Thinking of...More Time!

Gee, I wasn't aware until I put this picture up here how not great the picture is. But you get the general idea, right? Good. This is another card for my friend, Rissa. And no, every card I made for her doesn't have ginormous flowers on them. There's quite the variety in there for her, but this is the order I took the pictures, so you get to look at the flower again. I've been so busy getting these cards together for her that I didn't even notice the time flying right by. Hmm, Mother's Day is this Sunday and I have one thing done. One. I usually make cards for some of my friends and all the moms in my family. It's usually about 15-20 cards and I still have just the one done. So sad. And it's not even a card, so I can't copy it for everyone else. It's a thing, and it's a surprise(!) and everyone is sooo not getting one. So, have a great Monday and I'll be sure to have something else up for you guys soon.

Stamps: En Francais (SU!), Friends til the End & Simple Little Things (PTI), Ink: Soft Sky (SU!), Fresh Snow (PTI), Versafine Onyx Black, Paper: White & Aqua Mist (PTI), Accessories: PTI satin ribbon & button

Special Appearance by Purple

Ok, so I've finally given in. Sorta. I've had people tell me for awhile that I should sell my cards. Now, mostly that was my kids & my mom and really, whose mom wouldn't say that? {no offense, mom} And I would always refuse because I was afraid it wouldn't be fun. There would be pressure & deadlines looming about, waiting to squash my mojo. Blecchhh! But this time was different. I have a friend who sounded almost desperate {no offense, rissa} for me to make her some cards. She asked me, "Do you know what they charge for cards these days?!" Well, actually, no I don't, because I haven't bought one in maybe, 3 years. Probably more. I honestly don't remember the last time I walked into a store and looked at cards, let alone bought one. Plus, she was buying her cards in some boutique-y sounding store (in the san francisco area, no less!) that charged outrageous amounts of money for them. Well, that's silly. I don't pay *anything* for my cards. Ha! Yeah, if you are addicted to into stamping & card making, you know how that one goes. Anyway, the point is, I agreed to make cards for her, she gave me her *order*, and while I was putting it together I noticed there was no purple anywhere to be seen. And I can't remember the last time I used purple. So now I have. And I have to add that I just love that flower!

Stamps: Friends til the End (PTI), Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Elegant Eggplant (SU!), Paper: PTI white, Elegant Eggplant (SU!), Copics:

Really Simple

It seems I really like the simple ones. Cards, not people. Altho, I do love me some simple people, too. Anyway, I love this card. It took about 10 minutes to make. And that's only because I was really taking my time lining up the 2 line stamps that make up the background. I had to lie them on paper against a ruler, then stick my acrylic block on top of them to pick them up, so they'd be straight when I stamped them. And look! They're straight! Yay me! This is one that can easily be reproduced, which is good, cuz I need a bunch of cards. I know, I don't usually like doing that, but May is a busy month for me and I need a lot of cards. Not sure what I was doing in April (which is over already. crazy, right?), with all that farting around I was doing. I'm just glad I got a chance to sit down yesterday (for 10 whole minutes! in a row!) and make this. K, that's it for me for this time. I've got to get back to crankin' out more of the simple. Again, cards, not people. That would just be goofy.

Oh, and a special *hey* to my Aunt Brenda. Thank you so much for coming out here to visit. I loved seeing you & hope you come back tomorrow. Ok, how about really soon? Mmmm, is next week too soon? And by the way, we got NO pictures. How lame are we? So now you have to come back!

Stamps: Sentiment (Cloud 9), Faux Ribbon (PTI), Ink: Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black, Paper: Baja Breeze & Basic Black (SU!), PTI kraft, Accessories: Nestabilities & black brads

Thank You

Alrighty, these are my thank you cards for donations I got for this year's MS Walk. So if you donated and didn't get yours yet, act surprised when you get it. It's waaay more fun that way. Trust me. This has been a super crazy week and I haven't sat at my desk to create at all. Well, I have been helping Krista with her Great Wall of China project, but other than that, nada. And these cards are the last things I made, so who knows when you'll be seeing new stuff on here. I tried to stretch it out with that post of pictures from our last time in the city. Did you catch that one? I was trying to be slick there. Today is busy and tomorrow we have the MS Walk (which my aunt flew out from michigan for *hey aunt brenda!*, so you local people really have no excuse =P), so it's looking like Monday will be the first time I get to sit & breathe. And I'm supposed to be thinking about invites for someone AND I'm supposed to be putting cards together for my girlfriend who wants me to start selling them AND Mother's Day is only...wow, not that far away. Jeez, what am I sittin' here talking to you people for? I've got things to do.

Stamps: Damask Designs (PTI), Ink: Basic Gray, Soft Sky, Cool Caribbean, Pink Pirouette (SU!), Versafine Onyx Black, New Canvas (Palette), Paper: Basic Gray, Going Gray, Basic Black, Cool Caribbean, Soft Sky, Pink Pirouette (SU!), Raspberry Fizz (PTI), Accessories: rhinestones & pearls

No Pretty Cards...

