Summer garden

Hello Friends! It is so good to have time to stamp again. The last few months have been very busy family activities and a few weeks visit from Sue and children from Mississippi. Just before they arrived we bought a new 5 burner gas convection oven stove. We had had an electric stove for so long that I had to learn how to use gas as a novice. I just love it and am spending much more time cooking to the joy of my husband who is actually trying new foods. Sue is an excellent cook so we had a lot of variety while she was here. I had gotten out of practice keeping 2 growing active kids filled all day...always hungry!

So now that things have settled down, I am back to stamping! This card was made as a swap for a team meeting recently. I didn't have much time, so took the easy route by using designer paper which is both in the Summer Mini and the new catalog. It is beautiful floral paper in such yummy colors! Beyond the Garden has so many possibilities and I can see myself using it in my albums as well as on cards. My card base is Wild Wasabi as is the paper ribbon and trim for the sentiment which is stamped in W. Wasabi ink on Pink Pirouette card stock like the scalloped layer. The butterfly is from the Strength & Hope set which was stamped in Versa Mark and embossed in Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder cut out and mounted with dimensionals. Oval All stamp set provides the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to keep stamping and blogging.

Blessings to all!

Mother's Day Tribute to Special Women

When Mother's Day comes around each year, naturally thoughts turn to my mother with whom I was blessed to have for 59 years. For most of those years we were able to celebrate Mother's Day together sometimes on the day & sometimes a day before or after. She was very close to me and in her last few years we had to reverse roles for many things. Mother was a Christian dedicated to spreading Christ's love to all she came in contact. For many years she was a vital part of my dad's ministry. She was a "mom" to several other women and they loved her dearly.

I have always believed that any woman who played a vital part in contributing to the life of a child should be honored on Mother's Day. Growing up I had several such mentors in my life: my grandmother who lived with us, my very special aunt who though she had no children of her own gave love generously to my brother and I as well many other children...teachers who molded my academic ethics, a Sunday School teacher who taught the love of Jesus, women with whom I had friendship and could talk over teen issues that I couldn't talk to my own mother about....Then as an adult a woman with whom I came to love as much as my mother when I married her son and later divorced. She remained my "Mom" for more than 35 years later and I had the honor and privilege to be invited to her funeral last summer.

So on this Mother's Day think of all the women who have been a part of your life. If they are alive, say thank you and tell them how important to you they are. May you all be blessed on this Mother's Day!

Easter Blessings

"Christ the Lord is Risen today"....On this Easter Sunday may you know the love of our Risen Savior!

My card is one that we made last week in a class. I don't know the the origin of the design but thank you to the designer for sharing it with us. All materials are Stampin'Up.

Have a blessed and happy Easter!

Peter Cottontail

This card design comes from Ruth Murphy's Stamp Camp on Saturday. I made this CASE later in the day.  It uses the Blossom Petal Punch and Build a Blossom stamp set to make the bunny and the cabbages. This was a fun & easy card to make. The card stock is Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue and Pretty in Pink,  Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding Ribbon, Oval punch for paw, black marker & Easter Blossoms stamp.

Surprise Award

Upon receiving this award I must…

1. Thank the person who gave this award to me and link back to their blog. Thanks Peg!
    I feel so special that you would send this to me. See Peg's blog, it's amazing!

2. Share 8 things about myself
     1. I am a Christian
     2. I have two wonderful adult children,  son-in-law serving in the Navy & 5 grandkids.
    3. My husband & I are retired and contemplating a move to warmer climates.
    4. I have been blessed with many friends both nearby and on line through card making
    5. I am trying to declutter my life with meaningless things, making slow progress.
    6. I have been a Stampin'Up Demonstrator for 2 years
    7. Besides creating cards, I make scrapbooks the traditional way.
    8. I have always tried to be the peacemaker, I don't like conflict.

3. Pass this award to 8 other individuals that I have recently discovered:
    Jessie Arellano 
    Amanda Farlinger
    Jan Mata
    Lynn Pratt
    KellyBirrell
    Leena Girsa
    Robin Merriman
    Jessica
These blogs are all great, be sure to visit them.

