Life in the Slow Lane with Sophie and Friends

Rain, rain, go away.  Who cares that it makes the garden grow?  Sophie wants to go outside!

In fact, Sophie gets to go out to the backyard anytime she wants, but the side and front yards are not fenced so adult supervision is required.  She's learning.  Don't let that wistful expression fool you.  I take Sophie out for fun and exercise every day, rain or shine.

Pictured below is more of Sophie's view through the side patio door.  There is lots of fun to be had out there.  It's rainy, overcast, and dull on this early May day.  Very few days have been good for gardening this spring.

One recent evening it stopped raining long enough to go out for a neighborhood walk.  We ran into one of Wally and LuLu's best friends, Lilo.  She has a hurt leg needing surgery so she doesn't go for long walks, but her good people push her along in a sort of dog stroller.  It's hard work in a hilly neighborhood with a weighty Golden Retriever, but love makes it worth it.  We pulled LuLu in a garden cart when her leg was hurt.  That's me, by the way, introducing the dogs.  Sophie was a little scared at first by Lilo's big, friendly bark, but she got over it.  You can't help but love Lilo.

Lilo and her people came into the garden to stay awhile and let the dogs get better acquainted.  Lilo looks so much like LuLu it makes my heart hurt a little.

Sophie was so excited she had to go prancing on the lawn.  Sorry for the not-so-good phone pics.

Sophie's best friend is my best friend's teensy mini-Schnauzer, Tommy.  They're exactly the same age, but as different as night and day.  He's not much bigger than Sophie's head, but he's a scrapper.  It takes a long time for these two to wear each other out!

That's life in the slow lane, and it suits me just fine.  I'm glad you came to visit today.  Have a good week!

Relaxing with Penny Black Saturday Challenge

Hello friends, and welcome!  In this merry month of May I have the privilege of being the guest designer for the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.  That's way fun for me because Penny Black stamps are my favorites!

As always the challenge is "anything goes", but the optional theme this month is "Pastels".  I did not go with the optional theme this time around.

I worry that some of my favorite PB critter characters will fade into the background as the newest releases seem to favor a different style, so I bought a few sets, including this guy:

I colored on watercolor paper with Tombow markers and have him relaxing on the beach after his birthday party.  The designer paper overhead suggests the waterline, and he's gathered a starfish and shell to take home as souvenirs.

He'll be sent to a guy friend who loves the beach.  I've stamped a Penny Black sentiment inside with more of that water lapping at the lower edge.

Many thanks to the PBSC crew for having me this month!  Do stop by the challenge blog to see the team samples.  They're always fun and inspiring.

Have a beautiful day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Relax and Birthday Love  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot pressed watercolor, scrap designer paper  Ink:  Palette Noir  Coloring:  Tombow markers and a little bit of blender  Other:  Impression Obsession Mini-Shell Set

Double D Challenge: Pretty Florals for Mom

Hello everyone!  Diane has given us a floral challenge for Double D this time around.  Pretty Florals for Mom... or for any occasion.  You can't help but love the sweet inspiration board and the fabulous Spellbinders die set being offered as a prize for a random winner.  Have a look:

 

My Mom is gone, but never forgotten and so the sentiment on my card is for her.

(Penny Black Captivate and Thinking of you)

I used Memento London Fog to stamp my flower bunch twice up the side of the watercolor panel, then colored with Tombow markers.  I used pretty pink shades for the blooms with a hint of amethyst blue, the same blue that's on the butterfly.  After coloring I splattered with white acrylic paint and then stamped a few sprinkles in amethyst.  It's backed with matching cardstock, popped up on the textured white card base with thin foam tape.

While the prize winner is chosen by Random.org, the team also votes on creative winners.  I'm sure you've got plenty of pretty florals in your collection and we would love to see them in our gallery at Double D.  Come visit the team and feast your eyes on all the lovely samples.  I'll see you there!

Have a beautiful day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Captivate and Thinking of You, Stampin' Up retired Itty Bitty Backgrounds (splatter stamp)  Paper:  Fabriano Artistico Extra White 140 lb hot pressed watercolor, CTMH Spring Iris, textured white  Ink:  Memento London Fog, Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Lovely Lilac  Coloring:  Tombow markers with minimal use of the blender  Other:  White acrylic paint, thin foam mounting tape

Bird Notes

Hello and welcome!  It feels like a long time since I posted and, in fact, it has been a week.  I've been paddling below the surface with the many things that keep a person busy.  Nothing of concern, but my hands seem to be more full than usual lately.  This week I happily have some cards to share, prompted by a challenge or two.

Today the focus is on designer paper.  The Vast Hoard never seems to shrink, even though it's been ages (okay... months) since I added to it.  A few days ago I saw that the Sisterhood of Crafters Challenge is calling for "Springtime Designer Paper".  Well, you know that prompt had my name written all over it.  So I made this card:

(Mintay Springtime designer paper, Elizabeth Craft Layered Birds, Sue Wilson Creative Expressions Stacked Happy Birthday, Impression Obsession Balloons, miscellaneous foliage dies and string bow)

I hope they don't mind that I took advantage of this challenge to play with some bird dies that have been sitting far too long in the never-been-used basket.  Now that I've used them I think they're an awfully lot of fun.  I cut all parts in white and colored with Copics.  The random foliage on the first card is rather a mess because you know how something doesn't look right so you keep adding things... yes, that happened.

Then I went on to make a second card because there are two birds in the die set.

