Animal Antics

Good Monday morning to you!

I thought I would get off one more card for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog for Animal Antics. I have used stamps from my pals at Doodle Stampede. This dophin is definitely doing some antics!

I wanted to try some color blocking, a trick I saw from my blogging buddy Virginia. Thanks, pal!

The early morning fog sort of dulls the colors in the photo, they are really quite brilliant.

Wishing you a wonderful week and thanks so much for the visit!

Feelin' Groovey

I don't normally post on weekends, but I just wasn't happy with yesterday's post. It has been nagging at me.

I decided to channel my inner 1960's - what an amazing decade! Yep, I even had a VW bug that I painted with flowers.

Again, this is for the Paper Smooches SPARKS Trends challenge - flowers. I'm sooo much happier since I decided to "roll with it"! This is so much more ME. I thought the flowers with the silver centers worked well with the dash of chrome on the scooter.

Hope you are having an "outta sight" weekend. Thanks for being patient with my struggle!

Stamps: Paper Smooches Graffiti and Spiffy Scooters; paper MME Lost and Found Blush, flowers by Jolee, Metallic pen

Flowers

I guess I am not really a "flower person". While I love fresh flowers, I never seem to stamp them and all (too many!) of my flower stamps seem to gather dust.

That being said, the current Paper Smooches SPARKS Trend Watch challenge is all about flowers.

I have no PS flower stamps, so I got creative with dies (Get Well Word, Loopy Leaf, Borders1) and paper (MME Lost and Found Blush). The mini rose is Die-Namics.

I had an entirely different concept in mind when I started this card, but after hours of struggle, I ended up with this. The colors didn't photograph well, sorry!

I love that Loopy Leaf!

Hope you are gearing up for a great weekend. We are expecting unusually hot weather.

Thanks for the visit!

California!

My former collage roommate loves quails and poppies. It just so happens that they are
California's state bird and flower. I found this perfect little magnet for her at a garage sale last weekend and I decided to make a card to go along with it.

I dug out a very old SU set called Wonderful Woodgrains and a Hero Arts sentiment (Big Hugs, CL456).  Paper and enamel dots are from My Mind's Eye.

This is going into the  Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Bog - Animal Antics. I believe that birds count for this, as my dear and super-talented pal Lin, who is on the Design Team there, rocked it with a couple of adorable bird cards.


  
Thanks for the sweet visit. Have a great day!

Back At It!

We had a wonderful extended holiday weekend! Lunch in San Francisco with a special friend and her dear family (more on this later!), then on to Calistoga in Napa's beautiful wine country. We enjoyed the last of the concerts in the park, the last of Gary's yummy tomato crop, the last summer hours in the mineral water pool, great warm weather, some cleaning, catching up with friends, and so much more. A fantastic salute to a departing summer!

Now, we are ready to be home for awhile, getting back to our routines. I am sorry to see the kids heading back to school, but "to everything there is a season".

I made these little back to school bookmarks with stamps from my pals at Doodle Stampede. Simple, yet fun for kids.

I'll be checking in with all of your creative bogs later today. Thanks for the visit and have a lovely week!

Thanks to my Manicurist

These are my finger nails! I figure that I was the consummate professional for 35 years, so now this old lady can go wild and be crazy.

When I told my manicurist that I wanted dots on the red nails, I thought that she would have to get out a fine brush to apply them. No! She used a stylus (like we used to use with those brass stencils before there were embossing folders - remember?). She dipped it into the polish and quickly and expertly applied the dots.

Thanks, Joanne! Why not try that on my cards? So I did, and I love the look, with a little texture. Easy, too.

I made this card for two challenges. The first is Paper Smooches SPARKS Picture Perfect challenge using this photo for inspiration.

My background is stamped with Distress Ink onto wet watercolor paper and is reminiscent of the background on the wall in the photo. I also used the great colors and the frame element from the photo. The "thanks" is embossed to make it pop a little.

I am also submitting this to the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes!

This was such fun -  I plan to use this technique again and again.

Thanks for the visit and have a great weekend!

Paper Smooches stamps - Simply Said, Slang Gang, Geo-Graphic, Little Fella; Teresa Collins "He Said She Said" enamel dots, Copic pens, Viva Pearl Pen

Just Because

I have been wanting to make a special card for a dear friend who has a little dachshund. I wanted something kind of subtle (from me? - ha!). I used this perfect digital stamp from paperadictions at Etsy. So cute! It is foggy here this morning, so my photo isn't the best.

With the pouch I used a new Hero Arts stamp set called "This is Big" (CL570). It was sent to me by my wonderful blogging' pal, Anita Rex. You can check out some her wonderful creations on her blog Crafty Girl Designs. She is something else - one amazing gal!

Thanks so much, Anita! I cant wait to play some more with this great set.

I hope you have a wonderful week. I plan to make the most out of the last few days of summer.

Also used: Teresa Collins "Far and Away" enamel dots, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Momento Rich Cocoa ink, Copic pens

More Doodle Stampede

Today I am featuring another cute set from my creative pals at Doodle Stampede! Lots of great oceanic creatures are included in this set called "Underwater Party". Looks like some serious (and damp) fun goin' on.

Disclaimer: Even though it appears that this dolphin is really enjoying the party, remember that this is fantasy! I do not condone having dolphins in captivity under any circumstances, including for entertainment or for cute photo opps.

Decades ago I had the opportunity to swim with some wild dolphins off the coast of the Big Island In Hawaii and it was life-changing. These are magnificent creatures who simply cannot survive (in body or spirit) without freedom.

I sure hope you have enjoyed this little introduction to Doodle Stampede. Please check them out and join in the fun.

Hope you are having a great week! I'm not liking that the days are already getting shorter....ugh!

Banner die stamp by Simon Says Stamp

Doodle Stampede!

So nice to be home, crafting and blogging again!

Awhile back I mentioned that my YMCA friend, Michele, and her friend may soon be launching a new stamp company. It happened! Doodle Stampede is owned by two creative and fun-loving gals from California.



















I plan to be spotlighting these stamps the next couple of weeks.

Today I have used the set "Fill Me In". It is so versatile - these little guys have all sorts of hip accessories, or you can use them unadorned. I have used letters cut from Hero Arts Alphabet (DI061) and Memory Box Parker Alphabet dies.

Don't these guys just make you smile? Please check out these new stamps. They are made in the USA and so much fun.

Home Again!

Just a quick post to let you know that we have finally returned from our two great
back-to-back road trips and a quick trip to Calistoga (Napa Valley).

The road trip to Colorado was the longest I've taken in my adult life! We were on the road for six days and we saw 3 National Parks (and lots of other great things), the most spectacular of which was Arches National Park in Moab, UT. Amazing.

We also spent a week with all of Gary's siblings and their spouses. That was fun. The high altitude (7,000 to 10,000 feet!) bothered me a little bit, so I was glad to get back to sea level here in the SF Bay Area.

I hope to get back to cardmaking, blogging, and catching up with your wonderful blogs next week. Hope you are having a wonderful August!