Neck 'N Neck

Hi, Bloggin' Buddies!

You may remember this card that I posted a while ago using our friend's cute photo of a giraffe. She loved the set I made her so much that she asked if she could pay me to do some more. Well, I explained that I really don't sell my cards - I prefer to share them with those who enjoy and appreciate them. Also, I really don't like to mass-produce.

But I told her that if I could do them at a leisurely pace (no deadlines - I'm retired!) and if I could mix them up a little, it would be a fun challenge.

Over several weeks I produced two each of four designs featuring her cute giraffe photo.

I used Graphic 45 paper, vellum, some camera paper, a stencil (My Favorite Things) and some additional stash finds.

It was a fun project and I was more than happy to do it for a very dear lady.

Thanks for the visit and have a great day!

Home again!

We had a great time in southern California visiting family. A highlight was going to an exhibit of vintage travel trailers - they were all decked out with cool stuff from the '40's and 50's. This was part of a Modernism Week in Palm Springs.

It was a total kick and right up my alley. We own so many of the kitschy accessories that we should get a trailer to keep and display it all, but it isn't happening. I do not camp!

And, when we returned I found that my new ProCision Fiskars paper trimmer had arrived! You may remember that I won this from the generous and super-talented Jennifer McGuire. And, is it delux! The 2-arm system prevents all wiggles and guarantees a straight cut every time. I can't say enough about this trimmer - consider it if you are having trouble with yours. I was considering the Tonic, but I am so delighted with this! Thanks so much, Jennifer!

Finally, for today's card I've used a vintage style which was inspired by the current challenge, called "If I Could Turn Back Time" at A Blog Named Hero.

I used my new favorite Hero Arts stamp set, Typewriter Notes (CL676), some trims from my stash and some Graphic 45 paper.

I hope to get caught up on all I've missed at your wonderful and inspiring blogs very soon. Thanks for the peek and have a great week!

On the Boardwalk & a Winner!

When I make cards for kids, I keep them simple (like the monkey Valentine I posted last), but for others I sometimes pull out all the stops (that means extra postage!).

My Aunt loves the beach, the boardwalk and all things vintage. So, I put together this card with some great Graphic 45 paper that I've been hoarding and lots of other goodies.

I just received my new Hero Arts "Many Birthday Messages (CL611)" set which was perfect! I heat embossed it with some Zing powder and it created perfect little "sockets" for the silver "light bulbs" for the boardwalk sign! I love it.

Other details include Sizzix Architectural Accents dies, Stampa Rosa M58-493 stamp, Hero Arts D1006 die, Tim Holtz mini-rosettes die, twine, and a bottle cap that I decorated with the paper and Glossy Accents.

Since I used my brand new Hero Arts stamp set, I am entering this into this month's contest. Check it out and play along - the month is young!

Thanks for your lovely comments on my last post. I continue to work on my acts!

I do have a winner of the hexagon dies. The odds were good, only 6 contestants. The winner is commenter #4, Dawn. I have already alerted you, but please contact me.

Thanks to everyone, everyday!


Have a good one, dear blogger buddies,

Quick and Dirty!

Alas, our month of crazy traveling is behind us! We had a wonderful time, but we are ready to stay home and do some serious nesting.

After our cruise and trip to Orlando, we just returned from Loveland, Colorado. I experienced snow for the first time in decades - nice to look at, but I sure wouldn't want to live in it again. Tropical gal, here!

Since we just returned and Halloween is tomorrow (EEEEKK!), I got up early to knock out a few quick cards. I turned to one of my go-to companies, Graphic 45, for some great paper and put these two cards together. Simple. No stamping! While I am not a big fan of Halloween, I sure love the cute images associated with it.


I can't wait to have time to return to my crafting and checking in on all of your wonderful blogs. In a few days, when the laundry basket is empty, the fridge is full, the bills are paid and the dust settles, I plan to return to lots of crafty fun. I have missed you all and missed my inky fingers.

P.S.:  Stay safe in Sandy's path and "Yay, Giants"!

