BUTTONS, BOWS & BABIES

I recently received an invitation to a baby shower for a "step" niece - and since she has announced the sex of the baby - I got to make a "sex specific" card. When I started this card I knew that I wanted to use white and Bashful Blue (typical baby boy colors) but decided to add a darker, more masculine accent color as well so I chose these Designer Papers I purchased at Hobby Lobby.

I have never cared for plain cardstock as a background - just too boring for me - so when I discovered Cuttlebug embossing folders this past Autumn I fell in love. So which folder to use for this card? What say's "baby" better than tiny little swiss dots?

The adorable little giraffe is from the retired Stampin'Up! set "Bundle of Joy" and is stamped in Basic Brown ink on 140# watercolor paper. It is colored with SU! Markers in shades of Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel. I used the SU! Itty Bitty Backgrounds to add specks in Close to Cocoa and then sponged the edge in Bashful Blue and then very lightly in Chocolate Chip.

My favorite part of this card however is the perfectly tied bow! I finally was able to make a beautiful bow - something I've NEVER been good at - and it's all because of a wonderful little gadget called the "Bow Easy". It's small, it's inexpensive and it's available for purchase from Sharon Johnson at No Time To Stamp. If you want to know what it's all about, check out this video by Jerri Jimenez. She shows how perfectly easy it is to use - and even shows you how to make double and triple loop bows. And while you're at their blogsites, scroll through and look at some of the beautiful bows they've created on their projects.

The little star is a button from JoAnn's. To attach it to the bow I simply cut off the eye on the back and secured it with a little bit of Elmer's Glue-All. The bow itself is attached to the ribbon with a glue dot.

That's all for today. Hope you enjoyed the card and will check out the Bow Easy.

Until next time -
Happy Stamping!
Jill

HIDDEN MESSAGES

The world is full of hidden messages. Advertisers call them "subliminal". Our friends call them "jokes". In strangers we often pick up on "innuendo". But whatever they are called, we're surrounded by hidden messages. (Except at Weight Watchers meetings where you can't hide ANYTHING!)

Today I have a hidden message to share with you in the form of a "HINGE CARD". Right away let me apologize for the poor quality of the photos. You'd never guess I get paid for my photographs would you? :) In my defense I will tell you I let the camera auto-focus because I didn't have my contacts in and apparently it focused on the WRONG thing! LOL!!! I don't have an excuse for the color though. It is not "Apricot" cardstock in the bottom photo. It is "Barely Banana".

There is a challenge for this technique on Splitcoast Stampers this week and supposedly a wonderful tutorial for this technique by Wendy Weixler at Wickedly Wonderful Creations. So rather than give you the blow by blow details on how to cut and create this card, just click on the link above for the tutorial if you'd care to try your hand at it.

I formed my "hinge" using a large, flat brad from the Stampin'Up! Hodge Podge Hardware set then covered it with a small K&Company flower. The designer paper is also from Stampin'Up!. The top panel is embossed using the Cuttlebug Textiles Embossing Folder. The border was created using the Martha Stewart Scalloped Border punch on Brocade Blue cardstock and a Cuttlebug embossed strip of Barely Banana cardstock. 2 additional K&Company flowers were added to coordinate with the hinge to keep it from looking out of place.

The sentiment, which is from Stampin'Up! God's Blessings, is stamped in Brocade Blue ink on Barely Banana cardstock.

I thought this was a fun, cute technique to try. Wonder how long it will take the recipient to figure out how to find the hidden message!

Have a wonderful day today. Remember to take care of all of yourself - mind, body, emotions and spirit.

Until next time -

Happy Stamping!

Jill

BUTTERFLIES & BLESSINGS

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY EVERYONE! Is that really a PC statement??? Memorial Day was established as a day to remember those that are gone. Some of us will find this a sad day, especially if the losses are new, others may find pleasure in remembering the lives of the ones we've lost. For me, today will be a bit of both I think.

I have a new fold to share with you today. It may not be new to all of you - but it was the first time I tried this. It is DEFINITELY time-consuming - but I liked the outcome so I think it was worth the time involved.

This is called the TRI-SHUTTER FOLD. The first image shows the card closed - the second image: open.

