Candy Cane Dog

Many thanks to Margaret for giving me a much needed break.  With nursing a dog who had an exploratory laparotomy and an unprecedented blizzard in Arkansas (never before has a blizzard occurred in all the years records have been kept), which left us without power (thank goodness for my boy scout husband who had the foresight to purchase a generator when we moved here a year ago), my plate has been more than full!

Tonight I am sharing the Christmas card that my husband received from the above-mentioned dog, Schmitzy, who expresses his gratitude for being rescued from the streets this summer and nursed back to health we're up to 5 days with no vomiting - I know, TMI, but this is big becuase he has been so sick for over a month.  He is especially grateful for the yummy meals his new daddy, who is from New Orleans, provides him (since everyone knows that in New Orleans you live to eat!  Schmitzy has now adopted that philosophy, as well!

It is not a perfect image of Schmitz, but similar enough that it fit the bill.  I used a manly b&w theme.  There is actually ribbon behind the fleur de lis.   The sketch is from Sweet Sketch Wednesday #186.

I am also entering the following challenges:

Forever Friends - Anything Goes

The Pretty Little Ribbon SHop - Christmas

Songbird Challenges - Christmas

Allsorts - It's as plain as Black & White

Thanks for stopping by!

kathy b

Owl Mandala

The last day of 2012...I am happy to see it go.  It was an intense year and I am personally ready for a new and better one!  In honor of the lessons I've learned and the wisdom I've gained...I made an owl card today.  I actually needed to make something really fast because my girls and I always watch the 10th Kingdom (it's an old HBO miniseries movie that is about 9 hours long) as we wait for the New Year to come in, upon which we celebrate with a glass of sparkling cider (this year's flavor will be Strawberry).

This stamp was my Christmas present from Kathy--my daughter loves owls so I am slowly building my stash of owls.  :)  I ended up stamping it twice and cutting out the owl part and placing it on top of the stamp. (Dragonslayerbuzz.com from Etsy).  Embossing this stamp made me learn something about Embossing powders.  It's hard to tell from the card, but I embossed the image using different embossing powders.  The pink is made with Adirondack and it is gorgeous--very sharp and clear and defined lines, similar to Ranger Fine Gold.  However, then I tried to stamp the green with Recollections.  AWFUL!  It was very thick, lost color and the lines blurred together.  The green on this card uses Stampendous.  It is better than the Recollections, but still not as clear and defined as the Adirondack.  This was an interesting experiment!

I ended up getting a bit whimsical, trying to use jewel-like tones, with the bottom of the card cut with a Stampin Up edger, to represent the owl scales.  The die cut encircling the owl is a Spellbinders.  It is gold paper...It's a bit difficult to see the sparkle but it is glittery paper.  Not sure how I like this card....am lacking a bit of creativity lately and I think I went overboard on color.  My daughter Julia (the owl lover) actually likes all the color.  LOL  Well tomorrow I will be back with a birthday card for a little boy and hopefully my mojo will be back for 2013.  I think I need to clean up my art space to get re-energized.   Enjoy the last few hours of 2012!  Margaret

Mandala by Kathy

Good evening everyone!
I'm leaving 2012 with a bang...my toilet overflowed and we didn't realize it until it flooded the bathroom, leaking onto the first floor ceiling, right onto the stove.  It was an upsetting day to say the least.  I've been washing over 30 towels since then...I didn't even know I had that many...glad to have saved all those ripped up ones for episodes such as this.  Anyway...

Today I have a card for you the should be a real treat for you (eye candy), and a surprise to Kathy (and a blast from the past).  This is a card SHE made and it is significant.  When we first started stamping, we got hooked on the Outlines Mandalas.  They are no longer being made anymore (unless if someone knows something I don't know)...but we almost went into business over this we were so hooked.  (Until we realized how much work this really was)  This is the first Mandala she made and gave me as a gift for Christmas.  These things take about 2 hours each to make...this is all one stamp, stamped and embossed many many times, as many times as there are layers, each cut being smaller and smaller and propped up with foam tape.  There are teeny Swarovski Crystals all over it--if I recall correctly, I think there are about 36 at least!  The photo doesn't do this justice but this card is extremely intricate and sparkly.  I hope you enjoy...this is one of the most special cards I have of hers and I look at it often...the love outpours out of it, as this was truly a labor of love.  Hope it perks up your day!  Margaret

Gratitude to an angel

Hello everyone!
Well my girls are back...and content playing with their Christmas goodies.  It's good for things to be back to normal, even though the house now looks like a hurricane went through it.

Today I have a card that took just a few minutes to do--and I really like how it turned out.  I found in my stash a bunch of readily embossed cards that I purchased at Hobby Lobby years and years ago...back in 2008!  I used one of the stamps Kathy got me for my birthday. ( I love angels--there are not enough angel stamps out there--and this particular one is GORGEOUS.  It was purchased from an independent seller on Etsy: dragonflybuzz.  It stamps beautifully too)  And then I just took my Versamark to it and embossed it in Ranger's fine gold, and mounted it on a POW Glitter paper (cut with Spellbinders).  Then I just put it on front of the embossed card and voila...just a few minutes.  I actually embossed two other colors which I'll do some other things with it in the future.  But I wanted to just share this one with you.

