OA Challenge!

Hello friends!  Long time, no see!  Long time NO STAMP!  This weekend changed all that.  I've got lots to show you.  Ü

 

Last month was the October Afternoon Warehouse Sale and man O'MAN was it a sale!  I was there 3 times!  While standing in line to get in, I saw my cyber friend, Beth.  We got to talking and decided to do a challenge using our new OA papers.  How fun!

 

So, we are both posting creations today using Cakewalk.  Once I got started, I couldn't stop.  LOL

 

This is for our son's birthday next week.  The star wreath is a Memory Box die.  I love how it goes with the star paper in this line.  I covered a chipboard star with paper and glittered up a few of the stars on the wreath.  Hey, even guys can appreciate glitter ya know.

 

This one started out as a CAS, but as always, I can't help but keep adding until I'm happy.  LOL

The flower is built using PTI flower dies and the leaves are MFT.

 

Lastly, I mixed a little Cakewalk with the red snowflake paper from Holiday Style.  I didn't have any cardstock that would match the green in the plaid, so I sprayed some cream with Sprinklers and Mr Huey white (it matches better in real life) and die cut the tag (PTI).  The image is Whipper Snapper.

This was such a great way to get my mojo going and I can't wait to see what Beth created!  You can find her at Never Too Old to Color.

 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

HB

 

Happy Saturday!  My daughter & her husband are coming for the weekend and it's going to be a girls shopping day!  yippeeee!    The day ahead is like card.  It was a long week, kinda rainy and now today will be the rainbow!  (cheesy, I know.  LOL)

 

 

I used the die-namics rainbow die from MFT to die cut white cardstock, colored each line with Copics and then using a glue pen, poured on the glitter.  The clouds are PTI dies using PTI felt and the sun is Studio Calico.  Papers are October Afternoon.

I hope your day is filled with rainbows!  :)
HB

Happy Day!

Hello Hello!  It's been a wild & crazy summer and while I've gotten some stamping in, I haven't taken the time to share here.  Bad HB.

So... I figure a little Happy Day wish for you all was appropriate.  Ü

This Memory Box bike die is one of my new favs.  I bought a recumbent exercise bike last January and ride that baby faithfully each morning. This is my "get healthy" year, and that bike has helped me loose over 60 lbs so far. 

I hope you've found something this year that makes you happy!  If not... well, the year isn't over yet. 

Good to *see* you again!
HB

Birthday Tags

Hello!  I've been busy lately working on a project for my daughter-in-law.  My two little granddaughters seem to be going to birthday parties on a weekly basis and so I made a collection of birthday tags for Katherine to have in a cute box, ready to tie to any gift.

Here's the group - 30 of them!

I am adding a collection of colored twine in the box to tie the tags to the gift.  

Here are the individual tags.  I used manila tags covered with various papers. The tags are big enough that the little girls can write a birthday message on the back. The images are all digi stamps and are perfect for a project like this because I could make the images the perfect size for the tag!

  

I hope you are having a fabulous summer!
HB

In Sympathy

Yesterday was so hot, the only thing really to do was stay in and stamp.  I'm a very logical girl.  LOL

I looked at my box of cards and found that I don't have any sympathy cards and although it was the 4th, a day of celebration, I took to the task.

As always, beautiful papers make it easy....

The first card background was from Plumeria (Basic Grey).  I stamped the sentiment (My Sentiments Exactly) right on the paper and then added the little pearls and the butterfly (Taylored Expressions).
The wings of the butterfly are glitterfied with Antique Linen Distress Stickles.

The second card uses the same paper line for the frame.  The image, Botanical Silhouettes (Papertrey Ink) was an anniversary set. 

I hope I don't have to use these for a long long time, but it's good to have them on hand.

Have a great day!  Stay cool!
HB

God Bless America

Happy 4th of July

I hope you have a fire-crackin great day!

HB

Hi all!  It's another gorgeous day here in MN!  After all the rain last week, this is so wonderful.

Each year, I use my "Volunteer Day" (a benefit where I work - each and every employee, 60,000+, gets one paid 8 hour day to give to to their community as a volunteer) to make birthday cards for the local Meals on Wheels program.  This is my 3rd year and each year I try to make more than the last.  2010 was 31, 2011 was 50 and this year... 55!



I try to keep the cards flat so they don't have to add postage for mailing, which is the hardest thing for me!  I like my embellishments!  LOL 

So there ya go... a very productive couple days.  But YIKES, you should see my table!

See you soon!
HB

Toad'ally!

Hello!  I have another creation to share from my unexpected stamping time last weekend (remember the washed out camping trip?  lol). 

I used the new Sweet Sunday Sketch (#161) to make a card for my daughter who lives in Chicago.   

When she was little her nickname was "Toad" (long story.  lol) so I thought this image was very fitting.  I'll stick a Starbucks gift card in it as a treat.  I wonder if she'll get the phone reference - as in CALL YOUR MOM!  :)  She's more of a text'er but sometimes I just need to hear her voice.  Ya know?!?

