Papertrey Ink May Blog Hop Challenge!

For this month's PTI Blog Hop, the focus is on FELT!

I used the negative image leftover from cutting a cloud out using the new PTI large cloud die.  I put some felt behind it, and "puffed" it through the opening (I will say this is cheapo felt that I had laying around, so it is a bit stiffer than I am sure the lovely PTI wool felt is!)  I placed a few bits of tissue paper behind the felt, and then added another piece of cardstock behind the cloud piece for backing.  All was adhered together with a heavy dose of double-sided permanent Scotch tape!  It made this little rectangular cloud sandwich that wasn't even as "bulky" as I originally thought it would be. 

Added the plane to the edge of the piece, some Hawaiian Shores cardstock as a base, and some October Afternoon decorative paper to finish my sky effect.  Here's a shout out to PTI cardstock...even though this card is a little front heavy, it still stands up great!  Funny, this little ditty must be my ode to the end of Lost, boo hoo.  I will admit that this plane might lose it's tiny propeller if it travels someplace far away in an envelope!

I can't wait to see all of the wonderful uses for felt on the rest of the hop...thanks for flying by :)

Argyle Experimentation!

Doesn't that sound scientific?! 

Jason and I had our "anniversary" date yesterday which consisted of eating lunch out, buying a few plants for the garden, and going to the grocery store (all with no kids which made it very vacation-like, hee!).  After we watched the first episode of Lost again (and Jason fell asleep on the couch), I experimented with PTI's A Little Argyle stamp set using different color schemes.  On the PTI forum,  a member challenged us to take out our argyle stamps and practice, as we were all a little intimidated by the gorgeous samples that Lisa Johnson (who created the stamp set) and the whole PTI team made.  I seem to have the easiest time using the big argyle pattern included in the set.

Today, before we picked up the girls, I finished the two cards based on the argyle "swatches" I made...and here they are:

Inks:  Tim Holtz Barn Door, Black Soot, and Antique Linen Distress inks
Stamps:  PTI's A Little Argyle, Fruitful, oval shadow from Warm Happiness, sentiment from Vintage Picnic

Inks:  PTI Hawaiian Shores and Simply Chartreuse (though this was before adding re-inker and more smooshing the ink around with a spoon...it looks very sage before adding more ink?)
Stamps:  A Little Argyle, Everyday Button Bits (balloon and sentiment) and new cloud dies!

You, too, can have fun during Argyle Experimentation!  If you have samples on your blog, be sure to link them up in the comments...and thanks for looking!

Floating...

Loved Roxie's sketch today at Splitcoast!  It's a sunny day here in Rochester, and I had the afternoon off, woo hoo!  While the girls were at school, I got out some old PTI faves (Everyday Button Bits, Through the Trees, and Background Basics: Retro) and had some fun with colors and patterns.  The sentiment is from Round and Round, and fits right inside my FIRST set of Nesties!  Punched circle for the balloons using paper from the Thrift Shop line by October Afternoon (I am eeking out every last scrap of that beautiful stuff!). The cool dotty paper is by Bo Bunny.  Colored the leaves on the tree with a glue pen, and then sprinkled them with Crystal Snow.  I also used the "rock and roll" technique on the leaves to make them two-tone before the glitter.  First I rolled them through Tim Holtz Bundled Sage and then Peeled Paint ink (on the edges).  I really love how this one turned out!

Bird Day Blog Waltz!

Hi everyone!  It's Blog Waltz time at Waltzingmouse Stamps, and the theme for this month is celebrating Bird Days!  Oh wait, maybe I read that wrong?  Do you think they meant BIRTHDAYS?  Oooops!

Used WMS Sewing Box Hugs and papers by October Afternoon to make MY Bird Day card!  And a Happy Bird-day to you all!  Thanks for stopping by on the waltz!

Sunflowers for Cathleen!

Today's Featured Stamper today at Splitcoast is one of my faves of all....ctorina aka Cathleen Torina!  I chose to case this lovely card!  Here is my version:

Kept layout, elements, and colors basically the same, except added a bit of red and changed the images.  I used PTI's Round and Round Anniversary set, and Background Basics: Tin Types on the bottom. It is very difficult to change anything on a card by Cathleen because her cards are perfection!  Congratulations, BFFtorina!

