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!!

A Post!!!

It has been WAY too long since I've posted anything to my blog.  Life has been  fast and furious around here.  I'm running so hard trying to meet deadlines that I can see my behind in front of me!!  Hee Hee...

Father's Day is coming up and here is the card I did for my Father-in-law.  He is the only daddy I have left and he is very dear to me!  Since I recently went to the Michelle Zindorf class, I wanted to do SOMETHING with what I learned.  Ray's dad likes to hunt and this set that I got in the class was just perfect for him!!  I did the brayering perfect.........all THREE times that I had to make that little oval.  The first time I tried to stamp the grass and tree leaves while the die was in place.......bad decision.  Didn't work for me.  Then I tried using a mask and it didn't work for me either.  So, Third time is the charm, right?  Instead of trying to stamp the grass and tree leaves, I just drew them in.  I used the same idea as the stamp I was trying to use.  The copic multiliners are so wonderful for this purpose.  I used the .03 and the .2 ones and the thin lines you can get are awesome. 

The background is a super cool technique from the the TJ newsletter called Antique Wallpaper.  So easy and the results are always wonderful.  That's my kind of technique!!  Hope it inspires you to get busy and get a card done for your favorite daddy!

Charlotte and Ann update: 
I'm really tired of going to the chiropractor.  I'm down to twice a week now seeing the chiro along with a massage that same day.  The Chiropractor deleted one of her visits and added one from the physical therapist.  We are hoping that the PT can add in some exercises that will help my bulging disc and in turn get some feeling into my toes.  I'm slowing feeling better though!  Now for my mom's progress.  She saw her new doctor about a week ago.  The doctor seems nice and she is supportive of holistic treatments which pleases mom.  She changed mom's BP meds and they seem to be doing much better than the diruetics which were making her dizzy.  We see her again on Monday.

A quick one!

Hope you are having a great weekend? Mine will be full of rain. Which isn't entirely a bad thing......that means I'll have time to stamp!! I actually totally spaced that I needed to have this card done for the Technique Junkie blog and ran downstairs last night after our family left. Had this card done in a jiffy. The background is called Brayered impressions from the Dec 09 newsletter. I submitted the technique but I don't think I was the first to really think of it! It is so fast and fun. 

Mom Update:  Mom got a prescription from the ER doctor and has an appointment to see her new doctor in about 12 days or so.   I'm sure she will want to pursue natural treatments once her BP is controlled with meds.  I know she really doesn't want to take the meds!  Can't blame her for that.  I tried natural stuff but it didn't seem to help me.

Accident update on me.........had an MRI on Thursday and Dr. shared the results with me at my appointment on Friday.  Yes......this is a disc bulging and that is why my toes are numb.  The real question is whether it was caused by the accident or not.  I'd say that my toes didn't have issues before the accident so it at least aggrevated any problem I may have had if it didn't cause it to begin with.  Chiropractor said that she may add PT into my treatment plan. 

All the kids came over tonight to celebrate my 57th bday!  Got some mad money, a certificate for a pedicure, and a insulated cookie sheet (I needed that!).  Thank you all!  {Mwah!}

Mom Update

Mom did decide she would do the BP meds and we have a GP appointment in two weeks.  I hope things start getting back to normal.

Had a nice birthday today........, appointment in the morning and MRI at noon for my back, piano lesson in the afternoon, rhododendron society meeting where I gave out the trophy award certificates in the evening.  My kids will be coming over tomorrow night.  My daughter=in-law had three of the youngest grandkids do a birthday video for me.....so sweet.  It is on my facebook page!

I'm hoping to get some stamping done tomorrow!

ER & Mom

Took my mom to ER last night. She came upstairs and said that she felt weird.  As she was standing at her microwave drying flowers in her Microfleur, she said that her vision was blurry and white.  Her ears were sensitive to noise, she even was holding her hands over her ears because the piano I was playing seemed too loud.  General weakness.  I had asked her to smile and nothing looked crooked (like a stroke).  She was having trouble coming up with words to items she knew (like 'microwave').  Decided to take her BP and it was 210/94.  That's when we decided to take her into ER. Got there at 8pm and got home at 2:30am.  I am so pooped.....Zander arrived at 8am so I'm running low on energy for watching my sweet 'almost 2 year old' grandson.  The doctor did an EKG, CAT scan, Ultrasound on her carotids, and blood work.  After waiting (soooooooo boring) all the test came back okay.  Diagnosis.....TIA's.  Take a full aspirin each day and get on BP meds.  My mother does NOT want to do the BP meds.  Most all meds give her some kind of bad reaction and she is fearful of starting some.  I hope she can make a good decision about BP meds.....I'd like to have her around for a long time.

A Zindorfian time!

