Hello ....

...and a short explanation.  I have been absent.  That's all.  I don't always do "well" with holidays and so, my blog has suffered.  Also, like everyone else, it has been incredibly busy and so crafting time has been put on the back burner lately.  I miss it.  So, today, I felt the need, after several doctor appts, to just quit running around doing the Christmas prep thing and instead head back to my home to craft.  Amazing how soothing that can be.

I made three cards all using Hero Arts stamps.  Why all Hero Arts you ask??? Well, they were the stamps that were left on my extremely messy table and since my crafty time was at a premium well...you can see where this is going ;-)  Also, I really like the stamps that I used.  They are simple and fun and worked really well, in my opinion, with the lovely, subtle holiday paper I used.  I also am entering them into the Hero Arts monthly chllenge.  The first and third card are for the sketch challenge.

The first stamp I used was the Enjoy the Seasons CG210 here  .  Pretty simple....I assembled the card and then stamped out the flakes and fussy cut them.  Blinged them up with some stickle.

The second stamp that I used was the Season's Greetings CG223 here .  I love these trees....I think that they are funky looking for some reason.  I also stayed with sections of the same paper which I used to make snow hills.  I like it.  I am not so enamored with the stickle I used.  I thought it was Diamond but it was icicle....should have put my reading glasses on. ;-D

 The last stamp I used was the Classic Holly CG229 here .  This particular card used all the left over scraps from the other two cards.  I simply cut them into strips and adhered them to some scrap cardstock.  I then ran this through the cuttle bug in a snowflake printed folder.

I hope that everyone is enjoying the days leading into Christmas...I hope you all are further along than me in your holiday preparations!  Sheesh....I need to get cracking!  And finally, please excuse my negligence in getting to other blogs...I will be back on track soon!

Be well,
Sheila

Virginia's Birthday....

!!!!  Finally I have been able to find time to  make a birthday card and take part in Virgina's virtual birthday party.

Although Virginia doesn't know it she is very important to me as she taught me something with the very first card I ever uploaded.  I was sooooo nervous to join flickr.  But back on June 25, 2010 I decided to take the plunge and, with a tremendous amount of technical help from my kids, I up loaded this card:           

                                                 

And I received comments...and it was exciting to have people other than my family say nice things about my cards.  I immeadiately felt welcomed by the Hero Arts Flickr group.  And then, I received this comment from Virginia...."Congrat on being featured in Hero Arts Twitter! You started in this group with a bang! This card is super lovely with the acetate!" and I was thrilled with her compliments and completely baffled with her comment about "twitter"!  I had never heard of the term twitter and had no clue as to what she was talking about....so, I waited.  And waited.  And WAITED until one of my "teens" came home and filled me in on what twitter was....where it was located and how to find it in the Hero Arts group.   And, then I scrolled thru the twitters and Virginia was right!  I WAS MENTIONED O WOW O WOW O WOW!  It was just all so new, and so exciting.  And, now, here I am (still without a twitter account) but I upload cards, have made friends online (like Virginia) and have a blog!  And just the other day I received this comment on some posted ATC's from Virginia...."PERFECT design for Chris mas ATC!! Way to go, Sheila! Congrats on the Hero Arts Tweet!".  So, it just goes to show you.....when it comes to Virginia she is always "there" for all of us in the flickr group.  She consistently has an upbeat attitude and a kind comment to make.  So, thank you Virginia, for all the nice comments that you have made on my work in the 17 months that I have been in the the flickr group.  You have NO IDEA how much your kindness means to all of us who have had the pleasure to have "met" you online.  I wish you a very Happy Birthday and hope your birth day is the start of another wonderful year for you!  Take care and thank you for inviting me to your party!

Thank you all for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Be well,

Sheila

Stamp used is Hero Arts Outline Magnolia CG193 and Essential Messages CL371 

A quick...

