Birds on a Wire

The Limited Supply Challenge today was to use a border punch and ribbon.  No other embellishments.  I've been dying to use my new MS Birds on a Wire punch and finally matched it up with the little bird from Picnic Parade.

Of course you knew I had to make it a bluebird. The bird was stamped in Basic Gray and was colored with ink pads and my blender pen.   I used a scallop circle and scallop oval and a sponge to create the cloudy sky.  I cut one of the birds off the wire because I wanted the colored bird to look like he had just left to fly away.  The white and blue taffeta ribbons complete the requirements for the challenge. 

Thursday's Throw Aways

Ahhhh, Valentine's Day can provide some pretty nifty items to repurpose.  Of course there are candy boxes and such, but I was given something else and I knew exactly what I wanted to try with it.  One of the teachers I work with gave me this piece of fabric that was wrapped around the bouquet of flowers she got for Valentine's Day.  The hearts are metallic gold.

I used my Scallop Circle Die to punch out 10 large and 10 small scallop circles.

Then I cut eight scallops off the large ones and four scallops off the small ones.

Next I used a needle and thread to sew a running stitch along the straight edge of each scallop. 

First I stitched all 10 large ones and tied that off. And then I did the same for the smaller ones.

Then I gathered a corduroy brad, a circle of stiff felt (I punched this out with a 1 3/8" circle punch and made a whole in the center), and a pin backing.

I sewed the pin backing to the felt making sure to keep the center hole free.

Once that was done I took the brad and inserted it through the rings that were created with the scallops and then through the felt circle making sure the brad came out the center hole of the pin back. 

Turn it over and you have a cute pin or package topper. 

(This was not my creation.  I expanded on a ponytail holder designed by someone for Stampin' Up.)

For something that was going to end up in the garbage can I think I've managed to make it pretty one more time. 

I'll be trying this with cotton fabric very soon.  Stay tuned!

Teapot Tuesday 81

It's Fat Tuesday!    A truly fat Tuesday when you take into consideration that the Valentine parties at school were postponed until today because of the snow days and holidays.  It's so hard to always say no to the sweets - so I didn't.  See what I mean about Fat Tuesday! 

Getting back to Teapot Tuesday - Cindy provided us with another great story and a really cute Mardi Gras teapot.  How fitting for today...........

This brought back some memories for me even more memorable this week as it is my son's birthday on Friday.  When he was in 8th grade the theme for the dinner dance was "Mardi Gras" and I designed the table centerpieces.  They were pretty cool and consisted of masks - the kind on sticks - in an over-turned top hat with green and gold and purple "grass".   The kicker was that the kids had taken them apart to "play" with the masks within the first 30 mins of the dance.  The ladies who were working there that night (you weren't allowed to be at the dance if you had an 8th grader) managed to put aside a centerpiece for us and believe it or not, I still have those masks.  Here is a picture of the card I made with the masks.........

Go figure that 14 years later I would still have them and the bag of feathers stashed away.  What I couldn't find this afternoon was my gold ink pad.  You stampers out there, do you have days like that?  Last week I couldn't find the stamp I wanted to use and this week it was an ink pad!  Well, in the absence of gold ink, I went with gold embossing powder.  In my search I came across a little fleur de lis punch which I also embossed and added to the motif from Carte Postale to make the handle.........

I had this card in my head all day and if I hadn't spent so much time looking for that darn ink pad I would have gotten it done a lot sooner.  It seems I'm always so late posting these! 

I used two background stamps for this - En Francais in black on YoYo Yellow and Print Pattern in Glorious Green on Whisper White cs.  The fleur de lis comes from Carte Postale and it was first embossed in gold on Rich Razzleberry and then I embossed the whole piece in clear several times.  That square is backed with metallic gold cs. 

I think this will be Chris' birthday card on Friday and I might just ask for it back cause I really like the way it came out.  Let's see if he gets the connection! 

Okay, please check out the other challenge cards in the gallery this week and make sure to check out Cindy's glob to see her wonderful creation.  You won't want to miss it!

Some Final Valentine's

This is what I woke up to on Valentine's Day.  This wonderful Heart Tart.  It's custard in the middle with all that gorgeous fruit on it!  Yum!  This came along with a very nice little package from Vera Bradley - a cute little tech case for either my phone or my camera.  He's the best!

And this is something I was working on during those snow days.  I had borrowed the Bigz Tree Die from my upline Debbie and came up with this. 

First the outside...........

Then the inside..........

I got the idea from Karen Burniston's blog (I'll be back with the link later).  She had a beautiful tree that was actually all hearts.  Well, I tried that and it didn't look half as great after I got done folding those larger hearts to put them through the slots.  So I took my heart punches, punched out the smallest hearts in shades of pink and ran them through the Xyron to make them into stickers (so much easier than gluing all those individually!). 

