Lab Geek Turned Artist

American Girl Doll Dress

2011-10-03T11:06:00.002-04:00

I thought I would show you the little dress that I made for Audrey's doll.

She saw a dress just like this in the American Girl catalog and asked for it for her birthday. Since I already had a dress pattern, I decided to look for the right fabric and make it myself. It took me a while to find this fabric, but I finally did!

Audrey's birthday was in August, so the gift was a little late. But she really liked it, so I'm happy.

Does This Happen To You?

2011-09-29T15:42:00.000-04:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Three New Cards

2011-08-13T15:55:00.005-04:00

I worked on some cards this week with a kit that I received from Flourishes. Lots of pretty stamps and papers to work with--very inspirational. I kept it simple with very little embellishments, just because that was the mood that I was in at the time.

Back to Scrappin'

2011-06-01T11:27:00.002-04:00

I decided to take a little quiet time to myself this morning to get back to scrapbooking, if only for one page. I used the photo that was in my previous blog post to do a page for Erin's birthday. The supplies are from the May kit from Scrapbook Sussies, as well as the page sketch.

Happy 12th Birthday Erin!

2011-05-14T18:44:00.003-04:00

Erin turns 12 years old today! How did she spend her birthday? We were at our annual meeting for our chapter of the Turner Syndrome Society, and Erin spent the day taking care of preschoolers with TS while their parents were in the meeting listening to speakers. Do I have an awesome daughter or what? She spent her birthday serving others! Can I get an "Amen!"?

In the pic she is holding the tote bag that I made for her birthday gift. It's made out of an old pair of my jeans. This is the first time that I've ever made prairie points. Not bad.

Also in the background of the pic is Daffodil, waiting for us to slice the birthday cake.

Happy Birthday Erin!

Happy Mama's Day

2011-05-08T10:15:00.001-04:00

Flowers Getting Drenched!

2011-04-27T10:53:00.002-04:00

Raindrop on irises and whiskers on kittens...

Please Be Careful--Easter Can Be Dangerous

2011-04-17T17:34:00.000-04:00

Quilting Soothes the Nerves

2011-04-14T20:10:00.004-04:00

So--I was on the phone with the California Dept. of Public Health to TRY to figure out what I can do about a smudged date on my birth certificate. The guy said, "I'll look at the microfilm and call you RIGHT back." Well, long story short, I waited 5 hours for that call.

While I was waiting, and waiting, and getting angrier, and more frustrated, and so on--I decided to calm myself by starting a new Block of the Month quilt. I decided to use some really cute and slightly unconventional Christmas fabrics.

Both of these blocks are from Quilter's Cache.

This one is called Housewife:

This one is called Grandmother's Cross:

I think I'm really going to like this Christmas quilt!

Need a Laugh?

2011-04-14T08:40:00.000-04:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Log Cabin Pot Holders

2011-04-02T11:35:00.004-04:00

Can you tell that I'm ready for summer? I chose some bright greens and yellows to make these log cabin blocks, along with the traditional red center. These pot holders are for my Mom!

Quilted Potholders

2011-03-29T11:09:00.003-04:00

Well, so far Spring Break has not been good to me. I went to bed last night with a massive tension headache. Time to retreat to my happy place of crafting therapy.

I decided to finish these two potholders that I have been piecing together in five minute intervals for the past few weeks.

Both patterns are from the book "101 Fun-to-Quilt Pot Holders". The title is a misnomer in my opinion because the book has waaaaay too many patterns that require mitered corners. And in my world, mitered corners are not "fun". But I did OK on the patterns above, called Spin Art and Pinwheel.

Housework

2011-03-26T20:03:00.000-04:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our

Forget it Kitty--they only notice when you DON'T do the housework.

On Tuesday I have the Mondays

2011-03-15T09:15:00.000-04:00

My Lazy Cat

2011-02-28T11:42:00.001-05:00

Scarves!

2011-02-16T13:26:00.003-05:00

These scarves were the Valentine's gifts that I made for my girls. They contain a layer of cotton quilt batting so they are nice and warm.

The bright fabrics are from a collection called Cheep Talk from Connecting Threads. (on sale now at the website, BTW!) These scarves are fast and easy, the only tough part being that the trim was catching in the seams. But I just had to slow down and be more careful. Each scarf took about 2 hours to make--not bad I think!

