Sunday, June 28, 2009

Puppies Arrival


This is Dakota...the Happiest Mom out there. She delivered 7 healthy Golden Retriever pups on Friday pm. Since delivering them she just dotes on them...only leaving them on 10 minute breaks a few times each day.
All the pups are healthy and Dakota certainly keeps them clean.
This photo shows the first full feeding time.

This little guy is only 1 day old and loves to sleep on his Mom's paw. After feeding he slowly makes his way to a paw and sleeps. Right now pups are not terribly cute since their eyes are still closed.
This is Dakota's first litter and she is showing great maternal ability...loves her pups, feeds them almost constantly and is so happy to have people oohing and aweing over them. No time for cards today but hopefully really soon.
Hugs from the Kennel....with these pups we have 12 dogs/pups in our home!
Heather

Friday, June 26, 2009

Sugar Bowl Cutie

The challenge this week on Sugar Bowl Challenges is a sketch. I followed the sketch and this is the card I created. You also had to use Kraft paper which I love. This is a really great sketch. I used an older Sarah Kay stamp and colored her with markers.
I mixed the Prima Hydrangea with the roses to create the corner flower and I must say, I do love those little roses. I almost hate to use them....I am trying to resist hording them but it is difficult.

On the inside I used my new spellbinder classic lace border. It is 12 inches long and I only have the regular white boards for my wizard but since I only wanted a short piece it worked. It is a really gorgeous die.
The paper I used was Basic Grey and Creative Memories. Both are lovely to work with. The Kraft is from SU and the Pink is from the Paper Company. Quite a collection eh! Well my youngest Golden Retriever is making all the moves of delivery. It will be happening sometime between today and Sunday. I hate waiting...she has been pacing and nesting and making all the moves. I really don't know how to help her but hopefully it will happen soon. I'll post the babes as soon as I can.
Hugs
Heather

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Whiff of Joy Sketch

I followed the Whiff of Joy challenge sketch today to make this card. Since I was a girl I have always been attracted to the blue green combination. I always feel good to see it so you know I love this paper. It is from the Paper Company and I have used 3 different DP and then Navy Blue for the base of the card.

I colored Willow with markers and used Spica pens to highlight and add some glitter to the card. I used Label 4 nestibility to cut out the image layer and then used the outside rim and my knife to create the blue label. The flowers are from Prima and the brads are from Making Memories. I used the word window punch from SU to make the tabs and the ribbon is also from SU

I used the same papers on the inside but this time I used a smaller nestibility in white so used the largest of the Label 4 to cut out the blue label.
I hope you are all doing great. The house is so quiet...the boys are all at work and our hyper Golden Retriever has only a few days before she delivers so she is even quiet. She usually wants to play but today she just wants to sleep next to me. Must go make her a little snack.
Have a great one,
Hugs
Heather

Free Photo Editing Course



I am having trouble adding photos but I want to make you aware of a free tutuorial on Photo Editing. Simply go check it out Here. I will try to add the photo.
Edited to add: Yeah I got the photo on. Come join me as I check this out.
Hugs
Heather

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Stamp with Fun

It seems like ages since I have stamped. Since the graduation activities are finally over, I have been scrapbooking all the grad. activities. I started with scrapbooking and I do enjoy it. But today I wanted to stamp so I followed Bea's sketch on Stamp with Fun. I am also doing this card for the Roses on Paper challenge which calls for doing another challenge and simply adding flowers for the Roses on Paper challenge.

I used this sitting Magnolia and made a little change on the image. This Tilda comes with a tart on the front of the shirt which I simply did not ink and then put this little pearl bow. Both this bow and paper are from a blog candy I won. The paper is Kate Knight from Dovecraft. It was lovely to work with.

I used markers to color the image and attached her to the top layer with foam tape.

I used my Marvy punches to make the flowers. The photo does not show the glossy of the white flowers. I actually used photo paper. The colored center are colored with the markers to match the image. The center brads are from SU.



