my husband and alien nephews played a few years ago. And now look - I've gone ahead and given that mutant game's name a title to a sweet little card. I doubt I have many gamers that look at my blog, so I don't think anyone will make the correlation......)

This card came together on its own......I was merely there to literally "lend a hand (well, 2 hands)". The card took all of 10 minutes to make - I let the Liquid Glass dry overnight.

I still have a couple more V-Day cards to post.....but yikes - I'm running out of days (I'll select my 2 favorites and then get them up-loaded to finish out the rest of the week!!).

Many Hearts For You!

Cardbase - Memory Box: Octopus, "Inkin' of you", heart bling & sheer ribbon - A Muse; Mini heart stamps - Hero Arts; Paint Splatter stamp - CTMH; Inks - Memento & Colorbox Chalks; Copics & Spicas; Stickles; Marvy heart punch, Stampin' Up slot punch

When A Muse introduced the Octopus last year, I had to have him....he's so cute!! Then I saw a card with him holding a bunch of the mini-presents (also A Muse) and I think wearing the mini-party hat (yes, A Muse too). I'm sorry to say I can't quite recall which blog I saw the b-day card on (but I'm leaning towards Novell's Mastering The Art of Procurement blog......go to the A Muse blog - she's on the design team) - but obviously it make quite the impression. Since a bunch of presents are really cute but maybe not so appropriate for V-Day.....why not hearts?? Hero Arts has a plethora of tiny hearts so that fit the ticket...........and I love the paint/ink splatter stamp from CTMH (although I now have it in a "background" set of acrylic stamps....for years I had this one in wood!!) - it created the perfect subtle border!!

Falling in Flames

Card Front: Stamps - Cat's Pajamas; Inks - Memento & Colorbox Chalk; Copics; Spicas; Stickles; B&T paper I've had for years and LOVE it...wished I would have purchased a ream of it!!

Inside Card: see above for card-making ingredients

I was just flipping through some of my B&T paper one day - not planning on doing anything in particular WITH it - I just like looking at it, handling it, smelling it.....weird huh?? What I can I say - I really do love paper. Lots of times the paper sparks an idea....I don't really have an exact way of coming up with a card idea - different things just hit me. In fact, I was working on Saturday, doing my mindless "real" job and as I was working, my thoughts floating around as I glanced up at one of the three calendars I have hanging on my cubicle walls (a mini Mary Engelbreit - love her stuff.....so warm and cheery), looking at the birthdays for the month - and I realized I have 2 b-days for golfers coming up. What to do, what to do for a card..........since I'm not a golfer at all. Hmmmm- I knew I had a golf bag stamp since I purchased one this time last year to make cards for these same two people.....what can I do with that stamp? And then it hit me - a cool card idea (if it translates to my satisfaction, I'll post it at the end of the month). This all took about 15 seconds in real time - the card popped into my head and I grabbed a Post-It note, scribbled a description and a REALLY lame sketch design (hence why I stamp versus draw....) and all the while I continued on with my oh-so boring mundane work.

Is that how it works for most card-makers I wonder? Do they "see" finished cards in their head? Do stamps inspire a card, is it paper or embellishment, fabric or a first daffodil they see?? I guess it's all of those things and so much more that zap card ideas into my head - hey, maybe I'm lucky to have such a boring job........my mind is ALWAYS on the look-out for something interesting!!

Gumball Treat

Cardbase, Ribbon & Crystal Glass - CTMH; Stamps - A Muse & Hero Arts; Memento Ink; Copics, Spicas & Silver Gel Pen; Heart bling - A Muse

Sorry the photo is so dark!! Fast & easy card (mainly because the decorative cardbase is pre-made.....those CTMH card kits come in quite handy!!). Well, actually now that I think about it - coloring the gumballs did take some time and since I made 6 of these cards I was pretty much done with gumballs by the time I finished coloring all of them. Looking back - I'm pleased with the outcome.

Do Not Feed

Every year for the last 25 years or so, we've gone to a tree farm to get our Christmas Tree. For the last 15 years or so, we've gone to the same tree farm. The people are nice, the trees are beautiful (and reasonable) and usually, there's some snow to play in. Well Christmas of 2008 was a pretty dry winter - in fact, we haven't had snow at the tree farm in a couple of years. While we miss the snow, this last Christmas we had something better......this dog. There are several dogs that live with the family that runs the tree farm. Here's one of them - the photos tell her story...

