Rudolph

Hello all, happy Thanksgiving eve! This is my very favorite week of the year, when I take extra days off of work & hubby is up north! ahhhhh peace & quiet for 6 whole days :)

Since I did have a couple of days off, I got to play a bit with some stamps that I bought about 6 months ago but haven't had time to do anything with. 

I am loving Sylvia Zet's images for Whimsy. They are so cute! Here I used Rudolph, the cutest reindeer ever :)

I kept my card super simple, which is so unlike me LOL .... but I was a little overwhelmed. I have so much "stuff" that I bought long ago & never used, & a lot of it is Christmasy. It was holiday overload! 

I colored the image with my Prisma pencils & added lots of glitter & snow. The polka dot paper is from Papertrey Ink from at least 5 years ago, I think this is the first I've used it. I'm definitely a polka dot hoarder!

The snowflake is a Spellbinders die with a rhinestone mushed in the middle, then covered with Dazzling Diamond chunks. 

And there you have it, a pretty simple card from the person who likes to add as much as possible. Bonus, I can actually mail this one for less than $5 :)

I hope you all have a wonderful Turkey Day tomorrow. We're going to my mom's, it will just be the 4 of us which is fine with me. I don't have to dress up, I can forgo the makeup & there's more food for me :)

My first Sylvia Zet!

Hello friends & happy Monday {insert groan here}. It was a beautiful day today ... fall is definitely here in Wisconsin. It was sunny, 60 & the leaves are finally starting to change color. My camera will be working overtime these next few weeks because once the change color, it's not long before the leaves are brown, crunchy & covered in snow!

I was on the Whimsy Stamps site a few weeks ago ... just browsing ... when * oops * ... a few stamps fell into my cart. I don't know how it happened. One minute I was oohing & aahing over Sylvia Zet's images, & the next I was whipping out my credit card. Oh, the shame. 

But ... it was totally worth it! Here is my first card using one of her stamps, Heidi: 

Isn't she adorable?? I used Copics to color the image, some old Basic Grey papers, dyed twill ribbon & my favorite border punch. Oh, & snow. Lots & lots of snow. 

And, oh right .... I may also have bought some sentiments to go with the new stamps. Because I couldn't possibly use any of my old sentiments with my new stamps, now could I? That's like wearing old shoes with a new outfit!

So with this, I guess I'm done with fall cards! That's ok because I love making winter cards just as much  :)

I hope you all have a good week! My son's birthday is Wednesday so we shall be celebrating at least a few nights this week. Dinner ... football ... bonfire ... gotta make the most of it. He turns the big 18!!! My baby is going to be a grown up **sniffle**  How did this happen!?!? *sob*

Sundays with Crissy challenge #24 - Anything Goes!

Yep, it's our favorite challenge this month at Sundays with Crissy -- there is no excuse not to join in -- it's Anything Goes!

So here is the card that took me a while to get done .....

I ADORE penguins & I especially ADORE Crissy penguins! I *squealed* when I saw this new Whimsy Stamps image (I did! Ask her! She heard me all the way from Canada!) Snowman & Penguins. I will eventually own ALL of her penguin images -- right now my printer is wonky & won't print just black & white. I think it's an all-in-one type cartridge -- but something must be out of alignment because it comes out with eensy weensy specks of color where there should be only black. I tried printing in greyscale & black & white, neither helped :( Maybe Santa will bring me a nice NEW printer for Xmas :)

Anyway, I colored the image with pencils -- then did something totally funky & stupid with the background. I hated how it looked & I *knew* I shouldn't have tried it. Don't you hate when that happens? It looks like an easy image to color but for some reason it took me a LONG time. So --instead of trying to print it again, & coloring it again, I did the dreaded cutting-the-image-out deal -- & sponged the background paper before popping it on there. The papers are Bazzill, & Basic Grey Jovial & Wassail. The sentiment is from one of those cute little clear stamp packs from Michael's. I used a Snow Writer pen to edge the main layer & can I just say I HATE that thing, lol. It kept clogging up & the only way to get it to work was to wash the cap in hot water -- I'd get maybe one side done & it would clog again. Sheesh no wonder it takes me so long to make a card!