The inside shows more of the paper from Kate Knight. I added a sentiment section using the label 4 nestibility.
It was fun to stamp again. I still have to finish the graduation scrapbook so it may be a bit spacier between cards. Talk soon.
Hugs
Heather

Friday, June 19, 2009

Just Magnolia Altered Tin



As promised a couple of photos of my graduating son and his girlfriend at their prom. I noticed I put in the uncropped version but isn't set up great. His girlfriend set up this swing for the photos. To night is the exercises and then life will go into Summer mode.

The challenge at Just Magnolia is to alerter a box, bag or can. This is a can that used to hold Prima flowers. I am using it as a gift box holding a grad gift for one of the girls.


I love this stamp of Tilda picking flowers. The butterfly was included in another stamp I order from Pheobe at the Town Scrapper...my source for Magnolias. I colored Tilda with my Prismacolored pencils, I did use the light peach marker for the flesh though. I embellished the flowers with stickles and used the butterflies and half pearls on the top edge.



I embellished the outside bottom with DP and them added ribbon with silver edges. I added doves made with the MS bird punch. I made the bow with my bow easy.


This last photo show the layering of the flowers. I love the colors and the stacking of the Prima flowers.
This is the first tin I have ever altered and I am really pleased with it. Now to find more tins. Off to the Graduation Exercises. Talk later.
Hugs
Heather







Thursday, June 18, 2009

Prom Night & WOJ Challenge

Now isn't he the most gorgeous! We took lots of photos of the big prom night but I want to wait to show Grad Exercises as well so Saturday will have all the scenes to show you. I have been so busy with Graduation happenings. It is a huge thing in our town and it a happening week with activities each day. Exciting but busy.

This is my very first attempt at paper piecing. This week's challenge at WOJ Challenge blog is to paper piece. I had to check out some site on the How Do of Paper Piecing and this is my take on it.
I used DP on the entire Willow stamp. I used a subtle pink mix for the flesh and then used more intense colored paper for the rest of the card. It was fun to try and find papers that would work for the hair and the dress. The tree was stamped directly on the paper and colored with markers. To add a little oomps I used Crystal Effects from SU on the apples, planter, and strawberry pattern section of the dress and headband. I attached Willow with dimensionals onto paper from DCWV called Once Upon a Time. This piece came with the strip of green glitter on the top and bottom edge. I also layered this on green and then ivory paper using the EK edge punch and Frayed Burlap Distress ink.
I used the same paper as the dress to make this corner flower. I used Marvy punches for the flowers and The Curvy Square punch from SU created the background layer. Again, I distress these edges as well.

On the inside I used the label 4 Spellbinder nestibility and distress ink to create the two labels. The Thanks so Much stamp is from Inkadinkado. I used Not Quite Navey, Taken with Teal and Mellow Moss to create the flow of colors. Willow was stamped on Whisper White and colored with markers to match the cover willow.
WOJ is having a DT call so this will be one of my entries. I would be thrilled to be on a DT and this line a stamps is one of the best. I love all of Elizabeth Bell images and only wish I had more stamps.
Must leave soon to pick up one of the boys. Today is mammogram day so I'm off to get the Big Squeeze! I appreciate the value of the test but ouch is the name of the game.
Hugs
Heather

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Hero Arts Challenge

I made this card for the Hero Arts challenge....you had to use a Hero Arts stamp and a die.
I used the moth die from Spellbinders along with the long rectangle die from Spellbinders. I painted the Twinkling H2Os directly onto the stamp and then misted the stamp. I found it difficult to get a crisp image...once you misted the paint spread.

I also used ribbons and punches on this card. The butterfly is done with the MS punch and the ribbons are attached to the sides of the main panel.

More ribbons and two more stamped images. The blank sentiment layer is done using label 3 of the nestibilities. The DP is from My Mind`s Eye.
The Baccalaureate service was this morning and my son minded the heat and had to leave before church was over. He is feeling better now...the weather has cooled a lot now, in fact we have had major rain. Hope he feels perfect soon. The Prom is tomorrow.
Hugs
Heather

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Whiff Of Joy Release

Just a reminder that tomorrow the new Whiff of Joy stamps are released. Go check them out
here.

