Acrylic Embossed Leaves

The leaves aren't embossed but the background is!!  Isn't it funny how sometimes you struggle with a card and just can't get something right on it?  Either the color of the paper or the layout.  THIS card just fell together like the background was made for the stamp.  It felt good to have 'Mojo" on my side today!  The leaves are by Hero Arts.  I used the TJ technique called copic expressions to stamp it and just love the mottled look that you get.  It was originally white on the background of the stamped leaves......I thought it looked too bright so I brayered a real light yellow over it to tone it down.  Then I left the sentiment white so that it would stand out.  The colors of paint that I used on the background piece were yellow, green and brown but it sure looks like I used orange BUT I didn't!  I love the pattern in the paint, don't you?  The "hello" stamp is from the $1 bin at Michaels. 

Stoned Butterfly

Okay, okay......it's not what you think!!  This beautiful butterfly and sentiment from Sweet N Sassy Stamps (which I LOVE by the way) is sitting on top of a background piece using a technique called Spritzed stone.  It is a technique from the Technique Junkie December 09 newsletter.  The butterfly was just perfect to use the blending technique for copics.  It is very hard to blend colors that aren't in the same color family.  I didn't try to work it too hard for the blending as the feathered strokes were okay for the butterfly.  I like this image so much for this technique that I think I'll stamp it into my manual for my class coming up in September.    If you click on the Sweet N Sassy button on your right you get to the site where you can purchase this set.  It also has another butterfly in the set as well as several other sayings.

Sneak Peak for Technique Junkie newsletter

Today is your sneak peak for a new technique from the upcoming August Technique Junkiie newsletter.  It is called worn wallpaper and is really easy to do.  How?....Well, THAT is one of the privileges of being a subscriber to the TJ newsletter.  The newsletter is sooooo affordable.  Only $18/ year.  That's only $3 an issue.  When I first started, I thought I'd just try a 6 month subscription....heck.....$9 wouldn't be too much to see if I liked something.  After the very first issue, I was hooked and promptly renewed for the rest of the year and purchased the back CD's as well.  I've NEVER been unhappy about that decision.  There are over 500 techniques in the back CD's which can be purchased by themselves!!

The layout and idea for this card came from one that I received from a friend, Betty Wynn.  Thank you Betty for the inspiration!!

A little polish for a friend.

My friend will be 50 soon.  Her sister-in-law is having a surprize party for her tonight so I made this card for her.  The SIL said that the party colors were Magenta so I married black with it and voila!  I do love the dots on black that Markie's mom (Faith) does so I used that idea for this card.  The flower was stamped on vellum paper.  The vellum used a technique from the Technique Junkie newsletter called Polished Vellum.  I added a little sparkle with my Spica pens as well.  Then popped the flower up with a couple of punched flower shapes.   The butterfly has Spica sparkle too and was bumped up with foam tape.    In retrospect, I could have gone with a slightly smaller card but oh well!!  I hope that she likes it!

Crazy little toes!

Well, the toes on this card aren't really all that crazy, but the weeks leading up to it have been!!  I made this card for my daughter-in-law's sister's baby shower.  She will be having a baby in about three weeks.  It is her first baby at age 36 and they have been trying for many, many years!!  This little girl will be terribly loved!!  Mommy chose dark brown with pink highlights as her favorite colors for the little yet-to-be-named girl.  Mommy also loves butterflies.......this the card you see!  I used a technique from the Technique Junkie newsletter called Mono dies. 

I really could have used more dies on the card but I was just out of time.  Why?.....might you ask.......would I be so short on time?  Well..........a week from tomorrow is the big car cruise-in my car club hosts.  I have been up to my ears in the planning for it as well as the design for the T-shirt.  In between soliciting for raffle items, working on the computer for forms,  running here and there to finish tasks, and generally being crazy

I had to design the T-shirt.  We are having a Construction theme this year for the cruise-in since the grocery store that has sponsored us for 9 years is being torn down and replaced with a different store.  We thought it was the perfect time to have a Construction theme. I found the cool backhoe clipart online but the person using it said it was from an old clipart collection and he didn't know where.  The original artwork was too small so I had to completely redo it by tracing and coloring in with Paint Shop Pro.   Each participant will receive a small 'toy' hard hat when they enter.  Our food vendor, The Hard Hat Cafe, will have great themed foods and we even have a few games planned with construction themes.  So.......you can now see why my blog posts have suffered the last month!!  Hopefully, after next Sunday, life will return to a more hectic normal than now!

Accident Update:  Well.......I'm STILL going to the chriopractor, getting massages, and seeing the physical therapist for my lower back (a bulging disc).  I am very weary of this!!  I know that it takes time to heal this type of thing but it is wearing just the same.  I seem to be doing nothing but going to the doctor all the time.  Sometimes I have feeling in my toes in the morning but it seems to quickly disappear after I get up.  Sometimes my siatic nerve bothers me too.  I felt I was on a good road to recovery until we went to Oklahoma for the Shelby Mid-America meet mid June.  The last evening we were on vacation visiting my step mom in Tahlequah, I twisted to one side to look up at her and felt something weird.  I said to myself, "Hmmm.......I don't want to do that again!"  The next morning I couldn't get out of bed.  My low back was absolutely frozen.  I ended up seeing a chiropractor locally.  It was the only way I made it flying that evening.  Lots of pain.  Still some pain but it is almost back to where I was before I left on vacation.  Sheesh!  I'm soooo ready to be done with this!!