It's pretty easy to make and hopefully my instructions will be as easy to follow.
Start with a 5.5" x 12" piece of cardstock.

Using your Fiskars cutter (or similar cutter), score at 2", 4", 8" and 10" across the narrow edge of the card so that your first section is 2"x5.5", the second is 2" x 5.5", and the center section is 4"x5.5".

Turn the cardstock in the cutter and line the long right edge up to the 4" mark and cut a line 1 1/2" in from the left edge from the 10" mark (first foldline) to the 2" mark (last foldline). Repeat this along the other long edge of the cardstock.

The cardstock is now ready to fold and decorate. For my card I centered the Paisley Cuttlebug folder in the middle of the card and ran it through the BigShot. The Cuttlebug folders work perfectly because they have a 1/4" blank border which allows the 4" center section of the card to fit without embossing into the other folded areas.


Once embossed, I folded the card along the score lines (as shown in the second photo) and began decorating it closed so that the front of the card looked planned.

FRONT: I used SU! Bella Blue Designer Paper to cover 2 sections of the card then stamped the single bloom from SU! Bloomin'Beautiful in Basic Brown ink directly onto the DP. The leaves and stem were colored with SU! markers in Old Olive, Mellow Moss and Certainly Celery. The crocheted flower was one I had made previously and it was applied with adhesive over the bloom of the stamped flower. I tied a bow using my new BOW EASY and attached a miniature butterfly in Pretty in Pink DP. All the butterflies on the front of the card were made with Martha Stewart punches and miniature pearls were added to the bodies. The sentiment is from SU! God's Blessings and is stamped in Basic Brown ink.

INSIDE: I stamped the butterfly image from SU! God's Beauty in Basic Brown ink. I colored it in shades of Pretty in Pink and Apricot Appeal then cut it out and glued it to the inside panel being careful not to let the wings overlap into the upper panel. I applied more DP, punched butterflies, pearls and another sentiment to the inside panels leaving the back panel free of embellishment so that I can add a personal note and signature to the card.

WHEW!!!! That was as long to explain as it was to make the card!!!

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and that you'll give it a go. If you do, please leave me a comment with a link to what you've done. I'd love to see it.

Until next time -
Happy Stamping!
Jill

THANKS FOR MAKING ME SMILE

Before I show you the card I've posted for today, I wanted to tell you about a new product from Quick Kutz - embossing folders! That's right BigShot and Cuttlebug users, we now have more embossed background options to choose from! Click on this link to see a beautiful ornate oval. Love it!!! and it's definitely been added to my "must have" list.

I've received a couple of emails recently that really brightened my day and made me smile. When I saw this image at a friend's house the other day, it too made me smile and I thought it would work into a perfect "Thanks for making me smile card". The problem is now I don't know which of the two email senders I shoud send the card to. Maybe I should have made two!

Normally when I make a card I choose the image first and the papers once I have colored the image. However, I picked up this brown polka dot and the blue & brown striped papers at Hobby Lobby a few days ago and really wanted to use them, so I stamped my image on 140# watercolor paper and then colored my image with SU! markers in shades of blues, browns and yellows. I added just the touch of red to make the image stand out from the background. I outlined the image in bashful blue then used a SU! Aqua Painter to soften the line. (BEWARE! SU! Aqua Painters release ALOT of water at one time and will smear even "permanent" inks (e.g. notice the girls right arm!). I have a generic aqua painter that seems to work better for this technique but to really keep control of the amount of water being applied you could use a paint brush and dip it into water then a little reinker.)

Since I wanted to keep an "earthy" feel to the image, I lightly sponged bordering blue around the edge and then added specks in Creamy Caramel using the Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamp set. The finished image was layered onto a piece of Kraft cardstock and then again on a piece of Bordering Blue cardstock.

The sentiment is from the SU! set "Small Sayings" and was stamped onto Kraft cardstock in Chocolate Chip ink then matted on a small piece of Real Red cardstock to make it the focal point of the card as well as bring out the touches of red in the image. I added red brads and piercing to finish.

Thanks for taking the time to read my "babble" today.

Have a wonderful Holiday for those of you here in the USA.

Until next time -

Happy Stamping.

