Card making should

be fun....and I can honestly say that I am having fun, in fact, SOOOOO much fun lately making cards.  Perhaps it is because I had to take an unplanned "break" due to life and the demands it makes.  Perhaps it is because I have time to really fiddle around with my supplies now and therefore not feel pressed to make "every crafting moment count"!  Whatever the reason is, I am just enjoying the process more these days and find that each time I leave my crafting space I leave content, restored and happy.  I can't ask for more than that from paper, ink and glitter right?
So, I am still on my poinsettia kick.  This Spellbinder die is seriously SUCH a fun die and one that I am glad that I went ahead and picked up.  I debated about it as it is a seasonal die and therefore I thought that it wasn't worth the cost but I'm so pleased with how it works and would recommend it to anyone!  I found mine on sale, actually, at a fairly deep discount on Amazon. I used Hero Arts sentiments on both cards and so am going to enter both into the monthly contest Bring on the Bling.

Again I used all Spellbinder dies for the different cuts on both cards and also pulled out my trusty Martha Stewart thistle/pine punch.....I can't believe how much I use that little punch for accents!  I wish it came in a larger branch too.  The first card I used untraditional Christmas colors but I like to go "different" from time to time....I think that this works!  The poinsettia is cut from pink paper, distressed with two different colors of pink ink and then stickled.

The second card I tried to go for a more vintage look. I used red card stock on the poinsettia, stickled it and then also heavily outlined it in silver leaf pen.  I then used  big leaves from the die and tried to arrange them in a very "stylized" fashion.  I wanted this card to look like something I would find in my grandmothers attic.....a card where the paper is old, the colors faded and the edges browning but the embellishments bright and shiny as though they are painted tin.  I also am popping my "frames" up on foam....I don't know if that is apparent from my photography....it looks good in real life though!

I hope you all aren't tiring of poinsettias....I feel like I have a few more in me!   Whatever will I do when January comes??????

Be well,

Sheila

Stuck on

poinsettias lately.  I am really getting into making them, glittering them....distressing them.....whatever!  I have been using the Spellbinder poinsettia die and really have been having fun just messing around with it.  I cut these poinsettias out on red paper, turned them upside down and "ground" them with a stylus.  Then I glittered them, outlined them with silver pen and let them dry.  When dry I just stick them altogether with GA and I am done!  Pretty easy....and there are so many tutorials on youtube that are so simple to follow.  I also used Spellbinders dies for the various die shapes on the card and a little Martha Stewart thistle punch that I have had forever!  The sentiment is Hero Arts clear sheet Joy To All stamp set.  I plan to enter this into the Hero Arts monthly contest for the Bring on the Bling category.

Again, it looks like this card is time intensive but it actually is not too bad at all.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I always appreciate all of your comments.  It is so nice to come on my feed and see the nice things you all have to say.  Take care now!

Be well,

Sheila

Post Thanksgiving blues....

are hanging on me like a sticky cobweb.  I think that this past Thanksgiving was one of my best in years and I so enjoyed being at home and with my kids that it makes the Monday after Thanksgiving a complete let down.  Bess and Tyler are gone.  Clarice is back at college.  Corm is back to his HS routine of leaving for swimming at 5:30 am, going to school and then home again after 5:30 pm....and Joe leaves today for France for the week.  So it's me.  And the dogs.  At home.  And while I do enjoy the peace and quiet it is still an adjustment.  So, I have  a book set aside to start reading.  And several card ideas in my head to transfer to reality.   I have a scrapbook page I would like to try laying out as well as putting my Fall decorations away and getting my Winter and Christmas decorations out and about the house.  I did have some time this morning to work on a card.  I had die cut the tree several days ago...on a scrappy-ish piece of paper.  But then I experimented by outlining it with Stickles and suddently the scrap paper didn't look so bad anymore!  So, I decided to keep the sparkly die cut and and make a card around it.  I like how this card turned out but I think that I might like it better in the future if I  use fancy Spellbinder die cut corners instead of pearls to accent the corners with.  Seems to me to be too much "space" at the top of the tree.  Any suggestions?  Otherwise, I have embossed the red card stock and mounted the green sentiment tag on two white tags to give it "shadow" and definition.  The sentiment is from the Hero Arts clear sheet of "Holiday Sayings" CL343.

