Find me on Instagram and Facebook

With all the changes in my life (retirement and moving), I've had to do some serious thinking about where this hobby is going. I actually considered letting go of it entirely for a number of reasons. First, I've been doing it for 30+ years and change is not a bad thing. Second, we are planning on buying a cute little house when we move to Idaho that may not have room for my stash. Third, without a job (and the exhaustion related to that job) I've had time for other hobbies and projects and I'm loving them! Fourth, without the large number of workmates to whom I gave birthday and holiday cards, my card needs have decreased substantially. And my last thought (in a negative moment) was the realization that people don't send cards much anymore so I'm feeling a bit old-fashioned. But - as normal with big and even small decisions - God saw fit to throw three people in a row at me that commented on how much my cards mean to them. Isn't it wonderful how that works?  So I'm not letting this hobby go.

However, I do feel a need for change to keep myself enthused. My plan, at least for the short term but probably longer, is to stop posting on this blog. Blog posts are just one more step after I've finished a card when all I really want is to move on to the next project. So many people have already stepped away from blogs both as authors and as reader/commenters. As I look back, I realize I've been essentially stepping away from it for years. I used to post pictures and stories of my family, but no longer. I used to subscribe to something like InLinkz so you could get directly to the products, but no more. I used to maintain multiple Copic charts for various companies, but no more.  This decision has clearly been coming for awhile. 

Thank you to all of my blog readers over the last 15 years. You have stuck with me through various design teams and through the evolution of my style. You have commented on my personal posts and have been such an inspiration. The blog will still stay open if anybody needs to look back at supply lists, etc.

You will still be able to find my cards on Instagram and Facebook. I hope to see you there.

Freshly Made Sketches: Birthday Wishes

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jen Mitchell and here’s what I did with it!

 

My posts for Freshly Made Sketches get the most views - so I'm making an announcement!

With all the changes in my life (retirement and moving), I've had to do some serious thinking about where this hobby is going. I actually considered letting go of it entirely for a number of reasons. First, I've been doing it for 30+ years and change is not a bad thing. Second, we are planning on buying a cute little house when we move to Idaho that may not have room for my stash. Third, without a job (and the exhaustion related to that job) I've had time for other hobbies and projects and I'm loving them! Fourth, without the large number of workmates to whom I gave birthday and holiday cards, my card needs have decreased substantially. And my last thought (in a negative moment) was the realization that people don't send cards much anymore so I'm feeling a bit old-fashioned. But - as normal with big and even small decisions - God saw fit to throw three people in a row at me that commented on how much my cards mean to them. Isn't it wonderful how that works?  So I'm not letting this hobby go.

However, I do feel a need for change to keep myself enthused. My plan, at least for the short term but probably longer, is to stop posting on this blog. Blog posts are just one more step after I've finished a card when all I really want is to move on to the next project. So many people have already stepped away from blogs both as authors and as reader/commenters. As I look back, I realize I've been essentially stepping away from it for years. I used to post pictures and stories of my family, but no longer. I used to subscribe to something like InLinkz so you could get directly to the products, but no more. I used to maintain multiple Copic charts for various companies, but no more.  This decision has clearly been coming for awhile. 

Thank you to all of my blog readers over the last 15 years. You have stuck with me through various design teams and through the evolution of my style. You have commented on my personal posts and have been such an inspiration. The blog will still stay open if anybody needs to look back at supply lists, etc.

You will still be able to find my cards on Instagram and Facebook. I hope to see you there.

SUPPLY LIST
Dies: Simon Says Stamps Birthday Wishes Circle, Concord & 9th Make a Wish
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Peach Pie, Petunia Pop, Summer Splash, Daffodil Delight
Other: The Stamp Market Delicate Details Embossing Folder, Stampin' Up 2024-26 In Color Flat Pearls

Freshly Made Sketches: With Love

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jen Timko and here’s what I did with it!

There is nothing unique or creative about this card but it is exactly what I need it to be. It's for my son and his girlfriend. She loves strawberries and her favorite colors are pastel pink and forest green. (I probably should put something of my son into this card, but isn't Valentine's Day really about the women??!)

