Hello Cricut

I haven't been doing the weekly family newsletters in quite awhile but wanted to have a few "Hello" cards just in case I felt the urge.  So I was playing around one day I dusted off the Cricut machine and logged in to the Cricut Craft Room.  I searched for the word "Hello" and found this really cute image.  I wanted to keep the card clean and simple and flat so I added some Stickles to the butterfly for a little interest and then hold-punched some "dots" and Stickled those as a substitute for brads.  The paper was part of a Stampin Up paper pack.  The word background seemed to fit with the concept of a "Hello" card.  Not sure I totally love it but I think the family will - especially if it has a nice long letter included inside :-)

Back At It

Hi Gal Pals,

Back at it again with weekly family newsletters.  Things in life are pretty easy, breezy right now with work and home so I'm taking advantage of the time and trying to stock up on cards.  It feels great!  

So I took a look through the Pinterest board I have for inspiration for the weekly cards.  Lots of CAS and one layer card ideas.  This week's card was inspired by a pretty card I found on SplitCoast.  I've got SO many border stamps and this idea is a great way to use some of those.  

I found this cool masking tape that helps with partitioning off the space while sponging on the ink.  I've gotten hooked on Jennifer McGuire's blog.  She has SO, so many organization and technique tips.  And this Post-It note tape was a great tip.  So easy to use!

See ya' back here soon.

Girl Friends

Happy September Gal Pals!

Way too long away from the blog.  Finally getting around to posting some of the cards I've made this summer.  I just love this Girl Friend line of stamps.  Love the colors of this card.  And especially love the sentiment.

Hope you had a good Labor Day weekend.  Mine was pretty good.  I don't mean to sound ungrateful but it still felt like the weekend was 1 day too short.  Between the Griz Game, yard work and house chores I only ended up with about an hour in the craft room.  Not long enough for sure.

Cricut Man is off today for his first trip out on the new job.  Keep you fingers crossed that all goes as planned he's only traveling part-time and that the work is rewarding for him.

I'm going to skip going to the shop tonight.  I have a few craft things I promised some folks at work so I'm going to take advantage of the "Home Alone" time and focus on getting those done.

Have a good one today.

Just a Little Note

Finally got around to finishing up all these cards in the kit from a few weeks ago.  Thanks again Gal Pals for playing along.  

I'm bringing some inspiration photos with me tonight so we can pull out one of our toys that's in the drawer at Memory Lane and have a little fun.  See ya' soon!

Fun Scraps

Good Morning Gal Pals!  Hope you had a good weekend.  

I *finally* got a little time in my craft room and made some kits and this cute card.  

It was an inspiration I found on Pinterest.  What a great way to use up scraps! I did the sentiment in Word and then used my new chicken wire embossing folder, which I just love.

I'm going to bring a few more scraps for tomorrow night along with my Cuttlebug and make a few more.  Bring some scraps too if you're so inclined.  I'll have some extra sentiments printed out and ready.

A New Friend

We met a new friend and cardmaker at the shop last week.  She has a beautiful name (and accent) and although I repeated it several times when I met her I can't seem to remember it exactly right now.  I hope our paths will cross again.

She's just starting out in cardmaking and shared this card she made. Isn't it cute?!  She hand cut hearts and folded them for the petals of the flowers.  The one petal falling off is so sweet.  It could be a "Love me, love me not" card or maybe even a "Missing You" card.  I also loved that she turned the orange Candies upside down - a totally fresh perspective.  

That's yet another thing that's so great about hanging out at Memory Lane.  Not only do we get to have our Gal Pal time, we get to meet so many other wonderful women and through sharing, learn new things.

See you there tonight.

One Layer Card

This week's family card.  Don't let it fool you - it wasn't as quick and easy as I thought it was going to be - at least not the first one.

I saw the idea on this fun blog and loved it.  Here's the Pin of the original.  But I didn't have a graphic "Hello" stamp so I printed it on the computer to start the card.  Had to get the measurements just right so I had enough room to stamp and things were evenly placed / balanced on the card.

Then I picked a border stamp - another from one of Val's hand-me-down sets - Thanks! again Val!!  But the border was too long for how I wanted it placed on the card and I didn't want to cut it.  So I tried at first inking it with markers.  Not a good idea when you have 4 different colors and 6 cards to make.  Plus I didn't have the colors I really wanted - really bright, summery and tropical - somehow I forgot to buy the 2011-2012 In Color markers and now their retired, dang it!  But I did have the ink pads and I finally got the placement just right without having to mask the stamp and from there on out it went really fast.

I'm thinking it might be really fun with a snowflake border in pale blues and purples for a wintertime "Hello" card.  

My Friend

Don't you just love this card?  I cut the pieces and will be bringing it with me tonight to assemble at the shop. The stamp is from "All Holidays" which thankfully comes with the baseline My Digital Studio. 

