Less Is More Challenge #26

Happy Weekend. How's it treating you? Mine is great....today is my Birthday! In a little while, my family is taking me out to dinner. For a present, they chipped in together and upgraded my Iphone to a version 4.....whoopie. It's so much faster and more fun that my 3. I've been informed that for a 60ish lady, I'm way cool to have and and be able to use (the operative word apparently) an iphone. And just to prove that I get more hip with age, I've hinted that they can get me an Ipad next year. So, they best begin saving.

So, over at Less Is More, we have the Lucky Dip with a theme of fruit. My little chica is kinda' showing up a bit small, but she's actually the perfect size for an A2 card. My base is Neenah solar white. My image and sentiment are from Paper Pretties (they're based in Canada). I stamped her in Memento tuxedo black and the sentiment in SU real red. The sentiment is punched out with SU's oval punch and popped up with a bit of zig zag material in the corner. I colored Chica with a combo of copics, SU markers and Bic markers because I didn't have enough of any one line to get the bright colors I needed. Chica reminds me of the Chiquita banana logo. She certainly has a variety of fruits on her head. Gee, wish I could carry stuff on my head since I often need more than two hands.

Hope you have a great week.

Blessings,
Erica

Frogs Forever...hopefully

Nothing but busy in my life, but I had to squeeze in a my fave little creature to play with when  cards are involved. I also like to watch and read about them. I found this cute little emoticon on Linda Heller's blog here.  He is a going green frog. Did you also know that F R O G stands for Fully Rely on God? This is perfect for me. I have a friend who has little business cards made up with a cute frog and the acronym and she hands them out to friends as well as encloss them in cards. Great way to spread the word. Frogs are integral to our ecosystem and many species are heading toward extinction, so don't kill them and for heaven's sake don't eat frog legs. Chicken tastes better....honest!

So over at at  Simply Create we are showcasing our favorite animal. I especially love dogs and have been proud owner to several breeds as well as a mutt or two, but my dog stamp collection is lacking, so here's my close second of which I own many images. This is a Sizzix die that I cut out twice in different greens to give him definition. I added the eyes and lashes, enhanced the smile with a black fine marker and added the buttons, ribbon, twine from my stash. The corners are a combo EK Success corner punch and SU punch. The leaves are done with an MS border punch.The flowers are from Recollectons. I found a new kid on the block kind of embossing folder. It's two-sided and made of very hard green  plastic. It's also 5x5 size.  I had to play a bit in my CB to get the sandwich correct, but I love the deep impression it made. I tossed the covering (which was quite minimal...going green perhaps?), but I think the brand is "Big Daddy." The papers are all just what I had on my desk at the time. So, I guess this cards would fit a going green theme easily.

Now go play at Simply Create.

Thanks for looking.
Blessings, Erica

Handmade ribbon flower

Hi Stamper World. I'm amazed at so many people from so many different countries who are enjoying the life of a stamper. It's such a good thing, don't ya' think?

I watch quite a few videos on how to make your own flowers. I don't know why, since I have a draw full of unused primas in all shapes and sizes. I made this one using SU wide ribbon. I hand-sewed a basting stitched down the middle of a piece of ribbon and then left the last stitch untied. I pulled on that thread and the ribbon scrunched up. I neated it and tood both ends joining them into a circle. This leaves a hole in the middle, which I added a button to. It was easy peasy....just like I like 'em. The rest of my card consists of SU daffodil cs, ridin hood red cs, some scrap for the oval, "trellis", leaves and corners , some sponging on the trellis, and Nesties, SU punch, MS border punch, a CB corner die and the Sizzix leaf die. The butterfly is from a set that I removed from its casing to "store", and all I can tell you is that it's a clear stamp. The sentiment which I love is a Studio G dollar stamp from Michael's. I stamped direct to paper and then stamped and cut out another image and put them together with a pop dot to achieve a bit of depth. Lots going on here, but it really was a simple card to put together. Hope you like my card.

I'm off to see the dh who is making fine progress in a rehabilitation center. I'm so proud of him. It was scary for me for a while.

