Comin' Round the Mountain....

is another fab train set from Cornish Heritage Farms. This is the second of 4 train sets being released from the B&O line. This one is called Silhouette Train. Just like the first set, this one has so many possibilities. Here are a couple samples I made.

This first one uses the sweet silhouette image of the conductor and children. I was inspired to pair it with a verse from the Friendly Kritter's Scripture set.

Isn't the image sweet?? I used some Spellbinder dies for the frame and "curtain". The paper is from October Afternoon's Road Map pack.

This sample is more vintage in feel, lots of Distress ink added to the edges.

When I showed it to Greg he asked me where I got the old ticket from. Score!! My idea worked, lol. I stamped the ticket onto smooth vanilla, cut it out, folded it into quarters and rubbed Antique Linen Distress ink onto the folds and edges. My last step was to use my distress tool to tear up the edges a bit. The fun paper is from a 4" pack of Jenni Bowlin papers I bought at my LSS. My Dymo label maker is seeing much more love from me these days. I think I may need to go get some of those pastel colored rolls.

The design team created some fantastic samples with this set. From a primary colored boy card to a black and white masked stunner. I encourage you to check out the gallery here. There is a second release as well, a set called "You Drive Me Crazy" from the GM line. If you struggle with masculine cards you will get lots of inspiration from today's releases.

That makes 5 days in a row for me this week! I think I'll take the weekend off and hopefully create some more things to share next week.

Blessings on your weekend. Thanks for stopping by.

Guest Blogger

Today I am the Guest Blogger over at the Stampin' Sisters in Christ blog. Their blog started out with 2 sisters challenging each other to make cards. Their challenge is unique in that each week the challenge comes in the form of a bible verse. What a great way to encourage people to meld their paper crafting with their faith! Sometimes people use the actual verse in the design, other times they use the verse more as inspiration. This week's verse is...

Deuteronomy 31:8 "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (NIV)

CHF is sponsoring their challenge this week and I am so honored to be able to share a bit on their blog. Here is a look at my card, but you'll have to check out their blog to see my "hidden" feature.

The card itself did not give me trouble, but I really wanted a greater purpose for my card this time. I wanted to use it to minister to someone. But who? I asked, God answered. It has been a bit of an emotional ride since God's answer to me was to give it to a woman who's elderly father is dying of cancer. This dear man sat in church just 5 weeks ago and now can not leave his bed. His downward turn has come so quickly. Can a card bring comfort? I think so, in some small measure. I know a well timed scripture can be powerful and comforting. In times like these I am reminded that God can use our gifts and abilities, even cardmaking, to minister to His people. This card turned out to be so much more than paper, ink and ribbon!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you will check out the SSIC blog today. Even better, play along!

Spritz Away

In October, CHF sponsored the challenges over on the Gingersnap Creations blog. Each week there was a different challenge and we had to option to participate if we wanted. When the last week rolled around, I plum ran out of time and steam! I hated to miss it so I told myself it would be alright. I saw the card Joanne was submitting and it was beautiful. She used some Glimmer Mist which I had just been playing with earlier that week. "No" I told myself, I didn't have time. The day we needed to submit our projects, I walked by this stunning maple tree, in full yellow splendor, and I could resist no longer. Between the leaves and Joanne's card I was totally inspired. I picked up several leaves and raced home at the end of the day to spray away with my Glimmer Mist bottles. Here is the card I ended up with, just in time to join in the challenge (and take away the guilt I was feeling, lol).

I took a piece of natural, flecked paper and used some removable adhesive to tack down the leaves. I sprayed Forest Green and Suede Glimmer Mist over the whole paper. When I removed the leaves the white space left behind was a bit too stark and the 2 colors seemed a bit too boring. I used some red Glimmer Mist sparingly to add a touch of color. Once it was dry, I embossed the Nesting Maple Leaf from Shady Tree Studios (CHF) in gold. The edges of the paper were outlined with a Krylon Gold Leafing pen.

The challenge was to post something about what we are thankful for. I used a sentiment from the Friendly Kritters Scripture set because I am thankful for the many blessings God has showered me with...my family, my home, our church.

