random.on purpose.

A New Week Begins...

It started off a bit shaky - I was ill yesterday, and still not quite up to snuff today, but I did manage a couple of projects.  I got my post up on my challenge blog yesterday, but no pics of my card, because it wasn't done (to be completely honest, it wasn't more than thought about) and I wasn't up to doing it.  Being the big fat hypocrite that I can be on occasion, though, I did play in the Featured Stamper challenge on Splitcoast.  Know why?  'Cuz the card in my head practically made itself:

Stamps: Studio G; Ink: Versafine Onyx Black; Paper: random scraps; Accessories/tools: Martha Stewart bat punch, Cuttlebug textile embossing folder, Corner Chomper

Yeah - one little stamp and six punched bats...pretty much a no-brainer.  I did emboss the bats and ink their edges, but not too taxing...  I used two different thicknesses of dimensionals on the bats to add more interest and dimension, too.  The card I cased is this one, and the changes I made were color and theme, using punches instead of stamps, and size (mine is 3" x 4").

Today, feeling somewhat better, I finished my card for the challenge on my other blog:

Stamps: Fiskars Vintage Farmhouse, Stampabilities Ornate Icons; Ink: Ranger Old Paper distress ink, Close to My Heart Cranberry, Stampon'Up! Brocade Blue; Paper: SU! Brocade Blue, Basic Grey Boxer dp; Accessories/tools: Tattered Angels chipboard frame and Pearl Glimmer Mist, Offray ribbon, unknown gems, Computer (Times and Times Again font)

We used to make chokers in high school using this ribbon-braiding technique, but I'd forgotten all about it until Steph reminded me with a link in her Thursday Link Love a couple of weeks ago...

After I'd printed the sentiment on ivory cardstock, it looked a bit stark on the card, so I stamped (second-generation) some subtle designs on it.  I also sprayed the inked-up frame with Glimmer Mist, and in real life it shimmers, although it did fade the color out a bit...

And I've fallen asleep several times while writing this, so I'm going to bed NOW!  Thanks for stopping by, and see you again soon (I hope)!

No Fear Manifesto

This week's 52 Card Pickup challenge is all about NO FEAR, and I came up with a personal "No Fear Manifesto".  I decided to put it on the composition book I'm using to record all my brilliant(?) ideas for future projects and plans, and to make it available for anyone who wants to adopt it for their own use.  Here's my book:

Stamps: Inkadinkado Bold Damask; Ink: Stampin'Up! Kiwi Kiss; Paper: Stampin'Up! Rockabilly dsp, Riding Hood Red; Accessories/tools: Ribbon, skull charm, composition book

You can grab the .jpeg file HERE or the .pdf file HERE.

To read what inspired me to go the "no fear" route to begin with, click over to my other blog and read all about it!  Have a great day/week!

Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated...*

*with a nod to Leslie Hannah...

It would appear that this once-a-week blogging thing is becoming the norm for me - what a drag!  I truly, truly am on the lookout for more snippets of time that I can use to post here, but they don't seem to be showing up yet...

That said, I made something this weekend and I bought something last week, and so I'm sharing them both.  The thing I made was for my other blog.  The inspiration this week was about being fully present in the moment, so I made a reminder for myself to hang in my room:

Stamps: Hampton Art Postscript Alphabet, Plaid Hannah Montana Alphabet; Ink: Versafine Onyx Black; Papers: Stampin'Up! Riding Hood Rd and Bella Rose dp; Accessories/tools: Detail clear embossing powder, Nestabilities Labels One, Offray Ribbon

Nothing over-the-top exciting or involved - just something to remind me to pay attention...  Click on over to the other blog if you're interested in the inspiration and the challenge.

I went to Hobbly Lobby last week to check out a couple of things that were on sale, and came home without any of those items, but I did come home with these:

How cute are those?  That red design isn't just painted on, either.  I can't tell if it's carved or inlay, but there's texture going on in addition to the color.  The best part?  The larger one originally had a price tag of $69.99 and the smaller one was $49.99, but I got them for $14 and $10, respectively!  Can you even believe it?  It wasn't until a manager verified it that I believed those prices were for real!  I'm not sure that where I parked them to take this pic is where they'll stay, but that's where they are for now.

I had another a-ha moment last week, and have had ideas incubating ever since, so be on the lookout for some sharing on that front soon (hopefully before another week has gone by!)  Possibly another tutorial in the works, as well.  I haven't done one of those in AGES!!!

Lastly, one of my fave bloggers, Stephanie Severin, does a feature she calls Thursday Link Love, which is how I've discovered a lot of wonderful things and - since I have a tendency to click through links on where the original links took me, I've found more wonderful things and people and blogs than Steph even posted about!

