Holiday Home

At least some of the Cardologists have decided that this Holiday Home stamp set in the Stampin' Up holiday catalog ranks among their favorites.  Check out all the little stamps that come in this set sized to "fit" the houses. This cute Santa and reindeer have been appearing in front of the full moon all over blogland.  Tonight we made our version (or should I say versions?).

We all started by masking a moon shape and sponging ink on glossy paper, using four Marvy blues with a little Memento black to darken the corner.   While that dried, we stamped, colored and fussy cut the three houses.  The hard part was picking a card color; mine is cherry cobbler with a thin black mat. The streetlamp and tree were stamped directly on the card and a line added to ground them.  Then the houses were popped up on the panel.  We turned the streetlights "on" with our white pens and added a little bling (of course) on the Christmas lights and wreath.

I hear we might have a little snow in our day tomorrow.  Ho Ho Ho.  Susanne and Melba, we missed you tonight.  Hope you are feeling better soon.

Thanks for visiting.

Blog tag

Hello, friends,

This is going to be a long post today, because my stamper friend, Susanne, tagged me for the "getting to know you" blog tag and I can be rather longwinded sometimes.   I hope you visit Susanne's blog, Keep In Touch, and get to know her if you don't already. 


Susanne likes stars, I know, and random spots of color on her cards so in tribute I am starting with this card I made today.  The saying says that she is a friend that brightens any day and inspires me.

So let's get right into those pesky, thought-provoking questions.

1.  What creative projects are you currently working on?  It is my favorite time of the year - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas are in close proximity - so I am working on holiday cards.  Ever since that day when my coworker, Lisa, introduced me to "the crazy ladies that spend all their money on stamps", I have focused on card-making.  All the other crafts I used to do - embroidery, macramé, crochet - have been shelved.

2.  What inspires your designs?  At first, I gravitated to stamping for the camaraderie, thinking I had no artistic ability.  There came a day when I confessed to our artist friend, Bonnie, that I didn't know what I was doing.  She kindly invited me over for some one-on-one time and showed me how to add dimension to a card.  I made the first card I actually liked that day, a Christmas card for my mom, and an addiction was born. 

I have six Cardologist friends who challenge me with their unique styles and keep me sane.  Now that I have an iPad, I also find inspiration from other talented people online. 


3.  What method/process do you apply to each of your creative projects and how long does each take to complete?  Once, in college, my artist roommate told me to just close my eyes and "see" what I wanted to draw.  I have to honestly say there are only rare occasions when an inspiration will just pop into my head like that.  More often, though, I start with one thought - use this paper, or that stamp - and try to grow an idea.  I like challenges that present a color scheme or a layout as a starting point.  I can still struggle for days with the details unless I give myself a deadline.


4.  If you had to describe your signature style, what would it be?  My sister, who is not a stamper, can usually tell which of my friends has made a card.  We each have our unique style, but describing it is hard.  if it helps, my friends call me the Engineer.  I fall somewhere between One Layer Simplicity (which is very difficult) and Lacy Victorian (too time consuming).  I like clean cards with dimension or movement. 


5. What are three crafting products/tools you can't live without?  Eeek, only three?!  I could say "my kit" that I take each week to stamp with the Cardologists but that would be cheating since it is full of essentials (not to mention it has grown to three heavy bags).  Seriously, I will not give up my Big Shot since it is a rare card that does not benefit in some way from die-cutting or embossing.  I also need my Scotch clear glue since it gives me a second to rethink my positioning.  And I love all my paper, getting great enjoyment from matching textures and colors.

And I am at the point now where I would pass the torch on to another blogger.  None of the Cardologists, with the exception of Susanne, who introduced me to blogland,  have blogs.  So first I give you a sampling of their styles. 

Being new to blogland, I do not know other bloggers well enough to tag them.  So I am going to give you links to sites that I find inspiring. Since there are quite a few, I picked sites with less than 300 followers.  I am hoping you will have time to visit them and say "hello" from me.

Angela, From the Tool Shed
Nikki, My Sandbox
Becky, Scrappin' and Stampin' in GJ
Janet, Swanlady Impressions

And now I am off to my sister's house for Sunday family dinner and a movie night.  If you read all this blog this end, I thank you for your kind attention. I hope to see you in blogland.

 
 



Halloween 2014

It is a few hours away from All Hallow's Eve so I post the card I made for this season. 

