Paper Cuts

Hi everyone!  I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving!  I sure did.  I dearly missed the absent family members, but it was still nice.

My card today was inspired by cinnamon sugar.  Let me explain (because I’m certain you’re thinking “Huh???”). 

I am always rushing in the mornings, trying to get my kids out the door on time.   Breakfast is usually cereal with strawberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.   A couple mornings ago I needed to make some more of the sugar.  I grabbed the two ingredients, mixed and sprinkled a bit over two bowls of Frosted Mini Wheats.  Just as I was carrying the bowls to the table, I noticed the spice on the counter.  It was not cinnamon.  It was cumin.  YUCK!  I made cumin sugar!  AND I almost fed it to my children.  I’ll be honest and say that for a second I hesitated…should I still give it to them just to see what they’d say?     Sooo tempting… but nah, I didn’t do it.  (Am I evil for thinking about it?    Maybe.)  I decided it wasn’t worth the risk, dumped the cereal down the drain, threw away the cumin sugar, took a deep breath and started again.

Slow Down

I paper-pieced i-wish-i-looked-so-good-on-a-bike-abella’s outfit, basket and hair bow/flower, and I added a brad in the center of each bicycle wheel. 

After stamping the sentiment, I thought it didn’t stand out well enough so I quickly dumped some clear embossing powder over and heat set it.  (That always helps.)

To get the bigger scalloped border, I pieced together four smaller sections of Nestabilities.  I only have the squares and none are that big.  But if you overlap pieces by one or two scallops, it’s pretty much unnoticeable, especially with darker cardstock.

A little reminder:  Jacksonbelle Embellishments has 20% off your entire order through Monday, 12/1.  Use code THANK08 at checkout. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a great day, and may your cinnamon sugar always be made with cinnamon!!  :) 

Stamps:  Stamping Bella   Ink:  Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black   Cardstock:  Prism Black, Super Smooth White   Patterned Paper:  Basic Grey Urban Prairie   Accessories:  Copic markers, brads, Spellbinder’s Nestabilities, clear embossing powder, pop dots.  Card size 5 ½” x 5 ½”.

Once again, this week’s “Just Sayin’” card was inspired by my daughter.  Last weekend she had a 24-hour stomach bug and although I felt very badly for her, it was such a relief to see that she recognized that queasy feeling and was able to get herself to the bathroom.

Get Well Soon

So that you can fully understand my appreciation for her newfound realization, let me describe the last “drama of the sickies” in my house.  (I won’t go into too much detail but honestly, this is really what it is like here…thankfully, not too often.) 

My daughter was getting sick…in her room.  I was trying to catch what I could in a shirt but some of the mess got on the carpet.  My son (two years older) comes in, screams “EWW!!!   EWW!!  IT’S ON THE FLOOR!  IT’S ON THE FLOOR!”   He keeps screaming, my daughter starts crying, I’m trying to console her, quiet him, contain the mess, and my husband (ever-so-helpful in situations such as these) is dry-heaving in the hallway. 

So although I was upset that my daughter was sick, I was happy that I would not be shampooing carpet, doing laundry and taking ibuprofen in the middle of the night…at least not this time. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a great weekend!

Stamps:  “Needs Somebody” Stamps by Judith; sentiment from “Classic Essential Expressions (Mona Lisa Moments) by Cornish Heritage Farms   Ink:  Stazon Black; Ranger Adirondack inks for watercoloring; Ranger Walnut Stain Distress   Cardstock: Suede Brown Dark, watercolor   Patterned Paper: My Mind’s Eye Magnolia   Accessories:  Prima flower, We R Memory Keepers eyelet, Michaels ribbon, sewing machine, pop dots.  Card size 5 ½” x 5 ½”.

As you know, I was in Disney World recently. We visited the four main theme parks, most of them more than once.  But we probably spent the majority of our time at Epcot.  At the end of one day when we’d had our fill of Test Track (which I didn’t like), Mission Space and Soarin’ (both of which I loved), we walked around the loop of different countries.

Epcot has this “International Food & Wine Festival.”  For a bit of money, we could try different foods and sample different wines from each country.  After some walking, our darling daughter had had enough.  She bellows out (yes, it was quite loud), “Why, why, WHY do you have to keep tasting wine, wine and MORE WINE?”  It earned quite a few chuckles but let me just say before you build this vision of two sloppy drunk parents pulling their children around the world that we only tried three wines that night and the “glasses” were smaller than Dixie cups. 