I've been sick so not feeling well...this was perfect and I really love how elegant it turned out.  I thought of coloring it, but I think this is perfect.  The Ranger's fine gold is much prettier for such fine detailing than the stampendous embossing powder.  Will see you again tomorrow...thanks for stopping by and I hope you are enjoying your weekend, what is left of 2012.

Margaret

Silver and gold, subtle yet bold

Hello once again everyone!  Well Kathy got her power back on and tomorrow I get to pick up my girls from the airport!  Then we'll get a chance to celebrate Christmas...finally!  I'm starting to fight a bug unfortunately...so send me some good wishes to get better so I can enjoy tomorrow.  It's my fault...been forgetting to take my vitamin D the last few days...it's my miracle preventive.

Well today, I am very excited to share with you one of the gifts that Kathy got for me for Christmas.  It is an embossing plate by Darice.  It is GORGEOUS.  I wanted to do something original with it so I took my Versamark and gently went over the embossed portions and then embossed with a silver satin embossing powder from Stampamania.  It came out BEAUTIFULLY except for a few spots which I strategically covered with a stamp and edging.  The circle die is Spellbinders as is the bottom edging.  The top edging is Martha Stewart with a POW Glitter paper strip adhered to it.  The stamp is Stampin Up and then there's a bunch of Swarovskis all over the card.  This embossing plate is so beautiful that it doesn't even need the embossing powder...it's probably the nicest one I own.

Enjoy!  Kathy will post tomorrow and then I'll take back over for the next several days.  My New Year's REsolution is to try to at least get into my art room once a week.  I will really try!

Brrrr....

Hello Everyone!
Well it looks like you're stuck with me a little while longer.  For the first time ever, Arkansas had a blizzard -- 15 inches of snow, 200,000 people out of power in Little Rock and surroundings areas!  That includes Kathy.  And now they're expecting an ice storm tonight with 19 degrees.  I wish I could do something--so I told her to drink some vodka. LOL  Really, I don't know what I'd do in that situation except stay in bed to keep warm.  My only concern is their pipes...so please send her and her family some warm loving thoughts to get them through the next few days.  She is lucky in the fact that they have a generator and fuel to last them through Friday and a handy husband.

In the meantime, here's my card for today.  It was easy peasy...and super quick to put together.  My neighbors two doors down baked some cookies for me and surprised me with it--I don't even know them.  That was so incredibly sweet!  So this is their thank you card.  The blue sparkly paper is super sparkly but it was not exactly easy to work with...all the glitter kept falling off as the glitter is on the thicker side, and it adhered to my die...yikes.  However, the results are stunning.  The two snowflakes are Memory Box and the banners are both MFT.  Theresa Collins Design Paper was used.  Enjoy...and thanks for stopping by.   See you tomorrow!  Margaret

'Tis the Season

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!
If you happen to be on the computer tonight, then our blog won't disappoint.  I remember when Kathy and I first started blog surfing we would anticipate every day for our favorite bloggers to post cards.  Between the two of us that is possible, even over the holidays.  Poor Kathy is sitting in the dark right now in Arkansas as a blizzard blows through, power is out.  They currently have 8 inches and counting.  In all the years I lived in Arkansas, we never had a blizzard, though we did accumulate 8 inches once.  I bet all those kiddies are super excited.

Well today I have a card that I made for Claudia.  I'm pleased with how it turned out.  I have to take special care when I make cards for the girls because they KNOW how much effort I put into them...they're so funny!  So there's ALOT going on in this card with many products used.  Here's the synopsis:

• The snowman stamp is from Stampendous--he has loads of Stickles all over him
• The tree die is Memory Box.  I first cut it out on green card stock, and then cut it out AGAIN on sparkly glitter paper.  I cut out the Sparkly Pink Flowers and glued them to the green card stock.  On top of the flowers, I also placed clear Swarovski crystals.  On the green petals I put splashes of green stickles.  There are little berries throughout and those are pink Swarovski's.  
• Around the tree, I adhered Tinsel Twine by Jim Holtz.
• The bird is cut from POW Glitter Paper by American Crafts and the die is Stampin Up.  His eye is a blue Swarovski.
• You can barely see it, but at the bottom is an edging cut with a Martha Stewart punch.  The paper background is an old Me and My Big Ideas paper
• The sentiment is Technique Tuesday.  I LOVE this set...they have wonderful Christmas Phrases. it is embossed.
• All the objects are glued down with foam tape.

So there you have it...lots of 3D on this card, and lots of glitter.  I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and Holiday with family and/or friends.  Kathy and I are wishing you a peaceful evening as you snuggle in tonight.  Margaret