Lady bug, lady bug, fly away home

 

Yesterday, I talked about the rain that has been falling for spring.  Flowers will soon be springing up in your flower beds and gardens.  With the flowers come our friends the ladybugs.  I don't know about you, but I love little ladybugs.  Some cultures actually think they are good luck.  I remember as a small girl the saying "Ladybug, ladybug fly away home.  Your house is on fire and your children are gone." 

 

I am a member of The Stamps of Life, and we receive monthly stamp sets.  This month we received the ladybug stamp set.  I think it is so cute.  I made this birthday card in a matter of minutes.  It was so easy to do.   What do you think?

 

 

 

Slugs and Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails.....

April went by so quickly.  It is hard to believe that it is May already.  They say that April showers bring May flowers...well, I don't know about where  you live, but the flowers here in NJ are starting to bloom.  Trees have buds that are opening up into small leaves...creating a canopy that will soon provide shade.  The weather isn't sure if it wants to warm up are remain a little cool.  Soon I will be able to go out on my deck and read in the warm sunlight. 

 

 

When I saw this little boy stamp, it brought memories of my son, playing in the puddles.  It also reminded me of my husband.  He is like a little kid at times, and would think nothing about jumping in a mud puddle and splashing all over.   The stamp set is a from S.W.A.L.K. called "Slugs and Snails"  I used some Gelatos to color him in, painting everything.  For the grass, I just scribble some greens and gold and blended them lightly.  I hope you enjoy this card.

What do you use to color your images, write your messages, journal, create your title?

What do you use to color your images, write your messages, journal, create your title?   This particular questions has many answers...and in several cases it depends if you are a sales rep for a particular brand.  Stampin' Up instructors will exclusively use the pens and inks that Stampin' Up has.  One advantage to this is color matching.  Their pen an ink colors match their paper colors and embellishment colors.  You can find "grass green" markers, "grass green" paper,  "grass green" buttons, "grass green" ribbon, etc.  Close to My Heart is pretty much the same as Stampin' Up, with their own unique color names.  There are various companies that make their own markers...Tombow, Tim Holtz distress pens, Marvy Markers, etc.  These are mostly water based. 

You also have alcohol ink markers...the newest type of markers to hit the market.  Copic Markers, Spectrum Noir, Tim Holtz Alcohol Markers and now Touch alcohol markers.  Alcohol markers are not water soluble, but they can be used to shade colors easily.  Copic Markers were introduced to scrapbooking and card making about 5  years ago, but have been around much longer and used for Manga Art.  I bought a couple and was hooked.  So many colors with such close variation in colors, making it easy to shade my pictures.  They come in a nib or brush tip. 

While surfing the internet and posting various places, I was asked about my knowledge of Touch alcohol markers.  To be honest, I hadn't heard about them and had no knowledge about them.  I was sent 3 of the fine point and 3 brush tips. 

On inspection, these were not all that different from Copic Markers.  They were filled with alcohol inks, they blended like the Copic Markers, with a smooth flow, and the colors were vibrant.  As I looked at them closer, and started to use them, I found some advantages.  I have arthritis and I found that the shape of the Twin Touch markers made it easier for me to hold .  I didn't have to grip the body of the pen with a lot of effort.  The fit was smooth and natural. 

I asked a friend of mine to check out the body of the markers.  She loved them.  The ink flows smoothly from the pen nibs, and again, she really loved the grip on the pens.  They fit her hand nicely and didn't hurt to hold them. 

I love the Touch Twin markers.  They fit your hands nicely and the colors flow from the pens.  Cost wise, these markers are a gem.  They are less expensive than the Copic markers, but do the same thing.  If you want to use something like a Copic...but the cost keeps you away, use the Touch Twin markers.  You will not regret it!

Welcome one and all.  I have been trying to use up scraps of paper that are in my craft room.  Leftover pieces if you will.  I have also been trying to use up some scraps by die cutting them, into shapes I can use on cards.  Here is one idea I came up with:

I used a Nestability die cut with a stamped image.  The papers are old Sizzix papers from a Sizzix pad of papers.  The papers matched each other perfectly. 

I will be once again starting up my blog.  It is my intent to keep this going and to share information with you.  I have many cards and scrapbook pages that I have been working on and more that I have completed. 

I have recently joined a group that is having monthly blog hops.  Each month there will be a theme, and I will post something that fits into that category.  From my blog, you will have the opportunity to visit several creative individuals, to view their interpretations of the monthly theme. 

In addition to my monthly blog hop contributions, I enjoy creating a variety of cards, making home décor items and gifts, and working on scrapbook albums.  I will be sharing those with you all.  From time to time I will share a tutorial with everyone or I will be asking for you to share your work.  You never know when a prize will be given. 

I also want to learn more about blogging, how to use BlogSpot or another blog sharing site.  Many years ago I taught myself HTML to create a web page.  Now I want to learn all the ins and outs of blogging.  Bear with me as I learn these things.  Feel free to comment on what you see and lend a helpful hint for me to make this blog better. 

Until tomorrow....

Where has the summer gone?

We are almost finished with the month of August!  Kids and teachers are getting ready to go back to school, and I sit here clapping my hands, because I do not have to go back to school.  It is so nice being retired.

I have some more cards for you today and I thought I would update you on what I have been doing.  First the cards...

This is a mandela card.  I stamped and cut out 4 different layers, then built them up with pop dots in between.  I like how this card turned out.

This card was made with a digital stamp.  I kind of like how it turned out.  Using digital stamps is different, but has advantages.  Of course, my problem is I download all these free digital stamps, then when I got to scrap, the computer is upstairs and I am downstairs.   I need to coordinate it better.

I made this with a stamp from Heartfelt Creations.  You can't see the glitter in the background, but it is sparkling!  I really like this card.

Now...as an FYI, I am still "substitute" teaching classes at Michaels.  My friend, Kim, is the teacher, but when she has a daytime class or is sick, I try to fill in for her.  Things are going slow.  We have several boards that we have completed, showing the finished product for several classes.  Unfortunately, only one can be posted in the front of the store at a time.  There is no other way for us to showcase our classes to the public, since corporate office wants all stores to be uniform.  We can demo in the store 2 hours a month, so that doesn't leave a lot of time.  Once a quarter there is a big open house for all the different instructors to showcase their work.  That is about the limit of what we can do.  It would be nice if things would turn around and we could get more people to take classes.  

Oh Well.  Life goes one and we get a little bit older each day.  Until the next time......

Cards from the past.

 I am still in recovery mode from my surgery.  I am not allowed to lift more than 2 pounds, pull, push, carry, etc anything.  Walking is up to how I feel, but I have to take things slowly.  I can go up and down stairs a couple of times a day, but that is about it.  No driving.

I am hoping to go downstairs tomorrow to make a few new cards and I have some things ready to cut in my Cricut.    

         Today I thought I would share some of my older cards with you.  I have made several that I have used in card swaps or sent to friends and family.  Usually I try to make duplicates of each card I have.  

This card us cut entirely with the Cricut.  The rose is fairly detailed and the wording on it is simple....but it makes a great note card.

 This next card is one of my mushroom cards.  I love this set.  Each stamp has a mushroom shaped house with a theme assigned to it.  There is also a verse or saying with each card.  I love it.

  The next card is a lattice card.  I used the astericks and built up a wall.  Then on each end I added letters to spell Thanks.  Very simple and plain.

Here is one of my favorites.  I stamped grass in a couple different shades and then stamped some butterflies.   These I popped up.  I used a fancy lace around the card front and place the whole thing onto a card.  All that is needed is a note.  

These are some of my favorites.  Of course I have more.  Until next time....