Still wearing sunscreen -

As you can tell I do not blog for a living...I have been crazy, no excuse for the absence-none that is really good anyway.  I have been creating cards just not posting them.  Even though we are still Summering away, I like everyone else who wants to have their holiday cards made have been busy making Halloween...

 Love to make Halloween cards.  I actually think that the  only ones I send are Easter, Halloween, and Birthday-I always think about Christmas, but am usually stressing so much that I never get them sent out.  This year maybe!
I have a whole collection of these stamps I lovingly call my "stick" ladies.  I used chalk to color her because my paper was more subtle and called for a softer hand than I probably use with pens or pencils-old school fun!




  I had to have this stamp from Impression Obsession-too much fun. I stamped extra of her hat and feet so that I could pop them up-green face mask I love it!







 Simple I know but I made a Halloween treat can out of a paint can, strips of cloth and big eyes peaking out and thought it would be cute in card form-I crimped the paper then antiqued all the edges to make a fun, simple card.

 More to come since I can't resist a good witch...and I have quite the collection to prove it.  I guess it is truly feast or famine-speaking of feasting it is time to get back to the reality of dinner...

Penny Black's "Frankie"

Faux French Country

I love French country the look and feel.  For me it has to do with the colors and patterns that when mixed and matched tend to take on a life of their own.  Since I am working on using up the supplies that I have, I have started making these little piles in my to do box of paper that I have envisioned a  good use for.  This particular pile has been calling my name for quite some time and when I finally sat down to create-out popped these "french country" roosters.  I don't want to offend any decorator with my whimsical rendition, this was my own take on that wonderful artistic style. It is like scrap-booking , after a number of years I found a style that fit me-collage, but neat, orderly, I guess you could say collage for obsessive compulsive disorders...these roosters reminded me of how much I enjoy mixing patterns and papers-backgrounds wings, bodies.  I enjoyed it so much!  So here are a few patterns that I have made so far-I am not done by any means so a trip to the coop will be making an appearance again...

How to Decorate???

March is going to be a rough month in the decorating department.  I have super cute St.Paddy's Day and Easter decorations.  So to give each their fair share of time on the front door and fireplace mantle I took down the Valentines right after Valentines and put up the St. Paddy's Day- and unfortunately for that cute stuff it is going  down on the 10th so the Easter will have some time.  Then April will just be-boring. I don't have any decorations that just are.  So for the cards I have been working  on they reflect the same not enough time to give each one it's proper due if you will. 

 It is no secret I love rabbits at least on cards and designed a few  new ones for this new season of "bunnies". I created some eggs to fit in my Sizzex basket and used various flower dies, button and tags to embellish them.  I antiqued all the edges followed by some fine black pen work to give depth.  And of course chalk for pink cheeks!  I used a shamrock stamp from my collection-to stamp a simple Irish greeting card-I added some glitter just for fun and away we go.  I am really having fun going old school with my dies and creating new and fun cards with them-stay tuned there are more to come...

So Many Choices So little Time

If I had my way and could support myself on card making I would.  I love it.  I know I am not alone in this thought when I look at all the inspiring cards posted out there,  So creative.  I feel like I have a certain style that I like and I tend to get stuck in that rut.  But I have inspiring friends who are always about the challenge of new-like the weekly or monthly challenges out there.  So in the spirit of the new year I am going to try some of these challenges, some of the sketches out there...but for today I am posting some Valentines I made for those (very) late Christmas greetings(ha ha)

Seasonal Blur

OK so blogging is not going to support me-It is not that I don't think about it-I do,  it is just making that transition from thinking to doing that I seem to struggle with.  Well, the tree is down and almost all the decorations.  I leave up my Snowmen for a little January cheer!  We did manage to have a beautiful white Christmas here, which goes a long way in helping the season feel festive, of course I was not trying to fly anywhere. It is on to Valentines and heaven forbid our local grocery store had Easter candy out before Christmas-that was a first, even before Valentines... So far I haven't finished all my  birthday cards for the year ( a worthy goal, even one you enjoy-besides like say, giving up carbs...)
I have managed to get a few made.  I love this simple pop up-and only have a few January birthdays to make good use of this stamp so here you are- plain but fun!  Maybe I should add the goal of more consistent blogging?  A very wise person said the largest room was the room for improvement!