Flowers In February

Look at this little tree. It reminds me of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. No leaves on it, but it is decorated with sweet little flowers all around it. This, is Winter. Not Winter as I used to know it (when I lived in Connecticut), but Winter as I know it now. The only snow we see here is on the mountains. I took these pics yesterday afternoon when it was about 80 degrees. I never believed there would come a time when I would say I loved February. But now, I finally do :-)
This beauties are right around the corner from my house. Aren't they lovely? Nothing like flowers in Winter!!

Workshop/ Shower for Becky

Katie and Becky- my daughter and my "adopted" daughter :-) I am so glad they are friends! Becky is a real sweetheart and we are so excited for her as she awaits the birth of her first child. Isn't she the cutest Mommy-to-be?!
Becky had no idea we were going to surprise her with a little "shower" at our Stampin' Up! club workshop.

If this isn't Becky's style, I don't know what it! Baby Caden is going to look so cute in this!
Katie just stayed for a little while so we could get going with our stampin' time. Thanks for stopping by, Katie!!


We were all excited to have our group workshop this past Monday night. After all, we hadn't been together since November. Plus, there's a new catty out, AND it's Sale-a-bration time!! But that's not all: we have a baby coming! Our sweet newest club member Becky and her husband are expecting their first baby in just a matter of days!
Every time we meet for a club workshop we bring swap cards. The theme (or so Becky thought) was Valentine cards. Hers were adorable! But, no one else brought valentines. We all made baby boy cards :-) This way, Becky had a little card shower. And we threw in some gifts, and a cake and a big beautiful tray of healthy fruit and had a really fun night! It was all a surprise for her, which made it even more fun for us. Becky is such a sweet addition to our group. She is a very special friend of Katie's- they met working together at Disneyland. Becky is a great photographer and did Katie's wedding pictures. She is also a great stamper; I can't believe how quickly she has taken to stamping! And now she's going to be a Mommy, too. I know little baby Caden is going to be a very blessed child, having her for his Mom!

Farewell To Another January

My card today was inspired by the last card I posted (see "Transferring Thoughts Onto Paper", Jan. 28th). And while making it, I was thinking of January- and Eccleastes 3:1


It's the last day of January. How did that happen so fast?
January can be a tough and rather unpopular month. The after Christmas let down. After Christmas bills. Time to think of resolutions and things we need to do- or must try not to do. There's talk about taxes. And of course there's the oh-so-cold weather. Yep, January can be pretty harsh. But not unlike any other month, the days do pass quickly. Maybe it's just my age. Or the lifestyle in which we live. But time does pass quickly! And, as is written in Ecclesiastes, everything has it's time. God has a plan for all people. Thus, He provides cycles of life, each with it's work for us to do. We may not like January as much as, say May when the sun is shining and the flowers are blooming, but it has it's purpose. We have purpose- in every month! God is so good! His plan is perfect. His timing is perfect. We need to be as thankful for January as we are for May, June or any other month of the year! So, as we put this January to a close, let's not have the attitude of "I'm so glad January is over", but "Thank you God, for January!".

Paper: SU! Bravo Burgundy; PTI white c/s; designer papers from Basic Gray "Perhaps"
Ink: SU! Bravo Burgundy craft
Butterfly: SU! Dreams du Jour stamp set- stamped in Bravo Burgundy craft ink on SU! vellum c/s and embossed with SU! clear EP and colored in with Regal Rose marker
Sentiment: SU! Words Of Wisdom stamp set- stamped in Bravo Burgundy craft ink and embossed with SU! clear EP
Ribbon: SU! Bravo Burgundy 5/8" grosgrain
Flowers and gold leaf: Prima glittered floral embellishments; top white stemmed flower from SU! Pretties kit

Challenge Time!

Okay- Tracey tagged me for this challenge and I hope she won’t be mad at me, but I am going to change the rules a tad. I have a thing about three 6’s- Eeewwww! So, I figured I'd do it, but with 5’s or 7’s instead. Okay- lucky seven. This photo is of the 7th picture in my 7th folder. My daughter took it a few years ago on the stairs in our house. I think it is a perfect example of the classic “A boy and his dog”. These two have been great buddies since day one. Can’t you just see the loyalty and friendship this wonderful canine has for his master? I just love this shot! Thanks, Katie for capturing the special relationship in this picture!

The rules for this challenge: Go to where you store your photos on your computer. Go to the 7th folder and pick the 7th photo. Post that photo on your blog along with a short story about it. Tag 7 people and leave a comment on their blog or email them letting them know you chose them.

