Openings in heaven...

I think you will all agree that sympathy cards are probably the most difficult for us to make. I've worked on this one on and off for 3 days now, and I'm still not happy with it. But I finally just decided this is it...I can't tweak it any more. It's time to move on.

The stamp I used is Northwoods Closed Wing Swallowtail on Flower . I stamped it on watercolor paper using Onyx Black Versafine ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder. The stamped image was colored with Tombow (water based) markers and a damp paint brush.



Since these images cover pretty much the entire card front I don't usually do much embellishing. But since I wanted this card to be extra special I used a Martha Stewart punch to make a border on the bottom, as well as the corner piece. I added three self adhesive pearls to the corner piece for a little dimension. The two strips of blue ribbon on the bottom border are from my stash.

For the sentiment on the side I made a panel using my Curved Rectangle Mega Nestabilities . The sentiment I stamped is from Impression Obsession's Sympathy Sentiments clear stamp set.


You see, the reason I felt such intense pressure in making this card is because it is for my sons extended family.

My boys father, my ex-husband, passed away Saturday afternoon after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was only 58 years old. He was a minister, and spent his entire adult life preaching the word of God. He is now with Our Father in the Kingdom of Heaven.

He was deeply loved, and he will be missed. May he rest in peace, forever.

New Stamps, and Ribbon, and Paper...Oh My!

Well I have been a pretty busy little beaver! Just tonight I received the Penny Black order, and it's taken me hours to get it all in the store! But oh...there are some FABULOUS stamps you *need*! Okay, I know I am the ultimate enabler. I am accused of it all the time! LOL! I love their new clear stamp sets! I think there may be one or two more that I don't have pictured here, so you will have to check them out in the store.


Earlier this week I received a May Arts ribbon order! This is one of my personal favorites, but I also LOVE the Crochet and the Coffee Print Twill .

We have begun to add 12" x 12" paper kits, and the first of them to arrive is from Kaiser Craft . They are double sided, and absolutely gorgeous! I also ordered the Epoxy Brads that match each of the paper kits.

This is a sample I photographed at CHA in the Penny Black booth, which made me buy the stamp! Isn't it just gorgeous?
The stamp is one of their new wood mounted stamps called Japanese Maple .
There are a lot more new things in the store, and many more will begin to arrive in the next few days and weeks. So stay tuned...there is much more to come.

Okay..I'm starving and off to find something for dinner. Then I'm going to *chill* for a bit. After all, it's the weekend, and time for chillin'! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

First Kiss..and a SALE!

Gosh, I'm really late posting tonight! But I got some new inventory for the store , and had to get that listed. I also marked a lot of items down and put them in the sale section . Items that were already on sale were reduced even further! Be sure to check it out. I need space on the shelves for all the new items I bought at CHA...so my loss is your gain! There are some real deals there!

This card is made with Sarah Kay's First Kiss from Stampavie! I guess I don't have to tell you how much I love their images, now do I?

I stamped it on watercolor paper using Onyx Black Versafine ink, then colored using Tombow (water based) markers.

The stamped image was cut and embossed with Spellbinders Curved Rectangles Mega Nestabilities.

The sentiment is Impression Obsessions's I {heart} you . It was cut and embossed using circle Nestabilities.

The designer paper is from Basic Grey's Bittersweet collection. The cardstock is Baby Pink Prismatics light, and Suede Brown Prismatics dark.

The embellishments are Chocolate Pearls by Kaiser Craft.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

You Bless Me

This is one of those cards that went a totally different direction than what I had in mind when I started it! I was having a lot of trouble with *missing Mojo* so I just let what little I had run wild! LOL!

The Plaid Bow and Ribbon rubber stamps are from Northwoods. I stamped each one twice on Neenah Solar White cardstock using Onyx Black Versafine ink. The stamped images were colored with Tombow (water based) markers.

The bow is two layers, with the center of the bow popped up with foam tape for dimension.


The white panel was embossed using my Heart Blocks Cuttlebug folder.

The sentiment is Wordsworth's You Bless Me rubber stamp. It was cut and embossed with a Spellbinders Heart die cut.

It's a pretty simple card, but I think someone will enjoy receiving it.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I will have something else for you soon.

Until then...

My Sweet Lili - FS104

I was so happy to see that BevR is the featured stamper on Splitcoast today. I have long admired her work, and it gave me the perfect excuse to ink up on of my Sarah Kay images!

The stamp I used is My Sweet Lili , and Bev's card I decided to CASE is HERE . According to the rules, you have to change two things about the card that inspired you. You will see that I changed the colors, designer paper and parts of the layout.
The image was stamped on watercolor paper and colored with Tombow (water based) markers and a damp paint brush. I cut and embossed it with my petite oval Nestabilities. The designer paper is Basic Grey Bittersweet, and the raspberry velvet ric rac is May Arts.

