Would you believe...

that I'm really not dead....
or buried under piles of pretty paper...
Although I have been dealing with a creative and motivational block....
the real problem lately....for approximately the last 3 weeks...or more...
has been NO computer at home.

Yes, that's right, the computer crashed. With over 3000 pictures.
Now, that having been said...you really must commend me. Why? you may ask....

Hubby says to wife:
"Watch for anything weird on the computer. I think the video card may be going out. "
Wife says:
"Okay. Don't you think we need to get a flash drive or an external hard drive for the photos? You know...just in case it's not just the video card."
Hubby says:
"Probably..."

Dutiful wife purchases 8 GB flash drive specifially for photos.
Nicely asks hubby to copy all photo files.

Several weeks later..... after purchase of said needed video card...
Hubby says to wife:
"Hon, you won't be able to use the computer for a while..."
Wife:
"Oh, why?"
Hubby:
"It crashed. I can't retrieve anything yet."
Wife:
"Like what?"
Hubby:
".....ummmm.....well.... I think I lost all our photos."

Now at this point, I really could have said those 4 little words that wreak havoc, spread discontent, and cause numerous divorces....

"I told you so."

But, I refrained, through great effort, I assure you. So, I am happy to report, I am still married.
(Rest assured, the thought DID go through my head, it just didn't pass my lips!)

So, needless to say, once I have a computer again, I will start posting again.

Pretty paper...

I am a sucker for pretty paper. I had to share this card because of the cardstock. I bought this at an office supply store in Price, UT and then, of course, hoarded it for years. It was just TOO pretty to use. (Trust me, the photo does not do it any justice.) I have not seen this paper anywhere since I bought it, which might be why it took me so long to use it.

The JOY stamp is a retired TAC stamped on red & embossed with gold. I used a black marker & colored in the Holy Family and used my glue pen and AIG silver to fill in the star.

My biggest problem was how to show off the paper. This card is still NOT one of my favorites, I admit. It's definitely a quick card...but just not really one I find attractive.

So, I'm looking for tips...tell me what you would do with paper like this? How would you feature it in a card or page to show it at it's best without covering it up too much? Any sketches that are your favorite for this sort of thing?

(I'm definitely looking for inspiration here... My "mojo" has been a NO SHOW for about 2 months and I need some rejuvination QUICK!!)

Joy

Do you ever see a set pictured in a catalog and think to yourself, "Not much there. What would I ever do with that? Don't like it..."

Then, you see a sample of a project or two.... and suddenly the set makes your "gotta-have-it" list.

This was one of those sets for me.

This card is a case from another demonstrator (sorry I don't remeber who you are, but you posted on TAC Art Scans) Anyway, that's when I fell in love with this set. I simplified the sample as it was a card we did in the first Christmas Stamp-a-stack. Of course, this is another one of those discontinued sets. (But I'm only trying to give you some teasers to encourage you to come to THIS years Stamp-a-Stack.) The silver stickles around "JOY" don't show up very well in the photo, but take my word for it, they really make the card POP in person!

A very simple Christmas expression: JOY.

Where do you find your joy? How do you create joy for others? Is JOY the secret of keeping Christmas spirit alive?

....sorry....having one of my philosophical moments...I'm back now!

For all you locals in Delta County, CO...The Scrappy Moose is opening today!! HOORAY!!!! Go in and say "Hello" to Carol & crew and perhaps I'll even see you there!

Signs of the Season

Sometimes the simple cards are the most elegant. These 2 cards are obviously the same card, I just changed up the stamps. Both sets were used in past Christmas Stamp-a-Stacks...and both sets are now retired. The Mini-Wreath set is still one of my favorites.

I really love the look of the embossed feature over the stamped image which worked very well on both of these!

I admit the photos are not the best and I know I need to increase my photographic abilities. (A light tent is on my Christmas wish list this year.)

I'm beginning to think a lot of ...