Jill

GENTLE THOUGHTS AND ROSES

Good Monday morning to all of you. I have a quick post today then I'm off to play with my sister before she returns to her home in South Africa.

I finally had a chance to play with the stamps from the FIFTH AVENUE FLORAL set from Stampin'Up! and I LOVE this set. It stamps so cleanly and is wonderful to color - and most of you know that images that can be colored are my favorites.

For this card I used the rose from the set and the leaves from the SU! hostess set: GOD'S BEAUTY. The leaves were colored with markers in shades of Always Artichoke, Old Olive and Sage Shadow - then lightly sponged with Handsome Hunter. The background DP is from this year's Sale-a-bration papers: Delicate Dots. I sponged So Saffron, Creamy Caramel, More Mustard and Old Olive on a piece of Whisper White cardstock and then stamped the sentiment from a retired Stampin'Up! set called GARDEN COLLAGE in Old Olive. The flourish, also stamped in Old Olive, is from the SU! set: PRICELESS. A piece of Mellow Moss cardstock serves as a mat for the greeting. The ribbon is also a retired SU! item: Organdy Ribbon in Handsome Hunter.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day. Don't forget in all the hustle and bustle to take time each day to play.

Until tomorrow -

Happy Stamping!

Jill

TECHNIQUE: NEWSPAPER REVEAL

I have been teaching a techniques class on the 3rd Monday of each month since January. We will be working on techniques beginning with the letters "L", "M" and "N" this month. Do you know how difficult it is to find a technique (not a fold) that begins with the letter "N"? I did an online search and could find nothing! So I looked through a list of N words and came up with the word newspaper. Surely there was some craft using newspaper which could be adapted for stamping. I could find NOTHING!!! So I made up my own technique by stamping directly onto newspaper with a silhouette type stamp leaving the newsprint exposed as the background. Then I found this technique which is called "NEWSPAPER REVEAL".

It's a very easy technique and the card was kept very basic to accommodate all the stamping levels in my class.

SUPPLIES:

Newspaper

Versamark Ink Pad

Clear Embossing Powder

Heat Gun

WithLove Cuttlebug Embossing folder

Chocolate Chip Ink Pad

Brayer

Chocolate Chip Card Stock

Whisper White Card Stock

Bashful Blue Cardstock

Bashful Blue Designer Paper

3 Antique Copper Brads

Hope you enjoyed visiting.

Until next time -

Happy Stamping!

Jill

LEMONS, LEMONS & MORE LEMONS

Since the beginning of May it seems as if my life has revolved around lemons. It began with my niece-to-be's wedding shower. I posted a picture of the shower table decorations where we used lemons and limes in large hurricanes for centerpieces. I thought they were so fresh and appealing. Remember this photo?

Then a couple of weeks ago we bought a 2006 FORD FREESTAR. One week later the transmission went out. My first thought was: LEMON. Fortunately the dealership put a used transmission (only 40,000 miles) in it at no charge to us. I picked it up yesterday morning. Drove it to work and it drove like a dream. YAY!!!!

Guess where my van is now? In the shop of course. When I left work yesterday to come home - NO TRANSMISSION!!!! Can you even believe this??? Can YOU say LEMON????

So, what's a stamping girl to do when life gives her lemons? That's right - go shopping and buy more stamps!!!! LOL! I remembered seeing this House Mouse stamp at my local craft store and it was so completely perfect for the way I've been feeling lately, I had to have it. So off I went in my "loaner" van to make my purchase.

Details:
Stamp:House Mouse

The yellow polka-dot paper is from Hobby Lobby. I added Only Orange dots around the white polka dots and Old Olive dots to the centers of the polka dots as well as around the white mat. The green and orange designer papers are from Stampin'Up! I used Prisma pencils and Odorless Mineral Spirits (OMS) to color the image. Crystal Effects was added to make the glass appear "glassy" and once dry I cut out the image and poppep it up on dimensionals. The flower is 2 seperate pieces held together with a glittery green brad and held in place on a piece of yellow polka dot ribbon with a large glue dot.

I haven't added a greeting to the inside yet - I thought about the traditional "when life gives you lemons" saying but then also thought I could start it out that way and end it with "Pucker Up!" Any ideas out there???