Sorry, got no cards today. But, I do have pictures of my girls. First, before you accuse me of favoriting 2 of my children, I should let you know that Krista no longer likes her picture taken. Well, she's never liked it. But now she makes a face that is sure to ruin the picture for everyone else, so I've decided to just let her be & not force the issue. She's not smokin' crack or robbin' banks, she just doesn't like the camera right now. Fair enough. Luckily, I have 2 other hams who are perfectly willing to mug for the camera.

*You're supposed to be able to click on the pictures to make them bigger. It really seems to be hit or miss with me. And I never know until the post goes live. So, good luck!*

This one was taken in the Presidio along the coastline. There's nothing there but road. So we pulled off to take a picture in front of the water. And yes, I know, she's taller than I am. Do we need to keep pointing that out? I say no.

We thought it would be fun to play tourists for a day. So we stopped in front of the Golden Gate Bridge to snap a couple of shots. It was such a pretty day.

Since Krista loves Full House, I thought we'd show her where they shot the outside of the houses they used on the show. The famous Painted Ladies. And.....us.


And one of my favorite places to hang out. Pier 39. I know, it's sooo touristy, but I just love it down there. And look, when you don't force it, you get pictures like this with Krista.

Ok, so there you have it. And, by the way, this is my 200th post! I can't believe you guys have been hanging around here, *listening* to me blabber all this time. I say we celebrate. Go, right now, and have some chocolate in honor of me. And be sure to come back, cuz next time I've got some thank you cards to blabber about.

Happy Birthday Madeline

First, I know. Where have I been? I noticed that when the girls are out of school, I get very confused. What day is it? Like some old, senile person. And it really doesn't help that Shawn has taken off most of this week, too. So not having my alarm wake me up at 4:50 every morning has really thrown me off. So there you have it. That's my excuse for not being a faboo blogger and I'm sticking to it. Plus, I haven't actually made anything to show you guys. But I did make this. And that's only because today is Madeline's birthday. I had to make something. And wooo, doggy, did I struggle with this card. {Ok, warning: the following is a peek into my slow, spiral towards madness. I dunno. Or, just my card making process. To be frightened, or possibly entertained, continue reading.} This was my first time coloring in the flower from this set. And I didn't wanna just do pink again (altho you know i will) cuz I always do pink flowers. So it came out this color. Very earthy, I think. Then it was, do I do the leaf or not do the leaf? Where should I put the leaf? One leaf or two? Then I had to make a mask of the flower (that's stamping the flower on a post-it, cutting it out and then covering the flower I already colored) so I could stamp the leaf *behind* the flower. Ok, phew. So making all those decisions and then bringing them to life took like, 3 hours. Now, what to mat this on? K, so I've got it on some paper there. Good, good, making progress. I'd like to add some ribbon, but don't wanna just do my wrap around again. Hmmm, what to do, what to do? Ok, finally decided on the loopy guys. Should I stamp the flower on the card base? Yes, I think I will do that. K, I think I'll put the sentiment in brown. Craft or dye ink? Ooh, my craft pad is waaaay too juicy. Let's go with the dye ink. Okie dokie. Oh, hmmm. That's crooked. But I'm being way too picky again, and no one will notice. Movin' on. Alrighty, lemme pretend it's all put together and I'll ask Darien for her opinion.

Me: Hey, what do you think of this?

Darien: Mmmm, it's nice.

Me: For Madeline?

Darien: Oh, yeah, then that's a good one!

Me: Can you tell the Happy Birthday is a little crooked?

Darien: Mom, geez, no one can tell!

Alright. Naaaailed it! So let's put this bad boy together. I put the ding dang flower on and it is soooo crooked, even Shawn noticed! And I used glue dots, so that thing wasn't moving. Ok, by now I'm on like, hour 5 (ok, that includes making dinner and people coming in to ask questions and the gobs of *mom, can you...*) of putting this card together. I am NOT starting over. Plus, it has to go in the mail. Ok, I'm going to bed. I'll just get up in the morning and start the whole thing over. I just have to copy it, all the hard work has been done. But when I wake up in the morning, I realize that I can just use my heating tool to melt said glue dots and lift that bad boy right off the base. Oh, yeah, who's brilliant? Oh, yeah. So I do it. Not bad, she'll never notice the crease I made in her card. Or the singed edges where I heated the dots a little too long. oops. Put some glue on there & slap it back on. O. M. G. I put it on upside down. Krista by now is cracking up (which is an awesome sound, btw) because she doesn't really see who's gonna know it's upside down. I'M gonna know! So I quickly peel it off (yeah, not going with glue dots twice! plus, they're still kinda there & it would be mucho bumpy) and added more glue & flipped it around. And got it straight! Ta daaaaaaa! She better love this card is all I have to say.