Susanne was a little under the weather tonight and didn't make it to the Cardologist's party, so Susanne your card is in the mail.  I hope you are feeling better soon.

I had intended to put googly eyes on the outside and place the owl inside.  However, I couldn't find my googly eyes - since I am only half unpacked from Stamp Camp that is not a surprise.  So, on the front the owl goes.  Of course, she had to have her feathers dyed orange and purple for the occasion...and a little green makeup for the beak and toes.

The Spider Web sentiment is from DRS and inside,

"Wishing you a delightfully frightful Halloween night!" which I believe is an old Close to My Heart stamp.


Thank you for visiting.

Fairy wishes

 Hello, my friends,

The Cardologists believe chocolate is necessary for the creative process. Needless to say a lot of M&Ms went into this project.   The card took over my whole afternoon.  It started as a simple small card but then it called to be switched around and made into a buckle.  (The actual card went through several metamorphosis until ending up as a gray card with embossed swirls distressed with blue.)



 The fairy stamp is a Penny Black stamp. I stamped her twice and popped up the head and star.  I stamped the wings twice with Staz-On on acetate, and cut them out, leaving a tab to slip into the slit I made along her dress.



It wasn't going to be a Christmas card either but when I went looking through my stash I found this sentiment that fit perfectly. 







Spellbinders Labels Twenty-two  formed the "buckle" and framed the sentiments from two different Stampin' Up sets, one retired, one Petite Pairs.



Thank you for visiting today.

Butterflies

My sister likes butterflies, and even though we are past the season to see them here, I found myself making a butterfly card this week.

My friend, Susanne, found a technique posted by Therese on  her website Lost In Paper this month using solid dies with embossing folders to create a frame for a matching stamp.  To our dismay, the Cardologists do not have many solid dies.  I have one solid die, but no stamp to match so I tried the technique with a set of dies from Impression Obsession that I fortuitously received in the mail this week.




The effect of the frame is lost unless you peak under the butterfly in the closeup, so it would work better with a matching stamp, and as we found out from our experimenting, if the die is sized to leave a border around the stamp.

The butterfly was cut from a left over scrap of ink applied direct to glossy paper. The word stamp is from a Stamp Camp set; the embossing folder is from Provo Craft/Cuttlebug. 


Thanks for visiting my blog.
Dora

Stamp camp news

Hello.  The skies turned really gray today and we are losing the beautiful leaves here on the mountainside.  We have to turn to our creations for color.

Yesterday Susanne came and brought her embossing paste.  We CASEd her card on her website Keep In Touch; mine is pictured on the left.  We also used a stencil she brought with ferns and I made a card with bits and pieces pictured here on the left.

Since we all share our supplies at Stamp Camp, and Susanne brought the stencils, I do not know the company that makes them.  Thank you Susanne for sharing your time and talent with us.

[edit: The fern stencil is from TCW and the grid stencil is from Memory Box.]

1. Background stamps by Stampin Up; bird is a Local King stamp

2. Scroll is from a Fiskars Heidi Grace set; Die is Simon Says.

Stamp camp Monday

Greetings from Stamp Camp.  

On Monday, we played with two techniques that we had never done before.  The first is the Bull's Eye technique we studied in a video by Deb Valder.  You can find the instructions on her website stampaladee.  The second was using reinkers and rubbing alcohol.  There are lots of instructional videos for that but the one we studied (and apologies that I do not remember where) had us mixing the two on a craft mat and then dipping our paper into it.

These are our creations:

1.  Stampin Up Embrace Life, Papillon Potpourri, Sizzix  Circle dies.

2.  Stampin IUp retired set In Full Bloom.

Stamp Camp 2014

The Cardologists are at stamp camp in Vermont this year.  The colors are gorgeous!  For once we timed our vacation to peak season instead of first snow.

Here is the first card from camp.  We used the Sizzix flip card dies that Mollie got for her birthday and Bob's Halloween dies from Impression Obsession.  Jules contributed the diecut Boo that we glittered. Melba contributed the patterned paper.  It was my Big Shot, so you can see this was a group effort.

One Layer Simplicity and NBUS

I am posting late because it was the night the Cardologists get together.  We have a rule that we do not get dessert before everyone has finished a card.  Lately all our cards have been so complicated  we have given up and had dessert at 10 just to go home and finish the card.  But tonight I had an idea for a card I wanted to do that would meet the one layer challenge.  When everyone saw how easily it came together, and knowing there was delicious Lemon Meringue Pie waiting, they wanted to make it too.  I can't show you the beautiful pie, but here is the card:

I am entering in the One Layer Simplicity challenge.  I hope you follow the link to check it out because Ardyth, a stamper I admire, is hosting the challenge this month.  I am also entering in the second NBUS Challenge hosted by the talented Darnell.