The heart set came out of my not-yet-used valentine basket. It has eight hearts all with different patterns. When I bought it, it was strictly because of a design team sample that used all of the hearts and that's what I wanted to do with it. (See it here.) But I only used two of the hearts so maybe the dies need to stay in the basket until I get the full potential out of it!

So most of you guessed because of previous posts regarding our travel over the last couple of years. We are moving to Idaho! Colorado has just gotten too crowded and, in many ways, Idaho is a bit like Colorado was 20-30 years ago. Plus there is so much to explore. The state itself has mountains, rainforests, high deserts, lava flows, deep canyons and wild rivers and even part of Yellowstone and then the ocean is just a state away. We have ordered a Suboverlander which will allow us to experience all these landscapes. (It’s a really, really small camper built into a Suburban that can go into rugged areas!) We will live somewhere near Boise so when we aren’t exploring, we can enjoy the breweries, wineries and food culture; ride our bikes through the gorgeous greenbelt and trails in the foothills; and there’s even nearby fly fishing for my husband. We have some things to do to our house before it goes on the market at the beginning of April (we expected the roof, we didn't expect the sewer - ugh.)  We are going to start in an apartment simply because we don't know exactly where we want our forever house to be. I am extremely excited but completely overwhelmed all at the same time!

I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST
Dies: Pretty Pink Posh Stitched Hearts, Gemini by Crafter's Companion With Love, Honey Bee Stamps Scallop A2 Card Frames
Paper: Kat Scrappiness Berry Sweet, Stampin' Up Shaded Spruce, Pretty in Pink and Poppy Parade
Other: Stampin' Up Delightful Decorative Dots

Freshly Made Sketches: Happiest Valentine Wishes

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Judy and here’s what I did with it! 

I tend to follow sketches exactly but I think you are going to be seeing some variety from me for the next few months. Of course the sketches are my inspiration - but there are products I want and need to use so I'll be inspired by the sketch but will make it work for these products. In this case, it's the simple change of going horizontal so I could use the heart set.

Why? If you read my blog, I'm sure you know already since we have been traveling to pick a place for retirement and I have since retired. It's time to move! Our plan is to downsize significantly. We want a sweet and tiny little house that's easy to deal with - but it does have to have lots of amenities (hot tub, beautiful patio/outdoor room, lawn and snow service, etc) Currently I have an entire craft room with a tall wall of built-ins plus a huge number of Elfa and IKEA storage units. I think most of us are collectors as much as crafters and I have stuffed this room full. Not only are we downsizing in our forever home but we will be apartment dwellers for a while so I simply cannot take this whole room.  Don't get me wrong - I'll take a large quantity but not floor to ceiling. I've been working hard at it for a year and even I have to admit that it's really lightened and freshened up my room and it's quite pleasant to work in. Let's hope with the downsizing that I've done, my stash doesn't eventually overwhelm my sweet and tiny little house!

My card uses a heart set that I've had for a while but it was still sitting in my not-yet-used stash. (I guess I should clarify. I have definitely found new homes for a lot of my stuff, but part of the "downsizing" effort is simply organizing by dealing with the huge variety of baskets and boxes, e.g. the valentine/easter not-yet-used basket, the Christmas not-yet-used basket, the perfect-to-use-for-a-specific-person basket and it goes on and on. This heart set and a set I'll be using for next week's card gets rid of the valentine's products in the valentine/easter basket!)

I keep sidetracking, sorry! The heart is a three part Birch Press set called Folk Art Hearts (Layers A, B and C). I love their layered sets but they do get pricey. I got this one (and will keep this one!) because it works for valentines, birthday, feel better and much more. When I realized it wouldn't fit on a vertical card, I knew I wanted a longer sentiment for the horizontal card and found this one in the Pretty Pink Posh Sentiment Strips: Valentine set and I cut it with one of their Sentiment Strips dies. Because it was an open heart, I wanted the strip behind it to be subtle so simply used some polka dot ribbon. 

I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches.

I've talked too much this week so further details on where and when to follow - although if everything goes as planned (and I know it won't), there shouldn't be any disruption on my blog.