Thanks for "listening" and being my sounding board today.

Until tomorrow -

Happy Stamping.

Jill

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy mother's day to all of you moms out there. I hope your day was enjoyable and that you were honored in some special way.


I have several expectant mothers flying around here at my house. Yesterday I showed you the robin's next filled with 4 bright blue eggs. Today I found out we have a cardinal's nest in the small pine right next to our patio. I can stand on the patio and see it through the branches. The cardinal mom-to-be is much more private and has really hidden the nest well. I had to clip away a few very small branches to even be able to get the camera lens close enough to take a shot.


I was surprised with some beautiful roses from my DH this morning. Aren't they lovely??? I don't know why he buys me a present, I''m not his mother - but it's wonderful that he does. Tristan bought a waterfall & some rocks for Phineas' terarium.



This is the card I made this morning. I drew the flowers with gold metallic ink and a mapping pen then spritzed them with water before adding color with an aqua painter. I cut them out before adhering them to ovals cut with Nestabilities. The DP is from Stampin'UP! I added a beautiful blue ribbon that is a perfect match for the SU!Brocade Blue cardstock then place a border punched with the Martha Stewart Scalloped Border punch immediately below the ribbon. Tiny self-adhesive blue gemstones were added to the border. The floral oval was stamped in Versamark with a sentiment from SU!Best Yet then heat embossed in gold. Gold stickles were added to the center of each flower to make them stand out.

Hope you enjoyed the photos. I'm off to take a nap now - I fell asleep typing this so I think a nap is in order.

Have a great rest of your day -
and until next time -
Happy Stamping!
Jill

LOOK WHAT I FOUND IN MY HONEYSUCKLE

... isn't this beautiful? I was walking to my van to go to work yesterday and was walking past my honeysuckle vine when all of a sudden this robin came flying out of the bush right in front of my face. Scared me to death!!! I almost continued on to the van - but then thought it was a little strange that she was hiding in the middle of the bush and she was VERY vocal. It was one of those "aha" moments. I peered inside - to the angry chirping of both mom and dad who were sitting in a tree about 4 feet above my head - and found this beautifully constructed nest and eggs. It is right at eye level so I will get to keep watch as the babies hatch and grow. How exciting!!!!


Today's card features the ROLLING MARBLE technique. This is probably not a technique I will use often - but it was fun to try something different. I used Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink to create the background then colored a stamp from Garden Silhouettes with Stampin'Up! markers, lightly misted, then stamped the image onto whisper white. I pierced two of the corners with the SU! mat pack guide (one of my favorite tools) and lightly sponged the edges and around the image in Regal Rose. Once I matted it onto a piece of red cardstock, I cut three 2" strips of ribbon, folded each in half and glued them into place on the back of the image, and popped the image up on dimensionals. I punched three flowers from a piece of the marbled background using the SU! 3 of a Kind flower punch and then used Regal Rose ink to sponge the edge of each flowers. I glued them onto the folded ribbon then added a small pink gemstone to the center of each flower. The sentiment is from the Garden Silhouettes stamp set. To finish the card I pierced the two right corners using the piercing tool and mat pack guide.

I think that for my techniques class we will emboss the white background for some added "wow" factor. The white of the card looks just a little "blah" to me.

Guess I better get going. Its already 9a.m. on Saturday and I hear the yard calling me. It has been sorely neglected the past couple of years so it's time to clean up and thin out the flower beds.

Hope you enjoyed your visit today.
Until next time -
Happy Stamping!
Jill

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

Meet PHINEAS FROG. This was taken last Sunday - the first day we got him and yes, those ARE cricket legs protuding from his mouth. The one in front of him was devoured shortly after.

KIM, thanks for the winning entry. I have a cute little frog stamp set ready and waiting to mail out to you. I'll be sending you an email requesting your mailing address- so be watching for it.

Tristan and I really enjoyed reading through all the suggestions. Thanks to all of you who played along.

Jill

NAME OUR FROG CONTEST - ENDS TODAY

Just a reminder that all entries for the Name our Frog contest must be submitted today before 5 p.m. Central Standard time. We will choose the winning name tonight and the winner will receive this Hero Arts Sparkle Clear stamp set.