This card was inspired by my daughter, whom that night I also heard use this phrase for the first time.

Chill Out

So this is me, at Epcot, wishing those Dixie cups had been just a little bit bigger.  :)  I did feel (a little) bad that the walk was “boring” to some, but we didn’t enjoy waiting in a 110-minute line to see a “wad” of fairies either (our son’s words).  So we called it even.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a great weekend!

Stamps:  Stamping Bella “Winobella” and “Chill Out”   Ink:  Adirondack Pitch Black   Cardstock:  Prism Super Smooth White, Black   Patterned Paper:  Basic Grey Urban Prairie   Accessories:  Copic markers, Sakura clear gloss pen (on wine bottle and glasses), ribbon, brads, Nestabilities by Spellbinders, pop dots, glue dots (rolled under wine bottle).

Guess what?  I found a stamp with a saying on it that I use every single day…many times a day.  In fact, I use it so often that my children say it as well (and it has brought on a few snickers when said to other adults…if you can image a six-year old asking an adult “Are you serious?”). 

Are You Serious?

I recently purchased some goodies from Stamping Bella and Chatty Cathy here was among them.   The sentiment :)  is by Starving Artiststamps.

So let’s pretend this is me on the phone with my husband. 

(insert normal conversation…blah, blah, blah)

Him:  So I decided what I want for my birthday.

Me:  Oh?!  What?  (I’m thinking “YAY!” This man is so difficult to buy for. Finally an idea!)

Him:  I want “Guitar Hero World Tour.”

Me:  silence

Him:  Hello?

Me: Yes?

Him:  Are you there?

Me:  Yes.

Him:  Did you hear what I said?

Me:  Yes.

Him:  That’s what I want.

Me:  Are you serious? (This man doesn’t really have time to play video games and the last thing I can picture him doing is standing in our family room with a guitar in his hands…night after night learning to play “Freak on a Leash” and “Hot for Teacher”.  Actually, he’s more of a “Hotel California” kind of guy…which I can handle.)

Him:  Yeah!  I looked at the song list and that’s what I want.

Me:  (deep breath)…..ok…..

So, I found this Guitar Hero World Tour.  It’s in a closet awaiting the big day.  Heaven help me.  I should at least be grateful that he didn’t want the “bundle” which comes with drums and a microphone.  He did ask for an extra guitar though.  Hopefully he’s thinking that is for our son and not me.   (Watch me try it and like it.  )

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I won’t have a Just Sayin Saturday next week.  I’ll be out of town for a while, most likely with no access to a computer.    (lol)  But in the meantime, I have a few things I’ll “pre-post” here and there.  Have a great weekend…and week to follow!  I’ll be back “live” after the 10th!

Stamps:  Stamping Bella “Chatty Cathy”; sentiment by Starving Artistamps ”Quirky”  Ink:  Adirondack Pitch Black   Cardstock:  Prism Vanilla Cream, Natural Smooth, Suede Brown Dark   Patterned Paper:  We R Memory Keepers Precious Metal Vintage Brass   Accessories:  Copic markers, Prima lace, pop dots.  Card size 4 ¼” x 5 ½”.

Do you have a friend who is sick?  I’m not talking about physically, but sick in humor?  (Remember, this is all in fun!)  I have a friend who always makes me laugh…no matter what.  Sometimes she’s just plain silly, and sometimes…well, yes, she can be really sick.  But it’s still funny as can be.  So I made this card for her. 

One Sick Puppy

I have a stamp with the sentiment “heard you were one sick puppy” (by Art Gone Wild) but I wanted to add to the sentiment, so I used my computer to print the text on the patterned paper.  The pup is from “Cat n’ Dog” by My Favorite Things, and the charm reads “Be Yourself.”  I just wish I could have figured out how to add a captain’s hat to the dog.  ;) 

I popped up the pup’s head as well as the white panel and the scalloped border.  I used a clear gel pen on the eyes and nose and a white gel pen to add highlights to the dog’s eyes and dots in the scallops.

