Treacherous Treats

 #2927
Supplies:

Waltzing Mouse Midnight Feast

Papertrey Ink Center Style Masculine

Clear & Simple Stamps Apothecary: Holidays, Sweets

Scarecrow Halloween Card

 #2926
Supplies:

Dreaming Tree Scarecrow Paperscape Card

Haunted House Halloween card....

#2925
Supplies:

Dreaming Tree Haunted House Paperscape Card

Black cat Halloween card...

#2924
Supplies:

Dreaming Tree Black Cat Paperscape

Happy Birthday to You...

#2923
Supplies:

Scrapberry Plum

Distress Inks

Jingle all the way...

#2922
Supply List:

Taylored Expressions Holiday Grumplings

Penny Black Jingle

Distress Inks

Have a creepy crawly birthday...

#2921
Supplies:

Jaded Blossom Panel Dies, Spidey Senses, Halloween Panels

Wink of Stella Clear

Distress Inks

dashing through the No!

#2917
Supplies:

Taylored Expressions Holiday Grumplings Stamps and Dies

Zig Clean Color Real Brush Pens

PTI In the Meadow Dies, Sweet Speech Dies

Fiskars Crimper

Ghostly greetings....

 #2916
Supplies:

PTI Happy Haunting

Tim Holtz Crazy Things
Beckett Card Stock

Recollections Purple Passion Card Stock

Fiskars Crimper

And Twitch makes three...

It seems like forever since I've posted here so let me bring you up to date:

A new family building in our subdivision has a 9 year old that apparently has decided on a life of crime.  She's been stealing from the neighbors, from school and last week she brought a plastic bag and walked off with our best fish while trying to destroy our pond.  Suffice it to say, I was bummed.  One of the fish she took was a 6-7" fantail, the last of three we purchased.  Police were called but I've heard nothing since the officer talked to the father.  Apparently the fish were given to a construction worker and are long gone (why would you steal something and then gift it to someone?).  Since then I can't walk by a window without glancing down to see if she's back, this incident put a dent in my tranquility.

My sister-in-law from California is visiting a friend in Quincy and has stopped by our house for several days.  Reminds me of a George Carlin routine where supply lines are getting longer and harder to maintain.  She has stuff in California, stuff in Quincy and now she has stuff here.  She and her friend, Charla, are leaving here today for Quincy and taking my husband with them.  He'll be gone several days and while he's away....

I plan to adopt another cat and will pick him up on Thursday.  Three years ago we adopted Sassy, our Persian.  As I was walking by Twitch's cage, he reached out both paws and grabbed my arm.  I promised him I would be back for him and have thought of him often.  He's five years old and I know he's been at the A.R.K. for at least three.  I am fixing up our bedroom for him, litter box in the master bath, toys, cat tree and a screen door between him and what could be his harem, Sassy and Sadie.  Fingers crossed that they not only get along, but that Sassy and Twitch become friends.  Sadie doesn't seem to need them, but Sassy loves to play and I'm hoping he will too.  And while we're on the subject of cats, we had all our carpets shampooed last week and removed all the litter boxes from the formal living room.  Since we hang in the family room, the living room is filled with spare furniture, Carl's desk and cat stuff.  We had six litter boxes, three lined with puppy pads since we discovered Sassy has a real problem with litter.  Now, we have two boxes with puppy pads, one in the foyer and one in the laundry room.  We have two litter boxes, one inside an end table and one in the basement.  Sassy has been really good about her boxes, using them exclusively since last Thursday and we are sticklers for keeping her boxes clean.  Sadie likes the one in the basement.  Life with cats is good now but we're following the 'trust but verify' rule and leaving up the gate to the living room for a while.  And all bets are off when we (I) bring Twitch home.

For those of you following the Wookiee, he's mostly finished.  He's been trooping (he gathers crowds everywhere he goes) and my daughter is starting new projects, specifically a Cousin Itt using the same techniques she used on the Wookiee.  People are actually asking her to make costumes for them and they have money in hand so I suspect she's going to be busy for a while.  In addition to her incredible sewing talent, she's becoming a terrific photographer, often taking pictures of the 501st when they're out doing what they do.  She embellishes the photos into works of art.  She's my kid and I'm really proud of her.

