Love my Elzys!

Today was my first foray back to stamping in a few weeks. What better way to come back than with a card for "My Favorite Stamp Evah" swap? I had trouble with this one only in that it was so hard to choose a stamp - I don't have one favorite. I sure do adore those Elzybells, though!

Given the chance, Princess A would spend all her time in the swing; alas there is school, and violin lessons, and homework, and practicing, and chores, and... well, you get the idea. But this little Elzy has no such constraints.

The sketch is from Sweet Sketch Wednesday (#47) with one of the elements removed, which seems to be my method lately.

Thanks for sticking with me through my 'radio silence'. I hope to be able to find more time to stamp (among other things) again.







Card Details:
Image: Elzybells Art Stamps
Sentiment: SU
Cardstock: GP, SU, DCWV
Ink: Memento
Tools: Nesties, SU punch
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: paper piecing

Sparkly Lily Fairy

When I first discovered Stampin Up, I was all about the pastels. Now I find myself leaning towards Bold Brights more than anything, so it was fun for me to open up the Soft Subtles drawer again. For using pastel colors is the Crafty Hos challenge this week.

Lily is all decked out in her fairy wings, which are painted with Twinkling H2Os before outlining the outside edges with Cotton Candy Stickles. The designer paper is from a new-to-me stack by DCWV which I just picked up at Michael's. Doesn't it look as thought Lily is floating away on little glittery bubbles?


The rhinestone are random generics I found in my stash, one of which appears to have slipped while in the scanner. I will have to fix that on the card, but I do not have time to re-scan, so it'll have to do for this post...






Card Details:
Image: Pink Cat Studio
Sentiment: SU
Cardstock: GP, SU, DCWV
Ink: Memento
Tools: Nesties
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Twinkling H2Os, Stickles, generic rhinestones

Missing Vickie

Every day at 2:30 I have a cup of tea and think about Vickie. Almost since I joined SONE, she and I have been roommates on overnight trips. We both wake up pretty early and enjoy a good cup of tea first thing. She also had the most glorious gardens at her home which she let my mother and I raid before she sold it. We moved at about the same time. Me, to the other side of the state, but she went clear across the country. Now we play Scrabble on Facebook and sometimes use the chat feature, but it is just not the same.

I was thinking of Vickie as I made today's card. Ironically, I was putting the final touches on it at about 2:30. I did not have tea though, cuz it was a crazy 86°F this afternoon and the screens are not in the windows yet (since this is not typical, nor expected to last) so I could not open most of those downstairs.

The layout comes from Tuesday Morning Sketches (#40) tweaked a bit, obviously. I am also entering it into Meljen's Design Challenge (#1) where 'anything goes'!

The bunny is colored with Prismacolor markers to resemble Princess A's own special bunny Mel. The two of them started a blog today called "Bunny Thoughts".

Many people are making Springtime cards that are in full bloom and full of light or bright colors. Around here that is not quite how things look. The trees are still bare, though there are some buds, but mostly they look like sticks. I tried to represent that with the embossing folder and the green tips to the trees. With the crazy temperature out there today, this bunny is probably wishing there was a whole lot more shade. I know I was!

I hope Seattle was more comfortable for its newest resident...






Card Details:
Image: MFT
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: GP, SU
Ink: Memento, SU
Tools: SU punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: unknown ribbon

Happy Birthday Sarah, Kirsten and Makayla

The summer is a busy time for birthdays in my friend Linda's house. Keeping that in mind, she chose a festive theme for the Sisterhood for the month of April;. A birthday card to fit any of her daughters upcoming age groups, 16, 11 and 7.

I know Kirsten (almost-11) is not a fan of pink, so with her in mind I chose turquoise and purple. Of course it helped that I had this patterened paper on hand.

The sheep (Pink Cat Studio) is covered with Liquid Applique except for her arms legs and face which are touched a bit with Prismacolor markers. The cupcake and 'hands' are raised on a dimensional, making it look as though her arms are really attached to her body.

To Sarah, Kirsten and Makayla - I hope each of you ladies has a very happy birthday!






Card Details:
Image: Pink Cat Studio
Sentiment: SU
Cardstock: GP, SU
Ink: Memento, SU
Tools: SU punches, heat gun
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Liquid Applique, generic dimensionals

Recycling the Crafty Ho Way

Perhaps you did not know this, but the Hos are an environmentally conscious group. Every once in a while one of them will put a bunch of supplies she no longer needs into a box and mail it to another. That person takes what she wants and adds in her own stuff. And so it goes til eventually the last person on the list sends the box back to the first person. I have participated in this swap a couple of times and have gotten some really great things, as well as cleaned out some extra supplies.

This year Earth Day falls on April 22nd. The Crafty Hos are honoring this day a little early with this weeks challenge, Recycling.

The first recycled element of this card is the background. Princess A, for some unknown reason, does not throw her garbage from lunch away in the school cafeteria. She brings it back home again in her lunchbox. Not too long ago she brought home the piece of waxed paper that had been used to wrap her sandwich. It did not look soiled at all, so into my stamping supplies it went. It was just the thing I needed for wax paper resist.

The next recycled element is the paper bag. Most of the time I bring my own bag to the store, but sometimes I forget and end up with a new paper bag. As soon as the groceries are unpacked it goes on the floor for the kittens to play. It will usually stay there for about a week, then moves out to the breezeway to become the receptacle for paper recycling. This week it got a chunk cut out of it.

