You can Replace the Car...

Our oldest daughter was in a car accident. Her car was totaled, but she walked away without so much as a bruise. It was not her fault, she was on her way to work, when she yielded to oncoming traffic in a construction zone at the expressway entrance. The car behind her however, not paying attention, hit her pretty hard. It was a miracle it did not push her out into the 60mph speeding vehicles, and there were many, since it was rush hour traffic time. For that we are so thankful. She was and still is pretty shaken. She does not have a car now, not much money, just finishing college. So the search begins! We have been spending the last three days looking and looking and looking for the right vehicle. Least amount of miles, no rust, no accidents, you know the best deal for the money the insurance company will give. Ugh. Consumers Reports in hand, notebook with pen, searching, back and forth to a garage that hoists them up to look underneath. Fortunately where my hubby's work fleet of cars go to get inspected is such a great supportive contact and is doing this for free. So there are blessings to be so thankful for. The car can be replaced. So, that's where I have been, not what I had planned. I am at a standstill with my stamping projects. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better stamping day! Take good care and if you would, please whisper a prayer for our daughter, and for those who do not walk away from accidents such as this. Blessings to you and those you love,

Celebrate Fantasy Floral

I tried my hand with the color challenge over on SCS this week. My inspiration for this card is from the FLOURISHES "Fantasy Floral set. I LOVE the detail in this particular stamp and knew it would be great to use reinkers to water color, since the SCS Monday challenge was to use reinkers for the Try a New Technique challenge!

I stamped my image on watercolor paper with StazOn jet black ink. The sentiment is stamped with the same. Celebrate is from the set, Flourished Words, with 27 different sentiments. Notice how the celebrate is curved to hug the top of the flower? With clear polymer stamps, they give you a little play with the stamp so I curved the stamp as I placed it on my clear block, and both being clear I can position it right where I need it to be! I LOVE that! The green bottom card stock is stamped with a vine leaf stamp from Fantasy Floral. It adds to the design without taking away from the focal point image!

I utilized my Janome Sew Mini to attach the black band of card stock! I am still getting used to this wonderful new item in the studio! I tend to hesitate when I first start stitching...then the stitches are not perfectly straight. You just have to place the needle in your starting position and go for it! I keep telling myself, just do it, if it you don't like how it looks, you can try again!

The beautiful sheer ribbon you see is from Flourishes! I love this ribbon, and cannot wait to use more of it! It ties like a dream. For this card I used a glue dot to attach. The adhesive gems are from GinaK Designs.

This card was made for a dear friends birthday! I hope she likes it! I appreciate you stopping by, take good care and hope you are having a great day. Have you noticed the craze over the new Just Rite Stampers out there? I have a creation I have been working on to show you with this product...hopefully tomorrow it will be complete! Until then,

HUGS,

Wild Thing

You make my Heart Sing!

This is my husbands birthday card! He will think it is hilarious! He is so far from wild which makes it even more comical! I can't believe I have celebrated 31 of his birthdays with him, and one of which was a telephone celebration when he was in the academy! Yes, we have been married a long time! And we have gray hair, and less of it to show the age!

This is the inside of the card! I love this image from Melanie Muenchinger's latest release, Hugs and Cuddles. The sentiments are great to use parts here and there or together to get the perfect message!

I created the template by looking at the stamped image and drawing a loose outline and cut out. I cut into the pattern to remove the face and traced around it on Prism Sunflower Light card stock. I traced the outer edge of pattern onto Prism Sunflowers Dark card stock scored and folded. I purchased my Prism card stock from Cornish Heritage Farms. Scrap SU pink for ears and nose, with lots of shadowing with dauber and Adirondack Espresso ink. The bow is made with ribbon from Flourishes. I added an adhesive gem from GinaK Designs. I know this template is the male lion...but the bow is a reminder of me and he is dreaming of me! Wild Thing! Lol. Simple card for a special message to a wonderful man who still makes my heart sing! Happy birthday, Honey! Thanks so much for stopping by, I appreciate it. I will have a watercolor card to show you tomorrow! Until then, HUGS,

Flourishing LOVE!