There you have all the news that's fit to print.  The nights are getting cooler here, the sun is rotating on its axis, the garden is slowly going to sleep and I'm gearing up cardmaking for an October craft sale in Chillicothe, IL.  All is well in our world.

Halloween Box Card

#2886
Supplies:

SVGCuts Plain Display Box from the Christmas Box Cards

Grim Reaper by Bird

Lettering Delights Spooky Tree

Halloween Witch by Bird

K&Company Double Sided Halloween Card Stock

Over the Hill....

#2883
Supplies:

PTI Haunted Headstones Dies & Sentiments; Scene-It: Hallows Eve

Recollections Card Stock

Colorbox Silver Ink

Distress Ink:  Black Soot

I {heart} you this much...

 #2882
Supplies:

Sassy Cheryl "Come on Get Happy"

PTI Choose Joy

Winnie & Walter The Big, the Bold (&Happy), (&Seasons), (&You)

Recollections Kraft Card stock, glitter paper, Paddywack Paper Pad

Spellbinder Nested Hearts

Copics: R24, R27, R29, B91, B93, B95, N3, E000, E00, E11, R20

Tools:  MISTI, Big Shot Pro, Cameo

You are aMAZEing...

#2875
Supplies:

Doodle Pantry DPMiniMazes1

iCraft Deco Foil Silver

Computer generated sentiment

Pop-tone Blue Raspberry card stock

Happy Birthday to you...

#2872
Supplies:

Hero Arts Butterflies #3

Stampendous Birthday Wish

My Favorite Things Blissful Blooms,

Inkadinkadoo Flower Flourish

Distress Ink:   Hickory Smoke, Tattered Rose, Shabby Shutters

Penny Black Letter Background

PTI Melon Berry Card Stock

Mojo Monday 410

This is my first entry into the Mojo Monday challenge, but probably not my last.  I love the inspiration for creativity these sketches give me.  There is one new technique included in this card.  I recently purchased a Heidi Swapp Minc Machine which I adore.  The paper on this card is from Papertrey's In Bloom paper pad.  I scanned the black and white paper and printed it on my laser jet.  It was then foiled with Opal iCraft deo foil.  You can't tell in the photo but the shine is dazzling.  I am a huge fan of PTI, I have the In Bloom stamps and dies also.  I was trying to use them to make a card on the foiled background when the Mojo Monday e-mail landed in my in-basket... and, Bob's your uncle.

#2867
Supplies:

Papertrey Ink Berry Sorbet Card Stock & Ink, In Bloom Paper Pad, Confetti Garland Die, Birthday Basics Stamp Set, Shaker Shapes: Balloon Die, Circle Die

Tim Holtz Crazy Thoughts

Heidi Swapp Vellum, Minc Machine

iCraft Opal Deco Foil

DCWV Glitzy Glitter

Happy August Birthday...

#2862
Supplies:

Papertrey Ink:  Hawaiian Shores Card Stock, Hawaiian Shores Ink, Beautiful Blooms Paper Pad, Pupre Poppy Ink, Beautiful Blooms Stamps & Dies, Birthday Classics: August Stamp Set, Simply Chartreuse Card Stock, Turning a New Leaf Die, Spellbinders Curved Borders Two

the sky is the limit

 #2859
Supply list:

PTI Watercolor Wonder; Up, Up & Away; Aqua Mist, Sweet Blush, Enchanted Evening, Melon Berry, Spring Moss Ink

Copics:  R81, G00, YG63, YG61, R22

Wink of Stella Clear

Gelly Roll Clear Star

You are 'cherry' sweet...

#2823
Supply List

Flourishes Peaches and Cherries

Papertrey Ink Pure Poppy Card Stock

Zig Clean Color Real Brushes

Martha Stewart Border Punch

Here kitty, kitty...

It's been a while since I've had an update on our garden.  The pond that we installed last spring has come into its own.  The pond plants are lush, and the fish are getting big.

This is the view from the steps to the gazebo looking west.

There is a raised bed at the back of the yard filled with butterfly and hummingbird flowers.

The fenced raised bed on the north side of the backyard contains all the plants the deer like to eat.  Honeysuckle is working its way up the old gazebo frame.

The enclosure we had built for the cats is well used.  Platforms up the sides provide plenty of room for them to sit and watch the back yard.