I wish I'd gotten a close up of the snowball the penguin is holding -- it's all.....SNOWY -- but I was a bit rushed taking the photos -- I always think about stuff like that AFTER I put away the light box, camera, tripod, lights --

Be sure to check out the other artists over at Sundays with Crissy!

I really hope you all are further along with your holiday preps than I am. I have some presents bought, nothing wrapped. No cookies baked. But we have been doing some fun stuff. Aside from the Midnight Magic last weekend (pictures HERE) we went to Candy Cane Lane on Saturday night, which is a subdivision in which all the neighbors try to out-light & out-decorate the others. They've been doing this for as long as I can remember & the place is so popular now -- it's bumper to bumper every night, as we found out Saturday! We weren't really dressed for the weather but next year we will definitely bundle up, park the car & WALK it! We could have walked it 3 times in the time it took us to drive! I will have a few pics tomorrow.

And yesterday we went to my husband's work party. He's been there 18 years & we've never attended a Christmas party. But when I found out where it was this year I insisted we go. It was at Discovery World, which is a tech/science type totally hands on museum. SO much fun. I will also have pics of that as soon as I sort through all 82. Don't worry, I won't post all 82, lol

Thanks so much for visiting!!!

Whimsy Stamps Inspirations Magazine

Issue # 4 is now available HERE -- & check out page 101 -- you might just spy a familiar card :)

Whimsy Stamps Inspirations #2

Did you all LOVE the first edition of this FANTASTIC magazine?? Well issue #2 is ready & available for viewing!!!



Check it out HERE -- there is even a FABULOUS interview with my new old friend Crissy Armstrong! Doesn't she just ooooooze charm?? She is sweet & talented & GORGEOUS - can you even believe she's a GRAMMA?!?!?

Sorry to be so scarce but we are busy busy busy as bees getting ready for school. My son is starting Middle School this year & had his Open House on Tuesday. Then we went back on Wednesday to try again, lol. Oh the stresses of Middle School -- new faces -- trying to get lockers open -- I don't have so & so in my homeroom -- I remember it like it was yesterday. I am looking forward to the whole routine of school -- what I am NOT looking forward to is the OBSCENE TIME I will have to get up to get ready for work before my boys get up. We share a bathroom (yes, just one full bathroom -- what were we thinking?) & Matthew has to catch the bus at 6:45, Michael has to catch the bus at 7:45, & I have to be at work at 8:30 -- do the painful math -- that means I will be getting up too-early-o'clock!!!!!! Better stock up on the Folgers!!!

A few firsts.....

Greetings!! I'm so excited because I made a card using a digi FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME! I can hear you all gasping, I know -what have I been waiting for? Well when I saw this cutie created by my very talented friend Crissy Armstrong I had to have it. And since it only comes in digi form.....I was forced to take the plunge!





This is Back to School Bart, available at Whimsy Stamps. Believe it or not, it's also my first Whimsy image! And -- I used my Basic Grey Jovial pad FOR THE FIRST TIME -- love these papers -- I got them from my friend Tammi last year but the pad got buried -- luckily I was looking for something else & came across it, the papers were perfect for this card. I know it's not a Xmas card, but you know me & the red/green combo -- it's my favorite! Gosh looking at the red flower now -- it looks like a poinsettia, lol. THIS IS NOT A CHRISTMAS CARD!!

I have listed this card on Ebay HERE

I only took one photo -- I was having a fit trying to get it to focus. And forget about a close up -- I had my macro on but for some reason every picture I took was fuzzy. This will have to do :)


We are headed to the State Fair tomorrow -- I took the day off & we will be going first thing in the morning & staying till late at night. We missed it last year for the first time so we have some catching up to do! I will be spending the day eating fried foods & stuff on a stick!


******* I almost forgot to mention that Jocelyn solved the mystery below. A few people said it was some kind of hummingbird moth (Ann-Marie & Squirrel both said Hummingbird Hawk Moth), but I think Jocelyn hit it on the head when she said it's a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth. Click on the link, very interesting creature!! I'd never heard of it before! Thanks ladies!!!