These adorable birds are from the Flourishes stamp set "Love Nest" that has a total of 22 stamps! Birds are so popular and this set has wonderful branches in three sizes, bird cages, nest, eggs, oh my goodness you just have to go and take a look. You will be glad you did! For this card I used this weeks Card Positioning Systems layout challenge. Martha Stewart punch with brown paper adhered underneath to show through and Basic Grey Sultry paper utilized on Papertreyink Stampers Select white card stock is what I used for this creation. Isn't this Flourishes sheer ribbon luscious? I wanted you to see a close up. It is so easily tied and does not take away from the focal point image. It is threaded through the top and bottom punched out white card stock. The birds are colored with Koh I Noor Pencils from GinaK Designs and blended with Odorless Turpenoid and stumps. I went back in with my white art eraser and lifted color off their bellies for dimension! Using the light grey pencil I drew around the birds and blended then lightly dusted blue chalk on a cotton ball around image. Thanks so much for stopping by! I am going to be pulling out my watercolor paper, and see what I can come up with in the next couple days! I hope you are having a great start to the week! Take good care, until next time, HUGS,

Purrfect Friends!

A 3 1/2 x 8 1/2" card showcases this Designer paper from Flair Designs and this adorable kitty image from Melanie Muenchinger's new release, "CUDDLES and HUGS" purrfectly! Sorry, I couldn't resist! Yellow Prism card stock, with black SU, and white Papertreyink Stampers Select are utilized! The adhesive gems bling are new and available for purchase at GinaK Designs. See the paper piercing on the top edge of the Prism card stock? I used one of the plastic mesh templates also available at GinaK Designs! The grey ribbon is from Michael's dollar bin, word window punched sentiment with scrap of black hemp to secure in ribbon tie! Please click on image for a more detailed look! The picture does not even do this card justice! it is so clear in real life! This is the first image I colored with the new Koh-i-noor pencils, now available at GinaK Designs too! They are wonderful, woodless pencils that are so smooth and easy to blend. I use stumps and odorless turpenoid for blending. Hope you are having a PURRFECT weekend! Take good care! HUGS, BARB

GinaK "KOOL" Summer Fun Preview!

KINDRED SPIRIT KIDS HAVE ARRIVED! When I first looked at all of Gina's 7 Kindred Kids images (yes, that is correct my friends, seven!) I knew I wanted to ink this one first. When our girls were little they would have play afternoons with their friends and run through the sprinkler over and over and over. I close my eyes and can still hear the giggles and remember the smiles. Please click on picture for detailed view. Images are stamped with StazOn and colored with chalks! Easy. I used a matchbook design for a special "KOOL" invite or to deliver a kool summer message. Many years ago, our girls also gave packages of Kool Aid at the end of the school year with their own special message, one which was, Have a Kool Summer! They thought they were so clever! I didn't have the heart to tell them that line had been used many times before! Can you see where this is going? KOOL matchbooks delivering a kool invite or kool message! These particular matchbooks measure 91/2" x 3" with score lines (using Scor-Pal) at 1" and 4 1/8" from the 1" score line. All three packs were stitched at the bottom fold to hold flap when closed. You can create all sizes of matchbooks depending on the item you want to utilize inside. I measured the package of Kool Aid and then determined my card stock size from there. Each Kool matchbook has its own clear flower and button bling. Check out the gems on the matchbooks! I wanted to highlight the Kindred Spirit Kids sentiment with GinaK's new adhesive rhinestones. I love this quick adhesive bling that has 99 pieces in it's package with 9 different color choices! This new bling, 7 new Kindred Spirit Kids, Kindred Spirit Kids sentiments, with four new stamps sets will be revealed at the GinaK release party on Friday, June 20, 7-10 CST. HERE is where you go for this Kool event! As I was putting the finishing touches on these matchbooks, I started to chuckle as I thought of fellow GinaK designer, Julie Koeber. If you follow her blog she posted THIS and THIS awhile back. Her daughter created a "cool" club and several of us (asked to be) are members! I in particular am the treasurer! Julie informed me that the President and VP had been filled as Julie and her daughter already occupy these positions! LOL. So in celebration of this "Kool" COOL club, I generated one of the inside sentiments to reflect this awesome club. Think Julie will fly the treasurer out for the meeting? Lol.