I think that this card looks a little more time intensive than it is....it actually came together really quickly!   I hope you had a wonderful weekend.....and also have a good week out ahead of you.

Be well,
Sheila

Happy Thanksgiving...

and hello again!  I guess it has been awhile since I posted.  Oh well, life gets in the way of my best intentions to blog.  Anyways, I hope you all "out there" had a wonderful Thanksgiving.....I know that I sure did.  In the 21 years that my husband and I have been together we have only had Thanksgiving at our house 3 times....including this past Thanksgiving and it was just wonderful to be home with my kids.  We had such a nice time....my oldest and her boyfriend came home from Minnesota and my middle child came home from college.  And we had a truly wonderful time being home with each other.  Today we capped off our weekend by seeing Jersey Boys and getting a nice dinner together.  After that, we all split up....Joe, Corm and I headed back to Plymouth, Bess and Tyler went to Minneapolis and Clarice back to college in Madison.  Now, the Packers are on and I thought that I would take a few minutes to upload a few pictures....
First up is a card I made.  I used an old, and I mean old Spellbinders die that I got at a deep, deep discount.  I then stickled it and added a Hero Art's sentiment.  Finally I finished it off with a Spellbinders poinsettia die as well as a bow.  I like the traditional Christmas look of it!

 This was a difficult card to photograph.....I just couldn't do the glitter justice!  This next picture is of the centerpiece that I made for the Thanksgiving meal. It was very simple and rather rustic but I am very happy with how it turned out. I sprayed adhesive on three smallish pumpkings and then sprinkled a variety of autumnal colored glitter on them.....they turned out beautiful!  Then I had several cheap-o ivory pillar candles that I "wrapped" in Tim Holtz printed tissue paper and then heated with the heat gun.  They also turned out terrific and I just love how they looked when lit!

Finally, here is a shot, well a partial shot of my dining room table all decorated for the holiday meal.  I feel so lucky to have had my kids home and a meal, well, a whole fabulous weekend with them.  

I hope you all had a wonderful day too....Thank you for stopping by ;-D

Be well,
Sheila

There...

is just something about blue flowers that gets me every time.  I couldn't  tell you how many times I have colored a floral image blue.... I never get tired of it.  And it's strange because blue is not a color that I am drawn to in any other aspect of life.  In fact, I have had painters here in the house the last two days and not a single room was painted blue....although I will say, I guess, that one of the bathrooms is now a pale teal. So, maybe that is a bit on the blue side after all.  Anyways, this particular card is for a friend who is going thru a trying time in her life.  We all have those rough patches that really test us....and often times we feel like we are going through our troubles alone.  I want, in a small way, to let this person know that I am thinking of her and that this difficult time will eventually pass. By the way, she is a "bling" girl.  I hope I put enough sparkle on......This is a Penny Black image called Sundail..  It is a terrific all purpose floral image.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts Luscious Patterned Flowers.  I plan to enter this card into Hero Arts Bring on the Bling monthly challenge

as well as Simon Says Stamp Challenge "Thinking of You" / or "Sympathy" card.

And here is my card.  I hope it brings a little smile to her day.

Thank you for stopping by....

Be well,
Sheila

Late to

the game....or at least late to the scramble.  I have not been able to participate in a HA scramble for....well probably for at least a year now.  My kids always had something going on and usually it was on a Saturday....just not a day when I have much free time.  But today with it being held on Sunday afternoon I had some time to play.  And my friend Kathy was the person who threw the scramble so of course  I wanted to support her!  And I had a great time...it was fun...I enjoyed working on a card under a strict deadline and as per my usual scramble style I was late on the upload!  But again....IT WAS FUN!  And I am not going to beat myself up because I ran out of time....I always think that 10-15 minutes is enough time to photograph and upload and that is always the day that I have a computer glitch....anyways, here is my card and again I am going to  enter it into the Hero Arts November challenge for Bring on the Bling!