The pattern is HERE.

Have a good day everyone! We are finally getting some sun and warmer temps here in Ohio!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T16:04:00.001-05:00

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Sew Kitty Sew!

2011-01-27T20:02:00.000-05:00

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Pop-O-Matic

2011-01-11T12:42:00.001-05:00

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Brown Butterfly Card

2011-01-06T17:20:00.004-05:00

I lost my camera when I was in Hawaii. I had it one minute and then it was gone the next. I'm totally clueless--no idea what happened to it.

So I have to apologize for the poor photo quality here. I took the photo with my phone which has no flash. You can't see the sheer ribbon very well, but you can see the stamping all right.

I used Splitcoast sketch SC314.

Leftover Turkey? Make Enchiladas!

2010-12-01T18:18:00.003-05:00

The enchiladas that I fixed tonight turned out so pretty that I just had to take a picture of them!

Here is the recipe that I followed (almost!): Simple, Perfect Enchiladas

The biggest change I made to the recipe: instead of using ground beef, I chopped up some of my leftover turkey and mixed it up with the onions and chiles for the filling. Also, I steamed the tortillas in the microwave with a damp towel instead of frying them in oil. Much easier!

My family loved these enchiladas, and it was a nice change from the usual turkey leftovers. Give it a try!

But That's Just Me

2010-11-22T18:44:00.000-05:00

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Stuffed!

2010-11-19T09:42:00.001-05:00

I hope you are stuffed with blessings, and your turkey is stuffed with sage and rosemary.

Sunday Funny

2010-11-14T18:55:00.001-05:00

I remember watching this skit a long time ago. You can tell it's the Seventies because they still allowed smoking on the airplane.

Let Us Give Thanks

2010-11-09T10:58:00.002-05:00

Has anyone else noticed that the stores, TV ads, etc. are going directly from Halloween to Christmas? What happened to Thanksgiving? I think that the concept of being thankful is very important, and sorely lacking in our society.

So what do you say--let's slow down the Christmas rush and let November be the month of Thanksgiving, and not the month of "I have my Christmas shopping done before you do". Go ahead and savor that turkey carcass! (and your family and friends, and your football games, and your parades)

So Glad It's Sunday

2010-11-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

Autumn Table Topper

2010-11-01T10:20:00.004-04:00

For the past few weeks I have been sneaking into my sewing room for a few moments at a time to make this table topper for fall:

Mine turned out wider than what the pattern called for since I used 3 inch fabric strips instead of 2.5 inch strips. Mainly because I bought a Moda scrap bag that had all of these beautiful 3 inch strips and there was no way I was going to cut them all down to 2.5!

Also, I was only supposed to use dark and light fabrics, but I mixed in lots of pretty mediums, so I don't have quite the contrast that I should have. But I really like it anyway.

The best part? It's reversible! The other side is similar to this side, except more dark fabrics and fewer light. So when I have a little spill, all I have to do is flip it over!

Lots of cutting and piecing, but I like to call that "therapy".

The pattern is in Quilter's World June 2010.

Rubber Duckie Spud

2010-10-23T19:09:00.002-04:00

Today I found a potato that looks just like a rubber duckie. I'm hoping it will make me rich and famous.

Remind Me To Never Go Running Here

2010-10-22T19:08:00.001-04:00

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Baking Photos

2010-10-16T17:11:00.003-04:00

Here are some more pics of the baking that I did for the Black Walnut Festival. Again, if you would like recipes, let me know.

Oatmeal Cookies with Black Walnuts and Cranberries:

Black Walnut Cake:

Pinwheel Cookies with Black Walnuts, Raspberry Jam and Coconut:

The sale is today and we are having fantastic fall weather. Hopefully we will sell out!

Black Walnut Baking

2010-10-14T17:36:00.006-04:00

On Saturday, our church will have a baked goods booth at the Black Walnut Festival in Camden, Ohio. Needless to say, I have been doing LOTS of baking with black walnuts. Here are some things that I did today:

Banana Black Walnut Bread:

Pumpkin Black Walnut Bread:

Black Walnut Bars (not sliced yet):

If you've never tried black walnuts, they are different from the usual english walnuts. The taste is much stronger and more aromatic. They are also very expensive--about $12/lb. If anyone ever invites you to help shell black walnuts, just say no! You have to open them with a hammer and then use a little pick to remove the nut meats. And they stain your hands. It's not a good time. But they are delicious! Email me if you want recipes.