All in fun and with thankfulness for the ways in which our children and friends bless our lives. Check out these awesome talented GinaK designers for their KINDRED SPIRIT KIDS previews, Joanne, Linsey, Julie B. FRIENDSHIP BLOOMS Previews, Julie K., Kurtis, Emily, Michelle, Z., Michelle G. And Gina's blog for her special previews! Stop back tomorrow for a special preview using Melanie Muenchinger's new release set!

Until then,

HUGS,

Relax

This little ceramic tea light holder is adorable! Another find at the local dollar store! I am going to purchase a little battery operated tea light instead of a regular candle. When we visit our dear friends at their lake cottage, I like to bring a little thank you for the warm hospitality. It is so relaxing at the lake! I think this will do nicely next time! When I first saw GinaK's Free with three set I immediately thought of our friends. This GinaK Designs set, You Are My Sunshine will be available for purchase at the next release on June 20th. All information is here. Mark your calendars and hope to see you at the party! Until then you can get You Are My Sunshine for FREE. Card is 4 1/4" square of cream SU cardstock. Orange and purple DP is from Cosmo Cricket. SU green cardstock cut with scallop scissors and sewn on my new Sew Mini! I love this machine, I can't wait to use it more! Images are stamped with Adirondack Espresso. Decorative button is from Michael's, sheer ribbon is old SU. White flower colored with SU only orange marker, cut in half with adhesive gem from K & Company. Thanks so much for stopping by. Hope you are finding time to relax this summer. I will be away from the computer for a few days, will see you soon!

Until then, HUGS,

Kick Up Your Heels Flip Flop Style

Okay, can you tell I am obsessed with the Zebra image from Melanie Muenchinger's latest release, Jumping for Joy found at GinaK Designs? This will be the last zebra item for a while, friends! But how cool are these? These were created with my older daughter in mind. She has worn flip flops forever. And she has a bin full of them! Every color, brand, but I don't think she has a pair like this! Zebra is stamped on white polyshrink with Jet Black StazOn. Before I cut the zebras out, I did go in with a pointy cosmetic applicator tapped with black StazOn to hit some white spots. Sometimes the ink beads and does not cover completely. I let them sit overnight, then proceeded to cut them out! I love to cut this detailed of an image. I heat my polyshrink on a small bar stone pan from Pampered Chef. Shhh, no one has noticed it missing yet! I hold the polyshrink piece down loosely with my dry embossing tool from SU as I apply heat from my SU embossing gun. I also punched two holes in each because I knew I would tie them onto the flip flops. When I first used polyshrink years ago and the piece started to wiggle, dance, and ball up before it flattened again, I would freak out! But, the key is to keep the heat on the polyshrink and it will flatten out! Just be patient. I love to watch the transformation. White flowers are from SU Pretties kit, May Arts dark red sheer ribbon is from FLOURISHES. I wanted a ribbon that would add color, but would not be heavy to wrap around the straps of the flip flops. This ribbon is to die for! It is so easy to tie, and I love the light airy feel it gives. The ribbon is wrapped around the strap and brought up through the flower center. It will not add discomfort at all. Each zebra is attached with a strand of metallic DMC floss.

Take a look at the back of these flip flops! Sentiment is punched using SU word window punch and run through the xyron. Laminate on top side with adhesive on back side. I simply used the word window punch again through the xyron layers. SU black brads with a few white zebra lines using my Inkssentials white opaque pen from FLOURISHES. I heat set the ink so it would not rub off. I first used a straight pin to punch a hole and then pushed the brad in place. This will help hold the sentiment as I didn't think it would stay on with the xyron adhesive alone. Dollar Store flips flops never looked so good! I hope she likes them! Thanks so much for stopping by, I so appreciate it. Until tomorrow,

HUGS,