I told you I'd be here ~ here I am!

I told you I'd be here with something to post and I am ~ and so early.  Well, early for me anyway!  Are you ready for some Fall cards?  That's what I've got to show you.  This year I've made a few cards for some of Danielle's old teachers who used to buy cards from me and I want to share them with you.  I won't bore you with any chit chat today, just all business Ü

Now you might need a double take on these first two cards - no they are not identical, they are just alike.

The base card is Kraft that I layered with some DP from my Provocraft Americana Patchwork collection.  The image is a digi image from Karen's Doodles that I printed and colored in with my pencils and gamsol.  I used markers here and there for little touches.  I cut the image out with my oval nestie and then cut out a scallop oval nestie to layer behind the image.  Before I placed the image panel down I took a piece of scrap Kraft card stock and added a length of ribbon to it and added it to the center of the paper.  Once the image panel was added I picked out some primas and some eyelet/brads and added them with glue dots around the panel.  Once everything was in place I added some stickles for a little glitter here and there and I was complete.  The next card is basically the same with just a different image from Karen's Doodles. 

This image was also printed and colored with pencils and gamsol.  I generally print the image out then hit it with the heat gun for a minute to make sure that the printer ink does not get all muttled up when using the gamsol.  I've not had any trouble with the images that way.

Some of you who've been follower's for who have come to my blog for a while may remember this image.  I've had this stamp for years and years - it is probably one of the first stamps I purchased.  It is an image from D.O.T.S. (yes, it's that old!) who is now called Close To My Heart.  I just love this image, it's very "Fall-y".  The base card is Real Red that I layered with Creamy Caramel and some DP from Paper Pizzaz. If you notice that the orange layer kind of looks a little like wood grain?  That paper did not have a maker on it ~ but I sponged some Close to Cocoa ink around that layer before adding it to the card. 

I stamped the image and colored it with my pencils and gamsol then cut the image out and adhered it with pop dots to the card.  I had a couple of the Chocolate Chip swirls on my desk left over from another project and I added those to the corners for a little fun. 

I hope that you enjoyed these cards today, and that they inspire you to create something Fall-like.  As I look out the window today I see all the Fall colors and it's so pretty.  Even though I'm a little busy I just might take the pooch for a walk, it's a beautiful day!  Not too long before the cold Winter will be upon us.

Have a super great day! 

My Bountiful Harvest

You know when you see a stamp and think "oh that will look nice" and it takes time to color it ~ then to just hack it away with your punch or die cut?  Yup, that's what I did with this stamp.  I was working on my Thanksgiving cards and I have this stamp by D.O.T.S. that is really cute.  I use it a lot.  It's a cornucopia filled with a harvest bounty and I colored it in with my pencils and gamsol.  Being careful to shade everything just right for Fall colors only to hack most of it away with one of my nesties...  Grrrr...

You cant even tell it's a cornucopia...  Oh well.  The thought was there. 

I stamped the cornacopia from D.O.T.S. and colored it in with my pencils and gamsol then I cut it out with my Standard Circles small nestie and layered it on to a piece of More Mustard that I punched out with my Marvy Giga scalloped circle punch.  I set that aside and started to layer the card.  The base card is Ruby Red that I layered with Close to Cocoa and a piece of DP from Creative Imaginations Debbie Mumm Harvest collection.  I took a piece of rust colored ribbon and layered it on the left side of the card.  I then stamped the saying 'thanksgiving blessings' from Printworks in black ink and layered that on to a piece of Ruby Red cs.  I also stamped the leaf image by Alextamping with my Big and Juicy Foliage ink pad on to white cs and layered it on to a piece of Ruby Red cs.  I then took both of those layers and added them on top of the ribbon at the left.  I then pierced the holes around the scallop circle on my main image and used pop dots to add it to the card and I was complete.

I've got something else that I'm working on today that is Fall also.  I am having trouble getting to work on things with Dixie around.  She is in the exploring stage right now and wants out every 5 minutes.  I can't ignore her just in case she wants out to do her business.  We get outside and she just wants to play and explore.  She's really funny too!  She loves weeds.  Not to eat or anything, just to play with.  I told Ricky that we should get one of those cat toy's with the feather on the end of the stick to play with her, that's almost like the weeds.

Anyway ~ I hope to be back tomorrow to show you some more Fall inspiration!  Have a great day!

Good Afternoon!

Today is a beautiful day!  Hubby brought the car home so I could take Danielle to take her driving test again.  Let's just say we will not talk about that.  But running around town, it's just so nice out.  The leaves on the trees are changing and there is a crispness in the air.  It is just wonderful!  I think this weekend I need to break out the fall and Halloween decorations ~ and it's time to pick out the pumpkins!!

Are you ready for a card?  Well - here goes...

This card was made with my SU! set called Frosty.  I love snowmen, and this is one of my favorite all time sets.

