Happy Halloween!!

 

Evelyn Rose wishes everyone a Happy Halloween!!

 

Her other, very talented, Grandma made the Raggedy Ann costume!

Penny Black Pumpkins

One of the joys of our recent visit to Wisconsin was seeing the beautiful color as the leaves were turning.  Those crisp and cool (cold?) nights make for great Fall color!!  I love this slapstick (cling) stamp by Penny Black because the simple images allow for embellishments.  And who doesn't love embellishment?

I colored the scene with Copics, used a Nestie die to cut out the shape and mounted it all on some Doodlebug paper.  The die cut leaves are from my friend Sally.  That's a wooden conversation bubble with the sentiment.

Our family is once again working out plans for the holidays.  When plane tickets are involved you have to start early!!  I have been blessed to visit family in Wisconsin three times already this year.  Little Evelyn Rose has been the main attraction!.

We are enjoying moderate temperatures finally!  Weather went from hot to very cool and now it's perfect ... in the seventies!  Have to restock my Halloween candy supply today ... someone taste-tested a little too much!!  Thanks for stopping by! 

Penny Black and Pop 'n Cut Penguins

Kelly Booth is the master of Pop 'n Cut cards!  I've watched her become more and more creative with the Pop 'n Cut dies and I admit to being very jealous of her ability to make these darling cards!

Several months ago I used a coupon and purchased the "starter" Pop 'n Cut platform and die.  I haven't been able to find the "insert" dies locally and set the whole project aside.  Can you imagine my surprise and delight when I arrived home from our trip to find a large box from Kelly containing Pop 'n Cut dies and some embossing folders that she was ready to share!!  No more excuses; time to practice up!

I love this double sided green and red cardstock that I found at a local discount store; just perfect to make the base card.  The scallopy border is a Sizzix die; the "Merry" is a creative die from Penny Black.  While the front of a Pop 'n Cut card is necessary, the fun begins when you open it!



And this is what is inside!  Little penguins from Penny Black's transparent set Whooo's Wishing.


Aren't these penguins adorable all in a bunch!!  I actually turned the card upside down to make that label a platform for the penguin!

I don't know about you, but these cards make me smile big!  And they force me to spend more time and work a bit more slowly than I do when making regular cards. 

Big thank you's to Kelly for sharing her dies!  How I wish I could spend time with her and absorb some of what she knows!!

Happy Sunday!!  We are due for a warming trend next week.  It's been downright penguin-like chilly!!

I appreciate your visit.

Robin's Wish

 

Robin's Wish is a Penny Black cling stamp, released this year. I love the "country" look of the bird stamped in brown Memento ink with a touch of red gems for berries. Of course, I love adding a red gingham bow any chance I get.

The trip is behind us; we are finally back into our routine and adjusting to the slower and quieter pace!

Our chore for the day was to renew our drivers' licenses. With feelings of dread we entered the DMV office and lo!!! No one in line to renew drivers' licenses!!! Has that ever happened? In your whole life?? Zippitty doo da!! We were done in ten minutes or less!!

Our temperatures have dropped and it is a beautiful, sunny, crisp day.

I am not done with Fall or Thanksgiving cards; stay tuned. And thanks so much for your visit and your lovely comments.

Evelyn Rose is Baptized

I think I will let the photos speak for themselves today.  Evelyn Rose was baptized on
 October 20, 2013, an event shared with a host of friends and family.  While we enjoyed many other events during our ten day trip, witnessing Evie's baptism was the reason we traveled so far!  It was a joy for me to be there with our adult kids, everyone looking pretty sharp!

Evie being dressed in the dress her mom wore for her baptism.  Evie's great grandma made it.

 

The reason we all gathered.

 

Proud Mom and Dad, Scott and Sara.

 

Grandma, Grandpa and Evelyn Rose

Evelyn Rose with her two grandma's.

This is our blended family.
 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Me and Evie

We are back from our visit to Minneapolis and Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  It was an incredible 10 days of time with friends, family and especially baby Evelyn!  

The bad news is my camera did not function very well and finally quit working at all after being dropped on the kitchen floor.

This is the only photo I was able to copy and paste.  I have complicated things by buying a new camera with new software and in spite of what the salesman said, the process of uploading and editing photos is not working at all like it used to.

There is a beautiful album of Evie's baptism on Facebook, but I have been unable to copy and paste those photos!  I know I will find a way eventually to fix all this, but right now the frustration level is high. 

So this will have to do!  Evie and I spent an entire Friday together while Mom and Dad went to work.  One of the best days ever!!  She is the sweetest, calmest, happiest baby ever!!  All who are in her circle of love agree.

So, tomorrow I return to the geeks who set up my computer and who sold me the camera that doesn't function at all like my beloved Kodak Easy Share!!  And once they point out the mistakes I have made and correct them, I hope to post more photos.

Peace on Earth

This may be my very favorite of the Penny Black Christmas stamps this year.  I have a lot of fun using different styles of Christmas stamps, but the cards I send out will feature the real reason for Christmas!  I appreciate stamp companies that offer us this choice.