Anyway... the image is Whipper Snapper and the papers are My Minds Eye.

Thanks for stopping!
HB

Birthday Balloons

Happy Monday friends! 

Here's is a quickie card using this weeks sketch challenge over on SCS.



The paper does all the work! (Neapolitan by AC)  Gotta love that.  The balloon and sentiment die are from PTI, as is the sentiment.  A little glitter here and there and done!

Have a GREAT week!
HB

A rainy day...

Today was one of those days.  We were suppose to go camping (in a tent that we've had for 3 years and still haven't used), but then the weather forecast was for thunderstorms.  Oh well, we thought, a little water never hurt.  But then my husband ended up at an emergency dentist appointment this morning and had to have a tooth pulled.  Oy.  Needless to say, the camping trip was cancelled.  We were only going about a half hour from home for one night, so it really wasn't all that sad to cancel (and I know I would NOT have enjoyed sleeping in a tent with a thunderstorm going on around me anyway.  LOL)

So what's a girl to do with a unplanned day at home?  Stamp, of course.

I decided to go against the weather and make a bright, cheery card using Main Street (Whipper Snapper).  The birdhouses are all paper-pieced with Neapolitan (Dear Lizzy by AC).  The little flower garden is two dies; Spring Border (Memory Box) and Fresh Cut Grass (MFT).  The flowers and stems are colored with Copics.  The sentiment is from the Year Round Sentiments set (Hero Arts).  I love the little strip of washi tape that was a gift from a wonderful friend (she actually gave me a whole roll, not just the little strip.  LOL)

So... all in all, not a bad day.  Considering.
Thanks for visiting!
HB

Hello

Hi friends!  It was a HOT weekend here in MN so I stayed in the coolness and stamped.  I'm a smart girl.  LOL

I found out recently that friends from our hometown have started a gourmet pickle business.  They are a great couple and I am so excited for them.  I had just purchased the Dear Lizzy Neapolitan 6x6 pad that has these adorable little mason jars so the light bulb pops in my head... make her a set of note cards!

I cut out 6 different jars and put a couple of stamped flowers (PTI) in each.  The strips of paper are all from the same pad and are sewn together.  The sentiment is Hero Arts.

Of course I realized I didn't take a picture of the coordinating card, or the cute package, before I sealed up the package for mailing.  ugh.  You'll just have to trust me.  Ü

I hope you stayed cool this weekend!

HB

Guy cards

edited to replace the duplicate picture with the missing one.  I'm a dork.

Hello!  I have a lot to share with you today.

Yesterday, I spent the whole day (ya, like from 10 am to 11pm! lol) with a couple good friends at Archivers.  I love stamping and chatting and laughing with these girls.  Anyway... I had recently bought the Note to Self paper pack from Echo Park and decided to use it to make Guy cards.  

I made 10 (TEN!) cards!  People who know me know that that is a lot in one day.  I am stoked that my mojo is coming back.  The only stamping was the sentiment (except for the airplane card), and I used a lot of dies.

 

These will all go to the Meals on Wheels program in the Twin Cities.  I donate cards to them each year to give their clients.  It's such a good program for our senior shut-ins!

Did you get crafty this weekend?  Isn't it just the funnest thing!?!??!
See you soon!
HB

Beautiful Day

Happy Day my friends!  It's Thursday already and even better than that... it's the last day of May!  How the heck did we get to the end of May already? 

I had some time to play this past weekend and pulled out one of my favorite Pure Innocence stamps, Sunflower Girl. 

I used the May SFYTT for my layout.  It's a goodie!

Papers are Basic Grey.

I'm off and running to get this day going.  Thanks for stopping by!

HB



Revisiting Vellum

Look at this - 2 posts in one weekend! LOL

It's our wedding anniversary this weekend so I didn't have a whole lot of time to play, but I did make one card.  I was inspired by Friday's Free For All challenge over on SCS to use vellum.  I love vellum, but it's one of those "old" things that doesn't get much use. 

I stamped the flower bouquet (Hero Arts) on white cardstock and colored with Copics.  Then I stamped it again on vellum and embossed with clear EP.  I colored only certain flowers on the back-side and cut each out.

 The vellum flowers are attached only at the center and the petals are curled up to look all fluffy.  Each vellum flower has a black Viva Pearl dot in the center.  A couple little vellum butterflies (Martha Stewart punch) are added in the corners.

The sketch for the card is from Retro Sketches #11.

I hope you had a fabulous weekend!
HB

Ten

Hello Hello... how did this week go by so fast?  I meant to post this card days ago.  *sigh*

I played in the SCS Inspiration Challenge from last Saturday and created this card.



It's our granddaughter's 10th birthday this year and when I went to the inspiration website, Hard to Find, I found this piece and the idea just fell into place.  I love when that happens!

It's suppose to be a lovely day here in our neck of the woods, so my husband and I are heading over to Stillwater for an art show along the St Croix river.  I hope you have a lovely day as well!

HB



Happy Day!

Happy Saturday!

