February the month of ?

Well, I am proud to announce that I actually may accomplish the goal of having all the birthday cards for the year done!  Wahoo!  It really has been kind of fun.  After I made the fun fold Valentine I decided to try the same design out as birthday cards-I love the plane die from Papertrey Ink and I needed to make masculine birthday designs so I folded the card with a creamy cardstock base and embossed the one end that tucks into the fold.  I used a spellbinder die to cut the great shape-I put argyle paper on the top and cut the plane from black & white polka dot, pop doted on top.  Loved it- I then added the tag and the twine.  This card was so fun to create and I love the embossed front -added dimension without overly papered-

  I love when something creative inspires even more creativity-it has been way too long for me!  It just kind of snowballs and creativity flows, so needless to say I have only a few more cards to make to be done!

Fun with Hearts

Time is speeding by as usual-and this year I am determined (re-determined) to keep up with card making for the holidays and birthdays and just because events!  Of course I start out every new year like this-  I have started reorganizing my crafting space (again).  I am determined this time that it will be finished the way I want on it. (OK not very realistic, but I can dream right?) That helped motivate me, seeing all my fun dies, paper, and stamps while I worked through finding them a permanent home.  That did stall the reorganizing process-but restarted the creative process. Do you ever find that you can spend all this time collecting ideas, and creative stuff, but not really use it? Sometimes I think I have as much fun organizing all my things as I do using them. Anyway I made these cards for a class and I think they each turned out fun and I really enjoyed using my Spellbinders dies and Papertrey Ink Stamps.  As well as a new die company I just found that I love to use-Memory Box Dies.  Some beautiful images and super creative dies.  Too much fun with folds. I can't help but love them. Folding is an easy way to really make your card fun to open and have without too much stress or time to create.  Sorry about the dot on the photos-don't know exactly what that is?

Trying somthing new...

Well it is another beautiful Spring day and I have had my head buried in my homework-not a bad place to be, I have really been enjoying what I have been studying-some days I do wonder though if I am ever going to fully grasp what I am trying to learn.  Being complacent is easy to do and these past couple of years have all been about change for me.  Change in career direction, trying new creative techniques Relearning to knit- (ha ha) which challenge and sometimes enrage...I for instance have been trying this "outside of your nestability die technique.  I have a PILE of no success.  So as you saw in my last blog I decided to make the best of what I had and accentuate, what to some may appear to be a flaw but to others a chance to really get creative.  (as in I meant it to be that way-right? wink wink)  Adding the triple layers of blossoms hides a multitude of crafty "sins".  So in a few very distinct aspects of my life general complacency is over and I am attempting to re-engage in life in different areas.  I find making cards much easier and sometimes way more enjoyable. I am sure that we all have those times in our lives where we realize that things really do need to change and that change is not a bad thing but a refreshing opportunity to gaze out on life from new eyes.  So here is to new beginnings and changing of directions.  I guess I was not out of my bunny making craze- I made a few more and speaking of a new technique, I usually photograph my cards in a white box but recently I have been seeing more things photographed in a black box.  I know, I need to "get out more".  So I tried it.  Check them out.  I can't promise I won't make anymore bunnies...

Whahoo its windy...

Who ever said Spring comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion or comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb didn't say exactly where the blustery wind comes from.  We are having quite a bit here.  The sun feels nice as long as the wind isn't trying to give you a new hairdo-or rip your planters off the porch!  So here is to warm thoughts of Spring and sunny days filled with happy little bunnies not the kind that eat your flowers or new little garden!

Went to InkBlots last week and made a darling Easter card.  Beth is so talented and takes great care in helping us recreate her masterpieces!  I am scheduled to teach in April and guess what I am doing?  No not a bunny...A frog.  I will be teaching a technique I saw done on working outside your nesti die.   Oh sure the instructions looked so simple-after I'd say about 30 tries following the instructions I decided it must just be me.  I did however figure out a way that worked.  It is very cool but harder than I think I would do for a card that I am going to give away.  InkBlots though is all about learning new techniques-so I am sure all the painful hours I spent trying to figure out the technique will pay off- I am sure that one of the really smart crafty ladies will have an easier way to make it then even I finally did!  I love this group.  A great bunch of very talented, creative ladies, I always look forward to getting together!

