Blessed are those that mourn....

Card #3184

Stamps: Just Rite With Sympathy
Dies:  Penny Black Fuchia
Embossing Folders:  None
Paper:  Recollections Black Jack
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
Stencil:  None

God has said....

Card #3182

Stamps: Just Rite With Sympathy
Dies:  Penny Black Sweet Flight
Embossing Folders:  None
Paper:  My Mind's Eye Sunshine
Ink:  Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Dried Marigold, Mustard Seed, Fossilized Amber, Brushed Corduroy, Wild Honey
Stencil:  None
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Sweet wishes, happy birthday....

Card #3180

Stamps:  Hero Arts Layering Ice Cream; Penny Black Sweet Wishes; Hero Arts CL139; Winnie & Walter The Big, The Bold & The Happy
Dies:  My Favorite Things Jumbo Fishtail Banner Stax; Hero Arts Layering Ice Cream
Embossing Folders:  Taylored Expressions Dotted Lattice; Darice Wire Fence
Paper:  Recollections Kraft, Papertrey Vintage Cream
Ink:  Papertrey Mint Julip, Green Parakeet, Cocoa Bean, Hibiscus Burst, Vintage Cream, Classic Kraft; Memento Desert Sand, Angel Pink
Stencil:  Tim Holtz Rays

I'm bowled over by your generosity...

Card #3176

My Favorite Things: You Bake Me Happy Stamps, Kitschy Kitchen Stamps & Dies, Stitched Triple Peek-a-Boo Window Edge
Recollections Black Jack D.P.
Facebook

Peace on Earth...

Card #3172

Papertrey:  Winter Village Stamps & Dies, Text Style Holiday Flourishes & Swirls Design Paper, Ripe Avocado Card Stock

My Favorite Things:  Flop Card Circle Die

Christmas tags....

Papertrey - Tag Sale Quilted Die

I said I wouldn't be chatting on this blog but I've just discovered I LOVE making tags. All those 12x12 papers that are too big for making cards can be used to make tags. You can cut the paper up and reposition it. I LOVE tags. And, you can pile on the embellishments - they don't need to be mailed and can be as thick as you want them.

Trick or treat...

Card #:  3162

Papertrey:  Shaped Sayings: Halloween

My Favorite Things:  Jumbo Peek-a-Boo Circle Window

Memory Box:  Skeleton Hand

Fun Foam

Scrap Paper

Queen & Co. Rhinestone

Wishing you a harvest of blessing...

 Card #:  3161

My Favorite Things:  Harvest Mouse

Papertrey:  Birthday Classics:  November; October

Stardust Stickles

Zing White Embossing Powder

Copics:  C1, E02, YR12, YG03, YR18, Y26, R24, R22, E08, YR15

Paper:  Scrap Drawer 

Are you Yeti for Christmas....

Card #: 3160

Papertrey:  In the Meadow

Penny Black:  In the Winter

My Favorite Things:  Beast Friends

Stardust Stickles, Ranger Glossy Accents

Copics:  E93, R37, B0000, C0, G07, YR68, Y13, B63, C1

Merry and bright....

Papertrey:  In the Meadow, Holiday Swoosh

Penny Black:  In the Winter

Memory Box:  Deer Trio

Ranger Cloudy Blue Ink

Stardust Stickles

Note to self....

Card #:  3097

Papertrey:  Petite Places: Happy Camper; Scene it: Skyscapes, Everyday; Choose Joy

I'm a love pirate....

Card #:  3099

Taylored Expressions:  Grumplings in Costume

Jaded Blossom:  Cheesy Pick Ups

Penny Black:  Pirates

Copics:  E44, E71, E70, B93, B0000, N8, Y17, V04, N4, E31

Have a monstrous birthday....

Card #:  3156

My Favorite Things:  Monster Love

My Favorite Things:  Blueprints 27

Penny Black:  Uplifting

DCWV:  The glitter cardstock stack

Papertrey:  Bright Buttercup, Dark Chocolate

A Halloween Hello

Card #:  3155

My Favorite Things:  Witch Way Candy

Papertrey:  Card Stock

Memory Box:  Sleepy Hollow Oval Frame

Copics:  (Witch G40, G43, E93, N0, N4, N3, N5, N8, N10, V28, V25, V20, V22) (Broom YR24, Y35, YR21, E25) (Pumpkin YR18, YR15, YR12, YR01, G99) (Bat N2, N4, E93, W00, B0000)

Don't go bacon my heart....

Card #:  3148
My Favorite Things:  Hog Heaven
Memory Box:  Precious Hearts
Taylored Expressions:  Valentine Grumplings
Impression Obsession:  Square Cutout Border
Papertrey:  White Card Stock
Cloud Nine Rain Drops
Copics:  RV11, RV13 

Absent without leave...

If you are wondering why I have been absent so long, we went to Alaska and Washington for three weeks and then I went straight to the hospital for surgery on my right hand.  I am still unable to create (or pull my pants up) with my right hand and I'm still looking at eight more weeks of therapy and exercise before I attempt it.  Hope to be back by Halloween to make cards.  I will miss the October IVC Craft Show in Chillicothe but will attend the spring show.  I'm dreadfully bored and looking forward to creating again soon.

Create from the he{art}...

Supplies:

Clear and Simple Chloe: Create

Darice Butterflies Embossing Folder

Spellbinder Circle Dies

Recollections Paddywack Design Paper

Copics:  Y35, Y32, E000, E00, E30, E93, BG02, BG01

Bliss....