I've used Penny Blacks slaptstick/cling set Peace on Earth, which includes the image and the sentiment.   I stamped the image in black Memento ink, colored with Copics and used a nestie circle die to cut it out.  I almost always stamp and emboss images I will be coloring with  Copics.  Helps the ink stay within the border of the image!

I pop dotted the star for a little more interest.  This is a card you could do assembly line style and make a quantity in very little time. 

I know it's early for Christmas cards, but I wanted to share my excitement for this lovely image.

This post is due to publish on Monday the 21st and we are on our journey home; due to arrive in Huntsville at 9:30 am.  Tired but happy and grateful we chose to fly instead of driving more than 2500 miles!! 

Christmas Peace

Penny Black's Christmas stamps offer such a great variety!!  I fell in love with the woodblock stamp "Holly Concert" at first glance!  I started this card out with a glossy red cardstock base, added a matt of "Decadence" a Penny Black slapstick stamp, and then two layers of circles on which I mounted the fussy cut bird images.  "Peace" is a die cut from the Creative die set "Peace, Love, Joy".  I added Glossy Accents to the birds and berries to match the shine of the cardstock.  I have hoarded that red cardstock for ten years ... time to take it out of hiding!

This post is scheduled to publish Saturday October 19th.  That puts us in Milwaukee with two sons, a daughter, a daughter in law and Baby Evelyn Rose!! 

Thanks for your visit!!

Night of the Witch by Penny Black

This Penny Black woodblock stamp is from 2003 and may be one of my earliest Penny Black stamps.  Using this large image makes it possible to put together a quick and easy Halloween card.  I only wish I had thought to put a big black bat on top of the paper moon!!

I've scheduled this post to publish on Wednesday the 16th!  Hopefully, we are spending time in our former home town, Madison Wisconsin eating at our favorite restaurants, visiting with family and making memories to carry back to Alabama.

Thanks for your visit!! 

Pine Wreath in a Window

Don't you just love it when you get an idea and it works?  My Penny Black Pine Wreath image looked ok just elevated onto the wood grain patterned paper, but when I thought to "hang it" on a die cut window, I was a happy stamper!

I stamped the wreath in brown Memento ink, added some Copic highlights and then covered the image in VersaMark ink and embossed with clear.  I then fussy cut it out and pop dotted the extra bow that I had stamped on gingham paper and highlighted with Copics.  Put a few red clear beads for some texture.  "Love" is cut from a Penny Black creative die "Love, Peace, Joy". 

This post has been scheduled for Monday; which means we are at the Mall of America in Minneapolis or visiting the Ikea store, both favorites of mine.

Thanks for your visit!

Cooper is at Doggy VayCay

I discovered a website called Doggy VayCay and booked cooper for a ten day stay with a couple who live in a lovely home with a gorgeous lake view and a delightful dog!  We went for a meet and greet and Cooper got along beautifully with their dog, Deuce and we felt fortunate to have found the retired law enforcement couple who love dogs and will care for Cooper while we are away!

This is a photo of Cooper taken shortly after we left.  What you can't see is the incredibly gorgeous view ahead of him.  He is in good hands and we are so relieved not to have to kennel him.  I am embarrassed to admit that I called to check on him after he'd been there for four hours!

Cooper refused his dinner at first; she took it away for fifteen minutes and then gave it back to him; he gobbled it up!!  Guess he's already figured out his finicky eating habits aren't gonna work for this doggy sitter!!

We leave in the morning for our trip north.  Insurance issues are behind us ... time for family!!

I have some posts scheduled for while we are gone.... see you in ten days or so!!

Victorian Homes by Penny Black

 

I love this image of a Victorian home from Penny Black's slapstick/cling set "Victorian Homes" and think it makes a perfect image for Halloween when colored and matted as I have done.  I stamped the image on kraft paper and colored the house with PrismaColor pencils, added a die cut fence and bat, along with leaves and pumpkins.  The stamp was a gift from my blogging friend Donna and the leaves and pumpkins were sent to me by Sally!  I am a lucky girl!  This image lends itself so well to a tall card, just the right size for a #10 envelope. 

 

This will be my last "manual" post for awhile as we leave on Saturday for our trip to Minneapolis, Madison and Milwaukee.  After further review, since our car has been totaled,  it made better economic sense to buy plane tickets and fly to Minneapolis and rent a car there for the rest of our journey, rather than pay for a rental from Alabama and back again.  We have had no communication from our insurance adjuster regarding "fault" and I choose to set it all aside and go forward with our trip, doing what is best for us.

 

Sunday we will attend a cousin's wedding, spend time with friends and family and former co-workers for a couple of days and then the best day yet:  Friday baby Evelyn will spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa instead of going to daycare!!  I have been telling her about the ice cream in the freezer .. it's been our secret!  Evelyn will be 4 months old when we arrive!  Sunday we have the honor of attending her baptism!  And then Monday will be time for us to drive back to Minneapolis and catch a late afternoon flight home.