...post before I need to go down and switch some laundry!  I started working with this stamp yesterday. First I stamped it in white ink and then embossed it with a glittered powder.  Then, I distressed it in that new iced spruce color.  I didn't like that color so much....actually, I didn't like it at all.  So then I went over the spruce with the darker evergreen color.  And it was better but by only a bit.  Then I added the deep purply sapphire color and bammo!  I liked the color that was built up but I also felt like the glitter had faded or been  rubbed off by all my distressing.  So, trying to think ahead, I pulled out my heat gun and heated the paper a bit to make sure the distress ink was totally dry!  Then I ran a versa mark pen over the raised, embossed image and added more glittered embossing powder.  And, I ended up with embossing powder all over my paper.  I mean, it was stuck EVERYWHERE!  Like what the hey???? I heated the page and all so I figured nothing would stick. Whoa-was I wrong! Sooooo, I decided that the work I had put in thus far was worthless now and so I decided to go ahead and heat the image/paper one more time.....basically just to see if the second embossing would take.  And, lo and behold, the glitter embossing powder that had clung to the distressed paper melted and became this really cool, cyrstallized back drop for the image.  And man o man-I was doing the super happy dance for stumbling upon a really cool look.  I mean, other people might already do this but I hadn't ever before and since I thought that the card was totally toast and destined for the trash can....well, you can imagine how tickled I was by the way this card turned out!  So, then I mounted it on some patterend papers, stamped a sentiment in white ink (which I can never get to look "white" enough for me) and then added a row of pearls that I put a little bit of stickle on to glitter them up.  I think my lines are a little crooked but if I straighten them now the card will really be destined for the trash can.  So, anyways, I used a Hero Arts Stamp called Winter Scene K5524 here.  And it is funny, cuz just before I had my big "breakthrough" on this card I decided to take a break, have a yoghurt and see what was new on blogger dashboard.  And, then I saw Judy (who I adore) had posted her amazing card here and it "inspired" me to get my b*** in gear and go back and try to make something of my image.  So, thanks Judy!  Here is my card.

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope to have one more card today...it's kinda drying after an unfortunate accident with a bottle of glue and then the subsequent emergency procedure performed ....if the card pulls through I will be sure to post it!

Be well,
Sheila

2 Cards...

...for no other reason than I like to color!  I had these two images colored already, and with today morphing into a super busy day that I hadn't foreseen I only had time to assemble the images into cards.  But, the time I had planned to create card for  Virginia from scratch will be done either later tonight or tomorrow and I am really looking forward to making a birthday card!  It feels like I haven't made one for so long.  But back to today's cards.  The first is a Penny Black Stamp called Two's Company 4165K here and, actually, this might be the first time that I have inked it up.  I feel like I could have done more with it...I am not unhappy with this card just have a nagging sense of there is more to be gotten out of this stamp than I achieved...I think it has lots of possibilities and know I will have fun playing around with it!  I would LOVE to have all the Fashion Girl stamps and make "sets" out of them....I think they are so fun and contemporary looking.

My second stamp uses a Northwoods Rubber Stamp Co image here that I really like but have found it a little awkward as far as finding a way to "place" it on a card.  So again, I need to find some "mess around" time with this image to get it so I really love it.  The paper is Basic Grey from their Jingle collection and the sentiment is a rub on from the clearance bin.  The areas that I left white on the flowers I very lightly stickled with Diamond stickles and in person it has a really cool sheen that kinda POPS out.  It doesn't photograph that way so you will have to take my word on it.....or, stop on by to my house.  I have peppermint white chocolate covered pretzels that I will share with you ;-D

Thank you for stopping by.  I appreciate the visit and any comments you might have about these two stamps!

Be well,
Sheila

And....

I was able to sit down and craft!  We returned from a long vacation to Florida and the trip was fantastic!  It was so good to get away....but it is always just as good to get back home and to what is familiar!  Like the crafting table.  After I cleared away the pre vacation mess I sat down and messed around with some images that I had colored previously.  Both cards feature Penny Black stamps.  The first one features Natures Day 4157K here .  I love this little image and don't use it nearly enough.  In fact, I find that I often get "hooked" on several stamps and leave my other stamps lying in lonely neglect for long periods of time.  Then when I do "rediscover" them it is like they are new and exciting all over again.

My second stamp uses Candid here and this actually is a stamp that I tend to gravitate to fairly often.  I think I have colored this flower just about every color imaginable!  And have liked it every which way I have colored it too.  I hope you like it too!

Take care and thank you so much for stopping by.  I am still trying to get caught up from being gone so long but do hope to post some vacation pics on here.  I always like it when other people do that on their blogs.....I feel as though they like their blog "friends" enough to share something personal with them and so, I also, would like to share with you!

Be well,

Sheila

                                                           

Untraditional....

Christmas cards are some of my favorite cards to make.  I love taking traditional Christmas images and kinda "tweaking" them.... Again, I am using the Christmas Star from Penny Black here and decided to go all "Blue Christmas" with it.  I hope you like it!

                                                                  

I am not sure about the placement of the 'bling" but the vellum, which I love using, was not cooperating and staying in place.  Thus, some awkwardly placed bling to hold it down.  ;-(

Thank for the visit!  I hope that you are having a good day!

Be well,

Sheila

Cheerful....

is the name of this image from Penny Black here  and "cheerful" is how I generally feel whenever I color this image in.  I love the gentle sway of the stem, the two sprightly leaves and the uneven assortment of petals.  All in all, just a happy, little image.  The papers used are from a several years old pack of Basic Grey paper that I came across when reorganizing my craft space.  I love "finds" like that.....it is just so "bonus"!  Here is my card.....

Thank you sooooo much for visiting my little crafting space today!  I appreciate your visit and will return the favor by stopping by your place!  Have the coffee hot please!

Be well,

Sheila