This last Saturday I was priviledged to take the Beginning and Advanced Classes from Michelle Zindorf.  I had a wonderful time with sevearl local friends.  Met some more local ladies there as well.  Yeah!  Now I finally know how to brayer without those pesky lines on my work.  Thanks so much, Michelle, for your tutoring.  Here is a picture of most of us.  This picture is missing several of our members though....a mother/daughter team.  I hope that you'll see some Zindorfian work in the future.  I told Michelle that her last name lent itself to saying that much more than mine.  Zindorfian......sounds fun.  Clackian....not so much!  BTW.....that's me next to Michelle.....I'm the one with the white hair!

A fun one for a friend

An older lady at church normally gets cards from me at my yearly card sale.   But last week at church she came to me with a special request.  A funny card for a 70 year old man.  Hmmmm..........well......I happened onto the Sketch challenge over at Hogs & Sketches (by Hambo Stamps) and I decided that I would participate.  THEN I saw the card that Monica (one of Hambo's owners) made.  Her sentiment was just perfect for an older man so I decided to use it with a little tweak of my own.  Since I was using the freebie bongo Henry, the sentiment had to reflect him!  The inside of the card says  "Old!"  ALSO, stolen from Monica.  Thanks Monica for your inspiration!  Henry is colored with copic markers.  The 70 was hand drawn and colored in.  I only had a quickly hand drawn sketch of this week's sketch.......I guess I reversed the sizes of the small circles......sorry!

Nope......I haven't fallen off!

It has been so long since I posted on my blog, I bet you thought I fell off the face of the earth!  Nope....just terribly busy!  Here is the card that I made for my Mother for Mother's Day.  It uses the Masked Spellbinders technique from the April 2010 issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter. 

Today I received a card in the mail from Cathy Yamashita and it was just beautiful.  It inspired me to create this card.....since I didn't have it done yet!  The stamps are from Stamp Camp and Hero Arts.  The inside over flowers are colored with copic markers. 

When I stamped the sentiment, it marked where it shouldn't have....drat!!  So, I decided to cover up the mistake by drawing the rosebud.   When problems like that happen, try to cover them up in a creative way. 

The bird is cut out and mounted with foam tape.  The green layer is lighter in real life.  The lighting really did funny things to it.  My overhead light also illuminated the pearls.  They don't really shine like that!!

This will be a busy weekend........ Ray and I will be working at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden all weekend.  He helps with judging and recording and later plant sales.  I am in charge of the trophies, their purchase and display, as well as the judging process to award them. 

This has been a good week for me.  I've felt the best I have since the accident.  A general feeling of well being.  The shoulders are still a little tight but the hip is hurting less.  The toes are still numb but I think they are getting a little better too.  Yeah!!

Don't you wonder too?

So........as I have been looking at the Feedjit at where the different people are from that visit my blog, I notice some fun places and wonder, "Just who are they?"

Someone from Perth, Western Australia, visits often.....I wonder if I know them? 

How about the people from Oregon or the people from Ohio?  I've lived in Ohio in a tiny town called Carey until I was 13 and still have a soft spot in my heart for Carey.  I see people from Billings, Montana and wonder if they know my daughter's in-laws, the Zagels.

Did you arrive from a foreign country?  I'd love to know how your found me and who you are!  ;-)

Okay.....I'm done......going off to stamp!

Sanded to perfection!

I wanted to do something simple today.....well.....at least it was supposed to be simple and fast.   I ended up making about 4 of there flowers to finally get the one that was the color I wanted....sheesh!  This flower was in the e-newsletter from Splitcoaststampers this last Wednesday.  Instead of spritzing the flower with my color (which was too dark for me) I just rubbed the flower on the stamp pad instead.  The background behind the flower is Technique Junkies technique called Sanded Cordinations.  I had gone to the local stamp store and they had a gazillion colors of this cool paper.  I didn't have ribbon to match this color so I used white ribbon and colored it with my copic markers.  The only thing I don't like about doing that is that the ribbon is a little stiff when you are done.

Accident update:  Still waiting for the car....hopefully tomorrow!  Still seeing the chiropractor and massage therapist but this week I'm finally starting to feel a little better!

Spritzed Stone Turtle

Isn't this turtle just darling?  This image is from Dustin Pike and is colored with copic markers.  I've had such fun with his images.  You can see them on his blog:  http://www.dustinpike.blogspot.com/  He sells many of his designs but some are available for free too!  The mottled background behind the image is a Technique Junkie technique called Spritzed Stone from the December 2009 newsletter.  Super easy to do.  I chose the light application method so I could get some mottling.  Hope you enjoy it!

Now for the accident update........well.....we are supposed to have our car back sometime this week.  No word from the shop on Friday so now it will be next week!.

Still seeing the chiropractor and getting massages and slowly getting better! 

So....................as my grandson, Zander, says when he is saying goodbye.......C'Ya!  ;-)