Go see them folks they are FANtastic.
Hugs
Heather

Strawberry Baskets for Friday Sketches

I followed the sketch from Friday's Sketches to make this card. I used one of the Willows from the Summer Set and colored her with my markers. I used the strawberry stamp instead of flowers on the lower right.
I used lots of leftover paper for this card and love how it turned out. I found the blue DP first and then knew I had to make the apples either reddish or yellow and once that was decided I hunted for some yellow. I used my oval frames from Alota and then cut out the shape with the nestibility. I used the MS Lace punch to edge the of the side panel. I added a center strip of the DP with the ribbon on top.

On the inside I continued with the DP and the MS punch. Two more strawberries and an area for the note finished the inside.
This turned out as a nice happy card that I think I will send to one of the mother's of one of the graduates. This is a tough time for us Moms...our babies are graduating. Off to the Baccalaureate tomorrow and the Prom on Monday. An exciting but busy time.
Hugs
Heather

Fairy Book Mark

I made this bookmark for a young girl who loves fairies. I embossed with Margasite embossing powder and then colored with Twinkling H2Os. I used scraps of paper to create this book mar.
I used the Martha Stewart Lace punch on the corners again....this is a great way to make attractive corners. For the other layers I punch the fancy corner punch from Close to my Heart.
I doodled around the edges using my aqua spica pen. After I colored the fairy I used crystal effects to attach a small rhinestone to the flower in her hair. I used a flower eyelet and then ran ribbons through it. I used a pink crystal brad to hold the ribbons together.
I actually have another card to post so I'll be back.
Hugs
Heather

Friday, June 12, 2009

Scrapbook Page

My DH asked me to make a scrapbook page for a child who needs encouragement so this is what I came up with. I used Margasite embossing powder on the images. This powder really sparkles. The solid dragons are black with all the colors of the rainbow sparkling throughout.
I painted the large dragon using Twinkling H2Os and then cut it out and attached with foam tape. The corners look bare so I added EK punched corners.
It's pouring rain here today and I am stucked doing laundry. Hope you are all having a wonderful day.
Hugs
Heather

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Easy Breezy Challenge

This is my 10 minute card for the Easy Breezy Challenge on Flourishes. By doing this challenge I have a chance of winning all this month's releases at Flourishes. I used my curvy rectangle nestibility in 3 sizes. On the Kraft layer I simply kept one edge inside the fold to create the card base layer. I distressed the white and pink layers with Frayed Burlap distress ink and a sponge.
On the white layer I gold embossed the I Love Roses stamp which I swiped with Fuzzy Peach and Sweet Alfalfa Twinkling H2Os. This watercoloring took about 1 minute...swipe, swipe your done.
For a little splash of color I added strip of green moss ribbon added a slide. I left the ends hanging towards the bottom and attach each with a zot dot. Then I added a little bow made with my Bow Easy, attached with a zot dot as well.

This Inkadinkado message stamp finishes the inside. Quick and easy....the kind of card you make when you forgot and you need the card immediately. I enjoy card making that takes time so this was only for the challenge of timing myself and hoping to win the great stamps from Flourishes.
I have been up since 3 am when our pregnant Golden decided she needed to spend quality time with me and the Yorkies were not happy with this. To prevent waking everyone else...I got up and went to my stamp area to play. Unfortunately my mojo remained sleeping so I wrote some letters to friends who are retiring.
Now that everyone has left the house I am having a hard time staying awake so I think I'll put a movie on and try to watch it which actually means I will fall asleep. Talk later.
Hugs
Heather

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

One Last Grad Card

I don't know if this happens to other bloggers but I forgot to make any cards for my own son's Graduation! Talk about feeling foolish....I had to steal some cards I had actually made for Martin's friends so guess who had to replace with more grad cards.
I love this little guy from the WOJ summer kit. The wooden slate leaves a great place for some sentiment. These are more scraps from SU. I used my nesties to cut out the layers and used Peeled Paint distress ink to distress the edges.