The medallion stamp is centered on the cardstock and I surrounded the tree with more hearts I had previously cut from I {Heart} Hearts.  The sentiment inside is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and on the front from (? forgive me, I'm trying to get this posted before work and I've forgotten the name).

HWNSNBP liked this tree a lot more than the other.  What do you think?

Just Had to Share

Today is a holiday here - President's Day - for those that work in education for the most part.  It's one of those optional days, but HWNSNBP has it off so we're fitting in as many "fun" errands as we can today. 

I hope to be back later today with some challenges but I had to share this first thing.  What a sight to see at 8:25 this morning..........

Isn't he beautiful!  (click on the picture to see it closer)  It's taken from the house and about 100' away and I zoomed in as much as possible without having it become too grainy.  There was actually another one in the box and had I not been so upset that he flew away I would have been able to snap a pic of the second one leaving the box.  Don't know if it the one inside was male or female, but I have to say that I've never seen bluebirds and snow at the same time.  What a treat.

Okay, now on to IKEA!

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine Bookmarks

I couldn't believe that I hadn't inked up this new Valentine stamp set - Love Bandit.  Here's a little bookmark project. 

I used the Two Tags die to punch out the bookmark base in Tempting Turquoise.  Then I stamped the images from Love Bandit on Whisper White cs, colored them with markers and blender pen and cut them out.  I punched a Pretty in Pink heart and stamped the sentiment in Rose Red ink as you see it using the Stamp-a-ma-jig.  All were adhered to the base.  Lastly, I used the Crop-a-dile to punch a hole in the top and added the Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon.  (The heart in the picture is pierced.)

Thursday's Throw Aways - February 10

I've accumulated these pretty appointment cards over the course of the last year.  They're from my oncologist's office. 

They really pay attention to detail there.  They took my picture at my first appointment and it's in my file.  Now when I walk in, they refer to me by name even before I tell them who I am.  Strangely, it makes me feel a little more relaxed. 

Then there's the examining table.  They're not the usual stark white paper covered tables.  The paper is printed and the drape is a beautiful shade of pink.  (Don't worry, I'm not reusing this, I just took a picture of it!)

In addition to some lovely art prints on the walls, there is a mobile hanging over each table - gives you something to focus on when looking up. 

Basically, in a place that can cause a lot of tension, the attention to detail really helps allay it. 

So today I'll share a couple of projects with you.  My Thursday Throw Away is a set of notecards made from the appointment cards............

I trimmed off the writing from the top and mounted them on a piece of watercolor paper to add some texture.  The kraft ribbon was first tied around the watercolor paper.  Then I added those pieces to some Kraft cardstock to complete the cards. 

The second project is a card that I made for the staff in the doctor's office.  After my surgery last year I had been visiting the office quite regularly at first and around Valentine's Day I shared with them some of my homemade cinnamon and vanilla marshmallows.  I got kudos on the marshmallows so when I was there a couple of weeks ago for an exam I asked if they wanted some this year.  I got a resounding "yes!" 

During the snowstorm last Saturday I made the marshmallows and packaged them up earlier this week and go them in the mail.  This is the card that went with it..........

I love the way this came out.  I almost didn't want to send it but I know I can make another one if necessary.  I used the I {Heart} Hearts set as well as Vintage Vogue.  The new scalloped border and corner punches make the pink layer and the white is embosed with the Perfect Polka Dots folder.  Some of the hearts and flowers are popped up on dimensionals. 

So now I'm hoping that the snowstorm we got yesterday will not delay the package.  I had it labeled perishable and have always had good luck when I send something that is perishable.  I just don't know how the marshmallows will hold up in near freezing temperatures.  I guess I'll find out at my next appointment in May.

Teapot Tuesday 80

I can't figure out whether I've been working in slow motion these last couple of days or if I've just had that many interruptions.  Maybe it's a bit of both.  Today was no exception.

But let me get on with it.  This week our lovely hostess Cindy gave us this little beauty as our inspiration along with a very long story that I think had about 42,000 words in it.

This teapot reminded me of my sister.  I remember that she had made a beautiful iris stained glass piece and she had a plethora of cats.  Maybe that's another reason why I took my time with this one. 

I couldn't find my one and only iris stamp (which happens to be a stained glass window - go figure) but I did find the bag of stamps that my mother brought to me just before Christmas that they found in amongst my sister's things.  Almost all of them were cat stamps.  So I decided to put something together like this........

The flower is a retired SU stamp called From the Garden and the cat face is by PSX.  I used a mask to get the cat face into the center of the flower - in between four unexpected phone calls.  I stamped this Basic Gray ink on watercolor paper and used my watercolor crayons to color it - in between a quick errand to pick something up.  If you're wondering how this fits into the story let me say that Belassiz is hiding in the flowers to keep an eye on Bodacious and his decorating escapade. 