Supplies:

My Favorite Things I Knead You

DCWV The Pet Stack

Winne and Walter Seasons

Spellbinder Standard Circles Large

Stampin' Up Shaker Frames

Martha Stewart Glitter

The bluebirds are back...

We have two bluebird boxes on our property.  One faces east and is in our backyard, one faces south and is on the north side of our property.  The north box is outside my craft room window so I see the activity.  There's always a lot of it in the spring.  The birds that typically check it out are the downy woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice and the occasional carolina wren.  The house sparrows are usually the first to claim the box and a male will give chase to anything that shows an interest in the box.  The house sparrows are a real problem because once a male focuses on a box, he will not leave it alone even if he makes a nest elsewhere and raises young.  He will go so far as to kill a sitting female bluebird or chickadee and/or destroy the eggs and young.  People who encourage bluebirds to nest on their property or monitor boxes on bluebird trails have tried lots of tricks to keep the sparrows away even going so far as to trap and dispose of them.  A new technique is to trap and clip the wings of male sparrows.  They can still fly but scientists discovered it takes away their sex drive - go figure. 

Our bluebirds have been to the north box a dozen times since late February, today they spent quite some time at the box.  We tried a trick this year that's been tested other places - boxing the hole with hooks and wrapping fishing line around the hooks in a square pattern.  House sparrows fly to the hole with wings outspread and the fishing line upsets them when it hits their wings.  Bluebirds fly straight into the hole so the line doesn't affect them.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed but so far the house sparrows have kept away from the house.  We aren't into true nesting season yet, it's still a little cold, but so far so good.

The wrens have not arrived from the south yet.  They will be another impediment to successful bluebird nesting.  They will claim all the nest spots, fill them all up with twigs and introduce the female wren when she arrives to all the wonderful nest spots he's found.  She will pick one and fill in the nest hole with soft grasses before she lays eggs.  But he will keep up all the other sites.  That includes the bluebird box.  In order to claim that box, the male will carry the bluebird eggs out of the box and drop them on the ground.  Often we don't know that's happened until we see the eggs.  The wren is a protected bird, we can't harass it in any way so we grit out teeth and hope the bluebirds will re-nest.  Our only recourse for the wrens is to make sure no boxes they can use are close to our house.  We've put up wren boxes in the trees in the back of our property to encourage them away.  We've done all we can do so we just wait for our female bluebird to make a nest and lay some eggs.  Stay posted....

IVC Craft Show on March 26th

It seems like I spend six months getting ready for a craft show and it's over in ten minutes.  Saturday was a fine day, cool but bright and sunny and it started out really slow.  I didn't have a customer from eight until ten-thirty and was really nervous about making my 'rent'.  But it turned out to be a super day and I'm already planning on my next craft show on October 15.

#3112

Supplies:

Papertrey:  Bright Buttercup c.s., Everyday Cat Sentiments

My Favorite Things: I Knead You, Farm Fresh Gingham D.P.

Copics:  YR27, N4, N8, E57, Y23, YR12, E93, Y17

Be fearless...

 #3043
Supplies:

LaLaLand Ballerina Marcia

MyFavoriteThings Take the Stage Dies

Papertrey Be

DCWV The Black Currant Stack

Copics:  (RV91, 93, 95, 99) (E99, YR23, YR24) (E0000, 000, 00, 11, 93) YG17

Wink of Stella Clear

Birthday Wishes....

#3042
Supply List:

LaLaLand Chef Marcia

Tim Holtz Bubble Stencil

PTI Sweet Blush Ink

Copics:  (E000, E00, E11, E93) (E99, YR24, YR23) (E93, R21, YG17, Y26, Y28) (YR30, YR31) (N0, N1) (B0000, C1, W00)

Summer Goldfinch

 #3034
Supplies:

Papertrey Ink Spring Woods, Hawaiian Shores Ink, Simply Chartreuse Ink, Dark Chocolate Ink

Versafine Onyx Black Ink

Winnie & Walter Creative Screening Into the Woods Stencil

Tim Holtz Weathered Wood Distress ink

Slowly I turn...step by step....

#3013
Supplies:

Altenew Wood Pallet Background Stamp

Tim Holtz Mini Bird Crazy & Things Stamps & Dies

My Favorite Things Wonky Stitched Rectangles Dies

Papertrey Ink Tropical Teal C.S. 

Copics:  V22, Y26, Y32, E30, E31, YR61, YR65, Y23, BG18, R35, N0, N1, N5, N8, Y38

Wink of Stella Clear

One cat to rule them all...

 #3016
Supplies:

Tim Holtz Crazy Cats

Spellbinder Standard Circles Small

DCWV Animal Crackers C.S.

Copics:  Y21, Y23, Y26, Y28, C0, C1, C3, C5

Literally thousands....

I literally have thousands of sheets of 8.5 x 11" paper.  All colors, stack and stacks and stacks of it.  When I discovered a really good A2 envelope svg file for my Cameo I thought, 'aha, I don't have to buy envelopes any more' and I started making them - put a sheet on the mat, load the mat, load the print program on the software, press start, wait for the cutting to be finished, unload mat, peel off the envelope, and start all over again.  Jeez, at this rate, I can cut 10 in an hour.  You know that light bulb that appears over the heads of people?  Well, mine was 400 watts.  I have a Big Shot Pro....AND...an A2 envelope die I've never even opened....AND....it cuts four envelopes in one pass.  So, ok, I may get tennis elbow (wish it was electric) but...four envelopes at a pass.  One ream of printer paper is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than a box of A2 envelopes.  Note to self: don't evah buy A2 envelopes again.