See ya' soon!

Cheers

Cheers! Gal Pals.  Hope you had a good weekend.  

I didn't end up getting as much play time in the craft room as I intended or would have liked but I did get a few minutes Sunday to play with the Tart & Tangy set.  Made this card to send to a friend who I've been wanting to get together with for a little maguerita time.  The Lucky Limeade color which I reversed embossed was fun to play with and the cute Cheers stamp - one that I got from the $1 bin at Memory Lane - really fit well.

I played around with trying to replicate the Thanks a Bunch strawberry card inspiration I posted on Friday but boy was that tough.  I just couldn't get the masks to line up well.  I'll keep working on it though.

Take care and have a good start to the week.  Hopefully we'll see a little sunshine today.

Patriotic Hello

This is a card I made for the family last summer around the 4th of July.  It uses a really cute Authentique paper pack called "Glory".  Just love that paper line!  

And speaking of patriotic. . . .can't wait for the new BoBunny "Anthem" papers to come in.  You know Flag Day is just around the corner!!!

Hello Home

Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this 

moment, all you have is all you need.

~Sarah Ban Breathnach

Packing Day

It's our final packing day today - taking care of all the loose ends and "scraps" here at the apartment.  So I thought it was only fitting that I post a card I made awhile ago using pieces of paper scraps from another project.  I like the design.  If I remember correctly it was actually a sketch from one of the clean and simple challenge blogs I follow - just can't remember which one right now.

Not much time to "chat" today so I'll just leave you with a quote I captured awhile back from the TV show "Brothers & Sisters".  It touched my heart back then and seems so appropriate today. . . .

“. . . .You realize that what’s happening, as horrible as it is, 

is bringing you closer to the people you love and 

is reminding you of what is most true in your life. . . 

and that is a good thing.”

     ~(from the character Robert during an episode of “Brothers & Sisters” re: Kitty’s cancer)

Sunshine

I know most of the Gal Pals have seen this card but I realized I never posted it to the blog.  I thought today was the perfect day to do that as it's a sunshiny Florida day.  I see on the KECI web site that it's the same in Missoula.  How cool is that?!  Sunny and mid-70's here and at home.  All is right with the world today :-)

Cricut Man and I celebrated the end of treatment yesterday.  After his final treatment he rang Aud's Chime - an absolutely beautiful ritual they've developed for all patients - both the precious pediatric cancer patients and the prostate cancer patients. Please take a minute to watch this video which explains it's significance.  You may need a tissue at the end - I sure did.

We celebrated with a wonderful dinner at The Wine Cellar last night.  Toasted to fresh new healthy roads ahead.

My brother Danny flew in last night and we'll be having a "Welcome Danny / Congratulations Allan" family BBQ tonight at my parents house tonight.  We'll say our good-byes to the parents and my brother John and his family and then will focus the day tomorrow on closing down the apartment and heading to the airport.

Just another 48 hours and I'll be writing a blog post from my big easy chair in the living room of my beloved Jewel of the Pines.

Just a Note

Rainy day here in Florida.  What's it like in Missoula?  Can't wait to find out! - only 6 more days!!!  

I've got all my list making done and now it's just a matter of sticking to it.  Cricut Man went to the post office and UPS store yesterday and got the boxes we'll need to send stuff home.  We'll pack Sunday afternoon and get it all in the mail Monday and Tuesday.  

My brother Danny is coming in Monday night and will stay with Mom & Dad for a couple of weeks helping out.  It makes my heart feel good in a number of ways to have him here.  Not only is he an incredibly hard worker, he's a "good energy" person and has a big heart full of love.

Still posting some old cards from the family newsletters last year.  Can't believe there were so many I didn't share with my Gal Pals.  This one uses one of my favorite paper packs from Memory Lane.  It's the one that has all kraft papers with various printed designs.  It comes in brown print and black print.  I'm pretty sure I bought both - just can't decide which one I like best.

The stamp of the envelope full of hearts is an old beat up stamp my neighbor gave me when she abandoned stamping for quilting and subsequently donated all her craft supplies to my Coastal Craft Room.  Lucky me!  I added a computer sentiment which worked out nicely.  But looking a little more closely at this picture I sure wish I would have sponged or inked the edges of the tag - it would have looked a little more finished.  

But my favorite part of this card is the notebook paper border punch.  I love, love, love that punch!, don't you?  I need some additional Pinterest inspiration for that one for sure.

Well I better sign off for now and get to work.  Have a good one.

Circles and Lines

This post goes out to Debbie.  Sharing how I used my new Penny Black "Circles and Lines" stamp.  Did I do good, Deb?  You are so right. . .the ways you can use this stamp seem endless.  Can't wait to play some more.