On the inside I create a small pocket to hold the gift card we are giving Kristen. For this photo I used one of Martin's wallet photos. He is such a handsome boy/man. We adopted him from the West Indies and has been with us since he was less thank one year old. He is extremely athletic and popular and has only missed 4 days of school from kindergarten to grade 12. I think he will really miss going to school ...not for the classes but for the friends. I know I will cry through the whole ceremony next week. He has had such a wonderful school experience and has made marvellous friends. I hope each one of them stay a part of our extended family...I love having them all dropping in. It seems like such a major milestone for me...I think I am beginning to fear the empty nest syndrome!
Guess I had best get going. Talk soon.
Hugs
Heather

I'm Back!

I'm back even though I never went away...just no time to post. This is such a busy time...Graduation. My youngest son is graduating from grade 12 and this is all what life is about. Last week all my time was spent getting ready for the grad party we had on Sunday. More than 7o people came for a pool party barbecue and we had a fantastic time. It was so great seeing grads with their friends and their families. We see the kids all the time but to also have their parents here as special. It was the greatest way to celebrate their graduating. I think the highlight was the chocolate fountain! If you haven't tried one please do...such great fun and soooo tasty. I took my first dip and had chocolate on my shirt for the rest of the day. But enough on the party, here is my card for Megastamper Challenge.
Bea has this great sketch to use and this is the card I ended up with. I used scraps of paper, some from SU and others from My Mind's Eye.
These two stamps are from the WOJ Summer set and they are so wonderful. I colored them with markers and used Solar Gold Twinkling H2Os to color the apples and trim on the dress. I also used the yellow spica pen on her hair...just enough sparkles to make the card look alive. I used my ticket corner punch from SU and then my Martha Stewart lace punch to create the corner detail.


I used my bow easy to make the bow from my silk ribbon from No Time To Stamp. I used three layers to create the flower. The leaf is from some embellishments I received from a friend. I love the way it turned out.

I did the same corner detail on the inside and used 3 separate spellbinder dies on the inside. I used some frayed burlap distress ink to distress the edges and show the embossing on the butterfly and the dragon fly.
I hope you had time to read this very long post. I will be posting another card later. Have a wonderful day.
Hugs
Heather

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Roses on Paper Challenge


Today I followed the sketch on Roses on Paper Challenge Blog. They are actually having a DT call and this is one of the ways of entering the contest for the Belles 'n Whistles Guest Design Team member call. Go check it out! The sketch turned out to be the beginning of a whole project. I made my son's girlfriend a fan for her wall found on This Post. I couldn't find any way to package it soooo....

I made this box to hold her fan. This is my part of recycling...I use the cardboard backs off of two watercolor paper pads to make the top and bottom of this 91/4 in by 11 inch wonderful box. I should have taken pictures but I cut the top slightly bigger than the bottom and then covered with 1 12x12 sheet plus 1.5 inches was added on one side. This allowed for a 1.5 inch depth to the cover. The bottom section is 1/4 inch smaller and has 2 inch deep sides. I just attached the CS to the hard covers and wrapped the corners and taped.
This photo shows how the two fit together. The blue ribbon covers the flap ( I put one on the outside by mistake so ribbon camouflage came into play). I always say there are no mistakes in crafty just new ways of doing something!

I colored the Whiff of Joy image with markers and Twinks on the dress. I attached her to the oval with dimensionals. I also added the bowl of apples from the Summer Stamp set. The diploma is a CB die that I added to the red oval (SU punch). I layered this on the largest scalloped oval in red. All papers are from My Mind's Eye (I think).


Isn't that flower and bow fantastic! I used my new and wonderful bow easy to make the bows and that is just what they are...super easy. All crafters need one of these. I purchased mine from Sharon at Stamp Simply and I just love it. I think Joan's Garden also carries them.
Today we finally got all the pool side tables and chairs out...it is finally decided that Summer is on the way.....besides that the Graduation Pool Party is here this weekend so we thought it might be an idea to get is done. Now I am exhausted and need to rest...talk later.
Hugs
Heather