...CHRISTMAS!
Yes, it's early yet...but still it will be here before you know it. And for a crafter, you need to have enough time to create your projects too!
The card with the tree line & holly was a card from last years annual Christmas Stamp-a-Stack.
Remember to save the date: Sat. Nov. 22 (this is the Saturday BEFORE Thanksgiving.
Regular classes for Technique Tuesday (7 pm first Tues of each month: Oct 7, Nov 4, and Dec 2) and Stamp Camps (7 pm 2nd Wed of each month: Oct 15, Nov 12, Dec 10) will continue as scheduled.

Close to my heart...

No, not the stamp company. The subject of Alzheimer's. As most of you know, my mother battled Alzheimer's for several years before her death last April. Our family was truly blessed in the way in which we had to deal with this terrible disease. I know, it's difficult to imagine being blessed by such a catastophe. By blessed I mean that my mother never became violent, she never wandered, she just became very introverted. When the disease finally pushed her to the point of being bed-ridden, she died within the week. She was able to be at home during the duration of this horrific illness and my dad was able to be her primary caregiver.

Since my mom was diagnosed, almost everyone I have talked with since knows someone who is affected by this disease. It touches far too many lives.

Right now I know someone who is caring for her Mom with Alzheimer's. It is a never ending and often thankless task. It's difficult and heart wrenching. This card will be going to her.

I hope it reminds her, that God is always with her. She is fortunate enough, like me, to be living in the mountains where we see the hand of God every day.

The inspiration for this highly personal post is here: Cammie's Blog. Although she is giving away the most awesome blog candy I have ever seen, I was personally inspired by her commitment to DO something in the fight against Alzheimer's.

Plans...

...hmmm...I think I will stop making plans. My plan for this past weekend was to spend Saturday in the cave. Well, amazingly enough, that just DIDN'T happen. Most of my day was eaten up by cleaning up the library. It just seems that stuff happens after I've "made my plan" and the rest of my household then takes over and my plan gets pushed so low on the list it may as well not even exist. Is this a MOM thing? or is it just a ME thing?

Okay...enough of my whining!

It't time I start planning and preparing for Christmas! ALREADY you say? Well, yes, considering what happens to my plans.... I'd better start now if I have any hope of getting anything accomplished!

For those of you who look forward to the Christmas Stamp-a-Stack every year, I thought I would show some of the cards we did last year...then I'll start on some sneak peaks for this year!

So, for those of you who like to mark you calendars.... Saturday, November 22.

A day for fishing...

I like it when my DH goes fishing. Makes him happy...it also makes me happy 'cause then he's out of the house and I can play in my cave!

I've been FAR too busy lately running from one thing to another and haven't even visited the cave for some much needed work! I'm beginning to feel better but it seems that recovery has been a long and tiresome road. I also need to run to Denver this weekend, a quick trip to pay my respects to my uncle and to check on Pop.

I'm hoping to get something done today and tomorrow as this is the last card/project I have prepared to share. As you can see it's a quick & easy pretty breezy kind of card. I don't think you need much in way of explanation or instruction on this one.

Besides... you know it's time to start thinking Christmas and start prepping projects. (Trust me, it will be here before you know it!)

Scraps & tags...

...so, I've discovered that putting together a quick card just takes some scraps & tags and just putting it all together. For example the card at the left. Quick, simple...nothing spectacular. I know the fly stamp in the background is a discontinued from the Northwoods collection. I think the boat is from Lazy Days?
Not sure if I like this one or not...but it'll do...

For my locals: Thanksgiving themed Stamp Camp Wed. Sept. 17 at 7:00. See you there!!

So maybe I've been golfing...

....uh, no...wish I had been! I feel like this is the first day I've been vertical in a week!! I'm not usually one that gets sick & whines. Usually, I have to continue to "function" whether or not I'm ill. But then, there are times when it's just not possible. Last time I felt this bad I was still living in Utah, and that's been a while!

On a brighter note, perhaps being this ill this early in the season will help build my immunity & I'll be fine for the rest of the winter!! Anyway... enough of that stuff!

Here's a quick "manly" type card. What do you think? Seems like I specialize in the 10 minutes or less kind of card, huh? I'm still pursuing more manly cards. However, the holiday season will be in full swing shortly & right now I've got to get going on creating some Halloween treats for the kids.