Mitten!

2010-10-11T08:08:00.004-04:00

I tried my hand at machine applique yesterday--and decided that I need a lot more practice! But this block will make a cute table runner or wall hanging if several mittens are made in different fabrics. I got the mitten template from the Connecting Threads site--it's a free pattern for a mitten garland, which is also really cute.

Redwork Hand Embroidery

2010-09-01T14:04:00.003-04:00

I've waited a long time to post this project on my blog!

I made this for an embroidery challenge in my Yahoo group Quilt Makers International. We were each given the simple embroidery design and told to make anything that we want using it.

I decided to go with simple redwork, since I have been wanting to do some redwork for a long time. I embroidered by hand onto some white on white fabric, and then used that as a center panel for a table topper.

I couldn't show you the finished project until now, because our group members were voting for their favorite entry during the month of August.

Wow, this gives me the itch to sew! I haven't done very much in my craft room this summer. It's time to get back in my groove!

Sunday Silliness

2010-08-29T17:21:00.000-04:00

Check This Guy Out!

2010-08-23T18:42:00.003-04:00

I went out to pick some basil for my tomato salad and look what I found! I honestly mistook it for a stick at first--until it moved. Really cool!

Oh Snap!

2010-08-22T19:47:00.000-04:00

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Don't you hate it when this happens?

Summer Tomato Salad

2010-08-08T18:37:00.003-04:00

Look what I did with the fresh tomatoes that we got from our CSA farm yesterday! I sorta invented a salad of chopped tomatoes, queso cotija (a mexican cheese that crumbles like feta), chopped fresh basil and some extra virgin olive oil. Tastes like summer should taste. I'm serving it with some of my husband's famous grilled chicken for Sunday dinner.

Have a good evening everyone. We are going to a drive in movie tonight.

Anniversary Cake Scrapbook Page

2010-08-06T09:23:00.003-04:00

Here's the first scrapbook page that I've done in ages! I used the July sketch from Scrapbook Sussies to put this together, along with supplies from past kits and some stuff from my stash.

The topic is the lovely cake that we had when we were down in Orlando in June. My husband ordered it from a bakery on The Boardwalk at WDW. It was just beautiful--the picture doesn't do it justice.

Also, on the side of the cake were little silver Mickey Mouse's.

And it was absolutely delicious--quality on a level that I'm certainly not used to. Yes, this cake deserved it's own scrapbook page.

Spending our 20th anniversary at WDW was especially appropriate for us because we spent our honeymoon at Disneyland in LA. I guess we will never outgrow Disney!

Chicken Spaghetti

2010-08-05T19:08:00.002-04:00

I tried this recipe tonight--boy is it good! It is a great choice when whole chickens are on sale, as you need 2 cups of cooked chicken as well as the broth it was cooked in.

Chicken Spaghetti, or The Only Casserole Marlboro Man Will Eat | The Pioneer Woman Cooks | Ree Drummond

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Baby Gift Tag

2010-08-05T09:39:00.003-04:00

Here is a gift tag that I made using a digi stamp from Stampin Dragon designs.

I also added a line of text with a font from Firecracker Designs.

BTW--Hobby Lobby has a sale this week on scrapbooking organizers. I bought some yesterday and am working on getting my papers sorted. Big job!

Have a good Thursday.

DOH!

2010-08-04T09:31:00.002-04:00

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It's a hot day here in SW Ohio--good day for the pool, or a movie. Or cardmaking! Or sewing! Or wandering around Hobby Lobby! Woo Hoo!

Note Cards--None of Them Stamped!

2010-08-02T11:12:00.002-04:00

By now you all know that I use lots of ink and stamps when I make my cards, right? Uh, not this time.

I wanted to make up some note cards that I could have delivered to my daughter while she is at camp for the week. Also, I have lots of scrapbooking supplies that I receive from Scrapbook Sussies once a month. So, I decided to just put together some of the great papers and embellishments to make some fast and cute cards. Here are the results:

Actually, these aren't much different from what is being published in some of the card making magazines these days. I can't believe how lame some of the cards in those mags are!

Anyway, I hope Erin likes the cards. We miss her a lot!

