for a good cause

I am back to my blog because I have found a cause worth talking about.

one of the bloggers that I keep up with, Cammie has been talking about losing her grandmother to Alzheimer's and her personal efforts to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association, as well as recognize all the amazing caregivers on this World Alzheimer's day.  She is offering some really wonderful blog candy on her blog, all donated by incredible companies and fellow paper crafters, I encourage you to not only visit her blog to get all the details but to visit the companies and other blogs and drop a comment thanking them for their participation as well as making a card to thank a caregiver.

I personally have not had Alzheimer's touch my family closely but have seen it take its toll on the lives of others.

so, here is my card and my very great thanks to all of those who care for the families of and people with these diseases.

end of summer........

Here we are at the start of Labor Day weekend.  How did the summer slip by so fast?!  I am sorry to say that I have accomplished little of what I had told myself I would do this summer - but have accomplished other things that I hadn't even thought of.  Isn't that just the way it goes?!

I hope you have some wonderful, relaxing plans for the holiday weekend.  I am going up to the M's cabin with DH & DS where we will surely relax and have a great time.

Remember to enjoy those moments - each and every one.  Time slips away.......

my first challenge!

while making the notecards for my friend and surfing blogs for inspiration, I ran across this sketch and decided to try it out.  I am pleased enough with my results to link it up!  Here is my card from the sketch.

its kinda hard to tell, but the base is navy cs and the pp is some that I had in my scrap drawer.

notecard set

I made this notecard set for a friend of a friend who is a purse designer.

Great gift idea!

Thanks to Lisa Johnson of Poppy Paperie.  If you haven't visited her blog you should, her work is amazing.  I found this project there and decided to give it a try.  I am quite pleased with my results.  The back of each of the ovals is a magnet, punched from the freebie ones that you get in the mail and my husband insists on saving!  To remove the advertisement on the front I carefully pried up a  corner and then heated it with my heat gun to help me peel off the paper.  I created the monogram with my JustRite Stamper - I am seriously loving that product - and punched it out with my pink scallop punch from Marvy.  I computer generated the quote and used the same punch on that piece.  To try and make it a little more durable, I put paper glaze over both pieces before I glued them to the magnet.

Now that I have the hang of it all, I think these will make really great little gifts and we all know the holidays are coming!

enjoy!

missing mojo

I seem to be missing my mojo today - have you seen it?

I have sat down several times to work on projects and am feeling just scattered.  I guess thats what a few days away from the studio does to me.  I am being chill about it though, not pushing myself.  I hope that helps!

here is a card that I made previously and sent to my sister for her anniversary.  I am really liking this particular stamp from Hero Arts, I find there is a lot to do with it.

I am off to run some errands, maybe some fresh air & sunshine will bring my mojo back...........

a wonderful life

if only it weren't always this simple......a beautiful day, a hammock in the sun.  

I am fortunate enough to be spending a couple days at my friends cabin (again) and really - this is what the life is like here.  Simple, easy, relaxed, fun.

my great thanks to the M family for letting me share, you guys are the greatest!

busy day

what a busy day I am about to have!  lots of running around to do and I have to go out of town for a funeral.  My friends mom passed away, and like anyone she is taking it pretty hard.

give another hug to those you care about today!

cards, cards, cards

so, in this my "period of unemployment" I have been doing lots of card making.  The weather has been beastly humid, and the garden doesn't need so much of my care, so I spend my days in the studio, creating.

Funny cause I remember days at work when I wished I could be in the studio all the time, now I kinda wish I could be at work........ah well, it'll all balance out in the end, right?  I am a Pisces and a very go-with-the-flow Pisces at that.  I tend to think that when its right, the job will come to me and if I push it too hard, I will only push it away.  My husband on the other hand is very goal oriented and has a path to follow........it gets a little interesting around here sometimes!

anyway, heres the card.

I love this stamp, its fun to color, the cat is so cute, and being a cat person I think the sentiment is right on!  I water-colored the image, on 120# paper distressed the edges of the main panel and pierced the corners.  The three layer colors are a faux fabric/faux suede technique that I got from Lauren Meader's blog, you can review it here .  Believe me, she does it much better than I do!

back to blogging

ya know, I started this blog for several reasons.  The biggest one being that I see all the other bloggers who are papercrafters and I love to look at their work, so I thought I'd like to share mine.  The thing is I have to be better about updating my blog, but I spend so much time looking at everyone elses!  That and I guess I don't think I have anything all that interesting to say.......

If you are at all into paper-crafting, you may have heard of the "latest craze" in the community - I am referring to Copic markers.  I have seen some amazing work done with them.  People who have them love them, and people who don't have them yet want to get them.  I am in neither of those groups, I don't have them because I understand they are spendy and I don't really want them because I have enough success with prismas & oms, that I am happy with that technique.  I did buy a set of Bic markers after reading that a person can get Copic like results with them, but I must be doing something wrong cause mine do not look that good.  The colors are for the most part too intense for me as well, I like the softness of pencil coloring or water coloring much better.

Just my opinion, to each their own.

So now that I've had my say (I didn't guarantee it'd be interesting!), I am off to do some coloring.

enjoy your day!

something to write about......

I have been away a long while!  everything is fine, I just didn't feel like I had anything to say.

now we are well into summer and I am loving it.  I lost my job in the spring so I have "had the summer off", to my husbands chagrin.........I have been keeping myself busy around the house and yard, I have been looking for another job (this job market sucks), and enjoying myself.  

This weekend I am fortunate enough to be spending a couple days at a friends cabin and we are having a great time.  She just bought herself a kayak, so we've taken it out on its maiden voyage.  I love kayaking.  I have done it previously, but gave it up for a bit.  I am ready to jump right back in after these couple days.

life is good......