Tip: I am new to the whole Glimmer Mist thing, however, I found that even heavy paper will tend to curl under the wetness of the spray. At least it did for me because I was going for heavy coverage. When the paper curls, the ink runs down to the edges. Personally, I didn't like the pooled, muddy mess it left on the edges after it dried. My solution was to cut a piece larger than I needed and after it dried, trim off those unsightly edges. Now that I think about it, it might also be solved by using removeable adhesive to tack down my paper so it can't curl. I will try that next time. That may just have been a "duh' moment, lol!

Blessings on your day!

Goin' Retro!

I am so excited that I can finally share some samples of the newest set to come from CHF's ATC Collection. It is called Domestic Love and it is filled with fun retro images and sentiments. It is being released TODAY!

Don't you just love it?? The team has been cranking out samples, a sure sign of how versatile and fun these stamps are.

Here are just two of my samples...

Basic Grey's new paper line, Nook and Pantry, has some designs that are made for this set! I embossed the beaters in silver EP. I'll be using this card the next time I need to encourage someone.

This next card cracks me up! I am sure you could think of just the right person or occasion to send this one...

I used some Jenni Bowlin paper to piece the bag on the vacuum and to create a "rug" using a scallop oval Nestie die. I swear that pattern was in my grandma's house, lol.

To see the other great samples, check out the gallery here.

Well, I have to work today ;(. Thanks for visiting!

Paint & Acrylic

Good morning! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Ours was jam packed from beginning to end. On Friday night I decided life is too short to live with ugly walls, lol! I finally started the process of re-doing our main bathroom by removing some mauve, rose patterned wall border. It really didn't go well with the fishing themed shower curtain my boys picked out. How is that for a mental picture?? Believe me, it is way worse in person! When I stamp, I usually have HGTV on in the background so I am going to put some lessons I learned to good use. We bought the paint, new shower curtain, glass globes to update the light fixture and some nickle spray paint to cover up the ugly brass finishes. If it is done by Christmas I will be thrilled. I am not kidding, things move slow around here when it comes to reno's. It took me 2+ years to take down the border. Actually, it took 47 minutes to take it down, the 2+ years was to get my rear in gear.

Not much stamping happened as a result of all the foolishness but I do have some cards to share. On Friday I wrote an article for CHF focusing on a new product in the store called Crystal Clear Acrylic Embellishments. Acrylic items continue to be popular in the scrapping and stamping world and there is so much you can do with them. One of the shapes in the store is buttons and on this card I simply adhered some Cosmo Cricket Early Bird paper to the back of one. Voila, a custom made embellishment!

There are also tag shaped pieces, in 3 different sizes. I used the medium size on this card...

I used Stazon to stamp the B onto the front of the tag and then used a gold painty pen on the back of the crown. It turned out so well I may have squealed, lol. The whole tag is outlined with a gold Krylon leafing pen and a pink rhinestone adorns the crown as a finishing touch. In case you are wondering how I attached this one, I tucked a double layer of Jody's sticky dimensionals behind the crown. You like? Me like a lot!

I share more detail on the embellishments as well as a couple more samples in the article which you can read here. The embellishments are 20% off until Friday too!

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it!

Kinkade Sneak Peek

Tomorrow CHF's is releasing another Thomas Kinkade stamp, this one is called Victorian Light.

I inked the stamp in Memento Danube Blue ink. Ahhhhh...the blue and white reminds me of Delft pottery. The card measures 3.5" by 5" and has a couple of score lines added to the top and bottom. The verse if from the Kinkade Scripture I set.

Well, we sat in the rain for my son's game yesterday. It was really more of a steady mist. Enough to annoy someone with glasses like me, lol. Josh was covered head to toe in mud, he looked like he had been in a mud wrestling contest. I lucked out in the laundry department though, since it was the last game the coach collected the dirty (and very stinky) uniforms at the end. Praise the Lord!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ornament Boxes

I have a couple more boxes to share today. These use the same pattern I shared in the Cornish Heritage Farms blog tutorial I did a few weeks ago, which you can find here.

This time I used some SU holiday paper and a stamp from their Delightful Decorations set. The stamp was inked the stamp in Chocolate Chip craft ink and embossed with clear EP.

When I designed the box I needed it to fit an 8oz canning jar but it will obviously fit so much more. These would make a great gift box for an ornament and the box could even be hung from the tree by the handle.