I thought this was a fun challenge. Hopefully, these people whom I have chosen will think so, too! :-)
Katie
Joni
Sue
Betty
Melanie
Renee
Roberta

Transferring Thoughts Onto Paper

I usually have such a hard time creating the kind of card I originally set out to make. I start with a thought, picture or feeling in my mind and try to turn that into a card, but almost without fail, the end result barely- if at all- resembles what I had in mind.
This time, however, things went surprisingly as planned. So much so, that I decided not to stop with just one, but ended up making three cards- all reflections of one another- in a 24 hour period. That's record for me, lol! I am typically not a quick designer- at least not of things remotely worthy of posting! Anyway, with all the distractions of my daily life and with a sick kid to boot, I am surprised I got these done in a relatively short period of time.
This one is the first of the three I made.

I think what I really like about this are the details and embellishments.
The flowers and leaf have more sparkle than show up in the photo. They are really gorgeous.
I like the gold embossing on the gray paper.
The pearls add nice dimention, too. Overall, I like the card, and it really is pretty much what I had hoped. But the details are what I really had fun with. The Bible verse stamp is from an unknown company. I found the stamp on eBay and just had to have it. But it took some time before I finally used it. I have had it on a shelf in my studio and have read it often, knowing I needed to use it. So the other night I put on some favorite Christian cds and got a picture in my mind of how I wanted to have these beautiful words displayed. Then, it just all came together.

Isaiah 41:10. Isn't it great? How can you not feel secure and be comforted as well as feel His power when you know this?!

Items used on this card: Card base: SU! Going Gray
Designer papers: from Basic Grey "Perhaps" 6x6 paper pad
Solid layers: SU! Brushed Gold & Brushed Silver
Ink on verse: Versamark
EP: SU! Gold Glory
Glittered flower embellishments by Prima
White stemmed flower: From SU! Pretties Kit
Center of white flower dotted with Gold Liquid Pearls
Pearls from SU! Pretties Kit
Edges distressed with SU! Cutter Kit
Cross stamp from PapertreyInk "Everyday Blessings" stamp set
Cross inked in SU! Chocolate Chip Classic ink
Ribbon: SU! White Taffeta

Mission Accomplished! (This one's for Mom)

I set out to meet a challenge and it is now done. I actually made some "simple" cards! I will admit to liking them, and I will also admit to having had fun creating them. However, I will also admit that I am ready to get back to my "lotsa"! I miss my layers and colors and most of all my bling!! I just find that it's those little "extras" that really make the difference for me. It's funny- I think I like "simple", and when I shop for things, simple is what I am most often attracted to. Yet, when it comes to card making or scrapbooking (especially scrapbooking!) I just find embellishments are where it's at for me! They make it fun- and I guess that's what it's all about in my book.

Anyway, I have learned to think outside my typical box a bit, and hopefully I'll continue to simplify from time to time.

So here is my third and final card for this challenge. This one is actually quite similar to a card I made for my Mom several months ago, but without all the layers and colors. I think I like this one best. The sentiment is my favorite part. Mom just loved it, too. It has been just 2 months since my Mom passed away. I am finding so many things that remind me of her that now take on a slightly new meaning. She so loved the cards I made and sent to her, and I know she would have loved this one, too. She was a great inspiration to me, not only in my card making, but in so many things in life. I will miss her terribly, but am so grateful for all the years I was blessed to have her. And even now that she's gone, I continue to be inspired by her through my many wonderful memories of her. So, this one's for you, Mom! ;-)

Items used for this card are: PTI white card stock; stamp from SU! Garden Silhouettes stamp set colored with SU! markers: Creamy Caramel, Mellow Moss and Pretty In Pink; seniment from SU! Refuge and Strength stamp set. Sentiment stamped in SU! Regal Rose classic ink onto Mellow Moss c/s die cut using scalloped circle Nestability die. Ribbon: retired SU! Old Olive organdy.

Less Is.....Best????

Well, I am not convinced this is always true in card making, but this challenge to keep it clean and simple with a lot of white is getting me to realize that you don't need to layer and embellish a lot (or even at all!) in order to make a card pretty.
After I made the bird card, I decided to try another one using the same rectangle Nestabilities die for an embossed frame, and just use a different stamp. I have a darling SU! stamp set called "If The Halo Fits" but I have never used it. It has been driving me crazy, but it's just one of those sets that I couldn't seem to get any inspiring ideas for. But I realized the sweet little angel would fit into this frame, and all I needed to do was add the heart image and color them in. I used an Aqua Painter so it had a soft, blended watercolor feel to it. Again, I just couldn't help myself and I added some sheer polka dot ribbon. Oh, and I did use a little bit of Martha Stewart gold glitter around her halo. But I still think this falls into the "simple" catagory, don't you? I think I am kinda liking the effect. Plain and simple.

Tomorrow I'll show you my 3rd and final creation for the plain and simple challenge.
Thanks for stopping by!