The enclosure is connected to the side of the house and can be entered through a pet door installed in an acrylic panel that replaced the screen in the window.  Our Persian, Sassy, learned to use the pet door almost immediately.  Our tuxedo cat, Sadie, still has not learned - the door must be pushed for her to access the enclosure.  They both spend a lot of time out there, Sassy spends the most time because she can come and go as she pleases.  We have to watch for Sadie to want to go out.  Who knew that Sassy was the smart one?

While rain was a problem early in the summer, now it's a long stretch between the rains that seem to pummel the north and south of us.   We spotted our first two monarch caterpillars on Tuesday.  The bluebirds fledged five babies in the early summer but did not nest again in either of our two bird boxes.  A small flock of turkeys have spent parts of every day in our yard for some time now.  The feed that Carl throws out every day helps to capture their attention. 

And...we've discussed a new kitten, hopefully a young male which will negate Sadie's territorial issues and give Sassy someone to play with.  Looking after the last week of September.

To the best kid ever....

#2858
Supply List:

Papertrey Ink Harvest Gold Cardstock

Distress Ink: Fossilized Amber, Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed

Spellbinders Circle Die

Hero Arts Lil Hoot

Wink of Stella Clear

On buying art...

Some people don't think of paper artists as artists and I've had people tell me I charge too much for "home made" cards.  Hallmark can charge $5.99 for a card they have mass produced.  There could be thousands of those cards on the market.  I charge between $2.00 and $3.00 a card depending on the amount of time I've spent on it.  Some cards can take all day to color, especially water colors.  And each card is unique.  I never mass produce cards.  I've been numbering my cards since I started making them twenty years ago and I've made more than 2844 individual cards.  I started going to craft fairs and selling because my inventory just kept stacking up.  I sell them in order to recoup some of the money I've spent on supplies:  markers, watercolors, papers, digital images, rubber stamps, ribbon, embellishments, printers, cutting machines, dies, paints, glitter, embossing powder, scissors, pencils, classes, instruction books, and adhesives.  My art is as important to me as any artist who creates with paints, metal, chalk, bricks and clay and I take great pride in it.  Rant over.

Happy Anniversary

#2831
Supplies:

PTI Make it Market Mini: Garden Gild, Think Big Favorites #24

Distress Ink:  Fossilized Amber, Vintage Photo, Squeezed Lemonade

Hero Arts Butterflies #3

DCWV The Mariposa Stack

A good book....

We recently returned from a trip out west to visit Yellowstone National Park and a friend in Bozeman, Montana.  She and I are both great readers so when I decided to make her one of My Scrap Chick's new frames, this image immediately came to mind, along with this sentiment.  I'm so pleased she liked it.

#2811
Supplies:

MyScrapChick MS Square Bracket Frame

DCWV The Painted Petals Stack

Emerald Faeries Bindie

PTI Spring Rain & Spring Moss Ink

Copics:  R81, V01, V12, E41, E42, Y32, E000

Faber-Castell 108, 119, 121, 128, 135, 136, 137, 152, 153, 162, 167, 168, 177, 179, 180, 183, 199, 225, 232, 233

I was framed....

These frames are new designs by My Scrap Chick.  There are five frames and each one is better than the last.  I created a traditional frame and I'll show that later, this frame is lacking several layers of the original design.  The top two layers of the frame are taped at the top so you can lift those layers up and slide in a new image.  You could use it for a picture, mixed media art or colored images as I've done.  I plan to keep the recipient of this card/frame supplied with new images periodically.  The easel will fold flat for mailing but if you heavily embellish, it would need a box to send.  Unembellished you could probably get by with a bubble envelope and cardboard on top and bottom.  This is the first of many frames I plan to share with you. 

Supplies:

MyScrapChick MS Square Bracket Frame

American Crafts Gerber Dasies

Memory Box Riviera Corner

Marianne Garden Branch

Distress Ink Stormy Sky

Papertrey Spring Moss Card Stock, All Booked Up

Stardust Jelly Roll, Spica Clear, Wink of Stella Clear

Faber-Castell:  101, 108, 130, 131, 177, 179, 180, 183, 188, 199

Polychromos:  Burnt Ochre

Copics:  E000, E41, E42, E43, V0000, V000, V01, V12, BV000, R0000, R29, Y32, B0000, B93, B95, B97, R81, R83, R85 C1, N5, YG05, 0