MIXED MEDIA MONDAY - New toy!

While in Springfield over the weekend, I decided I needed a book fix so a stop at B & N was on the agenda. Aside from the 2017 Writers Market and a New Age book for research, I had to cruise the craft magazines. I have subscribed to one of the UK magazines in the past and have only not renewed simply because I'm trying to budget my spending better. Instead, I'm going to buy one when I go to the city if one catches my attention.

I fell in love with this bicycle build a die and the stamp set for basket fillers was just too cute to pass up.

Here's a close up of the cover to show all the other goodies you'll find in the mag.

The cover shows one of the adorable ways to use the set. Also I just noticed this morning that there is a FREE Digi Download of a Fairy. How did I miss that while looking through the magazine at the hotel the other night.

And here's a close-up of just the stamp/ die set:

Just too cute, right? I hope to have something with this coming up very soon.

A bit about me. If you do not already know I am severely OCD. I can not work on ANYTHING until EVERYTHING around me is in order... even things that do not pertain to the project. If you think it drives you crazy due to lack of posts, imagine being in my head! LOL  

For one thing, I need visuals. I spent all last week working on a magnetic blog board so I could see the big picture. I just need to finish typing up the blog planner binder pages this morning, print them out then I'm ready to start laying out blog posts for the rest of this month and all of next. I'm super busy the first 2 weeks, including being gone to a writers conference I've attended every year for the past 20 years. Then Bob is home the last two weeks of October. National Novel Writing Month starts on the heels of him leaving. 

With all of that coming up, I do not want to leave the blogs behind. I feel I have too  much to share. So, thank you for your patience as I try to reign in my OCD. 

WOYWW #380

Good morning, friends.

Not a lot has changed on my desk over the past week as Bob and I spent his final days at home shopping, eating, watching movies.

Some of you asked about the cards I'd made last week. Those were for my StampinUp blog and hadn't thought to share them with you here as I have something similar coming up this week. But here they are...

         

These were made from the Hello December Project Life kit in the 2016 Holiday catalog.

You can see the details on my Stampin' Up blog HERE.

I had also promised to show a picture of my Girl Scout memorabilia shelf this week but the picture came out blurry. I'm not feeling well this morning so getting back out of the recliner right away to retake didn't excite me. I will take a better one this afternoon and have it for you next week.

That's my desk? What's on yours? When you are done visiting me in the Ozarks, please hop on over to Stamping Ground where Miss Julia has a long list of other studios you can peek into. No standing on an up-turned milk pail to look in the window. We open the doors wide and welcome you. We won’t touch.. just look. Bob left yesterday so you know that means I'll have time to visit all of you in a more timely fashion. Please leave your number and you'll be among the first on my list.

WOYWW #379

Happy Wednesday!  Yep... I have creative space and have been having fun.

I apologize for no post last week. I had one all written up and scheduled but my router crashed on Tuesday night so I could not link up Wednesday morning.

But I'm here now and ready to pay visits. Bob's home so you know that means probably not until the weekend. I am so ready to visit y'all again. I've missed you!

So my desk... I have the ironing pad up so that I had a place to lay finished cards. The supplies are in piles on the sofa-bed to the right (out of frame) so I can turn and grab what I need without taking up precious play space.

That's my desk? What's on yours? When you are done visiting me in the Ozarks, please hop on over to Stamping Ground where Miss Julia has a long list of other studios you can peek into. No standing on an up-turned milk pail to look in the window. We open the doors wide and welcome you. We won’t touch.. just look. J  I can't wait to peek but we have a busy weekend ahead so I may be late again getting 'round. Please leave your number and you'll be first on my list.

Technique Tuesday - Rollin' along!

One of the things I'm striving for now that I have my studio almost done, is to try new techniques. This week I had the perfect opportunity to try Beverly Stewart's Plaid Background technique. You can see the full tutorial on Splitcoast HERE  This is my attempt at reproducing the Faulkner tartan (plaid)

I used the following colors:

Brilliant Blue

Crumb Cake

Real Red

Summer Fun

Blushing Bride

Daffodil Delight (mat)

The sentiment is from Heartfelt Sympathy.

