Just a Note About Life Happenings

Hello, friends.  I just want to share a word to let you know why my posts are sparse and I haven't been around to visit.  I haven't crafted in the month of July at all, but I've had some scheduled posts and I appreciate everyone who has stopped by to comment.

My Rich spent some time in the hospital with pneumonia.  I probably don't have to tell you how scary that was in an older guy whose lungs are already failing from another serious condition.  Miraculously, he recovered from the pneumonia (we think), and is now home, but not in good shape.  The pneumonia took its toll, and he's having a rough time.  Some days are better than others, but never great.  I won't go into all of it, but I know you can imagine my hands are full, my heart is heavy, and my nerves are stretched.  I won't even get started on the quality of healthcare since our regular physician retired.  Crafting would be good therapy if there was time for it.

I miss crafting and blogging and the sisterhood that goes along with it.  I have piles and basketsful of not yet used stamps, dies, and embossing folders.  My desktop is strewn with supplies for the partially finished set of Christmas cards I was making before Rich went to the hospital.  You might look in here and think I was abducted by aliens with everything left exactly as it was at the moment of abduction.  It will all return to normal eventually.  The very fact that I'm sitting here right now is a good sign.

I'll leave you with a card I made and photographed sometime in June.  It was a birthday card for a friend, using the Memory Box Elegant Anemone die and an embossed panel that came in a card from a friend.  I left it simple for easy international mailing.

Sentiment is a combination of older supplies.  Distress Oxide ink was brushed on with a sponge-tipped applicator... or maybe a small brush.  Sorry I don't remember at this point.  I sanded the Memory Box cardstock because I wanted to soften the color.

Again, my apologies for lack of visiting.  I'm really hoping for some spare time to come my way soonish.  Sending love and hugs to all!

Stamps:  Poppystamps Sending Scribbles sentiment  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 110 lb, Memory Box Meadow  Ink:  Distress Oxide Picked Raspberry, Shabby Shutters, Pine Needles, SU Garden Green for sentiment  Other:  Memory Box Elegant Anemone, Frantic Stamper Sending Love/Hugs die, misc rectangle dies, embossing folder unknown (received in a card from a friend)

Double D Challenge: Basket Full of Posies

Hello, and welcome to another Double D Challenge.  Darlene's theme today is "Basket Full of Posies" -- basket, posies, or both!  See her pretty inspiration board:

 

In addition to our creative winners we have a prize for a random winner:

I love the idea of flowers in a basket, so I'm imagining my posies in a fancy little basket, although I believe it's supposed to be a pot.  No matter, I love it either way.  It's very simple and fun, loose coloring, bright papers, embellished with stamped flowers and punched hearts, loaded with cheer.

I cut a top fold card and embossed the front with a Basketweave folder.  The embossing is deeper than the photo represents.  See the straight stitch along the top of the image panel, and the cross stitch along the lower edge -- I used two different rectangle dies for that.  I miss doing real stitching on my cards, but I love the extra room on my desk top since I put the sewing machine in the closet.

All supplies for this card were pulled from the vault, and they're as much fun now as ever.  The scalloped border was made with the old Stampin' Up slit punch.  We go way back.  It cuts a slit for inserting a tab, but I've always used it for the scallops.

Do pop over to Double D and see the team's pretty posies.  We'd love to see yours, too.  Have a happy day!

Stamps:  Pink Petticoat Pretty Potties, Hampton Art Celebrate Life sentiment  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Solar White 80 & 110 lb, scraps designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Copics  Other:  Darice Basketweave embossing folder, SU slit punch for scallops, 3 in 1 heart punch, Memory Box Cross Stitched Frame Borders, Taylored Expressions Stitched Rectangle Stacklets

Double D Challenge: Nautical

Hi everyone!  A new Double D challenge starts today.  Here's Diane's fabulous board and a prize.  I love it all to pieces!

I was inspired to make something relatively clean and simple with a mix of dies and stamps.  No coloring, just colored cardstock.  It was rather nice for a change!

Penny Black Immense Enjoyment die and Enjoy Builder stamp set.  Two layers.
Impression Obsession Sailboats.
Frantic Stamper Making Waves.  I cut right across the card front, then separated the pieces, backed with the same blue as the big "enjoy".  Smaller wave dies from the set were used inside the immense "O".

I borrowed a banner die from a Poppystamps sentiment set, and those little black stars popped out of a background I cut for a Christmas card a while back.

That's the gist of it.

Come see the team's inspired samples at Double D.  Play for fun and maybe you'll win a prize or become a top favorite in the process.  Enjoy!

Guesting with Christmas Kickstart Challenge

Hello friends!  It was the nicest surprise when Jo invited me to be her Guest Elf at Christmas Kickstart Challenge #88!  A kickstart is exactly what I need this time of year when it comes to Christmas cards, and then once I get started I have all kinds of fun.  Thank you, Jo!

For the month of July we're doing Festive Frames.
I do love to dress up a frame!

In this case I made a wide frame by nesting some unrelated pinpoint dies.  I backed the frame with thin foam mounting tape and adhered it to the card.  When I was sure of where all the decorative elements would go, I stamped the sentiment panel and recessed it within the frame.

Then the fun part...  I Copic-colored one of my beloved Penny Black critters and cut her out.  Added a ric rac border for her to sit on, and pine bough corners overhead.  When I reached for my pine bough dies I found these in the envelope, already cut and stippled with white acrylic paint -- oh, happy day!  I added Diamond Glaze to the string of lights(?), and scattered homemade resin dots for extra fun and frivolity.  The sentiment, by the way, is from an Impression Obsession set.

Remember, those homemade resin dots are my new favorite thing -- punch circles of whatever size, then coat with glossy glaze.  It dries hard, sticks securely, and adds almost no dimension to interfere with mailing.  Love!

I hope you'll come join us at Christmas Kickstart Challenge #88 with your festive framed Christmas card.

Have a happy day!

Stamps:  Penny Black Christmas Fun, Impression Obsession Dear Santa  Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80# & 110#, CTMH Ponderosa Pine, red & green scraps for resin dots, scrap designer paper  Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black  Coloring:  Copics  Dies:  Spellbinders Scored and Pierced Rectangles, Memory Box Pinpoint Double Frame, Poppystamps Wispy Pine Needle Corners, Taylored Expressions Ric Rac Borders  Other:  SU Subtle 3D embossing folder, 1/4" & 1/8" punches, JudiKins Diamond Glaze, Scotch brand foam mounting tape