Imamuttnut

The second Monday challenge in May was the featured stamper name. I chose 'imamuttnut' because it was so cute. Plus, how could it not be fun to do a card with a dog on it?

Recipe: stamps- Friends Furever (MFT); paper- brown Bazzil; Basic Grey dp, white; ink- black archival; accessories- Prismacolor pencils, Turpenoid, pop dots; techniques- paper piecing.

Mom's Day

It was my turn to do the CCEE challenges for the month of May. And since the first Monday was the one preceding Mother's Day it was a natural choice for that to be our first challenge. I chose Basic Grey designer paper (so what else is new?). I thought it would be cool to pop the letter's of "MOM", but didn't have any chipboard alphabets. So, I stamped the letters from the Headline Alphabet with pigment ink onto a thin chipboard restaurant coaster, and cut them out. It needed something else, so I cut a circle from the dp and pop dotted it. Although the photo doesn't really capture it, I painted the green flower and the center of the cutout circle with diamond Stickles for a little bling. (You should have heard my girls when they first heard me use the word 'bling'....you'd think I was old or something.) :)

Recipe: paper- black, Basic Grey (Eva series); ink- claret (Ranger Antiquities); stamps- Headline Alphabet (SU); accessories- diamond Stickles, pop dots, chipboard restaurant coaster, eyelet border punch (SU), black grosgrain ribbon (Offray).

Everything Old is New Again!

That's the name of the last CCEE challenge in April. Cindy's challenge to us was to use something we haven't used for a while or have had for a while and never used. I chose eyelets. I have oodles and haven't used them for ages. The sentiment on this card is one I've had for a while and love. It needed, of course, a train stamp which I didn't have. When Stampin'Up came out with this train I knew this was the one. And I love how these silhouette stamps look on the distressed Basic Grey designer papers.

Recipe: paper- navy linen, white, Basic Grey (granola series); ink- black archival; stamps- Happiness Is a Journey (SU), sentiment (Inkadinkado); accessories- eyelets.

For the Birds

I've been feeding birds for years, but this year I'm having a ball bird watching. For Christmas my son N got me something I really wanted...a good pair of binoculars. A gift card for borders was used to purchase a bird book. I'm a big-time list maker, so of course I'm keeping track of all the species I've seen (31 so far). The photo isn't that great, but I don't have a telephoto lens. This red bellied woodpecker is a daily visitor.

Cindy's Sketch Challenge

One of the April challenges for my CCEE group was a sketch provided by Cindy H. Having a layout to follow sure makes designing a card much simpler.

Recipe: Stamps- Le Jardin Botanique (SU); Paper- pink, white, pink marbled; Ink- black archival; Accessories- Cuttlebug, Creative Memories oval cutting system, sheer pink ribbon (Offray), charm.

A Little More Catching Up

This tone on tone card was created around a sketch provided by Frances for one of my CCEE challenges. I love using sketches...it takes away one of the big creative choices one has to make.

Recipe: paper- different shades of ivory, brown Bazzil; stamps-Irish Blessing (SU), Autumn Leaves Clear Stamps; ink- basic brown; accessories- Cuttlebug, Offray ribbon, charm.



For the April 6th CCEE challenge, Cindy H provided us with two sheets of beautiful, sparkly designer papers and a choice of stamped images and sentiments. The cupcake frosting is liquid applique and the cupcake paper is colored with crystal Stickles (which you can't really see in the photo). Also, I cut out one of the little cupcakes from the dp and put it in the bunny's hands.

Recipe: stamps- Stamps and Smiles; ink- black; paper- DCWV, white, chocolate chip; accessories- apricot appeal SU marker, Prismacolor pencils, Turpenoid, liquid applique, crystal Stickles.

A Whole Month?

I can't believe it's been almost month since I last posted! It's been a busy time. One of the main things that's happened is that my husband was laid off from his job. Having him around full time is a big change. One good aspect is that it has allowed us to catch up on a lot of outside work. The garden is planted, shrubs moved and trimmed, and general cleanup is in process. The bad part is that now that we have all this time to do things, we have to watch our finances and can't afford to do them. Lol! You can't win some times.
The hard work I did on my flower beds last year has really paid off. They weren't nearly as hard to get back in shape this spring. I've begun my weekly photographing, as I did last year. What a difference a week makes!

Lilacs are starting to bloom. Ah, spring!