I can't promise anything as regular or involved as Steph's posts, but I'm thinking it would be fun for all of us if I share at least a few of the things I trip over when I'm blurfing...  Here's a very fun one that I think EVERYONE could love: All Occasion Seed Packets - it's a free printable dealie-o.  There are quite a few different designs, and they are all ADORABLE!  Resizeable, too... Cathe (the creator) even gives you ideas for using them!

Well, I've been burning the candle at both ends a lot lately, and I'm just about to be nothing but a wick-end in a puddle of melted wax, so I'm gonna go find a little snack and hit the hay shortly thereafter...  Have a great night and I'll see you again soon!  (At least, I hope so...)  Thanks for stopping by!

A Full Week Later (+ a day, even!)

I can't believe it's been that long since I last posted here, but there it is!  Sorry about that, but sometimes life gets in the way of other things...

Last Monday there was a challenge on Splitcoast to make rebus cards that I really wanted to participate in, but I never had even a second to myself until Saturday night!  I made two cards for the challenge then, though!

Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Funny Farm, Stampin'Up! Looks Like Spring and Buttons, Bows and Twinkletoes; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Paper: DCWV,  Accessories/tools: EK Success large scallop border punch, Marvy scalloped square punch, Bic and Prismacolor markers

Can you tell what it says?  The pictures are mare - sea - bow - coop...  Get it?  "Merci beau coup"!  HA!  I crack myself up...!  Just kidding - I only just slightly amuse myself, but I can do that for hours...  The other one is more mainstream and easier to "read":

Stamps: Close to My Heart Bunny Love; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Papers: Stampin'Up! LavenderLace, Close to My Heart Orchid Bouquet, K & Company Sweet Talk mat pad; Accessories/tools: Martha Stewart heart doily border punch, Nestabilities Labels Four, Fiskars Funky Heart squeeze punch, Cuttlebug swiss dot embossing folder, Tattered Angels chipboard "u", Treasured Memories button, Bic and Prismacolor markers

This one says "Some (sum) bunny loves you".  I know - not so original, but kinda cute/fun, anyway...  I also used last Wednesday's sketch for this one, but rotated it a quarter-turn.

The other card I made this week was for my other blog.  The inspiration this week is an article on human metamorphosis, and butterflies are more or less iconic for that process, so I made this:

Stamp: Inkadinkado Patterned Bugs; Ink: Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black; Paper: DCWV Mariposa mat stack and photoreal carnations, black, vellum, coral; Accessories/tools: Martha Stewart and Fiskars butterfly punches, Prima flowers, detail clear embossing powder, Offray ribbon

And that pretty much wraps up my sparse creative output for the week!  This has been a crazy one  (most of them have been, lately, it seems).  Greg's dad came home Thursday from rehab, so there was some scrambling before, during and after to make sure numerous things were attended to.  There's been a lot of going back and forth from our house to theirs this week for various reasons.  I didn't even work much - I think if you added it all together, it may have totaled 7 or 8 hours - pathetic!  Good thing I'm on good terms with my boss and she is open to flexible schedules!  (Um...for those who are unaware already:  I work for myself.  If I don't like my boss, I have worse problems than career, ya know?)

Thanks to whoever may still be perusing this pathetic little blog - I hope to be more consistent in the near future!  Meanwhile, it's close enough to bedtime that I need to sign off and get ready for that - I'm reeeeaaaalllly tired!  G'night!

The 31st Challenge

Today is the 31st challenge over on my 52 Card Pickup blog.  This week I'm featuring a video that I discovered on Susannah Conway's blog.  Since there doesn't appear to be much crossover between the two blogs, and since I believe this video is particularly noteworthy, I'm posting it here, as well:

I think that Tanya Davis (the poet) is brilliant, and the video ( collaboration between Tanya and filmmaker Andrea Dorfman) is so illustrative and cool!  My card up there at the top of the post is what I made for this challenge, and inside it reads: "Within you there is a solitude and peace, to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself."  More details are over on the other blog...

Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, What a Dirty Girl I Am!

...just not in the way you may be thinking...!  I managed a few more of the Dare to Get Dirty challenges this week, so I thought I'd share.  There were thirty-three challenges total, and I'm about five shy of finishing, but I'm over it for now...  No prizes for Sue...but I had fun, regardless, and that's really what it was about, so I'm all good!