The final recycled item is a newspaper. Joy offered a fabulous paper flower tutorial on her blog and made it look SO easy! Thankfully it was.

Oh! I almost forgot! The layout (rather loosely) follows Tuesday Morning Sketches (#39).






Card Details:
Image: SU
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: SU
Ink: SU
Tools: Iron, Brayer, Nesties
Coloring: N/A
Embellies: generic rhinestone brad

Free to Be...

It is Teapot Tuesday Time again! (I have missed playing along and drat, but there have been some great parties in my absence...)

This week Mothermark has been inspired to write poetry:
Meet Brutus, the Bunny
Who's just a smidge funny!

He's totally of his rocker,
I know! It's a shocker!

His mom, bless her heart,
It's been hard from the start!

And throughout the years,
She's been driven to tears!

There! Look at that! He peed on that log!
What is his problem? He's a wannabee dog!

Be quiet! You'll hear it! The most incredible moan,
It's the pleasure he gets from his big juicy bone!

He's been known to just hollar!
It's pink! Not a dog collar!

He's a disgrace to all rabbits,
with the most annoying of habits!

He hates those orange carrots
Gives them all to the ferrets!

And when there's work to be done,
To bring children some fun....

He just sits on his keester,
Ignores all that is Easter!

Can you see? Don't you see? Why Thumper and Peter,
Are completely convinced, he's a big Easter Cheater!

Awww...Come on There Brutus!
Help us out or just shoot us!

Look at me! Look at me! I'm not a big fake!!
Look at me! Did you see? Now I can shake!!

(That's a puppy dawg shake ifn' ever I saw one!)

And here is the challenge:
"So, here's the story, Mory! Mory is Brutus' best friend. He's a ferret and the recipient of many a carrot! (At least 42,000!) He's a little reserved, a little shy, not a *in your face* kinda guy! He's not quite sure how to handle this whole identity crisis for his friend, Brutus. Part of him wants his little buddy to be a dog but part of him loves his cute widdo bunny friend! One thing is for certain, he is tired of stressing about this dilema. That's where we come in!
With only about a week before Easter, we need to either convince Brutus to be a bunny and step up to the plate and help out at Easter. Or we need to convince him to leave that life behind permanently and buy a new dog house! So, depending on your most valued opinion of this whole deal, bring a bunny, an Easter basket, pink ribbon or a carrot or two. On the other hand, bring a fire hydrant, a collar, a dog house or a dog bone or two! And if you are the wishy washy type (like me!) then bring a doggie in a bunny costume! Snort! You know the drill!"


I don't know about you, but this whole story reminds me of My Dog is a Plumber from Free to Be... You and Me (Am I dating myself? Oh, who cares? I don't have any problem admitting I was a child of the 70s):

My dog is a plumber. He must be a boy,
Although I must tell you his favorite toy
Is a little play stove with pans and with pots,
Which he really must like, 'cause he plays with it lots,
So perhaps he's a girl -- which kind of makes sense,
Since he can't throw a ball and he can't climb a fence,
But neither can dad -- and I know he's a man,
And mom is a woman and she drives a van.
Maybe the problem is in trying to tell
Just what someone is by what she does well?

Do you see the connection? I am all for letting a person (or a bunny as the case may be) be himself. For you, Brutus, here is my card...

The layout came from Sweet Sketch Wednesday. (#43);  I doubt it is going to win any prizes over there though. While looking for cardstock to match my ribbon, I came upon a piece that had been folded so the opening was in the center. It occurred to me that this sketch lended itself perfectly to that!

The bottom panel is embossed with flowers in circles, cuz it was the closest thing I could find to Easter eggs, so just pretend they are oblong, ok?

The top panel is a tribute to Brutus' true self. I hope his friends and family stop giving him such a hard time. How many Easter Bunnies do we need anyway? There is only ONE Santa after all...






Card Details:
Image: Peachy Keen Stamps, Inkadinkado, PSX, Stampendous
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: SU, GP
Ink: Memento, SU
Tools: Cuttlebug Embossing folder, Nesties
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Generic ribbon, SU dimensionals, Stickles

(Almost) April Showers

Wet day here today. There is so much rain that I have forgotten just how long it has been falling. In fact some schools are closing due to flooding. I have never experienced such a thing. Since I cannot play outside, I may as well stamp!

Princess A is wondering when it is going to stop raining, though as I explained to her this morning, all this glorious rain is going to make our flowers very happy. Well, it would if the previous owners had actually planted any, but that is a different story. This little bear has about the same expression on his face as she did. You can see in the background the torrential rain that is falling for all of the lighter blue panels are embossed with raindrops. The local waters have risen so high, there are fish swimming by his feet.

Many thanks to Sweet Sketch Wednesday (#42) for the layout. And since Bugaboo Stamps was their sponsor this week, I had to use one of their images.

Here is a photo of the pond in my back yard (yes, it is supposed to be there) that is much deeper than usual. Look at the surface. Of course it started rainy more heavily as I stepped close to take the picture.

And here is the stream that runs along the side of my house (there is another one in the back). Usually it just sort of meanders its way along. Today, however, some little critter could go white water rafting and have the ride of her life!






Card Details:
Image: Bugaboo Stamps
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: SU, GP
Ink: HP Printer
Tools: Nesties, Fiskars Texture Plate
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Oriental Trading Company ribbon, generic dimensionals