Blessed :-)

I feel blessed. :-)

I have many reasons--one of them is how happy I am to be able to share my love of crafting with all of the amazing people I have met through blogs and forums. The forum at Papertrey Ink was the first that I joined, and I have met so many wonderful and supportive people there. They opened up a new world of creativity to me and at the same time became my biggest cheerleaders. I gained a confidence in my creations that allowed me to actually SEND my cards to people so they can be enjoyed rather than just sticking them in a shoe box. They also gave me the confidence to start a blog. (Even if I don't post regularly it is such a wonderful outlet and I'm glad to have it available.)

In a previous post I mentioned Beverly from Precious Scraps (blog link on sidebar)--she is a perfect example of someone I have never met face to face, but I consider her a friend. She always goes above and beyond to do or say something nice (all while juggling her family, her dream business that she built from the ground up literally, her day job, and daily life). Her thoughtfulness has touched my heart and she is such a great reminder that there are people out there who do nice things just because they are good people.

Another amazing woman I have never met in person, but have been so fortunate to call a friend is Claire from Waltzingmouse Stamps (links to blog and store on sidebar). Even though she lives in Ireland (across the "Big Water" as my relatives in Germany call it), she has become a source of encouragement and inspiration to me. Claire also has such kindness and generosity that can be hard to find these days, especially while everyone is so busy with life/work/family. She followed her dreams and now designs and sells her own stamps. I received such a sweet surprise from her yesterday and it more than made my day.

They are only two examples of the many fabulous friends I have been lucky enough to encounter during the last few years. I want to thank anyone who comes here to read/comment on my little blog and offer encouragement. I am so blessed to belong to such an amazing community of crafters who come together from all over to share ideas, inspiration, advice, friendship, and a pure love of creating.

I am excited to see what the new year holds for all of us. {{{hugs}}}

Another quick card

I had a little time tonight to make a quick card so I grabbed a PTI set that I love, but don't use quite as often as I should--Life.

I used a base of Kraft paper, then a layer of Vintage Cream with some slight distressing on the edges. Next I layered some pp from Crafty Secrets onto to some Raspberry Fizz that I used my new favorite EK Success punch on (yes, I used it again).

The sentiment is from Life and it's stamped in Raspberry Fizz and Dark Chocolate. The pink is showing up a little orange-y in this photo, but I promise you it's a beautiful bright pink.

I'm glad I was able to squeeze another card in tonight, and that my little monsters left me alone long enough to finish. :-)

I underestimated myself

I thought I was wrapping things up for the day, but instead I ate a piece of pie and then made a quick card. It was inspired by the fun ribbon I picked up at Hobby Lobby yesterday. The dots/stripes can match up with Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, Ripe Avocado, and even Ocean Tides.

For this card I used Sweet Blush, Ripe Avocado, and Dark Chocolate. The stamps are from Floral Fusion, a limited edition Papertrey Ink set that was only available during the CHA show in Florida last year. I wasn't able to go, but my blogging friend Beverly (Precious Scraps) was generous enough to give it to me as a wedding gift.

I feel like I'm on a roll--I'm finally getting back into the groove of creating and I couldn't be happier about that. It feels good to be using all of the fabulous and fun supplies I have stockpiled. (Of course, the more I use the better my excuse for shopping. LOL)

No card today, but I did get caught up on the laundry, dishes, and some other things around the house that needed to get done. I also baked an apple pie. It still has to cool, but it looks (and smells) pretty yummy!

I also had some help putting up a new shower curtain liner. It's quite fitting that they help since the reason it was being replaced was because of the holes they had clawed and chewed in the old one. They are doing very well and they are growing like crazy, but they have definitely left their mark on our home (Yes, Clyde is chewing on it in this pic). Luckily they are the sweetest, cutest little things so we let them live. LOL



When we named them Bonnie & Clyde we knew they were close, but we had no idea just how close they really are. I have very few photos of them by themselves because usually they are together. They snuggle more than any two cats I've ever seen before, but I'm glad they have each other. It's hard to resist two snuggling little kitties. :-)

Here is one of the cards I entered into the GSS contest at Papertrey Ink. It was actually more of an excuse to use my new EK Success diamond lace border punch than anything else. LOL

I used the PTI stamp set Rustic Branches for all of the dots, leaves, and sentiments. The paper colors used were Kraft, Ripe Avocado, Pure Poppy, and Spring Moss with Dark chocolate and Ripe Avocado inks. I finished it off with a coordinating Prima Artistry flower. I felt that the flower packed enough of a punch that I could keep everything else a little more simple.

I really liked using these colors and stamps for something other than Christmas--I think they can be great all year long.

I was only able to make one more card over the weekend and it was pretty fast (and not quite up to GSS contest standards). All of the Valentine's Day inspiration that I've been seeing got me to ink up the My Punny Valentine set from Papertrey Ink. This set has not seen ink in a looooong time so it was more than due.

I used all PTI products on this--Sweet Blush, Hibiscus Burst, and Raspberry Fizz are the colors.

I also tried a trick that I've been seeing a lot of in blogland--redline tape and glitter to make an accent stripe. The photo didn't capture the glitter very well, but it is something that I will definitely be trying again in the future.

I'm learning that if I want to make a card it has to be a quick one since I have to repeatedly remove kittens from my workspace (hopefully without them taking my supplies with them). I'm enjoying their playfulness, but hopefully they'll let me work in peace one day. LOL

Has it really been 2 months?

I just realized that it's been 2 months since my last blog post. I guess with the Holidays and everything else time has just slipped away. Hopefully that is going to change. Part of my resolutions for the New Year is to get back into creating more regularly, and last night I made a card for the first time in months. It felt good and it came together rather quickly (to my surprise).

I don't have a photo yet, but I think I may enter it into Papertrey Ink's monthly GSS contest. I'm hoping this weekend to make a few other entries as well. I haven't entered in almost a year, but I think I'm ready to get back into the swing of things.

Since I don't have a card, I'll leave you with some new pics of our kitties. They are doing MUCH better and seem to be very healthy and happy now.

Bonnie has such a sweet and innocent face. She's really starting to get more of a personality compared to when we first got her.

Clyde has had a more "in your face" approach since day one, but deep down he's a big softie. Don't you just want to pet that belly? LOL (Notice the size of his paws--he's only 6 months old, but I think he's going to be a BIG boy once he grows into them.)