Time Flys

It's unbelievable that it is almost June.  Where is the time going? Its busy times these days making cards for graduation, birthdays and our 12th wedding anniversary. Somewhere in there I need to fit in housework and yard work.  Isn't there a saying that "a cluttered house means a creative mind?"  That may not be the exact saying but it surely is close. 

I have been working on my genealogy for the last 30 plus years and finally finished it. While digging for information I came across a website called "Find a Grave".  Volunteers go to cemeteries in their town and take pictures of tomb stones for people who want a picture of their ancestors graves.  I volunteered and the next day I had three requests so I will out prowling the local cemetery to take pictures.  I have always had a fascination for those old stones.  They really tell a story sometimes.

Today I was able to squeeze in one card. The stamp is from Hot off The Press, one of their new small stamps.  I think this stamp is so cute. I have a couple others that I am dying to use also.

Happy Wednesday!



Step Card - Last for this week

Last card for the week is a travel "Step" card.  I know most people have made these and it was a trend awhile back but I never was able to master it for some reason.  My brain just wants to do it backward.  Today I finally got it. 

The CAS challenge for The Outlawz this week was regarding travel.  I came up with this but the more I look at it, the more I am thinking it isn't a clean and simple card.  The embellishments were simple...we'll see.  Anyway, here is this weeks card.  Hope you all have a really great weekend.  We are expecting warm weather! Wahoo!!!!!

Its an...Accordian - Pull Tab card

So fun! I found this tutorial on YouTube yesterday and thought I would give it a try.  I needed to come up with something for my second CFC Challenge card for this week.   The instructions for the card are so very easy.  The hard part was coming up with a way to decorate it.  My inspiration is the "pondering girl" (my own given name) by Anne Fenton.  Everyone seemed to do a "thinking about you" or "your in my thoughts" card which is very fitting with the image.  As for me, I like to do things a little differently if I can.  So this is what I came up with:

If your interested in making the card, here are the instructions.
You'll need your paper for the card to be 5 1/2 inches by 12 inches. 
Then score at 1", 2", 4", 6" and 9".
Cut a piece of paper for the pocket at 5 1/2 x 3" and score each 5 1/2 edge at 1/4".
Cut another piece of paper to go inside the pocket at 5 1/2 x 2 1/4.  (I cut another piece 1/8 inch smaller to stamp on.)

That's it.  Just decorate how you like.  I will be doing this again, it has so much potential.

It's a Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood

Spring is very much my favorite season.  I love how everything springs to life after a dull, gray (naked as my grandson would say) winter.  The colors in the Pacific Northwest are astounding! Blazing reds and oranges of the Azaleas and Rhododendrons. All the different pinks and whites and purples of the tree blossoms and of course the green, green grasses and leaves.  It may rain a lot here, but if it didn't we wouldn't have such striking colors.  Flowers are definitely on my mind as you can see from the recent cards I've made. 

The card I made for The Outlawz CFC challenge this week isn't any different. I love my flowers!   Roses and Ribbons....is the first one.  I love the artists that provide the images for these CFC challenges.  Sandi Huggett is the artist for the Vintage Shoe and the Pondering Girl (that I will be adding soon) was made by Anne Fenton.

Here is my creation using Sandi's image.





This was an easy Gate card to make.



One Week Until Mother's Day

Normally I would have Mother's Day taken care of by now.  This year I seem to be running behind on every holiday.  I made a card earlier but I like the one I made today better. Here's hoping it gets there without being crushed too badly. 

I seem to be on a flower kick these days.  Today's card was inspired by a tea cup that I have.  Purple is my favorite color but yellow is so bright and that seems to be the color I go to lately.  Purple and Yellow...definately spring colors.

Roses and Ribbons

Have you ever had one of those cards where you just keep adding things and adding things? That's what happened to me today so it is just a one card day.  I got my Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge last night, so I sat down to play with it.  This is what I came up with.  The sentiment is from Close to My Heart, "Celebration" stamp set that came with the cartridge. 

I need to search for something "crafty" for my 7 year old grandson.  He'll be having a "grandma and grandpa" afternoon and an overnighter tomorrow night.  He loves working in my craft room even if he is just using the punches.  With Mother's Day coming up I am sure we will be able to find something creative.

Clean and Simple card

Spring is finally here and I've had some opportunities to get outside and work the dirt between rain showers.  That also means that I am not spending quite as much time crafting.  I haven't figured out how to do both at the same time.

However....I have been able to get in two cards this week.  This first one is the Clean and Simple card that I submitted in the CAS Challenge for The Outlawz.  The kick to the challenge was it had to be clean and simple and it also had to have a household object on it.  I had to think about what I wanted to stamp, then figure out how to add something that wouldn't detract from the subject of the card.  Voila! I used the backing paper off my grocery list pad.  I did the stamping on it which turned out pretty good.  A little later I added a coffee bean to it. (I didn't submit that one).

I don't know that the added bean added anything to the card.  Hopefully it wont get squished in the mail.  Ha!

The second card I completed was a Birthday card for my granddaughter.  The image is from MayzyArt.  I love her little people.  My granddaughter will be 13 the 1st of June, so I thought this would be cute.  I used the Honeycomb paper to make the cupcake inside.  I couldn't quite figure out how to get the candle to face the front and not squish it when you close the card, so it is in there sideways. If you open the card all the way, it faces the front.  I added confetti for the sprinkles on top.



I've ordered the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge that is exclusive to Close to My Heart and will be playing with that when it comes.  The weather is supposed to climb into the 70's this weekend so if it doesn't come this week, it will be okay. I have a lot of weeding to do.