Sending Springtime Smiles

I just love this little girl silhouette that's in the stamp set "Easter Blossoms" in the Occasions mini-catalog.

Actually, I like this whole set - and it's the first Easter set in many years that's drawn my attention.

The branch in the upper right corner is from the set, as is the word stamp "sending Springtime smiles".

After I stamped the girl and the branch (several times), I spritzed the whole card with both Gold and Log Cabin Smooch Spritz. I let it dry, then used an Aqua Painter and spread the gold and brown spritz around to color in the leaves/flowers on the branches.

They came out an interesting color, didn't they?

I added some Victorian lace and three large brown brads, then mounted the whole thing on Chocolate Chip CS.

For some reason, I've been on a Neutrals kick lately. Never happens with me! I'm a Bold Brights gal. So this new "direction" is kinda weirding me out!

Do you need a new direction?

How about some new "toys" from Stampin' Up!? We've got all KINDS of toys for you to play with these days - all the way from card stock, inks, and stamps, to Mr. Big and fabrics, vinyl wall decorations, and jewelry items!

Call or email me to let me know what you NEED! And don't forget about Sale-A-Bration! FREE STAMPS for each $50 you purchase between now and March 31, 2011.

Thanks for stopping by!

The FIrst One

Today I found the first California poppy in bloom for this year! I've seen some alongside the road, but this is the first one in my backyard this year.



Of course, I found it around Noon when it was fully open, and forgot to take a photo until around 4 PM. Once the plant is in the shade (from the fence or other plants, for instance) the flower closes up.






Last evening it looked like this, and I KNEW it would be open today.









It was a LOVELY day to putz around out in the yard today.

I spent most of it tidying up potted plants - you know, cut off the dead wood, pull the weeds (myriads of them!!!!), move the pots around so that they're where they'll be happier.

When Dr Destructo re-did the patio last year, everyone got moved - and just put ANYWHERE! Most of them were not happy. They didn't get the attention they were used to (for the most part, I couldn't GET to them for one reason or another), and the weeds had just taken over...

Luckily, we got lots of rain this year, so there are more survivors than I'd anticipated. So, time spent grooming them will be very worthwhile in the long run.

The honeysuckle fell over during the rains, too, and it just sat there for about two weeks - it was on "the list" every day, but I found lots of excuses not to do anything about it.

Last week I hacked the heck out of it! In the time since it had fallen over, it had started showing some new shoots closer to its base, which was helpful. I knew how far back I could cut it without killing it. So I spent a little time today, re-hanging the netting I want it to grow up, and trying to convince those long runners that they'd be happier if they let me weave them thru the netting to get them started going where I want them.

While I was putzing out there, the cats all came out to join me.

They like it when I'm working out in the backyard. See?



Smudge wants me to pet her and follows me around (or just sits on the patio coffee table)...







Smedley plays "flat cat" ( or just sits on the patio chair!)...






And Velvet just sits on the patio chair and watches and naps...





And then, to top it all off, we had this gorgeous sunset, complete with a new moon!


I know - you probably can't see the new moon, but, trust me, it's there!

New moons are supposed to signify new beginnings.

I hope I was able to give a few of my plants some chances for new beginnings today.


And speaking of new beginnings - you haven't forgotten about SALE-A-BRATION (SAB) have you? I haven't heard from you about what you'd like to order to receive your FREE product! And new stamps and accessories are the doorways to new beginnings!

Call or email me and let me know what you need!

Sew What?

This is one of the display boards from Leadership. The "fabrics" on the models are all Designer Series Papers (DSP) paper pieced to represent a dress pattern cover.

It reminded me so much of my heritage. I've seen LOTS of patterns over the years, and this display just hit home.

When I was a kid, my mom sewed most of my clothes. As a little girl, it thrilled me - and my mom was a great seamstress, so everything she made was well done...

As a pre-teen though, I hated that I didn't have many "store bought" clothes. So, I was ENCOURAGED to learn to sew for myself, OR, find a way to make money so I could buy my own clothes.

Of course, living out in the country as we did, meant finding a job wasn't easily accomplished.

So, I joined 4-H and learned how to sew. It took me a long time to get really good at it (isn't that true of most things?), but I eventually got to the point where I was capable of sewing clothes for both myself and my husband.

I'm talking the '70s when the disco look was in. Sheer fabrics for both men and women - which meant double felled seams, so that they'd last through more than one wearing.

I made him shirts and trousers. I made mix and match outfits of scooter skirts, blouses, and jackets for myself. And I really enjoyed doing it. I loved shopping for fabrics - I still enjoy looking at fabrics.

But somewhere along the way, sewing got left along the wayside. Something about trekking around the country for 6 months, having to find jobs to feed ourselves, getting divorced and finding the dating scene again, buying a house and having to put time, energy, and money towards something besides fabrics and sewing...