Stamps: Friends til the End & Birthday Basics (PTI), Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Apricot Appeal & Chocolate Chip (SU!), Paper: PTI white, Wild Wasabi & Chocolate Chip (SU!), Accessories: Dark Chocolate swiss dot satin ribbon (PTI), Copics:

Button, Button...

Ok, I know this is cheating. This is a copy of that card I did down there (oh just scroll down. don't act like you don't know). It's so close to the other one that when my mom saw it on my computer yesterday, she couldn't believe she didn't notice the button on there before. I had to tell her, 'yeah, different card'. Like I said in the other post, I just loved that card. But I needed a birthday card, and quick, cuz I completely spaced that I had a teacher who was having a birthday. So I copied myself, which is something I normally hate doing. But it didn't bother me this time. I'm having a hard time not using my Life set and I'm crazy in love with this Raspberry Fizz. Hot pink is not usually my thing, but this one is just so much fun. I don't know what's gotten into me. Anyhooo, I had to use one of my PTI buttons so I could justify absolutely having to have them. And with 3 new colors coming out, somebody's gonna have to take my credit card away. Oh, why do I love these buttons so? Do you people know me to be obsessed with buttons? No, I rarely use them. But yet, I have to have them. I think I may need professional help. Wait. That may cure me and then the urge to buy new things could go away. *shudder* We don't want that, now do we? Nevermind. Bring on the buttons!

Stamps: Life & Damask Designs (PTI), Ink: Versafine Onyx Black & Raspberry Fizz (PTI), Paper: Basic Black (SU!), PTI white & Raspberry Fizz, Accessories: Raspberry Fizz ribbon, True Black button & Palette glitter (PTI)

My Sympathy

Ok, so last week, my friend Stephanie told me she was having a rough time. She told me she needed some sympathy cards, so she asked me if I could make some for her. Well, this is nothing I have ever done and swore I didn't have any stamps to make any sympathy cards. So I told her I couldn't do it. How do you make a sympathy card? And are there really any words you can say? I never planned on making any, so haven't bought any stamp sets specific to the occasion. That's just not my thing. I mean, not like anyone loves death or anything. But I'm really not good at it. I'm one of those people that stammers, searching for words and is, uh, like, uh...sorry? So over the weekend, I was playing with my Life set and thought the silhouettes would look good in black. Then I realized, Dawn included this sentiment in her Damask Designs set that I just happen to have. I put it together, then asked Stephanie if this was ok. Appropriate. What do I know? She said yes and there you have it. My first (and last?!) sympathy card.

Stamps: Life & Damask Designs (PTI), Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Paper: PTI white & Basic Black (SU!)

Pink & Green Birthday

Ok, again with the picky picky. I made this card for Tia's friend's birthday. Because of my crazy hectic week, I ended up doing it late Saturday afternoon, and the party was Sunday. I was happy with my colored image, but just couldn't figure out what to do with it. That happens to me sometimes. I'll have this great image and the poor thing will have nowhere to go. But once again, I figured, hey, nobody looks at my stuff like I do. Be happy with it and just give it to the girl. And plus, she's 10. Is she really gonna care? I say no. So I did. And she was really excited to open up the ginormous Littlest Pet Shop thingy Tia picked out for her. So it all worked out in the end.

Stamps: Smells Like Cake (The Cat's Pajamas), Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black & Versafine Black Onyx, Paper: PTI white, Certainly Celery & Raspberry Tart DSP (SU!), Accessories: Hot Pink Pearls, Green rhinestone, Nestabilities, Stickles, Scallop punch, Copics:

Do Over

Oooh, happy day. You guys get two cards for the price of one. The first one was one I made for my niece who turned 15. I really liked it, but I wasn't in love with it. But it was the day before her birthday and it needed to go in the mail (like i don't have a bamillion cards just layin' around), so this was what she got. Since most people don't look at my cards like I do (i tend to obsess over every little detail. didja notice?), I figured, she'd just be happy to have someone tell her happy birthday and to get a card. Who doesn't like getting cards in the mail? So I just told myself to relax and went with it. But I just couldn't get over not being happy with it. Then I did something I never do. I did the card again. I know. Crazy, right? Only this time I got it to come out how I had it in my mind. More white (or technically, vintage cream) space and a tighter frame. It just seems cleaner to me. Oh, and I had to use my new pearls. Love. them. What do you think? Have a preference?

Stamps: Friends Til The End & Damask Designs (PTI), Birthday Surprise (Verve), Ink: Cool Caribbean, Chocolate Chip & Regal Rose (SU!), Versafine Onyx Black, Paper: Cool Caribbean, Chocolate Chip & Basic Black (SU!), white, Vintage Cream & Hibiscus Burst (PTI), Accessories: stickles, corner rounder punch, hot pink pearls (Kaiser)