Hi There
Hope you are all having a lovely day. I woke in the wee hours of the morning to the unmistakable scent of a skunk. Have you ever noticed how a scent can bring on vivid memories? That scent took me back to the first time I ever smelled a skunk.
I was on field training as part of Basic Training in the Women’s Army Corps . Although I am proud of my service, I was a WAC and nothing remotely like the amazing women soldiers serving today.
Our field training was more of a camping trip and all rather silly. Part of our training was to follow a course thru the woods using only a compass to guide us. I was born directionally challenged and in spite of the Army’s best efforts I never learned how to use that compass and still get lost regularly.
I’d failed every written test regarding that compass so my sergeant fully expected me to get hopelessly lost. Imagine her shocked surprise when I emerged from the woods at the proper spot and in record time. It wasn’t until the day after graduation that I finally confessed how I‘d managed it. As I stood in front of that first marker having no idea how to read that compass and no clue what to do next I noticed a path. I took the chance and it did lead me to the next marker. Hundreds of women had been on that course before me, it was a simple matter of following their well worn path. :) Thankfully I did not run into that skunk but I did smell it.
For my card today I tired the emboss resist technique for the first time. I stamped the Seaside C Minor stamp with VersaMark on white cardstock then heat embossed with clear EP. I’ve sponged over it with Wild Honey DI and a no name green ink by Rubber Stampede and the edges with Vintage Photo DI. The sentiment is another thrift shop find made by D.O.Ts. A band of grosgrain ribbon and some recollection pearls to finish.
I’m off to share in the playground at Di’s Pixes Crafty Snippets Challenge 22
Check out my candy here.
Have an Amazing Day!
Blessings
Bernie
Click here to give --- It’s Free
I'm keeping this short as Mr. Blogger isn’t playing nice this morning.
This card is for Sandra's Rudolph Day Challenge, and Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge 73 where the theme this week is 'a touch of the blues’
For my card this Rudolph Day I’ve used a Darice embossing, folder sanded then added Recollections rhinestones, layered on to silver card then matching card blank. I found the sentiment in my stash.
I wish the manufactures would print the names of their embossing folders on them. Sadly I don’t know the names of most of my older EF including this one.
Have an Amazing Day!
Blessings
Bernie
Click here to give --- It’s Free
Hello Everyone!
Thank you all for your lovely comments and sweet birthday wishes. Sorry I haven't been by to visit you all, my computer is running like dial up these days so it's slow going but I'll be by soon.
I hope you are all well and enjoying a lovely day. Last week it was sunny and in the high, high nineties. Can we say HOT! This week it’s overcast and breezy with welcomed showers but only in the mid-sixties. Are we ever happy with the weather?
Jim and I will celebrate our 33rd anniversary on Sat. Our friend John always says 'You know, you get less time for murder.’ Funny guy. This is the card I’ve made for my Jim. When I found an incomplete deck of cards for free at a yard sale I remembered seeing a card like this somewhere. Not sure if it was on the web or store bought and I don’t remember the original sentiment but Jim loves poker so I thought it would be perfect for him. (If anyone knows the original creator’s name please let me know so I can give proper credit.)
Some of my scraps were the prefect size so this was one of the fastest cards I’ve ever made. Although the cards appear to be in a pocket I’ve actually cut the bottom’s off them and covered the cut edges with my sentiment panel. The Royal Flush isn’t in proper order but I wanted the colorful King to show. Jim’ll probably have something to say about the sentiment before he sees the inside but I think it‘s fun. The cards on the inside represent 1-4-3 which means I Love You. The Ace is the bottom half of the one on the front. On the left I’ve made a pocket which holds a blank card for my message. Gosh those little thumb punches can take a lot of muscle.
That’s it for me. I’d better get this posted before Jim comes in here and sees it. I'm off to the playground to share with Di and the gals, wont you join us. Come on use up some of those scraps/snippets and come play on the swings. What on earth am I talking about? Just hop on over here and join the fun.
Have an Amazing Day!
Blessings
Bernie
Click here to give --- It’s Free
Hello
I'm sorry I haven’t been by to visit any of you lately but I’ve been quite busy being Spoiled Rotten. You see my birthday and Mother’s Day were last week. Soon it’ll be our 33rd anniversary and it‘s my first blog anniversary as well. Stay tuned for some candy.
On Sat the 5th, I drove thru the countryside pass bucolic family farms, orchards in bloom and thru ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ towns. Up thru the Wenatchee National Forest and the magnificent trees with wild flowers in yellows, pinks, whites and purples dancing at their feet. Further on thru the Gifford Pinchot National Forest where wild dogwoods peeked thru majestic evergreen trees like stars on a moonless night and still higher where the trees are still dressed in their white winter coats.
My destination was the quaint town of Packwood. I spent quite some time admiring 100+ extraordinary works of art at the quilt exhibit. I enjoyed the craft fair as well but you know I was drawn to the two card makers there. One was not very friendly but the other was a pure delight. Her cards were all so unique and quite beautiful. I was amazed at her talent for making masculine cards. We happily shared ideas and discussed a variety of techniques and products for nearly an hour.