Swimming Cutie

2010-08-01T09:41:00.002-04:00

I made this card yesterday using a digital stamp from The Michelle Perkett Studio. A digital stamp is another way of saying that you print out the image instead of stamping it. It's obviously not as versatile as a regular stamp, but it's inexpensive and convenient. It works well if you like to simply stamp and color, and it's nice because you can resize your image to fit where you want it.

I used Splitcoast Sketch SC291 for this card.

This is one of the cards that I made so I could send notes to my daughter when she is away at camp. I made four other cards last night--I will post pics later.

It's that time of year!

2010-07-26T12:39:00.003-04:00

Do you have a lot of these?

Would you like to turn them into these?

Here's a good way to do it:

Zucchini Bread Recipe from Allrecipes

Unfortunately, my blog does not have a smell function. But if it did, you would love the smell of my kitchen right now!

I made this today

2010-07-24T22:27:00.003-04:00

The pattern is called Prairie Queen from Quilterscache. It's actually the January block from my Block of the Month quilt--it seems that *somehow* I forgot to make this one! Anyway, I also made another block for this quilt, but it came out 1/2 inch too small. And for all of you non-quilters out there, 1/2 inch might as well be 1/2 mile. So I need to redo that one and figure out how to get it right.

And I also finished up a project for a challenge in my online quilting group. But I can't show it to you yet! Some of the people that are voting on the winning entry might see my blog post and my entry will no longer be anonymous. But I promise I will show you soon.

Have a good rest of the weekend. We are absolutely sweltering here!

Saturday Motivation

2010-07-24T11:59:00.003-04:00

I'm in a funk. Big time. Very unmotivated in all areas of my life. I think I'm seriously lacking in some "me" time to make me human again.

OK, so this morning I tried to think back to figure out when was the last time that I did anything the resembled "art" or "craft" or otherwise creative. I discovered it was in April. That's way too long. I'm taking this "life gets in the way" thing to an extreme.

My craft room is such a mess that I almost can't find my sewing machine. But find it I must. And today is the day.

Here is a motivating video from You Tube that might help me:

Always let your conscience be your guide!

2010-07-19T13:16:00.000-04:00

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What a Great Story

2010-07-01T10:21:00.001-04:00

A Good Man in the Making

I Need a Vacation...

2010-06-24T08:59:00.002-04:00

...to recover from my vacation! Our first day home from DisneyWorld was one of crisis management. The air conditioner at home wasn't working, the brakes on the car were thumping, Erin got new braces put on, the yard looked like a jungle, and so on. But we had such a fabulous time in Orlando that it was all worth it.

Today's agenda: pulling weeds, doing laundry, feeding soft foods to Erin. And rest!

Lilies!

2010-06-06T19:49:00.001-04:00

Yay! This is the first time in 3 years that the deer haven't devoured my pretty lilies.

Birthday girl

2010-05-17T20:19:00.001-04:00

2010-05-17T19:33:00.001-04:00

Blogging from my phone!

Sunday Silliness

2010-05-16T08:28:00.001-04:00

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I think I will probably spend my Sunday afternoon doing something like this.

Under the Sea

2010-05-04T16:43:00.002-04:00

I used CPS165 from Card Positioning Systems to make this invitation for my daughter's "Under the Sea" birthday party. I made the background using watercolor paper and Shimmerz paints in blue, green and purple. The dolphin stamp is from All Night Media. The wording stamp is from Belinda Landtroop.

Sunday Silliness

2010-05-02T19:46:00.001-04:00

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If You Build It, They Will Come

2010-04-11T14:06:00.002-04:00

OK, I got the roof a little crooked, but hopefully they will still come. I got the kit to make this birdhouse from the Preble Co. Historical Society.

And here is something really amazing: My tulips have NOT been eaten! Aren't they gorgeous?

This poor yellow tulip has practically been showered in Liquid Fence, otherwise it would be in some deer's tummy by now.

The deer won't eat the hyacinths, thank goodness. Here are some of my little hyacinths that are my favorites.

Have a great Sunday!

A Quilt with No Name

2010-04-10T19:33:00.002-04:00

The name of this block is No Name Block #2, which I find kind of strange because I've seen all kinds of interesting names for quilt blocks. It seems odd that they couldn't come up with something to name it! It's the first block that I have made for my 2010 block of the month quilt. Never mind that I'm four months behind!