 

I started with Soft Sky ink on a (NBUS) Hampton Art Stamp with squares.  I have had that stamp for ages and never found a use for it until now.  Two colors of Distress inks went over the corners and then the squares were stamped on the card.  The flower and greeting came from Stampin Up's Simply Sketched; the flower was colored with pencils.  The only embellishment is Wink of Stella over the flower which doesn't photograph well.

I hope you have a wonderful day.
Dora
 PS: We had to bring the second card home to finish - lots of coloring. 

Color Throwdown 309

Hello,
I was intrigued by the challenge at Color Throwdown this week since blues and greens are my favorites.  Here is a card that I am going to submit made with a Hero Arts stamp that I love. 

I have to tell you that I actually saw a blue Queen Anne's Lace flower this year.  It was sitting all by itself on the side of the road away from all the other white ones. Here I gave it some company.

I added the embossing on the grey layer because it reminds me of the edge of a quilt that my grandmother had.



If you like this color combination, head over to the Color Throwdown site to see more.



You will see some Stampin Up elements on this card: paper, ribbon, die, embossing folder, inks. The sentiment is from an unknown company.

Thanks for stopping in.

September

I hope you are having a lovely weekend. Since it was raining Saturday I volunteered to help my sister clean out some of the "stuff" they have been hoarding.  It is never easy to get three people to agree on each item to let go, but we had a productive day. 

Today was my idea of perfect weather.  I did manage to catch a few minutes indoors before dinner to make a card.  I saw this layout on pinterest but had to go with  my favorite color blue, starting with this scrap DSP that was in my bag. 

I am liking the Apothocary Accent die set now that I found a youtube video (don't remember where) showing how to cut it down to make a layer.  The Pansies started out on pink paper but I sprayed them with glimmer mist that turned them orange.  Sigh. At least I found a ribbon to match.

Inspired by Pinterest

I found a beautiful technique on Pinterest at http://paperparrot.blogspot.com.au/. The Cardologists used it as inspiration for their cards on Thursday.  I tried using a blender pen and inks to color the flowers because I have no copic pens.  Unfortunately the pen is drying out, so don't look too close. 

The technique is stamping with a very light ink and then tracing over the lines with a sparkly gelly pen.  The stamps are Stampin Up's Peaceful Petals; the die is from their Apothocary Accents set.

Check out Susanne's take on this technique over on her blog at Keep in Touch.
Thank you for stopping by.

With Sympathy

 
 

This card was made for one of the Cardologists, a generous and kind lady, as well as a good friend. Her father-in-law passed away and I know she misses him.

I used Recollections cream and white patterned paper that another generous lady / Cardologist gave me.    A bit of SU lace ribbon from the new catalog was the only embellishment. 

Dies by Spellbinder, punches and stamps by Stampin Up.

Jules birthday

In my last post I mentioned that we were celebrating a birthday.  Now that she has seen the card, I can post pictures of Jules' birthday card.  I have been wanting to make a rainbow card in DSP for a while after seeing similar designs on pinterest.  I combined Sage greens and Bliss Blues.  Since I didn't have to mail it, I added a flower made with the Stampin Up pansy punch (pinterest again) and spritzed with Tattered Angels. I had a new butterfly die from Memory box to add more dimension to the front.   The inside is a step card - and you guessed it - directions found on pinterest.  (Now you know the reason I don't post much!)



My step card says "Big Wish"; the letters were handcut - so many dies, but none the right font! I used a Rubber Stamps of America fairy stamp I bought ages ago.  I had to use the computer to make it smaller to fit  and also to flip one.  That's the SU pansy stamp in the background.  Note to self - don't use such heavy cardstock next time - the card is way too thick and heavy.  Stands up good though!

July wanes

I love the ease of following blog friends and getting my emails on the Ipad, but when it comes time to edit my own blog on the computer, I can never remember my password!    Maybe I should not wait so long between postings!  

A couple weeks ago the Cardologists celebrated a birthday.  Jules was the brunt of many "old" jokes that night. I only can say I hope that I am that healthy and look that great when I am 70.   After all the cake and presents, we started a card that night using Stampin Up's new blackberry cardstock and Sweetbriar Rose stamp.  One of Jules' gifts was a new Creative Expressions die set which she graciously let us all try.  