(Mintay Birdsong designer paper, Elizabeth Craft Layered Birds, Memory Box Leaf Bunches, Impression Obsession Grass, Spellbinders Lattice Border, The Ton Easy Expressions with dies)

The next card was made in February.  I'd always intended to make more from its particular paper collection, but it didn't happen.  The paper was put away and the card pushed to the side, tsk tsk.  It has worth so I'll share it here.

(Studio Light Winter Garden designer paper, Sue Wilson Creative Expressions Duos Just a Note)

It's time to move along so I'll list the two inspiring challenges:

Sisterhood of Crafters -- Springtime Designer Paper
NBUS Challenge #61 -- My never before used schtuff is the bird dies and the Winter Garden designer paper.

 

Thank you all for visiting.  Have a happy day!

Friends and Good Vibes

It's true, life is better with friends and I can't imagine being without them.  Two friends enabled me to make today's cards.  Cat sent the sentiment and flowers I used on the first card.  She had stuck everything to a piece of yellow low-tack tape and I love the way it looked so I simply made an almost identical arrangement on yellow cardstock.  Then I adhered that to a pretty frame piece sent by Michele.

Michele sent the Spellbinders Scrolled Punch & Pierce Plate.  In the card above I popped up one of the smaller cuts, and in the card below I used a larger cut for a lacy cover that looks so pretty white on white.  She also sent the Pinkfresh Chrysanthemum washi cuts which I used on the second card.  The sentiment stamped in the open space is from my own Pinkfresh Folk Hummingbird set.

Just having some fun in between projects around the house and yard.  We've had a little sun now and then, but nothing to get too excited about.  I'm still waiting and wondering when spring will be here for real.  Maybe tomorrow.  Wishing you a beautiful day!

Nordic Deer

Hi friends!  The sun is finally shining (though a little cold and breezy), a few flowers are blooming, and in the middle of all that I made a Christmas card.  Well, gee, it's high time I started on some of the new Christmas things I collected before, during, and after the previous holiday season.  My motivation comes from the Peace on Earth Christmas Challenge which I'm getting into just in time.

Today's card is all Spellbinders, from one of their amazing warehouse sales (last December?) -- Magical Deer, Tinsel Time Sentiments, Ski Lodge embossing folder.  The long rectangle is Spellbinders, too, but much older.  I love how it works with slimlines.  This one is 3 1/2 x 6.  I moved the focal panel off to the side so more of the embossing would show.

There was a lot of "getting acquainted" time during this crafty session.  The Tinsel Time Sentiments, for instance...  as it turns out, those letters are way too skinny for my patience.  It was easiest for me to nest the word and the shadow dies, and cut in white to result in a negative.  Then I cut the shadow again in red and layered the two.  I like the effect of the inset letters.

Peace on Earth Challenge #61 -- I was particularly inspired by the deer in the upper right corner of the board.
NBUS Challenge #61 -- My never before used schtuff is deer, sentiment, embossing folder.

 

That's all for this crafty week.  I'll see you again soon.  Take good care of yourselves and enjoy each day as it comes.

Double D Challenge -- Water Related

 

It's Double D challenge time again, and Darlene has given us a "Water Related" theme -- think ocean, rain, waterfall, any body of water, etc.  Use your fabulous imagination.  Have a look at the inspiration board:

We have creative winners plus a random prize winner.

I've been making a point of working with my never been used supplies, but I was stumped when it came to this challenge until I remembered some beautiful 6x6 designer paper I was gifted.  There are several sheets in the collection that are way too pretty to be chopped up so I had to come up with a plan.

It's easier to show than to explain, so I have lots of photos.  You might get the impression that it's a gatefold, but it's a sort of z-fold/gatefold concoction.  Neither one quite worked on its own so I pieced some ideas together.

At this point it still looks like a gatefold.  The tab fits into a slot between two strips of foam mounting tape.  It still wouldn't stay closed flat enough for my satisfaction so I added a magnet closure.  That's a magnet under the circle of designer paper on the front panel.

The next photo shows it open, but there's one more fold yet to come.

Here it is (below) with the z-fold or accordion fold side of the card completely open.  It utilizes the full 6x6 panel of designer paper.

I thought I might as well decorate the back of the card, too.  And why not a sentiment?  All designer paper parts are from the Ciao Bella (CB) Delta paper pad.

I know it probably doesn't make a lot of sense.  If I had a video to link to I would, but I made it up as I went along and I'm quite sure I'll never make it again.  I breathed a sigh of relief when it was finished.  All the sentiments -- relax, just breathe, enjoy the moment -- come from a discontinued Power Poppy stamp set called Lilac Time.

Still with me?  Come check out the team's inspiration at Double D and then play along with your own water-themed project.  Have fun!

Stenciled Spring Flowers

Hi and welcome back to my craft room!  I've got a simple card today, made with the SSS Fading Florals stencil, cut on a curve and placed over an embossed card base.  

The sentiment is a pairing of oldies from my stash.  The embossing folder is an old-timer, too, from Stampin' Up during a Sale-a-bration.  Oh, and the curve die is one of my earliest Spellbinders.  Gosh, I've got all kinds of new things waiting in baskets, yet I inadvertently brought out the elders.  These old girls have still got it.

I'm playing along here:

April Stencil Fun Challenge -- Spring/flowers theme
Can You Handle the Pressure -- optional weather twist.  I didn't do the twist, but I'm imagining all our rainy weather will bring some pretty spring flowers.

Thanks a bunch for stopping by!