Look Who's Back!!!!!

Wow, is it possible that it's been nearly a year since my last post?

Well, I haven't been on a crafting hiatus, just a blogging one.  Creating cards is one thing, but getting that photo taken and then shared is quite another.

Also, I have recently made substantial progress on my craft room - FINALLY - so it's a much more peaceful place then it used to be.

But I'm getting of track.  I was looking for inspiration recently and immediately went to see what the latest Fusion challenge is, and this is what I found

Mostly it was the photo that drew my attention, but the sketch worked for me, too so here's what I came up with

I can tell you that the tape in the background is My Mind's Eye, and the die cut shape is Echo Park (using my Silhouette), but the rest are bits and pieces from the fabulous little kits I get from Paper Issues.

So glad to be back to blogging and you can expect more from me in the near future.

Happy Anniversaries

Notice that I typed "anniversaries", and that's because my parents will celebrate 45 years of marriage on the 7th, and my husband and I will celebrate 16 on the 6th!  

I chose the latest Poppy sketch to inspire this card for my mom and dad

Here's a close-up photo

If you haven't been over to Poppy Sketches yet, you need to pop on by and join in.  The sketches are combined with a color scheme and the Design Team will provide you with great inspiration!

I dug into some goodies from the latest Swag Bag from Paper Issues, some Lawn Fawn stamps, cut that adorable heart frame using my Cameo.

Because I felt like it

That's the reason I'm sharing a card today.  It's procrastination at it's best!  I have a million other things to do, including cleaning the house for company this weekend, but....

I made a card instead based on this sketch and these colors from Poppy Sketch #4

Here's my card

So on Mother's Day I treated myself to a trip to Craft Warehouse (like I needed an excuse), and I picked up some yummy paper from the MME Market Street "Ashbury Heights" collection.  

The stamp is new (to my stash, that is) Technique Tuesday.  And those gorgeous sequins are Hazel & Ruby.  

It's hard to tell, but the background is cut down and layered a bit and what appears to be brown is actually shiny gold stripes.

The vellum leaves are thanks to my Cameo -- *sigh* it always comes through for me!

Now that I've had some creative time, I suppose I need to go clean...

Pow!

Happy Birthday to our neighbor and friend Clay who just turned 9!

Here's a card I whipped up for the girls to attach to his gift.

I had such fun making this - especially since it meant pulling out goodies from Paper Issues, and sharing it with my friend (his mom) who is quite crafty herself!

A closer look at the vellum and others embellies

I have some unfinished cards on my craft table - not sure if they will ever get done.  At this rate I will probably have to repurpose the "toppings" and use them on different cards.

More fun with Watercolors

Here's my card I promised, now that it's dry, and I'm linking it up to the Moxie Fab challenge Styling with Stencils Challenge.

I used the same Jillibean Soup stencil as on {this} card. But I wanted to use just a fraction of the dots.  I created this card for a somber occasion, and it makes me thinking of tears or raindrops.  

Here's a close-up look

I used natural light for these photos, and I think the second photo looks more true-to-life.

I used a perfect medium pen coupled with some perfect pearls.  The sequins are from Hazel & Ruby.

I'll be working on a few more cards this afternoon and I hope to get those posted before the day is over.

Playing with Watercolors

This is not my first adventure playing with watercolors, but it's been a while and when my mom asked me to make some cards without a sentiment, I thought it was a good time to get messy.

I used a flat sponge, a round sponge and a semi-wide brush to create these cards

No trick photography on these, the paint colors really are that vibrant

I tried to photograph a third card, but the dimensional glue I used on the sequins was not try, and that just doesn't look good.  So I will try another photo in the AM when the light is good and see if that turns out.

I have a couple of challenge cards I'm working on, and I can just finish them I'll be sure to share them.

I've been busy recently -- we took an overnight trip up to Seattle and this was one of my favorite moments

If you've seen Chihuly's glass work in person, then you know how stunning it is!  It was a family favorite.  We also visited the Space Needle, EMP, and the Seattle Aquarium.  And I won't even get started on the food...yum!!

You Did It

I have about 5 minutes to post before running my littlest dancer to her hip hop class.

So here goes...

Today is the start of a new challenge blog called Poppy Sketches

by Laura Davis

And in an effort to bounce around and try as many sketch challenges as I can, I decided to plunge right in on the first sketch

It's a sketch with a color challenge and this is what I imagined

I'd like to tell you all about the yummy new ink I bought from Papertrey Ink, but I think this close-up picture will do a better job

Um, can ya tell I'm in love with gold right now?

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to do a floral thing -- it seems the DT did, so I went with this fabulous Teresa Collins paper that made me think of overlapping flower petals.

I have another card to post and details from my oldest daughter's recent trip to Washington D.C.  I'm one proud momma and I have to share.

The short version is that she went to represent the state of Washington to advocate for diabetes research.

Back soon with more crafty business...