Hugs & Blessings,
Erica

Fetch A Sketch Challenge #2

 

I followed this sketch at Fetch a Sketch

At Fetch-A-Sketch, the ladies are well underway with a challenge, so thought I'd add a card I've made for a specific person while using their sketch. Our Bible study leader is 70 and is getting re-married. It seems it's never too late to find love. Ordinarily, I'd send her a "Christian" themed card, but she's getting a bit of negative feedback here and there, so I wanted to perk up her spirits and remind her to just go for it. Afterall, when you've reached 70 years old, do you really care what people think? I know I won't! I should add....it matters only what God the Father knows.

So I used SU's riding hood red and the newer SU dandilion. I embossed with a CB folder and carefully brushed a nice bright red dye ink over it. Using a circle Nestie, and for the frame, a scallopedNestie, I stamped two different Michael dollar stamps on the circle. I colored the kite with my new "just couldn't resist" Memento markers. My strip is an EK Success punched out black scrap. I had a sparkly star button in my stash, which I glued on in the corner. If this card is nothing else, it certainly is bright. I am praying that she and her intended have a bright and cheery future ahead of them.

Hugs & Blessings,
Erica

Simply Create

Hi stampers. Hope you're getting ready for a fun weekend. Mine? Well, not so fun. DH is in a rehab hospital trying to gain strength physically after a serious bout with unexplained diarrhea  and dangerously high potassium levels. Poor hubby spent his 70th birthday which falls on the 4th of July, quite ill. So if you have a moment, just add "Ed" to your prayer list. Thank you for bearing with me.

My card for the Christmas themed Simply Create challenge was super quick to make. And I used stickers. There is a franchise store in my area that has three aisles ready for Christmas. Rather depressing in my opinion...but I suppose it's a sign of the times.

But I digress....my base is Neenah solar white, the Cuttlebug was used to emboss the SU robin hood red mat. A Nestie diecut is used to hold the ornament stickers and the sentiment is by CTMH. A little red bling pearls for accent and this card is super easy peasy for adding to my Christmas stash. I figure while I 'm visiting dh, I can easily bring the makings of this card and hash a passle out. With so many fun and well-done stickers available, why not take advantage of them for card-making during busy times, right?

Have a happy weekend and get some stamping done.
Off to check out some more challenges.

Blessings, Erica

I Sure Could use a few...

It's been a week since I blogged. I'm going through some rather serious medical issues with my dh. My mind would be in a turmoil if it weren't for my faith which sustains me. I haven't got as much time as usual to stamp and blog, so posts may be a bit sporadic. It's important that I do what I can as it helps me to de-stress.

Here is the challenge for the the Less Is More this week. We are to use legs. Well these froggies have legs and then some and they look like they are dancing and jumping for joy. Penny Black makes some of the most adorable frog images and I own several. This is perfect for the challenge. The sentiment is from a clear stamp set from Hero Arts. It has many sentiments that are useful. My base is Papertrey's white and I did the coloring with copics...not bothering to do any shading. The little squigglies are covered with a glitter pen, but it may not be showing up. As Joan of Paperlicious always says..."my mood when done," ....I am smiling in spite of my woes.

Keep smiling as God grows us in his own inimitable way.

Erica

Simply Create is Tea-riffic

Good morning stampers,

Gonna be a busy weekend. Happy 4th of July to you and yours. AZ is allowing firecrackers for adults to use recreationally this year. So, I'll be praying that not too many accidents happen to children, as they always seem to get ahold of them.


Simply Create  is stamping with silhouettes images. They're not my "go to image,"  but I just happened to have three stamps and the easiest one to work with is this fat little teapot. I worked off a sketch from the new challenge in town, Fetch A Sketch...see previous posts for deets, or just hit the blinkie in the left sidebar at the top. I modified the sketch a bit. DSP is from DCWV's linen closet and I sponged some Memento new sprout over the dotted paper for the leaves (punch is Sixxix).. I used my Nesties to make the  mat for the teapot and a Fancy tag.. Pearl bling and Recollections flowers and a teeny corner made with an EK Success punch round it out.

Now go check your stash, or go digi as some of my team members have done and use silouettes. Let's see your stuff.

Happy Weekend
Erica