The base card is Pacific Point that I layered with a piece of white cs that I stamped with Ballet Blue and Bashful Blue inks.  I used my large label and my small scallop rectangle nesties to cut out the layers.  The large label was cut out with some miscellaneous dark blue card stock that I had.  I added a little piece of organdy ribbon and the from was complete.  Inside I layered a piece of dark blue card stock with a piece of white and stamped the sentiment from an old foam D.O.T.S. set in Real Red ink and I was complete.

I think that I need to start getting in the holiday mode.  Last year I was not in the mood too much ~ but seeing those trees with the changing colors I think may of did it for me.  Time for scented pinecones and apple cider.

Have a great afternoon!

T.G.I.F.

Happy T.G.I.F. everyone! 

I've been quite the busy beaver yesterday.  I got a lot of cards made and I want to share a few with you.  I do hope that I get it right.  As I mentioned yesterday I updated my blogger and things are a little different so I might have a wonky looking blog until I get the hang of it...  I guess I'm just appologizing in advance.

One of the cards that I made was this one with the Classic Pickups set.  I wanted to make some guy cards and this set is perfect for it!

I stamped the image from the Classic Pickups set and colored it in with my watercolor crayons.  The base card is Close to Cocoa that I layered with So Saffron and DP from The Angel Company Willoughby collection.  Before adhering the So Saffron piece I punched it with the punch from my Carl Tozzicle.  I know that SU has a similar punch, but why buy it when I have something else that would do the trick?  So I punched out the top of the So Saffron piece and then distressed the edge.  Before adhering it to the card I added the DP and length of Soft Suede ribbon.  I layered the image to a piece of Close to Cocoa cs and adhered it to the card.  I stamped the sentiment 'your a classic' with black ink, layered it to a piece of Chocolate Chip scrap and added that to the card.  In the lower right corner I added the words 'birthday wishes' from The Angel Company set Little Cupcake with versamark.  Inside the card I added a piece of So Saffron and white cs.  I stamped the sentiment from an old D.O.T.S. set called Birthday Wishes in Close to Cocoa ink and I was complete.

This next card I think can be used for either a male or female birthday.  I tried not to use too "pretty" of colors. 

I stamped the image from the Viola set and then stamped it again on some Au Chocolat DP.  I cut out the parts that I wanted to use on the DP and layered them on to the white cs stamped image.  I colored the rest of the image with my watercolors and markers.  The base card is Bashful Blue that I took one of my rollers and stamped the swirls with Bliss Blue ink then I added a length of Chocolate Chip along the left edge of the card.  I took the stamped image and layered it on to a piece of Chocolate Chip cs that I punched out the bottom with my scallop edge punch.  I also paper peirced the top right corner.  I stamped the sentiment 'oh happy day' from The Angel Company purchase with purchase stamps in Bliss Blue ink, punched it out with my Word Window punch and layered it on to a piece of Chocolate Chip cs that I punched with my Modern Label punch.  For the inside I layered a piece of white cs and a piece of Chocolate Chip cs.  I stamped the sentiment 'happy birthday' from D.O.T.S. in Chocolate Chip ink and I was complete.

That's all I've got for you now.  I will try to post more later ~ if not, then tomorrow. 

In closing I would also like to take a minute to mention that we all know what today is.  Please take a moment to reflect how lucky we are to have our families with us and to keep the families affected by this tragedy in our thoughts and prayers.  This is something that we should never forget.

It's hump day!

Happy Hump Day everyone! My goodness, Wednesday already. Where does the time go? Mom was right, the older you get the faster time goes by...

Yes, I'm still working on my scrap book. I'm almost done for now. I've got to go to the store and print out more pictures. I've not scrapped in probably almost a year now. I do want to get as much done as I can though. Even work on the family album a little more. But I still keep making cards. That's my true passion.

So you ready for a peek? Here we go!

I am in need of making birthday cards for my "stash" and this is what I came up with. I made a few of these, they can be for either a male or female.

I used the TAC set Sweet Thing. I just l♥ve cupcakes!! I stamped it and colored it in with my pencils and gamsol. The base card is Bashful Blue and I also used Pumpkin Pie and SU! Delicate Dots DP. I used my nesties to cut out the image that I sponged with Bashful Blue ink and the Pumpkin Pie layer that I paper peirced. I also cut out a circle of the DP and added some ribbon scrap then adhered it behind the image. I stamped the words Celebrate and birthday wishes with Pumpkin Pie ink. The inside I just took some of the scraps I had from making the card front and used my scallop punch to add another dimension. The stamp is one of my all time favorites from D.O.T.S. that I always end up using on birthday cards. Once the card was complete I used some dimensional glaze over the top of the cupcake to give it a little more texture.