Ahh, but I didn't mention that I wasn't too sure about how this was going to come out, so I started another one.  You know when you are looking to make some decorating changes and you don't have a lot in the lines of cash flow.  Adding a few floral pieces here and there will brighten things up.  In my pursuit of the iris stamp I came across a stamp I had picked up in a clearance sale somewhere some time ago. 

The stamp is called Spring Wreath and it's by Rubber Stampede.  I stamped it in Basic Gray on watercolor paper and again used my watercolor crayons and an aquapainter to color it.  I backed the image with a Pretty in Pink panel punched with the Pinked Hearts border and corner punches.  Then I mounted that on a Lavendar Lace care base. 

The ribbons from both cards came from my ribbon stash.  It's been snowing here all day so the bright colors in these cards are just what I needed.  How about you?

Twenty Years and Cabin Fever

My daughter is a teacher in Delaware and they have been out of school due to the snow all week.  Needless to say, she's getting a touch of Cabin Fever.  The highlight of the day - shoveling out your car dressed as a fairy..................

And here's a blast from the past................

and today..............

Don't you love it!!!!   I do!

And check out this link http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPublicPhotoGallery&plckGalleryID=68e67165-7f45-47f6-b356-3d38f012bdc7 - pictures 35, 36 and 38.  ETA:  apparently the numbers change - you'll have to search her out.  There are three photos.

Black Jack Valentine

This weekend HWNSNBP and I went to an Orchid Show.  It was a bit of an adventure as we took an indirect route there which involved reading maps.  But we got there and the flowers were beautiful and I took lots of pictures.  I'll put up a slide show of them later this week.  I couldn't bring myself to purchase an orchid as the one's that I really liked ran in the $45 - $50 range.  Instead we picked up two smaller plants.  One is a miniature African Violet in a cute little urn with birds on it that we both liked.  The other is this little blue plant in a green self-watering pot that I really fell in love with. 

When I saw the CAS challenge today and browsed the Candy Crate inspiration website I knew that I wanted to do a Valentine and this was my inspiration..........

and here is my card............

See my little blue flower - it was a ... uh huh.... to cut out but I'm hoping HWNSNBP will know that it's there for him. 

The quick recipe:  stamp is from Holiday Best, embossed in White on Basic Black cs.  I stamped the flower portion in Basic Gray on Whisper White cs and colored it with my SU markers.  Then I cut the flowers out and glued them over the white embossed ones.  I used the large oval punch which just fit around the image.  Then I added the white stripes on each side and the punched oval to the Bashful Blue background.  This is not a standard size - it's 5 x 3.

Not your typical Valentine colors, I know.   What would you use for non-traditional Valentine colors?

Valentine Tags

What does your workspace look like?  This is mine tonight.  I was looking for something the other day and came across a container that was filled with bits and pieces of items that I had previously stamped for Valentine's Day.  Rather than just let them sit I decided to put some of them together to use this year.  Some of these will be tags for the "sending of the socks" and some of them will be for some quick cards.  I've also got lots of hearts from the I {Heart} Hearts set that I stamped and cut out over the weekend.  They'll come in handy for decorating some treat boxes. 

Birds in the Snow

With snow forecasted for our area it was definitely a pajama day.  For me yes, but not the poor birds in the snow. 

There were many Junco's around - you can see one of them with the Female Cardinal in several of the pictures above.  The Blue Jay came around after HWNSNBP threw out some bread, gobbled it up and took off.  The Male Cardinal always seems to know he's having his picture taken and moves around very quickly as if to say "catch me if you can!"

These were taken through the kitchen window while it was still snowing so they're a little gray.  Maybe tomorrow I'll have some brighter ones.

Asian Inspired Sympathy

A quick sympathy card using Asian Artistry, one of the SU texture plates, and the MS fence punch.   Colors are Hunter Green, Garden Green, Barely Banana and Basic Black.  The sentiment is on the inside.  I deliberately stayed away from using a ribbon for two reasons.  One - that it's for a man, and two - I didn't have anymore 10 cent stamps for extra postage. 

Uh Oh! He's Toast!

No Thursday's Throw Away today - I'll try to get it in tomorrow.  I had a little mishap in the kitchen this morning.  Sometimes I feel I'm in the middle of some bad 50's sitcom. 

Let me start by telling you that my husband heated up his pizza in the oven last night no problem.  Sometime later that evening when he had already gone to bed, I heard some noise in the kitchen.  We had caught a mouse about a week ago and I still had the trap out so I was pretty sure that I was going to find another one but I didn't.  So I went to bed and didn't think any more about it.