PS...I got me a new camera, see?!  Just a little Kodak Easy Share for now.  Though it didn't cost "that" much, it was a 7 megapixel upgrade, ha!  I went from having 5 to 12, and whew, that's quite a difference to me!  I will invest in a super fantabulous camera one day when there aren't so many kiddos and critters around who could damage it so easily!!!!

Camera Withdrawal!

Olive broke our camera.  I am going through serious withdrawal!  I have learned now that I can't live without a computer and a camera.  My cell phone and TV could get tossed, but I cannot live without my computer and my camera!!!!  Olive must have jumped up on our desk chair and looped the USB port (connected to the camera) around her paw.  When I got out of the shower, there it was in the middle of our laundry room floor.  I picked it up, and "YAY", the green light went on!  Followed only seconds later by "Eeeeek!"... A gray screen with squiggly lines.  "Let's try a picture!"...More gray screen with squiggly lines. 

Jason has already been informed that I will be getting a new one by Saturday.  I explained that it's like living without a fishing rod, and he seemed to understand that analogy!  Until then, here is a little something to look at, a card I made for Splitcoast's Color Challenge last week which was Cameo Coral, Gable Green, and Lovely Lilac.  I substituted PTI's Melon Berry and Tim Holtz inks in Mulled Lavender and Bundled Sage.  Used PTI's new "A Little Argyle" set, and their anniversary set "Round and Round". 

This is possibly one of the LAST pictures taken by said camera...sigh.

Happy Mother's Day...to me!

Pink Persimmon sent us this awesome Bracket Album by KaiserCraft this month, and asked us to decorate it for someone special on Mother's Day or Father's Day.  I chose to celebrate...me! 

Let me explain. When I first got the project I thought "Oh dear." I felt the dreaded "twinge." My Dad died when I was 4 and my Mom died when I was 18, both from illness. They did have me as "older" parents but they were only in their 50's-60's which is young. Most people don't even know this about me, because I don't bring it up unless directly asked. Every year at school I would feel the "twinge" around Father's Day because of the projects. My teachers were always sympathetic and I joyfully would celebrate my 2 brothers-in-law, my uncles, etc...but I would get that twinge. So after my mother died, I carried on and celebrated my wonderful sisters (who are 17 and 24 years older than me!!), and now my wonderful mother-in-law...but still the twinge was there.

And THEN I became a mother...and the twinge is so tiny now that Mother's Day is one of the best days of the year for me! And so that is why I celebrated myself! It was so much fun to put this together! The only issue that came up was that there aren't that many pictures of the girls and me together because I am always the one behind the camera. (Jason took note of this, and said he will work on being the photographer here and there!)  

So here is my Mother's Day Album featuring Eva, Claire, and me!  I used beautiful papers from the "Fly a Kite" and "Thrift Shop" lines from October Afternoon.  I painted the edges of the frames with Tim Holtz Antique Linen Crackle Paint.  Listed below the pages are the stamp sets I used...

Cover:  Little Red Wagon, Vintage Greetings

The next 2 pages open up together, as my pages are bound at the top.

Eva and Claire when they were born!

Stamps: Banner Set (small), Journaling Ticket, Flower Garden

These 2 pages are for Eva! 

Ric Rac Circle, Flower Greetings

And the final pages are for Claire!

Dutch Journal Circle Stamp, Cute as a Button

In case you can't see the fine print, my note to Eva said "We laugh at the same things.  Your laughter must be what sunshine sounds like."  My note to Claire said, "When people say we look alike, it makes me shine inside."

The girls LOVED looking at this.  Eva even said, "Mommy you are so SWEET!" ( I know, blushing!!)  I told Darcy and Judi (the owners of Pink Persimmon) that a new scrapbooking bug just may have bitten me. 

It was my very first scrapbook, and such fun to make!

Don't forget to stop by Pink Persimmon's Blog to see the awesome album that Kristie made on Tuesday, and Samantha made on Wednesday!