The next card I made was a special card for my Mother for Mother's day. After all, I could not give her one of the other's I made. I had to make it special for her, besides, she had seen all the others *Ü*

I knew just the set that I wanted to use for her card. She likes the flowers and the soft chalks so I had to pull out my SU! Wreath of Roses set. The base card is Pink Pirouette that I layered with some butterfly cs that I purchased years ago from The Paper Palette at a show, Purely Pomegranate and some DP from CTMH.

I colored the rubber with my markers then stamped it on to white cs. I took my chalks and sponged some color just on to the flowers themselves then stamped the words Happy Mother's Day in the center of the wreath. I cut the image and the panel behind it out with my nesties and added that to the card front. After adding the DP to the card, but before adhering the panel down I added a length of ribbon to the card. For the inside I just took and stamped a rose in the corner and added the chalk to it.

You think she'll like it?? I hope so.

Well that's all I've got for you today. I hope that will hold ya??

Have a great day!
Hugs,

Joani

T.G.I.F.!!

Good Morning everybody! Woo-Hoo it's Friday and it's a bee-u-tiful day outside!! The sun in shinning and my tulips are popping up! It's feeling a lot like spring time!

I'm sorry that I was not around yesterday. Betty stopped by and we did not feel too much like crafting (GASP! I know!!) so we just sat and chatted. Oh, and of course ate... It was still a nice day. Sometimes that's just what you need. And Mom's not been feeling well so I made her make an appointment. It's a good thing that I did because the doctor said she's got a nasty sinus infection ~ so we got some medicine for her.

I did have something that I wanted to show you. Betty was over a while back when my dear friend Mary Beth sent me a package. It was a beautiful lunch tin and it was filled with goodies. Betty said that she did not have one of those, so I made her one. Wanna see?

I covered it with paper from The Angel Company's Mimi collection. I added some ribbons, buttons and flowers. I cut the letter's with my Cricut and mod podged the whole thing to seal it. I didn't want to show you until I gave it to her in case she took a peek at my blog. And yes, she liked it! Whew, I'm glad....

I've got another card to show you that I made for Easter. Now purple being my favorite color I think that it shows...

The base card is Lovely Lilac. I layered it with some Orchid Opulence and some dotted papers I found in my scrap drawer. Before I added the layers I attached the ribbon and bow. The image is from my Diamonds CD and I colored him with my pencils and gamsol then cut out the ovals with my nesties. I also sponged some Elegant Eggplant on one of the layers. For the inside I layered the white cs onto a piece of Orchid Opulence and added the strip of dotted paper that I cut away from the front. I stamped the sentiment from D.O.T.S. in Elegant Eggplant and I was complete.

Today hubby is off work for a plant shutdown and I'm not sure what we may be up to. It's really so nice that I'd like to spend time outside. One thing that I've noticed is here in Kentucky we go almost straight from winter to summer. From cold to hot almost immediately. So I'd like to enjoy the spring weather as much as possible.

Here's to wishing you a great spring day where ever you may be!

Hugs,

Joani

Did you survive Green Eggs & Lephrachauns?

I hope that today finds you all well.

Hubby's still a little sick, but now I think that Mom's come down with it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't catch it. I'm the only one in the house without insurance! And no honey, just because I love you does not mean that we have to share EVERYTHING....

Let's see... I have something to show you. I'm still working on Easter cards. I love Easter, and the spring feeling that it brings. When Danielle was little I used to dress her up ~ hat, gloves and the whole ball of wax... I think that Easter is one of those holidays that Mom's secretly love because they can dress their little one's up in their finest and take pictures. I was lucky too. When Danielle was little she did not like dirt. Heck, we took her to the beach and she didn't like the sand. Same for the snow. She didn't like the things that 'felt' weird to her. When we went places she sat in my lap and did not get down to get dirty with the other kids. NOW, oh now I can't say that. Her idea of a great day would be to go muddin' or 4-wheelin' with her friends. Weird, weird, weird.... Good thing I've got all the pictures of when she was little....

While I'm on the subject of Easter, I thought that I'd show you a couple of pictures from the past since I'm reminiscing..... If you don't want to hear my family babble then scroll down for the cards....

This one was of Danielle and I at Easter in 1997. Back when she was not embarrassed of wearing the same thing as her Mom.

Then that same year-just after we went to have our pictures done. My Mom was President of the Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW and I was the secretary. A job that I proudly held for 3 1/2 years. I was hood-winked into being the Easter bunny that year for the kids. I really loved it, but I'll tell you it was HOT in that costume! I was so glad to peel it off when I was done! And of course if I had to wear the costume, Mom had to wear the ears Ü

Ok, enough of the past. On to the present. Oh-where was I? Yes, that's right. Easter cards....