Really what could more appropriate for a frog naming contest than a stamp set about frogs???

To enter simply leave a name suggestion by clicking on the word "comments" at the bottom of this post. Sign in using your name before 5 p.m. today. If you sign in anonymously your name might be chosen but I will have no way to identify you. The winning name (and entrant) will be posted here on the blog later tonight so be sure to check back to find out if today was your lucky day.

Thanks to all of you who participated and good luck!

Jill

HYDRANGEAS & LATEX

Just a short post today.

I made this card for my upcoming A-Z Techniques Class for the letter "L". The background was created using LATEX - but I can't give the specifics yet or my class participants will be a step ahead of me - and well, we just can't have that! LOL!!!!

I created the background using Certainly Celery and Lavendar Lace inks in a random, stamping pattern. Once finished it reminded me of hydrangeas so I dug out this beautiful stamp my son bought me for mother's day a few years ago, stamped in on whisper white in Memento Brown ink, then colored it with SU! Markers in Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, Bashful Blue, Summer Sun and Mellow Moss. I cut it out, popped it up on dimensionals then stamped the sentiment in Eggplant Envy using a stamp from this year's Saleabration set - Best Yet.

Don't forget to leave your suggestion for the NAME OUR FROG contest. The winner will be chosen tomorrow evening.

Hope you enjoyed today's work of heart -

Until next time -

Happy Stamping!

Jill

DON'T YOU LOVE SURPRISES???

I've had two very nice surprises in the last 24 hours - and I love when that happens.

The first one came when I went to my mailbox last night and found this lovely little card from my friend, Gloria Williams. Gloria and I met online through Splitcoaststampers and have become fast friends. She's a very upbeat kind of person and in just the short time I've known her I've really come to value her friendship. If you're ever down and out look her up cause she definitely has the gift of encouragement. (Thanks Gloria!!!!)

The other WONDERFUL surprise is that the car dealership called this morning. They are going to replace our transmission as if we had a warranty on the vehicle (we don't) so our only cost is the $100 deductible. Yea!!! Thank you Jesus and thank you Mike Murphy.

My card for today uses an old rose stamp that I purchased used last summer. I stamped the image in Versamark on watercolor paper then heat embossed in gold. (Think Jerri Jimenez.) The stamp probably wasn't the best choice for this technique because there is such fine detail throughout the image- but it still came out usable. Once the heat emboss set, I misted the wc paper with water then picked up ink from the lid of my ink pad with an aqua painter and lightly touched it to the areas where I wanted color. I used Pink Passion and then went back in with Summer Sun to add highlights and shades orange where the inks overlapped. The leaves were colored with Mellow Moss and Old Olive though its hard to tell because of the gold emboss. Once dry, I cut out the image and layered it on top of Pink Pirouette Designer Papers.

The butterflies were punched using a Martha Stewart butterfly punch from Pink Pirouette Designer Paper, 3 for each butterfly, then the edges were lightly sponged using Pink Passion ink. I added Gold Stickles to create the body, to edge the wings, and to create the dots on the top layer on each butterfly. The three layers were joined only at the body to allow the wings to "flutter". Amber colored gems were added to finish the card.

Do you remember the artist I showcased last week - Jerri Jimenez? Remember her perfectly tied bows on this card? She shared her trick today - the "BOW EASY". I ordered one and will let you know in a future post how user friendly it is to use. Click here to get information on the Bow Easy and how you can win one.

Don't forget about the "NAME OUR FROG" contest going on. We've had several cute suggestions so far but it's not too late to leave a comment with yours. The winner will be chosen on Friday evening and a sweet little prize will be going out shortly thereafter.

Thanks for playing along - and until tomorrow

Happy Stamping!