I do use a lot of layers in my cards and want to point out that I use the Spellbinders Grand Caliber die cutting machine for most of my work.  It has a huge plate that I am able to fit several different size die cuts on each time I cut and emboss.  I bought it at Micheals with a coupon and got nearly 50% off.  I used to have a small machine but finally decided that a big machine was worth the money when  it came to making many cuts at once!

I also keep all of my dies in an ArtBin storage system...I actually have several of them and I pick them up at either JoAnns or Hobby Lobby with 40% off coupons.  This is what they look like and I find that I can store my dies on the magnetic sheets in an organized way. Then I can look at various dies and see how they will work with both my image and each other for the best possible layers. The ArtBin looks like a little briefcase and many white magnetic sheets fit inside.  I then line all my ArtBins up on a book case just like I would books.   I can open each bin and flip through the pages to see what I have and what will work best for each card...then I can put the die back right away and it helps me to keep mess and chaos to a minimum...always a nice feature right?

Well, thank you for stopping by today.....I really am so appreciative of your comments.  Take care now!

Be well,
Sheila

Baby, It's BLING

outside!  I love snowflake cards for the simple reason of bling.  That's it.  That's why.  You can bling up a Christmas or Winter snowflake card with glitter, bows, rhinestones, gems and then you can probably add more.  It's like being a kid in the art room....there is no wrong way to doll up a snowflake.  And, now that I have presented my defense.......I guess I should point out that I made one of "those" over the top snowflake cards.  I used another Hero Arts Stamp and Cut that I bought at Archivers when I was there for Scrapfest.  This is called the Poinsettia Stamp and Cut but  but I prefer it to be a snowflake rather than a poinsettia flower.....so be it.  Any ways....here is my card and I hope you like it.  I plan to enter it into Hero Art's Monthly contest in the (of course) Bring on the Bling category.....

I outlined the stamped portion of the snowflake with glue and added glimmer dust to it.  I also added glue to the center "flake" and glitter-ized it also.  Then lots of bling and layers.  I love how this shimmer card stock embosses....the shimmer gives it so much dimension.  Other than finishing this card I had a wonderful weekend and the blahs have been pretty much chased away.  My husband and I went out for dinner and saw the new Bond film over the weekend and it was really good.  Yesterday was a Badger game party at some relatives and that was great because we didn't watch any of the game but instead talked and enjoyed each other's company instead!  And today is, finally, a stay at home day and for the first time in a really long time I think I will be able to take part in a Hero Arts scramble....they usually are held on Saturday's which are very difficult for me to make but today there is nothing planned and a rainstorm coming on so I hope to be ready to play!  Thank you for stopping by today....I appreciate your visit and comments!

Be well,
Sheila

Christmas!-

card number 2!  Actually I shouldn't be finishing that statement with an exclamation point as I am soooo far behind in Christmas cards that woo-hooing about my second one made is slightly embarrassing.  Oh well.  It is what it is.  I tried a new HA stamp and cut image that I bought when I went to Scrapfest.  Back in mid September....yep!  That is how busy my life has been this Fall....I am just now getting to try out a new item!  I had this image for a card in mind based on the Christmas song "Silver and Gold" from the Rudolph movie.  I mean, I literally had that song pop into my head the minute I saw this stamp!  And, I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.  I have always liked the silver/gold combo anyways.  I double stamped the image...once in silver and once in gold and then embossed both colors in the appropriate metallic matte powder.  Then I cut the gold one apart and glued it to the silver one.  I then outlined all the white space with in the stamp and around the stamp with glue.  Then I sprinkled on Glamour Dust...my most favorite glitter of them all!  The silver and gold papers are  vellum and they actually got a strange "curl" to them after going through the die cuts.  Hence the addition of "bling" in strategic points around the card-the vellum needed to be anchored big time!  Then the largest die cut as well as the tree itself are popped up on dimensionals.  It is really hard to see the sparkle of the glamour dust or the lovely matte finish of the metallic embossing powders but in person this card is really gorgeous.....and so simple to make!  I will be entering this in the Hero Arts monthly contest!  I haven't entered one of those in ages!