I still have my old sewing machine. I don't think it's seen the light of day in over thirty years. And, when my mom passed away, I brought her machine home with me.

Hers was so much newer than mine! It was probably a much better machine! And it hasn't seen the light of day since I brought it out from Pennsylvania over 10 years ago either.

Stampin' Up! has started featuring fabrics in our mini-catalogs. It's wonderful fabric!

It's made me yearn to do things with fabrics again. But these days, I'm using my Big Shot die cutting machine for them.

Did you know you can cut up to EIGHT layers of fabric at one time with our "Mr. Big"? It's true!

I've made quite a few fabric flowers using Mr Big. When you can cut eight layers, and there are three or four different flowers on a die, you can make a LOT of fabric flowers with one pass through the machine!












I've also made a "card holder" using fabrics. The idea is to make it large enough to fit a couple of cards into it, then you can carry them around in your purse and not worry so much about them getting all mashed up.










I hand sewed the two I made. And I REALLY wanted to get my machine out - it would have made the whole process SO much faster. But I didn't. No where to leave it out just yet...

And we mustn't forget the quilters among you! With Mr. Big and fabrics, you can die cut a LOT of patterns for that quilt. My upline has been making quilts with the dies for about 2 years - and maybe that's why Stampin' Up! has started featuring fabrics.

And finally, just last week I showed you the banners I'd made by adhering fabric to paper.









Whatever the reason, I'm enjoying the fabrics, the matching DSPs and all the stamps they've provided us lately that have to do with sewing, quilting, fabric piecing, and any other thing you can think of to do with it!

Do you like fabrics? Would you like to play with some and Mr. Big? Give me a call - let's PLAY!

Rainbows

For one week around Christmas, we had an overabundance of rain here in San Diego. It rained every day, most of each day.

There was so much rain (remember, our yearly average is 9 or 10 inches!) that my back yard became a pond every day.

It would stop raining for a little while, and some of the water would be absorbed into the ground.

But the next day, it would rain again, and AGAIN, my back yard became a pond.

By the end of the solid week of rain, even The Kidz were getting tired of it.

For Smudge, it meant she couldn't be outside most of the time. She sat on the scratching post, looking out the front window most of the time, wishing it would stop raining, so she could go 'sploring.

Then she'd ask to be let outside, only to walk to the edge of the patio and find there was still WATER!





















Smedley was just fine with it - after all, he spends his days in the rafters in the garage, and if prodded, will come down about an hour before sunset and venture outside... And then, of course, doesn't want to come back inside until well after dark.
















Velvet would ask to go out into the rain sometimes... She's always enjoyed rain - very strange, for a cat! But she likes it, and then when she comes back inside, doesn't want me to dry her off.

I think this is how she takes a shower! She gets all fluffed up out there and maybe she believes Mother Nature is taking care of the bathing part of her life... Whatever, she does enjoy the rain.
















So one day, my neighbor, Polly, knocked on the door and told me to grab my camera - we had rainbows!




I took a picture of her taking a picture of the rainbows...
















We had a double one!

















Isn't it beautiful?!!?


I hope you found some rainbows in your life today!

Thanks for stopping by - come back soon!

Simply Adorned (able)

Isn't this pretty?



It's a piece of Stampin' Up!s Simply Adorned jewelry with a hand stamped insert. You can make multiple inserts - one to match any mood you might have - and change them out at a minute's notice!

For this insert, I used the Charming set, plus a lot of embellishments - Vintage Trinkets (isn't that little button just the cutest thing?), some of the newsprint DSP, which I stamped on using also the Level 2 hostess set, Fast & Fabulous.

The word "Create" is from the Charming set, and I stamped it and distressed it before popping it up.

And here's the other side of this insert.

For this side, I used the Artistic Etchings set. I just love the Eiffel tower in that set, and the medallions work quite nicely with it, as well.

And did you catch it? Look again - look closely...

Yep, it's another one of those pearls! Love those little guys - such a small thing that can add so much class!

See it at the top of the Eiffel Tower?

=====

You can find the Simply Adorned product line on page 189 of the big catalog.

There are five different sizes of charms, just ready for YOU to decorate to suit your fancy - or someone else's, if you're making it for a gift.

The largest piece is 1-1/2" x 2" and the smallest rectangle is 5/8" square. There's also a 5/8" circle charm.

There is both a necklace and a bracelet, so you have many choices as to just what your gift might be.

We also now carry additional trinkets that can be used along with the charms - crowns, keys, and baubles in four different colors.

They're all very pretty and very well made, I'm happy to report!

Would YOU like to play with these? Call or email me and let's talk about either a class for you and your friends, or a private lesson just for you!

Thanks for stopping by - come back soon!

Snow - Snow - Snow - Snow

Does that title remind you of the movie 'White Christmas'? The one with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen?