The pattern is on www.quilterscache.com.

Like Mermaids?

2010-04-09T12:12:00.004-04:00

Well, what's not to like? This mermaid is a digital image by Dawn. A lot of fun to color with pencils and accentuate with a clear gelly roll glitter pen. The Elan stamp is from Belinda Landtroop.

For the background I crumpled up some tissue papers and glued them down to the background. Makes a cool textured panel. I then carefully cut out the image and glued on.

Have a good weekend everyone.

National No Housework Day

2010-04-07T15:48:00.003-04:00

Did you know that you're not supposed to do housework today? Well, put down that mop and do something else!

I made some Mother's Day and Father's Day cards. Here are the pics:

This stamp always reminds me of a photo that we have of my Dad's Dad--

Here's a card for someone who sews--

I love the old fashioned look of this one--

Here's a trifold. It's hard to see but the daffodil shows through the round window--

This stamp is really great--

I think I will do some sewing now, since I still have the rest of the day off!

Hang in there Until Friday!

2010-03-17T14:10:00.000-04:00

Outdoorsy Mother's Day

2010-03-16T07:36:00.000-04:00

OK, I admit I was stumped for a while. I was given a request to make a Mother's Day card for a woman who loves to hunt and fish. So, ordinarily when you think of Mother's Day cards, you think of flowers and lace and cute little cartoon critters. But I needed a card that was feminine, yet outdoorsy also.

So I turned to some stamp sets that are from Firecracker Designs--Create a Scene and Little Things--to make this outdoor scene. To soften it up, I colored with chalk pastels and smudged it around a little for a dreamy look. The sentiment is from Lizzie Anne Designs.

I really hope our fishing lady likes it!

One Million Pillowcase Challenge

2010-03-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

Our quilting group is participating in American Patchwork and Quilting's One Million Pillowcase Challenge, where people are attempting to make 1,000,000 pillowcases for charity. (Read about it here.) Here is my contribution:

I know, it's only 10, but I was pretty much using up my spare fabric. This is the first time that I have made my own pillowcases. It's much easier than I imagined, of course, I used a simple pattern. But it's pretty easy to make 2 or 3 in an hour.

Have a great Monday everybody.

Happy St. Patrick's Week!

2010-03-14T12:21:00.003-04:00

Here's another card that I made for Midnight Madness MMSC44. I decided to go with the more elaborate sketch this time, and made a larger card to accommodate all of my embellishments!

This fun St. Patrick's Day image is a digi stamp from Tracey at The Stamping Boutique. How fun it was to color! I used plain ol' dye ink markers along with a gold ink pen and a glue pen and some blue glitter.

The 3 small images are from a backgrounder stamp made by Cornish Heritage Farms. I layered them on top of flowers that I punched from gold shimmer paper. The ribbon is from Stampin' Up--and it's been in my stash a looooong time--what a blast from the past.

Now, on an unrelated, yet no less important note--who knows what today is? (Here's a hint--I'm still a lab geek, and today is 3/14.)

It's Pi Day!

Here is an instructable on how to better appreciate the amazing Pi:

Appreciating pi (not the edible variety) - More DIY How To Projects

Top O' The Morning!

2010-03-09T21:21:00.003-05:00

I made this card for the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge MMSC44. Priscilla gives the option of keeping the card simple or adding more layers and embellishments. I tend to stay on the simple side.

The stamp is a digi stamp that is from Linda at www.tortagialla.com. I received the stamp from my membership at The Special 50/50 Digital Stamping Group. It's such a cute image for St. Patrick's Day. I colored the image with colored pencils and blended with odorless mineral spirits. Then I did some outlining with a gold pen.

Dear Spring--Hurry up and get here!

2010-03-01T15:55:00.003-05:00

This stamp from Stamp Oasis is such a soft and pretty vision of Spring. I stamped on shimmer paper and colored with colored pencils to keep the soft look.

I can't wait to see some of my bulbs coming through the soil--but it has to thaw first. Hope it's soon.

Sunday Silliness

2010-02-28T11:05:00.000-05:00

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Mending a Broken Heart

2010-02-27T12:51:00.002-05:00

I made these quilt blocks for a Block of the Month exchange. Unfortunately I'm late with these and couldn't be in the drawing--they were due on the 25th--but I will still mail them to the winner.