4. Leave a comment so that they can pass along the recognition.

My son's birthday card this year

Some of my son's many interests are grilling, smoking meats and using his own blends for bar-b-que flavoring and rubs.  Along with other firefighters, he has entered contests and competitions. Last year I used the same stamp set for my son-in-law's birthday because he also smokes meats and grills a lot also.

For Mark's birthday card I chose a little different approach by using watercolor pencils, a medium I rarely use. I really like this paper from the Travel Journal Designer Series Collection, so I paired it with Naturals Ivory card stock and watercolor paper. Other supplies include Basic Black and Chocolate Chip inks, Vintage brad, red twine, red button from Button bouquet, and oval punches.

I know this will bring a smile to Mark's face when he sees it.

Blessings to you!

Delft Blue Tile Technique

When I saw this technique on the Splitcoast Stampers site, I thought I'd like to try it...ok the sample looked so much better than my tiles! I followed the  wonderful tutorial but being as critical of my own work as I am, I'm not thrilled with the look of the 'tiles'. I cut and scored exactly and did my best with using a Jumbo wheel roller to create the tile design and I do like the shade of blue ink I used. I mounted the 'tile' paper on Ballet Blue which I also used as a back drop for my pot of flowers. The stamp is from the set Bloom which will never grow old in my collection of stamps.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!
Blessings to all!

Sneak Peek from 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog!

Isn't this designer paper just lovely? It will be in the 2011-2012 Stampin'Up Idea Book & Catalog that comes out in July. The Paisley Petals Designer Series paper is some of the prettiest I have seen in quite a while and this is just a strip of one of the beautiful floral prints in the package. Wouldn't you like to have this paper to use now? Well, you can! Starting April 1 & running through April 30, Stampin'Up is offering this dsp along with the Four Frames stamp set which coordinates with the Decorative Label punch already available. Make a purchase of $20.00 and you will be able to purchase these items before the catalog comes out. This offer will be available through my SU web site along with the opportunity to earn these free starting April 1st...no fooling!
This card is a CASE of the one listed on our demo site and I have changed things ever so slightly. I'm sorry the card is crooked, it's hard to scan smoothly when the cover moves the card. The details are as follows: Stamp set Four Frames; card stock Marina Mist, River Rock & Rose Red; dsp Paisley Petals; Versa Mark; Black embossing powder & heat gun; Rosettes & a Rhinestone Jewel. Accessories include: Big Shot, Decorative Label punch, Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing folder & Scallop Trim Border Punch.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!
Blessings!

Amethyst Birthday

I just love the Four Frames stamp set that is a preview from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog which debuts in July. Would you like to purchase this set early? Starting April 1st you can do just that with the promotion that Stampin'Up is offering called Spring is Blossoming. I will have more about this in April.
The frames work perfectly with the Decorative Label punch already available.

I made this card for a dear friend who loves all shades of purple so this year I chose retired SU Almost Amethyst, a shade that is so lovely in my opinion. I used textured card stock and some scrap patterned paper that was given to me. The Almost Amethyst ink is also used to color the white flowers with a blender pen. (for some reason the ink shows up blue on my scanned card). The sentiment is from Watercolor Trio set stamped on White Shimmer paper. Organza ribbon and Dazzling Diamonds trim the card. Other supplies are the oval punch, scallop trim border punch, dimensionals and glue dots to hold the flowers from the Pretties kit.

Denise is a very special friend as well an my mentor and upline...I wish her the best of birthdays and many many more.

Build-A-Bear Baby card

I recently ordered the Bear Hugs stamp which is part of the Stampin'Up Build-A-Bear Workshop collection thinking it would be especially nice for baby boy cards. I paired it with the Pawsitivily Print designer series paper that was part of the original offering last year. The plaid was perfect for a baby boy card. The base card is Confetti White layered with retired Ballet Blue (a favorite that I miss), the DSP and watercolor paper. My little bear is colored in ret. Creamy Caramel, Ballet Blue, Barely Banana and the In-Colors of Pear Pizzazz, Poppy Parade and Peach Parfait. Other products are Only Orange (ret.) ribbon, oval punches, dimensionals, sponge & blender pens.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!
Blessings,
Barb