 

Hope my blog posts publish as scheduled: if not ... see you in two weeks!

 

 



Tim Holtz Die

 

There's no stamping on this card at all! Had to play with my new Tim Holtz Bewitching Hour die that I found at Tuesday Morning this weekend. The clouds are a Fiskars punch. That's real burlap for the card base, a strip of patterned paper, a harvest moon and there you have it ... Halloween.

And here is a scary photo of our car after last Thursday's accident.  My dh was on his way home from music practice at church, doing 40 mph on a main thoroughfare when a lady pulled out from a shopping center parking lot without looking.  Larry's calf muscles ache from the effort he put into trying to stop; he swerved into the next lane, but the woman kept coming!  The right front of our car hit the woman's car, which then swung around and hit the back door of our car!

Thankfully, no serious injuries.  But you are looking at our transportation to Minneapolis and Milwaukee this week!!  I am hoping the insurance company officially declares who was at fault (the policeman cited the traffic rule that says anyone exiting private property must yield to oncoming traffic) so we can rent a vehicle for our trip.  Our second car is a "rough rider" and I can't trust my temperamental back to it's shenanigans.  Life is never simple.  We know this will end up costing us money, but have decided to set it all aside until we return from our trip. 

The good news is you can no longer tell where I bumped into the mailbox! 

Thanks for your visit!  We are more grateful than we are upset!!

World Card Making Day

"Pine Wreath" is a woodblock stamp by Penny Black. I love how substantial the image is! I stamped with brown Memento ink onto patterned paper, added Copic marker detailing, placed a few amber colored gems and pop-dotted the ribbon that I fussy cut from a second stamped image. Couldn't resist adding Glossy Accents for some shine. "Love" is a die cut made with Penny Black's Creative Die set "Love, Peace, Joy" which includes "Merry", who didn't make the title page.

Today we card makers have a day to celebrate our hobby! Stamping and making cards has given me a creative outlet after having grown up believing I wasn't creative! About fifteen years ago I discovered the joy of stamping images, coloring them, adding embossing (magic!) and arranging images and embellishments in an eye-pleasing manner. I was blessed with a group of friends who shared this hobby by meeting in my home regularly.

Now that we've retired and moved away, I share my work and receive help and encouragement by way of my computer and my online stamping and blogging friends.

Card makers are kind and generous people. They rally to send cheer and comfort to people experiencing a life challenge. There is an entire organization (Operation Write Home) established to provide hundreds of thousands of cards to deployed military so that they can stay in touch with their families back home.

In the many years I've enjoyed this hobby, I have never met a cranky card maker! We are enthusiastic, happy stampers and we love sharing what we know with each other. And we love learning new ways to express ourselves by way of card making.

To all who share this wonderful hobby, Happy World Card Making Day!!

Now go make something.

Halloween Critters

Sometimes I forget how much fun it is to color with PrismaColor pencils on kraft paper!  Today I got out my pencils and made a Halloween card using Penny Black's transparent set Halloween Critters.

When I use PrismaColors, I usually put down a layer of white or cream before I add the final layer of color. So the image is saturated with color! I went over my coloring with the PrismaColor blender pencil to smooth things out. Then I added little wooden stars, colored with Copics. Stitched it all together and called it "done". Instead of pop dotting the sentiment, I stitched it on the top only and let the flap flap!! I made this card in honor of "Spooktacular Week" on the Penny Black blog.

Friday is the last day for guest designer Jean Manis to share her "spooktacular" cards.  Be sure to check out the whole week for some great inspiration.

And now a real life story from today at my house:

DH arrives home from a morning of golf and lunch with his buddies.  Find me in my craft room and says, "Wow!  Something smells really good in the kitchen."

I am knuckle deep in ink and tape and try desperately to remember if I had something cooking... did I light the scented candle and forget?  It wasn't the new and approved scented Mr. Clean... what smelled so good in the kitchen?

Then I have a light bulb moment:  "Honey, I sprayed for ants."

No more scented candles necessary!!  The way to a man's heart ....

Spooktacular Halloween Critters

 

It's a spooktacular week on the Penny Black blog! There's some amazing work by guest designer Jean Manis.

I wanted to play too, so I inked up my new Transparent set from Penny Black "Halloween Critters" and look what happened! I paper pieced the pumpkin and the tiny witch's hat. I added some of the gorgeous leaves sent to my by my friend Sally. Couldn't resist a little glitter here and there and I have my own Spooktacular Halloween card!

Because I used a die to cut my circle, my card is eligible for the challenge at Die Cut Divas this month:  make a card with an autumn theme, or with an animal on it ... my card includes both!  Dawn, Arlene, Paula and Hannah Nicole do a wonderful job with their challenge blog.  I need to do a better job of remembering to enter their challenges!

It is October! A great time to use Fall colors for Halloween, Thanksgiving and autumn-themed cards. We are done with the hot and muggy summer and enjoying the cooler, breezy days.

Thanks for your visit. Be sure to check out the Penny Black blog for some Halloween inspiration all week long.