Jill

YOU INSPIRE ME

I love the way this card turned out - but I have to admit I wasn't real sure about the background technique until I put it all together. The background was created using a variation of the wax paper resist technique in which you run a piece of wax paper through an embossing folder before ironing it between two pieces of glossy cardstock. Once, ironed, I brayered SU!Sage Shadow ink to make the wax resist images pop out then wiped off the excess ink with a papertowel. The circle was cut with a Nestabilities die from a piece of Designer Paper (unknown manufacturer). The greeting, design and small butterfly are actually a part of the paper. The butterfly in the lower left was stamped onto a piece of whisper white in Memento Brown ink then colored with Sage Shadow and Bashful Blue markers. Once cut out, I applied a thick layer of Crystal Effects over the entire butterfly. As it dried it began to curl and the butterfly took on more of a 3D shape. Once dry I sliced into the wings on each side between the upper wing and lower wing then glued only the bottom wings down onto the card allowing the upper wings to remain curved. The silver embellishment is from the SU! Filigree brad set and has a self-adhesive half pearl added to the center for extra glam.

I also wanted to mention the special the Stampin'Up! has going on this month. If you like Designer Paper you're going to LOVE this. Buy three packs of DP at regular price and get a 4th pack for FREE. If you're interested in adding to your stash let me know. I'll be placing an order at the end of the week.

Now for the last order of business - the NAME OUR FROG contest is still going on through Friday. Don't forget to leave a comment with an idea for his name to be eligible to win a small surprise. (OH - just so you know - I think "He" is really a "she" but we don't know for sure - so you can suggest names for both sexes.)

It's gorgeous outside today here in central Illinois and I am enjoying looking out my window and seeing all the beautiful trees and flowers that are in bloom. Take a moment in your busy day and enjoy what's happening outside (even if you have rain where you are!)

That's all for today. Until next time -

Happy Stamping!

Jill

BUTTERFLIES IN THE ROUND

Well it's Monday and we're still waiting to hear from the car dealership about the cost for repairs on our new van. You know what they say though - no news is good news - so I'm hoping that is the case and they are just going to surprise us and fix it for free. Wouldn't that be an answer to prayer!?!

So far we're getting some great ideas for the name our frog contest. A few people have sent their suggestions by email and one or two on my posts on Splitcoaststampers so we have several to choose from. Keep the suggestions coming though - the contest is open until Friday - and to make it fair, Tristan is going to choose the name from a compiled list. He won't know who suggested the name so their won't be any bias involved. If you haven't suggested a name it's not to late - just leave a comment here on the blog. If you have left a suggestion you can always leave another. There is no limit to the number of times you can enter.

I got to play along with a couple of challenges on Splitcoaststampers today. It was the first time in a long time. This card was my version of the CAS13 Sketch Challenge. (CAS = Clean and Simple). It didn't take long at all to create this card. The white background was embossed using a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The butterflies were punched out of Designer Paper using a Martha Stewart punch then two were layered on top of a black punched circle. Only the bodies were glued down leaving the wings free to flutter. Green and red stickles were used to create a 3D body on each one. White dots were added around edge of the black circles using a Signo Gel pen to finish. Very quick - very easy. Just the way we like 'em.

The second card I'm working on will be posted tomorrow. The embellishment requires a little drying time - and since both Tristan and I stuck our fingers in the wet crystal effects - I had to make a second one.

Until tomorrow - thanks for stopping by and

Happy Stamping!

Jill

WE NEED A NAME

We need a name for our new pet. Tristan, my 26 yr old went out mushroom hunting Saturday and came back with no mushrooms and one little, bitty gray tree frog. I had to smile because as long as he's been able to be outdoors alone he was always bringing home some type of critter. He even has caught several birds as a boy - the largest was a red-tailed hawk that took up residence at the Glen Oak Zoo in Peoria, Illinois for a while. I know some of you won't think a frog is a great pet - but I happen to LOVE frogs and turtles - even some small lizards. I DON'T however like snakes or spiders so it is a good thing that Tristan didn't bring home the 4.5 foot black snake he caught. It appears that after it tried biting him several times that even Tristan has his limits and he set the thing free. Good thing for me and for Tristan!

Here's the thing though - I think the frog needs a name and Tristan and I can't agree so we're asking for ideas. Leave your idea as a comment here on the blog and Tristan and I will choose the one we like best on Friday, May 8th. There's even a little prize for the winning entry so put on your thinking caps and help us out.

(The next few photos are of life events in my world - so if you're looking for the card - scroll down to the bottom of the post.)