Just a quick reminder for my regulars:

Stamp Camp moved to this coming Wednesday, Sept. 17. We'll be doing a Thanksgiving theme for the evening. Beginning in October we'll start on Christmas projects. Also, don't forget to mark your calendars and notify your friends for the 3rd Annual Stamp-a-Stack on November 22!!

Penelope...my new favorite!

The new set of Penelope papers is my new favorite. (Trust me, the picture does NOT do it any kind of justice.) These papers are full of very rich jewel tones perfect for the fall and heading into Christmas too!

This is a quick (aren't all my cards?) 4x4 card just done to show off the paper. I added a tag from the paper collection and finished it off with an eyelet, ribbon and scrapper's floss. Very simple, but the paper makes it look nice.

Old Blue Truck

...and yes, yet again, another discontinued stamp! I'm still running with my pursuit for making "male" cards!

I really like how this turned out! I probably should have used a marker to color the pine trees a dark green, but overall, it's a pleasing card. And an easy one to put together! How do you like the buckle? It inspired me to punch the holes for a decorative effect on the left edge.

We had a stamp camp last night...I'll get some photos taken and post some pics this week!

Next event won't be until Sept. 2 for Technique Tuesday.

Pink, pink....and more pink!

Seems that I have been in "discontinued stamp" mode...well, that's the nice thing about having stamps! I can still use my discontinued stamps, you can't say that for stickers or rub-ons!

Anyway, here's a nice girly birthday card to give you a break from the manly cards I've been doing lately. You'd think I made this card for my everthing's-gotta-be-pink girl, Megan, but it was actually a card I make for Rachel last year.

Gotta love the stickles and the gel pens here. I think that's what makes the card! Very simple, very basic...but I think it still works!

Heather's Sketch 35

Heather always puts up a sketch on Mondays, which I nearly always attempt to do, sometimes successfully. Since I've been in a manly card mode with Hemingway paper, I used what was sitting on my desk.

Here's another retired set, Lazy Days. (I would not have been the "good-wife-of-a-fisherman" if I didn't have this set in my collection.) Now, you would think making manly cards would be easy with the right sets of stamps. Maybe my brain just makes it more difficult? What can I say, amazingly enough, I just don't think like a guy but hopefully this will be a card a guy would like.

Here's the sketch and my card:

Still the one...

Have you ever made a card and just LOVED it? This is still one of my favorites. Yes, I know the set is retired but just goes to show that just because a set is "retired" doesn't make it any less useful. In fact, this is still a fabulous set! (Don't you wish you got one before they were no longer available?)

That is the nice thing about having a stamp...it's usefullness and creative uses are endless. Okay, I admit, some may begin to look "dated" but then again some are timeless (like this one.)

This particular card was not one of my hubby's favorites. He thought the seagulls should have been with the lighthouse. (Shows what he knows, huh?) If you look closely, you can see the *ding* at the top of the lighthouse, which is why he got this card in the first place! Lucky guy!!

Thanks Jackie!

Jackie was kind enough to share some fabulous double-sided pink & green cardstock and sheets of tags/etc. when we did a sorority card-making weekend. I did lots of cards that I didn't happen to snap photos of....I know, can you believe it?

Love the double sided cardstock! It's especially nice for puching holes in the front to see into the card itself like the saying here on this card. The squares are blitzed up with some Stickles. Cute & very easy!

I'm almost at 2500 hits on my blog! WOW! Then it will be time for some blog candy, huh?

...and more horses!

In my attempt to use up my Hemingway scraps, and make some "manly" cards I've noticed a couple things. #1: I still have tags that need to be used up. (Hmm....I feel a meander mini book coming on!) and #2: I really don't like that starburst looking paper that comes in the Hemingway collection. I still have 2 full sheets of that paper amidst various other scraps that are now getting smaller and smaller. Come to think of it, I haven't seen many samples out "in-the-world-at-large" with that paper either... all the others in the collection, but not that one. Hmmm...