In making this card, I needed to refill one of my brown Copic markers.  Just in case you’re not familiar with this process, you carefully remove the chisel tip from the end of the marker to refill the barrel.  That being said, here’s another important Copic marker tip:   After refilling the barrel, replace the chisel tip before replacing the cap.    (My mind is on WAY too many things lately.)

That’s all for today.  Have a great one!!

Stamps:  My Favorite Things “Cat n’ Dog”  Ink:  Adirondack Pitch Black   Cardstock:  Prism White, Black   Patterned Paper:  Bo Bunny Press   Accessories:  Copic markers, black twill, charm, scalloped square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), blue dingly balls (Webster’s Pages), white gel pen (Signo), eyelets (American Crafts), clear gel pen (Sakura).  Card size 5” x 5”.

Sometimes we have good days.  And yes, sometimes we have bad days. Yesterday for me…not so good in the creativity department.  I’ll save myself the embarassment of telling you how long it took me to make this card, but let’s just say it took way WAY longer than it should have.

Sometimes You’re the Frog

That frog looks like how I felt.  I tried so many different layouts and papers, inks and embellishments.  This is what I finally ended up with.  The punches were still on my table so I used those to create the flowers.  (I would have used Primas if I had more than one brown one.)

I stamped the fly twice onto vellum, cut out each and adhered one over the other, bending up the top set of wings.  One of the punches has a little swirly/springy thing on it so I used that to “prop” the fly.

I watercolored the frog with SU’s Old Olive (reinker).  I outlined the frog with a gray Copic and then “attempted” to feather the edges with Copic’s colorless blender pen.  Here’s a great  tip for using the colorless blender pen:  Before touching the pen to the paper, make sure it is in fact the colorless blender pen and not one of the gray markers.  (You know how I know this…)

I used a clear gel pen on the eyes and spots, and some leftover scraps made a quick matching envelope.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  And today may you be the frog…or the fly.  It depends on how you look at it. 

Stamps:  Starving Artistamps   Ink:  Adirondack Pitch Black, SU Old Olive   Cardstock:  Prism Suede Brown Dark, Herbal Garden Light, Natural Smooth, Vellum   Patterned Paper:  October Afternoon   Accessories:  McGill punches, Basic Gray brads, Spellbinders Nestabilities, Making Memories trim, brown marker, Sakura 3-d clear gel pen, waterbrush, pop dots.  Card size 5 ½” x 4 ¼”.

What a great sentiment!  I found this one while apple picking my way to a 15% discount at Addicted to Rubber Stamps a while back.  (Insert rolling eyes.  Obviously I had no pressing issues that day.)  Anyway, I couldn’t pass up the sentiment.  How many times have you wanted to say “I understand.  I just don’t care”?  Or better yet, how many times have you actually said it?    I’ll admit to it (maybe even this last week), but sometimes I tend to say too much.  My husband can surely attest to that.

I Understand…

I paper-pieced Elzy’s dress using the front cover of the paper pack.  Those little squares that show the patterns in the pack?  They’re perfect for piecing little parts and many of mine are cut all over.

To make the flower, I used two of McGill’s new Perfect Petals punches.  I love these.  The two I used have five to seven little flowers on each punch, perfect for layering.   Once I stacked the pieces and adhered them with the tiny brad, I bent each petal up just a bit for added dimension.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great weekend!  (And just for the record, I usually do care, but there are times….)

Stamps:  Elzybells Art Stamps “Girl on Swing” and River City Rubber Works “I Understand”   Ink:  Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black   Cardstock:  Prism White, Super Smooth White   Patterned Paper:  Rubber Soul Meadow’s Edge   Accessories:  Copic markers, McGill Petite Petals and Baby Blooms punches, Bazzill 3 mm brad.  Card size 4” x 4”.

We (everyone) constantly give our children advice about the way to do or say things.  Afterall, we want them to grow up to be responsible, respectable adults.  And then, inevitably, they do what they want.  I remember being the same way with my mom.  Sometimes I just didn’t listen, other times I did listen, thought about it and then made my own decision which was usually not the one she recommended.  Live and learn, right?  I pretty much think mistakes are okay (within reason) if we learn from them. 

So this card is in honor of all the times I did not listen to my mother…and all the times my children will not listen to me.  Hopefully when they’re older, they will realize that moms (and dads) really do know what they’re talking about…most of the time.