It was a beautiful day here in Central Illinois yesterday and as I walked back to my car from the grocery store I saw this red bud tree in full bloom. Of course I had my American Express Card with me (aka my camera - you know - "don't leave home without it") so I just had to take a photo. Isn't it gorgeous????

My nephew is getting married this August and his mother and sister threw a kitchen shower for him and his bride to be. I thought the lemons and limes were so fresh and inviting. There were 4 hurricanes full of them - and I came home with a grocery bag full. Guess who's having lemonade today? Anyway - this is a photo of the happy couple: Matt & Ali.

I haven't been doing much stamping lately - but I was able to get into my stamp room for a few hours today. I made a wonderful, light blue peony from tissue paper with the intent of using it on this card. However, I didn't like the image I colored to go with it and didn't have time to color a second one so instead I opened my drawer full of pre-colored images - some I've done myself but this particular one was cut from the back of this year's calendar cover. All the images in the calendar are watercolor florals by the late artist, Cheri Blum. I thought the small thumbnail images would be perfect for cards and definitely a waste to throw away so I cut them all out and put them in my "finished" drawer for future use.

The cardstock is Stampin'Up Barely Banana that was embossed using Cuttlebug embossing folders and the BigShot. The image is framed by a piece of Barely Banana which is matted on Always Artichoke. The silver flowers are Stampin'Up! Filigree brads with self adhering half pearls added to the centers. The filigree flowers were stuck into place with glue dots on top of Barely Banana 5/8" grosgrain ribbon.

It's fresh, pretty and perfect for my dad's wife for Mother's Day.

Hope you enjoyed the post - and don't forget to leave your suggestion for our little frog's name.

Happy Stamping!

Jill

I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU...

If you want to by-pass the details of my life this week, the card and specs are at the bottom of this post. Just scroll down.

Do you know the scripture from Jeremiah 29:11 where the Lord declares "I know the plans I have for you..."? God may know what plans He has for me - but I'm hoping they're not EXACTLY like the plans He had for JOB - at least not the pain/trials & suffering part.

I haven't stamped or posted much lately - because LIFE has been taking all my attention. It started with hubby's van needing $600 worth of repairs. Then a storm blew in and tore fascia and shingles from our house. Then the engine went out on our 2 year old van (it was used when we bought it) and was going to cost $4,000 to fix so we decided to trade up instead to a 2006. There was a little beauty on the lot - had a few little pings & dents but drove like a dream. Quiet engine, new tires, clean, smoke free interior, smooth shifting transmission etc. The fact that it had no warranty concerned me but since hubby is laid off and this wasn't the best time to have to trade-in we took the chance and did not buy the extended warranty - it was $1,000 for only 12,000 miles. A week off the lot and the transmission went out. THIS IS THE REASON I DO NOT GAMBLE. Have you ever heard of paying for a DEAD HORSE????

But it's only money right??? I mean it's not like the brakes failed while I was driving down the big hill from my house. No one died - just the car. So, in that frame of mind, I sat down to stamp. This is NOT the card I made. It is still in progress because I don't like it yet - but eventually I came to create THIS card for my "niece to be's" bridal shower.

THIS card I DO like. It is very "CLEAN AND SIMPLE" (CAS).

The image was printed 3 times from my computer on a single sheet of 4x6 90# watercolor paper. I prefer 140# w/c paper if I actually going to use water or mineral spirits, but it is thicker and doesn't feed as well through my printer. I cut one image from the w/c paper into a rectangle then rounded the corners. Next, all three images were colored with Stampin'Up! markers and then the flower portion and one leaf were cut out from the remaining images. The petals on the top two layers were curled before being popped up on the original image with dimensionals. Once all the layers were in place I punched a small hole in the center then added this glittery, jeweled brad I purchased at Michaels.

The sentiment was computer generated and printed on Stampin'Up!Green Galore cardstock which was then cut to size, trimmed with a corner rounder and adhered to a piece of Stampin'Up!Pumpkin Pie Designer Paper. The dotted background was created using the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder and Stampin'Up! Whisper White cardstock.

Whew!!!! What a loooooong post! Hope you liked the card -and until next time -

Happy Stamping!

Jill