It is a rainy, dreary day here in Western NY. I hope the rain stops before my son's last football game this afternoon. I better go buy an extra bottle of Shout for all the muddy stains he is sure to come home with!

Have a great day!

Warm Wishes

I have lots of things in the works but not much that I can share yet. I am back to holding card making sessions at church for the fall. Here is a card we made the last time we got together.

We used 2 of the stamps in SU's Autumn Days to create a wreath. To make it a bit easier, I punched out 1 1/4" circles from a Post-it note. We placed the sticky note down in the center and used it as our guide. After stamping, we added some teal Stickles on the berries. The base is Taken with Teal and some of the autumn paper.

Kristine shared some wonderful Thanksgiving table ideas in this week's CHF blog tutorial. Check it out here and don't miss the chance to win the Kim Hughes Let's Get Stuffed stamp set.

Thanks for visiting!

Falling...

The leaves are falling, a sure sign that fall is in full swing and winter will soon be knocking on the door. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, I love the changing colors, the crisp air and getting back to cooking comfort foods.
Today I have a couple of cards to share using stamps that are being released today over at Cornish Heritage Farms. There are actually 2 releases from the Shady Tree Studio line. One is Nesting Oak Leaves and the other is Nesting Maple Leaves. Each set includes an outline image and a solid image. The outline images are perfect for paper piecing and coloring. Here is one I did with the Nesting Maple set.

The finished card is 4x4 and I went with a kraft base so the watercolored leaf would be the focal point. The sentiment reads "He has made everything beautiful in its time". When I see the splendor of the changing leaves, the amazing colors on display, I know that verse to be true!

The other stamp being released is a Tom Allen Friendly Kritter image called Turtle Sled. This stamp totally captures the joy of winter.

Now, I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of cold weather or snow, but if you have to put up with snow you might as well make it fun. As I have gotten older the wooden sleds or thin plastic saucers just punish the old bones too much. We have since upgraded to good tube sleds. What fun they can be...until you hit a bump and fly off that is, lol. It's happened plenty of times. The bonus is the spray of snow that coats your face and eyelashes. Ahh, the fun of winter.

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by.

Sew Much Fun

All month long Cornish Heritage Farms is sponsoring challenges over at Gingersnap Creations. This week is a color challenge: orange, green and brown.
Sometimes the ideas in my head take some strange directions. In this case, I went a little nuts with the sewing machine...

I had to have this Forest Friendzy set several months ago yet this was the first time it saw ink. That gnome cracks me up! I stamped a little scene and colored it with Copics and then added a gnome that I had cut out.
I set out to stitch around the edges of the panel. I don't know what possessed me, lol...I just kept going. If the gnome wasn't already down, I probably would have stitched around everything else as well. Something different. I think I like it.

Have you checked out this weeks tutorial over at the CHF blog? Joanne will show you how to create some fun with glitter. AND there are stamps to be won! You have until Thursday 12n EST to leave a comment to get in on the blog candy.

Time to get ready for work. Thanks for stopping by.

Wanna Piece of Me??

It is time again for the monthly Dirty Dozen/DD alumni challenge over on Splitcoast. This month Jody (aka Kharmagirl) hosted our challenge. Here is what she laid out...

The Challenge: Use paper piecing on your card!!
Required Element: Fall OR Christmas Colors!!
Restricted Element: None...that's how I roll

I can do that! I chose a very large poinsettia stamp I bought years ago, made by Magenta. I dug deep into my paper stash to use up some older Cosmo Cricket paper from the Wonderland collection.

I stamped and embossed the image 4 times using gold EP. Each layer is up on dimensionals and I also added brushes of gold Pearl Ex to the centers of each petal. In person it really shines.

I have finally mastered the Bow Easy and don't need to sit in front of a You Tube video anymore when I am making a bow, lol. Can you say "slow learner"?? I tell my kids often "it's only easy if you know how to do it" and now I can say it is easy. When my son tries to tell me how "easy" skateboarding is I reply by telling him about as easy as making an apple cheese torte or doing fractions in math. He really struggles with math so he gets my point. Now my point gets lost when I make him practice his math and he tells me I just need to practice skateboarding. HA! Me doing an ollie?? In your dreams, son!

