Whoa, has it been over 2 years since I made a post?  I'll be back later and upload a BUNCH of cards I've made in the meantime.

I do enjoy looking at all the loveliness I've received and compare my own from then until now too.  <3

Later!

August also being my birthday month has seen a plethora of cards coming to my mailbox.  Holy cow!

Yesterday I received a box of goodies and a card from my sweet friend Janet Keller.  Along with a long hand written letter (I am so happy), I received hand decorated papers, yarns, ribbons, a Bazill Board Book Kit, and a beautifully decorated wooden teaspoon from Moscow, Russia.  She and her husband had been teaching and working there, but he has retired and they have come home to their permanent home in Chandler, AZ.  She's adjusting...and I think cleaning out some of her stash.  (hee hee)  I am the happy recipient of tons of stuff.

Thank you again, so much, Janet.  <3

Inside.

This is part of the box all these goodies came in.  

She wrapped it in this lovely birthday paper.

Barely visible on the bottom half is a stamp that says

"Better late than never."

Included was a handful of sheer yellow ribbon.

These are separate sheets of hand painted loveliness.  

Alas, the picture doesn't do them justice.

And the rectangle in the lower right hand corner is 

lovely Russian wrapping paper, I believe.

The little booklet with Mona Lisa stamped on it is a sweet little blank book A2 size. 

 I'm not sure I can stand to write in it! 

The blue and green ATC is hand painted.  Lovely.

And the background paper with the gold shell images 

was wrapped around all of it to keep it together.  

The braided paper embellishment is a gorgeous touch.

This is the back of the booklet...

Naughty chairs just for me. 

Lots of yummy yarns and the Board Book kit.

Pretty, pretty Russian teaspoon.  

The bowl of the spoon is decorated like the back, 

but it just didn't take a good picture.

Definitely makes turning 1 year older less painful.

<3 It's so fun to have a retired art teacher as a friend.  <3

The month of August has been the anniversary month of Seongsook's Stampers, our crafting group on FB and our co-Administrator, Cora Jean, posted a different challenge each week so we could get our creative juices flowing and share our crafty goodness.  Well, I missed the deadline on nearly every one of them...I sometimes get verklempt with deadlines, but I made one for the the final week of Mixed Media.  Here's my offering.

I used Color Burst powders to make the background, added some Magic Mesh in the corner, found some sparkly buttons and added hairy yarn from a friend and a cat brad.  The sentiment was one that I HAD to have and it came this week from Simon Says Stamp.  How could I resist?

Well, here it is, nearly the end of summer and the eclipse is tomorrow.  I think it's a fine time to update.

Since I turned 66 last Thursday, hey, that's only 2/3 bad, right?  (666 - get it?)  It's time to be good and make a blog entry and share all the lovely cards I've received this birthday.  One of the very best things about being in a stamping/crafting group is that you make a lot of new very crafty friends that will send you their art!  I am so blessed to get these envelopes in the mail full of happy messages and lovely art work.

Without further ado...

From Linda Jackson.  She also sent me a sweet stuffed fox.  

He sits on my craft desk now to watch over my crafty creations.

These treasures are from Seongsook Duncan.

The kitty in front are socks!  She knows me so well.

Adele Silverman sent me this lovely card made from a napkin.

It's all sparkly.

Ann Merkins sent me this lovely card.  Those stripes are Washi tape!

Cheryl Baker sent this adorable punny card.

This lovely tag card is from Connie Griffin.

Jeannie Pascoe, my dear local card making buddy, sent me this one.

Joanne Masury sent me this one.  She posted one on our group page and I loved it.

I think pink and green are my very favorite colors together.

Joyce Rougeou made this lovely card.  

Lily Pak makes gorgeous Asian theme cards and she sent me this one.

Lori Law is another cat lover like me and she thought I'd like this one.

It's just so lovely and sparkly.

Annie Frazer knows I LOVE puns and humorous cards.  Sweet!

Cora Jean Johnson sent me this one after I oohed and ahhed 

over her safari cards she has been posting this month.  

I've always wanted to go to Africa.

Dolores Raml sent this, along with 2 crocheted dish clothes she made.

I think they're too pretty to use, actually.  :)

I love my crafty friends.

Christmas 2016

I know it's early for Christmas, this is only February after all, but last year I was rushing to lay in some cards because I wanted to send one to EVERYONE.  Sometimes I get an idea and wear myself out.  So this year, I decided to try to make a few every month so hopefully, next winter I'll have them ready to address and send out way ahead of time.  It's the thought that counts.

Anyway, here are some I've made for my Christmas stash.  And some days it just feels like Christmas, you know?

I computer generated the sentiment on this one.

The sweater design paper is from a big stack of card stock with a lot of great images.

I cut out some and put them on tags.