I couldn't quite finish the card until I ditched the idea of using just the frame.  I had to add the middle behind the flowers.   One tip if you buy one of these CE dies that comes in three parts: we found out the center part should be cut separately.  When run through the Big Shot with the frame, it doesn't cut all of the bits.  We think they are not quite the same depth.

Thank you for stopping by.   Now I am going to go let the rain lull me to sleep.

Happy Anniversary

Hello,
I have some dear friends celebrating 40 years together - their ruby anniversary - at the end of the month.  This card is for the big event....  Yes, they have decided it is finally the right time to get married, thus the rings added to the design!

 

I am entering this card in the NBUS Friendship challenge to help Darnell Knauss celebrate reaching 500 followers.  The NBUS (never before used stuff) is the pansy stamp from Stampin' Up.  It only came out last year, but I finally broke down and bought the set.  Although I have a lot of flower stamps, I didn't have any open ones, and I am excited to see all the different ways to use it.  Please, click on the button to go to her website.                                 

 

Congratulations, Darnell.  (Sorry its not really old NBUS!)

Happy Birthday, Susanne

Today is Susanne's birthday! The Cardologists celebrated the occasion on Thursday night.  We usually time it so that Susanne is making the dessert when it is someone's birthday but Betty Bob rose to the occasion this time with a delicious strawberry birthday cake. 

Here is the card that I made for her this year. On her blog Keep in Touch she has been showing what she learned in her watercolor class, so I watercolored the image using shimmer colors.

  

Blowing you wishes, Susanne.

 I don't remember the company that makes the shimmer colors because I bought them so long ago at Stamp Convention.  The image is from Purple Onion Designs.

Memorial Day 2

Wow, two postings in one weekend; this won't happen often.  But I was visiting my aunt today helping her clean out a drawer and found a card I made a few years ago for Memorial Day.  I had been thinking about it, wished I had taken a picture of it when I made it, thought it was lost, but there it was.  So, having never posted it before, and thinking this is an opportune time to find it....here it is.

Courage, Honor, Sacrifice, Remembrance. 

Eagle by Rubber Monger, Poppy by Just for Fun

Memorial Day

Hello friends,
My, haven't we had a run of good weather.  There is a little guilt when I say that because while the west has huge fires because of the drought, and the south is flooded due to all the rain, el nino brings us great weather.  I have been spending most free time outdoors raking and pruning and getting the yard looking nice.  The hardy spring flowers (the ones that grow in spite of my efforts not because of them) are making their appearance. 

As well the mosquitos that drove me indoors this evening.  Not to worry because I got a chance to finish the cards I started Thursday.  The Cardologists played with sponging inks on glossy paper.   Usually my "pieces" end up in the drawer until inspiration strikes, but today, I was on a roll.

 

On the first card, we had punched the Stampin Up pansy punch and used it as a mask to sponge distress inks.  Mine was a little plain even after stamping a center, so I cut it up, added a vine and a butterfly from Stampin Up Papillon.   The second was a 1-1/8 inch circle.  It is a little small because I kept forgetting to sponge inward and landed off the side of the mask.  Some booboos I could cover up; some had to be cut off.  I borrowed the stamp from Lola so I can't remember the company. Today  some scraps of paper to match; assorted punches and sentiment by Stampin Up,  et voila. 

Tomorrow I will go to the cemetery as it is Memorial Day. However, you spend your day, I hope you get an opportunity to pause and remember.

Thank you for stopping by.

Happy Spring

The daffodils are coming up in my garden now - such a cheerful sight. After what seems like a long cold winter, its so wonderful to know that soon we will be outside without coats and boots.  There have been enough sunny days to keep the road from turning into a mud bog;  but the weekend forecast is more rain. More reason to be inside stamping!

I haven't posted in a while since I have been spending time with my aunt who is recovering from a broken hip. Ouch.  I did find some time while the snow was melting to watch videos and search pinterest for inspiration for my Easter card. 

Finally tried my hand at these Easter bunny box cards for my favorite peeps.   I love the fact that these cards fold flat and fit in a regular envelope, but open up to a 3D box. 

 I had so much fun, I had to make two more - Fairy Garden and Get Well Fishes - this time using strips of clear acetate to work some magic.