They played it a lot this past Christmas season. It's a favorite of mine, so I watch more than once each year. And every time I hear the word "snow" I hear the four of them singing the song 'Snow'...

Well, I know a lot of my friends (both real-time and virtual) are dealing with a LOT of snow these days! I'm sorry. If I could change it, I would.

I moved to San Diego to escape SNOW. I love the fact that I can drive down certain streets, and when there's snow up in our mountains, I can see it from my car, more than 50 miles away!

And I don't have to shovel it, nor drive in it, nor bundle up in 16 layers of clothes and scarves and gloves and boots...

I can admire it from afar - in photos, on the TV and the movies - and I don't have to shovel it, nor drive in it, nor bundle up in 16 layers of clothes and scarves and gloves and boots...

But, having said that, I've been glued to The Weather Channel all day, watching the weather happen in MOST of our country! OMG - it's just amazing.

I'm sure those of you who are living thru the current "storm of the century" (and this one might well retain that title) are right sick of snow by now. It's only the first of February, and already you've had, on average, one big snow storm a week since before it was officially WINTER!

In some sick way, I'm a little envious of you though. You'll have stories to tell for years about this winter. I hope you're taking photos so you can scrapbook these stories, as well.

My brother emailed me his story today - about a huge storm that was passing thru Chicago in 1967. He just happened to be flying into Chicago and on to Peoria at that time, on his way to a job interview. And as he was passing thru airports, they were closing them behind him...

After his interview, he was able to get back to PA on his original schedule, AND he got the job he'd been interviewing for. He said it was a good thing it had all worked out so well for him, because he'd only had about $30 in his pocket and would have been in deep doo doo, if anything had gone wrong.

He was about 22 or 23 at the time. When we're that young, we tend to think nothing of wandering around with NO money - something will always work out, is what we think. And it generally does. Guess our angels keep us on track, huh?

So, all ended well for him with THIS story. I'm sure, if pressed, he has other snow stories that didn't go as well as this one, though.

I've gotten an email from my friend Joanna, who lives in Tulsa, with her story for today.

And I'd love to hear YOUR snow storm story! Leave me a Comment and tell me!

In the meantime, here's a card I got at Leadership, made with the new Blossom Petals punch (Item 121808 in Occasions mini-catalog).

I think it's quite attractive!

The Framed Tulips embossing folder, Wonderful Wings embosslit, stamped on Crumb Cake and Pretty In Pink.

There's a small piece of Newsprint DSP used in the flowers, too...



Thanks for stopping by - come back soon!

Catz is Catz

Yesterday I showed you some things I've made after using the Letter press plates, craft inks and various types of papers.

I ended up having to cut one of the pieces very close to 6x6, in order to trim off the non-embossed portions, and I thought, hey, why not make a scrapbook page!?

So I sorted thru all the left over photos I have from various scrapbooking efforts and found one picture of each of the three cats, and they became the subject of my page.



I chose a piece of the Love Patterns DSP that was available on the special last month. If you missed that special, you can still get the reds and pinks (along with a lot of other colors!) in the Patterns Designer Series Stacks on page 175 in the big catalog.

There are five different Stacks - one for each of the color collections and another for the "In" colors. They are each $19.95, but have 40 sheets of patterned DSP - lots to play with!

I layered the letter pressed confetti CS to the DSP, then used the Extra Large Decorative Label punch on the photos.

After I punched out the photos, I also punched out 4 more decorative labels in Rose Red CS, as well as one with the large scalloped oval punch.

I cut the red labels in half and mounted them behind the photos, to try and capture the viewer's eye.

The "C is for Cat" set was used for the title, and the little verse, which says "as every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat"...

And it's true, you know! I've always heard you can buy a dog, but you rent cats!

I also mounted the saying on the red designer label punched items that were cut in half, and the "C is for Cats" stamp on the scalloped oval. Then some of the tiny little buttons (aren't they just the cutest!?) from Vintage Trinkets were added to each of them

Before I mounted the confetti CS on the DSP, I applied some Victorian lace crossways on the pressed CS - just wanted to give it a bit of an old-fashioned look. In the end, however, you can just barely spy it peeking out from behind the photos.
























I added the paw print from "C is for Cat" all over the paper, and stamped the silhouette image from that set in black on confetti CS, then covered it with Crystal Effects, in order to make it shiny and create more visual interest.

It's a very simple page - but I seem to be all about simple!

I look at some of the blogs from other stampers and am envious of the creations they post! How DO they think of them?

I start out trying to get to where they got to - and never make it.

BUT, that's OK. We each have our own style and processes, and while we can copy others' creations, when we're back on our own turf, our own style will rise to the top.

Thanks for stopping by - come back again!!

Oh - and don't forget about Sale-A-Bration! A $50 purchase of any of our Stampin' Up! products will get you one free SAB item. Call or email today to place your order!