Excuses 'R Us

I'm SO sorry I've let you lie here neglected and abandoned, little blog.  There was SUCH enthusiasm when I began you, and now that autumn has arrived, I've lost steam.  More to the point, I've lost precious time.  Because we travel so much in the fall (at least every other weekend), my card making time has been greatly reduced. :sniff sniff: 

I'm so sorry, sweet blog.  With Brien out of town the next two evenings, I'm going to try to do better.  I'm going to pop in some old movies, get the stamping juices flowing and see what I can create.  I'll check out a few challenge sites as well, and see if anything catches my fancy. 

I hope to see you in the morning, my friend.

Sincerely,
Me

Busy, Busy, Busy

It is true that I am mostly retired, that is, I do not have a full-time job or a job to which I must go. However, I do work for a publisher, and, lucky me, I get to work from home. The work is sporadic, though lately, there seems to always be something to do. Mostly, I oversee the development of materials and review them. Recently I received a new title, Director of Special Projects, which basically means I do a wide assortment of things. The company I work for is small—a husband and wife comprise the company—and I cannot express how much I love working with them. Unlike large publishers I’ve worked for, all the work for this company is done with a verbal handshake, and they truly value my opinions. We trust each other and it is a lovely arrangement, one that I hope continues for many years. Just the other day, the husband contacted me to see how much they owe me for my work in September. We both had to think through everything I’ve done for them in the past month. Being able to trust someone 100% as I trust this husband and wife is a great joy. I love the loose arrangement, and I much enjoy the work I do. So, why am I telling you this? Because this week I’ve been up to my ears reviewing a new book, reviewing a revised book, working on a presentation I will give on Saturday, and planning how to proceed with a new project, among other things. As a result, I have no time to stamp. So, I looked through my cards and found one I created last summer when I had lots of time on my hands. To make it, I used these supplies:

• Stamp Set—Simply Said
• DSP—Delicate Dots
• Card Stock—So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
• Twill Ribbon—Certainly Celery and So Saffron (layered)
• Ink—Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery
• Nesties—Circle and Scallop

--Lissie

Sparkly Birthday Wishes

When I made Ella's birthday card back in July, I made two (as is typical for me), but instead of keeping one as a model, I made the second for my niece Jocelyn's birthday in September.  When I first saw the "Pony Party" stamp set, I just knew it would be perfect for birthday cards (and "just because" cards) for little girls.  How right I was.  :o)

Because Ella is the child of the original "Pink Bunny", I made the card as pink and sparkly as possible.  It is an easel card so it can be propped up and long admired. ;o)

To create the shades of pink in the mane and tail, I simple got out my blender pen and the Melon Mambo stamp pad.  Then, I layered more color on where I wanted it darker and less where I wanted it lighter. 

Using my two-way glue pen, I added Dazzling Diamonds here and there on the pony/unicorn.  For the glittery images in the background, I used VersaMark and heat and stick powder. 

It really was a fun (if time consuming!) card to make. :o)

This card uses:
Stamp Set: "Pony Party"
Papers: Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Inks: Black StazOn, Melon Mambo, VersaMark
Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds, 1 1/4" Pink Pirouette grosgrain ribbon, heat and stick powder

Autumn Gift Enclosure

Rachael is away for the weekend so I decided to post a small card, one I'll use as a gift enclosure. I like to make square cards, but it can be tricky designing a card for a small space ... at least it is for me. I rummaged through my Designer Series Paper and was surprised to find a favorite paper with designs I had not yet used that would work for this card. (Don't you love it when that happens?) I finished the card and then realized it was out of balance so I added the two buttons. Here's what I used to make this card:

• DSP--Autumn Traditions
• Card Stock--Always Artichoke; Soft Suede
  
• Buttons--Always Artichoke

--Lissie

Sisters

My sister's birthday is coming up, so I decided to make her a card using one of m new stamp sets, The Nicest Things. I'm still struggling to learn how to effectively use watercolor paper, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I also wanted to use a color I haven't played with much--Baja Breeze. I made it the main color for the card. The colors on the card itself are far more muted and pastel-like than they show up in this picture where they appear much darker and more vibrant, probably because of the auto-correct feature I used in iPhoto. Here are the other supplies I used:

• Inks--Baja Breeze, River Rock, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Blush Blossom, and Crumb Cake
• Stamp Sets--The Nicest Things and Well Scripted
• Crochet Trim--Victoria
  
• Embosslits--Beautiful Wings
• Designer Series Paper--Baja Breeze
• Card Stock--Very Vanilla, Baja Breeze

--Lissie