This morning as I was standing in the kitchen packing my lunch I heard the noise again and detected it coming from my oven. 

Aha!  He's in the oven.  Hmmmm.   I pulled open the door quickly.  Nothing there.  I yanked the bottom drawer.  Nothing there.  The furnace was running so maybe I just heard a rattle in the gas line from that.   Went back to packing and there it was again. 

It's got to be in there I said to myself.   I'll get him.  I'll force him out.  I'll turn the oven on.  So I did.  I stood there with the door and the drawer opened and fully expected to see the little bugger head for the hills.  Instead I saw smoke.  A lot of smoke.  A real lot of smoke. 

Dear God, what did I do?  I shut the oven off and the smoking stopped within a few minutes.  But what now?  I was pretty sure that I had toasted the mouse but now I was concerned that it would stay smoldering in there and possibly start a fire. 

At this point I decided that I would wait until the oven cooled down and see if I could remove the panel over the burner.  I called work and left a message that I would be in late and briefly gave a short synopsis of what had already transpired on the answering machine.  Then I called HWNSNBP.   I wasn't really anxious to relate what I had done to him so it was good that I had to leave a message on his cell. 

When it cooled down a bit I tried but I was unable to pop up that panel and I was still worried about a possible fire.  I pulled out the bottom drawer completely to look under the oven and there was a small pile of what looked like bits of insulation.  HWNSNBP called back and seemed not too upset about the situation but he did share my concern about further fire.  I told him I thought I should call for a serviceperson to come and see if they could take the panel out and we could retrieve the mouse toast.  He agreed.

I contacted a local appliance service business and explained to them the events of my morning.  The guy was not at all fazed and said that this happens more often than you think.  I asked if he could send someone out to remove the mouse and he basically told me that the mouse was unretrievable where it was and that I should put the oven on it's self-cleaning cycle.  It would get to about 1000º and would incinerate what was left of the mouse.  And, he added, there would be smoke.  

Well, I had to get to work so that would have to wait until later.  Do I dare tell you that I was referred to as the mouse killer at work (I don't want any spam from that word!)?  And my oven is now "the incinerator". 

I left a message for HWNSNBP to put the bird upstairs and turn off the smoke alarm when he got home so I could start the cleaning process as soon as I got home.  He thoughtfully left a fan in the kitchen so I could direct the smoke out the kitchen window - yes, I had the window opened.  There was smoke.  There was a lot of smoke!  In fact, 6 hours later I still smell smoke. 

So why am I telling you all this?  I had intended to do some work on Thursday's Throw Aways up in the stamp cave until I realized that the smoke alarm and the outlets in the stamp cave are on the same circuit, sooooooooooo there would be no light to work with.

Someone made a comment that it would smell rotten, but I think that had I waited more than today it would have smelled worse having a charred dead mouse sitting around for a day or so! 

So it seems I gave my daughter quite a chuckle when she called and asked what was up.  Nothin'  I told her.  I'm in the middle of cremating a mouse...............................

Teapot Tuesday 79

We're on the mooooooooove again!  To Cowlifornia we go.  Remember Alicia?  Well, Alicia has a little brother named Curt.  Curt wants to be a stuntman, but he's a bit too small for the task.  See what happened..........

He couldn't make it over the moon!  He's too little.  So our job this week is to buff him up and find an alternate career for Curt since he has decided to stay in Cowlifornia. 

You see, Curt decided to go to an audition.  A local florist was looking for someone to play Cupid for their Valentine deliveries.  Well, Curt, not being the brightest bulb in the box since his recent stunt attempt, thought he read Cowpid - which of course, he would be perfect for!  To make sure he got the job he went and got a tattoo on his right flank.  A beautifully ornate heart.  After all, what's Valentine's without hearts? 

And here's a Moo's Flash, I mean a News Flash!  He got the job!  He has to bring along some romantic Moosic on his deliveries and you know what he'll be singing?  Oh come on!  You know don't you?

I'M IN THE MOOOOOOOD FOR LOVE

Okay, head over to the Teapot Tuesday Gallery to check it out.  But remember, to get the whole story and to see Cindy's creation, you must visit her glob. 

Oh, and if you want the deets on the card leave a comment or e-mail me.

Beautiful Bookmark

I received this beautiful bookmark in the mail last week and just had to share it.  It's made by a fellow teapotter catgondek.  She sent it all wrapped up in the embossed paper you see in the background.  What a great way to make sure there's no crushing in transit.  I've given you a link to her wonderful gallery.  Please take a look and show her some comment love.

It never ceases to amaze me as to the generosity of these wonderful people who share their craft and creativity so willingly with strangers.  These teapotters are no exception! 

Thanks Cat!