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! 

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!