My friend Tosha gave me the flower punches. Thanks girlfriend! They are two different Martha Stewart punches, both called Hydrangea. The centers in the flowers are pearls by Kaiser Craft. The Dew Drops were added to give a little balance to the card.

I still haven't heard from the winner of the Dreamy Treats. I'm going to give her until noon tomorrow to contact me. If I haven't heard from her by then I will choose another winner.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Easter Blessings...and a winner!

I may be rushing Easter just a tad, but I couldn't resist coloring this cute image. It's Northwoods Bunny With Tulips . I stamped it on watercolor paper using Onyx Black Versafine ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder. The stamped image was colored using Tombow (water based) markers and a damp paint brush. The squares were cut and embossed using my square Nestabilities.

The sentiment is Northwoods Classic Easter Blessings . After stamping and embossing, I cut it with my Spellbinders Double Ended Tags die.



The pink border on the bottom was made with a Spellbinders Pierceability. I added Hero Arts Assorted 2 mm Gemstones and Assorted 3 mm gemstones to the points. I also used them for the flower centers.

The designer paper is from my stash, and the cardstock is Majestic Purple Prismatics medium and Razzleberry Prismatics (currently on reorder). The ribbon is purple sheer by May Arts.

So.....I guess you probably wanna know who won the Dreamy Treats, now don't ya? Drumroll please....

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

255

Timestamp: 2009-01-31 00:26:16 UTC

The winner is Stephanie Hargis!

Stephanie Hargis said...

A second chance??? Woohoo! Thanks so much! I am excited to see your pictures! It looks like you are having a blast! :D

January 28, 2009 7:24 PM

Stephanie, please contact me with your mailing address so I can get the prize out to you.

Thanks to everyone for playing along. I will be back soon with something new!

Back from CHA!

OH MY GOSH! What a fabulous trip I had! I don't even know where to begin to tell you about all the exciting products we saw!

Our first stop was at the JustRite Stamper's booth. I just happened to know that Debbie Olson was going to be there! Since she is MY IDOL, I had to stop by to see her in person. When I introduced myself she stood up, reached across the table and gave me the biggest hug! I must say that she is one of the sweetest and most lovely people! Love ya Debbie!

The new products in the JustRite booth are sooooo exciting! We had a long visit with Kellie Fortin, who has become a great friend! It was fun to finally meet her in person. I got big hugs from her too! LOL! We also visited with Craig, the owner of JustRite and got a lot of insight into product development and great things to come.

Their new Demi Phrases set is only one of their new releases, and it's such a fun one! It fits on their new 2" Wood Stamper, and has unlimited possibilities. I really love the flexibility. Imagine the different phrases you can make to complete the demi phrase that comes in the kit!


This is a picture of three of my cards I had in the JustRite booth. I was honored that Kellie asked me to bring them for display. You can see my original blog post with these cards HERE .

The first shipment of stamps from JustRite will be March 10, so be sure to watch the store for the new releases. I bought A LOT of them for you! :-)



The new Cosmo Cricket paper is absolutely gorgeous! I love all of it...so I ordered ALL OF IT! I haven't stocked 12 x 12 paper in the store before, but some of it is just irresistable. So I finally decided to bite the bullet and add it to the store's inventory! I think you will be excited about all the new papers I'm adding! I know I am!


I so enjoyed our stop at Our Craft Lounge! I met Joy , Cambria and Kim, and I must say they are all just the sweetest! Don't you just love their stamps? Do you want them? I DO...so we're getting them. Fun, fun, fun stuff! I think those will be shipping in a couple of weeks.

The Penny Black booth had some of the cutest samples! This is one of the sample boards using some of their critter stamps. Of course I placed an order, but they couldn't give me a ship date, so we'll see them when we see them!


This may not come as a surprise to you, but I spent A LOT of money in the Spellbinders booth! There was just no getting around it since we love it all! I can't wait to get my hands on it! This is a sample board they had in their booth using Spellbinders dies with metal. Isn't it gorgeous?

While I was waiting in the airport I met Stacy's sister and we had a great visit. She had all the new Spellbinders dies with her. I kept trying to get her to go to the ladies room while I watched her bags. But she was on to me! ROTF!



As much as I hate posting my picture, I had to share this photo! I realize I don't need to tell you who these ladies are, but I'm going to anyway! It's the infamous Debbie Olson and Ellen Hutson . I can't begin to tell you how sweet and kind these ladies are, and how easy they are to talk with. We visited as if we had known one another for years! I truly admire them both. They are so humble, and I find that very appealing! True stamping royalty indeed!

So, that's it for now. I have packages to ship and more unpacking to do. I will be back soon. Thanks so much for stopping by!

And if you haven't registered for the Dreamy Treats, be sure to do that in the posts below. The winner will be announced tomorrow night.

Until then...