 Here is my card!  And it is 5 by 7 in size.

This particular stamp set is only available at Archiver's so I am glad I picked it up when I was in the area.....I think that I will be able to get a lot of different looks out of this set!  Thank you for stopping by and I hope that you have a great weekend!

Be well,
Sheila

Some days

are just kinda blah.   Today is one of them  Actually I don't know if it is the day, the weather or just me but I am wallowing in a sea of blah-ness.  It is not attractive.  And, it is not productive.  I know that I am seriously low on sleep so that is what I am blaming this blah state of affairs on.  But, I want tomorrow to be different.  And it will be because I will make it be!  In the meantime I have a card to share.  The card that I am going to share is radically different from the card that I set out to make.  The card I set out to make was 5 by 7.  This card is 4 7/8 square.  The card that I set out to make had a large image.  This card has a relatively small image.....because  when I was done with the coloring of the image and  I cut it crooked. So, then I tried to fussy cut it and then remount it.  No way no how.  It further damaged the image and then I cut the image down smaller.  But, did so with out my reading glasses on (to save time of course) and  so the image was cut a bit on the diagonal....making the square crooked.  Again my image went under the knife and emerged much smaller.  So, what to do what to do.....my image now was way to small for a 5 by 7 card.  And if I simply mounted the image I would be creating a million layers to make it look balanced.  And although I am a total layer lover that would be too many layers for even me.  My next option then was to make the image appear bigger by expanding it's size, falsely, with a frame.  Adding a frame makes the overall image seem that much bigger.  Then I decided how many layers to add as well as trimming down the whole 5 / 7 card to a more manageable 4 7/8 square.  Then I just had to add bling, stickles and a bow to finish off the card.  And, I like it.  I could have scrapped the image when I mutilated it (over and over again!) but I always hate to toss away a colored image.  It is somewhat a challenge to me to find a way to "make it work".  The background paper is of apples which I thought would look so cute with this image and I am sorry that I had to cut so much of that  paper away but all in all I like how the card finished up and know that next time I make a "mistake" it can actually turn out to be a good thing!  The image I used is a Northwoods Rubber Stamp Co. image and the dies are all Spellbinders.  The majority of the bling are those "water drop" looking thing-ys as well as a few pearls.  And, finally, there are some yellow stickles on the pumpkins and GA on the apples.

I thank you for stopping by my blog and I really appreciate your comments.  I also hope you are having a better or less "blah" day over in your part of blogland!

Be well,

Sheila

My daughter

asked me if I could make her several cards recently as well as one "special" looking one.  I told her "no problem!" as I had a few new Spellbinder dies that I wanted to try out!  So, this is one of the cards.  I also am going to enter this card in the Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge of Just Add Pearls.

I have been loving the new dies that I have purchased and they just seem to lend themselves to the addition of pearls and other bling.....of course, when is bling ever NOT needed right? And besides the little bitty pink pearls I also used pearlized pink card stock.  I really love how it looks embossed! The image is a large background stamp from Heartfelt Creations.....colored up and cut down to size.  I colored this with Faber Castell Big Brush markers and "highlighted" the image with white pencil and stickles.

I had fun with this card and it was fun to sit and play for a while. It has been a crazy busy week and I am looking forward to my husband coming back home on Saturday.  I am actually going to get up at 5:00 tomorrow with my son (who gets up to swim) but I plan to craft a bit before I go for my walk....I feel the need to INK!

Be well,

Sheila