This from another Christmas stack.  Such cute images.

~~~

The following were made with NAPKINS!  This last year I've had so much fun using Mod Podge and napkins to make cards with.  Many friends have sent me tons of napkins, and I've looked for them in stores to add to my stash too.  One can never have enough napkins.  

Last fall I spent a couple of days just doing Mod Podgey craftiness.  (Yes, that's a word, look it up.)  And recently I dragged out those pieces and cut them with dies or just into rectangles to add to cards.  I thought these turned out sweet.  I can't wait to send them out next Christmas.  (If I can bear to part with them.)

Fewer cards to make at the last minute now!

February already?

So much crafty goodness has been going on the last 6 months and my poor blog has been neglected.  I just want to post some recent cards and then I'll see about rounding up some that I've made in the last half year so I don't lose them.  :)

Recently, one of the ladies from our group, Barb Housner, suggested we make cards for a children's home that requested cards for their kids.  Encouragement, you are special, happy birthday and so on, so here are a few I am going to send this week.  Hopefully they will elicit smiles.

Collins Children's Home
c/o Alena Pelfrey, Ex. Dir.
PO Box 745
Seneca, SC 29679

I was organizing my craft area and found a box with card fronts that I had started and hoped to make into a card later, so I got those out and started embellishing.  Quick cards!

Wink of Stella on the "hugs".

Washi tape makes a quick design element.

Remember eyelets?

And Mickie is duct tape!

Fun wrapping paper makes a great background paper.

Chipboard clouds.

Inking just the "gray" on that stamp takes a steady hand.

(Pats self on back)

I made these scraps out of separate solid color sheets, then used my tape roller on them to adhere to a piece of white card stock.  

Kaleidacolor stamp pad for the sentiment.

More already made background paper, add some ribbon and stars and a sentiment, and voila!

I have a big Ziplock baggie of stars leftover from OWH.

Ribbon, stars, sentiment, you're my hero!

Did I say I had a few stars?

The diagonal red and white strip is Washi tape with red ribbon top and bottom over a black strip of card stock.

A card front with the rainbow scraps, then run through the Cuttle Bug with a heart die.  Inset some glitter hearts cut with the same die and nice flat, sparkly embellishment.

Sparkly Washi tape under the sentiment.

~~~

These following Robot set were made with images I cut out of a big sheet of wrapping paper I got at Blick Art Store last year.  

We were not supposed to use this kind of paper on OWH cards because of possible copyright infringement issues, but I thought for cards going to kids, they would bring a few smiles.  And I have a couple of sets of great outer space type images and sentiments. 

Inside they say:  

Happy Birthday

Have a blast.

Some have rhinestone eyes, and the "Robot with Spark" in the lower left hand corner has Wink of Stella on the sparks coming out of his chest.  Sparkly spark!

The one next to him has gold stars, but the shine, alas, doesn't really show.  They ARE gold.

Thanks for stopping by.

~~~~

Sent 18 in the mail 2/23/16 to theCollins Home.

Seongsook's Stampers turns 1!

I can't believe it's been a whole year already of crafting fun and getting to know a wonderful group of talented ladies on FB in our crafting group, Seongsook's Stampers.  A whole lot of talent, love, encouragement, sharing and fun.  I feel like I have a whole new set of sisters.

One of the great things has been the challenges.  Someone would suggest something, a theme, a color, use a particular embellishment or technique, and then many of us would make a card and post the pics on FB.  Great fun and inspiration, and a chance to ooh and ah over pretty cards.  What's not to like?  And since it's more fun to get a card in the mail and actually see it in real life and handle it, and cherish it, it was decided early on that we should do just that and share a special card with one person in the group.  Thus began the Swap Challenge.

Our beloved Cora has been handling them since early on.  Yay Cora!  Every 6 weeks, a new theme is posted and we put our names on a list.  The list is randomized and we make a card with that theme and send to the name below us on the list.  It's been fun, stretches our talents and gets us to try something new every month or so.  I don't think I ever would have attempted a "screen card" if it hadn't been one of the challenges.  We've had great fun and I've posted some of the swap cards in previous posts here on the blog.  I particularly liked the "What my State is Famous For" and love looking at the lovely one from Minnesota that I got from Linda Jackson.  Gorgeous.

Anyway, Cora has decided she wanted to pass the reins on, so Seongsook asked for volunteers.  After a day or two and no one had been nominated or offered, I thought, heck, why not me?  So I said I would gladly try it for the next go around.  Seongsook said great and I was crowned.  (LOL)

I look forward to making a list of possible themes, and a couple of the ladies have already given me some great ideas.  It will be fun to post them and see what everyone comes up with.

Seongsook suggested our first challenge, would be a Happy Birthday Card to celebrate SS 1st Birthday, so I'm going to get to work on that.

Then Challenge #2 would be a TY card for Cora for her organization on this, this past year.

Stay Tuned for the Swap Challenge List to be posted soon.  It's going to be another great year of fun ahead.  <3

~~~

Here's my TY card for Cora.

The sentiment stamp is a gift from Madelyn Taylor that I got in the mail the other day, SUPER!

And the embossing folder I got recently and just HAD to use it on a card for Cora.

The little coffee cup charm I've had for ages in my stash.

Cora, we have to get together soon and have a cuppa together!