hugs & kisses

If you look at the archives, you’ll notice that I only posted three times in February, and two of those were 52Photos. Yes, I did make more than one card in February. No, I did not blog about them, but that is about to change.

Back in this post, I explained why I send out so many notes, especially for holidays. I had every intention of sending out Valentine’s cards, but needed to go to my parents unexpectedly. Before I left, I was able to make one card for Brianna and figured it was just as easy to make a second at the same time.

If this card were received around February 14, one would naturally assume it a Valentine’s card with its pink, red and hearts. If received in May without a Happy Valentine’s Day sentiment inside, I think it could pass as a thinking of you card. After talking to Brianna, the second option is probably the better one.

Brianna is usually quick to thank me for any card I send her and tell me what she likes about it. That didn’t happen with the Valentine’s card. Because some cards were “lost” in the mail last semester (That story would need its own post.), I asked Brianna if she received her card. Her response:  “Yes, I got it. That was a sad excuse for a Valentine’s Day card though. A paper bag and twine? C’mon, Mom. Where were the glitter and doilies? It’s Valentine’s Day, the perfect excuse to go over the top.”

Wonder what I’ll be doing next year? Not hardly.

nancy

supplies:

paper:  kraft c/s and Simple Valentine pp (PTI); white c/s (Staples); pink and red c/s (Recollections); Pink Thin Stripes (Frances Meyer)

stamps:  Simple Valentine (PTI)

ink:  chestnut roan chalk (Clearsnap)

dies and punches:  lace heart edge and vintage doily (Martha Stewart); heart (Marvy); scalloped circles (Spellbinders)

extras:  jute twine (Westrim Crafts)

52photos: week 7

The prompt for week 7 of 52Photos was up.

This photograph was taken during the time I spent with my parents last month. There were many moments when I focused on the squirrels' nests high up in the bare trees, trying to calm my worries and stop my thoughts from racing in a million - or so it seemed - directions.

nancy

52photos: week 6

The prompt for week 6 of 52Photos was morning.

I am not a morning person in any sense of the word, so I rely on my alarm clock to get my day started. This is what I see each morning on my nightstand when I lean over to shut off the alarm. A more accurate representation would include my hand hitting the snooze button for the tenth time.

nancy

PS – I am far behind on my 52Photos for a variety of reasons. I still plan on participating, although my photos may not be in week/assignment order.

grape or raspberry?

Make It Monday and Tuesday Trigger somehow just seem to go together, like peanut butter and jelly or mashed potatoes and gravy or a burger and fries or… Well, you get the point. Sometimes, though, I worry that I might be forcing the pairing. PB&J just isn’t the same unless the jelly is grape, and I was afraid this card was going the raspberry jelly route, good but not great.

Anyway, when I saw the TT photo, I wished I owned the PTI Button Boutique set. Since I don’t, I needed to come up with another idea that would capture the feel of the button card. That along with the colors were what stood out for me.

Love Lives Here was sitting on my table, so I used it to test colors, also trying out patterns with the square stamps, which are the bottom portion of the house stamps. The 3x4 patchwork pattern speaks to me of the buttons grid. I’m happy with how it turned out.

I used harbor blue as an accent and the buttons are a given. The top of the card panel is embossed with polka dots to complement the dots in the stamps, pick up the hardanger stitching in the napkins, and meet the requirements of MIM#6, a partial embossing challenge. 

I’m still trying to decide. Is it grape or raspberry jelly?

nancy

supplies:

paper:  vintage cream c/s (PTI)

stamps:  Love Lives Here (PTI)

ink:  creamy brown and chestnut roan chalk, dune and harbor pigment (Clearsnap)

punches:  1-inch circle (EK Success); 1/8-inch circle (Recollections)

extras:  Swiss Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug); buttons (La Mode, Basic Grey, My Mind's Eye); lace from LSS; ribbon (Michael’s); seam binding (thisgoodday Etsy); ecru floss (DMC); quilt pin from stash; beads (Michael’s brand); Caribbean blue opals (Jolee’s)

happy saint pat’s

I thought it only appropriate that I use the latest sketch, WMSC38, from the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge for my St. Patrick’s Day card.

In order to use the dies I wanted, this ended up being a mini-card, about three inches in diameter. To me, this was a good result because it was drastically different from last year’s pocket card, which keeps the recipients from getting bored with my creations. To leave enough room for a note inside, I put an Irish blessing on the top half of the card and the sentiment on the bottom.

Since I don’t have my picture on my blog, you can’t tell that most people would assume that I’m Irish Catholic by looking at me. (It must be the red hair and fair skin.) Those people would be partially correct. I am Irish and Catholic, but I’m also half German from my dad’s side of the family tree. I bring this up because each year on March 17, my very German dad would walk into the kitchen with one sock off and point at his big toe with amazement. His toe would be green and he would tell us it’s his Irish blood coming out in honor of St. Patrick. Guess Dad really does have a wee bit of the blarney in him.

May the good saints protect ye, and the devil neglect ye. Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

nancy

supplies:

paper:  green c/s (Bazzill); tan c/s (Recollections); striped pp (My Mind’s Eye Laundry Line)

stamps:  shamrock from Series 29 (Studio G)

ink:  olive pastel chalk (Clearsnap)

dies:  Classic Circles (Spellbinders); Victorian Lace border (PTI)

extras:  emerald gem stickers (Martha Stewart); Irish Blessing; Stonehenge font

it's distressing

When I saw this “oh so lovely” image for Moxie Fab’s Tuesday Trigger, I knew that I wanted to use Distress crackle paint to get the aged look of the chair. And lucky me, it meant that whatever I made could be entered into Papertrey Ink’s Make It Monday #5:  Distressing Edges, too.

I had hoped to pull in the lushness of the floral bouquet, but couldn’t get it to work with my supplies on hand. After making a few sketches and looking through my inspiration folder, I came up with the idea for a card using buttons for dimension, but there was still something missing. Enter Betsy Veldman’s use of PTI’s soon-to-be-released angled label die and I knew what would finish my card, a ticket.

In the interest of full disclosure, I had pulled the elements of my card together, but had not yet assembled it, before seeing Lisa Johnson’s Flower Fusion #2 card. I was pretty pleased with myself for coming up with a similar design as one of the talented PTI design team members. Go me.

Life has been somewhat distressing this past month, which explains my lack of posts. Creativity had taken a back seat, so I was excited when ideas starting percolating upon viewing the trigger photo. Thanks, Cath.

My wish for you is that your life is not as ragged around the edges as this card.

njm

PS – My plan was to enter my sister’s birthday card into the Papertrey Paper Dolls PTI challenge, but as the deadline nears and my daughter keeps calling in frustration over a performance installation piece, my plans have changed. This card is being entered in the challenge. My P*T*I items are:

            P:  paper and paint

            T:  ticket and twine

            I:  ink and inspiration from PTI DT member Betsy

supplies:

paper:  kraft c/s (PTI)

stamps:  Just the Ticket, Round & Round (PTI); Create Spring (Hampton Art)

ink:  silk green pigment, burnt sienna chalk, creamy brown chalk (Clearsnap)

paint:  old paper Distress crackle paint (Ranger)

dies:  Just the Ticket border (PTI)

extras:  buttons (PTI and Basic Grey); jute twine (Westrim Crafts)

52photos: week 5

The prompt for week 5 of 52Photos was letter.

After thinking about a couple of different approaches to the prompt, I settled on the above. I love to read, enjoy writing letters and appreciate people who know how to use words to evoke emotion. This photograph conveys that words in their simplest form are composites of letters.

nancy