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!