She's pretty much seen more people than any dog wants to see, so she needs to keep herself amused (and nurished) in other ways......the tree farm also has a small apple orchard.....there were still some apples in the beginning of December......

Notice she doesn't gobble her apple, she chews and then takes a break to see what's happening in the yard and then takes another bite of apple............etc........

The perfect photo of the day..................I love the bit of apple hanging off her lip and her personalized dog tag.......................Creepella and I roared with laughter!!

Cousin It

I just LOOOOOVE this girl....."Cousin It" hair and all.........this is Creepella (see how the name is so darned fitting???). She's growing her hair to donate to Locks of Love (we are a family of hair-growers, I've donated a couple of times, Creepella has and so has Chef Bo-Bo Head). She's kind of on the fence as to WHEN to have it chopped....she has to donate a minimum of 10 inches but she also wants to "still have long hair" after it's been cut. Maybe when it gets to her knees it'll be long enough???

Oh hey - I just noticed you can see the cool new Harry Potter ornament I got for the tree......I was drving them crazy....kept pushing the button to make it talk - Creepella threatened to remove the batteries......spoil-sport...........but I still love her more than the whole wide world.

Cheating...

It's kind of a cool card, right? Creepella really likes the colors and tells me it looks clean and crisp, "kinda modern" (versus all the fuddy-duddy stuff that I usually come up with???). There's not one lick of stamping to this card (ok, there is a sentiment that I stamped on the inside and of course I stamped the envelope and I stamped my logo on the back of the card - but I just liked typing "not one lick of stamping...." my blog - my rules...).

From Michael's Dollar Bins I purchased 8 identical cards (they were a smidgen smaller than A2-sized and came with REALLY thin envelopes....ick...) [$1.00]; I got 5 little popped out sentiments for another $1.00 (and actually, I had to purchase 10 sentiments, so that pushes it to [$2.00] but I have 2 sentiments left over now....). I already had the white cardbase and the key lime sheer ribbon and the Stickles. The cards were folded kinda wonky so I immediately cut them in half, used a corner-rounder on the right side of the panel and cardstock, adhered the printed panel onto my much sturdier white cardbase, threw a ribbon around it, squirted out some Stickles, slapped on the sentiment and called it a day.

I'm thinking what a neato-bandito gifty this would make and HELLLLLOOOOOO - did you calculate how much it costededed???

Mental Note: make more of these and put them away (but not too far away) for future gifts.....

Arigato (again)

Cardbase - Memory Box; B&T paper - CTMH; Stamps - Hero Arts; Inks - Memento; Copics; Stardream cardstock.

Sometimes a new set of stamps absolutely SCREAMS at you......this one from Hero Arts just about choked me the first time I saw it in the 2009 catalog. I LOVE it......and then what happened?? CTMH came out with this gorgeous new set of paper, "Unforgetable" (almost makes me wish I had a CTMH website so that you could do online ordering from me!!). It's beautiful beyond belief AND of course there are also 3 new CTMH stamp sets that look divine with this gorgeous paper (for all of my CTMH friends - give me a ring.....you've GOT to see this catalog and for the month of February, there's a very cool special happening!!). The new Hero Arts set looks like it was made to go EXACTLY with this paper...........sigh.........sheer bliss - I'm telling you!

Blustery Magic

Stamps, Cardstock and B&T paper - CTMH; Inks - Memento; Copics; Stickles; Marvy Punches

I only made 5 of these cards......Creepella received one (she LOVES getting mail) and the others were sent to some of my long-time special stamping buddies. I love those huge honkin' Marvy Punches - they're fast and easy and in a pinch, could be used as a weapon!!

I know I've been a lame blogger and for those of you who've been wondering what the he!! I've been doing (or rather NOT doing), all I can say is while I've been busy, I just haven't been busy with the blog. I'm not going to make any promises (or excuses) but I have every good intention to get back into the blogging-groove........I've got lots of cards to share!