Two nice things about this Mending a Broken Heart pattern: you make 2 blocks at a time, and it's quilt-as-you-go and the blocks are ready to put together right away.

If you use Insul-bright batting, these blocks would make nice potholders. Hmmm, there's a thought.....

Have a good Saturday.

Cool Papers

2010-02-26T09:40:00.002-05:00

Another Father's Day card, using this week's sketch challenge from Splitcoast Stampers--SC269.

These papers from Basic Grey are so pretty. It's the Marrakech collection--I just love them. The stamp is from Cornish Heritage Farms.

Happy Friday to everyone!

Vicky's Sketch

2010-02-25T09:41:00.003-05:00

Here's a card that I made using Vicky's Sketch from 365 cards. I love the combination of olive green and light blue--it's one of my favorites. I thought that the silver brads made the card even more masculine. The stamp is from Lizzie Anne Designs.

CPS 155

2010-02-24T08:46:00.002-05:00

This card uses the sketch from the Card Positioning Systems CPS155. These Making Memories flowers are so much fun to layer and play with. I thought of them as soon as I saw the circle element of the card sketch. Stamps are from Cornish Heritage Farms and Stampin' Up.

I'm Trying, OK?

2010-02-22T21:07:00.004-05:00

Well, I admit it. I have been completely ignoring my blog for the last few weeks. It could have been abducted by aliens and I would never have known--that's how neglectful I've been. Truth is, I haven't spent much time at all at my craft table lately. That needs to change, don't you think?

I did manage a quick birthday card on Saturday for our friend Jeff's 50th:

I received this Camaro stamp in a grab bag from Cornish Heritage Farms and was wondering what in the world I was going to do with it. Turned out it was perfect for this birthday card. For the corner I punched a circle out of silver shimmer paper and used mismatched number rub-ons for a vintage look.

I'm hoping to have more pics to show you this coming week. I'm working on a set of Mother's and Father's Day cards--just haven't taken the photos of them yet.

Thanks for looking!

Sunday Silliness

2010-01-31T20:36:00.000-05:00

moar funny pictures

Sunday Silliness

2010-01-24T19:39:00.003-05:00

moar funny pictures

I haven't done much crafting lately, but here is your Sunday Silly. We are watching football, just like everyone else this weekend! Have a good one.

Evening Star

2010-01-18T16:54:00.003-05:00

Here is our January block of the month called "Evening Star" from Quilter's Cache. Even though it is paper pieced, I couldn't get the points to match in the center! Kinda bugs me but kinda doesn't :-p. Still turned out ok though.

This afternoon, the girls and I saw "The Spy Next Door"--very cute family movie. The little girl in the movie is especially cute. She kept saying things that reminded me of my Audrey.

Have a great Monday everyone.

Sunday Silliness

2010-01-17T22:42:00.002-05:00

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Scripture Card #2

2010-01-15T14:37:00.003-05:00

I made another inspirational card with an Our Daily Bread Designs scripture stamp, this time in bright summer colors. The layout is from a Stamping 411 card sketch. To add some pizazz to the silk flower, I put a little bit of pink Stickles on each petal. I just love the Basic Grey designer paper in the background--this one is from the June Bug collection.

Have a good Friday!

Scripture Card #1

2010-01-12T15:30:00.004-05:00

I'm working on a set of cards using scripture. Here is my first one, made using the sketch CPS149:

I have lots of nice stamps from Our Daily Bread Designs that I think I will use to make my scripture cards.

And on another note, here is my doggie attempting to hypnotize you with his laser eyes:

Silver Bird Birthday

2010-01-10T06:17:00.001-05:00

This is the Splitcoast sketch SC262, which I really didn't like when I first saw it. Then I started to put my card together, and now I love it! It's got that "upper left to lower right" thing going--I love that. And bird stamps always make me happy. The coordinated papers were on clearance, which just happens to be my favorite price.

Have a happy Sunday. We are cooking a turkey today. I guess we didn't get enough over the holidays!

Butterfly Smile

2010-01-09T10:27:00.002-05:00

A card that's masculine! (It's harder than you would think to come up with a "guy card"!)

The background for the butterfly panel on this card is made by spraying a piece of kraft card stock with Cornflower Walnut Ink and Memories Mist in Pine. I combined stamps from Stampin' Up and Cornish Heritage Farms. I love natural images like butterflies, plants and animals.

