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! 

Tis the Season for Pumpkin

I love pumpkins, love to decorate with them, love when pumpkin becomes the flavor of donuts and bread. I love to add pumpkin spice to my hot cocoa!  Pumpkins are beautiful, reminders of fall -the change in seasons.  I had fun with this card nothing fancy, just chocolate brown ink and a very loved stamp of pilgrims.  I  have been inspired by simplicity in stamping  of late, so this stamp just has a shot of color, as you can guess Pumpkin yellow!  Some buttons, embossed paper, twine and mat with a lovely chocolate brown cardstock.   Simple but expressive.  A couple of years ago I grew little smoky pumpkins, all white and tiny. I put them in a hurricane vase on my mantel and they made the most "Martha" decoration I have ever had!  Beautiful.  A little bit of nature brought in.  I this past week for cooking club, tried a yummy gooey pumpkin butter cake inspired in part to try  by my friend Carol who makes such yummy gooey butter cakes!  Can you smell the spice?  I forgot to take a picture-maybe on the next one...

Pumpkins & Leaves

Today we have a much needed break from heat and are blessed with a little rain!  The leaves have started to change and I think are going to just fall off before anyone can take the trek to the mountains to see them "change".  It does feel nice though to enjoy the cooler weather. Good time to make cards and oatmeal cookies!  I love pumpkins in case you can't tell so it was easy for me to break out this pumpkin stamp and some beautiful fallish paper and create this card.  A tag and some natural twine complete the image.  I love paper and love creating cards using lots of paper.  I really like cards I see that use white space-but when I create them they look scary?  Does this ever happen to you?  You think to yourself  I am going to try something new and then you look at your new creation with dismay and doubt your creative ability at all...so I will work of creating a card with good white space use and you can laugh at my creation.  Ok maybe not laugh out loud!  What are we without challenges which help us grow in different directions and get out of ruts?  I love witches and once I get all my Halloween out and push out all the scarecrows that are currently decking the house and mantle I will photograph my witches!  This boot was simple to make, I drew it, cut it out laced it up-what are a witches shoes with out laces? Used some great paper from my stash to accent the background and it is done.  Simple statement. The witch is in! Have a great day!

Fall in the Air

Ok maybe not-still really hot here. But in the effort to wish for a little cooler weather I have made some Halloween cards.  The funny thing about Halloween and fall in general for me is I love all the decorations, pumpkins, gourds, leaves, witches-but I am not a big "Halloween" person. I haven't dressed up in years and don't go to parties- I just love all the decorations.  We do have a spooky dinner every year-where we make scary food, only looking hopefully not tasting!  So in that frame of mind I created a few cards to share and I am trying out a chocolate (of course) quick bread.
This witch is paper pieced and I love to paper piece turn on my TV and work while catching up with my favorite shows like White Collar...I can't just sit and watch TV my hands need to be busy and cutting out lots of little pieces keeps me busy!

One more for the road-since for me it seems like creativity comes in waves and I can't seem to post regularly...good thing I don't get paid as a blogger.  I have been busy working on my "studio" creative space what ever you would like to call it-in my spare (ha ha) time.  It is starting to really come together and I am excited-even though it is in an unfinished basement.  So I will follow soon with some photos.  Just so you don't think I am slacking or anything. Time to make dinner.  A yummy pasta salad.

If you know me at all you know I love roosters-I used to have Rhode Island red hens growing up and love the french country feel.  Black furniture, chicken wire, deep reds and of course polka dots! I saw this card in a challenge and decided to try it-I used this great double sided paper (a must) it is so whimsical and goes well with the roosters and script on the background.  I love this saying-it goes along with my "every day matters".  It was a little challenging for me to get the folds just right.  I practiced on a plain piece of paper first-good thing!  It was just plain fun to make and I can think of lots of fun ideas to use this pattern for-birthday's and manly man cards.  Makes a statement without being frilly.

Well I think that the jump to Summer came a little quick for me-and everything seems to be on fire all over the place.  No BBQ on the 4th this year.  HOT HOT HOT...  I am posting a few new cards from my card class (sadly named, card class) I think that the 4th represents the middle of Summer for me-even though I know it isn't.  Summer just speeds by and before I know it, I don't have all my Christmas stuff done. 

 I had fun making this pop up Uncle Sam.  He folds up flat for easy sending.  I paper pieced him from an idea in a painting book.  I love to paper piece, for me it is relaxing to cut out and glue.  I embossed his beard and mustache to give him some extra dimension and added the stars to the front.  I am loving this fun fold card, so I know you will see more of them!

Here is to the cranky ladies that are so fun to stamp and imagine what they are saying.  I will call her Gladys and I imagined that she was sunning herself by the pool and thinking about key lime pie...