Listen to Your Mother

I started out just coloring the curlers but then decided it might look interesting to add eyelets in those spots.  For the small burgundy flowers, I used a new punch called Petite Petals by McGill, adding a little French knot in the center of each.  I found both stamps at Addicted to Rubber Stamps.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope the rest of your weekend is fabulous!

Stamps:  Rubber Romance “Lulu”; sentiment by Renaissance Art Stamps   Ink: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black   Cardstock:  Prism Crabapple Dark, Super Smooth White   Patterned Paper:  Basic Grey Sugared 6×6 paper pad   Accessories:  Copic markers, American Crafts eyelets, McGill Petite Petals Punch, white string/needle, sewing machine, pop dots.  Card size 5” x 5”.

Happy Saturday!  I don’t know about where you are, but it is glorious here!  Once it warms up a bit, I’m opening ALL the windows! LOVE IT!

Here’s my second post “saying it like it is.”  I think we all know one of these.  No, not a horse, but a horse’s….er….um….rear end.  I know a couple people I could send this to, friends (or relatives-ha!) who can be a real…..uh…..rear end…but we can still joke about it.  That part’s important.  I didn’t make this to be rude.  It is meant to be a joke.

Be a Good One

I was digging through the older stamps at Cornish Heritage Farms and came upon this horse.  I immediately thought of this sentiment.  (And in my strange little mind, I was thinking “What other sentiment would one USE with this image?  Really, if you can think of one, please let me know.  I’d love to hear other ideas.)  Anyway, the horse stamp was on clearance so I’m not even sure it’s still available. 

One subtle thing I’ll point out about this card is that I used a Weathered Wood backgrounder on the orange-ish paper.  It was one of those plain “patterned papers” from the Basic Grey Archaic paper pad.  I just stamped the wood stamp over it using Espresso ink.  I love how that looks!

Thanks for stopping by!  And thank you, Abraham Lincoln, for such a versatile quote! :)  Have a great day!

Stamps:  Cornish Heritage Farms “Who’s That Horse”, “Weathered Wood” Backgrounder, “Sky,” “Motivational Centers” (Mona Lisa Moments)   Ink:  Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Adirondack Cloudy Blue by Ranger, Ranger Walnut Stain Distress   Cardstock:  Prism Vanilla Cream, Suede Brown Dark   Patterned Paper: Basic Grey Archaic   Accessories:  Copic markers, ticket corner punch, brads, piercing template/needle, white gel pen, sponge.  Card size 4 ¼” x 5 ½”.

Welcome to my first ”Say it Like it Is” Saturday!    I’ve decided to periodically post some silly, maybe a bit rude, slightly obnoxious but totally honest projects just for fun.  (Don’t worry…I won’t be too bad.)

For the past two weeks, I’ve been totally immersed in the Stephanie Meyer Twilight series.  I don’t usually seek books about vampires and werewolves.  When my friend first mentioned this saga I just smiled, nodded and thought “ok…you go right ahead and read about your monsters and I’ll stick to David Baldacci.”  But I was in need of a good book and I thought, “Eh, what the heck.  Let’s see what’s so intriguing here.”  Wow, is my interest ever piqued.  I’ve just begun the third book, Eclipse, and like the first two, I have a hard time putting it down once I have it in my hands.  I am thoroughly enjoying these characters, their differences and (as much as each would deny) their similarities. 

I’m not Listening

So here I am, reading my book, my favorite latte by my side.  If someone talks, do I see lips moving?  Only if I have to.  Am I listening?  Not unless it’s something REALLY important.  Is the house on fire?  Did your brother cut off your head?  No?  Well then, carry on.  (Ok…I’m exaggerating…a bit, but you get my point.)

I do love a good read and the Twilight series is outstanding.  Definately one of those I will hate to see end.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope your weekend is wonderful!

Cardstock:  Prism White (base), Super Smooth White   Patterned Paper:  Basic Grey Eva paper pad   Stamps:  Rubber Romance “Julia”, sentiment by Starving Artiststamps Quirky   Ink:  Adirondack Pitch Black   Accessories:  Copic markers, mm chipboard flourish, brads, sewing machine.  Card size 4 ¼” x 5 ½”.