BTW--Stampin' Up has given in and has started to sell unmounted stamps! It's about time they figured out that they need to do that.

Have a great Saturday.

Chance to Win a Scrapbook Kit

2009-12-27T14:18:00.002-05:00

Click here for a chance to win a Doodlebug Design scrapbook kit. If you mention it on your blog, you will get an extra chance.

PS. Happy Birthday Honey!

To My Readers

2009-12-24T09:54:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Sunday Silliness

2009-12-20T17:30:00.001-05:00

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Christmas Paperwhites

2009-12-19T09:41:00.004-05:00

I love to force some bulbs around this time of year. Paper whites are so easy to do and they grow and bloom very quickly.

Here's how: find a shallow dish and fill with decorative rocks. (You can find both in the craft store's floral section.) Set the paper white bulbs on top of the rocks and fill the dish with water until it is just touching the bottoms of the bulbs. Within a few days you will see roots growing out of the bulbs. (Make sure to keep the water level at the bottom of the bulbs.) The shoots will grow and blooms will form in about 3 weeks. You cannot reuse the bulbs because forcing them uses up nutrients that cannot be replaced.

You'll love having flowers blooming in your house in the middle of winter!

Photo Frame and Quilt Block

2009-12-18T08:25:00.002-05:00

I made this photo frame by stamping with white pigment ink on the front of the glass panel on this cute little clipboard. The stamps are from A Sparkles © Bright and Happy Holiday from Clear Artistic Stamps.

You can simply slide a photo behind the glass and it will have the blue paper in the background and the snowman in the foreground.

And now, drum roll please.....

I actually finished my block of the month blocks for 2009! And it's still 2009! Amazing, isn't it?

This block is called Ranger's Pride from www.quilterscache.com. This was an easy pattern that creates a secondary pinwheel when all the blocks are pieced together. I need to remember this one for future use.

Have a great Friday! One week to Christmas!

Gingerbread House!

2009-12-17T09:56:00.003-05:00

The girls put together their gingerbread house last night:

If you look closely, you will notice that we used the old Austrian tradition of holding up a falling roof with candy bars and taffy.

And if you look very closely, you'll see the drips of gorilla glue that Daddy added after the girls went to bed.

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Stamped Pencil Holder

2009-12-14T15:03:00.001-05:00

I used the iris stamp from A Dreamer's Moment to decorate this simple pencil cup. I colored the image with pencils and Shimmerz paint, then added a little Diamond Dust for sparkle. Whadja think?

Sunday Silliness

2009-12-13T14:18:00.000-05:00

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Don't worry kitty, everyone else in my house feels the same way about it.

Sorry Cardmakers....

2009-12-12T10:08:00.005-05:00

I can hear the collective groooooan of my card making followers who are saying, "What, more quilting???" Sorry, but I've been on a sewing kick lately and I'm almost caught up on my block of the month quilt.

Here is the Sept. block (Sarah's Choice):

Here is the October block (Birdhouses):

Here is the November block (Missouri Star):

All patterns are from www.quilterscache.com. I only have one block left before I can put the whole thing together.

It's a cold day here, but sunny. Good day to get some housework done and then maybe work on some Christmas crafts. Have a good Saturday!

Candle Mat

2009-12-10T08:44:00.002-05:00

This candle mat will be a Christmas present for a gift exchange that I am participating in this year. I made it from a kit that I bought the last time I was at Pohlar's. It's made with insulated batting to protect the table from the heat of the candle. It's quilt-as-you-go, which saves so much time.

It's really cold here this morning--we had to really bundle up for the bus stop. Have a great Thursday!

Blog Hop Winner

2009-12-09T08:21:00.005-05:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Clear Artistic Stamps Ornament Blog Hop. The winner is Connie Melancon.

And a special thanks to all who left comments here on my blog. I just loved reading all of them.

Waaaay Behind

2009-12-08T16:52:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty far behind on my Block of the Month quilt. This is the block that I should have made in August. It's called Four Patch Fox and Geese and it's found on www.quilterscache.com. Now I need to make the blocks for September through December to get caught up. GAK! After that I will figure out how to put them together.

