Harmony

Harmony- I think we all try to live a life in harmony. Maybe peace is more the word that I am looking for. Quietness, no strife, relaxation, calmness......that is what this morning is. I had the whole house to myself! Kids are in school, at least for the morning, and work-at-home hubby is out playing basketball today with his work buddies. I know as sure as I am typing this, peace is not what my house will be tonight. Hubby bellyaching about his sore knees, kids complaining about sleepovers, arguing over who gets to choose the family activity for the weekend.....so, for now, I am relishing in the calmness of the house and working on harmony. Peace be with you.

supplies: ivory satin ribbon, SU stamp set, CTMH Unforgettable papers. Used a technique of 2nd generation stamping on the 3"square- bamboo and sorbet inks. Stamp set is called Aspirations. Card design- Splitcoaststampers.com challenge

Have A Wonderful Day

Another cloudy and dreary day here, am really looking forward to the first day of spring. Creating soft pastel cards is my way of bringing it along a little bit sooner. My youngest came home today telling me she learned that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb-LOL! She showed me pictures of how we dress during the first weeks of March (in parkas) and the last weeks we are wearing short sleeved shirts and lightweight jackets. I think I like the month of May better- the temperature is more reliable, mild and breezy, warm not too hot, and the trees are in full bloom.

Supplies: blush cardstock, olive printed paper, vellum, matching inks, prisma glitter (I LOVE this stuff, very fine and just soooo sparkle-y!), organdy ribbon, dew dots, and ticket punch for the corners. The 2 stamp sets used are: Life is So Good and Birthday Script by CTMH.

As far as techniques, I doubled stamped the flowers 1x with baby pink, then just to the right with blush. Makes it look like watercolors. Same with the olive leaves/stems. Inked up the stamp, stamped off 1x, then stamped my paper. The sentiment is in Smokey Plum ink.

Like the card says: Have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by!

technique-Stamping my own paper

I wanted to make 4th of July invitations for a family picnic. I couldn't find the exact paper for the look I wanted to achieve in my invites. So, CTMH had this great Picnic set, that I just decided to incorporate all of the stamps onto one sheet of paper to make this very colorful invite! Colors used were Outdoor Denim, Cranberry, Black and Sunflower.

Here's a closeup shot of the paper.....

One of the ways I like to relax and de-stress from the day is to stamp. Now, I don't bang the blocks onto the table and take out my frustrations- the paper and table did nothing to me! I use it in a more healthy and constructive way- making my own papers. Haven't you ever gone to buy paper and can'f find the one that you are looking for? Here are a few samples, and once you have the technique down, you will be busy creating your own papers to match exactly what you wanted to in the first place.

The trick to Random Stamping is working in a TRIANGLE shape. Choose your stamps. I use 2/3 large, and fill in with 1/2 small, to tighten up the look. Remember, when you cut your paper, you will be surprised at how much open space was left on your sheet of paper! Start with one image and start stamping, change inks and images and remember to work the the 3 triangle shape. Keep rotating your paper- never leave it straight on! And stamp off the edges of the paper to make it look like something that you purchased. It will take some time to practice. Using the smaller image that you chose, fill in the small spaces, you can overlap, but not too much! This fall sheet, the acorns are embossed in gold powder, then the entire sheet was sponged with goldrush ink to further distress my paper. Another time, I will tell you how to make realistic looking fall leaves. Until then, enjoy the beautiful weekend and happy stamping!