It seems like forever since I've had a Saturday to sit in front of my sunny window and play.  I'm taking full advantage of it today!  LOL

Recently I found a great new (to me) blog - Freshly Made Sketches and I was inspired by their latest sketch, #34.

I pulled out a bunch of my favorite dies; Memory Box, Papertrey Ink, Tim Holtz, Spellbinders and Taylored Expressions (I love them all!  LOL) and got busy.  The paper is October Afternoon.

I put a little Antique Linen crackle paint on the circle and boy did that give it some extra texture.   The word "Day" has Rock Candy Stickles on it for some sparkle.

Isn't this a great sketch?  I'm sure it's one I'll use often.



I hope you're having a beautiful, sunny Saturday!
HB

Ready for 5

Hi everyone!  It's a special weekend - our granddaughter, Elise, is turning 5.

Elise said the other day "I can't wait for this weekend, I'm sick of being 4".  LOL  I love her unintentional wit.

I bought this stamp, Party Girl (Lili of the Valley) to use for the card because it could be a picture of Elise.  She loves to wear dresses... all the time! And she's all about the sparkle and princesses.

The image is colored with copics and the skirt, crown and balloon are covered with Rock Candy stickles sprinkled with additional glitter before it dried.

Here is Elise with her big sister Grace when we were at MOA theme park recently.  That place is just plain FUN! (boy, a white headband + bright overhead lights = bad pic. lol)

Thanks for stopping by!

HB



Miss You

It was a good stamping weekend at my place!  There really is nothing better than spending time relaxing and coloring.

Frog Garden is one of my favorite Whipper Snapper images.  You can match the flowers to whatever paper you are using.  In this case, Neapolitan by American Crafts.

I even dusted off the sewing machine for this babee!  :)

The scallop die is Taylored Expressions, the flags are My Favorite Things and the scallop circle (behind the button) is Spellbinders.  The layout is MFTWSC68 (I love their sketches!)  Oh... and there is glitter pretty much everywhere.  LOL

Thanks for stopping by!

HB

Butterflies

Happy Saturday!

This past week I was playing with my butterfly dies, Vivienne and Darla (Memory Box).  I love how the delicate the wings are.

I find that I need to put one layer of cardstock (shim) under my plate in the Big Shot in order for all the little pieces in the wings to punch out easily.  For this next card, I forgot to put in the shim.  I almost threw the butterfly away, but then the light bulb came on! 

I put some tape behind the butterfly to make sure the little pieces wouldn't fall out later and then colored each little piece with Copic markers.  After all was colored, I used the Quckie Glue pen to put glue on just the white outlines and sprinkled with glitter (I wish you could see the sparkle!).



The strip is made using the Piestra Tile die (also Memory Box) and adding a strip of matching decorative paper behind it.  The sentiment is from Through the Trees  (Papertey Ink).

I hope you are having a fabulous day!  I'm going to bury myself in paper and ink.  :)
HB

Three-fers

Happy Sunday! It's rather rainy/dreary hear in MN, so what's a girl to do but stamp!?!

I pulled out my new On the Links stamp set (Papertrey Ink) and pared it with an older mini deck pad from Cosmo Cricket (Upcycle) and created 3 different cards.

This one is my fav using PTI Fillable Frames #1 and Tag Sale #5 dies. The golf ball is stamped in Fresh Snow ink, embossed with white EP and punched out using a circle punch.


This one uses Spellbinders inverted scallop circle and regular circle dies. The golf ball was done the same way as on the previous card.





Lastly, I love this little golf cart! I cut the cream mat from Mat Stack #4 and then made a frame using the coordinating layerz die from green cardstock.


You'd think that using one set and one pad of paper wouldn't create such a big mess on my table! LOL Not so much.

Have a happy day!
HB

Happy Spring!

It's a busy time of year, but one of my favorite times. Trees are blooming, grass is turning green, everything is "springing" back to life!

As with each holiday, I make a special treat for my team at work. This year, it's Bunny Bait. I put the yummy mixture into cone shaped bags and tied a fun, sparklie tag on each one.



I used Easter Sweeties (Lili of the Valley) for the tag, masking off the last couple of duckies because I wanted a shorter tag. The image is colored with Copic markers and the egg is glittered.

Sorry for the dark pictures. I thought about taking a picture at 10pm last night as I was putting these into a bag to take to work this morning. Remember what I said about busy? LOL

Happy Easter!
HB

Saturday morning

Happy Saturday everyone! I love Saturdays. I always seem to wake up early (used to it from the weekdays I'm suppose), but I love being able to just sit, enjoy some blog hopping and not have to race to work.

Last Saturday I was playing with a new set from Penny Black that I just bought, Flower Festival. I tried a technique I've been seeing lately... stamping and embossing the image in white before coloring. I love the soft look of this style.

For this card, I stamped the same flower the traditional way (with black ink). See the difference?

My favorite part? I can get two totally different looks from the same stamp! Now that is being economical! LOL

I'm off to enjoy my morning and do a bit of stamping. See you soon!

HB