The first one I'm showing you here is one that I also did for this week's challenge on 52 Card Pickup.  You can read about that challenge by clicking over to my other blog, if you like:

Stamp: About Art Accents fairy tree silhouette, Inkadinkado/Brenda Walton Flourishes; Ink: Ranger Faded Jeans distress ink, Versamark; Paper: DCWV Luxury and metallic packs, Close to My Heart Outdoor Denim, unknown blue parchment; Accessories/tools: Detail clear embossing powder, Stardust embossing powder, Stampin'Up! ribbon slides

I wanted to keep everything clean-lined, so I kept the embellishments to a minimum - just two ribbon slides with strips of the dp slid through them.  I really love this image!   The parchment circle looked too plain, so I stamped some flourishes with Versamark ink and embossed them with clear embossing powder for some subtle interest.

You might want to grab some sunglasses or an emesis basin (depending on your opinion of bright and/or pink) before you look at this next one:

Stamps: Stamp Camp gingham, Studio G; Ink: Stampin'Up! Pink Pirouette and Pixie Pink; Paper: SU! Pink Passion and Pretty in Pink; Accessories/tools: Nestabilities scalloped oval die, EK Success snowflake border punch, Cuttlebug snowflake and star die, SU! Scalloped circle punches, Merry Little Details and Swirl Scribble Sizzlet dies, Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder, flocking, computer (Frosty font)

Told ya...  I have to admit that I did not come up with the concept or sentiment - they were totally ripped off inspired by Lauren Bergold and a very adorable card she made last December.  Hers is much cuter (and a bit less pink) but I was trying to cram several challenges into one card, which I did (I think there are four challenges incorporated into this pink monstrosity)!  I'm a-feared the deer looks a tad mangy - still getting the hang of the whole flocking thing...

On to the next thing:  a tri-fold card!  This was easy, easy, easy and fast, fast, fast!  The thing that took the longest was getting the ribbon and bow to cooperate!  To open the card,  you don't untie the bow - just slide the ribbon off.  My intention was to make it look like a present - thoughts?

Stamp: Stampin'Up! Well Scripted; Ink: SU! Taken With Teal; Paper: SU! Sweet On You dsp; Accessories/tools: Fiskars and SU! Oval punches, SU! Chocolate Chip ribbon (thank you, Sherry)

The final creation for my week of gettin' dirty was pretty quick, too.  The title of this little scrapling (I still love these tiny things!) is "Scrapling for Arnold Ziffle".  If you're younger than myself, you probably do not remember the TV show "Green Acres" with Eddie Albert and Ava Gabor, but the pig on the show was named Arnold Ziffle.  I'm giving you this background so the scrapling makes more sense:

Stamps: Studio G and All Night Media; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Paper: SU! Kraft, white; Accessories/tools: Bic and Prismacolor markers, computer (Farmer J Unicase font)

In real life the pig is not quite so shockingly pink...

And that's all the fun I could handle this week!  I even managed to do some work and take care of two little old people's needs and a husband, AND my workroom/studio is still CLEAN!!!  I'm a bit impressed with myself...

I'm also a bit tired, so I'm gonna go see what Greg's up to and hit the hay soon.  Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

I Believe She's Amazing

Please, please - if you've never clicked over to my 52 Card Pickup blog before - today is the day!  I've posted a video over there that you truly need to see, and I don't want to be redundant by posting it here, too.  I've watched it about seven times now, and still cry every single time (no, it's not sad - just poignant).  Click HERE to see what it's all about, and have a wonderful, blessed Sunday!  You're amazing, too!

52CP26: The Space Between

Happy Fourth of July!  Are you wondering about the title of this week's 52 Card Pickup challenge?  Well, head on over to this post, and you can read all about it!  Here's what I made for it:

Hope you're having a happy, fun and safe holiday weekend!  Don't forget to add a comment to Friday's post to get in on the blog/birthday giveaway - the little peek I posted is just a tiny tidbit of the whole package!  I'll be back tomorrow with the winner and pics of the rest!

 

Goodness of Life

Forgot to mention yesterday that a new challenge was up on my other blog.  Here's this week's creation for it:

Sorry about the murky pic - I took it at night and haven't had a chance to take a better one yet.  Click on over to the other blog to see what this might be about and for more details.  Have a good one!

Kind Words

Good Sunday Morning to you!  I didn't have much time to do any creating this week, so I haven't had much to share (I'm sure you noticed...)  However, I have this pesky little obligation every Sunday to post a challenge on my inspiration blog, so every Saturday (at the latest) I have to make something.  Last week I failed miserably - got the challenge posted, but never did finish my project (bad blogger, bad challenge hostess!)  This week, though, I made this:

The inspiration this week was based around Whatever You Say, and focused on choosing our words carefully.  You can read more details about that, and also about this card, over on 52 Card Pickup.  I hope you'll stop by and check it out, and possibly even join us in the challenge!  Have a great day!