I used it for this week's family card.  I searched my paper stash for things that had circles somewhere on it.  Found the Stampin' Up Elegant Soiree designer paper and just loved the colors.  They found this cute little singing birdy from the SU set "Swirls & Curls" which fit well with the swirls of the blue paper.  When combined it all with the Circles and Lines stamp it made me think of birds singing on a wire.  I added some dazzle stickers in a few of the dots to give it a little more zing.

Hope you enjoy.

One More "Happy Hello"

One more post for today.  It's a rainy day here and I decided to take an "extended lunch hour" :-) and play around with My Digital Studio and get the weekly card made a little early.

I used this sketch from the Clean and Simple blog with a little color inspiration from the University of Florida.  Actually the color suggestion was from Cricut Man who saw his UFPTI (University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute) wristband laying on the table where we've been playing on our computers most of the day.    He even took the time to look up the RGB color codes on the university's web site so that really is Gator Blue and Orange!

I think it turned out nice and bright and cheery.  Just what's needed for a rainy day.

Plus I learned a heck of a lot about how to get it to print properly - and let me tell you between the "bleed area" in the software and the minimum margin settings for the printer that was no easy task to get it to print nicely on standard size paper folded into a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 card.  Whew!  I may actually order this one from the Stampin' Up print shop just to see how that process works, what kind of turnaround they have and what kind of quality it is.  I'll keep you posted on the results.

The digital stamps I used were "Together Forever" (the flowers) and "Define Your Life" (the borders), both of which I think are part of the baseline application.  The font was a freebie (CK Message) from the "Free Font Friday" web site.

I swear! - Today has been more FUN than a Gal Pal may deserve! :-)

Happy Weekend!!

Heart Grows Fonder

"What would not I give to wander

Where my old companions dwell?

Absence makes the heart grow fonder:

Isle of Beauty, fare thee well!"

~Thomas Haynes Bayly

After a very LONG work week of Operation Freshmen Recovery (only time will tell how many we were able to recover), I selfishly declared Saturday "My Day" and visited the place where my "old companions dwell" . . . .my "Isle of Crafitng"!

What a wonderful day it was.  I made quite a few things as I was cleaning up all the scraps, tools, stamps and papers laying all over the counters.  I'll be posting pictures of those throughout the next week or so. 

But to get things started, here's a card I made for my Mom and Dad's anniversary last November.  It uses the Everyday Enchantment DSP and the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set.  I loved how it turned out.  I'm not sure Dad probably gave it a 2nd thought but the peach and coral colors are 2 of my Mom's favorites. Without a sentiment on the front this card could also easily be a nice Valentines or Thinking of You card.

Speaking of Mom. . . .She's back home now and the family has a good plan for the week as she trys to figure out what she can and can't do around the house.  Hopefully with time and continued PT she'll be back to good later this year.

Have a good Monday!  Looking forward to our Birthday Celebration at the Iron Horse tomorrow.  I saw Staci Thursday at the shop and told her we wouldn't be there.  Boy! Memory Lane was hopping with customers and activity - Yeah! for them.  Guess I didn't realize Tuesday card group is now so big that they've spilled over to Thursdays.  Can't wait until I retire so I can join the fun! 

Repeats

I was in a hurry yesterday and lacking a little creativity for a design for the family card.  So I went back out and browsed Gal Pals in hopes of finding something I could repeat.  Found this one from way back.  Used a holiday paper pack I picked up a few months ago.  Just love that blue and red combo - reminds me of those SEI papers from a couple of years ago.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and that the week ahead will be smooth sailing!

Quick and Easy

I know most of my Gal Pals have seen this card at the shop but I wanted to get it posted on the blog for use later on.  With all the coordinated paper packs I've been picking up here and there, this is a great card sketch to keep on hand for those last minute cards you might need.  I actually got the sketch from the Clean and Simple web site - one of my favorite sites for easy-peasy ideas.  I've got the dimensions for the patterned pieces somewhere on my craft counter - which is kind of a mess right now :-( but will edit this post as soon as I find them.  I've also made a bunch of different versions of this card and will post them too.  Working on the one for Christmas now.

Hope you all have a good weekend.  We'll be at the Brawl of the Wild Griz-Cat game on Saturday.  It ought to be a good one.

See ya' back here next week.

One Layer Part 2

This is another one layer card - similar to this one I did several months ago.  Well I guess it's not technically a one layer card because I matted the stamped image before adhering it to the card base, but you get the jist.  I love the color combination but I do want to try it in some other colors too.  I used a couple of the excess stamp sets Val passed along.  Thanks! one more time Val!!!  Loved the butterfly set - it's a keeper for sure!

I made this card for the family but the more I look at it the more it seems like a sympathy card to me.  Unfortunately I've needed a few of those lately so I've been looking for more good designs.  Please pass them along if you find any during your browsing.

I'll leave you today with another quote from the back of the digital CardMaker magazine archives I browsed through last week.