 Look close and see the fish blowing bubbles.

All the stamps are Stampin Up retired sets, as well the paper and DSP.  Hope you enjoy them.

Happy St Patty's Day

Thursday night the 7 Cardologists had a double celebration.  It was our St Patty's party but also it was Bob's birthday.  Tina made an excellent dessert - because Bob loves ice cream, and green is the color of the day - she made a peppermint ice cream brownie cake.  Yum.

Of course, in the rush I forgot to take a picture of Bob's birthday card.  Hope she'll be kind and take one for me.  Here is the card I made for St Patrick's day.  I also want to enter it in Virginia's View Challenge this month for the watercoloring.

I embossed gold shimmer cardstock with a Darice embossing folder, stamped and embossed a verse from My Sentiments Exactly on watercolor paper,  and painted a rainbow. A scrap of green paper, a shamrock button from my collection and a piece of gold thread finished the card.

May the leprechaun's be kind to you!  Thanks for visiting.

Icy February

This year may not have been as cold as when I first moved into my house thirty years ago, but definitely colder than the last two or three.  The employees at the pellet store were very busy today, when I went to get a supply, as the winter drags on.

I have two cards this week.   This first card was made at the Cardologist's regular Thursday stamping night.  It started with an idea Melba had and we each had our take on it.  I see the Color Throw down 281 challenge is using these colors so I am going to link it there.  Although I will be the first to say, I am seriously challenged when it comes to lining up dies with images.  It was Lola's idea to glitter the flowers, which I wish the scanner would pick up.

Hero Arts/Sizzix - stamps and matching dies set
Sizzix banner
Stampin Up sentiment
http://colorthrowdown.blogspot.com/

This next one is another bouncing brayer background.  Lola thinks it needs a bag of popcorn embellishment in the corner because it makes her think of the fair.  I am thinking it will be a thank you, and I will add a French "Merci".  What do you think?

Stampin Up's  "Feeling Sentimental" 
Papers: Crisp Cantaloupe card with Not Quite Navy, Rose Red, and a scrap of peach paper
Embossing Folders: Darice
Distress Inks and Glimmer mist

Bouncing Brayers

Just recently I saw a gorgeous card that used the 'bouncing brayer" technique. Of course I had to google it and find out how to do it and saw many beautiful examples.  Thursday night the Cardologists played with brayers making lots of backgrounds.  Suzanne had made some delicious chocolate orange cookies for our dessert but couldn't join us.  (So sad)  But Suzanne, we didn't finish one card!  As soon as we heard the roads were icing up we closed up and hit the road. 

I made a card tonight with one of my backgrounds.  In my rush to post it and get to bed before midnight, I scanned it before the glue on the dew drops was dry.  (That's three more dew drops down and one thousand still to use.)

Stamps:  Hero Arts plant, Stampin Up hello
Dies:  Stampin Up Scallop Circle, Sizzix Circles, Heartfelt Creations posey
Distress Inks:  Worn Lipstick, Peeled Paint
Paper;  Stampin Up Certainly Celery
I wish you could see the glimmer mist that was spritzed on.  And now I must say goodnight before I turn into a pumpkin, or loose my shoe, or just fall asleep at the computer and forget to go to bed.  Hope all my friends are safe and snug in their homes. Goodnight.

Happy Valentine's Day

 We are catching the tail end of the storm that covered the country yesterday.  Luckily it didn't start until late last night so the Cardologists were able to hold their Valentine party.  Tina brought wonderful heart cookies for our dessert.  Not much stamping last night, but lots of goodies and laughter among friends.  Here is my Valentine:

 

Stamps (Retired):  Hero Arts Rose, DOTS balloon string, Stampin Up balloon
Word embossing folder and Ornament punch from Stampin Up

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's celebration - laughter among friends, chocolate, and time to stamp.

Here it is 2014.  Wishing all my friends a happy year with lots of time for stamping. 

I was on vacation this week - with electricity - but I finished only one card.  I played with Inkadinkado's Stamping Gear, a Christmas gift from Lola, one of the 7 Cardologists. 

Here is the card I made; part of the background is my attempt at using Stamping Gear; yes, I fear I need practice.  Paper and inks are Turquoise, Slate Grey and Basic Grey because I am going to enter in a challenge at Color Throwdown.

 

 

Dies:  Stampin Up arrow; Spellbinder label

Embossing folder: Tim Holtz by Sizzix

 

Have a happy and prosperous 2014!