the ocean is calling

It's 26 degrees. It's March 26th. Strange, no? It's officially spring! But my backyard is covered in snow and ice. We try go south for February break, but that didn't happen this year. I have been dealing with snow since December. December through March with nothing but snow, and ice, and cold, and wind. Four very, extremely, agonizingly slow months.

I dreamed of the ocean last night. Of sandy shores, seagulls, surf, salty air, and sunshine. Sunshine! Imagine that! And I dreamed in color, because I couldn't wait to get to my craft table and make a card with yellows and blues and greens. And so I did. I even used a tropical looking flower as the focal point.

Could someone please send me a one way ticket to Florida? I'd like to set my eyes upon this view for real. Paper versions don't smell salty. And they don't radiate sunshine. I need some of that. Don't you?

Happy stamping!

reclaimed trash

I got a new stamp set called Chalk Talk by Stampin' Up. It has a coordinating Framelit set that I wanted to play with yesterdat. So I set about making a card based on tag. Let's just say that things didn't go well. Ever have one of those crafting days? I must have worked on this tag for three hours. First I played with the colors. Then I had trouble stamping the flower image with white embossing powder. Once I had it kind of working, I still wasn't happy with it, so I crumpled it all up threw it away. I felt pretty dejected. Not very creative. I vowed to start something new with the set tomorrow.

Tomorrow came and I decided that my crafting space was too messy to be creative in! So I set out to straighten up a bit. I put away my stamp pads. I organized my scrap bits into color families. I put all of my tools back where they belong. And I gathered up all the paper bits that had fallen on the floor to toss them into the trash. That's when I spied my tag from yesterday, all crumpled up and sad. I rescued it, pressed it out flat, and decided that it wasn't so bad after all! I kind of liked the double embossed look of the flower. Yesterday, what had frustrated me had now become a happy accident!). I even loved the distressed effect! (Behind the scenes look: I just had to google effect vs. affect to keep all of my grammar nazi friends happy). Lesson learned? Sometime when crafting and things just aren't clicking, walk away. It just might look better in the morning!

Happy stamping!

Impressive gift card holders

In our family, August is one of our big celebration months! That's because my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and mother-in-law all have birthdays. And my in-laws celebrate their anniversary in August. So we find a day for all of us to gather and have one big party for everyone!

The party was yesterday. And true to form, I waited until the last minute to wrap their gifts. Thankfully, their gifts were all gift cards, and I had been working on a new gift card holder card! This was my brother-in-law's card, and he said it was the coolest card he'd ever seen! High praise indeed from a manly man!

To open the card you have to pull the belly band out from under the main image. And then you ate treated to a little surprise. A pop up card!

This one was for my mother-in-law's birthday, and for my in-law's anniversary.

It's a two-for! Because I had waited til the last moment to craft these cards, I was happy to combine two events into one card.

And this one was given to my sister-in-law.

Her husband said that the card was better than the gift itself! I've got to be honest, even though we were celebrating my family members, I felt like the superstar if the party!

Happy stamping!

Masking tape is the secret

A little bit of masking tape and some glossy paper equals some serious bang! This card whipped up so quickly and I think it's awesome! I love it when a tiny bit of effort pays off in a big way. 

The paper piercing adds texture and whimsy. Again, a little bit of work brings a lot of personality to this card. 

Happy stamping!

Mall stamping

At the end of every school year you'll hear me saying, "I can't wait for summer vacation! Our schedules will finally slow down." Somehow, I must trick my brain into thinking that this ever happens! But inevitably, every summer, things are crazy and I'm running around more busy than I was during the school year. And so it has come to this. I'm sitting in the food court of the mall finishing the card for today's blog post. You may wonder why. It's a long story. 

My 13 year-old daughter, W, is experiencing community theater for the first time. And she landed the role of Patty in Grease! Way to go W!!! So now I'm stuck driving 40 minutes into the city so that W can attend rehearsals. Because it's so far to drive, it doesn't make sense for me to go home, so I've been spending countless hours sitting in my car. Waiting.

Tonight, it was time to leave for rehearsal, and I hadn't quite finished today's card. So, I gathered up the supplies I would need to finish it, dropped W off, and drove to the mall. I felt like a criminal smuggling my scissors into the mall in my purse! But a crafter's gotta do what a crafter's gotta do.  

And here's the finished product! I just might be taking more cards to the mall this summer while I wait for W. beats sitting in the hot and stuffy car!

Happy stamping!