I thought what about some giant eggs for Easter? So I stamped the eggs from the Spring Fling set in Positively Pink, Only Orange, Gable Green, Tempting Turquoise and Lovely Lilac. The bunny I stamped in Chocolate Chip from the Bunny Hugs set and colored him in with my pencils and gamsol. The base card is Pacific Point and layered it with Tangerine Tango. The grass I hand cut from a piece of Garden Green. For the sentiment I took that and stamped it in Only Orange on to a piece of Certainly Celery and layered it on to a piece of Pink Pirouette with a flag cut out of Pixie Pink. I used my nesties to cut those layers out.
The Lovely Lilac egg was covered with glitter so it would stand out a little more. I used a pop dot to adhere it to the front of the card. The sentiment on the inside is from D.O.T.S. and it is stamped in Only Orange. The dots on the inside and outside of the card are made with my old pens "DottaRiffic" that I've had for years. They have 2 ends and they make perfect dots.

That's all I have for today, is that enough? I'm going to work on more to show you tomorrow. I've got an eye doctor appointment today. Gotta check the peepers - it's been 5 years!!

Have a great day, and I'll be back tomorrow!
Hugs,

Joani

Good Morning!!

Good Morning Everybody!


I hope today finds you all well. I am popping in to give you a peek at what I've been up to. I don't know but I've been a little out of sorts. I guess I've got the dauber downs. Yesterday I just did not feel like crafting. **GASP!** Did I say that? Yeah, I guess I did.

I don't know if it's the weird weather or what, but yesterday I sat down to create. I had all good intentions on doing it. I sat at the table and just looked around at my stuff and nothing came to me. I was just sitting there and no ideas popped into my head ~ nothing. So what I have is not all that creative. Maybe today something will spark my creativity.

I am in a sentiment swap over on my card group and I needed to make a card for that and I immediately thought of this stamp. This was one of my first stamps that I had purchased and it is from D.O.T.S. - that's what Close to My Heart was before it was CTMH. There is something about this stamp that just makes me smile.

I stamped the image in Real Red on to white cs and sponged some Real Red ink around the panel. I layered that on to a piece of Pink Pirouette that you can see I made a border with on my scor-pal. The base card is Real Red and I made the grid pattern with my scor-pal also and at each peak I used my white gel pen and added a dot to it. I took a piece of Blush Blossom paper and punched the scallop edge with my SU! border punch, added a length of ribbon and attached that to the card. I added the image panel and I was complete.

Nothing too terribly hard, just a simple sentiment card.

I'm in another swap for St. Patrick's Day and this is what came to me. I've always been one to send out cards for every holiday - I used to have a stamp for Ground Hog Day also - but I've slowed down over the years. But this is the first St. Patrick's card I've made this year.

The base card is a dark green cs I've had for a long time. I stamped the shamrock images from My Sentiments Exactly on to a piece of white cs and layered that on to a piece of green checkered paper and a piece of Glorious Green. Before laying it down on the card I added a length of white organdy ribbon. I love that ribbon because it does not bulk up a card too much when you mail it out. The leprechaun is from Whipper Snapper. I stamped him and colored him in with my watercolors. I punched it out with my Marvy oval punch and matted it on to a piece of Glorious Green cs and I was done! Not too complicated, thank goodness because I was not in a complicated mood.

Today I will try to create something worthy of stopping in on your blog hopping journey!

Have a great day!
Hugs,

Joani

I did it again!

Yuppers, I made another organizer. This one I made with the traditional Christmas colors or red & green. I made this for my SIL and she's more traditional than I am. I used a paper pack of DP that I purchased last year at Walmart. It has a name on it of Imagine That. It was a great buy for textured double sided cs so I had to get it.

To make this I used a piece of thin cardboard that my hubby brought home. I cut it to the size of 16" x 16". I then scored it at 8" from the top to fold up the flap to make the inside pocket. I turned the sheet 1/4 turn and scored it every 4" to make the folds. I then decorated each "compartment" with a different paper on the inside and outside to keep it festive. All the paper that I used was from that one paper pack ~ it sure made it easy!

For the inserts I went to a site called Organized Christmas. It is a site you will have to check out for sure, there is more than just Christmas there. So many lists and such ~ I could spend all day hunting around there!! But for the lists for this planner you can print them out here. The tabs that are on the planner pages came from some Heidi Grace die cut pages that I have.

I used stamps from all different companies. Great Impressions, Darcies, D.O.T.S., Ann-ticipations and All Night Media. I used whatever I thought that she might like. You cant tell too much by the picture unless you click on it, but I used some glitter on the snowman & mittens and I used some fun flock on the hat for Santa. I'm still debating if I should use stickles on his beard to give it some "umph".

I think that this is the last one that I will make for a while. They are a little time consuming. Oh, they are fun ~ but I'm not getting anything else done doing these. I hope you enjoyed them ~ and I hope that they spark a little holiday spirit in you.

If I don't pop in - have a great weekend!
Hugs,

Joani