One note here, the hardware is comparable to the hardware featured in the TAC catalog, just not pewter colored. Well, when I ordered mine, it came it copper color and I never thought anything about it! So, since it goes so nicely with the Hemingway collection, it has given me an opportunity to use it!

My fav is the one below with the buckle and the dark green. What do you think?

One more quick note, or maybe two:

For the locals in the North Fork and Delta County area: Stamp Camp on Wednesday, Augut 13. Please let me know you'll be there. $15 for 4 fun projects!

And to the world at large out there! I'll be announcing some blog candy next week ...so stay tuned!!

Horses...maybe man cards?

I suppose the locals all know I've started selling cards at the Kut& Klip in town.
I left a basket of cards before I left for Yellowstone and had to refill it when I got home!! That's good news! Well, all except for the "more masculine cards" request. Hmmm....that's always been a challenge of mine I suppose. I don't really have that many "male" kinds of stamps...

So, last night I sat down with my horses and Hemingway (the paper, not the author) and attemped to use up some scraps. I blame Carol Norby, she had some fabulous cards not too long ago on her blog. As you know, my philosophy is: if you can't come up with it on your own CASE someone else!! I worked these out in about in hour while waiting for the oldest to come home from her date.

Back on track...

Isn't is funny how life happens while we are busy making plans? Don't know where that quote came from, but it seems to be so true with my life. Good thing I had planned a quasi-vacation for July!

We are back at it now that August has started and last night was our TAC-nique Tuesday class!

The first is an oldie but favorite. I just had to do something with chalk. It's Nancy's favorite coloring medium. So, the first technique was easy to pick....Chalked Embossing:

#1 is a sample I did a couple moons ago...or more! The second is the new version.

Okay, I know, I know!! It's the same card!!! My point is...you can use your design with different stamps and still have a lovely unique card. I actually like the tree better! I think it "pops" more on the black background.

Card Details--

Stamps: Love & Laughter (TAC)

Cardstock: Basic black & white

Inks: Noir Palette, Versamark

Other: White EP, Basic Brights Chalk Kit

The second technique I selected was NOT working well for me when I went to create samples. Grrrrrr!!! I HAD to come up with something, dang it! Luckily for me, I am an avid blurfer! (That's "blog surfer") and Jan Tink at Stamps, Paper, Scissors was my saving grace for the day!

She did an EXCELLENT tutorial on "Moonlighting" that I thought would be fun. So....not only did I do that technique....I also TOTALLY cased her card!!

#1 is Jan's version. (Yes, yes, I know it ROCKS!!) And then there's my feeble attempt:

What can you do when you don't have the same stamps but you want to recreate a card? Improvise, of course! Afterall, there are NO mistakes in stamping...only creative opportunities!! Not too bad, mine's a bit plain. Perhaps because the kids ate all my chocolate! (Christy noticed there were no M&M's & pretzels on the table.) Well, we won't be making that mistake again!! Time to find a new hiding place for the yummy stuff which is apparently absolutely essential in paper crafting.

Card Details--

Stamps: Happy Haunting, Running Stitches, Northwoods Stars - retired (all TAC)

Cardstock: White, Orange, black, purple, deorative paper -retired

Ink: Noir Palette, Burnt Umber Palette, French Lilac Palette, Galaxy Gold Brilliance

Coloring: Prismacolor Golden Yellow & OPT

Other: DewDrops, edge distresser, ribbon, green gel pen

No pic today....

Oh my golly! I can hardly believe I haven't posted since July 25!! Good heavens! What the heck have I been doing? I'm finally coming out of "vacation recovery mode" and getting on with life. That's a good thing!
I have spent a weekend creating cards with sorority sisters, but of course, as luck would have it, the camera was at home. Aaarrgghhh! But I DO have photos & stuff to post, I just seem to conveniently find excuses not to have done it yet. PMS, hot weather, apathy... all leading to a general lack of motivation. Okay, so they are ALL lousey excuses, but right now, it's all I've got!

TAC-nique Tuesday will return tonight after a month hiatus. So, posting tomorrow...with photos...can be counted on!

Thanks for bearing with me!