Sunday Silliness

2009-12-06T15:09:00.000-05:00

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I'm Sewing Again

2009-12-05T10:01:00.004-05:00

I made this quilt block for our block of the month in my quilting group. It's called Heaven's A Blaze, and can be found at www.quilterscache.com. It's completely paper-pieced.

On Thursday night, I helped my daughter's Brownie troop leader teach the girls to use a sewing machine. Eight little girls using a sewing machine for the first time! They were so excited. Here's to passing a love of sewing onto the next generation!

BTW, the girls are making a crazy quilt. Pictures will come later when it is finished!

Christmas Ornament Blog Hop

2009-12-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the second

Clear Artistic Stamps Blog Hop!

I hope you are enjoying your little tour of ornaments that the design team has prepared for you!

Here are my ornaments:

They are based upon the Star Box tutorial at Splitcoast. I tweaked it a bit by leaving the ends open and scaling down to have some cute little ornaments.

These are really easy to make, and even the kids could be involved in making some of these.

I used Shimmer card stock in Silver Fox and Diamond Dust from the Midnight Moonlight Collection. Here is a close up where you can see the shimmery silver:

Stamps are from Sparkles © Bright and Happy Holiday and Crimson Christmas.

Leave a comment on this and/or any other designer blog in this hop and you get entered for a chance of winning a grand prize of 9 stamp sets and 10 shimmerz paints. One entry per blog, but for each comment your name will go into the drawing. Here's the fantastic prize:

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, December 9th at the Cottage Studio.

Now hop on over to Wendi's Blog to see what she has prepared for you :)

Thanks for stopping by--and don't forget to leave a comment!

Fun and Messy

2009-11-29T13:11:00.002-05:00

The title says it all about the background on this card, inspired by Splitcoast sketch SC256. I brayered ink on card stock, with a wavy texture sheet underneath. Then I added the waves of crackle paint in iced lavender. After all of that dried, I stamped the flower (Starving Artistamps) with black Stazon and white Palette hybrid ink. Then stamped Life (Firecracker Designs) in white.

Have a relaxing Sunday!

Digital and Stamped Images Together

2009-11-27T09:00:00.005-05:00

Digital images are all the rage right now--presumably because they are so much cheaper than stamps and you don't need all of those messy stamp pads. Belinda has designed some new digital images, one of which I used on the card below, along with some stamped images.

The floral image is the digital one--I printed it on glossy card stock where I had already applied alcohol ink. Then I heat set the image and colored with dye ink markers.

The other floral images are from the Echos of Summer stamp set, and the Bible verse is from Cornish Heritage Farms.

Huge Sale!

Between now and midnight Sunday the 29th--Clear Artistic Stamps has stamp sets and card stock marked waaaaaaay down. If you've had you eye on some stamps or card stock, you'll get a great deal this weekend.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T10:07:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to my friends and family!

Thank You Lord for all my blessings!

Watercolor Background

2009-11-23T06:00:00.005-05:00

I usually don't think of using watercolors on Christmas cards, do you? I made some cards this week for Christmas, challenging myself to incorporate watercolors. Here is one card using Splitcoast sketch SC255:

I made a large piece of watercolor background, cut a bit of it off and then stamped the image with a deep color of ink. Here is the background paper that I did:

Making a pretty background paper like this is really very easy. You will need watercolor paper, a brush, and either water-based paints or dye ink pads.

For my piece I used the dye ink pads. If you haven't watercolored with these before, here's how you do it. Take your closed stamp pad and and press the lid down onto the pad:

When you open the lid, you will see some ink on the lid:

Take your brush and a little water and mix into the ink on the lid:

To make my background, you just take a wet piece of watercolor paper and paint stripes of different colors across, blending where they meet. Let the paper dry thoroughly before stamping on it. You can heat set if you wish. Go ahead and stamp with dye ink if your paper is completely dry.

Here is another card that I made with the blue portion of my background paper:

I made a third card with Blingz paint instead of dye ink. You can see it on the Cottage Studio blog HERE.

Oh, and by the way, there is a great sale over at Clear Artistic Stamps. Stamp sets that are usually $10.95 are on special for $6.49. What a deal!

A Quick Card for Sunday

2009-11-22T15:19:00.001-05:00

I made this card using Splitcoast SC254 and a cute stamp from Artful Inkables.

I Know How He Feels

2009-11-15T13:35:00.001-05:00

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