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Pretty Pink Posh Sentiment Strips: Valentine
Dies: Birch Press Folk Art Heart Layers A-C, Pretty Pink Posh Sentiment Strips
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Poppy Parade and Flirty Flamingo, Taylored Expressions Cupcake
Other: Stampin' Up Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon

Birthday for an Aspiring Actress

I almost didn't post this card, mostly because virtually everything on it dates way, WAY back. But as I've said over and over, I love this hobby because it allows us to create cards that are perfect for the recipient. In this case, it's for my teenage niece who adores being on the stage. I'm thrilled that I had products, no matter how old, that allowed me to put this together for her. (Notice that I'm giving myself and all of you an excuse for huge stashes and keeping old products!)

The old die set by Taylored Expressions - Center Stage - includes the curtains and stage as a frame along with the tiebacks and the lights. I filled the stage with another old TE die - Potty People Border. The "happy birthday" is Arched Happy Birthday by My Favorite Things (which of course is closed now). I gave it all some texture with embossed stars in the background and a corrugated panel for the stage. 

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Papertrey Ink Sentiment Staples: Birthday
Dies: Taylored Expressions Center Stage Cutting Plate, Taylored Expressions Potty People Border, My Favorite Things Arched Happy Birthday
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Mango Melody, Daffodil Delight and Pool Party, Taylored Expressions Granny Smith (I did the banner a while back and don't know what other colors I used)
Ink: Taylored Expressions Peapod
Embossing Folders: Stampin' Up Mini Corrugated 3D, Spellbinders Stargazer

Freshly Made Sketches: Happy Happy Birthday

We're back after the holidays with a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Amy and here’s what I did with it!

I decided that that fun angle of the sketch would allow me to go very simple with the rest of the card. I added a scrap of bright stripes along the bottom then embossed the main panel with sprinkles. I picked a sentiment die that was bold enough to fit across the front and unique enough to be eye-catching. Then I added a "happy happy" and a few glitter dots. 

And this is a perfect example why I love sketch challenges. Basically I used one patterned paper, an embossing folder and a die cut. The card could have been boring. But I think the angle on the sketch gave it a fun and celebratory look. 

I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Neat & Tangled So Many Sentiments
Dies: Trinity Stamps Simply Sentiment Birthday, Stampin' Up Tasteful Labels
Paper: Stampin' Up Sunshine & Rainbows dsp, Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody and So Saffron cardstock
Other: Taylored Expressions Sprinkles embossing folder, Doodlebug glitter enamel dots

Atlantic Hearts Sketch: Thank You

 My friend and Stampin' Up demonstrator gave me a wonderful Christmas gift - the Enduring Beauty stamp set along with stencils and dies! So the first thing that I had to do was make her a thank you card. A big thank you to the team at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for giving me the creative idea of splitting the bouquet of flowers into each corner.

I don't do a lot of stenciling probably because I find it very stressful. Adding the first color is OK but my anxiety level grows with each new stencil. What if it slips and all my previous work is ruined?! Then I can't tell you how carefully I line up the die and obsessively tape it down before I cut it out. This one really peaked my anxiety because then I had to cut it in half to fit each corner. My friend and SU lady loves stenciling so she'll never understand the stress that this card caused me.

Funny story. She's been my "dealer" for 25 years. For many of those years, we would meet up in my church parking lot when she had an order to give me. One time, her husband was along and as we were exchanging the order and the payment, he burst out laughing and said he was SO glad he knew what was going on. Think about it. An empty parking lot. One car window opens and hands an envelope to the other car. Then the second car hands over a large bag. Wouldn't it have been hysterical had the police shown up thinking they were taking down an illicit deal?! 

I went all Stampin' Up for this card although some of the supplies are long retired.

A big thank you to the team at the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for the inspiration.

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Stampin' Up Enduring Beauty (including stencils and dies), Thank You Kindly
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green

Ink: Stampin' Up Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Lemon Lime Twist, Granny Apple Green
Other: Stampin' Up Layered Leaves Embossing Folder, Brushed Brass Butterflies