This card is going to my bestie from High School. Karen was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She's had the mass removed but will still undergo chemo and probably radiation. She is not dealing well at all. I ache for what she is going through. She needs lots of encouragement. To this week, she is the featured recipient on our Teapot Tuesday group at Splitcoast Stampers. (See How It Works) If you love making cards and want someplace to send them, I hope you'll become a teapotter. We really do have lots of fun bringing smiles and encouragement to others all over the country.  

One of the things Karen and I enjoyed most was music... specifically,  the Fab Five from Edinburgh - The Bay City Rollers. Her fav member was Eric Faulkner so I did my best to reproduce the Faulkner tartan on the front of the card.  

And since I can't be there for Karen in person right now, I sent our Fab Five in my place - in the form of a Pop Up (another technique I'd not tried).

I hope Karen receives lots of cards and can work through this difficult time in her life - with a little help from her friends. 

Here's a flashback for y'all.  Keep Rolllin'!

FRIDAY FREEBIE - Alphabet Challenge - Letter X

I recently followed a trail of glitter to a challenge thread on SplitcoastStampers called Alphabet Challenge. Every week a new challenge is posted with specific guidelines. Of course, there is a Letter of the Alphabet. But sometimes they through in a double challenge... like this week.

Letter X
Use an Embossing Folder
Make it Masculine

I needed an anniversary card for Bob, who will be home on Wednesday! My 'X' is in the form of a cross-stitch sampler.

I used my scor-pal to make the wainscoting, (hard to see in the picture but there are vertical lines 1/4" apart on the bottom 1/2 of the card), The wallpaper is from DCWV Heirloom pad. Recollections brown CS and the woodgrain EB folder from The Paper Studio make the frame and the chair rail.

I stamped the words in Classic Alphabet (retired - SU) in a ghost print of Bordering Blue then did cross-stitch marks over the letters with a blue perma-pen.

The sentiment is from SU Number of Years. 

WOYWW # 378

After almost a month of getting used to new teeth, I'm getting back in the creative vein. I've even managed to put more stuff away in the studio. Bob will be surprised.

Part of the reason for stuff being put away is that I had to pull out the sofa bed. I came home from my last dental visit to find the central AC had gone out... and we've been hot again. My studio has a separate heating/ AC unit so one of the cats and I are pretty much living in here LOL The other cat, Spirit, doesn't like being cold so he is stubbornly suffering through the 82 degree house. Silly boy!

Anyhow, I have a stamp set pulled from the new SU Holiday catalog to make a card for a three year old who has to have surgery in a couple of weeks. He loves trains. Card pieces to the right are to be made into a card for my friend who's going through breast cancer treatments and a miscellaneous of other stuff I need to clear off and put away. The pads of paper with the ribbon or mats from the new Candy Cane Lane and Halloween papers from SU. Those are going off to my two top customers tomorrow.

That's my desk? What's on yours? When you are done visiting me in the Ozarks, please hop on over to Stamping Ground where Miss Julia has a long list of other studios you can peek into. No standing on an up-turned milk pail to look in the window. We open the doors wide and welcome you. We won’t touch.. just look. I can't wait to peek. Bob may or may not be home tomorrow and that will lay out how quick I get 'round to all of you.  Please leave your number and you'll be first on my list.

TEAPOT TUESDAY

Okay, so I'm still a week behind. This card was sent to Anne last week.
Anne recently lost her husband after a long illness and she surely would be cheered by words of support from SCS pals

I can't imagine being in Anne's position. Bob and I are way too close to be without one another. 

I used Heartfelt Sympathy from SU. The inside sentiment says 'May you be comforted by the outpouring of love surrounding you'.  I think that sums up the teapotter group nicely.

The DSP was from my scrap box and matted with a Recollections CS.