Check out the other piecing challenge creations here.
Thanks for stopping by!

Lil' Pumpkin

Like many others, I have fallen in love with images drawn by Mo Manning. Two weeks ago I downloaded my very first digital image from her site. I had several colored up but not made into a card yet. This morning I was up extra early to make beer bread for the Tastefully Simple party I am hosting tonight and I snuck downstairs to complete a card while it baked. Thanks to Michele, I had to have some of this Pink Paisley paper and it was just what I needed for this card.

I am going to blame the crooked stitching on the early hour, lol.
I have just a tad bit more tidying to do before the party. I planned a light supper so I am sure to have room for all the yummy samples.
Thanks for stopping by!

JUGS Challenge

The fog of sickness is slowly lifting enough that I can do a bit of stamping. What better way to get into the swing of things than with a challenge. There is a new challenge blog out there called Just Us Girls (aka JUGS). My friend Lisa Kind is part of the crew and I thought I would play along this week. This is only their third week of challenges and I encourage you to play along if you have a chance.
This week is a color challenge (check it out here) and the colors are aqua, cream and red. Here is my card...

It felt good to ink up some Whipper Snapper stamps again. This snowman is one of my favorites. The pattern paper is Cosmo Cricket and it suited the challenge perfectly. I used the Martha Stewart Gooey border punch for icicles, sponged them and also added some glitter. The image was stamped onto watercolor paper and was colored with re-inkers and a waterbrush. There is some more glitter on the snow.
Snowmen make me smile...Anna Wight snowmen make me giddy with delight ;)
Have a wonderful evening!

Christmas Cardinal

I have had a cold for a week now that just doesn't want to let go. Being sick is the pits especially when the family needs you. So, I am gonna make this one short today.
This is one of the cards I designed for the stamp-a-stack last week. So much coloring is a bit of a risk but the ladies did such an incredible job with the watercolor crayons and blender pens!

The rest of the card is pretty simple. I didn't want them to spend all night on just one card, lol.
I hope you have had a chance to go check out the tutorial on the CHF blog and comment for a chance at the blog candy.
Have a great day, thanks for visiting!

Jammin' Box!

I have canned more things this year than all previous years combined! It is hard to believe I once had canning phobia. When I survey all the jars on the shelf I am like a proud mama watching over her chicks, lol. We have been enjoying salsa, canned peaches, bread & butter pickles, apple sauce and 7 different kinds of jam. I have officially reached the "no more" stage. I simply can not look at one more canning jar!

Now, what to do with it all? A family can only eat so much. I will lovingly give it away as gifts over the holidays. These jars of yummy goodness deserve to be gift wrapped in spectacular fashion so I designed a gift box/bag for the 8 oz jars. Since I have quite a few to make, the design needed to be minimal on supplies and time. Check it out...

Too bad the camera doesn't pick up all the sparkly glitter on the image!!

Even if you don't have canned goodies to package, this box makes beautiful packing for many different things. Wanna know how to make one yourself? Then head on over to the Cornish Heritage Farms blog where I have posted a step by step tutorial complete with photos! After you are done reading the tutorial, be sure to leave a comment so you can be in the drawing for a pack of Thomas Kinkade papers and the Vintage Holiday Expressions stamp set.

Thanks for visiting!

From Our Patch

Good Morning! It is almost the weekend, yeah!!!
Today I have a little bag box to share. I know, silly thing to call it. I have a head cold and that is the best that comes to mind, lol. It is a slight variation of a 2, 5, 7, 10 box, with the top trimmed to form a flap. It uses just one sheet of card stock and some retired SU designer paper.

I originally put a large brad on the flap and a Basic Grey magnet to keep it shut. Every time I would go into my studio, it would be undone and sometimes the magnet would be unglued from the box. I would fix it only for it to happen again the next time. It was like a game. I was not going to be outsmarted by a stinkin' box! I eventually took the brad and magnet off, punched 2 holes with my Crop-o-dile and tied ribbon through it. Ha! That fixed that! The SU chocolate chip cardstock was in the end too thick and had too much tension on the flap for the magnet to hold tight. So, I don't recommend the magnet method if you are using thick card stock. I am sorry I don't have a picture of the ribbon re-do because I liked it better anyway. Go figure.
Thanks for stopping by, blessings on your day.