Photo Finish

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! The weather here was picture-perfect and we had a great time!

Our dear niece is a professional photographer (her lovely website is here). She has such a great sense of style and I always try to make her a fitting and special birthday card. I love images of cameras and photo equipment. I actually taught a black and white photography class at the craft center in college - way before such things as Photoshop!

Anyway, here is the card that I made. No stamping! The sentiment is from SRM Stickers (thanks again, Virginia!) and the paper is from Graphic 45. Bling and ribbon from my stash. I am entering this in the Simon Says Stamp current "anything goes" challenge.

I'm having difficulties with my photography all of a sudden - need a refresher course! I am not happy with this photo.

Wishing you a fantastic week - I hope you can get out and enjoy it!

C'est Francais!

My friend needed a Parisian-themed card for her grand-daughter's big 21st birthday. Did she go to Hallmark? No! She came to watermarks!

You all know how I love everything French and I love to make my special "Eiffel Tower" cards (they are actually called Tee-Pee cards - see video here, but whatever). Remember this one? They are so cool because they easily fold flat for mailing and stand up with no effort and a dot of Velcro.

And, what could be more perfect for the current contest at the Hero Arts blog to make a shaped card?!  I used Hero's CL325 and some paper from Graphic 45 and a vintage postcard. Of course there are some fleur-de-lis and lots of bling. There is space for a personal greeting under one of the flaps, too. I have photographed all three sides.

This was such fun - and I even made her a matching set of thank you notes. I like to encourage the younger generation to employ the social graces.......ha!

Adieu, mes amies! I will see you next week!

Bonjour, mon amie Mary!

Now that my HUGE moment of fame has passed (right!), and my toes have uncurled a bit from the big Moxie Fab World news this morning, I want to share a card with you which I made for my dear friend Mary's 60th birthday. Keep in mind that she loves Paris and that she has a French Bulldog. She is also really smart, incredibly funny and cute as can be. You'd love her!

I found a greeting card at the car wash (yes, I still look at ready-made cards!) with this amazing dog. I cut her out, embellished the heck out of her and featured her on this Eiffel Tower card. You may remember another card that I recently made in this style - I even posted a link to a YouTube how-to video. These cards are neat because they fold flat for mailing, are fun to open, and stand up so perfectly on their own. It stay in place with a little piece of Velcro.

So, the doggie got a crown (made from Shrinky Dinks - how fun are they?!) and lots of glitter and rhinestones. I stamped the Eiffel Tower, the French postmark and the sentiment. I added lots of embellishments from my extensive stash.

One of the sides has a little sentiment (computer generated) about turning 60. I knew that those six years of French class would come in handy some day! The paper is Graphic 45's "Curtain Call" - love it. Very French, eh?

I left the third side of the card for my note, so I didn't photograph it.

Okay, now I need to stop speaking in a very overdone French accent (it is such fun!) and get some work done. Eh, mon petite cheri?

Thanks for all support on my Moxie Fab recognition-what a day!  You all are the very best! Au revoir!

Old Movies

One of my dear friends and craftin' sista, Antoinette, loves old movies. So, when I saw the Graphic 45 paper pad called "Curtain Call" I had to think of her. I bought the 8" x 8" pad and just love it.

You may remember the "tee pee" card that I learned in a class a couple of weeks ago.I used that technique to make this card for my pal.

 And, this is how I decorated the other two sides. I love how this folds flat to fit into a standard envelope. And, can you believe it? No stamping on this baby.

Have a wonderful week and thanks for stopping by!

Father's Day

Good morning everyone! This weekend is Father's Day so I am sharing a card I made for my dear Uncle. He is an avid golfer, so I featured this guy from Graphic 45 paper. Love the vintage look. The background is the Fabric Design from Hero Arts on watercolor paper. To complete the vintage look I added a key from K&Company and a distressed sentiment from Hero Arts (CL498) which I cut with Nestibilities in my Cuttlebug.

I am glad that I was able to spend last week with my Dad. So many happy memories - I was blessed with a loving & happy childhood for which I am most grateful. Love you Dad!

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping in.