On my way back home, not wanting the day to end, I took a hike in the snow thru the forest. The quiet only broken by birds singing and the air so crisp and clean it almost hurt to breath. I even saw a beautiful deer! The breathtaking beauty and serenity of the forest is so refreshing to my spirit I don’t know why I don’t drive up there more often, what an amazing day.
It was a lovely week of phone calls, cards, flowers, gifts, yummy food and visits from family and friends. John called to apologize for not sending me a card. Bless him, I think having a kidney transplant is a good enough excuse don’t you. BTW he is home from the hospital and doing quite well. Jim and I went out to our favorite steak house and our favorite Chinese restaurant. Yahoo, out with my Jim twice in one week, what a treat!
This week I got the veggies garden planted and quite a bit of weeding done before Jim and I came down with a tummy bug. We are both well now but it has left us as limp as dish rags.
My card was inspired by the quilts I saw at the exhibit last week and will be given to the lady moving in next door once she's settled in. I mimicked the colors of one quilt, the design of another and used my swirls EF to mimic the hand quilting used on still another, then cut it out with SB Labels four. The MS butterfly was punched from velum then heat embossed with holographic EP and layered on to another punched from a yellow gingham scrap. The rhinestones are from Recollections.
As soon as I link this to Di’s Snippet Challenge 21 I'll be getting caught up with as many of you lovelies as possible.
Have an Amazing Day!
Blessings
Bernie
Click here to give --- It’s Free
My dear friend Susie has requested a special card for her niece’s graduation. Susie lives on Maui so we had a wonderful excuse for making a few phone calls which went far and beyond discussing the card. Not surprisingly Susie wanted purples, flowers, lace, butterflies and it had to have a pocket for a gift card.
I didn’t have a large enough dark purple flower so I clustered several small flowers together. I’ve used SB Labels Four, SB Foliage, MS Butterflies. Recollections half pearls. Lace, flowers and organza ribbon from my stash. The largest butterfly was punched first from pink card then layered with a velum butterfly covered with VersaMark and heat embossed with Sparkle EP.
On the inside I’ve used a MS Daisy Border punch. More MS Butterflies, EK Success Flower punch (Are you getting tired of this little beauty? Hope not cuz I Love it.) I’ve used glitter glue in the flower centers and Gelly Roll pens on the butterflies. Susie is legally blind, as a result her writing is quite large. After completing the card I realized I hadn’t left her enough space to write her massage so I’ve included a simple note card that fits into the pocket.
While I had all my purple snippets, punches, ribbon, etc. out I made a card for Susie herself. The stamp is from Inkadinkado and the little yellow flower from my stash.
These were both made using snippets/scraps so I'm sharing with Di and the gals in the playground for the Snippets Challenge.
Have an Amazing Day!
Blessings
Bernie
Click here to give --- It’s Free
Hi There
Thank you to all you beautiful people who keep stopping by and leaving me such lovely comments even though I haven’t been able to return the favor lately. I’ve just been so busy, family, garden, life in general.
We are dancing on the ceiling and turning cartwheels here. Tuesday morning we received a very long awaited phone call. Our dearest friend John was on his way to the hospital for a KIDNEY TRANSPLANT. Can’t tell you how happy, nervous, excited and worried we were for him. This morning John called to say all went well and his plumbing is working beautifully. Thank God! Sadly John lost his wife to breast cancer just two months ago, wish she could have lived to have seen this. John is Welsh and from Wales but retired to Valencia, Spain some years ago. Sure wish we could visit with him and give him a hug. My card will have to suffice.
For my card I stamped ferns on to my green card, layered on my printed sentiment, a strip of variegated Lip Smacki’ Ribbon and three paper punched homemade candy covered with Glossy Accents. My elephants are by Rubber Stampede, colored with pencils and fussy cut. I used a bit of liquid pearls on the tusks. Sadly by the time I completed the card the ink I used to stamp my ferns faded into the paper and are all but gone.
Please consider becoming an organ donor. In my career in the medical field I have seen far to many pass away for lack of a donor. I’ve also seen the monumental chance organ transplant can bring not only to the recipient but to their loved ones as well. I am listed as an organ donor on my driver‘s license. The thought that I may one day save a life, give someone sight or just make their life more comfortable brings me great joy. John’s donor was an elderly gentleman who died of natural causes. Bless his soul for his generous gift.
Have an Amazing Day!
Blessings
Bernie
Click here to give --- It’s Free
Hello
Busy, Busy, Busy here so this will be short and to the point.
My card is for Sandra’s Rudolph Day Challenge.
To be sure my openings lined up perfectly I taped my white card to the blue and cut both at the same time using SB Standard Circles Lg. I then embossed my white card and lightly chalked the snowflakes. I cut silver and blue snowflakes using Sizzix Snowflake #6. I glued them back to back with a length of clear nylon thread between them. I suspended this in the window. When the receiver opens the card the snowflake spins.
I had planned to use silver cord but couldn’t find any in my stash so resorted to a bit of white ribbon and a punched EK Success snowflake to finish.
Have an Amazing Day!
Blessings
Bernie
Click here to give --- It’s Free
