365 Cards - White Space #4

Another white space card for 365 Cards, super duper simple and clean.

The punch is MS - I was telling Kristina yesterday that those punches are far & away (I think) better than any others I have tried. Never a jam, always trimmed so neatly. Can you tell I have had some bad experiences with others ?

I am starting to wonder just how simple (yet elegant) I can actually make a card with these white space challenges. Tomorrow may be blank white stock. Ok, maybe I will include one word.

Anyhoo, periwinkle is not one of MY colors, but it is sorta close to purple, which is always my first choice of color, and then I have to pull back and say, ok, now do something completely different. And wasn't I just saying that to Annie too ??

Spent the morning with Brie and Spencer at the children's science museum - Spencer wanted me to try the simulated ride on a skateboard. Ummmm, grandmas don't do that for excellent reasons. He him self took a brief 3 second trip on it, and said "TROUBLE!!" We did have a fun time !!

Scrap That Poetry #13

Continuing on with the blog hop, included is Scrap That Poetry, a challenge that uses poetry as its inspiration.

John Greenleaf Whittier Poem

O dearest bloom the seasons know,
Flowers of the Resurrection blow,
Our hope and faith restore;
And through the bitterness of death
And loss and sorrow, breathe a breath
Of life forevermore!
The thought of Love Immortal blends
With fond remembrances of friends;
In you, O sacred flowers,
By human love made doubly sweet,
The heavenly and the earthly meet,
The heart of Christ and ours

I went with LOVE, a flower or two, and spring renewal colors. I included some music, as this reminds me of an old hymn.

365 Cards - White Space #3

Here is another in the 365 Cards white space series.

This is also a bitty card, the white space scared me a little less on a small scale. I also felt that the torn edges added some flavor to the white and embossed elements, making it feel less sterile and stark.

Thanks for stopping by.

Practical Scrappers sketch

Here is a little simple card from a sketch at Practical Scrappers.

My goal is to do all the cards on the blog hop this week, plus all my regular challenge stops, and maybe even throw in a not so regular challenge stop if it isn't too difficult.

Phew - off to do more . . .

365 Cards - White Space #2

I do love these white space challenges, 365 Cards will continue with them all week ! What is funny though is how tough the conception can be - I know I looked at my "stuff" (as Spencer says, Grandma has "stuff") for a couple hours, then put together the card in about 15 minutes. And that included trying out several ribbons.

I do not make enough Christmas cards - maybe that should be the theme for the rest of the white space challenge week for me, hmmmmm. It will save me time thinking of a theme for certain....

The Shabby Tea Room 5, and more

This is a little teeny card! Not too much to say about it I guess. The challenge at the Shabby Tea Room was "squares", based on a quilt, and it is pretty simple.

I used pink and gray, a combo I think is not a usual one. I remember one of my daughter's friends - when they were just bitty girls about 7 or 8 - told me breathlessly that pink & gray together was the most beautiful combination she could ever imagine.

As I am doing a week long blog hop, I am including this in some other challenges...
Pile it on - no images, just a sentiment
Practical Scrappers - bling/glitter
The Cuttlebug Spot - bling/glitter too !

365 Cards - White Space #1

Ah, Monday, a whole week to look forward to making cards. White space challenges all week at 365 Cards. I like these kinds of challenges, but find it impossible to just keep a plain ol' white without decorations of any type. So, embossed it is.

I would really love a new deck this summer. This may be the card to hint at that ?? Manly, yet "helpful" ... Create or else ?

Reminds me of Spencer who hands you a book and demands "READ IT" but he doesn't mean to him, he just wanders off and let's us enjoy those little Einstein books all by ourselves.

On another Monday note, my thanks goes out to the Shabby Tea Room who named me honorable mention last week. YIPPEE !!

And now, off to the bloghop at 365 cards, and see what other challenges lie ahead this week.

365 Cards - Sunday sketch triangle

Sundays are sketch days at 365 Cards, and didn't I just love this one. Pam kept it elegant and simple, and I made it kinda easy.

I have done a lot of beads on swirly wire for other projects, but I hadn't done that for a card yet. I couldn't find my good wire (alas, who knows where it migrated), so I used some green floral wire.

I did this instead of taking a nap ~ I don't know if I will miss that nap now, oh zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Project Tuesday - Diaper Fold

Project Tuesday has a diaper fold pouch challenge that is totally perfect for what I need. !!! Going to a housewarming tomorrow and thought this would work for a gift card. My card was made with lots and lots of love.