Oh yeah...check out the CHF blog, Laura posted a fun tutorial and she is giving away a Kim Hughes Autumn Trees stamp set to one lucky commenter!!

Oh La La!

As promised, I am back today with a couple more samples. This new set, Haute Couture is available starting today.



This sample was the first one I made and I had it planned out in my head for a week before the stamps arrived. I love it when a plan comes together. Graphic 45 has paper that is perfectly suited for this set. I used both sides of the same paper for this sample. I used the Spellbinders Labels 4 and Tag Trio dies. Notice the amber bling on the "o" of Couture?

My last sample is on the romantic side. I think I covered just about every style using this set, except maybe whimsical. I told you I adore this Eiffel Tower stamp, I had to force myself to put it down.

The paper here is from Cosmo Cricket's line, Everafter. I added a touch of lacy ribbon and a row of adhesive half pearls.
The other gals did some incredible samples as well. You can check them out here.

I spent my evening in Rochester last night, holding a Christmas card stamp a stack. I had such a great time chatting with my friends. I miss them so much but am grateful I have the chance to stay connected. This morning my rear is dragging a bit but it is so worth it!

I hope you have a marvelous day!

Paris, Anyone?

During the six years I spent growing up in Germany, we did a lot of traveling around Europe. We visited Italy, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, England and Luxembourg. Now, we may have driven through parts of France but Paris was never one of our stops. It is on my list of someday places.

Today I am showing you a sneak peak of a new set being released tomorrow by Cornish Heritage Farms. It is part of their ATC line and is called Haute Couture. It is hands down the most fun I have had with a stamp set in a loooong time! I just adore the Eiffel Tower stamp!

For this first one, I used several of the images to create a collage tag. There is some masking, sponging and distressing going on here. I got a bit inky on this one, lol. I also used an amber colored glitter gem from Making Memories behind the tag for a bit of bling.

The first one is more vintage/shabby, this next one is more clean and fresh.

The card base is 3.5 by 5.5 and the stamped image extends up just far enough that it will still fit into an A2 envie. I love the colors in the Cosmo Cricket Early Bird paper! Ignore my stitches pulling up in the corners, lol. I finally figured out that my bobbin wasn't wound around the right thingamabobbie.

What do you think? I have more samples to share tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by, have a fab Monday!

Calendar Fun

It is time to work on my annual CD calendars again. I began making these 5 or 6 years ago and now have customers who come back each year to buy them as stocking stuffers or teacher gifts. I have a craft show coming up next weekend so I have been busy stamping some up for the sale. They are actually mini CD cases and the size is perfect for putting onto a desk.

This set is one I made for myself and has more coloring involved than the ones I mass produce. All but one of the images I used came from Unity Stamps. I have several of their monthly kits and I had so much fun choosing my images. Any coloring done was with Copics.

Do you want to create your own? I am making the calendar files available for sale again this year. Here's what you need to know...

-the files come in 4 pdf files, 1 with the cover and 3 with 4 months per page.

-print them onto the paper of your choice (I used SU's whisper white or very vanilla)

-I include directions for cutting them to size

-cost is $3.00

-email me with the link in my sidebar and I will send you a Paypal invoice. Once payment is received, I will email the files.

-the mini CD's I use come from here. (shipping is what gets costly so I purchase 200 a a time and have them for several years, or find a friend to share the order)

-They also work well with square coasters, see this post for more on that.

-here is last years calendar for more inspiration

It's time to get ready for church. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog!

World Card Making Day

Today is the day! If you have been on-line at all this week it was hard to miss all the build up to WCMD. I say everyday is a good day to craft cards but this got me out of doing a bit of housework today so I am all for it, lol.

I am knee deep in preparing Christmas Card classes so I am sharing a fun holiday themed card with you today.

Isn't that snowman A-dorable? He is from SU's hostess set in the winter mini. I have this thing for snowmen. I am sure I have mentioned it a time or two, hehe. The sentiment is from Cornish Heritage Farms.

I am hoping to get some more stamping done before the day is done. I hope you are able to do some crafting today where ever you are!