Hopping By to Say Hi

Every year I think I am going to make fun Easter cards-I love bunnies and have some great stamps and sayings and usually Easter comes and goes and all I did was gaze lovingly at them.  This year I figured I have until the end of April- one day last week I was enjoying the warmth of the sun and the blue sky and was inspired to get out my paper and fun embellishments and start creating! There is just something fun and reminiscent of childhood in the face of the Easter bunnies!  It always amazes me how different the same items look with different paper combination's.  Some things you think will look just fabulous together then you get them put together and the overall effect isn't quite what you wanted-that is the great thing about paper you can make all kinds arrangements fairly inexpensively!  There are punches of color that can be added and touches of ribbon and chalk or pen work that can add just that little touch to make things come together!  I am still working on that-I either have too much or too little.  Sometimes I just have to put the card away for a while until I can get it right-it usually does come together with a little time away from staring at the same image staring back!  I think that creating helps keep you calm-I know for a fact that when I am stressed out I can't create very well. So I figure if I create everyday I will be a happier more productive person...at least in theory right?   For me creating is like eating good chocolate-an event to savor and enjoy!

Bring on the Fall

Wow I guess time has really gotten away from me! I have been studying like crazy for school and I just realized that we are really are starting into fall!  Wahoo.  I love the cooler weather.  I love that my red maple tree starts to change.  Have you ever noticed how even the air smells different?  The sky turns a darker blue and it just makes for a beautiful background of colors-mother nature at her best.  I have been harvesting tomatoes and making sauce. The smells of the fresh oregano simmering inspired me to create this card. Making this card  really inspired me to get cracking on some fall decorating-bring out the pumpkins and scarecrows.  I have big plans for the mantle!  I think that if I lived in one of those quaint little towns with cobblestone it would make the fall even more perfect. Ya know cobblestone and little towns?  I guess in my mind I have this vision of a little cottage filled with fabric and all my rubber stamps and fun embellishments settling down with a fire and enjoying creating with the crackling in the background.  Ok maybe no fire yet-it still is a little too warm. 

Cake anyone?

I like to cook, I am not saying by any stretch of the imagination that I am some savory chef or anything but I do enjoy trying new recipes and have great satisfaction from making something yummy that makes it into the permanent recipe file.  I am, I guess a little, OK maybe a lot obsessed in the recipe department.  I have them somewhat color coded and filed on 4 x 6 cards, yes, some of them are laminated.  My friends give me grief because I take the time to copy them.  I like to take out my recipes and have them right where I can see them-doing that with a recipe book, not so easy.   I did have an unfortunate cooking experience this past week, but luckily with good friends it didn't scar me forever.  I had everything planned done to the minute.  The chicken had been marinating the potatoes were cut and ready.  I was making a rustic chicken and potatoes, a little olive oil, kosher salt, fresh rosemary, garlic, pepper.  I love this dish it turns out great every time.  SO this dinner is for a friends birthday, so I get the cake out of the oven, turn off the buzzer, turn up the temperature, stick my baking stone filled with chicken and potatoes in the oven and get busy setting the table and getting all the other last minute details done- My friends show up 30 minutes early and we are just chatting as I make the green beans. and cut the strawberries for the pound cake.  The metal bowl and beaters are in the freezer awaiting the whipping cream to go on top.  I go to take the chicken out and am horrified to find them still fairly raw.  What has happened I think to myself and oh *$#^% what am I going to serve my hungry guests really fast?  I check the freezer and have some talapia fish sticks, corn tortillas, and lucky me (really lucky) cabbage and zesty ranch dressing in the fridge.  I whip out some fish tacos and dinner is saved!  Dessert is delicious the company was great and all is well in the crazy world I call life.  What happened you say?  When I turned the buzzer off on the cake I must have hit the oven timer setting-the whole time I thought the oven was cooking away the light was on, but the oven had turned off.  Yes, I could sort of smell the cooking because it was hot when I put the dish originally in.  For my birthday this year my sister gave me a cake recipe book, I love it and after this experience this week I saw this stamp and decided she was too cute not to make into a card and hopefully have happy memories of how good the cake was at least...