Stephanie is the daughter of my bff Rufina - and just moved into her first (owned) home ever. I remember how thrilling that was, don't you ? I think she and Sean are going to announce their engagement tomorrow too, but I didn't dare go with the lovey -dovey idea just in case !

Sean is the son of Chris Brathwaite, an Olympian who was killed by a sniper while he was training by the river next to the Oregon Ducks Autzen Stadium. I have a photo of Sean, with Stephanie (and Brie) from their third grade class, and here they are in their thirties, finally about to embark on their lives together.

Making a special card for special people is what I love so much about this craft !!

Glitzy flowers at 365 Cards

What, glitz ?? You don't have to ask me twice.

Today's 365 Cards challenge is some glitter on a flower. Easy !

I made the flower myself - it is my "usual" flower by now. I always seem to have a few of them as they can be made so easily in front of Lost or (my favorite) Judge Judy, sometimes even American Idol.

So, add a few MORE stickles to it, and it fits the challenge!

This card goes to Rufina, my bff, who picked up my mail and papers while we were on vacation. I bought her some of her favorite chocolate hazelnut spread from the Harry and David shop in Lincoln City - now I am thinking I wish I would have made a cute little bag too. Well, next time.

The Shabby Tea Room 4

The Shabby Tea Room this week is "embracing the white", and including cream, and a daub of another color. I picked brown, just cause.

The flower I made myself. There are some stickles here and there that aren't showing up as well as I would like, but they look great here in my craft room !!

I was thinking I would give this to daughter Brie for Mother's Day this year. Oddly, she and I don't give each other cards EVER, but I thought of her the whole time I was making this.

We stopped to visit her coming back into town yesterday, and I admire once again, what a great mom she has turned out to be. Her 2 year old son, our Spencer, invited us to "please come in" and "take a seat" as part of his duties as host. This will be a perfect card for her...

365 Cards - 5 of everything !

Just returned from vacation at the Oregon Coast, here is a view from one of our windows there.
Isn't it so pretty. The raging wind only rattled our door off the hinges 3 of the 4 nights! Also had a chance to stop in and visit a couple of very cute scrap shops and found some fun things !

365 Cards gave me a spot in their top three last week. How very exciting for me !! It was my first mention, so I was (and well, still AM) pretty stoked. Thank you !!

So here is my returning project, 5 of everything. 5 colors, 5 stamps, 5 different patterned papers, 5 buttons, and 5 flowers.

Pam really stumps us on these a lot, but pulls us into a spot where we aren't quite as comfortable as we might be otherwise. I love that !! While my results may not always be stellar, they are unique !

5 stamps - 4 of them are words, a flower, a happy face, so 6 total
5 buttons - a cuttlebug border, about 15 maybe ?
all the rest are pretty evident.

Have a great day !!!

365 Cards - color challenge

A wide ranging color challenge at 365 Cards today. Green, yellow, red and orange, and I guess some white too. Lucky me, I had paper with all the colors at once, so easy challenge !

Went a little simpler than usual today. Got one more challenge to complete today, and tomorrow we are off on vacation !!

Of course, vacation merely means haunting some OTHER craft or scrap store somewhere else. Don't deny that you do that too !

Met a woman in the paper dept at my local craft store who told me she spent $300 on product while she was on vacation. (You know that must be true...) There is something about an unfamiliar shop that just draws you in for a lengthy visit.

Have a great day, and a happy Easter !!

Play Date Cafe 23

Play Date Cafe loves blue this week. I must admit a wee bit of green slipped in, but what can you do when there are leaves ?

I must do a few more blue cards - just one color is sooo pretty I think.

Not much else to say about this one, everything is pretty straight forward, except for the heart which I made myself.

Now, what is for lunch ??

365 Cards - REAL recipe

A card to put a recipe in - that is the deal today at 365 Cards.

Now, everyone knows I am not a cook. I can only make three things - ribs, deviled eggs, chicken. Folks get mighty tired of that mighty quick !!

AND I think I only have one recipe - my Italian father-in-law gave it to me many years ago. It is for pizzelles, which are flat anise cookies, they look like a waffle, but thinner and prettier.

So my secret is Costco. It isn't really much of a secret, as anyone who tastes my cooking knows if it is good, I got it somewhere else. Sigh.

My father-in-law died almost 15 years ago. He was a fun guy. I remember he used to ask Brie when she was about 3 "where did your mom park her broom ?" And Brie always faithfully defended me. I miss him for sure. He couldn't say "aluminum." He loved Costco too ...